Garth raises his red-dimmed claymore and green shield in a stance as he sneaks down the dark hallway. He keeps himself in the middle of the carpet runway to prepare for any ambush the Queen would prepare for him.

He will use the late bard's enhancements along with his experience to finish the mission. He imagines donating part of the reward money to build a statue in William Bennett's honor for his sacrifice.

His loved ones will appreciate-

Kraa-kraa! the raven interrupts as it lands several feet away. The luminous blue irises stare at him within the darkness. It croaks at him repeatedly while hovering more feet away. It pecks at the carpet with a rapid pattern.

Garth understands that the raven is trying to guide him to the throne room or possibly a trap of more undead.

He cautiously steps forward to near the Queen's companion. Moonlight pouring through the windows ahead settles his unease. The raven flies through the open corridor and waits for him.

The knight uses the reflection of his blade to peer inside. Doors on each side of the corridor. Nothing else is there, but he isn't going to let his guard down. A skeleton or the Queen could pop out of any of these doors. 

Kraa! Kraa! Kraa!  The raven's getting impatient.

The knight decides to rush through and clings to the other wall. His heart races, but he takes deep breaths to calm his nerves. He drinks down a vial and pours another onto his blade.

The raven leads him down and flies into a room. He grips the hilt tightly as the moonlight reveals the object he saw. The raven sits on the top of the empty throne that belongs to the woman who killed his father. His blood boils, but he simmers down to prevent his feelings from getting the best of him.

He scans using his sword to find where she could be hiding. Moon light pours into the room through the large holes in the glass-stained windows, but the darkness is stronger in every corner of the room.

He decides to step inside.

Clang!

He blocks the Gladius sword that was going for his throat. Wisps of steam float up as some drops land on the threat. He hears a wince before being driven back through a wall. Fortunately, Will's defenses are still active thanks to his spell.

Thin dried violet streaks stain her cheeks. The Skeleton Queen's cobweb white hair spreads like a peacock as she lunges for a thrust. Garth sidesteps and goes for a critical downward swing, but she backsteps out of range.

As she backs up, the moonlight reveals her in a dress that unsettles him. A white wedding dress hugging her curves with heavy blots of sanguine. He grits his teeth as he charges at her.

Her wild magenta eyes rage akin to a furnace to snuff out Arthur's lineage. She slices upwards, downwards, horizontally, and diagonally to end him. Garth's hands shake with each block to find an opening. More drops of sacred water land on and around her as their blades clash. She doesn't care as she attacks like a vicious dog that won't let its prey get away.

He parries a thrust from the double-edged sword as he lunges forward. The blade of the Queen snaps as she jumps back. In that moment, she tackles him through a wall to weaken him.

He drives his sword downwards to pierce through her back, but she steps back and swings for a roundhouse kick. The warrior ducks but gets hit in the back of his head with her pulled back heel.

He rolls to avoid the stomp that leaves cracks in the floor. As Garth swings to the left, the Skeleton Queen ducks down. She aims with precision as she goes to spear through his heart. Garth stabs her hand with a hidden knife!

She screams out in pain from the steaming pain. Garth pulls it out and aims for her throat, but a flick to the helmet sends him flying. A jam of his shield to the floor stops the pending jab.

"Reflectere!" he yells. The shaking of the shield transfers back to the queen....she only takes a couple of steps back to his dismay. She jumps back to avoid the tip of his blade and utters something between her lips.

A cold wisp of air forms into a sphere that sprouts wavy arms from it.

From memory, Garth knows she just summoned a ghost. The good thing is that he has silver to counteract it. The ghost raises its arms and throws a frost blast at the knight. He bashes it away with his shield while staving off the queen at the same time. He goes to kill off the servant first as he does a 360 spin....

"Son?"

That familiar, elegant voice almost halts him from following through, but his anger took over to lay his father to rest. The ghost groans as the silver claymore splits it in two. The ectoplasm splats onto the floor with the knight breathing heavily. The Skeleton Queen does a jumping side kick which Garth blocks with the shield.

"You will join him soon enough, Garth," the queen taunts without a smile.

He keeps himself silent as the queen's goading him into losing control. He thrusts with the blade but pulls it back to drive the edge of his shield into her head. He thinks he got it lodged in, but the necromancer caught it and rips it away.

Before the shield clatters to the floor, she drags him by the collar against the wall to the ceiling. She then delivers a double foot stomp that drives him into the floor. Air escapes his lips from the abrupt force. His breastplate shatters while his sword clatters away.

Garth reaches for the knife, but she kicks it away. Her cold hand picks him up by the throat like a feather. Her grip tightens, weakening the defenses around him. She stares with all the vitriol in the world for his existence. The knight punches himself in the chest to spit out some blood.

She evades with great speed but gets hit by needles that steam against her shoulders and legs. She rips out the needles and goes to end his life. With a single step, she sways heavily to one side.

She jumps back weakly as the needles take their effect. She knows it's not killing her, but she's seeing more than double as Garth approaches her with the claymore.

Her undead skeleton followers rush to her aid, but she motions with a hand to keep them back. She pushes back her white hair to keep him within her sight.

Music echoes towards them. Garth's jaw drops as William Bennett returns with a healed scratch on his face, but alive with mandolin in tow. His squelching boots come to a stop. His narrowing white pupils stare out at the battle. His notes describe the necromancer which makes his jaw almost drop to the floor.

