Eltanin, Fafnir, Lerna and Rigel stood there at the ce where the seal was broken. They were nked by twenty faes, each equipped with lethal weapons from head to toe.


    Eltanin nudged his horse to move forward and signaled the rest to follow him. When they entered, Lerna noticed that the entire ce was absolutely quiet. Not a single soul was there on this side of the river. The lone bridge that stood connecting Hydra with the rest of the maind was damaged beyond recognition. Half of it was jutting out on the river with its support pirs broken or shattered.


    "How are we going to cross?" Lerna said, feeling miserable about the deste state of the bridge.


    "I will create a portal," said Lerio, the leader of the faes. He dismounted his horse and before creating a portal, he red his wings and flew over the river. Hended on the other side, looked around and assessed the location. Once he got the rough idea of the coordinates, he came back and created the portal.


    Along with the rest of them Lerna stepped into the portal. Rigel made sure that he stayed right beside her.


    "Be very cautious," Eltanin said to them as he nudged his horse to move forward. The faes had surrounded all the royals and they created twoyers of protection around them as the horses trotted ahead.


    They passed through the viges and Lerna''s eyes filled with tears. The kingdom was a picture of misery. She stared over the emptynd. At one point of time there were farms and houses and inns where people could stop and rest. But now there was nothing but endless tall grass and... graves. The trees were cracked, splintered, bent and twisted. The tall reeds climbed over the ruins of the houses and inns.


    As the wind gusted through them, eerie noises came and Lerna was convinced at one point of time that there were ghosts inside.


    It seemed that the men had killed and ughtered each other. They tainted thend with their blood when they should have nourished it with their sweat. Her horse neighed and made its way through the limbs that stuck out from the earth.


    Lerna''s eyes flooded with tears. She didn''t know that this ce would be shrouded in so much destion. Her homnd was nothing more than a graveyard. Rigel''s hand came to her and he grabbed her hand. He wanted to take her on his horse and wrap his arms around her to soothe her anxiety, but he knew that she had to deal with her emotions. He was going to stand by her side and be with her for as long as she would allow.


    The cavalcade traveled towards the capital and it was then she saw signs of life. Women and children were loitering on the street looking pale and malnourished or starved. There were very few men. As they crossed the cobbled streets, the women and children stared at them with wonder.


    They hadn''t gone very far when a group of women came right in front of Lerna. She had to pull the reins of her horse to stop. All the faes behind her became highly alert.


    "You are Princess Lerna!" said one of them pointing at her with wide eyes. "You have finallye, princess!" All of them sank on their knees immediately and bowed their heads in submission. "Please save us from all this!"


    Lerna swallowed down her throat that was burning with emotions. The women surrounded her as near as possible to theyer of protection by the faes. They cried and cried and beseeched her to save them, to save the Hydra Kingdom. It was clear that the kingdom was on the verge of poverty and breakdown.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It all happened because of Princess Morava!" one of them cursed.


    "Morava?" Eltanin jerked his head back. "She is still alive?"


    "Morava?" Lerna was shocked. There were so many questions in her mind, but there was no point in asking it from the women. She had to go to the pce as soon as possible.


    When they reached the pce, Lerna noticed that it was in a bad shape. It was broken from so many ces. The structure looked dpidated. There were Nyxers patrolling around.


    As soon as the Nyxers spotted them, they came to stand right in front of them with spears pointing at them. A fae chuckled. He waved his hand in the air, chanting a spell and all the spears burned in the hands of the Nyxers. Shocked, the Nyxers tried to attack them, but they were repelled by the protectionyer. Uponing in contact with theyer, their body burned with the magic. Complete mayhem ensued. Now the Nyxers looked at the cavalcade with fear in their eyes.


    "I havee to meet the Alphas of the Hydra Kingdom," said Lerna. "I am Princess Lerna of Hydra."


    The crowd in front of her gaped at her with wonder. And when realization weighed on them, they bowed to her, inclining their necks at an angle in submission. They parted for her group to pass through.


    The leader came to her halfway and bowed to her. "Princess Lerna," he said with a lot of respect. "Pleasee this way." He pointed to the path that led to Alpha Henk''s quarters. He looked at the faes behind her and immediately averted his gaze. They looked... deadly.


    Rigel was with Lerna all the time as they reached Alpha Henk''s quarters. It seemed that Henk was expecting her. He was waiting for her outside. His eyes went wide when he saw Lerna and a smile spread on his face out of excitement. But when his gaze went to those who apanied her, his smile disappeared. The mighty king of Draka, Eltanin was right beside her along with his General and Prince Rigel, who was her mate.


    Lerna dismounted her horse. She bowed to Alpha Henk and said, "Wee in peace, Alpha Henk." She was expecting him to be furious but he looked... rxed upon seeing her.


    "And I receive you in peace," he replied, bowing back to her.


    All of them jumped down on their horses. The guards took the horses to the stables while the group walked in.