The final monster dispatched Leofric had only his uncle and the witch to take care of. He was wounded and nearly to the point of exhaustion but his determination was rock hard. He strolled towards Siana, the closer of the two, his hand gripping tightly around his sword hilt. Siana was chanting frenetically now, her face exuding desperation. Leofric felt a burst of pain rush through him, like a wave of misery. It made him weak and he nearly fell over but her persevered and kept walking. Siana chanted louder and the pain increased, nearly doubling him over. It was a new spell and evidently Miranda had no way to counter act it. Leofric struggled to put one foot in front of the other, his body screaming with pain. His vision became blurred and his limbs became numb from the shock. Still he came on though and Siana’s face was becoming increasingly horrified. She had not planned for this. Leofric grunted and stepped a pace closer but then green light swamped his legs and he fell to the ground, paralysed. He could barely move but he saw Miranda walk past him, reading from the book. She’s doing this… The young woman was reading out the spell that was keeping Leofric immobilised. “I should have seen earlier” Miranda said aloud. “There is so much power that I never knew I could access, now that I see what I can do I only wish to know more”. She’s betraying me! Leofric felt his heart sink to depths lower than he could imagine. “I will join you and become your acolyte” Miranda continued. “If you teach me how to harness these powers to their fullest potential”.
Siana smiled a greedy, triumphant smile. “I will do nothing less” she said eagerly.
“Then I will be your student” Miranda declared.
“Your first task then is to kill the prince and rid us of a pest” Siana stated. Miranda walked towards Siana slowly, the book held out in front of her. “Must I kill him?” Miranda asked casually.
“He needs to die, he is a threat” Siana replied.
“If that is my master’s wish” Miranda said. “I will kill the prince”. Siana smiled gleefully, her darkest wishes manifested. Leofric was in a pit of despair, Miranda, his unspoken love had betrayed him. Miranda came closer to Siana, “I shall use one of my spells” she said. Siana nodded gracefully in agreement and Miranda spun on her heels to face Leofric. They shared a gaze, her soft blue eyes capturing Leofric’s soul as strongly as they had when he’d first laid his eyes on them. Then Miranda spun back around, dropping the book and pulling out a hidden dagger from in her hoodie. She closed the short distance between her and Siana in a flash, sprinting with the dagger raised. Siana’s face only just managed to register shock and horror just in time for the dagger to pierce her stomach. “Go to hell bitch” Miranda jeered, knifing the witch repeatedly in the belly. Siana fell to her knees and tried to feebly grab hold of Miranda’s arms, her face contorted with dread and terror. Then she fell to her side and went limp, blood pooling around her body.
The spell loosened and disappeared from Leofric’s body and he stood up steadily. The portal on the wall flickered and shook and then vanished, leaving the Gymnasium empty of magic. Aethelred looked with horror at the spot where the portal had been, his escape route terminated. He then glanced over to Leofric and his face fell with abject fear at the sight of the vengeful prince. Leofric stumbled forward, his sword in hand and his mind clear and adamant. Aethelred spun his head around, looking for a way out of the gymnasium and found none, the only exit blocked by Leofric. The prince’s side ached with pain and he walked with a limp but still he marched on. Aethelred pulled out his sword and brandished it sloppily, his lack of training and martial expertise blatantly apparent. Leofric grimaced from the pain in his wound and closed the gap between himself and Aethelred.
His uncle swung his sword at him but Leofric deflected it ably. Aethelred then swung his sword again at the prince, his body trembling with fright and his face fixed with fear. Leofric easily blocked the attack and forced Aethelred’s sword to one side. Aethelred tried to bring his sword back up but Leofric rapped with his blade, giving Aethelred a small cut on his hand and forcing him to drop his weapon. Leofric then grabbed his uncle and pulled him forward, impaling him on his sword. Aethelred shook with shock and dismay, blood gurgling out his mouth as Leofric dug the sword deep. Aethelred’s eyes rolled back in their sockets and Leofric pushed him off his sword, the body falling to the ground with a thump. It was done. Leofric had taken his revenge.
Miranda ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face in his chest. “We did it” she said. Leofric was too exhausted to respond, he just put his hand over the back of her head and stroked it. He couldn’t believe that he’d done it, he’d avenged his father after all. And I couldn’t have done it without her. “We’ll have to get some bandages for that” Miranda said, looking at his wound with concern. “And we’ll have to do it quickly too, the media and the police will probably show up in no time”.
“Thank you” Leofric uttered in a wheezy voice.
“Leo?” Miranda asked.
“Thank you” Leofric repeated louder.
“Oh Leo” Miranda said wrapping her arms around him once more. “There’s something I need to tell you” she added.
“There’s something I need to tell you as well” Leofric eased out.