The knight finds his fatigue affecting him as raising his claymore was a chore. He shifts his feet as the Skeleton Queen tries to regain herself. Will strums his mandolin to help.

"May the blade swing true to decide the winner,
Let it kill the person who's a sinner.
May it happen before the air gets thinner.
End this rivalry with a quiet whimper, 
So the victory shall forever whisper."

Garth finds the strength to rush at her. He gets close and swings down with all his might. Blood is spilled.

Crimson.

At the last moment, the queen grabs the hilt and plunges it through his heart! She twists and watches the life leave through his eyes before a final exhale leaves his lips. His body hits the floor with a heavy thud. Effects of the needles wear off as she now sees one blind bard.

She pulls the large sword out to end his life and repossess him.

"Stop, my queen!" That deep Spanish accented voice stops her in her tracks. The same skeleton that took Will runs out and kneels before her. "Mi reina, don't hurt him. I beg of you."

Her pupils stare off in the distance as her mind couldn't comprehend it. The other skeletons rattle in confusion as they can't speak like him.

"H-H-Hector?" she utters out.

"It's me."

She points her weapon at the bard. "You think you could trick me?! Your stupid spell didn't work to save him so you had-"

"That spell was for you, Queen Melody," the bard answers with certainty.

Her magenta eyes widen with a gasp escaping her blue lips.

"I found a translated bottle of your people's wine and it said: This wine is dedicated to our daughter, Melody."

"SILENCE!" she yells.

William Bennett sits down cross legged with his mandolin in front of him. The necromancer thinks this is all a trick.

"Another strange thing is that a zombie outside your kingdom spoke to me."

Her pupils shake.

"I couldn't make it out until speaking with Hect-"

"Why aren't you fighting me?!"

"Because I can't kill a victim."

His words make something crash against her sternum. Without a weapon, he stunned her.

"With what I know so far, Hector spoke through the zombie. He was trying to tell me to save you."

She laughs hysterically from that suggestion. "Save me? Your kingdom sent you and that knight to kill me for causing havoc to your lands."

"With my heart, I believe him over that knight. Garth hid more than what he told me."

The skeleton stands up. "He knows what I told him so far. The truth about-"

She raises a hand to stop him from speaking. Her cartilage hands tremble as she points the claymore at the bard's head.

William doesn't turn his head. "Your Majesty, I love you."

The sword falls with a clang. "What?!"

If that outburst could shake the castle, it would. Her servants rattle and groan from this unexpected comment.

"I can't deny the feelings of my heart towards you. Despite the pain you've caused to me, you are someone who's in pain. The only weapon that I wield against you is love."

"Love? Are you insane?! You are blind!"

"I won't deny that......In two more days, all of the kingdoms will send their whole armies here.  I will not let that happen. My name is William Bennett and I have a wager. I bet I can beat you only with love."

She breathes heavily thinking the bard is playing with her. Yet something crashes against her sternum from the sincerity of his challenge. "I need to do something before I answer."

"Of course."

She looks at Garth's body and puts a hand on his head. An indistinct spell comes out of her mouth. With the final syllable, Garth's body is pushed against a wall before an explosion of brimstone consumes his corpse and armor. Will almost fall on his back from the force of it.

She then turns to him. "What do you know about a woman named Elizabeth?"

"Garth's ex-fiance?"

"I saw her in his memories. She rejected this kingdom as a wedding gift after she overhead a conversation within House Vinum's base. Instead of protecting her, his greed stabbed through her heart."

William's eyes shoot wide open. He thinks back to how the knight talked about her. He swallows his vomit.

The queen gives him a moment to think it through. After some silence...."Why do you love me?"

He puts his hands behind his head. "Your voice is lovely. Cold, but inviting for a good night's sleep. And-"

She stomps the floor, leaving a hole in it. "Be serious!"

"But I am. Even your cadence is something that my ears enjoy. I bet the compassion for your people matches your outer beauty."

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump

"You might hate me at first because I want you to release your servants to the afterlife, but I'm doing it for your benefit as well. Your broken heart deserves to be mended. If I can't do that within two days, I will have no choice but to fight you with everything that I am."

She thinks back while clutching her chest. She relies on an emotion to power through. "I accept your challenge but answer me this. What do you know about the trade deal?"

"That it wasn't your fault–"

She nears his face. He can feel her breath upon his nose. It isn't foul to his surprised eyes.

"Go on," she insists.

"Sure. I don't mind if you're this close. I could almost kiss-"

She slaps the floor near him which makes him jump a bit.

He clears his throat. "Right. In order to properly fall in love, you need to know me better."

"I can already tell what you're hiding."

He grips his knees, but lets it go. "May I use my mandolin to play out my story?"

"If you even dare to attack me, I will-"

"Die in your blessed arms?" he devilishly smiles.

"S-Stop that, William Bennett!"

The bard smiles as he feels for his mandolin. "The way you say my name makes my heart bounce like a spring. How did you know my name?"

She crosses her arms. "My raven tells me everything. Your reputation does precede you. How many women did you seduce, bard?"

"Elven, orc, dwarf, human, nymph, Valkyrie, merrow-"

She gasps. "You have to be joking."

"I'm not. I don't keep track of the number nor judge their appearance. There was no trickery as we felt something for each other," before strumming his mandolin.

"Muses of memory, illustrate my life,
Show what my love can do to my future wife."

A large golden orb appears above his head for the Queen and the others to witness. "When I'm done, I want to hear your side of the story."