ã€ŠMay Death Do Us Partã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1: Chapter 1 : The first kiss of death

    ¡°How much for the apple?¡±

    ¡°Two copper pieces.¡±

    Aria dug into her little satchel and took out a silver piece which she handed to the merchant. The red head grabbed the juiciest looking apple she could see and took a bite.

    ¡°Mmh delicious.¡± Aria cooed ¡°keep the change.¡±

    The merchant looked at the girl walk away, his mouth agape. A whole silver coin for one messily apple? This woman was either very wealthy or incredibly stupid.

    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± The merchant called out to his generous customer. ¡°May the gods bless you!¡±

    Aria scoffed as she took another bite of her apple.

    [gods? Pssh fuck the gods] she thought to herself. [they¡¯re the ones who ced me in this miserable existence to begin with]

    .....

    Aria was a beautiful ginger with bright blue eyes and beautiful bronze skin. She was in her mid twenties and had a delicate feminine figure with a sweet face, but she had the agility and skill of a soldier and a heart as cold as ice.

    Aria had lived in this little town for over seven years now. Her life was simple and quiet, she kept to herself and only interacted with others when it involved food or coin.

    To anyone else, it seemed like a rather sad existence, but to Aria, it was just perfect. She was grateful for every single day she saw the sunrise in this wretched little town

    ¡°I wonder if that snobby lord will have another job for me today.¡± Aria spoke to herself. ¡°I could use a brand new pair of boots, treat myself a little bit.¡±

    The red head made a living off doing odd jobs in the town, and eventually her sword skills and archery soon caught the attention of the lord of their littlend. The man was pompous and arrogant but he payed well so Aria was d to do some work for him.

    The jobs would range from training his sons to hunting down wanted criminals. In as much as Aria was a woman, she was more skilled in battle and hand to handbat than any man in their little town.

    Aria smiled to herself as she imagined how nice it would feel to have a brand new pair of boots on her feet. Maybe she¡¯d go a little over board and get herself a nice new sword or something. Ah yes, a new sword sounded lovely.

    ¡°Hey watch out!¡±

    Aria¡¯s daze was broken by sound of a man calling out behind her. The woman turned her body to see what themotion was about when she felt a bolt of pain in her chest.

    Aria lowered her eyes and saw a metal rode protruding from the center of her chest, blood gushing out from the wound and spewing from her mouth.

    Panic broke out in the market square.

    Apparently, a cksmith had been transporting old metal by cart up the little road towards his shop, when he lost grip of the curt, sending it hurdling down the road.

    Unfortunately, that was the very moment Aria had been crossing the road. And now she was a human shish kabob.

    ¡°Oh my God someone send help!¡± A woman screamed.

    A man rushed to Aria¡¯s side , who was nowying on the paved road drenched in her own blood.

    ¡°She¡¯s loosing a lot of blood please hurry!¡± The man screamed.

    He turned to Aria, desperately trying to keep her conscious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry you¡¯ll be fine, just stay with me. The gods will help you.¡±

    The man¡¯s voice sounded distant to Aria, and its like the more he spoke, the less audible he was bing.

    Before Ariapletely lost consciousness, she heard the man telling her ¡®the gods would help her.¡¯

    [tch. The gods? Fuck the gods, they¡¯re the ones who ced me in this miserable existence in the first ce]

    *

    The high pitched crying of a new born could be heard echoing through out the little cottage.

    ¡°Congrattions mdy it¡¯s a girl.¡±

    The midwife handed the small little infant to its new mother who reached out to her child excitedly.

    ¡°Oh she¡¯s so beautiful.¡± The woman cooed as she looked at her newborn.

    ¡°Such beautiful blue eyes.¡± The midwifemented.

    The woman was in absolute bliss holding her baby girl, she had been praying for a child for many years and now, in herte forties, she¡¯d given birth to her first child.

    On the other end of the room stood a man who was ring daggers at the new born. He was a tall slender man in his fifties with ck hair, pale skin and brown eyes.

    Richard Strongbow was the husband of Gezelle Strongbow, the new mother.

    The woman was fair skinned with deep dark eyes and long wavy brown hair, so one could understand why her husband was not particrly happy with their child.

    The girl had bright blue eyes and traces of reddish- orange hair. Clearly she hadn¡¯t taken after Richard nor her mother, or any member of both their families as far as Richard knew.

    Was it possible that his wife had had an affair and conceived the child for another man? And if that was the case, did it mean that his wife was a potent vessel all along? Was Richard the one with the problem?

    The woman looked up at her husband and smiled at him. ¡°Honey do you want to hold her?¡±

    The man was hesitant, he could see the love in his wife¡¯s eyes for this child. How could a woman so sweet bare a child of another? No it wasn¡¯t possible, Richard and Gezelle had been married over twenty years and not once had she ever shown signs of infidelity.

    Even though childless, the couple¡¯s love for one another never wavered. He felt a bit ashamed for doubting his dear sweet wife, she was an angel.

    An angel? Thats right! This child was probably a gift from the gods, blessing the couple after years of praying for an offspring. That would exin why the child looked so different. She was a product of divine intervention.

    ¡°Honey?¡±

    Richard batted hisshes and looked up at his wife. ¡°Of course darling, I¡¯d love to hold her.¡±

    The man stepped forward and took the tiny infant in his arms. The baby opened her little eyes and looked up at the man

    [what is this? Where the hell am I?! And who the fuck is this creepy old man?! Let go of me you creep!]

    The baby stretched its little hand towards Richard¡¯s face and made some noises.

    [what the hell?! Baby hands?! Oh no, not this again. Did I die again?]

    The baby in Richard¡¯s arms seemed to be getting frustrated. She was wiggling around and moving her little arms in a tiny fit.

    [why is this happening to me?! Why can¡¯t I just die!]

    Richard panicked when he heard the baby let out a frustrated squeak, he reached for her little arms and immediately, the little girl grabbed his finger and seemed to calm down.

    [sigh. It seems we¡¯re doing this again, might as well get it over with]

    ¡°She¡¯s so small and cute.¡± Richard spoke to his wife excitedly.

    ¡°It looks like she likes you.¡± Gezelle responded. ¡°What shall we name her?¡±

    Richard looked down at the little infant in his arms. ¡°We¡¯ll name her Guinevere, after my mother... Guinevere Strongbow.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a lovely name honey.¡±

    [I hate it!]

    ¡°Hello little Guine.¡± Richard cooed the baby. ¡°We¡¯re going to take good care of you. Oh thank the gods.¡±

    [enough with the gods already!]

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2: Chapter 2 : Never send a boy to do a man¡¯s job.. send a girl.

    ¡°Guine! Guinevere!¡±

    [sigh, what does this old hag want this time?]

    The little ginger slipped off her bed and made her way to the kitchen where her mother had just taken out fresh bread from the oven.

    Gezelle broke a small piece of the bread and ced it on a te with a ss of warm milk beside it.

    ¡°I know how much you love bread when it¡¯s piping hot, straight from the oven.¡± Gezelle spoke to her daughter.

    She walked over to the little ginger and helped her onto the table and smiled as she watched her blow the bread before putting it in her tiny little mouth.

    Six years had already gone by since Guinevere was born and everyday she was growing more beautiful and more intelligent.

    .....

    Her parents were astonished by how fast their child was developing. By the age of three Guinevere was already able to speak and read. By the time she was four, she could y the flute, and by age five she already had a tutor and was excelling in all her courses.

    ¡°Do you like it sweetie? I added raisins¡± Gezelle spoke.

    ¡°Mmh hmm.¡± Guinevere responded with her mouth full.

    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± The woman nted a kiss on the girl¡¯s forehead. ¡°Now eat up, your tutor Mrs Fletcher will be here any minute.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just doing it for formality, there¡¯s nothing more she can teach me.¡± Guinevere responded.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mrs Strongbow questioned her daughter.

    Guinevere took thest sip of her milk and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. ¡°I¡¯d suggest you stop giving her your coins. I read all her books in advance.¡±

    The little girl slipped herself off the chair, trying to pull down the cup and te with her so she could give them to her mother. But unfortunately, her little size worked against her and sent the dishes crushing to the floor.

    [damn these tiny weak limbs! Can¡¯t I grow any faster?]

    Gezelle rushed to her daughter¡¯s side and inspected her. ¡°Are you okay sweetie?¡± She spoke in a panic, ¡°are you hurt?¡±

    Guinevere shook her head, indicating she was fine. ¡°I¡¯m okay. But I still think you should give Mrs Fletcher the boot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to her when she arrives to see how far you¡¯ve gone.¡± Gezelle spoke as she picked up the dishes from the floor. ¡°Then I¡¯ll decide wether she gets the boot or not.¡±

    ¡°Well alright, but I¡¯m just looking out for you you know.¡±

    Gezelle chuckled, her baby girl was only six but she could hold conversations better than most women she knew. She was truly a blessing.

    Richard Strongbow sneaked into the kitchen and hoisted Guinevere up to his shoulders. ¡°How¡¯s my little princess doing?¡±

    [I¡¯m too old for this old man, but fine, I guess I¡¯ll y along]

    ¡°I¡¯m okay father.¡± Guine responded.

    ¡°And how¡¯s my queen.¡± The man spoke as he kissed Gezelle softly on the lips

    [gross]

    ¡°I¡¯m okay honey.¡± The woman responded. ¡°Would you like some bread?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have some when I return, thank you honey.¡±

    ¡°Return?¡± Gezelle asked her husband. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Hunting season is upon us.¡± Richard replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to catch us some game, and maybe catch up a bit with the boys. Greg¡¯s son is seven now and old enough to learn some archery skills.¡±

    Gezelle put the dishes away and turned to her husband. She hated that he didn¡¯t have someone to teach archery or take hunting. She had Guinevere but her husband had no one.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I couldn¡¯t have another child and give you a son my love.¡±

    Richard looked into his wife¡¯s eyes and felt his heart sink, he put Guinevere down and pulled his wife into his embrace.

    ¡°No honey don¡¯t say things like that, you and Guine are more than enough for me.¡± Richard spoke. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡±

    Guinevere looked up at her parents and pouted.

    e on Guinevere you¡¯re not suppose to care. You can¡¯t allow yourself to get attached to these people. Just like everyone else, they will die and you will live on. Get yourself together.]

    Richard looked down when he felt a little hand tagging on his pants. ¡°Can I go?¡±

    Both parents looked down at the girl in shock.

    Gezelle crouched down and ced her hands on the little girl¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Sweetie, I know you want to spend time with your father but going hunting is for boys.¡±

    ¡°Says who?¡± Guinevere responded

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s always been like that.¡± The woman responded sheepishly.

    ¡°Well maybe it¡¯s time things change.¡± The little girl spoke.

    She walked over to her father and tightly wrapped herself around his leg. ¡°My mind is made up!¡± She dered.

    The two parents looked at each other and sighed in unison. They knew how stubborn their daughter could be, it shocked them how such a small girl could be filled with so much fire.

    *

    ¡°Richard! Good to see old boy how¡¯s the wife?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s well Greg thank you.¡± Richard responded. ¡°And I¡¯m sure Susan is well too.¡±

    ¡°As always.¡±

    Greg Foreman and Richard Strongbow had been friends since they were children, so had their wives. They practically did everything together and even got married on the same day.

    Unlike Richard, Greg had been blessed with six boys which made Richard a bit envious of his friend. But after he and his wife had Guinevere, Richard feltplete with his beautiful, smart little girl.

    Greg squint his eyes when he noticed a little head peeking from behind Richard¡¯s legs. ¡°And who do we have here? Seems we have a stowaway.¡±

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Richard responded. ¡°This is Guinevere my daughter, she¡¯s just here to watch her old man catch some nice juicy game.¡±

    ¡°Oh, nice to meet youdy Guinevere.¡± Greg responded as he shook the little girls hand.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m here to catch a big juicy rabbit.¡± Guinevere responded. ¡°I¡¯ll plunge an arrow right in its fat little gut.¡±

    ¡°Ah she¡¯s a feisty one this one.¡± Greg responded with a chuckle.

    The man then turned and called out to someone who was standing a few feet away from them.

    ¡°Jillian! Come here and say hello.¡±

    A little boy who looked like a miniature version of Greg Foreman walked up to them and nodded.

    ¡°This is my youngest son Jillian, maybe you can let him catch that juicy rabbit for you.¡±

    The boy blushed lightly and stretched out his hand towards Guinevere. ¡°It would be my pleasure to catch some game for you.¡±

    ¡°Attaboy.¡± Greg patted his son on the back

    [oh brother]

    ¡°Alright then.¡± Richard spoke. ¡°Shall we begin.¡±

    *

    ¡°Why are we just squatting here? Aren¡¯t we going to miss out on all the action?¡±

    ¡°Father says first we have to observe and see how it¡¯s done.¡± Jillian whispered. ¡°It will take a few days till we¡¯re able to use a bow and arrow. Besides, you¡¯re a girl, you¡¯d just hurt yourself.¡±

    [why you little..]

    ¡°Here theye.¡±

    Guinevere peeked over the bushes and saw her father and Mr Foreman sneaking up on a deer. The two men inched closer to the animal, closing in on it from opposite sides.

    The deer was startled by the sound of tree brunches breaking and began moving towards Richard.

    The man aimed his arrow at the animal andunched it, lodging itself in the deer¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Good shot Richard!¡± Greg eximed. ¡°You¡¯ve always been quite the hunter.¡±

    The children crawled out from under the bush and joined their fathers.

    Guinevere smiled when she saw the dead deerying on the ground.

    [This old man is pretty good, I could pick up a thing or two from his skills]

    ¡°Daddy isn¡¯t too bad is he?¡± Richard spoke as he rustled Guinevere¡¯s hair.

    The girl nodded. ¡°Next time I wanna try. Watching you have all the fun from a dirty old bush is boring.¡±

    Richard chuckled. ¡°I promised your mother I wouldn¡¯t let you hunt, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    Guinevere sighed and looked away. She missed wielding a bow and arrow, it¡¯s one of the few things that made her happy, and she was darn good at it too.

    .....

    Seeing his daughter¡¯s sad expression, Richard took off his quiver and ced it on her back. He then handed her his bow with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you carry these home if you quit your pouting.¡±

    Guinevere¡¯s face lit up instantly, it had been so long since she¡¯d held a weapon. She looked at the bow which looked massive in her little hand with awe. It was beautiful.

    ¡°But promise not to tell your mother.¡±

    ¡°I promise.¡± Guinevere responded.

    *

    The group walked slowly through the forest towards their vige, the sun was almost setting making the autumn colors of the trees look bright.

    Guinevere had always loved this season, even in her past lives. It was ironic how it looked so beautiful yet everything was dying.

    As they walked, the girl heard a rustlinging from a nearby bush. She stopped and went to inspect it, maybe it was a rabbit, she could kill it and have her mother prepare it. Gezelle was very good at making rabbit stew.

    The blue eyed girl peeked into the bush and saw the fattest white rabbit she¡¯d ever seen.

    Meanwhile, the group had forged ahead not noticing the girl had remained behind.

    ¡°So Guinevere do you want toe over and y tomorrow?¡±

    No answer.

    ¡°Guinevere?¡±

    Jillian turned around and noticed that the girl was gone. ¡°Stop! Guinevere is lost!¡±

    The two men turned around in a panic, dropping the deer they had been carrying.

    Richard began running back down the trail, his heart in his throat and panic on his face. Where was his little girl? He begged the gods to keep his only child safe.

    ¡°Guinevere!¡± Richard called out.

    ¡°Guinevere!¡±

    ¡°Where are you?!¡±

    Richard felt the ground beneath him start to spin. ¡°Guinevere!¡±

    Just then, he spotted the little ginger aiming his bow and arrow towards a rabbit.

    ¡°Guinevere no!¡±

    Swoosh....

    The arrow hit the rabbit right in the stomach, and the girl ran towards the rabbit and picked it up by its ears.

    Richard ran towards his daughter and embraced her. He then pulled away and looked at her furiously.

    ¡°Why did you do that?! Don¡¯t you know you could have been hurt!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The little girl responded. ¡°I just wanted to show you that I could hunt just like you.¡±

    [wait why am I apologizing?! Piss off old man, I do what I want.]

    Richard hugged his daughter one more time. ¡°You¡¯re a great hunter sweetheart, just please be more careful, you scared me half to death.¡±

    The girl nodded and hugged her father back. ¡°I promise to be more careful.¡±

    [it¡¯s official! I¡¯ve lost my mind]

    Greg and his son watched the scenepletely dumbfounded, how could such a little girl kill a rabbit with such arge bow on the first try? What was Richard teaching this child?

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3: Chapter 3 : I harbor feelings for you

    Swoosh... bang!

    ¡°Another bullseye!¡± Richard eximed excitedly as he patted Guinevere on the back. ¡°At this rate, the student will surpass the teacher.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be coy father, admit it, I¡¯m already better than you.¡± The girl responded with a smirk. She ced another arrow on her bow andunched it towards the target, striking another bullseye.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky Guine, your old man¡¯s still got it.¡±

    Richard grabbed an arrow from his quiver and ced it on his bow, he closed one eye and aimed at his target.

    ¡°Richard!¡±

    The man startled and released the arrow abruptly, missing the target entirely. He turned around and saw his wife ring at him.

    .....

    ¡°Hello honey.¡± The man spoke sheepishly.

    ¡°How many times have I told you to keep your weapons away from our daughter?! She would lose an eye for heaven¡¯s sake.¡±

    ¡°But mom I¡¯m more careful now.¡± Guinevere responded. ¡°Father and I have been practicing everyday and...¡±

    ¡°Everyday?!¡±

    Richard elbowed his daughter, ¡°Ixnay on the practice ey.¡±

    Guinevere was now thirteen years old and had grown in a beautiful youngdy. Her orange-brown hair was now waist length and her feminine figure was setting in, much to her mother¡¯s pleasure.

    Having a daughter as pretty as Guinevere meant that she could buy her beautiful dresses, teach her how to carry herself and hopefully, eventually a young handsome suitor woulde along and sweep her off her feet.

    But day by day, Gezelle¡¯s perfect little picture was crumbling. Her beautiful daughter took no interest in dresses or shopping or suitors. Instead, she would apany her father to hunt, she would sword fight with the boys in their vige and win, and loved wearing barbaric clothing that wasn¡¯t fit for any woman.

    Gezelle walked towards her daughter and husband and sighed heavily. ¡°Jillian ising over, he says he wants to see you, he sounded like it was pretty important.¡±

    She turned to her daughter and gave her a serious look. ¡°Can you please be on your best behavior? For me?¡±

    Jillian and Guinevere had grown rather close over the past years, they did almost everything together. Gezelle could see that the young man had a bit of a crush on her daughter, but Guinevere.. well.. it¡¯s either she was aware of Jillian¡¯s feelings and ignored them or she was clueless.

    ¡°And please wear something-¡± Gezelle looked at the slitted dress matched with leather tights and a dagger on her waist. ¡°-A bit more ttering.¡±

    Guinevere looked down at her outfit.

    [what¡¯s wrong with my clothes? I think I look pretty badass]

    ¡°I¡¯ve picked out a lovely dress for you.¡± Gezelle spoke, cing her hand on her daughter¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Jillian is a handsome and well mannered boy, who knows, maybe you two can blossom into lovers.¡±

    ¡°Eww mother no!¡± Guinevere shrieked. ¡°Jillian is just my friend.¡±

    Gezelle took her daughter¡¯s hand and looked up at her husband with a ¡®I¡¯ll deal with youter¡¯ look in her eyes and dragged Guinevere away.

    *

    Knock knock

    Gezelle opened the door and smiled at the young man who was standing in the doorway. ¡°Jillian wee, please, doe in.¡±

    Jillian had grown into a handsome young man with deep brown eyes and matching hair. He was very tall for his age and had a well toned body from all the hunting and swordsmanship he had been doing.

    ¡°Thank you Mrs Strongbow.¡± The boy spoke. He then handed the woman a small sack of meat and smiled. ¡°This is for you, freshly killed this morning.¡±

    ¡°Oh thank you Jillian.¡±

    ¡°Is Guinevere here?¡±

    ¡°She is.¡± Gezelle responded. ¡°Take a seat, let me get her for you.¡±

    Jillian nodded his head and settled down on a chair. He took a deep breath as he waited for Guinevere to join him, his heart was racing and he was sweating even though it was deep into the fall.

    Momentster, Guinevere walked into the living room and Jillian stood up to greet her. The boy gulped when he saw the beautiful girl walk towards him.

    She was wearing a light blue dress that matched her eyes, her hair was let down and she was wearing light makeup. She looked like an elven princess from a fairytale.

    ¡°Guine..¡± the boy muttered, ¡°hi.¡±

    ¡°Hello Jillian, mother tells me you wish to speak with me?¡±

    ¡°Uh yes, yes I do.¡± Jillian responded nervously.

    The blue eyed girl settled down on a chair and looked up at her friend. ¡°Well, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Jillian sat down and took a deep breath.

    In this timeline, when a girl turned thirteen she was considered old enough to be pursued by worthy suitors. By tradition, a young man could approach an eligible youngdy and make his intentions known. If the feelings were reciprocated, the two would court until the girl turned sixteen, after which if they agreed upon it, they would marry.

    Jillian had realized his feelings for the beautiful Guinevere at a fairly young age, it was not just her beauty he was attracted to, but the fact that she was different from other girls he knew.

    Guinevere was great with a sword, a bow and arrow, and was so adventurous. Everything about her intrigued him, and today, he was going to make his feelings known.

    ¡°Guinevere you and I have been friends for a very long time.¡± Jillian began to speak. ¡°And umm, well you¡¯re now thirteen. And I ... well the timing seems appropriate.¡±

    The boy was practically shaking in his boots. ¡°You¡¯re different from other girls, and you¡¯re at that age you know.¡±

    Guinevere was confused, what on earth was Jillian trying to say? He made no sense at all. ¡°At that age? Jillian what are you trying to say?¡±

    Jillian took another deep breath and took Guinevere¡¯s hands in his, making the girl¡¯s eyes widen with shock. This was her first informal contact with a male other than her father.

    ¡°Guinevere I harbor feelings for you.¡± Jillian spoke sternly. ¡± I have been for a long time, and I think it¡¯s high time you knew. I think you¡¯re really great, and I¡¯m hoping you think I¡¯m great too.¡±

    Guinevere¡¯s heart skipped several beats

    [crap.. crap.. crap.. crap. I totally forgot about this love nonsense.]

    Having lived many lifetimes, Guinevere always avoided getting attached to people, especially romantically. Because she knew that when she died and was reborn in another life, she would remember all the people she was attached to but could never be with them again. She had to guard her heart.

    ¡°Jillian I-¡±

    The girl swallowed hard, Jillian had feelings for her? How could she not have noticed it? If she¡¯d known earlier, she would have strategically put him in the friend zone over the years so this moment would never happen.

    Guinevere looked into Jillian¡¯s hopeful eyes and sighed. This was her friend, they had literally grown up together, she couldn¡¯t break his heart, could she?

    [I know I¡¯m going to regret this]

    ¡°Jillian, I think you¡¯re pretty great too.¡±

    Jillian¡¯s eyes lit up, did that mean-

    ¡°Yes it means your feelings are reciprocated¡± Guinevere spoke, as if reading his mind.

    The boy rushed towards Guinevere and hugged her, making the girl freeze. This was her second informal contact with a male other than her father.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jillian spoke softly

    Guinevere hesitantly wrapped her arms around the boy¡¯s back and returned the hug.

    She smiled awkwardly and patted his back. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡±

    [really.. please don¡¯t mention it]

    Meanwhile outside, behind the house, Gezelle who had been watching everything through the window squeezed her chest that felt like it was about to burst with joy.

    ¡°Oh my little Guinevere.¡±

    Finally her daughter could have a beautiful normal life.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4: Chapter 4 : Allow yourself to feel

    ¡°What time is he picking you up? Oh this is so exciting!¡± Gezelle squealed.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d think Jillian is taking YOU out for an afternoon of romance.¡± Richardmented as he watched his wifey out several dresses for Guinevere to choose from.

    It had already been three years since the day Jillian had confessed his feelings for Guinevere, and in those three years, they¡¯d been seeing a lot of each other. Their courtship had also brought their two families even closer together.

    While Jillian was head over heels in love, Guinevere had made sure to keep her feelings at bay. True, she had agreed to their courtship, but there¡¯s no rule that said she had to love him to do it right?

    ¡°I think you should wear this scarlet dress, itpliments your skin and it¡¯s an auspicious color.¡±

    Gezelle held the scarlet dress in front of her daughter and grinned. ¡°It represents fertility and good fortune.¡±

    [yeah cause I¡¯m definitely going for the lucky baby maker look]

    .....

    ¡°I appreciate the help mother but I¡¯m perfectly capable of dressing myself.¡± Guinevere responded as she took the dress and ced it back on the chair.

    It was insane how her mother always went of her way to buy her daughter hundreds of brightly colored dresses that she never wore. You¡¯d think that after all this time, her mother would havee to ept Guinevere¡¯s choice of clothing.

    ¡°But you can¡¯t go see Jillian wearing that.¡± Gezelle spoke, a look of dismay painting her face

    [again.. what the hell is wrong with my clothes?!]

    ¡°I¡¯ve gone out with Jillian many times mother and he¡¯s neverined about how I dress.¡±

    ¡°But today is different..¡± Gezelle tried to exin. ¡°Try to look nice today, for me.¡±

    ¡°No thank you.¡±

    Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

    ¡°Well this is just perfect, that¡¯s probably Jillian outside and here you are still wearing these atrocious clothes.¡±

    Richard sized up his daughter from her head to her toes and nodded. ¡°I think you look just fine princess.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t indulge her Richard.¡± Gezelle scolded as she headed towards the door.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind your mother.¡± Richard whispered to his daughter. ¡°Besides, how were you going to carry your dagger in a fluffy dress? Gotta protect yourself you know.¡±

    Guinevere gave her father a thankful smile. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was because she reminded him of the son he never had, or it was because he loved her just the way she was, but her father had always supported her strange antics.

    Having been through many hardships in many lifetimes, Guinevere knew better than to do away with her survival skills. Being a snobby, pretty damsel in distress would only get her killed quicker.

    She needed to be able to keep herself alive without anyone¡¯s help, she was going to live long enough to find out why she had been cursed to forever be trapped in this vicious cycle of death and rebirth.

    ¡°Guine..¡±

    The blue eyed girl turned around and came face to face with Jillian Foreman. Over the years, Jillian had be quite the looker indeed, with his deep heavily lidded brown bedroom eyes, his white slightly fanged side smile, his permanently scruffy dark hair and his very tall, very toned body.

    Among his five brothers, Jillian was without a doubt the most attractive.

    ¡°Hello JillIan.¡±

    ¡°Mr Strongbow sir.¡± Jillian greeted the man with a bow.

    ¡°Good to see you son, how is your father?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s well, he sends his greetings.¡± The boy responded.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jillian then turned to Guinevere and smiled at her, no matter how many times he¡¯d seen her, every time heid eyes on her his heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± The boy question the girl.

    ¡°Let me just fetch my dagg-¡± Guinevere stopped midway her sentence when she noticed her mother¡¯s deathly re.

    ¡°Umm let me just fetch my satchel and we can be on our way.¡± She jittered anxiously

    She walked passed her mother for her bedroom, but not trusting her daughter, Gezelle followed her close behind to see what she was up to, there was no way she was allowing her daughter to carry a dagger on a date.

    When thedies were out of site, Richard patted the chair next to him and motioned Jillian to sit down. ¡°Take a sit son, I want to have a word with you man to man.¡±

    Upon hearing that, Jillian instantly became nervous. Talk man to man? That didn¡¯t sound good.

    The boy sat down on the chair and nervously smiled at Richard.

    The man inched his face closer to Jillian and lowered his voice to a whisper. ¡°Listen son, I understand you have these feelings or whatever you call them for my daughter, but I just want to let you know...¡±

    Richard looked at the doorway to make sure thedies had not returned before continuing his statement. ¡°Guinevere is my daughter, my only child, if I notice as much as one hair missing from her perfect little head, I wille for you. It¡¯s your job to keep her safe so make sure you do it. I know where you live boy.¡±

    Jillian gulped.

    Richard proceeded to cing a firm hand on the trembling boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Take care of her, got that.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± The boy responded.

    ¡°Ah princess, Jillian and I were just talking about how wonderful the afternoon he has nned out for the two of you will be.¡± Richard spoke with a chuckle. He had managed to change the expression on his face right when Guinevere walked in.

    ¡°A wonderful and SAFE afternoon, isn¡¯t that right Jillian?¡±

    ¡°Definitely sir.¡±

    Guinevere squint her eyes at her father suspiciously. ¡°I see, very well then. Shall we Jillian?¡±

    Jillian got up and took Guinevere¡¯s hand in his. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Richard cleared his throat while mumbling the words ¡®I know where you live¡¯

    And Jillian instinctively released Guinevere¡¯s hand and smiled sheepishly. ¡°Let¡¯s be on our way.¡±

    Gezelle watched the young couple disappear down the road with a grin on her face. Oh she could hear the wedding bells already.

    ¡°Stop scaring the poor boy honey, he really likes our daughter.¡±

    ¡°And thats the problem.¡± Richard mumbled under his breath.

    ¡°She¡¯s growing up, she won¡¯t be your little girl forever.¡±

    *

    ¡°So where are we going?¡± Guinevere questioned Jillian as they walked down the road.

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise.¡± Jillian responded. ¡°We¡¯re almost there don¡¯t worry.¡±

    [please let it be something actually interesting this time, not like thest pic surprise.]

    Thest few times Jillian had asked Guinever to go out with him, he¡¯d n things like walks through the meadow, or candlelight dinners and pics. And it¡¯s not that Guinevere didn¡¯t appreciate those things, she did. It was sweet that Jillian tried so hard to make her happy, but they just weren¡¯t her thing.

    The two arrived at a fenced clearing and Jillian led the girl to a gate which he opened, leading them into a meadow of lush grass.

    ¡°Oh, another pic?¡±

    ¡°No not this time.¡± Jillian responded. ¡°First I have to blindfold you until we get to the actual surprise.¡±

    ¡°Blindfold?¡± Guinevere was a bit skeptical. ¡°Okey fine, but if I stab my toe you¡¯ll be sorry.¡±

    The boy chuckled and took out his handkerchief which he tied over the girl¡¯s eyes. When he was sure she couldn¡¯t see, he took her hand and led her further into the clearing.

    After a few minutes of walking, Jillian let go of her hand and Guinevere could hear his footsteps moving away from her.

    ¡°Hey where are you going?!¡± Guinevere questioned the boy.

    ¡°One second.¡± Jillian walked back to Guinevere and ced a round object in her hand. ¡°Okay now just stretch your hand out,¡± he instructed her.

    Guinevere did as she was told and stretched out the hand with the round object. She felt the object press against her palm followed by a crunching sound.

    ¡°What Is that?!¡± The girl shrieked

    ¡°Are you ready for your surprise? I¡¯m removing the blindfold now.¡±

    The girl winced at the sudden brightness that hit her eyes after the blindfold left them. She blinked several times to adjust her vision and make sense of her surroundings.

    She jumped back when she saw a white horsezily chewing a piece of the apple it had taken a bite of from her hand.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she beautiful?¡± Jillian spoke.

    ¡°She is.¡± The girl cooed ¡°Can I touch her?¡±

    The boy nodded and Guinevere slowly reached out to the horse and stroked her beautiful white coat.

    ¡°Wow, she¡¯s so majestic, I¡¯ve never seen a horse up close before.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s yours.¡±

    The blue eyed girl turned around and stared at Jillian, not able to really process what she had heard.

    ¡°What?¡±

    .....

    Jillian walked up to the girl and smiled down at her. ¡°You¡¯ll be turning sixteen in a few days right. So, happy birthday.¡±

    Guinevere¡¯s brain short circuited. ¡°B- but how? I mean, where did you get the money?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been saving up money from the game I sell, and from the odd jobs I do around town. Took me a few months but I think it was worth it.¡±

    Guinevere rushed towards Jillian and hugged him with tears rolling down her cheeks, and a smile on her face.

    The boy was startled, even though him and Guinevere had been courting for almost three years, the only main physical interaction they¡¯d had was holding hands. It was rare that they hugged, and when they did, it was always Jillian who would initiate it.

    So this hug took him by surprise. He wrapped his arms around the girl and returned the hug, not wanting it to end.

    When Guinevere broke away from the hug, she looked up at him and smiled. So this is what it felt like to have someone genuinely care for you, it had been so long since she felt this way.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jillian wiped the girl¡¯s tears and pulled her back into his embrace. ¡°Anything for you.¡±

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5: Chapter 5 : blossoming feelings

    Jillian was sitting under the shade of a tree admiring Guinevere as she brushed the mane of her horse, when his mother walked over and stood next to him.

    ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t she.¡± The boy spoke.

    ¡°The horse or the girl?¡± Susan teased her son

    Jillian stood up wnd chuckled. ¡°The girl of course! I must be the luckiest man in the world.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you wasting time, she¡¯s of age now and you¡¯re eighteen.¡± His mother spoke. ¡°Ask for her hand.¡±

    Jillian looked back at the blue eyed girl, ¡°it¡¯s not yet time mother.¡±

    Susan was as excited as Gezelle about their children¡¯s courtship, Guinevere was strikingly beautiful and her son was a handsome young man, they would give her the most beautiful grandchildren and she couldn¡¯t wait.

    .....

    ¡°You better hurry up before someone steals her from right under your nose.¡± Susan advised her son, ¡°a beautiful girl like Guinevere has many men after her, just waiting for a chance to swoop her off her feet.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯d have to knock me off my feet first.¡± Jillian responded.

    The boy picked up the saddle and started walking towards Guinevere, ¡°let me practice my riding skills on the ol¡¯ girl.¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡± Susan asked with a sly smile.

    Jillianughed heartily and waved to his mother. ¡°I¡¯ll let you take a guess.¡±

    The boy walked over to Guinevere and saddled up the horse. ¡°Ready to learn how to ride?¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡±

    Never in any of her lifetimes had Guinevere learnt horse riding, the one time she¡¯d tried, she was almost kicked by one so she was a bit skeptical about the whole thing.

    Jillian climbed onto the horse and reached for Guinevere. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    Guinevere took Jillian¡¯s hand and got onto the majestic animal. The boy ced her hands on the lead rope and cupped her little hands in his.

    ¡°Lightly grip the horse with both your legs.¡± Jillian whispered in her ear

    Guinevere did as she was told and the horse started moving forward.

    ¡°Whoa! She¡¯s moving!¡± Guinevere eximed excitedly.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing great¡± Jillianmented ¡°now pull the lead line gently to the right.¡±

    When Guinevere pulled on the line, the horse turned right.

    ¡°Now gently to the left.¡±

    The horse turned left

    ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re riding a horse.¡± Jillian praised the girl.

    Guinevere was over the roof, this was great, she was actually riding a horse. And with Jillian sitting right behind her, she felt very safe and confident.

    ¡°How do I make her go faster?¡± Guinevere asked.

    ¡°Faster? Umm I think we should stick to this pace for a bit.¡±

    Guinevere turned her head slightly towards the boy. ¡°But you¡¯re here with me, I know I¡¯ll be safe.¡±

    Jillian had done many jobs as a scout in their little town, so he was a very good horse rider. Him and the other scouts would patrol the town which was prone to looters and bandits that passed through and catch them. He was like a local town hero.

    Jillian smiled at Guinevere, the fact that the girl felt safe when she was with him warmed his heart. ¡°Alright then, add a little more pressure with your legs.¡±

    Guinevere did exactly that and the horse began to gallop. ¡°Oh I get it now.¡±

    The girl added more pressure, and more, and more and even more till the horse was running at full speed.

    ¡°Guine take it easy.¡±

    The girl couldn¡¯t hear Jillian, she was too busy enjoying the rush.

    ¡°How do I get her to jump?!¡±

    ¡°Jump?¡± Jillian looked ahead and noticed they were quickly approaching the fence bordering their stables. ¡°Guinevere wait!¡±

    The horse dashed towards the fence and leaped off the ground,nding on the other side with a powerful gallop.

    Jillian quickly grabbed the lead line and pulled it backwards, making the horse slow down to a stop.

    Guinevere was chuckling with excitement, Jillian looked down at theughing girl and joined herughter. He was worried that she would be shaken up by the incident but clearly Guine was no ordinary girl.

    They rode the horse back into the stables and Jillian helped Guinevere down. ¡°Did you have fun?¡±

    ¡°I did!¡± The blue eyed girl eximed excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s so exciting Jillian thank you, I can¡¯t wait to learn how to ride Star all on my own.¡±

    ¡°Star?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Guinevere responded as she stroked the horse¡¯s snout, ¡°that¡¯s her name.¡±

    Jillian smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful name.¡±

    The boy took the saddle off the horse and led it back into the stables. ¡°We should let Star rest, let me put her back in the stables and get her some water and hay, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    The girl sat down on the soft grass and watched Jillian lead her horse to the stables. He really had grown into a handsome man hadn¡¯t he?

    [wait! What the hell am I thinking?! No no no]

    Guinevere smacked her head with her palm.

    [do not catch feelings for this boy Guinevere, don¡¯t you dare!]

    Guinevere¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when she heard the giggling of a group of girls who were watching Jillian carry hay into the stables.

    ¡°Jillian!¡± One girl waved to him. ¡°Over here.¡±

    The girl was tall and blonde with emerald eyes, she was really pretty. Guinevere disliked her instantly.

    Jillian closed up the stables and walked over to the three girls. ¡°Good afternoondies, do you need anything.¡±

    The girls giggled among themselves.

    [calm down you little tramps, he isn¡¯t that funny]

    ¡°I just wanted to personally thank you for catching the looters who stole from my father¡¯s shop.¡± The blonde girl spoke ¡°you¡¯re a hero Jillian.¡±

    Jillian smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. ¡°No need to thank me, I¡¯m just doing my job.¡±

    The blonde handed Jillian a small basket. ¡°Take this as a small token of my appreciation, you work so hard, these will help you keep your strength.¡±

    Jillian took the basket and nodded at the girls. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate this.¡±

    The boy then gave the girls a wave and walked towards Guinevere.

    The three girls giggled and waved excitedly at the boy, then they turned around and walked down the road.

    ¡°Friends of yours?¡± Guinevere questioned Jillian in a less than amused tone

    ¡°Just daughters of the townsfolk I¡¯ve helped, they just came to show some appreciation.¡±

    Jillian sat next to the blue eyed girl and opened the little basket. Inside were different little packages wrapped in paper, when Jillian unwrapped them, they revealed a small cake, a jar of homemade jam and different fruit.

    Jillian broke a piece of the cake and tasted it. ¡°Wow this is delicious!¡±

    He broke another small piece and handed it to Guinevere. ¡°Here, try some.¡±

    Guinevere opened her mouth and ate the cake.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°Eeh it¡¯s alright.¡± Guinevere responded.

    [It tastes so good it¡¯s infuriating]

    Guinevere then noticed a small note in the basked and took it, she opened it and read its contents aloud.

    ¡°Thank you for everything Jillian, if you need anything, and I do mean ANYTHING please don¡¯t hesitate to let me know.¡±

    [that little tramp]

    Guinevere pouted and handed the the note to Jillian. ¡°This is for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure Helen didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± Jillian responded sheepishly, having noticed the pout on Guinevere¡¯s face. ¡°She does silly things like this all the time.¡±

    ¡°Oh so you know her name.¡± Guinevere crossed her arms and sulked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a small town Guine, I know almost everyone¡¯s names.¡±

    Jillian closed the basket and took Guinevere¡¯s hand in his. ¡°I can toss it out if you want.¡±

    .....

    [yes! I want you to throw it right in that little tramp¡¯s perfect face!]

    ¡°No don¡¯t throw it away it would be rude.¡± Guinevere responded.

    ¡°Okay then why don¡¯t we go inside and have the cake with some lemon and ginger tea.

    [gosh that sounds heavenly]

    ¡°No you go ahead.¡± Guinevere responded as she stood up and dusted the grass off her skirt. ¡°I need to head home anyway, I promised mother I¡¯d help her with theundry.¡±

    Jillian stood up and grabbed the girl¡¯s hand. ¡°Alright let me walk you home.¡±

    Guinevere pulled her hand away. ¡°No it¡¯s alright, you should go put that cake away.¡±

    Jillian watched Guinevere walk away, he¡¯d never seen her act like this before. Was she angry with him? Was it the cake? Was it Helen?

    *

    When Guinevere got home, she rushed into the kitchen where her mother was.

    ¡°Mother.¡±

    Gezelle turned around and smiled at her daughter. ¡°Wee home honey, how was your day with Jillian?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in need of a favor mother.¡±

    Gezelle put down the te she¡¯d been wiping and studied her daughter. ¡°What¡¯s wrong darling? Did something happen with Jillian?¡±

    Richard who had been eavesdropping poked his head into the kitchen, waiting for his daughter¡¯s answer.

    ¡°I want you to teach me how to bake.¡± Guinevere said

    Both Richard and Gezelle exchanged confused nces, their daughter had never been interested in anything to do with the kitchen. She only learned the basics so she could cook for her father when her mother was away or ill.

    ¡°Why would you want to learn how to bake?¡±

    Guinevere pursed her lips, why did she want to learn how to bake? She thought about Helen¡¯s cake and how Jillian¡¯s face lit up when he ate it.

    ¡°I want to learn how to bake because I want to make delicious cakes for Jillian!¡± Guinevere dered. ¡°That way he won¡¯t need anyone else to make him cakes ever again!¡±

    Richard fell off his chair.

    [oh my god what is wrong with me?]

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6: Chapter 6 : Letting your guard down

    ¡°Jillian, where are you off to so early in the morning?¡±

    The tall dark haired boy turned around and saw his brother walking towards him. All his brothers had married and left the family home long ago, off to start their lives with their wives.

    ¡°Christopher, to what do we owe this pleasant surprise?¡±

    Christopher Foreman was the fifth son of Greg and Susan foreman, he was twenty one years old and had been married to a beautiful foreign woman for two years now.

    ¡°Ie baring good news for mother and father.¡± Christopher responded, he stroked the mane of the horse that Jillian had been saddling up when he arrived. ¡°Magnificent creature, must have cost you a pretty penny.¡±

    ¡°I got it for Guinevere, I was actually going to see her.¡± Jillian responded. ¡°I think I may have upset her a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°Ah the beautiful and mysterious blue eyed, red headed daughter of Mr Strongbow, she¡¯s the only one of her kind you know.¡± Christopher added on. ¡°They say only a witch or a goddess can be born with red hair, I¡¯m hoping my inw is thetter.¡±

    .....

    Jillian chuckled and tied the horse to a post. ¡°She¡¯s definitely a goddess.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to believe she¡¯s a little sorceress who cast a spell of love on you little brother.¡± Christopher joked. ¡°Tell me, when is your wedding?¡±

    Jillian nervously scratched the back of his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t proposed yet.¡±

    ¡°What?! You bought her a bloody white horse and you haven¡¯t proposed? Well what are you waiting for.¡±

    ¡°For the perfect moment.¡± Jillian responded. ¡°Guine, she¡¯s not like other girls, I have to be strategic about how I do it.¡±

    Jillian was fully aware that unlike the other girls in their town, Guinevere had never shown romantic interest towards him, it was a miracle she¡¯d even epted the courtship. He wanted to take a bit of time till she fully opened up to him and realize that she had feelings for him too, only then would he ask for her hand.

    ¡°I see, better be quick then.¡± Christopher spoke with a smirk. ¡°I heard Lord William¡¯s son has been eyeing her, and he can get her a whole stable of white horses.¡±

    ¡°I piss on his stable of white horses.¡± Jillian responded with a chuckle.

    ¡°So, what is this good news you¡¯vee with?¡± The boy asked his older brother.

    ¡°Ah yes.¡± Christopher responded, he walked over to Jillian and ced a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Tonight we feast little brother, Anastasia is with child! And I hear they¡¯re twins.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Jillian hugged his brother and patted him on the back.

    Christopher and his wife Anastasia had had problems conceiving in their first year of marriage because Anna had not bled yet. Their parents had told Christopher to wait till she was able to bare him children before marrying her, but he had insisted on it, the man was in love after all. Jillian could understand him, because he too couldn¡¯t wait to call Guinevere his wife.

    ¡°Congrattions brother that¡¯s amazing news!¡±

    ¡°Indeed it is.¡± Christopher responded proudly, ¡°well, let me go in and break the news to mother and father, you go and see your little sorceress.¡±

    Jillian gave his brother a pat on his shoulder and got onto the horse. As he galloped towards Guinevere¡¯s house, he pictured how happy he would be when she would be pregnant with their first child, it would be such a wonderful day.

    *

    Gezelle walked into the kitchen and tapped Guinevere on the shoulder, the girl had dozed off on the kitchen table after baking the whole night. ¡°Honey, Jillian is here.¡±

    Guinevere shot her head up in a panic. ¡°He¡¯s here? As in right now?!¡±

    ¡°Yes honey he¡¯s waiting for you outside.¡±

    Guinevere had practically been living in the kitchen the past few days, studying her mother¡¯s recipes and perfecting them. She had baked and cooked so much food that her father could no longer buckle up his belt.

    ¡°Umm okay i- let me just.¡± The girl run to the oven and pulled out a small cake, she wrapped it up and ce it in a small basket alongside some honey, biscuits, and a small pot of tea¡±

    Gezelle walked to her daughter and grabbed her by the arms. ¡°You go and clean up, I¡¯ll finish up here.¡±

    Guinevere nodded and run upstairs to get cleaned up and change her food stained clothes.

    Meanwhile outside, Richard walked up to Jillian and smiled tauntingly at him. ¡°Jillian, fancy seeing you here after such a long time.¡±

    ¡°Good morning Mr Strongbow, I¡¯m here for Guinevere.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, you¡¯re here for my daughter after you¡¯re satisfied with frolicking around with the other girls in town?¡±

    ¡°Other girls?¡± Jillian was surprised, what was this man talking about?

    ¡°I hear girls have been baking you cakes and that sort of thing.¡± Richard added on. ¡°Is that why you haven¡¯t proposed to Guinevere yet, because of your little cake bakers?¡±

    Ah now Jillian understood, so that¡¯s what this was all about. This is why Guinevere had stormed off and hadn¡¯t made an effort to see him the past few days. Was she jealous? Jillian couldn¡¯t help but smile. If Guine was jealous, it meant she had feelings for him after all.

    ¡°Is there something funny boy?¡±

    ¡°Oh no of course not Sir.¡± Jillian responded nervously. ¡°I assure you Mr Strongbow, there is no woman for me other than Guinevere, I-¡±

    Jillian blushed intensely, he had never uttered these words before, well at least not out loud.

    ¡°I love her.¡±

    Richard smiled at the boy standing in front of him, he could see himself in the boy¡¯s eyes, back when he¡¯d first met Gezelle and was hopelessly in love.

    ¡°Make her happy son, she¡¯s grown quite fond of you.¡±

    Momentster Guinevere walked out of the house with a little basket in hand. The two males looked at her in awe. Rather than her usual clothing, the girl was wearing a soft pink dress with an intricate design, she had tied her hair up exposing her cute peach shaped face and deep blue eyes.

    ¡°Father I hope you weren¡¯t threatening Jillian again!¡±

    Richardughed nervously and patted the boy on the back. ¡°Of course not honey, I was just having a little heart to heart with my son inw.¡±

    Guinevere walked over to Jillian and smiled nervously at him. ¡°Hello Jillian.¡±

    The boy was at loss for words, Guinevere looked so beautiful it was almost enchanting.

    [aren¡¯t you going to say something?! It took me thirty minutes to tie my hair up and this dress was expensive!]

    ¡°Guinevere.¡± The boy stammered. ¡°You look... wow.¡±

    [good enough]

    ¡°It¡¯s just a dress, don¡¯t make such a fuss.¡± The girl grabbed his hand and began leading him towards the horse.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Jillian halted and turned to Mr Strongbow. ¡°My family is having a a feast tonight, Christopher¡¯s wife is pregnant. Please do join us.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be there.¡± Richard responded, the man waved to the young couple as they galloped away. Oh now Richard couldn¡¯t wait till they gave him grandchildren of his own.

    *

    The two sat down on some soft grass in a meadow not too far from the stables, it was a cool sunny day, perfect for a pic.

    Jillian reached for the little basket and peeked inside. ¡°So what do we have in here?¡±

    Guinevere lightly pped the boy¡¯s hand away. ¡°Calm down, the food isn¡¯t going to run away.¡±

    The girl took out two small tes and two little cups and arranged them on the grass. She then took out the small cake she had baked and ced a sliced on each te.

    ¡°You really went all out didn¡¯t you.¡± Jillianmented.

    Didn¡¯t Guinevere hate pics? Why the sudden change of heart?

    ¡°The tea is a little cold but I hope you like it.¡± The girl poured some tea in each cup and ced a spoonful of honey in each.

    Jillian stirred the tea, broke a piece of cake, put it in his mouth and sipped his tea. Almost instantly his eyes went round.

    [Well?! What is it?!]

    ¡°Guinevere did you make this?¡±

    The girl pouted and ced the rest of the cake back in the basket. ¡°You hate it don¡¯t you? I knew it.¡±

    Jillian reached for her hand and chucked. ¡°Guine it¡¯s delicious, best cake I¡¯ve ever had.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± Jillian replied. ¡°I was just surprised because I didn¡¯t know you could bake.¡±

    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t know how to, I learnt how to bake so that little tram-, err so you wouldn¡¯t have to ept cakes from girls like Helen.¡±

    Jillian grinned at the girl, oh she was absolutely adorable. ¡°And the dress?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you like poised girls in pretty dresses?¡±

    Jillian stood up and sat down behind the girl, cing her between his legs. He then removed the ribbon in her hair and let it fall down her shoulders and back. ¡°I like YOU, not poised girls in dresses.¡± Jillian whispered.

    [you sly bastard]

    ¡°Guinevere, I like you for who you are. I love that you can wield a sword and a bow and arrow, and I absolutely love how you dress.¡± The boy exined. ¡°I would never want you to change.¡±

    The boy pulled Guinevere closer to his chest and reached for the te in front of her. ¡°Let¡¯s finish up this delicious cake shall we?¡±

    *

    When evening rolled around, the couple walked over to Jillian¡¯s house. There were already so many people drinking and dancing at the feast.

    Guinevere even spotted her parents chatting and eating with the Foremans.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find somewhere to sit.¡± Jillian whispered to the girl.

    .....

    ¡°Jillian!¡±

    The two turned around and saw Helen walking up to them excitedly. ¡°Good evening Jillian.¡±

    Helen nced at Guinevere and then turned her attention back to Jillian,pletely ignoring the girl.

    [this little tramp!]

    ¡°How did you like the cake I made you Jillian? Mother says I¡¯m the best baker in town.¡±

    ¡°I beg to differ.¡± Jillian responded. He shoved his hand in his pocket and took out a small piece of Guinevere¡¯s cake wrapped in some paper. ¡°Mydy Guinevere made it, it¡¯s quite delicious, maybe you can ask her for the recipe.¡±

    Jillian then held Guinevere¡¯s hand and led her to a table besides their parents, leaving Helen angrily and dumbfounded.

    [Hisdy?]

    Guinevere blushed lightly, it seemed that everything in her life was finally falling into ce. Maybe all she needed to do was to let her guard down.

    *

    The feast had been going on for a few hours and many of the men were already drunk on ale. The women were either sitting in groups sharing gossip or tending to their drunk husbands.

    ¡°Would you like to dance?¡±

    Guinevere looked up at Jillian and ttered hershes. ¡°I don¡¯t think I know how to.¡± She replied shyly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, neither do I.¡±

    The girl chuckled as Jillian led her to the dance floor. He ced his hands on her waist and she ced hers over his shoulders and they both began swaying to the music.

    In that moment, Guinevere was absolutely blissful, it¡¯s like all her problems melted away. In that moment, it was just her and Jillian, and in his arms, she was truly happy.

    ¡°I love you!¡±

    Guinevere¡¯s eyes went round, had she heard him right. ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°I love you Guinevere Strongbow, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you!¡± The boy shouted over the music.

    Guinevere blinked wildly when she saw Jillian close his eyes and lean in for a kiss. Jillian was the first man she¡¯d ever allowed herself to love, and he made her truly happy.

    The girl equally closed her eyes and leaned towards Jillian. But just before their lips touched, a man came barging into the feast hall.

    ¡°Bandits!¡± The man yelled. ¡°They¡¯re attacking the town, we need to-¡±

    Before the man could finish his sentence, a sharp de tore through the flesh of his neck, slicing his head clean off.

    Panic broke out in the hall, people started scampering in all directions, screaming for their lives.

    About six armed men ran into the hall and started looting the ce, killing everyone who stood in their way.

    ¡°Guineveree on!¡±

    Jillian grabbed the girl¡¯s hand and dragged her to the exit at the back of the hall.

    ¡°Jillian wait! My parents are still in there!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle back for them, right now I need to make sure you¡¯re safe!¡± The boy responded as they ran towards the stables.

    [No please not now, I was just starting to be happy]

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7: Chapter 7 : I want to end it all

    Jillian quickly untied star and helped Guinevere get on the horse.

    ¡°Go, I¡¯ll catch up with you.¡± Jillian told the girl.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nning on fighting them off alone?!¡± The redhead questioned the boy. ¡°Let mee with you, I can help, I can-¡±

    Jillian squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself if anything happens to you.¡±

    ¡°But Jillian I-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go help our family, and after we escape I¡¯ll catch up with you, I promise.¡± The boy kissed Guinevere¡¯s hand. ¡°Now go!¡±

    Guinevere kicked her horse and galloped away into the darkness, she could hear the distant screams of people as she disappeared into the night. How had such a colorful festive night turned so dark.

    .....

    [What am I doing? I can¡¯t just leave Jillian, I can¡¯t just leave my parents. I know I can help them, I must help them]

    The blue eyed girl brought her horse to a stop and turned around.

    [If I lose my family, if I lose Jillian, I would have lost everything. Then, what would be the point of this life. I need to save them]

    Guinevere kicked the horse and rode swiftly back to the banquet hall, when she arrived she quickly jumped off her horse and ran into the hall.

    She shuddered at the gruesome site in front of her, there were bodies, entrails and severed limbs of people who had been guests of the banquet.

    Guinevere¡¯s mind then went to a dark ce, her parents! Had they survived?!

    The girl made her way through the pile of bodies and rubble to where her parents had been sitting and talking to the Foreman¡¯s earlier that night.

    Guinevere had to hold back her gagging when she saw Mrs Foreman¡¯s once sweet radiant face covered in bruises and blood. Next to her was her husband, Mr Foreman who had been stubbed several times in the chest.

    Guinevere¡¯s breath hitched when she saw who wasying dead next to Mr Foreman. Richard Strongbow wasying on top of his wife with a sword plunged into his back, the sword had protruded through his chest and stabbed Gezelle in the chest, leading to both their deaths.

    ¡°Mother! Father!¡± Guinevere dropped to her knees and sobbed bitterly as she looked at her parents.

    It looked like her father had died trying to protect his wife, trying to protect the woman he loved.

    Guinevere threw herself over her parent¡¯s bodies and sobbed uncontrobly, even though she had promised herself not to get attached to them, Guinevere had grown to love Mr and Mrs Strongbow. They loved her and raised her, they where her parents regardless of the circumstances and she loved them.

    ¡°Oh father.¡± Guinevere sobbed. ¡°I always did tell you you were hopelessly in love with mother. And even in death you still hold her close to you.¡±

    The girl was devastated, how could this have happened?

    Suddenly, Guinevere¡¯s mind went to work again, where was Jillian?

    The girl stood up and searched the entire hall in a panic but she couldn¡¯t see Jillian anywhere, had he escaped? Had he tried to follow her? Was he even still alive?

    So many questions we¡¯re running through her mind but her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sounds of colliding swordsing from outside the hall.

    The redhead ran towards the exit and peeked into the darkness, a few yards away from her were two men in a fierce sword fight and Guinevere identified one of them immediately.

    ¡°Jillian!¡±

    The dark haired boy managed to overpower the bandit and plunged the sword in his torso. He then kicked the man hard in the stomach sending him tumbling to the ground next to the other dead bandits that Jillian had fought off.

    Jillian looked over at who was calling out to him and turned to see Guinevere running towards him.

    ¡°Guine?! What are you doing back here?!¡±

    Guinevere jumped into Jillian¡¯s arms and weeped.

    [oh thank the gods he¡¯s alive]

    ¡°They¡¯re dead Jillian.¡± Guinevere sobbed. ¡°My parents, your parents they¡¯re all dead.¡±

    Jillian dropped his sword to the ground and hugged the girl. ¡°I know.¡± He responded nkly.

    Guinevere could smell the blood on his clothes but she didn¡¯t mind, in that moment, all she wanted to do was to be in his arms. He was the only person she had left in this world.

    Jillian gently stroked the girl¡¯s hair, doing his best to hold back his own tears. His parents, his brothers, they were all gone. All he had left, was Guinevere. And he would protect her with his life.

    And just then, like a jinx, Jillian saw the man he had been fighting before pull out a bow and an arrow andunched the arrow towards Guinevere.

    Instinctively, the boy turned Guinevere away and sheltered her with his body.

    Startled, the redhead looked up at Jillian in confusion.

    ¡°What happened?!¡±

    Jillian coughed and blood spewed from his mouth. Guinevere screamed as she felt his body be limp in her arms.

    ¡°Jillian noooooo!¡± The blue eyed girl screamed when she noticed the arrow plunged in his back.

    [No! This can¡¯t be happening]

    The girl lowered Jillian to the ground and embraced him, her wails echoing into the night.

    ¡°Guine...¡±

    Guinevere looked up at Jillian¡¯s face, it broke her heart to see those deep brown eyes loosing color, that handsome face bing more and more pale with each passing second.

    ¡°Jillian..¡±

    The boy grazed the redhead¡¯s cheek with his fingers and smiled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m d that I got to spend the rest of my life with you.¡±

    His voice was now nothing but a whisper.

    ¡°No don¡¯t talk like that!¡± Guinevere cried. ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me Jillian, please!¡±

    ¡°I love you Guinevere Strongbow, and I always will.¡± The boy spoke weakly.

    Jillian¡¯s body wentpletely limp, his smile faded and his beautiful deep brown eyes closed.

    Guinevere grabbed Jillian¡¯s hand as it slipped off her face. ¡°No Jillian! Don¡¯t leave me!¡±

    The girly her head on his chest, her tears drenching his shirt. ¡°Please...¡± the girl stammered, ¡°...I love you.¡±

    Guinevere spent a good two minutes holding on to Jillian crying her eyes out, first her family, and now the man she loved. Why did the gods hate her so much? Why was she going through so much suffering?

    Then, Guinevere suddenly stopped crying, she lifted her face and wiped the tears from her eyes. The girl took out a dagger from Jillian¡¯s belt, stood up and walked towards the bandit who had shot the arrow.

    The man tried to drag himself away as he saw the girl approach him but he was too weak. He too had lost a lot of blood from the wound Jillian had inflicted on him earlier with his sword.

    ¡°Please.. spare me.¡± The man begged

    Guinevere crouched down and ced the dagger on the man¡¯s neck. Her eyes were as cold as ice and her expression nk.

    ¡°Please....¡±

    SLASH!!

    The man¡¯s body fell to the ground with a thud. Guinevere wiped the blood on the de with the man¡¯s shirt and walked back to where Jillian¡¯s bodyy.

    She got down to her knees and moved the hair from his forehead, oh how handsome he was.

    The girl leaned down and gave him a soft kiss. ¡°Goodbye Jillian.¡±

    She then brought the knife to her own throat. ¡°This life isn¡¯t worth living without you, I have lost everything and everyone I care about. It¡¯s all pointless now.¡±

    SLASH!!

    With thest of her strength, Guineverey her body on Jillian¡¯s and hugged him. She felt darkness encase her mind as her life force drifted away. She silently prayed that wherever it was death was taking her, it would be where Jillian was.

    *

    A maid rushed through the doors and curtsied at the man sitting on a well decorated chair.

    ¡°My lord.¡± The woman spoke. ¡°Mydy has had a sessful delivery, it¡¯s a girl.¡±

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8: Chapter 8 : Mourning in another life

    E was generally a very sad and troubled child. When she was a baby, she would cry all the time and only ceased when she was asleep. Her parents were convinced she was sick and took her to several herbalists and doctors but it was no use.

    They had no idea that their little girl was mourning the deaths of her parents and the man she loved in her previous life. Even though just an infant, E still had all the memories of her past life, all Guinevere¡¯s memories.

    E Morrell was the only daughter of the lord of Greenhill, a small province in the country of Meria. She had four older brothers, two of which were knights in the royal guard, one a lord of thend of Guria and the other, William, who was the youngest of the brothers was living at home with his parents, training to be a knight.

    E being the only girl and the youngest sibling, was adored by both her parents and her brothers, and was constantly showered with gifts and attention.

    In addition to her being the only girl, E Morrell was very beautiful, she was the only girl in Greenhill who had ocean blue eyes and orangish-reddish hair. Many nobles would travel to see the unique beauty, bringing gifts and trying to get her betrothed to one of their sons.

    But Lord John Morrell, E¡¯s father had very high expectations of his beautiful daughter, he wanted her to be the wife of the future king of Meria, prince Nathan Aldos, youngest son of king Bradley Aldos, King of Meria.

    Unlike his older brothers who either had no interest in the throne, or were too yful to be deemed worthy rulers, Nathan was the ideal son. He was intelligent, focused and took keen interest in the affairs of their country.

    .....

    John Morrell, was determined to make E Nathan¡¯s wife, and he knew exactly how.

    It had been sixteen years since E¡¯s birth and she had grown into a very beautiful and elegant young woman. E was very smart and excelled in all her sses, her etiquette was excellent and she was a quiet reserved girl who mostly kept to herself.

    The Country of Meria was preparing for a big party that wasing up. The crowned prince, Nathan Aldos would be turning eighteen, and would officially be a man.

    Royals andmoners alike were all very excited about the party. Commoners wanted the chance to view the beautiful festivities, and royals wanted the chance to show off their daughters to the prince, in hopes of him choosing one to be his bride.

    Lord Morrell was not too worried about anything, he knew how beautiful his daughter was, the prince would not be able to resist her.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited honey.¡± Emma Morrell cooed as she brushed her daughter¡¯s long ginger locks. ¡°I hear the prince is a very handsome young man, rumor has it that just the sight of him is enough to make any woman¡¯s heart tter.¡±

    [not mine]

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be so lucky being the wife of such a handsome man.¡± The woman continued. ¡°You¡¯ll have beautiful princesses and princes in no time.¡±

    ¡°How are you so sure he¡¯ll want me?¡± E questioned her mother. ¡°There are many eligible young women out there for him to chose from.¡±

    Emma rose from her chair and cupped the girl¡¯s face in her palms. ¡°There are many young women true, but none like you.¡±

    ¡°Mydy, the royal tailor has brought the dresses.¡± A maid spoke as she walked into E¡¯s chambers

    ¡°Wonderful, tell her toe up immediately, we wouldn¡¯t want to be tardy.¡±

    The maid left the room and returned with an elderly lookingdy with tired eyes and slicked back and grey hair. She carried with her a big bag filled with material, measuring tape and other tailoring tools.

    ¡°Wee Mrs Fletcher.¡± Emma greeted the woman and introduced her to E. ¡°I trust you¡¯ll do a wonderful job.¡±

    Emma turned to her daughter, inspected her and gave her a proud smile. ¡°You¡¯ll be the star of the entire festival, Your father and I will be waiting for you downstairs.¡±

    *

    The royal ball was filled with royals from all over the country, different prestigious families graced the hall with their fancy attires and snobby chit chats.

    The royal pce had been decorated from roof to floor with fine silk and expensive cutlery. A band yed some upbeat music at the far end of the hall near the high table, and smaller tables reserved for particr families surrounded the open dance floor.

    ¡°The Morrells of Greenhill!¡± The herald announced.

    Lord anddy Morrell entered the hall first hand in hand, followed by William Morrell and E Morrell walking side by side.

    The family walked up to the high table and stood before the royal family. William and his father bowed, while E and her mother curtsied.

    ¡°Forgive me your grace.¡± Lord Morrell began to speak. ¡°My three sons could not make it for the royal ball as they are attending to national duties.¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize old friend, I¡¯m just d you could make it.¡±

    King Bradley Aldos was a tall well built man in his fifties but he looked very young for his age, his wife was a in timid woman who mostly sat quietly and only spoke when spoken to.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already met my beautiful wife.¡± John continued.

    ¡°Your grace.¡± Emma spoke with a curtsy.

    ¡°This is my youngest son William Morrell, he is the same age as the prince and training to be a knight.¡±

    ¡°Your grace.¡± William spoke with a bow.

    ¡°And this..¡± lord Morrell pointed at the beautiful redhead who stood next to her mother, a nk look on her face. ¡°Is my beautiful darling daughter, E Morrell.¡±

    ¡°Your grace.¡± E spoke with a curtsy.

    The boy who was sitting on the King¡¯s right hand side looked up at E and for a moment their eyes met. Prince Nathan Aldos was a tall slender young man with honey brown eyes and long silver hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and just like his father, he was very handsome.

    ¡°Ah she¡¯s quite the beauty isn¡¯t she?¡± King Bradleymented as he patted his son on the back.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Nathan responded with a smirk.

    [argh kill me now]

    The Morrells made their way to their table and settled down as the rest of the royal families flocked into the ballroom. E was trying hard to ignore the eyes that were practically stabbing her in the back.

    This was the reason why she was always indoors, her blue eyes and the unique color of her hair always drew unnecessary attention towards her.

    Among the eyes staring at E, were Prince Nathan¡¯s, he was looking at the beautiful girl intently. From the moment he¡¯d heard her voice, he felt a strange connection with her, almost like he was drawn to her.

    Sitting on the King¡¯s left, Juliet Aldos, the king¡¯s wife, nced at the redhead and gasped inwardly. She¡¯d felt this kind of aura before, this unworldly aura that surrounded E Morrell was the same aura that surrounded her son. She was immediately convinced that E was equally not human.

    The ball was going on without a hitch, many girls were sitting near the crowned prince, smiling and giggling trying to get his attention, but the prince payed no mind to them. His focus was on the beautiful redhead.

    E on the other hand was sitting chatting with William, not wanting to join in on all the ruckus.

    ¡°Lady E.¡±

    E looked up and saw the silver haired boy standing over her. ¡°May I have this dance?¡±

    For a brief moment the hall went quiet.

    ¡°Oh, Prince Nathan I¡¯m sorry-¡±

    ¡°She¡¯d love to!¡± E¡¯s mother interrupted. She gave her daughter a re warning her not to decline the offer.

    E sighed and stood up from her seat, she curtsied and looked up at Prince Nathan. ¡°It would be my pleasure your grace.¡±

    Nathan took the girl¡¯s hand and led her to the dance floor, he wrapped his arm around the girl¡¯s waist and held her hand with the other. After E ced one arm on the prince¡¯s shoulder they began swaying to music.

    Oos and aahs filled the ballroom as E and the prince waltzed to the music. The two beautiful humans glided gracefully to the music, drawing the jealous eyes of the other girls and the admiring eyes of the boys.

    ¡°Look how the men stare at you.¡± Nathan whispered in E¡¯s ear. ¡°Your beauty is truly enchanting.¡±

    ¡°Thank you your grace.¡± E responded tly.

    ¡°Imagine how envious they¡¯ll be when I make you my woman.¡± The prince whispered with a smirk.

    [over my dead body]

    ¡°Oh that won¡¯t do, I need you alive and well to be my wife.¡± Nathan spoke

    E¡¯s heart jumped in her chest, had she spoke her thoughts out loud or had the prince just read her mind?!

    ¡°You and I are connecteddy E.¡± Nathan spoke. ¡°We are destined to be together, can¡¯t you tell?¡±

    The music stopped and the prince relinquished the girl, he bowed and took E¡¯s hand, leading her back to her table.

    ¡°I hope to spend more time with you mydy.¡± The prince said before heading back to his own table.

    ¡°E? Are you alright? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost.¡± William questioned his sister.

    E took a sip of water and cleared her throat. ¡°No I¡¯m fine, just a little parched.¡±

    The blue eyed girl nced at the prince and met his gaze, his eyes felt like they could see inside her soul.

    [Who is this guy? And why does he give me the creeps?]

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9: Chapter 9 : Who are you?

    It had been a little over a week since Prince Nathan¡¯s birthday ball and E was still shaken by her encounter with the young man.

    She was sure he¡¯d read her mind somehow, and his presence gave her a very familiar but ufortable feeling. Who was this guy?

    E¡¯s thoughts were ttered away when someone opened her door and walked into her room.

    ¡°E.¡± William settled down on his sister¡¯s bed and studied her. ¡°Is anything the matter? You didn¡¯te down to breakfast this morning.¡±

    E cleared her throat and faked a smile. ¡°I¡¯m alright, I just wasn¡¯t hungry.¡±

    E had always been a bit distant from everyone, even her own family. After the turmoil she¡¯d experienced in her past life, she¡¯d told herself to keep attachment to a minimum. Her parents and older brothers were always busy with their own lives so it was easy for her to not get to familiar with them, but William was always home.

    William and E grew up together since there were very close in age. And no matter how much E would try to distance herself from him, he¡¯d find a way to y with his little sister. He loved her to death and always enjoyed being around her.

    .....

    Other than her red hair and blue eyes, E and William looked a lot a like. People would sometimes mistake them for twins and this made William love his little sister even more.

    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll have the servants get you big fruit tart, you¡¯ve always loved those.¡± William grabbed E¡¯s hand and dragged her towards the door.

    The girl didn¡¯t even get the chance to retaliate, William never took no for an answer. She smiled inwardly, grateful for her brother who cared for her.

    *

    ¡°My lord.¡± The butler bowed in front of William . ¡°The prince is here.¡±

    William dropped the piece of fruit he was holding and looked up at Leon the butler. ¡°The prince?¡± William repeated, unsure of what his ears were telling him. ¡°Prince Nathan Aldos? He¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°Yes my lord, he is outside as we speak.¡± Leon replied.

    E watched her brother scamper towards the door to greet the prince.

    [argh.. royalties. What a pain]

    ¡°Your grace..¡± William muttered lowering his back in low bow. ¡°Wee to our humble home, please doe in.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Nathan responded. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to impose, I just happened to be passing by and decided toe through.¡±

    ¡°Thank you your grace, we are truly honored. But unfortunately my father and mother are not home, I can send for them at once if-¡±

    ¡°No, no need for that William.¡±

    The silver haired prince jumped off his horse and pat William¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is an informal visit, I mean you and I are of the same age, why don¡¯t we be friends?¡±

    ¡°F- friends?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Nathan responded excitedly. ¡°I don¡¯t have too many friends my age, and you seem like a bright and fun young man, what do you say?¡±

    ¡°Of course your highness, it would be an honor!¡± William responded nervously.

    ¡°Call me Nathan, formalities can be saved for when the adults are around.¡±

    William looked at the prince in shock. Was he serious or was he just testing him to see if he would fold and disrespect him.

    ¡°Forgive me your highness, I wouldn¡¯t want to be presumptuous.¡±

    Nathan wrapped his arm over William¡¯s shoulder, who was looking very ufortable with the situation. ¡°Nonsense, call me Nathan, or do I have to make it a royal decree?¡± He said jokingly.

    ¡°Of course not your.. err Nathan.¡±

    Prince Nathan smiled broadly, now they we¡¯re getting somewhere, if he was going to marry E one day, he¡¯d have to get close to William. After a little digging, Nathan knew that the two siblings had a special bond, to get to E he had to go through William.

    ¡°I hear you¡¯re training to be a knight, that¡¯s quite admirable.¡±

    William nodded. ¡°Yes, I wish to protect our country some day.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes wonderful.¡±

    Nathan looked around before questioning William. ¡°Umm is your sister around?¡±

    William couldn¡¯t help but smile when he heard the prince¡¯s question. Ah, so that¡¯s why he¡¯de to their home, had that five minute dance with E enchanted him so much?

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Nathan questioned William upon seeing the faint smile on his face. ¡°Do I look funny? Should I go change?¡±

    ¡°You look fine.¡± William responded. ¡°Come in, she¡¯s in the dining hall.¡±

    E had just finished thest of her fruit tart when she saw the two young men walking towards her.

    [oh what the hell?]

    She stood up and met them half way across the hall. The red head curtsied, trying her best not to let a single thought cross her mind. If prince Nathan had really read her mind back at the royal ball, he was capable to of doing it again.

    ¡°Your grace.¡±

    She looked up and locked eyes with the silver haired prince. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave and give your grace and young lord Morrell some privacy.¡±

    As E turned to leave, William grabbed her shoulder and stopped her. ¡°Actually, Nathan is here for the youngdy Morrell.¡±

    There was a slyness in William¡¯s tone that made E uneasy.

    [Nathan? Oh so now you two are suddenly buddies?]

    E turned to face the two males and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m honored your grace, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡±

    Nathan watched the girl¡¯s movements with great interest, he felt the strange connection he¡¯d felt with her at the birthday ball taking over his body yet again.

    ¡°Lady E please, call me Nathan.¡± The prince responded sheepishly.

    William cleared his throat and held back a grin. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be going now, I have some business to tend to.¡±

    [you traitor]

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to offer me a seat?¡± Nathan asked the girl, a smirk crossing his face.

    ¡°Of course Prince Nathan, right this way.¡±

    The two walked to the library that was adjacent to the dining area and settled down facing each other.

    E avoided the prince¡¯s honey brown eyes in fear he may try to read her mind again.

    ¡°I see you¡¯re a little uneasy.¡± Nathan spoke, finally breaking the awkward silence. ¡°You have no need to fear me, my intentions are pure I can assure you that.¡±

    ¡°How do I know that for sure?¡± E questioned, her voice low and solemn.

    ¡°I know I came off a little strong at the ball the other night, forgive me.¡± Nathan exined. ¡°It¡¯s just that from the moment I saw you, I felt strongly connected to you, I feel like you and I are alike, and I think it was destiny that we should meet.¡±

    [destiny? What a load of horse shit]

    ¡°Call it what you may.¡± Nathan spoke. ¡°But it¡¯s not a coincidence that you and I crossed paths.¡±

    E looked up at the prince in shock. Had he read her mind again?

    ¡°I sense you have a lot of questions for me.¡±

    E gasped and looked at Nathan who was smiling at her.

    ¡°How..¡± she paused, trying to find a way to phrase her questions. Even though she wanted to know who the hell this guy was, she couldn¡¯t interrogate the hell out of him. He was the crown prince, one wrong word and her head might be up on a pike.

    ¡°How can you do that?¡± E spoke

    ¡°Do what?¡±

    ¡°Just now, and back at the ball. It¡¯s like you could hear my thoughts. How is that possible?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Nathan leaned back on the chair and looked pensive, the look on his face made E nervous.

    ¡°I honestly have no idea.¡± Nathan responded. ¡°It¡¯s never happened before up until I met you.¡±

    Nathan leaned forward and looked into the girl¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What is it?¡± E questioned the young man. ¡°Do I have something on my face?¡±

    Nathan chuckled. ¡°No, quite the opposite actually, your face is unusually perfect. I was trying to see if you could read my mind as well.¡±

    E blinked wildly. Read his mind? How was she going to do that.

    ¡°I¡¯m just assuming that if I can read your thoughts, maybe you can read mine as well.¡± Nathan ced his index fingers on the sides of his head and looked into E¡¯s eyes. ¡°The key must be concentration. Back at the ball, you¡¯re the only thing that was on my mind, all my thoughts were fixated on you and just like that I heard your thoughts, like a whisper inside my head.¡±

    Nathan stood up and walked to where the girl was sitting, he grabbed her knees with his hands and squat down in front of her.

    ¡°Try to focus on me.¡± He spoke. ¡°Concentrate.¡±

    E¡¯s heart was racing. Nathan¡¯s face was really close to hers and his honey brown eyes were fixed on her blue orbs.

    ¡°It won¡¯t work unless you try E,e on, give it a go.¡±

    E took a deep breath and stared into Nathan¡¯s eyes, what if they really did have some mystical connection? It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try right?

    .....

    *you¡¯re so beautiful E, do you hear me? So very beautiful*

    E¡¯s eyes went round as her eyes darted quickly between his lips and eyes. His lips hadn¡¯t moved, but she could hear his voice in her head.

    ¡°It worked!¡± E gasped. ¡°I... I could hear you!¡±

    Nathan smiled from ear yo ear. ¡°I told you E, I told you that it was destiny that brought us together.¡±

    ¡°Ehem.¡±

    E and Nathan turned to look at the door. Lady Morrell was standing at the doorway covering her smile with a handkerchief.

    ¡°Mother!¡± E quickly stood up, almost knocking the prince over.

    ¡°Lady Morrell.¡± Nathan spoke as he dusted his very clean pants. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to intrude, I just-¡±

    ¡°Oh no need to apologize your grace.¡± Mrs Morrell responded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to get in the way of young love.¡±

    ¡°Mother! We¡¯re not in love!¡± E responded. ¡°You¡¯re embarrassing the prince!¡±

    E¡¯s mother chucked and turned away. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two be. I¡¯ll be in the garden if you need me.¡±

    ¡°Actually.¡± Nathan cleared his throat and looked to the floor in an attempt to hide the redness on his face. E¡¯s mother had found him in a verypromising position with her daughter, under her roof at that. This was not how he wanted his future mother inw to remember him.

    ¡°I was actually about to take my leave.¡± Nathan added on.

    ¡°Oh. Then I¡¯ll leave you two to your goodbyes.¡± Mrs Morrell smirked and walked away.

    Nathan turned to E and smiled sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that E, this is not how I nned on-¡±

    ¡°You said you were about to take your leave your highness.¡± E interrupted him.

    She turned to him and curtsied. ¡°Travel well.¡± And with that, she turned to exit the library.

    The prince looked at the girl walk away and smiled.

    * I wille and see you again*

    E halted for minute when she heard Nathan¡¯s voice in her head, she was about to turn and face him but stopped herself and exited the library. She¡¯d had more than enough human interaction for one day.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10: Chapter 10 : Memories from another life

    ¡°Good morning your majesty, your father requests your presence at the breakfast table.¡±

    Prince Adam Burchard nodded at Henry the butler. ¡°I will be right down Henry, thank you.¡±

    Prince Adam Burchard was the only child of King James Burchard, King of the great kingdom of Gavaria. Gavaria was a strong and mighty empire known for its dominance in war and conquest.

    It was arge beautiful kingdom by the sea, on the west of the kingdom of Meria.

    Prince Adam took a seat on his father¡¯s right hand at the table, opposite his beautiful and elegant mother.

    ¡°Good morning darling how did you sleep? Did you have those nasty nightmares again?¡± The queen questioned her son.

    Adam had been suffering with nightmares and sleepless nights ever since he was a child. He would often dream of a simple life, in a simple town somewhere, a family that loved him and girl he loved so dearly. But each dream, though seeming great at first, would end with the gruesome murder of his entire family and also his own death. Everything he had and loved, lost in the blink of an eye.

    .....

    ¡°The dream has been on repeat every night mother, but the sleeping potion I took did help me quite a bit.¡±

    Prince Adam Burchard was a tall handsome dark haired young man, neen years of age and deep brown eyes. He had striking features and a great physique, making him the country¡¯s most eligible bachelor.

    ¡°You know what would help you sleep better my boy?¡± The king spoke with a chuckle. ¡°A woman to warm your bed.¡±

    King James shot his wife a sly smile making her blush.

    ¡°Please father we¡¯re at the table.¡± Adam responded.

    ¡°Ohe on my boy, you¡¯re a man now, it¡¯s high time you find a beautiful woman and give this kingdom heirs.¡±

    Prince Adam always hated this topic, he had never been interested in marriage, well actually, he wasn¡¯t interested in marriage with the girls he¡¯d met so far. None of them appealed to him at all, but Adam knew that there was a woman out there for him, a woman who would steal his heart just upon seeing her, and he was willing to wait for her.

    ¡°Lady Julia seems to like you quite a bit honey, why don¡¯t you try getting to know her.¡± The queen sipped her cup of jasmine tea and looked at her son. ¡°She¡¯s very beautiful and shees from a very affluent family.¡±

    Lady Julia Boleyn was the youngest of Lord Boleyn¡¯s four daughters, she was sixteen years old, had long wavy ck hair, emerald eyes and fair skin.

    Since the king and Julia¡¯s father were friends, her and prince Adam had been seeing a lot of each other and Julia eventually developed romantic feelings for the prince. She would visit the pce with a basket of home made pastries for the prince in hopes of getting him to reciprocate her feelings, but Adam only saw her as a friend and nothing more. He had tried liking her romantically but his heart just wouldn¡¯t have it, there was nothing he could do.

    ¡°She¡¯ll being to the pce today with her father.¡± King James exined. ¡°Why don¡¯t you show her around.¡±

    Adam looked up from his te. ¡°Why is lord Boleyning to the pce? Is there a meeting I was not told of?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not important son, just a few negotiations do be discussed.¡±

    ¡°But father, if I¡¯m going to be king one day, I should be aware of everything that happens in the kingdom.¡± Adam responded. ¡°You can¡¯t send me off to frolic around with lord Boleyn¡¯s daughter while an important meeting is going on.¡±

    ¡°The meeting is about our alliance with the kingdom of Meria.¡± The king spoke.

    ¡°An alliance?¡±

    ¡°I consulted Ronald the wizard about your strange dreams in hopes of getting you some relief.¡±

    King James took arge sip of his wine and looked at his son sternly.

    ¡°Ronald fears that your dreams may be prophecy of an uing war between two great kingdoms, a war that may lead to the empire¡¯s downfall and to your death.¡±

    Adam¡¯s breath hitched, was that possible? Is that what his dreams really entailed?

    ¡°Gavaria needs as many allies as possible just in case Ronald is right.¡± The king continued. ¡°We¡¯re better off prepared, the kingdom of Meria is almost as big as ours. It would be to our advantage if we made an alliance with them.¡±

    Adam took a sip of his wine and sighed. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Now that your father has given you a briefing of what the meeting is all about, you can spend your afternoon with Julia.¡±

    Adam looked up at his mother, she was very pushy about Adam finding a wife and he could understand why. He was her only child after all and she wanted more little ones to take care of.

    Adam loved his mother dearly and hated disappointing her, he wasn¡¯t going to ask Julia to marry him of course, that was out of the question, but he would at the least spend the afternoon with her.

    ¡°Very well, I will keepdy Julia busy while you have your meeting father.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡± The king rejoiced. ¡°I¡¯ll inform you the instant they arrive.¡±

    Price Adam nodded and ate thest of his food. ¡°Please excuse me.¡±

    The prince walked to his chambers andy down on his bed. His mind drifted off to the dreams he¡¯d been having and the beautiful red haired, blue eyed girl who frequented them.

    Even though she was most probably a figment of his imagination, she was the most beautiful girl he¡¯d ever seen. His dreams of her were so vivid, almost like a memory from the past, he felt like he knew her, like he loved her.

    When he closed his eyes he could easily envision her smile, her ocean blue eyes, herughter and even her voice. If Ronald was right, and his dreams were some sort of prophecy, then that meant that the girl in his dreams was out there somewhere. The love of his life was out there and he was going to find her.

    ¡°If I ever find you..¡± prince Adam mattered to himself. ¡°I will never let you go.¡±

    *

    ¡°Your majesty,dy Julia has arrived.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Henry, I¡¯ll be right down.¡±

    Prince Adam walked down stairs and joined the king and queen in weing the Boleyns. When Julia saw the prince approaching, her eyes sparked and a broad smile painted her face.

    ¡°Your grace.¡± Julia spoke with a curtsy.

    ¡°Good to see you Julia.¡± Adam responded.

    ¡°Good to see you¡¯re doing well your grace.¡± Lord Boleyn spoke. ¡°You¡¯ve grown into a very dashing young man haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for thepliment lord Boleyn, it¡¯s good to see you¡¯re fine and healthy.¡±

    ¡°Alright why don¡¯t we go into the library and have our little discussion while the children spend some time together.¡± King James suggested.

    The queen lightly pat her son on the back and smiled at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take Julia to see the new garden, the flowers are in full bloom and look so beautiful this time of year.¡±

    ¡°Of course mother.¡±

    Adam offered Julia his arm which she took without hesitation.

    The two walked out of the castle leaving the adults alone to talk.

    Inside the library, king James and lord Boleyn sat down at arge tick wood table.

    ¡°I suggested we travel to Meria and speak to the king directly about our intentions your majesty.¡± Lord Boleyn suggested. ¡°Your presence there will prove how serious the situation is.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you.¡± The king responded. ¡°If Ronald is indeed right and my son¡¯s dreams are prophecy, we have to be ready for the uing war. With Meria on our side, we will be imprable.¡±

    ¡°We could send a raven to king Bradley Aldos to let him know of our visit, the journey to Meria will take a week with the royal gaurd. Best to let the king know before hand so he¡¯ll be expecting us.¡±

    ¡°Yes that is wise Boleyn, tell the royal council to gather here in the next two days so they are made aware of our ns.¡± The king spoke. ¡°If I have to leave the kingdom, measures must be put in ce to ensure everything runs smoothly. Also it¡¯s better if my absence is kept between only a few trusted people. There may be enemies who will take advantage of the situation. If indeed a war is brewing, we need to be sharp, we cannot trust anyone.¡±

    ¡°I will inform the council at once your grace, and then we shall head east to Meria.¡±

    *

    Adam and Julia walked hand in hand through the castle gardens. The youngdy was absolutely blissful, to her this was like a dream, walking hand in hand with the prince in a garden of flowers.

    To Adam on the other hand, this was duty, he would have preferred being in the meeting listening to affairs pertaining his country but he couldn¡¯t let his dear mother down.

    ¡°Oh the garden is so lovely.¡± Julia cooed, holding Adam¡¯s hand tightly.

    ¡°I suppose it is.¡± Adam responded. He was too deep in thought wondering what his father and lord Boleyn were talking about. How did they n to forge this alliance with Meria exactly?

    Other than sharing a border with Meria, and sometimes trading with them, the two kingdoms kept to themselves. This alliance would definitely be tricky.

    Seeing that the prince was barely paying attention to her, Julia let go of prince Adam¡¯s and halted in her tracks.

    ¡°Lady Julia?¡±

    ¡°I can see that his majesty doesn¡¯t want to spend time with me, so I will take my leave.¡±

    Julia was trying to use reverse psychology on Adam and make him feel guilty. That way, he would give her his attention.

    Prince Adam looked at the pouting girl in front of him and nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Adam turned and walked towards the castle. ¡°Do visit us againdy Julia.¡±

    The prince gave her a wave and disappeared into the castle leaving Julia absolutely dumbfounded. Was the prince really not interested in her or was he just dumb?

    No it had to be thetter, Julia knew she was very beautiful, no man could resist her.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11: Chapter 11 : We are the same you and I

    ¡°Mydy.¡±

    E put down her book and turned to face the maid who was standing at her door.

    ¡°The prince is here, and he requests that you apany him to the royal pce.¡±

    [argh what does this stubborn prince want from me?!]

    ¡°Thank you Matildah, I¡¯ll be right down.¡±

    When E reached the dining area she saw William and prince Nathan chatting and drinking wine like they were old buddies.

    ¡°E,e here, Prince Nathan has invited you to the royal pce to join him for lunch, isn¡¯t that wonderful?¡±

    .....

    [so this guy decided to ride for thirty minutes just to ask me out to lunch? Couldn¡¯t he send a raven so I could pretend to not make it or something?]

    *That¡¯s precisely why I decided toe and get you myself beautiful E*

    E gasped when she heard Nathan¡¯s voice in her head, when she looked up at him she saw a faint smirk crossing his face.

    ¡°I¡¯lle cleandy E.¡± Nathan spoke as he stood up. ¡°I¡¯ve taken a liking to you, and if you would allow me, I would love it if you gave me the opportunity to get to know you more.¡±

    Nathan bowed slightly at the girl.

    *Are you really going to turn down an offer from the crowned prince? In front of your brother?*

    [You¡¯re insufferable]

    ¡°Well E? You¡¯re not going to leave him hanging are you?¡± William questioned his sister with expectant eyes.

    E sighed and forced a smile. ¡°It would be my honor your grace.¡±

    Prince Nathan walked up to E, took her hand and kissed it. ¡°I¡¯m very happy to hear you say that, please, this way.¡± The young man led E out the door towards the royal carriage.

    He turned to William and waved at him.

    ¡°I promise to have her home before dark William!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡±

    Nathan helped E into the carriage and closed the door when he was seated across from her.

    ¡°In all my days of traveling around Meria in a carriage, I¡¯ve never seen a site quite as beautiful as this one.¡± Nathan spoke as he looked at the girl in front of him.

    E shot Nathan a disapproving look but forced a smile as she responded. ¡°I¡¯m ttered your grace.¡±

    ¡°I told you E, you can call me Nathan.¡±

    *

    About twenty minutes had gone by and E and the prince were slowly approaching the royal pce, even at a distance, one could stare in awe of the beautiful intricately designed structure.

    ¡°Before we arrive.¡± Prince Nathan spoke to the girl. ¡°I just want to let you know that I asked for you to join me at the pce because there are some things I wish to discuss with you.¡±

    The sudden seriousness in Nathan¡¯s voice drew E¡¯s attention. ¡°And what thing are those?¡±

    ¡°I wish to discuss you E Morrell, about your life in general.¡± Nathan responded.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to tell.¡± E responded. ¡°I¡¯m an only daughter, grew up with everything that I wanted and I keep to myself because I don¡¯t like people MINDING MY BUSINESS.¡±

    Prince Nathan smiled at the girl, ah she was a feisty one, he liked that.

    ¡°I already know all that.¡± Nathan responded.

    ¡°Then why do you question me if you already know about me?¡±

    Nathan inched closer to E and looked right onto her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s your other lives I¡¯m interested in hearing about.¡±

    E almost jumped from her seat.

    ¡°O- other lives?¡±

    How did he know? Had she slipped up at some point and he¡¯d read her mind?

    ¡°I.. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± E responded jittery, she didn¡¯t expect Nathan to ask her anything like that.

    E had lived many lives, so many that she¡¯d lost track. In the beginning, she thought it was deja vu but after being reborn a number of times over, she knew something strange was going on. She had visited many witches and sorcerers in an attempt to find out why all this was happening but to no avail. She had eventuallye to the conclusion that she had been cursed by the gods, because living endlessly and watching the people you love die and moving forward without them was in no way a blessing.

    ¡°From your reaction I¡¯m going to assume you do know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Nathan spoke in a whisper.

    He cupped E¡¯s hands in his and uttered his words calmly and carefully. ¡°E, I¡¯m cursed too. You and I, we¡¯re the same.¡±

    As the carriage halted to a stop so did E¡¯s heart. He was cursed too? How could that be? Had he also lived many lives? Did he know why it was happening to them?

    E had so many questions.

    A guard opened the carriage door to let the prince and his guest out, after which, prince Nathan stepped out and stretched his hand towards E so he could help her down. With shaking hands, E took Nathan¡¯s hand and they both walked towards the pce entrance.

    *calm down, you¡¯ll make people think I did something to you.*

    E took a deep breath andposed herself as they entered the pce where the queen was waiting to greet them.

    The timid woman looked shaky and scared as she saw the two walk towards her and it made E uneasy. Did the queen know?

    ¡°Good morning mother.¡± Prince Nathan spoke. ¡°Today I¡¯ll be having lunch withdy E Morrell, please do tell father that I will not join you at the table. I¡¯d like to dine privately with her in the gardens.¡±

    ¡°Of course darling.¡± The queen responded. She pped her hands and a well dressed butler came rushing to her side.

    ¡°Tell the cooks to prepare a meal for my son and his guest.¡± The queen spoke. ¡°Have them set it up in the garden.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be up in my chamber in the meantime.¡± Nathan added on. ¡°No one is to disturb us till our meal is ready.¡±

    ¡°Of course darling.¡±

    E couldn¡¯t help but notice the hint of fear in the queen¡¯s voice, what in the world was going on? Why was this woman looking so petrified?

    Prince Nathan Aldos¡¯ chambers were clean and well organized, they had a beautiful wooden floor and high walls. His bed and furniture were a deep grey in color and there was a bear rug near a flickering firece that brought the whole room together.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Nathan questioned as he stood over the rug. ¡°I killed it myself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of having remains of dead animals on my room.¡± E responded.

    Nathan chuckled and sat down, pointing at a chair across from him so E could sit down.

    The prince¡¯s happy mood suddenly turned serious when the girl settled down in front of him. ¡°I know you have many questions for me, the same way I have many questions for you.¡±

    Nathan leaned back on his chair and took a deep breath. ¡°Since I am a gentleman, and I like you, I¡¯ll allow you to go first.¡±

    E blinked wildly at the young man in front of her, where to start? She knew if she started asking him questions, she would have even more questions. But she knew she might never get an opportunity like this again, she had to know what prince Nathan knew of this curse of immortality.

    ¡°How did you know that you and I were alike?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Nathan responded. ¡°I felt a very strange familiarity to you when we first met, after that I could hear your thoughts. In all my lives that has never happened before, so I assumed you were a jumper as well.¡±

    ¡°A jumper?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Nathan chuckled sheepishly. ¡°That¡¯s what I started calling myself when I noticed that my soul kept jumping from one body to another every time I died.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± E nodded her head, she¡¯d never thought giving herself a name like that before. ¡°Do you know why this is happening? Why can¡¯t we die?¡±

    Nathan¡¯s look turned solemn. ¡°Unfortunately I don¡¯t have an answer to that. I have spent many life times trying to get rid of this curse. Potions, witches, quests, you name it, but nothing seemed to work. No one knew of anything like this.¡±

    He prince inched closer to E and took her hands in his. ¡°And then I met you, and my once lost hope was restored. E, you and I were meant to meet, we were meant to break this curse together.¡±

    E looked at the prince¡¯s face, he looked so hopeful and excited. His honey brown eyes glistened with joy and his entire face lit up, from this angle, the prince actually looked really handsome.

    [argh E stop it!]

    ¡°What is it? What do you want to stop.¡± Nathan questioned the girl curiously

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± E responded, a faint blush tinting her cheeks.

    ¡°Fine I¡¯ll work with you..¡±

    ¡°Wonderful!¡±

    ¡°..on one condition.¡± E added on.

    ¡°Anything.¡± Nathan responded instantly.

    ¡°Stop reading my thoughts it¡¯s very rude!¡±

    Nathan smiled at the girl, she looked so beautiful when she was fired up like this, her lips were puckered up and her lovely blue eyes shined. Heck if he wasn¡¯t such a gentleman, he would have kissed her right there and then.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I know how to stop it..¡± Nathan exined. ¡°But I will do my best.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Good.¡± E responded. ¡°So, where do we start?¡±

    ¡°I need you to tell me about your past lives, all the ones you can remember.¡± Nathan spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t leave anything out, maybe we can find some sort of pattern.¡±

    E searched her mind and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12: Chapter 12 : Intertwined

    Nathan leaned back on his chair and cupped his forehead, the information that E had just told him was very rming. He never imagined that their lives would be intertwined like this.

    ¡°E..¡± prince Nathan¡¯s breathing was heavy, this was definitely quite the discovery.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The redhead said in a panic, ¡°are you suddenly feeling unwell? Do you need some water?¡±

    ¡°No, please don¡¯t worry yourself.¡±

    Nathan straightened his posture and mped his hands together, his mind deep in though.

    ¡°I¡¯m now convinced that you and I were destined to meet E.¡±

    The blue eyed girl looked at Nathan with questioning eyes.

    .....

    ¡°Your ident with the wagon, do you remember that?¡±

    E slowly nodded her head. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how I died, in my life as Aria.¡±

    ¡°In the small town of wintersend...¡±

    E¡¯s eyes went round at the prince¡¯s words. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you the name of the town, how could you possibly....¡±

    Prince Nathan focused his gaze on the girl in front of him. ¡°That day, in the small town of wintersend, my father came home very devastated. He told us that as he was pulling his cart up the hilly road and it slipped out of his grasp causing the idental death of a young woman.¡±

    E was barely breathing at this point.

    ¡°What?¡± The girl¡¯s voice was but a squeak.

    ¡°A few dayster, I fell gravely ill, together with the rest of my family.¡± Nathan continued. ¡°Somehow we had sumbed to food poisoning. My siblings and parents recovered but I-¡±

    Nathan swallowed hard.. ¡°I died.¡±

    E could see that Nathan was holding back tears, she felt sorry for him. He must have loved his family and his simple life at the time.

    Nathan took a deep breath and continued speaking. ¡°Later I was reborn as the second youngest son of the lord of a town called Mirine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± E felt her chest tighten.

    Of all the lives she had lived, her life in Mirine was her most painful memory. During her life there she had all but forgotten about her curse, she had parents she loved dearly, a simple and free life, and... she had Jillian. Oh how she missed him so much.

    It had been many excruciating years but the wounds in her heart neverpletely healed. If only she hadn¡¯t gone back that day, if only she didn¡¯t try ying hero, maybe, just maybe Jillian wouldn¡¯t have died. They would have built a new life together somewhere far away, gotten married and had many beautiful children.

    E was snapped out of her trans when she felt a hand grab hers.

    ¡°E are you alright?¡± Nathan questioned the girl.

    She cleared her throat and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine your grace.¡±

    ¡°But E, you¡¯re crying.¡±

    The girl touched her cheek and felt the stream of tears that had escaped her eyes.

    Nathan handed her a handkerchief which she used to pat her cheeks dry.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± E sniffled. ¡°Mirine has a lot of memories for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, and believe me I do understand your pain.¡±

    Nathan really did understand her pain, he didn¡¯t need an exnation to know that her life in Mirine revolved around people she had grown to love dearly. He silently hoped that when they would be able to break the curse, he would be able to give her a full and happy life.

    E dabbed thest of her tears and put on a brave face. ¡°Please continue.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Nathan cleared his throat and continued his talk. ¡°Like I said, my father was the lord of that town and I had heard talks of a beautiful red headed young woman with ocean blue eyes. I¡¯m assuming that was you.¡±

    E nodded.

    ¡°I sent word out to meet you, honestly I was smitten by you just by the descriptions I¡¯d heard alone, I was determined to meet you and make you mine.¡± Nathan chuckled nervously. ¡°But you declined my offer every time, I was told you were already involved with someone else.¡±

    ¡°I was..¡± E responded, the tightness in her chest returning once again.

    ¡°Well that didn¡¯t stop me.¡± Nathan responded. ¡°I was adamant on making you mine so I got onto my horse and rode towards your house, with many gifts in hand. But unfortunately, I was ambushed by bandits who wanted to rob me, I tried putting up a fight but ended up getting killed.¡±

    E¡¯s head was spinning, did this mean that if any one of them died, the other would suffer the same fate? So even if E had done things differently that night, as long as Nathan lost his life, she would have died as well.

    ¡°Did you die as well?¡± The prince questioned the girl, trying to read what she was thinking.

    ¡°I did.¡± E responded in a whisper.

    ¡°I see, was it an ident or..?¡±

    ¡°I slit my own throat.¡±

    The prince instinctively grabbed his throat and swallowed hard, he didn¡¯t want to probe any further to find out why she had done so. He could see from her eyes that she had gone through a lot of pain, it must have been too much to bare.

    ¡°You know what I find most infuriating about this curse?¡± Nathan spoke, his a little more calmer and soothing

    E shook her head, ¡°what?¡±

    ¡°The fact that in every lifetime, I grow up, be a man and finally conquer a woman in bed, and then I die and wake up a bloody virgin again!¡±

    E¡¯s mouth curved up into a little smile. ¡°That¡¯s what you find most infuriating?¡± E asked him sarcastically. ¡°Losing your track record?¡±

    She knew that he was simply trying to lighten the mood and she appreciated it, prince Nathan Aldos wasn¡¯t as terrible as she had first thought him to be.

    ¡°Surely you have someints too about the matter.¡± Nathan continued hisint.

    E¡¯s cheeks flushed red, she shifted ufortably in her chair and turned her face away from Nathan.

    ¡°I... I¡¯ve never been intimate with a man.¡±

    Nathan almost jumped out of his seat. ¡°What?! You lie!¡±

    Nathan had assumed that such a beautifuldy like E would have been raking the men in. He pictured queues of degenerate thirsty males pumped with testosterone waiting to have a taste of the mystery blue eyed beauty.

    He of course would be first in line given the chance.

    ¡°Are you lying to me E?¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie?!¡± E snapped

    ¡°But you¡¯re so..¡± the prince swallowed his words, carefully selecting them so he wouldn¡¯t offend the girl. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful E how could any sane man resist you?¡±

    ¡°Can we talk about something else please?!¡±

    Nathan could tell from her expression that she was being serious. Oh this was interesting.

    The prince took E¡¯s hand and smiled broadly at her.

    ¡°If you ever feel ready..¡± His words left his lips like sweet solemn melodies off a harp. ¡°It would be my absolute honor to give you your first experience.¡±

    E¡¯s face flushed red, she was conflicted on whether to p Nathan across the face or to melt in his arms. This scammy prince really had a way with words.

    The temperature in the room was escting and E¡¯s heart had all but leapt out of her chest. She looked at Nathan¡¯s expectant face, waiting for an answer.

    ¡°umm...¡±

    KNOCK KNOCK

    [oh thank goodness]

    ¡°Your majesty.¡± The butler¡¯s voice was heard from outside the door. ¡°Your lunch withdy E has been served in the garden.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Theodore, we¡¯ll be right out.¡±

    E took the opportunity to swipe her hand away from Nathan, she abruptly stood up and turned away from him to face the door.

    ¡°We should go eat, I¡¯m starving.¡± She spoke in a jittery tone.

    Nathan sized the girl from head to toe, taking in all her beautiful curves and features. Her long red hair, the warm tone of her skin, her feminine shoulders and all her beautiful defined contours.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Nathan spoke with a grin. ¡°After youdy E.¡±

    The two exited the room and walked through the castle to the garden. The maids and butlers who were looking at them began whispering and smiling among themselves.

    ¡°Oh do you think they¡¯ve done the deed?¡±

    ¡°Look at the blush on mydy¡¯s face, of course they have.¡±

    ¡°Back in my day, we had to wait till after the wedding to churn the butter.¡±

    ¡°Back in your day there was no butter.¡±

    The whispers only made E¡¯s face sh even more, why had she agreed to go in the prince¡¯s room in the first ce? Now everyone thought they¡¯d ¡®churned the butter¡¯ gross!

    Behind her, prince Nathan was smiling like a maniac, he knew that noting had happened between them, but the gossip did a lot to pump up his ego. Besides, it wasn¡¯t a problem considering that he would one day make E his wife, and they could churn the butter as much as they wanted.

    The thought made Nathan¡¯s smile grow wider, oh how he couldn¡¯t wait.

    .....

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank @doomfanger and @etestman for the power stones. They mean a lot thank you.

    Ya¡¯ll are the real MVPs

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13: CHAPTER 13 : lover¡¯s connection

    ¡°You¡¯re traveling to Meria yourself?!¡±

    Prince Adam understood that this alliance meant a lot to their kingdom, but in all his years he¡¯d never heard of his father leaving the throne unattended to. He always preferred sending representatives or knights to do the job.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit reckless father? There will be chaos of people learn of your absence.¡±

    King James Burchard pat his son on the head before taking a seat at the table besides his wife.

    ¡°Only a select few people will know of my absence.¡± The king responded.

    ¡°But who will overlook the country¡¯s affairs?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always going on about being king one day..¡± king James took arge chunk of steak into his mouth and swallowed. ¡°This is your chance. Consider it a trail run of some sort.¡±

    .....

    ¡°But father..¡±

    Now that Adam thought about it, if the wizard Ronald was right about his dreams being prophecy, there might be a connection between his dreams and Meria. And maybe just maybe he would find the girl from his dreams in Meria, he needed to take the chance, no matter how small it was.

    Cause clearly the redhead was not Gavaria. Prince Adam had been secretly searching for her via spies and knights throughout the kingdom in hopes of finding her, but to no avail. It was only logical to assume she might be from a different kingdom, even Meria.

    ¡°I want toe with you.¡± Adam spoke firmly.

    ¡°And who will remain with your mother?¡± King James spoke as he gulped down his ale. ¡°We both can¡¯t leave the kingdom, I need you to stay here until I get back. Meria is a boring kingdom anyway you won¡¯t miss out on anything.¡±

    ~yeah, except the possibility of finding the woman of my dreams, literally~

    ¡°Tell you what, after our alliance with Meria is in full effect, I will allow to go and tour the kingdom to your heart¡¯s content.¡± King Burchard added on, ¡°in fact, you can tour the whole continent if you want to.¡±

    Adam looked up at his father excitedly. ¡°Do I have your word?¡±

    ¡°You have my word son.¡± The king responded.

    The man rose from his seat and kissed his wife on the cheek. ¡°Well I best be retiring to bed before we leave, the journey will take about one week on horseback and I need all the rest I can get.¡±

    ¡°Sleep well father.¡±

    *

    E walked into the dining hall and sat next to William at the table. She had woken up a bitte so everyone was already eating when she joined them.

    ¡°Nice of you to finally join us dear.¡± Her mother spoke sarcastically.

    ¡°Forgive me mother, I¡¯ve been having some troubles sleepingtely.¡± E responded

    Ever since her talk with prince Nathan Aldos a few days back, E¡¯s mind had been busy trying to connect the dots. She was getting closer to finding out what this curse was all about after meeting Nathan and hopefully, after many excruciating lifetimes, she may finally be able to break it.

    ¡°Too busy thinking about Nathan that you can¡¯t sleep sister?¡± William spoke tauntingly.

    ¡°I knew the prince wouldn¡¯t resist my beautiful daughter!¡± Lord Morrell eximed in excitement. ¡°Soon you will be queen of all of Meria.¡±

    ¡°Oh you and the prince do make a beautiful couple.¡± Lady Morrell added on, ¡°all the girls must be so jealous.¡±

    ¡°I just want to make it clear to all of you that the prince and I are just friends.¡± The girl sipped her tea angrily. ¡°So I¡¯d advise you not to get your hopes up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I said when I first met your father.¡±

    Everyone at the table giggled in unison, much to E¡¯s dismay.

    ¡°Ah the grand wedding will be exquisite, nobles from everywhere will flock to witness my beautiful daughter wed the crown prince.¡± Lord Morrell had long finished his breakfast and was leaning back on the chair picturing a wedding and life that had not even happened yet.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little jealous.¡± William spoke with a smirk. ¡°You get to be queen and I only end up a knight.¡±

    The chattering about E¡¯s non existent rtionship with Nathan went on and on, seeming unending. And with each mention of Nathan¡¯s name, E got more and more agitated.

    Finally, E snapped and mmed her tea cup onto the table, causing it to crack a little and spill some tea onto the furnished oak table.

    All the table¡¯s upants looked at the seething girl in shock.

    ¡°Will you all stop it!¡± E yelled.

    This was the first time any of them had ever seen E express emotion of any kind, so it took them a bit off guard. All her life, the girl had been quiet and devoid of any exaggerated emotion, she was an introvert and mostly only spoke when spoken to. So even to her own family this sudden outburst was very surprising.

    ¡°Nathan and I will never be together so could you please let it go!¡±

    ¡°But honey..¡± Lady Morrell stretched her hand out in an attempt to calm her daughter down. ¡°Why not?¡±

    E swat her mother¡¯s hand away. ¡°Because my heart belongs to Jillian!¡±

    The whole table went silent.

    Lord Morrell was the first to speak after the shocking reveal. ¡°Jillian?¡±

    E pursed her lips and looked to the floor. In the heat of the moment she¡¯d thrown a fit and mentioned her dead lover. Good lord what hade over her? She thought that maybe after all this time she wouldn¡¯t be this attached to him still. But the thought of being with someone else had caused her buried grief to bubble up to the surface, she couldn¡¯t bare the thought of loving another, not in this life and not in any other life.

    ¡°May I be excused.¡±

    E stood up leaving her food untouched and walked towards her chambers, every step she took seemed to get heavier and heavier, it felt like the stretch between the family dining hall and her room had elongated somehow. She fought back tears as she walked as gracefully as possible so as not to rm her family whose eyes she could feel piercing her back.

    When E stepped into her room, she mmed the door behind her and cried bitterly.

    ¡°Oh Jillian.¡±

    The girl couldn¡¯t hold back the tears, even after all this time her heart still ached. How could she ever move on from Jillian, how could she move on from the only man she¡¯d ever loved.

    *

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    The queen inched closer to her son and ced a hand over his head. She was startled when Adam¡¯s face had suddenly gone pale and he had stumbled in his tracks, almost falling.

    ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡±

    Prince Adam stabilized his stance and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m alright mother, I just felt a bit odd just now.¡±

    Adam didn¡¯t know what had just happened to him, he just felt a deep wave of sadness overtake his body causing him to lose his bnce. What was it? Was it some bad omen?

    ¡°Mother? What time is father leaving for Meria?¡±

    ¡°In a few hours.¡± His mother responded. ¡°The royal procession is already on standby outside.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Prince Adam was now even more curious of thend of Meria, what had happened just now couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. There was something about Meria, something that he needed to look into.

    ¡°How long will forging the alliance with Meria take? Do you know how long father will be away?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been quiet interested in Meria ofte, is there something I should know?¡± This was the fifth time prince Adam had spoken of the western kingdom that day, he was his mother¡¯s son after all, she knew when something was going on with him.

    ¡°I¡¯m just curious is all.¡±

    ¡°Really¡±

    Adam looked up at his mother and gave her a warm smile. ¡°I hear it¡¯s a beautiful country, I want to visit different ces before I settle down as king and end up stuck in Gavaria for the rest of my life.¡±

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14: Chapter 14 : Let me carry the burden of this curse with you.

    William hadn¡¯t noticed Nathan walk into the library, he was upied with the thoughts of what had transpired a few days ago at the breakfast table. He had spent a lot of time with his little sister over the years, but not once had he ever heard her speak of anyone named Jillian.

    Had she brought up the name just to get out of being in a rtionship with prince Nathan? No, considering how she had reacted, there was no way that was all an act.

    ¡°I think I should being to the Morrell household with the town crier to announce my arrival.¡±

    William looked up at Prince Nathan¡¯s smirking face and stood up abruptly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been calling to you for a little over a minute.¡± Nathan spoke.

    He settled down on a sofa next to William and studied the young man.

    ¡°Forgive me Nathan, I Umm, I was just lost in thought. I didn¡¯t hear youe in.¡±

    .....

    Nathan nodded at his friend and asked him to take a seat.

    ¡°You look troubled, is there something wrong?¡±

    William shook his head. ¡°Nothing serious.¡±

    William didn¡¯t feel that it was in his ce to tell Nathan anything, he respected his sister¡¯s privacy, if Nathan was going to find out about Jillian it would have to be from her own lips.

    ¡°Alright, I sense it¡¯s a private matter so I won¡¯t push you.¡±

    Nathan looked around the library before sheepishly smiling at William.

    ¡°What is it?¡± William questioned the young prince.

    Prince Nathan¡¯s cheeks were lightly painted pink. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t feel like when Ie here I onlye for your sister, I consider you my very good friend, but...¡±

    ¡°But..?¡±

    ¡°Is your sister around?¡± Nathan added on, the hue on his cheeks deepening in color.

    William huffed out a little chuckle, oh the poor prince, it was so obvious he was falling for E. At first William was so excited, thinking that his little sister would end up with the prince of theirnd, but now he knew she didn¡¯t reciprocate his feelings which somehow made him fell sorry for Nathan. But William¡¯s loyalty was to his family first, and then to his country.

    ¡°Nathan, do you know of anyone who goes by the name Jillian?¡±

    Nathan looked thoughtful for a minute before shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that name before, why do you ask?¡±

    Because whoever Jillian is has already won the heart of the woman you¡¯re trying to pursue, William thought to himself.

    ¡°Oh nothing really.¡± Nathan responded. ¡°E is in her room, I¡¯ll try and get her for you if she¡¯ll ept it.¡±

    Ever since the incident at the table, E had locked herself up in her chambers and refused to leave. Her mother had instructed the maids to take food and other necessities up to her room after several failed attempts to get her toe out.

    ¡°Is she alright? Is she sick?!¡±

    Nathan was now on his feet, worried about why E was locked up her room at that time of the day.

    ¡°Oh no, she¡¯s in good health, she¡¯s just not feeling quite like herself.¡± William responded.

    Nathan walked over to his friend and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Then I must see her, maybe I can help elevate her mood, where are her chambers, I can..¡±

    William grabbed Nathan¡¯s wrist and looked at him sternly. His protective brotherly side had overrode his respect for the crown. In as much as Nathan was crowned prince, he wasn¡¯t going to let him just waltz up to his sister¡¯s chambers as he pleased.

    ¡°Your grace, she is in HER CHAMBERS, allow me to fetch her for you.¡± William spoke, his voice was calm but it carried a lot of weight, as if indirectly saying ¡®its not in your ce to go to my sister¡¯s room¡¯.

    Nathan nodded in understanding, William¡¯s reaction was justified, after all, if you overlook his title, Nathan was just some guy pursuing his little sister.

    ¡°After you.¡± Nathan spoke calmly.

    *

    E furrowed her brows when she heard the knock at the door. ¡°Leave whatever it is you have on the door!¡± She called out.

    ¡°E it¡¯s me.¡± William responded from outside the door. ¡°May Ie in?¡±

    Upon not hearing any objection, William slowly opened the door and peeked in. ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡± E responded.

    William opened the door fully and walked in, and behind him, prince Nathan was in tow. The red head rose from her bed and looked at the two young men who had invaded her privacy.

    ¡°Your grace.¡±

    E curtsied and gave William a disapproving look.

    ¡°I know you wish to be alone.¡± William spoke as if reading the girl¡¯s mind. ¡°But Nathan was worried about you and insisted on checking up on you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you two talk.¡±

    William turned to Nathan and nodded at him. ¡°I won¡¯t be far so you can let me know if you need anything.¡±

    Nathan watched William walk out, knowing very well that hisst statement was directed more towards him than E.

    ¡°May I?¡± Nathan spoke as he pointed at the soft peach sofa adjacent to E¡¯s bed.

    E nodded and sat down on the bed, facing the prince. Thest time the two of them were in a room alone, everyone thought they had had some sort of rtions with one another, so E was d that William had intentionally left her door open.

    ¡°Talk to me E, what¡¯s bothering you.¡±

    [Oh so you¡¯re just going to dive right in huh?]

    ¡°Would you rather I cox you first instead?¡±

    E cursed silently when she saw the smile on Nathan¡¯s face, she had to remember to keep her internal monologue to herself around him.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± E responded, making sure not to look into Nathan¡¯s honey brown eyes.

    ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s making you lock yourself up in your room. It¡¯s certainly not nothing.¡± Nathan leaned in and looked at the girl closely. ¡°E I care for you, the least you can do is tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡±

    E¡¯s eyes shot to the open door, wondering if her brother was lingering around outside listening to their conversation.

    ¡°Have you ever been in love prince Nathan?¡± E¡¯s voice was low yet sincere.

    ¡°In love? Well, I..¡±

    ¡°I have..¡±

    E locked eyes with Nathan.

    The young prince batted his eyes rapidly at the girl sitting in front of him, his breathing was gradually getting heavy. He cleared his throat before asking E the question that would either shutter him or give him hope.

    ¡°Are.. are you in love still?¡± The price asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± E responded faintly.

    She honestly had no idea, would it be called love if it was directed to a man who was already dead?

    ¡°Who is this man?¡±

    Even as Nathan spoke, his own voice was being drowned by the cracking sounds of his heart. With each word that E spoke of another man, a small piece chipped off.

    ¡°His name...¡± E paused and took a deep breath.

    [His name was Jillian.]

    Nathan looked up at the girl in front of him, tears were flowing down her face. Had she intentionally not said thatst sentence out loud? The prince looked at the open door and immediately understood.

    *Was?*

    E wiped the tears from her eyes when she heard the young man¡¯s voice is her head, and nodded.

    [Yes. I met him in my past life, he was the first man I¡¯d ever fallen in love with.]

    Nathan¡¯s forehead wrinkled at the girl¡¯s thoughts. So this Jillian person was the first to win her heart, Nathan couldn¡¯t help but feel a little jealous.

    [We were supposed to be married, have kids and live happily ever after. But he was killed trying to protect me]

    E¡¯s tears continued rolling down her cheeks, wetting the neckline of her beautiful yellow dress.

    [I loved him so much, and I never got the chance to show him just how much he meant to me. I miss him every day]

    Prince Nathan couldn¡¯t believe he was feeling threatened by a dead man. The way E spoke about him, oh how he wished she could speak of him like that.

    *I¡¯m so sorry E*

    E wiped her tears and nodded.

    [it¡¯s alright]

    *I understand how you feel, it¡¯s not easy to lose the people you love. I too have experienced that kind of pain, and it hurts to carry their memories with you knowing that you will never see them again.¡±

    Nathan stood up and crouched down in front of the girl, holding her hands in his.

    .....

    *But you don¡¯t have to bare the pain all on your own anymore, I¡¯m here now E, I¡¯ll always be here. Please, allow me to curry the heavy burden of this curse with you.*

    E¡¯s tears started to slowly fade, Nathan was right, now that she had found someone in the same boat as her, she didn¡¯t need to suffer alone. It would take her a bit of time to fully open up to him, but there was no harm in trying.

    Besides, Jillian was gone. It hurt, but she had to move on with her life, she couldn¡¯t mourn him forever.

    The girl wiped the tears from her beautiful blue eyes and forced a smile. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Nathan smiled and nodded his head. ¡°Anything for you.¡±

    Through the crack of the door, William stood in shook as he watched the scene between E and Nathan unfold. The two had literally just stared at each other for ten minutes and now suddenly E was smiling.

    ¡°What in the hell just happened?¡±

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15: Chapter 15 : Visitors from the east

    E pulled a chair out and sat down at the breakfast table with the rest of her family. ¡°Good morning everyone,¡± the girl spoke as she settled herself down on the table where Lord Morrell, Lady Morrell and William were already eating their breakfast.

    She thanked the maid who had set a cup of tea in front of her and ced a cube of sugar, as she stirred her cup she hummed happily.

    E brought the cup to her lips, enjoying the warm and sweet sensation the jasmine tea filled her mouth with, her mother had always had a knack for buying the tastiest most exotic teas around, she was grateful for it.

    As E put her cup down she noticed that her parents and brother were all frozen in ce staring at her.

    ¡°What?¡± The girl questioned them. ¡°Is there something wrong with how I look? Do I look weird?¡±

    She frantically started inspecting herself for any abnormalities in her attire, had she forgotten to button up her dress? Was there something on her face?

    Her mother was the first to speak after the long stretch of silence. ¡°Nothing is wrong dear we¡¯re just surprised is all.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Surprised? What about?¡±

    ¡°Well you were humming,¡± William responded, a shocked but delighted look on his face. ¡°And smiling too, it seems you¡¯re in a generally good mood, it¡¯s very unlike you E.¡±

    E furrowed her brows at William, it was unlike her to be in a good mood? Really? Had she really been that gloomy in this life?

    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you out of your room.¡± Her father added on. ¡°We were all so worried.¡±

    E looked down at her te in guilt, of course they were worried about her, she had shut everyone out even more than she usually did. They were her family after all, and even though she wasn¡¯t particrly interactive with them, they still loved her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you.¡± She looked up at her family and smiled warmly at them. ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡±

    William almost chocked when he saw E¡¯s smile, he¡¯d never seen her smile so genuinely before. He wished she would smile more, she looked absolutely precious.

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming this new found happiness is a curtsy of prince Nathan?¡± William asked sheepishly.

    E turned to face William who was smirking as he mouthed a cupcake. Her cheeks reddened at the mention of Nathan¡¯s name, why was her heart pounding like this? William just asked her a simple question, there was absolutely no need to panic.

    ¡°The prince?¡± E¡¯s mother questioned. ¡°What does the prince have to do with this?¡±

    William swallowed his cupcake and grinned widely. ¡°He came over to cheer E up the other day, I¡¯m just assuming that¡¯s why she¡¯s so peppy this morning.¡±

    ¡°He and I are just friends.¡± E responded hastily, the red on her cheeks spreading to her ears and the rest of her face. ¡°He just came over because he was worried about me, like any good friend would be.¡±

    William snorted out a chuckle at how much emphasis his sister was putting on the word ¡®friend¡¯, didn¡¯t she realize her facial expressions were selling her out.

    ¡°Friends, lovers.. so long as you and the prince are in good terms.¡± Her mother responded with a smile.

    ¡°What about this Jillian fellow?¡±

    E looked up at her father and sighed. ¡°Jillian... um, Jillian is gone father.¡±

    ¡°Gone? Where to?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± E responded in a low tone. She had never uttered those words out loud before, she realized that saying them audibly made the reality of Jillian¡¯s death all too real to her. But she knew it was time to let him go, for the sake of her sanity and for the peace of his soul. She would always keep his memories with her, and deep down she knew he¡¯d want her to live happily.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± Lord Morrell responded.

    On the surface, E¡¯s father didn¡¯t seem like he cared much about his children¡¯s personal affairs, but deep down it was quite the opposite. He always put his children¡¯s wellbeing above everything else, especially his only little girl. He wanted her to have a happy and luxurious life with everything she wanted, that¡¯s why he was adamant on her getting together with the prince.

    ¡°So are you spending your day today with the prince again?¡± E¡¯s mother questioned the girl.

    ¡°What?¡± E¡¯s red face returned with a vengeance. ¡°Why are you asking me that? It¡¯s not like I spend every day with him.¡±

    ¡°Calm down sweetie it¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t seen him aroundtely is all.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡± E looked down at her te and sipped her tea, why was she feeling so embarrassed over the mention of the prince all of a sudden.

    ¡°He¡¯s probably attending to royal duties.¡± Her father spoke. ¡°He is the crowned prince after all, I¡¯m assuming it has something to do the the visit from the king of the Eastern kingdom of Gavaria.¡±

    Lady Morrell looked up at her husband. ¡°King James Burchard ising to Meria?¡±

    ¡°Yes he is.¡± The man responded. ¡°Word has it that he wishes to form an alliance with Meria.¡±

    ¡°But Gavaria is such arge and powerful kingdom already.¡± William mentioned. ¡°Why would they need an alliance with Meria, is there something they¡¯re not telling us?¡±

    ¡°Well we¡¯ll just have to wait and see. Considering the king ising here himself, I¡¯m made to believe this alliance is of utmost importance to him.¡±

    William pondered on his fathers words, he was right. Kings never left their thrones for anything, this must have been a very special case indeed.

    ¡°So he¡¯s left the crown unattended to?¡± William asked. ¡°Who will run the kingdom¡¯s everyday affairs while he¡¯s away?¡±

    ¡°Probably his son, prince Adam.¡± Lord Morrell responded. ¡°He will most likely be acting king in his father¡¯s absence.¡±

    ¡°I hear the young prince conquered the northern kingdom of Baiviles when he was only sixteen.¡± Lady Morrell added on. ¡°He¡¯ll be quite the formidable king one day, no wonder his father can leave an entire kingdom¡¯s affairs in his hands.

    E couldn¡¯t hide the shock on her face, he conquered a whole kingdom at only sixteen? He must be a really ruthless and petrifying man.

    Amidst the little family moment, the butler walked into the room and handed lord Morrell a parchment. The man rolled it open and read the contents intently.

    ¡°It¡¯s from the king.¡± Lord Morrell spoke. ¡°He says king Burchard¡¯s royal procession will be arriving tomorrow and he wishes to hold a small feast to wee them. All lords are to attend with their families.¡±

    Lord Morrell¡¯s gaze then fell on his daughter. ¡°The prince specifically asked for you to attend the feast as his guest of honor E.¡±

    E looked up at her father in shock. ¡°Me?¡±

    Being asked to be the guest of honor at any royal function was an incredibly big deal to anyone. It meant that you would sit at the high table with the royal family and sit on the right hand of whosoever invited you. It was basically like a way of showing other royals that among them, you are the most favored by that particr person, and E had been invited as the guest of honor by the crowned prince.

    ¡°Oh how wonderful!¡± Her mother eximed, clearly unable to contain her joy. ¡°I¡¯ll have the royal tailor make you the most beautiful dress right away.¡±

    Lord Morrell and William also smiled at the news, they both knew that there was no way the prince would ask E to be his guest of honor if he didn¡¯t care for her.

    E on the other hand felt distraught. She was ttered that Prince Nathan was willing to do all of that for her, but thest thing she wanted was to sit at a table, next to the prince, where every Jim and Jack would be staring at her.

    E knew that many maidens, daughters of the different lords of thend, would literally sell their souls just to get a whiff of the prince¡¯s attention. Making her his guest of honor would be like throwing her into the lions den, those desperate females would eat her alive.

    [Nathan you idiot, why are you always so extra?]

    E¡¯s mother grabbed the girl by the shoulder and gestured the girl to follow her. ¡°Come now dear, I¡¯ll have you looking like the most beautiful princess in all thend. Every girl in attendance will be so jealous.¡±

    That¡¯s exactly what E didn¡¯t want, she didn¡¯t want to make anyone jealous.

    E would asionally catch wind of the nasty gossip that the princesses and littledies of theirnd would utter about each other. The way in which they ndered each other¡¯s names was so venomous that it made E wonder why they even bothered pretending to get along in the first ce.

    E was sure if the chance presented itself, these girls were capable of physically hurting each other just to have an advantage over one another, it was gut wrenching.

    And now here poor E was, being dragged to what seemed to be her death sentence by her mother. And after she¡¯d worked so hard to keep a low profile.

    [I¡¯ll get you for this Nathan]

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16: Chapter 16 : Let us feast

    E was practically shaking as she walked outside to the family carriage, was it toote for her to decline the prince¡¯s invitation? She could say she had fallen ill, or stubbed her toe or something.

    As she was about to get onto the carriage, her father stopped her and pointed to another carriage that was parked behind theirs.

    ¡°The prince requested that you use your own carriage today E, he wishes to enter the feast with you in hand.¡±

    ¡°But father..¡± E looked at her brother and mother who were sitting inside the carriage smiling at her. It seemed that to them, this whole situation was amusing, couldn¡¯t they hear the silent screams of their introverted daughter.

    Lord Morrell got onto the carriage and closed the door. ¡°We¡¯ll see you inside my princess, today is a good day for you.¡±

    The family carriage rode away making room for the little white carriage that the prince had sent to pick E up. A carriage man opened the door for her and bowed. ¡°We better be going mydy, the prince is already waiting for you.¡±

    *

    .....

    E looked out the carriage window and saw the grand pcee into view. There was music and happy chatteringing from the inside indicating that many people had already arrived. It was quite lively for a feast that was being held in the middle of the day.

    The redhead saw the family carriage parked outside the pce entrance and heard the distant announcement of the arrival of the Morrells.

    She turned to the little window in front of the carriage wondering why they had bypassed the entrance. ¡°Where are we going?¡± She questioned the horseman.

    ¡°The prince awaits you in the garden mydy.¡± The man responded.

    Prince Nathan saw the little white carriage approaching and smiled widely. He fixed his clothes and walked over to it as it came to a stop.

    He opened the door to the carriage and stretched his hand towards E. The girl took his hand and stepped out of the carriage, and the moment the prince caught site of her, all the air in Nathan¡¯s lungs rushed out.

    The girl was adorned in a scarlet bow gown that almost matched her reddish hair. Her feet were covered in silver shoes that matched the silver gloves and jewelry she wore. The colors she wore made her blue eyes even more vivid and very hard to not notice.

    ¡°E...¡± Prince Nathan¡¯s eyes kept moving, inspecting every inch of the girl, not knowing which part to ogle over.

    ¡°You look beautiful.¡± He finally managed to speak.

    ¡°Thank you your grace.¡± E kept her eyes away from the young prince, for some reason she couldn¡¯t bring herself to stop blushing at hispliment.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t we attending the feast?¡± E questioned Nathan. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡±

    Nathan finally snapped back to reality when he heard E¡¯s curious voice, he had lost himself quite a bit admiring the beauty in front of him.

    ¡°Oh yes..¡± Nathan began to speak. ¡°Before we join everyone else, there¡¯s something I wish the share with you.¡±

    Nathan took E¡¯s hand and led her into the vast pce garden that was filled with different types of flowers and vines. The ce was as breathtaking now as it was the first time E seen it when having lunch with Nathan some time back.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to close your eyes.¡±

    E looked at the prince, her eyes batting in surprise. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Close your eyes E, it¡¯s a surprise.¡± The silver haired prince repeated.

    The girl hesitantly closed her eyes and felt Nathan¡¯s hand hold hers and steadily led her forward. ¡°Just a little further...¡±

    Finally the prince stopped and let go of E¡¯s hand leaving her in suspense. ¡°Can I open my eyes now?¡±

    Nathan stood behind E and ced his hands on her shoulders, he leaned towards her ear making little shivers go down E¡¯s spine. ¡°You can open them.¡±

    E opened her eyes and blinked a few times to adjust her vision, in front of her was a patch of freshly nted flowers. E couldn¡¯t help but feel an eerie connection to these flowers, she felt like she¡¯d seen them somewhere before.

    ¡°These are called the wild Mirines¡± Nathan spoke in a faint whisper.

    ¡°Mirine..? That¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°After our talk, I could tell that you had feelings and memories rooted in Mirine, so I wanted to bring part of those memories here in Meria.¡±

    E turned to the silver haired prince who was looking down at her lovingly, his honey brown eyes glistening with care and adoration.

    ¡°But Mirine is so far down south, how did you..?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a prince,¡± Nathan responded, he wiped a stray tear that had escaped her beautiful eye. ¡°Things like this are nothing so long as they make you feel morefortable in this ce... morefortable with me.¡±

    E wiped her misty eyes, worried she¡¯d smudged her makeup. ¡°Thank you.¡± She responded.

    ¡°Anything for you..¡±

    Nathan ran his hands through E¡¯s red locks and cupped her cheek in his hand. His pulse quickened as he fell deeper and deeper into those bewitching blue orbs. His eyes then trailed down to her full lips, painted red and looking so alluring. Oh how he wished he could im those luscious lips for his own, could he? Would E deny him ess to just have a small taste of them? Should he try?

    ¡°Your grace..¡±

    Nathan turned to look at the butler who was bowing beside him.

    ¡°The king requests your presence at the feast your grace.¡± The well dressed butler spoke.

    ¡°Oh yes thank you Jeffrey.¡± Nathan spoke between nervous coughs. ¡°We¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    *

    ¡°The crowned prince his royal highness, prince Nathaniel Aldos, and his guest of honor,dy E Morrell!¡±

    The walk from the entrance to the high table was excruciatingly slow, E could physically feel the daunting eyes of the people, especially the females in the room piercing her slightly exposed back. It¡¯s like someone had passes a royal decree that everyone should drop what they were doing and stare at her.

    The room around felt like it was closing in on her, the floor was spinning and her breathing now felt forced.

    ¡°Rx E, I¡¯m here.¡±

    E looked up at the prince who smiled at her, keeping his face forward and head up like the prince he was. She gripped his arm tightly and took a deep breath, focusing on the high table that was inching closer way too bloody slow.

    The two finally reached the high table and bowed and curtsied simultaneously.

    ¡°Weedy E.¡± King Bradley Aldos spoke as he smiled at the beautiful girl on his son¡¯s arm. ¡°Good to see you again.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure is all mine your grace.¡± E curtsied.

    The girl¡¯s eyes then darted over to the tall dark haired man who was sitting to the left of king Bradley, and curtsied to him too.

    ¡°Wee to ournd King Burchard.¡± She spoke.

    ¡°You¡¯re a lucky man my boy!¡± Kind Burchard spoke to Nathan, ¡°beautiful respectful girls like this are hard toe by these days. Keep her safe.¡±

    ¡°I will your grace.¡± Nathan spoke with a respectful bow.

    ¡°I wish my son would settle down and find a woman as well.¡± The dark haired king spoke with a chuckle. ¡°He¡¯s a good son,petent and hardworking but sometimes I wish he could calm down and give me grandchildren before I kick the bucket.¡±

    The two kingsughed and sent the children their seats. E sat nervously next to Nathan, wondering why he hadn¡¯t corrected the king and told them that were just friends. Was it because he didn¡¯t want to be disrespectful?

    Seated on the right hand of king Bradley, Nathan¡¯s mother took side nces at her son and his guest and trembled in her seat.

    It seemed that ever since the two beings had started spending time together, their inhuman aura had intensified so much that it was chilling to the bone.

    What did these beings want? And why had she been cursed with birthing one of them? If it hadn¡¯t been for her gift, the queen would have been as clueless asdy Morrell, the poor woman, she had raised a devil and hadpletely no idea.

    If it wasn¡¯t for her husband who was always hovering around her, she would have killed Nathan as soon as he had left her womb. And now it seemed it was toote, his power grew everyday in the presence of this girl. What would happen when he reached his peak? The queen didn¡¯t even want to think about it, but she knew it in her bones that whatever it was these creatures had nned was utterly evil.

    Since she couldn¡¯t kill her son, she could at least try keep him away from the girl, prevent him from growing stronger. But how was she going to do it? Would she have to kill E?

    ¡°My wife?¡±

    The queen startled when she heard her husband¡¯s voice calling to her.

    ¡°Yes your highness.¡± The woman answered, her voice strained and her breathing heavy.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    The king had noticed his wife tensing up from the moment their son had walked in.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine my king, just felt a little light headed.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she beautiful?¡± The king spoke proudly. ¡°Our boy has quite the eye.¡±

    The queen nced at Nathan and E who were nodding andughing with each other without saying a word. As if reading each other¡¯s minds.

    ¡°Yes my king, he has quite the eye.¡±

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17: Chapter 17 : Anything for you E

    The royal feast was in full throttle with every person blissfully dancing, drinking and chowing down on the delectable food. But even though everyone seemed to be merry and minding their own business, E could still see the different girls who had attended the feast stealing murderous nces at her.

    Nathan noticed E tense up and ced his hand gently on hers. ¡°Are you okay E?¡±

    E slowly nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine your grace, I just need some air.¡±

    Nathan took E¡¯s hand and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    E looked up at Nathan surprised, she was aware he was the crown prince but that was all the more reason he couldn¡¯t just up and leave a royal event like this. What was he thinking?

    ¡°Your grace I..¡±

    Before E could finish her protest, the prince pulled her up and made his way to the front of the high table.

    .....

    ¡°Excuse us your majesty.¡± Nathan spoke to his father, ¡°may we be excused,dy E is feeling a little light headed and needs a bit of air.¡±

    King Aldos nodded and waved his hand. ¡°Of course son, go spend some quality time with yourdy, we¡¯ll meet after the feast in the alliance meeting.¡±

    ¡°Thank you father,¡± Nathan bowed to his father. The prince then turned and bowed to king Burchard, ¡°your majesty.¡± Andstly to his mother. ¡°Your highness.¡±

    E also curtsied to the royals and then was led to the exit by Nathan.

    The fresh garden air was soothing and calming, E was grateful they¡¯d stepped out of the event, she was already feeling her nerves calming.

    The two were sitting down on a bench by a little pond in the beautiful royal garden. The sound of the swishing of water in the pond as the fish swam through it was very calming, she felt all the tension from the feast melt away.

    The redhead opened her eyes and turned to look at Nathan who she found was already staring at her.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± The prince responded, ¡°I just enjoy looking at you E.¡±

    The silver haired prince inched closer to E, making her eyes go round, ¡°you¡¯re very beautiful E,¡± the young man spoke, his eyes not leaving her face.

    E tore her eyes away from him and cleared her throat. ¡°Back in the ballroom,¡± E spoke softly, ¡°the king referred to me as yourdy, but you didn¡¯t correct him and tell him we were just friends. Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe I¡¯m hoping that one day that will be a reality.¡± Nathan responded.

    E¡¯s heart race quickened, she could tell that Nathan had taken a liking to her but for some reason she¡¯d thought they¡¯d just end up as friends. Now thinking about it, the thought was a little ridiculous, her and Nathan were in the same rebirth boat, it would only be logical for Nathan to want something more than a friendship with her. Because that way, he would never have to worry about losing her or anything like that. Even if they died, they¡¯d always end up being reborn, and after looking into their interlinking stories, they knew that they¡¯d always be reborn in close proximity to one another.

    ¡°Nathan I-¡±

    The prince took E¡¯s hand in his and looked sternly at her. ¡°E..¡±

    The blue eyed girl slowly trailed her eyes to the prince¡¯s face and instantly was taken hostage by his deep honey brown eyes.

    ¡°I won¡¯t rush you E,¡± the prince began to exin. ¡°I will wait for as long as it takes till you¡¯refortable with me. I promise not to force you to do anything, and I promise I won¡¯t touch you unless you ask me to.¡±

    The thought of Nathan touching her somehow made shivers run down her spine.

    Nathan moved even closer to E, the grip on her hand tightening, their faces mere inches apart. Nathan had to take a deep breath to stop himself from leaning down and sinking his teeth into E¡¯s lips.

    ¡°After all..¡± Nathan¡¯s voice now sounded strained, he was trying his hardest not to let his emotions spill out in fear he would scare E away. ¡°...we have many many lifetimes to be together.¡±

    E¡¯s cheeks and ears burnt up, Nathan was a dangerous man when allowed to speak. The words he spoke were so simple but the way in which he said them was enough to turn any girl¡¯s legs to jelly. No wonder women were willing to tear each other down for his attention.

    Nathan suddenly stood up and pulled E with him. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk around the pce so you can be more ustomed to the environment. I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll be spending a lot of time here with me.¡±

    E didn¡¯t object, her mind was still racing from the words Nathan had spoken, she subconsciously held on to his arm and followed him, much to the prince¡¯s satisfaction.

    The two walked out of the garden and into the training grounds where the prince, his brothers and some other knights would hone some sword fighting and archery skills.

    E let go of Nathan¡¯s hand and walked towards the targets, trailing her fingers over them in awe. Her mind was filled with nostalgic memories of her training sessions with her father Richard Strongbow.

    ¡®That¡¯s my girl! Soon you¡¯ll be better than any knight in thend.¡¯ Her father would say.

    [Father...]

    ¡°Was he an archer?¡± Nathan asked the girl. ¡°Your father?¡±

    ¡°Not by profession,¡± E responded. ¡°But he was damn good at it, he taught me a lot of what I know.¡±

    ¡°Would you like to give it a go?¡±

    E looked up at Nathan, her eyes glistening with excitement. She hadn¡¯t held a bow in years, she was so busy mopping around and being depressed that she¡¯d forgotten that she had to always be on her toes. In this lifetime she¡¯d be the very person she¡¯d dreaded, a damsel in distress.

    ¡°Can I?¡± E spoke excitedly.

    Nathan took a quiver of arrows and a bow and handed them to E.

    When she took the bow in her hand, her face lit up, the weapon was a little heavy but the feel still excited her to the core.

    Nathan walked behind her and helped her position herself, he gently put her arms in ce and handed her an arrow.

    ¡°Do be careful.¡± He whispered.

    E nodded and aimed her bow at the target, her arms were a little shaky owing to the time that had passed since shest held a weapon, she really needed to get back into the archery game.

    When she suddenly felt Nathan¡¯s body press against hers, E froze, her heart pounded wildly to the point of almost dropping her bow.

    Nathan held E¡¯s hands and steadied her aim.

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the biceps E.¡± Nathan whispered.

    The girl tightened her grip on the bow and focused her aim, she then released the arrow, sending it flying towards the target, striking a bullseye.

    ¡°Wow E you¡¯re amazing!¡±

    E¡¯s smile stretched from ear to ear, the thrill of the moment caused her to be so blissful, oh how she¡¯d missed this feeling.

    The girl turned to Nathan and smiled up at him.

    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± E spoke cheerfully.

    Nathan couldn¡¯t help but smile at the girl¡¯s expression, her beautiful blue eyes glistened and her soft lips curled up into a very enticing smile, she looked so adorable, he¡¯d never seen her so happy.

    ¡°We can do this again sometime-¡± Nathan spoke, his eyes trailing down her red velvet dress. ¡°- when you¡¯re dressed for it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d do that?!¡± E eximed excitedly.

    There was that adorable sparkle on her eyes again, Nathan wanted nothing more than to keep that sparkle on her face always.

    ¡°How about tomorrow?¡± The prince suggested, he took E¡¯s hand and smiled broadly. ¡°I¡¯ll have the servants arrange a training course for just the two of us.¡±

    E dropped the bow and wrapped her arms around Nathan, making the prince freeze in ce. ¡°Thank you Nathan, thank you so much.¡±

    ¡°Anything for you E.¡± The prince responded, wrapping his arms gently around her, not wanting to let go.

    *

    After the feast was over, King Aldos, King Burchard and their top lords and generals sat down in the royal pce study. Nathan had also joined them, being the crowned prince, he was supposed to take part in royal affairs in preparation of him taking over the throne one day.

    ¡°As we all know, the alliance between our two nations can be very beneficial to us all.¡± One of the lords exined. ¡°Not only will we boost our military advantage, we will also improve trade between the two realms, improving both economies immensely.¡±

    The men sitting around the table all nodded their heads in agreement.

    ¡°Pardon me for asking lord Boleyn,¡± lord Morrell spoke. ¡°Why the sudden need to make an alliance? Our two kingdoms have lived separately for generations in peace, and our trade has been fairing quite well without this alliance. I¡¯m sorry but I fail to see why this alliance is that important, is there something your grace is not telling us.¡±

    King Burchard and lord Boleyn gave each other side nces, weighing on weather they should tell the people in the room about the real reason behind the alliance.

    After a long silence, king Burchard stood up and faced the people in the room.

    ¡°I have reason to believe that a Great War ising.¡±

    The people in the room looked at each other with concerned looks.

    ¡°A war that will crumble our kingdom to dust.¡± The man continued. ¡°And we feel an alliance with Meria will help us stand tall when this wares knocking on both our doors.¡±

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18: Chapter 18 : The girl with the red hair

    ¡°A war?¡±

    The tension in the room was getting thicker, as the nobles present contemted on what king Burchard had said.

    The entire continent of Ronia Cresus had been at peace for almost a hundred years. Sure there had been a bit of territorial conquests in the west, but that was mostly for the control of uncharted territory. Smaller kingdom¡¯s were mostly integrated by means of peaceful alliances, arranged marriages between nobles, and trade. There had never been a more peaceful time than the present.

    King Aldos turned and looked at the tall dark haired king with wary questioning eyes. ¡°What war?¡± He asked. ¡°You¡¯re thergest kingdom in the continent, even if this supposed war you talk aboutes to pass, who in their right mind would target you?¡±

    ¡°To that question I have no answer.¡± King Burchard responded. ¡°But I have very strong intel that a war is probable.¡±

    The dark haired kind turned to look at king Aldos, ¡°as you¡¯ve said, Gavaria is a veryrge and very stable kingdom, if this devastating war does break out, who do you think will be the first to sumb to it? The smaller kingdoms, Meria inclusive.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s face suddenly darkened, they couldn¡¯t voice it out but the Gavarian king was right. Meria was one of the smaller kingdoms, so it was prone to attack.

    .....

    ¡°So your best bet is to form an alliance with Gavaria so if the timees, we will both stand a chance to protect our citizens and our kingdoms from attack.¡±

    King Aldosy back on his chair and pinched the folds between his brows. Burchard did have a point, but was it wise to worry about an imaginary war that they weren¡¯t sure would even happen?

    ¡°I say we forge the alliance.¡±

    Everyone turned to look at the young prince who had spoken out. Prince Nathan straightened his posture before speaking out again, ¡°think about it.¡± He spoke. ¡°Meria has nothing to lose yet something to gain. If the war doesn¡¯t ur, then well and good, we¡¯d still have a resourceful and powerful ally on our side for any other future conquests. And if it does happen, we¡¯ll be ready for it.¡±

    King Burchard nodded at the young prince, clearly impressed with the young man¡¯s analyzation. He reminded him a lot of his own son, strong willed, decisive and sharp.

    King Aldos let out a defeated sigh, ¡°Alright,¡± he spoke, he turned to lord Morrell. ¡°Prepare a royal decree, Meria and Gavaria will be allies from now on.¡±

    *

    ¡°Your grace this is so boring, can¡¯t we do something a little more interesting?¡±

    Julia had been sitting watching Prince Adam filling out paper work all morning. Ever since her father and the king had left for Meria, the queen had asked the youngdy to stay a few days at the royal pce in hopes that her son anddy Julia would be closer.

    But unfortunately, the entire arrangement seemed to be having the opposite effect. The more time Julia spent around the pce, the more time prince Adam spent away from it.

    Today Julia had concocted a n and asked the prince if she could apany him wherever he was going, iming to be bored being alone in therge castle.

    Clearly Julia had not expected that the prince was actually out doing important duties, she thought he was just leaving to try and avoid her. And now she was stuck there, watching him read mountains of books and scribble on paper.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired your grace?¡± Juliained yet again. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a break and have lunch together or something?¡±

    Adam took a deep breath and twitched his brow in annoyance, but he made sure that the girl could not see his reaction.

    He forced a smile and turned to Julia. ¡°If you¡¯re that bored mydy, you¡¯re free to go and get something to eat, you don¡¯t have to stay here if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    The youngdy furrowed her brows and folded her arms over her chest. ¡°I want to get something to eat with you your grace, be a gentleman and apany me.¡±

    Adam pursed his lips and closed his eyes. Was this the girl his parents wanted him to marry? Gosh she was so clingy and annoying, he appreciated her as a friend but she was trying too hard to take their rtionship to the next step, and this made prince Adam very ufortable.

    The prince opened his eyes and nodded at Julia.

    ~If having lunch with you will get you to leave me alone, then so be it.~ the prince thought to himself.

    As he rose from his chair, the doors of the study the two had been sitting in swung open and a well dressed butler walked into the room.

    ¡°Your grace, the king has returned from Meria.¡±

    ~Oh thank the gods~

    Adam turned to Julia, his face almost beaming with relief that he didn¡¯t have to have lunch with her.

    When they were younger, Julia was really goodpany, they¡¯d y in the gardens, jump in water puddles and get messy like all other kids did. But as they grew up, Julia became more and more snobby and a bit tiring to deal with. All she ever did was gossip about the otherdies of thend, talk about how prettier she waspared to the other girls, talk about all the nice clothes and shoes she wanted to purchase and all sorts of other boring spoiled rich girl topics. She literally had zero personality and yet somehow, Adam was expected to one day make her his wife, were his patients absolutely blind?

    ¡°Forgive me mydy but I¡¯m afraid our luncheon ns have to be canceled, I¡¯m terribly sorry.¡± Adam spoke, not feeling sorry in the slightest. ¡°We should go wee the royal procession.¡±

    Julia red at the prince as he hurried towards the door, when was he going to stop ying hard to get and ept her, couldn¡¯t he see she was the only woman who was good enough to be by his side?

    *

    ¡°Darling..¡±

    The queen walked over to king James Burchard and gave him a hug. ¡°I¡¯m so relieved you¡¯re back in one piece.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting rid of me that easy.¡± The king chuckled and nted a kiss on the queen¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°Father.¡±

    Adam bowed before his father and smiled at him, ¡°judging from your mood I can only assume that the meeting went well.¡±

    ¡°Indeed it did my boy.¡± The king responded merrily

    ¡°The king of Meria seems to be quite the stubborn man.¡± Lord Boleyn spoke as he gave his agitated daughter a hug. ¡°But we managed to get through to him.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes we have that son of his to thank,¡± the king added on, ¡°prince Nathan was it?¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace, prince Nathaniel Aldos.¡±

    ¡°Fine young man, he¡¯s very sharp just like you Adam.¡± The king gave Adam a hard pat on the back, ¡°I think you two would get along swimmingly.¡±

    ¡°He seems to have a way with words.¡± Lord Boleynmented. ¡°He¡¯s going to make quite the sly king one day.¡±

    ¡°Exins how he managed to get himself such a lovely youngs.¡± The king spoke while teasingly hitting his son¡¯s back.

    ¡°Father please, this is not the time.¡± Adam responded, he knew where this conversation was going and he wanted no part in it.

    ¡°You should have seen her my boy, gorgeous little youngdy with bright blue eyes and red flowing hair.¡±

    Prince Adam¡¯s eyes went round, what had his father just said? A girl with bright blue eyes and red hair? Could it be the girl from his dreams?

    Adam grabbed his father¡¯s hand and looked at him sternly. ¡°Are you sure father? About the girl? Did she really have red hair and blue eyes?!¡±

    The king was a bit shaken by the heist in his son¡¯s voice. ¡°Why yes, I saw her with my own two eyes. Do you know her?¡±

    Adam¡¯s breathing had be heavy, if the girl his father had seen really was the girl from his dreams, then he had to meet her. He had so many questions, his dreams, the feelings he felt every time he thought about her, why he felt like they were connected somehow, all those needed answers. And to top it all off, even though it soundedpletely ridiculous, Adam felt like he had feelings for this girl. Maybe he was going insane, falling for a girl he¡¯d only seen in his dreams, but he really couldn¡¯t help it.

    Now that he knew she was real, and now that he knew where to find her, he was going to follow her and im her heart.

    ¡°Adam?¡±

    Adam awoke from his trance and shook his head, trying to soak in the words his father had said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry father but may I be excused?¡± The prince asked politely. ¡°I¡¯m suddenly not feeling very well so I¡¯ll be heading to my chambers.¡±

    Adam didn¡¯t even wait for his father to answer, he just turned and started heading towards the staircase.

    This couldn¡¯t have been a coincidence, what are the odds that the girl who had been gracing his dreams every night since he was a child belonged to a country they¡¯d just made an alliance with?

    No, this was no coincidence, this was destiny. Adam was meant to find this girl and make her his.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19: Chapter 19 : You don¡¯t love him, do you?

    ¡°Shall I help you with your dress mydy?¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s alright, I¡¯ve got it.¡±

    E buttoned up her dress and sat down in front of therge mirror.

    ¡°Allow me to brush your hair mdy.¡±

    E¡¯s hand maiden took a small brush and ran it through the woman¡¯s long beautiful red locks, it was the maiden¡¯s favorite part of helping herdy dress up. She¡¯d always gaze upon her hair in awe as the brittles of the brush grazed through it so smoothly.

    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful mydy..¡± thedy spoke. ¡°Your hair.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± E responded.

    .....

    She looked up at the mirror and could only be shocked at how much she¡¯d changed over the years.

    Her once plump peachy face had been reced with a sweet almond shaped one, her deep blue eyes had softened, her lips fuller just like her breasts and hips.

    E¡¯s figure had fully set in, with her tiny waist, arched back and supple bum, there was no denying that she had developed into one hell of a beautiful woman.

    ¡°Almost done mdy..¡±

    Knock knock!

    ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a few minutes!¡± E called out.

    Since when did she need someone toe up to her room and fetch her for breakfast?

    Knock knock!

    Before E could answer, a tall handsome man walked into the room, fully dressed in amor and carrying a helmet used his arm.

    ¡°You want to keep your big brother waiting outside the door?¡±

    ¡°William!¡±

    E stood and ran towards her brother, embracing him in a tight hug.

    ¡°Oh I missed you so much.¡±

    After the alliance with the kingdom of Gavaria was formed, some knights of Meria were chosen to go and train in the foreignnd given how good Gavaria battle strategy and skill was. William had been chosen as well to go, that was five years ago.

    Over the years, William would visit as often as he could, but still, E missed waking up to his mischievous smiling face everyday at breakfast.

    William was twenty four years now and had grown into a real heartthrob. He was engaged to a beautifuldy from Gavaria and had practically settled there with his beloved.

    ¡°Look how you¡¯ve grown.¡± William spoke as he pat his sister on the head. ¡°You¡¯re even more beautiful than ever, Prince Nathan must be very pleased.¡±

    E rolled her eyes at her brother¡¯sment. She and the prince had gotten very close over the years, they¡¯d train together, dine together and were always seen together at royal feasts and balls.

    E was well aware of Nathan¡¯s feeling for her, but for some reason she struggled to reciprocate them. She cared about Nathan deeply she really did, but love for him had all but failed to blossom in her heart.

    Despite this, Nathan still remained very optimistic about their rtionship, he would still buy her jewelry and flowers and even steal little cheek and forehead kisses from her. In fact, he behaved a lot like a boyfriend even though he¡¯d never proposed to her, so everyone assumed they we¡¯re together.

    ¡°How is he?¡± William asked. ¡°I thought I¡¯d return and find that you¡¯ve moved in with him at the royal pce.¡±

    ¡°Calm down William.¡± E spoke as she led her brother down the stairs to the dining hall. ¡°You know father would never allow me to live with a man I¡¯m not married to, prince or not.¡±

    ¡°Well then why don¡¯t you marry him?¡±

    E halted in her tracks and clenched her jaw. Marry Nathan? Clearly her brother didn¡¯t realize how much of a big deal that was so she didn¡¯t me him.

    Marrying Nathan would mean she¡¯d have to be with him till death do them part, but in their situation, death would never do them part. She¡¯d have to spend practically the rest of eternity with him.

    ¡°I umm... I¡¯m still thinking about it.¡± E responded as she resumed her steps.

    William walked up to his sister and peeked at her face. ¡°E?¡±

    William wasn¡¯t dumb, she knew his little sister like the back of his hand.

    ¡°You don¡¯t love him do you?¡±

    E halted once again, ¡°William..¡±

    He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. ¡°E I¡¯m your brother, you can tell me.¡±

    E pursed her lips, the truth is she didn¡¯t love Nathan, but he was good to her. He was sweet, caring and treated her with respect and to top it all off, he was the only man she could actually be with forever.

    William noticed her dy. ¡°Why are you with him?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯splicated..¡±

    ¡°Is it because he¡¯s the prince?¡± William questioned the blue eyed woman. ¡°E, is he forcing you to be with him?!¡±

    Sensing the rising anger in William¡¯s voice, E shook her head frantically, ¡°no he¡¯s not forcing me to do anything, he¡¯s actually really good and respectful to me.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it?¡±

    E pulled away from William¡¯s grasp and looked away. ¡°I told you it¡¯splicated.¡±

    William looked at the girl who was hugging herself and furrowed his brows. ¡°Did that bastard get you pregnant?¡±

    E¡¯s eyes went round with shock, never had she thought her brother woulde to such an outrageous conclusion, but then again, it got E thinking, was she even capable of getting pregnant? And if she was, would her child also carry the same rebirth curse as her, how would any of it even work. The thought was very disturbing, she¡¯d never stopped to actually analyze it from such a perspective.

    William walked closer to his sister and tilted her chin upwards. ¡°E Morrell...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not pregnant William please will you let this go!¡±

    ¡°No E! You¡¯re my little sister! If you can¡¯t open up to me and allow me to help, how can I stand and call myself a knight?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with Nathan cause he can¡¯t die and leaven me like Jillian did!¡± E yelled, her eyes getting misty.

    William looked at his sister and batted hisshes in confusion, ¡°Nathan can¡¯t die?¡±

    E walked passed William and ran down the stairs to the dining room, she had already said too much, how could she have let William bait her like that?

    *

    It was awfully quiet at the table, even though it had been a long time since William had dined with them, no one seemed to be in a chatty mood.

    ¡°How is the training going son?¡± Lord Morrell spoke.

    ¡°It¡¯s going well father, in fact I will be officially knighted in the next two weeks.¡± William responded. ¡°I actually came here to personally invite you, my family, to Gavaria for the ceremony.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions darling, we¡¯re so proud of you.¡± Lady Morrell responded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent word to Alexander, Jonathan and Bahram, they said they¡¯d be joining us for the ceremony as well.¡±

    Jonathan, Alexander and Bahram were William¡¯s older brothers. Jonathan and Alexander were twins, twenty eight years of age and both highly respected noble knights of the royal gaurd. Bahram was thirty and the oldest of them all, he was the reigning lord of thend of Guria in the western region of Meria.

    ¡°It will be so lovely to see my boys again.¡± Lady Morrell cooed as she ced a hand on her husband.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been quiet a long time.¡±

    Just then, the butler walked towards the table and bowed. ¡°My lord, the prince is here to seedy E.¡±

    ¡°Ah Nathan!¡± Lord Morrell eximed. ¡°Send him in.¡±

    The butler bowed, left and walked back into the hall with the prince in tow.

    Prince Nathaniel Aldos had grown into a very fine specimen indeed.

    Being twenty four years of age, he had developed a tall, firm and well toned figure. He had cut his silver hair short which gave his face a masculine look and defined his beautiful jawline even more. Sometimes E actually questioned herself why she failed to fall in love with such beautiful man.

    ¡°Lord Morrell,dy Morrell, good morning.¡± The prince spoke with a polite bow.

    He got up and turned his gaze to William and immediately smiled broadly. ¡°William is that you?!¡±

    The two men hugged and pat each other on the back.

    ¡°Look at you, you look fantastic!¡±

    William jokingly punched Nathan on the shoulder and chuckled. ¡°Look whose talking, have you taken up modeling?¡±

    After the two men exchanged pleasantries, prince Nathan¡¯s eyes fell on the beautiful E who was sitting quietly at the table. He walked up to her and politely took her hand and kissed it.

    ¡°Good morning gorgeous.¡± Nathan spoke, his voice calm and sweet.

    ¡°Good morning Nathan.¡±

    ¡°You look beautiful as always.¡± He spoke as he took a seat next to her.

    The prince turned to E¡¯s parents and spoke, ¡°My lord, mydy.. I will be going to grace the royal knighting ceremony in Gavaria on my father¡¯s behalf, and I wish to askdy E to apany me if you¡¯ll allow it.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence,¡±dy Morrell responded, ¡°William was just telling us about the ceremony and has invited us to go to Gavaria as well.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡± Nathan eximed, still holding on to E¡¯s hand. ¡°I look forward to traveling with my future father and mother inw.¡±

    .....

    Nathan turned and kissed E on the cheek and she smiled warmly at him.

    William looked at the two and furrowed his brows as he remembered what E had said to him earlier.

    ¡®I¡¯m with Nathan cause he can¡¯t die and leaven me like Jillian did!¡¯

    What did she mean by that? Did she mean that the prince was immortal?

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20: Chapter 20 : E...

    ¡°Well well well, someone is looking handsome.¡±

    The queen walked up to her son Prince Adam and fixed his cor before smiling up at him. ¡°You look wonderful darling.¡±

    Prince Adam Burchard now twenty four years of age had grown into a beautiful specimen of a man indeed. His dark hair was always kept short and slightly tasseled giving him azy yet alluring look. His deep brown hooded eyes where enough to turn any woman¡¯s knees to jelly, as was his tall and firm figure, and his voice, lord knows his voice was a weapon of mass female heart destruction, deep and smooth like the rolling thunder of a cold rainy day.

    Prince Adam was literally every woman in Gavaria¡¯s dream.

    ¡°Thank you mother, it¡¯s my first solo royal appearance,¡± the man spoke while tagging the sleeves of his shirt. ¡°I want to make a good impression.¡±

    The royal knighting ceremony was about to begin, and Prince Adam had been told he¡¯d be gracing the ceremony with the crowned prince of Meria, prince Nathaniel Aldos. Adam was very excited because this was the first time his father was letting him make a public appearance all on his own without any supervision. He now felt more than ever, like the next king of their greatnd.

    ¡°Lady Julia will be arriving soon,¡± Adam¡¯s mother added on, ¡°I asked her to apany you to the ceremony.¡±

    .....

    The queen saw Adam¡¯s expression make a three hundred and sixty degree turn from being happy and excited to being gloomy and exhausted.

    ¡°Come on Adam give the girl a chance, she¡¯s been hovering around you like a lost puppy for five years now, this is the least you can do.¡±

    Adam shook his head in disagreement, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask her to hover around me mother, that was her own choice. A choice I didn¡¯t like at that.¡±

    ¡°Adam!¡±

    The queen was very distraught by her son¡¯s words, she thought she had raised her son better than that. She never expected him to nder anyone¡¯s name in their absence, much less a woman.

    ¡°Mother I do not love her!¡± Nathanined, looking visibly agitated. ¡°And I never will, can you please stop pinning her on me cause I don¡¯t want her!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough Adam!¡± His mother responded sternly. ¡°Julia ising over and she will apany you to the ceremony and that¡¯s final!¡±

    Prince Adam rubbed his temple as he watched his mother walk away. Why couldn¡¯t she just stop with the match making? Adam already had his eyes set on another woman, the red head with blue eyes from Meria. The prince had wanted to travel so many times to thend to seek out this woman but he had been so caught up with royal duties that he didn¡¯t have the time. But regardless, he was not giving up on her, he had hope that fate would one day bring them together, no matter how long it took.

    *

    A day before the ceremony, Prince Nathan had traveled on ahead withdy E for Gavaria. The Morrells would travel a few hours after them, saying they were waiting for their two sons, Alexander and Jonathan to arrive so they could travel together.

    The prince anddy E had arrived in Gavaria in the afternoon and were given a beautiful room in one of the cottages surrounding the royal pce.

    E was sitting by arge window watching the sun set over the beautiful foreignnd. She couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at how massive and beautiful the kingdom was, with it¡¯srge walls surrounding its borders, the detailed arrangement of the housing in the kingdom in a circr manner surrounding the royal pce, and with it¡¯s vast wheat and barley fields in the outer circle of therge kingdom. This kingdom was truly amazing.

    E was startled when she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her body and a deep husky voice whispering into her ear.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting cold E, we should close the windows and get you into something warm.¡±

    E felt her face burn up as prince Nathan spun her around to face him.

    ¡°Your parents have arrived,¡± he exined. ¡°They¡¯ve been given a couple¡¯s cottage on the other side of the pce to spend the night.¡±

    E ttered hershes, she looked up at Nathan¡¯s honey brown eyes and felt her blush intensifying. ¡°W- where will I spend the night?¡±

    Nathan took a few steps closer to the blue eyed woman till his chest was inches away from her face, he bent over and smiled down at her. There was a mischievous look in his eyes that made E¡¯s heart do flips.

    ¡°You¡¯ll spend the night here E.¡± Nathan responded, his voice low and spine tingling. ¡°With me.¡±

    The woman averted her gaze from Nathan, afraid that if she gazed into his eyes any longer, she¡¯d end up doing something she¡¯d regret. In as much as she didn¡¯t love Nathan, her body was mortal flesh that could easily fall into the beautiful temptation that was prince Nathaniel Aldos. No sane woman could resist this man, just his scent alone was like an aphrodisiac.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Was all E could manage to say, and even that took her so much effort as her voice had been caged in her throat.

    Prince Nathan tilted E¡¯s face to his and gazed into her blue orbs. ¡°Are you fine with that?¡±

    E waspletely shocked when she found herself nodding and agreeing to spending a night with the prince.

    Nathan¡¯s eyes went wide at her answer, had she really agreed? E barely let him touch her before this. It had taken a whole year for her to open up to hugging, and a whole three years for her to allow him to kiss her cheek. He was actually ready to be rejected by the woman, so this turn of events was a pleasant surprise indeed.

    Nathan gently began wrapping his arm around E¡¯s waist and studied her closely, looking for any form of resistance. When he saw none, he pulled her close, her soft chest squashed up on his abs.

    ¡°E..¡±

    His breath was warm upon her temple, sending chills running down the woman¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Can I...¡±

    Nathan found himself lost for words, he was totally enchanted by the woman in his arms. She smelt amazing and her soft silky skin was enough to put him on edge.

    ¡°Can I kiss you E?¡±

    His voice sounded strained, as if holding back a wave of emotion sealed away somewhere.

    E¡¯s breathing was heavy, those four words from Nathan¡¯s mouth hadpletely weakened her limbs, so close to shuttering her resolve as well. She looked up at the man who was holding her, his eyes expectant and his lips, good lord those lips, how could she say no to lips like that.

    Once again E¡¯s treacherous body agreed before her mind could do the same. What was wrong with her today?

    Nathan¡¯s eyes beamed with happiness, not believing E¡¯s response to his request. Five long years, it had taken five long years for him to finally taste those sulent lips. He was going to make it count, because who knows when next E would give him such ess ever again?

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Nathan repeated, making sure he hadn¡¯t imagined the entire thing. When E nodded her head again, Nathan took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the air that had long escaped them.

    ¡°Okay..¡± the prince spoke in a husky whisper.

    He cupped her face in the palms of his hands and searched her eyes for any resistance once more. He must have thanked the gods a thousand times when he found none.

    ¡°Okay..I¡¯m going to kiss you now,¡± Nathan whispered as his face inched closer to hers.

    E instinctively shut her eyes, but they immediately flew open when she felt something soft and moistnd on her lips, Nathan¡¯s masculine scent immediately filled up her nostrils making her eyes droop shut again.

    He lowered one hand and gripped her waist tightly and then she heard a soft groan leaving Nathan¡¯s throat, sending vibrations down her body and making her part her lips instinctively.

    What a deadly mistake she had made, because as soon as she presented Nathan with the opportunity, his tongue made its way rashly into her mouth, exploring every inch and corner like it was in search of something.

    E unconsciously raised her arms and cupped the prince¡¯s biceps in her delicate little hands. The gesture made Nathaniel break the kiss, and E was surprised by the protest that almost escaped her lips, wondering why he¡¯d stopped.

    With his breathing heavy, and his gaze fixed on E¡¯s face, he painted his handsome face with a satisfied smirk.

    ¡°E..¡± he groaned

    The girl let out a yelp when felt the prince hoist her off the floor with his strong arms, he took a few steps forward and ced the woman on a table that was a few inches behind her.

    E had not even fully processed what was happening when she felt Nathan¡¯s mouth attacking hers once again, making her body go limp. This time around it didn¡¯t take long for her arms to find their way over his shoulders.

    Nathan¡¯s hands her firmly pressed against the wall behind the woman as he kissed E, caging her in ce. A soft growl escaped his throat when he felt E move her tongue into his mouth, responding to his kiss. He begun feeling light headed, all the heat that was enveloping his body started migrating to a central ce, making his heart thud hard against his chest.

    Nathan pulled his lips way from E and bit down on his lower lip, so hard he could almost taste blood. How could a simple kiss make him lose control so easily?

    ¡°E..¡± he groaned.

    The blue eyed woman looked at the prince¡¯s face and worry filled her eyes, he looked like he was in pain. Had she hurt him?

    ¡°Nathan are you okay?¡±

    The prince gazed at the woman¡¯s beautiful blue eyes and almost chuckled in amusement, it was so obvious that she¡¯d never been with a man before, and for some reason that very innocence made his head spin even more.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to bed now..¡± Nathan responded, his voice was rough and incredibly strained. ¡°Let¡¯s get to bed E.¡±

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21: Chapter 21 : Don¡¯t hide that beautiful face

    E ttered hershes as she watched the soft rays of the morning sun creep into the room, illuminating it and giving it a warm andfortable feel. The girl had slept very little because the events of the night before were on repeat in her mind, she was still wondering about what had just transpired.

    Still deep in her thoughts, the redhead felt Nathan¡¯s grip on her waist tighten, his breathing calm and his face buried in her back. Her face shed red when the memory of their kiss invaded her mind, it was like nothing she¡¯d expected, just the very thought of Nathan¡¯s lips on hers was enough to make her body heat up.

    E¡¯s grip on the bed spread tightened as the whole thing yed out in her mind. After they had kissed passionately on the table for a full ten minutes, Nathan had asked her to go to bed, iming it waste and they needed to rest. The girl¡¯s heart was beating wildly when the prince had helped her off the table and led her towards the bed, he had gently helped her unbuttoned the blouse of her dress and slipped her garments off her body, leaving her in her sheer white chemise.

    E was barely breathing as Nathan¡¯s rough yet gentle hands brushed against her skin, she knew what was about to happen and she was trying hard to mentally prepare for it. After helping her undress, Nathan had unbuttoned his shirt andid it on a chair with E¡¯s clothes. The girl had shamelessly ogled at the man¡¯s strong arms and artistically curved bare chest, how could she have not, he was built like a god, she¡¯d have to be insane not to enjoy that view.

    After the prince was half naked, he¡¯d held E¡¯s hand and led her towards the bed. She was so close to fainting when Nathan gentlyy her down and positioned himself over her, his breathtaking eyes gazing into hers.

    With one hand slipped underneath E¡¯s back, and the other supporting his weight so he was hovering above her, his hot breath heating her neck, Nathan imed E¡¯s lips hungrily.

    The sensation was too much for E to keep her head on straight, she waspletely overwhelmed by the heat that was surging through every fiber of her being as Nathan¡¯s tongue entangled with hers. She wrapped her arms around the man¡¯s bare back andpletely lost herself in the kiss, all the senses she had left tossed outside the window into the cold.

    .....

    Nathan was rough yet gentle, his grip was firm yet soothing, E could have sworn she had felt like her body had floated off the mattress at some point. The only thing that had somewhat brought her back to her senses was the firm object in Nathan¡¯s trousers that was pressing hard against her thigh. Was that... oh good lord.

    E¡¯s heart skipped several beats when Nathan pulled away from the kiss and let out a low muffled groan, the firm object flinching in response. She knew it was time, she knew that finally the two of them would finally churn the butter.

    The girl braced herself as Nathan slipped off her body, most probably to undress himselfpletely, but to her surprise, he¡¯d wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his face into her back.

    ¡°Good night E.¡± He had spoken and slept.

    E had been falling in and out of sleep the entire night, partly due to the heat surging through her body that had taken forever to subside, and partly due to her utter confusion. Why hadn¡¯t Nathanin with her? Had she not responded properly? Was he tired? E didn¡¯t understand why but the suspense was killing her.

    Even now as she watched the sun rays brighten the room, she was still battling with her thoughts, wondering why the night had turned out the way it did.

    Laying next to her, his arms around E¡¯s waist and his face buried in her back,y prince Nathan, he had not slept a wink the previous night.

    When he and E were kissing, Nathan had gotten so lost in her embrace that he¡¯d lost total control of his urges. When he felt his manhood stiffen, he knew he had to stop himself before he pounced on E like a wild animal. That¡¯s why he¡¯d broken the kiss and slept, well, tried to sleep at least. His body could not let him rest with all the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

    The prince¡¯s heart jumped when he felt E turn to look at him, the instant their eyes met both their faces turned red.

    ¡°Good morning E.¡±

    ¡°Morning..¡± E¡¯s voice was low, she had not expected Nathan to be awake. ¡°You¡¯re awake, did you sleep well?¡±

    Nathan¡¯s lips curved up into a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep a wink,¡± Nathan responded.

    ¡°Why not? Did I make you ufortable?¡±

    E was about to sit up but Nathan grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace.

    ¡°Of course not E.¡± His morning voice was soothing. ¡°I just had a hard time controlling myself.¡±

    E¡¯s cheeks were burning, her face was leaning against Nathan¡¯s bare chest and her arm holding his bicep. ¡°Controlling yourself?¡±

    Nathan loosened his grip on E and looked down at her beautiful face, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to scare you, if I hadn¡¯t gotten a grip, I would have ripped your garments apart and feasted on you like a starved animal.¡±

    E¡¯s blue eyes almost popped out of her socket, why did the prince¡¯s words have such an effect on her? Suddenly a thought crossed E¡¯s mind, why did he have to control himself?

    ¡°W- why didn¡¯t you?¡± E asked, her voice was jittery and low.

    ¡°Because I promised you that I wouldn¡¯t touch you unless you asked me to,¡± Nathan responded. ¡°I¡¯m a man of my word.¡±

    Nathan studied the girl who was looking at him wide eyed, when his honey brown eyes met hers, she averted her gaze and bit down on her lower lip. That expression she made fanned the ambers of the mes of desire that he¡¯d tried so hard to put out.

    ¡°Do you want me to?¡± Nathan asked, his voice horse and low, making E instinctively twitch her legs. ¡°Do you want me to touch to you?¡±

    Prince Nathan¡¯s face inched closer, his gaze never leaving hers and his arms pulling her body close

    Just as E parted her lips to answer, a series of knocks echoed throughout the room.

    ¡°Your grace!¡± The voice called out. ¡°The ceremony will be starting soon!¡±

    E heard Nathan curse under his breath before answering. ¡°Alright I¡¯ll be right there!¡±

    The silver haired prince turned back to E and smiled slyly, his eyes looking at her beautiful lips. The prince locked her lips with his and devoured them passionately, with an intensity E had never experienced before, instantly turning her legs to jelly.

    Nathan relinquished her and stroked her hair lovingly, ¡°we should prepare.¡±

    Completely breathless, E watched the man hop off the bed and head towards the bathroom, his bare back facing her. Prince Nathaniel Aldos was a dangerous man indeed.

    *

    The knighting ceremony was to be held in the grand pce hall, a massive and beautifully decorated ce that had been set up with chairs and tables for the guests and knights alike.

    At the front of the hall was a long Teakwood table with four chairs, the two middle ones for the two crowned princes of Gavaria and Meria and two smaller ones on the sides for their lovelydies.

    On the far left of the table, Nathan was standing over E, tying her hair in a low ponytail.

    ¡°A nobledy should never leave her hair down so carelessly E,¡± Nathan spoke. ¡°It always needs to be tied up nice and neat.¡±

    He cupped her face in his hands and gave her forehead a kiss. ¡°Don¡¯t hide that beautiful face behind these locks.¡±

    Behind them, An agitated prince Adam Burchard was walking hand in hand withdy Julia Boleyn, heading to take their seats at the high table.

    ¡°You look so handsome your grace.¡± Julia spoke, practically cuddling up against the prince.

    ¡°Thank you Julia, but please refrain from letting your feelings spew out today, we¡¯re in public.¡± Adam responded.

    Prince Adam and Julia took their seats facing their esteemed guests.

    ¡°Well could you refrain from being mean to me just for today,¡± Julia responded curtly. ¡°We¡¯re in public after all.¡±

    Adam took a quick nce at the woman on his left and sighed in displeasure, why had his mother put him up to this? Was it because she¡¯d heard that the prince of Meria would being with hisdy? Did she want to make it seem like Adam also had a woman by his side? This was ridiculous.

    Princess Adam snapped back to reality when he noticed someone sit next to him, it was the prince of Meria, prince Nathaniel Aldos. The silver haired prince was very tall and toned, he must have been as tall as Adam, quite the physic indeed.

    ¡°Wee to our kingdom prince Nathan.¡± Adam whispered.

    ¡°Pleasure¡¯s all mine prince Adam.¡±

    A frail well dressed man stood a few feet away from the table and gestured the two princes and theirdies to stand before introducing them to the crowd.

    ¡°We would like to take this opportunity to wee these royals for gracing the annual knighting ceremony today!¡± The man announced. ¡°First off, we wee the crowned prince of Gavaria, Prince Adam Burchard, and hisdy,dy Julia Boleyn!¡±

    The crowd gave an apuse as the two waved to them.

    ¡°Secondly, we¡¯d like to wee the crowned prince of Meria, Prince Nathaniel Aldos, and his loveydy,dy E Morrell!¡±

    E and Nathan waved to the apuding crowd.

    ¡°And now I dere themencement of the knighting ceremony!¡± The man added on. ¡°When your name is called, please step towards the two princes who will give you your esteemed titles!¡±

    Adam nced towards prince Nathan, he had not noticed that there was someone sitting next to him until the announcement. The silver haired prince was so tall and built that his formpletely covered the mystery woman sitting next to him.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you knight the first ten men and I¡¯ll do the the rest,¡± prince Nathan suggested. ¡°Mydy is a little uneasy, gets a little nervous at big events, I¡¯ll need to be by her side a little bit longer till she calms down.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Adam responded, still trying to peek at this mysterious nervous woman. For some reason, his curiosity was at its peak.

    Who was she?

 Chapter 22

    22 Chapter 22 : That thing you call a son..

    Nathan cupped E¡¯s hand in his and gently stroked it with his thumb. ¡°Take a deep breath E, no one is looking at you.¡±

    ¡°Yes they are.¡± E responded.

    Those hundreds of eyes ncing at her were enough to make her head hurt.

    That morning E had tried to convince the prince that she didn¡¯t want to attend the ceremony anymore, especially after a butler had mentioned that Nathan would have to sit up front with hisdy, meaning E, on his side.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be queen one day,¡± Nathan whispered, his voice gentle and soothing. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be strong and get used to the attention alright?¡±

    E folded her hand into a small fist underneath Nathan¡¯s hand and nodded. ¡°Okay..¡± she responded meekly.

    Prince Adam who was seated on the other side creased his brows when he heard E¡¯s voice. He was sure he¡¯d heard that voice before, but how could that be? This woman was obviously from Meria, and he¡¯d never been there so how could her voice sound so familiar, so beautiful.

    *

    .....

    Juliet Aldos pulled the hood over her face and instructed the coachman to park out of site. ¡°Stay and wait for me here.¡±

    The queen was practically tiptoeing through the busy market ce of the capital, her face ducked out of site by her hood and her hand tightly clenching her cloak tightly. She approached an entrance to a small alley that had an old wooden door at the end of it, seemingly suspended in mid air.

    Juliet inspected the hovering door skeptically as if doubting it¡¯s very existence. Was this the ce? She had followed the directions to the letter so she was sure that this was the ce.

    The queen gently knocked on the door which immediately creaked open, revealing the darkness within.

    ¡°Come on in my dear,¡± a high pitched chilling voice spoke from inside the dark space. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here to help.¡±

    Hesitantly Juliet Aldos stepped into the door, letting out a small yelp when a force drew her in and the door closed shut behind her. The queen found herself standing in a small room decorated in bottles and vials of different colored potions. The ce was covered in curtains and silk clothing that was draping everywhere, strings of beads and corded strings also hang from the walls and ceiling, and at the far end of a room, sitting behind a small ss table was a white haired olddy smiling up at her.

    Juliet slowly pulled off her hood and dropped it over her shoulders, revealing her skeptical and slightly terrified face.

    ¡°Are.. are youdy Devora?¡± The queen stuttered.

    ¡°Well don¡¯t just stand there at the door child,e here and sit.¡±

    With the whip of her hand, a strong force pulled Juliet towards the table and settled her down in a chair that had also been pulled towards the table against its will.

    The white haired woman circled her hand on a spot on the table and from it, appeared a crystal ball.

    ¡°Did youe with what I asked you to?¡± The woman asked Juliet, each word uttered from her mouth sending a chilling sensation down the queen¡¯s spine.

    The queen nodded and dipped her hand into her cloak, pulling out a silk cloth which she handed over to Devora.

    The white haired woman, who Juliet was now sure was a witch, unfolded the cloth and took out a lock of silver hair. She sniffed the hair before cing it into a tiny ceramic bowl that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

    Juliet watched the woman intently as she poured a white liquid into the tiny ceramic bowl and mixed it slowly. The entire process was moving excruciatingly slow, making her very ufortable. She pursed her lips, keeping herself from urging the old woman to hurry it up before her husband returned from his meeting and realized she was gone.

    About a week ago, Juliet had stumbled upon a poster of this very olddy, iming she was a healer and herbalist who traveled to different kingdoms healing strange ailments and casting out evil omens and devils from people¡¯s lives.

    The queen had written to her exining that she believed she had given birth to something that wasn¡¯t human, and that he had found a creature of the same type and was worried about what woulde to pass in the future. She had exined that she could sense their inhumane aura growing day by day and needed to find a way to stop them.

    When the queen had received a response, the letter had instructed her to get a lock of hair from any one of these beings and bring it to her, only then would she be able to determine what kind of entity they were dealing with. The woman had also enclosed a hand drawn map telling the queen where to find her on a specific date.

    Queen Juliet had followed the instructions to the letter. A day before her son had left for Gavaria, she had offered to brush his hair so she could secretly procure some strands of his hair without raising any suspicion.

    Now finally having met the woman, Juliet could not wait to know what kind of demon or devil she was dealing with, after which, she would ask how she could kill it, how she could kill all of them.

    The white haired witch finally stopped stirring the contents of the bowl and picked it from the table. Juliet had to hold back a gag when the old woman brought the bowl to her lips and downed the contents.

    As soon as the witch drank thest drop, the little bowl slipped from her fingers had dropped to the table with a crash, shattering it into tiny pieces.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Juliet attempted to touch the old woman who had frozen in ce, but withdrew her hand when she saw the woman¡¯s pupils roll up to the back of her head.

    ¡°Sing the song of an ancient prophecy!¡± The woman spoke, her lips were moving but Juliet could hear different voices speaking at once, making her stumble backwards.

    A current of moving air began circting the room, sending bottles, vials and books crushing into the walls. Themps overhead went out and the beads and window panes began to rattle.

    ¡°Sing the song of an ancient prophecy! Bring back the souls of our fallen brethren, free our brothers from the shackles of their oppressors and rebuild our empire! Paint the walls of our empire with blood of our oppressors... redime populum nostrum!! redime populum nostrum!!¡±

    (Latin: redime populum nostrum, English: redeem our people)

    The wind in the room became so devastatingly vigorous that Juliet had to hold onto the furniture to keep herself from being carried away by the currents.

    ¡°redime populum nostrum!!¡± The woman screamed and went into a fit. Her body was jolting in her chair and her hair and clothes were standing on end, she looked like she had been possessed.

    The white haired woman let out a gut wrenching scream before her body went limp. The wind suddenly stopped and all the items that were swirling in the air all dropped, crushing and breaking.

    After the mayhem subsided, Juliet weakly got to her feet and stumbled towards the white haired woman who was nowying motionless on the floor. She inched closer to her and with a trembling hand, attempted to shake her.

    The woman shot her head up and scampered away from Juliet. ¡°Get away from me!¡± The white haired woman screamed, Juliet could clearly see the raw fear in the woman¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°That thing you call a son does not belong to this world!¡± She hissed. ¡°It will be the end of us all!¡±

    *

    ¡°Your highness if you will..¡±

    Prince Adam rose from his seat and moved steadily to the podium, his medals and ornaments glistening in the light that was sipping through the windows. He drew his sword and gracefully ced it on his side, with one hand behind his back and his head held high.

    ¡°I asked prince Adam to go first so I could sit here with you till you¡¯re morefortable,¡± Nathan spoke, ¡°are you going to be okay when I leave you here?¡±

    E slowly nodded her head in agreement.

    ¡°E..¡± prince Nathan ced his finger on the red head¡¯s chin and tilted her face forward. ¡°Face up beautiful, you¡¯re nobility, you should never lower your head at any point.¡±

    E slowly lifted her eyes forward and faced the crowd.

    ¡°William Morrell!¡± The frail man announced

    E watched William rise from his seat, fully dressed in shiny armor and arge sword on his side. The man got down on one knee and bowed his head respectfully in front of the dark haired prince.

    ¡°I dub thee, Sir William Morrell of Greenhill!¡± Announced Adam.

    ¡°So that¡¯s prince Adam?¡± E whispered.

    ¡°Yes it is,¡± Nathan responded, ¡°what¡¯s the matter? Are your eyes straying already E?¡±

    E looked up at Nathan¡¯s taunting smile, she blushed and shook her head. ¡°No of course not, he just looks familiar is all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only teasing you,¡± Nathan responded as he resumed stroking E¡¯s hand. ¡°But I hope you know..¡±

    The prince looked down at E and tightened his grip on her hand. ¡°I would fight for you E, I would trample over anyone who dared take you away from me.¡±

    E gulped and turned her head back towards the crowd once more, watching the different knights as they approached the dark haired prince.

    *

    ¡°I dub thee, Sir Louis Vandros of Guria!¡± Prince Adam announced.

    The frail man from before walked towards the prince and bowed slightly at him before making another announcement. ¡°And now, we will invite to the podium, prince Nathan Aldos!¡±

    Nathan leaned over and kissed E¡¯s temple, ¡°are you going to be okay?¡±

    The blue eyed woman nodded and Nathan rose from his seat. He walked gracefully towards prince Adam and they two handsome me bowed to each other.

    When Prince Adam turned to return to his seat, his deep brown eyes locked with E¡¯s blue orbs. In that instance, it¡¯s like every sound around him was muted except the sound of his heart, thudding against his chest.

    ~Guine~

    Nathan turned around abruptly when he noticed screaming and gaspinging from the crowd, the audience seemed to be urging him to look back at the high table. His face paled when he saw Eying on the floor, unconscious.

    ¡°E!¡±

    Nathan dropped his sword and rushed to the redhead.

    Prince Adam was frozen in ce as he watched Nathan carry the limp woman into his arms. ¡°Call a doctor!¡±

 Chapter 23

    23 Chapter 23 : I¡¯ll protect you from your past

    ¡°E...¡±

    ¡°E can you hear me?..¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me Jillian, wake up Guinevere. Let me see your beautiful face one more time. Oh how I¡¯ve missed you...¡±

    ¡°Mmmm Jillian?..¡±

    His voice was distant, almost inaudible but E had no doubt in her mind that it belonged to Jillian. He was calling out to her, where was he? She couldn¡¯t see a thing.

    ¡°Jillian...¡±

    ¡°Jillian!¡±

    E¡¯s eyes shot open and she bolted upright on the bed. Her breathing was heavy and her heart was racing wildly in her chest, where was he? The woman shifted her head from side to side, scanning the room she was in for the man who had been calling out to her. Where had he gone? She had heard him just now.

    The girl was going into a frenzy when two hands firmly gripped her shoulders. ¡°E calm down, I¡¯m here!¡±

    .....

    E blinked a few times before looking up at the silver haired prince before her. ¡°N- Nathan?¡±

    ¡°Yes E, I¡¯m right here.¡± Nathan pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly, gently stroking her hair and burying his head into the soft fluffy locks.

    ¡°I was so worried about you E, thank the gods you¡¯re okay.¡± Nathan spoke.

    There was genuine worry and concern in his voice, what had happened, E¡¯s memories were a little fuzzy.

    Over Nathan¡¯s shoulder she could see that they were back in their little room at the cottage and judging from the warm dim rays of light that were sipping into the room through therge window, the sun was about to set. How long had she been out? Had she fainted? But why?

    ~Guinevere~

    Nathan felt E¡¯s body jerk in his arms, he pulled away and studied her face, worried she might pass out again.

    ¡°Do you need water E?¡± He questioned, ¡°Or something to eat?¡±

    E shock her head slowly, her mind was too all over the ce to think about food. Just now, she had heard his voice in her head, she had heard Jillian¡¯s voice.

    ¡°What happened?¡± E looked up at Nathan who was holding her protectively, as if she was a priceless piece of fine China that he could not afford to drop and break.

    ¡°You fainted E,¡± the prince responded, ¡°back at the knighting ceremony.¡±

    ¡°The knighting ceremony...¡±

    Suddenly a flood of memories filled E¡¯s mind like arge wave crashing against a rocky shore. She recalled what had happened, after Nathan had stood up to take prince Adam¡¯s ce at the podium, she had heard Jillian¡¯s voice call out to her. When she looked up she felt her heart stop when she locked eyes with him, prince Adam looked exactly like Jillian. His deep brown hooded eyes, his dark tasseled hair and even though he looked much older, E had no doubt in her mind that prince Adam was in fact Jillian. But how could that be? Jillian was dead!

    ¡°Prince Adam!¡± E blurted out, earning a rather dejected expression from prince Nathan.

    ¡°I need to see him, it¡¯s important!¡± E added on

    Nathan¡¯s eyebrow twitched, why was she asking to see prince Adam all of a sudden? Why the sudden interest?

    ¡°Why do you want to see him?¡± Nathan kept his voice calm and his face inscrutable, not wanting to show E that he was far from happy about her sudden request to see another man when he sitting right next to her.

    ¡°I...¡± E pursed her lips and lowered her gaze to the silky blue sheet that was covering her, she was sure she was going mad, seeing a dead man and hearing his voice in her head. But she needed to be sure that the prince indeed wasn¡¯t Jillian, and that her mind was just ying tricks on her.

    ¡°I think the prince may be Jillian Foreman.¡±

    Nathan narrowed his eyes at the blue eyed woman, Jillian? That name, he remembered it form years ago when E had first told him about her past lives. He was the reason she was so closed off and didn¡¯t want to open up to love again. He vividly remembered her telling him how he was the first man she¡¯d ever loved, and how she wanted to marry him and have his children. Back then, those words only made Nathan a bit jealous, but now, especially considering that this Jillian fellow was still alive, it made his blood boil.

    Nathan couldn¡¯t let prince Adam take E away from him, not after he¡¯d invested so much time and patience into their rtionship. E belonged to him and him alone, the only way any other man would have ess to her, would be over his dead body.

    Jillian lightly trailed his fingers over E¡¯s cheek and smiled warmly at her. ¡°E, my love, I know you¡¯re feeling a bit dazed right now, but Jillian is dead. You told me so yourself.¡±

    E shook her head violently and grabbed Nathan¡¯s hand. ¡°But I saw him! I heard his voice in my head Nathan, I¡¯m not crazy!¡±

    Nathan took a deep breath, his worst fear was suddenly bing apparent. What if she really did see and hear him, what if prince Adam really was Jillian, what if Adam was a jumper, just like E and him.

    Nathan pulled E into his embrace once more and hugged her. ¡°Okay I¡¯ll talk to Adam.¡± He spoke, his voice calm andforting. ¡°But promise me that you¡¯ll get some rest first.¡±

    E nodded, ¡°I will.¡±

    Nathan pulled away and ced a gentle kiss on her forehead. ¡°Rest now, I¡¯ll go to the pce and fetch Adam. You can talk to him when you¡¯re awake.¡±

    E smiled at prince Nathan and nodded her head. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Anything for you E,¡± Nathan spoke as he gently stroked her cheek with his fingers, ¡°Anything for you.¡±

    *

    Back in the Gavarain royal pce, prince Adam was pacing his room back and fourth mumbling to himself. What had just happened back at the knighting ceremony had really affected him a great deal.

    After he had locked eyes with the beautiful red headed, blue eyed woman, he had experienced a sudden sh of memories that he never thought he even had. All the dreams he¡¯d been having, all the nightmares, they didn¡¯t feel like dreams anymore, they were now vivid memories seared into his mind. He could clearly remember it all, his past life in Mirine, his brothers, his parents, Guinevere, everything!

    What was going on? Was this dejavu? Adam couldn¡¯tprehend what was happening to him. All he knew is that this sudden realization was because of her, Guinevere, the redhead he¡¯d finally met after gods know how long. He needed to see her, he had so many questions that needed answers, so many feelings that needed exining.

    Adam hastily turned around when he heard therge door of his room open.

    ¡°Your grace?¡±

    Julia Boleyn walked into the prince¡¯s chambers and stood in front of him, her eyes curious.

    ¡°What happened your grace? After that woman fainted you just stormed out of the hall without any exnation. Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine Julia.¡± Prince Adam responded before resuming his pacing.

    Julia sighed and forced a smile on her face. ¡°I can see that you¡¯re distraught and stressed your grace, allow me to help you rx.¡±

    The girl stretched her arm out in an attempt to touch the prince, but was taken aback when he swiftly jerked away from her like she was infected by some deadly ailment.

    ¡°I said I¡¯m fine Julia!¡± He roared.

    The green eyed woman sped her hand to her chest and stared at the prince who was breathing heavily and staring daggers at her. What was wrong with him? This wasn¡¯t the cool and collect prince Adam she knew.

    Adam turned away from Julia before sending her away as politely as he possibly could. ¡°Leave... now.¡±

    Julia curtsied and turned away from the prince, when she reached the doorway she turned her face to him and nced at the tall dark haired man before exiting the room, and closing the door behind her. Why was he suddenly so agitated, was it because of the incident at the ceremony?

    The green eyed woman halted in her tracks. ¡°Is it because of that redhead?¡±

    *

    Wim rushed to Nathan¡¯s side when he saw him leaving the little cottage. ¡°How is she Nathan?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine William, she¡¯s resting now.¡±

    ¡°Oh thank goodness.¡±

    William had almost lost his mind worrying about his sister, when she had fallen and passed out at the ceremony, he had felt his heart drop andpletely froze in ce. Luckily, Nathan had managed to carry her all they way to the cottage where a physician had examined her.

    ¡°What kind of knight will I be.¡± William spoke, his voice strained and filled with shame. ¡°How can I ever hope to serve the crown when I couldn¡¯t even help my own sister? I¡¯m such a coward!¡±

    Prince Nathan ced a firm hand on William¡¯s shoulder and gave him aforting smile. ¡°You¡¯re human first before you¡¯re a knight William, that was a totally natural reaction. She¡¯s your little sister after all, it just shows how much of a soft spot you have for her.¡±

    ¡°Your words are kind my prince.¡±

    ¡°How is your mother doing?¡± Nathan questioned William.

    When E had passed out, her mother had also done the same, probably in fear that something terrible had happened to her only daughter. Lord Morrell was in a frenzy not knowing what to do in that dire situation, but after seeing the prince carry his daughter away, he took the opportunity to tend to his wife first, and carry her to their cottage so that a physician could take a look at her as well.

    ¡°She¡¯s still unconscious but she¡¯s stable, father is by her side and refuses to leave till she wakes up.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Nathan found that very admirable, a man who would drop everything and be by his woman¡¯s side to make sure she was alright. He should probably take a page from lord Morrell¡¯s book and be the same with E. He was not going to leave her side, and he was not going to let memories from her past hurt her. He was going to protect her from them, protect her from Jillian.

    ¡°William, I need to ask a favor of you.¡±

 Chapter 24

    24 Chapter 24 : Confronting the past

    E lightly groaned as she opened her eyes, how long had she been out? She noticed that the room was dark and there was barely any lighting through the curtains, was itte in the evening or was it early in the morning? The redhead couldn¡¯t tell, she still felt a bit disoriented.

    She attempted to move but noticed that a pair of arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, she trailed her eyes along the arms and stopped at a silver haired face.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Nathan spoke, his voice still heavily sedated with sleep.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry did I wake you?¡±

    Nathan shook his head and slightly elevated his body, bncing his weight on his elbows, and his eyes fixed on the beautiful girl in front of him. It was then that E noticed that Nathan was half naked, her cheeks were dusted pink as her eyes moved from his face down to his chest. Good lord this man was built like a god, even in the looming darkness she could still make out all the contours of his muscles. E swallowed hard and turned her face away from Nathan.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong E, are you still feeling unwell?¡± Nathan fully sat up and inched closer to the girl, making her blush intensify.

    The man tucked a lock of her silky red heir behind her ear and ced his hand on her forehead, feeling her temperature.

    ¡°E! Your face is burning up!¡±

    The prince pulled off the nket E was tightly clutching to her chest, causing a little squeal to escape her lips. ¡°Your whole body is burning up E, should I get you some water? Or do you wish to take a cold bath?¡±

    .....

    E could only shut her eyes and weakly shake her head. The reason her body was burning up was because his man boobs were practically shoved in her face.

    [Get those gorgeous pecks away from me!]

    Nathan suddenly froze, had he heard her right, or was he just being delusional. E had equally also turned into a statue, how could she forget that this sly prince could read her mind. Oh gods she was so embarrassed.

    Nathan pursed his lips in a desperate attempt to hold back an amused smile, E was so adorable, is this why her face was so shed? Because he was shirtless.

    ¡°Am I making you ufortable?¡± Nathan asked the woman, his question sounding more like a tease than a concern.

    ¡°Come here, it¡¯s still way too early for you to be awake.¡± Nathan lightly pulled E close to him, ¡°besides, it¡¯s quite chilly right now, allow me to warm you up.¡±

    E¡¯s eyes where so wide that she felt like they would just pop out of their sockets. Warm her up? How exactly was he nning to warm her up?

    Before Nathan could fully embrace the girl, her stomach growled loudly, making both of them halt in ce.

    ¡°Hungry?¡±

    The blue eyed girl slowly nodded, now that he mentioned it, E was starving. She had gone without food for a very long time since she had been out cold for almost the whole day. Thest meal she could remember eating was the quick breakfast her and Nathan had eaten before the ceremony.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to see if the cooks are in,¡± Nathan responded. ¡°I¡¯ll ask them to make you something to eat.¡±

    Nathan slipped off the bed and walked towards the chair where he had ced his shirt. E seemed to be unable to pull her treacherous eyes away from Nathan as he slowly slid his shirt over his perfect shoulders, down to his perfectly arched and muscr back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    When Nathan closed the door, the redhead fell back on the bed and screamed internally.

    [Geez E get a grip! Nathan is nothing but a walking temptation, you don¡¯t love him]

    The woman grabbed Nathan¡¯s pillow and hugged it tightly against her chest. Why was it so hard for her to love Nathan anyway? He was a good man, he was strong and kind and caring. And it didn¡¯t hurt that he was very handsome. So then why? Was she broken? Was it because of Jillian.

    E sat up and recalled the events that has happened at the knighting ceremony. Had Nathan spoken to price Adam and told him about her request? The redhead brought her fingers to her mouth and nervously nibbled on her nails.

    What would she do if prince Adam really was Jillian? Had he somehow survived the attack all those years back? No, that was improbable. Was it that maybe prince Adam just looked a lot like Jillian and she¡¯d just mistaken them.

    E¡¯s eyes darted towards the door when she heard it swing open, and through it, came Nathan with ady, who E assumed was a maid, carrying a tray of food. The woman set the tray by the window table, curtsied and left.

    The blue eyed woman watched as Nathan took the bow of porridge and sat next to her, he took a spoonful of the food and blew on it before bringing it to her mouth.

    The girl looked at the prince wide eyed ¡°Nathan it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m capable of feeding myself.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Nathan responded still holding the spoon to her lips. ¡°I just want to do this.¡±

    E reluctantly opened her mouth and ate the porridge. She instinctively closed her eyes as the warm milky food tantalized her taste buds. Gosh she was so hungry.

    Nathan smiled at E¡¯s expression, if this is how she¡¯d look every time he fed her, he¡¯d be doing this everyday.

    He took another spoonful of food and raised it to her lips, and this time, she gulped it down without hesitation.

    After a few more spoonfuls, and her tummy was no longer empty, E¡¯s brain started working again. She looked up at Nathan with intent eyes, making the prince lower the spoon.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you full?¡± Nathan questioned.

    ¡°I am, thank you.¡± E responded.

    Nathan got off the bed, ced the bowl back on the tray and started pouring a cup of hot tea.

    ¡°Nathan.¡±

    The prince looked back at the girl with questioning eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t want some tea? It¡¯s Jasmine.¡±

    ¡°Forget the tea for now Nathan, did you speak with with prince Adam about my request to speak to him?¡±

    E couldn¡¯t see but Nathan¡¯s face had turned a shade darker. Again with prince Adam. He had hopped that after some rest she¡¯d forget all about this Jillian nonsense. He should have known better, E was a very stubborn woman, it was one of the reasons he was in love with her.

    ¡°I in fact did.¡± Nathaniel responded as he continued pouring E¡¯s tea. ¡°He said to let him know when you¡¯re awake and ready to meet him.¡±

    The prince turned and walked to E, handing her the cup.

    ¡°Thank you Nathan,¡± E responded as she took the cup from his hands. ¡°This means a lot to me, I just want to know if there¡¯s any rtion between the prince and Jillian. Only then will I have peace.¡±

    Nathan forces a smile and nodded at E. It seemed that this Adam fellow would prove to be a problem, if Nathan wanted to be happy with E, he had to remove him from the picture somehow. Luckily, he had already devised a n to do exactly that. So today, after E meets prince Adam, it would be thest time she¡¯ll ever want to meet him ever again. In fact, she wouldpletely forget about this whole incident and the two of them could go back to their normal lives in Meria.

    When E finished her tea, he took the cup from her and carried the tray. ¡°You go and freshen up E.¡± He spoke with a cheerful smile, ¡°the maid will be here to fill your bath and help you dress. In the meantime, I¡¯ll go see if prince Adam is not too busy so he cane over, and the two of you can talk.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    *

    After leaving the tray at the kitchen, Nathan made his was to a little cottage at the far corner of the castle and knocked at the door. The door swung open and prince Nathan walked into the cottage, his hands sped behind his back and his expressions serious.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Prince Nathan questioned the man.

    ¡°Yes your grace, I¡¯m ready.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    The price walked to the man, straighten his cor and ruffled his hair a little bit. ¡°Don¡¯t talk too much when you¡¯re in there.¡± Nathan spoke. ¡°E is sharp, she¡¯ll see right through you. Only talk when she asks you a question and remember, you have absolutely no idea who she is.¡±

    ¡°Of course your grace.¡±

    The prince turned around and opened the front door, e on, let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    *

    E was pacing the room nervously as she anxiously waited for Nathan to return with prince Adam. Her breathing was irregr and her heart was pounding against her chest. The blue eyed girl¡¯s eyes shot to the door when she saw the handle fidgeting, she felt like she was going to pass out again.

    ¡°E? May wee in?¡±

    It was Nathan¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Y-yes..¡±

    E froze in ce as the door swung fully open and the two men walked into the room. This was it, this was the moment of truth.

 Chapter 25

    25 Chapter 25 : The fake prince

    E clutched her skirt tightly, so tightly that she was sure blood was no longer flowing to her fingers. The two men stood in front of her and her breath hitched as her eyes traveled from Nathan¡¯s face to prince Adam¡¯s face.

    ¡°Prince Adam?¡± Her voice almost cracked as she uttered his name.

    The dark haired prince lowered his head in a respectful bow and smiled up at the blue eyed woman. ¡°Greetingsdy E.¡± He spoke, ¡°good to see you¡¯re doing better, how are you feeling?¡±

    E lowered her head and curtsied, trying hard to hide the disappointment that had tinted her face. ¡°I feel a lot better your grace thank you.¡±

    ¡°Prince Nathan told me that you had some questions for me?¡±

    E pursed her lips, the more she looked at this man, the more she listened to him talk, the more she was sure she was losing her mind. When her eyes and his had first locked at the ceremony, she was so sure it was him, she was sure it was Jillian. I mean for Pete¡¯s sake she had even heard his voice call out to her.

    But this man, this prince who was standing in front of her right now was not Jillian. The only thing he and Jillian had inmon were his deep brown hooded eyes and his tasseled dark hair. Other than that, this was apletely different human being.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry your grace,¡± E spoke, the restraints on holding back her disappointmentpletely shuttered. ¡°I must have mistaken you for someone else, please forgive me for wasting your time.¡±

    ¡°No worriesdy E, these mistakes happen.¡± The man responded with a polite smile. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave if that will be all, I have some matters to attend to.¡±

    .....

    E watched Nathan walk the prince out of the room and made her way to the bed to sit. She clenched her fists firmly on herp and fought hard to hold back her tears. Why was this happening to her, why were her memories of Jillian constantly haunting her, she was fed up of it all, fed up of the pain, fed up of holding on. She wanted so desperately to just move on and be happy.

    Nathan walked back in the room, geared and ready to be her shoulder to cry on after her disappointing encounter with ¡®prince Adam¡¯. But to his surprise, the minute he turned to her, E grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. Nathan blinked wildly trying to process what was going on, but as soon as her sweet scent filled his nostrils, he impulsively wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the kiss.

    Nathan groaned lightly as her soft lips and warm tongue intertwined with his, he was never going to get used to this, he was never going to get used to how absolutely luscious E Morrell was.

    Nathan waspletely lost in the kiss when he felt E¡¯s tiny hands fidget with the buttons on his shirt, yanking them forcefully open, exposing his firm chest. The prince was about to retaliate but her light feathery touches as she slipped the shirt off his body and tossing it on the floor turned his mind to mush. He could only concede to her wishes and focus on their intense make out session.

    When the redhead unbuttoned her blouse and exposed her soft sulent breasts, Nathan felt all the air in his lungs escape. E grabbed one of Nathan¡¯s hand and ced it on her soft mound, and the prince moaned in pleasure at the feel of her nipple entrapped in his finger.

    Nathan felt like he was going to faint with all the heat E was making him experience, he was running out of breath not only from continuously devouring her mouth, but also from the arousal he was feeling, surely she needed a breather as well before they continued with their deed.

    ¡°E..¡±

    He echoed her name over her soft lips and received a small whimper in response. Still kissing her, her hoisted her up and sat her down on the bed, cing himself between her long beautiful legs.

    When Nathan pulled away to admire the girl, she was shocked to see a stream of tears running down her face.

    ¡°E..¡± he croaked, had she been crying this entire time? The sight of her tears made all the fire he was feeling zing inside of him extinguish to nothing but a smoldering pile of ash.

    ¡°E what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing Nathan just kiss me!¡± Her voice was strained and her body was shaking. Nathan could not take her, not like this.

    E reached out to him but the prince grabbed her arms and instead, pulled her into aforting hug. ¡°No E, not like this.¡±

    ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t touch me unless I asked you to right?!¡± Elle screamed, her body was squirming in his embrace and Nathan could feel her tears wetting his chest. ¡°Well I¡¯m asking you now Nathan! Take me! Now! Take me....pleaseee.¡±

    E was now sobbing uncontrobly and all Nathan could do was hold her in his arms, gently stroking her hair in hopes offorting her.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright E,¡± Nathanforted her, ¡°I told you that you don¡¯t have to carry this burden alone, I¡¯m here now, I always will be.¡±

    E wrapped her arms around Nathan and cried her eyes out. She was in so much pain and confusion that she didn¡¯t know what to to do with herself, and to top it all off, she almost took advantage of Nathan in her weak moment.

    Nathan didn¡¯t move, neither did he speak, he just held her, stroking her hair and letting her cry the pain out. He was going to be herforter, now and forever.

    *

    ¡°How is she doing now? Is it alright if I can go see her?¡±

    William smiled up at his beautiful fianc¨¦ rysa, she was a small beautiful woman with hazel eyes and almond hair. William met her while he was training to be a knight right here in gavaria, the girl used to frequent the training grounds with the other daughters of the lords of Gavaria, who enjoyed watching the men practicing sword fighting and firing arrows.

    The men had been practicing archery on a certain day, and an arrow had strayed towards rysa, but luckily, William was right behind her and managed to whisk her away just in the nick of time, consequently sweeping her off her feet as well. They had been in love ever since.

    ¡°E is feeling a lot better actually,¡± William responded. ¡°We can go see her soon, let me just secure the horses.¡±

    William led the horses to the stables, gave them some hay and water and locked them in. As he turned to walk towards rysa, he noticed Louis Vandros, one of the knights from Guria, walking away from E and Nathan¡¯s cottage.

    ¡°Well Louis looks rather dashing today don¡¯t you think?¡± rysaplimented, having noticed the man¡¯s dressing as well. ¡°He almost looks like a prince.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.. he does.¡±

    William furrowed his brows at the site, why was Louis dressed like that? And what was he doing in E and the prince¡¯s cottage.

    Actually, earlier prince Nathan had asked him to fetch Louis for him. He had mentioned he had something very important to discus with him but had avoided telling William what it was, iming it was a private matter.

    Was prince prince Nathan up to something?

    *

    Adam closed the door of his room and hurriedly walked along the halls of the castle towards the exit. After spending the past few hours trying to get himself to calm down, he was finally ready to face the redheaded woman.

    As prince Adam approached the castle doors, he saw prince Nathan walking slowly towards him.

    ¡°Prince Nathan, just the man I wanted to see.¡±

    Nathan faintly smiled at Adam, ¡°really? To what do I owe this pleasure? The esteemed and mighty prince of Gavaria wants to see me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Adam responded, his tone was urgent and to the point. ¡°It¡¯s aboutdy Morrell, is she awake? I urgently need to speak with her.¡±

    Prince Nathan closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. So his instincts were right, prince Adam really was the Jillian from E¡¯s past, returning to ruin the beautiful rtionship he had formed with the beautiful redhead. Nathan would never allow it.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Adam responded, ¡°I know it sounds a bit crazy, but I¡¯ve been having these dreams of E everyday of my life since I was a child. But now that I¡¯ve seen her, I now know that those were not dreams at all, they were memories, memories of our past life together.¡±

    Nathan chuckled and pat Adam¡¯s shoulder, ¡°memories from your past life? Ohe on now Adam are you listening to yourself? There¡¯s no such thing as past lives.¡±

    Adam grabbed Nathan¡¯s shoulders and looked him straight in the eye, his face serious and his breathing heavy, ¡°Nathan I¡¯m not kidding around, this is serious.¡±

    Nathan gently removed prince Adam¡¯s hands from his shoulders, dusted them and inched closer to him. ¡°Whatever you have to discuss with MY WIFE your grace, you can discuss with me. Besides, I won¡¯t allow her to be more stressed than she already is, stress is not good for the baby.¡±

 Chapter 26

    26 Chapter 26 : I¡¯m in love with another man¡¯s wife

    The ride back to Meria was a quiet one, from the time E had woken up she had not said a word to anyone, she even refused to have breakfast and just insisted on going back home as soon as possible.

    Nathan sat on the opposite bench of the carriage E and him were in, watching the girl intently. Her eyes and face were nk, as if her ability to show emotional had beenpletely sucked out of her. The prince hated seeing the woman he loved like this, and he knew she was like this because of the disappointment she¡¯d endured back in Gavaria when she¡¯d met the prince.

    He honestly didn¡¯t want to make her unhappy but he had to do it to protect her, to protect their future together. Bringing prince Adam into their lives would just bring unnecessaryplications. Keeping Adam away from E was the lesser evil.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Nathan lifted his head up and looked at the woman in front of him, she was looking outside the carriage window watching the trees go by.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about yesterday.¡± E repeated herself.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Nathan was a little confused, E hadn¡¯t spoken all morning and now the first words to leave her lips were ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯? What was she apologizing for?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I...¡±

    .....

    Nathan could see E¡¯s beautiful blue eyes turn watery as she chocked on her words.

    He took her hand lightly in his and stroked it, ¡°E, don¡¯t force yourself alright. I know you¡¯re a little disappointed about prince Adam not being who you thought he was but don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡±

    E turned towards Nathan, and with her other hand she wiped her misty eyes dry, blinking repeatedly so as to stop her tears from falling.

    ¡°Your grace I¡¯m sorry I tried to force myself on you yesterday, I was emotional and I wasn¡¯t thinking straight.¡±

    Nathan¡¯s eyes went round, oh that¡¯s right, that intense make out session they had shared the previous morning had been initiated by E. The prince held back his smile, he was so amazed by how innocent and incredibly adorable this woman was.

    The prince lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. ¡°It¡¯s alright E you don¡¯t have to apologize.¡±

    The woman¡¯s face turned pink at the gesture, she turned her face away from the prince and mumbled incoherently, ¡°but it was so shameful your grace.¡±

    Nathan made his way to the seat seat E was sitting on and sat next to her. He removed a lock of her from her face, gently tucked it behind her ear and ced his forehead on hers.

    ¡°If I¡¯m being honest,¡± the prince spoke calmly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing more of that side of of you.¡±

    E lifted her head and blinked wildly at the man in front of her, her face as red as a tomato. ¡°Nathan...¡±

    E¡¯s gulped when Nathan¡¯s face inched closer to hers, his lips lightly brushing against her lips and sending ripples down her spine.

    ¡°E...¡± the man whispered

    ¡°Yes..?¡±

    ¡°Can I kiss you?¡±

    E visibly trembled when his deep soothing voice reached her ears, it was like the rolling waves of a mighty ocean, crashing against the rocky shore.

    She slowly nodded her head as her eyes involuntarily closed. Momentster, she felt Nathan¡¯s lips capture hers in a hot kiss, his throat releasing a muffled groan when the girl parted her lips and returned the kiss.

    As he kissed E, Nathan¡¯s hands were not ideal, his right head was firmly ced on the back of E¡¯s head and his right securing her waist.

    E grabbed onto Nathan¡¯s shirt and with it, pulled him in to deepen the kiss, much to the prince¡¯s surprise.

    E momentarily let go of the man¡¯s lips, her forehead pressed against his and uttered five words that she would soon regret in the near future.

    ¡°Nathan, never leave my side,¡± she whispered right before falling into their kiss again.

    To E, she was saying those words for security, to make sure that Nathan, who was the only person she could be with forever would not go against his word and leave like Jillian did. She knew she couldn¡¯t survive losing someone again so she needed Nathan to promise her that he¡¯d always be by her side.

    But to prince Nathan Aldos, those words registered to his brain as a vow, a vow he would rather die than break. To him it was consent enough that E officially belonged to him and no one else. Not Jillian, not Adam, not anyone!

    ¡°I never will.¡± The man groaned.

    He lowered his hand to her thigh and trailed it gently up her skirt, devouring her mouth with a fiery passion.

    E let out a soft moan as her whole body trembled at the sensation of Nathan¡¯s touch. The prince was only rubbing her thigh gently but E had never had a man touch her in such a way before. It was scary, it was exhrating and it was oh so intoxicating.

    Outside the carriage, the two coachmen looked at each other and swallowed hard. Their faces were tinted red as they listened to the lewd soundsing from within the carriage, no one had to tell the other of how ufortable they were feeling listening to their prince do God knows what to hisdy on the middle of the road.

    *

    Knock knock!

    ¡°Adam! Adame out you¡¯ve been cooped up in your room all day!¡±

    ¡°Adam!¡±

    Prince Adam was sitting in a burgundy sofa that was positioned near a flickering firece in his room. From where he was, he had a clear view of the garden outside which he was watching through the window. The dark haired prince had been sitting in that couch from the previous day after he¡¯d had an encounter with prince Nathan, and the information the Merian prince had given him hadpletely crumbled his spirit.

    Finally, after an entire lifetime of searching for answers pertaining his constantly repetitive dreams, he had met the beautiful red head from his dreams, he had finally met the woman who had taken his heart even before he met her.

    Her beautiful blue eyes, her long silky red hair, her smooth voice.. everything about her was so perfect. But sadly, Adam was toote, his beautiful dream woman was now in the arms of another man and carrying his child.

    ¡°Adam I¡¯ming in!¡±

    The queen pushed Adam¡¯s door open and walked in, her face was full of worry and panic. Her son had never behaved like this, locking himself up in his room and not responding to her calls, it was so unlike him.

    Adam¡¯s mother took a seat on her son¡¯s bed facing him, even though she knew that he was aware of her presence, he didn¡¯t even bat an eye to look in her direction. He just sat there, headid back on the sofa and his eyes focused on the window.

    ¡°Adam honey what¡¯s wrong?¡± The woman sighed when she noticed her son not even making an effort to respond. ¡°Honey your father and I have been worried about you, have you fallen ill?¡±

    Ever since he was a boy, Adam was a very jovial and energetic child, taking part in every activity that he could get his hands on. Starting from scribbling on the walls when he was a child, to horse riding as he grew older, to archery, sword fighting and diplomatic duties when he became a man. Despite him experience constant nightmares, the queen could not remember a time she¡¯d ever seen her son low or sad, he always found a way to push though his troubles with a smiling face.

    So seeing him like this now, looking depressed and drained worried her a great deal. Whatever had happened to him must have been something big indeed.

    ¡°I remember when you were a little boy, every time something was bothering you you¡¯d write it down on a piece of paper and leave it in one of my shoes.¡± The queen smiled as she reyed the precious memory in her mind. ¡°Then when I¡¯d find it, I¡¯d write a note back and leave it in your little boots, and just like that we¡¯d talk about it and move passed it.¡±

    The queen smiled at her son, ¡°you¡¯ve always told me everything Adam, no matter how big or how small you¡¯d always confide in your mother. I hope that hasn¡¯t changed.¡±

    Adam finally pealed his eyes away from the window and looked at his mother. She was smiling at him and the concern in her eyes made his heart melt. He sighed heavily as he straightened his posture, he¡¯d never been able to say no to this woman and he was sure he wouldn¡¯t be able to start now.

    ¡°Of course it hasn¡¯t changed Mother,¡± the prince responded in a gentle tone, ¡°it¡¯s just that I wouldn¡¯t even know where to start from.¡±

    The queen inched closer to her son and cupped his hands in hers. ¡°Start from the beginning darling, I¡¯m patient.¡±

    The beginning? When was the beginning exactly? His past life with Guinevere? Would his mother even believe a cockamamie story like that? Memories from another life? It sounded like absolute mrkey!

    ¡°Mother..¡± the prince responded, his gaze met hers as he continued his statement, ¡°I¡¯m in love with another man¡¯s wife, and I wish to take her for myself.¡±

 Chapter 27

    27 Chapter 27 : Attached to the wrong person

    When E and the prince arrived in Meria, E¡¯s parents were already home waiting for them. When Nathan helped E out of the carriage and the girl saw her mother standing by her father¡¯s side at the doorway, she felt relieved.

    E ran to her mother and gave her a tight hug, ¡°mother! Oh I¡¯m so d you¡¯re feeling better.¡±

    Emma Morrell held her daughter tightly in her arms and stroked her long red hair, ¡°oh darling I¡¯m fine.¡±

    The woman trailed her hands down to her daughter¡¯s arms and held them firmly, searching her beautiful face for any signs of lingering weakness, ¡°how are you doing darling? Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright mother.¡± E responded.

    There went E¡¯s ns of being distant and uncaring, after she had fully recovered from her ordeal with the prince of Gavaria, William and his fianc¨¦e rysa hade to see her and William had mentioned that their mother had fainted when E had lost consciousness at the knighting ceremony. E had been worried sick, when she had wanted to see her mother, she was told that her father had already left Gavaria for Meria so that his wife would recover from home.

    Nathan walked over to lord anddy Morrell and politely bowed to them, ¡°greetings my lord anddy,¡± he spoke with a sweet smile, ¡°I¡¯m d to see thatdy Morrell is fully recovered.¡±

    E¡¯s mother pulled Nathan in for a hug, much to everyone¡¯s surprise, even Nathan himself. In his life he had not experienced a lot of physical affection, even when he was a child, his own mother would shun him away, as if she was afraid of him or something. It was only his father and his nannies who would asionally carry him around. But after he got older, naturally he could not be touchy with his father or nannies except for the asional handshakes and back pats. E was the first woman he¡¯d ever embraced wholeheartedly in this life, and now, E¡¯s mother was hugging him. It felt nice.

    ¡°Thank you for taking care of my daughter Nathaniel, I¡¯m truly grateful.¡± Lady Morrell¡¯s voice was calm and sweet, it almost made Nathan cry, her affection reminded him of the much needed affection he¡¯d not received from his own mother.

    .....

    Nathan awkwardly hugged the woman back, ¡°it was my pleasuredy Morrell.¡±

    Wow, so this is what a mother¡¯s love felt like, it was extraordinary, just a simple hug like that brightened Nathan¡¯s entire day.

    Emma released the prince and smiled broadly at him. ¡°You two must be exhausted, why don¡¯t youe in for some food and rest.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much for the offer, but unfortunately I¡¯ll have to pass.¡±

    ¡°And why is that?¡± Lord Morrell who had been standing quietly finally spoke, ¡°You were by our daughters side during a troubling time your grace, allow us to show you a little gratitude.¡±

    ¡°I really appreciate that my lord,¡± Nathan responded, ¡°but my father will be waiting for me to give my report on the journey to Gavaria. I do however promise to visit tomorrow.¡±

    Nathan¡¯s smiled and winked at E, causing the girl to blush intensely. The little gesture had not escapeddy Morrell¡¯s eye, was her daughter officially involved with the prince? Oh how exciting!

    ¡°I¡¯m sure the king can-¡±

    ¡°Darling it¡¯s alright,¡± Emma interrupted her husband, ¡°the prince said he¡¯ll visit us tomorrow, nowe on let¡¯s give the children some privacy so they can say their goodbyes.¡±

    After much protesting, Lady Morrell managed to drag her husband into the castle, leaving Nathan and E alone.

    Nathan inched closer to the girl and took her hands in his. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow beautiful E.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± E responded, her heart pounding as the memories of their hot kiss on the carriage flooded her mind.

    Nathan smiled at E before letting her hands go and began walking towards the carriage.

    ¡°Nathan wait!¡±

    The prince halted in his tracks and turned to E, the girl took a deep breath and walked towards him. She wasn¡¯t going to make the same mistakes she had made with Jillian, withholding affection until it was toote.

    The girl got on her toes so she could reach Nathan¡¯s face and kissed the tall silver haired prince on the cheek. ¡°Thank you Nathan for everything.¡±

    Nathan had frozen in ce before E¡¯s voice brought him out of his reverie. He did not expect this, E had taken the initiative and kissed him? Even if it was just on the cheek it was more than what Nathan could ever expect from the reserved blue eyed woman. Sure she hadtched onto him back in Gavaria, but she was emotional back then, right now, she waspletely sober minded, meaning she had done it intentionally.

    Nathan wrapped his arms around E¡¯s waist and pulled her close to him. That little gesture had sent signals throughout Nathan¡¯s body, urging him to take her right here and now. Luckily Nathan was strong willed so he refrained from pouncing on her, instead, he captured her lips in his and kissed her tenderly.

    When he relinquished the girl, he hugged her one more time, ¡°you¡¯re more than wee E.¡±

    E watched prince Nathan hop onto the carriage and giving her a wave before riding off to the royal pce. She blushed lightly when she thought of how sweet and caring Nathan was to her, she finally made up her mind to stop resisting and just give into him. It was as clear as crystal that Nathan loved her with all his heart, so she would do her best to do the same.

    *

    The queen of Gavaria paced her son¡¯s room nervously, this could not be happening. Finally her wishes hade true and her son had finally found a woman he loved, but it turns out that this woman was the wife of another man, and not just any man, this woman was the wife of the crowned prince of Meria.

    The two kingdoms had just forged a an alliance with each other a few years ago, and in this time, Adam had never visited the foreignnd. So how on earth had hee across this woman?

    ¡°How do you know her?¡± The queen questioned her son, her feet practically wearing out the floor beneath her with her moving up and down.

    ¡°I met her a long time ago.¡± Adam responded.

    ¡°When? You¡¯ve never traveled to Meria!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t meet her in Meria, I met her somewhere else.¡± Adam made sure to keep his answers as vaguely as possible, he was sure that his mother already thought he was insane for being in love with another man¡¯s wife. If he told her that he met her in a past life, she was sure to have him locked up lunatic asylum.

    ¡°Where exactly?¡± The queen probed further, ¡°and when?¡±

    ¡°During one of our conquests.. mother does it really matter?¡±

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Adam¡¯s mother stopped in her tracks and looked at her son, worry and confusion whirling around in her eyes, ¡°Adam this is prince Nathaniel Aldos¡¯ wife! The future queen of Meria!¡±

    Adam rose from his seat and walked towards the open window, ¡°and so?¡±

    ¡°And so, your father worked really heard to forge an alliance with the kingdom of Meria Adam! And you¡¯re threatening to destroy all of that with petty matters of the heart.¡± There was desperation in the queen¡¯s voice, Adam could have chosen any woman, anyone else, even the woman of another man, but why did he have to fall for the wife of the heir to the Merian throne? If Adam continued pursuing the prince¡¯s wife, he would shutter the alliance of the two kingdoms and possibly cause a war. She would not allow that.

    ¡°Matters of my heart are not petty mother,¡± Adam responded curtly, ¡°I know for a fact that what I feel fordy E is real, and I will pursue her whether you support me or not! I love E and she belongs to me! Not to Nathan and not to anyone else!¡±

    The queen was absolutely dumbfounded, what had gotten over her son? Had that red haired girl cast some sort of spell on him? Of course, there was no other exnation as to why Adam would suddenly be behaving so irrationally, she had to be a witch. The red hair and those blue eyes were evident enough that she practiced sorcery.

    Adam and his mother stared each other down not saying a word, then suddenly there was a knock at Adam¡¯s door.

    ¡°Your grace!¡±

    It was one of their maids. ¡°Lady Boleyn is here to see the prince, shall I let her in?!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Adam looked sternly at his mother, ¡°I do not want her here mother.¡±

    ¡°Julia is a good girl Adam don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± the queen responded, her voice in a hushed tone but still firm nheless. ¡°She¡¯s actually here, she loves you and she isn¡¯t married to the crowned prince of our allied kingdom!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t force me to love her, that¡¯s not how it works!¡± Adam could feel his own blood equally boiling.

    ¡°I am opening that door and you are going to spend time with Julia, this is not up for discussion!¡±

    The queen walked to the door and grabbed the door handle. ¡°And this ridiculous talk of you being in love with prince Nathan¡¯s wife should never leave your lips ever again!¡±

    The queen swung the door open and smiled at Julia, ¡°hello darling,¡± she led Julia in and gave Adam a cold stare. ¡°Adam has been wanting to spend time with you.¡±

    ¡°He has?¡± Julia¡¯s lips curved into a smile, she thought Adam didn¡¯t like spending time with her.

    ¡°You two have fun, and Adam, do make Julia happy.¡±

 Chapter 28

    28 Chapter 28 : Tomorrow I¡¯ll ask E to be my wife!

    When prince Nathan arrived at the royal pce, he was greeted by the maids and butlers who all stood in two different queues bowing towards him.

    ¡°Wee home your grace.¡± They all said in unison.

    Nathan nodded and one of the butlers came forward and took his coat.

    ¡°Have you seen my father?¡± Nathan asked the butler, ¡°I need to give him my report of our trip to Gavaria.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace, the king informed me to let him know the minute you arrive, I shall let him know at once.¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you Jeffrey¡± Nathan responded, ¡°I will wait for him in the study.¡±

    The well dressed butler bowed and left to get the king, the other maids and butlers also excused themselves and Nathan made his way to the study.

    When Nathan opened the door to the study he was greeted by his lovely mother¡¯s face, queen Juliet Aldos. She was sitting on a sofa nose deep in a book and sipping on some tea, she had not noticed her sone in. The sight of her made Nathan¡¯s mind wonder back to how warmlydy Morrell had treated him, maybe it was time to build a bond with his own mother as well.

    ¡°Good afternoon mother, good to see you again.¡± The prince spoke enthusiastically

    .....

    When the queen lifted her eyes to look at who was speaking, she jolted backwards, almost falling off her chair. Nathan rushed to her side to try and help her but the queen abruptly stood up and scampered backwards.

    Nathan was surprised, the woman looked like she¡¯d seen a ghost. True, his mother had never really been fond of him, actually she had never been fond of any of her children. Nathan figured it was because her marriage to king Aldos was arranged and she was pretty much forced into it, so he understood her actions sometimes. But now she was acting stranger than usual, Nathan even had to look over his shoulder to see if maybe there was someone behind him who had startled her.

    ¡°Mother what¡¯s wrong?¡± Nathan asked the trembling woman, his voice was a little hurt. Was she afraid of him? Or did she really hate him that much.

    Juliet Aldos swallowed hard as she looked at her son, that dark aura that usually surrounded him had grown immensely, most likely due to him spending all those days with that Morrell girl. The vivid memories of the white haired witch¡¯s terrified face when she talked about Nathan was in repeat in her mind, what sort of monster had she given birth to?

    ¡°N- Nathan..¡± the woman whimpered, ¡°wee home my son, I didn¡¯t see youe in you gave me quite a fright.¡±

    She didn¡¯t want this creature to know that she knew what it really was in fear that it might kill her to silence her. The witch had said it would be ¡®the end of us all¡¯ so she had to keep a low profile until she could find a way to kill it.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry mother, let me help you clean up the mess,¡± Nathan inched closer to the table where the cup of tea had dropped and broken, spilling out its contents.

    ¡°No stay back!¡± The woman screamed, making Nathan halt in his tracks, ¡°errm sweetie you¡¯ll hurt yourself, you just stay here and I¡¯ll get a maid to clean it up.¡±

    Juliet forced a smile and turned away from Nathaniel, rushing towards the exit of the study. Nathan narrowed his eyes as he watched his mother leave the room. Juliet Aldos was a strange woman indeed.

    Momentster, the king walked into the study and gave his son a wide smile, ¡°ah my boy, good to see you.¡± The man gave Nathan a pat on the back and gestured him to take a seat.

    After the two men were seated, the king called for a butler and asked him to bring them a jug of wine and some cups.

    ¡°So tell me my boy, how was it?¡± King Bradley Aldos asked his son.

    ¡°It was great father, Gavaria weed us wholeheartedly,¡± Nathan responded. He took a cup which a maid had ced on the table and poured some wine for himself and his father.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear son, and the knighting ceremony? How did that go? I was told a little incident happened.¡±

    Nathan gulped down his wine and poured himself another cup, ¡°mydy wasn¡¯t feeling too well, but I assure you she¡¯s better now,¡± he responded, ¡°I¡¯m actually nning to go and see her at the Morrell household tomorrow.¡±

    King Bradley gulped down his wine and gave his son a mischievous smile, ¡°Nathan...¡±

    The prince looked up at his father, why was the king smiling at him like that? ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Could it be possible thatdy E is with child?¡±

    Nathan choked on his wine, he went into a coughing fit trying to get the wine out of his windpipe and the dirty thought out of his mind. Oh what he would give for E to carry his child, what he¡¯d give to savor every moment of the baby making process.

    ¡°She¡¯s not,¡± Nathan responded after his coughing had died down.

    ¡°Well what are you waiting for? This kingdom needs heirs, you¡¯re turning twenty five next year, you¡¯re not getting any younger.¡± The king sipped thest of his wine andy back on his chair. ¡°I want to retire next year Nathan, you¡¯ll have to take over. And I¡¯d feel a lot safer if you did that with an heir.¡±

    ¡°Why are you retiring?!¡± Nathan asked, he was a bit nervous, his father was not old and the man had the strength and agility of a thirty year old. So what had prompted this sudden decision? ¡°Are you sick?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in good health no need to worry,¡± the king responded, ¡°I just want to rx now, spend time with my wife, travel and all of that. I don¡¯t want to grow old and die on the throne. The sun is setting on my time as king my son, it¡¯s time it rose on yours.¡±

    ¡°Father I-¡±

    ¡°So you need officiate this rtionship you have withdy E,¡± Nathan¡¯s father¡¯s added on, ¡°The king of thisnd must have a queen, not a girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°Do you think this is the right time?¡±

    Nathan knew that E had finally opened up to him, and all the signs pointed to her being open to them having a real rtionship but would she ept to be his wife?

    ¡°You¡¯ll never know unless you try,¡± king Bradley responded, ¡°I can have the royal jeweler prepare a fine betrothal ne for her, you can ask her toe over tomorrow and ask her. You¡¯ve been together five years, it¡¯s about time you took it to the next level.¡±

    Nathan didn¡¯t notice but he had a huge grin on his face, his mind was filled with euphoria as his father¡¯s words echoed in his ears. E as his wife, E as his queen, E as Mrs Aldos. It sounded like a dream.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± The prince responded, the excitement and determination in his eyes brought a smile to king¡¯s face. ¡°Tomorrow, I will askdy E Morrell to be my wife!¡±

    *

    ¡°Good afternoon your grace,¡± Julia spoke as she made herselffortable on the sofa adjacent to the handsome dark haired prince who was sitting on his bed. ¡°You look very handsome today.¡±

    Julia was really excited, she had always known that Adam was just ying hard to get. He just needed a little time to finally own up to his feelings and fall for her. The queen had made it clear that he had been wanting to spend time with her, and of course she was more than willing to oblige. She couldn¡¯t believe that she was almost worried about that red head woman from the ceremony having taken Adam¡¯s attention away, clearly it was her he really wanted, he was just a little shy.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Julia but I have a lot going on right now,¡± Adam responded, his fingers gently massaging his sore temples, ¡°could you please behave.¡±

    Julia walked over to Adam¡¯s bed, she moved behind him and gently started rubbing his shoulders, ¡°I know your grace, you must be so stressed after all the events of this week, allow me to help you rx.¡±

    Adam removed Julia¡¯s hands from his shoulders and got up, ¡°Julia please, this is now getting ridiculous.¡±

    Julia lightly bit her bottom lip and looked up at the tall handsome man, her green eyes sparkling with desire. She had dreamt of the day she could finally have those strong arms wrapped around her body, the day she¡¯d burry her face into his strong chest, oh how she¡¯d love to wake up next to this man every single day.

    The young woman got off the bed and stood in front of the prince, ¡°don¡¯t be shy Adam, I know you want this as much as I do.¡±

    Julia reached out to Adam and trialed her finger along the buttons on his shirt, popping them open one at a time.

    Suddenly Adam grabbed her hand and red at her, ¡°Julia please, stop it.¡±

    The green eyed girl giggled and moved her hand to her blouse, untying the notes that were keeping her breasts hidden. When her bosom was in full view, she inched closer to Adam and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing his face closer to hers.

    Mere inches before their lips touched, Adam grabbed Julia¡¯s arms and pulled them off him.

    ¡°Julia,¡± his voice was deep and angry, ¡°you need to leave, now!¡±

    Julia looked at the prince wide eyed, how could he be resisting her? Couldn¡¯t he see she was offering herself to him? Couldn¡¯t he see her beautiful perky breasts?!

    Julia removed her arms from Adam¡¯s grasp and pushed herself against him, making them both fall backwards onto the sofa. The green eyed girl then pulled Adam¡¯s shirt and forcibly imed his lips in a kiss.

    Adam pushed the girl away and hurriedly stood up, putting some distance between him and Julia. ¡°What on earth has gotten into you Julia?! Have you lost your mind?!¡±

    ¡°Adam have you lost yours?!¡± Julia¡¯s eyes were misty, she felt so humiliated and embarrassed. She had literally thrown herself at this man and he so bluntly rejected her. ¡°I¡¯m young, I¡¯m beautiful, what more do you want Adam?!¡±

    ¡°Julia I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t like you in that way, stop trying to force things!¡±

    ¡°Then you must be either stupid or blind!¡± Julia screamed, ¡°why on earth would any man ever resist me?! I¡¯m the most beautiful woman in all the five kingdoms!¡±

    ¡°I love someone else Julia!¡±

    Julia¡¯s eyes went round, it took her a few seconds for her brain to process what her ears had just heard, in love with someone else? Who? Which woman could ever hold a candle to her beauty?

    ¡°Get it through your head Julia!¡± Adam repeated, ¡°I love someone else, so please leave me alone!¡±

    The prince stormed off and mmed the door behind him, leaving the green eyed girl inplete shock. Had Adam really just turned her down? Her? Julia Boleyn? No, he must be under a spell.

 Chapter 29

    29 Chapter 29 : Priorities

    King James Burchard sat down at therge dining table and cleared his thought in an attempt to get the attention of his son, who seemed like he was lost in thought.

    ¡°Adam!¡± The king blurted out having noticed that his subtle attempts were futile.

    ¡°Oh good morning father, how did you sleep?¡± Adam questioned the king. His mind was a mess, he had so much he wanted to do but had no idea how he could execute it.

    ¡°How did YOU sleep? You look like you were up all night.¡± The king poured himself a cup of tea and brought it to his lips as he eyed his son. Adam¡¯s hooded brown eyes were even more hooded than usual this particr morning.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine father just those sted nightmares.¡±

    Adam indeed had not slept at all, but not because of his nightmares, in fact, he hadn¡¯t experienced the nightmares for a few days now, he had concluded that it was because he¡¯d finally met the woman who frequented his dreams. But damn it he hadn¡¯t even gotten the chance to talk to her, he had so many questions, did she also experience the same dreams? Is that why she was so startled when they firstid eyes on each other? Adam needed to know.

    ¡°Adam!¡±

    The prince awoke from his reverie, gosh he had been zoning out so muchtely. ¡°Yes father good morning.¡±

    The king face palmed, ¡°Son should I call Ronald the wizard? Maybe he can help with a stronger sleeping potion.¡±

    .....

    ¡°No need father I¡¯m quite alright,¡± the prince responded as he brought his own cup to his lips. He immediately gagged, but steeled his heart hard enough to swallow the tea that had long gone cold. How long had he zoned out exactly?

    ¡°Alright?¡± The king added on, ¡°you didn¡¯t even hear what I just said.¡±

    Adam straightened his posture and focused on his father¡¯s face like a little boy in a ssroom trying hard to pay attention to his boring teacher. ¡°I¡¯m sorry father, what is it?¡±

    The king clicked his tongue andy back on his chair, ¡°My boy I¡¯m growing old,¡± the man spoke, ¡°I have spent over three quarters of my life already ruling over Gavaria. I think it¡¯s high time I took a rest.¡±

    Adam was more than attentive now, was his father saying what he thought he was saying?

    ¡°I wish to step down as king Adam, I want you to take over.¡±

    Adam¡¯s eyes went wide, from the time he was a little boy he¡¯d dreamed of the day he¡¯d finally take over from his father. He had literally spent his whole life preparing for this very moment, and it didn¡¯t help that he was his father¡¯s only child. This was supposed to be the happiest day of his life.

    But now his priorities had changed, he had new information that had peaked his interest. If his assumptions were right, Adam had lived another life before this one. And in that life, he was in love, in love with red haired girl, in love with Guinevere. Meeting her in this life was definitely not a coincidence, he was convinced without any reasonable doubt that it was destiny. He needed to travel to Meria and meet with her, so what if she was someone¡¯s wife? So what if she was with child? Adam would dly take the child and raise it as his own, with her by his side as his queen.

    But if he ascended to the throne now, he¡¯d never have the time to travel to Meria. All the royal duties would take up all of his time and he would lose his love forever, he couldn¡¯t let that happen.

    ¡°Father, you¡¯re still a very capable king,¡± Adammented in hopes of postponing his father¡¯s decision, ¡°the kingdom trusts you greatly, and it would take time for them to get used to a new ruler. This is so abrupt, I think we should ease the people into the transition.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense my boy, which Gavarian doesn¡¯t know the great and capable prince Adam Burchard, conquer of Baiviles.¡±

    Damn, his father was right. Even though Adam was merely a prince, the citizens already respected him greatly. In fact, if Adam was being honest, he had gained even more poprity than his own father. Curse his hard work and charm, who knew they¡¯d one day work against him. Luckily, Adam had one more strategy, hisst trump card.

    ¡°I understand father,¡± the prince responded, ¡°but I would like to travel the continent before I ascend to the throne. You promised me years ago that you would let me travel to my heart¡¯s content when the alliance with Meria was finalized. But because of all the royal duties, I haven¡¯t had the time, it¡¯s only fair to let me go now.¡±

    King Burchard stroked his chin thoughtfully, his son was right, he had promised him the freedom to travel, and the king was known to be a man of his word, even to his own family.

    The king opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the queen who had mmed her hand on the dining table.

    ¡°Adam Alexander Burchard what on earth is wrong with you!¡± The queen yelled

    This was the first time any of the two men had seen the queen this upset, she was usually a calm, sweet andposed woman. So whatever had infuriated her must have been really bad indeed.

    ¡°Lord Boleyn was here and he told me you disgraced her daughter!¡± The queen yelled, ¡°why would you do that to such a nice girl Adam? She cares deeply for you and you sent her home crying! Lord Boleyn says Julia has been locked up in her room since yesterday.¡±

    Adam sighed heavily, Julia was proving to be a real problem, why on earth was she being so dramatic about the whole thing? She was not the first woman to be rejected and neither would she be thest.

    ¡°Mother with all due respect,¡± Adam spoke, ¡°I told you I do not have feelings for Julia and you need to stop forcing her on me.¡±

    ¡°Forcing her on you?!¡± The queen dragged out a chair, sat down and red at her son.

    The king just sat and watched from the other side of the table, he didn¡¯t want to get involved and also earn a scolding from his wife, no thank you, he¡¯d rather focus on his breakfast.

    ¡°What about you Adam huh? Aren¡¯t you plotting to force yourself onto another man¡¯s wife?!¡±

    King Burchard coughed hysterically, he choked on his tea when his wife mentioned Adam wanting another man¡¯s wife.

    ¡°What is this I¡¯m hearing?!¡± The king question his son between his coughs, ¡°have we run short of women In Gavaria? Adam is what your mother saying true?!¡±

    Adam pinched the skin between his brows in frustration, why did his mother have to show up now? Just before his father was about to give him permission to go see the woman he loved.

    ¡°And you¡¯ll never guess who the woman is your grace,¡± his mother continued

    ~please don¡¯t~

    ¡°The wife to the crowned prince of Meria, prince Nathaniel Aldos.¡±

    The king furrowed his brows, the blue eyed woman with the red hair? The man honestly couldn¡¯t me his son for being smitten by the girl, she looked like a goddess, but the repercussions of pursuing that woman would be dire.

    ¡°My son, there are many women in our kingdom just pick one, any one.¡± The king was now a little desperate, the conflict that would arise if he allowed his son to cultivate those feelings might spark a war.

    Suddenly, a thought crossed the kings mind, ¡°Is that why you want to travel? You want to go after prince Nathan¡¯s wife? I cannot allow that!¡±

    Adam suddenly stood up and red at his father, ¡°that¡¯s not fair! You promised me father, what kind of king goes against his word?!¡±

    King Burchard equally stood up, the two men¡¯s angry faces only inches apart. ¡°I will not allow you to sever the alliance between our two kingdoms Adam, don¡¯t be foolish!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your permission!¡± Adam fired back, ¡°I can leave whenever I deem fit!¡±

    ¡°Not if I tell every soldier in Gavaria to stop you! I¡¯m still the king, and my word isw!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a selfish king!¡± Adam roared

    It took every ounce of control in the king¡¯s body to stop himself from smacking the insolence off his son¡¯s face

    ¡°You married the woman you love, why can¡¯t I do what I want?!¡± Adam added on

    ¡°You want to travel so badly?! Well fine, you¡¯re free to go!¡± The king roared, ¡°But you can only leave this kingdom a married man Adam!¡±

    Adam¡¯s eyes widened, had it reallye to this? His father was going to force him to marry someone? This was low, especially for a king.

    Adam pushed his tes and cups of the table in anger, sending them crushing on the floor. His blood was boiling so much he felt like passing out. The young prince didn¡¯t even know he was capable of such anger, it actually scared him a little.

    Adam kicked back his chair and stormed out of the dining room. So his father wanted to y dirty? Fine, two could y at that game.

 Chapter 30

    30 Chapter 30 : He stole your future queen

    ¡°Which dress do you prefer mydy?¡±

    E tighten her bathrobe and walked up to the rack that had various dresses disyed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± E responded, ¡°which one do you think would look nice?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen how his grace looks at you when you wear blue mydy,¡± the maid spoke. She took out a baby blue dress and held it against E¡¯s body, ¡°I think he likes it on you, besides, it really brings out your eyes mydy.¡±

    E took the blue dress and looked at it in therge mirror, it really did bring out her eyes. She blushed at the thought of Nathan looking at her, did he really look at her different when she wore blue? She hadn¡¯t noticed.

    ¡°How does his grace look at me Maria?¡± E asked the maid

    The maid smiled and walked closer to herdy, helping her out of her robe and into the the flowy dress. ¡°Like the most beautiful woman he¡¯s ever seen,¡± she responded, ¡°even a blind man can see how smitten he is by you mydy.¡±

    As Maria proceeded to brushing E¡¯s hair and putting some light make up on her,dy Morrell walked into the room and smiled warmly at her daughter. She was so grateful that even though she only had one girl, she was as beautiful and as elegant as E.

    ¡°I remember someone saying and I quote, ¡®me and Nathan are just friends and we will never be together, ever.''¡±

    E rolled her eyes at her mother and smiled, ¡°good morning to you too mother.¡±

    .....

    Lady Morrell chuckled and sat down on E¡¯s bed, ¡°and yet here you are dressing pretty for Nathan.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with me wanting to look nice for a guest mother.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Emma walked to her daughter and fixed the hairpin holding her hair, ¡°blue,¡± the woman spoke with a smile, ¡°lovely choice, I see how the prince looks at you when you wear blue.¡±

    ¡°Am I the only one who doesn¡¯t know this?¡± E responded, this was the second time someone was telling her about Nathan liking it when she wore blue.

    ¡°Hurry up ande down stairs, there¡¯s someone waiting for you,¡± Emma added on

    ¡°Nathan is here?¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself sweetheart it¡¯s the coach man.¡±

    E felt a little embarrassed, she didn¡¯t expect to feel so excited at the thought of Nathan waiting for her downstairs, gosh what was happening to her?

    ¡°Why is the coachman here?¡± E questioned her mother, ¡°wasn¡¯t Nathan supposed to join us for lunch?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s been a change of ns sweetie, he wants you at the royal pce,¡± Emma nted a kiss on E¡¯s head and turned to leave, ¡°hurry downstairs.¡±

    Why did Nathan suddenly want her at the pce and note home? Was he busy ?

    ¡°I have a good feeling about today mydy¡± the maid spoke, ¡°you and the prince have grown even closer than before, I¡¯m assuming he feels it¡¯s time.¡±

    E looked up at the maid who was brushing her hair, ¡°time? Time for what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said too much already mydy,¡± the maid responded with a smile.

    She ced the brush down and curtsied, ¡°I¡¯m done mydy, you¡¯re ready.¡±

    *

    ¡°Juliet! Juliet my dear aren¡¯t you ready?¡±

    Juliet Aldos walked towards her husband and curtsied, ¡°I¡¯m ready your grace but could you please tell me where we¡¯re rushing off to?¡±

    ¡°I want us to give the children some privacy of course,¡± the king responded, ¡°we¡¯ll go and spend some time at our vi in the hills, think of it as a little getaway.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean your grace?¡±

    ¡°Today my dear, our son bes a man,¡± the king¡¯s face was beaming with pride and joy, ¡°today Nathan will askdy E to be his wife!¡±

    Juliet felt the ground beneath her feet spin, Nathan would marry E Morrell? No this can¡¯t be, his aura was already so devastating after just spending five days with that woman and now he would spend every waking moment with her?

    ¡°B- but your grace,¡± the queen stammered, ¡°don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too soon? I mean.. I mean.. the children barely know each other.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, they¡¯re not children anymore,¡± the king responded with a chuckle, ¡°they¡¯ve known each other long enough, it¡¯s about time they tied the knot.¡±

    The king took his wife¡¯s hand and dragged her towards the exit, ¡°let¡¯s be on our way,dy E will be here any minute.¡±

    *

    Nathan was pacing up and down with his heart pounding, he had never felt so nervous in his life. Would E ept his proposal? Good lord what if she hated the betrothal ne he had made.

    The prince opened the little box containing the silver ne encrusted with three blue diamonds on a pendant. When the door abruptly opened, the prince almost dropped the box in a panic. He was unusually jumpy today

    ¡°Good God man!¡± The prince grumbled as she looked up at the butler at the door.

    ¡°Forgive me your grace butdy E has arrived,¡± the butler responded.

    Nathan quickly closed up the box and fixed his already perfect outfit. ¡°Please Theo send her in.¡±

    The butler opened the door wide and stepped aside to let E into the dining room. To Nathan, the beautiful woman looked like she was walking in slow motion. Her red hair gently swayed with the breeze that blew into the room through the windows, her blue eyes glistened and that blue dress, gosh that dress, Nathan swallowed hard and lightly tagged on his cor. He couldn¡¯t believe this woman would soon be his wife, truly the gods were on his side.

    E stood a few feet from the prince and curtsied, ¡°your grace.¡±

    The blue eyed woman couldn¡¯t bring herself to look into Nathan¡¯s honey brown eyes, the prince looked so unbelievably handsome that one would wonder if this man was even human. He had on a cream button up shirt, leather ck pants, and his hair which he had grown out was neatly tied in a ponytail, exposing his beautifully curved face.

    Nathan took E¡¯s hand and kissed it, ¡°you look exquisitedy E,¡± he spoke lovingly, ¡°please join me at the table.¡±

    The dining table was decorated with scented candles and beautiful flowers and cutlery. When the pair took their seats, maids started flocking into the room, filling their tes with delicious foods.

    ¡°What¡¯s the asion?¡± E questioned the man before her, ¡°I don¡¯t think my birthday is for another two months.¡±

    Nathan smiled at the woman and shook his head, ¡°it¡¯s a surprise, I¡¯ll let you know when we¡¯re done with lunch.¡±

    *

    Adam winced when the light from the outside struck his his eyes. The man who had opened the wagon door bowed slightly and opened the door wider.

    ¡°Your majes... umm my lord, we¡¯ll rest here for a bit to water the horses,¡± the man spoke to Adam, ¡°you should step out and get some fresh air.¡±

    Adam nodded and hopped off the wagon, still tightly securing his hood over his head. He walked to the stream and got down on his knees so he could get a drink of water. He looked at his reflection in the water and sighed, the bumpy wagon ride and luck of sleep was starting to take a tow on him.

    ¡°Adam how do you expect to capture Guinevere¡¯s heart when you look like you got ran over by a wagon as opposed to riding in one.¡±

    After his confrontation with his father, Adam gathered some of his right hand men and asked them to pose with him as merchants and their lord who were traveling for trade, so they could leave Gavaria unnoticed and head to Meria. There was no way in hell he was going to be forced into marriage when the love of his life was out there.

    They had left the capitalte in the evening and traveled all through the night, and now they had reached the next town Crasmere. If they moved carefully and avoided confrontation, they would reach Meria in five days.

    ¡°My lord, we have some wine and bread, you should eat and replenish your strength.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Odran,¡± the prince responded, ¡°I¡¯ll be right with you.¡±

    Adam washed his face in the water and felt a bit more refreshed thank before. He walked back the the wagon and took a seat with his six men, who were also valiant knights, Odran, Zander, Ivan, Ozias, Rnd and Beric. It was with these men by his side that Adam was able to to conquer the kingdom of Baiviles. He trusted these men with his life.

    ¡°My lord, we have not discussed what exactly we are going to do in Meria,¡± Zander asked

    Zander was a tall slender yet well built man with long golden hair and brown eyes. He always moved with a quiver of arrows on his back and had a thing for long dark cloaks.

    ¡°Is it an intelligence mission? Are we gathering intel?¡± Ozias was the next to ask.

    Ozias was the biggest of the group, his hair was cut short in a fade and he had a rather rough exterior, he almost looked like a Viking warrior.

    Adam put down his cup and looked up at his men, ¡°Someone stole something very important to me,¡± he spoke calmly, ¡°and our job is to go and get it back.¡±

    The men exchanged confused nces, who in their right mind would steal from the crowned prince? Didn¡¯t they know the repercussions of such a thing?

    Beric, the youngest of the group cleared his throat and asked the question that was on everyone¡¯s mind, ¡°who is it that stole from you my lord, and what is it that they stole exactly?¡±

    Adam gulped down thest of his wine and mmed down the cup, ¡°the crowned prince, Nathaniel Aldos,¡± he responded coldly, ¡°he stole my wife, your future queen.¡±

 Chapter 31

    31 Chapter 31 : Will you do me the honor of bing my wife

    The silver haired prince watched E in awe as she lightly dubbed her lip after she had finished her meal.

    ¡°What is it?¡± She questioned the man who looked like he¡¯d been hypothesized, ¡°why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just so beautiful E,¡± he responded. Nathan gently ced his hand on E¡¯s and stared at her like she was some valuable piece of jewelry, ¡°the color blue really brings out your eyes, I adore it on you.¡±

    [so I¡¯m told]

    ¡°Would you like to take a walk with me through the garden?¡± Nathan got up and stretched his arm out to her

    E epted his invitation in a heartbeat, she took Nathan¡¯s hand and walked with him towards therge ss doors that led to the massive pce gardens. As the two beautiful humans walked along the stone paved paths of the botanical wondend, many maids were stealing little nces at them and chattering happily among themselves.

    ¡°I wonder what their babies will look like.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be so adorable, I mean look at them, they¡¯re so perfect together.¡±

    ¡°They look like characters out of a fantasy novel, so beautiful.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Our prince is one lucky man indeed.¡±

    ¡°I think ourdy is the lucky one, look at that tall ss of-¡±

    ¡°Hey that¡¯s your prince you¡¯re talking about, hush up!¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s hot-¡±

    ¡°Shut it!¡±

    E¡¯s grip around Nathan¡¯s arm tightened, catching the handsome man¡¯s attention. ¡°What¡¯s wrong E?¡±

    ¡°It just feels like everyone is staring at us,¡± E responded meekly.

    ¡°Well of course they are, you¡¯re very beautiful love. And besides, everyone always stares at you.¡±

    E pouted her lips when she heard Nathan chuckle at his own statement. Well it was true that every time her and Nathan were together most of the people around the castle would stop and stare, but it felt a little too exaggerated this time around.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because they know that today is a special day,¡± Nathan whispered, a grin painting his andsome face.

    The prince was incredibly nervous about proposing to E but luckily he didn¡¯t let it show, being calm and collected even in times where others would be losing their mind was his specialty.

    E looked up at Nathan with narrowed eyes, ¡°a special day? Am I missing something?¡±

    E suddenly halted in ce, she released Nathan¡¯s arm and covered her mouth with both hands, ¡°oh my gosh don¡¯t tell me I forgot your birthday or something?!¡±

    Nathan chuckled in amusement, oh how cute E was, did she have any idea what her expressions and gestures did to him? The man had to take a deep breath as he walked towards the adorable blue eyed beauty, so as to stop himself from grabbing her and kissing that adorable pout off her face.

    He pulled her close to him and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, ¡°of course not E, my birthday is still months away.¡±

    ¡°Then why is this day so special?¡±

    Nathan nibbled the inside of his lower lip, clearly this woman did not know the extent of the control she had on him. Just merely watching her lips move when she spoke was enough to get him whirled up.

    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll show you.¡± He led E to a bench by a little swanke that was nowpletely surrounded by beautiful purple wild mirines.

    E felt her heart flutter at the site of the flowers, ¡°it¡¯s so funny,¡± she spoke, ¡°back when I was in Mirine I barely paid any mind to these flowers, and now they¡¯re the only connection I have to the ce.¡±

    E bent down and picked one of the flowers, twirling it gently in her fingers, ¡°they now hold so many memories.¡±

    Nathan took the flower from E¡¯s hand and ced it in her red hair, ¡°I told you, you don¡¯t have to bare those sad memories all on your own,¡± the prince held her hands in his and smiled tenderly, ¡°I¡¯m here now, and I always will be. And that¡¯s why-¡±

    Nathan pulled out a small white box from his pocket and presented it to E, ¡°E Morrell,¡± he opened the box, revealing the beautiful ne within.

    ¡°N- Nathan is that...?¡±

    The handsome prince got off the bench and got down on one knee.

    E¡¯s eyes circled and she instinctively covered her mouth with her hands.

    ¡°I love you E, will you please do me the honor of bing my wife?¡±

    *

    Adam jolted upright in a panic, his breath was heavy and he was sweating profusely.

    ¡°Your majesty are you okay?¡±

    The prince scanned his environment and sighed in relief when he saw that he was still in the wagon. Now that the road was a lot smoother, Adam had managed to nod off a bit, but unfortunately the little nap had not been pleasant.

    Adam had had a terrible nightmare about Guinevere, she was being led away by some men towards a room that was barricaded with steal bars, and in that room prince Nathaniel Aldos was standing in the shadows with a menacing grin on his face and glowing red eyes. Guinevere kept screaming his name but he could not reach her.

    Adam wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned back on the wagon walls, ¡°We have to move quickly Ivan,¡± Adam spoke, ¡°I have a bad feeling that something terrible is about to happen.¡±

    ¡°Is it about yourdy your majesty, do you think she¡¯s in trouble?¡±

    ¡°I do, I think Nathan may be keeping her against her will,¡± Adam added on, ¡°I need to save her and I feel like I¡¯m running out of time.¡±

    Ivan nodded in understanding, when the prince had exined how in love he was with this woman,he was so passionate and sure that it made Ivan¡¯s heart melt. Was she the reason he had not shown any interest in any woman all these years? Wow, how could he not help his prince, his good friend take back the love of his life.

    ¡°No need to worry your grace,¡± Ivan responded, ¡°We will bringdy Guinevere home.¡±

    *

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe him!¡± King Burchard roared, ¡°your son actually took off to.. to see that woman!¡±

    ¡°Is he only my son when he crosses you?!¡± the Queen spat back, ¡°when he was the perfect little prince he was your son as well, or have you forgotten?!¡±

    King Burchard took a seat and ran his hands through his hair, ¡°Adam will surely be the death of me, why does he want to stir up a war over a woman?! We have to send the knights after him before it¡¯s toote.¡±

    Adam¡¯s mother sat down besides her husband and spoke to him sternly and clearly, ¡°no, war is already inevitable.¡±

    ¡°What?! Are you saying you want to take on Meria in battle?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that our son is bewitched James!¡± The queen blurted out, ¡°there¡¯s no other exnation, this isn¡¯t the Adam we know and you know it. That Merian woman must have done something to him at the knighting ceremony I just know it. That¡¯s a direct attack to the throne!¡±

    ¡°If there will be war between Meria and Gavaria,¡± the queen spoke as she inched closer to her husband, ¡°it will be for the right reason. And Gavaria will have the upper hand.¡±

    ¡°Hmm..¡±

    Julia halted in her tracks and ducked behind the door. War? What war where the king and queen talking about?

    ¡°Our son is not himself James, they probably sent that little redheaded witch to curse him so he wouldn¡¯t be fit to rule our kingdom, without him as heir Gavaria will crumble.¡±

    ¡°You have a point,¡± King Burchard responded, ¡°the Merian empire must have been nning this all along, this must be the war the wizard Ronald was talking about. Those bustards!¡±

    ¡°We need to strike them down before they kill our son.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    The king and queen all turned to look at the young woman who was standing at the doorway.

    ¡°Pardon me for eavesdropping your grace but please allow me to go and fetch Adam!¡± Julia begged, ¡°if Adam truly is under a spell, and war breaks out while he¡¯s still in Meria he may not survive.¡±

    Julia made her way to where the king and queen were sitting and bowed her head respectfully, ¡°I will bring him home your grace, and I will personally kill that little wench who cast a ratchet love spell on my Adam.¡±

    Julia strangely felt happy after hearing this new development. It all made perfect sense now, there¡¯s no way Adam could not be interest in her, of course it had to be a spell. That red haired woman was a witch and that must be the only exnation. That would also exin her little performance at the knighting ceremony and why Adam had been so rude to her afterwards, it was probably the consequence of her dark magic.

    *

    E looked at the little ne in the box, her lungs trying their hardest to pump air into her body. Nathan was asking her to marry him? I mean she had made up her mind to return his love but she didn¡¯t expect that he would take it this far.

    But was it so bad though? I mean Nathan was the perfect man, handsome, kind, brave and honest. He made her feel safe and protected and every time she was with him she actually felt like she wasn¡¯t so alone in the world. Wouldn¡¯t it make sense for them to be married?

    E lowered her hands from her mouth and nodded her head up and down.

    Nathan watched her movements with much attention but he still couldn¡¯t believe that she had agreed, ¡°is... is that a yes?¡±

    ¡°It is..¡± E spoke with a sweet smile

    ¡°Oh my gods E!¡± Nathan fidgeted with the little box so he could remove the ne. Why in god¡¯s name where his hands so damn shaky today?!

    The prince suddenly felt E¡¯s soft hands hold his, her blue eyes urging him to rx.

    [Calm down Nathan, I won¡¯t change my mind]

    Nathan took a deep breath and gently removed the ne from the box.

    *May I?*

    E lifted her red hair to one side and the prince secured the ne around her beautiful long neck. My gods it looked absolutely stunning on her.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Nathan asked the blue eyed woman, he could do very little to hide the excitement in his voice. He felt like a little boy who had just gotten a new toy on Christmas.

    E shifted the ne a bit and nodded, ¡°it¡¯s a little itchy but I love it.¡±

    ¡°Itchy?¡± Nathan started to panic, was the silver fake?

    ¡°It¡¯s alright Nathan it¡¯s probably because I¡¯m not big on wearing nes,¡± she leaned in to him and nted a kiss on his soft lips, ¡°it¡¯s perfect.¡±

    Nathan held E¡¯s face firmly between his palms and reeled her in for a long passionate kiss, the kind of kiss that would turn any decent woman shameless in mere seconds. Good lord why was this man so alluring.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s perfect E,¡± Nathan whispered in soft sexy voice, his bad boy side smile didn¡¯t do much to help E out of her daze from their kiss, ¡°or should I say, the future Mrs Aldos.¡±

    .....

    Nathaniel pulled the redhead in for another kiss, hungrily exploring all the corners of her mouth as if marking his territory. Finally Epletely belonged to him and him alone, prince Adam could suck it.

 Chapter 32

    32 Chapter 32 : Arrival in Meria

    The wagon came to a sudden halt, jolting its upants awake. Rnd and Odran rashly opened the wagon door and peeked in, their faces indicating a sense of urgency and worry.

    ¡°We¡¯re here your grace,¡± Rnd spoke in a whisper, ¡°We¡¯re in Dale, the shire on the boarder of Meria.¡±

    Rnd was an average height man with pricing blue eyes, long jet ck hair and soft and delicate facial features. It was actually almost odd to call Rnd handsome because the man had such a beautiful face. So beautiful that one could almost mistake him for a woman, and that¡¯s why he kept a scruffy beard and worked out constantly to maintain his buff physique. One time when he was younger, a young man had actually confessed his love to him because he thought Rnd was a beautiful female, the whole ordeal was so disturbing that Ronald vowed to keep himself looking as masculine as possible. He even used to intentionally skip bathing once in a while so he could maintain his ¡®man stench¡¯.

    Adam sat up and pulled his hood over his head, scanning the terrain through the crack of the open wagon door ¡°then why did we stop?¡± He questioned the two men, ¡°is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°Well, it seems there is tight security at the boarder your grace,¡± Odran responded, ¡°we hear that there is some gathering of some sort happening at the capital, many nobles from all over the continent are to gather at the royal pce, so they¡¯re taking extra precautions.¡±

    ¡°A gathering huh?¡± Adam was thoughtful for a minute, he had not received any notice of a gathering in Meria. Had he not been invited or had the invite reached Gavaria after he had already left?

    The handsome prince reached into his pocket and took out an improvised fake mustache and beard, made from some of his hair and sticky wax. He neatly put them over his face and jumped out of the wagon.

    ¡°Let me handle this,¡± he spoke, ¡°you stay here and keep your eyes and ears peeled in case of anything. It¡¯s adamant that no one knows who I am till we reach the capital.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace,¡± the men whispered in unison.

    .....

    Adam slowly walked towards the guards who where blocking the road and inspecting the different wagons that were entering and leaving the kingdom. The gathering must have been very important for them to be so thorough with their security. The ce was so packed with guards and knights that even though Meria and Gavaria had an alliance, Adam felt like he was about to enter enemy territory.

    ¡°Oi, and what be your business here?!¡±

    A guard stepped up to Adam and blocked his path, ¡°Where are you from?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a lord from Merine sir, here with some of my men and merchants,¡± Adam responded. He made sure to keep his hood down just in case someone would recognize him.

    ¡°What are ye hiding under that cloak?¡±

    Adam¡¯s heart started racing when the guard started reaching for the hood of his cloak, but luckily, just before the man could rip the hood off, amotion broke out behind them between a merchant who was trying to smuggle illegal ale and a knight.

    ¡°Stay right here, I¡¯ll be back for ye.¡±

    Immediately the guard turned away, Adam gestured his men to move the wagon past the check point while the guards were distracted. They would take the opportunity to act like their wagon had already been inspected and allowed to proceed into Dale.

    By the time the guard came back to interrogate Adam, he exined to him that his wagon had already been inspected and allowed to go ahead.

    ¡°Very well,¡± the guard responded, ¡°go on get outta here.¡±

    The prince nodded gratefully and walked on ahead towards his wagon.

    ¡°Oi!¡±

    ~damn it~

    Adam turned around and gave the guard a forced smile

    ¡°Are ye hauling supplies for the grand wedding?¡±

    Grand wedding? Is that what the gathering was about? Who was getting married and why hadn¡¯t he heard anything about it?

    ¡°The crowned prince is wedding such a beauty, it be why all these wagons are off to the capital.¡±

    The guard snorted and spit out some saliva near Adam¡¯s feet. ¡°These royals act like their money throws cuss words at them, they throw it around like it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Adam tried his best to keep himself from smacking the guard in the face, what a foul man, pity the soul who was married to this big oaf.

    ¡°Yes sir, we haul the finest wine in all the continent,¡± Adam responded calmly, ¡°I best be going, I wouldn¡¯t want to bete and miss the event.¡±

    ¡°Alright be on way then.¡±

    Adam turned and walked away, his mind trying to piece together the information that he had received. The crowned prince was getting married? But didn¡¯t he say he was already married to Guinevere? Unless he lied. But why would Nathan lie about the rtionship between him and-

    Adam halted in his steps.

    ~that bastard!~

    When the prince got back into the wagon, his men could see that his mood had soured up. Had he had an unfriendly encounter with the guard?

    ¡°How far to the capital?¡± Adam asked

    ¡°A day and a half your grace,¡± Beric responded, ¡°did something happen?¡±

    ¡°I just realized that we¡¯re dealing with a devil,¡± Adam responded coldly, ¡°We have no time to waste, we must reach the capital quick.¡±

    Adam was so furious, the only reason he¡¯d relented from speaking with Guinevere was because Nathan had said they were married. If he lied about that, it meant he was doing one of two things; either he was buying himself time to propose to Guinevere because he felt threatened by Adam, or he knew about the rtionship between Adam and Guinevere and purposely lied so he could keep her for himself.

    For the sake of Nathan¡¯s head Adam prayed it was the former.

    *

    Meanwhile in the Merian royal capital, E¡¯s mother was giving instructions to the maids on how to ce the items of E¡¯s new chambers in the royal pce. After E¡¯s engagement to the prince, as per the tradition, she was moved to the royal pce where she would be given a private room until the wedding day. After which, her husband would join her in the new chambers to consummate their marriage before moving her to his own chambers.

    ¡°No no take it out, it looks absolutely dreadful there,¡± E¡¯s mother instructed the maids who had ced a ss coffee table in the center of the room. ¡°Take it out to the balcony and add some chairs there too.¡±

    The two maids curtsied and took the table out to the balcony.

    Meanwhile E was busy finishing up her letters to William, Alexander, Jonathan and Bahram, inviting them to the wedding. As she scribbled out her letters, she was constantly scratching the skin on her neck where the neckceid, and this did not escape her mother¡¯s watchful eyes.

    Emma walked over to her daughter and pulled the woman¡¯s red hair to the side, ¡°honey your skin is getting all red, I think you should take the ne off.¡±

    E cocked her neck to the side and put her hair back in it¡¯s original position. ¡°I¡¯m fine mother,¡± she responded, ¡°my neck isn¡¯t used to being adorned with jewelry, I just need some time to adjust.¡±

    E signed thest letter, careful rolled it and secured it with a red ribbon. ¡°Besides, Nathan went through a lot of trouble to have this specially made for me, imagine how offended he¡¯ll be if I take it off.¡±

    Beforedy Morrell could respond there was a faint knock at the door, a maid walked in and curtsied respectfully before informing the two women that King Aldos and his wife had returned, and were asking the Morrells to join them for a small celebratory dinner to congratte E and Nathan on their engagement.

    ¡°Thank you for letting us know dear, tell them we will be there.¡± Emma responded.

    The maid curtsied again and exited the room.

    Momentster, there was another knock at the door and this time it was Nathan who walked in.

    E rose from her seat and joined her mother in a curtsy.

    ¡°Let me head home and fetch your father,¡±dy Morrell spoke sheepishly, ¡°we¡¯ll see you two at the dinner.¡±

    When E¡¯s mother left, Nathan cleared his throat, the little gesture was enough to let the maids who were straightening out the room know that the prince required some privacy with hisdy. They all gathered their brooms and mops and hurried out of the room, closing the door tightly shut behind them.

    ¡°What do you have behind your back?¡± E questioned the silver haired prince who was holding something away from E¡¯s line of view.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show what it is if you give me something in return.¡± Nathan responded. There was a certain naughtiness in his voice that made E bite down on her lip

    She inched closer to him and tried to peek behind him but Nathaniel was too quick, he moved back and gave her a sly smile, ¡°uh uh uh, no cheating.¡±

    E rolled her eyes at the man, why was he being such a tease? ¡°Okay fine,¡± she responded, her hands crossed over her chest, ¡°what is it that you want Nathan? I don¡¯t have much on me.¡±

    ¡°Oh but you do,¡± Nathan responded, his deep voice low and subtle, ¡°you just have to learn to share.¡±

    E creased her brows as she looked at his face, he had that look again, that look that turned decent women into degenerate thirsty and shameless puppets, bending to his every whim.

    Nathan moved towards the girl and stopped only inches away from her face, ¡°are you going to share?¡±

    E nodded and leaned in to Nathan, making him instinctively close his eyes. The redhead brushed her lips past his and nted a kiss on his nose, right before snatching the box he was holding away from him.

    Nathan opened his eyes and watched E stride to the bed to put the box down. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her yfulness, how could a sane man not fall for someone like her.

    E opened the box and took out a beautiful shimmering velvet blue dress. ¡°Oh my lord Nathan...¡±

    ¡°Do you like it?¡±

    E put the dress on the bed and ran into Nathan¡¯s arms, embracing him in a tight hug. ¡°I love it!¡±

    The prince cupped her face in his palms and smiled gently, ¡°put it on, we have dinner in an hour.¡±

    ¡°But the maids have all-¡±

    Nathan ced his index finger on her lips and flushed an incredibly seductive smile, ¡°I¡¯ll help you get ready.¡±

 Chapter 33

    33 Chapter 33 : Silver

    E gulped, Nathan would help her get ready? But didn¡¯t that mean that he¡¯d have to see her practically naked? The blue eyed woman was visibly shaking and her reaction brought a smile to the silver haired prince, her innocence was like an aphrodisiac to him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong E?¡± The prince asked, his face indicating that he was taunting her, ¡°in a few days you and I will, how did they put it again? Ah yes, churn the butter to consummate our marriage.¡±

    Nathan walked behind E and undid the ribbons that where holding her dress, making the woman¡¯s face the color of a tomato. ¡°I promised you I wouldn¡¯t touch you unless you ask me to so don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m merely helping you change.¡±

    E gasped and instinctively cupped her chest when the dress loosened and was about to fall, ¡°b- but Nathan..¡±

    Nathaniel moved to E¡¯s front and gave her the most adorable puppy eyes she¡¯d ever seen, curse those beautiful pools of honey that were perfectly sculpted on his face.

    ¡°Am I not allowed to look as well?¡±

    The girl turned her face away, the heat radiating from her cheeks would be enough to fry an egg. ¡°You are,¡± she responded softly.

    Nathan¡¯s face was painted with shock, he was actually ready for rejection but E had just agreed to his silly request, oh what a great day it was indeed. ¡°I am?¡± The prince asked the blushing woman once again, he really couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing.

    ¡°I mean, you are going to be my husband after all,¡± E responded, she turned to him and gave him a shy smile that made his throat go dry, ¡°we¡¯ll have to get used to seeing each other... you know.¡±

    .....

    Nathan shed an amused smile, gosh this woman, how was she so damn cute. ¡°Alright,¡± he responded softly as he lowered E¡¯s arms from her chest, ¡°let me help you dress up Mrs Aldos.¡±

    The prince slipped off her dress letting it fall down to her feet, E lifted her arms to cover herself but Nathaniel grabbed them and ced them back on her sides.

    ¡°Good God E..¡± Nathan spoke in horse voice

    Even though she was still covered in a sheer white chemise, the woman¡¯s beautiful curves and silky smooth skin were all in full disy. Nathan¡¯s eyes moved rapidly over every inch of her body, as if wanting the image of her to be permanently seared into his retinas.

    Nathaniel ced his hands on the woman¡¯s shoulders and run them down her arms before nting a kiss on her forehead. The amount of self control he had to exhibit so as to not ravage her right there and then was out of this world.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you dressed before you run me mad shall we?¡±

    Nathan¡¯s warm breath blowing on her forehead earned a small squeak from E, much to the prince¡¯s amusement, cheese and crackers this woman was so enticing.

    The prince released E and walked to the bed to fetch her dress, all the while chanting ¡®calm yourself¡¯ repeatedly in his mind, the wedding couldn¡¯te soon enough.

    *

    The celebratory dinner only consisted of king Aldos and his wife, Mr and Mrs Morrell and E and Nathan. But despite it being a small dinner, there was enough food and drinks to feed over thirty people.

    ¡°To the new couple,¡± king Bradley eximed excitedly with his cup in the air, ¡°the future king and queen of Meria, may they live long and give the kingdom many heirs!¡±

    ¡°Cheers!¡±

    E blushed lightly when Nathan gently kissed her temple, for the first time in long time she felt genuinely happy. She had a man who loved her to death, a family who cared and a wedding to look forward to. And this time, she was sure she would never lose Nathan because they were destined to be together, she had no more doubts about that.

    The woman sipped her wine and scratched her neck.

    [argh when will this exasperating itching stop?!]

    Nathan looked down at the woman concerned.

    *are you alright my love?*

    E nodded her head but kept scratching her neck, it¡¯s like the itching was now turning into a tingling burning sensation.

    *What¡¯s wrong E, did something bite you?¡±

    [No I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just this ne it¡¯s a little ufortable]

    *Let me have a look*

    Nathaniel inspected her neck and noticed her skin was red and inmed.

    ¡°E what happened?¡±

    E stood up and shrieked when the burning sensation on her neck increased, causing the upants of the table to drop what they were doing.

    ¡°It burns!¡± E shrieked.

    She started yanking the ne vigorously in an attempt to remove it.

    Nathan rose from his seat, rushed behind E and started working on the clip of the ne, luckily E¡¯s hair was tied up so it didn¡¯t take long for him to get it lose.

    The redhead yanked the piece of jewelry off and tossed it to the floor. Nathan pulled E into his embrace and inspected her neck, his face darkened in anger when he saw the scorch marks on her delicate skin.

    ¡°Summon the royal jewelers immediately!¡± The prince roared in anger. The two men at the doorway bowed and ran out of the room to do as they were told.

    Nathan took E in his arms and carried her out of the dining hall to her room, with everyone except queen Juliet following him behind.

    The prince kicked the door open,y E on the bed and turned to Maria, E¡¯s right hand maid, ¡°go get the physician, hurry!¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace.¡±

    Nathan stroked E¡¯s cheek in an attempt to calm the whimpering woman, ¡°it¡¯s alright my love, you¡¯ll be okay,¡± he whispered lovingly, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure whoever is responsible for this is held ountable.¡±

    The king and the Morrell¡¯s could only watch in worry, the poor child, incurring such a nasty injury just a few days before her wedding. Even if it healed, it was sure to leave a scar, no bride wanted to be scarred on the one day she was supposed to look absolutely wless.

    *

    Juliet walked towards the ne on the floor and inspected it, wondering what had happened for it to burn E¡¯s skin. She slowly reached for it and took it in her hand, but to her surprise she didn¡¯t feel a thing. She lifted the piece of jewelry to her neck and still nothing happened, to her it seemed like just another ordinary silver ne.

    Suddenly a thought crossed Juliet¡¯s mind, she remembered from the folklore stories she¡¯d heard when she was younger that there was always mention of silver having an effect on unholy creatures, since silver was considered a pure metal. If silver was forged into a dagger or sword, it was potent enough to kill these unholy creatures.

    The queen¡¯s mouth curved into a wicked smile, the gods must have been showing her a sign on how to finally rid their kingdom of these two dark entities. She stood up and ced the ne back on the floor where she found it, her brain working on how she would execute her n.

    It would be easier to kill the woman, she thought to herself, that way her son would not marry her and hopefully would grow weaker over time without her presence. And then one day when he was weak enough, she¡¯d kill him too.

    *

    William sheathed his sword and waved to his fellow knights, ¡°I¡¯m taking fiverades, go on without me.¡±

    He walked over to a log at the edge of the training course and sat down, it had been a long day of training the newly recruited knights, he couldn¡¯t wait to just go home andy down on ryssa¡¯sp.

    ¡°I hear the prince ran off for a woman, the talk is all over the castle.¡±

    William¡¯s ears perked up when he heard mention of the prince, he had noticed that prince Adam was rarely around these days, but he thought it was because he¡¯d fallen ill or gone on a mission of some sort.

    ¡°Ay I can confirm,¡± one of the maids added on, ¡°I was cleaning outside the prince¡¯s room when I heard him telling the queen he was in love with another man¡¯s wife.¡±

    The maids all gasped in unison

    ¡°Don¡¯t spout such nonsense Grace, they¡¯ll have your head!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± Grace continued in a hushed tone, ¡°he said the woman he was in love with is prince Nathan¡¯s wife.¡±

    William knitted his brows at the mention of ¡®prince Nathan¡¯s wife¡¯. Nathaniel didn¡¯t have a wife, unless they were talking about-

    ¡°I actually saw the Merian prince speaking to his majesty,¡± another maid added on, ¡°his majesty was begging for an audience with the woman but prince Nathaniel declined it, saying his wife was tired and stressed because she was with child.¡±

    ¡°Oh my what a scandal.¡±

    ¡°Oi! What are the lot of you doing lollygaging when there¡¯s work to be done?!¡±

    The little maids scampered towards the pce at the words of the head maid, leaving William in shock trying to process the information he¡¯d just heard. Why would Nathan lie about the extent of his rtionship with E to prince Adam? Was it because Adam was really in love with E and Nathan felt threatened by him?

    William was awoken from his reverie when his friend Sir Richard sat down next to him, he looked angry. ¡°I swear one of these days I¡¯ll beat Louis to a pulp,¡± the manined.

    ¡°Took the training too far again?¡± William responded with a chuckle

    ¡°Almost took my bloody eye out that bugger,¡± Richard snarled while rubbing his sore cheek, ¡°just because he looks like the prince he thinks he¡¯s royalty? I¡¯ll knock him down a peg or two.¡±

    William nced at his friend, ¡°he looks like the prince?¡±

    ¡°Aye, just put him in some fancy clothes and he could pass off as prince Adam.¡±

    William squint his eyes suspiciously at Louis who was dueling with another knight, ¡°he actually can.¡±

    His mind went back to the day he saw Nathan and Louis exiting E¡¯s cottage. Had Nathan asked Louis to dress up as prince Adam in order to deceive his sister? And if so, why? Could it all be because of insecurity or was there something else Nathaniel was up to? William needed to get to the bottom of this, he needed to question Louis Vandros.

 Chapter 34

    34 Chapter 34 : Protect our baby sister

    Queen Margret Burchard handed two gold coins to the horseman, ¡°make sure you reach Meria without them knowing who you are and I¡¯ll have two more coins waiting for you when you get back.¡±

    ¡°Understood your grace.¡± The man responded with a nod

    The queen then turned to Julia and ced her hands on the green eyed woman¡¯s shoulders, ¡°are you sure about this?¡±

    ¡°I am your grace,¡± Julia responded with much determination, ¡°I love Adam and I would do anything to get him out of harms way. I will infiltrate the Merian pce disguised as a maid, kill the little witch and return with the prince. Then after we can proceed with the ns of attacking that treacherous kingdom.¡±

    Queen Margret smiled sweetly at the girl, Julia really did love her son with all her heart. The queen had always wondered why Adam never seemed interested in Julia Boleyn, she was very beautiful. She had long dark wavy hair, soft fair skin and beautiful green eyes. Even though the woman was a little smaller in size, she still outshined her taller counterparts by andslide.

    But now Margret knew that her son was under a spell, cast by that little redheaded witch. How long had she had a hold on her poor son? Did she do it through those dreams he¡¯d been having? The queen could only guess, but now they would put an end to it, after the witch was killed and Meria defeated, they could all go back to their normal and happy lives.

    ¡°Thank you Julia,¡± the queen spoke, ¡°I owe you so much.¡±

    Julia curtsied and hopped into the carriage.

    ¡°Farewell Julia, and bring Adam home.¡±

    .....

    Julia waved at the queen as the carriage pulled away from the royal pce, her heart warmed up at the site of the beautiful woman wishing her luck. Ah yes, soon that would be her mother inw, andter on, the grandmother to her and Adam¡¯s children, oh she couldn¡¯t wait.

    *

    Louis Vandros was dusting his boots when William sat down next to him with two cups of ale in his hand. ¡°Care to join me?¡± William asked the knight.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I didn¡¯t spit in it or anything,¡± he added on upon seeing Louis¡¯ hesitation.

    The knight epted the cup and sat down on the grass next to William, ¡°one hell of a long day today huh?¡± Louis spoke as he sipped his ale leisurely.

    ¡°Aye,¡± William responded, ¡°training the new recruits is harder than I thought it would be. Were we this annoying when we first came?¡±

    Louis chuckled, taking another gulp of his drink, ¡°no, we were worse.¡±

    A moment of silence settled between the two men before William turned to face Louis, a serious expression on his face, ¡°enjoying the drink my friend?¡±

    Louis downed thest of the beverage and ced the cup on the ground. ¡°I am, I really needed that ol¡¯ chap, thank you.¡±

    William smirked at the man, ¡°it¡¯s poisoned you know.¡±

    Louis furrowed his brows as his brain registered what William had just said ¡°If that¡¯s a joke William I¡¯m not finding it funny.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± William responded, a sinister smile painting his face, ¡°let¡¯s see if you¡¯ll have that same attitude in the next thirty minutes, wolfsbane, a very potent poison. Just one drop is enough to kill a horse, and you just downed a whole cup.¡±

    Louis¡¯ eyes sunk deeper into their sockets as realization set in, ¡°b- but why? Why would you do this?¡±

    ¡°Give me the information I need and I¡¯ll give you the antidote.¡± William flushed a small vial containing a clear liquid, ¡°nothing personal my friend.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?!¡± Louis spoke in a panic, the man was now sweating profusely, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, I¡¯m just a knight from Meria just like you!¡±

    ¡°Why did prince Nathan ask you to pose as price Adam?¡± William spoke sternly.

    Louis swallowed, the prince had made him promise not to say a word of the events of that day to anyone, and he¡¯d given his word.

    ¡°Tick tock Louis you don¡¯t have much time,¡± William spoke while waving the little vial in front of him.

    ¡°Okay okay!¡± Louis relented, no amount of loyalty was worth dying for, ¡°prince Nathan didn¡¯t give me much details, all he told me was thatdy E and the prince could not meet under any circumstances. But she kept asking to meet with prince Adam, so he asked me to pause as him.¡±

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t they meet?¡± William interrogated Louis further, ¡°and why did my sister want to meet with the prince?¡±

    Louis looked at the vial in William¡¯s hand, his temperature rising by the minute, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she kept referring to the prince as Jillian,¡± Louis exined, ¡°that¡¯s all I know I swear it!¡±

    Jillian? Wasn¡¯t that the name E kept mentioning some years ago, and also recently when she said Nathan couldn¡¯t leave her the way Jillian had left her? So what was the connection between this Jillian fellow and prince Adam? Could Adam be Jillian, and somehow he and E had had a rtionship of some sort before Nathaniel came into the picture? It was all so confusing, he had to confirm it with his sister first, something wasn¡¯t right. Nathan was definitely up to something and William had a bad feeling about it.

    ¡°I see, alright thank you for the help Louis.¡± William stood up and started walking towards his horse.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Louis called out desperately, ¡°what about the antidote?!¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, the drink was never poisoned,¡± William responded as got onto his horse, ¡°the only out of the ordinary thing that was in your cup was my spit.¡±

    *

    ¡°Darling you¡¯re home.¡±

    ryssa walked to William and gave him a hug and soft kiss on the lips, ¡°a letter from E came for you while you were out.¡±

    The woman handed a small piece of parchment to William, when the man read the contents of the letter his face went white. He walked slowly as he reread the letter and settled down on the chair.

    ¡°No, this can¡¯t be...¡± William mattered to himself.

    ryssa became worried and rushed to William¡¯s side, ¡°what¡¯s wrong? What does the letter say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s E,¡± William responded in a shaky voice

    ¡°What about E? Is she sick?¡± The look on William¡¯s face was making ryssa very anxious. She hoped nothing bad had happened to her fianc¨¦¡¯s little sister, she knew how much William adored her, he¡¯d be absolutely devastated if anything happened to E.

    ¡°She¡¯s getting married,¡± William continued, ¡°to Nathan.¡±

    ryssa¡¯s shoulders slumped down in disappointment, seriously? Is that why he was acting up like that? The woman was afraid that there had been a death or something.

    ¡°William I know you¡¯re overprotective of your sister but she¡¯s a grown woman,¡± ryssa exined in an attempt to cox the man, ¡°she¡¯s free to marry whoever she wants, whenever she wants it.¡±

    William stood up and walked passed ryssa without saying a word, he went to his desk and took out a bunch of papers and a pen.

    ¡°I need to inform my brothers about what¡¯s going on before it¡¯s toote,¡± William spoke as he scribbled on the papers.

    ¡°William are you serious?¡±

    ryssa was absolutely dumbfounded, she¡¯d seen overprotective brothers before but this was ridiculous. She actually now felt sorry for E, being the only female with overbearing big brothers who probably scared away any suitor who came her way.

    The woman walked to her fianc¨¦ and gripped his shoulder tightly, ¡°William don¡¯t you think you¡¯re overreacting? If E and Nathan are in love, why not let them be together?¡±

    William put down his pen and rose from his seat, he gently ced his hands on the beautiful woman¡¯s shoulders and looked her sternly in the eye, ¡°ryssa, Nathan is lying to my sister.¡± He spoke, ¡°I interrogated Louis today and he told me that the prince hired him to pretend to be prince Adam, so he could fool E when she wanted to meet with him.¡±

    ryssa¡¯s eyes went round, ¡°but why?..¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± William added on, ¡°and now I hear the prince has left Gavaria in peruse of my sister. I have a feeling Nathan is hiding something big from E, and if she marries him, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll regret itter. I can¡¯t let that happen Lyssa.¡±

    All this information was so much for the woman to process, but what she did get out of William¡¯s exnation was that Nathan was lying and hiding things from E, and no matter what the exnation, a rtionship based on lies and deceit was not one anyone should go into blindly.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ryssa asked William

    ¡°I¡¯ll ride for Meria, I need to speak to E before the wedding,¡± William exined. The man sat down on the desk and continued scribbling away on the papers, ¡°I know Nathan will try to stop me somehow, so I¡¯ll need backup.¡±

    ¡°Backup? What backup?¡± ryssa was getting nervous, why was William speaking like he was going to war.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need backup from my brothers,¡± William spoke as he signed thest letter, ¡°we need to protect our baby sister.¡±

 Chapter 35

    35 Chapter 35 : The royal jewelers

    ¡°Your grace, we are approaching the capital,¡± Beric spoke through the little window of the wagon.

    ¡°Good, we¡¯ll keep a low profile and hide out in the town until the wedding,¡± Adam responded, ¡°and then we¡¯ll infiltrate the castle and rescue Guinevere from that scumbag prince Nathaniel Aldos.¡±

    Adam made a mental note to reward his men after all this was over, it was rare to find allies who would be by his side even through what some may consider a trivial matter. This mission they were on didn¡¯t have anything to do with the wellbeing of their kingdom, it was a selfish mission for Adam to pursue a woman, yet here they were, valiantly riding beside him.