“I’ll go first” Miranda said. “Leofric I’ve been meaning to say this for a while but… I love you”.
Electrifying warmth flooded through Leofric and his soul soared with relief. She loves me, she really loves me. “Miranda” he wheezed out.
“Yes Leo” Miranda replied hesitantly.
“I love you too” he said.
Miranda let out a gasp and then hugged him tightly, the two of them embraced for an indeterminate amount of time, simply basking in their shared warmth. Leofric felt happier than he’d ever felt before, all of his hate and anger melting away as Miranda clung to him. He was in love and he wanted to tell the whole world. Miranda was the one who broke the hug, she leaned back and looked into his eyes enchantingly, her face radiating bliss and kindness. “I wish we could hug forever but we have to go” she said.
“I know” Leofric replied softly. “We’ll have to open the portal some other time”.
“I’m sorry that you missed your chance” Miranda said.
“There will be other chances” Leofric ruminated. There was the sound of sirens and Miranda took Leofric’s hand. “Let’s go” she said. They made their way to the entrance and stole out into the night, there was a crowd outside consisting mainly of students but they barely noticed the two figures that slipped out of the Gymnasium. They strode along the campus until they came to a quiet, secluded area, the commotion left behind. Miranda stopped and she pulled Leofric down and kissed him. Leofric revelled in the surprise, the thrill was almost intoxicating.
Miranda ended the kiss and stared into his eyes once more, an elated smile on her face. “You asked me once what I liked best about New York City” Leofric said.
“You changed your mind on what it was?” Miranda asked with a sly grin.
“No” Leofric replied. “I knew as soon as I first laid eyes on it that I loved it and always would”.
“And what would that be?” Miranda returned.
“You” Leofric replied. The two leaned in and kissed once more, losing themselves to passion.
11.
Miranda woke up with a groggy yawn, sitting up and stretching her limbs out. She’d slept well and she looked forward to the day excitedly. She noticed that the bed was empty save herself. Leo must have gotten up early and gone to scout the place out, he never can sit still. Miranda got out of bed and made herself some breakfast, a simple meal of cereal and milk was enough to get her perked up. She followed it up with a shower and then checked her phone to see if she had any messages. She was still teaching Leofric how to use the phone, it was a work in progress to say the least. Leofric returned ten minutes later, his expression was stoic but Miranda could tell he was excited and apprehensive. If everything went as planned, they would soon be in Anglo Saxon era Northumbria. “Does eve
rything look set to go?” Miranda asked Leofric, giving him a quick hug. Leofric returned the favour, kissing Miranda gently on the forehead. “There shouldn’t be any issues” he said. “There’s an empty unlocked building that we can carry out the ritual in”.
“Great” Miranda expressed.
They left the motel and got in Miranda’s parent’s car and drove down to the town square. It had been four weeks since they’d defeated Aethelred and Siana at the Franklin Gymnasium and since then they’d lived with Miranda’s parents in Albany. At first her parents had been taken aback by the tall, broad shouldered, long haired man who spoke in a strangely archaic English accent but eventually they’d come to love him. His politeness and deference were exceptional even if his manners and habits could be somewhat odd. Miranda had put her university course on hold, making up a fake excuse to get a break from the program. They had accepted it, the university authorities were too busy dealing with the fallout from the events at the summer ball to worry about much else. The summer ball had in fact made the front page, with dozens of witnesses recalling wildly differing accounts. Luckily none of them had stuck around to see Miranda and Leofric do battle with monsters and as such they got off Scot-free. The police had opened an investigation but had zero leads as the bodies had no identities or traceable pasts. The media had dubbed it the ‘Franklin massacre’ and had gone into frenzies speculating about its truth. The CEO of Duffelburger, Fred Duffel had publicly speculated that it was a United States Military experiment gone wrong. Scientists had analysed the bodies of the monsters and declared they were unlike anything seen before while politicians accused each other of fomenting the situation.
Miranda and Leofric were the only two people on the planet who knew what had occurred that night and that suited them just fine. The body in Miranda’s apartment had been disposed off with acid, every trace of its blood thoroughly scrubbed out of the floor to boot. With all the loose ends tied up the pair had spent the past four weeks enjoying each other’s company, basking in their mutual affection. For Miranda it had been the happiest four weeks of her life. Whether it was the long walks they took by the lake, the picnics in the park or even lying on the hood of her parent’s car watching the stars together, every moment filled her with exquisite joy. She also spent the time teaching Leofric how the modern world worked. He was endlessly fascinated by her explanations and always had a hundred questions for everything she told him. Eventually though all things had to come to an end and for them it came when Miranda discovered that there was a summer ball at Albany State University. Originally they’d been planning to travel to Europe to open a portal but after she told Leofric they settled on the closer option. She had dreaded the day that Leofric would leave but she knew that it was something that he had to do. He was loathe to go as well but he had told her that it was his destiny. His kingdom needed him and it was up to him to set things straight now that his uncle had been taken care of.
