3_Like Father Like Daughter.

LIKE FATHER LIKE DAUGHTER.

A Decade Later.

"Duke!" Keondra called out. "C'mon boy!" She clapped, looking around.

She wore a cropped top hoodie which left her stomach bare as her waist disappeared into the baggy pants. Her hair was in a rough bun at the nape of her neck while a few strands fell to her face and some behind her little pointy ears. “I know you're in here, you stubborn creature.”

Duke jumped on her from behind and they both crashed to the marbled floor. He stood over her on his four as he passionately licked her face.

"Duke!" She loudly laughed and stood to her feet. She patted his white fur and kissed him on the face while lovingly tracing the unique black pattern on his face.

He was bigger than a normal tiger and she got to understand that he was no ordinary tiger.

Ludwig brought him into the palace as a source of protection and Czar trained Duke to the best of his skills.

He perfectly understands her and she loved him a lot, although Ludwig recently banned him from stepping into the palace for being naughty and mischievous.

"I wonder if you will keep getting bigger," She leaned on her huge pet.

"What are you doing in here? Father will throw you out the moment he finds you here," She patted him and he growled.

"No Duke, you know you can not stay with me here in the palace but I promise to always visit you." She kissed him again.

Ludwig failed to find Niylah's murderer.

It bothered her that her mother did not get the justice she deserves but was also grateful for the fact that her father refused to give up.

"We will find him, Duke, and he will pay!" She said absentmindedly.

There was a sudden deafening sound that shook the building.

"That was an explosion!" She looked around.

Some guards rushed in while others were running out.

"The palace is under attack! Wrodromor is under attack!" A guard shouted and a horn was blown from the outside.

"Princess! Come with me!" One of her personal guards ran to her, breathing heavily.

"Where is my father!?" She worriedly asked.

"In battle!"

"Who is attacking us!?" She started running towards her room.

"Xethen Empire." He followed her but she stopped in her tracks.

"Make sense! The sun is down! How dare them!? Where is Czar!?" She continued running and the guard hardly caught up with her, with Duke hot beside her.

More of her guards followed behind.

"In battle! You need to come with me! We need to take you to safety! Lord Ludwig's orders!" He begged.

"I am not abandoning my father and definitely not my people!" She put on her scabbards, quiver and carried her bow. She quickly dressed her tiger up with a simple midsection armor and helmet.

"But princess…"

"I'd advise you to fight too!" She quickly walked out of the room. “And your men. That's an order.”

"His highness said you should not go out of the palace no matter what!"

"Stop me if you can." Keondra climbed on Duke as he raced out of the palace. All she could hear was the clashing of swords, screams and pleads of innocent people. Everywhere was blood and dead bodies carpeted the grounds of the palace. Some already shifted and other werewolves were also killed.

It was a full moon.

She jumped down and drew out her swords as she pierced it into two vampires and they faded in flames.

Duke jumped at one and snapped his head off.

"Good boy,"

After centuries of peace, they finally want war? Vampires were never peaceful to begin with.

Well, let them come!

Keondra fought with a few as she mercilessly killed any one that got in her way. She finally spotted Czar. He did not shift into a wolf.

"Czar!" She called out and he turned to her.

"Keondra! What are you doing here!? Go back in!" He shouted as he ran towards her, swiftly killing any vampire that got in his way.

She removed an arrow as she aimed it at him but it got a vampire who was trying to sneak up on him.

"Whoa!" He dodged the arrow.

"You owe me one," She said when he came closer to her. "Where is my father?" They stood back to back and fought off the vampires that leaped at them.

"Fighting, somewhere! You should not be here Keondra! Ludwig will kill me if he finds out you are on the battle ground! Stay behind me! I need to protect you!" He pushed her out of the way to cut off a vampire's head.

"Watch out! Behind you!" He shouted and she quickly turned, went on one knee and furiously stuck both her swords into a vampire's throat. She pushed him off with one leg, pulled out her bloody swords and looked around, the vampires were running out of warriors but something suddenly pushed her to the ground.

"Czar!" She screamed as a masked man held him by the throat, lifted him and pierced him with the same sword he used on her mother.