    ¡°If you want, you all can turn back and head home,¡± Adam spoke to his men, ¡°you¡¯ve already helped me enough by getting me this far, this mission is for the sake of my own selfishness, you need not to apany me any further, you are not bound to follow me through this.¡±

    The men were silent for a long minute, then Ozias gripped Nathan¡¯s shoulder tightly and gave him a smile. ¡°Sorry to be presumptuous your grace, but you are foolish to think we¡¯re here with you as knights of Gavaria.¡±

    Adam ttered hisshes at Ozias, wondering what he meant.

    ¡°We¡¯re here as your friends your grace,¡± Beric added on, ¡°We¡¯ve fought along side you for years and grown quite found of you as well. Do you recall back during the siege of Baiviles when you helped me talk to that brte from the bar.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Adam responded thoughtfully, ¡°What ever happened to her?¡±

    ¡°I married her your grace,¡± Beric responded sheepishly, ¡°been together a year now.¡±

    .....

    ¡°And that one time my wife threatened to cut my wiener off when she found me at the brothel,¡± Ivan spoke next, ¡°you told her you had sent me there on a secret mission because you caught word that there was a spy hiding among the prostitutes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not proud of that Ivan, a man of honor should be loyal to his wife,¡± Adam responded curtly.

    Ivan pat Adam¡¯s shoulder and chuckled, ¡°my point is you¡¯ve helped all of us when ites to trivial matters of the heart your grace.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s only fair if we return the favor,¡± Rndmented.

    ¡°Rnd you too?¡± Adam couldn¡¯t remember ever helping the beautiful man with any female rted issues.

    The beautiful blue eyed man nervously scratched the back of his head, ¡°you¡¯re the one who convinced the old drunk from the olive bar that I wasn¡¯t a woman.¡±

    All the men inside and outside the wagon burst intoughter, oh poor Rnd, in as much as women were all over him because of his beautiful face, so were men. He really had a hard time especially in bars where men were too drunk to tell whether he was a man or woman.

    ¡°Shut up the lot of you,¡± the beautiful man grumbled, ¡°my point is that his highness is our friend, and friends help each other out, even if it is over a woman.¡±

    ¡°Besides, she¡¯s going to be queen one day,¡± Zander pointed out, ¡°so to some extent this is a service to the kingdom.¡±

    Adam smiled warmly at his men, truly these were not just his allies but his good friends, he was d he had them by his side.

    *

    In the western shire of Meria, Guria, Bahram Morrell was sitting in his study when a servant walked in with a parchment in hand.

    ¡°My lord, you have a letter from Gavaria,¡± the servant spoke with a bow, ¡°it is marked as important.¡±

    Bahram Morrell was a tall man with light brown hair and blue eyes. He mostly took after his father, John Morrell, physically with a strong stature and masculine features, but he had inherited his mother¡¯s soft blue eyes. Overall, Bahram was a handsome man.

    The blue eyed man took the parchment from the servant and read its contents, ¡°it¡¯s from William!¡± Bahram spoke as he clenched the parchment tightly, ¡°he says E may be in danger!¡±

    Bahram rushed out of the study towards his chambers and started packing some items into his satchel.

    ¡°Honey? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Astrid was the daughter of the former lord of Guria, she was now Bahram Morrell¡¯s wife of two years. She was a petit woman but with striking features, a head full of curly brown hair and beautiful big brown eyes carefully centered on her small peach shaped face.

    ¡°I¡¯ve received word from William that our sister may be in danger,¡± Bahram exined, ¡°he says the man she is about to wed, prince Nathan, has a hidden agenda behind marrying her and it may cost E her life.¡±

    ¡°The prince?¡± Astrid felt distraught, how on earth was her husband going to stand against the crowned prince of theirnd? Nathaniel had soldiers and armies at his disposal, Bahram was walking towards his own demise.

    ¡°My love don¡¯t you think you should think about this first?¡± Astrid pleaded with him, ¡°the prince is a powerful man, if he finds out you¡¯re out to foil whatever ns he has, he can easily get you killed.¡±

    ¡°So you would rather I sit back and let my little sister marry an evil man like that?¡±

    ¡°Please let someone else handle it darling, we need you here.¡± Astrid was desperate, she didn¡¯t know how she would go on of anything ever happened to her husband.

    Bahram crouched down in front of his wife and kissed her protruding belly, ¡°I promise I wille back home safely to both of you,¡± Bahram spoke softly, ¡°E is as much my family as you are to me, William wouldn¡¯t call upon me if he didn¡¯t think this was serious and you know that.¡±

    Astrid wiped her misty eyes and nodded, ¡°we will be waiting for you Bahram, don¡¯t take too long.¡±

    *

    Two men were dragged into the royal throne room by two knights and thrown on their knees before prince Nathaniel and king Bradley.

    ¡°The royal jewelers your majesty,¡± one of the nights spoke with a bow.

    ¡°So you¡¯re the men who had the audacity to sell the crowned prince fake jewelry?!¡± King Aldos roared, ¡°do you have any idea what harm you¡¯ve caused to the future queen of Meria?!¡±

    ¡°Please your grace, we wouldn¡¯t never sell fake jewelry to you or anyone,¡± one of the men spoke

    ¡°You¡¯ve done business with us for years my king,¡± the second added on, ¡°not once did we ever sell anything other than genuine gold and silver, why would we start now?¡±

    Nathan narrowed his eyes at the two trembling men, ¡°are you calling usirs?¡±

    ¡°No of course not your grace,¡± the first man whimpered, ¡°we would never be so presumptuous, we¡¯re merely saying that maybe there is a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°If you im the ne is not fake, it could only mean one thing,¡± Nathan added on, ¡°youced it with poison.¡±

    The two men¡¯s jaws dropped, they were not foolish, they knew the repercussions of trying to poison anyone of high stature. If they couldn¡¯t prove that they were innocent, they¡¯d have to kiss their lives and families goodbye.

    ¡°Please your grace have mercy,¡± the second man pleaded, his hands and forehead to the floor, ¡°we would never do such a sinister thing, if you will not take our word for it, let us ce the ne on my neck. If truly it is poisoned, I too shall react as yourdy did.¡±

    ¡°And if you do react?¡± Nathan questioned the man

    ¡°Then your grace, you can hang me at the stakes for all to see.¡±

    Nathan eyed the man sternly and then waved to his guards, ¡°get them to their feet.¡±

    The guards pulled the two men to their feet and made them face the prince, ¡°you shall forge three other betrothal nes for my beloved in less than twenty four hours under the watchful eye of my men,¡± Nathan spoke, his voice was firm and demanding respect, even his father could see that Nathaniel would be a no nonsense king indeed. ¡°Immediately you are done, mydy will personally select the one she desires and wear it.¡±

    Nathan walked over to one of the men and cupped his jaw firmly, ¡°if mydy doesn¡¯t like any of the nes, you hang.¡±

    Nathan released the man¡¯s jaw and swiftly cocked his head to the side before walking away, ¡°take them away, and do not leave their sides until their job is done.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace.¡± The guards responded.

    Even though prince Nathaniel¡¯s anger was directed towards the jewelers, everyone in the room could feel his aura weigh on them like a heavy cloud of dark smoke. This man sparked fear in the hearts of the guards and even his own father with mere words, he was truly terrifying.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to see how E is fairing,¡± Nathan spoke as he exited the throne room, ¡°I trust you¡¯ll be able to handle this matter father, I wish not to stress before my wedding.¡±

    King Bradley Aldos cleared his throat and nodded, ¡°yes, you go on and tend to yourdy.¡±

    When Nathan left, the king slumped down into his chair and released a long breath he didn¡¯t even know he was holding. His son had definitely changed over the past few weeks, Nathan had always been head strong and sharp, but now he had be down right scary. He had this aura around him that seemed almost not human and it scared the king to the core.

 Chapter 36

    36 Chapter 36 : Fangs

    Jonathan and Alexander Morrell were both tall, fair skinned handsome young knights. Both had tasseled dark brown hair and very muscr physiques, people could barely tell them apart, the only difference between them was that Jonathan had deep brown eyes like his father, while Alexander had blue eyes like his mother.

    The two young knights were having a swig of ale each at the bar, surrounded by hordes of beautiful girls as usual when one of the girls rushed towards them with a parchment in hand.

    ¡°Alex, Jon,¡± the girl was panting heavily, she looked like she had ran all the way to the bar, ¡°A letter came for you, it¡¯s from your brother William and it seems important.¡±

    The twins nced at each other and both reached for the letter. Their eyes trailed over its contents carefully before they both abruptly stood up.

    ¡°E is in trouble!¡± The twins spoke on unison.

    The two men nodded at each other, gulped down their ale and strapped their swords onto their waists, as if they were two halves of one whole, their movements and expression were as synchronized as two mirror images. The whole scene made the females in the bar swoon and giggle, it was no surprise that the two men were the target of a lot of females in Dale given how handsome they were. It was also a bonus that there was two of them, it was like stumbling upon a gold coin and then realizing that there was another one stuck to it.

    Both the males walked passed the girl who had brought the parchment, stroking her chin gently and giving her a thankful flirtatious wink before exiting the bar. In as much as Jonathan and Alexander were yboys, they were very overprotective elder brothers to E, and they¡¯d be damned before they let some scumbag prince y with their baby sister¡¯s heart.

    *

    E lightly winced when the warm cloth made contact with the tender skin on her neck.

    .....

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry mydy,¡± Maria apologized to her, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to hurt you, but we have to keep the bruise moistened with the ointment so you don¡¯t get a scar.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright Maria,¡± E responded, ¡°it¡¯s just a little sore that¡¯s all, please continue.¡±

    The maid nodded and dipped the cloth into the ointment before proceeding to dab E¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Mmh it actually doesn¡¯t hurt as much now,¡± E spoke.

    When Maria removed the cloth from E¡¯s neck, her eyes went round in shock. Wasn¡¯t there a nasty bruise along her neckline just seconds ago? The maid¡¯s eyes were moving swiftly between E¡¯s neck, the cloth and the ointment bottle. How on earth had the wound healed so fast?

    ¡°M-mydy...?¡±

    E looked up at Maria, ¡°what¡¯s wrong? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost.¡±

    ¡°Mydy the bruise,¡± Maria stammered, ¡°it¡¯s gone!¡±

    E turned to look at her neck in the mirror, Maria was right, the nasty bruise that had been encircling her neck just moments ago waspletely gone. The blue eyed woman trailed her fingers along her neck wide eyed.

    ¡°Maria..¡± E turned to the woman who was as shocked as her, ¡°what did you do?! What ointment is that?!¡±

    Maria looked at the bottle in her hand and tossed to the floor, gods forbid she be used of witchcraft. She had a sick mother to take care of and couldn¡¯t afford to bebeled a witch, ¡°mydy I didn¡¯t do anything! The bruise just vanished on its own.¡±

    Before E could speak, Nathan knocked lightly on the door before walking in. ¡°What¡¯s all themotion?¡± The prince asked, his eyes switching nces between the two women, ¡°Maria, have you done something to E?¡±

    The maid¡¯s face went white, if E told prince Nathaniel what had just happened, it was all over for her. She would be used of using magic to heal E when she too had no idea what had just happened.

    Long ago, stories foretold that the use of magic and spells was verymon because of the vast races that existed on the earth. There were five major races that roamed the earth once upon a time, the Dwarves, the Elves, the Lycans, the Nosferatu and the Humans. During the age of these five races, magic was widely used in everyday lives especially among the Elves and Nosferatu who excelled in spells and necromancy. But over the millennia, the other races died out, leaving only the humans whose magic was only wielded by select individuals, wizards and witches.

    Some witches and wizards, especially herbomancers were considered good and often aided kings to rule kingdoms, but the rest were considered evil and dangerous. Any human who would be suspected of possessing magic was killed without question, usually by beheading or by burning them alive.

    Maria shivered violently, awaiting whatdy E would say to the prince.

    ¡°Oh clumsy Maria dropped some ointment on my dress,¡± E lied, Maria was a good person, she didn¡¯t want to see her killed for something so trivial.

    ¡°I always say it¡¯s so hard to get good help these days,¡± Nathan responded as he inched closer to E.

    Maria breathed a sigh of relief and curtsied to the redhead, ¡°I¡¯m sorry mydy, let me help you change into some fresh clothes.¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Nathaniel spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll help her change, you should go rest Maria you look as pale as a ghost. Maybe you¡¯re not well and that¡¯s why you¡¯re so clumsy today.¡±

    Maria nodded and curtsied once again before practically running out of the room and closing the door behind her.

    ¡°I hope it won¡¯t leave a stain,¡± Nathan spoke as he made his way to E¡¯s back and started untying the ribbons that secured her dress.

    ¡°I hope so,¡± She spoke in a whisper.

    Every time Nathany a hand on her, her body would malfunction. Her face would redden, her heart would be threatening to leap out of her chest, and her legs felt like all the bones had been removed from them, even her own voice shied away from the handsome man.

    Nathanpletely loosened all the ribbons and gently pulled E¡¯s dress down her shoulders, her back and let it drop to her ankles. The blue eyed woman could feel Nathan¡¯s heavy breaths hitting her back and his eyes burrowing through thecy material of her petite chemise.

    When Nathan¡¯s hands touched her shoulders to turn her towards him, her lungs decided to betray her and push all the air out, leaving her feeling weak and light headed.

    Nathan shed his perfect white teeth in a smile when he saw how red E¡¯s face was. He leaned towards her ear and whispered horsily ¡°are you still shy Mrs Aldos?¡±

    E pursed her lips and shook her head.

    ¡°Then why are you avoiding my gaze?¡± Nathan spoke, E could clearly hear the taunt in his voice and it was making her heart pound, ¡°I know I¡¯m not so good to look at my wife, but it¡¯s rude not to look me in the eye when we speak.¡±

    Not good to look at?! Nathaniel Aldos was in fact too good to look at, and that¡¯s precisely why E didn¡¯t want to turn to him. This man was a walking temptation and yet, there was something about him that just drew E in. She looked up at him and immediately stiffened at the sight.

    Nathan¡¯s shirt was slightly unbuttoned and he was biting down on his lower lip, burrowing his eyes into E¡¯s. God lord this man was beautiful!

    The prince wrapped his arm around E¡¯s waist and pulled her into his embrace, his other hand gently grazing her cheek.

    *Am I allowed to kiss you?*

    E trembled when Nathaniel¡¯s voice echoed in her mind, did he intentionally do that so he could continue biting down on his lip all sexy like?

    The blue eyed woman took a deep breath and ced her hands on Nathan¡¯s shoulders, this man was going to be her husband in a few days, there was no use being embarrassed around him.

    [Kiss me Nathan]

    Nathan didn¡¯t realize that he had licked his lips when he heard those words echo in his mind. This woman had no idea what she had just done.

    The prince firmly cupped the back of E¡¯s head and pulled her onto his lips, kissing her passionately and hungrily. His desire for her was only further heightened by how she responded to the kiss, with an equal amount of vigor.

    Nathan groaned when E parted her lips, allowing his tongue to ess the sweet interior of her mouth. He tangled his tongue with E¡¯s, earning a soft moan from her, and that was it for Nathan, he could not control his hunger for her anymore, any more waiting and he was sure he would pop like an overinted ballon.

    The silver haired prince grabbed E¡¯s thighs and hoisted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He carried her to the bed, his mouth still devouring hers and gentlyy her down.

    Prince Nathan broke the kiss and dug his fingers into the bed, E wasn¡¯t sure if it was the heat of the moment but she could have sworn he heard Nathan growl.

    ¡°E,¡± Nathan spoke in strained breaths, ¡°why are you doing this to me?¡±

    Nathan¡¯s nails were burrowing holes into the mattress at this point and E could feel his body temperature rising to unnatural levels.

    ¡°You make me want you so bad, and yet you don¡¯t give me permission to touch you.¡±

    E looked up at Nathaniel and saw his now glowing yellow eyes and gasped, his hair was now scruffy and almost standing on end. Was this what primal sexual desire looked like? E had to admit, it was a little scary.

    She wrapped her arms around Nathan¡¯s neck and nted a soft quick kiss on his lips. ¡°I¡¯m your wife Nathan,¡± E spoke gently, ¡°you don¡¯t need permission to touch me.¡±

    Nathan¡¯s breathing became even heavier than it was before, turning into soft muffled growls. E heard the ripping of the mattress beneath her as the man¡¯s grip on it tightened.

    ¡°Does that mean... I .. I can touch you?¡±

    When E mouthed the word ¡®yes¡¯, Nathaniel shed his perfect teeth in a wide seductive grin, only this time, E caught site of what looked like fangs on both the upper and lower rows of his mouth.

    The man grabbed the hem of E¡¯s chemise and ripped it apart from top to bottom into two with his bare hands, the woman squealed in response. Nathan then moved his face down from her neck, to her breasts, her stomach, all the way to between her legs and back up again, taking subtle whiffs of her. Was he sniffing her??

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry E, I will be extra gentle with you,¡± the prince growled.

 Chapter 37

    37 Chapter 37 : You¡¯re mine [Warning, explicit scene included PG18]

    William halted his horse in front of therge doors of the Morrell household and hopped off, frantically making his way into the house. Emma and John Morrell were having afternoon tea when their youngest son practically barged into the house.

    ¡°E?!¡± Ee out I need to speak with you!¡±

    Emma rose from her seat end walked towards William who was looking absolutely delusional. ¡°William, what are you doing here?¡± She questioned her son all the while trying to get him to stand still, ¡°weren¡¯t you supposed toe with ryssa to attend the wedding?¡±

    William firmly grabbed his mother¡¯s shoulders, ¡°mother where is E? I must speak with her immediately!¡±

    ¡°What has gotten into you William?!¡± Lord Morrell bellowed. He walked to him and yanked William¡¯s hands off his mother¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Where do you get the guts to touch your mother like that?!¡±

    William ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath, he really didn¡¯t have time for this, ¡°forgive me father but it is of utmost importance that I speak with E right now!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Emma questioned her son, seeing the panic in his eyes was sending her into a frenzy as well, ¡°is there something wrong William?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin everythingter mother I promise you, I have to speak with my sister first.¡±

    As William started making his way to the stairs that led to E¡¯s sleeping chambers he heard his mother¡¯s voice calling out to him.

    .....

    ¡°Your sister moved to the royal pce with the prince William,¡± Emma Morrell spoke, ¡°she¡¯ll be there until the wedding.¡±

    *

    Nathan trailed his hand up E¡¯s thigh till he reached her delicate little flower that was moistened with dew. The sudden gasp that left E¡¯s lips made him break the kiss and stare at her red face with a satisfied grin.

    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re ready for me my love,¡± Nathaniel whispered into her ear while gently rubbing her flower with his fingers.

    The blue eyed woman bit down on her lip, the electric sensation of Nathan¡¯s touch making her whimper. She didn¡¯t think that him just touching her there would feel this intense, she was torn between feeling absolutely embarrassed and longing for him to do more.

    Nathan trailed light kissed down E¡¯s neck and down to her soft perky mounds, when he captured her are gently between his teeth a soft moan escaped the woman¡¯s lips, making the silver haired prince groan in response.

    Still rubbing her flower with his finger, Nathaniel pried his mouth open and sucked E¡¯s breast. The woman¡¯s body twitched in response and a series of small whimpers reached Nathan¡¯s ears, sending shivers down his spine and increasing the blood flow to his groin.

    ¡°If you keep that up E I won¡¯t be able to be gentle with you,¡± the man whispered.

    Nathaniel released the girl and proceeded to unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it to the floor, revealing his strong chest and breathtaking abs. When Nathaniel popped off the button of his pants, E instantly sped her legs together, there was a very ufortable, very torturous thumpinging from her flower and it made her heart tter.

    E was filled with so many feelings that she could not tell them apart, there was a bit of fear, a lot of embarrassment and something else. Something that was shamelessly making her body react to Nathan¡¯s touch.

    [Oh gods E control yourself]

    The red head squeezed her eyes tightly shut when she saw Nathan dropping his pants to the ground. The thudding of her heart against her chest was so loud that she did not hear the prince position himself on top of her and cage her between his strong arms.

    ¡°Open your eyes my love,¡± Nathan growled, ¡°don¡¯t you want to gaze upon your husband as we make love for the first time?¡±

    E¡¯s breath hitched when those words reached her ears, her entire body was burning up, and even as she opened her eyes to look at Nathan she knew she looked aplete mess.

    Nathan smiled in satisfaction when he saw her blue orbs trailing down his face to his chest, with one arm supporting his weight and the other holding her waist, he imed her lips once again.

    E was surprised when she found herself melting into Nathan¡¯s arms and responding to his kiss, entangling her tongue with his and pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. Since when had she be so shameless.

    Her blue orbs shot open when she felt a hard warm object pressing against her thigh, when Nathan groaned, the object twitched in response making E yelp.

    ¡°E...¡±

    Nathaniel moved his hand to his hard length and started rubbing it against E¡¯s delicate dew infused flower. She gasped at the sensation and her heart almost stopped when she envisioned such a big object ripping through her flower petals.

    ¡°N- Nathan....¡± E whimpered, ¡°it won¡¯t fit.¡±

    E wasn¡¯t dump, she knew where what went where when people had sex. She¡¯d lived many life times and in one of them had even walked in on one of her siblings getting it on with her boyfriend. The image was seared into her mind for eternity that¡¯s for sure, because it was then when she actually saw where a man puts it when it was time. From that moment it was an easy concept to grasp and she could envision what actually happened during coitus between a man and a woman.

    But now that she wasying here feeling Nathan¡¯s length slide against her dewy flower, she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around how all that was going to go into her. E gulped... hard.

    Nathan pursed his lips in an attempt to stop himself fromughing in amusement, E was the most adorable thing he¡¯d everid eyes on and her innocence only made him want her more.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Nathan whispered in a husky tone that sent shivers down E¡¯s spine, ¡°I will be very gentle.¡±

    E didn¡¯t even get the chance to nod in agreement because Nathan grabbed his length and began sliding it into E¡¯s core.

    ¡°Aah!¡± E wrapped her arms around Nathan¡¯s back and held onto him for dear life. She winced and gnashed her teeth as her walls stretched out to amodate him.

    Only halfway in, the prince had to stop himself. He leaned onto the woman and release a long strained growl, his finger nails ripping through the mattress. Nathan had been with many women in his past lives but this was a whole new experience entirely, E was just too sweet.

    E noticed the man¡¯s pause and panicked, had she scared him by yelling? Maybe he was afraid he¡¯d hurt her, well in truth there was a bit of pain, but she felt it wasn¡¯t something she couldn¡¯t handle. Besides, this was her husband, he had been nothing but good to her all these years, it was high time she returned a favor.

    The woman moved her hand to Nathan¡¯s back and with all her might pulled him into her. When Nathan felt his length being swallowed up by E¡¯s flower whole, he growled loudly, his nails elongated and dug deep into the mattress and his silver hair lengthened tremendously, spreading down his back and arms.

    E bit down on her lip, the intrusion was so painful that she almost felt light headed. Before she could react, Nathaniel pinned her hands over her head and began moving his length in and out of her core.

    ¡°Nathan...¡±

    ¡°E...¡±

    The blue eyed woman gasped when his thrusts became more and more vigorous, ¡°Nathan you said you¡¯d be gentle..¡±

    Nathan growled and tightened his grip on her wrists, ¡°I¡¯m trying...¡±

    E could feel her head spinning and her core thudding in what now seemed like a blend of pain and pleasure. The more Nathan invaded her core, the more the pleasure was overtaking the pain she initially felt, until eventually, all E could feel was pure and absolute bliss.

    When the beautiful red head released a moan, the veins in Nathan¡¯s arms bulged, his ears sharpened and his back which was now covered in a thick silver coat arched slightly.

    When Nathaniel increased his pace again, E arched her back and moaned loudly, feeling the strength in her limbs weaver and a bubble of euphoria burst within her core. In that same moment Nathaniel groaned at the sensation of E¡¯s walls convulsing around his length and ultimately spent himself within her.

    After the surge of adrenaline diminished, the prince copsed onto E¡¯s body. His ears and nails retracted, his back straightened and his fangs and hair receded. The twoy in that position, both panting heavily for a few minutes before the prince slipped himself out of the woman and wrapped her in his arms.

    Nathaniel kissed her gently between her thick delicately aligned eyebrows and stroked her hair gently, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I got a little carried away for a moment,¡± the prince apologized, ¡°I hope I wasn¡¯t too rough with you.¡±

    E shook her head and buried her face into his chest. Actually, Nathan was indeed rough with her, he was aplete animal savagely devouring her body like a starved beast, but E actually enjoyed it, she shamelessly enjoyed every minute of him ravishing her body.

    [Oh my gods...]

    Nathan tilted her chin up and grinned widely when he saw how embarrassed she looked, ¡°did you enjoy it?¡± He questioned her, his ears perked up and his eyes expectant.

    When E nodded her head, Nathaniel leaned into her and kissed her passionately, he broke away from the kiss with her lip gently caught in his teeth.

    ¡°You¡¯re mine E,¡± Nathan growled, ¡°All mine.¡±

 Chapter 38

    38 Chapter 38 : The prophecy

    The wagon that contained prince Adam and his men parked outside a small inn in the Merian capital. Still wearing is fake stash and beard, prince Adam walked into the inn and ced five gold coins in front of the inn keeper.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to rent out your establishment for the next couple of days please.¡±

    The fat old man behind the counter looked at the five gold doubloons with a twinkle in his eyes, with that kind of money he could open a whole new inn with change, who was this man?

    ¡°And I¡¯d appreciate your discretion of course,¡± Adam added on, ¡°We don¡¯t want anyone knowing we¡¯re here and we don¡¯t want any visitors.¡±

    ¡°Of course sir, I¡¯ll make sure you have your privacy even if I have to guard the doorway myself!¡±

    The plump man practically scrambled the coins up as he handed the front door keys to Adam.

    ¡°Do you need any help with your bags sir?¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Adam responded, ¡°We travelled light.¡±

    Minutester the inn keeper saw six other men walk into the inn, even though they looked tired, he could tell from their physiques and build that they were men built for battle. Clearly this group of travelers didn¡¯t need any form of protection from him.

    .....

    After Adam made sure his men were settled down and the inn was secure, he retired to his own room andy on the bed. A week of travel was nothing for the dark haired prince who had gone on many conquests, but it had taken a tow on him mentally.

    The new information of Nathan¡¯s lies and now suddenly the wedding, had Adam¡¯s his gears turning. How could he allow that silver haired bastard to snatch his woman from right under his nose like that? She was so close and Adam failed to reach her cause of Nathan¡¯s selfishness.

    Suddenly Adam felt a searing pain shing across his skull, he grabbed his head a released a muffled growl. The prince could feel the cartge in his ears tearing and stretching, apanied by the throbbing pain of his head and ears.

    Adam dropped to his knees and covered his now pointy ears, he squeezed his eyes shut as the throbbing in his head increased. The little items in the room like the candles, cups, tes and towels floated into the air the more his head hurt.

    ¡°Argh!¡± Adam groaned in pain, ¡°what is this?!¡±

    He got to his feet and attempted to walk towards the door, not realizing that the floating items where following him behind. When the prince stumbled and fell to the floor due to the pain, the items that had been hovering in mid air all fell to the floor with him.

    The crushing sounds startled Zander who wasying down in the next room, he quickly ran out of his room and barged into prince Adam¡¯s room.

    ¡°Your grace!¡± Zander rushed to the prince who wasying on the floor, ¡°what happened?!¡±

    Zander wrapped Adam¡¯s arm around his shoulders and helped him to the bed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Zander, I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just a headache,¡± Adam assured his worried friend, ¡°I think the trip took more of a tow on me than I thought.¡±

    Zander caught glimpse of Adam¡¯s long pointy ears and the faint markings that had appeared on his forehead but decided not to say anything. With the condition Adam was in, it didn¡¯t seem like a good time to point it out.

    ¡°Take a rest your grace,¡± Zander spoke, ¡°We still have a few days to the royal wedding no need to stress yourself.¡±

    *

    In a carriage along the western road leading to Meria, Julia Boleyn cupped her head in her hands. For the past few hours the small green eyed woman had been experiencing a dull throbbing pain that seemed to be getting worse the closer she got to the capital.

    Meanwhile, somewhere in arge castle in the enchanted forest, A tall beautiful woman with long slick brown hair, deep beautiful brown eyes and long pointy ears halted in her steps and sped her chest.

    ¡°Your majesty?...¡±

    A young woman with blonde hair and equally pointy ears rushed towards the beautiful dark haired woman and held her hand firmly.

    ¡°The prophesy is about to be fulfilled Ronda,¡± the beautiful queen spoke, ¡°the chosen ones will soon be in one ce and their transformation will beplete.¡±

    ¡°Your majesty are you sure?¡± Ronda spoke in a panic, ¡°if that¡¯s true, then...¡±

    ¡°My son ising home,¡± the queen responded, ¡°Gareth is finallying home.¡±

    Ronda watched the queen walk towards the gardens blissfully, she couldn¡¯t believe it, I mean who would. After one hundred and three years the queen would finally get to see her son. Finally after so long, the prophecy woulde to pass, finally after over a century of living in hiding, the prince would finally return and reestablish their people.

    All the elves who were captured and enved during the ¡®great cleansing¡¯ would finally be set free and return to their families and homes. Finally hope had returned, Ronda among other elves had long lost it, thinking that they would forever live in the shadows, hiding away from the most selfish race on the, the humans.

    *

    Nathaniel walked into the royal library with a big bright smile on his face, he opened his arms wide as he threw words of wee to his guest.

    ¡°Sir William!¡± Nathan eximed, ¡°what a delightful surprise!¡±

    William narrowed his eyes at the silver haired prince, he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it but Nathan seemed different somehow. Was it his hair? It did look longer than usual.

    ¡°Good evening your grace,¡± William spoke with a bow, ¡°sorry toe unannounced.¡±

    Nathan hugged his friend and pat him lightly on the back, ¡°ohe on William you and I are practically brothers, you cane here any time you wish.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that thank you,¡± William responded, ¡°actually I¡¯m here to see my sister, I hear she¡¯s living at the royal pce now.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Nathan responded happily before throwing himself onto the chair behind him, ¡°as per tradition of course, the future bride must reside in her future husband¡¯s home until the wedding, William you know that.¡±

    William settled down in a chair and studied the joyful prince, ¡°speaking of the wedding, do the two of you know each other well enough to marry.¡±

    The prince snapped his fingers and instructed the maid to bring in a jag of wine and some cups.

    ¡°Me and E have been courting for five years my friend,¡± Nathan responded, ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ve gotten to know each other very well.¡±

    ¡°I mean some people can pretend,¡± William added on, ¡°pretend to be someone they¡¯re not, lie about their intentions, even for years just so they can get what they want.¡±

    Prince Nathan furrowed his brows at his friend, what was William driving to exactly? ¡°Do you know something that I don¡¯t William, it¡¯s seems there¡¯s something you wish to say to me.¡±

    ¡°Nothing your grace,¡± William responded coyly, ¡°I¡¯m just saying that if there¡¯s something you¡¯re hiding from my sister, she will find out you know, she¡¯s pretty sharp and it will end badly.¡±

    The silver haired prince raised his hand and stopped the maid who was about to pour him a cup of wine.

    ¡°Are you insinuating that the crowned prince is baiting your sister into marriage by means of lies?¡± Nathan spoke. The assertion of his voice was enough to let William know that any wrong answer would lead him into trouble. This wasn¡¯t a question, this was a threat.

    William Morrell¡¯s breath hitched when he felt a dark lingering aura emanating from the prince the angrier he was bing. No human had this kind of effect when cross, was prince Nathan even human? Did this have anything to do with the time E mentioned to William that Nathan couldn¡¯t die? What did this man want with E?

    William downed his wine and smiled warmly at Nathan, ¡°oh don¡¯t mind me Nathan, I guess my overprotective brotherly side is getting the best of me.¡±

    Thest thing he needed was Nathan to be suspicious of him, if truly Nathan was not human and he had lied his way into getting E to marry him, there was definitely something he was up to and William could bet his pinky finger that it was nothing good.

    He needed to save his little sister from what ever this thing was, but to do that, he¡¯d have to keep a low profile till he knew what he was up against.

    ¡°Anyway I really miss my little sister, you know how it is,¡± William added on, ¡°is there a possibility that I can see her?¡±

    ¡°I was born in a family of boys so I don¡¯t really understand,¡± Nathan spoke coldly, ¡°but I get that you feel I¡¯m taking your little sister away or something, but I can assure you that I love E with all my heart William.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡±

    Nathan stood up and smiled at the young knight in front of him, ¡°E is in her chambers resting, I¡¯ll see if she¡¯s awake and can see you.¡±

    William didn¡¯t miss the smug grin on the prince¡¯s face, this was payback for the time William hadn¡¯t permitted Nathan to freely waltz into E¡¯s room a couple of years ago.

    ¡°Touch¨¦ Nathan,¡± William mattered to himself, ¡°touch¨¦.¡±

 Chapter 39

    39 CHAPTER 39 : You purse your lips when you lie

    King James Burchard was sunk into his chair as the members of his royal council argued back and forth.

    ¡°It¡¯s treason! If indeed the king of Meria sent their prince and that woman to cast some sort of a spell on prince Adam then they directly attacked the crown! I say we wage war!¡±

    ¡°Are you daft?! The prince is probably in Meria as we speak, if we wage war now he might be caught up in the crossfire!¡±

    ¡°So you suggest we just sit back and watch?!

    ¡°Shall I remind you all that my daughter Julia is heading to Meria as well, a war would uncover her identity and she could be killed.¡±

    ¡°Lord Boleyn with all due respect, but your daughter was under no obligation to put herself in the front lines like that, she is probably doing it because she has a little crush on his highness.¡±

    ¡°Say that to my face you old wind bag!¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± King Burchard mmed his hand on the table in fury, silencing the council members. ¡°The Merian empire has broken the alliance and desecrated the crown, and for that they must be punished.¡±

    Mummers of agreement could be heard from different upants of the table.

    .....

    ¡°Yes..¡±

    ¡°Indeed your majesty.¡±

    ¡°However,¡± the king continued, ¡°because my son is on enemy grounds we cannot just charge in without a n. Not only would it put the next heir of Gavaria¡¯s life in danger, butdy Julia and the knights prince Adam traveled with as well. They are our citizens and we owe them our protection.¡±

    More mummers could be heard from the opposing group.

    ¡°Therefore I suggest we send a small group of knights in disguise to the Merian capital,¡± the king exined, ¡°their objective will be to retrieve the prince and hisrades and then kill every member of the Merian royal family. With the bloodline lost, the whole kingdom is as good as crumbled.¡±

    The members of the royal council all nodded in agreement, it was no wonder James Burchard was considering one of the greatest kings of Gavaria, not only did he have a good head on his shoulders, but he was a great warlord as well. And these traits seemed to have been inherited by his only son prince Adam, hence it was imperative that the prince be brought back home alive and safe.

    *

    E stepped out of the bathroom but froze when she saw Nathan standing by the bed smiling at her. Instantly her face blushed as the recollection of the events of the afternoon reyed in her mind. It all seemed like a wild dream, had she really given her body to Nathan? It felt so good yet so wrong.

    ¡°Freshened up my love?¡±

    Nathan walked over to the redhead and smiled in satisfaction, even though the beauty before him was trying hard to cover herself with her robe, the prince could clearly see her skin, soft and silky after her warm bath and her dump hair that draped down her shoulders making her look like a beautiful water goddess.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just getting ready for bed,¡± E stammered, she made sure to keep from looking at his honey brown eyes in fear that she might drop her robe and hand herself over to him like sacrificialmb to a hungry wolf.

    Nathan tilted the redhead¡¯s head up and locked his eyes with hers, ¡°Are you still embarrassed around me?¡±

    ¡°I Umm...¡± E¡¯s face began to burn up a little, those eyes, it was like sorcery to say the least, just one look and her treacherous body was ready to be taken by him.

    ¡°Come on now E,¡± Nathan spoke in a husky tone, he pulled her into his embrace with one hand wrapped around her slender waist and the other cupping her cheek, ¡°how can you be embarrassed when you and I know each other inside and out.¡±

    [Inside and out?]

    The blue eyed woman gulped, her face waspletely red and she was sure Nathan could hear her heart thudding hard against her chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m just-¡±

    ¡°How are you doing down there, are you sore? I think I was a bit too rough on you.¡±

    All the air in E¡¯s lungs bid her body farewell at those words. Could this man be anymore shameless, how could he ask her something so embarrassing? E sped her gown and looked to the floor, her body ached for him but her heart had many doubts, this was going to be her husband but did she really love him?

    ¡°I¡¯m.. you weren¡¯t...¡± E¡¯s mind and mouth seemed not to be cooperating because she was having a very difficult time formting sentences. ¡°I¡¯m fine Nathan don¡¯t worry,¡± her voice was so jittery and anxious that it brought a grin to Nathan¡¯s face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be more gentle next time,¡± Nathan whispered into her ear, ¡°I just couldn¡¯t control myself E, you¡¯re just too sweet.¡±

    E physically went limp, Nathaniel Aldos¡¯ words were like the fires of an inferno and her limbs a messily cube of ice, his voice alone was like a philtre. Curse this man and his alluring, well, everything!

    ¡°But..¡± Nathan lowered his head and started nting soft kisses down the redhead¡¯s neck, ¡°in as much as I¡¯d love to pin you down on that bed and explore every inch of your delicious body right here and now....¡±

    E gasped at the sensation the little kisses were causing.

    Nathan lifted his head and smiled at E, ¡°you have a visitor.¡±

    ¡°Hmm..¡± E moaned slightly, her mind still in a daze.

    ¡°E?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.. hmm? What? I¡¯m sorry did you say something?¡±

    Nathan chuckled mischievously, ¡°E, William is here and wants to see you, i can bring your little reverie to light after you speak to your brother.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes of course, I¡¯ll be right down.¡±

    Nathan released the girl, nted a kiss on her temple and walked out of the room, immediately he closed the door, E plopped onto her bed and buried her face in the palms of her hands.

    [gods what the hell is happening to me?! Why am I reacting this way to him, argh I need to get a grip!]

    *

    Prince Adam Burchard sshed his face with the warm water from the basin and took a deep breath. Gods what in the world was happening to him? Was he falling sick? He couldn¡¯t afford falling ill at such a crucial time.

    ~Get it together Adam, Guinevere needs you, you¡¯re alright! You¡¯vee this far there¡¯s no turning back now~

    The dark haired handsome man looked up at the mirror in front of him and jerked his head back in surprise, was he starting to hallucinate or did his face look a little different? The prince wiped the fog from the mirror and looked at his reflection once again.

    ¡°What in the-¡±

    Adam stumbled backwards in a panic. No, his eyes must be now ying tricks on him. He stepped towards the mirror slowly and looked at his reflection again.

    He cocked his head to the right and then to the left, as if not believing that it was his reflection in the mirror he was looking at.

    Adam lifted his hand and touched his ears, trailing his fingers along their helix which seemed to have elongated somehow. His fingers thennded on his forehead that now bore some strange dark markings. His eyes where a dark shade of purplish-brown and his hair had grown a lot longer than he remembered.

    ¡°No.. no these are all mind games!¡±

    Adam moved away from the mirror and sat down on his bed, he was sure he was seeing things, this was all a hallucination. Was he that tired? Or maybe he had been poisoned without knowing? No, there was no chance for anyone to poison him, so the best guess was that he was tired and just needed some rest.

    The prince touched his ears again and immediately retracted his arm. ¡°I just need to rest, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine by tomorrow.¡±

    *

    ¡°William..¡±

    E walked into the royal library and sat down across from her brother, ¡°you¡¯re here so early,¡± she looked around the library and furrowed her brows, ¡°where is ryssa? Weren¡¯t you supposed to attend the wedding with her?¡±

    William nced at the open door of the study, of course prince Nathan was probably standing out there eavesdropping on their conversation. He was using another one of his tricks against him. That bastard.

    ¡°She couldn¡¯t make it, she¡¯s not feeling too well,¡± William responded, ¡°She sends her love.¡±

    ¡°Oh I hope it¡¯s nothing serious!¡±

    ¡°No she¡¯ll be fine E no need to worry.¡±

    E nodded and smiled at her brother, with everything going on, she was actually d he hade a bit early. The wedding, Nathan, prince Adam, it was all so overwhelming, she needed someone to talk to.

    ¡°Nathan said you wish to speak with me about something, is there something the matter?¡±

    William leaned back on his chair and stroked his chin, ¡°No nothing is wrong dear sister, I mean you¡¯re getting married to the man you love in a few days, you must be absolutely happy.¡±

    E lowered her gaze to the ground, for the past week, ever since Nathan asked her to be his wife, she had been convincing herself that this was right. Nathan loved her and he would be there for her.. forever.. this was the right choice. But she couldn¡¯t deny that deep in the crevasses of her mind there was a voice that was telling her she was making a mistake.

    ¡°Yes.. the man that I love.¡±

    William arched his brow as he watched his sister¡¯s expressions, he¡¯d known E all his life and knew when she was lying. Whenever E Morrell lied, even as a child, she would bite her lower lip immediately after. Good thing she still had that little habit, because William was going to exploit it to get some answers and hopefully send his message across to her without Nathan knowing.

 Chapter 40

    40 Chapter 40 : Transformation

    ¡°You left Gavaria right after the ceremony,¡± William continued to speak, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to directly get the answers he wanted from E but he would try, ¡°I didn¡¯t even get the chance to say goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry I urged Nathan to leave because I was afraid I may fall sick again,¡± E responded and immediately pursed her lips.

    ¡°i see..¡± She was lying, there¡¯s another reason they left in such a hurry, was it because Nathan didn¡¯t want E meeting Adam? ¡°I hear you asked for an audience with prince Adam, what was that all about?¡±

    E shot her eyes towards her brother, why the sudden questions? She felt like she was in an interrogation. ¡°I did, I wanted to apologize for the drama that I caused at the knighting ceremony.¡±

    William knitted his brows, E was lying again. What had really happened that day? And how did prince Adam fit into all of this? The young knight stood up and walked towards the books stacked on the various shelves of the library.

    ¡°Actually I didn¡¯t get the chance to ask you about that,¡± William added on as his fingers grazed passed the many books, ¡°you¡¯re in perfect health from what I know. You rarely fall sick even when we were children, so what happened exactly? Did you eat something bad?¡±

    E pursed her lips and looked to the floor, William had always doted on her and was very observant of all her antics and ways. She knew that William knew that everything she was saying was a load of horse shit, but why wasn¡¯t he calling her out on her lies? Was he trying to prove something, or was there something he was trying to figure out?

    ¡°I umm.. I think it was just my anxiety,¡± E responded meekly, ¡°you know how I get in crowded ces, I guess I was just overwhelmed.¡±

    William pulled out a book and quickly flipped through the pages before turning to E and smiling at her, ¡°oh of course, your anxiety, I¡¯m just d you¡¯re doing better.¡±

    .....

    He ced the book on the table and slid it towards E, ¡°I remember how much you love reading, this particr book has a lot of information that may peak your interest.¡±

    E looked down at the book and noticed that there was a small piece of paper sticking out between the pages. Had William ced a secrete note? She looked up at her brother and saw his eyes shooting towards the door and back to her, he was trying to tell her that someone might be listening to their conversation from the open door.

    ¡°Thank you William,¡± E responded casually, ¡°I¡¯ve actually been looking for this very book, I¡¯ve heard so many good things.¡±

    William smiled at E, clearly impressed by her ability to read a situation, smart girl. ¡°Well I should let you rest now, it¡¯ste and I too need to get some sleep.¡±

    The two siblings stood up and bowed and curtsied at each other in unison.

    ¡°Well good night,¡± William spoke as he walked away.

    ¡°Good night William.¡±

    E pushed the note deeper into the pages of the book just before Nathan walked into the library, so William was right, someone was listening in on their conversation.

    ¡°Had a good chat?¡± The silver haired prince asked the woman who now stood in front of him with a book in hand.

    ¡°We did, I¡¯ve missed him so it was nice sitting down and talking to him after a while,¡± she then raised the book and showed it to Nathan, ¡°William has always been pushy about me reading, ever since we were kids. Would you like to read the book with me?¡±

    Nathan looked at the little book E was holding, it was one about fairytales, werewolves, vampires and elves, not really his taste. ¡°Why don¡¯t you read it and tell me all about it when you¡¯re done.¡± The prince politely rejected the woman¡¯s offer

    E brought the book to her chest and smiled sweetly at Nathan, perfect, it was basic reverse psychology, in order to dispose of any curiosity Nathan would have towards the book, E purposely offered it to him. Of course this n was a gamble because there was a slim chance that Nathan would have actually epted the offer and took the book, good thing William was smart enough to pick a fairytale story book that would normally just be read to children.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to,¡± E responded, ¡°well, I¡¯ll be going now, good night Nathan.¡±

    ¡°Good night E.¡±

    The prince watched the redhead woman walk towards the exit and suddenly called out to her, ¡°E! Just a moment.¡±

    E halted in her steps and took a deep breath before turning to look at Nathan, had her acting not been good enough?

    ¡°I just wanted to remind you that tomorrow you have to go to the royal jewelers and select a new betrothal ne,¡± Nathan exined, ¡°the future wife of the prince needs to let the whole world know that she¡¯s no longer avable.¡±

    ¡°Of course, but aren¡¯t you going with me?¡± E questioned Nathan.

    For the few days she had been living at the pce the silver haired prince had not left E¡¯s side, especially outside the pce grounds. In fact, ever since their trip to Gavaria, Nathan had be unusually clingy.

    ¡°Unfortunately not my love,¡± Nathan responded and nted a quick kiss on her cheek, ¡°I have matters I need to attend to tomorrow, but I¡¯ll ensure that my most trusted men apany you.¡±

    ¡°Alright..¡±

    ¡°Now go on, go get your beauty rest.¡±

    After E had left, Nathan walked out to the balcony of the library, his mind was working wondering what William¡¯s true intentions ofing to Meria were. And judging from the questions he¡¯d asked both E and him, William knew something, something that could jeopardize his rtionship with E, Nathan had to find out what and stop him.

    The sliver haired prince turned to walk back into the library when he felt painful thump in his head.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    Nathan walked to the railing of the balcony and grabbed onto it to prevent himself from plummeting to the floor. The man felt like his bones were shuttering into pieces and rearranging themselves in a whole different way, the pain was excruciating.

    He dropped to his knees as he felt his top and bottom canine teeth elongate to the point of protruding out of his mouth, what in God¡¯s name was happening to him?

    When the pain subsided a little, the silver haired prince tightened his grip on the balcony railing and pulled himself up, Nathan stumbled backwards when he looked down at his hands. His once strong beautiful hands had been reced with paws that had long sharp ws growing out of them, he also noticed that his arms where covered in white silvery hair.

    ¡°Aaaah!!¡± Nathan yelled and dropped to the floor, he brought his hands to his face and flinched when he felt streaks of hair almostpletely covering his handsome face, his snout had protruded forward and his ears were bigger and hairier.

    Nathan swiftly leapt off the floor to a blind spot on the balcony when he heard the library doors swing open and heavy footsteps of armor came rushing in.

    ¡°Your grace!¡±

    ¡°Stay back!!¡± Nathan growled

    The two knights all halted in their tracks when they heard the vicious roar from the prince, the sheer power andmand in his voice sent shivers down their spines and the dark aura that was pouring from the balcony was enough to freeze them up.

    Gathering every ounce of courage in his body, one of the knights took a step forward, ¡°Your grace are you okay? We thought we heard you-¡±

    ¡°I said stay back!!¡± Nathan roared again , this time his dark aura pushed both the knights backwards into the wall behind them. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just leave me be!¡±

    The knights didn¡¯t even wait to be told a second time, they got to their feet and ran out of the library with their tails between their legs, what kind of monster was prince Nathan? Well, they definitely weren¡¯t willing to stick around and find out.

    After being sure that the knights had left, Nathan leapt off the balcony railing and stood up straight, looking at his reflection in the ss doors of the library balcony. His breath hitched when he caught site of the monstrosity he had turned into, he looked nothing like the handsome prince he was before, he looked like an absolute beast.

    William Morrell ducked out of site beside the entrance to the library, his breathing heavy and his eyes round with fear. He had been walking back to the library to bid farewell to prince Nathan when he saw two knights scampering out of the library. William had cautiously drawn his de and approached the library doors but immediately withdrew when he saw the creature that was standing out on the balcony, what the hell was that thing?!

 Chapter 41

    41 Chapter 41 : Lies

    E closed her door and locked it before walking to her dressing table, she opened the book and pulled out the small piece of paper her brother had stashed away within the pages.

    She took a deep breath before unfolding the paper and reading the contents within;

    ¡®E I know this will catch you a bit of guard and there is a possibility that you may not believe me, but I right this letter because I do not want you tying yourself down to a man who hides things from you. E I have proof that Nathan has been lying to you and fooling you in order to get you be his wife, I can¡¯t exin all the details right now but I will tell you everything I know in person. When you¡¯re ready, meet me at home in our garden where we used to catch butterflies, I will tell you everything I know there. I love you my little sister, please take care of yourself there.¡¯

    E was visibly trembling as she looked down at the letter in her hand, Nathan had been lying to her? Lying about what exactly? Was he lying about loving her? Or about who he was? Could she even trust him anymore? Did she even know the man she had spent thest five years courting, the man she was marrying in a few days, the man she had allowed to-

    E¡¯s thoughts trailed off when she felt a sharp pain in her head.

    ¡°Mmh!¡±

    She bit down on her lip and sped her head in her hands, the pain was agonizing. E suddenly felt very cold, she wrapped her arms around her body and shivered violently. The girl got up so she could grab a coat from her wardrobe but was startled by the image she saw in the mirror.

    E¡¯s skin was so pale it was almost white, her beautiful blue eyes looked like they were being engulfed by blood because they looked as red as a beet, and her canines had be sharper and longer.

    The redhead stumbled backwards when the image on the mirror began to fade away, she frantically looked down at her hands and touched them, scared that she too might be fading from existence.

    .....

    Her eyes looked towards the mirror again but this time she could not see her reflection staring back at her. She slowly moved towards it and waved her hand in front of it but still couldn¡¯t see anything.

    ¡°Gods!¡± E yelled, ¡°am I dying?!¡±

    *

    ¡°Mydy, we¡¯ve arrived in the capital!¡±

    Julia Boleyn peeped out of the carriage window and inspected the new surroundings, so this is where that witch lived? The green eyed woman clenched her fists tightly, anger filling her heart, so that little red haired witch thought she could just use a spell and steal Adam away from her? No, clearly she didn¡¯t know who she was up against, Julia would make her pay.

    ¡°Please find a small secluded inn where we can lodge without being recognized,¡± Julia instructed the carriage men.

    They would hide out in a small inn while Julia proceeded with her n of infiltrating the pce as a maid, she would scout the castle in and out, know it¡¯s exits and every corner. Julia would know where the guards were stationed and all the loop holes and blind spots, and then after she had all the information she needed, she would lure the witch out and kill her.

    The carriage stopped at a small inn near an alley way, the coach man opened the carriage door and helped Julia out.

    ¡°This is the least popted part of town mydy,¡± the man spoke, ¡°no one will ever suspect our being here.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Julia gave a signal to the two knights in disguise who had apanied her, ¡°stay here, I¡¯ll go and speak to the inn keeper.¡±

    Julia walked to the entrance of the inn but she found the door tightly shut.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± Julia mattered to herself, ¡°why would an inn be closed at this time of the night?¡±

    Julia peeped through the ss door of the inn and searched the interior, and to her surprise the ce looked abandoned. She pulled away and looked around, spotting another inn on the other side of the road.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just try that one.¡±

    Beric peeped from behind the wall and watched Julia walk away, he sighed in relief and started making his way to prince Adam¡¯s room. He had to tell his grace that Julia Boleyn was in the capital, most likely to look for Adam.

    *

    Julia walked into the room she had been given in the little inn, it wasn¡¯t her usual standard but she wasn¡¯t here forfort and luxury, she was here to save prince Adam.

    She looked at the soft bed in front of her and instantly felt tired, it had been a long trip and she had been battling with a headache half the time, a good night¡¯s rest was what she needed.

    The woman walked to the bed and sat down, she looked to the floor and furrowed her brows, her legs were dangling off the bed. For a small inn this ce had some really big beds. It was either that or she had grown shorter somehow, which of course was not possible, was it?

    Shey down on the bed and creased her brows once again when she saw how far her feet were from the edge of the bed she creased her brows. True that Julia had always been a tad shorter than most women, but she felt a whole lot smaller in this moment. She brushed it off and pulled the nket over her body, she was probably just tired and imagining things, all she needed to do was rest.

    *

    The next morning, E peeped from her nket when he noticed her room being lit up by the rays of the rising sun. The redhead had not seen not even a minute of sleep the previous night, after she saw her reflection disappearing with her own eyes, she was afraid if she fell asleep she wouldn¡¯t wake up the next morning.

    She uncovered her nket and slowly got off the bed, hesitantly walking towards her mirror. What would E do if she still looked the way she didstst night, she would never be able to leave her room ever again, she might even bebeled a witch.

    She closed her eyes as she stepped in front of the mirror and took a deep breath, hesitantly, she opened her eyes one at a time and to her relief, her blue eyes had regained her color and the warm tone of her skin was back.

    ¡°Oh thank the gods!¡± E sighed in relief.

    As the woman inspected herself on the mirror, a knock at the door echoed throughout the room.

    ¡°Lady E! May Ie in?¡±

    ¡°Umm of course.¡±

    Maria walked into the room and curtsied kindly, ¡°good morning mydy, I¡¯m here to help you prepare.¡±

    ¡°Prepare?¡±

    ¡°Yes mydy,¡± Maria continued as she gestured the servants who were carrying buckets of water to fill E¡¯s tub toe in.

    ¡°I was instructed by his grace prince Nathaniel to help you prepare to go into the town,¡± the woman grabbed a towel and walked over to E, ¡°he said you have to go select a new betrothal ne.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, I forgot about that.¡±

    With everything that had happenedst night, the betrothal ne arrangement hadpletely slipped her mind. But E was somewhat grateful, she really needed some time away from the pce to clear her head. And she could also use the time to meet up with her brother and hear what he had to say about Nathan, she needed to know what he had discovered before the wedding.

    E took the towel from Maria and headed to the bathroom where the servants had just finished filling and warming her bath. When she stripped her clothes off she felt a wave of anger course through her veins, if truly Nathan had tricked her into being with him, it meant she had given her body to air.

    She balled up her fists and cursed under her breath, she prayed that that William was wrong, because E didn¡¯t know what she would do if she found out that Nathan was lying to her all this time.

    *

    ¡°Julia? Beric are you sure about this?!¡±

    The young knight nodded, ¡°I¡¯m sure your grace it was her, I suspect she has been sent to find you.¡±

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Adam spoke, he was now pacing around the room deep in thought, ¡°if indeed they sent someone to find me why would they send Julia? It¡¯s doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they thought she could pursuade you to go back somehow,¡± Beric exined, ¡°besides, if they sent a group of knights here it would raise suspicions. I think they¡¯re trying to get you to go home without the attention of the Merian king.¡±

    Adam pursed his lips, ¡°you may be right. But if that¡¯s the case then we need to move fast.¡± Adam ran his fingers through his hair, ¡°we will go into the town today and try to find out how tight the security at the pce is, gather all the information necessary to rescue Guinevere from that lying prince.¡±

    ¡°Of course your grace,¡± Beric responded with a bow, ¡°I will inform the others.¡±

 Chapter 42

    42 Chapter 42 : How did he know that name?

    *What in the world had happenedst night?*

    The silver haired prince looked down at his palm, slowly turning it from side to side as if expectating a set of sharp ws to protrude from his fingers like they had the previous night.

    Nathan was sure he was not dreaming, and he knew it wasn¡¯t a hallucination either, the torn clothes that he had been wearing and the w marks on the library balcony railing was proof enough.

    The prince had read about this in books when he was younger, folklore books of people who would turn into monsters, they would grow fur, ws and a tail and would take the form of giant wolves. He thought those were just made up stories but after seeing his reflectionst night, he was sure that he had turned into a some sort of ware wolf.

    The door of his room swung open abruptly, much to Nathan¡¯s displeasure, ¡°Who dares enter my chambers unannounced!¡±

    ¡°Settle down little brother, I came to insure you¡¯re still alive.¡±

    Nathan turned around and saw a tall man with honey brown eyes and dark hair standing at the doorway, it was Jeffery Aldos, second son of Juliet and Bradley Aldos and Nathan¡¯s older brother.

    Growing up, the three sons of king Bradley Aldos had never really gotten along, mostly due to their varying personalities. Nathan was a sharp, goal oriented perferct child, Jeffery on the other hand was the trouble maker, smart but very mischievous, and the oldest of the brothers, Clovis was the quiet reserved type who really didn¡¯t care about anything or anyone.

    ¡°Jeffery, are there no doors in Dale? Or do you just not understand the concept of knocking or privacy?¡±

    .....

    Jeffrey chuckled and made his way to Nathan¡¯s bed, jumping on it with his legs crossed over each other and his hands behind his head, ¡°oh don¡¯t be so cross, you¡¯re getting married in a few days, and I hear she¡¯s a head turner, you should be in a good mood.¡±

    Nathan made his way to the sofa adjacent to his firece and sat down, ¡°forgive me, I¡¯ve just had a lot going on with the wedding preparation and it¡¯s a bit stressful.¡±

    ¡°Stressful?¡± Jeffery sat up and pushed back his soft locks of hair, ¡°you¡¯ve been involved in politics since you were ten, studied warfare your whole life and ruled besides father since you were sixteen, and a wedding is what¡¯s stressing you out? You must really have a thing for her huh?¡±

    A faint smile painted Nathan¡¯s face, Jeffery did have a point, the only moments he¡¯d experience stress was when E was involved, if anything, he would actually almost lose his mind because of her. Maybe he had not obtained her love through the most truthful means but he did love her, he loved her so much it was a bit worrying, the amount of care he had for her had made her his greatest weakness.

    ¡°She¡¯s a special woman,¡± Nathaniel responded, ¡°you¡¯ll understand when you meet her.¡±

    Jeffrey grinned at his brother, noticing the sparkle in his eyes whenever he talked about his bride. Who knew he¡¯d ever see the day when Nathaniel Aldos would care for something more than he did the throne.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Jeffrey got up and stood over his younger brother, ¡°the reason I came here was to let you know that everyone is ready for you in the study.¡±

    ¡°Alright thank you Jeffery,¡± Nathan responded, ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a few minutes.¡±

    *

    ¡°oh my they¡¯re all so beautiful,¡± Maria cooed in amazement as her eyes moved over the four beautiful betrothal nes that had been disyed in front of E and her. ¡°You¡¯re so lucky to have a prince you spoils you rotten like this mydy.¡±

    E looked at the pieces, one thing was for sure, they were all stunning and looked incredibly expensive, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel that this was another ploy by the prince to win her affection.

    ¡°We worked very hard to make these mydy as per the prince¡¯s instructions,¡± the jeweler exined, ¡°you won¡¯t find any pieces like this on all the four kingdoms, each is very unique, two are made of the finest silver and two with the purest gold, you can take your pick mydy.¡±

    E studied the nes sternly, the silver ones immediately caught her eye, one was encrusted with blue sapphire stones and the other with beautiful amethyst, she reached towards the one with blue stones and immediately pulled back and rubbed her fingers.

    ¡°Mydy is anything wrong?¡± Maria asked E in a concerned tone.

    ¡°No nothing,¡± she lied, she could feel the tips of her fingers cracking in pain as if she had drawn them towards a me.

    She then looked at the silver ne adorned with amethyst and picked it up, but the burning sensation it gave her fingers made her drop it back down instantly. This time Maria hadn¡¯t failed to notice the wince on herdy¡¯s face and the burn marks on the tip of her fingers.

    ¡°Mydy maybe you should go with one of the gold ones,¡± Maria suggested politely, ¡°silver is overrated anyway.¡±

    The maid picked up the gold ne that was adorned with beautiful red rubies that matched E¡¯s hair, ¡°try this one on.¡±

    E was a bit hesitant but eventually nodded, the maid pulled E¡¯s hair to the side and locked the ne in ce on her beautiful neck.

    ¡°It looks amazing on you.¡± Mariamented.

    The two jewelers who had been holding their breaths the entire time heaved sighs of relief, thank the gods they could keep their heads right where they were supposed to be, on their necks.

    E turned to look at herself in the mirror that was mounted on the wall behind her and nodded, ¡°this will do just fine.¡± She then turned to the jewelers and gave them each a gold coin.

    ¡°No mydy, we can¡¯t take this.¡± One of the Jewlers spoke out

    ¡°His majesty has already paid for these pieces mydy.¡± The second man added on

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that,¡± E responded with a sweet smile, ¡°this is a token of my appreciation.¡±

    When E and Maria turned to leave the two jewelers both looked at each other with shock written all over their faces, how did a prince so sour end up with a woman so sweet?

    *

    Outside the jewelry store, riding along the paved road in a wagon with his men, with his hood over his head, prince Adam Burchard was scouting the areas around the royal pce.

    ¡°I¡¯ve taken note of ten gaurds in total around the pce your grace,¡± Ozias spoke, ¡°it seems that most of the security is concentrated within the pce itself.¡±

    ¡°Making it very difficult for someone to get in without being spotted,¡± Adam added on

    ¡°But very easy to get out,¡± Rnd pitched in with a smirk. ¡°It means once we havedy Guinevere, getting her out of there will be a piece of fruit cake.¡±

    ¡°Keep it down Rnd you want the entire kingdom to know of our n?¡± Ivan scolded his friend. He then turned to Adam and questioned him, ¡°your grace how do you n on infiltrating the pce on the wedding day? Under a disguise?¡±

    ¡°After thinking about it long and hard,¡± Adam responded, ¡°a disguise will only slow me down, I¡¯m sure the guest list is under lock and key, so I¡¯ve decided I will attend the wedding as prince Adam Burchard, I doubt Nathaniel will be able to turn away the prince of their alliance kingdom.¡±

    Adam¡¯s eyes continued scouting the area when they suddenly fell on a red headed woman walking out of a jewelry store.

    ~it can¡¯t be.. could it be, Guinevere..~

    Without warning, the prince jumped off the moving wagon and hurriedly walked towards the carriage E was preparing to get into. He shoved his way though the crowded street, desperately wanting to reach her.

    ¡°Guinevere!¡±

    ¡°Your gra- I mean my lord! Stop!¡±

    Beric and Zander jumped off the wagon as well, chasing after Adam in an attempt to stop him, if he got caught now, their entire n would go up in mes.

    ¡°Guinevere!¡±

    E halted in her steps and looked around.

    ¡°Is anything the matter mydy?¡± Maria asked the woman.

    ¡°I though I heard someone calling me.¡± E scanned the area and saw three men rushing towards the carriage.

    ¡°Guine- argh let go of me!¡±

    The two knights who were guarding the carriage grabbed Adam, stopping him from proceeding any further.

    ¡°Let go of me! I need to speak with her!¡± Adam yelled as he desperately tried to pry the knights off his body.

    E and Maria watched the whole scene in confusion, but E couldn¡¯t help but feel a familiarity to the man the gaurds were apprehending.

    Beric and Zander rushed to the knights and pleaded for them to let Adam go, ¡°please forgive our lord he has a bit of a drinking problem.¡± Beric exined.

    ¡°And it doesn¡¯t help that he sees his dead wife in every beautiful woman he sees,¡± Zander added on, ¡°please pity the poor chap.¡±

    The two knights nodded and released Adam, ¡°get him under control before he¡¯s arrested for disturbing the peace and harassing the prince¡¯s wife.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Beric and Zander dragged Adam away with him still kicking and screaming.

    ¡°Wait! Guinevere it¡¯s me!¡±

    ¡°Your grace I¡¯m so sorry but this is for your own good.¡± Zander smacked Adam on the head rendering him unconscious, the two men then proceeded to carry him back towards their wagon.

    E stood there wide eyed, watching the three men disappear into the crowd, that stranger had called her Guinevere, how did he know that name?

 Chapter 43

    43 Chapter 43 : You¡¯re not supposed to have a sex life!

    ¡°Can you wait for me here for a little bit,¡± E instructed Maria as she got off the carriage, ¡°it¡¯s been a little while since I left home and I just want to pass by and say hi.¡±

    ¡°Of course mydy take as much time as you need.¡±

    The red head smiled and walked towards therge gate that led into the courtyard of the Morrell residence, E¡¯s heart was pounding and her anxiety was off the roof. Whatever information William had about Nathan might change everything, would she call off the wedding? Or would she suck it up and brush it off like a good little wife would.

    On one hand, E was upset that Nathan hadn¡¯t been honest with her, but on the other hand she felt like she couldn¡¯t really me him considering she had been ying hard to get for a really long time. Then there was the fact that Nathaniel was the only man E could ever picture herself marrying, with this curse that she carried around, she didn¡¯t exactly have ¡®plenty of fish in the sea¡¯, she just had one fish, a little piranha named Nathaniel.

    Gosh she had so much on her mind! Then there was the little episode she had experienced in her room the previous night, now that was terrifying, was it possible that it could be connected to the curse? Wow, and the only person who she could freely discuss the issue with without sounding insane was the same deceiving man she was about to marry. Well this was a load of shyte!

    ¡°E!¡± Emma Morrell walked towards her daughter and gave her a hug, ¡°what¡¯s the matter? Is Nathan not giving you enough attention?¡± She spoke with a smirk, ¡°well that¡¯s what you get for marrying a prince.¡±

    ¡°Mother please stop, I¡¯m only here to see William,¡± E replied with an eye roll, ¡°is he here?¡±

    ¡°he¡¯s out in the gardens, they¡¯ve been spending a lot of their time in there,¡± Emma responded, ¡°it must be nostalgic for them, you all loved ying in the gardens when you were little, always pulling out my best flowers.¡±

    E nced at the ss doors that led to the garden in confusion, ¡°they?¡±

    .....

    ¡°Oh yes, William, Bahram, Jonathan and Alexander,¡± E¡¯s mother responded, ¡°they¡¯re all here to watch their baby sister walk down the aisle.¡±

    Emma sped her hands together and cooed in happiness, the way her eyes twinkled when she mentioned ¡®walking down the aisle¡¯ one would think she was the one getting married.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you all some tea while you catch up,¡± Emma responded, ¡°I can¡¯t remember thest time all my babies were all home together.¡±

    E nodded at her mother and walked out the door into the gardens, they weren¡¯t as big as the gardens at the royal pce but they held so many beautiful memories for E, for all the Morrells actually. ying tag, jumping in mad puddles, tea parties and so much more, wow, how time flies.

    E paused when her four brothers came into view and her blue eyes became a tad misty, it had been so long since she had seen them all together like this. Thest time they all sat down together in such a manner was years back when they were interrogating a little boy who had written E a love letter when she was eight, the young boy was so frightened that he soiled himself on the spot, her brothers were truly a menace to society.

    ¡°E? Is that you?¡± Bahram was the first to speak when he spotted the beautiful red head standing and smiling at them.

    ¡°E!¡± The twins yelled in unison.

    The four men all rushed towards E and embraced her in a group hug.

    ¡°Good lord E look how you¡¯ve grown!¡± Bahram eximed excitedly, ¡°have I been away that long?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that ridiculous beard you¡¯ve grown isn¡¯t proof enough of how much time has passed,¡± E responded tauntingly. She turned to the twins and chuckled, ¡°and I see that you two are just as creepy as ever.¡±

    ¡°How are we creepy?¡± Jonathan and Alexander responded in unison, each of them knitting their brows and cocking their heads to the side at the same time.

    ¡°I¡¯m d the future queen of Meria could make the time to see us lowlymoners,¡± William spoke tauntingly, ¡°please do sit down on this soft patch of grass your majesty.¡±

    E rolled her eyes and settled down on the grass next to William, Alex and Jon joined in followed by Bahram who kept stroking his beard and mattering ¡®ridiculous beard?¡¯ under his breath.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe all of you came all the way for me,¡± E spoke when all of them werefortably sitting in a circle around the soft grass, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be happy or concerned.¡±

    The four men exchanged nces before Bahram spoke up, ¡°E why did you really agree to marry prince Nathaniel?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± E responded nervously, ¡°Nathan and I..¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t bother lying, I know you don¡¯t love him,¡± William added on

    ¡°Is it because he¡¯s the prince?¡± Jonathan asked

    ¡°No it¡¯s not that,¡± E responded

    ¡°Is it because he gives it to you good then?¡± Alexander asked E

    E¡¯s cheeks turned the same color as her hair, gave what to her good?!

    ¡°No! It has nothing to do with that, why would you even think that Alex!¡± E squealed in embarrassment.

    ¡°Well despite how good he gives it to you, Nathaniel cannot be trusted,¡± the expression on William¡¯s face was serious and a little upset.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Bahram red at E, his eyes round and his brow twitching, ¡°he¡¯s been giving it to you?! That bastard!¡±

    E ran her hands through her hair and sighed heavily, ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if we please stop talking about Nathan giving me anything! Thest thing I need right now is my brothers discussing my sex life!¡±

    ¡°Youre not supposed to have a sex life!¡± Bahram roared in fury, ¡°when I get my hands on that prince I¡¯ll -¡±

    ¡°Can we please focus on what we¡¯re all really here for, for just a minute,¡± William interrupted.

    The Morrell brothers simmered down and sat quietly, all except Bahram who was mattering profanities underneath his breath.

    ¡°E,¡± William spoke to the blue eyed woman, the sudden change in tone made her a little anxious, she rarely saw him this serious, ¡°I don¡¯t think Nathan is who he says he is, and there are things he¡¯s been hiding from you.¡±

    *

    ¡°So you have reason to suspect something might go wrong at the wedding? Are you sure you¡¯re not just being paranoid?¡± Clovismented as he leisurely flipped a page in the book he was reading, ¡°your woman is very beautiful I agree but no one is going to steal her from you on your wedding day.¡±

    ¡°And besides, there will be tight security on that day,¡± Jeffrey added on, ¡°getting into the ce without an invite will be close to impossible.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take any chances,¡± Nathan responded, ¡°do you really trust every guest who will be in attendance? And what about the gaurds? How well do we know any of them?¡±

    ¡°Son, nothing is going to go wrong,¡± king Aldos spoke, ¡°you¡¯re overthinking things.¡±

    ¡°Dare I remind you of the ne incident that urred not too long ago?¡± Nathan pointed out, ¡°I have reason to suspect that someone is out to get us, what¡¯s the harm in taking a little extra precaution.¡±

    Nathan had been uneasy ever since his meeting with William, he couldn¡¯t get rid of the feeling that he had learned something that would put his rtionship with E in jeopardy. And he had the nagging feeling it had something to do with prince Adam, that was the reason why Nathan had not invited the Gavarian prince to the wedding, all his lies would be put to light of he showed up.

    But if William knew something about Nathan lying to E about Adam¡¯s identity, there was a chance he would show up at the wedding and cause a scene, Nathan had to be ready for anything.

    ¡°And what do you propose we do?¡± King Aldos questioned his youngest son

    ¡°Please tell us your demands so we can get back to doing our own things,¡± Clovis responded, he had had enough of sitting in meetings like this, it was bad enough he had to do this everyday as the governor of Meria, but now he had to do it in thefort of his own home too, he wanted to leave and spend as much time resting alone in his room as possible.

    ¡°Father I want you to give memand over the royal guard,¡± Nathan suggested, ¡°I will personally tell them what to do so none of you need to worry about the details.¡±

    ¡°I thought the royal guard only answers to the king,¡± Jeffrey responded tauntingly, ¡°it¡¯s your wedding not your coronation.¡±

    ¡°Oh father just give him what he wants so we can get this over with,¡± Clovis pleaded.

    ¡°If it will make you feel safer,¡± king Aldos responded, ¡°then I¡¯ll allow it.¡±

    ¡°Finally!¡± Clovis stood up and hurriedly walked out of the room, followed closely behind by Jeffrey.

    ¡°Thank you father, I do feel safer,¡± Nathaniel responded as he rose from his chair, ¡°now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I should check on E, she should be back from the royal jewelers by now.¡±

    *

    Nathn opened the door to E¡¯s sleeping chambers and peeped in, expecting to see his beautiful wife to be sitting in her usual spot by the window reading a book, but to his surprise the room was empty.

    He walked in and inspected the room, surprised that she wasn¡¯t back yet, she had left over two hours ago. That was strange, he wondered if something had happened at the jewelers, the prince decided to go and ask if the carriage or knights who had escorted her had returned, maybe she was just somewhere around the pce.

    As the prince turned to leave the room, he spotted a piece of paper on the floor near E¡¯s dresser, he suspected she must have dropped it when leaving.

    Nathan picked up the note and browsed through its contests before cramping it up into a little ball, ¡°William..¡± the prince growled, ¡°What are you trying to achieve?¡±

 Chapter 44

    44 Chapter 44 : Adam and Jillian are the same person

    Beric, Zander, Ivan, Rnd, Ozias and Odran were all sitting in the lounge of the little inn they had rented out, an awkward silence filing the room as they waited for prince Adam to wake up.

    ¡°I think you hit him too hard Zander,¡± Beric spoke to his friend, ¡°what if he doesn¡¯t wake up, then what?¡±

    ¡°Ohe on it was just a little tap,¡± Zander responded casually.

    ¡°A tap that rendered him unconscious,¡± Ivanmented with a chuckle.

    ¡°He¡¯s not going to be happy when he wakes up,¡± Odran added on

    ¡°It was for his own good!¡± Zander protested, ¡°he would have blown his cover and then all of us would have been fucked.¡±

    Silence filled the room once more as all their eyes gazed upon the prince who was passed out on a lounge chair. Ivan stood up and walked over to where the prince wasying down and poked him with his index finger.

    ¡°Ivan!¡±

    ¡°What? I want to make sure you didn¡¯t kill him¡± Ivan responded.

    .....

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Zander responded with his arms crossed over his chest, he looked at prince Adam and creased his brows in thought, his thoughts trailed back to when he had briefly watched Adam transform, if Zander¡¯s instincts were right, a being like Adam couldn¡¯t be killed by a mere smack upside the head. Could it be that prince Adam was actually-

    ¡°Your grace you¡¯re awake!¡±

    Beric rushed to Adam¡¯s side and helped him sit up in the chair.

    Adamn groaned and rubbed the back of his head, ¡°What happened? Were we attacked?¡±

    ¡°Actually your grace-¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Zander interrupted Beric and elbowed him to shut up, ¡°after the scene you caused in the town square, a knight had to put you to sleep for a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Scene?¡± Adam kept rubbing his sore head as he tried to recollect his memories, he remembered that him, Beric and Zander were scouting the surroundings of the royal pce that afternoon, but then what happened? ¡°Guinevere,¡± Adam spoke, ¡°I saw her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you lost your mind for a bit when you did your grace,¡± Bericmented, remembering how Adam had jumped off a moving wagon and rushed through the crowed screaming her name like a lunatic.

    ¡°I almost blew our cover,¡± Adam spoke as he cupped his forehead in his hand, what was wrong with him? He was always so calm and collected, why had he acted the way he did when he saw Guinevere? ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡±

    ¡°You were thinking with the head between your legs your grace,¡± Ivan responded.

    ¡°Ivan! Watch your mouth!¡± Ozias reprimanded his friend.

    Ivan never had a filter, he just blurted out what ever came to his mind all the time without thinking, he meant well of course, but sometime they wished they could get a muzzle for him.

    ¡°Ivan¡¯s right,¡± Adam responded, his tone sounding a bit lighter than before, ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ll be more headstrong in the future.¡±

    ¡°A man in love is a stupid man,¡± Beric spoke with a chuckle, ¡°I¡¯m talking from experience.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be modest Beric, you¡¯ve been stupid all your life,¡± Odran responded with a taunting smile

    The group all burst intoughter, even prince Adam.

    ¡°Take heart your grace,¡± Odran added on, ¡°you¡¯ll be reunited with her soon enough, as long as we stick to the n.¡±

    The group nodded in unison.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just a matter of time,¡± Adam responded.

    ¡°And what ofdy Julia?¡± Beric asked the group. They had discovered that she too was in the Merian capital in disguise, lodging at an inn just across the street, most likely sent here to find prince Adam. ¡°She may be a problem, she could jeopardize our whole n.¡±

    ¡°leave Julia to me,¡± Adam responded, ¡°unlike her, we know her location, we¡¯re already one step ahead of her, the rest of you just stay out of her site.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta ask,¡± Ivan spoke as he poured himself a cup of ale and settle down on a chair, ¡°this woman that has our uptight, by the book prince running for his money, what does she look like? What¡¯s so special about her anyway?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s enchantingly beautiful,¡± Zander responded without a second thought, earning res from everyone in the room. ¡°What? It¡¯s true, we saw her with our own eyes, ask Beric.¡±

    ¡°Well he¡¯s not lying,¡± Beric responded sheepishly, he could vividly remember E¡¯s features even though he¡¯d only nced at her for a minute, ¡°She¡¯s the only woman I¡¯ve ever seen with red hair and blue eyes, she looks like a beautiful nymph.¡±

    ¡°That beautiful huh?¡± Ivan responded with a sly smile.

    ¡°Ivan I will not hesitate to gouge your eyes out,¡± Adam jockingly threatened the sly knight.

    The men chuckled. They spent the rest of the day sharing ale and talking about women and their sexual exploits, mostly Ivan¡¯s since he was the cassanova of the group. The talks made Adam long for Guine even more, there was so much he hadn¡¯t done with her that he couldn¡¯t wait to try, but he was patient enough to wait till he¡¯d rescued her from Nathan and they could finally be together.

    *

    Maria hopped out of the carriage and told the coachman and knights that she was going to take a walk to pass the time while she waited fordy E. In truth, she needed some time alone to analyze the things she had experienced withdy E Morrell, first it was how her wounds on her neck magically healed, and then today, her reaction to touching the silver nes.

    ¡°Could she be the one?¡± Maria mattered to herself as she stroked the locket that hang around the neck. ¡°I¡¯ll have to observe her a bit longer, to see if everything checks out.¡±

    *

    Meanwhile, inside the Morrell residence, in the beautiful gardens, the four men were eagerly waiting for their sister¡¯s response to their question. William had already told them that E admitted to not being in love with prince Nathan and to top it all off, William had reason to believe that Nathan had tricking their little sister all along.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯d ask me that,¡± E responded, ¡°I¡¯m marrying Nathan because he¡¯s the right man for me, he¡¯s loving and kind and honest-¡±

    ¡°Horse shit E, Nathan is anything but honest.¡± William interrupted her.

    ¡°How are you so sure?¡± E fired back, ¡°stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you know William.¡±

    ¡°Were you aware that the man you met back in Gavaria was not prince Adam?¡± Wim responded.

    E sighed and looked to the side, again with this, she was very much aware, he didn¡¯t have to rub it in, ¡°I know that William, Nathan let me meet him a second time and I confirmed that he wasn¡¯t Jillian, what¡¯s your point?¡±

    ¡°Jillian?¡± Bahram looked at the other siblings confused, there was a Jillian now?

    ¡°No E you didn¡¯t hear me,¡± William replied, ¡°I said the man you met wasn¡¯t prince Adam, I didn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯t Jillian.¡±

    E batted hershed and studied her brother¡¯s face, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    William pulled out a parchment with the painting of a young good looking man with short brown hair and hooded eyes, ¡°Is this the man you met?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± E responded, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the prince of Gavaria?¡±

    William shook his head, ¡°No E, this is Louis Vandros, a night from Guria.¡± William then flipped the paper and showed E a picture of a man who made her heart skip several beats, ¡°This is prince Adam Burchard.¡±

    With a shaky hand E reached for the parchment and continuously flipped it, carefully looking at the two portraits of the men, the resemnce was there but thy were two entirely different men.

    ¡°B- but Nathan, he-¡±

    ¡°I spoke to Louis,¡± William added on, ¡°He told me that the price payed him a lot of money to pretend to be prince Adam, and made him vow secrecy.¡±

    ¡°But why would prince Nathan do that?¡± Alexander and Jonathan asked

    ¡°That¡¯s something E should tell us,¡± William responded, ¡°what is the connection between all these men, what is linking you to prince Nathan, Prince Adam and this Jillian fellow.¡±

    E¡¯s breath hitched, if she told them how the three were rted she¡¯d have to tell them about her curse. It was something she had kept to herself all her lives in fear of being shunned and persecuted as a witch, and besides, it was a ridiculous story, who in the world would actually believe rebirth and reincarnation were possible, they would never believe her.

    ¡°And don¡¯t even think about lying E,¡± William added on, ¡°we¡¯re your family, we know when you lie.¡±

    ¡°You know you can tell us anything E,¡± Bahram added on as he ced a gentle hand on his sister¡¯s shoulder, ¡°We won¡¯t know how to help you if you keep things to yourself.¡±

    ¡°Be honest with us E,¡± Jonathan and Alexander added on, speaking in unison as usual.

    E could feel herself getting light headed, her mind was spinning with so many thoughts and questions, on one hand she was thinking of how Nathan had lied about Adam¡¯s identity, did that mean he knew all along that Adam was Jillian and intentionally didn¡¯t want her to meet him? How could he be so selfish? On the other hand, she was trying to think of how she was going to tell her brothers about her rtionship with the two princes without sounding like a total whack job.

    ¡°Jillian hase up in our conversations more than twice now E,¡± William encouraged her, ¡°and every time he does, your emotions are always all over the ce, please talk to us.¡±

    ¡°I..¡± E took a deep breath and looked at her brother¡¯s concerned faces, ¡°well, the thing is, Jillian and prince Adam are the same person.¡±

 Chapter 45

    45 Chapter 45 : The truth

    The royal guards was a group of highly trained elite knights who were skilled in stealth, masters of disguise and had the killer instincts of a king cobra. This group of knights were trained in the harshest conditions and were kept a secret for security measures, only deployed on extremely sensitive missions of utmost importance like assassination, infiltrating enemy territory for information among others, and Nathan had gained the loyalty of these men by secretly funding their escapades and training, without the king¡¯s knowledge.

    They were his tomand, him asking his father for permission to take charge of the royal guard was all for show, he would have them do his bidding regardless. The silver haired prince walked to stand before the two dozen men who instantly took a knee upon his arrival. They had gathered in therge training area that was situated a couple of meters away from the pce grounds, a good ce to avoid any eavesdropping.

    ¡°At ease men,¡± Nathan spoke, and all the knights stood up straight and ced their arms behind their backs in unison, it was like an army of mindless deadly puppets.

    ¡°The time hase for you to finally show me your skills,¡± the prince announced, pacing slowly in front of the men, ¡°there is a very important eventing up in a few days and I want nothing to go wrong.¡±

    Nathaniel gave a signal to a guard who was standing behind him with a bunch of parchments in hand, the man bowed to the prince and handed each member of the royal guards two parchments. One parchment had paintings of four men, Bahram, Jonathan, Alexander and William Morrell. And the other had a painting of prince Adam Burchard.

    ¡°I want you to keep a close eye on the four men on the first parchment and everyone they may be associated with on the day of the wedding,¡± prince Nathaniel exined further, ¡°as for the man on the second parchment..¡±

    Nathan pursed his lips and took a deep breath, just the thought of Adam Burchard made his blood boil, he could literally feel the monster within him fighting to get out at the very thought of Adam even making the slightest contact with E. He had to hold back the urge tomand the knights to kill Adam on site with every fiber of his being, killing him may only lead to his own demise in the long run seeing as he too was carrying the same curse as E and Nathan, so his only option was to capture him alive without E knowing and keeping him prisoner.

    ¡°For the man in the second painting,¡± Nathan continued, ¡°capture him and throw him in the ck tower, I¡¯ll deal with him myself. Do not cause a scene, lure him to a ce he can be alone and then apprehend him, do I make myself clear?¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡± The man all responded with a salute.

    .....

    ¡°Dismissed..¡±

    Nathaniel walked back slowly towards the pce with many thoughts in mind, he had a feeling that the reason E had dyed to return was probably because she was meeting with William like what the note said, was there a possibility that William hade to Meria with prince Adam? There could be a chance Adam and his bride were getting acquainted right this minute, Nathan couldn¡¯t risk waiting around to find out, his only option now was to go to the Morrell residence and see the situation for himself.

    ¡°Get my horse ready!¡± Nathan called out when he walked through the pce door, ¡°now!¡±

    Several butlers and knights all scampered in different directions to do the prince¡¯s bidding, they could sense the dark aura surrounding him and did not want to be caught up in it.

    On the far end of the hall, Juliet Aldos stood behind a pir and watched her son walk towards E¡¯s chambers, she tightened the grip on her silver knife and cursed underneath her breath. She was hoping that while Nathan was having a meeting with the royal guard, she would sneak into E¡¯s chambers and kill her, but she had lost the chance.

    It hadn¡¯t taken long for Juliet to know exactly what she was dealing with, the prophecy that her family had passed down through the generations from their forefathers and now to her, was about to be fulfilled. These inhuman creatures of the snonds and the enchanted forests would soon rise and take over the continent, Juliet could not allow that to happen.

    Nathaniel entered E¡¯s sleeping chambers and ced the note from William carefully into one of her drawers, he then turned to leave but stopped at her door and firmly gripped the door post.

    *I swore to never leave your side E, I made a promise and I am going to keep it even if I have to die trying*

    The silver haired prince closed the door behind him and hurried through the castle halls to the courtyard where a knight was waiting with his steed.

    ¡°Get another one of your friends and the two of you follow me,¡± Nathan ordered as he hopped onto his horse.

    ¡°Yes your grace, right away.¡±

    *

    ¡°What do you mean by Jillian and prince Adam are the same person?¡± William questioned his little sister, ¡°didn¡¯t you say that Jillian died?¡±

    ¡°Who the bloody hell is Jillian?!¡± Bahram spoke in frustration, he hated being left in the dark.

    ¡°Is he also giving it to you real good?¡± The twins asked their little sister.

    ¡°No!¡± E responded with an intense blush, ¡°what kind of woman do you think I am?!¡±

    William ced a firm hand on E¡¯s shoulder, ¡°E Morrell, what do you mean when you say Adam and Jillian are the same person?¡±

    E looked to the ground and tightened her hold on the skirt of her dress, it looked like she didn¡¯t have a choice, it was time to let the cat out of the bag. If she couldn¡¯t trust her siblings with her secret then who would she trust it with?

    ¡°Yes, Jillian did die,¡± E exined, she looked up at her brothers and put on a serious face, ¡°he died in a past life and was reborn as prince Adam Burchard.¡±

    William narrowed his eyes at his sister, watching her facial expressions carefully to trace any sign of deceit but there was none. What?! She was serious?!

    ¡°E what on earth are you going on about?¡± Bahrammented, ¡°you¡¯re not making any sense.¡±

    ¡°I have been keeping this a secret for a long time, from everyone,¡± E continued ¡°I have lived many many lifetimes, so many that I¡¯ve lost count. Every time I face death, I¡¯m reborn as a different person in a different family. At first I didn¡¯t know what was going on, I tried going to sorcerers, necromancers, I tried spells and potions to get it to stop but it just kept going, I concluded that I was cursed, cursed to watch everyone around me die while I live on with my memories of them intact.¡±

    The four men were all silent for some time, trying to contemte what their sister had just said. Cursed to be reborn every time she died? Was she being serious right now?

    ¡°E,¡± Bahram spoke calmly, ¡°are you pulling our legs? Cause the joke is not very funny.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth,¡± William responded.

    ¡°She can¡¯t be-¡±

    ¡°Look at her Bahram, you know our little sister, did you see any trace of lies and deceit as she spoke?¡±

    Bahram knittied his brows in frustration, ¡°I didn¡¯t but this can¡¯t be true.¡±

    William returned his gaze to E, his brain had already connected the dots but he wanted to hear it from her mouth, ¡°so how do Adam and Nathan fit into all this?¡±

    ¡°I first met prince Adam as Jillian in my past life,¡± E further exined, ¡°he was the first man I ever loved, because of the curse I stopped myself from having rtionships because I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the loss of them dying and being reborn in some other ce and having to forget about them. But I couldn¡¯t help it with Jillian, it just happened, but he died trying to protect me.¡±

    E¡¯s eyes were now getting misty and her brother¡¯s hearts dropped upon seeing the pain written all over her face, ¡°After I was reborn as E, I fought hard to forget about Jillian and closed off my heart to everyone. But then I met prince Nathan, and I found out he too was cursed like I was, until now, I thought he was the only man I could ever be with because we shared the same fate.¡±

    ¡°So that exins why you fainted at the ceremony,¡± William added on with a thoughtful look on his face, ¡°you saw Jillian and he saw you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s why I asked to meet with him that day,¡± E added on, ¡°I wanted to confirm that it was truly him.¡±

    ¡°So this Adam fe is also cursed,¡± Bahram added on, ¡°and Nathan knew that but kept it hidden for his own selfish needs, that bastard!¡±

    E was shocked to see her brothers taking this so lightly, she thought they¡¯dpletely freak out and even shun her after finding out who or what she really was. Speaking of which..

    ¡°There¡¯s something else,¡± E added on, she wanted to tell them about what had happened to her the previous night, and that she suspected that it might have something to do with the curse her, Adam and Nathan shared. But before she could speak any further, the butler walked over to the group of siblings and took a bow.

    ¡°Lady E, the prince is here for you.¡±

 Chapter 46

    46 Chapter 46 : The Great Cleansing

    Juliet Aldos took a seat at her dresser in the master bedroom of the pce and ced the silver dagger in her drawer. She needed to go see her grandfather and inform him of the development, they were running out of time.

    Juliet Aldos¡¯ grandfather, Cornelius Meria was thest remaining member of ¡®Cleansers¡¯ an organization that included the great kings of old from Gavaria, Meria, Bailviles and Cenia who were the pioneers of ¡®the great cleansing¡¯.

    Over two hundred years ago, humans lived together with the Dwarves, Eleves, Nosferatu and the Lycans. A treaty had been established between these five great races that they may all live in peace and harmony in the great continent of Ronia Cresus.

    The races joined forces to bring prosperity to the the continent. The dwarves were great miners and forgers, hence they contibruted to the mineral and armory wealth of the continent. The elves were the wisest of all races and highly gifted in magic, they contributed to the academic, herbomancy and necromancy of the continent. The nosferatu were great warriors, their magic, strength and uncunny senses were the military pride of the continent, while the lycans were immacte hunters and trackers, whose skills were also an important part of the military and security sector of the continent. The humans, though weaker and more vulnerable than the other four races were an important part of the working force of the continent, some humans were also able to learn a trade like necromancy, mining or warfare from the other races and would be incorporated into the system as such.

    The peace and prosperity in the continent preserved for a hundred years, making Ronia Cresus a mighty and capable continent. But as time went on the human¡¯s greed and hunger for power slowly began to devour them, they wanted to have total control of the riches of the continent.

    The humans had the advantage of being more in number than the other four races whose rate of reproduction was extremely low, so they used this advantage to initiate ¡®the great cleansing.¡¯

    Influential men conviced their followers that having magic and extraordinary abilities made the other races a threat to the peace of the continent, and that the races exhibiting these traits must be exterminated. The great cleansing was a mass genocied of the dwarves, elves, nosferatu andycans, thousands of lives were lost at the hands of the greedy humans, forcing the survivors to flee to the uninhibited corners of the continent, and others to be enved by the humans.

    The nosferatu and theycans fled to the snow filled wastnds in the south, while the dwarves and the elves fled to the enchanted forest in the north east.

    The humans then broke the central continent into four kingdoms and shared them among the pioneers of the great cleansing, the Gavrians, the Cenians, the Merians and the Baiviles.

    .....

    Meanwhile, the survivors of the four races did not just sit idly watching the humans enjoy the prosperity that they had worked hard to attain, they too devised a n to enact their revenge and take back thend that was once theirs.

    Four leaders, one from each of the four banished races fathered a child and while these children were in the womb, the great wizards from both the nosferatu and the elves performed a forbidden ancient incantation of rebirth.

    The four women from the different races hadbor induced at the same time and immediately the children left their wombs, the new mothers were required to kill their children in order to begin the cycle of rebirth.

    The four children, Melissa, Gareth, Elric and Adiel were reborn into the four human kingdoms, sent to secretly watch over the humans and learn their ways and weaknesses until the time came that they would meet again and rise to lead the rebellion against the humans, to free their people who had been taken as ves and to take back theirnd.

    *

    Queen Juliet Aldos walked into the royal study where her husband was having a cup of wine.

    ¡°Your majesty,¡± she spoke with a curtsy, ¡°I¡¯m going to visit my grandfather, I shall return before nightfall.¡±

    King Bradley Aldos had taken over the Merian throne as the husband to the only daughter of thete king Gorge Meria, only son of the former king Cornelius Meria.

    ¡°What happened, has his health taken a turn for the worst again?¡± The king questioned his wife.

    ¡°No your majesty, I¡¯ve just missed him that¡¯s all, I wish to see him and catch up.¡± The timid woman responded.

    ¡°Oh, then allow me to be your escort-¡±

    ¡°No you don¡¯t have to your majesty,¡± Juliet interrupted him, ¡°I will be fine, you need not to worry.¡±

    ¡°Well if you insist,¡± king Aldos responded, ¡°please take a member of the royal guard with you, I¡¯d be morefortable that way, because I¡¯d know you¡¯d be well protected.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty.¡± Juliet curtsied and exited the study, the truth of the great cleansing had only been passed down to descendants of its pioneers, so king Aldos only had a very vague idea of what happened a hundred years ago. It would be best to keep him out of it for the time being until it was absolutely necessary.

    *

    ¡°Your majesty the men are ready to leave.¡±

    King James Burchard turned to the knight who was genuflecting in front of him, ¡°you¡¯re all aware of the mission aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes your majesty, retrieve the prince and his men, anddy Julia.¡± The knight responded respectfully.

    ¡°And if given the chance?...¡±

    The knight took a deep breath before responding, ¡°killdy E Morrell and anyone who tries to stand in our way.¡±

    ¡°Excellent, dismissed,¡± the king added on, ¡°the wedding is in four days, take the fastest horses and arrive in Meria by then, take advantage of themotion in the wedding is going to cause in the town.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty.¡±

    King James left his men to be on their way and walked back into the pce where he saw a familiar face waiting for him at the end of the hallway.

    ¡°Father?...¡±

    *

    E stood up and dusted her dress, ¡°Nathan is here? Where is he?¡±

    ¡°Right here,¡± a familiar voice responded. The silver haired prince walked up to E, pulled her into his arms and nted a soft kiss on her lips, much to E¡¯s brother¡¯s dismay.

    ¡°You took so long toe home my love, I was worried about you,¡± Nathan spoke softly, ¡°why didn¡¯t you tell me your brothers had arrived, I would have apanied you to greet my future brothers inw.¡±

    Bahram, William, Jonathan and Alexander stood up and bowed to the prince.

    ¡°wee to our home your grace.¡± Bahram spoke, it took a will of titanium not to grab Nathan by the coller and knock him right in the face.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Nathan responded casually, ¡°but unfortunately I cannot stay here very long, you see..¡± the prince tightened his grib around E and nted another kiss on her lips, ¡°my future wife and I have a lot to do in preparation for the wedding.¡±

    Alexander and Jonathan physically growled when they saw Nathan¡¯s deceitful lipsnd on their sister¡¯s innocent mouth.

    ¡°Shall we go my love?¡± Nathan spoke to the blue eyed woman.

    E nced at her brothers and then back to Nathan, in as much as she wanted to push him away and call him out for being air, she had to y dumb until she could find a way to escape him and reconnect with Adam somehow.

    ¡°Of course,¡± E responded.

    Nathaniel relinquished the woman and took her hand firmly in his, ¡°We¡¯ll be looking forward to seeing you at the wedding,¡± the prince spoke to E¡¯s brothers before turning and walking away.

    William followed the couple, he needed to know what else E had wanted to say before Nathan interrupted them, it might have been important.

    ¡°Nathan!¡± William called out to the prince who halted in his steps and turned to him.

    ¡°Leo, take E to the horses,¡± Nathan instructed his knight.

    ¡°Wait Nathan I just need a word with my sister, it will only take a second,¡± William asked the prince.

    ¡°Whatever it is you have to say William, you can tell it to me and I will pass on the message,¡± Nathan responded coldly. From the way E responded to his kiss earlier, he could tell that her feelings towards him had changed, most likely because of whatever William had just told her.

    ¡°Nathan that is my sister!¡±

    ¡°And she¡¯s my wife!¡± Nathan spat back, ¡°so whatever it is you need to say to her you can say to me.¡±

    William furrowed his brows at the prince, this man was nothing like the Nathan he knew five years ago. E¡¯s brother took a step back when he sensed an intimidating aura radiating from the prince. He had sensed this aura before.

    ¡°Never mind,¡± William responded, ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the wedding.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± the prince responded. Nathan took a step closer to William and sized him up, ¡°and from now on, it¡¯s PRINCE Nathaniel to you.¡± And with those words, the silver haired prince turned away and walked towards the exit.

 Chapter 47

    47 Chapter 47 : Adam¡¯s concern [PG 18]

    When E and Nathan returned to the castle the silver haired prince led her straight to his chambers and closed the door tightly shut. He pinned the redhead against the wall, caging her between his strong arms.

    E could feel his breath hitting her cheek and when his rough voice reached her ears, a wave of shivers ran down her weak spine, ¡°Did you have a good chat with your brothers my love?¡± Nathan questioned the woman who was panting beneath him.

    ¡°I- I did,¡± she responded, her voice cracked as the temperature in the room rose drastically.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me they were around? I would have been there with you.¡± Nathaniel¡¯s voice was a low husky growl, primal desireced every word he spoke making the blue eyed woman feel light headed.

    ¡°I too didn¡¯t know they had arrived, I just-¡± E¡¯s words trailed off when Nathan gently took her earlobe between his teeth and pulled on it gently.

    ¡°You took so long toe home,¡± he whispered amorously into her ear, ¡°I missed you.¡±

    E¡¯s breath hitched and her treacherous little mouth released a longing gasp. No, Nathaniel was the enemy, she shouldn¡¯t be reacting to him like this.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you miss me?¡± The prince whispered as he gently touched her chin with his index finger and tilted her face towards his. His golden brown eyes where now heavily lidded and oozing with lust.

    Before E¡¯s brain could process an answer, her lips uttered a soft desirous ¡®I did.¡¯

    .....

    Nathan shed a perfect white side smile and moved his strong arms down E¡¯s shoulders and back to her small waist. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± He whispered with a sly smile, his beautiful alluring eyes never straying from hers, ¡°how much?¡±

    ¡°Nathan-¡±

    The prince interrupted E with a soft, breath taking, leg numbing kiss, his lips clutched onto hers eagerly while his skillful tongue entangled with hers like a boa constrictor handling it¡¯s prey. All the walls E had built up just a few hours ago all crumbled to the ground and she melted into his arms, her hands grasping his bulging biceps as she kissed him back. Gosh why was her body so weak for this scummy prince, it was so shameful how all her sense of decency just took a swan dive out the window at the touch of this man, was it because he was the only man her body had ever known? E could only wonder.

    The prince suddenly broke the kiss and E grabbed his arms tightly and attempted to pull him back, the amused smile Nathan gave her made her ears heat up, good lord what a shameless woman she was around this man.

    E¡¯s eyes circled when the prince firmly grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up, locking her long smooth legs around his waist. The woman instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulders to prevent herself from falling but almost lost her grip when Nathan imed her lips yet again.

    E lightly groaned at the pure ecstasy she was feeling, and when Nathan¡¯s deep musk filled her nostrils it was game over, her hand cupped the back of his head while the other held on to his broad shoulders, losing herself in the intimate kiss.

    She didn¡¯t notice that the entire time Nathan had been moving until he gently settled her down on an elevated surface. The prince nested himself between her legs and continued kissing her hungrily as his hand made its way up her skirt, gently squeezing her thigh all the way up till he reached the groove between her thigh and torso. He maneuvered his fingers underneath herce breeches and gently rubbed her delicate bud, making the woman break the kiss and release a soft moan.

    ¡°E,¡± Nathan groaned as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes, his fingers still working their magic on her delicate flower petals that were now dampened with her womanly dew, ¡°what ever you do, don¡¯t let go of me.¡±

    E ttered hershes at Nathan, what did he mean don¡¯t let go of me? Still trying to process his words, the redhead shrieked when Nathan tore off her underwear and tossed it to the floor behind him, her grip on his shoulders loosened but the prince grabbed her just in time and secured her arms back in ce.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let go..¡± Nathan repeated himself, his voice was so strained and screaming ¡®sexual desire¡¯ that it made E hold on tightly to him without question.

    The prince then lowered one hand and loosened his belt, in due course letting his pants and breeches fall to his ankles. E liberated a very enticing moan when she felt the length of Nathan¡¯s hot throbbing shaft slithering its way down her thighs to the doorway of her entrance.

    As gently as he could, Nathan slid his length whole into E¡¯s warm moist tunnel and they both moaned in unison. He felt E¡¯s grip lossen yet again and used hisst active brain cell to move his lips and whisper in her ear, ¡°don¡¯t let go...¡±

    E tightened her grip on Nathan¡¯s shoulders once more while he firmly gripped her waist. He proceeded to gently moving his length in and out of E all the while repeating a mantra in his head ¡®be gentle.. be gentle.. be gentle.¡¯

    E felt her limbs weaken as the prince¡¯s throbbing rock hard length continuously filled her up, the pain she had felt the first time waspletely gone, in its ce was sheer and absolute pleasure. She tilted her head back and moaned loudly, her body taking her mind to ces she never thought possible.

    The sound of pleasure that escaped her lips broke all Nathan¡¯s restraints, he tightened his hold on her back and with the other hand grabbed her thigh. The pace of his strokes increased drastically and before he knew it, he was growling and ploughing the poor girl mercilessly. His grunts, and her screams and moans echoed throughout the room as they made love for a good twenty minutes, in which E reached her peak a total of three times.

    By the time the silver haired prince ¡®arrived¡¯ E¡¯s legs had long lost feeling and her moans had turned into gasps. Nathan groaned as thest of his seed filled E up, after which he buried his head in the nook of her neck, fighting hard to keep himself from howling.

    The two beautiful and shameless beings remained in that position for a few minutes to catch their breath. When the redhead regained a few of her senses back, she loosened her grip on the prince but felt the pull of gravity im her body. Nathan quickly grabbed E and secured her in his arms.

    E looked back and gasped when she noticed where they were, he and Nathan had just fucked on his bedroom balcony, on the balcony railing at that.

    ¡°Take me inside!¡± E shrieked.

    ¡°I would but I can¡¯t move with my pants down,¡± the prince responded with a chuckle.

    ¡°Is any of this funny to you?!¡± E yelled at the prince, she was scared and totally embarrassed, ¡°what if someone saw us?!¡±

    ¡°Well then I hope they enjoyed the show.¡±

    Nathaniel put E down and then pulled up his trousers, he picked up E¡¯s torn underwear and shoved it in his pocket.

    ¡°Where are you taking that, give it back!¡± E screamed, her face was scarlet red in embarrassment.

    ¡°But it¡¯s torn,¡± Nathaniel responded with a taunting smile, ¡°I¡¯ll get you a new one.¡±

    E turned away from the prince and attempted to storm out of the room but her legs gave out, she had to grab onto the door of the balcony to keep herself from falling.

    Nathan walked up to E and scooped her up in his arms, he carried her into the room and gently put her down on the bed. ¡°You¡¯re not in any condition to have an attitude my love,¡± the prince spoke tauntingly, ¡°you rest here, I¡¯ll have the maids run you a bath.¡±

    Nathan kissed E on the forehead and exited the room. When the prince closed the door behind him, the redhead buried her face in her palms and sobbed lightly, why was she so weak when it came to Nathan, why did he have such a strong hold on her? Even after finding out that he had been lying to her all this time she still shamelessly gave into him.

    [Gosh E, what have you gotten yourself into?]

    *

    Across town in a small inn in the capital, Adam Burchard sat in his room with furrowed brows and a jug of ale in his hands. There was a light knock at the door and Zander walked in, the blonde man halted in his tracks upon seeing the deep wrinkles on his prince¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°If the ale is that bad your grace you might as well stop drinking it,¡± the blonde spoke as he pulled out a chair and sat across from Adam.

    ¡°Leave the jokes to Ivan Zander.¡± Adam grumbled

    ¡°Wow, what¡¯s gotten in your pants today?¡± Zander questioned the agitated prince, it was strange seeing Adam like this, he was always a happy guy.

    Adam put down his ale and ran his hand through his dark brown locks, ¡°forgive me Zander, I¡¯m just not in the best of moods today.¡±

    ¡°I can see that,¡± the blonde haired man responded, ¡°what I¡¯d like to know is why you¡¯re so worked up.¡±

    Adam rested his chin on his sped hands and looked up at Zander, a stern piercing look in his eyes, ¡°Do you think Guinevere and Nathan-¡± the prince took a deep breath and clenched his jaw before continuing his statement, ¡°do you think they fuck?¡±

    Zander who had been sipping on ale chocked and started coughing violently, after he regained hisposure, the blonde looked at Adam. Dear gods, he was serious wasn¡¯t he? Is that why Adam was so grouchy? Zander didn¡¯t know weather tough or feel sorry for his prince, because under normal circumstances it was obvious that Nathaniel and his funture wife had already engaged in coitus, but looking at Adam¡¯s distraught face, he couldn¡¯t tell him that.

    ¡°Of course not your grace,¡± Zander responded, avoiding all eye contact with the prince, dy Guinevere is yours and yours alone.¡±

    Adam knitted his brows at his friend, he knew he was lying to him but honestly that is what he needed to hear, that Guinevere belonged to him. ¡°Thank you Zander.¡±

    ¡°Anytime your grace.¡±

 Chapter 48

    48 Chapter 48 : The Snonds

    The snonds were a vast icy terrain thaty in the southern most part of the continent of Ronia Cresus. The terrain was always covered in a thick nket of snow and to the human eye seemed devoid of any and all life, there were very few species of trees and shrubs that covered the terrain and literally not a single warm blooded creature was in site.

    Though the shadonds seemed empty and gloomy, two great races thrived in these icy coldnds, the nosferatu and the lycans. The nosferatu, also known as the vampires inhabited the deepest part of the shadonds, while the lycans or werewolves as they were known by the locals, inhabited the very entrance of the icy terrain.

    The two races lived in thesends in harmony, never disturbing the other¡¯s peace nor crossing over to the other¡¯s side unless it was absolutely necessary, and today was one of those days that were absolutely necessary. In arge hall that had a massive dark wooden table at the center, surrounded by two dozen chairs, sat four lycans and nosferatu alike.

    Everyone in the room was quiet, anxiously waiting for the Silver Apha of the lycan pack to speak. Edron, a silver haired handsome, tall and well built man with deep honey brown eyes rose at the table and gave everyone a polite nod.

    ¡°You know I¡¯m not one to waste time with pleasantries,¡± Edron spoke intensely, ¡°so I¡¯ll get right to the point..¡±

    Edron had been the Alpha of the Laycan pack of the shadonds for a total of four centuries now. After his father died, him and his three brothers engaged in a bloody battle for the title, as per their tradition, and Edron came out victorious in andslide. He ran the pack with an iron fist, taking no nonsense and ensuring every member of the tribe was sharp enough to survive on their own. He had uncontested control of the pack and every Lycan¡¯s loyalty.

    ¡°I sensed my son¡¯s awakening a few days back,¡± The silver haired alpha spoke, his voice, even though making a statement demanded so much authority, ¡°and I¡¯ve sensed it twice after that, with each time stronger than thest, and I know I need not exin to the lot of you what that means.¡±

    ¡°I sensed our daughter¡¯s awakening as well.¡± The soft angelic voice wasing from a beautiful woman with long luxurious locs of red hair and vivid blue eyes, her skin was as white and as radiant as a pearl and her petit face was like one of a goddess. But Marceline¡¯s looks could be deceiving, behind that beautiful face was a ferocious warrior with the prowess of a mountain lion. There¡¯s a reason the king of the nosferatu, or the Kaiser as he was known, had selected this woman to be his partner.

    ¡°The time to act is upon us, after a century of hiding in the shadows our people will finally rise and take back what is ours.¡± The man who spoke was Kaiser Stefan, ruler of the nosferatu, a tall handsome man with piercing blue eyes and ck hair who had presided over his people for almost a millennium.

    .....

    ¡°We received word from the enchanted forest as well,¡± Edron added on, ¡°queen Tauriel of the Elves has sensed Gareth¡¯s awakening.¡±

    ¡°Any word from the dwarves?¡± Stefan questioned.

    Edron looked to his Luna with questioning eyes, she was a stunning woman with wavy ck hair and silvery eyes, and she was in charge of social affairs between the other races and the lycans.

    ¡°The dwarves are a stubborn people,¡± La responded, ¡°even if they have information, they wouldn¡¯t willingly give it to us, but if we all have felt the awakening then it¡¯s safe to assume that the time is nearly at hand.¡±

    The upants of the table all nodded in agreement.

    ¡°ording to prophecy,¡± Edron added on, ¡°once the awakening initiates, it will not only be centered around the choosen ones but our fallen and enved brothers as well. If the humans catch wind of what is happening before we enact the n, then we might fail.¡±

    Marceline looked at her husband who was noding in agreement, ¡°n? I thought the n was to retrieve the children and gain ess to the intel they¡¯ve gathered about the humans, their weaknesses and then use them against them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only phase one of the n,¡± Kaiser Stefan responded, ¡°as you know, in as much as we have regained our strength in numbers, the humans have multiplied tremendously as well, simply using their military weaknesses against them might not guarantee victory.¡±

    The beautiful redhead batted hershes in confusion, ¡°so what do you propose we do?¡±

    ¡°We are going to turn the humans,¡± Edron responded nonchntly, ¡°as many as we can so they can fight on our side.¡±

    Marceline¡¯s eyes went round, turn them? They didn¡¯t mean turn them into nosferatu and Lycans did they?

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± The beautiful redhead protested, ¡°you all know what that tainted blood can do! Even just a drop of human blood could make anyone of us rouge, there¡¯s a reason we swore off feeding on humans!¡±

    ¡°This is war Marceline, sacrifes must be made,¡± Stefan responded sternly, ¡°there¡¯re those of us willing to sacrifice our sanity for the greater good, no one will be forced into it.¡±

    ¡°Th- this is wrong,¡± Marceline added on, ¡°what will you do with those who will go rouge after you¡¯ve enacted your selfish ns?¡±

    ¡°Every lycan warrior goes to war knowing death is inevitable,¡± Edron spoke, ¡°and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same with the nosferatu as well.¡±

    Marceline knitted her brows together and crossed her arms over her chest, she was not a fan of using people as pawns, they too had families and loved ones they¡¯d leave behind, but she knew speaking would not change their minds, especially her husband¡¯s, once they were made up.

    She could vividly recall how profusely she cried as she looked at the beautiful newborn who wasin in an incantation circle drawn in front of her. She was on her knees hovering a silver dagger over her baby¡¯s chest as streams of tears flowed down her cheeks.

    ¡®You must be strong my queen,¡¯ the old wizard had encouraged her, ¡®it is for the good of our people, you will one day reunite with your daughter again.¡¯

    Marceline had kept crying, her hands shivering in fear and grief, why did it have to be her little girl, such an innocent little soul being used as a tool of war. No, she couldn¡¯t do it, this was her baby.

    The blue eyed woman was about to throw the knife away and grab her precious baby when Stefan forced her hand downwards, thrusting the dagger through the little infant¡¯s heart. It was a memory Marceline would never forget.

    After the meeting was over and the Lycans had left for theirnd, Marceline retreated to her chambers and stood at her window looking out into the horizon. She wiped a stray tear from her eye and sped her hands together.

    ¡°Melissa, my baby girl,¡± she whispered solemnly, ¡°I wish I could see how much you¡¯ve grown, I wish I could tell you how much I love you and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for dragging you into all of this.¡±

    ¡°She will forgive you when she knows that her sacrifice liberated her people.¡± Stefan walked up to his beautiful wife and attempted to hold her but Marceline turned around and pushed his hands away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember giving you permission to enter my chambers Stefan!¡± She yelled.

    After the gruesome experience a hundred years ago when Marceline had lost her little girl, she moved out of the master bedroom and slept on her own. She spent the next hundred years not speaking to her husband and avoiding him, but she eventually gave in to his pleading and coaxing, and began speaking to him casually.

    That period of silence from his dear sweet wife was torture to Kaiser Stefan, even though to others he was a ruthless man feared by all, he was a very endearing and doting husband who loved his wife more than his own life. He was so miserable when she stopped talking to him that when she actually reinstatedmunication, he was so happy that he didn¡¯t mind that she still slept in her own chambers.

    ¡°My wife, I know you¡¯re still angry with me but I hope you know I did all this for you, for our people, can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?¡±

    ¡°You want me to forgive you Stefan?!¡± The woman stepped up to the man who towered over her, ¡°give me back the years I didn¡¯t spend with my daughter!¡±

    ¡°But my wife-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, please leave Stefan,¡± the beautiful woman spoke, ¡°you say you did it for me but you lie, you do this for your stupid stature as Kaiser and nothing else, now please leave my chambers!¡±

    The man sighed and nodded, ¡°I love you Marceline, I really do hope you know that.¡± And with those words the man left his wife¡¯s chambers with his usual heavy heart.

 Chapter 49

    49 Chapter 49 : The maid in disguise

    ¡°Can you cook?¡±

    ¡°Um, I can bake.¡±

    ¡°Can you sweep and mop?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can do that.¡±

    ¡°Why do want to be a maid here anyway?¡±

    Julia gulped and cleared her throat nervously, she thought that getting a job as a maid would be easy but this woman, who she assumed was the head maid of the royal pce, had been drilling her with back to back questions. I guess she should have expected as much, this was the royal pce after all, they couldn¡¯t hire anyone willy nilly now could they.

    ¡°I really need the money ma¡¯am,¡± Julia lied, ¡°and I figured with the royal wedding around the corner, you¡¯d need as much help as you can get.¡±

    The plump woman raised an eyebrow and studied the small green eyed woman, ¡°you would be useful in fitting in the small corners none of the other maids can reach with your size.¡±

    Julia had to hold back a frown, she really hated it when people talked about her height, she was well aware she was a little short, they didn¡¯t have to rub it in. That¡¯s why Julia took pride in her beauty, even though she was small in stature she outshined any of these tall giraffes any day.

    .....

    ¡°Very well then....¡±

    ¡°Julie ma¡¯am,¡± the green eyed woman responded.

    ¡°Very well Julie follow me,¡± the head maid turned and walked into the pce through a back door that was used by the workers. Julia followed her down a narrow passage with many doors that she assumed essed different parts of the pce that the workers used without having to rub shoulders with the royals.

    <i> Julia thought to herself.

    </i>

    <i> The head maid stopped at a wooden door on the right side of the narrow passage and turned to Julia, ¡°this is the changing room where you can keep your belongings if you like,¡± she exined, ¡°let¡¯s hope we¡¯ll find you a little outfit that will fit you.¡±

    </i>

    <i> *

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Father what are you doing here?¡± King Burchard spoke as he rushed to the elderly man¡¯s side, ¡°why didn¡¯t you tell me you wereing? I would have sent someone to get you.¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Oh stop James my legs still work as fine as yours do, and my body is in pretty good shape,¡± the man responded, ¡°a carriage ride for a few hours is nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡±

    </i>

    <i> The king nodded respectfully and led his father to the study where they sat down to talk. The elderly man was named Julius Gavaria Burchard, former king of Gavaria before he retired about thirty years ago, leaving his son to inherit the throne.

    </i>

    <i> When Julius had decided to retire, he was still a very capable king, the reason he instead on stepping down was due to the death of his wife that year, she had sumbed to sickness. He always mentioned that he did not want to die on the throne, a stressed man burdened with duties, he wanted to enjoy thest years of his life in peaceful retirement, that¡¯s what his dear sweet wife would have wanted for him.

    </i>

    <i> ¡°How are you doing James?¡± The man spoke, even though he was in histe sixties now, his voice was still sharp and precise.

    </i>

    <i> ¡°I¡¯m well father, how are you?¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Ive been better,¡± the man replied with a smirk, ¡°someone should have told me that after a certain age your own body just down right betrays you.¡±

    </i>

    <i> The elderly man chuckled giddily, making king James smile. He was very fond of his father, especially since they were the only two remaining in their family, all his siblings and his mother had sumbed to illness. When James was between the ages of neen to twenty three, there was a death every year in their family, a very sad time for his father and him.

    </i>

    <i> ¡°How¡¯s my grandson Adam?¡± The man added on while turning his head left and right as if expectating the young prince to pop up around the corner at any moment.

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Adam is away on official business father,¡± king Burchard lied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be back for a while.¡±

    </i>

    <i> The king straightened his posture and gazed at the elderly man, ¡°what brings you to the pce father? Is there something the matter?¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Does something have to be the matter for me to visit my own son?¡± Julius responded, ¡°I¡¯m an old man James, and my time in this world is running out, I need to be surrounded by family.¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°I understand that father but you didn¡¯t have toe here,¡± the king stated, ¡°wee to see you in the countryside every end of the month.¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°You always want things to go your way James, and that¡¯s why you never know how to act when a situation is out of your control.¡±

    </i>

    <i> James Burchard narrowed his eyes at his father, had the old man learnt of Adam running away from home? Is that why he was here? ¡°What do you mean?¡± he inquired.

    </i>

    <i> ¡°James do you remember the story of an ancient prophecy I used to tell you about?¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°About elves, vampires and other made up creatures?¡± The king responded, ¡°yes I do remember that, but what does that have to do with anything.¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°You see sometimes made up stories have a little truth to them,¡± the man exined, ¡°you see, my great grandfather never wanted to be part of the great cleansing, he wanted the races to continue living in harmony, but he was just one man, his word had no effect.¡±

    </i>

    <i> King Burchard furrowed his brows, was his father trying to tell him that the fairytale of the great cleansing he used to tell him about when he was a boy was all true, and his ancestor had been a part of it.

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Our family has a chance to redeem ourselves my son,¡± the man added on, ¡°a chance to wash off the blood of the innocent lives lost, and this will be achieved by my grandson Adam.¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Father what are you talking about?¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Adam is a Gavarian by birth, but he is somethingpletely different by blood. This will y an important part in putting to rest the long time hatrated between the races and restore peace to the continent, it is his destiny.¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Something else by blood?¡± James waspletely lost, ¡°what do you mean by that?¡±

    </i>

    <i> Julius rose from his seat and gave his son a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t hinder him from his destiny just because it isn¡¯t in line with your ns James.¡± The man spoke as he walked towards the exit, ¡°the time has nearlye, you will understand when it happens.¡±

    </i>

    <i> *

    </i>

    <i> E was sitting by her usual spot near her window looking out at the beautiful flower garden below, her mind was upied with the thoughts of Jillian still being alive. Would hee to the wedding as a guest? Did he even know that once upon a time they were in love?

    </i>

    <i> In love, oh what a wonderful feeling it was, E could vividly remember how he gazed at her with his deep brown eyes, how he always scratched the back of his head when he was nervous. She could recall his breath taking smile, his lips, oh how heavenly would those soft lips feel pressed against hers. She recalled his soothing deep voice and how he called out her name.. Guinevere.. Guinevere..

    </i>

    <i> ¡°E?¡±

    </i>

    <i> The redhead was awoken from her reverie by a familiar voice that was calling out to her, she turned and saw the silver haired prince standing before her with a curious look on his face.

    </i>

    <i> ¡°You seem unusually happy,¡± Nathanmented as he pulled out a chair and sat across from the blue eyed woman, ¡°you had the biggest smile on your face just now, what were you thinking about?¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°I umm...¡± E put her book down and cleared her throat several times before answering, ¡°I was just thinking about the wedding and how amazing it will be to finally be your wife.¡±

    </i>

    <i> When E pursed her lips and looked away, Nathan knew immediately that she was lying, why would she lie? Now the prince was more curious than ever to know what had been running through her mind.

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Oh I see,¡± Nathan responded with a smile, ¡°in just a few days you and I will be united till death do us part, and everyone will bare witness to our union, even prince Adam from Gavaria.¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°P-prince Adam?¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°Yes he is the crowned prince of our ally kingdom,¡± Nathan added on, all the while observing E¡¯s expressions intently, ¡°but if you¡¯re still notfortable with him being around because ofst time, I could tell him not to-¡±

    </i>

    <i> ¡°No!¡±

    </i>

    <i> Nathan furrowed his brows at her sudden outburst, confirming his suspicions, E had been thinking of that bastard Adam, meaning she knew who he was and was probably nning on meeting him at their wedding. He could not allow it.

    </i>

    <i> ¡°I mean, we woulde off as rude if we told him not toe,¡± E spoke sheepishly, ¡°he¡¯s probably already on his way and that whole journey would have been for nothing.¡±

    </i>

    <i> Nathaniel¡¯s eyebrow twitched in irritation after E pursed her lips yet again, he needed to remove Adam from the picture, and this time for good. The silver haired prince forced a smile and nodded at his future bride, ¡°of course my love.¡±

    </i>

    <i> He then stood up and nted a kiss on her forehead before turning to leave, ¡°let me attend to a few things then, I will check on you a littleter my love.¡±

    </i>

    <i> Before E could respond, Nathan exited the room and closed the door behind him, a little too rough at that. He was very upset and he could feel his temper rising with each step, he needed to get to his chambers quickly before someone loses an eye.</i><i> </i>

 Chapter 50

    50 Chapter 50 : Wedding¡¯s eve

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Zander questioned the prince who was leaning leisurely on the balcony railing with a pitiful look on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine..¡±

    The blonde leaned against the balcony railing next to him and gazed at Adam. The royal wedding was the very next day and Zander wasn¡¯t a mind reader or anything, but he could tell that Adam wasn¡¯t taking it so well.

    ¡°You know weddings are so overrated anyway,¡± Zander spoke in an attempt tofort his friend, ¡°if you think about it, a man saying ¡®hey I love you so much that I want to get the church and the government involved so you don¡¯t leave me¡¯ is kind of creepy.¡±

    ¡°Zander please..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± the man added on, ¡°it sounds like psychopath behavior to me.¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to talk about the woman I love marrying another man if you please,¡± Adam responded with a sarcastic smirk.

    ¡°Ah I can only imagine how you feel your grace.¡±

    The two men sighed when they looked at the doorway and saw who had responded, Ivan was not the best person to be around when you¡¯re feeling down, even though Ivan didn¡¯t know it, he was an expert at making people feel astonishingly worse.

    .....

    ¡°Watching her walk down that isle,¡± Ivan added on, an exaggerated sad look painting his face, ¡°watching her father give her away to another man.. the kiss.¡±

    Adam threw his head back in dejection, that¡¯s right, he¡¯d have watch the woman he loved kiss another man in front of the whole kingdom, he hadn¡¯t even gotten the chance to kiss her yet and that silver haired bastard was probably savoring her lips every day.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started on the marriage consummation-¡±

    SMACK!

    Zander red at his friend angrily after giving him a good wack upside the head, ¡°will you shut your trap!¡±

    ¡°What was that for?¡± Ivanined with misty eyes as he rubbed his sore head, ¡°I¡¯m just saying I understand his pain, I¡¯d jump off a bridge if I saw my wife in the arms of another man.¡±

    ¡°You cheat on your wife religiously Ivan, you¡¯re nothing like the prince.¡± Zander was getting fed up with his friend¡¯s lucid mouth.

    ¡°Well yeah but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t love her..¡±

    Zander lifted his hand threatening to smack Ivan over the head again.

    ¡°Well there¡¯s nothing much I can do about it,¡± Adam spoke, ¡°the wedding party is probably the best shot I¡¯ll have at getting her away from Nathan, and for the wedding party to happen she has to marry him.¡±

    ¡°But she saw you back in the town square didn¡¯t she?¡± Ivan questioned the prince, his hands ced over his head just in case Zander tried to smack him again, ¡°surely she knows that you¡¯reing for her.¡±

    ¡°I was in disguise that day,¡± Adam responded, ¡°she didn¡¯t even know it was me.¡±

    In the midst of their talk, Ozias walked through the balcony door with a worried look on his face, ¡°your grace you shoulde downstairs, there¡¯s a serious issue that requires your attention.¡±

    The three men exchanged nervous looks before Adam responded, ¡°What happened? Has our location been uncovered?¡±

    ¡°No your grace,¡± the big man spoke sternly, ¡°it¡¯s about Julia,dy Guinevere may be in danger.¡±

    *

    ¡°Julie!¡±

    Julia growled and tossed the sponge into therge basin where she had been scrubbing pots and pans. The past two days she had worked at the royal pce were total hell, ¡®Julie scrub this¡¯, ¡®Julie clean that¡¯, it was really starting to get to her and it was degrading for a noble woman like herself. The green eyed woman took a deep breath and steeled her heart, she reminded herself that this was all for Adam¡¯s sake, she had a mission and she couldn¡¯t let a few sidetracks take her mind off it.

    The little woman stood up and walked towards the head maid who was howling instructions to the other maids. Julia curtsied at the plump woman and forced a smile, ¡°yes ma¡¯am?¡±

    ¡°Maria had to rush into the town to getdy E¡¯s dress for tomorrow,¡± the woman exined, ¡°and everyone else is busy with the wedding preparations.¡± The head maid shoved a tray into Julia¡¯s hands and ced a teapot, some biscuits and a bowl of fruit on it. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to takedy E her afternoon tea.¡±

    Julia¡¯s eyes went round and her heart started beating loudly, for the past couple of days she had not even set foot in the main confines of the pce, so she had already made a n to try and get to the redheaded woman during the wedding when there would be a lot ofmotion. But now here she was, gaining free ess to the little witch who had cast a spell on her Adam.

    ¡°Oi! girl!¡±

    Julia woke from her daze and looked up at the plump woman.

    ¡°Right now girl, get a move on! Her chambers are the ones at the far end of the hall on your left.¡±

    The green eyed woman noded and walked carefully out of the kitchen to the door that led to the hallway of the sleeping chambers of the pce, as she walked she took note of the little knife that was ced on the tray. It didn¡¯t look lethal but if plunged through a vital organ, it could most likely lead to death, she¡¯d use the chance to finally kill E and leave this wretched ce. Then she would find Adam and the two of them would return to Gavaria to be married.

    Julia couldn¡¯t help but smile giddily to herself at the thought of marrying Adam, they would be so happy together, and they¡¯d have the cutest babies. She especially looked forward to every moment of the baby making process.

    The short woman halted at the door that supposedly belonged to E, this was it, this was the moment she had been waiting for.

    KNOCK KNOCK

    ¡°Come in!¡± a soft voice called out from the inside.

    Julia opened the door and walked into the room, and there by a lounge chair situated by the window sat her target, the little witch who had disrupted her and Adam¡¯s love life.

    *

    Adam followed Ozias down the stairs, closely followed behind by Zander and Ivan to the lounge where two bloodied and beaten up men were tied up and gagged.

    ¡°Who are these two? And what happened to you?!¡± Adam questioned Beric, Rnd and Odran who equally looked a bit roughed up.

    ¡°We ended up having a confrontation with them after they recognized us when we were scouting the royal pce your grace,¡± Odran responded apologetically.

    ¡°Since they knew our identity, we couldn¡¯t risk letting them go scot free,¡± Rnd exined as he bandaged his bruised knuckles.

    Looking at his friend¡¯s injuries from confronting just two men, Adam was sure the two were skilled soldiers. He walked up to one of the gagged men and forcibly tilted his chin up to face him.

    ¡°These men are from the Gavarian royal guard,¡± Adam gasped in shock, ¡°what were they doing around the pce?¡±

    ¡°Aparently they were look out,¡± Beric responded, the young knight seemed less bruised than the others, indicating that Rnd and Odran had done most of the fighting. Beric was not much of a fighter anyway, he was the peacemaker of the group and a great tracker and tactician.

    ¡°They were keeping a lookout on behalf ofdy Julia Boleyn,¡± Beric added on, ¡°she¡¯s infiltrated the pce.¡±

    ¡°What?! Why would Julia infiltrate the castle?! Does she think that¡¯s where I am?!¡±

    ¡°Thats what we thought as well,¡± Odran responded to the prince, ¡°but after roughing these guys up, we found out that she came here to killdy Guinevere.¡±

    Adam felt his legs turn to jelly, to kill Guine? No.. why? Why would Julia do that? Was it because of her ridiculous obsession with Adam? Had it really led to this? No, that didn¡¯t make sense, Adam had told Julia that he loved another woman but he did not mention who it was, someone else must have put her up to this.

    Adam roughly tore off the cloth that was gagging the man and grabbed him by the cor, ¡°Who sent Julia, and how does she n to kill Guine?! Tell me!¡±

    The man coughed up a bit of blood before proceeding to speak, dy Julia came here by orders from the queen,¡± the man mattered.

    Adam¡¯s eyes went round, ¡°m- my mother?¡± This information made the prince¡¯s heart skip a beat, and his face went pale, he knew that his mother was against him going after Guinevere but was having her killed necessary?

    Adam tightened his grip on the man¡¯s cor, his eyes were full of rage and panic, and their color was fluctuating between a deep brown and a vivid purple, ¡°What does Julia n on doing?!¡±

    ¡°She told us she would disguise herself as a maid and infiltrate the pce,¡± the man spoke with a heavy breath, ¡°she said she would take advantage of themotion at the wedding and kill the red head.¡±

    Adam released the man and plopped backwards into a chair that was conveniently situated behind him, now he had another motive other than to steal Guinevere away from that scum of a prince Nathan, now he also had to protect her from Julia.¡±

    ¡°Change of ns,¡± Adam spoke, ¡°grab your pantaloons gentlemen we are ALL going to attend the royal wedding tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 51

    51 Chapter 51 : Wedding¡¯s eve ¡°Mydy I brought you some tea and biscuits,¡± Julia spoke with a heavily forced smile, she had to battle the urge to just grab the knife and gauge out E¡¯s eyeballs right there and then.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Elle responded sweetly, you can just set it down on the table over there.

    Julia followed the redhead¡¯s instructions with great difficulty and settled the tray on the table, she quickly nced back at the redhead and slipped the knife into the pocket of her outfit while E was looking away.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you around here before, are you new?¡± E questioned the green eyed maid.

    ¡°I am mydy, but how would you know all the maids of the pce when you¡¯re here in your luxury room, while we lurk around in the grimy little hallways beneath.¡±

    E looked up at the woman and closed her book, she could sense that she didn¡¯t really like her job, which was understandable. ¡°Actually,¡± E corrected her, ¡°I do visit the kitchen and theundry rooms often, sometimes to visit and sometimes to lend a hand.¡±

    Julia furrowed her brows at the blue eyed woman, who was she trying to fool? A girl like her in the kitchen, oh please maybe when pigs fly.

    ¡°I like to make my own snacks sometimes,¡± E added on, ¡°and there are some fabrics that are a bit err too delicate to let other people wash.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Julia didn¡¯t want to pay too much heed to what E was saying, she was here to kill her not to make friends with her. ¡°So you like to read?¡± Julia added on, finding an excuse to inch closer to E

    .....

    ¡°Yes I do,¡± E responded with a beaming face, ¡°it gets a bit lonely around the pce so reading keeps me preupied¡±

    ¡°What about prince Nathan?¡± Julia questioned her, her hand slipped into her pocket and gripped the little knife tightly, ¡°doesn¡¯t he keep youpany?¡±

    E nibbled on the inside of her lip, actually, Nathan was very doting with her, she sometimes had to tell him to leave so she could get some time to herself. E could see that Nathan was a caring and loving man, it was just unfortunate that he was a wolf in sheep skin. ¡°As the prince, Nathan has many responsibilities as well, he can¡¯t be waiting on me hand and foot all day.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Julia froze and stared at E who had a confused yet offended expression on her face, ¡°what did you just say?¡± E question the little woman.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything..¡±

    ¡°Yes you did, something about Adam?¡±

    Julia took a few steps away from the blue eyed woman while her eyes bulged in shock and fear , she was sure she hadn¡¯t said anything out loud, had this witch read her mind?

    Julia reached for her knife again, but before she could pull it out, E¡¯s door swung open and prince Nathaniel Aldos walked in. The green eyed woman let go of the knife and curtsied to the prince.

    ¡°Is everything okay here?¡± He asked, seeing the skepticism on his bride¡¯s face, ¡°did the maid do something to you?¡±

    Julia watched as Nathan pulled E into his arms and lovingly tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, his honey brown eyes gazed upon her lovingly and his lips moved all so attractively as he spoke. Julia clenched her dress as she admired the fine specimen of a man, how had she not noticed that Prince Nathan was so handsome.

    ¡°No, she was just telling me a story and she got to a part that shocked me,¡± E responded as she hid her face behind the book, she didn¡¯t want Nathan to sense her panic. E was sure she¡¯d heard the woman¡¯s thoughts just now, and she had said something about Adam, were her and Adam connected? If they were, Nathan shouldn¡¯t find out, the little maid might be E¡¯s chance to reconnect with Adam.

    ¡°Oh I see,¡± the prince responded with a smile, a smile that unheeded by him, had made Julia blush. The prince turned to the little maid and gave her a dismissive look, ¡°if you¡¯ll excuse us, I¡¯d like to speak with my wife in private.¡±

    Julia batted hershes and rushly curtsied, ¡°O- of course your grace, please excuse me.¡± She then turned and hurriedly walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, she rushed down the hallway to the door that led to the narrow corridors and shut it tightly after walking in.

    Julia pursed her lips and scolded herself for being distracted by the handsome prince. He was so different from Adam, who was calm, poised, gental and a strategic thinker. On the other hand, Nathan seemed wild, vicious and demanding. So why the hell was it exciting her?!

    Meanwhile inside E¡¯s chambers, Nathan watched the door the green eyed woman had just closed skeptically. ¡°Is she new?¡± the prince questioned.

    ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± E responded, she looked up at the man¡¯s suspicious face and gently tilted it to look at her, ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°She seemed a little um odd don¡¯t you think?¡±

    E folded her lips and shook her head from side to side, ¡°she seemed pretty normal to me, in fact, I think she was a little adorable.¡±

    ¡°Adorable?..¡±

    ¡°I mean she¡¯s beautiful, she¡¯s bite sized-¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a maid,¡± Nathan interrupted. He gripped both her wrists tightly and inched his face closer to hers, ¡°is my bride trying to set me up with a maid?¡± He gave E a taunting side smile in anticipation of her answer.

    ¡°No,¡± E responded, she turned her face away from the sly prince, she knew that Nathan was well aware of how her body responded to him, but she really was getting tired of falling victim to urges. If she made love to man, she wanted to do it out of love not lust, she wanted Adam. ¡°Can¡¯t Ipliment on the evident beauty of a woman?¡±

    The prince lowered his head and nted a kiss on the beautiful redhead¡¯s neck and whispered in her ear, ¡°I never thought the most beautiful woman in the world noticed other women,¡± he nted another quick kiss on her lips and looked into her eyes, ¡°do you think diamonds would stop to admire the beauty of gold?¡±

    E couldn¡¯t hold back rolling her eyes, this man and his flirtatious tongue.

    Nathan pulled E into his embrace and wrapped his arms tightly around her, she could hear light growlsing from his chest, ¡°oh I wish I could make sweet love to you E Morrell, feel the warmth of your insides until the morning wedding bells chime.¡±

    His words made E¡¯s eyes bulge and her heart leap. ¡°But unfortunately I can¡¯t,¡± he spoke as he proceeded to stroke her long and soft red locs, ¡°I¡¯m told it¡¯s bad luck to sleep with the bride before the wedding.¡±

    E almost heaved a sigh of relief but she managed to hold herself back. Nathan loosened his hold on her and gazed longingly into her beautiful blue orbs, ¡°but I can kiss you right? As much as I want to.¡±

    E¡¯s lips parted in shock, before she could fabricate an excuse the prince cupped his hands on either side of her head and slipped his tongue into her mouth.

    ¡°mmmh..¡±

    He then tore open the buttons of her blouse and kneaded her soft mounds gently, all the while kissing her passionately, possessively. E belonged to him, she was his woman, his wife and no one else¡¯s. Nathan was going to make sure of that.

    *

    ¡°After the vows ceremony, there is going to be a big party at the pce,¡± Adam exined to his men who were sitting around him in a circle, listening to the n on how to execute their mission the next day. ¡°Eyes will be watching, but there will be too many people to focus on one at a time, so I¡¯m assuming Nathan has given instructions to look out for specific people, me inclusive, but he won¡¯t be expecting any of you.¡±

    Nathan was not dumb, he was almost as sharp and as cunning as Adam, so he obviously knew that Adam would figure out Guinevere was his bride ande for her, it¡¯s most likely the reason he beefed up security.

    ¡°So Beric and Odran, you¡¯re the most level headed,¡± Adam exined, ¡°You blend into the crowds and find Julia, when you do, capture her and slip away using the worker¡¯s doors as guards and frame her for being a thief you¡¯ve apprehended. Bring her back here.

    Julia¡¯s two knights who the team had captured had been useful on giving Adam intel on theyouts of the pce, they had learnt it from the royal pce gaurds they had ambushed to pose in their ce.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on Guinevere and sneak her away when the time is right,¡± the prince added on, ¡°Ozias, you Ivan and Rnd back me up in case of anything.¡±

    ¡°And what about me?¡± Zander questioned the prince, having seen all his friends had exhausted the important roles.

    ¡°Zander you¡¯ll y a part in luring Guine away from Nathan, ask her to dance and tell her Jillian is waiting for you in the kitchen, she¡¯ll know what to do.¡±

    All the men nodded in unison, they knew without a doubt that they would seed, they had conquered a whole kingdom all on their own, what was stealing a bride from her wedding?

    ¡°Alright men get some rest,¡± Adam spoke as he stood up, ¡°tomorrow we¡¯re crushing a wedding.¡±

 Chapter 52

    52 Chapter 52 : The wedding

    ¡°It isn¡¯t fair, prince Nathan was supposed to marry me..¡±

    ¡°Oh give it a rest, he doesn¡¯t even know you exist.¡±

    ¡°And how could he when his bride is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen her before?!¡±

    ¡°Of course I have, my father is part of the council so I do have a bit of ess to the royal pce, I saw the two of them in gardens one time, gosh she is lovely.¡±

    ¡°Well tell us! What does she look like?!¡±

    ¡°Long flowing ginger like red hair, big blue eyes, the body of a goddess...¡±

    ¡°Wait, that sounds a lot like William¡¯s little sister..¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Oh, well I could never beat her, I guess I¡¯ll just have to forget about my prince.¡±

    ¡°Shush the lot of you! More guests areing.¡±

    The Royal chapel was arge building made of stone and marble, adorned with high pirs andrge rose tinted windows, it was not only the ce were princes were sworn in as kings, but also where they wed their queens. On top of that, it had a mausoleum beneath in which all the past kings of Meria were put to rest.

    On this particr day, the chapel was adorned in beautiful fresh flowers, ced gracefully on the edges of every bench, along the isle, and tied together in breathtaking arrangements at the podium. There were hundreds of white candles, intricately ced around the chapel to give it a magical glow. White and silver ribbons hang from the ceiling and widows, and silk veils apanied them, the ce looked like what you¡¯d expect to see in heaven, it was truly breath taking.

    Back at the pce, Nathan had finished dressing up, his new leather boots and pants fit perfectly, his snow white shirt gently hugged his bulging muscles beneath, his long silver hair was neatly tied in a lush ponytail, if anyone had doubts of Nathaniel Aldos¡¯ good looks before, all those doubts would be shattered today, he looked like an angel, a very hot angel.

    Theo the butler bowed politely at the prince after cing the final touch of his outfit, a long leather jacket that was like a cherry atop a very sexy ice cream.

    ¡°I¡¯m finished your grace,¡± Theo spoke with a proud smile, ¡°the carriage to the chapel will be waiting for you outside.¡±

    Nathan inspected his reflection in the mirror and nodded in approval, ¡°you¡¯ve really outdone yourself this time Theo,¡± he gently tagged the sleeves of his shirt straight and grinned widely, finally the day hade, in just a few hours, him and E would say their vows and she would be his, forever and all of eternity, he was so excited.

    ¡°And my bride,¡± the prince asked, ¡°is she ready?¡±

    ¡°Maria is still tending to her your grace, but she will be in a few minutes.¡±

    Nathan turned to his butler, a nervous smile on his face, ¡°can I see her?¡±

    Theo couldn¡¯t help but smile back, here was this grown man exhibiting the excitement of a child who couldn¡¯t wait to open his presents on Christmas. ¡°It is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding my prince,¡± the man responded, ¡°but you can speak to her at the door if you feel impatient.¡±

    ¡°Yes please!¡±

    ¡°Very well, right this way your grace..¡±

    The two men walked briskly towards E¡¯s chambers where Maria and Emma Morrell were busy getting her ready, Theo gently knocked at the door and called out, ¡°Maria, it¡¯s Theo, I¡¯m here with the prince.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding your grace!¡± Maria responded from within.

    ¡°I won¡¯te in, I just want to hear her voice,¡± Nathaniel responded, he leaned towards the door and called out her name.

    E who had been taking deep breaths because her corset was too freaking tight stood up and inched near the door, ¡°Nathan?..¡±

    ¡°E, I¡¯m here to tell you that I love you..¡±

    The awws that came from Maria and her mother made the redhead roll her eyes.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m not the best person in the world, I have my ws and you¡¯ve probably had your doubts about this wedding,¡± Nathan added on, ¡°but my love for you is pure and it always has been, I just wanted you to know that okay.¡±

    E pursed her lips at his words, gosh this guy was good, making her feel sorry for him so that she could disregard the fact that he was a liar, so maniptive.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should save the sentiments for the vows my dear husband!¡± E responded.

    Hearing her calling him her husband made Nathan¡¯s heart do flips, he didn¡¯t think it was possible to love this woman more than he already did, but this moment just proved him wrong. ¡°Alright, I will do just that,¡± he responded with a hand pressed against the door, ¡°you¡¯ve made me the happiest man E, I can¡¯t wait to see you walk down that isle.¡±

    *

    Back in the chapel, in the font benches designated for the family members, John Morrell was beaming in anticipation, he couldn¡¯t wait for his little girl to finally get her happily ever after. Meanwhile his four sons sitting beside him all had deep scowls on their faces, arms folded over their chests and wrinkles on their identical foreheads.

    William was deep in thought, he couldn¡¯t get the moment him and Nathan had had a confrontation back at the house out of his head, there was a dark aura that was emanating from the prince that William had felt before, but where? It was a scary experience, for a moment William had felt like he was standing next to a wild beast, a monster. Could it have anything to do with what E had wanted to tell him?

    At the back of the chapel, in a corner that was practically invisible to everyone else, sat Adam Burchard in his fake beard and mustache, he too had the look of a wounded animal, his fists had been balled up for so long that his knuckles were turning white, his teeth gnashed together so much that his jaw was starting to hurt.

    ~Fuck Nathaniel~ Adam thought to himself every couple of minutes, he despised the the man to the bone.

    Next to him sat Ozias, Rnd and Ivan, all dressed in very fancy clothing and admiring the decorations, Nathan may be the enemy but he really went all out for their prince¡¯s woman that was for sure.

    ¡°I could buy a piece ofnd with what this wedding must have cost,¡± Ivan spoke in awe.

    Rnd elbowed him and gave him a disapproving re, the man turned to look at Adam who was ring daggers at him, he had never seen the prince this intense.

    ¡°A very small very infertile piece ofnd,¡± Ivan corrected himself, ¡°because that¡¯s exactly what this wedding is, small and ... infertile?¡±

    ¡°Give it a rest Ivan I know you¡¯re all thinking the same thing,¡± Adam grumbled, ¡°the ce looks amazing, I know.... fuck Nathaniel Aldos..¡±

    The men all gave each other nervous nces and sat still, they felt sorry for their poor prince, matters of the heart were the hardest to deal with, especially for a man.

    Beric and Odran were sitting three benches ahead of the prince, keeping their eyes peeled in case Julia showed up at the service, while Zander was sitting up front with the visiting lords, trying hard not to pay attention to the women who were giggling and stealing side nces at him.

    Humans are so superficial, the blond man whispered in irritation under his breath.

    Momentster, a trumpet was blown and a howard walked to the front of the chapel and announced the prince¡¯s arrival, everyone in the chapel stoop up and faced the entrance with anticipation, especially the females.

    When prince Nathan walked into the Chapel it was almost difficult to ignore the stench of raging hormones wafting through the air, almost every woman in attendance blushed lightly as the silver haired prince took graceful strides towards the podium. Ivan was shocked to see that even some of the men were blushing at the man¡¯s beauty. There was no denying that the man was a walking woman ma, his looks were probably at par with Adam¡¯s, and at some point Ivan thought prince Adam was not even human due to his good looks, so that was saying something.

    When Nathan stood at the podium and smiled, eighty percent of the females giggled and fanned themselves, making Adam, the Morrell brothers and Zander roll their eyes.

    Only a few moments passed and the howard announced the entry of the bride, this time every single eye was at the door, women wanted to see the mysterious woman who was lucky enough to bag the prince, the men wanted to see if the rumors of her enchanting beauty were true, and Adam, he just simply wanted to set his eyes on the woman he loved.

    The organist began to y the procession song, John Morrell elegantly walked to the door and reached for his daughter¡¯s hand to help her into the chapel, the anticipation was killing everyone, especially Adam.

    E took her father¡¯s arm and stepped onto the isle of the chapel, if one thought the chapel was quiet before, the silence that came when the bride came into view was deafening.

 Chapter 53

    53 Chapter 53 : The wedding Julia paced the kitchen nervously, her mind was running wild and her heart was pounding against her chest. She had gotten the chance to slip out of the pce and noticed that the two knights she had left to keep lookout where not at their posts, neither were they at the inn. Had their identities been revealed, and if so, it was just a matter of time before she was caught too.

    ¡°Damn it all!¡± She cursed under her breath, the one chance she had gotten to kill E had slipped out of her fingers because of that handsome prince Nathaniel. And now she was running out of time. Her only other option was to somehow corner the redhead when she¡¯d be alone and do away with her once and for all, only then would prince Adam be free from her spell.

    On the other side of the pce, sitting and smiling sinisterly to herself, Juliet Aldos was twirling the silver dagger around in her hand. She deliberately didn¡¯t attend the wedding service because she couldn¡¯t stand the overwhelming stench of the two creatures who were about to be married. After paying a visit to her grandfather, she knew exactly what to do. It seemed that after all these years those creatures from the snonds had made their move, there was no doubt that they were ning to overthrow the humans and take control of theirnds.

    Nathan and E must be a key part of their n, deliberately posed as one of the humans most likely to scout out weak points. The queen stubbed the knife into the wood of the dressing table infront of her and growled angrily.

    How dare those foul creature desecrate her body like that and have her give birth to one of them, it was insulting. They must have used some form of forbidden magic to make it happen, those vile beasts.

    Juliet¡¯s grandfather was far too old and far too frail to fight against these monsters, so Juliet would have to do it for him, she would kill them both before they got the chance to send word to their allies, starting with the weak one, that wretched little witch E Morrell, a filthy nosferatu.

    The queen would keep a close eye on her during the after wedding party, and as soon as she leaves Nathaniel¡¯s side, Juliet would end her, and then make a n for the other monster, theycan. Now all she had to do was wait.

    Outside the royal pce, about a dozen men were hiding out of site waiting for everyone to return to the castle, they were members of the Gavarian royal guard sent by King James Burchard to retrieve their prince and his allies. Their n was to blend into the crowd as they joined the wedding after party, and execute their orders, it would be a clean cutthroat operation.

    *

    .....

    The entire congregation of royals and guests, especially the two princes, Adam and Nathaniel, had their jaws to the floor as John Morrell walked his stunning daughter down the isle. Even though veiled, her striking beauty radiating like sun rays of a beautiful clear spring morning. Her red hair was elegantly tied up in a bun and seemed to be changing hue between a brilliant orange and a vivid red as she walked passed the patches of sunlight that sipped in through the rose tinted windows. Her warm caramel skin looked like she¡¯d been bathed in milk and honey, her beautiful hourss figure was entuated by the silvery white dress that hugged her body in all the right ces.

    The envy and awe that filled the room was so thick it was chocking. Men ogled shamelessly at the enchanting beauty, eyes never leaving her as she walked passed. Women envied her, not believing that the gods would be so unfair as to bless a woman so profusely.

    Nathan who was standing at the front had mixed feelings of pride and possessiveness, he was proud that this goddess who was gracefully walking towards him was going to be his wife, but at the same time his possessive side was at peak because his sharp sense of smell could pick up the lust that was oozing from the men in the chapel.

    Adam was filled with rage, a sense of possessiveness and so much love. Gosh, his woman looked so fucking beautiful, Nathan didn¡¯t deserve her, her heart belonged to him and him alone. Next to Adam the three men, Ivan, Rnd and Ozias were at loss for words, that was Guinevere?! Good lord! The men now fully understood why their poor prince was losing his mind trying to get her back, no man would want to lose a woman like that! Holy Moses this woman was gorgeous, was she even human?

    As E walked gracefully to the music, her eyes darted from side to side trying to find a familiar face in the crowd. Was he here somewhere? Had hee? If she could just see him and maybe send him a telepathic message, she would be at peace. She couldn¡¯t do this thing with Nathaniel anymore, this wasn¡¯t love it was endurance, she was with him because she thought she didn¡¯t have a choice, but now she knew that Adam was her Jillian, the man who her heart actually belonged to. They could escape together and go somewhere far away, and live out their dream of having children and growing old together.

    ¡°Who gives this woman away?¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Lord Morrell spoke proudly. He leaned over and gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead, ¡°I wish you all the happiness in the world my beautiful little princess.¡± He whispered before giving her hand to Nathaniel who took it excitedly.

    The silver haired prince helped E up the podium and stood beside her, not once loosening his grip on her hand.

    ¡°Many have searched the earth but only a few have found this elusive thing called love,¡± the celebrant spoke to the masses, ¡°and it is with great joy that I stand here before you all, to join not just two hearts, not just two souls, but two families as well.¡±

    Every word that the celebrant spoke were like a spike to E¡¯s heart, gosh, what was she doing? Was it toote to just ran away? But then what? Where would she go? What if Adam was not even here? She¡¯d wind up right back here in Nathan¡¯s arms without a proper escape n. He was a powerful prince who would soon be made king, she couldn¡¯t escape from him on her own even if she tried.

    The couple turned to face each other and E hadn¡¯t failed to noticed the happy expression on Nathaniel¡¯s face, while hers was one of worry.

    *Are you nervous my love?

    [I guess you could say that]

    *Don¡¯t be, this is the beginning of the rest of our lives together*

    ¡°Do you, prince Nathaniel Aldos, Take E Morrell as-¡±

    ¡°I do..¡± the prince responded without hesitation

    ¡°Well alright then,¡± the man spoke with a chuckle, he sensed that the prince felt like he was wasting time and not marrying them quick enough, ¡°a little too excited for the honeymoon aren¡¯t we your grace?¡±

    ¡°More than you know,¡± Nathan responded with a sly smile.

    There were giggles heard from the crowd, while Adam was ring daggers at the silver haired prince.

    The celebrant cleared his throat and faced E, ¡°and do youdy E Morrell, take prince Nathaniel Aldos as yourwfully wedded husband, to love and to hold, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?¡±

    E parted her lips to answer but no words came out, her heart was at war with her mind, urging her to just turn Nathan down and run, run as far as her legs could carry her.

    *E..*

    She looked up at Nathan who was stroking her hand lovingly.

    *Breathe E, I¡¯ve got you.*

    The woman took a deep breath and nced at the crowd, the words ¡®Adam where are you?¡¯ echoed in Adam¡¯s head, he knew it was her voice, she was calling out to him for help.

    ¡°I.. I do¡± E lied.

    ¡°At this point in time,¡± The celebrant added on, ¡°I will ask the prince to remove the betrothal ne and rece it with the ne of unity, of which afterwards, the couple shall exchange rings.¡±

    Nathan gently reached for E¡¯s ne and took it off, he then took the unity ne from a cushion his brother Clovis was holding and secured it around her neck.

    E turned to her mother who was equally holding a cushion with a neck piece, she picked it up and secured it around Nathaniel¡¯s neck.

    ¡°And now the rings...¡±

    Nathan picked up the beautiful golden ring from Clovis and took E¡¯s hand, ¡°with this ring, I pledge my undying love to you, I will love you all the days of my life, you will never be cold, because I will be your warmth.¡±

    After Nathan slipped the ring on her finger, E picked up the ring from her mother. ¡°With this ring, I pledge my undying love to you...¡±

    Adam grit his teeth and tried to stand from his seat, luckily Ivan had anticipated his move and pulled him back down. ¡°Your grace it¡¯s not yet time, please calm yourself!¡± He whispered under his breath.

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°Be logical prince Adam!¡± Ivan interrupted him, ¡°We have a n.¡±

    Adam took a deep breath and settled down on his seat, he looked back at the beautiful redhead. *I¡¯m here my love, I havee for you, just be a little patient*

    E heard Adam¡¯s voice in her head and identally, the ring slipped out of her fingers as she was about to ce it on Nathaniel¡¯s hand. The gold ringnded on the ground with a clinking sound that echoed across the quiet chapel, drawing gasps from some of the upants.

    Dropping the ring was considered a bad omen, it meant the marriage would most likely fail.

 Chapter 54

    54 Chapter 54 : The wedding E¡¯s heart was beating wildly in her chest, had she imagined it? Had she imagined hearing Adam¡¯s voice? No that wasn¡¯t possible, he had answered her call, he was here somewhere she just knew it. Her eyes quickly nced at the crowed where a few members were murmuring among themselves.

    She was awoken from her daze when Nathan held her hand, she looked up at him and noticed he was cocking his head to the side, she turned and saw her mother holding up the ring she had dropped, and took in her hand.

    *My love, please calm down. Just take a deep breath and keep your eyes on me*

    E took a deep breath, she couldn¡¯t afford to let Nathan start suspecting anything, she had to keep herposure, she couldn¡¯t risk getting Adam caught before he could reach her .

    [I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just really nervous]

    *I know, but it¡¯s alright. Just try it again, don¡¯t think of anyone else but the two of us. This is about you and me*

    Easier said than done, how could she think of Nathan when Adam was out there somewhere? She took another deep breath and took Nathaniel¡¯s hand. ¡°You will never be cold, for I will be your warmth,¡± and with those words she ced the ring on his finger.

    The celebrant cleared his throat to get the crowd to calm down before continuing to speak, ¡°what a couple am I right? One can¡¯t wait for the honeymoon and the other is nervous about it. Don¡¯t worrydy Morrell, our prince here is a very gentle man.¡±

    There were a few chuckles from the crowd. After the mood lightened, the celebrant raised his right hand and blessed the union. ¡°By the power investment in me by the gods, I now pronounce you Nathaniel and E Aldos. Nathan you may kiss your bride.¡±

    .....

    Nathan held the hem of E¡¯s veil and lifted it up, letting it fall behind over her intricate bun, he then inched closer and gently cupped her small face in his hands.

    As his face and hers inched closer, Adam, Bahram, Jonathan, Alexander and William turned away.

    *Now you¡¯re mine E, forever..*

    The silver haired prince locked lips with E, gently parting them and slipping his tongue into her mouth. E squeezed her eyes shut, counting every second until he would end the kiss. After what seemed like an eternity, Nathaniel broke the kiss and smiled mischievously at her.

    The congregation all rose to their feet, all except Adam and E¡¯s brothers, and apuded the new couple. Nathan took E¡¯s hand and led her down the isle towards the exit. White petals and rice where tossed onto the couple as they walked hand in hand, beautiful white doves where released making the ce look even more enchanting than it already did.

    ¡°Lucky girl.. she¡¯s going to see how Nathaniel looks naked, gosh I¡¯m so jealous.¡±

    ¡°Oh please, you think she hasn¡¯t seen him naked already? My tears dried a long time ago¡±

    ¡°Wait are you saying they¡¯ve... you know.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying.¡±

    ¡°How are you so sure?!¡±

    ¡°Rumor has been going round that a guard spotted them doing it on the prince¡¯s balcony.¡±

    ¡°On the balcony! Gosh.. lucky girl!¡±

    ¡°lucky guard..¡±

    *

    The royal carriage in which the newly weds were, arrived about an hourter, after all the guests from the service had settled in the banquet hall of the royal pce. A harold stood at the entrance and blew a trumpet to announce their arrival.

    ¡°Introducing, for the first time, his royal highness Nathaniel Aldos, first of his name, and his beautiful wife, E Aldos!¡±

    The mention of E as Nathaniel¡¯s wife made Adam take another huge gulp of his wine.

    ¡°Your grace,¡± Ozias whispered, ¡°I¡¯d advise you to take it easy on the wine, you¡¯ll want to be sober once we start with our n.¡±

    Adam looked up at Ozias, Ivan and Rnd who were sitting with him at the table, his breathing was heavy and his chest was tight. He had just witnessed the only woman he¡¯d ever loved marry someone else, he was supposed to be drinking like a fish right now. But his men were right, he knew the wedding was necessary, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten any other chance to get to Guinevere without it.

    The Gavarian prince but his cup down and looked up at the couple as they walked hand in hand to the high table. Gosh, look at Guinevere, as beautiful as ever, he couldn¡¯t wait to finally have her in his arms, to kiss her and to make up for all the things he didn¡¯t get to do with her in their past life. He was going to savor every single second with her.

    E and Nathan sat down at the table and the after party was in full swing. People were dancing at the center, some were drinking, some eating and others were making their way to the high table to congratte the newly weds.

    The redhead kept trailing her eyes over the guests in the hall, trying to locate Adam but she couldn¡¯t see him anywhere, had he note to the party? Suddenly she felt a hand touch hers gently, it was Nathan, he was looking down at her with concern in his eyes.

    ¡°Is anything bothering you my wife?¡±

    ¡°N- no, it¡¯s nothing,¡± E responded and put on a smile, ¡°I¡¯m just surprised at how many people are here.¡±

    ¡°Well of course,¡± Nathan responded, ¡°I¡¯m the crowned prince, and soon to be their king.¡± His grip on her hand tightened, ¡°and you will be their queen, it¡¯s an honor for them to be in our presence.¡±

    Nathan leaned towards E and whispered in her ear, e now, let¡¯s dance.¡±

    Adam watched with much hatred as Nathaniel took E¡¯s hand and led her to the dance floor, he could literally feel his blood boil when he ced his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

    Joining the other couples who were on the dance floor, E and Nathaniel swayed to the music gracefully, they looked absolutely stunning that some couples would almost stumble watching the newly weds dancing together.

    Beric casually walked to where Zander was sitting and sipping wine and cleared his throat, indicating that it was time for them to begin their n. The blond man nodded and stood from his chair, grabbing the hand of some random woman who was walking in front of him.

    Zander gracefully twirled with her onto the dancefloor, inching closer to where Nathan and E were, the woman who Zander was with was too dazed to even protest. The man she was dancing with was absolutely stunning, his beautiful slick blond hair and gold eyes were enchanting, he looked like a mystical creature not of this world.

    When the music changed, the couples on the dance floor exchanged partners, Zander twirled the woman he was dancing with away into another man¡¯s arms and walked to E. He bowed respectfully and stretched out his hand to her, ¡°lord Zander from the kingdom of Cenia, may I have this dance mydy?¡±

    E took Zander¡¯s hand and the two of them began to sway to the music, E couldn¡¯t help but gaze at the man¡¯s golden eyes, the only other person he knew with eyes like that was Nathan.

    ¡°See something you like?¡± Zander teased, making E blush and look away.

    ¡°N-no, forgive me for staring,¡± she responded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stare too much, Adam will have my testicles if he sees you,¡± Zander spoke with a smirk.

    ¡°Adam?!¡± E¡¯s eyes went wide, was this man with Adam? Did he send him?

    ¡°Keep yourposure now, your husband will notice something is amiss,¡± Zander instructed the blue eyed woman as he gave her a twirl.

    ¡°Did Adam send you here?¡± E whispered, her face looking as neutral as ever.

    ¡°That he did, he¡¯s traveled far for you¡±

    ¡°Where is he now?¡± E questioned the man, ¡°is he here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be united with him soon enough,¡± Zander spoke, ¡°go to the pce kitchen, Jillian will be waiting for you there..dy Guinevere.¡±

    The entire time while dancing, Nathan had his eyes fixed on E and the man she was dancing with, he felt a little jealous at howfortable she was in his arms. So as soon as the music changed, he let go of the woman he was dancing with, much to her dismay, and walked to E.

    ¡°May I?¡± Nathan spoke as politely as he could, but the possessiveness in his voice was very evident to Zander.

    Another thing that was evident to Zander the minute the prince spoke, was that just like Adam and E, he was not human as well. Now this was very interesting.

    Zander let go of E and bowed politely before walking away. Nathan took E in his arms, possessively holding her against him as if someone might swoop in and steal her away.

    Somewhere in the crowd, Julia Boleyn was watching E like a halk as she served drinks to the snobby royals. All Julia needed was a chance when E would be alone, and then she could take her out, it was just a matter of time.

 Chapter 55

    55 Chapter 55 : She¡¯s killed the queen

    Juliet Aldos watched Nathaniel and E dance and tightly gripped the knife in her pocket, that repulsive inhuman aura was oozing from them like a thick mist, it was repugnant. She had to find a way to get E alone so she could carry out her n, who knows how long she had before these creatures contacted their allies.

    Nathan firmed his grip on E¡¯s waist and looked into her eyes, ¡°you seemed veryfortable with that man my wife,¡± he spoke sheepishly as he swayed E around on the dance floor, ¡°I must say, I¡¯m feeling a little jealous.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a gentleman Nathan, of course I¡¯d befortable with with.¡±

    ¡°Making me jealous will have dire consequences when you and I are alone in our chambers my dear sweet wife,¡± the prince rasped with a mischievous smile on his face.

    E averted his gaze and pouted, ¡°don¡¯t be shameless Nathan we¡¯re in public.¡±

    The prince chuckled and nted a kiss on the redhead¡¯s temple, ¡°are you worried you¡¯ll dampen your breeches in front of all these people?¡±

    ¡°Nathaniel please!¡± E whispered in a serious tone, her cheeks and ears were as red as a beet.

    ¡°I love how my name rolls off your tongue my wife, Nathaniel, please say it again..¡±

    E rolled her eyes at the silver haired prince, ¡°you¡¯re unbelievable.¡±

    .....

    He kissed her forehead and pulled her even closer to him, ¡°So what were you talking about..¡± Nathan added on

    ¡°With that blond man?¡± E tried hard to keep her tone as casual as possible, ¡°he was just congratting me on our marriage and all of that.¡±

    ¡°Is that all?¡±

    E pursed her lips, luckily Nathaniel couldn¡¯t see her face, ¡°well he didpliment me on my looks, he said I was quite beautiful.¡±

    Nathan pulled away slightly and eyed his wife with a furrowed brow, ¡°are you taunting me?¡±

    E smiled sheepishly at him, ¡°maybe.¡±

    Nathaniel chuckled heartily, attracting the attention of the people who were dancing around them, some of the woman blushed at the sound of his sexyughter. He leaned towards E¡¯s ear and lightly licked it, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get you to bed my little naughty wife.¡±

    On the other side of hall Adam¡¯s patience was running thin, he had had enough of that bastard Nathaniel making moves on his woman, gosh if given the chance he would knock that stupid smug smile off Nathaniel¡¯s face with his fist.

    Luckily, E seemed to have gotten tired and asked Nathaniel if they could sit, thank the gods. Five more minutes of them dancing and Adam would have walked straight up to Nathan and knocked him to kingdome.

    E watched Nathan when they settled down at the table, he seemed to be in a really good mood after their conversation and this was the perfect time to slip away and meet up with Adam. At the far end of the hall she saw Zander walking to a table and speaking to a handsome man with a beard and mustache, the man stood up and made his way out of the hall.

    Momentster she noticed three other men strategically move out of the hall as well, E guessed that all of them were with Adam, and they were giving her sign that it was time.

    E gently squeezed Nathaniel¡¯s hand and smiled at him, ¡°My husband, excuse me while I use thedy¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Nathan was about to stand when E stoped him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have toe with me my love I won¡¯t be long,¡± she spoke sweetly while drawing a little circle seductively on his arm, ¡°let me freshen up before we retire to our chambers okay.¡±

    The silver haired prince¡¯s adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down longingly, ¡°O- of course my love, there are gaurds around so you¡¯ll be safe, just hurry back okay.¡±

    E nodded and gave Nathan a soft kiss on his cheek, ¡°I will.¡±

    She got up and gracefully made her way to the exit of the hall. Nathan called one of his royal guards as he watched her leave and whispered to him, ¡°follow my wife and make sure no one follows her to thedy¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace.¡±

    *

    Julia watched E walk out of the hall and thanked the gods, finally she would be able to put that wretched witch in her ce, six feet under. She didn¡¯t even mind the snobby royals who were calling out to her to refill their cups, she just dropped her tray on a random table and left the hall in pursuit of her target.

    On the far right of the high table where E and Nathaniel¡¯s parents were sitting, Juliet stood up and bowed politely at the people next to her. ¡°Please excuse me, I have to use thedy¡¯s room.¡± She had seen E walk out of the hall and she figured this would be her only chance to get rid of that ratchet nosferatu once and for all.

    Outside the hall, E grabbed the skirt of her wedding dress and rushed towards the kitchen, her heart was pounding wildly in her chest and her breath was heavy. She couldn¡¯t contain her anxiety anymore, she was dying to see Adam, to see Jillian after all these hard years of pain and turmoil. She missed him so much.

    She reached the kitchen door and took a deep breath, the chefs and the rest of the stuff had long abandoned it to serve the wedding guests. Under normal circumstances, the kitchen door would have been locked, but instead it was left slightly open. He was in there waiting for her.

    Adam turned around when he heard the kitchen door creak open and his eyes went wide, for there standing at the doorway, was his beautiful Guinevere. He walked briskly towards her and she did the same, they met halfway across therge kitchen and locked eyes. Everything was silent except for their beating hearts.

    The handsome prince reached out to the redhead and gently stroked her cheek, as if not believing she was actually standing in front of him. He then pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go.

    E returned the hug with equal intensity, she buried her face into his chest as tears of joy trickled down her petit face.

    ¡°Oh gods Guine, I missed you so much.¡± He kissed her repeatedly atop her head and embraced her again.

    ¡°I missed you too,¡± she sniffed and looked up at him, ¡°but Adam, it¡¯s E now.¡±

    The prince looked down at her with a confused expression, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°My name, it¡¯s E.¡±

    Before Adam could respond, Beric rushed into the kitchen, ¡°Your grace, there are guardsing this way, we need to leave immediately.¡±

    Adam turned to E and smiled sweetly at her, ¡°you¡¯ll have to tell me the detailster,¡± he then scooped her up in his arms like she was as light as a feather and ran towards the back door at full speed.

    *

    Back in the hallways, Julia overheard the one of the guards instructing his friend to stand guard while he checks on the prince¡¯s wife in thedy¡¯s room. She quickly slipped away into the narrow hidden passages so she could reach thedy¡¯s bathroom before the guard. She just needed 30 seconds to kill that little redheaded witch and then escape.

    She opened the door to the hall that led to the bathroom and peeked out, good, the guard wasn¡¯t there yet. She sneaked out and rushed into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She turned around but was shocked to see the bathroom empty. Where was she? Had she not arrived yet?

    Julia unlocked the door and stepped out, carefully inspecting the surroundings, E had to be around here somewhere.

    Meanwhile, Juliet Aldos walked into the halls that led to the bathrooms and stopped short when she saw Julia standing at thedy¡¯s room door. She ducked out of site and studied the small green eyed woman.

    ¡°Fuck! There¡¯s another one of them?¡± The queen cursed under her breath when she sensed the inhuman aura that surrounded the woman, she figured E and Nathan had already reached out to others of their kind and that¡¯s why that woman was there. What was she going to do now?

    Julia noticed the hem of the queen¡¯s dress peeping from behind the wall and smiled sinisterly, oh so that¡¯s where that little witch was hiding. Well there was no where left to hide because Julia was going to end her life and finally free Adam from that ratchet spell of hers.

    The green eyed woman walked cautiously down the hall, the grip on the knife in her hand tightening with each step, when she reached where the woman was hiding, she plunged the knife sideways, striking her in the throat.

    Queen Juliet Aldos gasped and grabbed Julia¡¯s arm as blood oozed down her throat from her wound and and the corner of her mouth. Julia immediately pushed her away and stumbled backwards in utter shock and gut renching fear, she had killed the wrong woman, and not just any woman, she had killed the queen! Good gods!

    Julia¡¯s heart was in her throat when she saw two guards run towards her, she scrambled for the exit but the skilled man tackled her and mmed her to the ground, her arms secured behind her back.

    ¡°She¡¯s dead!¡± The other guard screamed, ¡°she killed the queen!¡±

 Chapter 56

    56 Chapter 56 : The silver wolf

    ¡°Let me go!¡± Julia screamed, she used every ounce of strength she had to try and escape the guard¡¯s clutches, but he was too strong.

    He pressed her body onto the floor with more force in trying to restrain her, Julia felt like her insides were about to burst.

    ¡°Inform his majesty,¡± the guard instructed his friend, ¡°hurry!¡±

    The second guard walked briskly back to the wedding hall, pushing his way passed the guests, earning snarls and disapproving res from the stuck up nobles.

    When Nathan saw the guard approaching him with a distraught look on his face, he felt his stomach flip. He stood up and walked towards the man, meeting him halfway across the dance floor.

    ¡°What is it? Where¡¯s my wife?¡± Nathaniel questioned the man.

    Damn, he had forgotten all aboutdy E, ¡°y- your grace,¡± the man stuttered, ¡°it¡¯s the queen, she was attacked by one of the maids and she¡¯s-¡±

    Nathan grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder and red at him, ¡°she¡¯s what?!¡±

    His angry growl caught the attention of the king and the Morrell¡¯s who made their way to where the two where standing.

    .....

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the queen is dead your grace..¡±

    Nathan firmed his grip on the man¡¯s shoulders, ¡°my mother is dead?¡± He spoke underneath his breath, he then refocused his gaze back on the guard, ¡°and my wife?! Where is she?!¡±

    At that point in time, the hall went silent, the band ceased their jolly melodies and the crowds stopped their dancing and drinking, wondering what had gotten the prince so upset.

    King Aldos walked up to the guard Nathan was holding and yanked his coller, ¡°Juliet?! Where is she?!¡±

    ¡°In the hallway your majesty..¡±

    Nathan tossed the man aside and followed his father who had already exited the banquet hall into the hallway. He was followed closely by lord anddy Morrell who were now worried about their daughter as well.

    At the other end of the hall, the Morrell brothers saw Nathan and their parents rushing out of the hall, disgruntled looks on their faces, this didn¡¯t look good.

    When Nathaniel spotted his father, his blood ran cold, the poor man was on his knees next to the body of his wife Juliet, his eyes were sunken and his lips had lost all color, the man looked like he was going to copse.

    Nathan rushed to his father¡¯s side and grimaced at the wound that had led to his mother¡¯s death. Momentster, Clovis and Jeffrey arrived at the scene, they stood over their mother with their facespletely drained of blood.

    Emma Morrell covered her mouth in shock and her husband pulled her into his chest to keep her from looking at the gruesome site.

    ¡°Who did this..¡± the king mattered, he took Juliet¡¯s limp hand in his as tears rolled down his face, ¡°who killed my dear sweet Juliet.¡±

    ¡°It was this woman,¡± the gaurd who was holding down Julia responded, ¡°she must have disguised herself as a maid so she could kill the queen.¡±

    ¡°Let me go you buffoon!¡± Julia screamed, ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to kill the queen, I was supposed to kill that witch E who cast a spell on my prince Adam!¡± She screamed and squirmed some more, ¡°I said let me go!¡±

    At that point, most of the guests had poured into the hallway, watching in shock and disbelief at what was happening before them.

    Upon hearing E¡¯s name, Emma broke away from her husband¡¯s arms and approached the pinned down woman, ¡°where is E?! What have you done to my baby?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where she is!¡± Julia screamed, ¡°if I did she¡¯d be long dead by now!¡± The words spewed out like venom from Julia¡¯s mouth.

    Emma lost her bnce upon hearing those words, John Morrell had to rush to his wife¡¯s side and scoop her up in his arms before she could fall to the floor.

    When Nathan heard Adam and E¡¯s names mentioned in the same sentence, his blood begun to boil. He got up and marched to the pinned down woman, pushing the guard aside and hoisting her up by the throat. He pinned her against the wall and growled angrily at her, his fangs threatening to sprout out of his mouth in full disy.

    ¡°Where is E?¡± Nathan questioned the woman who was now squirming and chocking in his hand, ¡°tell me now and I¡¯ll consider making your death quick and painless.¡±

    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know..¡± Julia spoke between coughs, ¡°I followed her to thedy¡¯s room but she didn¡¯t show up. I thought the queen was her when I attacked her. I don¡¯t know where she is.¡±

    Nathaniel narrowed his eyes as he looked at the woman whose face was now turning bluish, ¡°I know you, you¡¯re the new maid aren¡¯t you? Who sent you?! Was it prince Adam?! Is he here?!¡±

    ¡°Adam didn¡¯t send me and I don¡¯t know where he is either, but he¡¯s here in Meria,¡± Julia could now feel herself losing consciousness, she wed at Nathaniel¡¯s hand desperately ¡°I... I can¡¯t breath..¡±

    ¡°Nathan stop you¡¯ll kill her!¡±

    Nathan turned to look at William who was urging him to let Julia go and made him freeze in ce. That aura that was radiating from Nathan, William now remembered where he¡¯d felt it before, it was from that creature that he had seen in the royal library, the werewolf.

    ¡°She deserves to die...¡± Nathan growled in bloodthirsty anger

    ¡°We need her alive in order to find my sister!¡± William responded, he was shaking when he saw Nathaniel¡¯s glowing yellow eyes and slightly protruding fangs, ¡°be resonable!¡±

    Nathan looked down at his dead mother and devastated siblings and father, he threw his gaze at the other three Morrell brothers who had drawn their swords, and then to the crowds that had formed around them. He took a deep breath and released Julia who fell like a bag of rice to the ground, she was unconscious but she wasn¡¯t dead.

    ¡°Take her to the ck tower and lock her up,¡± Nathanmanded the guard.

    ¡°Yes your grace,¡± the man responded and threw the unconscious Julia over his shoulder.

    The silver haired prince then turned to the crowd that was watching the whole scene, ¡°and what the fuck are you all looking at!¡± He growled angrily, ¡°wedding is over get the hell out of here!¡±

    There seemed to be an invisible force that pushed the masses backwards, making them scamper out of the hall towards the pce exit like roches in a parntry when the lights go on.

    Just in that moment, Theo the butler walked to the prince and bowed respectfully, ¡°your grace,dy E has been spotted with the Gavarian prince heading out of the pce grounds.¡±

    ¡°Gavarian prince?!¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace,¡± Theo responded, ¡°riding on horseback.¡±

    Nathaniel felt something within him snap, so that bastard Adam hade all along, infiltrated the castle and stolen his wife. He was going to regret doing that. Without warning, the prince rushed out of the hallway towards the pce exit, he moved so quick that he left everyone wide eyed with their jaws to the floor, wondering what in the world was going on.

    *

    Outside the pce, Beric, Odran, Zander, Ozias, Ivan, Rnd, Adam and E were galloping at full speed on horse back towards the pce gates. Themotion in the pce had drawn everyone¡¯s attention so the gate had been leftpletely unguarded.

    Adam secured E tightly against his chest as they rode towards the gates, just a few more meters and they¡¯d be home free.

    But suddenly, as if jinxing it, Adam felt a strange presence quickly catching up to them from behind, he slightly tilted his head and saw a huge silver wolf sprinting towards them, glowing gold eyes, long silver fur and razor sharp ws and fangs.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Adam cursed, he turned to his men and called out to them, ¡°look alive men we havepany!¡±

    Therge wolf dashed towards Adam¡¯s horse and snapped its massive jaw near his leg, the dark haired prince avoided the attack and kicked the wolf hard in the face, slowing it down for a bit. Sadly that wasn¡¯t enough to keep it down, the beast regained it momentum and sprint towards Adam¡¯s horse again.

    ¡°Your grace, you go on ahead!¡± Zander called out to Adam, ¡°Rnd and I will slow it down!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Adam responded, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving any of you behind!¡±

    ¡°We will catch up your grace you have to trust us!¡± Zander called out to him, ¡°just head to the enchanted forest! You¡¯ll be safe there!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Adam was surprised at Zander¡¯s words, the enchanted forest was a forbidden ce, no man had ever ventured into thosends and returned to tell the tale.

    ¡°Trust us your grace!¡± This time it was Rnd who spoke, ¡°head to the enchanted forest, Nathaniel cannot follow you there, you¡¯ll be protected!¡±

    Adam had so many questions, why wouldn¡¯t Nathan be able to follow him into the forest, what were Zander and Rnd up to? Unfortunately this was no time to argue and interrogate, he didn¡¯t have much of a choice, he needed to get E to safety.

    ¡°Fine!¡± Adam responded approvingly, ¡°don¡¯t you die on me you two!¡±

    The two men nodded in unison and then turned their horses to charge at the silver wolf that was running towards Adam. Rnd and Zander released the reins of their horses and both pulled out a bow, securing an arrow firmly on it and pointing it towards the wolf.

    *No! E!*

    E gasped when she heard Nathan¡¯s voice in her head, she looked over Adam¡¯s arm and saw the silver wolf, it¡¯s eyes were filled with grief and emanated a sense of loss. Was that?... No it couldn¡¯t be.

    [Nathan?]

    *Come back to me E..please!*

 Chapter 57

    57 Chapter 57 : Do you believe in werewolves?

    This Chapter is dedicated to DaoistACYox8 for giving this book its first golden ticket.. I was so excited when I saw it omg thank you so much!!!******The silver haired wolf jumped back and then immediately slid to the left, avoiding the arrows that had beenunched towards him. His heart felt like it was being ripped out of his chest as he watched E move further and further away from him until he could no longer see the horses.As Zander and Rnd turned their horses around, now fairly certain that some distance had been made between the others and them, Rnd ced one more arrow on his bow andunched it towards the silver wolf, this timending a hit on its shoulder.The two men then galloped away, leaving behind the wolf that had plummeted to the ground. The silver beast began to transform, the sound of cracking bones and tearing ligaments were audible as the beast reduced in size. It¡¯s hind legs straightened, it¡¯s long silver fur shriveled away leaving only traces atop a handsome head, it¡¯s ws and fangs suck back in, and it¡¯s long ears shrunk.Nathan weakly pushed himself up, supporting himself on all fours as he winced in pain from the arrow that was lodged into his shoulder. He grabbed the arrow and forcibly yanked it out with a loud growl, his eyes looked back up towards the pce gates, Adam was long gone, and he had taken his wife with him.*Damn it!*Suddenly, Nathaniel felt someone drape something over him, covering his almost naked body. His transformation had reduced his previous clothing to small shreds of cloth that hang loosely over his muscr body. He looked beside him wondering who the Good Samaritan was who hade to his aid.¡±Theo?¡±The butler squat down beside the silver haired prince, he picked up the arrow that Nathan had removed from his shoulder and examined it, ¡°it¡¯s not silver, neither is it poisoned,¡± Theo spoke calmly, ¡°you¡¯ll live your grace, that wound will probably bepletely gone by nightfall.¡±Nathan eyed the butler in total shock, what was going on right now? Theo ced Nathaniel¡¯s hand over his shoulders and helped him up, ¡°you need to rest now, that must have taken a whole lot out of you.¡±¡±But E..¡±¡±We will go after her your grace, but not now,¡± Theo spoke, ¡°I have much to tell you, you¡¯ll understand everything soon enough, but first you must rest.¡±Nathan wanted to retaliate but he didn¡¯t have the energy to do so, his entire body was sore and he felt exceptionally tired. Resting for a bit didn¡¯t seem like such a bad idea.As they walked back to the pce, Nathan couldn¡¯t help but notice some of the guards who were staring at him, terror and confusion written all over their faces. He couldn¡¯t me them though, they had just witnessed the crowned prince turn into a monster, their minds were probably so conflicted right now.¡±Don¡¯t pay any heed to them your grace,¡± Theo spoke as if reading Nathaniel¡¯s mind, ¡°I will take care of itter.¡±All Nathan could do was nod, what was going on with his butler? Shouldn¡¯t he be running and screaming after what he had just witnessed? Why was he so calm and collected? As if he had expected something of that sort to happen. And why did it seem like he knew something Nathan didn¡¯t?*After riding for hours, Adam and his men had finally reached the outer shires of Meria, these consisted of very small farming areas and were the furthest from the capital. The people of these shires mostly lived simple and secluded lives, never involved in politics of the kingdom, never taking interest in what urred in the capital, and no one ever bothered them. They didn¡¯t even have a governing lord, they were a frence people, and this was actually verymon in most outer shires of the kingdoms of Ronia Cresus.¡±Your grace!¡± Beric called out to Adam as they rode, ¡°we should stop and find somewhere to camp! We¡¯ve been on the road for hours, soon the horses will give out!¡±¡±No! We keep going! What if Nathan and his men are after us?!¡± Adam responded, ¡°We can¡¯t afford to get caught!¡±Beric shook his head, he should have expected that, Adam was very stubborn, but his stubbornness was going to cost them if they didn¡¯t give the horses a break. The Merian skies were already painted in deep hues of red and orange, indicating that dusk was fast approaching. They had been on the road for too long at such a speed.Cradled up against Adam¡¯s chest, E began to feel dizzy, she was extremely exhausted and her legs felt numb. She had never endured such a long and rough journey on horseback. Back in Meria, her and Nathan would go for an hour tops on horseback and she¡¯d alwaysin about her legs and they would head back. So this to E was unbearable, especially in her current outfit.Adam felt E¡¯s body sway a bit to the left, he grabbed the reins of the horse with his right hand and secured E with his left. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?!¡± His voice was panicked when he felt her body going limp.The prince pulled the reins of his steed and halted his horse, he jumped off and slid E off the animal into his arms. Beric, Odran, Ivan and Ozias also slowed down and eventually came to a stop. They dismounted their horses and walked towards Adam.¡±What happened? Is she sick?¡± Ivan questioned the prince who had gotten down on his knees and rested E¡¯s head on hisp.¡±No, she¡¯s just tired,¡± Adam responded, ¡°I should have considered that she¡¯s not used to this kind of journey, she¡¯spletely knocked out.¡±¡±Oh thank the gods..¡± Ivan mattered under his breath, earning an angry re from Adam. ¡°I¡¯m not happy that she¡¯s knocked out or anything,¡± Ivan exined in defense, ¡°its just that we¡¯ve been on the road for hours and personally, I felt like my nuts would craw up my stomach if we kept moving like that.¡±¡±Ivan is right,¡± Ozias added on, ¡°despite his colorful choice of words, we all need to rest, it¡¯s been a long day.¡±Adam looked down at E who was fast asleep, or passed out, he really couldn¡¯t tell. He gently stroked her cheek and nodded, ¡°very well, we¡¯ll take a rest. But not out in the open like this, we need to find shelter.¡±Odran pointed at the little cottages that were visible a few meters away from where they were, ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find an inn there,¡± he spoke, ¡°we can rest and feed the horses. Our journey can resume tomorrow.¡±The group nodded in unison and one by one all mounted their horses and rode slowly towards the small settlement. Adam moved the slowest, making sure E couldn¡¯t slip out of his arms and fall, he felt a little guilty for putting her through all of this. He gently kissed the top of her unconscious head and whispered, ¡°bare with me just a bit longer, everything will be okay soon enough.¡±*Nathan found himself opening his eyes in confusion, after Theo had cleaned his wound and given him something to eat, he couldn¡¯t remember what had happened. He sat up and realized that he was in his chambers, and looking at the lit candles and flickering fire in the firece, it waste into the evening. He must have fallen asleep, no, he must have passed out for over four hours.Nathan reached for his wounded shoulder but was surprised to feel that his wound waspletely healed, there wasn¡¯t even a scar to show that he had been injured. He looked down at the palms of his hands, wondering what kind of creature he was.Momentster, his door creaked open and Theo walked in with a tray of food. He ced the tray on a small table next to Nathaniel¡¯s bed and sat on the sofa next to it.¡±How are you feeling your grace?¡±The silver haired prince rubbed his shoulder and bobbed his head up and down, ¡°I¡¯m fine Theo.¡±¡±That¡¯s good,¡± the man spoke. He then proceeded to pouring a cup of wine and handing it to the prince.Nathan looked at the cup skeptically before returning his gaze to his butler, ¡°I don¡¯t need wine Theo, I need answers, what is going on with me? And when can I go and get back my wife from-¡°¡±Trust me, you¡¯ll need wine for what I¡¯m about to tell you,¡± the butler exined.Nathan narrowed his eyes at the man before epting the wine and taking a big sip, immediately he felt his tense muscles loosen up a bit. What ever that transformation was that he had undergone, it had really taken a tow on him, he felt like he had been run over by a carriage.¡±Tell me your grace,¡± Theo spoke, ¡°do you believe in werewolves?¡±

 Chapter 58

    58 Chapter 58: I¡¯ll sleep on the couch

    Adamy E down on the soft bed in the small inn where they had managed to secure some rooms. He looked at her small petit face and reached out to touch her cheek, he really couldn¡¯t believe she was sleeping right there in front of him, it felt like eons since he had been this close to her.

    After he had first recognized her at the knighting ceremony, a lot of memories had flooded back. He could remember his life with her, how he had a huge crush on her when they were kids, how he admired her skills with a bow and and arrow, and her crazy dressing that he absolutely loved. It was a simple life but because she was with him, it was a good one.

    In fact, memories of a lot of his other lives had flooded back to him as well, and in all of them she was always there, a woman he¡¯d loved but never gotten the courage to admit it to her. In every lifetime she always seemed to somehow slip away, and before he could get the chance to meet her, there he was in another lifetime, a knew name, in a new ce.

    He remembered in one of his lives in a town called Mirine, he first spotted her when she was dragging a dead dear through the town with her bare hands, she was about fifteen at the time, and her name was Aria then. She was an amazing hunter and soldier even though she was a woman, everyone, even him, was intimidated by her. But gosh he was so in love with her it was insane.

    The day he had finally decided to talk to her in hopes of building a friendship with her and maybe something more in the future, he was told that she had been involved in freak ident with a wagon and had died. He was so heartbroken, and before he knew it, he was reborn as Jillian and got the chance to meet her again.

    Adam smiled as he leaned back and watched her sleep peacefully, he didn¡¯t know nor understand why any of this was happening to him, or to her. But what he knew was that there was a reason E was always there in every lifetime he experienced, maybe it was destiny.

    The dark haired prince got up and walked towards the door after hearing a soft knock, it was Beric. ¡°I¡¯m taking first watch,¡± Beric spoke, ¡°someone has to keep an eye out just in case we¡¯re being followed, also it will make it easier for Rnd and Zander to find us.¡±

    He watched Adam nod in agreement and then peeked over the prince¡¯s shoulder, ¡°is she awake?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, the events of today were overwhelming for all of us,¡± Adam responded calmly, ¡°we all need to rest.¡±

    .....

    Overwhelming was an understatement, a lot had happed at that wedding and the memories of it were seared permanently into everyone¡¯s mind.

    ¡°What happened to Julia?¡± Adam questioned Beric, he remembered that he had put him and Odran in charge of keeping an eye on her.

    ¡°She was captured your grace, she stabbed queen Juliet Aldos in the throat.¡±

    Adam winced at the thought, he had heard themotion about the queen getting stabbed when they were escaping, but he had no idea it was Julia who had done it. He wasn¡¯t particrly fond of the green eyed woman but he didn¡¯t like the idea of her being locked up and tortured by Nathaniel. But what could he do?

    ¡°Also I spotted some more Gavarian soldiers among the wedding guests,¡± Beric added on, a worried look on his face, ¡°the king must have sent reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°So going back home is definitely not an option,¡± Adam mattered, speaking more to himself than to Beric.

    ¡°Your grace..¡± Beric¡¯s eyes trailed back to the sleeping woman, ¡°Why is everyone after her? And Julia said something about her casting a spell on you-¡±

    ¡°Julia is delusional,¡± Adam interrupted his friend, ¡°I¡¯m under no spell I can assure you that. She¡¯s not a witch if that¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to ask.¡±

    ¡°I see... and the wolf?¡±

    Adam pursed his lips and shook his head, he too had no idea where that monster hade from, but somehow it seemed so familiar to him. That feral unbridled rage and anger, it reminded him of that bastard Nathan. ¡°I don¡¯t know either, maybe the prince¡¯s guard dog?¡±

    Beric was feeling uneasy about this whole thing, he felt like there was more to this than Adam was mentioning. There was something about E, Nathan, Julia and Adam himself that Beric couldn¡¯t put his finger on. ¡°Well, I should get going, Rnd and Zander mighte this way any second. Good night your grace.¡±

    ¡°Good night Beric.¡±

    When Adam closed the door and turned around, he was surprised to see E sitting up and watching him. ¡°Guine- err E..¡± he walked rushly towards her and settled down on the sofa that was located next to the bed, ¡°how are you feeling?¡±

    E looked up at him and tugged her lips up in beautiful smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine now,¡± she responded.

    ¡°Do you need anything, water? Food?¡± Adam added on, he was hovering over her like she had nearly faced death when she had just passed out from exhaustion. She didn¡¯t want to trouble him, looking out the window she could see that it waste in the night, after she passed out he must have ridden with her all the way here and carried her to this room.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine-¡± before she could finish her statement her treacherous stomach growled loudly as if demonstrating the majestic calls of a white whale. E blushed intensely and looked down at the beddings she had sped tightly in her hands.

    ¡°let me find you something to eat,¡± Adam spoke with a chuckle, he thought she looked really cute when she was embarrassed like that, gosh he¡¯d missed out on so much.

    *

    Nathaniel ran his hands though his hair as he paced his chambers, trying to digest all the information that Theo had just told him. ¡°So you knew all this time that I wasn¡¯t human?¡±

    ¡°I did your grace..¡±

    ¡°And you knew about E and Adam as well?¡±

    Theo shook his head, ¡°Your parents sent me to watch over you your grace. As fordy E, she has her own guardian who just so happened to confirm who, or rather ¡®what¡¯ she is after some spection.¡±

    ¡°And Adam? What makes you sure he¡¯s not human either?¡± Nathan was trying to connect all this information to what he already knew.

    ¡°Other than the faint elven smell I picked up as he galloped away, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have much proof.¡± Theo got up and stood next to the silver haired prince, ¡°and that maid you have locked up, I sense she¡¯s of dwarven blood.¡±

    ¡°So all these cycles of death and rebirth, they were not curses?¡± Nathan spoke, ¡°it was some reconnaissance mission forced onto us by our parents?¡±

    ¡°It was a selfish act that¡¯s for sure,¡± Theomented, he could only imagine what the young prince had been through, living a seemingly endless vicious cycle of death and rebirth, ¡°but it was for the good of our people, humans took what was ours, what was yours prince Elric. You and the other three chosen ones are the only hope we have of reiming everything that we lost.¡±

    ¡°Elric?..¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, that is your birth name,¡± Theo exined, ¡°given to you by your father, as the the next Alpha of the silver pack.¡±

    Nathan rubbed his temples and slowly shook his head from side to side, this was too much to take in all at once. ¡°Is E like me? A Lycan?¡±

    ¡°She is a nosferatu,¡± Theo responded, Maria had confirmed it with him before the wedding, ¡°or a vampire as they are known to locals.¡±

    Before Nathan could ask any more questions, there was a train of aggressive knocks at the door that echoed throughout the room. ¡°Nathan!¡±

    The silver haired prince sighed heavily when he heard William¡¯s voice calling to him from the outside. He really didn¡¯t have the energy for William¡¯s interrogations right now, but he knew he wouldn¡¯t seed in hiding from him any longer.

    ¡°After the dwarve awakens, a lot of people around you will begin to change my prince,¡± Theo spoke as he walked towards the door to let William in, ¡°we shall continue our chat some other time, I believe there are matters you need to attend to.¡±

    *

    Adam couldn¡¯t stop staring at E as she ate the food eagerly. She was really hungry and didn¡¯t mind at all that she didn¡¯t look the least bitdylike in that moment, thest thing she had to eat was a sip of tea and one crumpet before the wedding, E needed this.

    After she finished her food she set her te aside and thanked Adam for the meal. The dark haired prince smiled at her before reaching for the small smuge of soup on the corner of her mouth. He wiped it with his thumb and then licked it, making E¡¯s face light up like a stop sign.

    ¡°Now that you¡¯re full you should get some sleep,¡± Adam exined, ¡°we have an early morning tomorrow.¡±

    E looked around the room and then back to Adam, ¡°where am I going to sleep?¡±

    The man furrowed his brows at her, ¡°right here of course..¡±

    ¡°And umm.. where will you sleep?¡± That was a stupid question, he was obviously going to sleep with her right?

    ¡°Right here in this couch,¡± Adam responded.

    E was surprised at his answer, she remembered how Nathaniel would leap at any opportunity to spend the night in the same bed. Adam was so different.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± She questioned the man again, as if giving him a chance to change his mind.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get an extra nket and a pillow downstairs and I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he responded sheepishly, ¡°I¡¯m a man, this isn¡¯t something I can¡¯t handle.¡±

    ¡°Oh okay.¡± She was somewhat disappointed but the gesture made her respect for him grow immensely. How could she have forgotten, Adam wasn¡¯t a pushy guy, he would never do anything to make her ufortable.

    He stood up and gave her a kiss on the forehead, ¡°sleep now, let me go check on the others. Good night.¡±

    ¡°Good night Adam.¡±

 Chapter 59

    59 Chapter 59 : Did you enjoy yourself?!

    ¡°Stop spouting nonsense!¡± William yelled. He had been pacing Nathaniel¡¯s chambers nervously as he listened to him exining his connection to E. He stopped and red at the silver haired prince who was sitting on his chair near the firece looking physically exhausted.

    ¡°I have no reason to lie to you William, I too didn¡¯t understand what was going on till recently.¡± Nathan straightened his posture and looked at William.

    ¡°So that werewolf I saw that night in the library, that was you?¡±

    ¡°Yes..¡±

    ¡°And my little sister, you¡¯re saying she¡¯s not human?,¡± William asked Nathaniel again.

    ¡°She¡¯s not, and neither is Adam.. look I don¡¯t care about any of this right now,¡± Nathaniel spoke as he rose from his chair, ¡°the only thing on my mind right now is I have to get my wife back.¡±

    William chuckled and looked at Nathan, ¡°you lied to E about everything just so you could get her to marry you, and now you stand here calling her your wife?¡±

    ¡°The fact is that when she said those vows she was handed over to me, weather you, or that bastard Adam like it or not,¡± Nathaniel growled, ¡°so are you going to help me or not?.¡±

    ¡°I personally think she¡¯s better off with Adam,¡± William responded, ¡°I was never in support of her being with a selfish man like you.¡±

    .....

    The prince walked to his door and opened it, gesturing William to leave, ¡°then if you¡¯d please excuse me, I have to rest and prepare for my mother¡¯s burial tomorrow. You¡¯re no longer wee here William.¡±

    *

    E was awakened by the sound of a loud thud and a muffled ¡®fuck¡¯ in the middle of the night. She sat up and saw Adam on the floor rubbing his head, ¡°are you okay?¡± She questioned the man. It was a dark night so she could barely make him out.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, the couch might not like me very much.¡±

    E chuckled before scooting to the other side of the bed, e on,¡± she spoke while patting the space beside her, ¡°there¡¯s enough room.¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s fine,¡± Adam insisted, ¡°I just have to make sure Iy as stiff as a board so I don¡¯t fall off again. Just promise to take me to a chiropractor in the morning.¡±

    ¡°We have an early morning and I can assure you you¡¯ll have a bad back by the time you wake up,¡± E spoke, ¡°stop being stubborn and get in here, I¡¯m not going to bite you, I¡¯m not an animal.¡±

    ¡°Actually I¡¯m more worried that I will be the one doing the biting,¡± Adam spoke with a mischievous tone in his voice which made E blush. ¡°I¡¯d rather battle with a bad back than blue balls.¡±

    ¡°Argh! Fine do what you want!¡± E covered herself and turned away from Adam, her facepletely heated up. Suddenly she felt Adam wiggle his way into the bed making her gulp.

    ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± he questioned her, he sounded like a little boy who had just been scolded by his mother.

    ¡°I¡¯m not, why would I be? You want to sleep in the couch then be my guest!¡± E responded firmly, her blush intensifying. Even though she was facing away from him she could still feel his eyes borrowing into her back.

    ¡°I didnt mean toe of as lewd or anything, I¡¯m just being honest.¡± She felt him move again, and she could tell the gap between them had reduced greatly in size, ¡°I¡¯m only human, and you¡¯re a very beautiful woman who I¡¯m madly in love with. Could you me me if my thoughts took me astray?¡±

    ¡°I guess not,¡± E¡¯s voice was just a whisper, she didn¡¯t know why she was feeling so embarrassed about everything he was saying to her. They had been together before so she should be used to him by now. Right?

    ¡°It was torture for me you know,¡± he added on, ¡°back in Mirine when we dated, watching you everyday and never getting to touch you..¡± his hand reached out to her but he stopped himself, ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered what it would be like to be in bed with you, how your skin feels against mine.¡± Adam chuckled and then retracted his hand, ¡°I sound like a total pervert right now don¡¯t I?¡±

    E smiled to her self and agreed, ¡°you do. You always have been.¡± She turned around and gasped when she found her face just inches away from his. ¡°You think I didn¡¯t notice all those times you ogled me when we were together? Or the curses you mattered under your breath every time I hugged you.¡±

    Adam shed a sheepish smile that made E¡¯s blush intensify, ¡°so you just watched me suffer?¡± His eyes where drilling holes into hers, even in the dark she could see that his gaze never left hers.

    ¡°I was waiting for you to grow a pair,¡± she responded with a smirk. Adamughed so loudly she had to cover his mouth with her hand, ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you, other people are asleep!¡± She chided him.

    He brought his hand to hers and squeezed it lovingly before furrowing his brows at her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She questioned him, having noticed his reaction.

    He moved his hand to her forehead and then to her neck, ¡°E are you feeling okay?¡±

    ¡°I feel fine,¡± she responded confused, ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re freezing, are you sure you don¡¯t feel sick?¡± His tone now sounded panicked, he grabbed the extra nket from the floor, covered it over them and felt her temperature again. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not getting hypothermia.¡±

    Now that he had mentioned it, she did feel a little chilly, but it wasn¡¯t too bad, she figured it was probably because of the drop in temperature during the night. Adam tightly tucked the nket around her and held her freezing hands in his.

    ¡°E, I¡¯m worried about you, your hands are freezing and so is the rest of your body.¡± He was afraid she was getting hypothermia, usually people who had hypothermia felt a sensation of feeling hot while their body temperature was dropping drastically. He didn¡¯t know what to do, it was toote to run her a hot bath, and given the conditions they had left meria, they didn¡¯t get the chance to carry any warm clothes.

    Adam suddenly sat up and peeled his shirt off his body, making E¡¯s eyes bulge, ¡°Wha- what are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°Trying to keep you warm..¡± he tossed his shirt aside and reached for E who shuddered and let out a tiny yelp. ¡°E, you¡¯ll get sick let me help.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there any other way you can warm me up other than this,¡± she stammered, ¡°I mean we¡¯ve only just reconnected, there¡¯s no need to rush into it!¡±

    Adam looked at the redhead skeptically before chuckling in amusement, ¡°oh I see, you think I¡¯m trying to have sex?¡±

    She blinked rapidly as she watched his amused expression, ¡°well what were you nning to do?¡±

    ¡°I was going to cuddle you and use my body heat to warm you up,¡± Adam responded.

    ¡°Oh..¡± E hid half her face in the nket and blushed, ¡°well this is embarrassing.¡±

    Adamughed before pulling her close and wrapping his big arms around her. She couldn¡¯t help but draw in his woodsy smell when her face was stered between his pecks, how was it possible that he smelled exactly the way he did back then.

    ¡°Are you feeling warmer now?¡± He whispered to her while gently stroking her hair, ¡°or should I take my pants off as well.¡±

    E tried to pull away from him but his grip around her tightened and she remained in his embrace. ¡°I¡¯m joking E rx,¡± he spoke in a whisper, ¡°there will be plenty of time for sex once we leave Meria.¡±

    E hit Adam¡¯s chest with her tiny fist when her face heated up again, ¡°when did you be so shameless!¡±

    ¡°Ive always been like this, maybe back then you were just too innocent to see it.¡±

    E pursed her lips, he could be right, back then she had zero experience in the subject of sex and attraction. It was just recently when she had first been with a man. The thought of Nathan formed a knot in her stomach, she couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d given herself away to a liar like him, she felt betrayed and used.

    Adam noticed her tensing up in his arms and loosened his grip so he could look at her, ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Its nothing..¡± she didn¡¯t look at him when she spoke, she felt like she had betrayed Adam as well. She should have kept herself for him, but she was a weak fool, hypnotized by Nathaniel¡¯s wit and charm.

    ¡°Sorry you have to spend your wedding night with me,¡± Adam teased her in an attempt to lighten the mood, ¡°if you want I can do what your husband was supposed to do on his behalf.¡±

    ¡°Adam please!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so embarrassed about it?¡± He stroked her hair and breathed in her sweet aroma, ¡°didn¡¯t you and Nathan have sex?¡±

    E¡¯s eyes felt like they would fall out of her sockets.

    ¡°I¡¯d honestly be surprised if you didn¡¯t. I saw how he looks at you,¡± Adam took a deep, he didn¡¯t like the idea of Nathaniel being in love with E but it was what it was. ¡°Plus you¡¯re ridiculously beautiful, if I was in his shoes I¡¯d get you to bed every chance I got.¡±

    And that was exactly what Nathan did, if only she could turn back the hands of time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she rasped, ¡°I thought you had died and I was never going to see you again. If I had known you were-¡±

    ¡°Hey why are you apologizing?¡± Adam nted a kiss on her forehead and continued stroking her hair, ¡°I don¡¯t me you for anything, if I actually died, I honestly wouldn¡¯t want you living alone and miserable for the rest of your life. You had to move forward. The important thing is I¡¯m here now, and I¡¯m never leaving your side.¡±

    E was relieved, she made herselffortable in his arms and drew tiny circles on his strong chest, ¡°what about you?¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    ¡°Have you..¡± E paused for a minute, was that something she really wanted to know? ¡°Have you been with someone?¡±

    Adam¡¯s breath hitched, he cleared his throat and thought hard about how to respond to her question, ¡°like in this lifetime or-¡±

    ¡°Are you telling me you¡¯ve been with other women in other lifetimes?!¡± E asked in shock.

    ¡°Well I..¡±

    E pulled away from him and looked him in the eye, ¡°did you enjoy yourself?!¡±

    Adam pursed his lips trying hard to hold back a grin, was she really throwing a jealousy fit right now? After literally marrying another man? Oh she was so adorable.

    ¡°Well?!¡±

    Adam ran his hand through his hair before pulling her back into his embrace, ¡°if you keep pouting like that E you¡¯ll have yourself to me for what happens next.¡±

    She froze when she felt a bulge forming in his pants.

 Chapter 60

    60 Chapter 60 : Maybe you¡¯re pregnant

    Juliet Aldos¡¯ funeral was a dignified one, Nathan made sure of it. Even though she had never been fond of him, and even though ording to recent events she technically wasn¡¯t even his mother, she was the woman who had raised him and deserved to be sent away respectfully.

    The king was too devastated to do anything, and Clovis and Jeffrey hadn¡¯t gotten over the shock either, so all the arrangements fell on Nathaniel¡¯s head which he didn¡¯t mind. Although, after finding out about his true identity, his ns had changed a bit.

    After the burial, Nathan joined his grieving father in the royal library with a jug of wine in hand and two cups. The poor man looked like he¡¯d aged overnight, and Nathan almost felt bad for him. ¡°Some wine father?¡±

    ¡°Please..¡±

    The silver haired prince poured a cup for king Bradley and poured one for himself as well before settling down across from him. The two men sat there sipping their wine in silence until king Bradley put down his cup and looked sternly into Nathaniel¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m giving up the throne,¡± the king spoke

    ¡°You already told me that father, that¡¯s why I have been-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m giving up the throne tomorrow,¡± king Bradley interrupted his son, ¡°and I¡¯m naming you king.¡±

    Nathan had to use every brain cell to hold back a smirk. He had thought that after his mother¡¯s passing his father would forge on with being king, since his initial n was to retire and spend the rest of his life with his wife. But now Juliet was gone.

    .....

    ¡°I don¡¯t have it in me to rule anymore,¡± the man exined while holding his head in his hands miserably, ¡°without your mother it¡¯s just not the same.¡±

    Even though the marriage between Bradley and Juliet was an arranged one, the king was actually genuinely in love with his wife. And over time, his love spilled over and Juliet reciprocated it, though not as vividly as her husband.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Nathan responded, ¡°if that is what you wish father, I would be honored to take your ce on the throne. You don¡¯t have to push yourself.¡±

    After finishing the wine, Nathan excused himself and left the library. Immediately he was out of his father¡¯s line of sight a smirk painted his face.

    Theo had told Nathaniel in great detail about everything the humans had done to his people during the great cleansing, how their resources were grabbed away and how his people were driven away to hide in the snow covered wastnds. After hearing all that, all the resentment he had towards his parents for trapping him in this cycle of rebirth was forgotten. He knew it was his responsibility to take back what was theirs.

    And being in a position of power, the crowned prince of Meria, and then tomorrow the king, he was at an advantage. He would start by iming the Merian kingdom for the great silver pack, he would then do the same to the other kingdoms and be the undisputed ruler of them all, with E as his queen. It was the perfect n, and his father had literally just handed the kingdom to him, incredible.

    The silver haired prince knocked on Theo¡¯s door and walked in when he heard him call out from the inside.

    ¡°My prince,¡± Theo spoke with a low bow, ¡°how may I be of service.¡±

    Nathan walked to a nearby chair and made himselffortable, ¡°Theo, that total transformation theory you were telling me about, could you borate.¡±

    ¡°Of course my prince,¡± the butler sat down on the bed and cleared his throat before speaking, ¡°the incantation used on you was made in such a way that when all four of you managed to revert to your true selves, even the enved lycans, nosferatu, elves and dwarves, including all their pure breed and half breed offspring would awaken as well.¡±

    ¡°Did they use the incantation on them as well? Our enved brothers?¡± Nathan questioned the man.

    ¡°No my prince, our enved brothers were tortured and experimented on with different spells and enchantments to the point of them losing their true identity, forgetting who they are.¡±

    ¡°So they practically turned them human,¡± Nathan spoke, trying to follow what Theo was saying.

    ¡°Basically yes, but all those shackles will break soon enough,¡± Theo exined, ¡°you¡¯ve already awoken, and from what I know so hasdy E.. umm princess Melissa. All that¡¯s left is the elven prince and the dwarve. And from the faint stench of elf I picked up from him, Adam¡¯s awakening is well underway as well.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Nathan stroked his chin thoughtfully, ¡°and my father and the other rulers n to wage war against the humans?¡±

    ¡°That is the n my prince,¡± Theo responded, ¡°I haven¡¯t received a lot of intel for some time now but that was what was decided. With the knowledge the chosen ones gathered over the millennia, and the allies you¡¯ve all made, we can finally crush the humans and take back thend.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a foolish n,¡± Nathaniel spoke, ¡°the humans may be weaker inparison but they¡¯re tactical and resourceful. And how sure are you sure that they haven¡¯t been anticipating this war?¡±

    Theo was quiet, Nathaniel had a point, obviously the humans weren¡¯t just waiting aroundfortably thinking the other races wouldn¡¯t try anything, they obviously had a contingency n. Wow, prince Elric really was his father¡¯s son.

    ¡°The only way to truly take the humans down is to cripple them from within their own kingdoms,¡± he spoke, ¡°we are already at an advantage, I practically rule Meria, now we just have to infiltrate the other kingdoms.¡±

    ¡°Umm my prince, isn¡¯t the elf crowned prince of Gavaria?¡±

    Nathan didn¡¯t like what Theo was trying to point out but he was right. Even though he hated his guts, Adam would be a useful ally, no, a useful pawn if they were going to take theirnd back from the humans.

    ¡°Yes he is,¡± the silver haired prince responded, ¡°hence my decision to reach out to James Burchard once I¡¯m crowned king tomorrow, he¡¯ll be a key to convince his son to returning home and taking the throne.¡±

    ¡°Do you think the Gavarian king agree?¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a choice,¡± Nathaniel spoke with a devilish smirk, ¡°I¡¯ll offer his son, that little green eyed woman and his entire royal guard in exchange for his cooperation. After all, they are my prisoners for crimes against the throne and killing the queen.¡±

    ¡°I have to admit my prince,¡± Theo said with great respect, ¡°you are as wise as you are mighty.¡±

    ¡°I know..¡± Adam said beforeughing out loud, the kind ofughter that would send chills down your spine.

    ¡°Your move Adam, you bloody wife stealer,¡± the prince mattered to himself.

    *

    ¡°I¡¯m fine I swear,¡± E exined to Adam for the hundredth time, ¡°we¡¯re wasting time sitting around here, Nathan could be on our tail as we speak!¡±

    ¡°This is thest civil setting for miles E,¡± Adam exined to her again, ¡°if you really are sick, which you are, we won¡¯t be able to find any healers out there, we need to get you checked right now and see that you get better.¡±

    ¡°Argh why are you so hard headed!¡±

    ¡°And why are you so stubborn!¡±

    The five men stood there watching Adam and E bickering, only two days of being reunited and they were already behaved like an old married couple.

    Zander had left to seek out a herbalist, physician or anyone who could take a look at E. He and Rnd had arrived in the middle of the night at the inn, and confirmed that for the time being they had not been followed. That was why Adam was willing to spend a few more hours to make sure E was in good health before riding off again.

    E¡¯s temperature was dreadfully low, she felt as cold as a corpse even though she insisted she was fine. Even after Adam¡¯s many attempts to warm her up, she was still cold to the touch if not colder. Her skin had paled, but surprisingly her blue eyes looked more alive than ever, and her pretty pink lips we¡¯re now a deep shade of red. It was all so strange. But if Adam was being honest, she looked extremely beautiful like this, very alluring.

    Other than her physical changes, she had been constantly hungry. She had already eaten three times that morning but Adam had already heard her stomach growl. There was no doubt in his mind, she was definitely sick.

    Ivan who was sipping his ale leisurely took a look at the beautiful red head and made ament that had everyone on edge, ¡°maybe you¡¯re pregnant.¡±

    Everyone turned to look at him and for a moment there was a deathly silence in the room.

    ¡°Horse shit!¡± Adam responded sternly. Even though what Ivan was insinuating infuriated him, there was a part of him that dreaded the fact that that was a possibility. She had slept with Nathaniel, and most likely more than once.

    E touched her belly and her face became as white as a parchment of paper, what if she was? What would happen to Adam and her if she was pregnant for Nathan? Her heart was pounding hard as she counted her fingers trying to track when shest bled.

 Chapter 61

    61 Chapter 61 : Shadowless

    Julia rose from the little bed of her cell when she heard a door opening followed by slow heavy footsteps. She moved slowly towards the cell bars and stopped when prince Nathaniel came into view.

    ¡°Julia..¡± the handsome prince spoke. He pulled a chair that was usually used by whoever was guarding the ck tower and sat down on it, looking sternly at the green eyed woman.

    ¡°How do you know my name?¡±

    Nathan leaned forward and smirked tauntingly, ¡°I have my ways of getting information.¡± He responded, ¡°by the way, ¡®Julie¡¯ not a very good alias, you¡¯re not very sharp are you? Typical of dwarves.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Julia felt uneasy around Nathaniel, he had a certain aura that just screamed ¡®dangerous¡¯. He was very intimidating yet very alluring.

    Nathaniel tossed the book he was holding towards Julia, ¡°who knew I¡¯d get so much information from a mere children¡¯s book.¡±

    Hesitantly, Julia picked the book and peered inside it, ¡°what exactly am I supposed to be looking at here?¡±

    ¡°A brief history of your people Julia,¡± Nathaniel responded, ¡°tell me dwarve, have you noticed anything strange about yourselftely, any physical changes? Strange abilities?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    .....

    *Oh but I think you do*

    Julia jumped back and gasped when she heard Nathaniel¡¯s words echo in her head. This was simr to what had happened with Est time, what was going on?

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Julia stammered nervously, what in the world was going on here? Was this sorcery? Or something elsepletely.

    ¡°I am the person whose going to liberate all our races,¡± Nathan responded casually, ¡°and you¡¯re the little stubborn dwarve whose dying that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t under-¡±

    ¡°You see Julia, you and I are nothing like these lowly humans, we¡¯re from far greater races. The reason you could read my mind just now,¡± Natha leaned back on the chair, ¡°it¡¯s because you¡¯re a dwarve and I¡¯m a lycan.¡±

    E furrowed her brows, ¡°are you trying to make fun of my height?¡±

    Nathaniel rolled his eyes, ¡°you¡¯re straying from the point. Julia I need you to awaken, take grasp of your true form, because only then will I have the numbers I need to overrun this continent. We don¡¯t have much time.¡± The silver haired prince stood up and pushed the chair back to its original position. ¡°Time is ticking dwarve, our people are counting on us. The sooner you realize that, the sooner I release you from this ce, so please cooperate.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t keep me here!¡± Julia yelled, ¡°someone is going toe for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m counting on that..¡± Nathan responded as he walked away. Leaving Julia puzzled and with a mouthful of questions.

    The green eyed woman opened the book and read through the pages. There was a whole chapter about dwarves, Nathaniel had consistently called her one, maybe this was a clue to something bigger.

    *

    It was a whole hour till Zander returned to the inn with an elderly man who carried with him a small sling bag over his shoulder. The whole group had been anxiously waiting to get a second opinion on what was going on with the redhead, especially Adam who was pacing the lounge nervously. He knew it sounded selfish but he¡¯d rather E was sick than pregnant for that bastard Nathaniel Aldos.

    E was equally nervous, her bleeding wasn¡¯t yet due, but she had been with Nathaniel a week ago, so was there a possibility she had conceived?

    ¡°I searched the entire town,¡± Zander exined, ¡°and I was told his the best physician they have for miles, hopefully he¡¯ll be able to figure out what¡¯s wrong withdy E.¡±

    The elderly man made his way to the beautiful red head and studied the woman closely, ¡°is it possible to get a little privacy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we have a room,¡± Adam responded and led the phycian towards he and E¡¯s room form the small lounge.

    E sat down on the bed when they reached the room and Adam sat on a chair across from her, praying with all his heart to whatever gods were out there that she was not pregnant.

    ¡°Are youfortable with him being around?¡± The physician spoke as he pointed at Adam.

    E looked at Adam who was looking back at her nervously, ¡°yes it¡¯s fine,¡± she responded, ¡°I trust him.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± the man inched closer to E and took her hand, feeling her pulse and noting it down on small piece of paper. He then grabbed a small circr ss object, tilted E¡¯s head up and used it to inspect her eyes. He did a number of tests, some of which made Adam a little ufortable, he didn¡¯t like E being touched so carelessly by a man. The only littlefort he had was that the man was old enough to be their grandfather.

    After about thirty minutes of checking her pulse, her temperature and other vitals, the physician put down his tool and held his chin while looking at E.

    ¡°What is it? Did you figure out what¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Adam blurted out, he was very eager to know what was going on to the woman he loved.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not suited to tell what exactly is wrong with her, if at all there is something wrong,¡± the man spoke thoughtfully.

    ¡°What do you mean? she¡¯s freezing cold, her appetite is off the charts and her lips-¡± Adam paused and looked at E, ¡°is she pregnant?¡±

    The physician stood up and shook his head, much to Adam¡¯s relief, he didn¡¯t know what he would have done if she was carrying Nathaniel¡¯s child. That silver haired bastard would have used it as leverage to keep her for himself.

    ¡°What did you mean when you said you¡¯re not suited to know what¡¯s wrong with me?¡± E asked the elderly man, she was also relieved she was not pregnant but now she was worried about what was happening to her. She had felt this way before, only this time she didn¡¯t feel as cold, but it was the same sensation nheless, she was afraid of the worst.

    ¡°Am I dying?¡± E asked the man tly, making Adam¡¯s breath hitch.

    ¡°E.. don¡¯t say something like that,¡± Adam spoke to her, worry and fearcing his words.

    ¡°I¡¯m not best suited to tell if you if you¡¯re six or not because I am more inclined with working with humans,¡± the physician exined

    E and Adam exchanged confused nces.

    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Adam asked, ¡°are you trying to say E isn¡¯t human?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to say it, I am saying it,¡± the man responded, ¡°I thought that¡¯s something that you were already aware of.¡± Seeing the confused faces on the two the man realized they truly had no idea. ¡°This woman here is a nosferatu,¡± the man exined, ¡°the people best suited to treat someone like her would most likely be found in the shires near the snownds.¡±

    ¡°A nosferatu?¡± Adam asked the man as he looked at E

    ¡°And you¡¯re not human either,¡± the man added on, ¡°I¡¯ve treated a few half breeds like you over the years. So I¡¯m quite familiar with the ailments of elven blood. Not so much with nosferatu.¡±

    The physician packed his things and looked at the pair, it was strange that they didn¡¯t know what they were. Isn¡¯t that why they were heading to the enchanted forest?

    ¡°Well what I can tell you is that the consistent hunger is because she probably hasn¡¯t fed in a long time,¡± the man exined, ¡°you may want to deal with that first while you try and find a more skilled physician to take a look at her.¡±

    ¡°But I have been eating,¡± E spoke out, ¡°a little more than usual actually.¡±

    The physician took a deep breath, wow, she really had no idea about what she was did she? ¡°Youngdy,¡± the man said calmly, ¡°what you hunger isn¡¯t food, it¡¯s life essence, you need a dose of it every once in a while to keep your strength and health.¡± He threw his bag over his shoulder as he exined, ¡°that is the way of the nosferatu, the way of the vampires.¡±

    And with those words the man turned around and exited the room, leaving both E and Adam wide eyed andpletely dumbfounded.

    ¡°Did he just say... vampire?¡± E stammered

    Adam made his way to the blue eyed woman and rubbed her shoulders gently, ¡°I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about E don¡¯t listen to him.¡±

    E pursed her lips and looked down at herp. She had read about vampires in old fairy tale books, dark creatures of the night who fed on the life essence of other living creatures to sustain their own. They had pale skin that was cold to the touch, no reflection, cast no shadows and had a deathly frailty when exposed to silver.

    The silver theory checked out, her cold skin did as well, and there was a time she had witnessed her reflection vanishing before her very eyes. Could it be?

    She stood up and walked weakly towards the window. The light was pouring beautifully through it and it was ideal to cast a vivid shadow of anything ced in its path. E stopped a few inches from the light and took a deep breath, if she stood in that spot and cast no shadow, everything the old physician had said would be true.

    Adam stood up and watched her step into the light that poured in through the window and noticed her expression turn dark quickly. He walked to her and grabbed her arms, afraid she might faint. ¡°E, what happened?¡±

    ¡°He was right,¡± E spoke in a low cracking voice, ¡°I am a vampire.¡±

    ¡°How are you so sure? That man is probably out of his mind.¡±

    E pointed at the floor and Adam turned to look, he almost jumped in shock when he saw his shadow on the wooden floor, alone, E¡¯s was no where to be seen.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be,¡± Adam spoke. He looked at E who looked petrified and pulled her into his embrace, gently stroking her hair. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you are E,¡± he whispered lovingly and nted a kiss on her forehead, ¡°my feelings for you will never change.¡±

 Chapter 62

    62 Chapter 62 : Full Awakening

    After the physician left and Adam managed to calm E down, they went downstairs to the lounge where the men were waiting to hear from them.

    ¡°look at the gloomy look on his grace¡¯s face,¡± Ivan spoke sorrowfully, ¡°she¡¯s pregnant! I¡¯m so sorry your grace, you can just hand her over to me, I don¡¯t mind raising another man¡¯s child.¡±

    ¡°Calm down Ivan she¡¯s not pregnant,¡± Adam responded as he sat down on a chair.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter?¡± Beric questioned the prince, if E wasn¡¯t pregnant but they both looked down in the dumps then the physician must have given them some bad news.

    As E walked past Adam to sit on the chair next to him, he grabbed her hand and made her sit on hisp, making her blush intensely.

    ¡°He said she¡¯s not doing too well, but he¡¯s not knowledgeable enough to treat her.¡± Adam responded as he gently rubbed E¡¯s back.

    ¡°So what happens now?¡± Zander question the dark haired prince, the n was to leave for the enchanted forest where they would all be safe. It had been a hundred years since queen Tauriel sent him out to the human¡¯s kingdoms to keep an eye on her son, he had trouble finding him the first few years and had requested help, after which they sent Rnd. The two had traveled the kingdoms in search of prince Gareth. They stumbled upon Adam by sheer coincidence, his looks were very elven but he had no trace of elven blood within him at the time. Only after Zander noticed him briefly transform a few weeks ago, was he sure that Adam was indeed the crowned prince of the Elves.

    Now that his awakening was nigh, he needed to deliver him to the kingdom in preparation to invade the humans and reim their home.

    ¡°Zander, Rnd, why exactly are we going to the enchanted forest?¡± Adam questioned the two men, after what the physician had said, and after the brief transformation he¡¯d experienced back in Meria, he had a feeling these two men knew something about all of it. The enchanted forests and the snonds were said to be home to mythical races with powerful magical abilities that humans could not fathom. No human dared going there, but here they were riding towards it.

    .....

    ¡°Your grace I told you we¡¯ll be safe there,¡± Zander exined.

    ¡°And how are you two so sure?¡± Adam asked again, ¡°no man whose ventured to thosends has ever returned, unless you think the ce is so weing and beautiful that the lost travellers decided to start a whole new life there forgetting about their families, which I doubt is the case. You¡¯re sending us to our deaths, why is that?¡±

    The tension in the room was thickening, and the other four men were staring at Zander and Rnd awaiting an answer. They too were wondering why of all ces to take refuge they were going to the enigmatic enchanted forest.

    Zander and Rnd were backed into a corner. Should they tell them the real reason why they were headed towards the forest and reveal the secret of their true identity?

    ¡°I see that nothing gets passed you prince Gareth, you¡¯re as wise as your father once was,¡± Zander spoke calmly with an impressed smirk on his face, ¡°I apud you, well the truth is that-¡±

    Before Zander could finish speaking, he felt a sharp bolt of pain in his head, he grabbed his skull and dropped to his knees as a dull thudding echoed in his forehead.

    Adam got to his feet, but before he could take another step, his own skull began to hurt excruciatingly. He turned around when he heard E screaming and falling to the ground, he took weak steps towards her, squat down and pulled her into his embrace.

    Looking around, Adam noticed that all of his men were on their knees, hands on their heads and quivering in pain. What in the world was going on?

    *

    Back in Meria, in a cell within the ck tower, Julia screamed in pain, her head was pounding and her every limb felt like it was on fire. She was sweating profusely as she plummeted to the floor, her nails almost digging holes into the hard stone floor, she had never felt such pain before.

    On the other side of the pce, in his intricately decorated sleeping chambers, Nathaniel raked his hands through his hair, a loud thud in his skull causing his ears to ring. The silver haired prince chuckled sinisterly to himself, he knew exactly what this pain entailed, finally the awakening would beplete. All the chosen ones, including all their subdued brothers and sisters would revert to their true form, and Nathan would soon have an army of the most powerful races in existence.

    The prince threw his head back and let out a chillingugh that echoed throughout his chambers, finally all the pieces were falling into ce.

    Around the pce and within the capital and surrounding towns and shires, all hell broke loose. People were screaming and running in all directions, trying to escape from their own family and friends who were turning into monsters.

    ¡°Run! It¡¯s a werewolf!¡±

    ¡°Stay away from me!¡±

    ¡°Somebody please help my husband!¡±

    This eerie phenomenon wasn¡¯t just happening in Meria, all the four kingdoms were experiencing it, people were turning intorge wolf like creatures, shrinking into little men and women, growing fangs and pointy ears. It was chaos.

    Even in the Morrell residence, William ran into his parents chambers when he heard his mother scream. What he saw when he barged into the room was unbelievable, William saw his father on all fours on the floor wincing in pain, his ears had changed shape, his skin was as white as a ghoul, and his teeth were peeking out of his mouth like a pair of sharp fangs.

    Emma, his mother was squatting in front of him, a terrified expression on her face. ¡°Mother get away!¡± As William took a step towards his parents he heard arge crushing from their dining room, followed by Bahram shouting.

    William grabbed his mother¡¯s hand and ran towards the dinning room where he found Bahram backed into a corner and the twins looking at him. Only, the twins didn¡¯t quite look like themselves. They too had pointy ears, pale whitish skin and fangs. When they turned to face William and Emma, he could see that their eyes were a vivid scarlet.

    Gods, what in hell¡¯s name was happening?

    *

    Maria halted her horse and cupped her head tightly.

    ¡°You feel it too don¡¯t you?¡± Vivian spoke to the woman, ¡°the awakening.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Maria responded, she grabbed the reins of the horse and lightly kicked the animal to forge ahead, ¡°we don¡¯t have much time left, we need to retrieve princess Melissa and bring her back home in preparation for the siege.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sensing her presence north east of here,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°heading towards the enchanted forest.¡±

    ¡°The elf,¡± Maria mattered.

    A few days before the wedding, Maria and E had encountered a strange man in the town square who had caused a bit of a fuss. His men imed he was a drunk and saw histe wife in every pretty woman he saw but Maria knew that was a lie.

    The smell of elf was all over the man, and one of his friends as well. And the fact that he¡¯d called her Guinevere was proof that he knew E from her past life, meaning there was a strong chance he was Gareth, the elven prince.

    Maria had known E and who she was even in her past life as Guinevere, but she only kept an eye on her from a distance. Even though E had not awakened by then, he striking resemnce to her mother Marceline was enough to sell her out.

    After Maria had proven that E was indeed Guinevere from before, and that she was a nosferatu, she travelled to the snonds to tell the Kaiser and his queen that she had found their daughter and needed someone to help her retrieve her. And that¡¯s how Vivian, a strong nosferatu warrior and also E¡¯s cousin was asked to apany her.

    ¡°We should hurry,¡± Maria spoke as she urged her horse to move faster, ¡°it will be hard for us to get to her if they cross into elven territory.¡±

    *

    when the throbbing in his head subsided, Adam loosened his grip on E and looked down at her, ¡°E,¡± he pulled her close to him and cupped her face in his hands lovingly, his thumbs gently stroking her temples.

    E looked up at Adam and her eyes went wide, his deep brown hooded eyes were now a vivid purple, his hair was longer and his ears were pointy. He had faint markings on his forehead and even though she thought it wasn¡¯t possible, he looked even more handsome than he did before.

    The redhead looked over Adam¡¯s shoulder and saw Zander, Rnd, Beric, Odran, Ivan and Ozias looking at each other like they had seen each other for the first time. They too looked like Adam, pointy ears and all. Only they didn¡¯t have the faint markings on their foreheads.

    ¡°Elves?¡± E spoke in a whisper, ¡°you¡¯re all elves!¡±

 Chapter 63

    63 Chapter 63 : Prince Gareth

    Nathan walked towards his father¡¯s chambers and knocked lightly at his door. The poor man had been cooped up in there for days on end, drowning himself in wine surrounded by histe wife¡¯s clothing, jewelry pieces and paintings. Nathan did feel bad for the man, but this wasn¡¯t the time to get sentimental, he had bigger agendas to tend to. He wasn¡¯t about to let anything dy or distract him.

    After the third knock Nathaniel decided to let himself in, and as usual the king was sitting at his table, a picture of his wife in one hand and a cup of wine in the other. He looked ten years older and drained of all emotion.

    ¡°Father,¡± Nathaniel spoke softly as he put a gentle hand on his father¡¯s shoulder, ¡± I know you¡¯re not feeling quite like yourself right now, but the coronation is supposed to take ce today.¡±

    The silver haired prince pulled a chair and sat next to his father, ¡°the kingdom needs a leader father, lest anarchy falls upon us.¡±

    King Bradley put down his cup and held his wife¡¯s portrait with both his hands and stroked it lovingly, ¡°I relieved myself of duties to the crown the day Juliet died,¡± he spoke, from the cracking in his voice Nathaniel could tell that the man was far from pulling himself out of grief, ¡°I was a whole king, but failed to keep my wife alive and my daughter inw was kidnapped from right under my nose. What kind of king is that?¡±

    Ah E, Nathaniel had avoided thinking about her because the thought of his wife in the arms of that Gavarian bastard Adam Burchard sparked an anger in him that he feared would devour him whole. His end game was to get his wife back, but first he¡¯d have to make Meria and the entire continent of Ronia Cresus a ce worthy of her return. He was going to tear down the entire continent and rebuild it from the ground up for her. Then she would see how deeply his love for her run. He would mold a world where she would live freely, as her true self, a beautiful nosferatu goddess who would rule the new world by his side.

    ¡°Forgive me my son,¡± king Bradley added on, ¡°you must miss her terribly.¡±

    Nathaniel looked to hisp and balled his fist, ¡°I do,¡± he responded, ¡°but I will get my wife back father, you can count on that. Once I¡¯m king, I¡¯ll have all the resources at my disposal to turn this entire kingdom upside down in search of her if I have to.¡±

    The king nodded weakly and pat his son on the shoulder, ¡°do what you must, I¡¯ve lost my soul mate, don¡¯t lose yours.¡±

    .....

    After Nathaniel left his father with a few more words offort, he exited the room. He turned to the guard who was standing outside the door and instructed him to lock his father in.

    ¡°He has no idea of what is going on on the outside,¡± Nathan spoke to the gaurd, ¡°let¡¯s keep it that way. Make sure he has everything he needs and keep him alive and well.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace..¡± the man responded. He too had glowing yellow eyes and fanged teeth.

    Nathaniel turned and walked down the hall to where Theo, his butler, was waiting for him, ¡°have you gathered the royal guards?¡± He asked Theo.

    ¡°I have my prince,¡± Theo responded, ¡°and as expected, after the awakening and telling them of your true identity and motives, they are more devoted to your cause than ever.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Nathaniel responded with a pleased smile, ¡°and my brothers?¡±

    ¡°Both still in shock,¡± Theo exined, ¡°I have to admit, I was surprised to know that the queen was of lycan blood. So the rumors of one of the Merian kings taking other races as ve wives were true.¡±

    ¡°That must exin why my mother was so terrified of me and disliked my brothers,¡± Nathaniel added on, ¡°she must have known what we were for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Quite the conundrum given she was also a descendant of Merian blood, the same people responsible for the mass genocide of our people.¡±

    Nathaniel stood at the door that led to the balcony that faced the massive pce courtyard and smiled slyly, ¡°it¡¯s a sign Theo, we were made to rule all along.¡± And with that he opened the doors, looking down at the guards who stood in the courtyard. There were lycans, nosferatu, a few dwarves and even fewer elves. Nathan was even surprised to see some humans who were among them.

    ¡°And them?..¡± Nathaniel questioned Theo

    ¡°They say their loyalty is to you and has been from the beginning,¡± Theo exined, ¡°despite what you are.¡±

    Nathaniel¡¯s smile grew broader, he was d he had taken time to win the loyalty of the royal guard unit before hand. This was making his job a lot easier.

    *

    ¡°Yes!¡± Ivan eximed happily, he was practically dancing around after he¡¯d looked at his reflection in the mirror several times. His chestnut brown hair had lengthened and sleeked down, his cheekbones heightened, his shoulders broadened and he was sure his teeth whitened somehow. He was drop dead gorgeous. ¡°I knew there was something more to me than just my charm and my wit, good gods look at me, I might even hold a candle to prince Adam now.¡±

    E begged to differ, Adam was already very handsome before but now, lord, this man was nothing short of immacte. His brown wavy locs of hair danced with every turn of his head, his eyes that changed hue between brown and a deep purple were mesmerizing, his jawline and cheekbones looked like they were curved by angels, and his lips, pink and full like a lotus flower in bloom.

    ¡°Zander, Rnd do you know anything about what¡¯s going on with us?¡± Odran asked his friends skeptically.

    ¡°Actually we do,¡± Rnd responded.

    ¡°Then tell us? Are we cursed?¡± Ozias spoke panickingly as he pinched his pointy ears.

    ¡°Who cares I am gorgeous!¡± Ivan screamed from the background, still admiring himself in the mirror.

    ¡°It¡¯s highly likely that all of you are of elven decent,¡± Zander exined, ¡°because of the vicious experiments done to your ancestors, your elven genes were suppressed making you look more human.¡±

    ¡°Adam¡¯s awakening, apanied withdy E¡¯s and the other two choosen ones must have reset all of you to your true selves,¡± Rnd added on.

    Ozias rubbed his head with both hands, ¡°this is all too confusing.¡±

    ¡°That is why we have to make it to the enchanted forest, that is where our brethren reside, our people..¡± Zander turned to Adam, ¡°your kingdom.¡±

    ¡°My kingdom?¡± Adam mattered, he knew that there was something different about him, and E and Nathaniel as well, but this was more than he¡¯d bargained for.

    ¡°You are the oldest son of queen Tauriel,¡± Rnd added on, ¡°the sole heir of the elven throne, prince Gareth, first of his name.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I kept insisting we¡¯d be safe in the enchanted forest,¡± Zander exined, ¡°if you¡¯ve awoken my prince, so has Nathaniel. He¡¯s the lycan prince of the silver pack. Lycans have tremendous power and keen tracking instincts, I highly doubt he¡¯ll let you take his bride without a fight. We need to move, now.¡±

    Adam turned to E, ¡°but she¡¯s not an elf, what if the others reject her?¡±

    ¡°Thats a chance we should take my prince, at the end of the day we can¡¯t sit around and wait to have our necks torn off by a pair of lycan ws.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Adam responded, ¡°let¡¯s gather supplies in the town for our journey and then we can leave. You can tell us the details about this whole thing as we move.¡±

    After two hours of gathering food, water canteens, sleeping furs and new clothes, the group was ready to proceed.

    E walked down the stairs to where the men were waiting for her after changing out of her wedding dress. She was was now wearing ck leather cks, a white blouse with a ck corset and boots. All the men, especially Ivan, looked at her in awe, it wasn¡¯t every day they saw a woman in something other than a dress, she looked stunning.

    ¡°I figured it would be better for travel than some stupid dress,¡± she spoke happily, she felt sofortable. Being the daughter of a lord in this life, even the mere mention of cks was forbidden, so this felt very liberating.

    Adam walked up to her and stared at her from head to toe, now this was the woman he had fallen in love with, seeing her now brought back so many memories. He pulled her close and turned her around, he then untied her bun and let her hair drop down her back to her bum.

    ¡°Now you look perfect,¡± Adam spoke lovingly.

    ¡°But a noble woman should always have her hair tied, it would distract her-¡±

    ¡°A noble woman can do whatever the fuck she wants,¡± Adam spoke as he traced his finger through her bouncy ginger hair, ¡°and the only one who¡¯s getting distracted around here is me.¡±

    E looked away and blushed lightly.

    Ivan cleared his throat loudly to get the pair¡¯s attention, ¡°if you two are finished we have a werewolf on our tail and need to get moving!¡±

    E chuckled while Adam rolled his eyes, ¡°you heard the man,¡± he spoke softly to the blue eyed beauty, ¡°let¡¯s get going.¡±

 Chapter 64

    64 Chapter 64 : You can call me ¡®my love¡¯

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I considered myself one of those terrible creatures,¡± Ivan spoke in disgust.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been an elf for thirty minutes Ivan,¡± Beric responded with an eye roll, ¡°don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s actually been two hours thirty minutes Beric,¡± Ivan responded smugly as he pulled out a mirror from his satchel and admired his chiseled face for the hundredth time.

    The group had been riding south east for almost three hours now towards the enchanted forest. The little settlements of the shires were getting more and more scarce as they forged ahead. The road wasn¡¯t even a road anymore, just a very narrow path surrounded by long grass and scattered trees.

    Along the way, Zander and Rnd told them all about the great cleansing and how the humans had nned to wipe out the other races and enved and experimented the ones that weren¡¯t able to escape.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe people can be so selfish,¡± Ozias responded, ¡°it sickens me.¡±

    ¡°But now that we have Prince Gareth and the other chosen ones, there¡¯s hope of taking back ournds,¡± Zander spoke, ¡°it¡¯s just a matter of time. I¡¯m sure the royals from the other races are preparing as we speak.¡±

    Adam was deep in thought, he understood the hatred towards the humans, what they had done was truly selfish and horrifying beyond measure. He could only imagine how his people and the other races had struggled to rebuild from the ground up, and how the ones who didn¡¯t escape were tortured, but was waging another war really the answer? Wasn¡¯t there a more peaceful way to settle this.

    ¡°Hey Adam..¡±

    .....

    The elven prince looked down at the beautiful woman who wasfortably nestled between his legs.

    ¡°Does it mean that I have to call you Gareth now?¡± E questioned him

    He chuckled quietly at her question, ¡°you can call me ¡®my love¡¯,¡± he responded with a risqu¨¦ grin on his face.

    E rolled her eyes and lightly elbowed him, making him chuckle and snuggle closer to her. ¡°Don¡¯t be a tease,¡± E scolded him.

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t like it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she responded nkly, but was clearly lying. She enjoyed chitchatting with him like this, it took her back to the days back in Mirine when they would spend afternoons talking and horse riding.

    ¡°How far to the enchanted forest?¡± Ozias asked Zander, ¡°you¡¯ve been there before right?¡±

    ¡°At our pace,¡± the blonde man responded, ¡°we¡¯ll be there in about two to three weeks. Then a few days after that is when we¡¯ll reach Ervelon the new elven kingdom, we¡¯ll have to go through Lenora first, the kingdom of the dwarves, it is situated at the borders of the enchanted forest.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re talking a whole month of traveling?!¡± Ivan squealed, ¡°at least tell me we¡¯ll have enough time for beauty sleep!¡±

    Beric was getting tired of rolling his eyes at Ivan¡¯s vainments, the wrong man was made an elf that¡¯s for sure.

    As they continued moving, the trees increased in number and the shrubs became thicker, and for some reason E was starting to feel strange. She sped her stomach which seemingly felt incredibly empty even though she had eaten a few hours ago. And this time, the hunger was apanied with thirst, she felt incredibly parched.

    ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Adam asked her, he had noticed her fidgeting around.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± E assured him, ¡°I¡¯m just a little parched that¡¯s all.¡±

    The dark haired prince held the reins of his horse with one hand and with the other grabbed the canteen of water from his side and handed it to E, ¡°drink some water, we¡¯ll be setting up camp soon enough and you can rest alright.¡±

    E nodded and took the canteen. She took tworge gulps of water and closed it, her stomach was filled with water but her thirst still prevailed. It was something that had started to worry her.

    The caravan moved at a steady pace for another two hours until they reached a small clearing were they could set up camp and decided to stop there. It was almost evening, they had decided it was safer to move during the day and rest at night while taking turns to keep watch.

    Adam carried E off the horse and settled her down on a fattened rock near where Odran was making a fire, he then grabbed her cloak from his bag and wrapped it tightly around her. ¡°You¡¯re still cold E, stay by the fire while we set up camp.¡±

    E nodded. She pulled the garment tightly around her body as she watched Adam join his men in erecting tents and spreading the mats within them. Odran had gotten the fire going and was preparing to skin the rabbit he had caught on their way.

    E looked down at the dead little animal, when she saw the small traces of blood on its white coat her mouth watered, making her absolutely horrified. Why on earth would she crave an animal¡¯s blood, no! She wasn¡¯t going to let her savage vampire instincts take control of her, she wasn¡¯t going to allow it.

    Watching Odran take out the knife and skin the animal was absolute torture, the smell of blood wafted into the air and E almost drooled. When Odran peeled off the animal¡¯s skin, a drop of blood sttered on E¡¯s cheek and almost immediately, her pupils narrowed into slits. she stood up abruptly form her seat and covered her mouth as fangs began to protrude from her beautiful mouth.

    ¡°Sorry princess did I get some blood on you?¡± Odran spoke apologetically, he grabbed a piece of cloth with his bloodied hand and handed it to E.

    As his hand stretched towards her, the smell of blood became unbearable, the redhead stumbled backwards and crawled hurriedly backwards away from Odran, one hand still covering her fanged mouth.

    ¡°Stop! Stay away!¡± E released a muffled warning.

    Adam heard themotion and rushed towards E and Odran to see what was going on. When E saw Adam approaching she got to her feet and ran into the darkened forest.

    ¡°E!¡± Adam called out to her, but she was moving so fast that he lost sight of her in seconds. The dark haired prince turned to Odran, ¡°what did you do to her?¡±

    ¡°I was just cleaning some rabbit meat and got a little blood on her,¡± Odran responded innocently, ¡°it was just a drop.¡±

    Adam grabbed a dagger from his bag and made his way into the forest where E had run off to. Odran just stood there in shock looking at the prince disappear after the redhead.

    ¡°Geez it was just a little blood,¡± Odran mumbled, ¡°it¡¯s not going to kill her or anything.¡±

    *

    Nathaniel was looking down at about thirty to forty men of the royal guard who were gathered below him. If one thought the royal

    gaurd were ferocious and deadly before, now they were absolutely lethal. ny percent of them hand transformed into strong immortal creatures.

    ¡°For over a hundred years, we have been hiding in the dark corners of the continent!¡± Nathaniel spoke to the masses below, ¡°now the time hase for us to take back what is ours! Today is a great day for all of us, because today, not only will I be the crowned prince of the silver pack of the great lycan race, but I will also be crowned king of Meria!¡±

    There were roars of apud from the men below.

    ¡°And we all know what that entails!¡± Nathaniel added on, ¡°We, the exiled races will rule Meria, and soon the entire continent!¡±

    ¡°yeah!!!¡± The men roared in agreement.

    ¡°The coronation is in two hours!¡± Nathan added on, ¡°control the chaos in the capital and assemble everyone, today will be a historical day that all must witness!¡±

    The soldiers of the royal guard were deployed into the capital and the close surrounding towns, spreading the word of the great cleansing and the truth behind the transformations that were happening to some of the citizens of Meria.

    The announcement was the beginning of division. Members of the exiled races banded together, either out of hatred towards the humans for what they had done, or out of the fact that the humans now feared them and wanted nothing to do with them.

    Humans were urged to cooperate andply with the prince¡¯s orders or be thrown in dungeons or exiled from the kingdom. Some cooperated, especially those with family members and close friends who had transformed, while others opted to leave the now terrifying kingdom, not knowing that the situation outside was the same.

    Back in the pce, Theo put the final touches on Nathaniel¡¯s outfit for the coronation. Nathan smiled as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

    ¡°Now this is a king worthy of E¡¯s love,¡± Nathan smiled proudly, ¡°don¡¯t you think so Theo?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be a king worthy of anyone¡¯s love my prince,¡± Theo responded.

    Nathaniel tugged his sleeves and creased down his cors, ¡°no one is worthy of mine, no one but my beautiful E. After she sees everything I¡¯m doing for her, she¡¯ll have no choice but toe back to me.¡±

    The silver haired prince turned to his butler, ¡°Adam has nothing to offer her, while I¡¯m giving her the entire continent.¡±

    ¡°Shall we proceed to the coronation my prince?¡± Theo asked politely.

    ¡°With pleasure Theo,¡± Nathaniel spoke as he walked in long strides proudly out of the room, ¡°with pleasure.¡±

 Chapter 65

    65 Chapter 65 : Blow it

    E halted and plopped to the ground, her back against the bark of arge tree and her arms around her shoulders. Her heart was pulsating insanely, if she didn¡¯t leave the scene and continued inhaling the smell of blood, she was sure she was going to lose her mind.

    The red head grabbed her stomach, feeling like a massive hole was forming within it, why did it have to be this way, why couldn¡¯t she crave anything else, anything but the red liquid that flowed through the veins of living creatures.

    ¡°E..¡±

    The woman shuddered when a handnded on her shoulder from behind, she turned around and locked eyes with Adam who had a worried look on his face. With her arm, E covered her fanged teeth and distanced herself from the handsome elven prince.

    ¡°Adam, please stay back,¡± she spoke in a whisper.

    Adam stubbornly inched closer to her and tried to grab her hand again, making her move backwards abruptly. Her leg got caught in vine making her trip, but luckily Adam was able to pull her by the hand, flipping himself over so that hended on the ground and Ended on top of him. They crushed down to the leafy forest floor with a thud.

    When E managed to nudge herself up, she found herselfying on top of the handsome prince, their legs interlocked and his arms wrapped around her small waist. Adam groaned a little at the impact making the redhead panic.

    ¡°oh gods Adam! Are you okay?!¡± She was about to push herself off of him when the grip around her waist tightened, pulling her closer onto him till her chest was against his and her face was hovering slightly above his face.

    ¡°I like your new set of teeth,¡± Adam spoke with a sheepish smile.

    .....

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke about it Adam I could hurt you,¡± E spoke cheerlessly, ¡°I¡¯m a monster, a creature parents use to scare their children into behaving.¡±

    Adam freed one of his arms and brought it to E¡¯s face, he brushed her soft cold cheek lightly with his fingers before smiling tenderly. The way he looked at her, it was like he was looking at a rare piece of art that was worth a million gold coins, it made the hair on the back of E¡¯s neck stand up.

    ¡°What you are,¡± Adam spoke sweetly, his voice was a low whisper that rumbled a little in his chest before escaping his mesmerizing lips. The tone of his voice was so enchanting it should have beenbeled a crime. ¡°What you are E, is the most beautiful creature I have everid eyes on.¡±

    E¡¯s cheeks heated up, and for a brief moment so did her body. Thepromising position they were in, his soft touch, his deep tititing voice was enough to have her heart ready to uninhabit her chest. She looked into his hooded brown eyes that now had hints of purple swirling around within them like stardust in the night sky, she had almost forgotten how incredibly handsome this man really was.

    ¡°Adam..¡± E stammered, it took more energy and willpower to speak than she thought it would, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no amount of pain you can inflict on me that can transcend the pain I endured when you weren¡¯t in my arms E.¡±

    His words stuck E like a knife, and the look in his eyes showed pure honesty.

    ¡°What if I-¡± the girl swallowed some saliva as her eyes trailed down to his lips, ¡°what if I bite you.¡±

    ¡°Then bite me,¡± Adam responded almost immediately.

    E¡¯s breath hitched when his arms moved from her cheek to the back of her head, she closed her eyes as he slowly pulled her in for a kiss. The leaves on the high trees were rustling gently, a soft breeze was blowing and sounds of crickets and little animals scampering to their homes for the night filled the forest. It was so tranquil, so quaint.

    ¡°I found them!¡± Ivan screamed at the top of his lungs when he spotted E and Adamying on the forest floor. So much for quaint and tranquil.

    E hurriedly pushed herself off Adam and dusted the leaves and debris off her clothes. Her face was still burning red so she kept her eyes to the ground the entire time.

    ¡°Perfect timing Ivan,¡± Adam spoke in a less than amused tone as he too got to his feet, ¡°I can always count on you to ruin a moment.¡±

    ¡°Why thank you your grace, it¡¯s my absolute pleasure,¡± the man responded with a smug smile. There was no way he was going to stand by and let the prince get some action while he was clocking two months celibate. They would all suffer together.

    By the time Zander and Odran joined them, E¡¯s blush had dimmed down a bit.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Zander questioned E, ¡°why did you ran off like that?¡±

    ¡°I.. well I umm...¡±

    ¡°Hey your teeth,¡± Odranmented while eyeing E, he had noticed her sharp fangs as she spoke.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯ve gotten your vampire fangs,¡± Zander spoke with concern, he didn¡¯t know much about the nosferatu, but he knew that they fed on the blood of living creatures using those same teeth E had just equipped herself with.

    Seeing the slight hint of fear in Odran and Zander¡¯s eyes, E bowed her head in dejection. Of course they would be afraid of her, heck, she was afraid of herself. No one was safe around her, she didn¡¯t know how long she would be able to control her thirst and hunger.

    Adam moved towards E and wrapped his arm defensively around her waist, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly,¡± he spoke firmly, ¡°we¡¯re all going through some physical changes and hers are no different from ours.¡±

    ¡°But what if she needs to feed,¡± Zander questioned, he was trying to sound as calm and as respectful as possible, ¡°what happens then?¡± He didn¡¯t want toe right out and say ¡®what if she sucks us dry like water skins in a desert?¡¯ because it would be rude, but he was thinking it.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll find a way to feed her,¡± Adam responded, his tone indicated that he didn¡¯t take kindly to what Zander was insinuating, E was an angel, she would never hurt anyone, he believed in her.

    ¡°How your grace?¡± Zander questioned the elven prince, ¡°are you aware of what the nosferatu feed on?¡±

    ¡°I have a pretty good idea yes.¡±

    ¡°So then what are you going to do?¡± Zander questioned the prince again, trying to make him see that they were going to have a problem with his woman in the near future, ¡°are you going to serve yourself up with a side of roasted greens?¡±

    ¡°If I have to then I will!¡± Adam responded, his voice was firm and heading towards annoyance, ¡°are there any other questions you have for me Zander?!¡±

    The blond man pursed his lips and shook his head slowly.

    ¡°Good,¡± Adam responded. He turned to E and fastened the buttons on her cloak before taking her hand and leading her back to the camp site. And as they walked away, Zander looked at the prince and sighed heavily. A man in love really was a stupid man.

    When the group returned to the camp site, they found that the tents and the furs were all set, and the rabbit stew was bubbling in the pot on the fire awaiting to be devoured. Adam got some stew in a bow and settled down next to E, he took a spoonful of food and brought it to her lips.

    ¡°Adam I can feed myself,¡± she spoke in embarrassment, she could see his friends stealing nces at them as he tried to feed her.

    ¡°I know you can,¡± he responded with a sweet smile, ¡°but I want to be the one to feed you.¡±

    Not wanting to argue with him and cause an awkward scene, E opened her mouth and ate the food. Adam¡¯s eyes sparkled as he watched her chew and swallow the food, he quickly got some more, blew on it and brought it to her mouth.

    ¡°What about about you,¡± E asked the brown haired prince after several spoons of rabbit stew, ¡°aren¡¯t you going to eat? Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m famished,¡± Adam responded, ¡°but unfortunately my hands are a little upied right now, so I¡¯ll need someone to feed me.¡±

    E raised her brows at Adam while he looked at her expectantly. She was about to refuse when Rnd handed her a bow of stew.

    ¡°He¡¯s not going to to quit, just feed him,¡± he spoke nonchntly as if it was typical of Adam getting his way whenever he put his mind to it.

    E awkwardly took a spoonful of food and took it to the prince¡¯s mouth who ate it happily.

    ¡°It¡¯s too hot E,¡± Adam spoke with a ridiculous pout on his face, why was he acting like such a child, ¡°you should blow on it so it cools down.¡±

    The sly smirk on Adam¡¯s face made the rest of the men chuckle. E¡¯s face burned red as she dug into the bowl of food, ¡°you¡¯re all insufferable,¡± she grumbled before bringing the spoon to her mouth and blowing on it.

    ¡°Blow it real good princess,¡± Ozias teased, ¡°it¡¯s too hot to take in like that.¡±

    E stopped blowing and shoved the spoon into Adam¡¯s mouth. Her face was as red as a beet when she turned to look at the men who were snickering behind their bows of food.

    ¡°Oh will you all grow up!¡± She screamed and the men all went into a fit ofughter.

    E crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, she was so embarrassed and angry but she could feel a smile creeping up on her. The little moment had made her take her mind off her incessant hunger and thirst, and she had these childish men to thank.

 Chapter 66

    66 Chapter 66 : King Elric

    William closed the door tightly shut and barricaded it with therge table after he¡¯d walked back into the house. His mother rushed to him and frantically inspected his body.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Emma questioned her youngest son, ¡°you didn¡¯t get hurt did you?¡±

    The young man sped his mother¡¯s hands and nodded, ¡°I¡¯m fine mother,¡± he walked towards the study where everyone else was sitting and took his own seat. ¡°It¡¯s happening everywhere,¡± William spoke with a sigh, ¡°hundreds of people have turned, they¡¯re not human anymore.¡±

    ¡°Any news about your sister?¡±

    William looked up at his father and shook his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance to reach the pce. The coronation is taking ce and all these creatures..¡± William cleared his throat, he realized that now his father and two brothers were one of these so called ¡®creatures¡¯. ¡°Pardon me father, I mean all these other races are flocking the pce in support Nathaniel¡¯s rise to power. It¡¯s like he¡¯s amassing himself some sort of army of meta humans.¡±

    ¡°But why would he need an army?¡± Emma Morrell questioned, ¡°is there going to be a war?¡±

    ¡°I have a hantch,¡± William spoke, he now knew that Nathaniel was a werewolf prince of some sort and he knew that he was obsessed with E, he¡¯d go to any heights to have her all to himself, even manipte an entire poption to do his bidding just so he could snatch E away from Adam, and that was most likely what he was up to. But at the same time, he didn¡¯t think Adam would let E go without a fight, it was clear that he too loved her. I mean he had infiltrated the wedding, God knows how, and literally stolen E from right under Nathaniel¡¯s nose, that wasn¡¯t a n motivated by infatuation, that was pure possessiveness.

    And from what William knew about prince Adam and his military conquests, he too was a force to be reckoned with, this might turn out to be a very bloody war.

    William leaned closer to his mother and rubbed her shoulder gently, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t worry about E mother, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anywhere she could be safer than with Adam.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Adam?¡± Emma spoke between sniffles, ¡°what does he want with my daughter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± William responded, ¡°but it will all make sense in due time.¡±

    Suddenly, Alexander came crushing into the study, followed by his twin brother Jonathan.

    ¡°Will you two stop behaving like children for one second!¡± Bahram yelled in annoyance as he ran into the studypletely breathless.

    The twins chuckled in unison and zoomed out of the room at the speed of sound, making Bahram face palm. ¡°Is this what we have to live with for the years toe?! Weren¡¯t they weird enough as is?¡±

    ¡°I hear vampires can live to up to a thousand years,¡± William responded, ¡°so you better get used to this.¡±

    Bahram threw himself into the sofa next to where his father was sitting, he was tired of chasing two full grown men around the house. Bahram turned towards his father and spoke, ¡°I need to go back to Guria, my wife is expecting, and we don¡¯t know the extent of whatever is happening. I need to make sure she¡¯s safe.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± William added on, ¡°I too need to see ryssa, I haven¡¯t been able to get a wink of sleep thinking about her.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ve seen the situation outside,¡± John Morrell spoke, ¡°it¡¯s too dangerous to travel the continent this time around, especially because you¡¯re... well... only human.¡±

    The twins zipped in from nowhere and sat down with the rest of the family, ¡°we can go with you,¡± they spoke in unison. It seemed that they were enjoying their new found abilities. At first it was a bit frightening and shocking for all of them, they thought they had turned into blood sucking monsters, but surprisingly they had maintained their personalities. It was just their appearance that had changed. Why it was only John Morrell and the twins who had turned, was still a question that needed answers.

    ¡°It would be safer moving as a group,¡± Bahram agreed, ¡°with all that¡¯s going on, it may be wise to have one of their kind on our side.¡±

    The brothers all nodded in agreement, they nned to leave Greenhill the next day, first starting with Guria to get Bahram¡¯s wife and then venture to Gavaria for ryssa. Silently they all hoped they would bump into their sister along the way, just to make sure she was safe. Not knowing where she was was very unsettling for all of them, especially with the war that Nathaniel was obviously cooking up.

    *

    Nathan walked gracefully down the isle to the front of the cathedral where the cardinal stood awaiting his arrival. Thest time Nathaniel was in this ce, he was marrying the love of his life, and now he was going to be crowned king here, after which he would use any resources at his disposal to reim E Morrell as his own.

    The deadly aura that was oozing from him as he walked was enough to make the humans among them shudder, and the other races beam with joy. To them, this day signified a step in the right direction towards their liberation and rise to to power.

    The cardinal bowed respectfully at the prince, and with trembling hands took the crown from the pedestal it once sat. The item felt heavy, the man had crowned two kings before Nathaniel but this time felt different, it felt terrifying. It was as if he was handing over power to trample over humanity to the silver haired prince and there was nothing he could do about it.

    The minute the crown touched Nathaniel¡¯s head, the cardinal knew that the era of mankind in the kingdom of Meria, and possibly the whole continent, wasing to an end.

    ¡°May you rule justly and wisely,¡± the man concluded his speech with much difficulty, ¡°long live king Nathaniel Aldo-¡±

    The man silenced when Nathaniel rose his hand in front of him firmly and shook his head. The silver haired price cocked his head to the side and a slender well dressed man stepped forward, heeding to Nathaniel¡¯s call.

    ¡°From today henceforth,¡± Theo announced to the gathered masses, ¡°Nathaniel Aldos will cease to exist! May I present to you, king Elric of Meria, son of the Alpha of the silver lycan pack! Long live king Elric!¡±

    ¡°Long live king Elric!¡± The masses roared in support.

    ¡°Long live king Elric!¡±

    ¡°Long live king Elric!¡±

    *

    E drew in a long breath and tightly wrapped the furs she was covering with around her body. After the rabit stew and a few stories around the fire, she had felt extremely drained and tired and had nodded off. She had fallen into such a deep sleep that she didn¡¯t even feel Adam carry her to the tent.

    Now she was awake for some reason, unable to reim the sleep she had lost. Her hand clenched the fur tighter as she felt a low rumble in the pit of her stomach, she was getting hungry again, and not for rabbit stew.

    She wrapped one hand around her stomach and squeezed her eyes shut in hopes of shutting out her urge to feed but unfortunately that was all she could think of. The dead silence of the night was not helping either, all she could hear were her nosferatu instincs screaming at her.

    E flipped so she couldy on her side but found Adam awake and staring at her.

    [What the hell!]

    ¡°Why are you awake?¡± E whispered to the elven prince, ¡°you gave me a scare.¡±

    Adam smiled and moved himself a bit closer to her, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you cursed,¡± he spoke with an amused tone, ¡°it sounds adorable.¡±

    E¡¯s eyes widened for a moment, she hadn¡¯t cursed, well at least not out loud. Could Adam hear her thoughts as well? Wait? Was everyone else going to be able to do it now that they were elves? She needed to be sure.

    ~gods I¡¯d love to make you curse all night long E~

    Yhup, that was the confirmation E needed, her and Adam could definitely hear each other¡¯s thoughts. There was no way Adam had said such a thing out loud, he couldn¡¯t be so shameless.

    ¡°Gods I¡¯d love to make you curse all night long E,¡± Adam whispered longingly, proving E wrong, he was indeed shameless.

    ¡°Adam!¡± E warned him in a firm whisper

    The man chuckled and brushed his knuckles lightly on her cheek as he looked at every part of her face longingly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have been holding back my feelings and love for you for many lifetimes, so expect that sometimes . Things like this will just bubble up. Forgive me.¡±

    E blushed and averted his gaze, even in the dark she could still see his enchanting eyes delectably staring at her. ¡°What do you mean many life times? You and I met in Mirine.¡±

    ¡°We did,¡± Adam responded, still stroking her cheek, ¡°that¡¯s the only time I got the courage to let you know my feelings towards you, since I had known you since we were children it was a bit easier for me.¡±

    ¡°So you knew me before that?¡± E ttered hershes at the handsome man.

    ¡°I did,¡± He responded, ¡°Wintersend, Mirine, Coppercrest, Ladenville... I knew you, I was just too much of a coward to talk to you. You were so beautiful and very guarded. I was always a little intimidated.¡±

    E¡¯s eyes widened, the names of those towns, gosh it felt like a lifetimes ago when shest heard them. She looked up at Adam who was smiling down at her like a trophy he¡¯d won in apetition he¡¯d been striving in for years. ¡°In Ladenville, were you that knight I almost shot with an arrow when I was training.¡±

    Adam chuckled before responding, ¡°aye, that was me. I was trying to talk to you that day.¡±

    ¡°I was so mad at you, that was an incredibly stupid thing to do walking into my target range like that,¡± E scolded him, but then with a smile she looked at him, ¡°but I did think you were kind of cute.¡±

    Adam cupped her cheek, his eyes became even more lidded than usual giving him a very alluring look, ¡°I thought you were the most beautiful woman I¡¯d everid eyes on.¡± He ran his thumb gently over her lips and touched one of her fangs, ¡°and I still do, more so now.¡±

    E settled her hand on his chest and lost her herself in his eyes. Adam cupped her cheek and closed his eyes, inching his face closer to hers, E did the same, it was like a maic pull she couldn¡¯t resist.

    Mere inches before their lips touched, someone cleared his throat loudly in the next tent, making them both open their eyes and pull away. Adam frowned, knowing very well who the person who had interrupted the moment was.

    ~That bastard~

 Chapter 67

    67 Chapter 67 : He deflowered you?

    Adam leaned forward and kissed E on her forehead, ¡°sleep now,¡± he whispered, his hand still stroking her cheek lovingly, ¡°tomorrow is going to be a long day.¡±

    ¡°okay,¡± E responded, she closed her eyes trying to fall asleep but found herself opening them again. ¡°What about your parents? And your home back in Gavaria, don¡¯t you have duties to them?¡±

    Adam sighed and tucked a loc of hair behind E¡¯s ear, ¡°I do, but I also have a duty to my heart.¡± The dark haired prince had spent too much time pursuing E, and finally when he had her, he¡¯d lost her, he was not going to let that happen again. ¡°Nathaniel is probably losing his mind trying to get you back, I need to make sure you¡¯re tucked away safely first before I can face him.¡±

    ¡°Face him?¡±

    Adam flipped on his back, his eyes fixed on the roof of the tent, ¡°he¡¯s not going to let you go without a fight E.¡±

    ¡°But the only reason I was with him was because I thought you were gone Adam,¡± E extended her hand to grab his chest but noticed that he was shirtless beneath the fur. She rashly pulled her hand away but he caught it and pulled her onto his chest, his arms tightly wrapped around her small waist.

    ¡°But the fact still remains that you¡¯re legally his wife,¡± Adam spoke, this wasn¡¯t a fact that he liked. He had realized that he was very possessive of E and didn¡¯t take kindly to sharing her with anyone else, especially not Nathan. ¡°And he loves you.¡± Adam looked down at E and lightly run his hand through her hair, ¡°do you love him?¡±

    E pursed her lips and lowered her gaze, she felt horrible about the position she had put Adam in. He probably felt insecure and upset about her marriage with Nathaniel, she really wished she could turn back the hands of time.

    ¡°I care about Nathaniel,¡± E responded, ¡°even though he lied to me, he was there for me when I thought I had no one else.¡± She looked up at Adam who was pouting at the words she was saying, ¡°but I failed to fall in love with him, and believe me I tried. I think a part of me was still holding on to you and that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t bring myself to reciprocate his feelings.¡±

    .....

    Adam looked away with a relieved smile on his face, he would have been absolutely broken if E had said she loved Nathaniel. ¡°I know what you mean,¡± he spoke sheepishly, ¡°it¡¯s like my situation with Julia, she just can¡¯t ept the fact that I don¡¯t feel the way she does-¡±

    ¡°Julia?¡± E asked with an arched eyebrow, ¡°is she one of the women you¡¯ve slept with?!¡±

    Adam chuckled when he looked down at E¡¯s pouting face. He rolled over, pinned her beneath him and looked down at her beautiful face. ¡°Why? Are you jealous?¡±

    E looked away and shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t care and I¡¯m not jealous,¡± she responded curtly, ¡°you can sleep with whoever you want!¡±

    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t bother you?¡± The prince questioned the gorgeous redhead.

    E squirmed around beneath him trying to escape his grasp but he didn¡¯t budge. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t, now please leave me alone!¡±

    Adam smiled slyly and gently kissed E¡¯s pulsing temple, her mouth was saying one thing but her reaction was saying somethingpletely different. ¡°I think it does bother you¡± he whispered into her ear, ¡°you know, when you get jealous like this you kind of drive me a little crazy E.¡±

    The redhead woman pushed Adam¡¯s heavy form off of her with all her might, ¡°I¡¯m not jealous!¡±

    The prince rolled back onto his back and looked at the beautiful pouting girl, his teeth sunken into his his full lower lip in amusement. ¡°But you¡¯ve been with men before too E,¡± Adam spoke, ¡°why is it only a problem on my end? Besides, it¡¯s not like I just slept with random girls like a casanova, it¡¯s just been a few experiences.¡±

    The man turned on his side so as to look at E who was now facing away from him and wrapped his arms around her waist, ¡°I¡¯m a man E, it was just a couple of moments of weakness.¡± He buried his face into her hair and took a deep breath, taking in her sweet smell, ¡°besides, it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t been with men before.¡±

    ¡°Man,¡± E responded.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The blue eyed woman turned back to face Adam, ¡°man, not men,¡± she repeated herself, ¡°the only man I¡¯ve ever been with is Nathaniel.¡±

    Adam knitted his brows together and studied the woman in front of him, ¡°so you mean to tell me that that bastard broke your maidenhood?!¡±

    When E nodded her head Adam flipped onto his back and covered his face his his palms and muffled a loud ¡®fuck¡¯. He stayed that way for a few minutes as the information he¡¯d just been presented with sunk in. That bastard Nathaniel had deflowered E before he even got the chance to kiss her.

    He turned back towards E, pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, E could feel a sense of possessiveness emanating from the prince. She looked up at him and his eyes were drilling holes into hers, his breathing was heavy and his skin was heating up.

    ¡°E..¡± the man rasped, his voice making her spine tingle.

    ¡°I can sense your arousal from here your grace!¡± A voice called out from the next tent, ¡°there¡¯s other people here trying to sleep so please control your urges!¡±

    ¡°Shut up Ivan!¡± Adam responded in agitation as he loosened his grip on the woman. He then nted a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth and brought her face into his chest.

    ¡°Good night E,¡± he whispered to her.

    E took a deep breath to help her blood pressure subside, she then held on to his pecks and muffled a good night before drifting off into a deep sleep.

    *

    King James Burchard walked hurriedly into the library where Lord Boleyn was sitting waiting for him.

    ¡°What happened?¡± The king spoke in a panic, ¡°do you have any new information about what is going on?¡±

    ¡°More or less your majesty,¡± lord Boleyn spoke as he stood up. He stretched out his arm and handed the king a parchment. ¡°It¡¯s a message from Meria, from prince Nathaniel.¡±

    The king glossed over the parchment, his eyes widening as he read every sentence.

    ¡°He calls himself King Elric now,¡± lord Boleyn spoke, ¡°and he wishes to form his own alliance with Gavaria and requires us to help him in his conquest.¡±

    The king folded up the parchment and tossed it aside, ¡°that¡¯s preposterous!¡± He roared, ¡°I would never negotiate with the enemy!¡±

    ¡°Your majesty we don¡¯t have much of a choice! He has our people captive, he has an army of superhuman creatures on his side and he has my daughter!¡±

    King Burchard cursed and took a seat, racking his hand through his hair. His kingdom was in chaos, his son was nowhere to be seen and his royal guard were being held hostage in Meria, Nathaniel had the upper hand.

    ¡°What are his demands?¡± King Burchard asked, clearly not wanting to read the parchment any further for himself.

    ¡°He wants us to assist him to track Adam and his wife,¡± lord Boleyn exined, ¡°apparently, prince Adam went ahead and kidnappeddy E from Meria and fled with her heading north east. Nathaniel wants us to help him locate them so he can get his wife back and we can convince Adam to return to Gavaria.¡±

    ¡°All this for a woman?¡± King Burchard wondered, something didn¡¯t add up, ¡°there has to be more he stands to gain from this than a pair of perky breasts.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not in any condition to question him about anything,¡± Lord Boleyn exined, ¡°plus he also ims to know about the changes that are happening to some of our people. He even ims that he can help control the situation.¡±

    ¡°Do we trust him?¡±

    ¡°Do we have a choice your majesty?¡±

    James Burchard sighed and turned to lord Boleyn, he thought back on his wife who too had sumbed to this strange transformation that was guing the kingdom. Some of his people had turned into these strange inhuman creatures, werewolves, elf looking creatures, vampires and dwarves. His father had told him stories about such creatures from old fairytales about how they existed a hundred years ago but had all died out. Never in his wildest imagination did he think he would see them roaming thends of Gavaria with his own eyes.

    He didn¡¯t know what to do, it seemed like this outreach from Nathaniel was the best choice that he had, otherwise he might lose his kingdom.

    ¡°I¡¯m not one to make decisions without looking at all the angles your majesty,¡± lord Boleyn spoke, ¡°but we¡¯re in a bit of a tight corner right now, we don¡¯t have time to weigh options we don¡¯t have.¡±

    The king took a deep breath and looked up at Boleyn, ¡°grab a parchment and a quill lord Boleyn, we¡¯ll take this king Elric¡¯s offer.¡±

 Chapter 68

    68 Chapter 68 : Keeping her alive

    Over the next few weeks, the kingdom of Meria had changed a great deal, the status quo hadpletely flipped and transformed. Top generals and council men positions were reserved for those of lycan blood, with a few exceptions of vampires and elves. The heads of defense and warfare were mostly dwarves and elves, while humans who were loyal to the king were given lower but significant positions.

    Other humans were only allowed small jobs like maids, butlers, field workers or merchants. The kingdom had been taken over by the once banished races, cing them above humans in every way. Word of the situation in Meria soon started spreading throughout the continent of Robia Cresus, and many other folk flocked to the kingdom which seemed to be a safe haven for them, especially considering that the king was a lycan.

    On one particrly afternoon, Theo, who had now been promoted as the king¡¯s royal adviser, walked into the throne room and bowed respectfully at the silver haired king, Elric.

    ¡°Your majesty, the Gavarian army has arrived within our borders, preparations to pursue and recover your queen, E, are well underway.¡±

    Elric put down the small portrait painting of E he had been looking at and sat up straight in his throne, ¡°and what about James Burchard? Is he finally ready to meet with me and discuss the terms of his cooperation?¡±

    ¡°Him, his wife and a lord Boleyn who ims to be Julia¡¯s father are waiting for you in royal library your majesty,¡± Theo responded.

    Elric stood up and walked down the three steps of his throne and pat Theo on the shoulder, ¡°everything is falling into ce, even the elven army of Ervelon will have to buckle up to stand in the same battle field as me.¡±

    ¡°That is true your majesty, but if i may air out my concern...¡±

    Elric turned to face the slender man and gave him a ¡®go ahead¡¯ nod.

    .....

    ¡°You have the umm, ¡®rouge¡¯ races on your side your majesty,¡± Theo exined, ¡°which is great because the numbers keep growing everyday. And I¡¯m assuming the lycan silver pack will side with you as well, naturally of course, but then there the issues of the others, the pure breed nosferatu and dwarves. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s likely that they too will side with the elves of Ervelon, especially considering that we know that E is a princess of the nosferatu.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Elric spoke in response, ¡°I have considered that Theo, and that¡¯s why I asked you to send word to my father, my real father in the snonds. You did send the letter didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes your majesty, by raven,¡± Theo exined, ¡°it will reach your father most likely in the next two days... but if I may ask my king, what does the letter say? Will it¡¯s contents turn the tables in our favor?¡±

    Elric smiled lightly at himself. Ever since he learnt of his true identity, he spent hours reading every peice of literature on lycans he could find. Their abilities, weaknesses, strengths and even their mating tendencies. He was especially pleased when he found a whole book exining how sacred the mating rituals of a lycan, especially an alpha or one who is to be an alpha male, were.

    It was written that once a young lycan came of age, he would sought out a mate within the pack, though there were some exceptions when one would find a mate outside the pack. Once a female was identified, the lycan would mate with her and mark her, iming her as his own. After this, the two would be mates for life, a bond that was sacred and highly respected even by the other races. That information right there was Elric¡¯s loophole.

    He had sought out E, he had mated with her, heck he had even married her. Their union was legally binding by both human and lycanw, E was his mate and Adam had no ce in their union.

    The letter that Elric had sent to his father in the snonds had exined this in great detail, and the silver haired prince had no doubt in his mind that this would be his trump card against that elven bastard Adam. E would never be his, not in this life and not in any other life.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Theo,¡± Elric spoke with a satisfied smirk on his face, ¡°everything is part of the n. Now, shall we go and see our guests, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re tired of waiting on us. And please do fetchdy Julia, I¡¯m sure her father misses her dearly.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty,¡± Theo spoke with a respectful bow before leaving the room, leaving Elric alone.

    The lycan prince picked up E¡¯s portrait and gave it a kiss before tucking it into his inside coat pocket, ¡°I swore never to leave you my love,¡± he murmured to himself, ¡°and I intended to keep that promise.¡±

    *

    ¡°We should stop and water the horses,¡± Zander suggested, ¡°once we leave the forest we will enter a in filled with only tall grass and rocks, we won¡¯t have a source of water for about two days. After the in, is the entrance to the first portion enchanted forest, Lenora, the dwarve kingdom.¡±

    The caravan had been on the road for almost three weeks now, and luckily so far they had not encountered any trouble. They had long left civilization behind and taken the long way around Gavaria, moving along the roads of the outer shires towards the enchanted forest. Hopefully the journey would continue being smooth and they would reach the elven kingdom of Ervelon in roughly two weeks.

    The men dismounted their horses and led them

    towards the flowing creek. Adam jumped off his horse as well and helped E down.

    ¡°You can take a rest while we refill the water canteens and water the horses,¡± Adam spoke to the blue eyed woman. He pulled the sweater she was wearing tightly around her form, he then took off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck.

    The weather was changing, it was deep into the fall and temperatures were dropping drastically, especially during the night and early in the morning. Luckily, the team had managed to secure some warm clothes and thicker furs for their journey forward.

    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Adam asked E who shook her head in response.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± E responded in a low tone.

    ¡°Are you sure? You look paler than usual E,¡± Adam spoke as he stroked her cold cheek, ¡°and you¡¯ve lost a bit of weight, I¡¯m starting to worry about you.¡±

    Adam was right, over the weeks E had gotten a little thinner. Her bright and brilliant aura was slowly turning gloomy and dark, she didn¡¯t speak as much and she was constantly tired and weak.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s just the journey taking a tow on me,¡± E responded with a small smile, in hopes of calming the dark haired prince down.

    ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m going to go ahead and heat up some of the left over soup for you alright?¡± He gently rubbed her small chin with his thumb before getting up to gather wood for a fire.

    Zander got up as well and followed Adam, when they were a noticeable distance away from the red head, the blond haired man cornered Adam and eyed him.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Your grace, you can feed her soups and worried words all you want,¡± Zander spoke in a hushed tone, ¡°but we all know why her health is deteriorating like that.¡±

    ¡°Zander I¡¯m not having this conversation again with you,¡± Adam responded as he broke arge branch in half.

    ¡°Your grace you can¡¯t run away from what she is, she needs to feed,¡± Zander reminded Adam, ¡°and not on rabbit stew or mushroom soup.¡±

    ¡°So what do you expect me do Zander huh?¡± Adam responded curtly, ¡°you want me to capture an innocent human and drag them to E so she can suck their blood out. You and I both know she would never agree, she can¡¯t even stand the smell of blood.¡±

    ¡°Only because she¡¯s trying to resist her urges,¡± Zander spoke, ¡°blood to her is what food is to you, we can¡¯t keep her like this.¡±

    Adam creased his brows and continued picking pieces of wood, he was well aware of E¡¯s situation, but what could he do?

    ¡°We have to take her back to Meria, her people are probably expecting to find her there, they¡¯ll be better suited to tend to her needs your grace.¡±

    ¡°And lead her right back into that bastard Nathaniel¡¯s arms?!¡± Adam roared, ¡°over my dead body!¡±

    ¡°My prince be logical,¡± the blonde elf urged Adam. He understood that he was in love with E, and letting her go again was not something that he wanted to do, but it was the best thing for everyone. ¡°If we keep this up she¡¯ll die.¡±

    Adam¡¯s body shuddered at the thought, letting E die would mean everything they had done till this point would be in vein. She would be reborn in anothernd God knows where, and he¡¯d have to navigate his way through another lifetime until he would be reunited with her, given that Nathaniel didn¡¯t find her first. That sounded like too much of a hustle and risk, but taking E back to Meria wasn¡¯t something Adam wanted to do either, he was going to keep E alive somehow, without letting her go.

    Before Adam could respond to Zander, Beric came running towards them, a look of dread in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s E,¡± the man spoke breathlessly, ¡°S- she¡¯s not breathing!¡±

 Chapter 69

    69 Chapter 69 : All for nothing

    Julia turned to look at the door skeptically after hearing a knock, she had already had her meal for the afternoon and had already had a bath, so who could be at the door at this time of day? She stood up hurriedly when a thought crossed her mind, could it be the silver haired king? If it was him, what was he doing here?

    As she walked towards the door she couldn¡¯t understand why she was so nervous about meeting Nathaniel- err Elric. she pulled the door handle and sighed in disappointment when she saw Theo standing there.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Julia asked the man curtly. She turned around and sat down on the bed, her arms crossed over her chest, ¡°are you here to bombard me with questions again?¡±

    After Elric took the throne as king, he had asked Theo to move her from the ck tower to one of the sleeping chambers in the pce, much to the green eyed woman¡¯s surprise. King Elric had graced her with his presence once, to ask her about Adam and if she had any recollection of any past lives. It wasn¡¯t a friendly visit, it was more like an interrogation but Julia didn¡¯t know why she was blushing the entire time.

    She found herself staring at Elric more than once, how he arched his perfect brows as she answered his questions, how his white fangs glimmered as he spoke and how perfectly his long silver locs where arranged on his perfect head. And after that, she found herself thinking about him more and more. She had scolded herself constantly for it, feeling like a traitor, her heart belonged to Adam and king Elric was the enemy. A very tall, very handsome and devilishly dominant enemy.

    ¡°Not todaydy Julia,¡± Theo responded kindly, ¡°I¡¯m here to fetch you, the king requests your presence at once.¡±

    Julia¡¯s heart skipped a beat, damn it! Why was she feeling this way for that man. ¡°Why? I thought I was his prisoner?¡±

    Theo took a step forward, with the same brooding look on his face he scanned Julia¡¯s chambers, ¡°I¡¯d hardly call this ce a prison don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Julia blushed and looked to the side with a pouting face, ¡°either way, I¡¯m not interested. I want nothing to do with your king.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s a shame,¡± The man spoke as he turned around, ¡°I thought you¡¯d be more than willing to see your dear father again.¡±

    Julia¡¯s eyes widened at the mention of her father, she stood up and walked towards Theo, ¡°my father? What about him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s down in the study with the king,¡± Theo responded, ¡°but I¡¯ll just let him know you¡¯re not interested.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Julia mumbled, ¡°fine, I¡¯lle with you.¡±

    Meanwhile in the royal study, The lycan king walked gracefully towards his visitors who stood up when they saw him enter, more out of anger than respect.

    ¡°James..¡±

    ¡°Elric..¡±

    Elric gestured them to take a seat but the stubborn Gavarian king declined the offer. ¡°I¡¯m not here for pleasantries,¡± he spoke, ¡°what is your aim exactly Elric?! Are you responsible for all thismotion in the continent?! What are you exactly?!¡±

    ¡°So many questions,¡± Elric spoke casually, he sat down on a chair facing his guests and leaned his temple on his balled up hand. ¡°Can you at lease sit down so we can talk like civilized people, is everyone from Gavaria unworldly. First your son and his little love interest crash my wedding and kill my mother and now you¡¯re in here raising your voice at me?¡±

    The silver haired king nced at the woman standing idly behind the Gavarian king, she had a t expression on her face but from her ears Elric could tell that she was of elven decent. ¡°You¡¯re at no liberty to interrogate me James Burchard, you went against our alliance. People from your kingdom havemitted heinous crimes here in Meria, abduction, murder, I have the right mind to behead everyst one of them.¡±

    ¡°No please,¡± lord Boleyn pleaded, ¡°forgive us for being presumptuous, wee in peace and wish no conflict between Gavaria and Meria.¡±

    Elric studied the man and smirked, ¡°you must be the dwarve¡¯s father, Julia was it?¡±

    Lord Boleyn dropped to his knees and bowed his head, Julia was his little girl and he loved her dearly, she was the only one of his daughters who had remotely resembled histe wife, he couldn¡¯t bare to lose her. ¡°Please your majesty, spare my daughter, whatever crimes she¡¯smitted I¡¯ll pay the price.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Elric questioned the man, his eyebrow raised in amusement, ¡°you realize your daughter stabbed the queen in the throat?¡±

    Lord Boleyn¡¯s eyes circled in utter shock, not much had been revealed about queen Juliet Aldos¡¯ death, rumor had it that the whole thing was a freak ident, but now hearing Elric say Julia killed the queen, it was a reality the man could not fathom.

    ¡°Are you aware of the punishment of such a crime Hans Boleyn?¡± Elric questioned the man, enjoying his every expression, ¡°the punishment is death.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bare the punishment,¡± This time it was the woman who spoke, Adam¡¯s mother, ¡°the only reason Julia was here was because of me, I asked her toe here and retrieve my son.¡± A fire burned in her eyes as she spoke, ¡°but non of this would have ever happened if your wife hadn¡¯t cast a love spell on my son!¡±

    Elric raised his brows at the woman before releasing a chillingughter, ¡°love spell?¡± the young king spoke between chuckles, ¡°oh you Gavarians are so naive, there was no love spell, your son was simply enchanted by my wife¡¯s beauty, the only spell he was under was that of his own lust.¡±

    ¡°Adam isn¡¯t who you think he is,¡± Elric added on, ¡°he has lived many millennia in this continent, and in one of them he had some childish fling with my wife that he can¡¯t seem to let go, and that¡¯s why he¡¯s doing the things he¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Oh good lord are you all dense?¡± Elric sighed, ¡°he¡¯s an elf! A bloody one hundred year old elf who has an unhealthy obsession with my wife!¡±

    Not long after Elric said that, Julia walked in with a shocked expression, she looked at everyone in the room. Suddenly everything made sense. She couldn¡¯t exin what happened, but after hearing that prince Adam was an elf, it¡¯s like a door in the back of her mind creaked open and a whole new room of memories was now essible to her.

    Julia recalled moments of a distant past, maybe even another life, the most recent being in a small town down south called Mirine where she knew of a young man named Jillian. Her older sister Helen had a huge crush on him, and Julia liked him too, but could nevere out with it because of Helen.

    Another reason she hadn¡¯t pursued Jillian was because he was already in love with someone else, a beautiful red headed, blue eyed woman. Gods! That was E wasn¡¯t it?! No wonder Adam was so hellbent on pursuing her, he already loved her, long before Elric was ever in the picture.

    So then Julia was the one in the wrong? There was no love spell or anything like that, she had done everything because she thought Adam was being controlled by magic but it turns out he was just a man desperately in love. She never even had a chance with him.

    And the queen, Elric¡¯s supposed mother, Julia had killed her, and all for what? My gods!

    Julia dropped to her knees and covered her face with her palms, trying hard to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out. ¡°I remember..¡± she stammered. She looked up at the handsome silver haired king who had been drilling her with questions of her past lives. At the time she had no idea what he was talking about, but now she knew. ¡°I remember it all.¡±

    *

    ¡°It¡¯s E,¡± Beric spoke in strained breaths, ¡°she¡¯s unconscious!¡±

    Adam dropped the pieces of wood he had been carrying to the ground with a loud crash and ran towards their camp site. Zander and Beric followed him closely behind.

    His heart was pulsating like crazy as he neared the area. His throat went dry when he saw Ozias carrying E¡¯s limp body from the rock she was sitting on. ¡°What happened?!¡± Adam croaked, his hands were shaking as he reached out and touched her forehead which was freezing cold.

    ¡°She just passed out, I don¡¯t know what happened..¡± the fear in Ozias¡¯ voice was apparent.

    Adam took the woman in his arms and carried her to the tent, he gentlyy her down on the furs and ced two fingers on her wrist. The elven prince¡¯s face drained of blood when he felt no pulse.

    ¡°No.. no...no..¡± Adam leaned over and ced his ear on her chest, praying to whatever gods were out there that he would hear something, anything. But he heard nothing.

    The dark haired prince went into a frenzy, he scanned the tent frantically trying to locate something that could help. But what?! E was dying right in front of him and he couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

 Chapter 70

    70 Chapter 70 : Take as much of me as you need

    Amidst the panic to resuscitate E, Adam stumbled backwards and the palm of his handnd on a piece of wood that he had trailed into the tent with him. The piece lodged itself into his flesh making the prince flinch in pain. Adam quickly pulled out the piece of wood and tossed it outside, not really minding the injury he had incurred, he had more critical matters at hand right now.

    The prince rushed out of the tent to grab a canteen of water, hoping that hydrating E would help somehow, he looked up at his men who were anxiously awaiting any update on E¡¯s condition.

    ¡°Anything we can do your grace?¡± Rnd asked the man who was ttering their utensils around in search of the water canteen.

    ¡°Please warm up some soup, and find me some sage or maybe some tarragon,¡± Adam spoke in a panic as he stood up to head back to the tent, ¡°hurry!¡±

    ¡°Your grace your hand,¡± Beric noticed the blood that had stained the canteen of water and Adam¡¯s shirt, ¡°you¡¯re bleeding.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me right now,¡± the eleven prince urged his men, ¡°if anything happens to E all this would have been for nothing!¡±

    Those were the words that escaped Adam¡¯s lips, but in reality he was afraid of losing the woman he loved again. He had only just gotten her back, he had to save her somehow.

    Back in the tent, E shot her eyes open and briskly sat up. Her sapphire blue eyes slowly turned red and her fangs grew an inch longer. Her nose wiggled slightly, picking up the sent of blood that made her stomach flip instantly. She licked her lips eagerly as the sent grew stronger and stronger with every passing second. What was that?