The days had rolled past and eventually the big day itself arrived. They rented a motel close to the college so they could arrive there early in the morning before too many people had shown up. They’d spent the evening listening to music together, Leofric was utterly intrigued by the immense variety of genres that existed in the modern world. They’d then expressed their intimacy together before they fell asleep in each other’s arms. Now they were in the car, driving past the Albany State campus on their way to the summer ball. “I liked that movie we watched a few nights back” Leofric said, bringing sound to the silence.
“Which one?” Miranda queried. “Apocalypse Now? The Godfather?”.
“The one with the man made of metal who couldn’t be stopped” Leofric replied.
“Oh you mean The Terminator” Miranda acknowledged.
“That’s the one” Leofric said. “It reminds me of myself”.
“That you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger?” Miranda joked.
“The time travelling aspect to be to the point” Leofric replied.
“I hope you don’t take that movie too much to heart” Miranda jibed.
The car rounded a corner and drove into the campus parking lot. Miranda circled around until she found a parking spot and stopped the car. They got out and made their way through the campus to the summer ball. Miranda carried the book with her in a bag while Leofric’s sword hung from his belt, encased in foam. They came to the outdoor grounds where the festival was being held, hundreds of students where already picnicking under the morning sun. They walked through the crowd until they reached a small, empty building that lay off the fields. They saddled up to it and Leofric opened the door and they both stepped inside. It was a club room, evidently used for recreation with a pool table in the main lounge but it was empty and suitable for their purposes. “Can you feel the magic?” Leofric asked.
“It’s definitely here” Miranda replied. Over the past four weeks she’d been teaching herself from the spell book, learning about magic and developing her nascent powers. One of the first things she’d learnt was how to detect the magical essence in a particular place. A skill she put to use in evaluating the empty club room for its suitability. “Shall we get started then?” Leofric asked. Miranda felt anxiety tug at her, she didn’t know if she could go through with it. “You don’t have to come” Leofric assured her, “you can stay if you want. It’s your decision and yours alone”. Miranda looked up into Leofric’s warm soothing eyes, at the man she loved. “No, I’m coming” Miranda stated. “I’ve made my decision and I’m sticking to it”.
“Let’s get started then” Leofric said gently. Miranda took the book out the bag and opened it up to the requisite page. She was nervous and frazzled but she trusted Leofric, she trusted him totally. After many long conversations in their time together they had eventually come to an agreement that Miranda would accompany Leofric to Northumbria. Once returned Leofric would lay claim to his throne and assess his kingdom and its outlook. If it was in dire need of a leader after the passing of his uncle, falling into chaos and ruin then Leofric would assume the kingship and guide his kingdom back to peace and prosperity. If a capable man had stepped up though and the kingdom was prospering in his good hands then Leofric would return to the 21st century. Leofric’s decision would hinge on what was necessary for the safety, protection and well being of the kingdom’s folk, it was his burden to bare. Although Miranda was loathe at the thought of Leofric staying in Northumbria permanently she admired his commitment to doing what was best by his people. She had decided to go with him because she was filled with a burning curiosity to see her love’s home and because she couldn’t bare to be parted from Leofric. Once they arrived and Leofric made his decision to stay or go, Miranda would return to the present, with or without Leofric. She desperately hoped that it would be the former. She picked up the chanting and the air began to swirl and tongues of green energy licked around one of the walls. Although Miranda had decided that she would return to the present no matter what Leofric’s decision was she was touched by his offer to make her his queen if he stayed. Sometimes she wondered if that was really such an unthinkable prospect after all, queen Miranda had a ring to it.
The air cackled and howled and the green energy coalesced and then climaxed, creating a green portal on the wall. Miranda finished her chant and closed the book, it was done, Northumbria awaited. Leofric store at the green portal enraptured, Miranda knew how much he missed his home. She wrapped her hand around his and he looked down at her, contentment on his face. “Are you ready for another adventure?” Leofric asked.
“I’m ready to do anything” Miranda answered. “So long as I have you by my side”.
“I know I’ve said it a thousand times but thanks for coming back with me” Leofric said.
“Someone needs to take care of you” Miranda joked.
“I love you” Leofric said.
“I love you too” Miranda replied. The two of them stepped forward, holding hands and then plunged into the portal, green energy engulfing them. Moments late
r the portal vanished and there was no trace left of the two lovers and their ritual, just an empty room with dust piling up on the windowsills. Meanwhile a thousand and a half years earlier in Northumbria a local peasant had a terrific fright when he saw two figures emerge from his barn, a man and a woman, both of them holding hands.
THE END
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The Prince of Manhattan Page 17