"Czar!" She shouted again.

“Now we are even." Czar said with a bloody smile and the masked man threw his lifeless body away.

Why did the masked man side with the vampires?

Her blood soaked knuckles turned into fists as she slowly got up.

"You monster!" She cried and leaped at him but two strong arms held her back.

"Run!" Ludwig kissed her forehead and tossed her to the side.

“Daddy!" She cried and shook her head, standing up to put back her swords in the scabbards. Duke ran to her.

"Take her away, Duke! Run!" Ludwig ordered and stood up to the masked man. "That is a command!" He shouted. "I love you princess."

This was the exact same thing that happened years ago. The same last words.

Duke tugged at her hoodie but she ignored him.

"Please do not kill him!" She begged the man but he did not even spare her glance.

The two men engaged in a tough sword fight and Keondra watched.

Duke tightly stuck his teeth to Keondra's baldric and dragged her.

"Duke! Stop it!" She begged and struggled to get free but his grip was tight. He dragged her away as she helplessly watched the masked man slowly behead her father and throw his head away. His head rolled near the many dead bodies.

"Daddy!" She cried miserably. "Duke let me go!" She shouted and struggled again.

The masked man was slowly following them and Duke picked up the pace when Keondra mounted on him and headed into the palace towards the secret door.

'Run' Her father's voice rang in her head.

And why would she run? What honor will that bring her and the memory of her beloved parents?

She is no coward.

She looked around and the palace was filled with dead bodies. All these people sacrificed themselves to protect her and Wrodromor.

What good has she ever done for them?

This is the time to put all she learned from Czar and Ludwig to action.

Keondra jumped off Duke and rolled on her back to her feet.

She refused to escape this wicked man. She will make him pay for all he did to her family.

Keondra patted Duke and took him to the secret door, unlocked it and walked in with him but quickly stepped out and slammed the door. She locked it and threw the key away.

"Go Duke. Please! Go." She pleaded but he furiously shook the door and tried to push against it but to no avail. He helplessly looked at her and grunted.

"Just go!" She said sadly. "I can do this." She nodded and walked away.

She looked around and spotted the masked man majestically walking towards her.

"Today marks the end of your being." She bitterly said drawing out her swords and attacked him but he easily dodged and pushed her to the ground.

Keondra stood to her feet and attacked again but this time, he gave her a kick which sent her flying and she crashed into a wall.

Her swords flew in different directions.

"Argh!" She breathed, realizing she was no match for him.

He walked and stopped a few inches away from her as he towered over her.

"Nice to meet you again. Like father like daughter!" He said with a very hoarse voice and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her into the air.

"Who are you!? And why!?" She looked into his eyes but they were completely black.

She reached for his mask but he moved away and angrily smashed her against the wall. Blood dripped down her face and some flowed out of her nose.

She grunted and wailed in pain while her body lightly slumped forward.

The same man that killed her mother, killed her father and now, she is going to die in his hands.

What exactly does he want? What is he after and why her family?

'I am sorry mother. Forgive me father. For I failed both of you'

"You will never forget me! Dead or alive."

She watched his long fangs grow out.

He is a fucking vampire too!

He drew her closer and aggressively bit into her neck.

Keondra wailed and screamed in pain. Her entire body shook and her head jerked continuously.

He drew out his sword and pierced it onto her heart

"Aaaaa…" She faintly breathed and went still. He let her go and her body slumped to the floor.

Is this really it? Is this really the end of her legacy?

The masked man won and Wrodromor will never be the same again.

He killed both her parents and Czar.

He will ruthlessly rule Wrodromor and enslave every werewolf alive.

She couldn't avenge her parents and she watched them both die.

She is an epitome of failure. She couldn't save her father and her people regardless of the years of training.

Oh Czar will be so disappointed. He taught her all she knew and he died because of her. Everything was her fault.

She will

never forgive herself and she personally hoped to rot in hell.

He held one of her legs and dragged her out of the palace.

“Finally, time to get rid of you, for good." He said as he threw her off a mountain and watched her body disappear into the valley down to the depths of deep cold waters.