    When Adam walked into the tent and the sent filled E¡¯s nostrils to the brim, she was absolutely mortified. That was Adam who smelled so delectable? No, that couldn¡¯t be!

    .....

    In as much as E was looking absolutely horrified, Adam on the other hand beamed with relief and happiness when he saw the beautiful woman sitting up and looking at him. ¡°E, oh thank the gods!¡±

    The man inched closer to her but with an inhuman speed, E backed away from him and covered herself with the fur she was lying on.

    ¡°E whats-¡±

    ¡°Stay back!¡± She screeched, ¡°just stay right where you are.¡±

    Adam looked at the girl, he was confused as to why she was acting this way. ¡°E, you¡¯re not feeling well and I¡¯m trying to help-¡±

    ¡°If youe any closer I won¡¯t be able to control myself!¡± E screamed. Adam¡¯s heart ached when he saw tears flowing down her cheeks, ¡°please Adam, I don¡¯t want to hurt you. I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself if anything happens to you, so please just go and leave me, it¡¯s too dangerous for me to be around you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you!¡± Adam responded stubbornly, he took a step closer to E leaving only a few inches of space between them, ¡°never again, no matter what happens.¡±

    When Adam tried to extend his hand towards her, E released a bone chilling screech, her eyes glowing red and her fangs in full disy. Adam was sure she was going to lunge at him but instead, she stumble further backwards until she reached she corner of the tent. Tears trickled down her face as he plunged her fangs into the flesh of her arm, trying hard to control herself.

    Upon seeing E bite herself in trying not to hurt him, Adam waspletely torn. He could see how much she was suffering, she must have had to subdue that side of her all this time in fear of hurting him or anyone else. It must have been torture, akin to denying a thirsty man water for weeks in a dessert while all the while dangling gallons of fresh aqua in his face.

    The words Zander had spoken the first time they had talked about E¡¯s condition reyed in his head. ¡®What if she needs to feed?! What happens then?! If we keep her like this she will die!¡¯

    Adam put down the canteen of water and dashed towards E, wrapping his arms tightly around her body. The woman screamed and kicked as the smell of Adam¡¯s blood short circuited her brain. It was getting difficult to control herself with him so close to her, his scent was so intoxicating it was making her drool at the mouth.

    ¡°Adam!¡± E screamed desperately in a tone she could barely recognize as her own, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to hold back much longer, please get away. Run!¡±

    Adam shook his head, he brought his hands to E¡¯s face and cupped it lovingly, his eyes were glimmering in adoration and love, and there was a bit of anguish within them, anguish from having to see the woman he loved like this.

    ¡°No E..¡± he spoke gently

    ¡°Please..¡± E was sobbing despondently at this point, her eyes shed between shades of red and blue. ¡°I can¡¯t hold back much longer please Adam..¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± the elven prince responded, ¡°I¡¯m going to keep you alive E, no matter the cost. You know why, because I¡¯d rather be dead than lose you.¡±

    E¡¯s eyes widened when Adam unbuttoned his shirt and coked his head to the side, exposing his muscr neck. The veins running up and down his necked were all too visible to the beautiful nosferatu, she could literally hear each pulse of blood as it flowed through them. It was maddening.

    ¡°Go on,¡± Adam encouraged her, ¡°take as much as you need.¡±

    E licked her lips and gulped as she eyed his st neck, she was dying to have a taste of that blood, just a little drop. She grabbed Adam¡¯s shoulders and inched closer to him, making the dark haired prince squeeze his eyes shut and take a deep breath.

    When her fangs grazed his skin lightly, a little blood trickled from the wound and the smell filled E¡¯s nostrils making her mouth water. She swallowed and licked off the blood that had stained her fang, gods! It was heavenly.

    As she was about to sink her teeth into his neck, shes from the past flooded her mind. The night of the banquet, the night she had lost her entire family to bandits. And the night she had lost him. What if she bit him and killed him in the process?! This was the man she loved, she couldn¡¯t do it.

    E tried to pull away but Adam had a firm grip on her, ¡°nothing will happen to me E, please just feed off me.¡±

    ¡°How are you so sure?¡± The woman responded, her voice was shaky and her breathing was heavy, ¡°what if I won¡¯t be able to stop myself and I suck you dry?!¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Adam pulled E¡¯s face closer and kissed her gently on her forehead before cocking his neck to the side once again.

    E held on to his shoulders and took a shaky breath.

    ¡°I love you..¡± Adam whispered

    With those words acting like a trigger, E sunk her fangs into Adam¡¯s neck and drew in streams of blood. She was surprised at how incredibly delicious this man was, it was like nothing she could exin, she was feeling revitalized and energized almost immediately.

    Adam winced and bit down on his lip, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt weakness slowly creep up on him.

    E released a muffled groan as she continued draining Adam¡¯s blood, she felt like she couldn¡¯t get enough, he tasted so good it was almost ridiculous. When Adam felt his strength reach a drastic low, he lowered his hands to her shoulders and whispered her name. ¡°E.. you can stop now.¡±

    But the red head had not had her fill yet, she wanted more, so much more that she felt she would never have enough.

    ¡°E... don¡¯t you think you should save some forter?¡± His voice was strained, he was feeling himself slowly losing consciousness. Adam knew if E kept this up he would be dead in a few minutes, but somehow that didn¡¯t seem to bother him, as long as he was of use to her in the end and she would be okay after.

    When E felt Adam¡¯s body go limp, rms started going off in her head. Gods what was she doing?! She had to stop or else she was going to kill him. She tried getting herself to let go but it¡¯s like her mouth had a mind of its own.

    [No! Adam!]

    ~Just take as much of me as you need..~

    Even his thoughts felt faint, she was losing him. She had to stop now! Finally with one strong wave of all the will power and restraint she could conjure, E retracted her fangs. Adam copsed and the blue eyed woman let him fall onto her body, using it to cushion hisnding.

    She then rolled him over and inspected him. Her throat went dry when she saw how pale his handsome face was. The two bite marks were still bleeding so she hurriedly tore a piece of her shirt and covered the wound with it.

    ¡°Adam! Adam wake up!¡± E screamed. Seeing that he was not responding, she turned her head towards the exit of the tent and screamed for help, ¡°Help! Someone please help me!¡±

    Tears rolled down her face uncontrobly as she turned back to face the unconscious prince. She had seen this site before, and the memories made her shudder, ¡°Can someonee in here and help me please! Anyone! Zander! Ivan! Anybody!¡±

    E was crying and huping uncontrobly when Zander rushed into the tent, he froze in ce when he saw Adamying on the floor looking as pale as a ghost and the redhead putting pressure on his neck. It didn¡¯t take long for him to figure out what had happened.

 Chapter 71

    71 Chapter 71 : A monster

    ¡°It seems I don¡¯t have a choice,¡± King James Burchard spoke solemnly, ¡°as long as you keep your word to restore order in my kingdom, I will aid you in whatever way that I can.¡±

    Elric smirked slightly and nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯m d that now you see things my way James.¡± The silver haired man stood up and pat the king¡¯s shoulder lightly, ¡°We will move out the minute I hear from the snonds. Theo will show you to your amodations, you all must be very tired.¡±

    When Elric left the room, king Burchard sighed heavily and massaged his temple. Why did it feel like this was more of a coup than an alliance, it felt as if this silver haired king was practically taking over Gavaria as well in the name of helping the humans there to co exist with the other races. But what other choice did James have? Being human, he wouldn¡¯t be able tomand his people all on his own. And after word of Elric¡¯s seemingly perfect reign over Meria spread across the continent, many halfbreed nosferatu, lycans, elves and dwarves saw him as some sort of savior and supreme ruler. Having him as an ally was the best bet at at maintaining the throne.

    On the other end of the pce in a solitary chamber, Julia was sitting on her chair digesting the events that had urred that afternoon when the door creaked open. Her heart jumped when the silver haired king walked in.

    She quickly stood up and awkwardly curtsied, not knowing how to act around him now. Just a few hours ago she saw him as the enemy who had worked hand in hand with E to charm prince Adam, but now he was the man whose mother she had killed because of her obsessive crush on a man who she had absolutely no chance with. She felt so stupid.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made the right decision dwarve,¡± Elric spoke. He stood over the short woman condescendingly with his arms behind his back. ¡°Joining me in my n to restore our people¡¯snd, their legacy, it¡¯s the right thing to do.¡±

    He inched closer to the woman, grabbed her chin and tilted her head up to face him, ¡°you are dwarvish royalty, and with your help we can bring the entire continent to its knees and our once exiled and tortured brothers and sisters will reign supreme again. Wouldn¡¯t you want that?¡±

    Julia nodded her head slowly and Elric let her go

    ¡°What about Adam, and E, how do they fit in into all of this.¡± Julia questioned the handsome man.

    .....

    ¡°Your little boyfriend Adam is a prince of the elves, even though I see him as an enemy right now I cannot build the world I want without his help,¡± Elric responded.

    ¡°And what about E?¡± Julia questioned the silver haired king once more, wondering why he hadn¡¯t answered her questionpletely to begin with. Was she also someone he needed to bring about this new world order he wanted? Or did he just want her back.

    ¡°E.. she¡¯s an important part of this as well,¡± Elric responded.

    Julia didn¡¯t know why hearing him say she was important left a bitter taste in her mouth. He was so vague about it, was she important to the n or to him? And why did Julia even care? She scolded herself internally as she watched him walk out of the door.

    The green eyed woman sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed, she had to give Elric some credit though, he was singlehandedly rebuilding the entire continent from the ground up so that everyone would have a share of its wealth. No more hiding, no more segregation, just everyone living in peace like they once did a hundred years ago.

    Little did she know that Elric had no intentions of living peacefully with humans, Infact, he was turning the tables aroundpletely. Humans who didn¡¯t abide to hisws were turned into outcasts, ves and farm workers. He was building a world where humans would be at the bottom of the chain, with lycans reigning at the top, and once he retrieved his wife from Adam, the nosferatu would reign right beside them. It would be the perfect world for him and E, a world where they could be together for all eternity.

    Now that he had amassed an army, he could now proceed to the enchanted forest. For the sake of keeping face, he would give Adam one chance to return his wife and return to the central continent to rule with him. If he declined, he¡¯d wage war against Adam and whoever would support him, thereafter taking the elven prince as his prisoner. Once the elves fell, and the nosferatu and dwarves sided with Elric, he¡¯d be the undisputed leader of the entire continent, no one would dare go against him. And no one would ever take E away from him ever again. It was the perfect ultimate n.

    *

    The elven prince groaned and rubbed his neck sluggishly, the smell of smoke and firewood filling his nostrils. He opened his eyes and realized he was surrounded by darkeness with only a faint golden glowing from his side.

    Adam supported his weight on his shoulders and turned to look at where the source of light wasing from. He saw his men sitting around a fire a few feet away from him, it was alreadyte into the evening. He felt a little disoriented wondering what time or what day it was. How long was he out and...

    Suddenly a thought crossed his mind, E! What had happened after that incident? Was she okay? Was she even alive?

    The dark haired prince stood up weakly, still feeling the effect of the blood that had been drained from his body. If it was an ordinary man, he probably would have been out cold for weeks or six feet under, luckily, Adam wasn¡¯t an ordinary man.

    He took heavy steps towards the fire, scanning the people around it looking for her face.

    ¡°My prince!¡±

    Zander rose from the log he had been sitting on and rushed to Adam¡¯s side, putting the prince¡¯s hand over his shoulder and helping him walk towards the rest of the men.

    ¡°Your grace you¡¯re awake,¡± Ivanmented in a relieved tone, ¡°if you had slept any longer we would have had to eat you because we¡¯re almost fresh out of meat- ow!¡±

    Rnd retracted his hand that he had used to punch Ivan on the arm and looked up at Adam, ¡°how are you feeling prince Adam?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± the prince responded, ¡°don¡¯t worry about me.¡± His eyes scanned the faces again but E¡¯s was missing. ¡°Where¡¯s E? Is she asleep?¡±

    The men gave each other nervous nces which made Adam incredibly tense, ¡°why are you all looking like that?!¡± He questioned them, ¡°where is she?!¡±

    ¡°Your grace E almost killed you,¡± Bericmented, ¡°don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have killed me! Now where is she?!¡±

    ¡°She sucked on you like a water skin in the desert!¡± Ivan spoke, ¡°we¡¯re all actually surprised you¡¯re even walking after being out cold for the past three days.¡±

    Adam¡¯s eyes went round in shock. Three days?! He had really been out cold for a whole three days? The eleven prince ttered hisshes and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not important right now, please, where is E? I need to know she¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°What if she tries to attack you again?!¡± Beric responded in a panic, ¡°it¡¯s too danger-¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t attack me I made her do it!¡± Adam yelled, he was breathing heavy and he was almost losing his mind waiting for someone to tell him where E was.

    Zander looked down at the man he was holding and furrowed his brows, ¡°you mean you let her drink your blood?¡±

    ¡°Look, I¡¯ll exin everythingter,¡± Adam said to his men, ¡°right now all I ask is you take me to where she is.¡±

    Rnd and Zander looked at each other and then nooded. ¡°Alright,¡± Zander answered, ¡°right this way.¡±

    The blond elf led Adam into the thicket of trees not too far from the camp. After a few minutes of walking, Adam noticed a strangerge circr object made of interlocked stems held together by bands of sisal, it was a giant cage. And around the cage was a ring of different silver objects and cloves of garlic.

    Adam let go of Zander and inched closer to the cage, and what he saw within made his breath hitch. Inside the cage, E sat with her knees to her chest and her face buried into them. She was still wearing the blood tainted clothes from before and her hair looked disheveled.

    ¡°E!¡± Adam turned back to look at his men with a deep scowl on his face, ¡°why did you put her here?!¡±

    Zander shook his head and looked up at E, ¡°We didn¡¯t have anything to do with this your grace, she locked herself in here.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Adam circled the cage groggily to the other side where he could better see her, ¡°E... hey.. what are you doing in here? Why would you do this to yourself?¡±

    E rose her head slowly and lifted her hair from her face so she could see who was taking to her. Adam was taken aback by how tired her face looked. Her skin had retained its warm color but she had heavy bags under her beautiful eyes and stains of mad and blood on her face. He also noticed that her eyes were different, she had developed some sort of heterochromia, with one eye slightly red and the other blue.

    ¡°E, open this thing right now!¡±

    ¡°Leave me,¡± E rasped, ¡°can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m a monster.¡±

 Chapter 72

    72 Chapter 72 : Do you know how long..

    ¡°Leave me, can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m a monster?¡±

    Adam grabbed the makeshift bars of the cage, searching frantically for a way in, ¡°you¡¯re not a monster E..¡±

    ¡°I almost killed you!¡± E yelled, her arms wrapping around her legs tightly, ¡°I couldn¡¯t control myself, when I sunk my teeth into your flesh I-¡± E pursed her trembling lips, she couldn¡¯t believe that feeding on another person had actually felt so satisfying. ¡°I can¡¯t go on with you, I¡¯ve already endangered your life once, I¡¯m not going to let that happen again. Not to you, and not to anyone else.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m fine E, my life was never in danger,¡± Adam responded, still shaking the cage trying to find a way in, he had the strong urge to hold her in his arms, tofort her and tell her everything was alright. ¡°Just open this cage so we can get going.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± The redhead retaliated, ¡°it¡¯s too dangerous, what if I get hungry again then what happens? I¡¯m not putting your life at risk again!¡±

    Adam pulled down the cor of his shirt and showed the woman the ce where the bite marks once were. E was surprised when she saw that they we¡¯re almostpletely healed. ¡°You see, I¡¯m already all healed up,¡± Adam exined, ¡°so please, stop punishing yourself for nothing and let me in.¡±

    E looked up at Adam¡¯s longing eyes and moved further into the cage, ¡°I can¡¯t, I¡¯m not the same Adam, I can feel myself changing. Slowly I¡¯m turning into a blood sucking creature of the night.¡± She averted the man¡¯s gaze, ¡°you may have survived, but what about everyone else? I just don¡¯t want to hurt anyone. So please, just leave me be and go find your people.¡±

    After tasting blood for the first time, E could feel herself physically changing. She felt more nimble, her eyesight improved tremendously, especially during the night and so did her sense of smell. Her fangs had gotten sharper and her urge to feed was getting stronger, she was slowly turning into a full fledged nosferatu. It scared her, she didn¡¯t know anything about what beings like her were like, but what she did know was that she was dangerous.

    Adam looked up at E and sighed, trying to convince her right now would be futile, especially with this guilt ridden mentality she had developed. He stretched his arm through the bars and touched her foot, gently trailing his hand to her ankles. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll leave you alone for now, on condition that you eat something and get some rest.¡±

    .....

    E didn¡¯t respond. The elven prince got up and walked deeper into the thicket of trees and momentster the blue eyed woman could hear the breaking of brunches. She watched Adam dragrge pieces of wood and stems near the cage with much curiosity. After he was done piling up the wood, he grabbed a thick stem and started digging a shallow ditch in the ground.

    E inched closer to the bars and saw him arranging the wood in the shallow ditch. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She questioned him.

    ¡°I¡¯m making us a fire,¡± Adam responded. After cing thest piece of wood he stood up and looked around for something he could use to start it.

    ¡°Us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s cold. And since you won¡¯te out here to be with me, I¡¯m going to stay here and be with you.¡±

    The man continued examining the surrounding, looking for something he could use as a makeshift flint. His eyes then wondered to the golden glow that flickered where his men had returned to sit. He realized he could get some burning amber from there and use it to start a fire here.

    ¡°perfect!¡± He said with the snap of his finger. But immediately he did that, the pile of wood burst into mes making Adam and E fall back.

    E looked at the roaring fire with shock and then trailed her eyes back to Adam who looked equally as surprised.

    ¡°D- did I do that?¡± The man stammered.

    E slowly nodded her head, had Adam just started a fire at will? That was magic wasn¡¯t it? She looked up at the man who was staring at the fire as if doubting its existence. ¡°You have magic..¡±

    He looked down at his palms as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. ¡°Magic?¡± He raised one hand in front of his face and gently snapped his fingers. Immediately a small me akin to that of a candle appeared in the air over his index finger.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± E squealed. She was fascinated by the man¡¯s abilities but was worried he¡¯d hurt himself nheless.

    Adam bounced the small me up and down before tossing it into the crackling fire. E moved closer to him and an amused smile crossed her face. ¡°I had once read that high elves can control the elements with their magic,¡± E exined, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d ever see those fairytales manifest with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°The elements huh?¡± Adam looked up at E with a twinkle in his eye, he inched closer to her cage and inspected it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Adam gently touched the cage and the stems and vines began to shake.

    ¡°Adam?¡±

    The stems began to unravel around her and falling to the ground. Once the cage had been shattered, a thick root erupted from the ground and wrapped itself around E¡¯s waist gently.

    ¡°Adam stop it!¡± The woman squirmed around as the root gently lifted her off the ground and brought her towards Adam who was smiling slyly at her.

    ¡°Adam put me down this is not funny!¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡± The root unraveled itself and dropped her onto hisp. He wrapped one arm around her waist and with the other cupped her chin between his thumb and index finger. ¡°You¡¯ve been starving yourself all this time?¡±

    E averted his gaze and pursed her lips, ¡°I haven¡¯t been very hungry,¡± she responded.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying E..¡± the man spoke with a chuckle

    ¡°Well how did you expect me to be stuffing my face when you were out cold because of me?!¡±

    Adam gently stroked her cheek and tugged up his lip on one side in a very attractive smile.

    ¡°Do you want me to feed you?¡± He questioned her

    When a light blush painted her face Adam lightly licked his lips. This woman had no idea the things she did to him, the things he wished he could do to her. Adam¡¯s feelings for E ran deep, far beyond lust and physical attraction. He loved her mind, her heart, her very being. He had loved her for so long that sometimes he felt like it was an obsession, and even if it was he really didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°Do you have any idea how long I¡¯ve waited..¡± the man spoke in a tititing tone that made E¡¯s breath hitch.

    She looked into his eyes that were ring with desire, ¡°waited for what?¡± She asked him, she felt like she was forcing herself to speak.

    Adam¡¯s hand moved from her face to her leg which he squeezed gently. E almost jumped off hisp but the arm around her waist was securing her firmly in his embrace.

    ¡°When we were courting back in Mirine, you never allowed me to hold or touch you in any intimate way,¡± the man rasped, he inched his face closer to her body and moved it up her chest, drawing in her sent like a drag he was addicted to. ¡°Do you have any idea what kind of torture that was? Every night I¡¯dy awake thinking about how soft your skin would feel against mine, how it would feel to trail my fingers all over your beautiful body without restriction, to hold you E, to genuinely hold you.¡±

    E¡¯s face shed and her ears burned, the way his voice rumbled in his chest as he spoke was making her throat dry.

    ¡°Do you know what I¡¯d do if you let me touch you E?¡± Adam groaned softly.

    ¡°No..¡± her voice was a quiet whisper.

    ¡°I would kiss you E,¡± the man responded, his face ced on the crook of her neck, ¡°I¡¯d kiss you long and hard till we¡¯re both out of breath, savoring every movement of your soft lips and every taste of your mouth. But I probably wouldn¡¯t end there, I¡¯d make sure I¡¯d kiss you on every inch of your soft sulent skin. Your neck, down to your chest, to the soft perfect mounds on your chest.¡±

    The warm breath hitting E¡¯s neck sent a wave of shivers down her spine and instinctively she grabbed his shoulders.

    ¡°I¡¯d also cater to your belly, nting soft feathery kisses around your navel.¡± Adam bit down on his lip as his mind went wild with thoughts. The fact that he hadn¡¯t even seen E naked seemed to make his attraction towards her burn even more. ¡°And then...¡± he continued as he slid his hand up her her leg, trailing his fingers gently over her cks and stoping on her upper thigh that he squeezed gently.

    ¡°And then?..¡±

    Adam smiled at E¡¯s question, he had felt her body heat rise significantly from the time she had sat on hisp. He very gently brushed her between her legs and nted a soft kiss on her neck. ¡°Then I¡¯d kiss you there..¡±

 Chapter 73

    73 Chapter 73 : I¡¯ll be your blood bank

    E mped her legs together and released a small yelp. ¡°What do you mean kiss me there?!¡± E was mortified, why would anyone want to put their mouth on someone else¡¯s privates? She¡¯d never heard of such a thing before.

    Adam arched his eyebrow and smiled in amusement at the beautiful woman on hisp, ¡°don¡¯t tell me Nathaniel has never done that before?¡±

    Her face shed bright red as she released Adam¡¯s shoulders and ced her hands between her legs that were firmly mped together. ¡°Of course not!¡± She yelled, ¡°why would he do that?!¡±

    Adam studied the woman¡¯s blushing face and chuckled tauntingly. Oh this was very amusing, so even though E had slept with Nathaniel before, pration was the only thing they had done? What, was that silver haired bastard a barbarian? The information made Adam a little happy, he was ted that there were things about coitus he could still explore with E, gosh he couldn¡¯t wait.

    The elven prince firmed his grip on E¡¯s waist, slid one arm under her legs and gently lifted her off hisp toy her down on the ground. To the redhead¡¯s surprise, she didn¡¯tnd on the cold hard forest floor, she insteadnded on a soft patch of grass that seemed to have sprouted out of the ground like magic.

    Adam positioned himself on top of her, his legs entangled with hers and his elbows elevating his upper body slightly so he could look down at her face. ¡°E..¡± he groaned softly, ¡°you may have slept with a man, but it¡¯s clear you¡¯ve never had a man make love to you.¡±

    ¡°M- make love?¡±

    ¡°Intimacy is so much more than senseless sex E.¡± The way his eyes were boring into her blue orbs through the dangling strands of hair in his face made E feel something she¡¯d never felt before, ¡°and I¡¯m hoping that I¡¯ll be the one to show you the difference.¡±

    The woman reached for his face and pushed away the strands of hair from it, after which she gently cupped his cheeks in her delicate hands. In the past, whenever she was in this position with Nathaniel, all she saw in the silver haired prince was lust, possessiveness and primal desire, and that usually earned an equal response from her, pure lust.

    .....

    But as she looked into Adam¡¯s purplish brown eyes she saw no lust there, there was a sense of longing in them, protectiveness, and a lot of love. She felt so safe underneath him, so cared for, this was something incredibly different and new.

    ¡°All my lives, that¡¯s all I¡¯ve wanted to do,¡± Adam added on, his body moving gently over hers.

    ¡°To make love to me?¡±

    The prince snorted out a quickugh, ¡°to love you,¡± he corrected her. He leaned down and nted two soft kisses on her shoulder, ¡°but I wouldn¡¯t mind making love to you either.¡±

    He pulled himself up and looked down at her longingly, he looked like someone who had just found a rare treasure, ¡°I want to spend the rest of eternity with you. E, Guinevere, Aria whoever the hell you¡¯ve been and whoever the hell you will be, I want to be the one there by your side. And if fate allows it, I want you to carry my children, I want to grow old with you and if one day I ever meet my ultimate demise, I want it to be you by my side.¡±

    E drew in a breath, Adam always managed to soften her heart in ways she never thought possible. If he yed his cards right, she was sure she¡¯d go to the ends of the earth with him just hanging on the words he spoke. But there was one thing that still bothered her, she gently ran her fingers through his hair, ¡°I¡¯d love that too Adam, I really would. It took me a long time to heal the wounds in my heart when you left me. I was so miserable without you, and that¡¯s when I knew that-¡± the woman cupped his cheek, ¡°that¡¯s when I knew that I loved you.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get married,¡± Adam responded almost immediately, ¡°when we reach Ervelon, let¡¯s officiate our union.¡±

    E looked to the side and sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know if that would work Adam,¡± she spoke lightly, ¡°officially I¡¯m still Nathan¡¯s wife.¡± She looked back at him with sorrowful eyes, ¡°and you and I are different, you¡¯re an elven prince, I¡¯m a nosferatu. Do you really think your people will ept our union? I¡¯m sure they all know what kind of creatures the nosferatu are. I may be satisfied right now but what happens when I need to feed again?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll feed on me!¡± Adam spoke firmly, ¡°I don¡¯t care what they think of you E, what matters is I love you, fangs and all. You ever get hungry then by all means sink your fangs into my flesh and drink to your heart¡¯s content.¡±

    The response sent shivers down her spine. Was this man really willing to be a walking food basket for E for the rest of his life? It was a disturbing thought but it really touched her heart.

    Adam leaned in and kissed her neck lightly, ¡°I¡¯ll be your blood bank if I have to, I¡¯ll be anything you like E as long as you stay by my side.¡± Adam slid his body up and down against E before pushing himself up again, ¡°and about you being Nathaniel¡¯s wife,¡± he looked into her eyes and firmly uttered the words, ¡°fuck him, you¡¯re going to be MY wife, you got that?¡±

    E nodded, her chest heaving up and down slowly against Adam¡¯s. The elven prince trailed his eyes down to her lips and he bit his lower lip longingly. The redhead felt the same way, she wanted to kiss him, so so much.

    She cupped his cheeks and gently started pulling him in, closing her eyes in the process. Adam closed his eyes too, his heart beating wildly in his chest. When his lips brushed against hers, someone above them cleared their throat loudly.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry your grace, am I interrupting something?¡±

    Adam sighed and looked up at Ivan who was standing over them with two tes in his hand. ¡°Of course not Ivan, we¡¯re justying here in each other¡¯s arms for absolutely no reason at all.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡± Ivan eximed and dropped to the ground to sit next to E and Adam. He put the tes of food down and slid them towards the duo who were now sitting up.

    ¡°I brought you some food.¡± Ivan looked at E and nervously scratched the back of his head, ¡°you can eat this can¡¯t you?¡±

    Adam grabbed one te and stirred the hot stew, ¡°of course she can, she has a stomach doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I thought that maybe-¡±

    ¡°You thought that maybe what?¡± Adam interrupted the man, his eyes narrowed in anticipation as if daring Ivan to finish his statement.

    Ivan cleared his throat and leaned back, ¡°never mind.¡±

    Adam took a spoonful of food and ced it near E¡¯s mouth, ¡°you should eat.¡±

    The red head took the te and spoon from him and fed herself, ¡°you should focus on eating yourself,¡± she replied, ¡°you should regain your strength.¡±

    Adam nodded and took his own te and started eating. Ivan cleared his throat and sat up straight before speaking. ¡°We have to continue moving, we¡¯ve already lost three days and Nathaniel might be on our tail. We need to reach Ervelon as quick as possible, we have allies there and can fend off whatever he throws at us.¡±

    ¡°I feel much better,¡± Adam responded, ¡°we will forge on at dawn.¡±

    ¡°And what about E?¡±

    ¡°What about E?¡± Adam questioned Ivan

    ¡°Well..¡± Ivan pursed his lips as he contemted how he was going to say, ¡®we¡¯re afraid she may lose control and suck us all dry before we reach Ervelon¡¯ without sounding rude. ¡°We were just wondering if you¡¯re still intent on taking her to Ervelon with us given the new developments.¡±

    E was about to speak when Adam stopped her and looked at Ivan, ¡°when I left Gavaria my aim was was to retrieve E, and I remember telling you all that you didn¡¯t have toe with me.¡±

    ¡°I know that your grace,¡± Ivan responded calmly, ¡°but with all due respect, E has undergone some changes, and the elves may not be as understanding as to why you cling to her after she-¡±

    ¡°Ervelon was never part of my n,¡± Adam responded, ¡°E was, you all can go to the elven kingdom without us. I will change course and take E to the snonds.¡±

    ¡°But your grace, you¡¯re the crowned prince Ervelon has been waiting for for over a hundred years,¡± Ivan exined ¡°you taking the throne and reiming ournd is more important than-¡±

    ¡°E is my priority right now,¡± Adam responded firmly, ¡°this ¡®chosen one¡¯ nonsense is new to me, so it¡¯s either you all proceed to Ervelon without me, or we take E with us. I¡¯m not leaving her behind, never again.¡±

    Ivan sighed in defeat, ¡°very well, I¡¯ll inform the others.¡± The man stood up and dusted himself, ¡°we have already prepared your tent and furs, we should all rest enough before dawn.¡±

    When Ivan left E put her te down and sighed, ¡°Adam, I think maybe you should-¡±

    ¡°This is non negotiable E,¡± he interrupted her, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you behind. We¡¯re going to Ervelon together and there after we¡¯ll find a way to reach out to the nosferatu in the snonds. Being separated from you again is not something I¡¯m going to let happen so forget it.¡±

 Chapter 74

    74 Chapter 74 : Goblins

    E was awoken by the sound of movement from outside the tent, she didn¡¯t know how but she could tell that those footsteps didn¡¯t belong to any of Adam¡¯s men. Actually, she could sense that they didn¡¯t belong to human beings.

    She sat up and scanned the area around her, her eyes adjusting to the darkness that filled their tent. There was a number of footsteps running around the camp site and with the little light from the faint starlight, she could see rippling shadows on the outside. The redhead turned to Adam and shook him gently, ¡°Adam,¡± she whispered, ¡°wake up I think there¡¯s people ransacking our camp.¡±

    Adam muzzily opened his eyes and sat up slowly, ¡°someone is-¡± his statement was cut short when he heard someone screaming from outside the tent.

    ¡°Aaaaah what the hell!¡± The voice shouted in the moonless darkness of the night.

    Adam was wide awake now, he tossed his fur aside and stood up, hurriedly making his way to the exit of the tent. E got up as well but when she inched closer to Adam he turned around and stopped her, ¡°no, you stay here.¡±

    ¡°But Adam I..¡±

    ¡°E..¡± He took her hand and led her back to the furs, ¡°stay here and wait for me okay. Don¡¯t you dare leave this tent it¡¯s to dangerous.¡±

    ¡°But I can help, l-¡±

    The man ced a finger on her lips and shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t want you in harm¡¯s way, stay here till I get back.¡± With a quick kiss on her forehead, Adam left E in the tent and made his way to help his men.

    .....

    ¡°But I can help,¡± E muttered to herself in annoyance. She wasn¡¯t just some damsel in distress who needed to be kept safe. Even though she may have not have honed her sword fighting skills and archery skills as much as she would have liked in this lifetime, she still had them. Her and Nathaniel would train together every weekend at the pce even though he¡¯d always insist on going easy on her and making her take several breaks. But regardless, she still had it in her, she could fight.

    Adam ran through the darkness towards where the screaming hade from and stopped in shock when he saw Ivan kicking and screaming while being dragged away by stubby, ugly, pimply humanoid creatures. They had gray warty skin like toads, long dark fingernails and wore nothing but loincloths tied around their waists.

    He turned to Beric who was catching a breath a few feet away from him after wading off the same creatures that had equally disturbed his sleep. ¡°What the hell are these?!¡± Adam yelled as he picked up a sword he had noticedying on the ground.

    Zandernded in front of Adam seemingly out of nowhere, grabbed an arrow from his quiver andunched it towards the small toad skinned creature that was advancing towards them. The little humanoid screeched in pain when the arrow lodged itself into its chest and Adam saw a blue fluid oozing from its wound as it died.

    ¡°They¡¯re goblins!¡± Zander yelled as he shot another arrow towards a goblin that hadunched itself through the air to attack them, sending it flying into the brunches of a nearby tree. ¡°They¡¯re disgusting little creatures of the forests who steal from and attack travellers!¡±

    The blonde elf jumped back andnded a hard kick in the stomach of a goblin that was about to lunge itself onto his leg with its sharpened grimy teeth bared. ¡°And when they run out of food, they cannibalize other races!¡±

    Adam turned to Ivan who was still being dragged away by about six little humanoids and cursed, he didn¡¯t want any of his men meeting such a demeaning death, eaten alive by overgrown toads? That would be sad, especially for Ivan.

    He ran towards Ivan at full speed, shing the bellies, arms, legs and heads of the grotesque creatures that got in his way, leaving behind a trail of entrails and severed limbs littering his trail. Adam was surprised to feel that he had be even more agile and flexible than usual, his movement was so swift that to the human eye it would look like teleportation, his senses of smell, hearing and sight had peeked as well, he felt like one of those overpowered characters from fictional books as he dodged the little creatures and sliced them up with ease.

    As he rushed towards Ivan, he saw Rnd, Ozias and Odran who were also having their own altercations with the creatures. Ozias who was heavy in build had pulled a tree straight from the ground with his bare hands and was using it as a giant club, crushing and flinging the creatures away. He looked more like a Viking warrior than an elf with his bulging muscles, tattooed arms, his fade hair cut and bone chilling roar as he fought.

    Rnd was also in the heat of battle with the stubby dreadful creatures. Wielding two short daggers, which were his preferred weapons of choice, he was shing up goblin behind like he¡¯d done it a million times. Unlike Ozias who was brutal and ferocious, Rnd was swift, agile and graceful in his fighting. The way he moved on the battlefield was akin to a ballerina on a stage, no wonder men thought he was a beautiful buff woman.

    Odran¡¯s weapon of choice had always been an axe, though heavy, he swung it like he was ying with a stick, cracking the skulls and spines of the goblins who where attacking him.

    Adam reached the pile of goblins that were dragging Ivan into the forest and with his sword, cut one in half by plunging his razor sharp de into its torso and pulling it upwards in a powerful swift motion. With another he sliced off its head and stabbed another that tried to attack him from behind with a swift backward push of his sword.

    Ivan managed to kick a few goblins off his body but as he tried to get up, more appeared from the trees around them and pinned him down again. ¡°Why the fuck are you onlying after me?!¡± Ivan yelled in frustration as he struggled to loosen their grip on him.

    ¡°Tie up the soft one and kill the others!¡± One goblin rasped in a horrendous little voice.

    At thatmand, hundreds of little creatures swarmed the campsite, and no matter how hard the men fought them off, more and more kepting.

    ¡°It¡¯s an entire pack!¡± Zander yelled as he struggled to fight off the goblins who where lunging at him. He swiftly jumped up onto a thick branch of a tree and reached for his quiver but realized he¡¯d used up all his arrows. He muttered an incoherent ¡®fuck¡¯ and turned to Adam, ¡°we¡¯re outnumbered your grace!¡± He called down to the elven prince, ¡°we need to escape!¡±

    ¡°And leave Ivan behind?!¡± Adam yelled back in a breathless voice. He too could feel his stamina dwindling fighting off the hundreds of goblins that just kepting.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice!¡± Zander responded

    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK ZANDER!¡± Ivan screamed as he kicked some goblins to let go of him.

    Adam leapt up into the air andnded on the brunch where Zander was crouching. He looked around and realized that this was a losing battle, his men were getting tired and these goblins were many. They had the advantage of numbers, so no matter how many of them they killed they¡¯d still be outnumbered.

    ¡°Ivan! I wille for you! Just don¡¯t die!¡± Adam called out to his friend who was now being tied up by the stubby creatures.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be cooked your grace!¡± Ivan yelled in frustration mixed with fear, ¡°I¡¯m too beautiful to be eaten by these horrid creatures!¡±

    *

    Meanwhile back in the tent, E had heard Ivan screaming for help. She cursed inwardly and got up, making her way to the exit of the tent and peeked out. She couldn¡¯t just sit there while Adam¡¯s men were fighting for their lives, she had to do something. These men had rescued her from a sham of a marriage, risked their lives and betrayed their kingdom for her. She needed to return the favor.

    The blue eyed woman turned around and grabbed the bag where she kept her belongings, and from it she pulled out a dagger. She gripped it tightly and started making her way towards the exit when a rasping sound from behind caught her attention.

    ¡°Aaah another delicious soft one,¡± the voice rasped and slurped up saliva, ¡°and this one is a woman, the breast and buttocks are goblins favorite, so soft and juicy.¡±

    E turned around and her eyes went round. A goblin had dug its way into the tent and was now preparing to jump at her, its sharp nails in full disy and its dark tongue licking its blistered and cracked lips.

    Adam¡¯s head quickly whipped towards the direction of his tent when he heard E grunt. He saw her crushing out of the tent with a goblin on top of her. ¡°E!¡±

    The redhead kicked the creature away and got to her feet, pointing the dagger at the many goblins who were now surrounding her. ¡°Stay back!¡±

    ¡°Grab the soft redheaded one!¡±

    The goblins lunged at the woman but she managed to jump back and sliced three of them across their torsos with her dagger. Thank goodness she had gotten rid of that horried dress.

    E¡¯s ears perked up when she heard a movement behind her, she jumped to the side and round kicked the goblin who had tried to sneak up on her, sending it crushing into its friends that scattered on impact like bowling pins.

    She pointed the dagger at the other goblins who were now approaching her cautiously after seeing what she had done to the others. Clearly this was no ordinary female.

 Chapter 75

    75 Chapter 75 : Goblins pt. ¡°Quickly, grab the soft female!¡± A raspy voice screeched.

    The goblins advanced towards E at full speed. With the dagger as her only weapon, she managed to stab and cut many of them, but they were slowly starting to outnumber her. She kicked the ones close to her feet and stabbed the ones that attacked her from above, but one managed to graze her arm with its long nails making her drop the dagger to the ground.

    ¡°Aaah!¡± E screamed as she clutched her arm that was now bleeding.

    ¡°Get her now!¡± A goblin screamed

    Even with one arm injured, E was managing to dodge the the stubby little disgusting creatures and even managing tond kicks on some of them, but without a weapon and with her hand injured, she knew they would subdue her soon enough.

    Adam jumped from the brunch and ran towards E, using his sword to clear his path and reach her. She was injured and had lost her dagger, if he didn¡¯t get to her quickly they would capture her. More goblins blocked his path and Adam got ready to slice through them but was surprised when he couldn¡¯t move his sword. He turned around and saw three goblins holding his de and pulling it away from him, their blue blood drenching it. Adam tried to pull his sword away but lost his grip when six other goblins jumped on him and pinned him to the ground.

    ¡°The handsome one is down!¡± One goblin screeched, ¡°now get the woman!¡±

    ¡°No! E!¡± Adam yelled but he was rendered immobile by the pile of goblins that were on top of him. He watched as the goblins jumped on E and pinned her down, trying frantically to tie her arms and legs.

    ¡°Save the buttocks for me!¡± Another goblin yelled happily.

    .....

    ¡°Stay away from her!¡± Adam hit the ground hard with an open palm andrge roots erupted from it, grabbing the goblins that were piled on top of him and flinging them away into the forest. He then got up and started running towards E, but another pile of the little creaturesnded on top of him.

    ¡°This one has magic!¡± A goblin screamed, ¡°kill him!¡±

    E¡¯s heart stopped when she heard those words. Kill? No, not again, she couldn¡¯t lose him again. She couldn¡¯t bare watching him die trying to protect her again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him!¡± E screamed in a loud voice that echoed throughout the forest. Her scream created a powerful force of wind that blew the goblins on her body and those within a three hundred meter radius away.

    She stood up and red at the goblins that had survived the wave of wind with red eyes. Her nails had lengthened and sharpened, and so had her fangs. Her ears became pointy and her hair was waving violently in the air with the fast moving air currents around her.

    All the remaining goblins focused their gaze on the redhead who now looked more like a threat aspared to the others. They had two choices, run or take her down and eat her. It seemed that thetter was a more pleasing option for the stubby creatures, because they all left the other men and charged towards E.

    E¡¯s eyes narrowed at the goblin horde that was running towards her at full speed. She closed her eyes, took a long deep breath and released an ear bleeding scream.

    Waves of energy escaped her mouth, flinging the goblins backwards and ramming them into the ground and some into nearby trees. The men around her covered their ears to prevent their eardrums from bursting as they ducked away from E¡¯s devastating power.

    Some goblins, those that weren¡¯t killed by the impact, decided to tuck their tails between their legs and run away towards the forest. They had realized that in as much as they wanted to eat, they couldn¡¯t do it if they were dead. This would be just another group of travelers who got away, more woulde and they could feed on them instead. But for now, they had to get away from that monster of a woman.

    But even though most of the goblins had fled, there were a few that still stubbornly remained and tried to attack E again. The redhead straightened her arm in front of them and spread out her fingers, with that gesture, a colony ofrge red eyed bats erupted from behind her like magic and pped theirrge wings towards the goblins.

    The stubby creatures screamed and cried in pain as the bats tore their flesh from their faces and limbs mercilessly. It was then that the goblins realized they could not win with this woman, she was a monster. Few managed to flee but many died from the wounds inflicted by the bats. When everyst goblin was gone, the red eyed bats evaporated like mist into the air. The waves of energy that were whirling around E disappeared. Her nails and fangs retracted, and her eyes restores their sapphire blue color.

    Adam got to his feet and shed to E¡¯s side when he saw her body going limp and swaying to one side, catching her and carrying her in his arms before she could fall. She was unconscious, most probably because she had used too much of her energy.

    The other men walked slowly towards him, their mouths agape and their eyes as round as tes as they tried to contemte what had just happened. That power that E had just exhibited, it was like nothing any of them had seen before. Even Zander who had encountered a few nosferatu or two was in shock, he¡¯d seen people of her kind fight and showcase their abilities, but never like that. This woman was truly a force to be reckoned with.

    Zander then cleared his throat, waking everyone from their shocked dazes, ¡°We need to move,¡± he advised, ¡°those goblins might return and if they do we don¡¯t stand a chance.¡± He pointed to the north where there was a smaller trail than the one they had initially been following. ¡°There are caves in a small hill in that direction where we can hide till we replenish our strength, it will take us only an hour to get there.¡±

    The blond elf then walked towards Adam who was looking down at E¡¯s face. He too looked tired. Zander had seen him use his magic during the fight, he really was the crowned elven prince. Only high elves, those of royal blood, could use such powerful magic, and even then, they needed years of training to hone it, but Adam had used it just now like he¡¯d known how to use it for years. How remarkable.

    ¡°Allow me your grace,¡± Zander spoke with outstretched arms offering to carry E seeing how tired and worn Adam looked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch her!¡± Adam hissed and cradled the woman close to his chest.

    The answer made Zander retract his arms and take a step back.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Adam muttered apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ll carry her.¡±

    He was still extremely anxious after watching E being attacked by the goblins. When one of those creatures had shed her arm, Adam¡¯s chest had tightened to the point of almost losing his breath, he was terrified that he was about to lose her.

    ¡°Bring my horse,¡± Adam spoke softly, as if fearing he¡¯d wake the beautiful redhead up, ¡°I will ride with her to the caves.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace,¡± Zander responded. He turned to the men and instructed them to gather any food and supplies they could find before heading out.

    ¡°I¡¯m not taking orders from you Zander you¡¯re an asshole!¡± Ivan grambled, ¡°you were about to leave me to be those foul creatures¡¯ breakfast!¡±

    Zander tapped Ivan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°goblins don¡¯t eat promiscuous men, they believe it ruins the meat.¡±

    Ivan looked at Zander wide eyed as he walked towards the horses and huffed angrily. ¡°You blonde bastard,¡± he muttered under his breath.

 Chapter 76

    76 Chapter 76 : The Cave

    When E woke up, the smell of moss and dampness filled her nostrils. She weakly sat up, a dull throbbing in her head making her cup her forehead with her hand and wince in pain. When her vision adjusted to the dim lighting around her that was provided by rays of sunlight slipping into the enclosed area from the far end, she was able to see that she was in a cave.

    The redhead also noticed that she wasying down in her fur and some of her stuff, together with Adam¡¯s and the rest of the men¡¯s things, were piled up around her. She scanned the cave from end to end but could not see herpanions. Surely they had not abandoned her, because if they did they wouldn¡¯t have left their belongings behind.

    She got up slowly and made her way to the center of the cave, to her right was what she assumed was opening of the cave owing to the sunlight that was illuminating brightly in that direction. And to her left the cave seemed to go on, deeper and darker into the interior of the little hill they were in.

    Theshes on her blue eyes ttered when she heard the soft flowing of watering from the darker end of the cave.

    [could that be an undergroundke?]

    She looked down at herself and grimaced at the sight. Her clothes and skin were smudged with blue stains of goblin blood and dirt, she was absolutely filthy. Her mother would be mortified if she saw her looking like this, she needed to clean up quick before the men returned to the cave.

    The blue eyed woman walked briskly but carefully deeper into the cave where the swooshing sounds of water were bing more and more audible with each step. It was getting darker as she moved further into the carven but luckily her vision in the dark had improved immensely, so much so that she felt she could see in the darkness just as well as she did in broad daylight.

    After a few minutes of walking, E reached the body of gently flowing water. The cracks in the ceiling of the cave illuminated parts of it giving it an almost magical sparkle. She sighed in relief when she noticed that the water was clean and clear, and it looked so inviting.

    E grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it off her body, tossing it to the side so she could try to wash it after her soak. She did the same with her cks and boots. Now only in her panties, she walked carefully into the flowing water, she groaned lightly as the soothing coolness of the currents brushed against her skin. She really needed this.

    .....

    E ced her arm in front of her line of sight, the one a goblin had shed earlier and inspected frantically. But to her surprise, the wound hadpletely healed, wow, E still couldn¡¯t wrap her head around being a nosferatu. Regeneration, night vision and all of that, it was still strange to her. She couldn¡¯t wait to reach Ervelon and then contact the nosferatu in the snonds and ask them about her new found abilities and how to hone and control them. ording to Zander, the nosferatu of the snonds had been living this way for thousands of years, so they were the best people to guide her.

    She made her way deeper into the water till the water was up to her shoulders, the woman took a deep breath, dipped her head into the water and ran her fingers through her hair to remove the dirt and grime that had stained it. After washing her hair, her thoughts trailed back to Meria, to her family, she missed them. With everything happening so rashly she hadn¡¯t even gotten the chance to say goodbye. She hoped that she would one day get to see them again.

    E proceeded to washing her body until she felt fresh and clean, she also slipped off her panties, washed them and ced them on a rock on the edge of the subterraneanke. She then closed her eyes and enjoyed the water, the soft movement felt so soothing against her skin. Eventually she found herself being gently swayed back and forth by the soft currents and she let them carry her with them. She needed this rxation, the past few days had been very stressful.

    The redhead closed her eyes and cleared her mind, the water carrying her gently from one point of theke to the other. She only opened her eyes when her back hit into a soft surface, was it a moldy wall on the edge of theke? No matter, it was the perfect ce for her to lean back and maybe nod off for a bit.

    E moved closer to the soft surface but immediately shot her eyes open when she felt it move. She hastily spun around and when her eyes caught sight of what she had been snuggling up against, they went round and she screamed.

    ¡°Ivan what are you doing in here!¡±

    ¡°E?!¡± The man yelled in equal shock, ¡°when did you wake up?!¡±

    E wrapped her arms around her chest to cover her breasts and swam to the other end of theke, her face as red as a stop sign.

    ¡°E I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t know you were in here!¡± Ivan yelled apologetically as he made his way to where he had ced his clothes.

    The redhead¡¯s eyes widened when she saw him about to leave the water. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯te out of the water!¡±

    ¡°I just want to get my clothes and-¡±

    ¡°I can see in the dark!¡± E yelled as she squeezed her eyes shut and turned away.

    Ivan¡¯s heart leapt out of his chest and he sunk back into the water. He was sure that the water around him was steaming from the heat his body was producing from the sheer embarrassment. ¡°Fuck!¡± The man cursed loudly. He thought that the darkness of the cave gave him some cover but now realization hit him that E had seen everything.

    Ivan had been entrusted by the others to stay with E while they went out to find fresh water and hunt for something they could have for dinner. As he sat watching E sleep, he had heard the trickling water in the deeper part of the cave and had followed it. He had taken a bath and then decide to take a short nap on the edge of theke awaiting the men to return or E to wake up.

    His elbows had been rested on the edge of theke to support him while his lower half had settled on a rock submerged in the water. His legs were spread wide because the water whipping his manhood from side to side felt calming and had helped him to doze off.

    He had only been awakened when he felt a soft object lean against him, still in his half dazed state, he thought he had been dreaming until E screamed his name.

    ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Ivan cursed again, ¡°Adam is going to kill me for sure. He¡¯ll tie me up and leave me for the goblins I just know it.¡±

    E left the water and hurriedly wore her clothes. Without turning to face Ivan, she grabbed her boots in her arms and run back towards the outer part of the cavern where her things were.

    As she ran, she crushed into someone, the impact making her fall back onto her bum.

    ¡°E, you¡¯re awake.¡±

    The redhead looked up at Adam who was smiling at her in relief. He crouched down next to her and pulled her into his embrace. Almost immediately, the man pushed her back gently and studied her face, ¡°why are you all wet? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I am, I just went to bathe in theke but I-¡±

    ¡°E!¡± Ivan came into view from the darkness of the cave panting breathlessly, he was shirtless, wet and in his hand he was holding... oh dear gods.

    Adam stood up and looked at Ivan, his eyes trailed down to the man¡¯s hand which was holding wet women¡¯s panties. The prince¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously at Ivan who gulped in response.

    ¡°Your grace,¡± Ivan muttered with his hand in front of him, ready to wade off any attack that he was sure the prince would throw at him. ¡°I know this looks bad but I can assure you this is not what it looks like.¡±

    Near the entrance of the cave, Zander, Odran, Beric, Rnd and Ozias where storing away the canteens of water and trying to light a fire when they heard Ivan screaming in agony from a distance.

    ¡°Is that Ivan?¡± Beric asked the group, ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°He was supposed to be guarding E but when we returned we found that both him and her were gone,¡± Odran added on, ¡°The prince went to search for them.¡±

    The men heard Ivan scream again, this time he was even pleading for mercy between breathless coughs making them stand up abruptly and grab their weapons.

    ¡°Sounds like another attack!¡± Zander yelled, ¡°we need to help theme on!¡±

    The men ran into the cave, their hearts pounding in anticipation wondering what sort of creature they had to face this time. When they reached the interior of the cavern, their jaws dropped to the ground when their eyes fell on Ivan.

    ¡°What the fuck is this?¡± Zander muttered in shock.

 Chapter 77

    77 Chapter 77 : Ichor

    ¡°Your grace wait I didn¡¯t-¡±

    Ivans voice was drowned out by the the water as the elven prince used his magic to dip him into theke. Adam had created streams of water like ropes that had wrapped themselves around Ivan¡¯s body, dangling him in the air and dipping him over and over into theke.

    When Adam pulled Ivan out of the water again, he was coughing hysterically, his eyes were red and he was shivering. ¡°Have you no shame Ivan!¡± Adam yelled, ¡°does your lewdness know no bounds?! Huh?!¡±

    Adam swung his hand and dipped Ivan into the water again, removing him after a few seconds. ¡°E is going to be your queen one day and you have the audacity to peep on her while she takes her bath?!¡±

    ¡°Your grace I swear it wasn¡¯t my intention to-¡±

    SPLASH! GURGLE.. GURGLE... GURGLE

    ¡°Adam wait this is all a huge misunderstanding!¡± E yelled. She grabbed his arm and shook him in an attempt to cool him down. ¡°Ivan wasn¡¯t peeping, he was in the water way before I got here! If anything I¡¯m the one who invaded his privacy!¡±

    E made her way to stand in front of the dark haired prince and cupped his face in her little hands, ¡°Adam stop!¡±

    ¡°How dare hey eyes on you naked!¡± Adam yelled, ¡°even before...¡± the prince narrowed his eyes and dipped Ivan in the water again. ¡°I haven¡¯t even seen you naked before!¡±

    .....

    Zander and the others clicked their tongues and rolled their eyes. The jealousy and envy in Adam¡¯s voice was very evident. Here they were thinking that they were under attack, only to find out that the prince was throwing a jealously tantrum because Ivan had identally seen E naked. This waspletely ridiculous.

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who should have been the first to see you with your clothes off!¡± Adam yelled, his voice echoing throughout the cave, ¡°not that bastard Nathaniel, and definitely not this womanizer Ivan!¡±

    ¡°Womanizer?!¡± Ivan yelled in retaliation.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Adam yelled at the dangling man and dipped him into theke again. He returned his gaze to E, his eyes filled with jealousy. ¡°I loved you first E, me! So why do I always have to be second ce when ites to having you!¡±

    E ttered hershes at the man, he was like a little boy who had been given a smaller peice of candy aspared to his friends. The redhead realized that Adam wasn¡¯t upset about the little mishap with Ivan, he was justshing out. His real problem was with the fact that she had been with Nathaniel before him.

    The woman rubbed Adam¡¯s cheeks gently with her thumbs while her hands cupped his face. ¡°You¡¯re never in second ce Adam, you never have been.¡± She spoke softly to him, ¡°I love you Adam, you¡¯re the only man I¡¯ve ever loved and you¡¯re the only man I ever will love.¡±

    Adam¡¯s chest heaved up and down as he looked down at the blue eyed woman in front of him. His heart ttered when he heard E say that she loved him, that was the first time she¡¯d ever said that and it made the little cocoons in his stomach erupt into a kaleidoscope of butterflies.

    ¡°You... you love me?¡± The man muttered in a low voice, his heart was pulsating and a smile was threatening to curve his face.

    ¡°Of course I do,¡± E repeated herself, her eyes never leaving Adam¡¯s.

    ¡°Oh for heaven¡¯s sake just kiss him so he can let me go!¡± Ivan screamed at E.

    The blue eyed woman pursed her lips as a light blush tinted her cheeks. She drew in a breath and inched closer to Adam, and with a light pull she drew his face closer to hers and pressed her lips on his. Immediately, the streams of water that had wrapped themselves around Ivan shriveled away, letting the dark haired casanova fall into the water with a loud ssh.

    Adam closed his eyes, wrapped his arms tightly around E¡¯s waist and pulled her deeper into the kiss. Every inch of his skin tingled with euphoria. He had had multiple fantasies about how it would feel like to kiss E, daydreams and dazes about how her lips would taste. And now that he was finally kissing her, it was far much better than anything he¡¯d ever imagined. He felt like he was sipping the sweet nectar of primroses, it was intoxicating and all so sensual.

    When E broke the kiss, Adam had to bite down on his lip to stop himself from protesting and iming her lips yet again. He ced his forehead on E¡¯s and drew in a deep breath. ¡°I love you E...¡±

    E lowered her hands from his face down to his shoulders and rubbed them gently, ¡°and I love you Adam.¡±

    The man smiled, he ced his arms under her arched back and legs and hoisted her off the ground, ¡°let¡¯s get you out of this wet clothes.¡± With onest warning look at Ivan, Adam walked back towards their furs.

    *

    Maria¡¯s jaw tightened and she abruptly stood up from the log she had been sitting on, ¡°did you feel that?¡± She spoke in a low whispered.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°she¡¯s getting more and more powerful, blue bloods tend to exhibit such power, but hers, it¡¯s like nothing I¡¯ve ever felt before.¡±

    ¡°I pray we reach her before her cravings get the better of her,¡± Maria responded, a worried tone in her voice, ¡°she knows not of the ways of controlling the blood lust. And if we¡¯re unlucky she may feed on a human, and you know what that would do to her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯d go rogue...¡± Vivian responded, her voice trailing off into a violent shudder.

    ¡°And with a power like that..¡± Maria sat down and wiped her hand nervously over her lips, ¡°no one would be safe. We wouldn¡¯t want what happened to Aiden to happen to her.¡±

    Vivian picked up a stick and poked at the ambers of the dying fire they had used to roast up some venison for lunch. She didn¡¯t like talking about Aiden, it wasn¡¯t a pleasant memory to visit, not for her and not for any nosferatu of the snonds.

    ¡°We should move,¡± Vivian spoke firmly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to lose anyone else to humans again, especially not someone from my family.¡± She stood up and arched her back a little before tworge bat like purplish wings sprouted out. With one p of the beautiful appendages, the ambers of the fire were put outpletely.

    Maria waved her hand in front of her face to prevent the rising dust and soot from reaching her nose, ¡°could you please be a little more discreet with those things, we don¡¯t want to draw any attention to ourselves.¡±

    ¡°What? Do you want me to put out the fire with water and a bucket? Like a human?¡± Vivian spoke with a frown, ¡°I¡¯d rather chop off my right wing.¡± The woman retracted her wings and walked towards where they had tied the horses and their luggage, took out a golden canteen and took arge sip from it.

    Maria walked to her and grabbed the canteen away, ¡°stop it, you know we have to ration this!¡± She closed the lid shut and shoved the canteen into her satchel. ¡°If we run out we¡¯ll be in the same dilemma as princess Melissa.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just make some more?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah definitely,¡± Maria responded sarcastically, ¡°if you have blood oranges, beets, and a baby dear stuffed in your bag somewhere I¡¯d be more than happy to make you some more.¡±

    Vivian rolled her eyes and mounted her horse, ¡°fine, you don¡¯t have to be condescending about it.¡±

    Back in the snonds where ny eight percent of the nosferatu poption consisted of pure bloods, a potion called ¡®ichor¡¯ was used as a substitute for blood. After realizing that drinking human blood made the nosferatu rogue a few thousand years back, they had switched to feeding off the blood of animals, but this practice diminished the wildlife in the snonds greatly and was affecting the food chain. So instead, they came up with ichor, a solution whose consistency was simr to that of blood and proved to be a potent substitute.

    Ichor was made from mixing the juices of blood oranges, beets, cherries, pomegranate and a thick broth of blood sausages. A small amount of baby dear blood was added to give the mixture the life essence necessary to make the potion a potent substitute. Many nosferatu had taken up the use of ichor instead of blood, so much so that some nosferatu had lived all their lives not knowing what actual blood tasted like.

    This was different from the half breeds, most of who now inhabited the central continent after the awakening. They could go their whole lives not needing to drink blood or ichor and had noplications whatsoever. In fact, this ability to live on human nutrition alone was one of the elements that made half breeds more powerful. Thebination of nosferatu genes and the genes of humans created some super strong vampire hybrid that had all the attributes of a nosferatu and none of the weaknesses.

    Maria mounted her horse and lightly kicked its sides so it could move forward, ¡°Come on, mydy must be found.¡±

 Chapter 78

    78 Chapter 78 : My mate

    Edron, the alpha wolf of the silver pack was sitting at his work table in his chambers. It was positioned in front of arge window that gave him a great view of the snow covered gardens outside, covered with a thick nket of white. The scenery was eerily beautiful,pletely white with a few patches of silvery blue that the winter flowers exhibited.

    The chamber was dim and quiet, all except for the crackles of the burning wood in the fire ce that lit up the room slightly and brought warmth to it. The winter in the snonds was unending, only reducing in severity in the months that were considered summer, but nheless snow was a constant feature of thend¡¯s climate.

    Edron was a tall well built devilsly handsome man with long silver hair that fell down his shoulders and back. He had deep golden eyes, a strong chin and fanged teeth as white as the snow that fell outside. He brushed his hand over the map of Ronia Cresus, stoping at the central continent where the kingdoms of Meria, Belviles, Cenia and Gavaria were situated and sighed.

    Unlike the snonds, the central continent was blessed with different seasons of the sun, there were cold snowy winters, warm sunny springs, hot summers and wet autumns. Thend there was rich, able to sustain the growth of crops and the raring of livestock, meaning they had food in abundance. Edron could vividly remember his time in the centeral continent, long before the kingdoms ever existed, back when all the races lived together as one.

    It was an easier time, and it seemed like such a long time ago. He folded the map up and took a deep breath, his scowl only deepening when he saw the snow starting to fall again. This is what they had had to endure for the past century, this cold wastnd devoid of animals to hunt as food and little to no herbs to use as medicine. All this suffering, all thispromise because those sted humans got greedy and took everything away. Well, not for long. The time to take back everything they had lost was upon them.

    His pack would no longer raise their children in the cold, never able to see what a sunny spring day looks like. They would never have to think of running out of food, because wild animals would be everywhere. Soon life would get better, all they needed to do was to eradicate the entire human poption, either by turning them, running them off, or killing them. Edron¡¯s days of living in peace with humans were behind him.

    The man was jolted out of his reverie when the door suddenly swung open. He turned to look behind him and saw La, his beautiful, dark haired, silver eyed Luna walk through the doorway. Her face looked ecstatic as she walked towards him.

    ¡°Edron, I have news!¡± She squealed in excitement and dangled an open parchment in front of the man¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s from Elric,¡± La spoke excitedly, ¡°Edron it¡¯s form our son.¡±

    The man got up from his seat and took the paper in his hands. Had his son really written a letter to them? How did he know where to send it? Could it be the work of Theo? The man unrolled the parchment and trailed over the words intently. His smile grew wider with each sentence he read.

    .....

    ¡°Gods!¡± Edron eximed. His eyes twinkled as he continued reading the letter, ¡°Elric is definitely my son! Look at this!¡±

    The man wrapped an arm around his Luna¡¯s shoulders and trailed his finger over the letter so she could read, ¡°he has already taken over the Merian kingdom La, he¡¯s king, do you you know what that means?!¡±

    The man relinquished his wife and continued reading the letter with a huge smile on his face. ¡°The kingdom is ours, and look here!¡± The silver haired man shoved the paper excitedly in La¡¯s face making her chuckle, ¡°he says he¡¯s in the process of taking Gavaria as well, ahah! That¡¯s my boy!¡±

    La took the letter from her husband and read it as he paced the room excitedly muttering to himself. Her brows creased a little when she read the remaining lines of the letter that Edron had been too excited to notice. ¡°Ed, wait a minute,¡± she spoke as she walked to his side and pointed at the letter. ¡°Read this..¡±

    The man took the letter and read the rest diligently, his eyebrows raised as he processed the contents. It read;

    ¡®.... in addition to the internal siege of the human kingdoms that I already have underway, I have found my mate, and she is none other than the princess Melissa, daughter of nosferatu royalty. Our union is practically the merging of our two people, we will be the most powerful race on the continent, but s, the elven prince kidnapped my wife on the day of our wedding and whisked her away to Ervelon. Father, I¡¯m sure you know how the concept of a mate works, and how important me and Melissa¡¯s marriage is . I am in need of your help to retrieve my mate and bring her back to me, I cannot do this without your help.... Elric...¡¯

    Edron crumpled up the letter and frowned, ¡°Tauriel..¡± he muttered, ¡°why does she always find a way to worm her way into family affairs.¡± The man turned to La and his chest tightened even more. This woman was his mate, he loved her more than his own life, he¡¯d traverse to the ends of the earth and back for her without a second thought. He¡¯d follow her anywhere, even to the grave, that was how powerful the bond of a mate was. Everyone knew it, and everyone respected it, so why had Tauriel¡¯s sonpletely disregarded this and taken Elric¡¯s mate?

    ¡°Send word to Kaiser Stefan,¡± Edron spoke to his wife as he squeezed her shoulders gently, ¡°I need an audience with him immediately, tell him it¡¯s about his daughter.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± La questioned the man in anticipation.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ensure that the elves know that they cannot just take whatever they feel like taking,¡± the man spoke coldly, his fangs elongating slightly, ¡°this notion of them thinking they are better than everyone else ends now.¡±

    *

    The group was sitting around the fire waiting for the meat they were roasting to be ready. Ivan was covered in his fur with a deep scowl on his face and a runny nose. After the forceful swimming lesson Adam had made him endure, he¡¯d caught a cold.

    ¡°If I die please make sure my wife is taken care of,¡± Ivan muttered agitatedly, ¡°tell her I was assaulted by a mad man.¡±

    Adam rolled his eyes and leaned forward, his legs crossed and his arms ced on hisp. ¡°Let it go Ivan, I said I was sorry.¡± Adam spoke.

    ¡°Sorry won¡¯t return the buoyancy to my lungs,¡± Ivanined.

    ¡°Your lungs would have been just fine if you stayed put and watched E like I asked,¡± Adam fired back.

    Ivan sulked, pulled his fur tighter around his body and sneezed exaggeratedly. E ced a gentle hand on Ivan¡¯s shoulder and smiled at him, ¡°sorry Ivan,¡± she spoke, ¡°I caused you so much trouble.¡±

    The man looked at the beautiful redhead who was smiling warmly at him and involuntarily blushed. The image of E in the water in front of him, even though he hadn¡¯t seen her entirely, was forever burned into his mind. No wonder Adam was so obsessed with her, that lucky bastard.

    Ivan looked away and cleared his throat, ¡°it¡¯s fine,¡± he rasped in a strained voice.

    Adam got to his feet and made his way to sit between Ivan and E. He then wrapped his arm around E and tugged her cloak tightly around her. The little jealousy gesture made the rest of the men roll their eyes, seeing their prince this whirled up over a woman was so strange for them, but they just had to endure it, especially because it was evident that Adam was going nowhere without the beautiful nosferatu.

    When E sneezed, Adam turned to her and covered her head with the hood of her cloak, ¡°E what¡¯s wrong? Are you getting sick? Are you cold? Should I make you a cup of tea, or do you need another cloak?¡±

    Ivan pouted and shrugged in his fur, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind a cup of tea.¡±

    Adam turned to Ivan and gave him a disapproving look which Ivan responded to by sticking his tongue out at him.

    ¡°No I¡¯m fine,¡± E responded, ¡°I am a little hungry though.¡±

    Odran, Beric, Ozias, Rnd and Zander all looked at the redhead wide eyed.

    ¡°For the meat!¡± E yelled defensively and proceeded to grab one of the skewered pieces of meat and took a small careful bite. ¡°don¡¯t worry I don¡¯t eat elf,¡± E added on as she chewed her food, ¡°no offense, but you elves don¡¯t look like you taste very good.¡±

    The group chuckled at her statement and Zander looked up at her, ¡°so what are you trying to say about prince Adam?¡±

    E picked a pebble and threw it at the blond elf, ¡°don¡¯t patronize me Zander.¡±

    The group chuckled once more. Just a day ago they were all very tense. With the whole E feeding on Adam thing, him being unconscious, her disassociating herself from the group, and the goblin attack, had all of them on edge. A light atmosphere of chitchat was necessary, especially now before continuing their journey onward the next day at the crack of dawn.

 Chapter 79

    79 Chapter 79 : Aiden

    When night fell, E, Adam and his men retired to bed. They spread out their furs around the fire to keep warm because the cave floor was cold and damp. Adam turned to look at E who was sleeping next to him, she was clutching her fur tightly and had little lines on her forehead, she was shivering slightly every couple of minutes and clutching the fur tighter.

    The elven prince crawled closer to her and shared his fur with her, tucking it around her body securely. It was nowte in the fall and the nights were growing colder and longer, Adam hoped they could reach Ervelon before winter came, he was worried about E, it might get too cold for her.

    He reached for her face and gently brushed her cheek with his knuckles, her skin was so soft and silky, and the way her brows raised when his hand touched her made Adam smile. He partly still couldn¡¯t believe that she was sleeping next to him. Sure it wasn¡¯t exactly how he¡¯d pictured it, but here she was, the love of his life, the woman of his dreams,ying asleep next to him.

    The prince flinched when she brought her hand to her face and cupped his hand in hers. She muttered a few incoherent words and softened her expression, indicating that she was falling into a deeper sleep. Adam inched closer to her and nted a soft kiss on her forehead before his eyes trailed down to her lips that were slightly open as she slept. He chided himself for thinking of kissing her in her sleep, that would be very creepy and he didn¡¯t want to wake his little sleeping beauty.

    He kissed her forehead again and whispered to her, ¡°I love you more than you know beautiful.¡±

    ¡°mmh.. love you too Adam,¡± E mumbled in her sleep making him smile. He wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her hair.

    ¡°Rest, we have an early morning tomorrow,¡± he whispered to her. Her arm wrapped around his waist and she buried her face into his chest, Adam prayed that the thumping of his heart wouldn¡¯t wake her up. He couldn¡¯t wait to reach Ervelon and really treat E, this sleeping on moldy cave floors and eating stale food was not the life he wanted for her. She deserved the best food, the finest wines and the most exquisite clothes and jewelry, and Adam would make sure all of that would be at her disposal soon enough.

    He kissed her forehead one more time before he drifted off to sleep.

    When morning came, Adam groggily woke up and turned to look at the woman who was sleeping beside him but was shocked to find that she was gone. He abruptly sat up and inspected the cave frantically, ¡°E!¡± The man whispered into the looming darkness of the early morning, but he couldn¡¯t see her.

    .....

    The noise made the other men awaken from their slumber, they woke up and rubbed the sleep out of their eyes wondering what was going on.

    ¡°Your grace? Is anything the matter?¡± Rnd asked the man who was now out of his fur and scanning the cave.

    ¡°Has anyone seen E?¡± Adam responded.

    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s going to freshen up at theke,¡± Ivan responded, ¡°there¡¯s nowhere else she could have gone this early.¡±

    The men watched the prince walk briskly deeper into the cave towards the subterraneanke. They all flinched when they heard him scream her name from within the dark interior. After exchanging concerned nces, they got up and ran towards where Adam¡¯s voice hade from.

    When they reached the edge of theke where Adam was standing, all their eyes immediately circled. They saw E slowly floating across the water to the other side. None of them had noticed before but there was another opening across the water where an eerie blue light was shing.

    ¡°E!¡± Adam called out to her but received no response. He hurriedly moved forward but a hand grabbed him and pulled him back.

    ¡°Your grace calm yourself! You could drown!¡± Beric scolded the elven prince.

    ¡°But I need to get to her!¡± Adam responded, he turned back to look at the redhead who was inching closer to the opening where the blue light wasing from. ¡°E!¡± Adam was confused, ¡°why can¡¯t she hear me?¡±

    Adam hurriedly took his shoes off, folded his pants and took off his shirt.

    ¡°Wait, what are you doing?!¡± Zander questioned the prince. From what he knew, Adam was a terrible swimmer, so why was he looking like he was about to dive in head first into the water?

    Before Zander couldplete his line of thought, Adam dived into the water and started swimming towards E. Good lord why were men in love such morons! The blond elf turned to Ozias, ¡°do you have rope?¡± He questioned the big rough looking man. Ozias nodded and handed Zander the rope which he tied around one of his bows tightly, the blond elf aimed his arrow towards the cave wall on the other side of theke and shot it. The hard steel arrow plunged itself into the hard rock securely and Zander proceeded to tie the other end of the rope around a narrow rock.

    He then stepped closer to the edge of theke and called out to Adam who had already drunk a few cups of water while struggling to reach the woman. ¡°My prince! Use the rope!¡±

    Adam grabbed the rope which was overhead and used it to pull himself through the water towards E. He reached the other side just as E was about to enter the cavern that was twinkling blue and ran towards her. He jumped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders, but to Adam¡¯s shock, her eyes were closed and her shallow breathing indicated that she was still asleep. What on earth was going on?

    ¡°E..¡± Adam rubbed her shoulders gently in an attempt to wake her up, ¡°Ee on wake up you¡¯re sleep walking.¡±

    E remained silent and Adam could feel that there was some sort of invisible force that was pulling her towards the blue light. He wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from going forward, he had a bad feeling at the pit of his stomach about that light, there was an ominous energy oozing from it that Adam could not exin.

    He tightened his grip around the sleeping woman and began to move back towards the water where Zander and Ozias had swam across ready to help. Adam hesitantly handed E over to Ozias who was stronger in build and was the best swimmer so he could take her back across. And as Ozias carried her further away from the cavern, the blue light became dimmer and dimmer until it flickered off like the me of a candle.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Zander questioned Adam. He had felt the magical energy in the direction of the light and it was insane. What ever was producing that light was of magical origin, but what or who was it? And what did they want with E?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Adam responded, his eyes trailing back to the cave where the light had been illuminating from, ¡°but we should leave this cave, now. I get the feeling we¡¯re not safe here anymore.¡±

    *

    Thoedora sighed and turned to face the man who had been standing behind her watching her every move like a hawk. She could vividly remember him warning her that she had not honed her magic enough to be able to create a summoning portal, but she had insisted on trying in an attempt to show off a little, but failed.

    She pursed her ruby red lips and looked to the side as the man raised his brows condescendingly. He stared at her with his sapphire blue eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± Theodora sulked and crossed her arms over her chest. She walked past the man, swaying her full hips with an attitude.

    ¡°I told you that you were not ready,¡± the man spoke. His deep voice always managed to send tiny shivers down Theodora¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Yes I am!¡± The woman retaliated, ¡°it¡¯s that elf Gareth, if it wasn¡¯t for him I could have had her!¡± Theodora sat down on a chair, crossed her legs and continued to sulk, ¡°well at the least now you know what she looks like, a thank you would be in order.¡±

    ¡°I think I would be able to recognize her without your help, but I know you won¡¯t let me live this down so..¡± the man sat down on a chair opposite the woman and leaned his temple onto his folded hand, ¡°thank you Theodora.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± the woman responded with her nose up in the air.

    ¡°She looks exactly like them. A replica of Kaiser Stefan and queen Marceline,¡± the man spoke thoughtfully, ¡°and that magical energy, even though still in its raw state, it¡¯s like nothing I¡¯ve ever sensed before, such power, its immacte.¡±

    Theodora got up and made her way towards the man. She sat down on hisp, her slitted dress exposing her legspletely as she rubbed them against his. She gently ran her fingers through his wavy reddish hair and smiled at him, ¡°and all that power will be ours to control soon enough... won¡¯t it Aiden?¡±

 Chapter 80

    80 Chapter 80 : Blood halves

    Three wolves halted in front of the tall dark gray castle that was covered in a thick nket of snow. Wintershold keep was a massive structure in the center of the nosferatu city of Wintershold, a city in the heart of the snonds filled with vampires of all ages. One would think such a ce would be dark and gloomy but in fact, Wintershold was a lively citadel with functioning stores, markets, residential areas and many other facilities.

    Other than the fact that the ce was filled with pale looking humans with fangs, pointy ears, who could float, it was just like any other town.

    The three massive lycans slowly morphed into their human form when the guards approached them. ¡°Alpha Edron of the silver pack,¡± the tall dark haired nosferatu guard spoke in a loud bellowing voice. ¡°Very unlike you to show up unannounced, the Kaiser doesn¡¯t take kindly to uninvited guests.¡±

    The handsome alpha slicked back his hair and tied it in a ponytail as he walked towards the two gaurds who were blocking the entrance to the castle. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of urgency nosferatu, step aside.¡±

    The dark haired man narrowed his eyes dangerously at the pack leader and then trailed them to the two men who were standing behind him. ¡°Very well, but they have to stay out here.¡±

    ¡°Boris is my Beta,¡± Edron replied with his thumb pointing at the big man with bulging muscles on his right side, ¡°and Remus is my guard, I go nowhere without them.¡± The silver haired alpha inched closer to the guard and stared at him condensedingly with his deep golden eyes. ¡°Now like I said before...¡± the man spoke as he proceeded to tauntingly dusting some snow kes off the nosferatu gaurd¡¯s shoulder, ¡°... it¡¯s a matter of urgency, now step aside.¡±

    The nosferatu gaurd stepped back, he was a strong vampire, that¡¯s why he had been appointed as the head of the royal guard by the Kaiser. But this man, Edron the alpha of the silver pack oozed danger and killer instinct. The gaurd was sure he wouldn¡¯tst one minute going toe to toe with this dangerous man, he stifled a gulp and turned around, ¡°very well then, follow me.¡±

    Marceline was walking down the grand staircase to the lobby when she saw the gaurd walking in with Edron and his men. She creased her brows and walked briskly towards them, the aura that Edron was radiating screamed urgency. ¡°Edron?¡±

    ¡°Marceline,¡± the alpha greeted the beautiful woman with a bow, ¡°where is your husband? I need to talk to him urgently.¡±

    .....

    ¡°I can see that,¡± the woman responded. She gestured the lycans to follow her to the chairs and settled down. ¡°You nevere unannounced Edron, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I need to speak with Stefan,¡± The silver haired lycan repeated himself, his voice indicating that he didn¡¯t have time to exin himself.

    ¡°KAISER Stefan..¡± a deep voice echoed throughout the study. A tall man with side burns, a beard, ck hair and piercing blue eyes floated into the room. His shoulder length hair was slightly tasseled and his tall slender body was covered in long dark cape. ¡°Have we forgotten our manners Alpha?¡± Stefan spoke as he settled down on a chair next to his wife who rolled her eyes and broadened the gap between them.

    ¡°Stefan this is not a war meeting I have no need for titles,¡± Edron responded with an eye roll. ¡°Bute to think of it, it might turn into one.¡±

    ¡°What are you taking about?¡± The Kaiser questioned Edron.

    ¡°It¡¯s about your daughter, Melissa.¡±

    Marceline jolted upright, her blue eyes as wide as a te, ¡°Melissa? What about her? Did something happen?¡±

    Edron leaned forward and took one of the cups from the tray that had been ced on the small center table by a maid, and poured himself a cup of wine. ¡°How do I put this..¡± he responded and took a sip of his wine. ¡°Your daughter and my son are married.¡±

    Stefan rose his brows in shock, ¡°Married? What do you mean they¡¯re married?¡±

    ¡°Has the concept of marriage be so foreign to you Kaiser?¡± Edron spoke in a mischievous voice, his gaze switching between Stefan and Marceline.

    ¡°That is uncalled for lycan,¡± Stefan growled angrily. The topic of his marriage was a sensitive one. True that it was no secret that things were not going smoothly ever since they gave Melissa up, but rubbing it in his face was not something he took lightly.

    ¡°What I¡¯m saying old friend, is that your daughter Melissa and my son Elric are husband and wife, vows and all. She¡¯s his mate.¡± The alpha added on.

    ¡°Mate?! Are you sure of this?!¡± Marceline responded. ¡°Because I-¡±

    ¡°My son told me himself Marceline,¡± the man responded, ¡°you honestly think he wouldn¡¯t be sure of his own mate?¡±

    Marceline pursed her lips and looked to the side.

    ¡°There is a bit of a problem though,¡± the silver haired man added on, ¡°Tauriel¡¯s son, he stole Melissa from Elric.¡±

    ¡°Edron what are you going on about?¡± Stefan responded, ¡°no one can just swoop in and steal a lycan¡¯s mate. If they really are mates then Melissa would have never allowed it.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me say the elf stole her?¡± The alpha spoke sternly, downing thest of his wine, ¡°it was against her will. This is a ssic case of the elves thinking they can take anything they want, like what happened to Aiden.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring him up!¡± the Kaiser bellowed, making the ss jar of wine crack slightly.

    ¡°Okay okay..¡± Edron spoke apologetically, ¡°what I¡¯m trying to say is this thing is going to implicate our strategy to take back the central continent. We should be fighting the humans not stealing each other¡¯s mates! We need to get Tauriel in line and reunite my son with his mate before we fight among ourselves.¡±

    The silver alpha poured himself another cup, ¡°besides, my son needs a queen by his side in meria.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Edron cocked his head and Boris sat up straight, ¡°The prince was crowned king of meria,¡± the Beta lycan exined, ¡°he has managed to assemble the half breeds as one and is nning to extend his reign towards Gavaria and the surrounding kingdoms.¡±

    ¡°You see, while the elven prince is stealing women,¡± Edron spoke, ¡°my son is conquering kingdoms. He has single handedly carried out our ns all on his own. Uniting the races and-¡±

    ¡°If you think your son will rule us all because of this you¡¯re solely mistaken Edron,¡± kaiser Stefan interrupted the silver alpha, ¡°the monarchs of each race will remain, this was already decided. Elric will rule the lycans and the lycans alone.¡±

    ¡°But he married the heir to the nosferatu throne,¡± the man pointed out, much to Stefan¡¯s displeasure, ¡°correct me if I¡¯m wrong but that makes him king of the nosferatu as well doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Not yet!¡± Stefan rose to his feet and gave the lycans a dismissive stare, ¡°If that¡¯s all you had to say, thank you for the information Edron, you may leave now. But your son..¡± the Kaiser scoffed and turned to leave, ¡°he will not rule the four races.¡±

    ¡°But what about your daughter? Are you going to leave her in the clutches of Tauriel and her son?¡±

    ¡°Operations to retrieve my daughter are already underway,¡± the blue eyed man responded, ¡°now if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±

    Edron stood up and teasingly bowed at the Kaiser, ¡°as you wish my inw.¡±

    ¡°Leave Edron!¡±

    The alpha chuckled and gestured his men to follow him out. When they reached the outside of the castle, they transformed into wolves and dashed away. As they ran through the snow, Edron gave instructions to his men to send out two of his best trackers to locate the princess, after which he would give the location to his son who wouldy down thew of mates on those self righteous elves and put Tauriel and her son in their ce.

    Back in Wintershold keep, Marceline walked slowly towards her chambers with a confused look on her face. She nibbled the inside of her lower lip as Edron¡¯s words echoed in her head.

    ¡°Melissa is Elric¡¯s mate..?¡± the woman muttered to herself, ¡°...but that can¡¯t be.¡±

    In the same way that Lycans had mates, partners they were bound to for life and marked by the male lycan¡¯s bite, the nosferatu had ¡®blood halves¡¯. Usually this type of bond happened when a male nosferatu saw a female nosferatu and fell in love with her, though it could happen vice versa. This bond was so strong, drawing the two closer till one could not live without the other. The bond was further solidified when one of the nosferatu took a small intimate bite on the neck of their blood half and tasted their blood in a practice known as a blood bond. This practice bound the two individuals for life and only death could do them part.

    Marceline had sensed that Melissa had formed a blood bond with someone a little over a week ago, how was that possible if Elric had marked her as her mate? Was she wrong? The bond she had sensed was a little bit different from the one she shared with her husband, maybe she was mistaken, but it felt so vivid.

 Chapter 81

    81 Chapter 81 : The wandering woods

    The morning was cold and E¡¯s hands were freezing cold as the icy breeze stung them continuously. As their horse slowly galloped down the narrow woodsy path, the cold air hit her face making her even more disoriented than she already was. Adam looked down at the woman who was leaning against his chest in an attempt to keep herself warm and squeezed his arms and legs tightly around her.

    ¡°It will get warmer in a few hours,¡± he informed her, ¡°in the meantime you¡¯ll have to settle for my body heat.¡±

    The slight mischief in the man¡¯s voice made E want to roll her eyes but she was feeling too tired to react. This particr morning was so strange for her, she had woken up in Adam¡¯s arms feeling tired and confused. She had the strangest dream where she could hear a voice calling out to her into the deep darkness of the cave, there was a warmth to it that made her want to know who it was, kind of like an enchanting song of a siren. When the dream had fazed away, she found herselfying her head on Adam¡¯sp, he had a worried look on his face. She didn¡¯t get the chance to ask him the details because when she came to, the group was already mounting their horses ready to leave.

    ¡°We will be reaching the wandering woods hopefully by sunset!¡± Zander said to the group.

    ¡°Why is it called the ¡®wandering woods¡¯?!¡± E questioned the blond elf. She thought it was a strange name for a forest.

    Zander was quiet for a bit until Rnd answered on his behalf, ¡°the wandering woods are the first line of defense of the enchanted forest princess. They are enchanted with elven magic to filter out travellers who are not wee into the dwarve and elven territory.¡±

    E creased her brows in thought, she wondered what kind of travellers they didn¡¯t want in their territory. Maybe it was strange creatures like those goblins that they had encountered earlier. ¡°What kind of travellers are not allowed in?¡± E asked the beautiful man, ¡°like goblins?¡±

    ¡°Goblins, trolls, lycans....¡± Zander turned his head slightly to look at E, ¡°even nosferatu.¡±

    E¡¯s breath hitched and her throat went dry. So she wouldn¡¯t be allowed through the wondering woods? Then why was she still riding towards it with them? ¡°What happens to the ones not allowed through?¡± She questioned Zander with a slightly panicked tone in her voice.

    .....

    ¡°As is the name, princess of the nosferatu,¡± Zander began to exin with a tone that E didn¡¯t appreciate at all, ¡°those not allowed through the wandering woods, those dangerous creatures and unwanted guests, are doomed to wander the forest aimlessly for all eternity. Well, until they die of hunger, thirst or are attacked and killed by other wanderers.¡±

    E swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and looked down. Suddenly Adam who had been carefully listening to everything that was being said pulled the reins of his horse and stopped it. The others also halted and turned to the elven prince who had deep creases on his forehead.

    ¡°Your grace is anything the-¡±

    ¡°Our journey together ends here,¡± Adam interrupted Rnd. There was a firmness in his voice that sent a chill down Rnd¡¯s spine.

    Zander moved his horse in a slow trot near E and the prince, ¡°my prince, what is going on?¡±

    ¡°You said it yourself Zander didn¡¯t you?¡± Adam responded to the blond elf, he did not even bother to hide the fact that Zander¡¯sments to E had offended him. ¡°E isn¡¯t allowed through the wandering woods, so what¡¯s the point on going forward with you? Her and I will find our way, you six can go on ahead, it¡¯s clear you¡¯ve been against me bringing E with me from the start.¡±

    As the prince was about to turn his horse, Rnd galloped beside the prince to stop him from turning, ¡°your grace please wait-¡±

    ¡°Out of my way Rnd!¡±

    ¡°Zander here may have been a bit too brutal with the exnation about the wandering forest,¡± he added on, ¡°yes, it¡¯s true that it filters out nosferatu, but not all of them.¡±

    Adam arched his brows at him.

    ¡°There are nosferatu who harbor ill intent towards the elves, those are the ones who should be wary of the woods not E.¡± Rnd exined.

    ¡°Why would any nosferatu have any ill intentions towards the elves?¡± E blurted out, it was a question whose answer Adam too wanted to know. ¡°I thought the four races were working together to fight the humans.¡±

    ¡°A lot has happened over a hundred years,¡± Rnd responded, ¡°it¡¯s a long story that I cannot tell in the middle of the road.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve said enough Rnd,¡± Zander spoke, ¡°you now know that there¡¯s a chance you may pass through the wandering woods princess, provided you have no ill intent towards the elves. No thoughts of bringing any of them any harm.¡± Zander¡¯s eyesnded on Adam¡¯s neck that was lightly marked with E¡¯s bite marks, making the prince pull up the hood of his cloak.

    ¡°We should keep moving,¡± Zander added on, ¡°we are still in goblin territory.¡± He whipped the reins of his horses and galloped away, the rest of the men following him. Adam on the other hand stood there, feeling a bit conflicted.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go on ahead,¡± E spoke to him.

    The prince looked down at her in shock, ¡°but E, going through the wandering woods is a gamble.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she responded, ¡°but you need to get to your people. A lot of dangers lie ahead and I can¡¯t let you face them alone.¡± E¡¯s thoughts wandered to the goblin attack and her body flinched.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯reing along because YOU want to protect ME?¡± Adam asked the woman in shock. This entire time he thought he was dragging E with him to protect her.

    ¡°But of course,¡± E responded smugly, a smile painted her beautiful petit face, ¡°if you weren¡¯t such a mushy bag of flesh, I¡¯d be on my way to the snonds right now. But I have to keep you safe from all the creatures trying to eat you till you reach Ervelon.¡±

    Adam burst intoughter, his deep voice echoed throughout the forest and into E¡¯s ears. Hearing himugh made her heart flutter, it had been a long time since she¡¯d heard hisughter and she loved it. He then wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head before nudging the horse to move forward to catch up with the rest of the group. ¡°I¡¯m honored to have such a powerful and reliable escort,¡± Adam spoke sheepishly.

    ¡°You should be.¡± E responded with her nose proudly up in the air. Adam smiled and kissed the top of her head once more, wether protector or not, Adam was d E was with him throughout this journey.

    *

    Just like Zander had predicted, the group reached the foot of the wandering woods at dusk. The demarcation between the grassy ins and the tall trees of the woods was very evident. There was a thickyer of tall fir and cypress trees stretching across as far as the eye could see, with only a single narrow horse trail in front of them cutting into the thick woods.

    ¡°There should be a small clearing a thirty minutes ride from here,¡± Zander told the group, ¡°we will rest there for the night,e on.¡±

    Zander led the group down the narrow path into the woods. Adam looked down at E with a worried look on his face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, don¡¯t worry about me,¡± E responded as if reading his mind. She gently ced her hand over his and squeezed it reassuringly. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    The elven prince took a deep breath and nudged their horse to go forward. E could feel the loud thudding of his heart against his chest so she gently rubbed his hand to calm him down as they disappeared into the dense thicket of trees.

    Not long after they disappeared into the woods, a powerful pping of wings could be heard from above. Maria and Viviannded at the entrance of the wandering woods, retracted their wings and took a few steps forward before halting and giving each other concerned stares.

    ¡°This is a bad idea, you¡¯ve heard tales of the wandering woods haven¡¯t you?¡± Vivian cautioned Maria. ¡°We could end up spending the rest of our lives lost in there.¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself,¡± Maria urged the woman, ¡°we bare no ill intentions towards any elf. We simply wish to retrieve our princess and return her home.¡±

    Vivian looked at the narrow path and gulped. Maria was right, but still Vivian was wary of this ce. It was said that the nosferatu who had been sent to Ervelon to search and retrieve Aiden were still wondering these woods. They must have gonepletely insane at this point. And without any blood or ichor, they must have been starving, waiting for some unsuspecting travelers to show up so they could sink their teeth into them.

    ¡°let¡¯s go, we must not lose sight of her.¡±

 Chapter 82

    82 Chapter 82 : Spellbinding [PG18 warning]

    The caravan moved in slow gallops along the narrow dirt path within the woods, with Zander who knew the terrain best at the front, followed by Adam and E, then Ivan, Beric, Odran, Ozias and Rnd at the end. Night had fallen and the temperatures had dropped tremendously to the point that all the men were shivering whenever a cold breeze blew past them.

    E sneezed for the fifth time since they had entered the woods and sniffled. ¡°Hold the lead line,¡± Adam instructed the redhead. The woman was a bit hesitant but eventually took hold of the horse. The prince took his cloak off and wrapped it around E.

    ¡°Adam it¡¯s freezing, you need your cloak.¡± E spoke to the man who was securing the garment around her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he responded softly and kissed the top of her head. ¡°If you¡¯re going to keep me safe we need to keep you from getting sick.¡±

    E blushed lightly before chuckling and sneezing again. Adam pulled her into his chest and looked up at Zander. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the camp site was just an hour away?!¡±

    ¡°I guess my memory is a little hazy your grace,¡± Zander responded.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting cold Zander and the horses are tired,¡± Adam spoke while gently rubbing E¡¯s tummy with one hand to warm her up.

    ¡°If you¡¯d prefer sleeping in the trees like a bunch of apes please be my guest and stop,¡± Zander spoke curtly. He too was cold and tired, he didn¡¯t need to be reminded. ¡°We can¡¯t set up camp without a clearing.¡±

    Adam furrowed his eyebrows when E sneezed again. He stopped his horse, blocking the path for the others. ¡°We¡¯ll camp here.¡±

    .....

    The men stopped and looked to their sides at the thick woods in shock. The woods were so thick that someone as big as Ozias wouldn¡¯t even be able to walk through it, so how on earth did prince Adam expect them to camp here?

    The elven prince hopped off his steed and helped E down. ¡°Stand clear, I¡¯m about to clear some trees.¡± Adam walked towards the trees and touched one of them, he then closed his eyes and took a breath. A few dark marks appeared on his forehead and the ground started shaking. Before everyone around could contemte what was happening, a number of trees began to shrivel away, reducing in size until arge circr clearing was formed.

    Adam stepped back, cupped his forehead and winced, he still hadn¡¯t gotten a grip of the amount of energy using his magic required. E rushed to his side and put his arm around her shoulders, she smiled up at him and helped him walk into the clearing.

    [What would you do without me?]

    ~I ask myself that question everyday~

    E helped Adam sit on a rock near some trees and looked at the men who where unpacking and preparing to erect the tents and start a fire. ¡°I¡¯ll go help them,¡± she spoke, ¡°you should rest.¡±

    When she turned to leave, Adam grabbed her by the hand and pulled her onto hisp. ¡°I thought you¡¯re here to help me..¡± Adam spoke in a boyish tone. He trailed his hands gently over her cks making the redhead blush.

    ¡°Adam stop it,¡± she whispered to the grinning man, ¡°they can see us.¡±

    Adamy his head on E¡¯s bosoms, ¡°I know that, I just don¡¯t care,¡± the man responded, a little too loudly for E¡¯sfort. He wrapped his arms around her waist and snuggled his face into her chest. ¡°I¡¯ve waited decades to do this E, let me have my moment.¡±

    E waspletely flushed. Adam had his face between her knockers and she could clearly see the men taking nces at them and smiling sheepishly to themselves. All except Zander who was sulking and trying to light a fire.

    ¡°Adam stop..¡± E nudged the man, gently trying to push him away while putting on a poker face for the men setting up camp.

    The elven prince looked up at E, his face still snuggled between her breasts with a puppy pout on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll stop if you kiss me.¡±

    E¡¯s heart jumped and her blush spread all the way to the roots of her hair. Adam¡¯s purplish brown eyes glistened in anticipation. She couldn¡¯t just kiss him here, everyone was watching. ¡°I will, just not here,¡± she responded in a hushed tone. ¡°Now let go.¡±

    ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll just be here till you¡¯re ready to kiss me.¡± Adam plunged his face back into E¡¯s chest. He lowered one hand to E¡¯s bum and gave it a light squeeze making the redhead yelp in response.

    ¡°Adam don¡¯t be so shameless!¡± She scolded him in whispers.

    ¡°Kiss me and I¡¯ll let you go,¡± the man responded, his words and warm breath ticking E¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Why you-¡± E pursed her lips and pouted, making the elven prince grin in pleasure.

    ¡°Doing that only makes me want to kiss you more,¡± he whispered mischievously, ¡°I¡¯ll sink my teeth right into those perfect pouting lips of yours.¡±

    Before E could respond, Beric walked towards them and cleared his throat. His face was a little shed after watching the prince snuggling up to E. ¡°Ummh your grace, your tent is ready,¡± he spoke sheepishly, ¡°maybe you¡¯d like to take your business withdy E to the tent instead?¡±

    E flinched at Beric¡¯s words, ¡°there¡¯s no business!¡± She retaliated.

    ¡°We made sure to ce your tent far from all of us because we can¡¯t sleep with all the arousal

    in the air whenever you two are together!¡± This time it was Ivan who was yelling at Adam and E as he tried to warm himself over the fire they had lit.

    ¡°Take pity on us your grace,¡± Odranined, ¡°we haven¡¯t been with a woman for almost two months now, hearing your sexual banter withdy E is torture.¡±

    ¡°Eh?! There¡¯s absolutely no sexual banter!¡± E screamed. She was so embarrassed she felt like digging a hole and jumping in.

    ¡°To be fairdy E,¡± Rnd spoke as he poked the fire with a stick, ¡°our prince hasn¡¯t had any rtions with a woman for as long as we¡¯ve known him. Throw the man a bone.¡±

    E was about to stand up and give the men a peice of her mind when Adam whisked her up into his arms. ¡°You¡¯re right men,¡± Adam responded, his perfect white teeth shed in a slightly crooked side smile. ¡°We¡¯ll head into our tent. Do call us for dinner, we may be a while.¡±

    E¡¯s lungs copse and her legs turned into rubber when her brain processed Adam¡¯s words. What did he mean they¡¯d be a while? A while doing what? E felt like fainting as Adam carried her briskly to their tent which truly the men had positioned a bit further than the rest.

    When they got in, Adam gently ced E on her sleeping fur and crouched over her, ¡°Why are you all red like that beautiful?¡±

    E looked to the side and crossed her arms over her chest, ¡°next time I want my own tent,¡± she responded curtly making Adam chuckle. She was so cute when she was like this, her pouting made her beautiful soft lips fuller and so alluring.

    Unable to control himself any longer, Adam grabbed E¡¯s arms and leaned in for a kiss. E¡¯s eyes bulged when his lips crushed into hers, but soon enough she closed them and her delicate hands made their way to the back of his head. Kissing and holding Adam felt so sensual, so fulfilling and so goddam right. When she parted her lips and the elf slowly slid his tongue into her mouth, butterflies ttered within her stomach.

    She pulled him closer and the two ended up falling back onto the fur. Adam broke the kiss and looked down at the beautiful woman with a surprised look on his face, he grinned before releasing a muffled ¡°fuck¡± and diving into the kiss once more.

    E¡¯s fingers raked through Adam¡¯s dark hair and his hands held onto her thighs as they kissed passionately. It felt like they had waited an eternity for this moment, a moment of intimacy between them, and they both wanted to savor every second of it. They both knew the pain of living without the other, so they appreciated this moment together greatly.

    Adam broke the kiss again and looked down at the gorgeous woman beneath him lovingly with just a hint of lust. He wanted to take her, ravished her and explore her amazing body till the break of dawn, but he wanted to ease E into it. Build up the sexual desire until he felt the time was right. So he moved downward to E¡¯s lower half and began to unbutton her cks.

    ¡°Let me show you what true intimacy feels like,¡± Adam whispered in the most seductive tone E had ever heard. Even after years of being apart, her attraction to this man had not wavered, in fact, it run deeper now.

    Adam gently slid off E¡¯s cks and gulped when he saw the tiny fabric that was standing between him and his target. ¡°Should I take these off, or just pull them to the side?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean pull them.... aaah!¡± E had to cover her mouth when Adam pulled her panties to the side and licked her private area. She had never felt a sensation quite like that before.

    ¡°That.. or should I take them offpletely?¡± Adam questioned her again, his eyes droopy and his voice heavily sedated with arousal.

    ¡°I.... I....¡± E could not put together words, her body was still in shock after what Adam had just done to her. He had licked her.. down there! And it felt... absolutely spellbinding.

 Chapter 83

    83 Chapter 83 : Foodie [PG 18 warning]

    Adam smiled mischievously when E sped her legs together and her face flushed as bright as a beet. He bent over lightly, held her knees and pried her legs open. E was mortified at the gesture, she felt so exposed and embarrassed.

    ¡°Adam... I-¡±

    The dark haired handsome elf heaved himself upwards and leaned over E, cing himself between her legs and kissed her sweetly, ¡°I¡¯ll go easy on you E, you can stop me if you don¡¯t like what I¡¯ll do.¡± He leaned closer to her ear and whispered ¡°is that okay?¡±

    E felt her flower bud thump in response to his groggy deep voice whispering in her ear. She bit down on her lower lip and nodded her head slowly.

    ¡°Good girl...¡±

    Adam moved his face back down to between E¡¯s legs, held the sides of her panties with his pinky fingers and gently slipped them down her long smooth legs. When her panties were fully off, E almost mped her legs closed again but Adam grabbed them and stopped her.

    E¡¯s eyes almost fell out of their sockets when the handsome man lowered his face in between her thighs, ¡°Adam wait!... aaah gods!¡± E¡¯s back arched when the handsome elf¡¯s tongue licked her bud gently. Her hands automatically shot to his hair and she grabbed his soft locks firmly.

    The prince grinned at E¡¯s expression, her reaction was like motivation for him to pleasure her even more. Adam grabbed onto her soft thighs and pulled them apart, with one quick breath he dove in tongue first, devouring E¡¯s flower like he was sucking and licking honey off a honeb. E resonated a soft moan that made Adam¡¯s ears perk up and his spine tingle.

    ¡°Gods! Adam!¡±

    .....

    The man slightly lifted his head and gently kissed her flower softly before plunging his tongue into her cooch. Adam groaned deeply, twirling his tongue around within her sacred cavern, gods she was so delectable and mouth watering. The elven prince never considered himself a foodie, but after tasting E, he now had a favorite meal, one he wanted to devour every single day.

    The blue eyed woman felt her beautiful orbs roll to the back of her head when the elven prince caught her little bud gently between his teeth, and then brushed his tongue over it. ¡°Ah! Adam!¡±

    ¡°Mmmh E...¡± the movement of his lips when he moaned E¡¯s name made the woman flinch in pleasure.

    Adam moved his hands to her bum and used them to slightly lift her up towards his face. E screamed and immediately covered her mouth with both her hands when the man plunged his tongue deep into her core and used his lips to massage her petals. E felt something dense and tingling building up in the pit of her stomach, it felt like a bubble of pleasure growing bigger and bigger, threatening to burst.

    E lowered her hands from her mouth and dug her finger nails into the fur beneath her, ¡°Adam.. wait.. something is about to happen..¡±

    The prince looked up at her blushing and sweaty face, his mouth stilltched onto herdy parts. ¡°Adam...¡± E repeated herself, her voice was strained and her body had started shivering. The bubble withing her core was ready to burst, ¡°Adam I¡¯m about to burst!¡±

    Adam pulled away slightly and grinned at the whimpering woman, ¡°that¡¯s the point E, it means you¡¯re about to spend yourself. Don¡¯t hold it in E, do it, I want to gulp it all down.¡± The man plunged his skillful tongue back into E¡¯s core, this time moving it in and out until the woman could no longer hold back.

    E grabbed onto Adam¡¯s hair and groaned heavily. Her back arched and she gnashed her teeth together as the muscles of her core convulsed vigorously. The bubble of pleasure that had been building up within E¡¯s core ruptured and her womanly juices rushed out of her bud.

    The elven prince moaned and gulped up all her fluids in one goal, his figures gripping her buttocks firmly. After Adam had consumed everything, he sat up, lightly licked his lips and threw his head back, looking up at the roof of the tent with a satisfied grin on his face. ¡°Fuck E,¡± he groaned.

    He moved himself on top of her and copsed on her chest, his arms wrapped lovingly around her slender waist. He pulled his fur and covered them both before snuggling himself between her legs. ¡°You are the sweetest woman in all the six kingdoms.¡± He kissed her chest and snuggled up against it, ¡°I love you.¡±

    E wrapped her arm around the man¡¯s neck and used the other to gently stroke his hair, ¡°I love you too.¡± Her voice was low and heavilyced with sexual pleasure. Her mind couldn¡¯t wrap her head around how Adam had made her feel so much pleasure with just his mouth. Only the gods knew how much more pleasure she would feel if he used his-

    The redhead woman took a deep breath and tried to clear her head of the dirty thoughts that were brewing, gosh. She felt ashamed for wanting Adam to do what he had done again, and maybe even more. Her scandalous reverie was shattered when Beric¡¯s voice was heard from outside the tent.

    ¡°Your grace! Lady E! If you¡¯re not too umm... busy... our meals for the night are ready!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me Beric I¡¯ve already eaten!¡± Adam called out to the man

    E¡¯s heart stopped at his words, ¡°Adam!¡± This man was utterly shameless good lord. ¡°We¡¯ll be right out Beric don¡¯t listen to him he hasn¡¯t eaten anything!¡± E¡¯s face was so hot and red that the cold of the night did not affect her at all. She looked down at the man who was smiling slyly on herp and pushed him to the side.

    ¡°You¡¯re a shameless shameless man!¡± She scolded Adam as she stood up and put on her panties and cks.

    Adam chuckled and looked up at the beautiful pouting woman, ¡°but you like that...¡± he stood up and made his way to her, gently wrapping his arm around her slender waist. ¡°... don¡¯t you?¡±

    E turned away from his face and pursed her lips together. Like it? She loved it! Who was she kidding, she was a shameless woman too. ¡°Can we just go and eat please.¡± She responded curtly.

    ¡°Again?¡± The man arched a brow at the redhead.

    ¡°Adam!¡±

    Adamughed and pulled E into a bear hug, ¡°I¡¯m only joking,e on let¡¯s get us some food.¡±

 Chapter 84

    84 Chapter 84 : I want to give you a baby

    E and Adam made their way to sit around the fire where the rest of the men were eating their meal. After almost a month of traveling, they were low on rations of meat unless they went out to hunt, so for the night, they had prepared a vegetable stew with some bread.

    E sat down next to Beric and Adam sat next to her. She made sure to keep her eyes from looking at the men who she was sure knew that something sexual had happened between her and the elven prince. Adam on the other hand was beaming, he was even humming as he poured stew into two bowls for the blue eyed woman and himself.

    ¡°Here you go beautiful,¡± he spoke gently as he handed E the bowl of food, ¡°you need to regain your strength after our little session.¡±

    E almost dropped the bowl, why in blue zes would Adam say something like that in front of everyone?! Her blush intensified and her head bowed lower, she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to respond to his outrageousment because her throat was as dry as the bread on her te.

    Adam handed her a spoon which E hesitantly took and begun stirring her stew. Coming out here to eat was a bad idea, she should have just asked Adam to bring her some food to the tent instead.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matterdy E?¡± Beric questioned the woman after noticing that she was merely stirring her food and not eating any of it. ¡°Is the food not good enough? Sorry we couldn¡¯t find any fresh meat, it¡¯s not so easy hunting in these thick woods.¡±

    ¡°No the food is great!¡± E responded nervously. She scooped up a spoonful of stew and ced it in her mouth. She immediately wanted to spit it out but forced herself to swallow it. ¡°Mmmh delicious.¡±

    The stew tasted so nd, it was as if she was eating watered bread. What happened to her taste buds? Or was the food just awful? Not wanting to offend whoever the cook was, E took another spoonful and continued eating her food. Plus she was feeling a little hungrier than usual so she really didn¡¯t have much of a choice.

    When E finished her food, Adam looked at her te, ¡°you want seconds-¡±

    .....

    ¡°No!¡± The redhead blurted out, instantly regretting it. ¡°I mean.. I¡¯m so full, I couldn¡¯t possibly eat another bite even if I want to so so much.¡±

    ¡°You should eat more princess,¡± Ivan spoke with a sly smile, ¡°Our prince has the sex drive of a horse after a lifetime of abstinence. You¡¯re probably due for another couple of rounds.¡±

    ¡°Ivan!¡± Rnd scolded his friend.

    ¡°What?!¡± Ivan spoke, ¡°we¡¯re all thinking it!¡±

    ¡°Well yes but there was no need for you to say it out loud,¡± Beric muttered with a faint blush on his face.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to hide!¡± Ivan replied. He turned to Adam and E, ¡°we all know they¡¯re fucking, heck, some of us are actually a tad jealous about it too. Princess tell them, you and the prince are getting into each other¡¯s drawers aren¡¯t you?¡±

    E felt like the ground beneath her was spinning, she had never been so embarrassed in her entire life. Why were these shameless men airing out her sex life in the open like this? And why wasn¡¯t Adam saying anything.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter princess?¡± Ivan added on, ¡°cat got your tongue? Or should I say your cat¡¯s got prince Adam¡¯s tongue.¡±

    E had fainted many times in her head already, she was about ready to head back to the tent when Adam wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

    ¡°Alrightds enough of that,¡± Adam spoke, ¡°E is a shy girl you¡¯re embarrassing her with your twisted conversation, leave her alone.¡±

    ¡°Ohe now you know we¡¯re just messing around with her,¡± Rnd turned to E and gave her a reassuring smile, ¡°this is how theseds aredy E, it¡¯s best you get used to them.¡± He took a bite of his bread and pat Ivan hard on his back, ¡°they mean no harm, so just be free alright.¡±

    E lifted her gaze and gave the man a grateful smile. She was still absolutely embarrassed about the whole thing, but she did feel a little better.

    ¡°Pass the wine Rnd,¡± Adam asked with one hand outstretched and the other still wrapped around E¡¯s shoulders, ¡°I¡¯m in a good mood today and I wish to drink.¡±

    The men all cheered as Rnd poured the prince a cup. After handing Adam his cup he turned to the blue eyed beauty who was snuggly tucked under the prince¡¯s arm, ¡°wine princess?¡±

    E shock her head, ¡°no thank you Rnd, I¡¯m feeling a bit tired so I¡¯m going to retire to bed.¡±

    ¡°A, but E-¡± Adam looked at her with a pout making her giggle.

    She covered his face with the palm of her hand and yfully pushed him away. She then stood up and dusted her clothes, ¡°I¡¯ll see you all in the morning, good night.¡±

    ¡°Good night beautiful, I¡¯ll join you in a minute.¡± Adam spoke with a sheepish smile.

    E rolled her eyes and walked back towards the tent, the ¡®good nights¡¯ of the men echoing behind her.

    ¡°Good night princess.¡±

    ¡°Good nightdy E..¡±

    ¡°If you wish to sleep I suggest you kick prince Adam out!¡±

    ¡°And invite me instead!¡±

    ¡°Good nightdy E!¡±

    The redhead chuckled, Adam had a very interesting group of friends indeed.

    *

    Later that night, E was startled awake when she heard the crushing and falling of water canteens within the tent. She sat up in her fur and saw Adam packing the canteens he had identally knocked over back in their bags.

    ¡°Hey beautiful,¡± Adam spoke in a slurred tone, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry did I wake you?¡±

    The handsome man walked towards E and crawled to her side. He stroked her hair lovingly, his droopy eyes trailing every part of her face. ¡°Ssh ssssh go back to sleep beautiful, it¡¯s veryte.¡±

    Every breath Adam breathed was heavily infused with the smell of alcohol, and judging from his slurred speech and droopy eyes, it was easy for E to conclude that the handsome man had had a little too much to drink.

    ¡°Come, let¡¯sy down,¡± Adam tugged E downwards and pulled the fur over both of them. He looked into her beautiful blue orbs that were staring at him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do I have something on my face?¡±

    E chuckled and shook her head, ¡°no it¡¯s not that.¡±

    ¡°What is it then?¡± Adam looked at E¡¯s amused smile and grinned, ¡°do you want me to eat you out again?¡±

    E blushed instantly, she pursed her lips and looked away, fighting the urge to say ¡®yes Adam, I so badly want you to eat me out till I can no longer feel my legs¡¯. ¡°No, I¡¯ve just never seen you drunk before. It¡¯s quite amusing.¡±

    Adam jerked his head back and ced his hand in his chest, ¡°drunk?!¡± He eximed in a yfully offend tone, ¡°what part of me looks drunk to you?¡±

    ¡°Adam you smell like the inside of a bottle of wine,¡± E spoke with a chuckle.

    ¡°Oh really..¡± the man wrapped his arm around E and pulled her closer to him, his droopy eyes gazing down at her hungrily.

    ¡°Adam what are you doing?¡± E spoke in a panic. She knew very well that alcohol took away all sense of restraint in a person, Adam was already a shameless man when sober, so who knew what heights of shamelessness he would reach now that he was intoxicated.

    Adam moved on top of E and attacked her lips with his in a hot kiss, only breaking it to say, ¡°Can a drunk man do this?¡± And he devoured her lips again.

    This kiss was messy but it was the most passionate and most intense kiss E had ever experienced. Somehow his alcohol infused breath numbed her body and mind, making her give into him. She wrapped one arm around his broad muscr shoulders and with the other she grabbed the back of his head.

    The kiss went on for a long time and she had lost track of the minutes that flew by due to the utter bliss she was feeling. Her mind flipped back to life when a bulge formed in Adam¡¯s pants and pressed heavily against her crotch. The size alone was enough to make E flinch, how had this handsome prince been able to hide something so.. so.. massive.

    Adam groaned in E¡¯s mouth and slowly begun moving himself up and down, rubbing his erection against her crotch. He eventually broke the kiss and focused soly on dry humping her. He leaned towards her ear and groaned, ¡°I want you E..¡±

    He kissed her lips gently and continued humping her, ¡°I¡¯ve wanted you from the first day Iy my eyes on you,¡± he continued speaking in a groggy slurred tone, ¡°You¡¯re the only woman for me, I want to be with you forever E.¡±

    The man stopped humping her and his body went limp over hers, his breathing slowed down and his erection twitched a little. ¡°E....¡±

    The redhead gently ran her hand through Adam¡¯s soft locks, the smell of wine and his woodsy musk filling her nostrils. ¡°Yes Adam,¡± she whispered back to him. She could see that the alcohol was now in full effect and his body was tired.

    ¡°I want you to have my children..¡± he muttered sleepily. ¡°I want to give you baby...¡±

    E¡¯s fingers stopped stroking his hair and she looked down at him. ¡°You want what?!¡± E¡¯s heart was pounding, having kids had never crossed her mind before, especially now after the most recent developments.

    Adam did not respond to her question, he had already fallen into a deep sleep with his headying on E¡¯s bosom and his arm around her waist. E drew in a breath and kissed his hair, she didn¡¯t have the heart to wake him up. She would talk to him about it the next morning.

 Chapter 85

    85 Chapter 85 : It¡¯s a war

    E¡¯s eyes shot open when she heard the crunching of leaves from a distance outside the tent, at first she thought it was just a woond creature or something but the pattern of the crunching sounded a lot like footsteps. She closed her eyes and focused on the noise and she heard breathing, breathing that didn¡¯t belong to any animal she knew. There was a human or humans walking around outside in the dark.

    E looked down at the dark haired man who was fast asleep on her chest and nudged him, ¡°Adam, there¡¯s someone outside.¡±

    ¡°Mmmh your skin is so soft..¡± the man mumbled and went back to sleep.

    E rolled her eyes. She looked to the exit of the tent and focused her hearing on the outside. The presence there was certainly not an animal, but again after focusing she could tell that it wasn¡¯t human either. What was that?

    E gently slid Adam off her body with much difficulty, he was firmlytched onto her and he was incredibly heavy. When he was finally off, she rolled up her cloak into a bulk and ced it in Adam¡¯s arms to hug. After the alcohol Adam had taken she knew he was not waking up anytime soon.

    She walked out of the tent and immediately shivered when the cold air hit her exposed skin, she immediately regretted leaving her cloak with Adam. She quietly walked around the tent to where she heard the footsteps. E was moving so quietly and swiftly that she did not notice that her feet barely touched the ground, she glided quietly through the cold night air into the thicket of trees, following the breathing that she could clearly hear with her new sharper sense of hearing.

    The blue eyed woman halted, her eyes turned red, her fangs sprouted out and she turned around sharply when she felt a presence behind her. The shadows of the treesshed towards the presence, acting upon E¡¯s instinct. The act surprised her a bit, she had no idea she could control shadows but this wasn¡¯t a time to think about the details.

    ¡°Mydy wait!¡±

    The shadows halted just inches away from the woman who had her arms in front of her defensively. E¡¯s eyes went wide when sheid eyes on the woman who had just spoken.

    .....

    ¡°Maria?¡±

    The shadows returned to their original positions, her eyes returned to their original color and her feet returned to the ground. ¡°What are you doing here? How did you find me?¡±

    When E saw another woman pop up behind Maria, she became wary and defensive. She took a step back when she saw the fangs in both their mouths and their slightly pointed ears. ¡°You.. you¡¯re nosferatu?¡± The shadows of the trees started moving again, ¡°who sent you here? Was it Nathan?! I won¡¯t let you take me back to him!¡±

    ¡°Princess no!¡± The other woman yelled in a panic, she could sense the raw power that was pouring out of E, it¡¯s was so spectacr and so terrifying at the same time. ¡°We have note from Meria, your father sent us here. He sent us to bring you home.¡± The woman bowed lightly and looked up at E, ¡°we are your escorts to Wintershold, Princess Melissa of the nosferatu.¡±

    *

    King Elric took long strides passed the knights who were standing on either side of the exit, he walked out of the pce to the courtyard where six big menacing looking men took a knee upon Elric¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°You sure took your time to get here,¡± Elric spoke to the men as he waved his hand gesturing them to stand up straight.

    ¡°Our apologies my prince,¡± one of the men responded with a slight bow. ¡°It¡¯s has been many years since we dwelled thesends, navigating our way here was not the easiest task.¡±

    Elric scoffed, ¡°wolves who can¡¯t track? Then what good are you to me?¡±

    The man bowed again, ¡°my apologies again your grace, but I assure you you¡¯ll see that we can track elves the way a rodent soughts out a piece of cheese. We will find the elf and we will bring back your mate.¡±

    ¡°There has been a slight change of ns,¡± Elric spoke calmly, the way he looked down at the men with that vicious aura whirling around him, the men had no doubt in their minds that this was truly the alpha¡¯s son, next leader of the silver pack.

    ¡°This is not just a retrieval mission anymore,¡± Elric added on, ¡°it¡¯s a war.¡±

    The man with deep silvery eyes arched his brows in amusement, ¡°you wish to wage war against the elves?¡±

    ¡°They kidnapped my mate at my wedding, that¡¯s treason is it not?,¡± Elric spoke angrily. Every time he thought of that day, the day Adam snuck into his own wedding and stole E away from him made his blood boil. He didn¡¯t even want to think about whatever that slimy piece of elf garbage was doing to his wife in fear he might transform and rip everyone within range limb from limb.

    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m trying to reunite the continent again,¡± Elric added on, ¡°restore it to its former glory with me as king, and my beautiful and lovely E as my queen.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be presumptuous my prince,¡± the silver eyed lycan spoke, ¡°but isn¡¯t the initial n to do exactly that? To overthrow the humans and restore the continent to its previous state before the cleansing?¡±

    ¡°Union of territory only happens with conquest, ¡± Elric responded, ¡°that nonsense of ing together¡¯ to overthrow the humans is a foolish dream. A leader must take control and merge all the kingdoms under one supreme rule, that is true conquest.¡± the silver haired king turned to the man and held his hands behind his back, a taunting smile crossing his face. ¡°And that leader who will make all of this possible, is me.¡±

    The silver eyed lycan¡¯s amused smile turned into a grin. This man was insane, he wanted to conquer all thends of the continent by himself and deem himself supreme ruler?! What an insanely intriguing n, talk about reaching for the sky.

    ¡°So I ask you, will you join me in my cause?¡± Adam questioned the men who were standing in a line in front of him.

    ¡°You are our prince,¡± the silver eyed lycan spoke, ¡°we would join you in any cause.¡±

    The six men bowed and swore their allegiance and the allegiance of the entire pack to Elric. The king grinned devilishly and turned to head back into the pce. ¡°Theo, give them a ce to drink, eat and rest. Make sure all their needs are well taken care of. We ride to war in a few days.¡±

    Theo bowed respectfully towards the silver haired king and led the men away. Leaving Elric to his study where he rolled out a map of the great continent of Ronia Cresus. He already had meria under his rule, Gavaria was practically his as well, and now with theycans, and in part the nosferatu on his side, all that was left was the elves, the dwarves and the kingdom of Cenia. Baiviles was governed by Gavaria after being conquered by Adam some years back so it was as good as his as well.

    With the army he had amassed, king Elric was going to crush Adam and all the elves, and then he would take his wife back, get her pregnant and they could live happily ever after for all eternity! No one would ever dare take E away from him ever again, because he¡¯d be the undisputed king of all!

    Elric released a thread of chilling chuckles as he enjoyed the thoughts of crushing the elven army and keeping their dear sweet prince as a prisoner of war. He was going to torture Adam mercilessly, he would even make the elven prince a guard to stand watch while he made sweet love to his wife over and over again till that elf got the message that E belonged to Elric and no one else.

    The silver haired king walked to his table and looked at a picture of his human mother and father, Bradley Aldos and Juliet Aldos. In a way he had them to thank for all of this, if he hadn¡¯t been born a prince of Meria he wouldn¡¯t have any ims to the throne, and if his mother hadn¡¯t died, Bradley Aldos wouldn¡¯t have given him the crown at such a convenient moment.

    Speaking of the former king, Elric had almost forgotten to do his weekly visits to him at the country house where Bradley had moved to. The former king insisted that the pce held too many fond memories of histe wife so he needed to leave and start anew. That also was a perk for Elric, as the country house was so far from civilization that the king had no idea that humans didn¡¯t walk the streets freely anymore and the silver haired king though it was wiser to just let him be. Elric had promised to visit him once every week and had done exactly that for the past couple of months.

    Theo walked into the study and bowed respectfully before speaking, ¡°all the guests have been tended to your majesty.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Elric responded without turning around, ¡°prepare my horse and two royal gaurds to apany me. I wish to go see how my father is faring.¡±

    ¡°At once your majesty,¡± Theo responded before exiting the study to do as he was told.

 Chapter 86

    86 Chapter 86 : Vivian and Maria

    ¡°We have note from Meria, your father sent us here. He sent us to bring you home.¡± The woman bowed lightly and looked up at E, ¡°we are your escorts to Wintershold, Princess Melissa of the nosferatu.¡±

    ¡°My father?¡± E was confused, ¡°John Morrell?¡±

    ¡°No mydy.. err your highness,¡± Maria corrected herself as she inched closer to the blue eyed woman. ¡°Your father the Kaiser. King of the nosferatu, Kaiser Stefan.¡±

    E flicked her longshes and studied the two women, she had so many questions in her mind . How did Maria know her father? Did she know that she was a nosferatu all this time? Who was the woman with her? And why hadn¡¯t she mentioned any of this to her before.

    ¡°Your highness it is imperative that you return with us to Wintershold, matters of national importance await you,¡± the woman inched closer towards E and instantly a shadowshed at her hand making her wince in pain.

    ¡°Don¡¯te any closer!¡± E growled, ¡°I still don¡¯t trust you and I¡¯m not going anywhere with you until I know all the facts!¡±

    Vivian rubbed the cut on her palm and in a few seconds the wound healedpletely, making E step back in shock.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright princess Melissa,¡± Vivian coaxed her, ¡°I¡¯m not hurt, see.¡± She held her palm up to show E. She then retracted her hand and smiled at the redhead, ¡°you¡¯re quite the feisty one little cousin.¡±

    Before E could speak, Zander, Rnd and Ozias showed up from behind the women. Zander had his bow and arrow pointed at them, Rnd his twin daggers and Ozias his spiked club.

    .....

    ¡°Are you okay princess?!¡± Rnd asked E, his narrow eyes never leaving the two nosferatu women.

    ¡°We don¡¯t take kindly to unwanted guests,¡± Ozias growled, ¡°especially in the middle of the night.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?!¡± Zandermanded the two women, ¡°what are two nosferatu doing this far north?! Who sent you?!¡±

    Vivian turned towards the men and put her arms up in front of her, ¡°we mean no harm, we¡¯re here for princess Melissa.¡±

    Zander¡¯s breath hitched when his eyes fell on the nosferatu woman. She had long wavy jet ck hair, sapphire blue eyes, deep red crossbow lips and a body to die for.

    ¡°Wee in peace..¡± Vivian added on

    ¡°And why should we trust you?!¡±

    Zander lowered his weapon and held up his arm at his friends, ¡°hey it¡¯s alright, let¡¯s hear her out.¡±

    Ozias and Rnd looked at Zander in shock. Was this really Zander?! The uptight, by the book, ¡®never listens to anyone¡¯ Zander was asking them to hear a nosferatu out?!

    Vivian put her hands down and inched closer to the men, her hips swaying slowly with every step she took. Zander gulped, his eyes trailing from the woman¡¯s gorgeous face down to her slender shoulders, and beautiful body. The fact that she was in a skintight ck and leather top didn¡¯t help the situation either.

    ¡°I¡¯m Vivian, daughter of the governor of the snonds and also princess Melissa¡¯s first cousin.¡±

    ¡°Hi Vivian..¡± Zander muttered.

    The men who were standing beside Zander turned to look at him dumbfounded, what in the world was going on right now? The blond elf didn¡¯t sound like himself at all.

    ¡°Umm hi..¡± Vivian replied awkwardly, ¡°anyway as I was saying, we¡¯re here to retrieve the princess, these are orders from the Kaiser. We wish not to cause any fracas between us.¡±

    ¡°Like hell we¡¯ll allow you to just take E away,¡± Rnd spoke, his dagger still pointed at the dark haired woman. ¡°Where were you when she was in need of saving from the lycan Nathaniel huh? E will stay right here with prince Adam.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible,¡± Maria responded, ¡°her highness has an obligation to the kingdom, she can¡¯t just go on a joy ride with a bunch of elves.¡±

    ¡°Say that one more time vampire!¡± Ozias dared the woman, his club dangerously close to her face.

    ¡°Vampire?!¡± Maria¡¯s fangs elongated at the big man¡¯s words.

    ¡°Wow.. wow.. hold on! Calm down all of you!¡± Zander yelled, ¡°look it¡¯ste and we¡¯re all tired and cold. So why don¡¯t we all go back to the camp and talk from there. If indeed you¡¯re here for E and we¡¯re convinced she will be better off with you then well and good. But if we suspect her involvement with you will endanger her, she stays with us.¡±

    E stepped forward and stood in between the group. ¡°No one will decide wether I go or stay but me!¡± She spoke firmly, ¡°I¡¯m not a child you can just toss around!¡± She turned to Vivian and sized her up, ¡°if I sense that there¡¯s something off about you, both of you, I¡¯ll make sure you return to whoever sent you in body bags.¡±

    Vivian¡¯s lips tugged up into a smile, ten minutes of knowing E and she already loved her little cousin. She was the exact embodiment of her mother queen Marceline, ridiculously beautiful yet overwhelmingly strong.

    ¡°Of course princess,¡± Vivian nodded, ¡°lead the way.¡±

    *

    Adam shifted around in the fur and opened his eyes slowly. The tent was still dark but from the slight increase in temperature and the sounds of the birds outside, the eleven prince could tell that morning was approaching.

    A faint smile crossed his face when a thought of E crossed his mind. This was one of his favorite moments, watching her sleeping soundly till she ttered her beautiful blue eyes open. He had always imagined what it would be like to wake up next to her each morning, and now he was living it. He felt like the luckiest man in the world.

    The dark haired prince slowly turned around, making sure his movements wouldn¡¯t wake his sleeping beauty, but when his eyes fell on E¡¯s side of the bed it was empty and had long gone cold.

    ¡°E?¡± The prince sat up and pulled the furs but still could not see her, his eyes scanned the tent but he couldn¡¯t see his beautiful woman anywhere. ¡°E!¡±

    Adam scampered to his feet, rashly wore his boots and bolted out of the tent. He was moving in circles scanning the environment around him for her. ¡°E!¡± Adam was on the brink of losing his mind. Had she wandered off into the forest? Was she lost? ¡°El-¡±

    The prince abruptly turned around when a gentle handnded on his shoulder. When he saw the beautiful red head¡¯s blue eyes looking up at him he heaved a sigh of relief. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and stroked her hair gently. ¡°Gods E you scared the hell out of me,¡± the man spoke in heavy breaths. He kissed the top of her head and embraced her tightly.

    E rubbed Adam¡¯s back gently, ¡°I¡¯m okay Adam..¡±

    The man pulled away and held her arms tightly, his eyes narrowed and his face turned serious. ¡°Where did you go? Why were you up so early?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Adam, I was awoken by some unexpected visitors,¡± the blue eyed woman responded.

    ¡°Were we attacked by goblins again?!¡±

    ¡°No.. it wasn¡¯t goblins.¡±

    Adam coked his head to the side when he heard footsteps approaching him. There were two women walking towards them with his men following closely behind. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the women¡¯s fanged teeth and pale skin. The elven prince tucked E behind him protectively and dark markings appeared on his forehead.

    ¡°What do you want here?¡± Adam spoke in a chilling tone. He stood in front E like a human shield and red at the two women.

    ¡°Calm down lover boy we¡¯re not here to steal her from you,¡± Vivian taunted the prince. ¡°We¡¯re from the snonds, we¡¯vee to retrieve our princess.¡±

    ¡°Your grace this is Vivian, she¡¯sdy E¡¯s cousin,¡± Zander exined excitedly. He then turned towards Maria and his enthusiasm plummeted significantly, ¡°and this is Maria.¡±

    ¡°Retrieve your princess?¡± Adam repeated, he was still tucking E away but the markings on his forehead had faded. ¡°What do you mean by that? You want to take her away?¡±

    ¡°Your grace she needs to be with her people and you with yours,¡± Rnd added on, ¡°she¡¯ll be safe with them-¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Adam pulled E into his arms and red at the two women. ¡°I won¡¯t let you take her away from me, not after I went through hell trying to get her back. I won¡¯t let you!¡±

    Maria looked at the elf and sighed in amusement, after all these years this elf was still madly in love with her wasn¡¯t he? This would not do, there was no time for romance right now they needed to get the princess home. ¡°Why are you so possessive of someone else¡¯s wife prince Gareth of the elves?¡± Maria questioned Adam, ¡°don¡¯t you realize what you¡¯re doing amounts to treason? Legally her highness is a married woman you have no im over her.¡±

    Adam¡¯s eyes circled and his chest heaved up and down as anger flowed through his veins. ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sayin you can¡¯t dictate what happens to her elf! The princess is not your wife.¡±

 Chapter 87

    87 Chapter 87 : Let¡¯s run away

    ¡°I¡¯m sayin you can¡¯t dictate what happens to her elf! The princess is not your wife.¡±

    Adam¡¯s eyes red purple and the dark Aztec like markings printed visibly on his forehead. The two nosferatu women were shocked when a wall seemingly made of solid air pushed them away from the elven prince and E.

    ¡°I won¡¯t allow anyone to take E away from me,¡± Adam spoke coldly, his vivid purple eyes drilling holes into Vivian and Maria. ¡°You¡¯re not wee here, you should leave.¡±

    ¡°Be realistic Adam!¡± Maria screamed at the man while pounding her fist into the invisible wall of air, ¡°How long do you think her husband is going to keep away? You have no army, you have no men! You can¡¯t keep her from him and neither can you keep her away from her people!¡±

    Maria suddenly stepped back and grabbed her neck with one arm and started chocking. ¡°What¡¯s going on-¡±

    ¡°Maria!¡± Vivian rushed to her friend and inspect her. It was like the air within her lungs was leaving her forcibly and she was suffocating, how was this happening? The dark haired woman looked up at Adam who was ring daggers at the chocking woman, was Adam doing this? Of course, he was a high elf, a prince who could control the elements at will even the very air in someone¡¯s lungs.

    ¡°Stop this madness at once!¡± Vivian called out to Adam, ¡°you¡¯re going to kill her!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Adam responded, his fists clenched and his jaw tightened in anger, ¡°I just want to teach her a lesson about what happens when you speak out of turn to royalty.¡±

    Zander inched closer to Adam and ced his palms on the wall of air the elven prince had created and looked at him with concerned eyes. ¡°My prince please, she didn¡¯t mean to speak out of turn, this is unlike you prince Adam please stop!¡±

    .....

    Adam didn¡¯t intend to kill Maria, he wasn¡¯t a murderer. She had poked at his temper and finally gotten the results she wanted, he was pissed off. His rtionship with E was something Adam didn¡¯t take lightly, and it was frustrating that no one could see that but him. This little gesture would show them all that he was not going to allow anyone to separate him from the woman he loved ever again. Not without any repercussions.

    A soft gentle hand wrapped itself around the prince¡¯s wrist, when Adam turned he saw E looking up at him. The look in her eyes made Adam break his magic immediately, she looked at him like she was scared and somewhat disappointed in his actions.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t you,¡± E whispered to handsome elf, ¡°this is not your way of doing things.¡±

    The wall of air shattered and Adam lowered his head. E was right and so was Zander. This wasn¡¯t him, he never EVER resorted to violence or intimidation, good gods he was turning onto Nathaniel, it was shameful. The blue eyed woman pulled the prince into aforting hug and he didn¡¯t hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist and burry his head in the crook of her neck.

    She stroked his hair gently until she felt the tension in his muscles slowly fade away. E looked at Maria who was still coughing hysterically and mouth an ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ to her of which she returned with a cold stare towards Adam.

    ¡°Excuse us for a moment,¡± E spoke to the group, ¡°me and Adam need to have a little discussion.¡±

    At the mention of those words Adam¡¯s head shot up and he looked at E with concerned eyes, she took his hand in hers and gently led him to the tent. Adam¡¯s tension returned, every time a woman said something like ¡®we need to have a little discussion¡¯ it was most likely not a good thing.

    When they were inside the tent E let go of his hand and looked up at him with pursed lips. Adam¡¯s heart was pounding hard against his chest, ¡°I¡¯m not letting them take you away E,¡± the prince spoke rashly. The look on her face was worrying him, she looked like she was actually considered going with them.

    ¡°Adam I need to go with them..¡±

    The man rushed towards E and grabbed her by the shoulders, he had shock, sadnesses and hurt painted all over his perfectly curved smooth face.

    ¡°No E,¡± he spoke, his voice was a lot less firm than before, this time he was pleading with her. Ready to bargain with everything he had just so she wouldn¡¯t leave him.

    ¡°I have a duty to my people Adam and so do you,¡± E responded, ¡°wasn¡¯t the n to get me to the snonds anyway?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah eventually..¡± Adam drunk in the woman¡¯s intricate features and sighed, ¡°I just thought I had more time with you.¡±

    E pursed her lips and looked away from the man¡¯s pouting face that she knew would break her consistency and make her change her mind. ¡°E,¡± Adam spoke softly while gently rubbing her arms. Arms he wanted wrapped around him every day. ¡°E I don¡¯t want you to go. I fought nightmares, sleepless nights and hundreds of bottles of foul sleeping potions my whole life because you weren¡¯t by my side. I was always so alone and empty, always feeling that something was missing when you weren¡¯t with me. E if you leave me there¡¯s a possibility I won¡¯t make it.¡±

    E lightly punched Adam¡¯s chest, ¡°don¡¯t talk like that!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Adam added on, ¡°I just want you and I to be together forever, no interruptions, no pain , no loss and no death. Just us in a cottage somewhere in the countryside by ake, three maybe four kids running around and one on the way. We were supposed to have a family, you and me, don¡¯t you remember that.¡±

    E¡¯s eyes got misty. That was exactly how she used to picture life with Adam, that was once her life long dream and honestly it still was. ¡°I do remember,¡± she responded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want that? A family, you and me growing old together?¡±

    E took a deep breath and and wiped her eyes, ¡°I do want that Adam, more than anything. But we have a duty to our kingdoms.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about our bloody kingdoms,¡± Adam spoke with a sigh, ¡°I care about you. And if it wasn¡¯t for that bastard Nathaniel and him lying about you being pregnant I would have taken you back in Gavaria.¡±

    E¡¯s head jerked back, she furrowed her brows and slightly coked her head to the side, ¡°he told you I was what?¡±

    ¡°He said you were pregnant,¡± Adam repeated himself, ¡°and that you were his wife. Do you know how broken I was when I thought I hadpletely lost you to that silver haired maniac E? I was losing my mind!¡±

    E balled up her fists in anger as the memories of that day in Gavarian flooded back to her. She couldn¡¯t believe Nathan took the time to hire a fake to stand in as Adam to fool her. At first she wasn¡¯t as bothered with his lies but now that she had time to digest them she was bing more and more furious. She had married a selfish meticulousir.

    Her blue eyes looked up at Adam who was looking down at her lovingly, ¡°but even though you thought I was married and carrying another man¡¯s child you came for me. Why?¡±

    Adam cupped E¡¯s cheeks in the palms of his hands and kissed her lips affectionately, ¡°because I¡¯m a fool for you E,¡± he whispered to her, ¡°a hopelessly in love fool.¡±

    E blushed, ¡°and I love you too Adam..¡±

    ¡°Then lets run away.¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes circeld, she tilted her head up to Adam and waited for him to say he was kidding but it never came, his face was as serious as the gue.

    ¡°Run away?..¡± E had to confirm if this man had truly said what her ears had heard.

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s leave. Just you and me.¡± Adam stroked E¡¯s cheeks with his thumbs and searched her face for an answer.

    ¡°But where will we go?¡±

    ¡°Anywhere,¡± Adam responded almost immediately, ¡°as long as it¡¯s far from all these people who keep trying to pull us apart. Come with me E, please.¡±

    E nibbled the inside of her lip nervously. Run away? That was insane, there was a war brewing between their people and the humans and they had to y their part in it. But then again, none of them asked to be part of this whole thing to begin with, they had just found themselves being used as pawns of dispute without consent. So would it be so wrong if they chose to pursue their own happiness and abandon these so called duties to their people?

    E looked up at Adam, his sexy hooded brown eyes were staring down at her expectantly. E had no doubt that she loved this man, with all her heart and soul, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. It¡¯s like everyone was against their rtionship one way or another and it didn¡¯t seem fair. Finally she had a chance to be with the man she loved again, was she really ready to blow that chance a second time?

    The redhead put her hands on his waist and looked at him with much determination in her eyes, ¡°let¡¯s do it... let¡¯s run away together.¡±

 Chapter 88

    88 Chapter 88 : She¡¯s Unwell

    Maria threw her head back in frustration. It had been almost an hour since Adam and the princess went to their tent to ¡®have a discussion¡¯, they were running out of time. Every minute E was not in the snonds was a minute that dyed their ns to take back their home from the humans.

    Maria had volunteered to go to the central kingdoms a little over eighty years ago to keep an eye on the princess. At the time all she knew was that the princess had red hair and blue eyes, thank the gods there was no human who had those traits except for E, who at the time was named Carmi.

    Maria willingly took on the task in spite of her hatred for humans because of her ailing mother. The woman had been born and raised when the races all lived as one, when the nosferatu had hundreds of animals to choose from in terms of nourishment and blood, it was an easier more beautiful time.

    When the cleansing happened, her mother was one of the women who managed to escape and settle in the snonds, she was heavily pregnant for Maria at the time and had just lost her husband during the dreadful coup by the humans.

    Animals in the snonds were incredibly scarce so animal blood was cast aside as a source of norishment. It was during this time of hunger that some nosferatu tried to feed on humans in desperation for food, but the tainted human blood made them run mad and turn evil.

    And it was because of this scarcity in blood that Ichor was formted as a substitute. At first some nosferatu shunned it because of its consistency, iming they were being forced to go ¡®vegan¡¯. But eventually majority of the race adapted to ichor and some even began to prefer it over animal blood.

    s the same could not be said for Maria¡¯s mother. The woman¡¯s body physically rejected the potion, every time she would try to take some she would throw it up and fall into sickness. Necromancers diagnosed her with a rare condition that only allowed her body to draw the life essense from whole blood, so she was one of the few who solely fed on animal blood for survival. But as the years went by, her body slowly began to reject the animal blood as well, and her body shriveled away with each passing year.

    The woman¡¯s ailment was so strange and no one knew how to cure it, some even imed she was bewitched or cursed. Maria had to bare the pain of watching her mother slowly dying, and every night she would always talk about how lovely it would be to see the central kingdom, her childhood home onest time before she died.

    And that is why Maria had taken up this job, she was adamant on aiding in anyway she could to take back their homnd on behalf of her mother before it was toote.

    .....

    When the nosferatu woman saw the elven princee out of the tent she heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Finally!¡± She eximed as Adam walked towards the people who were sitting in a circle in front of a dying fire. It was alreadyte into the morning so the temperature was not as cold anymore.

    ¡°Where is the princess?¡± Maria asked the dark haired prince who had taken a seat on an old log across from her, ¡°we¡¯ve wasted enough time here we need to be on our way.¡±

    Everyone turned to look at Adam who surprisingly had a very casual and rxed look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not going to happen,¡± the prince responded.

    Maria scoffed and gave Adam an irritated re, ¡°look, I know you are in love with the princess but your obsession is going to have to wait, we have real roblems to deal with. Now where is princess Melissa we need to go!¡±

    ¡°E.... princess Melissa is not well,¡± Adam responded. Everyone around could tell that he had held himself back from chocking Maria a second time.

    Vivian furrowed her brows, ¡°not well? She was fine just an hour ago, what happened in that tent?¡±

    ¡°He must have done something to her so she wouldn¡¯t be able to travel with us!¡± Maria rose to her feet and started walking towards the tent when a hand grabbed her and pulled her back. She turned around ready to give Adam a piece of her mind but realized it was Vivian who had stopped her. ¡°Vivian what are you-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go check on her,¡± she spoke calmly and gestured Maria to take her seat.

    When Maria was seated, Vivian turned to look at the elven prince who slightly cocked his head to the side and gave her a go ahead.

    When E heard footsteps approaching the tent she pulled the furs that covered her over her head and closed her eyes tightly shut. The footsteps drew closer until finally she heard the person sit down on the floor of the tent beside her furs.

    ¡°Princess..¡± the voice spoke softly, ¡°are you feeling alright? The elven prince said you were feeling unwell.¡±

    E faked a cough and slowly pulled the fur from her face. She turned to look at Vivian who was studying her closely. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened,¡± E spoke weakly, her eyes shimmering like a ss doll¡¯s eyes. ¡°I just felt light headed all of a sudden.¡±

    Vivian reached out to touch E¡¯s forehead and furrowed her brows. Her temperature was low yes, but much warmer than a normal nosferatu. ¡°You¡¯re warm princess.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah that¡¯s because I¡¯ve been covering-¡±

    ¡°No princess,¡± Vivian interrupted her, ¡°for a nosferatu, being warm is not a good sign.¡±

    E ttered her longshes and slowly pushed herself up so she could be seated in the furs, ¡°it¡¯s not?¡± She questioned the woman sitting beside her.

    ¡°Princess, whenst did you feed?¡±

    E nibbled the inside of her lower lip nervously while her tiny fingers raked the furs, ¡°err well we had some stewst night and-¡±

    ¡°No Princess, I didn¡¯t ask you when youst ate,¡± Vivian responded sternly as she inched closer to the visibly nervous redhead. ¡°I asked you when youst fed. Whenst did you drink blood?¡±

    ¡°I uh...¡± E didn¡¯t know how to respond to that question honestly, just the word ¡®blood¡¯ left a foul taste in her mouth.

    ¡°Wait here..¡±

    Vivian stood up and exited the tent rashly and E watched the exit intently until the woman returned a few minutester with a golden canteen in hand. She took her ce next to E, opened the canteen and handed it to the blue eyed woman. ¡°Drink it.¡±

    E hesitatingly reached for the canteen and took it from Vivian. She looked into the canister but could not make out what was in it. But still, after the conversation they had just had E felt she may have an idea of what she was holding. ¡°Is this blood?¡± She questioned Vivian.

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°take it, it will help you feel better. Just a sip of it will keep you norished for over a week.¡±

    E drew in a quick breath before taking a sip of the contents of the canteen. She then lowered the canister from her mouth and licked her perky pink lips while she studied the container closely.

    ¡°How does it taste?¡± Vivian asked with an amused smile.

    ¡°It tastes...¡± E looked up at Vivian, her eyes filled with dread because what it tasted like was something she had tasted before and vowed she never wanted to taste again. But after this sip, the fluid tasted almost delicious. ¡°... it tastes like blood.¡±

    Vivian chuckled at the sight of the beautiful woman¡¯s realization that the taste of blood was something she liked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s not blood. Well not entirely, it¡¯s a potion called Ichor, us nosferatu take it as a blood substitute.¡± The dark haired woman crisscrossed her legs and leaned back on her hands, ¡°I actually think it tastes better than blood.¡±

    ¡°Oh..¡± E didn¡¯t know what to say. It was already crazy enough she had just realized that she liked the taste of blood, so she wasn¡¯t about to have a conversation about which tasted better, the potion or actual blood. The red head closed the canteen and handed it back to Vivian but the woman shook her head.

    ¡°Keep it,¡± she spoke softly, ¡°I have a feeling you¡¯ll need it more than me little cousin.¡±

    ¡°Thank you..¡± E muttered. She was very grateful because she couldn¡¯t picture herself hunting down animals for blood in the woods, and she definitely didn¡¯t want to take blood from Adam or anyone else ever again. The experience was still very traumatizing to her.

    Vivian studied the beautiful redhead who was gazing curiously at the golden canteen and couldn¡¯t help but smile to herself in amusement. This was going to be a very interesting journey indeed. Vivian was d she had taken up the mission to find the princess, she had been so bored cooped up in Wintershold, craving a bit of adventure. And now that she was sitting here looking at princess Melissa, she knew she had stumbled upon an adventure of a lifetime.

    ¡°Princess..?¡±

    E looked up at the dark haired woman who was watching her with much interest.

    ¡°Have you ever heard of blood halves?¡±

 Chapter 89

    89 Chapter 89 : Sire heirs

    Meria had officially be a hub for the four once banished races, curtesy of the silver haired lycan Elric, formerly Nathaniel Aldos. The hybrids from all over the continent who had transformed during the awakening moved to the kingdom as it had be a sanctuary for them. Life for them there was good, with shelter, privileges in trade andnd, and of course enough food for all, it was because of this that King Elric earned the respect and undying gratitude of all the once enved races from all over. This made him one of the most powerful kings to ever rule in the continent of Ronia Cresus.

    Humans who were lucky enough to be rted or married to an ¡®awakened¡¯ as they were now called, retained their position in the status quo, enjoying the fruits and privges of now one of the most powerful kingdoms in the continent. Those who were unlucky and had no rtions with the awakened were reduced to servants and farm workers, a sort of punishment for the sins of their ancestors who enved and drove the four races out of the central continent.

    And on top of all this, king Elric¡¯s rule spread to Gavarian soils and Baiviles as well. In as much as King James Burchard was still named king of Gavaria, he was merely a figure head ,as the loyalty of the citizens was to the lycan King, either due to fear or gratitude, either way, king Elric was a force to be reckoned with. A human could not even utter his name without being thrown in a cell for nder, his reign had be absolute in these three mighty kingdoms in just a matter of months.

    In the Merian Capital within therge study of the pce, King Elric was sitting at arge teakwood table with his head resting on his knuckles as he listened to his newly appointed royal council bickering among themselves. The council consisted of two Lycan generals, two nosferatu, two dwarves and two elves.

    ¡°We need to take Cenia if we wish to secure our hold on the central continent, if we give humans a ce to call home they will be free to breed and eventually retaliate when we least expect them to.¡±

    ¡°Cenia¡¯s military is weak, going against them will hardly be called a siege. What we need to focus on is taking the enchanted forest, if anyone is going to threaten our hold on the continent it¡¯s them.¡±

    ¡°The enchanted forest is were our kin reside, why don¡¯t we handle them politically and forge an alliance rather than wage war against them. Besides, we don¡¯t know the kind of military strengths they possess, we cannot risk it.¡±

    ¡°If they wanted an alliance don¡¯t you think they would have reached out the way our kin in the snonds did? You can¡¯t tell me they have not heard of what our king has done for their people here? This can only mean one thing, they are not willing to work with us!¡±

    ¡°So you think a war will make them want to work with us? What kind of senseless logic is that?¡±

    .....

    ¡°Have you forgotten that their prince kidnapped our queen?! If that¡¯s not a deration of war I don¡¯t know what is! She is an important part in our allience with the nosferatu of the snonds, without her we don¡¯t have their aid!¡±

    When the silver haired king banged the table with his hand all the upants went silent. A dark intimidating aura that radiated from him made shivers run down their spines as they turned to look at king Elric who had stood up and was ring at them.

    ¡°My wife is not a tool for any sort of political gain, so I urge you not to talk about her like she¡¯s some pawn.¡± Elric spoke in a low yet bone chilling tone, ¡°I married her out of love not power.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty, forgive us for being presumptuous...¡±

    The handsome lycan settled down in his seat and returned to his initial sitting position before speaking, ¡°with that being said, it is true that the elven prince hasmitted an unforgivable act by kidnapping the queen of this greatnd. Therefore our priority will be the enchanted forest, Cenia will be incorporated into our reigns soon enough.¡±

    The king then tuned to Theo and gave him a nod. The tall slender man who had been sitting on Elric¡¯s right hand side stood up and cleared his throat before spreading a map of the continent in the center of therge table. He then began exining the n while moving slowly around therge table.

    ¡°A select group of warriors will ride for the enchanted forest with our king in exactly four days from the morrow,¡± the man exined, ¡°as we do not have much information of the terrain there, we wish not to send arge group that we may risk losing or attract any attention to ourselves. The journey to the forest from what we know takes about a month on horseback, but for the lycans and nosferatu..¡± Theo shed a fanged smile, ¡°it¡¯s just a matter of days give or take.¡±

    Theo stopped on the silver haired king¡¯s left side after making a full rotation around the table and its upants, ¡°we assume the group who kidnapped the queen would have arrived in a ce called the wandering forest by now, meaning they should reach Lenora, the dwarve kingdom in three days or so. It is imperative that we retrieve queen E before they cross Lenora and reach Ervelon.¡±

    ¡°Your majesty,¡± the man who spoke was an elf with long brown hair and deep green eyes. He was once a member of King Bradley Aldos¡¯ royal council and now had pledged his allegiance to Elric. ¡°Forgive me but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unwise for you to leave the throne unattended to and go on this mission? The awakened of the three kingdoms look to you as the pir of stability. If anything happens to you your majesty there will be anarchy.¡±

    ¡°How dare you assume such a horrible thing!¡± A lycan general roared, ¡°you think that the valiant soldiers who will apany his majesty are not capable of protecting him?!¡±

    ¡°I did not say that,¡± the elven general responded, ¡°but we can¡¯t disregard the fact that anything can happen on a mission like this, I¡¯m simply looking out for our king.¡±

    The silver haired handsome king rose his right hand rendering the two bickering men speechless. ¡°This mission is to retrieve my wife, I¡¯d be damned if I let anyone else do this but me. And don¡¯t you worry about anything happening to me dear Leonel, I¡¯m more than capable of taking care of myself.¡±

    ¡°I understand that my king but-¡±

    ¡°But what Leonel?!¡± The king ordered

    ¡°My king you are the only man the awakened can ept as their ruler,¡± the elf exined, ¡°if anything happens to you...¡± the man took a deep breath and looked at the handsome king. ¡°Your majesty you haven¡¯t even sired an heir to take your ce if anything should happen. I think we would all feel a bit better if you left a woman here preg-¡±

    A dark ominous aura struck the green eyed elf flinging him backwards into the the nearby walls. Elric was on his feet ring at the man angrily, ¡°are you suggesting I sire an heir when my wife!... your queen! Is out there?!¡±

    The elven man groaned, got to his knees and ced his forehead on the floor in an act of apology, ¡°forgive me your majesty, I spoke out of turn and I will take any punishment you see fit.¡±

    Elric growled and balled up his fists trying hard to control his temper. He saw the trickle of blood flowing from the elf¡¯s forehead and rxed himself, he did not mean to injure the man, just scare him back in line. Elric was known for being intimidating and ruthless throughout the kingdom, but he did not want his council members to fear him, he wanted them to respect him. He had more than enough knowledge of running a kingdom to know that respect ran deeper than fear.

    ¡°Forgive me Leonel,¡± king Elric apologized, much to everyone¡¯s surprise. The silver haired lycan walked over to the bleeding elf and helped him to his feet, ¡°I did not mean to harm you, but you must understand that my loyalty to my wife cannot be severed, especially not because you all need an heir in case I end up dead.¡±

    Elric called the other elf general who scampered to his feet and walked to the king¡¯s side. ¡°Heal him,¡± Elric instructed the elf, ¡°I will not continue this meeting with one of my council members injured.¡±

    The scene whirled up mixed feelings among the members of the council. Some of them developed a new found admiration and a deeper sense of respect for the lycan king, while for some the act nted a seed of fear into their hearts. They shuddered at the power their king possessed and they could only imagine what kind of wrath the poor elven prince who had kidnapped the king¡¯s wife would endure once he was found. Angering king Elric was definitely a death wish.

 Chapter 90

    90 Chapter 90 : Gareth and Melissa

    E slowly shook her head in response, ¡°no I¡¯ve never heard of that before.¡±

    Vivian arched her back forward, rested her arms on her legs and smiled briefly to herself, ¡°well have you heard of the term ¡®mate¡¯? Like in wolves?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I read about it some time back,¡± E responded, ¡°once a wolf chooses a mate they¡¯re together for life...¡± the woman narrowed her eyes at her so called cousin suspiciously, ¡°why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Well you see princess,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°the same way wolves and lycans have a mate, us nosferatu have blood halves. But unlike lycans who can basically pick anyone at random and mark them, it¡¯s very different for us. Finding your blood half is an extremely rare urrence, so rare that many nosferatu have died without ever finding one. It is only with your blood half that you can bare children, why do you think our poption growth rate is snail paced.¡±

    E¡¯s eyes circled in astonishment, this was very intriguing indeed. In fact, it was actually something very beautiful, to only be able to bare the child of the person you¡¯re truly meant to be with. ¡°I thought the concept of ¡®there¡¯s someone for everyone¡¯ applies to everybody,¡± E spoke with much interest, she even half forgot that she was supposed to be ying possum. ¡°So are you telling me that some people end up dying without ever being in love or getting married?¡±

    ¡°Oh no people get married all the time,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°just not to their blood halves. The whole concept is very mystical and no one has really ever found an exnation to why things are the way they are.¡± Vivian leaned closer to E and gave her a serious look, ¡°but what I do know is that if you get the chance to find your half, letting them go is incredibly stupid.¡±

    E gulped and looked down at her furs, ¡°why are you telling me this?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the only remaining heir to the nosferatu throne princess Melissa,¡± Vivian spoke sternly, ¡°the only one who can sire heirs and keep the royal bloodline going.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand....¡±

    .....

    ¡°Do you know how the bond between blood halves is marked princess?¡±

    E shook her head.

    ¡°Tasting the blood of your half...¡± when Vivian¡¯s fingersnded on E¡¯s smooth neck it sent shivers down her spine. ¡°After that, there is a bite mark right about here that never fades... EVER.¡±

    E drew a sharp breath and tried her best not to look overwhelmed by the information. She had tasted Adam¡¯s blood and her fang marks on his neck had not cleared even after two weeks, and despite his magical healing abilities. Could this mean that Adam was her half? But that couldn¡¯t be. She was a nosferatu and he was an elf, it was physically impossible for them to have children, was it?

    ¡°Vivian..?¡± E looked up at the woman sitting beside her, ¡°can a blood half be someone from another race? And if they are, is it even possible for them to... well you know.¡±

    Vivian couldn¡¯t hold back her smirk. The woman had seen the marks on Adam¡¯s neck and she hadn¡¯t failed to notice the burning passion in the man¡¯s eyes whenever he looked at the princess. That raw overprotective sense of ownership over her, the way he hovered around her, all the signs pointed to the fact that Adam was indeed the princess¡¯ blood half.

    This would be first time in a long time that a blood half was found from another race. The controversy that would rise from this rtionship would be mad, especially after what happened to Aiden. Gods this was getting more and more exciting and Vivian would be damned if she missed out on all this fun.

    ¡°Princess Melissa, cousin,¡± Vivian ced her hand gently over E¡¯s and smiled sweetly at her. ¡°You¡¯ll never know unless you try.¡±

    E was shocked at Vivian¡¯s answer, had she had a suspicion that Adam and her were blood halves? Did she know about their n to run awayter that night or was this all just a coincidence?

    Vivian lightly pat E on her shoulder and stood up to leave, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Adam to bring you some food,¡± she spoke, ¡°you should eat a lot so you get better soon, you have quite the journey ahead of you.¡±

    E may have been imagining things but she could have sworn she saw Vivian wink at her. When the woman left, the redheady back on the furs a sighed heavily. Tonight her and Adam would leave the team behind and go their own way, they had decided to go around Lenora, move through the suncrest mountain range and reach the kingdom of Cenia and settle in the small town of Mirine. It was a small almost deste town where E and Adam had first gotten acquainted, it seemed like the right ce to go. And ording to Adam¡¯s analogy, Cenia was a peaceful kindom with barely any military defenses, chances are that the silver haired prince would not think to venture thosends anytime soon. Besides, Cenia was very close to the snonds, E¡¯s supposed homnd, if they couldn¡¯t seek refuge in Ervelon for now, Wintershold would be their next best option.

    E¡¯s blue eyes trailed to the opening of the tent when the tall handsome elf walked in and settled down next to her. ¡°So did she buy it?¡± Adam questioned E.

    She wanted to tell him that not only did she buy the whole sickness ploy, but Vivian had seemed almost like she knew what they were up to and was surprisingly supporting it. But instead E just nodded and smiled at the man.

    Adam inched closer, kissed E¡¯s forehead and embraced her lovingly in his arms, ¡°I promise you all of this will be behind us soon enough,¡± he spoke reassuringly, ¡°we¡¯re going to get our happily ever after okay?¡±

    The redhead¡¯s eyesnded on the bite marks that still etched Adam¡¯s neck, she pursed her lips and buried her face in his chest. She now knew why she loved this man so much, and why she felt like she would die without him. It wasn¡¯t coincidence that he was the only man she had ever fully given her heart to in all her many years on this earth. He was her blood half, the man she was destined to spend the rest of her life with.

    ¡°I love you..¡± Adam whispered into her ear making her insides melt. Hearing those words roll off his tongue always brought a surge of euphoria withing her every vein, every time he told her he loved her, it nourished her very soul.

    E nuzzled her face deeper into his chest and inhaled his deep tropical aroma, ¡°I love you too.. prince Gareth of the elves.¡±

    Adam pulled away and looked down at the woman who was smiling at him, ¡°are you trying to turn me on? Because it¡¯s working.¡±

    E chucked and amorously pulled the elven prince closer by gently tagging his shirt. She gave him a quick sweet kiss on the lips and as she was about to pull away the man pinned her down onto the furs and hovered over her like a a tiger about to stupefy its prey. ¡°Are you trying to seduce me...¡± the elven prince gently kissed E¡¯s neck making her gasp lightly, ¡°because if you are, I will respond ordingly.. princess Melissa of the nosferatu.¡±

    The redhead looked up at the man and drunk up all his gorgeous features with her eyes, ¡°you like that name? Melissa?¡± the woman asked the aroused looking man.

    ¡°I prefer Mel,¡± he responded in a rumbling tone that made the woman¡¯s chest heave up and down. ¡°Besides, it will be safer if we ditch our names, they¡¯ll only attract attention when we¡¯re out on the road. What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re smarter than you look Gary..¡± the woman spoke tauntingly.

    The dark haired prince grinned in amusement at the little nickname she had given him, gosh he loved this woman so much. And looking at her now, he wanted nothing more than to take her and explore her beautiful body like he had done many times in his fantasies. He wanted to caress all the smooth curves and nooks of her skin with his mouth, to drink up all her fluids, to feel her warm insides and please her the way a woman like her deserved to be pleased, long and passionately.

    The blue eyed woman cupped his cheek gently and looked into his extremely sexy hooded brown eyes, ¡°what are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°All the ways I¡¯d love to suck, nibble, lick and make love to you Mel..¡± he leaned forward and gently kissed her full lower lip. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking about.¡±

    Mel puled a moan and trailed her tiny hands down the prince¡¯s strong arms that had her caged beneath him. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you?¡± She whispered shamelessly. The intoxication in her eyes made the elven prince¡¯s manhood twitch in his pants.

    ¡°Because if I do, you won¡¯t be able to walk,¡± he leaned forward and gave her another sweet wet kiss on her lips, ¡°and I need you to be in great shape for our journey tonight.¡±

    Prince Gareth rolled off her and pulled her over him so she wasying snugly on his his chest, ¡°but I assure you beautiful, the moment I¡¯ll be presented the chance, I¡¯ll make love to you in ways you never thought possible.¡±

 Chapter 91

    91 Chapter 91 : The escape

    When night fell over the wandering woods and everyone was sound asleep, prince Gareth was securing a thick cloak around his beautiful blue eyed woman. He brought the hood of her cloak over her head and gave her forehead a kiss. ¡°I¡¯ll go around and get the horse,¡± the man whispered as he gently rubbed her shoulders, ¡°you stay here until Ie and get you okay.¡±

    Melissa nodded in agreement and the prince pulled her into his embrace, ¡°I know this is a little scary, but I promise it will be all better soon. I will make you the happiest woman alive.¡±

    She clenched onto his cloak and buried her face into his strong chest, ¡°I know..¡± she whispered back.

    Gareth pulled away from her and gave her a reassuring nod before strapping arge satchel over his shoulder and walking out of the tent. The night air was cold and the environment quiet, he moved quietly yet quickly to where the horses were tied and began to untie his steed. The horse neighed and the prince gently stroked its mane to calm it down before fully loosening the reins.

    Lucky enough his men had had a bit too much to drink before heading to bed, all part of his n of course, so the possibilities of them waking up easily at this dead of night were close to none. The handsome prince pulled the horse slowly towards his tent when he halted in his tracks.

    Ivan who had just finished taking a piss turned around and smiled groggily at the prince, after giving Gareth a very drunken mini salute and grin, he wobbled back to his tent. The prince let out a breath of relief and continued making his way to the tent, he had never been so grateful to wine in his life.

    Gareth walked into the tent were the beautiful redhead was looking at him nervously. ¡°Are you ready Mel?¡± He questioned her as he tucked a loc of hair behind her ear. When she nodded, he took her hand and led her out of their now empty tent and snuck around back towards a small path the prince had created the evening before.

    As the walked hurriedly along the narrow path while pulling their horse, the trees were growing back behind them, covering their trail in the process. Melissa looked back at the sprouting trees in amazement, ¡°is this your magic?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Gareth responded with a smirk, ¡°pretty impressive isn¡¯t it?¡±

    .....

    Melissa rolled her eyes at the man, ¡°I¡¯ve seen better..¡± she lied. Gareth was the first person she¡¯d ever seen using magic like this, it was so potent, so effortless, and to think he¡¯d only had his abilities a little more than a week. He was amazing.

    When the duo reached the main trail, the elven prince helped Melissa onto the horse and hopped on behind her, securing her against his strong chest. Heshed the reins of the horse and the animal galloped at full speed forward, Gareth pulled Mel¡¯s hood further down to protect her from the icy cold as they moved. His n was to create as much distance from his men as possible by riding throughout the night, and once they would reach Lenora they would divert and go around the wandering woods towards Cenia. He was adamant about getting them to a ce they could call a safe haven, a ce they could live together happily the way they had always nned, he did not intend to fail.

    *

    As the break of dawn painted the Merian skies, king Elric sheathed his de, straightened the breastte of his armor and walked in long strides towards the pce courtyard with Theo on his tail.

    The courtyard was filled with two dozen lycan and nosferatu warriors on horseback ready to ride out into battle. The silver haired king stood in front of the small group and gave them a nod, to which they all responded with a salute. Elric got onto his horse and squeezed his eyes shut, images of his beautiful wife filled his thoughts and when his eyes opened, they were glowing yellow. He kicked the sides of his horse and the animal lifted its front legs and neighed loudly before breaking into a gallop at full speed toward the pce gates.

    His warriors realeased loud war cries with their weapons held up in the air and followed their king. As the calvary raced through the capital, many citizens cheered them on from the streets and from the windows of their homes, wishing their king luck on his mission and sending him blessings so he could return to them in one peice, hopefully with their queen in hand.

    Theo watched the group disappear into the distance and turned to head back into the pce. In as much as he had wanted to be by his king¡¯s side, he had been left with a very important task. He hurriedly climbed the grand staircase to the study and took out several parchments of paper and began writing.

    ¡®This is a letter to inform you that E Morrell is here at the royal pce safe and sound, curtesy of his royal majesty King Elric. She wishes to see you hence you are urged to report to the pce as soon as possible.... -Theo, the king¡¯s right hand-¡®

    The man wrote five copies of this letter and sealed them with the royal seal before having them sent out by raven. One was for E¡¯s parents the Morrells, one for the twins, one for Bahram Morrell, one for William Morrell and thest for E¡¯s real parents in the snonds, the nosferatu king and queen.

    Elric had exined to his right hand how desperate he was to get his woman back, he would do it at any costs, even if he had to use the people she loved as bait to lure her back home, back to him, in his arms where she belonged. He was not going to let the elven prince have her, not after everything he had done to get in her good graces.

    *

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

    Zander walked into the different tents where the men were sleeping and yanked the furs off all of them. He ran his hand through his golden locs and cursed colorfully at the top of his lungs.

    ¡°Everyone had a good sleep after drinking your asses offst night?!¡± Zander spoke sternly at the men who were slowly exiting their tents, their demeanors disoriented and their eyes still full of sleep.

    Maria and Vivian who had been given one of the tents to share also joined the men who were standing around the blond elf who was pacing the ground nervously.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Maria questioned the agitated looking elf.

    ¡°They fucking left, that¡¯s what¡¯s going on!¡± Zander growled.

    ¡°Zander stop beating around the bush, who left? What are you talking about?¡± Rnd questioned the man.

    Zander stopped pacing and inched closer to Rnd, his brow twitching in irritation, ¡°I¡¯m saying while you all were sleeping like babies, the princess and the prince slipped out and left!¡±

    Maria¡¯s throat went dry at the man¡¯s words. She moved towards him and grabbed him by the cor, ¡°what do you mean they left?!¡±

    ¡°Are you deaf?!¡± Zander spat back, ¡°I mean they¡¯re gone! They took all their things and left!¡±

    ¡°But where could they go?¡±

    ¡°The fuck if I know!¡± Zander roared. He pulled away from Maria and continued his pacing, how could he have let this happen, the queen was waiting for their arrival in Ervelon and she was expecting them to show up with her son, what the hell was he going to do now. Curse the ridiculous obsession prince Gareth had with that beautiful nosferatu.

    ¡°Ooooh shit...¡± Ivan mumbled as he cupped his hand over his mouth.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ozias asked him, ¡°do you know something.¡±

    ¡°Well I umm...¡± Ivan chuckled nervously, ¡°this is funny you¡¯re all going tough. Sost night I went out to take a piss and I actually bumped into the prince...¡±

    The group all red at Ivan dumbfounded.

    ¡°Yeah I know crazy right?¡± Ivan continued with another nervous chuckle, ¡°and get this, he was actually pulling his horse. And I thought to myself this has got to be some mirage because why would the prince be fetching his horse thiste in the night am I right?¡±

    Ivan shoved his hands in his pockets and looked to the ground, ¡°so I just ignored him and went back to bed.. turns out it wasn¡¯t a mirage hahaha crazy stuff.¡±

    Zander¡¯s breathing became heavy as he red at Ivan furiously, he lunged at the brown haired yboy elf but luckily Rnd and Ozias had anticipated his move and grabbed both his arms, stopping him mid air before he couldnd on Ivan.

    ¡°You idiot!¡± Zander roared as he tried to pry himself away from the men holding him back, ¡°you could have told someone! Now the prince is gone God knows where!... let me go! I¡¯ll tear him limb from limb!¡±

    ¡°Zander calm down none of us knew of the prince¡¯s ns!¡± Rnd groaned, he was using a lot of strength trying to hold the blond man back.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Ivan screamed in panic after he had tumbled backwards onto the ground, ¡°plus I was as drunk as a fish, we all were! Even you Zander!¡±

    ¡°Everyone calm down,¡± Vivian spoke. She stepped forward and stood between Zander and Ivan, ¡°I have the ability to track the princess, I¡¯ll be able to know where the elf prince is taking her.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    PS try to take time to read ¡®Authors note¡¯

 Chapter 92

    92 Chapter 92 : The waterfall [PG 18 warning]

    The elven prince brought the horse to a stop near the banks of a shallow clear river. He hopped off the steed and helped Melissa off. ¡°I think we can rest for a bit here,¡± the prince spoke to the redhead, ¡°I don¡¯t want to exhaust you.¡±

    Melissa sighed in relief and stretched her arms. She walked to the banks of the river, pulled down the hood of her cloak and soaked in the warm rays of the morning sunshine. The pair had ridden for hours all through the night and Melissa was exhausted, she needed a bath and a long nap.

    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± The man spoke as he took off his boots and folded up the legs of his pants, ¡°I could catch us some fish if you like.¡±

    The blue eyed woman pursed her lips and looked away when the handsome man took his shirt off and put it down on a rock beside him. Gareth noticed the woman¡¯s blush and inched closer to her with a mischievous smile on his face. He cupped her chin with his fingers and tilted her head up to face him ¡°I asked if you¡¯re hungry beautiful?¡±

    Melissa didn¡¯t know this but Gareth had been longing for her from the first time they had reunited in Meria. He had been trying very hard to suppress his urges but it was a losing battle. Those puckered lips and wide hips drew him in like a bear to honey, he wanted so badly to do all sorts of shameless things to her. If it wasn¡¯t for his men, Gareth was sure he would make love to her every morning, noon and night and never tire of her. Now that they were alone, his urge to explore her body was now maddening.

    ¡°Yeah I could eat something,¡± Mel mumbled. She couldn¡¯t get her eyes to look at his. This was the first time she had seen him without a shirt on and the sight was doing things to her. Crazy things.

    The prince nted a kiss on the woman¡¯s forehead and headed towards the water where fish were swimming leisurely downstream. When the prince got busy with his fishing, Melissa decided to try and get washed up, hopefully the cold water would cool her down. She walked upstream cutting through the shrubs, tree branches and bushes until she reached a beautiful waterfall. The water was spilling gently into the shallow river like a beautiful white curtain and it looked so inviting.

    After making sure that the prince was far from her line of view, she took off her heavy cloak, pulled off her shirt, cks and boots and ced them over a nearby rock. She then made her way into the shallow river carefully until she reached the waterfall. As the water poured over her skin Melissa felt revitalized. She run her hands through her red silky hair and washed it gently.

    The woman was startled when she felt an extra pair of hands rubbing her hair from behind. She quickly turned around and came face to face with the handsome elven prince. His hair was dump and dripping over his shoulders, his skin moist and hisshes thickened. He looked absolutely stunning, like some Greek god whose features were intricately designed by angels. Mel shamelessly licked her lips as she ogled at the fine specimen of a man.

    .....

    When Melissa¡¯s eyes trailed downwards from his face, to his chest and then to his stomach her eyes bulged and she immediately brought them back up to his face, her entire body heated and her cheeks tinted a bright red. This man was even more shameless than Melissa initially thought, he was standing smiling at herpletely naked.

    And it didn¡¯t help that he was incredibly tall, so the water level was barely hiding his crotch. Suddenly the red on Mel¡¯s face spread to her ears when it dawned on her that she was standing in front of himpletely naked as well. She moved her hands swiftly to cover her chest but the prince caught them and pulled her closer to him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that,¡± Gareth spoke in a husky tone, ¡°do you have any idea how long I¡¯ve waited to see you naked Mel?¡± The prince ran his hands down her arms and settled them on her voluptuous hips. ¡°Night after night I would be tortured by my thoughts and fantasies of you, wondering how it would be like to feel your beautiful body against mine.¡±

    The handsome man moved his hands to her perky butt and gave it a light squeeze making Mel yelp. He then leaned in and caught her lips in kiss that made Melissa¡¯s legs turn to jelly. He moved one hand to her right breast and begun to knead it gently with his slightly callused palm. The woman gripped the prince¡¯s arms and gasped when his tongue made its way into her slightly opened mouth.

    Gareth groaned and his hot manhood throbbed and poked the woman on her thigh. He pulled her closer and kissed her passionately under the gentle waterfall. His hand moved from her breast to her inner thighs and parted them slightly before rubbing her bud.

    Melissa broke the kiss and moaned sexily, her core was heating up and her bud was thumping in rhythm with her heart. Gareth caught her lips again with his and at the same time slid his middle finger into her core. The two groaned in unison, the heat between their two perfect bodies escting exponentially.

    ¡°Mel...¡± the prince moaned out her name. There was something about the way he said it that made the woman sink her fingernails into his arms. ¡°I want you...¡± his voice was horse and strained. ¡°Holding back keeps getting harder and harder every passing day.¡±

    Gareth gripped one of her legs and wrapped it around his waist. As he drew her into another kiss, his manhood erected fully and was now positioned right at her entrance. Melissa moved her arms over his shoulders and looked up at him, her eyes heavily lidded and her breathing slow and heavy. ¡°Take me... please..¡± she whispered. She too had been longing for him and she couldn¡¯t hide it anymore, she wanted to feel him within her, she wanted to lose herself with him, she wanted to make love to a man for the first time, as opposed to merely fucking.

    Gareth rubbed his massive erection over Melissa¡¯s flower gently and winced when her juices moistened it. ¡°Good gods Mel..¡± the prince groaned, ¡°I was hoping the first time we had sex would be in a more elegant environment befitting a woman like yourself.¡±

    Mel swayed her hips slowly rubbing herself against the hot rod that was making her go crazy with anticipation. ¡°I don¡¯t care about where we are, as long as it¡¯s with you. I want you Gary, only you.¡± She reached down and sped his phallus with her hand making him wince and gnash his teeth.

    The woman gulped as she sized him with her hand, the man was massive! Her anticipation was now mixed with nervousness, would she be able to take him? When he rubbed up against her bud all her worries instantly melted away, the only thing that was on her mind was Gareth and how much she wanted him to fill her up.

    She ced his tip at her entrance and wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders. The elven prince cupped the back of her head, gave her a quick kiss and whispered the words ¡®I love you¡¯ before pushing himself slowly into her.

    The blue eyed woman winced and then shrieked in pain at the intrusion, she felt like she was losing her virginity a second time, how was that even possible? Gareth gently kneaded her breats and nted soft feathery kisses on her neck and shoulders as he waited for her to adjust to his size.

    ¡°it¡¯s so big..¡± Melissa moaned softly. Little did she know that those words were like kerosene to a fire. Those words boosted the Prince¡¯s ego and gave him a st of energy that seemed toe out of nowhere.

    ¡°Oh fuck!¡± The man moaned and pushed himself further into her core. When her nails sunk into his skin, he groaned in pleasure and immersed himselfpletely into her warm moist tunnel.

    ¡°Aaah!¡± Melissa shrieked. The sounds and faces she was making only made the prince¡¯s manhood swell more inside of her.

    He grabbed her other leg and wrapped them both around his waist with his hands firmly holding her soft butt for support. She tightened her grip around his neck and squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of his thrusts.

    ¡°Aaah oh gods!¡±

    The dark haired prince moved his hips gently, pushing himself in and out of the beautiful woman¡¯s core. ¡°Oh fuck Mel! Aaargh!¡± His thrusts picked up pace making her soft breasts bounce in rhythm, much to Gareth¡¯s pleasure. He wanted to increase his pace but was afraid he might hurt her and they still had a long journey ahead of them, he had to be gentle with her, but holy shit it was so hard when she felt so good.

    ¡°promise me you¡¯ll never leave me..¡± the man spoke between grants.

    ¡°Aaah! I... I promise!¡± Melissa screamed. Her body had now ustomed to his size and she felt a surge of euphoria she had never experienced before. It didn¡¯t feel like just senseless sex, it felt like their souls were merging together, it was a feeling she knew she would get addicted to but she didn¡¯t care.

    before long, Mel felt a pressure building up within her core, her back arched and her nerves shot as she felt her body getting lighter with every thrust. ¡°Oh gods I¡¯m cuming!¡±

    ¡°Fuck yes Mel,¡± Gareth groaned, he too feeling his release quickly approaching.

    Melissa tightened her legs around his waist and begun vigorously riding him, pushing herself onto his hard cock like her life depended on it.

    ¡°Aaargh!¡± Gareth¡¯s body jerked violently when his release erupted. The falling water around them paused in the air as millions of tiny droplets that burst when the prince released his seed into Melissa. Not long after, the beautiful redhead¡¯s walls convulsed making her scream his name in utter pleasure.

    Gareth spent himselfpletely into the woman and Melissa drowned his manhood in her juices. After both of them touched cloud 9, they stayed in that position for some time until their bodies cooled down, after which the prince helped Melissa clean up under the waterfall. When he was done washing them both up, he scooped her up in his arms and gave her a kiss. ¡°I love you Mel, more than you¡¯ll ever know.¡±

    ¡°I love you too Gareth..¡±

 Chapter 93

    93 Chapter 93 : They needed privacy.

    Elric kicked the door down and walked into the empty room. His wife¡¯s scent lingered around the empty space apanied with another, one that made his blood boil. He walked to the bed and yanked the sheets out giving them a light sniff before tossing them to the ground angrily.

    ¡°She was here..¡± the silver haired man growled, ¡°and he was with her.¡± Elric turned to face the inn keeper who was badly bruised and was being held captive by one of his soldiers. ¡°Where is she? The beautiful redheaded woman who spent a night in this room, where did she go?!¡±

    The inn keeper whimpered in fear, the aura the man in front of him was radiating was enough to lodge his heart into his throat. ¡°I don¡¯t know where she went, they didn¡¯t say anything-¡±

    The king shed his razor sharp ws and brought them the the man¡¯s neck, ¡°I won¡¯t ask you a second time.. because you¡¯ll be dead.¡±

    ¡°I swear I don¡¯t know!¡± The man screamed in fear, was this how his life would end? All because he sheltered some strangers? He vowed that if he made it out of this alive, he was going out of the inn business for good. ¡°All I know is they were traveling East but took some time here because the woman was unwell, they had to find a physician to take a look at her before moving forward! That¡¯s all I know I swear! Please spare my life!¡±

    *Sick?*

    Elric¡¯s heart began to pound, was his wife sick? What had that bastard elf done to her?! ¡°Where can I find this physician?!¡±

    ¡°He lives down the road near the old saloon,¡± the man whimpered, ¡°his name is Mr Renly.¡±

    Elric retracted his ws and cocked his head to the side making his soldier toss the inn keeper in that direction. ¡°Bring me the physician!¡± He roared as he stormed out of the room.

    .....

    His chest was undting heavily and his eyes glowed a bright yellow. His murderous rage fighting to get out and devoure everything and everyone in sight. The scent on those sheets, they were undoubtedly Melissa¡¯s, he couldn¡¯t mistake her sweet scent even if he tried. It was the other sent that triggered his rage, that damn prince Gareth! His scent was on those sheets as well, meaning that bastard had shared a bed with his wife!

    *Im going to kill him!*

    *

    Melissa sat across from Gareth who was roasting some fish he had caught over a fire. Her eyes were stered to the ground and her rosey cheeks had a blush that refused to go away. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the sweet love they had made not too long ago, gosh she had felt so alive, it was like everything else in the world just faded away in that moment. His touch, his groans, his kisses-

    ¡°Mel...¡±

    Melissa batted her longshes and looked up at the man who was handing her a skewered fish. ¡°Oh thank you..¡± she muttered and took it from his hand. She took a small bite and looked to the ground, her face incredibly shed. She almost jumped when she felt him sit beside her unexpectedly. She looked at him and found him staring at her with a curios look in his eyes.

    ¡°Gar-¡± the man ced a hand over her forehead and creased his brows.

    ¡°Mel.. why are you all red? Are you getting sick?¡± He questioned her. The concern in his voice melted her heart and for some annoying reason the hue of her blush deepened.

    ¡°No I¡¯m not sick..¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s wrong my love?¡± He inched closer to her and cupped her face in the palms of his hands.

    [My love? Oh gods just take me now!]

    ¡°What?..¡±

    ¡°Hmm?.. I didn¡¯t say anything¡± Melissa mumbled in a jittery tone.

    ¡°Do you need to feed again?¡± The prince asked with a hint of worry in his voice. Before the woman could answer he unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his neck to her. He scooped her up in his arms and gently ced her on hisp. ¡°Go on, take a bite.¡±

    Melissa heaved in shock and froze in ce. This man almost died thest time she drew blood from him and yet here he was offering himself to her again. The gesture made her heart melt and her eyes instantly got misty.

    When Gareth sensed her hesitation he turned to face her and was taken aback by the tears that were falling down her cheeks. He quickly brought his hands to her soft cheeks and wiped the tears away, ¡°Mel what¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No you idiot it¡¯s cause you did something right,¡± she spoke half crying and halfughing.

    The elven prince was very confused. He tagged down the sleeve of his shirt and used it to wipe her cheeks dry before gently rubbing her shoulders, ¡°if I did something right then why is it making you cry?¡±

    ¡°Gosh men are so oblivious,¡± Melissa responded as she wiped a tear that had escaped her eye. She then wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in the nook of his neck. ¡°You were willing to let me feed on you even though I almost killed youst time.¡±

    The prince wrapped his arms around her back and rubbed it gently, ¡°well of course Mel,¡± he spoke softly, ¡°I love you and I¡¯d do anything for you.¡±

    The woman pulled away and looked at the prince lovingly with her sapphire blue eyes. ¡°And I love you Gareth..¡± she embraced him again in a tight bear hug, ¡°I love you so much.¡± She relinquished the handsome man and picked up the skewered fish she had secured earlier near the fire and took another bite hungrily, making the elven prince chuckle.

    ¡°You want another one?¡±

    Melissa shook her head, ¡°no I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°You should eat a lot Mel,¡± the man exined as he ate his own fish, ¡°you¡¯re going to need a lot of energy on this trip now that it¡¯s just the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Because there¡¯s more work to do I know..¡± the redhead muttered in response.

    ¡°Me working your beautiful body yes,¡± the prince responded with a grin

    Melissa coughed violently having almost chocked on the fish and Gareth¡¯s shameless words. She smacked his arm as the blush returned to her face with a vengeance, ¡°you¡¯re so indecent!¡±

    The man grabbed her hand, pulled her close and stole a quick kiss from her soft pink lips, making her eyes circle, ¡°that I am,¡± he responded with a sly smile. ¡°Now finish up eating, we need to keep moving, Lenora should just be a few hours away.¡±

    Melissa pouted and took another bite of her fish, this man was going to drive her crazy with embarrassment.

    *

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we pass this tree before?¡± Ivan spoke as the group rode down a rocky path through the woods, ¡°it looks familiar.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in the woods all the trees look familiar!¡± Vivian called out from the front of the group.

    Vivian had been leading the group in pursue of the elf prince and their princess for the past couple of hours. Since she had a special ability to track aura, the group had decided to let her lead the way. Her unique ability was how the woman had tracked Melissa down with ease in the wandering woods before.

    Zander galloped his horse to Vivian¡¯s side and looked at her sternly, ¡°Ivan is right, we¡¯ve passed through here before..¡± he pointed at a rock along the trail that he could vividly remember because Ivan had almost tripped over it too busy admiring his reflection in a hand mirror.

    ¡°I guess now you know why they call them the wandering woods huh?¡± Vivian responded with a sarcastic smile that made the blond elf blush a little.

    Zander wiped the blush away with his hand and caught up to Vivian again, ¡°have you been purposely moving us around in circles this entire time?¡± He whispered

    When Vivian didn¡¯t respond Zander¡¯s suspicion was confirmed. He galloped ahead of the woman¡¯s horse and blocked her path. ¡°What is your end game Vivian, did you know of the prince¡¯s n to leave? Did you nt that idea in his head?!¡±

    ¡°Calm down blondie I did no such thing,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°I¡¯m merely a servant of destiny.¡±

    ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°I know exactly where The elven prince and the princess are,¡± the dark haired woman responded, ¡°I was not helping them escape I was merely giving them a bit of time away from all of you. They needed a little privacy.¡±

    Zander took a deep breath and inched closer to Vivian, he had no time for her riddles, what he needed was to find the prince as soon as possible. ¡°Stop speaking in parables and tell me where the prince is before I tell the rest of the group that you¡¯re a traitor.¡±

    Vivian moved her horse forward till she was side by side with the blonde elf. She inched closer to his ear and whispered, ¡°now do you really believe I¡¯m a traitor Zander?¡±

    The way his name rolled off her tongue made the man shake his head almost immediately.

    ¡°I thought so..¡± She kicked her horse and moved forward down the trail, ¡°We will reunite with the princess and your prince in Ervelon, for now we need to leave these woods!¡±

    ¡°Why?!¡± Beric asked the the woman who was forging ahead.

    ¡°Because I can sense a dark aura heading this way.¡±

 Chapter 94

    94 Chapter 94 : Scarlet wings

    The horse carrying the elven prince and his blue eyed lover halted at the foot of a narrow rope bridge that connected two cliffs. Gareth dismounted and walked towards the bridge that was swaying side to side with the blowing wind.

    ¡°Careful..¡± Melissa muttered

    The elf nodded at her with a smile and set a foot on the old bridge, trying to gauge how much weight it could hold. Very carefully he ced his other foot and rested his weight on viaduct.

    ¡°Gareth...¡±

    The man turned to Melissa and gave her a reassuring smile, ¡°it¡¯s a little old, but I think we can get across.¡±

    The redhead swung her legs over the horse to one side and the prince walked to her to help her down. ¡°You¡¯ll go first with the horse,¡± he instructed her, ¡°then I¡¯ll follow.¡±

    Mel looked at the old corroded structure and gulped. The distance from the bridge to the rocky gorge below was rming to say the least, a fall from there would mean all their ns of having a happily ever after woulde to an end, no one could survive that drop.

    Gateth cupped the woman¡¯s cheek with his hand and gave Melissa a kiss on her forehead, ¡°just don¡¯t look down okay.¡±

    She took a deep breath before nodding in agreement. The man gave her the reins of the horse in her hand and walked her to the foot of the swinging bridge, Melissa said a silent prayer to herself as her foot made contact with the first nk of the bridge.

    .....

    ¡®Slow and steady¡¯ was the mantra she kept chanting in her head as she moved, trying her hardest not to look down to what must have been a grave to many unfortunate people who had slipped or lost their bnce. Her one hand held on tightly to the lead rope anchored on the horse, and with the other she held the worn out cords of rope that were the only barriers caging her in the center of this dreadful contraption of a bridge.

    When she reached halfway across, her nerves lightened, soon she would be on the other side safe and sound. But as of jinxing it, a gash of wind blew violently making the bridge swing from side to side. Acting on instinct, Melissa crouched down and held on to the nks beneath her, awaiting the wind to calm. Unfortunately for her, the horse did not share her thoughts. The animal rose its front legs into the air and neighed in fear before breaking into a run towards the other end dragging Melissa along with it.

    As the animal moved, the woman¡¯s leg wound up being caught between two nks making her lose grip of the reins. She watched in horror as the worn out ropes that weretching the bridge onto two wooden poles began to shrivel at the weight of the galloping horse.

    When the horse took itsst leap off the bridge, thest thread holding the bridge in ce cut, and as if the world around was now in slow motion, Melissa began to feel herself fall. She was about to scream when two arms roughly scooped her up and flung her through the air to the other side. The blue eyed womannded on the hard ground with a thud but pain was the least of her worries at this point.

    She quickly crawled to the edge of the clif and looked down into the gorge. She saw Gareth holding onto a severed rope with one hand dangling helplessly in mid air.

    ¡°Gareth!¡± She screamed.

    The man tried to pull himself up and grasp the rope with both arms but the additional weight caused one of the ropes still hooked to the other poles on the other side to snap. The elven prince looked up at Melissa and gave her a smile.

    ¡°No!¡± She screamed. She knew that smile, it was the same one he had back in Mirine when he had an arrow lodged in his back. ¡°Gareth!¡±

    ¡°It will be alright!¡± The man called out to her, ¡°it seems I¡¯m always destined to die protecting you!¡± He gave her a mischievous grin and blew her a kiss, ¡°and honestly, I wouldn¡¯t want it any other way!¡±

    ¡°Shut up you¡¯re not going to die!¡± Melissa screamed, her tears were flowing down her face uncontrobly at this point. ¡°I¡¯m going to get you out of this! Just hold on okay!¡±

    ¡°Mel.. my love, I can¡¯t hold on much longer!¡±

    ¡°Shut up Gareth yes you can!¡± She yelled as she frantically picked up sticks and tossed them aside trying to find something she could use to reach him. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare let go of that rope! If you do I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    ¡°Mel.. I love you!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Melissa dropped to her knees, hunched over the cliff and stretched her hand out to him. The man was at least 5 meters away from her, there was no way in hell her hand would reach him, but what could she do, she was desperate. ¡°Gareth!¡± The ground beneath her chiped and small chunks of dirt fell into the deep gorge.

    ¡°Melissa get away!¡± Gareth yelled. For a second there he thought she was going to fall and he had literally felt his soul leave his body. ¡°If you let yourself get hurt I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡±

    ¡°But..¡±

    ¡°Get back!¡± He yelled, his voice was firm and panicked making the blue eyed woman inch back. ¡°Listen to me, I will find you again. I always do! Just... just don¡¯t let that silver haired bastard get to you first okay!¡±

    ¡°Gary...¡± Melissa clenched her chest tightly. As she reached out to him thest rope holding him let out and she saw him fall. ¡°Noooo!!¡±

    Without thinking, Melissa dived into the gorge after him. In free fall, she reached out to him again. The man who had fear painted all over his handsome face, more because Melissa had jumped after him than his own demise, reached for her hand, grabbed it and pulled her into his embrace, shielding her from whatever doom awaited them below.

    The elven prince was squeezing his eyes shut bracing for impact when he felt his body jerk upwards as if pulled by something. When he opened his eyes they almost fell out his sockets when he saw arge pair of scarlet wings pping powerfully. The princess groaned and gnashed her teeth as she struggled to pull the man¡¯s weight.

    Gateth couldn¡¯t stop staring, with the beautiful wings that matched her waving hair, Melissa looked like a goddess. She pped the wings as much as she could using them as a makeshift parachute to prevent them from going ¡®st¡¯ when they reached the ground. She would have preferred to return them to the top but Gareth was too heavy for the wings that she barely knew how to control.

    When the pair were a few feet from the ground, Melissa gave out and they both crushed to the dusty ground. When the dust clouds settled and Gareth coughed up the dirt particles that had lodged into his nostrils, he looked down and saw Melissaying on top of him, her wings covering both of them.

    ¡°Mel!..¡± the man pushed himself up and pulled the woman with him, brushing off the dirt that had tainted her beautiful face and hair. ¡°Mel are you okay?!¡±

    The woman batted her eyes open and immediately went into a coughing fit. The prince heaved a sigh of relief and hugged her tightly. ¡°Thank the gods!¡±

    When Melissa stopped coughing and Gareth was sure she was fine, he pulled away and held her shoulders firmly with a frown on his face. ¡°Why the hell did you do that?! Do you realize you could have gotten yourself killed?!¡±

    ¡°I wanted to help..¡±

    ¡°By risking your life?!¡± The prince was fuming with anger, fear and immense worry. When he had seen her jump off that cliff towards him, he had given up the ghost and his mind had gone into auto pilot. The only thing he could think of was any way he could get her out of that situation alive, his own life didn¡¯t matter in that moment, all he thought of was her, the woman he loved.

    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to that anymore do you hear me?!¡± Gareth scolded the woman in his arms. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll never risk your life to save mine ever again!¡±

    ¡°Gareth I..¡±

    ¡°Promise me!¡±

    The princess furrowed her brows and looked to the ground, ¡°I promise,¡± she mumbled.

    Gareth pulled her into his embrace again and kissed her dusty head repeatedly, he could feel that she was alive and well in his arms but the adrenaline that had shot through his veins during the fall was still at its peak, he didn¡¯t want to let her go.

    Ducked away behind some rocks a few meters away from the pair, Theodora bit down on her lip in amusement as she watched the pair snuggle. ¡°Well would you look at that..¡± she whispered giddily to herself, ¡°his highness will be oh so happy to know that the little princess isn¡¯t as timid as she looks.¡± The woman gazed at Melissa¡¯s scarlet wings before turning to walk towards a portal, ¡°Scarlet.. the rarest pair of wings in existence, how absolutely delightful!¡±

 Chapter 95

    95 Chapter 95 : Burn it all

    Maria rode faster to where Vivian was and looked at the woman with concern, ¡°hey what are you doing? We¡¯re supposed to be tracking down princess Melissa why are we heading to Ervelon?¡±

    Vivian sighed and without turning to the woman beside her spoke, ¡°foresight... have you forgotten it¡¯s one of my abilities?¡±

    ¡°Are you saying you saw the princess in Ervelon?¡± Maria questioned with much surprise. If the princess and Gareth were nning to end up in Ervelon anyway why did they leave the group behind? It didn¡¯t make any sense.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see her there, I saw her and the elven prince being led there,¡± Vivian responded casually.

    ¡°By who?¡±

    ¡°That is what I don¡¯t know, these visions are always so blur.¡± The woman turned to look at Maria and gave her a reassuring nod, ¡°but they¡¯re never wrong.¡±

    The nosferatu did not possess advanced magical abilities like the elves, except for the the few members of the royal bloodline, most of them were limited to one or two abilities at most. These abilities could range from foresight, telekinesis, teleportation and many others. Vivian been part royalty had a wider range of abilities, telepathy which helped her to track Melissa, foresight, flight and a few others. While Maria had flight and healing abilities.

    ¡°But Ervelon is where Aiden went rogue..¡± Maria whispered, ¡°I highly doubt the elves will wee the princess with open arms. Don¡¯t you think we should try reaching her before they reach the elven kingdom?¡±

    Vivina smiled to herself and flipped her hair back. Maria was right of course. Ervelon was no sanctuary for their kind, but given the unlikely circumstances, those stuck up elves would have no choice but to wee the princess, in fact, they would probably have no choice but to cater to her every need and protect her from the battle that Vivian could senseing their way.

    .....

    The lycan¡¯s sent was strong, drenched in anger and a bloodlust Vivian had never sensed before. And considering that she was literally a blood sucking vampire, that was saying a lot.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Maria, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any safer ce for the princess right now than in Ervelon,¡± the woman spoke in a t tone, ¡°right now we just need to get there and warn the elves about princess Melissa¡¯s scorned husband.¡±

    ¡°Nathaniel is here?!¡± Maria felt her spine tingle a little. She had always been a little wary of the silver haired man from the first day sheid eyes on him. Even though he was always so loving and tender towards the princess, there was a side of him that seemed a little dark and almost evil.

    ¡°He¡¯s fast approaching,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°and he¡¯s not alone..¡±

    The woman slowed her horse and looked at Maria with an expression Maria had never seen on Vivian¡¯s face before, one of worry. ¡°He brings halfbreeds with him, lycans and nosferatu, about two dozen or more.¡±

    Maria felt a bit light headed at the statement. Halfbreeds were known to be extremely strong, resilient and powerful. It would take three full fledged purebreed nosferatu to take one halfbreed down in a fight, and now Vivian was telling her the lycan prince had brought with him two dozen?! They would never survive that, they needed back up and quick!

    *

    King Elric dismounted his horse and walked up to the edge of the thicket of trees that made up the wandering woods. Theo had told him about this ce, the elve¡¯s first line of defense against attacks. The poor souls unlucky enough to venture into them would wind up lost for the rest of their unnatural lives.

    A Lycan general walked to the king¡¯s side and bowed slightly, ¡°are you sure she went through here my king?¡±

    The man with sliver hair took a quick whiff of the air. He was as sure as the sun rose in the east, that was his beautiful wife¡¯s sent he was picking up, she was so close she could almost taste her. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Elric responded.

    ¡°You¡¯ve heard the tales haven¡¯t you your majesty?¡± Theycan general added on, ¡°if we go through these woods we¡¯re as good as dead.¡±

    The kind nodded his head, ¡°that is true, no one who bares malice for an elf can get through these woods, and I... well I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t want that elven prince¡¯s head mounted on my wall.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do now your majesty?¡±

    ¡°Did you carry the gasoline and flints like I asked you to?¡± King Elric asked his general who nodded in agreement. ¡°Excellent.. light the arrows and aim for the woods. We are going to burn this ce to the ground and trample over the ashes.¡±

    The king¡¯s words made the lycan general gulp. Good gods king Elric was terrifying, his determination to get what he wanted was unnatural. He was the kind of man who would walk through the gates of hell, grab the devil by the horns and drag him off his throne if he possessed something he wanted. But then again, it was more likely that this ruthless king might be the devil reincarnate himself.

    *

    Prince Gareth held on tightly to Melissa¡¯s hand as they walked across the rocky gorge trying to find a way to get back to the top. The sun was low in the sky and the temperatures were dropping really fast, the prince did not want to put Melissa though a night in his creepy eerie ce that could be filled with snakes or scorpions or worse.

    The redhead had offered to try and fly them out but a few minutes after they crashnded into the gorge her wings had dissipated into hundreds of shards of red lights and disappeared. She had tried to bring them back many times but could not seem to figure out how they worked.

    Gareth halted briefly in his tracks and handed Melissa the canteen of water, ¡°drink, you need to stay hydrated.¡±

    The beautiful woman shook her head and pushed the canteen to his lips instead, ¡°you¡¯ve been constantly giving me water without taking any yourself,¡± she spoke, ¡°take some.¡±

    ¡°Mel I-¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t drink that water Gareth getfortable with the idea of both of us dying of thirst.¡±

    The man scoffed with a light smile before taking arge gulp of water, she was still as stubborn as ever even after all these years. After quenching his own thirst he handed the canteen to Melissa who also took a sip. After he tucked the canteen back into his satchel, Gareth looked up at therge rock walls surrounding them and sighed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯re going to find a way out of here anytime soon.¡±

    He turned to Melissa and gave her an apologetic smile, ¡°we¡¯ll have to camp out in this dump for a bit and try again tomorrow okay?¡±

    ¡°Worst camping trip ever..¡± E said with an eye roll making Gareth chuckle in amusement. She could see how incredibly tense and tired he was, thest thing she wanted was to make him feel like everything that was going on was too much for her to handle. He was very dotting and worried about her a lot, she didn¡¯t want him stressing over her In situations none of them could control.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start a fire to keep you nice and warm,¡± the prince spoke as he helped her settle down against arge rock that would work perfectly as a windbreaker during the cold night.

    ¡°Let me help you gather firewood, I saw some branches-¡±

    ¡°No Mel you stay here,¡± the man interrupted, much to Melissa¡¯s dismay, ¡°I¡¯ll get the firewood, you stay put and rest.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re as tired as I am Gareth,¡± Melissa protested, ¡°you need to stop treating me like I¡¯m going to break at the nick of a finger. I can gather wood, I can fight, I can hunt, I can help Gareth. I don¡¯t like feeling so useless all the time.¡±

    The man crouched down on front of the pouting woman with beautiful blue eyes and brushed her cheek gently, ¡°you¡¯re not useless my love...¡±

    ¡°Well I feel like it,¡± Melissa added on, ¡°we¡¯re a team Gary, please let me help.¡±

    The man sighed in defeat. How could he have forgotten the badass, sword fighting, arrow shooting, incredibly stubborn woman Melissa really was. He was just so worried about her especially after recent events that he felt like if he looked away for more than a minute something bad would happen to her. But she was right, they were a team and they had to work together to survive.

    ¡°Okay fine,¡± the man relented, ¡°I¡¯ll gather the wood and you¡¯ll start the fire. How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a start..¡± Melissa responded with a smile

    Gareth gave her a kiss on the forehead and then stood up to gather some wood. As he did his deed, he couldn¡¯t help but smile to himself, he was d Melissa wasn¡¯t some damsel in distress who needed to be tended to every few seconds. She was fierce and independent and those were some of the reasons he¡¯d fallen so hard for her.

    He looked back at where she was sitting and saw her humming to herself and looking up at the stars like she didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Even though in a bad situation, she was still making the best of it, it made the prince¡¯s heart swell with pride knowing that such a woman was one day going to be his wife and the mother of his children.

 Chapter 96

    96 Chapter 96 : Sleepless night

    Melissa snuggled closer to Gareth whose body temperature was much higher than hers. Even though the woman¡¯s skin was cold to the touch, she didn¡¯t feel so cold anymore, it was like her body had adjusted to the surrounding temperatures, but that didn¡¯t keep her from enjoying the warmth that radiated from Gareth¡¯s body.

    ¡°You¡¯re so warm,¡± Melissa cooed happily, ¡°and even though you haven¡¯t bathed all day you still smell kind of good.¡±

    The man chuckled wholesomely making the redhead smile at his deep beautiful disy of joy. ¡°I don¡¯t know wether to thank you or spank you for being such a tease.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not teasing you, just stating facts,¡± the woman spoke with a smirk and raised brows.

    ¡°If I recall correctly thest time I decided to bathe, a certain someone couldn¡¯t take her hands off me,¡± Gareth responded

    Melissa sat up and turned to face the elven prince. His smile broadened when he saw the woman¡¯s reddened cheeks. ¡°Do you really care about my personal hygiene or do you wish to see me with my clothes off princess?¡±

    ¡°Stop it!¡± Melissa screamed in utter embarrassment. Why would he bring that up now, she had only just managed to get his rippling muscles, his broad shoulders, bare chest, and his gentle sensual touch out of her mind. She wrapped her fur around her body tightly and pouted.

    Gareth scooted closer to the woman and ced his arm over her shoulders, ¡°don¡¯t be embarrassed, I think what we did was beautiful,¡± he spoke gently as he pulled her back into his embrace. ¡°And if I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯d love to give it another shot.... over and over and OVER again. I can¡¯t seem to ever get enough of you beautiful.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s skin was far from cold at this point, she was so heated up and blushing so intensely that one would have been able to fry and egg on her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re so shameless Gary.¡±

    .....

    ¡°That I am.¡± The prince responded happily. He ced a kiss on Melissa¡¯s forehead and began to stroke her hair lovingly. ¡°Rest now,¡± he spoke in a whisper, ¡°we have a long journey ahead of us, plus we still have to find a way to escape this-¡±

    The man¡¯s words were interrupted by Melissa¡¯s soft snores, she was fast asleep already with her beautiful little head leaning on his broad shoulders. ¡°Good night my love,¡± the man whispered before closing his eyes and nodding off as well.

    A few hourster, Melissa ttered her eyes open when she heard movements around them. She wasying in her furs facing the dying fire and Gareth was sleeping right behind her with his arms wrapped securely around her body. The woman heard the movements again, she furrowed her eyebrows wondering whether she was dreaming or not. The movement sounded like footsteps, very big, very heavy footsteps. But that was ridiculous right? Footsteps that big would have to belong to a creature that was at least eight feet tall.

    Melissa sat up quitely and inspected their surroundings. There seemed to be nothing at first and she was about toy down to sleep again when she saw a pair of yellow glowing eyes looking at her from across the gorge.

    ¡°Gareth!¡± She screamed as the creature walked into view. It was a massive humanoid monster about ten feet tall with dark gray skin that allowed it to blend with the surrounding rocky environment.

    ¡°You are trespassers,¡± the creature spoke in a deep raspy voice, ¡°and the punishment is death, after which I will turn you both into stew.¡±

    The massive creature swung it¡¯s club down at the duo who managed to jump out of the way in an instant. Gareth put Melissa down and red at monstrosity in front of him, ¡°Just once I¡¯d love to have a good night¡¯s sleep..¡± he spoke as he unsheathed the sword he had picked up before moving Melissa out of the way. ¡°When I slice your head off I¡¯ll be sure to use that lumbering body of yours as a bed you big oaf.¡±

    Melissa equally unsheathed her dagger and pointed it towards the creature. What in the world was this thing?

    The elven prince stood in front of her and gave her a dismissive look. ¡°Mel go find somewhere to hide, I¡¯ll-¡±

    ¡°No..¡± the woman responded as she leapt from her spot towards the creature and managed to poke her dagger into one of it¡¯s eyes. The creature roared in pain and swung the club towards her but Melissa was quick. She pulled out her de and jumped back down causing the creature to bang itself on the head with the club.

    When Melissa swiftlynded on Gareth¡¯s side she gave him a sly smile as she shed off the green blood from her weapon. ¡°I can fight,¡± she spoke, ¡°now are you going to stand there and watch me or are you going to help me kill this tower with feet.¡±

    Gareth smiled and held his sword tightly with both hands and faced the creature that was trying to reconstitute itself after Melissa¡¯s attack, ¡°let¡¯s take this thing down.¡±

    The prince rashed towards the gigantic creature at full speed and with his sword shed it behind both its ankles. The creature roared in pain and fell to its knees. The elven prince turned to the beautiful woman and nodded his head, ¡°go for it!¡±

    Melissa leapt from her position towards the the creature¡¯s head and plunged her dagger into its throat. Blood gushed from the wound and the gigantic humanoid shook its head violently in anguish, Melissa¡¯s fangs lengthened and she screeched menacingly as she drilled her dagger deeper into the creature¡¯s throat.

    After a few minutes of struggling, the giant finally gave in and began to fall towards the ground to its death. Mel quickly pulled her de out and jumped off the falling body,nding gracefully like a cat a few meters away, watching the body fall to the ground with a thunderous thud.

    Gareth rushed to Melissa and grabbed her by the shoulders. He trailed his eyes from her beautiful blue eyes all the way down to her feet. She was covered in the green gooey blood of the giant creature they had just killed. ¡°You look absolutely dreadful,¡± the man spoke with a chuckle, ¡°now who needs to bathe?¡±

    Melissa clicked her tongue and without warning she grabbed him and pulled him into her embrace, thering all her mess onto his clothes and body. After she was done she stepped back and smirked at him, ¡°both of us..¡±

    Gareth cupped his forehead in his hand and chuckled as he inspected his now tainted clothes, ¡°you realize there¡¯s absolutely no water down here? How are we going to clean up?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Gareth prince of the elves?¡± Melissa questioned him in a teasing voice, ¡°you¡¯re a high elf your royal majesty, you figure it out.¡± The woman turned and started making her way to their small campsite but halted when she heard the sound of flowing water. When she turned around she saw the handsome prince with his hand on therge rocky wall grinning at her.

    He had used his magic to crack open the rocky wall and water was flowing from it like a miniature waterfall, ¡°you want to see me naked so bad Mel?¡± He took his shirt off and tossed it to the ground, ¡°well allow me to oblige you my love.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s eyes circled when he took off his boots and dropped his pants. The gorgeous man stepped into the water and let it flow gently down his immacte body. He then turned to Melissa and reached out to her, e on now, we need to get you cleaned up.¡±

    After Gareth had helped the woman wash up, while having a hard on the entire time of course, they washed up their clothes, dried them over the fire, and after changing they covered themselves in their furs andy down to try and get some sleep before morning came.

    The elven prince smiled down at the woman wrapped in his arms and tucked a loc of her ginger hair behind her now slightly pointy ears, ¡°I think I just fell in love with you all over again,¡± he whispered.

    ¡°what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°After seein you fight the way you did,¡± the man shed his perfect white side smile at Melissa making her blush, ¡°I have never been so around in my life.¡±

    ¡°why are you so shameless Gary?¡± Melissa responded as she averted his gaze.

    ¡°Honestly I¡¯m only like this with you,¡± the man responded before nting a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Try and get some sleep now, it¡¯s been a long night.¡±

    Melissa did feel incredibly tired, so she nodded and closed her eyes. But not long after, she felt tightness around her body, when she opened her eyes she realized she and Gareth had rope tied around them. She squirmed in an attempt to get free but to no avail, ¡°What¡¯s going on-¡±

    Before the woman could finish her statement someone or something covered her mouth with a cloth and ced some sort of bag over her head, leaving her unable to see who was attacking them.

    ~ For fucks sake can¡¯t we get one night of decent sleep?!~

    Melissa heard Gareth¡¯s voice in her head and her panic reduces a little bit.

    [What¡¯s going on?!]

    The woman granted as she felt herself being dragged and then lifted from the ground. She bit down on the cloth covering her mouth when her and the prince where tossed onto a hard floor which then started moving.

    ~ I think we¡¯ve been ambushed, don¡¯t worry, stay calm and we¡¯ll be able to get out of this~

    Gareth wiggled his hands in their tight confines and interlocked his finger with one of Melissa¡¯s.

    ~ I¡¯ll get us out of this, I promise~

 Chapter 97

    97 Chapter 97 : Finwe meets Gareth

    Elric smiled menacingly at the crackling fires that were spreading further and further out into the wandering woods. There was nothing that would stand in the way of him getting his wife back, he was going to make sure of that.

    ¡°Fire!¡± Elric screamed at the top of his voice.

    The men torched their arrows, aimed towards the woods andunched them, gutting the ces inrge mes. When the fire had spread over most parts of the woods, one of the lycan generals approached the king and bowed to him.

    ¡°Your majesty,¡± he spoke, ¡°the horses will not be able to move through the woods anytime soon because of the lingering heat even after the fires die down, won¡¯t that dy our procession?¡±

    ¡°From here on out we can leave the horses behind,¡± King Elric responded. ¡°You¡¯re an army of lycans and nosferatu are you not?¡±

    ¡°We are your majesty-¡±

    ¡°Well then what¡¯s the problem?¡± The silver haired man questioned his general, ¡°any one of you are much faster and more agile than any horse here.¡±

    The king turned around to head to his temporal tent where he would sit and wait for the fires to extinguish. ¡°Tell the men to secure the horses somewhere and prepare to transform,¡± Elric ordered the general, ¡°we will advance as soon as the fires die down.¡±

    ¡°Yes my king!¡±

    .....

    *

    Gareth and Melissa were dragged from what they assumed was a carriage or wagon and thrown against a wall.

    ¡°Mel!¡± Gareth chocked when he heard her grant in pain from the impact, ¡°I swear if you¡¯ve hurt her I¡¯m going to skewer everyst one of you with my de!¡±

    The bag over Gareth¡¯s head was roughly pulled off and so was Melissa¡¯s. He turned to her with a worried look on his face that turned angry when he saw the cloth tightly wrapped over her mouth. ¡°Let her go! Take me instead!¡± The man tried to move but his hands and feet were tightly bound together. ¡°Just take whatever it is that you want and let Melissa go!¡±

    From the shadows, a man with a rough looking face, a thick beard, long messy hair and a scare over his right eye stepped forward and eyed Gareth. ¡°Why in the bloody hell is an elf trespassing in ournds?¡±

    Gareth was taken a bit aback, more by the man¡¯s height than his rough scary looking appearance. Judging from his face this man was full grown but his height was like that of a twelve year old, he was barely three feet tall.

    ¡°Well?!¡± The man repeatedly himself, ¡°why are you here elf?! And with a nosferatu for that matter. What do you want here?!¡±

    ¡°Look we didn¡¯t mean to trespass,¡± the elven prince responded, ¡°we ended up in this gorge when the bridge copsed, we¡¯re just trying to get to Cenia, wee in peace.¡±

    ¡°Lies!¡± This time it was another bearded man of about the same height as the first one that spoke, ¡°you killed our guard and you except us to believe youe in peace?! Bullocks! Let¡¯s just kill them and get this over with captain, especially the girl she¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Stay away from her!¡± Gareth yelled. His eyes glowed bright purple and dark markings appeared on his forehead.

    The short men all took a step back and narrowed their eyes at the elf. ¡°Those markings,¡± the scarred bearded man spoke in amazement, ¡°those are markings of the king of Ervelon...¡± the man took a step closer and red at the handsome prince, ¡°who are you boy?¡±

    *

    ¡°Finwe.. wait where are you rushing off to?¡±

    Finwe turned to his mother and gave her a respectful bow, ¡°good morning mother,¡± he spoke, ¡°I have received a rather disturbing message from the dwarves.¡±

    Queen Tauriel furrowed her brows at her son, ¡°disturbing news? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°They say they captured one of ours trespassing in their territory, and that he killed one of their gaurds.¡± The man exined.

    ¡°Goodness, who would do such a dreadful thing?! We have lived harmoniously with the dwarves for years. All our people know not to venture into their territory without permission.¡±

    Finwe nodded in agreement, ¡°exactly, hence why I¡¯m curious to know who this elf is,¡± the man added on, ¡°and also there is something else, they say the man travels with a nosferatu.¡±

    Queen Tauriel gasped in shock, what was a nosferatu doing all the way here? And why travel with an elf? For years now there was a silent animosity between the elves and the nosferatu. What in the world was going on?

    ¡°I am traveling to Lenora to investigate this with a few of my men,¡± Finwe spoke, ¡°I will be back here before in time for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Do be careful Finwe,¡± the queen spoke.

    ¡°I will.¡± The man responded and turned to leave.

    Finwe was a tall, well built man with long slick blonde hair and hooded violet eyes. He had a chiseled jawline, broad shoulders and high cheekbones, he was an incredibly handsome man. Despite his different color of hair, Finwe looked a lot like his older brother Gareth, who unknown to him, he was about to meet for the first time.

    The man waved his hand to two of his men came to his side almost immediately, ¡°prepare a portal to Lenora immediately, we have some very important business to attend to.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace, at once.¡±

    *

    Gareth rubbed Melissa¡¯s hands between his in an attempt to keep her warm. After the confrontation with the short hairy men, for some reason they had released their bonds, though they still had them locked up in the tiny room.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± Melissa questioned the man, ¡°do you think those men were dwarves?¡±

    ¡°I believe so,¡± Gareth responded as he continued rubbing her hands in his, ¡°we must be in Lenora.¡±

    ¡°What are they nning to do with us?¡±

    Gareth shook his head and squeezed Melissa¡¯s small soft hands gently, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but whatever the case I¡¯m going to get us out of this situation somehow, so don¡¯t worry yourself.¡±

    The redhead nodded her head in agreement. Suddenly the door to the rooom Gareth and Melissa were being held swung open and the short men walked in. This time they were followed by three other men who were much taller.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the duo to see that the other three men were elves judging from their pointy ears and soft features. Melissa was especially taken aback when she caught sight of a blond elf who resembled Gareth tremendously, one could almost mistake them for brothers.

    ¡°Is this him?¡± The Gareth lookalike asked one of the bearded short men who nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright then, leave us. We¡¯ll get to the bottom of this.¡±

    The dwarves gave their prisoners onest look and then turned to leave the room whose door was shut behind them. The blond elf with violet eyes stepped towards Gareth who had secured the beautiful nosferatu behind him protectively and couched down next to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before,¡± he spoke, ¡°who are you and what are you doing here?¡±

    Gareth sized up the man before locking eyes with him. It waspletely absurd how these two men could not see that they were literally looking at a mirror image of themselves. ¡°Who I am matters not. Just let me and Melissa go and you¡¯ll never see us again.¡±

    ¡°Melissa?..¡± Finwe cocked his head to the side and saw the beautiful woman who was safely tucked away behind the dark haired elf. It was the first time he had seen a nosferatu up close and he had to admit, she was strikingly beautiful. Her blue eyes looked like they could see inside one¡¯s soul, her red Cupid¡¯s bow lips looked like they had been tinted with cherries, and her long flowy ginger hair made a beautiful contrast with her caramel skin.

    ¡°Why are you traveling with a nosferatu? What are you nning on doing here?¡± Finwe questioned the man.

    ¡°We just got a little sidetracked,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°now like I said, let me and Melissa go, and we won¡¯t cause you any trouble.¡±

    ¡°Oh but you already have,¡± Finwe responded with a slight grin, ¡°you¡¯ve trespassed into sacred dwarve territory, killed one of their gaurds and to top it all off..¡± Finwe¡¯s violet eyes moved to Melissa, ¡°you¡¯re moving around with a nosferatu. Someone of her kind isn¡¯t allowed here without a proper permit, and the punishment for that is death.¡±

    The blonde elf gave a signal to his men who moved towards Gareth and yanked Melissa from his arms.

    ¡°Hey! Let me go!¡± The blue eyed woman yelled

    The elven prince was about to get up and reach for Melissa when the floor beneath him took form and locked his legs and hands into ce.

    ¡°Settle done trespasser,¡± Finwe, who had bended the earth to capture Gareth spoke, ¡°we¡¯ll deal with you after we ughter the girl and feed her to the orcs.¡±

    Gareth growled angrily and the makeshift shackles that were holding him broke. He stood up and marched towards the goons dragging Melissa and waved his hand at them. With that gesture, parts of the floor cracked open and giant roots shot out and wrapped themselves tightly around the guards who were holding Melissa and the blond elf as well.

    Finwe watched in shock as the dark haired elf pulled the woman to his side. He had just used high level magic so effortlessly. The blond¡¯s mouth almost fell to the floor when he saw the dark markings on Gareths forehead.

    ¡°Gareth?..¡± the blonde muttered in awe, ¡°Prince Gareth is that you?¡±

 Chapter 98

    98 Chapter 98 : Ervelon

    ¡°Prince Gareth is that you?¡±

    With his hand tightly secured around Melissa¡¯s wrist, Gareth red at the blonde elf. ¡°How the hell do you know my name?¡±

    ¡°Gods!¡± Finwe rasped, ¡°I never thought we¡¯d meet this way brother.¡±

    The dark haired prince narrowed his eyes suspiciously. After Finwe uttered the word ¡®brother¡¯ Gareth began to see a lot of himself in the young man.

    ¡°Mother has waited so long for your return brother,¡± the man spoke. His voice and demeanor had suddenly turned excited which was a bit weird considering that he was still wrapped up in a giant root. ¡°We all have waited for your return, you¡¯re the rightful king of Ervelon, our savior, the chosen one! You¡¯ve finallye home!¡±

    The dark haired prince rxed and the giant roots that he had summoned did the same. They unwound themselves and sunk back into the ground through the cracks.

    ¡°We must get you home at once!¡± Finwe eximed excitedly, ¡°gods I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re here!¡± The man¡¯s excitement slowly faded when his eyes trailed down to Gareth¡¯s hand that was interlocked with the woman he was guarding protectively. The blonde elf¡¯s eyes widened and his heart skipped several beats when he looked into Melissa¡¯s blue eyes. ¡°Is...¡± the man gulped, his violet eyes never leaving Melissa¡¯s, ¡°Is she with you?¡±

    Gareth¡¯s hold on Melissa¡¯s hand tightened, ¡°I go nowhere without her.¡± He wanted to make sure they knew that he and Melissa were a package deal. If they wanted him they¡¯d have to take her as well.

    ¡°A- and how long have you traveled together?¡± Finwe sounded jittery which was a little odd, but Gareth didn¡¯t pay it much heed to it.

    .....

    ¡°What does it matter?¡± The dark haired elf responded, ¡°all you need to know is I¡¯m going nowhere without her.¡±

    Finwe pursed his lips and creased his brows. He wanted to be wrong, he really did, but he¡¯d never been wrong about this sort of thing before. Gods, this was going to be a ratherplicated situation.

    ¡°Is there anything the matter?¡± Gareth asked his new found brother who looked as pale as a sheet of paper.

    ¡°No.. no nothing,¡± the man muttered. He cleared his throat andposed himself before putting on a smile and speaking, ¡°My men will clear things up with the dwarves. Pleasee with me, it¡¯s time to take you home brother.¡±

    *

    Elric walked gracefully in front of his men who had either bared theirrge wings or taken the form of giant wolves in preparation to traverse forward through the wandering woods that where now mostly patches of burnt trees, soot and ashes.

    He halted at the front of his army and grinned menacingly as his body began to change. His legs and arms bulged and lengthened turning into four massive w ridden legs. His silver hair spread down his neck, to his back, all the way to the rest of his body. His fangs sprung out of his mouth and his ears sharpened.

    With a loud growl, the massive silver wolf stold tall in front of his warriors, and with a howl that echoed throughout the smoldering woods, the army lunged forward.

    The nosferatu flew overhead, their powerful wings pping and causing gashes of wind as they moved, while the lycans sprint forward on the ground, their powerful trots shaking the ground beneath them as they dashed across the burnt terrain at great speeds.

    *I¡¯ming for you my love.. just hold on tight*

    *

    Gareth looked at therge circr swirling pool of light in front him skeptically.

    ¡°This is a magic portal to Ervelon,¡± Finwe exined having seen his brother¡¯s hesitation, ¡°getting there by horse will take us about a week, this is much faster and frankly more convenient.¡±

    The blond elf stepped through the portal and gestured Melissa and Gareth to follow him. The dark haired elf held Melissa¡¯s hand firmly and searched her eyes, ¡°we don¡¯t have to go if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°From the looks of it..¡± Melissa spoke, ¡°your people already don¡¯t like me very much. Me keeping you away from them for my own selfish needs will only add fuel to the fire.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going without you Mel..¡± Gareth spoke as if sensing that she was about to suggest leaving her behind.

    The woman scoffed and smiled at him, ¡°you¡¯re as stubborn as ever.¡±

    He smiled back and squeezed her hand possessively, ¡°then why fight me?¡±

    Melissa drew in breath and looked at the portal ahead, she felt like she was about to walk into enemy territory but staying back in Lenora wasn¡¯t a better option either. ¡°Okay.. let¡¯s go.¡±

    Gareth stepped into the portal and pulled the redhead with him, and in a matter of seconds they were transported to a whole different world. Compared to the dark gloomy terrain of Lenora, Ervelon was nothing short of a dream.

    They were standing on a stone paved bridge over a clear flowing creek with hundreds of golden fish swimming and bubbling up downstream. Along the banks of the creek and as far as the eyes could see there were thousands of flowers in all shapes, sizes and colors. Butterflies and birds danced in the fresh sweet smelling air, and flowers from trees whirled around enchantingly with the wind.

    Some meters away from them was a massive white marble castle curved on the side of a mountain. Waterfalls dazzled the marble beauty like veils of flowing diamonds, and creeping nts dressed it in intricate patterns of green. Ervelon was the kind of ce someone would picture heaven to look like, it was absolutely breath taking.

    ¡°Right this way brother,¡± Finwe spoke, ¡°your kingdom awaits.¡±

    Gareth and Melissa locked eyes before following Finwe down the stone path towards the castle. The pathways were lined with ss spheres that hovered a few centimeters above the ground.

    ¡°Are those floatingmps?¡± Melissa spoke in amazement. It was like this entire ce was magical, if not for the uneasy feeling that she wasn¡¯t wee there, she wouldn¡¯t mind staying forever.

    The woman¡¯s reverie of wonder was broken by something that zipped passed her face, followed by another and then another. Before long, about a dozen flying creatures where circling her. One of the tiny creatures stopped in front of her small button nose and Melissa gasped in amazement.

    ¡°Pixies!¡± She gasped. The little pixie smiled at Melissa sweetly and zipped around her face happily making the beautiful woman chuckle.

    ¡°You know of them?¡± Finwe asked the woman curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ve read of them in books,¡± Melissa responded as she enjoyed the beautiful creatures that were now nting little flowers into her hair.

    ¡°hmm..¡± Finwe stared at the woman as the pixies adorned her ginger locks with dozens of flowers and swooped around her excitedly. He had never seen something like this happen before, what was it about this woman, why her?

    Gareth smiled at Melissa, he felt content and warm watching her giggle and humor the pixies. It had been a long and rough journey for them so seeing Mel smile like that was like a breath of fresh air.

    ¡°Alright shoo shoo,¡± Finwe spoke as he waved the tiny pixies away, ¡°stop bothering our guests now, we have ces to be, go on!¡±

    The pixies hesitantly flew away and one flew to Finwe¡¯s face and stuck its little tongue at him. ¡°Go on get out of here,¡± the man shooed it away in annoyance before proceeding towards the castle.

    The entrance to the marble wonder was guarded by four elves in armor who opened the massive double doors and bowed respectfully at Finwe. The blond elf gave them a slight wave and told them to notify the queen that they had guests.

    Even though being introduced as a guest, Melissa could tell from the res that the gaurds gave her that she was far from wee in Ervelon. Gareth rubbed the woman¡¯s hand gently and smiled down at her as they walked into the castle.

    ~it¡¯s alright Mel, I¡¯m here~

    The redhead took a deep breath and forged ahead into the castle whose inside was even more jaw dropping than the outside. The walls were high and pearl white in color with high ceilings that disyedrge ss candbras that, like the spheres outside, were floating in mid air. Finwe led them to a parlor that had two rolls of ss staircases that led up to the higher floors of therge castle. Behind the stairs was a waterfall spilling its contents into a channel below that led the clear waters to what seemed to be an indoor garden.

    ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± Finwe spoke proudly

    ¡°It¡¯s very shy,¡± Gareth responded tly.

    ¡°Our great grandfather gifted it to our great grandmother,¡± Finwe exined further, ¡°before he married her, he had this entire ce curved on the side of the mountain where they first met, he then gifted it to her as a wedding present when it was finished.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s beautiful,¡± E cooed in amusement.

    ¡°Her name was Erva and his was Sephlon,¡± Finwe added on, ¡°so this great kingdom was named Ervelon, in memory of their love.¡± The man cleared his throat and pointed towards an opening to his right. ¡°This way please, mother will be with us shortly.¡±

    Melissa and Gareth followed the blond elf into a beautiful study with ss walls and pure white sofas and tables. ¡°Please make yourself at home brother.¡±

    Gareth helped Melissa into a chair and then sat down next to her. He made sure to keep her hand in his because he could sense her uneasiness the entire time. A few minutes after sitting, a beautiful tall woman with dark hair, who looked a lot like Gareth walked into the room and instantly covered her mouth when her eyes fell on her son.

    Melissa and the dark haired prince both stood up as the woman practically ran towards them and embraced Gareth in a tight hug. ¡°Oh Gareth,¡± she spoke as tears streamed down her rosey cheeks, ¡°oh my baby boy, you¡¯re finally home.¡±

    The woman pulled away and smiled happily at her son, but her smile began to fade when her eyes fell on the blue eyed woman beside him and trailed down to their interlocking hands.

    ¡°And who is this?¡±

 Chapter 99

    99 Chapter 99 : Zander has a crush

    ¡°Foresight?¡± Rnd spoke skeptically as he poked a stick into the fire the group was sitting around. ¡°Sounds like a load of horse shit to me.¡±

    ¡°Rnd!¡± Zander eximed at the man¡¯sment after Vivian exined how she knew the prince and princess would be in Ervelon.

    ¡°Think logically Zander,¡± Rnd added on, ¡°this woman has been leading us in circles, she¡¯s done it before and is probably doing it again. She knew the princess and prince would leave and she said nothing!¡±

    ¡°I have my reasons,¡± Vivian responded calmly as she took a bite of her meat, ¡°you¡¯ll better understand when we reach Ervelon.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you,¡± Rnd grumbled. He had to admit, he had developed a soft soft for Melissa when he saw how happy and content the prince was around her. Ever since Rnd knew the young prince , he¡¯d always been a bit of a loner, he would join them at the bar and celebrations but when it came to the matters of women and love he¡¯d always taken the back seat. Even though prince Gareth never showed it, Rnd could tell he always felt alone, until Melissa came into his life.

    He looked at the two nosferatu women who were hellbent on taking the princess away from Gareth. If it wasn¡¯t for them the prince wouldn¡¯t have decided to leave, Rnd didn¡¯t like them one bit.

    ¡°Let¡¯s give her the benefit of the doubt,¡± Zander spoke, ¡°I mean it¡¯s not like we have many choices. If it were up to us we would have proceeded to Ervelon regardless, so what difference does it make?¡±

    The group went quiet for a few minutes before Ivan broke the silence ¡°The only reason you¡¯re so positive about it Zander is because you¡¯re trying to get into Vivian¡¯s pants.¡±

    Zander looked up at Ivan and red at him angrily, his face was as red as a stop sign and all the air in his lungs had rushed out. ¡°Wha... I.. no I don¡¯t!¡± Zander spoke with much difficulty.

    .....

    Vivian smiled smugly at the shed blonde elf who was sitting next to her and elbowed him yfully. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy Zander, who knows, maybe if you ask nicely you could get lucky.¡±

    Zander was red to the roots of his hair as Vivian chuckled and smacked his shoulder. He felt like digging a hole and burying himself alive.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to head to bed now..¡± Zander spoke in low shaky voice. He stood up and walked slowly towards his tent where he plopped onto his furs and clenched his chest tightly. ¡°Get a hold of yourself Zander,¡± he mumbled to himself, ¡°you can¡¯t fall for a nosferatu, no, such rtionships are forbidden, you should know better!¡±

    He brought his hand to the shoulder Vivian had smacked earlier and rubbed it gently, ¡°but yet.. here you are.¡± He sighed and closed his eyes but his thoughts trailed off to Vivian, to her beautiful blue eyes, her long dark wavy hair and that breath taking smile of hers. Gods why were nosferatu woman such a temptation.

    Zander felt a little guilty for being against the prince and Melissa¡¯s rtionship. At the time, all he could think of was his duty to deliver Gareth to Ervelon and Melissa was an obstacle to that goal. But now he was literally walking a mile in Gareth¡¯s shoes. The blonde elf had never felt this way for any woman before, the familiar feeling to him towards the opposite sex was lust, which often disappeared after a few rounds in bed. But with Vivian it was different, the thought of merely being close to her made his body heat up, he found himself drawn to small mundane things like herughter or how she raised her brows when taking a sip of wine. He had barely thought of her sexually like he did most women, but she aroused him in ways he never thought possible.

    ¡°What the fuck is happening to me?¡±

    The blond elf drew in a sharp breath and attempted to empty his mind so he could sleep, he¡¯d had too much emotional stimtion for an entire lifetime all thanks to Ivan¡¯s snarkyment.

    ¡°Curse you Ivan,¡± Zander muttered softly before nodding off.

    A few hourster the blond elf lethargically opened his eyes. The night was still young and the camp had gone quite, meaning that the team had all retired to their tents. Zander cursed lightly as he got up and rushed out of the tent towards some shrubs. He loosened his belt and relived himself with his eyes closed.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have taken so much wine..¡± he mumbled to himself.

    ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t have whipped out your pecker without inspecting your surroundings first..¡±

    Zander¡¯s eyes shot open and his gaze fell on a woman who was standing a few feet away from him wearing a robe.

    ¡°Vivina!¡± The blonde stumbled backwards as he panicked to stuff his wang back into his pants. He managed to buckle up his trousers but tripped over a stone and fell to the ground with a loud thud.

    ¡°Fuck..¡± the man groaned and rubbed his head. He opened his eyes and saw Vivian squating beside him and holding out her hand.

    Zander was as pale as a ghost, had she just seen his pecker?! When the woman forcibly grabbed his hand and helped him up, he felt like this moment wouldn¡¯t be such a bad time to die.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Vivina questioned him, ¡°that was quite the fall, I hope you didn¡¯t hurt your little friend.¡±

    Zander stood to be corrected, this was the PERFECT time to die. He involuntary covered his crotch and bowed his head in sheer and utter embarrassment, he prayed this was a nightmare that he¡¯d wake from at any moment.

    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Zander mumbled almost inaudibly, ¡°I had no idea you were there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I probably shouldn¡¯t be taking my baths in the middle of the night,¡± Vivian responded with a chuckle.

    Then man craned his neck to look at Vivian and his breath hitched when his eyesnded on her. Her skin was glowing under the starlight and the robe she was wearing was doing very little to cover her chest and cleavage. Zander immediately turned his head to the side as an intense crimson color tinted his cheeks. ¡°I.. I should.. I should probably...¡±

    ¡°You want to join me?¡± The woman questioned the man who was avoiding making eye contact, ¡°there¡¯s ake just over that hill over there. The water is great, and the faint moonlight makes it look almost magical.¡±

    ¡°Jo... jo... join you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I mean I¡¯ve already seen your pecker so what¡¯s left to hide?¡±

    Zander felt like he would pass out from all the embarrassment, was she doing it on purpose or did this gorgeous woman really have no idea what effect she had on him?

    ¡°Are youing?¡± Vivian spoke as she turned around and began walking in the direction of theke.

    Zander was absolutely mortified when a ¡®yes¡¯ escaped his lips. What in the world was he doing? Before his brain could give him an answer he found himself following her like a mindless zombie. It was like he was drawn to her like bees to honey, but how couldn¡¯t he, when just the way she walked made his heart leap. Was it possible that he actually had a crush on her?

    The man halted and awoke from his daze when he noticed Vivian had stopped walking. He gazed passed her and immediately gasped when he saw a smallke ahead of them. The waters were still and reflected the twinkling stars above making it look like a silky nket of lights.

    ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it...?¡±

    ¡°Huh?! Yeah very beautiful!¡± Zander nervously tugged on his cor and avoided looking at Vivian at all costs. Why in the world was it so easy for her to get him so worked up? It was frustrating.

    When the beautiful nosferatu woman untied her rob and let it drop to her ankles Zander quickly turned around and blushed intensely. Gods was this woman trying to kill him? He heard the swooshing of water as she proceeded into theke and gulped as his thoughts trailed off to a dark ce. He took a deep breath and slowly turned around, shamelessly wanting to take a peek at the woman.

    When he caught site of her she was facing away from him and submerged in the water up to her wide hips. The blond huffed out a breath as his eyes trailed from her hips, up her slender waist to the side swells of her breasts.

    ¡°Gods of Ervelon...¡± the man muttered. His heart was doingps and his manhood twitching with every gulp of saliva he took. When Vivian turned to face him, Zander jolted backwards causing him to trip and fall,nding on his bum.

    ¡°You¡¯re not very graceful are you Zander?¡± The woman chuckled. It was the second time she has seen the elf fall over that night.

    ¡°I... I just... well it¡¯s because...¡± Zander could tell that his brain was in no position to formte words. I mean how could it be when Vivian was standing in front of him naked. With a bright red face he turned to look at the woman who was smiling at him in all her beautiful glory. Her skin silky and smooth, her breasts perky and firm just like her hips. She was sinfully beautiful.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t youing in?¡± She asked in a tone that made Zander¡¯s manhood twitch. ¡°It¡¯s a little cold but you¡¯ll like it.¡±

    The man nodded slowly and got to his feet. He then started unbuttoning his shirt, his eyes never leaving Vivian. It was crazy how he agreed to everything she said, it must have been sorcery or something. When his clothes were off and ced aside, the man walked briskly to the water and submerged himself hoping the darkness of the night had given him a bit of cover. Little did he know that nosferatu had perfect vision, especially in the dark.

    Vivian smiled to herself as she watched the man stand awkwardly in the water. He may have been an uptight stick in the mud, but he was actually kind of cute.

    ¡°It¡¯s freezing...¡± Zander shuddered. He gasped when he felt Vivian¡¯s mounds press against his bare back and froze when her arms circled his waist.

    ¡°Sorry I forgot you¡¯re warm blooded,¡± she whispered, her breath sending chills down his spine. ¡°Allow me to warm it up for you.¡±

 Chapter 100

    100 Chapter 100 : Soulmate

    ¡°Sorry I forgot you¡¯re warm blooded,¡± Vivian whispered, her breath sending chills down Zander¡¯s spine. ¡°Allow me to warm it up for you.¡±

    She moved slowly to his front, her small gentle fingers trailing his muscr body as she circled him akin to the exotic belly dancers from the south. Zander looked down at her blue eyes and gulped, ¡°Vivian I..¡±

    The beautiful nosferatu ced a finger on his lips and the man snapped his mouth shut. He had to hold back the urge to nibble her finger, pull her into his embrace and kiss her long and desperately.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Zander I don¡¯t bite... much,¡± she said with an amorous chuckle that made the man almost drool.

    ¡°How exactly are you nning to warm the water up?¡± Zander¡¯s mind was already in the gutter, a dirty, dark, incredibly filthy gutter. He was getting excited the more he thought of all the possibilities the two of them could explore in order to warm the water up. Gods, was this even him? Was he really shamelessly getting excited about ravishing a nosferatu in the middle of a coldke? But how could he not? Fuck the rules, there was no woman on this earth that Zander wanted more than Vivian, especially in this moment.

    The dark haired woman inched closer and ced her delicate hand on Zander¡¯s firm chest. This was it, this was the green light he was waiting for, he was going to go for it, he was going to kiss Vivian. The elf closed his eyes and started leaning in for her luscious red lips, any moment now he would fulfill his little fantasy.

    ¡°Alright there you go,¡± Vivian spoke making Zander peel one of eyes open and look at her.

    ¡°Excuse me...?¡±

    ¡°The water,¡± Vivian added on, ¡°I warmed it up for you.¡±

    .....

    Zander¡¯s eyes fell on Vivian¡¯s hand that was hovering slightly above the water. The water around him had indeed be much warmer than before, was that magic? The elf pursed his lips and blushed, of course she was going to use magic, why did he think she¡¯d ever want to be with a guy like him, an elf. An uptight, by the book, boring elf.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Vivian asked the man whose mood seemed to have plummeted.

    ¡°Umm yeah I¡¯m great..¡± Zander responded tly, ¡°thank you for the water.¡±

    Vivian nodded and walked back to her original position and proceeded to cleaning herself while Zander half bathed half wallowed in self pity.

    ¡°You should get out of there before you wrinkle up like a prune,¡± Vivian spoke to the man as she walked out of the water and covered herself with her robe.

    ¡°yeah okay..¡± Zander finished up and turned to exit the water when he noticed Vivian staring at him wide eyed with a faint blush on her cheeks. ¡°What?¡± He questioned the woman.

    The beautiful nosferatu turned away from him and began walking towards the camp, ¡°nothing!¡± She responded curtly and rushed off. When she was far from the man¡¯s line of sight, she leaned against arge tree trunk and drew in a long breath. When she first noticed that the blonde uptight elf liked her, she had nned to mess with him for a bit. But after gazing at his beautifully curved body as he emerged from the water her heart ttered and knots formed in her stomach. Had Zander always been that... hot?

    ¡°Fuck..¡± Vivian muttered to herself before tightening her robe and walking back to he camp.

    *

    Queen Tauriel pursed her lips lightly as she listened to her son exining how he¡¯d met Melissa. From his expressions as he spoke about her, his gestures, and how he held her hands and stroked them, the queen could tell that Gareth waspletely smitten by the woman. The whole thing was making the queen¡¯s head hurt, how could this have happened again? Why couldn¡¯t he fall in love with anyone else.. anybody at all.. it had to be a nosferatu.

    ¡°... so now here we are.¡± Gareth concluded.

    The queen forced a smile and nodded at her handsome son, ¡°it seems you two have quite the connection..¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more than that,¡± Gareth responded as he stroked Melissa¡¯s hand lovingly, ¡°she¡¯s my soulmate, I can¡¯t imagine my life without Melissa in it.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s breath hitched at the words Gareth had spoken. Did he just call her his soulmate?

    ¡°But brother, the elves and nosferatu can not-¡±

    Queen Tauriel abruptly stoop up and cut Finwe short. She cleared her throat and gave a signal to one of the guards who rushed to her side and bowed. ¡°Please have the maids prepare some rooms for my son and his guest, and some food as well,¡± she told the guard, ¡°they must be tired and hungry.¡±

    ¡°Of course my queen.¡± The guard bowed again and left to do as he was told.

    Gareth stood up and cleared his throat to get his mother¡¯s attention, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude queen Tau.. err mother.. but one room is alright for Mel and I. I¡¯d feel better if I had her close to me.¡±

    ¡°Oh nonsense you two can¡¯t share a room,¡± the queen responded with a smile that Melissa could see was one word away from turning into a frown.

    ¡°But-¡±

    The redhead reached for Adam¡¯s hand and smiled up at him, ¡°it¡¯s alright,¡± she spoke with a sweet smile, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind finally having a big bed all to myself.¡± She could see that queen was trying to keep Gareth and her apart, going against her wishes right now would not be wise.

    Momentster Gareth watched as Melissa was led away to the opposite side of the castle by two maids, while he was led to his room by his brother Finwe.

    ¡°You worry like she¡¯s in some sort of danger brother,¡± Finwemented having noticed Gareth¡¯s uneasiness. ¡°Or maybe she is the danger?¡±

    ¡°Why do I get the feeling she¡¯s not wee here,¡± the dark haired elf spoke with knitted brows, ¡°you may im to be family but I really don¡¯t trust any of you, especially with Melissa.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Finwe responded, ¡°but you have to understand brother, her kind doesn¡¯t venture these parts of the continent anymore.¡±

    ¡°And why is that?¡± Gareth asked. He felt like there was something everyone wasn¡¯t telling him. He first noticed it with Zander, and now his brother and mother, what exactly had happened between the nosferatu and elves?

    Finwe stopped in front of arge white door and turned to face his brother, ¡°let¡¯s not dwell on that for now,¡± he spoke with a smile, ¡°you¡¯re home now, it¡¯s time to celebrate not dwell on century old rivalries.¡± Finwe pat Gareth on the shoulder and started waking back, ¡°get some rest, mother has been looking for an excuse to throw a party and you¡¯ve just given it to her. You¡¯ll need all the energy you can get for the festivities ahead.¡±

    Gareth watched Finwe walk away until he disappeared at the far end of the hallway. The dark haired prince sighed and walked through therge white door and into a massive room. Was this really meant for just one person?

    He closed the door and walked slowly past arge grey sofa ced in front of a flickering firece and white pr bear rug. Adjacent to it was arge white bookshelf with a vast assemge of books and parchments. There was a table with a single chair next to the shelf, and next to it a ss door that led to a well decorated balcony fitted with a low table and chairs. On the other side of the room was arge feathery soft bed with about a dozen pillows and thick white nkets and sheets.

    The prince sat down on the bed and practically sunk into it. The room was absolutely breath taking. ¡°Melissa would love this,¡± he mumbled to himself before sighing and falling back on the bed. She was literally under the same roof as him but he missed her.. so so much. After such a long journey he wanted nothing more than to take a warm bath with her and hold her all night till he fell asleep.

    He brought his hand to the bite mark she had left on his neck and scoffed. Would they really stop him from going to see her? I mean he was just going to see how she was settling in right? It¡¯s not like he was nning on sneaking her into his room against his mother¡¯s will.

    Gareth sat up and grinned to himself. He was just going to check on her that¡¯s all, no harm in checking in on his guest right? And maybe staying with her till she fell asleep, just in case she felt a little homesick. It wasmon curtesy, his mother would understand.

    The eleven prince hopped off his bed and made his way to the door, a big smile painting his face. He couldn¡¯t believe he was about to sneak around his mother¡¯s house for a woman, the feeling was exciting him for some reason and it only made him long for Melissa even more. When he threw the door open, he bumped into someone who was equally about to enter his room.

    He looked down at the woman whose eyes were as wide as an owl, ¡°p- prince Gareth!¡± The woman squealed and awkwardly curtsied before him. ¡°Forgive me I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be in yet.¡±

 Chapter 101

    101 Chapter 101 : Our little secret

    ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d need before I take my leave?¡±

    Melissa half nced at the maid who was keeping a distance from her like she was some wild animal who would pounce on her and tear her limb from limb at any second.

    [Tch.. even if I needed something you don¡¯t look like you¡¯d be willing to help me out]

    ¡°No thank you I think I¡¯m alright for now,¡± Melissa responded kindly.

    ¡°Someone will be up to prepare your bath,¡± the maid added on, ¡°afterwards, your lunch will be brought to your chambers.¡±

    ¡°Lunch will be brought here?¡± Melissa scoffed and walked towards her window. What? Was she not invited to dine with everyone else?

    ¡°Yes..¡± the maid responded, ¡°queen¡¯s orders.¡±

    [But of course]

    Melissa turned to look at the maid and gave her a nod, ¡°that would be lovely, thank you.¡±

    .....

    The maid curtsied and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Melissa then walked to her bed and sat down before sighing heavily. She had been in Ervelon four hours and she already wanted to leave, she felt so ufortable here, so unwee. And the thing that disturbed her the most was that this was Gareth¡¯s home, if him and her married she¡¯d have to live here with him forever. Did she really have the stomach for that? Living in a ce where no one wanted her?

    She looked around the white room with beautiful marble floors, a high ceiling, a balcony and cozy firece. ¡°Well at least the room is nice,¡± she muttered to herself.

    *

    ¡°Your grace! My name is Ronda, I¡¯m the queen¡¯s right hand maiden and...¡±

    Gareth could see that the woman was incredibly nervous for some reason. ¡°Were you sent here by the queen to ready my bath?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Ronda responded with a vigorous nod, ¡°that and ummmh..¡± the woman gulped and stood up straight to face the handsome elf, ¡°that and any other needs you may deem fit your grace.¡± Ronda couldn¡¯t stop herself from blushing at the man, prince Gareth was unbelievably handsome even by elf standards. Ronda had ventured the kindom far and wide and not once had she set eyes on a man as immacte Gareth.

    ¡°Alright..¡± Gareth grabbed the woman by the hand, pulled her into his room and closed the door behind him. Ronda waspletely flushed at his gesture, she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d jump for the idea like this.

    ¡°What was your name again?¡±

    ¡°Ronda your grace...¡±

    ¡°Okay Ronda, I need you to vow loyalty to me, can you do that?¡±

    The woman¡¯s face lit up like stop light at the mention of those words. They hadn¡¯t even done anything yet and he was already wanting her to be loyal to him? Did this mean that she really did have a chance with the crowned prince?

    ¡°Can you do that?¡± Gareth repeated himself. He ced his hands firmly on her shoulders and searched her eyes, ¡°I need someone I can trust here, can I count on you.¡±

    The elven woman was absolutely blissful, she was a bit hesitant about approaching the prince when the queen had suggested it because of how dotting he was with the nosferatu woman. But now she could see that she really did have a chance with him. ¡°Of course your grace, I pledge my undying loyalty to you, I will never betray your trust.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡± The prince eximed with a wide smile, ¡°now Ronda I want you to do something for me, and no one needs to know about it alright. It will be our little secret.¡±

    The woman nodded enthusiastically without hesitation, ¡°Anything your grace!¡±

    ¡°I want you to fill my bath up with lots of nice hot water, enough for two,¡± Gareth instructed her.

    ¡°For two...?¡± The woman¡¯s throat went dry, did he want them to bathe together already? Gosh this was moving so fast, but she wasn¡¯tining. The woman blushed at the thought of being naked in a bath with Gareth.

    ¡°You do that, and I¡¯ll be right back alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course your grace, right away!¡±

    The woman made her way to the separate room that had a sunken inbuilt bath and used her magic to fill it with water. Gareth walked out of the room into the hallway and began to walk towards where he had seen the maid lead Melissa. He couldn¡¯t wait to hold her soft body against his in a nice hot bath, gods he missed her touch so much.

    Melissa was sitting leisurely on the edge of her bed watching the beautiful scenery from her window when she heard someone calling her name from the hallway.

    ¡°Mel? Are you here?¡±

    ¡°Gary..?¡±

    She slid off the silky white sheets of the bed and walked to her door, when she opened it she saw the elven prince sneaking around the hallway. ¡°Gareth what are you-¡±

    The man pulled the woman into his arms and hugged her tightly, but before he could kiss her, Melissa pulled him into her sleeping chambers and closed the door behind her. ¡°What are you doing sneaking around?¡±

    ¡°Lets go talk about that in my room,¡± the prince responded slyly. He wrapped his arm around Melissa¡¯s tiny waist and pulled her close. ¡°What do you say?¡± The look that prince Gareth had in his eyes was one Melissa had seen befor me, he had that same look when he was intoxicated with wine and had humphed her, and when they were taking a bath at the river in Lenora. There was no doubt about it, Gareth was aroused and that made Melissa blush.

    She ced her delicate hands on his bulging biceps and shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you heard this, but your mother doesn¡¯t want us being in the same room.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± the man whispered, he lowered his head and gave Melissa¡¯s soft lips a sweet quick kiss. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to know.¡±

    The woman raised one brow at the smirking man, ¡°you want to sneak me into your room? What if someone sees us?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± the man responded, his voice was alreadyced with desire. He tightened his grip on her waist and cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand before pulling her into a deep kiss that left knots in Mel¡¯s stomach. When he pulled away they were both looking at each other longingly. ¡°You know you need this as much as I do..¡±

    The redhead bit down on her lower lip to hide her smile. It had been a long and rough journey with a lot of tension and stress, and she knew this man would help melt it all away. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Gareth¡¯s eyes shed purple for a quick second and he gave her another kiss after which he held her hand and led her to the door. He opened it slowly and peaked out to make sure no one was approaching before both of them crept out of the room, tiptoeing towards the prince¡¯s chambers. Melissa felt so naughty sneaking around like this and it made her feel a little excited, Gareth always found a way to bring out her inner child.

    Meanwhile back in Gareth¡¯s chambers, Ronda had just finished warming the water and scattering red rose petals in and around the tub. She had also taken the liberty of cing scented oils and ointments beside the bath that she would use to soothe the prince¡¯s skin.

    When the maiden heard Gareth¡¯s door open, she hurriedly stood up and made her way to meet him, but was surprised to see him walking in hand in hand with the red haired nosferatu woman. ¡°Umm your grace.. your bath is ready so maybe your guest can-¡±

    ¡°Excellent Ronda I knew I could count on you,¡± he closed the door and made the woman seatfortably on the bed. The way he was so gentle with her and how he looked at her with so much adoration made Ronda¡¯s heart ache.

    The prince turned to the elf maiden and gave her a grateful smile, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to call you if Mel and I need anything, I owe you one Ronda.¡±

    Ronda¡¯s eyes circled and her chest tightened. So the bath for two he was talking about was for him and that woman?! So he had never even been interested in her to begin with?!

    ¡°Ummh Ronda?¡± The man repeated himself to the woman who seemed frozen.

    ¡°Y- Yes your grace?¡±

    ¡°Will you please excuse us?¡± The man asked in the most polite way he could, but the words still shattered the maiden¡¯s heart.

    ¡°O- of course your grace..¡±

    The woman walked slowly out the door, her face as pale as a ghoul. Before the prince mmed the door behind her he whispered, ¡°remember this is our little secret.¡±

    Ronda felt like throwing up when the door mmed shut behind her. She felt so humiliated and stupid. How could the prince do this to her? She was beautiful, she was smart and she was an elf, someone of his kind. Why would he choose a woman like Melissa? She was of a different a race, a blood sucking, vile evil race! She wouldn¡¯t even be able to bare him children to seed the throne! What spell had this woman cast on their crowned prince?!

 Chapter 102

    102 Chapter 102 : I love you [PG 18]

    Gareth eagerly locked the door and turned to the beautiful woman who was sitting in his bed looking effortlessly beautiful. He moved in front of her and smiled slyly.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Melissa asked the handsome elf.

    Gareth leaned in and began nting feathery kisses on her corbone, ¡°who?..¡± the man whispered as he moved his lips from her cor to her beautiful neck:

    ¡°The woman who just walked out..¡± Melissa cupped the man¡¯s face in the palms of her hands lovingly.

    ¡°She¡¯s a hand maiden my love..¡± he leaned in and kissed her lips softly, ¡°don¡¯t worry, our secret is safe she won¡¯t say a word to anyone.¡±

    ¡°How are you so su-¡± Melissa gasped when Gareth lightly pushed her onto the soft fluffy bed and hovered above her, his arms caging her.

    ¡°Can you stop worrying for just a moment Mel?¡± The man whispered sweetly, ¡°I have gone through one hell of a ride trying to get you back, please let me reap the rewards of that for just a few minutes?¡±

    Melissa chuckled and cupped his face in her tiny hands, ¡°just a few minutes?..¡± she responded with an equal amount of amorousness in her voice.

    Gareth leaned in and ced his forehead on hers, ¡°maybe a couple of hours?¡±

    .....

    ¡°This is your mother¡¯s house Gary, have a little decency..¡±

    ¡°Oh trust me, this is me holding back.¡± The elven prince began unbuttoning her blouse slowly. The devilish side smile on his face made Melissa sp her legs together but the man ced his own leg in between, making her keep them open.

    ¡°Gareth please be..¡±

    ¡°Gentle?... I don¡¯t know if I can promise that,¡± Gareth spoke with a ramble in his chest that made Melissa¡¯s stomach knot up. Her top red open exposing her firm soft breats that Gareth gazed upon for a long while before gulping. The first time he had been intimate with Melissa, it was a bit rashed so he didn¡¯t get the chance to marvel over her beautiful body fully.

    Melissa brought her hands to her breasts and covered them, ¡°could you not stare at me like that?¡± She whimpered.

    ¡°I cannot help it my love..¡± he took hold of the woman hands and ced them above her head and her perky mounds bobbled up in response. He secured her wrists together with one hand and with the other proceeded to unbutton her cks. ¡°You¡¯re the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve everid eyes in Mel.¡± He brought his other hand back up and pinned her wrists to the bed, ¡°allow me to cater to every inch of your delectable body they way a real man should.¡±

    *

    ¡°We are in Lenora now!¡± Zander announced to his team. The terrain around them had transformed from a woody one covered in shrubs and bushes to oneprising ofrge rocks, dry barend and a few leafless trees.

    ¡°Gods why does it look so...¡±

    ¡°Dead?¡± Ivanpleted Beric¡¯s statement.

    ¡°If this is thend of the dwarves, where are they?¡± Odran asked, ¡°this ce looks like it¡¯s abandoned.¡±

    ¡°The dwarves prefer to live beneath the rocks, don¡¯t be fooled by the terrain you see now.¡± Zander responded.

    ¡°Their kingdom is a vast maze of buildings curved beh the ground,¡± Vivian added on, ¡°they say it is an architectural wonder down there, walls covered in jewels and gold, and gemstones used to light up their homes. Very few outsiders are allowed in.¡±

    Vivian nced at Zander who was looking at her with an impressed expression. ¡°Umm err well that¡¯s what I¡¯ve read.¡± She responded nervously. There was a hint of pink on her cheeks.

    ¡°You must have read a lot to know so much detail,¡± the blonde elf spoke to the woman.

    ¡°Ha ha yeah I¡¯ve read a lot.¡± She chuckled awkwardly.

    The group continued riding at a steady speed until they reached a ledge on a cliff. Zander halted his horse and gave a signal to the rest of the group to stop. The blond elf hopped off his horse and walked to the edge of the cliff, he knitted his brows as he gazed on the broken bridge that was swinging and being rattled by the wind.

    Rnd walked to Zander¡¯s side and sighed. ¡°Fuck, this is the only way to get to the other side,¡± he spoke as he looked across the gorge, ¡°what do we do now?¡±

    Zander turned to the two nosferatu women with an idea in mind, ¡°Vivian, Maria.. don¡¯t nosferatu fly?¡±

    ¡°Some do yes..¡± Vivian responded.

    ¡°Are you able to fly us across?¡±

    ¡°I can try and carry Beric and maybe Ivan cause they are small and puny..¡± Vivian exined, earning a retaliation from Ivan. ¡°But the rest of you would be too heavy.¡±

    ¡°And there¡¯s the issue of the horses,¡± Ozias added on, ¡°we will need them across and if they can¡¯t carry us, I highly doubt they can carry the horses.¡±

    ¡°I can try to get us across,¡± Maria spoke out.

    ¡°Maria you can¡¯t..¡± Vivian objected, ¡°the gap is too wide you can¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t really have a choice Vivian,¡± Maria responded curtly, ¡°we¡¯re running out of time, we can¡¯t just stand here and do nothing. The lycan king is on our tail and the princess is in Ervelon right now probably being mistreated by those bloody elves!¡±

    *

    Melissa felt like pulling the sheets over her naked body as Gareth unbuttoned his pants and dropped them to the floor. Her eyes bulged and her legs mped together as her blue orbs moved from his handsome face, down his bulging pecks and firm abs. She gasped when she gazed upon his manhood that was fully erect and pointing towards her.

    ¡°So... big...¡± she whimpered in a mixture of fear and excitement.

    The man got onto the bed and crawled towards Melissa and ced himself on top of her. The redhead was already breathless, panting and wet after Gareth had eaten her out for several minutes. She was still blushing intensely after the ordeal, Melissa had had to cover her face with one of the pillows so her screams and moans of pleasure couldn¡¯t be heard from outside the room. The things that prince Gareth could do with his tongue were incredibly sinful.

    The handsome man took Melissa¡¯s legs and threw them over his shoulders, leaving her swollen bud fully essible to him.

    ¡°Gareth you¡¯re going to get us caught..¡± the blue eyed woman quivered. She was already very aroused and had already had two orgasms. Her bud was very sensitive right now and she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to stop herself from moaning his name shamelessly.

    Gareth merely kissed both Melissa¡¯s ankles and proceeded to cing his now rock hard shaft at her dewy entrance. ¡°You want me to give you something you can bite on?¡± The man asked in a voice that made more juices trickle from Melissa¡¯s core.

    The man bent forward slowly, in the process pushing Melissa¡¯s legs towards her heated face, folding her up and exposing her honeypot even more. ¡°I love you..¡± he whispered before pushing himself into Melissa¡¯s core with one hard push.

    ¡°Aah-¡±

    Gareth crushed his lips against Melissa¡¯s and muffled her screams with his kiss. He moved his hips back a little and then pushed himself into her again. Melissa release a muffled cry and balled up her fists. She wanted to reach for Gareth and sink her nails into his back but with her knees practically beside her face, she was locked in ce.

    Gareth moved his length in and out of Melissa¡¯s warm tunnel with long gentle strokes. He pulled her legs back gently and locked them around his waist and then proceeded to sucking her nipples gently. The redhead groaned as she felt a tight knot in her core begin to loosen, sensing she was about to reach her peak, Gareth took his index finger to her mouth and Melissa bit down on it hard as her orgasm exploded.

    The elven prince moaned in a deep throaty voice and gnashed his teeth when he felt her walls convulse along his length. With onest pump he too reached his peak and spilled his seed thoroughly inside of her. Immediately thest of his seed spewed out, he gentlyy on top of Melissa and wrapped his arms around her, his length still buried in her core. ¡°Fuck Mel..¡± he groaned, ¡°I really thought I¡¯dst longer that time.. but you always manage to put me in my ce.¡±

    ¡°You are such a shameless man,¡± Melissa responded breathlessly. She had a satisfied smile painting her face, never had she been made love to quiet like that before.

    Gareth ced a kiss on Melissa¡¯s forehead and smiled at her, ¡°with you Mel, I¡¯m as shameless as theye.¡±

    Melissa chuckled and ran her hand through his soft dark locks. They were a little damp from the sweating he had done during their beautiful love making. Looking at his beaming face and gorgeous eyes she couldn¡¯t believe she was finally in his arms, at some point she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever see him again.

    ¡°You¡¯re all sweaty,¡± the woman whispered, ¡°might be a good time to take a bath.¡±

    ¡°How about we take that bath after one more round?¡± The prince asked with a sly smile. Before Melissa could respond, Gareth suckled on her breast and began moving his length in and out of her gently. Melissa bit down on her lower lip and grabbed his locs of hair. Gods she loved this man.

    Outside the room, Ronda was leaning against the door listening to Gareth make love to the nosferatu woman. Tears stung her eyes and hate slowly crept in her heart, she loathed Melissa. If it wasn¡¯t for her, prince Gareth would have been making love to her.

    ¡°I will remove you from his highness¡¯s life nosferatu..¡± Ronda hissed, ¡°I swear it.¡±

 Chapter 103

    103 Chapter 103 : Busted

    ¡°All done mydy..¡± the maid spoke, ¡°would you like to have your meal now?¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s alright, I¡¯m not quite hungry just yet.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± The maid curtsied and turned to leave the room, ¡°please do call for me when you¡¯re ready for your meal.¡±

    Julia watched the maid walk out of the room and sat down on the sofa near her window. ¡°How long has it been?¡± She spoke to herself.

    After the dwarve princess Julia came to know the truth of her identity and awakened, she triggered the full awakening of her people as well, an event that Elric used to his advantage to subdue the kingdom of Meria and the kingdoms around it. When the king left to retrieve his wife and the elven prince, Julia remained in the Merian capital to assist Theo in looking after the newly established monarchy. It was the least she could do after the trouble she had caused for Elric, and besides, he was working hard to reim thends of their people so they could all live in peace again. And maybe after he got back, she could tell him how she felt?

    Julia shook her head and sighed. ¡°Who am I kidding,¡± she muttered to herself, ¡°this little crush I have on king Elric will bare no fruit. The reason he¡¯s out there is because he is in love with her...¡±

    What was with her and falling for the wrong man? She stood up and walked to the window, it was a beautiful sunny day outside so she decided to go for a walk in the gardens to clear her mind. Julia walked out of her room, down hallway towards the pce exist. As she approached the study she heard voices of several men, was there some sort of meeting? And howe she didn¡¯t know about it?

    The woman slowed her pace and ducked out of sight, she peeked into the room and saw some of the council members gathered around a tabled.

    ¡°How far have they gone?¡±

    .....

    ¡°The letter we received says they crossed the wandering woods some days ago, they should be in Lenora as we speak.¡±

    ¡°Have they conquered the dwarves?¡±

    Julia gasped and ducked away. Conquer the dwarves? Why would Elric want to conquer the dwarve kingdom, wasn¡¯t this an alliance mission?

    ¡°If they waged war against the dwarves their proceeding to Ervelon will be dyed. First the king ns to secure his wife and then crush the elves and the dwarves.¡±

    ¡°And the elven prince?¡±

    ¡°Held prisoner of course, that¡¯s the only way king Elric will have total rule over all. He already has the dwarve princess so after he captures the elf prince no one will go against him.¡±

    Julia gasped, prisoner?! Was that true? Was she just some prisoner to Elric? Was everything he had told her about working together all a lie? The green eyed woman began to slowly back away from the study entrance as realization dawned on her, Elric wasn¡¯t her ally, he was a tyrant who was using her for his own personal gain. The only person he remotely cared about was his wife. Tears stung Julia¡¯s eyes and amp formed on her throat.

    ¡°How could I be so stupid?¡± She whimpered. She turned to run back to her room but bumped into someone and the impact sent her falling to the ground. She groaned and rubbed her head as she cocked her head up to see who had blocked her way and immediately gasped when she saw his face.

    ¡°King Elric?!¡±

    *

    Maria walked to the edge of the cliff and studied it carefully, it was going to be tough but she had to do it, they had to retrieve the princess and take her back home.

    Maria had magical abilities to manipte earth in addition to her wings that allowed her to fly. Though her magic was not as strong as Vivian¡¯s, she still had to try. She was going to create a bridge to join the two cliffs so the group could get across.

    She got down to her knees, took a deep breath and ced her hands on the ground. Momentster the ground began to rumble. Ivan went wide eyed when part of the cliff began to stretch out. Maria gnashed her teeth together, trying hard to focus on her task at hand, she tried not to pay too much attention to the amount of energy she was losing.

    ¡°Argh...¡±

    ¡°Maria...¡±

    ¡°No I can do this!¡± Maria responded, making Vivian stop in her tracks. The bridge slowly began to take form, elongating further and further across the gorge. Maria could feel her heart pounding and her vision getting hazy, but she refused to give up. She had to do this for her people and for her mother.

    Vivian got down to her knees and put a gentle hand over her friend¡¯s shoulder, ¡°you¡¯ve got this, just a little further.¡±

    The woman groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best not to pass out from exhaustion.

    ¡°Almost there Maria..¡± Vivian cheered her on, she could see that she was using every ounce of energy that she had and Vivian admired her for it.

    When the bridge merged with the edge of the cliff on the other side, Maria sighed heavily and her body swayed forward. Vivian grabbed her friend but gravity pulled her forward as well, she was about to re her wings open when a hand grabbed her cloak and yanked them both backwards. The two women crushed onto the person who had pulled them back with a heavy impact.

    When Vivian opened her eyes she found herself leaning against Zander¡¯s chest who was looking down at her. ¡°Are you alright?¡± The man questioned the woman. Vivian face shed red in an instant, she quickly got to her feet and turned away from Zander.

    ¡°I can fly you know, you didn¡¯t have to do that!¡± She yelled.

    Zander got to his feet and dusted his clothes, ¡°I wasn¡¯t about to let my teammates fall over a cliff without me doing something about it.¡± The blonde elf then turned to Ivan who was holding a weak worn out Maria in his arms. ¡°Is she okay?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s weak but she¡¯ll live,¡± Ivan responded.

    ¡°Let me go elf..¡± Maria whispered weakly.

    ¡°Are the nosferatu all this high strung and ungrateful?¡± Oziasmented with a chuckle. The big man hopped onto his horse and the rest of the team did the same. Ivan tied Maria¡¯s horse to his and ced the now unconscious woman against his chest.

    ¡°Must be,¡± Ivan added on, ¡°saying thank you must not be verymon in the snonds.¡±

    ¡°Hey shut up our race isn¡¯t like that!¡± Vivian yelled at Ivan.

    ¡°Oh so it¡¯s just you two?¡± Zander asked with a sheepish smile that made Vivian¡¯s heart stop.

    ¡°Well I... you didn¡¯t..,¡± the woman pursed her lips and pouted before looking up at the blonde elf. ¡°Thank you.¡± The curtness in her tone made Zander smile in amusement.

    The blond elf nodded and moved his horse forward towards the bridge, ¡°let¡¯s keep moving, we need to reach Ervelon as soon as possible!¡±

    *

    After making love in the warm water for the second time, Gareth helped Melissa clean up and then ced her against his chest as they soaked. His mind was filled with nothing but bliss, he couldn¡¯t remember thest time he felt this happy and content.

    The eleven prince wrapped his arms tightly around the redhead and kissed the back of her head. The feeling of the water and her naked body against his was mind numbing, he wished he could remain in this position forever.

    ¡°Gary...¡±

    ¡°Yes my love?¡± The man answered the woman, his head leaned back and his eyes closed.

    ¡°We should get out now..¡± she turned around to face him and giggled upon looking at his rxed face that was stered with arge smile.

    The man opened his eyes, leaned forward and put his forehead against Melissa¡¯s. ¡°But I like having you naked in my arms.¡±

    The woman blushed and began trailing her fingers on his firm chest. ¡°As do I but we¡¯ll end up getting caught if we don¡¯t-¡±

    Before the blue eyed woman couldplete her statement there was a knock at the door. Gareth and Melissa turned to look at each other nervously before another loud knock echoed throughout the room.

    ¡°Err just a moment!¡± Gareth called out before making his way out of the bath.

    Melissa grabbed his hand and pulled him back into the water, ¡°what if it¡¯s your mother?!¡± She whispered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll get rid of her..¡± the man whispered with a smile. He kissed Melissa¡¯s temple and grabbed a robe that he secured tightly around his perfect body before making his way out of the bathroom to the door.

    When he opened the door it was indeed queen Tauriel who was standing there. She turned to look at her son, eyeing him suspiciously from head to toe. ¡°Still taking your bath?¡± She questioned him, ¡°I sent Ronda here to warm your water over an hour ago.¡±

    ¡°Umh yes, well with the long journey and all, I needed to soak for a while,¡± Gareth responded nervously.

    The queen peeked over Gareth¡¯s shoulder and knitted her brows together, ¡°is that a woman¡¯s shirt I see on your floor Gareth? Do you have a woman in here?¡±

    Gareth¡¯s eyes bulged in fear, how could he forget about Melissa¡¯s clothes?! ¡°Well I umm..¡±

    ¡°Step aside Gareth,¡± the queen spoke.

    When her son did not budge, the queen lifted her hand and whipped her index and middle finger to the side. That subtle motion moved Gareth the across the room and nted him in a chair not too far behind. Queen Tauriel walked into the room, picked up Melissa¡¯s blouse with her fingers and inspected it.

    ¡°Gareth...¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±

 Chapter 104

    104 Chapter 104 : The letters

    It had been a little while since William, Bahram and the twins had travelled from Meria in pursue of their wives. Bahram¡¯s wife, whom they had reached first in Guria, was fairing very well given the circumstances. Though heavily pregnant, she was able to fend for herself really well. Bahram had decided to take his wife to be with her parents during that delicate time while he proceeded to Gavaria with his brothers to find William¡¯s fianc¨¦ ryssa.

    The brothers had arrived in Gavaria a weekter and had found ryssa alive, well and still human as well. She was surprisingly well informed about what was going on around the continent and had even maintained her friendships with some of her friends who had turned. William had also decided to leave ryssa in the care of her parents for a while, she may not have been pregnant while William was away but after they reunited she now was.

    William was gently rubbing ryssa¡¯s very t tummy and smiling lovingly at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s barely a week old you¡¯re not going to feel anything,¡± ryssa spoke curtly, ¡°don¡¯t you have somewhere to go?¡±

    ¡°Ohe on Lyssa, you know when you pout like that it gets my heart racing.¡±

    The woman swatted William¡¯s hand away and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Then stay,¡± ryssa whined, ¡°I don¡¯t see you for weeks and now that you¡¯re back you want to leave me again?¡±

    William pulled the beautiful woman in his arms and nted a soft kiss on her creased forehead, ¡°you see how worried I was about you after I didn¡¯t see you for a long time? It¡¯s the same way I¡¯m worried about my little sister.¡± He leaned in and gave her a kiss on her nose making ryssa giggle. ¡°I now know you¡¯re safe and sound, I just wish to do the same with my sister.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ll miss you,¡± ryssained. She ced her hand on her tummy and looked up at William with her big doe eyes, ¡°We will miss you William.¡±

    The man scoffed in amusement. It was quite obvious that ryssa was trying to emotionally ckmail him just like Bahram¡¯s wife had tried to do. Women were so cunning that was for sure. William pulled ryssa into his embrace and kissed her sweetly.

    .....

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know it,¡± he whispered to her.

    ¡°Ehem!¡±

    ryssa and William turned to look at William¡¯s brothers who were sitting across from them looking a little ufortable. ¡°Could the two of you please get a room and do this quickly so we can be on our way,¡± Bahram spoke.

    William clicked his tongue and gave his fianc¨¦ onest kiss. ¡°Take good care of the both of you till I¡¯m back okay?¡± He whispered and gave her a quick hug.

    Just in that moment, one of the servants rushed into the room and bowed before them, ¡°mdy there are some letters for Sirs William, Bahram and the twins.¡±

    ryssa took the four thinly rolled up parchments and inspected them, ¡°these have the royal seal of Meria on them,¡± ryssa pointed out. She then trailed her eyes to the servant¡¯s face and asked him who had delivered the letters.

    ¡°It was the messenger boy mdy,¡± the servant responded, ¡°that¡¯s all I know.¡±

    ¡°Alright thank you,¡± ryssa responded. The servant bowed one more time before making his way out of the room.

    ryssa handed the parchments to William who distributed them amounts his brothers. Each of them broke the seal and read through the contents carefully. Bahram was the first toment, he rose from his seat and with a serious expression looked at his brothers, ¡°It¡¯s from that deceitful king Elric..¡±

    Throughout their journey the Morrell brothers had collected more than enough intel about the happenings in Meria. They knew that Nathaniel went by the name Elric now, had been crowned king and had somehow amassed enough power to spread his reign to Gavaria and part of Cenia.

    ¡°He says he has our baby sister!¡± The twins spoke in unison, anger and irritation visible on their identical faces.

    ¡°Horse shit I don¡¯t trust that silver haired bastard not one bit!¡± William responded. ¡°Are we just going to take his word for it?! You really think the elven prince would just give our sister up like that?!¡±

    ¡°But what if he speaks the truth?¡± Bahram added on, ¡°the letter says she wants to see us. What if he took her back to Meria against her will by some deceitful means, are we just going to stand by while our little sister needs our help?¡±

    The room went quite, there was no telling whether the letters were a trap or not. That silver haired king had really yed his cards right this time. It was so twisted of him to use their sister as bait like this, he knew the Morrell brothers couldn¡¯t neglect a call for help from her, even if it was a false one.

    William balled up his fists and cursed, he could feel it in his bones that this wouldn¡¯t be a winning situation for them regardless of the decision they made, but what bothered him the most was he couldn¡¯t figure out what Elric¡¯s end game was, what exactly was he trying to achieve by baiting them like this?

    ¡°We have to return to Meria,¡± Bahram spoke as he tucked his own letter away, ¡°our n was to find our sister to begin with so why not humor that bastard and see what his angle is.¡±

    ¡°And if it¡¯s a trap?¡± William questioned his brother, even though he too had already made up his mind to go back to Meria.

    ¡°There¡¯s four of us and one of him, I¡¯m sure we can take him.¡±

    William sighed before chuckling at Bahram¡¯s answer. Elric was on his own yes, but he was a king now who had a whole army at his disposal, it was highly unlikely they¡¯d take him on in a fight. But still, there would be some satisfaction in knocking him in the face once or twice before his guards came to his rescue.

    ¡°Well alright,¡± William responded, ¡°I guess we¡¯re traveling back to Meria.¡±

    *

    ¡°King Elric?!¡± Julia froze in ce as she looked up at the man she had bumped into.

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to be running around like that you should keep your eyes on where you¡¯re going,¡± the man spoke.

    Julia gulped when he stretched out his hand to help her up, ¡°don¡¯t worry I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡±

    Julia hesitantly took his hand and stood up. She quickly pulled her hand away from him and curtsied apologetically.

    ¡°And it¡¯s Clovis...¡±

    Julia looked up at the man with a stare of confusion, ¡°huh?¡±

    ¡°My name,¡± the man repeated himself, ¡°it¡¯s Clovis not Elric.¡±

    Julia studied the man in front of her closely and gasped when she realized it was indeed not king Elric. So this was prince Clovis? She had just heard of Elric¡¯s brothers but had never actually seen them. The resemnce between the king and Clovis was unnerving, he had the same silver hair except that Clovis kept it neatly tied in a ponytail unlike Elric who left it tasseled most of the time. They also shared the same honey brown eyes and fanged smiles, only that Clovis¡¯ seemed softer and less terrifying.

    Julia also noticed that Clovis was much taller and had a more polished look than Elric, but regardless, they could pass off as twins.

    ¡°Hey...¡±

    Julia was pulled out of her trance and looked up at the prince.

    ¡°I asked you what your name is,¡± he repeated himself.

    ¡°I¡¯m um.. I¡¯m Julia,¡± she responded meekly.

    ¡°Oh so you¡¯re the dwarve princess I¡¯ve heard about,¡± Clovismented as he gazed down at the green eyed woman who looked scared and disoriented. ¡°Did that little fall affect you that much? Should I call the maids?¡±

    Julia shook her head and curtsied again, ¡°please don¡¯t mind me your grace I¡¯m fine, thank you for your concern. I shall take my leave now.¡±

    Julia briskly made her way passed the silver haired prince and practically ran down the hallway to her room.

    ¡°Hey wait a minute!¡± Clovis called out to her but she was long gone. He slowly retracted his arm and stared down at the hand that hand held Julia earlier. Something weird had happened to him when their hands touched and he had no idea what it was. The prince folded his palm and walked towards the study to join the meeting, whatever it was was probably nothing anyway.

    Julia rushed into her room and closed the door tightly shut. She paced the room nervously as she digested her findings, she felt betrayed and used, why would Elric to this to her, to the continent? Suddenly a thought crossed her mind, was it possible that he was doing all of this for her?!

    The green eyed woman weakly made her way to her bed and sat down. Gods she felt so stupid, she had blindly trusted Elric because of the little crush she had on him and ended up being used, just like queen Margret Burchard had used her when she was hopelessly in love with her son, and where did that lead her?

    Julia fell back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, ¡°maybe love isn¡¯t something meant for me,¡± she muttered to herself, ¡°I should just give it up.¡±

 Chapter 105

    105 Chapter 105 : No Romance Here

    Queen Tauriel twirled the blouse in front of her and then gazed at her soon suspiciously. ¡°Gareth..¡±

    ¡°Yes..¡±

    ¡°This is a woman¡¯s blouse is it not?¡± The beautiful woman repeated her question.

    The handsome elf pursed his lips together and and quickly averted his mother¡¯s gaze. He didn¡¯t want to put Melissa in trouble especially considering the fact that the queen was already not too fond of her to begin with. But how? How was he going to get himself out of this situation?

    Gareth had thought of lying that the shirt was his but not even his hand could fit in those tiny little sleeves.

    ¡°I um...¡±

    Before the prince could fully fabricate his lie, his door swung open and Ronda walked into the room. The woman¡¯s brown eyes fell on the blouse in the queen¡¯s hands and her face was immediately painted with dread.

    ¡°Your majesty..¡± Ronda spoke shakily with a curtsy, ¡°please forgive me your majesty but I forgot some of my clothing here.¡±

    Queen Tauriel arched one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows at the woman who looked nervous and a little flustered. ¡°Are you trying to tell me that this is yours Ronda?¡±

    .....

    The woman nodded slowly and bowed her head, ¡°I am so embarrassed your majesty, but I¡¯m afraid I forgot it and few other items in the prince¡¯s chambers.¡±

    ¡°Why are your clothes in-¡± the queen cut her statement short as her eyes darted between Gareth and Ronda, had the two of them gotten involved?

    ¡°She identally got herself soaked when she was filling up the tub,¡± Gareth blurted out as if knowing what his mother was thinking and not wanting that thought to linger any longer.

    ¡°Yes your majesty, I slipped and fell and forgot to retrieve my clothes after I had dried them out.¡±

    The queen narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the two before putting the blouse on the bed. ¡°Very well,¡± she spoke calmly, ¡°your meal is getting cold down stairs darling, please dress up and join your brother and I, it will be nice to eat together as a family.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be right down,¡± the prince responded. He watched his mother exist the room and then rushed to close his door. Gareth sighed in relief as his eyes fell on Ronda who was cing some fresh clothes on his bed. ¡°I owe you one Ronda, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it your grace,¡± Ronda responded with a sweet smile, ¡°you put your trust in me so it¡¯s my job to help you whenever I can.¡± The woman finished cing the clean clothes on the bed and curtain, ¡°some clean clothes for you your grace, and some for princess Melissa as well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the prince walked to the elf woman and gave her a pat on the shoulder. Ronda nodded and then made her way out of the room.

    Not long after, Melissa existed the bathing room in a robe. Her hair was dripping wet and tasseled up, and her skin was soft and moist from the prolonged soak in the tub. Gareth walked to her and gazed down at her thick dampshes before cupping her cheek in the palm of his hand.

    ¡°I told you we were going to get caught,¡± the beautiful blue eyed woman scolded him.

    ¡°But we weren¡¯t,¡± Gareth responded as he pushed strands of wet hair away from her face. ¡°Lucky for us Ronda walked in at just at the right moment.¡±

    ¡°The elf girl?¡± Melissa walked passed the prince and grabbed a towel from the bed that she used to dry her hair. ¡°What¡¯s her deal anyway?¡±

    Prince Gareth took the towel from Melissa and began drying her hair himself. He dried it in small bunches and was painfully careful about it as if he would rip it off if he tugged too hard. ¡°Her deal?¡± He questioned Melissa with his brows raised.

    ¡°She¡¯s unusually close to you,¡± Melissa exined, trying very hard to not sound jealous or possessive.

    ¡°She¡¯s just a nice woman,¡± Gareth responded, he was still very much focused on his task of drying her hair.

    ¡°Women aren¡¯t just ¡®nice¡¯ Gary she¡¯s up to something.¡±

    The man finished drying Melissa¡¯s beautiful red locs and tossed the towel aside. ¡°Is my little nosferatu princess a little jealous?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not jealous,¡± the redhead replied almost immediately, ¡°I¡¯m just concerned. Thest time a woman had a crush on you she tried to kill me.¡±

    Gareth grabbed another clean towel, threw it over his shoulder and inched closer to Melissa, ¡°well thest time a man had a crush on you he married you,¡± he spoke with a grin on his handsome face. ¡°Now stop worrying and let me dry you up so we can get ready for lunch.

    The prince reached for the knot holding Melissa¡¯s robe but the woman stopped him and grabbed the towel from him, ¡°I¡¯m capable of drying myself,¡± she spoke a little coldly, ¡°why don¡¯t you focus on wearing the clean clothes Ronda has prepared for you.¡±

    Gereth sighed and chuckled lightly at Melissa¡¯s expression. It was evident that she had not found the marriage joke funny. He walked up to her as she took off her robe and cupped both her breasts from behind with his slightly calloused hands. Melissa gasped and tried to yank his hands away but to no avail.

    The prince leaned towards her ear slowly, his warm breath fanning her jawline, ¡°if you keep pouting like that you¡¯ll awaken the sleeping beast.¡± The horseness of his voice made the redhead a little weak at the knees.

    ¡°Gareth have a little shame, haven¡¯t you had enough?¡± Melissa rasped. Her mouth was saying one thing but the rate at which her body was responding to his touch told a different story.

    ¡°With you I can never have enough,¡± Gareth whispered. He dropped Melissa¡¯s robe to the floor, took the towel from her hands and proceeded to wiping her curvy body dry. After he was done he held her by the shoulders and led her to where her clothes were spread out. With a soft kiss on her shoulder he asked her to get dressed.

    ¡°Unless you want me to help you dress up?¡± The man spoke with a sly smile on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m very capable of doing it myself thank you very much,¡± Melissa responded. It took a lot of effort for her to maintain her serious tone because deep down she had already melted. Curse this man and his mind numbing touch, no wonder women were throwing themselves at him left, right and center.

    *

    Vivian rode alongside Zander quietly, he seemed a bit more distant than usual and for some reason it was bothering her. Was it because of the incident at theke the other night? Maybe she shouldn¡¯t have teased him like that. She looked up at the man and instantly a blush tinted her cheeks, he looked really attractive when he was all serious like that. She trailed her eyes down to his lips and gulped, gosh.. was she really falling for this elf?

    When Zander turned to Vivian she quickly whipped her head away and lowered her eyes. She hoped he didn¡¯t notice howpletely shed she was. The woman tightened her grip on the reins of her horse and drew in a shaky breath, she needed to say something to him, anything.

    ¡°Hey Zander I-¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± Zander yelled to the rest of the group and everyone abruptly halted in their tracks.

    Rnd who was at the back of the group rode to the Zande¡¯s side, ¡°what¡¯s goin o-¡± he cut his statement short when his gaze fell on the bright portal of white light in front of them.

    ¡°That¡¯s an elven poetal,¡± Zander exined as he dismounted his steed. ¡°Someone must have created it here and forgot to close it.¡±

    ¡°Where do you think it leads?¡± Rnd questioned the blond elf who was inching closer to the portal.

    ¡°Only one way to find out..¡±

    ¡°Zander wait!¡± Vivian shrieked as the elf walked into the portal, what if something happened to him? Wait why was she even concerned? She jumped off her horse and jogged towards the portal. But as soon as she reached near it Zander walked out, almost bumping into him.

    Zander held Vivian¡¯s shoulders and gently pulled her to stand by his side as he spoke to the group. ¡°We¡¯re in luck, this is a portal leading to directly to Ervelon.¡±

    The group gasped.

    ¡°We¡¯ve just cut our journey short by a whole week,¡± Zander added on.

    On his side, Vivian¡¯s face was crimson red. Zander was unconsciously holding her hand as he spoke, his fingers intertwined with hers.

    ¡°Well then what are we waiting for?¡± Ozias spoke, ¡°our prince and princess await us.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s move out!¡± Odran yelled enthusiastically.

    The men all mounted their horses and braced themselves for whaty ahead.

    ¡°Umm Zander...?¡±

    The blond elf looked down at Vivian who was as red as a cherry in spring and arched he brows. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you getting cold feet?¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s just...¡± Vivian shifted nervously in ce, ¡°could you let go of my hand now?¡±

    ¡°let go of your-¡± the man looked down at his hand that was intertwined with Vivian¡¯s and quickly released it. He took a step back and covered his blush with his hand. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t realize I-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine..¡± Vivian responded in a low tone.

    ¡°Could you two save the romance for when we reach Ervelon,¡± Ivan grumbled. He was still holding Maria in his arms because she had not yet women up.

    ¡°Shut up Ivan there¡¯s no romance here,¡± Zander responded. As he walked to his horse he couldn¡¯t see the slight heartbreak on Vivian¡¯s face.

    ¡°Alright, follow me..¡±

 Chapter 106

    106 Chapter 106 : I need to leave

    James Burchard was sitting in his study with his head buried in his hands. His kingdom was now at peace and the ruckus between the humans and the awakened had died down because of Elric¡¯s interventions but at what cost? The lycan king was practically the ruler of his kingdom.

    The king leaned back on his chair and sighed heavily, maybe if his son had been around, things would have turned out differently. Oh his son, where could he be? Suddenly his father¡¯s words, Julius Gavaria Burchard, rang in his head.

    ¡®Adam is Gavarian by birth, but he is somethingpletely different by blood. Our chance to redeem our family name and wash the blood off our hands ising, and your son will be the one to do that.¡¯

    James Burchard remembered when Elric had mentioned that Adam was an elven prince named Gareth. Maybe with his help, this oppressive reign on his kingdom by Elric woulde to an end. The king abruptly stood up, ¡°that¡¯s it!¡±

    Since Ada.. Umm Gareth was the heir to both the elven and Gavarian throne, he would be epted by both the humans and the awakened, thus pushing out the monarchy Elric had set up in Gavaria and Cenia. Where did that silver haired king say Gareth was heading? Ervelon? That was it. Gods, that¡¯s where Elric was heading as well to reim his wife. Would Gareth be able to stand against Elric and his army?

    The king pushed his chair back and walked briskly out the study and through the halls, when he made a sharp turn he bumped into his wife, Margret, who was also heading his way.

    ¡°We have to help our son!¡± They both said in unison.

    King Burchard scoffed and smiled at his beautiful wife, great minds did really think alike.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have lord Boleyn prepare an encrypted message to send to all who are still loyal to the Gavarian throne,¡± King Burchard exined, ¡°we can¡¯t let that bastard Elric win. No more wars, no more oppression. All the races shall live equally as one, I swear it.

    .....

    Queen Margret smiled and threw herself into her husbands arms, ¡°I will be by your side every step of the way,¡± she craned her neck up and gave king Burchard a quick kiss on the lips, ¡°let¡¯s go take down that tyrant.¡±

    *

    Melissa stirred the soup in her te and kept her eyes fixated on it. She could feel the re the queen was giving her piercing her side, how the hell was she supposed to eat like this? Could this woman at least pretend that Melissa wasn¡¯t wee there.

    Gateth couldn¡¯t bring himself to eat either, how could he when Melissa was feelingpletely out of ce. This was ridiculous, his mother and everyone else could shove it. Melissa was the woman he was going to be with wether they liked it or not. Gareth ced his spoon on the table and was about to rise from seat when Melissa¡¯s voice echoed in his head.

    [Don¡¯t do it.]

    The man turned to look at the redhead with questioning look.

    ~But Mel..~

    [It¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t want you to go against your mother for me]

    ~Mel I¡¯ve known you my whole life! And I¡¯ve known this woman for 30 minutes! If she can¡¯t be weing to you then she might as well do the same to me~

    Melissa sighed and looked down at her food, she was beginning to wonder if all this was worth the trouble. True, she wanted a life with Gareth, but it seemed like the whole world was against them. The blue eyed woman rose to her feet and gave everyone at the table a slight bow. ¡°I¡¯m going to finish up my meal in my chambers, I¡¯m suddenly not feeling too well.¡±

    ¡°Maybe the bright light and radiant colors here are affecting you,¡± queen Tauriel responded, ¡°I mean your kind do adapt better to dark and gloomy ces.¡±

    Gareth was about to speak when Melissa stopped him. She turned to look at the queen who was leisurely sipping her tea. ¡°You know what, you¡¯re probably right,¡± Melissa responded coldly. She had had enough ofying down and taking everything that this woman was throwing at her, Melissa was a princess and would be treated as such. ¡°This ce IS making me feel unwell, the ce is bright but the people who inhabit it are as dark and as gloomy as the dead of night.¡±

    Melissa pushed the chair back telekically and flipped her long lush hair as she turned to leave, ¡°excuse me.¡±

    Gareth rose from his seat as well about to chase after Melissa when his mother used her magic to ce him back in the chair. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, a prince should never chase-¡±

    The woman gasped when Gareth rose to his feet again inspite of the binding spell she had used on him. Without saying a word he rushed out of the dining room towards his beloved.

    Queen Tauriel put down her cup of tea and sighed heavily. ¡°I believe it¡¯s about time we tell Gareth,¡± the woman spoke to Finwe who was trying hard not to involve himself in the little squabble, ¡°he has to understand that he cannot be with that woman, I cannot allow it. Not again.¡±

    Finwe put down his cup and looked up at his mother, ¡°I don¡¯t think it will be wise to separate them mother,¡± his mind wondered back to when he had firstid eyes on Melissa, at first he thought he was mistaken, but after seeing the pixies giving their blessing to Melissa when she had first stepped into Ervelon, there was no doubt in his mind.

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± The queen hissed as she took another sip of her tea, ¡°I¡¯ve already lost so much because of the nosferatu.¡±

    Gareth rushed towards Melissa and grabbed her arm, ¡°Mel-¡±

    The beautiful woman pulled her hand away and turned to face him, her angry re slowly soften when she looked into his deep brown eyes. ¡°I need to leave,¡± she spoke in low tone.

    ¡°I understand you need a bit of time alone,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°but I want you to know that I-¡±

    ¡°No Gareth you don¡¯t understand,¡± Melissa interrupted the prince. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her body, her blue eyes lowering their gaze to the white marble floor, ¡°I mean I need to leave Ervelon. I don¡¯t belong here, I should go to my people.¡±

    ¡°Mel..¡± Gareth inched closer to her and studied her face. ¡°We¡¯ll leave together, we can go to Cenia like we nned earlier and start a life away from all of this.¡±

    ¡°No Gareth,¡± she responded, ¡°I need to go to the snonds, you need to be here with your people.¡±

    Gareth felt like his heart had dropped to his stomach, ¡°what are you saying? Are you saying you want to leave me?¡±

    The woman pursed her lips, why did he have to say it like that? ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you belong here, you¡¯re the crowned prince and your people need you. I need to go where I belong too.¡±

    ¡°I belong where you are!¡± Gareth dered. His heart was beating wildly in his chest over the mere thought of Melissa leaving him. He couldn¡¯t ept it not after the lonely existence he¡¯d lived when they were apart, not after he had worked so hard to have her in his arms again. And especially not after he¡¯d relimatized himself with the feel of her touch and her skin against his, he would literally gopletely insane without her.

    Gareth gabbed Melissa and pulled her into a desperate hug, ¡°this kingdom, the throne, it all means nothingpared to you.¡± The plea in his deep voice chipped Melissa¡¯s heart, ¡°please, don¡¯t leave me Mel, I need you.. I¡¯ll give it all up, I didn¡¯t even want it to begin with. I¡¯d give it all up if it means I¡¯ll be with you.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s eyes threatened to produce tears at Gareth¡¯s words, giving up his throne for her was an immense gesture but she wasn¡¯t so selfish as to allow him to do that. Besides, that would give his mother even more reasons to dislike her and her people.

    With a heavy heart, she gently pushed him away and stepped back. She kept her gaze to his chest so she couldn¡¯t see the pain in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t let you do that,¡± she whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Gary.¡± And with that she turned around and walked towards her room.

    Gareth felt like the floor beneath him was starting to spin, the ringing in his ears as he watched Melissa walk away was so loud that he did not hear Ronda calling out to him. It was not until she tapped his shoulder that he awoke from his trance. The elven prince slowly turned to the woman and looked at her with hopeless eyes, ¡°what..¡±

    ¡°Umm sorry to interrupt your grace, but the queen requires your presence downstairs-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested..¡± Gareth responded as he walked passed the elven woman.

    ¡°Your men are here!¡± Ronda called out to the prince, ¡°they say you travelled together from Gavaria.¡±

    ¡°My men..?¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace,¡± Ronda added on, ¡°and two nosferatu women who havee to retrieve the princess.¡±

 Chapter 107

    107 Chapter 107 : I want Melissa to be my wife

    Arge silver wolf halted at the edge of a rocky bridge and circled the area for a few seconds before stopping to sniff a spot where a familiar strong sent was lingering.

    *That¡¯s her... that¡¯s my wife!*

    Elric transformed into his human form when his men joined him at the site. One of his generals walked up to him and bowed respectfully, ¡°your majesty-¡± the man¡¯s eyes went round when he saw the seething anger on king Elric¡¯s face, the dark aura oozing from him was enough to send the general into a coughing fit, what on earth had gotten the king this whirled up?

    Totally unaware of the man standing next to him, Elric was falling deeper and deeper into an anger and rage he¡¯d never felt before. There was no mistaking it, his keen Lycan senses were able to pick up smells and scents like it was second nature, especially scents of intimacy. Elric ran his hands through his silver locks and grabbed a handful of his hair, his breathing was strained, his hands were shaking and his pupils had be two vertical lines.

    ¡°My wife...¡± Elric spoke between deranged chuckles, ¡°she....¡± the silver haired king swallowed his words and chuckled even more.

    ¡°Umm your majesty are you ok-¡±

    The general stepped back in fear when king Elric chuckled even more, his dark aura spreading across the terrain like a heavy mist. When the silver haired Laycan threw his head back andughed hysterically, the lycan general tumbled backwards. And as if things couldn¡¯t get any more nutty, the king suddenly stoppedughing. His menacing grin was reced by a deep scowl that would make even the devil shudder.

    He turned to the general who was trembling on the ground and roughly pulled him up to stand, ¡°how long till we reach Ervelon?¡±

    ¡°It- it should be about a week at our speed your majesty,¡± the man was practically shaking in his boots, it took a lot for him not to scamper away with his tail tucked between his legs.

    .....

    ¡°Make it three days..¡± king Elric spoke, the tone of his voice made it clear that that was more of an order than a friendly suggestion.

    ¡°Your majesty if we move at that speed we¡¯d have to cut off our breaks..¡±

    Elric grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder making him Yelp in fear, ¡°fine... make it two.¡±

    The lycan general averted the king¡¯s gaze and nodded, ¡°yes your majesty..¡±

    Elric transformed into his wolf form and dashed on ahead towards the bridge. The general turned to the rest of the soldiers and with every ounce of authority that the king had not scared out of him, ordered them to forge on ahead. No way he was going against a man like Elric, if he died he wanted it to be as painless as possible. Andpared to the things he knew king Elric could do to him, he¡¯d rather die with a knife in his back on the battlefield.

    *

    Gareth walked to the foyer where he saw his mother standing in front of his men and the two nosferatu women. Maria seemed to be frantically trying to exin something to queen Tauriel but seeing the frustration on her face, it was noticeable that the queen didn¡¯t seem to be abiding.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± Maria screamed, ¡°we¡¯vee all this way you can¡¯t just give-¡±

    When the queen sensed Gareth approaching, she used her magic to draw Maria¡¯s breath from her to shut her up. She then turned to the rest of the group and gave them a warning re, ¡°you speak nothing of this until the ball passes, if you abide I will consider taking you up on your request,¡± she spoke in hushed tones, ¡°but if you breathe a word of this to anyone, that will be thatst breath you take and I will go ahead with my n. Understood?¡±

    Vivian gnashed her teeth together as she looked at the queen, how could a woman so enchanting to look at be so cold? ¡°Fine! We have a deal,¡± Vivian responded having seen that they did not have much of a choice, ¡°now let Maria go.¡±

    The queen relinquished her magic and Maria gasped and coughed, she red at the elven queen who was cing her index finger on her light pink lips, ¡°not a breath..¡± she warned before turning to Gareth and giving him a sweet smile.

    ¡°Zander.. Maria..¡± Gareth felt that there was a bit of tension in the room, ¡°what¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°What ever do you mean darling, weren¡¯t you traveling with your friends?¡± The queen asked.

    ¡°Well yes but-

    ¡°Actually they¡¯ve arrived at the most perfect time,¡± Queen Tauriel interrupted Gareth, ¡°your weing ball is tomorrow and what better way to celebrate your return than with your friends?¡±

    ¡°Ball?¡± Gareth really was not in the mood for partying right now, there was a possibility he could lose Melissa and had to find ways to convince her to stay with him. A party wouldn¡¯t-

    Gareth suddenly had an idea. The ball! Of course! It was the perfect n. He was going to use the ball to ensure that everyone epted Melissa whether they liked it or not.

    ¡°Actually,¡± Gareth spoke, his gloomy demeanor suddenly lightened up a bit, ¡°maybe a ball wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡± The queen spoke in glee. She turned to Ronda who was giving Gareth a suspicious eye and called her closer, ¡°Ronda show our guests to their chambers and tell every maid to begin preparations for the weing ball tomorrow.¡±

    Ronda nced at the handsome elven prince once more. Hadn¡¯t Melissa practically just cut ties with him? She expected him to down right reject the idea of the ball but he seemed as enthusiastic as ever about it. What was prince Gareth up to?

    ¡°Ronda?!¡±

    The elven handmaiden ttered hershes and curtsied, ¡°of course my queen,¡± Ronda responded, ¡°I shall ensure that our guests arefortable.¡±

    As Ronda turned to lead the group away, Gareth grabbed her hand and whispered, ¡°pleasee see me in my chambers as soon as you are done, it¡¯s extremely important.¡±

    Ronda gulped and slowly nodded. Prince Gareth was definitely up to something, but what?

    After the hand maiden had shown the guests to their respective rooms, she walked towards princess Gareth¡¯s chambers with nervous short strides. She could feel it in her bones that he was nning to do something to probably win Melissa back, and whatever it was he was nning to do it at the ball. Gods, why was this man so obsessed with that nosferatu woman?

    Ronda stopped at Gareth¡¯s door and knocked gently, and almost immediately the door swung open revealing the handsome prince standing on the inside. ¡°Please doe in,¡± he spoke.

    When the handmaiden walked in, Gareth closed the door and offered Ronda a seat on his sofa. He stood a few feet away from her and paced the room a bit before turning to face her. He had a serious expression on his face that made Ronda a bit nervous.

    ¡°Ronda...¡±

    ¡°Your grace!¡± The woman squealed

    ¡°I can trust you right?¡± Gareth questioned the woman before him, ¡°I mean you did pledge your loyalty to me.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace...¡± Ronda looked up at the man in anticipation, why was he asking her that now?

    ¡°I know that the queen doesn¡¯t approve of my rtionship with Melissa,¡± Gareth spoke firmly, ¡°and I need you to be honest with me and tell me why? What is it about Melissa that she hates so much?!¡±

    Ronda dropped her eyes back to the floor, she wasn¡¯t expecting this intense line of questioning from him. Was it even in her ce to tell the prince? She highly doubted it.

    ¡°Ronda..¡± Gareth inched closer to the hand maiden, ¡°please, you¡¯re the only one I can remotely trust in this ce, I need to know the truth.¡±

    ¡°Your grace it¡¯s not in my ce to-¡± the woman gasped when Gareth crouched down in front of her and grabbed her shoulders. She cocked her head up and was instantly mesmerized by the man¡¯s face, gosh those eyes where so deep that she felt like drowning in them.

    ¡°Please Ronda.. I need to know.¡±

    The woman gulped and attempted to resist but before she knew it, she found herself singing like a canary about the incident that happened between the nosferatu and the elves about a century ago. Gareth listened to the details of the exnation wide eyed until Ronda concluded her exnation.

    Gareth was utterly shocked at what the woman had just told him, now everything made so much sense. He still didn¡¯t like how the queen treated Melissa, but he understood her concern to some extent. The prince released Ronda from his grasp and walked to sit on his bed. With his chin leaning into his sped hands he chuckled, ¡°well there¡¯s no point turning back now..¡± he spoke softly, ¡°I love Melissa and there¡¯s nothing in this world that can change that.¡±

    He looked at the woman sitting across from him as a faint smile painted his face, ¡°I want to marry her,¡± he spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t care if history repeats itself I want Melissa to be my wife.¡±

 Chapter 108

    108 Chapter 108 : She¡¯s married?!

    When Ronda left prince Gareth¡¯s chambers she felt drained, was the prince really that blinded by his love for this woman? Was he really nning on proposing to her at the ball? She couldn¡¯t allow it, if Gareth married Melissa that would automatically put her next in line to be queen. The hand maiden shook her head, ¡°I can¡¯t allow that to happen, we can¡¯t have a nosferatu woman as queen that¡¯s preposterous!¡±

    But what could she do? The ball was the very next day, if she was going to put a stop to the proposal she was going to have to think of something quick. Ronda nibbled the inside of her lip as she pondered on her options, maybe she could just tell the queen? No, that would make Gareth hate her, she had promised him that she could be someone he could trust.

    ¡°Think about it for a minute princess..¡±

    Ronda halted in her steps and peeked through the small crack of Melissa¡¯s chambers. Inside stood the two nosferatu women who had arrived earlier and they seemed to trying to convince the nosferatu princess to do something.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back to him,¡± Melissa responded, ¡°I cannot be with a maniptive man like him, not for a second.¡±

    ¡°I understand your reasons princess,¡± Vivian spoke in hushed tones, ¡°but after weighing the options it might be better to go back to him..¡±

    Ronda pursed her lips and leaned her ear a little closer to the door, who were they talking about? Go back to who? Were they talking about prince Gareth?

    ¡°Elric is on a rampage right now and will stop at nothing to take you back, he has already set the wandering woods alight and will be here to wage war before we know it.¡± Vivian took Melissa¡¯s hand in hers, ¡°little cousin, if that happens the elves will detest you and our people even more for bringing war to their doorstep.¡±

    ¡°I personally want us to head back to the snonds immediately,¡± Maria added on, ¡°but at the moment I have to agree with Vivian princess. Pacifying Elric is of at most importance right now, we already have a score to settle with the humans and can¡¯t afford to have wars amongst ourselves.¡±

    .....

    Melissa sighed heavily, ¡°I don¡¯t want any animosity between Gareth¡¯s people and my own.¡±

    ¡°And to do that, you¡¯ll have to return to Elric, just for a little while,¡± Mariaforted her, ¡°it won¡¯t be so bad, after all he is your husband.¡±

    ¡°Give me time to think it over..¡± Melissa responded in a whisper.

    ¡°Of course princess,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°we n to leave after the ball. The sooner we surrender you to Elric the better, we can¡¯t let him reach Ervelon.¡±

    Melissa nodded and the two women got to their feet and walked towards the exit. Ronda quickly moved away from the doorway and got behind arge pir in the hallway. Gods this was priceless! So Melissa was actually married?! And to top it off her husband was on his way to Ervelon to reek havoc?! Ronda almost jumped in excitement, this information couldn¡¯t have reached her at a better time. Once the queen and the prince knew of this, the proposal had no chance of happening and that little nosferatu princess would be thrown out of Ervelon for good.

    Of course Ronda wasn¡¯t going to disclose this information herself, she couldn¡¯t risk having prince Gareth thinking she betrayed his trust no, she would instead discretely leak this information and crash all hopes of Gareth and Melissa being together, it was absolutely perfect.

    *

    Night had fallen on the beautiful kindom of Ervelon and with it brought a unique beauty of its own. Vivian couldn¡¯t help but step out of the castle and wander the enchanting gardens, the serene atmosphere of Ervelon did well in helping her unscramble her thoughts. Other than her actual duties to the princess, she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Zander. It had be so obvious to her that she had developed feelings for the elf but because of her stupid stunt at theke she feared she had lost her chance with him.

    ¡®There¡¯s no romance here..¡¯ those were the words Zander had spoken that kept ringing in her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m so dumb,¡± Vivian mumbled to herself. She stopped by a bench underneath arge willow tree that was decorated in tiny crimson red flowers in bloom. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s for the best, we wouldn¡¯t have worked out anyway.¡±

    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t have worked out?¡±

    Vivian yelped and jumped off the bench. She turned around and saw Zander leaning casually against the willow tree. How long had he been there? The blond elf moved forward and leapt over the bench before sitting on it.

    Vivian¡¯s cheeks were warm and pink as she gazed down at the man¡¯s face which was beautifully bathed in starlight. ¡°Why the hell are you standing around in the shadows like a creep?!¡± Vivian yelled.

    ¡°I needed some air,¡± Zander responded casually, ¡°what are you doing moving around in the gardens in the middle of the night?¡±

    ¡°I... I... ¡± the dark haired nosferatu woman whipped her head to the side, ¡°I too needed some air.¡±

    Zander pat the space next to him on the bench, ¡°take a sit, we could get some air together.¡±

    Vivian¡¯s blush intensified, she drew in a breath before walking slowly towards the bench and sat down. The bench was not very big so she was sitting really close to the blonde haired elf, so much so that she could smell his manly musk.

    ¡°What do you n on doing?¡± Zander asked, his head leaned back and his eyes looking up at the stars.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°With princess Melissa,¡± Zander asked and looked down at Vivian, and for a moment their eyes met, gods she had such beautiful blue eyes. ¡°You have to get her out of here before Elric arrives, and you¡¯ll have to do it without prince Gareth knowing because he will not let her go without a fight.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°we n on putting on an act like we are giving the princess up to Elric for the time being, just to stop him from attacking Ervelon.¡±

    ¡°I see, it¡¯s going to break Gareth¡¯s heart,¡± Zander added on, ¡°there¡¯s no wound more difficult to heal than that of a broken heart.¡±

    Vivian looked away feeling a little guilty, why did it sound like Zander was talking more about himself than Gareth. She opened her mouth to apologize for the incident at theke when she heard the rustling of the brunches of the willow tree. She looked up and was shocked to see that the branches of the tree were bending toward them on their own. Was this Gareth¡¯s magic? She¡¯d never seen him use it before.

    Zander stretched out his hand, plucked one of the crimson flowers and held it in front of Vivian¡¯s face. ¡°I know you have no feelings towards me,¡± he spoke with sheepish smile on his face, ¡°but I was wondering if you¡¯ll apany me to the ball tomorrow, after that long journey we need a day off.¡±

    Vivian gazed at the little flower for what seemed like an eternity, did this mean that even after all that had happened this handsome blonde elf still had a thing for her? Was there still hope of them being together.

    Still holding the flower with one hand, Zander nervously scratched the back of his head with the other, ¡°and besides, after you leave Ervelon I don¡¯t know when next we¡¯ll meet again. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to make thisst moment a memorable one right?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to I under-

    ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡± Vivian blurted out much to her embarrassment. She didn¡¯t mean to shout it out like that, but at the same time she didn¡¯t want to lose the chance to make amends. ¡°I mean.. it¡¯s not like I have anything better to do.¡±

    Zander¡¯s lit up when he looked at Vivian¡¯s face, was she blushing?

    ¡°You know, balls in Ervelon are pretty top notch,¡± Zander exined, ¡°not just anyone can attend them, especially this one that involves weing the crowned prince. It will be restricted to highest nobility and invited guests.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sounds exclusive,¡± Vivian responded, so the elves were as snobby as they looked. Suddenly a thought crossed Vivian¡¯s mind and she turned to look at Zander who was smiling warmly at her. ¡°Are you of high nobility Zander?¡±

    The man leaned back on the bench and cleared his throat, ¡°no not really,¡± he spoke sheepishly, ¡°nothing big just.. well.. my father may or may not have been the king¡¯s younger brother.¡±

    Vivian¡¯s jaw fell to the ground, ¡°so you and prince Gareth are cousins?! Does he know that?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± Zander responded with a sheepish grin, ¡°and I¡¯m sure Gareth will be made aware of all his rtions at the ball. But enough about my stature, I¡¯d like to know what you¡¯re going to wear as my guest Vivian.¡±

    Oh that¡¯s right she had to dress all poffy for the ball, and she didn¡¯t even carry any clothes except cks, shirts and cloaks. ¡°I don¡¯t know..¡±

    ¡°You shoulde with me to me house tomorrow, it¡¯s not far from here,¡± Zander spoke. There was a hint of excitement in his voice, ¡°I¡¯m sure my sisters have something that you can slip on for the ball.¡±

    ¡°Your house?! Your sisters?!¡± Vivian looked at the man wide eyed. He wanted to take her to meet his family? But she was a nosferatu, they would never ept her into their home. ¡°Zander I appreciate the sentiment but I¡¯m not sure-¡±

    ¡°My sisters would love to meet you,¡± Zander spoke with a smile that melted her heart. ¡°They¡¯ve been pestering me about bringing ady so I was hoping you could help me out with pacifying them?¡±

 Chapter 109

    109 Chapter 109 : Why do you want to help me

    The next day was a very busy day at the royal pce of Ervelon. Maids were moving up and down decorating, cooking, cleaning, serving and doing so many other activities in preparation for prince Gareth¡¯s weing ball. Usually such a celebration would take several days to prepare but because the elves had magic, they were able to knock it off in a matter of hours. The way they pranced around making flowers bloom, hanging ribbons and arranging chairs in several parts of the ball room with their magic looked almost like an enchanting dance. The fact that the help of the ce were all female made the process look even more enchanting

    Prince Gareth was speaking to the hand maiden Ronda giving her some instructions when queen Tauriel called out to him.

    ¡°Please make sure you have it ready before the ball..¡± prince Gareth concluded his instructions before walking towards his mother.

    ¡°But your grace..¡± Ronda crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Gareth bow to the queen and talk to her. Of all the lousy jobs he could ask her to do he wanted her to prepare the ring? Like hell she would do that! This whole proposal was going to go up in mes anyway, why even bother. The elven woman tucked her hand in her pocket and pat the small peice of paper within gently, this little paper was going to ensure that Melissa would never have a chance with the prince, all Ronda needed to do was to slip it under the door of queen Tauriel¡¯s chambers and everything would fall apart.

    ¡°Where have you been Gareth the royal tailor has been waiting for you for over an hour now,¡± the queen chided her son, ¡°this ball has to be perfect, and so do you.¡±

    The woman grabbed Gareth¡¯s hand and dragged him toward the library where Finwe was already dressed in his white and gold outfit.

    ¡°Very nice is it not?¡± Finwemented while admiring himself in the mirror.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Gareth responded as he circled his brother, ¡°if you¡¯re going for a wedding, then this outfit is absolutely perfect.¡±

    Finwe furrowed his eyebrows and looked back at the mirror, Gareth was right, the outfit was entirely too shy. He turned to the tailor and spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t like it, could you make something else?¡±

    .....

    The tailor, who was an elderly looking elf but still very attractive regardless, walked towards Finwe slowly. He took out one spool of ck thread and another a light blue one into the palm of his hand. He chanted a few words, closed the palm of his hand and just like that Finwe¡¯s once gold and white outfit turned into a soft light blue shirt, a ck tailed jacked, ck pants and leather boots.

    ¡°wow..¡± Gareth spoke in awe of the use of magic he had just witnessed. ¡°How can you do that?¡± He spoke as he touched Finwe¡¯s jacket.

    ¡°I use magic to control the threads your grace,¡± the tailor responded, ¡°after I get a feel of the fabric I need, I visualize the designs, sizes and colors and make clothing. It¡¯s not that impressive.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary it¡¯s very impressive!¡± Gareth praised the man, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±

    The tailor smiled sheepishly and bowed to Gareth. This was the first time anyone had really appreciated his magic before. With the countless types of powerful magic in Ervelon, his was just a mere trade inparison. ¡°Thank you prince Gareth.¡±

    ¡°Alright enough with the chitchat we¡¯re running out of time,¡± the queen spoke, ¡°please get him dressed right away. Make sure to fit in some purple in his clothing.¡±

    ¡°Why purple?¡± Gareth questioned his mother as the tailor took his measurements.

    ¡°Ronda will be wearing purple,¡± the queen responded without hesitation, ¡°as she is your guest to the ball, you two have to match.¡±

    ¡°My guest? I don¡¯t remember asking Ronda to-¡±

    ¡°I asked her toe,¡± the queen interjected, ¡°she is a properdy whom I¡¯ve practically raised, she¡¯ll look good on your arm.¡±

    ¡°But Melissa..¡±

    ¡°Princess Melissa can go with anyone else, whomsoever she pleases¡± the queen spoke, ¡°besides I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll understand that having her at the high table with the rest of us will surely cause disarray¡±

    The queen turned to leave, ¡°make sure your brother gets done in time Finwe.¡± She said as she exited the library.

    Gareth red at the doorway angrily, this woman would really stop at nothing to keep Melissa on the sidelines huh? Well today she would learn that Gareth was not one to be forced into a rtionship, it didn¡¯t work in Gavaria and it wasn¡¯t going to work here. The dark haired prince awoke from his reverie when a hand touched his shoulder.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll allow me, I can ask Melissa to the ball,¡± Finwe spoke.

    ¡°What? Why do you want to do that?! Do you secretly want her for yourself-¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself dear brother,¡± Finwe responded with a chuckle, ¡°in as much as Melissa is a sight to behold, her beautiful blue eyes, her gorgeous hair, her red lips-¡±

    ¡°Finwe!¡±

    Finwe burst into chuckles and tapped Gareth¡¯s shoulders, ¡°rx brother I¡¯m only toying with you. I want to ask her so that she can be at the high table next to you. I assume you¡¯d be morefortable with her in your line of sight.¡±

    Gareth eyed Finwe suspiciously before speaking, ¡°why do you want to help me, don¡¯t you hate Melissa as well.¡±

    ¡°Hate?! Heavens no,¡± the blond elf gasped as he dramatically ttered his hooded violet eyes, ¡°on the contrary I think Melissa is a good girl. The reason I¡¯m helping you is because-¡±

    Finwe swallowed his words, should he reveal the truth to Gareth? Did he already know? And if he didn¡¯t, how would he react if he found out now before an important event that his mother wanted to go off without a hitch? Might as well y it safe and keep it to himself for the meantime, at lease until after the ball.

    ¡°I may not show it but I¡¯m a hopeless romantic brother,¡± Finwe spoke as he took a seat in one of the chairs of the library, ¡°I just love a good romance.¡±

    Gareth knew that Finwe was lying, he had another reason for doing this but couldn¡¯t figure out what. But for now he¡¯d let him help because if he was going to propose to Melissa at the ball, he needed her to be present and as close to him as possible.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Gareth responded as his clothes melted away in a haze of light and sparkles, ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that offer...brother.¡±

    *

    In one of the chambers, Melissa as sitting by the window trying to get her head on straight. Vivian and Maria had told her the previous evening that queen Tauriel was actually nning to give her up to Elric like some sort of bargain to prevent the war. Even though the two nosferatu women had omitted the fact that Melissa was legally married to Elric, Melissa knew the woman wanted to throw her at him in hopes that she would stay away from her son. Queen Tauriel was going to make a sacrificialmb out of Melissa.

    To queen Tauriel, Elric was just a tyrant lycan who had gone rogue and was rampaging the continent conquering kingdoms. She had no idea that the reason Elric was heading to Ervelon was to get Melissa, and even so she was still nning to offer her as a peace offering to him in hopes of pacifying his bloodlust. How cruel could a woman be?

    Melissa turned around when she heard a soft knock at her door, ¡°it¡¯s open!¡±

    When the door opened, Melissa stood up and looked at the man who had walked through it in shock, ¡°what do you want?¡± She questioned him.

    Finwe inched closer to Melissa and gave her a bow. He then looked up at her beautiful petit face and smiled warmly at her, ¡°will you please apany me to the ball princess Melissa?¡±

    The blue eyed nosferatu was frozen in ce, why in the world was Finwe asking her to the ball, was this some kind of joke?

    ¡°Where¡¯s Gareth?¡±

    Finwe stood up straight, ¡°I¡¯m afraid my mother has put my brother in a bit of a tight spot,¡± he responded as he gestured someone who was outside the door toe in. ¡°But he wants you at the ball regardless, and the only way you can go is if you go with me.¡±

    Melissa looked at the elderly elf who had measuring tape over his shoulder.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like attending any ball,¡± she responded politely and returned to her seat.

    ¡°Dear sister inw... can I call you sister inw?¡±

    ¡°You may not,¡± Melissa responded.

    ¡°Well my dear sister inw..¡± Finwe continued as he inched closer to Melissa,pletely disregarding her refusal. ¡°You will want to be there for what Gareth is nning to do, I insist that you attend this ball with me.¡±

    Finwe reached out for Melissa¡¯s hand, e with me and put an end to this century old rivalry.¡±

 Chapter 110

    110 Chapter 110 : A glimpse of the past

    ¡°Honey wake up,e on get up there¡¯s not much time..¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin everythingter honey get your boots and a cloak hurry, we falling behind!¡±

    Marceline grabbed Aiden¡¯s hand and rushed him out of the room, down the long dark hallway only lit by candles on the verge of going off, and out through the back doorway that barely anyone used.

    The outside was dark and cold, it was probably past midnight but Aiden could hear shouts and screamsing from a distance. As his mother dragged him on, he saw about half a dozen carriages parked in a line and a number of people getting on them. Aiden¡¯s blue eyes, that he had taken after his beautiful mother fell on his father, the Kaiser of the nosferatu who broke into a swift movement towards them.

    Kaiser Stefan hugged his wife and kissed her tenderly on her lips. ¡°Are you ready?¡± He questioned Marceline.

    ¡°How can I be ready for something like this Stefan? Why are the humans doing this?¡±

    ¡°Its an act of pure greed and selfishness,¡± Stefan responded. He rubbed his wife¡¯s shoulders lovingly, ¡°but we will get through this, I promise.¡±

    Stefan looked at his son who was standing looking confused behind his wife. Aiden was his only child, a handsome young man who was only a hundred and twenty one years old and greatly resembled his mother, but had the strong stature of his father.

    .....

    ¡°Father what¡¯s going on?¡± Aiden asked, ¡°why are those carriages parked there and where are we going.¡±

    Stefan gripped his son¡¯s shoulder and have him an instense stare, ¡°Aiden I need you to be strong and take care of your mother until I join you.¡±

    ¡°Take care of mother? Father tell me what¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°The humans ambushed us over night,¡± Stefan exined, ¡°many of our kind, including the elves, lycan¡¯s and dwarves have been killed. The humans have us outnumbered, so our best bet now is to leave and find refuge elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t youing with us?¡± Aiden questioned his father.

    ¡°Me and the other rulers and a few soldiers will stay back and hold off the attack while the rest of you escape.¡±

    Aiden grabbed his father¡¯s hand firmly, ¡°then I¡¯m staying too! Let me help to-¡±

    ¡°No Aiden!¡± Stefan bellowed, ¡°I need you to lead our people, and if gods forbid something happens to me, you¡¯re the only one who can take my ce as Kaiser.¡± He grabbed the back of his son¡¯s head and ced his forehead on his, ¡°I need you alive and well my son, so please, survive this.¡±

    Aiden¡¯s eyes turned misty as he looked into his father¡¯s intense orbs, ¡°Father...¡± he squeezed his eyes shut and held his father by the shoulder, with tears flowing down his cheeks and his forhead against his, Aiden nodded, ¡°I promise not to let you down.¡±

    Stefan let go of Aiden and gave him a nod. ¡°Now go, hurry before they reach the castle, go!¡±

    Aiden grabbed his mother¡¯s hand and they both ran towards the carriage. He dared not to turn back and look at his father in fear that that would be thest time he would see him, he didn¡¯t want that to happen. He instead moved forward, praying to the gods that they would return his father and all who were left behind in one piece.

    *

    They had been on the road for almost a week now, traveling northeast towards the uninhabited forests, taking breaks during the night to sleep and during the day to water the horses and replenish their stocks of water and food.

    As they traveled, Aiden had learned that the carriages consisted of nobles from the nosferatu, the elves, the dwarves and the lycans, the others moved with them by horseback or small wagons. The atmosphere was a bit gloomy but they all tried to keep their spirits up regardless.

    When the carriage came to a halt, Aiden peeked out the window and sighed, there was a flowing river near them and everyone was rushing to fill their water canteens. To think that four of the most powerful races were reduced to mere refugees, it was angering.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go fill up the water container,¡± Aiden spoke to his mother, uncle and cousins. ¡°You guys can rest or stretch your legs.¡± He hopped out of the carriage with arge container in hand that was fitted with a small tap. Each carriage had been given a container like this and Aiden and his two male cousins would take turns to fill it up.

    The handsome redhead ced the container on the banks of the river and proceeded to taking off his boots so he could go into the water. After kicking off his shoes he folded his pants to avoid them getting wet but unfortunately for Aiden, some of the younger members of the caravan were ying tag and one of them bumped into him, sending both of them sshing into the shallow end of the river.

    Aiden spat out some water that had made it¡¯s way into his mouth and red at the little dwarve boy who hadnded in his chest.

    ¡°Hehe sorry mister are you okay?¡± The little boy asked

    Aiden sighed and ruffled up the boy¡¯s wet hair, ¡°you should go dry yourself up before you catch a cold,¡± he spoke

    ¡°Sure thing!¡± The boy rushly slipped off Aiden¡¯s body.

    The handsome redhead was about to get up when he caught site of a little hand reaching out to him, ¡°you should get out of the water too mister,¡± the boy spoke with a smile, ¡°before you catch a cold.¡±

    Aiden chuckled and allowed the little boy to help him up before sending him off. He looked at his wet clothes and sighed heavily again, ¡°these will never dry in time.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I can help...¡± a voice spoke gently.

    Aiden turned around to see where that melodious voice wasing from and came face to face with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The woman who was smiling at him had long golden hair that reached her knees, plump pink lips and the most beautiful brownish- purplish eyes that felt like they could see within his soul.

    ¡°I¡¯m Estel,¡± the woman spoke sweetly.

    ¡°Err I¡¯m ah... I¡¯m Aiden..¡± the redhead responded jittery.

    ¡°Oh you¡¯re Kaiser Stefan¡¯s son,¡± she spoke as she pulled his container into the water, ¡°next in line to be Kaiser, pretty impressive.¡±

    ¡°It is?.. oh yeah it¡¯s really impressive!¡± Aiden responded nervously in a pathetic attempt to woo the beauty. ¡°A lot of duty you know, but being the man that I am it¡¯s no big deal at all.¡±

    Estel chuckled at the man, ¡°I can see that.¡±

    Aiden blushed when she saw her eyes raking over his wet clothing, ¡°this was just a Umm.. I was just caught off guard that time.. you know.. with the kids and all.¡±

    Estel chuckled even more, making Aiden¡¯s blush intensify. Talk about an embarrassing first impression. But his embarrassment was short lived when he saw Estel pull out streams of water from the river and ce them gracefully into the container.

    ¡°T- that¡¯s magic... you can control the elements?¡± Aiden asked in awe. He looked up at Estel and now noticed her pointy ears and the little tiara on her head. ¡°You¡¯re an elven princess!¡±

    ¡°That I am,¡± Estel responded as she inched closer to Aiden. ¡°It¡¯s a lot of duty you know, but being the woman that I am it¡¯s no big deal at all.¡±

    Aiden facepalmed when Estel threw his words back at him, gods was that how he had sounded when he said it?

    Estel burst intoughter instantly making Aiden do the same. Gosh it had been so long since heughed, the entire week¡¯s worth of journey from the central continent, he had been in low spirits thinking of his father, his people and everything and everyone they had lost.

    Estel held Aiden by the shoulders making him tense up, ¡°what are you doing?¡± He questioned her.

    ¡°Jusy hold still Mr man I¡¯ll be done in a jiffy.¡±

    The beautiful woman drew in a breath, and when she exhaled, the water on Aiden¡¯s clothes all dripped back into the river till he was as dry as before.

    Eatel took a step back and admired her work, ¡°mh hm that should do it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Estel..¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± The beautiful woman squeezed her eyes shut and gave Aiden the cutest smile he had ever seen. It was then that he knew the gods had favorites when it came to looks.

    ¡°Estel!¡±

    ¡°Oh crap it¡¯s my mother,¡± the woman spoke as she turned to look at who was calling out to her, ¡°she¡¯s a bit of a stiff and doesn¡¯t want me moving out of the carriage, can you believe that?! It¡¯s crazy right?!¡±

    ¡°Um yeah so crazy..¡± Aiden mumbled.

    ¡°Estel!!¡±

    ¡°I have to go before I get in trouble,¡± Estel spoke as she walked away, ¡°it was nice meeting you Aiden.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Aiden blurted out, making Estel turn back to face him. ¡°I was wondering if we could spend some time together again, if that¡¯s okay..?¡± He asked the woman.

    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± the princess responded with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll see you at our next stop then.¡±

    ¡°Yes perfect!¡±

    ¡°Great, see then Addie.¡± With a quick wave, Estel ran towards her mother who scolded her before taking her back into the carriage.

    Aiden remained with his hand waving even after she was out of site. ¡°Addie?...¡± he muttered to himself as a huge grin painted his face. Had she just given him a nickname?

 Chapter 111

    111 Chapter 111 : I think your breasts are great

    ¡°You look like you¡¯re in a good mood,¡± Marceline spoke to her son who was humming to himself as he lowered the water container from their carriage. ¡°Care to share the joy?¡±

    ¡°Oh umm it¡¯s nothing really mother,¡± Aiden responded sheepishly, ¡°I¡¯ve just decided to look at the positive side of things from now on.¡± The handsome redhead hopped off the carriage and started making his way to the nearby creek where people were filling their canteens and containers.

    Marceline peeked out of the carriage window and saw Aiden walk towards a beautiful blonde woman who was waving excitedly at him. ¡°Hmm the positive side of things ey?¡±

    ¡°Is that Aiden¡¯s girlfriend?¡±

    Marceline turned to look at Vivian who too was peeping out the carriage window. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± marceline reaponded to teenage girl.

    ¡°I hope so, she¡¯s really pretty,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°and you and I both no he will never be able to do better than that.¡±

    ¡°Vivian!¡± Marceline eximed with a chuckle.

    ¡°What? We both know Aiden took after uncle Stefan, he¡¯s an awkward bookworm.¡±

    Marceline tucked a loc of Vivian¡¯s dark hair behind her eye and smiled at her, ¡°I know. But that¡¯s exactly why I fell for your uncle.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Really?¡± Vivian responded in a tone that screamed ¡®I¡¯m not impressed.¡¯

    ¡°Really, it¡¯s that very awkwardness that makes guys like Aiden very likable,¡± Marceline added on, ¡°and I can bet that that prettydy likes him already.¡±

    ¡°Fine I¡¯ll bet you ten.. no fifty of my gooseberries that Aiden has no chance,¡± Vivian dered with her five fingers raised in front of her aunt¡¯s face.

    ¡°Alright then, you¡¯ve got a bet,¡± Marceline responded with a sly smile before turning to look out the window at Aiden who had somehow fallen into the stream and gotten himself soaked. Maybe she shouldn¡¯t have such high hopes, her son was a bit clumsy sometimes. But when she saw Estelugh and help him up, her hope was restored.

    *

    ¡°I think you should stand clear off all water bodies and children from now on,¡± Estel spoke as she dried Aiden up.

    ¡°I swear to you this never happens,¡± Aiden responded as he nervously scratched the back of his head.

    After Aiden was dry, Estel helped him haul the water container to the bank of the little creek where they sat down. It was a beautiful little postcard area with soft green wild grass, willow trees dangling their branches into the creek and shallow clear waters riddled with hundreds of tiny blue finish.

    ¡°This is ce is so beautiful,¡± Estel cooed, ¡°my father always told me about how gorgeous and untainted thends beyond the kingdom were and I always wanted to see them.¡± She scoffed and threw a stone into the creek that made the little fish scatter. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see it under such grim circumstances though.¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Aiden responded, his eyes fixed on the flowing creek. ¡°But I know we¡¯ll get through this, all of us together.¡±

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll make it back?¡± Estel spoke in a low voice, ¡°the ones we left behind I mean.¡±

    ¡°Of course they¡¯ll make it back!¡±

    Estel sighed and threw another stone into the water. ¡°I¡¯m just a little scared, the humans have us outnumbered. What if we never see them again, our friends, our uncles... our fathers.¡±

    Aiden positioned himself in a squatting position and took both as Estel¡¯s hands in his, ¡°don¡¯t be scared, our people are strong and they will return to us. And if not, I will personally go back and bring them here myself.¡±

    Estel looked into Aiden¡¯s brilliant blue eyes, they were full of determination and it made her feel hopeful again. She smiled warmly and brought both her hands and his to her chest, ¡°thank you..¡± she whispered.

    After a little while Aiden¡¯s eyes widened when the realization of where Estel was putting his hands hit him. ¡°Ummh Estel..¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Well umm...¡± Aiden¡¯s face was bright red as his fingers grazed the soft creamy skin of the upper swells of her breasts that were beautifully exposed by her lowying neckline. ¡°You¡¯re making me touch your breasts..¡±

    Estel marrowed her eyes in confusion before looking down at her chest. She quickly put Aiden¡¯s hands on his knees and turned away from him feeling flustered as hell. ¡°Oh my gods Addie I¡¯m so sorry... I¡¯m so embarrassed please forgive me!¡±

    ¡°Hey no need to be embarrassed,¡± Aiden responded nervously, ¡°you should be proud you have really soft breasts.¡±

    Both of them froze in ce, both realizing howpletely shrewd what Aiden had just said sounded.

    ¡°I mean no your breasts aren¡¯t soft at all!¡± Aiden retracted his words.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t?¡± Estel spoke on a whimper.

    ¡°I mean of course they¡¯re soft, they¡¯re perfect, best I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± Aiden responded nervously, ¡°well not that I¡¯ve seen many breasts.. what I mean is you have great breasts but I...¡± Aiden buried his face in the palms and his hands and sniffled, ¡°I think I¡¯ll just stop talking now.¡±

    Estel¡¯s blush faded slightly and chuckled at the man in front of her. He was so clumsy and awkward but for some reason she found those aspects of him kind of cute. She inched closer to him and gestured him to sit.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you think my breasts are great,¡± she spoke softly, her eyes were lowered and a pink tint painted her cheeks. ¡°I think you¡¯re pretty great too.¡±

    Aiden looked at the blushing girl beside him wide eyed, his own blush burning his entire face. ¡°You do?¡±

    Estel looked up at Aiden and locked eyes with him, ¡°yeah.. I think you have really great..¡± her eyes lowered to his soft reddened lips and lingered there briefly before moving back up

    to his eyes, ¡°... eyes! I think you have pretty great eyes.¡± She pursed her lips and turned away knowing very well that she was a blushing mess right now. Gods, had she seriously thought about kissing him?! They had only just met!

    Aiden looked back at the creek and nervously scratched his nose before cing his hand on top of Estel¡¯s, ¡°thank you.. you have beautiful, well everything.¡±

    Estel interlocked her fingers with the handsome redhead and covered her blush with her other hand. ¡°You really think I¡¯m beautiful?¡±

    Aiden turned to look at her with a smile stered on his face, ¡°the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    *

    Back in the carriage Vivian was pouting with her arms crossed over her chest.

    ¡°Come on kiddo pay up,¡± Marceline spoke with a chuckle.

    ¡°But aunty can¡¯t we just let bygones be bygones,¡± sheined, ¡°I worked really hard to pick these berries.¡±

    ¡°And a bet¡¯s a bet,¡± Marceine responded with a smirk.

    Vivian ced the satchel of gooseberries in her aunts hand and mumbled, ¡°I can¡¯t believe she fell for Aiden, I meane on you¡¯ve gotta admit she¡¯s got a very strange taste in men.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not only about that,¡± Marceline exined as she chewed on a gooseberry. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you feel it, Aiden has found his blood half.¡±

    Vivian went wide eyed, ¡°what? But she¡¯s an elf and he¡¯s a nosferatu! How is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°Love, like hate, knows no bounds Vivian, you will do well to remember that. Who knows, maybe your blood half is an elf too.¡±

    ¡°What no way!¡± Vivian blurted out making Marceline chuckle. ¡°I will marry a handsome and strong nosferatu who will give me lots of beautiful babies!¡±

    Marceline smiled at Vivian warmly, it was ridiculous how much she had grown over the years. When Marceline¡¯s sister, Vivian¡¯s mother, had passed, she had taken in the little girl and raised her as her own, she even loved her like her own daughter. It was hard to believe that was over a hundred and eighteen years ago.

    Vivian was a very bright, vibrant and strong young woman who intimidated a lot of guys, but that was exactly how Marceline was when she was younger and had still managed to find a good man, so she had no doubt in her mind that Vivian would do the same.

    Sometimes Marceline wondered how it would be like to have a daughter of her own, even though her and Stefan were blood halves it was still a rare urrence to bare many children so she didn¡¯t know if that would ever happen or not. It would be nice to give Vivian someone to y with, and give Aiden a little sister to take care of. She especially would love to have a miniature version of herself who she could shower with love every day of her life. That would truly be a blessing.

    ¡°Aunty?¡±

    Marceline looked down at Vivian who seemed to have been calling her for a while now. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Can Aiden and his girlfriend have kids?¡± Vivian questioned the woman, ¡°I mean considering the fact that they¡¯re so different.¡±

    Marceline hadn¡¯t actually thought about that, it was already difficult for nosferatu blood halves children so what would happen to her son? The woman stroked Vivian¡¯s cheek gently, ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just have to wait and find out now don¡¯t we?¡±

 Chapter 112

    112 Chapter 112 : Bite me

    Aiden snuck behind Estel¡¯s tent and tapped on it three times. Before long he heard her sweet voice whispering to him, ¡°Addie?¡±

    ¡°You guessed it..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a second.¡±

    Aiden stood in ce while ncing from side to side to make sure no one was watching him, it was the middle of the night after all, and everyone was supposed to be sleeping. When Estel came into view a wide smile painted his face, every time he saw her felt like the first time and she always managed to take his breath away.

    Estel ran into Aiden¡¯s arms and gave him a tight hug, she looked up at the tall handsome man who was smiling lovingly at her. ¡°Did you miss me?¡±

    ¡°Not really, I just saw you this morning.¡±

    Estel unwrapped her arms and arched her sleek brows at the grinning man, ¡°if that¡¯s the case then I¡¯m leaving.¡± She turned around ready to walk away but Aiden pulled her by the arm and embraced her tightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, of course I missed you,¡± he gently stroked her hair before letting her go, his blue eyes never leaving hers, ¡°I miss you every moment I¡¯m not with you.¡±

    Estel and Aiden had been seeing a lot of each other over the three and a half weeks they had been on the road. They spent a lot of time together fetching water, gathering wild fruits and vegetables, and sometimes Aiden would take Estel with him when he went hunting. Their bond had be so strong that even though they tried to keep it a secret, a lot of their people already knew they were a couple. Some thought of them as very cute together, while others silently shunned their rtionship because they were from different races. Regardless of all of that, the bond between the two only got stronger with each passing day.

    .....

    ¡°So why are we sneaking around in the middle of the night?¡± The woman questioned Aiden.

    The handsome redhead took her hand in his and led her towards the trees surrounding the campsite. They moved quitely yet briskly in the darkness of the night. Since Aiden was a nosferatu, his eyesight was just as good in the dark as it was during the day, but for Estel on the other hand, she had to ry on Aiden for direction.

    ¡°Addie where are we going?¡± She questioned him yet again. She was starting to get a bit anxious the further away they moved from the camp. The forest was dark and filled with sounds that sent shivers down her spine.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we¡¯re almost there,¡± Aiden reassured her.

    ¡°Almost where?¡±

    Suddenly the thicket of trees disappeared behind them and they walked into an open space covered in tall grass and flowers. Estel was at loss for words when her eyes fell on the beautiful flowers. ¡°Are those flowers glowing?¡± She asked feeling incredibly intrigued.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought the first time I saw them,¡± Aiden exined. He then held Estel¡¯s hand and pulled her forward, as the two walked passed the glowing besutird, the flowers left their stalks and flew up into the air.

    Estel stopped and gasped at the breathtaking view, they were standing in the middle of the field and hundreds of different colored flowers were flying around them. ¡°They¡¯re so beautiful,¡± Estel cooed. She stretched out her hand and one of the flying flowers that was glowing neon pinknded on her finger. Upon closer inspection she realized that these weren¡¯t flowers at all, they were insects, they looked almost like butterflies. ¡°Butterflies that glow in the dark? They¡¯re so beautiful, I¡¯ve never seen anything so breath taking!¡±

    The butterfly ttered it¡¯s wings and flew off her finger. Aiden then took her hands in his and pulled her closer to him, ¡°that¡¯s exactly what I say every time I look at you Estel, I¡¯ve never seen anyone so breathtaking.¡±

    ¡°Aiden I..¡±

    The man wrapped his arms around Estel¡¯s waist and pulled her closer till the space between them was thinner than a sheet of paper. ¡°I love you Estel,¡± Aiden rasped, ¡°I love you so much it¡¯s intoxicating.¡±

    The elven woman was at loss for words, this was the first time Aiden had ever told her he loved her, it felt so natural, so right. She settled her hands on his biceps and lightly nibbled her lips, ¡°Addie...¡± she whispered as her face inched closer to his, ¡°I love you too.¡±

    Estel tiptoed and Aiden bent over towards her, the moment their lips touched, the glowing butterflies started ttering around them in a circr array of bright lights. Aiden tightened his grip on her and groaned lightly at the feel of her soft lips on his, when she pried her beautiful mouth open the man slipped his tongue into it like instinct.

    Eatel felt like melting in his arms, the chemistry between them was so strong and the heat around them was rising each second. She gasped when his fangs lengthened and grazed her lip lightly, she didn¡¯t know whether the kiss was so intoxicating that it was rewiring her brain or what, but she really wanted Aiden to sink his fangs into her.

    The two broke the kiss and stared at each other for a moment, both breathing heavily, both as red as a beet and both reeking of desire.

    ¡°Aiden..¡± Estel ran her hands up his chest and clutched his shirt tightly, ¡°let¡¯s get married.¡±

    The redhead was a bit taken aback by her words. Of course he wanted to marry her, he wanted nothing more than do exactly that, but he didn¡¯t expected her to bring it up first. Another thing he wanted to do was to mark her, he had this crazy urge to sink his teeth into her soft neck and mark her as his.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want that?¡± Estel questioned Aiden who seemed to be lost in thought.

    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Aiden responded.

    ¡°Then why do you look so distracted?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± the man choked on his words as he looked down at Estel¡¯s neck.

    When he licked his lips Estel knew exactly what he wanted and for some crazy reason it made her heart tter. She reached for the buttons of the blouse of her dress and opened the top two, after which she cocked her head to the side. ¡°Go on..¡± she whispered, making waves of anxiety mixed with euphoria run down Aiden¡¯s spine. ¡°Bite me Aiden, I want you to.¡±

    The man gulped as his pupils narrowed into a vertical slit, ¡°are you sure?..¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she whispered and cupped the back of his head. ¡°Please do it.¡±

    Aiden licked his lips lightly and leaned into her, his fangs lengthened even more and his heart was pounding wildly in his chest. When his fangs grazed her soft skin she muffled a moan which got Aiden even more excited. Gods he couldn¡¯t wait to mark this woman.

    ¡°Estel! What in the world is going on here?!¡±

    Estel was totally mortified because she knew who exactly who that voice belonged to. She covered her exposed chest and turned to look at her mother and auntie who were marching towards them. ¡°Mother?! What are you doing here at this time of the night?!¡±

    Queen Tauriel stopped mere inches away from the pair and red at Aiden angrily. ¡°I should be asking YOU that Estel, how can you allow this boy to disgrace you out in the open like this?!¡±

    ¡°Aiden hasn¡¯t done anything wrong mother!¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± The queen ripped Estel¡¯s arms away from her chest exposing the upper swells of her breasts. ¡°Then exined to me why you¡¯re taking your clothes of in front of him in the middle of the fucking forest?!¡±

    Aiden instinctively stood in front of Estel as she quickly buttoned up her blouse, ¡°Queen Tauriel this isn¡¯t what it looks like, I care and respect your daughter a great deal and I-¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± The elven queen yelled, ¡°not a word out of you, you¡¯re nothing but trouble!¡± She proceeded to grabbing Estel¡¯s hand and dragging her away. ¡°You are not to see this boy ever again do you hear me?!¡±

    Estel turned to look at Aiden who was reaching out to her desperately, she turned towards her mother and used her magic to form a wall of solid air that separated her mother and her.

    Queen Tauriel looked at Estel in shock, ¡°how dare you-¡±

    ¡°Mother I love him!¡± She screamed, ¡°and I will not allow you to separate us.¡±

    ¡°You what?¡± The queen red at Aiden, ¡°is he now teaching you to defy me?!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Estel yelled back, ¡°he¡¯s teaching me to stand up for myself! From now on I¡¯ll get to decide what I do with my life, you should focus on your own!¡±

    Tauriel was about to break the wall of air when Alma, the wife to her husband¡¯s brother, ced her hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°What is it?!¡± Tauriel snared.

    ¡°Do you hear that?¡± Alma spoke as she ced a hand on her protruding belly.

    From a distance they could hear shouts of joy and excitement. ¡®They have returned!¡¯ Was the statement they could get being yelled over and over again.

    Alma turned to Tauriel with a bright smile, ¡°they¡¯ve arrived from the central kindom. Come on we must wee them!¡±

 Chapter 113

    113 Chapter 113 : Don¡¯t interfere with fate

    Aiden walked slowly through the crowds that were filled with people hugging and crying tears of joy. It had been almost a month now and to some extent he had almost lost hope that he would ever see any of these people again. He smiled softly as he passed by Estel who crying and hugging her father, she had mentioned to him how closer she was to her father than her mother, and after the incident in the woods, Aiden could see why.

    His heart was thumping in his chest as he inched closer the the tworge tents that were set up for them and saw that amp was lit in one of the tents. When he reached the entrance he heard the voice of his mother crying and instantly froze. Why was she crying? Had something happened to his father?

    Aiden rushed into the tent with his heart lodged in his throat, ¡°Mother!¡± He yelled. But to his relief, he saw Marceline cradled in his father¡¯s arms crying like an infant.

    ¡°Father...¡± Aiden rasped. He could feel tears threatening to pour out of his own eyes. He ran towards the man and wrapped his arms around both him and the woman he was embracing. ¡°You made it back!¡±

    Kaiser Stefan ruffed Aiden¡¯s hair and smiled softly at him, ¡°we did, and it¡¯s good to see you took good care of your mother while I was away. You will make a great king one day.¡±

    Marceline wiped her tears and looked up at her husband, ¡°gods you¡¯ve lost so much weight, have you not been feeding?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me darling,¡± Stefan responded as he wiped the tears from his wife¡¯s rosy cheeks, ¡°what¡¯s important is we managed to escape with only a few casualties.¡±

    After everyone exchanged hugs and pleasantries, the whole family sat down in a circle to catch up. The nosferatu royal family at the timeprised of Kaiser Stefan and his wife Marceline, their son Aiden and their niece Vivian, the Kaiser¡¯s brother who was also his right hand Damien, Damien¡¯s wife Loretta and their three sons Emmett, Jasper and Cassias.

    ¡°So what happens now?¡± Aiden questioned his father after listening to the story of how they fought off the humans and journeyed to find them. ¡°Do we just forget about our home, our people who were captured? Is this how our legacy falls at the hands of humans?¡±

    .....

    ¡°We cannot win in a battle against the humans as we are now,¡± Stefan spoke as he sipped on his cup of fresh baby dear blood. ¡°The humans already outnumbered us before, but now that they have captured some of our brothers our number is almost half what it was before. Waging war would be suicide.¡±

    ¡°So we just sit around and watch them enjoy everything we worked hard to build?¡± This time it was Vivian who spoke. After hearing the details of what had happened the night of the attack, she had developed a resentment towards humans.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± the Kaiser responded, ¡°we will take back ournd and save our brothers. But we need to replenish our strength first. After which we will strategize a way to defeat the human race despite their strength in numbers.¡±

    The Kaiser finished his drink and put down his cup, ¡°for now we will rebuild. We will start anew without the humans and begin a new peaceful existence here. Anyway enough about me and my sad war stories.¡± Stefan¡¯s demeanor rxed, he was d to be sitting in front of his family like this. ¡°What¡¯s have all of you been up to, anything interesting?¡±

    ¡°I got my wings!¡± Jasper responded and shed his matte ck wings proudly.

    ¡°Ah, those are some fine wings my boy,¡± Stefanmented, ¡°they will serve you well if you take good care of them.¡±

    ¡°What can I say, he takes after his old man,¡± Damien spoke as he shed his own beautiful ck wings.

    ¡°I learnt how to use mine too,¡± Vivian spoke excitedly.

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful Vivian my dear,¡± the Kaisermented, ¡°but do be careful, purple wings can be quite lethal.¡±

    ¡°I know.. I¡¯m incredibly careful now.¡±

    Among the nosferatu gifted with flight, there were three main types of wings; ck ones that were known for strength and could carry their bearer for miles, brown ones that were know for their flexibility, they we¡¯re almost like a second pair of arms for the bearer , and purple wings known for their lethal poison. Someone wounded by a pair of purple wings usually died within twenty four hours.

    Other than these three, there was a rare type that was almost impossible to have, the red wings. They were like all the other three types of wingsbined and more, they were powerful, flexible, lethal and could also camouge the bearer when covered with them. The only known nosferatu who had a pair of red wings was Marceline, the queen of the nosferatu. It was no wonder so many respected her so much, many believed it was a divine sign that she was meant to lead.

    ¡°Oh and Aiden got a girlfrie-¡±

    Aiden quickly covered Vivian¡¯s mouth and red angrily and her. He pulled away and gagged when he felt something wet slithering on his palm. ¡°Vivian did you just lick me?! You¡¯re disgusting!¡±

    ¡°Oh so you found someone you like?¡± Stefan questioned his son with an intrigued smile.

    ¡°He did,¡± Vivian added on, ¡°to be honest we were all surprised considering he is really awkward and terrible with women.¡±

    ¡°Well who is the lucky woman?¡± Kaiser Stefan inquired, ¡°do we know her? Does shee from a good family?¡±

    All eyes fell on Aiden who was sweating bullets. He cleared his throat and averted his father¡¯s gaze before speaking, ¡°well umm, she¡¯s a little different from us.¡±

    ¡°Different?¡± The Kaiser became even more intrigued, ¡°different how? Is she not from a noble family? Because if that¡¯s the case there¡¯s no need to worry Aiden, love doesn¡¯t care about titles and-¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s an elf..¡± Aiden blurted out.

    His father looked at him in shock. Had he heard his son right? ¡°She¡¯s an elf?¡±

    ¡°And not just any elf,¡± Vivian added on, ¡°she¡¯s princess Estel.¡±

    ¡°Oh my..¡±

    Marceline ced a gentle hand on her husband¡¯s shoulder and smiled at him, ¡°she¡¯s a good girl Stefan,¡± she spoke, ¡°you should see them together they¡¯re so happy. They remind me of us when we first met.¡±

    ¡°Well it¡¯s quite unusual,¡± the Kaiser spoke nervously, ¡°it¡¯s the first I¡¯m hearing of an interracial rtionship. What if there are consequences-¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s his blood half Stefan,¡± Marceline interrupted her husband, ¡°and you know what that means.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± The Kaiser was absolutely shocked, ¡°Marceline are you sure of what you¡¯re saying?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been wrong about this kind of thing, trust me Stefan, she¡¯s the one.¡±

    ¡°Well if that¡¯s the case, no matter what I say I cannot pull you two apart,¡± the Kaiser spoke still in shock. He had never heard of blood halves from different races before. ¡°Fate has spoken and no one can go against it.¡±

    ¡°Well actually..¡± Aiden spoke with a sigh, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like her mother is for the idea of me and her being together. She said she never wants to see me near her daughter ever again.¡±

    The Kaiser ran his hand over his face and sighed heavily, ¡°Tauriel has always been a hard knob to turn. But don¡¯t worry my son, I will speak to king Aragon about it. We cannot go against fate, it will lead to dire consequences, they know that.¡± Stefan pat his son¡¯s shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, ¡°worry not, you will be with your beloved.¡±

    ¡°Thank you father,¡± Aiden responded with a grateful bow.

    *

    On the other side of the camp in the tents designated for the elven royal family, queen Tauriel was raving about Estel¡¯s rtionship with Aiden.

    ¡°It¡¯s unheard of!¡± She yelled, ¡°what will people say when they find out the princess is frolicking around with a nosferatu man?! There are hundreds of handsome elven men from noble families around camp to choose from, so why would she go for a nosferatu?!¡±

    King Aragon, a tall, well built, handsome elf with blond hair and deep hooded brown eyes nodded attentively as he listened to his wife making points about why his daughter and the nosferatu prince should not be together. When she was finished he cleared his throat and looked at his daughter who had her head down and was twirling her hair in her fingers.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is they shouldn¡¯t be together because prince Aiden is not an elf?¡± the king questioned his wife.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Tauriel responded, ¡°I mean we don¡¯t even know if they¡¯ll be able to shire heirs.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the king spoke with a nod. He then turned to his daughter and called to her. ¡°Estel, my beautiful little princess.¡±

    ¡°Yes father,¡± she responded in a low voice. She steeled her heart and prepared herself for the heartbreaking words her father was about to deliver.

    ¡°Are you in love with prince Aiden?¡± Aragon questioned the blonde woman.

    ¡°I am..¡± she whispered in response.

    ¡°My princess look at me when you speak,¡± Aragon spoke, ¡°you are a princess and must always speak with confidence.¡±

    Estel lifted her head and looked into her father¡¯s eyes. She drew a deep breath and pursed her lips to stop them from trembling before speaking. ¡°Father, I love Aiden with all my heart. And I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him!¡±

    Tauriel rolled her eyes and the other upants of the tent braced themselves for what was toe. King Aragon loved his daughter to bits but there was no chance in hell he would let her-

    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± Aragon spoke, ¡°Estel loves Aiden, and he loves her. Let them be together.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Everyone gasped in unison.

    ¡°But darling-¡±

    ¡°Enough Tauriel,¡± Aragon shushed his wife, ¡°nothing good everes out of interfering with fate. Let the children be.¡±

 Chapter 114

    114 Chapter 114 : Start calling me your husband.

    The leaders of the four tribes were sitting around a fire one evening to discuss their rebuilding strategies. It was almost a month since they had been driven out of the central continent by the humans, and felt they were safe from them for the time being.

    Around the fire was Kaiser Stefan of the nosferatu, king Aragon of the elves, Alpha Edron of the lycans and king Dvalin of the dwarves.

    ¡°We cannot be nomads forever,¡± Stefan spoke, ¡°we move with women and children who cannot cope with such a lifestyle. Hence my proposal to rebuild, we are a month away from the humans, we will be safe here.¡±

    ¡°Stefan is right,¡± Edron added on, ¡°If we wish to replenish our strengths then we need to settle in one ce. Thend here is fertile and conducive, we can farm and there are enough wild animals for all to feed on.¡±

    ¡°Well it seems we are all in agreement then,¡± Aragon spoke, ¡°we settle here and im thisnd as our own while we strategize on how to rescue our people who were captured.¡±

    The upants all nodded in agreement, all except Dvalin. ¡°If I may,¡± Dvalin spoke calmly. He was a short man with a think rough beard and long hair. His arms covered in tattoos and a scar crossing his right green eye. ¡°My people are not familiar with living in forests filled with daisies and galloping reindeer. That¡¯s more of Aragon¡¯s department.¡±

    There were chuckles among the men while Aragon scowled at Dvalin.

    ¡°My people are miners and forgers who relish living beneath the earth where we can work best,¡± Dvalin pointed out.

    ¡°So are you saying you wish not to settle here with the rest of us Dvalin?¡± Aragon questioned the dwarve king.

    .....

    ¡°There is a gorge not too far from here where we can rebuild our own kind of settlement,¡± the dwarve king exined, ¡°the earth there is rich in minerals, an ideal ce for us dwarves to do what dwarves do best. I am not separating myself from you my brothers I can assure that, my loyalty, the loyalty of my people still belongs to each and everyone of you. It¡¯s the living arrangements here that I am not sofortable with.¡±

    ¡°Very well Dvalin,¡± Edron spoke with a grin, ¡°you dwarves go ahead and y around in the dirt as much as you want-¡±

    Edron quickly moved his head to the side just in time to dodge the knife that Dvalin hadunched at him. The alpha looked at the wall behind him where the knife had lodged itself and turned back to re at the dwarve. ¡°You maniac, are you trying to take my fucking head off?!¡±

    ¡°Edron if I wanted to cut off your head I would have cut off your head,¡± Dvalin responded with a grin.

    Edron got to his feet and thrust out his ws, ¡°you want to pick a fight with me runt?!¡±

    ¡°Bring it on dog!¡±

    ¡°Enough already, both of you!¡± Stefan silenced the two men.

    ¡°He called me a dog!¡± Edronined while pointing a w at the dwarve.

    ¡°Come on we¡¯re all allies here,¡± Aragon spoke, ¡°we have onemon enemy, the humans. We can¡¯t afford to fight amongst ourselves.¡±

    Edron sat back down and pouted. He then turned to Stefan, the sly grin on his face back in full force. ¡°So Kaiser Stefan, I hear we¡¯re expecting quite the unlikely marriage in the camp soon. Our perfect little prince Aiden couldn¡¯t find a woman of his own kind?¡±

    ¡°Edron it¡¯s a little disturbing to know that you¡¯re so interested in my son¡¯s love life,¡± Stefan responded with a smirk, ¡°you should have children of your own and maybe you¡¯ll have something else to focus on.¡±

    ¡°Oh get off your high horse Stefan this has nothing to do with my potency!¡± Edron bellowed, ¡°but it does have something to do with your son¡¯s. Do you really think a nosferatu will be able to pump a baby into an elf.¡±

    ¡°Watch your mouth Edron that is my daughter you¡¯re talking about,¡± Aragon warned the silver haired alpha.

    ¡°Ohe on you two everyone is thinking it.¡±

    ¡°I believe nature has a way of making things works as they should,¡± Aragon responded. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to sit back and watch.¡± The elven king than turned to Stefan and gave him a smile, ¡°I¡¯m told your boy ns of asking her today?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, we should know of her answer before the sun sets,¡± Stefan responded.

    *

    Aiden paced the ground nervously as he awaited Estel to join him. His mother and other women had helped him arrange a beautiful floral pedestal by a nearby waterfall where he was nning to propose to Estel. Even though her mother was still not for the idea and wanted nothing to do with the union, Estel and Aiden¡¯s rtionship had gotten Aragon¡¯s blessing and that was enough to get almost everyone on board.

    He had sent for Estel a few minutes back and had been practicing the best way to propose ever since.

    ¡°Estel I love you, will you be my wife?... No no too straightforward and in.¡±

    ¡°Estel you are the blood within my veins and... gods no that¡¯s so creepy!¡±

    Aiden drew in a breath for the hundredth time, ¡°Estel...¡±

    ¡°Yes Addie..¡±

    The man turned around abruptly and saw Estel standing a few inches away from him. ¡°Estel! You¡¯re here!¡± He blurted out.

    The beautiful elf chuckled and nodded, ¡°I¡¯m here, it would have been rude if I didn¡¯t show up considering you¡¯re the one who called for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah I did didn¡¯t I?¡± Aiden chuckled nervously.

    The woman looked around the little floral pedestal they were standing on in awe, ¡°this looks really beautiful Addie, did you do this?¡±

    ¡°Well umm I had a little help but yes.¡± Aiden cleared his throat and wiped his sweaty forehead. Gods why was he so nervous, I mean it¡¯s not like she was going to say no. Wait! What if she did say no, then what?!

    The man almost jumped when a soft hand took his, ¡°Addie are you alright?¡± She questioned the man who was sweating profusely, ¡°you seem nervous.¡±

    Aiden looked at Estel and steeled his heart. He needed to get himself together, this was an important milestone in their rtionship and he couldn¡¯t afford to mess it up. He took a deep breath and held both her hand in his.

    ¡°Estel therees a time in man¡¯s life when he cannot live on his own..¡±

    Estel giggled at how jittery Aiden¡¯s voice was. ¡°Addie what in the world are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Well I, umm.. you see marriage is a recognized union of people as life partners. This union not only brings two people together but two families, two ideologies, two cultures and twomunities together. This union-¡±

    ¡°Aiden! Aiden.. calm down,¡± Estel spoke sweetly at the shaking man. She tiptoed and gave him a quick kiss before smiling at him. The same smile that Aiden had fallen for the first time they met.

    Aiden cupped Estel¡¯s cheeks in both his hands gently and looked into her beautiful brownish- purplish eyes. ¡°Estel, I don¡¯t want to spend another day not calling you my wife,¡± he spoke in a whisper, ¡°would you please make me the happiest man alive and start calling me your husband from today henceforth?¡±

    Estel blushed intensely as she gazed into Aiden¡¯s sapphire blue eyes, ¡°Addie...¡± she chocked on her words when realization hit her. Aiden was asking to marry her. Tears filled her eyes and ran down her plump rosy cheeks, wetting Aiden¡¯s palms in the process, was this really happening? It felt like a dream.

    Estal sniffled and nodded her head, ¡°yes...¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes Aiden I will be your wife!¡± Estel eximed as more tears ran down her cheeks.

    Aiden breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Estel in for a kiss. Estel ced her hands on his chest, gripped his shirt and kissed him back with an equal amount of intensity.

    When they broke their kiss, flower petals began falling around them and people appeared out of nowhere in apuse for the new couple.

    ¡°Psst... psssssst!¡±

    Aiden looked to Vivian who was mouthing, ¡°give her the betrothal bracelet you idiot.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Aiden dug into the pocket of his pants and took out a beautiful gold bracelet. He looked at Estel and took her hand, ¡°may I?¡±

    When Estel nodded, Aiden ced the bracelet on her wrist and it adjusted to fit her hand perfectly before glowing.

    ¡°Wow..¡± Estel admired the bracelet as it dimmed down its glow, ¡°it¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    ¡°My father gave it to my mother when they got engaged,¡± Aiden exined, ¡°it¡¯s a special betrothal bracelet Estel, with it I can find you anywhere in the world, and only you and I can take it off your wrist.¡±

    Estel hugged the hand with the bracelet to her chest as more tears flowed down her beautiful face. ¡°I love it Aiden, I¡¯m never taking it off.¡±

    *

    Back at the camp, a young man walked towards the kings and bowed respectfully at them. ¡°Your majesties, she said yes.¡±

    ¡°Brilliant!¡± Aragon eximed happily. He put a hand over Stefan¡¯s shoulder and raised his hand in the air. ¡°Gentlemen, tonight we feast!¡±

 Chapter 115

    115 Chapter 115 : I long for you [PG 18]

    ¡°Good morning Estel..¡±

    ¡°Good morning..¡±

    The beautiful blonde woman walked happily down a path past different people who were chopping up wood and building foundations of their new settlement. It had been a month since Aiden and her had gotten engaged and they had decided to marry after they had setteld in a little better in their new environment.

    She peeked from behind a tree and saw her handsome husband to be helping some men haul some logs onto the roof of a house they were building, it was the house they would one day call their home after they married.

    She watched in awe as Aiden position the log and begun nailing it down, gosh she was lucky to have a handsome man like him. The redhead then leapt off the roof to the ground and proceeded to unbuttoning his shirt. Estel gasped when he tore it off his body and used it to dry his sweaty forehead, her eyes trailed down to his strong chest and chiseld abs and she gulped. She had never seen him

    shirtless before, he looked absolutely delectable.

    When Aiden turned to her direction she ducked out of site and leaned against the tree with her chest pounding hard. Had he seen her ogling at him just now?

    ¡°Hey kitty..¡± a deep voice rasped beside her.

    She yelped and turned around, only to find her handsome fianc¨¦ looking down at her with a gorgeous smile on his face. Estel¡¯s breath hitched when she saw that he was still shirtless and his pecks were mere inches away from her face.

    .....

    ¡°What are you doing sneaking around back here?¡± Aiden asked the woman as he tucked a loc of hair behind her ear, ¡°did you miss me?¡±

    ¡°I... I brought you something to eat,¡± Estel mumbled.

    Aiden looked down at the basket the blushing woman was holding and smiled excitedly. ¡°Then shall we sit down somewhere and see what you¡¯ve got in there?¡±

    Before Estel could process what Aiden had said, he scooped her up in his arms and leapt from the ground up into the air. The woman wrapped her arms tightly around his neck instinctively, until hended near the waterfall where he had proposed to her.

    ¡°I think this ce will do,¡± Aiden spoke as he inspected the surrounding. It was calm and quiet, and he knew no one would interrupt their meal since the location was a bit far from the new housing area.

    Aiden put down the woman and looked at her reddened face curiously, ¡°Estel are you blushing?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Estel yelled and looked to the ground. Was Aiden a dummy? Of course she was blushing, she had been stered on his bare chest a few seconds ago. ¡°I just... your chest..¡±

    ¡°My chest?¡± Aiden looked down at his chest and looked back at Estel apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry kitty, I got my sweat all over your pretty dress didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°What?... Addie that¡¯s not-¡± the woman took a step back and covered her mouth when Aiden turned to walk towards the river and started loosening his pants. Was he about to-

    ¡°Let me wash up quickly before we eat,¡± the red headed man spoke as he dropped his pants and dived into the water. He swam effortlessly against the currents and emerged under the waterfall where he proceeded to washing his hair.

    Estel watched breathlessly at the site, something strange was happening to her body the longer she stared at him, especially between her legs. There was an ufortable heat resonating between her things and her breathing was low and heavy, on impulse she put down the basket of food and began walking towards the water, slowly peeling off her garments and littering them behind her.

    When Aiden felt a little cleaner he turned towards where he had left Estel and was shocked to see her standing at the edge of the waterpletely naked. His eyes trailed every curve, every swell, every groove and and every contour of her beautiful body. He knew that Estel was a beautiful woman, and he knew that she looked even better naked but this was more than anything he¡¯d ever imagined. His fianc¨¦ was the embodiment of perfection and beauty.

    The nosferatu prince moved from the waterfall, dived back into the water and emerged in front of the beautiful elven princess. He reached for her hands and gently led her into the water with him, his eyes fixated on her blushing face.

    ¡°Gods Estel,¡± Aiden spoke in a strained whisper, ¡°what are you trying to do to me?¡±

    He moved his hands gently up and down her arms until he rested them on her wide hips. ¡°You do realize this little stunt of yours will illicit a response from me?¡±

    Estel took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around Aiden¡¯s neck, she parted her lips as she gazed into his blue eyes, ¡°Addie, there¡¯s a longing I feel for you deep within my core and it¡¯s killing me.¡±

    The nosferatu prince got an instant full fledged erection when Estel uttered those words. ¡°A longing?¡± He responded in a shaky voice. He moved one hand to the arch of her back and pulled her close, he flinched slightly when his manhood slipped between her warm thighs.

    ¡°I know you feel it too Addie, let¡¯s not fight it anymore,¡± she whispered and kissed the man gently on his chest.

    Aiden¡¯s shaft jerked in response to the kiss, ¡°are you sure you want me to do this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted anything more.¡±

    Estel pulled Aiden in and locked lips with him in a heated kiss. Their tongues explored each other¡¯s mouths and intertwined with each other intensely. The princess gasped when his fangs lengthened and grazed her lip, the taste of blood only peaking her arousal even more. ¡°Aiden, do it... mark me as yours now and forever.¡±

    The prince grabbed Estel¡¯s thighs and wrapped her long legs around his waist. The way her sweet voice echoed in his ears as she spoke amorously to him was enough to make his manhood ache in anticipation. He wanted to fill her up so bad, to feel the warmth of her insides and make love to her till her eyes rolled back. And more so, he wanted to bite her beautiful neck, to draw the tiniest amount of blood from her and infuse his essence into her so she could be his forever.

    Aiden moved to the edge of the water and settled himself down in a sitting position with Estel sitting on top of him, hisrge shaft positioned at her entrance. ¡°I love you kitty,¡± he whispered sweetly before pulling her closer and positioning his fangs on the side of her neck.

    ¡°I love you too Addie- ahhh!¡±

    Aiden simultaneously sunk his teeth and his shaft into her. The pain Estel felt at both her neck anddy parts made her feel light headed, she grabbed Aiden¡¯s hair and screamed his name as he sunk his teeth deeper into her skin and his manhood further into her core.

    ¡°Gods Aiden!¡±

    The man retracted his fangs from her skin and groaned as he licked his bite marks to clean up the little traces of blood. He then brought his hands to her soft buttocks and gripped them tightly. He began moving her up and down gently on his manhood, he tried to be as gentle as possible even if all he wanted to do was to rearrange her insides right there and then. But he had to control himself, he knew that the first time for a woman was painful and he didn¡¯t want to hurt his little kitten.

    After a few more gentle pumps he felt Estel¡¯s body rx and her whimpering receeded. He leaned forward and kissed her neck and then her soft quivering lips. ¡°You want me to stop?¡± He questioned the woman who seemed to have lost strength.

    Estel didn¡¯t answer, instead she began to move herself on Aiden¡¯s shaft making him release a muffled moan, ¡°kitty if you do that I¡¯ll-¡±

    Aiden was silenced by the hot kiss Estel drew him into, she quickened her bounce making Aiden curl his toes. He had never felt such heights of euphoria before, so this is what his woman felt like? This was sex? Gods, he wanted to make love to her everyday if he would get to feel this good.

    Estel broke the kiss and held Aiden¡¯s shoulders firmly, she threw her head back and continued bouncing steadily on his manhood.

    ¡°Ooooh Gods Aiden, this is amazing!¡± She moaned. The melodious sound made his member swell even more inside of her. She took one of his hands from her bottom and ced it on her soft breast which was bouncing as she moved.

    Aiden muffled a moan, he could feel that he was about to let up, the sensation she was making him experience was too overwhelming. He moved his hand back to her bottom, grabbed her buttocks and started ploughing her from underneath.

    Estel screamed at the unexpected change in pace but immediately ced her hand over her mouth to muffle the scream. It would be so embarrassing if someone heard her screaming in pleasure like that. Estel kept her hand on her mouth and released a series of moans as her fianc¨¦ filled her core with hisrge shaft relentlessly. It didn¡¯t take long for her to start feeling a pressure build up in her core, it increased drastically with each thrust Aiden subjected her to until finally she touched cloud nine. Her walls convulsed vigorously and her love juice drenched Aiden¡¯s manhood as she moaned his name at the top of her lungs.

    Aiden pumped into her with onest hard thrust and reached his peak. He leaned into her soft breasts and moaned as his seed filled her up to the bream. The two lovers remained in that position awaiting for the euphoria to die down, when both came back to their senses, they looked into each other¡¯s eyes and chuckled giddily.

    Estel wrapped her arms around Aiden shoulders and smiled happily, ¡°mother will have a heart attack when she finds out we made love before the wedding.¡±

    ¡°Honestly I think your mother would have a heart attack either way,¡± Aiden spoke between pants. He looked up at the beautiful naked woman who was sitting onto of him and smiled proudly, she looked so beautiful after sex, her hair damp and her face flustered, and to think this goddess of a woman was going to be his wife!

    Estel leaned in and kissed Aiden¡¯s lips, ¡°but I don¡¯t care,¡± she spoke softly, ¡°you make me happy and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± She leaned in and gave him another sweet kiss. She then leaned back and smiled at him slyly, ¡°looks like someone is excited again.¡±

    Aiden blushed and looked away, his shaft had be stiff again within Estel after she kissed him. ¡°What do you expect when you¡¯re sitting on mepletely naked like this?¡±

    Estel giggled and pinned him down to the ground, ¡°let me take care of that for you,¡± she whispered as he began rocking her hips and sliding his member in and out of her.

    ¡°Gods Estel!¡± Aiden groaned, ¡°you will be the death of me!¡±

 Chapter 116

    116 Chapter 116 : Don¡¯t cry you big baby

    After their first intimate encounter, Aiden and Estel had made love constantly over the course of the next few weeks. The intimate connection had strengthened their bond even more and elevated both their moods a great deal.

    e afternoon Estel was walking through the halls of the newly built home where she and her family had been living. and was humming happily to herself as she walked. She was in an especially good mood today because Aiden had just finished building their house and had called for her to see where they would be living. As Estel approached the exit, a voice called to her.

    ¡°Off to see that boyfriend of yours again?¡±

    The beautiful blonde elf rolled her eyes and turned to look at her mother who was standing with her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°Mother Aiden is going to be my husband in a few days, I thought by now you would have epted him.¡±

    ¡°Honey there are too many risks with being with that boy...¡±

    Estel turned around and continued walking out the door to the outside,pletely ignoring whatever it was her mother had to say. She wasn¡¯t in the mood for this, no one was going to ruin this day for her.

    ¡°Estel don¡¯t you dare walk away from me when I speak to you!¡± Tauriel screamed at her daughter. She followed her closely behind down the newly paved paths until she caught up with her and grabbed her by the wrist.

    ¡°Estel just listen to me for one minute!¡±

    ¡°Why should I mother?!¡± Estel yelled back, ¡°what is it about Aiden that you hate so much?! Why can¡¯t you just be happy for me and put aside your selfishness for one minute!¡±

    .....

    Tauriel jerked her head back in surprise, Estel and had be very fourthing and vocal ever since she got to know that nosferatu prince, it was an amazing trait to have as a princess and possibly future queen. but even so, their rtionship was not right and she needed her daughter to see why.

    ¡°Darling I know you love this boy and I¡¯m

    sure he loves you too, but I don¡¯t want you to get into something you might regret in the

    future,¡± queen Tauriel exined.

    ¡°What makes you think I would ever regret marrying Aiden?!¡± Estel responded coldly, ¡°we are in love and happy together why can¡¯t you understand that?!¡±

    ¡°Honey marriage is much more than just love!¡± Tauriel took her daughter¡¯s hands and stroked them gently, ¡°what if one day down the line you wish to have children and realize that you can¡¯t because the two of you are so different. I¡¯m only looking out for you darling nothing else.¡±

    Estel looked at her mother¡¯s face, it was surprising but the woman looked genuinely concerned. She did have a point though, the odds of Aiden and her having children were close to nothing but what did she expect her to do? Leave him and marry someone else for the sake of giving the kingdom heirs?

    The princess gently pulled her hands away from her mother¡¯s grasp and turned away, ¡°why don¡¯t you let me worry about that.¡±

    ¡°But honey-¡±

    The princess took a few steps forward but suddenly halted and cupped her forehead. She suddenly felt light headed and a little nauseated, what in the world had she had for lunch? Queen Tauriel rushed to her daughter¡¯s side when she saw her losing bnce and helped her stand straight.

    ¡°Estel what¡¯s the matter?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel so well all of a sudden,¡± the princess spoke weakly.

    Suddenly, a flurry of tiny winged creatures came out of nowhere and began circling around Estel and cing tiny flowers in her hair. ¡°Am I hallucinating or do these butterflies have faces?¡± The princess asked.

    Tauriel looked at the tiny creatures in surprise, she had heard of these from old stories and folklore, they were pixies, but why were they putting flowers in Estel¡¯s hair? Was this a bad omen? Was something going to happen to her daughter?

    ¡°Lets go back home,¡± Tauriel spoke to her daughter who looked weak and a little pale, ¡°we need to ger you a doctor.¡±

    ¡°But Aiden..¡±

    ¡°Aiden can wait,¡± Tauriel spoke as she tried to lead Estel back to the house but the woman stubbornly refused to budge.

    ¡°No! Call Aiden now!¡± Out of nowhere the princess broke down and started crying, ¡°please mother, I need Aiden here with me, call Aiden now mother please.¡±

    ¡°Alright! I will send for him immediately,¡± Tauriel responded. ¡°Now please let¡¯s get back home.¡±

    As the two walked back to the house, the pixies circled Estel a few more times leaving little flowers in her hair and then disappeared back into the lush grass that lined the path.

    *

    Half an hourter Aiden barged through the doors of Estel¡¯s home with a worried look on his face. He had just been told that his fianc¨¦ had suddenly fallen ill and had ran all the way to her house.

    ¡°Where is she?! Is she okay?!¡±

    Aragon walked to Aiden and ced his hands gently on his shoulders, ¡°it¡¯s alright son the physician is tending to her as we speak.¡±

    ¡°But what happened?!¡± Aiden was worried sick and felt like he would lose his mind if he didn¡¯t see Estel, ¡°can I see her?!¡±

    ¡°Aiden calm down!¡± Aragon spoke to the nosferatu prince. He led him to a chair and helped him settle down, ¡°let¡¯s just be patient for now, she¡¯s going to be fine.¡±

    Aiden nodded and sunk into the chair trying his hardest not to run down the hallway and barge into her room. He ran his fingers through his hair and gazed down the hallway in hopes of seeing the physician walk towards them with good news.

    It took about another half hour and right before Aiden was about to snap, a door at the far end of the hall creaked open and a tall serious looking elf with slick tinum blonde hair, who Aiden assumed was the physician, walked slowly towards them. The prince jumped to his feet and walked towards the man, he grabbed the physician¡¯s shoulders and looked him dead in the eye.

    ¡°How is she, how is my Estel doing tell me right now!¡± Aiden demanded.

    The man gave Aiden a smile and then pat his shoulder gently, ¡°I assume you¡¯re her husband? Prince Aiden is it? She has been asking for you.¡±

    ¡°What was she saying?!¡± Aiden questioned the man again, the anticipation was killing him. ¡°Did something happen?!¡±

    ¡°Something did happen,¡± the physician responded, ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s nothing short of a miracle really.¡±

    Aiden was one word away from smacking this man right in the face, why couldn¡¯t he just get to the bloody point already.

    ¡°Well I should say congrattions are in order,¡± the physician added on, ¡°your wife, prince Aiden, is with child. 3 weeks in.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Everyone in the room screamed on union.

    Queen Tauriel walked towards the physician and clutched her chest tightly, ¡°are... are you sure of this?¡±

    The tall elf nodded, ¡°without a doubt. This world is about to witness something incredibly special, the first elven-nosferatu hybrid child.¡± The man turned back to Aiden whose face had gonepletely white and gave him another pat on his shoulder. ¡°Congrattions again.¡±

    The physician made his way past the shocked upants of the room and went on his way. Aragon and Tauriel gave each other nervous nced before both scampering towards Estel¡¯s chambers, leaving Aiden standing in disbelief.

    ¡°Estel is pregnant?¡± The nosferatu prince muttered to himself, ¡°she¡¯s... she¡¯s carrying our child?¡± Tears rolled down Aiden¡¯s face and he dropped to his knees, sobbing uncontrobly as happiness filled his body and leaked out of his blue eyes. He remained in that position for about ten minutes before wiping his tears and walking slowly towards Estel¡¯s chambers.

    When he peeked through her open door he saw her sitting in her bed talking with her parents and looking as beautiful as ever. Aiden walked into the room and made his way to her bedside.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Addie,¡± she spoke with a sheepish smile on her gorgeous face, ¡°I wound up getting pregnant before our wedding... whoops¡±

    Aiden crouched down and pulled Estel into a passionate embrace, ¡°Oh kitty...¡± he sobbed as he stroked her hair lovingly, ¡°you¡¯ve made me the happiest man alive you have no idea.¡±

    Estel¡¯s eyes grew misty as well at Aiden¡¯s reaction, she wrapped her arms around his back and rubbed it gently, ¡°don¡¯t cry you big baby,¡± she whispered as tears flowed from her eyes, ¡°crying is for our child not you.¡±

    Aiden sobbed even more and hugged Estel tighter, he was so choked up on emotion and happiness that he could barely breath. He couldn¡¯t believe that his fianc¨¦ was about to give him the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for, a little bundle of joy that would be part her and part him.

    He pulled away from her and cupped her petite face in his palms, ¡°I never thought it would be possible for me to love you more than I already do now, but you¡¯ve proved me wrong Estel. I love you so gaddam much!¡±

    ¡°I love you too Aiden,¡± Estel spoke between sniffles, ¡°more than you will ever know.¡±

    Aiden pulled her in for a kiss and it felt like the most passionate kiss they¡¯d ever shared. Gods he loved this woman so much, and he was going to do everything within his power to give her and his child afortable and safe life, he would make sure of it.

 Chapter 117

    117 Chapter 117 : The marble pce

    It didn¡¯t take long for news of Aiden and Estel¡¯s expected baby to spread among the people, and with it brought rise different emotions towards the pregnancy. Some thought of it as a miracle, a divine gift from the gods and they would flock to the residence of the couple and take many gifts for the baby. Others feared it, saying no living soul should be able to possess the magic of an elf and the strength of a nosferatu, iming it would bring unbnce to the world.

    Aiden and Estel on the other hand couldn¡¯t care less about what anyone thought of their child, they were too ecstatic about the mere fact that they had managed to convince a child. Estel would roam around the newly established town talking to her now slightly protruding tummy while Aiden had be extremely doting and overprotective. He even pushed the wedding till after the baby was born iming that he didn¡¯t want to stress Estel.

    It was a bright and sunny spring afternoon and Kaiser Stefan and king Aragon were walking through the town admiring the progress and discussing on how to save their captured brothers from the humans. The two had be even closer because of their children.

    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d be a grandfather so soon,¡± Stefan spoke.

    ¡°What do you mean so soon you¡¯re over a thousand years old!¡± Aragon responded with a chuckle, ¡°I¡¯m wondering why an old geezer like you isn¡¯t using crutches.¡±

    ¡°The nosferatu age quiet quickly yet very slowly,¡± Stefan responded with a smile.

    Aragon turned to look at the man curiously. ¡°And what do you mean by that.¡±

    ¡°Nosferatu children age rapidly body wise till they reach adulthood,¡± Stefan exined, ¡°after that they¡¯re bodies stop aging even when years go by. For instance, would you believe that my wife is four hundred years younger than me?¡±

    ¡°Good grief are you serious?!¡± Aragon asked in shock.

    .....

    ¡°I am, but yet she seems to be only six years younger physically,¡± Stefan borated further, ¡°and she looks almost the same age as our son who is much younger than her.¡±

    ¡°Good lord, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a blessing or a curse,¡± Aragon responded with a chuckle.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of both,¡± the Kaiser responded as they continued walking, ¡°do you have any idea how hard it was for me to parent Aiden, he had already developed the body of a man at only fourteen and was very rebellious. Try telling a teenager in man¡¯s body that he cannot adopt a wild boar as a pet, it felt ridiculous.¡±

    Aragon burst intoughter and pat his friend hard on the back, ¡°well you did a fine job! He¡¯s be a good man, and me and my daughter thank you for that.¡±

    Silence fell on the two men as they continue walking through the town. It was a lively afternoon and the street was filled with venders, merchants, builders and children of every race. It was a heartwarming site to see.

    ¡°It¡¯s wonderful how they have all settled in so quickly after what happened isn¡¯t it?¡± Stefanmented as five children, two elves, a nosferatu, a dwarve and a lycan, ran past them joyfully.

    ¡°It is,¡± Aragon responded, ¡°but you and I both know that deep down they still suffer the loss of their home and some their families.¡±

    Stefan¡¯s smile faded as he looked at the busy people around them. The elven king was right, some of these people had lost their family and all of them had lost their homes, it was not something one could get over so easily.

    ¡°We have to avenge the people we¡¯ve lost Stefan, and we have to retrieve the ones we left behind.¡± Aragon walked passed the Kaiser and stood in front of him, ¡°I have reached out to some people who can help us, some very powerful people.¡±

    ¡°Powerful people?¡±

    ¡°Have you heard of the mages of the rocks?¡±

    Stafen¡¯s eyes widened. The mages of the rocks where a group of powerful users of forbidden ck magic, and were of elven and nosferatu descent. They were believed to be the first users of magic and had passed on their knowledge and skill to those who lived now. It was said that over time their magic became so vile that they were asked to leave the kingdom and settled in the great rocky rift that surrounded the snow riddlednds at the edge of the continent.

    ¡°Aragon, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nning on using the dark arts to fight the humans,¡± Stefan spoke in hushed tones, ¡°what if there are consequences?!¡±

    ¡°Do you have any better n?¡± Aragon responded firmly, ¡°we cannot beat them in numbers Stefan think for a moment. Magic is what we have that the humans don¡¯t, I suggest we use it!¡±

    Stefan sighed, maybe Aragon was right. ¡°What is it you have nned exactly?¡±

    The elven king took out a parchment from his pocket and handed it to Stefan, ¡°they say they have a way we can send some of our own disguised as humans to the central kingdom. If that¡¯s true, we can know of their weaknesses and exploit them ordingly in order to take back what is ours.¡±

    Stefan folded up th parchment and looked up at Aragon with concerned eyes, ¡°and who would be willing to give themselves up to be a human spy? Have you even brought this up with Edron and Dvalin?¡±

    ¡°Edron and Dvalin will be brought up to speed soon enough,¡± Aragon spoke as he took the parchment from the Kaiser¡¯s hand, ¡°you are like my brother Stefan, more so now, I need you on my side on this. We are to have a grandchild soon, don¡¯t you want to make this world safe for them? I know I do, and I know Estel and Aiden want that as well. We need to do this for the children.¡±

    With another sigh of defeat Kaiser Stefan nodded, ¡°our grandchild should not know the meaning of ¡®living in fear¡¯, not while we still live.¡±

    Aragon gave Stefan a pat on the shoulder and smiled at him, ¡°and neither should all our other grandchildren toe. I will call for Edron and Dvalin at once and discuss the way forward on this, soon we will live safely and in peace again.¡±

    As the two kings talked, an elven guard walked towards them and bowed. ¡°Your majesties, there is something you need to see. A group of men were out scavenging thends outside the town and they discovered something.¡±

    Stefan and Aragon gave each other a nce and turned to look at the guard.

    ¡°What did they find?¡± Stefan asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to exin it your majesty,¡± the guard responded, ¡°it¡¯s best you see it with your own eyes.¡±

    *

    The two kings and the guard all rode on horse back out of the town and out into the thick woods. They were all wondering what could have been so confusing of a discovery that the guard couldn¡¯t describe what it was. The trio rode for about fifteen minutes until they emerged into some sort of clearing that was covered in tall thick grass. As they moved at a slower pace, they noticed somerge chunks of broken marble scattered around the tall grass and covered in vines.

    ¡°It looks like some people had been here before us,¡± Stefanmented as they rode past what looked like an old water fountain, ¡°and by the looks of this architecture, they were quite civilized.¡±

    ¡°So much for this being untaintednd,¡± Aragonmented as he passed a broken statue.

    ¡°it¡¯s over here your majesties,¡± the guard called out to the two men.

    They brought their horses to a hault and dismounted them. ¡°Dear gods!¡± Stefan gasped as he gazed at the massive structure in front of him.

    Ahead of the men stood a massive marble pce intricately curved on the side of a mountain. Even though it was covered in vines and dirt, it still stood tall and beautiful, glistening in the afternoon sunlight.

    ¡°Could this be?¡± Aragon spoke in a shaky voice as he walked towards the massive structure, ¡°it can¡¯t be, I thought this was just a myth.¡±

    Kaiser Stefan walked up to his friend to take a closer look at the breathtaking work of architecture, ¡°you know of this?¡± He asked Aragon who looked like he had just seen a treasure that had been lost for years.

    ¡°When I was a child, my grandfather told me of a lost kingdom built by our ancestor that had a white marble pce curved on the side of a mountain,¡± Aragon exined as he walked into the beautiful building, trailing his hand on the marble pirs. ¡°My ancestor, king Sephlon, met his wife Erva on this mountain, and when he proposed he assembled some of the greatest architects and built this ce as a wedding gift to her. The great kingdom that rose around this ce was named Ervelon, in memory of their love. But I thought that was just a story, never in all my years did I think I¡¯d ever gaze upon the very history of my people.¡±

    ¡°You elves can be very determined when you¡¯re in love huh?¡± Stefan joked as he inspected the pce. ¡°Don¡¯t let my wife know of this, I don¡¯t want her demanding pces curved on the sides of mountains for herself.¡±

    Aragon chuckled in response, ¡°oh trust me this will stay between us, I¡¯m too old to be this extravagant.¡±

    ¡°So what will you do?¡± Stefan asked, ¡°this is your family¡¯s legacy you surely can¡¯t leave it to rot away.¡±

    The elven king moved an old painting aside and a rat scurried out from behind it, ¡°I think I have an idea,¡± he responded. Aragon walked to Stefan and smiled sheepishly at him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I like that look on your face Aragon.¡±

    ¡°Look Stefan I¡¯m too old to carry out this project and honestly speaking so are you.¡±

    The Kaiser arched his brow at his friend suspiciously, ¡°so?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to give this ce to Aiden,¡± the elven king responded, ¡°he is young and energetic unlike us. And he will be the father to my grandchild and the husband to my daughter. He will be the next king, possibly of both the elves and nosferatu.¡±

    Aragon ran his finger on the dusty walls and took a step further into the pce, ¡°let the boy rebuild this ce, and let him settle here with his wife and children. Given the history of why this ce was built, it would be quite fitting don¡¯t you think?¡±

 Chapter 118

    118 Chapter 118 : The mages of the rocks

    Edron breathed out a long exaggerated sigh and threw his head back on the chair, ¡°are you sure these so called mages of the rocks are even going to show up?¡± Heined for the third time in that hour.

    ¡°Patience Edron, we¡¯re lucky enough that they agreed to travel all this way to meet with us,¡± Kaiser Stefan responded as he casually flipped the pages of his book, ¡°The rocky rift is more than two months travel from here, be a little more understanding.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say they have the most powerful magic on the continent?¡± Edron spoke out, ¡°couldn¡¯t they just, I don¡¯t know, teleport or something?¡± The alpha folded his arms over his chest and sighed again. He had better things to do than to sit around waiting for some old men who they weren¡¯t even sure would show up. He had a beautiful wife at waiting at home on heat and he was wasting a precious opportunity to pump some pups into her.

    Of all the races, the lycans had the least trouble when it came to having children. Many would have as many as ten or eleven, mostly because lycans were known for baring more than one child at a time. Unfortunately this wasn¡¯t the case for Edron and his beautiful Luna L who had trouble carrying their children full term.

    Edron first met La at the royal feast to celebrate his victory over his brothers and coronation as the new alpha of the ruling pack, the silver pack. La was taken in as a maid hen she was just a girl by the night- raid pack, she was the princess of the pack the night raiders had wiped out and taken over their territory, and she was the only one who had survived the attack.

    When Edron firstid eyes on her she was very frail and sickly, she was making her way towards him to refill his wine cup when one of the lycans purposely tripped her making her spill wine on Edron. She had been terrified and apologized profusely, begging Edron not to kill her, little did she know that the moment he gazed into her beautiful silver eyes, he had fallen for her almost immediately.

    Not long after, Edron took La as his Luna, much to many of the lycan¡¯s dismay but no one dared to oppose the vicious ruler of the top pack. Edron single handedly cared for La and nursed her back to health himself, he never wanted anyone near his Luna, not even the maids. Once she was strong and healthy, Edron brought in the idea of them having children and La was more than happy to do it, after all, her and Edron were mates.

    But sadly, the years of torture and abuse she had endured at the hands of the night raiders had affected her in more ways than one, the physician had told her it would be very difficult for her to carry children because the development of her reproductive system had been greatly impaired. This development made Edron extremely angry, to the point of killing every member of the night raider pack with his bare ws as to avenge the woman he loved.

    Regardless of her condition, Edron still tried to have children with her, not once heeding to the suggestions of his council to take another wife. He wanted children with La and only La and no one could change his mind.

    .....

    ¡°Perhaps they lost their way,¡± Dvalin spoke as he put down his cup of ale.

    The dwarve king was a ferocious warrior and a great leader, greatly respected by the dwarves. He had eight sons, all worthy sessors of the throne, but Dvalin so desperately wanted a daughter, a little girl who would look just like her beautiful mother. The reason he had eight sons was because he kept trying for a girl but none ever came. He became so desperate that he vowed he would only give the thrown up when he had a baby girl. Luckily the dwarves were a matriarchal people and respected his wishes, besides, Dvalin only imed the throne because his own father did not have a daughter of his own either.

    ¡°They have taken a bit of time to get here,¡± Aragon mumbled. But before he couldin further the doors of the study in which the kings had been sitting flew open and a gash of wind rushed in, putting out all the candles in sight.

    ¡°Your majesties,¡± a disembodied voice echoed through the room, ¡°forgive our tardiness, we hope you didn¡¯t wait long.¡±

    The kings scanned the room trying to find where the voice wasing from but to their surprise the four mages were already sittingfortably across from them.

    ¡°How did you-¡±

    ¡°Shall we begin?¡± One of the mages interrupted Edron, ¡°we are behind the clock as is.¡±

    The four mages of the rocks looked nothing like any of the kings excepted. Instead of creepy looking old men in dark cloaks and warty skin, in front of them sat four handsome men who didn¡¯t look a day over one hundred. The two elf mages had long ck hair and piercing golden eyes, while the two nosferatu had long ash brown hair and vivid red eyes.

    ¡°Wee great mages,¡± Aragon spoke with a respectful nod, ¡°I am king Aragon of the elves, I am the one who sent for you. And these..¡± the eleven prince pointed to the kings beside him, ¡°these are my brothers, Kaiser Stefan, alpha Edron and king Dvalin.¡±

    The mages all nodded in unison, not bothering to give out their own names, and Aragon figured it was best not to ask.

    ¡°You said you can help us with our situation in the letter,¡± the elven king spoke on, ¡°could you please shade more light on how you will do that?¡±

    One of the elf mages rose his hand in the air making the kings flinch in response. He then drew a small circle in the air that began to glow a bright blue.

    ¡°In exactly one year,¡± the mage spoke, ¡°four royals will be born on this very day, born to save their people and reim theirnds. It is through these four, a child from each of the four kings of the four races, will everything that was lost be reimed.¡±

    Edron stood up abruptly and red at the mage, ¡°four children from each of the four kings?!¡± He turned to the side and counted hisrades including himself with a shaky hand, ¡°does that mean, we will have children? Even me?¡±

    ¡°Precisely..¡± the mage responded.

    Edron dropped back into his seat and clutched his chest, gods, so he was actually going to have a child with La. Oh thank the gods!

    ¡°When these children are brought into this world, they will be turned human and sent to the central kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Stefan spoke, ¡°you¡¯re saying our children are the ones going to be used as pawns in all of these? Why on earth would I give up my child to be turned human-¡±

    ¡°Allow me to finish Kaiser,¡± the elf interrupted him. ¡°Your children will live among the humans, learning their ways, their tricks, their weaknesses. And they will remain human until the four of them meet in one ce at just the right moment, only then will they awaken as their true selves. It will be then when you will strike. The humans will fall and you will regain everything you have lost.¡±

    ¡°How are you going to turn the children human?¡± Dvalin questioned the mage.

    The glowing blue circle began to portray images on it, it showed each of the kings¡¯ wivesying a new born baby in what looked like an incantation circle of some sort. The women all took a dagger into their hands and plunged it into the infants¡¯ hearts.

    The kings grimaced at the scene.

    ¡°You want us to kill our children?!¡±

    ¡°Correction,¡± a nosferatu mage responded, ¡°this ritual is purely to protect your children from demise while they are human. You see that circle is a circle of reincarnation, if one of your children were to face death before they reunite, they will be reborn anew until the timees.¡±

    ¡°Marceline will never agree to this barbaric act,¡± Stefan muttered, ¡°and no amount of exnation will convince her otherwise.¡±

    ¡°This is the only hope you have at reiming yournd and freeing your brothers,¡± one of the mages spoke, ¡°we are merely trying to help.¡±

    The room fell silent for a moment before Dvalin asked another question, ¡°just out of curiosity, how sure are you we will be able to sire heirs at the same exact time? Isn¡¯t all this a little far fetched?¡±

    The elven mage smiled slightly at the dwarve, ¡°leave that to us king Dvalin, no need to set dates toy with your wives, all will happen ordingly.¡±

    ¡°Right.. magic..¡±

    Aragon turned to the three kings and gave them a questioning stare, ¡°so what do you say? Should we take the chance?¡±

    ¡°What I want first Is assurance that our children will return to us safely once all this is over,¡± Edron spoke to the mages.

    ¡°Worry not alpha, your son will surely return to you,¡± the mage responded with a smile.

    ¡°M- my son?...¡± Edron ran his trembling fingers through his hair and turned to Stefan, ¡°did you hear that? I¡¯m going to have a son!¡±

    Stefan gave his friend a pat on the back, ¡°I¡¯m happy for you Edron. Now are you willing to send your son to the humans?¡±

    ¡°If it will mean we shall reim ournd, then I know of no better person to entrust that task with than my own blood.¡± Edron responded proudly.

    ¡°Well I guess I¡¯m in too,¡± Aragon spoke, ¡°if my son will be anything like me, I know he will be the best man for the task.¡±

    ¡°Same goes for me,¡± Dvalin spoke.

    Stefan sighed before nodding in agreement, ¡°well I guess it¡¯s a yes for me as well, though I hope my son takes after his mother and not me.¡±

    Aragon chuckled and nodded in agreement, ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree with you more.¡±

    The mages stood up and bowed to the kings before their bodies began fading into mist. ¡°Very well then, see you in a year¡¯s time your majesties.¡±

    ¡°Oh and by the way,¡± the nosferatu mage spoke as his body disappeared, ¡°Kaiser Stefan and king Dvalin, you two will have daughters, not sons. Farewell your majesties...¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

 Chapter 119

    119 Chapter 119 : Forever [PG 18]

    Estel walked steadily as Aiden led her, she was blindfolded because her mischievous fianc¨¦ had insisted that whatever he wanted to show her was a surprise that he and the other men had been working on tirelessly for the past couple of months.

    ¡°Okay give me a hint,¡± Estel asked the man who was holding her hand firmly.

    Aiden had been disappearing during certain hours of each day of the past month for his so called ¡®little project¡¯ and he never let Estel in on whatever he was doing insisting that he would show her when he was done.

    The two finally came to a stop and Estel whipped her pretty little head around excitedly. ¡°Can I take my blindfolded off now?¡±

    With a chuckle, Aiden stood behind her and began loosening his blindfold, ¡°yes kitty you can take it off now.¡±

    The princess pulled the piece of cloth from her eyes and ttered hershes to adjust her vision, and there in front of her was a white marble wonder that looked like it was straight out of a fairly tale. It¡¯s high marble walls and pirs shimmered beautifully that it was almost blinding, waterfalls flowed over it like veils and the surrounding was covered in beautiful paths lit by floatingmps and decorated in beautiful flowers and soft green grass.

    ¡°Addie,¡± Estel gasped, ¡°did you build all this?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Aiden responded sheepishly, ¡°It was already here, I just restored it to its former glory, well me and about two dozen other men.¡±

    He took her hands in his and smiled lovingly at her, it was as if the more her pregnancy advanced, the more beautiful and radiant she was bing. ¡°It¡¯s a gift to you, abor of my love to you, our child and many more children toe.¡±

    .....

    A tear flowed down Estel¡¯s cheek, what did she do to deserve a man like Aiden, he was a dreame true. ¡°I love it,¡± she responded between sniffles, ¡°thank you so much!¡±

    The nosferatu prince wiped her tears and nted a kiss on her forehead. He then took her hand and led her down the path towards the entrance of the pce, e on, let¡¯s go break in our new home.¡±

    She gave him a side eye and noticed he was grinning from ear to ear as he walked, ¡°that look on your face looks like you mean ¡®break in our new bed''¡±

    ¡°Bed?!¡± Aiden gasped, ¡°oh no kitty, there¡¯s many ces in there I¡¯d love to make love to you other than the bed.¡± He crouched down and scooped Estel in his arms and gave her a sweet kiss, ¡°now let¡¯s get to it before the parents get here for housewarming.¡±

    Estel chuckled and nted another kiss on his lips, ¡°let¡¯s.¡±

    *

    A banquet was held to celebrate the couple¡¯s new home, and many people were in attendance, both people of nobility andmoners alike, Estel and Aiden instead that everyone be wee to celebrate with them and mark the start of a new life in Ervelon.

    The banquet was in full swing, people were dancing merrily to the music, others were drinking their heads off, others feasting and Aiden was busy whispering sweet nothings to his giggling fianc¨¦ while rubbing her tummy.

    ¡°They¡¯re such a beautiful couple aren¡¯t they?¡± Marceline whispered to Tauriel who was sitting next to her across from Aiden and Estel¡¯s table.

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you like,¡± Tauriel responded tly.

    ¡°Ohe on Tauriel you can¡¯t still be sour about all of this,¡± the nosferatu queen spoke as she interlocked arms with the sulking Tauriel and smiled warmly at her, ¡°you and I will be co grandmothers soon, we should start getting along and supporting the children.¡±

    Taurile tried hard to hold back her smile but failed terribly. Aiden and Estel were truly a beautiful couple, she could clearly see how much her daughter loved the young prince and how much he adored her. And to top it off, they had created a beautiful miracle and practically fused twopletely separate races as one. Even Tauriel couldn¡¯t help but be proud of that.

    ¡°You have a point Marceline,¡± Tauriel responded with a chuckle, ¡°we have so much to celebrate tonight.¡±

    A maiden walked to the table and ced four cups of wine for the four queens who were all in attendance. Queen Tauriel of the elves, queen Marceline of the nosferatu, Luna La and queen Daena of the dwarves.

    ¡°Some wine my queens,¡± the maiden spoke with a curtsy.

    ¡°No thank you I can¡¯t take alcohol,¡± the four queens said simultaneously.

    They all turned to look at each other in shock. ¡°Why can¡¯t you take any alcohol?¡± They all asked at the same time.

    And in unison they all responded, ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡±

    All their jaws dropped to the floor in shock. How was it possible that all three of them conceived at the same time? Their eyes trailed to their husbands who were downing alcohol andughing at the other end of the room.

    ¡°Those bastards,¡± Marceline muttered as he pushed the cup of wine away, ¡°if this is some kind of childish agreement I¡¯ll give them a peice of my mind.¡±

    ¡°I can picture them now,¡± Daena added on with an amused grin painting her face, ¡°¡®you know what would be great, having children at the same time because we¡¯re practically brothers, hahaha''¡±

    The other women on the tableughed at her imitation.

    ¡°I guess men truly never grow up,¡± Tauriel responded.

    ¡°Never,¡± the others responded.

    Queen Tauriel called for the maiden and asked her to rece their wines with some fresh grape juice after which she rose her cup in the air for a toast. ¡°To the children Aiden and Estel, and to a heathy pregnancy.¡±

    ¡°Cheers!¡±

    *

    After the celebrations were over and everyone had left the pce, Estel and Aiden retired to their chambers to rest and rx. The princess was sitting on the bed while Aiden was massaging her feet which had be sore after the long night.

    Estel was already eight months in and the physician had told them to expect the baby any day and they both couldn¡¯t wait.

    After finishing up with her feet, Aiden sat next her and rubbed her tummy gently, it was crazy how he was already so in love with his child but hadn¡¯t even met them yet. He prayed it was girl who would look like Estel, but she on the other hand wanted a boy who looked like Aiden.

    ¡°Our bath will be ready soon,¡± Aiden spoke as he gently rubbed her stomach.

    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s a little chilly tonight,¡± Estel pouted, ¡°I really don¡¯t feel like taking my clothes off.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you¡¯ll take your bath if you feel warmer?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± she responded, ¡°but the fire is already lit and I¡¯m still freezing, so I doubt that¡¯s going to happen.¡±

    Aiden smiled slyly and cleared his throat, ¡°you know, I know of something that will warm you right up. In fact, you¡¯ll be begging to take a bath afterwards.¡±

    The beautiful woman looked up at her fianc¨¦ with raised eyebrows, ¡°and what might that be? Magic?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, but there¡¯s something else too.¡±

    Estel became pensive for a little while until she finally gave up. ¡°Tell me.¡±

    Aiden leaned towards her ear and whispered, ¡°friction..¡±

    ¡°Friction-¡± Estel gasped and looked at her shameless fianc¨¦ who was biting down on his lower lip. It was like ever since she became pregnant, his sexual appetite had grown immensely. ¡°You shameless shameless man,¡± she whispered with a giggle.

    Aiden loosened the bows on her dress and exposed her breasts that had grown twice their size over the months. He kissed them tenderly and suckled on her nippless making her gasp in pleasure.

    ¡°The physician did say lots of sex is good for you kitty,¡± Aiden mumbled as he pulled off her clothing, ¡°I¡¯m merely trying to follow the doctor¡¯s orders.¡±

    Hey her down on the soft bed and quickly peeled off his own clothes. ¡°I promise to be very gentle.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not promising anything,¡± Estel spoke amorously. Her bedroom voice always managed to make him as hard as steel.

    Aiden moved behind her, ced her back on his chest and lifted her leg with his arm. He positioned his shaft at the entrance and began kissing her neck sweetly while slowly immersing himself in her.

    ¡°Mmmh Addie..¡±

    ¡°Yes kitty,¡± Aiden whispered in her ear while his other hand caressed her breast.

    ¡°I love you.¡±

    ¡°And I love you too.¡±

    Aiden moved gently in and out of her core, while she moaned lightly with every stroke. Every time he made love to her felt like the first time and always got him so excited and satisfied. He loved to hear her moan, to feel her soft skin against him and to smell her beautiful aroma.

    After they both reached their climax, Aiden carried his fianc¨¦ to the bath and cleaned her up, they made love in the bath one more time and then finished up and retired to bed. Sleeping with Estel in his arms was the best feeling in the world, right after waking up next to her beautiful face. Soon he would wake up knowing he had both a beautiful wife and a child, and he couldn¡¯t wait to do that for the rest of his life.

 Chapter 120

    120 Chapter 120 : Humans!

    When Aiden woke up the next morning he turned to look at his pretty little princess who was still fast asleep, looking as innocent and as beautiful as ever. He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek good morning. When he pulled away, Estel ttered her eyes open and smiled at Aiden.

    ¡°Good morning kitty,¡± he whispered softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to wake you.¡±

    The woman yawned and reached for the man¡¯s cheek, ¡°it¡¯s alright, how did you sleep?¡±

    ¡°Amazing,¡± Aiden responded happily, ¡°how could I not when my entire world isying right next to me.¡±

    Estel chuckled, her fianc¨¦ was quite the sweet talker indeed. She moved her body and tried to sit up but failed at her attempt. For some reason Estel felt incredibly tired and extra heavy that morning. The prince quickly took her hand and helped her to lean against some pillows on the headboard of the bed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong kitty? Are you in pain?¡±

    Estel shook her head and gently rubbed Aiden¡¯s hand, ¡°I¡¯m alright, I¡¯m just a bit lethargic this morning.¡±

    The nosferatu prince brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, ¡°forgive me my love, I tried my best to be gentlest night.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not because of you you shameless man!¡± Estel eximed with a chuckle, ¡°it was probably the banquet, must have worn me out more than I thought.¡±

    .....

    Aiden rubbed her tummy gently and nted a kiss on it before looking up at her beautiful face, ¡°you two should stay in bed today, I¡¯ll have someone make your breakfast and make sure you¡¯re well tended to.¡±

    As the prince slid off the bed Estel grabbed his arm and pouted, ¡°where are you going? Why can¡¯t YOU tend to us yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love nothing more than that kitty, but I have a meeting with my father today and he says it very important. I cannot miss it.¡±

    ¡°More important than your pregnant wife to be?¡± Estel spoke as she puckered her lips in a cute yet pitiful way.

    Upon looking at her face, Aiden was on the verge of tossing all his ns aside and tending to her every need, but he couldn¡¯t. His father had emphasized that what he wanted to discuss concerned the future of the kingdom and the safety of everyone from the humans, including Estel and his child.

    He ced his lips against her pouting ones and lightly bit her lower lip. ¡°Stop that before I pounce on you like a wild animal,¡± he whispered before kissing her dearly. As he devoured her soft lips Estel grabbed his bare shoulders and attempted to pull him in but Aiden had to resist. If he gave in into making love to her, who knows when he would stop, and he couldn¡¯t afford to bete for this meeting.

    Aiden grabbed Estel¡¯s hands and gently pulled them off him much to her disappointment. ¡°I have to go kitty I¡¯ll be back-¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Estel shrieked and wrapped her arms around his neck, ¡°I don¡¯t want you leave me Aiden! Please not today, can¡¯t you move this meeting to some other time?!¡±

    Aiden¡¯s heart melted, Estel had never been this clingy before, were the pregnancy hormones on overdrive today? That was most likely the case. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her lower back gently, ¡°I¡¯ll only be gone for an hour tops okay, not longer than that.¡±

    ¡°You promise?¡± Estel whimpered in the cutest way

    ¡°I promise kitty, and after that I¡¯ll never leave your side ever again okay?¡±

    The woman nodded slowly and loosened her grip, letting Aiden pull away, ¡°I love you Estel, I¡¯ll see you soon alright.¡± He nted onest kiss on her forehead and hopped of the bed to clean himself up and put on his clothes.

    Estel sighed and held her tummy as she watched him prepare, she too didn¡¯t understand why watching him leave today was so hard on her. I mean she had had no troubles being home without him before so why was she feeling this emptiness inside when he said he¡¯d be gone for just one hour.

    Aiden moved to Estel¡¯s side of the bed, gave her a quick kiss on the lips and whispered ¡°forever and always,¡± before leaving the bed chamber.

    ¡°Forever and always,¡± Estel whispered as the door closed. Forever and always, a phrase Aiden had used constantly from the first time he told her he loved her. He said it was a reassurance that he would love her and protect her forever and always without fail.

    *

    Aiden dismounted his horse and walked into his parent¡¯s residence, he was greeted by his mother¡¯s smiling face as she ced some freshly baked bread, fruit, some meat and wine on the table.

    ¡°Considering Estel¡¯s condition I assume she hasn¡¯t been able to spoile you with food like this for a little while now,¡± Marceline spoke as she gestured her son to sit down.

    ¡°You¡¯re in no better condition yourself darling you should take it easy and let the maids-¡±

    ¡°Oh hush Stefan I¡¯m not that bad, I can still move around the kitchen,¡± she interrupted her husband who was already sitting at the table. She gave her son¡¯s shoulder a gentle pat and walked back to the kitchen, ¡°enjoy!¡±

    Aiden watched his mother disappear down the hallway and turned to look at his father, ¡°condition? What condition are you talking about? Is mother ill?!¡±

    ¡°No of course not,¡± the Kaiser responded, ¡°please dig in.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude father but Estel is a bit uneasy today,¡± Aiden exined, ¡°I promised her I¡¯d go back home soon so could we skip the happy meal and talk about why you called for me. You said it was important.¡±

    Kaiser Stefan put down his cup and pushed a cup of wine and a te of roasted meat towards his son, ¡°let¡¯s eat and talk, I insist.¡±

    *

    Estel shifted ufortably in the bed as her hand maiden filled up the bath in the next room. She rubbed her tummy which was now feeling a little sore, she prayed to the gods nothing was wrong with her baby. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain that made her shriek causing the hand maiden to rush into the room in worry.

    ¡°Princess what happened?¡± She asked in a panicked voice, ¡°are you in pain?¡±

    Estel grabbed the maiden¡¯s hand and groaned, ¡°get Aiden!¡±

    ¡°Let me help princess!¡±

    The maiden pulled off the nket and was mortified to find that the spot where Estel was sitting was drenching wet. ¡°Gods! You¡¯re going intobor! Let me call the midwives immediately-¡±

    ¡°Call for Aiden first!¡± Estel screamed between strained breaths, ¡°I am not having this baby without him here. Call for him now!¡±

    *

    Aiden had all but lost his appetite as he looked at his father. Kaiser Stefan had told him all about the meeting with the mages, their n to infiltrate the humans and who they were going to use as pawns in this whole plot.

    ¡°Does mother know of this?¡± Aiden questioned the man sitting across from him who had also stopped eating.

    ¡°No..¡±

    ¡°Why in the world haven¡¯t you told her?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to!¡± Stefan spat back, ¡°you think this is what I wanted?!¡±

    ¡°You are about to use my baby sister, your child, as a pawn for revenge father, and you don¡¯t feel the need to tell the woman carrying that child of your ns?!¡±

    ¡°Look, if anything I didn¡¯t want it to be this way, but what other choice do we have?¡± The Kaiser leaned his head into his hands and sighed heavily, ¡°the people we left behind are being tortured and probably killed as we speak and we don¡¯t have the military strength to go against the human race. Not now and not in a very long time. But we can¡¯t just sit back when we have a chance Aiden. You will be king one day, and as king you have to understand that some sacrifices should be made. Those people we left behind, they have daughters too, some are daughters, sons, husband, uncles and wives!¡±

    ¡°Then let me go in her ce!¡± Aiden yelled, ¡°rather send me out there than an innocent child.¡±

    ¡°You think if I could take my daughter¡¯s ce I wouldn¡¯t have done it in a heartbeat?! I was given no choice! Even her conception was aided by the mages¡¯ magic, it is her destiny.¡± The Kaiser downed his wine and looked up at his son, ¡°besides, you cannot leave Estel and your child, I cannot allow it.¡±

    *

    A few meters away from the town on the borders, a guard was downing a cup of ale. He ced it on the ground, burped and cooed happily. ¡°Aye I really needed that, nothing like some ale to warm you up on a chilly day like this one.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise for you to be drinking your ass off while you¡¯re on guard duty,¡± another gaurdmented.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be so uptight, nothing ever happens here,¡± the first gaurd responded as he poured himself more ale. ¡°What are the odds that-¡±

    The second gaurd scurried backwards when an arrow that seemed to havee out of nowhere lodged itself into his friend¡¯s throat. He turned to the front and saw about three dozen men on horseback riding towards the Ervelon boarders.

    ¡°Fuck! Humans!¡±

 Chapter 121

    121 Chapter 121 : where are they?

    Aiden run his hand through his lush red hair and sighed, his father was right to some extent, they were in a very tricky situation at the moment and didn¡¯t have too many options. But using children? Really? Had it reallye to this?

    ¡°I understand your difficult position father,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°this whole situation makes me wonder if I would be able to do the same if I were in your shoes, you truly are a formidable king.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call myself that-¡±

    The Kaiser was cut short when the dinning room door swung open and one of the knights rushed in. The panic on the knight¡¯s face and therge beads of sweat on his forehead made both Aiden and his father rise to their feet.

    ¡°What is it?!¡± The Kaiser ordered, feeling his own panic setting in.

    ¡°Your majesty! It¡¯s the humans, they¡¯re attacking Ervelon!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Stefan marched to the knight and grabbed his shoulders firmly, ¡°how did this happen?! Where were the gaurds on duty?!¡±

    ¡°They are the ones who sounded the rm your majesty,¡± the knight exined, ¡°there are about three dozen men and they will infiltrate the city any minute now!¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± The Kaiser pushed the knight aside and turned to his son, ¡°you have to stay-¡±

    .....

    ¡°No father, I will go with you to fight,¡± Aiden retaliated, ¡°these are my people too, I¡¯m going to protect them.¡±

    Stefan nodded and called for one of his gaurds, ¡°fetch our armor and prepare the horses now!¡±

    *

    ¡°aaaaah! Let go of me!¡±

    ¡°Mydy please where are you going?!¡±

    The three maidens desperately tried to pull Estel back to the bed but she used her magic to create a gust of wind, blowing them backwards.

    ¡°Mydy please!¡± One of the midwives pleaded, ¡°you¡¯re very fragile right now, you have toy down, please princess you could hurt the baby!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not having this baby without Aiden here!¡± Estel screamed as she threw gashes of wind towards the women¡¯s direction. ¡°If you won¡¯t get him then I¡¯ll go find him myself!¡±

    One of the midwives chanted a few words under her breath and the door that Estel was marching towards vanished. The angry eleven princess turned around and red at the woman.

    ¡°Let me out of this ce!¡± She yelled, ¡°I am thedy of this house and I just gave you an order! Now let me out!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry princess,¡± the midwife spoke as she prepared to use her magic to hold Estel in ce. She would have used a spell to knock her out, but she needed her awake in order to deliver the baby. ¡°forgive me mydy.¡±

    *

    When Kaiser Stefan and Aiden arrived at the boarders of Ervelon, they found their soldiers already in formation in rediness for the battle ahead. There were lycan soldiers, dwarve warriors and elf and nosferatu soldiers as well, all led by their kings who were stationed bravely in the front lines.

    Stefan and Aiden made their way to the front of the lines to join king Aragon, Dvalin and Edron.

    ¡°I hear we expect to engage only about three dozen men,¡± Stefan questioned Aragon who was adorned in silver elven armor with a sword on his side and a quiver of arrows on his back.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Aragon responded, ¡°I suspect they are spies sent to scout us out and send word back to their kingsom of our location and our military strategy.¡±

    ¡°Hence we should leave no man alive,¡± Edron spoke with a blood thirsty grin. He, like the rest of his soldiers, wore no armor, he only curried with him a small dagger on his side. Being a lycan, amor would only slow him down, and his weapons were his fanged teeth amd sharp ws.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t give them the chance to take back any information about us,¡± Dvalinmented as he pulled his doublerge swords from their sheaths. ¡°I have been waiting to stick my des into these selfish bastards for a long time.¡±

    Stefan swayed his hand upwards and his long thin ck de moved out of its sheath and positioned itself in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s been a long timeing,¡± he spoke, ¡°let¡¯s send a message to these filthy humans that we are not the kind to cower and hide.¡±

    Aragon pointed his sword forward and took a deep breath before ordering his men to charge at the top of his lungs.

    The horns of war sounded and cries of battle echoed across the mountains of Ervelon. The Lycans transformed intorge wolves and darted forward, the nosferatu spread their massive wings and swooshed towards the enemy while others moved swiftly through the air. The elves and the dwarves gave them cover from behind while riding on horses andrge wild bores.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the sounds of shing swords and tearing flesh to fill the air. The lycans and the nosferatu were merciless, ripping the enemy¡¯s heads clean off their shoulders with their powerful wings, ws and jaws. The elves and the dwarves fired arrows and used their des to pierce and skewer through the flesh of the enemy.

    Mere minutes into battle and the number of humans had already halved, it was a one sided battle and the humans were on the losing end.

    Aiden pped hisrge ck wings and sent some men flying with the gust of wind his wings produced. He moved from one human to another in a swift motion that was almost invisible to the human eye, snapping their necks with his bare hands and plunging his dagger into their throats.

    ¡°We¡¯re outnumbered! Fall back!¡±

    Aiden zoomed in on the man who was ordering the humans to retreat and swayed his hand forward making his dagger fly towards him, it plunged right into the human¡¯s forehead. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t,¡± Aiden rasped.

    He pulled his hand backwards and his dagger pulled out of the man¡¯s skull back into his palm, leaving the man to fall off his horse andnd on a sharp peice of wood that thrust right through his chest.

    He turned around and saw the rest of his allies finishing the humans off and felt proud. This was the beginning of a new dawn for them, never again would they fall victim to the selfish race of humans.

    When the battle was all but over, Aiden walked slowly towards his horse passed the soldiers who were piling the bodies of dead humans and setting them on fire. He grimaced at the grotesque site, blood everywhere and the smell of death wafting in the air. Battle was not something he enjoyed, but he had learnt that it was something that sometimes could not be avoided.

    As he made his way to his father and the rest of the kings, he saw a knight frantically trying to exin something to the kings, and the look of dread on their faces made his blood go cold. Had something gone wrong? Hadn¡¯t they killed all the humans who had attacked? Aiden pped his wings andnded where his father and the other kings were standing.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He questioned the men who were now fully panicked

    ¡°How could we have missed them?!¡± Stefan yelled at the knight.

    ¡°It seems a few went around our boarders your majesties,¡± the knight exined frantically, ¡°it seems their mission was to catch the kings off guard, I¡¯m assuming they thought you wouldn¡¯t be in the front lines. They infiltrated Ervelon and raided the pce.¡±

    ¡°Which pce?¡± Aiden asked the knight. As far as he was concerned, the other kings lived in castles within the town and those could hardly be called pces. There was only one pce in Ervelon and Aiden prayed in his heart that it wasn¡¯t the pce the knight was talking about.

    He lunged at the knight and lifted him by the shoulders, ¡°answer me!¡± He bellowed in a menacing voice that managed to send chills even down his own father¡¯s spine.

    ¡°The.. the marble pce your grace...¡± the knight muttered between strained breaths.

    Aragon¡¯s heart dropped, Aiden¡¯s face paled, and Stefan, Edron and Dvalin¡¯s eyes bulged.

    Without a second thought or wasting anytime to hear what more the knight had to say, Aiden spread hisrge wings and zipped out of sight towards the pce. As he flew, his heart was beating wildly and threatening to leap out of his throat. He prayed his Estel was safe, please let her be safe.

    If anything happened to her he was sure he would go utterly mad. After she had begged him to stay by her side that day countless times, he wished he had defied his father and been there when all of this happened. Gods please let her be alright.

    The white pce came into view and Aiden almost lost flight when he saw the knights helping the maids out of the pce. There were blood stains on the marble floor and walls, broken pieces of furniture and a few dead humans and one elven knightying on the ground.

    Aidennded and rushed passed the crowd straight toward his and Estel¡¯s sleeping chambers, praying to every deity in existence that he would walk in there and see her beautiful face smiling up at him.

    ¡°My prince wait!¡± A voice called out to him from behind, but he paid no heed to whoever was calling out to him. His only goal now was to see Estel, to see that she was okay and safe.

    ¡°Your grace please!¡± The voice called again, and this time it was followed by footsteps running towards him.

    Aiden kicked the door of his chambers open and rushed in, ¡°kitty!¡± He yelled and scanned the room but it was empty. ¡°Estel!¡± There was a heartbreaking desperation in his voice that he didn¡¯t even care to hide.

    The nosferatu prince moved through the room opening drawers and searching every corner until he stopped at their bed and instantly felt his heart stop. There was a pool of blood on the bed that trailed towards the doorway, he slowly followed the trail and noticed two small bloody footprints along with it, those were Estel¡¯s beautiful little feet, there was no doubt about it.

    He stopped where the trail of blood ended and noticed something shimmering on the spot. He couched down, picked it up and gasped when he noticed it was the betrothal bracelet he had given Estel, his beautiful wife to be.

    A knight rushed into the room and saw the prince kneeling in a pool of blood with a golden bracelet in his hand. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and sttering on the stained floor below. When Aiden looked up, his eyes were crimson red and his pupil had be a narrow dark slit in his eyes.

    ¡°Where are they?¡± He rasped as his finger nails and fangs lengthened, ¡°where is my wife and child?!¡±

 Chapter 122

    122 Chapter 122 : Rogue

    ¡°Where are they?!!¡± Aiden yelled in fury.

    The knight took a step back out of utter fear, he had never seen the prince this menacing before, Aiden was know as a quiet andposed man but right now he looked like a demon from hell. His ck wings were spread wide, his eyes a vivid scarlet red and his nails and fangs in full disy.

    ¡°Your grace I¡¯m sorry,¡± the knight stammered, ¡°when I got here the princess was no where in sight, we killed all the humans we found but couldn¡¯t find princess Estel.¡±

    ¡°Where are the handmaidens?!

    ¡°They¡¯re outside my prince but they¡¯re still in shock, give them time to-¡±

    Aiden shoved the knight aside and zipped passed him, down the hallway towards the women who were outside. The women all quivered in fear when the prince towered over them.

    ¡°Where is she?¡± Aiden questioned them in the calmest voice he could conjure, but the venom in every word was very evident.

    The women held their breath and looked up at him in fear.

    ¡°I asked you a question! Where the hell is my wife?!¡±

    .....

    The head midwife who was with Estel when the castle was raided slowly walked up to Aiden with her head bowing low. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry my prince, I tried to protect her I really did, but a human hit me from behind and rendered me unconscious.¡±

    Aiden grabbed the woman¡¯s shoulders earning a terrified Yelp from her. ¡°What happened?! What did they do to her?!¡±

    ¡°Thest thing I remember is seeing the princess try to fight back,¡± the handmaiden squealed, ¡°I cked out shortly after.¡±

    Aiden stumbled backwards and grabbed his hair, his heart was thudding hard against his chest, the ground was spinning, his blood was boiling and he could hear a ringing in his ears. He hated this, he hated not knowing where Estel was, was she safe? Was his baby safe?

    His breathing became raged and he could feel his vision bing blur, was he losing consciousness or was running mad? No, he was very conscious in this moment, so it was most likely that he was on the verge of snapping.

    ¡°My prince?..¡±

    ¡°Your grace are you okay?...¡±

    ¡°Your grace?..¡±

    Aiden¡¯s already massive ck wings grew in size and when he pped them, the pressure sent everyone who was standing around him flying. In a split second the prince was up in the air, gliding over the skies of Ervelon and desperately trying to locate Estel.

    Kaiser Stefan, Aragon, Dvalin and a few other soldiers who were on their way to the pce saw Aiden fly briskly above them and immediately feared the worst.

    ¡°Oh no..¡± Stefan sighed

    ¡°What?!¡± Aragon asked in a panic, ¡°what¡¯s going on?! Where is my daughter?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the Kaiser responded as he red his own massive ck wings, ¡°but judging from the look on Aiden¡¯s face, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any good news awaiting us ahead, we should follow him.¡±

    Stefan turned to the soldiers and ordered them to follow his son, they all pped their wings and followed Stefan in the direction Aiden was heading. Edron, who was still in his wolf form, instructed his lycan soldiers to follow suit.

    Aragon kicked his horse and dashed forward, Dvalin and their soldiers following closely behind.

    Aiden¡¯s eyes were frantically searching the thick forest below hoping he would spot the humans who had most likely taken Estel. If they had killed her, he would have already found her body. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of his beautiful Estel dead, he quickly dismissed the thought and continued his frantic search.

    As he moved, he saw arge wolf below him matching his speed, that was alpha Edron, but what was he trying to say? The wolf howled and sprint to the right, was he telling Aiden to follow him?

    Edron had a strong sense of smell, when he had began trailing the nosferatu prince, he had picked up the smell of humans, he deduced that they must have kidnapped Estel and Aiden was trying to track them down. He rushed towards Aiden and signaled him to follow, luckily the young prince was as sharp as his dad and understood his signal.

    As Aiden followed Edron from above, he heard a loud scream and the sound of trees falling not too far from where they were. That voice... ¡°Estel!¡±

    Aiden straightened his wings backwards and glided towards where the sound wasing from, oh thank the gods his Estel was still alive. When hended, his throat went dry. In front of him was his beautiful wife-to-be with her left hand stretched out towards five humans, two of which had been crushed by a tree that she had uprooted with her magic. The bottom half of her clothes waspletely drenched in blood and she was holding a bundle of white bloody sheets in her right hand.

    The elven princess closed her open palm and anotherrge tree was uprooted and crushed one of the humans in front of her. Aiden noticed one man sneaking up on Estel from behind with a dagger, he zipped through the air towards him and plunged his long hard as bone nails into his throat, pinning him against a tree.

    The sudden noise made Estel turn, her eyes went wide when she saw Aiden pulling his nails from the man¡¯s throat and letting him fall to the ground.

    ¡°Addie..¡± he gasped in relief. Tears filled her eyes as she started walking towards him.

    ¡°Kitty, oh thank the gods,¡± Aiden was about to move when the little bundle in Estel¡¯s arm moved and started crying. Gods! ¡°Is that..?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s our son Addie,¡± Estel wrapped her arms around the baby and started running towards the prince who also broke into a ran. He couldn¡¯t wait to hold her and his son in his arms and never let them go.

    But mere inches before their hands touched, a dark portal opened in between them and a pair of arms grabbed Estel and pulled her in.

    ¡°Nooo!! Estel!!¡±

    ¡°Aiden help!!¡±

    The nosferatu prince dived towards the portal but it closed instantly, leaving him tond on the ground with a loud thud. Aiden quickly got back on his feet and ran back to the spot where the portal had been. The prince began digging the spot desperately, ¡°Estel! Estel!!¡± But it was hopeless, she was already gone, and so was his son.

    Aiden balled up his fists and release a blood chilling scream, he had never felt so hopeless before, why didn¡¯t he stay with her, why did he have to leave her today of all days.¡±

    The nosferatu prince rose to his feet and turned to look at the two remaining humans, his murderous re burrowing right into their souls. One of the men reached for his sword but before he could even touch it, he saw his hand drop to the ground followed by a steam of his blood. Secondster another hand joined it, then a leg, then another, and then his head.

    The other human who had frozen in ce as his friend was being mutted broke into a run, there was no way he was going to stand up to a monster like that. Suddenly the human hit into a hard surface that sent him falling backwards, he groaned and looked up only to see Aiden ring down at him, his face and clothes covered in the blood of hisrade.

    Seeing the hopeless situation, the man got on his knees and pleaded for his life, ¡°please spare me, I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know!¡±

    At a speed of light, Aiden grabbed the man by the throat and hoisted him into the air, ¡°who took her?! And where did they go?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Kazan the wizard,¡± the human choked, ¡°when we didn¡¯t find the kings in the town we picked the next best thing.¡±

    Aiden¡¯s grip on the man¡¯s throat tightened, ¡°where is he taking her?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know..¡± the man spoke, his vision was blurry and he knew he was about to lose consciousness soon. ¡°If I knew I¡¯d take you there myself but I don¡¯t. Please have mercy.¡±

    ¡°Mercy?¡± Aiden chuckled menacingly, ¡°you don¡¯t even know the meaning of the word, now i will suck you dry and leave you to the wild animals like the dirt you are.

    When Edron arrived at the scene he saw Aiden dropping the human¡¯s body to the ground, the body was pale and white and drained of all blood. The alpha reverted to him human form and walked cautiously towards Aiden who had his back towards him,

    ¡°Aiden..? Hey buddy are you okay?¡±

    A strong invisible force emitted from Aiden¡¯s body and sent Edron flying into the trees behind. It was in that moment that Stefan, Aragon, Dvalin and the rest of the men arrived. Stefan watched in horror as his son turned around to face them and noticed a small ck horn had sprouted from his forehead, one of his wings turned a deep red while the other remained ck. His eyes also changed, one maintained it¡¯s blue color while the was as red as blood.

    ¡°Gods...¡± Stefan rasped, ¡°Aiden, no..¡±

 Chapter 123

    123 Chapter 123 : Loss

    ¡°Aiden!¡±

    Stefan yanked the elven king backwards, ¡°don¡¯t go near him, that energy he¡¯s emitting is like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen before, it could be dangerous.¡±

    Aragon pulled away from Stefan, ¡°this is no time for nonsense Stefan I¡¯m trying to find my daughter and grandchild.¡± The elven king walked towards the redheaded prince who had been watching them intently. ¡°Aiden-¡± the king stopped when he saw the pale human who Aiden had sucked dryying on the ground, he looked up at the young man, there was an emptiness in his eyes as if one was looking down a dark bottomless pit.

    ¡°Aiden what happened?¡± Aragon asked, ¡°son are you okay? What happened to Estel and the baby? Did you find them?¡±

    Aiden cocked his head to the side and spoke in a throaty voice, ¡°Estel...¡±

    ¡°Yes Aiden, Estel, where-¡±

    Aiden grabbed the man by the throat and with a one powerful p of his wings left the ground with Aragon still in his grip.

    ¡°Aiden!¡± Aragon groaned as he struggled to pull off the prince¡¯s hand from his throat, ¡°stop..¡± it was clear that something was very wrong with his son inw, he was not himself, almost like he had be possessed or something. ¡°Aiden please...¡±

    The prince only made his grip tighter around Aragon¡¯s throat, and the entire time his face was t and devoid of any emotion. Suddenly someone hit into Aiden making him let Aragon go.

    .....

    ¡°Catch him!¡± Stefan yelled as he locked his son¡¯s hand behind his back.

    One of the nosferatu soldiers took to the sky and caught the elven king before he hit the ground. They flew back to the rest of the men and watched as Stefan struggled to subdue his son.

    Aiden was screeching and hissing in defending tones of pain and anguish that were almost pitiful. Had the prince gone mad over the loss of Estel? The men could only guess. After minutes of struggle, Stefan finally managed to lock Aiden¡¯s wings behind him and pushed him downwards. The duo plummeted to the ground andnded with a loud crash not too far from where everyone was standing.

    ¡°Aragon a sedation spell, quick!¡±

    Aiden was struggling and kicking like a wild animal caught in a cage as his father used his every strength to hold him down. Aragon drew a cascade of symbols in the air and whispered some incantations after which Aiden¡¯s body froze before he went out like a light. His wings disappeared and the little horn on his forehead shrunk in size right before his body wentpletely limp.

    Kaiser Stefan moved away from his son and knelt beside him, he pushed his red locks from his handsome face and sighed heavily. ¡°Get me the most powerful mages in the kingdom..¡± he spoke as he stroked his son¡¯s hair, ¡°now!¡±

    *

    Stefan rose from his seat when the elven mage walked out of Aiden¡¯s room towards the study and met him half way, had he found out what exactly was wrong with his son? And had he found a way to cure him?

    ¡°What is it?¡± He questioned the mage, ¡°is my son okay?!¡±

    The elven mage slowly shook his head and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Kaiser, but what has happened to your son has nothing to do with magic so I cannot cure him.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Stefan grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him desperately, ¡°what do you mean it has nothing to do with magic?! I know the humans must have put a curse on him, check again!¡±

    ¡°What your son has be is as a consequence of devouring the sinful blood of humans,¡± the mage spoke firmly, ¡°it has corrupted him, if I didn¡¯t sedate him again he would have blown this entire ce away! His powers are like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen before, your son has be some sort of... some sort of demon!¡±

    Stefan¡¯s hands dropped to his sides, ¡°you¡¯re saying you can¡¯t save my son...¡± tears stung the Kaiser¡¯s blue eyes, ¡°my boy, you¡¯re just going to let him stay like this?¡±

    Feeling his heart ache for the Kaiser since he too was a father, the mage gave Stefan a friendly rub on the shoulder, ¡°the only thing I can offer you is advice,¡± he spoke softly, ¡°you have a choice of either locking your son up here and sedating him every few hours so he doesn¡¯t harm anyone, or you need to to send him far away where he can¡¯t hurt anyone.¡±

    Stefan cupped his face in his palms and began to sob, oh gods his son, why was this happening?

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Kaiser,¡± the mage spoke before turning to leave, ¡°I wish you luck.¡±

    Marceline saw the mage leave and rushed to her husband¡¯s side, when she saw droplets of tears on the floor beneath him her heart sunk, ¡°Ste- Stefan, please tell me my baby is alright..¡± her beautiful red lips were quivering and her eyes had be misty, ¡°Stefan what¡¯s going on with our son?!¡±

    The Kaiser turned to his wife and embraced her tightly. With tears now running down both their faces he whispered, ¡°we¡¯ve lost him Marceline, the humans have taken our son away from us.¡±

    *

    That day a dark cloud had settled over Ervelon, even though they had won the battle against the humans there was nothing worth celebrating. Back at the pce Tauriel was inconsble, she weeped for hours over her daughter and grandchild, refusing to leave the bloodied chambers until Estel was brought back to her. Marceline was also devastated, spending hours outside Aiden¡¯s room speaking to no one on particr, it was depressing.

    A team of soldiers was dispatched to search the entire continent for Estel and the baby, their instructions were to note back until they had found her. Days turned to weeks, and weeks to months, and the soldiers did not return, neither did they send any word back to Ervelon. After eight months of hearing nothing, everyone begun to lose hope that they would ever see Estel and the baby ever again.

    The whole situation was difficult for everyone, especially for the elven king Aragon. He woulde almost everyday to Aiden¡¯s room, who was now sedated everyday for the past eight months, and speak to him about his daughter, even though knowing very well he would get no answer from an unconscious man. No one stopped Aragon, maybe it was a way of coping with the reality that Estel, his beautiful baby girl, was lost possibly forever.

    Over the months king Aragon lost a lot of weight and his mood got gloomier and gloomier as the days went on. Stefan had tried to help his friend out of the dark ce he was falling into but to no avail, the depression was swallowing him whole, he couldn¡¯t cope with losing his daughter and grandchild and finally, the great elven king sumbed to his depression and passed away in his sleep.

    Stefan was heartbroken, he had lost his brother and best friend all because of the humans. His hate for them deepened and he became even more determined than ever to wipe their race off the face of the earth.

    A grand funeral was held for Aragon, his body wasid at the top of the mountain on whose side the marble pce was built, and by virtue of that, Tauriel moved into the pce so she could be closer to her husband. Despite the elven king¡¯s death being circumstantial, Tauriel med Stefan and his family. She insisted that if Estel had never met Aiden both her and her husband would still be here.

    Tension rose between the nosferatu and the elves until finally Stefan decided to pack up and leave Ervelon together with all his people. Edron who had be very close to Stefan during the months Aragon battled with depression decided to move with him in fear he too might sumb to the cold hands of depression.

    Before Stefan left, he spoke to Tauriel about the n Aragon had made to bring the humans down with the help of the mages of the rocks.

    ¡°My husband was a very organized and tactical man,¡± Tauriel spoke as she stroked the headstone of her husband¡¯s grave. ¡°He told me everything so I know what I must do.¡± She sighed as a tear rolled down her cheek, ¡°it was as if he knew he was going to die.¡± She rubbed her massive tummy as tears rolled down her face, she couldn¡¯t believe all this was happening, but she had to be strong, for the kingdom and for her baby.

    That evening the nosferstu and the lycans left Ervelon for the snow coverednds in the south of the continent.

    By Tauriel¡¯s orders, the elves erected a thick forest around Ervelon embedded with powerful magic that wouldter be known as the wondering woods. The elven queen was going to take every precaution necessary to protect her kindom from now henceforth, she vowed never to lose anyone from her family ever again.

    A few days before her expectedbor date, Tauriel was informed by the midwives that she was going to have twin boys and it was honestly the best news she had ever heard in almost a year. Considering she had to sacrifice her child to save her people, she was d she would at least have one of her children with her until his brother returned. These two boys would be her whole world and she was going to protect them with her life.

    ¡°What are you going to call them your majesty?¡± The midwife asked.

    ¡°Gareth and Finwe,¡± she responded as she rubbed her belly lovingly, ¡°Gareth will be the oldest, named after my husband¡¯s father, and Finwe the younger one, named after my father.¡±

    ¡°They are beautiful names,¡± the woman spoke, ¡°they will be great men.¡±

    _______________________________________

    hey guys, if you¡¯re battling with depression or have just been a shitty mood and need someone to listen, you can reach out on discord @Bee1429 or insta @author_bee1429 . I¡¯ve been there and I know how crazy it can be, so I hope I can be able to help someone out. Much love

 Chapter 124

    124 Chapter 124 : My girlfriend

    Vivian paced the room her and Maria had been sharing nervously, Zander had sent word that he woulde and pick her up so they could go to his house in a few minutes and she was incredibly nervous. When the door suddenly flew opened she jumped and shrieked.

    ¡°Geeze what¡¯s got your panties in a twist?¡± Maria questioned Vivian. She ced a beautiful purple ball gown on the bed and admired it.

    ¡°Where did you get the gown?¡± Vivian asked her friend

    ¡°Oh, Ivan purchased it for me, I¡¯ll be attending the ball with him,¡± Maria responded as she dusted the beautiful gown.

    ¡°Ivan?¡± Vivian asked with a chuckle, ¡°I thought the two of you hated each other¡¯s guts.¡±

    ¡°Yes his entrails do in fact make me want to gag, but we¡¯re on a mission,¡± Maria exined and inched closer to Vivian, ¡°anything can happen at this so called ball, Ivan wants to keep a close eye on Gareth and I have to watch the princess. And since you and Zander will probably be too distracted trying to hide your abominable feelings towards each other, Ivan and I have taken it upon ourselves,¡±

    ¡°Feelings??¡± Vivina rasped with her face as red as a cherry.

    ¡°Abominable?¡± a deep sensual voice echoed around the room, ¡°well that¡¯s not a very nice thing to say.¡±

    The two women turned to look at the door and there stood Zander with a sheepish grin on his face. ¡°May Ie in?¡±

    .....

    ¡°You may!¡±

    ¡°You may not!¡±

    Vivian red at Maria and gave her a warning look, ¡°please doe in Zander.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually here to pick you up,¡± Zander spoke as he took a few steps into the room, ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to my sisters and they¡¯re ecstatic about the whole thing, so are you ready to go? We still have a few hours till the ball.¡±

    Vivian nodded, ¡°yes I¡¯m ready.¡± As she was about to move, Maria grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close.

    ¡°I see what you¡¯re doing with that elf Vivian,¡± she whispered, ¡°I want to remind you that we¡¯re here on a mission and not to y happily ever after with their kind.¡±

    Vivina pulled her hand away and turned, ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± And with that she walked towards Zander who gave her his hand which Vivian nervously took.

    *

    Back in Melissa¡¯s chambers Finwe was sitting leisurely on a chair watching the royal tailor take her measurements with much interest. ¡°Is there a problem sir?¡± Finwe questioned the man who seemed to be taking longer than usual to take measurements.

    The elderly elven tailor took a step away from Melissa and shook his head. A faint blush painted his cheeks which made Finwe a bit uneasy. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry your grace it¡¯s just...¡± the man nervously scratched the back of his head before continuing speaking, ¡°well in all my life of tailoring I have nevere across someone with such errr... well.. perfect figure. I just got a little carried away.¡±

    The tailor circled Melissa and admired her like she was a priceless peice of art on disy, ¡°your waist is so tiny yet your hips are very wide,¡± he exined as he ced the measuring tape around her hips, ¡°and your shoulders fall at just the perfect angle, also the distance from your neck to your breas-¡±

    A hand grabbed the tailor¡¯s arm before he could ce the measuring tape around Melissa¡¯s breasts. ¡°I understand you¡¯re passionate about your work, but please do keep it as professional as possible,¡± Finwe spoke in a calm yet firm voice.

    ¡°O- of course your grace,¡± the tailor muttered, the blush on his face only deepening.

    Finwe released the man and stood close by, he didn¡¯t understand why suddenly he¡¯d be protective of his sister inw, maybe it was instinct. Might exin why his brother was glued to her side like that.

    ¡°Any color preferences?¡± The tailor asked, breaking the little trance Finwe was in.

    ¡°Light blue please,¡± he responded as he pointed at his shirt, ¡°if we are going to the ball together then we¡¯re going to have to match.¡±

    ¡°Is light blue okay with you mydy?¡± The tailor questioned Melissa.

    ¡°I guess so,¡± Melissa responded softly.

    The tailor took out a spool of light blue thread and stood in front of Melissa, he chanted a few words and the clothes she was wearing started fading away, in their ce blue fabric appeared until the redhead waspletely clothed in a beautiful blue gown embroidered with crystals on it¡¯s seems and low V-shaped neckline. The upper back of the dress was slightly sheer, elegantly showing her arched back. The tailor topped the outfit off with a pair of sheer white gloves and ss sandals for her pretty little feet.

    Finwe walked towards Melissa and smiled, ¡°you look perfect, blue is a beautiful color on you,¡± hemented, ¡°Gareth will lose his mind I can assure you that.¡± Finwe then turned to the door and called in a maid who rushe in and curtsied respectfully, ¡°tend to the princess¡¯ makeup and hair.¡±

    The woman nodded and led Melissa to a chair. The maid pushed the hair from Melissa¡¯s face and froze for a brief moment, the princess was so beautiful that she looked like she was already wearing makeup, in fact, the maid worried that adding makeup would only ruin everything. The woman chanted a few words before stepping aside and showing Finwe her work.

    ¡°Forgive me your grace,¡± the maid spoke, ¡°I only added a little blush and eyeshadow, mydy doesn¡¯t really need much make up.¡±

    Finwe walked up to Melissa and halted in his steps when he saw her, now that her hair was tied up in a perfect bun he was able to see her facial features fully. ¡°If Gareth hadn¡¯t gotten to you first I would have..¡± he whispered

    ¡°What?¡± Melissa asked the man

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Finwe responded with a chuckle, ¡°you look lovely sister inw.¡±

    *

    Vivian pulled her hood tightly over her head as her and Zander walked towards the carriage, she didn¡¯t want to risk anyone seeing her and knowing she wasn¡¯t an elf. The blonde elf opened the carriage door for her and sat next to her after he closed the door.

    ¡°Are you cold?¡± He asked and gently put his arm over her.

    With a heavy blush, Vivian shook her head, ¡°no, my kind don¡¯t get cold easily.¡±

    ¡°Oh I see,¡± Zander responded but still kept his arm around her, ¡°then why are you covering yourself with a cloak like that?¡±

    ¡°Well I... we¡¯re in Ervelon,¡± Vivian exined and pulled the hood even further, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to cause you trouble by letting people know I¡¯m a nosferatu.¡±

    ¡°hmm I see.¡± Without warning the blonde elf yanked the hood off Vivian¡¯s face causing her to yelp. ¡°Life is so boring without a little trouble,¡± he spoke with a sly grin on his face, ¡°and besides, I love looking into your eyes when we speak.¡±

    Vivian looked up at Zander who was smiling down at her. ¡°You have beautiful eyes Vivian,¡± Zander spoke, ¡°it would be a shame depriving the world of such a wonder.¡±

    ¡°Zander I...¡±

    The carriage hit into a pothole and the jerk threw Vivian into the airnded her ontop of Zander. She moved her hair from her face and looked up at the man who had his arms wrapped protectively around her.

    ¡°Oh my gosh I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t-¡±

    Zanded cupped Vivian¡¯s cheek with one hand and gazed into her beautiful blue eyes that glimmered in the light sipping through the carriage window. ¡°Vivian..¡± Zander whispered.

    ¡°Zander..¡± she whispered back, her heart was beating wildly and her face was hot and red.

    ¡°Lord Zander we have arrived!¡± Came a call from the outside after the carriage had stopped.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re here,¡± Vivian spoke softly while trying her best to control her heartbeat and raged breathing.

    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Zander whispered as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

    ¡°We should-¡±

    Before Vivian couldplete her sentence Zander crushed his lips onto hers and kissed her passionately. Vivian¡¯s eyes bulged right before she closed them and melted into his kiss. She clutched onto his chest and followed the movement of his tongue and lips like it was second nature to her. Never in her life had she ever kissed a man quite like this before, it felt so right, like her lips were meant to kiss him.

    Zara, the youngest of Zander¡¯s sisters rushed out of the castle and jumped up and down when she saw the carriage parked outside. She hadn¡¯t seen her big brother in years and was so excited to see him. ¡°Zander!¡± She shrieked and ran towards the carriage door. ¡°What¡¯s taking you so long, get out of there and-¡±

    When Zara yanked the door open she found Zander and a beautiful woman sitting side by side awkwardly. Both their faces were red and Zander¡¯s lips were smudged with red lipstick.

    Zara¡¯s eyes widened and her mouth opened in an excited grin.

    ¡°Zara no..¡± Zander tried to shush her, ¡°Zara don¡¯t you dare-¡±

    ¡°Zander has a girlfriend!!!¡± Zara shrieked at the top of her lungs. And almost immediately, beautiful blonde heads began popping up from everywhere. From the door of the castle, the shrubs in the garden, from behind a tree, from a window and from a balcony on the second floor of the castle.

    ¡°Oh great,¡± Zander sighed. He hopped off the carriage and helped Vivian down to introduce her to the six blonde beautiful women who had gathered excitedly around the carriage.

    ¡°Viv, wee to my home, and these are my six sisters,¡± he spoke, ¡°this is Zara, Zelda, Zuri, Zoey, Zainab and Zora.¡±

    Vivian nervously smiled at the identical looking women whose names she knew she¡¯d never remember and gave them a slight wave, ¡°hi..¡±

    ¡°Girls, this is Vivian,¡± he spoke as he intertwined his hand in hers, ¡°my girlfriend...¡±

 Chapter 125

    125 Chapter 125 : Love knows no bounds

    ¡°Oh wow she¡¯s so beautiful..¡±

    ¡°Her eyes are so blue and vivid..¡±

    ¡°How do you keep your skin so nice..?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t buy it, she¡¯s not your girlfriend..¡±

    ¡°Yeah there¡¯s no way you can bag a woman like her Zander tell us the truth!¡±

    ¡°Did he pay you to pose as his girlfriend?..¡±

    ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t bag a woman like her, what do you take me for?!¡± Zander yelled with his face red with embarrassment and irritation.

    ¡°Well honestly you¡¯re a bit of a stick in the mad Zander no offense,¡± Zara responded.

    ¡°Do you even know how to talk to girls?¡± Zelda added on

    .....

    Zander was boiling mad, couldn¡¯t his sisters at least behave for one second and notpletely embarrass him in front of Vivian. He turned to the dark haired nosferatu woman who he noticed was giggling. Vivian leaned on Zander¡¯s side and wrapped her arms around his bicep lovingly.

    ¡°No, Zander didn¡¯t pay me to be here,¡± Vivian responded with a chuckle, ¡°though I¡¯d be lying if I said he didn¡¯t bribe me with a dress.¡± She got on her tiptoes and kissed Zander¡¯s cheek much to everyone¡¯s surprise. ¡°I am indeed Zander¡¯s girlfriend.¡±

    ¡°You are?!!¡± They all asked in shock.

    ¡°Why are YOU surprised?¡± Zora asked her brother who had also reacted to Vivian¡¯s statement with shock.

    ¡°I err.. well sometimes I fail to believe that she¡¯s truly mine,¡± he responded nervously.

    Zainab, the oldest of the six sisters took Vivian¡¯s hand and began pulling her towards the castle, ¡°you two are going to the ball right?¡±

    Feeling a little conscious that Zainab would notice how cold her skin was, Vivian gently pulled her hand away and smiled warmly. ¡°Yes we are,¡± she responded.

    ¡°Well thene on,¡± she spoke and took Vivian¡¯s hand again and dragged her towards the castle, ¡°we should get you dressed as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I call dibs on doing her hair!¡± Zara sqealed excitedly.

    ¡°I call makeup!¡±

    ¡°No fair I wanted to do her makeup!¡±

    ¡°Be gentle with her!¡± Zander called out as his sisters dragged Vivian away. He smiled and a faint blush tinted his cheeks as his thumb grazed his lower lip that Vivian had kissed so passionately. ¡°Girlfriend huh..¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Well then this changes everything.¡±

    *

    Ronda tiptoed quietly down the hallway towards queen Tauriel¡¯s room, she was aware that the queen was preparing for the ball in there and it was the perfect opportunity to anonymously slip her little note for her to read. Ronda stopped at the entrance of the queen¡¯s chambers and ced her ear on the doorway and could hear the queen instructing her handmaidens to do her hair and and make up. She crouched down and was about to slip the note underneath the door when a deep voice spoke behind her.

    ¡°Ronda?¡±

    The elven woman stood up abruptly and turned towards the voice. The air in her lungs gushed out when her eyes met Gareth¡¯s.

    ¡°My prince!¡± She muttered, ¡°what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I have something I wish to discuss with the queen,¡± he responded as he scanned the woman¡¯s guilty looking face, ¡°what are YOU doing here?¡±

    ¡°I umm, well I was just helping queen Tauriel prepare for the ball,¡± Ronda responded nervously, ¡°and she¡¯s almost ready now so I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±

    The woman turned and practically ran from Gareth. The handsome elf shrugged and turned to knock on his mother¡¯s door when he saw a peice of paper that Ronda had dropped without realizing. ¡°Hey you forgot..¡± but Ronda was already gone.

    Out of curiosity Gareth opened the note and read it¡¯s contents. His eyebrows creased as he went over each word, it was note telling the queen that Gareth was nning to propose at the ball and mentioned that Melissa was already married to king Elric. ¡°That traitor!¡± Gareth grumbled in anger, ¡°and to think I trusted her!¡±

    ¡°Trusted who?¡±

    The eleven prince looked up and found Tauriel looking down at him.

    ¡°The ball is about to start Gareth, we should take our seats to await our guests,¡± she spoke. She grabbed the note from him and tucked it away into the pocket of her dress, ¡°you can read your little noteter,e on.¡±

    Gareth¡¯s throat went dry, if the queen read that note all his ns would go up in mes and he couldn¡¯t let that happen. He had to propose to Melissa tonight, Elric was on his way to try and take her away and he couldn¡¯t afford to lose her to that lying bastard a second time.

    The eleven prince hurried to his mother¡¯s side and cleared his throat, ¡°can I maybe have my note back now, it¡¯s very important.¡±

    ¡°I will give to youter,¡± the queen spoke as she pushed therge double doors of the ballroom open, ¡°I don¡¯t want you getting distracted tonight.¡± She pulled her son and made him take a sit on her right hand side.

    ¡°But..¡±

    ¡°Shush Gareth whatever it is can wait,¡± Tauriel interrupted him, ¡°tonight you¡¯ll will meet your people, your family... you will be king one day, you must show the people that you are poised enough for the job.¡± She turned to him and tapped his chin up with her finger, ¡°don¡¯t slouch.¡±

    *

    ¡°Your majesty, status report.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Elric responded to the lycan general who was bowing respectfully in front of him.

    ¡°There are many soldiers gaurding the entrance to Ervelon your majesty,¡± the general spoke, ¡°it seems there is something going on within, a ball of some sort. Sources say it¡¯s about the eleven prince from Gavaria.¡±

    Elric crushed the cup he was holding with his bare hands when the words spoken by the lycan general reached his ears, ¡°a ball? Are you sure of this?¡±

    ¡°Yes your majesty, our sources are quite credible.¡±

    Why would that elven bastard be throwing a ball? Was it some form of coronation? Or worse, was that bastard wedding his wife?! The silver haired lycan tossed the crushed cup aside and rose to his feet, ¡°kill all the gaurds, infiltrate the kingdom and put an end to that ball!!¡±

    ¡°Yes your majesty, right away.¡± The general walked to his men and started yelling out instructions, ¡°prepare to attack!¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡±

    *

    Zara carefully pinned two braids of Vivian¡¯s dark hair at the back of her head with an emerald blue hair clip and took a step back to admire her work. ¡°Wow..!¡± She cooed in awe, ¡°you must be the prettiest woman in the world..¡±

    Vivian blushed at thepliment, ¡°thank you err Zara?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you¡¯ll get all our names right eventually,¡± Zara spoke with a chuckle, ¡°give it it a couple of months.¡±

    ¡°Months..?¡±

    ¡°Ohe on Zara Vivian is a smart woman,¡± Zoey added on, ¡°she can knock it out in a couple of weeks.¡±

    ¡°But that will depend on how often Zander will bring her here,¡± Zainab exined as she put the finishing touches on Vivian¡¯s makeup, ¡°he looks like the possessive kind, obviously he will want to keep her all to himself.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Vivian interrupted the blonde women who were bickering amongst themselves. ¡°Why do you all sound like you expect to see more of me?¡±

    ¡°Cause we do duh,¡± Zora responded

    ¡°I mean of course we¡¯ll give you and Zander space to be alone but we really want to get to know you more Viv,¡± Zara added on

    Vivian lowered her gaze and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry girls but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll see much of me anytime soon.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Zelda asked, ¡°are you guys breaking up?¡±

    ¡°He fucked up didn¡¯t he?¡± Zainab asked the dark haired woman, ¡°I¡¯ll give him a peice of my mind!¡±

    Vivian waved her hands in front of her nervously, ¡°no he didn¡¯t fuck up at all,¡± she responded, ¡°and we¡¯re not breaking up!¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s up?¡±

    Vivian shifted nervously in her seat, ¡°well I can¡¯t stay here because... well you see..¡± Vivian took a deep breath and looked at the matching sets of brown eyes eagerly looking at her, ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ll take this but.. I¡¯m not an elf, I¡¯m a nosferatu.¡±

    There was a silence that enveloped the room and it made Vivian¡¯s heart race, they were probably disappointed and upset about this news. She would understand if they kicked her out of their home right that minute.

    ¡°Yeah and so?¡± Zoey questioned Vivian whose eyes bulged in shock.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you upset about the fact that I¡¯m not one of you?¡±

    Thedies all chuckled in unison.

    ¡°Oh Viv we already knew that!¡± Zara spoke with a smile

    ¡°And honestly we couldn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass,¡± Zainab added on, ¡°as long as you make Zander happy then you¡¯re alright in our book.¡±

    ¡°Our brother is a bit of a loner,¡± Zelda spoke, ¡°so when he started mentioning you in his letters a few weeks back we were all ecstatic that he had found someone who got him so excited about life.¡±

    ¡°Letters?..¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he couldn¡¯t right a single letter without mentioning you,¡± Zoey spoke and began to imitate her brother, ¡°she has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen, herughter haunts my dreams every moment I close my eyes.¡±

    The girls allughed except for Vivian who was blushing and had be misty eyed. So Zander had been in love with her all this time, and to top it all off he had told his family everything? She felt moved.

    ¡°Hey no crying you¡¯ll ruin the makeup!¡± Zainabined as she handed Vivian a tissue.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Vivian responded as she dubbed her eyes and sniffled happily. It was in that moment Vivian realized she was utterly in love with an elven man named Zander.

 Chapter 126

    126 Chapter 126 : Deja vu

    Gareth sighed and leaned back on his chair, how the hell was he going to get that note back now, guests were already pouring in and he didn¡¯t want to cause a scene. His only hope was that his mother would drop the note during the course of the ball or she would just forget about it entirely. The handsome prince¡¯s little reverie was shaken when someone sat incredibly close to him. He turned and saw Ronda¡¯s green eyes gazing up at him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice how handsome you look your grace,¡± she cooed, ¡°the color purple suits you.¡±

    Gareth was wearing a pair of grey trousers, ck boots, a silk purple shirt that somewhat matched the color of his eyes and a grey jacket.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the handsome prince responded tly. He was trying his best to keep himself from frowning as he spoke. Gareth considered himself a very calm and tolerant man, but when it came to his beautiful Melissa, you mess up and you¡¯re dead to him. And that was exactly what Ronda was, dead to him.

    ¡°And how do I look your grace,¡± the elven woman spoke, shamelessly fishing forpliments. On any other day Gareth would have probably told her she looked nice out of curtesy but this vile woman didn¡¯t even deserve that.

    ¡°Did you get the ring?¡± The prince spoke,pletely ignoring her previous question.

    Ronda sighed and dug in the pocket of her dress, she pulled out a simple silver ring and handed it to Gareth. The prince nce at the peice of jewelry and shoved it back into her hand, ¡°you know very well that Mel can¡¯t wear silver!¡± Gareth spoke in hushed tones so his mother couldn¡¯t hear him.

    ¡°She can¡¯t?¡± Ronda responded with a fake surprised tone in her voice, ¡°but why not? It¡¯s the purest metal. Elven women would be-¡±

    ¡°You know what just forget it!¡± Gareth shushed the woman. It seemed everyone was against him being with Melissa, even the people he thought he could trust. Everyone here was just the same, a bunch of racist, cold hearted hypocrites.

    .....

    Ronda tucked the ring back in her pocket and looked up at Gareth with a flirty smile, ¡°you still haven¡¯tplimented my-¡±

    ¡°Prince Finwe, second of his name, and his lovely guest princess Melissa!¡±

    When the announcement of Finwe¡¯s arrival was made every eye went to the door, mostly because people wanted to know who this princess Melissa was, they didn¡¯t know a princess would be attending the ball. Where was she from? When the two walked into the ball room there was a deafening silence.

    Finwe was walking slowy with a proud and smug look on his face as he led Melissa who had her hand on his arm. The minute the nosferatu princess lifted her head and ttered her beautiful blue eyes, oohs and aahs filled the room. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress that matched her eyes, her ears and neck adorned with crystals that matched her shoes, and her hair was tied in a beautiful bun withrge blue flower fitted into it, she looked like a beautiful fairy.

    Gareth¡¯s jaw dropped as he gazed at the woman walking into the ballroom, he had be so acquainted with seeing her in cks and cloaks that he had almost forgotten how utterly breathtaking she looked in a dress.

    Ronda and queen Tauriel on the other hand were far from happy. Neither of them expected the princess to even show up for the ball,ter on show up with Finwe! What was this woman trying to prove?!

    The two walked to the high table and bowed and curtsied to it¡¯s upants.

    ¡°Mother..¡± Finwe spoke with a bow

    ¡°Finwe..¡±

    ¡°Your majesty..¡± Melissa spoke with a curtsy

    ¡°Melissa..¡±

    The nosferatu princess looked up at the queen and smiled tauntingly at her, ¡°forgive my presumption your majesty, but it¡¯s PRINCESS Melissa.¡± She curtsied again and walked to greet the rest of the table upants, leaving the queen gnashing her teeth in anger.

    ¡°Brother..¡±

    ¡°Finwe..¡± Gareth responded without taking his eyes off where his hand and Melissa¡¯s interlocked.

    ¡°Your grace..¡± Melissa greeted Gareth with a curtsy

    ¡°Mel..¡±

    ¡°You and your date look lovely your grace,¡± she spoke as she shifted her eyes from Gareth to Ronda.

    The prince immediately put some distance between Ronda and him, ¡°she¡¯s not my date! The queen just asked her-¡±

    ¡°Enjoy your evening prince Gareth,¡± Melissa spoke with a taunting smile and pulled Finwe to walk with her.

    Finwe and Melissa moved further down the table, walking right past Ronda without giving her a second nce. They sat on a separate table across from Gareth, still hand in hand.

    ¡°Who is she?¡± Whispers came from the crowds that had gathered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know but she¡¯s gorgeous.¡±

    ¡°Is she prince Finwe¡¯s betrothed?¡±

    ¡°She has to be, I mean just look at how good they look together..¡±

    The whispers didn¡¯t miss Gareth¡¯s ears and they were making him feel odd and ufortable. He looked up at Melissa and Finwe and they were chatting and giggling among themselves. Melissa wasn¡¯t supposed to be giggling with Finwe, she was supposed to be giggling with him. Gods, was Gareth getting jealous of his own brother?

    ~Get a grip Gareth, Finwe is doing this for you~

    He took a deep breath and looked up at Melissa again and saw her whispering something in Finwe¡¯s ear, making the man chuckle. The dark haired prince rose from his seat abruptly, even though this was all a rouze there was only so much Gareth could take.

    ¡°Gareth!¡± His mother chided him, ¡°what¡¯s gotten into you?¡±

    ¡°I.. I need to stretch my legs,¡± he responded, ¡°why don¡¯t I open the dance floor?¡± As he was about to make his way to Melissa and ask her to dance with him, a handtched onto his and redirected him to the dance floor.

    ¡°Ronda let me go.¡±

    ¡°Calm down my prince people are watching,¡± she spoke as she swayed with him to the music, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t want to cause a scene and risk everyone knowing of Melissa¡¯s true identity now would you?¡±

    Melissa looked up at Gareth and Ronda whispering and dancing and pouted.

    ¡°Trust me, Ronda would never hold a candle to you in my brother¡¯s heart,¡± Finwe assured her. ¡°Did you see how he was about toe and kick my ass just now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well he certainly looks like he¡¯s enjoying himself,¡± Melissa responded and crossed her arms over her chest.

    Finwe stood up and reached for Melissa¡¯s hand, e on, let¡¯s join them on the dance floor so we can ¡®identally¡¯ bump into them.¡±

    Melissa chuckled and took Finwe¡¯s hand in hers, ¡°I like how you think Finwe.¡± They walked to the dance floor were a few other couples had joined in and swayed to the music.

    *

    Zander took out his pocket watch from his jacket for the fourth time and shoved it back in with a sigh. The ball had probably already started and he and Vivian were runningte, what on earth were his sisters still doing to her?

    ¡°Anytime today!¡± He called out

    ¡°Hold your horses we¡¯re done!¡± Zara¡¯s voice came from up the stairs. She walked down halfway and dramatically bowed, ¡°presenting... the lovely and beautiful Vivian!¡±

    Zander rolled his eyes and was about to scold his sister when the site of Vivian walking down the stairs made him forget every word he had ever learnt.

    ¡°Oh sweet mother of mercy..¡± were the words he managed to put together after minutes of his brain short circuiting.

    Thecy ck off shoulder dress that perfect shaped Vivian¡¯s body was enough to give any man a run for his money. Her hair was curled up and loosely fell down her shoulders and back, and the way the faint makeup highlighted her already beautiful facial features made Zander gulp and tug his cor. He suddenly felt like he was running out of hair.

    When Vivian reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in front of the blonde elf, he had to resist the urge to peel off her dress with his teeth and take her right there at the foot of the stairs.

    ¡°Sorry we took so long,¡± Vivian apologized, ¡°How do I look?¡±

    ¡°No need to look amazing, you apologize Viv.¡±

    Vivian creased her brows in confusion and Zander¡¯s sisters facepalmed in unison.

    ¡°What?...¡±

    ¡°I.. i mean no need to apologize Viv,¡± he corrected himself with an embarrassed chuckle. He then inched closer and took her hand in his. ¡°You look amazing, like the the most beautiful woman I have everid eyes on.¡±

    ¡°Careful Zander,¡± Vivian responded as she trailed her finger up the buttons of his shirt. She leaned towards his ear and whispered, ¡°ttery will get you EVERYWHERE.¡±

    ¡°Eww other people live here you know!¡± Zara screamed making the couple chuckle.

    Zander offered his arm to the woman and Vivian took it without hesitation. ¡°We should go before we miss all the fun.¡±

    Vivina nodded and followed the blonde elf towards the door, only turning to wave at the six beautiful women who had helped her dress up.

    ¡°Have fun..!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll catch up with you a bitter!¡±

    *

    SLUURRRRPP

    ¡°Oh yeah nothing like a nice cold cup of ale to put you in the festive mood,¡± one elven gaurd spoke merrily. He handed a cup to his friend who shook his head and declined the offer.

    ¡°Come on mate there¡¯s a party why don¡¯t you take a swig,¡± he spoke in an attempt to persuade his friend.

    ¡°I have a bit of bad history with drinking on duty,¡± he spoke. He remembered a long time ago when his friend was killed while drinking on duty.

    ¡°Ohe on now what are the odds of something happening right now? Lighten up-¡±

    The elven gaurd lunged at his friend all of a sudden pushing him out of the way of an arrow that was shot in his direction.

    ¡°Bloody hell!¡±

    ¡°You were saying..?¡± The elven gaurd rose to his feet and saw a group of Lycans and nosferatu soldiers charging towards them, the whole scene looked like a terrible repetitive nightmare, he had been in this situation before and he knew it wasn¡¯t going to be pretty.

 Chapter 127

    127 Chapter 127 : Not again

    The Morrell brothers moved extremely cautiously as they approached the gates of the Merian pce. It was insane how their home town now felt like enemy territory, is this how quickly things could change?

    A tall man with ck hair and silver eyes who was standing gaurd at the gate with his friend, approached the brothers. ¡°The Morrells?¡± He asked in a deep raspy voice.

    Bahram nodded at the silver eyed man, ¡°Aye, we received word from the prince.. umm king.. that our sister was returned here.¡±

    The tall gaurd stared at Bahram¡¯s face before turning around and giving his friend a signal to open the gates for them. The four brothers rode their horses slowly passed the open gate and into the pce grounds, so much had changed over the past few months, the ce lookedpletely foreign to them.

    ¡°They are expecting you inside,¡± the gaurd spoke to the four men as he closed the gate behind him.

    When they were a few meters away from the gate, William moved to bahram¡¯s side and whispered, ¡°something feels off,¡± he spoke, ¡°why do I get the feeling this is too easy.¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself brother,¡± Bahram responded, ¡°let¡¯s go in and asses the situation first.¡±

    They reached the pce entrance, dismounted their horses and were greeted by one of the gaurds who were stationed at the door. ¡°Sir William, lord Bahram, Sirs Alexander and Jonathan, pleasure to meet you all.¡± The man bowed and gestured them to follow him, ¡°we have been expecting you.¡±

    ¡°Have you now..¡± William responded sarcastically as they followed the gaurd into the pce.

    .....

    ¡°Yes, the king will be extremely happy you made it.¡±

    ¡°With all due respect,¡± Bahram spoke as the approached the pce library, ¡°we didn¡¯te here because of your ¡®king¡¯, we were told our sister would be here.¡±

    ¡°You will meet with his majesty¡¯s wife momentarily,¡± a voice echoed from the library. Theo walked out and gave the four men a respectful node, ¡°wee, pleasee this way.¡±

    Hearing Theo speak of their sister as Elric¡¯s wife left a bitter taste in their mouths, the audacity that man had to even wed Melissa was shocking.

    ¡°His majesty and your sister left for their long awaited honeymoon a few days back, we are expecting them to return in a few days time,¡± Theo exined.

    ¡°Honeymoon?¡± William was a bit taken aback by this string of events, ¡°our sister was taken on her wedding day by prince-¡±

    ¡°I assure you the king was able to retrieve his wife not long after that unfortunate incident transpired¡± Theo interrupted, ¡°after they reconciled they decided to go for their honeymoon and will be back in a few days.¡± The tall man turned and continued walking into the library, ¡°if you¡¯ll pleasee this way, we have tea ready for you. And I should mention that your parents are here as well.¡±

    *

    As Melissa was dancing with Finwe, she could see Gareth stealing nces at her as he danced with Ronda.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably killing him that people think you and I are together,¡± Finwe whispered, ¡°he probably can¡¯t wait for the music to change so he can walk over here and take my ce.¡±

    Melissa smiled slightly, it was really adorable how Gareth was so possessive of her. Speaking of which, she remembered that Finwe had asked her toe to the ball with him because of something that Gareth was nning on doing. ¡°What is he nning?¡± She asked the blonde man as he span her around and pulled her back into his embrace.

    ¡°What is who nning?¡±

    ¡°Gareth,¡± she answered as she positioned her hands back over his shoulders, ¡°you said i wouldn¡¯t want to miss what he¡¯s nning to

    do.¡±

    ¡°Oh of course,¡± Finwe responded, ¡°well I¡¯m not entirely sure he will do it, but considering the situation you are in and how much I¡¯ve learnt of my brother, it seems like the only logical thing he would do to ensure you¡¯re hispletely.¡±

    ¡°The situation I¡¯m in..?¡±

    Finwe looked down at Melissa and gazed at her beautiful blue eyes that lookedpletely clueless. ¡°Well yes,¡± he spoke, ¡°I mean the current state you¡¯re in. He may not know it yet but elves have a sixth sense for these things, it exins why he¡¯s so overprotective of you all of a sudden.¡±

    Melissa ttered her longshes in confusion, what in the world was Finwe talking about? Sixth sense for what?

    Finwe was in shock, so even she didn¡¯t know that she was carrying Gareth¡¯s child? Well this was going to be interesting. From the very moment he had set eyes on Melissa, Finwe knew she was pregnant and his suspicions were only confirmed further when they reached Ervelon and the pixies made offerings to her in the form of tiny flowers that they nted in her hair. It was a known fact that pixies would do this to women who were pregnant with children of royal blood, children who would one day sit on the Ervelon throne.

    Finwe leaned forward and was about to tell Melissa she was pregnant when he noticed her gaze fixated at the ballroom door. He followed her gaze and saw Zander walking in, hand in hand with Melissa¡¯s cousin Vivian.

    ¡°Do your kind have some kind of nosferatu fetish,¡± she asked Finwe tauntingly. Seeing how Zander was holding Vivian it was clear that they had be more than friends.

    ¡°Now that I think about it,¡± Finwe responded with a chuckle, ¡°I think we do, but I think it¡¯s more of a family problem than an elf problem.¡±

    Melissa looked up at Finwe with a questioning gaze, ¡°family..?¡±

    ¡°Yes, did you not know? Zander¡¯s father and my father were brothers.¡±

    The music stopped and Finwe let Melissa go and took a step back. ¡°Here hees,¡±

    Finwe spoke with a chuckle.

    Before Melissa could process what was happening, an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into a tight very possessive embrace. She looked up and locked eyes with Gareth who was breathing heavily and reeked of jealousy.

    ¡°May I have this dance?¡± He asked calmly, though the intense look in his eyes didn¡¯t give her an option to refuse.

    Melissa nodded and Gareth wrapped both his arms around her waist while her hands went over his broad shoulders and locked at the back of his neck. He pressed his forehead against hers and breathed a relieved sigh as he swayed back and forth gently to the music.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I want you dancing with anyone ever again,¡± he spoke in a raspy voice.

    The beautiful redhead giggled, ¡°and whose going to stop me? You? Weren¡¯t you busy waltzing around with your little elven maid over there with your matching outfits?¡±

    ¡°Are you jealous Mel?¡± The handsome prince asked with an amused smirk painting his face.

    Melissa rolled her eyes and slid her hands down to his shoulders, ¡°maybe a little bit.. are you?¡±

    ¡°As jealous as a Barbary cock pigeon over his hen.¡± He responded without hesitation. He removed his forehead from hers and gazed longingly at her red lips, ¡°gods i want to kiss you so bad.¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself Gary, people are watching¡±

    ¡°Let them watch,¡± he whispered with a mischievous smile, ¡°I want everyone to know that you have me wrapped around your pretty little finger.¡±

    Ronda who had been watching the couple for a couple of minutes had had enough, she was about to walk up to them and break the whole thing up when a hand yanked her backwards. Finwe wrapped his arm around her waist aggressively and forced her into a dance, ¡°no matter what you do Ronda, no matter what you have nned, Gareth is in too deep right now for someone like you to pull them apart. So I suggest you not waste your energy.¡±

    On the other end of the dance floor, Melissa was blushing at Gareth¡¯s words, ¡°your people would never approve of me,¡± she spoke, ¡°especially your mother.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I need to do this...¡±

    The eleven prince let go of the nosferatu princess, took a step back and got down on one knee.

    Everyone on the dance floor froze and circled Melissa and Gareth. There was a wave of different emotions that filled the room when Gareth dug into his pocket and pulled out a golden ring with arge aquamarine gemstone fitted on to it.

    ¡°Gareth what are you doing..?¡± Melissa stammered.

    ¡°Something I should have done a long time ago..¡±

    *

    Elric walked slowly passed the massacred bodies of the eleven gaurds who were once stationed at the borders of Ervelon. He drew in a deep breath and lightly licked his upper lip, his wife¡¯s scent was so strong he could almost taste her.

    ¡°Your majesty, we have pinpointed the location of the pce where we believe your wife is,¡± the lycan general spoke. ¡°Our men are clearing the way as we speak.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Elric spoke, ¡°spare the civilians, only kill those who try to get in our way, today I will take my wife back weather it¡¯s thest thing I do.¡±

    ¡°Yes your majesty..¡± the general spoke before yelling out instructions to the men. ¡°Clear a path for his majesty! Kill any elven soldier whoes in our way but spare the civilians!¡±

    *

    Queen Tauriel rose from her seat in fury, she was about to walk to her son and p some senses into his head when the note she had shoved into her pocket fell onto the table. She picked it up and was about to shove it back when something written on it caught her eye. Tauriel unfolded it and trailed her eyes over the contents of the note and growled angrily.

    ¡°Melissa, crowned princess of the nosferatu...¡± Gareth spoke as he presented the ring to the blue eyed woman.

    The people around the couple gasped and began whispering among themselves.

    ¡°Did he say princess of the nosferatu?..¡±

    ¡°Wait isn¡¯t that prince Gareth, the crowned prince of Ervelon?!¡±

    ¡°He is! He looks just like his father did, but why would he want to marry a nosferatu??¡±

    The queen moved from her table and walked briskly towards her son, she could not let this happen! She couldn¡¯t let her son marry that girl not while she lived, this was history repeating itself all over again, she wasn¡¯t going to lose her children because of the ridiculous notion that they were in love.

    Gareth took Melissa¡¯s hand in his, ¡°will you make meplete by spending the rest of your life with me by your side?¡±

    ¡°Gareth!-¡±

    Queen Tauriel was interrupted when one of the soldiers ran into the ballroom, he was bruised and bloodied and was gasping for air. ¡°Your majesty!¡± He rasped, ¡°the kingdom, it¡¯s under attack!¡±

    ¡°Gods no..¡± Tauriel gasped, ¡°not again.¡±

 Chapter 128

    128 Chapter 128 : Kill them all!

    Queen Tauriel moved passed the crowd to the panicking gaurd and grabbed him by the shoulders, ¡°where are they?!¡±

    ¡°They are moving through the town heading this way your majesty, they¡¯ll probably be here any second!¡±

    Tauriel turned to where Gareth and Melissa were standing and pointed at the nosferatu princess, ¡°you! This is all your fault!¡± She crumpled up the note she was holding and threw it at her, ¡°your kind have caused trouble for me for thest time, I will not have you endangering my kingdom anymore.¡±

    The elven queen called for the gaurds and ordered them to capture Melissa, ¡°capture her, if she¡¯s who this brute who calls himself Elric is after, then we will give him what he wants!¡±

    There were about six guards who had been stationed within the ballroom, they moved briskly towards Melissa but were pushed back by what felt like a hard wall of air.

    Gereth stood in front of Melissa, his eyes a vivid purple and the dark markings on his forehead in full disy, ¡°don¡¯t you dare touch her,¡± he hissed at the men who were trying topose themselves after the impact.

    ¡°Gareth you fool!¡± Tauriel screamed, ¡°those lycans rampaging my kindom are here because of her! Are you really going to put hundreds of lives in danger for one woman?!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gareth responded, ¡°I would put MY life in danger for THIS woman. I will not allow that bastard to take Melissa away from me, never again!¡±

    ¡°He is her husband Gareth!¡± Tauriel screamed as she inched closer to the bubble of solid air her son had formed around the nosferatu princess and him. ¡°She¡¯s married to another man! Don¡¯t be made a fool of by some harlot with perky breasts!¡±

    .....

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare call the woman I love names! I know that she¡¯s married and I don¡¯t care!¡± Gareth growled

    The crowed around them gasped in shock, all this information that was pouring out was so overwhelming. Most of the guests initially thought Melissa was with Finwe until they saw the crowned prince propose to her, and now they were finding out she was already married to someone who was rampaging the kingdom.

    The queen balled her hands into a fist in anger, ¡°what kind of spell does this little witch have you under Gareth?!¡± Tauriel¡¯s fingers began to glow white as she prepared to fire her magic at Melissa, ¡°step aside and let me remove this little gue of a person from my kingdom and from our lives permanently!¡±

    Gareth stood his ground, ¡°I¡¯m sorry queen Tauriel, you¡¯re going to have to kill me first!¡±

    The queen¡¯s enraged expression only worsened when Finwe stepped in front of Gareth and Melissa, ¡°you¡¯ll have to get through me as well mother, I¡¯m sorry, but Gareth and Melissa must be together and I am not one to defy fate. Such an action would have dire consequences.¡±

    Next Maria and Ivan stood in front of the couple as well, ¡°you¡¯ll have to go through us too,¡± they spoke in unison.

    Beric, Rnd, Ozias and Odran stepped up as well, ¡°and us!¡±

    Vivian also made her way to Melissa¡¯s side, ¡°you¡¯ll have to kill me too.¡± The dark haired nosferatu woman startled when a tall finger stood beside her and interlocked his fingers with hers.

    ¡°Zander? You too?¡± Tauriel rasped, ¡°Your father was badly hurt because of-¡±

    ¡°The battle of Ervelon a hundred years ago had nothing to do with the nosferatu,¡± Zander interrupted his aunt, ¡°you forced your hatred of them on an entire kindom when they did nothing wrong! And at one point I was foolish enough to follow you, but not anymore.¡±

    ¡°Mother, Gareth and Melissa are our chance to end this rivalry,¡± Finwe spoke, ¡°this senseless division ends now.¡±

    The queen red at the people who were standing protectively in front of Melissa and chuckled menacingly. She then put her hands together and gave them a slow taunting p, ¡°oh how sweet,¡± she facetiously spoke, ¡°so you want to protect the little vampire now do you? Because you all love and care about her hmm? Well guess what, there is a mad man outsideying ruins to my kindom! How exactly do you intend on stopping his rampaging?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready to fight him head on for her,¡± Gareth spoke without the slightest hint of hesitation. ¡°I¡¯d rather die right here and now than let that silver haired bastard have my woman.¡±

    Gareth turned to Maria and Vivian and gave them a slight nod, ¡°take Melissa and keep her safe,¡± he instructed them, ¡°keep her as far away from Elric as possible.¡±

    The two women nodded, ¡°got it!¡±

    ¡°Wait, stop I-¡± Vivian grabbed Melissa on one hand and Maria held the other. ¡°No wait this isn¡¯t right, let me go!¡±

    Melissa tried to break free from the women¡¯s hold but was failing. This wasn¡¯t right, she didn¡¯t want anyone getting hurt because of her, she had to do something.

    Gareth then turned Finwe who conjured a sword out of thin air and tossed it to Adam, ¡°arm yourselves!¡± Gareth orderd, ¡°tonight, is the night I remove that bastard out of the picture, permanently!¡±

    *

    Maria and Vivian dragged Melissa into her room and stood by the door, ¡°princess please stay put and let us handle this,¡± Maria spoke.

    ¡°Why?! This wasn¡¯t the n!¡± Melissa sqealed, ¡°let me go, let me surrender myself to Elric like we had nned, I¡¯m willing to do that now, please, I don¡¯t want anyone to get hurt because of me.¡±

    ¡°Im sorry Melissa but we can¡¯t do that,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°ns have changed, you have to stay with prince Gareth.¡±

    ¡°Why ..?¡±

    Maria and Vivian nced at each other and pursed their lips. On the day they had arrived in Ervelon they had had a discussion with Finwe about Melissa after he found out they were nning to give her up to Elric. He had insisted that they shouldn¡¯t andter revealed that Melissa was actually pregnant for Gareth, the bombshell news changed everything. The baby that Melissa was carrying was going to end the century old rivalry between the elves and the nosferatu, they needed that union to be able to stand against the humans, so it was imperative that she be kept safe and with Gareth no matter what.

    And who knows what Elric would do if he found out Melissa was pregnant for Gareth, the blind and possessive love he had for her might lead him to harming her baby, they couldn¡¯t let that happen.

    ¡°You¡¯ll understand when this is over,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°but for now please stay here until wee and get you.¡±

    ¡°Vivian wait!¡±

    The two nosferatu women closed the door tightly shut and locked the door from the outside. Melissa was so confused and frustrated, why was everyone being so irrational all of a sudden, this whole thing could be solved if she just gave herself up to Elric.

    *

    Now armed and covered in eleven armor, Gareth, Finwe, Zander, Beric, Rnd, Odran, Ozias, Ivan and about three dozen other elven soldiers were preparing to mount their horses and head out into the town to meet Elric before he could reach the pce.

    Vivian and Maria came out running to join them but their path was blocked by Zander who was giving them a disapproving re.

    ¡°Zander move we need to-¡±

    ¡°No Viv, I need you to stay here where you can be safe,¡± he responded firmly.

    The dark haired woman scoffed and tried to push the blonde elf aside but he was too big and heavy, ¡°I am a warrior sent here to protect princess Melissa!¡± She spoke, ¡°joining this fight is something I have to do!¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re also a woman I don¡¯t want to see hurt on the battlefield,¡± Zander responded, ¡°you being there will only distract me because I¡¯ll be constantly worried about you.¡±

    ¡°I am fully capable of protecting myself Zander you know that! So why the hell would you worry about me?!¡±

    Zander sped Vivian¡¯s shoulders and looked straight into her blue eyes, ¡°because I love you..¡±

    Those four words were enough to shut Vivian up instantly.

    ¡°So please stay here where you can be safe,¡± the blonde elf added on, ¡°I will be back for you.¡±

    Vivian lightly punched Zander on the chest before giving him a hug, ¡°you better..¡±

    *

    Elric haulted and smiled sinisterly at the entourage that was waiting for him and his men at the center of the town. His bloodlust peeked when he spotted Gareth at the front of the horde of soldiers, it seemed that elven prick wasn¡¯t going to go down without a fight. Well if it¡¯s a fight he wanted, it was a fight he was going to get.

    Gareth dismounted his horse and walked forward towards Elric, and the silver haired Lycan did the same, stopping a few feet away from each other.

    ¡°We meet again,¡± Elric spoke, his every word wasced with venom, ¡°why don¡¯t you be a good little elf and hand over MY WIFE, and I¡¯ll spare you and this miserable little kingdom of yours.¡±

    Gareth scoffed, ¡°your wife? You mean the same woman who chose me over you on your wedding day? The woman you had to lie to in order to get her to marry you? Get over yourself Elric, now be a good little dog and y dead.¡±

    King Elric growled ferociously at the elven prince¡¯s words, ¡°you want to say those words to my face elf?! Melissa is mine!¡± The silver haired king shoved his hand into his pocket and took out a small peice of pinkcy fabric which he dangled in front of Gareth, ¡°see these, a little souvenir from one of the many times I made love to her.¡±

    Gareth unsheathed his sword and like lightning shed Elric¡¯s hand making him drop Melissa¡¯s panties. The silver haired lycan grabbed his bleeding palm and groaned in pain before looking up at Gareth.

    ¡°Kill them all!¡± Elric roared

 Chapter 129

    129 Chapter 129 : Ripped apart

    Melissa peeped out of the bedroom window and could hear the cries of waring from a distance apanied by the sounds of shing swords.

    [No.. Gary...]

    She looked around the room in a panic trying to find anything that she could use to escape, but what? If she didn¡¯t hand herself over to Elric things would turn ugly and the people she cared about would be hurt. Her blue eyesnded in the bed and she had an idea. Melissa rushed to it and began peeling off the sheets from the bed, she tied the beddings together, secured one end to one leg of the bed and threw the other end out the window.

    Melissa looked down the window and drew in a deep breath, it was quiet a long way down but she had no other choice. The princess climbed on the window and began to descend slowly, grabbing on to the sheets for her life.

    Suddenly she heard the sound of something ripping, her eyes darted upwards and she saw the sheet parting in two.

    ¡°No... no... no!¡±

    The sheet rippedpletely and Melissa began falling, luckily she grabbed onto a protruding brick and winced. The impact burned her fingers and she had scrapes and bruises on her arms and legs.

    ¡°Damn it..¡± Melissa curse as she felt her fingers slipping, she knew that if she fell she would be terribly injured, if only she could fly. Wait!

    ¡°Come on..¡± Melissa groaned as she tried to conjure her wings, e on please..¡±

    .....

    *

    Vivian and Maria were walking down the hallway to Melissa¡¯s room to check on how she was doing. When they had left her there earlier, she was a bit uneasy so they figured they should see how she was fairing and assure her that everything was going to be okay.

    ¡°Princess!¡± Maria called out as she unlocked and opened the door to her chambers, ¡°how are we doing up here?... princess?.. princess Melissa!¡±

    The two women¡¯s hearts stopped when they saw the sheets tied up and leading to the open window. The princess wouldn¡¯t, would she?? They ran to the window and frantically pulled the sheets back in only to find that they had been ripped. Both the women¡¯s faces turned white as a dark thought crossed their minds, had the princess fallen?!

    They peeked down at the rocks below in dread but couldn¡¯t see any trace of the princess. Suddenly, a figure zipped passed them from below, their eyes circled when they saw Melissa gliding towards the battlefield carried by a pair of scarlet wings.

    ¡°She can fly?? Fuck!¡± Vivian cursed.

    ¡°Well don¡¯t just stand there, go and get her before she gets hurt!¡± Maria chided the dark haired nosferatu.

    Vivian conjured herrge purple wings and dived out the window in pursuit of her cousin, how did she not know that Melissa had gotten her wings? And scarlet ones at that. Gods she needed to stop her before she got herself hurt.

    *

    The battle between Elric and Gareth was intense and bloody. Both men had already lost many soldiers in a very short period of time, and the terrain around them was covered in blood, severed limbs and bloody weapons.

    At the center of all the gore, Gareth and Elric were in a heated battle. Gareth formed thin sharp des of solid air with his magic and hurled them towards the massive silver wolf who was charging at him. Elric was able to agilely dodge most of the des of air except one that grazed deeply into his arm, he stopped mid stride for a few seconds before ferociously lunging at Gareth, sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

    Both the men were bloodied and bruised after having caused each other many injuries, but none was willing to back down. The elven prince was pinned down and using his sword which was lodged between the silver wolf¡¯s massive sharp teeth to stop it from reaching his throat and possibly mauling his head off his shoulders.

    ¡°I will never let you have her..¡± Gareth spoke in strained breaths, ¡°you¡¯ll have to pry her out of my cold dead hands.¡± Gareth used his leg to kick the wolf away from him.

    The elven prince then groggily got to his feet and winced in pain, he covered the bloody patch on his shirt where Elric had wed at him earlier and took a deep breath. With the other hand he tightened his grip on his sword and moved steadily towards Elric who had transformed back to his human form.

    The silver haired prince took deep heavy breaths as he tried to sit upright, Gareth had kicked him right where an arrow had plunged itself into him earlier and the pain was bing unbearable. His honey brown eyes looked up at the elf who was standing over him, hair tasseled and face bloodied. ¡°Well what are you waiting for?!¡± Elric roared, ¡°do it! Kill me! Because as long as I live in this world I will not stop pursuing my wife, so you might as well kill me because you will never know peace, EVER-¡±

    Gareth pointed his sword at Elric¡¯s throat and gnashed his teeth in irritation, ¡°shut up,¡± he spoke in a strained voice before coughing up a bit of blood. ¡°It¡¯s over Elric, I¡¯ll let you live if you you stay the hell away from me and Melissa.¡±

    Elric shed a fanged smiled before coughing up some blood as well, ¡°over my dead body,¡± he rasped.

    ¡°So be it...¡± the elven prince swung his de to the side, ¡°Goodbye Elric.¡±

    Iches before the de sliced off the silver haired lycan¡¯s head, Gareth heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

    ¡°Stop!!¡±

    ¡°Mel..?¡±

    Melissanded between the two men and red out her wings to separate them. ¡°Stop it Gareth you can¡¯t kill him!¡± She pleaded.

    The elven prince felt a bit hurt, why was she protecting this mad man? Did she still have feelings for him?

    ¡°If you kill him Gareth we¡¯ll all suffer, have you forgotten about the curse?!¡±

    Oh that¡¯s right, if any one of them died they would all meet the same fate and end up being reborn again. It seemed both Elric and Gareth has been so caught up in their rage that they hadpletely forgotten that killing each other was not even an option.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Gareth yelled and tossed his sword to the ground. He felt frustrated, he would have ended this crazy bastard right here and now but because of this damn curse he couldn¡¯t even do that. Suddenly all the pain and exhaustion hit the prince and his vision became blurred.

    Melissa saw Gareth¡¯s body sway to the side and rushed to his side, she caught him,y him down on herp and covered him with her wings. His purple eyes looked up at her and smile painted his face, ¡°you look like an angel..¡±

    ¡°sssh..¡± she shushed him, ¡°you¡¯re hurt, save your strength.¡±

    The disy of affection between Gareth and his wife made something within Elric snap, he got to his feet and picked up the sword that the elven prince had dropped, and walked towards them. ¡°No.. no no no NO!! You¡¯re mine Melissa, you¡¯re MY wife!¡± Tears began flowing down his cheeks as he lifted the sword and ced it on his throat. ¡°If I can¡¯t have you, no one can. I¡¯m going to slice my throat and end us all!¡±

    ¡°Elric wait I choose you!¡± Melissa screamed. The lycan prince looked at her, she was stretching her hand out to him and tears filled her beautiful blue eyes. ¡°I choose you so please don¡¯t do it, don¡¯t kill yourself!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t toy with me Lissa! I¡¯m not messing around!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Melissa pleaded, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, I¡¯ll go back to Meria with you so please put down the sword.¡±

    Elric red at the beautiful woman doubtfully, ¡°prove it, prove to me that you mean what you say. Come to me.¡±

    Melissa looked down at Gareth who had a pleading look on his face, ¡°Mel please, don¡¯t leave me me..¡± he held her hand tightly, ¡°you promised you would never leave me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry..¡± she whispered as her tears dropped in his cheeks. She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for us. I love you, and I always will.¡±

    ¡°Melissa..¡± Elric called out.

    The red head nosferatu helped the eleven prince off herp and as she stood up he grabbed her hand, ¡°Mel.. I¡¯ll gopletely mad without you. I¡¯m begging you, stay with me.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s tears streamed out of her eyes and she dared not look at his face knowing she would break down. She pulled her hand away, stood up and walked with her head down towards Elric.

    Vivian who had just reached the battlefield saw the princess walking towards Elric and felt her heart sink, was she giving herself up? No she couldn¡¯t! ¡°Melissa!¡±

    Elric held out his hand and Melissa hesitantly took it. The silver haired lycan grinned possessively as he pulled the woman closer to him, ¡°I missed you.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s heart felt like it had been ripped out of her chest, she turned back to look at Gareth who too looked like his soul hadpletely abandoned his body. She felt like turning back and running to him but Elric¡¯s hold on her tightened and he whispered something that made her think twice about returning to Gareth.

    The woman looked into the honey brown eyes that she now hated, ¡°how dare you drag my family into this?¡±

    He smiled lovingly and nted a kiss on her cheek, ¡°we should go, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re all waiting for us back home my beautiful wife.¡±

 Chapter 130

    130 Chapter 130 : We need to get her back

    The Morrell brothers walked cautiously as they followed Theo up the grand staircase towards the library. They had the pressing feeling that this was some kind of trap but didn¡¯t know when the string would be pulled, so they had to be ready for anything. Theo halted at the entrance of the library and pointed them in, ¡°please do make yourselves at home for the time being, if you need anything don¡¯t hesitate to call.¡±

    The tall slim man turned and left, and the four men entered the library. ¡°Mother??¡± Jonathan and Alexander gasped in unison.

    Emma Morrell rose to her feet and walked towards her sons, embracing them all in a bear hug. ¡°Oh thank goodness you¡¯re all okay,¡± she spoke, ¡°I was so worried about you all.¡± She released them and inspected their faces, ¡°where are ryssa and Astrid? I thought you¡¯d return here with them?¡±

    ¡°It was better that Astrid be with her parents in her condition,¡± Bahram responded, ¡°I couldn¡¯t drag her along all the way to Meria in her condition.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes of course, oh I can¡¯t wait to see my first grandchild.¡± Emma then turned to William, ¡°and what of ryssa? Surely you could have brought her with you.¡±

    William blushed slightly and began scratching the back of his head. ¡°Well I think it¡¯s better she be with her family as well,¡± he spoke sheepishly

    Emma Morrell arched a brow at her son, she knew him well enough to know there was something he was hiding, ¡°William...?¡±

    ¡°Oh for heaven¡¯s sake William, ryssa is pregnant!¡± Bahram blurted out.

    ¡°Oh my goodness William!¡± Emma gave her son a hug, ¡°I mean it¡¯s a bit untraditional since you two are yet to be married but this is great news!¡±

    .....

    ¡°Okay enough about us,¡± William quickly changed the topic, ¡°what are you doing here and where¡¯s father?¡±

    The woman took out a small parchment and handed it over to the boys, ¡°we received this letter saying Melissa is here and wanted to see us. But when we got here we were told her and the umm king travelled for a honeymoon, your father went to talk to someone to try and get more information in the matter.¡± Emma then pointed to a woman with red hair and blue eyes who was elegantly sipping tea on one of the sofas and giving them a friendly wave, ¡°that¡¯s E.. sorry, Melissa¡¯s real mother, she too received the same letter.¡±

    The four men all looked at the woman and had no doubt in their minds she was indeed Melissa¡¯s mother, the two looked so much alike that they could be mistaken for sisters. Regardless, Bahram couldn¡¯t help but notice the hint of sadness in his mother¡¯s voice when she said ¡®Melissa¡¯s real mother.¡¯

    ¡°This is definitely suspicious¡±, William spoke as he paced the room, ¡°why would Melissa ask to see all of us and then go off on a honeymoon with Elric?¡±

    ¡°Maybe this is a trap to lure us here and get rid of us?¡± Bharam suggested, ¡°I mean all of us here do pause a significant threat to the perfect rtionship Elric wants with our sister.¡±

    ¡°If he wanted us dead he would have done that already,¡± Jonathan spoke

    ¡°That¡¯s true, he wouldn¡¯t need to gather us all here.¡± Alexander added on, ¡°it would be tedious to get rid of us when we¡¯re all here together.¡±

    ¡°Unless, this isn¡¯t a trap for us,¡± William spoke. He stopped pacing and looked up at the people in front of him with a worried look. ¡°It¡¯s a trap for Melissa! He¡¯s going to use us as bait to get her toe back!¡±

    ¡°That sneaky bastard!¡± Bahram growled.

    *

    Finwe pushed the door of his mother¡¯s bedroom open aggressively and stood behind her as she was leisurely brushing her hair in the mirror.

    ¡°We have to get her back,¡± he spoke, ¡°we have to bring Melissa back so she can be with Gareth.¡±

    Queen Tauriel gently ced the brush on her dressing table and turned to face her son. ¡°Could you please repeat what you just said..¡±

    ¡°Mother I said we need to bring Melissa back here so-¡±

    SMACK!!

    Finwe paused for a few minutes not believing what had just happened. Had his mother just pped him.

    ¡°You must be as stupid as your brother,¡± queen Tauriel spoke angrily, ¡°if you all had just surrendered that nosferatu woman to her lunatic lycan husband to begin with, non of my men would have been killed in that senseless battle. And now you want to bring her back, after all the trouble she¡¯s caused me?! You must be out of your mind!¡±

    Finwe slowly turned his head and rubbed his sore cheek. ¡°This isn¡¯t about you mother, don¡¯t be cruel, Gareth is losing his mind! He has been locked up in his room for days, he¡¯s not eating, he¡¯s not sleeping and he won¡¯t even let anyone tend to his wounds.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just being a overgrown child,¡± Tauriel responded, ¡°he¡¯ll get over it. His rtionship is not the first to end.¡± She sat back down on her dresser and continued brushing her hair. ¡°Besides, from what I hear she chose to go back with king Elric.¡±

    ¡°She gave herself up to end the fued!¡±

    ¡°As she should have,¡± Tauriel responded curtly.

    ¡°Mother she¡¯s pregnant!¡±

    The queen stopped her brush midair and turned to look at her son, ¡°what did you just say?..¡±

    ¡°Melissa, she¡¯s pregnant mother,¡± Finwe repeated himself, ¡°and it¡¯s Gareth¡¯s. The pixies blessed her the minute she stepped into Ervelon, I saw it with my own eyes. She¡¯s carrying his child.¡±

    The queen¡¯s face went white, ¡°this can¡¯t be happening again,¡± she muttered, ¡°how could I let this happen?¡±

    ¡°If anything happens to Gareth¡¯s baby mother you¡¯ll have to live with that guilt for rest of your life.¡± Finwe sat down on the bed and groaned a little from the pain of his injuries he had sustained during battle. ¡°You know you can do something about this.¡±

    ¡°Does your brother know?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Gareth,¡± Tauriel repeated herself, ¡°does he know about the baby?¡±

    ¡°No not yet but-¡±

    ¡°Make sure you keep it that way.¡± Tauriel responded firmly and continued brushing her hair.

    Finwe red at his mother with his mouth agape. This woman was joking right? She had to be joking! There¡¯s no way she was just going to sit by, the child Melissa was carrying was her grandchild for Pete¡¯s sake!

    ¡°Mother are you serious?!¡±

    ¡°As long as Gareth knows nothing about this baby he won¡¯t do anything stupid and get himself killed in the process,¡± the woman screamed. It¡¯s like something had suddenly snapped inside of her and it was scaring Finwe. He had never seen this side to his mother before.

    She turned to face Finwe and there was a look of fear on her face, ¡°I¡¯m not losing anyone of you over this ridiculous notion that you¡¯re in love. Not again.¡±

    ¡°Mother..¡±

    ¡°My word is final Finwe!¡± The queen roared. She whipped her hand and the door to her room swung open, ¡°please leave. And your brother should not hear about that woman¡¯s

    pregnancy.¡±

    *

    Zander had a gloomy look on his face as Vivian was gently putting some new bandages. When she finished she gave his cheek a quick kiss and smiled up at him, but his mood still remained gloomy.

    ¡°Zander..¡± Vivian cupped his cheek and gently stroked it with her thumb, ¡°don¡¯t be like this.¡±

    ¡°You want me to be smiling like an idiot when you¡¯re leaving me behind?¡± The blonde elfined. To be honest the whole thing was actually a little adorable because here was the uptight by the book man moping around like a little boy.

    Vivian inched closer to the man and took both his hands in hers. ¡°My whole reason to travel here was to retrieve the princess and make sure she returns to Wintershold safely.¡±

    ¡°Then let me go with you!¡±

    ¡°No Zander you¡¯re hurt,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°and after what just happened, Gareth really needs you here.¡±

    ¡°Well I won¡¯t be muchfort to him because I¡¯ll be too busy nursing my own broken heart,¡± Zander mumbled, ¡°I mean will I ever even see you again?¡±

    ¡°Of course you will..¡±

    ¡°When Viv when?!¡± Zander yelled. ¡°Next week? Next month, next year?! I have barely gotten the chance to be with you and you¡¯re already leaving me, this is horse shit Viv I love you, and I want to spend every waking minute with you! You know what fuck these racial divisions! Let¡¯s just forget about our duties and run away together¡±

    The outburst took the dark haired nosferatu woman off gaurd, Zander was always so mellow andposed so she didn¡¯t expect this from him at all. It was very surprising, and if she was being honest with herself, it kind of turned her on in a way.

    Vivian cupped Zander¡¯s cheeks and looked him straight in the eyes before pulling him on for a kiss. Almost instinctively, Zander returned the kiss with an equal fire. When she pulled away his eyes protested and it made Vivian smile.

    Zander moved swiftly and pushed Vivian down onto his bed and wrapped one arm around her waist before diving in for another kiss. He moved his other hand up her smooth leg to her thigh and gripped it viciously,pletely forgetting about his injuries.

    Vivian gasped and dug her nails into his bandaged shoulders making him wince him in pain. She quickly let go and whispered ¡°I¡¯m sorry..¡±

    But instead of an answer, Zander dove in and kissed her hungrily. If he was going to have to say goodbye to her, he was going to make thisst moment count.

 Chapter 131

    131 Chapter 131 : Won¡¯t take no for an answer

    Elric smiled at the beautiful red haired woman who was sitting across from him in a carriage heading back to Meria. Even though she hadn¡¯t spoken to him at all the entire journey he was more than happy that she was with him once again, and not with Gareth. For now this was good enough for Elric, her love for him would blossom yet again soon enough.

    ¡°It¡¯s rather cold today,¡± the silver haired king spoke, ¡°and you didn¡¯t carry a cloak. Why don¡¯t you sit next to me and I can keep you warm.¡±

    Melissa turned to look at Elric, she couldn¡¯t believe this man even had the audacity to flirt with her after everything he had done. Was he some king of sociopath?!

    ¡°Thank you but I¡¯m alright,¡± she replied and turned back to look out the window.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long journey..¡± Elric slowly started reaching for her hand. ¡°You must be stressed and sore from sitting so long, why don¡¯t youe and lean on-¡±

    Melissa pulled her hand away and red at the prince, ¡°I said I¡¯m fine!¡±

    Elric sighed and retracted his bandaged hand. ¡°Well if my dear wife doesn¡¯t wish for me to take care of her, she couldn¡¯t at least help me rub some ointment on the wounds on my back. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t reach them.¡±

    Mel lifted her beautiful blue eyes towards the man who had retrieved a bottle of ointment from his satchel and was waving it in front of her. She wanted nothing more than to tell him to go jump off a bridge but she knew he wouldn¡¯t stop with his advances until she conceded. She grabbed the bottle from him and pursed her lips in irritation. ¡°Where are your wounds?¡±

    Elric smiled widely and proceeded to slowly taking off his shirt with much difficulty. He had been badly cut and bruised when he had gone toe to toe with Gareth, that Melissa almost felt sorry for him.

    .....

    Seeing that he was struggling, she moved to his side and helped him to carefully unbutton and peal his shirt off. When it was off, Elric attempted to embrace her but she instinctively pushed Elric away making him hit his back against the hard carriage walls and wincing in pain.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Melissa apologized and helped him sit up.

    The lycan prince smiled sheepishly at her, ¡°wow Lissa, what happened to all the love?¡±

    The beautiful redhead let the prince go and red at him, ¡°how dare you even mention love to me?¡± Melissa spat, ¡°Elric you lied to me about everything! You even had the nerve to ask someone to pretend to be Gareth, how could you? And you want to sit here and talk to me about love? Ha.. don¡¯t make meugh.¡±

    Elric sighed, ¡°I know my love for you is a bit selfish..¡±

    ¡°A bit?!¡±

    ¡°Okay it¡¯s VERY selfish,¡± the silver haired king corrected himself, ¡°but it¡¯s true and it runs deeper than anything. I may have stringed a few lies together to secure my spot in your heart but that was all because I wanted you to be with me and to make you happy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s called selfishness Elric,¡± Melissa responded curtly, ¡°take a vocabry lesson.¡±

    King Elric relented and leaned back on his seat, he could see that it wasn¡¯t possible to convince Melissa right now that his intentions were pure but he knew in due time she would warm up to him again. He was patient enough to wait.

    ¡°could you at least help with my wounds?¡± He asked with a pitiful look on his face.

    Melissa threw her gaze at the man and rolled her eyes.

    [you¡¯re insufferable]

    She grabbed the ointment and moved back to sit beside him. ¡°If you try anything funny I¡¯ll dig my nails into your wounds.¡±

    *

    Aiden was sitting in his chambers doing what he usually did when he had a bit of time alone, admiring an old picture of Estel. Gods he missed her so much, and not a day passed without him thinking of her beautiful smile and breathtaking features.

    The rogue nosferatu prince had passed the point of madness after losing Estel. He had endured every phase of loss imaginable to a point where he regained his sanity all over again. He¡¯d experienced anger, hatred, self pity, self me, vengeance, regret, eptance and went back to anger, starting the cycle all over again.

    He had lost track of how many days had passed since his beautiful Estel was taken away from him. Was it even days? Months? Years maybe? He had no idea and at this point he frankly didn¡¯t care. All that mattered is that now he knew that his beloved was alive out there somewhere, all he needed was enough power to be able to reach her, all he needed was his sister.

    A hundred or so years ago, Aiden could remember spending most of his time floating in a state of lucidity. After drinking the blood of the human who had aided In Estel¡¯s kidnapping, he remembered experiencing an overwhelming amount of power flowing through his veins, so much so that he felt he could wipe out the entire central continent and every human in it, but the elven king Aragon had used a spell on him that put him in an unconscious state and suppressed his magic.

    Even though in this state, Aiden was fully aware of everything that happened around him. He remembered how his mother cried by his side every night, and once in a while his father too. He remembered his father inw Aragon, visiting and speaking to him about Estel every single day. After a little while his father inw stopped showing up, it was highly unusual of him so Aiden concluded that he must have passed away and it broke his heart.

    He could remember that after a while they left Ervelon for some reason and this put Aiden into a panic. Ervelon was the only ce he would be able to find any trace of his Estel so he didn¡¯t want to leave.

    As the nosferatu caravan moved, Aiden was in a constant battle against the suppression magic that was used on him, and by some sort of miracle he managed to break the spell. The entourage was in a mess trying to subdue him and it hurt Aiden to have to leave his people behind but he had to find Estel. Because what was a life without his blood half, nothing.

    He managed to wade off all the nosferatu who tried to pin him down and escaped, but sadly the nosferatu prince was unable to return to Ervelon, instead he settled in a hidden ce until he could figure out a way to find his sister and retrieve his beautiful Estel.

    The door of Aiden¡¯s chambers swung open and Theodora walked in in an outfit that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Her silk sheer gown clearly showed every curve, every nook and every inch of her body.

    ¡°Aiden, I made dinner aren¡¯t you going to join me?¡±

    ¡°Thank you Theodora but I¡¯m not quite hungry right now..¡±

    The woman frowned and folded her arms, Aiden didn¡¯t even look in her direction to notice what she was wearing, and she looked incredibly gorgeous too. She walked seductively to where he was sitting and forced herself onto hisp. ¡°Aiden, I said I made dinner.¡±

    Theodora was a nosferatu woman who Aiden had met when he was aimlessly moving around trying to find a ce to settle. She had run away from home and was about to be vited by some thugs when Aiden ripped them limb from limb.

    Aiden wasn¡¯t sure it if was the gore that drew her in but she had be obsessed with him ever since. She against his wishes vowed loyalty to him and pledged to abide to his every wishes. She even went as far as feeding on human blood so she could be just like him. Her love and obsession for him run very deep.

    Regardless of all this, her blind obedience, her obsession and her constant attempts to get Aiden to bed. The man had never touched her, he tolerated her, mostly out of pity but his heart already belonged to another. But Theodora wasn¡¯t the kind of woman to take no for an answer.

    The blue eyed man sighed and looked up at the half naked woman on hisp, ¡°thank you for dinner Theodora, I¡¯d love to eat it.¡±

    The woman smiled happily and wrapped her arms around Aiden, pressing his face into her exposed breasts. ¡°I made your favorite, you¡¯re going to love it I promise.¡± She excitedly slipped off hisp and pulled him towards the dining area. She sat him down on a chair and opened the multitude of trays that wereid out in front of him.

    ¡°Shall I feed you?..¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary-¡±

    Before Aiden could finish his sentence the beautiful curvy woman shoved a spoonful of stew into his mouth and smiled tauntingly at him. ¡°You know I won¡¯t take no for an answer Aiden.¡±

 Chapter 132

    132 Chapter 132 : I¡¯ll find a way to break the curse. [PG 18]

    Vivian ttered her eyes open when the sound of someone knocking at the door awoke her from her sleep. She turned to her side and instantly froze when she saw the tall handsome blonde elf named Zanderying there next to her, he too had been awoken by whoever was knocking. She blushed a little upon seeing his sleepy face, he was gorgeous.

    ¡°Zander good morning!¡± The person outside the door yelled.

    ¡°What do you want Zara?!¡±

    It was incredible how he could know instantly which one of his sisters was speaking, Vivian wouldn¡¯t be able to tell Zander¡¯s sisters voices apart even if her life depended on it.

    ¡°A message from Vivian¡¯s friend,¡± Zara called out, ¡°she says the carriage is ready so they can leave!¡±

    The blonde scoffed and closed his eyes again.

    ¡°Did you hear what I said in there?!¡±

    ¡°Zara you¡¯re on the other side of the door not the other side of the world,¡± Zander responded.

    ¡°Also breakfast is ready!¡± Zara called out

    .....

    ¡°Okay thank you now please go away!¡±

    The two heard Zara giggle before she turned and walked away. The blonde elf turned to face Vivian and instantly her cheeks dusted pink, just a glimpse of him was enough to bring all the feelings of the previous night rushing back to her mind. When he reached out and gently stroked her cheek, Vivian was sure her heart had stopped for a few seconds.

    ¡°Good morning to the most beautiful woman to ever walk the face of the earth..¡± he rasped. His groggy sleepy voice was enough to make the noaferatu woman sink back into the nket.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± she whispered behind the nket.

    Zander moved towards Vivian and slid on top of her, it was then that the woman realized that she was still nude from head to toe, in fact,

    both of them werepletely naked. She flinched when the man¡¯s phallus slid up her thigh.

    ¡°Do you really have to go?¡± Zanderined about Vivian¡¯s leaving for probably the hundredth time in the past few hours.

    Vivian cupped his face and smiled warmly at him, ¡°I keep telling you, this isn¡¯t goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Either way I want you here,¡± he whispered. ¡°I want toe home and find you right here looking as beautiful as ever, waiting for me.¡±

    Vivian had recently learned that after the battle with the humans a hundred or so years ago, his parents left the family castle in his name and moved to the further most deepest parts of Ervelon, it wasmon for people here to retire from their duties and go settle in such ces. He had taken over the family castle and took care of his sisters there.

    ¡°That will all happen in due time Zander but right now I- ahhh Zander what are you doing?¡±

    The man had caught one of her soft perky nipples between his teeth before proceeding to sucking her mounds longingly. When he let go he looked up at her and with a mischievous smile he growled, ¡°I¡¯m about to give you a reason toe back to me.¡±

    The blonde elf pinned the woman¡¯s arms over her head and moved his lips from her bosom to her chest and to her neck, littering light kisses that made her body twitch. Vivian gasped when she felt the man¡¯s member slowly swell between her thighs until it was as hard and as hot as an iron rod.

    ¡°Let me in..¡± Zander whispered and Vivian pried her legs open uponmand. The gesture made her blush shamefully and made Zander beam with happiness, never did he think he¡¯d have her here with him in bed about to make sweet love to her for the second time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stare at me like that you¡¯re embarrassing me,¡± Vivian sqealed. Her hands were pinned over her head and her chest was in full disy to the man who was drinking in all her features.

    ¡°You are so beautiful Viv,¡± Zander rasped as he slid one of his hands into the sheets to his crotch, positioning it right at Vivian¡¯s entrance. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d ever say this to anyone, but I love you so much.¡±

    ¡°aaah!¡±

    The intrusion of Zander¡¯s shaft was a little painful at first, but unlike the first time they had made love the pain quickly disappeared. As he moved slowly in and out of her core she began to roll her hips and follow his movements, much to his pleasure.

    ¡°That¡¯a girl,¡± Zander whispered as he increased his pace. When he had first made love to Vivian he had no idea she was still a virgin and inexperienced in sex, this took him by surprise considering how beautiful Vivian was, but most of all, it boasted his ego a huge deal. He couldn¡¯t believe he was the first man to deflower her, if she thought he was possessive of her before, now it was going to be much worse.

    ¡°Zander I think I¡¯m going to...¡±

    The blonde elf increased his pace as he too felt himself reaching his peak, he pumped deep into Vivian and they both groaned and moaned in unison. Vivian¡¯s love juicesthered his manhood and hepletely spent himself inside of her before rolling off and pulling her into his embrace.

    ¡°Let me clean you up and we can go and have our breakfast,¡± he whispered while nting soft kisses all over her face.

    Vivian buried herself into his embrace and drew in his intoxicating scent, never did she think she would fall in love with an elven man. She chuckled when she remembered how her aunt had jokingly told her she might fall for an elf but she religiously denied. Now look at her,ying naked in the arms of an elf.

    ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± Zander whispered to the woman.

    Vivina shook her head and trailed her fingers over the bite marks she had left on Zander¡¯s neck, ¡°I¡¯m just happy.¡±

    *

    Gareth was sitting on the floor in the corner of his chambers, his head buried in his knees, the ring he was supposed to give Melissa in his hand, and a couple of empty bottles of ale at his feet.

    The door to his chambers slowly swung open and a pair of sandaled feet walked in and stood a few inches away from Gareth. ¡°Your grace, I brought you something to eat.¡±

    Ronda crouched down and set the try of food next to the one she had brought in earlier that morning. ¡°Your grace you should eat something..¡±

    Gareth didn¡¯t answer, neither did he move. The woman reached for his arm but the words ¡°don¡¯t touch me,¡± stopped her mid air.

    ¡°Your grace don¡¯t you think this has overrun its course?¡± She spoke, ¡°Melissa is a married woman who chose to go back to Meria with her husband. I see no reason why you should be moping over her. I personally think her leaving was the best for you and for this kingdom.¡±

    The elven prince rose his head slowly and red at Ronda. The vivid purple of his eyes and the dark markings etched on his forehead made the green eyed elven woman stumble backwards.

    ¡°Get out..¡± Gareth rasped.

    ¡°Your grace I¡¯m only trying to-¡±

    ¡°GET OUT!!¡± An invisible force crushed into Ronda and dragged her across the floor and out the door, after which the door mmed shut. The handsome prince then grabbed a bottle of ale and brought it to his mouth but realized it was empty. He threw it against the wall and it broke into hundreds of pieces, he then leaned his head against the wall and stared at the ceiling. ¡°Mel..¡± Gareth had never felt so empty before.

    ¡°What am I going to do now..¡± the man muttered to himself. If Elric had kidnapped Melissa or something of that sort, he would have followed her, but the silver haired king didn¡¯t force her to leave with him, she willingly gave herself up so she could save them all. If she hadn¡¯t done so, that psychopath would havemitted suicide and doomed them all, and what are the odds he wouldn¡¯t try it again if Gareth followed Melissa to Meria. The elven prince felt so helpless and empty, did this mean he just had to endure seeing the woman he loved iving her life with another man? That wasn¡¯t fair.

    The door to Gareth¡¯s chambers opened once again making him frown. ¡°Why won¡¯t the lot of you just leave me alone..¡±

    ¡°Gareth stop wallowing around in self pity over a woman.¡± Queen Tauriel sat down on a sofa next to her son who was sitting on the floor and ring at her. ¡°You have a kindom to lead Gareth, put yourself together-¡±

    ¡°To hell with your kingdom,¡± he spoke.

    ¡°You have a duty,¡± the queen continued, ¡°I sacrificed years of having you cradled my arms so you could fulfill yourte father¡¯s wishes and take back ournd.¡±

    ¡°And because of this stupid reincarnation thing you people selfishly bestowed upon me, without my permission by the way, I cannot be with the woman I love!¡± Gareth stood up and begun walking towards the open door, ¡°I want no part in all of this, I¡¯m going to find a way to break this curse so Melissa and I can be free.¡±

    ¡°Gareth!-¡±

    SLAM!

 Chapter 133

    133 Chapter 133 : Aiden meets Theodora

    {ABOUT 75 YEARS BACK}

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I haven¡¯t seen anyone who fits that description.¡±

    Aiden sighed and pulled the hood of his cloak further down his face, ¡°okay thank you for the help.¡± He turned around and was about to leave but stopped mid stride. He then turned back the the bardy and asked, ¡°can I use your bathrooms? I¡¯ll pay.¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s alright you don¡¯t have to pay anything.¡± She pointed to the wooden door that was situated at the far left. ¡°It¡¯s over there, it¡¯s not very clean though.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The red headed cloaked man walked to the bathroom and closed the door shut behind him. He pulled off his hood and cupped his face as his teeth gnashed in anger. Another dead end, another failed attempt to track down Estel and his son.

    Aiden had been roaming the continent in search of his family, following tips and imed sightings of Estel and his baby. But time and time again he¡¯d hit into a dead end and the trail would go cold, it was driving him insane, the moment he felt a glimmer of hope that he was closer to finding her, the world would smack him t in the face.

    The blue eyed man walked slowly to the grimy mirrors of the bathroom and inspected his face. His eyes had retained their blue color finally, but the little horns on his head were still visible even though much smaller now. Another thing that had changed about him other than his bicolored wings and overwhelming new found abilities, was that he hadpletely lost his need to feed on blood. Aiden was still trying to adjust to all of this but it was a bit overwhelming especially with no one by his side.

    He grabbed adle that was floating in a wooden drum of water and washed his face. ¡°I can¡¯t keep leaving like this, I need to find shelter.¡±

    The nosferatu prince had be a bit of a nomad, moving from town to town sleeping in any ce that didn¡¯t let in rain or snow, and depended on the small animals he haunted for norishment. It was getting tedious to keep moving aimlessly from town to town, he needed a permanent residence that he could return to after scouring the continent for Estel, but where? He couldn¡¯t go back to Ervelon and he also couldn¡¯t go to the snonds where his family had settled, he had beenbeled a rouge and a threat and he knew if he went to either ces they would confine him. He couldn¡¯t be locked up, at least not until he found his wife and son.

    .....

    When the door of the bathroom swung open, Aiden quickly pulled up his hood, he couldn¡¯t afford anyone knowing who he was and what he had be. As the drunken men walked to the pots to relieve themselves he turned to leave.

    ¡°Oi! Hold on a second littled what¡¯s the rush?¡±

    Just from their footsteps Aiden could tell that these men were heavily intoxicated and were nothing but trouble. If he didn¡¯t leave right now they would draw attention to him. One of the men grabbed Aiden by the shoulder with his unwashed hand.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t ye thed who was making moves on my woman?¡± The man spoke.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Aiden responded, trying hard not to get angry, because he knew if he did, he may not be able to control himself.

    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s him, that¡¯s the little bugger,¡± another man responded, ¡°I saw him talking to her at the bar! I say we teach him a lesson on why you need to stay away from people¡¯s wives.¡±

    ¡°Oi! Face me when I¡¯m talking you you little-¡±

    ¡°Are ye alright in there?!¡± The bardy called out from the door, ¡°you¡¯re holding up the queue out here!¡±

    The man let Aiden go and took a step back, ¡°you should thank your lucky stars littled, otherwise it would have been a very bad day for you.¡±

    Without responding, the nosferatu prince walked out of the bathroom and out the front door of the bar. Humans were such revolting and annoying creatures, if he didn¡¯t have to keep his identity concealed, he would have massacred everyst one of them.

    He walked through the streets towards a market where he could get some food and possibly a ce to spend the night. He had traveled far to follow a tip that imed that someone saw a blonde woman with a baby roaming around in Kiv, the capital of the kingdom of Cenia, so he didn¡¯t have a lot of energy to go hunting. Aiden bought some meat and herbs and started making his way towards the outskirts of town.

    As he made a turn down a hilly path he saw a group of menughing sinisterly and harassing a woman who they had surrounded. Aiden instantly recognized the men, it was the same men who had almost ended their lives by trying to pick a fight with him in the bar bathroom, it really wasn¡¯t their lucky day was it?

    ¡°Stay away from me or else you¡¯ll be sorry!¡± The woman screamed at the men. She wastching onto her dress which they had ripped, to keep it from exposing her breasts.

    ¡°Look at those teeth,¡± one of the men spoke in amusement, ¡°she really is a bloody vampire isn¡¯t she? What are you doing out of your cage you little slut?¡±

    ¡°Hold her down!¡± Another manmanded, it was the same man who was using Aiden of flirting with his woman. ¡°I¡¯ll teach her to keep to her cage.¡±

    The other three men pinned the woman down while the first man begun to unbutton his pants, ¡°stop squirming sweetheart you¡¯re going to enjoy every second of this.¡±

    ¡°You bastard!¡± She screamed as she tried to pry herself away from the men but their numbers overpowered her, ¡°touch me and you¡¯re dead!¡±

    ¡°Ohe on now, your fellow vampires tend to love my cock,¡± he spoke with a menacing chuckle, ¡°just rx..¡±

    ¡°Hey!...¡±

    The men all turned their heads and saw Aiden facing them.

    ¡°Leave her alone..¡±

    The man who was about to pounce on the nosferatu woman tucked his phallus back into his pants and took a step towards Aiden. ¡°Aren¡¯t you that little bugger from the bar?¡± He asked with a taunting smile, ¡°we can let you join in on the fun if you like. These filthy vampires are nothing but garbage anyway.¡±

    The statement red a me in Aiden¡¯s chest, humans really were revolting creatures, selfish and self centered. The nosferatu prince peeled off his cloak and tossed it to the ground, revealing his massive bicolored red and ck wings.

    ¡°Oi captain he¡¯s one of them!¡± One of the men yelled.

    ¡°What was that you said about vampires?¡± Aiden spoke in a low but firm tone. His nails lengthened and his eyes turned blood red.

    The man zipped up his pants and spat towards Aiden¡¯s feet, ¡°I said y¡¯all are a bunch of garb-¡±

    It was like light, no one saw how or what Aiden had done but within a fraction of a second he was standing over the three men, who were pinning down the nosferatu woman, with the other man¡¯s head dangling in his hand. Blood gushed from the neck of the decapited corpse behind him before it plopped to the ground.

    All the other men, including the nosferatu woman froze in ce trying to contemte what the hell had just happened.

    ¡°You little prick!¡± One of the men yelled as he stood up and charged at Aiden with a dagger.

    The weapon lodged into the palm of Aiden¡¯s hand that he had stretched out but the nosferatu prince showed no sign of pain. The man let go of the dagger and stumbled back in shock but before he could mull over anything, the prince pulled the dagger from this palm and thrust it into the man¡¯s throat. He then pulled it upwards causing the man¡¯s head to split onto two halves.

    Fear clenched the hearts of the other two men as they watched the mutted corpse of theirrade fall to the ground. They got to their feet to make a run for it, but Aiden was too quick. At the speed of light he used the dagger to chop both of them into chunks of bone and flesh, piling them up in their tracks.

    When every one of the men was dead, he tossed the dagger aside and walked back to where he had put his meat and herb, but unfortunately it had been spoiled by the blood of the men he had killed.

    ¡°I can offer you some food!¡± The nosferatu woman called out behind him.

    Aiden turned to face her and threw his blood stained cloak back over his body, ¡°go home to your family,¡± he rasped and began to walk away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a family!¡± She called out making Aiden stop in his trucks. She inched closer to him and drew in a deep breath. This man was very intimidating and scary but he has saved her life, and for some reason, she was oddly drawn to him.

    ¡°I can offer you clean clothes as well,¡± she continued to speak, ¡°and shelter. Please let me thank you.¡±

    The prince looked down at his bloody clothes, they would definitely stir up trouble for him if he didn¡¯t change them. And the sun was setting, he did need a ce to spend the night. Aiden turned to face the woman and nodded, ¡°I would be grateful, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡± The woman sqealed with joy and threw her arms in the air excitedly, letting the dress she was clutching peel open and expose her right breast. ¡°I¡¯m Theodora, and you are?¡±

    Aiden looked at her breast with a t face and pointed a finger at it, ¡°you should probably cover that up so you don¡¯t draw any more attention to yourself.¡±

 Chapter 134

    134 Chapter 134 : Damien

    Aiden whipped his head back when he heard a gentle knock at the door. ¡°Hey!¡± Theodora called out from outside, ¡°I brought you some clothes to change, can Ie in?¡±

    Aiden pried the door open and the woman gasped a little when the tall red headed man stood at the doorway in a towel only covering his lower half. She swallowed some saliva as her trembling hands stretched towards him. The nosferatu prince took the clothes and nodded, ¡°thank you.¡±

    ¡°N- no problem,¡± Theodora responded. She couldn¡¯t help but notice the tiny horns on his head and she wanted to ask about them but her treacherous eyes trailed down to his chiseled chest and abs.

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Aiden asked the woman.

    ¡°Umm no nothing,¡± Theodora responded, how could anything be wrong with a fine body like that. ¡°Dinner will be ready soon!¡± She quickly turned away and walked away from the man before he could see the blush on her face.

    Theodora¡¯s heart was still racing as she served food on her small table for her and her guest, she pulled out some old fancy tes that she thought she would never use ever again. She rinsed them thoroughly in a basin and moved to ce them on the table, as she briskly ced the tes she tripped over a wash rug, luckily before she could go st Aiden grabbed her and helped her retain her bnce.

    She looked up at the man who was holding her firmly by the hands and instantly her face turnedpletely red. She squealed and moved away from him, she didn¡¯t notice how vivid the blue of his eyes was. And those little horns gave him a devilish handsomeness that made her stomach churn.

    ¡°Please sit down and eat!¡± She spoke a little too loud for her liking.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Aiden responded casually before pulling out a chair and sitting across from her. Theodora put the te down and took her seat, why was she feeling so overwhelmed around this man? She had been approached several times by handsome men so what was different about him? She looked up at him and realized he was sitting staring at her.

    .....

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was waiting for you,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°you are my host after all.¡±

    ¡°Oh of course!¡± Theodora uncovered the pot of stew, poured some for herself and passed it to Aiden who did the same. As they ate, she watched the red headed man, he was so poised and elegant in the way he carried himself, even the way he ate was so ssy, he definitely wasn¡¯t an ordinary man.

    ¡°So where are you from?¡± Theodora asked in an attempt to get to know a bit more about her handsome saviour.

    ¡°I live my life on the road,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°I don¡¯t really have a ce I¡¯m from.¡±

    ¡°I see..¡± his vague response made her even more curious, but before she could interrogate him some more, he asked her a question.

    ¡°You said you don¡¯t have any family,¡± he spoke without looking at her, ¡°what happened to them?¡±

    Theodora put her spoon down and sighed, this wasn¡¯t a topic she liked talking about but if she was going to get this mystery man to open up more about himself, she was going to have to open up herself as well.

    ¡°My mother was killed during the great cleansing,¡± she spoke, ¡°I¡¯m an only child, and after my father passed away she was the only family I had left. So when she was killed I practically had no one. Unlike the other survivors who were captured and subjected to gruesome experimentation, I was taken in as a ve by a rich old scummy human. He¡¯s a foul man who worked me to the bone and violeted me constantly.¡±

    Aiden flinched at her statement, he could only imagine how scarring that experience must be. And if she went through such inhuman treatment he could only imagine what the others were going through and it made his blood boil.

    ¡°Well a few weeks ago I decided to escape,¡± Theodora exined, ¡°I¡¯ve been living in hiding ever since. This old little house was abandoned when I found it because there were rumors it was haunted or something.¡± The woman chuckled and picked her spoon back up, ¡°so this is my little humble abode now.¡±

    ¡± I see,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about what you¡¯ve gone through, it¡¯s terrible.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, what¡¯s passed is passed,¡± she spoke as she finished up her stew and leaned over the table. ¡°So what about you? Why are you just roaming the continent, where¡¯s your family?¡±

    Aiden finished his food and put down his spoon, ¡°my family... well... they were taken away from me.¡±

    ¡°Taken away? By who?¡±

    ¡°The humans,¡± the nosferatu prince responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know where they took them, but I assure you I¡¯m going to find out and save them.¡±

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry about that, is it your parents?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the red headed man responded, ¡°it¡¯s my wife and child.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± was all Theodora could respond. She didn¡¯t know why but hearing him mention a wife and a child broke her heart a little, but at the same time she felt bad for him. She rted to his pain and regardless of who it was, losing someone you love was a heavy burden.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± Theodora asked the man, ¡°what happened to you? I mean you¡¯re a nosferatu but none like I¡¯ve ever seen before. How did you get bicolored wings and those horns on your head?¡±

    Aiden fell silent for a bit, he hadpletely forgotten about his horns and how she had seen his wings before.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me that¡¯s alright,¡± the woman quickly added on.

    ¡°No it¡¯s alright,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°I mean you were kind enough to host me so it¡¯s only fair I exin myself to you.¡±

    Theodara leaned closer anxiously waiting for his response. Was it a curse? Was he born like this? Did someone put a spell in him?

    ¡°I drunk the blood of a human,¡± Aiden responded.

    Theodora went wide eyed. It wasn¡¯t the fact that he had drunk human blood that took her by surprise but the fact that he said it with zero emotion. What on earth had this man been through?

    *

    A man in a long ck hooded cloak walked rushly down a flight of stairs surrounded by high walls only lit by a few asional candles. He reached arge wooden door that he pushed open and walked in, the room he entered was mostly empty except for a bed in the far end with a frail manying in it.

    The manying on the bed turned his head and looked up at the cloaked intruder with his sickly sunken eyes and coughed violently before speaking. ¡°How is she doing?¡±

    ¡°She cooled down a bit,¡± the cloaked man spoke, ¡°she¡¯s also more cooperative now.¡±

    ¡°It is imperative she¡¯s healthy enough..¡±

    ¡°I know your lordship..¡± the cloaked man responded.

    ¡°And the child, how is the child?¡±

    The cloaked man pulled down his cloak revealing his bold head and in facial features. The only thing about him that would catch someone¡¯s eye was his luck of eyebrows and the ¡®all seeing eye¡¯ tattoo etched onto his forhead. ¡°The child is healthy as expected your lordship,¡± he responded, ¡°he has not yet began to reveal any magical attributes, but his physical features are very distinct.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes your lordship, the boy has the ears of an elf but bares the fangs of a nosferatu, it¡¯s absolutely incredible.¡±

    The frail man smiled to himself and turned his head to face the ceiling, ¡°that child is my key to immortality and getting rid of this retched body that withers away each day,¡± he rasped, ¡°take good care of him, of both of them.¡±

    ¡°Of course your lordship.¡± The cloaked man bowed and turned to leave the room. As he walked a proud smile painted his odd looking face, he was so happy that he had finally found a suitable vessel for his master¡¯s soul, what were the odds that an elf and a nosferatu would procreate and create a being so powerful, it was absolutely amazing!

    He walked up the dark flight of stairs till he emerged into a hallway that led him to another staircase that led up to the tallest tower of the castle. He stopped at the door and knocked gently. Upon not hearing a response he knocked again but this time a voice came telling him to go away.

    The cloaked man opened the door and walked in, ¡°ohe on now I thought we had started getting along?¡±

    Estel rose from the bed and moved to the crib where her son wasying asleep, ¡°don¡¯te any closer Kazan I¡¯m warning you.¡±

    ¡°I only came to bring you those herbs you requested,¡± the wizard spoke, ¡°you mentioned that Damien wasn¡¯t feeling too well so I decided to bring the herbs myself.¡±

    Estel drew in a breath and rxed herposure, ¡°you can put them on the table over there,¡± she directed the man, ¡°after which you can leave.¡±

    ¡°Testy,¡± the man chuckled as he put the bag of herbs on the table. He turned to head for the door only turning to face her briefly, ¡°make

    sure nothing happens to the boy, he¡¯s the only reason you¡¯re still alive.¡± And with that the man closed the door.

 Chapter 135

    135 Chapter 135 : You¡¯re the king¡¯s wife

    { THE PRESENT }

    ¡°I see, so you really are her mother,¡± Bahram spoke.

    ¡°I never wanted her to y any part in this,¡± Marceline pouted, ¡°so when I received the letter that she was here with Edron¡¯s son I came as quickly as I could. I mean if Elric is already king of almost the whole continent, there is no need for a war with the humans right? No one has to get hurt and Melissa can finallye home with me.¡±

    ¡°I take it you haven¡¯t met your dear son inw,¡± William murmured as he sipped his tea and mouthed some biscuits.

    ¡°Elric? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±

    ¡°Other than the fact that he is an obsessive psychopath tyrant who will slit the throat of anyone who tries to take Melissa away from him, he¡¯s a good guy,¡± Bahram responded sarcastically.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Marceline looked pensive for a minute and then looked up at Bahram, ¡°is that why he ims to be Melissa¡¯s mate?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand..¡±

    ¡°Well you see the mating of lycans is very specific,¡± Marceline exined, ¡°some even believe a lycan¡¯s mate is predetermined even before birth. When a lycan meets their mate there¡¯s an obsessive love they develop for them.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Well considering that he lured us out here so he could bait her toe back to Meria,¡± William pointed out, ¡°don¡¯t you think maybe she is his mate?¡±

    ¡°That would suck,¡± Jonathanmented in displeasure.

    ¡°She¡¯d have to be stuck with a crazy man like him forever,¡± Alexander added on.

    ¡°But she¡¯s not though,¡± Marceline corrected the men.

    Emma arched a brow at the red haired woman, ¡°how are you so sure?¡±

    ¡°A mother knows,¡± the nosferatu queen responded, ¡°you see like lycans, us nosferatu have what we call blood halves, and Melissa already met her blood half long before she ever knew king Elric. I felt it as clear as day, I have no doubt in my mind. She can¡¯t be Elric¡¯s mate if she already found her blood half, it just doesn¡¯t work that way.¡±

    ¡°But Elric is obsessed with her and we all know it, so why is that?¡± Bahram questioned. ¡°Did he get it wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Marceline responded, looking equally confused.

    William leaned back in his chair and contemted over what Marceline had just said, if Melissa had met her half long before she met Elric, was it possible that her blood half was actually the elf prince Gareth? And if that was the case, why was Elric insistent on iming she was his mate.

    ¡°So when are you finding your blood halves boys?¡± Emma tauntingly questioned her twin sons who both blushed in unison.

    ¡°Mother please!¡± They both mumbled in embarrassment making everyone chuckle.

    *

    Gareth walked out of the pce and down the rocky paths in a wobbly stride, he had a bit too much ale as usual but had decided he needed to go out and find someone who could help him with his situation with Melissa, a witch, a wizard, anyone. He was going absolutely mad without her, every time he was sober all the thought about was how much he wanted to be holding her in his arms but wasn¡¯t.

    Suddenly, hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, it was Finwe and he had a worried look on his face as he examined his intoxicated brother. ¡°You¡¯re drunk again Gareth?¡±

    ¡°And what do you care?¡± The prince responded. He grabbed Finwe¡¯s arm and threw it off him, ¡°isn¡¯t this what you wanted? Isn¡¯t this what you ALL wanted?!¡±

    ¡°I have always been on your side and you know this..¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you do anything when that dog Elric took her from me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry brother I should have done something and I didn¡¯t,¡± Finwe responded. He then grabbed Gareth¡¯s wrist and began pulling him back towards the pce, e back in, you can¡¯t let people see you like this Gareth you¡¯re the crowned prince.¡±

    Gareth pulled his arm away and continued walking, ¡°I relinquish that title, you can have it!¡±

    ¡°Gareth..¡± Finwe walked ahead of him and formed an invisible barrier to stop him. ¡°Where are you even going? You can barely walk!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing while Melissa is out there,¡± Gareth spoke firmly, ¡°out of my way!¡± The dark haired prince began banging on the barrier repeatedly.

    The fracas drew the attention of some of the maids who stole nces to watch what was going on.

    ¡°Finwe I¡¯m giving you to the count of three to move!¡±

    Finwe stood his ground as he watched his brother pound on the barrier, it was a sad site to see, love really was a disease.

    ¡°One!... Two!..¡±

    ¡°Gareth please you¡¯re causing a scene..¡±

    ¡°Three!¡± The dark haired prince drew in a breath and the Aztec like markings on his forehead red, he was about to raise his hand and use his magic when someone grabbed him from behind and locked his arms behind his back.

    ¡°Wha- what is this?!¡± Gareth yelled and began jerking his body.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me put you down your grace,¡± Zander spoke, ¡°calm down and we can discuss Melissa when you¡¯ve sobbered up.¡±

    ¡°Zander you traitor I thought you were my friend!¡± Gareth yelled as he squirmed around. Gashes of air and some vines lunged at the blonde elf but he strategically dodged the drunken attacks. ¡°Let me go Zander! Let me go! Please...¡±

    Finally Gareth stopped squirming and lowered his head, his brown locks covering his handsome face, ¡°please Zander I can¡¯t live like this..¡±

    The cracking in Gareth¡¯s voice and the tear drops thatnded at his feet made both the men¡¯s hearts ache.

    ¡°I¡¯m going mad without her Zander you don¡¯t understand,¡± more drops sttered on the ground. Never in his life had Zander seen the prince cry, ever, so he knew he must be in a lot of pain. And now that he had just seen Vivian off, he could rte to it.

    ¡°I know your grace,¡± Zander spokefortingly, ¡°but we can¡¯t do anything if you¡¯re drunk like this. You need to sober up, eat something and wash up, after that I¡¯ll help you find a way to be with princess Melissa.¡±

    The dark haired prince nodded slowly and Zander let him go. He dropped to his knees and clenched his chest as if his heart was in pain, but then again, it was. Finwe broke the barrier and walked towards his brother, he crouched down in front of him and very gently pulled him into his embrace.

    ¡°I¡¯m such a disgrace of a prince,¡± Gareth muttered, ¡°look at me crying over a woman in front of everyone. How will people look at me?¡±

    ¡°Like a man with a heart,¡± Finwe responded. He tightened his embrace around his brother, Gareth was a lot like how their mother described their father father. Even though quirky and level headed, very soft and emotional when it came to the people they loved. ¡°We¡¯ll get her back brother don¡¯t you worry, we have to.¡±

    *

    Melissa was sitting alone on a log minding her business and missing Gareth terribly as the men she was traveling with watered the horses and replenished their supplies. She had heard Elric speaking with one of his generals and had mentione that they would reach Meria in a few days time, it made her heart sink. The further away she was from Gareth the more hopeless and alone she felt, she didn¡¯t even know if she would ever see him again. Even though she volunteered to return with Elric she was practically his prisoner because she knew that if she tried to leave him he was crazy enough to kill all of them by ending his own life.

    ¡°Queen Melissa..¡±

    The redhead doubtfully turned to look at the lycan who was speaking to her. Did he just call her ¡®queen¡¯ Melissa? ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m no queen,¡± she corrected him.

    ¡°But my queen you¡¯re king Elric¡¯s wife,¡± the man spoke with a polite bow, ¡°hence I have to address you as such.¡±

    [Elric¡¯s wife huh?]

    Gods that left a murky feeling in her chest, if only she had known, she would have never even given this crazy man a second nce at the ball all those years ago.

    ¡°We were instructed by his majesty to help you freshen up,¡± the general continued, ¡°there is a shallow spot down the river where you can bathe, I¡¯ll stand watch.¡±

    Melissa raised her eyebrows at the men and he immediately turned red.

    ¡°I mean from a distance your majesty!¡± The general yelled, ¡°so that no one can.. umm..¡±

    Melissa stood up and began walking towards the river, ¡°don¡¯t get all embarrassed, I know you won¡¯t peek. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t want your psychopathic king to gauge your eyes out.¡±

    The general gulped and followed the redhead at a distance, she may have been joking but he knew that the king was very capable of doing exactly that.

    In as much as Melissa wanted no favors from the scummy king Elric, she was actually a little relived he¡¯d organized this for her. Today in particr she felt a little warmer than usual and it was ufortable, as if she wasing down with a fever. A nice cool bath may be exactly what she needed to feel better.

 Chapter 136

    136 Chapter 136 : A shift in attraction

    After making sure no one was close by, Melissa peeled off her clothes, tosssd them aside and walked into the cool water. She inhaled and exhaled slowly as the cool water ripples tickled her soft skin, the woman slowly moved further into the river till the water was just below her breasts. It was soothing and refreshing, and it made all the fatigue that had built up over past days of travel melt away.

    ¡°Refreshing isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Melissa turned around with a start and saw Elric standing mere inches behind her. She widened the gap between them and covered her breasts with her arms. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here..¡± the silver haired king responded coyly. He smiled slyly at her and inched towards her, but the movement made Melissa take twice as many steps away from him. Elric frowned at her reaction, ¡°what¡¯s the matter my wife? Does your husband not please you anymore?¡±

    Melissa looked at Elric¡¯s moistened chiseled body and for the first time since she had met him she felt absolutely nothing. Her body didn¡¯t react to the sight of him like it used to, her heart didn¡¯t tter, nothing! All she felt was pure difort.

    ¡°Are you not attracted to me anymore?¡± Elric asked Melissa once again, this time there was a hint of hurt in his voice as if he already knew the answer.

    The blue eyed woman didn¡¯t respond, what would she say? If she t out told him she felt nothing for him he might do something crazy, but at the same time she couldn¡¯t bring herself to lie.

    ¡°I see..¡± Elric spoke as he lowered his hand that was teaching out to Melissa, ¡°you¡¯ve gone to bed with him haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Now that statement whirled some feelings up. Melissa¡¯s heart skipped several beats as her eyes trailed up the man¡¯s body to his face. What was he doing to do? Kill her? Punish her? Kill him self? She pursed her lips ans lowered her gaze to the water. Elric was her husband and she had made love to another man, but for some reason she wasn¡¯t ashamed of it, she was more ashamed when Gareth had found out she had slept with Elric.

    .....

    ¡°You should go dress up Lissa or else you¡¯ll catch a cold,¡± the man advised. His response made the woman tter her longshes in shock, why was he not losing his mind or going into a murderous fit?

    ¡°Lissa..?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The woman was at a loss for words, she had really thought that kind of information would trigger some sort of anger within him, a bit of jealousy maybe? But there was nothing, he was even calling her by a cute nickname.

    ¡°If you¡¯re done washing up, you should dress up before you get a cold,¡± the lycan prince repeated himself, ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.. yeah .. sure..¡± she slowly walked out of the water, the shock of his response making her topletely forget that she was walking naked in front of him.

    Elric watched her grab her clothes, dress up and walk away. He was confused as to why he was feeling this way all of a sudden. His initial n was to get Melissa to the river where he¡¯d be waiting for her, entice her the way he always had done before and make sweet love to her long and hard topensate for all the time she was away from him.

    But for some reason that feeling of sexual longing wasn¡¯t quite there. He had been feeling it dwindling from the moment he had retrieved her from Ervelon but now he knew it was really serious, because under normal conditions seeing her naked would have been more than enough to get him going but right now he felt nk, not even his manhood had hardened.

    He still had an overwhelming love for Melissa there was no doubt about that, but the love felt different now. He still wanted so badly to have her by his side, to protect her, to care for her but he didn¡¯t feel like being intimate with her in any way. How strange.

    *

    Zander tapped his fingers on the table as he watched Finwe enter the room. The blonde young prince pulled out one of the empty seats and settled down to face the six men sitting with him.

    Ivan moved his gaze constantly between Zander and Finwe as the silence lingered longer in the room until he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Will the two of you tell us what the bloody hell is going on!¡± He glowered impatiently, ¡°you said this is important but here you are dragging us into a fucking staring contest!¡±

    ¡°Calm down Ivan we¡¯re getting to that,¡± Zander shushed his snappy friend. He then turned to Finwe and gave him half a nod, ¡°you can tell them what you told me prince Finwe.¡±

    The elven prince cast his gaze on each one of the six men before drawing in a dramatic breath and speaking, ¡°princess Melissa is pregnant.¡±

    A silence befell the room once again as the men at the table tried to contemte what Finwe had just uttered.

    Ivan abruptly rose from his seat and mmed his palms in the table as he gave Finwe a fearful re, ¡°Gods help you..¡± he muttered in a jittery tone, ¡°not only will prince Gareth chop your cock off and feed it to the goblins, but that maniac Elric will mutte you and use your remains as fertilizer for the flowers he¡¯ll give your mother at your funeral!¡±

    ¡°What?! No you idiot it¡¯s not my baby it¡¯s Gareth¡¯s!¡± Finwe corrected him.

    He saw the sighs of relief from all the men at the table upon hearing him say that and it took him aback. ¡°Wait!¡± Finwe yelled, ¡°you all thought I got the princess pregnant?! What the hell?!¡±

    ¡°Well can you me us my prince?¡± Rnd responded with a shrug of his shoulders, ¡°we all saw how you were looking at her at the ball.¡±

    ¡°What no!¡± Finwe yelled in denial, ¡°okay I admit that princess Melissa is a bit attractive...¡±

    Everyone at the table raised their eyebrows at his statement.

    ¡°..okay she¡¯s very attractive..¡±

    Their eyebrows rose higher

    ¡°Okay she is the most attractive woman I have ever seen! Are you happy now?!¡±

    The men all nodded in unison as if they were a jury who had just been presented with unquestionable evidence of a crime.

    ¡°But regardless of this I respect the rtionship she has with my brother and wouldn¡¯t do anything to jeopardize that,¡± Finwe added on as he settled back in his seat. ¡°My point is Melissa is carrying an heir to the Ervelon throne, and she¡¯s in the arms of a dangerous man. If he finds out she¡¯s pregnant with Gareth¡¯s child...¡± The blonde prince gulped, ¡°I don¡¯t think we want to think about what would happen if he did find out.¡±

    ¡°Then why did she choose to leave with Elric if she is carrying prince Gareth¡¯s baby?¡± Beric asked in confusion, ¡°why would she take a child away from its father.¡±

    ¡°She did it because Elric threatened to kill all of them by taking his own life,¡± Zander responded

    ¡°And also.. she doesn¡¯t know that she¡¯s pregnant.¡± Finwe added on

    All the men turned to look at Finwe in shock.

    ¡°Then how the hell do you know she¡¯s pregnant?!¡± Ivan questioned before rashly adding ¡®your grace¡¯ at the end of his statement as if making it any less disrespectful.

    ¡°I just do, it¡¯s something I saw from the first time I met her, there¡¯s no doubt in my mind,¡± the blonde prince responded.

    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is how Gareth let her leave so easily knowing that she was pregnant,¡± Odran pondered.

    ¡°Oh he doesn¡¯t know she¡¯s pregnant either,¡± Finwe responded sheepishly.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Then he must be told,¡± Oziasmented, ¡°why didn¡¯t you tell him sooner?¡±

    ¡°Because I thought I had time to break it to them after he proposed..¡±

    ¡°Propose?!¡± The men gasped in unison.

    ¡°Yes Gareth was going to propose to her,¡± Finwe replied, ¡°but that¡¯s why I¡¯m here telling you this. Gareth is in a bit of an unstable state right now and I don¡¯t think he trusts me enough yet. So I need your help, his friends, to break the news to him and help him find a way to get her back before Elric realizes she¡¯s pregnant.¡±

    ¡°Who is pregnant?¡±

    The men all turned to the door where Gareth had just walked in. ¡°What¡¯s this meeting about?¡± The dark haired prince asked as he walked towards the table, ¡°who¡¯s pregnant? Don¡¯t tell me Ivan has already started his escapades when his wife is on the way here.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Ivan sqealed in offense.

    Zanded rose to his feet and bowed politely at Gareth, ¡°your grace wee, how did you get here?¡± He remembered that he had locked his front door to avoid any interruptions from his sisters.

    ¡°Zelda let me in, nice girl,¡± Gareth spoke as he took a seat at the table. ¡°So what are you all talking about?¡±

 Chapter 137

    137 Chapter 137 : Nothing makes sense anymore

    Gareth was breathing heavily as he looked at the men sitting around the table. His forehead was littered with little beads of sweat and his hands that were firmly gripping the table beneath him were trembling violently.

    ~Mel.. my Melissa is carrying my baby?~

    ~She¡¯s pregnant~

    ~with my baby~

    ~and she¡¯s out there with..~

    The handsome dark haired prince pushed the chair he had been sitting on gently backwards and rose to his feet.

    ¡°Brother are you-¡±

    ¡°How long have you known this Finwe?¡± Gareth interrupted his brother. He lifted his head and bored his now ring purple eyes at the blonde prince. ¡°How long have you known that Melissa was carrying my child?¡±

    Finwe gulped, his brother was speaking calmly but his question still managed to make him feel a little intimidated. ¡°I could tell from the first time I met her,¡± he responded, ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure at first but after the pixies blessed her, I knew.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Gareth added on

    ¡°Honestly I thought you knew in the beginning,¡± Finwe exined, ¡°the way you were doting and protective of her made me think you did. But turns out it was just you being you. I wanted to tell the both of you after you proposed. Why do you think I was in support of your rtionship even if everyone else wasn¡¯t.¡±

    Gareth went silent for a few moments and let the information he had just received digest. He then pushed the chair aside and began walking towards the exit. Zander who had anticipated his reaction blocked his path. ¡°Excuse me Zander,¡± Gareth spoke calmly but firmly.

    ¡°Where are you going your grace?¡± Zander¡¯s deep voice responded with an equal firmness to it. It was more like he was telling Gareth to get a hold of himself than actually asking him a question.

    ¡°Where do you think?¡± Gareth responded, ¡°Mel is out there pregnant with my child. I¡¯m going to get her back.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be haste,¡± the blonde elf spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest, ¡°you always get so worked up when princess Melissa is involved that you forget to be logical. She¡¯s your weakness.¡±

    ¡°So what if she is?!¡± Gareth yelled at Zander. For some reason that statement got to him, probably because he was right. Gareth had always had a strong sense of duty and levelheadedness, he was always cool and collected and never jumped at anything. But when it came to Melissa, all logic and reason went out the fucking window, the only thing that rang in his mind was ¡®protect her¡¯ and ¡®keep her safe¡¯.

    ¡°It¡¯s only going to get worse now that you know she¡¯s with child,¡± Zander continued to speak ¡°I understand why Finwe kept it from you, you would have done something impulsive and reckless.¡± Zander inched closer to the scowling prince and ced his hands in the man¡¯s shoulders, ¡°that¡¯s where wee in, your friends, let us help you. Let us be the logic and sense of reason in such times.¡±

    Gareth¡¯s scowl melted away, he had gotten so engulfed in the thoughts of everyone being being against him and Melissa that he hadpletely forgotten that he actually had allies with him, friends who had practically be family. He nodded at Zander and smiled lightly.

    ¡°Please sit,¡± Zander spoke as he pointed at his chair, ¡°I have a n that may allow you to put Elric in his ce and safely retrieve the princess.¡±

    *

    ¡°What?¡±

    The silver haired king shrugged and leaned back on the carriage wall as the caravan moved towards Meria, ¡°nothing,¡± he responded to the beautiful nosferatu woman who was sitting across from him.

    ¡°Well then could you please stop staring at me like that, you¡¯re making me nervous,¡± Melissa pouted.

    Her facial expression made Elric chuckle lightly, she was so adorable it was almost unnatural. But then why wasn¡¯t he getting excited about her presence, about her smile, her pout and all those other things that used to get his heart racing before.

    ¡°Something has changed about you Lissa,¡± Elric spoke, his golden eyes never leaving her adorable face. ¡°But I can¡¯t figure out what it is.¡±

    He leaned forward and studied her closely, ¡°how may times did you fuck him?¡±

    Melissa gasped and covered herself with her arms as if the man could see right through her garments. ¡°Elric what is wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just curious,¡± Elric responded.

    The look on his face was startling because he didn¡¯t look angry or upset about it, he just looked genuinely curious. What on earth was going on with him? He didn¡¯t seem as possessive as he was before.

    Melissa lowered her arms and gave Elric a curt look, ¡°that¡¯s non of your business Elric.¡±

    The silver haired king chuckled and leaned back, ¡°you¡¯re right, it¡¯s not,¡± he spoke and turned his head to look out the window. ¡°But I want to know, do you love him?¡±

    The red haired woman shot her blue eyes to the king who was casually looking out the carriage window. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Prince Gareth,¡± the lycan prince repeated himself, ¡°do you love him?¡±

    *

    ¡°Now think, what does Elric have that prince Gareth doesn¡¯t?¡± Zander asked the men sitting at the table.

    ¡°Melissa..¡± Ivan responded and received disapproving res from everyone. ¡°What it¡¯s true!¡±

    ¡°What prince Gareth doesn¡¯t have is an army,¡± Zander continued without paying any heed to Ivan¡¯s outburst. ¡°Elric has amassed an army sorge that even if we somehow convinced queen Tauriel to lend us her men, we wouldn¡¯t hold a candle to them. But that¡¯s all about to change.¡±

    Gareth looked at Zander skeptically, ¡°and how exactly am I going to amass an army of my own? The only men truly loyal to me are the six of you.¡±

    ¡°Seven..¡± Finwe corrected his brother. ¡°You have seven men loyal to you brother, me inclusive. Not only are you the heir to the throne and my future king, but you¡¯re also family, and family sticks together.¡±

    Gareth smiled and gave Finwe a thankful nod before turning back to Zander, ¡°so how exactly do you n on getting me an army, and what for? Are you insinuating we wage war against Elric like he did to us?¡±

    ¡°Not waging a war exactly. I was thinking more of intimidating him,¡± Zander responded. ¡°And as for the men, your grace not only are you the heir to the Ervelon throne. But you¡¯re forgetting you¡¯re the sole heir to the Gavarian throne. All the men of both gavaria and Baiviles are to be loyal to you by virtual of your birth.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Rnd added on, ¡°Zander you¡¯re a genius!¡±

    ¡°And if we y our cards right we can convince the dwarves of Lenora to join us,¡± Finwe spoke pensively, ¡°the question is how?¡±

    ¡°Lady Julia,¡± Beric responded, ¡°correct me if I¡¯m wrong but isn¡¯t she the daughter of king Dvalin of the dwarves?¡±

    ¡°Yes she is!¡± Zandermented excitedly, ¡°and Elric has her in Meria, I¡¯m pretty sure he would want to retrieve his daughter without a doubt.¡±

    ¡°If we have Gavaria, Baiviles, and Lenora on our side,¡± Gareth spoke, ¡°there is no way Elric will stand against us.¡±

    Ivan stood up and cleared his throat grabbing the attention of hisrades, ¡°so basically what you¡¯re all saying is we have to leave on another mission filled with goblins and bloodshed to help the prince here get back his runway woman, when our wives are mere days from reaching Ervelon?¡±

    The group all looked up at Ivan who had a smile stered on his face.

    ¡°Can we leave today?! Gods know how much I¡¯m not ready to hear my wife nag my ear off,¡± Ivan whined.

    ¡°Speak for yourself Ivan,¡± Beric responded with a dazed smile on his face, ¡°I want to leave my wife with a baby on the way, prince Gareth¡¯s child is gonna need ymates.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± Zander concluded, ¡°we leave for Lenora in four days. Then it¡¯s off to Gavaria. It will give time to you all to break the months of celibacy you¡¯ve endured.¡±

    *

    Melissa drew in a breath and straightened her posture before answering. She looked straight at Elric and with a calm serious face responded to the silver haired king¡¯s question, ¡°I do.¡± She spoke, ¡°I love prince Gareth with all my heart. I¡¯m sorry Elric, but I can¡¯t lie about that. I care about you a lot, even though you lied to me and tricked me our entire rtionship, but I still consider you someone important on my life. But regardless of all of that, my heart belongs to Gareth, it always has.¡±

    Elric continued looking out the carriage windows, he did not respond nor turn to look at Melissa after she gave him an answer.

    ¡°I see..¡± he responded casually, ¡°I¡¯m important to you am I?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you were there for me when I had no one,¡± Melissa responded in a low voice, ¡°I consider you a good friend.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± the silver haired king responded. He turned to Melissa and gave her a warm smile which confused the blue eyed woman, ¡°I consider you a good friend too, and I care about you very much.¡±

    Melissa was atplete loss for words, was this really the Elric she had grown up knowing? Why was he so calm about all this, nothing made sense anymore.

 Chapter 138

    138 Chapter 138 : The wives

    ¡°Shall I show you to your chambers?¡± Theo spoke to the guests. ¡°Please make yourselves at home, we should be expecting his majesty and the princess any day from now.¡±

    Julia quickly turned around and continued her journey to the pce gardens, that was Melissa¡¯s family Theo was speaking to wasn¡¯t it? What were they doing here? The green eyed woman walked thoughtfully down the hall and out through therge ss doors to the vast gardens covered in vines, flowers and blossoming trees.

    She didn¡¯t notice that as she passed one of the doors in the hallway, a pair of honey brown eyes were watching her. Clovis stepped out of his quarters and walked steadily behind Julia. He has seen her going to sit in the garden on several asions now, she would even have her breakfast and lunch there with a book in hand, and for some reason, Clovis couldn¡¯t help but watch her.

    Ever since he and her touched hands, yes just the mere touch of a hand, he had be so drawn to her and it was insane. This woman, he wanted to get to know her more, figure out why he was so drawn to her of all people. Clovis had never been interested in women, not even once, his life revolved around work and his duty to the throne. His need to get to know her was mind boggling.

    That¡¯s why today he had decided to actually go up to her and speak with her. The silver haired prince walked over to where Julia was sitting and cleared his throat, ¡°good morning..¡±

    The woman did not hear him, she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. Julia was busy pondering over what king Elric was up to this time, why had Melissa¡¯s family been summoned to the pce?

    ¡°Julia...¡±

    Julia looked up at the man hovering over her and gasped, she rose from her seat abruptly and tripped in the process. Luckily Clovis was quick and grabbed her hand, helping her up before she could crush to the ground.

    Clovis helped her rpose herself and took a step back, ¡°sorry to startle you..¡± the man apologized.

    .....

    Julia curtsied nervously and nodded her head, ¡°it¡¯s alright your grace,¡± she responded. She really couldn¡¯t get used to bumping into Clovis, the resemnce between him and Elric was startling.

    ¡°Can I join you for your tea?¡± The man asked. His voice too resembled Elric, except that his was a lot deeper and smoother.

    ¡°Of course your grace,¡± she responded and gestured him to take her seat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I never have guests so there¡¯s only one chair.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Clovis walked passed the woman and returned with a thick log that he ced on the ground and sat on, ¡°you can have the chair I¡¯ll sit here.¡±

    Julia looked at the prince and hesitantly sat across from him. Why did he all of a sudden want to join her for her mid morning tea? Toe to think of it, no one in the pce ever payed any heed to her.

    ¡°May I help you your grace?¡± Julia asked the man. She wondered what the real reason behind this visit was.

    Clovis called a maid over and asked her to bring an extra cup and more crumpets before turning to look at Julia. ¡°Yes you may actually..¡± the prince responded.

    {I knew it..} Julia thought to herself. That was how it always was, she was nothing but a pawn to all these people. A tool for power and getting what they wanted.

    ¡°What is it you want?¡± Julia questioned the man.

    ¡°I want to get to know you..¡± Clovis responded as he took the cup and extra te of crumpets from the maid who had returned from the kitchen.

    ¡°What?¡± Julia¡¯s eyes rounded in surprise. He wanted to get to know her? But why?

    ¡°I want to get to know you betterdy Julia,¡± Clovis repeated himself, ¡°maybe you and I can be friends.¡±

    The small green eyed woman chuckled lightly, ¡°friends? Why would you want to be friends with the woman known for killing the queen?¡±

    ¡°Actually that¡¯s a good ce to start,¡± the silver haired man responded. He lifted the teapot and poured tea into both their cups, he then handed Julia a crumpet and took one for himself. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about that? What actually happened Julia, why did you kill my mother?¡±

    The woman lowered her green eyes and sighed in embarrassment.

    *

    Zander waved his friends goodbye and closed the door. As he turned he sighed and nced at the pir where Zara was hiding. ¡°You cane out now I know you¡¯ve been eavesdropping this entire time.¡±

    Zander¡¯s youngest sister slowly peeked from behind the pir and walked towards her brother with an awkward look on her face. ¡°Hey..¡±

    ¡°How many times have I told you not to listen to people¡¯s conversations it¡¯s rude,¡± Zander scolded the girl.

    ¡°But-¡±

    Zander put his hand in front of Zara to stop her from talking and peeked over her shoulder, ¡°you can alle out too!¡± The blonde man yelled, ¡°Zelda, Zoey, Zainab, Zora, Zuri! Come out from back there!¡±

    The five young women walked out of their hiding ces with sullen looks in their faces. They joined Zara and stood in a line in front of of Zander.

    ¡°What do you all have to say for yourselves?¡± The man asked the six sulking women.

    ¡°We wanted to know what¡¯s going on,¡± Zelda spoke first.

    ¡°Yeah, why did Vivian have to leave? What¡¯s going on?¡± Zara added on.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on Zander is she going to be okay?¡± Zainab asked, ¡°you realize if anything happens to her you¡¯re going to die alone right?!¡±

    ¡°Everyone calm down!¡± Zander spoke, ¡°Viv is going to be fine, I¡¯m going after her.¡±

    The six women¡¯s identical faces all lit up at Zander¡¯s words.

    ¡°If princess Melissa is safe and here with prince Gareth,¡± Zander exined with a sly smile, ¡°then Viv will be here with me as well. It¡¯s all part of my n.¡±

    ¡°You sly elf you,¡± Zoey chuckled, ¡°and here I was about to scold you for helping someone else¡¯s love life while yours suffers.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all part of the n,¡± Zander responded, ¡°Vivian is the only woman I¡¯ve ever loved and im going to bring her back here and make her thedy of this house.¡±

    *

    ¡°Calm down Ivan aren¡¯t you supposed to be excited?¡± Beric questioned the profusely sweating man with a chuckle.

    ¡°You know toe to think of it,¡± Rndmented as he sipped in his ale, ¡°the only person who has seen Ivan¡¯s wife is the prince.¡±

    The group of men had decided to go to a nearby bar in town after they had received news that the carriage carrying their wives would be arriving in Ervelon1 earlier than they had anticipated. The news had made Beric, Ozias and Odran very happy but Ivan on the other hand looked like he was about to be sentenced to death.

    Among the men, Rnd was the only single one. He had a bad experience in the dating department because of his beautiful feminine looks and men mistaking him for a woman. But he really didn¡¯t mind, he knew the right woman woulde along one one day, just like it had happened with Zander.

    ¡°Ivane on you should be happy you even have someone,¡± Rnd spoke as he downed his ale, ¡°what are you so nervous about, you want to be single and alone like me?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Ivan responded in a jittery tone, ¡°the rtionship I have with my wife isplicated, she makes me nervous and makes me questing everything and everyone I know.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Oziasmented, ¡°she¡¯s not hot enough for you? You know it¡¯s not always about the looks right?¡±

    ¡°Shut up you don¡¯t understand!¡± Ivan yelled and downed his cup in threerge gulps.

    Before long a messenger elf walked towards the table the men were sitting at and told them they had visitors outside. Beric immediately rose to his feet and practically ran outside, followed by Ozias and Odran. Rnd pat Ivan on the back and gestured him towards the door.

    ¡°Come on Ivan, let¡¯s go take a peek at this wife of yours.¡±

    The men walked outside and Rnd could see hisrades embracing their wives in passionate hugs and sweet kisses. Ozias¡¯ wife was like a little doll, small and cute. She looked even smaller standing next to the baby giant who is Ozias.

    Odran¡¯s wife looked poised and uptight, she was already scolding him about his unkempt hair seconds after seeing him. She had even brought the children with her, two twin boys who looked just like their father.

    Beric¡¯s wife was a sweet cinnamon roll just like her husband, they made the perfect match.

    Rnd¡¯s eyes scanned the area for Ivan¡¯s wife wondering what she looked like. Was she in and boring, rough and uptight? What kind of woman would have the casanova of the group shaking in his boots.

    ¡°Ivan!¡±

    ¡°Oh Gods,¡± Ivan whined as he turned to look at where the call hade from.

    The rest of the men turned to look at the woman who was marching towards Ivan and all dropped their jaws to the ground. That was Ivan¡¯s wife?!

    ¡°Why do you look like that?! Didn¡¯t you miss me?!¡± The woman demanded.

    Ivan looked like a little puppy as he spoke to his wife, ¡°wee love..¡±

 Chapter 139

    139 Chapter 139 : Heal

    Finwe walked steadily behind his brother as they made their way down the halls to their mother¡¯s private library. He had tried to reason with Gareth over confronting the queen of Ervelon, but like Zander had said, when it came to princess Melissa all logic went out the window with this man.

    Earlier Gareth had bombarded him with questions. About their family, what he knew about their missing sister, and at some point Finwe ended up revealing that the queen had know about Melissa¡¯s pregnancy and had wanted to keep it a secret from Gareth.

    Finwe had tried to exin to his brother that his mother suffered a form of post traumatic stress disorder after what transpired years ago with their sister and father. He exined that it was just a way of trying to protect him because she saw how reckless love could make someone.

    But the handsome elven prince didn¡¯t pay any heed to Finwe¡¯s excuse, he was adamant about putting the queen in her ce once and for all. Now that he knew his beautiful Melissa was pregnant, he would make sure that the entire Ervelon would ept her as their future queen and mother of the heir to the throne after him.

    ¡°Gareth..¡± Finwe began to speak but changed his mind. Maybe it really was time their mother got over this senseless rivalry and moved on with her life. I mean in this life nothing was worth while without any risks, even love.

    Finwe decided to remain outside as Gareth pushed the doors of the private library open. Inside, queen Tauriel was sitting at the table with her royal council having a meeting of some sort. The queen¡¯s council consisted of only noble women, after her husband passed queen Tauriel reced all the council members with their wives. In fact, the entire pce was overrun by females. The cooks, the maids, the gardeners, and everyone else was a woman, the only man who had lurked the pce halls was Finwe until Gareth came into the picture.

    Queen Tauriel looked up at her son with a disapproving re, in as much as he was the crowned prince she was still queen, he couldn¡¯t just barge into her private library whenever he pleased.

    ¡°You are a selfish woman,¡± Gareth spoke. His opening statement was enough to thicken the air in the room.

    Queen Tauriel kept her cool and waved her hand slightly to gesture the council members to leave her and her son alone. The women got to their feet and emptied the library, closing the door shut behind them.

    .....

    The queen rose from her seat and began taking slow steps towards her son. ¡°I see you¡¯ve finally decided to sober up after drinking your head off over a pair of perky breasts.¡±

    ¡°Of course you would make fun of that,¡± Gareth responded. Under normal circumstances he probably would have gone off after hearing someone speak ill of his Melissa, but this woman really wasn¡¯t worth the energy right now. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect a woman who hasn¡¯t felt love in decades to understand, so I won¡¯t bother exining anything to you.¡±

    The statement brought a frown to the queen¡¯s face.

    ¡°All I¡¯m here to tell you is that I know Mel is carrying my child, and I am going after her.¡± Gareth exined to the scowling woman, ¡°and when I find her, I will marry her and she will rule by my side as queen of Ervelon.¡±

    ¡°Are you absolutely mad?!¡± The queen jabbed at her son. Were all her children lovesick idiots? ¡°You want to go after a married woman whose husbandmands three quarters of this continent? Has all the alcohol gone to your head Gareth? You¡¯ll get yourself killed!¡±

    Gareth didn¡¯t want to waste time telling her all the details of his n, all he came here to do was to inform her that once he retrieved Melissa, her time on the throne was over. ¡°Reigning has worn you out, and your heart hascked love for so long so I don¡¯t expect you so understand.¡±

    The queen chuckled tauntingly, ¡°love?¡± She took two steps closer to her son and looked him dead in the eye, ¡°do you know why your sister isn¡¯t with us today? Because of love. She fell in love with some nosferatu man who couldn¡¯t even protect her when she needed him! And your father... he died Gareth, he died a sad man because that rogue nosferatu couldn¡¯t save your sister! Love has been the cause of all our problems!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Gareth jabbed back, ¡°it¡¯s had been the cause of all of YOURS. You¡¯re so swallowed up by this grief and anger that you can¡¯t even see that what you¡¯re saying doesn¡¯t make any sense. You had no one to point fingers at for your loss so you med the nosferatu who did nothing wrong.¡±

    Gareth stepped up to his mother and looked down at her, his demeanor softened as he looked at her, this wasn¡¯t a bad woman, it was a confused woman who had failed to deal with the pain. ¡°I will not live a life of misery because of your insecurities.¡± The prince ced a gentle hand on the queen¡¯s shoulder and squeezed it gently, it was the first time he had made any form of contact with his mother.

    Gareth slowly pulled the woman into aforting hug that caught her off gaurd. The woman didn¡¯t know how to react to this, thest time anyone had embraced her was when her husband was still alive, and it brought tears to her eyes.

    ¡°You need to heal mother,¡± Gareth spoke softly. It was the first time he had called her his mother and this made the woman break down. ¡°You have carried this pain and anger for too long, you need to let it go.¡±

    Queen Tauriel buried her face in her son¡¯s chest and sobbed despondently. He was right, there was no one at fault here, having someone to me for her daughter¡¯s disappearance and her husband¡¯s death just helped her cope.

    ¡°I know it hurts to lose the people you love,¡± Gareth continued as he gently rubbed the crying woman¡¯s back. ¡°But you have us, Finwe and I, and we¡¯re not going anywhere I promise. And pretty soon you¡¯ll have a grandchild, and they will love you so much.¡±

    The handsome prince gently pulled away and helped wipe some of his mother¡¯s tears, ¡°soon I¡¯ll have to go get Melissa,¡± he spoke softly, ¡°and I need you to be okay with that.¡±

    Queen Tauriel took out a handkerchief and dubbed her cheeks and eyes dry. Sheposed herself and rose her nose in the air, ¡°well I wouldn¡¯t want a brute like king Elric raising my grandchild anyway.¡± She spoke.

    Gareth scoffed in amusement and gave her another gentle rub on the shoulder, ¡°thank you.¡±

    ¡°But you have no army,¡± the queen added on, ¡°you¡¯d have no chance against Elric even if I gave you all my men.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that,¡± Gareth spoke as he turned to head for the exit, ¡°I conquered kingdoms when I was but a teenager, I think I will be alright.¡±

    *

    The men all gazed in awe at Ivan¡¯s wife as she sipped her ss of wine. Ozias¡¯ wife noticed her husband ogling and flicked his nose with her finger. The hisses from Ozias brought the rest of the men out of their reverie, and they continued drinking their ale.

    ¡°Well,¡± Meralona1 spoke. She was a tall slender woman with soft pretty features but a very serious demeanor, she was Odran¡¯s wife. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve caught up I believe me and the other wives would like to go and rest.¡±

    ¡°Yeah my bum is killing me from being on the road for so long,¡± Exildah2 whined. She was a beautiful woman with a kind face and delicate features. She was Beric¡¯s wife.

    ¡°Yes it has been a long journey,¡± Madeline4 added on. She was a small woman with small beautiful features, she almost looked like a pretty little doll. She was Ozias¡¯ wife. ¡°Shall we, Elena3 ?¡± She spoke to the woman who was sitting on Ivan¡¯sp and sipping wine.

    Unlike what anyone expected, Ivan¡¯s wife na was drop dead gorgeous. She had big blue eyes, long wavy blonde hair and a curvy yet petit figure. On a good day this woman would even hold a candle to princess Melissa.

    The woman put down her empty ss and nodded, ¡°I did want to spend more time with Ivan but I guess we should get acquainted with our new home.¡±

    The carriage man led the women and kids out the bar so he could escort them to their new residences, and immediately the wives were out of sight all the men turned to look at Ivan with death res. How could this womanizer have a woman like that and still cheat on her?! And why was he so afraid of her?

    Ivan stood up and was about to flee when Ozias lunged at him and pinned him to the floor. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it Ivan, you have some exining to do!¡±

 Chapter 140

    140 Chapter 140 : How Ivan met Elena

    Ozias mmed Ivan back into his chair and kept a firm grip on him while rest of the men sat around him.

    ¡°Ivan you dog,¡± Odran spoke first. It was something all of them had wanted to say, ¡°exin yourself!¡±

    ¡°Come on fes I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Ivan responded in a sheepish tone, ¡°don¡¯t you think you¡¯re all being a little too much right now?¡±

    ¡°Ivan we¡¯ve watched you cheat on your wife religiously over the years,¡± Rnd spoke in hushed tones, ¡°and you¡¯ve flirted with countless women!¡±

    Ivan folded his arms over his chest and eyed his friends smugly, ¡°and what¡¯s your point?¡±

    ¡°Our point is that you have a wife who men would go to war for!¡± Beric responded much to everyone¡¯s surprise. Beric was the timid and sweet one in the group so no one expected him to take part in this sort of conversation as well.

    ¡°What Beric is trying to say is..¡± Ozias added on, ¡°why in God¡¯s good name would you even think of cheating on a woman like that?! Are you blind?! That¡¯s the kind of woman I¡¯d apologize to after she offends me.¡±

    ¡°My sexual exploitats and the rtionship I have with my wife is none of your business,¡± Ivan responded curtly. These men didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, they wouldn¡¯t understand the kind of situation he was in with this woman.

    Rnd grabbed Ivan¡¯s shoulders and looked him straight in his eyes, ¡°tell us or your beautiful wife will hear all about your little escapades while she was home waiting for you.¡±

    .....

    That statement made Ivan¡¯s heart leap in his chest and his breath hitched, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t dare..¡± he muttered while ring at the beautiful blue eyed man.

    ¡°Try me,¡± Rnd challenged him.

    Ivan finally relented and sighed in defeat, if his wife heard as much as a rumor of him being with another woman, she would chop off his cock and feed it to him for breakfast with a side of eggs. So what if his friends knew about his embarrassing little secret, it was better than angering Elena.

    ¡°Okay fine I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Ivan mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±

    It all started a while back when Ivan was still a young man in his prime. He was a good looking guy with the tongue of a bard, his words alone were enough to get any woman out her breeches and into his bed, and that is exactly what used to happened.

    Ivan was a well known y boy and he was very happy with his title, wearing it with pride wherever he went. He drew fulfillment from knowing he could have any woman falling over herself just by the snap of his finger. The young man had no intention of settling down and marrying, no, why would he when the world was blessed with so many beautiful women. Sticking to just one would be an insult to the gods who took their time molding such beautiful creatures, he needed to appreciate them all.

    One morning after the young Ivan had spent a long pleasurable night with the lovely blonde with big tits who ran a popr inn, he came across a blonde man who was putting up some posters on behalf of the crowned prince of their kingdom, prince Adam Burchard.

    Ivan walked up to the man and inspected the poster thoughtfully.

    ¡°You think you¡¯re up for it?¡± The blonde man asked, ¡°the prince will be riding to the kindom of Baiviles in a few weeks and is looking for brave men who will apany him.¡±

    Ivan stroked his chin thoughtfully as he read all what would be required of him to join the prince¡¯s party. Not only was the pay incredibly hefty, but being known as a war hero who conquered a kingdom by the prince¡¯s side would surely rake in thedies.

    And besides, Ivan had practically been with all the beautiful women in Gavaria, maybe it was time now to have a little taste of the Baiviles beauties.

    ¡°Where do I sign up?¡± Ivan responded enthusiastically, he had convinced himself that this was what he wanted to do. He would join the prince on his mission of conquest.

    ¡°Just take one of these and report to the royal pce tomorrow,¡± the blonde man exined as he handed Ivan a small parchment. ¡°Training starts immediately so don¡¯t bete.¡±

    Ivan took the parchment and nodded. He knew he came off as some weak man whose only conquests were women, but in fact, Ivan was really good with a sword and fairly skilled in archery, this would be a cinch.

    ¡°The name is Zander by the way,¡± the blonde introduced himself without even reaching out for a handshake, well he was very rude, Ivan thought,

    ¡°When you get to the pce ask for me and they¡¯ll let you in,¡± the blonde man added on.

    ¡°Nice to meet you Zander, I¡¯m Ivan-¡± but before he couldplete his introduction the blonde man had already galloped away on his horse. ¡°What a rude pompous man,¡± Ivan grumbled, ¡°I hope I get the chance to spar with him so I can knock him down a peg or two.¡±

    The next morning Ivan made his way to the pce after his daily visit to the pub, where he had charmed the women with stories of him joining the prince¡¯s party to conquer Baiviles.

    Just like the rude blonde man had instructed, Ivan asked for Zander and the gaurds led him to the back of the castle where there was a massive training ground with hundreds of men ready to apany their prince on his mission.

    A trumpet was sounded at a distance and the prince¡¯s arrival was announced. All the men quickly took a knee as the young prince made his way into the training field. Ivan cocked his head up so he could catch a glimpse of the prince, he¡¯d only heard of him by name but had never actually seen what prince Adam looked like.

    ¡°At ease men!¡± The young princemanded and all the men got back onto their feet.

    Ivan¡¯s eyes widened when they caught sight of prince Adam. This man was absolutely stunning, and it infuriated Ivan to admit it. Thank goodness he kept away from the public eye, because if a man with such a face roamed the streets the women wouldn¡¯t even nce in Ivan¡¯s way.

    Just like Zander had mentioned, the training started immediately and it was brutal. The young prince, even through having the looks of an angel, was a beast on the battle field. He challenged each and everyone of the men and only recruiting those who bested him at sword fighting. Long story short, out of the three hundred men who had shown up, only six were able to go toe to toe with the prince. These man were Ozias, Odran, Zander, Beric, Rnd and by sheer luck Ivan as well.

    ¡°But your grace,¡± a tall man who Ivan assumed was the prince¡¯s right hand spoke, ¡°you can¡¯t conquer a kingdom with just six men, you will all be massacred.¡±

    ¡°A coup needs brains not brute strength Chadwick,¡± the prince spoke with a smile on his face. Ivan was surprised by how this man was still standing and smiling after taking on three hundred men back to back.

    ¡°Stealth and infiltration is how we shall take Baiviles,¡± the handsome prince added on. He then turned to the six men and gave them a respectful bow, ¡°will you all aid me in my mission?¡±

    The men were a bit taken aback. This was the crowned prince of Gavaria, and he was bowing to them? They expected him to be smug and snobby especially considering his looks and strength, but he was theplete opposite. A deep respect for the Gavarian prince instantly imbedded itself in the hearts of the men, they knew then and there that they would go anywhere as long as it was to aid him.

    The men ced their left hands on their chests and their right behind their backs as a sign of respect and a pledge of loyalty. Even Ivan who at first nce did not really like the prince felt a sense of loyalty to him, he knew great things woulde with fighting beside prince Adam.

    Two weekster the group traveled to thend of Baiviles in disguise. The young prince had concocted an borate and detailed n on how they would infiltrated the ranks of the kindom and eventually dethroning the current king. Ivan was impressed at how such a young man was so wise, little did he know that Adam had lived much longer than any of them anticipated.

    It was in Baiviles that Ivan met Elena. At first nce she seemed like a timid, ridiculously beautiful woman. Just how Ivan liked them. He had spotted her at a bar in Baiviles where he was gathering some intel and decided to try and get her to bed.

    To his surprise, the beautiful woman agreed almost immediately, which was shocking because usually he¡¯d have to string along a lot more than just sweet talk to get a woman as attractive as Elena to go to bed with him. It must have been his lucky day!

    Or so he thought...

 Chapter 141

    141 Chapter 141 : Married a Subus

    Elena blushed lightly and Ivan gave her a sly yboy smile before taking her hand in his and kissing it, ¡°what do you say we get out of here and go to a ce that¡¯s more..¡± he trailed little kisses up her arm and nted a soft kiss on her shoulder making the woman giggle, ¡°.... private,¡± Ivan concluded his statement.

    The woman leaned in seductively and stroked Ivan¡¯s chin, ¡°my house isn¡¯t too far from here,¡± she replied in a low amorous tone, ¡°and I live alone.¡±

    Ivan was excited, not only was this woman ridiculously beautiful and had agreed to go to bed with him, but she also seemed feisty unlike the shy innocent women he mostly slept with, it would definitely be intriguing to have some participation in the bed.

    The tall handsome dark haired Ivan turned to the bar and called out to thedy serving there, ¡°can I have a bottle of wine for thedy?... to go please.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take long to get to Elena¡¯s house from the bar. It was a small elegant little apartment with all the basics one would need for afortable life. Ivan almost felt bad that the real reason he was in Baiviles was to conquer it, he wondered what would happen to this beautiful woman when that happened.

    ¡°Come on in, make yourselffortable while I slip into something a bit more.. fitting.¡± The beautiful blonde winked at Ivan and disappeared into a different room.

    Ivan was grinning from ear to ear, gosh this woman was so exciting! He couldn¡¯t take his shoes off fast enough. After his shoes were off, he unbuttoned his shirt to expose his chiseled abs and chest. He then poured two sses of wine for both of them andposed himself to look as sexy as possible.

    ¡®Damn I wish I carried my sex satchel¡¯ Ivan thought to himself, it would have made this experience all the more tantalizing.

    Basically Ivan¡¯s ¡®Sex satchel¡¯ was a little bag he carried whenever he was on one of his sexual exploits. It had all sorts of items that he believed made the experience more pleasurable. He had scented oils, sweet smelling chewing herbs for his breath, some rope, blindfolds, and even a little book on all the best sex hacks in existence.

    .....

    Ivan was pulled from his trance when the door where Elena had disappeared to slowly swung open and the gorgeous blonde paused at the entrance, the sight of her almost made the man drool, and he instantly had a hard on as firm as an iron rod.

    ¡°Wow..¡± was all Ivan could say. Elena was wearing a sheer redcy robe with absolutely nothing on the inside. Her hair was let down and her skin glistening from some sort of scented oil.

    ¡°Come on in Ivan,¡± the woman called out to him while beckoning him with her index finger, ¡°and bring the wine, I have something to show you.¡±

    The man¡¯s body seemed to have developed a mind of its own because at hermand, he moved towards her and into her bedroom. Elena closed the door making the already dim room dimmer, the only light was from a few candles she had lit. Ivan felt like he was in heaven, he could already imagine how amazing the sex with this beautiful woman would be like.

    Elena walked over to Ivan and pushed him onto the bed, a little too rough he had to admit, but hey, everyone had their kinks. She made her way onto him and began kissing his stomach and moving up to his chest and neck, the sweet scent of the oils on her skin alone were enough to make Ivan dazed. So dazed that he did not notice her shackling his hands to the poles of the bed.

    She unbuttoned his pants and pulled them off, along with all the other peices of clothing he had on. As she removed his shirt it was then that Ivan noticed he was in bondage.

    ¡°What is this..¡± Ivan asked now feeling a little nervous. He understood some women had strange kinks but this was a little rming.

    ¡°Calm down honey I¡¯m only going to bite a little,¡± she whispered as she untied her gown.

    ¡°Huh?..¡±

    When her gown dropped to the floor Ivan forgot all the protest he was about to throw at her. Her body was just as beautiful as her face if not more. She had an hourss figure with a sapple butt and perky breasts that to Ivan¡¯s surprise, had gold peices of jewelry pierced right above the nipples.

    The woman stood over Ivan making him feel a bit intimidated, especially considering he waspletely nude, and suddenly out of nowhere she pulled out a small whip and smiled at him menacingly.

    ¡°Elena what is-¡±

    THRASH!!!

    ¡°WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK?!!¡±

    Elena smiled as she watched the man jerk and hiss. She rose her whip again and...

    THRASH!!

    ¡°na!!¡± Ivan hissed. Why in the world was she doing this?? Did he do something wrong? Was he being punished?! ¡°Why the hell are you smiling?! Untie me!¡±

    ¡°Ohe on honey I¡¯m just ying with you a little,¡± she responded before thrashing him again.

    ¡°FUCKING HELL!¡± Ivan yelled. That one had hit his manhood. ¡°Let me go!!¡±

    Elena snickered in amusement before cing herself on top of Ivan. He could tell from the sudden moisture on his thigh that she was tremendously aroused.

    THRASH!

    ¡°Fuck!¡± The man hissed again.

    ¡°Aww look honey it seems you¡¯re enjoying it,¡± the beautiful blonde spoke while pointing her finger down at Ivan¡¯s cock that was pointing to the ceiling.

    ¡°Get off me you crazy bitch!¡± Ivan hissed.

    ¡°Aww that¡¯s not very nice,¡± Elena cooed before thrashing him again. Ivan jerked his body upwards and cursed colorfully, he had no idea he even knew some the words he had used.

    Elena slipped off him and grabbed the two sses of wine. She downed her own and walked to Ivan with the other in hand. She sat on top of him and lowered the ss to his lips, in the process spilling some into his nose.

    ¡°Drink this honey it will help you rx...¡±

    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Ivan spat between coughs.

    Elena frowned, tilted his head up, and ced the cup on his mouth, ¡°drink it or I¡¯ll whip you again.¡±

    This time Ivanplied and downed the contents making the woman smile. He had never been so scared in his life, what the hell had he gotten himself into?

    The beautiful blonde tossed the cup aside and Ivan heard it crash to the ground into a million peices. Good lord she was a maniac!

    She then leaned forward slightly and before the man could contemte what was going on, she slid herself onto his cock making him hiss. She began moving up and down while simultaneously thrashing Ivan with the whip. Ivan groaned and hissed in both pain and pleasure, never had he been so humiliated in his life. This whole fiasco felt so wrong yet so right, Elena was truly some kind of demon, devil or subus sent to torture him.

    In the shortest amount of time Ivan felt himself reaching his peak, ¡°Elena stop!¡± He hissed, ¡°I¡¯m about to..¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± She yelled in pleasure, ¡°do it Ivan! nt your seed in me and be mine forever!¡±

    Oh hell no! Ivan was mortified! Forever?! With this crazy woman?! No! No! Oh gods no...

    The woman threw her head back and moaned loudly when she felt Ivan fill her up. She dropped her whip and also reached her epitome of pleasure just before copsing onto the man.

    Ivan justy there, mortified, humiliated and more sexually satisfied than he had ever been his entire life. There was only one exnation to all of this.. WITCHCRAFT

    *

    {Back to the present}

    Ozias, Rnd, Odran and Beric all stood around Ivan in silence. The man had his face cupped in his hands and was wallowing in self pity after telling them his story of how he had met his wife.

    ¡°Now you know,¡± Ivan mumbled sadly, ¡°that is why I¡¯m terrified of her. She a sex crazed, controlling witch. Who knows what she would do if I decided to leave her, she could chop my cock off! My beautiful magnificent cock! Curse my irresistible looks and charm.¡±

    As if onmand, the men all burst into a fit ofughter, falling off the chairs, grabbing their stomachs and gasping for air as tears streamed from their eyes.

    ¡°What the hell is so funny?!¡± Ivan roared as he stood from his seat with an angry yet embarrassed look on his face. ¡°Shut up! None of this is amusing you pricks!¡±

    ¡°Sorry.. sorry Ivan but this is hrious!¡± Odran spoke as he tried hard to restore the air he had lost from all theughing.

    ¡°Looks like you finally met your match huh?¡± Beric snickered as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re all a bunch of pricks!¡± Ivan yelled and sat back down on his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

    Rnd made his way back into his seat and wiped some tears from his face before speaking to the brooding casanova. ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is why you sleep around when you obviously get more than enough sex.¡±

    ¡°I love my women submissive okay!¡± Ivan spat back.

    ¡°And you¡¯re clearly not getting that at home,¡± Ozias chuckled. ¡°So you go round looking for it out there-¡±

    Ivan quickly ced a hand over Ozias¡¯ mouth. ¡°Will you shut up about the sleeping around!¡± He whispered, ¡°Elena is as jealous as the devil. If she hears about this I¡¯m a goner.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry old friend,¡± Odranmented, ¡°we¡¯ll let you get caught all by yourself. We will y no part in it.¡±

    ¡°Thank uou...¡± Ivan muttered and downed his cup of ale.

 Chapter 142

    142 Chapter 142 : Bonding

    Later that afternoon the prince and Zander joined the men at the bar. Even though they had been drinking practically the entire day, especially Ivan, they still ordered more ale when their friends arrived.

    ¡°How many barrels have you downedds?¡± Prince Gareth asked the men, ¡°I thought you¡¯d want to catch up with the wives before we leave for Lenora.¡±

    ¡°After sleeping on empty beds for months, a woman¡¯s touch may be too hard to handle sober,¡± Ozias responded with a smirk.

    ¡°Unlike Ivan here, we¡¯d like tost more that ten minutes with our wives, so a few barrels are necessary,¡± Odran added on and the group chuckled in unison.

    Adam sipped his ale not even wanting to ask about what they were talking about. Hearing them banter about how they would be pleasured by their wives in bed would be torture now that Melissa wasn¡¯t here. Just like the good ol¡¯ days huh, he thought to himself.

    ¡°So what took you so long your grace?¡± Beric questioned the handsome prince, ¡°did everything go well with the queen?¡±

    ¡°Better than I thought it would actually,¡± Gareth responded with a satisfied smile. He sipped his ale again and then looked up at his men, ¡°my mother was kind enough to give me her army to ride with us on our quest.¡±

    ¡°Oh..¡± Zander was surprised. Last he remembered the queen despised princess Melissa and every nosferatu alike. Was the prince really that convincing?

    ¡°So when are we to leave your grace?¡± Ivan asked sounding a little too excited, ¡°the earlier the better you know, in fact I¡¯m ready to leave right now. Just say the word.. please.. say it.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Calm down Ivan,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°I know how lonely you¡¯ve all been on this journey and your sacrifice was greatly appreciated. So I want to give you some time with your beautiful wives. Especially you Ivan, seeing how Elena is so beautiful you must be just itching to jump on her.¡±

    Ivan¡¯s face darkened. Actually it was the other way around, he was sure it was he wife who was itching to jump on him, and he was terrified.

    ¡°Have you all met her yet?¡± Gareth spoke merrily, ¡°Ivan¡¯s wife Elena, she¡¯s a real sweetheart and her beauty matches her heart.¡±

    ¡°Oh we¡¯ve met her alright,¡± Odran mumbled behind his cup of ale.

    ¡°And we truly learnt the meaning of ¡®don¡¯t judge a book by its cover¡¯,¡± Beric added on causing everyone to snicker, all except Ivan who looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Gareth spoke, ¡°she doesn¡¯t let her looks get to her head, she¡¯s a down to earth woman.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of women,¡± Rndmented, ¡°looks like we¡¯ve caught the fancy of thedies on the next table.¡±

    ¡°No thanks I¡¯m happily married remember,¡± Beric responded.

    ¡°Same here,¡± Odran and Ozias responded in unison.

    ¡°My wife would kill me if I as much as looked at another woman right now,¡± Ivan whined.

    ¡°Gosh you¡¯re all such a bore!¡± Rndined as he turned to prince Gareth.

    ¡°You¡¯re better off asking us married folk than the hopelessly in love prince over there,¡± Odran joked.

    Rnd then turned to Zander and gave him a ¡®you¡¯re myst hope¡¯ look, ¡°I know you¡¯re a brooding stick in the mud Zander..¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?!¡±

    ¡°But please you¡¯re myst hope,¡± Rnd pleaded, ¡°I don¡¯t want to spend this night alone while everyone else is getting lucky. And I know you wouldn¡¯t want that either, so let¡¯s go for it.¡±

    Zander¡¯s eye twitched in irritation as he listened to Rnd talk, in as much as the man was a little drunk how dare he call him a brooding stick in the mud?! Was he though? Was he really brooding and boring? Did Vivian think he was brooding and boring?

    ¡°So what do you say?¡± Rn spoke with an enthusiastic grin, ¡°will you join me in my escapade?¡±

    ¡°Sorry Rnd but I¡¯m afraid I have to decline your generous offer for the sole fact that I am loyal to my woman,¡± Zander replied while casually sipping his ale.

    ¡°Your woman?!¡± Everyone at the table gasped in unison causing the bar to go quiet for a few seconds.

    Zander mmed his cup on the table and red at his friends angrily, ¡°Keep it down, what the hell is so suprising about me having a woman?!¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Gareth spoke with a sly grin on his face that made Zander blush, ¡°are you telling me, thee by the book Zander, Mr ¡®I want nothing to do with the nosferutu¡¯, has a nosferatu woman warming his bed?¡±

    Zander ignored the question and continued sipping his ale while his face gave Gareth all the answers he needed.

    ¡°Zander you dog,¡± Gareth spoke with a chuckle, ¡°have you been sleeping with my future sister inw?¡±

    ¡°Wait Vivian?!¡± Ivan gasped, it was the first time he¡¯d shown emotion after the talk about Elena. Finally someone else whose love life they could pry into.

    ¡°The scary woman with the dark hair?¡± Beric asked trying to recall which one of the two nosferatu women was Vivian.

    ¡°Oh yeah the one who always looks angry, I remember her!¡± Rnd eximed, ¡°wow Zander you got her to bed?¡±

    ¡°She is not angry! And she definitely isn¡¯t scary!¡± Zander yelled. Good lord this was so out of character for him, since when did he start getting so worked up. ¡°Viv is a sweet beautiful woman, you don¡¯t know her like I do.¡±

    ¡°Oh I bet we don¡¯t,¡± Ivan smirked at the blonde elf. He traced the figure of a woman in the air and winked at Zander, ¡°I bet you know her very well.¡±

    Rnd leaned back in his chair and ran his palm over his face with a sigh, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± he spoke, ¡°so I¡¯m the only one who has no one?¡±

    ¡°Would you like to trade?¡± Ivan suggested jokingly. But to some extent his friends knew he wasn¡¯t kidding around after the story he had told them.

    Before Rnd could respond the three women who had giggling and stealing nces at them from the other table walked over.

    ¡°Excuse me...¡± one of the females spoke sweetly catching the attention of the men.

    ¡°My friend here would like to speak to you,¡± a brte with brown eyes spoke to prince Gareth. She turned to her blushing friend and gestured her speak.

    The woman inched closer to Gareth nervously and cleared her throat. Her face was as red as a tomato and little beads of sweat were visible on her forehead. ¡°I... I think you¡¯re...¡± she gulped before gathering the strength to look up at Gareth. Immediately she was held hostage by his deep brown hooded eyes that were curiously gazing at her. ¡°I think you¡¯re very handsome!¡± She blurted out, ¡°would you please apany me for a drink this evening?!¡±

    Everyone at the table snorted a quick chuckle while waiting to see what the prince would say. Under normal circumstances it was unheard of formoners to even as much as talk to royalty without permission, but since only a few people knew prince Gareth, she probably thought he was just some mere lord or something.

    Sensing the man¡¯s hesitation, the young woman took a step back, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, are you married?¡± A disappointed frown painted her face.

    ¡°Uuh.. no I¡¯m not married but-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful!¡± The woman squealed and instantly covered her mouth with her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I meant... well if you¡¯re not married then we can grab some drinks together... right?¡±

    Gareth nced at his men hopping one of them woulde to his aid but all avoided his gaze and continued downing their ale and bickering with one another.

    ~You traitors~

    He turned back to the woman and cleared his throat wondering how he would exin his current rtionship status to this woman and at the same time avoid hurting her feelings, ¡°well you see-¡±

    Just then, Finwe showed up out of nowhere and pat Gareth in the shoulder, ¡°brother there you are, I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡±

    The three women gasped when they saw Finwe. They took several steps back and curtsied respectfully. ¡°Your grace,¡± they spoke in unison.

    Wait did he just call that other man his brother?? Did that mean... gods, that was the crowned prince, prince Gareth, wasn¡¯t it?! The woman who had asked him to go for a drink felt light headed, she couldn¡¯t believe she had just asked the crowned prince out on a date!

    ¡°Mother wishes to speak with you about your future wife and your child,¡± Finwe continued, making sure he emphasized thest part.

    The woman felt like throwing up, gods this was so embarrassing. She bowed her head apologetically and squealed the words ¡°I¡¯m sorry your grace!¡± Before turning and running out of the bar, followed by her two other friends.

    ¡°Thank you Finwe,¡± Gareth spoke with a sigh of relief.

    ¡°You should really work on officially making Melissa your wife brother, especially if you¡¯re too much of a gentleman to turn down a proposal from women,¡± Finwe spoke as he sat down at the table, ¡°the women here won¡¯t leave you alone unless they see a ring on that finger.¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯m not happy,¡± Rndined, ¡°those beautifuldies were my ticket to having a good time tonight and you ran them off.¡±

    Finwe looked at Rnd before ordering his own cup of ale. ¡°You¡¯re a good looking man Rnd,¡± Finwe spoke, ¡°just hang around here a little longer and you should find a nice woman.... or man..¡±

    Rnd frowned and the other men burst intoughter at the statement. Rnd¡¯s feminine looks really did make it hard for him sometimes.

 Chapter 143

    143 Chapter 143 : Clovis¡¯ curiosity

    There were a few days left till the date the group had agreed to leave Ervelon for Lenora, and Ivan vowed to himself to stay as far away from his home as possible, just like he had done the past week.

    The men had been given manors within Ervelon to call their own, where they settled with their wives, except Rnd who was single and lived alone.

    One night Ivan walked up to the door of his home quietly like he had been doing ever since his wife came to Ervelon, hoping Elena would be fast asleep. He had made a tendency of leaving home early before she woke, and would return veryte after she¡¯d gone to bed, he was not ready to be tied up, whipped, or gagged for that woman¡¯s sexual pleasure.

    He pushed the door quietly open, snuck in and gently pushed it closed. He hurriedly made his way past the lounge to the stairs leading to the bedrooms when a light flicked on behind him.

    ¡°Wee home honey,¡± a sweet voice spoke from behind him. Sweet as her voice sounded, it always managed to riddle Ivan¡¯s skin with goosebumps.

    His heart almost leapt out of his chest when he heard her delicate footsteps approaching him. He dared not to turn around, he was terrified of what he would see. Most likely he would see an angry Elena wearing a sexy outfit and carrying a whip, ready to punish him.

    Ivan vividly recalled the day Elena had caught him with another woman. She had traveled to Crasmere1 to visit her sister, and Ivan had invited a beautiful shy brte who he had met at a bar, to the house for a night of pleasuring.

    Ivan had just finished peeling the clothes off the woman and was kissing her seductively on the couch of their study when Elena walked in. Apparently she had decided to return home a day early for some reason.

    Long story short, the brte ended up bald and imprisoned for public nudity after Elena shaved her head and tossed her into the streets without any clothes. Ivan on the other hand was chained to the bed naked for three days.

    .....

    Elena stood mere inches behind Ivan who still hadn¡¯t turned to look at her, ¡°where have you been Ivan?!¡± She yelled, ¡°you¡¯re always sneaking in and out of this house, I haven¡¯t seen you for days and I came all this way to be with you!¡±

    Ivan didn¡¯t respond neither did he turn, in fact at this point he wasn¡¯t even breathing.

    ¡°Ivan why are you doing this?¡± Elena questioned the statue of a man again, ¡°why do you always do this..¡±

    Ivan stiffened when he heard an unfamiliar sounding from his wife. Was Elena..? No that couldn¡¯t be. He turned around to face her and immediately, his throat went dry and his eyes bulged in shock, Elena was sobbing. Never had he seen her cry before, all the years he had been with her, not even once.

    This was something very out of character for her, so Ivan had no idea how to react. He nervously scratched the back of his head and mumbled the words ¡°are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not okay Ivan!¡± Elena sobbed. She looked up at him with her teary eyes and quivering lips. Ivan had never seen her look so vulnerable and timid, it was almost cute.

    ¡°Why do you hate me Ivan?¡± Elena sobbed, ¡°you avoid me, you lie to me, you cheat on me, and all I want is to be happy with you.¡±

    ¡°Happy with me? Then why do you torture me?¡± Ivan asked the woman.

    na wipped some of the tears from her eyes before responding, ¡°because before we met I heard of your track record Ivan, you¡¯re a man who loves sex, so I wanted to give as much of it as I could so you don¡¯t go out there and get it from someone else!¡±

    ¡°Well why are you so aggressive about it..?!¡±

    ¡°Because I love you you idiot!¡± Elena cupped her face in her palms and sobbed more. ¡°It¡¯s because I love Ivan, I always have. And I don¡¯t want you going out there and sleeping with other women, everything that I do is to keep you with me.¡±

    Ivan was speechless, did Elena really say she loved him? So all that psychopathic behavior was insecurities? That was actually kind of ttering.

    The man inched closer to the beautiful blonde and embraced her in his arms. She immediately stopped sobbing out of shock and froze in Ivan¡¯s arms. He had never held her so gently before. In fact he had never held her at all, she was always the one all over him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ivan whispered making the woman gasp. ¡°I have been hurting your feelings and I¡¯m sorry Elena.¡± He stroked her hair gently and the woman buried her face into his chest, taking in his smell of way too much cologne and a hint of ale. Wow, he smelt wonderful.

    ¡°I was just a little intimidated by you,¡± Ivan continued, ¡°you¡¯ve always been so feisty and aggressive that I¡¯d tend to look for timid and submissive women to be with.¡±

    ¡°I can stop,¡± Elena spoke between sniffles, ¡°if it will keep you with me I will stop.¡±

    Ivan sighed and tightened his embrace, ¡°I guess it¡¯s high time I settle anyway,¡± he whispered with a chuckle, ¡°I¡¯m getting too old for this yboy routine. It¡¯s time I have a good family life with you my wife and maybe a few children.¡±

    Elena looked up at the man in shock, ¡°so you don¡¯t hate me?¡±

    Ivan shock his head and wiped the tears from her cheeks, ¡°of course not.¡± A faint blush painted his cheeks when he felt his manhood hardening in his pants, ¡°and I guess I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t somewhat enjoy being tied up and whipped by you.¡±

    Elena smiled and Ivan¡¯s heart ttered. He had never seen her smile like that before. I mean he knew she was beautiful but when she smiled like that she looked absolutely gorgeous.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Elena sqealed when she felt something hard poke her belly. She looked up at Ivan who was as red as a beat and whispered, ¡°should I get my shackles-¡±

    ¡°Yes please get your shackles..¡±

    *

    The golden rays of the sun showered Ervelon with light as the town¡¯s people waved to the caravan of men who were galloping through the town heading to Lenora. Prince Gareth, Ozias, Zander, Odran, Beric, Rnd and Ivan where at the front leading the men.

    ¡°I have to say,¡± Beric spoke as he waved at his wife who was waving to him from the balcony, ¡°even after two whole weeks of being with the wife I¡¯m going to miss her terribly.¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Ivan spoke with a dazed smile as he blew kisses to Elena who was standing next to Beric¡¯s wife.

    All the men except Gareth looked at Ivan in shock. Wasn¡¯t this the man who was terrified of his wife just a few days ago? What had changed?

    ¡°Well you seem happy,¡± Ozias spoke to Ivan .

    ¡°Yes I am,¡± Ivan replied proudly, ¡°I have a beautiful and loving wife who I will miss.¡±

    The men all gave each other confused nces, they really needed to find out what had changed between Ivan and his wife over the past few days.

    *

    Clovis poured Julia a ss of wine and handed it to her. He then made himselffortable in the chair opposite hers and sipped on his own cup while observing the woman intently.

    Clovis and Julia had be a bit closer over the weeks. Julia was hesitant about the whole thing at first, but Clovis was not the kind of man to take no for an answer. Every time Julia would be outside in the gardens having her tea or lunch, he would order the maids to serve for two, and when she didn¡¯t show up he would follow her to her room and insist she dine with him. I guess you could say that at the end of the day, he left her with no choice.

    The small green eyed woman sipped her wine and ced the half empty cup on the small ss table in front of her.

    ¡°Julia..¡±

    From underneath her longshes Julia¡¯s emerald green eyes gazed at Clovis. ¡°Your grace..¡±

    The man sighed and leaned towards her, ¡°I told you that you can call me Clovis.¡±

    ¡°Of course, err Clovis.¡±

    The prince smiled and leaned back on his chair, ¡°you told me of the events that urred leading to my mother¡¯s deathst time, am I right?¡±

    Julia shifted ufortably in her chair, she didn¡¯t like talking about that line of memories. The queen¡¯s death still haunted her dreams till date.

    ¡°I did..¡± she responded in a low tone.

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t tell me what motivated you to do it.¡±

    Julia looked to the side and sighed, ¡°it was an ident,¡± she muttered, ¡°I wanted to kill princess Melissa not the queen, I told you that.¡±

    ¡°Yes but why..?¡±

    Gosh why was Clovis so concerned about her motives? He had been on her case for a while now about this, and she hated talking about it.

    ¡°I... I did it for prince Gareth,¡± Julia responded.

    ¡°Because you loved him?¡± Clovis asked further, ¡°and Melissa was a threat?¡±

    Julia bowed her head in dejection, ¡°yes something like that.¡±

    An awkward silence lingered between the two until Clovis asked a question that made Julia jerk upright.

    ¡°Do you still love him?¡± He asked

    ¡°No!¡± The green eyed woman yelled, and for a brief moment she thought she was a faint smile of relief on Clovis¡¯ face.

    ¡°What about my brother?¡± Clovis asked, ¡°do you love him?¡±

    Julia knitted her brows. Love king Elric? Of course not! I mean yes she found him very attractive, but she didn¡¯t love him. And even if she did, he too was in love with Melissa.

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Julia responded and looked away. She did not notice the slight hint of disappointment on Clovis¡¯ face.

    Why had she hesitated to answer, Clovis thought. Did she actually love his brother, or maybe she liked him? Either way for some reason that infuriated him.

    He downed his wine in one gulp and quickly poured himself another and did the same.

    ¡°He will be arriving today so you¡¯ll get to see him again,¡± Clovis spoke. There was a trace of spitefulness lingering on his words. ¡°Looks like he found his beloved wife. I bet you missed seeing him around and having him visit you in your chambers.¡±

    Julia looked up at the man who was downing his fourth cup. Why did he seem so upset all of a sudden? Was there some rivalry between him and king Elric?

 Chapter 144

    144 Chapter 144 : Return to Meria

    Melissa felt her heartstrings tag as she gazed upon the familiar buildings. Meria was exactly how she remembered it. The bakery she frequented still stood and was as busy as ever, they had the best bread there. Even the book store that was run by old man McCoy was open and running, she missed visiting that book store, seeing it now brought back so many memories.

    King Elric was fixated on the beautiful woman sitting in front of him, admiring her curious expressions as she gazed out the carriage window. He smiled to himself when the realization of his victory hit him. He had won. Finally after all this time he had won his wife back from that arrogant elven prince. Who cares if his feelings towards her were a little different, it was probably just because they had been apart for a long time, they would soon rekindle and Melissa would beying in their bed naked next to him in no time at all.

    ¡°I have a surprise for you when we reach the pce,¡± Elric spoke to the woman.

    Melissa trailed her blue eyes to Elric¡¯s honey brown ones and narrowed them. ¡°You already told me you¡¯re holding my family captive Elric, it won¡¯t be a surprise.¡±

    The silver haired king chuckled at her feisty attitude. ¡°I¡¯d hardly call them captives my dear wife. I assure you they are all being treated with at most respect andfort. After all, they are my wife¡¯s family.¡±

    Melissa rolled her eyes and leaned back on the carriage chair, ¡°then what is it?¡± She asked curtly, she was not willing to be all buddy buddy with this sly man. He lied to and manipted her enough for one lifetime.

    Elric leaned forward and took the redhead¡¯s hand in his but she instantly pulled away. He looked up at her face, smiled and then took her hands in his again, ¡°you¡¯ll see when we get there.¡±

    Melissa dared not pull her hand away again, the way he had smiled at her felt more like a warning. It¡¯s like he was telling her not to test him or she would be sorry. Plus there was a hint of dark aura that oozed from him. The beautiful nosferatu woman had never felt threatened by Elric before, this was the first time and she sensed it wouldn¡¯t be thest.

    ¡°When we arrive we will have grand celebration for you my wife,¡± Elric spoke as he stroked her hand. The motion sent shivers down Melissa¡¯s spine, but not the good kind. ¡°We will show the whole kingdom that their queen has returned.¡±

    .....

    Melissa simply nodded and looked down. In this moment she really missed Gareth, she pursed her lips and drew in a breath as she wondered if he would evere for her. She silently prayed he would, but at the same time she couldn¡¯t risk Elric retaliating like he promised he would.

    *Don¡¯t waste your hopes my love*

    Underneath her longshes Melissa¡¯s blue eyes shot towards Elric whose voice she had heard in her head.

    *He will note for you, he knows better than to challenge a man who has the strength of three quarters of the continent on his side*

    The thought made Melissa¡¯s heart sink, king Elric was right, Gareth wouldn¡¯t be that stupid. But still, she silently prayed she would get to see him again, even once, she missed him dearly.

    *

    ¡°Come in!¡±

    Marceline walked into the room where Emma Morrell was sitting at her dresser brushing her hair. She walked over to her side and pointed at the sofa next to the dressing table. ¡°May I?¡± Marceline asked Emma.

    ¡°Oh umm sure,¡± Emma responded and continued brushing her hair.

    ¡°That dress looks lovely on you,¡± Marcelinemented. Emma was a very beautiful woman and didn¡¯t look her age at all, it was shocking especially considering she was a mere human. Humans tended to age quickly from what Marceline knew, but this woman didn¡¯t look a day over thirty.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Emma responded as she continued to brush her hair.

    ¡°Did you hear?¡± Marceline continued, ¡°Melissa and Edron¡¯s son will be arriving today.¡±

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m well aware,¡± Emma responded as she put the brush down on the dressing table and turned to look at the red haired woman. Every time Emma looked at Marceline she could see Melissa, the resemnce was a constant reminder that this woman was her real mother and she was here to take her ce.

    ¡°King Elric ordered that a ball be held in celebration of her return,¡± Emma spoke. She then gave Marceline a small smile and said, ¡°you must be excited. Reuniting with your daughter after such a long time.¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact I¡¯m more nervous than excited,¡± Marceline responded in low voice, a small nervous smile painting her beautiful face. ¡°In as much as I have missed her dearly, ive yed no part in my daughter¡¯s life. I don¡¯t know how she will take it, I sure wouldn¡¯t be jumping for joy if I was in her shoes.¡±

    ¡°But the fact remains that you are her real mother,¡± Emma spoke, her gaze falling on the garden outside her window. ¡°No matter what, that¡¯s never going to change, no one can ever take her away from you.¡±

    Marceline¡¯s smile disappeared at the woman¡¯s words. She knew Emma Morrell wasn¡¯t a fan of this whole arrangement. Emma loved Melissa and it was very evident, she didn¡¯t me her for not being too fond of a woman just came in to im her only daughter. This is why Marceline had decided toe and speak with Emma and reassure her that she wasn¡¯t here to rece her.

    ¡°No one can stop her from being your daughter too Emma,¡± Marceline spoke, making Emma tter hershes. ¡°Melissa is who she is today because of you, you carried her in your womb, bore her and raised her into a fine young woman.¡±

    Emma scoffed, ¡°yes, me and a few other women as well,¡± she responded, ¡°ording to your exnations she¡¯s had quite a few mothers over the years.¡±

    ¡°That is true and I am grateful to them all.¡± Marceline looked at Emma and gently took her hand in hers, ¡°you¡¯ve done more for her than I ever have, and that is why I can never rece you in her life. I assure you l only want to be a part of Melissa¡¯s life, not take your ce.¡±

    Emma¡¯s smile broadened, she didn¡¯t know that she really needed to hear that. Honestly she thought she was being reced but now she was assured that she was not going to lose a daughter, but instead her daughter would gain a mother.

    ¡°Well,¡± Marceline spoke as she stood up, ¡°I guess I will see you at the ball.¡±

    ¡°Of course..¡± Emma watched Marceline walk to the door but then called to her, ¡°umm Marceline!¡±

    The blue eyed woman turned around.

    ¡°That dress looks lovely on you too,¡± she spoke with a smile.

    Marceline nodded and gave Emma a grateful smile, ¡°thank you.¡±

    *

    Theodora opened therge wooden door and Aiden sighed. ¡°Theodora how many times have I told you not to just barge in when I¡¯m in the bath?¡±

    The woman chuckled at the handsome red headed man who was soaking in the foamy tub and walked towards him. ¡°And how many times have I not listened to you Aiden?¡±

    Theodora trailed her eyes down the man¡¯s wet broad shoulders and firm chest. Gods if he would just let her please him she would do it with all her heart and soul.

    ¡°Anyway I¡¯m only here because I have news for you about our pretty little Melissa,¡± Theodora spoke, gaining the attention of the man.

    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Aiden muttered.

    ¡°Edron¡¯s son has taken her from Ervelon,¡± Theodora exined, ¡°they are in Meria as we speak. Won¡¯t it be easier for you to get to her now?¡±

    ¡°It would,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°but from what I¡¯ve heard about the lycan Elric, he is a bit over protective of her. He may not let me have her so easily.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use the elven prince?¡± Theodora suggested, ¡°he is making allies to aid him on his mission.¡±

    ¡°What mission?¡±

    ¡°He wishes to retrieve Melissa from Elric, it¡¯s been a game of tag of war between the two for a while now over our little princess,¡± Theodora exined, ¡°he is on his way to Lenora. You can intercept him and pretend to be an ally so you can get closer to princess Melissa. After which we can take her.¡±

    Aiden was in thought for minute before nodding his head slowly, ¡°that¡¯s a brilliant n.¡± He agreed, ¡°go and prepare, let¡¯s go and finally meet my little brother inw.¡±

    Theodora rolled her eyes at thement but stood up to do what she was told nheless. The woman had epted the fact that no matter how much she loved Aiden he would never be hers. His heart belonged to Estel and he had made it clear that that was never going to change. But regardless, she would aid him in anyway he required if it would bring him happiness.

 Chapter 145

    145 Chapter 145 : Mother

    Gareth sat down next to the fire that Ozias had lit and proceeded to eating his meat and bread. The caravan had been on the road for three days and were expecting to reach Lenora in a day or two, depending on how fast they would ride. Night had fallen and a number of fires had been lit to amodate everyone who sat in small groups. Winter was closing in quick and the nights had be longer.

    ¡°So Ivan I¡¯ve been meaning to ask,¡± Beric asked the dark haired man who was sitting next to him and lovingly stroking a small framed painting of his wife. ¡°I recall you telling us things weren¡¯t going so good with Elenast you spoke of her, but now you seem almost in love.¡± Beric poked the fire in front of him with a stick and blushed lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry, I mean your business is your own but it¡¯s just a little shocking is all.¡±

    ¡°In love?¡± Zander spoke with a chuckle, ¡°you honestly think Mr. ¡®I¡¯ll bang anything in a skirt¡¯ is capable of falling in love? I bet she just used some new sex move on him that he can¡¯t get enough of.¡±

    Ivan tucked away the picture in his coat and gave Zander a condescending smile, ¡°I know you are aware that my cock is the desire of many women Zander unlike yours, and yes I took pride in sharing it...¡±

    Zander swallowed his meat and frowned at Ivan

    ¡°But recently I have felt the need to only share this immacte appendage of mine whole heartedly with only one woman,¡± Ivan continued, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know why. When I think of my dear sweet wife my heart tters. When she¡¯s happy I¡¯ve found myself happy, and when she¡¯s sad I find myself unable to sleep. And she bes sad if she knows I¡¯m sleeping with other women.¡±

    Prince Gareth chuckled at Ivan¡¯s attempt to exin what he was feeling. He swallowed hisst peice of meat and put the te down before helping him out, ¡°what Ivan is trying to say is that he has fallen in love with Elena.¡±

    ¡°But what changed your mind?¡± Beric enquired, this was a strange side of Ivan that none of them had ever thought they would ever see.

    ¡°Well honestly all I needed to do was hear her out,¡± Ivan replied, ¡°she said things that made me see everything in a different light you know.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Does that mean your life of sleeping around is over?¡± Odran asked the man. This was a very shocking transition.

    ¡°Oh heavens no,¡± Ivan responded as he took a bite of his meat, ¡°I¡¯ll just make sure my wife never finds out so she can never be sad, also I will not put my heart into sleeping with other women like I did before, because my heart only belongs to Elena.¡±

    All the men face palmed. Of course Ivan would still be Ivan, the yboy persona was a core part of him that no one could ever change, not even a woman he loved.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m happy for you,¡± Rndmented, ¡°our time in this world is short, what matters is that you find someone who makes that limited time worth while.¡±

    That¡¯s right, finding someone who made living worth while was what gave life meaning. It¡¯s why Gareth had spent countless lifetimes in pursue of Melissa, because in all honesty she was the only thing that made his life worth living, and now that she was going to give him a child, that role only magnified.

    Prince Gareth gazed at the mes of the fire, muting out the chattering of his men. Melissa, he missed her so much. And all this talk of love and rtionships only made his heart yern for her more. Unconsciously he brought his hand to the faint bite marks on his neck and whispered the words, ¡°I miss you...¡±

    Zander nced at the prince and noticed his sad expression and the mark on his neck. His hand immediately shot to his own mark and immediately understood the prince¡¯s obsession. This mark, ever since Vivian had given it to him he had the strong urge to be by her side every waking second that it was almost maddening. Was it some sort of bond? When Vivian had bitten him during their love making he thought it was just her nosferatu urges or something, and to be honest he was ashamed to admit that he had enjoyed it quite a bit.

    Zander poured a cup of ale and handed it over to the pouting prince with a smile, ¡°have some your grace,¡± he spokefortingly, ¡°it will help.¡±

    Gareth gave the blonde elf a thankful nod and reached for the cup, and as he took it he noticed the mark on Zander¡¯s neck as well. The prince chuckled and sipped the ale, ¡°be strong Zander, it¡¯s not going to be easy.¡±

    ¡°Trust me i am well aware of that,¡± Zander responded with a smirk.

    They clicked cups and downed their ale.

    *

    The royal carriage halted. One of the gaurds rushed towards it, opened the door, bowed and stepped aside to let the silver haired king pass. Elric then reached his hand out to Melissa who hesitantly took it and walked out of the carriage as well.

    There were two lines of gaurds and soldiers stretching from the carriage all the way to the entrance of the pce. ¡°Wee home my love,¡± Elric spoke and Melissa felt those ufortable chills again.

    As they turned to walk towards the pce entrance, the men all saluted in unison and it startled Melissa a bit. King Elric tightened his grip on her hand and with a smile, Melissa heard his voice in her head

    *Don¡¯t worry my queen, you will get used to this soon enough*

    As they approached therge pce doors, Melissa¡¯s eyes rounded and her heart skipped several beats when she caught sight of the men who were standing there.

    ¡°William.. Bahram.. Alexander... Jonathan..¡±

    Elric released Melissa¡¯s hand and she ran towards her brothers. The men embraced their little sister in a group bear hug.

    ¡°I missed you so much...¡± Melissa muttered.

    She looked up at the men and was shocked at how much they had changed in such a short time, especially the twins. She had so many questions for them but she fingered they would have to wait.

    ¡°Mother and father are inside,¡± William spoke, ¡°they¡¯ll be so happy to see you again.¡±

    Melissa turned to Elric and he gave her an approving smile. She turned back towards therge doorway and walked into the pce followed by her brothers.

    When Melissaid eyes on Emma and John Morrell she couldn¡¯t stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. She felt like she hadn¡¯t seen them in forever. For a moment Melissa forgot she was a princess or queen and ran to her parents, embracing them in a tight hug.

    Emma couldn¡¯t help her tears as well, she had missed her beautiful daughter so much.

    ¡°Mother, father, how are you? Are you okay?¡± Melissa inquired wondering if they had been mistreated in any way while being held hostage here.

    ¡°We¡¯re fine sweet heart,¡± Emma responded as she wiped the tears from her daughter¡¯s face. ¡°We are just d you¡¯re okay.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again princess,¡± John Morrell spoke. He wasn¡¯t a man who showed emotion, but it was very evident that in that moment he felt great relief and happiness.

    Melissa giggled happily at her parents when suddenly someone who was standing behind them caught her eye. An extremely beautiful woman who looked about thirty, with long wavy red hair that fell down her back all the way to her waistline, and vivid blue eyes, was looking at Melissa intently. The palms of her hands were sped together and her eyes were misty, yet a quivering smile tugged her beautiful red lips.

    Melissa took two steps towards the woman and then halted in her tracks. Her skin erupted in goosebumps as her eyes raked over the woman, Melissa felt like she was looking in a mirror.

    ¡°Hello Melissa,¡± the woman said in a soft cracking voice as streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. Marceline was too overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn¡¯t believe that after all this time she was finally looking at her daughter. Goodness she was so beautiful, so elegant, and just by looking at her Marceline could tell she was very powerful, maybe even more than her.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Melissa questioned the woman even though in a way she felt she already knew the answer to that.

    ¡°Your father will be so happy to know how you¡¯ve grown Melissa,¡± the woman spoke as she tried desperately to stop her tears from flowing. ¡°I have waited for many years just to get a glimpse of you..¡± more tears ran down her cheeks and Marceline chided herself for being so emotional. This was not the first impression she wanted to make when she first met her daughter, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized, ¡°I can¡¯t seem to control my own feelings.¡±

    Marceline froze when Melissa rushed towards her and hugged her. She had not expected her to do that, in fact she had expected her to hate her for all the things she had been through, and for not being there when she needed her.

    ¡°So finally after so long,¡± Melissa spoke, ¡°I get to meet you..¡± she looked up at the woman¡¯s misty blue eyes and smiled, ¡°mother.¡±

 Chapter 146

    146 Chapter 146 : All for Estel

    After helping Theodora saddle up her horse, the red haired rogue prince mounted his own steed in preparation to leave. He drew in a breath, clutched the pendent around his neck that bore a picture of Estel, and kicked his horse in it¡¯s sides, galloping away with Theodora closely behind him.

    As they rode through the town the people would bow respectfully as Aiden passed them, though it was mostly out of fear than respect. But he was used to this now, after all, striking fear in the hearts of the people was how he rose to power, and he intended to keep it that way, he needed Cenia¡¯s military strength.

    Many years back, a few years had passed after Aiden had rescued Theodora from the thugs who tired to rape her. The woman had insisted that Aiden live with her and he obliged, it¡¯s not like he had anywhere else to go anyway. If he went to Lenora the spiteful queen Tauriel would probably have him hanged, and if he followed his people to the snonds they would capture him and lock him up again.

    On several asions Aiden would leave early in the morning in search of clues and ways to find Estel, only returningte in the night to rest so he could do it all over again the next morning. Some times he would go for days or weeks, but Theodora was thankful that he would alwayse back safe and sound, and never empty handed. He always brought with him food, supplies and even new items for their little rundown home. Still the woman worried about Aiden, I mean how could she not, she had fallen hopelessly in love with him. Aiden was willing to look for his woman in literally every single shire and sometimes it took a tow on him, but he refused to relent.

    One day Aiden received a tip that someone had spotted a woman who fit Estel¡¯s description far in the outer shires of Cenia near the Rocky Mountain range. Theodora was against him going so far away on his own but when it came to his lovely Estel, Aiden heeded no warning. He left for the shire in a heartbeat only leaving Theodora with an assurance that if he died, it would not be at the hands of any human.

    To his surprise the tip was actually credible. An old man told Aiden that while sourcing for herbs in a nearby forest he had seen a woman with knee length golden hair who was apanied by some strange people covered in hooded cloaks. What made Aiden even more certain that it was Estel the man had seen, was that he mentioned that the woman was carrying a child who bore reddish hair.

    The blue eyed man couldn¡¯t believe his luck, after so long finally he would be reunited with the woman who held his heart. In as much as he kept searching for Estel, his hope of finding her had began to waver, he had almost believed that maybe she had been killed by the humans, but now he was d that he had held on a little longer.

    Aiden wasted no time. After thanking the man, he rode off into the forest to search, he wandered the wooded area for days without ever giving up but found nothing, until one day he came across something that assured him that he was on the right track. There on a branch hang a long strand of golden hair, and Aiden knew immediately who it belonged to, but where was she?! He had searched this entire ce thoroughly but had not seen any hut, cave, castle or any form of residence however took Estel could have inhabited. These were moments he wished he had a lycan ally with him, they could have tracked Estel in no time at all.

    Aiden growled in frustration, ¡°Estel!¡±

    .....

    Suddenly a noise caught his attention. He turned around and saw three cloaked men nearing him with daggers in their hands.

    ¡°You should have stayed away vampire,¡± one of the men hissed as he pointed his dagger at Aiden, ¡°the woman and child belong to our master now.¡±

    So that old man really had seen Estel. ¡°Where are you hiding her?!¡± Aiden roared as her neared the men fearlessly, ¡°tell me and I¡¯ll consider making your deaths quick and painless..¡±

    ¡°They are long gone now,¡± another man responded, ¡°master sensed your presence earlier, you had no chance.¡±

    ¡°What do you want with them?! Take me instead!¡± Aiden felt a hint of desperation embedded in his seething anger. ¡°Where are you taking her?¡±

    ¡°Like we would tell you,¡± a man rasped as he lunged at Aiden, ¡°now shut up and die vampire!¡±

    Stupid move, Aiden thought to himself. What could a mere human- ¡°argh!¡± A sharp pain on his arm interrupted the Aiden¡¯s train of thought. How was that possible? The man had lunged at him from the front but had shed him from behind.

    Aiden turned around to attack the cloaked man who had wounded him, but he vanished into thin air, appeared behind the nosferatu prince, and shed his leg.

    ¡°Mages..¡± Aiden groaned as he gripped his arm.

    ¡°This is the man who killed ourrades in Ervelon? Pathetic,¡± the man spat in detest, ¡°as a matter of fact, we should have a little fun with his little elven slut in memory of our fallenrades.¡±

    Aiden looked up at the man menacingly, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t have said that,¡± he muttered as little horns sprouted from his forehead, ¡°you really shouldn¡¯t have said that,¡± his eyes turned blood red, and his fangs and nails lengthened and sharpened.

    Everything that happened after that was a blur to the man who had survived Aiden¡¯s massacre. The man sat on the ground shivering and whimpering in fear as the blood covered red haired vampire straddled over to him.

    ¡°Where are you taking Estel?¡± Aiden spoke in a voice that made the man soil himself on the spot, ¡°and what do you want with her and my child?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where they¡¯re taking her,¡± the man whimpered all the while shielding his face from the monster standing over him, ¡°such information is only known by his eminence. But I do know that they need them for some sort of ritual, I don¡¯t know the details but they¡¯re waiting for the child to be of age until it happens.¡±

    ¡°A ritual?¡± Aiden muttered to himself. What were these filthy humans up to? ¡°What are you ning?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but you cannot stop his eminence on your own,¡± the man responded, ¡°even in his weakened state you would need a whole army of vampires to stand up to him, he isn¡¯t like us, he turned himself into something that isn¡¯t human.¡±

    Aiden was about to ask another question when an arrow appeared from nowhere and plunged into the man¡¯s throat. The red head turned to see where the arrow hade from but only caught a glimpse of another cloaked man walking into a portal.

    Those bastards, Aiden thought. They silenced his only hope of getting more information about Estel and what this ¡®master¡¯ was nning. But now he knew he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to fight alone, he needed allies, powerful allies. His thoughts drifted to the snonds..

    ¡°No..¡± Aiden shook his head. Even if he tried to ask they wouldn¡¯t even hear him out, they would just shuckle him and use a suppression spell on him before he even got the chance to ask for help. He needed someone who could help him convince his father, someone who the Kaiser would listen to.

    Wait! Hadn¡¯t his father mentioned that they were expecting a child? Of course! This was his chance! This sibling of his had probably already been born and sent out into the world to live among the humans, all he needed was to find them.

    *

    Aiden and Theodora slowed down and eventually came to a halt at the edge of a cliff.

    ¡°How far till the eleven prince reaches Lenora?¡± He asked the woman.

    Theodora hopped off her horse and walked to Aiden¡¯s side. She ced her middle and index finger in her forhead and images of Gareth and his men shed in her mind¡¯s eye. This telepathic power was one of the many abilities she had attained after following Aiden¡¯s path and tasting the forbidden blood of humans.

    ¡°They are on the move, they will be there in less than two days,¡± the woman responded as she turned to look at Aiden, ¡°we might not make it in time.¡±

    ¡°No worries,¡± the man responded, ¡°let them speak with Dvalin first. As long as we can intercept them before they reach Meria, then we have no problems.¡±

    ¡°What if the elven prince doesn¡¯t trust you,¡± Theodora questioned, ¡°what do we do then?¡±

    Aiden pulled down his cloak and gazed at the woman with his sapphire blue eyes. Gods he was beautiful.

    ¡°Look at me,¡± he spoke with a mischievous smile that melted Theodora¡¯s heart, ¡°I look just like his beautiful lover, I highly doubt he will turn away a helping hand from her only brother.¡±

    Theodora nodded and watched Aiden dismount his horse, ¡°let¡¯s camp here for a bit,¡± Aiden suggested. ¡°We have a long journey ahead so we need all the rest we can get.¡±

 Chapter 147

    147 Chapter 147 : Lenora

    The kingdom of Lenora was a vast underground dynasty of great mineral wealth unlike any other. Hidden away within the mountains the kindom harbored the proud and mighty dwarves, governed by Dvalin, the greatest warrior of them all.

    The kingdom was sheltered by high walls stered in imprable gold, floors of silver, and rubies and emeralds littered the walkways and waterways like leaves in autumn. The dwarve race , though small in stature, boosted the highest skilled forgers and some of the best warriors, even the women dabbled in the arts of war and cksmithing.

    King Dvalin had ruled for many years, taking over after his father who had no female children. Dvalin ruled the kingdom with an iron fist, building it to perfection in readiness for the day his little princess woulde home and sit on the throne with her eight brothers by her side.

    The dwarve king had just concluded his meeting with his council about a new metal they hade across that proved a potent weapon. The silvery white metal that had been named Lenorium was deemed to be poisonous as the men who mined it had sumbed to severe vomiting, nasal bleeding and otherplications just from a few minutes of exposer to the metal.

    ¡°This will prove to be a leathal trump card in war your majesty,¡± one of the council members had spoken, ¡°I suggest we mine it but under strict precautions. Weapons are more valuable than gold in the world we live in today.¡±

    Dvalin had agreed with his council to excavate the metal carefully and forge weapons for use only when absolutely necessary. After all, they were living in times of conflict and war.

    The dwarve king halted in his tracks when he saw his beautiful wife ahead.

    ¡°Dvalin..¡±

    She was the only person in the entire kingdom who dared speak his name, and he loved how it flowed from her lips. Even his own sons only referred to him as ¡®father¡¯ or ¡®your majesty¡¯.

    .....

    ¡°Daena.. you look troubled.¡±

    ¡°We have guests,¡± she spoke calmly.

    ¡°Guests??¡± This was strange. The dwarves were a conservative people who really didn¡¯t open their gates to anyone and all knew this. So who could have decided it was a good idea to arrive unannounced like this?

    ¡°Who are these Guests?¡±

    ¡°Prince Gareth of the elves,¡± Daena responded.

    ¡°Tauriel¡¯s son?¡± Dvalin spoke in surprise, ¡°why is he here? Is everything okay?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s best you hear for yourself what he has to say.¡±

    *

    ¡°Talk aboutck of hospitality,¡± Ivanined as he kicked a small stone into the rocky wall, ¡°they couldn¡¯t even offer us a seat?¡±

    ¡°The dwarves rarely let outsiders into their walls,¡± Zander exined, ¡°we¡¯re lucky we even made it as far as the gates without being attacked by their ogre gaurd.¡±

    ¡°An ogre? What is that?¡± Beric questioned the blonde elf.

    ¡°An ogre is a huge humanoid creature that the dwarves usually keep to stand guard at the gate,¡± Finwe responded. He whipped his head side to side as if trying to locate the creature, ¡°I wonder where it is?¡± He asked sarcastically while eyeing his brother.

    ¡°Well where ever it is, let it stay there,¡± Ozias added on.

    Gareth averted his gaze from his men when he realized that the creature him and Melissa had killed a while back on their way to Cenia, was the ogre Finwe was talking about. He hopped the dwarve king hadn¡¯t heard about that little mishap or else their chances of making an alliance would go down thetrine.

    Therge gate began to move slowly and with it the ground began to ramble. Gareth and his menposed themselves awaiting whoever would walk out to meet them. From the dust and debris tossed up in the air due to the violet movement of the gates, four dwarvish gaurds walked out and behind them a man with rough long hair and an even rougher looking face. Even though he was almost half the elven men¡¯s height, he did notck in intimidation.

    ¡°Which one of you is Tauriel¡¯s son, which of you is the crowned prince of Ervelon?¡± Dvalin spoke, even his voice was too big and rough for a man of his height. It was almost like everything was sopressed within his small body making it too much inparison to other average men.

    Gareth stepped forward and bowed respectfully. He needed not to anger the dwarve king if he was going to win him over, plus dwarves were known to be hot headed. ¡°King Dvalin,¡± Gareth spoke, ¡°I am Gareth, first son of queen Tauriel and thete king Aragon, crowned prince of Ervelon.¡±

    Dvalin raked his eyes over the young prince, the resemnce to his friend Aragon was unsettling. Even his voice and demeanor resembled thete elven king.

    ¡°Did Tauriel send you here?¡± Dvalin asked, his eyes trailing towards the men and elven soldiers behind Gareth. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°My mother didn¡¯t send me here king Dvalin,¡± the dark haired prince responded, ¡°I came here at my own ord because I feel you and I can help each other.¡±

    Dvalin scoffed, ¡°help each other? And how exactly do you intend for that to happen?¡±

    ¡°I ask for an alliance to march with me to Meria,¡± Gareth began to exin but was cut off by the wave of Dvalin¡¯s hand.

    ¡°To that lunatic Edron¡¯s son?¡± Dvalin responded, ¡°for what reason? So you can steal his wife away a second time?¡±

    Gareth pursed his lips and drew in a breath to stop himself from saying something rude. He didn¡¯t know the dwarve king was so informed about the events that had been urring over the months.

    ¡°Look boy,¡± Dvalin continued to speak as he closed the gap between him and Gareth, ¡°I¡¯m too old to get involved in your love escapades. Thest time us adults yed a role in something like this, our races were divided. This battle is your own, don¡¯t involve me.¡±

    The dwarve king turned around and was about to leave when Gareth called out to him, ¡°wouldn¡¯t you want to save your daughter?!¡±

    ¡°Da..¡± the king muttered before halting and turning back around, marching towards the prince with a hasty pace. ¡°Where is my daughter what have you done with her?!¡±

    The guards pulled out their weapons upon hearing their king¡¯s angry tone, in readiness to apprehend the prince.

    ¡°Da..¡± Gareth responded, ¡°so that¡¯s her name.¡±

    ¡°I have no time for banter elf, where is Da?!¡±

    ¡°From what I know,¡± Gareth began to exin, feeling pleased with himself for having caught the king¡¯s attention, ¡°¡®that lunatic Edron¡¯s son¡¯ is keeping her hostage.¡±

    Dvalin took a staggering step back, ¡°that bastard..¡± he looked up at Gareth and growled, ¡°I¡¯ll kill him if heys as much as a finger on her perfect head!¡±

    ~perfect? I see where Julia gets her impulsiveness from~

    ¡°The best way to deal with this matter is strategically king Dvalin,¡± Gareth exined, ¡°going to Meria to wage war might put both Melissa and Da in danger.¡±

    Dvalin shimmered down a bit and drew in a deep breath. ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk about that somewhere a little more...¡± Gareth eyed the dwarve guards who were armed with axes and daggers, ¡°.. private.¡±

    Dvalin turned to his men and gestured them to stand down before turning back to Gareth. ¡°Fine, follow me.¡± It infiltrated Dvalin that he was letting outsiders into his home, but Gareth was as smooth with his tactics as Aragon was, and he left him with no choice. He was actually growing to like this sly elf.

    ¡°Take the soldiers to the baracks while me and the prince have a little discussion!¡± Dvalin ordered his gaurds, ¡°and no one is to disturb us!¡±

    Prince Gareth, prince Finwe and Gareth¡¯s men followed Dvalin through the massive gates cautiously, not knowing what to expect on the inside. Would it be dark, gloomy and dirty? Or maybe it would be grim, murky and stuffy?

    When all eight men fully stepped through the gates their jaws dropped to the floor, because rather than a gloomy, dark, and dingy underground habitat, a gold coated underground citadel came into view. All the men were atplete loss for words, how was it even possible to coat an entire city in gold?!

    The walls and high ceilings were encrusted with luminous jewels that brightened the ce, and the pathways were stered in silver and littered with different precious stones. The men had never seen a ce so beautiful, not even Ervelon was this breathtaking.

    Children, women and men frolicked along the silver stered streets going about their daily lives. There were food stalls, busy markets, stores and many other ces. The people here seemedpletely unaffected by the fact that they were living in an actual treasure chest.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Dvalin spoke as they walked down the street towards arge structure thaty past the town. ¡°If you pick anything here, that will be considered stealing, and we will not hesitate to cut your hands off.¡±

    Ivan who had picked a beautiful red ruby on the ground immediately threw it away and gulped. If they didn¡¯t want people picking them why were theyying around on the ground?!

 Chapter 148

    148 Chapter 148 : who is Aiden?

    Clovis was in a dazed state just nkly staring at his reflection in the mirror and listening to the sound of his own breathing.

    ¡°Julia..¡± he whispered to himself and ran both his hands through his silver locs. Why in the world was he feeling like this?! This was stupid! He was angry and irrational, something way out of character for him and he hated it. His mood had sunk ship the minute Julia had heisted in admitting that she had no feelings for Elric, and why? He had no idea. The sinking angry feeling only worsened when Theo informed him that Elric had arrived, why the hell did he feel threatened by his presence all of a sudden.

    Clovis chuckled and looked himself in the mirror again. Could this be witchcraft? No! The man shook his head and dismissed the thought, Julia would never do that. He was probably just curious about her and had somehow gotten a little attached, nothing more.

    A series of knocks at the door jolted Clovis from his reverie. The door cracked open and his brother, Jeffrey, the trouble maker of the family walked in. He made his way to Clovis¡¯s bed and dove onto it, hands behind his head and legs crossed.

    ¡°Hello brother,¡± Jeffrey spoke, ¡°aren¡¯t you going toe down stairs and greet your king?¡±

    ¡°Has the concept of manners been tossed out the window where youe from Jeffrey?¡± Clovis responded in annoyance.

    ¡°What? At least I knocked this time..¡±

    Clovis ignored his brother¡¯sment, he had a lot on his mind already he didn¡¯t want his little sibling to get to him too. ¡°I¡¯ll see him at the ball tomorrow, I¡¯m not feeling too well.¡± That was a lie, Clovis didn¡¯t want to meet Elric because for some reason he felt like he would punch him in the face.

    ¡°Really?¡± Jeffrey sat up and studied his brother, ¡°I¡¯d expect ame excuse like that from me Clovis, but not from my politically refined big brother, peacemaker of the bunch and the epitome of etiquette and poise.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Like I said,¡± Clovis repeated himself, ¡°I am unwell right now and I will see king Elric at Melissa¡¯s coronation ball.¡±

    ¡°You seem troubled brother,¡± Jeffrey uttered with a mischievous smile on his face, ¡°should I get that little murderer Julia toe here andfort-¡±

    ¡°She is not a murderer!¡± Clovis interrupted his brother. He had risen to his feet, kicked his chair back and was practically foaming at the mouth.

    ¡°There it is,¡± Jeffrey responded with a chuckle. He threw his head back andughed in amusement as he watched his brother rpose himself. ¡°I have to say Clovis, I really didn¡¯t expect this from you.¡± Jeffrey rose to his feet and made his way to where Clovis was standing and ced a hand on his shoulder, ¡°my my how the mighty have fallen. You know I suspected something was going on when I¡¯d see you sharing tea with the dwarve princess, but now you¡¯ve just confirmed it.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Clovis spat back in an irritated tone, ¡°there¡¯s nothing wrong with being hospitable.¡±

    ¡°Oh ha ha Clovis, hospitable?¡± Jeffrey walked to Clovis¡¯ front and smiled menacingly at him, ¡°imagine what the people will say when they find out their prince is in love with the woman who murdered the queen.¡±

    There was an almost venomous aura in the way Jeffrey spoke. Being the most mischievous one of the brothers, Jeffrey had always gotten the short end of the stick when it came to positions of national duty, and over the years that had made him bitter. Clovis was sure he was looking for an opportunity like this, to taint everyone¡¯s name so they could all be on the same level.

    ¡°First Elric bes a tyrant and now you fall for a traitor?¡± Jeffrey spoke in amusement, his index finger stroking his chin tauntingly, ¡°oh wow I will have so much to tell father when we next see him. It will be absolutely tititing.¡±

    Clovis watched as Jeffrey walked away and out the door, giving him a taunting wave as he exited.

    ¡°That little prick..¡± Clovis muttered. He picked up the chair he had kicked to the ground and sat back down. The words that Jeffrey spoke kept ringing in his head. ¡®Imagine what the people will say when they find out their prince is in love with the woman who murdered their queen.¡¯

    Love? Did Clovis love Julia? The man pondered on the thought for a bit but then dismissed it. That was ridiculous, how could he love someone he had just gotten to know, and a dwarve at that. Jeffrey was just trying to get into his head, he wasn¡¯t going to let him win.

    *

    Melissa couldn¡¯t believe she was actually sitting and sipping tea with her family again. The whole experience was so surreal. In as much as the situation that had brought her back to Meria wasn¡¯t a joyful one, she was at the least grateful she was here with her family.

    ¡°So why didn¡¯t youe here with my father?¡± Melissa asked the red haired woman sitting across from her. ¡°Is he..¡± she put down her tea cup dreading the question she was about to ask.

    ¡°No! Oh heavens no!¡± Marceline interrupted her daughter, ¡°your father is very much alive and well.¡±

    ¡°Oh okay,¡± Melissa responded, weirdly feeling relieved. ¡°So why isn¡¯t he here?¡±

    ¡°Actually I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you that,¡± Emma asked Marceline, ¡°I just didn¡¯t think it was appropriate at the time. I¡¯m sure her father would have loved to see his daughter as well.¡±

    Marceline pursed her lips nervously before opening her mouth to speak, ¡°I uh.. well I didn¡¯t tell him I wasing here.¡±

    John Morrell rose from his seat and cleared his throat, ¡°well would you look at the time,¡± he spoke in an attempt to excuse himself from the conversation that he sensed was getting personal, ¡°I just remembered that there is something very important that needs tending to.¡± He turned to his sons and gave them a sign to follow, e on boys I¡¯ll need your help.¡±

    Bharam and William got the hint immediately and rose from their seats as well, ¡°exuse us,¡± they spoke in unison.

    While the twins on the other hand remained stered in their seats.

    ¡°Jonathan! Alexander! Please follow me..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Bahram and William can manage father,¡± Alexander responded.

    ¡°Yeah, besides this conversation is getting good!¡± Jonathan added on.

    Bahram walked over to his brothers and gave them each a smack upside the head.

    ¡°Okay okay we¡¯reing!¡± They whined in unison.

    When the men had left and closed the door behind them, Marceline felt a little more rxed. ¡°The truth is me and your father haven¡¯t really been seeing eye to eye thesest few years.¡± She began to exin.

    Melissa and Emma exchanged looks before asking her what was going on.

    ¡°You see I never wanted you to be a part of this,¡± Marceline exined, ¡°I wanted you close to me on every step of your life Melissa, and your father knew that. That¡¯s why he decided it was better to trick me into roping you into all of this. And honestly we haven¡¯t been as close since.¡±

    Melissa looked up at her mother and felt bad for her. She thought she would be upset with her for using her as a pawn in a game of war but now she could see that her mother deeply regretted it. She was about to say something when she noticed a faint bite mark on Marceline¡¯s smooth neck. Gods! That was the mark of blood halves wasn¡¯t it?! If her father had given her that mark it must have been torture for both of them to live like this. I mean Melissa had only been away from Gareth a little over a week, and if it wasn¡¯t for her family she would have lost her mindpletely.

    ¡°He¡¯s the king right?¡± Melissa asked Marceline who wore a sad apologetic look on her face.

    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the kiser,¡± Marceline responded.

    ¡°Then I can only imagine how hard it was for him too to make that decision,¡± Melissa continued, ¡°a decision between your family and hundreds of other families that look up to you.¡±

    Melissa smiled at her mother making the woman¡¯s blue eyes be even more misty, ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m okay with what happened, but I do understand. I¡¯m not angry at you, neither am I angry at my father, so you shouldn¡¯t be angry with him either. He¡¯s probably been miserable all this time without your affection, you should forgive him.¡±

    Marceline and Emma were both at loss of words. Melissa was indeed wise beyond her years.

    The nosferatu queen bowed her head and wiped a tear from her eye, ¡°I¡¯ve been absolutely miserable without him too,¡± she admitted with quivering lips, ¡°many times I wanted to patch things up with him but when I thought of losing Aiden and now you, I just couldn¡¯t do it. I was in so much pain.¡±

    Melissa smiled but then quickly narrowed her eyes at Marceline, ¡°who is Aiden?¡±

 Chapter 149

    149 Chapter 149 : I¡¯m still your husband

    Gareth and his men where led into therge gold pce that was situated at the heart of the dwarve citadel. They thought they had already seen it all, but upon entering the pce they had their jaws to the floor once again. The pce furniture, floors, walls and even windows were all forged from precious metals and stones.

    ~Maybe that¡¯s why Julia is so materialistic~ Gareth thought to himself as they walked through the halls of the pce.

    The walked into arge room that looked like a library, but instead of the shelves being filled with books and parchments, they were filled with weapons. Axes, daggers, clubs and many other weapons forged from various types of metels were disyed beautifully in the room.

    At the center of therge weapon library stood a long ck marble table with matching chairs that Dvalin walked to and took a seat.

    ¡°Welle on then elf,¡± the gruff king spoke, ¡°we don¡¯t have all day now do we?!¡±

    The men made their way to the table and sat down. ¡°Thank you for having us and hearing me out king Dvalin,¡± Gareth spoke.

    ¡°My daughter was pulled into this, so it¡¯s not like I have much for a choice now do I,¡± Dvalin responded as he gestured the women who hade in to serve ale for his guests. The king took his own cup, which was as big as his head, and gulped down its contents in three gulps. He burped, wiped his mouth and looked up at Gareth, ¡°so tell me, what is this n of yours?¡±

    ¡°As you know Elric has a huge army backing him up, so going against him as I am, with only a few men, would be suicidal,¡± Gareth exined. ¡°And that¡¯s where youe in, we need the numbers.¡±

    Dvalin chuckled before allowing a maid to pour him another cup of ale. ¡°You do realize Elric¡¯s army is so massive that even if I give you all my men we would still be short?¡±

    .....

    ¡°Not if we incorporate the Gavarian army as well,¡± Gareth responded.

    ¡°Gavarian army?¡± Dvalin was about to gulp his ale but instead settled his cup back down on the table. ¡°You have connections with Gavaria boy? What makes you think they¡¯ll want to help you?¡±

    ¡°I may not look it king Dvalin, but before assuming my title as Gareth the crowned prince of Ervelon,¡± the dark haired handsome prince exined, ¡°I was known as prince Adam, crowned prince of Gavaria.¡±

    Dvalin grinned from ear to ear. This young elf was much smarter than he had anticipated. Seems he already had this whole thing figured out.

    ¡°So what do you say king Dvalin?¡± Gareth asked the man, ¡°will you help me help you. Both of us stand to benefit here.¡±

    Dvalin gulped down the ale the same way he had downed the first one and smiled at the elven prince. ¡°I like you boy,¡± the king spoke, ¡°so I will help you.¡± He then rose his empty cup in the air for a toast, ¡°to our alliance!¡±

    Gareth and his men all rose their cups and toasted to that.

    *

    Melissa walked into her chambers and halted near the entrance. This was her and Elric¡¯s marital chambers, she sped the skirt of her dress as her blue eyes raked over therge room. Every part of the room held cringe worthy memories for her, that bed where Elric had deflowered her, that balcony where they had made love, that corner where he had kissed and that chair where he had pleased her many times. They were all once intimate memories, but now they felt incredibly awkward to her.

    Melissa jumped when she heard the door behind her swing open. She turned around and her face stood only mere inches from king Elric¡¯s chest. She attempted to move back but the silver haired man wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.

    ¡°Where are you running off to beautiful?¡± His voice rasped in an all too familiar tone that made Melissa shudder.

    ¡°I was just- ¡±

    ¡°We need to get you cleaned up in preparation for your coronation queen Melissa,¡± Elric muttered. He ced his index finger under her chin and tiled her head up so his honey brown eyes could look into her blue orbs. He could smell the hint of fear on her and it hurt him in a way, what did she think he was going to do to her? He would never hurt her or force her to do anything, he adored the very group she walked on.

    ¡°Shall I help you prepare for your bath my wife?¡± He asked the beautiful red head.

    ¡°S- sure,¡± she spoke in a low tone, afraid of what he¡¯d do if she refused.

    ¡°Melissa..¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t force myself on you,¡± Elric spoke calmly and tried to musk the disappointment and hurt in his luscious voice. ¡°From the day we met I told you I wouldn¡¯t touch you unless you asked..¡± he moved his hands to her back and untied the ribbon that held her dress up, ¡°that hasn¡¯t changed.¡±

    Melissa caught her dress before it fell and revealed her chest, and gasped, ¡°but you¡¯re-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only helping you prepare for your bath,¡± Elric spoke as he gently gripped her arms and lowered them to her sides. The dress fell to the floor leaving the woman in her short sheer white chemise. ¡°I won¡¯t make love to you if you¡¯re not willing to let me. But I¡¯m still your husband. It is my duty to tend to you.¡±

    Traditionally once a maiden was married, it was indeed the husband¡¯s duty to tend to her. In this case, all the things her maids would help her with such as bathing, dressing up and preparing for bed were now her husband¡¯s duties. And it went both ways, the wife was now responsible for her husband¡¯s grooming as well. So basically Elric was supposed to bathe her and vise versa.

    But in all honesty king Elric could have let the maids tend to Melissa, the reason he wanted to do it himself was because he was trying to reignite that me of desire for her that he could feel slowly dying. He needed to want her again, otherwise what would have been the point to all of this.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help me undress?¡± Elric asked the embarrassed woman tauntingly.

    Melissa averted his gaze and gulped. She yelped when he took her hands in his and ced them on his chest, over his buttons.

    ¡°Go on wife,¡± he encouraged her, ¡°we will bete for the event.¡±

    Melissa began to unbutton the man¡¯s shirt cautiously, trying hard not to make contact with his his bare skin. When his shirt was off she looked up at him and he gestured her to remove his pants as well. Melissa felt light headed as she unbuckled his belt and let his pants fall to his ankles, she didn¡¯t even dare look at him, everything about this felt incredibly wrong.

    Elric grabbed the neckline of the redhead¡¯s chemise with his now sharpened nail and tore it all the way down and let it drop to the floor next to her dress.

    ¡°You need to stop ripping my clothes!¡± Melissa pouted as she covered her naked breasts with her arms.

    A chuckle escaped Elric¡¯s lips and without warming he scooped the woman into his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll get you more clothes than you could ever need,¡± he spoke as he walked towards their bathing area in the adjacent room. ¡°I¡¯m king now, and after tonight you¡¯ll be my queen. I will give you anything your heart desires.¡±

    He moved into the hot waters of the sunken tub and ced Melissa on hisp. ¡°For now lets wash up for the ball, we don¡¯t want to keep everyone waiting.¡±

    *

    Vivian gasped in pleasure as Zander suckled longingly on her right breast while kneading her left gently. She grabbed his shoulder with one hand and with the other raked through his perfectly silky blonde hair.

    He relinquished her nipple and moved his hand to her buttocks and groped them. Vivian stifled a moan as his manhood twitched within her. She had never made love to a man before especially not like this. She always thought that during coitus a man should be the one on top to dominate, but Zander had made her sit on him instead.

    ¡®On my word,¡¯ Zander whispered sinfully into her ear, ¡®move up and down okay..¡¯

    Vivian nodded and chills ran down her spine as the man kneaded her soft bum.

    ¡®Now Viv, move for me..¡¯

    ¡®Viv..¡¯

    ¡®Vivian..¡¯

    ¡°Hey Vivian!¡±

    The dark haired nosferatu woman ttered her eyes opened and groaned. ¡°Zander?...¡±

    ¡°Zander?¡± Maria asked her friend in a confused tone.

    Vivan sat up straight and found Maria staring at her.

    ¡°I swear these elves have some kind of love potion they¡¯ve been using on all of you,¡± Mariained, ¡°even in your dreams Vivian? Really?¡±

    ¡°Shut up who said I was dreaming about Zander?¡± Vivian responded curtly.

    Maria pointed at her friend¡¯s blouse and immediately Vivian covered her erect nipples and pouted. ¡°This doesn¡¯t prove anything!¡±

    Maria rolled her eyes and leaned back on the chair of their carriage, ¡°anyway we¡¯re almost in Meria,¡± she exined, ¡°better get yourself together we¡¯re practically in enemy territory.¡±

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m aware of that,¡± Vivian responded as she covered herself with her cloak, ¡°besides, the faster we get this over with, the faster I can go back to Zander.¡±

    ¡°Love potion!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

 Chapter 150

    150 Chapter 150 : She said she loves me

    Zander knocked on the door to the sleeping chambers that had been assigned to prince Gareth. A low e in¡¯ was heard from the inside and the blonde man made his way in. And just like he suspected, Gareth wasying on his couch deep in thought.

    ¡°Penny for your thoughts?¡± Zander spoke to the man.

    Gareth sat up and gestured Zander to sit in his bed. ¡°I just feel like we¡¯re wasting time,¡± Gareth exined, ¡°why in the world will it take Dvalin forty eight hours to assemble his troops. A king should have his men ready at the snap of his finger!¡±

    Zander pursed his lips and stifled a chuckle, making the prince turn to him with an annoyed look on his face.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Gareth asked his blonde friend.

    ¡°Forgive me your grace,¡± Zander replied with a light chuckle. ¡°Do you recall when I told you that when ites to princess Melissa all your logic goes out the window?¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°Well, some would say that two days to gather over five thousand soldiers is quite impressive,¡± Zander added on, ¡°but I could be wrong.¡±

    Gareth retained hisying position and pouted.

    .....

    ¡°I understand you¡¯re eager to see her your grace but be patient..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that bastard will realize she¡¯s pregnant and do something horrible to her or my baby,¡± Gareth exined, ¡°or worse off, what if he sleeps with her and thinks the baby is his. Do you know the depth of madness I¡¯d fall into if that happened?¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace I¡¯m quite aware,¡± Zander responded calmly, ¡°but I can assure that after your reunion, I doubt the princess would let anyone other than youe anywhere near her, she¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    ¡°What if he forces himself on her?¡± Gareth muttered, there was a hint of fear and anger in his voice. I mean, Elric was a king, and kings merely just took what they wanted, even if it was by force.

    ¡°Not to try and offend you or anything like that your grace,¡± Zander spoke, ¡°but Elric is absolutely smitten with the princess. He wouldn¡¯t even dream of doing something like that to her.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s one way of giving me hope,¡± Gareth responded in a slightly irritated tone.

    ¡°Tis the price to pay for having fallen in love with a beautiful woman,¡± Zander spoke coyly. He too had a very beautiful woman he had fallen in love with yes, but luckily for him Vivian was not the most approachable woman out there, unlike Melissa who was warm, kind and weing.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be going to my own chambers to rest a while,¡± Zander said as he stood up, ¡°have a good night¡¯s rest your grace.¡±

    ¡°Good night Zander,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°and thank you for calming my nerves.¡±

    ¡°What are cousins for?¡±

    *

    Marceline watched in awe as Emma put the final touches on Melissa¡¯s makeup. Goodness, their daughter was absolutely beautiful, how could men stop themselves from waging war against one another with a face like that?

    ¡°And we are good to go,¡± Emma spoke and moved out of the way so her daughter could see her reflection in the mirror.

    Melissa was wearing a beautiful gold bow gown with little pieces of silver embroidered into it. It was long sleeved, had a v shaped opening at the front and arge bow on the back. Her neck and ears were also adorned with silver and gold and her hair was let loosely in big flowy curls.

    ¡°This looks perfect mother thank you,¡± Melissa spoke with a small smile.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re a little nervous honey but don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Emma encouraged her daughter, ¡°you¡¯ll be okay.¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s not that,¡± Melissa responded. She sighed and looked up at her reflection.

    ¡°Do you want to talk about him?¡± Marceline asked her daughter. She rose from her seat and made her way to Melissa¡¯s side, cupping her shoulders gently, ¡°your blood half. He¡¯s the one on your mind isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Melissa ttered hershes in shock, ¡°how did you?-¡±

    ¡°A mother knows,¡± Marceline responded. She trailed her hands down Melissa¡¯s shoulders to her arms, and as of instinctively she ced a hand on the side of her tummy and slightly gasped. ¡°He¡¯s an elf?¡±

    Melissa was stunned, how had her mother known that just by merely touching her? Could she read her mind or something?

    ¡°Is it the Gavarian prince?¡± Emma added on to the questions. ¡°What happened Melissa? If you love this man why did you return here to be Elric¡¯s queen?¡±

    ¡°I did it to protect him,¡± Melissa exined, a sad look painting her face. ¡°In order to keep him safe, I had to give up a life with him and be with Elric. It was the only way.¡±

    Marceline looked at her beautiful daughter and then looked back down at her tummy, ¡°but honey you¡¯re-¡±

    The door swung open and Elric walked in, ¡°forgive the intrusiondies,¡± he spoke with a bow, ¡°but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s time for me to whisk my queen away.¡±

    The man was elegantly dressed in gold and silver matching Melissa. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his strong build stood out in the fitting attire. Elric walked over to Melissa, his eyes leering at every beautiful detail of the woman. He stood in front of her and smiled approvingly, ¡°you look almost perfect my love,¡± he whispered.

    ¡°Almost?..¡±

    He walked to her dresser, picked up a gold ribbon that he secured between his lips. He then gently pulled Melissa¡¯s hair up and then tied it with the ribbon into a messy bun. ¡°Now you look perfect,¡± he spoke, ¡°you know a woman-¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, a woman of nobility should not hide her face,¡± Melissapleted his sentence.

    He smiled, leaned in and gave her cheek a kiss and nodded, ¡°exactly.¡± Elric then reached for her hand, ¡°shall we?¡± The red head nodded and took the man¡¯s hand who led her out of the room.

    Marceline watched as Melissa and Elric walked out of the room and sighed. Gods, didn¡¯t her daughter know that she was pregnant? She shuddered at the thought of what would happen if Elric found out his queen was carrying another man¡¯s child, that would be treason. Either Melissa or the baby would be killed, Marceline was sure of that. She had to protect her daughter.

    ¡°We should get going as well,¡± Emma spoke to the woman, pulling her out of her reverie. ¡°And don¡¯t worry too much about Melissa, she¡¯s much stronger than you think. She will get through this.¡±

    *

    Kaiser Stefan swooshed passed the maids in halls, almost knocking over paintings and vases here and there. He opened the doors to the study and briskly rushed to where Edron was sitting waiting for him.

    ¡°Where is she?!¡± He spoke hastily, ¡°where is my Marceline did you find her?!¡±

    When Marceline had received the letter from Elric iming he had her daughter with him, she did not tell Stefan about it, not knowing weather to trust Edron¡¯s son or not . Instead she decided to leave on her own under the pretense of going to visit family. When Stefan noticed that she had been gone a while he worried that maybe she had finally decided to leave him, and so he reached out to her family. But they told him she wasn¡¯t with them and she had never even gone there.

    The Kaiser had been in a state of panic ever since. Where was his wife? Where could she have possibly gone where his men couldn¡¯t find her? Was she alright? He had endured countless sleepless nights and long stressful days to the point of being on the verge of losing his mind.

    Today he had received word from Edron that a letter from Marcelien hade with the letters that Elric would send him.

    ¡°Speak up Edron what did the letter say?!¡± Stefan demanded.

    ¡°Calm down Stefan I haven¡¯t opened it,¡± Edron responded. He stood up and handed the letter to the Kaiser who practically grabbed it from him.

    ¡°The Merian royal seal is on the letter,¡± Edron exined, ¡°if I took a guess I¡¯d assume she¡¯s in Meria.¡±

    ¡°Meria?!¡± Stefan was perplexed, why in the world would Marceline go to Meria? And why would she leave without saying anything to him?

    The Kaiser quickly opened the letter and read through its contents intently. It read;

    ¡®it has taken me a while to do this, but I forgive you Stefan. I don¡¯t want us to fight anymore, especially not over things that happened in the past. I have missed your touch terribly and it¡¯s been running me mad, I can¡¯t wait to return home and be in your arms. I know you¡¯re cross with me for leaving without telling you, I received a letter saying our daughter was in Meria and I left to see her, I knew you wouldn¡¯t let me go on my own but I couldn¡¯t let you leave the throne unattended to. Melissa is actually the one who encouraged me to mend things between us and I am so sorry. Hoping to be back soon. Please don¡¯t worry about me. I love you. Your wife Marceline.¡¯

    ¡°Did she say where she is?¡± Edron asked. He was now curious to know what the letter said after seeing his friend¡¯s face break into arge smile. ¡°Is she in Meria? Stefan what¡¯s going on?¡±

    The Kaiser held the letter to his heart and drew in a relieved breath. ¡°Oh thank the gods,¡± he muttered. His face still beaming with joy.

    ¡°Stefan!¡± Edron yelled, ¡°what in the world did she say to you that¡¯s making you so happy?!¡±

    ¡°She said she loves me,¡± the man responded with a lovestruck smile on his face.

    Edron face palmed.

 Chapter 151

    151 Chapter 151 : With me

    Melissa¡¯s eyes shifted from left to right as she sat on Elric¡¯s right hand side. What had this man done? The humans in this hall could be counted on her fingers, was this what it meant to overthrow humans? She thought that maybe all races would live in peace together but clearly that was not on the agenda.

    King Elric reached out and touched Melissa¡¯s hand, making the woman shudder slightly. ¡°Lissa, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    The red head turned to look at the man who had a confused look on his face. ¡°Nothing I¡¯m just a little nervous.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Elric spoke in a low voice, his face continued facing the crowds but his attention was on her. ¡°I¡¯ve been calling to you for some time now but you couldn¡¯t hear me.¡±

    Now Melissa was the one who was confused, because other than the mellow music that was ying and the people who were whispering amongst themselves, the coronation hall was silent. She was sure she hadn¡¯t heard Elric call her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry your grace, maybe I was a little lost in thought because I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡±

    Elric turned to Melissa and forced a smile, ¡°it¡¯s alright.¡± He whispered, ¡°the ceremony is about to begin.¡± He stood from his throne and helped Melissa up as well. ¡°Herees the priest.¡±

    Melissa took a deep breath and watched the elderly man approach them. A young boy was ahead of him carrying a golden tiara while two others followed him behind, one holding a thurible with burning incense and the other holding a golden cross. Normally the cross and crown were silver but hers was made gold, looks like Elric really took a few precautions.

    The silver haired king was facing the approaching priest but his mind was on Melissa, he had been trying to speak with her telepathically but she seemed not be hearing him. What was going on? Had their connection fallen out that much that they could no longermunicate privately like they did before?

    A breath hitching thought crossed his mind. The reincarnation curse, that was the one thing he and Melissa had inmon and it was the one that made it possible tomunicate the way they did. What if the curse had been broken somehow? And if so how? By who? If the curse was gone there would be no reason to keep Gareth from taking Melissa away. That curse was Elric¡¯s only trump card to keeping Melissa to himself.

    .....

    A gentle hand on his arm broke Elric¡¯s trance and he looked down at the woman who apparently had been calling his name for some time. She cocked her head to the side and he realized that the priest was waiting for him to say something.

    Sensing the king¡¯s confusion the priest cleared his throat and repeated his words. ¡°Do you King Elric, first of his name, dere princess Melissa as your queen, who will govern the people by your side, ording to our respectivews and customs?¡±

    ¡°Yes.. yes I do,¡± Elric responded trying hard not to sound like he had zoned out just minutes ago.

    ¡°Will you heed her advice in your time and reign, as she will be your voice of mercy in judgement?¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Elric answered.

    ¡°Will you rule as one, using your power to maintain thews of the gods and the teachings of the holy scrolls?¡±

    ¡°We will,¡± Melissa and Elric responded in unison.

    ¡°Then with my blessing as reigning priest of this great kingdom, take the crown and ce it atop your queen¡¯s head.¡±

    The little boy who was holding the crown took a step forward and presented it to the sliver haired king who bowed before taking the crown in his hands. He turned to face Melissa and she turned to face him. This was it, this was the day he had been working towards, after this she would not only be his wife, but his queen as well, he was literally gifting her this entire kingdom. So what if they were not as intimate as they were before? So what if they couldn¡¯t hear each other¡¯s thoughts anymore? What mattered now is they were together, forever, everything else would eventually fall into ce.

    He ced the golden tiara on Melissa¡¯s head and then bowed slightly to her before taking her hand and kissing it.

    The priest turned to the masses gathered and rose his arms in the air, ¡°the king and queen of the new continent!¡± He announced, ¡°May they live long!¡±

    ¡°May they live long!¡± The crowd chanted.

    Elric took Melissa¡¯s hand and led her to the throne next to him and made her sit. This was was it, no matter what was happening, no matter what things were changing between them, Melissa was his queen and he was going to keep her by his side forever.

    *

    There was a big feast after the coronation with every important Lycan, elf, nosferatu and dwarve that inhabited the kingdom. There were a few humans here and there who were rted to the important officials there. The whole thing was a fest for Elric¡¯s followers, Melissa had never felt so out of ce before.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this wonderful my queen,¡± Elric spoke as he gently stroked her hand. ¡°I did all of this for you, I strived and worked hard to build a kingdom where you wouldn¡¯t have to hide who you are from lowly humans. A world where you would be queen. Don¡¯t you love it?¡±

    Melissa kept her face down, ¡°I appreciate what you¡¯ve done Elric,¡± she spoke, ¡°but I honestly don¡¯t know if this is what I wanted.¡±

    ¡°What-¡±

    ¡°I wanted a world where not only I can leave in peace,¡± she continued, ¡°I wanted a would where we all could live in peace.¡± She looked up and Elric who had a shocked look on his face, ¡°nosferatu, lycans, elves, dwarves and humans.. I want a world where we can all live in peace. Just how it was before.¡±

    The king scoffed and tightened his grip on Melissa¡¯s hand, ¡± I see..¡± he mumbled, ¡°did Gareth nt those ideas in your head.¡± His grip tightened further making Melissa tense up. ¡°I¡¯m not too fond of my wife taking ideas from another man, especially after I¡¯ve done so much to make sure she has afortable life. WITH ME.¡±

    The red head¡¯s breath hitched, there was that intimidating possessiveness that scared her. Melissa thought that Elric had changed after their talk in the carriage but he was so agressive again all of a sudden.

    ¡°Now let me ask you again my love,¡± Elric spoke, ¡°don¡¯t you love it?¡±

    Melissa¡¯s fear was mixed with anger and a little bit of resentment. She looked to the guests who where dancing and eating in the fully filled banquet hall and sighed, ¡°yes your majesty, I love it.¡±

    ¡°I knew you would,¡± the king responded as he leaned down and gave Melissa a sweet kiss on her cheek. ¡°Now let us enjoy the ball so thatter on we can retire to our chambers and enjoy each other as husband as wife.¡±

    The thought of being with Elric made Melissa¡¯s stomach turn. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to even imagine being in his arms.

    Just then Melissa felt sick, her head started to spin and she felt very nauseated. She knew she wasn¡¯t fond of Elric touching her but was it so bad that it made want to throw up.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Elric asked the woman who he noticed tensing up. ¡°Are you unwell.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Melissa responded feeling her nausea worsening, ¡°I think I need to get some air and lie down.¡±

    The silver haired king snapped his fingers and a maid rushed over to the couple¡¯s side. ¡°Yes your majesty?¡±

    ¡°Take my queen to our chambers?¡± Elric ordered, ¡°make sure she¡¯s rested and refreshed before I join her.¡±

    ¡°Yes your majesty,¡± the woman responded before curtsying before Melissa, ¡°right this way your highness.¡±

    *

    Prince Gareth abruptly sat up in his bed, his breathing was heavy and his body was drenched in sweat. He had just had a very bad dream and it left him tight chested.

    He had had such a dream once before, some time back when he had left Gavaria in pursue of her. And back then she was getting married to that bastard Elric, so he was sure that now there was something else bad that was happening.

    Gareth slid off his bed and walked the the window with golden seals and looked out. He sighed when he realized all he could see was high rocky walls and dirt. Gods, he could have really appreciate a nice view and some fresh air right now.

    He walked back to his bed andy down, a sinking feeling tagging at his heartstrings. ¡°Elric, if you as much asy a finger on my Melissa, this time I won¡¯t spare you. I swear it.¡±

    In as much as Zander had assured him that Melissa probably wouldn¡¯t let Elric touch her, he had the sickening feeling that bastard would still try something and it made him restless for whole night. Gods if he could he would just teleport and take Melissa back all by himself, he would. Waiting for Dvalin was torture. The more they waited, the more time they were giving Elric to make a move on Melissa.

 Chapter 152

    152 Chapter 152 : May death do us part

    Melissa walked out of the bathroom feeling a little weak, she had just literally thrown up everything she had eaten that night and now her stomach waspletely empty.

    The maid, Carol, who had escorted her back to her room stood there smiling at her, ¡°how are you feeling now mydy?¡± She asked the beautiful redhead.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Melissa responded as she made her way to the bed.

    ¡°Before you rest your highness, I prepared your bath in the bathing room,¡± Carol spoke as she inched closer to her, ¡°you should wash up. I took the liberty of adding somevender and peppermint oil to the water to help with your nausea. Afterwards I¡¯ll make you some ginger tea which you will take every morning and evening to avoid any more vomiting your highness. We can¡¯t have you lose weight.¡±

    Melissa looked up at the maid skeptically, ¡°Every morning and evening? What makes you think I¡¯ll be sick again every morning and evening?¡±

    The maid pursed her lips to hide her smile, did her highness really not know she was pregnant? Oh wow, it would be such a joyous day when her and the king discovered it. Carol had wondered why they had not made the announcement at the ball, it turns out the couple didn¡¯t know they were expecting yet. Well Carol wouldn¡¯t ruin the surprise, she would let them find out this piece of amazing news on their own.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it mydy,¡± Maria responded as she began to help her undress, ¡°it¡¯s just a precaution that¡¯s all.¡±

    After she had been stripped down, Melissa walked to the bathing chambers where a hot bath was waiting for her. The sunken tub filled with steaming water had little flower petals floating in it and the steam filled the air with a refreshing smell ofvender and peppermint. Carol was right, this scent took her nausea right away.

    When Melissa heard the main doors of the chamber swing open she quickly jumped in the tub and immersed herself in the water to cover her nakedness. She heard heavy footsteps enter the room and an all too familiar deep voice speaking to carol.

    .....

    ¡°Where is my queen?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s soaking in the tub your majesty,¡± Carol responded, ¡°I was just about to-¡±

    ¡°Give the towels to me, I¡¯ll take over from here.¡±

    There were a few minutes of silence and Melissa wondered what could have been going on.

    ¡°Give the towels to me maid I will bathe my wife!¡± Elric demanded.

    ¡°Of course your majesty,¡± Carol responded, ¡°please do be gentle with her, she is very delicate right now. I will bring in some tea for herter, her highness requested it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you now leave.¡±

    The door to the chambers opened and closed and Melissa¡¯s heart began to pound as she listened to Elric fidgeting with his clothing. She knew he was undressing and was about toe join her in her bath. She was so ufortable being naked around him but it seemed her ufortability was his driving force.

    The curtains to the bathing room raked open and Melissa sunk deeper into the water. A smile painted Elric¡¯s devilishly handsome face as his honey brown eyes bored into Melissa¡¯s.

    ¡°My beautiful queen,¡± he spoke quietly. He put the towels aside and slowly descended into the sunken stone bath. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°Better,¡± Melissa mumbled. She watched as the naked man settled in the water with his elbows leaned on the edge of therge bath.

    ¡°Come here,¡± he whispered softly, ¡°let me tend to you.¡±

    The words made Melissa feel sick again. Was this really what she¡¯d have to endure for god knows how long? Was she really up for it?

    ¡°If you don¡¯te here Lissa,¡± Elric spoke amorously, ¡°I will follow you there. And if that happens I won¡¯t be gentle on you.¡±

    The woman obliged and slowly made her way through the water to where the silver haired king was sitting, and as soon as she was in range he grabbed her and ced her on top of him.

    ¡°Elric!..¡± her arms shot up to hide her breasts that were directly in front of the man¡¯s face, but Elric was quick. He grabbed them, kissed her fingers and ced her hands back on her sides.

    When his eyes went to her breasts she gasped. ¡°They¡¯ve grown bigger,¡± he spoke with a sly smile. He brought his slightly callused finger and trailed it on the lower swells making her shudder.

    Melissa squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for what was toe, this was it. Elric was probably going to suckled on her breasts and then proceed to making love to her. Tears stung her shut eyes as he waited.

    Suddenly some water was poured atop her head and it made Melissa shoot her eyes open and gasp. Elric put down the bathingdle and proceeded to getting a wash cloth which hethered with oils and some soap and began scrubbing Melissa¡¯s back.

    She looked at the man wide eyed. Was he actually just going to bathe her and nothing else? Elric really confused her these days, one minute he would act like he was about to pounce on her like a wild animal and the next he would mellow down and act not the least bit sexually attracted to her.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Elric asked the woman who had been staring nkly at him.

    ¡°No nothing!¡± She responded hastily and looked away.

    The man smiled and continued washing her. ¡°It¡¯s alright to look, I am your husband after all.¡±

    Melissa nodded and reached out for the other wash cloth but Elric stopped her, ¡°you¡¯re not well today. I will bathe myself after I¡¯m done cleaning you up.¡±

    Melissa nodded and sat there awkwardly as he proceeded to cleaning her EVERYWHERE, lingering more on her breasts, buttocks and womanhood, but not in a perverse way, more like he was looking for something.

    When he was finished he gave her a kiss on the corner of her mouth and told her to grab a towel and wait for him in the room, which she did. When she was out of sight, the silver haired king leaned back and sighed heavily.

    ¡°What is going on?¡±

    The entire time he was bathing her he was trying hard to get himself turned on by taking his time on her intimate parts but nothing was happening. Even after having her in top of him for a good number of minutes he was still as limp as slug, this was not good, how was he going to keep Melissa for himself when he couldn¡¯t even get it up in front of her anymore.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to try again,¡± he muttered as he washed himself.

    *

    Melissa walked to one of the windows of their chambers that had an amazing view of the garden below and looked down at it. At one point she loved this window seat. At one point she could actually picture herself building a life with Elric, but now she felt nothing butplete lonliness. Because of this stupid curse she couldn¡¯t be with the man she loved and was stuck with a man who was obsessed with her. What was the point of all of this? She couldn¡¯t even end her own life because she would just end up reborn again. What a pain.

    The woman opened the window and dropped her towel just as Elric made his way into the room.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on my queen?¡± He asked in a teasing tone, ¡°are you ning on jumping out the window?¡±

    Melissa didn¡¯t answer, she knew he was teasing her because even if she did that would do her no good.

    Little did she know that Elric was actually a little terrified that she might jump. He had been having this poking feeling that their rebirth curse had lifted, and if that was the case, then if Melissa jumped, he would lose her forever, he couldn¡¯t bare that.

    ¡°Close the window ande here,¡± Elric spoke calmly, ¡°do you want to catch a cold standing naked in front of a window like that?¡±

    When Melissa didn¡¯t answer he took a step closer, ¡°my wifee here, if something is troubling you, you can always tell me.¡± He walked over to her, scooped her up in his arms and made her sit on the bed. ¡°Let me get you some warm clothes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of this miserable existence, I just want to end it all. I just want to die, and to stay dead.¡± Melissa muttered.

    Elric inched closer to Melissa and tilted her chin up. ¡°But if you die, who will I spend the rest of eternity with?¡±

    Melissa swatted his hand away and got off the bed, the chamber was cold and dark after the fire had died out. She felt the chilling breeze from the window strike her bare skin, sending a wave of shivers down her spine.

    It was highly likely that she would catch a cold if she kept this up, but she didn¡¯t care, disease didn¡¯t scare her anymore.

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to have to make due without me your majesty,¡± She responded.

    King Elric got up and walked over to the beautiful red head. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling the warmth from her body heat up his bare skin.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t such a life worthwhile when you live it with the person you love?¡± The man asked

    ¡°Love is pointless if it has no end.¡± Melissa responded coldly. ¡°Even wedding vows end with ¡¯till death do us part.''¡±

 Chapter 153

    153 Chapter 153 : Departure

    Gareth put on his boots and tightened his cloak. Finally the news that he had been waiting for for the past forty seven excruciating hours had finallye. Finwe watched his brother frantically shove his belongings into his satchel and then when he was done, he took out a beautiful gold ring with an aquamarine gemstone and gently ced it in his pocket.

    ¡°Brother?¡± Finwe spoke with a stutter. He didn¡¯t pay attention to the ring the first time Gareth had proposed to Melissa but now that he could see it clearly he was stunned. ¡°Where did you get that ring?¡±

    Gareth looked up at Finwe in shock, ¡°wasn¡¯t it you who ced it in my chambers the day I wanted to propose to Mel?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Finwe responded surprised, are you sure of this.

    Gareth dug into his other pocket and handed a piece of parchment to Finwe. ¡°That was the note that was with the ring when I found it.¡±

    Finwe began to read the note and furrowed his eyebrows in the process. He had seen this writing style before somewhere but he couldn¡¯t remember where. The note read;

    ¡®This is the family engagement ring. Give it to her, it doesn¡¯t matter who it is, as long as you feel it in your heart that you cannot live without her, put this ring on her finger. You have my blessing.¡¯

    ¡°This was you wasn¡¯t it?¡± Gareth asked his brother.

    ¡°No,¡± Finwe responded, ¡°this is the ring that has been passed down from our ancestors, as far down the line as king Sephlon. It¡¯s the same ring our father gave to mother. When they married it was stored away in our vaults for the next king to present to his wife.¡±

    .....

    Gareth pulled out the ring again and inspected it, ¡°do you think it was mother?¡±

    ¡°I highly doubt it,¡± Finwe responded, ¡°at the time you found it, mother was totally against you and Melissa, I doubt she would give you a family heirloom like this to propose to her.¡±

    A knock at Gareth¡¯s door reeled the men out of their separate reveries. The door swung open and Zander walked in, ¡°your graces, sorry to interrupt but Dvalin and his men are ready to proceed to Gavaria. The faster we move, the quicker we aplish this mission.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Zander,¡± Gareth replied as he threw his satchel over his shoulder, ¡°let¡¯s move out.¡±

    Finwe stood frozen in ce for a few minutes as Gareth exited the room, still looking at the note. Who could have left this for Gareth? And the way it was written, as if whoever who wrote it had a hunch Gareth would propose to a woman who wasn¡¯t an elf. ¡°Hmm strange.¡±

    ¡°Brother!¡± Gareth¡¯s voice came booming, making Finwe jump.

    ¡°I¡¯ming!¡± Finwe responded and rushed out of the room to where the men had gathered. He stood beside his brother and noticed Dvalin was standing in front of them with arge golden chest that contained different weapons.

    ¡°I understand war is not what we¡¯re going for,¡± Dvalin spoke, ¡°and honestly that pisses me off. But still I can¡¯t let the lot of you go out with those pathetic excuses for weapons.¡± The dwarve king gestured one of his men to begin distributing the weapons to the eight men.

    ¡°Ozias, I noticed the b is your weapon of choice,¡± Dvalin spoke as his soldier handed Ozias a shiny club with spikes at the tip. ¡°Toss out the wooden one you have and take that. It is made with a metal called aluminum. It is extremely light but ridiculously durable.¡±

    Ozias swung the club back and forth and smiled, ¡°it¡¯s so light, than you king Dvalin.¡±

    The soldier then handed Odran an axe with a silver head.

    ¡°The handle of that axe is made from an iron wood tree called buloke, toughest wood out there,¡± Dvalin exined, ¡°and the head is made of silver, keep that away from Gareth¡¯s sweetheart.¡± He added on with a chuckle.

    The group snickered while Gareth rolled his eyes. Having seen Melissa in battle he knew she would probably decapitate Odran before he even got the chance.

    Next the soldier walked to Rnd and presented him with two twin daggers.

    ¡°Those daggers are as a result of a little experiment by my highly skilled forgers,¡± Dvalin exined, ¡°with a hilt of aluminum and a de of what we call carbon-steel, those daggers can split a hair into two strands if wielded properly, use them well.¡±

    Next, Beric was given a spear made of iron wood and a head of steel. ¡°This is beautiful, thank you king Dvalin.¡±

    The king nodded and turned to Ivan, ¡°and for you Ivan¡± the dwarve king spoke, ¡°I have to say, I find your weapon of choice very odd, but I admire it nheless.¡±

    The soldier walked over to Ivan and handed him a steel il whose handle was made of iron wood and spikes made of silver.

    ¡°Use it well Ivan,¡± Dvalin spoke.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ivan responded as he admired his weapon, ¡°I will put it to good use.¡±

    The way Ivan said thatst part made the other men shudder, someone should definitely take that weapon away from him.

    Next was Zander was was given a bow made of of three types of wood; cedar, maple and bamboo, glued together. And a leather quiver stacked with steel arrows.

    Finwe was given a pair of steel sickles and finally, prince Gareth was given a ck steel sword that had a hilt of cedar wood.

    Finwe looked at the sword his brother was holding wide eyed, ¡°is that..¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Dvalin spoke proudly, ¡°it belonged to your father, it is called the night fang. An unbreakable sword that turns silver in the when it senses bloodlust.¡±

    Dvalin walked to Gareth and pat him on the shoulder, ¡°he told me to give it to you a long time ago,¡± the king spoke, ¡°may it serve you well boy.¡±

    *

    It seems Carol was right, Melissa was experiencing nausea most of the days, early in the morning andte in the evening. But thanks to Carol¡¯s ginger teas and scented baths, she was able to get over it as quickly as it woulde.

    The red head sipped thest of her ginger tea and put the cup back on the tray, ¡°thank you Carol,¡± Melissa spoke in gratitude. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would have done without you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it your highness,¡± Carol responded as she lifted the tray, ¡°it is my duty to serve you. Now please rx, or is there something you wish to do today?¡±

    ¡°No I¡¯m alright,¡± Melissa responded and dismissed the maid. She sat down on her usual chair near the window and admired the beautiful garden below that was slowly changing colors to beautiful shades of brown, gold and grey. The fall was always so beautiful to Melissa for some reason, ever since she was a child. Maybe it was because it reminded her of something she could never obtain, death.

    ¡°Winter is quickly approaching.¡±

    The red head turned around and came face to face with Elric who was squatting by her side.

    ¡°When did you-¡±

    ¡°Lycans are very light on their feet,¡± Elric responded and tucked a loc of hair behind the woman¡¯s ear. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve had your tea my wife, because I wish to steal you for a moment.¡±

    ¡°And take me where?¡±

    ¡°Do you remember me mentioning a surprising that I had for you?¡± The handsome king spoke lovingly, ¡°it¡¯s ready.¡± He stood up and reached for the woman¡¯s hand. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    Melissa nodded and took onest look out the window, her eyes narrowed when she caught sight of the woman who had tried to kill her at her wedding, she was sitting on a bench next to a man who looked a lot like Elric, was that one of his brothers? Well that was a very unlikely pair, she wondered what they were talking about.

    ¡°Come along beautiful,¡± Elric spoke as he pulled Melissa out of her seat, ¡°you¡¯re going to love this.¡±

    Outside the pce in the gardens, Clovis and Julia were sitting in an awkward silence. Julia was confused as to why the prince still insisted on being around her when he barely said a word to her these days. She had tried avoiding him but he would always send for her whenever she did, and would sit with her in silence just like this.

    The man was very strange, were all lycans so weird.

    ¡°Julia,¡± the man spoke while pointing at her cup, ¡°you¡¯re drenching yourself in tea.¡±

    Julia looked at her hands and noticed she was spilling tea on the neckline of her dress. Had she gotten so absent minded that she had missed her mouth entirely? She put down the cup and stood up. Well this was embarrassing.

    Clovis put done his own cup and walked towards the woman. He pulled out a napkin from his pocket and proceeded to dubbing the tea stain gently. For some reason the gesture made Julia blush but she immediately chided herself. Hadn¡¯t she learnt her lesson about men , they were all just out to use her.

    ¡°That¡¯s a little better,¡± Clovis spoke as he tossed the napkin onto the table. ¡°You should be more careful next time, the tea could have burnt you.¡±

    ¡°T- thank you,¡± she muttered incoherently.

    Clovis was about to walk away when his eyesnded on her emerald green orbs, he had never noticed the color of her eyes before, they were very captivating.

    ¡°You have such beautiful eyes,¡± the man uttered without thinking, making both of them freeze in ce.

    Clovis quickly stepped back and turned around to hide the pink that had dusted his cheeks. Had he really just said that out loud? What the hell was wrong with him? Why wasn¡¯t he able to stay away from this woman? Why was she constantly on his mind? And why was he unable to control his speech around her? This was madness.

 Chapter 154

    154 Chapter 154 : Second choice

    Theodora put some rabbit stew in two bowls and walked over to the man who was leaning against a tree near the horses. They had been camping for two days by the river that flowed between the enchanted forest and Gavaria, waiting for Gareth and his men to pass by.

    The woman was about to call out to Aiden when she noticed his chest rising and falling slowly, indicating he was asleep. Under normal circumstances even though he was fast asleep he would have woken up when she neared him, that¡¯s how alert Aiden was. But this time he didn¡¯t move, he must have been very tired.

    Theodora moved to his front and sat down, her eyes moving from his gorgeous face down his perfectly sculpted body. She had long epted that she was cursed to forever love a man she could never have, and over the years she had be content with just being near him and admiring him whenever she got the chance.

    ¡°Oh Estel you lucky woman,¡± Theodora whispered to herself. Her eyes settled on his face and she smiled, it was a rare site to see Aiden¡¯s face so calm and vulnerable, he was always so intense and vignt. She lifted her arm and began to reach for his cheek, but inches before her fingers touched his skin, Aiden¡¯s eyes shot open and he grabbed Theodora¡¯s hand.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He rasped in a sleepy voice.

    ¡°I.. I umm..¡± the woman pointed at the bow of rabbit stew on his side, ¡°I brought you dinner.¡±

    Aiden slowly released the woman and picked up the bow, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you..¡±

    ¡°Yes, you were sleeping so peacefully-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s bad,¡± Aiden interrupted the woman as he ate the stew, ¡°if you were an enemy I¡¯d be dead by now.¡±

    .....

    There was the intense Aiden she had grown ustomed to. She sat across from him and watched him eat.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Aiden asked the woman when he noticed she was staring at him. Not that she hadn¡¯t done that before a hundred times, but this time he could tell she had something on her mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering,¡± Theodora spoke as she ate her own stew, ¡°when you were with Estel, did you ever smile? I mean did you everugh, or show any emotion other than well.. that brooding look you always have on.¡±

    ¡°Where is all of thising from?¡± The man asked. He ate thest of his stew and leaned back on the tree he had been sleeping on.

    ¡°I just think it would be nice to see you happy,¡± she responded.

    Aiden looked at Theodora, wow, he hadn¡¯t even noticed that he hadn¡¯t smiled orughed in years until she just now mentioned it. Had he drowned in pain and loss so much that those were the only emotions he could now recognize?

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that if Estel knew how gloomy you turned out,¡± Theodoramented, ¡°she would probably think twice about getting back with you, then you¡¯d have to settle for me.¡±

    A silence fell over the pair, the crackling sound of the fire the only thing filling the air until an unfamiliar sound reached Theodora¡¯s ears. She shot her eyes towards the blue eyed man and saw a small smile on his face that quickly faded away. She gasped, put her bowl aside and moved towards Aiden.

    ¡°Did you... did you just chuckle Aiden?¡± The woman questioned the man who had retained his brooding look.

    ¡°I just found what you said a little amusing is all,¡± Aiden responded making sure to avoid the woman¡¯s eyes that were mere inches from his face.

    Theodora beamed so much that Aiden was afraid she might try to kiss him or something. ¡°You look so much more handsome when you smile,¡± Theodora gushed, ¡°I think it¡¯s better you carry on being gloomy because that smile seriously turns me on.¡±

    Aiden rolled his eyes and turned away from the woman. ¡°Just eat your food and go to sleep Theodora,¡± he spoke, ¡°my brother inw will being this way soon.¡±

    *

    Elric halted in front of arge double doored room and faced Melissa. ¡°Alright Lissa, I¡¯ll have to blindfold you for a bit,¡± he exined.

    ¡°Wait what-¡±

    The silver haired king pulled out his handkerchief and gently ced it over her blue eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry you¡¯re going to love it.¡± He took her hand in his and gently led her through the doors.

    Melissa steadily followed, what was this sly lycan up to this time? And why was he suddenly being nice to her? Elric halted and Melissa followed suit. She was genuinely curious about what this man wanted to show her. Coming to think of it, those doors they had walked through, she had never seen them before, was this a newly built ce?

    The prince moved behind her and ced his hands on her shoulders, ¡°are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I think so,¡± Melissa replied in a nervous tone.

    Elric began to undo the blindfold. He too was a bit nervous, him and his beautiful wife had been falling out, and he could feel them drifting further apart. He hoped that this gesture would help them rekindle and bring back that spark they had lost.

    When the blindfold was off, Melissa ttered her longshes and adjusted her vision to the light. She looked up and was stunned at what she saw.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Elric asked the woman.

    Melissa stood there frozen for a few seconds as she took everything in. She was standing in the center of a massive library with shelves and books as far as the eye could to see. The high seashell colored walls were adorned withmps and there was a crystal chandelier situated right above her, giving the ce an out of this world look.

    ¡°This is... is this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s yours my queen,¡± Elric responded as he took her hands in his, ¡°consider it ate wedding present.¡± He intertwined his fingers with hers and led her to one of the shelves, ¡°these books where collected from all over the continent. Any kind of knowledge, any tale and any type of information you can think of, you can find it right here. And it¡¯s all yours.¡±

    Melissa clenched her chest as she slowly moved passed the many books. Good gods, she had never seen so many books before, this ce was even more grand than the royal library. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful..¡± Melissa cooed in happiness. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±

    Elric inched closer to her and gently wrapped his arms around her slender waist. ¡°Anything, and I mean absolutely anything for you my wife.¡±

    This was it, this was a chance to try and rebuild their bond. Elric tilted Melissa¡¯s face towards his and looked longingly into her beautiful blue eyes.

    ¡®Don¡¯t think about it Elric just kiss her,¡¯ the man thought to himself. He closed his eyes and pulled Melissa in. ¡®Don¡¯t think about it, just kiss her!¡¯

    *

    Clovis halted in his steps when he saw Julia standing frozen in front of the library doors. ¡°Julia?¡± He called as he strode over to her, he noticed she had a look of shock and sadness on her face the closer he got, ¡°hey what¡¯s going on?¡±

    The man followed her line of sight and saw Melissa and Elric within the library. Elric was holding the beautiful redhead possessively as usual, while gently stroking her cheek. While Melissa had an intense blush on her face. To an onlooker it would seem that they had just shared an intimate moment.

    ¡°Looks like he finally presented his little present to her,¡± Clovismented as he slowly closed the doors to give the couple some privacy.

    ¡°Present?¡± Julia muttered, ¡°you mean he had this whole ce built for her?¡±

    ¡°Yes he did,¡± Clovis added on and turned to look at the woman. Julia was wearing a sad smile on her face and for some reason it broke Clovis¡¯ heart to see her like that. ¡°Is something wrong Julia?¡±

    The woman shook her head, ¡°no,¡± she responded in low tone, ¡°it¡¯s just..¡± the woman looked up at Clovis and he was stunned to see that she had tears threatening to pour out her beautiful emerald green eyes. ¡°She¡¯s so lucky,¡± Julia spoke through quivering lips, ¡°everyone loves her and strives so hard to win her heart.¡±

    ¡®Everyone I love always ends up loving her¡¯ were the words she wanted to say but she stopped herself. It¡¯s funny, she thought she was over this little jealousy thing she had towards Melissa, but seeing her in Elric¡¯s arms like that was like a blow to the face. Every man she was interested in always sidelined her for Melissa, it¡¯s just wasn¡¯t fair.

    Even thought Julia had not said what she was thinking out loud, Clovis didn¡¯t need to be a mind reader to know. It hurt him that she thought so little of herself and alwayspared herself to Melissa. To Clovis, Julia was one of the most beautiful, most perfect woman he had everid eyes on, why couldn¡¯t she see that? And on top of that, it infuriated him to think that Julia had the hearts for other men, especially his brother Elric. Why couldn¡¯t she have the hearts for him?

    Wait a second.. Clovis looked at the woman in front of him and felt his chest tighten. Could his annoying brother Jeffrey be right? Had Clovis fallen for Julia without realizing and that was why he was not himself around her? Gods, how had he not realized this before?

    The man reached for Julia, he had the strong urge to pull her in his embrace and tell her she was enough, to tell her she was more than enough. But the woman turned and ran down the hallway leaving Clovis with a heavy heart. ¡°Julia...¡±

 Chapter 155

    155 Chapter 155 : Ashes

    ¡°I.. I can¡¯t do it..¡± Elric muttered, more to himself than to the woman standing in front of him.

    Melissa was still frozen in ce and her face waspletely flushed. When Elric had pulled her into his embrace she was sure he was going to kiss her, and every fiber of her being screamed at her. But for some reason his lips brushed right passed hers and he ended up kissing her cheek instead. Had he sensed that she didn¡¯t want to kiss him?

    ¡°Elric are you-¡±

    ¡°What is going on with us?¡± He whispered, his hands firmly griping her waist. ¡°I love you Lissa I know I do!¡± This time his voice rose making the redhead tense up, ¡°I love you, I feel it every time I¡¯m near you but why can¡¯t I...¡±

    The silver haired king relinquished the woman and took a few steps away from her. He looked confused, angry and sad. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be happening..¡± he muttered and looked down at the palms of his hands in confusion, ¡°I can¡¯t be losing feelings for you that¡¯s impossible. I can¡¯t, you¡¯re my wife, my queen..¡±

    Melissa cautiously closed the gap between her and the mumbling man and reached out to him. She was a little worried about the way he was acting right now, he looked like he was about to snap. ¡°Elric-¡±

    ¡°I did all of this for you!¡± The man roared making Melissa retract her hand. ¡°Everything! I conquered the humans to make you queen, I waged war against the elves to get you back! So then why!¡± He grabbed Melissa¡¯s shoulders and shook her violently, ¡°why is this happening?! What did that bastard elf do to me?! Is this sorcery?! Tell me!¡±

    The king saw a tear escape the woman¡¯s eye and he immediately let her go. What the hell was he doing? Was he insane? He was scaring the only women he¡¯d ever loved. ¡°Lissa I-¡±

    Melissa took a step back and shuddered. The fear on her face broke the lycan king¡¯s heart into a million pieces. ¡°Lissa I am so sorry..¡± he whispered as he attempted to inch closer to her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please.¡±

    .....

    He reached for her and pulled her into his embrace. There it was again, that warm feeling of love, protectiveness and longing he felt whenever he held her close. But why did he now only feel it when she was in his embrace? This was so strange. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I scared you Lissa,¡± he spoke as he stroked the hair of the woman who was as still as a statue in his arms, ¡°I¡¯m just so confused.¡±

    He lossened his grip and nted a kiss on her forehead before turning away and walking out of the library. Elric needed some time to himself, to think and figure out what the hell was going on.

    Melissa stood there stunned as she watched the man leave the room, she was probably more confused than he was. One minute he is holding her and caressing her, the next yelling at her, and the next back to holding her again. And what was all this he was going on about his feelings? Was the king perhaps going mad.

    The blue eyed woman brought her hands to her chest and sighed, ¡°Gareth,¡± she whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can live like this for long. I miss you terribly my love.¡±

    *

    Prince Gareth sneezed for the third time and this time, instead of blessing him, Finwe arched a brow at his brother. ¡°It¡¯s either someone is talking about you or you¡¯reing down with something.¡±

    ¡°I hope it¡¯s the former,¡± the dark haired prince responded, ¡°I can¡¯t afford to be sick right now.¡±

    The caravan that now consisted of a little over five hundred men, dwarves and elves alike, had been on the road for three days now. It would take them about another week and a half to finally reach Gavaria.

    ¡°A wizard would have been a big help right now,¡± Ivanined, ¡°would have just teleported us, or portaled us, or whatever it is that wizards do to zap people from one ce to another, so we wouldn¡¯t have to move so far.¡±

    ¡°Even the best wizards wouldn¡¯t be able to portal a group of five hundred men,¡± Finwemented, ¡°if that was possible, warfare would have been quite boring don¡¯t you think? The journey is what whirls you up so you¡¯re too fatigued to feel guilty about slicing a man¡¯s throat.¡±

    The smirk on Finwe¡¯s face made Ivan flinch, this man had a dark sense of humor that scared him sometimes. Must have taken more after his mother.

    ¡°So what exactly is your n when you reach Gavaria boy?¡± Dvalin asked Gareth, ¡°are you just going to apologize to ol¡¯ mommy and daddy and expect them to give you control of the army?¡±

    ¡°Goodness your majesty how did you know,¡± Gareth responded sarcastically.

    Gareth¡¯s n infact was a lot closer to exactly what king Dvalin was saying. He was hoping he could make amends to his father and seek his help, and hopefully with him by his side, they could try and work together and shift the massses to their side. If they could convince the people of Gavaria that prince Gareth was a much better ruler than Elric, their job would be made a lot easier.

    Gareth honestly felt a little nervous about returning to Gavaria and that was no secret. The way he had leftst time was very.. well unconventional, forck of better terms. He hopped that his parents would find it in their hearts to forgive him.

    ¡°Stand clear there¡¯s something up ahead!¡± Zander announced to the group.

    Gareth awoke from his trance and looked up ahead. From afar it seemed that they were approaching a barren piece ofnd that had hundreds of dark figures standing and waiting for them. What in the world was that?

    As they inched closer, Gareth¡¯s eyes widened. The barrennd was littered with ashes, soot and traces of darkened bones and burned up carcasses of small animals. And the dark fingers he had seen from afar, they were burnt trees, hundreds of them as far as the eye could see.

    ¡°Good gods..¡± Dvalin mumbled in shock as he dismounted his horse and inched towards the burnt up wastends. ¡°Are these...¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zander responded as he walked towards the sad site, ¡°these are.. or should I say ¡®were¡¯ the wandering woods. King Elric set them alight and burned them to the ground when he attacked Ervelon.¡±

    ¡°And this is the maniac you want to go up against?!¡± Dvalin asked prince Gareth, ¡°this man who burns an entire magical grove of trees for a woman?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s nothing but a savage,¡± Gareth replied looking unmoved by what Dvalin was saying, ¡°I have no reason to fear him.¡±

    ¡°This right here is reason enough!¡± Dvalin spoke and hopped back onto his steed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving!¡± Zander called out, ¡°watch your step! The ground may still be hot.¡±

    Forget the heat, the ce was like a grave site. The men could barely move a few meters withouting across some carcass of a burnt up animal or a scorched corpse.

    ¡°Are those people?¡± Beric questioned as he covered his nose trying not to inhale the stench of smoke and burning flesh.

    ¡°Maybe some of Elric¡¯s men?¡± Rnd added on. He grimaced when he saw a ckened body that resembled one of a woman. ¡°Or maybe not..¡±

    ¡°Must have been some of the people who had been lost in the wondering woods,¡± Zander exined, ¡°they probably got caught up in the fire.¡±

    Gareth furrowed his brows. Elric had done all of this, it took a real mad man to think of burning the wandering woods. And that was the man he had allowed to take Melissa?! In her state?! Gareth¡¯s chest tightened and so did the hold on the reins of his horse.

    ¡°Brother, are you alright?¡± Finwe asked the man who he noticed had tensed up.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°we just need to get to Melissa as quickly as possible.¡±

    *

    Theodora lowered her hand from her forehead and turned to look at the handsome red haired man. ¡°They are close,¡± she spoke, ¡°they are crossing the wandering woods as we speak. I assume they will be here in less than five days.¡±

    ¡°Will that give you enough time to prepare?¡± Aiden asked the woman.

    Theodora smiled and inched closer to Aiden. She trailed her finger up the buttons of his shirt and looked at him seductively, ¡°i y around with you Aiden, but I don¡¯t y around with my magic.¡±

    Aiden did not react to her touch as usual, and with a straight face she grabbed Theodora¡¯s hand and ced it on her own chest. ¡°Then get to it,¡± he instructed her, ¡°we have no time to y your little games.¡±

    The woman blew Aiden a kiss and turned around to go do as she was told. What the man had asked of her was a first, but she knew she could do it. This was a chance to impress Aiden and prove that she was useful to him. She just prayed and hoped that she wouldn¡¯t get carried away and have everyone, including Aiden and her, killed.

 Chapter 156

    156 Chapter 156 : Dark magic

    Theodora closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She cleared her mindpletely and focused solely on her task at hand. She couldn¡¯t mess this up, she had already failed miserablyst time when she tried using a summoning spell to bring Melissa to Aiden, so she couldn¡¯t afford to disappoint him this time.

    She halfughed at herself for being so devoted to this man, a man who barely gave her a second nce. She recalled vividly the day she had confessed her feelings to him, even when she knew he loved someone else.

    It had been a surprisingly warm and sunny day and Aiden had just returned from another one of his trips in search of Estel. This one had particrly drained him and he had spent over two days in his room sleeping, no eating, no drinking, just sleeping.

    Theodora being the naive, enthusiastic, love struck woman she was, decided it would be nice to do something to help the man rx. She couldn¡¯t afford to get him any fancy gifts and he definitely wouldn¡¯t agree to go out on a rxing trip with her, so the woman had decided to go into the main market and get some supplies for a nice meal.

    Aiden had always cautioned her about going into the town, saying it was too dangerous for her to roam around on her own. But Theodora was confident that with a hooded cloak and some makeup she could pass off as one of the humans. Besides, she would just be a few minutes.

    She left the sleeping man home and went on her way, sure that she would be home before he could even notice she was gone. But like a jinx, some children who were ying in the streets tripped her and when she fell the hood of her cloak slipped off revealing her slightly pointy ears, fanged teeth and pale skin.

    And as if things weren¡¯t already bad enough as is, it so happened that on that day the king of Cenia was making his way through the town with his royal procession and had witnessed everything that transpired. Theodora was captured yet again, but like before, her big brown eyes and beautiful finger saved her from being thrown into the cers for experimentation. Instead, the king decided to keep her for himself as a sex ve.

    A day after Theodora was captured, Aiden had awakened and realized she was gone. It didn¡¯t take long for the nosferatu prince to find exactly where she was and made his way to save her yet again. Aiden single handedly killed every gaurd at the royal pce that day, and even had the disgusting old king pleading for his life and apologizing profusely to Theodora.

    Aiden could have killed the king, and Theodora wanted him to, but unlike her, he had a good head on his shoulders. So instead of his life, Aiden attained something far more valuable from the perverse king, power. With the king doing Aiden¡¯s every bidding, the nosferatu price had practically be ruler of Cenia.

    .....

    And that was it for Theodora, watching Aiden ordering the king to apologize to her made her melt. This man had shown her more kindness and respect than anyone she had ever known. As they headed back home, Theodora told Aiden how she felt about him,ying all her love out in the open. He did not responded, not that she had expected him to, and she feared she had made things awkward between them and that maybe he might leave, but he didn¡¯t.

    They went about their days as usual, Aiden never left, neither did he ever bring Theodora¡¯s confession up. But regardless, she was d she had told him how she felt.

    *

    ¡°Concetrate Theodora,¡± Aiden encouraged her, ¡°we have one shot at this. I believe in you.¡±

    He believed in her? Oh now she really had to make sure she got this spell just right.

    A transmutation spell she had picked up from the human mages of Cenia, the same kind of spell they used to experiment on nosferatu, lycans, elves and dwarves.

    Theodora touched her index and middle fingers from both hands together and when her eyes opened they were blood red. her feet hovered above the carcass of a wild rabbit as her lips began to chant something in an unknown tongue.

    Little whisks of wind began swirling the animal, their speed increasing with each swirl. Aiden squint his eyes and looked away to shield himself from the dust and debris that was now being tossed around by the current of air that was growingrger andrger the more Theodora chanted.

    Within a few minutes, Aiden thought the trees around them would be uprooted because of the massive whirlwind Theodora had created. Aiden flinched slightly as a beastly roaring sound echoed from the center of the circting currents. Gods! Had she done it? Had she sessfully transmutated the carcass of an animal into a raging monster? Her powered had grown quite significantly.

    Aiden stumbled back when the ground rumbled. From the cloud of dust and debris, a massive foot stepped out of the cloud, if the leg alone was this massive, the red haired man assumed the creature Theodora had created was as big as a tower.

    Another petrifying roar echoed across the woodsy terrian making the ground shake. Aiden squint his eyes and searched through the debris hopping he would see Theodora, using all this magic might have drained her and she might be in trouble. Finally Aiden spotted the woman fighting for bnce not too far from the foot of the creature.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Aiden dashed to her side, scooped her up in his arms and leapt back into arge tree before a paw hit the spot that they were standing.

    The woman in Aiden¡¯s arms weakly opened her eyes and groaned, ¡°did I do it?¡± She muttered.

    ¡°Yes Theodora,¡± Aiden spoke proudly, ¡°you have done an amazing job. You have conquered dark magic.¡±

    *

    A couple of miles away, the caravan of five hundred men had just exited the wandering woods when Ivan halted his horse and whipped his head from side to side. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± He questioned his friends.

    ¡°Is theck of coitous getting to you already Ivan?¡± Rnd chuckled, ¡°it¡¯s only been a couple of days.¡±

    Zander halted his horse as well and gestured everyone to stop. ¡°Ivan is right,¡± he muttered, ¡°there¡¯s something out there. Something dangerous.¡±

    A faint roar echoed around the men making them all halt in their tracks. A flock of ck corvids ttered furiously past the group of men, whatever was making that terrifying sound was nearby and the woond animals were trying to escape it.

    ¡°We need to find shelter!¡± Gareth yelled.

    ¡°No!¡± Dvalin interjected as he pulled out his two headed axe, ¡°running and cowering is for humans, we must forge on!¡±

    ¡°Are you insane?!¡± Gareth yelled back, ¡°our numbers are our greatest asset! We need our men if we are to intimidate Elric and achieve our goal!¡±

    ¡°And you expect to intimidate that psychotic lycan with men in polished shoes andbed hair?!¡± Dvalin responded, ¡°we need a little blood on or swords, that¡¯s how we will intimidate that prince.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what that thing is!¡±

    ¡°Well we¡¯re about to find out,¡± Dvalin replied as he tightened his grip on his weapon.

    Gareth turned towards where trees were falling and crushing to the ground, his eyes circled and his breath hitched upon catching a glimpse of what was heading right for them, ¡°Fuck..¡±

    ROOOOAAAARRRRRRR!!!

    ¡°Everyone move!¡± Zander howled inmand. He kicked his horse and it neighed loudly before dashing to the left, only slightly missing the massive paw that hadnded where he had been standing.

    ¡°What the hell is that thing?!¡± Ivan screamed as he swayed his horse to right and ducking form therge ws that were shing at him.

    Gareth dismounted his horse and unsheathed his sword, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but we¡¯re going to make sure no one else ever does.¡± Dark Aztec markings printed on his forehead and his eyes red purple, ¡°Beric, Ivan! Lead the rest of the men to safety!¡± Hemanded

    ¡°Yes!¡± The two men responded.

    ¡°Zander, Ozias, Odran and Rnd! You¡¯re with me, let¡¯s make this quick.¡± Gareth ordered.

    A hand grabbed Gareth¡¯s shoulder and turned him around, ¡°I¡¯m helping,¡± Finwe spoke, ¡°and before you say anything, I¡¯m not asking for your permission, I¡¯m simply making a statement.¡±

    Dvalin summersaulted off his horse andnded by Gareth¡¯s side. He pointed his axe at the giant creature and grinned widely, ¡°I¡¯m not allowing you kids to have all the fun!¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡± Gareth responded, there was not time to argue with these stubborn men. ¡°Don¡¯t die on me!¡±

    With a loud battle cry the eight men charged at the creature. Zander leapt swiftly from tree to tree in till he gained enough altitude to look the creature in the face. The site was gruesome, and it reeked of death and decay. The blonde elf swiftly pulled out an arrow, aimed, and lunched it towards one of its eyes.

    The monster growled in pain when the arrow lodged into its eyeball. As it stumbled backwards, Rnd dashed towards one of its hind legs and with a spinning motion, shed it¡¯s tendon with his twin daggers. He leaped back, wiped the blood from his forehead and called to Odran, ¡°Now!¡±

    Odran drew in a breath and ran towards the monster¡¯s other hind leg. With a loud roar he swung his axe back and with all his strength rammed it into its tendon. He jumped aside as the monster staggered to the around. ¡°Someone take out the other eye!¡±

    ¡°With pleasure!¡± Dvalin roared as he leaped into the air with his axe. With the grin on his face widening, he plunged his weapon into the other eye. Blood spewed everywhere and the kingughed hysterically. ¡°It¡¯s all up to you two now!¡± He called to Gareth and Finwe, ¡°finish this so we can go get your pretty little princess!¡±

 Chapter 157

    157 Chapter 157 : Who are you?

    ¡°It¡¯s all up to you two now!¡± Dvalin called to Gareth and Finwe, ¡°finish this so we can go get your pretty little princess!¡±

    Finwe tightened his grip on the sickles and lunged forward, ¡°go for the kill!¡± He called to his brother, ¡°I¡¯ll cover you!¡±

    With his sword held firmly in his hands, the dark haired prince zipped towards the roaring creature. ¡°Ozias!¡± He called out to his massive friend, ¡°boost me!¡±

    Ozias firmed the grip on his b as the princended briefly on it, and with all his strength, Ozias flinged Gareth towards the monster. Gareth held his sword with both hands and with a de that had now turnedpletely silver, he plunged the de right through the monster¡¯s chest and into its heart. The creature screeched in pain and swiped its hand towards Gareth who was still holding on to the sword and trying to drive it deeper.

    The dark haired prince braced himself to be crushed but a few secondster the sound of des cutting through flesh could be heard. Gareth opened his eyes and saw a giant decapitated paw falling to the ground, and a blood covered Finwe standing in front of him with two sickles in hand. ¡°I told you I¡¯d cover you!¡± Finwe yelled as he sliced the creature¡¯s other hand.

    Gareth nodded thankfully and proceeded to drilling his de deeper into the creature¡¯s chest. The monster roared in agony until it¡¯s body finally went limp and crashed to the ground.

    Gareth pulled his sword out, jumped off the monster and made his way to the men who were waiting for him. He whipped his sword to remove the blood and smiled, ¡°we did great everyone.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah lovely, but could you all take a bath?!¡± Ivanined with a hand over his nose. ¡°You all smell like feet dipped in warm salted cheese!¡±

    *

    .....

    ¡°How are they doing?¡± Aiden asked Theodora who was observing Gareth and his men fighting her beautiful creation.

    ¡°They¡¯ve rxed,¡± Theodora muttered. She sat down beside the red haired prince and chuckled, ¡°I think they¡¯re convinced they actually killed it.¡±

    ¡°excellent,¡± Aiden rasped as he stoop up. ¡°My brother inw will be needing my help now, we should swoop in and save them before they actually find a way to kill it, or it kills them.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Theodora mumbled.

    *

    Gareth and his men turned to where the rest of soldiers and their horses were and made their way to them. Now that the creature was dead they could continue their journey. But suddenly, they heard an unsettling sounding form the in creature.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sheath your swords just yet!¡± Ivan yelled as he stumbled backwards.

    The monstrous creature¡¯s wounds began to heal and its severed hands began to regenerate. The men all took a step back as it¡¯s hind legs twitched and a raged foul smelling breath from the animal hit their faces.

    ¡°But how is that possible?!¡± Finwe stammered. He had seen his brother plunge his de into the creature¡¯s heart with his own eyes. There was no way any creature, no matter how big, could survive a direct strike to the heart.

    ¡°Look alive men,¡± Dvalin instructed the elves beside him, ¡°I have a feeling we are dealing with dark magic.¡±

    *

    Knock Knock...

    ¡°Julia...¡± Clovis waited for the woman to answer but no sound came. Was she asleep or was she merely ignoring him. ¡°Julia are you okay in there?¡± The man asked once again. Good gods Clovis had lost his mind, was he really standing at the door of a woman who was locking herself up because of another man? Is this howpletely deranged liking someone could make a person.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Clovis muttered to himself, ¡°suddenly our love struck king doesn¡¯t seem so insane now.¡±

    He looked at Julia¡¯s door again and knocked, ¡°Julia if you don¡¯te to the door in the next three seconds I¡¯m barging in there! One!...¡± he called out, ¡°two!! Julia im not ying with you right now, I will open this door and walk in there without your permission.¡±

    Clovis listened for a response but non came, ¡°Julia I¡¯ming in!¡±

    Clovis slowly opened the door and peeked into the room. He cautiously walked in and nced at each corner of the room. He almost smiled when he saw Julia sitting in front of a dead fire with her face buried in her knees. ¡°Hey... Julia..¡± the man whispered as he inched toward her, ¡°are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Clovis am I ugly?¡±

    The whole statementpletely caught him off guard, firstly, this was the first time she was calling him by his name, and secondly, why in the world would a gorgeous woman like her think she¡¯s ugly?

    ¡°May I sit?¡± He asked the pouting woman and sat on the floor next to her when she nodded.

    The woman turned to face the silver haired prince, looking at her petit sad face and glistening green eyes made his breath hitch.

    ¡°I always pranced around thinking I was the most beautiful woman in all the four kindoms... what a joke¡± Julia mumbled.

    But you are, Clovis wanted to say, but he stayed quiet and listened to her.

    ¡°I thought that maybe my looks would help me find love..¡± she continued

    And they have, he wanted to say again, but stayed quiet.

    ¡°First it was prince Gareth,¡± she mumbled with an embarrassed look on her face, ¡°I was obsessed with him to say the least, I mean I came all the way here hoping to win his heart not knowing I never even stood a chance.¡±

    Fuck Gareth, I¡¯m here now, Clovis wanted to say. But he stayed quiet and continued listening to her.

    ¡°Then there¡¯s the ridiculous crush I had on king Elric,¡± Julia spoke. Her face sunk deeper into her knees in embarrassment.

    Clovis stayed quiet, this time he got a little upset. So she did like Elric, but why him? He was an arrogant tyrant.

    Julia chuckled and looked up at Clovis with a sad smile, ¡°and all of them preferred Melissa over me, what a total embarrassment.¡±

    ¡°Well what do you expect from a bunch of men who wouldn¡¯t know beauty if it smacked them right in the face,¡± Clovis mumbled in response.

    Julia studied the man as she let his words sink in, when her brain processed his statement, her eyes circled. ¡°Do.. do you think I¡¯m beautiful?¡±

    The silver haired prince nced at Julia and was immediately captured by those pools of emeralds. More than anything, he wanted to say. ¡°Well.. I...¡± the man cleared his throat and looked away in an attempt to hide his blushing face, ¡°I suppose you¡¯re adequate.¡±

    Clovis tensed up when he heard Julia chuckling. He looked at her and the sight of herughing made his mouth tag up into a smile, the smile slowly turned into a chuckle and before he knew it, they were bothughing.

    The green eyed woman wiped a stray tear from her eye and leaned back.

    ¡°You have a beautifulughter,¡± Clovis spoke but immediately covered his mouth regretting saying it.

    ¡°I haven¡¯tughed in a very long time,¡± Julia responded. She put her hand on Clovis¡¯ and smiled warmly at him, ¡°thank you.¡±

    *

    The creature slowly rose from what the men assumed would be its resting ce and roared viciously. It¡¯s once severed paws regenerated, it¡¯s eyes restored, and it¡¯s stench of death even more gruesome than before.

    ¡°How the hell do you kill something that won¡¯t die?!¡± Ivan whimpered as he pointed his il at the beast. Is this really how he was going to go? And just after he had made amends with his beautiful wife, it wasn¡¯t fair!

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Zander yelled as he jumped back. The creature lifted its front limbs and hit them to the ground creating cracks and grooves on the ground. The earth beneath the men began to crumble but luckily they were able to move out of the way just in time.

    ¡°Is anyone hurt?!¡± Gareth yelled.

    ¡°All the men are ounted for!¡± Rnd responded.

    Gareth tightened his grip on his de and red at the beast, fighting it with weapons alone would not cut it, he had to use magic, he couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time here. Melissa was out there waiting for him, the faster he could get rid of this overgrown rodent, the faster he could get to her.

    The prince sheathed his sword and moved towards the creature. Zander who was standing not too far from him saw Gareth making his way to the monster and called out, ¡°your grace what do you think you¡¯re doing?! Using your magic will drain you!¡±

    ¡°Its the only way!¡± Gareth yelled back as he took off his gloves , ¡°the rest of you get out of here, I¡¯ll distract the beast!¡±

    ¡°On your own?!¡± Zander screamed, ¡°that¡¯s madness!¡±

    ¡°He will not be alone!¡± A voiced echoed from the sky.

    The men threw their gazes upwards and from the canopy of trees they saw two massive wings that supported a man. The mysterious man pped his wings andnded next to the prince gracefully, and momentster a woman appeared by his side as well.

    Gareth looked at the man beside him with uncertainty. ¡°Who are you?¡±

 Chapter 158

    158 Chapter 158 : Labors of love

    The man was tall, lean yet well built, he had a full head of lush red mid length hair and a pair of bi- colored wings. His skin was smooth yet slightly pale and his forehead was fitted with a pair of small horns. It was clear the stranger was of a nosferatu decent, but not like any Gareth had ever seen.

    The woman who was standing defensively by the man¡¯s side was not any less perplexing as him. Her slightly pointy ears and fangs indicated she too was a nosferatu, a wingless one. But regardless of this fact, her feet hovered slightly above the ground. That was some sort of magic wasn¡¯t it? Gareth knew that the nosferatu had one or two abilities each, at most three, but they weren¡¯t equivalent to magic. Only the nosferatu of royal blood had some magical abilities, like how Melissa could control shadows. Were these people of nosferatu royalty? Could they be Melissa¡¯s rtives?

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Gareth questioned the man next to him.

    ¡°Are you really going to start asking me questions now?¡± Aiden responded as he red hisrge powerful wings open, ¡°have you forgotten that we are in a ratherpromising situation?¡±

    The roar of the monster pulled Gareth¡¯s attention from Aiden, he was right, this was no time to interrogate him. That would be der after they had killed this monstrosity.

    ¡°Light magic..¡± Aiden spoke as his wings pped and carried him from the ground, ¡°have you mastered it yet?¡±

    ¡°Light magic?¡± Gareth had never used it, he actually had never even thought about it. He had only manage to control the nts around him and once he controlled water, but never light.

    ¡°It can be just as potent and as deadly as any other magic you can use,¡± Aiden exined, ¡°we¡¯re going against a beast of darkness, light magic is the only thing that can kill it.¡±

    The monster jumped towards the men unexpectedly, Gods, if the men didn¡¯t move in time it was going to crush them with its massive limbs. Aiden turned towards Gareth¡¯s allies and pped his wings vigorously, forming a powerful gust of wind that pushed them backwards. The creaturended not too far from where they had been standing, cracking the ground with its immense weight.

    .....

    ¡°Move!¡± Gareth yelled at his men, ¡°get to safety, we can take care of things here!¡±

    Finwe looked up at the winged man and the woman by his side, and then shifted his eyes back to Gareth, ¡°but brother...!¡±

    ¡°Move Finwe!¡± Gareth yelled as he took a firm battle stance, ¡°now!¡±

    Zander grabbed Finwe by the hand and pulled him, ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll only get in the way.¡± He smiled warmly at the blonde prince, ¡°he¡¯s got this, he¡¯s more powerful than you think.¡±

    When the men had all moved to a safe distance from what was about to be a battlefield, Aiden nodded at Theodora who zipped through the air towards the monster¡¯s face. She closed her eyes and began to chant some words in an unknownnguage while moving her right hand in a circr motion. And out of nowhererge ck chains erupted from the ground and wrapped themselves around the creature¡¯s neck and limbs.

    ¡°Now elven prince!¡± Theodora called out to Gareth, ¡°I can only hold it for a little while! Use light magic!¡±

    Gareth looked down at his hands and then back up at the creature, how was he going to use something he had never used before. No, he had to try, he had used other types of magic before so this shouldn¡¯t be so hard. Besides, he had no choice, if he failed they were as good as dead.

    The dark haired elven prince spotted a pool of light that was pouring in through a crack in the canopy of trees and began walking towards it. If he could somehow collect, control and weaponize the light, he would be able to end this.

    Gareth halted at the center of the pool of light and drew in a breath, he was a high elf, he could do this, he had to, for his men, and for Melissa. The dark Aztec signs on Gareth¡¯s forehead started spreading, moving down his neck and ring down his hands and legs, his eyes wentpletely purple and an eerie glow emitted from them.

    Zander who was watching everything from afar gasped and took a step back, that power, he had never seen it being used before.

    Gareth ced his palms together, the gesture causing the light around him to begin swirling like a whirl of bright air currents. With three fingers folded like a peace hand sign, he directed the light toward the chained monster. The light rays moved at an incredible speed, changing their shape from whisps of light torge sharp luminous des.

    Aiden moved back as the des of light skewered through the creature causing stters of blood to be thrown everywhere. The creature released a high pitched screech and Gareth twisted his hands making the des twist as well.

    Aiden then rose from the ground and flew towards the creature. When he inched closer to its head, he extended his red wing and dragged it across the monster¡¯s throat.

    The men who were watching all looked away from the gruesome site and flinched when they heard something big and heavynd on the ground. When they turned to see what was going on, they saw Gareth who was covered in dark markings from head to toe, with ring purple eyes, Aiden who had horns, wings and was covered in a whole lot of blood, and Theodora who too was covered in blood. The three stood in front of the decapitated head of the monster with bone chilling smiles on their faces. It was at that moment that the men felt the gap of power between them and these three beings.

    A little ck raven that was perched in a tree not too far from the seen fluttered it¡¯s wings and flew toward some hills at a distance. Oh what an incredible thing it had just witnessed, this was going to make for an excellent song to sing to its master¡¯s ears.

    *

    Melissa turned to the door that had just opened and smiled at the red haired woman who had just walked in.

    ¡°Mother good afternoon,¡± she spoke with a smile.

    Marceline pulled a chair and sat next to her daughter who was sittingfortably in a sofa by the window. ¡°How are you feeling honey?¡± The woman asked as she cupped her daughter¡¯s chin, ¡°you seem stressed, stress is not good for the-¡± the nosferatu queen stopped herself before she revealed more than she should. She cleared her throat and gently stroked Melissa¡¯s chin, ¡°stress is not good for you, you¡¯ll get wrinkles.¡±

    ¡°Wrinkles are the least of my worries mother,¡± Melissa responded as she closed the book she had been reading and ced it down on the sofa.

    ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I can live like this mother,¡± Melissa muttered sorrowfully, ¡°Elric is going to run me mad. One minute he is loving and wants to build me libraries, and the next he is angry and asking me why our attraction is falling out.¡± Melissa ced her hands on herp and sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t tell wether he is still in love with me or he hates me, I never know which Elric to expect whenes to lie next to me at night, it¡¯s exhausting. And it¡¯s bad enough that-¡± Melissa paused and looked to the side.

    Marceline cupped her daughter¡¯s cheek and gently stroked it with her thumb, ¡°it¡¯s bad enough that you don¡¯t love him?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it so casually mother,¡± Melissa whispered as she looked back at the door, ¡°what if someone hears you.¡±

    ¡°Well it¡¯s no secret that your heart belongs to Gareth honey,¡± Marceline spoke softly, ¡°he is your blood half is he not?¡±

    Melissa gasped and then pursed her lips, he was. Gareth was her half and she was going mad without him, ¡°even if that is the case, there¡¯s nothing I can do. Elric has leverage on me, if I try to leave or Garethes here to take me, Elric will kill us all.¡±

    Marceline moved to sit beside Melissa and pulled her daughter into her embrace, ¡°one thing I can tell you honey, is that the bond of a blood half surpasses all bonds. I can assure you that Gareth is doing everything in his power to reunite with you.¡±

    ¡°You think so?¡±

    ¡°If you think the lycanw of mates is a big deal,¡± Marceline exined with a smile, ¡°you¡¯ll be surprised to what lengths halves would go for each other.¡± The red haired queen brought her hand to Melissa¡¯s belly, ¡°especially when there¡¯s new life involved.¡±

    Melissa furrowed her brows and looked up at her mother, ¡°what do you mean by that.¡±

    Marceline let go of Melissa and stood up, ¡°oh nothing, I¡¯m just trying to sound wise.¡± She then reached for her daughter¡¯s hand and gestured her to stand up, e now, there¡¯s two women I sense approaching that you will love to see again.¡±

 Chapter 159

    159 Chapter 159 : Crystal clear

    Aiden retracted his wings and rushed towards Gareth who had swayed to the side. He put the prince¡¯s arm over his shoulders and helped him steady his stance.

    ¡°Not yet used to power now are we?¡± Aiden spoke to the tired looking man, ¡°how are you going to win over princess Melissa when you can¡¯t even stand up straight.¡±

    Gareth red at the man beside him and frowned. Who was this man and how the hell did he know about Melissa? rm bells started going off in his head, there¡¯s was something eerie about this man, and that woman he hade with also had a strange aura to her, an aura that seemed oddly familiar.

    Zander and Finwe rushed to Gareth and took him from the stranger. ¡°Your grace are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Gareth spoke as he settled down on a nearby rock. ¡°Just a bit drained but I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He looked up at the red headed man and studied him, ¡°the person we should be most interested in is this man standing right here.¡±

    ¡°Aiden..¡± Dvalin mumbled. The dwarve king¡¯s eyes were bulged and his hands were trembling. His face waspletely white like had seen a ghost, ¡°Aiden is that you? You¡¯re alive?! What happened?! We all thought you were dead!¡±

    Everyone looked at the nosferatu prince expectantly waiting for an exnation.

    Finwe who had been squatting by Gareth¡¯s side stood up and inched closer to the man with red hair. Aiden? No it couldn¡¯t be, could it? Did king Dvalin just call this man Aiden, the same Aiden his mother had told him so much about, the one who...

    ¡°You¡¯re the nosferatu prince who wanted to marry my sister aren¡¯t you,¡± Finwe spoke in a low jittery voice, ¡°Estel.. you were supposed to marry her, that¡¯s you right?¡±

    .....

    The mention of Estel¡¯s name drew a small quick reaction from Aiden but he managed to restore his brooding emotionless look in a fraction of a second. The reacting didn¡¯t escape Gareth¡¯s watchful eyes though, he knew at that point that the topic of Estel, his supposed lost sister, was one that would usually draw an immense reaction from the man. But wait!

    Gareth rose to his feet so fast that it made his vision blur a little, Finwe grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him from tumbling backwards and helped him stand up straight. ¡°Careful you haven¡¯t fully recovered yet,¡± Finwe advised his brother whose Aztec tattoos were yet to fade.

    Gareth nodded and turned back to Aiden, ¡°did he just say you¡¯re the nosferatu prince?¡±

    Aiden sighed and threw his head back, ¡°questions.. questions..¡± he cocked his head back up and gave Gareth an attempted smile, ¡°is that how you thank someone who practically saved your lives? Haven¡¯t I proved that I¡¯m an ally?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re an ally then you¡¯ll have nothing to hide,¡± Gareth stated, ¡°and you should have no problem answering any of my questions.¡±

    ¡°Touch¨¦ prince Gareth,¡± Aiden responded with a slow p, ¡°nothing gets past you.¡± He moved towards a stone and pointed at it, ¡°may I? It¡¯s been a bit of a rough day and I¡¯m covered in monster blood, you could at least offer me a seat.¡±

    Gareth scoffed before nodding at the man and sitting across from him. He hadn¡¯t noticed before but now upon further inspection, he could see the resemnce between this man and his beloved Melissa. They had the same sapphire blue eyes, the same red hair, and even their lips where a bit simr in shape. This man was basically the slightly older male version of Melissa.

    ¡°The resemnce is uncanny isn¡¯t it?¡± Aiden uttered when he noticed Gareth¡¯s specting re.

    ¡°You read minds?¡± The elven prince questioned Aiden.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Aiden replied casually, ¡°i could see it in your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Who are you? I¡¯m now aware that your name is Aiden, but who are you exactly?¡± Gareth questioned the man.

    ¡°Just like your brother mentioned,¡± Aiden began exining, ¡°I am a nosferatu prince. First son and child of Kaiser Stefan and queen Marceline of Wintershold.¡±

    ¡°So you are Melissa¡¯s brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve been the best big brother though, I¡¯ve barely been there for my baby sister.¡±

    ¡°And my sister, Estel,¡± Gareth added on, he was adamant on finding out as much as he could on the mysterious man, he had to determine whether he was friend or foe. ¡°What was your rtionship with her?¡±

    Aiden paused for a bit before answering Gareth¡¯s third question. His blue eyes swayed andnded on Finwe who was standing besides the dark haired elven prince. Finwe looked more like Estel than Gareth did. They had the same hair color, the same face shape and nose. The only thing that was different was their eyes, Estel¡¯s eyes were a very beautifulbination of brown with a drizzle of purple. Gareth had those eyes.

    ¡°Estel is going to be my wife,¡± Aiden responded in a controlled tone of voice, ¡°she is the mother to my child.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Gareth responded. From what he heard, Estel had been kidnapped by humans from right under Aiden¡¯s nose. The nosferatu prince med himself for not being able to protect her and had never stopped looking for her since, the poor man, was Estel even still alive? It would be such a shame to find out that she had passed after looking for her for so long. Was he here in the woods to look for her?

    ¡°Why did you help us?¡± Gareth asked, ¡°you could have easily left us to deal with the monster ourselves, it wasn¡¯t any of your business, you could have have just ignored us and carried on with your day, maybe even sending helpter on at your convenience. So why? What do you stand to gain from aiding us?¡±

    Ah Gareth was smart Aiden had to admit. He should have expected as much, his lie about helping from the goodness of his heart was not going to work with this one, but luckily he had another card up his sleeve.

    ¡°You¡¯re right prince Gareth that monster was truly non of my business,¡± Aiden admitted, ¡°I could have just simply left you all to die here and continued my life of exile. So you got me, I did have a motive behind helping you, there is something I stand to gain.¡±

    ¡°Humor me,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°what is it you want?¡±

    ¡°I want to meet my sis-¡±

    ¡°Not a chance!¡± Gareth growled. He got to his feet and red at the red head before turning to leave.

    ¡°Now hold on a minute lover boy.¡± Aiden vanished from his sitting ce and materialized in front of Gareth making everyone gasp.

    ¡°Is that ck magic?¡± Gareth questioned Aiden. If he said yes, that would just be more reason to keep him away from Melissa.

    ¡°I may have gained a few new abilities after my umm.. transformation,¡± Aiden exined, ¡°but it¡¯s certainly not dark magic.¡±

    ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m not letting you anywhere near Mel,¡± Gareth dered as he pushed Aiden aside, ¡°why the sudden interest in her?¡±

    ¡°If you had been living in exil for over a century wouldn¡¯t you jump at the idea of meeting your family?!¡±

    Gareth halted in his tracks and turned back to face Aiden.

    Gotcha, Aiden thought to himself as he inched towards the dark haired prince, ¡°I have beenpletely and utterly alone for a very long time Gareth, exiled because I lost my temper and made a few bad decisions. Look at me, I look like a monster but deep down you know I¡¯m a nosferatu through and through. When my sister was born and sent off to the humans, i didn¡¯t even get the chance to meet her. And because I didn¡¯t know what exactly she looked like, I couldn¡¯t find her and protect her.¡±

    Aiden inched closer to Gareth and looked at him with sincere sorrowful eyes, ¡°I just want a chance to be with my family, and you¡¯re the only one who can help me. Please.¡±

    Gareth averted his gaze from the blue eyed man. Damn those eyes, they were just like Melissa¡¯s, so incredibly difficult to say no to. But Gareth knew little to nothing about this man, sure his story about wanting to meet his sister was touching, but could he really trust him? Was Aiden capable of hurting Melissa? And in the event that he did, was Gareth capable of hurting him, his beloved¡¯s blood brother?

    Gareth sighed and turned to Aiden, ¡°fine, I will allow you to travel with us. But if I sense anything is off about you.. make one mistake, one slip up... let me realize at any point your story doesn¡¯t add up... I will forget that you are Melissa¡¯s brother. Is that clear?¡±

    Aiden was impressed, he almost felt intimidated by Gareth. Not only was this prince smart but he had a keen sense of judgement as well, the typical traits of someone born and molded to lead. He had to work extra hard to make sure to stay In Gareth¡¯s good books because he was sure that thest part of Gareth¡¯s statement ¡®I will forget that you are Melissa¡¯s brother,¡¯ was not a bluff.

    ¡°I said is it clear?¡± Prince Gareth repeated himself.

    ¡°Crystal,¡± Aiden responded with a small smile.

 Chapter 160

    160 Chapter 160 : The little ck raven

    Melissa followed her mother down the hallway, through the pce parlor and out to the courtyard. ¡°Mother, who exactly are we waiting for?¡±

    Marceline smiled and looked towards the gate, ¡°well for now, we¡¯re waiting for those two.¡±

    ¡°For now?¡± The nosferatu princess looked towards the gate and saw a carriage approaching them. Melissa¡¯s heart leapt when she noticed that the carriage man was an elf, could that be him? Had Garethe for her? She took two steps towards the approaching carriage but two lycan guards crossed their spears in front of her.

    ¡°What is this? Let me pass!¡± Melissa demanded.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry your highness,¡± one of the guards responded, ¡°as queen of Meria we are under direct orders to protect you at all times. We cannot just allow you to make contact with an unidentified guest.

    ¡°Did Elric tell you that? Is he trying to keep me prisoner here?!¡±

    ¡°His majesty made no orders of that nature queen Melissa,¡± the other gaurd responded, ¡°we merely know what our role is. Please allow us to see these visitors first and determine wether it is safe for you to meet them.

    Two other guards emerged from the pce and walked towards the carriage armed, Melissa stood there feeling like she was running out of breath, what if Elric had issued a kill order for Gareth if he ever stepped foot on Merian soils?

    The carriage man vanished from his seat at the front of the carriage and materialized by the carriage door. This made the gaurds even more tense, they pointed their des towards the carriage door as the man opened it. Melissa¡¯s heart was in her throat as she anxiously waited for whoever was in the coach to emerge.

    .....

    A woman with long dark hair stepped out first and gave the guards a warning look, she was followed by another woman, both of whom Melissa recognized instantly.

    ¡°Vivian! Maria!¡± Melissa pushed the guard in front of her aside and ran towards the women. ¡°Lower your weapons and let them pass!¡± Shemanded the gaurds.

    ¡°But your highness..¡±

    ¡°These are my guests,¡± Melissa cut the guard off, ¡°let them pass at once, unless you want the king to hear of your defiance!¡±

    The mention of king Elric managed to send shivered of fear down the men¡¯s spines. They put the weapons away and stepped aside allowing the nosferatu princess to run towards the two women and embrace them in hugs.

    ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you, the both of you,¡± Melissa spoke in sheer glee. In as much as she was hoping for it to be Gareth who stepped out of that carriage, she was d Vivian and Maria hade, at the least they would help her feel a little less homesick and even make her feel just a little bit closer to Gareth.

    ¡°I see the queen title is suiting you well,¡± Vivian teased while ncing at the gaurds melissa had just threatened.

    ¡°Oh stop it Vivian,¡± Melissa chuckled.

    ¡°Speaking of queens,¡± Maria spoke in awe. She and Vivian walked towards Marceline and curtsied in front of her.

    ¡°Your majesty,¡± they both said In unison.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be so formal girls,e here!¡± Marceline responded as she opened her arms for a hug.

    The two woman exchanged nces before walking towards queen Marceline and hugging her.

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Marceline mumbled, ¡°thank you for taking care of Melissa when I couldn¡¯t, I owe you both a debt of gratitude.¡±

    ¡°It was our pleasure your majesty,¡± Maria replied.

    The nosferatu queen let go of the two women and gestured them toe in, ¡°let¡¯s catch up over tea shall we, all three of you have much to tell me.¡±

    *

    Clovis sat down besides Julia who was already having her tea. ¡°A littlete today aren¡¯t we?¡± She teased.

    ¡°Oh yes forgive me,¡± Clovis responded sheepishly, ¡°I had a quick meeting with my brothers.¡±

    The green eyed woman put down her tea cup and poured Clovis a cup, ¡°you don¡¯t have to apologize,¡± she mumbled as she stirred his tea, ¡°it¡¯s not like you¡¯re obliged to have tea with me everyday. I actually consider myself very lucky to be having the eldest prince as my guest during tea time.¡±

    Clovis took the cup the small woman handed him and took a sip. He paused momentarily and looked up at Julia with a surprised gaze, ¡°a cube of sugar and a hint of lemon grass...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how you like your tea is it not?¡± Julia questioned him.

    ¡°It is..¡± Clovis looked down at his cup and then back at Julia, ¡°but how did you know?¡±

    ¡°Ohe on Clovis we¡¯ve had tea together a hundred times,¡± Julia responded. She took her own cup and took a sip, ¡°I¡¯ve seen you make your own cup, don¡¯t be so surprised.¡±

    ¡°Oh of course,¡± the man responded sheepishly. A faint blush colored his cheeks as he drunk his tea. No one had ever gotten his tea right before and that¡¯s why he always prefered to make it himself, but Julia had got it just right, and for some reason this made a kaleidoscope of butterflies erupt in his stomach. Now he wondered, did all those people really never get his tea right or did they just not care enough to try.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Julia asked the man sitting before her who seemed to be lost in thought.

    Clovis nodded and smiled at her, ¡°oh yes of course, I¡¯m fine. Just dreading spending the next couple of days with my brothers.¡±

    ¡°Oh, are you going on a trip with them?¡±

    Clovis took a crumpet and took a bite out of it, ¡°every end of the month me and my brothers travel to the countryside to visit our father,¡± Clovis exined. ¡°The overall journey takes three or fore days, so I won¡¯t be around here for a little while. I hope you¡¯re okay with that?¡±

    Julia cluelessly nodded and ate her crumpet, ¡°yes I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Oh.. okay..¡± Clovis pouted and took another bite of his tea cake, he had hopped that maybe Julia would show even a little bit of sadness that they wouldn¡¯t get to see each other for four days, but she seemed very unphased by his absence.

    ¡°But doe back home safe,¡± Julia added on, ¡°it will be awfully sad to have tea all on my on..¡± Julia blushed and looked to the side, ¡°besides, it would be a lie if I said I¡¯m not going to be lonely with you gone.¡±

    Clovis looked at the blushing woman with round eyes, she would be lonely without him around?! That was the same as saying she would miss him right? So she was going to miss him!

    Clovis nodded vigorously, ¡°I¡¯lle back safe, I promise.¡±

    Julia smiled and finished up her tea, ¡°so why are you dreading this trip so much?¡±

    Clovis sighed and leaned back on his chair. The truth is that he always didn¡¯t like going on their monthly trips, he and his brothers were so different so all they ever did was argue. But this particr one Clovis dreaded more because of a conversation he had had with his younger brother Jeffrey about Julia, Jeffrey had threatened that he would disclose the budding feelings Clovis had for Julia to his father. Harboring feelings for a woman who killed the queen would definitely not sit well with his father, Clovis was aware of that, but he still could help but fall harder for Julia with each passing day. It¡¯s like he could no longer control his own feelings.

    ¡°They just annoy me,¡± Clovis responded casually.

    ¡°Come on they¡¯re your brothers,¡± Julia encouraged him, ¡± you should spend as much time with family while you still have the chance, things change very quickly.¡±

    Clovis knew that her statement stemmed from her guilt. She still hadn¡¯t forgiven herself for killing queen Juliet Aldos even though Clovis had assured her countless times that everything was alright now. He reached for her hand and stroked it gently, he smiled when she looked up at him and in turn she smiled too, he knew he didn¡¯t need words to assure her that everything would be okay, she understood him even without him uttering a word.

    *

    A little ck bird purched on the window of a high tower and jumped about for a bit before flying in. It descended down the roll of stairs until it reached arge wooden door at the foot of the stairs where itnded on the door¡¯s handle.

    A cloud of mist covered the area around the door and from it rose a man with a bold head and long ck cloak. He chanted some incoherent words in an unknownnguage before pushing therge door open and walking in.

    Kazan, who had been cleaning some bed ridden man walked towards the door, ¡°you know better than to just waltz into his lordship¡¯s chambers Renly, what is it you want?¡±

    ¡°Settle down Kazan,¡± Renly responded with a dubious smirk, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here if I didn¡¯t have important news for the master.¡±

    ¡°What ever it is, it can wait-¡±

    ¡°Oh but I think he¡¯ll love to hear this,¡± Renly insisted as he inched closer to Kazan, ¡°I spotted our little nosferatu prince today, and it seems he has made an alliance that may prove to be troublesome for us.¡±

 Chapter 161

    161 Chapter 161 : Trapped

    ¡°So Aiden, which hole have you been hiding in all this time?¡± Dvalin asked the nosferatu prince, he still couldn¡¯t believe that he was actually looking at Stefan¡¯s boy. ¡°Last I heard you went a little crazy and left.¡±

    The nosferatu prince looked up at king Dvalin and forced a smile, ¡°saying I went ¡®crazy¡¯ is a bit exaggerated don¡¯t you think?¡± He responded, ¡°you¡¯ll make my brother inw here even more suspicious of me than he already is.¡±

    ¡°Well then would you care to exin yourself a bit more?¡± Zander interrogated the man, ¡°especially the part where you im to be princess Melissa¡¯s brother. Why has no one ever mentioned you before?¡±

    ¡°Oh but people mention me all the time,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°I¡¯m what goes bump in the night.. I¡¯m what parents use to scare their children into behaving.¡±

    When Aiden smirked, a frown painted Gareth¡¯s face, that stubborn unsolicited sarcasm, he was definitely a rtive of Melissa and Vivian.

    ¡°Come on prince Gareth I¡¯m only trying to lighten the mood,¡± Aiden added on when he noticed Gareth¡¯s expression, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard my story, many already have. I lost my temper one day and sucked a human dry, after which I developed these,¡± he pointed to his receding horns, ¡°and few other abilities.¡±

    ¡°But everyone says you went rogue,¡± Finwemented, ¡°what are the odds you won¡¯t snap andy waste to each and everyone of us.¡±

    All eyes fell on Aiden, ¡°you know I don¡¯t find it fair that I lose my temper for thirty minutes and suddenly I¡¯m called rogue,¡± the nosferatu princeined, ¡°any one of you could have done what I did and maybe even worse. For instance, prince Gareth, the whole kingdom knows you are a little unhinged when ites to my sister am I right?¡±

    Gareth¡¯s frown only deepened at Aiden¡¯s words, he wasn¡¯t unhinged when it came to Melissa, he was just a little overprotective.

    .....

    ¡°Now imagine someone tried to kill her,¡± Aiden¡¯s face had gone from neutral to dark pretty quickly as he uttered those words and it made Gareth¡¯s heartbeat speed up. ¡°Imagine her covered in blood and screaming out to you, calling for you to help her, and someone just snatches her away. You don¡¯t know what they could do to her.. they could slit her throat.. torture her.. and maybe even have their way-¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± Gareth growled. His eyes were already flickering between a shade of purple and brown and his breathing was strained.

    ¡°My point exactly,¡± Aiden concluded and leaned back on a log and cing his feet near the flickering fire they were sitting around. ¡°I did what I did because I was angry, I don¡¯t regret my decisions, and for Estel, I¡¯d do it again.¡±

    Finwe studied the red haired man, he knew that look, the look of a man desperately in love, he had seen it countless times on Gareth¡¯s face. ¡°How are you sure my sister is even still alive?¡± Finwe asked.

    Aiden lowered his gaze to the crackling fire, he too at one point had thought Estel was dead, he had almost lost hope, but now he had new intel that she was alive, if what that cloaked mage told him was true, the humans wanted to harness her power or their sons, or even both, for some reason. He had to find her before they could do that, and the only way he could was with Melissa¡¯s help. But he couldn¡¯t disclose all of this to Gareth and his allies yet, he didn¡¯t know how they would react to it especially since Gareth was so overprotective of Melissa.

    ¡°I can just tell,¡± Aiden responded. He looked to Gareth and pointed at his neck, ¡°it¡¯s the mark. If anything were to happen to either of you. Trust me, you would feel it.¡±

    Gareth instinctively covered the bite mark on his neck, ¡°I see.¡± The prince¡¯s eyes then drifted towards Theodora who wasfortably leaning on Aiden¡¯s back, ¡°Is she your mistress or something?¡±

    ¡°Yes..¡±

    ¡°No..¡±

    Aiden turned his head and gave the woman a disapproving re, ¡°Theodora is an acquaintance of mine.¡±

    ¡°We live together,¡± Theodora responded while wrapping her arms around Aiden.

    ¡°She¡¯s a bit touchy but she means no harm,¡± Aiden exined.

    ¡°And her powers?¡± Gareth inquired further, ¡°she used some very powerful magic, but you haven¡¯t introduced her as your rtive so I¡¯m assuming she¡¯s not a blue blood. So how is she able to harness such power?¡±

    ¡°I too partook in the drinking of human blood,¡± Theodora responded casually, ¡°anything to help prince Aiden.¡±

    Gareth merely nodded. So drinking human blood actually increased a nosferatu¡¯s power tremendously, is that why they had ouwed it? Because they were afraid some would be too powerful to control? Speaking of drinking blood, Gareth wondered how Melissa was faring in that department, when they were together she would drink some liquid from a golden canteen, but he remembered her mentioning that she was down to herst sip. He hoped Vivian or Maria had arrived in Meria, if anything, they would best be suited to help her out.

    *

    Melissa briskly walked down the hall to her and Elric¡¯s chambers from the library where they were having tea. She pried the door open and rushed to her dresser and yanked open the bottom drawer.

    ¡°Where is it...¡± she mumbled to herself as she searched. Finally she caught sight of the golden canteen she had hidden there, pulled it out and opened it. She brought the canteen to her mouth and attempted to take a drink but nothing came out, the canteen was almostpletely empty except for a single drop of ichor. ¡°This will have to do..¡±

    ¡°Lissa..?¡±

    The beautiful blue eyed woman hurriedly rose to her feet and turned towards the silver haired king. ¡°Elric..¡± she tucked the canteen behind her and smiled at him nervously.

    ¡°What¡¯s that you¡¯re hiding behind your back?¡± The man spoke as he slowly made his way to where she was standing. Melissa took a step back but was halted by the dresser behind her.

    King Elric wrapped one hand around her waist and with the other he reached for the canteen. He lifted it to his line of sight and inspected the golden container, ¡°this is a pretty little thing,¡± he mumbled, ¡°why were you hiding it?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hiding it I was just -¡±

    ¡°Did the elf prince give this to you my wife?¡± The king¡¯s voice quickly went from sweet and curious, to angry and possessive.

    ¡°No he didn¡¯t,¡± Melissa responded, she had to get the canteen from him, she hadn¡¯t taken thest drop of ichor yet and she could feel her nosfertu side growing more and more thirsty. ¡°Please may I have it back.¡±

    ¡°Why is it so important to you if it¡¯s not from him?¡± Elric questioned the woman, the grip around her waist tightened with every word. ¡°I certainly didn¡¯t give this to you.¡±

    ¡°It has something very important Elric..¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He tilted the sk and Melissa¡¯s breath hitched as she watched thest drop of ichor flow out of the canteen and sttered onto the ground.

    ¡°No!¡± She pushed Elric away not realizing how much strength she had put into the shove. The silver haired king was sent flying across the room and crashnded into the bed, breaking its poles and legs on impact.

    Melissa covered her mouth and gasped at the sight, she didn¡¯t mean to push him so hard, okay maybe she did, but she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be sent flying. ¡°Elric!¡± She rushed to the broken bed just as the man was getting to his feet, his eyes were glowing yellow and his fangs and ws were elongated.

    ¡°Elric are you-¡±

    ¡°Stay back!¡± He growled making the woman freeze up.

    ¡°I didnt mean to,¡± Melissa muttered, ¡°I just wanted to-¡±

    ¡°You just wanted a little keepsake from your little boyfriend right?!¡± The man roared, ¡°is that it?!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Melissa yelled back. Why was he so jealous of every little thing that involved Gareth, wasn¡¯t her being here against her will assurance enough that he had won her over. ¡°This has nothing to do with Gareth you¡¯re overreacting!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m overreacting?!¡± Elric strode towards the woman and looked down at her, ¡°you shoved me into the fucking bed and I¡¯m the one overreacting?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been acting irrationally for a long time now!¡± Melissa spat back, her eyes were also flickering from blue to red and Elric could see her fangs growing. ¡°You literally took me away from Gareth against my will and even used my family as bait! I¡¯m here now! With you! What more do you want?!¡±

    ¡°I want you to forget him!¡± Elric growled, his hair had now spread down his back and arms. ¡°You¡¯re MY wife Melissa! Mine! I want you to have nothing to do with that elven bastard, I don¡¯t even want to hear his name leaving your lips!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m king and I¡¯m your husband!¡± The man roared. He crushed the canteen in his hand and tossed it aside. He then turned and started walking toward the exit.

    ¡°Where are you going?!¡±

    ¡°Until you learn to respect me and my wishes as your husband, you can getfortable here because you¡¯re not allowed to leave this room anymore!¡± The kingmanded.

    Melissa gasped and ran towards Elric, grabbing his now hairy arm, ¡°you can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°I have and I will!¡± The man responded and pushed her back, ¡°for every time to take a step out of this room, one of your family members loses a limb.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s eyes widened with dread, Elric couldn¡¯t really do that could he? He was bluffing, he had to be. But then again there was that crazy look in his eyes, was it really worth it to call his bluff.

    ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind,¡± Melissa muttered with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Then don¡¯t force my hand.¡± Elric then pulled the door open and banged it shut behind him.

    Melissa got to her knees and cupped her face, she felt so angry and frustrated. Elric was a mad king, and she had managed to get herself involved with him in an entanglement that seemed to have no way out.

    ¡°Oh Gareth,¡± she sobbed, ¡°what am i going to do?¡±

 Chapter 162

    162 Chapter 162 : locked up

    The angry king stormed down the hallway trying hard to not punch a wall, he was so angry and frustrated. Couldn¡¯t Melissa see that he was trying everything in his power to be the perfect husband, trying everything he could to mend the rift that was drifting them further apart. He couldn¡¯t stand not feeling the way he felt about her before that elf came into the picture, he couldn¡¯t stand her not loving him the way she did back then. If he epted that the rtionship that they had built was crumbling, it would mean that Gareth had won, and Elric would be damned if that ever happened.

    Carol who was walking down the hall to take Melissa some tea saw the furious king heading her way, was everything alright? Did something happen to his wife? The maid ced the tray of tea on a nearby table and turned towards the king. ¡°Your majesty is anything-¡±

    Carol yelped in both fear and shock when king Elric grabbed her by the arm and yanked her towards him. From close up she could see that he was midway into his transformation and his dreadly aura was pouring out of him like a dark mist. ¡°You! Make sure my wife stays in that room and doesn¡¯t get out!¡±

    Carol was shivering, the silver haired king¡¯s glowing eyes and sharpened fangs made her throat dry up.

    ¡°She is not to go in the gardens, she is not to visit the library, she is not to go anywhere until I return!¡± He roared at the shaking maid, ¡°do you understand?!¡±

    Carol wondered what Melissa had done to make the king so upset, but keeping her locked up like that wasn¡¯t a good idea especially in her state. The king probably didn¡¯t know she was pregnant and that was why he was being so harsh, she had to tell him so he could maybe soften his heart a little. ¡°But your majesty, queen Melissa is-¡±

    ¡°If you let her leave that room I will look you up in the ck tower and you will never see the light of another day!¡± The angry king shoved Carol aside and ran down the hall on all fours. Carol could only watch in fear as he disappeared around the corner towards the study. Gods, what had Melissa done?

    The maid picked herself up, carried the tray of ginger tea and hurried down the corridor to the royal chambers. She hoped that whatever squabble the two had gotten into had not in any way affected the child Melissa was carrying. Carol knocked lightly on the door before pushing it slowly open, ¡°your highness?¡± Her eyes widened when she saw Melissa sitting on the floor with her head bowed. ¡°Your highness are you okay?!¡±

    Carol quickly walked in, put her tray down and crouched in front of the red head. ¡°Are you okay your highness?! Are you hurt?!¡±

    .....

    Melissa shook her head.

    ¡°Please get off the floor it¡¯s cold down here,¡± Carol spoke as she helped Melissa to her feet, she was about to lead her to the bed but upon seeing its condition she decided to seat her down on a sofa instead.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Carol asked the woman frantically, ¡°are feeling any sort of difort?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine Carol don¡¯t worry,¡± Melissa responded with a forced smile, ¡°just had a little argument with Elric.¡±

    A little? Carol wondered as she looked at the mess the room was in, ¡®little¡¯ was an understatement, clearly they had had a big fight. ¡°It¡¯s alright your highness, the king will calm down soon enough,¡± she reassured Melissa, ¡°he loves you very much, he just needs to cool off.¡±

    Honestly Melissa couldn¡¯t care less in this moment wether Elric was upset or not, she was tired, tired of living with him, tired of seeing his face, tired of everything! He was draining her emotionally and she didn¡¯t know how much more she could take.

    ¡°I brought you your tea.¡± The maid rushed to get the tray and ced it by Melissa¡¯s side, ¡°drink it while I rush to get a doctor for you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a doctor Carol I¡¯m fine,¡± Melissa responded, ¡°Elric didn¡¯t do anything to you.¡±

    ¡°Yes but emotional distress can have implications on-¡± Carol took a deep breath and gently rubbed Melissa¡¯s shoulder, ¡°please, I just want to be sure.¡±

    Melissa nodded and smiled up at Carol, this little maid was so doting, she wondered why. ¡°If it will make you feel better then fine, I¡¯ll see a doctor.¡±

    *

    Clovis peeked into Julia¡¯s room and saw her sitting on her bed smiling at him. ¡°I thought you would have already left by now.¡± Julia spoke as she stood up and made her way to the prince.

    ¡°You know I couldn¡¯t leave without saying goodbye,¡± Clovis mumbled.

    Over the few weeks they had been getting to know each other, Julia had seen a side of Clovis she never thought he had. Before she always thought of him as uncaring and the kind of guy to keep to himself, but now she knew he was theplete opposite. He was so different from his brother Elric, even though they looked so much alike, unlike Elric, Clovis was soft spoken, a gentleman and very gentle.

    Clovis moved forward and met the green eyed woman halfway across the floor. She seemed to be getting more and more beautiful as the days went by, she was so small and cute that Clovis had to chid himself every time as to resist the urge to hoist her up in his arms and kiss her all over.

    ¡°So are you going to miss me while you¡¯re away?¡±

    The question caught the prince off guard, he was actually going to ask her the same thing but she had beaten him to it. ¡°You¡¯re the only person I can talk to all day without wanting to saw my ears off Julia, of course I¡¯m going to miss you.¡±

    Julia smiled and lowered her gaze, the blush on her cheeks didn¡¯t miss Clovis¡¯ gaze, it made him happy that he could make her blush like that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too,¡± Julia responded while nervously shifting in ce, ¡°so don¡¯t be too long okay?¡±

    Julia gasped when Clovis ced his arms on her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. She was stiff for a few seconds, but she soon melted in his arms and wrapped her arms around his back. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± he whispered before lowering his head and nting a kiss on the top of her head.

    When he let her go both of them were blushing intensely, both wishing they could do much more than just a hug but both uncertain if it would be alright with the other person.

    Clovis cleared his throat and nervously scratched the back of his head, ¡°well then, I will see you when I get back.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Julia responded in a whisper.

    ¡°Bye..¡± Clovis mumbled

    ¡°bye..¡± Julia mumbled back.

    Clovis turned around and hesitantly walked towards the door, wow, was he actually having a hard time leaving Julia behind? All his life he couldn¡¯t wait to get away from people and be alone, but with this woman, he felt like he was leaving a part of himself behind. He nced back onest time and gave her a wave which she shyly returned.

    Finally he walked out the door and closed it behind him, a dazed smile painting his handsome face.

    ¡°How sweet...¡± a voice mumbled that made Clovis jolt sideways.

    ¡°Jeffrey,¡± Clovis muttered, ¡°what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I just came looking for you brother,¡± Jeffrey responded. He circled Clovis and stopped by his side, eyeing his his face intently. ¡°I knew I¡¯d find you here canoodling with that little murderer.¡±

    Clovis grabbed Jeffrey¡¯s arm and dragged him down the hallway with him. ¡°Don¡¯t call her that..¡± he growled angrily, ¡°you and I both know that was an ident.¡±

    ¡°Alright alright stop being all grabby,¡± Jeffrey chucked and pulled himself out of Clovis¡¯ grip. ¡°The carriage is ready outside and the king is already waiting for us. He doesn¡¯t seem to be in a particrly good mood today, so the trip will be a little bumpy.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Clovis questioned as they continued their walk to the outside.

    ¡°I hear he had a squabble with his beloved Melissa,¡± Jeffrey replied, ¡°I suspect it has something to do with her little elven boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°The one who kidnapped her during the wedding ball?¡±

    ¡°The very same,¡± Jeffrey responded, ¡°I have a feeling that everything our dear brother has done till now is hinged on her, trying to impress her and keep her for himself. If anything like what happened at the wedding happens again, Elric might lose it.¡±

    Clovis looked at his brother and shuddered at the sight, ¡°why are you smiling about it? Matters of the heart are not ones to y with.¡±

    ¡°Of course you would know so much abouy matters of the heart Clovis,¡± Jeffrey chuckled. ¡°It seems I¡¯m the only one of the bunch who hasn¡¯t beenpletely brainwashed by a woman, who would have guessed that the ck sheep of the family would be the only sane one standing.¡±

 Chapter 163

    163 Chapter 163 : Oh my gods..

    Renly walked passed an agitated Kazan and inched closer to the withered old man whoy motionless on the bed, if it wasn¡¯t for the steady rising and falling of his chest and the slow blinking of his eyes, one would think this man was a corpse.

    ¡°Master,¡± Renly began to speak, the nosferatu prince has made contact with the woman¡¯s family. I fear the worst, he may be gathering allies to help him in his search for her. And considering the fact that the lycan has taken over two thirds of the continent, we may run out of ces to hide.¡±

    The sickly man turned his gaze to Renly and looked at him for a straight minute before speaking, ¡°Thank you for your loyalty Renly,¡± the man muttered before breaking into a coughing fit.

    Kazan rushed to the man¡¯s side but was waved off. His eyes narrowed as he watched his master wipe the trickle of blood that had escaped his mouth. His condition was worsening by the day, why was everything taking so long?!

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± the man spoke. He then turned back to Renly and gave him a serious look, ¡°we always knew that the banished races would retaliate at some point, and that¡¯s why we have been preparing for it. Unfortunately because of that cocky lycan Elric, everything happened much sooner than anticipated.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do master?¡± Renly questioned, ¡°you are thest hope humanity has and you¡¯re-¡± the man stopped himself, he didn¡¯t want to say something that would upset his master, but it was no secrete that E the experimentation had taken a two on him and he was most likely to die.

    ¡°I need you to continue watching prince Aiden,¡± the old man instructed Renly, ¡°be my eyes out there Renly, we need to know his every move so that we are always a step ahead.¡±

    Renly knew how imperative it was to keep Aiden from finding Estel and their little jewel Damien. If he managed to take them away all their ns to restore humanity at the top of the food chain would crumble.

    ¡°I will not let you down master,¡± Renly responded before pping his cloak and transforming into a little ck raven. The bird spiraled around the room until Kazan opened the door and let it fly out.

    .....

    After securing the door shut, Kazan walked to the bed ridden man and continued wiping him

    with a wash cloth.

    ¡°Has the boy presented any powers yet?¡± The man mumbled.

    ¡°Other than his fangs and pointed ears,¡± Kazan responded with a hint of disappointment in his voice, ¡°the boy has disyed nothing. Maybe we were wrong and thebination of elf and nosferatu blood merely cancel each other out.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the old man corrected him, ¡°our experiments have shown that the abilities of an elf and a nosferatu fused as one is what we need to finally end all of this.¡± he turned to look at Kazan who was now clothing him, ¡°but you know what happened during our experiments don¡¯t you Kazan?¡±

    ¡°All the chimeras died,¡± Kazan muttered.

    ¡°That¡¯s why we need the boy,¡± the old man continued, ¡°he, unlike the others, is a born chimera, he will be the perfect potent vessel. All we need to do is be a little more patient till he presents his powers and we can incept them.¡±

    *

    ¡°What are you doing there little one?¡±

    Damien cocked his head to the side and immediately hid the scribbling he had made on the wall by covering it with his palms. He shook his head hastily and pouted.

    ¡°Come on I¡¯m not going to scold you,¡± Estel reassured her son as she sat next to him and gently pulled his palms from the wall. On it were stick sketches of three people, a man with red hair, a woman with long gold hair, and a little boy who had red hair as well.

    ¡°Well this is really pretty,¡± Estel cooed, ¡°and who are these?¡±

    Damien pointed at the woman and gazed up at his mother with his big blue eyes, ¡°that¡¯s you mama,¡± his finger then moved to the little boy, ¡°that¡¯s me,¡± and then he pointed at the man, ¡°and that¡¯s papa, you said he looks just like me.¡±

    Estel pulled her son into her embrace and gently stroked his red locs, ¡°it¡¯s a wonderful drawing my baby.¡± She pulled him away cupped his little face in her hands, ¡°but unfortunately we¡¯ll have to hide it now, you used your magic to sketch that didn¡¯t you? And remember, we don¡¯t want those bad men to see what you can do.¡±

    Damien had a sad look on his face that broke Estel¡¯s heart, she hated that her son couldn¡¯t be free and expressive like other children, and she hated that he had to grow up locked in a dingy old tower amongst a bunch of humans. Estel waved her hand and the scribbles her son had made vanished, she then turned to a nearby drawer and pulled out a small vial.

    ¡°Already? But mama i was still ying¡± Damienined upon seeing the green potion his mother was holding.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry honey,¡± Estel whispered as she kissed her son¡¯s forehead, ¡°this is the only way I can keep the bad men from taking you away from me. We have to stick together until your father can find us okay?¡±

    Damien slowly nodded, took the vial and gulped down its contents. Within a few seconds of drinking the potion, her little six year old shrunk to the size of a one year old baby. Estel then took Damien in her arm and destroyed the vail with her magic.

    Estel had been concealing Damiens true age and abilities over the years to fool the mages. She had been using some herbs and spells she had learned from her grandmother as a child to make Damien look like a stunted baby after she had overheard them talk about taking him to their master once he exhibited his powers. Faking a sickness of stunted growth also gave her an excuse to ess the herbs she needed for the spell, because all she had to do was lie that they were medicinal for her son who seemed to not be growing.

    She gave Damien onest kiss on the forehead and cradled him closer, ¡°just a little longer my darling, I know your father wille for us soon enough.¡±

    *

    Emma Morrell walked towards Carol and gently tapped her on her shoulder, ¡°what¡¯s going on, why is the physician here?¡±

    ¡°Dont worry mydy I¡¯m the one who called him over to take a look at queen Melissa,¡± Carol responded.

    Emma felt her heartbeat quicken, ¡°what happened? Why does she need a physician?! Is she hurt?¡± The woman was about to make her way to Melissa¡¯s room when Carol gently pulled her back.

    ¡°Mydy don¡¯t worry,¡± she reassured the woman, ¡°her and his majesty had a fight and I was worried she may have suffered some emotional distress. And given her condition, I just wanted to make sure she¡¯s okay.¡±

    Carol then turned to the physician, ¡°this way please, but remember, her highness doesn¡¯t know yet so all you have to do is make sure she is fine, no need to disclose her condition to her just yet.¡±

    The tall elderly man nodded and proceeded towards Melissa¡¯s chambers with carol on his heels.

    Emma was confused, ¡®her condition?¡¯ What was Carol talking about? Was there something wrong with her daughter that she hadn¡¯t noticed? The woman followed the dual down the hall to her daughter¡¯s room, now she was even more worried than before.

    When they entered Melissa¡¯s chambers they found Marceline sitting by Melissa¡¯s side and gently rubbing her back, did Marceline know what was going on?

    ¡°Honey..¡± Emma made her way to her daughter and sat down next to her, she cupped her cheek and inspected her face frantically, ¡°what¡¯s wrong, you look pale are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay mother please don¡¯t worry,¡± Melissa assured her, ¡°I think I¡¯m just a little stressed.¡±

    The physician walked towards Melissa and crouched in front of her. From his canine eyes and hairy arms, Melissa could tell that he was a lycan. ¡°I¡¯m just going to do a few basic tests your highness, so just rx.¡±

    Marceline got up and turned to Emma, ¡°can we talk for a bit outside,¡± she muttered with a smile, ¡°there¡¯s something of importance i wish to discuss with you.¡±

    Emma smiled at Melissa and rubbed her shoulder gently before standing up to follow Marceline out of the room, she wondered what important issue she wanted to discuss, did it have anything to do with Melissa¡¯s condition?

    When they stepped out into the empty hallway, Marceline closed the door behind them and turned to look at Emma with a serious expression, ¡°Emma, our daughter is pregnant.¡±

    Emma stood frozen in ce trying to contemte wether she had heard Marceline right or she was just hearing things. The woman shook her head in confusion before scofffing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she muttered with a delirious smile, ¡°I think I¡¯m losing my mind with worry because I could have sworn you said Melissa is pregnant.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Marceline repeated herself, she maintained a straight face but there was a glimmer of worry in her eyes, ¡°and she is.¡±

    ¡°What?..¡± Emma questioned the woman again.

    ¡°And it isn¡¯t Elric¡¯s,¡± Marceline added on.

    Way to add fuel to the fire, Emma felt like the floor had started spinning. Melissa was carrying the child of another man other than her husband? Good gods! ¡°Who...¡± Emma cupped her head and took a deep breath, ¡°who is responsible.¡±

    ¡°Gareth,¡± Marceline responded.

    ¡°Oh my gods..¡±

 Chapter 164

    164 Chapter 164 : Heart to heart

    Jeffrey cleared his throat to get Elric¡¯s attention but it seemed that his mind was too upied. Jeffrey shifted a little in hopes that Elric would look over but still nothing, the silver haired king maintained his brooding gaze outside the carriage window.

    ¡°Your royal highness!¡± Jeffrey called out and finally got Elric to look at him. ¡°Could you please put your ws away, this carriage is rather small and I don¡¯t wish to lose a limb.¡±

    Elric looked down at his hands and noticed his elongated nails that were inches away from Jeffrey¡¯s knees. ¡°Sorry,¡± Elric muttered to the man sitting across from him. He retracted them and leaned back on the carriage chair, a frustrated look on his face.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Clovis asked his brother. The question shocked everyone, even Clovis himself, under normal circumstances he would have just pretended not to notice anything and let Elric pout. He was the kind of man who didn¡¯t care about anyone¡¯s affairs or life but his own, but ever since he met Julia, that sneaky beautiful little dwarve, he hadpletely changed.

    Clovis was about to take back his words when king Elric muttered a low ¡®no¡¯.

    The king gazed up at his brothers and sighed heavily before speaking, ¡°it¡¯s my wife.¡±

    ¡°Yes we heard about your little skirmish,¡± Jeffrey responded, ¡°you were quite loud.¡±

    Clovis gave Jeffrey a disapproving re before turning back to face Elric, he didn¡¯t know how tofort him about the matter, but what he did know was that he would be equally affected if he ever got into a fight with Julia. Wait, why was he even thinking about getting into a fight with Julia?! It¡¯s not like they were together or anything like that.

    Clovis cleared his throat and leaned towards his brother, ¡°I heard that the closer you are to someone the more you argue. It will pass, don¡¯t dwell on it too much.¡±

    .....

    ¡°You think so?¡± Elric mumbled, his intense gaze fixated on the passing trees on the outside.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Clovismented, ¡°she¡¯s your wife, and you two love each other. I wouldn¡¯t worry if I was you. Now peppy up, you¡¯ll worry father if you show up looking the way you are now.¡±

    Love? Elric dreaded the throught but he had a feeling no love existed between him and Melissa anymore, if at all it ever existed to begin with. Her heart belonged to that pointy eared cocksucker Gareth and it triggered him to the core. He couldn¡¯t lose his wife to him, not after everything he had done, all he had gone through, just to make her his wife and to make her happy.

    ¡°Hypothetically speaking,¡± Elric spoke to the two men in front of him, ¡°if my wife and I separated and she married another man, how do you think that would y out?¡±

    ¡°Gods that would definitely be a dent in your honor,¡± Jeffrey quickly responded, ¡°as a man and as a king.¡±

    Clovis elbowed the man sitting next to him to shut him up but he kept taking.

    ¡°And after everything you¡¯ve done,¡± Jeffrey added on, ¡°the war against Ervelon, the coronation, the extravagant wedding and not to mention the massive library that took months to build!¡±

    ¡°Jeffrey shut up!¡± Clovis chided his loud mouth brother. He turned to Elric and gave him a reassuring smile, ¡°look, not all rtionships work out, but that¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, if things aren¡¯t going the way you want between the two of you and it seems they can¡¯t be fixed, there¡¯s really no point in holding on. Some problems are best solved by letting go.¡±

    ¡°I bet you know a lot about letting go don¡¯t you Clovis,¡± Jeffreymented with an arrogant smirk on his face, ¡°by the way have you told her? Because if she hears it from anyone else that you¡¯ve moved on...¡±

    ¡°Jeffrey it would be wise if you learnt how to shut your mouth!¡± Clovis growled, his brother was always one to whirl people up but it¡¯s like these past few days he had made it his mission to irritate Elric and him till they snapped.

    ¡°You¡¯ve moved on?¡± Elric asked Clovis skeptically, ¡°how haven¡¯t I heard of this? Is she Merian?¡±

    ¡°Go on Clovis, share the news with our dear little brother,¡± Jeffrey snickered.

    The oldest prince took a deep breath and leaned back on the chair, ¡°you¡¯ve been upied with matters pertaining the kingdom brother, I wouldn¡¯t want to bother you with my uninteresting love life.¡±

    ¡°Oh but au contraire brother, your love life is extremely interest- ow!¡±

    This time Clovis elbowed Jeffrey in the stomach and red at him. ¡°I said learn when to shut up brother.¡±

    *

    Emma ced her palms on a nearby windowsill to maintain her bnce and drew in a long deep breath. ¡°Does she know?¡± The woman turned around and faced the nosferatu queen, ¡°does she know that she¡¯s pregnant?¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to,¡± Marcelinemented, ¡°she¡¯s too upied with how miserable she is without Gareth that she can barely notice the subtle changes her body is undergoing.¡±

    ¡°Well then lets tell her, she needs to start taking better care of herself!¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Marceline disproved, ¡°if we tell her now we¡¯re just going to give her an excuse to act irrationally and leave Elric.¡±

    Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, ¡°isn¡¯t that the point?¡±

    ¡°You saw how angry Elric was today didn¡¯t you?¡± Marceline spoke in hushed tones, ¡°and that was only because he thought she was hiding a souvenir from Gareth. Now imagine what he would do if he found out she was pregnant with Gareth¡¯s child?¡±

    Emma clenched her chest, Marceline was right, Elric was unhinged, he could hurt Melissa or the baby. ¡°So what do you propose we do?¡±

    ¡°Keep it a secrete until I can find a way to take Melissa with me back to Wintershold, at the least until after the baby is born, she¡¯ll be safe there.¡±

    ¡°You know how possessive Elric is of her,¡± Emma pointed out, ¡°what makes you think he¡¯ll just let you whisk her away to the snonds?¡±

    ¡°It will take a bit of time but I will convince him that she needs to go home and get acquainted with her people,¡± Marceline exined, ¡°we just have to keep our mouths shut until I convince Elric.¡± The nosferatu queen made her way to Emma and cupped her shoulders firmly, ¡°I¡¯ve lost a grandchild before Emma, trust me, you do not want to go through that.¡±

    *

    The camp site was quiet and almost all the soldiers were asleep, all except the ones keeping watch.

    Gareth turned in his sleeping furs and noticed that the man who was supposed to be sleeping next to him was not in the tent. Where had Aiden run off to? The eleven prince quietly but hastily got up and made his way to the opening of the tent, he peeked outside and scanned the quiet camp before finally catching sight of Aiden sitting by the dying fire.

    He walked slowly towards him, trying his best not to make any sound and wake Finwe and Zander who were fast asleep in the next tent.

    ¡°I thought that maybe you had made a run for it,¡± Gareth spoke as he sat down across from the red haired man.

    ¡°Where would I go when you¡¯re the only one who can lead me to my sister,¡± Aiden responded while keeping his eyes on the glowing ambers of the dying fire. ¡°I just needed some time alone.¡±

    There was an emotion on Aiden¡¯s face that moved prince Gareth¡¯s heart a little, the nosferatu prince looked almost sad, and Gareth knew it had nothing to do with Melissa.

    ¡°Tell me about her,¡± Gareth asked Aiden.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about Estel are you not?¡± Gareth questioned him, ¡°tell me more about her, I¡¯d love to know what my sister is like from the point of view of the man who loves her. No one describes a woman better than a man who looks at her through rose colored ss.¡±

    Aiden blinked a few times as he eyed the elf prince, he wanted to know about Estel? Gosh, where to start? She was so many things, heck she was everything! How would one describe a person so ridiculously prefet. It was then that Aiden realized that he hadn¡¯t spoken about Estel the way he was about to in a really long time, he actually felt a bit nervous. He had avoided talking about her in depth because the memories were a bit too heavy to resurface.

    ¡°Tell me about how you met,¡± Gareth asked after noticing that Aiden was hesitant. ¡°You can¡¯t start from there, you can tell me as much or as little as you want.¡±

    ¡°Only if you tell me what tricks you used to steal my sister¡¯s heart,¡± Aiden mumbled with what looked like a smile.

    Gareth nodded his head in agreement, ¡°of course, that story is one of my personal favorites, I¡¯d be d to tell someone new about it, Zander and the others have grown tired of hearing it.¡±

    Aiden leaned back on the log and gave Gareth a smile, guess this was happening, he was about to have a heart to heart with someone for the first time in years.

 Chapter 165

    165 Chapter 165 : Choices

    After the physician checked all of Melissa¡¯s vitals he stood up and looked down at her, how was going to tell this woman that her dietary needs, even those of blood, would double especially now that she was pregnant without actually telling her she was pregnant.

    ¡°Your highness,¡± the physician muttered, ¡°you should eat more..¡± he nced at the redheaded woman who was sitting on Melissa¡¯s right hand side who he was aware was her nosferatu mother and added ¡°and drink more. Otherwise, I haven¡¯t found anything that would raise any immediate concern.¡±

    Marceline understood immediately what the physician was trying to say, good grief how could she have let something like that skip her mind? Of course Melissa needed more blood now that she was pregnant. As a matter of fact, she didn¡¯t even know if Melissa had been feeding at all.

    After thanking and escorting the physician out, marceline sat down in front of Melissa, ¡°honey do you feed?¡±

    The blue eyed young woman ttered hershes and turned to Emma who was sitting next to her.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Emma assured her daughter. She must have been ufortable about talking about drinking blood in her presence. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be wary about who you are darling, I epted that fact long ago and so should you.¡±

    In this moment Emma was actually d she had Marceline here, she had no idea how she could have been of any help in a situation like this. She could help her daughter in other ways and Marceline could help with all the nosferatu rted concerns.

    Melissa gave Emma a small grateful smile and then turned back to look at Marceline, ¡°I had some ichor that Vivian gave to me,¡± she exined, ¡°I was down to myst drop and felt incredibly thirsty, but Elric identally spilled it and I lost my temper for a bit. That¡¯s why we got into a fight, he thought the canteen that had the ichor was a keepsake from Gareth or something.¡±

    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re looking pale,¡± Marceline mentioned as she cupped her daughter¡¯s cheek, ¡°you need to feed and soon. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to make ichor here, so you¡¯ll have to drink actual blood.¡±

    .....

    Melissa¡¯s blue eyes circled, she really didn¡¯t like the sound of that, the first time she tasted blood it was Gareth¡¯s and she never wanted to do it again. Even though he was so so sweet, the experience was traumatizing.

    ¡°Of course human blood is out of the question,¡± Marceline pointed out, she was directing the words offort more to Emma than Melissa. ¡°I think pig blood will have to do.¡±

    ¡°Pig blood?¡± Melissa muttered, she immediately felt noxious at the thought of drinking pig blood. Ichor was hard enough to drink in the beginning, but she had managed to convince herself that most of it was blood sausages anyway.

    ¡°It¡¯s not terrible trust me,¡± Marceline assured her daughter, ¡°long before ichor was made it was considered a delicacy.¡± The woman smiled and rose to her feet, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone prepare some for you, you¡¯ll only need a cup every few days or so.¡±

    Melissa nodded in agreement, it seemed she had no choice. It was either pig blood or losing her sanity from starvation and attacking a unsuspecting victim when she couldn¡¯t control her hunger anymore.

    *

    ¡°It seems you were quite soft back in the day,¡± Garethmented after hearing the story of how Aiden had met Estel, ¡°I wonder what happened?¡±

    ¡°Every man is like this by default Gareth,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°it is only when we find the perfect woman that a little light creeps into our miserable lives. I found my light, and someone took it away, and now I¡¯m right back where I started, in the dark.¡±

    Gareth didn¡¯t respond, he knew where this man wasing from, it hadn¡¯t even been a month without Melissa and he too could feel himself slipping away into the darkness, he couldn¡¯t even remember thest time he genuinely smiled orughed.

    ¡°So tell me crowned prince of the elves,¡± Aiden mumbled, ¡°why my sister? I mean I¡¯m assuming that she is incredibly beautiful, especially if she took after my mother. But still, you¡¯ve lived quite a few lifetimes, so no other woman caught your fancy but her.¡±

    ¡°It almost feels like destiny the way that I met Mel,¡± Gareth exined, ¡°sure the first few times she didn¡¯t know I existed but I still fell for her nheless.¡±

    ¡°You do realize once Estel and I officially marry Melissa will be your family,¡± Aiden teased.

    Gareth had actually thought about that the first time Ronda had told her about Aiden and Estel¡¯s rtionship. But honestly, he didn¡¯t care, even if he had known that Melissa was the sister of the man who intended to marry his sister beforehand, he would have still fallen in love with her in a heartbeat.

    ¡°I know..¡± Gareth responded calmly, ¡°I mean doesn¡¯t arge family wedding sound lovely.¡±

    ¡°The controversy is what sounds lovely to me,¡± Aiden scoffed. ¡°Anyway, you still-¡± suddenly Aiden went quiet and sat up abruptly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong-¡±

    ¡°Quiet!¡± Aiden whispered as he scanned the trees around them. ¡°I think we are being watched.¡± The nosferatu prince picked up a small rock and flinged it with a scary amount of strength towards some nearby trees causing some bats and birds to tter away.

    Gareth rose to his feet, ¡°we should pack up and continue moving, the sun is almost up anyway.¡± He took a few steps towards the tent and turned back to look at Aiden, ¡°I¡¯ll let Melissa tell you the story of how we met when we reach Meria, something to look forward to when you meet her.¡±

    Meanwhile up in a tree situated at the edge of the men¡¯s camp site, Renly the little ck raven was stered against the trunk of the tree trying to catch his breath after a rock had barely missed him.

    That nosferatu prince had the senses of a night owl, he had to be more careful or else he was going to get caught. The master was counting on him to gather as much information on Aiden¡¯s movements and ns as possible so they could be ready for anything. Unfortunately getting close enough to hear his conversations with the elven prince wasn¡¯t going to be possible at the moment. He had to keep a distance and stay out of sight.

    *

    The retired king Bradley Aldos lifted the old flowers from his wife¡¯s grave and put them aside before recing them with beautiful fresh primroses. A sad smile painted his face as he touched the marble headstone.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a few months my beautiful Juliet,¡± he mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten better now, my heart doesn¡¯t ache as much when Iy alone in bed at night anymore.¡±

    A butler walked towards Bradley and bowed respectfully before speaking, ¡°your majesty, I have received word that your sons are on the way,¡± he announced, ¡°they should be here in a few hours, shall I prepare the usual?¡±

    Every end of the month when his boys would visit him, Bradley Aldos would have the cook prepare Juliet¡¯s favorite meal, roasted pork and greens. He liked the few days he spent with his sons to revolve around celebrating the life of his wife, it made it easier for him to push past the pain of her passing.

    ¡°Yes please Alfred,¡± Bradley responded, ¡°and clean their chambers as well if you will.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty.¡±

    Losing Juliet was very hard for the former king, and what was more difficult was that the woman who had done this to his beautiful wife was still alive and well. Maybe that¡¯s why his heart wasn¡¯t at peace, that woman needed to be punished, yes, he would discuss it with his sons when they arrived.

    Meanwhile some miles away in a carriage guarded by four armed horsemen, Elric and Jeffrey were pestering Clovis to reveal who this woman he had supposedly moved on with was.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want me to know?¡± Elric asked his brother with an arched brow, ¡°I mean you told Jeffrey so it¡¯s only fair I¡¯m made aware of it as well.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell Jeffrey,¡± Clovis corrected Elric, ¡°our brother here just has a little problem called, ¡®not being able to mind his own business¡¯.¡±

    Elric folded his arms over his chest and frowned at his older brother. ¡°As your king, I demand that you tell me who this woman is.¡±

    Clovis was shocked, ¡°really?¡± He asked the silver haired king, ¡°you¡¯re going to use your title over a petty matter like this?¡±

    ¡°Are you denying a direct order from your king?¡± Jeffrey asked his brother.

    ¡°Both of you are incredibly childish do you know that!¡± Clovis grumbled. Why were they making such a big deal of this, this was all Jeffrey¡¯s fault for not keeping his big mouth shut. He didn¡¯t know how Elric would react to him having feelings for Julia, and he was hoping he wouldn¡¯t find out until he had convinced Julia to move back with him to his estate where she could be as far away from Elric as possible.

    ¡°Well brother? Out with it,¡± Elric pressured his brother, ¡°are you afraid one of us might steal her from you?¡±

 Chapter 166

    166 Chapter 166 : Return of the prince

    The caravan of five hundred elf and dwarve soldiers moved at a steady pace towards Gavaria. They had finally emerged from the enchanted forest and were now moving through the outer shires of the kingdom that were littered with small huts and fields.

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember thest I was here,¡± Aidenmented as he watched the small huts slowly pass by. ¡°It looks so quiet and deserted.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think time has anything to do with the desertion of the outer shires,¡± Garethmented as he furrowed his brows. These parts were mostly inhabited by the poorer people of the kingdom, small time farmers who lived simple lives. Their absence here might have had something to to with the new government put in ce.

    ¡°What do you think happened?¡± Ivan muttered

    ¡°I have a hunch,¡± Zander replied, ¡°it might have something to do with a silver haired power crazed lycan.¡±

    The caravan moved slowly and cautiously untilrger buildings began showing at a distance. Gareth felt a flood of nostalgia hit him. He remembered when he had first set his eyes on Melissa at the knighting ceremony, gods he couldn¡¯t wait to see her again.

    As they entered the capital of Gavaria it was evident that a lot had changed. The streets that were once filled with ying children, chatting merchants and people of all ages now seemed oddly organized. Only merchants roamed them and even they seemed tired and lifeless. The others who were moving up and down the Gavarian roads were soldiers, mostly lycans, who eyed the caravan skeptically.

    Gareth kept his cool and led the caravan forward towards the royal pce, he needed to meet with his father and hopefully convince him to join in on his n. As they moved, Gareth spotted some lycans who were speaking to a human merchant, they had their ws out and were baring them a little too close to the man¡¯s throat.

    Gareth pulled away from his men and galloped towards the soldiers.

    .....

    ¡°Your grace wait!¡± Zander tried to stop the dark haired prince, but he was already dismounting his horse and walking towards the three lycans.

    ¡°Let him go,¡± Garethmanded. He stood a few feet away from the men, ¡°what kind of lycans bare their ws at a defenseless man?¡±

    ¡°And who the bloody hell are you?¡± One of the lycans responded venomously while slowly closing the gap between him and Gareth. He cocked his head and noticed Gareth¡¯s pointy ears and chuckled. ¡°Listen elf, security and patrol is for the lycans. You stick to your department okay.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself a third time,¡± Gareth spoke firmly, ¡°leave the man alone.¡±

    ¡°You have a little bit of a soft spot for these bloody humans I see,¡± the lycan rasped. ¡°You want to bare his punishment on his behalf then?¡±

    ¡°Whatever he has done I¡¯m sure doesn¡¯t warrant you spilling his blood,¡± Gareth responded while inching closer to the lycan.

    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?!¡± The lycan rose his fist about to hit Gareth in the face when a vine that Gareth had been slowly creeping up the man¡¯s body grabbed his arm and tightened itself around his body.

    When the lycan fell face t to the ground, his two friends left the merchant and started making their way towards Gareth. One of them was about to pull out a weapon when the ground beneath him liquidated and swallowed him, leaving only his head.

    The other one charged at Gareth with his ws bared but hit into what felt like a hard wall of air. The solid air pushed him back with force and rammed him against the wall behind and rendered him unconscious.

    The human looked up at the eleven prince in surprise, he was an elf, why had he saved a mere human like him.

    ¡°Your grace more areing!¡± Zander¡¯s voice echoed from behind.

    ¡°Go!¡± Garethmanded the man who thanked him profusely before running away. The prince turned around and noticed he was already surrounded by about twenty lycan soldiers with weapons in hand.

    ¡°You¡¯reing with us elf!¡± One of the lycans yelled, ¡°you¡¯re under arrest for crimes against the crown and attacking a soldier!¡±

    *

    King James Burchard was just from having a meeting with his newly appointed council. A while back he had decided that king Elric¡¯s reign was oppressive and unjust, and hence decided to make ns on taking back Gavaria. He wanted his kingdom to be a free and safe town not just for the awakened but for the humans as well. He didn¡¯t want to continue the cycle of hate anymore.

    The king was walking down the hall when one of his generals rushed to his side, ¡°your highness!.. your highness!¡±

    King Burchard turned around and eyed the breathless man, ¡°what is it?¡±

    ¡°In the town square..¡± the man spoke breathlessly.

    ¡°Out with it man!¡±

    ¡°Its the prince!¡± The general spoke while still trying to catch his breath, ¡°prince Adam, he has returned!¡±

    *

    ¡°Come on Clovis, that was a direct order from your king,¡± Jeffrey pestered his brother. ¡°Now you have to tell us.¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid one of us will steal her from you?¡± Elric teased his brother. But unknown to him, thatment made Clovis a little upset.

    ¡°Well if you won¡¯t tell us that¡¯s fine,¡± Jeffreymented while shrugging his shoulders, ¡°speaking of rtionships, my love life has been extremely boring over the years, so I was thinking of looking out for potential wives or mistresses. But if I¡¯m being honest, the lycans and nosferatu women are too aggressive for me, and I don¡¯t really like pointy ears so I can¡¯t do elves.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you find a dwarve then,¡± Elric innocently suggested.

    ¡°Oh my goddess that¡¯s a great idea your majesty, no wonder you¡¯re the king. So wise,¡± Jeffrey eximed sarcastically.

    Clovis frowned not liking the direction this conversation was taking.

    ¡°Say, that dwarve woman.. what was her name again,¡± Jeffrey spoke while stroking his chin, ¡°ah yes Julia. Would you mind if I made my move on her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why I¡¯d have a problem with that,¡± Elric responded with a shrug, ¡°but some people may not be too happy with you canoodling with the enemy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to take my chances,¡± Jeffrey responded, ¡°I mean she is a beautiful woman after all, I wouldn¡¯t mind hoisting that little portable petit body of hers off the floor and tossing her into my-¡±

    Clovis lunged at Jeffrey and had him in a chokehold in mere seconds, ¡°stay the fuck away from my Julia!¡± He growled. His fangs were bared and his nails had grown, even his silver hair was standing on end.

    ¡°Your Julia?¡± Jeffreymented while trying not to choke.

    ¡°Clovis?..¡± Elric muttered in shock, ¡°are you... are you in love with Julia?!¡±

    *

    The carriage halted outside arge beautiful white cottage that was situated in thesh green countryside. The three princes hopped off the carriage and walked towards the entrance where their father was waiting for them with a smile on his face.

    After exchanging greetings they walked into the home where a freshly prepared meal was waiting for them. They sat down on the table eating and catching up.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s ridiculous of me to ask but how are you fairing with running the kingdom Natha.. errm Elric,¡± Bradley scoffed nervously, ¡°sorry, I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around this name change.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright father,¡± Elric responded, ¡°it took a bit of time for everyone.¡±

    ¡°You know,¡± the man continued while cutting his meat, ¡°your mother gave you that name. It¡¯s a shame that you took up your lycan name instead.¡±

    ¡°I understand your sentiment father, but Elric is my actual birth name,¡± Elric responded.

    ¡°Of course,¡± the king responded. There was a hint of sadness and disappointment in his voice but he didn¡¯t want to force his son into anything. ¡°And the kingdom, how are you managing it?¡±

    Jeffrey nced at his younger brother and smirked. When Bradley Aldos was king, his reign revolved around being just and fair, all his sons knew that regardless of what had recently transpired with the awakening and all, he would have still advocated equality across all races in his kingdom. So Jeffrey was very interested in seeing how much longer Elric would keep the fact that he had be a tyrant from his father, and all because of a woman.

    ¡°It¡¯s going great,¡± Elric responded and focused on his food.

    ¡°I hear your wife is back home,¡± his father added on, ¡°I¡¯m d, it gets lonely in that big castle.¡±

    Ah yes his wife, his wife who was in love with another man and was only with him because he threatened suicide. ¡°Yes she is..¡±

    ¡°You should bring her over one of these days,¡± Bradley suggested, ¡°having a woman¡¯s touch around here, even if it¡¯s for a few days would make a huge difference.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to do that,¡± Elric responded in a low tone of voice.

    ¡°Speaking of loneliness ,¡± Bradley continued, now catching the attention of everyone at the table. His bubbly and happy demeanor suddenly turned grim, ¡°you all know the death of your mother.. no.. the murder of your mother hit me very hard.¡±

    Clovis felt his chest tighten at the mention of the word ¡®murder¡¯, he wanted to stand up and correct his father, she wasn¡¯t murdered, it was an ident.

    ¡°I finally would like to move on from all this pain,¡± the man added on. ¡°And there¡¯s only one way to do that.¡±

    ¡°And what way is that father?¡± Jeffrey questioned while leisurely sipping his wine. It felt good not being the target of unsolicited guilt for once.

    ¡°Elric,¡± Bradley spoke while looking intensely at his youngest son. ¡°That dwarve woman who killed my wife, do you still have her in your custody?¡±

    Elric shot his eyes to Clovis who looked like he was running out of air. ¡°Ummh well yes father but-¡±

    ¡°She needs to face the consequences for her crime,¡± Bradley Aldos spoke, ¡°only then will I feel that your mother¡¯s soul is at peace.¡±

 Chapter 167

    167 Chapter 167 : You!

    James Burchard didn¡¯t even think to respond to his general, he pushed passed him and walked hastily towards the pce exit. His son had returned? Really?!

    As he walked, Bradley called to his wife, ¡°Margret!¡± He yelled, ¡°Margret! Someone fetch my wife!¡±

    The Gavarian king heard some ruckus from the outside as he approached the door. What in the world was going on? Hadn¡¯t Adam returned home? Then what was with all the violent noise? James threw the doors open and halted in his tracks when he saw his son being pushed towards him with chains binding his arms.

    Theycan soldiers who were being trailed by a caravan of about five hundred elves and dwarves pushed Gareth to his knees in front of the king. Shortly after, Margret rushed out of the pce after hearing her husband scream her name, and immediately covered her mouth in shock.

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± The queen screamed and rushed to her son. She crouched down and took his binded hands in hers.

    ¡°Hello mother,¡± Gareth muttered with a sheepish smile, ¡°sorry for dropping in on you like this.¡±

    Margret¡¯s eyes watered immediately upon hearing her son¡¯s voice. She hadn¡¯t seen him in so long that all her emotions bubbled up and spilled out her eyes as tears.

    ¡°What are you doing?! Untie my son!¡± Margret yelled at the lycans who were now ncing at each other in confusion. She turned to her husband who was still as frozen as a statue behind her and gave him a pleading gaze.

    The king shook his head to awake from his reverie and turned to look at the lycan soldiers, ¡°unchain him!¡±

    .....

    ¡°But your majesty, this elf attacked three patrol soldiers!¡±

    ¡°This elf is my son!¡± The king responded, ¡°and your prince! Now unchain him! This is a family matter, I¡¯ll deal with him myself.¡±

    One of the lycans hesitantly walked to Gareth, and with his ws shed Gareth¡¯s chains loose. When the elven prince rose to his feet, Margret Burchard wrapped her arms around him and sobbed.

    ¡°Oh my baby boy!¡± She wailed in both sadness and relief.

    Gareth returned his mother¡¯s hug, he didn¡¯t realize how much he¡¯d actually missed his mother till now. He pulled away slightly and wiped her tears away, ¡°I¡¯m alright mother, and I¡¯m home. You don¡¯t have to cry anymore.¡±

    The king walked down the steps towards his son. ¡°My son..¡± he mumbled. Gareth let go of his mother and gave his father a hug.

    Thest time his father had hugged him was when Gareth was a little kid, he must have really missed him.

    ¡°Wee home son,¡± king Burchard spoke.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back,¡± Gareth responded happily. He didn¡¯t expect such a warm wee especially after the way he had left. And also there was the fact that he had started a fight on his first day back, talk about an entrance.

    ¡°Come in,¡± James spoke happily, ¡°we have much to talk about.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°but first I¡¯ll have to make sure my friends are well taken care of as well.¡±

    King James looked at the five hundred men Gareth was pointing at dressed in armor and carrying weapons. Luckily, the king had hosted more people than this at his balls and parties, so five hundred would be nothing. James called his general and instructed him to take the men to the cottages around the pce grounds. ¡°Make sure my son¡¯s friends are well rested and fed.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty,¡± the general responded with a bow. He then turned to Gareth, smiled at him and bowed as well, ¡°wee home your grace.¡±

    *

    Clovis put his fork down and instantly lost his appetite. Julia had to be punished? For an ident?

    ¡°Father,¡± Elric spoke having noticed how pale Clovis¡¯ face had be. Clearly his brother had really be attached to the dwarve woman, letting anything happen to her would not only break Clovis heart, but also give the dwarves a reason toe after the Merian kingdom, and at this point Elric really had no fight left in him. After realizing that all the fighting he had done was in vein because the woman he had been fighting for didn¡¯t even want him anymore. ¡°Julia is an important part of my stance as king.¡±

    ¡°But she killed your mother!¡± Bradley spat back, ¡°that woman has to pay for her sins. My wife is six feet in the ground rotting because of her and you¡¯re calling her important?! She needs to be beheaded, hanged.. anything! She can¡¯t be waltzing this earth in peace when she murdered your mother!¡±

    ¡°It was an ident..¡± Clovis mumbled while folding his fists up in a ball and trying hard to stop himself from going wolf in front of his father.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Bradley asked his oldest son while practically hissing. ¡°That woman is a murderer, and the punishment for murder in this kingdom is death! You know the rules!¡±

    ¡°It was an ident!¡± Clovis yelled and got to his feet. His eyes were already glowing yellow and his nails had elongated. ¡°She didn¡¯t murder our mother, hence she doesn¡¯t deserve death!¡±

    ¡°Are you going to take some woman¡¯s side over your own mother?!¡±

    ¡°Oh please father, mother hated us and you know it!¡± Clovis yelled.

    ¡°Oh my gods,¡± Jeffrey muttered as he sipped more of his wine.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t love us, she practically did everything in her power to avoid us,¡± Clovis continued yelling, ¡°she even used to call Elric the devil¡¯s spawn! Heck she never even loved you the way you did her, she just tolerated you because the marriage was arranged!¡±

    ¡°How dare you speak to me that way!¡± Bradley roared, ¡°I am your father!¡±

    Clovis¡¯ fangs sprouted, ¡°I¡¯ll do a lot worse if you as much as think ofying a hand on Julia!¡±

    Bradley Aldos red at his son in disbelief, what had gotten into Clovis? He was always the one who took after Juliet, he was the quiet, soft spoken and level headed one. No, could it be possible that he was-

    ¡°Do you...¡± Bradley had to take a deep breath in order to keep his own anger at bay, ¡°do you have feelings for this woman? This Julia?¡±

    Clovis went quiet for a few moments before focusing his gaze back on his father. ¡°I do..¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡± Jeffrey mumbled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t just have feelings for her,¡± Clovis added on, a look of determination on his face, ¡°I love Julia, and I will not allow any harm toe to her. I¡¯d rather bare her punishment myself.¡±

    ¡°Oh my goodness-¡±

    ¡°Shut up Jeffrey!¡± Everyone at the table yelled in unison.

    ¡°You, my eldest son would defy me and bare the punishment of a.. a pair of tiny tits?!¡± Bradley growled.

    ¡°No one touches Julia without going through me!¡± Clovis proimed.

    ¡°Just get out..¡± Bradley mumbled. His every vein wed with pure rage and disappointment. ¡°Just get out of my sight!¡±

    Clovis kicked the chair back and turned to leave, but before he disappeared out of the dining room he nced to the side, ¡°if anyone touches Julia, there will be blood.¡±

    *

    Achoo!

    Julia blew her nose into her handkerchief after sneezing for the third time.

    ¡°Maybe someone is talking about you,¡± the maid who was picking up the tray after Julia¡¯s evening tea mumbled.

    ¡°I wish someone would talk to me, rather than talk about me.¡± Julia responded.

    ¡°Oh I see,¡± the maid spoke with a sly smile, ¡°you miss the prince.¡±

    Julia¡¯s eyes widened at the woman¡¯sment, ¡°no I don¡¯t! Why would you think that?!¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re blushing and the pitch of your voice rises whenever you speak of him.¡± The maid stood up straight and smiled at the green eyed woman. ¡°You should be happy, the prince really likes you. Soon you¡¯ll be thedy of his big fancy house out in the capital.¡±

    ¡°You think he likes me?¡± Julia mumbled nervously.

    ¡°you are the only person who doesn¡¯t see that he does,¡± the maid responded.

    Julia blushed even more, honestly she couldn¡¯t really tell if Clovis liked her or was just being friendly.

    ¡°Also if you¡¯re looking for someone to talk to, maybe you can visit queen Melissa,¡± the maid suggested, ¡°I hear she can¡¯t leave the room after she had a big fight with her husband. I bet she could use someone her age to have a conversation with, poor woman must be bored out of her mind¡±

    When the maid left Julia remained in thought, Melissa huh? She had avoided meeting Melissa all this time, it was the reason she hadn¡¯t even gone to the coronation ball. She felt guilty for suspecting her of being a witch and trying to kill her. Julia really wanted to make amends somehow, maybe going to check on her wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea.

    The green eyed woman stood up and walked out her door, down the halls towards Melissa¡¯s chambers. This was the only chance she was going to get to apologize, she didn¡¯t want to have bad blood with anyone anymore. The woman stood at the entrance to the royal chambers and knocked lightly. Would she even answer the door? What if she was still upset after her fight with Elric? What if this was a bad idea? Julia was about to turn around and leave when the door to the room opened.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Julia spoke nervously.

    ¡°You!¡±

 Chapter 168

    168 Chapter 168 : I apologize

    In the royal pce of Gavaria, Gareth, Zander, Finwe, Ozias, Odran, Ivan, Beric, Rnd and king Dvalin all sat down at arge teakwood table with the king and queen. Margret Burchard was still misty eyed not believing that she was actually looking at her son after so long.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten thin,¡± shemented on Gareth¡¯s weight who was sitting beside her, ¡°you haven¡¯t been eating enough and you¡¯ve been stressed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine mother,¡± Gareth responded politely even though the truth of the matter was that he wasn¡¯t all that fine. Prior to this, he was drowning his sorrows of losing Melissa to Elric in alcohol and ate very little. And even on the journey here, he couldn¡¯t say he was doing much better, except for that fact that there was a chance of getting his woman back, he was still very worried about Melissa¡¯s wellbeing under the watchful eyes of Elric. Her pregnancy wouldn¡¯t be hidden for long and only the gods knew what Elric would do if he discovered it.

    Margret rose to her feet, ¡°let me check what¡¯s taking the food so long,¡± she muttered as she gently stroked her son¡¯s hair. ¡°You need to be fed. Excuse me.¡±

    When the queen left, James Burchard nced at the faces at the table one by one until he stopped at his son¡¯s face. ¡°So everything that Elric told us, is it true?¡±

    Gareth didn¡¯t even like hearing that lycan¡¯s name, he had caused him enough trouble in this lifetime and the next. ¡°It depends, what exactly did he tell you?¡±

    ¡°Are you the crowned prince of the elves Adam?¡± The kings asked his son.

    ¡°I am,¡± Gareth responded. He cocked his head up and smiled at his father, ¡°also, I go by Gareth now, apparently that¡¯s the name I was given when I was first born.¡±

    ¡°When you were first born huh?¡± The king mumbled to himself before meeting his son¡¯s gaze, ¡°so that part of Elric¡¯s story is quite urate as well, you really have lived on this earth longer than you let on.¡±

    .....

    ¡°I have, a little over a hundred years..¡±

    ¡°So you and Elric¡¯s wife..?¡±

    Gareth scoffed, Elric¡¯s wife? That title was like a bitter potion in his mouth, if it wasn¡¯t for Elric¡¯s sneaky ways, Mel would have been his, and he wouldn¡¯t be going through all this trouble right now. ¡°Father I¡¯m sorry for defying you and leaving the kindom in pursue of Melissa. I know I abandoned my duties as heir and practically renounced the throne, and I will ept any punishment for that. But abandoning my right as heir is the only thing I¡¯m sorry for, going after Melissa is nothing I regret, and you know how they say ¡®given the chance I¡¯d do it again¡¯?¡±

    James Burchard leaned back on his chair and studied his son, ¡°I heard that she had returned to Meria,¡± the king spoke, ¡°I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re nning to steal her away again?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Gareth responded without hesitation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this game of tag of war over a woman has gone on long enough son?¡± James asked Gareth, ¡°I understand you fell in love with her in a past life or whatever the case, but she is married now, it¡¯s time to let her go and focus on more important things. The continent is crumbling, Elric is a tyrant who rules by striking fear in the hearts of people. He hasn¡¯t changed anything, he has just reversed the roles with humans being oppressed and the awakened being the oppressors, we have to bring a bnce.¡±

    ¡°Ironing out all of Elric¡¯s barbaricws is on my list father,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°I will get to that I just need-¡±

    ¡°You just need to get Melissa back first, yes I heard you the first time,¡± James spoke with a sigh, ¡°gods son what has this woman done to you. Is she so enchantingly beautiful that you can¡¯t find another single more avable woman to be by your side?¡±

    ¡°She is enchantingly beautiful yes,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°but also-¡±

    ¡°Beauty fades son, she¡¯s just one woman. You can-¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant,¡± Gareth interrupted. ¡°And the baby is mine.¡±

    James Burchard iced up in shock. In the back, a loud crash was heard, when the men turned to the doorway of the room they saw the queen who had dropped the tray of food she was carrying while shock and guilt painted her face.

    The king quickly rushed to his wife and inspected her frantically, ¡°are you you alright Margret? What happened?!¡±

    ¡°Is she..¡± the queen stammered as she spoke to Gareth, ¡°is she really carrying your child?¡±

    Gareth nodded, ¡°she is..¡±

    ¡°Not to barge in on the conversation,¡± Finwe added on, ¡°but I just want to put it out there that the mating of nosferatu women, like princess Melissa, is very selective. They can only conceive the child of their blood halves, meaning Gareth and Melissa are bound for life. Also the baby she carries is an heir not only to the Ervelon throne, but the Gavarian throne as well.¡± Finwe cleared his throat and gave a quick wink to his brother, ¡°just in case someone didn¡¯t realize why Melissa is very important to us.¡±

    ¡°And I almost had her killed,¡± Margret mumbled before breaking down in tears. She moved towards her son and fell to her knees, ¡°I¡¯ve been a terrible mother Gareth, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    Gareth quickly got up and pulled his mother from the floor, ¡°please don¡¯t get to your knees mother, you¡¯re queen, it¡¯s beneath you.¡± He cupped his mother¡¯s face in his hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs, ¡°you were doing what you thought was best for me at the time. It¡¯s alright, I told you I don¡¯t want you crying anymore.¡±

    ¡°We have to get her back!¡± Margret spoke while firmly holding her son¡¯s arms. ¡°Elric is a mad man we have to get her back! She¡¯s carrying my grandchild!¡±

    Gareth smiled at his mother, ¡°I¡¯m d you finally see things my way.¡±

    *

    ¡°You!¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Julia responded nervously, ¡°sorry i must have gotten the wrong room. I¡¯ll just leave now and-¡±

    The small green eyed woman squealed when Vivian dragged her back by the cor of her dress, ¡°you¡¯re the woman who tried to kill princess Melissa, I know those green dwarvish eyes anywhere. I saw you in my vision!¡±

    ¡°Im sorry I wasn¡¯t thinking straight,¡± Julia squealed in fear, this person was unusually strong for a woman.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t thinking straight huh?!¡± Vivian yelled, ¡°was your mind foggy from your obsession with prince Gareth?! You get off on taking men that don¡¯t belong to you huh?!¡±

    ¡°No wait i didn¡¯t know that he loved her, I can exin!¡± Julia tried to run but Vivian was much too strong and had her in a choke hold in seconds.

    ¡°Vivian what are you doing?!¡± Melissa screamed after she heard the squabbling going on at her door.

    ¡°This little munchkin here tried to sneak into your chambers and stab you!¡± Vivian yelled as she choked Julia.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to stab her!¡± Julia yelled while chocking.

    ¡°What in God¡¯s name Vivian!¡± Maria screamed, ¡°leave her alone, do you want prince Clovis to kill us?!¡±

    ¡°If she wasn¡¯t here to stab the princess why the hell is she here?!¡±

    ¡°I came to apologize!¡± Julia screamed.

    Vivian loosened her hold on Julia and looked down at her, ¡°you came to apologize?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I came to apologize to Melissa,¡± the green eyed woman gasped.

    ¡°Vivian release her right now!¡± Melissa ordered. The dark haired nosferatu woman released Julia who immediately went into a gasping and coughing fit.

    ¡°Gods Vivian you need to rx,¡± Maria spoke as she helped Melissa lead Julia into the room.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be asking me to rx if she had a knife up her skirt,¡± Vivian responded curtly while following the women into the room and closing the door behind her.

    Melissa helped Julia into a chair while Maria poured some water into a cup and handed it to her.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Julia mumbled before drinking the water.

    ¡°You should apologize Viv,¡± Melissa spoke with a stern look on her face.

    ¡°I¡¯m not apologizing to this skimming little woman,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s okay,¡± Julia responded with a small smile, ¡°after what I almost did to you, I deserved that.¡±

    After Julia finished her water and the tension in the room settled, Julia turned to Melissa and smiled nervously at her. Even after Julia had tried to kill her at some point, Melissa still stood up for her when the other woman tried to possibly kill her, she really was a good woman and Julia needed to set things straight with her.

    ¡°I came to apologize,¡± Julia mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Melissa, I was blinded by my obsessive crush on the prince that I couldn¡¯t see that you had done no wrong. I want to make amends, please ept my apology.¡±

    Saying it out loud made Julia feel embarrassed, she really almost stabbed a woman over a man? One who had showed her multiple times that he wasn¡¯t interested in her? Good gods she was a lost cause.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Melissa responded.

    Julia looked up at Melissa in shock, it was alright? ¡°Just like that?¡± the green eyed woman asked. ¡°You¡¯re not upset with me or anything? I wronged you and falsely used you of being a witch, aren¡¯t you angry at all?!¡±

    ¡°Well I was,¡± Melissa responded, ¡°but not anymore. I didn¡¯t see the need to hold a grudge.¡± Melissa sat down next to Julia and smiled slyly at her, ¡°although, there is one thing I want from you. After that I¡¯ll let you off the hook.¡±

    Julia gulped.

 Chapter 169

    169 Chapter 169 : A new hybrid?

    The door was kicked open and Kazan walked into the tower where Estel and her son were being held. He had a frustrated look on his face and Estel knew immediately that this visit would not be a pleasant one.

    ¡°What is it this time?!¡± The man growled.

    Estel cradled Damien closer to her chest and looked up at the agitated man. ¡°I need healing herbs for him, you know this.¡±

    Kazan scoffed and marched to where Estel was sitting, he roughly pulled back the cloth covering the baby she was holding and red at it, ¡°you better make sure your son heals up quickly princess, other wise your life offort here is over, do you understand me?¡±

    ¡°Aiden is a new breed,¡± Estel responded, she felt disgusted by merely being in the presence of these men but she had to keep her emotions at bay for now.

    ¡°Both elves and nosferatu grow ridiculously fast over a short period of time!¡± Kazan rambled, ¡°so what the hell is wrong with this one?!¡±

    The elven princess took a deep breath and covered her child, ¡°if I knew I wouldn¡¯t need the herbs.¡±

    ¡°This child has been like this for ages! The master¡¯s patience is running thin and when it runs out,¡± Kazan tilted Estel¡¯s chin to face him and she had to resist the urge to spit in his face. ¡°Once the master¡¯s patience runs out, you die princess.¡± He roughly pushed her head to the side and grabbed the peice of paper that had the herbs Estel needed for her ¡®medicinal potion¡¯.

    As he turned to leave, Estel stood up to follow him but Kazan stopped her. ¡°You stay here, I¡¯ll get these for you.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Why? What if you get the wrong ones, I need to-¡±

    ¡°You waltzing around in the woods ispromising our position! Now stay here!¡± Kazan rushed out the door and mmed it shut.

    After she heard him lock it and heard his footsteps move further and further away, she snapped her fingers and an invisible wall surrounded the room. She learnt this trick from an old book she had found in the library when she was young, ¡®a wall of invisibility¡¯. Back then, she had only used it to sneak out and go y, and once she had used it to cover her and Aiden from prying eyes while they were making love in a river. Never did she think she would use it for the purpose of safety.

    Shey the baby on the bed, and after wiped her finger over his tiny forehead after which little Damien grew in size.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the bad man let us go outside mama?¡± The boy mumbled with a pouting face.

    Estel was well aware that those few moments they went outside to collect the herbs for the potion were some of Damien¡¯s favorite. Growing up only surrounded by walls, the little boy found happiness in only thirty minutes of hearing the chirping of birds and the rustling of trees blown by the wind.

    Estel cupped her son¡¯s cheek in hers and smiledfortingly at him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry darling but we can¡¯t go outside today.¡± She pulled him in for a hug and gently stroked his ginger locs, ¡°I know it seems like a bad thing now , but this only tells me that your father is very close to finding us.¡±

    The little boy craned his neck and looked up at his mother with teary eyes, ¡°papa ising?¡±

    The blonde princess bent down and kissed Damien¡¯s forehead, ¡°he is, we just have to wait a bit longer.¡±

    ¡°When he¡¯s here can I y outside then?¡±

    Estel pursed her lips, she swore to herself that she would make sure everyst one of these humans payed formitting her son to such a pitiful life. ¡°Of course darling, when hees for us you can y as much as you want.¡±

    *

    ¡°I think I¡¯m full,¡± Elric muttered and rose from his seat, ¡°I¡¯ll be retiring to bed early tonight. Have a good night.¡±

    ¡°Are you also in support of keeping that girl alive Elric?!¡± Bradley called out to his son, ¡°You¡¯re the king here, you should be the logical one.¡±

    The silver haired king turned to his father and looked at him with pity. This wasn¡¯t logic speaking, it was the pain and rage of losing someone you love, all his father was doing was trying to find an outlet for all that frustration.

    ¡°Father with all due respect,¡± Elric spoke, ¡°Clovis is right, it was just a tragic ident. I will see to it that Julia is punished but she most definitely will not be sentenced to death.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re all useless, all of you,¡± Bradley Aldos responded, ¡°just leave, clearly non of you loved your mother the way that i did.¡±

    ¡°Good night father,¡± Elric spoke as he walked away, ¡°I hope you move past this pain and hate soon. It will eat you alive, me of all people should know.¡±

    When Elric left the dining room, Jeffrey poured himself more wine, ¡°well that was quite the show,¡± he mumbled.

    Bradley turned to him and sighed, ¡°just leave Jeffrey.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the dark haired prince responded and immediately exited the room with the jar of wine and his cup in hand .

    *

    Aiden threw his eyes towards an open window on the other end of the hallway across from the room he was given. He had the nagging feeling that he was constantly being watched. He walked to the window, opened it and peered out but saw no one.

    ¡°Who are you?..¡± he muttered into the the darkness of the night.

    ¡°Speaking to yourself will have people thinking you¡¯ve gone crazier than you already are,¡± a voice called behind him.

    Aiden turned around and saw Finwe, the one that resembled his Estel, standing behind him. Seeing him only made Aiden more determined to find her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel that?¡± Aiden asked the blonde elf.

    ¡°The cold?¡± Finwe replied, ¡°yes, winter is upon us, we should be expecting what your kind refer to as snow very soon.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®your kind¡¯?¡± Aiden questioned the elf with an arched brow.

    ¡°We elves don¡¯t experience winter in Ervelon,¡± Finwe responded with a smug smile.

    ¡°Huh, that actually makes a lot of- wait no, thats not the topic at hand right now.¡± Aiden shock his head and closed the window. ¡°I keep sensing a presence lingering around us.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not just your paranoia?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m certain there¡¯s someone watching us,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°we need to be careful of what we say.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that sounds like a genuine concern,¡± Finwe responded. ¡°But why would someone be watching us, and who? Is there someone after you?¡±

    Aiden froze for a brief second before shaking his head. He had a feeling it was the mages who were trailing him, he must have been getting close to finding Estel and now they were trying to ensure they knew his every move. But he couldn¡¯t tell hisrades that, especially not now. He didn¡¯t have the luxury of giving these men any reason to doubt his intentions.

    ¡°Is there something you¡¯re keeping from us Aiden?¡± Finwe pestered the man. ¡°You know that Gareth won¡¯t take kindly to youpromising Melissa¡¯s safety, especially in the state she is in.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put my own blood in danger,¡± Aiden responded and shoved past Finwe, ¡°watch what you say to me.¡±

    Outside the window Aiden had just peeked out of, the little ck raven ttered its wings and fled to the nearby thicket of trees behind the pce. When he was sure he was covered, Renly transformed back into his human form and sighed.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± He mumbled as he made his way to sit on a nearby rock. This was the second time Aiden had almost spotted him, curse that nosferatu¡¯s keen instincts.

    Renly pulled out a canteen and some wrapped up bread that he had hidden behind a shrub and started eating while deep in thought. He had only heard a bit of what the men were discussing, but he had heard something about the elven prince fathering a child with a nosferatu woman, if that was true, the master would be very interested in knowing this.

    The boy, Aiden¡¯s son, was taking much too long to develop, and the master was running out of time, so if they got their hands on a second hybrid they may have a chance. Maybe Damien was just a defective specimen, and maybe this other one would turn out more viable.

    After finishing his bread, Renly leaned back on the rock, he was extremely exhausted from flying around following Aiden and his friends. Using these powers was not easy because he had only recently been gifted with them by the master. The man was really great, by extracting blood from a nosferatu and using his crazy magic called science, he was able to make Renly fly, flying had always been his dream and the master made it possible. He would be loyal to this man till the end of his days, and to do that he had to be sure what he heard about another hybrid on the way was urate.

 Chapter 170

    170 Chapter 170 : Keep a close eye.

    Julia darted her eyes between the three women sitting in front of her and gulped. ¡°What is it you want?¡± It was always like this, everyone always wanted to use her for something, first the Gavarian queen, then it was Elric and now Melissa. Anyway, she had tried to kill her so it¡¯s the least she could do right?

    Melissa smiled at the green eyed woman and leaned forward. The movement made Julia instinctively move back and almost fall off the chair. ¡°I want you...¡±

    Julia was breathing quickly in anticipation.

    ¡°I want you to tell me what¡¯s really going on between you and prince Clovis,¡± Melissa spoke and resumed her previous posture.

    Julia blinked a few times before furrowing her brows in confusion, ¡°what?¡±

    ¡°Come on Julia,¡± Melissa spoke with a teasing smile, ¡°everyone in the pce is talking about it. They say you two have tea together everyday, and he¡¯s been seen walking out of your bedroom a few times as well. Don¡¯t hold out on me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you want?¡± Julia responded in confusion, ¡°gossip?¡±

    ¡°Well when you put it like that it seems bad,¡± Melissa responded with an embarrassed look. ¡°I have been bored out of my mind these past two days. I¡¯m sure you heard that the king and I had ummh.. a small misunderstanding. And he may or may not have banned me from leaving our chambers and taken away all my books.¡±

    ¡°Oh..¡± Julia didn¡¯t really know what to say, she thought Melissa would ask for a favor or something, but here she was just looking for someone to talk to? This woman was strange indeed.

    .....

    ¡°I mean these two aren¡¯t any help,¡± Melissa pointed and Maria and Vivian. ¡°Maria¡¯s stories are a little depressing and Vivian is to shy to tell me the details of her rtionship with Zander.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not shy I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s an appropriate topic!¡± Vivian yelled, she folded her arms and turned away with her face as red as a tomato.

    ¡°And how are my stories depressing?¡± Maria whined.

    ¡°You¡¯re always talking about how sick your mother is and how you lost your father,¡± Vivianmented, ¡°and no offense I love your mother, she¡¯s a sweetheart, made me the best bread, but it¡¯s a little bit much.¡±

    Julia smiled as she watched the women bickering, she had never really had friends growing up, so seeing this y out in front of her was nice.

    ¡°Okay fine,¡± Julia responded, ¡°since you asked nicely, and I owe you, I¡¯ll tell about my little dilemma with the prince.¡±

    *

    Elric knocked lightly on Clovis bedroom door, ¡°Clovis! May Ie on?!¡±

    The king knocked a second time, ¡°Clovis!¡± When he got no response he slowly pushed the door open and saw his brother standing in ce looking out the window.

    ¡°You and Jeffrey really need to learn how to respect my privacy as the older sibling,¡± Clovis muttered without turning to face Elric.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t get a response when I knocked,¡± Elric responded and walked to stand by his brother¡¯s side.

    ¡°That should have told you that I¡¯m not epting any visitors right now.¡±

    Elric shrugged and looked out the window, his eyes widened when he noticed that Clovis was looking out at their mother¡¯s grave. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nning on killing our father Clovis.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± the silver haired prince responded, ¡°I was just trying to see things from his point of view. You see how her grave is slightly tilted to the left? Father¡¯s chambers are right next to mine, on the left.¡±

    ¡°He can look right at her from his window can¡¯t he?¡± Elric asked with a sigh. ¡°Gods he was so in love with that woman.¡±

    ¡°Hence his irrational behavior.¡± Clovis turned to look at Elric, ¡°can you imagine howpletely insane you would go if Melissa died. I mean you waged war just by her leaving your side.¡± He turned back to look at his mother¡¯s grave, ¡°I know I¡¯d not hold my sanity for very long if anything ever happened to Julia. And I know what you¡¯re going to say, I only just got to know her, but still, I just can¡¯t seem to control my feelings around her. I just want her safe and next to me all the time. Does that make sense?¡±

    Elric smiled slightly to himself, he knew exactly what was going on with his brother, he had read about it many times before. There was no mistaking that feeling. ¡°It seems Julia is your mate dear brother.¡±

    Clovis scoffed and turned to go and sit on his bed, ¡°you believe in that ¡®lycans only have one mate for life¡¯ nonsense?¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact I do..¡±

    ¡°Because of Melissa? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s just an obsession?¡± Clovis added on while stretching his neck from side to side.

    Elric wasn¡¯t very sure anymore, in the beginning he really did feel that Melissa was his mate but things were different now. He cared about her yes, but not in a possessive romantic way, maybe that¡¯s how it had always been and he had confused those feelings with being in love. But now came the question, if Melissa wasn¡¯t his mate, who was it? And would he ever get the chance to be with them, whoever they were?

    ¡°it¡¯s the only logical exnation,¡± Elric responded. ¡°Anyway, to appease father you know that Julia has to face some sort of punishment right?¡±

    Clovis red at his brother, gods he was a lost cause. Just the mention of Julia was enough to trigger his inner wolf. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to hurt her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fully aware you would rip me limb from limb if I as much as looked at her funny,¡± Elric responded while taking small steps around the room. ¡°So after much thought, I¡¯vee up with a suitable punishment for her.¡±

    ¡°Which is?¡±

    ¡°She will be banished from the royal pce and the Merian capital until further notice,¡± Elric responded.

    Clovis stood up and walked towards his brother, ¡°and where exactly do you n to take her?¡±

    ¡°What I know is that the governor of the kingdom is responsible for these kinds of decrees,¡± Elric responded with a straight face. ¡°The king merely banishes, the governor is in charge of whatever happens to the offender afterwards.¡±

    ¡°But the governor of Meria is...¡±

    ¡°You,¡± Elric responded with a slight smile, ¡°exactly, took you long enough to get it.¡± The silver haired king turned around and headed for the door, ¡°good night brother, I¡¯ll see you in the morning at breakfast.¡±

    Clovis stood there stunned for a while, had Elric just helped him? He didn¡¯t think that his brother had a soft side, he had changed so much since they were children. Who knew that the perfect son would bend the rules for a forbidden rtionship?

    ¡°Thank you..¡± Clovis muttered as Elric closed the door.

    *

    Finwe found his brother in the stables feeding the horses after wandering the pce looking for him, ¡°what are you doing here in the middle of the night?¡±

    Gareth turned to face his brother and smiled gratefully at him, ¡°how did you know?¡± He spoke.

    The blonde prince knitted his brows in confusion, ¡°how did I know you were here? One of the maids told me.¡±

    ¡°No Finwe,¡± Gareth spoke with a chuckle, ¡°how did you know about star?¡±

    ¡°Star?¡±

    Gareth moved aside and revealed the majestic creature he had been feeding. It was a pure white horse with a long mane and a small patch of ck fur on its neck that resembled a star.

    ¡°In my past life I got Mel a horse exactly like this, she named him star,¡± Gareth exined while stroking the horse. ¡°I found this note that told me to check for ¡®a special gift¡¯ to present to her once we¡¯ve reunited.¡±

    Finwe took the note and read through it, ¡°brother i didn¡¯t write this, and I certainly didn¡¯t get you a horse.¡±

    Gareth now looked confused, ¡°but the letter, it¡¯s in the same handwriting as the note you left with the ring.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get you that ring either Gareth,¡± Finwe responded.

    ¡°Then who did?¡±

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know,¡± Finwe responded while inspecting the horse, ¡°but now it¡¯s starting to worry me. First the ring and now the horse, maybe it has something to do with what Aiden was talking about earlier.¡±

    ¡°Aiden? What does aiden have to do with any of this?¡±

    ¡°Well he says he constantly feels like we¡¯re being watched or something like that,¡± Finwe responded as he stroked the horse¡¯s snout. He couldn¡¯t help but admire the creature, his brother had bought Melissa a horse like this? Before he was a prince?? Wow, love really was something.

    Gareth ced his finger on his mouth thoughtfully, ¡°he said the same thing when were on our way here. Do you think Aiden knows something that we don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Or he¡¯s hiding something,¡± Finwemented, ¡°he did just show up out of nowhere iming he wanted to get to know his sister, something doesn¡¯t add up. We should keep a close eye on him.¡±

    Theodora who had been listening in on the conversation in the shadows slowly pulled away. She had to warn Aiden that the princes were suspicious of him, she had to make sure he got to Melissa so he could get to Estel, it was the only way she could get the chance to see him smile.

 Chapter 171

    171 Chapter 171 : You¡¯ve been warned

    Julia almostughed when she saw Melissa repositioning herself in the chair so as to better listen to the juicy details of her story, even Maria and Vivian pulled out some chairs and quieted down in anticipation of the details.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start honestly,¡± Julia mumbled in embarrassment.

    ¡°Fist things first,¡± Melissa spoke, ¡°do you have feelings for Clovis?¡±

    Julia looked to the floor and blushed, ¡°well I can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t,¡± she mumbled while twirling a loc of her hair with her finger, ¡°I mean it¡¯s a little recent so I¡¯m still trying to figure out what all these feelings are. Recently I had given up on love, so all this is a little overwhelming.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think falling for a man who clearly wants someone else qualifies as being in love, you were merely just infatuated with Gareth¡± Vivian spoke before feeling Melissa¡¯s elbow in her stomach. ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her Julia go on,¡± Melissa encouraged the green eyed woman, ¡°so you thought of giving up on love and then changed your mind right?¡±

    ¡°I guess you can say that..¡± Julia stated.

    ¡°Because of Clovis? What is it he did that made you rethink your decision?¡±

    Julia looked up at Melissa¡¯s excited blue eyes and felt even more nervous about putting her love life out in the open like that, ¡°well.. he was very forting about his feelings, I have a feeling he¡¯s the kind of man who wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Guess it runs in the family,¡± Melissa chuckled.

    ¡°I suppose it does,¡± Julia responded with a smile. Surprisingly she was enjoying this conversation, could it be that her and Melissa were actually fostering a friendship? Having a friend and someone to talk to would be nice, especially in moments like these when Clovis wasn¡¯t around to keep herpany.

    *

    ¡°I swear to you my brother saw him with his own eyes! It¡¯s going to happen again.¡±

    ¡°Ohe on Ruth didn¡¯t you attend the coronation? Princess Melissa chose the king, if what you say is true and your brother did in fact see the Gavarian prince, it¡¯s probably for another reason.¡±

    ¡°My brother says he was traveling with an army of over five.. no a thousand warriors, what would he need an army for?¡±

    ¡°Wait, if Melissa chose the king, does that mean prince Adam is single..?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wet your breeches Mary the odds of him picking you for a bride are close to none.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m telling you, the fiasco that happened at the royal wedding, it¡¯s definitely going to happen again. The prince is here to steal princess Melissa away again I can feel it... it¡¯s forbidden love, how romantic.¡±

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s a lycan general, hush up or you¡¯ll get us all in trouble.¡±

    William and Bahram watched the three women who had been gossiping walk away and then turned to look at each other with wary expressions.

    The Morrell brothers had been foraging the capital¡¯s market getting some supplies on behalf of their mother when they overheard the conversation about Melissa¡¯s little elven boyfriend.

    Bahram eyed his brother skeptically, ¡°why are you smiling like that?¡±

    ¡°Ohe on Bahram you and I both know that Elric is in no way a good match for our sister,¡± William responded, ¡°I mean you¡¯re constantly talking about how you¡¯d love to punch him in the nose.¡±

    ¡°That is not true,¡± Bahram responded as he threw his satchel over his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m always talking about how I¡¯d love to punch him in the mouth, there¡¯s a difference.¡±

    The two men began walking towards their horses. William walked slightly ahead of his older brother and turned to face him, ¡°either way Melissa isn¡¯t happy with him, he practically baited her into this marriage.¡±

    ¡°Will you stop walking backwards you¡¯re making me uneasy,¡±

    ¡°Stop trying to change the topic,¡± William chided his brother, ¡°look, hear me out. All I¡¯m saying is if Adam.. I mean Gareth.. is really on his way to free her from Elric¡¯s clutches then this could be our shot to get out of this ce.¡±

    Bahram mounted his horse and so did William. ¡°Come on Bahram,¡± William spoke as he caught up with his brother, ¡°don¡¯t you miss Astrid? Don¡¯t you want to go back home to her and raise your son in a hate and oppression free environment?¡±

    William stopped his horse in front of his brother, ¡°because that¡¯s the kind of society we live in now because of Elric, a hate and oppression filled one. You and I are humans, the only reason why we haven¡¯t been thrown in the fields tobor is because our sister is married to the king.¡±

    ¡°And you think this elven prince will be any different?¡± Bahram asked his brother, ¡°he isn¡¯t human either so what makes you think he¡¯ll want equality?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know prince Gareth,¡± William admitted, ¡°heck I¡¯ve never even met the guy. But if he is anything like how Melissa describes him to be, then he¡¯s our best bet to leading normal lives. Plus she loves him Bahram, you know their story.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like stories that involve my baby sister canoodling with men,¡± Bahram responded with a frown.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the point..¡±

    ¡°Okay master strategist William Morrell, what exactly do you suggest we do?¡± Bahram questioned his brother as he circled around him and continued down the path to the pce.

    ¡°I suggest we help the elven prince, I¡¯m not sure how yet,¡± William responded with a confident smile, ¡°but we are on his side now, got that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah whatever,¡± Bahram responded while trying hard to conceal a smile. He was actually d William had said what he had said, because honestly that was exactly what he had in mind. Being kept prisoner by Elric just so that Melissa couldn¡¯t defy him only made Bahram despise the king more, they needed to knock him down to size a little, he had been a thorn in their sides for too long.

    *

    Renly whipped his head from left to right trying to figure out where in the word he was, but all he saw was darkness. ¡®Hello!¡¯ He jumped back when he heard footsteps crossing the darkness in front of him, ¡®whose there! Show yourself!¡¯

    Another pair of footsteps crossed the darkness behind him making him move forward. ¡®Stop lurking in the shadows you coward!¡¯

    Suddenly a hooded figure appeared in front of him, it looked like a man but he couldn¡¯t see any of the man¡¯s features except his tall masculine silhouette.

    ¡®Who are you?!¡¯ Renly yelled. He was trying hard not to sound afraid but his voice was failing him. There was something about this man that was very intimidating.

    ¡®Bring any harm to Melissa and the child she carries, and you will know the true meaning of fear Renly...¡¯

    ¡®How did you know my name?¡¯ This time the man didn¡¯t even bother masking the fear in his voice, he was terrified. Who was this and how did they know of his n.

    ¡®You have been warned,¡¯ the man replied before disappearing into the shadows.

    Renly jolted awake drenched in his own sweat, he frantically scanned his surroundings and realized he was back in the forest, in his sleeping furs where he had nodded off. Wait a minute, was that all just a dream? But it felt so real, so terrifyingly real.

    The man reached for his water canteen on the side of his fur but stopped his hand mid air when he saw the footprint on the ground right next to him. Gods, that wasn¡¯t a dream at all, someone had been here. Renly covered his fur over his head and shuddered, the thought of someone watching him as he slept sent shivers down his spine. The man had warned him not to harm Melissa right? Could it be the elven prince who was doing this? Did have the sort of magic that could allow him to infiltrate people¡¯s dreams? If that was the case, Renly really didn¡¯t want to stay here and find out what else he could do, the information he had gotten so far would have to be enough, he needed to make his way back to the master.

    *

    Aiden sighed as he sat down, he ran his hand through his red locs and threw his head back in frustration.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Theodora asked the man who was sitting in front of her.

    With his gorgeous blue eyes still shut, he shook his head and sighed a second time, ¡°whoever is out there creeping around is going to cost me my peace.¡± The handsome man sat up straight and looked up at the woman who had just told him about the conversation between Finwe and Gareth. ¡°We have to find whoever they are and get rid of them.¡±

    ¡°Of course Aiden,¡± Theodora responded, ¡°I will begin investigations immediately.¡±

    ¡°Also I need you to write a letter for me to the king of Cenia,¡± Aiden instructed the woman, ¡°in order to gain more of Gareth¡¯s trust I may have to make a contribution to his cause. So ask the king to send me a hundred soldiers immediately.¡±

    ¡°How will exin having control over the Cenia army to the elven prince?¡±

    ¡°Leave the nitty gritty to me,¡± Aiden responded.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll get right to it.¡±

    As Theodora turned to leave Aiden called her back, ¡°and Theodora..¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    His icy blue eyes trailed the women from the top of her head to her feet, ¡°please stoping to see me practically naked, I have my inws here and they¡¯re starting to think something is going on between us.¡±

    Theodora pouted and turned towards the door, ¡°Ronia Cresus is a free continent, I¡¯ll dress as I please.¡±

 Chapter 172

    172 Chapter 172 : Ruler of Cenia

    The breakfast table at the Aldos cottage was quiet and extremely awkward, the only thing that could be heard was the subtle clinking of cutlery on the ceramic tes as the four men ate their food. Usually all their meals were filled with sarcastic jokes and the asionalughter here and there, but today, after the little spout the previous night, there was nothing but silence.

    Bradely Aldos finished him meal first, put down his cutlery and rose from his seat. ¡°Thank you all for your visit, I hope you have a safe trip back to the capital.¡± As the retired king turned to leave, Clovis stood up and called to him, ¡°father a minute of your time?¡±

    Bradley Aldos halted in his tracks and took a quick breath before turning around and facing his oldest son.

    ¡°Father, I apologize forst night,¡± Clovis began to speak. ¡°I know how tough it is without mother and I know you¡¯re hurting. You loved her so much and growing up you taught us how to treat a woman you love.¡± Clovis pulled back his chair and walked up to his father, ¡°I know you want to avenge the woman you love by taking Julia¡¯s life, but what happens when I in turn want to avenge the woman I love? Whose life will I take?¡±

    Bradely¡¯s anger slowly melted away into sadness. So Clovis really did love that woman? Why did it have to be her?

    ¡°Its unfortunate that the woman I fell in love with is also the same one who took my mother¡¯s life,¡± Clovis spoke as he closed the gap between him and his father even more, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you except I¡¯m very sorry you¡¯ve had to go through this. But please, don¡¯t hurt Julia, for my sake.¡±

    The retired king looked into his son¡¯s eyes, there was a mixture of emotions there, love, sadness and a lot of anxiety. ¡°You will be responsible for whatever she does in this kingdom from here on out Clovis. Ensure she never crosses me ever again.¡± Bradley turned and left the dinning hall without uttering another word. When he was out of sight he leaned on the hallway walls and clenched his chest. A tear ran down his face but a smile painted his face, ¡°did you here that honey?¡± Bradley muttered to himself while facing the ceiling, ¡°we taught them how to love. I¡¯m sure that brings you more happiness than it would have spilling someone¡¯s blood.¡±

    Back in the dining hall Elric walked to Clovis and pat his shoulder, ¡°that¡¯s as much of a blessing from father as you will ever get,¡± he spoke with a slight smile, ¡°now let¡¯s go back home and you can finally profess your love to her.¡±

    Jeffrey also rose from his seat and walked passed his brothers, ¡°let¡¯s get a move on, all this sentimental stuff is giving me a headache. I was expecting scandals and rivalry and yet I get this? What a waste.¡±

    .....

    *

    Melissa woke up feeling sick the next morning, even after taking her usualvender bath and ginger tea she was still feeling incredibly noxious and dizzy.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get your drink your highness,¡± Carol spoke as she set the bowl of porridge Melissa had barely eaten side.

    ¡°The pig blood?¡± Melissa asked with a frown on her face.

    ¡°Yes your highness, we need to make sure you¡¯re well fed,¡± Carol responded with a smile. ¡°Besides, the king will be returning tomorrow, we can¡¯t have him find you in such a state.¡±

    The redhead sunk into her nkets and pouted, she really wasn¡¯t in the mood to deal with Elric especially after the argument they had had before he left.

    ¡°Keep yourself warm, it¡¯s quite cold today,¡± Carol addd on as she stood up.

    Melissa sighed and nodded, she didn¡¯t want to put Carol in trouble because she knew that Elric would me the maid for her sick state even though she hadn¡¯t been all that well for a while now. Was her body reacting to theing winter or something? Suddenly a thought popped up in her head, she jolted upright and turned to Carol who was about to leave the room.

    ¡°Carol!¡±

    The maid stopped and turned back, ¡°your highness?¡±

    ¡°what is the day today?¡±

    ¡°it¡¯s a Tuesday your highness,¡± Carol responded. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°No, what is the date?¡± Melissa asked in a mini panic.

    ¡°it¡¯s the eighth day of the second month your highness,¡± Carol responded now looking a bit worried herself. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    Melissay back in her bed and shook her head, ¡°no everything is fine, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Well alright, I¡¯ll be right back with your drink.¡±

    When Carol exited the room and closed the door, Melissa grabbed her pillow and screamed into it. Gods how could she be so dumb, it was now adding up. She had been so upied emotionally that she didn¡¯t even notice that she hadn¡¯t bled in over two months. So the sickness she was feeling, it was morning sickness, the weird peak in appetite, her moodiness, it all added up.

    ¡°Oh gods,¡± Melissa sighed, ¡°Gareth where are you?¡±

    *

    Gareth was sitting on his father¡¯s right hand, his mother on his left, and Finwe, Dvalin, Zander and the others were at the table with them as well.

    ¡°So you see father,¡± Gareth continued exining, ¡°our strategy doesn¡¯t involve bloodshed unless it will be absolutely necessary, we just have to show Elric we have the advantage of number and propose a truce. The conditions of that truce will be that he first and foremost returns Melissa to me and Julia to her father, and secondly, end his tyranny.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure this will work?¡± Queen Margret asked, ¡°what if he uses Melissa against you like he did when he attacked Ervelon?¡±

    ¡°Thats where our bluffes in,¡± Finwe responded.

    ¡°Bluff?¡± King James turned to his son with a questioning look on his face.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zander exined, ¡°we will im that we found a way to break the reincarnation cycle, if Elric believes he can no longer be reborn then his suicide threat will hold no weight anymore.¡±

    ¡°Plus we will have king Dvalin on our side to vouch for us,¡± Finwe added on, ¡°he was there when the reincarnation was initiated so his word will be very credible.¡±

    ¡°I understand him being afraid to kill himself,¡± James replied, ¡°but what if he tries to kill Melissa, or Julia?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t kill Melissa because.. umm well..¡± Zander turned to Gareth as if asking for permission to say what he was about to say.

    ¡°Just say it,¡± Gareth muttered with a pout on his face.

    ¡°Elric can¡¯t kill Melissa because he loves her,¡± Zander added on.

    ¡°As for Julia, we know Elric is a smart man who depends on allies to fuel his rule,¡± Finwe exined, ¡°him killing the crowned princess of the dwarve throne will only cause him unnecessary trouble. And he knows this.¡±

    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve thought through this entire n,¡± James Burchard responded with a proud smile, he was happy to see that his son could strategize with his men like this. Coordination and tactic were important aspects to have as a ruler. ¡°I guess I have no choice but to lend you some of my men, on one condition.¡±

    Gareth turned to his father, ¡°a condition?¡±

    ¡°in order to have my army at your disposal Gareth,¡± the king exined, ¡°you will have to take up the title of king.¡±

    ¡°But father, what about Ervelon?¡± Gareth replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to give up the Ervelon throne son,¡± James Burchard exined himself, ¡°I¡¯m merely telling you to take your ce as king of Gavaria. Besides, aren¡¯t we all citizens of one continent? What¡¯s so wrong about ruling both?¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± Dvalin spoke up, ¡°before the continent was divided into kindoms the rulers of each race worked hand in hand to govern it. Your father is wise Gareth, you should pay heed to the words he says.¡±

    ¡°Well if king Dvalin is vouching for you,¡± Gareth spoke to his father with a nervous chuckle, ¡°I guess I have no choice but to oblige.¡±

    Momentster the door to the study swung open and Aiden walked into the room casually towards Gareth and stood beside him. ¡°My dear brother inw, may I speak with you for a second.¡±

    ¡°I think whatever you have to share with Gareth you can share with us,¡± Finwe spoke out, ¡°I mean we¡¯re allrades here, why keep the rest of us out of the loop?¡±

    Aiden looked at Finwe with a t expression and sighed, looks like Finwe had already lost trust in him, he better not add to the already existing suspicion.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± Aiden responded as he straightened his posture and ced his hands behind his back. ¡°I would like to help with your cause,¡± Aiden exined, ¡°I stand here and promise you a hundred soldiers to march to Meria by your side.¡±

    Finwe rose from his seat and eyed Aiden, ¡°a rogue prince promising men? What army do youmand Aiden? Please stop spouting nonstop.¡±

    ¡°I Aiden of the nosferatu, am ruler of Cenia.¡±

 Chapter 173

    173 Chapter 173 : Back to Meria

    Everyone at the table turned to look at the nosferatu prince with different expressions. Finwe scoffed and shook his head, ¡°what are you going on about Aiden, this is a serious discussion and you¡¯re bringing in-¡±

    Aiden rolled out a peice of paper and mmed it on the table in front of Gareth. The prince took the paper in his hand and read through it, as he scrolled through every word his facial expression showed more and more shocked. ¡°He¡¯s not joking..¡± Gareth mattered in shock, ¡°this is a royal decree dispatching one hundred men to Gavaria, it¡¯s signed and everything, it even have the Cenia royal seal.¡±

    Finwe walked over to Gareth and grabbed the paper, ¡°let me see that.¡± He read through it and shot his eyes to Aiden. ¡°But how, aren¡¯t you just a rogue.¡±

    ¡°I have been alive much longer than you have Finwe,¡± Aiden responded curtly, ¡°I know how to get things done, why do you think Cenia has not been forting about their political situation. It¡¯s because a rogue took over.¡± Aiden turned to Gareth, ¡°do want my help or not? You know meeting my sister is my goal and I¡¯m trying to insure that happens¡±

    The table went quite for a second, before Gareth responded, ¡°well we do need the numbers, we can discuss the detailster I suppose, because I¡¯m curious as well about how you overthrew the Cenian empire.¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to hide,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°my aim now is to meet my sister and that¡¯s it.¡±

    *

    Renlynded on a rock and transformed into his human form. He had been flying for a few hours towards their hideout and had exhausted himself out, he pulled out his water canteen and took a sip. After that night he had experienced a nightmare, Renly knew that sticking around wouldn¡¯t be the best n, it was too risky.

    He leaved his head back and drew in some air as he tried to rx, but suddenly he heard a rustling in the nearby bushes.

    .....

    ¡°Hello!¡± Renly sat up straight and inspected the area around him. He really didn¡¯t like feeling this way, and it didn¡¯t help that it was almost night time. ¡°Who¡¯s out there?!¡±

    ¡°Renly..¡±

    The man jolted upright and scanned the area around him. ¡°Who said that?!¡±

    There was more rustling in the bushes and Renly¡¯s skin started crawling, more rustling came and this time the man got to his feet, he needed to get out of that ce as quickly as he could, he had a very bad feeling about this. He quickly began to morph into a bird again, it would be much faster if he flew away.

    The ck raven ttered it¡¯s wings and lifted itself off the rock but suddenly a hand grabbed it and held it in ce. Renly turned back into his human form and held the hand that was now holding his neck, looking at the face of the person closely, Renly¡¯s breathing became heavy and ragged.

    ¡°Where are you off to so quickly little bird?¡± Renly¡¯s captor muttered. ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you not to do anything that would put Melissa and the child she carries in any danger?¡±

    ¡°Please, I promise I won¡¯t breathe a word of her and the baby,¡± Renly pleaded, ¡°please just let me go.¡±

    ¡°You think you¡¯re afraid now?¡± The man rasped, ¡°wait until I¡¯m done with you.¡±

    *

    A few meters away, Theodora heard the loud scream of a man. She turned towards the screaming and narrowed her eyes in confusion. Who in their right mind would be in these parts of the woods alone? Had they been injured or attacked.

    Theodora leapt from the ground and jumped from one brunch to another towards where the scream hade from. She had been out in the forest on Aiden¡¯s ordered to scout the ce around and find whoever it was who had been lurking and following them around. Maybe whoever was screaming out there was the perpetrator in question.

    The nosferatu woman¡¯s keen sense of hearing picked up faint whimperinging from her right. She turned andnded in a small clearing, she could hear the whimpering of a man but she couldn¡¯t seem to detect where exactly it wasing from. She walked around the clearing until she reached a certain shrub where the sound was most audible.

    She dug her hands into shrubs and gasped when she saw a man with raven ck hair shaking like a leaf.

    ¡°Please, I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t do anything to hurt Melissa I swear it, please just let me go.¡±

    ¡°Hurt Melissa?¡± Theodora inspected the man and noticed that his right hand had been calcified. ¡°Who did this to you?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me,¡± the man whimpered .

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you,¡± Theodora assured the man who was clearly terrified. He said something about not hurting Melissa, wasn¡¯t Melissa that elven prince¡¯s girlfriend or something? This was strange, clearly whoever had done this to this man was trying to protect Melissa but why? And who was he?

    Theodora turned to the man, looks like she didn¡¯t have a choice, she had to take this man back to Aiden for further investigation. The information he had may prove useful.

    *

    Melissa had be restless, the whole night she had just been tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep. How could she not have noticed that she was pregnant? And she was very sure it was Gareth¡¯s and not Elric¡¯s yet here she was living with him as his wife. Gods what would he do to her if he found out she was carrying another man¡¯s child? And didn¡¯t Carol say that he would be returning today? Oh gods!

    ¡°Your highness..¡±

    Melissa threw her nket off her face and looked at carol.

    ¡°Oh you¡¯re already awake-¡± Carol narrowed her eyes and inched closer to Melissa, ¡°your highness you look terrible, are you okay? Did you sleep at all?¡±

    ¡°I may have had some trouble sleeping,¡± Melissa responded in a low tone, ¡°but I¡¯m fine don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    Carol ced her hand on Melissa¡¯s forehead to feel her temperature, ¡°well your temperature is okay.¡± She stood up and walked to the closet where she pulled out some towels, ¡°let¡¯s get you washed up so you can rest a bit more before the king gets here your highness, he shouldn¡¯t find you looking like this.¡±

    Melissa nodded and slipped off the bed hesitantly, she wasn¡¯t willing to see Elric before, but now she REALLY wasn¡¯t looking forward to seeing him. She walked slowly towards thevender infused bath and submerged into the water, it had started bing cold so the warm water helped to relieve her nerves.

    ¡°Your highness you look worried,¡± Carol spoke as the ced the towels by the bath, ¡°is anything wrong? Should I get the physician?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Melissa blurted out, she then sunk deeper into the tub and sighed. If Carol called for a physician he would definitely know that she was pregnant, and he would obviously tell the news to Elric, she couldn¡¯t risk it. Gods if only she could contact Gareth and let him know, but how when she wasn¡¯t even allowed to leave her own room.

    ¡°Carol..¡±

    The maid looked up at the woman curiosly, ¡°yes your highness? Do you want me to help you wash?¡±

    ¡°No I¡¯m alright,¡± Melissa responded, ¡°it¡¯s just that... there¡¯s something that¡¯s been bothering me.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°First you have to promise me you won¡¯t tell a soul Carol,¡± Melissa dered, ¡°not a single soul, not even the king.¡±

    Carol looked thoughtful for a minute but then nodded in agreement, ¡°alright mydy,¡± she responded, ¡°I promise not to tell a soul.¡±

    The redhead swished around in the water nervously before looking up at Carol, ¡°I think I may be pregnant.¡± Her voice was so low that even Melissa herself could barely hear it. She looked up at Carol and was shocked to see her smiling.

    ¡°I already knew you were with child your highness,¡± Carol responded.

    Melissa¡¯s eyes widened in shock, ¡°you did?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Carol responded with a warm smile, ¡°but I respect that you¡¯re not quite ready to tell your husband about it yet, and that¡¯s fine. The first time is always a bit scary and we don¡¯t know how our husbands will react. But don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be surprised at how happy he will be when you tell him.¡±

    ¡°Okay..¡± Melissa was screaming in her head, gods this was such a mess, of course Carol would think this is Elric¡¯s baby, the onlyfort of the situation was that the maid was okay with not telling the king about it just yet. That would buy her time to find a way to contact Gareth. She needed to leave this pce before Elric could notice anything.

    *

    In a carriage in the outskirts of the capital Clovis¡¯ smile widened as he peeked outside and saw the familiar buildingsing into view. He didn¡¯t even know he was capable of feeling excited but here he was, excited to see Julia¡¯s beautiful petit face.

    ¡°Well you look happy,¡± Jeffreymented curtly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you chose to die alone Jeffrey,¡± Clovis responded, ¡°maybe if you¡¯re weren¡¯t such a thorn in people¡¯s sides someone would have actually liked you.¡±

    ¡°Love is just a bunch of nonsense,¡± Jeffrey responded, ¡°it wastes your time and energy and to top it all off you behave like a total irrational idiot and think it¡¯s okay, why? Because you¡¯re in love. I¡¯ll pass thank you very much.¡±

    ¡°And this is exactly why you¡¯ll live the rest of your life angry, bitter and without a woman,¡± Clovis spoke, ¡°you see the bad in literally everything.¡± The prince then turned to Elric and smiled at him, ¡°Elric here knows what I¡¯m talking about, right brother?¡±

    The silver haired king who had been lost in a reverie turned to his older brothers and batted hisshes in confusion, ¡°what? Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°Dont you miss your wife?¡± Clovis asked, ¡°and aren¡¯t you excited to see her?¡±

    ¡°I suppose,¡± Elric muttered. Honestly he didn¡¯t know if he was ready to face Melissa again, they had had a big fight and he had locked her up in their chambers in a jealousy rage. But could anyone me him, his feelings when he was with Melissa were very confusing, sometimes he loved her to death and other times it was pure possessiveness, he really didn¡¯t know what was going on with them and it made his head hurt.

    ¡°You see, he looks incredibly tired and drained,¡± Jeffreymented, ¡°why? Because of a woman. I love my peaceful life, so by all means let me die alone.¡±

 Chapter 174

    174 Chapter 174 : Let¡¯s go on our honeymoon

    Melissa walked slowly into the foyer where her parents, brothers and the others were waiting to we the king and the princes back to the pce. Carol had made made wear a long sleeved light blue dress and she covered herself with a white satin cloth since the weather was getting colder. It seemed Carol too had be aware of Elric¡¯s obsession with the color.

    She stood next to Vivian and her brothers and took a deep breath, she had made sure to wear a corset today, not that her pregnancy was at all visible, but still, there¡¯s no such thing as taking too much precaution right?

    ¡°You¡¯re looking lovely for your king aren¡¯t you little sister?¡± William taunted Melissa.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood today William, I¡¯ve had a rather stressful past couple of days,¡± Melissa responded curtly.

    ¡°I heard he locked you up in your room because you uttered the forbidden name,¡± William whispered.

    Melissa turned to face William and frowned at him, but her adorable face only made him snicker. ¡°Do we have a problem today William, you know I can order the gaurds to escort you out?¡±

    ¡°You love me too much Melissa you wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± William whispered with a big smile on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re insufferable,¡± Melissa responded and turned back around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so moody my dear sweet little sister,¡± William whispered, ¡°your little eleven boyfriend is on his way to get you.¡±

    .....

    Melissa whipped her head quickly towards William and mouthed the words, ¡°Gareth is on his way?¡±

    William ced a finger over her lips and shushed her, ¡°we¡¯ll talk about thister baby sister, right now your king awaits.¡±

    ¡°But William-¡±

    ¡°Meet me tomorrow in the gardens and we¡¯ll talk,¡± William hushed his sister, ¡°now turn around and pretend like you missed that narcissistic silver haired bastard so we can get this over with.¡±

    Melissa turned around just as Theo announced Elric and his brothers¡¯ arrival. Jeffrey gave a small wave to everyone and went straight up the stairs to his room. Jeffrey was always like that so no one really payed him any mind. Clovis shook everyone¡¯s hand elegantly but stood awkwardly when he reached Julia.

    ¡°Hey...¡± Clovis mumbled sheepishly.

    ¡°Hi..¡± Julia responded with a shy smile.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t gone too long was I?¡±

    ¡°No, just like you promised,¡± Julia responded.

    ¡°Will you too get a room please,¡± Elric mumbled as he moved towards Melissa after greeting and dismissing the rest of the pce upants.

    Juiia blushed as Clovis offered her his hand, ¡°shall we?¡±

    ¡°Get a room?¡±

    Clovis¡¯ eyes widened and he shook his head, ¡°no that¡¯s not what I meant!¡± The prince spoke in a panic, he hoped Julia didn¡¯t now see him like some pervert. He looked down at her and was relieved to see her giggling, ¡°were you toying with me?¡±

    ¡°Maybe a little,¡± the green eyed woman chuckled before taking Clovis¡¯ hand and walking with him down the hall to the gardens.

    Melissa smiled to herself as she watched Julia walk away with Clovis, they mad a very good couple, the height difference was a lot but that¡¯s what made them look even more adorable together.

    ¡°You seem happy about their rtionship,¡± Elricmented upon seeing Melissa¡¯s smile.

    ¡°You may not believe it but Julia and I are friends now,¡± Melissa responded with a proud smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re all getting along, especially considering she might be your sister in marriage soon,¡± the king spoke as he adjusted Melissa¡¯s bun.

    ¡°Are you saying that Clovis-¡±

    ¡°Yes, he ns on marrying her,¡± Elric responded, ¡°my uptight older brother might actually be in love, how crazy is that?¡±

    ¡°Oh my goodness I¡¯m so happy for them!¡± Melissa squealed in excitement. The sparkle in her eyes made Elric smile, they had been in such a bad ce for a while that he had almost forgotten how beautiful Melissa was when she was happy.

    ¡°You look beautiful in blue,¡± Elric spoke happily and ced his hands on her shoulders.

    The gesture made Melissa ufortable but she did her best to hide it, she smiled at the silver haired king and nodded her head, ¡°thank you.¡±

    Elric pulled Melissa in for a hug, and as soon as her body was against his he felt it again, that overwhelming flood of emotions, the love and the care just came pouring out of him. He let her go and moved back a little, his brows furrowed almost immediately making Melissa worried.

    Had he noticed she was pregnant? Did lycans have some sort of sixth sense for things like this?

    Elric pulled her in for a hug again which he stopped shortly afterwards and looked at Melissa with a confused gaze.

    ¡°Is anything the matter?¡± The redhead questioned Elric. In reality she didn¡¯t really want to know, she was scared that he had figured it out and was terrified of how he was going to react.

    ¡°No,¡± Elric responded with a smile, ¡°nothing is wrong my beautiful wife, shall we go to our chambers so we can chat about what you¡¯ve been up to these past few days while I was away.¡±

    ¡°Well ive been locked up for the past few days,¡± Melissa responded as she led the way back to their room, ¡°so I don¡¯t have much to tell.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes about that...¡± Elric took Melissa¡¯s hand in his and stroked it gently with his thumb as they walked, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about that Lissa, I was upset and jealous and I overeated. I should have handled that differently.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Melissa responded. It¡¯s alright because I got pregnant for the one man who you absolutely loathe and I¡¯m about to leave you and spend the rest of my life making more babies with him. She would I have said that, but she knew that was like sentencing herself to death.

    When they reached their chambers, Elric took Melissa¡¯s hands in his and pulled her close. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go on a well deserved honeymoon?¡±

    Melissa batted hershes in shock, ¡°you want us to go for a.. a honeymoon? But we¡¯ve been married for a long time already.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Elric responded while pulling the blue eyed woman closer and wrapped a hand around her waist. ¡°After all, we were a bit interrupted before. Now we can go and rx without any distractions or disturbances.¡±

    ¡°Well what about the kingdom? Who will-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave everything to Theo,¡± Elric countered her, ¡°he¡¯s done it before and I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind doing it again for a few days. We need some time to ourselves Lissa, we need to sire the kingdom some heirs.¡±

    The statement made shivers run down her spine, and not the good kind. She couldn¡¯t let it happen, if they went to their honeymoon, they would have to sleep together and if that happened, Elric might think the baby she was carrying was his.

    ¡°Lissa?¡± Elric cupped her face in his hands and studied her, ¡°you¡¯re suddenly pale, are you okay?¡±

    Melissa nodded and smiled weakly at Elric, ¡°I¡¯m okay I¡¯m just tired,¡± she lied.

    ¡°I¡¯m equally exhausted,¡± Elric replied as he opened the door and led her into the room. ¡°Let me get a maid to prepare a nice hot bath for us while we wait for dinner.¡±

    ¡°Sure..¡±

    *

    Aiden materialize from the shadows and walked towards where Theodora was sitting and beside her, was a man who looked half dead.

    ¡°Is this him?¡± Aiden spoke as he inched closer to the man who was plopped up against a tree.

    ¡°I suspect so, I found him lurking around in the woods and he¡¯s been mumbling about the elven prince¡¯s sister for hours now,¡± she responded.

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t he tied up?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t run even if he wanted to,¡± Theodora exined, ¡°I found him in a bush practically on the verge of insanity, or death, or both. Someone got to him before I did.¡±

    ¡°Did you see who? Is it someone we have to worry about?¡± Aiden asked as he crouched in front of the man.

    ¡°No, I just found himying there,¡± Theodora exined, ¡°I fingered once he calms down we can extract some information from him,¡±

    Aiden grabbed the man¡¯s jaw and turned his face towards his, the redheads man furrowed his brows when he noticed the faint eye tattoo on Renly¡¯s forehead. ¡°Theodora you¡¯ve done an immacte job.¡±

    The nosferatu woman turned to Aiden, ¡°is he valuable?¡±

    Aiden turned the whimpering man¡¯s face towards Theodora, ¡°you see that tattoo on his forehead? I¡¯ve seen this very tattoo on one of those mages that took Estel.¡± He turned back to look at the man with raven back hair and gave him a menacing look. ¡°I will enjoy torturing every single drop of information out of you.¡±

    Renly felt his heart sink, hadn¡¯t he been through enough already. First he had been badly tortured and almost killed, dragged by a woman all the way here in his injured state, and now this? Who were these people they were dealing with? And why wasn¡¯t his master saving him from them?

 Chapter 175

    175 Chapter 175 : Be careful

    After their bath and dinner, Elric sat up in bed awake watching his beautiful wife as she slept. The strangest thing had happened when he hugged Melissa earlier today and he knew he wasn¡¯t mistaking it, every time he held Melissa close he would feel this odd attraction to her, this possessiveness and care that he couldn¡¯t quiet exin, but the minute he let her go all those feeling sort of just faded away, was that normal?

    What did that even mean? Elric had always felt like he had a special connection with Melissa from the first moment he set his eyes on her, but right now it felt different and he couldn¡¯t exin how. Was he maybe just attracted to her body? Is that why holding her close felt so great? No that was ridiculous.

    The silver haired king reached for Melissa¡¯s sleeping face and stroked it gently, making sure not to wake her. He trailed his fingers gently down her cheeks, then her shoulders and down to her waist. Yes right there, that¡¯s where he felt these feelings the strongest, when he held her waist area, this was so strange.

    Not long after, Elric felt his eyes getting heavy, it had been a long day and he needed to rest, he would figure out all these confusing feelings in the morning, the important thing was that she wasying here asleep next to him and not Gareth.

    Far down the hall in a room on the left, Julia sat in her bed still feeling a little flustered. Her and Clovis had be close over the past few weeks yes, but yesterday after he had returned from visiting his father he was even more dotting. He spent the whole afternoon listening to her go on and on about how she had spent the past few days, the entire time holding her hand in his.

    ¡°So you and my brother¡¯s wife are friends now?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Julia had responded happily, ¡°I¡¯m so d, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I don¡¯t want to have bad blood with anyone, I just want all of us to get along.¡±

    Clovis smiled at Julia and the longing in his eyes made Julia blush and turn away. ¡°How was your visit? Is your father doing okay?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re wondering if he still hates you,¡± Clovis responded as he inched closer to julia, ¡°I think we¡¯ve made some progress. It will take some time for him to warm up to you but he¡¯ll get there.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Warm up to me?¡±

    ¡°I told him that I-¡± Clovis stopped himself short. Was he really going to tell julia that he loved her? Was now really the right time? ¡°I told him that I care about you a lot. So if he had you killed, I would be very upset.¡±

    Julia grabbed her neck and gulped, ¡°he was going to have me killed?¡±

    Clovis pulled Julia into his arms and trailed his honey brown eyes from her emerald green eyes down to her puckered lips. ¡°Not if I have anything to do about it, I will never let anyone hurt you Julia. I swear it.¡±

    There was something about the way Clovis had said those words that tingled Julia¡¯s spine even now as she sat cradled up in her bed. It sounded crazy but maybe she had actually fallen for Clovis. Was this okay? She had had terrible experiences with matters of the heart before and she didn¡¯t want to be the only falling in love again, she wanted her feelings to be reciprocated. What if Clovis was just being respectful and kind, and she was mistaking it for romantic feelings? That would be so embarrassing.

    A knock at the door quickly pulled Julia out of her trance. Was she dreaming? Who on earth would be knocking at her door thiste in the night? Another knock came and this time it startled her.

    ¡°Julia..¡± a loud whisper came from the door. ¡°Julia are you awake?¡±

    Wait a moment, wasn¡¯t that Clovis¡¯ voice? The woman slipped of the bed, threw on her night gown and walked towards the door. She opened it slowly and saw Clovis standing there with a robe on and a messy head of hair, surprisingly, his unkept self was oddly attractive.

    ¡°Clovis, what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Theres something that I need to tell you Julia,¡± the man responded. It was a little dark but she could still see the faint tint of pink on his cheeks, the man moved dangerously close to to the green eyed woman and ced his hands on her shoulders. ¡°You see Julia from the first time I bumped into you in that hallway all the those months ago, I...¡±

    The words, he couldn¡¯t seem to find the right words to say how he felt without sounding like a desperate romantic. Clovis shook his head and focused on Julia, the anticipation in her eyes made it even harder to talk. He should just say it, after all he had walked all the way from his chambers to hers in the middle of the night, there¡¯s nothing else he could do that could more embarrassing than that right?

    ¡°Julia I..¡± his eyes trailed down to her lips and a brilliant idea popped up in his head, ¡°I want to show you how I feel.¡±

    ¡°Wait... what?...¡±

    Without warning, he hoisted her off the ground into his arms, with one hand supporting her legs, and the other her back, Clovis drew the woman close to his face. Julia instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and gasped at the sudden gesture. When she turned her head to look at him, he leaned forward and crushed his lips onto hers. Julia blinked wildly as her brain tried to contemte what was going on.

    Was Clovis kissing her? After several seconds of her brain glitching, the euphoria of it all finally flooded in. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tighter around the man¡¯s neck, returning his kiss with an equal amount of passion.

    When the two finally broke the kiss they were both breathing heavily and were as flushed as rubies.

    ¡°Clovis...¡±

    ¡°I love you Julia,¡± Clovis whispered before leaning in for another kiss. Never in his life had he ever felt quiet like this, the sheer bliss and happiness he felt in this moment could be surpassed by nothing. In that moment Clovis didn¡¯t need a fortune teller to know that he would never need anyone else ever again.

    *

    ¡°Why so down your grace?¡±

    Garety turned around and found his brother leaning against the door post of his balcony.

    ¡°We will march on Meria and you will be reunited with your beloved soon enough,¡± Finwe added on and made his way to his brother¡¯s side.

    ¡°In as much I miss and worry about Melissa,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°there¡¯s something else that¡¯s bothering me.¡±

    ¡°Really? Do tell,¡± Finwe responded curiously, ¡°mr lover boy thinking of something else other than his beloved Mel? This must be really something.¡±

    Gareth dug into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper which he handed to Finwe, it was another note.

    ¡°Take her from Meria and keep her safe,¡± Finwe read the note aloud, ¡°there are many who are after her and the child she carries.¡± Finwe read the note again and looked up at his brother, ¡°are they talking about Melissa?¡±

    ¡°I should think so,¡± Gareth responded. He looked stressed and disturbed.

    ¡°Where did you get this?¡±

    ¡°I found it on my bed yesterday night,¡± Gareth responded with a sigh, ¡°it¡¯s in the same handwriting-¡±

    ¡°As the first two notes,¡± Finwe finished Gareth¡¯s statement. The blonde prince leaned against the rail and threw his head back, ¡°where are theseing from? Do you think it¡¯s Aiden?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°the first note I received was back in Ervelon, how could he have sent to me then?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes you have a point,¡± Finwe responded as he stroked his chin thoughtfully, ¡°and it definitely cannot be mother.¡±

    ¡°It has to be someone who has known Melissa and I even in our past lives,¡± Gareth muttered, ¡°because how do you exin the horse? I¡¯m worried, whoever this is has had ess to Melissa for a while now, what if they have malicious intentions?¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s whoever Aiden was sensing whenever he felt like we were being watched?¡± Finwe wondered, ¡°maybe we had him pinned the wrong way and he genuinely just has a keen sense.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°but until I figure out who it is who is doing this, I can¡¯t be at peace.¡± The dark haired prince turned to his brother and gave him a worried look. ¡°Anyway, how are the preparations going with my father?¡±

    ¡°The king.. ummh.. your father wishes to hold some sort of public coronation for you,¡± Finwe responded, ¡°he says public appearance is important to win the citizens over. They need to see who and what you are, and hear from your own lips that you stand for equity among the races.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°if it will get our n in motion then I will do whatever he feels is necessary. We need to gain control of the Gavarian army Finwe, it is made of over three thousand men.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Finwe responded and started walking towards the doors, ¡°I will try and look into these notes. Try not to worry too much until I have some intel.¡±

    ¡°Alright.. be careful.¡±

 Chapter 176

    176 Chapter 176 : I want you to be mine

    Kazan walked slowly towards his master¡¯s bed and sat down on a chair adjacent to it.

    ¡°Has he returned?¡± The withered old man murmured.

    Kazan shook his head and sighed, ¡°no, not yet your eminence, I fear the worst.¡±

    Renly always made a habit of returning to the hideout every three days to give a report of whatever intel he had gathered, but today was the fourth day and there was still no sign of him.

    ¡°perhaps he traveled far this time around,¡± the man spoke, ¡°he is only a dayte after all.¡±

    ¡°Renly usually informs before he leaves if he suspects the journeys will take longer than three days,¡± Kazan exined, ¡°this is unlike him, something must be wrong.¡±

    The old man looked up at the ceiling and hummed in thought, ¡°give him twenty four hours. If he still has not returned by this time tomorrow, we will assume he has been taken by the enemy and n ordingly¡±

    ¡°Understood your eminence.¡±

    ¡°How is the boy, Damien was it? How is he doing?¡± the old man asked, ¡°if indeed Aiden has made contact with the elves, we may not have a lot of time to waste. And now that there is a possibility of Renly¡¯s disappearance or capture, soon our entire n may bepromised.¡± The elderly man turned to Kazan, ¡°we need the boy¡¯s power, now Kazan.¡±

    .....

    When Kazan left his master¡¯s chambers he was feeling ever more frustrated, things were not going like they had nned at all. Renly was missing, the hybrid child Damien was proving to be a disappointment, and Aiden was getting close to foiling their ns. This is why Kazan disliked the other races, they were dangerous and a gue, a cancer that had to be wiped out from the face of the earth. But to do that, Damien had to mature into a potent weapon.

    The man halted in front of Estel¡¯s door and balled up his fists, he had the right mind to barge in and put the elven princess and son in line, but his master had insisted that she be kept safe and free from harm for the child¡¯s sake. But it had been years for fucks sake, Damien should have been a lot older by now but there he was still bundled up like an infant. Whatever sickness or defect this child had, they needed to get to the bottom of it immediately.

    *

    Renly slowly opened his eyes and awoke from the unconscious like state of sleep he had fallen into. His vision was a bit blurred but he could make out what looked like a fire and two figures sitting around it. One looked like a woman, and the other, whose hair she was caressing was a man. Wait? Was that the man who had attacked him earlier?

    The man with raven ck hair groaned and tried to push himself off the ground so he could try to flee, but he was incredibly weak and was tied up to a tree which prevented him from moving.

    ¡°looks like he¡¯s finally awake,¡± the woman spoke and stoop up from her seat.

    Renly froze in ce as he watched the woman walk slowly towards him and crouch down next to him. She pat his cheek roughly with her hand and gazed at him.

    ¡°Can you hear me little bird?¡± The woman spoke, ¡°wee back to the world of the living. You were so overwhelmed with fear that we thought you died of shock.¡±

    Theodora roughly grabbed Renly¡¯s hair and pulled it back, making his head face upwards. She ced a water canteen on his lips and began pouring water into his mouth forcibly. After taking a few gulps, the woman pulled the canteen away and gave him a taunting smile. ¡°We can¡¯t let you die little bird,¡± she mumbled, ¡°well at least not yet, you¡¯ve proven to be very useful to us.¡±

    ¡°I will not betray my master,¡± Renly responded stubbornly, but afterwards his voice softened significantly, ¡°but I also swear not to do anything to hurt Melissa, please just let me go and I promise I will leave the sect for good. I will renounce my positing and go somewhere far away where no one can ever find me.¡±

    ¡°Oh but we can¡¯t have you leave just yet,¡± this time it was the man that spoke. There was something about his voice that made Renly gulp instinctively, the man seemed very fierce and intimidating.

    When Aiden turned to face the bonded man, Renly¡¯s eyes widened in both fear and shock. It was Aiden who had captured him. Gods no, who knows what kind of torture and cruel treatment the nosferatu prince had in store for poor Renly. It was obvious he wanted information on Estel¡¯s whereabouts, this was really bad.

    Aiden got up and made his way to where Theodora was crouching and stood over the tied up man, ¡°you have information that I need, and I will get it from you even if it¡¯s thest thing I do.¡± The nosferatu prince red at the man who now had a hint of fear in his eyes, ¡°now tell me, where is my Estel?¡±

    *

    When Julia woke up the next morning she was still incredibly flustered. What had happened the previous night was like something out of a dream. Wait! What if was just that, a dream? She brought her finger to her lip and slightly winced when she touched the cut that she had sustained during the kiss. Clovis had identally sprung his fangs in the heat of the moment and cut her lip, he of course had been very embarrassed about it and apologized profusely, but Julia really didn¡¯t mind, in fact, she had to hold back the urge to tell him that she actually liked it.

    The green eyed woman slid off her bed and practically floated to her bathroom to freshen up, after the other night she felt like she didn¡¯t have a worry in the world. Finally she had someone who cared about her for a change, someone who took the lead in starting something with her. It was an amazing feeling.

    A few meters away from Julia¡¯s chambers, the silver haired prince Clovis was pacing the halls nervously. Where he had gotten the courage to kiss Julia the other night was beyond him, he loved every second of it sure, but now he was nervous about seeing her again. Would she allow him to kiss her again? Were they now a couple? But she didn¡¯t tell him that she loved him back when he had confessed, what if she didn¡¯t even love him and was just lost in the moment?

    So many thoughts and possibilities were running through his mind. What if he marched to her right now and asked her to be his, would she refuse? At this point though, that was probably the best course of action he could take, he didn¡¯t want any uncertainty between them, he loved Julia and he wanted her to be his and only his. She needed to know that, even if there was a chance she might reject him.

    The prince walked slowly down the hallway and stopped right at Julia¡¯s door, this was it, he was just going to go right at it and ask her to be his, it was as simple as that, wasn¡¯t it? Clovis knocked on the door and cursed slightly when he noticed that his hands were were shaking, gosh why did he always get so nervous when it came to Julia?!

    He knocked a second time and still didn¡¯t get an answer, was she still asleep? Or maybe she had already left her room.

    ¡°Julia.. hello Julia good morning, are you in there?¡± the man put his ear on the door and listened, but all her heard was silence. He slowly turned the knob and peeped into her room, ¡°Julia?¡±

    Clovis walked in and closed the door behind him before inspecting the room, it was empty. Thinking that maybe she had already left, the prince turned to exit the room when he heard footsteps behind him. When he tuned around his throat incredibly dry.

    Julia who had just walked out from her bathpletely naked, froze in ce unable to decide weather to cover herself up, or to run. She had thought that Clovis had been the maid who hade in with some food or a fresh change of clothes for her, but instead, she was standing there face to face with the prince.

    The woman gasped when Clovis started walking towards her, ¡°what are you doing?¡± She started moving away from the man but was stopped by the wall behind her. ¡°Clovis...¡± Julia shut her eyes as the prince stopped a few inches away from her.

    Clovis didn¡¯t know why he had suddenly walked towards Julia , but the minute his eyes caught a glimpse of her intricate figure it¡¯s like his body developed a mind of its own.

    ¡°Julia..¡±

    Julia kept her eyes shut, she had never heard this tone of Clovis¡¯ voice before, it was doing things to her that she wasn¡¯t sure she was ready for.

    ¡°Look at me..¡±

    Julia almost yelped when his hand gently touched her chin and turned her face towards his.

    ¡°Look at me Julia..¡±

    She slowly opened her eyes and immediately pursed her lips when she found Clovis¡¯ face mere inches away from hers.

    ¡°I want you to be mine.¡±

 Chapter 177

    177 Chapter 177 : The wrong path

    Aiden crouched to Renly¡¯s level and held the man¡¯s jaw tightly in his hand, with a quick jerking motion he craned Renly¡¯s neck so he was looking directly into his icy blue eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you again little bird,¡± Aiden hissed, the malice that lingered on every word the nosferatu prince uttered sent a wave of shivered down Renly¡¯s aching spine. ¡°Where is my Estel, where are you people keeping her?¡±

    Renly gulped, he couldn¡¯t betray the master by disclosing this kind of information, he had taken an oath, the fate of humanityy in the bnce here. ¡°I already swore to not bring any harm to Melissa,¡± Renly tried to haggle, ¡°and I swore to leave the sect, is that not enough?¡±

    Aiden¡¯s grim expression slowly morphed into a small twisted smile and further into a spine tingling grin. ¡°Is that not enough he says..¡± Aiden repeated Renly¡¯s words mockingly. The nosferatu prince rose to his feet while chuckling to himself, ¡°Is that not enough?¡±

    SMACK!

    The sheer force of the back hand p sent the dark haired man flying and crushing into a nearby tree. The impact made all the air in his lungs rush out and he plopped to the floor in agony. Renly felt like his jawline had been cracked by a mere p, how in the world could one man be so powerful?

    Aiden walked slowly towards the man howy immobile on the ground and squatted a few inches from him, ¡°still think your promises are enough Renly?¡± When the dark haired man did not respond aiden grabbed his hair and hoisted him off the ground with it.

    ¡°Aaaah!¡±

    He pinned Renly against a tree and studied his face carefully, ¡°I¡¯ll ask you again out of curtesy,¡± Aiden muttered, ¡°where is my Estel!¡±

    Renly grabbed his hairline and winced in pain, he felt like every follicle in his head wasmenting in agony.

    .....

    Aiden moved his other hand to Renly¡¯s throat and squeezed it. When the man opened his mouth to gasp, the nosferatu prince quickly grabbed his tongue, ¡°you have no need for this if you don¡¯t want to talk.¡± Aiden begun pulling Renly¡¯s tongue outward.

    The dark haired man screamed in anguish, the pain was bing unbearable, his eyes were watering, his throat was burning and his head felt like it was about to explode.

    ¡°Your grace stop you¡¯ll kill him,¡± Theodora advised while shaking Aiden¡¯s shoulder, but the man continued pulling Renly¡¯s tongue. The nosferatu woman almost gagged when she saw blood now trickling down Renly¡¯s mouth. ¡°Your grace if he dies from shock we¡¯ll never be able to know where Estel and your son is!¡±

    Aiden ceased his movement and red at the man who was crying in pain, he released his tongue and let Renly plummet to the ground. ¡°Tie him up and tend to any fatal wounds he has,¡± the redheaded prince instructed, ¡°keep him in the old inn out on the countryside, you know the one don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Keep him there until he¡¯s ready to talk.¡±

    *

    Melissa opened her eyes slowly from her sleepy state and yawned. It had been a rather chilly night but she had slept rtively well, the woman tried to move but noticed there was a heavy object on her. When her eyes trailed down to her stomach area she realized that the weight wasn¡¯t an object at all, it was Elric asleep with his head leaned against her belly and his arms wrapped protectively around her waist. Why in the world was he sleeping like that?

    The redhead felt a little nervous, Elric was acting like he knew there was life growing inside of her. The way he was was protectively holding her, it was almost as though he was guarding her baby.

    Melissa wiggled a little in an attempt to wake the silver haired prince up but his hold on her only tightened. A few wrinkles formed on his forehead and he mumbled a few words that Melissa couldn¡¯t quite hear, and burried his face in her stomach.

    The woman sighed andy her head back on her pillow, why was she even surprised? Elric had always been extremely clingy, she had no choice but to wait for a while until he woke up on his own.

    As the silver haired king slept, he was having a very strange dream. In the dream he was standing in a meadow covered in flowers, it was surrounded by a few fir trees and had a little brooke that flowed through it.

    Elric began walking towards the brook and it was then he realized he was barefoot, in fact, his entire outfit looked very out of character for him. His clothes were very casual and rtively cheap looking, and his hair, which now flowed down to his lower back was untied and whipping with the wind.

    On the banks of the little Brooke was a woman in a simple dress. Her back was turned towards him, but from her warm skin and long ginger hair adorned with flowers, Elric knew exactly who this beauty was.

    ¡®Lissa..¡¯

    The woman turned slightly and smiled upon hearing Elric¡¯s voice. When Elric noticed her pointed ears he halted and squint his eyes, was that really his Melissa? If so why did her ears look like that of an elf?

    ¡®Melissa is that you?¡±

    The woman turned away again and gave her back to Elric without uttering a word. The king moved towards her but suddenly hit into something that blocked his path. He ced his hands in front of him and noticed there was some kind of invisible wall stopping him from going any further.

    ¡°What is this?.. Melissa! Melissae to me!¡±

    The woman did not move, she simply stood there staring at the water. Why wasn¡¯t she listening? Why couldn¡¯t he get to her? Elric banged his fist on the wall and called to her again but she didn¡¯t responded.

    Suddenly he heard a voice echoing in his ears, ¡®you cannot get to her because of the wrong path you¡¯ve taken. The further you go down the wrong path, the further you will push her away.¡¯

    Elric whipped his head back to see where the voice wasing from but he saw no one. It¡¯s like the voice had been carried by the howling wind to his ears, what wrong path had he taken? And what did the voice mean when it said he could not get to her? Melissa was already his wife.

    After a while the meadow he was standing in went silent and darkness slowly covered it, as the silver haired king felt himself falling back to reality, the voice echoed in his head a second time, ¡®you¡¯ve chosen the wrong path.¡¯ And with with a jolt, Elric woke up.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    He turned to the person speaking to him and saw Melissa reaching out. Of course, it was just a dream, Melissa was already his and all of that was a bunch of balderdash. He reached for Melissa¡¯s arm and pulled her onto him as he copsed back on the soft bed.

    ¡°I am now,¡± he mumbled and gently stroked her cheek.

    *

    ¡°Hello..¡±

    Julia yelped and jumped to the side in response to the unexpected greeting. She turned to Vivian who had popped up out of nowhere while Julia was making her way down the hall to the gardens.

    ¡°You seem a little jumpy this morning,¡± Vivian mention as she studied the small woman. Vivian didn¡¯t entirely trust Julia yet, so she was still a bit wary of her. ¡°What have you been up to?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The green eyed woman responded in a jittery tone, ¡°I haven¡¯t been up to anything.¡±

    Vivian inched her face closer to Julia and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, ¡°then why do you look so guilty? You must be up to something.¡±

    ¡°I... I just...¡±

    ¡°Step aside...¡± a voice came from behind Vivian.

    The woman turned around and saw prince Clovis ring daggers at her. ¡°I need to speak with Julia privately,¡± he added on as he calmly but firmly grabbed Vivian¡¯s shoulder and pushed her to the side.

    Vivian grabbed Clovis¡¯ wrist and threw his hand off her, ¡°you can get your message across without having to touch me... your grace.¡±

    Clovis frowned and inched closer to the stubborn nosferatu woman, ¡°you¡¯re merely a guest here, so I suggest you watch your tone of voice.¡±

    ¡°Last I checked so are you,¡± Vivian responded with an overwhelming amount of sass in her tone, ¡°I suggest you watch your woman.¡± Vivian turned around with a hair flip and walked down the hallway towards the royal chambers.

    Clovis was about to march towards Vivian when Julia grabbed his arm and stopped him.

    ¡°Julia?¡±

    ¡°Vivian is like that,¡± Julia exined, ¡°just let her be.¡±

    ¡°But she disrespected you...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, she¡¯s like that with everyone she doesn¡¯t know too well.¡±

    Clovis falled back and turned to face the beautiful woman in front of him. The previous night he had been unable to sleep well because of her, every time he closed his eyes the image of a naked Julia would creep up on him and make sleeping a little ufortable.

    ¡°How was your night?¡± Clovis asked with a kind smile, he took her hand in his and pulled her a little closer.

    ¡°Okay..¡± the woman mumbled. She couldn¡¯t get the thought that this man had seen her naked out of her head. It was incredibly embarrassing, that was the reason she was so jumpy this morning. She looked up at him and noticed he had bags under his eyes, she had never seen Clovis look like that. ¡°Did you sleep at all?¡±

    Clovis pulled Julia closer until her chest was squished against his stomach. ¡°Not a wink.¡±

    ¡°What? That¡¯s terrible, what happened?¡±

    ¡°I had sensual thoughts haunting me all night,¡± Clovis responded.

    Julia burned red at his statement, sensual thoughts? Oh gods.

    ¡°Do you have an answer for me now?¡± Clovis asked the woman who was blushing and wiggling around in his arm, ¡°I asked you to be mine Julia..¡± he tilted her chin up and gazed into her eyes longingly, ¡°say yes... please.¡±

 Chapter 178

    178 Chapter 178 : I am yours

    Clovis¡¯ scent of pine cones was enough to put Julia into a frenzy. The previous night when he had her pinned against the wall just like this, he had asked her to to his, considering the fact that she waspletely naked at the time, the words ¡®be mine¡¯ sounded off some rms. So in a panic, Julia had pushed him away and asked to be given some time to think about it. She thought that maybe he would give her a couple of days, but here he was asking her again just a few hourster. Well at least this time she was fully clothed.

    ¡°Say yes Julia..¡± Clovis moved one hand to the woman¡¯s face and gently stroked her cheek. ¡°Let me take care of your every need and desire, let me be the one you wake up to every morning, the one to always pour you a cup of tea and the one to be by your side. Be mine Julia.¡±

    ¡°But why me..?¡±

    Clovis cocked his head to the side looking a little surprised by her question. ¡°Why not you?¡±

    ¡°Theres so many beautiful women out there,¡± Julia mumbled while making sure to avoid the man¡¯s honey brown eyes, ¡°I¡¯m not all that beautiful, I know im not all that elegent either, and to top it all off im an enemy of the kingdom. Why would you want someone like that?¡±

    Clovis caged the woman between his arms and drew his face nearer to hers, ¡°you¡¯re also kind, you¡¯re brave, and you stand up for the people you love,¡± Clovis exined, ¡°and you have a peaceful spirit and gentle soul.¡± Clovis drew closer and tucked his face in the crook of Julia¡¯s neck, ¡°and you are the most beautiful woman I have everid eyes on. I¡¯d be a fool not to want you all to myself.¡±

    The silver haired prince pulled back and caught Julia¡¯s bewildered gaze, ¡°be mine,¡± he whispered, ¡°it would make me the happiest man alive.¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Julia fell deeper and deeper into those pools of honey on his face. When she had first met Clovis she was intimidated by him, but as time went by she began seeing him as a friend and genuinely cared for him. Eventually, she found herself ncing at him when he drunk his tea, she began to blush every time he threw her apliment and she would miss him when he wasn¡¯t around. She had been in denial that she had feelings for Clovis, but now it was hard to resist. She wanted to have him by her side everyday, she wanted to feel safe and loved in his arms, and she wanted to see him happy. And all that could be achieved just by saying yes.

    Julia nodded her head and Clovis watched her carefully as she did. He arched his brow and studied her facial expressions carefully.

    .....

    ¡°Is that a yes?¡± Clovis asked the green eyed woman, all the while holding her gaze in ce.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Julia muttered in a low tone.

    ¡°So you agree to being mine?¡±

    The redness on Julia¡¯s face spread all the way to her neck, she had already agreed why was he asking her again. It was embarrassing. ¡°Yes,¡± Julia murmured.

    ¡°Yes to what Julia?¡± Clovis asked, a sly smile decorated his already handsome face making Julia¡¯s heart jump. ¡°I want to hear you say it.¡± He leaned loser to her and grinned, ¡°say ¡®yes Clovis, I am yours.''¡±

    Julia pouted at the man, he was teasing her wasn¡¯t he? But knowing Clovis, he wouldn¡¯t let this go until she obliged to his embarrassing request. She drew in a quick breath and gazed up at the tall silver haired prince. As her lips parted to speak, Clovis growled lowly and his fangs elongated just a little. ¡°Yes Clovis, I am your-¡±

    Before julia could finish her statement, Clovis locked lips with her in a kiss. Unlike the first time he had kissed her, he was slow and gentle this time, he took his time interchangeably kissing her bottom and top lip and allowed her to follow his rhythm. When he felt her body rx, he parted her lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth making her moan slightly.

    Julia felt limp as Clovis explored her mouth sensually, and just as she was about to immerse herself in euphoria, Clovis pulled away and their lips parted.

    The green eyed woman grabbed his shoulders firmly, but upon realizing what she was doing she quickly let go and pushed him slightly. Good gods what in the world was that? Was she really about to pull him back?

    The silver haired prince bit his lower lip and shed his perfect smile at her. ¡°If you want more,¡± he growled as he took a whiff of her neck, ¡°I¡¯m just a whistle away.¡± He nibbled her earlobe lightly before pulling away and standing up staring. ¡°I have a few important meetings I must attend on behalf of the king, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t join you for breakfast or lunch today. But I will do my best to be here in time for dinner.¡±

    Julia pouted at his words, and that too mortified her. A month with this man and she already hated having him far away.

    ¡°I will have to leave the pce eventually as well and return to my own home in Dale,¡± Clovis added on before turning to leave.

    Julia reached for his sleeve and stopped him, ¡°you¡¯re leaving?¡± She didn¡¯t want him to go. I mean yes she was aware he was just visiting here and would return to his own home eventually, but she never thought she¡¯d get this attached to him, and now she didn¡¯t want him to go back.

    Clovis turned to Julia and gently rubbed her shoulders, ¡°I have to, I am the governor after all, my duties have been unattended to for far too long.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± Julia turned to her side and mouthed the words, ¡°I¡¯ll miss you.¡±

    Clovis had to purse his lips to stifle the big smile that threatened to curve his face, only the gods knew how happy he was to hear her say that. He cleared his throat and looked down at the pouting woman, ¡°well I cannot stay, but however...¡±

    ¡°But what?!¡± Julia¡¯s sparkled with hope and it melted Clovis¡¯ heart. He couldn¡¯t wait to marry this woman and give her as many children as he possibly could.

    ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you of course,¡± Clovis exined, ¡°you can leave the capital and return to Dale with me. I live on my own and I would love thepany.¡±

    ¡°You want me to move in with you?¡±

    *

    Melissa sat quietly on the bed while Carol ran up and down the room to gather all the things Melissa would need for the honeymoon her and king Elric where going on. The red head was not in the least bit excited about the trip, there were so many things that were bound to happen on it that she really didn¡¯t want.

    For the past month she had been back at the Merian pce, she had somehow been lucky enough to avoid having sexual rtions with her husband, but would the situation be in her favor especially that this was a honeymoon?

    Everyone in the pce, and possibly the kingdom, knew that her and king Elric were about to leave for this honeymoon, hence everyone would be expecting Melissa to return pregnant, that was custom. When a man married a maiden, he would have intercourse with her on the wedding night to break her virginity and introduce her to womanhood. And a month after that, they would go for a honeymoon with the purpose of having an uninterrupted sex life so as to conceive a child.

    The blue eyed woman ced a hand on her stomach and sighed, she was already with child, and she most definitely didn¡¯t want to have sex with Elric, but what could she do?

    ¡°Do you wish to carry your white night gown or your blue one your highness?¡± Carol asked Melissa. ¡°If I may, I feel the blue one looks lovely on you. And besides, his majesty-¡±

    ¡°Loves it when I wear blue,¡± Melissapleted Carol¡¯s sentence as she stood up and walked towards the door. ¡°Yes I¡¯m very aware of that.¡±

    ¡°Your highness, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°To the gardens,¡± Melissa responded as she walked out the door, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little noxious and I feel some fresh air will do me good.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Carol responded ans she put down the gown. ¡°Allow me to apany you.¡±

    ¡°No need Carol it¡¯s only a walk through the garden,¡± Melissa assured the maid. ¡°You finish up packing, i will return in no time at all.¡±

    Melissa walked out of the room and made her way down the hallway towards the pce gardens. She hopped that she would find her brother, William, waiting for her there. He had mentioned to her that Gareth was on his way to her, had he been serious or was he just toying with her feelings, she had to know. If truly the man she loved was on his way, she needed to be ready to escape this ce and meet him, they had a baby on the way and she would be damned if she let their child grow up around Elric.

 Chapter 179

    179 Chapter 179 : Page two, line seven.

    William was nose deep in one of his favorite books, ¡®the rules of war¡¯, when he saw his beautiful sister walk out the double ss doors of the pce onto the soft lush grass of the pce gardens. He watched her whip her head from side to side and guessed that she must have been looking for him. He closed his book and ced it on the small garden table in front of him, and then rose his right hand in the air.

    ¡°Your highness!¡± He shouted tauntingly at the woman who turned to him and immediately frowned at the name he had used to call her.

    Melissa briskly walked towards William who stood up and bowed mockingly at his sister. He looked up at her with a taunting smile and uttered, ¡°I am humbled to be graced with your presence your highness.¡±

    Knock!

    William chuckled heartily as rubbed his head that Melissa had just knocked in annoyance. The redhead sat down on the garden chair across from him and folded her arms over her chest.

    ¡°Good morning to you too,¡± William spoke with a smile.

    ¡°Are you ever going to grow up William?¡± Melissained, ¡°you¡¯ve been teasing me since we were children. We¡¯ve grown now and should put childish antics away.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s talk like that that will have you frowning all day,¡± William responded as picked up his book. ¡°Don¡¯t ever let the child in you die Melissa, that¡¯s the part that keeps you from slitting your own throat when life gets you down.¡±

    Melissa instinctively rubbed her neck at her brothers words, his choice of wording was dark but she knew what he meant. Her blue eyes trailed up to him and she cleared her throat to get his attention away from his book.

    .....

    ¡°Sir William Morrell of Greenhill,¡± Melissa spoke, ¡°I am here to heed your call. You said you have something of importance to discuss with me?¡±

    William chuckled at her attempt to be funny, he leaned forward and nodded his head. ¡°As a matter of fact I do your highness.¡± The man pushed his book towards his sister, and she took it feeling a bit confused. ¡°Turn to page three and read thest line,¡± William instructed, ¡°do you remember when we¡¯d read this book together when we were younger, you loved it.¡±

    Melissa knitted her brows at her brother, what was he talking about? She had never read this book with him. But knowing William¡¯s cunning ways, she knew his words had an encrypted message hidden somewhere. She turned to page three and trailed her eyes to thest line. ¡®We are not alone, they are watching us.¡¯

    Melissa nce back up at William who had a t expression, of course, thest time it was William who told Melissa of Elric¡¯s true nature through a note hidden in a book. The day she had returned from the jewelers, she had found the note crumpled up, Elric had probably found it and was now taking precautions so as to prevent William from sending her anymore massages. There were probably gaurds hiding out somewhere just waiting to see what would happen between the two siblings.

    ¡°Oh right, ¡®the rules of war''¡± Melissa responded casually, ¡°I was quite fond of this book wasn¡¯t I? One of my favorite lines is right on the next page, line four.¡±

    Melissa handed the book back to her brother who took it and read the line. ¡®Has he arrived?¡¯ William burst intoughter as if whatever he had just read was funny, ¡°Oh you always have been the naughty type little sister, Bahram would have a heart attack if he knew.¡± William flipped over a few pages and then passed the book back to Melissa. ¡°Page seven lines three and two, page twenty seven line two and line nine.¡±

    When Melissa read through the lines, they formed an borate statement. ¡®Aye, he is. An army moves with him, he is here for what is his. We must find a way to prepare for him. We choose to be his allies. All of us.¡¯

    Melissa couldn¡¯t help but smile at her brother¡¯s wits, he had definitely gotten his keen mind from their father and Melissa was grateful for it. ¡°I have to say, this book brings back so many memories,¡± Melissa muttered as she closed the book, ¡°thank you, for letting me read it for a bit, do update me if any new version of this masterpiece will be written. I look forward to them.¡±

    William didn¡¯t need two seconds to know that his sister was thanking him for telling her about Gareth¡¯s arrival and that she would appreciate any updates on his movement. ¡°The pleasure is mine Melissa.¡±

    ¡°Well then, I best go prepare to leave,¡± Melissa spoke with a sigh as she rose from her seat.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± William asked. He could see from her expression that wherever it was, she didn¡¯t want to go.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear?¡± Melissa responded, ¡°the king wants us to go on a honeymoon to Guria.¡±

    A honeymoon? William clicked his tongue and leaned back on his chair, that sly silver haired bastard was trying to get his sister pregnant wasn¡¯t he? But wait. As Melissa turned to leave he noticed that something had changed about her. ¡°Melissa..¡±

    The blue eyed woman turned back to her brother, ¡°yes?¡±

    ¡°Have you gained weight?¡± William asked, skepticism heavy in his tone.

    Melissa immediately wrapped her arms around her stomach and blushed, ¡°I suppose I have.¡±

    He knew it. That reaction confirmed William¡¯s suspicions, the small antics of newly expecting mothers were very evident to anyone with an eye as keen as William. He noticed how when she sat down she moved her stomach away from the edge of the table, he noticed how her hand would rest on her stomach as she spoke, and now when he mentioned her weight, her stomach was the first ce she hid as if that was the ce she was expecting to be bigger than usual.

    ¡°It looks good on you,¡± William responded and dove right back into his book.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Melissa mumbled before leaving the garden.

    After Melissa disappeared back into the pce, William rose from his seat and walked in as well. He took slow strides down the hall to the quarters where he and his brothers slept. When he opened the door, he found Alexander, Jonathan and Bahram sitting and anxiously waiting for his return.

    After William closed the door and made his way to his seat, Alex walked to the door and ced his ear next to it. He lifted two fingers in the air at his brothers indicating that two gaurds had followed William, and were standing outside the door.

    Jonathan who was standing by a window, nodded and then flinged a small rock that hit one of the gaurds outside down in the courtyard, rendering him unconscious. A mini panic broke out in the courtyard and the two gaurds who were standing outside their door left their station to see what themotion was all about.

    ¡°Alright we¡¯re clear,¡± Alexander announced, ¡°they¡¯re gone.¡±

    ¡°So did you tell her?¡± Bahram questioned William.

    ¡°I did, now all that¡¯s left is to wait I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you look like that?¡±

    William gazed at his oldest brother and sighed, ¡°Elric is taking Melissa on a honeymoon today, to Guria.¡±

    ¡°That bastard!¡± Bahram rose from his seat and balled his hands into fists as anger coursed through his veins. ¡°He¡¯s trying to get her pregnant! The little cob!¡±

    ¡°He wont be able to,¡± William responded. ¡°And that mayplicate the situation.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jonathan and Alexander asked in unison.

    William mped his hands together and knitted his brows. If Melissa was pregnant with a lycan, Elric would have noticed it by now and wouldn¡¯t need to take her for a honeymoon, so if she wasn¡¯t pregnant for her husband, it could only mean one thing.

    ¡°Melissa is carrying prince Gareth¡¯s child,¡± William responded.

    The room went silent as the men digested the information that William had just shared with them.

    ¡°But how are you so sure?¡± Alexander and Jonathan asked. They had seen Melissa around the pce countless times and she didn¡¯t look pregnant at all.

    ¡°If any of you had wives you would know that spotting a woman with child is not all that difficult,¡± Bahram chided his brothers, ¡°but you waste your lives flirting with anything in skirt.¡± The man then sat down and ran his hand over his face, ¡°there are two things that may happen when Elric finds out about the baby,¡± Bahram exined, ¡°either he¡¯ll have a mental breakdown and hurt someone..¡±

    ¡°Or he¡¯ll think the baby is his,¡± William responded.

    ¡°Gods, Melissa will be the death of me,¡± Bahram sighed and sunk deeper into his chair. After a few minutes of silence Bahram jolted upright and turned to William, ¡°did you say they are going to Guria for their honeymoon?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Melissa told me that herself,¡± William responded.

    Bahram got to his feet and walked behind Jonathan and Alexander whose shoulders he held firmly. ¡°Gentlemen, we may still have hope.¡±

 Chapter 180

    180 Chapter 180 : Cassandra

    The only person in the entire pce who seemed to be very excited about the honeymoon was Elric. As the coachman packed their belongings in the carriage, Melissa was looking like she was being hauled off to a prison rather than a romantic getaway with her husband.

    Melissa¡¯s mothers didn¡¯t seem very thrilled about the trip either because both of them knew what the purpose of a honeymoon was. Vivian and Maria were also pouting in the background while the Morrell brothers were cursing Elric¡¯s very existence under their breaths.

    Carol walked to Melissa and handed her a small satchel, ¡°I put some homemade sachets of ginger tea in there for when you feel noxious, and also a bottle ofvender oil for your bath.¡±

    Melissa took the satchel and held on to Carol¡¯s hand, ¡°can¡¯t youe with us?¡± the redhead was ready for any distraction that would stop her and Elric from beingpletely alone. Anything at all.

    ¡°I had suggested it your highness, but the king insists that he will tend to all your needs himself, it¡¯s actually quite romantic.¡± Carol gently rubbed Melissa¡¯s hand, ¡°besides it¡¯s only for a few days, you and your husband need to bond.¡± The maid leaned in and whispered, ¡°it will give you enough time to tell him about the baby.¡±

    Melissa felt like jumping into a pit and burying herself. She understood that Carol ment well and she didn¡¯t me her for advocating for all of this. Melissa actually felt bad about how the maid would react if she found out the baby she was carrying was not even Elric¡¯s.

    Speak of the devil, the silver haired king sauntered towards the redhead and wrapped his arms around her waist. This was his favorite way to hold her these days because for some strange reason, when her belly was pressed against him, he felt unusually happy. Elric ced a gentle kiss on her forehead and smiled eagerly at her, he was really looking forward to spending a bit of alone time with his wife after the rough patch they had experienced.

    ¡°Ready to go my queen?¡± Elric mumbled with a grin that made Melissa tense up.

    ¡°I suppose,¡± she whispered back.

    .....

    Elric opened the door to the carriage and helped her in, after which he sat close to her. When the coach man closed the carriage door, Melissa felt her heart jump in unison. Why did she feel like she was being dragged of to a prison?

    As the carriage pulled away William turned to face his brothers and gave them a nod, the n they had devised was now ready to be put in motion.

    THE PREVIOUS EVENING

    ¡°But of course!¡± William chuckled in relief, ¡°you¡¯re the lord of Guria how could I have forgotten that?!¡±

    ¡°I see you take no interest in your older brother¡¯s achievements,¡± Bahram muttered with a pout.

    ¡°No time for that now Bahram, can¡¯t you see, you can disrupt that entire honeymoon without getting your hands dirty!¡± William exined, a little too excitedly.

    ¡°I know,¡± Bahram responded as he took a seat and crossed his arms over his chest, ¡°I¡¯m the one who brought up the idea!¡±

    ¡°But how will you do it when we¡¯re stuck in this pce?¡± The twins inquired. They too did not want the lycan king being handsy with their little sister, especially now that they knew she was pregnant.

    ¡°The key gentleman, is my lovely wife,¡± Bahram spoke with a smug smile painting his face.

    ¡°Your wife? What¡¯s your wife going to do?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate her merely because she¡¯s a woman my dear brothers,¡± Bahram assured the man around him. ¡°My lovely wife has many tricks up her sleeve.¡± The blue eyed dark haired man rose to his feet and paced in front of his brothers. ¡°Firstly I will need a piece of parchment, a quil, some ink and a slice of lemon.

    ¡°Lemon?¡± The twins questioned Bahram.

    ¡°Also I will need Elric¡¯s little gaurd dog Theo,¡± Bahram added on. ¡°We are about to send an invisible note.¡±

    Momentster, William rushed into the study gasping for air and trying to catch his breath. ¡°Theo..¡± he made his way to the tall slim man who was sitting at the table with various books and scrollsid out in front of him.

    When Theo saw William¡¯s restless state, he rose to his feet and eyed the man anxiously. ¡°It¡¯s there a problem?¡±

    William pulled out a small letter that was rolled up, ¡°this letter has to reach Bahram¡¯s wife urgently!¡± The man responded and shoved the parchment into Theo¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Why is it so urgent? Didn¡¯t you all right letters to your wives and loved ones just a few days ago?¡±

    Sure, letters you read through like we are your prisoners, William thought to himself. ¡°Yes we did, but he forgot to add a very important, VERY PRIVATE piece of information in hisst one.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Theo responded skeptically, ¡°I will attend to it momentarily.¡±

    William turned to leave the room and mouthed the words, ¡®good boy you obedient dog,¡¯ as he exited the study.

    When William was well out of site, Theo opened the note and started reading through it, upon reading the first few words he immediately rolled it shut and a pink blush tainted his cheeks. ¡°Good lords the man is absolutely obscene!¡± He sealed the note with the Merian seal and walked towards the cage of messenger birds. ¡°I suppose it is non of my business what men have going on with their wives.¡±

    Theo tied the note to the bird and hoisted it out the window. The moment the things he had read shed in his mind again, his face wentpletely red. ¡°Good gods, maybe I should visit one of the local brothels for the night and blow off a little steam.¡±

    *

    William walked back into he and his brother¡¯s quarters and reported that the note had been sent.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Bahram responded, ¡°Astrid should receive it within a day, which will give her about twenty four hours or more for her to prepare for Melissa and Elric¡¯s arrival.¡±

    ¡°If I may ask,¡± William spoke whileying himself down on the lounge chair. ¡°What exactly did you write in that note?¡± William had seen Theo briefly read through Bahram¡¯s letter and the man looked flushed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that if you want people to keep out of your letter,¡± Bahram responded while pouring himself a ss of wine, ¡°always start them with the pleasures your woman enjoys in the bedroom yet shecks because you¡¯re a little upied.¡±

    William rolled his eyes and scoffed, ¡°for someone who doesn¡¯t want anyone getting into Melissa¡¯s pants Bahram, you are a shameless man.¡±

    ¡°It is because of what I do when I get into my wife¡¯s breeches that makes so protective!¡± Bahram mmed the table with his fist. ¡°God forbid a man has the audacity to defile our sweet little Melissa in such a way!¡±

    ¡°You realize she is married and pregnant don¡¯t you?¡± William challenged the man. ¡°I mean I most certainly do not like the thought of some man ravishing our little sister, but it¡¯s evident she has seen a phallus or two.¡±

    Bahram covered his ears and groaned, ¡°No! Melissa is pure I will not listen to your obscenities!¡±

    Back to the present

    Bahram¡¯s wife circled the beautiful blonde woman who was standing at the center of the room and inspected her thoroughly. Hair.. perfection. Skin.. like a new born baby¡¯s rear. Chest and bottom.. as big as watermelons.

    ¡°Is something wrong mydy?¡± The woman asked as Astrid halted in front of her with knitted eyebrows.

    Astrid smiled and nodded approvingly, ¡°not at all, you will do just nicely.¡± She brought Bahram¡¯s letter to her face and smirked, ¡°we can not afford to let my husband down Cassandra, peace in the continent of Ronia Cresus lies in this very task.¡±

    ¡°To seduce the king?¡± Cassandra responded nervously.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Astrid smacked Cassandra¡¯s bottom and shed the note in front of her. From the obscene gibberish her husband had written in it, she knew that there was a hidden message within, so she lightly heated it over a candle and saw Bahram¡¯s true message.

    ¡°My sister inw, Bahram¡¯s treasured little sister is in trouble and we absolutely cannot fail!¡±

    Cassandra had worked for Bahram and his wife for some time now after Astrid had saved her from an abusive brothel owner. She was very grateful to her and helped her in anyway that she could, but sometimes thedy of the house¡¯s tasks were a little odd.

    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you beautiful,¡± Bahram¡¯s wife encouraged Cassandra, ¡°make me proud.¡±

    *

    A few miles away in a white carriage escorted by four guards on horseback, Melissa was trying her best not to make eye contact with the silver haired man sitting in front of her.

    ¡°Are you tired?¡±

    Yes she was exhausted. ¡°No your majesty,¡± Melissa responded.

    ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    It was freezing. ¡°No your majesty I¡¯m fine.¡± She was not going to give Elric an opportunity to snuggle up against her, not this time.

 Chapter 181

    181 Chapter 181 : The sleeping swan

    ¡°Are you tired?¡± Elric asked the beautiful red head sitting across from him.

    ¡°No your majesty, I¡¯m alright,¡± Melissa responded.

    ¡°Are you cold?¡±

    ¡°No your majesty, thank you for your concern.¡±

    The lycan smiled sheepishly and made his way to Melissa¡¯s side. ¡°You know I can tell you¡¯re lying.¡± He spoke sheepishly as he put an arm over her and pulled her to him. ¡°You look exhausted and your skin is cold to the touch.¡±

    Melissa tesnsed up for a while but when the man¡¯s warmth enveloped her she rxed a little. Curse her nosferatu cold blood and his lycan warmth.

    ¡°So what would like us to get up to first when we arrive my queen?¡± Elric rasped in a deep tone as he gently rubbed her shoulders.

    Melissa was very ufortable, under normal circumstances she wouldn¡¯t be this worked up but because she knew there was something awaiting her in Guria, she couldn¡¯t keep her heart at ease.

    ¡°We will be tired from the journey your majesty,¡± Melissa responded trying very hard to keep her tone as calm as possible. ¡°Maybe we should consider resting.¡±

    .....

    Elric cupped her cheek and turned Melissa¡¯s face towards his, ¡°I told you to call me by name when we¡¯re alone,¡± his lips brushed against hers lightly before he pulled back and stared into her sapphire blue eyes.

    ¡°We should rest when we arrive Elric,¡± Melissa muttered in a low tone.

    ¡°Anything for my wife,¡± Elric mumbled before crushing his lips onto hers. Melissa had to fight the urge to scream and push him away in fear of how he would react to denial. She had seen the angry, jealous side of Elric and she didn¡¯t want to awaken it again.

    When Elric pulled away Melissa was relieved, gods it felt so wrong to have his lips against hers, how was she going to survive all these days of being alone with this man.

    *

    In the Merian state of Guria, Astrid, Bahram¡¯s wife was standing in ¡®the sleeping swan¡¯ inn, the best inn reserved for only visiting royals in Guria. She had her arms crossed over her chest as the inn keeper read through some documentation that was instructing him to employ Cassandra for a period of one week and be the personal room attendant to the king.

    The man looked up at Astrid Morrell when he was done reading the documents and gave her wary eye. ¡°Well it seems that all the documentation is authentic mydy,¡± the man spoke, ¡°but this simply cannot be done. I can employ the youngdy yes,¡± the man exined and pointed at Cassandra with his quil, ¡°but having her serve the king and queen is a whole different case entirely.¡±

    The innkeeper pulled out a small book that had different name of various maids and butlers that were employed at the sleeping swan. And at the top of that list were six names written in bold.

    ¡°Those three men and three woman have been specifically trained to serve the king and/or queen if ever we have them visiting our fine establishment.¡± The man exined, ¡°this is the first time the new king ising here and I don¡¯t think I can allow an inexperienced maid to serve his majesty, it would taint the name of my inn.¡±

    Astrid mmed the book back on the table and red at the man, for a woman who was due to give birth in a week or two she sure had a lot of fire in her. ¡°Cassandra was requested by her highness queen Melissa herself.¡± Bahram¡¯s wife pulled out the letter her husband had written her, folded it slightly to conceal his lewd introduction, and showed it to the innkeeper. ¡°And her request was officiated by the lord of thisnd, my husband lord Bahram Morrell. Are you saying that you refuse to follow these orders?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± the innkeeper defended himself, ¡°I would never be so presumptuous mydy. But if anything goes wrong during their honeymoon it will be my head.¡±

    ¡°Alright fine,¡± Astrid responded as she folded up the letter and shoved it back in her pocket, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to inform my husband that you think her highness¡¯ choice in who to serve her isn¡¯t befitting of your standards.¡± The woman sway her hair and turned towards the exit, ¡°let us see if you¡¯ll be able to keep your head on your shoulders after that.¡±

    As Astrid strode towards the door the innkeeper stood up abruptly and called to her. ¡°Mydy please wait!¡±

    Astrid craned her neck to the side and arched her brow at the man.

    ¡°If the order is from her highness, I suppose we can make an exception this time.¡±

    Astrid turned around and smiled slyly at the innkeeper, ¡°you¡¯re a wise man my good sir.¡± As she walked out the door she called out to him, ¡°I will have Cassandra report here immediately. His majesty and his wife should be here any time from now.¡±

    *

    Melissa and Elric arrived in Guriater that evening. They disembarked their carriage and were greeted by all the maids and butlers of the sleeping swan who were standing in two lines leading to the door.

    The silver haired king took his wife¡¯s hand and led her towards the beautiful inn. Even though Melissa was not looking forward to the honeymoon, she couldn¡¯t help but admire the charming design of the ce.

    The inn was adorned with white marble floors, and coral colored walls that gave the ce a clean and warm feel. The ceiling disyed ss chandeliers that rustled calmly when the breeze from the door swayed them gently from side to side. If she wasn¡¯t with Elric, Melissa would have actually enjoyed her stay here.

    A tall man in a long ck jacket, white shirt and a straight ck pair of pants walked elegantly towards the couple. He had a curled mustache, long white hair tied on a sleeked neat ponytail, and was wearing a monocle.

    ¡°Wee to the sleeping swan your majesty, your highness,¡± the man spoke with a bow, ¡°I hope your stay here will be pleasant.¡± The man stepped aside and pointed down the hallway where some butlers where taking their bags. ¡°Right this way please.¡±

    Elric held Melissa¡¯s hand in his as they walked and leaned towards her, ¡°do you love it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Melissa admitted. The ce was breathtaking, it was definitely like the sly king to go out of his way to get into Melissa¡¯s good graces. She nced at the maids and butlers who were currying their bags, carrying nkets, towels and candles to what she assumed would be their room. ¡°Don¡¯t they have other guests to serve as well?¡± Melissa asked.

    ¡°For the next few days all of them are only here to serve you my love,¡± Elric responded, ¡°I wanted our time here to be uninterrupted so I rented the whole inn out for us.¡±

    That statement made Melissa gulp, so she really was stuck in this ce with Elric and no one else, that thought was very worrying to her.

    Back at the entrance, Cassandra watched as Elric led Melissa to their room and took a deep breath. Would she really be able to pull this off? The king seemed to be very attached to his wife. With her experience working in a brothel she knew that the most difficult men to please and persuade were those who loved their wives, and king Elric seemed like one of them.

    Earlier that day, herdy had given Cassandra detailed instructions of what was expected of her.

    ¡°I know this sounds extremely controversial but under no circumstances should the king sleep with his wife,¡± Astrid exined. ¡°Your job is to distract him at all times, and what better distraction is there than a beautiful woman like yourself.¡±

    Astrid was confused, wasn¡¯t the king here with his wife on their honeymoon? Wasn¡¯t sleeping together the whole point of all of this?

    ¡°I can see you have questions,¡± Astrid asked the beautiful busty woman.

    ¡°Not to sound disrespectful mydy but why shouldn¡¯t the king sleep with his own wife?¡±

    ¡°Great question,¡± Astrid responded and held Cassandra¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Well you see Cassandra, queen Melissa is my husband¡¯s young sister and he cares for her oh so deeply. You may not know this, but the king actually married her against her will.¡±

    Cassandra gasped, that was horrible. She had been forced to sleep with men she had no feelings for working as an escort and everyday she hated herself more and more for it. But for her, those men always left when they were finished and she would console herself when she was alone. But for Melissa, she was married to him, meaning she didn¡¯t just have to give herself up unwillingly in the sexual sense, but also emotionally and mentally. That must be the worst thing ever, spending your whole life with someone you don¡¯t love.

    ¡°I will tell you the details in due time my beautiful Cassandra,¡± Astrid assured the woman while stroking her cheek. ¡°All you need to know now is that if Melissa ends up pregnant for the king during this honeymoon, any hopes of being free from Elric die.¡±

 Chapter 182

    182 Chapter 182 : Don¡¯t drink the wine

    A butler opened the door to Elric and Melissa¡¯s room and the couple walked in. Melissa halted in her tracks and pursed her lips at the room, gods she was definitely in trouble now.

    The entire floor of the room was lined with scented candles and rose petals. The big bed at the center of the room had white and Ted covers and rose petals in the shape of a Herat littering it. As the woman walked further into the room, she noticed a small table that was filled with scented massage oils, a pot of red ginseng tea, and other marital and sexual herbs and aids that brought an ufortable blush to her face.

    ¡°We ensured that everything was prepared as per your request your majesty,¡± the man with a monocle spoke.

    So Elric had instructed them before hand to do all of this? He really was on a mission wasn¡¯t he? Gods what was Melissa going to do?!

    ¡°Would you like your dinner to be served here or in the dining room your majesty?¡± The man asked Elric who was walking around the room and inspecting it thoroughly.

    The silver haired king paused and turned to the innkeeper, ¡°my wife made mention to me that she was tired. So if dinner can be brought to us that would be lovely.¡±

    ¡°Right away your majesty,¡± the innkeeper responded with a bow before turning to one of the maids and called her over with a snap of his finger. ¡°Tell the chef to prepare his majesty¡¯s meal immediately and bring it up to his room.¡±

    ¡°In the meantime please send up some wine and another pot of tea, preferably chamomile,¡± the king added on as he stroked his finger in the teapot that had red ginseng tea. ¡°It¡¯s been a long trip and my wife would like to rest.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty,¡± the man turned to the servants and pped his hands twice, ¡°you heard his majesty, rece the ginseng with chamomile and bring the finest wine in our cer!¡±

    .....

    The maids and butlers scampered out or the room doing as they were told, and after taking the ginseng pot, they all exited the room and left Elric and her alone.

    When the silver haired king turned to face her, Melissa tensed up yet again, she felt like the way he looked at her had changed ever since he mentioned the honeymoon. He gawked at her like she was te of roasted pork and he was some starved animal. The man took slow steady strides toward the red head and at the same time, Melissa took steps back.

    When Elric was mere inches apart, Melissa tripped and fell back on the big bed bouncy bed. The man jumped by her side and the bounciness of the bed tossed her up andnded her on top of him.

    ¡°I thought you wanted to rest my wife?¡± Elric mumbled with a sly smile embellishing his handsome face.

    ¡°I do,¡± Melissa responded hastily while trying to push herself off the man, but his arms were firmly secured around her waist.

    ¡°Then what are you doing on top of me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s.. I didnt..¡± Melissa was panicking as Elric¡¯s face inched closer to her, gods he was going to kiss her again, and if she wasn¡¯t lucky he would do more.

    Knock knock!

    Oh thank goodness, Melissa thought to herself but immediately shot her eyes to Elric in fear she had heard his thoughts. But to her surprise it didn¡¯t seem like he had anything at all. Actually, she had noticed that ever since she returned to Meria, he had not responded nor reacted to any of her thoughts like he did before. Was he purposely ignoring them? In fact she hadn¡¯t heard any of his thoughts for a while either, how strange.

    Elric slipped off Melissa and opened the door. Cassandra was standing at the doorway holding a tray of wine and camomile tea.

    ¡°Forgive my intrusion your majesty,¡± the busty woman uttered in the most charming voice she could muster, ¡°I¡¯m here with your wine and tea.¡±

    Elric was still a bit frustrated with the fact his moment with his wife had been interrupted, but he had asked for the wine ans tea to be brought so he couldn¡¯tin. He stepped aside and let the woman into the room.

    When Cassandray eyes on Melissa her heart was immediately filled with pity. The way the red head was holding on to her dress was the same way she had done when a man was about to have his way with her, thank the gods she had arrived in the room when she did.

    After setting the tray on the table, Cassandra curtsied At Melissa, ¡°my name is Cassandra your highness. I am the one who had been assigned to tend to all your womanly needs during your stay here. If you need anything, please to not hesitate to call for me.¡± She winked at Melissa before turning to the silver haired man and curtsied. ¡°Dinner is being prepared your majesty, but the chef was a little confused on whether you wanted your roasted or made into a stew.¡±

    ¡°I gave specific orders that my wife doesn¡¯t like stewed pork,¡± Elric mumbled with a sigh. ¡°No matter, I¡¯ll go see the chef myself. Keep my wifepany until I return.¡±

    ¡°With pleasure your majesty.¡±

    When Elric left the room and closed the door, Cassandra turned towards Melissa and smiled warmly at her, ¡°I can see why your brother cares so much about you your highness, you¡¯re as precious as Franklin tree flower.¡±

    Melissa shifted to the edge of the bed and eyed the maid in front of her, ¡°my brother?¡±

    ¡°The lord of thisnd, Bahram Morrell.¡±

    Had Bahram sent this woman to help?if he had she was going to give him the biggest hug ever!

    ¡°I understand you do not want to be here,¡± Cassandra spoke while pouring some camomile tea into a cup and then handing it to Melissa. ¡°And I most definitely know that you wish not toy with your husband tonight, or any night for that matter.¡± Cassandra then handed the woman a small te of biscuits. ¡°And I¡¯m here to ensure the king doesn¡¯t get a chance to make you do anything that you wish not to do.¡±

    A pair of heavy footsteps could be heard from outside the door, and before Elric walked in, Cassandra pointed at the jug of wine, ¡°make sure you don¡¯t drink the wine your majesty.¡±

    When Elric waked in Cassandra curtsied ans turned to leave the room, ¡°I will go and prepare to serve you dinner, enjoy your tea your highness.¡±

    Melissa watched the woman walk out and for the first time this entire trip she felt genuinely rxed. Thank the gods her brothers were protective and overbearing, she really owed all of them a big thank you.

    Elric walked to the table and poured two sses of wine for him and his wife. ¡°A little something to ease our names before dinner?¡±

    Cassandra had mentioned that she wouldn¡¯t take the wine, she didn¡¯t know why exactly but it was best to trust the words of the woman who was trying to help her. Besides, Melissa was pregnant, drinking wine was probably not the best idea.

    ¡°Thank you Elric but I¡¯ll skip the wine for today,¡± Melissa responded, tely I¡¯ve been experiencing heartburn when I take alcohol, I don¡¯t want to ruin the honeymoon because I¡¯m sick.¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize my beautiful wife,¡± Elric reassured the woman before downing her cup rapidly and walking to her side with the other ss. He gently caressed her cheek and smiled lovingly at her, ¡°you look very vibrant these days wife, your eyes sparkle more, your skin is softer and every curve is more eventuated. I didn¡¯t think it was possible for a woman like you to grow even more beautiful.¡±

    Melissa could see that Elric was getting intoxicated, but how could that be when he had only had one cup? What on eart had Cassandra put in that wine.

    Elric kept stroking Melissa¡¯s cheek and how eyes were getting more and more droopy by the minute. ¡°I must have been more tired than I thought.¡± He shock his head slightly and took another sip of his wine.

    ¡°Should I hold your cup for you?¡± Melissa suggested when she noticed the man struggling keep his bnce.

    The king handed to ss to his wife and practically fell back onto the soft bed, ¡°let me rest my eyes for a bit before dinneres in.¡±

    Melissa nodded and walked to the table where she poured the wine back in the jag. Thank you Cassandra, she muttered to herself in relief when she heard Elric snoring. At least for tonight she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about him shaking the bedsheets with her.

    When a knock came at the door and Cassandra walked in with only one te of food, Melissa was without a doubt that Cassandra was indeed here to save her from Elric¡¯s sexual clutches.

 Chapter 183

    183 Chapter 183 : Sympathy knows no race.

    The sound of doors being unlocked made Renly weakly crane his neck up. He wondered what day it was, he wondered what time it was, heck, he had actually lost count of how long he had been in that small underground room that was now his prison. His two nosferatu captives really took precaution when selecting his ce of detention, the room waspletely devoid of any windows, the only inlet and outlet of air it had were the cracks on the locked door and the small vents up on the wall, whose openings where meshed and small that not event insects could enter. So even if he turned into a bird, Renly would have no way out.

    The man with raven ck hair heard the rattling of keys and then after the door cracked open, revealing the nosferatu woman who had been tending to his calcified arm and bringing him food. Well there was one thing he was grateful for about his bondage, ever since he had been locked up in here, he had not encountered the man from the woods who haunted his dreams and turned them into reality.

    ¡°How was your night little bird?¡± Theodora spoke while setting the te of food on the small table beside the single bed Renly was sitting on.

    ¡°Is it morning?¡± Renly mumbled as he gazed up at the vents that hardly let any light in, ¡°I can never tell, mornings, nights.. mondays or Sundays.. I can never tell the difference anymore all the way down here.¡±

    Theodora pulled out a chair from the small table and sat down facing the man, ¡°all of this can be resolved if you just give prince Aiden the information he requires.¡±

    Renly sighed and cast his eyes at the te of food on the table, ¡°may I?¡± He asked the woman who nodded in approval. The man moved to sit on the other chair and picked up the spoon with a little less difficulty than the previous day. Since his right arm had been calcified and rendered immobile, he had had to teach himself to eat and clean up with his left, but honestly he wasn¡¯t doing a very good job of it. But at least the food was good, Theodora must have been bringing it straight from the royal pce.

    As the man struggled to eat, Theodora looked away, she sometimes found herself pitying him and it appalled her. Why in the gods¡¯ good names would she pity a human? They deserved to suffer, but here she was fighting the urge to grab the te from him and feed him herself so she wouldn¡¯t have to watch this pathetic scene.

    ¡°Prince Aiden is growing rather impatient with you little bird.¡± The nosferatu woman turned to look at the man and sighed, ¡°if you dy rying the information about his wife and child, he will do bad things to you.¡±

    ¡°At this point death doesn¡¯t seem like so much of a bad thing,¡± Renly responded.

    .....

    ¡°Death is mercy, he wouldn¡¯t let you die,¡± Theodora rose from her seat and walked about the room slowly, ¡°he would tourture you untill you begged for death toe. The prince bares no pity for humans, they have taken everything that meant anything to him, so he will not show mercy.¡±

    Renly put down his spoon and looked up at Theodora. The look in her eyes showed that she too had had some rather troubling experiences with humans. ¡°And what did our kind do to you?¡±

    Theodora turned to Renly and scoffed, ¡°why do you ask? You want something to gloat about?¡±

    Renly looked to the floor, ¡°No, of course not.¡± He actually didn¡¯t know why he wanted to know, obviously she wouldn¡¯t want to share what the humans did to her to another human, that was stupid.

    Theodora strode to the door and opened it, ¡°I will be back before sunset to see if you have changed your mind about disclosing where you are keeping Estel. I really do hope you do, I wish not to witness the things prince Aiden will do to you.¡±

    When she closed the door and locked it, Renly stared at the handle for a long time. Did she not want to witness Aiden¡¯s torture because it was that horrid? Or was there a slim chance that she took pity upon him?

    *

    ¡°Did you hear? The baker from down the street gave me this.¡± The woman handed her friend a paper that announced the coronation of the crowned prince of Gavaria, prince Gareth Burchard.

    ¡°Gareth? I thought the crowned prince was named Adam?¡±

    ¡°Rumor has it he is an elf.¡±

    ¡°Gods, another one of them to rule over us? Haven¡¯t we been through enough with that tyrant Elric?¡±

    ¡°But the king who sits on the throne is king James Burchard, and he is human.¡±

    ¡°He is merely a figure head, the one inforcing the rules is the lycan. You honestly think one of our own would let us waste away like this? I bet the elf prince being king will now only make humans suffer even more.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have a choice, he is the heir by right of birth.¡±

    ¡°This is how the great continent of Ronia Cresus falls, at the hands of these creatures.¡±

    Meanwhile in the royal Gavarian pce, some maids were adding some final touches to Gareth¡¯s attire for the coronation. Finwe was sitting on a chair in the far corner watching, and couldn¡¯t help but notice how the two human women blushed every time they touched the prince as they clothed him.

    When they finished, they both stepped back and curtsied, their cheeks still dusted pink. Even though they had worked for the prince before and helped him dress a hundred times or more, now in his eleven form, he seemed even more handsome and enticing than he was before, and they couldn¡¯t help but be giddy at the thought of being close to him.

    Gareth walked to the mirror and inspected his attire after which he nodded in approval at the two maids. ¡°Thank youdies, you¡¯ve done a remarkable job.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s our absolute pleasure your grace,¡± the women responded while flirtatiously giggling at him. The sight made Finwe roll his eyes, it was ridiculous how women would toss their dignity out the window at the sight of his brother. He hopped that his charm would work on the masses he was about to address after his coronation as well.

    ¡°Exuse usdies,¡± Finwe spoke as he rose from his seat, ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with my brother privately.¡±

    Thedies giggled and blushed as they curtsied at Finwe and left. Even after the door was closed, the blonde prince could still hear the two women chattering about which of the two elven princes was more handsome.

    ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± Finwe asked his brother whose mind seemed to be far away.

    ¡°I am, but I can¡¯t stop thinking about those notes Finwe.¡± Gareth moved from therge mirror and sat down on a sofa next to the flickering firece. ¡°I keep getting the feeling that someone somewhere has been watching us and maybe even pulling the strings on our lives.¡±

    ¡°I understand your concern.¡± Finwe sat down on a chair opposite his brother and nced at him, ¡°if it calms your nerves, I had some of our men scout out the pce grounds and we found nothing suspicious. They are still at it of course, so if anything eeriees up you will be first to know.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Gareth threw his head back and sighed heavily.

    ¡°What is it? I know this mysterious note writer isn¡¯t the only thing bothering you right now so out with it.¡±

    If Gareth wasn¡¯t feeling so disgruntled he would have smiled at how well his brother had gotten to know him over the months. He sat up straight and wiped his hand over his face before speaking. ¡°I know you¡¯ve heard this many times but... I miss her Finwe, and I worry about her.¡±

    ¡°But of course, she is your blood half.¡±

    ¡°I just need to know she¡¯s doing alright,¡± Gareth added on, ¡°Is it possible to send one of ours in disguise to Meria and try to find out how she is?¡±

    Finwe scoffed, this is exactly why he stayed away from the dating scene. He didn¡¯t have the mental stamina to sustain a rtionship, his was travel and battle, that was where his lovey. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±

    Gareth looked physically less distraught at Finwe¡¯s assurance. It was just a matter of time till him and Melissa could be together again, but until then, he would have to be okay with just knowing that she was safe.

    Finwe rose to his feet and pat Gareth on the back, ¡°let me see how the preparations for the coronation areing along. Try not to be attacked by the swarms of maids who have fallen in love with your pointed ears.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say the same to you,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°I¡¯m already taken so I have an excuse to break their hearts, what¡¯s yours?¡±

    ¡°My heart belongs to travel,¡± Finwe responded as he walked out the door, ¡°and my mistress is the battlefield.¡±

 Chapter 184

    184 Chapter 184 : Drugged

    Cassandra closed the door and walked towards where Melissa was sitting, and next to the beautiful nosferatu,y an unconscious lycan king. The curvy woman set the tray of food down and smiled at Melissa.

    ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± Melissa asked. The curvy maid had mentioned that her name was Cassandra and that her brother had asked to help, but she wanted to know the details, how was he able to pull this off when he was locked up in Meria.

    ¡°May I?¡± The blonde maid asked while pointing at the sofa on the side of the table. Melissa nodded and Cassandra sat down and began serving the food. ¡°Lord Bahram is lord of Guria, I¡¯m sure your aware of that. And now that he is away, his wife,dy Astrid is executing his duties on her husband¡¯s behalf.¡± Cassandra handed Melissa a hot bowl of rabbit stew, and the woman gratefully epted it. It had been a long journey and she was starving.

    ¡°Did Astrid send you here?¡±

    ¡°Yes your highness,¡± Cassandra replied, ¡°at your brother¡¯smand of course. He sent a letter by raven, he cares a great deal about you.¡± The curvy woman turned to look at the prince who wasying motionless on the bed, ¡°I won¡¯t allow a man you don¡¯t love to touch you your highness, no woman should go through such a demeaning thing.¡±

    Melissa nced at Elric and then back to Cassandra. The maid could see that she had worry in her eyes.

    ¡°Do not worry yourself, he isn¡¯t dead,¡± Cassandra responded with a giggle, ¡°just heavily sedated. It¡¯s a trick I learnt working at the brothel a few years back, there were men who were to unruly for when a prostitute to endure, so I would drug their wine , strip them of their clothing and convince them they had a pleasurable night with me.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s eyes beamed with both admiration and shock, she could never have guessed that a woman who worked in a brothel could be so cunning. She finished up her soup and ced the bowl back on the tray before smiling gratefully at Cassandra. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re most wee.¡± Cassandra got to her feet and walked to the side of the bed where Elric was passed out, ¡°could you give me a hand, we have to make it so it looks like he got so drunk that he can¡¯t remember bedding you.¡±

    Melissa slipped off the bed and helped Cassandra push Elric to the center of the bed. The curvy maids then grabbed the jug of wine and sprinkled it on his face, his hair and clothes. She then turned to Melissa and gave her a questioning look.

    .....

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry your highness, but both you and the king have to be naked and in the same bed when he wakes up,¡± Cassandra exined as she poured out the rest of the wine and ced the empty jar and a cup on Elric¡¯s side of the bed.

    Melissa tensed up, being naked with Elric, that sounded very ufortable. But it did sound better than actually sleeping with the man.

    ¡°Shall I undress him or will you?¡± Cassandra asked the woman.

    ¡°No don¡¯t worry about it, you¡¯ve done so much for me already I think I can take it from here.¡±

    Cassandra curtsied and picked up the try, ¡°if you need anything, anything at all, I¡¯m in the opposite room. Good night your highness.¡±

    When the door was closed shut, Melissa inched closer to the unconscious man and sighed. She began by unbuttoning his shirt and peeling it off him, then she removed his shoes, and finally his trousers. Melissa then tossed his clothes all over the room befor proceeded to taking off her own coat and dress. When she was about to remove her chemise she remembered that if indeed her and Elric had engaged in sexual rtions, he wouldn¡¯t have been so gentle.

    She slipped off the chemise and sighed, it was one of her favorites but she had no choice but to sacrifice it. With all the strength she could master. She ripped the beautiful undergarment in half and tossed it on the ground. Then carefully she climbed onto the bed and covered both their naked bodies with the thick soft beddings.

    *

    When morning came, the silver haired king groggily opened his eyes. His memory waspletely befogged and his head felt like it weighed twice it¡¯s size. Gods what had happenedst night, all he could recall was having a ss of wine before tending to Melissa... wait! Melissa!

    Elric whipped his head to the other side of the bed and sighed in relief when he saw his beautiful peacefully sleeping there. He reached for her and gently stroked her shoulder and that¡¯s when he noticed that she waspletely naked. Elric pulled up the covered and peeked in, he too waspletely in the nude. Had they..? No.. but he couldn¡¯t remember anything.

    He slowly sat up and rubbed his sore head before swinging his legs to the side and walking out the bed. He locked down at the floor and noticed an empty jar of of wine, a cup and both his clothes and Melissa¡¯s all over the floor. When his eyes fell on his wife¡¯s chemise that was ripped in half, he had no doubts left in his mind that he had made love to his wife the previous night and remembered nothing.

    Elric groaned in frustration, how could have been so stupid as to get so drunk and not remember a night as important as that?! He hadn¡¯t been intimate with Melissa in months and now that it had finally happened he could remember a thing?! Bloody hell!

    The man¡¯s groaning woke Melissa up from her slumber that she had strangely been enjoying. She sat up in the bed and saw Elric cupping his head and swearing colorfully under his breath. When she noticed he waspletely naked she almost averted her gaze but realized that would seem suspicious, if she had to maintain the lie, she needed to put her difort aside for a bit.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Elric turned around and saw his gorgeous wife looking at him concerned. ¡°Lissa..¡± he walked slowly to her side and cupped her cheek gently. ¡°Last night..¡± Elric didn¡¯t even know what to ask. Wasst night any good? Was I too drunk? Did you hate it? Did anything happen at all?? ¡°How wasst night?¡± He finally managed to say.

    ¡°It was good,¡± Melissa responded and forced a smile.

    ¡°Oh thank the gods,¡± Elric sighed in relief. ¡°I assume I was very drunk, I myself can¡¯t remember anything at all.¡±

    Melissa chuckled, Cassandra was really a life saver indeed. ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed, I enjoyed my night. Honestly I did.¡±

    Elric smiled and leaned towards Melissa for a kiss but the woman gently ced her hand on his chest to stop him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Melissa spoke sheepishly, ¡°you were a little roughst night so I¡¯m still a little sore, can we do this another time?¡±

    ¡°Of course my queen,¡± the silver haired lycan took both Melissa¡¯s hands in his and kissed her knackles. ¡°Besides, I have a lovely day nned for us..¡±

    Melissa didn¡¯t like the sound of that, Elric was talking as if they would live the inn. The inn is where Cassandra was, the only person who could help her keep her grabby husband at bay.

    The man walked to wardrobe and pulled out a robe that he secured around his body. ¡°I will fetch the maid so she can prepare a bath for us. You¡¯re going to love the day I have nned Lissa, I just know it.¡±

    *

    Back in the mighty kingdom of Gavaria, the day of the coronation had arrived. Everything was ready, Gareth¡¯s outfit had been tailored, the masses had gathered in the pce grounds, and all Gavarian nobility of every race were waiting for the event to begin.

    The two maids who had helped Gareth try on his outfit the previous day finished dressing him up and smiled at him. ¡°You look amazing your grace, truly an attire made for a king.¡±

    Finwe had grown tired of rolling his eyes at thepliments the two women had been throwing him the past half hour, could they at least pretend not to be desperate?

    ¡°Thank youdies,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°I can always count on you in matters of the wardrobe.¡±

    The two women giggled before curtsying ans making the way out of the prince¡¯s chambers. Gareth turned to Zander and Finwe who were waiting for him. ¡°Anything about Mel?¡±

    Zander nced at Finwe, ans Finwe looked away. The two were having a silent battle on who was going to tell Gareth the information they had Gathered.

    ¡°Well?¡± Gareth asked the two men as he inched closer to them, ¡°did something happen to her? Is she alright?¡±

    ¡°Umm brother can¡¯t we speak of this after the coronation?¡± Finwe mumbled while nervously scratching the back of his head.

    ¡°No, I need to know now!¡± He turned to Zander who averted his gaze. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Well Umm, we did hear back from our spy in Meria,¡± Finwe exined.

    ¡°And..?¡±

    ¡°Turns out Melissa is in Guria with king Elric.¡±

    ¡°Guria? What are they doing there?¡±

    ¡°They may or may not be on honeymoon.¡±

 Chapter 185

    185 Chapter 185 : King Gareth Adam Burchard

    ¡°She went on a what?.....¡±

    ¡°A honeymoon,¡± Finwe responded sheepishly. This is exactly why he didn¡¯t want to tell Gareth about this in this moment, he knew his brother well, so he knew he would be thinking about the entire ceremony.

    ¡°But look on the bright side your grace,¡± Zander mutteredfortingly, ¡°even if they get intimate with each other, she can¡¯t get pregnant because... she¡¯s... already... pregnant?¡±

    *

    Outside in the hallway leading to Gareth¡¯s Chambers, Rnd was on his way to see what was taking the men so long, everyone was already gathered waiting for the prince, the sooner they got him crowned, the quicker their n would move.

    The blue eyed elf paused and took a step back when he saw Finwe and Zander scampering out of the Prince¡¯s chambers and sprinting towards him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    Zander leaped on Rnd sending them both crushing to the ground. Before the blue eyed elf could push the heavy man off him, a loud explosion boomed from a distance and a wave of mes scorched everything down the hallway. If it wasn¡¯t for the shield of solid air Finwe and formed over them, they too would have been burnt to a crisp.

    When the smoke screen the explosion had caused subsided, the three men got to their feet, coughing and sneezing from inhaling the burnt debris.

    ¡°What just happened?!¡± Rnd turned to Finwe and Zander who were dusting their clothes. ¡°Are we under attack?!¡±

    .....

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Finwe responded while trying to fix his hair.

    The three men froze when Gareth appeared from the smoke and red at them. ¡°Stop ying around and let¡¯s get the coronation over and done with, I have a dog I have to go put down.¡±

    The elven prince shoved passed the three men and made his way towards the ceremony, had the news of Melissa and Elric¡¯s honeymoon agitated him? Yes.. did he regret reacting the way he did to it? No... and he would do a lot worse to Elric if he as much asy one finger on Melissa¡¯s perfect ginger head.

    *

    Out on the pce grounds,moners and nobles alike waited for the arrival of the prince. Theodoranded a few feet away from the podium and made her way to Aiden who was sitting in the front roll and took a chair next to him. She reached for his hand and the man smacked her away with a nk expression, making Theodora cross her arms and pout.

    ¡°How is it going with our little bird?¡± Aiden spoke on a whisper. He did not turn to look at Theodora and neither did he change his expression as he spoke, so that no one would take interest in their secret conversation.

    ¡°He¡¯s still trying to resist,¡± she responded, ¡°but I¡¯m starting to see cracks in his armor, he is showing signs of guilt, it is just a matter of time untill he gives in.¡±

    ¡°Once Gareth is crowned king it will just be a matter of time untill he marches for Meria, our little bird doesn¡¯t have a lot of time left, if he reveals nothing within the next week, I will force the words out of him myself.¡±

    Theodora gulped at Aiden¡¯s words, the truth is that Renly wasn¡¯t the only one who was feeling sympathetic, she was as well. For some strange reason she sympathized with Renly, she got the feeling whoever this ¡®master¡¯ was whom Renly was serving, had manipted him, and now he would suffer because of his blind loyalty.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not going soft on me Theodora,¡± Aiden whispered having seen the sullen look on her face. ¡°Sympathy is for the weak, and weakness is for humans, remember that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware your grace,¡± Theodora responded. Gods, she had to find a way to convince Renly that the information he was withholding was not worth dying for, but how?

    Momentster a strong smell of smoke and soot filled Theodora¡¯s nose, she turned to her left and saw Zander, Finwe and Rnd sitting down next to Aiden. Their clothing was slightly charred and they smelled like they had just survived a house fire.

    ¡°Care to exin yourselves or should I mind my own business?¡± Aiden asked the three men.

    Finwe coughed and turned to face Aiden, ¡°the prince found out that your sister has traveled for a honeymoon with the lycan king.¡±

    ¡°So he burnt you?¡±

    ¡°Almost burnt us,¡± Finwe responded while trying to look elegant in his battered state.

    Aiden scoffed and small smile formed on his face, sometimes these men were amusing indeed.

    The low melody of the pipe organ filled the space in which the coronation was to take ce, indicating that the prince was arriving.

    The masses that were gathered rose from their seats to wee the prince, to wee the next king of Gavaria and their colony Baiviles.

    Gareth walked elegantly down the isle, past the many rows of chairs towards the podium where two elderly men where standing side by side waiting for him. One he could tell was the cleric who would bestow the crown upon him and name him king, but the other, he was someone who seemed familiar but not quite. It was not until Gareth was a foot away from the two men that he recognized the other elderly man.

    ¡°Grandfather..?¡±

    ¡°Hello my boy,¡± the man spoke with a proud smile on his face, ¡°from the day you were born, I knew you were destined for great things. It is through you that tyranny shall end, that division shall crumble and peace will reign like the light of the morning sun on the continent of Ronia Cresus.¡±

    Gareth felt honored, all this time his main driving force was Melissa, to have her by his side and create a world she and his child would be safe, but after listening to his grandfather¡¯s words, he knew his responsibility was not to Melissa alone, but to everyone, be it human or lycan, nosferatu or dwarve, he needed to foster a world where no one would live in fear or oppression, just like it was in the beginning.

    The elven prince got down on one knee and bowed his head in front of the cleric who took a few steps towards him with a small book in hand.

    With one hand hovering over Gareth¡¯s head, the cleric began, ¡°May the gods grant prince Gareth Adam Burchard courage and protect him in these perilous times. May they grant him strength so he may be able to bare the burdens of the crown. I call upon the gods that know the fate of all men, show him the path he must walk and guide him through the dark ces that lie ahead. In the light of all that is holy, I now proim thee, son of Aragon of Ervelon and James Burchard of Gavaria, King Gareth Adam Burchard, first of his name. King of Gavaria and the colony of Baiviles. Long May he reign!¡±

    The cleric turned to the pedestal where the crown had been ced, sprinkled it with divine water and ced it upon Gareth¡¯s head.

    ¡°Long May he reign!¡± Everyone eximed as the new king rose to his feet and turned to the masses. ¡°Long May he reign!¡±

    This was it, this was the time to now dere the end of tyranny, Gareth¡¯s chance to show everyone that as king, he would not discriminate but unite.

    ¡°As my first plea as king,¡± Gareth began to speak, ¡°I ask all of you to pray for me, regardless of your race! Humans, lycans, elves, dwarves and nosferatu, I ask you all to ask the gods to grant me the wisdom to rule all of you justly and fairly! The great continent of Ronia Cresus was not built in a day,her was it built by a single race, it was built by us all! And as such, it shall continue to prosper! I, king Gareth Adam Burchard, solemnly swear that whatevernd my reign reaches, shall be and for all. I am not the king of the elves, I am an elf who is a king of all who live in my kingdom!¡±

    The crowds rose to their feet and apuded with vigor at their new king¡¯s words. This is what many people had been waiting to hear for a many months now. Finally they could all be free, lycans with human wives could now embrace their loved ones publically without fear of prosecution. Elevs with unchanged children could hope for a better future for their offspring. Humans who had lost their jobs because of race could restore their status in society. This is what true reign looked like, and it¡¯s face was king Gareth Adam Burchard.

    *

    After the coronation, Gareth spotted his grandfather walking towards the study and rushed to his side. ¡°Grandfather!¡±

    The man halted and turned to his grandson, ¡°wearing two crowns is heavy my boy, you need a strong neck to support them.¡±

    ¡°How did you know,¡± Gareth asked the man, ¡°about me being an elf, father told me you knew of it long before I changed.¡±

    ¡°I am an old man Gareth, and I have lived many years in this world. What you see with your two eyes isn¡¯t the only thing that is known, some things can be seen and not heard, others heard and not seen. As you mature as king, you will understand.¡±

 Chapter 186

    186 Chapter 186 : To hell with my father!

    Astrid¡¯sughter echoed throughout the castle, she threw her head back in amusement and wiped the tears that had flowed out her eyes with her sleeves. She had notughed so much in years, gods this was a fun game. She had to remember to thank her husband for giving her the opportunity to toy around with the king like this.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying he fell for it?¡± Astrid chuckled, ¡°he thinks he got so drunk he couldn¡¯t remember sleeping with his wife? I wish I was there to see his face.¡±

    Cassandra merely scoffed at herdy¡¯s amusement, all that mattered to her was that she was able to keep the man away from Melissa for a night, and she promised herself she would not let the king touch Melissa as long as they were on Gurian soils.

    ¡°I hear they have left the inn?¡± Astrid inquired as she poured herself a ss of freshly made grape juice. Because of her pregnancy she could not partake any wine and it was absolute torture for her, sometimes a woman needed to calm her nerves with a bit of alcohol, but her baby took priority so she had all the wine locked up in a cer and would drink grape juice when she craved.

    ¡°Yes mydy,¡± Cassandra responded, ¡°there is a bard passing through town this afternoon, I¡¯m assuming the king is trying to woo his wife with poetry. He mentioned a few other activities but non to worry about, until they return to the inn to rest, the queen should be safe from any hands on activities.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Astrid responded as she sipped thest of her drink, ¡°alright, off with you before your temporal employer thinks you¡¯re cking off from work.¡±

    Cassandra curtsied and turned towards the exit before herdy called for her.

    ¡°Cassandra..¡±

    ¡°Yes mydy?¡±

    .....

    ¡°Don¡¯t get caught, the king is a lycan. If he as much as suspects you are a threat to his rtionship with his wife, he will not spare you.¡±

    Cassandra gulped and nodded her head slowly, ¡°I will be vignt mydy.¡±

    ¡°Good girl, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then.¡±

    *

    In a hidden location deep in the forest, Estel was pacing the room nervously trying to figure out what she was going to do next. The potion that she had been using to hide Damien¡¯s true age seemed to be getting less effective. At its strongest, the potion could hold her son in an infant state, which was the age the mages believed he was. And at its weakest, it would still keep him looking like a child of about ten years old, still a very convenient age to keep him safe. But now...

    ¡°Mother, if you keep pacing around like that you¡¯ll make my head spin.¡± A deep voice that resembled that of Aiden spoke in the background.

    Estel immediately ced a finger on her mouth and gave her son a disapproving re. ¡°Keep it down someone might hear you!¡± She scolded him in hushed tones.

    In human years, Damien was eighty nine years old, but his body was like that of a young adult about twenty years of age. He had a firm lean body like that of his father, but a delicate face with purple eyes like that of his mother. His hair was a deep ginger and his skin glowed like honey. Damien had fangs that glimmered whenever he smiled and pointed elf ears that twitch and moved depending on what mood he was in. When his mother would scold him his ears would lower, but when he was happy or excited they would perk up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on, why isn¡¯t the potion turning you into a baby?¡± His mother sat down on a chair and cupped her throbbing head, ¡°if this is a consequence of your power growing, I may not be able to use the potion as effectively as I did before.¡±

    Damien scooted closer to his mother, when she nced at him she noticed he had a serious look on his face, she knew that look of determination, he was cooking up some insane idea.

    ¡°If I¡¯m more powerful now, then let us escape this ce mother, I can get us out of here.¡±

    ¡°Damien we can¡¯t, it¡¯s too risky.¡± Her son always brought up escaping whenever he was in his true form, it was easier to subdue him and coax him into being patient when he was a ten year old or an infant.

    ¡°You keep telling me that these men want me for my power, meaning I must have a lot of it,¡± Damien pointed out, ¡°what¡¯s the point of having power if I can¡¯t use it to save us?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what kind of powers you possess sweetie, and quite frankly neither do I.¡± Estel took her son¡¯s hand and gave him a reassuring look. ¡°We don¡¯t know who we¡¯re up against, we don¡¯t know how many mages are out there. We can¡¯t risk it. I told you your father-¡±

    ¡°To hell with my father!¡±

    Estel squeezed his hand and mouthed the words ¡®keep it down¡¯. This is exactly why she kept him as a child most of the time, this age he was in was defiant and a little unruly.

    ¡°We have been waiting for that man for almost a century now, where is he?!¡±

    In as much as Damien was upset, his mother was grateful that he was now using hushed tones.

    ¡°Are you even sure he is looking for us mother?! Because I think hepletely forgot about us and is probably enjoying his life with a new family right now!¡±

    SLAP

    Estel red at her son angrily, but immediately after seeing her hand print on his cheek she felt terrible. She had never hit Damien before, not once, but his words just now had gotten to Estel and she couldn¡¯t control herself.

    Damien rubbed his cheek and turned to look at his mother with sad eyes, ¡°mother I hate seeing you like this. Hinging your every hope on a man who may never evene for us, I am here, I can save us I know it. So please, forget about father and put your hopes on me.¡±

    Estel cupped her face in her palms and sobbed silently. What if her son was right, what if Aiden had given up his search for them or worse, he had never even been searching for them to begin with. Eighty nine years, it had been eighty nine years and Estel had not seen anything that could assure her that Aiden was really out there looking for them, except for the threatening words of Kazan, and even those were always vague.

    Damien wrapped his arms around his mother and gently rubbed her back to console her. He knew that she loved his father dearly, but he didn¡¯t think his father reciprocated those feelings, because if he did, he would have gotten them out of here a long time ago, it was now up to him to save his mother. It was up to him to break out of this ce and take her to a ce she could be safe and happy. His father could go jump off a cliff.

    *

    Renly cocked his head up as the door to his makeshift prison was being unlocked. Theodora didn¡¯t usuallye here thiste in the evening, was something wrong? Or maybe in wasn¡¯t Theodora at all, it could be the nosferatu prince, or worse, it could be the stranger from his dreams!

    Renly moved off the bed and stood a safe distance from the door as whoever it was fidgetted with the keys. Despite whoever came through that door, Renly was not going to go down without a fight, not this time.

    When the door opened, Theodora was surprised to see Renly ring at her. ¡°Is everything alright?¡±

    The dark haired man sighed in relief and leaned back on the table behind him. ¡°I thought you were someone else.¡±

    Theodora closed the door and made her way to the bed. ¡°Aiden is running out of patience little bird, all you have to do is tell me where Estel is and all this will be over.¡±

    Renly shook his head and sat down next to Theodora, ¡°I took an oath, I can do anything else you want, anything. But I cannot disclose the elven Princess¡¯ location.¡±

    ¡°Is that oath worth dying for Renly?!¡±

    The man looked up at Theodora in surprise, she had never called him by his name before.

    ¡°If you die that oath will mean nothing! Aiden will kill you, he has no sympathy for humans!¡± The woman inched closer and looked him dead in the eye. ¡°You¡¯re willing to leave your family behind, your friends, all the people you love because of a ridiculous oath?!¡±

    Renly sat there frozen, captured by Theodora¡¯s eyes, he had never actually looked at her before. She had deep chestnut brown eyes and very smooth pale skin, all the features of her face were highly defined especially her red lips and slender nose, in addition, she had two small horns tucked away behind her long brown hair.

    ¡°Is that what you want?!¡± The woman repeated herself

    Renly gazed at Theodora and scoffed, if he didn¡¯t know any better, he¡¯d think she actually cared. ¡°I don¡¯t have anyone like that.¡± He muttered. His still eyes fixated on hers.

    ¡°What...?¡±

    ¡°People I love, a family, friends... I don¡¯t have anyone like that.¡±

 Chapter 187

    187 Chapter 187 : Doubleganger

    Theodora pulled back and studied the man in front of her, ¡°what do you mean by that? You don¡¯t have a family?¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± Renly responded, ¡°I was told that my mother was the ve of a rich lord somewhere, he raped her constantly and when she fell pregnant with me, he tossed her out to live as a mere begger in the streets of Cenia. After I was born my mother fell ill and eventually died, she had no other children hence I have no siblings, and she never spoke of where she was from so I didn¡¯t know my family.¡± The dark haired man bowed his head for a few seconds before looking back up at Theodora, ¡°does that answer your question?¡±

    Theodora felt her heart sink just slightly at Renly¡¯s story, just like her, he too had suffered and lost his family. ¡°But what about friends? Anyone you feel you may love? Don¡¯t you have someone like that?¡±

    ¡°When my mother died I too had be a little sickly, and I was sure I would sumb to the same fate,¡± Renly exined, ¡°the master found me in the market square being whipped for trying to steal some bread. He payed off the merchants, brought me food, and from that day forth he took me in and practically raised me, I suppose you can say he is someone I care about because of what he did for me.¡±

    ¡°This master of yours, is that why you¡¯re so loyal to him? Because he saved you from the streets?¡±

    ¡°That is part of the reason yes,¡± Renly responded, ¡°the other reason is that he saved my life. You see Theodora, may I call you that? Theodora?¡±

    The woman batted hershes and slowly nodded.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Renly responded before continuing his story, ¡°I was a sickly child whose ailment knew no cure, but the master is a great man you see, he is magician, a powerful sorcerer. He cured my sickness using these.. experiments he calls them, and even gave me this power of flight. Tell me Theodora, how can I not be loyal to a man like that?¡±

    The nosferatu woman felt conflicted, she understood where Renly wasing from because in a way, that was her situation with Aiden. The prince had saved her multiple times, but unlike Renly¡¯s saviour, Aiden had never asked for anything in return, all she did was by her own will.

    .....

    ¡°And as for friends,¡± Renly added on, ¡°I have people who I live with who also serve the master, but I wouldn¡¯t exactly call them friends. And someone I love, I don¡¯t think I would know, i have never known what love is so I don¡¯t think I¡¯d recognize it if I ever felt it.¡±

    Theodora felt terrible after hearing Renly¡¯s words, it sounded like the man had a very sad and lonely existence.

    ¡°Do you have someone you love Theodora?¡±

    The woman looked into Renly¡¯s eyes, they were a strange shade of ck, they almost looked grey. ¡°I do.. prince Aiden, he is the man I love, I love him with all of my heart.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    Theodora knitted her brows, ¡°what?¡±

    ¡°How do you know that you love prince Aiden?¡±

    ¡°Well I just do..¡± Theodora responded while trying to put her words together, ¡°I know because I feel safe around him, and if he ever needs me I¡¯m there for him, also i feel the need to make sure he is taken care of because he¡¯s helped me multiple times.¡±

    Renly went quiet for some minutes trying to analyze what the woman had just said, ¡°sounds more like you feel indebted to him rather than love him.. but I could be wrong.¡±

    Theodora angrily rose from the bed, ¡°you are wrong! I love Aiden!¡±

    ¡°Have you ever loved someone before? And if not, how can you be sure what you feel for him is love.¡±

    Theodara shook her head violently and began pacing the room, ¡°shut up! You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, I know that I love him, I do-¡± the woman slipped over the te of food that was sitting on the floor and began to fall.

    Renly swiftly turned into a bird, dove to the floor and transformed back into a man so he could cushion Theodora¡¯s fall. The woman fell onto the man with a thud, pushing the air in Renly¡¯s lungs out.

    Theodora groaned, but when she cocked her head up she froze when she saw Renly beneath her. ¡°Why did you save me?¡±

    If the man had let Theodora fall, she would have probably been knocked out for a few minutes, giving Renly an opportunity to escape, so why did he let that chance slip away?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the man responded. He helped Theodora off him before he also sat up. ¡°I suppose I didn¡¯t want to see you hurt, the same way you don¡¯t want to see Aiden hurt me?¡±

    *

    After three nights of king Elric getting ridiculously drunk and making love to his beautiful wife but having no recollection of the beautiful moment, he had enough.

    ¡°No wine for me tonight thank you,¡± he spoke to Cassandra who was setting their table like she always did.

    ¡°Are you sure your majesty? You love this wine and specifically told me to serve it to you every night.¡±

    Elric didn¡¯t even remember saying that, how intoxicated had he been these past few nights?!

    ¡°I¡¯m very sure.¡± He reached for Melissa¡¯s hand who was sitting on the chair next to his and squeezed her hand lovingly. ¡°Tonight is thest night alone with my beautiful wife, I wish to savor every minute of it sober.¡± He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, the act made Melissa shudder.

    This was bad, if Elric would be sober tonight, he would actually sleep with her, what was she going to do? Cassandra too was raking her brain for a solution, if she had known that king Elric would refuse the wine, she would have put the potion in his tea or food, but she had already served everything and it would look suspicious if she suddenly decided to take the food back to the kitchen.

    ¡°Of course your majesty,¡± Cassandra responded with a curtsy, ¡°please do enjoy your meal. When you are both finished, I will take her highness and prepare her as per your usual request.¡±

    Usual request? Had Elric asked something of Cassandra in his drunken state? Not wanting to embarrass himself any further he decided to just agree to it, ¡°of course, make sure she is ready for me like always.¡±

    Cassandra nodded and turned to leave. As the curvy woman walked out the door Melissa couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she had some kind of n. She prayed she did, having Elric make love to her made her every fiber scream in repugnance.

    After the couple was done with their meal, Cassandra cleared the table swiftly and then with Elric¡¯s permission led the queen out the room to hers. Within her room, Cassandra made Melissa sit on her bed and brought out a small bottle.

    ¡°Hold this your highness..¡±

    Melissa took the small bottle and watched in curiosity as Cassandra brought a basin of water, some hair brushes and a towel.

    ¡°What¡¯s all this for?¡± Melissa asked curiously.

    ¡°I need you to dye my hair your highness.¡±

    Dye her hair? Why would she want to do that? Melissa looked down at the bottle in her hands and gasped, it was a bottle of red dye, was Cassandra nning to do what Melissa thought she was going to do?

    The red haired woman rose to her feet and shook her head, ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that Cassandra, I can¡¯t let you take my ce tonight.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re willing to go to bed with him?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Cassandra picked up the bottle of dye and ced it back in Melissa¡¯s hand. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, the king will start getting suspicious.¡± She then held Melissa¡¯s shouldersfortingly and smiled at her, ¡°I have worked in a brothel sleeping with men whose value is as low as that of a pig. Sleeping with a king will be a bit of an upgrade for me don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Cassandra loosened her bun and let her hair fall down her shoulders, ¡°hurry your highness. Also I will need to borrow your clothes, don¡¯t worry about me, everything will be fine.¡±

    *

    Elric looked at himself in the mirror again to make sure nothing was out of ce, tonight he would ravish his wife to his heart¡¯s content and enjoy every moment of it.

    He heard the doors of the room swing open and he quickly ruffled his hair and rubbed a bit of his scented oils on his bare chest. When he walked out of the room he noticed that some of the candles had been put out, leaving only a few that gave the room a romantic dim glow.

    And on the bed turned away from him,y his beautiful wife. Elric wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of the lighting, but Melissa looked a lot curvier than he remembered. But no matter, this only made him even more excited.

 Chapter 188

    188 Chapter 188 : Merely friends

    Cassandra held her breath as she felt the mattress beneath her wobble up and down, she was more afraid of the lycan figuring out that she wasn¡¯t his wife than she was afraid of him ravishing her. She prayed that the dim lights and the scented oils would musk her true identity, at least until the man had had his fill of her and fell asleep.

    A hand trailed down Cassandra¡¯s bare hand and immediately her smooth skin was riddled with goosebumps. His touch was hot, literally hot, his body temperature felt like he had just stepped out of a hot bath.

    ¡°I know the past nights have been a bit unruly my wife,¡± Elric bent over and gave Melissa a gentle kiss on the shoulder, when the smell ofvender filled his nostrils all he wanted to do was bury his face in her hair. ¡°But tonight will be different, bedding you in a drunken state was an insult to you and I apologize.¡±

    The silver haired king gently pulled up Melissa¡¯s dress and trailed his hand up her leg to her thigh, ¡°allow me to make it up to you tonight.¡±

    The man began gently kissing the redhead¡¯s shoulder and up her neck, he then nibbled on her earlobe making the woman quiver.

    ¡°Why do you not look upon me?¡± Elric asked as he tugged at the woman¡¯s clothing, ¡°was I that belligerent with you that my touch frightens you now?¡±

    Cassandra nodded and she heard the prince sigh in disappointment. For a man who had forced a woman into marriage, he sure seemed to care for her quite a bit.

    ¡°Please forgive me Lissa, I¡¯m ashamed at my behavior,¡± the king wrapped his hand around her waist, ¡°please, let me redeem myself to you.¡± When his hand made contact with her belly he froze for a second. What was going on? Every time he held his wife right around this area of her body he always felt a rash of happiness course through his lycan veins, it was the reason he always went to sleepying on her stomach, but right in this moment, he felt absolutely nothing.

    ¡°Lissa..?¡± When the woman did not answer he gently grabbed her shoulder andy her with her back t on the bed.

    .....

    When he crawled on top of her, Cassandra immediately covered her face with her hands and squealed.

    ¡°Lissa I won¡¯t hurt you, please look at me..¡±

    Cassandra moved her hands slightly and exposed her blue eyes, she had never been so grateful for having such an eye color like she was now.

    ¡°Your eyes show fear,¡± Elric spoke, his voice sounded almost hurt and a little disappointed. ¡°Are you ufortable with me?¡±

    Cassandra darted her eyes to the side to avert the man¡¯s gaze, he was making hating him very difficult when he was staring at her with those honey sad sorrowful eyes.

    Without warning, Elric pried the woman¡¯s hands frome her face and leaned in to kiss her, Cassandra had to use every ounce of her willpower she had to stop herself from screaming and pushing him away. Luckily for the woman, the kiss was quick, when the king pulled away he slid to one side of the bed and drew the woman into his embrace.

    Elric stroked her hair gently as he enjoyed the smell ofvender wafting into his nose, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it, he couldn¡¯t sleep with Melissa when she clearly wasn¡¯t willing to. He must have been rough on her the past few days and hurt her, he felt terrible about about it. The man nted a kiss on her forehead and whispered to her lovingly, ¡°sleep Lissa, we can do this another time. I love you.¡±

    Cassandra stifled a sigh of relief, honestly she didn¡¯t know how sleeping with this man would go, the thought of it was nerve wrecking. But now that she was sure sex was off the table for the night, her nerves calmed down. Now all the woman had to do was to wait for the king to fall asleep, and then she would sneak out and switch ces with the queen. By morning king Elric would not know what was what and they would be soon on their way back to the capital.

    Melissa was sitting on the bed feeling restless, gods why had she agreed to this crazy n?! What if Cassandra had been caught? What if Elric had her tied up right now and was waiting for Melissa to reveal herself so he could toture them both for ying him for a fool.

    When the door creaked open Melissa leapt to her feet, she suspired in relief when Cassandra walked in. The red head rushed to the maid and inspected her body frantically, ¡°are you okay? He did not hurt you did he?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay your highness don¡¯t worry,¡± Cassandra responded with a reassuring smile, ¡°in fact, I didn¡¯t even have to sleep with him, he changed his mind for some reason.¡± Cassandra made her way to the bed and plopped on it, she felt exhausted and desperately needed to sleep. ¡°For a man who dragged you into this marriage your highness, he seems to have a soft spot for you. Use that to your advantage.¡±

    When morning came, Elric was feeling overwhelmed with a certain bliss he would only experience when he wasying on Melissa¡¯s tummy. When the foggy clouds of sleep dissipated from his mind, he realized that his arms where wrapped tightly around his beautiful wife¡¯s waist and his face wasfortably stered on her stomach. This was the feeling he loved, this was the feeling that gave him hope that he really was meant to be with Melissa, because if he didn¡¯t, why else would he feel this way when he held her.

    He cocked his head slightly and glimpsed at his wife¡¯s sleeping face, true that this honeymoon had not gone like he nned, but in a way he has achieved all this intended goals. He has sessfully made love to his wife on several asions, and he felt they had bonded a bit more during this time, otherwise why would she have her hand in his hair as she slept.

    Elric nted a soft kiss on her belly and smiled, he silently prayed that the gods would bless them with a child, oh how he would love if they had a son of their own. Children had a way of bringing parents closer together and that is what he hopped for.

    *

    The enchanting smell of pine cones and earth filled Julia¡¯s nostrils, she didn¡¯t have to turn around to know who it was who has entered her room and was now standing behind her.

    ¡°Good morning..¡±

    His voice, deep and smooth like the mighty ocean echoed in her ears making her gasp involuntary. Just a few weeks ago Julia almost feared this man, but now his presence made her feel safe and protected.

    ¡°Good morning Clovis,¡± she responded while trying to tie her hair up.

    ¡°Where is the maid who helps you with your hair and clothes?¡±

    Julia shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not thedy of this house Clovis, I¡¯m barely a guest here,¡± she turned to the man who was listening to her words with much interest. ¡°I¡¯m lucky enough to have someone who brings me clean clothes and food, I can¡¯t ask for more.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re my woman.¡± Clovis caged Julia between his arms and looked into her eyes that gazed up at him through the gaps of her thickshes, ¡°and you should be treated as such. I will have a maid assigned to you immediately.¡±

    Julia shook her head again,¡± it¡¯s alright, really it is, you don¡¯t have to.¡±

    ¡°It is not Julia, how you are treated here reflects back to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m equivalent to a mere friend at the stage that we are at Clovis,¡± Julia tried exining to the man, though knowing Clovis¡¯ stubbornness he probably would not listen. ¡°You can¡¯t have the servants treat me like a wife when I¡¯m not.¡±

    Clovis knitted his brows at Julia and his reaction made her nervous, had she offended him? The expression on Clovis¡¯ face slowly melted into a sly smile.

    ¡°So you feel like you and I are merely friends?¡±

    Julia didn¡¯t know how to respond, he had a smile on his face that told her that whatever answer she gave would have consequences.

    Clovis crouched down and swiftly swept Julia off the the ground into his arms. And within a split second, Julia was being dropped onto her bed while Clovis closed and locked her door.

    ¡°Clovis whats-¡±

    The silver haired prince crawled his way to Julia on all fours like a wolf stalking it¡¯s prey. Julia move back but was stopped by the pillows behind her. Clovis brough his face close to hers and smiled, disying his white smile and a pair of now elongated fangs.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Julia¡¯s voice was cracking and her face was starting to burn.

    ¡°I want to show you that you and I Julia...¡± the prince ced his nose in the crook of her neck and inhaled her intoxicating fragrance, ¡°..are not merely friends.¡±

 Chapter 189

    189 Chapter 189 : Sce

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Julia asked the man who was smiling perversely at her, her voice was cracking with nervousness and her face was starting to burn.

    ¡°I want to show you that you and I Julia...¡± the prince ced his nose in the crook of her neck and inhaled her intoxicating fragrance, ¡°..are not merely friends.¡± Gods he loved how she smelled, so much so that he wished he could squeeze out her essence and wear it like perfume.

    ¡°Clovis wait I-¡± her words were muffled by the prince¡¯s lips that had captured hers. His kiss always managed to get her heart racing and her little knees shaking no matter how many times he did it.

    When he pulled away, Julia was gasping for air and her reddened face brought a smile to Clovis¡¯ face. Julia also noticed that Clovis¡¯ teeth, particrly his fangs had lengthened a great deal and it made her spine tingle. Was this how lycans were like when aroused?

    ¡°You still feel like we¡¯re just friends?¡± Clovis mumbled while trailing his nose for her face, down her neck and to the soft mounds safely tucked away behind the top of her dress. His deep smooth voice was heavily infused with primal desire and it both scared and excited the small green eyed woman.

    ¡°You misunderstood me Clovis..¡± Julia spoke between strained breaths. The prince had her caged with his arms and by some sort of sorcery, was flicking the buttons of her dress open with his teeth. ¡°I was trying to say that you and I are not mar.. aaah!¡±

    Clovis pulled back slightly and marveled at the soft mounds that slowly jounced up and down after being released from their confines. Julia quickly drew her arms to her chest but Clovis was even faster and stopped them mid air. ¡°Don¡¯t stop talking I¡¯m listening,¡± Clovis mumbled and locked her arms on her sides. ¡°You were trying to say that you and I are what?¡±

    ¡°Clovis, I didn¡¯t mean- aah what are you doing?¡±

    Clovis gently kissed the lower swell of Julia¡¯s left breast before gently cing her nipple between his fanged teeth. Julia heard him growl slightly and she gasped in response, the dwarve Princess had a whole soir¨¦e of emotions bubbling up within her. She felt anxious, hot, a little scared and mostly...oh gods she was so aroused.

    .....

    The lycan prince peeked up at Julia with his alluring pools of honey and shed a very seductive side smile, ¡°go on Julia.. tell me more about how we¡¯re merely friends.¡±

    He was taunting her and she was embarrassed to admit that she was enjoying it. ¡°Clovis...¡±

    He relinquished her arms and ced his hands on the cuffs of her legs before sliding them up to her soft warm thighs, in the process pushing up her dress and leaving her smooth legs and intimate fabrics exposed to him.

    Clovis firmed his hold on her thighs and pulled her towards him. Now her backy t on the bed and the man was position between her legs. Even though he was fully clothed, the stance he was in evoked a reaction from Julia¡¯s body she never knew possible.

    ¡°Julia..¡± Clovis whispered as he drew closer to the woman who was looking away with her lips pursed and eyes tightly shut, ¡°look at me.¡±

    Her emerald green eyes treacherously opened and gazed upon the man¡¯s immacte face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever refer to me as your friend,¡± Clovis instructed before grabbing her knickers and ripping them in half.

    *

    Theodara materialized in front of the old cottage where Renly was being held and drew in a breath before gazing at it. What had happened when she wasst here had been on repeat in her head the whole night, both the conversation they had, and how he had saved her from falling t onto the stone floor.

    ¡®How do you know you love prince Aiden?¡¯ Those were the words that bothered her the most, what was he talking about of course she loved the prince! How could she not? He was her everything! But she couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that she really had never been in love before, so she really didn¡¯t have a reference to how the feeing felt. But if what she felt for Aiden wasn¡¯t love then what was it? Loyalty? Indebtedness?

    Theodora pushed the thoughts aside, why was she letting the words of a mere human get to her anyway? All the humans knew was hate, why would she let a creature like that lecture her on matters of love.

    The woman walked slowly towards the door of the cottage, unlocked it and pushed it open. When she walked in, Theodora froze in ce and her eyes erged at the sight in front of her. There in the loomy darkness of the cottage Renly stood in only his pants, he had no shirt on and was drying his hair with a towel that Theodora had brought earlier that morning. His torsal, which was surprisingly very chiseled, was fully exposed and the dewiness from the bath seemed to only entuate the deep grooves of his chest and abdominal muscles.

    ¡°Hello Theodora, you¡¯re here early today.¡± Renly spoke while wiping himself dry.

    Theodora turned away hastily to hide the blush that threatened to essorize her cheeks, ¡°why the hell are you walking around naked?! Could you please have some decency and get dressed!¡±

    The man looked down at his body and then back at Theodora feeling a bit confused. He was only missing a shirt, while he could practically see through Theodora¡¯s dress, if the room they were in was properly lit, he would probably be able to see the color of her knickers and bra. And he was the one who was dressed indecently?

    ¡°like I said,¡± Renly exined as he picked up his shirt and threw it over his shoulders, ¡°you¡¯re early today, I wasn¡¯t expecting you tillter today hence my ¡®indecent¡¯ state as you may call it. Forgive me.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes whatever, can you please just cover up! Who walks around naked in broad daylight anyway?!¡±

    ¡°Theodora I¡¯m alone here,¡± Renly pointed out and sat down on a chair, ¡°even if I stripped every piece of clothing on my body it would affect no one.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Theodora yelled as she hesitantly turned to check if the man had put a shirt on. When she saw that he was fully dressed she gasped in relief, though she had to admit that seeing him shirtless before was a bit of a treat. She walked to the bed where she sat down and pouted. Why had she gotten so worked up over seeing Renly shirtless? It¡¯s not like she had never seen a man naked before, in fact she had seen the prince, who was much more attractive by the way, in nothing but a towel on several asions, and never had she reacted this way.

    ¡°Are you here to warn me of Aiden¡¯s various ns to torture me?¡± The dark haired man questioned the nosferatu woman whose mind seemed to be far away.

    Theodora looked up at Aiden and wheezed. His dark hair was still damp from his bath and was tasseled carelessly over his face, his greyish eyes peered at her thought through the strands while his pink lips moved slowly as he spoke.

    ¡°And I hope he tortures you in the worst way possible for being so stubborn!¡± Theodora pouted and averted Renly¡¯s gaze. Why couldn¡¯t this idiot of a man see that Theodora was only trying to protect him?!

    Renly ran his hand through his dampened hair and pushed it back over his head before studying Theodora. ¡°You don¡¯t mean that,¡± he spoke calmly.

    The nosferatu woman whipped her head back towards Renly and huffed, ¡°what are you talking about? Of course I mean it.¡± With his hair out of the way she couldn¡¯t help but notice his defined cheekbones and squared jawline.

    ¡°When you say something untrue Theodora, you turn away and close your eyes.¡±

    Did she? How did he know that? He had only know her for a few days so how could he possibly be able to tell when she was lying?

    ¡°Are youfortable with telling me your story now?¡± Renly asked the woman who was still pouting. He was this woman and the prince¡¯s prisoner, but he actually looked forward to the times Theodora woulde and bring him food, a change of clothes and some water to bathe. He enjoyed talking with her even though most of the time she was threatening him or yelling at him.

    ¡°What story?¡±

    ¡°I want to know what the humans put you through,¡± Renly responded, ¡°you in particr. And before you say anything, no I do not want to gloat about it. I just want to understanding a few things, maybe see this world from your perspective.¡±

    Theodora twirled her fingers nervously on herp, she didn¡¯t like talking about her experience with the humans, but for some reason she wasn¡¯t totally against the idea of sharing her experience with Renly. I mean it¡¯s not like he would go around telling anybody else about what Theodora had gone through. And also, Theodora did find some sort of sce in speaking with this particr human, it made the reality of her loss and suffering hurt a little less because she knew he had gone through something simr.

    ¡°Alright fine,¡± Theodora responded, ¡°but my words are not free, so for every piece of information I give you, I need to get something in return. Got that?!¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am..¡±

 Chapter 190

    190 Chapter 190 : Allies in Meria

    It felt strange sitting at the head of the table rather than on the right hand, but this was something that Gareth was just going to have to get used to as the new king of Gavaria. At therge oak table in the pce library sat Gareth¡¯s trusty men, who were not only his allies in war, but his friends in life as well. Present at the table with them was the royal council that consisted of lycans, dwarves, nosferatu, elevs, and now thanks to the new king, humans as well.

    ¡°The kingdom has never known such tranquility your majesty,¡± one of the council members pointed out, ¡°your decision to ensure equality reigns amoung the races has won you a great deal of public favor.¡±

    ¡°I merely fostered what was right,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°it¡¯s high time things change for the better.¡±

    Even though most people were very overjoyed with Gareth¡¯s decree of equality, he was aware that there were some who did not find it appeasing. Those who were bumped to the top because of their race were now on equal grounds with everyone else and it infuriated them.

    ¡°Pardon me my king,¡± one of the lycans spoke up, ¡°we all know that the previous king was more or less a figure head standing in for the man who was truly in charge, king Elric of Meria. Don¡¯t you think that after he notices the changes you have made he will retaliate?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for bringing up your concern,¡± Gareth responded. That wasn¡¯t a concern at all, the man was merely trying to challenge Gareth¡¯s decision by factoring in Elric who the lycan thought Gareth feared. Gareth was good at reading people, and from this meeting alone he would know who deserved to be sitting in those chairs and who didn¡¯t.

    The eleven king turned to Zander and gave him a nod, ¡°lord Zander, care to enlighten our good man over here of our ns to pacify our not so friendly neighborhood tyrant?¡±

    Zander nodded and turned to face the upats of the table, ¡°a peaceful treaty will be drawn and sent to king Elric, urging him to end his tyranny and foster equal rule. The message of this treaty will be sent to him tomorrow and he will be given a total of fourteen days to ept. If he denies, or he does not respond, we will march for Meria and dethrone him forcibly.¡±

    ¡°But king Elric is a powerful man!¡± The lycan blurted out before immediately regretting his words, ¡°or so I¡¯ve heard. Isn¡¯t going to war with him a little reckless?¡±

    .....

    ¡°Who said anything about waging war?¡± Zander responded, ¡°I said we will march to Meria and dethrone him. Besides..¡± Zander leaned back and smirked at the lycan who clearly supported Elric, ¡°even if war was an option, our king has fought with the lycan and defeated him, it won¡¯t be difficult to do it again.¡±

    The lycan general sunk back into his seat clearly agitated, but tried hard to hide it, it seemed there was no stopping Gareth, the life he hade to enjoy where lycans were at the top of the food chain hade to an end.

    After the meeting was over and the council members had left, Gareth remained in the library with his men. Finwe who was sitting on his left hand gave him a slow p.

    ¡°I have to say brother, you were born for this role.¡±

    ¡°Well it¡¯s not like I had much of a choice, I¡¯m my father¡¯s only son,¡± Gareth responded with a sarcastic smile on his face. ¡°And I¡¯d like for you to draw up that treaty to send to Elric dear brother, you do have a way with words.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get right on it your majesty,¡± Finwe responded with an equal amount of sarcasm.

    ¡°Do make sure to include that I will be wanting my future wife back as well, now will you.¡±

    ¡°That was going to be my opening statement,¡± Finwe chuckled and so did the rest of his men.

    ¡°And as for the rest of you, I¡¯d like to thank you,¡± Gareth spoke to his men, ¡°no really, thank you so much. I know I made some impulsive decisions especially when it came to matters of my heart, but I want to thank you all for helping me keep my sanity.¡±

    ¡°Like we said the first time we met your majesty,¡± Beric responded, ¡°you aren¡¯t just our leader, you¡¯re our friend, so you need not thank us.¡±

    ¡°Precisely,¡± Ivan added on, ¡°and besides, having a king for a friend will really rake in the the women.¡±

    The rest of the men all sighed at Ivan who was practically drooling at the thought of having hordes of women swarming over him. Good thing he was a decent fighter.

    ¡°Oh and before I forget your majesty,¡± Finwe spoke as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a piece of wrapped up parchment. ¡°This came for you from Guria.¡±

    ¡°Guria?¡± Gareth reached for the paper and read it with much intent, wasn¡¯t Guria where that lycan had whisked his wife away to?

    The men at the table where suprised when their king scoffed in amusement, and shortly after, his scoffs turned into chuckles and then into full blownughter.

    ¡°Is he going to lose it and try to burn us again?¡± Zander whispered to Finwe, ¡°what is in that note?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a clue,¡± Finwe whispered back, ¡°now that he is king I am not allowed to pry into his personal letters anymore.¡±

    After Gareth¡¯sughter had died down, he tucked the note away and broadly smiled at his men. ¡°It seems we have allies in Meria,¡± the new king exined, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the look on Gareth¡¯s face when he loses everything.¡±

    A few days back when Bahram had sent an invisible message to his wife, he had asked her to write atter to Gavaria and adress it to Gareth. In the letter, Astrid was to inform Gareth that all of Melissa¡¯s brothers were on his side and had taken precautions to ensure that Elric wouldn¡¯ty a hand on Melissa until he came to retrieve her.

    It had been the best peice of news Gareth had gotten, he had tried not thinking about it but when Zander and Finwe had told him that Melissa was away on honeymoon, he had been battling with frustration and anger. He didn¡¯t even want to imagine Elric holding his woman.

    *

    As the carriage moved towards Meria, Melissa was feeling a little ufortable with how dotting Elric had be. He had been forcing her to snaggle up against him, he was stroking her back and stomach constantly, and he kept looking at her longingly as if she was a te of piping hot rabbit stew.

    ¡°We should have some coats made for you,¡± Elric spoke as her rubbed her shoulder. He had his arm around her and she was, against her will, leaning on his side. ¡°Winter ising, you need to keep warm.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the concern your majesty, but I think as a nosferatu the cold doesn¡¯t affect me as much.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not as much, but it will still affect you.¡±

    Melissa sighed. She knew arguing with him was futile, so she epted, ¡°thank you, some new coats would be lovely.¡±

    Elric nted a kiss on the top of her head and continued rubbing her shoulder. This is what he had been hoping for all this time, to rekindle with his beautiful wife and have her snuggled up against him.

    Melissa couldn¡¯t help but wonder if letting this crazy man believe that they had rtions over their honeymoon was such a good idea. What if he started expecting a child, what then? Or what if she was unable to reunite with Gareth in time and her pregnancy started to show, he would think it was his and really cause a problem.

    She nced up at the silver haired king and noted that he was in a particrly good mood and seemed very pleased with himself. Her mother, Emma Morrell, had once told her that the best moments to ask for something from your husband was after he has had a good meal, after you have given him some good sex, or abination of the two.

    Melissa couldn¡¯t believe she was about to do this but he really left her with no choice. ¡°My husband?¡±

    The king quickly threw his gaze down at the woman in his arms. Had she just referred to him as her husband? She hadn¡¯t done that in a long time. He pulled away slightly and cupped her doll like face in his hands, ¡°yes my love?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering,¡± Melissa spoke calmly, ¡°now that I¡¯m here with you and we are now on good terms with each other, what is the need to keep my family hostage?¡± She looked to the carriage floor and faked a pout. ¡°It makes me question your love for me.¡±

    Elric pursed his lips and thought, she was right, there wasn¡¯t a need to keep her family around. She was with him and Gareth knew better than to try anything because of the threat Elric had madest time.

    ¡°please allow them to return to their families and homes,¡± Melissa pleaded, ¡°for my sake.¡±

    The king ced a hand at the back of Melissa¡¯s head and pulled her in for a kiss, much to the redhead¡¯s dismay. When he pulled away he smiled lovingly at her, ¡°anything for you my queen.¡±

 Chapter 191

    191 Chapter 191 : Le brouird

    ¡°Good morning beautiful..¡±

    The feel of a gentle kiss on her forehead made Julia tter her eyes open, when her vision cleared, she could clearly see a fanged smile shing at her and traces of silver hair loosely sweeping over a handsome face.

    Clovis lovingly cupped her sleepy face with his hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±

    Did she sleep well? That was a good question, she didn¡¯t feel herself fall asleepst night, it was more or less like she cked out rather than merely falling asleep. After Clovis and her had-

    Julia¡¯s eyes widened as the memories ofst night¡¯s events resurfaced, she gazed up at the manying next to her and immediately became shed. Last night this man had taken her maidenhood, and in the most mind numbing, most spell binding way.

    When Clovis wrapped his arm around Julia¡¯s naked body and drew her closer, she noticed that some parts of her body were a little sore, especially the delicate fold between her legs. She hissed in response to the abrupt interaction making the prince pause.

    Even though his honey brown eyes showed concern, there was an amused, almost proud smiled tugging his lips. ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    Julia nodded and sunk into the covers in embarrassment, she had enjoyed every second of their love makingst night, well except the beginning which was very painful, but after her small body had grown ustomed to his size, it was a one way road to euphoria, so why was she sore?

    Clovis moved closer to Julia and intertwined his legs with hers, still stroking her cheek he ced an apologetic kiss on her forehead, ¡°it was your first time so I should not have been so rough,¡± he apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry my love. You¡¯re so small and delicate, I should learn to restrain myself.¡±

    .....

    Julia was about to say something when two knocks came at her door and immediately after the maid who would prepare Julia¡¯s bath walked into the room. ¡°Good morningdy-¡±

    The woman¡¯s words lodged in her throat when her eyes fell on the two people in bed together naked. She quickly turned around and began to mumble apologizes, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry your grace i had no idea you were in here!¡±

    Julia who was burning red from embarrassment tried to pluck herself out of Clovis¡¯ embrace but the man only tightened his hold and pulled her even closer. He looked up at the maid who now had her back to them, ¡°what is your name?¡±

    ¡°Fridah your grace!¡± The woman responded, it was evident that she was terrified of what punishment maye her way after this incident.

    ¡°Do you always barge into my woman¡¯s chambers like this Fridah?¡± Clovis questioned the maid, ¡°is this any way to treat the future wife of the royal governor?¡±

    Both Julia and Fridah gasped at his words. Julia who had her face against his chest looked up at him expecting to see a joking demeanor but Clovis wore a very serious expression.

    ¡°I asked you a question Fridah..¡±

    ¡°No your grace it is not!¡± Fridah responded, she was now visibly shaking. She always had a feeling that prince Clovis liked Julia but she never thought he would actually formalize things with her. I mean she was practically the enemy of the kingdom of Meria after killing the queen, at the least Fridah thought the prince would just make Julia his lover, not his wife.

    Julia shook Clovis gently making him lower his gaze to her, immediately he looked into her eyes his intense re melted into a loving gaze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so harsh on her,¡± Julia whispered, ¡°she is a good woman and the only one who agreed to cater to my needs when everyone else refused.¡±

    Clovis nodded before looking back up at Fridah who was shaking like a leaf, ¡°as a punishment for gazing upon the governor¡¯s d¨¦shabill¨¦, you will bedy Julia¡¯s personal hand maiden. You are relinquished of all other duties in the pce and your sole role will be to cater to her every need. Your pay of course wille from me directly, and it will be fairly handsome if you please my lovelydy.¡±

    Fridah was taken aback, that sounded more like a promotion than a punishment. From what the maid had heard, Clovis didn¡¯t have many servants in his manor, but the ones he did have were living quite well.

    ¡°Is that understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace,¡± Fridah responded with a curtsy which looked a little ridiculous since she had her back to the couple.

    ¡°Alright now please arrange to prepare some hot water for us, we would love to bathe.¡±

    ¡°At once your grace!¡± Fridah responded before scampering out of the room and closing the door behind her.

    Julia gasped when Clovis pinned her onto the bed and growled hungrily at her. ¡°Clovis I can¡¯t, it still hurts a little.¡±

    The silver haired prince nted a soft kiss on her lips and began moving down to her jaw, her neck all the way to the sensitive area between her thighs. ¡°I know it is, hence why I want to sooth you before our bath is ready.¡±

    ¡°Sooth me?..¡±

    What Clovis did next made the woman bite hard into her lip, cutting it slightly. She was both in shock and utterly invigorated, she had no idea one could use their mouth to stimte another¡¯s privates, and she has no idea it would feel so good.

    ¡°Oh gods!¡±

    *

    ¡°Here¡¯s your food for the day.¡±

    Renly arched a brow at the nosferatu woman as she ced the bowl of food on the small table, ¡°I thought I already had my meal for the day,¡± the man inquired.

    ¡°Look, do you want this food or not?!¡±

    Ofte, Theodora had been acting a little more caring, but also she was yelling and cussing at Renly a bit more than usual so sometimes it confused Renly on how she was truly feeling. Was she warming up to him, or did she hate him?

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Renly responded with an amused smirk.

    The woman sat down on a chair and crossed her arms over her chest, ¡°the elven king is contacting the Merian king today, meaning you¡¯re running out of time Renly. Once Aiden makes contact with his sister he ns to go looking for Estel, and if that happens before you give him the information-¡±

    ¡°He will kill me becuase he will no longer have need for me,¡± Renly responded. He took a spoonful of the food and ced it in his mouth.

    The expression of surprise on Renly¡¯s face as he ate made Theodora tense up, ¡°what?! What¡¯s wrong with the food?!¡±

    ¡°It tastes different,¡± the man responded tly.

    Theodora marched to the bowl and was about to yank it away when the man grabbed her wrists. ¡°Let me go!¡±

    ¡°Did you make this yourself?¡±

    Theodora paused and averted the man¡¯s gaze. She had been feeling bad for only giving the man one meal a day as instructed by Aiden, but she couldn¡¯t get more food from the pce kitchen because the nosferatu prince would know. So she got some supplies from the market and cooked him a meal herself, why she did what she did was beyond her.

    Renly rose to his feet and inched closer to the woman, he studied her face and smiled in amusement making Theodora knit her eyebrows in irritation.

    ¡°Did you make this?¡± Renly repeated his question.

    ¡°Why? Is it that terrible?!¡±

    Renly couldn¡¯t understand why her words to him were so harsh but her actions always said somethingpletely different. ¡°It¡¯s delicious,¡± Renly responded before relinquishing the woman, taking the bowl of food in his hands and eating it wholeheartedly.

    Theodara sat back down and pursed her lips as she watched the man eat, if this was pity she felt for Renly, she didn¡¯t like the ways it was affecting her. Suddenly the thought of him being tortured or hurt, which before elicited no reaction from her, now made her feel a little sad and sometimes a little upset.

    And it wasn¡¯t only that, now she actually enjoyed the time she would spend with him, she enjoyed talking to him and whenever he closed the distance between them, she found herself feeling ufortable, and not entirely in a bad way. Theodara didn¡¯t like this, she didn¡¯t like this at all.

    She sat there quietly as he ate her food and finished it, so he really thought her cooking was delicious? That made her happy for some reason.

    Renly put down the te and smiled gratefully at Theodora, ¡°thank you, I haven¡¯t had a meal quite like that before.¡±

    Theodora lightly blushed and looked away, ¡°well don¡¯t get used it, and don¡¯t eat a stranger¡¯s food so heartily, what if it was poisoned?¡±

    ¡°Well that wouldn¡¯t be such a bad way to go.¡±

    The two sat in silence for a moment, with Theodora trying hard to hide her blush, and Renly fixated on the strange woman in front of him.

    ¡°Theodora...¡±

    The nosferatu turned to Renly, he suddenly had a serious look on his face rather than his usual annoying smirk.

    ¡°It is called the castle le brouird, the castle of the mist,¡± Renly exined with his gaze fixated on her face. ¡°That¡¯s where you will find Estel.¡±

 Chapter 192

    192 Chapter 192 : The treaty

    ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± William announced to his brothers as he peeked out the window at the carriage from which his sister and the silver haired king were disembarking.

    ¡°How does the situation look?¡± Bahram asked anxiously, he had not gotten any feedback from his wife about how things went in Guria so he wasn¡¯t even sure if Astrid received his letter or not.

    William watched Elric reach for his sister and help her out of the carriage before they began walking towards the pce entrance. ¡°They are holding hands, and that bastard has a really annoying smile on his face.¡±

    ¡°What? What could that mean?¡± Jonathan blurted out fearing the worst.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be infuriated if nothing happened between them?¡± Alexander added on.

    William stepped away from the window and started walking towards the exit.

    ¡°where you going?¡± Bahram asked his youngest brother. Sometimes he worried about William, he was too impulsive with the decisions he made and always saw them through no matter how much trouble he would get into during the process. He was like this even when they were children, it was both his strength and his weakness.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to talk to Melissa,¡± William said simply, ¡°we can¡¯t just sit here and keep guessing. Melissa¡¯s words will confirm wether or not Astrid received your letter and also if she forwarded our message to Gareth.¡±

    William was right, I mean it¡¯s not like they were banned from speaking with their sister right?

    .....

    When William reached the foyer he found the couple being weed by their parents, most likely they too were curious about how the honeymoon went.

    ¡°Your majesty..¡± William muttered tauntingly to Elric before taking his sister¡¯s hand and kissing her knuckles, ¡°your highness.¡±

    ¡°Sir William, always a pleasure,¡± Melissa responded with a bright smile. She always loved being around her brothers, William especially, because they had spent most of their lives together. And to top it all off, he had helped out of tricky situations with Elric multiple times and she was very grateful for it.

    Unfortunately those were the traits that made Elric dislike William, he always knew that the knight was against the rtionship Elric had with his sister, and many times he had been the one pulling the strings to ruin it, he just didn¡¯t have proof of it yet. Maybe letting them leave the pce was best, he really didn¡¯t like William and the rest of the Morrell brothers poisoning his marriage while they were here, the further they were from his wife the better.

    ¡°Formalities aside Melissa I missed you,¡± William spoke, his tone was genuine and his eyes were true, he really had missed his sister, he didn¡¯t spend as much time with her like they used back in the day. ¡°I came across a rather interesting book while you were gone and I can¡¯t wait to show it to you. Do you a few minutes to spare?¡±

    Melissa was about to respond when Elric grabbed her wrist and gave William a fake apologetic smile, ¡°it¡¯s very sweet of you to want to spend time with your sister but don¡¯t you think she is tired from the journey? Besides, considering how productive our honeymoon was she may need to rest for a while.¡±

    The air in the room instantly thickened at the utterance of those words, William wouldn¡¯t believe it, everything that came out of Elric¡¯s mouth had a hidden agenda and he wouldn¡¯t believe anything happened between them not until he heard it from Melissa¡¯s own mouth.

    ¡°Actully your majesty,¡± Melissa interrupted the silent battle between the two men, ¡°I¡¯m not all that tired. I could spare a few minutes to catch up with my family before they leave.¡±

    Emma, Marceline, John and William all looked at Melissa with questioning eyes. Leave? Leave for where?

    Melissa took the king¡¯s hand and looked at him with her big blue doe eyes, ¡°you promised you would allow them to leave didn¡¯t you? Let me spend a bit of time with them before that.¡±

    Elric sighed before nodding his head in agreement, ¡°if that is what will please you my love. But don¡¯t be too long now, you need rest.¡±

    In that very moment, Theo, Elric¡¯s right hand rushed to the silver haired man and whispered something in his ears that made a scowl paint Elric¡¯s face.

    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Melissa questioned the man who was clearly fuming but was trying his hardest not to show it.

    The king forced a smile and nted a kiss on Melissa¡¯s forehead, ¡°everything is just fine my love, just some royal duties I have to attend to quickly. You spend time with your family, I will see you at dinner.¡±

    Melissa watched Elric briskly walk towards the royal meeting hall with Theo on his tail. She wondered what sort of duties had evoked such a reaction from him, she could literally feel the dark aura oozing from him when Theo was speaking to him.

    William grabbed his sister¡¯s hand and gave his parents a mini salute, ¡°I believe it¡¯s my turn to catch up with Melissa now, I will have her back momentarily.¡±

    *

    Elric pushed the doors of the library so hard they almost fell off their hinges, at therge table in the center of the room sat his royal council and all wore very grim expressions on their faces.

    In front of the king¡¯s seat was a rolled up parchment, Elric walked to his chair and immediately he saw the Gavarian seal on the paper his eye twitched in annoyance. This couldn¡¯t havee from James Burchard,he was too timid, this was from his son, that pointy eared bastard Gareth.

    Elric pried open the parchment and read through its contents, it read ;

    ¡®King Elric of Meria, I the king of Gavaria and the colony Baiviles, wish to draw a treaty of peace and equality between our two powerful kindoms. I have noted that you rule by tyranny and instilling fear in the hearts of the people and we rmend you end this madness at once so that peace may reign. In addition to this request, I humbly implore you to return the nosfetratu Princess of the snonds to me, her rightful blood half. You have fourteen days toply or we march for Meria, I will also inform you that I hold with me the support of not only Gavaria and Baiviles, but cenia, Ervelon and Lenora as well. Decide wisely your majesty.¡¯

    Elric had to fight the urge to crumple up the letter he was holding, how dare he. How dare that elf speak to him in such a presumptuous way?! The king handed the parchment over to Theo who read through it before passing it on to the council members who each read through it.

    When thest member was done reading it, Theo took it and held on to it.

    ¡°Who delivered this?¡± Elric asked. He had his face cupped in his hand and the room was stuffy from all the dark and negative energy he was releasing.

    ¡°A messenger boy from Gavaria your majesty, and not too long ago.¡±

    ¡°And you are sure this is from the elf?¡± Elric knew it was from him, but he still hoped this was just a facade to throw him off.

    ¡°The messenger boy was actually an elf himself,¡± Theo exined, ¡°he also informed us that the elf Gareth was crowned king of Gavaria not to long ago and has amassed a great deal of allies in Gavaria and Baiviles. He is working with a ruler from Cenia and is being apanied by the Dwarve king, that is how he is able tomand so much military strength.¡±

    The room was filled with silence for a long while until one of the council members spoke up, ¡°your majesty, from the letter it is clear that king Gareth outnumbers us in military strength, if we wish to secure the kingdom it seems we have no choice but to meet his terms.¡±

    Elric shot his eyes at the man speaking making him immediately sink into his seat, the king had a certain aura to him that would make even the devil quiver in fear. ¡°Have you you read what his terms are councilman?¡±

    ¡°I... I did your majesty,¡± the man stammered.

    ¡°What is it he wants? Could you say it out loud?¡±

    ¡°Well your majesty from what I read,¡± the man responded nervously, why did he feel that this was a trick question. ¡°The new Gavarian king wants to foster equality between the races.¡±

    ¡°And..?¡±

    The councilman looked up at the king who was encouraging him to speak and gulped. ¡°And he did mention something about returning the queen to him?¡±

    Elric sat up straight and scoffed, the small smile that tagged his lips made the poor councilman sp his legs under the table in fear he would soil himself. The king was actually more terrifying when he smiled like that, he preferred him scowling and angry.

    ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± Elric responded, ¡°and correct me if I¡¯m wrong. You want me to give up your queen, my wife, the future mother to the heir to this throne, away to that eleven bastard?¡±

    The man did not responded, neither did he move or blink. He was so terrified he could barely breath.

    ¡°I asked you a question councilman, I expect an answer.¡±

 Chapter 193

    193 Chapter 193 : The master¡¯s son

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask I already know what you want,¡± Melissa spoke as she sat down on one of the garden chairs across from her brother.

    ¡°Do you now?¡± William responded tauntingly.

    ¡°You and everyone else, you want to know how the honeymoon went don¡¯t you?¡±

    The young night rose his arms in front of him and grinned, ¡°you¡¯ve got me.¡± He then leaned forward and studied his sister carefully, ¡°can you me us though? You were out there alone with psychopath you call a husband, we worried sick.¡±

    ¡°Well as you can see I¡¯m perfectly fine,¡± Melissa responded. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t the lot of you some up with that outrageous scheme with Astrid? I shouldn thank you for that actually.¡±

    ¡°Oh so Astrid received the letter! Oh that¡¯s a relief, I was worried that deranged husband of yours had his way with you for sure.¡±

    ¡°Well....¡±

    William knitted his brows and studied his little sister, ¡°well what Melissa? You don¡¯t let me him give it to you did you?!¡±

    ¡°No of course not! And could you lower your voice please people can hear you!¡±

    .....

    William leaned back on his chair and shook his head, ¡°the gaurds usually stationed here all ran off to the meeting hall, if my hunch is right, I¡¯m sure your husband has received word from Gareth.¡±

    ¡°What? How are you sure of that?¡±

    ¡°He is the only one who elicits such a reaction from Elric,¡± the knight chuckled lightly before putting his arms behind his head, ¡°if that¡¯s the case then he¡¯ll being for you soon, so i sincerely hope you didn¡¯t let Elric touch you. Because it¡¯s going to bring a lot of confusion, especially with that baby you¡¯re carrying.¡±

    Melissa shot her hands to her stomach and stared at her brother in astonishment, ¡°you can tell?¡± Her voice trembled slightly from nervousness, if William could tell she was pregnant then anyone else could as well, including Elric.

    ¡°I can, I realized it before you left for the honeymoon,¡± William exined, ¡°I guess you can say I have a keen eye, unlike your husband.¡± The man could see that Melissa was a little panicked at his words, he had to assure her that her secret was safe, even for William it was more or less a hunch until she confirmed it just now. ¡°I¡¯m very surprised that a man as meticulous as Elric hasn¡¯t noticed you¡¯re with child. But all the more reason I hope you is not have rtions with him, because of you did he will think that baby you¡¯re carrying is his and now you¡¯ll really be stuck with him.¡±

    Melissa lined her lips and lowered her gaze, ¡°well about that..¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep with him did you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not I already told you that William!¡± She drew in a quick breath and nervously toyed with her hair, ¡°but he thinks he slept with me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± William was confused, Elric thought he slept with her but didn¡¯t? How was that possible.

    ¡°The woman who Astrid assigned to help me drugged Elric for a few nights,¡± Melissa exined, ¡°and then when he woke up he would find meying next to him giving the impression that he had rtions and he was just too drunk to remember.

    William cupped his face in his hand and sighed, ¡°damn Bahram, he should have been more precise when giving Astrid instructions on what to do.¡±

    Melissa watched her brother sit quietly lost in though for a few minutes before he stood up. ¡°Where are you going?¡± She asked.

    ¡°If Elric thinks you two had coitus he will be expecting a pregnancy soon,¡± William exined, ¡°hence we are working against the clock. We need to contact you little elf boyfriend.¡±

    *

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Rebly looked up at Theodora who looked equally as confused as he did.

    ¡°Why did you suddenly tell me where she is?¡± Theodora asked the man sitting on the bed in front of of her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you made some sort of vow to the man who saved your life?¡±

    Renly scoffed and looked away, ¡°I don¡¯t know the answer to that either,¡± he mumbled. After all his interactions with Theodora, after hearing her story and what she went through, after hearing about what Aiden went through, Renly realized that they all had something inmon. They were all suffering because of unnecessary racial hatred.

    The way Theodora described her people, they didn¡¯t sound like the dangerous blood sucking monsters who were out to extinguish humanity, they sounded nothing like what the master had described them. They actually sounded a lot like everyone else, innocent people hurt and killed by propaganda.

    True even amoung the nosferatu, the lycans, the dwarves and even the elves there were those with ill intent, the selfish ones who prioritized their own agendas, but there were also good people, people who regardless of the hell that they had endured at the hands of others still borepassion and loved in their hearts, people like Theodora. And if the world the master wanted to create was one where people like Theodora would have no ce and constant live their lives in fear, then Renly didn¡¯t want to be part of that world.

    ¡°Thank you...¡±

    The dark haired man looked up at the nosferatu woman surprised, ¡°why are you thanking me?¡±

    ¡°im just thankful that you chose to live,¡± Theodora responded simply. Renly could see that her eyes were misty and she was holding back a smile, ¡°Aiden is not an evil man, but o was afraid he would hurt you if you didn¡¯tply, I was so worried I thought you were willing to die to keep this information hidden. I¡¯m d you realized you wanted to live.¡±

    Theodora gasped when the man grabbed her arms and brought hos face closer to hers. ¡°I didn¡¯t do this because I don¡¯t want to die...¡±

    The woman slowly opened her eyes and met Renly¡¯s gaze, his eyes could show that he had seen a lot of pain and hardships in his life, but at the same time they were still kind and warm.

    ¡°The why...?¡± She whispered. For some reason her voice shied away from the man who was only inches away.

    ¡°I did it because I don¡¯t like to see you worry and stress over me,¡± Renly responded, ¡°I¡¯m not choosing life and neither am I being noble, I¡¯m choosing to see you happy. My intensions are selfish, all this is for my satisfaction.¡±

    Renly loosened his grip on the woman and began to pull away when Theodora reached for his sleeve and stopped him. The looked down at her hand that was holding his sleeve ans then trailed his eyes to her face.

    Theodora flushed red, what was she doing?! Why had she even stopped him?

    ¡°You should go ry this information to the man you love,¡± Renly spoke with a small smile, ¡°you want to see him happy don¡¯t you. Well here¡¯s your chance.¡±

    *

    ¡°There is no question about it your eminence, it has been far too long that Renly has been gone,¡± Kazan spoke to the man who wasying motionless on the bed, ¡°they must have intercepted him I can just feel it. We have to take precautions in case he reveals-¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡±

    Kazan shut his mouth and took a step back from the man who had gone into a coughing fit after yelling at him. ¡°Renly took an oath , he will not betray us.¡±

    ¡°But master-¡±

    ¡°I raised that boy so don¡¯t you dare question my judgment of him!¡± The man coughed some more, this time wetting his palm with traces of blood.

    Kazan pulled out a clean cloth from his pocket and gave it to the old man who wiped himself clean before continuing to speak. ¡°Renly is a grounded young man, I molded that mind of his myself, I know him like the back of my hand.¡± The man turned to Kazan and gave him a serious look, ¡°Renly would rather die than go against me, I made sure of it.¡±

    Kazan bowed respectfully before leaving the room and closing the door tightly shut behind him. He respected the master and his wishes and instincts but the old man had always been a little biased when it can to Renly.

    Ever since he brought Renly into the ranks all those years back, the way he treated the boy was always different. Giving him the most difficult training, entrusting him with sensitive tasks and even using magic to heal his ailments and giving him the ability of flight. The master would always say he was only doing so to toughen the bot up since he was the youngest of the group. But every one could see it, the master had a soft spot for Renly, what he was doing was molding him into the next mage in line to take over in case something happened.

    The old man was doing a terrible job at concealing his true intentions and why he was doing it. If he wasn¡¯t careful sooner orter, everyone would find out that Renly was the master¡¯s son.

 Chapter 194

    194 Chapter 194 : Decisions

    When the meeting was over, the council members exited the meeting hall with some of them carrying their unconsciousrade out the room. The king had not done anything to the man, he had simply asked him an intense line of questioning and he passed out.

    ¡°I asked you a question councilman,¡± king Elric had asked, ¡°and I expect an answer.¡±

    The man was shaking in fear, he regretted ever speaking and wished he had just kept quiet and agreed to everything the king said, because being singled out like this felt like a death sentence. ¡°I... your majesty I...¡±

    ¡°Use your tongue and produce words councilman,¡± Elric demanded, ¡°or do you no longer have need for it?¡±

    Those words made the poor man choke up, before anyone knew what was going on.. the man fell of his chair and fainted.

    Elric sighed and shook his head, ¡°leave him,¡± he instructed the other council members who were about to pick up theirrade. ¡°We need to find a solution to this threat that we have received from the elf first. We have no time to worry about men who cannot hold their ground after being asked a few questions.¡±

    He looked up at rest of the men at the table and sighed, ¡°I need to know your honest opinions on this matter, that is why you are sitting on those seats after all.. to be the king¡¯s council.¡±

    The rest of the afternoon was spent hearing out what his council had to say, and every suggestion added on to his already existing headache.

    ¡°Your majesty the elf has power beyond our own right now.. it would not be unwise to go against him and let him march on Meria, we have more to lose.¡±

    ¡°Changing a fewws here and there will not hurt your majesty, in fact it will be in our best interest to be in everyone¡¯s good graces including the humans. They are amendable work force after all.¡±

    .....

    ¡°I feel if you foster equality your majesty, not only will people fear you but respect you as well. Respect outranks fear in all aspects especially for a ruler.¡±

    ¡°I second your majesty, it may seem cowardly but we are putting the wellbeing of the entire kingdom before our own pride, that is after all the role of a king.¡±

    Elric listened carefully to all their suggestions while Theo took note of some of the important points. He noticed that all of them where focused on one part of Gareth¡¯s demands, to end tyranny, and werepletely ignoring the other, him giving up his wife.

    After everyone had a turn to speak, Elric leaned forward and thanked all of them for their contributions. ¡°You all are right, fostering peace between the races under our reign will truly be beneficial for all of us, and that part of the demand I have no problemplying with. But the other one, the one that involves my wife, none of you have said anything on that matter.¡±

    The men at the table exchanged nervous nces, they knew how overly protective king Elric was of his wife, some even said he was a little obsessed. He had once lost his temper and rendered one of the council members unconscious because of ament he made about the queen, hence to avoid any serious injury or possibly death, they had avoided the topic.

    An older councilman cleared his throat before turning to the king, ¡°your majesty on that decision we cannot have a say,¡± he exined. ¡°Queen Melissa is your wife after all, so we leave that decision in your hands, as the king we know you wille to some sort of agreement with king Gareth.¡±

    Elric sighed and then dismissed his council, telling them he would let them know of his final decision before the fourteenth days psed. They probably thought Gareth¡¯s main aim was to foster peace, please, king Elric knew that was just the mask behind his true goal, he wanted Melissa. And Elric knew that even though he agreed to ending his tyranny, Gareth would still march to Meria for Melissa. This whole peace treaty was just for show, Gareth was already willing to go to war, and not for the sake of peace.

    *

    When Melissa returned to her chambers, she found the lycan king sitting on the edge of the bed with his head bowed and his hands resting on his knees. From the his aura that was filling the room she could tell that the meeting had not gone well. Should she ask him how it went? Or should she just ignore him and go speak with Julia.

    ¡°My wife..¡±

    Melissa gasped in surprise before looking at the man, ¡°your majesty?¡±

    He tilted his head up and to Melissa¡¯s surprise there was a smile painting his face. ¡°Caught up with your family?¡±

    ¡°I did your majesty thank you.¡±

    He reached out to her and gave her a warm smile, but Melissa could tell from the stress lines on his face that he was just putting on a facade.

    ¡°Come,¡± he spoke as he reached for her, ¡°it¡¯s been a long day. Might I request a private dinner in our chambers tonight? Having work dropped on me upon arrival has tired me out.¡±

    Melissa took the man¡¯s hand a nodded. He drew her close, wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her stomach. The redhead felt ufortable with how drawn he was to her stomach but she didn¡¯t have the heart to push him away right now, he seemed genuinely stressed, but now that he was leaning into her like this, she could feel his corded muscles loosen up.

    ¡°What would you like to have for dinner?¡± Melissa asked the man who looked physically defeated. She wondered what kind of message it was he had received from Gareth that had made him so dejected, she almost felt sorry for him. ¡°I can have the maids prepare some roast duck for you.¡±

    Elric looked up at Melissa, ¡°I love roast duck.¡±

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m aware of that, I¡¯ve known you a very long time you know.¡±

    Elric smiled and buried his face back into her tummy, ¡°roast duck would be lovely, and maybe a hot bath when we¡¯re finished with dinner?¡±

    Melissa stifled a sigh, ¡°of course your majesty, I¡¯ll have Carol prepare everything as soon as possible.¡±

    *

    As Theodora walked through the hallway towards Aiden¡¯s chambers, Finwe appeared from a corner and stood on front of her. ¡°Theodora is it? I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve been well acquainted.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m in a bit of a rush.¡± The woman walked around Finwe but was stopped by a thick wall of solid air in front of her. She turned back and saw the blonde elf prince smiling at her. ¡°What is it you want?¡±

    ¡°I just want to talk that¡¯s all,¡± Finwe exined. He took two steps forward and stood over the nosferatu woman, his purplish brown eyes intensely ring at her. ¡°I know you and Aiden have other agendas other than helping my brother,¡± he whispered, ¡°and it¡¯s a shame that unlike me, he sees the good in everyone.¡±

    Theodora tried to take a step back but was blocked by the wall of air behind her.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m not saying stop doing whatever it is that you¡¯re doing,¡± Finwe continued, ¡°what I am saying is whatever you are doing better not bring harm to anyone that I care about, or else you will know the true power of a high elf, do you understand?¡±

    Theodora nodded, from the very first time she knew Finwe, she guessed that he was a very keen and rather ruthless man once you get on his bad side, so she didn¡¯t wish to have a confrontation with him all on her own like this.

    The wall that Theodora was leaning against crumbled behind her, making her stumble backwards. Finwe grabbed her hand and helped her stand up straight. ¡°Pass on the message to your little boyfriend as well, I¡¯ve got my eye on you two.¡±

    When Finwe left, Theodora made her way to Aiden¡¯s chambers and knocked, a faint e in¡¯ was heard from within after which she gently opened the door and walked in.

    Aiden was sitting in a chair in front of a firece holding a small picture of Estel in his hand. He looked up at Theodora and arched a brow at her. ¡°You knocked?¡±

    ¡°Of course I knocked, you wanted me to just barge in? What if you were indecent.¡±

    Aiden tucked away the picture in his coat before fully turning to look at Theodora. ¡°And you¡¯re fully clothed?¡±

    ¡°Winter is upon us Aiden I don¡¯t wish to catch a cold,¡± she responded curtly.

    She had to admit, Aiden had every right to be surprised of her behavior. It was all be of that stupid human Renly. She once walked in on him when she was from washing and feltpletely embarrassed, now she had grown ustomed to knocking. And because Renly had oncemented on her dressing, she now covered herself more.

    ¡®Aren¡¯t you cold?¡¯ Renly had asked her. ¡®You know, I feel you would look very attractive if you covered up a bit more. Leaving some things to the imagination can be just as alluring as walking around naked if not more.¡¯

    Tch, that stupid human.

    ¡°Is there a reason you are here at this hour?¡± Aiden asked the woman

    ¡°He told me,¡± Theodora spoke simply. She honestly couldn¡¯t believe Renly had given her Estel¡¯s location. And the reason he gave for disclosing it, it made her spine tingle. Theodora looked up at Aiden, ¡°Renly told me the location of Estel and your son.¡±

 Chapter 195

    195 Chapter 195 : You hit me..

    Aiden studied the woman standing in front of him not quite believing what she was saying.

    Theodora took several steps towards Aiden and gave him a serious look, ¡°didn¡¯t you hear what I just said Aiden? Renly gave me the location of where Estel and your son are.¡± She sat down on the bed that was opposite his chair and sighed in relief. ¡°She is being kept in a castle called Le brouird, the castle of the mist.¡±

    Aiden leaned back and listened carefully as Theodora was exining.

    ¡°Apparently this castle is powered by magic and can move from ce to ce,¡± Theodora exined, ¡°that¡¯s why you can never find it. Every time they know you¡¯re close by they move to a different location, and they have been doing this for years.¡±

    ¡°Is that so..?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and Renly also told me why they kidnapped Estel and your son,¡± Theodora continued. ¡°That attack on Ervelon all those years ago, it wasn¡¯t from without, their target was your son all along. So it turns out this ¡®master¡¯ Renly used to serve conducts vicious experiments in an attempt to create a hybrid of two different races so he can inhabit its body, but every time the experiment failed. When he caught word that an elf and a nosferatu were expecting a child, he saw that as an opportunity to find his vessel.¡±

    ¡°A vessel? Why would he need a vessel?¡± Aiden probed

    ¡°Renly mentioned that their master has aged and his body is giving out, so he needs a new one. And not just any new one, a powerful one that will allow him to subdue the other races once and for all, cing humans at the top. The great cleansing all those years ago, it was this master who was behind that too.¡±

    Aiden cupped his chin and digested the information Theodora had just given him. Could it be that finally after all these years, he finally knew where his beautiful Estel was being kept? Could it be that after so long, he could finally be reunited with his family? It¡¯s was unbelievable news! A little too unbelievable...

    .....

    ¡°Theodora...¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Theodora was a bit confused about Aiden¡¯s reaction, wasn¡¯t this the information he had been searching for all these years? She expected him to be a little more excited than this.

    ¡°How did you manage to extract this information form our little bird?¡±

    Theodora pursed her lips and averted the man¡¯s gaze, ¡°well I..¡±

    Aiden stood from his seat and made his way to where the nosferatu woman was sitting, ¡°did you torture it out of him?¡± He asked while studying the woman¡¯s face, ¡°did you snap his fingers? Or threaten to pull his tongue out? Or maybe you shattered his kneecaps?¡±

    Theodora¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°No! I did no such thing.. he.. he gave me this information freely.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that a man who was willing to die by my hand just to hold this very information, just suddenly decided to give it to you freely?¡± Aiden crouched down to her level and red into her eyes. ¡°Is he manipting you?¡±

    ¡°Never!¡±

    Aiden turned for the door, ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that...¡±

    Theodora¡¯s chest tightened, ¡°what are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°Pay our little bird a visit,¡± Aiden responded venomously.

    *

    Renlyy in his bed thinking about how his life had taken such a turn, just a few days ago his loyaltyy in the hands of the master, his whole life revolved around that man and he was willing to die for him. But now after meeting Theodora, who was ironically a nosferatu, for the first time he found new meaning to this thing called life.

    He wasn¡¯t sure of it was the long days of bondage that were making him lose his mind, but he looked forward to seeing the nosferatu woman every day. He looked forward to hearing her voice, seeing her smile and all those other mundane things that made her who she was. He found himself having the urge to keep her happy and hated when she worried or was sad, he wanted to help her forget all the horrible things that had happened to her in the past.

    Did Renly maybe care about this woman? He couldn¡¯t tell, he had never cared for anyone or anything in his life, all he knew was loyalty and a sense of duty, maybe he felt indebted to her the same way she felt indebted to prince Aiden. She did convince the prince to spare his life after all, and she had been kind to him this entire time, even though she didn¡¯t admit it.

    The door to the room Renly wasying in suddenly flew open, the locks holding it shattering and the hinges almost letting up. Renly jumped off the bed and eyed the nosferatu prince who had walked into the room.

    ¡°What is it you want?¡±

    Aiden scoffed before taking two steps forward, ¡°what do I want? You¡¯ve gotten big headed haven¡¯t you little bird? Or have you forgotten that you are my prisoner here?¡±

    ¡°I gave you the information you requested, there is nothing more I have to offer you.¡±

    Aiden shed to stand right in front of Renly and roughly grabbed his jaw, ¡°what are you getting at human? Did you manipte Theodora into giving me that load of horse shit you call information?! Are you trying to lead me around in circles for the sake of your master huh?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing no such thing,¡± Renly responded calmly, ¡°I am aware you have been through hell and back because of the humans so I understand your skepticism, but know this, the information I have given you is true.¡±

    Aiden tightened his hold on Renly¡¯s jaw, ¡°and why should believe you?!¡±

    Theodora came running in through the door and saw Aiden pinning Renly against the wall, ¡°Aiden stop! Renly has changed, he speaks the truth!¡±

    ¡°He is manipting you Theodora! He probably used his human magic on you so you turn against me!¡± Aiden roared and ced his other hand around Renly¡¯s neck, ¡°he needs to die so you can be free of his spell!¡±

    Needs to die?... Aiden wasn¡¯t going to kill Renly was he? No.. he couldn¡¯t.. she wouldn¡¯t allow him.

    When Theodora saw a trickle of blood run down Renly¡¯s neck, her eyes shed red and her nails and fangs extended. She shed towards Aiden and rammed into him, causing them both to crush into the far wall on the left.

    Renly got to his feet, mumbled a few words and healed the wound of his neck. He waved his hand in front of him to clear the debris that had lifted from the impact and saw Theodora hovering over Aiden who had a surprised look on his face.

    Her eyes were blood shot and her hair was standing on end, ¡°don¡¯t you touch him!¡± She screeched in a deafening tone.

    Aiden¡¯s look of surprise faded into a small smile. He got to his feet, dusted the dirt off his clothes and looked at Theodora with a warm smile, he had never smiled like that in almost a hundred years.

    Theodora spotted a trickle of blood running down Aiden¡¯s forehead and immediately her eyes retained their normal color. Her face was painted with dread and she floated down back to the ground. ¡°Your grace I am so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to... gods.. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    Aiden studied the woman and scoffed, never did he think he would see the day Theodora would detach herself from him, guess it took another man to make her realize what she had been feeling for Aiden wasn¡¯t love. It was a pity that man had to be a human.

    ¡°Theodora, you hit me..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Theodoramented

    ¡°You hit me..¡± Aiden took a step towards Theodora and cupped her shoulder, ¡°.. because you now what it¡¯s like to truly care for someone. Pity he is a human, but I¡¯m happy for you regardless.¡±

    Aiden made his way passed Renly for the door, but before leaving, he turned to the man and gave him a stern look. ¡°Your information better hold up little bird, or else not even Theodora¡¯s love for you will keep me from pulling your spine out your back.¡±

    *

    That night, after a calm dinner and bath with his beautiful wife, Elricy awake watching Melissa sleep. Over the few weeks she had been here, she was getting more and more beautiful it seemed. Her face was more radiant, her skin smooth, and her body curvier than it was before.

    How could a man not obsess over such a beautiful woman? How could he bare the thought of another man with her, he couldn¡¯t! As he cupped her sleepy face, Elric made the decision that he would not give her up to Gareth, he didn¡¯t care if he marched on Meria andy the whole kingdom to ruins, he would not let him have her.

    This was his wife, the love of his life, he would rather lose everything else than lose her.

 Chapter 196

    196 Chapter 196 : Are we having a baby?

    That night Elric had a dream, a dream that haunted him every night after that. He would be standing in an open meadow, simple clothes on his body, his hair untied and a beautiful red haired woman who greatly resembled Melissa would be standing a stone through away from him.

    But every time the lycan tried to reach her, there was an invisible force that would stop him, he would call to her asking her name and what she wanted, but all she did was give him a side smile and turn away.

    As many nights passed and the fourteen days time period Gareth had given Elric grew shorter, the woman¡¯s smile kept fading until finally in the eleventh day she didn¡¯t smile at him anymore.

    In the dream Elric had on the twelfth day, the woman wasn¡¯t at the meadow, and for some reason it made him panic, he looked for her everywhere and could not find her. He was getting worried, what did her disappearance mean? Was it a bad omen of the iing war with Gareth?

    After searching frantically, Elric gave up and walked slowly towards the brook the woman frequented, and this time no force stopped him from reaching. When he reached the banks he threw his gaze to the other side and saw the woman standing there. She was facing him this time, and he could clearly see her face and body, she was absolutely beautiful.

    The woman had long wavy ginger hair that fell down her shoulders and back, pointed ears like that of an elf, deep violet eyes and soft features.. Elric had never seen anyone who could outmatch his Melissa in beauty, he actually felt ashamed to admit that this woman was the most beautiful he had ever seen.

    The woman opened her mouth and began to speak but her words were inaudible. Elric called out to her, but his voice refused to be heard as well, he took a step into the brook but ended up slipping and falling into the water.

    Suprised by its depth, he shot his eyes open and saw the woman looking down at him as he drowned, who was she? And why did she haunt his dreams so? And mostly, why in the world couldn¡¯t he ever reach her!

    Elric shot his eyes open and gasped for air, he was back in his bed with his headying on Melissa¡¯s stomach. He sighed in relief before rolling onto his back, these dreams were breaking his constitution, was someone ying tricks on him and trying to get into his head? Was this the elf¡¯s doing?

    .....

    Elric slipped out of the bed carefully not wanting to wake his wife and went to clean up and get dressed. They had two more days to respond to Gareth¡¯s threats or else they should expect a war. Theo had gathered the council members in the meeting hall so that the king could give them his final say on the matter, he might as well get this over with. If it was a war that pointy eared pillock wanted, then it was a war he was going to get.

    Elric quietly made his way out of the room and walked down the hall, his head was still a little fuzzy from the recurring dreams that he was sure were now turning into nightmares. As he made his way to the meeting hall, he spotted someone standing in the hallway who made him stop in his tracks, it was the woman from his dreams, and she was standing right there and looking at him with eyes filled with disappointment.

    ¡°don¡¯t do it...¡±

    Her voice reached his ears as a mere whisper, ¡°who are you?¡± Elric asked before walking towards her. But before he could reach her, she vanished into thin air.

    ¡°Brother?¡±

    Clovis walked from behind Elric and stood in front of him, ¡°are you okay? Who are you taking to?¡±

    The silver haired king cupped his face in his hands. Now he was really sure he was losing his mind, he was starting to hear and see things.

    Clovis grabbed his brother¡¯s shoulders and gave him a concerned look, ¡°you look pale brother, if you like I can lead the meeting with the council for you. Or better yet, postpone it to ater time.¡±

    ¡°No..¡± Elric pulled himself away from Clovis¡¯ grasp and continued walking to the meeting, ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine.¡±

    Clovis sighed and followed his brother into the meeting, he had been acting a bit offtely, he was constantly zoning out and looked like he hadn¡¯t slept well in days. The thought of giving his wife up must have really been taking a tow on him.

    Within the meeting hall all his council members were already sitted, and sitting with them was his right hand Theo, and his two brothers Clovis and Jeffrey.

    ¡°Thank you all for being patient with me,¡± Elric spoke, ¡°I realize we have two days to respond to king Gareth¡¯s demands and I called you all here to assure you that I will send a response by raven at the end of this meeting.¡±

    ¡°And what will the response be?¡±

    Elric looked up at Jeffrey who had asked the question, he was about to respond when he spotted someone standing behind him with a sullen look on her face, it was the woman from his dreams.

    The king abruptly stood up and red at the woman, ¡°you again... who are you and what do you want from me?!¡±

    The council members all turned to Jeffrey who equally looked confused. Theo made his way to Elric¡¯s side and whispered in his ear, ¡°your majesty calm down,¡± he held his shoulder firmly and tried to help him take his seat, ¡°shall I postpone this meeting? You seem tired and distraught.¡±

    ¡°Leave me! If anything it¡¯s her fault!¡± Elric yelled while pointing at the woman who was staring at him with misty eyes. ¡°Who let her in here?! Where are the gaurds?! Gaurds!!¡±

    Clovis got up and held his brother¡¯s other shoulder, ¡°brother there¡¯s no one there you need to calm down.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you see her?! She¡¯s right there! Let me go Clovis I am your king!¡±

    Theo tightened his hold on Elric¡¯s right hand while Clovis held his left, together they managed to pull the king out of the meeting into the hallway.

    ¡°Elric will you calm down! You¡¯re making aplete fool of yourself in there!¡±

    ¡°You all are the fools!¡± Elric yelled and pushed Theo and Clovis back, ¡°I know what this is, that elf is trying to y with my mind, well it won¡¯t work!¡±

    ¡°Brother wait!¡± But Clovis¡¯ call fell on deaf ears, Elric was already storming towards his chambers.

    ¡°Shall I go after him?¡± Theo suggested.

    ¡°Please,¡± Clovis responded, ¡°I will calm the situation in the meeting.¡±

    *

    Elric rushed down the hallway feelingpletely out of it, this had to be some sort of sorcery, nothing else, and no one could be responsible for it but that elven king, he was the only one who could benefit from Elric losing his mind like this.

    As the king practically ran towards his chambers he bumped into Carol who was leaving his room. The woman fell backwards and the contents of the jar she was carrying spilled onto the stone floor.

    ¡°Blood?...¡± Elric¡¯s already erratic mind became even worse after seeing the blood on the floor. He picked up the woman by the neck and pulled her to his line of view, ¡°what were you doing to my wife?! Why are you carrying around a jar of blood?! Are you trying to poison her?!¡±

    ¡°No your majesty I would never..¡± Carol whimpered as she desperately tried to pull the man¡¯s hands away, ¡°she needs this your majesty.¡±

    ¡°Lies! She¡¯s never needed this much before! What is your n before I rip your head off your shoulders?!¡±

    ¡°She... she needs more now because her highness is pregnant!¡± Carol yelled

    Elric¡¯s eyes went wide and released the woman who fell onto the floor. ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    Carol grabbed her sore neck and coughed several times before she looked up at the king.

    ¡°I asked you a question!¡± Elric roared, ¡°what did you say?!¡±

    ¡°Queen Melissa is with child your majesty,¡± Carol repeated herself, ¡°that is why she needs to feed more than usual. I was not trying to poison her, I would never!¡±

    Without giving the maid covered in spilled blood a second nce, Elric threw the doors of his chambers open and found Melissa sitting on a chair by the window reading a book.

    She looked at the man with her big beautiful blue eyes and put her book aside, ¡°your majesty you have returned early, is your meeting over?¡±

    Elric made his to Melissa and stopped a few steps away from her, ¡°my wife, is it true?¡±

    Melissa arched a brow at the man, ¡°is what true?¡±

    Elric moved closer to Melissa, got down on his knees and took her hands in his ¡°Are we having a baby?¡±

 Chapter 197

    197 Chapter 197 : Defective child

    Melissa heartbeat slowed down drastically until she could barely hear it beat. Elric panicked as he watched his wife¡¯s beautiful face pale.

    ¡°Lissa?... Lissa?!¡± As he body went limp ans swayed to the side he caught her and carried her in him arms. She had fainted, but why? Was it the pregnancy? Had she not fed enough? Now that the lycan knew she was pregnant his mind went into a panic. ¡°Carol! Where is the maid?!¡±

    In a sh a mist, Marceline appeared in the room and gasped upon seeing Elric carrying her unconscious daughter. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I do not know, maybe she needs to feed,¡± the silver haired king exined panickingly, ¡°please help me, I don¡¯t want anything to happen to her or my child!¡±

    Marceline paused for a brief moment as her mind digested what the king had just said, did he just say his child? Oh no, had he found out the pregnancy and thought it was his?! This was bad, this was very bad.

    ¡°Lay her down on the bed,¡± Marceline ordered Elric, ¡°hurry!¡±

    Elric gentlyy his wife on their bed ans stepped back, he watched fearfully as Marceline unbuttoned the blouse of her dress and exposed her chest. She chanted a few words as she drew a circle between her breast and on her forehead, after which Elric saw what looked like shes of lightening appear. It didn¡¯t long after that for Melissa¡¯s chest to begin raising and falling gently once again. She was breathing again even though her eyes remained closed.

    Marceline took a step back and covered her daughter with a nket, ¡°She will be alright, she seemed to have experienced some shock, ¡°what happened?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Elric muttered, ¡°we were just talking, I asked her about the baby and she just-¡±

    .....

    ¡°I see..¡±

    The look on Marceline¡¯s face made the lycan knit his brows, ¡°did you know? About the baby?¡±

    Marceline threw her head back, this was a veryplicated situation indeed, just from the look on his face Marceline could tell that Elric was already on edge, he had been looking this way for a while now, telling him she knew about the pregnancy and that it wasn¡¯t his would be the trigger he needed to finally snap.

    ¡°I¡¯ve know about it for a few days now,¡± Marceline lied.

    ¡°But why didn¡¯t she tell me about this, surely I should be aware of such a development..¡± Elric held Melissa¡¯s hand in his and sighed. A smile then painted his face making Marceline worry even more, ¡°it¡¯s alright, she must have noticed how stressed I was and was afraid of how I would react to the new.¡± He ced a kiss on her knuckles and leaned into her hand, ¡°she¡¯s always been an overthinker, my Lissa.¡±

    Marceline looked away and sighed, what in the world was taking the elf so long to get here? This was turning into a real mess rather quickly. For now, she supposed, she would let the lycan think the child is his, just a few more days and Gareth woulde for her.

    About a week or two back, Melissa¡¯s family was surprised to be served with the news that they were being allowed to leave and return to their homes, their first reaction of course was pure suspicion, what had changed his mind? Did he have some hidden agendas to follow through in their absence?

    But Melissa had assured them that it was her idea, she had convinced Elric to let them leave. Hesitantly, her family traveled back to their homes, John and Emma returned to Greenhill, Bahram to his wife in Guria and William to his beautiful rrysa. But of course, they couldn¡¯t just leave Melissa in Elric¡¯s hands just like that, so Marceline offered to stay behind under the pretense of wanting to bond more with her daughter, while the twins Jonathan and Alexander voyaged to Gavaria to meet with Gareth and help him in whatever way they could to take Melissa away from Elric once and for all.

    *

    Deep In the uncharted forested of the kindom Cenia, within the castle of mist up in a tower, Estel was sitting by the small window looking outside. The beautiful colors of spring had been reced by shades of brown ans grey, trees were shedding and the wind grew colder with each passing day. Another winter was apon them, another winter alone with her son, with Aiden nowhere to be seen. How many winters had passed since shest heard his voice, too many to count that¡¯s how many.

    ¡°Mother..¡±

    Estel turned around and pursed her lips as she tried hard to withhold the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes. Why did her son have to resemble him so? If it wasn¡¯t for her sweet baby boy Damien, she would have long forgotten what Aiden looked or sounded like.

    ¡°You are brooding over him again,¡±

    Damien spoke as he sat down on a chair next to his mother, ¡°I don¡¯t want you thinking about him anymore, I will save us, when the opportunity presents itself, I will get us out of here.¡±

    Estel could only smile at her son, what could she say? She still had a glimmer of hope that Aiden would stille for them, but Damien would not have it, he was hellbent on the idea that his father had abandoned them and honestly she was starting to believe him.

    ¡°Take heart mother, no need to be sad.¡±

    Juat then Estel quickly rose to her feet and threw her gaze at the door, ¡°someone ising, grab a vial from under the pillow, hurry!¡±

    It had been quite a while since one of the mages came up to the tower to check up on Estel, she sensed that something must have happened that was keeping them upied. She had vaguely heard some of the talkin of one of their own who had gone missing but she didn¡¯t hear much after that.

    Damien grabbed a vial and ced it to his lips. He drunk the potion, but only half of it, and hit himself under the covers. His form shrunk but because he didn¡¯t finish the potion his mind remained the same. He didn¡¯t want to bepletely suppressed by the potion, not today. If an opportunity to escape wasn¡¯t going to present itself, Damien was going to take it.

    The door flew open and Damien heard a pair of heavy footsteps enter the room, there was only one mage who was so big in build as to have such heavy feet, it was Kazan.

    ¡°Have you been fed?!¡± Kazan growled at Estel who nodded in agreement. The mages¡¯ eyes then trailed to the bed where Damieny, ¡°and the boy? How is he doing?!¡±

    Kazan seemed to be a little more irritable that usual, there was definitely something going on out there that was triggering all this tension.

    ¡°He is doing better,¡± Estel responded tly.

    Kazan grabbed the blonde elven woman by the wrist and pulled her close to him, ¡°better isn¡¯t good enough! What the hell is wrong with that defective child of yours?! All these years and he is just doing better?!¡±

    Damien frowned within the covers, it always infuriated him when Kazan got this way with his mother, and now that he was fully in his right mind, it angered him even more.

    The mage wrapped an arm around Estel¡¯s waist and with a firm grip pressed her body onto his, ¡°he needs to be better than better..¡±

    ¡°I told you he is a new kind of species, I can¡¯t know how his development will be..¡± Estel squirmed in the man¡¯s arms, ¡°now let me go!¡±

    The man drew his face closer to Estel and smiled menacingly, ¡°maybe you just need to make a new hybrid...¡± the way in the tone of his vice changed made Damien bite down on his lip in fury, what the hell was this man insinuating?!

    ¡°How about a half human half elf hybrid, I¡¯m sure the master would be pleased with that as well,¡± Kazan trailed his hand to Estel¡¯s cor. ¡°I can help you with that Princess.¡±

    ¡°No! Leave me alone Kazan I¡¯m warning you!¡± She tried to pry herself away but the mage managed to pin her again her against the wall as he chuckled snarkily.

    ¡°Or what Princess?¡± He challenged Estel, ¡°you and your little brat have been living here free od charge just eating and shitting and giving nothing back!¡± He licked Estel¡¯s neck making her whimper, ¡°it¡¯s high time you do something in return.¡±

    When Damien heard the sound of his mother¡¯s dress ripping, he could hold himself any longer. Kazan threw his gaze at the bed where a dark mist like substance was forming.

    ¡°What in the bloody-¡±

    The mage did not even get the chance to finish his statement, before he new it, some shadow like figure zipped towards him and rammed into his stomach. Kazan gripped his stomach coughed violently, traces of blood sttered from his mouth as he gazed up at who had attacked him.

    In front of him stood a demon, a being from hell with one ck wing and devilishly glowing purple eyes. ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the defective child...¡±

 Chapter 198

    198 Chapter 198 : Run

    Kazan¡¯s eyes widened in both fear and shock after he took a good look at his attacker. Those elven ears, those nosferatu teeth and wing, this was the child Estel had been iming wasn¡¯t growing, this was Damien.

    The mage threw his gaze to Estel and gnashed his teeth, ¡°you deceitful little-¡± Kazan was about to zap the woman with his magic when Damien smacked him with wing and sent him flying through the door that broke on impact.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch my mother you peice of human filth!¡± Damien roared and made his way out the shattered door towards the mage who had tumbled down a few stairs.

    Kazan hissed in pain after his fall, he gripped his stomach and groaned as he pulled himself off the floor, but before he could get a good bnce a kicknded right in his jaw and sent him plummeting to the bottom stairs. Blood oozed from Kazan¡¯s mouth and he could feel his vision blurring out, this man was very strong, too strong, if he didn¡¯t get out of there quick he would probably die.

    Damien hovered towards the and grabbed him by the throat, he lifted him up towards his face and red at him angrily. Kazan began to swing his legs wildly and chocked, Damien was using his magic to draw out the air from the mage¡¯s very lungs. So this was the power of a high elf.

    Damien had nothing but rage flowing through his veins, he had endured enough from these humans and today he would finally rid himself of them. He could feel thest whisp of breath leaving Kazan¡¯s body when his mother¡¯s voice reached his ears.

    ¡°Damien stop!¡±

    Damien looked back at his mother, ans those few seconds he was distracted were enough for Kazan to cast a teleportion spell out of the man¡¯s grip.

    ¡°No!¡± Damien roared:

    .....

    But the only response he got back was the echoing of Kazan¡¯s voice. ¡®You should have killed me when you had the chance boy...¡±

    Almost immediately Damien knew trouble was brewing, he turned to his mother and grabbed her by the hand. ¡°We need to go, now!¡±

    He rushed back to the room, grabbed a cloak for his mother and him and rusheshed back out. ¡°Come!¡± He spoke after securing the cloak around his mother.

    Estel was in a panic, Damien was being reckless, they were just the two of them, how were they going to take on god knows how many mages were out there. ¡°Damien wait!¡±

    ¡°Theres no time to waste mother! We have beenpromised!¡± He pulled her into his arms and carried her, ¡°it¡¯s do or die now, and I¡¯m not letting you die!¡± He floated off the ground and dove down the spiral of stairs. His hopes hinged on the slim chance that Kazan had not called for his friend yet and they could find the exit before they run into anyone.

    When they reached the bottom of the stairs the dark hall was empty, Damien whipped his head from left to right wondering which way was the exit. His ears perked up when he heard some voicesing from one end and decided the other way was his only choice.

    Damien glided though the hallway, his mother rightly held in his arms. All he needed to do was find an exit, any exit at all, but the long dark hallway had no windows whatsoever, if it wasn¡¯t for Damien¡¯s nocturnal eyes he wouldn¡¯t be able to see a thing.

    ¡°This way!¡±

    ¡°I heard a noise down the hall! Don¡¯t let them escape!¡±

    Damien was growing tense as he glided theough the hallway. And to his dismay he reached she end of the hall and growled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will get us out of here.¡± He turned to his side and saw some stairs that were descending and there was some sort of light and the end of it and it seemed Damien had no choice.

    He raced down the dark steps towards the light and emerged into arge room with a number of vials, potion bottles filled with different liquids, roots, soaked seeds and disembodied parts of small animal.

    The door behind Damien closed shut making him turn back.

    ¡°So it is true,¡± a voice rasped behind him.

    Damien tightened his hold on his mother ans turned to face whoever was speaking. He came face to face with a frail old man draped in a ck robe and supported himself with a cane.

    ¡°I have Waite for many many years for you Damien, and now you¡¯re here...¡± The man took a step forward and by instinct, he threw a gust of wind towards the old man who deflected it without even raising a fingers

    ¡°Bind him..¡± the man instructed.

    Upon hearing those words, Estel pulled herself out of her sons arms and used her magic to create a veil around them.

    A Group of men in hooded cloaks gathered around Estel and Damien, formed a circled and started chanting in a strange unknownnguage. Estel kept the veil up and kept ncing at the mages who were chanting around them, she had to be ready for anything, any attack they would throw at them her magic veil would deflect it. But for some reason, they all stood in ce and kept chanting.

    Estel began to panic when she noticed her son behind her had be awfully quiet. ¡°Damien?¡± She turned around and found the Damien¡¯s eyed had turnedpletely ck ans his entire body had gone tense. She rushed to him and cupped his face, ¡°Damien! What¡¯s happening?!¡±

    She looked back and noticed that the old man¡¯s eyes had also darkened and this made her panic even more. ¡°No! No stop!¡± She shook her son in an attempt to snap him out of it, ¡°Damien! No!¡±

    Estel could see that her son was trying to fight it from the flickering of color in his eyes. His eyes kept shing from purple to ck, ans his muscles were cording. With all the self control he could master, Damien mumbled a few words to his mother. ¡°Run...¡±

    ¡°What?! Damien no I¡¯m not leaving you-¡±

    He grabbed his mother with one hand and pointed at the wall on his right, ¡°mother... run¡± arge beam of bright light shed from Damien¡¯s hand, it obliterated the men who were in the direction he was pointing and crumbled the wall behind them. The outside was exposed and with a scary amount of strength, Damien threw Estel out of the hole on the wall and yelled, ¡°run!¡±

    *

    Back in Gavaria, Theodora was standing nervously outside Renly¡¯s door. She had avoided seeing Renly ever since the incident with Aiden, her actions that day had proved that she most definitely felt something for the man, but did he feel something for her as well? She hadn¡¯t stuck around long enough that day to find out.

    ¡°Theodora?..¡±

    The woman jumped back and awoke from her reverie. Renly was standing at the door looking at her curiosly. ¡°You have been standing there for a few minutes now, is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°I was just umm, well...¡± she had no excuse to give, why exactly was she here? She would have lied and said she was bringing him food or something, but now Renly was no longer a prisoner, in fact, Aiden treated him a little like an ally. So unlike bringing food to him, Aiden would call Renly to his chambers privately while discussing Estel.

    Renly grabbed Theodora¡¯s hand and pulled her into the room. She rammed her face into his chest and heard the door close behind her. For some reason her heart started drumming.¡±

    ¡°Renly...¡±

    ¡°What happened to ¡®little bird¡¯?¡± He teased the woman in his arms.

    Theodora pushed him away and red at him, her gesture indicated that she was upset and frustrated but the blush on her face said something else. ¡°Stop it okay, all this is confusing to me.¡±

    Renly took a step forward and studied the nosferatu woman, ¡°what¡¯s confusing?¡±

    ¡°All these feelings, they¡¯re confusing..¡±

    Renly took another step closer, ¡°what feelings?¡±

    Theodora looked up at him thinking he was merely teasing her but his expression was genuinely curious. She had forgotten that Renly was just like her, neve knowing love or affection, so what she was saying must sound like gibberish to him.

    ¡°The...ones that I have for you,¡± she mumbled under her breath.

    Renly moved closer and now he was mere inches away from her. ¡°What feelings do you have exactly? Do I make you angry?¡±

    ¡°What no.. I mean sometimes, but that¡¯s not it.¡±

    ¡°Do I worry you then?¡± Renly asked again.

    ¡°Sometimes, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me, describe what you are feeling,¡± he encouraged the woman.

    ¡°Well I...¡± gods was she really doing this? But maybe if she spoke her feelings out it may help her navigate them as well. ¡°I care about you obviously, and I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt. I also like it when you are happy or when you smile, and sometimes I get embarrassed if I see you shirtless.¡± She looked up at Renly who was listening to her every word carefully. ¡°I also feel safe around you, in more ways than one, but I also want to protect you. You make me so happy, but also so upset it¡¯s confusing.... do you maybe have any idea why I feel this way?¡±

    Renly cupped Theodora¡¯s face in her hands and gazed longingly into her beautiful eyes, ¡°I do not, I¡¯ve never felt those things for anyone befor.¡±

    Theodora felt a little hurt at his words.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never felt that way until now..¡± he pulled her in and crushed his lips on hers. Never had he done something like this before, but something within him just told him to do it, so he kissed her.

 Chapter 199

    199 Chapter 199 : Escape

    Gareth was looking out of his study window when the door opened and his brother walked in. ¡°Any word from the lycan?¡±

    ¡°Nothing yet,¡± Finwe responded before pulling a chair out for himself and sitting down. ¡°And tomorrow is hisst day, maybe he thinks we are bluffing.¡±

    ¡°Or he would rather go to war than give Melissa up, his obsession with her really knows no bounds does it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I agree with him,¡± Finwe mumbled, ¡°but I definitely do understand where he ising from. Who would want a woman like that to slip right through their fingers?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Nothing brother, he is definitely obsessed,¡± Finwe chuckled. ¡°Anyway, I did note here to discuss my dear sister inw.¡±

    Gareth turned around and walked to where his brother was sitting, ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Aiden and Theodora, they¡¯re up to something,¡± Finwe responded, ¡°they have a hidden agenda other than helping you with your cause, I don¡¯t trust them.¡±

    ¡°Do you think they pose a threat of any sort?¡±

    .....

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them do anything per say,¡± Finwe admitted and sighed, ¡°but I can just feel it, you don¡¯t find it suspicious how they just showed up from nowhere to help? And now all of a sudden they have an army under their control and this human they im is an ally?!¡±

    ¡°When they brought Renly into the picture I do admit it made me a little uneasy,¡± the elf king admitted, ¡°but until he proves a threat it would be wise not to have any animosity amongst ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Finwe relented, ¡°I mean you are the king after all, I respect your decision but I still don¡¯t trust them.¡±

    ¡°Please tell Zander to prepare our men in the meantime,¡± Gareth spoke as he walked out of the library, ¡°if we don¡¯t hear from Elric tomorrow, we depart for Meria the following day.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty,¡± Finwe spoke with a taunting bow.

    ¡°You do realize I¡¯m your king Finwe...¡±

    The blonde elf wiggled his finger, ¡°uh uh, you¡¯re the king of Gavaria not the king of Ervelon.¡±

    Gareth scoffed at his brother.

    ¡°Besides, you¡¯re my brother first!...¡± Finwe yelled as he exited the room. ¡°Your reign as king takes a back seat to me!¡±

    *

    The Meria council sat at the table watching Clovis pace back and forth in front of them.

    ¡°Are we sure the king is in the right frame of mind to address the meeting?¡± One of the council members spoke, ¡°we only have a day in till the fourteen days pse.¡±

    ¡°And thest time his majesty adressed us,¡± another council member spoke, ¡°he seemed a tad stressed.¡±

    ¡°I can assure you I¡¯m more than fine.¡± Elric walked into the meeting hall and all the men stood up to we their king. ¡°Be seated please.¡±

    The men settled back down, and Elric sat in front of them. ¡°First I would like to apologize for the interruption yesterday, I was a bit overwhelmed.¡± He nced at the corner and saw the woman from his dreams watching him, but he had been seeing her a lot now and had just decided to ignore whoever she was. Elric concluded that it was probably Gareth who was trying to toy with his mind. ¡°I have decide on the matter at hand.¡±

    Everyone at the table sat quietly and waited eagerly for what the king¡¯s decision was, obviously he would not vouch for war, no sane ruler would put his entire kingdom in peril.

    Elric drew in a breath before speaking, ¡°I have decided not to give into Gareth¡¯s demands. I will end tyranny of course, foster peace and all of that nonsense. But my wife stays with me.¡±

    Gasps and sighs of shock filled the room. Jeffrey rose from his seat and red at his brother.

    ¡°That¡¯s absurd, you¡¯re going to bring war to our doorstep because of a woman?¡± Jeffrey yelled.

    ¡°That woman dear brother, is my wife and your queen!¡±

    ¡°You can get another wife!¡± Jeffrey spat back, ¡°all the beautiful women in Meria you¡¯re telling me you can¡¯t just pick another one and make her your bloody queen?!¡±

    Elric rose to his feet and mmed his palms on the table, ¡°she is carrying the heir to this throne!¡±

    Everyone at the table went quiet and turned to king Elric not believing what he had just said.

    Clovis leaned towards his brother and whispered into his ear, ¡°brother are you sure of what you¡¯re saying? This kind of information can change everything.¡±

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m saying Clovis, do you doubt my word?¡± Elric sat back down, ¡°my wife is carrying the heir to this throne, if you do not consider the child she carries royalty and unworthy of the kingdom¡¯s protection then I will give Melissa to Gareth. But if otherwise, I¡¯m sure you know it is imparetuve she stays here with me and is kept safe.¡±

    Clovis stood up straight and looked at the council members who had the same look of surprise as he. He cleared his throat before speaking, ¡°well, due to the most recent developments, we have to prepare for a possible war gentlemen. Dismissed.¡±

    *

    Melissa had spent the entire day in bed, she couldn¡¯t find the morale nor the strength to leave after what had happened with Elric. This was exactly what she had been avoiding this whole time, what was she supposed to do now now that Elric thought the child she was carrying was his?

    Marceline opened the door and walked into the room with a tray of food in hand. She settled it down on the table and pulled a chair next her daughter¡¯s bed.

    ¡°honey, you need to eat something,¡± she grabbed the bowl of stew and some bread, ¡°if not for me or you, at least do it for the baby. Imagine how devastated Gareth would be if he found out you¡¯re starving both you and his daughter.¡±

    Melissa looked up at Marceline with surprised eyes, ¡°daughter? How can you-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Marceline responded and handed the food to her daughter, ¡°I can just feel it somehow. She¡¯s going to be so beautiful by the way, she¡¯s going to look a lot like you.¡±

    The nosferatu epted the bread and took a bite. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do mother, this entire thing is a mess.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t stress yourself, stress isn¡¯t good for the baby,¡± Marceline spoke sweetly, ¡°I can assure you he wille for you soon enough. For the meantime let Elric think what he wants for the safety of the child, we don¡¯t know how he would react if he found out the truth.¡±

    ¡°I know that, I¡¯m just anxious,¡± Melissa responded, ¡°what if he doesn¡¯te soon enough?¡±

    Marceline dug into her pocket and pulled out a small scroll, ¡°it¡¯s from Alexander and Jonathan, they¡¯ve arrived in the Gavarian capital yesterday and confirmed that Gareth is going to march to Meria in a few days.¡±

    Melissa grabbed the parchment and glossed over it, ¡°march to Meria? But how? Gareth doesn¡¯t have an army.¡±

    ¡°He was crowned king of Gavaria not too long ago,¡± Marceline pointed out, ¡°and as we speak he has control of thergest army in the whole continent of Ronia Cresus.¡± Marceline cupped her daughter¡¯s cheek, ¡°he wille for you. Now eat.¡±

    *

    Estel run though the forest as fast as her legs could carry her. Tears flowed from her eyes, her clothes were torn and her feet were sore from running through the rocky and woodsy terrain.

    Her lungs were burning and the bruises on her palms and knees stung from her many falls. She could hear the distant voices of the mages who were pursing her, she had wanted so many times to stop and turn back for her baby boy Damien but there was no way she could take all those mages all on her own. Her only choice now was to reach a vige or town where she could ask for help or directions, she needed to find Aiden.

    Estel tripped and tumbled down a slope, a tree broke her fall and she groaned in pain. Her ears perked up when she heard the yelling of the mages getting closer and closer to her. She was in too much pain to continue running, she had to hide and wait for them to pass.

    With the little strength she had left, she pulled herself up and limped to a nearby rock. She leaned against it and with the wave of her hand drew stems and roots from the ground that crisscrossed around her into a mesh. Green leaves and moss covered the mesh and blended her into the environment.

    Estel slowed her breathing and closed her eyes as the mages ran passed her frantically. She sat still and prayed they wouldn¡¯t see through her makeshift shield.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her escape!¡±

    ¡°She went this way!¡±

    ¡°Hurry!¡±

    When the voices and foot steps quieted down, she fell against the rock and sighed in relief. She would just spend a few minutes here and rest before continuing her search for a town where she could get help.

    ¡°Oh Addie... where are you?¡± She mumbled to herself, ¡°I need you, our son needs you.¡±

 Chapter 200

    200 Chapter 200 : Wolfden

    Gareth sat quietly in his chambers thinking about Melissa. His mind was filled with all his memories of her from his past lives. He had loved her through countless lifetimes, sought her out through countless lifetimes and lost her through countless lifetimes. But now he would make sure that would not happen again, this time he would keep her safe and sound by his side for as long as he lived. They had a baby on the way now, he had no time or room topromise with anyone.

    The dark haired king looked up at his door when he heard a knock. ¡°Come in.¡± Was that a report from Meria maybe? Had Elric finally realized that war was pointless and would surrender Melissa peacefully? Because in all honesty, Gareth preferred he not go to war with Meria, there would be unnecessary bloodshed.

    All these wars and battles that were happening reminded Gareth of the wizard Ronald¡¯s prophecy all those years ago, it had not been quite urate but he was right about a war between two kindoms

    The door to Gareth¡¯s chambers opened and an unlikely visitor walked into the room and bowed respectfully. ¡°Little brother inw..¡± Aiden straightened his stance and smiled at Gareth, ¡°or do you prefer ¡®your majesty¡¯?¡±

    There was something about Aiden¡¯s demeanor that had shifted over the past few days, he seemed a lot less dead inside. ¡°Aiden, what a surprise.¡± Gareth stood up and offered the man a chair before sitting next to him. ¡°What brings you here so early this morning?¡±

    ¡°I am told you are marching for Meria on the morrow?¡±

    ¡°It is not yet confirmed,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°Elric still has today to make up his mind. Why do you ask? Are you not going to march with me?¡±

    ¡°I did say I would help you in your cause so I will march with you. I do want to see my sister, but also there is something you should know.¡±

    Gareth arched his brow at the nosferatu prince. Was what Renly said true after all? Did Aiden have a hidden agenda for helping him all this time? ¡°And what is that exactly?¡±

    .....

    ¡°I did have a motive for helping you Gareth, I¡¯m in need of your assistance.¡±

    The elven king leaned forward and listened carefully, ¡°go on..¡±

    ¡°I need assistance with finding the woman that I love as well,¡± Aiden spoke earnestly, ¡°I cannot do it without you.¡±

    Aiden had decided it would benefit him if he told Gareth that his main goal was Estel. After spending some time with the man, he realized he had a good heart just like his sister, it may not be necessary to trick Gareth into helping him, and it would not be wise to make an enemy of him. So he decided to do the noble thing and ask for his help.

    Gareth scoffed and leaned back on his chair, ¡°I was wondering when you woulde forward and ask.¡±

    Aiden knitted his brows, ¡°you knew?¡±

    ¡°I had my suspicions,¡± Gareth replied, ¡°when you told me about Estel on our journey here, I could tell that you missed her dearly, so I wondered why you instead were out looking for your sister, when you could be searching for Estel, it just didn¡¯t make sense to me.¡±

    Aiden smiled sheepishly, ¡°you really are wise beyond your years aren¡¯t you dear brother inw?¡±

    ¡°Now tell me, what¡¯s the real reason you wanted to meet Melissa?¡± The tone in Gareth¡¯s voice was now serious, he always got this way when he was talking about Melissa, he was quite protective of her. ¡°How does she fit into your n to find Estel.¡±

    Aiden mped his hands together and thought of how to string his words so as to not rm Gareth, but Aiden could tell from his expression that he was already unnerved.

    ¡°Her power,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°I needed her strength and power to go against the mages holding Estel and my son captive.¡±

    Son? Had Aiden mentioned a son thest time they had spoken? And what did he mean exactly when he said he needed Melissa¡¯s power? ¡°That sounds to me like she will be put in harms way.. so I should let you know that I cannot allow you to do that.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Melissa is-¡±

    ¡°Melissa is with child Aiden,¡± Gareth interrupted him, ¡°you have a son you should understand. I¡¯m not letting you put my family in danger. I will offer you men, as many as you want to help you get Estel back, she¡¯s my sister and I care for her as well.¡± Gareth rose to his feet and walked to the door that he opened for Aiden, ¡°but I will not let you put Melissa in danger.¡±

    *

    Estel walked slowly up a hilly slope and held onto a branch of a tree in front of her. She had managed to lose the mages overnight and continued her walk though the forest at the break of dawn. She sighed in relief when she saw some houses and huts down the slope. finally, civilization.

    Even though hungry, tired and badly bruised, Estel hurried her way down the slope into the small town. She didn¡¯t even know which kingdom she was in so she had to be careful with how she moved. It could be a town of humans and if she wasn¡¯t careful she would be captured.

    But as Estel inched closer to the town she noticed that it was filled with beings of all races living harmoniously together. This was very strange, had it been so long since she was locked up? Had peace among the races been restored once again.

    The elven Princess walked slowly through the town, she spotted a woman drawing water from a well and rushed to her. ¡°Excuse me ma¡¯am?¡±

    The woman turned around and gasped at the sight of Estel, she looked absolutely haggered, ¡°you poor thing what in the world happened to you? Are you lost?¡± The woman was also an elf which made Estel feel a bit calmer.

    ¡°Actually I am, what kingdom is this?¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes were filled with pity, maybe she was one of the unlucky ones who had been taken as ves and had escaped somehow. ¡°You¡¯re in Cenia dearie, this is the wolfden shire.¡±

    ¡°Oh I see...¡± . Cenia was very far from the enchanted forest, so the odds of finding Aiden here were close to none.

    ¡°Do you need some help?¡± The woman questioned Estel, ¡°where are you originally from? Maybe I can point you to the right direction.¡±

    ¡°Ie from very far, but I am looking for someone, my husband, I don¡¯t know where I can find him.¡±

    ¡°What is your husband¡¯s name? You¡¯ll never know maybe I have knowledge of him. It is a small world after all.¡± The woman gently rubbed Estel¡¯s back and smiled at her.

    ¡°Thank you so much but hees from very far as well, I don¡¯t think he can be here. His name is Aiden and I need to find him.¡±

    The elderly woman looked at Estel in shock.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Estel asked, ¡°do you know Aiden?¡±

    The woman grabbed Estel¡¯s wrist and pulled her through the town and into a small house whose doors the woman locked. She then turned to Estel and studied her, ¡°this Aiden you speak of, he is a nosferatu is he not?¡±

    Estel¡¯s purple eyes lit up, what are the odds that this woman knew her Addie?! ¡°Yes! Yes he is, he has ginger hair, blue eyes..¡±

    ¡°Tall and always brooding?¡± The woman asked.

    Always brooding? The Aiden Estel remembered was always bright and happy, had something changed over the years?

    ¡°The man you speak of is the one who brought peace back to Cenia,¡± the woman exined, ¡°he single handedly dethroned the tyrant king who ill treated us and brought equality.¡±

    Estel felt her heart tter with pride.

    ¡°But unfortunately you missed him, he traveled northeast to Gavaria,¡± the woman exined, ¡°probably to end the mistreatment happening there as well.¡±

    Estel sighed in defeat, by some miracle she had found a trail that would lead her to Aiden but how long would it take her to reach Gavaria? She needed him now, their son was in danger and possibly the rest of the continent.

    ¡°You look distressed dearie,¡± the woman spoke as she helped Estel into a chair, ¡°let me get you some food and some clean clothes before you decide to be on your way to Gavaria. I¡¯m sure my daughter left some of her old dresses here somewhere, she too went off and got married in Gavaria.¡±

    ¡°It will take me weeks to get there,¡± Estel sighed, ¡°and I need to get to Aiden now.¡±

    The elderly woman ced a te of some bread, meat and cheese on a small table in front of Estel and sat down beside her. ¡°Weeks? Oh no, it will take you only a few minutes if you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    Estel looked up at the woman confused, ¡°how is that possible?¡±

    ¡°There are elves in the market square who can open portals all over the continent for you,¡± the woman exined, ¡°each elf has a special magical ability and those have ability of teleportation. Traveling has be a lot easier with them around.¡±

    The woman slid the te of food closer to Estel and smiled warmly at her, ¡°after you eat and have a nice bath, I will take you to one of the elves I know.¡±

    Estel almost chocked up in tears, was all this truly happening? After years of being stuck in that castle, had her luck finally changed. If what this woman was saying was urate, she would be reunited with Aiden in a matter of hours.

 Chapter 201

    201 Chapter 201 : Marked

    ¡°They have the advantage of number,¡± Elric exined, ¡°but we have the element of surprise.¡±

    The lycan king had already dispatched some of his most skilled warriors enroute Gavaria, even though he was constantly being haunted by the beautiful red headed woman from his dreams, Elric had somehow kept his constitution and proved yet again why he was a king unlike any other. He instructed his soldiers to split into two groups, moving off trail on each side so they could ambush the Gavarian army as they approached. Warfare unlike what many thought, was not always about number, but about tactic, and king Elric was chuck full of it.

    ¡°Our target is the stronghold of his army,¡± Elric exined as he moved the pawns he was using to demonstrate his strategy across the table. ¡°It will most likely be at the center of the army protecting the elf king. Once the stronghold falls and the elf captured, this war is as good as ours.¡±

    Everyone at the table could only watch in awe as the king spoke, even if he had been acting a bit nutty over the past few days, they could definitely see that he was born to rule and conquer.

    Elric stood up straight and nced at his men, ¡°any questions?¡±

    They all shook their heads in unison. Who could have had a question after such an borate and well thought out n? This man was a warlord.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Elric turned to his brothers Clovis and Jeffrey, ¡°the two of you will ride with me to join our men in a few hours, get ready, we leave with the royal gaurd.¡±

    Jeffrey and Clovis bowed respectively, ¡°yes your majesty.¡±

    ¡°The rest of you may leave,¡± Elric instructed the rest of his council members. ¡°And I do hope arrangements have been made for all the possible oues of this war.¡±

    .....

    ¡°They have your majesty,¡± Theo responded with a bow.

    Clovis turned to his brother feeling a little left behind. ¡°Arrangements.. what arrangements?¡±

    ¡°Well I suppose it is only right for you to be made aware.¡± Elric ced a hand on Theo¡¯s shoulder, ¡°My right hand will remain here and run the kingdom¡¯s affairs while I¡¯m gone, if I return we will continue as per usual.¡± He then shifted his hand from Theo¡¯s shoulder to Clovis¡¯. ¡°But if by any chance I do not make it back, as the eldest brother Clovis, you will take the throne.¡±

    *

    Julia paced the room nervously while biting on her nails. Why was the meeting taking so long? She was worried sick about Clovis, why did he have to ride off to war as well? He was a governor not a knight or a soldier.

    When the door of the room flew open she rushed to the man who had walked in and wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re not going. Please Clovis.. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±

    The man gently pulled away and cupped Julia¡¯s face in his hands, ¡°it is my duty Julia, I can¡¯t remain.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    The silver haired prince ced a gentle kiss on Julia¡¯s forehead before pulling her into his embrace. ¡°I won¡¯t get hurt I promise you. I may not look it, but I was knighted before I took up my role as governor, I¡¯m sure I can handle a sword very well on the battlefield.¡±

    Julia held on to his shirt and closed her eyes tightly shut to keep her tears from rolling down her cheeks. ¡°When do you leave?¡±

    ¡°In a few hours,¡± Clovis responded and tightened his embrace on the woman. He could feel her body trembling and his lycan ears could hear the whimpering she was trying to muffle. If there was any reason in the world why Clovis would want toe back alive from this war, it would be toe back to this woman who had stolen his heart.

    He pulled back and wiped the tears that had trickled down her cheeks before hoisting her up in his arms andying her gently on the bed.

    ¡°I love you Julia..¡±

    He leaned forward and locked lips with her lovingly and longingly. Julia reciprocated the kiss, pulling him in and kissing him like he would disappear in a few minutes. She raked her hands through his silver locks and kissed him desperately. Suddenly she felt something sharp cut her lip and she gasped.

    Clovis pulled away and knitted his brows when he saw some blood on her pink lips. He ran his tongue over his teeth and noticed that his fangs had lengthened and they felt a bit.. itchy?

    ¡°I hurt you,¡± Clovis mumbled sounding disappointed with himself, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He was about to pull himself off the woman when she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back in.

    They kissed passionately once again and Clovis tried his best to retract his fangs but it¡¯s like they had a mind of their own. He tried pulling away but Julia kept drawing him back every time.

    When the sensation became unbearable, Clovis grabbed Julia¡¯s arms and pinned them firmly on the bed. He felt like he was losing control of the lycan within, he was afraid he was going to hurt his little dwarve woman.

    When Julia looked up at Clovis his eyes were glowing and his fangs were peeking out his mouth. He looked like he was struggling, fighting himself. ¡°Do you want to bite me?¡±

    The question made Clovis freeze, he did want to bite her, his teeth were itching to sink into the tender flesh on her neck. He wanted her, he wanted to mark her and make her hispletely. ¡°I do..¡± even his voice was as strained as the corded muscles on his neck.

    Julia cocked her head to the side and exposed her long delicate neck, ¡°do it,¡± she spoke, making Clovis look even more dumbfounded. She had read about this before, the need for a wolf or a lycan to mark it¡¯s mate. This is what Clovis wanted to do and she was ready for it, she wanted to be marked, to belong to someone she lovedpletely.

    ¡°But Julia.. it will hurt. Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a little nervous,¡± Julia admitted, ¡°but I want you to do it.¡± She turned forward and gazed into the lycan prince¡¯s eyes. ¡°I want you to make me yours.¡±

    Clovi¡¯s veryst thin thread of self control snapped at the utterance of those words. He leaned forward and kissed Julia hungrily while pulling up her dress after which he ripped her panties in half.

    Julia didn¡¯t even see when Clovis had pulled down his pants she just felt his twitching shaft right at her entrance. ¡°Are you sure you want this Julia?¡± He asked her again between heavy breaths.

    Julia nodded at the man. She saw his eyes soften before he tilted her head to the side and leaned forward. When his teeth scrapped her skin she shuddered in both fear and excitement.

    ¡°I love you,¡± Clovis whispered before sinking his fangs into her neck.

    Julia shrieked at the pain, but it disappeared a few secondster and was reced by pleasure when the prince slid his member into her core.

    That afternoon Clovis and Julia made love like never before, both desperately exploring each other¡¯s bodies like it was thest time. They made love long and tenderly, over and over again until the woman passed out from exhaustion.

    After cleaning up and getting dressed, Clovis kissed the sleeping dark haired beauty on the cheek and bid her a silent farewell, promising toe back for her. He gently rubbed the mark on her neck and smiled, this was his mate, somehow he had always known. From the first time he had met her, the lycan within had always known she was the one, and had toe back to her not matter what happened.

    *

    Melissa looked down at the man who was on his knees rubbing her belly lovingly. She had worry in her eyes but not because she was worried about how Elric would fare in the war, but because he was going out there to harm the father of her child and she couldn¡¯t do a thing about it.

    Elric looked up at the beautiful woman and knitted his eyes brows, ¡°you look troubled my beloved.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like war,¡± Melissa muttered, ¡°it brings nothing but death and misery. Is there no other way you and Gareth can settle this without bloodshed? You are both grown men after all, can¡¯t you just talk ande to apromise?¡±

    ¡°I wish it was that easy Lissa,¡± Elric exined, ¡°but you see, he¡¯s the one who brought war to me, and I can¡¯t sit by idly while heys waste to my kingdom. This is our home and I must protect it, you me and our baby.¡±

    Melissa felt like screaming, everything was going so wrong and all she could do was sit by and watch? Wasn¡¯t there something she could do? Anything?

    The king rose to his feet and helped Melissa up as well, ¡°I must take my leave now my love, I will be back, I promise you.¡± Elric leaned forward and kissed her cheek before crouching down and kissing her stomach.

    He turned for the door and Melissa watched him, could she end this war if she told him that the child she carried was not his?

    ¡°Elric...¡±

    The man stopped and turned to face her, ¡°anything the matter?¡±

    Or what if it had the opposite effect and he went mad with anger and rage and killed both her and Gareth.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she mumbled, ¡°just... just be careful.¡±

    ¡°As you wish your highness,¡± Elric responded with a bow. He gave her a sweet smile before walking out the door and closing it.

 Chapter 202

    202 Chapter 202 : Ride to war

    Marceline could tell that her daughter was not at ease with all that was happening, she had been pacing the room for hours, she barely ate and she barely slept.

    ¡°Melissa please don¡¯t worry too much-¡±

    ¡°How can I not worry!¡± Melissa blurted out before falling onto the bed and burying her face in her palms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just feel so useless. How can I just sit by and wait for Gareth and Elric to slit each other¡¯s throats over a baby that I clearly know who the father is.¡±

    Marceline looked at her daughter and scoffed, She was as harded as she was, not wanting to sit by when she could do something about a situation. ¡°And what do you n on doing?¡±

    Melissa rose from the bed and turned to her mother, ¡°I¡¯m going to put an end this, I¡¯m going out there.¡±

    Marceline stood up and walked towards her daughter, ¡°I had anticipated that you would say something like that, and that¡¯s why I took the liberty of reaching out to your father for a bit of help.¡±

    ¡°My.. my father?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the Kaiser of our people, Stefan.¡±

    *

    .....

    Theodora had deep creases on her forehead as she watched Aiden and Renly suit up in uniform and Gavarian armor. She couldn¡¯t believe these two men. ¡°Are you still nning on marching with Gavarian army when it will not benefit you? The elven king already told you he won¡¯t you get anywhere near his precious Melissa.¡±

    Aiden sheathed his sword and turned to Theodora, ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you doing this? Isn¡¯t Melissa then only reason we agreed to helping all of these people?¡± Theodora saw no need to put themselves in danger when there was usible reason.

    Aiden put a hand on the nosferatu woman¡¯s shoulder, ¡°regardless of what Gareth might have said, at the end of the day Theodora, Melissa is till my baby sister. And if being in Elric¡¯s custody puts her and the child she carries in any risk, then it is my duty to help. Father and mother would disown me of they knew I was sitting by while she was in danger.¡±

    Theodora didn¡¯t like the reasons Aiden was giving but she did in a way understand where he wasing from, Melissa was his family. The only one who he had a clean te with and forge a familial rtionship with. But why the hell was Renly gearing himself to go as well?

    She turned to the man and gave him an eye, ¡°and where are you going? What do you have to fight for in the war.¡±

    Renly turned to face the woman and walked towards her, ¡°well other than you, I¡¯m no longer in under the master¡¯s cult, I suppose I do need to find a new purpose in life.¡±

    Theodora gasped at how casually Renly could say he was going to fight in the war for her sake. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re going to fight for me? This has nothing to do with me!¡± Her face waspletely shed and her heart was racing.

    ¡°like I said, I need a new purpose in life now,¡± Renly responded, still keeping a straight face. ¡°And I chose it to be you, if Elric wins this war you may be put in danger as well. And I can¡¯t let that happen.¡±

    Aiden scoffed as he walked towards the door, ¡°could the two of you excuse yourselves first before you engage in private affairs like this?¡±

    Thoedora feltpletely flushed and took a step away from Renly. ¡°We.. there¡¯s nothing..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to bid farewell,¡± Aiden chuckled and left the room.

    Renly cupped Theodora¡¯s face and began drawing her in for a kiss but the woman pulled back lookingpletely embarrassed. ¡°What are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°I want to bid you farewell,¡± Renly responded looking confused at her reaction. ¡°Kissing you seemed like the most logical thing to do.¡±

    Theodora was both embarrassed and bbergasted, Renly could be so nk sometimes, did he just do things out of instinct or did he actually do them because he felt something for her and do things because he wanted to?

    ¡°Renly...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± The dark haired man asked.

    ¡°well, sometimes I wonder if what you feel for me is actually love me or you¡¯re just reacting on instinct.¡± The nosferatu woman sighed ans looked to the side to avert his gaze. ¡°It makes me a little nervous and I don¡¯t know why.¡±

    Renly closed the gap between him and Theodora and cupped her cheek. ¡°Have you considered that maybe loving you is my instinct.¡±

    The woman looked into Renly¡¯s eyes and felt her stomach pse in a kaleidoscope of butterflies.

    ¡°Now please if you will,¡± Renly added on, ¡°let me kiss you before I leave, because it¡¯s the most logical thing to do.¡±

    *

    Aiden and Renly joined King Gareth and his men out in the castle grounds. The army was remarkable, consisting of a little over four thousand lycans, nosferatu, elves and some humans, all armored and ready to march out to Meria.

    As usual, the lycans, and the nosferatu who could fly went on ahead, while the the elves, the humans and the wingless nosfetatu followed on horseback.

    Aiden turned to look at Gareth, he had the most serious look on his face as he slid on his helmet.

    ¡°I will have to fly on ahead with the others,¡± Aiden spoke, ¡°do be careful, my baby sister would be devastated if anything were to happen to you.¡±

    Gareth scoffed and tightened his hold on his horse, ¡°are you going side on me Aiden?¡±

    ¡°It is expected before throwing oneself at the mercy of the fates is it not?¡± Aiden responded before spreading his bicolored wings and shot up into the air with a powerful p.

    Gareth turned to his men, his good friends and allies who were waiting for his orders to move out. He rose his hand in the air and took a deep breath, he swore to himself that this would be thest time he would even go fighting another man for Melissa, because this time he was going to make sure no one ever plucked her from his side ever again.

    The elven king waved his hand forward and with an affirmative tone gave orders to him men. ¡°Move out!¡±

    The horsed neighed loudly, and Gareth and him men, including king Dvalin, and his brother Finwe, forged forward towards Meria just as the sun began to rise. This was going to be a day of change, this was going to be thest time Gareth would let Elric interfere in his rtionship with Melissa.

    *

    Estel walked out of the small bedroom chamber into the living room where the kind woman who had helped her was sitting waiting for her. When the woman caught sight of Estel, who was now cleaned up and wearing unsoiled clothing, she rose to her feet and smiledz

    The elven woman was truly a beauty, Aiden was a lucky man indeed. But she couldn¡¯t help but wonder how a man as odd looking as Aiden could get a woman as attractive as Estel. The purple of her dressplimented her eyes perfectly and her beautiful skin looked healthy and soft after her warm bath

    ¡°You look beautiful,¡± the woman admitted. Estel actually reminded her of her own daughter who she hadn¡¯t seen in a long time.

    Estel looked the woman¡¯s hand in which she was holding a smallb.

    ¡°Take a seat here,¡± the woman spoke as she pointed at a chair that was next to her. ¡°Sit dearie, let me do your hair for you before you leave.¡±

    Estel obliged and sat down, allowing the woman to brush her hair. As she sat there being groomed she couldn¡¯t help but thing of her mother, she always loved doing Estel¡¯s hair when she was younger. In fact, she missed both her parents, they must have been very worried about her when she was captured by the mages. She couldn¡¯t wait to find Aiden, save her son and go back to Ervelon so they could live as a happy family.

    The woman finishedbing Estel she put the brush aside. ¡°I wish you could stay a bit longer, I would love thepany but I can see you are eager to be with the man you love.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much for everything you¡¯ve done I¡¯m so grateful,¡± Estel responded with a crusty, ¡°you took a stranger in and gave them food and shelter. You kindness would not be forgotten.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing dearie, you¡¯re one of our own. We need to take care of our own.¡± The woman grabbed a small satchel and handed to Estel. ¡°There a bit of food and a change of clothes in there for your journey.¡± She then turned towards the door and gestured Estel to follow. ¡°Well, we best be on our way, we don¡¯t want to keep lord Aiden waiting.¡±

 Chapter 203

    203 Chapter 203 : Meeting.

    Carol was nervous as she watched Melissa strip out of her dress and into a pair of cks and a shirt.

    ¡°The uniform please Carol..¡±

    The maid hesitantly walked towards her queen and gave her the Merian uniform. What was the queen thinking joining the men in war, not only was it not right for a woman to involve herself in affairs of this manner, but she was pregnant as well. This was dangerous, what if something happened to her?! Forget the ongoing war, if anything happened to Melissa and that baby, Elric wouldy ruin to the kingdom of Meria himself.

    After putting on the uniform, Melissa picked up armor and tightly fastened it around her body. She thanks whatever gods were out there that she hadn¡¯t cked in training in this life as well, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have been able to move in this heavy armor.

    ¡°Your highness, please reconsider.¡± Carol pleaded desperately with Melissa, ¡°let the men settle this matter on their own.. your highness think of the baby.¡±

    Melissa turned to Carol and gave her a warm smile, ¡°Carol, the baby is why I¡¯m doing this. Please don¡¯t worry yourself too much. You will understand when all of this is over.¡±

    Marceline who had been looking out the window tugged her lips up in a smile when she saw nosferatu soldiersnding in the pce courtyard with their breast tes baring her husband¡¯s emblem, the emblem of Wintershold.

    ¡°They are here,¡± Marceline announced. ¡°It¡¯s about time we had a big family reunion.¡±

    *

    .....

    Estel stumbled to her knees and started coughing, she had never had to teleport anywhere before. The experience was very disorienting and ufortable.

    She rose to her feet and saw the grand gates of the Gavarian pce not too far from her. She pulled up her dress and ran towards the gates, praying and hoping that she was notte yet again and would find Aiden there.

    As the elven princess approached the gates, the four guards crossed spears and red at her dismissively.

    ¡°Come no further if you value your life!¡± One of the guards yelled.

    Estel slowed her pace but continued approaching the gates still. ¡°Please I mean no harm, I am here looking for someone. Can you please help me?!¡±

    ¡°Stop where you and state your business!¡± The gaurd responded, this time pointing his spear forward.

    ¡°I seek Aiden!¡± Estel responded. She was desperate, she had no time to waste negotiating with these men. Her son was in danger and possibly the whole continent. ¡°He wears a full head of red hair, blue eyes.. ummh he¡¯s a nosferatu possibily working with your king. Please I need to speak with him before...¡±

    As if it were a jinx, The sky began to darken. Estel and the gaurds looked up in a panic. Oh no, this aura, Estel knew this aura.

    ¡°Oh Damien, what have they done to you?¡± The woman mumbled to herself. She turned back to the guards and walked towards them.

    ¡°You! Woman! Stay right there!¡± The gaurds warned, their voicesced with worry and fear. ¡°Are you witch or demon?! What are you trying to do?!¡±

    Estel stood a few inches away from the edge of one of gaurd¡¯s spear. ¡°Do you see that?! We are all in danger! If you don¡¯t let me see Aiden right now, this kingdom and possibly this continent will beid to ruin!¡±

    A deafening screech filled the air making the guards drop their weapons and stumble backwards. ¡°What they hell is that?!¡±

    Estel grabbed one of the men, ¡°tell me where Aiden is! Hurry we don¡¯t have much time!¡±

    The trembling gaurd was shaking as the sky darkened even more. ¡°Aiden rides with the king for war in meria, they left a few hours ago.¡±

    ¡°Damn it all..¡± Estel cursed. ¡°Give me your fastest horse, hurry!¡±

    Estel followed one of the gaurds into the pce, Theo who had been informed of some ruckus walked out of the pce and met the strange woman at the entrance.

    ¡°Who are you?!¡± He turned to the gaurd and gave him an angry look, ¡°how dare you let a stranger with pce-¡±

    ¡°Oh will you shut it lycan!¡± Estel yelled. She had had enough of people wasting time, ¡°do you see that dark sky! Do you hear those screams?! Unless you want everyone to die, give me your fastest horse and let me reach Aiden!¡±

    Theodora rushed out of the room and gasped. That long golden hair, those purple eyes, those elven features. Could it be truly her? ¡°Estel?¡±

    The elven Princess looked up at the woman who had called to her in surprise. ¡°You know of me?¡±

    ¡°Estel it really is you...¡± Theodora walked down the stairs and stared at the woman. Gods, she was even more beautiful than Aiden described her to be. ¡°I have heard of you many times from Aiden.¡±

    Estel knitted her eyebrows, who was this beautiful woman who knew her Addie. Had he found a new woman in his life, the fact that she was beautiful stung Estel¡¯s heart a little. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Theodora, and I ma Aiden¡¯s ally.¡± The beautiful woman spoke as she swayed her hips and walked forward.

    ¡°Ally?¡±

    ¡°I can help you find him.¡± Theodora turned to Theo and gave him a nod, ¡°please help us with two of your fastest horses, we don¡¯t have much time to waste. She is an ally.¡±

    Before long, Theodora and Estel were racing through the Gavarian capital to catch up with the army.

    ¡°He will be so happy to see you!¡± Theodora called to the woman riding beside her. ¡°He had spent many years looking for you!¡±

    ¡°If that is true then why is he with you?!¡±

    Theodora chuckled, so Estel was the jealous type, he understood her of course, who wouldn¡¯t be the jealous type with a man like Aiden. It¡¯s a good thing Estel arrived when she did, it would have been a little awkward if she showed up when Theodora thought she was in love with Aiden.

    ¡°He helped me at one point in life,¡± Theodora responded, ¡°I am merely indebted to him and nothing else. I assure you, no woman had been able to hold a candle to you in his heart!¡±

    A small smile painted Estel¡¯s beautiful face, she didn¡¯t know she needed to hear that but she did.

    *

    Elric and his brothers halted at the top of a hill. ¡°We will wait here!¡± Hemanded the royal guard. He could sense the rest of his men strategy waiting in hidden parts of the bushes around the trail the Gavarian army was to take on their way here.

    The silver haired king dismounted his steed and looked passed the horizon, the Gavarian pce was visible from where they stood stood, so if Elric¡¯a calctions were right, Gareth and his men would arrive in a day or so.

    ¡°We rest and wait, but don¡¯t drop your gaurd,¡± Elricmanded, ¡°it¡¯s time to put an end to this senseless rivalry between Gareth and I. It is long overdue.¡±

    *

    Melissa and Marceline walked out of the pce and spotted a tall man with dark hair, blue eyes and a beared being confronted by some of the guards of the pce. They had their spears

    and swords pointed at him but he seemed very calm and unphased.

    When the man nced in the direction of the two women, his emotionless demeanor immediately melted away and in it¡¯s ce was a look of longing and sadness.

    Melissa stood in ce frozen as her mother made her way to the man and embraced him. Was that her father? Marceline whispered something to the man who turned to Melissa and started walking towards her.

    For some reason her heart leapt to her throat and her eyes widened. Before the man could reach Melissa, the guards crossed swords in front of him.

    ¡°Take one more step towards the queen and it will be your head,¡± one of the guards warned.

    The man turned to look at the guard, his look alone was enough to almost break the guard¡¯s constitution. Melissa could see that this man, her father, didn¡¯t demand authority, he just took it.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Melissamanded the gaurd. ¡°Let him step forward.¡± She knew that if she didn¡¯te in, there would have been trouble.

    Hesitantly, the gaurds stepped aside and let the man pass. He walked slowly towards Melissa and halted a few inches from her. He reached towards Melissa with his wed hand, guards gripped their weapons ready to attack him if he harmed the queen, but to their surprise, the man pulled Melissa in for a hug.

    ¡°My little princess,¡± Stefan whispered in a jittery voice, ¡°look how you¡¯ve grown.¡± He pulled back and rubbed her shoulders lovingly, both his and Melissa¡¯s eyes were misty, ¡°can you ever forgive me for putting you through this hell?¡±

    A tear trickled down Melissa¡¯s face before she buried herself into the man¡¯s chest. ¡°Father..¡± she whimpered, ¡°there¡¯s nothing to forgive. You¡¯re here now, that¡¯s all that matters.¡±

 Chapter 204

    204 Chapter 204 : The battlefield

    Estel and Theodora raced out of the outter shires of Gavaria towards the trail that leads to Meria.

    ¡°Why is the king of Gavaria riding to Meria?! Estel yelled against the wind. Thest she remembered, Meria and Gavaria were both two very big and very powerful kingdoms who barely interacted with one another. So what could have possibly happened that could cause the two kingdoms to sh?

    Theodora stifled a chuckle at the woman¡¯s question. She could already the shock when she would find out how everyone was connected. She would be stupefied to know that the king of Gavaria was her brother and that he was raging war with Meria because of Aiden¡¯s sister.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long andplicated story!¡± Theodora responded, ¡°you¡¯ll understand in due time!¡±

    ¡°How far untill we reach them? When did they leave the capital?!¡± Estel question the woman riding slightly ahead of her. She was hoping that maybe they could catch up with the men before swords shed and blood was spillled.

    Theodaora was hoping the same, it would be difficult to find Aiden or get his attention in the middle of battle. ¡°I have an idea!¡± She turned slightly to the women beside her and gave her a reassuring smile, ¡°you just have to trust me!¡±

    ¡°What are you nning on doing?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try and teleport us to where Aiden is!¡± Theodora had never done something like this before, she had never teleported herself to somebody else¡¯s location. In fact, she hadn¡¯t even perfect teleportating someone else to her, the evidence was clear in the way she had failed to bring Melissa to Aiden several times. But this time she had to try, she had to concentrate and put in her all. She couldn¡¯t fail this time.¡±

    The nosferatu woman drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes, by the time she opened them, they were glowing, she mumbled some incoherent words repeatedly while pointing her fingers towards the path ahead.

    .....

    And just like that, a rip formed in front of them that grew bigger and bigger as they moved towards it. Estel was amazed at the woman¡¯s abilities, she thought that only elves could conjure portals. She turned to Theodora and gasped when she saw a little trickle of blood from her nose.

    ¡°Youre bleeding!¡± Estel screamed feeling concerned. Was her ability taking a tow on her?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me?!¡± Theodora yelled and pointed towards the portal. ¡°Just go through the portal before it closes! Quickly!¡±

    ¡°But..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you!¡± Theodora called back, ¡°you need to reach Aiden quickly. Go!¡±

    Estel whipped the reins of her horse and dashed towards the portal which seemed to be shrinking with each passing minute. She shit her eyes tight as she jumped through the portal and out the other side.

    *

    Melissa walked to the front of the nosferatu army and and took a deep breath. She wondered why she hadn¡¯t done it before, she shouldn¡¯t let these two men decide her fate, she should tell them how her fate would y along.

    She spread herrge beautiful scarlet wings and leapt into the air. The nosferatu army spread their wings and followed her closely behind, the sight was like non the Merian citizens had ever seen, all who saw their queen flying overhead could only watch in awe.

    Kaiser Stefan looked at her daughter proudly before spreading his own back wings and taking his wife¡¯s hand in his. ¡°We made her, can you believe that?¡±

    Marceline giggled and nted a kiss on her husband¡¯s cheek. ¡°We did, and now we have to help keep her alive, nowe on.¡±

    *

    Aiden zoomed in ahead and caught sight of king Elric up ahead. Why was he already there? And why did he only have a handful of men? This had to be a trap, he had to turn around ans warn Gareth.

    Just as Aiden was turning back, he saw a portal opening not too far from where the men were marching.

    ¡°Oh no, what is Elric-¡±

    Before the man couldplete his statement, a woman flew though through the portal on horseback and pulled her reins to stop. She whipped her head around as if looking for someone, when the wind blew her hair away from her beautiful face, Aiden almost fell from the sky in pure shock.

    Was that? No.. it couldn¡¯t be.. was that Estel?

    The man¡¯s heart was racing so fast that he felt it would burst out of his chest, his blood went cold and the very air in his lungs gushed out making him light headed.

    ¡°Estel..¡± Aiden mumbled, unable to make his voiceunder that that. He began to decend slowly to the ground, his eyes never leaving the blonde elven woman, the woman he had searched for for almost a century. It all felt like a dream.

    Suddenly a loud screech echoed through out the sky making everyone around halt in their tracks. What was that gruesome spine tingling sound.

    Aiden looked up at the sky and saw the darkness, like a veil covering the light of the rising sun and the very sun itself. The he saw it, a being moving towards them up in the air, with tworge wings and a dark aura trailing it, it looked like a demon. The screech came again making all the men on the ground turn towards the sky.

    When the nosferatu prince saw the legion of humanoid creatures flying behind him, his instincts immediately sensed danger and all his attention went to the elven woman below. No, he couldn¡¯t lose her again, he couldn¡¯t fail to protect her again, not this time.

    ¡°Estel!¡± Aiden swooped down from the sky at a speed he never knew possible. ¡°Estel!¡±

    The elven women heard her name being called by an all too familiar voice. She looked up and saw Aiden ying towards her with his arms open. ¡°Addie...¡±

    Not to far from there, king Gareth knitted his brows as he looked up at the flying being. ¡°What in the gods is that?¡±

    Just in that moment, Zander galloped by his side and was breathing rather heavily, ¡°your majesty! It¡¯s Elric, he¡¯s already waiting with the royal gaurd ahead, I think it¡¯s a trap!¡±

    Gareth furrowed his eyebrows, that would probably exin why that sly lycan didn¡¯t concede to his warming, he must have had an ace up his sleeve all this time. Gareth had anticipated that at most Elric would try to ambush them and try to capture him, but he didn¡¯t think they would summon whatever creature that was.

    ¡°That bastard!¡± Gareth growled and tightened his hold on the reins of his steed, ¡°tell everyone to stand their ground! We may have a problem!¡±

    On the other far side of the terrain, Elric gnashed his teeth as the screeching from the sky reached his sensitive ears. Jeffrey and Clovis rode to his side and looked up.

    ¡°What the hell is that thing?¡± Jeffrey mumbled in a voice of worry. He could fell the creature¡¯s dark power from here, and those things that were flying behind it didn¡¯t make the situation any better either.

    ¡°Do you think this is the elf king¡¯s doing?¡± Clovis spoke as he nced at Elric who looked infuriated.

    ¡°It has to be, that bastard will stop at nothing to take my wife away.¡± He turned his royal gaurd and held up a folded fist, ¡°prepare for battle! Do not, and I repeat, do not falter!¡±

    *

    Melissa pped her wings with all her mighty with her father and mother by her side, she had only used her wings a handful of times but she didn¡¯t feel the weight of them at all. She could glide ans control like it was second nature.

    A few momentster,down on the terrain below in front of them, she saw the two armies. ¡°There you are..¡± she was d that the fighting had not started yet, it would be much easier to knock some senses into both of them at this point.

    But when she looked up, she saw something that made her hurt leap, good gods what was that? The very aura of the creature withrge wings flying ahead of her towards the two armies was enough to riddle her skin with goosebumps.

    Her keen eyes could clearly see how that creature looked human in some way but had wings of a nosferatu, onlyrger, and it also exhibited ears like that of an elf, skin as pale as parchment and eyes as ck as the night sky.

    Suddenly, Melissa heard her father¡¯s voice yelling out her name, ¡°Melissa watch out!¡±

    The woman saw a spear of dark light racing towards her, she moved to the side but unfortunately the spear was able to graze her leg. Blood dripped from her wound and she felt the would burn as in she had been cut with a hot metal rod. She stopped mid air and looked at her bleeding leg before throwing her sights on the creature ahead that was summoning another spear readying tounch it towards her.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

 Chapter 205

    205 Chapter 205 : Sister

    Melissa clenched her fists and hovered in front of the strange being who wasing towards her, whatever this thing was had to be destroyed, she¡¯d ask questionster. With all the strength she could muster, Melissa released a devastating shriek.

    The waved of sound traveled across the sky and hit the being flinging him backwards. The man like creature flew backwards and hit into some of the other creatures behind him. He spread his wings again and red at Melissa, surprised at her power.

    When Gareth heard the shriek from above he immediately knew who had made it. ¡°Mel..¡± he gasped. He felt confused, if that dark entity was on Elric¡¯s side, why was it fighting Melissa. Unless..

    Finwe gazed at his brother and gave him worried look. ¡°Brother.. we may have a problem, we may have a new enemy entirely other than just Elric and his men.¡±

    *

    On the other end of the battlefield Aiden embraced Estel tightly in him arms. ¡°Estel.. gods is that really you?¡± He pulled back and cupped her face in his palms, staring at her as if waiting for her to disappear, he couldn¡¯t believe it was her, he thought that maybe his mind was ying tricks on him. ¡°It is you.¡±

    Estel was surprised to see tears streaming from Aiden¡¯s eyes while a smile tugged his lips. And he very looked different from what she remembered, his once radiant and bright face seemed stoic and less expressive, and the stress lines on his face tagged her heartstrings, he seemed to have gone through a lot.

    ¡°Addie..¡± Estel whispered in concern, but before she could probe any further, a loud screeching echoed from above grabbing her attention. She grabbed Aiden¡¯s shoulders and gave him a serious look, ¡°Addie, I need your help.¡± She pointed up at the being in the sky. ¡°That is our son Aiden!¡±

    The red haired prince looked up into the sky in utter confusion, ¡°my son?¡± No it couldn¡¯t be, how could that thing be his son.

    .....

    ¡°The human mages who were keeping us hostage wanted Aiden all along,¡± Estel exined hastily. ¡°They wanted to use his powers to end us all and now they¡¯ve taken over his body. He sacrificed himself to save me Addie!¡± Estel grabbed Aiden¡¯s shoulders desperately, ¡°please save our son Addie!¡±

    *

    On the Merian side of the terrain, Elric¡¯s blood had drained from his face while looking up at his pregnant wife pulling out a sword and pointing it towards the man like creature.

    Why was she putting herself at risk like that? Why was she putting their baby at risk like that?! Eric swore to himself that he was going to behead all his guards who had allowed Melissa to leave the pce in her condition. But there was something else that crossed his mind, If that creature was with Gareth it wouldn¡¯t have been attacking Melissa.

    Elric turned to his men, ¡°Focus on that thing attacking my wife!¡± Hemanded.

    ¡°But your majesty,¡± Jeffrey responded, ¡°what about the Gavarian army?¡±

    ¡°Forget the bloody elves! Protect your queen!¡±

    On the other side of the battlefield, Gareth was giving his men the samemand. ¡°Protect Melissa at all costs!¡± He hopped off his horse and cracked his neck as he eyed the brewing battle in the sky.

    ¡°But your majesty what about the Merian army?!¡±

    ¡°Forget that bloody bastard and focus all arms on the mother of my child!¡± Gareth roared as he used his hand to formrge sharp des of light that he pointed towards the humanoid creature.

    *

    Julia ran through the hallway to the room where Vivian and Maria were and banged on their door. ¡°Vivian! Vivian please open up!¡±

    Not too long ago Julia had overheard some pce guards who were panickingly discussing how the queen had flown to battle with an army of nosferatu lead by some strange man. Julia had to tell Vivian and Maria about it since she couldn¡¯t find Melissa¡¯s mother Marceline.

    ¡°Vivian!¡±

    The door flew open and Vivian walked out with an annoyed look on her face. ¡°You better have a good reason for banging on my door dwarve.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Melissa...¡±

    The mention of Melissa and the worried look on Julia¡¯s face made Vivian open the door fully. ¡°What about her? What happened?!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s flown to battle with an army of nosferatu and a strange man!¡±

    Vivian frowned in confusion, ¡°a strange man? What does this strange man look like?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know I never saw him, I just heard it from the gaurds. But in her condition she shouldn¡¯t be out in battle, you have to go after her!¡±

    Vivian cursed and turned to call to Maria who was leisurely sleeping on the bed. ¡°Hey! Get up! The Princess needs our help!¡±

    *

    Melissa and her mother flew around the human like creature and with their wings and swords cut into his flesh leaving deep leathal wounds. The creature roared in pain but the wounds healed just us fast as they were sustained.

    Down below, Kaiser Stefan helped the two armies who had now banded together to fight amon enemy. The other humanoid creatures of all shapes and sizes, some with wings, some woth ws and some with sharp teeth, they were in a heated battle with the soldiers below.

    Blood and limbs littered the ground as the armies fought tirelessly. This had began as a battle between two kingdoms, but had now somehow turned into a battle between two kingdoms, and a some creatures that looked like they came from hell.

    Elric had turned into his wolf and was mauling his way through the creatures. He had asked the nosferatu members of his royal guard to fight by his wife¡¯s side since he couldn¡¯t fly. He even took the liberty of threatening to cut their heads off with his teeth if they let anything happen to her.

    Gareth was also having his own bloody share of battle, using the elements at his disposal to slice, cut and decapitate all his foes, also making sure to keep as many of them as he could from Melissa who was fighting above.

    Aiden on the other hand, carried Estel to a ce far from the battle and settled her down by some rocks, ¡°stay here.¡±

    Before he could leave, Estel grabbed his arm and shook her head, ¡°Damien is my son too, I need to help him.¡±

    Aiden gently grabbed Estel¡¯s shoulders, she was a bit startled when she noticed how red his eyes had turned and the small horns that had sprouted from his handsome forehead. ¡°Estel I lost you and my son once, I¡¯ll be damned if I lose you again.¡± He ced a kiss on her forehead and took a step back to spread his bicolored wings. ¡°Please don¡¯t put yourself in harms way, I beg you.¡±

    Estel covered her eyes as Aiden pped his powerful wings and sored into the sky towards Damien. That power, that look, that was not how Aiden was before, what had happened to her Addie?

    Marceline raised her arm in the air and some of the shadows in the area flowed at her will and wrapped themselves around Damien and strapping him in ce.

    ¡°Melissa!¡± She called to her daughter, ¡°Now! Finish him off!¡±

    Melissa twirled her fingers and created a sharp sword like entity made of shadows. She pointed the sword at Damien and aimed it at the creature¡¯s heart. She took a deep breath before flicking her fingers and sending it hurling forward.

    Just before the sword could pierce through Damien¡¯s heart, Aiden flew in and shuttered it with his own de. ¡°Stop!¡±

    Melissa looked at the man in shock, ¡°you idiot!¡±

    The binds that were holding Damien broke, the possessed hybrid turned around and hit Marceline in the gut sending her flying to the ground. Luckily, the Kaiser had seen the whole thing happen and had rushed to catch his wife just in time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him please!¡± Aiden yelled.

    ¡°And why the bloody hell not!¡± Melissa yelled as she conjured another shadow sword and pointed it towards Aiden. ¡°Move so I can finish this before that thing causes even more death and distraction!¡±

    ¡°That thing is my son!¡± Aiden yelled in desparation, ¡°please sister, don¡¯t do this!¡±

    Sister? Melissa was frozen with shock. When she had first reunited with her mother, she had told her that she had a brother and something had happened to him... what was his name again?

    ¡°Aiden?¡± Her eyes then flew the man who was supposedly Aiden¡¯s son. He was flying towards Aiden with his ws bared. ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Melissa dove towards her brother and rammed him out of the way but consequently getting herself wed on her side. She grabbed her wound and gnashed her teeth in pain.

    Gareth saw Melissa holding her side, and the minute he saw some blood trickling from the wound, his constitution crumbled. ¡°Mel!!¡± His eyes and entire body glowed purple and his Aztec tattoo spread from his forehead all the way down to his neck, arms and legs. ¡°Stay away from her!!¡±

    Melissa felt a little lightheaded, with the bleeding wound on her leg and now the one on her side, it was hard to keep conscious.

    Gareth leapt onto the air and grabbed Melissa in his arms just as she was about to fall andnded a few feet away. His entire being burning in fury.

 Chapter 206

    206 Chapter 206 : Reunion and war

    sh off a head... chop off a limb.. dodge.. jump.. flip backwards and cut off a head. Finwe watched the head of one of the creatures he had killed roll on the ground. He looked around him and a small smile tugged his beautiful lips, how long had he waited to experience battle and carnage of this degree. Far too long!

    The blonde elven prince moved his hand across the air and the ground in front of him split open and swallowed the creatures who wereing his way. He then folded his palm onto a fist and the ground closed shut.

    ¡°Battle is the only mistress for me,¡± he chuckled as he leapt into the air andnded his sword in the chest of another creature, blood sttering everywhere.

    Not too far from where Finwe was enjoying the battle, Jeffrey was shing swords and ws with a huge creature that towered over six feet above him. ¡°What the heck are these ungodly things!¡± He yelled as she dodged a blow.

    Jeffrey jumped back and tightened his grip on his sword as therge monstrosity roared and charged towards him. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you! Time to die!¡± He got ready to attack when two other creatures began charging towards him from the sides. Shit, he couldn¡¯t be on the offensive and the defensive at the same time.

    Renly felt his limbs shudder slightly but he¡¯d be damned if he went down like a coward, he was going to die like a true warrior. He screamed at the top of his lungs and tightened his grip on his weapon before plunging it forward and piercing the creature right in the gut. He then kicked it away and braced himself for his own demise by the two winged creatures who were charging towards him.

    But instead of the cold feel of ws sinking into his flesh, he heard the sound of a shing sword from above. What was going on? He looked up saw a glorious man, heavy in build yet a face as soft as that of a woman. Who was this savior of Jeffrey¡¯s, and why the hell was he so gaddam attractive?!

    The blue eyed dark haired elfnded in front of Jeffrey and flipped his soft locs back, ¡°are you alright?¡±

    Jeffrey was at loss for words, not only because of the man¡¯s beauty, but because of the armor he was wearing, that was the armor of the Gavarian soldiers, this was one of Gareth¡¯s men, wasn¡¯t he the enemy?!

    .....

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Jeffrey growled for some unknown reason. ¡°I don¡¯t need your help elf!¡±

    Another creature lunged unexpectedly towards Jeffrey but Rnd¡¯s quick elven speed allowed him to move swiftly and slice the creature in half. ¡°Oh yeah I can see that.. watch your head..¡± Rnd plunged his two signature daggers upwards into the gut of a creature who had flown in from above. ¡°It¡¯s Rnd by the way, we¡¯re on the same side at the moment so please try and contain your hate for elves.¡±

    Jeffery was flustered and angry as he watched Rnd running towards the other creatures, who the hell did that elf think he was saving him like some damsel in distress?! He nced at the blue eyed elf onest time and saw him wiping some blood from the side of his cheek. And why the hell was he so beautiful?!

    *

    Gareth held Melissa closely as she winced in pain. She shot her blue eyes up at him and gave him a small smile, ¡°Garry...¡±

    ¡°Mel you¡¯re hurt,¡± he mumbled as he looked down at her, ¡°we need to get you out of here, you can¡¯t be putting yourself at risk like this, you could endanger both you and the baby.¡±

    Melissa cupped his face with her bloody hand, ¡°I¡¯m sorry..¡±

    Marceline wobbled her way to where Gareth was holding her daughter, ¡°give her to me, I can stabilize her while you kill that thing.¡±

    Gareth put Melissa down on the grass carefully and stroked her cheek before pulling away, but she grabbed his wrist and gave him a serious look. ¡°Garry...¡± she managed to say through strained breaths, ¡°don¡¯t hurt him.¡±

    ¡°What? You mean that thing? Mel he hurt you! He has to die before heys everything here to ruin.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a monster,¡± Melissa exined with a shaky breath. ¡°He¡¯s being manipted by the humans, he¡¯s your nephew.¡± She spoke to Gareth before turning to her mother, ¡°and your grandson. He¡¯s Aiden and Estel¡¯s son.¡±

    *

    Back in the sky, Aiden managed to pin Damien¡¯s arms behind his back. ¡°Damien! I know you¡¯re in there son, it¡¯s me your father! Please snap out of it!¡±

    Damien retracted his wings and using his overwhelming weight started plugging both him and his father towards the ground. Before they could go st, Damien spread his wings and flinged his father to the ground. Aidennded roughly on the ground, the impact ploughing the earth beneath him as he came to a stop.

    Estel gasped and attempted to run towards Aiden but he stopped her, ¡°stay back!¡± He roared, ¡°I don¡¯t want you getting hurt!¡± He spread his wings once again and flew towards his son, it seemed taking to Damien would not work, the only way would be to subdue him.

    *

    Theodora dropped to her knees and coughed violently after another failed attempt to open another portal to where they battle was happening. After Estel had gone through, she was unable to hold it long enough to get herself through.

    She looked down at her arms that were now looking a bit blurry from her vision, if it was any other day she would have given up but she couldn¡¯t today. Not only was Renly out there on the battle field in danger, but the aura she had sensed from Damien, she knew she was the only one who could rip the corrupt human spirit that had invaded his body and get him back to normal. She had seen experiments like the one they had probably used to turn Damien when she was locked up and had a good idea of how it worked.

    The nosferatu woman got to her feet and put one hand in front of her, ¡°I have to try again,¡± she mumbled while closing her eyes and chanting. She had to seed, everyone she loved, yes, all of them, their safety depended on her.

    *

    Zander drew his arrow before leaping in the air and shooting down three creatures in a row with one arrow. As he looked around and he could see that the creatures were diminishing in numbers, he also noticed that after ying these hellish creatures their bodies were reverting back into human form. This was some kind of magic that had turned these men wasn¡¯t it?

    He looked up at the creature who Aiden was fighting, that was probably once a human as well. Who was responsible for all of this? As Zander was contemting, a beautiful site above made his heart stop and all the air in his lungs bid him farewell.

    The blonde elf stumbled slightly as he red at the nosferatu woman with purple wings who was rushing to help Aiden, no, was that Vivian?! Why was she here?!

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Zander cursed before running towards her with an arrow in hand. Now he had two lives he had to be concerned about, Vivian was going to be the death of him one day.

    Aiden was trying his best tond a blow on his son that would render him unconscious but he was having a rough time. Damien was unnaturally strong, not only did he have the prowess of a nosferatu but he had the advanced magic of a high elf as well.

    The red haired nosferatu prince dodged a jab of Damien¡¯s ws, then a kick, then a swing of his wings. He then saw Gareth using the air currents around him to carry him to the sky towards Damien and him. The elven king gave Aiden a signal that he would not harm Damien before using his magic to form a bubble of air around the possesed Hybrid and slowly started drawing the air from his lungs.

    Aiden understood what Gareth was trying to do, he was truing to render Damien unconscious so they could subdue him. But he could see from the corner of his eye that Damien was summoning allies to help. The winged creatures who were down on the ground started swarming towards them.

    ¡°Fuck..¡± Aiden cursed.

    ¡°Need some help your grace?!¡±

    Aiden turned around and saw Vivian flying passed him towards the creatures and shing them with her de and poisonous purple wings effortlessly. ¡°What would you do without me Aiden?¡± Vivian chuckled, ¡°thought you would be more powerful after all this time.¡±

    Aiden scoffed and flew into the battle as well, cracking skulls and slicing necks with his ws alone, ¡°good to see you too Viv,¡± he chuckled before decapitating a creature with his wing. ¡°I see you haven¡¯t changed one bit.¡±

    ¡°Wish I could say the same for you, you look terrible cousin,¡± she muttered as she plunged her dagger into another creature. ¡°When was thest time you got some sun?¡±

 Chapter 207

    207 Chapter 207 : The mystery mage

    As Aiden plunged his dagger through thest of the creatures, he spotted a portal opening on the ground not too far from him. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw Theodora walking through the portal. Even though she looked physically exhausted, Aiden knew she was the game changer. Theodora was gifted in magic for a nosferatu woman, particrly dark magic, if there was anyone who could help pull his son out of this predicament it was her.

    Theodora scanned the battlefield until she heard her name being called out from above, it was Aiden, he flew to her side and held her shoulders firmly, a relieved smile tugging his lips.

    ¡°Thank the gods Theodora,¡± Aiden sighed, ¡°my son, can you help him?¡±

    Theodara looked up at the elven king who had entrapped Damien in a ball of air that he was now lowering to the ground. She had forgotten that Gareth was a high elf and that he was powerful.

    ¡°I can try,¡± Theodora responded before rushing to were Gareth had nownded.

    After rendering the hybrid unconscious, Gareth disrupted his veil of air and let Damien fall onto the grass. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long he¡¯ll be out for, it¡¯s best that you do whatever it is now!¡±

    Theodora rushed to Damien¡¯s side and studied his body. Back when she was locked up, she would see the humans carrying out experiments where they tried to merge their souls to those of powerful nosferatu, elves, lycans and even dwarves in an attempt to gain their abilities and prolong their life spans. They had actually tried that very same experiment on her as well but failed, apart from the excruciating pain she had experienced during the process, she had also gained magical abilities, and she hopped they woulde in handy in this moment.

    The nosferatu woman hovered her hands over Damien and closed her eyes, first she had to envision the soul that had taken over Damien¡¯s body before pulling it out. She chanted a few words and focused, and before long she saw him, it was a frail old man, the same man who was in charge of experimenting on her people, this monster was the one who had taken over Damien¡¯s body.

    ¡°I found you you bastard,¡± Theodora mumbled and began chanting an extraction spell. This would take a lot of her energy and strength but she had to be strong and pull through, she couldn¡¯t fail.

    .....

    *

    Elric morphed back into his human form and scanned the terrain, where was she? Where was his beautiful wife?! He marched to one of his nosferatu guards and grabbed his shoulders. ¡°You! Where is she?! I asked you to protect her so where is she?!¡±

    ¡°Your majesty.. I¡¯m sorry but she was injured in battle,¡± the nosferatu mumbled, ¡°we were all injured in battle..¡±

    Elric growled and red at the nosferatu. He bared his fangs ready to maul off his neck before another guard walked to him. ¡°Your majesty! Her highness is safe, she was rescued by the elven king Gareth. They are tending to her wounds right now.¡±

    Elric was aware that the man was trying to make him feel better by telling him Melissa was doing fine, but the only thing he had heard was that she was with Gareth, and that infuriated him.

    ¡°Where are they?¡± Elric growled.

    ¡°Excuse me your majesty?¡±

    ¡°Where is that elven bastard and my wife?!¡± Elric roared making the man jump back.

    ¡°They¡¯re over there by the rocks.¡± He stummered. ¡°Her mother and hand maiden are there as well..¡±

    Elric shoved the gaurd aside and rushed to the rocks, why is it that when things started going well between him and Melissa this elf kept barging into their life?! Well now he was going to put him in his ce, he was going to tell him that Melissa was pregnant with his child and have him stay as far away from her as possible.

    *

    Aiden and Estel held their breath as they watched Theodora chant with her arms over Damien¡¯s body. A purplish light glowed around his body as Theodora¡¯s chanting became faster and faster, the brightness of the light intensified and when Estel looked up at Theodora she gasped.

    ¡°She¡¯s bleeding..¡± Estel muttered and tried to reach for Theodora but Aiden stopped her.

    ¡°The spell is taking a tow on her,¡± he whispered, ¡°but if we distract her now she won¡¯t be able to save him. If I sense she cannot handle it I¡¯ll stop it myself.¡±

    Estel looked at Aiden and nodded, it was clearer he cared for this woman, so it would be wise to trust him.

    Not long after, Renly made his way to where Aiden and Estel were and saw Theodora chanting with her hands over a man. From the blood that trickled from her ears and nose he could see that she was in pain but continued regardless.

    This was the man the mages had been trying to get their hands on wasn¡¯t he? This was Estel and Aiden¡¯s son. ¡°Please step aside,¡± he asked the elven woman and the nosferatu prince before getting down on his knees and putting his hands above Theodora¡¯s.

    This spirit that had possessed Damien¡¯s body was obviously his master, and it would take more than just one magic user to get him out. He closed his eyes and began chanting his own spell.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Aiden asked the man.

    ¡°I want to lend Theodora my magic,¡± Renly responded, ¡°we will need a lot of it if this spell is to seed.¡± He chanted more and more and the purple color intensified.

    Estel moved towards the duo but Aiden held her back by the arm. ¡°Estel...¡±

    ¡°He is my son Aiden,¡± Estel responded, ¡°I¡¯m a magic user, I can help him.¡± She ced her arms over Damien¡¯s body and began to chant as well, the purple light glowed even more.

    Aiden was taken aback by the sight, a human, a nosferatu and an elfing together to save a life, was this a sign that things were starting to turn around?

    Momentster, Damien opened his eyes and his body started jerking, he screamed and toiled around clearly trying to resist the extraction spell. This was bad, if he managed to overpower them, they would not be able to save Damien.

    But the thought ttered away as quick as it came when a bright blinding white light made Aiden shut his eyes. By the time he opened them, a strange man in a white cloak was squatting by Damien¡¯s head.

    The man ced a hand over Aiden¡¯s head and began chanting, the purple light around Damien became so bright that it was almost blinding. The hybrid screamed in agony as his mortal invading soul was ripped out of the body. The mage in white then waved his hand and pulled the departed soul into a small conch he was holding.

    Soon after the purple light disappeared, and everyone who was chanting fell back in exhaustion. Renly rushed to Theodora¡¯s side and held her in his arms while Aiden held Estel.

    When Renly looked up at the mysterious mage who had appeared, his face paled slightly. This was the man who had attacked him in the woods not too long ago and told him to stay away from Melissa.

    ¡°Who are you?..¡± Renly mumbled.

    ¡°Do not worry little bird, you are now a friend and not a foe..¡± he then lifted the conch and waved it, ¡°I will make sure your father rests easy. In the meantime, I have a brewing dispute to settle.¡±

    ¡°My father?¡± Renly was in shock, was this man saying that the master was actually his father? But how? He turned to the mage in a white cloak but he had disappeared already leaving Renly with so many questions. If the master has been his father all along, why had he never said anything?

    Renly also noticed that the calcification on his left hand had disappeared as well. Who was that mysterious mage?

    *

    After making sure Melissa¡¯s wound was cleaned and badaged, Garethy her down on a cloak that was spread out on the ground and cupped her hands in his. She smiled weakly at him and he smiled back, he was relieved nothing had happened to Melissa or the baby, he would havepletely lost it if anything did.

    But like every time when Elric was within the vicinity, the beautiful moment between Melissa and Gareth did notst. The lycan king marched to where Melissa wasying while the elven king got to his feet and met him halfway.

    ¡°Move it elf, my wife needs me..¡±

    ¡°Mel is already taken care of dog, now step back..¡± Gareth spat back.

    ¡°it¡¯s Lissa.. and she is MY WIFE, and the mother to MY CHILD.. now step aside!¡± Gareth roared.

    Garrth scoffed, ¡°oh you pathetic lycan, you think Mel is carrying your child?¡± Gareth took a step forward and sized Elric up, ¡°that child Melissa is carrying is half elf.¡±

    ¡°Step aside Gareth!¡±

    ¡°Stop it both of you!¡±

    The two men turned to Melissa who was holding her side and breathing heavily, ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of your bickering and senseless wars!¡± She yelled.

    ¡°But Lissa...¡±

    ¡°But Mel..¡±

    ¡°I am talking and both of you will listen!¡± Melissa snapped making the two men shut up.

    She then winced and squeezed her side, looks like she wasn¡¯t fully in the condition to go off on the two men and had stretched the stiches on her wound.

    Melissa suddenly felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and saw a man in a white cloak squatting beside her. ¡°Perhaps I can help clear this mess..¡±

 Chapter 208

    208 Chapter 208 : We¡¯re going home

    Gareth and Elric took a step forward both scared the strange man would hurt Melissa, but with the wave of the mage¡¯s hand the two men froze in ce. He then lowered his hand to Melissa¡¯s bandaged side after which a warm white light engulfed her wound, healing itpletely.

    Melissa touched her side and blinked rapidly in confusion, ¡°the wound..¡± the looked up at the mage, ¡°it¡¯s gone.¡± The only part of the man¡¯s face she could see was his lips, the rest of it was covered by the hood of his cloak.

    Kaiser Stefan on the other hand seemed to have some sort of idea on who the man was. ¡°You¡¯re one of the mages of the rocks aren¡¯t you?¡±

    The man¡¯s lips curved into a smile, ¡°what a fine memory you have Kaiser, I indeed am. The first one to be precise.¡±

    ¡°The mages of the rocks?¡± Maria mumbled before looking up at the mage, ¡°you¡¯re the ones you initiated the rebirth cycle are you not?¡±

    The man rose to his feet and noded before reaching for Melissa¡¯s hand and helping her up. ¡°Aye, it is I who initiated the reincarnation cycle and set in motion the lives the four choosen ones have lived.¡± He then took a step towards Gareth and smiled at him, ¡°it is also I who has been leaving little notes of encouragement for you son of Aragon.¡±

    Estel¡¯s eyes widened at the mage¡¯s words. ¡°Son of Aragon?¡± She got to her feet and carefully studied the dark haired elf who had been frozen by magic, his eyes the only things that could move. ¡°You¡¯re.... you¡¯re my brother?¡±

    ¡°That he is,¡± the mage responded, ¡°and so is the battle hungry blonde one over there.¡±

    Estel followed the man¡¯s finger that was pointing to Finwe who was cleaning his bloody de. These were her younger brothers? Oh gods, she was so confused and happy at the same time.

    .....

    Gareth on the other hand was putting pieces together in his head. So this man was the one who had left him the notes, and the ring, and the white horse as well? Had he been watching over them all this time?

    The mage then turned to Elric and gave him a taunting smile, ¡°stubborn lycan, you waste your strength fighting so hard for what is not yours when what belongs to you is yet toe. If you keep this up, you may lose what is truly yours.¡±

    If Elric could move he would have frowned, what did he mean he was fighting for something that was not his? Was he talking about Melissa?

    ¡°I cannot reveal much now,¡± the mage spoke to all of them, ¡°the time to answer all your burning questions will arrive soon enough.¡± He ced a gentle hand on Melissa¡¯s stomach making her gasp lightly. ¡°I am here to clear the air about this little miracle Melissa carries.¡±

    The mage looked up at Elric and gave him a small smile, ¡°she isn¡¯t yours Elric, at least not yet..¡± thest part was said in a faint tone, almost a whisper that only Melissa had heard. ¡°This child was fathered by the son of Aragon, and hence shall be born and raised as such.¡± The mage then turned to Gareth, ¡°that child she carries was the solution you seeked to break the curse.¡±

    And just like that, like the seeds of a dandelion, the mage shuttered into a million shards of light that were carried away by the wind, consequently releasing Gareth and Elric from their frozen states.

    After the white clocked mage disappeared, Elric felt his heart drop to his stomach. Had that man just said that the baby Melissa was carrying wasn¡¯t his? How was that possible? He hadin with her on their honeymoon, wasn¡¯t that when she had conceived their child. The silver haired king turned to the elf who was walking towards Melissa. Wait, could she have been pregnant the entire time? From the time he retrieved her from Ervelon, had she already been pregnant for Gareth?

    The elven prince pulled Melissa into his arms and held her securely, making Elric¡¯s breathing heavy.

    ¡°Is it true?¡± Elric stammered as he took a step towards Melissa and Gareth. He pointed at Melissa¡¯s belly with a shivering hand and gave her a pained expression. ¡°That baby you¡¯re carrying, is it not mine?¡±

    Melissa protectively wrapped her arms around her stomach, she was afraid of what Elric would do now that he knew the truth, but he had to find out eventually. The Nosferatu woman looked up at her husband and gave him an apologetic look, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Elric, even if I wanted to I cannot have your child. A nosferatu can only carry the child of their blood half, and mine is Gareth.¡±

    The eleven king pulled down his cor slightly and exposed the bite mark Melissa had given him. Elric felt like the ground below him started spinning and like there was a sharp ringing in his ears.

    ¡°But... but what about our honeymoon..¡± Elric took another step towards Melissa and felt his temperature begin to rise. ¡°We made love constantly for days on end.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t,¡± Melissa admitted and looked down. ¡°I worked with the blonde maid from the inn to intoxicate you and convince you we had slept together.¡± Melissa looked away feeling a little guilty. Even though Gareth was the man she loved she was married to Elric, so no matter how justifiable it may have seemed, getting pregnant for another man other than her husband was uneptable. ¡°But even if we didy together on our honeymoon, I was already with child.¡±

    Elric clenched his chest and gnashed his teeth, he was not sure if the pain he was feeling was a heartbreak or he was sumbing to a heart attack, regardless, it was making him lightheaded and blurring his vision.

    Melissa looked at the lycan and noticed that he was in some sort of pain. She slowly took a step forward and reached out to him. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    With a strong and terrifying grip, Elric grabbed Melissa and pulled her in. He turned into his wolf, eyes glowing bright yellow with his ws and fangs bared. He pinned her down with a loud thud and roared in fury.

    Marceline and Maria rushed to help but were pushed away by the veil of dark dangerous aura that was flowing from the angry lycan.

    ¡°Mel!¡± Gareth rushed to the lycan and tore through the dark veil with his magic. ¡°Let her go!¡±

    Elric turned to Gareth and roared, the impact sending Gareth flying. The lycan then looked down at the woman who was straggling beneath him and gnashed his teeth in fury. She had betrayed him, betrayed their love, betrayed their marriage and yed him for a fool.

    Melissa looked up at Elric and grabbed the hand that was holding her down by her neck. Her eyes were misty but she didn¡¯t show fear, she instead showed regret. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± she mumbled in a strained tone.

    Elric was caught off guard by her reaction, shouldn¡¯t she be pleading for her life? Why was she apologizing.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I betrayed you,¡± she mumbled as a tear flowed out her eye.

    Elric felt his heart break, what was he doing? This is the woman he loved and he was about to kill her. He shot his eyes to the side and saw an all too familiar redhead looking up at him beside Melissa, it was the woman from his dreams and she was holding his arm and giving him a pleading look. She mouthed the words ¡®you¡¯ll kill us both¡¯ and Elric immediately retracted his ws and stepped back.

    Gareth rushed to Melissa side and carried her in his arms, she was unconscious and had a nasty bruise on her neck. He looked up at Elric angrily and with the wave of his hand sent him flying across the terrain.

    After the crushnding, Elric got to his feet and noticed his men and Gareth¡¯s men staring at him.

    ¡°Your majesty are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Your majesty what happened?¡±

    ¡°King Elric you look distressed are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°King Elric...¡±

    ¡°Your majesty...¡±

    The lycan roared and sprint passed the many soldiers who were surrounding him. He had to leave, to go somewhere where he could be alone and think, too much was going on and he felt like he was going mad. He sprint across the terrain and dashed into the woods.

    ¡°Your majesty!¡± Clovis turned to the royal guard. ¡°Follow him!¡±

    *

    Melissa groaned and opened her eyes, had she fainted or had she died again? And if she had died, what had happened to... Melissa jolted upright and her hands flew to her stomach. ¡°The baby!¡±

    The pping of the tent opening drew Melissa¡¯s attention. Her face rxed when she saw Gareth walking in. ¡°Mel...¡± He squat down and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯re okay.¡±

    Melissa wrapped her arms around the elven king, she sighed in relief when she felt his warmth envelope her. If he was here it meant she hadn¡¯t died and their baby was safe.

    The elf pulled away slightly and studied her face and neck, he smiled when he saw that the bruise on her neck waspletely gone. ¡°How do you feel, are you alright, do you need anything?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine..¡± her hand went to her neck and she rubbed it gently. ¡°Elric.. how..¡±

    ¡°He ran off, they have been searching for him for hours now to no avail,¡± Gareth responded.

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s alright?¡±

    Gareth looked at the beautiful nosferatu woman and sighed. Even when that lycan had tried to kill her she was still concerned about his wellbeing, her soul was too pure for this world. The elven king took off his shoes and moved into Melissa¡¯s furs,ying her gently on his chest and holding her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he will be fine,¡± he muttered before cing a kiss atop her head. ¡°Right now you need to focus on getting better so that we can go home.¡±

    Melissa leaned into Gareth¡¯s embrace, ¡°home?¡±

    ¡°Yes my love, you, me and our baby are going to Gavaria.¡±

 Chapter 209

    209 Chapter 209 : Reunion

    Clovis paced his tent nervously while trying to rack his brain on what the hell was going on. His brother had just run off into the forest and even after hours of searching they could not find him, not even a trail, nothing! What had happened that made him run off like that? And that look he had in his eyes when he left, Elric looked like he had lost his mindpletely.

    Clovis had sent one of his generals to call for Gareth and speak to him about his brother. Whatever had caused Elric to behave the way he did must have had something to do with Melissa.

    When the p of his tent opened, Clovis rushly turned around hoping someone hade with some good news about Elric¡¯s whereabouts.

    ¡°Jeffrey..¡± Clovis walked to his brother and grabbed his shoulders. ¡°Have they found him?¡±

    Jeffrey slowly shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he responded sadly, ¡°we searched everywhere, every inch of the forest as far as the eye can see but could not find him. It¡¯s like he just disappeared.¡±

    Clovis cursed and continued his pacing, what in the world were they going to tell their father. First they had lost their mother not too long ago, and now his favorite son?

    ¡°Any word from king Gareth?¡±

    ¡°The Gavarians are still a bit wary of us considering there was initially supposed to be war between us,¡± Jeffrey exined. ¡°But a message has been sent to their side of camp regardless.¡±

    Clovis sighed and gave his brother a nod, ¡°thank you.¡±

    .....

    ¡°You do know what is supposed to happen now don¡¯t you?¡±

    Clovis looked up at his brother, ¡°what do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Elric specifically said if he does not make it back from this war, you must take the throne-¡±

    ¡°He is not dead!¡±

    Jeffrey nodded apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was not insinuating that he was.¡±

    ¡°No I¡¯m sorry,¡± Clovis responded, ¡°I¡¯m just incredibly stressed. Can we not talk about session for now, can we at least wait a while and look for him?¡±

    ¡°Of course..¡± Jeffrey bowed and left the tent. He too was worried about his brother, where on earth had he gone? Was he alright?

    Suddenly, Jeffrey found himself bumping into a big man who made him stumble. ¡°What in the-¡± when he looked up, his words scurried back down his throat.

    ¡°We meet again,¡± Rnd spoke with a smile, ¡°good to see you¡¯re still alive.¡± He pat Jeffrey on the back, his strength making him stumble forward.

    ¡°What are you doing on our side of camp?! This is trespassing!¡±

    Rnd pointed to Gareth who was standing behind him, ¡°I believe you called for us, or did we receive the wrong message?¡±

    ¡°Well... I... move out of my way elf!¡± Jeffrey shoved Rnd aside and stormed off leaving the two elves confused.

    ¡°Friend of yours?¡± Gareth asked.

    ¡°Barely,¡± Rnd replied, ¡°he seems to hate my guts for some reason.¡±

    ¡°What did you do to him?¡±

    ¡°Well... I saved his life.¡±

    *

    Jeffrey rushed into his tent and ran his hands through his dark hair. What in the world was this?! Why did that blue eyed elf always seem to pop out of nowhere and get him so worked up?!

    Why was he even so worked up to begin with?! So he had saved his life, so what? So he had those deep blue eyes and perfect cheekbones so what? So he had the strength of ten men so what?

    Jeffrey paused and sighed in frustration, why was he even thinking about this bloody elf to begin with?! He had more pressing issues to deal with like the disappearance of his brother.

    *

    Clovis held open the p of his tent and let Rnd and Gareth walk in. ¡°Thank you for meeting with me,¡± he spoke calmly, ¡°I understand this is quiet unusual.¡±

    ¡°indeed it is,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°we are after all on two opposite sides of the battlefield.¡±

    Clovis gestured the men to take a seat on the furs of the floor and sat across from them. ¡°Yes about that, both our armies have suffered great loss with a lot of our soldiers wounded. Using words like ¡®battlefield¡¯ is unsettling.¡±

    ¡°If it is not the war that you wish to discuss,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°the one your kingdom decided to follow through on by the way, then why am I here? I already have what I wanted.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my brother, he has not been found yet. I have a feeling whatever made him run off has something to do with Melissa, do you perhaps have any idea where he could have gone?¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± Gareth spoke, ¡°he went mad and tried to kill Melissa when he found out the child she carries is not his.¡±

    Clovis looked to the floor, now he understood. Elric had been in love with Melissa, no.. he had been obsessed with Melissa for years. Not only was he overprotective of her and their rtionship, but this whole war was waged on the sole fact that Elric thought Melissa was carrying his child. News like that must have broken him.

    ¡°I see..¡± Clovis mumbled before standing up and giving the elven king a respectful bow. ¡°Thank you for the information, and I apologize if I have caused any inconvenience.¡±

    Gareth and Rnd rose to their feet as well, before leaving, Gareth asked the lycan prince a question.

    ¡°Will you people leave me and Melissa to be together in peace now? After all the events of today?¡±

    ¡°We will never bother you again,¡± Clovis responded to the elven king who nodded before exiting the tent.

    *

    In another tent far from both the Gavarian and Merian camps, Aiden sat beside his son who was asying unconscious in some furs on the floor. He still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around how this man was his son, Aiden had missed out on so much of his childhood and life. The nosferatu prince had often dreamed of the day he would reunite with his son, but now that he wasying in front of him, Aiden didn¡¯t even know how to feel.

    Estel walked into the tent and smiled when she saw Aiden still watching over Damien. ¡°You have not eaten anything,¡± she whispered and put a bowl of food beside him. ¡°He will be fine so don¡¯t worry too much.¡±

    Aiden studied his son¡¯s face, he looked like the perfect cross between him and his mother, he still couldn¡¯t believe this was his boy, the one he thought he had lost all those years ago.

    ¡°How was he,¡± Aiden began to speak, ¡°when he was a child?¡±

    ¡°He has always been quite the trouble maker. Though we were confined to the tower, he found so much happiness in the little things.¡±

    Aiden felt his heart break a little at Estel¡¯s words. It both angered and pained him that his son had to have such a demeaning childhood, a time of his life when he was supposed to outside ying and running. But instead he spent it locked away like a prisoner.

    ¡°He was also very curious, and a little clumsy,¡± Estel ced her hand on top of Aiden¡¯s and smiled at him. ¡°Just like you.¡±

    ¡°I failed him as a father..¡±

    ¡°You searched for us everyday for almost a century Addie, you failed no one.¡±

    Aiden looked to the beautiful elven woman and smiled, he had really missed admiring her beauty and listening to her sweet voice. ¡°I could not sit while knowing there was a chance you were out there something, and I would have spent the rest of my days searching the earth if I had to. The only thing that would have stopped me from seeking the two of you would be my death.¡±

    Estel smiled before pulling Aiden in for a kiss, with misty eyes she ced her forehead on his and stroked his cheeks. ¡°I missed you so much..¡±

    ¡°As did I my love...¡± he kissed her again before pulling her onto hisp. ¡°As did I.¡±

    *

    Vivian grabbed the hair at the back of Zander¡¯s head and gnashed her teeth in pure bliss and pleasure.

    ¡°Never put yourself in harms way like that.. ever... again..¡±

    Vivian couldn¡¯t even find the constitution to respond, she was too lost in the sea of euphoria that had enveloped her body as Zander made love to her.

    ¡°You.. had me.. worried.. sick!¡± he groaned

    She moaned and arched her back in response to his powerful thrusts. She couldn¡¯t tell wether he was angry with her, had missed her, or both. But she really didn¡¯t care, he had never pleasured her in such a way before and she was enjoying every moment of it.

    Momentster Vivian felt her entire body shudder as she reached her peak, and as if responding to her orgasm, the blonde elf spent himself generously within her, consequently falling into her arms exhausted.

    Vivian wrapped her arms around the man on top of her and gently ran her fingers through his silky hair. ¡°Are you still angry with me?¡± She whispered in his ear.

    The elf looked up at the smiling woman and knitted his eyebrows. ¡°You are lucky the war has taken a tow on me.¡±

    ¡°And I missed you too,¡± Vivian responded with a chuckle.

 Chapter 210

    210 Chapter 210 : winter is upon us

    Julia had not slept a wink for over a week now, did a war really take this long to end? She was going mad worrying about Clovis and wondering why they hadn¡¯t returned yet. She had her headying on Clovis¡¯ bed while her body rested on the floor, she felt some sort offort whenever she was surrounded by his belongings and scent, so she had been doing this for a while.

    Julia craned her neck towards the door where someone was knocking and calling out to her, but unlike the usual feminine voice of her appointed hand maiden Fridah, there was a male voice that mad her get to her feet.

    ¡°Lady Julia are you in there?¡±

    Julia sighed in disappointment, that wasn¡¯t Clovis¡¯ voice. She had wanted to ignore whoever was calling to her but she walked towards the door hoping whoever it was had some good news for her. At this point any news would be good news as long as it assured her that her Clovis was still alive.

    When she opened the door she found Theo standing outside with his usual emotionless constitution. ¡°Good morning mydy, may I have a word with you?¡±

    Julia wasn¡¯t particrly fond of Theo, he had not been the nicest person to her in the past. ¡°If it has nothing to do with Clovis I am not interested.¡±

    ¡°I have word from him,¡± Theo responded and handed her a small parchment.

    Julia had never grabbed something so fast. She quickly unrolled it with much haste. It read:

    ¡®my beautiful little dwarve, the spell you¡¯ve put me under is in full effect for I have lost sleep without you by my side. I am writing this letter to tell that I am well and you need not to worry, eat well, sleep well, and keep yourself healthy for the sake of this love struck lycan of yours. I will return in a few days, there have been some unexpected developments and I apologize for not reaching out to you earlier. In the meantime, I entrust Fridah and Theo with your wellbeing and safety until I return. With undying love, Clovis.¡¯

    .....

    Julia felt like a boulder had been taken off her shoulders, she smiled and squeezed the letter against her chest after knowing that Clovis was alive.

    But wait, what were these ¡®unexpected developments¡¯ that he was talking about in his letter? Had the war not gone ording to n? She hoped they were okay and no one was hurt.

    ¡°What is taking so long for them to return?¡± Julia asked the tall slender lycan man in front of her, ¡°were they not sessful in the war?¡±

    The dwarve noticed how Theo¡¯s unemotional face showed hints of sadness before he retained his usualposure. ¡°There is nothing you need to worry about mydy, the war is over and prince Clovis shall be returning in no time at all, that is all that matters.¡±

    Julia knitted her eyebrows together suspiciously, this man was definitely hiding something from her and she wondered why.

    ¡°In the meantime, shall I get Fridah to make you some breakfast?¡±

    Julia nodded slowly, ¡°that would be nice, can she serve it out in the garden like before?¡±

    ¡°Of course mydy, it will be ready momentarily.¡± Theo bowed respectfully and walked away leaving Julia feeling a little confused. Since when had Clovis ever bowed to her?

    *

    When Melissa opened her eyes she found herself waking up in the arms of someone whose scent she remembered vividly, that musky woodsy smell could only be the scent of her first love, the elven king and the father of her child, Gareth.

    She felt him loosen his hold on her much to her displeasure and looked down at her face with a smile. ¡°Good morning beautiful..¡±

    His voice was still a bit sleepy and rough making Melissa¡¯s spine tingle. ¡°Good morning,¡± she responded with a smile. It was a surreal feeling waking up in his arms like this, she wouldn¡¯t mind doing this everyday for the rest of her life.

    ¡°You¡¯re up so early, is something wrong? Does anything hurt?¡±

    Melissa shook her head, ¡°I feel much better today.¡±

    Gareth smiled and ced his forehead on hers, ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±

    Just in that moment Melissa sneezed making the dark haired elf frown.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little chilly this morning,¡± Melissa mumbled while stroking her nose with her index finger.

    ¡°Aye, winter is upon us.¡± Gareth pulled Melissa closer and tightened his hold on her. ¡°You need to keep warm.¡±

    Melissa gasped when she noticed that Gareth was shirtless, ¡°aren¡¯t you cold?¡±

    ¡°I was keeping you warm with my body heat,¡± Gareth responded and stered the woman onto his firm chest. ¡°It will do you good to tear away some of your clothing as well so we can keep each other warm.¡±

    The very mention of ¡®tearing her clothes off¡¯ made Melissa sh. Why was she so embarrassed about being naked in front of Gareth anyway, she was carrying his child for goodness¡¯ sake.

    Gareth sat up and helped her sit up as well, ¡°it¡¯s still very early, let¡¯s keep each other warm for the time being.¡±

    Melissa averted the man¡¯s gaze as he untied the knots of her top and pulled it off. Gareth paused for a moment and stared at her chest.

    ¡°Gareth you¡¯re embarrassing me..¡± she whispered.

    The elf blinked a few times and smiled sheepishly, ¡°forgive me, it¡¯s just that your breasts..¡±

    Melissa folded her arms over her chest and blushed intensely.

    ¡°They look much fuller and softer than they did before,¡± Gareth added on as he moved his hands to her brais pants that she had worn underneath her armor. ¡°Pregnancy looks good on you..¡±

    Melissa trembled as the dark haired elf slipped off her trousers before taking off his own clothes. He then pulled her close until her naked body was pressed firmly against his.

    Melissa¡¯s heart was running a marathon in her chest being naked and under covers with Gareth, his warmth and scent were intoxicating.

    ¡°How are things on the Merian side of camp?¡± She asked in low voice as if scared she may awaken a sleeping beast if she spoke too loud. ¡°Have they found Elric?¡±

    The elven king moved his hand to Melissa¡¯s lower back, ¡°they have not, if he is not found in three days they have no chioce but to return to Meria without him.¡±

    ¡°I see..¡± Melissa cuddled up next to Gareth and sighed. She couldn¡¯t help but think this was her fault, if she had told Elric about the baby earlier maybe he wouldn¡¯t have run off, or if she had taken better care to keep the baby a secret from him, maybe he would still be here.

    Gareth moved his hand from Melissa¡¯s lower back to her bottom and then to her thigh. He pulled her leg around his waist and gazed at her beautiful blue eyes that sparkled even in the darkness of the tent.

    ¡°He is not dead,¡± Gareth assured the woman having sensed her guilt. ¡°He probably just needs some time to process everything that has happened, I assure you he will show up eventually.¡± Gareth pulled Melissa on top of him and gently cupped her bare bottom. ¡°That bastard is too stubborn to die anyway.¡±

    Melissa gasped when she felt Gareth¡¯s shaft slip into her core. He grabbed her bottom gently and slid the woman down his shaft gently.

    ¡°Frequent coitus is strongly rmend during pregnancy,¡± the man whispered and pushed himself further into Melissa. ¡°It¡¯s good for the baby...¡±

    *

    Stefan tuned around when he heard the p of his tent opening and immediately rose to his feet when he saw Aiden walk in. The two men stared at each other for a long moment not knowing what to say, both filled with emotions they couldn¡¯t quite exin.

    ¡°How is she doing?¡± Aiden spoke first while looking at his mother who was asleep in the furs behind his father. Marceline had sustained a few injuries when fighting against Damien and was still recovering from them.

    ¡°She is well, she¡¯s just a little tired,¡± Stefan responded without taking his eyes off his son. ¡°How is your son? And Estel, how is she faring?¡±

    ¡°Damine is still unconscious but is healing well. And you know Estel, as stubborn as ever, even though she needs to be resting she¡¯s up and about the camp.¡±

    The small smile on Aiden¡¯s lips made the Kaiser¡¯s heart ache. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry son, I should havee after you and looked for you. I should have helped you look for your wife, but instead you had to go through all of this on your own. I failed you as a father.¡±

    Aiden took a few steps forward and gave his father a small smile, and just like Stefan¡¯s, Aiden¡¯s eyes were equally misty. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have run away from my people, I didn¡¯t really give you much of an opening to help me, you failed no one father.¡±

    The two men closed the distance between than and embraced each other in a hug.

    ¡°I thought I would never see you again,¡± Stefan whispered in a strained voice.

    ¡°And I thought I¡¯d never be with my family ever again,¡± Aiden responded before breaking the hug. ¡°But now look at us, Estel and my son, and now my sister and you and mother. It¡¯s like a dream.¡±

    Stefan gripped Aiden¡¯s shoulder firmly and gave him a nod, ¡°it¡¯s good to have you back my boy, we were all so lost without you.¡±

 Chapter 211

    211 Chapter 211 : Moving forward

    Estel was smiling from ear to ear as she watched her brother walk towards Aiden and her with Melissa in hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time Gareth,¡± Aiden spoke with a grin on his face. ¡°You wanted to keep my little sister all to yourself?¡±

    ¡°You will be my brother inw soon Aiden but I can still punch you in the face,¡± Gareth responded with a chuckle. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t remember you asking for my sister¡¯s hand, but here you are looking like you want to pump her with another baby.¡±

    Gareth and Aiden exchange quick hugs before turning to each other¡¯s women. Gareth was a bit taken aback when he saw how closely Estel resembled the queen and Finwe, so this was his older sister.

    ¡°Estel, mother will be pleased to see you,¡± Gareth spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure, her and father must have gone mad trying to find me.¡±

    Gareth sighed and looked away, so Aiden had not told her about the elven king¡¯s demise had he?

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did something happen while I was gone?¡± Estel searched Gareth¡¯s eyes and saw a hint of sadness, she didn¡¯t need to ask to know that something definitely had happened. ¡°Oh gods, was it father? Is he no longer with us?¡±

    Gareth looked at Estel in shock, ¡°how did you know?¡±

    .....

    ¡°Earlier you said mother would be happy to see me,¡± Estel responded, ¡°you didnt say anything about our father. It was easy to put two and two together.¡± The elven Princess looked around before turning back to her brother. ¡°Where is Finwe?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s organizing our horses and carriages since we n on going back to Gavaria tomorrow. Melissa needs to rest.¡±

    Estel couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°is it fate that we all fell in love with nosferatu of the same blood?¡± She looked up at her brother, even though she now knew that her father was gone, she foundfort in Gareth, she saw a lot of her father in him. ¡°I hear she¡¯s with child, you couldn¡¯t wait till you married her dear brother? Is she that enchanting?¡± The taunt in Estel¡¯s voice was very evident and it made Gareth chuckle.

    ¡°And I hear you have a ny year old son with a man you aren¡¯t married to,¡± Gareth fired back. ¡°Is his touch that intoxicating dear sister?¡±

    Estelughed, Gareth was indeed her father¡¯s child.

    A few inches from where Gareth and Estel were talking, Melissa and her brother Aiden were having a conversation of their own.

    ¡°Goodness, you look just like our mother..¡±

    Melissa eyed her brother and looked at him from head to toe, ¡°and so do you, except you have father¡¯s demeanor.¡±

    Aiden walked towards his sister and embraced her in a hug. Even though when he initially sought his sister out it was for the purpose of needing her help, a part of him wanted to meet her still. He had been alone for so long so reuniting with her was for his own sanity as well, this was his little sister after all.

    ¡°Seeing you now makes me want to break Gareth¡¯s nose with my fist,¡± Aiden mumbled before releasing the beautiful redhead. ¡°How dare he get you pregnant.¡±

    Melissa chuckled, was his protective brotherly side starting to take over? He was a littlete to the party though, she already had Bahram for that. Speaking of her brothers, she wondered where they were in this moment, she owed them a debt of gratitude, all she knew about their whereabouts was that the twins had passed through Gavaria to send word to Gareth about her wellbeing, other than that she had no idea.

    ¡°I would really love to catch up,¡± Aiden spoke, ¡°you should pass through my tent before you leave for Gavaria and see your nephew, he¡¯s a bit of a cabbage at the moment but he can still hear you when you speak to him.¡±

    Melissa smiled and nodded, ¡°I would love that.¡±

    ¡°Well you better go to Gareth now, I can sense his desire toe steal you away from here. He is very fond of you, I¡¯m d.¡±

    ¡°What will happen now that you¡¯ve found Estel? Are you going to the snonds with her?¡±

    ¡°The snonds are mother and father¡¯s home,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°I can only go there when father steps down as Kaiser, Estel and I have a home in Ervelon, we will go there.¡±

    ¡°Alright...¡± the memories Melissa had of Ervelon were not very pleasing so she don¡¯t really like the ce. Melissa wondered how the queen would react when she would find out about the pregnancy.

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming Ervelon isn¡¯t your ideal home, did you meet our dear sweet mother inw?¡±

    Melissa nodded and scoffed, ¡°I did, and I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m ready to meet her again. I will stay in Gavaria with Gareth, he is the king there after all.¡±

    A gentle hand took Melissa¡¯s, there he was, it was like Gareth couldn¡¯t stand being away from her for too long, but she couldn¡¯t me him though, they had been apart for long and had been through so much hell to reach where they were now.

    ¡°May i steal your beautiful sister for a bit,¡± Gareth muttered.

    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Aiden chuckled and walked away.

    Melissa turned to the elf, ¡°you look a bit serious, is anything the matter.¡±

    ¡°I have a meeting with Elric¡¯s brother in a few minutes, do you want to join me? You seemed concerned about the lycan before.¡±

    Melissa pursed her lips, she hoped that Gareth didn¡¯t take offense to her concern. ¡°I¡¯m only worried for his wellbeing as a friend, he was there for me for a long time so it¡¯s only natural.¡±

    A smile tugged Gareth¡¯s lips, ¡°do you think I¡¯m jealous.¡± He inched closer to Melissa and pulled her into his embrace.

    She looked away and blushed, ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to get the wrong idea.¡±

    ¡°Well you¡¯re right, I am as jealous as ever and I cringe every time I hear his name escape your lips..¡±

    Melissa felt her stomach knot up, she felt incredibly guilty about making Gareth go through this.

    Gareth tilted her head up and smiled, ¡°but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I love you, nothing ever will, and now that you are carrying my child, I love you even more. My jealousy could never overshadow the feelings I have for you. So with that aside, do you want to join me for the meeting?¡±

    ¡°what is it about? Is it solely about Elric?¡±

    ¡°We wish to forge a new peace treaty between our two nations,¡± Gareth exined, ¡°we want to foster peace and equality, I want my child to grow up in a world without turmoil.¡±

    ¡°Sounds pretty important,¡± Melissa responded. She was so proud of Gareth, being king definitely suited him, he would be a great ruler indeed. ¡°But I¡¯m a bit tired, and I promised to go and see Damien before we leave, I think will sit this one out.¡±

    Gareth nodded and ced a kiss on Melissa¡¯s temple, ¡°then I¡¯ll see you at the tent.¡±

    *

    Zander stood beside Gareth as Clovis rolled out a parchment on the small table in his tent. He stepped aside and gave the elven king the chance to read through it and make sure everything was up to his standard.

    ¡°Do you find everything satisfactory?¡± Clovis asked. ¡°I even took the liberty of including the nullification of Melissa¡¯s marriage to Elric so you can go ahead and be with her. No one wille in between your union and no one will wage war on Gavaria ever again, at least no one from Meria.¡±

    Gareth nodded to Zander who walked towards the parchment and inspected it, Gareth had appointed the elf as his right hand, just like his father before him. His sharp wits and political knowledge would be most beneficial to Gareth and the Gavarian empire.

    ¡°I think everything is up to standard your majesty,¡± Zander responded to give the elven king a go ahead on signing the treaty.

    Gareth grabbed the quill and ced it on the parchment but paused.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Clovis asked having noticed his hesitation.

    ¡°I have a request,¡± he moved his hooded brown eyes to Clovis¡¯s. His face made him a little upset, he looked so like Elric.

    ¡°And what may that be?¡±

    ¡°If you hear from your king..¡± Gareth scribbled his signature on the parchment and stood up straight. ¡°Please do inform me, Melissa is worried about him and I¡¯d like to put her mind at ease.¡±

    Clovis nodded, no wonder Elric was so obsessed with the nosferatu Princess, she had a caring heart and a gentle spirit, one could easily mistake that for romantic feelings. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to send word.¡±

    ¡°We leave for Gavaria tomorrow, I sincerely wish you all the best in your search.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, safe travels and pass my regards to Princess Melissa,¡± Clovis spoke with a respectful nod. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to driving this continent forward with you.¡±

    ¡°As will I, do send word when you arrive in meria,¡± Gareth and Zander both bowed and turned around, ¡°we will take our leave now.¡±

 Chapter 212

    212 Chapter 212 : Heart eyes

    After sealing the treaty with his signature as well, he put it away and decided to leave his tent for a bit for some fresh air, he had had a lot going on and felt like he would explode if he didn¡¯t take a moment to breathe.

    Since Elric was now missing and it had been almost a week now, Clovis had to take over the affairs of the army. And since Elric had already publicly dered that Clovis should take over if anything ever happened to him, everyone already looked up to him as king. Had Elric perhaps anticipated this happening? No, that was ridiculous. The silver haired prince pushed the thought out of his mind and stepped out into the cold morning air.

    Clovis suddenly came to a halt when a de touched his throat. He gulped, if he had moved even a few inches further he was going to be on a very tricky situation.

    ¡°You are Clovis?¡± A rogh voice rumbled from below.

    ¡°Who wants to know?¡± Clovis responded.

    A chuckle escaped the man¡¯s lips, ¡°I don¡¯t thing you have the luxury to be smug lycan.¡±

    ¡°And I don¡¯t think you know who you¡¯re dealing with dwarve..¡±

    The de on Clovis¡¯ neck didn¡¯t move but the man moved into the light for the lycan prince to see. He was a short man with long rough looking dark hair that was slightly braided, emerald green eyes and a few tattoos here and there.

    Dvalin gave the lycan a threatening look, ¡°your brother has something that belongs, but since he had decided to in the forest, I¡¯vee for you?¡±

    Clovis arched his eyebrow, ¡°Elric has something that belongs to you? Well that doesn¡¯t sound like my problem-¡± the silver haired prince didn¡¯t even end his statement, the dwarve had already pinned him to the ground and had his hands pinned behind my back.

    .....

    ¡°What in the-¡± Clovis tried to move but the short man was incredibly strong. Who the hell was this dwarve? ¡°Let me go this instant!¡±

    Dvalin sat on Clovis¡¯ back and pulled his head up by his hair, when he put his de on his neck the prince immediately stopped squirming and gulped.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Clovis mumbled through clenched teeth. He could tell from the man¡¯s sheer strength and speed that he was a warrior, but what in the world did Elric take from him that was making him so aggressive?!

    ¡°My daughter, where the hell are you bastards keeping her?¡±

    ¡°Your daughter?! I don¡¯t know anything about your daughter!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to act smart with me boy, where the hell is my princess?! Where is Da?!¡±

    The de sipped slightly into the flesh of Clovis¡¯ neck making him hiss. ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone named Da you maniac! All this will be in vain!¡±

    ¡°I know you do! You were holding her prisoner so you could gain the support of the dwarvish army!¡±

    The silver haired prince¡¯s eyes widened at the mention of the dwarvish army. Elric had mentioned something about gaining their support, but the means he was going to use has nothing to do with anyone named Da, he was actually going to use... oh gods.. was this Julia¡¯s father?!

    ¡°I¡¯m going to give you to the count of three to disclose my daughter¡¯s whereabouts or I¡¯ll be mounting your head on my wall!¡± Dvalin roared.

    Clovis didn¡¯t know how he didn¡¯t see it before, even though he was rogh looking and Julia was as soft and beautiful as a flower, there was no mistaking those emerald eyes, this was definitely Juliana father.

    ¡°And if you¡¯ve done anything to harm her, I will make sure your entire pathetic kingdom crumbles.¡± The dwarve kind tightened his hold on Clovis¡¯ hair. ¡°One!... Two!¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    The dwarve king inched closer to Clovis¡¯ face, his beard brushing his skin lightly. Even though it was roughly kept it didn¡¯t smell bad, must be one of the perks of royalty. ¡°Well lycan? What will it be?¡±

    ¡°I would never harm your daughter, she¡¯spletely safe!¡± Clovis yelled in an attempt to calm the angers man. Good gods, Clovis couldn¡¯t believe he had just had a spat with his future father inw on the first meeting, this would definitelye back to haunt him.

    ¡°And why should I trust you?¡±

    ¡°Because I love her!¡± Clovis blurted out making Dvalin freeze. ¡°I love Julia.. umm Da, I would never harm her. So please put down your weapon and we can talk man to man, her wellbeing is both our priority, we¡¯re on the same side.¡±

    There were no sounds or movements that came from Dvalin, was he shocked about what Clovis had just said or did he just not believe him? Before Clovis could call out to Dvalin, the dwarve pulled away the de from his throat and used its sheath to knock Clovis up yhe head rendering him unconscious.

    *

    Jeffrey was sitting on a stool not too far from the Gavarian side of camp watching some of Gateth¡¯s men who were taking and drinking. He scoffed when his eyesnded on Rnd who was poring himself some ale from a barrel and scoffing it down.

    Look at the elf, Jeffrey thought himself, sitting there and probably thinking he was on top of the world because he had saved his life one time, Jeffrey hoped that Rnd didn¡¯t feel think he owed him anything because of that.

    He watched the man down his alcohol andugh with his friends. ¡°Tch.. he is such a nuisance.¡±

    ¡°Who, Rnd?¡±

    Jeffrey almost jumped from his seat hearing a stranger speak to him, the audacity of this man. Ivan pulled a log and settled down next to Jeffrey, he had a cup of ale in hand and from the groggy look on his face Jeffrey could tell the man was as drunk as a fish.

    ¡°How dare you? Aren¡¯t you on the wrong side of camp elf?¡±

    Ivan took arge sip of his ale and shook his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? A peace treaty has been signed between the Merian and the Gavarian kingdoms, there¡¯s no your side or our side anymore..¡± the drunken elf put his arm over Jeffrey¡¯s shoulder and grinned widely, ¡°we are all brothers now.¡±

    Jeffrey pushed Ivan away and stood up, ¡°hands off elf I wish not to mingle with any one of you!¡±

    ¡°Oh really?...¡± Ivan got to his feet and wobbly walked closer to Jeffrey. ¡°Then why are you giving Rnd heart eyes?¡±

    Jeffrey felt his entire face burn up, he took several steps away from Ivan and muttered some incoherent sounds before words were able toe out of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not giving anyone heart eyes you bafoon! If anything all I feel for that blue eyed bastard is gratitude.¡±

    Ivanughed before moving closer to Jeffrey, ¡°I have traveled with Rnd for years and I never even realized he had blue eyes, and yet you meet him once and the image of them is seeded into your mind.¡± Ivan pat Jeffrey on the back and walked towards his drinking friends, ¡°why don¡¯t I give you a little push!¡±

    Jeffrey felt his heart quicken, what did that elf mean by ¡®giving him a push?¡¯ What was he about to do?! The moment when Ivan walked to Rnd and whispered something in his ear, Jeffrey felt like all his worst nightmares wereing true, what in the world was that bloody elf thinking?!

    When Rnd nodded and stood up, Jeffrey contemted turning around and bolting back to his tent. This was insane, why was he feeling this way over this man?! Was this normal? It felt normal.. as the elf inched closer Jeffrey¡¯s flight response melted away and he froze in ce.

    Rnd stood next to Jeffrey and smiled down at him, the elf was huge, towering over Jeffrey by at least a foot. ¡°Hello there, Jeffrey was it?¡±

    *

    Melissa walked into her brother¡¯s tent and found him sitting beside Damien¡¯s furs. ¡°May I join you?¡±

    Aiden looked up and smiled at his younger sister, ¡°please do..¡±

    The blue eyed woman walked to Aiden¡¯s side and sat down. She trailed her eyes to the man sleeping in the furs and was astonished at how much he resembled his father.

    ¡°I feel terrible that I missed out on so much of his life, I would have loved to see him as a child, y with him and teach him how to hunt and fish.¡± Aiden reached for his son¡¯s forehead and pushed away a loc of hair from it.

    ¡°What matters is that you¡¯re here now,¡± Melissa respondedfortingly, ¡°you know what they say, there in no time like the present.¡±

    Aiden nodded and gave his sister a grateful smile.

    ¡°How long do think he¡¯ll be this way?¡± Melissa asked. She remembered that Aiden had mentioned his son had most of his injuries healed, but they were still waiting for him to gain consciousness.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, could be days, maybe weeks..¡±

    Melissa felt her heart ache, she wished she could do something to help by she knew nothing about healing magic. She reached for Damien¡¯s hand and stroked it gently, ¡°you will be alright..¡±

    Melissa yelped when Damien¡¯s hand grabbed her wrist and shot his eyes open.

 Chapter 213

    213 Chapter 213 : Suspicion

    Damien jolted upright and red at the woman whose wrist was secured in his hand. Who was she? Where was he? What had happened?! Thest thing Damien could remember was him being captured by the mages, searing pain and his mother.. his mother!

    ¡°Who or what are you?¡± Damien asked in a strained tone. He looked physically tired and drained, his body being possessed had taken a huge tow on him but his grip was iron d.

    Aiden rushed to Damien and tried to pull his arm away from Melissa but he was pushed away and Melissa pulled into a chokehold, her back on his chest and his hand around her neck. ¡°Stay away! Who the hell are you people?! Where is my mother?!¡±

    ¡°Damien wait! Please listen!¡± Aiden tried to plead with his son

    The hybrid growled and tightened his grip on Melissa¡¯s neck making her squeal. ¡°Stay back or she dies!¡±

    Aiden put his hands in front of him urging his son to calm down, ¡°now now Damien, you don¡¯t want to do that. This is all big misunderstanding, we¡¯re your allies, your family..¡±

    The nosferatu prince understood why his son was acting so erratic, he had experienced an out of body experience and then woke up in some strange ce with people he didn¡¯t know. He was probably scared and confused.

    ¡°Damien please, you were hurt we¡¯re only trying to-¡±

    ¡°Enough! I asked you a question, where is my mother?! Are you working with the mages?! Are you trying to take over my body?!¡±

    .....

    Estel who had been on her way to the tent to bring Aiden some food heard the ruckus from within and rushed towards the tent. When she pried the p open, her breath hitched seeing Damien holding Melissa hostage.

    ¡°Damien! What on earth are you doing?!¡± Estel shrieked in horror.

    The young hybrid looked up at his mother and sighed in relief, he was so afraid that she had been captured or hurt by the mages and he had failed her, seeing her standing there brought peace to his heart.

    ¡°Let her go Damien she¡¯s pregnant!¡± Estel rushed to her son and pried his hand away from Melissa¡¯s throat and helped her move away from the delirious man. She inspected her neck worriedly and was d that she had not sustained any serious injuries.

    ¡°Mother what¡¯s going on?..¡± now he felt even more confused than before, who were these people? And what in the world was going on here?!

    *

    Prince Clovis woke up with a start and was surprised to find himself on his furs in his tent, thest thing he remembered was having a de against his throat and then suddenly everything went ck.

    He turned his head to the side, wincing at the pain he was feeling at the back of his skull, and noticed king Dvalin sitting on the floor beside him with his legs crisscrossed. He must have been the one who knocked him over the head, but why would he do that?

    ¡°If you think I will apologize for almost bashing your head in you¡¯re mistaken,¡± Dvalin spoke in an intimidating tone. It was clear that he was a stubborn man who heeded to no one, Clovis understand where Julia.. umm Da got her stubbornness from.

    Clovis pushed himself upward and turned to face the manpletely, his hand went to the back of his head and he hissed in pain, what in the world had this old dwarve hit him with?

    ¡°Now about my daughter..¡± Dvalin began to speak, he had an irrited almost angry look on his face. ¡°What did you mean when you said you loved her? Who gives you the right lycan?¡±

    In as much as Clovis knew that pushing this man would earn him another knock upside the head, he had to stand his ground around him. Being governor, the silver haired prince had dealt with people of different character and knew how to handle them all, including people like Dvalin. Give this man a chance to walk all over you and he would turn you into a floor rag.

    ¡°I meant exactly that,¡± Clovis responded. His voice was subtle but firm, this was a game of male dominance, and his lycan instincts were itching to assert it. This was his mate they were talking about, and no one could pull her from his side, not even her father. ¡°You were worried she would be harmed or she was being kept prisoner right? Well I¡¯m assuring you that your daughter is living like a princess, as she should.¡±

    Dvalin furrowed his think bushy eyebrows at the silver haired lycan, how dare this boy talk about his daughter in such a demeaning way? Da only deserved the best man, someone from their own kind, a strong dwarvish warrior who would protect her and care for her, not some pretty boy prince.

    ¡°As a matter of fact, she will be treated like a queen once I return to Meria,¡± Clovis exined further, ¡°she is after all going to be the wife of the next in line for the throne.¡±

    The slight growl that escaped Dvalin¡¯s lips made Clovis smile, when the dwarve king rose to his feet, Clovis quickly moved from his furs and ced his ws against the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Now now my dear future father inw, we don¡¯t want to do anything hasty now do we? Do you know how heartbroken your daughter will be if you harm me? She will absolutely loathe you.¡±

    Dvalin gulped and drew in a breath, this lycan was quick, and to his utter surprise, he seemed not to be intimidated by him. Maybe this lycan was not just another pretty face.

    ¡°Now if you please..¡± Clovis retracted his ws and took a step back. ¡°Can we sit down and talk like civilized men? You may not believe it now, but I would love for you to meet your beautiful daughter.¡± The prince sat down on his furs and reached for the jag of wine and cups beside him. ¡°Let us speak about traveling back to Meria together, I¡¯m sure you want to reunite with her as soon as possible.¡±

    *

    Damien cupped his now throbbing head in his hands and groaned. All this information that was being offloaded to him at the same time was so overwhelming it was giving him a headache. So the woman he had almost taken as a hostage was his aunt, and the man beside her was his father Aiden... and apparently, his mother had two younger brothers of which one was the father to the child his aunt was carrying... so his aunt and his uncle were in love? Damien groaned a second time.

    ¡°And the mages?¡± He asked in a tired voice, ¡°what did you say happened to them?¡±

    ¡°After their leader possessed your body he attacked us,¡± Aiden responded, ¡°obviously in a pathetic attempt to see the extent to which he could harness your power, but he failed and all the allies he came with were ughtered.¡±

    Damien nodded slowly, ¡°and you¡¯re sure non of the mages remain?¡±

    ¡°That we are not sure of.¡± Gareth was the one who had responded, he was sitting next to Melissa and was giving Damien a murderous re from the moment he had arrived in the tent. Sure this young man was his nephew, but he had tried to harm Melissa and it would take Gareth some time to get over that without an apology. When he had sensed Melissa was in danger, something that had surprised him of course, he had rushed to the tent and found the beautiful redhead coughing hysterically, he had seen Aiden and Estel trying to hold Damien down and immediately knew who had hurt her.

    Long story short, Gareth had tried to knock Damien back into a state of unconsciousness, luckily Finwe and Aiden had managed to calm him down... for now.

    ¡°Do you think the mages will try something again?¡± Finwe asked again while relentlessly starting his sister down. He waspletely shaken by how she resembled their mother, and to think he thought he would never get the chance to see her again.

    Finwe took another sip of his wine before finally being able to pull his gaze away from Estel, ¡°I mean aren¡¯t they practically just fleamsy humans without their so called master?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure but we can never be too careful,¡± Damien responded. He looked to Gareth who was still staring daggers at him before clearing his throat nervously, gods, the outside world was so unsettling.

    ¡°Maybe you can consult with Renly?¡± Gareth asked the nosferatu prince, ¡°we worked as one of the mages before this didn¡¯t he? And from what the mysterious mage of the rocks said, Renly could be the son of this so called master.¡±

    ¡°Do you think he can be dangerous?¡± Finwe asked, ¡°I mean if he is the son of the man who wanted our kind dead, could there be a possibility that he would follow his footsteps?¡±

    A silence filled the room while all eyes fell on Aiden. The nosferatu prince sighed, they did have a reason for concern, but Renly wasn¡¯t like that, well at the least he didn¡¯t seem like the type... right?

 Chapter 214

    214 Chapter 214 : a magic called science

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Renly asked the nosferatu woman who was struggling to sit up in her bed.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Theodora murmured in a tired voice. Using her magic to free Aiden had drained her and weakened her, so much so that she had been bed ridden for almost a week now.

    The woman¡¯s arms shivered a little and Renly moved to her side and helped her to maintain her bnce. ¡°You¡¯re still weak, you shouldn¡¯t push yourself or you may reopen old wounds.¡± He slipped into the furs and cradled her against her chest.

    Theodora felt a little embarrassed being held like this, Renly was the first man to ever show her any form of care and concern and it made her face flush. She appreciated him a lot even though all of this was new to him as well. She cuddled up against him and clutched his clothes tightly. ¡°Thank you..¡± Theodora mumbled.

    To her surprise, the man nted a kiss on the top of her head and held her tighter, ¡°you don¡¯t have to thank me, I¡¯m doing this out if my own will.¡±

    As the two were getting cozy in there furs, Aiden peeked into their tent, ¡°I hope I¡¯m not disturbing anything..¡±

    If Theodora had the energy and constitution, she would have moved away from Renly in embarrassment but she was too weak and in pain. She had not yet wrapped her head around the fact that she had gotten over Aiden and was now falling for Renly.

    ¡°You are,¡± Renly responded, ¡°but you¡¯re already here so make yourself at home.¡±

    Theodora eas a little surprised at his Renly had responded, was that jealous she sensed in his voice?

    .....

    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Aiden responded as he settled down on the floor next to the couple. He turned to Theodora who sunk deeper into Renly¡¯s chest feeling a little shy. ¡°How are you feeling? The whole ideal looked like it really took a tow on you, we were all so worried, especially Renly over here.¡±

    Theodora peeked at the nosferatu prince, ¡°thank you for your concern your grace, but I¡¯m doing much better now.¡±

    ¡°She is weak and is still healing,¡± Renly responded. Yes, that definitely was jealousy lingering on his every word, and she could also sense a hint of protectiveness, it was clear that Renly was very territorial around Aiden but Theodora CPI don¡¯t really me him. ¡°So if there¡¯s anything you require her to do for you ¡®your grace¡¯ I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to decline.¡±

    Aiden raised his eyebrows in amusement, he had to decline? Goodness, the man had definitely grown a pair over thest few weeks. ¡°I am not here to ask anything of her, I¡¯m merely asking about her well being. Besides, I iwe her a debt of gratitude for saving my son.¡± Renly bowed slightly to the woman on Renly chest. ¡°Thank you Theodora, I owe you so much.¡±

    Aiden then gazed up at Renly, ¡°actually, I came here to speak with you Renly.¡±

    ¡°With me?..¡±

    ¡°It is about your father, there¡¯s some things I need to run by you to insure that what happened a few days ago will not repeat itself.¡±

    Theodora could feel Renly¡¯s muscles tense up beneath her he seemed not to bepletelyfortable with the line of questioning he was about to be put through, in fact, Theodora had a few questions of her own. Who was Renly¡¯s father anyway? And how did Aiden know about him.

    ¡°What do you wish to know?¡± Renly responded. The news of the master being his father was something he had not fullye to terms with and it made him feel a certain type of way. All his life he knew that his father was a rich lord who had mercilessly raped his mother till she had him and threw her out into the treats. Was all of that a lie? Or worse off, was the master the rich lord who had been raping his mother and had taken him in out of guilt or pity?

    ¡°Everything you can tell me basically, his intentions and anything you can think of,¡± Aiden spoke, ¡°he did after all mastermind behind the bloodshed that happened not too long ago, and also he spearheaded the great cleansing. We have to take every precaution if we want to ensure something like that never happens again.¡±

    Theodora was shocked to hear that type ¡®master¡¯ was actually Renly¡¯s father.

    ¡°I never knew he was my father,¡± Renly responded in a calm collected tone, but Theodora could sense the hint of hurt in his tone. ¡°So I don¡¯t have much to tell you from a son¡¯s perspective.¡±

    Theodora gently squeezed his chest when he noticed that his heart rate was elerating, Renly tightened his hold on the woman and took a deep breath before continuing to speak. He was surprised at how the small gesture could calm his nerves so quickly.

    ¡°Well from the perspective of a mage, he was a very powerful man who earned either the respect or the fear of eighty percent of the human race. He was a brilliant man who used a strange form of forbidden magic..¡±

    Aiden arched his brow skeptically, ¡°strange form of magic?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he would extract serums and potions from nts,¡± Renly exined, ¡°he would use strange items he would dig from beneath the earth, he had strange ways of using ss and making strange containers out of them...¡± Renly paused and looked up at Aiden who looked absolutely confused. ¡°I too didn¡¯t understand it all when I was a boy, but he taught me many things. This magic... this.. this sorcery.. it could do so much good but all he used it for was evil. He could make medicines, some we¡¯ve never heard of before that could cure all sorts of sickness, I healed one of our brothers once with a potion I came up with but the master had me locked up for using the skills he taught me for a purpose he did not intend.¡±

    Aiden was intrigued, a human who could harness potions and magic from nature? He turned to Renly, ¡°do you think that maybe he taught you all these things so you can carry out his work?¡±

    Renly froze for a second, Aiden had a point. Back when Renly was younger, the master had never allowed him to learn magic the way the others did, he was always learning under the strict instructions of the master, learning the names of different herbs and nts and what they could do, learning to perform magic without the use of spells.. at first Renly thought it was merely because he was a sickly child and master was making sure he didn¡¯t want him to sustain any injuries or anything of that sort.

    But now that Aiden had pointed it out he could put the pieces together. So all this time the master had known Renly was his son and was merely grooming him to be a miniature version of himself! Renly felt both hurt and furious, he could feel his body physically starting to tremble until Theodora sat up and turned to him. She had a look of concern and worry in her eyes, the look he hated to see the most and it calmed him down.

    ¡°So I¡¯m assuming whatever it is that your father could do, you can do as well?¡± Aiden asked the man. ¡°All the experiments that he performed, this so called strange magic.. you can do it all can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I suppose,¡± Renly responded, ¡°but of course I am not as skilled as he was.¡±

    ¡°But with practice..¡± Aiden added on, ¡°you could be exactly like him, or maybe even better at it than he was? Is that something we should worry about?¡±

    Renly looked up at Aiden and their eyes met in an intense re. ¡°Are you insinuating that I could be power hungry and use my skills to try and wipe you all out again?¡±

    ¡°It is merely just a concern,¡± Aiden pointed out.

    ¡°The woman I love is a nosferatu,¡± Renly dered making Theodora¡¯s eyes circle. ¡°And my children will be part nosferatu as well...¡±

    Theodora was breathless at the man¡¯s words, did he know the implications of the words he was saying?

    Aiden creased his eyebrows angrily and pulled Theodora back into his arms. ¡°Why would I be stupid enough to bring harm to one of my own?!¡±

    A small smile tugged up Aiden¡¯s lips as he watched the man hold Theodora, he knew he was not capable of doing anything evil, especially now that he was in love with one of their kind. It would take a while for the others to see how genuine he was true, but they would eventually see the light.

    Aiden got to his feet and gave Aiden a nod, ¡°well if you do decide to harness all the knowledge your father left you Renly, please do it to better the lives of people like Theodora and I, we would be eternally grateful to you if you but that mind of yours to good use.¡±

 Chapter 215

    215 Chapter 215 : Elric

    ¡°Do take care of yourself sweetie,¡± Marceline whispered while gently stroking her daughter¡¯s hair. ¡°If you need anything, absolutely anything don¡¯t hesitate to write to me.¡± She pulled away from the hug and gave Melissa a sweet smile, ¡°are you sure I cannot convince you to return to the snonds with your father and I?¡±

    Kaiser Stefan pulled his wife away and chuckled, ¡°ohe now Marceline, let the children enjoy some time together, they have been apart a long time.. besides, we will see them at the wedding.¡± He winked at Gareth who was standing protectively behind his daughter, making the elven king blush slightly.

    ¡°I promise to write to you as often as I can,¡± Melissa promised her parents, ¡°I will walk you through everything that happens during my pregnancy.. and besides, I¡¯ll have my human mother and Maria by my side every step of the way so you need not to worry.¡±

    Marceline gave Melissa onest hug and gave Gareth a grateful smile before turning away.

    Aiden walked towards his parents and gave them a respectful bow, ¡°Estel, Damien and I are about to leave for Cenia. We will be traveling back with Renly and Theodora as well.¡±

    This time it was Kaiser Stefan who lookedpletely shaken at the thought of Aiden going away. ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t convince you to return to the snonds with us son? We have so much to catch up on.. besides you¡¯re the next Kaiser, you¡¯ll have to be around in case my old bones give out.¡±

    Marceline chuckled and intertwined her fingers with her husband¡¯s, ¡°ohe on dear, let the children be. We will see them at the wedding after all. It will be lovely to see Tauriel again after such a long time.¡±

    Aiden walked towards his mother and gave her a hug.

    ¡°Take care son,¡± Marceline whispered. When she hade to and met Aiden the first time, she had broken down into tears, after so many excruciating years she was able to be with her boy again, and to top it all off, she met her first grandchild Damien and Estel who at some point Marceline thought they were gone.

    .....

    She then turned to Damien who was awkwardly standing behind his father, e here..¡± she gestured. The young hybrid walked slowly to his grandmother and returned her hug. He was not very ustomed to being physically endearing towards other people except his mother, but this was his family now and he had no choice but to oblige. Besides, for some reason getting hugs from his grand mother made Damien feel like a child again.

    Marceline relinquished the young man and cupped his cheeks, ¡°don¡¯t give your parents any trouble, and do visit the snonds soon, your grandfather and I are not getting any younger.¡±

    ¡°Yes grandmother..¡± Damien responded with a blush on his face.

    Before Estel could join Aiden and the others in the carriages the were about to pull off towards Cenia, she walked towards her brothers and gave them both a bear hug, ¡°we are all that mother has left,¡± she whispered to them, a sad smile painting her beautiful face. ¡°We should make an effort to go to her after everything settles down.¡±

    She pulled back and smiled at the two men, ¡°gosh you both look so much like him,¡± Estel mumbled while wiping a tear from her eye.

    ¡°I will make sure to let her know that you are both fine,¡± Finwe responded, ¡°and I will see you both soon.¡±

    Finwe was heading to Ervelon with the survivors of the elven army and most of Gareth¡¯s men who were going there to reunite with their wives. Zander and Rnd decided to remain for their own personal reasons; Zander because of his duty as Gareth¡¯s right hand which he didn¡¯t mind because Vivian had decided to stay with him. Rnd on the other hand did not give a particr reason as to why he was remaining and Finwe didn¡¯t want to pry.

    ¡°Travel well,¡± Finwe spoke to his siblings, ¡°both of you.¡±

    Gateth then turned to Melissa who had just finished waving goodbye to the carriage where her parents sat that was pulling away with an army of nosferatu trailing it behind. When she turned towards him and smiled, Gareth felt his heart tter. It had been a long and tiring journey but now he could finally reap the benefits of hisbors.

    He walked slowly towards the beautiful red haired woman who had her eyes fixed on him, he then stopped a few inches away from her and bowed slightly, ¡°our happily ever after waits towards that carriage mydy.¡± He stood up straight and offered her his hand.

    Melissa chuckled and ced her hand in his before pulling him in for a quick kiss. ¡°Thank you kind sir...¡±

    Gareth scoffed before leading the future mother of his child to the carriage, finally he had to power to pamper her how she deserved. He was going to make sure both Melissa and his baby were spoiled rotten.

    *

    Deep in the uncharted parts of the forest, Elric ttered his eyes open, he felt devoid of all emotions and empty. He sat up and looked around at the cave he had been lying in and sighed. What had he been doing with his life? Now that he thought critically about it, he had been chasing a woman his whole life, a woman who had no feelings for him.

    He had gotten so obsessed with the idea of being with Melissa that he had be blind to the fact that he probably never even loved her, he was merely just deeply infatuated with her, so much so that the idea of her being with another man almost drove him mad.

    He needed some time away from everyone, from everything and start anew. He didn¡¯t even care if everyone thought he was dead, the peace and tranquillity experienced by the deceased was what he craved.

    But regardless of all his efforts to be alone, there was still one being that trailed him everywhere, the redhead from his dreams. She had been following from the day he left camp, he really didn¡¯t know what was going on with him, why did he keep seeing her around? Was he really going mad?

    He had long stopped trying to speak with her because she never responded, all she did was sit there and watch him, even as he slept. At the least he was grateful she kept himpany even if she was just a figment of his imagination.

    He got to his feet and walked out of the cave towards a small stream where he washed up and drunk some water before going out to hunt.

    Momentster he returned to the cave where he started a fire and began roasting his meat with some salts he had found from some rocks. This had be the silver haired lycan and for the past several days and he preferred it this way.

    He looked up at the woman sitting in front of him, ¡°do you feed off of anything else other than my misery?¡± The lycan spoke while waving a piece of meat at her. She merely just sat there staring at him without saying a word like always. The lycan prince brought the meat to his mouth and ate it, ¡°sometimes I wonder why I even ask, you clearly reside only in my mind.¡±

    Elric hurriedly ate his food andy back down on his back, his mind drifted to how he would make this ce into something more homey, if he was going to be living in these uncharted woods for a while, he might as well try and make thingsfortable.

    Maybe he could find a way to collect timber from all the trees around, if he could find wood, building a small habitable shark wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem, and there were many other things out here he could use. He could hunt down bears and wolves for fur, and he could use the thick y by the river to make water containers and maybe some pots and tes. Yes.. he was going to survive out her no problem, he had excellent survival skills, the best among his brother even as a kid.

    Elric sat up and walked to the cave wall where he grabbed his handmade axe, ¡°I assume you want to tag along?¡± Elric spoke to the redhead who was sitting on the floor looking up at him with an emotionless face. When she didn¡¯t move he shrugged and walked out of the cave to begin his tasks, ¡°suit yourself..¡±

    As he walked slowly towards the forest his mind drifted once again to Melissa, was she worried about him? Did she even care? And if truly Melissa was not meant for him why did he feel the way he did whenever he hugged her, whenever he cuddled up next to her as they slept?

    Suddenly a thought crossed Elric¡¯s mind that made him halt in his tracks, all the cuddles or the hugs that he enjoyed mostly revolved around the nosferatu woman being pregnant.. could it be that Elric became even more attracted to Melissa because of her baby bump? Or was he attracted to the baby bump itself?

 Chapter 216

    216 Chapter 216 : Finally

    Clovis walked slowly around the camp as his men packed up their belongings to return to Meria, yes these were his men now after his brother had practically disappeared and could not be found. Even though the sudden shift of power happened on such a sad note, Clovis would take it up as best he could just like Elric would want him to do. Clovis stopped and looked at Dvalin who was also supervising his men and telling them about the change of ns, meeting the dwarve king was definitely an unexpected turn of events but he appreciated it because this would be Clovis¡¯ chance to get his blessings to marry his daughter.

    But seeing how stubborn the dwarve king was, there was no doubt in Clovis¡¯ mind that he was in for a tough time. Dvalin turned to look at Clovis and the prince gave him a kind wave that Dvalinpletely ignored and continued speaking with his men, yes, indeed Clovis was in for a tough time indeed.

    ¡°Yout majesty-¡±

    Clovis put his hand in front of the man , ¡°it¡¯s your grace, the coronation has not happened yet.¡±

    The lycan general nodded and bowed ¡°my apologies your grace, but our men are ready to depart.¡±

    Clovis sighed and nodded, ¡°alright, check on the dwarves as well and let me know when they get themselves together.¡±

    ¡°At once your grace...¡±

    Clovis looked up at the sky and ran his fingers through his silver hair, ¡°Elric where in the bloody hell are you?¡± He looked back at his tent and decided he better get packed up as well, he had a lot awaiting him back in Meria.

    *

    .....

    When the sun rose Melissa was already up, in fact she had been up for hours already, unable to get any sleep, today was the big day after all. Finally after all these years she was finally going to marry the man that she loved.

    The elven Princess trurned around when the door to her chambers opened and curtsied when queen Tauriel walked into the room with a smile on her face, the woman had apologized for everything that had happened a few months ago and Melissa had agreed to forgiving her, but it was still a bit of a challenging warming up to herpletely.

    ¡°You¡¯re already awake?¡± The elven queen walked into the room and opened the door wide allowing three female elves into the room. ¡°You need not to miss him anymore, he arrived the previous night while you were asleep.¡±

    Melissa took a step forward and clutched her chest. ¡°Gareth is here?!¡±

    The nosferatu Princess had spent about a month in Gavaria with Gareth and it was honestly the best month of her life. He spoiled her rotten with affection and the asional expensive custom made jewelry here and there. She loved the moments he would justy on her now slightly protruding tummy and speak to their baby for hours on end, usually earning himself a scolding from Zander about sidelining his royal duties.

    Speaking of royal duties, Gareth was absolutely loved by the entire kingdom including the people in Baiviles. He was a just king who insured all races lived together harmoniously and we¡¯re treated equally and many adored him for that, but just like any other ruler, there were those who hated Gareth for his just ways, those who thought themselves superior and felt they needed special treatment, those who were in favor of Elric¡¯s way of rule.

    When Gareth proposed, Melissa and the former king were absolutely ecstatic but queen Margret had her own reservations about their marriage, iming it was unwise for a king to marry a woman who had been married before and could possibly be carrying the child of her former husband. Margret¡¯s view of Melissa created a rift between her and her son, and ultimately she med Melissa for it.

    Tension in the pce was rampant, so much so that Gareth dered the wedding would be held in Ervelon rather than Gavaria which made Margret Burchard even more resentful.

    To prepare for the ceremony, Melissa had gone on ahead to Ervelon so she could be prepared as was the custom of the elves. She had to learn of how elven weddings were carried out, what the bride would wear, and the processions that happened on the day, and it was all so tiring especially that the redhead was now four, almost five months pregnant. Gareth on the other hand was taught all he needed to know by Zander back in Gavaria.

    Melissa had missed Gareth dearly, especially because she was in Ervelon without him, even though her brother and Estel had been nothing but good to her, she hated going to bed without her future husband.

    ¡°Why...¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t hee and see you?¡± Taurielpleted Melissa¡¯s sentence before making herselffortable on a chair next to the woman. ¡°Oh he tried believe me, on several asions. He was making a racket the entire night demanding he be allowed to see his wife.¡±

    Melissa chuckled at the thought of Gareth throwing a fit over her.

    ¡°I had to fortify this entire hallway with magic so he doesn¡¯t make it to your room..¡± Estel waved her fingers at the elf maidens who went on doing their duties to prepare Melissa for the day. ¡°As you know, in our culture it is badck for the groom to see his bride before the wedding.¡±

    Two of the maidens got busy filling Melissa¡¯s bath and fortifying the water with scented oils, while the other prepared her skin ointments, hair essories and all the make up essories she would need to get ready.

    ¡°And for the dress...¡± Tauriel mentioned and got up to walk towards her future daughter-inw. ¡°Will you be matching with Estel?¡±

    Melissa and Estel were to be married on the same day to each other¡¯s brothers, what were the odds? The nosferatu princess had seen the form fitting dress Estel had picked out and knew instantly it wasn¡¯t for her. Her hands went to her stomach and she pouted, she didn¡¯t want to walk down the isle looking like she had just eaten a whole barrel of rice.

    The elven queen lowered Melissa¡¯s hands and gave her a reassuring smile, ¡°don¡¯t worry about it, our royal tailor can do wonders. Though Gareth did insist we make your baby bump as visible as possible.¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to take advice on dressing from a man?¡±

    Taurile chuckled and tucked a loc of Melissa¡¯s hair behind her ear, ¡°I think I have an idea that will make both of you very happy.¡± The queen pped her hands and the maidens rushed to Melissa to help her out of her sleeping gown. ¡°Now get ready, I¡¯ll go check on Estel while you prepare. I¡¯lle back and check on you in a bit.¡±

    Melissa watched her future mother inw walk away and giggled giddily to herself. She could not believe this was actually happening, by the end of this day, Melissa would be married to Gareth, the mere thought of it made her heart tter and her face sh.

    ¡°Mydy, right this way to your bath..¡±

    Melissa nodded and followed the elves to the tub, gosh, she couldn¡¯t wait to start her happily ever after.

    *

    Gareth jumped to his feet when he saw his mother walk through his doors. ¡°Mother..¡± he looked behind his mother but did not see the beautiful face he was longing to see. ¡°Where is she?¡±

    ¡°Oh calm yourself Gareth you will see her walking down the isle in a few hours..¡± Tauriel walked to her son and straightened his cor. ¡°Your father would be so proud to see you now, he too wore this when he married me.

    Gareth was wearing a long ck jacket lined in gold, a silk golden shirt within, and a pair of ck leather pants and boots.

    ¡°Thank you mother.¡±

    ¡°All our guests are almost here, we are just waiting for king Clovis and the others from Meria and we can start the day.¡± Tauriel spoke before cupping her son¡¯s face and smiling at him, ¡°I am so proud of you, both of you. I can¡¯t wait to see my babies getting married.. if only Finwe could put down the sword and pick up a woman.¡±

    ¡°I heard that..¡± Finwe mumbled as he walked into the room. ¡°The only reason I would get a woman is so another man could fight me over her like my dear brother over here.¡± He pat Gareth on the shoulder and chuckled.

    ¡°Are you still upset that I picked Zander over you as my right hand man for the wedding dear brother?¡± Gareth taunted Finwe.

    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Finwe responded without hesitation, ¡°and I will never let you live it down.¡±

    Both men gave each other a taunting smile before embracing each other in a quick hug.

    ¡°Congrattions brother,¡± Finwe mumbled, ¡°it¡¯s about bloody time.¡±

    ¡°Alright.. alright..¡± queen Tauriel pulled her sons apart and gestured them to follow her out of the room. ¡°Come now, I need both of you present as we receive our guests, I hear the Merians will be arriving soon.¡±

 Chapter 217

    217 Chapter 217 : Gold

    For the first time in over a hundred years, Ervelon was filled with beings from all races. There are were nosferatu, lycans, elves, dwarves and even a few humans, all gathered to witness the union of not just four individuals, but if two races, the elves and the nosferatu.

    The grand wedding was to take ce outside in the lush flowery meadows near the marble pce. There were intricate tables and chairs ced in the flowery grass, strings of flowers crisscrosse the sky above, and little fairies and pixies dusted the terrain with golden dust. The entire ce looked like something out of a fairytale.

    Gareth, Finwe, and the queen had just finished weing the visitors to the very important event. Nobility from all the races were in attendance all dressed in golden clothing, the color that represented prosperity and good fortune in elven culture.

    The maidens who worked in the pce were floating around assisting guests to their designated tabled while the chefs served each table with a bottle of fine wine and a few bowls of fruits and biscuits to nibble on.

    Gareth was from weing the Morrells and showing them to their table when someone gently grabbed his shoulder. When he turned around he found Clovis smiling at him, and on his side was the most unlikely of guests. By Clovis¡¯ side stood the small dwarvish woman who had been obsessed with Gareth the longest of times, Julia.. who from what the elven king was told, now went by Da.

    Gareth couldn¡¯t help but notice how Clovis and Da¡¯s fingers were intertwined and how closely she cuddled up next to him. Even though she looked a little ufortable, most likely from standing next to Gareth, she seemed very cozy next to Clovis.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Clovis asked without letting the green eyed woman beside him go. ¡°Are you nervous?¡±

    ¡°I have waited a century to wed this woman, I actually wish things would move a little quicker.¡±

    The two menughed before Gareth moved his eyes to the green eyed woman who was practically hiding behind Clovis. ¡°d you could make it princess Da of the dwarves, your attendance is really appreciated.¡±

    .....

    Trying to hide the embarrassment on her face, Da gave Gareth a nod and a small smile, ¡°it¡¯s my pleasure..¡± she whispered in response.

    ¡°Hopefully soon that title will change from ¡®princess¡¯ to ¡®queen¡¯,¡± Clovis mentioned with an estatic smile on his face.

    Gareth had already guessed that these two were together but it was still surprising to say the list. The elven king wondered how they ended up together, and judging from the bite marks Da was so desperately trying to keep away from Gareth¡¯s line of vision, they were not just together, they were mates.

    ¡°Congrattions to both of you,¡± Gareth responded genuinely. He was happy for Da, it was about time she found her own happiness as well.

    ¡°Well then I should go check on my broteyt quickly before the ceremony starts.¡± Clovis let Da¡¯s hand go and gave her a light push towards Gareth. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to catch up, I will be back momentarily.¡±

    Da almost protested when Clovis turned to live but decided not to, she had promised him after all, that she would finally bury the hatchet over her past altercations with Gareth. She had a lot to apologize for and she had to do it.

    ¡°So.. you and Clovis huh?¡± Gareth asked in amusement. ¡°I have to say that took me a little by surprise.¡±

    Da¡¯s hand went to her neck and trailed her fingers on the mark, ¡°yes.. he is a good man. I know we are probably the most unlikely of couples but he treats me well and I love him.¡±

    ¡°And I can tell he adores you as well,¡± Gareth responded with a smile that made Da blush a little. ¡°Well then, I hope you both enjoy yourselves..¡±

    ¡°Gareth wait!¡±

    The handsome elf turned back around and found Da facing the ground and clutching her dress.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry..¡± she mumbled.

    Gareth knew exactly what she was apologizing for, and truth is he had never even med her for it so there was nothing to forgive. Infatuation was blinding and made people so t he craziest of things, I mean look at Elric. Hearing Da say the words ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ was more that he had bargained for. He was actually happy with her justing to his wedding, that was proof enough that she had truly found herself and in the process found someone who loved that side of her without a second thought.

    ¡°Don¡¯t..¡± Gareth responded before Julia could apologize further. ¡°You need not apologize. It¡¯s alright, what is in the past should remain where it is, in the past.¡± He pointed towards Clovis who was taking to his brother while stealing nces at Da, ¡°it¡¯s time to focus on the future now, and yours is over there eyeing a bottle of my best wine.¡±

    Da¡¯s lips curved into a big smile. She curtsied and thanked Gareth before making her way to where Clovis was standing.

    Gareth nodded in approval when the silver haired man wrapped his arm around Julia lovingly and gave her a quick kiss. It was such a beautiful thing, having all these people here with nothing but love filling the air. The handsome kind ceased his musing and turned to the man who was tugging his cor.

    ¡°We should go up front.¡± Aiden wore the same ck ensemble as Gareth and had his now long red hair died back in a slick ponytail. ¡°Our beautiful brides will be arriving be arriving shortly.¡±

    ¡°Was it necessary for you to wear the same clothing as me?¡± Gareth teased the nosferatu prince, ¡°it¡¯s embarrassing.¡±

    Aiden threw his head back andughed heartily before smacking Gareth yfully on the back, ¡°this was your mother¡¯s idea you pointy eared bastard.¡±

    Gareth had actually never heard Aidenugh before, as a matter of fact, he couldn¡¯t remember if he had ever had been seen him genuinely smile. This was what a woman¡¯s love could do, it could make your or break you, and both Aiden and Gareth had been on both sides of the spectrum.

    Zander walked to the two grooms and gave them a nod, ¡°it¡¯s time, let¡¯s get you two married..¡±

    *

    When the maidens were done dressing Melissa up, one of them led her to a dressing mirror and smiled bashfully. ¡°Goodness princess, you look absolutely gorgeous.. you probably put every elf to shame. His majesty is so lucky.¡±

    Melissa looked up at the mirror and gasped at her reflection, was that even her in the mirror? The long form fitting golden dress hugged her maternity curved very beautifully, it was sleeveless but had soft golden fabrics that were connected at her wrists with two golden bands and the same way at her cuffs, making her look like she had fairy wings.

    Her hair was let loose and a wreath of golden flowers sat on her head, matching the golden earrings and ne that dazzled her ears and neck.

    Melissa brought her hands to her stomach and gasped a second time in awe. The dress did not hide her baby bump at all, instead it did the exact opposite. The area around her tummy unlike the rest of the dress had a sheer golden fabric, showing the little bubble where new life was growing. Melissa thought she didn¡¯t want her tummy to show, but after seeing how amazing this design looked, she wa grateful she was pregnant on her wedding day.

    ¡°Princess Estel and the queen will be hear for tut shortly princess,¡± another maiden spoke with a curtsie, ¡°would you like anything as you wait?¡±

    Melissa shook her head while still staring at her reflection in disbelief, ¡°no I will be alright thank you.¡±

    The three maidens curtsied and exited the room leaving Melissa alone to take in her appearance.

    ¡°I bet you¡¯re very happy with yourself?¡±

    Melissa turned around and found Ronda standing at her door giving her a smile that made Melissa frown. ¡°I thought you left Ervelon,¡± Melissa spoke as she took a step forward.

    When Melissa had arrived in Ervelon in preparation for the wedding Ronda had gone into a crazed fit and causedmotion in the pce. For the sake of peace, the queen had sent her away to some settlements outside Ervelon.

    ¡°And miss the wedding?¡± Ronda chuckled, ¡°I would never.¡± The woman eyed Melissa from head to toe before turning to leave, ¡°you may have won the battle vampire, but the war is far from over.¡±

    Melissa frowned and balled up her fists, what war was this woman even talking about?? Melissa was getting married to Gareth today and he loved her, and on top of all that, she was carrying his child! The nosferatu princess cursed and sat down on her bed, she was not going to let someone like Ronda ruin what was supposed to be the best day of her life. She would deal with that little maidenter.

 Chapter 218

    218 Chapter 218 : Your own vows

    Melissa tilted her head up when the door opened, she was about to yell at Ronda to go away but stopped when she saw queen Tauriel walk in with Estel in tow.

    The elven princess rushed excitedly to Melissa¡¯s side and held her hands while admiring her, ¡°you must be the only woman in the world who would make a baby bump look so beautiful in her wedding dress.¡±

    Melissa smiled sheepishly, ¡°Thank you Estel.. you look absolutely gorgeous yourself. I hope when my brother counts his blessings he counts you twice.¡±

    Estel smiled but suddenly changed her expression to that of concern, ¡°you are troubled..¡±

    Melissa was shocked at how Estel was so good at reading people, her entire stay in Ervelon, Estel was always the first to know if something was troubling her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing..¡±

    ¡°Now now..¡± the queen walked to Melissa¡¯s side, ¡°elves are very sensitive to one¡¯s aura, we can¡¯t have you walk down the isle like this, Gareth will have our heads. Now what¡¯s bothering you child? Do you not like the dress?¡±

    ¡°Oh no the dress is beautiful!¡± Melissa sighed and looked to the floor while nervously ying with her fingers. She didn¡¯t know if bringing up Ronda on such an important day was a good idea, but if elves really were sensitive to emotions, she stood at a risk of worrying a lot of guests if she didn¡¯t get it off her chest. ¡°It¡¯s Ronda.. she¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°What? Who let her within the pce grounds?!¡± Tauriel responded angrily, ¡°gaurds!¡±

    ¡°No wait!¡±

    .....

    Tauriel and Estel turned to the beautiful redhead with a questioning look on both their faces.

    ¡°The wedding is starting, we can¡¯t afford to cause amotion now,¡± Melissa adjusted her dress and stepped forward, ¡°I¡¯m not going to let her ruin my day, this is supposed to be the best day of my life, and I intend to keep it just that.¡±

    Estel smiled at the nosferatu princess, her brother was right when he mentioned that Melissa could be feisty when need be, they had absolutely nothing to worry about.

    ¡°Well then,¡± Estel spoke as she took Melissa¡¯s hand, ¡°shall we?¡±

    *

    Melissa and Estel stepped out of the pce onto the paved path leading to the main wedding venue, the path was covered in flower petals and hundreds of pixies and fairies that were zipping around the two brides excitedly as they walked down the path.

    On either side of the pathway stood elven children who were hurling golden dust into the air littering the two women with shiny little sparkles. As the tables of guest came into view, Melissa felt her heart begin to pound against her chest, this was it, she was finally going to marry Gareth and they could finally begin their life together like they had always nned. It seemed too good to be true and the redhead couldn¡¯t help but feel like something was bound to go wrong.

    Melissa turned to Estel with a start when she felt her squeeze her hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, everything is going to be just perfect.¡±

    Melissa nodded and gave Estel a thankful smile before turning forward in anticipation of seeing him, the man she loved, the father to her child, her very handsome future husband Gareth. When he was in few view and their eyes met, Melissa felt all her worries just melt away. The only thing that was on her mind was how lucky she was to have a man like him.

    Gareth had been teasing Damien, who was his father¡¯s right hand, about how he had never seen him dressed formally when Zander lightly elbowed him and pointed down the path to where Melissa and Estel were approaching.

    When the elven king caught sight of Melissa, he forgot how his lungs functioned and run out of breath. Her hair, her dress, every inch of her very being looked incredibly spell binding. Gareth took a step forward but Zander grabbed him by the cor and pulled him back.

    ¡°She wille to you your majesty,¡± Zander scolded the dark haired elf, ¡°pace yourself.¡±

    Gareth wasn¡¯t the only one lost in the beauty of the woman who was walking in front of him, Aiden too had forgotten all the words he had ever learnt when he caught sight of Estel. She looked as beautiful as ever, just like the first time he had seen her back at that river all those years ago. If the gods had favorites, Estel was definitely one of them.

    The two brides walked gracefully hand in hand towards the two men who were both wide eyed as if it was the first time they had ever seen a woman before, earning oohs and aahs from the guests in attendance who were also in awe of their beauty.

    On one table, Ivan received a smack upside the head from his wife Elena who had caught him practically ogling at the two women.

    The two brides halted at the foot of the steps of the podium where Gareth and Aiden, with their right hands, stood. The two women also had not failed to notice how incredibly handsome and elegant the grooms looked.

    Gareth turned anxiously to Zander who nodded in approval, ¡°you may take her hand now..¡±

    The blonde elf had barelypleted his sentence and both Gareth and Aiden were already at the foot of the stairs holding their hands out to the women.

    Melissa ced her hand gently in Gareth¡¯s and smiled sweetly at him.

    ¡°You look breathtaking my love..¡± he pulled her up to the podium and walked her to stand by his side, gods he couldn¡¯t wait till he was given the go ahead to kiss his bride.

    The two couples stood side by side in front of queen Tauriel and Kaiser Stefan. As per elven tradition, the king or queen of thend was the one to bless the marriage, and since there were couples of different races wedding, the Kaiser was to bless the marraiges together with the elven queen.

    the queen pped her hands together and pixies flew towards Zander and Damien dropping two rings into Gareth¡¯s hand, and two marriage bracelets into Damien¡¯s hand.

    Estel gasped when she saw the bracelet her son was holding, it was the same one Aiden had given her when he first proposed, she thought it was lost forever.

    Melissa was also in shock when she saw the rings in Zander¡¯s hand, wasn¡¯t that the same ring Gareth had proposed with the night when Elric had attacked Ervelon?

    ¡°Today is a blessed day for all of Ervelon,¡± queen Tauriel began to speak, ¡°it is a rare urrence that we get to witness a royal wedding such as this one, but it is an even rarer urrence to witnesses a marriage between four royals from two different races. Not only do these marriages show us that love truly knows no bounds...¡± the elven queen nced at the table were Marceline and Daena were sitting and smiling at her. ¡°It also represents the union between all races, no matter who you may be. Be it lycan..¡±

    Clovis brought Da¡¯s hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

    ¡°Be it elf..¡± Tauriel continued.

    Zander nced at Vivian who was sitting a few feet away from him and winked at her making her giggle and blush.

    ¡°Be it human..¡±

    Theodora cuddled up next to Renly who put his hand lovingly over her shoulders.

    ¡°Or dwarve..¡± the queen continued, ¡°we are all one people and we are all here today because these two lovely couples in front of us did not let race get in the way of happiness.¡± When Tauriel concluded her speech she turned to Kaiser Stefan and nodded at him before taking a step back.

    Kaiser Stefan walked forward and cleared his throat, but immediately his eyesnded on Marceline who was beaming at him his serious demeanor melted away into a blush.

    ¡°Err queen Tauriel has said most of what needs to be said,¡± the Kaiser mumbled and cleared his throat again. ¡°I suppose we should go right into the vows. I am told you all have prepared your own vows?¡±

    Gareth and Aiden gave the two women confused nces before looking at each other nervously.

    ¡°We were not told about any vows..¡± Aiden whispered to Estel who chuckled in response.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Estel responded, ¡°you can just wing it.¡±

    ¡°Finwe didn¡¯t give you the memo?¡± Melissa whispered to a very confused very anxious Gareth.

    ¡°No he didn¡¯t..¡± the elven king nced at his brother in the crowed who was smiling menacingly at him. All Gareth could do was scoff in amusement, ¡°that bastard.¡±

    Melissa giggled and tightened her hold on Gareth¡¯s hand, ¡°don¡¯t worry, just speak from the heart. I know that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    Gareth felt his stomach knot up at her words, gods, whatever he had done to deserve this woman in his life, he would do it a hundred times over if it meant getting to be with her a hundred more times in a hundred different lifetimes.

 Chapter 219

    219 Chapter 219 : Bride of two

    The two couples turned to face each other, hands interlocked and heartstrings intertwined, the vows were the most important part of any elven wedding. They represented a promise that could not be severed, especially if that promise was blessed by the pixies.

    The two brides drew in a deep breath and recited their vows interchangeably, as if reciting a beautiful poem.

    ¡°Gareth..¡±

    ¡°Aiden..¡±

    ¡°Our love has never been easy.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve had to go through heartache and pain to get to the point we are at now.¡±

    ¡°But you you know what I they say, nothing worthwhile everes easy.¡±

    ¡°But in truth, regardless of all the trails and tribtions we¡¯ve been through.¡±

    ¡°I am d I had you by my side.¡±

    .....

    ¡°So Aiden..¡±

    ¡°Gareth..¡±

    ¡°Reap with me the fruits of our love..¡±

    ¡°Today and forever.¡±

    Elena arched her brow at her husband who was sitting next to him, ¡°Ivan are you crying?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Ivan blurted out before blowing his nose into his handkerchief. ¡°I¡¯m just allergic to all these bloody flowers.¡±

    Elena giggled and wrapped her hands around Ivan¡¯s arms and looked back at the podium where the grooms were about to give their vows.

    Gareth cleared his throat while Aiden pursed his lips nervously.

    ¡°To he honest there is no way we can top vows like that..¡± Aiden chuckled.

    ¡°Ours will be substandard at most if we even try to recite something like that,¡± Gareth added on.

    ¡°But we will however tell you that without you in our lives, darkness and gloom are all that linger..¡±

    ¡°And with you, light and ecstasy fill our hearts..¡±

    The two men pulled the two women closer.

    ¡°Kitty..¡± Aiden muttered

    ¡°Mel..¡± Gareth mumbled

    ¡°If there is ever a lifetime where my existence is without you...¡±

    ¡°Then I wish not to exist in a lifetime like that.¡±

    Kaiser Stefan smiled and turned to the two right hands who gave each of them a band or a ring. As Gareth and Melissa exchanged rings, and Estel and Aiden exchanged bands, hundreds of pixies zipped around the two couples in a frantically excited flurry dropping gold dust and flowers around the couples. Never had this many pixiese out to bless a union before and it left all the elves in utter astonishment.

    The two couples did not even give the Kaiser the chance to say ¡®you may kiss your bride,¡¯ and embraced each other lovingly and kissed passionately. A flurry of flowers and golden particles filled the entire venue and the guests all rose to their feet and apuded the newly weds, it had been a very beautiful ceremony and they were all very beautiful couples.

    Later on, the couples went around socializing with the guests, thanking them foring and enjoying the festivities, even Damien who was extremely introverted seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself.

    Melissa was turning to leave after weing her human mother and father when she bumped into Rnd.

    ¡°Princess..¡± the big blue eyed man bowed slightly and smiled at her. ¡°Congrattions, for both the marriage and the baby.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Rnd, I¡¯m so happy to see you here,¡± Melissa responded with a grateful smile, ¡°where have you been? I heard that you didn¡¯t return to Ervelon.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes about that,¡± Rnd chattered nervously before being interrupted by a familiar face.

    ¡°I got you wine because I cannot stand the smell of ale,¡± Jeffrey spoke before pausing and ncing at Melissa who was looking at the two men inquisitively.

    ¡°You two know each other?¡± Melissa asked.

    ¡°Yes..¡±

    ¡°No..¡±

    Melissa moved her eyes between the two men and a slow smile crept up her face. ¡°Ah, I see what¡¯s going on here..¡±

    ¡°Nothing is going on!¡± Jeffrey denied in firm hushed tones.

    Melissa rose her eyebrows and grinned, ¡°oh really? Then you should do a better job at hiding that bite mark Rnd.¡±

    Rnd¡¯s hand flew to his neck while his face shed all shades of red.

    ¡°You know I always had a hunch about both of you,¡± Melissa pointed out as she pranced passed the two men, ¡°I¡¯m happy for you, I hope you both enjoy the wedding.¡±

    Melissa was not surprised that Rnd and Jeffrey had ended up together, even though they were total opposites of each other, Melissa suspected that none of the men were genuinely attracted to women.

    She had seen Rnd around women before, he was always so awkward and ufortable, he actually seemed more open with men even if he imed that he didn¡¯t like men making advances at him, actually, he seemed to enjoy the attention.

    And when it came to Jeffrey it was pretty easy to figure out, the man practically despised any woman who as much as showed any interest in him. It was clear that both of them were interested in men, guess they just needed to find each other.

    The nosferatu princess saw her husband a few meters away taking to her brothers, William, Bahram and the twins, and smiled to herself. She couldn¡¯t believe that was now her husband, she felt giddy just saying the word ¡®husband¡¯.

    She made her way towards the men when a face in the crowd caught her eye making her freeze in her tracks, it was alpha Edron.

    Melissa felt her heart leap to her throat when the man¡¯s golden eyes borrowed into hers, she took a step back when the man walked towards her, that aura, it was so familiar, just like Eric¡¯s.

    Gareth caught sight of the alpha walking towards Melissa and knitted his eyebrows in worry, ¡°please excuse me..¡± he spoke to the Morrell brothers without turning to look at them. He swiftly moved past the crowd and appeared by Melissa¡¯s side, securing her hand in his and forcing a smile on his face. ¡°Alpha Edron..¡±

    The silver haired man halted and tuned to the man beside Melissa.

    ¡°Pleasure to have you here,¡± Gareth continued, ¡°we didn¡¯t think you would make it when you did not respond to our invitation-¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to show up,¡± the man responded with a t expression that made Gareth tighten his hold on Melissa¡¯s hand.

    The man turned back to Melissa and gave a smile that sent chills down her spine. ¡°My sincere congrattions to you Melissa, married to two very powerful men in one lifetime.¡±

    Gareth frowned at the man and tucked Melissa behind him, ¡°that is not necessary alpha, I understand your concern over the disappearance of your son but-¡±

    ¡°Do you?...¡± Edron walked towards the elven king and red at him. ¡°Do you really? Because from where I am standing it looks like you¡¯ve all but forgotten that the two of you are responsible for my son¡¯s disappearance, you actually look like you¡¯re having a pretty swell time without him here!¡±

    The tone of voice the alpha used made a few guest turn to their direction. La, the silver pack¡¯s Luna rushed to Edron¡¯s side and took his hand in hers.

    ¡°Sweetie..¡± La chuckled nervously, ¡°you¡¯re causing a scene, looks like you¡¯ve had too much ale again.¡± She waved to the staring guest and shed her perfect smile apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone, my husband can¡¯t handle his alcohol sometimes.¡±

    Gareth forced a smile and nodded at Edron¡¯s Luna, ¡°no worries, please do enjoy the festivities.¡±

    When the woman dragged Edron away, Gareth tuned to Melissa and sighed. The expression on her face told it all, her day had been ruined. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go inside and rest for a bit?¡±

    Melissa nodded and followed her husband out the venue, down the paved path into the marble pce to Gareth¡¯s quarters. When Gareth closed the door, Melissa immediately ran into his arms and cuddled up against him. She clenched his shirt and released a heavy sigh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can go out there again Gareth,¡± Melissa whispered to the man.

    Gareth stroked his wife¡¯s hair gently, ¡°it¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll tell everyone you need to rest. You don¡¯t have to go back.¡± The elf cursed as he continued creasing down Melissa¡¯s silky hair, damn that Elric, even when he was miles away he could still ruin such a happy day.

    The elf carried his bride to the bed andy her down, ¡°rest here, I will get you something to eat and have Maria tend to you.¡±

    ¡°No please let Maria enjoy the day, a te of food alone will be just fine..¡±

    Gareth leaned forward and kissed Melissa¡¯s forehead before standing up. ¡°Don¡¯t let that man¡¯s words get to you my love, none of this was your fault.¡±

    Melissa nodded and gave her husband a small smile so as not to worry him, but immediately he left the room she covered her fact with her pillow and groaned. Why did things have to turn out this way? Why the hell had she agreed to marry Elric in the first ce, and why hadn¡¯t she told him about the baby?! If maybe she had done things a bit different there wouldn¡¯t be all this animosity lingering around. This was all her fault, she hadn¡¯t considered the consequences of her actions and now she was living them. And on her wedding day!

 Chapter 220

    220 Chapter 220 : Let fate take its course

    Marceline noticed Gareth returning to the venue without his wife in hand and immediately, worry filled her eyes. When she had seen Edron speaking to them she had a bad feeling he was going to cause trouble, Marceline was actually surprised that he had not caused a scene, but whatever he had said had obviously affected Melissa negatively otherwise Gareth wouldn¡¯t have left her in the pce.

    The nosferatu queen ced a hand on her husband drawing his attention from him cup of wine. ¡°Darling, we may have trouble if you do not speak with your friend Edron over there, after almost half a barrel of ale his letting his feelings control him. Fix it.¡±

    Kaiser Stefan watched his wife stand up and walk towards the table Emma Morrell was sitting at, he scoffed as he turned to look at Edron who was sulking while being scolded by his wife. Wives were a bit too expectant of their men, ¡®fix it?¡¯ Wow, how in the world was he going to fix that?

    ¡°Emma may I speak to you?¡±

    The look in Marceline¡¯s eyes made Emma¡¯s motherly instincts click, ¡°did something happen to our baby?¡±

    ¡°Worst case scenario is emotional distress,¡± Marceline spoke as the two women made their way to the pce, ¡°but in her state we should make sure she is okay regardless. She is almost in her third trimester, stress could be dangerous.¡±

    On the other side of the venue, the Kaiser walked to Edron and raised his cup of wine at him. Stefan couldn¡¯t help but smile when he saw the brooding look on his friend¡¯s face, Edron had been so high strung and hinged on the idea of his son being married to Melissa and eventually ruling the snonds that all that was happening must have been a huge blow to his ego.

    ¡°Alpha,¡± Stefan called with a gleeful yet taunting smile, ¡°old friend I¡¯m happy to see you here.¡± The Kaiser then turned to La and gave her a respectful bow. ¡°I thank you both foring to celebrate with us. This is a very important day for my daughter and my family, after all, she is marring her blood half.¡±

    Edron¡¯s eyes narrowed at the Kaiser in irritation, he was taking a jab at him and masking it as gratitude. Edron was really not in the mood for his friend¡¯s sarcasm, this entire arrangement was infuriating and he was getting on hisst nerves.

    .....

    ¡°what do you want Stefan?¡± Edron growled, his raspy deep voice clearly indicating his high levels of alcohol toxicity.

    ¡°Shall we have a talk my friend,¡± the Kaiser turned to La and gave her a warm smile. ¡°Man to man? It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had a conversation.¡±

    The woman gave Stefan a nod before leaving the two men alone. The Kaiser turned around and eyed the drunk alpha from head to toe and sighed. ¡°Why are you trying to ruin the only joyous asion all the five races have ever had in a long time Edron?¡±

    ¡°Joyous?!¡± The alpha spat, ¡°Stefan you allowed your daughter to fall pregnant for a man other than her husband! And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, immediately after my son went missing, because of your daughter¡¯s infidelity by the way, you let their marriage be nullified and had her married off to the same man that shuttered their marriage!¡±

    Edron stepped up to Stefan and grabbed his shoulders firmly, ¡°I thought you were on my side Stefan, you and I were supposed to be family and your daughter and my son were to put our races at the top.¡±

    Stefan shook his head at the lycan, ¡°and that¡¯s exactly the problem Edron, our aim was not to put our races at the top, our aim was to foster equality, that is exactly what king Gareth of Gavaria has done. And about Elric and Melissa¡¯s marriage, she was never his mate Edron, and he was never her blood half, you and I both know it would have never worked. Heck, they wouldn¡¯t even have been able to sire heirs.¡±

    Edron pulled his arms away from his friend¡¯s shoulders and stared at him as disappointment filled his eyes. ¡°What are you saying..?¡±

    ¡°What I am saying, is that what your son is experiencing is merely a heartbreak,¡± Stefan responded. ¡°And he will get over it. Yes, it is not in our custom to nullify marriages, and I apologize for the heartache and emotional stress you and your family have gone through. But honestly, I think it¡¯s about time we let the children live their lives without our interference for once. I was telling Tauriel the same, we have been puppeteers in these children¡¯s lives since their conception and look where it¡¯s gotten us.¡±

    Stefan pat the alpha¡¯s shoulder as gesture of non malice, ¡°let us let fate run its course.¡±

    *

    After the festivities were over and the crowds had dispersed, a very tired Gareth walked down the hallway to his quarters. After his wife had left the venue, everything that was happening felt more like a task without her around, he had to greet the guests and listen to countless congrattions and prolonged questing of how he and Melissa ended up together, some very ufortable.

    As he dragged his leather boots towards his door all Gareth wanted to do was to jump into bed and cuddle his beautiful bride until he fell asleep. Ronda watched the handsome elf open the door and walk into his quarters from behind a pir down the hall, when he waspletely out of sight, she clenched her chest and smiled dreamily, oh how handsome Gareth had be over the past few months, she had to find a way to make him see that he deserved a beautiful elven woman like herself.

    When the tired prince closed the door behind him and looked at the bed where he expected to see his wife sleeping, he was surprised to see that she was not there. Instead she was standing near the window looking at him, Gareth was almost thrown into worry until he saw what she was wearing.

    The redhead was draped in a translucent white robe that left nothing to the imagination. He could clearly see the tiny white brassiere, but with how her breasts had grown and be fuller over the months, it only managed to cover her are. The small white panties that she wore were also very visible, her hair was let down, and her skin shimmered from the scented oils and remnants of gold from the ceremony. What in the gods¡¯ good names was this woman trying to do to him? Wasn¡¯t she already pregnant enough?

    ¡°Mel..¡± the prince dared not take a single step forward in fear of what he might do if she was within the reach with his now shivering and perspiring hands. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be resting?¡±

    Melissa walked towards the man and Gareth had to stop himself from walking backwards. It was a strange scenario, it was like a gazelle prancing towards a lion in the wilderness.

    ¡°Forgive me for what happened during the ceremony my husband,¡± Melissa mumbled while fidgeting with her fingers. The way the words ¡®my husband¡¯ rolled off her tongue made the elf gulp. ¡°But the wedding ceremony is not over yet..¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡± Gareth almost chocked when Melissa loosened the knot on her robe and exposed her glistening skin and the delicate fabrics within.

    ¡°We...¡± Melissa pursed her lips before taking in a breath and looking into her husband¡¯s eyes. ¡°We have not yet consummated our marriage..¡± she dropped her robe to the ground and moved forward until there were mere inches separating them. ¡°As per the tradition my husband, you must-¡±

    Thest of Melissa¡¯s words were muffled by Gareth¡¯s lips on hers, her eyes were wide at first but the intensity of the kiss made them droop shut. The firm grip of his hand behind her head made her knees weak when he deepened the kiss, and her hand flew to his shirt that she clenched so as not to stumble over her jelly knees.

    The kiss was intense, hot and desperate, only taking a second to catch their breaths. Melissa¡¯s fingers began to fidget with Gareth¡¯s buttons, all the shyness she had been feeling had long but melted away, she wanted this man, her husband, just as much as he wanted her if not more.

    Ever since her second trimester began she had been feeling very aroused, she was sensitive everywhere, especially her breasts and herdy flower. She had been longing for Gareth for a month now, and now that he was here, she wanted nothing more than to be ravished and made love to like today was herst day on earth.

    When they were bothpletely naked, clothes on the floor and underwear torn in pieces, Gareth hoisted Melissa up and secured both her legs around his waist beforeying them both on the soft bed. He gazed into her beautiful blue eyes as shey there beneath him looking as ptable as ever and whispered..

    ¡°I love you..¡±

 Chapter 221

    221 Chapter 221 : Bad back

    When the redhead woke up she was shocked to find that the room was alreadypletely bright, what time was it? Had she slept in?! Oh gods how could she allow herself to oversleep in her mother inw¡¯s house. Melissa tried to jolt upright but her back radiated a dull pain that made her plummet back into bed.

    ¡°What in the..¡± Melissa cursed internally before groaning loudly. What in the bloody hell was this pain? Her mind drifted back to the wedding night before and her face flushed all shades of red, was it her night with Gareth that had put her in a position of being unable to walk.

    The consummation that happedst night was nothing short of a pool of bliss and euphoria, Melissa mped her legs together just by the mere thought of the previous night¡¯s happenings. Gosh.. she put her pillow on her face and shrieked in glee.. her husband had never made love to her quite like that before.. oh goodness, ¡®her husband¡¯, what a wonderful ring it had to it.

    ¡°Mel..¡±

    The ramble of Gareth¡¯s soft voice reached her ears and she pulled the pillow away from her face. She adjusted her sleepy vision and there he was, in all his handsome glory staring and smiling at her like she was the most beautiful thing in the world.

    ¡°Good morning my wife...¡± the man walked to her side of the bed and sat down before nting a kiss on her forehead. ¡°How was your first night as Mrs Burchard?¡±

    For some strange reason those very words made Melissa feel aroused all over again. She tucked her face away slightly and mumbled the words ¡®fine my husband.¡¯ She felt her heart race as the elf grinned from ear to ear, clearly indicating that their marital union made him as excited as it did her.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Melissa asked with a yawn, ¡± I hope I didn¡¯t oversleep..¡±

    Gareth¡¯s smile only widened as he marveled upon the beauty of the woman who was stretching and yawning in front of him, the belly holding their child visible as a bump under the sheets. A few lifetimes ago Melissa was just a woman he had been admiring from afar, a woman he never thought he¡¯d ever muster the courage to confess his love to. But now, here she was in his bed naked after a long night of passionate lovemaking, and carrying his child. This was the epitome of the saying ¡®patience pays.¡¯

    .....

    ¡°It¡¯s a few minutes after noon..¡± Gareth responded and reached for her hair that was tasseled all over her beautiful face.

    ¡°Noon?!¡± Melissa attempted to sit up but the pain in her back dropped her back on the bed. Gareth reached for her worriedly.

    ¡°What happened? Are you in pain?¡±

    ¡°Just a little..¡± Melissa groaned while adjusting herself onto the extra pillow that the king had ced behind her. ¡°My back is a little sore, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the pregnancy or the...¡± Melissa¡¯s face shed making Gareth arch his eyebrows in amusement.

    ¡°Or the what?..¡± he leaned forward and smiled at the woman who was burning up under his intense gaze.

    ¡°Garry could you not do that you¡¯re embarrassing me..¡±

    The elf shed his perfect white teeth in an amused smile that made Melissa clump her legs underneath the sheets.

    ¡°I¡¯m only teasing my shy beautiful wife,¡± Gareth teased while rubbing his nose against hers. ¡°Shall I ask Maria to help you with your bath?¡±

    ¡°This is so embarrassing, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been asleep for half the day, what will people think? What will your mother think?!¡±

    ¡°That your wedding night was a very memorable one,¡± Gareth whispered in a mischievous tone.

    Melissa ced her open palm on Gareth¡¯s face and pushed him away, ¡°stop it..¡±

    The prince chuckled and caught Melissa¡¯s hand that he kissed. ¡°Let¡¯s get you bathed and fed. The whole family is dining together for lunch today, we want to catch up a little before everyone disperses tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°But my back,¡± Melissa whined wondering how she was going to attend the family luncheon when she couldn¡¯t even get herself out of bed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that..¡±

    *

    About an hourter, everyone at the smooth oak dining table looked towards the door that had opened, through them came Gareth and in his arms was Melissa who was holding on to him as they walked towards the two vacant chairs that had been reserved for them. The elf set Melissa down on one of the chairs before taking a seat next to her.

    The nosferatu Princess¡¯ face was bright red, she had protested and protested about Gareth carrying her to lunch and insisted in eating from the room, but Gareth was as stubborn as a morning stem, he would not heed until he got what he wanted.

    Everyone at the table had a different expression on their face, Estel, Vivian and William had small smug smiles, Bahram, Aiden and Kaiser Stefan had indifferent looks on their faces, while everyone else tried to maintain a straight face.

    ¡°Good morning sweetheart,¡± Emma who was sitting next to Melissa greeted her daughter. ¡°Did you have a good nightst night?¡±

    Gareth opened his mouth to respond and Melissa immediately shot to his lips and pinched them, ¡°don¡¯t you dare,¡± she whispered to him. She was appalled by how this man had no filter whatsoever when it came to the things he said.

    ¡°I slept just well mother thank you, I just had some trouble this morning getting out of bed because of my condition,¡± Melissa lied, ¡°but my dear husband..¡± she pinched his lip more, ¡°..insisted that he carry me to join us for the family lunch.¡±

    ¡°That better be the reason why your back hurts,¡± Bahram mumbled from next to Emma and earning himself a smack from her.

    Queen Tauriel who was sitting across from her son and his wife, smiled and waved her hand for the maidens to start serving the food.

    Back in the kitichen, Ronda ced a silver piece in one of the maiden¡¯s hands before she handed her a cup of Melissa¡¯s daily dose of ichor.

    ¡°Make sure you set it down in front of her,¡± Ronda exined, ¡°if she drinks it, there is more silver where that came from.¡±

    The maiden nodded and made her way towards the dining area while Ronda smiled as she watched from afar. If that little nosferatu took as much as half a cup of that Ichor, half of Ronda¡¯s problems would be solved.

    The blonde green eyed maiden watched anxiously as her little puppet ced the cup of ichor beside Melissa¡¯s te and grinned from ear to ear. The little maid Ronda had sent to put the cup of poisoned ichor owed her a favor, after Ronda had helped her get a job in the royal pce when she was almost thrown into the streets by herndlord, this little elf would do almost anything for Ronda if she asked.

    Melissa thanked the maid and turned to look down at the cup of ichor by her te and gagged a little. Lately she had been feeling noxious over eating a lot of different foods, especially her daily ichor. She understood that she needed it, especially now that she was pregnant, but the smell made her noxious. But this particr cup smelled even more vile than the one she drunk yesterday.

    Gareth reached for Melissa¡¯s hand underneath the table and squeezed it lightly, ¡°are you alright?¡± He whispered upon seeing the noxious expression on his wife¡¯s face.

    Melissa took the cup with her free hand and swirled the contents of it around, ¡°I¡¯m alright, I¡¯m just having trouble drinking this.¡±

    Gateth took the cup and gave it a sniff, ¡°you¡¯re right it smells a bit strange.¡± He put it down next to his te and instead grabbed a bow of rabbit stew that he served for the redhead. ¡°Eat some food first before taking it, I¡¯m not an expert in pregnancy but I¡¯m an expert in my wife¡¯s little habits. You¡¯ll feel less nauseated after you¡¯ve had a bowl of your favorite rabbit stew.¡±

    Melissa smiled and nodded before grabbing a spoon and proceeding to eat, thank the gods her erratic hormones had not altered her tastebuds enough to make her detest rabbit stew, it had been her favorite since her life as Aria.

    Ronda cursed lightly as she watched Gareth ce the cup aside, she wanted to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. The sooner Melissa¡¯s little abomination she called a child was out of the way, she could proceed to getting rid of Melissa as well. The only reason Gareth was with her was because of that child, without it, Gareth was as good as hers.

    No matter, soon Melissa¡¯s little meal would be over, and with it, all her ns and hopes of having a future with Gareth. She had waited so long, silently loving Gareth despite having not met him, and now that he was within her reach she would never let him go.

 Chapter 222

    222 Chapter 222 : Through the looking ss

    When the elf maiden Ronda had first heard of Gareth, a few years had already gone by since the queen taken her under her wing. Ronda was orphaned when her mother, who had been the queen¡¯s head maiden, passed away, after which the elven queen decided to raise the girl as a sort of homage to the woman who had been loyal to her for so many years.

    Over the years, Queen Tauriel would speak of her son throughout the morning whenever Ronda would be helping her prepare for the day, she would talk about how she missed him and how much he had grown over the years. Finwe, who Ronda had familiarized herself with fairly well already, looked a lot like queen Tauriel, and Gareth on the other hand resembled thete king more from the stories she had heard from the queen.

    Even though the two men were twins and shared several simrities in features, queen Tauriel would always mention how her two sons differed, even from the day she firstid eyes on them.

    Every once in a while, the queen would use a magic looking ss to watch her son, prince Gareth, throughout the years. It would show her his distinct facial features and how they changed as he got older in each lifetime, but unfortunately, the looking ss could only show her just that. The queen could only use the magic mirror to watch her son in real time, hence she could never know where he was or what exactly he was doing, all she knew was what he looked like.

    Looking at someone through an elven magical looking ss was akin to staring at a portrait painting of them, still and unmoving, only changing its form as the person aged.

    One day while the queen was in her chambers looking at her son, Ronda was serving her breakfast like she always did, and on that particr day Ronda was really curious about knowing what prince Gareth looked like after hearing about him for so long.

    ¡°Oh no need dear,¡± queen Tauriel instructed the blonde green eyed elf, who was about to set the tray of food on a low ss table that was centered in the queen¡¯s room. ¡°I¡¯m leaving for an urgent meeting with the council that I¡¯m alreadyte for.¡± The woman got to her feet and walked towards the door, ¡°I will have an early lunch instead, you can take that away.¡±

    Ronda nodded and watched the queen disappear down the hallway, leaving the looking ss in in view with a picture of Gareth still disyed on it. Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Ronda walked to the queen¡¯s dressing table and very carefully picked up the object.

    Looking at the magical artifact, one would think it was nothing more than a simple hand mirror, when in fact it was a very valuable item. Thete king had gifted it to his wife on one of her birthdays and she treasured it to bits, so Ronda had to be careful not to identally drop it and end up losing her head.

    .....

    The green eyed elf gazed at the image on the ss curiously, taking in every feature of the handsome face in front of her. So this was Finwe¡¯s twin brother? He did look a lot like Finwe only more.. handsome.

    Unlike Finwe who had a feminine type of attractiveness to him, Gareth was all man, very handsome and a little rugged. Ronda didn¡¯t think it was possible to fall in love with a man you have never met before, but the moment her eyesnded in his hooded brown eyes, her heart was set on him. It was destiny that they be together, their stories aligned oh so perfectly after all.

    From that day on, Ronda dedicated her life to bing the perfect woman for Gareth. If he was going to be king one day, then she had to prepare herself to be queen. She would help him reign, support him,fort him and do anything and everything he would ask of her as a wife should.

    In the days that followed, Ronda would take notes on how the queen carried herself, her antics, how she spoke and most importantly how she carried out royal duties, all to ensure she would be the perfect wife and queen once Gareth returned to Ervelon.

    Queen Tauriel did not fail to notice Ronda¡¯s change in behavior over the few weeks and it peaked her curiosity. Before, Ronda would be very hesitant about learning from her, especially when it came to etiquette,ining that it was uninteresting. But now it was like she wanted to literally be her.

    ¡°Ronda deare here..¡±

    The elf put down the book on political strategies that she had been reading in the library and walked towards the queen. She curtsied before asking the woman if she needed anything.

    ¡°Come, sit with me and let¡¯s have a chat..¡± the queen sat down on one of the library chairs and pat the seat next to her, gesturing the young woman to sit next to her.

    Ronda sat down feeling a little nervous, had she done something wrong? The queen had never asked her to sit down and talk unless she was in trouble or did something wrong.

    ¡°Ive noticed that you¡¯ve taken quite the interest in some new things,¡± the woman exined, ¡°is there a particr reason for this? And don¡¯t try to lie to me, I¡¯ve known you for enough to know that there is a motive behind it.¡±

    Ronda sped her hands together nervously, it was true, the queen did know her well. But would it be appropriate to tell the queen that she was doing all of this because she had fallen in love with her son? Would she be even approve?

    ¡°Well i...¡± Ronda bit down on her lip before gaining the courage to look at the queen and responding. ¡°I saw Gareth through the looking ss a few weeks back your highness, I didn¡¯t mean to pry I swear!.. and well.. I... I just..¡±

    The queen scoffed before getting to her feet. The elf didn¡¯t need to exin herself further for Tauriel to know what was going on, it was quite obvious that Ronda had developed a little crush on Gareth. That exined why she was working so hard to be poised and elegant, she wanted a chance to be with him.

    The thought of her son finding a woman had never crossed the queen¡¯s mind, especially because Finwe had never really shown interest in courting whatsoever, also thest time one of her children fell in love, it did not end well.

    Her eyes fell on the young elven woman before her, she was beautiful, she was hard working, and she did have a good head on her shoulders, if indeed Gareth decided to be with Ronda at some point in his Iife, queen Tauriel wouldn¡¯t be against it, but she would not egg the young woman on just in case Gareth didn¡¯t reciprocate her feelings.

    ¡°No need to exin,¡± the queen responded and turned for the library exit, ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it then.¡±

    Ronda watched the woman walk out the library door in shock, had the queen just given her her blessing to continue pursuing her dream of being with Gareth? Well she didn¡¯t actually mention it but she did insinuated it right? The green eyed woman leapt into the air and shrieked in excitement, she couldn¡¯t wait for Gareth to get home so they could finally be together.

    *

    [The present]

    Ronda watched closely as Melissa pushed her te away and as Gareth pushed it back towards her before mumbling some words that made the nosferatu princess roll her eyes and continue eating her food. That should have been Ronda sitting by Gareth¡¯s side, he was suppose to be giving her love and attention not that little tramp.

    But it was alright, soon everything would be fine, all Melissa had to do was to drink that ichor and half of Ronda¡¯s problems would disappear.

    ¡°I can¡¯t eat any more..¡±

    Gareth peeked into Melissa¡¯s bowl before looking at her pouting face and smiling. He missed this adorable, whinny and stubborn side of her when she was away, her being stubborn made him want to take care of her even more. He hoped that when the baby came, he or she would be as stubborn as Melissa, being a father to someone who challenged him would be very interesting.

    ¡°Alright I suppose you have eaten more than usual today,¡± Gareth responded and wiped the corner of his wife¡¯s mouth. ¡°You can have some desert now.¡±

    ¡°You should have your ichor dear,¡± Marceline reminded her daughter, ¡°we don¡¯t want you starving the baby.¡±

    ¡°Oh of course..¡± Gareth grabbed the cup ready to give it to his wife. ¡°I know you said it smells odd but just have a little bit.¡±

    Rond¡¯s nails dug into the concrete of the pir she was hiding behind as Gareth moved the cup to Melissa¡¯s hand. Any minute now...

 Chapter 223

    223 Chapter 223 : Stay with me

    Ronda pursed her lips in anticipation, the poison she had put in was a very potent one so it wouldn¡¯t take long to take effect. Melissa would lose the baby, and everyone would me her for not taking better care of herself. An animosity like no other would blossom between not only her and Gareth, but with the queen as well.

    Inches before Melissa took the cup in her hand, Gareth pulled it away and brought it to his lips, ¡°maybe I should give it a taste to make sure it¡¯s safe,¡± he mumbled teasingly, ¡°a future queen shouldnt randomly eat things without making sure they¡¯re up to standard first..¡±

    ¡°Garry stop ying around and give me that cup..¡±

    Gareth brought the cup to his lips about to take a sip but someone hit the cup from his had sending the contents of the cup hurling through the air and sttering all over the floor and on some of it on the upants of the table.

    Ronda stumbled back and drew in a relieved breath, when she saw Gareth about to sip the poisoned drink she felt her very soul leave her body. She flew to his side at a speed she didn¡¯t even think possible and did the only thing she thought logical.

    The queen who now had stains of red on her beautiful blue gown rose to her feet and red at Ronda. ¡°What in the gods¡¯ good name is this?! Guards!¡±

    Ronda took several steps back and shook her head frantically as the guards inched closer to her. ¡°My queen no please! Hear me out!¡±

    ¡°Take her to her old chambers and make sure she doesn¡¯t leave! I¡¯ll deal with her personally!¡±

    The guards grabbed each of Ronda¡¯s hands and led her towards her chambers. She looked back at the table where Gareth was trying to wipe some ichor that had spelt on Melissa¡¯s gown. The elf frowned and cursed inwardly that her ns had been foiled, but she would have her chance again, at the least Ronda was relieved that the man she loved hadn¡¯t drunk the poison, she would have not been able to forgive herself if he had seeded.

    .....

    ¡°What in the world was that?¡± Finwe mumbled while dabbing his soiled cor, ¡°I thought you said you sent Ronda away while Melissa was here mother.¡±

    Queen Tauriel sat back down and cupped her forehead in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone I¡¯ll have this dealt with momentarily.¡± She had a feeling this might happen, she wouldn¡¯t have given Ronda a go ahead when it came to her obsession with Gareth, now it wasing back to bite her.

    ¡°I hope Ronda won¡¯t turn into another Elric that we have to worry about..¡± Bahram asked. It seemed that whoever that woman was had an obsessive attraction to Gareth, he had seen that look before in Elric¡¯s eyes whenever he looked at Melissa. ¡°Melissa is pregnant and we have to be sure she is going to be in safe hands here!¡±

    ¡°Bahram please..¡± Emma tried to hush her son.

    ¡°Bahram is right Emma,¡± Kaiser Stefan added on, ¡°our daughter is in a very delicate state right now..¡± the man dubbed some of the liquid that had sttered near him and sniffed it. ¡°This ichor was poisoned.¡±

    Everyone at the table gasped and Gareth jumped to his feet with a start, ¡°are you saying Ronda was trying to poison my wife?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying the drink was poisoned,¡± the Kaiser repeated himself, ¡°who is responsible for it is something we have to find out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it! Melissa cannot stay here, clearly she is not safe!¡± William eximed, ¡°what if something like this happens again and she won¡¯t be so lucky?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it would be best to take her to the snonds until the baby is born,¡± the twins spoke in unison.

    ¡°My wife isn¡¯t going anywhere,¡± Gareth dered firmly, ¡°if anyone is going to take care of her and my child it¡¯s me. Nothing like this will happen again!¡±

    ¡°Gareth be reasonable,¡± Vivian urged the elven king, ¡°as long as Ronda and God knows which other women who are obsessed with you are out there roaming freely, Melissa isn¡¯t safe.¡±

    ¡°I will take all the necessary precautions to insure her safety!¡± Gareth was bow getting angry, ¡°are you trying to insinuate that I cannot care for my own family?!¡±

    ¡°Of course you can but there¡¯s nothing wrong with needing a little help brother,¡± Finwe urged him. ¡°What are you going to do? You¡¯ve got a kindom to run now you can¡¯t be by Melissa¡¯s side every waking minute.¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Gareth roared with a hard bang of his fist on the table.

    He crouched down and picked up his wife in his arms, ¡°I want nothing more to do with this ridiculous conversation, I am Melissa¡¯s husband, I am the father to our child, and I decide what is safe for my family. Please excuse us.¡±

    The king walked out of the room leaving everyone feeling ufortable. Just when they had delt with one problem another one came creeping in.

    Tauriel rose to her feet and addressed the table with her head down, ¡°I will deal with Ronda, please allow the maidens to help all of you freshen up and tend to your soiled clothing before you depart.¡± She then pushed her chair back before walking out of the dining area.

    As she walked down the hallway to Ronda¡¯s room, the queen couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty about what had happened. Somehow this was her fault. She allowed the young woman to obsess over Gareth almost her whole life, even though she didn¡¯t y an active role cultivating her feelings, but she also didn¡¯t stop them from growing, she had to abate the situation before it escted.

    *

    Melissa worriedly watched her husband pace the room in frustration. The thought of almost being poisoned chilled her to the bone, especially now that she was pregnant, what if something had happened to their baby? Both Gareth and her would be devastated, especially her. The past few months of pregnancy had made her so attached to her baby, she worried when she didn¡¯t feel any movement, and got excited when the baby would kick. She was anxiously counting down to the day she would hold her child in her arms and love them endlessly, so if anything were to shatter those dreams, she would probably fall into depression.

    Melissa gathered her strength and pushed herself off the bed with a wince, even if her back was still a little sore, she walked to Gareth and took his hand.

    The elf turned to Melissa and immediately wrapped one arm around her back to help her stand straight, ¡°Mel what are you doing? You should be resting your back until the physician gets here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, can we talk?¡±

    Gods Gareth hated those words, especially when they were apanied by that look she had in her eyes. ¡°Alright..¡±

    He led her to the bed where she sat down, and he pulled a chair where he sat in front of her, his hands resting on her knees.

    ¡°Garry you know I have no doubt in my heart that you would insure no harm ever came to me or our baby..¡±

    Gareth sighed and rubbed his wife¡¯s hands slowly as he waited for the ¡®but¡¯. He knew Melissa well, she may not doubt him, but she was not willing to take any chances.

    ¡°But don¡¯t you think we¡¯re better off safe than sorry?¡±

    Just like his beautiful wife, Gareth too was stubborn, especially when it came to matters pertaining her. He kept rubbing her knees gently while looking at her baby bump lovingly. ¡°I¡¯m not letting my pregnant wife go off to the snonds while I stay in Gavaria. I¡¯m not sumbing to the loneliness of waking up each morning alone in my bed without you by my side. Call me selfish but I want to see you walking around the pce with our baby bump, I want to hold up your hair when you throw up each morning, I want to feed you on days you can¡¯t get out of bed, and I want to watch you bring our child into this world.¡± Gareth stopped rubbing Melissa¡¯s knees and griped them, his eyes catching hers in an intense stare, ¡°we¡¯re finally married now, and we¡¯re about to have a baby, can¡¯t we just enjoy this? Is that too much to ask for?¡±

    Gareth took Melissa¡¯s hands in his and kissed both of them, ¡°I just want my wife home with me, please give me that. If at all you feel unsafe with me from here on out, then I¡¯ll take you to the snonds myself.¡±

    As usual, her husband tugged Melissa¡¯s heartstrings. She knew that Gareth had been wanting to settle down with her like a normal happy family for a long time now, and now that they were finally together he probably wanted just that. This is the life Melissa had wanted with Gareth as well, what was the harm in living happily and normally even just for a while.

    She cupped the man¡¯s face in her hands and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, ¡°alright.¡±

 Chapter 224

    224 Chapter 224 : Stay away from my grandchild

    Ronda was sitting in her room worried sick, she prayed that no one discovered that the ichor was poisoned, and if they did she at least hopped that they had not known that she was the one responsible for it. If they got suspicious of her it would be a lot harder to get close to the nosferatu princess and do away with her.

    The door to Ronda¡¯s chambers opened and queen Tauriel walked in, her face disying a mix of emotions. She looked angry yet disappointed, confused yet drained. The queen walked to a small chair near the bed where the young elf was sitting and took a seat.

    After a few seconds of silence Tauriel finally turned her head to Ronda, this was a woman she had raised from a very young age, and even though what she had done warranted a capital punishment Tauriel couldn¡¯t just have her beheaded or hanged, Ronda was like a daughter to her.

    ¡°Ronda dear..¡±

    The elven woman nervously nibbled the inside of her lip and dropped her eyes to the ground. Whatever the queen was going to say would tell how much everyone else knew about the situation at hand, and in turn this would determine Ronda¡¯s next move.

    ¡°Yes your highness..¡±

    ¡°Tell me what happened today,¡± the queen spoke, ¡°and as usual don¡¯t dare lie to me.¡±

    Ronda did not expect this line of questioning, she wouldn¡¯t be able to know how much the queen knew this way, she had been trapped, her highness really did know her well.

    ¡°And once you¡¯re through with that,¡± the queen continued, ¡°tell me why you decided to invite yourself to the wedding when I gave you specific instructions not to attend.¡±

    Now the green eyed elf was in a fix, she wasn¡¯t nning on being caught here, all she had wanted to do was to administer the first phase of her n and leave, everything else she had nned to deal withter.

    .....

    ¡°Your highness you know how I feel about Gareth,¡± Ronda mumbled in the most pitiful voice she could muster. ¡°How could I stay away when the only man I have ever loved was getting married to another woman?!¡±

    ¡°Does that give you the right to poison Melissa¡¯s drink?¡±

    Ronda gulped and instinctively sped her neck, ¡°I..¡± she didn¡¯t think the queen would know that the drink was poisoned,ter on know that she was the one responsible.

    The queen gave Ronda a very serious look, never in the young woman¡¯s life had she seen her so angry. ¡°Listen, I tolerated your little obsession with Gareth yes I admit, and I¡¯m sorry if I led you to believe that you were the woman meant to be with my son. What you should realize dear is that at the end of the day no matter what I say, the choice of who to love is his.¡±

    Ronda felt tears sting her emerald green eyes and her lips quivered, ¡°but that¡¯s not fair! I have been working hard for years to be the perfect woman for Gareth, and now you¡¯re just going to let some woman who isn¡¯t even an elf waltz in here and be queen?!¡±

    Tauriel took Ronda¡¯s hand and pulled her in for a hug, she felt guilty for letting the poor girl engross herself so much in the idea of being with Gareth. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Ronda,¡± she whispered while stroking the shaking girl¡¯s hair. ¡°Gareth is just one man, you¡¯re a beautiful and very smart woman, you will find someone who will love you in no time at all. But you have to let go of this bedeviled love for another woman¡¯s husband.¡±

    The elven queen pulled away and wiped a stray tear drop that had tricked down Ronda¡¯s cheek, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry dear, take heart.¡± Her consoling eyes then turned menacing as she uttered the next words to Ronda, ¡°but if you ever try to harm my grandchild ever again I will have your pretty little head on a pike.¡±

    The words the queen uttered were used in a neutral tone of voice, but the way in which she said them was a clear threat.

    The queen stood up and gave Ronda onest nod before exiting the room, yes she loved the young woman like her own, but she would notpromise on blood.

    *

    Melissa took Gareth¡¯s hand after hugging her parents goodbye. The Morrells were heading back to Greenhill, while Marceline and Kaiser Stefan were heading back to the Snonds.

    ¡°Are you sure this is what you want to do?¡± Asked Marceline. ¡°You know our doors are always open to you, and I really could use thepany¡±.

    Melissa nced at Gareth before turning back to her mother and nodding, ¡°I¡¯m sure mother, Gareth and I are married after all, I trust him and I know he will take good care of the baby and I.¡±

    Marceline smiled and her daughter, ¡°very well, if you need anything don¡¯t hesitate to reach out.¡±

    ¡°Of course mother,¡± Melissa responded and gave the woman a wave. She also turned to look at the carriages carrying the Morrells and gave them a wave as well, she already missed all of them even if they had promised to visit when the baby was born.

    When the all the carriages pulled away to different directions, Melissa and Gareth walked back towards the pce hand in hand. Gareth felt relieved that his wife had decided not to leave, he didn¡¯t ever say it but he was really clingy when it came to Melissa, being without her was a lot harder for him than he let on. All he wanted was to be cuddled up next to her all day, feeling her hand stroking his hair and hearing her voice speaking to him constantly even when all he said in response was ¡®that sounds lovely my love¡¯. He generally just wanted her in his space and that was it, just knowing she was within his reach was enough for him.

    Estle had a sullen look on her face as she watched the couple approach them, she had gotten so used to Melissa being around the ce, having another woman around other than her mother made the ce feel more cozy, but now Melissa had to go back to Gavaria.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave tomorrow?¡± Estel whined and immediately took Melissa¡¯s hand in hers. ¡°Please, you really want to leave me here with these men?¡±

    ¡°We can hear you you know,¡± Aiden spoke with a yful tone, ¡°if you want another woman around the house you can just ask nicely and I can give you a daughter.¡±

    ¡°Father please..¡± Damien who was standing behind his parents sighed. He had not fully gotten used to his parents openly showing their affection like this. In fact, Damien and his father weren¡¯t really in good books because he still felt his father had abandoned them, but after his mother¡¯s plea, he agreed to be civil with the man and refer to him as his father

    ¡°Watch what you say Aiden that¡¯s my sister you¡¯re talking about,¡± Gareth jockingly threatened the red haired man.

    ¡°And that¡¯s my little sister you got pregnant but here you are still alive and breathing.¡± Aiden fired back with a sly smile.

    ¡°You see what I mean?¡± Estelined making Melissa chuckle.

    ¡°I would love to stay here Estel, really I would, but I think my husband is very eager to have me all to himself finally after a long time,¡± Melissa responded, the nosferatu woman wrapped her arms around Gateth¡¯s bicep and cuddled up next to him. ¡°Besides you three need some time alone to catch up as well.¡±

    Estel pulled Melissa into a tight hug, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the baby..¡± she put a gentle hand on Melissa¡¯s belly and smiled, ¡°gosh she is going to be so beautiful.¡±

    ¡°She?!¡± Gareth and Melissa both gasped in unison.

    Estel covered her mouth realizing she had made a mistake, ¡°I¡¯m sorry did you not know? I¡¯m assuming Finwe already told you.¡±

    ¡°Finwe didn¡¯t even tell me my wife was pregnant even though he was the first to find out,¡± Gareth responded. ¡°You really expected him to ry an important peice of information like this, it¡¯s Finwe.¡±

    ¡°Why am I always walking in on people bad mouthing me?¡± Finwe spoke casually as he walked up the steps towards the pce.

    Gareth turned to his brother and gave him a disappointed look. ¡°You didn¡¯t feel the need to tell me that I was having a daughter Finwe?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise,¡± Finwe responded before taking Melissa¡¯s hand and kissing it, ¡°I¡¯m assuming Estel has ruined it.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s face immediately beamed with excitement, she was so excited about having a girl, she could already picture all the things her and her daughter could do together, all the moments they could share.

    Gareth on the other hand was a cross between anxious and terrified, he was having a girl?! Good gods, girls were so delicate and needed constant watching and care. And what if she grew up to be as beautiful as Melissa or more? Gareth would have to be walking around with a sword to make sure no man came close to his little girl.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this great news?!¡± Melissa squealed excitedly.

    Gareth nodded slowly, ¡°yes.. great news.¡±

 Chapter 225

    225 Chapter 225 : Your wife is inbor

    Gareth was sitting in the meeting hall with his council members back in the kingdom of Gavaria, counting the minutes until he could leave and go back to his wife who he had left in bed unwell.

    Four months had passed since Gareth and Melissa¡¯s wedding and it was a four months that Gareth enjoyed for the most part. He most of all really enjoyed her heightened libido, she was all over him every night and Gareth loved it. Going to bed was actually one of his favorite times of day because of the very same.

    There were some days when Melissa was very emotional, and sometimes her emotions would fluctuate, she would be happy one minute, angry at him the next and wanting to rip his clothes off another. At first it was all so confusing for the man because he had never dealt with a pregnant woman before, but in time he adjusted and actually enjoyed being by her side when she was being emotional.

    Today though, Melissa had woken up feeling unwell, sheined of back pains and she felt tired. Had he overdone it the previous night during their lovemaking and hurt her? He felt guilty about it but he couldn¡¯t help it. It was already hard enough to resist his beautiful wife before, but now she had all these new curves that could drive any man mad.

    The elf king awoke from his musing and looked up at the council members who were still failing toe to a conclusion about appointing a governor to oversee the running of Baiviles. This was a rtively simple matter but his council always loved to prolong these meetings, most likely to stay away longer from their wives. Well Gareth wanted to go back to his, unlike other men, he actually enjoyed spending time with his wife.

    Gareth was about end the whole meeting and announce his final ruling when Maria threw the doors open and rushed into the room. The council members gasped at the intrusion, how dare someone just walk into a session as important as this unannounced? And a woman at that!

    ¡°Your majesty-¡±

    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± One of the council members rose to his feet and gave Maria a disapproving re. ¡°How dare you barge in here?! This is the king¡¯s council!¡±

    ¡°But her highness!¡± Maria yelled in a jittery tone but was cut off with the swing of the man¡¯s hand.

    .....

    ¡°Enough! Leave before we have you escorted out.¡±

    Gareth¡¯s ears perked up when he heard Maria mention his wife. He got up and took a step away from the table, ¡°stop!¡± He yelled at the council member who was about to have Maria escorted out. ¡°Maria.. what¡¯s happening? Is Mel okay?¡±

    The woman walked passed the sulking council member and curtsied in front of Gareth. ¡°Your majesty, Melissa is inbor!¡±

    ¡°Labor?¡± It was like Gareth¡¯s brain had stopped working for a quick second because what Maria had just said shut down all sense of reason. It was not until Zander grabbed Gareth¡¯s shoulder and urged him to move forward did he register what was going on.

    ¡°Your majesty your wife is having the baby right now, we need to go!¡± Zander yelled making Gareth rush out of the room faster than a gush of wind.

    *

    Melissa was taking heavy gasps of air while some midwives ran about the room bringing in hot water, towels, and different things they would need to receive the king¡¯s baby. This was going to be a very delicate delivery because not only did king Gareth love this woman to death, but she was having a hybrid baby and none of the midwives had delivered a half elf half nosferatu child before. They had to take every precaution to ensure everything went smoothly, they didn¡¯t even want to think about what would be done to them if anything happened to Melissa.

    The head midwife walked to Melissa¡¯s side and took her hand, ¡°I need to check for the baby now your highness.¡±

    Check for the baby? What did she mean she needed to check for the baby?

    ¡°This will be a little ufortable but we need to know how close the baby is before you begin to push.¡±

    Melissa gnashed her teeth when a bolt of pain struck hee back and stomach, with the amount of pain she was going through, she didn¡¯t even care what the woman was nning to do to her now, all she wanted was to get the baby out.

    ¡°Do it!¡± Melissa yelled before groaning in pain.

    The head midwife walked to Melissa¡¯s front and pulled up the white sheet that was covering her legs, embarrassment was the feeling Melissa was supposed to feel but she was in too much pain to consider it. All she wanted was to have this baby and end it all.

    Melissa¡¯s eyes circled when the woman put her fingers in her private area, was that what she meant by checking the baby?! Good gods that felt very ufortable.

    ¡°She¡¯s ready!¡± The head midwife called out, ¡°get the water and towels ready.¡± She turned to Melissa and gave her an assuring nod, ¡°get ready to push your highness, soon you will see your beautiful little baby.¡±

    Melissa was releaved, she had been enduring contractions for the past six hours and all the midwives kept telling her was that she was not ready yet, she was so frustrated and in pain she had almost sat up and pull the baby out herself.

    ¡°Alright your highness, just take deep breaths, this will be over before you know it. The king will be here any minute.¡±

    ¡°The king?!¡± Why did these women feel the need to call Gareth in a time like this?! She didn¡¯t want her husband to see in such apromising state, it was embarrassing. ¡°Please don¡¯t let him in..¡± Melissa hissed as another painful contraction riddled her abdominal muscles. Just in the moment she heard her husband¡¯s voice, he was asking where she was frantically and sounded like he was heading this way. ¡°Don¡¯t let him in!¡± Melissa yelled and clenched the sheets beneath her, ¡°that¡¯s an order!¡±

    The head midwife looked to one of her assistants and nodded her head, ¡°do as she says, we need her highness asfortable as possible.¡±

    The midwife nodded and rushed out of the room, in the hall was the king who was demanding to be told where his wife was, how on earth was she going to keep the king from going into the room.

    Gareth caught sight of the midwife who was standing at a door not to far from him. He pushed the guard he had been asking away and walked towards the door, ¡°my wife is in there isn¡¯t she?¡±

    The midwife gulped and curtsied, ¡°yes your majesty, but I have been urged to keep you here while her highness delivers.¡±

    Gareth knitted his eyebrows at the woman not understanding what she was trying to say, ¡°you have been urged to keep me out? You want me to miss the birth of my own child?!¡±

    The midwife winced at the king¡¯s tone.

    Gareth took a step forward, ¡°please step aside..¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t your majesty it was an order..¡± the midwife quivered.

    ¡°Well now I¡¯m giving you an order as well! Move!¡±

    Zander grabbed Gareth¡¯s shoulder and urged him to calm down. The elf king took a deep breath and looked back at the midwife with a moreposed demeanor. ¡°Who gave the order to keep me from seeing my wife?¡±

    ¡°it was her highness herself who gave the order,¡± she responded.

    Gareth jolted his head back in surprise, why wouldn¡¯t she want him to be there when their baby was born? Gareth¡¯s thought process was cut short when he heard his wife scream from the other side of the door. In that moment his body moved on its own without a thought, he shoved the midwife aside and rushed into the room, what had happened to his wife. ¡°Mel!¡±

    Melissa screamed again and the elven king froze in his tracks. There was blood where shey, a lot of it. A peice of cloth had been ced in Melissa¡¯s mouth probably to stop her from biting her own tongue, but it didn¡¯t do anything to stop her screams of pain, the screams that sent shivers down Gareth¡¯s spine.

    Gareth stood in ce for a very long time unable to move, his eyes were fixated on the blood on the bed and the popped out veins on Melissa¡¯s arms and forehead. She looked like she was in a lot of pain, was all this his fault? Was she suffering like this because of his baby?

    The cloth that was in the redhead¡¯s mouth fell out and Melissa cried out in pain making the man walk towards her.

    ¡°Your majesty!¡± The head midwife eximed in shock, ¡°you¡¯re not supposed to be here.¡±

    ¡°Move.¡± Gareth took his wife¡¯s hand and looked down at her beautiful face, it was drenched in sweat and her hair was dump as well. He squeezed her hand gently before leaning down and giving her hand a kiss, he was scared, his wife looked like she had lost a lot of blood and he could feel that she was shivering. When her eyes opened and met his, he felt his heart sink, her blue eyes looked tired and wary and this worried him even more.

    ¡°I¡¯m here Mel..¡± he whispered and kissed her hand again. ¡°You can do this, and I¡¯ll be here for you every step of the way.¡±

 Chapter 226

    226 Chapter 226 : Eira (Eye- ra)

    Hysterical and panicked, Gareth tried not to look down at the beddings soaked in blood that his wife wasying in, he tried heard not to crumble as her screams of agony filled the chamber. He wished he could take away her pain he really did, he wanted to be the one to suffer not her, but all he could do was hold her hand and let her squeeze it as much as she needed when the pain was too much.

    The king turned to look at the head midwife who had instructed Melissa to push yet again, wasn¡¯t there a quicker perhaps less painful way to do this. ¡°Is there a problem?!¡± Gareth finally asked the woman who was helping his wife deliver, he couldn¡¯t just stand there and watch his wife go through this, if something had gone wrong he wanted to know.

    He prayed everything was okay though, he had heard that some women died during child birth, and his mindpletely refused to tolerate any thought of losing Melissa. ¡°Someone talk to me! Why is it taking so long?! Can¡¯t you see she¡¯s in pain?!¡±

    The head midwife, with her hands as bloodied as a serial killer looked up at the king and shook her head apologetically. That gesture, even though small, made Gareth¡¯s heart sink, what was going on?! Was his daughter okay?? Was his wife going to be okay?!

    ¡°The baby, it did not turn,¡± the woman exined before giving instructions to her assistants. ¡°Get the des and some thread, hurry!¡±

    ¡°des? Thread?!¡± Gareth didn¡¯t even want to think about what they were nning to do with those things they were asking for. ¡°What do you mean the baby hasn¡¯t turned?! What are you going to do to my family?¡±

    ¡°With all due respect your majesty, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll want to be here for this.¡±

    Gareth watched the woman take a sharp de from the small silver tray filled with a clear liquid, that one of her helpers had ced on a small table. ¡°What are you nning to use that for?!¡±

    ¡°My king like I said before,¡± the midwife exined, ¡°the baby is not turned so your wife cannot deliver naturally. To keep the baby from suffocating, I¡¯ll have to cut it out.¡±

    .....

    ¡°What?!¡± Gareth felt like he was going to vomit every ounce of food he had ever eaten in his entire life, his stomach churned from anxiety and fear, and his head pounded painfully. ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that.. you can¡¯t-¡±

    Melissa grabbed Gareth¡¯s hand making him turn to her. She looked tired andpletely drained, her breathing was shallow and her beautiful eyes had sunk. ¡°Gareth let them do it.¡±

    The elven king was absolutely appalled, ¡°Mel I¡¯m not going to let them cut you! Have you lost your mind?!¡±

    ¡°Our daughter is running out of air Gareth! Let them do it!¡±

    The man felt defeated, on one hand if they didn¡¯t go ahead and cut his wife, his daughter¡¯s life may be in danger, and on the other hand he had no idea if his wife would walk out of here alive after this procedure.

    ¡°Gareth, I¡¯m going to need you to leave for this,¡± Melissa urged the man.

    He looked around the room, the bloody sheets, the foggy windows and the maids who were tending to Melissa.. ¡°no, I¡¯m staying right here.¡± He took Melissa¡¯s hand and held it tight with both of his. ¡°Get my daughter out, and make sure nothing happens to my wife.¡±

    The head midwife nodded and gave one of her helpers a sign to give Melissa a special elixir that would help numb the pain for a few hours. After the blue eyed woman drunk the elixir, the head maid proceeded with the cutting.

    Since the numbing was not yet in full effect, the first incision made Melissa scream in agony, and Gareth gnashed his teeth desperately trying to bare the sound of his wife¡¯s pain. In this moment, his love and respect for Melissa doubled, she was going through so much just to be able to give their child life, after all this was over, Gareth swore he would cater to her hand and foot, she deserved nothing less.

    It felt like hours had passed since the procedure began, and Gareth was feeling lightheaded by the cutting sounds he was hearing, daring not to turn and look at what they were doing to his wife, but soon enough, his misery came to an end when the most beautiful sound he had ever heard filled the room, the sound of his baby crying.

    A young midwife quickly severed the cord and cleaned the baby before wrapping her in a bundle of soft cloth. Gareth had his eyes glued to the woman as she walked towards him with his daughter in hand. She stopped a few inches away from him and gave him a congrattory smile, ¡°it¡¯s a beautiful girl your majesty, I hope you¡¯re not disappointed.¡±

    ¡°Disappointed?¡± Gareth looked down at the tiny infant that was crying in the midwife¡¯s arms. ¡°Why on earth would I be disappointed?¡±

    ¡°Well most kings hope for a boy and-¡±

    Gareth cut the woman off, ¡°she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,¡± he cooed, ¡°I would never be disappointed.¡±

    A few more minutester the head midwife wife finished everything and Melissa was finally allowed to hold her baby for the first time. She was tired and in pain but she didn¡¯t care, she reached out to her daughter eagerly and cradled her against her chest. ¡°Oh my baby, my little angel.¡± She allowed the newborn to breastfeed as shey down to rest.

    Gareth watched her feed the baby with so much wonder, women were definitely the superior gender, he couldn¡¯t fathom how after all that, Melissa was still able to nurse their child, may the gods bless this wife of his.

    After feeding her baby, Melissa looked up at Gareth and smiled, ¡°do you want to hold her?¡±

    Gareth batted his eyshes in confusion, ¡°you want me to hold her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she is your daughter after all,¡± Melissa whispered with a tired smile.

    ¡°I can¡¯t, she so small and fragile, I don¡¯t want to hurt her.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t..¡± Melissa held out the small baby to Gareth who with shaky hands took it and cradled it in his arms.

    When the tiny baby yawned, Gareth¡¯s eyes watered and tears flowed down his cheeks. This was his daughter, his little girl, his whole world right here in his arms, gods she was perfect.

    ¡°What will you name her?¡± Melissa asked the man who was not in the least bit holding back his tears. Never in her life had she seen Gareth cry except now, and it moved her heart deeply.

    ¡°Would you look at that,¡± the head midwife spoke with a hint of glee in her tone as she looked out the window. ¡°it¡¯s the first snowfall of the year, this is a good omen your majesty.¡±

    Gareth sniffed before nting a kiss on his daughter¡¯s forehead, ¡°Eira..¡± he whispered as more tears escaped his eyes. ¡°Her name will be Eira, meaning snow.¡±

    Melissa smiled at her husband and nodded, ¡°it¡¯s a beautiful name darling...¡± and not long after, the exhausted nosferatu woman fell into a deep sleep knowing her daughter was alive and well in the arms of her husband. Eira would be okay in Gareth¡¯s arms while she rested for a while.

    *

    Elric opened the door and quickly rushed into his little log cabin where a fire was as flickering in the firece. He ced therge pieces of wood he had been collecting on the floor next to the firece and wiped his forehead. It had taken him most of the day, but now he had enough wood tost him the the winter, he actually would have gotten more but the sudden snowfall made him retreat back to his warm, self made abode.

    He sat down at his usual armchair next to the firece and drew in a breath, the silver haired lycan contemted closing his eyes and resting a while before it was time to make dinner, but something was out of the ordinary today. His eyes scanned the room and he noticed that the redhead who had been haunting his mind and house was nowhere in sight, had she decided to finally leave him alone? Or was all this a sign that something had happened?

    ¡°Hello?!¡± Elric felt ridiculous calling out to a figment of his imagination, the woman never spoke to him anyway so why did he expect her to respond when he called to her? But still, the feeling was a little unsettling for some reason, he wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he had grown ustomed to her aimlessly roaming his house like a ghost, or it was now that he was truly going mad, but he somewhat hopped she was still around. The redhead, despite not being real as Elric had established, had kept himpany for months and made his istion a little less lonely, he wondered where she had gone?

    ¡°Are you there?¡± Elric rose from his chair and searched the other small rooms of the cabin but did not see her anywhere. It seemed she truly had left him, maybe it was for the best, maybe it was a sign that his mind was finally clearing and he had started a new page of his life.

 Chapter 227

    227 Chapter 227 : Zhelimir

    His ears perked up when the pitter patter of little feet echoed inside the library followed by little chuckles of glee. Gareth put down his quil, folded up his parchment and turned to where the sounds wereing from. When he got up from the chair, more giggles filled the room that tugged the elven king¡¯s lips into a smile.

    ¡°Oh I wonder where Eira could be?¡± Gareth spoke out loud as he approached the curtains where small bare feet where sticking out. ¡°Goodness, my daughter has be so good at ying hide and seek now hasn¡¯t she?¡±

    Eira giggled again from her hiding spot and Gareth¡¯s smile turned into chuckles as he moved closer to the curtains. ¡°Gotcha!¡± He reached to grab his daughter but to his surprise all he held was curtains. Feeling confused, Gareth checked behind the curtains a second time, he could have sworn his little girl was hiding there just a moment ago.

    ¡°Boo!¡±

    Gareth turned to the little girl who had materialized behind him andtched onto his leg. ¡°There you are..¡± he picked her up and spun her around before holding her in his arms. ¡°You really are getting good at this game little one, that was a neat trick, how did you do it.¡±

    ¡°I learnt a new trick papa!¡± Eira sqealed excitedly. ¡°Put me down and I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not wearing any shoes, it¡¯s cold on the floor..¡±

    The little girl shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t like shoes, I can¡¯t see everything when I¡¯m wearing them.¡±

    Gareth could never understand what his daughter meant whenever she said that, no one used their feet to see, but she was young and probably didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. He put down his daughter gently before taking a step back to give her room to show off her ¡®new trick.¡¯

    .....

    Eira was exceptionally gifted in magic, even more than her own father. She would learn new so called ¡®tricks¡¯ every other day all on her own, it was like magic came naturally to her, as if it were an extension of her very being.

    Eira spread her arms out before twirling around, and just like that she disappeared from the spot and appeared behind her father. Gareth was in shock, he knew that there were elves who could teleport and even those who could teleport other people and objects as well, but it usually took years to master that kind of magic. Yet his daughter had mastered it at only six years old.

    ¡°See papa!¡± Eira exined while jumping up and down excitedly in her spot. ¡°Now you¡¯re never going to find me during hide and seek .¡±

    Eira Burchard, the first child of king Gareth of the elves and queen Melissa of the nosferatu, was a hybrid, part elf and part nosferatu. She was six years old now, had long ginger hair like her mother, and beautiful purple eyes somewhat like her father. At first sight, one would think she was all elf from her pointed ears and beautiful features, it was not until she shed her fangs or her eyes turned blood red when angry that people saw her nosferatu side.

    The little girl was not only adorable, but she was gifted as well. Eira was a fast learner and extremely smart, so much so that she had learned to speak when she was three, and to read and write when she was five years old. When it came to magic, no six year old in all the kingdoms held a candle to her. She learnt spells unusually quick and even went as far as making her own spells as well, mostly for her own entertainment. She had developed several tricks like how to create bubbles in her bath water, and to change the colors of her clothing however she pleased.

    On top of her magic, she could already exhibit her wings, even if they were very small and couldn¡¯t do much but tter wildly on her back, especially when she was excited.

    The door to the library opened and Maria walked in, her face disyed relief but immediately after, a frown painted it. ¡°Princess Eira please, your morning lesson is not over yet and you know that...¡±

    Eira moved around the library jumping yfully from one stone tile to another, ¡°but my lessons are so boring.¡±

    ¡°Well you are distracting the king ying around his library like this,e along.¡±

    ¡°But papa¡¯s job is really boring too,¡±. The little girl pointed out. ¡°Look at him. He¡¯s so happy I came, aren¡¯t you papa?¡±

    Gareth nodded and pat his daughter¡¯s head, ¡°I¡¯m so happy honey, but lessons are important so you have to listen to Maria okay?¡±

    Eira pouted and folded her arms before turning towards Maria, ¡°fine, but I¡¯m not going to enjoy this.¡±

    Gareth watched in amusement as his daughter stomped out of the library, she was so stubborn and much too smart for her own good. She was absolutely perfect.

    ¡°Shoes are important too Eira!¡± Gareth called to the little girl who yelled ¡®never!¡¯ in response, she was definitely his perfect little girl.

    *

    Eira mostly sat through her lessons with her nanny Maria, they were always so incredibly dull and boring but her parents insisted she take them. I mean what good was there in learning which spoon was for what, and why ady should always walk with her head high? Did every other girl in the kingdom have to go through this as well?

    The only moment about her so called ¡®lessons¡¯ that Eira truly enjoyed was the end of them, because at the end of each poise and dylike¡¯ lesson, her uncle would take her for some REAL lessons.

    When a knock disrupted Maria¡¯s exnation on the different types of gowns, Eira couldn¡¯t help but grin from ear to ear.

    ¡°It¡¯s time isn¡¯t it?¡± She asked her nanny tauntingly.

    ¡°I swear Eira, someone would think you enjoy this barbaric sessions of yours with your uncle more than you do these.¡±

    Maria opened the door and stepped aside to let the tall blond haired elf with golden brown eyes into the room.

    ¡°Uncle Zander!¡± The purple eyed girl jumped from her seat and ran to the man at the door who hoisted her in the air and twirled her around.

    When he put her down he gave her cheek a yful pinch making her chuckle, ¡°hello there princess, how was your lesson today?¡±

    ¡°It was absolutely awful and dull, I couldn¡¯t wait for you to walk through that door!¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Maria squealed. ¡°You will be grateful I taught you all of this princess Eira!¡±

    Zander squat down and smiled at his niece, ¡°well then, why didn¡¯t we get out of here and have some real fun?¡±

    ¡°Yes please!¡± Eira responded excitedly. She gave her uncle a hug before stepping back and peeking behind him. ¡°Is Zhelimir going to join us today?¡±

    Zander turned around, he could have sworn his son was standing right behind him. Momentster the boy appeared and gave Eira a nervous wave. ¡°Ah there he is..¡±

    Eira gasped in amazement and walked to her cousin whose shoulders she grabbed firmly, ¡°you can turn invisible?! That¡¯s so cool I want to do that!¡±

    ¡°Its just a little trick I read from an old spell book,¡± Zhelimir responded with a nervous chuckle, ¡°I can lend it to you if you like..¡±

    ¡°Yes please!¡±

    Zhelimir was Zander and Vivian¡¯s son. He too was a hybrid like Eira but unlike his cousin who had a strong and adventurous personality, Zhelimir was timid and soft. In fact, he was so soft that handing him a weapon during their training with Zander felt like sin, the boy couldn¡¯t hurt a fly.

    ¡°Alright my little apprentices, shall we all go and learn how to cut and stub?!¡± Zander roared excitedly.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Eira roared back, while Zhelimir knitted his eyebrows at the words cut and stub. The little redhead grabbed her cousin¡¯s hand after waving Maria goodbye and dragged him to follow Zander. ¡°Come on Zhel, this is going to be fun!¡±

    As the trio walked down the hallway, Eira spotted a face that made her light up, was that her mother? She let Zhelimir go and ran passed Zander to the beautiful nosferatu woman. ¡°Mama!¡±

    Melissa turned around and smiled sweetly before crouching down and opening her arms for her little girl. Eira jumped into her arms and Melissa hugged her tightly, ¡°hello my little princess..¡± she pulled back and cupped her daughter¡¯s tiny pretty face in the palms of her hands. ¡°Did you miss me?¡±

    ¡°Only a whole lot!¡± Eira responded before cupping her mother¡¯s face in her small hands, ¡°how is grandma? Did she send any presents?!¡±

    ¡°You know she did..¡± Melissa chuckled. She looked at the small boy who was hiding behind Zander and smiled at him as well. ¡°Zhelimir¡¯s grandmother and aunties sent gifts for him too.¡± The woman got to her feet, ¡°I see you¡¯re going to have a little fun with uncle Zander, I¡¯ll give you your things when you¡¯re done with your lessons for the day alright?¡±

    ¡°Okay mama! I¡¯m going to change now and then learn how to cut! Come on Zhel!¡±

    ¡°H- Hey wait up...¡± the small blonde boy callled out as he ran after his highly energetic cousin.

    Melissa turned to Zander and gave him a smile, ¡°thank you for doing this Zander..¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me, she needed a distraction to keep her from noticing you were gone for so long, I¡¯m more than happy to help.¡± Zander¡¯s expression then turned to one of concern, ¡°how are you doing now? Did they-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m much better you don¡¯t have to worry so much,¡± Melissa interrupted him, ¡°I swear you and Gareth are so much alike.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of the king, does he know you are back? He has been incredibly worried Melissa, and he feels guilty about everything.¡±

    ¡°He was my next stop,¡± Melissa responded, ¡°one would think after six years he would stop ming himself. I will go talk to him.¡± She gave Zander a smile before turning to leave for the study. ¡°Again thank you Zander.¡±

 Chapter 228

    228 Chapter 228 : Timid

    He was sitting by the sofa that faced the open window, holding a book in his hand but Melissa could tell that he had read nothing from it. His eyes instead were fixated on the outside and his mind was far from the room. Melissa walked carefully so as not to startle him, now she was as sure as ever that her husband was deep in thought because he did not even turn her way, he was usually very sensitive to his surroundings.

    ¡°Gary...¡±

    The man turned towards Melissa with a start and blinked several times as if not believing what he was seeing. He got up hurriedly and walked towards his wife only to stop a few inches away from her. ¡°Mel...¡± his eyes were filled with worry, he looked like he was actually afraid to hold his own wife.

    ¡°Did you not miss me?¡± Melissa asked the man in an attempt to give him a push of encouragement, she could tell that he was being hesitant probably because he was afraid.

    Gareth took another step forward and was about to hold her put stopped himself midway, ¡°I missed you more than anything..¡±

    ¡°Then are you not going to give me a hug or anything?¡±

    ¡°I want nothing more than to hold you in my arms my love,¡± Gareth mumbled, his eyes were fidgeting as if he was holding himself back from just whisking her into his arms and kissing her all over. ¡°I¡¯m afraid, I don¡¯t want to hurt you. How are you feeling?¡±

    Melissa cupped her husband¡¯s face in her hands and gave him a smile, ¡°honey, I¡¯m fine, you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± She leaned forward and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips, ¡°nowe here, I have missed my husband¡¯s touch these past few weeks I have been away.¡±

    Gareth pulled his beautiful wife into his embrace and kissed her deeply, his hands pressing her body against his, it had been so long since he had held her this close before. When they parted lips he had the biggest smile on his face, over the years she had not been too well even though she imed was fine.

    .....

    When Eira was born, Melissa had undergone a very dangerous procedure that had left her scarred and wounded. She had concealed it at first insisting that she was alright and the pain would go away, the midwife didn¡¯t make things any better either by assuring Melissa that it was something normal.

    A few weeks down the line the pain had be unbearable for Melissa, she was so sick that she could sometimes fail to hold her own daughter. When Marceline came to Gavaria to see their newly born daughter, she was horrified to find Melissa in the state that she was.

    Being a mother, Melissa blew things grossly out of proportion and med everyone for what was happening, insisting that they had neglected her daughter. The words the nosferatu queen had used hurt Gareth the most, he was her husband after all, if something was wrong with his wife he should have been the first to know, but he had believed her when she said she was alright and everything that was going on was normal.

    The scenario only made Gareth feel even more guilty when a physician had toe all the way from the snonds to check on his wife, and mentioned that if they had waited any longer she could have died from the infection. Gareth med himself for everything, and his guilt ran deep.

    ¡°Have you seen Eira? She will be so happy to see you back.¡±

    ¡°I did, she barely had the time totch onto my legs like she used to,¡± Melissa responded with a chuckle before the two sat down on the sofa by the window. ¡°She seems to be having fun with Zander and Zhelimir..¡±

    ¡°She is definitely your daughter,¡± Gareth responded with a scoff, ¡°she loves sword fighting and archery more than she likes shoes and dresses. Maria is tired of screaming at her.¡±

    Melissa chuckled, Eira did indeed remind her of herself when she was younger, especially in her life as Guinevere. Her mother Gezelle would have lost her mind having to deal with Eira, and her father would have absolutely loved her.

    ¡°Children truly are a blessing,¡± Gareth added on, ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would have done without her when you were gone, she was my saving grace, she helped me get through a lot of sad moments.¡±

    ¡°They are,¡± Melissa responded and held her husband¡¯s hand and stroked it. The smile that she gave him made Gareth knit his eyebrows together with a suspicious look on his face.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just..¡± Melissa gently nibbled the inside of her lip before turning away with a blush on her cheeks. ¡°I was just thinking about maybe having another baby?¡±

    Gareth¡¯s eyes circled at the woman¡¯s words, had he heard her right or were his ears ying tricks on him? He ttered his eyshes rapidly and shook his head feeling a bit confused, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did you say?¡±

    Melissa looked up at Gareth and took his arms gently, and with a pleading look repeated her words, ¡°I want to try for another child Gareth. Eira is growing up so fast and I missed out on so much of her childhood because i was not well, I want the chance to fully experience motherhood.¡±

    ¡°But Mel...¡±

    She squeezed her husband¡¯s hand even more, ¡°Gary please just think about it alright. I spent most of the time in bed watching other people take care of my own child, I have the chance to do it right this time, all I¡¯m asking is for you do consider it.¡±

    *

    Eira screamed as she charged towards her uncle with her small wooden sword in hand. She swung it at Zander¡¯s legs and the man jumped back in surprise at how fast she had moved, she was getting better and better at this everyday, much quicker than he anticipated.

    ¡°Ah nice try princess but-¡± before the blonde elf could finish his statement, Eira teleported from her spot to behind her uncle and whacked him with her wooden sword.

    Zander leapt into the air to avoid another attack from his niece andnded a few feet away from where she was standing. He straightened his posture and gawked at the little redhead who had her wooden sword secured in her hand. She has actually managed tond a hit on him, a little six year old girl managed tond a hit on him! This was both worrying and exciting at the same time.

    ¡°I got you uncle Zander!¡± Eira yelled in excitement while jumping up and down in joy. ¡°I told you I would finally get to hit you one day!¡±

    Zander walked towards Eira and gave her a slow p, he was genuinely impressed by her skill, especially at that age. ¡°Indeed you did,¡± he responded before roughing up the girl¡¯s hair. ¡°Good job princess, you can rest now while your cousin gives it a go.¡±

    Zhelimir gulped when his father¡¯s words reached his ears, he didn¡¯t like this training that involved swinging swords around even if they were fake. All he wanted was to be home With his mother and help her tend to the flowers or something, not this.

    ¡°Come on Zhel you can do it!¡± Eira cheered her cousin on. She knew that he didn¡¯t like sword fighting but she knew he had a talent for it that he wasn¡¯t willing to let out.

    Zhelimir gulped before picking up his wooden sword and walking hesitantly towards his father.

    The young boy looked a lot like his father but behaved nothing like him. He had short blonde hair, golden brown eyes and pointed ears. The only way one would know that he was half nosferatu was by the slightly pale skin that he took after his mother.

    Zhelimir¡¯s personality was like none of his parents who were both strong and capable warriors, he was more of a lover than a fighter, and hated anything that involved hurting other people. But both his parents wanted him to grow up and be a brave knight one day, so he didn¡¯t have much of a choice.

    ¡°Chin up son,¡± Zander encouraged his little boy, ¡°you¡¯ve got elven and nosferatu blood flowing through you, wielding a sword should be nothing.¡±

    *

    Momentster, the trio walked back into the pce towards the study were Melissa and her husband were having some tea.

    ¡°Wee back my little warriors,¡± Melissa cooed, ¡°How did training g-¡± before she could finish her statement she noticed the bruise on Zhelimir¡¯s cheek and immediately turned all her attention to him ¡°oh my goddess Zhelimir what happened to you?! Ohe here my baby.¡± She pulled the boy into her embrace. She inspected his bruise and gave Zander a disapproving re.

    ¡°Ohe on it¡¯s only a small bruise, he¡¯ll be fine by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You know what,¡± Melissa responded, ¡°I¡¯ll let your wife decide if this is just a little bruise.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a man, battle scars are his pride,¡±

    Melissa rolled her eyes at Zander. ¡°He is six years old Zander.¡±

 Chapter 229

    229 Chapter 229 : Lord Jacob

    ¡°You need to stop pushing him to do these things Zander, I¡¯ve told you time and time again that our Zhelimir is not a fighter!¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about him my love but you have to understand,¡± Zander tried to exin to his furious wife. ¡°There¡¯s potential in him, a potential I want to harness!¡±

    ¡°Will you stop it with that potential nonsense!¡± Vivian yelled back. ¡°Today hees home with a bruise, tomorrow he will return with a broken arm.. are you still going to try and harness his potential then?!¡±

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t spoiled him so much maybe I wouldn¡¯t have to push him!¡±

    Vivian arched her eyebrows at her husband before knitting them in fury, ¡°what do you mean I¡¯ve spoiled him?!¡±

    ¡°These ridiculous things you have him doing like nting flowers and baking!¡± Zander pointed out, ¡°a man should not be doing those things!¡±

    ¡°Well he is not a man Zander he is a child! And until you can see that you can make yourselffortable in the guest room!¡±

    Zhelimir covered his ears and curled himself up on the bed like a ball trying hard not to hear the argument between his parents in the next room. Every time he would get hurt his parents would fight, it was all his fault, if he was a better fighter and a little less timid.. if maybe he could be a little more like Eira, he could protect himself from being hurt and his parents wouldn¡¯t fight so much.

    The blonde boy winced when the door of his room opened, he kept his eyes shut and his head covered with his pillow, he just wanted all the violence and arguing to end.

    .....

    ¡°Zhelimir?..¡±

    His mother¡¯s sweet voice reached his ears making him lower the pillow and look up at her. Vivian walked to her son¡¯s bed and sat down on the edge of it before cupping his chin gently. ¡°My sweet baby boy are you okay?¡±

    The boy shook his head right before throwing himself into his mother¡¯s arms and burying his face in her chest.

    Vivian gently stroked her son¡¯s hair and held him close, ¡°I¡¯m sorry my baby, does your cheek hurt?¡±

    The boy shook his head once more, ¡°it doesn¡¯t hurt, I wasn¡¯t hurt mother it¡¯s just a bruise.¡±

    Zhelimir was his mother¡¯s little boy, even if Zander had spoken out of line, the truth was that Vivian had indeed spoiled him rotten, not just materialistically but emotionally as well. She showered him with so much love and care that he ran to her at any slight inconvenience.

    ¡°Sweetie you don¡¯t have to try and act tough around me,¡± Vivian cooed her son. ¡°It¡¯s alright to feel pain.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to feel pain anymore!¡± Zhelimir yelled with his face still buried in his mother¡¯s chest and his little hands clenching her gown tightly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be scared anymore, I don¡¯t want to get hurt so easily!¡± He looked up at his mother while still holding her tight. ¡°I want to be strong so you and father won¡¯t fight so much.¡±

    The words that left her son¡¯s mouth broke Vivian¡¯s heart. She had thought that in his room Zhelimir would not be able to hear her conversations with her husband, but it turns out he had heard everything. Vivian pulled her son back into her arms and kissed the top of his head.

    ¡°You¡¯re already strong enough sweetie, you have a strong heart and character, that¡¯s good enough for me and it should be good enough for everyone.¡± She kissed his forehead again before cupping his face in her palms, ¡°and your father and I are not fighting honey, we just had a little disagreement. But regardless of all that, you should never feel the need to do something because of the sake of others, it¡¯s alright to put yourself first too.¡±

    The nosferatu woman helped her son into bed and tucked him in, ¡°I love you sweetheart, and so does your father, don¡¯t you ever think you¡¯re not perfect just the way you are.¡±

    Zhelimir nodded beforeying down and making himselffortable.

    ¡°Besides, tomorrow we¡¯ll be expecting some very important guests here in Gavaria, and they will being here with their children. Having some friends around will help you get your mind off today¡¯s happenings.¡±

    ¡°Where are these guestsing from?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re special guests from Ervelon, you¡¯re going to absolutely love them, they¡¯re very good friends of your father.¡± Vivian gave her son a kiss on the forehead before blowing out all the candles in the room except one that he used to keep the chambers from bingpletely dark. ¡°Now get some rest okay.. I love you.¡±

    ¡°I love you too..¡±

    *

    The next day was a bit of an anxiety trigger for Zhelimir, he had never really had many friends, the closest friend he had was his own cousin Eira. But today things would be different, he was going to meet some of his father¡¯s friends¡¯ children and his mother had urged him to make friends with them.

    He felt incredibly overwhelmed but a little excited at the same time, he did want to make new friends, but he was also worried they might not like him.

    A handnded on Zhelimir¡¯s head from across the carriage, he looked up at his father who was smiling at him. ¡°They¡¯re going to love you son, no need to worry. Me and these men go way back, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll fit in very well with their children.¡±

    When the carriage arrived at the royal pce and the young blonde boy exited it, he found Eira standing at the doors with some gaurds. She was dressed up and had an exited grin on her face.

    ¡°Good morning Eira..¡±

    Eira grabbed her cousin¡¯s hand and dragged him into the pce excitedly, ¡°took you long enough Zhel, I¡¯ve been waiting for you all morning!¡±

    The blonde boy followed the girl helplessly, he would forget how strong Eira was sometimes. ¡°Where are we going?!¡±

    ¡°Where do you think?¡± Eira responded as she kicked the door to her room and pulled her cousin in. ¡°We¡¯re preparing for our new guests!¡± The little redhead grabbed several toys and games and put them in two bags of which one she handed to her cousin. ¡°We should stock the yroom so our guests don¡¯t get bored.¡±

    Zhelimir looked down at the bag of games and then back to his cousin. ¡°Well what if they don¡¯t want to y with toys? What if they¡¯ll want to y outside?¡±

    Eira shook her head and walked passed Zhelimir towards the yroom. ¡°We¡¯ll tell them we can¡¯t do that, you don¡¯t like ying outside so we shouldn¡¯t have to do it just because they want to.¡± She kicked the door to the y room open and put down the bag of toys before sighing in satisfaction. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s nothing outside that we can¡¯t do right here.¡±

    Zhelimir ced the bag down as well and smiled at his cousin who was moving things around in the yroom. Eira had always been sensitive to his likes and dislikes, she never forced him to do anything he didn¡¯t want to and was always more than willing to do what he wanted. It was the reason why even though she was practically his only friend, Zhelimir had never really felt alone.

    ¡°Come on Zhel get a move on!¡±

    The young boy chuckled before rushing to her side and helping her arrange everything. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±

    *

    Zhelimir stood next to Eira as the carriages parked inside the pce courtyard. He was surprised by how many they were, how many guests were their parents expecting?

    When the upants of the carriages stepped out, the adults all walked excitedly towards them, and instead of bowing or curtsying like they usually did, they hugged them. It seemed they were very fond of these guests.

    ¡°Your majesty..¡± one dark haired elven man muttered to king Gareth as he walked towards Eira. ¡°You better be on your toes for this one, men will be flocking at your doorsteps by the time she¡¯s sixteen.¡±

    Gateth pinched the bridge of his nose and chuckled lightly, Ivan was never going to change was he? ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to do just that Ivan thank you for your concern.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Ivan continued before turning around and calling to someone. ¡°Jacob! Come here and meet your future bride!¡±

    Eira narrowed her eyes at the man¡¯s statement. Future bride? She didn¡¯t want to marry anyone, she had bigger ns for her future. Eira wanted to be a queen, a powerful ruler just like her father, she would have no time for boys, especially ones named Jacob.

    The young boy with long chestnut brown hair and matching eyes stepped up to Eira and gave her a sly smile that she immediately wanted to smack off his face. He took her hand and with a low bow kissed it. ¡°Please to meet you Princess Eira, lord Jacob at your service.¡±

 Chapter 230

    230 Chapter 230 : sh of wooden swords

    ¡°Why don¡¯t all of you go and y,¡± Melissa urged the children after officially introducing them to each other, she was a little excited about her daughter making new friends, and she was excited for Zhelimir as well, for the longest time they only had each other. She turned to her daughter and gave her a light push, ¡°go on sweetie, show your friends around.¡±

    Melissa turned to look at the little group that was to be her new friends. There was Jacob, the arrogant one who as she had been told was the son of her father¡¯s friend Ivan. There was Leonard, lord Beric¡¯s son, and Isabe lord Rnd¡¯s daughter. Lord Ozias and Odran had children as well but they were much older that Eira and Zhelimir so they went off into the town to do whatever it was people of their age did.

    ¡°Alright children off you go,¡± Melissa coaxed the little lords anddies, ¡°go and y while the grown ups talk, we¡¯ll let you know whe lunch is ready.¡±

    Eira turned around and took Zhelimir¡¯s hand before leading her new friends to her y room ¡°this way please¡±. She was excited about getting to know all of them, well except Jacob, he had made a pretty bad first impression but maybe, just maybe, she could give him the benefit of the doubt. Zhelimir on the other hand was as anxious as ever, he had no idea how any of this would go, what if they didn¡¯t like him, or thought he was weird?

    The little red haired princess pushed the door open and led the group into the yroom. She stopped halfway into the room with Zhelimir by her side and smiled broadly. ¡°This is my y room, we can stay here until the adults are done talking about politics and tea and stuff. There¡¯s a lot of toys here and all of you can y with whatever you want.¡±

    Isabe, a dark haired little girl with sparkling blue eyes gasped in glee before breaking into a run towards the tower of stuffed animals and dolls that were stacked in a corner. She squealed in excitement before diving in head first into the pile. ¡°Oh my gods this is amazing!¡± She yelled while tossing of the toys in the air like confetti.

    Leonard walked around the room taking a look at all the toys, ¡°do you have any books Eira?¡± He asked in a rather nervous tone. He was a little shorter than everyone else but had striking hazel eyes and dark hair that only managed to magnify his beautiful orbs. He had never really been a fan of toys, but he didn¡¯t want to seem rude by refusing Eira¡¯s offer. If he could find a book to read to pass the time that would be great.

    Eira nodded excitedly, she too had a love for reading and her parents had made sure to insvest in it. ¡°I have lots of books!¡± She announced excitedly. ¡°Zhelimir and I love reading a lot so I have tons of them in a shelf over here.¡± She led Leonard to what looked like a closet built into the wall and opened it.

    Leonard¡¯s eyes circled when theynded on the vast collection of books in front of him, he had his own collection of books sure, but it was nowhere as vast and as exotic as this one.

    .....

    ¡°There¡¯s more books in the library but mama and papa say I¡¯m too young to read those,¡± Eira spoke as she pulled out one of her favorite books. ¡°They buy me these books whenever they go out of the kingdom, thats why I have different books about almost everything.¡±

    Leonard took the book in Eira¡¯s hand and as soon as he read the title his eyes sparkled, ¡°this is an elven book on spells! How did you-¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, my grandmother sent it to me as a gift not too long ago,¡± Eira responded, ¡°it¡¯s my most favorite book ever. I learnt how to disappear and appear with a spell in the that book, I¡¯m part elf so I know how to use some magic.¡±

    Zhelimir grabbed a book from the shelf as well and started browsing through it, he too had read a bit on magic but he had never been as keen about it as Eira. He preferred to read about politics, battle and warfare even when he wasn¡¯t the type to even handle holding a de.

    ¡°Is that St. Andreas¡¯ children¡¯s book on modern politics?!¡± Leonard inched closer to Zhelimir and gave him puppy eyes. ¡°May I see it?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Zhelimir closed the book and handed it over to Leonard who practically grabbed it from his arms. ¡°It¡¯s one of my favorite books actually..¡±

    Jacob nced briefly at Zhelimir and Leonard who were bonding over some books, before continuing walking around the yroom. He was trying to find something he could use to keep himself busy as well, he was not into books or dolls like the rest, those are things he considered childish or boring. Suddenly, he spotted a wooden sword that was leaning on the side of the wall and picked it up with much interest.

    He swung the sword around before turning to the other children who were chattering amongst themselves. ¡°Is this yours Eira? Because I know it definitely cannot belong to your friend Zhelimir over there.¡±

    Eira knitted her eyebrows at Jacob¡¯sment, she didn¡¯t like people making fun of Zhelimir, he was quiet and a little timid but that didn¡¯t warrant anyone making fun of him. She stretched out her hand and gestured him to hand over the wooden sword. ¡°Yes it¡¯s mine, and Zhelimir has a simr one as well, we use them when training.¡±

    ¡°Training?¡± Jacob held the sword firmly by his side and nced at Zhelimir. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to sound offensive but Zhelimir¡¯s demeanor doesn¡¯t exactly scream warrior.¡±

    The blonde elf boy closed the book he was reading and shoved it back in the shelf before marching towards Jacob. ¡°What was that you said about my demeanor?¡±

    Jacob raised his eyebrows and scoffed at the angry boy, ¡°I said that your demeanor doesn¡¯t look like one of a fighter. You should stick to your books and your politics.¡±

    Zhelimir grabbed his own wooden sword and pointed it at the dark haired elven boy. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say that to my face one more time.¡±

    ¡°Fine, why don¡¯t we take this outside Mr politics..¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    Eira tugged her cousin¡¯s sleeve and looked up at him with concern, ¡°Zhelimir what are you doing? Don¡¯t let this jerk get the best of you.¡±

    ¡°No Eira, I need to do this,¡± Zhelimir responded. He had to put an end to people always thinking he was weak and timid. He needed to stand up for himself and stop running to his mother or Eira. His father was right, he was a man, and a man should not behave the way he was behaving.

    *

    Eira was biting her nails anxiously as they walked out of the pce to the training grounds in the back where Jacob and Zhelimir were preparing to have a fight with their wooden swords. To onlookers like the pce gardeners and the maids moving around, it probably just seemed like an innocent game they were going to y, but in truth this was about to be a dual of rage and arrogance.

    Jacob was trying to be arrogant and boost his ego by picking on someone timid, while Zhelimir was probably about to let out some deeply seeded rage that had been slowly building over the years from him being called weak and timid.

    Eira was worried and was panicking, mostly she was worried about Zhelimir, she didn¡¯t want him to get hurt but she knew she couldn¡¯t do much to stop it. Should she get her father or mother? But what if that caused a wedge to form between Jacob¡¯s father and and hers, she would feel absolutely awful if that happened.

    The red haired princess held her breath as the two boys clicked their two wooden swords together, she prayed nothing bad would happen to any of them.

    ¡°Just give it up Zhelimir, what¡¯s the point of all of this?¡± Jacob snared at his opponent. ¡°Are you angry that I spoke the truth In front of your friends?¡±

    The blonde boy swung his sword back and hit Jacob¡¯s sword with a strength that surprised even himself. Jacob was pushed backwards almost dropping his sword from the force. He too, like everyone else, had a look of surprise in their face.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know me!¡± Zhelimir yelled, ¡°I am not going to lie down and take whatever anyone throws at me anymore, especially not you!¡± He tightened his hold on his and swung it again, this time knocking the wooden de out of Jacob¡¯s hand, pushing him backwards to the ground where hended with a loud thud.

    Zhelimir then proceeded to pointing the dagger to Jacob¡¯s throat while he was still down, just like his father had been teaching him. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever call me timid ever again.¡±

 Chapter 231

    231 Chapter 231 : Pretty little feet

    Everyone was in shock after witnessing what had just happened, even Leonard and Isabe who had only just known the young hybrid boy Zhelimir were surprised that he was able to pin Jacob down. Back home in Ervelon he was untouchable when it came to things like this, be it hand to hand tackling or dueling with wooden swords, he would alwayse out on top. But to everyone¡¯s utter shock, a timid boy like Zhelimir had him on both his hands and feet.

    Zhelimir tossed his wooden sword aside and took a step away from the dark haired elf. He drew in a breath not believing he had actually managed to pin someone down for the first time in his life, and someone much bigger than him in build at that, it seemed his father¡¯s dueling lessons had notnded on deaf ears after all.

    The blonde boy gave his opponent onest nce before he turned around ready to leave the site of their ¡®battle¡¯, when Jacob got up and picked up the wooden sword that had been knocked out of his hand. Jacob jumped to his feet, tightened his grip on his wooden sword and prepared to attack the blond boy.

    ¡°Zhel!¡± Eira who had seen Jacob get up vanished from her ce and appeared right in front of Zhelimir just as the wooden de was swung forward. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain of its impact but to her surprise, the hard hit from Jacob¡¯s sword never came. She opened her eyes slowly, trailed them up arge figure who had seemingly materialized out of thin air in front of her, and saw a tall red headed, blue eyed figure, and in his hand was the wooden de Jacob had been wielding.

    ¡°Only cowards raise a weapon to an unarmed opponent. And only the lowest of the bunch attack an opponent from the back..¡±

    Jacob gulped in unison with the snapping of the wooden de that the man broke with one hand like a twig. ¡°And you Jacob, just showed me that you are both. Quite disappointing.¡±

    Damien then turned to look at Eira, his face emotionless as usual and creased down her red flowing hair. ¡°Are you okay Eira?¡±

    ¡°Umm yes I¡¯m okay cousin Damien, thank you..¡± the little princess muttered.

    Eira had met her cousin Damien a total of three times in her life now, the first time was when she was really young and he hade to visit together with his parents. she could barely recall the details of that memory but she could still recall his red hair and purplish- bluish eyes, and even when he had left to return to Ervelon, she couldn¡¯t forget how much people said she resembled him.

    .....

    The second time was on her fifth birthday, that was when Eira¡¯s mind had registered that he was her much older cousin on her mother¡¯s side, born almost a century before her conception. He was always brooding and showed very little emotions, and this in addition to his intimidating looks made him even more scary looking. But after hearing snippets of his story she somewhat understood why he was like that. Apparently he grew up a prisoner with his mother, and only knew his father muchter in his life, that was a lot even for a seemingly strong man like Damien.

    This meeting today, was the third time..

    ¡°You should be ashamed of yourself Jacob, what would your father say if he saw what you just did? I¡¯m assuming he has his heart set on you bing a knight one day, what kind of knight will you be with such behavior?¡± Damien tossed the broken wooden sword to Jacob¡¯s feet, ¡°do better, you have the potential.¡±

    The dark haired elven boy pouted and looked away, who did this man think he was anyway? Lecturing him like this? Damn him! How dare this redhead embarrass him in front of Eira like this?!

    Damien then turned to Zhelimir who was frozen in ce, he still hadn¡¯t gotten over the fact that Eira had almost been badly hurt trying to protect him, AGAIN. He was supposed to be proving himself not so timid anymore, but his cousins still had toe to the rescue even now, it was frustrating. Just one time he would like to be the one doing the saving and protecting, and not the other way around.

    ¡°You did great in the fight Zhelimir,¡± Damien spoke while gently patting his shoulder. ¡°I can see you bing a great swordsman one day, you have the strength of your mother and the agility of your father, very potent skills once used right. And after a few lessons with me, you will be almost unstoppable.¡±

    ¡°Lessons? What lessons?¡± The blonde boy asked in surprise.

    ¡°You and Eira will now be training under me as instructed by the king,¡± Damien crouched down and held both their shoulders. ¡°I have a bit of experience dealing with our kind of abilities, you two are different, like me, and because of that you need someone who understands that difference so as to put your abilities to the test. If anyone can help harness your powers it¡¯s me.¡±

    *

    Fast forward to ten yearster, Eira peeked out into the pce parlor. Her vivid purple eyes moved from side to side while her pierced pointed ears twitched in response to the subtle sounds around.

    After ensuring no one was close by, she sped her dress and lifted it slightly to expose her bare feet, and glided across the parlor to the outside.

    The elven princess, now sixteen years old took a deep breath and stifled an excited giggle before walking, or rather floating, across the courtyard to the training grounds that she knew were empty at this time of day. The knights trained early in the morning andte in the evening, while her and Zhelimir trained with Damien before lunch. It¡¯s was a little over lunchtime so no one would see her sneaking out to the woods.

    ¡°Eira?..¡±

    The redhead halted in her steps and cursed under her breath. Who in the world was calling out to her? There was supposed to be no one here. She turned around slowly and saw Jacob walking towards her, Eira sighed knowing her ns to go to the forest had practically been ruined, Jacob would never keep this a secret.

    Jacob thrust his sword into the ground before jogging towards Eira. A few feet away from her he slowed down and walked so as to take in her beauty, because in all honesty, she had a lot of it.

    Eira being sixteen had developed the body of a young woman, intricately curved just like her mother. Her hair was knee length and riddled in voluminous curls, her lips Cupid bow shaped, her skin warm and radiant, and her eyes slender and beautifully colored. There was not a man who had met Eira who had notmended her beauty, she was the perfect mix of gorgeous elf and sexy nosferatu.

    ¡°Good afternoon princess..¡± Jacob mumbled with a taunting bow. ¡°I see you¡¯re not wearing shoes again, are you perhaps ning on going to the forest that your father specifically said you should avoid?¡±

    Eira rolled her eyes at Jacob, was he ever going to change? He was a great swordsman and archer, and to top it off he was incredibly smart, but his smug and arrogant ways tended to eclipse his awe worthy attributes.

    Jacob had grown to look a lot like his father, lord Ivan, if anything he was a replica of him, inheriting everything from head to toe. The dark haired elf was a little older than Melissa, it turns out his mother conceived him during his father¡¯s time in Ervelon before ¡®the battle of the mages¡¯ as it was now known. He was born a few months before Eira was, and he made sure to remind her that he was older every chance he got.

    ¡°What do you want Jacob? And what are you doing in the training grounds this time of day? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be home resting?¡±

    Jacob inched closer to Eira until they were a few inches apart, being the tall young man he was, he towered over her and enjoyed looking down at her petit heart shaped face. ¡°I wasn¡¯t tired after training so I stayed back. I¡¯m d I did because it let me meet you here. Now tell me princess, where were you off to with no shoes covering your pretty little feet?¡±

    The purple eyed red head took a step backwards and folded her arms, ¡°don¡¯t tower over me like that Jacob, you and I are friends but I am a princess and you should treat me as such.¡±

    Jacob¡¯s face curved into an amused grin, that was another attribute he liked about Eira, she was feisty. He bowed yfully and with one eye closed looked up at Eira, ¡°i beseech thee your grace, may I ask where you are off to this fine afternoon without shoes on thy royal feet?¡±

    The princess rolled her eyes and pushed Jacob away. The elf burst intoughter before taking Eira¡¯s hand and kissing it. ¡°I will let you venture the forest Eira, but I¡¯ming with you, that is not a ce a young princess should be waltzing into on her own.¡±

 Chapter 232

    232 Chapter 232 : Her voice

    The beautiful hybrid rolled her eyes at Jacob ¡°I don¡¯t need you to go with me.¡± She turned around and flipped her hair making the elf smirk. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine all on my own.¡±

    Jacob quickly moved from his ce and stood in front of the beautiful woman. ¡°And why is that? What¡¯s in the forest that you can¡¯t seem to get enough of?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business Jacob now move..¡±

    The truth is that there was nothing in particr that peaked Eira¡¯s interest in the forest, she just loved being surrounded by nature and felt at home in the forest. The fresh air, the crunching of brunches and leaves under her feet, the sounds of birds and even the ttering of the wings of butterflies, she loved it all. But for some reason her father was very strict about her going into the forest, in fact, he was so against her going there that he had erected a fence at the back of the pce where the woonds spilled in. Not that the fence did much to stop Eira, she was able to teleport. Sometimes Eira wondered if there was more to it, maybe he wasn¡¯t just trying to keep her out of the forest, but was also trying to keep something in the forest right where it was, but whenever she would ask him about it he would always dodge the question.

    Jacob took Eira¡¯s hand, ¡°there¡¯s only two options Eira, your father gave me specific instructions to keep you away from there. Me escorting you is just a curtesy.¡±

    Eira¡¯s perfect eyebrows arched in surprise, ¡°my father..?¡± She was surprised that he would actually ask people to make sure she didn¡¯t go out into the forest. What was in there that he wanted to keep her from so bad.

    Suddenly, Jacob felt a hand grab his shoulder, that grip was all too familiar and he didn¡¯t like it when he held him like that.

    ¡°No need for your curtesy Jacob, I will escort princess Eira into the forest if she so pleases.¡±

    Jacob let go of the princess¡¯ hand and turned to look at Zhelimir. It always stung Jacob at how much Zhelimir had changed over the years from the small timid boy he had first met. The blonde hybrid was incredibly tall and well built with a firm chest and chiseled jawline. His eyes were still soft but his facial expressions were always serious, well, until and unless he was speaking to Eira.

    .....

    Zhelimir, just like his father and Damien had anticipated, had be an unbelievably excellent swordsman and knight in training. He had remarkable strength that made all his opponents tremble, and he had a swiftness and speed that was almost unreal. Even Jacob who was a considerably great knight in training, felt just a tad intimidated by him.

    ¡°Zhel..¡± Jacob mumbled with a smile, ¡°of course you would show up. Just like the loving older brother that you are.¡±

    Another thing that Jacob did not like about Zhelimir was that he was incredibly handsome, and even though him and Eira were cousins, Jacob still felt like he was a bit of a threat.

    Zhelimir lightly pulled Jacob back and moved to stand by Eira¡¯s side. He knew that Jacob was a bit smitten with his cousin, in fact one would say he was almost in love with her, and Zhelimir was notfortable with that. Jacob was not the most noble man in the kingdom, and him and Zhelimir had never been in good books hence the blonde hybrid did not approve of Jacob for Eira. When they were younger Eira would always look out for Zhelimir and that made him very overprotective of her, especially now that he had the strength to keep her from harm¡¯s way.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving now..¡± Zhel turned to Eira and cocked his head towards the forest. ¡°Come Eira, the sooner we leave the sooner we can return.¡±

    Jacob knitted his eyebrows as he watched the two vanish form sight. He knew Zhelimir deliberately got in the way of any attempt at him spending time with Eira. That bastard.

    *

    When Eira and Zhelimir materialized in the forest, the blonde hybrid stepped back and gave Melissa a disapproving re. ¡°Eira..¡±

    ¡°I know I know.. I¡¯m not supposed to be here..¡±

    ¡°You know your father doesn¡¯t feel safe about you venturing the woods,¡± Zhelimir exined. ¡°How long have you been sneaking out toe here?¡±

    Eira scoffed and walked passed the blonde elf, ¡°I¡¯m not a child Zhel, father is just trying to be overprotective over nothing. The worst I cane across here is a deer, you have nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter his intentions, he is your father and what he says is always in your best interest.¡±

    ¡°Thats just the thing,¡± Eira spoke as she continued walking further into the forest, ¡°that¡¯s all he ever says, that it is in my best interest, but he never really did exin what he¡¯s protecting me from.¡±

    Zhelimir followed her closely, pushing the vines, leaves and branches from his face as he moved. Why did it seem like she knew this ce well? Had she really been sneaking out here when no one knew?

    The blonde walked hurriedly to keep up with her until the narrow forest path opened up into somewhat of a clearing. He stopped and gaped at Eira in awe as she floated around the clearing, as she did, pixies rustled out of their hiding ces, animals also crawled out of their burrows and little shrubs, surrounding her and swaying with her as she pranced around. What were pixies doing all the way here?

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful out here isn¡¯t it?¡± Eira giggled as the pixies swirled happily around her, ¡°how could such a ce ever be dangerous?¡±

    A smile tagged Zhelimir¡¯s lips, and before he knew it he found himself sitting down on a rock and watching her joyfully prancing around the woods. It seemed she really did just enjoy.

    *

    Elric finished cutting up the venison and packed it in his satchel. It had been a while since he had some fresh meat and he couldn¡¯t wait to make a good stew and rx. He got up in readiness to leave when he heard a sound he had not heard in very long time. The sound ofughter.

    The silver haired man secured his satchel over his shoulder and walked steadily and slowly towards where the sound wasing from, what made it even more intriguing was that it was theughter of a woman. What was a woman doing all the way out here?

    He approached a shrub and hid himself behind it before peeking into the clearing ahead, and what he saw drew the very breath from his lungs. There, not too far from him, dancing andughing was her, the woman that he used to see in his dreams and hallucinations.

    Elric took a step back and rubbed his eyes unable to believe what he was seeing but then peeked a second time.

    ¡°Princess it¡¯s time for us to leave now,¡± a blonde man Elric did not recognize spoke to the red headed woman.

    ¡°You are such a bore Zhel,¡± the woman responded with a giggle.

    Her voice, it was the most mesmerizing thing Elric had ever heard, never before had he heard her voice before, even in his dreams she would always just lips her words. As a matter of fact, he had not seen her in over sixteen years, why was he suddenly seeing her now? Was she still a figment of his imagination? Or was she real? And if she was real, who was she? And why had she been constantly haunting his dreams?

    The man took a step forward to try and get a better look at the woman but identally stepped on some brunches making the redhead pause and turn towards his direction.

    Elric was at loss for words when his eyesnded on her face, it was definitely her, and she was the most beautiful creature he had everid eyes on. The silver haired man was conflicted, he wanted to approach her and speak to her, ask her if she knew him, but at the same time he wanted to turn away end flee, afraid that interacting with her may trigger some old memories he did not want to uncover.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Eira?¡± The blonde man spoke. He slowly got up and ced his hand on his sword before taking a step forward. ¡°Do you sense something?¡±

    ¡°I.. I¡¯m not sure.¡± Eira took a few steps towards where Elric was hiding. Upon seeing her inching closer, the man panicked and transformed into his wolf before dashing away.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Eira ran towards the bush but only saw a nce of the silver wolf that was disappearing into the thickness of the forest.

    A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. ¡°Eira we need to leave now!¡± Zhelimir demanded, he had sensed a foreign presence in the direction the princess was heading and his senses were screaming at him to leave. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He pulled Eira onto him and they both vanished.

 Chapter 233

    233 Chapter 233 : Janis

    Elric transformed back into his human form and walked briskly towards his door and into his wooden cabin. After making sure his door was securely shut, he walked to his arm chair and sunk into it, he ran his hand through his hair and took a deep frustrated breath. How was it possible that that woman was real? And if she was, what was the purpose of her haunting him so? Was she a sorceress?

    The silver haired man threw his head back and dwelled on his thoughts of the beautiful red head. ¡°Eira..¡± so that was her name. Where was she from? What did she want? And why was he so oddly attracted to her? He shook his head and pushed his feeling of affection away, it was probably his ordeal sixteen years ago that was triggering all these emotions. He most likely wasn¡¯t even attracted to her, it was just the shock of seeing her in reality that he was experiencing, and his mind was confusing it for attraction.

    But regardless, Elric couldn¡¯t deny that he felt attracted to the beautiful woman he had just seen, it was impulsive and irrational but it was there, and to top it all off, he felt like he recognized these seemingly new found feelings.

    *

    Back at the pce, Zhelimir seemed to be on edge as he followed his cousin closely behind. They walked into her chambers where he closed the door quietly shut before taking a step towards the redhead. ¡°Eira..¡±

    The young woman was standing in ce deep in thought, she was so intrigued by what she had seen. All the times she had been in the forest she had never seen a majestic animal like that. She didn¡¯t get a good look at it but she vividly recalled its silver fur as it rushed away.

    ¡°Eira!¡±

    The woman snapped out of her reverie and looked down at her shoulder that Zhelimir was holding before trailing her eyes up to his face. He looked worried.

    ¡°What did you see out there, I merely only sensed it.¡± Zhelimir questioned her. ¡°If it¡¯s something dangerous we must inform your father so it is haunted down-¡±

    .....

    ¡°No!¡± Hunt it down? They wouldn¡¯t dare.

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t dangerous at all and no one should harm him!¡±

    Zhelimir knitted his eyebrows together in confusion, ¡°he?¡±

    Eira paused and sped the blouse of her dress, ¡°just.. don¡¯t tell anyone about what you saw today Zhelimir.. please.. all the animals of that forest are my friends and non of them are dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Eira you don¡¯t know that, something about the forest is strange. Pixies don¡¯t live this far out, so there¡¯s bound to be other creatures out there that may pose a threat.¡± Zhelimir led his cousin to her bed and sat her down. ¡°Your father was right to stop you from going out there Eira and we need to heed his word.¡±

    ¡°What? Are you going to now start acting like Jacob and hover over me? I¡¯m not some weak female who needs protecting you know.¡±

    ¡°Eira I know you¡¯re not weak, far from it actually,¡± Zhelimir took a seat across from the princess. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you have to deliberately put yourself in harms way. I don¡¯t think you should go back into the forest.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me what to do, you¡¯re not my father.¡± Eira got up and walked to the door that she opened. ¡°Please excuse me.¡±

    Zhelimir sighed slightly before getting up and walking towards the door, ¡°don¡¯t go back there Eira, it¡¯s not safe.¡±

    ¡°See you tomorrow Zhelimir..¡±

    *

    Ivan watched as his son stirred his food on his te, he had barely taken two spoons of his favorite stew so it was obvious something was bothering him.

    ¡°Jacob, being rejected by a woman is disheartening but it doesn¡¯t warrant you starving yourself, you¡¯ll get the hang of wooing women soon enough.¡± Ivan took a sip of his wine and leaned back on his chair with a proud smile on his face. ¡°As a matter of fact, I didn¡¯t reach my prime until I was twenty.¡±

    Jacob looked up at his father and scoffed , ¡°no woman rejected me father,¡± he responded with a hint of cockiness in his tone that made Ivan smirk .

    ¡°Well if not that, then what¡¯s got you hanging your head low, your mother won be happy if she gets back and finds you ying with the food she worked so hard to prepare.¡±

    Jacob put down his spoon and looked up at the man who he resembled greatly. ¡°She didn¡¯t reject me per say, she just won¡¯t give me a chance to show her that I¡¯m right for her.¡± He exined, ¡°and that damn overbearing cousin of hers Zhelimir is cockblocking me like he was born for it.¡±

    Ivan arched an eyebrow before a smile painted his face, ¡°I see you have your sights set on princess Eira, don¡¯t you think that fish is a bit too big for your hook?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re assuming I like Eira because of her status you are wrong father,¡± Jacob replied, ¡°I have wanted her since the day you first told me she would be my future wife.¡±

    Ivan chuckled in amusement, ¡°you were young then, I was merely joking. Actually I can¡¯t believe you still remember that after all these years.¡±

    ¡°Well it was never a joke to me father, from the first day I set my eyes on Eira I knew she was the one. And she will be my wife, there is no doubt about that.¡±

    Ivan¡¯s smirk faded a little when he heard the tone in Jacob¡¯s voice, that was a budding obsession right there that he hoped would not bloom. ¡°Keep an open mind Jacob, there are many women in the kingdom, if the princess doesn¡¯t fancy you there will be others.¡±

    Unlike his father who took pride in using his looks to gather hordes of women to his side, Jacob only wanted one woman to notice his good looks and skills, all he needed was a chance to show her that he was the man for him. Jacob knew that the only way he could do that was with some help, maybe he could ask his sister, her and Eira were pretty close, maybe she could put in a good word for him.

    ¡°Excuse me..¡± Jacob mumbled as he rose from his seat.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to finish your food?¡± Ivan asked his son. The look on his son¡¯s face worried him even more, Ivan of all people knew what an obsession with a woman could do to a man. He had witnessed it first hand when Elric was so obsessed with Melissa that it drove him to exile and madness.

    Jacob exited the dining area and walked towards his sister¡¯s chambers and knocked on her door. A young woman with ck hair and blue eyes stepped out of the room and gave Jacob a stern look, ¡°this better be important Jacob. I have a date in a few minutes with a very handsome and rich lord and I wish not bete.¡±

    Janis, Jacob¡¯s younger sister was as gorgeous as their mother but as promiscuous as their father. She was a beautiful woman who could have any man she so pleased, and that is exactly what she did. She had a rich lord take her to luxurious parties every other day and she loved that lifestyle. Their mother was against her choice of lifestyle but there¡¯s nothing much they could do about it especially that now she was almost sixteen.

    ¡°I need your help,¡± Jacob spoke, ¡°with Eira.¡±

    Janis chuckled and opened the door wide, exposing the fancy gown that she had on for this supposed ¡®date¡¯ of hers. ¡°Finallye to terms with the fact that you have the hearts for Eira? How cute.¡±

    The beautiful elven woman leaned on her door and eyed her brother from head to toe, ¡°what¡¯s in it for me? Are you finally going to hook me up with Eira¡¯s hot cousin Damien?¡± The woman clenched her blouse and gasped longingly, ¡°that man is everything, I wouldn¡¯t mind that brooding face all over my-¡±

    ¡°Janis please.¡± Jacob sighed in disgust, ¡°not only am I not interested in knowing your vile fantasies about Damien, I am not even acquainted with him on such a level as to be able to act as your wingman.¡±

    Janis rolled her eyes before crossing her arms, ¡°well then you have nothing to offer me that I want.¡±

    She turned around to leave but her brother grabbed her arm to stop her, ¡°alright alright! Gods sometimes I wonder if you are capable of even doing something for me out of the goodness of your heart.¡±

    ¡°Tick tock Jacob,¡± Janis muttered with a smile, ¡°tell me what I want to hear.¡±

    ¡°I will make a n,¡± Jacob mumbled in response, ¡°I will talk to Damien.¡±

    Janis squealed in excitement before turning back to face her brother. ¡°Excellent, now what is it you want me to do?¡±

 Chapter 234

    234 Chapter 234 : Are you crazy woman?!

    Zhelimir dodged the strike swiftly and appeared behind his father who he knocked over the head with the hilt of his sword. ¡°That¡¯s a win for me father.¡±

    Zander chuckled before sheathing his sword and taking a seat on a log that wasn¡¯t too far from where they were standing. ¡°I¡¯ll admit son, you¡¯ve gotten much better at this than me, I yield.¡±

    Zhelimir sat next to his father and sighed in exhaustion, even though he had bested his father in this round it had still taken a lot out of him, the man was still as good of a fighter as he was in his youth.

    ¡°Is the princess not joining us today for training?¡± Zander asked his son while sipping on his water canteen, ¡°she is usually the first one here.¡±

    The young blonde man pursed his lips together not knowing what to say. He too did not know why Eira had note to training today, was she still upset about yesterday when Zhelimir had told her not to go into the forest? Or maybe she had proceeded to venture the woond all on her own? Zhelimir prayed it was the former.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Zander inquired further upon noticing his son¡¯s somewhat tense demeanor. ¡°Did something happen between you and Eira?¡±

    Zhelimir plunged his de into the ground and cleared his throat nervously, ¡°no father, nothing of interest transpired between us.¡±

    ¡°Then where is she? You two are practically inseparable. Has she fallen ill?¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s nothing like that,¡± Zhelimir responded. ¡°Last I saw her she was in perfect health, she was just a little agitated-¡± the blonde stopped himself realizing he had said far too much.

    .....

    ¡°Why was she agitated?¡±

    Zhelimir stayed silent.

    ¡°Zhelimir?¡± Zander got to his feet and turned to look at his son who had a guilty expression riddling his face. ¡°If something is wrong with the princess best you let out with it. Because if anything happens to her and your uncle finds out you knew something and kept it hidden, he will be far from happy.¡±

    Zhelimir felt like he was stuck between a rock and hard ce, he really wanted to tell his father about what had happened in the forest the other day because he worried for his cousin¡¯s safety, but he also didn¡¯t want to be the one to instigate her ban from doing what seemed to make her happy.

    ¡°Well if you won¡¯t say anything then...¡±

    ¡°Alright wait!¡± Zhelimir sighed heavily before standing up and facing his father, he had decided that Eira¡¯s safety was a top priority, if anything happened to her while she was out there in the forest he would never be able to forgive himself. ¡°Eira, she¡¯s been sneaking to the forest for some time now..¡±

    Zander¡¯s eyebrows rose, he remembered that Gareth didn¡¯t want her waltzing through the forest in fear that Elric was out there somewhere waiting for the perfect chance to enact his vengeance. The two had not really gotten off on the right foot seventeen years ago, and king Gareth feared that since Elric couldn¡¯te for him, he would go after his daughter. After all, Eira was the reason Melissa and Elric¡¯s marriage was officially nullified.

    ¡°And also, thest time we were there I sensed something,¡± Zhelimir added on, ¡°it felt strange, it felt like a man and a beast at the same time. I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on it.¡±

    Now Zander felt concerned, that description could have been Elric! He grabbed his son¡¯s hand and looked him straight in the eye, ¡°and where is the princess now?!¡±

    Zhelimir gulped, he could tell the look in his father¡¯s eyes meant trouble, ¡°I am hoping she is in her chambers.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Now!¡±

    *

    Eira walked slowly deeper and deeper into the forest until she arrived at the clearing where her and Zhelimir had been the other day. She turned to the pixies that were following her and nodded, ¡°this should be it,¡± she whispered. ¡°And you¡¯re sure you¡¯ve never seen a silver wolf in this part of the forest before?¡±

    The pixies all shook their heads in unison.

    ¡°Hmm, maybe it¡¯s a new species thate to settle here, I mean you guys weren¡¯t here either a few years ago too. If it is, we should make him feel wee.¡±

    Eira walked to the shrub where she had gotten a glimpse of the creature and looked around for a clue on what it could be. She stopped and crouched down when she saw a strange pair of paw prints in the soft mushy ground below. She touched the prints and gasped, ¡°these aren¡¯t animal prints, these are prints of a human.¡± She got up and moved forward following the footprints till she reached a point that gave her a fright. The footprints had suddenly changed into paw prints.

    ¡°Oh my gods, this is no animal, this is a lycan. But why is a lycan roaming around the forests?¡±

    *

    Elric stayed quiet as he watched Eira materialize in front of him and began following the paw prints he had left the other day. He had actually been out in the forest trying to get rid of those very foot prints she was following, he didn¡¯t want to be followed and had always been erasing his prints, the day he had first met Eira he had been too overwhelmed to remember to do that, and now he was toote. Why in the world was she following him? No matter, he would just cover the rest of his tracks so she wouldn¡¯t follow him any further.

    As the silver haired man stood up to leave he heard her melodious voice calling out to him.

    ¡°Excuse me! You¡¯re a lycan aren¡¯t you?!¡±

    Elric immediately felt his skin craw from a wave of emotions he couldn¡¯t quite exin, he had no other choice, he had to run for it.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Eira called to the men who had broken into a run. She pulled her dress and started chasing after the man. ¡°Wait! Please I just want to talk to you!¡±

    What in the world was wrong with this woman, couldn¡¯t she see that he wanted to be alone?! Elric ran at full speed through the forest, past various vines and branches, and up the ledge that led to a clif. She would never chase him over a cliff.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Eira yelled at the man who she seemed not to be catching up to. She felt lucky that she had undergone so much training over the years otherwise she would have never been able to chase after him.

    Elric ran straight for the cliff that hang over a river below and jumped off it, once he was in the water she would never be able to track him and he would make it back home easily.

    But like a sick joke or living nightmare, he felt a body hit against his and a pair of soft slender arms wrap around his waist.

    ¡°Are you out of your damn mind woman!¡± Elric yelled as they plummeted down towards the water.

    Eira tightened her hold on the man, closed her eyes shut and cleared her mind. Before long, the two found themselves rolling across some grass in a in.

    Elric groaned while Eira coughed from the impact of their fall. When the red haired princess opened her eyes she found herselfying on Elric¡¯s chest, she quickly pushed herself up and inspected the man beneath her.

    ¡°Oh my goodness are you okay?!¡±

    Elric managed to push himself up, ¡°what happened?¡± He inspected the area he was in and felt disoriented, weren¡¯t they supposed to be in the river right now? How did they end up in the meadow? ¡°What did you do?¡± Elric pushed the woman away and scampered backwards.

    ¡°You would have drowned if I didn¡¯t teleport us here..¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember telling you I need saving! What do you want from me anyway?! Just stop following me around!¡±

    Eira knitted her eyebrows in irritation, whoever this man was, he was incredibly ungrateful. ¡°I saved your life!¡±

    ¡°I was never in danger! I was trying to get away from you!¡±

    Eira got to her feet and red at the man, ¡°well excuse me for caring! I thought you were lost, or homeless and I was trying to help!¡±

    Elric stood up and red back at the beautiful woman, ¡°I don¡¯t need your help! I never have! Why did you have toe back anyway?! Why didn¡¯t you just disappear for good!¡±

    The young woman growled angrily before kicking Elric in the shin, ¡°you ungrateful bastard!¡± And immediately after she vanished from sight.

    Elric remained hissing in pain and rubbing his shin, so she had magic, she must be an elf.

    When Eira arrived back in her room she was fuming, that stupid man! If she never saw him again it would be too soon. When the door swung open and banged against the wall, Eira jumped and turned towards it.

    ¡°Eira!¡±

    Her father walked briskly to her and grabbed her shoulder, ¡°are you okay?!¡±

    ¡°Father.. I .. yes I¡¯m alright...¡±

 Chapter 235

    235 Chapter 235 : Spite

    Melissa rushed to Eira and cupped her face in her arms, checking her neck and face for some reason. ¡°Are you sure nothing happened to you?!¡±

    ¡°Mother I¡¯m alright,¡± Eira responded before gently pulling her mother¡¯s arms off her face. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Zander and Zhelimir appeared from the door, and immediately Eira¡¯s eyes moved to Zhelimir who looked guilty, had he ratted on her to her parents.

    ¡°Eira why would you be sneaking out to the forest when I told you not to go there?!¡± It was the first time her father had raised his voice at her in anger. What was so bad about the forest that was getting everyone so worked up anyway?

    ¡°Father I was-¡±

    ¡°You were going against my words that¡¯s what you were doing! What if something happened to you?!¡±

    Melissa ced a gentle hand on Gareth¡¯s should to calm him down, ¡°it¡¯s alright, let me talk to her.¡±

    The eleven king drew in breath before nodding in agreement and turning away, ¡°Zander, Zhelimir, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Zhelimir gave Eira onest look that she returned with an angry re, he was going to have a tough time trying to get her to forgive him that was for sure.

    .....

    When the men had left the room, Melissa walked to the chair next to Eira¡¯s dressing table and gestured the young woman to sit on the bed.

    Eira walked slowly to the bed and settled down, after which she looked up at her mother.

    ¡°Honey I know you love the forest,¡± Melissa¡¯s spoke, ¡°you¡¯ve always loved nature ever since you were young, that is the reason why you loved your grandmother¡¯s ce in Ervelon.¡±

    ¡°But if you understand that then why is father making it seem like there¡¯s something out in the forest just waiting to eat me up?¡±

    Melissa sighed at her daughter¡¯s urately sarcastic analogy. ¡°Sweetheart for your father to be where he is, not everyone had him in their good books. You have to understand that he is the king and a powerful man who is practically untouchable, so if they can¡¯t touch him, who do you think they will go after?¡±

    Eira nibbled the inside of her lip and averted her mother¡¯s gaze, ¡°but I¡¯m always careful, plus there is no one out in that part of the forest I venture.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±

    Eira sunk into her bed, is there something her mother knew that she didn¡¯t? What had Zhelimir told her?

    ¡°Did you see anything or anyone unusual while you were in the forest with your cousin Zhel?¡±

    The man with silver hair? Was that someone she was supposed to be afraid of? But he didn¡¯t seem dangerous in the least bit, as a matter of fact he seemed to be trying to get away from her. If she told her mother about him what would they do to him?

    ¡°Eira?¡± Her mother repeated herself, ¡°Zhel told us you saw something unusual in the forest yesterday.. what was it?¡±

    ¡°Zhelimir was just a little concerned about the change in flora and fauna in the forest, there are some pixies there now.¡±

    Melissa arched an eyebrow at her daughter, ¡°well alright. But please listen to your father when he says the forest is dangerous for you, it¡¯s in your best interest.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes I¡¯ve heard that several times..¡±

    Melissa rose to her feet and gave her daughter a shoulder rub, ¡°we love you sweetie.¡±

    *

    Elric walked into his cabin, closed the door and stood in ce. What in the world had just happened? What was wrong with that crazy woman? Was it her life purpose to toy with his mind, who was she anyway?

    The silver haired man walked slowly to his usual chair that he sunk into and let the events of that day wash over him.

    Eira seemed to be an incredibly stubborn woman, which woman in their right mind would chase after a total stranger and even jump after him off a cliff?! She was absolutely insane, she had to be!

    But now that Elric had met her face to face , he knew that she was real. Now he wondered why that supposed apparition of her had been following him around all those years ago? Was it perhaps that it was predestined that they should meet? Or had she been using her magic, that now he was sure she had, to y with his mind. And if she was ying with his mind, what was the reason?

    Elric had so many questions for the young woman but really didn¡¯t want to get himself involved with her. He had lived the past sixteen years devoid of any human interactions and it had been peaceful, why would he want to ruin his serenity right now, and because of a woman? Again? Not a chance!

    *

    Zhelimir peeked into the gardens and saw Eira sitting by the swing, he didn¡¯t need to be a mind reader to know that she was probably very cross with him. He needed to go up to her and let her know that what he had done was in her best interest. He really hoped she would understand, he didn¡¯t like being in bad books with her, she was like his best friend.

    ¡°Is our little princess having a bad day?¡±

    Zhelimir jumped at the sudden words and turned to look at who was speaking. ¡°Janis! Wha- what are you doing here?!¡±

    Zhelimir, just like Jacob, was also in a twisted situation. He had first met Janis when they were fairly older since she had grown up in Baiviles with her mother. When he had firstid eyes on her, Zhelimir developed a strong liking to her, but just like Jacob¡¯s situation with Eira, she did not reciprocate his feelings and her older brother would most likely not approve of Zhelimir for her. Not that the blonde hybrid had anything wrong with him, in fact, Zhelimir was somewhat of a perfect man, the reason Jacob would be against Zhelimir and Janis being together it¡¯s wasrgely out of spite.

    ¡°I sensed the distress of my friend miles away,¡± Janis responded with a smile. ¡°What happened? She¡¯s always so peppy.¡±

    ¡°I uhh-¡± Zhelimir, even though he had be a great warrior and somewhat of a brooding man, around Janis he was the same timid mess he was when he was six years old.

    ¡°Well I... I think she may be a little cross with me.¡± Zhelimir mumbled.

    ¡°Oh shame honey,¡± Janis responded while gently stroking Zhelimir¡¯s chin, a gesture that she clearly had no idea the kind of effect it had. ¡°Come Zhel, I¡¯ll talk to her.¡±

    When Eira saw Zhelimir and Janis walking towards her she sighed, she wasn¡¯t really in the mood to be around people right now, she had a lot going on in her mind.

    ¡°Eira!¡± Janis skipped to the beautiful redhead whom she embraced in a hug.

    ¡°Janis? I didn¡¯t expect you here.¡± Eira spoke to the woman before giving Zhelimir a disappointed look. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a date with some rich lord?¡±

    ¡°I di,¡± Janis responded with a suspiciously wide smile. ¡°And I want you toe with me.¡±

    Eira narrowed her eyes, ¡°go with you? Don¡¯t you think that would be a little odd?¡±

    ¡°Of course I will find someone to apany you as well,¡± Janis mumbled while twirling Eira¡¯s red locks in her slender finger.

    Eira grimaced at the suggestion, ¡°thank you Janis but I¡¯m not really into that kind of thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry I¡¯m not trying to get you hooked to some rich old man,¡± Janis chuckled, ¡°that¡¯s more of my style. Besides I heard you needed a break, have some fun and let lose.¡± She shimmied behind the redhead and leaned into her ear. ¡°You¡¯re going to love it.¡±

    Zhelimir felt a little conflicted about the idea of Eira going to the ces that Janis frequented, they were not her style and for someone of her caliber, a royal princess, it would be disgraceful.

    ¡°Eira..?¡±

    The beautiful red haired hybrid turned her head towards her cousin and frowned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should go to this party, there are other ways to destress rather than exposing yourself to such crass crowds.¡±

    ¡°Why? Are you going to tell my father again?¡±

    Zhelimir frowned at her sarcastic attitude, ¡°I understand you¡¯re upset with me but this is not the time to be spiteful. You and I both know your father would never approve of you going to such a party Eira.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not my care taker and neither are you my father¡¯spdog Zhelimir, so I can do whatever the hell I want!¡± Melissa turned for the door that led to the inside of the pce. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse us, Janis and I have a party to prepare for don¡¯t we Janis?¡±

    ¡°We sure do,¡± Janis replied and took Eira¡¯s hand before blowing Zhelimir a kiss. ¡°See youter sugar.¡±

    Zhelimir watched the two women disappear into the pce, his face both flustered and angry. Why was Eira suddenly being so stubborn?

 Chapter 236

    236 Chapter 236 : You!

    Janis felt fairly happy with herself after her little skim had worked, she didn¡¯t think that Eira would actually agree with going out to a party with her. Sure she wasn¡¯t happy with the fact that a night out with lord Graham would not go as she had nned, but it was worth it if she could finally get Damien to notice her. Of all the men she had fancied, the handsome red haired hybrid was the only one who had not even batted an eye at her existence, and for some strange reason she loved it.

    Eira walked out of her closet wearing a dress that surprised even Janis. It was a long ckcy dress with a keyhole neckline and a bare back, she paired the sexy ensemble with ck danglings, a golden ne and deep rouge lipstick.

    ¡°Is this okay?¡±

    Janis stood up and circled her friend a few times in admiration. ¡°Oh my gods Eira, why have you been hiding all these curves?! The men at the party will be filling up buckets of drool because of you.¡±

    Eira walked to her mirror and looked at her reflection before pursing her lips as self doubt began to bubble up within her. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a bit too much,¡± she muttered, ¡°I should change-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Janis yelled and smacked her friend¡¯s hands away from her buttons. ¡°You look amazing, nowe on we are alreadyte and I haven¡¯t even slipped into something ttering.¡± Janis grabbed Eira¡¯s hand and pulled her close, ¡°now teleport us to my room, our carriage will be by my house any minute!¡±

    *

    About an hourter, Janis, lord Graham and Eira walked out of the carriage and towards the entrance of a castle of some sort.

    Eira could already hear the music from the inside and the sound of people singing along and possibly dancing. The whole scenario reminded her of the brothels she had heard about from stories, they did not sound ttering at all.

    .....

    As they walked into the castle, the smell of alcohol wafted into Eira¡¯s nose making her gag a little, she had never tasted any type of alcoholic beverage before even of their home was riddled with wines and thirst quenching ales from all over the continent. A curtesy of her father of course, he was not necessarily a drinker, just a man who liked the finer wines in life.

    The moment they wayinto the building, Eira began to scan the entire ce and located a chair that was ced in the corner not too far from the bar, she would sit there and wait this whole party out or at least wait in till Janis was tired of her old fart of a date. She now regretted ever agreeing toing here, maybe this was a bit too much just to spite Zhelimir.

    The beautiful red head sat down on her targeted chair, avoiding the eyes of men shamelessly ogling at her and searched the room for Janis, where had she gone just now?

    In a corner somewhere, Janis was smiling proudly as she watched her bother sleek down his hair for the seventh time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget-¡±

    ¡°Yes yes I will make arrangements for you to meet Damien, you don¡¯t have to remind me,¡± Jacob mumbled and he fixed his cor.

    ¡°Good boy, now go get her tiger,¡± Janis responded while turning away, ¡°and please try not to be an arrogant prick around Eira, she hates that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not arrogant..¡± Jacob replied with knitted eyebrows.

    ¡°Just tone it down or you will lose her to someone else, trust me.¡±

    Jacob watched his sister walk away and then slicked his hair back once more before walking towards where Eira was sitting. He kept muttering ¡®I¡¯m not arrogant¡¯ in his head as he approached the woman. He could be nice, he could be the perfect sweet man if Eira ever so wished it, it was no problem at all.

    ¡°Well well well.. what is her grace doing here?¡± He asked Eira who rolled her eyes in response. ¡°Have youe to grace usmoners with your presence princess?¡±

    ¡°Look Jacob I¡¯m really not in the mood for you right now,¡± Eira responded, ¡°could you please go bother someone else, my night is bad enough already without you showing up.¡±

    The dark haired elf sighed internally, why was he so terrible at this? He always messed things up when It came to Eira, it was like she was his trigger, he just couldn¡¯t tone it down with her. Jacob turned towards the bar and ordered a cup of ale and one of wine before sitting down next the the young woman.

    ¡°Would you fancy some wine?¡±

    Eira looked at the cup in Jacob¡¯s hand in suspicion, ¡°you¡¯re offering me wine? You know I don¡¯t drink.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a party Eira,¡± Jacob put the cup in front of the woman before turning to look at the bar. He was supposed to be convincing her to like him a bit more and he was messing everything up. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make sure you enjoy yourself.¡±

    *

    Elric walked to his closet and yanked it open, his eyes trailed over the many clothes he had gathered over the years but had never worn and sighed. The silver haired man had never really interacted personally with other people in over sixteen years, the only times he would be within vicinity of others was when he went to the town to purchase things he could not make on his own such as clothing, shoes and certain types of food.

    He had promised himself that he would avoid people at all costs, but after what he had gone through the past two days he needed to take a little breather. When he was out in the town a few days ago, Elric had overheard some of the town¡¯s people chatting about an open party of some sort that a young lord was throwing for his wife. He decided he would pass by and maybe have a few free drinks to clear his mind.

    Since it was an open party, there would be many people there from all walks of life so it was unlikely someone would recognize him, especially after so much time. It was the perfect n.

    Elric pulled out some clothes and shoes and walked to his bed. He promised himself he would stay there for one hour and leave, that would be enough to take a ss of wine or two.

    *

    Eira was bored out of her mind at this party, all she had been doing was sipping wine and watching Janis fondle her date from across the room.

    ¡°Would you like to dance?¡±

    The redhead turned to face Jacob who had slipped off his chair and was holding out his hand to her.

    Eira pointed at herself in confusion, ¡°me?¡±

    ¡°No, the brick wall behind you... of course I mean you Eira!¡±

    ¡°Well with that attitude I don¡¯t know if I want to oblige,¡± Eira responded and folded her arms over her chest.

    Jacob took a deep breath and took a step towards the pouting woman. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, let me try that again. Eira, would you please give me this dance?¡±

    Eira looked up at Jacob feeling a little surprised, was he trying to be polite? She slowly nodded and ced her hand in his, allowing him to help her off the chair she was sitting on.

    It was not until that moment that Jacob got a good look at what Eira was wearing, she looked absolutely breathtaking and it made him feel a little insecure. If he thought she looked amazing, then so did every man in the room. The elf pulled the princess close and led her to the dance floor where other couples had already convened and were swaying to the music. He pulled her onto him, his hand around her waist and the other gently lifting her right hand.

    Eira had never danced with Jacob before, she always made sure to stand clear of him even at balls because of his obnoxious attitude. So all of this was very new to her.

    ¡°Ummh you look beautiful tonight..¡±

    Eira furrowed her brows and tilted her head upward to look at him in surprise. Had he justplimented her? ¡°Th- thank you.. you look pretty good yourself.¡±

    Jacob didn¡¯t know that such a simplepliment from Eira could make him feel so ted. His sister might have been right, being less arrogant and obnoxious around Eira may bare positive fruits.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jacob responded with a smile.

    The two continued swaying to the music and to her surprise, Eira was actually enjoying herself. Jacob was a very good dancer and his demeanor somewhat seemed different than usual.

    When the music ended, Jacob had to stop himself from protesting, this was the first time he had held Eira in years, her body felt so perfect against his and that was proof enough that she was the right woman for him.

    Eira took a step back and smiled at Jacob before curtsying, ¡°that was lovely. Please excuse me, I need to go to the littledies¡¯ room.¡±

    She turned around and rushed towards the bathroom dodging the people in her path. But it seemed she did not dodge them well enough, because just a few feet away from the bathroom door she bumped into a man who from the impact, she could tell was well built.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t-¡± Eira¡¯s eyes went wide when she looked up at who she had bumped into. ¡°You!¡±

 Chapter 237

    237 Chapter 237 : The party

    ¡°You!¡± The two yelled in unison. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±

    ¡°Why in the gods¡¯ good names do you keep following me around?!¡± Elric growled at the redhead. He wasing here to try and get his kind off oh her and her shenanigans yet here she was again.

    Eira growled in irritation, ¡°I¡¯m following you around?! Ugh as if! Why would I have the need to follow a stupidly obnoxious man like you?!¡±

    ¡°Says the crazy woman who chased me off a cliff!¡± Elric spat back.

    Eira balled her hands into fists and called upon every fiber of her being to calm down before she caused a scene and kicked this man right where the sun didn¡¯t shine. ¡°You were wandering around uncharted territory like an animal and I was trying to help! Forgive me for having a heart!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your help!¡± Elric inched closer to the woman and red at her, never in his life had he evere across a woman so annoying and hard headed. ¡°I¡¯ve never needed it and never will! It¡¯s been bloody sixteen years and you¡¯re still hovering around me. Get away!¡±

    Eira jerked her head back in both shock and annoyance. ¡°What in the bloody hell do you mean by sixteen years?! I don¡¯t even know you!¡±

    The silver haired lycan¡¯s face softened up as he looked at the woman who genuinely looked like she meant it when she said she didn¡¯t know him. How was that possible? Had he pegged the wrong woman?

    ¡°But what about the-¡± Elric felt confused, was she ying with him? Was she deliberately trying to stir up thoughts of confusion in him. ¡°So that wasn¡¯t you sending some apparition of yourself to follow me around?¡±

    .....

    Eira scoffed in amusement, this man was out of his mind wasn¡¯t he? ¡°What are you even talking about?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a witch?¡±

    The red haired hybrid lifted her hand about to smack Elric across the face but the man was quick and caught her hand mid air.

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Eira growled.

    ¡°Will you calm down, I¡¯m trying to have a rational conversation with you!¡±

    The princess pulled her wrist away from the man¡¯s grasp and red daggers at him ¡°Why would I want to have a conversation with a jackass like you?!¡±

    The silver haired man felt like his entire face was brining up in rage, had this petite woman just called him a jackass just now?

    ¡°You know what! I just can¡¯t talk to you when you¡¯re like this, if and when you¡¯ll be ready to get off your high horse, and actually want us to figure out what the hell is going on here, because clearly something is, you¡¯ll know where to find me. You seem to have a knack for that.¡±

    Eira had never been so furious in her life, and here she thought Jacob was most annoying person ever, boy was she wrong. She turned away from the man and stormed off towards the stairs that led to a balcony,pletely forgetting about her trip to the loo, she couldn¡¯t stand another minute being in the same room as this silver haired man a second longer.

    Elric also headed for the exit of the building, so much for a rxing evening, he hadn¡¯t even gotten the chance to sip as much as a drop of wine yet.

    As the lycan walked out of the castle and into the courtyard, he felt an oddly strong urge to look back. He whipped his body around and tilted his head up, and there she was, leaning over the balcony railing above him. Even though she was the most infuriating woman who had ever walked the earth, she was probably also the most beautiful. Elric had not failed to notice how ravishingly gorgeous she looked that night, regardless of their encounter. If they weren¡¯t at each other¡¯s throats the whole time, he might have even considered asking her to dance.

    Eira who was also still very much angry, felt a strange urge to look down and spotted the bastard who had ruined her night looking up at her. She became even more furious when her eyes raked over his body and noticed that he was a very good looking man, so much so that when their eyes locked for a few seconds she involuntarily blushed.

    ¡°Tch.. bastard,¡± Eira mumbled to herself.

    ¡°Brat..¡± Elric mumbled to himself before turning back around and walking away.

    *

    Back in Gavaria, Melissa walked down the hallway towards the throne room where her husband had just finished his meeting with his right hand and some council members. The gaurd at the door bowed respectfully at the woman before proceeding to opening the door for her.

    ¡°Your highness...¡±

    Melissa stopped and gave the man a smile, ¡°is my husband busy?¡±

    ¡°His majesty has just concluded his meeting, I¡¯m sure he will be delighted to see you.¡±

    The nosferatu woman nodded and walked into the throne room where she found her husband standing by the window with his arms crossed behind his back.

    ¡°Garry?¡±

    The handsome elven king turned around, and as soon as his eyesnded on Melissa¡¯s beautiful face a smile tugged his lips. ¡°Mel..¡± He walked to her, took her hand gently in his and pulled her into his embrace.

    ¡°You seem troubled, did the meeting not go well?¡± Melissa asked the man who looked at her with tired eyes.

    ¡°The meeting was just fine my love, I¡¯m just a bit worried about other things.¡±

    Melissa searched her husband¡¯s face, ¡°it¡¯s about Eira isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°She worries me,¡± Gareth responded with a sigh, ¡°she is very stubborn and it might get her into trouble one day.¡±

    ¡°I spoke to her Garry, she said there was nothing unusual that happened in the forest that day.¡± Melissa cupped her husbands face in her palms and pulled him in for aforting kiss. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much about her, it¡¯s a phase she is in, she will rebel sometimes.¡±

    ¡°But what if Elric gets to her?¡± Gareth pulled away from his wife and walked to the window where he gazed out to the forest not too far from the pce. ¡°I know he has a vengeful heart after all that happened, and what worries me the most is we don¡¯t know what he has been up to the past sixteen years. He could have gathered so much information about us, about our child, and is just waiting for the right time to use it against us.¡±

    Melissa walked forward, wrapped her arms around the man¡¯s waist and leaned her forehead into his back. ¡°You need not to worry too much, for all we know, Elric might be miles away from Gavaria.¡±

    ¡°You and Eira are all I have,¡± the elven king mumbled, ¡°if anything happened to any of you I don¡¯t know what I would do with my self. You¡¯re my wife and she is my only child.¡±

    Melissa released the man and walked to his side, ¡°nothin will happen to her.¡±

    Gareth looked down at his beautiful wife and noticed the hint of distraught on her face.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± He took her hand and turned to face her. He knew his wife so well, even a slight change in her speech pattern or stance could tell him so much about her mood.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing of importance right now,¡± she mumbled.

    Gareth took her other hand and stroked them both, ¡± anything that has my wife¡¯s beautiful face looking like that is of much importance. Now tell me what¡¯s bothering you.¡±

    Melissa turned her head to the man and gave him a nervous smile, ¡°it¡¯s about us having another child Gary.¡±

    The elven king immediately froze, just like he always did when a conversation about them getting pregnant again came up. Melissa ced her hands on her husband¡¯s shoulders and gave him a pleading look.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re afraid what happenedst time may happen again but it won¡¯t,¡± she assured the statue of a man. ¡°It¡¯s been sixteen years Gareth, what is in the past is in the past, we need to move on.¡± She cupped one of his cheeks and pursed her lips before speaking, ¡°we¡¯ve always said we¡¯d have many children, have a big family, that was our dream. Have you forgotten?¡±

    ¡°I have not..¡± Gareth ced his hand on his wife¡¯s, the one that was touching his cheek oh so gently. ¡°But the risk..¡±

    ¡°The only family our daughter will have when you and I are gone Gary, will be her siblings.. she deserves that.¡±

    Gareth pulled Melissa¡¯s hand off his face and kissed it, ¡°what if I promise to think about it?¡±

    Melissa slid out of her husband¡¯s hold as a look of disappointment painted her beautiful face. She had heard him say that a number of times before, that was just him saying ¡®no¡¯ gently.

    ¡°Mel..¡± Gareth reach for the woman as she turned away but she dodged his grasp and walked to the door. Before she left the room, she turned to look at him and the look in her eyes broke his heart.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Eira before I head to bed.. good night your majesty..¡± and with those sour words, Melissa left. Leaving Gareth feeling guilty and conflicted, why couldn¡¯t things just be easy? First his daughter was being rebellious, and now his wife¡¯s wishes were putting him in a dilemma. Could things get any worse?

 Chapter 238

    238 Chapter 238 : You¡¯re on your own

    Eira turned away from the man who was walking down the courtyard pavement. That annoying lycan, why did she allow herself to get mixed up with someone like that? With his long silky silver hair, his tall firmly toned body, his deep honey brown eyes and his-

    ¡°Eira!¡±

    The princess looked forward and saw Jacob standing there with his hands on her shoulders. Had he been calling to her for long?

    ¡°Eira what happened in there? Are you okay? Did that man hurt you?¡±

    Man? What man? Oh had Jacob seen the confrontation that she had had with the silver haired lycan? ¡°No he didn¡¯t do anything, we just got off on the wrong foot is all, I think he might have been a little drunk.¡±

    ¡°Oh thank goodness..¡±

    Eira went wide eyed when Jacob pulled her into his embrace, and hugged her. Jacob and her had never made physical contact of any sort ever, she made sure of that. But now here he was hugging her right after asking her to dance. What had gotten into the mentely?

    ¡°We should get you home,¡± Jacob suggested as he pulled back. ¡°ces like this aren¡¯t for someone like you, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Eira would have wanted nothing more than to do exactly that, to just go back home and throw herself on herfortable bed after such an exasperating evening, but after a taste of the wine that Jacob had given her and had felt it¡¯s calming effects, she wanted more.

    .....

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have one more drink first,¡± Eira responded to Jacob before heading down the staircase.

    Jacob was taken by surprise, what was going on? Eira wanted a drink? Why the sudden change in character?

    ¡°Are youing Jacob? I¡¯m going to order wine with or without you!¡±

    ¡°Alright, but will you please slow down,¡± he mumbled, ¡°you never drink, I¡¯m just worried about the repercussions of all of this!¡± He rushed back downstairs to catch up with Eira who was practically rushing to the bar. ¡°We can¡¯t have you getting drunk, your father would have my head.¡±

    Eira called to the waiter and ordered a a ss of wine. ¡°I¡¯m not going to get drunk, just a little taste to calm my nerves, you have no idea what I¡¯ve been through the past couple of days.¡±

    Jacob was feeling really conflicted with Eira¡¯s decision to drink all of a sudden, on one hand it might help him score some points with her because alcohol tended to liven people¡¯s mood. But on the other hand it was the first time she would get intoxicated, first timers tented to overreact after a swig or two and it might get people talking. She was the princess after all, word would definitely get out.

    Jacob was pulled from his reverie by the sound of Eira smacking down her empty cup of wine and telling the bartender to ¡®keep theming¡¯. He moved to the chair beside her and ordered himself a cup of ale as well. He made a mental note to stop Eira at her third cup and take her home. Three cups would be enough to help her rx and still keep her sober enough.

    *

    ¡°Eira?... honey it¡¯s me can Ie in?¡±

    Melissa ced her ear on her daughter¡¯s door but still she heard no response. ¡°Sweetie I know you¡¯re still a little upset about the whole fiasco with your father but I promise you he isn¡¯t upset, he was just being overly protective. You are his only child after all.¡±

    The nosferatu woman listened for a response but there was nothing. Had her daughter already fallen asleep, or was she ignoring her?

    ¡°Eira I¡¯ming in.¡±

    The woman opened the door slowly and stepped into the darkness of Eira¡¯s chambers, she hadn¡¯t even bothered to light her candles?

    ¡°Eira? Are you asleep honey?¡±

    Luckily for Melissa, being a nosferatu meant she had great eyesight even in the dark. She walked to her daughter¡¯s lumpy bed and sat down right at the edge. Eira seemed to be fast asleep, and without dinner? Melissa reached for her daughter and shook her gently in an attempt to wake her up.

    ¡°Eira, wake up honey they made your favorite for dinner. You can¡¯t go to bed hungry you¡¯ll get an ulcer.¡± The queen shook her daughter again, a little more assertive this time. ¡°Eira..?¡±

    Melissa narrowed her eyes at the lump in the bed before pulling the nkets and furs off. She jumped to her feet and gasped when she saw the pillows that had been stuffed into the bed. ¡°Oh no, Eira..¡±

    *

    Back at the party, Jacob was helping Eira walk out the door towards the gardens to get some air, who knew a ss and a half of wine would be enough to get her this intoxicated? They neared a bench in the gardens and he helped her on it gently before sitting next to her.

    Eira immediately leaned into Jacob¡¯s shoulder and began humming an inaudible tune. Good gods, what was he going to do? She was the only one who could teleport them home. If he took her back by carriage her parents would have to see her like this and he didn¡¯t want that. He didn¡¯t want to lose points on the scale of potential spouses to the beautiful woman he had liked for so long.

    From a distance, Jacob saw his sister exiting the door, whipping her head side to side before marching up to where Eira and him were sitting.

    ¡°Jacob are you a bloody idiot or something?!¡± Janis stopped in front of the princess and gently pushed the strands of red hair from her face. ¡°She¡¯s as drunk as a fish Jacob, how could you let this happen?!¡±

    ¡°She had one and half sses of wine,¡± Jacob replied defensively. If he had known she was such a light weight he wouldn¡¯t have allowed it, but he didn¡¯t. Jacob knew many wom who could down a whole bottle and be as sober as ever, how was he supposed to know that Eira couldn¡¯t hold down that little amount of alcohol?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t bloody matter how many cups she had! Are you going to tell the king the same thing when he asks about the state of his daughter?!¡± Janis began pacing in front of her brother and the redhead who was still humming by his side. ¡°Oh your majesty we¡¯re sorry we took your daughter to a party and got her a little drunk. But don¡¯t worry sire, she just had one bloody ss!¡±

    ¡°Stop panicking, we can find a way to sneak her back into her room...¡± Jacob replied, not in the least bit happy about the sarcastic response his sister had given him. ¡°If we do this right they¡¯ll never even know she was gone.¡±

    ¡°And how do you n on doing that?! She¡¯s the only one here who can teleport.¡± Janis pointed out. ¡°We¡¯ll literally have to drag her through the front door if we get lucky enough to pass through the gates!¡± The dark haired elven woman sat down on the bench and cupped her face in her hands. ¡°It will be our heads for sure.¡±

    ¡°Will you stop panicking you¡¯re going to make me start panicking!¡±

    ¡°How can I not?!¡± Janis responded sternly. ¡°These are the types of situations where you need to panic.¡±

    Jacob became thoughtful for a minute before turning to face Eira who was now dozing off. ¡°What if we just don¡¯t take her home?¡±

    Janis looked up at her brother and gasped, ¡°what do you mean not take her home? Where are you ning on taking her? What if they look for her?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just keep her at the house for the night,¡± Jacob exined, ¡°and when she¡¯s all sobered up tomorrow she can teleport back home and no one will be the wiser.¡±

    ¡°This is a very bad idea...¡±

    ¡°It beats showing up at the pce with her in her drunken state,¡± Jacob responded. ¡°We have no choice at this point. We have to choose the lesser of two evils.¡±

    Janis immediately regretted helping her brother with his shenanigans, this could put not only Eira¡¯s reputation at risk, but their friendship as well.

    ¡°Look I got Eira to the party like you wanted,¡± Janis responded, ¡°I wish not to involve myself in this skim any longer, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Jacob scoffed and looked at his sister, ¡°so you¡¯re just going to leave Eira here? I thought the two of you were friends?¡±

    ¡°We are, and that¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m doing this, I can¡¯t put my friendship with her at risk, she has a hot cousin and Eira is my only way to get to him, I¡¯m sorry brother but you are on your own from here on out.¡± Janis gave Jacob a mini salute and made her way back to the castle.

    Jacob was at loss for words, Janis could forget about him putting in a word to Damien that¡¯s for sure. The elf turned to Eira and sighed when he noticed that she was fast asleep, now he would have to carry her all the way to the carriage, as of things weren¡¯t already awkward enough.

 Chapter 239

    239 Chapter 239 : I couldn¡¯t stop one man

    Melissa walked out of her daughter¡¯s room feeling dizzy and disoriented, where could Eira be at this time of the evening? She had never snuck out before, not once, maybe Gareth was right about worrying about their daughter, her rebellious phase might be getting a bit out of hand.

    As she exited the room she bumped into her husband right at the door and felt a little startled not knowing whether to tell to him about Eira or not.

    ¡°Mel..¡± he ced his hands on her shoulders making her gulp a little. ¡°Can we talk my love? I know things didn¡¯t end well in ourst conversation, but I don¡¯t want us to be in bad books because of that. Can we please sit down ande to an understanding?¡±

    ¡°Gary!..¡± the woman squealed nervously. ¡°Umm of course!¡± Melissa quickly closed Eira¡¯s door and stood in front of it to ensure that her husband did not go in and discover that Eira had snuck out of the ce. He was already so paranoid and over protective of her. ¡°Of course we can talk about it, why don¡¯t we go to our chambers and discuss it?¡±

    Gareth smiled at his wife, thank goodness she was willing to talk things over, she had seemed so bothered about it before that he thought she might not be willing to even look him in the face.

    ¡°That sounds like a lovely idea my love,¡± Gareth responded and cupped Melissa¡¯s face in the palm of his hand. ¡°But first I must talk to Eira as well, I know I¡¯ve been a little too hard in hertely. She¡¯s an adult now and I need to trust the decisions she makes.¡±

    The man reached for the door of his daughter¡¯s chambers but Melissa grabbed it and pulled him away. ¡°Umh honey that¡¯s very noble of you,¡± she spoke in a tone she was trying so hard to control. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid Eira is already fast asleep, I came here to speak to her as well but all her candles were already put out. It might be better to speak to her about it at breakfast.¡±

    Gareth sighed and took a step back from the door, ¡°she never goes to sleep this early, she must be still cross about what happened.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be better by morning and you can tell her everything.¡± The red haired woman intertwined her fingers with Gareth¡¯s and began leading him away to their own chambers. She felt incredibly guilty for lying to her husband but she really didn¡¯t want him overreacting over their daughter¡¯s disappearance, he would surly scold her endlessly and that would form a wedge between them. This was the best thing to do at the moment.

    .....

    *

    Jacob stood in a corner with Eira in his arms while waiting for the carriage to back up to where he was. He couldn¡¯t afford letting people see the state the princess was in, and he definitely didn¡¯t want people getting the wrong idea about what was going on. He was standing in a dark corner carrying an unconscious woman, one would definitely assume the worst.

    Not too far from where Jacob was standing, Elric was making his way across the gardens to the castle door to try and have a second conversation with Eira, maybe ask her to talk over a ss of wine to help both of them to calm down.

    In as much as they were at each other¡¯s throats, it was clear that there was some strange connection between them that they both couldn¡¯t exin. And if they were going to figure it out, they would have to put their differences aside and discuss the matter.

    The silver haired man slowed down when he saw a rather strange sight not too far from him. In a corner in the darkness, was a young man he had seen at the party carrying a woman who seemed unconscious. Elric was about to move on and not get himself involved in whatever was going on when he saw the woman¡¯s red hair falling off her shoulders as her head fell back.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s-¡± Elric pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. What had this woman gotten herself into this time? Had she stepped on the wrong person¡¯s toes and ended up in this situation?

    The lycan took a deep breath before taking a step towards the man who was holding Eira. He subtly hoped that he hadn¡¯t hurt her, for some reason he really don¡¯t want anything to be wrong with her.

    ¡°Excuse me...¡±

    Jacob turned around with a start and looked at Elric who had his eyes on Eira. ¡°What?¡± Jacob took a step back and held the woman in his arms securely. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°What have you done with the woman in your arms?¡± Elric asked, his eyes never leaving Eira.

    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± Jacob responded sternly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you mind your own business and go away.¡±

    Elric narrowed his eyes and Jacob could have sworn he saw them glow a little bit. ¡°That woman there is my business.. if you¡¯re trying to do something to her, or have done something to her, you and I might have a problem.¡±

    ¡°I told you it¡¯s none of your business damn it!¡±

    Elric stepped forward and reached for the woman but Jacob swiftly moved out of the way. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch her!¡±

    Elric growled a little, for some very strange reason he was suddenly feeling very overprotective of Eira. He leapt up in the air andnded behind the elf carrying Melissa, knocking Jacob on the back of his neck. The elf¡¯s arms went limp and he subsequently dropped Melissa, allowing Elric to grab her and secure her in his arms.

    ¡°You bastard! Let go of her!¡± Jacob screamed with frustration. He couldn¡¯t even swing back because his arms had lost all feeling after that blow on a nerve on his neck.

    Elric gave Jacob onest look before turning around and leaping into the darkness of the garden.

    ¡°No! Nooo Eira!¡± Jacob ran towards the darkness and scanned the area in a panic but saw nothing. ¡°No.. No.. No.. this cannot be happening.. not now.. not Eira.¡±

    Jacob ran around in circles trying to find the silver haired man who had taken Eira but he was gone. ¡°Eira! Eira!¡±

    *

    The silver haired man walked carefully to his bed chambers where he pushed the door open. With well calcted steps to ensure not to hit the woman into the door frame, he walked to his bed andy her down.

    Elric then grabbed some nkets, spread them over her and sat down by her side. ¡°Looks like you had a little too much to drink tonight,¡± he mumbled as he watched her sleep. ¡°Either that or whoever that was i found you with drugged your drink. Lucky for you I¡¯m not as hard headed as you are and decided toe look for you.¡±

    He studied the woman¡¯s face closely and unknowingly a smile crept up his face. ¡°You sure are beautiful when your mouth isn¡¯t bbing.¡±

    Immediately those words left his lips Elric practically jumped from the bed. What in the world was he saying?! He thought that maybe by now his heart would have learnt a lesson! Women were nothing but trouble, especially red haired beautiful ones like Eira.

    The lycan scolded himself a second time for admitting she was beautiful, he needed to remember that the only reason he had not let that dark haired elf have his way with this woman was because he needed answers and nothing else!

    He hurried out of the room and much to his dismay couldn¡¯t help but look back at the woman¡¯s sleeping face. He might have been going crazy because as he watched her he could swear he felt like he¡¯d known her for longer than just a few days, her aura seemed oddly familiar to him.

    *

    Janis jumped to her feet when the door swung open, she scurried to the door and practically drugged her brother into the room.

    ¡°Where is she? Did anyone see you? Did you decide to just take her home?¡±

    Jacob briefly nced at his sister before walking past her and sitting on his bed. He cupped his face in his palms and just sat there looking like a lost puppy.

    Jacob¡¯s demeanor made Janis¡¯ throat be as dry as a biscuit out in the sun. Why did Jacob look like that? And where was Melissa?

    ¡°Please tell me she sobered up and teleported herself home..¡± there was a plea in Janis¡¯ voice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t...¡± Jacob slowly rose his eyes to look at his sister. ¡°I don¡¯t know where she is.¡±

    ¡°What the hell do you mean you don¡¯t know where she is?! You literally had her in your arms!¡±

    Jacob covered his face once again, ¡°I searched everywhere.. it all happened so fast. I ... I couldn¡¯t stop him. I couldn¡¯t stop one man... what kind of knight am I?¡±

 Chapter 240

    240 Chapter 240 : You saved me?

    The light.. why was the light so damn bright? And why did the light hurt her eyes so? And why in the world did her head hurt so much, why did her mouth taste awful? Eira pulled the nkets over her face to stop the light from hitting her face, who had opened the curtains so early anyway? The red head was about to drift back to sleep when something crossed her mind, since when were her windows above her bed?

    She pulled off the nket slowly and squint her eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the brightness and the environment she was in. She was in a cozy room that wasn¡¯t too big and not too small, it¡¯s wooden walls gave it a warm feel and the grays and whites of the curtains, beddings and furniture gave the room a rather masculine feel.

    Eira slowly sat up in bed and threw her gaze at every corner of the room while telling herself not to panic, panicking right now might bring more harm than good. First she had to figure out where she was and how she had gotten here before doing anything rash.

    The redhead noticed the slightly opened closet door and saw some coats and jackets neatly hanged within, and below that near an armchair, was a pair of leather boots. On the chair was a light nket and a coat that told Eira that whoever it was who owned this room had spent the night on the chair and had let her have the bed. That was good, it was proof enough that whoever it was had no lewd intentions.

    The thought made Eira both relieved and a little worried. If this person didn¡¯t have any lewd intentions, what was she doing in his bed?

    ¡°Oh gods!¡± Eira gasped silently. Had she gotten drunk at the partyst night? But she had only had two and a half sses of wine, she would see her mother and father take so much more with no effect whatsoever. Had someone drugged her drink? She had heard that people did that especially at parties to take advantage of women.

    Did this mean she had spent the night out of the pce without her father¡¯s permission?! He would be absolutely furious! She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he had already sent out knights to raid the kindom in search of her. And what about Jacob and Janis? What had happened to them?! She needed to get back home right now before-

    The door opened and a man walked in carrying a tray. When Eira locked eyes with him her entire body froze and her purple eyes popped.

    ¡°Oh you¡¯re awake,¡± the man spoke calmly as if there was nothing wrong with the current situation. He walked carefully to the bed and set the tray on the empty space of the bed. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    .....

    Eira could not respond, she didn¡¯t know what was going on right now. Wasn¡¯t this the man who she had gone toe to toe with back at the party? Why was he here?! Unless...

    The woman gulped, had he kidnapped her?! No, if he had he wouldn¡¯t be bringing her breakfast and asking her how she was doing. The other exnation was that she must have gotten so drunk and somehow ended uping home with him.. she prayed that it was the former.

    He grabbed the pot of tea and poured some into the cup, the smell of ginger and honey filled the room and for a split second Eira almost forgot about her predicament as her mouth craved the beverage.

    Elric picked up the cup and handed it to the purple eyed hybrid. ¡°This will help clear your system and get rid of that nasty headache.¡±

    Eira slowly took the cup and looked down at it still in shock, what the hell was going on?

    ¡°Someone drugged your drink at the bar,¡± Elric spoke as he picked up the tray and put it on a small table by the arm chair. ¡°You should be more careful at ces like that, sick men try to do that to women all the time so they can take advantage of them.¡±

    Eira watched the man put the tray down and then sit on his arm chair.

    ¡°You should drink that before it gets cold..¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah I should-¡± Eira stopped herself mid sentence. ¡°Wait a second! What in the world is going on? Why am I here? Where is here? And why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?!¡±

    Elric almost chuckled, it was amusing how the redhead could go from a peaceful sleeping beauty to a ranting little princess at the drop of a hat.

    ¡°I see you now want some answers,¡± Elric responded. ¡°Maybe now we can have a conversation.¡±

    Eira was about to protest when her head throbbed intensely, the pain made her wince almost spilling the tea in her hand. Luckily, Elric moved fast and held her hands in ce. A little tea dripped down his fingers and Eira gasped.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry-¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still a bit disoriented, drink your tea and then you can interrogate me.¡±

    All Eira could do was nod. She sipped her tea and kept her eyes fixated on Elric as he grabbed a towel to wipe his fingers and made his way back to the armchair.

    The silence in the room lingered for a while, only asionally being broken by the sounds of Melissa sipping her tea. As she drunk her tea, which was surprisingly delicious by the way, she stole nces at the man who sat across from her.

    He had his head turned to the other window adjacent to the armchair, seemingly lost in thought. His eyes were a golden brown, his hair long and silver, tied back in a ponytail, and his face was calm and collected, nothing like it was when she had first met him.

    Eira finished her tea and lowered her cup, she actually felt a whole lot better afterwards, much to her surprise.

    Elric rose to his feet, took her cup from her hands and ced it back on the tray. ¡°Would you like to have your porridge now? You must be hungry.¡±

    The delicious smell of the tea wasn¡¯t he only thing that was tugging at Eira¡¯s tastebuds, the porridge smelled delectable as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll eat when I get some answers,¡± Eira responded curtly. But the seriousness she was trying to put up was crumbled by the sound of her stomach growling.

    The silver haired man chuckled before picking up the bowl of porridge and handing it to the woman. ¡°Why don¡¯t you demand for your answers while you eat?¡±

    Eira pouted before taking the bowl and shoving a spoon of food into her mouth, ¡°alright now, talk.¡±

    The silver haired man shed a smile that made Eira involuntarily blush a second time. His teeth were aligned perfectly in rows except his canines that protruded a little, and that made his smile even more alluring.

    ¡°What would you like to know?¡±

    ¡°What am I doing here? How did you get a hold of me? And where are my friends?¡±

    Elric walked back to his seat and faced the woman who was half ring at him and half eating her porridge. ¡°What are you doing here? Well you¡¯re recovering from a drug induced drunken state,¡± the man responded, his eyes fixated on the woman¡¯s face. He was so sure he had felt her aura before but couldn¡¯t quite remember where. ¡°How did I get a hold of you? Let¡¯s just say it was either me or the elven man who was about to most likely take advantage of you in the darkness of the garden outside that party.¡±

    ¡°Take advantage of me?¡± Eira put down her spoon and pursed her lips, ¡°so you saved me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that,¡± Elric responded as he poured himself his own cup of tea, ¡°any decent person would have done the same thing.¡±

    Now Eira felt a little guilty for suspecting him of anything vile, he had actually saved her. ¡°Thank you..¡± she mumbled underneath her breath.

    Elric raised an eyebrow and smiled at her attempt at gratitude, it was criminal for a woman to be so hard headed. ¡°What was that-¡±

    ¡°I said thank you for saving me! Gods!¡± She grabbed her spoon and shoved some more porridge in her mouth making the man chuckle.

    ¡°And about your friends, I really don¡¯t know,¡± Elric added on, ¡°I didn¡¯t know them but whoever they are, they must not like you very much to leave you in the hands of predator like that.¡±

    ¡°They would never, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a logical exnation for all of this,¡± Eira responded defensively. ¡°Maybe they were looking for me and didn¡¯t see me, or they were distracted-¡±

    The young woman¡¯s eyes circled when Elric grabbed a spoon of food and ced it in her mouth. ¡°Yes yes I¡¯m sure they have an exnation, now eat. Because when you¡¯re done I have many questions for you too.¡±

 Chapter 241

    241 Chapter 241 : Interest

    Melissay awake in the bed with her husband¡¯s arm gently wrapped around her waist. She was unable to sleep wondering where her daughter had gone and hoping Eira would be back before her father noticed that she was gone.

    The previous night Melissa had been totally absent from the conversation her and Gareth were having trying her best to keep his mind off Eira. Every once in a while he would insist on going to speak with her and Melissa would have to distract him with something so he could forget. Eventually she had no choice but to distract him the only way she was sure would get his mind off not just Eira, but everything else, Melissa had no choice but to initiate sex, after which her husband fell right asleep. Now all she could do was wait and hope that Eira would be home soon.

    The nosferatu woman slowly sat up with her hand clenching the sheets over her naked body, slowly and quietly she began to slip off the bed when a hand grabbed hers.

    ¡°Mel...¡±

    His voice was groggy so Melissa could tell that it was her movement that had woken him up.

    ¡°Where are you off to?¡± Gareth pulled his wife back into his arms and gently slipped on top of her. ¡°Did you not enjoy yourselfst night.¡±

    The red head blushed before slowly nodding, st night was amazing my love, but I did notice you..¡± Melissa paused and blushed even more at the thought of what she was about to say. For a very long time now, Gareth had always made sure toy with her at certain times of the month when she could not conceive, and if at all they had sex at any other time, he would make sure not to finish within her.

    Gareth was adamant about not getting his wife pregnant after the ordeal when Eira was born. Even though Melissa assured him constantly that she was fine and could have a normal birth, he still shied away from the topic.

    Even when the council would pester him about either getting Eira married or siring a son, he still would not cave.

    .....

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I got so carried away, I know you don¡¯t want me getting pregnant-¡±

    Melissa¡¯s words were cut short when her husband¡¯s lips locked with hers. He kissed her passionately as if he had not kissed her in years.

    The truth is that Gareth had been holding back his desire for years indeed. Deep down he wanted to be able to make love to his wife every day and have many children with her. But When Melissa fell critically ill after having Eira, guilt and worry overshadowed his desire for her.

    But now, he felt that maybe his wife was right. Eira was all alone and her not having siblings might have been ying a part in her being rebellious. Maybe she was bored and felt locked up in the pce all alone, a new baby might get her mind off things and also give her a reason to stay home more. The more she would be home, the less time she would spend in the forest, and the less time she would spend in the forest, the less the chances of Elricing across her if at all that silver haired lycan was till alive.

    Gareth kissed his wife and smiled at her, ¡°it wouldn¡¯t hurt if something, or someone, came out of this little session of ours now would it?¡± He trailed feathery kisses up Melissa¡¯s arm until he reached her cheek.

    ¡°Oh okay..¡± was all the nosferatu woman could say, the change of heart caught her off guard especially with all that was going on in her mind.

    *

    Jacob and Janis had not slept a wink the whole night worried about Eira and what could have happened to her, what if she was kidnapped? Or worse, what if she was hurt?

    ¡°Gods, what in the world are we going to tell her parents?¡± Janis panicked. ¡°Who knows what could have happened to her-¡±

    ¡°Will you please shut up Janis!¡± Jacob roared. He had finally snapped after listening to his sister ramble in a panic all night. The elf stood up and walked to the ambers of the dying fire in the firece and scrapped his skull with his fingers. ¡°You mumbling about all the things that could be wrong is not helping in case you think it is! You¡¯re just making the situation worse!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk Jacob, if you hadn¡¯t let her drink, none of this would have happened!¡±

    Jacob turned to his sister and narrowed his eyes at her, ¡°oh so now you¡¯re ming me for this?!¡±

    ¡°Well if the leather boot fits oh son of Ivan!¡±

    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been too busy opening your legs for a man who is old enough to be your father and helped me bring Eira back home, we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation!¡±

    SMACK!

    ¡°How dare you speak to me like that?!¡± Janis yelled in fury. ¡°You¡¯re a self absorbed prick who is obsessed with someone who doesn¡¯t even love you. Real rich!¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t love me yet, it takes time to build a-¡± Jacob paused and drew in a deep. ¡°You know what, this won¡¯t solve anything. We should be out there looking for Eira and not here arguing about who is at fault.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right... you¡¯re right..¡± Janis walked to a chair near her brother¡¯s table and took a seat. ¡°But how are we going to look for her without raising any eyebrows. I don¡¯t know about you but I don¡¯t want people knowing the crowned princess of Gavaria went missing at a party on our watch.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, that would put a dent in the rtionship between me and her parents,¡± Jacob mumbled, ¡°I can¡¯t have my future inws thinking I cannot care for their daughter.¡±

    Janis rolled her eyes at her brother, ¡°Will you forget about your imaginary rtionship with Eira for one second and focus. Where were you when Eira was taken from you? And if you recall the face of the man who took her we can have an artist sketch a portrait of him that we can use to find him.¡±

    ¡°I do remember him, how can I not?¡± Jacob mumbled in frustration. ¡°Let¡¯s get this done quickly. When I get my hands on that bastard, I¡¯ll make him regret ever being born.¡±

    *

    ¡°Wait wait wait...¡± Eira interrupted the lycan. ¡°I¡¯m confused, are you saying you used to see visions of me before I was even born, how is that possible? And why?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to find out,¡± Elric responded. ¡°I thought if anyone would have an idea of what was going on, it would be the very person I had been seeing for years.¡±

    The hybrid sped her hands together and shook her head. ¡°..I¡¯m sorry but I have no idea what could have been happening. I barely even know who you are exactly. I really do want to help you figure this out, it¡¯s affecting me as much as it is you, but I just don¡¯t have the means.¡±

    Elric studied the woman, she looked genuinely clueless about everything he was saying. He would have thought that maybe he had imagined the whole thing, but he was sure his imagination wasn¡¯t so good as topletely fabricate a person into existence. There must have been a reason as to why that had all happened, a connection somewhere that they just couldn¡¯t figure out just yet.

    Another thing that bothered the silver haired lycan was how closely this woman resembled someone from his past, someone who had broken him and built him into the man he was today, and he didn¡¯t know how to feel about that.

    ¡°Your elven abilities are pretty strong,¡± Elricmented in an effort to fish for some answers from the woman. ¡°Especially for your age. You muste from a very powerful bloodline.¡±

    Eira had been told many times not to tell just anyone about who she was. Her father was a very powerful man and had enemies lurking in different corners. Besides, even if this man had supposedly saved her, she didn¡¯t know him enough just offload so much information about herself.

    ¡°Well, I have a lot of practice honing my abilities,¡± Eira responded sheepishly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do that any other elf can¡¯t without working hard enough.¡±

    Elric arched an eyebrow at her, she was deliberately withholding information on who she was, she was smart. It had been a while since he hade across a smart woman.

    ¡°I see,¡± Elric responded before standing up and giving her a smile. ¡°Well you should get some rest before you decide to go back to wherever your home is. If you like I can walk you to the town afterwards, there you can get a horse or carriage home.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Eira responded, ¡°I can just teleport myself home.¡±

    Teleport? That was a rare ability, even for elevs. This woman was definitely hiding something and Elric¡¯s interest was peaked.

 Chapter 242

    242 Chapter 242 : Is it Jacob?

    The elven king looked at the empty seat to his left and then then threw his gaze back at his wife.

    ¡°Will she not be joining us for breakfast?¡± He asked his wife who sipping her tea slowly. ¡°Is she still upset with me?¡±

    Melissa put down her cup and gave her husband a nervous smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure she will be out whenever she feels better my love. Eira is a little emotional even if she puts up a stubborn and uncaring front. Give her time.¡±

    The truth was that Melissa was the one getting worried now. Last night she wasn¡¯t so concerned because she had heard that it was somewhat normal for youngdies her age to rebel and once in a while sneak out to go to parties or meet boys, but now it was morning and she expected Eira of all people to be back by now. Rebellious as she may be, she was still responsible, so this situation was making the nosferatu Queen worry something had happened to her daughter.

    Gareth put down his fork and stood up, ¡°I really should go check on her. If she really is still angry with me I should set things right with Eira, I don¡¯t want us drifting apart because of one ridiculous argument.¡±

    ¡°Honey wait!-¡±

    Just as Melissa was about to push her chair backwards and rush to stop her husband, the tworge double doors of the dining area opened and the guard let in the young red haired princess.

    ¡°Eira!¡± Both Melissa and Gareth gasped in unison.

    Eira walked to the table and curtsied to her parents before taking her usual seat, right on her father¡¯s left hand. ¡°Father.. mother.. good morning.¡±

    .....

    A maids rushed to her side and poured her a cup of tea while another put some food on her te.

    ¡°Good morning Eira, uuh how are you feeling today?¡±

    The princess sipped her tea and gave her father a smile, ¡°I¡¯m quite alright father.¡± Eira wondered if maybe her father had noticed that she had not been home all night? But again his cool demeanor said something different, if he had known he would have been biting her head off right now.

    ¡°You were in bed all evening so I was worried you were still upset about our spout earlier.¡±

    Eira sighed internally in relief, thank goodness he just thought she was asleep.

    ¡°I want you to know that I¡¯m only hard on you because I care about you and I don¡¯t want anything bad happening to you,¡± Gareth exined to his little princess.

    Eira put down her cup of tea and looked up at her father. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking father, and excuse me if Ie off as presumptuous, but I don¡¯t see the need. I mean you say you¡¯re trying to protect me but what exactly are you protecting me from? If anything, I feel more trapped than protected.¡±

    Gareth arched his eyebrows slightly but kept his face straight so as not to show his surprise. His daughter had never spoken to him so firmly before, she really wasn¡¯t his little girl any longer was she?

    The elven king cleared his throat and leaned forward, his elbows on the table and his hands sped together under his chin, it was high time he started talking to Eira like the adult she was bing, treating her like a little girl may only push her away just like Melissa had said.

    ¡°Eira I know you understand how monarchs work, being a princess you should know that our family is born into power rather than earning it. It is up to us to prove to the people that even if we did not necessarily earn the title of ruler, we are capable enough to be the best we can be.¡±

    The princess listened to her father carefully as he spoke, usually he would brush off conversations like this and tell her she would understand when she was older, but now he was actually exining something to her. It was definitely a turn in the right direction.

    ¡°Sometimes people are pleased with our rule, they support us, and even respect us,¡± Gareth continued. ¡°But sometimes there are people who are not happy with our rule, no matter how good of a leader you are, there will always be those who don¡¯t like you and even some who hate you.¡±

    Eira knitted her sleek eyebrows together, ¡°why would they hate you?¡±

    ¡°Different reasons can be given,¡± Gareth exined, ¡°sometimes it may be political, personal, and many others. Maybe they don¡¯t like how you manage things, maybe they wanted a position in the ranks but were denied of it, and sometimes they are bitter about some personal issues that transpired in the past.¡±

    Eira narrowed her eyes slightly, thatst reason was rather oddly specific. Had something happened between her father and someone in the past and that¡¯s why he was so paranoid all the time?

    ¡°So you see,¡± Gareth gently pat his daughter¡¯s shoulders, ¡°those people who dislike me may want to harm my family, and I would never forgive myself if that happened. I don¡¯t want you to feel trapped Eira, I just want you to be safe. Do you now understand?¡±

    What Eira had gotten from the conversation made her have even more questions. ¡°Father, is there someone you offended a while back who you fear may harm me?¡±

    Gareth pulled his hand away from his daughter slowly and turned to his wife as if asking for some help in answering Eira¡¯s question. Of course Melissa was d to jump in, a time woulde when they would tell Eira about Elric and the unspoken rivalry that had sparked between them them and lycans, but this was not it.

    ¡°As king your father may have stepped on some people¡¯s toes even without realizing honey,¡± Melissa responded on her husband¡¯s behalf. ¡°And those are the people we have to be careful about because we may never know what they¡¯re nning.¡±

    Eira knew when her mother was not telling the whole truth, she always pursed her lips when she lied. What were they keeping from her? And why were they keeping it away? Was it that bad that they couldn¡¯t share it with her? The princess took onest sip of her tea before standing up and giving her parents a smile.

    ¡°I see,¡± she muttered, ¡°well I should go about my day then, thank you for telling me all of this. I understand things a little better now.¡±

    Melissa watched her daughter walk away and finished off her own breakfast. She stood up and gave her husband a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Let me go check on the garden my love, I¡¯ll see you at lunch if you get the time.¡±

    The queen quickly walked out of the dining area, down the hallway towards Eira¡¯s room. Without knocking, she pushed open her door and found the princess putting a shawl over her head and shoulders.

    ¡°Going somewhere sweet heart?¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡± Eira gave her mother a nervous smile. ¡°Not exactly, I was just thinking of going to see Janis today.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± The red haired queen walked passed her daughter and took a seat on the edge of her bed, her arms and legs crossed and her eyes never leaving Eira¡¯s face. ¡°Did you have a good timest night? You must have, considered you decided to spend the night outside your own home.¡±

    Eira gulped and averted her mother¡¯s gaze, so she had known all along that Eira had note home? Why did she not tell her father about it then?

    ¡°Eira are you seeing someone? Is there a man making you sleep out? Is it Jacob?¡±

    The princess¡¯ face immediately shed all shades of red at her mother¡¯s statement. ¡°What?! Mother!... Of course not, that¡¯s outrageous!¡±

    Melissa sighed before leaning back on her palms and studying her daughter, she too pursed her lips whenever she was not honest, and that had told Melissa everything she needed to know.

    ¡°There is nothing wrong with having feelings for a man Eira, you¡¯re sixteen years old,¡± the woman spoke in a calm yet affirmative tone, ¡°in fact having a suitor right now would benefit the kingdom, the council has already started hinting at your father about the princess getting married anyway. But regardless of this, you¡¯re still living under your father¡¯s roof until this ¡®suitor¡¯ formally introduces himself and takes your hand, you can¡¯t just run off with him in the middle of the night, it¡¯s very disrespectful towards your father and I.¡±

    Eira just stood there at loss for words, she didn¡¯t know what to say in response to her mother. She had indeed spent a night in a man¡¯s bed but not in the way her mother thought. Also, Eira feared the truth might get her into more trouble than she was already in, there was only one thing left to do.

    ¡°I understand mother, I¡¯m sorry for leaving without telling you first,¡± the woman mumbled, ¡°and also, thank you for not telling father. I guess I was a little spiteful after the whole ordeal with father and it made me make some decisions I¡¯m not proud of, forgive me.¡±

    Melisaa sighed and gave her daughter a warm smile, ¡°that¡¯s alright sweetheart, but please know that whatever is going on you can talk to me alright? No matter how mundane or small something may seem. More so if it¡¯s something big, pleasee to me.¡±

    Eira smiled and nodded at her mother. ¡°I promise that I will do that from now on.¡±

    ¡°So tell me.. is it Jacob? Are the two of you together?¡± Melissa asked with a smirk, ¡°you can tell me..¡±

    ¡°Gods mother please stop!¡± Eira squealed in embarrassment.

 Chapter 243

    243 Chapter 243 : A savage

    Jacob took the painted portrait from the painter and studied it closely.

    ¡°Is that him? Is that the man who took Eira?¡± Janis asked her brother eagerly.

    The man in the portrait had long rugged white hair, a dark rugged beard, glowing reddish eyes and an angry badly scarred face.

    ¡°Yes, this is definitely him,¡± Jacob responded as he rolled up the parchment with the man¡¯s face on it. ¡°I can¡¯t forget that menacing face.¡±

    Janis gasped and covered her mouth in terror, the man looked like a beast, only the gods knew what kind of terrifying and horrid things he was doing to Eira. ¡°We need find her quickly Jacob, she could be in danger!¡±

    ¡°Who could be in danger?¡±

    Jacob and Janis turned around and both froze when they saw Eira at the door observing them.

    ¡°Eira!¡± Janis ran towards the redhead and wrapped her arms around her, ¡°thank the gods you¡¯re okay!¡± Tears streamed from her eyes as she hugged the woman.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m okay Janis why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Eira responded in surprise as she watched her friend sob hysterically.

    .....

    ¡°Jacob said some savage kidnapped you at the party...¡± Janis sobbed, ¡°we thought he would do horrible things to you.. I should have never made you go to that party Eira I¡¯m so sorry!¡±

    ¡°A savage?¡± Eira looked at Jacob who was stashing away a parchment in his pocket. Had Jacob seen the man who had saved her? But in all honesty he was far from a savage, he was actually very suave if anything. Or maybe Jacob had seen the man who had tried to take advantage of her, the one who her silver haired savior had saved her from.

    The redhead held Janis¡¯ shoulders and gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°I¡¯m alright Janis calm down, as you can see nothing happened to me.¡±

    Jacob walked towards Melissa not quite understanding what was going on. Had she escaped from her captor? She didn¡¯t look like someone who had though, as a matter of fact she looked refreshed and calm, what exactly had happened?

    ¡°Eira are you okay?¡± Jacob asked, he failed to believe that after what had happened the night of the party Eira could be so rxed and unbothered. Had the white haired beast done something to her? Threatened her? Hypnotized her maybe? Because none of this made any sense.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m okay Jacob,¡± she responded with a smile, ¡°you have nothing to worry about.

    Jacob didn¡¯t buy it, as a matter of fact, now he was even more sure that Eira¡¯s kidnapper had done something to her, there was no way anyone would be this calm.

    ¡°Where were youst night?¡± Jacob asked the princess as he closed the gap between them. ¡°Janis and I were worried sick about you, we thought something had happened to you. One minute you¡¯re passed out and drunk and the next i can¡¯t find you anywhere.¡± Jacob stopped in front of Eira and gently grabbed her arms. ¡°And now you just show up here saying you¡¯re okay like it¡¯s nothing? Can you see why I find that hard to believe?¡±

    Eira took a step back to allow Jacob¡¯s hand to slip off her arms. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t really recall what happened after I cked out but I can assure I was not hurt in anyway whatsoever, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Alright that¡¯s swell and dandy but where were you all night Eira?¡± Jacob asked again, this time he was a bit more forting about it, almost like he was demanding some sort of exnation. ¡°Where did you sleep? Because clearly you were not homest night!¡±

    ¡°Jacob please!¡± Janis pushed her brother back and stood between him and Eira, ¡°the important thing is that she is here now and she is safe. Who cares about the details.¡± Janis took Melissa¡¯s hand and started leading her out of her brother¡¯s room. ¡°Come one Eira, Isabe is on her way here for some tea and chit chat, we all need a breather afterst night.¡±

    Jacob watched the two young women walk out the door and disappear into the passage before he sighed in frustration. His sister was right of course, the details really didn¡¯t matter as long as Eira was safe and back home, but Jacob couldn¡¯t help but get the nagging feeling that there was something the hybrid princess was not telling him, something she wanted to keep hidden, and he wanted to know what it was and why. But Jacob had a feeling it had to do with the events that urred while Eira was missing, something had definitely happened that she didn¡¯t want to share.

    *

    Elric groaned and cupped his face with hands feeling angry with himself about what he was doing. He had been clearing his room and spreading the bed Eira had beenying in when he caught a whiff of her scent on his sheets. It was a subtle scent ofvender and cream that made him grab the sheets and inhale deeply, before he knew it, he wasying in the bed, the sheet wrapped around him while he took in her scent shamelessly.

    What was wrong with him? He barely knew this woman and now he was imprinting her scent on him, for all he knew she could be a sorceress here to ruin the calm and quiet life that he had built himself, he couldn¡¯t allow that to happen.

    The silver haired man got up and threw the sheet aside, he still was very curious about the woman regardless. He wanted to know why he used to see her long before he met her, he wanted to know what and who she was. Now that Elric thought about it, she didn¡¯t even know his name and neither had she bothered to ask for it.

    Elric shook his head, so what what if she didn¡¯t ask for his name?! Why did he even care?! The man got up and walked out of his bed chambers towards the door leading outside, he needed some air, maybe a hunt would help him clear his mind and help him forget of the mystery of a woman called Eira.

    *

    The entire time during the tea party Eira waspletely out of it, her mind was filled with so many questions. First about what her father and mother had said, she wondered who this person was that her parents worried so much about to the point that they feared he or she might harm Eira, what had they done to provoke such rage?

    Secondly, for some unknown abominable reason, she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her silver haired rescuer. She had many questions for him too, what was he talking about really when he said he had been seeing her? Was he delusional or was there some sort of strange unknown connection between them even from before Eira was born.

    ¡°Eira...¡±

    The princess awoke from her deep state of musing and turned to Janis end Isabe who were looking at her with concern.

    ¡°Are you okay, you look like your mind is so far away,¡± Janis asked her friend.

    ¡°Oh sorry Janis I¡¯m here,¡± Eira responded nervously, ¡°just drifted away a little, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°I hear you had a little secret night out of the pce yesterday princess,¡± Isabe mumbled in a taunting tone with a sly smile tugging her lips. ¡°Come on Eira, you¡¯ve been absent minded today, tell us, was he devilishly handsome? Did he ravish you till you had no choice but to fall in love? Is it a forbidden rtionship?¡±

    Eira gasped and lit up like a stop sign, trying very hard not to choke on the cold tea she had just sipped.

    ¡°Isabe don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡± Janis yelled, ¡°Eira had a traumatic experience and you¡¯re bringing in your fantasy nonsense into this.¡±

    Eira put down the cup of unfinished tea and got to her feet. Suddenly she was feeling hot and embarrassed, for a brief moment she had pictured her silver haired knight in shining armor ravishing her, but quickly pushed the image to the back of her mind.

    ¡°Umm actually I just remembered I have something very important to do,¡± she pushed her chair back and chuckled nervously. ¡°Mother needed some help with the garden and itpletely slipped my mind.. silly me.¡±

    Isabe and Janis watched Eira teleport out of the room before turning to look at each other in confusion.

    ¡°You see!¡± Isabe shrieking, ¡°the blush on her face, the high pitch of her voice, she totally had something happen with this mysterious captor of hers. Oh my gods this is so exciting!¡±

    Janis pursed her lips and drowned in thought, Isabe was right, the way Eira was acting was almost like a girl who had a crush. But that couldn¡¯t be could it? Jacob had said Eira had been kidnapped, and if that picture of her captor was right, then it either meant her friend had a very strange taste in men or the man who had kidnapped her had done something to the princess.

 Chapter 244

    244 Chapter 244 : He found his mate

    Eira teleported back to her room and fell back on her bed, why in the world would Isabe nt a thought like that in her head. She barely knew.. barely knew.. gods, she didn¡¯t even know his name did she? The redhead princess sunk deeper into her soft bed and looked up at the canopy above, maybe if she went back and talked more with him, she wouldn¡¯t have all these ridiculous things swirling around in her mind.

    She sat up and crossed her legs, her hands holding a pillow against her chest. Yes, that¡¯s what she would do, she would go find him. He did say that when she was ready to talk she could go look for him right?

    There was a knock at the door that brought some sense of reality back into Eira¡¯s world. She wasn¡¯t sure wether to be grateful for the distraction or to be unhappy about it at this point, but regardless, she walked to the door and pulled it open. The person who stood at the entrance, just like the knock he had made, also brought a mix of feelings.

    ¡°Hello Eira,¡± Zhelimir spoke, ¡°may Ie in?¡±

    Eira stepped aside and let the blonde into the room, it shocked her that he was not wearing his armor, wasn¡¯t he supposed to have attended training that morning? Why was he dressed so casually?

    ¡°May I sit down?¡±

    ¡°Go right ahead,¡± Eira responded and made her way to her bed where she sat down and faced Zhelimir. ¡°Did you want to talk about something? You look a little less brooding than usual.¡±

    The blonde elf hybrid smiled slightly before looking up at the redhead sitting in front of him. ¡°Actually I just missed you Eira,¡± he responded nervously. ¡°I really did. Are you still upset with me? I want to apologize to you, no excuses this time and no justification of my actions, I just want my friend back is all.¡±

    Eira averted Zhelimir¡¯s gaze, the truth is that she missed him a lot as well. He was not by her side for a day and in that time she had gotten her drink spiked, spent a night at a strange man¡¯s house, and was barely holding on to her sanity. Her cousin was truly a pir in her life, even though he seemed a little uptight most of the time, he was always just looking out for her.

    .....

    ¡°I¡¯ve been a mess without you Zhel,¡± Eira chuckled making her cousin chuckled in response. ¡°You have no idea what I¡¯ve been through these past twenty four hours.¡±

    Zhelimir¡¯s demeanor rxed a great deal when Eira admitted that she had missed him as much as he had missed her, she was like the little sister he never had, and she was practically his best friend.

    ¡°Something tells me I should make myselffortable for this,¡± the blondemented.

    ¡°You sure do..¡± Eira responded nervously. ¡°Also you have to promise that you won¡¯t tell anyone about this okay? I mean it Zhel, this stays between us.¡±

    ¡°You have my word.¡±

    *

    L rushed through hallways opening all the doors where her husband could possibly be until she finally found him reading in his private study. The woman paused in the doorway and gasped in relief before rushing towards the man who had now stood up and was taking a step towards her.

    ¡°La...¡±

    From the look in his luna¡¯s face Edron could tell that something had happened. He walked to her side and took her trembling hand. ¡°My Luna, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Elric..¡±

    The alpha narrowed his eyes, ¡°Elric?¡±

    After an extensive search of the entire uncharted forest for years with no results, Alpha Edron and a lot of others hade to the conclusion that Elric had perished. The whole ordeal had led the alpha to seclude himself from the other rulers entirely, none of them had showed any concern whatsoever over the disappearance of his son anyway. So why would he need them?

    ¡°Oh sweetheart,¡± Edron pulled his wife into his embrace and caressed her silky ck hair. ¡°I know you miss him but you have to let him go. He is no longer with us.¡±

    The beautiful Luna pried herself away from her husband¡¯s grasp and cupped his face in her palms, a serious look in her eyes that Edron had not seen in years.

    ¡°Edron listen to me, our son Elric is alive..¡±

    The alpha searched his wife¡¯s silver eyes for any sort of delusion whatsoever but there was non, she seemed to be very confident about what she was saying, but how could that be?

    ¡°How are you so sure?¡± Edron asked his wife, his eyes still searching hers for denial but she maintained her seriousness.

    ¡°I felt it Edron, I never thought I ever would but I did...¡±

    ¡°Felt it? Felt what...?¡±

    ¡°Elric found her... he found his mate.¡±

    The man stood there frozen for a few moments, his brain could not fully contemte what his wife had just said. He had heard that mothers could sometimes feel when their young found a mate, just the way Marceline had sensed Melissa¡¯s unfortunate bond with Gareth m. And from what Edron knew, that could only happen if Elric was alive right? So it was true that his son was as still alive.

    *

    Zhelimir sat there with his lips pursed and his eyebrows raised on a mix of shock and concern. He had his arms folded and his back stered onto the chair behind him trying to digest the words that hade out of his cousin¡¯s mouth.

    She definitely wasn¡¯t kidding when she said she had been through a lot the past twenty four hours. He cleared his throat and looked up at Eira who was nervously biting her lower lip, most likely waiting for Zhelimir to say something.

    ¡°Wow...¡± Zhelimir managed to say. That wasn¡¯t even what he had wanted to say, he merely wanted to break the silence that had lingered while he was trying to digest the events of Eira¡¯s night out drinking.

    ¡°And the crazy thing is I want to meet him again, I have so many questions for him Zhel.¡±

    ¡°Eira...¡± Zhelimir pursed his lips and took a breath. He had to be careful with how he responded in this situation because he really wasn¡¯t willing to get on her bad side yet again. Also, he could see that this man Eira had met had peaked her interest, he supposed it was something worth exploring especially if she thought there was some sort of connection between them.

    ¡°You said he has long silver hair and golden eyes? Doesn¡¯t sound like anyone in the kingdom I know. Where does he live?¡±

    ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t live in Gavaria per say,¡± Eira exined while twirling her hair around her finger. ¡°He sort of lives in the uncharted part of the forest.¡±

    Zhelimir knitted his eyebrows in confusion, ¡°what do you mean he lives in the uncharted part of the forest? No one lives out there Eira.¡±

    ¡°Look I don¡¯t know much about him either, I just met him,¡± the princess responded. ¡°I know what I¡¯m telling you sounds crazy but it¡¯s true. He lives out in the forest on his own, I don¡¯t know why exactly but it¡¯s the truth.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re certain he poses no threat to you? Can you trust him?¡±

    Eira was thoughtful for a second, did she really trust the man, I mean she didn¡¯t even know his name. But oddly enough, she didn¡¯t feel threatened by him or anything like that, in fact, she felt almost safe around him. It was very odd.

    ¡°I think I can,¡± Eira responded with a bit more confidence in her tone. ¡°He saved my life, if he wanted to harm me I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here speaking with you.¡±

    ¡°Fair point,¡± Zhelimir pointed out, ¡°and when do you n on seeing him again? If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d feel a lot safer if I tagged along and met this mysterious savior myself.¡±

    *

    Tauriel walked along the hallway of the Ervelon pce in steady yet hasty strides. She made a turn towards the throne room and saw her son inw Aiden, the now appointed king of Ervelon, about to walk into the throne room as well.

    He stopped when he saw the former queen and gave her a smile and a slight bow. ¡°Ah your majesty.. good to see you in this part of the pce after so long.¡±

    The woman rolled her eyes as she slowed down and eventually came to a stop, ¡°I¡¯m only here because of the letter,¡± Tauriel responded. ¡°I am happily retired and left the running of this kingdom in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Word travels fast, especially when my beautiful wife is the one uttering them.¡± The red haired man opened the doors wide and gestured his mother inw to walk in.

    ¡°All I want to know is if what I heard is true,¡± the former queen asked eagerly. ¡°Are they trying for another baby? Oh gods I thought they would not try again after Eira. I¡¯m so happy for Melissa and Gareth.¡±

    In a corner behind a pir, Ronda dug her nails into the concrete as she listened to the conversation between Aiden and the former queen, so Melissa was nning on having another baby? Not if she could help it.

 Chapter 245

    245 Chapter 245 : Why the change of heart

    Eira paced her room as she waited for noon, she was to convene with Zhelimir in a few minutes so they could both go and see the silver haired lycan again. Thest time she had spoken with her cousin he insisted that he tag along and insure her safety, Eira understood that some strange man who lived in the middle of the forest wasn¡¯t the most trustworthy figure out there, but she was now having second thoughts about it.

    She definitely wouldn¡¯t befortable if someone came to her home unexpectedly and on top of that brought a guest with them, no one in their right mind would be happy about that. That was it, Eira had made up her mind, she would go and see him on her own today, and maybe try and take Zhelimir along another time, if she wanted to know more about him she would want him to befortable.

    Janis knocked on the princess¡¯ slightly opened door and peeked into her room, ¡°Eira?¡±

    The redhead who was just about to teleport out, turned at the mention of her name and saw Janis walking into the room.

    ¡°Janis.. what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Janis walked towards Eira and took notice of the dress she was wearing and how her hair was done, she looked pretty, a little more than usual as a matter of fact. ¡°You look really nice today, are you going somewhere?¡±

    ¡°Ummh..¡± Eira looked at her dress and creased it down. ¡°Yes actually, there¡¯s a few errands I need to run, no harm in looking nice once in a while.¡±

    ¡°Running errands on your own?¡± Janis walked around her beautiful friend, admiring her get up before halting behind her and securing the bow in her hair. ¡°What happened to using the royal procession? I swear you royals can be so modest sometimes, if I was a princess, my feet would never touch the dusty ground¡±

    Eira turned towards Janis and took a step back, ¡°my ability to teleport happened, it¡¯s much faster and more convenient unlike being hauled around like a sack of hay. Is there something you needed Janis? I¡¯m in a bit of a rush.¡± The princess didn¡¯t take kindly to being questioned about her movements, actually she didn¡¯t take kindly to being questioned at all, especially considering how monitored she already was by her father, she really didn¡¯t want that from her friends as well.

    .....

    ¡°I just wanted to check up on you is all. I mean after what happened at the party you should be pretty traumatized.¡± The dark haired elven woman gave Eira a small smile, ¡°Jacob is worried about you as well, he mes himself for what happened at the party, so much so that he can barely face you right now, it¡¯s really quite sad.¡±

    Even though Janis was aware that no feelings existed in Eira¡¯s heart for her brother, her sisterly side couldn¡¯t help but vouch for him. She saw how Jacob looked at the princess, how irrational he got when she was involved, and noticed all those other half minded things men did when they were in love. The poor young man waspletely smitten with Eira and if Janis could help her brother be happy then she would definitely try.

    ¡°I told you, you all have nothing to worry about,¡± the princess responded, ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine. And if you all don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to forget about what happened at the party and move on, the past is the past.¡±

    Janis¡¯ smile faded a little, but she nodded nheless. ¡°So do you want me to apany you to run your errands? I¡¯m pretty free today, and a little bored frankly, I wouldn¡¯t mind going shopping together.¡±

    ¡°No.. no thank you. I appreciate the offer Janis I really do, but I already have Zhelimir to apany me for the day, and you know how squirmy Zhel gets when you¡¯re around. Maybe some other time.¡±

    ¡°Oh I see..¡± janis put on a fake pout, ¡°well guess there¡¯s always next time. I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡±

    ¡°Of course, anyway Zhel is probably already waiting for me as we speak,¡± Eira lied, ¡°I should get going, see youter Janis, please do close my door on your way out..¡±

    As the princess teleported out of the room, Janis noticed that she had also put on more scented oils than usual. What kind of errands warrantied getting dolled up like that? What was really going on? And was Zhelimir in on it?

    Janis walked out of Eira¡¯s room, and as she moved down the hallway she saw someone that made her interest in Eira¡¯s supposed ¡®errands¡¯ peak even more. In front of Janis was Zhelimir who seemed to be in a rush to get to Eira¡¯s room, wasn¡¯t he supposed to be meeting up with the princess already? Had they perhaps missed each other?

    ¡°Zhelimir good afternoon!¡± Janis greeted the hybrid with a sweet smile.

    Zhelimir came to a stop and bowed slightly to the elf while trying hard not to blush at the sight of her, gods Janis was so beautiful it was almost intoxicating, just her voice alone was enough to melt his hard exterior away, leaving a soft pile of mush in its ce. ¡°Good morning Janis.. what brings you here?¡±

    ¡°I was going to ask you the same thing,¡± Janis responded, ¡°I¡¯m just from seeing Eira off, she says she has a few errands to run so you won¡¯t find her in her room.¡±

    Zhelimir knitted his eyebrows looking a little confused, ¡°she has left already? Are you sure of this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you just missed her,¡± Janis responded while carefully studying Zhelimir¡¯s expressions. ¡°Was what you wanted to see her for important? Maybe you can wait for her, I doubt running a few errands will take more than an hour or two.¡±

    Zhelimir cupped his chin with his hand and shook his head slowly. He was saying ¡®no¡¯ but his facial expression was telling a different story. ¡°Did she say where exactly she was going? I think it would be better to follow her.¡±

    ¡°All she told me was that she had some errands to run,¡± Janis responded. Now she knew that Eira was definitely hiding something, because right now Zhelimir looked pretty worried, where was it they were supposed to go that afternoon?

    *

    When the red haired princess arrived at her savior¡¯s homestead, she was a bit surprised to find him outside, shirt off, hair tied, with an axe in hand chopping up some firewood.

    Eira¡¯s eyes followed his motions intently as he lifted the axe and plunged it downward to cut a peice of wood into an almost perfect half. He then put the axe aside, grabbed the partially broken piece of wood and ripped it in halfpletely with his bare hands.

    Eira gulped.

    The silver haired man tossed the pieces of wood towards the rest of the pile before turning to face the young woman who was standing not too far from him. He grabbed his axe, put it over his shoulder and walked towards Eira who seemed to look a little nervous.

    ¡°Well hello there,¡± Elric muttered softly with a smirk on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you back here any time soon.. actually I didn¡¯t expect you toe back here ever.¡± He inched closer to her and studied her, ¡°to what do I owe the pleasure?¡±

    The redhead head cleared her throat and averted the man¡¯s honey brown eyes. ¡°I¡¯m here to talk, you said some thingsst we met that peaked my interest, and I would like to discuss them with you.¡±

    Elric raised an eyebrow at the woman, ¡°I got the idea that you weren¡¯t interested in anything that I had to say, why the sudden change of heart?¡±

    Eira folded her arms and briefly nced at the half naked man before averting his gaze yet again. ¡°Look, do you want to figure out all these anomalies that have urred between you and I or not?¡±

    The lycan thrust the axe into the tree stamp by his feet and wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. ¡°I would indeed like to know what the connection is between me and a woman who clearly didn¡¯t know I existed until a few days ago. But how are we supposed figure it out? Are you going to use your magic to try and pry the information from someone?¡±

    Eira scoffed and moved to the man¡¯s side, having felt ufortable with how close he had gotten to her. ¡°That¡¯s not how magic works.. umh..¡±

    ¡°Elric..¡± the man finished the woman¡¯s statement. ¡°You can call me Elric, I was wondering when you would ask.¡±

    ¡°Of course..¡± Eira said bashfully, ¡°I¡¯m Eira-¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Elric responded before taking a seat on the stamp next to his axe.

    The hybrid looked at his smirking face and scoffed a second time, ¡°...as I was saying, magic doesn¡¯t work like that. If it did I wouldn¡¯t even be here, there would be no need for us ever having a conversation like this.¡±

 Chapter 246

    246 Chapter 246 : A pot of tea

    Elric scoffed and studied the young woman standing in front of him, it was amusing how she was clearly here to ask for his assistance in the matter but was still as arrogant as ever.

    ¡°So are you going to put a shirt on so we can have a proper conversation, or are you just going to sit there on a stamp naked like a barbarian?¡±

    ¡°Does the sight of me shirtless make you ufortable princess?¡± Elric responded in a taunting tone.

    Eira knew that the title he had used to refer to her, ¡®princess¡¯, was merely a jab at her attitude, the man obviously had no idea who she was in the slightest, and in all honesty, she preferred it that way.

    ¡°As a matter of fact it does,¡± Eira responded, ¡°I do not wish to converse while you reek of sweat.¡±

    Elric rose from his stamp of a chair and shook his head, ¡°I shall go bathe if it pleases her majesty,¡± he teased with a bow. As he turned for his door, he coked his head towards it gesturing then woman to follow him.

    Much to her own surprise, Eira followed Elric into the wooden barn without question. He offered her a chair near the fire and excused himself to clean up.

    While Elric was gone, Eira took the opportunity to look around the room she was sitting in. It was a rather simple yet elegant household, clearly self built by a man with good taste. It was obvious that this man was not some ordinary civilian, the way he talked, they way he dressed and even the way he decorated his house, all signs that he must have been, or still was, some kind of noble man.

    The princess wondered what could have happened for him to be living here? Had it been by choice?

    .....

    ¡°You have that look on your face..¡±

    Eira threw her face at the doorway where the silver haired lycan was standing. He had on some fresh clothes which even though simple, he wore with elegance. His hair was still damp from his bath and left freely flowing down his shoulders mostly likely to dry.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Eira asked.

    ¡°The one you get when you have something you wish to ask.¡± The man walked to his armchair and stered himself into it. ¡°And now that I¡¯m feeling fresh, maybe I could indulge you and answer them?¡±

    *

    After her rather odd conversation with Zhelimir, Janis went straight to her brother¡¯s room. He was the only one she could think of who would react instantly to whatever was going on.

    She pushed the door open and found her brother taking off his armor from training, walked towards him and yanked his shoulder.

    ¡°Janis please, in case you forgot we are not five years old anymore, you can¡¯t just walk into my chambers when I¡¯m dressing up.¡±

    ¡°Shut up and listen to me,¡± Janis closed the door and walked to her brother¡¯s bed. ¡°I think you¡¯re right, something weird is happening with Eira, and I have a feeling Zhelimir knows something he¡¯s not telling us.¡± She trailed her fingers over her brother¡¯s sheathed sword before looking back at him, ¡°the man who you say ¡®kidnapped¡¯ Eira, are you sure they don¡¯t know each other?¡±

    The knight buttoned up his shirt and moved slowly towards his sister, ¡°what do you mean? Are you insinuating that Eira has something going on with him?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not insinuating anything, I¡¯m just hypothesizing.¡± Janis crossed her legs and looked up at her brother, ¡°think about it, she gets kidnapped at a party by some man no one has ever seen in the kingdom before, and shees back home unscathed. And now after the whole ordeal, she¡¯s suddenly going on random errands on her own that even Zhelimir has no idea about.¡±

    Janis stood up and walked towards her brother, she fixed his cor and then took a step back. ¡°It¡¯s either Eira is in huge trouble and she¡¯s keeping it from everyone, or she¡¯s having a love affair with someone she¡¯s not supposed to. Either way, I suggest you act fast if being with her is truly your goal, someone might just swipe her from underneath her nose one way or another.¡±

    Jacob folded his hand into a fist and drew in a deep breath, all his life he had never actually worried about anyone making Eira their own because she had never shown interest in any man. Sure he was a little insecure about Zhelimir sometimes, but that was all in his head, he knew nothing would evere if it, they were practically siblings.

    But now the mention of someone potentially catching Eira¡¯s fancy made him panic a little, he couldn¡¯t lose her to another man. Jacob zipped up his boots and was about to leave the room when Janis grabbed his cor and stopped him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush brother, where are you running off to?¡±

    ¡°Where do you think? I¡¯m going speak with Eira about this supposed mystery man of hers!¡±

    Janis sighed, ¡°don¡¯t get so heated up, I told you it¡¯s just a theory. And even if my theory is correct, she is not home right now, she has already left to ¡®run errands¡¯. Zhelimir is the key, if there¡¯s anyone who can tell us what is really going on with Eira, it¡¯s him.¡±

    Jacob did not like how he was feeling about all of this, he really hoped all of this was something else entirely, not Eira falling for another man, in fact, he¡¯d rather she was in trouble. The dark haired elf turned to his sister whose eyes had not left him. ¡°Why are you helping me with Eira? Last we spoke about my intentions with Eira, you graciously pped my face and kept reminding me that Eira doesn¡¯t even love me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of what I said,¡± Janis responded tly, ¡°and it was the truth, Eira feels nothing for you, she may actually find you a little annoying. But if that portrait of the man who took her is urate, there is no way I¡¯m letting my friend end up with some one like that, he may be ckmailing her into a rtionship. So you¡¯ll have to do for now.¡±

    Jacob half rolled his eyes, couldn¡¯t his sister just admit that she was on his side and wanted to help him win the woman he loved? Sibling rtionships were so odd sometimes.

    *

    Eira sat in her seat frozen after Elric had borately exined how years before she was even born he had been seeing some sort of vision of her, hovering around him like a ghost.

    What confused Eira other than the unrealistic sounding tale that Elric had just told her, was how he had many nks in his story. She noticed that he was deliberately leaving out names of ces where these events were urring, the names of people in the story, he didn¡¯t even hint as much as their physical features, nothing. It was strange.

    ¡°You still have questions..¡± Elric muttered, his brown eyes fixated on the wrinkle between her knitted eyebrows.

    ¡°How can I not? You realize how vague you¡¯re being right now don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you all the things that may involve you princess,¡± Elric responded. He uncrossed his legs and leaned his elbows on his knees. ¡°I don¡¯t think everything else is relevant to our conversation. Knowing who I am, the people I¡¯m connected to and where I¡¯m from will have no impact whatsoever on our conversation.¡±

    The redhead sighed and looked to the side, this whole endeavor to try and get answers from Elric was proving to be a waste of a time. She nced back at him and found his eyes fixated on her face and for a flicker of a second, she saw a hint of sadness in them.

    ¡°Who did this to you?¡±

    Elric looked like he had just awoken from a deep reverie and gave her a very indifferent look. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°I can see it in your eyes,¡± Eira spoke, her voice soft and controlled. Just from his first expression she could tell that this was a sensitive topic, and it also proved to her that whatever pain he had experienced had a significant influence on how he was living now. ¡°You¡¯ve buried a lot of things that are troubling you, and from the looks of things..¡± she looked out the window where only rolls of forest went on and on. ¡°I think you haven¡¯t talked to someone about it in years. This could be your chance.¡±

    The silver haired man pursed his lips, what was the young woman trying to do? Push him into some kind of therapy session? Who did she think she was trying to get him to open up about his past? His past was his past, and he didn¡¯t want anyone uncovering it no matter what connection existed between them.

    He stood up and gave Eira a small smile, ¡°it¡¯s getting chilly, I¡¯ll put on a pot of tea.¡±

    The princess nodded slightly, she was a smart girl, she knew when she had crossed her boundaries and she had done exactly that. ¡°A pot of tea sounds lovely.¡± She responded.

 Chapter 247

    247 Chapter 247 : Find your next alpha

    Melissa who was just from seeing Janis off, spotted her nephew Zhelimir standing in the hallway looking like he was deep in thought. She hoped him and Eira had not had another argument, theirst falling outsted a significant number of days, and everyone worried that they would never make up.

    ¡°Zhel?¡± Melissa put on a friendly smile and walked up to the young man who had turned to face her and was bowing slightly.

    ¡°Good afternoon aunt Melissa, you look well.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could say the same for you,¡± Melissa responded. ¡°What seems to be troubling you? Please don¡¯t tell me you and Eira have had another falling out?¡±

    ¡°Oh no nothing like that.¡± Zhelimir¡¯s tone of voice was a bit jittery indicating that there indeed was something worrying him, but Melissa had just guessed it wrong.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s got you looking so troubled? Did youe to see your cousin? Sorry if you missed her dear, she¡¯s been so up and abouttely that one would think she has gotten herself a boyfriend, she doesn¡¯t want to open up to me of course.¡± A bright smile tugged Melissa¡¯s lips when an idea materialized within her mind. ¡°I¡¯m sure she tells you things like these all the time though, doesn¡¯t she Zhelimir? I mean you are her best friend after all.¡±

    ¡°Well I.. I mean ¡®best friend¡¯ is a bit of a stretch aunt Melissa,¡± the blonde responded nervously. ¡°She tells me whatever she feels like telling me, but she most definitely hasn¡¯t told me about a boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.. well I hope she¡¯s not wondering off into the forest again.¡±

    Zhelimir fought the urge to show guilt, but it seemed his efforts were futile because Melissa raised her eyebrow skeptically. ¡°Zhelimir I sincerely hope you¡¯re not egging her on either, you know her father would be furious if he found out.¡±

    .....

    ¡°She isn¡¯t going into the forest I assure you that aunt Melissa, I think she¡¯s just tired of being cooped up in the pce all the time. As a matter of fact, she told me she¡¯s trying to make new friends.¡±

    The nosferatu queen¡¯s facial expression softened into a small smile. ¡°She¡¯s making friends?¡± A sigh of relief escaped the woman¡¯s mouth which didn¡¯t surprise Zhel at all. Eira was very introverted, a trait that only intensified because of her father¡¯s overprotective ways.

    ¡°I hope I¡¯ll be able to meet them one day. I realize she has Janis and Isabe, but she barely spends any time with them.¡± The redhead muttered.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure when she¡¯s ready she will open up to you about her new friend.¡± Zhelimir was actually hoping Eira would open up to her mother about what was going on, keeping all of it a secret was going to get to him, he could feel it. He turned to the queen and gave her another bow, ¡°I should be going now, I wille over againter to see if Eira will have returned.¡± He definitely woulde over and check on his cousin, she had gone to see a man she had only encountered twice in the middle of the forest. It was a reckless move even if she imed her and the man shared some sort of connection.

    ¡°You¡¯re wee here anytime darling,¡± Melissa waved the young man goodbye. ¡°I¡¯ll add you a te at the dinner table.¡±

    *

    The lycans who were gathered at the table all had very indifferent looks in their faces, they understood that their leader missed his son, and that grieving for your only child never truly ends, but after seventeen years it was absurd for him to say his son was still alive because his wife simply had a ¡®feeling¡¯.

    ¡°Alpha Edron with all due respect,¡± one of the councilmen spoke. ¡°And I think I speak for us all when I say this, but it¡¯s been seventeen years since we lost Elric. What are the odds that he is out there just wondering around finding mates?¡±

    ¡°Councilman are you trying to say that your Luna is wrong, and my son is long dead?¡±

    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say alpha,¡± the lycan responded, his voice a little more subdued this time because he could tell their leader was slowly getting irritated. ¡°Even if your son is alive somewhere, if he wanted to be found don¡¯t you think we would have found him by now?¡±

    There were nods here and there at the table, none of them were willing to go on a wild goose chase to look for a man who was either dead or didn¡¯t want to be found.

    ¡°What I¡¯m telling you is an order not a suggestion, we are going to find my son wether you or he, likes it or not... we are going to find your next alpha.¡±

    *

    The next few minutes were a little awkward. All Eira and Elric did was sip tea while avoiding looking at each other. Eira had always liked to be alone or to sit quietly with her thoughts, but this time the silence was a little too loud.

    Elric too had be very ustomed to being surrounded by nothing but silence, but he was feeling ufortable sitting across the redhead and not knowing what to say. She had asked him a personal question that he had avoided, and that was the beginning of the end of their conversation, until there was nothing left but deafening silence.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I asked..¡±

    The lycan looked up from his cup of tea that he had barely been drinking and shifted his gaze to the young woman sitting across from him. Her face was still turned away but he could clearly see and take in every detail of it. Could he be med for thinking he was cursed, why is it the woman sitting in front of him asking him ¡®who hurt him¡¯ was almost a replica of the same person who hurt him?

    ¡°What are you apologizing for princess? Finally realized that you talk a little too much for your own good?¡±

    ¡°Well now I take my apology back,¡± Eira responded in a snarky tone. ¡°I was actually feeling a little bad for prying into your private matters but I just remembered how much of a prick you can be sometimes.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m that much of a prick why is this the fourth encounter we¡¯ve had, two of which you¡¯ve initiated?¡±

    Eira put down her cup and red at the man, ¡°you know something, I have been asking myself that very question, I don¡¯t know why I even bother.¡± She stood up and creased down her dress. ¡°Clearly whatever mystical connection we had, if at all it ever existed, is no longer there.¡±

    ¡°Maybe...¡± Elric responded smugly and sipped more of his tea.

    ¡°Well then, it was nice knowing you..¡±

    ¡°Is that what you say to your shoes each time you leave the house?¡±

    The redhead looked down at her bare feet and blushed. ¡°You¡¯re the worst!¡± And with the snap of a finger, Eira teleported away.

    The lycan put down his cup of tea and sighed in exhaustion. Unknown to the red haired princess, he was going through a rather frustrating internal battle. On one hand he very much enjoyed Eira¡¯s presence, but on the other hand he was afraid, afraid that what happened to him all those years back would repeat itself, he did not have the mental constitution to handle something like that again.

    The lycan was stuck in this vicious cycle of constantly trying to pull her close but also pushing her away. It also didn¡¯t help that Eira looked so much like Melissa.

    *

    When Eira arrived at her room, an unexpected handnded on her shoulder that made her heart leap a little.

    ¡°Zhelimir, I¡¯m sorry I-¡± when the redhead turned around she was surprised to see that it was not her cousin who was standing by her side, but instead it was Jacob.

    ¡°Jacob, what are you doing in my room?¡±

    The elf retracted his arm and took a step back, he took notice of how subtly dressed up Eira was, and how the smell of her perfume was even more prominent today. Had she done all of this for whoever she had gone to see?

    ¡°I just wanted to check in with you,¡± Jacob responded. ¡°Your mother let me in, I¡¯m sorry to have intruded.¡±

    Eira shook her head and gave the dark haired elf a smile. ¡°No it¡¯s alright, I just didn¡¯t expect you here is all.¡±

    ¡°You were expecting to see Zhelimir?¡±

    Eira nodded, ¡°he and I were supposed to meet so I thought he would be here.¡±

    ¡°What were you apologizing for?¡±

    The princess ttered her eyshes in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°When you came in, the first thing you said was ¡®Zhelimir I¡¯m sorry¡¯.. what are you being sorry about?

    The red head shook her head and made her way to sit on her bed. ¡°Like I said, we were supposed to meet but I lost track of time. Hence my apology.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Jacob responded, he walked to the sofa adjacent to the woman¡¯s bed and sat down as well. ¡°Eira I wish to speak with you about something, something very important that I¡¯ve kept locked away for years, but I think it¡¯s about time you knew.¡±

    The young woman looked up at Jacob, her eyes narrowed and full of skepticism. ¡°What is it Jacob?¡±

    ¡°Eira, I am asking for your permission to court you.¡±

 Chapter 248

    248 Chapter 248 : I will take everything

    Eira was at loss for words, had Jacob just asked to court her? Why in the world would he do that? I mean she realized that they were both at that age, but in order to court, weren¡¯t two people supposed to be in love or at the least like each other? If anything, Jacob and her barely liked each other, so what the devil had possessed him to ask for courtship.

    Well at least that was what Eira thought; clearly his request to court her meant he harbored more feelings than he let on. Or maybe this was a matter of politics? It was no secret that whoever would marry Eira would be in line for the Gavarian throne when king Gareth stepped down. Was that Jacob¡¯s goal? Power? He really didn¡¯t seem like the type.

    ¡°Eira..¡± Jacob reached for the princess¡¯ hand and he noticed her tremble a little. ¡°I understand this is all so sudden, and I realize the position I¡¯ve put you in. But I want you to knowing that I do not require an answer from you right this second, just-¡± the elf looked into Eira¡¯s beautiful amethyst eyes, how could any man not fall in love with those eyes, it was outrageous. ¡°- please just think about it, I¡¯m a patient man and I can wait for you.¡±

    Like that made this situation any better, he was still asking her to court him regardless. Rejecting him now would be terrible, rejecting himter would be even worse. This was the worst thing Jacob could have done to their friendship, well it was practically an acquaintanceship but still. This was going to make thiuings more awkward than they already were.

    ¡°Will you do that for me? Will you consider it and give me an answer whenever you feel ready?¡±

    Out of pure instinct, Eira nodded her head in agreement.

    Jacob leaned forward and gave Eira a kiss on the cheek, the sensation made her squeamish, everything about this was all wrong, what was Jacob thinking?!

    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now,¡± he spoke with a smile that made Eira¡¯s stomach turn.

    ¡°Alright then, please pass my regards to Janis.¡± Her voice projected absolute displeasure, but she kept a smile on her face regardless.

    .....

    When the man left the room, Eira felt like bands of rope had been tied all around her, she really needed someone to talk to about this, but who?

    *

    ¡°You did what?!¡±

    Janis was absolutely furious with her brother, what kind of bone headed stunt had he just pulled. She had specifically told him to take his bloody time and follow her lead, but what did he do? The exact opposite! Were all men this clueless and impatient or was it just this air headed son of Ivan she called her sibling?

    ¡°I asked for permission to court her,¡± Jacob responded nonchntly, clearly not realizing the implications of his stupid and rushed actions.

    Janis ran her hand down her face and sighed deeply in frustration, she was really hoping she could help Jacob with Eira but clearly this was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

    ¡°And what did she say?¡± Janis asked. Of course she already knew what the answer to that question was, Eira had obviously rejected Jacob, and she honestly wouldn¡¯t me her.

    ¡°She told me she would consider it..¡±

    Janis peaked through the gaps of her fingers at her brother before pulling her hand from her face slowly. ¡°She said she would consider it?.. Eira? The crowned princess of Gavaria said she would consider being courted by you?¡±

    The surprise and sarcasm in Janis¡¯ voice forced a frown to settle on Jacob¡¯s face, ¡°well she didn¡¯t exactly say those exact words. I told her she doesn¡¯t have to give me an answer right away, I asked if she would think about it and give me an answerter on, and she agreed.¡±

    ¡°Jacob you idiot, don¡¯t you know that if a woman says she will think about it she¡¯s merely setting you up so she can say ¡®no¡¯ at ater time?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true, if she didn¡¯t want me, Eira would have rejected me right there and then.¡± Jacob took a bite of his roast and then washed it down with some wine. ¡°Besides, what reason would she have to lead me on?¡±

    ¡°The pathetic little friendship you¡¯ve been trying so desperately to have with her!¡± Janis responded. ¡°That would be the reason! She probably just didn¡¯t have the heart to crush your hopes right there and then, but trust me when I tell you you¡¯ve made a huge mistake. The key to a woman like Eira¡¯s heart is patience. What you should have done was to ease her into liking you. Get her flowers, some jewelry, take her on romantic carriage rides. And then when the moment is right, you let her know of your feelings. But I guess all that is out the window now isn¡¯t it?!¡±

    Jacob pursed his lips and halted his cup halfway to his mouth. Had he been too rash in asking Eira for something more than a friendship? Was what they had even considered a friendship to begin with? He sometimes felt like Eira just tolerated him because of her friendship with his sister.

    ¡°No matter, I can still do all those things to influence her decision, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    *

    The door cracked open, making the green eyed blonde elf lift her head towards it. The former queen stood in the path of light that came pouring from the outside into the room, her full figure looking like a silhouette of a shadow show.

    Tauriel squint her eyes and peered into the darkness of the room where Ronda was sitting, only briefly missing the book of spells the blonde elf had slipped underneath a stack of books that were piled up on the table she was sitting on.

    ¡°How are you feeling today?¡±

    Ronda held back a smirk, this was clearly a trick question, either that or the woman was simply just mocking her. How was she supposed to be doing when she felt like everything she had been working for for so long had crumbled under her feet.

    Tauriel walked into the dim room and stood near the table where Ronda had been reading, a single candle lit by her side as a source of light. ¡°I suppose you still don¡¯t feel like participating in this home¡¯s day to day activities?¡± She then looked down at the te of half eaten food and then shifted her gaze back to Ronda. ¡°At least you¡¯ve decided to start eating now, starving yourself was going to achieve nothing but sickness.¡±

    Ronda sighed and leaned back on her chair, ¡°is there something I can help you with your highness?¡±

    ¡°I only came here to check on you,¡± Tauriel responded. ¡°You have been brooding over Gareth for far too long Ronda it¡¯s really not healthy. Get up, clean up and go out there in search of your own Prince Charming. You¡¯re wasting away, all this beauty will amount to nothing if you keep yourself locked up like this.¡±

    Ronda was so close to telling the woman to leave her room and never bring up her finding another man ever again. Her heart belonged to Gareth and no one else, that was never going to change. Ronda knew this was just a test from the Gods to see how deep her love for him ran, and she was going to show them, she was going to show everyone, that she would do anything to be with the man that she loved.

    ¡°Thank you for the concern,¡± the green eyed elf responded in the most respectful voice she could conjure. ¡°But I will be alright, matters of the heart are difficult to just tuck away, but in due time everything will be fine.¡±

    The former queen gave Ronda¡¯s shoulder aforting rub before turning to leave. ¡°I¡¯m d to hear you say that. Dinner will be ready momentarily and I¡¯ll have it brought to you here for tonight, but afterwards you will have to eat with me at the table. We aren¡¯t at the pce anymore, Aiden and Estel aren¡¯t here to keep mepany, it¡¯s just us now.¡±

    ¡°Of course your majesty..¡±

    When Tauriel left the room and closed the door behind her, Ronda pulled out the book of spells that she had been reading and turned the pages.

    ¡°In due time, everything will be alright indeed..¡± Ronda mattered to herself as she glossed over the different curses within. ¡°Killing you would be too easy dear Melissa.¡± The wickedness in Ronda¡¯s voice was enough to send chills down anyone¡¯s spine. ¡°I will make you suffer instead, I will take away every little thing you have ever loved until you wish for death. I will make sure if it.¡±

    The elf pulled out a small piece of parchment and scribbled down the name ¡®Eira¡¯. ¡°I will take everything from you, just like you took everything from me.¡±

 Chapter 249

    249 Chapter 249 : The unknown

    Melissa was in a rather peppy mood that particr morning and her husband had not failed to notice it, she was always a rather happy woman but in this moment, she might as well have had a skip in her step. The entire morning she had been humming to herself and practically prancing around the house.

    When Melissa put a te of food in front of her husband for breakfast, he grabbed her hand before she could turn away and gave her a skeptical smile. ¡°I do love seeing you in a happy mood my beautiful wife, but it worries me when all this joy is not my doing.¡±

    Melissa chuckled as the elf king pulled her onto hisp and gave her jaw a quick yful kiss.

    ¡°Has it finally happened? Have you found a lover to take over your husband¡¯s duties because he is too busy for you?¡± Gareth kissed the woman¡¯s chin and yfully nibbled in her earlobe. ¡°Is the other man the source of all this joy?¡±

    The beautiful queen wrapped her arms around Gareth¡¯s neck and kissed his bottom lip yfully. ¡°Maybe he is, I mean these days I only see you at bed time and early in the morning when you¡¯re hungry. Would you me if I found myself a young man who gives me all the attention in the world?¡±

    Gareth gave her nose a quick kiss and shed a devilish smile, ¡°I shall send word to the executioner then, tonight a man shall hang.¡±

    The twoughed heartily before sharing a passionate kiss. Regardless of the ups and downs that the couple had encountered, Melissa had no doubt in her mind that she had made the right choice when she married Gareth, he was a dreame true and no matter how many years had gone by, she never tired of him.

    ¡°On a serious note though,¡± Gareth inquired, ¡°why is my queen so happy this morning?¡±

    ¡°This is what happens when you get too busy,¡± Melissa responded, ¡°have you forgotten your own daughter¡¯s day of birth?¡±

    .....

    Gareth¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Goodness! Is that today?!¡±

    ¡°No .. it¡¯s not today, calm yourself,¡± Melissa responded, ¡°it¡¯s not for another two weeks. It¡¯s usually on the day the first kes of snow fall to the ground to wee the winter. You did name her you know, ¡®snow¡¯ .¡±

    Gareth cupped his forehead and sighed in relief, ¡°I suppose I did.¡± He would have had a very difficult day if it were Eira¡¯s birthday. He was trying to mend his rtionship with his daughter, and forgetting her birthday would have taken him several steps backwards. ¡°She will be seventeen will she not?¡±

    ¡°She will, it feels like only yesterday she was suckling from my tit, now she¡¯s making new friends and possibly courting someone.¡±

    Gareth¡¯s smile immediately faded at the mention of his daughter being courted.

    ¡°Is she seeing someone?! Who is this person? Where is he from? How long has this been going on and why do I know nothing about it?!¡±

    Melissa pinched her husband¡¯s lips and hushed him. ¡°It¡¯s just a hunch and nothing else,¡± Melissa spoke with a chuckle, ¡°I mean she has been dressing up more, and all those scented oils she¡¯s been storing away seem to finally be in use. I¡¯m guessing Eira isn¡¯t the type to get dolled up to impress Janis and Isabe now is she?¡±

    Gareth felt so conflicted about this information. Yes, he was aware that Eira would one day find someone she fancied, but he honestly hoped it would be much muchter. Eira was his little girl, his treasure, and on top of that the crowned princess.

    What if the man she had found was some power hungry maniac? Or what if he was an obsessive lunatic? What if he was just going to use Eira and make her life miserable? Gareth couldn¡¯t allow it, he had to find out who this mystery man was and have him thoroughly investigated.

    The double doors of the dining hall opened and Eira walked in. The princess stopped mid stride, nced at her parents and sighed. ¡°I will have my breakfast in my room if the two of you are still canoodling in here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sweetheart we¡¯ve canoodled enough for today,¡± Melissa spoke as she slipped off her husband¡¯sp. She leaned forward and gave Gareth¡¯s cheek a kiss before whispering in his ear, ¡°don¡¯t bring up her love life Gary...¡±

    Eira walked to the table and took her usual seat by her father¡¯s left hand.

    ¡°Good morning my little princess, did you sleep well?¡±

    Eira arched her eyebrows suspiciously at her father, thest time he had called her ¡®my little princess¡¯ was when she was ten years old. What exactly was going on with him this morning?

    ¡°Were the two of you talking about me?¡± Eira asked as she poured herself a cup of ginger tea.

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Yes..¡± Melissa held her husband¡¯s hand underneath the table and rubbed it to urge him to calm down. ¡°Your birthday ising up and you know how your father always gets so emotional during this time of year. No man, not even a king, ever wants his little princess to grow up and not need him.¡±

    ¡°Oh I see.¡± Eira put a spoonful of fruit tart in her mouth and gave her father a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry father, I¡¯ll always need you.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Because sometimes I worry someone will take my ce in your life- ow!¡±

    Melissa squeezed her husband¡¯s hand under the table and gave her daughter a small smile, ¡°see what I mean? He just can¡¯t help it.¡±

    Eira nced at her parents as she chewed her food, they had always been a little odd but today they were acting stranger than usual.

    ¡°Anyway, what theme would you like your ball to have this year?¡± Melissa asked her daughter, her hand still squeezing Gareth¡¯s to insure he did not say anything else he wasn¡¯t supposed to.

    ¡°I can choose my own theme this year?¡± There was an excitement in Eira¡¯s voice that made her mother beam. ¡°Gods I¡¯ve waited for this for so long.¡±

    ¡°Ohe on darling it¡¯s not like we never let you participate in the nning of your own birthday?¡±

    ¡°You never do,¡± Eira corrected her mother, ¡°I always just show up and everything is already set up.¡±

    ¡°Well this year is all about you princess,¡± Eira¡¯s father spoke with a smile, ¡°anything you want I will make it happen.¡±

    This was Gareth¡¯s chance to kill two birds with one stone. He was going to win his daughter¡¯s love and affection back by nning the best birthday ball she could ever ask for, and on top of that, he would also show her that the only man she needed in her life, at least until she was thirty years old or so, was him, her father, and no one else.

    ¡°Goodness, Ive had so many ideas over the years,¡± Eira responded excitedly, ¡°but I think one of those stands out from the rest.¡±

    ¡°And which one is that?¡±

    ¡°A masquerade ball,¡± Eira responded with a glimmer of wonder in her eyes. ¡°The suspense in the room will be amazing. And I love the idea of everyone just being themselves because they have no idea who the next person is. I¡¯m tired of people putting on a show in hopes of impressing others.¡±

    Gareth smiled at his daughter, the way she spoke her mind was very refreshing. ¡°Anything for you princess, we shall start the preparations as soon as possible.¡±

    *

    Back in the forest Elric was sitting in his chair brooding. He regretted it all, he regretted ever meeting Eira, he regretted saving her at that party and bringing her home, because all of this had put the silver haired lycan in this infuriating position, having her in his mind every time he sat in silence.

    And on top of it all, he really regretted how he had spoken to her thest time they had met. He didn¡¯t mean to drive her away, he was simply acting from a point of fear, fear of opening up and getting attached to another red headed woman.

    But goddamit he missed her presence, what in the world was wrong with him?! He barely even knew her but her absence left a significant void.

    Maybe he should try and talk to her, to apologize for being, quote and quote, ¡®a prick¡¯. He would try to open up a little and make her understand why he was like that sometimes, and pray that she would understand. He was but a broken man, and it would take some time for him to be ready to reveal his broken pieces to someone who either held a hammer or an adhesive behind their back.

    Would Eira shutter him to dust, or help glue together the broken pieces, that was what Elric did not know. And that is what he feared, the unknown, the fear of being hurt a second time.

 Chapter 250

    250 Chapter 250 : I need to talk to you

    After breakfast, the red head swapped her flowy dress for a pair of leather pants, a shirt, some boots and a substantial amount of armor. She wondered why women couldn¡¯t dress like this everyday, it was sofortable and refreshing. Eira had been ckingtely when it came to training and she knew her uncle would not let it slide so easily, she needed to pacify him somehow.

    The princess walked out to the training grounds where she saw Zhelimir in his armor as well, already swinging his sword around. Next to him was Zander, who was giving his son instructions and helping him with his grip on the de and with his posture every once in a while, as if Zhel was not already one of the best knights in the kingdom.

    When the two blonde men saw the princess walking their way, they paused their training and turned to her. Eira could already see the disappointed look on Zander¡¯s face and the indifferent look of Zhelimir¡¯s. She was going to get an earful from them, she just knew it.

    ¡°Well well well,¡± Zander spoke, his eyes never leaving Eira¡¯s and his arms crossed over his chest like a father who was about to scold his ten year old child. ¡°Look who decided to finally join us. Wee your grace, how can we be of service to you this fine morning?¡±

    The sarcasm in her uncle¡¯s voice made Eira half roll her eyes. ¡°I know uncle, I know,¡± she muttered just as she stopped by her cousin¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry I¡¯ve been skipping out on trainingtely, I don¡¯t even have a proper excuse for it. So as a gesture of good will..¡± Eira pulled out a bottle of wine from behind her back and offered it to her uncle. ¡°.. Ie baring gifts.¡±

    Zander looked down at the bottle and then back to the princess, Eira was a little scared he would reject it until a smile tugged his lips as he asked, ¡°is that Greenhill wine?¡±

    ¡°The very same, ferried here from my grandfather himself¡± Eira responded with a smile. If there was anything that could get her uncle to let this whole thing slide, it was a bottle of her father¡¯s finest wine. Odds are she would get in trouble for taking it without her father¡¯s permission, but she could always lie and say she identally dropped it or gifted it to someone.

    ¡°How old is it?¡±

    ¡°Started aging before I was in the womb..¡±

    .....

    Zander took the bottle of wine and pointed at his sly little niece, ¡°I¡¯ll let this slide this time, only because I love some good wine, but if this happens again Eira I¡¯m pinning you to duel against your uncle Ozias.¡±

    Eira gulped. Ozias was another one of her father¡¯s long time friends who she referred to as her uncle. He was freakishly strong and humongous in build, pinning her against him would be like telling her to duel with a brick wall. He was imprable.

    ¡°Your cousin should be here in a few minutes to catch you up on what you missed when you were busy ying hooky. I doubt he will be swayed by a bottle of wine though, so brace yourself.¡±

    Zhelimir and Eira watched Zander walk away, the smile on his face clearly showing that he was going to crack open the bottle of wine and spend the rest of the day drinking.

    The blond hybrid elf tossed his cousin a sword that Eira caught effortlessly. ¡°Care to have a friendly little duel? It would be wise to warm up before Damien gets here.¡±

    Eira unsheathed the de and took a step forward simultaneously with her cousin. Their des crossed as they moved in circles steadily.

    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days...¡± Eira jumped back and swung her sword towards Zhelimir. The blonde vanished from the spot and reappeared a few meters away. ¡°I¡¯m not the type to get rusty so easily. Besides..¡± Eira lifted her sword into the air and blocked Zhelimir¡¯s attack from above.

    ¡°... I need to talk to you.¡± The two spoke in unison.

    The blonde fell back and arched a brow at his cousin. Eira did the same before both speaking in unison again. ¡°You go first..¡±

    Zhelimir drew in a quick breath before charging towards Eira, inches away from her he teleported to her back and attacked. But just like she always did, Eira anticipated his move and leapt up into the air. She spun around and began to descend toward the blonde. Their swords shed with a loud cling that was almost deafening.

    ¡°Why did you leave without me yesterday?¡± Zhelimir pushed his cousin away with a kick and prepared to attack. ¡°I understand you have some sort of magical or mystical connection with this man, but that was a dangerous move. Do you trust him so much?¡±

    Eira moved her left leg back, she crouched slightly so she could be ready for both defense and offense. ¡°I actually regret going to see him without you honestly, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Zhelimir appeared right in front of Eira and plunged his sword towards her face. ¡°What happened? Did he touch you inappropriately?!¡±

    Eira held her sword with both her hands vertically to divert the thrust of Zhelimir¡¯s attack. ¡°What?!¡± With her de she pushed his away and jumped back. Her face was flushed and her eyebrows knitted together in both embarrassment and irritation. ¡°He did no such thing!¡± Eira looked down at her left hand that was bleeding from holding the bare de and waited for the wound to close up before grabbing her hilt with both hands.

    ¡°The redness of your face tells me that he did,¡± Zhelimir spoke before holding his sword up and blocking his cousin¡¯s head on attack.

    ¡°I would never let an arrogant prick like him touch me in any way! Ever!¡± Eira pulled back slightly and swung her sword again.

    Zhelimir blocked the attack and arched his eyebrows, ¡°arrogant prick? Did the two of you have some sort of disagreement?¡± He pushed Eira back and threw his de into the air. The blonde chanted some words that brought the sword in front of him, hovering it around with his magic.

    ¡°Hardly,¡± Eira responded while wiping away her blood from the de. ¡°He¡¯s just so smug and annoying. I can¡¯t have a proper conversation with him in the slightest, because he¡¯s just so..!¡± She zipped forward and shed swords with her cousin, a little too aggressively at that.

    ¡°Arrogant?¡± Zhelimir responded sarcastically, before teleporting backwards and flinging his sword towards Eira.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Eira moved to the side and the hurdling de missed her by a hair. She straightened her posture and jumped out of the way when Zhelimir called back his sword to his side. ¡°No fair, when did you learn telekinesis?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try and change the topic.¡± Zhelimir swayed his fingers forward and his de heeded to the movement. This time instead of dodging, Eira used all her strength to swing her de and hit Zhelimir¡¯s sword away.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re trying to say is he fancies you?¡±

    Eira¡¯s face was as red as a tomato, she tightened her hold on the hilt of her sword and hurled it towards her smirking cousin. Zhelimir used his sword to fling Eira¡¯s sword away before breaking into a chuckle.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Eira yelled before teleporting to where her weapon hadnded.

    ¡°If he is annoying you Eira, it¡¯s enough evidence that he fancies you.¡± Zhelimir swung his de around in readiness to block an erratic attack from his now frustrated cousin. ¡°Us men are simple creatures, when we like a woman, we either annoy the crap out of her or fear her presence like the gue.¡±

    Eira huffed and walked slowly towards her cousin who was also in stride towards where she was standing.

    ¡°I would rather stick needles into my eyeballs than be with that.. that..¡± Eira leaped ahead, her de forward and her feelings all over the ce.

    The move was reckless so Zhelimir was able to block it with ease. ¡°I said nothing about being with him Eira, but you did.. just now.¡±

    The princess kicked her cousin making him stamble backwards a little. ¡°You know what, you¡¯re a prick too!¡±

    Zhelimirughed heartily as he watched Eira plunge her sword into the ground and fall back onto the grass. He walked to her and settled down right near her feet.

    ¡°Now I really have to meet this guy,¡± Zhelimir chuckled, ¡°if he¡¯s got you so whirled up, it means he has a significant influence on your feelings. Maybe if you really ponder over it you¡¯ll find you fancy him as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh piss off Zhel..¡±

    ¡°Alright.. alright..I¡¯ll leave it here for now,¡± the blonde muttered. ¡°You said before that you wanted to talk to me as well? What did you want to talk about?¡±

    Eira pursed her lips. She took a deep breath and looked up at the blonde sitting in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s about Jacob...¡±

    ¡°What about him?¡±

    Eira averted Zhelimir¡¯s gaze and began to nibble nervously on the inside of her lip.

    ¡°Eira?¡± Zhelimir narrowed his eyes and red at the redhead. ¡°What about Jacob?¡±

    ¡°He asked to court me...¡±

 Chapter 251

    251 Chapter 251 : Masks

    ¡°What happened? Did your wife run off on you?¡±

    Elric sighed before nodding his head. He didn¡¯t have the time nor the will to start exining why he was asking around for Eira. ¡°Yes, my wife and I had a bit of a misunderstanding earlier and she left. I was hoping you or anyone has seen her around?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure if I can be of much helpd,¡± the cksmith responded as he put down the de he had been polishing. His handi work was actually very impressive, Elric would make sure to remember him. ¡°What does the wife look like?¡±

    Elric pursed his lips and thought for a minute, what did Eira look like? She had long curly red locs of hair that flowed down her shoulders and back. She had enchanting purple eyes and skin as smooth and as mesmerizing as amber.

    ¡°Beautiful,¡± Elric responded inly making the cksmithugh. A light blush tinted his cheeks, the word had involuntarily escaped his lips without thinking. Gods this was embarrassing.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they all mid! If she was anything but, she wouldn¡¯t have left you!¡± The manughed some more before patting Elric¡¯s shoulder a little too hard. ¡°Well if it¡¯s a beautiful angry woman you¡¯re looking for, I suggest you look at the fancy parties with expensive wine and rich lords. As a matter of fact, the wife told me the pce will be holding a fancy ball in a week or so, I can bet mi most expensive de your wife will be there. Women tend to run a little wild when they are angry, she¡¯ll probably be there drinking her pretty little head off.¡±

    ¡°The pce?¡± Elric felt his guts wrench at the thought of attending a party at the pce. That was where Gareth and Melissa resided after all, they were the very people who had made him shun human contact, and now he had to see them? Was that stubborn woman Eira really worth all this trouble?

    The lycan turned to look at the pce in the distance and then back to the cksmith. ¡°Won¡¯t this be a restricted party? I assume the king is the one hosting it.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± the man responded. ¡°So long as you can afford a fancy attire for it, you can attend. That is how the nobles filter the crowds nowadaysd, a man like me would have to be insane to spend gold on a pair of breeches just for one fucking party.¡± The cksmith reached into one of hispartments and produced a dirty parchment they he handed to the silver haired lycan. ¡°They put those up this morning. A masquerade ball it will be, will make it a bit difficult to spot your wife if everyone will be in a bloody mask the entire night, but it¡¯s worth a shot.¡±

    .....

    A masquerade party huh? That was perfect, it meant Elric could practically waltz in there and no one would be the wiser. He owed whoever came up with the theme a big thank you. ¡°I appreciate,¡± Elric thanked the cksmith.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, I hope you find yer littledy!¡±

    Elric folded up the parchment and tucked it in his shirt before bidding the cksmith farewell. Wearing expensive clothing would not be a problem for him, he already had plenty that he had not touched in years, all he had to do now was to find a good musk, one that would not only conceal his face, but his silver hair as well, that was one of his most noticeable features. He pulled his cloak further down his face and walked to the high end part of town that stocked unnecessary things like masquerade masks. He had a lot of shopping to do if he was going to fit in at that party and find Eira.

    *

    ¡°Do you have to wear that ridiculous get up?¡±

    Eira looked across the carriage at Zhelimir. Her hair and face was covered up in a cloak, and her body wrapped in a shawl. Even though winter had notpleted set in yet, she looked like she was dressed for a snow day. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with what I¡¯m wearing?¡±

    ¡°You realize people know what you look like already, do you not? What is the use of you hiding your identity now?¡±

    ¡°I know that Zhelimir, I¡¯m not dumb. I just really want to keep this little shopping spree as discreet as possible,¡± Eira responded. ¡°If people see the clothes and mask I will wear for the ball it will defeat the whole purpose of the theme.l¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want people to recognize you at the part so bad? It will be your birthday, people need to see you.¡± Zhelimir questioned his cousin who was peeping outside at the shops.

    ¡°For once I want to actually enjoy my birthday ball Zhel,¡± she turned to her cousin and gave him a serious look. ¡°All those extravagant dresses, pinchy shoes, fake smiles and people pretending they know me but don¡¯t. I¡¯m tired of it. I want to enjoy the festivities just like everyone else.¡± She grabbed Zhelimir¡¯s hand, pushed the door open and tugged him forward. ¡°Nowe on, I can see Isabe and Leonard waiting outside ..¡±

    That afternoon, Eira enjoyed the shopping a little more than she thought she would. Her father had given her the permission to have a dress of her own choice tailored, to purchase her own jewelry, and pick out the kind of decorations she wanted for her party. She didn¡¯t know why the king was being so flexible all of a sudden, he was mostly a strict man when it came to his daughter¡¯s dressing and appearance at public events, but this year it was different. Maybe because he had finally decided she was old enough to do certain things on her own. Whatever the reason, Eira could only be grateful.

    Thest stop the group made was at an antic store where different masks, jewelry and other artistic items were made and sold. Eira, Zhelimir, Isabe, and Leonard walked into the store and began looking around for the perfect masks.

    ¡°What do you think about this one?¡± Isabe asked Leonard as she held up a cat eyed silver mask. ¡°It will match with the seams of the dress I¡¯m going to wear at the ball.¡±

    ¡°Anything would look beautiful on you Be, you know that,¡± Leonard responded with a shy smile, earning him a peck on the cheek from the young woman.

    Isabe and Leonard had started courting at a fairly young age. Isabe had always liked the quiet and shy Leonard, but never knew how to tell him. She would rant about how cute and sensitive he was, but found no opportunity to let him know because he was mostly quiet and reserved.

    When she finally gained the courage to tell him she liked him, Leonard almost burst into tears iming he had liked her since they were five years old and was always too afraid to tell her.

    To be fair, telling a girl who has two very intimidating fathers that you like her, isn¡¯t the easiest thing to do, especially with a demeanor like Leonard¡¯s. But here they were now, together and happy.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of getting this ck and red one,¡± Zhelimir spoke while showing Eira his choice, ¡°I will be on ck and red by the way, just in case you need to find me at the ball.¡±

    Eira nodded before showing the blonde a golden cat eyed mask that was decorated with fluffy ck feathers. ¡°I think this will be perfect for me.¡± She smiled. As she turned around to look at the other options of masks avable, she caught a glimpse of a figure that made her heart jump.

    At the counter stood a man with a hood over his head. He was purchasing a gold and silver mask that took the shape of a wolf. Was that him? Was that Elric? Was he ning on attending her birthday ball?

    ¡°Hey Eira..¡±

    The red haired princess turned to Zhelimir who was gesturing her to follow him to the counter.

    ¡°Let¡¯s pay for these and get out of here, we have training with Damien in a bit and you know how he gets whenever we arete.¡±

    Eira nodded and followed Zhelimir to where Isabe and Leonard were already standing. After seeing Elric purchase that mask she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little excited. The masquerade ball could be their chance to talk normally without biting each other¡¯s heads off. And if Eira was being honest, she wouldn¡¯t mind seeing how handsome he would look when he was all cleaned up for the grand ball.

    ¡°Eirae on!¡± Zhelimir called to his cousin who seemed to be lost in a trance.

    ¡°Coming!¡± Eira responded and rushed to where her cousin was.

    Outside the store, Elric held the hood of his tightly and contemted going back into the store. He had heard someone call out Eira¡¯s name but didn¡¯t get the chance to see if it was really her. This could be his chance to speak with her, but she was with her friends and Elric didn¡¯t want to cause a scene. He clenched his mask and tucked it away before turning to leave, he would just have to chance her at the ball. At least now he was sure that she would be in attendance.

 Chapter 252

    252 Chapter 252 : Are you seeing someone?

    Jacob angrily stomped his feet like a child, as him and his sister walked down the busy roads of the market, back towards their carriage.

    ¡°Will you stop acting like such a child Jacob!¡± Janis yelled in irritation, ¡°I swear if I was not holding my expensive gown, I would have pped you silly by now. You¡¯re drawing unnecessary attention!¡±

    ¡°Might I reminded you dear sister, that your so called ¡®expensive gown¡¯ is the reason we¡¯rete!¡± Jacobined. ¡°We were supposed to meet Eira at the antic shop an hour ago, and she¡¯s probably gone by now thanks to you.¡±

    Jacob opened the carriage door and let his sister in before getting on himself and mming the door shut. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed agitatedly.

    ¡°What exactly is the problem?¡± Janis asked her brother. ¡°Okay, so you didn¡¯t get to go shopping with Eira, and so what? There will be other times. You are acting like you will never see her again after this.¡±

    Jacob red at Janis, ¡°you really don¡¯t understand do you?¡±

    ¡°No I don¡¯t, please enlighten me on why it was so important that you be with Eira while she goes dress shopping? Is your obsession with her graduating to new lengths?¡±

    ¡°Her party will be a masquerade ball Janis,¡± the dark haired elf spoke as if his sister was automatically supposed to understand what he meant by that. ¡°Everyone will be wearing a mask there and everyone¡¯s identity will practically be unknown. Including Eira¡¯s.¡±

    The woman narrowed her blue eyes at her brother and shrugged, ¡°so?¡±

    .....

    ¡°So, I needed to see the kind of mask she has purchased in order for me to recognize her at the party!¡± Jacob leaned back on the walls of the moving vehicle and sighed heavily. ¡°I was nning on spending some time with Eira on her birthday...¡±

    Janis¡¯ irritated look softened up when she heard the somber tone of her brother¡¯s voice as he spoke.

    ¡°I want to show her that I can be a good guy as well,¡± Jacob continued. ¡°I had a big n to make her day extra special, I even got her a gift that I was going to present to her after a dance or two, if she allowed it of course. I don¡¯t want her to see me as some self absorbed arrogant prick anymore.¡±

    Janis now felt a little guilty about somewhat foiling her brother¡¯s ns. ¡°So that¡¯s why you needed to know what she would be wearing... so you could find her at the party.¡±

    ¡°Precisely.¡± Jacob turned to look out the window into the busy town, ¡°but it¡¯s toote now, I¡¯ll have to figure out another way of spotting her at the ball. Hopefully she will take her usual seat at the high table and I can catch her then.¡±

    The carriage came to a halt in front of the antic shop where the two siblings were supposed to have met Eira and the others an hour ago. Janis peaked out and scanned the area, but Jacob was right, Eira and the others were long gone.

    ¡°Hey, maybe we can ask the merchant in there if he saw the kind of mask Eira purchased,¡± Janis suggested to the brooding man sitting in front of her. ¡°We might just get lucky.¡± The blue eyed elf grabbed her brother¡¯s hand and pulled him out the carriage towards the store.

    Inside, an elderly eleven man looked up at his door when the bell that dangled above it jingled. He smiled warmly at the two elves who had just walked in and gave both of them a nod. Business had been doing very well the past few days, the uing ball had customers flocking in in more numbers than he had ever experienced.

    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± the man greeted the siblings. He walked from behind the counter and pointed towards the shelves partially stacked with masquerade masks. ¡°May I interest you in a mask? I assume both of you are nobles and will be attending the royal masquerade balling up?¡±

    ¡°Yes please,¡± Janis responded excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m looking for something unique yet outstanding that I can match my flowy ck dress.¡± She turned to her brother who was still pouting and pointed at him. ¡°Something for him as well, a women¡¯s eye catcher if you will.¡±

    The shopkeeper nodded and walked towards the half empty shelves. ¡°I¡¯m afraid most of my best masks have already been purchased. But if you take your time, you may find something decent. If not, I could craft something for you both before the party.¡±

    Jacob walked slowly past the shelves looking at the many masquerade masks in disy. ¡°You¡¯ve sold quite a few of these haven¡¯t you?¡± He asked the man.

    ¡°Ah yes, it¡¯s quite a blessing,¡± the man responded cheerfully. ¡°Nobles from all over the kindom have been flocking to my humble little shop for days now.¡±

    Jacob picked up a red cat eyed mask and turned to the man. ¡°Did you happen to serve a red headed woman in here today? She was most likely with a blonde man and two others.¡±

    The shop keeper shook his head. ¡°Not too many red heads in this kingdomd, I would have remembered if one walked into my store. As a matter of fact, in Gavaria the only red heads are from the royal family, if I had been graced with any one of them¡¯s presence I¡¯d sing of it for the rest of my days.¡±

    Jacob turned to Janis who seemed even more disappointed than he.

    ¡°Maybe she asked Zhelimir or Isabe to purchase a mask on her behalf.¡± Janis tried to sound enthusiastic but she knew that she was just trying to make up for the time she had wasted picking out a dress. ¡°I¡¯m sure one of them knows what she¡¯ll be wearing.¡±

    ¡°Zhelimir would rather break his fingers one by one than help me get closer to Eira,¡± Jacob mumbled. He walked to the end of the shelf and picked up a gold and silver wolf shaped mask.

    ¡°Oh goodness, that¡¯s beautiful,¡± Janismented as she admired the mask in her brother¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m surprised no one has snatched this up yet.¡±

    ¡°A gentlemen had purchased it before, but returned it for a different one,¡± the merchant exined. ¡°He said something about it being too obvious, I don¡¯t know what the devil he meant by that, but I was happy to give him what he wanted.¡±

    Jacob ced the mask carefully on his face and looked towards a mirror that was mounted on the wall not too far from where he was standing. ¡°What do you think?¡± He asked his sister.

    ¡°I think you would be crazy if you didn¡¯t purchase it.¡±

    Jacob pulled the mask off and nodded at the merchant, ¡°I¡¯ll take this one.¡±

    *

    Melissa was delighted to see that her daughter was more than excited about nning her birthday ball, now even more than ever. Eira had practically taken over the entire thing, she was choosing the colors, selecting the delicacies, and even choosing the outfits her parents would wear for the asion.

    Gareth of course had noints. He was in fact very happy that he could help make his princess¡¯ big day special. He enjoyed helping her in any way that he could whenever he was not busy with royal duties, he felt happy that he and her were starting to bond again just like the old days.

    Eira slid two small saucers with two different slices of cake on them, towards her father and gave him an expectant look. ¡°Give them a try and tell me which one you like better.¡±

    King Gareth looked down at the cake slices and smiled, his daughter was really nning everyst detail, wasn¡¯t she? He never thought the vor of a cake was of much importance, not many people partook in it anyway. All people did at balls was drink and unt.

    He picked up his fork and mouthed a small piece of the first slice. It was packed with vor, but it was a bit too sweet for Gareth.

    He than took a small piece of the other cake and ate it, this one wasn¡¯t as sweet as the first slice, but was still full of vor. It tasted like wild berries.

    ¡°Oh. This one is good,¡± Gareth spoke while

    pointing at the second slice.

    ¡°I thought so too!¡± Eira squealed excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s mixed berry vor, everyone will love it for sure!¡± The princess gave her father a quick side hug and a kiss on the cheek, ¡°thank you papa,¡± she muttered before sitting down and finishing up her own piece of cake.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you called me that...¡±

    ¡°Called you Papa?¡± Eira blushed a little as she swallowed her cake. ¡°It has been a while hasn¡¯t it? Well you are the king, it would be presumptuous of me to go around calling you papa like I¡¯m six years old.¡±

    Gareth sighed while pouring himself another ss of wine to wash the cake down. ¡°You¡¯re growing up so fast princess, a little too fast actually, and it worries me sometimes. I fear you may not be ready for the harsh world out there and all the trails thate with it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things father,¡± Eira responded. ¡°I¡¯m more capable than you think, you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    ¡°I suppose...¡± Gareth finished his wine and looked up at his beautiful daughter. ¡°Honey, is there someone you¡¯re seeing?¡±

    Eira froze with her fork mid air. She slowly lowered the utensil before locking eyes with her father who had an I different look on his face. ¡°Seeing someone?... whatever do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What I mean is, is there any man trying to get in your breeches?¡±

 Chapter 253

    253 Chapter 253 : Roll my log

    ¡°Father... how many drinks have you had exactly?¡±

    Gareth tried to conceal a hup before leaning back into his chair. ¡°Maybe one to many, but that isn¡¯t the point here. Eira, your mother told me you¡¯re courting someone! How long has that been going on? And why am I not aware of it?¡±

    ¡°Wha- no I am not!¡± Eira squealed, her face waspletely shed and the pitch of her voice was as high as a whistle. ¡°Why would mother say such a thing? I am most certainly not courting anybody!¡±

    ¡°The blush on your cheeks tell a different story,¡± Gareth pointed out. ¡°Is this man the reason you have been wandering off into the forest? Do you even know him well? Is he from a noble family or is he just using you for power? These are thing I need to know Eira!¡±

    Eira rose from her seat and tried hard not to look reticent, but she was failing miserably. ¡°I don¡¯t think it is appropriate for me to be having this conversation with you of all people father.¡±

    Gareth also rose from his seat and gave his daughter a tender look. ¡°I¡¯m only concerned about your well being princess, I am your father before I am the king. I know how men can be sometimes, they can be deceitful and maniptive. I don¡¯t want you ending up with the wrong person and regret it, if you cannot speak to me about this, at the least open up to your mother.¡±

    Eira was at loss for words, how did this conversation go from ¡®birthday cakes¡¯ to ¡®deceitful men¡¯? ¡°I.. I should go and prepare for dinner,¡± the red haired princess mumbled.

    ¡°Princess..¡± Gareth walked to his daughter and gentlyy his hands on both her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I was a bit straightforward. I just worry about you, you¡¯re my little girl and I want only the best for you. The best life, the best suitors.¡±

    Eira felt very ufortable, she had never had a conversation about suitors with any of her parents before. Was it because she was turning seventeen? Technically, she was already a littlete at finding someone, most maidens in the kingdom would be married, or at the least engaged at her age. Maybe that was why all this talk of having a man in her life wasing up.

    .....

    ¡°I want you to know that you should never feel pressured to find a man because of your duties as the princess of this kingdom,¡± Gareth mumbled. Even if he was a little intoxicated, his words were sincere. ¡°I also want you to take your time in finding a suitor, when you find the right man you will know. Attaching yourself to someone for any reason other than love, is something I never want you to go through. It is a horrible experience, your mother can attest to that.¡±

    Eira looked up at her father and knitted her brows together, ¡°mother? What does she have to do with this?¡±

    The eleven king immediately regretted his words, maybe he was more drunk than he though, because he was just about to spew a secret that he and his wife had been keeping from their daughter all her life.

    ¡°Did I say your mother?¡± Gareth chuckled and rubbed his daughter¡¯s shoulders nervously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry princess it looks like the wine is starting to get to me. You said something about preparing for dinner did you not? You should go on and do that.¡±

    The king turned around and headed for the door. ¡°I will see you at the table princess. But please do keep what I said in mind.¡±

    *

    The day after, out in the Gavarian pce¡¯s training grounds, Zhelimir was taking a breather when the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him grabbed his attention. He turned around and frowned when he saw Jacob¡¯s attempt at a smile directed to him.

    ¡°Clearly standing in front of me is causing you as much physical difort as it is causing me¡± Zhelimir pointed out, ¡°so why are you still here?¡±

    ¡°Ohe on now Zhelimir , isn¡¯t it about time we put our differences behind us and became acquaintances at least?¡±

    Zhelimir raised one eyebrow skeptically at the elven man, he knew Jacob very well, he was not a man to ¡®bury a hatchet¡¯. If anything, Zhelimir was sure Jacob would take their rivalry to the grave. That was one of the reasons why Zhelimir did not like Jacob for Eira.

    ¡°Out with it, what is it you want?¡±

    Jacob walked a little closer to Zhelimir and gave him a serious look. ¡°Straight to the point I see. Well, I actually need a huge a favor from you. I know you and I are not on the best terms, and we probably never will be. But I would really appreciate it if you did this one thing for me.¡±

    ¡°Will you stop rambling and tell me what it is that you want already!¡± Zhelimir responded. ¡°I don¡¯t want people seeing us together and thinking we are friends.¡±

    Jacob had a snarkyment just itching to leave his lips, but he decided to control his urge to respond rudely. He needed Zhelimir¡¯s help after all, his mission to get closer to Eira was much more important than his ego.

    ¡°Alright then, I am here to ask the details of princess Eira¡¯s attire for the royal ball next week.¡±

    Zhelimir cocked his head to the side and gave Jacob a confused look. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°You heard what I said Zhelimir,¡± Jacob responded in a slightly irritated tone. ¡°Just tell me what Eira is wearing to the ball so we can end this ufortable conversation. I am particrly interested in the mask that she picked out, if I can have that information, I will happily be on my way.¡±

    It took a bit of time for Zhelimir to understand what Jacob was asking for, but once he did, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. So he wanted to try and get closer to Eira at the masquerade ball? Smart. What better time to try and woo her, than when no one could tell who she was. He could spend as much time with her without any interruptions.

    ¡°I¡¯m certain I did not say anything amusing,¡± Jacob grumbled. ¡°Are you going to be of assistance to me or not? I have no time for your ridicule.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me but-¡± Zhelimir spoke between taunting chuckles, ¡°just now, it sounded to me like you were asking for my help, and actually expected to receive it.¡± The blonde took a step back and eyed Jacob from head to toe, a smirk threatening to tug his lips. ¡°But I know for a fact that is not the case, because you and I both know, that I would rather pluck out my finger nails with a pair of blunt tweezers one by one, than help you bed my cousin.¡±

    Jacob watched in anger as Zhelimir picked up his sword and began walking away. He didn¡¯t even understand why he was surprised by the blonde¡¯s response, of course that damn hybrid bastard would not lend him a hand, why had he even bothered to ask?

    ¡°Fine! And here I was thinking we could have some sort of trade. I happen to be the only one who will attend that ball knowing exactly what Janis will be wearing!¡±

    Zhelimir halted in his tracks and cussed under his breath. He should have seen thising, Jacob was even more guileful than he had initially thought. Using Zhelimir¡¯s not so hidden attraction to his sister to get what he wanted was almost sinister.

    The dark haired elf smirked when Zhelimir turned back around. ¡°Do I now have your attention you cocky bastard? You¡¯ve been wanting to court Janis for a while now haven¡¯t you? But the opportunity has never presented itself...¡± Jacob ced his hands behind his back and took a step forward. ¡°The masquerade ball could be your only chance, I¡¯m assuming your confidence will peek behind a mask, and no one will interrupt you because they won¡¯t know it¡¯s her under that mask. Do you really want to let an opportunity like this pass you by Zhel?¡±

    Zhelimir cursed again. Jacob was ying dirty, and the blonde was angry with himself for even considering giving into him. Jacob really didn¡¯t deserve Eira, not in the slightest. But he had brought up Janis, Zhelimir didn¡¯t understand why he yearned her so. Even after seeing her with different men over the years, he still fell as hard this day as he did the first time he hadid eyes on her. The ball would be the perfect ce to spend time with her, but at what cost?

    ¡°So what do you say Zhelimir?¡± Jacob asked and stretched out his open palmed hand. ¡°Roll my log and I will roll yours.¡±

    Zhelimir looked down at Jacob¡¯s hand and then back up at his face. ¡°You are a shameless man Jacob, you would sell your sister out for a woman?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Jacob responded, ¡°I would sell my sister out for Eira. I will stop at nothing to make her mine.¡±

 Chapter 254

    254 Chapter 254 : Invites...

    ¡°Is everything set for our departure?¡±

    The lycan general walked towards the silver haired alpha and bowed respectfully. ¡°Everything is ready as per your instructions alpha Edron, we leave at yourmand.¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡±

    Edron was about to mount his horse when the sound of the pce doors swinging open caught his attention. He turned around only to find his wife dressed for travel and walking towards him hastily.

    ¡°La?¡± The alpha walked towards his wife and blocked her path. ¡°What is this? What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing Edron? I¡¯ming with you to look for our son.¡±

    The alpha turned to look at his men before gently pulling his wife aside. ¡°Darling you¡¯re causing a scene, you know very well that you cannote with us. This journey is not one for a woman, especially not the Luna of the pack.¡±

    ¡°Edron my son is out there alone, what kind of mother would I be if I did not go to his aid.¡± The stubborn woman tried to walk around her husband but the man blocked her path once again. ¡°Let me pass Edron.¡±

    ¡°I cannot,¡± the alpha replied gently, ¡°you are letting your feeling get the best of you, calm down and think logically for a minute.¡±

    .....

    ¡°I am thinking logically! All his life I have taken the backseat as his mother, not once have I ever done anything to earn the title of ¡®parent¡¯ in Elric¡¯s life. Just this once I¡¯d like to show him that he is not alone, please Edron, let me be there when he needs me for once.¡±

    The man gently pulled his wife into his arms and buried his face in her soft dark hair. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would have never know he was still alive to begin with.¡± Edron pulled back slightly and nted a kiss on his wife¡¯s forehead. ¡°Stay here and make this old lonely house worthy of his arrival, the rest you can leave to me.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    La¡¯s words were silenced by her husband¡¯s lips pressing against hers.

    ¡°I promise I will bring him home safe and sound,¡± Edron whispered while giving his Luna a reassuring smile. ¡°The journey ahead is long and burdensome, Elric would never forgive me if I allowed you to travel with us.¡±

    L felt frustrated, she hated not being able to do anything to be there for her son. From the day he was born she had never shown him the love of a mother and it troubled her heart deeply. Even after the incident with Melissa, La had not been able to console her son, and she felt incredibly guilty about it. She needed him to know that she loved him more than anything, she needed him to know that even if the entire world was against him, she would be for him, because that was what mothers did, they loved their children unconditionally.

    ¡°Alright,¡± La finally conceded. She looked up at her husband misty eyed. ¡°If you do not return with our son Edron, I set this entire ce on fire.¡±

    Edron smiled before pulling his wife into his embrace a second time, ¡°I would not expect any other reaction my love.¡±

    *

    ¡°Darling?¡±

    Clovis pulled the letter from his line of view and smiled when he saw his beautiful wife, Da crowned princess of the dwarve kingdom of Lenora, standing at the doorway of his study.

    ¡°You seem troubled,¡± the green eyed woman spoke. ¡°Is that another letter from my father? Is he threatening to chop your cock off again?¡±

    Clovis chuckled at his wife¡¯s words, they were funny because they were true. He had in fact received the asional letter from king Dvalin, threatening to cut different body parts off his body and feeding them to one beast or the other. Clovis concluded that it was his father inw¡¯s way of checking up in him.

    ¡°In as much as I love hearing from your father my love, this letter in particr is not from him.¡±

    The woman walked towards her husband and took a seat on hisp. ¡°Is it from Jeffrey and Rnd then? I haven¡¯t heard from them in a while. I especially miss Isabe, such a beautiful and bright little girl, I¡¯d very much love to see her again.¡±

    Clovis wrapped his arms around the woman on hisps and tilted the letter in his hand upwards so she could read it. ¡°It isn¡¯t from them either,¡± Clovis replied, ¡°it is an invitation to a party.¡±

    ¡°A party? Well why are you brooding over an invitation to a party? Shouldn¡¯t you be a little.. well I don¡¯t know.. excited?¡±

    ¡°I should be,¡± Clovis mumbled, ¡°it has been a long time since I¡¯ve had time for parties, getting Meria back on its feet has not been easy. However, this is not just any party my love.¡± The lycan king trailed his finger across the letter to show his wife, ¡°it¡¯s Eira¡¯s birthday party, Melissa and Gareth¡¯s daughter will be turning seventeen in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Oh my..¡±

    Da now knew why her husband was indifferent about the invitation. Even though Meria and Gavaria as kingdoms were allied, there was always a bit of awkwardness that lingered between the two ruling families for various reasons. They opted to not intertwine their lives, in order to avoid unnecessary contact. Even when Eira was born, Clovis and his wife had only met the girl once, during which he was introduced as a close family friend.

    ¡°Do you think there is a particr reason we have been invited to attend?¡± Da questioned, ¡°I mean, Gareth seemed to be adamant about keeping the history between his family and ours a secrete from his daughter. Has he maybe had a change of heart?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Clovis responded. ¡°And if he has, why now? What good wille from involving the children in the tainted happenings of the past?¡± He tossed the letter on the table in front of him, before proceeding to rubbing his wife¡¯s protruding belly. ¡°Elric is gone and the rivalry is over, there is no need for our families to be more acquainted than we already are.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m assuming you will not attend?¡±

    ¡°I will think about it,¡± Clovis responded, ¡°I still have a few days to decide.¡±

    *

    Gavin slowly creaked open therge wooden door of his father¡¯s study and walked in. It always took him a while to adjust to the almost non existent lighting in there, so he had to walk slowly and carefully so as not to identally kick or topple over the many jars and vials that littered the room.

    ¡°Father? Father are you in here?¡±

    ¡°Stop where you are!¡± A voice red across the study, making Gavin freeze in his tracks. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, I wille to you.¡±

    From the looming darkness, an elderly looking man with raven ck hair and deep brown eyes appeared. Despite his old age, Renly did not look a day over thirty five. After his father had ¡®died¡¯, he married Theodora and the two moved to the castle of Le Brouird where he took over his father¡¯s work.

    Renly had discovered and created many things over the years, many of which he had used to save countless lives of different beings all over the continent. Many called him a man of medicine, some a necromancer, but Renly preferred to refer to himself as an alchemist.

    One of Renly¡¯s greate achievements thus far, was his invention of a serum that he called ¡®the fountain of youth¡¯. It was a special elixir that slowed down the aging process in humans, so much so, that without any external forces, one could live to be over three hundred years old.

    ¡°Have you created another elixir father?¡± Gavin asked the man who was pulling off some sort of mask from his mouth. ¡°Is this the day you finally create something that will blow our house clean off this hill. Mother will not be pleased if the smell of elixirs lingers to the dinning area again.¡±

    Renly chuckled before patting his son on the shoulder. ¡°Well then it¡¯s a good thing I have you to keep me in check. At my age I may mix up the wrong potions and boom! The end of my marriage.¡±

    Gavin rolled his eyes before handing his father a small rolled up parchment. ¡°This came for you by raven,¡± he exined, ¡°it¡¯s absurd to think that someone hopes to pull you away from your work to attend some stupid party.¡±

    Renly read the invite carefully and gasped, ¡°this is from the elf king of Gavaria.. what a surprise.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only ever heard you speak of him passively,¡± Gavin pointed out as he put on his own mask and a pair of leather gloves. ¡°Why would he invite you to his daughter¡¯s birthday as if you are best friends or something?¡±

    Renly shoved the parchment into his pocket and turned to his son, ¡°that is what I¡¯m going to find out.¡± He pulled of his gloves off and rushed towards the exit, ¡°I must speak with your mother, keep the boiler from blowing up the house for me will you.. I will be right back!¡±

    ¡°Wait what?!¡± Gavin watched his father disappear down the hallway and sighed. This man was going to be the death of all of them one day.

 Chapter 255

    255 Chapter 255 : Knight in shiny hair

    ¡°You seem rather anxious today..¡± Zhelimir sat down on a log next to his cousin and studied her. ¡°I thought you would be excited about your big day, it is right around the corner isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Eira sighed, ¡°yes it is..¡±

    ¡°Then why do you look dispirited, aren¡¯t you excited to see your masquerade balle to light?¡± Zhelimir poked his cousin yfully with the hilt of his sword. ¡°And not to mention all the extravagant presents you will receive from nobles from everywhere. If I were you, I would move it up for that very reason.¡±

    Eira turned to her cousin and gave him small forced smile, ¡± I am excited Zhel, it¡¯s just...¡± she stopped herself and wondered if telling Zhelimir what was eating her up was the right thing to do. He tended to be very overprotective sometimes, like an annoying and nosy older brother.

    ¡°Come on out with it,¡± Zhelimir coaxed his cousin, ¡°are you worried that your shoes don¡¯t match that rather revealing dress of yours, you know your father will have a fit when he sees it.¡±

    ¡°It is not revealing!¡± Eira squealed defensively, ¡°it¡¯scy, there¡¯s a difference, argh! You men wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it that you¡¯re worried about? Is it Jacob?¡±

    ¡°No of course not, Jacob doesn¡¯t have the slightest idea what I will be wearing at the ball, and even if he does, he will not be much of a problem.¡± The princess responded, ¡°I have you there to cock block him the entire evening.¡±

    ¡°Yes of course,¡± Zhelimir chuckled nervously. Eira would definitely kill him if she found out that Jacob actually knew exactly what she would be wearing, and it was all because as usual, the blonde could not say no to an opportunity to get closer to Janis. And on top of that, he wouldn¡¯t be much of a cockblocker since he had practically signed a deal with Gavaria¡¯s little devil

    .....

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be telling you this,¡± the red haired princess mumbled. ¡°But do you remember the lycan from the woods?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, the one you say you despise and yet he keepsing up in our conversations..¡±Zhelimir teased, ¡°is that the one? Or are there any other lycan in your life I don¡¯t know about?¡±

    The princess elbowed her cousin angrily and pouted, ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to imply and I need you to stop implying it right this minute!¡±

    The blonde chuckled and blocked another blow thrown his way by his cousin, ¡°alright I¡¯m sorry Eira, please be gentle, you¡¯re a lot stronger than you look you know, you could break my ribs in half.¡±

    ¡°Maybe a few broken ribs will teach you to take things a little more seriously!¡±

    ¡°What was it you wanted to say about the lycan? Did you go meet him again?¡±

    ¡°I did not,¡± the princess responded with a sigh, ¡°but I did spot him at the store the other day when we were doing our shopping. He too was purchasing a mask.¡±

    ¡°Do you think he will be attending the ball as well then?¡±

    ¡°I should think so,¡± Eira responded, ¡°otherwise why would he be purchasing a masquerade mask?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose he was stalking you now was he?¡± Zhelimir asked the princess, his voice projecting a little more concern than before.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he was. He was already in the shop when we walked in, and he didn¡¯t even bat an eye in my direction.¡± She looked up at her cousin, ¡°I think he was genuinely purchasing a mask for the ball.¡±

    ¡°I thought he doesn¡¯t mingle with the people of this kingdom,¡± Zhelimir pointed out after remembering the few details Eira had told him about the lycan. ¡°Why would he want to attend one of the biggest parties in all the kingdom all of a sudden if he hates people.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t hate people!¡± Eira yelled defensively, ¡°I think he has just been through a lot. He isn¡¯t a bad person, well at least he didn¡¯t seem so to me. People can be far from kind sometimes and lead others to istion.¡±

    The princess looked up at her cousin and knitted her eyebrows when she caught sight of the smirk on his face.

    ¡°Why are you smiling like you just had a stroke? Is any of what I said amusing to you?¡±

    Zhelimir scoffed before nodding, ¡°as a matter of fact it is,¡± he spoke as his smirk turned into a grin, ¡°call me crazy, but I think you¡¯re starting to like this lycan.¡±

    Eira¡¯s cheeks burned red almost immediately. She turned away from her now chuckling cousin and pouted. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±

    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re so nervous? Because your handsome knight in shiny hair will being to the ball?¡±

    The princess turned her head slightly and nodded. ¡°Maybe, but it¡¯s not because I¡¯m starting to like him!¡±

    The way the princess uttered thest part of her sentence, it was as if she was trying to convince herself rather that respond to her cousin.

    ¡°Then what is the problem?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t beenpletely honest with him,¡± Eira mumbled in response. ¡°If anything, he thinks I¡¯m an elf from a powerful family. He has no idea I¡¯m the crowned princess.¡± She looked up at her cousin with somber eyes, ¡°I¡¯m afraid of how he¡¯ll react if he finds out. What if he never speaks to me again?¡±

    Zhelimir was now almost sure that his cousin had some sort of feelings for this mysterious lycan. Because just a few days ago she said she never wanted to see his annoying face ever again. Yet now she worried he would not want to speak to her if he found out she left out a bit of information about her identity.

    ¡°Well what you told him is partly true,¡± Zhelimir spoke as hefortingly rubbed Eira¡¯s shoulder, ¡°you are part elf, and you do indeed hail from a powerful family. All you¡¯ll have to do is exin to him that you couldn¡¯t just tell a man you hardly knew your entire life story, and if he really ising to this ball for the sole purpose of seeing you, I can guarantee that he will not be as startled as you think he will.¡±

    Eira nodded and smiled before leaning onto her cousin. Zhelimir put his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder gently. ¡°Now all we have to worry about is to ensure your father doesn¡¯t scare him off. Hees off as the kind of man who would lock any of your possible suitors up and interrogate the hell out of them.¡±

    Eira chuckled, ¡°I guess it runs in the family.¡±

    Zhelimir pinched Eira¡¯s arm making herugh. ¡°And what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?!¡±

    ¡°Nothing! Nothing ow! Stop it!¡±

    When the blonde retracted his fingers, Eira leaned back onto him. ¡°Thank you Zhel, for everything.¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me Eira, I will always be by your side, just like you¡¯ve always been by mine.¡±

    *

    ¡°Darling are you absolutely sure of this?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am,¡± Gareth responded to his beautiful wife who wasying naked on his chest. ¡°Eira is growing up. We can¡¯t keep trivial things like this from her any longer, she will figure it out eventually wether we like it or not.¡±

    Melissa cocked her head up slightly to look at her husband. ¡°You¡¯re probably right, it might be better for her to hear it from us than anyone else. I suppose I¡¯m just worried that she will see us in different light. What happened between us and the lycan royals isn¡¯t exactly a tea time topic.¡±

    The eleven king wrapped his arms tighter around his wife and kissed the top of her head. ¡°Everyone makes mistakes my love,¡± heforted her, ¡°and besides, that bastard Elric tricked you into marrying him, the odds were against you. Any person would have made the choices you did.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so...¡±

    The man grabbed Melissa¡¯s shoulders andy her t on the bed. He then moved on top of her and smiled lovingly. ¡°I was practically deceased at the time Mel, and a dashing silver haired lycan swooped in to heal your bleeding heart. You would have to be made of steel to not be swooned by his debonair ways.¡±

    The woman rolled her blue eyes and chuckled, ¡°are you always going to make a joke of that situation Gary?¡±

    ¡°Until you stop feeling guilty about it,¡± the man mumbled before nibbling his wife¡¯s lower lip. ¡°I will make a joke of it until I¡¯m old and grey.¡±

    Melissa pulled the man in for a kiss. ¡°You are the worst.¡±

    Gareth kissed her back, ¡°I know..¡±

    ¡°But darling,¡± Melissa continued, ¡°was it necessary to invite all those people to her birthday ball? Thest thing we want is an awkward situation at her party. Eira would be devastated.¡±

    ¡°I will not cause a scene I promise,¡± Elric responded, ¡°I just want Eira to know that with all that will be said, there is no animosity whatsoever between the parties involved.¡±

    ¡°And Elric?¡±

    ¡°For all we know the man could be dead,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°but if he happens to be alive, and willing to put all what transpired behind him. I would be more than willing to be civil with him.¡±

 Chapter 256

    256 Chapter 256 : What if he¡¯s your blood half?!

    Ronda listened to the queen discussing the ball that would be happening in Gavaria in a few days. Apparently Melissa and Gareth¡¯s spoiled little brat was turning seventeen, every year they would throw a grand ball for her, all perks of being the offspring of the king. It was infuriating to think that, that little witch Melissa was having the best time living a life that should have been Ronda¡¯s. If that scheming redhead had not been in the picture, Ronda and Gareth would¡¯ve had children of their own, and this party everyone was so excited about would¡¯ve been dedicated to THEIR children, not Melissa¡¯s.

    Every day Ronda¡¯s hatred sipped a little deeper into her heart, like wine spilled sipping through the cracks of a stone floor.

    ¡°Do you think we should take here with us?¡± Estel whispered to her mother while taking quick nced at the blonde elven woman who was sitting, brooding, on the chair across from them. Ronda¡¯s downcast face had be a usual sight in Tauriel¡¯s household these days, and to be honest people were quite tired of trying to cheer her up. It was ridiculous for a woman to be this obsessed with a married man who had never even reciprocated her feelings, but Ronda couldn¡¯t care less.

    The green eyed elf looked up at Estel who immediately averted her gaze, Ronda at this point was used to hearing people casting aspersions on her. She how to be ustomed to people talking behind her back, to them giving her dirty looks, and to them subtly mocking her situation. It didn¡¯t matter, soon she would show all of them that no one could make a fool out of her, and get away with it.

    Tauriel turned to Ronda and gave her a small smile, ¡°I know you¡¯re not fond of Melissa, but this ball may be the breath of fresh air that-¡±

    ¡°No thank you,¡± Ronda responded sternly, cutting Tauriel¡¯s sentence short. ¡°I appreciate the offer but I have no business attending that ball. I¡¯m better off staying here.¡±

    Why would she want to put herself in a situation where she would have to watch Melissa bask in the love of a man who had her heart? What kind of deluded self torture would that be? And besides, she really did have no business there, her spells and hexes reserved for Melissa were far from ready, she needed a little more time. Ronda wanted the next time she saw the redhead nosferatu princess¡¯ snobby smile to also be thest.

    Ronda stood up and curtsied, ¡°excuse me your majesties, I have some personal errands to run in the town. Do enjoy the rest of your afternoon.¡±

    Thd two women nodded and watched Ronda walk away. It was disheartening to see a woman who was once so bright and full of life, be a walking dark cloud. Estel turned to her mother and gave her a concrened look.

    .....

    ¡°You need to get her some help mother,¡± Estelmented, ¡°she is up to no good, I can just feel it. you really think thest incident with the poison is thest time she will try and hurt Melissa? You can clearly see the scorn in her eyes, mother that woman is unhinged she needs help immediately, before it¡¯s toote.¡±

    ¡°As long as Ronda is here with me, she cannot cause any trouble,¡± Tauriel responded. ¡°And besides, I gave her a stern warning about trying anything with my family. She knows better than to go against me.¡±

    Estel looked at the doors where Ronda had exited and sighed, the hate Estel saw in her green eyes was not one that could not be smothered by mere words. If pushed enough, Ronda might do something that could cause a lot of pain, and then it would be toote to reprimand her.

    *

    Isabe was feeling dizzy after watching Eira pace her bedroom for almost thirty minutes, while inspecting the dress she had prepared for the grand ball. The red haired princess turned to her friend and stered thecy ck dress onto her body for the hundredth time and groaned in frustration.

    ¡°Gods, Zhelimir was right, I look like a slut!¡±

    ¡°What?! Noo,¡± Isabe got up and walked towards her panicking friend. ¡°this is ridiculous Eira. I have told you a hundred times already, this dress looks absolutely stunning on you. Do you think sluts can afford fancyce like this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Zhel said my father would go

    off a ledge of he sees me wear this.¡± The princess look down at the dress and then back up at her friend, ¡°do you think you can see my skin through this dress? Oh gods, what am I going to do?!¡±

    ¡°Why the devil would you take advice on dresses from Zhelimir of all people?!¡± Isabe yelled, ¡°Zhelimir wouldn¡¯t know Fashion if it pped him across the face.¡±

    Eira put the dress down and pouted. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m just incredibly nervous. For some reason this ball is starting to give me a lot anxiety.¡± Eira reached for the dress a second time, but Isabe grabbed it and tossed it on the sofa behind her.

    ¡°I am taking this dress back to my house, and the only time you are going to have it back is a day before the ball!¡± She folded her arms and studied her friend closely, ¡°could this perhaps have something to do with a certain captor of yours?¡± The young blue eyed woman mumbled sheepishly. ¡°Is there a possibility he might be at the ball, and you worry if you will look sexy enough for him?¡±

    ¡°what?!¡± Eira squealed in embarrassment, ¡°of course not! What are you even talking about?!¡±

    ¡°The man you spent that night with, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Isabe responded with a smirk. ¡°The night you went missing and magically reappeared the next morningpletely unharmed and suspiciously bashful. You remember that don¡¯t you? You may have convinced everybody else Eira, But I know for a fact that there¡¯s something about that night that you¡¯re keeping from all of us.¡± Isabe sat down next to the redhead and smiled slyly at her. ¡°Come on you can tell me, are the two of you in love? Is he much older than you? Is he some sort of wizard?¡± Isabe covered her mouth and gasped.

    ¡°is he as ugly as a troll? Is that why you keep hiding him from everybody?¡±

    ¡°what?! No he¡¯s none of those things!¡± Eira responded.

    ¡°So there is a man!¡± Isabe shrieked in glee, making the red haired princess sigh. ¡°Eira you bad girl, you¡¯ve been secretly canoodling with a strange man¡¯s entire time! How romantic..¡± she cooed.

    The excitement in Isabe¡¯s voice at the thought of her friend canoodling with a stranger was a little rming.

    ¡°Will you calm down.¡± Eira shushed her friend. ¡°we are not canoodling. Him and I am barely even friends.¡±

    ¡°But you like him right?¡± Isabe asked the blushing princess.

    ¡°Honestly I just want us to at least get along,¡± Eira responded. ¡°We are constantly at each other¡¯s throats. And I really don¡¯t like it. I feel this weird connection with him, I know it sounds strange, but from the moment I saw him I just knew there was something there. I don¡¯t know if that means I like him or anything of that sort, but there¡¯s something there for sure.¡±

    ¡°good gods, what if he¡¯s your blood half?!¡±

    The pink on Eira¡¯s cheeks turned into a deep crimson. ¡°That¡¯s absurd! I barely even know the man!¡±

    ¡°With blood halves none of that matters Eira, don¡¯t you know?!¡± Isabe now sounded even more excited than before. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the old tales? Blood halves are decided even before one is born. It isn¡¯t something you can control.¡±

    Eira averted Isabe¡¯s gaze, ¡°that¡¯s preposterous! He¡¯s a lycan!¡±

    ¡°So am I Eira,¡± Isabe responded, ¡°but I know for sure Leonard is my mate, and me his blood half. I mean look at your mother and father for heaven¡¯s sake! Racial differences quiver at the feet of love.

    In that moment, Eira could suddenly fill her heartbeat drumming within her chest. Is that why Eric had been seeing her even before she was born? Is that the reason there was a strange connection between the two of them? Because he was her blood half?!

    ¡°Eira?¡± Isabe gently held the redhead¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Are you all right? You are starting to look a little more paler than usual.

    ¡± I ... I have never thought of it that way.¡± Eira mumbled incoherently. ¡°What if he is my blood half? Then what?¡±

    ¡°Is he going to be at the ball?¡±

    Eira slowly nodded her head. ¡°I should think so, but I¡¯m not entirely sure. I did see him purchasing a masquerade mask, but it¡¯s not really proof enough that he will be here?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Isabe responded, ¡°I suppose there is only one way to find out.¡± She grabbed both Isabe¡¯s shoulders and grinned from ear to ear. ¡°Let¡¯s find out how connected the two of you really are.¡±

 Chapter 257

    257 Chapter 257 : The ball

    ¡°Gareth? Gareth is that you?¡±

    ¡°Mother..¡± the dark haired elven king walked into his mother¡¯s open arms and gave her a hug. ¡°I am so d you could make it, Eira will be most pleased¡±

    ¡°Speaking of the birthday girl, where is my little princess? I haven¡¯t seen her in ages.¡± Tauriel looked around the crowded ballroom but sighed disappointment. ¡°Curse these bloody masks, I can¡¯t even tell which one of these young women is my little Eira.¡±

    ¡°I am assuming that¡¯s the point,¡± Queen Melissa responded with a smile. ¡°she wouldn¡¯t even let me, her own mother, know what she was wearing to her own birthday ball.¡±

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not being too strict on the little girl,¡± Tauriel responded before pulling Melissa into a hug. ¡°because it sounds a lot like she¡¯s rebelling against you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, she is far from being a little girl anymore mother I can assure you that.¡± Gareth responded with a chuckle. ¡°I am sure we will all get the chance to meet with her soon enough, she is probably still mingling with some of her friends.¡±

    ¡°speaking of little ones...¡± A woman wearing a white peacock mask and a matching dress walked towards Melissa and touched her tummy. ¡°when do we expect to see another one running around the pce?¡±

    Melissa squint her eyes, trying to figure out who the beautiful woman was. When she noticed the purple eyes behind the mask, she gasped in glee. ¡°Estel! Goodness, it is you! I hardly recognized you underneath that mask, you look so beautiful.¡±

    Melissa and Estel hugged earnestly. Thest time they had seen each other was when Eira Was still a little toddler.

    .....

    ¡°And you look amazing as always Melissa,¡± Estelplimented the redhead. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯ve had a child before.. and that dress looks gorgeous on you, blue is a lovely color on you, itpliments your eyes.¡±

    ¡°Did I just hear someone talking about little ones?¡± A rough stern voice reached Gareth¡¯s ears.

    The Elven king scoffes when he saw a man with red hair approaching him. ¡°Aidan, how are you doing you bastard? I¡¯m surprised you made it, I thought you would be neck deep in responsibilities as the king of Ervelon.¡±

    ¡°Unlike some people, some of us were born to rule.¡±

    The two men exchanged a firm handshake before patting each other on the back.

    ¡°I swear Gareth, if you are trying to knock up my sister again I will have your head.¡±

    ¡°and who invited this man to the party again?¡± Gareth fired back with a taunting smirk.

    ¡°Oh shut up I¡¯m not here for you elf,¡± Aidan responded with augh. ¡°where is my little princess Eira? I have a birthday present for her that will have all her friends drowning in envy.¡±

    ¡°The birthday girl is attending to her guests I am assuming,¡± Gareth replied. He pointed towards the high table and gestured everyone to follow him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we sit down in the meantime and have a chat, Eira should join us momentarily.¡±

    *

    ¡°Is that him?¡± Isabe asked her friend for the hundredth time.

    ¡°No it¡¯s not him,¡± Eira responded. ¡°if I¡¯m right, he should be wearing a wolf mask.¡±

    Isabe jumped from her seat and pointed towards the door. ¡°Oh, oh I see ears! I see ears¡± she pointed towards the man who was walking into the ballroom with a mask that had pointy ears like that of a wolf.

    Eira squint her eyes and looked at the man Isabe was pointing at intently, but unfortunately, it was not the man they had been waiting for.

    ¡°That is a cat mask Isabe,¡± Eira responded. ¡°and that man is a woman¡± The princess got up from her seat and gave her friend a slight nod. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to get a drink. My nerves will be shot if I don¡¯talm down.¡±

    Eira walked through the crowd of people who were talking among themselves, towards the table where the beverages had been set. At any other party hosted by her father, different people would have been swarming all over her by now. But in this moment they merely gave her way to reach her destination, not knowing that it was the crowned princess under that mask.

    The feeling was refreshing, having people she barely knew hound over her the entire night was not how she wanted to spend her birthday. The idea of making it a masquerade ball was perfect.

    she reached the table and grabbed herself a ss before walking towards where the wine bottles had been stacked and poured herself some. As she turned around to head back to her table, she bumped into someone nearly making her spill her wine.

    ¡°Oh pardon me,¡± The man who had bumped into her apologized. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you down there. Are you all right? I hope I didn¡¯t ruin your dress.¡±

    The man was extremely tall, even taller than Eira¡¯s father, and that was saying something considering Gareth was one of the tallest men in the kingdom. It¡¯s no wonder he didn¡¯t see her, she was a dwarfpared to him.

    ¡°I am quite alright thank you,¡± the princess responded. ¡°no on need to apologize.¡±

    The man smiled and gave her a bow. ¡°well since we are already here,¡± he muttered softly. ¡°would it be peculiar if I asked you for a dance mydy?¡±

    The redhead looked down at the cup of wine she was about to down, and then back up at the man who was bowing slightly in front of her. Distracting herself with a dance was much better than getting drunk was it not? The Princess put the ss of wine back on the table, and curtsied.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Eira responded. ¡°It would be my pleasure to dance with you.¡±

    The tall gentleman offered Eira his hand, and she took it before the two of them walked towards the dance floor.

    This was another moment that made Eira d she decided to have a masquerade ball. If it was any other party, everyone would have wanted to know who the princess of Gavaria was dancing with. Whispers would have already filled the hall, mumbles of people wondering whether the man she was dancing with was a suitor or not. But in this moment, they were just two people dancing at a party.

    Upon arriving on the dance floor, the tall gentleman tenderly pulled Eira into his embrace, and ced his hand on her slender waist.

    ¡°By the way, Gavin is the name.¡± The man whispered in Eira¡¯s ear as they swayed to the Orchestra of ssical music.

    ¡°I am Eira,¡± the princess responded without thinking.

    The man¡¯s eyebrows rose in surprise behind his mask. The smirk on his lip smacking Eira realize that she had disclosed her true identity. ¡°You mean thee princess Eira? The reason we¡¯ve all been forced to wear these monkey suits and attend this snob fest?¡±

    The princess knitted her eyebrows together and cocked her head the side as she watched the man¡¯s lips tug into a smirk.

    ¡°I am assuming you did not want to be here?¡±

    ¡°My ce is not on the Dancefloor princess,¡± Gavin spoke, ¡°neither is it in these hellishly ufortable clothes.¡±

    ¡°I see, enlighten me then. Where exactly is Your ce Lord Gavin?¡±

    ¡°I am no Lord either princess,¡± Gavin responded with a chuckle. ¡°my father is nothing but an alchemist, so please refrain from bundling me up with all these royal types.¡±

    Eira chuckled at Gavin¡¯s words, it was refreshing to meet someone who did not like the bureaucracy that came with the monarch as much as she did.

    ¡°As long as you promise not to tell anybody who I really am,¡± Eira responded as the man dipped her and brought her back up to the changing tempo Open music. ¡°Yhere is a reason I wanted a masquerade ball to begin with, so please promise me you will not tell anybody my identity, and I promise not to bundle you up with Royals.¡±

    ¡°You know what, you are more likable than I thought you would be.¡± Gavin responded with a chuckle. He swung Eira around beforeing to the stop when the song ended. ¡°You have my word,¡± he spoke with a low bow. He made a locking gesture at his mouth before uttering the words ¡°your secret¡¯s safe with me.¡±

    Eira was about to respond when she saw a man walking into the ballroom that nearly took her breath away. Her heart skipped several beats as her eyes strolled up to his face and noticed the wolf mask he was wearing. That was him, that was Eric.

    ¡°Umm excuse me Gavin,¡± Eira muttered in an edgy tone. She turned to walk away, but stopped mid stride and turn back to him. She couldn¡¯t just up and leave him like that, it was rude. ¡°Thank you for the dance,¡± she spoke with a curtsy. ¡°I hope we get the chance to meet again before the end of the night.¡±

    The hybrid princess did not even give Gavin a chance to respond. She clenched her dress and practically ran towards where the man with the wolf mask was walking. She couldn¡¯t believe he had actuallye, after hours of waiting she had almost lost hope, but now here he was, her knight in shining silver hair.

 Chapter 258

    258 Chapter 258 : Surprise

    Jacob was scanning the ballroom, when a hand tugged the sleeve of his shirt.

    e on Jacob, let¡¯s find somew to sit,¡± Janis pulled her brother towards a table that had a few empty seats. ¡°we will have better luck at recognizing Eira if we are sitting down.¡±

    ¡°I would rather stand,¡± Jacob replied sternly, ¡°i¡¯m not letting Eira slip right through my fingers a second time.¡±

    ¡°good gods! Your voice sounds awful underneath that mask,¡± Janis pointed out, ¡°I can hardly tell that it¡¯s you under there.¡± The blue eyed woman let go of her brother, and creased down the skirt of her beautiful yet provocative dress. ¡°very well, do what you want. I am going to the bar to get myself a drink.¡±

    The dark haired elf watched his sister walk towards the table where the wine sses were disyed, tonight was about Eira and no one else. He would not let anyone distract him from his goal.

    As Jacob was about to turn and go looking for his red haired princess, a soft voice that made his heart flutter with his ears.

    ¡°Hi..¡± Eira mattered as she tugged his sleeve gently. ¡°Looking for someone?¡±

    Jacob turned around to look at the woman speaking to him, and immediately his eyes fell on her, he felt his heart lodge up in his throat. if there were any doubts of Eira¡¯s beauty in the past, all those doubts had beenpletely shattered in this moment.

    The princess was wearing a body huggingcy dress, that entuated her beautiful figure. Thece of the dress showed off the skin on her arms and a little bit of her legs. Her red hair was elegantly tied in a bun and hidden behind the glorious mask she was wearing. Beneath the mask, red cupids bow lips moved so gently as she spoke to him. Even without seeing her face, Jacob was at loss for words at the beauty radiating from this woman.

    .....

    ¡°Eira, it¡¯s you...¡± Jacob spoke in a strained voice. It took a lot more than he thought it would to formte sentences in front of the beautiful princess. ¡°you look absolutely stunning.¡±

    Eira immediately blushed at the men¡¯s words, since when had this sly lycan be so charming? She looked away and nervously fidgeted with her ear lobe before muttering a low ¡®thank you¡¯.

    The redhead¡¯s blue eyes trailed back up to the man¡¯s face, he looked a little different wearing a mask and formal clothing. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯te,¡± she mumbled nervously, ¡°especially after ourst encounter, I should probably apologize about how things turned out.¡±

    Jacob brought his hand to his lips and bit his nail nervously, ¡°yes about that, I am sorry if I made you feel a certain type of way. Sometimes I can be a bit straightforward with how I¡¯m feeling, so you need not apologize for your reaction, it was understandable. But I do hope however, that I can make it up to you tonight.¡±

    The elf took a step forward and held Eira¡¯s hand gently in his. ¡°It is your special day today is it not? I hope that I can be the one to make it a little bit more special than it already is.¡±

    Eira felt her heart leap within in her chest, why was Elric being so forward all of a sudden? Did he maybe consider the fact that their connection meant they were mates? Just like she had considered them being blood halves?

    ¡°Yes it indeed is my birthday today,¡± The redhead responded in the low tone, ¡°it falls on the first day of winter, how did you know?¡±

    ¡°How could I not know the birthdate of the most important woman in my life?¡± Jacob responded as he took another step forward.

    ¡°Most important?¡± The princess¡¯ words could barely be heard, she was a nervous wreck at this point.

    ¡°But of course,¡± Jacob responded with a smile, ¡°no one can hold a candle to you Eira.¡± The elf ced the redhead¡¯s arm around his. ¡°would you grace me with a dance princess?¡±

    ¡°sure...¡± Eira responded apprehensively.

    Jacob smiled widely, he couldn¡¯t believe how easy this had been so far. He actually thought Eira would ignore him the entire night, but instead, here she was on his arm more than willing to dance with him. He must have been the luckiest elf in all the kingdoms.

    Back at Eira¡¯s table, Isabe smiled at Zhelimir as he sat down next to her.

    ¡°Leonard is having a bit of trouble with his cravat,¡± the blonde spoke, ¡°but he will be out in a minute.¡±

    ¡°You know, when Leonard gets here he will want to dance with me.¡±

    Zhelimir looked at the blue eyed woman and raised his eyebrows, ¡°yes, and so?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t you feel lonely sitting at this table alone?¡± Isabe asked the blonde.

    ¡°I am quite alright,¡± Zhelimir responded, ¡°I am not much of a-¡± the blonde¡¯s words wedged when he saw Janis walking towards the bar. On nothing but pure instinct, he stood up and gulped as his eyes raked over the lovely dress Janis was wearing.

    ¡°Janis?¡± Isabe asked Zhelimir with a chuckle.

    ¡°Yes... isn¡¯t she the most beautiful thing you¡¯ve ever seen?¡±

    When Isabe¡¯sugh reached Zhelimir¡¯s ears, he blushed intensely upon realizing what he had just said out loud.

    ¡°Well what are you waiting for? Get your hybrid rear over there and ask her for a dance!¡±

    The blonde tugged the neckline of his shirt nervously, before nodding his head and walking towards the beautiful Janis.

    ¡®confidence Zhelimir...¡¯ The blonde thought to himself. ¡®For all she knows, you are just another handsome guest at this party. This is your chance to sweep her off her feet, and after she¡¯s realized that she has feelings for you, you will reveal your true self.¡¯

    ¡°Umm excuse me..¡± Zhelimir spoke and gently tapped Janis¡¯ shoulder. ¡°I have to say, of all the women I have seen tonight, your beauty shines the brightest.¡±

    Janis Turned to look at the man who was speaking to her and smiled. ¡°Well aren¡¯t you the sweet talker?¡±

    ¡°Might I trouble such a beautifuldy for a dance?¡±

    Janis chuckled and nodded her head, ¡°it would be my pleasure.¡±

    Zhelimir couldn¡¯t believe it! He had finally mustered up the courage to ask Janis to dance, and she had actually said yes.

    The blue eyed woman wrapped her arm around Zhelimir and smiled up at him. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    As the two turned towards the dance floor, somebody almost bumped into them.

    Zhelimir grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder and gave him a stern look. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going, will you?¡±

    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Elric responded, ¡°I am in a bit of a rush, I did not see you. Please ept my sincere apology.¡±

    The lycan watched the couple walk towards the dance floor, before going about his own mission. Where could she be? He didn¡¯t feelfortable being within the Gavarian pce for this long. He needed to find Eira before somebody recognized him in this ce.

    Back on the dance floor, Eira was feeling a bit uneasy. Elric was acting a little different from how she remembered, and for some reason she was getting the same ufortable feeling she got whenever she was around Jacob.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter beautiful?¡± The Elven man asked the red haired princess. ¡°Tired already are we?¡±

    ¡°I ... I think I need some air.¡±

    Jacob stopped swinging the princess around and looked down at her, ¡°are you all right? Did I do or say anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°No! Of course not..¡± Eira gave the man a small smile, ¡°it¡¯s just a little stuffy in here. I should go get some air out in the garden.¡±

    Not too far from where Eira was, Elric picked up a familiar scent, Eira¡¯s scent. He turned around and saw a woman in aced dress heading towards the garden door. Her familiar smell and the glimps of her red hair assured the lycan that that was the woman he had been looking for all evening.

    ¡°Eira?..¡±

    The lycan pushed his way through the crowd, keeping his eyes on the woman so as not to lose sight of her.

    ¡°Eira!¡± He called out, but the music and the chattering people around him drowned out his voice.

    He saw her exit the ballroom through a ss door that seemed to lead into a garden, and walked briskly towards the doorway as well. He exited the ballroom into the cold night and scanned the area until he finally saw her. There she was, standing underneath a willow tree next to a small bench.

    With a half relieved smile, the lycan walked towards the princess. ¡°There you are, I was beginning to think you did not show up at the party.¡±

    ¡°Please go away,¡± Eira murmured without turning to look at who was speaking to her. ¡°I am not in the mood forpany right now.¡±

    ¡°Still the spoiled little princess I see,¡± the lycan scoffed.

    That voice. Eira knew that voice. She turned around to look at the man who is speaking to her, he sounded a lot like Elric. But that could not be, she had just been with Elric a few minutes ago.

    ¡°Who... Who are you?¡± she asked the strange man in front of her.

    Elric lifted his mask slightly, flushing his fanged white smile and honey brown eyes. ¡°surprise.¡±

 Chapter 259

    259 Chapter 259 : It¡¯s him

    Eira narrowed her eyes and knitted her eyebrows together as she looked at the men in front of her. She had never been so confused in her life. If this was Eric, then who was the man she had been dancing with all this time?

    ¡°Eric?¡± The princess spoke with a confused tone. ¡°how... when did you change your clothes?¡±

    The lycan took a step forward and scoffed, ¡°change my clothes? What are you going on about princess?¡±

    ¡°Your wolf mask from before? Your ck boots, your satin white shirt? What happened to the clothes you were wearing when we were dancing just a few moments ago?¡±

    ¡°Dancing? With me?¡± Eric took another step closer to the redhead and looked down at her with a smirk. ¡°Have the tables turned? Are you now starting to see hallucinations of me?¡± The man leaned forward and shed his white smile, ¡°couldn¡¯t get me out of your head now, could you princess?¡±

    Eira blushed and pushed the man away slightly. She averted his gaze before taking a step back and stumbling down to the bench behind her.

    Eric grabbed her by the hand to make sure she did not fall with a loud thud, and gently set her down on the bench before sitting beside her.

    ¡°You are most definitely not on my mind,¡± The princess grumbled, a hint of pink painting her soft cheeks. She looked up at the man sitting beside her, confusion still whirling in her mind. ¡°But I could¡¯ve sworn you were wearing a wolf mask to the masquerade ball, I saw you at the shop picking it out with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Oh, are you now spying on me princess?¡± The lycan whispered with a sly smile.

    .....

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Eira objected. ¡°It was merely a coincidence that you were there while I was doing my own shopping. Gods you are so annoying sometimes!¡±

    The redhead couldn¡¯t help but smile when she heard the man chuckle, now this was the Eric she knew, not that crude man she had been dancing with from before.

    ¡°I took back that mask you saw me holding,¡± he exined, ¡°I would rather not draw attention to myself, especially in this ce.¡±

    Eira took note of what the handsome lycan was wearing. Just like the wolf mask, the mask he was putting on now covered not only his face but most of his hair as well. His clothes were a dark color that wouldn¡¯t earn a second nce, his feet were covered in ck leather boots, and his hands in gloves. He really did not want people to know who he was, did he?

    ¡°Why do you not-¡± The blue eyed woman stopped herself upon realizing that she was about to ask Eric yet another personal question. She remembered that thest time she had asked him about his personal life, was thest time they had heard from each other. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, forget I said anything.¡±

    ¡°I guess you could say that me and the king of thisnd are not exactly the best of friends,¡± Eric exined much to the princess¡¯ surprise.

    He and her father were not on good terms? Was Eric one of the people who her father was talking about when he said not everybody liked him?

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Eira mumbled nervously. ¡°Did he offend you in some way?¡±

    Eira could see the muscles on Elric¡¯s neck cord up a little, whatever had transpired between him and her father was definitely nothing small.

    ¡°it¡¯s a bit difficult to exin,¡± Eric responded in a calm tone, ¡°you could say we stepped on each other¡¯s toes, and have never gotten the chance to reconcile.¡±

    The red haired princess felt a little conflicted, so many things were starting to add up in her head. Could Eric be the man who her father was trying to keep her from meeting all this time? Was he the man who was plotting evil against her father? But Eric? He really didn¡¯t seem like the type. Sure he was annoying asionally, but evil and vengeful? It couldn¡¯t be.

    ¡°So are you saying you resent the royal family?¡±

    The silver haired lycan leaned back on the bench and drew a breath. ¡°I once did,¡± he responded, ¡°but so many years have gone by, all I want now is to start anew. Carrying around the burden of hatred is a bit too much for an old lycan like me.¡±

    Eira was relieved to hear his answer, for a reason she could not understand. Her demeanor rxed and she too leaned back on the bench.

    ¡°You are not that old,¡± she spoke with a chuckle.

    ¡°On the contrary princess, I am a little over a hundred years old.¡±

    ¡°Well you still look great to me,¡± Eira blurted out without thinking. Almost immediately, she regretted her words and was about to defend her answer, when augh escaped Eric¡¯s lips. The redhead paused and watched the manugh, it was so wholesome and beautiful. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard youugh,¡± she pointed out.

    ¡°This is the first time I haveughed in a very long time,¡± Eric responded. ¡°Thank you Eira.¡±

    The two sat on the bench in silence, watching the stars above flicker, and listening to the wind rustle the leaves of the willow tree above them.

    ¡°You know,¡± Elric spoke, breaking the silence. ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken about my past to anyone before. And you were right princess, talking about it makes it a lot easier to deal with.¡± He nced at the woman whose amethyst eyes were set on his face, ¡°you are really easy to talk to, I appreciate that.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me,¡± Eira responded with a smile. ¡°if I could be of help to make your life a little better, that¡¯s enough for me.¡±

    Eric nodded and gave the princess a rub on the shoulder. ¡°you are a good person princess, don¡¯t let anyone corrupt that side of you.¡± The man then fixed his mask before leaning forward, ¡°well, I did what I needed to do. I should probably get going now before someone here recognizes me and has me beheaded.¡±

    Eira instinctively grabbed her throat and gulped. What could¡¯ve possibly transpired between her father and Eric that would require a beheading? She watched the man rise to his feet, and to her utter mortification, she grabbed his hand and tugged him back. ¡°wait!¡±

    Eric turned to look back at the princess whose face was as red as a tomato.

    ¡°Umm, are you just going to leave like that?¡± Eira spoke nervously. ¡°I mean the party has just started, there is wine, and there is lots of food.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate your offer princess,¡± Elric responded. ¡°But I am thest person any member of the royal family would want at their party.¡±

    Eira had to fight the urge to tell him that she was a member of the royal family, and she most definitely wanted him around, but after the information he had just given her, she was unsure if that would be the wisest choice.

    ¡°What about a dance?¡±

    Elric¡¯s eyebrows raised as he looked at the woman who is shifting ufortably on the bench.

    ¡°As a thank you for helping you open up about your past,¡± Eira spoke, ¡°it would only be fair if you awarded me with a dance.¡±

    The silver haired man was stunned for a brief moment, but he quickly dismissed his feelings of indifference and stretched out his hand towards the redhead. ¡°how can I refuse a request from a beautiful woman such as yourself.¡± He spoke tauntingly.

    The princess rolled her eyes before cing her own hand in his.

    ¡°Shall we?¡± Elric spoke as he led Eira back into the ballroom.

    *

    Clovis peeked out at the pce entrance as their carriage came to a stop. He still wasn¡¯t sure ifing to this ball was the best idea, but he did not want to seem like he had anything against Gareth or Melissa.

    A gentle hand took his, and a pair of Emerald eyes beamed at him. ¡°It was honorable of you toe here,¡± Da spoke to her husband. ¡°If you really are in support of burying the hatchet, thening to parties hosted by the Gavarians should not be a problem.¡±

    The lycan smiled at his beautiful pregnant wife and rubbed her hand with his. ¡°You are right,¡± he responded, ¡°this ball could be the start of a new era. Nowe on, we are alreadyte for the festivities.¡±

    Clovis helped Da out of the carriage, and the two of them walked hand-in-hand towards the pce entrance. They walked through the hallways and into the ballroom where they were greeted by a butler who offered them drinks. Clovis epted a ss of wine, while Da settled for some water. The Merian king gave the butler a smile and nod before turning to walk further into the ballroom. But as soon as he stepped foot down the staircase leading onto the dance floor, his lycan senses picked up the scent of someone he never thought he would ever see again.

    The ss in Clovis¡¯ hand slipped out his grip andnded on the floor with a crash. his eyes scanned the ballroom frantically, trying to see where that scent wasing from. And before long, he saw a man with a demeanor and built just like his supposedly lost brother Eric, dancing with a woman a few feet away from him.

    ¡°Darling what¡¯s wrong?¡± Da asked her husband.

    ¡°it¡¯s... It¡¯s him,¡± Clovis mumbled hysterically, ¡°it¡¯s Eric.¡±

 Chapter 260

    260 Chapter 260 : I didn¡¯t lie to you!

    As Elric spun Eira around, he caught sight of a man walking towards him in haste. Almost immediately, the lycan knew exactly who the man was. That silver hair andmanding stride could not be mistaken for anybody else, that was his brother Clovis.

    The honey brown eyed man looked down at the woman in his arms, leaned forward and whispered in her ear. ¡°Do you remember when I said there are people here who do not want me around?¡±

    Eira gasped slightly before nodding her head. ¡°What happened? Has someone recognized you?¡±

    ¡°I should believe so,¡± Elric responded while keeping his eye on Clovis who was pushing through the crowds most likely to reach him. ¡°Do me a favor and hold on tightly to my arm.¡±

    The redhead could do nothing butply, she nodded her head and wrapped her arms around the silver haired man¡¯s bicep. ¡°What are you nning to-¡±

    Elric wrapped his arm tightly around Eira¡¯s waist and hoisted her up slightly. And as swiftly as a whirlwind, the lycan moved through the crowd and out through the ss door that led to the garden.

    When they were outside, Elric relinquished the woman and walked hastily towards a water fountain nearby. Without hesitation, he jumped into the water and sshed some of it over his body.

    Eira walked towards him feeling a little confused. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked the man.

    ¡°My scent,¡± Elric replied as he washed his face thoroughly with the water. ¡°That is the only way he could¡¯ve known it was me. I need to find a way to tone it down or entirely mask it up.¡±

    .....

    The redhead walked towards Elric and grabbed his hand. ¡°I think I have a n, follow me.¡±

    Back inside the ballroom, Jacob had just witnessed a strange man hoists Eira up and run out with her into the garden.

    ¡°What in the hell?!¡± he mumbled to himself before making his way towards the ss door.

    ¡°Jacob?¡± Janis muttered as she watched her brother suddenly rush towards the crowds. ¡°Jacob where are you going?!¡± She called out to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s Eira!¡± The dark haired elf responded, ¡°I think she¡¯s in trouble!¡±

    Janis, Zhelimir, Isabe and Leonard all gave each other concerned looks before getting up and following Jacob.

    The elf exited the ballroom into the garden. And just as he turned, he saw Eira teleporting away with a man bearing silver long hair. Jacob¡¯s eyes widened at the site, wasn¡¯t that the same man who had kidnapped her back at the party?!

    ¡°Eira!¡± Jacob ran towards the two just as they were teleporting away. ¡°stop!¡± He yelled, ¡°unhand the princess!¡±

    But the elf was a little toote. Eira and the Silver haired man disappeared from sight, leaving him breathless and gnashing his teeth together.

    Not long after, the rest of his friends joined him in the garden. Zhelimir pulled off his mask, tossed it to the ground and walked towards where Jacob was standing.

    The blonde hybrid grabbed Jacob by the shoulder and spun him around. ¡°What the hell happened?! Where is Eira?!¡±

    ¡°He took her!¡± Jacob yelled in agitation. ¡°He took her again and I wasn¡¯t able to save her!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®took her¡¯?¡± Zhelimir questioned the unnerved elf. ¡°Who are you talking about?!¡±

    Jacob did not respond, instead his head and eyes kept shifting from side to side as if looking for something that wasn¡¯t there. Zhelimir grabbed both his shoulders and shook him a little.

    ¡°Jacob snap out of it!¡±

    ¡°We should go get the king,¡± Isabe suggested in a panic. ¡°If Eira is in trouble her father should know!¡±

    ¡°No wait!¡± Janis spoke firmly. ¡°In case you have not noticed, there is a ball happening in there with hundreds of people from all over the six kingdoms. rming the king now, will only cause widespread panic.¡±

    The Elven woman walked towards her brother and grabbed his arm. ¡°Get a hold of yourself Jacob! You panicking will not help the situation.¡± She put his face closer to hers and looked him dead in the eye. ¡°Was it him? The man who took Eira, was it the same man from the party?¡±

    Jacob nodded his head, and when Zhelimir saw his response, his panic subsided a great deal. Eira had told Zhelimir about the man from the party, and from what she had told him, she trusted him a significant amount. If that was truly the man Eira had left with, and she had gone with him willingly.

    ¡°Hold on a minute,¡± Zhelimir Spoke to his friends who were clearly in a panic. ¡°This man you speak of, did he have long silver hair?¡±

    Jacob narrowed his eyes at the blonde hybrid. ¡°How did you know that?¡±

    Zhelimir picked up his mask from the ground and dusted the des of grass off it. ¡°We have nothing more to worry about,¡± the blonde spoke, making everyone gasp in surprise.

    ¡°What do you mean we have nothing more to worry about?!¡± Jacob yelled. ¡°Are you in cahoots with this man? Are you trying to kidnap the princess so you can ascend the throne?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous Jacob,¡± Zhelimir spoke. ¡°The man Eira is with, he is a friend. So there is nothing more for us to worry about.¡±

    Isabe sighed in relief. ¡°Oh thank goodness, she really had us all worried there for a second.¡± The big smile on her face returned as she took Leonard¡¯s hand in hers. ¡°Now where is that dance you owe me?¡±

    The shy elf blushed before intertwining his fingers with Isabe¡¯s and leasing her back towards the ballroom.

    Jacob watched Isabe and Leonard walk back hand in hand and knitted his eyebrows together. He watched as Zhelimir Walked towards his sister and offered her his hand.

    ¡°I suppose the jig is up,¡± The blonde chuckled nervously.

    Janis gave him a sly smile before cing her hand in his. ¡°Oh please Zhelimir, I knew it was you the entire time.¡±

    ¡°Will everyone just stop!¡± Jacob yelled and marched towards his sister and the blonde. ¡°So all of you are going to go back in there and couple up, while Eira is out there with some strange man?! Are you all bloody demented?!¡±

    ¡°Jacob calm down,¡± Janis spoke. ¡°You heard what Zhel said. She is not in trouble so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±

    ¡°To hell with all of you! I am going to find Eira myself!¡±

    Janis watched her brother stomp his feet back into the ballroom and sighed. Why the hell couldn¡¯t Jacob read the room? Had he always been this insensible?

    *

    Eira teleported herself and the lycan to her bedroom chambers. She let go of the man, and rushed toward her dressing table where she opened a drawer that stored her scented oils. Carefully she pulled one out, and walked towards the silver haired man who was looking at her intensely.

    ¡°You can try this,¡± She spoke as she offered the man the small ss bottle. ¡°This should be able to mask your scent significantly, so that the people who are looking for you cannot find you.¡±

    Elric stood there looking down at the woman, not in the least bit paying attention to the small bottle she was offering him. He pulled off his mask, letting his silver hair fall down his shoulders and back. The look in his eyes was unnerving, he looked both angry and hurt at the same time.

    Eira lowered the small ss bottle that she was offering him and took a step back. ¡°Are you alright-¡±

    ¡°You are the princess of Gavaria?¡± Elric asked in an icy tone.

    Eira felt her throat dry up at his words. She was hoping that Elric had not heard Jacob call her ¡®princess¡¯ a few moments ago. Or at the least, she hoped he thought it was just a nickname given to her, but it seemed the cat had finally been let out of the bag.

    The redhead looked down and nibbled the inside of her lip. ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°You lied to me..¡± Elric cut her short. ¡°You are Gareth and Melissa¡¯s daughter aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re a hybrid, half elf and half Nosferatu.¡±

    Eira looked up at Elric¡¯s honey brown eyes, she saw the pain that she had seen in them before back at his cabin. ¡°I did not lie to you! I just simply didn¡¯t tell you the whole truth!¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Elric responded sarcastically, ¡°well then that changes everything!¡± He turned around and began to head towards the door.

    The redhead grabbed his arm and stopped him, ¡°Elric wait!¡±

    ¡°let go of me,¡± The man spoke in a tone that made chills run down Eira¡¯s spine.

    ¡°It was not my intention to lie to you,¡± The princess tried to exin. ¡°I am a princess, I cannot just tell anyone I meet who I am, it could be dangerous! I didn¡¯t know who you were, I couldn¡¯t trust you!¡±

    Elric turned around and gave the princess a look that made her heart skip a beat. ¡°Well I trusted you enough to open up to you princess,¡± he spoke in a tone beaded with hurt and anger, ¡°but just like the rest of your family, you are nothing but a liar and a maniptor. I want nothing to do with you or your family ever again!¡± The lycan roughly pulled away his hand from Eira and stormed out of her room.

    The princess stood there, not knowing what to do or say for a few moments. She then dropped the bottle of scented oil and run out the door to chase after Elric. But when she entered the hallway, it waspletely empty.

    She was about to call out his name, when a familiar voice reached her ears.

    ¡°Eira?¡± The Elven king walked towards his daughter and ced his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Princess are you alright? You look a little troubled?¡±

    The redhead princess looked around the hallway a second time, and when she saw no one she sighed and run into her fathers arms. Gareth was a bit stunned at her behavior, but he embraced her nheless.

    ¡°Are you feeling overwhelmed by the party?¡± Gareth asked his daughter.

    Eira nodded her head and buried her face into his chest. ¡°Is it alright if I spend the rest of the evening with you father?¡±

    The whimper in Eira¡¯s voice, made Gareth stroke her hair gently. ¡°Of course my little princess, anything for you.¡±

    Behind one of the pirs, Elric watched as Gareth and Eira walked back towards the ballroom. His hands folded into fists, and he cursed colorfully under his breath before running towards a nearby window and jumping out.

 Chapter 261

    261 Chapter 261 : Cedarwood door

    As Eira walked back to the ballroom with her father, she kept ncing back and around the hallway hoping that she would see Elric, but it seemed he was already gone. After their conversation in her room, she had so many questions for him and for her parents as well. What exactly had transpired between them that made Elric resent them so much? And did her parents resent him the same way? What exactly had been going on in the past?

    The redhead looked up at the man whose arm she was holding. Her father didn¡¯t seem like the kind of man to make enemies, neither did he seem like the type to step on anyone¡¯s toes. King Gareth was a noble man, friendly to all, and just to many. But from the look that Elric had in his eyes during their conversation, she could tell that he had been hurt by her family.

    Eira took a deep breath before calling out to her father in a low tone. ¡°father...?¡±

    But before she could fully utter her sentence, somebody grabbed her shoulder roughly and yanked her backwards.

    ¡°You!¡± The man who had tugged Eira¡¯s shoulder screamed. ¡°Where is he?! Where are you hiding him?!¡±

    Gareth grabbed the man by his wrist, pulled him off his daughter and shoved him away. ¡°How dare youy a hand on the princess!¡± Gareth roared in fury. ¡°The next time youy your hand on my daughter, is thest time you will have hands!¡±

    ¡°Wait one second...¡± The man who Gareth had pushed away slowly pulled off his mask and looked up at him in confusion. ¡°King Gareth? Is that you?¡±

    The Elvin King also pulled off his mask and looked up at Clovis with knitted eyebrows. ¡°Clovis?¡±

    Clovis¡¯ brown eyes lowered to the woman who was standing behind Gareth, ¡°and... is this princess Eira?¡±

    .....

    ¡°What in the gods¡¯ good name possessed you to treat my daughter in such a way Clovis?¡± Gareth asked the man standing in front of him.

    Clovis cupped his forehead and shook his head. He was as confused as ever, he could¡¯ve sworn he saw his brother dancing with the woman in acy ck dress.

    ¡°Elric...¡± The Merian king mumbled

    The mention of Elric¡¯s name churned some emotions within the Elven King¡¯s heart. He took several steps forward and grabbed Clovis by both his shoulders. ¡°What about Elric?¡±

    ¡°He was here, I saw him!¡± Clovis pointed at the redhead princess standing behind Gareth. ¡°The two of them were dancing not too long ago, I tried to pursue him but they ran off into the gardens and disappeared.¡±

    Gareth¡¯s heart skipped several beats at the mention of his only daughter dancing with a man like Elric. ¡°Dammit Clovis, you better be sure of what you¡¯re saying.¡±

    ¡°I have the senses of all the elves in this ballroombined..¡± Clovis responded sternly. ¡°I cannot mistake my own blood, it was Elric that I saw dancing with your daughter. I am sure of it.¡±

    The elf king turned around to look at Eira who was practically shaking in her sandals. He walked slowly towards her, and with a gentle hand pulled off her mask.

    Eira was a lot like her mother, so if she lied, Gareth would definitely know.

    ¡°Is what he is saying true?¡± The dark-haired elf asked the redhead. His eyes never leaving hers and his voice as serious as death.

    ¡°I... I do not know what he¡¯s talking about father..¡± The princess responded in a jittery tone.

    The second she pursed her lips together after those words had left her mouth, Gareth knew. As he took a step backwards, all the blood drained from his face.

    ¡°Elric is alive...¡± The king mumbled as his face of confusion slowly turned angry. He looked back down at his daughter and gave her a threatening look. ¡°Elric is alive and you kept it from me?! Eira what were you thinking?!¡±

    ¡°Father I can exin!¡±

    ¡°I specifically told you there are people out there who would want to hurt me by getting to you! Why would you keep something so important from me?!¡±

    ¡°But father,¡± Eira responded misty eyed. ¡°Elric isn¡¯t like that father, he wouldn¡¯t hurt me, he wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone!¡±

    ¡°Listen to yourself! You dance with him one time and he already has you talking back to me!¡± Gareth grabbed his daughter¡¯s wrist and pulled her closer to him. ¡°Is he the reason you were sneaking off into the forest?! Well?!¡±

    Not too far from themotion, Melissa noticed her husband and her daughter having a bit of a squabble. If she did not go and get things under control, the two of them would cause a scene and ruin the entire ball. The queen stood up, rushed towards where her husband was interrogating Eira and grabbed his shoulder.

    ¡°Gareth!¡± Melissa growled in a hushed tone. ¡°What in the world is going on here! Are you trying to ruin our daughter¡¯s birthday party?!¡±

    The Elven king pulled Eira closer and made her face her mother. ¡°Ask your daughter what she has been up to? Did you know that she has been deliberately putting her own life in danger?! Secretly meeting up with a man who almost ruined our lives?!¡±

    ¡°Will you stop speaking in riddles!¡± Melissa spoke sternly to her husband. ¡°What has she done so wrong that¡¯s got you so whirled up in public?!¡±

    ¡°Eira has been secretly meeting up with Elric this entire time!¡±

    Melissa felt like the world around her came to a halt. She looked up at her husband in disbelief, not wanting to believe the wordsing out of his mouth. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Melissa asked, hoping that what she had heard the first time was wrong.

    ¡°I said our little princess here, has been meeting up with Elric secretly this entire time.¡± Gareth responded. ¡°And as if things couldn¡¯t get any worse, she was dancing with him right here in our pce, just a few moments ago.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s blue eyes shifted from her husband¡¯s face to her daughter¡¯s. ¡°Eira, this can¡¯t be true can it? How on earth did you even meet that man? What if he tried to hurt you?!¡±

    The red haired princess pulled her arm away from her father¡¯s grip making both her parents gasp. ¡°Both of you are overreacting over nothing! Elric is not the man you paint him to be, and maybe if you hadn¡¯t kept so many things a secret all these years, none of this would¡¯ve ever happened!¡±

    ¡°Eira,¡± Gareth spoke, ¡°can¡¯t you see we are worried about you? Everything we do is to protect you..¡±

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t need your protection!¡± Eira yelled back, now getting the attention of some of the onlookers nearby. ¡°I have had it with your lies, and I have had it with you treating me like some helpless child! I no longer want your protection, and I no longer want to be at this stupid party!¡±

    ¡°Princess please listen to us-¡± Gareth tried to reach for his daughter, but she teleported out of the ballroom. ¡°Eira!¡±

    In a panic, Gareth summoned all the guards who were nearby. ¡°search every inch of this pce, find my daughter and find that silver haired lycan named Elric! go!¡± He then turned to his wife and grabbed both her shoulders, ¡°darling, go and check Eira¡¯s room. If she is not in there, let me know immediately so I can prepare the horses.¡±

    A firm hand gripped Gareth¡¯s shoulder making him turn around.

    ¡°And what exactly is it that you¡¯re nning to do your majesty?¡± Clovis asked the Elven King. ¡°I will not allow you to bring any harm to my brother, regardless of your feelings towards him.¡±

    ¡°No harm wille to your brother Clovis,¡± Gareth responded. ¡°so long as he stays the fuck away from my daughter.¡± Gareth grabbed Clovis¡¯ hand and pulled it off his shoulder before walking towards the exit.

    Elric had put him through enough stress for one lifetime, he would be damned if he let him put him through hell a second time. If that silver haired bastard as much asid one finger on his daughter¡¯s beautiful head, Gareth would have his peltying in front of a fire in his study.

    *

    Eira stood idly in front of the familiar log cabin and took a deep breath. She was well aware that she was thest person Elric would want to see in this moment, but she had nowhere else to go. Naturally she would¡¯ve teleported to where Zhelimir was, but she really was not in the mood to be surrounded by her friends and family right now. Elric¡¯s face was the first one that had popped in her head as she was teleporting. She just wanted to be anywhere she could be safe and far away from all themotion back at the pce.

    The redhead grabbed the skirt of her dress and took slow steps towards the cabin door. For all she knew, Elric might not even be home. She stood by the door looking at it nkly for few moments, before stretching out her hand to knock.

    But before her knuckles could make contact to the Cedarwood of the door, she felt a hand circle her neck, and the sound of protruding ws reached her ears.

    ¡°I thought I told you, I do not want anything to do with you or your family ever again...¡±

 Chapter 262

    262 Chapter 262 : Let me help you

    Melissa pushed the door of her daughters room open and peaked inside. ¡°Eira! Eira are you in here?!¡± She left the room, pulled up her dress and began running down the hallway in a panic. ¡°Gods Eira, I really hope you have not let that man manipte you...¡±

    Back in the ballroom, Zhelimir noticed the tension that was wafting around the air. Had someone spilled the beans about Eira leaving the party with Elric?

    The blonde hybrid got to his feet ready to go and investigate what was going on, when Janis grabbed his wrist. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Have you seen your brother anywhere?¡± Zhelimir asked the blue eyed elf while keeping his own eyes on his uncle, who seemed to be giving orders to some guards.

    ¡°No I have not,¡± Janis responded. ¡°He said something about going to look for Eira remember?¡±

    ¡°Could it be a possibility that Jacob may have tipped off the king on Eira¡¯s whereabouts?¡±

    Janis also got to her feet, ¡°why do you ask?¡±

    The blonde pointed towards the adults at the front of the ballroom who now seemed to be in a bit of a frenzy. With their masks now off, and worry painting some of their faces, it was apparent that something had stirred them up, and that something must have something to do with the princess.

    ¡°I need to find my father and figure out what in the world is going on,¡± Zhelimir spoke as he pushed back the chair he was sitting on.

    .....

    ¡°I will go find Jacob,¡± Janis replied. ¡°That idiot, if he is the cause of all of this I will turn him into a tree stump!¡±

    Zhelimir gave Janis a nod before ncing at Isabe and Leonard who were affectionately swaying to the music on the dance floor.

    It wouldn¡¯t amount to anything if he disrupted their dance, it was better to let them be.

    The blonde rushed through the crowds of the ballroom towards his father who was standing next to the king. As he got closer, he could hear the conversation that was happening between King Gareth and his father, Zander.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think she has run off with him do you?¡± Zander asked Gareth. ¡°Eira may be a little na?ve, but she¡¯s certainly not stupid.¡±

    Gareth drew in a deep breath before running his hand over his face and frustration. ¡°The thing is... Eira doesn¡¯t know what urred between Elric and us.¡±

    Zander looked at his friend with a confused stare, ¡°what do you mean she doesn¡¯t know what urred between you and Elric? I thought you had already told her, especially after the incident that happened in the forest.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Gareth responded. ¡°Though I was very vague about it at the time. My n was to tell her today on her birthday. That¡¯s why I invited all these people here.¡±

    Zander face palmed and threw his head backwards. ¡°Well I guess now it¡¯s toote for that, isn¡¯t it? Your daughter is God knows where, frolicking with a crazy man who almost ruined your life! And who¡¯s to say he doesn¡¯t want to use her to enact his revenge on you?! I knew keeping all of this a secret from the children was a bad idea from the start.¡±

    ¡°This is no time to lecture me,¡± King Gareth responded. ¡°You thought Elric died a long time ago as well. There was no need to bring up such a demeaning past with my daughter if the man involved was gone.¡±

    ¡°What?...¡±

    The two men turned around, and found Zhelimir standing behind them with a look of trepidation on his face. ¡°is...? Are you saying the man that Eira was with... Are you trying to tell me that he is crazy?!¡±

    Gareth made his way to the young blonde man and grabbed both his shoulders, ¡°you know of him? How did you know about Elric?¡±

    ¡°Is he going to hurt her?¡± Zhelimir turned to his father, a pleading look in his eyes. ¡°father, is Elric nning to hurt Eira?¡±

    Zander walked towards his son and looked him sternly in the eyes. ¡°Listen to me son, nothing is going to happen to Eira if you tell us everything you know about the man that she was dancing with. Anything at all could be of great help right now, where he dwells, where she first met him, anything at all!¡±

    Zhelimir was feeling a little lightheaded, he should¡¯ve trusted his gut and never let Eira get close to that man. Whatever connection she had believed existed between the two of them, was most likely him manipting her into thinking so. And now, Eira was in danger, and Zhelimir had let it happen.

    The young blonde felt his father shake his shoulder a bit, bringing him back to reality. ¡°Zhelimir concentrate! Is there anything you know about this man?!¡±

    The young blonde racked his brain for answers, ¡°I... I¡¯m not sure if I know exactly where he lives. But I think Eira mentioned something about him living in the uncharted parts of the forest.¡±

    Immediately, Gareth turned to the head guard and gave him a nod. ¡°Send as many men as you possibly can,¡± The Elven kingmanded. ¡°Scoure every inch of the forest and find my daughter. It would be better you did not return at all, than to return without her.¡±

    The man in armor gulped before bowing respectfully to the king. ¡°As youmand your majesty.¡±

    ¡°Gareth you should go out there as well,¡± Tauriel spoke to her son. ¡°I will not allow you to sit here while my granddaughter is out there with that psychopathic monster.¡±

    ¡°We both shall go,¡± Zander spoke. ¡°We will have her back at the Pce safe and sound before you know it.¡±

    ¡°I aming too,¡± Zhelimir proimed.

    ¡°No son, I need you, Jacob and some of the other knights to stay here at the pce in case Elric returns.¡± Zander drew a small dagger from his belt and handed it to his son. ¡°Elric is a crazed man who would do almost anything to have his way. We cannot leave this ce unprotected, I trust you son. Good luck.¡±

    *

    ¡°What are you doing here?...¡± The silver haired lycan¡¯s voice was as icy snow. ¡°Are you here to lead your people to me? Has that always been your goal? Did they send you to find me?¡±

    The red haired princess gulped, trying her best not to move. Because if she moved even an inch, Elric¡¯s razor sharp ws would dig into the flesh of her neck.

    ¡°No one sent me here,¡± Eira quivered. ¡°I came here hoping to speak to you, that¡¯s all. I may not know what happened between my parents and you, but what I do know is the way that they are treating you right now is wrong.¡±

    ¡°I know how your kind can be maniptive Nosferatu,¡± Elric spoke with venom in his tone. ¡°I have been lied to and fooled before, you cannot fool me again.¡±

    ¡°In the little time that I have known you Elric,¡± the princess mumbled, ¡°I have gotten to know that you have good in you. I don¡¯t know which party was wrong in the past, but I do know that all you want now is to live a life of peace. Let me help you achieve that, let me be your voice to my parents, and to everyone who doubts your intentions.¡±

    Elric listened carefully to what the princess was saying, if she indeed was trying to manipte him, she was doing a very good job of it. He was about to retract his ws and step back, when sounds of shouting men far off into the forest reached his ears.

    ¡°You led them here!¡± The lycan growled in fury, ¡°I knew it! They sent you here didn¡¯t they?!¡±

    Eira turned around abruptly to face the lycan, and his ws grazed her neck slightly. ¡°I did not lead them here,¡± she spoke to the man desperately. ¡°at least not intentionally.¡±

    She tried to reach for his hand, but Elric moved back and avoided her grasp.

    ¡°Let me help you,¡± The princess spoke, trickles of blood running down her neck and staining her beautiful gown. ¡°I can teleport you out of here. I know you do not trust me but please listen, before they get here and find you!¡±

    ¡°Why... Why would you want to help me? Haven¡¯t they told you what I did? Haven¡¯t they told you that I¡¯m nothing but a psychotic monster?¡±

    Eira took a step forward and stretched out her arm towards the silver-haired lycan. ¡°If we all based our perception of people on what we have heard from others, then you would¡¯ve thought I was a monster as well. A red haired, purple eyed woman with the fangs of a Nosferatu and the ears of an elf. A woman who does not leave the confines of the pce, locked away behind doors for no one to see. ¡®She is probably a hybrid freak, A little red haired witch who turns you into stone if you gaze upon her¡¯... that is what the the towns people say about me.¡±

    The lycan looked down at Eira¡¯s open palm, he felt incredibly stupid for considering trusting her. This was the daughter of the two people who had led him into exile, and yet here he was about to ept her offer to help.

 Chapter 263

    263 Chapter 263 : It¡¯s time we talked

    The minute they arrived at their destination, Elric let go of the woman and took several steps backwards. He inspected his environment, perked up his ears and tried to listen for the Gavarian guards who were pursuing him. When he heard nothing but the rustling of the leaves in the trees above, he looked at the red haired princess and gave her a questioning re.

    ¡°Where have you taken me?¡± Silver haired man asked the young woman.

    ¡°Do not worry, we are still in the forest,¡± she responded, sensing he no longer felt safe with her around. ¡°We are just a bit further away from your cabin. You should be safe here until the guards give up their search and head back to the pce.¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would have never had to leave my cabin in the first ce. if you hadn¡¯t dived after me over that cliff that day like some maniac,¡± Elric spoke, ¡°I would¡¯ve still been leaving a peaceful and quiet life on my own.¡±

    Eira lowered her eyes to the ground and sighed. Elric was right, if it wasn¡¯t for her, none of this would have been happenening. But fate had already intertwined them and there was very little she could do to change that.

    ¡°You are right,¡± she responded in a solemn tone. ¡°And perhaps that is why I feel so obliged to help you. If there is any way I can make your life easier, I would do it without hesitation.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to know how you can make my life easier princess?¡± The lycan took two steps towards Eira and looked down at her with a menacing re. ¡°You can get out of here, and nevere anywhere near me ever again.¡±

    The princess looked up at the man¡¯s eyes, she expected to see nothing but anger towards her, but instead she saw hurt and agitation. How could she leave Eric like this? Eira strongly believed that the reason she had met this man was to help end whatever rivalry existed between him and her parents so they could all live in peace. No one deserved to live in hiding, shunning all interaction with other people. It was a sad and lonely existence and Eira wanted to change that for Eric.

    ¡°Elric let me help you-¡±

    .....

    ¡°You know, I am getting really tired of you saying those words constantly and doing the exact opposite.¡± The man spoke to the purple eyed young woman. ¡°You have been talking about helping me ever since the day we met, but all you have managed to do is to bring me nothing but trouble. Why don¡¯t you go back to your father princess, the reason those guards are out there looking for me, probably after my head, is because of you! So please do us both a favor, and go back to your elven father and nevere anywhere near me ever again. Is that too much to ask?!¡±

    Eira shook her head. ¡°It is not,¡± she mumbled underneath her breath. ¡°I suppose I will take my leave now, and I¡¯m sorry for all the trouble I have caused you. I promise to try and convince my father not to harm you in anyway, it is the least I can do.¡±

    As the red haired princess turned away, the lycan noticed the wound on her neck from when his w had grazed her before.

    ¡°Wait...¡± The silver haired man grabbed his sleeve and tore a piece of cloth from it. He then crouched down and plucked some leaves from a nt that wasn¡¯t too far from his feet.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eira asked the man who had begun to chew the leaves.

    Elric spit the leaves into the cloth he had just torn and wrapped them. He then walked towards Eira and pressed the cloth containing the leaves onto her wound. ¡°That will help keep it from getting infected, hold on to that until you get him and dress the wound.¡±

    The princess held onto the cloth and pressed it against her wound, she was surprised that the cut had not healed yet. Normally, a cut as small as that would heal almost instantly, so why had this one persisted?

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Eira mumbled as a small smile tugged lips. ¡°It¡¯s honestly a little disgusting, but I appreciate it nheless.¡±

    Elric knitted his eyebrows in irritation and took a step back, he looked to the side, averting Eira¡¯s purple gaze and dismissed her. ¡°You may leave now, you¡¯ve overstayed your wee here.¡±

    The princess scoffed before nodding her head. It relieved her heart that even though Elric must have been extremely angry with her, he still thought of helping her with her wound. ¡°See you around Eric...¡±

    The man red at Eira, ¡°No you will not!¡±

    *

    When Eira reappeared in her room, she found almost everybody sitting there waiting for her. Her mother was the first to see her, she got up from Eira¡¯s bed where she had been sitting, and quickly rushed to her daughters side.

    ¡°Eira! Oh thank the gods!¡± Melissa spoke as she hugged her daughter tightly. When she let go of the princess, she cupped her face in the palms of her hands and inspected her frantically. When her blue eyesnded on the piece of cloth that Eira was pressing onto her neck, the look of worry on Melissa¡¯s face turned into anger.

    The redhead Queen grabbed the piece of cloth and tore it off her daughters neck. there was no wound there, but the traces of blood were clearly visible.

    ¡°That bastard!¡± Melissa yelled, ¡°did he do this to you?!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± The princess denied, ¡°it was an ident, he didn¡¯t mean to hurt me!¡±

    The former elven queen walked towards her granddaughter and tilted her chin up. ¡°It looks like it was a nasty wound. He probably tried to kill you and yet you still defend him?¡±

    ¡°Elric is a very maniptive man,¡± Vivian spoke, ¡°he is ying mind games with you Eira, ying the victim so you can defend him even though he is clearly a monster.¡±

    Eira pushed her mother away and took a step back, ¡°What is it that Elric did exactly that makes you nder him so?!¡± The princess questioned. ¡°Because as far as I know, he has been nothing but kind to me. He has been living on his own peacefully until I invaded his space. Yes, I went to him! It¡¯s my fault he came to the ball, and it¡¯s my fault father is now invading the only ce he calls home!¡±

    ¡°Eira listen to me-¡±

    ¡°No mother, for once you listen to me!¡± The princess eximed. ¡°I want to know what crime hemitted that has all of you treating him the way you do!¡±

    Maria, Vivian, Melissa, Estel and Tauriel all exchanged nervous nces.

    ¡°Well?!¡± Eira asked a second time, ¡°what crime did hemit? You¡¯re always talking about how just and fair a king should reign, but what is just and fair about haunting a man down just because he attended a stupid party?!¡±

    Melissa cleared her throat and turned to the other women in the room. It was time she told her daughter about what happened seventeen years ago and set the records straight. Elric was not a man Melissa wanted Eira to be involved with in any way, and she was going to exin why in great detail.

    ¡°Please excuse us for a moment,¡± Melissa asked the other women in the room. ¡°I believe it¡¯s about time my daughter and I had a little chat, woman to woman.¡±

    The other upants in the room nodded, and one by one they left the room. When the door was closed, Melissa walked to a chair and gestured her daughter to sit next to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± Eira responded, ¡°I would rather stand.¡±

    ¡°After you hear what I¡¯m about to tell you, you may not be able to look at Elric the same again.¡± The Nosferatu woman pointed to the chair next to her a second time, ¡°please, you will need to sit down for this one Eira.¡±

    The princess¡¯ heart skipped a few beats, what exactly had Elric done in the past that would make her see him in different light? She began to doubt if she actually wanted to know what had transpired between them. But Eira had already decided that if she wanted to abate the situation, she needed to hear the story from both sides.

    The hybrid princess walked slowly to the chair next to her mother and sat down. Never had Eira seen her mother look quite so serious before, the air around was so thick that you could cut it with a knife, it was almost choking.

    Melissa took a deep breath, before tilting her head up and looking into her daughter¡¯s eyes. ¡°A long time ago...¡± she spoke in a serious tone. ¡°Long before you were born or even convinced, I was married to Elric.¡±

    Eira¡¯s eyes narrowed at her mother. Had she just said she was married to Eric? She couldn¡¯t be serious could she? Surely her mother was ying tricks on her.

    ¡°I was married to Elric, because I thought your father was dead.¡±

 Chapter 264

    264 Chapter 264 : A few suitors

    ¡°Good morning princess...¡±

    Eira did not respond, neither did she move. She justy in her bed under the covers, lost in her thoughts.

    Maria walked to the low table near Eira¡¯s window and set down the tray of food she was holding. ¡°Your breakfast is ready, I was thinking we can go over a few etiquette lessons before you start your day, what do you say?¡±

    ¡°Can we do this another time Maria,¡± the red head responded, ¡°I wish to be alone for a while.¡±

    ¡°I understand. But I do hope youe down to the dinning room for lunchter,¡± Maria added on. ¡°Everyone will be there, your parents, all three sets of your grandparents and all your uncles and aunties.¡±

    Eira pulled the covers further up her body and sighed. That¡¯s right, it was officially her birthday. A royal ball would be held a night before to wee not only the first day of winter, but her birthday as well. After which, the next day family members from all over would gather and give the princess gifts.

    She usually loved this time of year, it was one of the few times she got to meet all her favorite people and receive fancy new gifts. But this year she didn¡¯t feel as excited about it, especially after what her mother had just told her the night before.

    ¡°I will leave you to your thoughts then,¡± Maria spoke as she walked towards the door. ¡°If you need anything don¡¯t hesitate to call.¡±

    When the door closed shut, Eira grabbed one of her pillows, ced it over her face and groaned. She then rolled over to the edge of the bed and sat up, her head still fuzzy from everything that her mother had said the previous night.

    .....

    As the princess walked towards therge window on the other end of the room, she pondered over her mother¡¯s words over and over again.

    ¡®He manipted me and I am not proud of it, if it wasn¡¯t for your uncle William and the others who uncovered the kind of psychoticir Elric was, who knows if your father and I would have ended up together and had you. Elric is the kind of man who would lie to, manipte and hurt anyone who stands in the way of getting what he wants. The only reason he ran off to live in exile is because he couldn¡¯t bare the thought of not getting his way. Elric is the victim of nothing but his own actions.¡¯

    The princess wrapped her arms around her body and shivered a little. It was getting cold. She turned to the table beside her and poured herself a cup of ginger tea that she carried back to the window.

    ¡°Does fighting for something you believe is yours make you psychotic?..¡± the princess mumbled to herself as she sipped on her tea.

    The way her mother told the story, she painted Elric as a viin, but there were moments in her story where Eira actually felt bad for the lycan. In as much as his way of doing things was grossly distasteful, at the end of the day he was fighting for someone he thought he loved.

    Besides, her mother didn¡¯t do the man any favors either by showing him affection for years and then suddenly taking it away because a man from her past came into the picture. And then there was the whole pregnancy thing, any person would react almost the same way Elric did, if their wife suddenly told them the baby they were carrying wasn¡¯t theirs but another man¡¯s. Elric wasn¡¯t evil, he was just a man who had everything he held dear taken away from him.

    The princess lowered her cup from her lips when two kes of snownded on her window sill. One of the snowkes quickly melted away and another fell in its ce. It was the first snow of the year, Eira¡¯s favorite season. She always considered the winter as the earth¡¯s reset season, when all animals and vegetation prepared to be revitalized for the summer. Winter was like the peaceful night before the break of dawn, a time to start anew.

    Eira put down her cup and walked to her closet. Now that she had heard her parent¡¯s side of the story, she needed to hear Elric¡¯s. Only then would she see the full picture and know how to put an end to this rivalry.

    *

    If he thought he was losing his mind before, now Elric was at the verge of madness. Was this why he was constantly drawn to Eira? Because she was the daughter of the woman he thought was his mate? What the hell was really going on here? Why the hell was he seeing Melissa and Gareth¡¯s daughter all those years back? Was it some sort of sick joke?!

    Elric put down his ss of wine, unable to take not even a single sip of his beverage. He got up and walked to the window, pried it open and gazed out at the forest. His eyes widened a little when he saw a small white particle float down from the sky andnd on his window sill. Was that snow?

    The lycan¡¯s mind went back to a day seventeen years ago. The day the apparition of Eira disappeared, it was on a day like this one wasn¡¯t it? When the first snow of the year fell. That was seventeen years ago today. Wait! Could it be that, that was the day Eira was born?! Did he stopped seeing apparitions of her the day she came into this world?

    Elric started feeling dizzy, what did all this mean? He was about to turn away from the window when his ears perked up. Not too far from where he was, he could sense a group of people heading his way. Were those Gareth¡¯s men? They were a little too far for him to pick up their scent. Gods, so much for a peaceful abode, everything was soplicated now thanks to that purple eyed princess.

    *

    Gareth watched as Maria sat down to join the rest of them at the breakfast table. From the look of things, Eira was still mopping over the happenings of the previous night.

    ¡°Will she be joining us?¡± The king asked even though he knew fully well what the answer would be.

    Maira shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry your majesty, but the princess says she requires some time alone.¡±

    Gareth sighed and picked up his fork. ¡°Very well, I guess there is no point dying our meal any further. Everyone please, do dig in.¡±

    Soon enough, the sounds of cutlery clinking against the ceramic tupperware filled the room. Melissa instructed the maids to store away the cake that had been brought out, before turning the the guests and giving them an apologetic smile.

    ¡°Forgive me for the chitchat at the dinning table your majesty,¡± Tauriel spoke up, ¡°I understand that Eira is a little upset right now but are you just going to sit there and allow her to behave in such a way?¡±

    Garath nced at his mother and sighed, ¡°mother if you have something to say just say it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only concerned with how you are treating this situation,¡± Tauriel responded as she elegantly cut the scone on her te in half and spread some butter on it. ¡°Eira potentially put herself and this family in harms way, and all you¡¯re going to do is give her a little talk and let her pout in her room all day? I say son, you¡¯ve all but spoiled the girl.¡±

    ¡°Eira has always been a good girl,¡± Melissa responded on behalf of her husband. ¡°This is just a little rebellious phase, it will pass.¡±

    ¡°A rebellious phase may turn into a rebellious life,¡± Vivian added on. ¡°I mean look how Aiden turned out.¡±

    The red haired king of Ervelon put down his fork and gave Vivian a sarcastic grin. ¡°Very funny Vivian..¡±

    ¡°I think what everyone is trying to say,¡± Emma Morrell spoke softly, ¡°is that you shouldn¡¯t let Eira have her way even if this is just a phase. A little tough love goes a long way, and it¡¯s better now before she makes a mistake that will potentially ruin her life.¡±

    Gareth mmed down his cutlery and pushed his te away, so basically everyone was saying he wasn¡¯t doing a good job at raising his own daughter?!

    ¡°Alright then!¡± The elven king voiced out. ¡°Since you know so much, what is it I should do huh?!¡±

    There was a silence that settled at the table until Ivan¡¯s voice broke it. ¡°Get her married,¡± the dark haired elf responded casually. Earning himself a pinch from his wife and daughter who were sitting beside him.

    ¡°What?¡± Ivan continued, ¡°marriage is what made me straighten out and settle, whose to say it won¡¯t work for Eira? Besides, she¡¯s seventeen years old, she was supposed to be married a year ago.¡±

    Gateth was dumbfounded by Ivan¡¯s words, getting his daughter married off was thest thing he-

    ¡°Sending a few worthy suitors her way wouldn¡¯t hurt,¡± Melissa interrupted her husband¡¯s train of thought, making Gareth even more astound. ¡°It¡¯s much better than her falling for a man like Elric.¡±

 Chapter 265

    265 Chapter 265 : Anyone but Elric..

    Queen Marceline walked out into the gardens and smiled when she saw her daughter sitting on the bench under the willow tree. She had a hunch she would find Melissa there, there was something she had said during breakfast that had peaked the nosferatu woman¡¯s interest.

    ¡°Enjoying the snow?¡± Marceline asked as she took a seat next to her daughter. ¡°Winter is a nosferatu¡¯s favorite time of year. My skin is usually so wless in the cold.¡±

    ¡°Mother your skin is always wless,¡± Melissa responded with a small smile. ¡°You don¡¯t look a day over thirty and yet you are centuries old.¡±

    The two women chuckled, both leaning backfortably on the bench and watching the green of the garden slowly getting dusted with white.

    ¡°I would have never thought you would be in support of random men pursing your daughter,¡± Marceline added on, wanting to bring up the topic that had really brought her out here. ¡°It took everyone by surprise when you supported the idea of Eira getting married off.¡±

    Melissa turned slightly away from her mother¡¯s gaze and sighed. ¡°Ivan may be right,¡± she responded. ¡°If Eira were to find a good, stable and responsible man, maybe she would avoid situations like the one she almost got herself into.¡±

    Marceline studied her daughter before smiling to herself. ¡°You felt it didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Melissa turned to look at her mother, a sad smile was tagging the woman¡¯s lips which made Melissa bite down on hers.

    ¡°You felt Eira make a connection with her blood halfst night didn¡¯t you?¡± Marceline repeated herself.

    .....

    Melissa bowed her head and cupped her face in her palms. ¡°It can¡¯t be!¡± She groaned in frustration. ¡°It can¡¯t be him mother, there has to be some sort of mistake! I will not allow it!¡±

    *

    The night before, while Melissa was weing her guests and offering them seats, she had felt a strange sensatione over her. Her eyes followed the strange drawing feeling until she spotted two people dancing beautifully on the dance floor. The demeanor of the woman was obviously her daughter Eira, she looked so rxed andfortable dancing in the arms of the man. The blue eyed queen couldn¡¯t tell who the man was because of his mask, but it made Melissa a little excited.

    Had her little princess found someone she liked? Was that the man who Eira had been sneaking off to see? She couldn¡¯t wait to ask her daughter all

    anout him.

    The rest of the evening, Melissa spent her time watching her daughter dance with her mystery man. But she couldn¡¯t help but feel there was something about the man that was oddly familiar. Had Melissa met this man before? Was he one of Eira¡¯s friends? Or maybe one of the noblemen¡¯s sons?

    Melissa watched intently as the two danced until she was distracted by the arrival of her mother Marceline. That was when Melissa stopped paying much attention to her daughter and spent time catching up with her mother.

    Before she knew it, her husband and daughter were squabbling over something not too far from the high table.

    ¡°Oh gods,¡± Melissa sighed, ¡°what are those two fighting over this time?¡± She rose from her seat and gave her mother a smile, ¡°excuse me mother, I need to stop this before they draw any unnecessary attention to themselves.¡±

    Melissa rushed to her husband and pulled on his shoulder, ¡°Gareth!¡± Melissa growled in a hushed tone. ¡°What in the world is going on here! Are you trying to ruin our daughter¡¯s birthday party?!¡±

    Her husband turned to her before pulling Eira closer. Gareth turned their daughter to face Melissa,

    a panicked look on his face. ¡°Ask your daughter what she has been up to? Did you know that she has been deliberately putting her own life in danger?! Secretly meeting up with a man who almost ruined our lives?!¡±

    ¡°Will you stop speaking in riddles!¡± Melissa spoke sternly to her husband, what man was he talking about? Was it the same man who Eira had been dancing with? ¡°What has she done so wrong this time that¡¯s got you so whirled up in public?!¡±

    ¡°Eira has been secretly meeting up with Elric this entire time!¡±

    The words that came out of her husband¡¯s mouth made Melissa feel like the world around her came to a halt. She looked up at her husband in disbelief, not wanting to believe the words he had just said. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Melissa asked, hoping that what she had heard the first time was wrong.

    ¡°I said our little princess here, has been meeting up with Elric secretly this entire time.¡± Gareth responded. ¡°And as if things couldn¡¯t get any worse, she was dancing with him right here in our pce, just a few moments ago.¡±

    Melissa¡¯s blue eyes shifted from her husband¡¯s face to her daughter¡¯s. ¡°Eira, this can¡¯t be true can it?¡± Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, so that man Eira was dancing so merrily with was Elric?! ¡°How in the world did you even meet him?!¡±

    No that couldn¡¯t be the case, anyone but Elric..

    *

    ¡°I will not allow my daughter to fall down the same hole that I fell into mother,¡± Melissa spoke in an icy tone. ¡°I¡¯d be damned if I let anything happen between Elric and her, I will never allow it!¡±

    ¡°So you would rather force another man onto her then?¡±

    ¡°I am not going to force anything,¡± Melissa responded and stood up. ¡°Eira is my daughter, I know what she does and doesn¡¯t like. I believe I can find a suitoman for her, she won¡¯t even have to think twice about courting him.¡±

    Marceline sighed, she understood the position that her daughter was in, but her of all people should know that once a blood half connection was made, severing it never bore any good fruit.

    ¡°Just be careful Melissa, you know how it goes with blood halves and mates.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the advice mother,¡± Melissa responded and began walking away, ¡°but I know what I am doing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do,¡± Marceline muttered as she watched Melissa walk back into the pce. This was going to be very messy, she could feel it.

    *

    Clovis kissed his sleeping wife before walking out of the guest wing they had been allocated. He walked down the hallway towards his brother Jeffrey who was waiting for him at the far end.

    ¡°Any news from the snonds?¡±

    The Merian king had asked his brother to send word to the alpha of the silver pack in the snonds, asking him for assistance in looking for their thought to be dead brother Elric. He figured if there was anyone who could look for a lost cub, it would be its own pack.

    ¡°I could not get our message through to alpha Edron..¡±

    ¡°What? Why not? Will he not even lend an ear to matters pertaining to his own child?¡±

    Jeffrey shook his head, ¡°I couldn¡¯t get to the alpha because he is already on his way here.¡±

    Clovis knitted his eyebrows, ¡°why is he on his way here?¡±

    ¡°It turns out we are not the only ones who sensed our dear brother¡¯s presence,¡± Jeffrey exined. ¡°He actually sensed him long before us. Because ording to my sources, they may as well be already searching the forest as we speak.¡±

    ¡°Well then, we must join them immediately!¡± Clovis dered, ¡°it has been so long, we must reunite with our brother, the true king of Meria must return to the throne.¡± Clovis clutched a pendant that hang on his neck. ¡°It is what father would have wanted.¡±

    ¡°I suppose you are right,¡± Jeffrey responded. ¡°He has had more than enough time to rest and get his mind straight. That damn Elric, I hope this doesn¡¯t turn out to be another war, we have families and children to worry about now. I don¡¯t know about you, but I am not keen on senseless fighting.¡±

    ¡°There will be no violence involved,¡± Clovis assured his brother, ¡°as long as the Gavarian king keeps his pretty little bundle of trouble out of the picture.¡±

    *

    Eira materialized in front of Elric¡¯s cabin door and drew in deep breath. Elric was right about her, she was very stubborn and persistent, but if she wanted to be queen one day, these were qualities she should posses.

    She walked to the door and knocked, ¡°Elric?!¡± She knocked a second time. ¡°Elric it¡¯s me Eira! I know you probably don¡¯t want to hear from me right now but I really think we should talk!¡±

    The red head put her ear onto the door waiting for an answer but heard nothing. She knocked again, little louder this time. ¡°Elric are you in there?!¡±

    Eira was about to open the door and peak in, but the voices of men interrupted her. It sounded like a group of soldiers wereing her way, but they were none Eira knew. This could mean trouble, she had to hide quick before she was spotted.

    ¡°The prince¡¯s scent is strongest right around here,¡± one of the men spoke, ¡°he shouldn¡¯t be far.¡±

    ¡°Seems your Luna was right after all,¡± another man¡¯s voice responded. ¡°Elric is alive, my son is out here somewhere, and we are going to find him.¡±

 Chapter 266

    266 Chapter 266 : Far from a blessing

    Eira ducked out if sight and slowly began to tiptoe her way towards the dense forest. Who were those men just now? And did they just call Elric a Prince? Her mother had not mentioned anything about him being a Prince when she was telling her story. Eira hoped the men were not looking for the silver haired lycan to bring him any harm or trouble, he was going through a lot as it was already.

    As Eira was tiptoeing towards the forest she felt someone suddenly grab her. One arm firmly wrapped around her waist and the other covered her mouth. The princess almost screamed until the person who was holding her spoke.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing here princess?¡± Elric asked the redhead in a whisper. ¡°I thought I told you never toe here again. Why the hell are you so stubborn?!¡±

    Elric quickly hoisted the prince is up in his arms, and rushed towards the thicket of trees not too far from his cabin. When they were well out of sight, he put Eira down, took a few steps back, and red at her angrily.

    ¡°Is your sole purpose in life to bring me trouble Eira? Why the hell did youe back here? Has your father sent you toe lure me into some sort of trap?¡±

    ¡°Of course not -¡±

    The silver haired man covered the redheads mouth and brought a finger to lips telling her to shut the hell up. ¡°Will you please quiet down,¡± Elric hushed the woman, ¡°are you trying to get us caught?!¡±

    The princess shook her head, and Eric responded by lowering his hand from her lips.

    ¡°Who are those people back there?¡± Eira whispered.

    .....

    ¡°I will exin everythingter, right now we need to get the hell out of here before we are spotted.¡±

    Eira racked her brain thinking of a ce where she could teleport both of them. Where could they possibly go where no one could give them any trouble, and they could talk without any interruptions?

    The princess walked towards Eric and held both his hands.

    ¡°Wha- what are you doing?¡± The lycan asked in a high-pitched tone of voice.

    ¡°If I¡¯m going to teleport us both,¡± Eira responded, ¡°I need to make some sort of contact with you, otherwise it¡¯s not going to work. Now hold on.¡±

    Before Elric could protest a second time, they vanished from the forest and materialized in a room filled with people. There was music ying in the background, and some people singing to it. Voices of people talking andughing could be heard from all corners of the room, and the smell of ale and Wine wafted in the air.

    ¡°Did you just bring us to a bar?¡±

    ¡°This is the only ce I could think of where no one would bat an eye when they see us,¡± the princess responded as she walked towards an empty table and sat down on a stool. ¡°We will be able to talk here for a while.¡±

    ¡°Talk?..¡± the man walked towards the table and pulled out a chair for himself. ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed princess, you and I talking is what got me into this mess in the first ce.¡±

    Eira nodded her head, ¡°I know that, and I am sorry. I don¡¯t know how many times you want me to apologize for causing you trouble, this is why I want us to talk Elric. I want to be able to help to make this life easier for you.¡±

    The lycan scoffed and turned away from the princess. Make his life easier? What a joke, his life was very easy before she came into the picture.

    ¡°My mother told me everything,¡± the redhead continued. ¡°I vaguely know what happened between you and my parents.¡±

    ¡°Well if you know how terrible of a man I am, why do you still want to help me?¡±

    Elric knew for a fact that Melissa had not said any good things about him, and he really couldn¡¯t me her. He let his emotions control him the entire time he was with her, subsequentially acting reckless and inconsiderate their entire rtionship.

    The feel of Eira¡¯s soft handnding on top of his, made the lycan jolt his head up in surprise. There was a very strange sensation that he felt when her hand made contact with his, and out of fear more than anything, Elric pulled his hand away.

    The princess sighed and slowly retracted her hand. It was clear that the man shunned any connection of any sort with anybody. He must¡¯ve gone through a lot of emotional trauma to be this closed off, and Eira couldn¡¯t help but think somehow this was her mother¡¯s fault.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a terrible man,¡± she spoke softly. ¡°It would be unfair of me to judge you based on my mother¡¯s point of view. That¡¯s why I followed you to your home today, because I wanted to know your side of the story.¡±

    ¡°What does it matter?¡± Elric responded. ¡°You are just one person Eira, you cannot change the perspective of how people see me on your own. I came to terms with being called a monster a long time ago, it¡¯s high time you do the same.¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you tired of living this way? Don¡¯t you want to be able to be out there and live your life like everybody else?¡±

    ¡°I just want to live in peace,¡± Elric responded. ¡°that¡¯s it.¡±

    The red haired woman sighed and looked down to herp. Elric was stubborn, but she was not going to give up on him, not just yet.

    ¡°Can I ask another question?¡± Eira spoke sheepishly.

    The man sighed before looking up at the smirking woman. Did a cross between Gareth and Melissa really give rise to someone so stubborn and hardheaded?

    ¡°I know you¡¯re going to ask me regardless,¡± Elric replied. ¡°So go on ahead.¡±

    ¡°Back at the cabin, I heard the men who are looking for you refer to you as a Prince. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever heard of the silver pack of the snonds?¡± The man asked the princess Who responded with a nod of her head.

    ¡°And have you ever heard of king Bradley Aldos of Meria?¡±

    ¡°I have heard stories of him yes,¡± Eira responded, her interest peaking every passing second.

    ¡°Well,¡± Elric exined. ¡°I am the son of both the alpha of the silver pack, and King Bradley Aldos of Meria.¡±

    ¡°What? Then why are you living like this?!¡± Eira squealed in surprise. ¡°You are the heir to two powerful kindoms, if you wanted a peaceful life you honestly could just demand it.¡±

    ¡°Has it urred to you that renouncing those titles is my way of being at peace?¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°Listen Eira,¡± Elric interrupted. ¡°I understand your need to help me, you¡¯re a good person and for some reason best known to you, you feel the animosity between your patents and I shoulde to an end. But you should know that the more you try to help me, the more trouble you¡¯re actually causing me.¡±

    Elric looked into Eira¡¯s naive amythest eyes. She definitely was Melissa¡¯s daughter alright, as beautiful and as enchanting as ever. And the lycan didn¡¯t know how to feel about that.

    ¡°If you really want me to live happily and peacefully, you need to stay away from me.. do you understand?¡±

    Eira felt disappointed, was that really what would bring Elric peace? Was his secluded life something he relished and she was just someone who had ruined it for him?

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± the red head responded. ¡°And if it will really bring you peace, I will stay away from you. But where will you go? Those men at your cabin are probably waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Let me worry about them,¡± the lycan responded. ¡°For now, you need to head home before your father thinks I kidnapped you.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go,¡± the princess mumbled. ¡°After a drink..¡±

    ¡°Eira go home!¡±

    ¡°Alright.. alright..¡± Eira spoke as she stood up. ¡°No need to shout, I know when I¡¯m not wanted.¡±

    Elric frowned when the other men in the bar turned to look at him. They all must have thought he was crazy or interested in men to be chasing away such a beautiful woman. He sighed when he saw the smirk on the princess¡¯ face, clearly she knew exactly what she was doing.

    ¡°Alright fine,¡± the lycan conceded, ¡°we can have one drink, only because it¡¯s your birthday.¡±

    The sparkle in the red head¡¯s eyes told Elric that he was right, so it really was Eira¡¯s birthday after all. He watched her take her seat and call over the bartender who happily came to her aid, Elric couldn¡¯t help at chuckle at the irony, why her? Why Eira of all people? This was definitely a way the world was punishing him for the things he had done in the past, because being drawn to a woman whose parents and everyone rted to her wish you dead, was far from a blessing.

 Chapter 267

    267 Chapter 267 : Maxim

    Gareth stumbled on his feet and fell onto the bed. The floor beneath him was spinning and breathing was bing a task that felt more difficult to perform with every passing minute.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure this is some sort of mistake,¡± the elven king mumbled, more to himself than as a response to his wife.

    ¡°I wish it was,¡± Melissa spoke in a t tone. ¡°But I felt it, and it was as clear as day.¡±

    ¡°But it can¡¯t be true!¡± Gareth groaned. With shaky hands grabbed his now throbbing head. ¡°Why would the gods chose that.. that sick man for my daughter?! It can¡¯t be true!¡±

    ¡°You think I want this Garry? You think I want our daughter bound to a man like Elric?! After everything he-¡± Melissa bit her quivering lip and looked away. ¡°Just the thought of them being together churns my stomach.¡± She walked towards her husband and looked down at him, her face exhibiting scorn and disgusting. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to have to force Eira into a marriage, but it¡¯s either that or leaving her in the arms of Elric, which I¡¯d rather die than allow!¡±

    Eira with Elric? Gareth chuckled at the thought, what kind of misfortune was this? Had the gods gonepletely mad? Or were they punishing him for something he didn¡¯t realize he had done?

    ¡°Pass a royal decree,¡± Melissa told her husband. ¡°Make it known to all sons of lords, princes from across the continent, noblemen, knights, and all men who deem themselves worthy, that the crowned princess of Gavaria will be searching for a worthy suitor.¡±

    Gareth felt his heart sink, he was never for the idea of his little girl rushing into marriage in the first ce, much less into a marriage with a man she didn¡¯t love. Was this really the only way to keep Elric away from Eira? Wasn¡¯t there another way that wouldn¡¯t take away their daughter¡¯s freedom and happiness?

    ¡°I thought about having Elric captured and locked up, or even have him sent away to some far off ce,¡± Melissa exined as if having read her husband¡¯s mind. ¡°But that would not only lead Eira to resent us, but it would bare enemity between us and Elric¡¯s people. And that is thest thing we need right now.¡±

    .....

    ¡°What if we send Eira away,¡± Gareth suggested. Desperate to keep from putting the burden of an arranged marriage on his little princess. ¡°She could go live with her grandmother in Ervelon, or in the snonds.¡±

    ¡°With her power,¡± Melissa responded. ¡°She could easily teleport to wherever Elric resides whenever she so pleases.¡± The red haired queen sat down next to her husband and took his hand in hers. ¡°But if she is wedded to man who she remotely likes, by moral obligation, she will stay away from Elric, and him from her.¡±

    Gareth was still not for the idea, but it seemed like the most logical solution at the moment. Why did things have to turn out this way? Why did they have to get soplicated.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Gareth whispered, ¡°I will pass a decree, announcing that my daughter is ready to find a suitor.¡±

    Melissa gave her husband a sad smile before pulling him into her arms andforting him by stroking his hair. ¡°Everything will turn out alright,¡± she whispered and nted a kiss on his forehead. ¡°The burdens of a father are much heavier than those of a king. And you carry both.¡±

    *

    ¡°So apparently, Jacob thought you kidnapped me,¡± Eira exined while chuckling in amusement. ¡°he has been paranoid ever since that day, constantly asking me where I spent the night. I swear, sometimes he really gets on my nerves.¡±

    Elric sipped his ale and looked up at the woman who was happily telling him stories. ¡°it seems like this Jacob friend of yours, has taken a bit of a liking to you.¡± He responded.

    It had been so long since the silver haired man had engaged in banter of any sort. Back during his royalty days, he would not have engaged in such small talk with anyone. But it was different with Eira, speaking to her always felt so refreshing, and even though they were talking about a guy who possibly liked her, Eric happily carried the conversation along. Watching her expressions as she spoke, and hearing herugh, was something that the lycan was surprisingly enjoying.

    ¡°You are right about that,¡± Eira responded while twirling her ss of wine. ¡°Can you believe the man had the audacity to ask me to court him? I mean honestly, Jacob and I have barely seen eye to eye from the time we were children. Can you believe my shock, when he came up to me and told me that he has feelings?! That¡¯s absolutely ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps he behaved so unruly around you, because he liked you. Men have different ways of expressing their affection towards a woman, maybe getting on your nerves was his way.¡±

    Eira gulped thest of her wine ans looked up at the man sitting in front of her, ¡°you behave unruly around me as well, is that your way of expressing affection?¡±

    Elric¡¯s cheeks lightly dusted pink making him turn him face away from the redhead. ¡°I think the wine is finally starting to get to you. You¡¯re now spewing nonsense.¡±

    Eira chuckled at the man¡¯s embarrassment, this is what she wanted, for him to live a life that¡¯s care free and happy, for him to enjoy the little moments that human interaction had to offer.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the princess mumbled, ¡°for having a drink with me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, I mean it is your birthday after all,¡± Elric responded. He turned back to look at Eira, raised his cup of ale and gave her a smile. ¡°Happy birthday princess Eira..¡±

    The redhead raised her empty ss as well, ¡°to a new year, and a new friend.¡±

    CLINK

    *

    Back in the great kingdoms of the elves, Ervelon, Ronda was walking down a hidden path towards a familiar house she had visited several times before.

    she¡¯s slightly retracted the hood of the cloak she was wearing, and knocked at the wooden door in front of her. Not too long after, the door swung open and a young woman stepped out of the house.

    ¡°Lady Ronda,¡± The maiden who was standing at the door spoke coyly. ¡°Wee.¡±

    Ronda pulled the hood of her cloakpletely off, and looked up at the maiden, the same maiden whom she had sent to put a cup of poison in front of Melissa the day after her wedding.

    ¡°Forget the pleasantries Hana, is your brother ready for me?¡±

    The young maiden nodded, and opened the door fully to let Ronda into her little home. ¡°He awaits you in the living room mydy.¡±

    The green eyed elf walked hastily into the small house, and into the living room where a young man was sitting on a chair. When the man saw Ronda walk in he stood up and bowed slightly.

    ¡°You were not kidding,¡± Ronda spoke to the maiden, an impressed smile tugging her lips. ¡°your brother definitely is the looker, I¡¯m sure even the spoiled little princess of Gavaria won¡¯t be able to resist him.¡±

    ¡°But what if she does,¡± Hana mumbled nervously. She realized she owed Ronda her life after helping her when she had nothing, but involving her younger brother in a scheme to get revenge was making her a little uneasy. ¡°What if they find out he is a spy and is only trying to get to the princess, they will have my brother killed.¡±

    ¡°Are you insinuating that I do not know what I am doing?¡± Ronda question the maiden who gulped response. ¡°don¡¯t forget your ce Hana, I am the master schemer here. As long as you and your little handsome brother over here...¡± The woman traced her green eyes from the young man¡¯s head to his toes, ¡°... do everything I say, the way I will say it, everything will go ording to n.

    Ronda took a few steps towards the young man and gave him a smile, ¡°and what is your name handsome?¡±

    The way her voice rolled of her lips made the man shudder, The very tone of her voice was as venomous as a snake.

    ¡°I am Maxim,¡± The young elven man responded.

    ¡°Maxim? That is a lovely name.¡± Ronda and circled the man a few times before stopping in front of him and cing a hand on his shoulder. ¡°And how old would you say you are Maxim?¡±

    ¡°A hundred and neen mydy,¡±Maxim responded with a voice that made even Ronda¡¯s heart flutter.

    ¡°You and I Maxim, are about to do great things together.¡± The eleven woman smiled menacingly. ¡°I very much look forward to working with you.¡±

    Ronda then turned to face Hana, and tossed a satchel filled with silver coins her way. ¡°There is more where that came from, after you get the job done, you will never have to work another day in your life.¡±

 Chapter 268

    268 Chapter 268 : Amethyst

    When Eira materialized in her room, she was smiling from ear to ear. Herst birthdays were always filled with extravagant gifts, fancy balls, and elegant luncheons. But none of them had ever made her quite as happy as spending a few minutes speaking to Elric over a ss of wine.

    The princess twirled around joyfully, ready to throw herself on her bed, when she saw her mother sitting on it and looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°You seem awfully happy this morning,¡± Melissa spoke with a suspicious tone. ¡°Where did you run off to? You didn¡¯t want to join us for breakfast this morning because I thought you were still upset about what happened at the ball. But it seems you¡¯re in a much higher spirits now, care to share the joy?¡±

    ¡°Umm..¡± Eira shifted ufortably across the room and settled down on the chair adjacent to her window. ¡°I went out,¡± she responded tly. ¡°There has been a lot going on, so I decided to treat myself to a ss of wine.¡±

    Melissa stood up and walked slowly towards her daughter, ¡°I wasn¡¯t even aware are you started drinking...¡±

    ¡°with all the bombshell secrets in this family, how could I not?¡±

    Melissa sighed, was this how her sweet little girl was going to disappear? Because of that lycan Elric? Eira had always been sweet, kind, and respectful, but ever since she came across a Elric, she had be sarcastic, and a little rude. Couldn¡¯t she see that that man was turning her into something she was not?

    ¡°I worry about you Eira,¡± Melissa spoke. ¡°You have changed, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s in a good way.¡±

    Melissa stood from her seat and looked into her mother¡¯s eyes. ¡°Because I am able to speak for myself now, and to demand the truth and answers from you and father, you worry that I have changed?¡±

    .....

    ¡°I worry because you now speak out of turn,¡± Melissa responded, trying hard to keep her voice mellow. ¡°You are sarcastic and rude, can you not see that? This man you insist on spending time with is turning you into something else. A princess should never behave in such a way.¡±

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is a princess we just lie down and take whatever is thrown her way? I should not stand up for what I believe is right because I am a princess?¡±

    ¡°What do you know of what is right?!¡± Melissa fired back. ¡°You are a child Eira, our child, and you live under our roof. And as long as you live under our roof you will follow our rules. We as your parents care for you, and we know what¡¯s best for you, so regardless of what you think is right, you have to follow what we say because it is for your own good.¡±

    Ha!¡± Eira chuckled and sat back down. ¡°Just because you¡¯re adults does not mean you are free of all error. Age does not mean you cannot be corrected mother.¡±

    ¡°You dare speak to me in such a tone?¡± Melissa questioned her daughter.

    ¡°I mean no disrespect, but it would be nice if you listened to me as well.¡±

    Melissa took a deep breath and calmed herself down, there was no use bickering with her daughter over a man who would be out of the picture soon enough. Eira needed to learn that it was not always possible to get her way.

    ¡°Lunch will be served in an hour,¡± Melissa spoke calmly. ¡°Dress nice and be there, everyone is waiting to wish you a happy birthday. And on top of that, your father has something very important to tell you.¡±

    The red haired princess leaned back on the chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

    ¡°Do I make myself clear Eira?¡± her mother asked in a firm tone.

    ¡°Yes queen Melissa, crystal...¡±

    *

    Alpha Edron looked up as the curtains of his tent opened and his general walked in. The man took a knee in front of the the silver haired man before announcing the arrival of his guests.

    ¡°Alpha, the two men have arrived,¡± he announced, ¡°they im to be the brothers of the prince, shall I let them in?¡±

    The alpha nodded and the general walked back out to call in Clovis and Jeffrey. Edron was astonished to see how greatly Clovis resembled his son, even though brothers from different parents, the resemnce was uncanny.

    The alpha stood up and extended his hand to the two men who shook it.

    ¡°Thank you for meeting with us,¡± Clovis spoke first.

    ¡°How could I not, you said you know a way for me to meet my son.¡±

    ¡°We believe we do,¡± Clovis responded before pointing at the small stools. ¡°May we?¡±

    ¡°Go right ahead,¡± the alpha replied. He took his seat and waited for his guests to do the same.

    ¡°You see, it may seem that Elric does not want to be found,¡± Clovis exined.

    ¡°But the fact of the matter is that he is alive and out there?¡± Edron asked.

    ¡°He is, I saw him with my own two eyes,¡± Clovis responded. ¡°It would appear he has gotten ustomed to his life of solitude and hiding. But I am sure all of us here can agree that we cannot let one of our own to continue with an existence like that. Elric has duties that he has left unattended to for too long.¡±

    ¡°And you say you have a way to convince him to give up this life he has chosen?¡± Edron asked Clovis skeptically. ¡°How exactly do you n on doing that?¡±

    Clovis and Jeffrey looked at each other before turning back to look at the alpha.

    ¡°Eira,¡± Jeffrey answered.

    ¡°Eira? What is that?¡±

    ¡°Eira is the only person we believe can get our troublesome lycan to do about almost anything,¡± Jeffrey responded.

    ¡°We did not want to involve her in this for various reasons,¡± Clovis added on. ¡°But we seem to be getting a little desperate, and if we can convince Eira this is what¡¯s best for Elric, I have a feeling she would be more than willing to help.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Edron spoke thoughtfully. Was this Eira the person who his son had imprinted on? Because knowing how stubborn Elric was, this Eira person has to be someone pretty important. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll leave the rest to the two of you, I do hope your n seed.¡±

    ¡°We have faith that we will..¡±

    *

    Eira looked at her reflection in the mirror puffed out some air.

    ¡°What is the matter Eira?¡± Maria asked the redhead. ¡°Do you not like the dress? We can find another one if you like.¡±

    ¡°The dress is fine Maria thank you,¡± Eira mumbled.

    The woman tightened the bow in Eira¡¯s hair and turned her around. Now facing her, Maria gave the redhead a small smile. ¡°What¡¯s bothering you princess? Today is such a special day, you shouldn¡¯t look so downcast on your birthday.¡±

    Eira sighed, ¡°I just had a bit of a disagreement with my mother,¡± the princess exined. ¡°Sometimes I feel like her and father deliberately don¡¯t listen to me, like they want to control every aspect of my life and I can never have a say. It¡¯s frustrating, I want to be free to make my own decisions, if I¡¯m going to make mistakes, I want the freedom to make them and learn from them.¡±

    The nosferatu woman cupped Eira¡¯s face in her hands, ¡°sweetie you know your parents love you very much, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I do but-¡±

    ¡°Well, then you should trust the choices they make on your behalf,¡± Maria exined. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t want you making a mistake you can¡¯te back from.¡±

    Eira sighed for the hundredth time that day. No one truly understood and honestly she was tired of trying to make them understand.

    ¡°Nowe,¡± Maria spoke with beaming smile, ¡°everyone is waiting for you.¡±

    The princess walked slowly following Maria to the the dining area. All she wanted was to have another chat and drink with Elric, for some odd reason, she had be quite fond of him. She found his presence very soothing and refreshing.

    When the two entered the dining hall, the people within stood up and gave the princess weing smiles. ¡°Happy birthday princess Eira Burchard!¡± Everyone spoke in unison.

    Eira smiled and nodded in appreciation before taking a seat on her father¡¯s left hand. The rest of the guests at the table sat down and before long everyone began eating.

    The red haired princess spent most of the time stirring her food and ncing at all the people around, once in a while returning a smile to whoever smiled at her.

    ¡°I got you something,¡± her father spoke with an expression that Eira could not pinpoint. He ced a small box on the table and slid it towards Eira. ¡°It¡¯s from your mother and I.¡±

    Eira picked up the small box and looked at it skeptically. Usually her parents would gift her with gifts that couldn¡¯t fit through the pce door. She had received carriages filled with exotic perfumes, rare white horses, and even small pieces ofnd in her name. So getting something that fit in a tiny box was perplexing, she couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what it was.

    ¡°Open it,¡± Gareth encouraged his daughter.

    Eira opened the box and found golden ne with an amethyst stone hanging from it.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Eira mumbled while stirring at the ne in awe.

    ¡°Not as being as you are princess,¡± Gareth responded. ¡°This ne should remind you of how special and important you are to your mother and I. And how lucky anyone will be to have you.¡±

    Eira looked up at her father with a questioning gaze, what did he mean by ¡®anyone would be lucky to have her.¡¯

    ¡°Princess,¡± Gareth continued, ¡°I think it¡¯s time you found a suitor, and settled down.¡±

 Chapter 269

    269 Chapter 269 : A royal decree

    Eira looked at her father with a confused expression. ¡°What do you mean I have to find a suitor? You told me I could think about marriage at my own time... You- you said I could be queen and didn¡¯t need any man but you.¡±

    Gareth averted his daughter¡¯s gaze, ¡°you can still be queen princess, I still support your dream of ruling entirely. I just feel that now is the time to find someone to help you achieve that dream.¡±

    ¡°But father-¡±

    ¡°It is already decided princess, please don¡¯t make this any harder than it needs to be, this is not a death sentence, you¡¯re merely taking the time to find a good man for yourself.¡±

    Eira was wide eyed in shock by her father¡¯s words, this was crazy, why did she suddenly have to find a husband?

    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Eira asked in a tone that broke her father¡¯s heart into a million pieces. ¡°Is the council putting pressure on you to have an heir to the throne?¡±

    ¡°Of course not honey,¡± Gareth responded. ¡°My decision has nothing to do with the council.¡±

    ¡°Is it because of Elric then?¡±

    His daughter¡¯s question made his stomach churn. The way she said his name, it was clear she had be fond of him. So his wife was right all along, they had to put a stop to this before it was toote.

    .....

    ¡°It has nothing to do with that man and everything to do with our love for you,¡± Gareth exined. ¡°You need someone by your side Eira, to protect you when I cannot.¡±

    ¡°I can protect myself-¡±

    ¡°Youngdy,¡± Gareth spoke firmly. ¡°I will not argue with you about this, you are my daughter and the crowned princess. It¡¯s high time you learned that a princess¡¯ duty to the throne, the kindom and to her parentses first.¡±

    Eira was bbergasted, why was all this happening? Thest person she expected to disregard her wishes was her father, yet here he was doing exactly that.

    ¡°I have spoiled you princess, and for that I apologize,¡± Gareth spoke in sad tone. ¡°But now I will make things right.¡±

    The elven king stood up and picked up his cup, he raised it and gave everyone a smile.

    ¡°Thank you all foring to my daughter¡¯s seventeenth birthday luncheon, and to those who made it to yesterday¡¯s ball as well, my family appreciates you greatly.¡±

    The entire time her father was speaking, Eira could barely breath, was he serious about her getting married? He couldn¡¯t have been, he must have been joking.

    ¡°As you are all aware,¡± Gareth continued, ¡°the princess is now seventeen years old. And ording to custom, she should have been betrothed by now, only waiting to be married when she is eighteen.¡±

    The princess¡¯ heartbeat began to speed up.

    ¡°It has taken a bit of time,¡± the king spoke. ¡°But I am happy to announce that my daughter Eira is ready to seek out a suitor, a royal decree has already been passed, inviting all suitable candidates to throw their hats in the ring and stand a chance to be the husband of my beautiful daughter!¡±

    Cheers erupted in the room as sses were raised up in the air. For a brief moment Eira thought it all was a dream, did she really not have a say over her own life anymore?

    The cheers died down when Jacob clinked on his ss. When everyone sat down, Jacob reminded standing, an excited smile on his face.

    ¡°Firstly I¡¯d like to wish the beautiful princess Eira a very happy seventh birthday,¡± Jacob spoke with a very smug tone. ¡°And with that said I¡¯d would love to present my gift to her.¡± The elf snapped his fingers and a butler walked towards Eira and handed her a medium sized box.

    With the nod of her father¡¯s head, encouraging her to open the box, Eira obliged and opened the box. Inside, wrapped in silk, was a book adorned in gold and Jews.

    ¡°It is a spell book princess Eira,¡± Jacob announced proudly. ¡°It is the only one of its kind, whatever words you write in there will be a spell ande to pass. I suppose in a way, I¡¯ve given you a gift that will grant your every wish.¡±

    There were oohs and aahs from everyone in the room except Zhelimir and Eira¡¯s uncle William. Zhelimir was still against Jacob courting Eira, even though the man had helped him get closer to Janis. As for William, he just had a sixth sense for toxic men like Jacob, he could tell this would be another Elric situation all over again.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Eira expressed her gratitude with a bow and called a maid who took the book away.

    ¡°And with that gift,¡± Jacob continued to speak, ¡°I would like to throw my hat into the ring, as an aspiring suitor to the beautiful princess Eira.¡±

    William knitted his eyebrows, he knew it. This Jacob fellow would definitely prove to be a problem.

    *

    ¡°I¡¯m not for this idea Jeffrey,¡± Rnd spoke as he buttoned up his shirt. ¡°You know there is bad blood between king Gareth and Elric, and you¡¯re considering involving his daughter in the mix?¡±

    ¡°Calm down you big oaf,¡± Jeffrey responded. He set the tray of food down on the table and twirled the ring on his finger around, his eyes fixated on the big blue eyed elf who was getting dressed. ¡°We aren¡¯t ning to actually involve the little princess, just ning on using her name to convince my brother toe out of hiding.¡±

    Rnd finished dressing up and turned to look the the lycan who was waiting for him to join him for tea and biscuits, just like he did every evening before dinner. It was a very posh arrangement, but what did Rnd expect from having a prince as a partner.

    The blue eyed elf sat down and took the cup that Jeffrey had poured for him. ¡°Then how do you n on executing this nutty n of yours?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking of using a letter,¡± Jeffrey responded before grabbing a biscuit from the tray and cing it on Rnd¡¯s lips.

    ¡°A letter?¡± The elf took a bite of the biscuit and Jeffrey ate the other half.

    ¡°A little love note if you will,¡± Jeffrey borated further. ¡°The note will ask Elric to meet Eira at a specific ce at a specific time. But when he arrives, guess who he will find?¡±

    ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Precisely,¡± Jeffrey responded and sipped his tea.

    ¡°And what makes you so sure Elric will heed to this little love note of yours?¡± Rnd asked. ¡°You really think he will want to meet up with the daughter of his enemy?¡±

    ¡°Did you not see them at the ball?¡± Jeffrey asked the elven man. ¡°I¡¯ve known Elric my whole life, and from his bodynguage I could tell that Eira means more

    to him that he would admit. And him to her if my senses are still as sharp as they were seventeen years ago.¡±

    Rnd picked up a biscuit but before he could put it on his mouth he paused. ¡°Are you suggesting that Elric is Eira¡¯s blood half?¡±

    ¡°I am telling you that Eira is Elric¡¯s mate,¡± Jeffrey responded with a sly smile. ¡°If he too is her blood half, it will make this whole situation a lot more juicier. Oh the uproar will be entertaining.¡±

    ¡°Do you think king Gareth knows of this?¡±

    Their conversation was cut short when the door to their private chambers swung open and their daughter Isabe walked into the room. Her face looked downcast and she was breathing like she had flown all the way home.

    Rnd got up and walked towards his distraught daughter. ¡°Honey? You¡¯re home early? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be at the pce celebrating Eira¡¯s birthday?¡±

    ¡°Just now I heard you say Eira is Elric¡¯s mate,¡± Isabe spoke while panting heavily. ¡°Is that true?¡± Her eyes shifted to Jeffrey and then back to Rnd.

    The two men exchanged nervous nces, why was she asking such a question all of a sudden? Had Eira told her about Elric?

    ¡°Honey,¡± Rnd spoke softly and tucked a loc of hair behind her daughter¡¯s ear. ¡°How do you know Elric?¡±

    ¡°Papa I just want to know if Eira really is Elric¡¯s mate,¡± Isabe pleaded. ¡°Papa Jeffrey, this is important please don¡¯t lie.¡±

    Jeffrey sighed and put down his cup of tea, he had never been able to lie to his daughter and he knew he would not be able to start now.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jeffrey responded. ¡°It¡¯s true, Elric¡¯s oxytocin levels were so high when he was around her the stench was almost choking.¡±

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Isabe gasped. ¡°I have to do something, I have to tell her!¡±

    ¡°Now hold on Be, what¡¯s going on?¡± Rnd questioned the clearly panicked young woman.

    ¡°The king has just passed a royal decree that Eira is to find a husband within the next thirty days,¡± Isabe responded. ¡°And he says the man she will choose will have to be epted by both the king and the queen, this means Elric definitely stands no chance if what Eira told me is true. But now I know that she is his mate..¡±

    ¡°A royal decree for marriage?¡± Rnd mumbled thoughtfully. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit over the top?¡±

    ¡°The king is trying to keep Elric away from his daughter,¡± Jeffrey pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s a ssic move, it means he knows. But why does it matter? Thest time Elric got involved with those two he may as well have lost his sanity.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t understand!¡± Isabe interjected. ¡°I think Elric is Eira¡¯s blood half as well!¡±

 Chapter 270

    270 Chapter 270 : Father?

    When Elric got back to his cabin he was d to find there was no were there. Even though the stench of lycans lingered everywhere he didn¡¯t mind, all he wanted to was throw himself on his bed and fall asleep even just for a little while.

    It had been a long day, heck, it had been a long week. Ever since he met that stubborn woman Eira, his life had be a roller coster of events.

    Ah Eira, curse her bewitching ways. If anything, Elric was supposed to hate her for causing so much trouble for him, but instead, the thought of her almost brought a smile to his face.

    Who was he kidding, instead of despising her he actually felt like he cared for her. It was absolute madness but here he was. Elric chuckled at himself, what a fool he was, slowly falling down the same hole he had spent so long trying to pull himself out of. How embarrassing.

    The silver haired man reached the door of his cabin, but before he could open it, he saw a piece of paper pinned to it, with the words ¡®to Elric¡¯ disyed on the front. He unpinned it from the door, opened it and read it.

    ¡®Meet me behind the old inn near the butcher, please I need to speak with you. Eira¡¯

    Elric studied the note, had Eira really written this? And if she had, what was so important that she wanted to talk about which she could not mention when they were at the bar earlier. This could be a trap, someone pretending to be Eira in order to lure him out, but again he couldn¡¯t disregard the possibility of the note actuallying from Eira.

    The lycan sighed and ced the note in his jacket pocket, wether it was a trap or not, there was only one way he was going to find out.

    *

    .....

    When her father finished talking to the guests, Eira got to her feet, her face down and tears threatening to spill out her eyes.

    ¡°Excuse me your majesty,¡± she mumbled in a low tone. ¡°I understand now that it is my duty as a princess to find a suitor, to find someone who will help rule this kingdom when you decide to step down. But I feel the final decision should not be up to you on who I choose to spend the rest of my life with.¡±

    Gareth turned to Eira not knowing what to say.

    ¡°And if I am to select a suitor, it will be on my terms,¡± Eira continued speaking. ¡°From the men who deem themselves worthy, I will select a few who I feel have the most admirable qualities, after which one from the bunch will qualify to be my husband.¡±

    The red haired princess pushed her chair back and turned to the guests who were all staring at her.

    ¡°The one to be named my husband of the few whom I will pick out,¡± she announced. ¡°Is the man who will subdue me in battle..¡± she turned to her father and gave him a serious look. ¡°That, is a royal decree.¡±

    Everyone in the dinning hall went silent as they watched the princess exit the door. She would pick a man who would defeat her in battle?! But who in their right mind would want to fight the princess?! This is was absurd.

    Melissa stood up and gently pat her husband¡¯s shoulder before following her daughter. ¡°I will speak with her...¡±

    Melissa walked in long strides down the hallway following Eira. It was official, her daughter was losing her mind, why would she say something like that in front of all those people? This kind of arrangement was unheard of, what would people think?

    ¡°Eira!¡± Melissa reached for her daughter¡¯s hand but Eira teleported away from her grasp and materialized several inches away.

    ¡°If you¡¯re here to try and talk me out of my decision forget it!¡± Eira yelled. ¡°I¡¯m doing what you want am I not? I¡¯m finding a husband!¡±

    ¡°But Eira your method-¡±

    ¡°The method in which I do it should be none of your concern,¡± the red haired princess responded. ¡°At the end of the day you¡¯ll get what you want, a married daughter who has no say in the affairs of her life whatsoever.¡±

    ¡°Eira that¡¯s not-¡±

    ¡°Good night mother!¡±

    *

    When Elric arrived at the inn he ducked behind some barrels and inspected his surroundings. If Eira was truly waiting for him here, he would spot her. There were not too many red haired, purple eyed, elf- nosferatu hybrids around.

    ¡°Where is she? Could she be inside?¡± The lycan mumbled to himself.

    He came out of his hiding ce and walked slowly towards the corner of the building that led to the back. When he heard the sound of footsteps ahead, he pressed his body against the wall and slowly peeked to see who wasing.

    At the back of the building, near what seemed to be a private entrance into the inn, was a young man pasting something on the wall and no one else. Elric decided toe out of his hiding spot and approach the young man, who jumped at his unexpected visitor.

    ¡°Sorry sir but this ce is restricted,¡± the young man spoke. ¡°Ordinary guests have to use the front door.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to bother you,¡± Elric spoke without pulling back the hood of his cloak. ¡°But I¡¯m not a guest here. Have you seen a woman with long curly red hair around here?¡±

    The young man, who was obviously human, shook his head. ¡°No I¡¯m sorry I haven¡¯t, if she is a guest here, you could go in and ask the innkeeper, I am sure she will be more than willing to give you the information you need.¡±

    Elric nodded, ¡°thank you.¡± He then turned to the poster that the young man had been pinning on the wall and began to read it.

    ¡°Ah I see the royal decree has caught your eye,¡± the man spoke with a small smile. ¡°The princess will be looking for a worthy suitor...¡±

    Elric felt like something had jabbed his side a little. The princess would be looking for worthy suitors?

    ¡°Which princess are you talking about?¡± Elric asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Are you not from around here? The King¡¯s daughter, princess Eira Burchard.¡± The young man exined to Elric. ¡°The king dered that the next thirty days will be set aside for all nobleman, nights, and anyone who feels they are worthy of the princess¡¯ hand, to states their willingness to contest for her hand.¡± The man chuckled a little, ¡°I guess the likes of me don¡¯t stand a chance.¡±

    For some reason, the news made Elric panic a little. Was Eira nning on getting married? Why hadn¡¯t she told him this all those times they had talked? Or maybe, was this what she wanted to talk about now? Is this why the princess wanted to meet him?

    ¡°Rumor has it that the select few who the princess will choose, who go through some sort of culling.¡± The man exined further, ¡°I don¡¯t know what sort of method will be used to select just one superior candidate, but whoever gets to marry the princess, will be one lucky man indeed.¡±

    The man turned to look at Elric, who was staring at the paper as if it had offended him.

    ¡°Will you be participating?¡± The man asked the stranger in the hooded cloak. ¡°In contesting for the princess¡¯ hand that is...¡±

    Elric had not even heard what the young man had asked him. His mind was still trying to work out what in the world was going on. Why was Eira suddenly looking for a suitor? And why did she have to find one within thirty days? And most of all, why was he so bothered by it?

    Another man¡¯s voice was heard from inside the inn, and before long, a plump man peeked out of the private door and called to the young man who was standing by Elric¡¯s side.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I must go now,¡± The young

    man spoke to the stranger who was still as frozen as a statue. ¡°I hope you find the woman that you¡¯re looking for, have a good day.¡±

    After several minutes of reading the text on the poster over and over again, the silver haired lycan finally took a step back and folded his hands into fists.

    ¡°Eira, are you being forced into doing this?¡± Elric mumbled to himself.

    ¡°I was right,¡± A voice responded to Eric¡¯s musing statement.

    The silver haired lycan turned around and saw a face that made him frown. It was his brother Clovis.

    ¡°I knew that the princess would get you out here dear brother.¡± Clovis spoke as he took slow steady steps towards his brother. His arms were crossed behind his back, and his smile widened with every step he took in the white snow beneath his feet. ¡°It was beauty that lured the beast..¡±

    ¡°What do you want Clovis? What have you done with Eira? Is any of this nonsense your doing?¡±

    Clovis followed his brother¡¯s finger and looked at the poster that was stered on the wall. ¡°Eira¡¯s marriage? Oh no brother I have no interest in Gareth¡¯s family affairs when I have my own to deal with.¡±

    Elric¡¯s frown deepened even more when he came to a realization. ¡°It was you wasn¡¯t it? You wrote that note, Eira was never here to begin with.¡±

    ¡°Very clever. I am d you have not lost your wit, because as the rightful King it would¡¯ve been sad if you sumbed to the life of savagery.¡±

    ¡°I have no interest in being the king of Meria Clovis,¡± Elric responded. ¡°The only way you can step down as ruler, is if and when you die.¡±

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m not talking about being the king of Meria brother...¡±

    Before Elric could ask Clovis what he meant, five men appeared from behind him, and stood besides Clovis. One of whom Elric recognized immediately.

    ¡°Father?¡±

    ¡°Hello son..¡±

 Chapter 271

    271 Chapter 271 : Law of mates

    Eira¡¯s ears perked up when she heard the door of her room open. With her back still facing whoever hade in, she spoke in a dismissive tone.

    ¡°Please go away, a closed door means I wish to be left alone.¡±

    ¡°Eira,¡± a calm voice that she recognized instantly called to her. ¡°It¡¯s us, may wee in?¡±

    ¡°Zhel I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in the best mood to havepany right now,¡± she responded without turning to look at her friends.

    ¡°Well what kind of friends would we be if we left you in such a mood on your birthday?¡± Isabe spoke as she walked to Eira¡¯s bed and sat down next to her.

    ¡°Besides,¡± Leonard added on as he awkwardly took a seat on the chair near the window. ¡°We haven¡¯t given you your birthday gifts.¡±

    Eira turned to look at her three friends and gave them a small smile. ¡°Thank you, but you could have left the gifts in the library like everyone else.¡±

    Zhelimir walked to Eira¡¯s front and shoved a parcel that was wrapped in cloth and some twine in her face. ¡°And where would be the fun in that?¡± He responded with a sly smile. ¡°Besides, I didn¡¯t want my special gift to get mixed up with those from a bunch of nobodies.¡±

    For the first time that night Eira actually smiled. She epted Zhelimir¡¯s gift and slowly unwrapped it. When all the twine was out, she unfolded the cloth and gasped a little at the item within.

    .....

    Isabe leaned forward with curious eyes. ¡°What is it?! Is is jewelry? Is it an expensive bottle of scented oils?!¡±

    Eira removed the item from the cloth and held it in front of her.

    ¡°A dagger?¡± Isabe asked. Was a dagger an appropriate gift to give a woman?

    ¡°Not just any dagger,¡± Eira spoke in awe, ¡°it¡¯s a rare elven dagger made from iron-wood and steel.¡± The princess looked up and Zhelimir in shock, ¡°where did you get this?¡±

    ¡°I had it forged in Lenora,¡± Zhelimir dered proudly. ¡°I mean if you are nning to win a fight with every man who tries to get in your pants, a durable weapon like that may serve you well.¡±

    Eira chuckled, ¡°you know me so well Zhel, thank you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s our turn now!¡± Isabe announced excitedly before turning to Leonard.

    The shy elf got up and walked towards Eira, handing her a small box. The princess epted it and wasted no time in opening it, within the box was a beautiful golden hairb covered in jewels.

    ¡°You keep talking about how your hair is always getting in your face,¡± Leonard exined. ¡°So we hope our gift will make a difference.¡±

    Eira beamed at both Leonard and Isabe. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful, thank you both.¡±

    ¡°Before you get out of the gift receiving mood,¡± Isabe spoke out. ¡°I have one more gift for you. This one isn¡¯t wrapped in any fancy silk or encrusted in jewels, but I¡¯m sure you will appreciate it.¡±

    Eira arched an eyebrow at her friend, what gift could Isabe be talking about?

    ¡°My gift is a piece of information that you may find interesting and maybe even a little valuable.¡± Isabe continued.

    ¡°Will you stop beating around the bush Be,¡± Eira responded with a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re making me nervous.¡±

    ¡°Do you know anything about this Leonard?¡± Zhelimir asked the elf standing next to him.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m as curious to hear this information as you are.¡±

    ¡°Well, earlier this evening when I went home to change into a clean gown thanks to someone who spilled wine on me...¡±

    Leonard smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Her gown exposed her breast a little, I got distracted.¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Isabe continued to speak. ¡°While I was home I heard my fathers talking about about a certain silver haired lycan.¡±

    Eira¡¯s eyes widened a little. ¡°About Elric?¡±

    ¡°Precisely,¡± Isabe responded.

    Zhelimir took a step forward and gave Isabe a serious look. ¡°Isn¡¯t Elric an enemy to the throne? He tried to hurt you Eira, he tried to enact revenge on your father by using-¡±

    ¡°He did no such thing!¡± Eira interrupted Zhelimir. ¡°If Elric wanted to hurt me he would have done so already, but instead he has been nothing but kind to me. Mother and father have their own perceptions of him, but I¡¯ve actually spent time with this man! He has no ns of revenge, all he wants is to live in peace and you aren¡¯t giving him that!¡±

    The passion in Eira¡¯s voice when she spoke about Elric made Zhelimir quiet down. She was right, from the time she started meeting with him he had never actually paused any threat. He had even taken care of her when her drink had been tampered with and returned her home safely. Maybe he was different from the man he was in past, people did change after all.

    ¡°Please continue Isabe,¡± Eira encouraged her friend. ¡°What did they say about Elric?¡±

    ¡°I heard papa Jeffery say this with my own two ears,¡± Isabe continued. ¡°He said that you are Elric¡¯s mate.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Everyone in the room responded in unison, all in a different tone of surprise.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Isabe responded. ¡°Papa said the oxytocin when he was dancing with you was almost chocking. Us lycans have a keen sense for this kind of thing, especially when it involves family.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean family?¡± Eira responded in a jittery tone. Her brain was still shot after the news of being Elric¡¯s mate, could that be true?

    ¡°Remeber that papa Jeffrey is the son of thete king Bradley Aldos right?¡±

    Eira got up from her bed and stared at Isabe in shock. ¡°So is Elric,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Which means-¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re brothers yes!¡± Isabe finished the princess¡¯ statement. ¡°Eira, you¡¯re going to be my aunt!¡±

    *

    ¡°Father...¡±

    Edron took a step forward and eyed his son from head to toe, ¡°you look thin,¡± he spoke with a sad smile. ¡°But you¡¯re alive, and that is all that matters.¡± He pulled his son into his arms and hugged him tightly. In all his years, the only person he had shown affection of any sort was his wife. As an alpha, emotions reflected weakness, but this was his son, his only child who he thought he has lost forever.

    Elric slowly wrapped an arm around his father as well, it had been years since he has hugged someone, it felt,forting. He leaned his face into his father¡¯s shoulder and sighed.

    ¡°Father...¡±

    ¡°You will be alright now son, you are with your own kind.¡± The man pulled away from his son and squeezed his shoulders. ¡°Your mother will be overjoyed. Even when everyone else, me inclusive I¡¯m afraid, thought you had died. Your mother never lost hope. She still believed you were out there somewhere, and if it wasn¡¯t for her, I would have never journied to look for you.¡±

    ¡°My mother sent you here?¡± Elric asked in surprise. ¡°But how did she know I was still here in Gavaria? I could have been anywhere.¡±

    ¡°When you made a connection with your mate,¡± Edron exined. ¡°Your mother was able to pick up on that. I suppose I have her to thank for finding you as well, where is the lovelydy anyway?¡±

    Elric paused and nced at his brother Clovis who gave him a sly smile before looking away. If what his father was saying was true, then there could only

    be one woman he was talking about, the only woman Elric had interacted with this entire time.

    Now everything made sense, the dreams, the visions... oh gods, even the feeling offort he felt when he made contact with Melissa¡¯s baby bump all those years ago. It was never Melissa who elicited those feelings of love or possessiveness, it was the child she carried. What in the bloody hell was this?!

    ¡°Well is she here?¡± Edron asked his son a second time while looking behind him. ¡°Is she this Eira who Clovis and Jeffrey keep speaking about?¡±

    Elric almostughed at himself, good gods. If only he had known, if only he had heeded to the signs, he would have happily waited for Eira instead of forcing a love that never even existed. Gods this was so embarrassing andplicated.

    ¡°Yes father,¡± Elric replied with a teary smile. ¡°Her name is indeed Eira.¡±

    ¡°Well then where is she?¡±

    Elric looked up at his father with sad eyes. ¡°She is probably preparing to find a husband.¡±

    Edron looked at his son and narrowed his eyes. ¡°What do you mean she is preparing to find a husband? She is your mate Elric! The only woman in existence who can bare you children! And you stand here smiling while she marries another?¡±

    ¡°Its a little moreplicated than that father,¡± Elric responded and cupped his now throbbing head in his hands. ¡°Even if I were to im her as my mate and by some miracle she agrees to be with me. Her parents would have me executed if I ever asked for her hand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s absurd, thew of mates is respected by all!¡± Edron dered. ¡°It is the basis of the continuity of our species! No one can deny you your mate Elric, no one!¡±

    ¡°Gareth and Melissa can..¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Edron shook his head slowly. ¡°What do those two have to do with any of this? They are the ones who did this to you, disregarded everything and everyone for their own selfish desires. I want to hear nothing of them and their bastard child.¡±

    Elric shook his head and let out a somewhat deranged chuckle. ¡°You don¡¯t understand father, that bastard child you speak of, that is Eira, that is my mate.¡±

 Chapter 272

    272 Chapter 272 : Shifting me

    Maxim poked the fire with a stick and sighed. The night was cold and quiet, allowing his thoughts to run wild yet again. He had been on the road to Gavaria for two days now, in another day, he would arrive in a small shire outside Lenora where he was to meet a friend of Ronda¡¯s, an elf capable of teleportation who would teleport him directly to the capital of Gavaria where he was to meet the princess Eira.

    Maxim was a handsome elf, even among his beautiful race he was still considered very good looking. He was tall and fairly muscr in build, he had long ck hair and eyes as green as pools of emeralds. With a jawline curved by the gods and a smile sinfully beautiful, one would wonder how such a man had not already been swooped up by someone.

    Ronda had emphasized that his looks would serve a great purpose to her n, her n of revenge. The elven woman did not give Maxim much detail on what exactly the Gavarian royal family had done to her for them to deserve such a thing, and he wasn¡¯t the type to pry. But for an elven woman to reach a point of revenge, it must have been something horrible because generally, elves were a peaceful people, never harboring negative emotions like hate or anger.

    ¡®She has been of great help to us for years now,¡¯ Hana, his older sister had told him. ¡®The least we can do is help her get even with the people who hurt her.¡¯

    Maxim had never been able to say no to his older sister. Their mother died during the war with the humans, and their father sumbed to depression many yearster. Wether the man died from sadness or the abuse of alcohol, Maxim didn¡¯t know. But what he did know is losing one¡¯s blood half did horrible things to people.

    After their father died, Maxim and Hana were left with practically nothing. His sister stepped up and began to do odd jobs around Ervelon so they could get by, and when he learnt a few skills himself, he would help her. When Ronda came into the picture, Maxim and Hana were about to lose their home, she got Hana a job at the pce and paid off all the debt they had. It was understandable why Hana felt so indebted to Ronda, and Maxim could not question it.

    He dug into the pocket of his cloak and pulled out a small vial that contained a dark liquid.

    ¡®You need not to do much,¡± Ronda had instructed him before he left. ¡®All you have to do is pour a little bit of this in her food or drink, and the potion will do the rest.¡¯

    ¡®But how will I get close enough to her to pour this in her food?¡¯ Maxim had asked.

    .....

    ¡®That is where that handsome face of yourses in honey, no woman can resist the charm of a good looking man like you.¡¯

    ¡®Is this poison? Will this kill her? I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m confortable in ying a part in the death of the princess¡¯

    ¡®It will not kill her,¡¯ Ronda had assured Maxim. ¡®It will merely put her in a deep death like slumber from which she will never awaken. Melissa will then know how it feels to love someone and not be able to show them your affection, for them to be so close yet so far away.¡¯

    Maxim ced the vial back into his pocket and leaned back on the tree under which he was sitting. ¡°Eira, I am so sorry you have to suffer for the sins of your parents. But at least you will only be asleep and not dead.¡±

    *

    Zhelimir plopped to the floor after hearing Eira tell them what her mother had told her about Elric. How they were aquatinted, and why there was bad blood between them.

    ¡°I suspect that is why father and mother want to find a suitor as quick as possible,¡± Eira continued. ¡°If indeed I really am Elric¡¯s mate, maybe they suspected it from the beginning and are trying everything they possibly can so we don¡¯t end up together.¡±

    ¡°But are you okay with that?¡± Zhelimir asked his cousin. ¡°Ending up with him? I mean the man was your mother¡¯s husband at a point in time, won¡¯t that feel a little awkward?¡±

    ¡°Zhelimir stop it!¡± Isabe yelled. ¡°Thew of mates triumphs over all of that. From how I see it, Elric was just several years too early, he probably felt the connection was there, just to the wrong woman!¡±

    ¡°But still,¡± Zhelimir responded. ¡°Uncle Gareth despises Elric because he almost took away his blood half, and you honestly think he¡¯ll allow him

    to take his daughter as well?!¡±

    ¡°Everyone was at fault,¡± Isabe spat back. ¡°Maybe if she waited a little longer for her blood half, the queen wouldn¡¯t have ended up with Elric. We can¡¯t deny the fact that she too probably thought he was good for her at the time, because I don¡¯t think she was forced to be his wife.¡±

    Isabe stood up and walked towards Zhelimir, ¡°put yourself in Elric¡¯s shoes, imagine Janis agrees to be with you and even bes your wife, and then all

    of a sudden she decided to leave you for another man.¡±

    Zhelimir got to his feet after being triggered by the mention of Janis. ¡°This has nothing to do with her..¡±

    ¡°You see what I mean?¡± Isabe continued. ¡°You don¡¯t even know if Janis is your blood half or not,

    yet you¡¯re fiercly territorial with her. How is it any different with Elric?¡±

    ¡°Both of you stop it!¡± Eira yelled and stood up. ¡°You¡¯re not helping with all your bickering!¡±

    ¡°But Eira,¡± Isabe responded with hopeful eyes. ¡°You know I¡¯m right, Elric is your blood half-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that for certain,¡± Eira interrupted her friend. ¡°I cant jump to conclusions without solid evidence. I mean how do you even know if someone is your blood half? For all we know we could just like each other. It¡¯s impulsive decisions like these that put Elric and my parents in the mess they are in right now.¡±

    The room went silent for a while, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

    ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± Leonard asked the red haired princess. ¡°I mean now you have to find a husband in thirty days, then there¡¯s the issue of you being Elric¡¯s mate and the possibility of him being your blood half.¡±

    Eira sat back down and cupped her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± she responded honestly. She looked up at her friends who were eyeing her in concern, and gave them a sad smile. ¡°I suppose I will just let fate take its course. I¡¯m quite tired of trying to do things the way I want and having people interfere.¡± Eira stood up and gave her friends a grateful smile. ¡°Thank you all, for the presents and for cheering me up. I would like to be alone now if you don¡¯t mind, besides, it¡¯s gettingte, I should rest after a long day of unexpected events.¡±

    Zhelimir and Leonard were the first to leave after wishing Eira a good night. Isabe stayed back and observed her friend, a worried look in her eyes.

    ¡°Eira, if you feel you and Elric are meant to be together, you know I will support you right?¡± Isabe spoke softly. ¡°No matter what anyone says, I¡¯ll be in support.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Be, I¡¯ll keep that in mind...¡±

    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Isabe walked slowly towards the door, and before closing it shut, she nced at Eira one more time. ¡°Good night, and happy birthday.¡±

    When the door shut, the red haired princess walked to her bed and picked up the dagger Zhelimir had gifted her. ¡°If this is the only way, I won¡¯t let any man defeat me in battle but you.¡± She squeezed the de in her palm before taking a deep breath. ¡°But for now,¡± she spoke as she wrapped up the weapon, ¡°I will grant your wish and keep my distance, thest thing I want is to bring you more trouble than I already have.¡±

    *

    Janis ced her now empty ss of wine on the small table beside her bed and crossed her legs as she watched Jacob pace her room continuosly. It was a cold night and her brother had just barged into her room mumbling incoherent nothings to himself while pacing around like a mad man.

    ¡°Jacob are you about finished with your madness? I need to get my beauty sleep. You think a face like thises easy?¡±

    Jacob stopped his pacing and turned to look at his sister. ¡°Why would Eira do that? Why would she make such an outrageous royal decree?¡± He mumbled irritably. ¡°When I announced my willingness to be a worthy suitor, she should have known it was a sign that we could take our rtionship to the next level. There is no need for other suitors.¡±

    The dark haired elf heard his sister chuckle which made him frown.

    ¡°And what is so funny?¡± He asked in an agitated tone.

    ¡°Rtionship?¡± Janis responded. ¡°What rtionship do you and Eira have Jacob?¡±

    ¡°I asked her for courtship not too long ago, don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    ¡°And she agreed she would think about it,¡± Janis pointed out. ¡°Only after you backed her up into a corner.¡± The beautiful blue eyed woman stood up and tightened the ropes of her silk night robe. ¡°I told you not to be rush when it came to Eira, I told you to wait for my instructions but what did you do? You ruined everything.¡±

    Janis opened her bedroom door and turned to look at her brother. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help me-¡±

    ¡°Eira has already made it clear how she wishes to choose a husband,¡± Janis cut her brother short. ¡°All you can do now is do your best and hope you win in a fight against her. In the meantime, try not to be your usual annoying self so she can at the least select you for battle.¡±

    Janis whipped her hand and a gush of wind pushed Jacob out the door. ¡°That¡¯s all you can do for now, good night Jacob.¡±

 Chapter 273

    273 Chapter 273 : Different from her mother.

    Jacob set down the tray on the table and poured a cup of tea for his father and Clovis.

    The alpha watched his son perform his little task with much indifference, was this how Elric had been living all these years? The son of the alpha of the silver pack, pouring his own tea?

    Elric gave one cup to Clovis and the other to Edron who hesitated in taking it.

    ¡°I can sense that you have a lot you want to get off your chest,¡± Elric spoke to his father as he poured himself a cup of tea. ¡°If it is about Eira, there is very little I can do change what is.¡±

    ¡°I am indeed bothered about that hybrid woman you call a mate,¡± Edron responded. ¡°But that is not my concern at the moment.¡± The man shifted his head from side to side inspecting his son¡¯s home. ¡°This life you choose to live, it saddens me, a prince should not live this way.¡±

    ¡°This life I choose to live has been the most peaceful existence I have had in years father,¡± Elric responded. ¡°There is a reason I wished not be found.¡±

    The alpha nodded his head and proceeded to drinking his hot beverage. ¡°No matter, your life will be even more peaceful when we return to the snonds. There your life will be easy and you will not have to worry about trivial things like making your own tea.¡±

    Elric lowered his cup, ¡°father, returning to the snonds and seeing my mother is something that I wish to do. But I cannot do it right this moment.¡±

    ¡°And why is that?¡±

    .....

    ¡°Eira father,¡± Elric responded without the slightest hint of hesitation. ¡°She needs me right now, the royal decree that was passed of her finding a husband in thirty days, it¡¯s wrong!¡±

    ¡°The sooner you forget about that woman the better,¡± Edron responded. ¡°Do you find pleasure in putting yourself into situations that could possibly ruin your life? I will not alllw you to be with that woman after all that her parents did! And honestly, I don¡¯t think they want you anywhere near their little monster either.¡±

    ¡°I understand that the chances of Eira and I being together are very low..¡±

    ¡°They are non existent!¡± Edron corrected his son, making him sigh.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Elric continued. ¡°But regardless of that, I cannot let them force her into a marriage I know she does not desire, with a man she does not even love. If I cannot be the one to make her happy, at the least let it be someone of her own choosing. All I want is for her to be happy, that would be more than enough for me.¡±

    Elric then turned to Clovis who had been quiet most of the time and questioned him. ¡°And what of you? Why were you so bent on finding me?¡±

    Clovis put down his now empty cup and smiled slightly. ¡°I find that question rather insulting Elric,¡± he responded. ¡°I mean you are my brother after all, your well being is a priority of mine. Besides, father would have wanted you to return home to Meria, and maybe even take up the throne. But recent events have shown me that you have other pressing matters that need your attention.¡± Clovis looked up at Elric and fondly smiled at him. ¡°I thought you had died brother, seeing you here alive gives me a sense of peace. You¡¯re family.¡±

    Elric nodded and sipped his tea. He couldn¡¯t help but notice how Clovis had spoken of their father in past tense, and that could only mean one thing.

    ¡°Did he die peacefully?¡± Elric asked Clovis. ¡°Our father?¡±

    ¡°He did,¡± the Merian king responded. ¡°He always spoke about reuniting with his wife again in his old age, so naturally we buried him next to our mother. He would have loved to see you again, you should visit him sometime and pay your respects.¡±

    ¡°I will...¡±

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt your sentimental moment,¡± Edron responded. ¡°But Elric, I will not go back to the snonds without you, I promised your mother I would take you to her. So any ns you have here, I suggest you do them quickly, or you postpone them to another time. We leave for the snonds in two days, wether you like it or not.¡±

    Elric looked down at his half empty cup, two days would not be enough to help Eira out of the situation she was in, and in his current state, he wouldn¡¯t stand a chance if confronted by her father. He had to get stronger and it seemed the snonds were the only ce he could achieve that.

    ¡®I wille back for you Eira,¡¯ Elric thought to himself. ¡®Please just wait for me for a little while.¡¯

    *

    Melissa walked behind her husband and gently rubbed his shoulders before nting a kiss on his cheek. She had been watching him staring at his reflection in the mirror for over five minutes now, and she knew it was because he was worried about what the next twenty nine days would bring.

    ¡°Do not overthink it Garry,¡± Melissa spoke lovingly to the man as she continued to massage his shoulders. ¡°She may be against it right now, but I assure you that after a while she will be thankful for this opportunity to carefully select a worthy suitor.¡±

    ¡°But my love..¡± Gareth held his wife¡¯s hand. ¡°The universe has already choosen a suitor for her, you really think we can go against the will of the gods?¡±

    Melissa really did not know if they could, but they had to try, paring their only daughter with a man like Elric? After all that had happened in the past? The ¡®universe¡¯ must have lost its mind.

    ¡°We won¡¯t know unless we try,¡± Melissa responded before nting another kiss on her husband¡¯s temple. ¡°Now hurry and get ready, I would love it if you met the first set of suitors with me before you go off to your meetings with the council.¡±

    ¡°And what if he is among them?¡± Gareth asked. ¡°Will we chase him away? Because byw wether we like it or not Mel, he qualifies as a worthy suitor for our daughter. We cannot turn him away without airing out our dirtyundry for all to see.¡±

    ¡°Elric may be reckless,¡± Melissa responded. ¡°But he isn¡¯t stupid, he will not show up as a suitor unless he wants his own dirtyundry out in the open. We are protecting not only the innocence of our Eira, but the reputations of both us and him as well.¡±

    *

    As Maria finished putting the final touches on her make up, Eira wondered what the day ahead held for her. She had been informed that she would be meeting the suitors who had dered their interest in marrying her over the next twenty four days. On the twenty sixth day she would be expected to pick out ten candidates from the bunch, from which on the thirtieth day, she would select one as her future husband through whatever means she deemed fit.

    She stood up and inspected herself in the mirror from head to toe. Maria had really gone all out today hadn¡¯t she.

    ¡°You look absolutely stunning princess,¡± Maria spoke excitedly, clearly happy with her work. ¡°Every detail is perfect to the letter and I-¡±

    ¡°My hair,¡± Eira interrupted the woman.

    Maria walked close to the princess and inspected her hair once again, ¡°princess your hair is just-¡±

    ¡°It is not tied,¡± Eira pointed out.

    ¡°Yes princess,¡± Maria responded. ¡°You have such long beautiful hair, much like your mother¡¯s, it would be a shame to have it secured rather than leaving it to flow beautifully.¡±

    ¡°I do not like it when my hair gets in my face,¡± Eira responded before opening one of her drawers and pulling out the hairb gifted to her by Isabe and Leonard. ¡°If you please secure it for me,¡± Eira asked Maria while handing her the golden essory. ¡°I would really appreciate it.¡±

    Maira nodded and took the essory from the princess¡¯ hand. This was one way Eira differed from her mother, subtle things like having her hair tied up rather than leaving it to flow. They may have had the same face, but Melissa and Eira were two different people entirely, Maria always seemed to forget that.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the redhead spoke to Maria as she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She then proceeded to another one of her drawers where she was keeping the dagger Zhelimir had given her, and secured it on a sheath clutched around her thigh. She turned to look at Maria who had a worried look on her face, and gave her another smile. ¡°You can never be too careful I always say,¡± she spoke before heading out her bedroom door.

    Maira watched the door for a few minutes before proceeding to picking up Eira¡¯s dirty clothes. She was very different from her mother indeed.

 Chapter 274

    274 Chapter 274 : First day

    ¡°There are four of them,¡± one of the guards spoke to the Gavarian king and queen as they walked towards the royal library. ¡°Though if I am being honest your majesty, over ten candidates arrived today to see the princess, but we felt a number like that would overwhelm her.¡±

    ¡°You did well,¡± Gareth responded with much gratitude. ¡°Eira didn¡¯t even want all of this to happen to begin with, so overwhelming her is thest thing we want.¡±

    The guard rushed on ahead and opened the door for Melissa and Gareth, and announced their arrival to the four men waiting within.

    ¡°All rise for his majesty king Gareth and his queen Melissa!¡±

    The four men who were amidst their own banter immediately quieted down and stood up to wee the two people who they all hopped would be their inws in the near future. Not only was having the most powerful Gavarian king to ever reign as a father inw a massive perk, but their daughter was enchantingly beautiful as well, no sane man would not want to wed princess Eira.

    All the men bowed to the king and queen respectfully as they walked passed them.

    ¡°Please, do be seated,¡± Gareth asked the men who obliged and sat down on the chairs that had been provided for them. ¡°You are guests in my home today, so please feel wee.¡±

    ¡°Thank you your majesty,¡± they all responded in unison.

    ¡°Now I know you are all here with the hope of walking away with my daughter in hand,¡± Gareth continued to speak. ¡°So I want you to keep in mind that the princess is not just a gem on my crown, but she is my only child. Hence I would advise each and every one of you to treat her as one would treat a rare delicate flower. If I notice as much as one hair on her head out of ce, someone will face grave consequences.¡±

    .....

    The men in the room all gulped. The way the king was speaking, one would consider pulling out of this entire arrangement, it was clear that he was very vicious and protective when it came to his daughter. It was no wonder the princess, regardless of how greatly her beauty was praised, was still uncourted till this day. Her father probably scared away any man who as much as looked at his daughter a certain way.

    ¡°You each will have an hour with her,¡± Melissa spoke in a kind tone, trying to lighten the mood after seeing how tense her husband¡¯s words had made the men. ¡°In this time simply be yourselves and try not to fall too hopelessly in love.¡±

    A few chuckles echoed in the library and the men felt a little more confident and just a little excited. The princess only made public appearances at royal balls, and she would always sit at the high table with her father, so no one really knew what she looked like up close.

    ¡°Alright then, we wish you luck,¡± Melissa concluded and pulled her husband who was staring daggers at the men.

    When the king and the queen left the room, the four men all heaved a heavy breath. This was going to be more difficult than they initially thought.

    Suddenlly, the door opened again making all the four men jolt upright. They were expecting the king to walk back into the library with a dagger in hand ready to threaten all of them a second time, but instead, the most beautiful woman any of them had everid eyes on walked into the room, escorted by a blonde man and another redheaded male.

    The woman had long red hair that almost shined against her bright skin. Her eyes glimmered like amethyst and herposure was enough to break any man¡¯s resolve.

    Maybe getting stabbed wouldn¡¯t be too bad, as long as a beauty like princess Eira would be the one to nurse the wounds.

    ¡°Good morning everyone,¡± Eira spoke with a curtsy. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all.¡±

    That voice, it was like the harmonious song of a thousand angels.

    ¡°Good morning princess,¡± the men responded with a bow.

    The red haired male, heavily built and resembling the princess a great deal, stepped forward and rolled out a parchment. It seemed both these men were rted to the princess, but everyone knew that the king and queen only had one child. Meaning the two men must have been her cousins or something of that sort.

    ¡°Each of you will have an hour to spend with princess Eira,¡± the man announced. ¡°In this allocated time, you may do whatever you see fit to win the princess¡¯ favor, as long as it brings no harm to her. You will be apanied by either I, prince Damien, or Sir Zhelimir over here, together with two members of the royal guard at all times.¡±

    Zhelimir stepped forward and studied the men in front of him, was this was how a princess was to choose a suitor? Dealing with multiple advances by different men throughout the day like some sort of prize pony? Guess being royalty was not asvish as it seemed to be.

    ¡°Sir Arnold of Greenhill?¡± Zhelimir announced.

    A tall man with short brown hair and blue eyes stepped forward and bowed. ¡°It is I,¡± he spoke.

    He was of lycan decent and fairly handsome, one could tell from the way he carried himself that he was a knight of high rank.

    ¡°You will be the first to spend time with princess Eira,¡± Zhelimir exined. ¡°And I will be apanying you. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± the man responded. He stood up straight and walked towards Eira and bowed a second time before reaching for Eira¡¯s hand. ¡°I will make every minute of this hour with you count princess.¡±

    *

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Clovis asked his brother. ¡°You¡¯ve been a little twitchy today since you woke up.¡±

    Elric shook his head and continued packing his items in his sizable leather satchel. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just feel very irritable this particr morning, must be my anticipation for change. I have been here for over seventeen years, and now I have to leave it all behind.¡±

    Jeffrey walked towards where Elric was sitting and ced a pair of baby seal leather boots in front of him. ¡°You have quite a number of these brother, may I have a pair?¡±

    Elric grabbed the boots and red at his brother, ¡°I need these for the snonds Jeffrey, stop trying to inherit my things.¡±

    ¡°Testy today aren¡¯t we?¡± Jeffrey teased. ¡°I don¡¯t me you though, I mean today is the big day.¡±

    Elric looked up at Jeffrey and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. ¡°What do you mean today¡¯s the big day? What¡¯s happening today?¡±

    ¡°Jeffrey, don¡¯t.¡± Clovis tried to stop his brother. But he knew his attempt would be futile, because Jeffrey sometimes thrived in the agony of others.

    Elric shifted his eyes between his two brothers, what were they hiding from him?

    ¡°If it involves me or Eira,¡± the silver-haired lycan spoke firmly. ¡°I suggest you tell me right this minute!¡±

    Jeffrey smiled slightly at Clovis. ¡°you see, not only does he deserve to know what¡¯s going on, but he wants to as well.¡±

    Clovis turned to look at his brother, Elric was not somebody who handled matters of the heart well. The Merian king had witnessed it firsthand when he was obsessed with Melissa.

    ¡°Jeffrey is only teasing you,¡± Clovis tried to convince his brother. ¡°do not let him get to you, this piece of information will only frustrate you.¡±

    ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter, I want him to tell me.¡± Elric looked back at Jeffrey and arched his eyebrow. ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°My my,¡± Jeffrey taunted his brother. ¡°And here I thought you were the smartest of us. I really thought your bad mood today would give it away, but I guess I just have to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Stop beating around the bush Jeffrey and just get to the point already.¡± Elric was getting even more agitated than he already was, why was his brother like this? Always making situations seem a lot worse than they actually were.

    ¡°well, today is the day princess Eira begins to meet her suitors.¡± Jeffrey walked to the bed and settled down with one leg crossed over the other. ¡°I thought you saw the Royal decree, princess Eira is to select a husband within thirty days. And on each of those days she will meet different men who consider themselves worthy of her hand. And out of that group of men, the princess will select one to whom she will be wed on the thirtieth day.¡±

    Eric felt his heart leap and lodge up his throat. He was aware that Eira was to choose a husband in thirty days, but the thought of different men spending time with her during that course of time made his blood boil a little. He knew it waspletely irrational, to be possessive over a woman he had just met, but primal instinct and thew of mates did not care about rationality.

    ¡°She will be meeting with four candidates today,¡± Jeffrey added on. ¡°and each of them will spend one delectable hour with your mate brother.¡±

 Chapter 275

    275 Chapter 275 : To win the princess¡¯ heart

    That afternoon Eira was subjected to a very boring carriage ride. Apparently Arnold¡¯s choice of showing the princess a good time, was riding around the kindom in a carriage and talking about himself constantly. The man talked about the most mundane of things, starting from when he was born, where he was born, how he was the most adorable pup of the litter, and all his achievements that for some reason he felt would impress the princess.

    Eira had never been so bored in her life, even Zhelimir who was riding beside the carriage on horseback could see that the princess couldn¡¯t wait for the hour to be over.

    ¡°.... and then when I was knighted by the king in Meria, I not only bought pride upon my gild, but upon my family as well.¡±

    Eira sighed and looked out the window at Zhelimir who was clearly holding back hisughter.

    ¡°Are you not impressed princess?¡± Sir Arnold asked excitedly.

    If you have to ask.. Eira thought to herself. She had no idea there were men who were even more infuriating than Jacob.

    ¡°Your achievements are very impressive Sir Arnold,¡± Eira responded tly and sarcastically. ¡°It¡¯s astonishing as to how you are not wedded with all you have aplished.¡±

    The blue eyed knight took Eira¡¯s hand in his and kissed it before looking up at her. ¡°Because I was waiting for a woman worthy of me, a woman like you princess.¡±

    *

    .....

    Eira threw the door of her bedroom open and groaned loudly before throwing herself on the bed, with Zhelimir chuckling as he walked behind her. His chuckles slowly turned intoughter until the blonde was practically on the floor clutching his stomach with tears in his eyes.

    Eira sat up and red angrily at her cousin. ¡°Is any of this funny to you?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so hrious it¡¯s sad,¡± Zhelimir responded as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

    Eira huffed in irritation. ¡°This is ridiculous, I¡¯ve spent one hour with one man and I already feel like giving this whole thing up!¡±

    ¡°Ohe now Eira, this is the duty of a princess,¡± he spoke while snickering. ¡°Besides, you have three more suitors to review. Maybe they won¡¯t be as bad as the fist one.¡±

    ¡°This is off to a really bad start,¡± Eirained. ¡°And I have to do this for an entire thirty days?! I can¡¯t believe this.¡±

    ¡°Come on, the faster meet these men, the faster we get this day over with..¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± the princess finally relented. This entire ordeal would have been much more bearable if she was absolutely sure Elric would be one of the suitors she would meet, but s, she wasn¡¯t even sure if she would ever see him again..

    *

    Maxim walked out of a portal and into an alley of some sort that was not too far from the busy Main Street of the Gavarian capital. It had been many years since he wasst here, in the central continent where he was born and lived his early childhood days.

    After the war that drove their people to Ervelon, this ce was almostpletely inhabited by humans from what he had heard. But looking at it now, it seemed much bnce had been restored. The streets were filled with beings of all races, living, trading and interracting harmoniously like the great cleansing had never urred.

    Maxim had to hand it to king Gareth, even though ording to Ronda, he and his wife were selfish people, he had managed to bring back the peace that everyone thought was forever lost.

    Maxim pulled his cloak tighter around his body and began to walk along the snow covered pathways. The elf who had teleported him to Gavaria directed Maxim to another elf, his brother who was apparently hopelessly in love with Ronda. So hopelessly in love that the elven woman could ask anything of him and he would do it without giving it a second thought.

    The dark haired, handsome elven man, could not tell if Ronda was a very likable woman, or a woman who was highly maniptive. Because it seemed she had so many people wrapped around her little finger.

    Maxim reached the main road and saw the building the elf had described to him as where he was to meet the man who would house him until his mission waspleted.

    He was about to cross the road when someone ced a hand in front of him and stopped him.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Maxim asked the man

    who, after closer inspection, he could see was some sort of guard or knight.

    ¡°Leave way, the princess is passing,¡± the guard spoke firmly.

    ¡°The princess?¡± Maxim looked ahead and saw a fancy carriage parked next to some shops, in which two men where loading newly purchased items of all

    kinds.

    Behind the men, was a huge dark haired man who was walking with a woman on his arm.

    ¡°Is that the princess?¡± Maxim muttered in surprise.

    ¡°Aye, that is princess Eira,¡± the guard responded with a broad smile, his voice radiated pride and his expressions revealed somewhat of a boyish crush.

    Maxim couldn¡¯t me him, the princess was absolutely stunning. Her hair, her skin, the way she smiled slightly when the man whose arm she was holding spoke to her, she looked almost unreal.

    It was then that Maxim realized. That was the woman he was to poison? That beautiful angel on earth?! The blue eyed elf now began to wonder if Ronda¡¯s revenge was truly Justified by being hurt, or being jealous. Because in all honesty, if Maxim was a woman he would be jealous of Eira as well.

    He watched the beautiful princess get onto the carriage, followed by the man she was with. That must have been one of her many eligible suitors, most likely trying to woo her by purchasing her all the fancy things money could buy. It was a good strategy, but not good enough.

    The blue eyed elf turned to look at the guard beside him, it would be best to get a bit of information from this man while he had the chance.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Maxim spoke, ¡°how does one sign up to be given a chance to try and win the princess¡¯ heart?¡±

    The gaurd studied Maxim for a while before deciding to answer. ¡°Are you a nobleman of any sort? Or maybe a knight?¡±

    The guard had a pretty good eye. The truth is Maxim did not have a single noble bone in his body, but he did not realize that it was that obvious.

    ¡°What makes you ask such a question?¡± Maxim inquired. He wanted to know what he was not doing right so he could rectify it before he met the princess. Because if a mere gaurd could tell he was not nobility, then the princess would see right through him in a second.

    ¡°Well first of all,¡± the guard replied. ¡°Not to sound insulting but the quality of your clothing is average. Most nobles wear garments of the finnest silk and softest wool.¡±

    Maxim nodded in understanding. ¡°Is that all? Just the way I dress then?¡± He inquired further.

    ¡°The way in which you carry yourself as well,¡± the guard added on. ¡°You seem a little too carefree to be nobility.¡±

    So nobles always had to be on their toes? Of course, most nobles practically had an audience wherever they went, so they were always aware of their environment, how they walked, how they talked

    and how they interacted with others.

    Maxim chuckled and gave the guard a slow p, much to the man¡¯s confusion. ¡°Bravo!¡± The blue eyed elven man eximed. ¡°You have a very keen eye my good sir. I had a feeling my poise and etiquette had dwindled a great deal over the years, but I was not aware that it was this bad. Mistaken for a meremomer? What a shame indeed, myte father lord Marius of Baiviles would have been disappointing.¡±

    The guard arched his eyebrows suspiciously at the elven man beside him. ¡°You are a noble from Baiviles?¡±

    ¡°That I am,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°But over the years I have been traveling the continent like a free spirit. It was not until my father sumbed to his sickness did I return to take his ce as lord.¡±

    Maxim looked up at the guard and smiled. The man was eating his cockamamy story up like a fruit tart on a hot day.

    ¡°But it gets lonely you know,¡± Maxim continued. Selling his lie to the guard even more. ¡°All alone in a castle is not the life I pictured having at such a young age. But then I heard the beautiful princess of Gavaria was looking for a husband, and I immediately knew it was a sign.¡±

    Maxim turned to look at the man fully, ready to hit the final nail of his lie. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid I am not aware of Gavarian protocol,¡± he exined. ¡°So I ask again, how does one sign up to be given the chance to win the princess¡¯ heart?¡±

 Chapter 276

    276 Chapter 276 : To hell with duty

    Later that evening at the dinner table, Eira ate in silence. At the table with her, sat her parents, both sets of her grandparents, her cousin Damien, and her uncles from her mothers¡¯s side.

    The dining hall was awkwardly quiet, only the sounds of cutlery against the tes. Usually the dinner table would be filled with talking and catching up, especially Eira who loved telling her father about her day, a new spell she has learned, or new skill in archery or sword fighting she has acquired.

    But today she was as quiet as a mouse, keeping her head down and making no eye contact with anyone as she ate.

    ¡°So darling..¡± Melissa spoke out, hoping to lighten the mood in the room. ¡°How was your day today?¡±

    ¡°It was fine,¡± Eira responded without looking up at who was speaking to her.

    ¡°Did anything interesting happen?¡± Melissa asked her daughter.

    ¡°No,¡± the princess responded tly.

    Melissa looked to her husband for help. She bopped her head towards Eira indicating that he should say something to her.

    Gareth turned to his daughter and gave her a small smile. ¡°So princess, did you learn any new spells

    .....

    today? Or maybe you learn a new battle skill when training with your uncle Zander?¡±

    ¡°I did not have the time,¡± Eira responded as she finished up her food. ¡°I was busy meeting random men all day who do not even know the first thing about modesty, so I had no time to practice my magic.¡± She put down her fork and knife and looked up at her father. ¡°And after the whole ordeal, I was both physically and mentally exhausted so I couldn¡¯t join Zhel and uncle Zander for training. So to answer your question your majesty, no, I did not learn any new spells, and neither did I learn any new battle skill.¡±

    Eira got to her feet and curtsied towards her parents and then to everyone else at the table.

    ¡°I am finished with my meal and will be retiring to bed now,¡± she spoke in calm emotionless tone. ¡°Enjoy the rest of your evening.¡±

    Everyone at the dining table watched Eira walk out. It was clear that she was still not for the idea of meeting different men and finding a husband, but there really wasn¡¯t much they could do now, especially after a royal decree had been passed.

    Gareth felt downcast, just a few days ago he had made it his mission to bond with his daughter, and to seal whatever rift had formed between them. But now it felt like they had drifted apart even more than before, was he really doing the right thing by keeping Eira from Elric? Even though the man had crossed him on so many asions, there was no changing the fact that Elric was Eira¡¯s blood half.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so beat up,¡± Tauriel spoke as she continued eating her food. ¡°The princess is a grown-up now, and she has her duty to the kingdom and her parents as well. She may seem a little upset right now, but she will get over it like any other adult would.¡±

    Melissa held her husband¡¯s hand and rubbed it gently. She gave him a sweet smile, and Gareth knew from the way she was looking at him that she was telling him everything was going to be all right, and that this was for the best.

    ¡°Do you have an idea of which men are to meet Eira on which day exactly?¡± William asked in a subtle attempt to change the topic.

    Gareth shook his head. ¡°The Royal guards are the ones with that type of information,¡± The Elven king responded to his brother-inw. ¡°I have been much too busy to go through the list of candidates, I left everything to them. So if it¡¯s that type of information that you require, the Royal guards will have it for you.¡±

    Melissa turned to her brother and gave him a skeptic look. She knew William well, it was rare that he brought something up without a valuable reason.

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Melissa inquired.

    ¡°There is a certain young man who has caught my attention,¡± William responded as he sipped thest of his wine. ¡°The young elf, Ivan¡¯s son.¡±

    ¡°You mean Jacob? What about Jacob has you so intrigued?¡± Melissa probed further.

    William put his cup down, leaned back on his chair, and studied Melissa¡¯s face, as if trying to decide whether to respond to her question or not. His dy in responding peaked Melissa¡¯s interest even more. Was there something that Jacob had done that had caught William¡¯s eye?

    ¡°I merely noticed that the young man has a bit of a crush on my niece,¡± William responded calmly. ¡°He seems like the kind of young man who was given whatever he asked for growing up. And never takes no for an answer...¡±

    ¡°I did notice that Jacob was a little attracted to Eira,¡± Melissa admitted. ¡°but why point it out now? What significance does him liking her have to do with any of this?¡±

    Jacob nodded his hand before rising from his seat. ¡°Nothing of much importance,¡± he responded. ¡°But if it is alright with you, I would like to be present when Jacob has his hour with the princess.¡±

    ¡°Damien here and Zhelimir have been escorting Eira on her meetings with her suitors,¡± Melissa responded. ¡°I suppose you could join them whenever Jacob is around.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate that, thank you very much.¡± William responded and then bowed respectfully to everyone at the table. ¡± I too will retire to my sleeping chambers, enjoy the rest of your evening everyone.¡±

    *

    Elric walked onto the carriage and sat down across from his father. As the carriage man closed the door, he peaked outside at the Gavarian terrain one more time.

    ¡°This is for the best,¡± alpha Edron spoke to his son upon noticing the disheartened look on his face. ¡°That little hybrid princess would¡¯ve brought you nothing but trouble my son. And you have already been through enough already, it¡¯s time we go home where you can rest and have a peaceful life.¡±

    Elric did not want to respond to his father, because he knew that his response would anger only him. The lycan knew that this would not be thest time he would be in Gavaria, how could it be, when his mate was right here.

    ¡°When I was your age,¡± The alpha spoke to his son, in hopes that a story from back when he once thought he would never have a child, wouldfort Elric. ¡°I was lucky enough to have already met your mother. But unfortunately, your mother has been through a lot of trauma in her life before we met, and many physicians had told me that it would not be possible for her to bare me a child.¡±

    Elric kept his eyes focused on the small window of the carriage, watching the capital slowly fade away as they moved further and further towards the road that led to the snonds. He was not a child, the lycan knew why his father was telling him this particr story in this moment. All he hoped, was that the man would not bring up trying to rece Eira with another woman, because that is something Elric would never allow.

    ¡°I was devastated of course,¡± Edron continued to speak, even though he could somewhat sense that Elric was paying no attention to the story. ¡°But eventually I came to terms with our situation.¡± The alpha of the silver pack looked up at his son who was now leaning back on the carriage wall. ¡°do you know why I am telling you this tale son?¡±

    ¡°if you are insinuating that I should find another woman and make her my wife...¡± Elric mumbled without turning to face his father. ¡°I am sorry to disappoint you. But I would rather die alone, than end up in another loveless marriage. Especially while I know the woman meant for me is out there.¡±

    ¡°But it is unheard of for a man, a future alpha for that matter, to live a life without a partner.¡± Edron insisted. ¡°Even if she may not shire you heirs, it is mandatory that you have a Luna to rule by your side.¡±

    ¡°Mandatory?¡± Elric asked with an arch of his eyebrow, for the first time that morning turning to look at his father.

    ¡°You are a lycan, it is the rule of the pack.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m going to be alpha one day,¡± Elric mattered more to himself than to his father. ¡°I will do away with all those ridiculous rules. If the world does not allow Eira and I to be together, I will happily die alone, as long as I know she has not been forced to wed a man she does not love.¡±

    ¡°Well you cannot do much to change what is, my son,¡± Edron spoke with a hint of sympathy in his voice. ¡°She is the crowned princess after all, and just because she will not be with you does not mean she will not be with anyone else. She will need a husband who will ascend the throne after her father steps down, that is the duty of a princess. It is the same with you, just because you will not be with Gareth¡¯s daughter, does not mean you will not have a Luna. You have a duty as the crowned prince of the silver pack.¡±

    ¡°To hell with duty..¡± Elric mumbled to himself as he watched thest building of the capital pass. ¡°I wille back for her, I have a duty to her as well, as my mate.¡±

 Chapter 277

    277 Chapter 277 : Maxim Adalbert

    (Dedicated to Justine_Pham thank you for the golden ticket!)

    An average height elderly elven man with brown eyes opened his front door and smiled at the young man who was standing in front of him.

    ¡°You must be Maxim,¡± the elf said while gesturing him toe in. ¡°You took longer to get here than I thought. Did you get lost on your way here? I¡¯m sorry if my brother¡¯s directions were a bit umm.. difficult to follow.¡±

    Maxim walked into the house and sat down on the chair that was offered to him. ¡°Not necessarily, I was just familiarizing myself with the ce. If this is to be my new home for the next few days, I should at least know the ins and outs of the town.¡±

    ¡°I see, well allow me to formally wee you to Gavaria, my name is Bertram and I will be your host for the next couple of days.¡±

    Maxim nodded thankfully. ¡°I appreciate that, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Can I offer you something to drink or eat, you¡¯ve traveled far to be here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright for now,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°I just need to rest a little before tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You have ns for tomorrow?¡±

    .....

    ¡°I was told that in order to meet the princess, I have to officially dere my candidacy with the royal guard.¡± Maxim exined. ¡°I¡¯ll have to do that tomorrow and hopefully meet the princess before I lose my chance.¡±

    ¡°I see, you are quite determined to wed her aren¡¯t you?¡± Bertrammented. ¡°She is quite lucky to have someone travel all the way from Ervelon for her hand.¡±

    Maxim was a little surprised at the man¡¯sment, it seemed Ronda had not told the man the true reason as to why he hade to Gavaria. It was understandable though, even though in love with Ronda, Bertram was still a citizen of Gavaria and his loyaltyy on the royal family. Giving him too much information about her n maypromise it.

    ¡°Yes, very lucky,¡± Maxim responded tly. Lucky was not the word he would have used to describe it, far from it actually.

    ¡°if by any chance you require my help during this love endeavor of yours,¡± Bertram added on. ¡°please do let me know, I would be more than happy to help.¡±

    Maxim remembered that there was indeed a way his host could help him stand a better chance at meeting the princess. If he wanted to pose as nobility, he would need a lot more than just poise and elegance.

    ¡°as a matter fact,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°I do need your help. I have a few coins with me that I can spare to purchase some fine clothing. If I want to stand a chance to win the princess¡¯ heart, then I need to look the part now don¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I see, you want to impress the princess and buy clothes worthy of a nobleman.¡± Bertram go to his feet and just shut his guest follow him down the hallway. They arrived at a door that Bertram opened and lead Maxim in.

    When Maxim walked into the room he was stunned. The room was filled with an array of different clothing, shoes, and fine jewelry.

    ¡°Ronda may have failed to mention,¡± Bertram spoke proudly. ¡°But I am considered a lord in these parts of the kingdom. Save your money Maxim, there is enough find clothing, shoes, and jewelry to go around. Some of which I¡¯ve never even worn before.¡±

    Maxim was absolutely speechless, he thought that maybe this man was a mere knight or something of that sort. He had no idea that he was going to be housed by a lord.

    ¡°and I understand that you¡¯re trying to pose as a load from Baiviles yourself,¡± Bertram pointed out as he walked towards one of his drawers. He pulled out a silk shirt and handed it to the young elf. ¡°That story can easily be fact checked, and if they find out you¡¯re opposing, your candidacy for the princess hand will automatically be canceled.¡±

    Maxim took the shirt and looked to the side, his cheeks a little flushed from embarrassment. Did word really travel that fast? How had Bertram known that he was posing as a lord from the far off kingdom of Baiviles?

    ¡°As the Lord here, it is my duty to know what is happening around.¡± Bertram spoke to the young man, as if reading his mind.

    ¡°I see, but then what do you suggest I do? Only men of nobility are allowed to contest for the princess¡¯ hand, and I am a nobody, just another elf from Ervelon.¡±

    Bertram walked towards Maxim and ced a gentle hand on his shoulder. ¡°from today henceforth,¡± he spoke to the young elf with a broad smile. ¡°you will be known as Maxim Adalbert, Son of Bertram Adalbert.¡±

    Maxim looked down at the silk shirt he was holding, and then back up at the man in front of him. ¡°You would do that for me?¡±

    ¡°I have been in love once,¡± Bertram exined with a small smile. ¡°I know what it is like to yearn for somebody you cannot have because of status. So if I can be of help to higher your chances of winning her heart, it would be an absolute pleasure.¡±

    The elephant man pat Maxim¡¯s shoulder gently, e on then, let me show you to your new room son.¡±

    Maxim couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty. The reason he was so eager to win the princess over had nothing to do with love at all. He somehow felt like he was not worthy of this man¡¯s help, because unlike Bertram¡¯s, his intentions were not pure. But what could he do? He could not disappoint his sister, nor could he disappoint Ronda.

    *

    Eira curtsied at her fifth suitor for the day and turned to head back to her carriage. The doorman opened the carriage for her, and she walked into it and found Zhelimir waiting for her with a smile on his face.

    ¡°A day of dancing,¡± The blonde elf spoke sarcastically. ¡°it must¡¯ve been very romantic, being swayed around in the arms of that handsome little man.¡±

    The red head to Drew in a deep breath before extending her arm and punching her cousin right in his stomach.

    The impact made Zhelimir snort, andter burst outughing.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you find this funny,¡± Eira grumbled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that man thought he had a chance! I mean really, he is old enough to be my father. Not only that, he is short, bold and smells like old milk! Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep myself from gagging the entire time we were dancing?! And he was drunk! The audacity!¡±

    Zhelimir shifted from his seat and sat next to his cousin. He could see that this whole arrangement was really taking a toll on her, and even though he found some of her encounters very amusing and funny, he was concerned about her mental health. He could tell that Eira was merely just pushing through all these meet ups so she could get this over and done with. The real person she was hoping she would meet, would probably not evene, and he could see that she was getting more and more frustrated as the days went by.

    ¡°Maybe we should call it a day?¡± Zhelimir suggested. ¡°you have already seen five suitors, a whole person more than yesterday. You must be exhausted Eira, we should go home and rest.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± The princess responded stubbornly. ¡°just like you said before, the quicker I meet these suitors, the quicker I will get this over with. I still have the energy to meet at least two more, tell the Royal guards to send two more candidates to the pce right now.¡±

    ¡°But Eira..¡±

    ¡°Zhelimir that was not a suggestion.¡±

    The blonde sighed before opening the little window of the carriage and peeking out at one of the guards who was standing by outside. ¡°Send a Word to the Pce, the Princess wish is to see two more suitors for the day.¡±

    The man nodded and bowed respectfully before mounting his steed racing off ahead to the Royal Pce.

    ¡°I know I cannot convince you to end the day,¡± Zhelimir spoke to his very stubborn cousin. ¡°But can I at least convince you to take a little break? There is a bakery not too far from here but my mother loves, they make the finest ginger tea and the warmest softest raisin bread. It is getting cold and you cannot keep this up continuously for very long.¡±

    Upon not receiving an answer to his suggestion, the blonde turned towards his cousin about ready to scold her for being so stubborn.

    ¡°Eira..¡±

    but when his eyesnded on her, Her head was leaning on his shoulder, and her breathing has slowed down significantly, in fact, he could hear a little snores escaping her nose.

    ¡°Stubborn little princess,¡± Zhelimir chuckled lightly. ¡°You are exhausted and yet you wish to push yourself.¡± He put an arm around his cousin, and let her lean into him and sleep. He could only imagine how mentally draining all of this was, doing something against your will just to please other people. That was him when he was younger, so he knew that his cousin needed this little nap. ¡°sleep,¡± he whispered gently as he stroked her shoulder. ¡°we will continue this organizing task tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 278

    278 Chapter 278 : The meadow

    Jacob walked in front of his mirror and paused to look at himself for the hundredth time that morning. The day had finallye, today was the day she was going to meet princess Eira, and prove to her that he was a suitor worthy of her hand. Not all these other posers who had absolutely nothing aspared to him.

    The dark haired elf sleeked back his hair and tightened his ponytail before fixing his cor and dusting off the sleeves of his shirt. He needed to look perfect, he needed to smell perfect, he needed everything to be perfect for this day. Absolutely nothing could go wrong.

    ¡°By the end of today,¡± Jacob mumbled to himself as she admired his reflection in the mirror. ¡°Eira will be mine. I will enchant her so, that she will think of no other man but me. And then finally when the thirty days pse, I will be the man standing at the end of the isle she will be walking down.¡±

    A faint knock at the door drew Jacob from his slightly crazed reverie. Ivan walked into his son¡¯s room and arched his eyebrows when he caught glimpse of how his son was all dressed up.

    ¡°Well well,¡± Ivan smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve ever seen you this dressed up before.¡± The man sniffed the air around and arched his eyebrows even more. ¡°And you¡¯re wearing musk, you are really ying all the cards today aren¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°This means a lot to me father,¡± Jacob stated while sleeking down his hair yet again. He turned to look at Ivan, a strong sense of determination in his eyes. ¡°I have loved princess Eira since we were children, and she is finally ready to have a husband, who better suited to wed her but me? A man who has known her longer than any other suitor who wille her way. Nothing can ruin this for me.¡±

    Ivan pursed his lips before clearing his throat. ¡°Love you say..?¡±

    Jacob paused fixing his hair and turned to his father, ¡°yes love, I¡¯m pretty sure I did not stutter.¡±

    ¡°Love is such a strong word son,¡± Ivan spoke gently, controlling his tone so as not to anger Jacob. He knew how hot headed his son could get when it came to his feelings towards Eira, and in all honesty it was a little worrying. ¡°I¡¯d like to believe you¡¯re very fond of Eira, that would be a more urate way of putting it.¡±

    .....

    The elven man walked to his son and fixed his cor. ¡°So with that said, I wish you luck. But remember Jacob, even if things don¡¯t go exactly as you wish, it won¡¯t be the end of the world.¡±

    Jacob took a step back and gave his father an unsettled look. ¡°You are talking as if there is a possibility Eira might reject me, but that would be ridiculous, who else could she possibly choose. Of all the mening to woo her, I know her best and she can trust me. She isn¡¯t going to choose a random stranger over me.¡±

    ¡°Jacob didn¡¯t you ever wonder why the king all of a sudden decided his daughter should be married?¡± Ivan asked his son, his eyes watching Jacob¡¯s every expression. ¡°I mean just a few weeks ago Gareth didn¡¯t want Eira to even as much as look at a man, and now he wants her to find a husband in thirty days?¡±

    ¡°I thought it was because you and the other council members have been pestering him for an heir,¡± Jacobmented. ¡°It¡¯s either he has a son, or Eira marries is it not? Maybe having a son proved difficult and he decided thetter would be the solution.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Ivan admitted. ¡°Some of the other counilmen have been pushing the king for an heir, but he always said he would never force his daughter into marriage for the sake of the throne. As a matter of fact, king Gareth stated that he would personally teach Eira all he knew and prepare her to take the throne if anything ever happened to him. That¡¯s how firmly Gareth stood his ground on the idea of Eira marrying.¡±

    ¡°So what is it you¡¯re trying to say?¡±

    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is don¡¯t get your hopes so high up,¡± Ivan responded. ¡°You are not the only candidate Eira knows so well, just take whateveres, it will be easier that way.¡±

    Ivan turned around and began walking towards the door, before he exited his son¡¯s room he gave him onest small smile. ¡°I still wish you the best of luck today, chin up, you¡¯re my son, if done properly you may stand a chance.¡±

    When Ivan left and closed the door. The only emotion that Jacob was left with was anxiety. Was there someone who Eira already had her eyes on? Is whoever he was the reason she was suddenly ready to be married? Who was this person?! And why hadn¡¯t Jacob ever heard of him before?!

    Wait... that man. The silver haired lycan from the party and from the ball. Was that him? Was that who Eira was hoping to be with?!

    Jacob looked down to his feet and noticed he was tearing away the floor beneath him with his magic. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. No, he was not going to let Eira be with anyone else but him. They were perfect together, why couldn¡¯t she see that?! Jacob would just have to make her realize that there was no one else better suited for her than him.

    *

    Elric wrapped his arms around his body and shivered violently. He had experienced many winters before but this one seemed to be getting more and more intense as they moved further down the road.

    Suddenly, a fur coatnded in hisp, tossed to him by his father.

    ¡°Those fancy woolen and leather coats will do you no good here, the winters are long and harsh, why do you think we call it the snonds?¡±

    Elric picked up the coat and threw it on without hesitation. He had heard that snow was an all year round thing in the snonds, but he hadpletely underestimated how cold it would be.

    ¡°You will get used to it in time,¡± Edron told his son. ¡°You¡¯re a silver lycan, the snow is your home. The colder it gets means we are drawing nearer to our destination.¡±

    ¡°Why would I want to get used to my testicals crawling up my stomach for warmth?¡± Elric muttered while rubbing his hands together.

    His father chuckled in response, ¡°a few days here and they will hang low like a lycan¡¯s should. In the meantime, try and get some rest, you have been awake for days and honestly your constant twitching is starting to annoy me.¡±

    Elric really didn¡¯t know why he was twitching so much, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Eira.

    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± Elric admitted. ¡°Some sleep might do me some good.¡±

    The lycan shut his eyes and almost immediately, drifted away into a deep slumber. And for the first time in seventeen years, Elric had a dream. The entire time he had been living in his cabin back in the forests of Gavaria, he had not had a single dream, all his nights were spent justying there looking at the back of his eyes.

    In the dream, Elric awoke in ash green meadow covered in flowers with a small creek flowing with sparkling blue water not too far from him.

    He got to his feet and looked around him, and almost instantly he recognized the ce. This was the very meadow from his dreams seventeen years ago, the meadow where he would see Eira standing on the other side of the creek staring at him. Gods, all those had been signs, signs that if he heeded to, being with her would not have been so difficult.

    The silver haired lycan began walking towards the creek, wondering why his dreams had brought him here a second time.

    ¡°Took you long enough to figure it out,¡± a voice spoke from behind him.

    Elric turned around and found a tall man in a white hooded cloak looking down at him. He took several steps back and instinctively started looking around him for anything he could use as a weapon.

    ¡°You¡¯ve always been as feisty as you are stubborn lycan,¡± the man spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice. ¡°I thought that by now life would have shimmered you down.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Elric demanded.

    ¡°I am but a guide,¡± the man spoke, ¡°a guide who has been watching over all of you.¡±

    Elric was still uneasy around the man, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel he had seen him somewhere before.

    ¡°I cannot say much right now,¡± the hooded man spoke. ¡°But you need to know that soon, the curse that had befallen you, will find its way to the one you love..¡± the man took one step forward, vanished, and reappeared behind Elric. ¡°And just as it was broken by love thest time, so it shall be broken in the future.¡±

    Elric leapt away from the man, ¡°what do you mean? What curse?!¡±

    ¡°You will soon know son of Edron...¡± the man spoke as he faded away. ¡°You will soon know...¡±

 Chapter 279

    279 Chapter 279 : Wee home

    Eira felt a strange sensation surge through her entire body. She stopped and slightly tagged the hem of her neckline and fanned herself.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Damien asked his little cousin upon noticing she had abruptly stopped in the middle of the hallway.

    The red haired princess shook her head and gave Damien a smile. ¡°I¡¯m alright, just felt a tad strange for a moment.¡±

    Damien walked towards Eira and gently cupped her forehead with his hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have a fever, which is good, but your face seems a little flushed. We can cancel today¡¯s meeting with your suitors if you don¡¯t feel too well, there is absolutely no reason to push yourself.¡±

    Eira shook her head and continued walking forward, ¡°I¡¯m fine Damien, it¡¯s probably nothing.¡±

    ¡°Zhelimir told me you fell asleep on the carraige,¡± Damien spoke as he caught up to the princess who was now walking a little faster. ¡°Are you sure this isn¡¯t taking a toll on you? Your father would understand if you took a break.¡±

    ¡°I already told you Damien,¡± Eira responded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, now can we just meet these men so I can get today over and done with?¡±

    They made a turn towards the royal library where that day¡¯s suitors would be waiting to meet the princess, and a few feet away from the door of the library, stood their uncle William.

    ¡°Good morning princess Eira and prince Damien,¡± William greeted the pair and walked towards them. ¡°You both look well, and now that I¡¯m seeing you up close, I can see you both have grown a great deal.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Good morning uncle William,¡± Eira responded with a curtsy.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Damien said with a slight bow. ¡°Why are you here? Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No no, nothing wrong at all,¡± William responded. ¡°I just thought of joining you when meeting today¡¯s set of suitors. A beautiful youngdy like yourself can never be too safe with these men you know.¡±

    Damien and Eira nced at each other and then looked back at their uncle. The sudden involvement was a little surprising, but there was no harm in letting him tag along if he really wanted to.

    ¡°Welle on,¡± William spoke with the wave of his hand and turned towards the library entrance. ¡°We can¡¯t keep your possible future husband waiting now can we?¡±

    Eira rolled her eyes at her uncle¡¯s words. Future husband? What a joke, she was one hundred and ten percent sure that none of the men she would meet within these thirty days would be able to attain that title. She had agreed to meet with a bunch of worthy suitors yes, but she did not say she would ageee to marrying any one of them if she didn¡¯t love them, or if non conquered her in battle.

    Damien pushed open the door of the library and they all walked in, the men within standing and bowing at the sight of them.

    ¡°Good morning princess Eira..¡± they all spoke in unison just like the others had done the past few days.

    Eira could sense the tension in the room, it was quite evident that her father had been here earlier to threaten them like he always did every set of suitors that came over. She scanned the men¡¯s faces before curtsying.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± she responded.

    When her amythest eyesnded on Jacob, she felt her heart skip a beat. Of course he would be here, I mean he had asked to court her a few weeks back and she had told him she would think about it, so he was probably here hoping he would finally cash in his proposal. Gods this was going to be so awkward, Eira had no romantic feelings of any sort for Jacob, as a matter of fact, she found him a little annoying. But breaking his heart would mean losing him as a friend, and possibly losing Janis as well. Why was he making things soplicated? Couldn¡¯t he see they were better off as friends?

    William sensed his niece¡¯s tension and knew immediately that Jacob was the cause. This situation was proving to be more and more tricky the more he learned about it. So Jacob had an obsessive attraction to Eira, and unfortunately for the young elf, she did not reciprocate those feelings in the slightest. Actually, looking at how she had reacted to his presence, William could tell there was some unspoken awkwardness between them, maybe William had already asked the princess for her hand, and Eira either rejected... no, he didn¡¯t look like a man who would handle rejection well. Eira probably gave an excuse to think about it or something of that sort, and now, the young Jacob was here hoping this would be his chance to get an answer.

    William looked to Ivan¡¯s son, his eyes were fixated on Eira and he had somewhat of a nervous smile tugging his lips. This boy could prove to problematic if not dealt with early.

    ¡°Jacob!¡± William called the the young elven man. ¡°Step forward please.¡±

    Jacob stepped out of line and bowed at Eira¡¯s uncle, who if he yed his cards right, may be his uncle inw as well.

    ¡°Son of lord Ivan,¡± William spoke to the young man. ¡°You will be the first to spend the day with the princess.¡±

    Jacob¡¯s eyes glimmered with excitement while Eira¡¯s were filled with worry. Why would her uncle ask Jacob to be the first?! If anything, she wanted the most awkward of encounters to be thest she would have to deal with today.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jacob responded excitedly.

    ¡°Very well, let¡¯s get on with it,¡± William spoke and headed towards the exit.

    Jacob walked to Eira with a beaming smile, he reached for her hand and kissed it gently before offering to lead her out of the library.

    ¡°Right this way princess,¡± he spoke in a calm voice. ¡°I have quite the hour nned for the two of us.¡±

    *

    ¡°Wait! What do you mean?! What curse are you talking about?!¡±

    Elric rushed towards the hooded man who was slowly fading away and reached for him.

    ¡°Wait a minute! Are you talking about Eira?!¡± The silver haired lycan called out. ¡°Is something wrong?! Hold on!¡±

    ¡°You will soon know Elric...¡± the man mumbled as he faded away.

    ¡°Elric...¡±

    ¡°Elric...¡±

    ¡°ELRIC!!¡±

    The lycan prince jolted upright and shot his eyes open. His breathing was heavy and he felt a little disoriented from the strange dream he was having. Was that even a dream? Or some strange vision.

    ¡°You were having a nightmare, calm down,¡± Edron spoke.

    Elric looked across the carriage and saw his father staring at him worriedly.

    ¡°You were practically screaming and yelling in your sleep,¡± the alpha exined. He pointed and Elric¡¯s mouth and gave him a concerned gaze. ¡°You almost turned, if I didn¡¯t wake you up in time you would have probably wed my eyes out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Elric responded while receding his ws and protruding fangs. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a dream like that in quite some time.¡±

    ¡°It must have been bad for you to react physically,¡± Edron pointed out. ¡°What was it about?¡±

    A few shes of the mage in the white cloak appeared in his mind, and he could hear his words clearly. ¡®A curse like that you once experienced, will befall the one you love¡¯.

    ¡°Just some iprehensible things I can¡¯t fully remember at the moment,¡± Elric lied. ¡°It nothing to worry about.¡±

    Edron looked at his son, he knew Elric was lying to him, but he didn¡¯t want to pry so he let it go.

    The alpha then turned to look outside the carriage window and smiled slightly.

    ¡°Well get yourself together then,¡± he stated. ¡°We are almost home.¡± He turned to his son, who was looking out the window as well. ¡°Your mother will worry if she sees you looking so distraught. She has waited a long time to see you, so put on the happiest face that you possibly can.¡±

    Elric was astonished by what he saw outside the carriage window. Outside, covered in a thick nket of snow, where hundreds, no thousands, of burrow shaped homes as far as the eye could see, built on the sides of cliffs and small hills.

    There were shops and a different array of other buildings as well, alit bymps stationed on the doors, windows and within.

    Outside in the streets, were people, lycans of all ages who, despite the snowfall, were going about their evening without a care in the world. Children in both their human and wolf form were running around ying, and men were busy shoveling out the snow from pathways while women served them with hot beverages and loving smiles.

    ¡°Wee to the snonds Elric,¡± Edron spoke with a proud smile. ¡°Wee home.¡±

    The entire ce was like a winter wondend, like a ce straight out of a fairytale. The snow, the lights, the children, it was all so beautiful. The entire time Elric was watching the awe worthy view, he couldn¡¯t help but think how much Eira would love it here.

 Chapter 280

    280 Chapter 280 : Snow blossoms

    ¡°You¡¯re in luck lord Bertram,¡± the man sitting behind a small wooden table spoke as he dipped his quill in ink. ¡°If you weren¡¯t a man of your stature, I would not have been able to add your son over here to the list of suitors. We already submitted the list to the king for review but I¡¯m sure we can make an exception for umm... what was the boy¡¯s name again?¡±

    Bertram turned to the young elven man and gave him a nod.

    ¡°Maxim,¡± the young elf spoke with a gentleman¡¯s bow, ¡°Maxim Adalbert.¡±

    The man penned down Maxim¡¯s name on the list of men who most likely were hispetition. Some names at the top were crossed out, and Maxim assumed it was the men who had had their chance to try and woo the beautiful princess.

    ¡°If you like,¡± the man spoke to Maxim with a friendly smile. ¡°I can schedule you in to meet princess Eira by as early as tomorrow.¡±

    The young elven man shook his head. ¡°Thank you for the offer,¡± he responded politely, ¡°but if it¡¯s alright I¡¯d rather be in thest group of suitors.¡±

    The man arched his brows at Maxim. ¡°Last? You know she may be tired and lose a lot of interest in this whole activity by then. I was thinking you would prefer to meet her now while she¡¯s still a little enthusiastic.¡±

    The young man shook his head. ¡°Thank you for your kind offer and consideration, but I have a good feeling I¡¯ll make a better impression this way.¡±

    The man nced at Maxim¡¯s supposed father who just nodded.

    .....

    ¡°Well alright then,¡± the man responded. ¡°You¡¯re all set to meet her on thest day. I wish you luck son.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Maxim responded before turning around and heading out of the small confined room, followed by Bertram.

    Maxim knew what he was doing, meeting Eira the next day would not be ideal. Not only did he have to polish up his act as a noble, but he also wanted to learn more about the hybrid princess during that time. He would go round meeting with people who had interacted with her before, he would find out what she was like, what she disliked, and what she enjoyed doing.

    Maxim was not an expert on women but he knew that one of the keys to woman¡¯s heart was through her mind. Stimte and excite a woman¡¯s mind, and she¡¯ll be yours for the taking. And that, was his n.

    *

    The entire carriage ride with Jacob, Eira was feeling very uneasy, she felt like because he had previously asked to court her before all of this happened, he felt somewhat entitled to having a chance with her. And in fact, she was right. Jacob did in fact feel he deserved to be with Eira, as if he had called some sort of dibs on her. And the words that his father had told him earlier that morning, only proved to fuel his drive even more.

    If by any chance there was someone who Eira had her eye on, Jacob had to make sure to boot him out and outshine him.

    Eira looked outside the little window of the carriage that felt like a miniature prison with wheels. ¡°Where are we going?¡± She asked the man who had been staring at her for the past few minutes.

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise,¡± Jacob mumbled and took the princess¡¯s hand in his. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared something very special for you, and the two of us can have another beautiful moment together just like the time at your birthday ball.¡±

    Eira narrowed her eyes at the dark haired elf. At the ball? She did not remember seeing Jacob at the ball, so what moment had they shared together?

    ¡°I could sense that we had connected in a way during our dance,¡± Jacob exined further. ¡°And I believe we can further connect Eira, we just need the right setting and the right mood.¡±

    Eira was struggling to remember any moment where she had encountered Jacob, let alone connected with him. The only person she had danced with the night of the ball was Elric, and another man who she had mistaken for the silver haired lycan.

    Hold on a minute! Eira threw her gazed at Jacob and gulped. Was that him? Was the first man she had danced with Jacob? Oh gods! How had she not noticed that?! The sly smile, and the forwardments, it was indeed Jacob!

    The red haired princess didn¡¯t know what to do, she didn¡¯t want to tell him that the only reason they had connected that way was because she thought he was someone else, it would break him.

    A few minutester, the carriage came to a halt and the carraige man opened the door for them.

    ¡°We have arrived at your destination,¡± he spoke politely.

    Jacob was the first to disembark, and then he turned and offered his hand to Eira. ¡°This way mydy..¡±

    Eira stepped out of the carraige and lookedaround her. The ce Jacob had brought her was very familiar. When she was fully out of the the carraige is when it hit her, they were in the forest, the very forest that her father had banned her from going to.

    Jacob held Eira¡¯s hand tightly and led her further into the forest. And within, what Eira saw made her gasp.

    There on the snowy ground of the forest, was a thick nket, and on that nket was a variety of fruits, cheeses, bread, and a lot of wine. The surrounding had also been decorated with a few candles and some icy blue flowers, making it look even more enchanting and beautiful.

    The elf smiled proudly to himself when he saw the reaction on Eira¡¯s face, he was d he had chosen to do this.

    ¡°Please..¡± Jacob spoke sweetly to the dumbfounded princess. ¡°Sit down, this is all for you.¡±

    *

    When they arrived at the pce gates, two heavily built lycans walked ahead of the carraige Elric and his father were in and pushed open the tworge gates.

    The pce grounds within were even more enchanting than the rest of the snonds. The entire ce was covered in a thick nket of snow, with statues that looked like they were made of ice, decorating the terrain. There were trees grown in two rows, lining the paved pathway to the entrance of the pce, baring small white flowers.

    ¡°Flowers in the snow?¡± Elric asked in surprise. ¡°Back in the central continent, very few nt life can be seen around this time of year, especially flowering ones.¡±

    ¡°Those are called snow blossoms,¡± Edron exined as they moved past the beautiful trees. ¡°They are the only flowers here in the snonds that are in heavy bloom when the winter is at its peak. Beautiful aren¡¯t they? They are your mother¡¯s favorite.¡±

    ¡°They sure are intriguing,¡± Elric admitted. The snonds were definitely a hidden gem. He did not expect the ce to be so beautiful.

    ¡°Ah here we are,¡± Edron spoke with a relieved smile, ¡°finally home.¡±

    The rows of trees opened up, revealing arge majestic grey pce with a flowing fountain in front of it. As they circled the fountain, Elric saw a woman dressed in a thick fur coat standing at the entrance with two gaurds, one on each side.

    ¡°Is that?...¡±

    The carraige came to a stop and the alpha practically jumped out of it. He walked rashly towards the woman in fur and embraced her in his arms, swinging her around andughing like she was the most precious thing in the world.

    Elric found himself smiling, that was the beauty of marrying your mate, the pure bliss could not bepared. He didn¡¯t even need to ask in order to know that the woman his father was embracing was his mother, the affection in both their eyes said it all.

    Edron turned to the carraige where his son had not yet disembarked and called to him.

    ¡°Elric! Come over here and say hello to your mother!¡±

    The silver haired lycan got up and slowly got off the carraige. Thest time he had a mother, she was not very affectionate towards him so he really didn¡¯t know what to expect. He made his way to where the couple was standing and smiled at the woman.

    ¡°Hello-¡±

    The lycan had barely finished his statement and the woman pulled him into her embrace. She held him tightly, a little too tightly actually. Gods she was strong for a woman.

    La buried her face in the nook of her son¡¯s neck and tried hard to hold back her tears, but the struggle proved to be futile. The Luna was overwhelmed with emotions, at one point she thought she would never get the chance to ever hold her son, and now here he was in her arms.

    The Luna pulled away and cupped Elric¡¯s face in her palms. ¡°You look just like your stubborn father,¡± she spoke with a smile and tears rolling down her face. ¡°I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re home.¡±

 Chapter 281

    281 Chapter 281 : Unconditional love

    Elric was feeling a bit odd walking down the hallway of the pce with his mother holding his hand oh so tightly. He was not very ustomed to this kind of affection, actually, now that he thought about it, the only people who had shown him true affecting all his life were his father Bradley Aldos, and his brothers Clovis and Jeffrey, but even they didn¡¯t show it this much.

    ¡°I have spent days having your room prepared,¡± La spoke excitedly as she led her son down the corridors. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what you liked so I just used my mother¡¯s intuition..¡±

    They arrived at arge wooden door that had a golden que pinned onto it, with the words ¡®Prince Elric¡¯ engraved. It was a little over the top, but Elric appreciated it nheless.

    ¡°Go on son,¡± La spoke and chuckled immediately after. ¡°Oh goodness look at me. Forgive me, I have never used that word towards anyone before.. son.. it just warms my heart.¡±

    Elric smiled at the woman, it made him happy that there was someone who was so happy to have him in their life, he couldn¡¯t remember whenst he had someone like that.

    ¡°Go on, take a look inside,¡± La spoke excitedly. ¡°I want to know how you like it.¡±

    ¡°Darling can you at least let the boy eat something first,¡± Edron spoke to his wife. ¡°We have been on a very long journey and need to replenish.¡±

    ¡°You can replenish afterwards,¡± La responded. Her excitement not dwindling in the slightest. ¡°Besides, the cooks are not done yet, so might as well rest while we wait for our meal, and where else would he rest if not his chambers?¡±

    Edron merely chuckled in response, he decided to let his beautiful Luna have her moment, after all, having Elric away for years, and then thinking he had died, was harder on her then him. She was his mother after all, carrying a child and never getting to love them for that long was definitely hard on her.

    .....

    ¡°Good luck getting any rest with your mother¡¯s antics Elric,¡± Edron spoke as he turned around and walked back down the corridor. ¡°I will be in my chambers sleeping, let me know when lunch is ready.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t listen to your father he¡¯s only teasing,¡± La told Elric.

    The silver haired lycan smiled at his mother, ¡°is he now?¡± He asked sarcastically.

    ¡°Elric if you do not open that door right now I will kick it down for you, can you not see the anticipation is sucking the life out of me?¡± the beautiful lycan dered.

    Elric rose his hands in the air in surrender, before opening the wooden door and stepping in. The room had a very big bed at the center with thick white and grey furry beddings. The floor was covered in what looked like oak, and there was arge flickering firece right in front of the big bed. White curtains covered tworge windows and a crystal candbra hang elegantly from the ceiling.

    ¡°Well? Do you like it?¡± La asked her son excitedly.

    Elric walked further into the room, taking in every detail before turning to the woman and nodding. ¡°It is beautiful, thank you so much.¡± He pointed at the bed beside him, ¡°may I?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± La responded. ¡°That is your bed, you can sit ory in it however you want.¡±

    The lycan sat down, ¡°it¡¯s very soft andfortable, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little too big for just one person?¡±

    The Luna walked toward the bed and sat down next to her son. ¡°That¡¯s because it isn¡¯t for one person,¡± she admitted. ¡°You see when I first felt your presence, when I noticed that you were still alive, it was because you had made a connection with your mate.¡±

    Elric felt his heart sink just a little, he knew where this was going.

    ¡°I thought that maybe you would return here with her,¡± La exined, ¡°so I had everything prepared for the both of you, I mean if the snonds were going to be her new home, I wanted her to be asfortable as possible.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Elric responded in a low tone. ¡°Thank you so much for the consideration mother.¡±

    La held her son¡¯s hand when she noticed the sullen look on his face. ¡°Did something happen? Did she not want toe here with you?¡±

    ¡°Not so much that she didn¡¯t want toe home with me,¡± Elric spoke with a sad smile, ¡°more of she couldn¡¯te with me.¡±

    The Luna was a little confused and Elric could tell, but he really didn¡¯t want to talk about Eira right now, it had been a long day and he really could use the rest and food.

    ¡°Is it alright if we can discuss this another time?¡± The silver haired lycan asked kindly.

    ¡°Of course,¡± La responded. She cupped her son¡¯s cheek before leaning forward and kissing his forehead. ¡°We can discuss it any time you wish to do so. But just so you know, no matter what, I will support you because I love you.¡±

    Elric felt a wave of emotions, this woman really did love him didn¡¯t she? This was what a mother¡¯s love was, loving a person unconditionally, even though this was practically the first time they had ever met.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Elric responded.

    ¡°I wille get you when our meal is ready,¡± La spoke and stood up. ¡°For now get some rest.¡±

    *

    The guard walked over to where Eira and Jacob were sitting and gently bowed.

    ¡°Lord Jacob, I¡¯m afraid it is time for her grace to return to the pce and meet her other suitors,¡± the man spoke calmly.

    Without turning to look at the gaurd, Jacob waved him off. ¡°Of course, we will be done in a second.¡±

    The guard cleared his throat, ¡°I¡¯m sorry lord Jacob, but every suitor has an allocated time so as not to stress the princess.¡±

    Jacob turned to look at the man, ¡°I understand that,¡± he repeated himself, ¡°I said we will be done momentarily.¡±

    ¡°Jacob I think we should-¡±

    The dark haired elf put a finger on Eira¡¯s lips and shushed her. He turned back to the gaurd and gave him a forged smile.

    ¡°As you can see, the princess has not finished her wine,¡± Jacob spoke through gnashed teeth. ¡°When she is done, we will return to the carriage.¡±

    ¡°And I understand you are enjoying your time with the princess my lord,¡± the guard spoke a little more firmly. ¡°But your time with her is up-¡±

    Jacob stood up and grabbed the man by the cor, ¡°I said we will be done momentarily! Can¡¯t you see that me and Eira are trying to have an intimate moment!¡±

    The guard did not flinch, he did not want to be known as the man who broke the nose of lord Ivan¡¯s son. Dealing with spoiled royals was always such a pain, and honestly, Jacob was the worst.

    ¡°Jacob stop it!¡± Eira yelled.

    ¡°Sit down Eira!¡± The dark haired elf yelled. ¡°We will finish our pic, bond, and fall in love if it¡¯s thest thing that I do!¡±

    Damien and William who were walking back from where the carraige had been parked, heard yelling and immediately began to jog to where Eira and Jacob were.

    When they got there, they found Jacob holding one of the guards by the cor and yelling hysterically at him. Damien quickly used his magic to separate the two men and used a binding spell to hood Jacob in ce.

    ¡°Let me go!¡± Jacob roared while shaking violently. ¡°How dare you! You are ruining my moment with Eira! Let me go right now!¡±

    KNOCK!

    William knocked Jacob upside the head rendering him unconscious. Eira could only stand by and watch as her cousin hoisted the unconscious Jacob over his shoulder and walk towards the carraige.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± William asked his niece who was visibly shaken.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright uncle William, thank you..¡±

    ¡°That Jacob boy,¡± William continued. ¡°Try to keep a distance from him, he is proving to be a bit more erratic than I thought he would.¡±

    Eira flickered hershes in confusion, ¡°did you know that this was going to happen?¡±

    ¡°I suspected he might to something stupid,¡± William admitted. ¡°But I didn¡¯t think it would be something so wreckless and so soon.¡± He reached for the cup that the red haired princess was holding, grabbed it and tossed it aside. ¡°And I would suggest that you avoid eating or drinking anything he offers you. That Jacob my be a little obsessed with you.¡±

    Eira knew that Jacob liked her, he had said so himself, but obsession?! No, Jacob was too proud, wasn¡¯t he?

    ¡°Come now,¡± William spoke to the princess while gesturing her to go to the carraige. ¡°Damien will take Jacob on horseback while we ride in the carraige. He will be answerable to your father when he wakes up, a rule was set not to put you in any sort of danger or harm while with you. And he broke that rule.¡±

 Chapter 282

    282 Chapter 282 : What is she?

    La walked to her son¡¯s side and scooped some piping hot soup onto his te. ¡°You must eat,¡± she spoke as she put some more. ¡°You¡¯re as thin as a twig, you must have been starving yourself in Gavaria.¡±

    Elric politely moved his te away when the woman was about to ce another spoonful of soup onto his te. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I will gain weight in a single meal mother, you don¡¯t have to stuff me up like a thanks giving turkey.¡±

    La walked back to her chair and slid the te of bread to her son. ¡°Have some bread then,¡± she instead. She then turned to her husband and grabbed the pate of meat from him. ¡°And some meat too..¡±

    ¡°Mother,¡± Elric chuckled, ¡°thank you but I¡¯m quiet fine with the soup.¡±

    Edron who had a brooding look on his face, pulled back the te of meat and served himself. He anticipated this, and luckily he was ready for it. Until his beautiful Luna became ustomed to having their son around, she would be smothering him with affection and leaving non for him.

    La sat across from Elric and watched him as he ate, she really couldn¡¯t believe that her son was home, sitting just a few feet away from her. He had grown to be such a handsome man, much like his father, whoever his mate was, she was one lucky woman indeed. Oh gods they would give her such beautiful grandchildren, little ones that she would love and cherish oh so much.

    The Luna wondered what her son¡¯s mate looked like, was she poised and elegant? Or was she more of a free spirit with flowing beauty? The suspense was killing her, she had to know.

    ¡°Your mate,¡± La blurted out. ¡°I know you said we could talk about herter, but I can¡¯t help it, I just want to know what she looks like is all.¡±

    Elric looked to his father who in turn averted his gaze, clearly a sign that he would not help him out of this one, he was on his own.

    .....

    ¡°Is she beautiful?¡± La asked dreamily. ¡°Oh gods Elric at least tell me that much.¡±

    Elric put a spoonful of food in his mouth and chewed slowly as his mind drifted away to all the encounters he had had with Eira. Was she beautiful? Beautiful truly could not begin to exin how pleasing to the eyes Eira was, she was absolutely enchanting.

    La¡¯s smile widened when she saw the faint tint of pink on her son¡¯s cheeks. ¡°She is beautiful!¡± She squealed excitedly. ¡°Only a truly gorgeous woman can have a lycan blushing the way that you are. Tell me, what is she like? What is the color of her eyes?¡±

    Elric swallowed and put a hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide his blush. ¡°Well.. she¡¯s...¡±. Gods, Eira was incredibly stubborn and hard headed, she never backed down from a fight and she always stood her ground for what she believed in. Yet at the same time, she was kind and gentle, always thinking of those around her before herself.

    ¡°She¡¯s great mother,¡± Elric responded while trying hard to avoid his father¡¯s intense stare. ¡°She had a gentle heart and a good head on her shoulders.¡±

    ¡°She sounds lovely,¡± La cooed. ¡°Tell me more, what is the color of her eyes? How is her hair?¡±

    Elric knew that the line of questioning would be more and more personal, it was just a matter of time till his mother figured out who he was talking about.

    ¡°Her eyes... well.. she has purple eyes from what I can remember,¡± the lycan prince mumbled.

    La gasped slightly, ¡°purple? Oh that¡¯s quite rare, it¡¯s no wonder you are so enchanted by her. Looking into her eyes must be like falling into a pool of rare gems.¡±

    Elric could only smile nervously, ¡°I suppose so...¡±

    ¡°And what about her hair?¡± La pried further. ¡°Does she keep it long? Or does she keep it shorter? And what color is it?¡±

    Elric gulped, this was a peice of information that may reveal it all, and he was not sure how his mother would react to the truth.

    ¡°I barely pay any mind,¡± Elric lied, ¡°I can¡¯t really recall what color her hair is...¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be ridiculous of course you do,¡± La responded. ¡°When the bond of a mate is made, your mate¡¯s feature are imprinted in your mind. If you close your eyes right now you can see her clearly, every single detail.¡±

    ¡°Of course..¡± Elric mumbled. ¡°Her hair, of course how could I forget. She has umm.. she has long curly hair.¡±

    ¡°Another rare feature,¡± La pointed out. ¡°She sounds more and more enchanting. What color is her hair? Is she blonde? Or is she a gorgeous brte? Or maybe she is a raven head like your dear mother?¡±

    Elric gulped a second time. He looked to his father who was absolutely not willing to take part in the conversation whatsoever and sighed. ¡°She is a red head, she had long curly ginger locs.¡±

    ¡°Oh..¡± La was thoughtful for a minute and then furrowed her eyebrows suspiciously. ¡°Red hair?¡± She repeated, more to herself than to her son. ¡°What is she?¡±

    Elric looked up at his mother. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Elric what race is she? Is she a lycan? A human? What is she?¡±

    The lycan prince¡¯s appetite had long disappeared. This is why he had tried to avoid this conversation. He really did not need a reminder of how his mate was someone no one would want him to be with. His situation was bad enough as is.

    ¡°Elric,¡± La called to her son. ¡°I will not ask you a second time.¡±

    ¡°She is part elf and part nosferatu,¡± the lycan responded.

    La leaned back wide eyed. She turned to her husband who averted her gaze and continued eating his food.

    ¡°Mother I know this is not what you expected but-¡±

    The woman stood up without saying a word and walked out of the dining room. Elric cupped his head in his hands and sighed heavily, if he had just been a little more patient, if he had not been so stubborn and heeded the signs, all this would have not been happening, but instead, he had made stupid decisions in his passed because of greed, and now they wereing back to haunt him. If only he could turn back the hands of time, or be given another chance to make things right, he would do it in a heartbeat.

    *

    When Jacob came to, he found himself staring up at his ceiling. What in the world had happened? One minute he was trying to spend time with Eira, and the next minute everything went dark.

    The dark haired elf pushed himself up to a sitting position and rubbed the back of his head. It was incredibly sore and a little swollen, had someone knocked him unconscious?

    ¡°I hope you are proud of yourself...¡±

    Jacob blinked to focus his sight on who was speaking and saw Janis sitting on a chair at the foot of his bed.

    ¡°Janis,¡± he groaned. ¡°What in the world happened?¡±

    ¡°You idiot,¡± Janis responded angrily. ¡°Do you have any idea what you¡¯ve done?!¡±

    Jacob winced at the rising tone of his sister¡¯s voice. ¡°Could you not yell please? My head is killing me..¡±

    ¡°Well that headache of yours better get in line because I called dibs first!¡± Jansi stood up and walked closer to the man. ¡°You realize you¡¯ve been banned from the royal pce and you cannot be within a ten mile radius of Eira for the next twenty days?!¡±

    The mention of Eira made Jacob look up. ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t be anywhere near Eira?! Who gave these orders?!¡±

    ¡°Her father Jacob! The king!¡± Janis yelled. ¡°You assaulted a royal guard and put her in harms way? Are you crazy?! You¡¯re actually lucky they didn¡¯t lock you up, if it wasn¡¯t for father you would be in the dungeons!¡±

    Jacob moved from his bed and slowly stood up. ¡°I need to speak to Eira, this is all a big misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Janis responded and headed to the door. ¡°Stay away from Eira Jacob, you¡¯ll only make things worse. What are you trying to do? Create a rift between our families? Zhelimir barely spoke a word to me today when I went to the training grounds.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all you care about Janis, men!¡± Jacob responded ¡°I am banned from seeing Eira, my future wife, and you¡¯re here worrying about how this will affect your chance to fuck her cousins!¡±

    ¡°I will not engage in this stupid conversation and let you insult me,¡± Janis responded as he left the room. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, and since your are clearly feeling better, father would like to have a word with you.¡±

    The elven woman banged the door shut leaving Jacob rubbing his sore head. What the hell was going on? This is not how he wanted things to go, he had to fix things with Eira as soon as possible before he lost his chance to be with her.

 Chapter 283

    283 Chapter 283 : Duty

    The next few days seemed to fly by, and Eira had already met many men, some young, some old, some a little interesting, and some incredibly boring. It reached a point where the red haired princess was merely counting down the days until all of this is over, she had hoped that maybe by some slim chance, Elric would show up and contest as one of her suitors, but it looked like that was just a distant dream.

    The realization broke her heart a little, hadn¡¯t he heard that she was to be getting married, or maybe he just did not care? If she was really his mate, why would he sit by while some random man whisked her away into a loveless union. Did his hatred for her family run deeper than he admitted?

    King Gareth noticed that his daughter was bing less and less happy as the days went by. And not one man that she had met so far had peaked her interest in the slightest. He wondered if he had made a mistake, even though he felt he was doing this for his daughter¡¯s own good, was it really worth sacrificing Eira¡¯s happiness?

    The lively, stubborn and excitable young woman Eira was, was slowly fading away. She barely spoke now, unless spoke to of course, she hardly ate like she used to, and if he was being honest with himself, Gareth couldn¡¯t remember thest time he had heard his daughterugh.

    Melissa too was getting a little worried, but she couldn¡¯t fold and throw her daughter in the arms of Elric, it was all wrong. Elric was not a good person, he was selfish, maniptive and self centered. Eira would be miserable with him.

    The family was at the breakfast table, the king and queen, grandparents, Eira¡¯s uncles, her aunt Estel, and her cousin Damien.

    ¡°How is Jacob doing?¡± Eira asked without looking up from her te.

    Her question took everyone by surprise because the princess barely spoke when she was eating these days.

    ¡°Jacob is doing fine,¡± William responded. ¡°I did not hit him that hard.¡±

    .....

    ¡°I mean emotionally,¡± Eira asked again. ¡°He seemed to be a little emotionally unstable thest we met, and I¡¯m a little worried about him, and the people around him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Ivan spoiled the boy,¡± Gareth spoke. ¡°A man should never behave the way he did, it showed he is incredibly immature. If Ivan had been tough on him and taught him that you cannot just get whatever you want, he may have been a different man.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know a lot about making sure people don¡¯t get what they want,¡± Eira mumbled under her breath. Making her father sigh.

    ¡°So Eira,¡± Emma spoke up upon seeing the building tension. ¡°You haven¡¯t told us anything about how meeting your suitors is going, has anyone caught your eye so far?¡±

    Eira stayed quiet for a few minutes before looking up at her grandmother. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re all still here? In hopes that I will introduce a man to you?¡±

    ¡°Eira please..¡± Melissa scolded her daughter.

    The princess stood up and curtsied. ¡°Well I am sorry to disappoint you, but there is not a single man I have met so far who I find attractive, neither mentally nor physically. But so I can appease you, I will pick the best among the worst so the throne can have an heir.¡± She then pushed back he chair and turned around. ¡°It is my duty as the princess after all is it not?..¡±

    Eira walked towards the door and nced at the table before leaving. ¡°Please excuse me, I am sure the next group of suitors and Zhelimir are already waiting for me. Have a good day.¡±

    *

    When morning came, Elricy in his bed and stared at the candbra above him. He had had the same dream again, the dream of the man in a hooded white cloak telling him Eira was in some sort of trouble and he needed to help her. But how? When the the man never even mentioned what kind of trouble would befall her.

    Did it have something to do with her arranged marriage? Is that what he had to stop? How many days did the lycan have left anyway? Before his mate married another man? Ten? Nine?

    Elric sat up and looked to his window, the sun was already up, his mother would probably send someone for his bath soon. Most likely she would send a woman to try and grab Elric¡¯s attention just like she had been doing the past week he had been here. It was apparent that she did not want him to have anything to do with Eira, that much he knew.

    But he couldn¡¯t just forget her, regardless of their situation she was his mate, and the connection was undeniable. Is this how Gareth felt when he couldn¡¯t be with Melissa? Gods, it must have been torture, Elric made a mental note to apologize to the elf as best he could when he got the chance.

    There was a knock at the door, and as soon as the smell of scented oils reached Elric¡¯s nose, he knew it was another lycan woman sent by his mother to possibly seduce him.

    ¡°My prince..?¡± The woman called from the other end of the door. ¡°May Ie in?!¡±

    When the door opened the young lycan woman jumped back a little. It would be her first time meeting the alpha¡¯s son, so she didn¡¯t know what to expect. she looked up at the shirtless man in front of her and immediately mped her legs together. The mere sight of him was enough to get her wolf whirld up.

    The prince was tall, well built and had long silver hair and honey brown eyes. He had the fierce and sexy physique of his father, but in a way radiated the gentleness of his mother. How was it that a man who oozed of male dominance, had not found a she wolf who would let him conquer her both mentally and physically.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    His voice made the young woman¡¯s face sh and her heart tter. Did the Luna really think she had a chance with such a fine specimen of a man?!

    ¡°I... I¡¯m here to assist you with your bath my prince,¡± the woman trembled from both fear and lust. ¡°The alpha and the council are waiting for you downstairs.¡±

    Elric¡¯s eyes looked at the small basket the woman held, it had a wash cloth, bath oils and rose petals. In her other hand she held a towel against her barely covered chest.

    ¡°Give me the towel and bath oils,¡± Elric asked the woman. ¡°You can keep the rose petals, I will not be needing them.¡±

    ¡°But my prince, I have been sent here to wash you-¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Elric cut the woman short. ¡°But I¡¯m perfectly capable of washing myself.¡± He took the oils, wash cloth and towel from the woman¡¯s hands and gave a thankful bow. ¡°Please tell my mother I appreciate her sending you here, but I¡¯m just not interested right now. I¡¯m very sorry for wasting your time.¡±

    The young she wolf closed her eyes briefly when the door mmed shut in her face. Had the prince just tantly rejected her?! Gods this was so embarrassing, of course she did not have a chance, with a face like that he could have any woman he wanted, so why would he choose her.

    *

    La watched the young lycan woman who had been sent to Elric¡¯s chambers from the gazebo where her and her husband had been having breakfast. The look on the young woman¡¯s face showed that the endeavor had bore no positive results.

    ¡°He did not fold?¡± Edron asked his wife while slowly sipping his wine.

    ¡°He did not,¡± La responded and walked back to sit down. ¡°I told you Edron, he will not take another. It has to be her.¡±

    ¡°We just need to find out the kind of women he likes that¡¯s all,¡± the alpha insisted. ¡°Do we have any redheads in the pack? Or any woman with purple eyes, he may make an exception.¡±

    La sighed. ¡°I know how you feel, trust me I know you¡¯re only trying to be a good father, but have you forgotten what happen to Tauriel when she tried to sever the bonds which the gods had forged? She lost her husband, and almost lost both her daughter and grandchild. Even her son inw-¡±

    ¡°I am not letting Elric end up with Gareth¡¯s little brat,¡± Edron responded firmly. ¡°I know you are fond of our son and want to preserve his feelings, but be logical La. Do you really want to give that family another chance to humiliate our son?¡±

    La did not respond. She knew her husband well, he was hard headed and proud, and that would lead to their son¡¯s misery and many misfortune to fall upon them.

    ¡°I thought so,¡± Edron responded. The man stood up, walked to his wife and kissed her cheek. ¡°Try and find a woman who resembles the hybrid woman closely. If I am to step down and let him take over as alpha, he needs a Luna to support him.¡±

 Chapter 284

    284 Chapter 284 : Reverse psychology

    As Eira walked down the hall to the library, she saw her cousin Zhelimir standing outside waiting for her. He didn¡¯t look like he was in high spirits, in fact he looked a little troubled by something.

    ¡°Are the men awaiting me inside that repulsive?¡± Eira teased.

    Zhelimir smiled slightly before bowing to the princess. ¡°I sure hope not, this is the secondst batch of suitors. If you don¡¯t like any of these we may have a problem.¡±

    ¡°Why so downcast Zhel? Has Janis gone out on another romantic get away with some random lord?¡±

    Zhelimir shook his head, ¡°are you trying to drive me to murder dear cousin?¡±

    Eira smiled slightly. ¡°Alright, if that¡¯s not the case then what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Jacob,¡± Zhelimir admitted, ¡°he is being a spiteful prick. He says because he cannot see you, I too cannot see his sister. He is a massive cockblocker.¡±

    Eira rolled her eyes, ¡°leave it to Jacob to be as childish as ever..¡± she pat Zhelimir¡¯s shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. ¡°How about I invite Janis to the pce and the two of you can spend a bit of time together? It¡¯s the least I can do after dragging you along on these ridiculous meetings with random men.¡±

    ¡°Would you?¡± Zhelimir asked excitedly. ¡°That prick has been standing at their gates demanding I show up with you or not show up at all. I think your uncle was right when he said Jacob was a little obsessed, he¡¯s acting like a maniac.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Eira assured her cousin. ¡°I¡¯ll send a carraige for her, Jacob won¡¯t be the wiser. At least one of us should end up with the one they love.¡±

    Eira¡¯s words made Zhelimir feel a little more downcast. He felt guilty that things were actually starting to fall into ce with him and Janis, meanwhile she had to go through all of this. Maybe Isabe was right, putting himself in Elric¡¯s shoes, Zhelimir would have probably been acting as reckless as Jacob if he was not allowed to be with Janis.

    ¡°Eira-¡±

    ¡°Come on now,¡± Eira interrupted him. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over and done with shall we?¡±

    ¡°Oh.. yes of course...¡±

    *

    Maxim ordered another cup of ale and studied the man who was sitting beside him. Jacob was a very handsome man who seemed strong willed and determined, if the princess did not fancy him, then what chance could he possibly have?

    ¡°I promise you she will pick me,¡± Jacob spoke in a slurred tone. ¡°It¡¯s just that we had a little misunderstanding is all-¡±

    The dark haired elf took anotherrge sip of his alcohol and turned to look at Maxim. ¡°You¡¯re new around here aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°I just don¡¯t move around much, and I¡¯m mostly away. My father, lord Bertram Adalbert, mostly has me running errands for him all over the continent.¡±

    ¡°Oh I see,¡± Jacob responded. ¡°There is a man I¡¯m looking for, he is new in town and he may pause a threat to my happiness. I hear he is trying to steal Eira from me! Imagine that!¡±

    Even though Jacob was very drunk and incredibly annoying, Maxim needed him. He had received a tip that a man who had known the princess since childhood was having a drink at the local bar, and Maxim didn¡¯t waste time to find him.

    Maxim had been gathering information about princess Eira, carefully studying her so as to know how best to get her to trust him and lower her gaurd. This Jacob man would be the final peice of the puzzle, given he did not pass out, he would be a fountain of information regarding his beautiful little target.

    ¡°How is this man trying to steal her?¡± Maxim asked Jacob. ¡°If you know him why not just confront him?¡±

    ¡°You see... Eira is not interested in any of these random men she is meeting, that much I know,¡± Jacob exined. ¡°But there is a man who I¡¯m not certain of, who I hear caught her fancy somehow. I¡¯m just specting, if I knew who it was I would have gotten rid of him already, Eira is mine!¡±

    Maxim noted that Jacob was a little crazed when it came to the princess, must be why he was banned from being around her until the final list of suitors was announced.

    ¡°But I¡¯m sure you have a better chance of being with her,¡± Maxim spoke, ¡°you¡¯ve known her since she was young have you not?¡±

    ¡°Not only have I known her, I have loved her! I know all the ways to please her, I am the only man worthy of her hand!¡±

    ¡°And how exactly do you please a princess like Eira?¡± Maxim added on. ¡°I think you don¡¯t know her as much as you think you do, in truth, you¡¯re just like all the other candidates..¡±

    Jacob turned to look at Maxim with a scowl on his handsome face.

    ¡°I know Eira, I know every little thing about her!¡± Jacob dered. ¡°In fact, after much research, I even know why her father is putting a deadline on her marriage!¡±

    Bingo... Maxim smiled to himself, he thought that maybe Jacob would be a bit smarter than this. He had fallen for ssic reverse psychology and was about to give him the most potent tool used to win a woman¡¯s trust, to be a woman¡¯s shoulder to cry on.

    *

    After the meeting with his father and council members, Elric decided to take a walk through the snow covered gardens and gather his thoughts.

    It had been a few weeks since he hade to the snonds, and in those weeks he had been physically and mentally preparing to return to Gavaria, to return to Eira. He of all people knew to trust reurring dreams, especially like the one he was having, Eira was in danger, and even though there was very little chance of them being together, he still had to protect her.

    Thew of mates had note to be respected in such a way from without, it was a bond between two individuals said to be created by the gods themselves. The bond was so strong that it transcended distance, time, and now looking at recent events, race as well. It was so strong that if one of those individuals was to die, the other would surely follow not long after.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about her, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Elric turned around and found his mother reaching for a snow blossom that hang low from the tree. He walked to where she was and plucked it for her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s something I cannot control,¡± Elric responded.

    La put the small flower in her hair and looked up at her son. ¡°And you are certain she is your mate? Are you sure you just-¡±

    Elric arched his eyebrow skeptically at the woman. ¡°Am I sure I¡¯m just what mother?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not just projecting your lingering feelings for Melissa onto her daughter?¡± La replied. ¡°I mean, from your description, the resemnce is uncanny.¡±

    Elric looked away, ¡°I did consider that as a possibility,¡± he responded in a low awkward tone. ¡°But I had a long time to self reflect, I feel nothing for Melissa, well, nothing romantically. I had noticed my feelings for her dwindling rapidly when I retrieved her from Ervelon all those years ago, the strong urge to keep her close was still there but that was it. It confused me at first, until I found out she was pregnant. Those feelings of possession, they were never directed to Melissa-¡±

    ¡°But to the child she was carrying,¡± La finished her son¡¯s statement.

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    ¡°The gods work in strange ways,¡± La sighed. ¡°You wish to go to her? Back to Gavaria? You know your father will be against it.¡±

    ¡°I am aware, but I really have no choice.¡±

    The two began to walk slowly through the gardens, the crunching of the snow beneath their feet filling the air.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been having dreams,¡± Elric exined. ¡°Dreams that she may be in danger. And you know what that means for me don¡¯t you? If my mate is in danger, then-¡±

    ¡°Its means you may be in danger as well,¡± La responded. ¡°But how are you so sure? These may merely be dreams stemming from your constant thinking about her.¡±

    ¡°I have had such dreams before mother,¡± Elric exined. ¡°And they¡¯ve always been right. Long before Eira was born, I could see her in my dreams, so much so that I could even see her in real life. And after the man with the white cloak appeared at the battle of the mages, the visions became even more vivid.¡±

    ¡°A man with a white cloak?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can never see his face, so I did not recognize him at first,¡± Elric spoke. ¡°But then I remembered I had seen him at the battle of the mages, and he had told me about Eira then, I was just too stubborn to listen.¡±

    La stopped in her tracks and looked up at her son. A man with a white cloak? Appears in dreams? His face always hidden? Could it be? Was it the same man who had been there when she had to plunge a dagger through her son¡¯s heart all those years ago?

 Chapter 285

    285 Chapter 285 : Please, don¡¯t cry

    ¡°Mother?¡± Elric called to the lycan woman who seemed to be in a daze. ¡°Mother are you okay?¡±

    He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her a little, thus pulling her out of her musing.

    ¡°That mage you have been seeing in your dreams,¡± La exined. ¡°He is one of the mages of the rocks, he is the oldest and most powerful of them all. They call him ¡®the fate¡¯.¡±

    ¡°The fate?¡± Elric mumbled to himself. ¡°Is that why he said he has been watching over us all?¡±

    La continued her walk and gestured her son to follow suit. ¡°I do not know much about the mages of the rocks, all I know is that they are powerful. It is said that they learnt the art of forbidden magic and transcended to a level at par with the gods.¡± She stopped and turned to look at her son who was trying to take all of the information in. ¡°They are the ones who ced you and the others in the transmigration cycle in order to save our races.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Elric was even more convinced now that he absolutely had to return to Gavaria, if this mage was as powerful as he sounded, it would be wise to heed to his words.

    ¡°What else did he say to you? In your dreams?¡±

    ¡°He keeps telling me that the curse that befell me will find it¡¯s way to Eira,¡± Elric exined. ¡°And that love is the only thing that can break it.¡±

    La searched her son¡¯s face, ¡°curse? What curse?¡±

    .....

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Elric responded. ¡°That is all he says right before I wake up. I must go to her, mother, both my life and Eira¡¯s could be in danger if anything should happen to her.¡±

    ¡°And what makes you think Gareth will allow you anywhere near his daughter?¡± La questioned. ¡°From what your father tells me, all of this fiasco of her getting married is so the two of you don¡¯t end up together.¡±

    Elric creased his eyebrows and gasped slightly. ¡°Of course...¡± how had he not figured this out earlier? So Gareth and Melissa knew that their daughter and him were meant to be together, but they hated the idea so much they were willing to have her bound to another man. ¡°I can¡¯t let them do this... I have to go to her..¡±

    The silver haired prince turned around and briskly started walking back to the pce.

    ¡°Elric!¡±

    He turned to his mother, ready to deny her request for him to stay and not pursue Eira. The Luna rushed to her son¡¯s side and pointed to some men who were standing near the pce gates.

    ¡°If you leave on your own, your father will be suspicious,¡± she exined. ¡°I have packed all you¡¯ll need on your journey there, and there is a horse ready for you where those two men stand.¡±

    ¡°Mother... I thought you-¡±

    ¡°I would have loved it if your mate was anyone else, anyone, but my wishes are not those of the gods,¡± La exined as she fixed her son¡¯s cloak. ¡°Nothing goodes from defying the will of the gods..¡± she cupped his face and looked deep into his honey brown eyes. ¡°Now go to her, if you ride fast enough, you will arrive before she is given to another.¡±

    Elric held the woman¡¯s hands and squeezed them tightly, ¡°thank you..¡± and with that he ran to where the men were standing.

    *

    Edron was on his way to his chambers when he saw his son and two other men riding out the pce gates through the window. ¡°What in the...¡± he turned around abruptly but almost bumped into his Luna who had seemingly appeared behind him.

    ¡°La! Where is Elric-¡±

    ¡°Worry not,¡± La responded and wrapped her arms around her husbands neck. ¡°He is just a little bored sitting around the pce doing nothing, so I sent him off to see the snonds.¡±

    The alpha calmed down significantly, but he still felt a little uneasy. ¡°When will he return?¡±

    ¡°Who knows, maybe in a few days,¡± La said nonchntly. ¡°Elric is not a cub anymore, he has the royal gaurds with him, he will be fine.¡± She pressed her lips seductively against Edron¡¯s, and she immediately felt him loosen up. ¡°Come now, it¡¯s cold and I require my husband¡¯s warmth.¡±

    *

    Eira walked into her room feeling a little more drained than she usually did, she was d all this was almost over, but she also dreaded whaty ahead. After meeting the final group of suitors the following day, she was expected to choose ten suitors from which she would select a husband.

    She sat down on a sofa facing her window and brought her knees to her chest. If Elric was not part of the suitors tomorrow, that would be the end, him and her could not be together not matter what.

    Even though she had been in denial all along, Eira knew, she knew that Elric was her blood half. And now that there was a possibility of not being with him, she knew that she loved him. Regardless of his past, what he had done, regardless of what anyone thought or said about him, her feelings for him were undeniably true and there.

    Shey her head on her knees as soft whimpers left her lips. Were these emotions only a burden of hers? Did he not feel the same? Isabe had said he acknowledged her as his mate, so then why wasn¡¯t he here?! Why would he let her be married off to another man?!

    The whimpers turned into sobs, the red haired princess felt like her hurt was going to explode. If this is what it meant to be a princess, to be her parent¡¯s daughter, she didn¡¯t want it anymore.

    Outside the door, Isabe leaned onto Eira¡¯s door that she was about to open and sighed. She had never heard Eira cry before, the sound was heartbreaking. She stood up straight and wiped her own tears that had trickled down her cheek, she had to do something, she couldn¡¯t stand by as her friend signed her life away to misery. It wasn¡¯t right.

    *

    The icy wind pping against his face was nothingpared to the sudden surge of sadness that had flowed through him. Elric held the reins of his horse tightly with one hand, and used the other to clench his chest tightly.

    ¡°Eira... I¡¯ming. Please, don¡¯t cry.¡±

    Night had fallen and the temperature had be deathly cold. But all of that mattered not, for the first time in his life, Elric was going to fight for what was truly his. Not out of spite, greed or possessiveness, but out of pure and honest love, this time it was different.

    *

    Bertram circled Maxim slowly, inspecting his ensemble from head to toe. His hair, his clothing, his shoes, even his musk.

    When the man stopped in front of the dark haired elf, Maxim felt a little uneasy. ¡°What is it? Is something wrong? Is my hair out of ce?¡±

    Lord Bertram shook his head and gave the young elf a smile. ¡°If the princess does not fancy you with the way you look right now son, then she must be either blind, or a little mad.¡±

    Maxim nodded thankfully before turning and heading out the door to the carriage that was waiting for him. The day hade, today would determine wether his mission would be a sess or not.

    The young elf knew he had no luxury to fail, he had to gain Eira¡¯s trust in the one hour that would be allocated to him. He also had to ensure he made it on the list of the top ten suitors at all costs, only then will he have the opportunity to get close to her. Close enough to enact his n, and leave without being considered a suspect.

    When the carraige came to a halt outside the royal pce, his door was opened by one of the royal guards.

    ¡°Name...¡±

    ¡°Lord Maxim Adalbert,¡± the elf responded. ¡°First and only son of Bertram Adalbert.¡±

    The guard nced at his list and then nodded. ¡°Wee my lord, right this way.¡±

    Maxim got off the carraige and followed the gaurd into the pce. He was patted down by a second guard to check for any weapons before he was allowed to proceed further into the pce.

    As they walked therge halls, Maxim would nce at the numerous paintings on the walls. There were several of a young red haired girl in all staged of her life from when she was an infant. It was apparent that Eira¡¯s parents were very fond of her. And just like his sources had told him, she was the only child of the king, her father¡¯s little angel.

    They reached the doorway of the library where there was a que with Eira¡¯s name on it, the ce must have been a gift to her, she was indeed a treasure to her parents.

    It was such a shame Maxim had to take her away from them. Such a shame indeed.

 Chapter 286

    286 Chapter 286 : Late entry

    When Maria opened the door to the princess¡¯ chambers, eira was still under the covers in bed, probably still tired from the previous day. The nosferatu woman walked quietly towards the bed and reached for Eira, but to her surprise, the princess¡¯ eyes were open, and from the bags under her eyes, it seemed she had not slept at all.

    ¡°Eira..¡± Maria sat on the bed and ced a hand on Eira¡¯s forehead. ¡°Are you okay? Do you feel unwell?¡±

    Unwell was an understatement, Eira felt like her soul had left her body. She was tired, she was sad, she angry, and she most of all, she felt incredibly lonely.

    She sat up and gently pushed Maria¡¯s hand off her face. ¡°I¡¯m alright..¡± she mumbled as she slipped off her bed. ¡°I just need a bath and I¡¯ll feel much better.¡±

    Maria frowned. She had never heard Eira¡¯s voice sound so incredibly sad before, it was heartbreaking, if only she could do something to help, but what?

    *

    ¡°What happened out there?¡± Damien asked Zhelimir who had juste from calming the ruckus that was going on outside. ¡°Did Jacob try and force his way into the pce again? I told lord Ivan to keep an eye on his son.¡±

    Zhelimir shook his head, ¡°no, it wasn¡¯t Jacob this time. There was ate entry for the candidacy for Eira¡¯s hand, and the royal guards were not too happy with it.¡±

    ¡°Late entry? Who has been added to the list this time around?¡±

    .....

    Zhelimire stepped aside and revealed the person who was standing behind him. Damien¡¯s eyes widened in shock, his mouth gaped open but words refused toe out. Why would this person attest to be Eira¡¯s suitor?! This was absurd, the king would be furious!

    ¡°Right this way,¡± Zhelimir directed the person to the library. ¡°The princess will be meeting all of you in the library momentarily.¡±

    Damien watched as theirte guest walked into the library and closed the door behind them. He then turned back to Zhelimir with an unsettled look painting his face.

    ¡°We could get into big trouble for allowing this Zhelimir,¡± Damien advised his cousin. ¡°This person shouldn¡¯t be allowed to-¡±

    ¡°She was cryingst night..¡± Zhelimir spoke in a low pained tone. He then looked at Damien, sadness very apparent in his eyes. ¡°Eira, she was crying, I¡¯ve never known her to cry, she must be so unhappy.¡±

    ¡°What..?¡±

    ¡°I know we have a duty to the crown Damien, but Eira is like our little sister..¡± the blonde grabbed Damien¡¯s shoulders and looked into his eyes. ¡°Will you really be okay with all of this? Even if it means she will be miserable her entire life? Will you be okay with watching Eira cry the rest of her days because we chose duty over family?¡±

    Damien lowered his gaze and sighed. He too had noticed his bright and bubbly cousin slowly falling into a pit of despair, and many a time he had wanted to take her away and put an end to all of this, but he had never gathered the courage to defy his uncle and aunt¡¯s wishes.

    ¡°If there is any chance of Eira¡¯s happiness,¡± Zhelimir spoke and pointed towards the door. ¡°That person is our only shot.¡± He lowered his arms and fixed his attire, ¡°I¡¯m willing to take the fall for it, as long as I can protect Eira¡¯s heart in the process.¡±

    Zhelimir started walking towards the door, before he could enter, Damien called to him.

    ¡°Wait..¡± he walked to Zhelimir¡¯s side, and for the first time, a small smile painted his face. ¡°I can¡¯t let you face our uncle¡¯s wrath alone, I will go with you.¡±

    *

    ¡°Today is thest day,¡± Maria spoke as she gently brushed Eira¡¯s beautiful red hair. ¡°In about eleven days you will be betrothed to a handsome man of your choice, awaiting to be married in what might be the wedding of the century. Aren¡¯t you excited?¡±

    ¡°I suppose,¡± Eira muttered in a low tone.

    ¡°I know you must be feeling exhausted right now,¡± Maria added on. ¡°But once you start preparing for the wedding, all of that will turn into excitement. I remember how it was when your mother was getting married, it was such a magical time.¡±

    ¡°Tell me Maria,¡± Eira asked the woman who was now tying her hair. ¡°How is it that my mother can marry two men of her choice, but I can¡¯t even get the chance to get to know the man that I love? Doesn¡¯t seem very fair now does it?¡±

    The nosferatu woman was taken aback by the question. She put down the hair brush and awkwardly tightened the ribbon in Eira¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Well, your mother¡¯s situation was a little different..¡± the nosferatu woman responded.

    ¡°I bet it was,¡± the princess replied and got up. ¡°She agreed to marry one man, then broke his heart and married another. And now because of her mistakes, I have to suffer.¡±

    ¡°Eira, that is your mother..¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± the princess walked towards the exit. ¡°She makes sure to remind me of that every waking minute.¡± Eira opened the door, before leaving she curtsied to Maria. ¡°Thank you for helping me get ready,¡± and she left, leaving Maria with an unsettled feeling. Why did things have to be this way?

    *

    Gareth kissed his wife¡¯s cheek and gave her a smile. ¡°Are you ready to meet thest batch of suitors?¡±

    Melissa shook her head, ¡°you can go on without me,¡± she responded. ¡°I think I will sit today out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Eira isn¡¯t it?¡± Gareth asked and crouched in front of his wife. ¡°I too cannot bare to see the look on her face bing grimmer and grimmer with each passing day. You know Mel, it¡¯s not toote to do the right thing and-¡±

    ¡°And what? And let Elric have at her?¡± Melissa stood up and walked back to the bed. ¡°Never... you don¡¯t know that man like I do Gareth, he¡¯s crazy! He could use Eira to spite us, he could make our only child miserable, I cannot allow that. I made that mistake once, I will not let her do the same, forget it.¡±

    Gareth sighed and nodded. ¡°I see..¡± he stood up and walked towards the door, his heart feeling a little heavier with each step. His family was falling apart, his wife had a grudge she could not let go, and his daughter was slowly starting to despise them. And as much as he wanted to me someone for all of this, as much as he wanted to say this was Elric¡¯s fault, he couldn¡¯t. Elric had done nothing wrong this time. When he first met Eira, she was the one who seeked him out, and at the time he had no idea who she really was. And even after he knew, he did not harm her or use her in anyway, in fact he seemed to have listened to the warming given and stayed away from Eira.

    But now what? Elric was out of their lives but things were going to pieces regardless, so what was the point of all of this?

    The elven king closed the door and walked down the hallways towards the library, he felt terrible about what he had done. He couldn¡¯t believe he was forcing his daughter into marriage, after he swore he would never do that, after he swore he would let her find a man she loved and support her all the way. He had gone against his words, as a king and as a father.

    Outside the library doors stood Zhelimir and Damien who bowed at him. ¡°Are all the suitors already inside?¡±

    ¡°Yes your majesty,¡± Damien responded. ¡°And the princess is on her way here.¡±

    Gareth had the right mind to just call the whole thing off, walk to his daughter and embrace her lovingly. He wanted to apologize to her and tell her she could be with whoever she wanted, as long as she was happy again.

    ¡°Good morning everyone...¡±

    The three men turned to look at Eira who was curtsying. When she looked up, all of them felt a jab in their chest, the princess looked terrible. She had bags under her eyes, her once radiant skin had paled, her smile was gone, and the glimmer in her eyes had long since disappeared.

    Gareth took a step towards his daughter and reached for her, ¡°Eira are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she responded and dodged his hand. ¡°Shall we meet the suitors now please, I still have to review them allter today ande up with the final list like you requested. I would prefer we do this quickly.¡±

    Gareth nodded, but on the inside he was weeping, that look his daughter had on her face, it was the same one he had all those years ago when everyone was against him being with Melissa. He had been absolutely miserable, so much so that he thought he was going mad. And now he was doing the same thing to Eira.

    They walked into the library, Gareth¡¯s eyes fixed on Eira whose face showed no emotion at all. But suddenly, her eyes widened slightly and shock painted her face. The king followed her line of sight to look at what had startled her and then gasped himself.

    ¡°You..?¡± Gareth spoke. ¡°What are you doing here? What exactly is going on here?¡±

    ¡°Good morning your majesty. Just like everyone else in this room, I am here to contest for the princess¡¯ hand.¡±

 Chapter 287

    287 Chapter 287 : Stand-in

    Eira looked at her friendpletely bewildered. What in the world was Isabe thinking?! Contest for her hand? Why? How? Where was Leonard when she was doing all of this?!

    ¡°You cannot contestant for Eira¡¯s hand,¡± Gareth responded. ¡°It¡¯s not right.¡±

    ¡°The royal decree called for all nobles who deem themselves worthy of the princess¡¯ hand,¡± Isabe responded firmly yet respectfully. ¡°There was no mention of specific genders, so I am well within thew your majesty.¡±

    Gareth turned to one of the royal guards who shook his head in response. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she is correct your majesty, as council man Rnd and prince Jeffrey¡¯s daughter, she is a noble and can contest for princess Eira¡¯s hand.¡±

    ¡°But the list was already verified,¡± Gareth responded. ¡°The only way someone can be added is if a lord of Gavaria or a member of the royal family vouches for them.¡± Gareth turned to look at Isabe. ¡°Are your fathers aware of what you are doing Isabe? Is it them who vouched for you?¡±

    ¡°I vouched for her,¡± a voice called out from behind the king.

    Gareth turned around and saw Damien who had stepped forward. ¡°Damien? You?...¡±

    ¡°I vouched for her as well,¡± Zhelimir added on. Making the elven king even more perplexed.

    ¡°But why?¡± Gareth questioned his two nephews.

    .....

    ¡°You¡¯ve always told us to look out for Eira like she was our own sister your majesty,¡± Zhelimir spoke. ¡°Our decision was based on that, you may not understand it now, but this is for the greater good, so please,¡± Zhelimir bowed respectfully. ¡°Allow Isabe to stand as a suitor.¡±

    If there was one thing Zhelimir was right about, it was that Gareth did not understand a single thing that was going on. But the rules were the rules, he had already gone back in his word once, he didn¡¯t want to make a habit of it.

    The turned to Isabe and sighed. ¡°Very well, I will allow you to contest Isabe.¡±

    ¡°Thank you your majesty,¡± the blue eyed lycan woman responded with a curtsy.

    ¡°All rules apply to you as well,¡± Gareth added on, ¡°you get one hour with her, and you are not to put her in harms way.¡±

    ¡°Understood your majesty..¡±

    Gareth then looked down at his little princess who was as surprised by Isabe¡¯s stunt as he was. He wanted to pull her close and apologize for putting her through all of this, but he knew it would take more that just an ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ to mend their rtionship.

    ¡°Eira-¡±

    ¡°I should begin father¡± Eira interrupted the man. ¡°I did not get enough sleepst night and wish to get today over and done with so I may rest.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Gareth responded with a sad smile. ¡°I will see you at dinner princess.¡±

    *

    The inside of the carraige was awkwardly quiet. Isabe sat on one end of the carraige, while Eira sat on the other, both not knowing what to say to the other.

    ¡°You look very pretty today,¡± Isabe mumbled making the redhead roll her eyes.

    ¡°Small talk and jokes aside Be,¡± Eira responded seriously, ¡°what in the world are you thinking? What is this? What do you n to achieve but doing all of this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to help,¡± Isabe responded.

    ¡°By trying to marry me?!¡±

    ¡°When you say it like that it sounds absurd!¡±

    ¡°Well is there anyway I can say it that doesn¡¯t?¡± Eira asked her friend sarcastically. ¡°And what about Leonard? Does he know of this?¡±

    ¡°Yes I told him everything,¡± Isabe responded casually, confusing Eira even more.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what is really going on? How is you standing as one of my suitors going to help me?¡±

    ¡°I am not standing on my own behalf,¡± Isabe exined. ¡°I am standing on behalf of your bloodhalf, on behalf of the man I know you truly wanted to show up today..¡± Isabe looked up at the princess whose face was now painted with shock. ¡°I am standing on behalf of Elric.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Eira responded. ¡°If he wanted to be here he would have been, clearly he doesn¡¯t and you¡¯re just wasting your time.¡±

    ¡°Eira I know you¡¯re emotional and angry right now,¡± Isabeforted her friend. ¡°But you know it is not easy for him to just show up here, try to see things from his perspective. The parents of the woman he loves, and half the kingdom hate him and think he¡¯s some evil man, how do you expect him to just waltz in and sweep you away? Your father would have him hanged.¡±

    Eira looked away and folded her arms. ¡°And how are you so sure? He didn¡¯t even try...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure of it, trust me..¡± Isabe moved to where Eira was sitting and rubbed her shoulder gently. ¡°Only someone who has experienced the bond of mates can truly know to what lengths one can go to to be with the one they love. Just give him time, I promise you he wille.¡±

    ¡°But time is what I don¡¯t have, you read the decree, in eleven days I should be bethrothed.¡± The princess turned to look at Isabe with teary eyes. ¡°What if he does not make it in time, then what do I do?¡±

    Isabe took both Eira¡¯s hands and gave her a hopeful smile. ¡°He will, if Elric is as stubborn as my father says he is, believe when I say he will be here, just don¡¯t lose hope. And besides, I will hold his ce for as long as I need too, that¡¯s what friends do.¡±

    Tears flowed down Eira¡¯s cheeks before she moved in and hugged her friend tightly. Through sobbing eyes and a heavy heart, she thanked Isabe, no one had ever done something so selfless for her before. For the past weeks Eira had felt like she was so alone, she had felt like everyone was okay with her not being happy. But Isabe had just reminded her that she wasn¡¯t alone, and that there were people who were looking out for her.

    After her sobs subsided, she wiped her tears away and looked up at Isabe. ¡°So, where do you n on taking me for the next one hour..¡±

    Isabe chuckled and leaned back on the carraige chair. ¡°Do you want to go to my house and tell me about how handsome you think Elric is?¡±

    Eira blushed and shoved Isabe slightly, ¡°only if you bore me with how breathtaking you think Leonard is..¡±

    ¡°Which he is,¡± Isabe responded, making both of themugh.

    For this first time in a while, Eira felt the little ambers of hope set alight again, and it was all thanks to her hopeless romantic of a friend.

    *

    Zhelimir walked out into the pce garden and smiled broadly when he saw Janis sitting on a bench near the patch of flowers covered in snow. She was using her magic to melt the snow away and making the flowers bloom.

    ¡°Janis..¡±

    The elven woman looked up and smiled when she saw the tall handsome hybrid walking towards her. After the ball, Janis had started seeing Zhelimir in new light. He was no longer timid and awkward around her, now he asserted some sort of male dominance, but also a gentleness that tugged at her heart strings.

    It would be an understatement to say she had a bit of a crush of Zhelimir, in truth, she had a crush on him a long time ago, but was a little put off but how timid her was around her. But now, those little bubbles of affection blew up once more and burst into mutual attraction.

    Janis stood up and walked towards the blonde who immediately held her in his arms. He looked down at her with an intensity that made her blush and look away, he always looked at her like he couldn¡¯t believe she was real, no man had ever looked at her in such a way, so it always flustered her.

    ¡°I have missed you,¡± Zhelimir spoke softly while lightly turning her face towards his.

    ¡°I have missed you too,¡± Janis responded honestly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about all that is going on, my brother can be a bit of a nuisance sometimes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, as long as you are here now,¡± Zhelimir responded and then led the woman to the bench where they sat down next to each other. ¡°How is he doing now, is he still very upset.¡±

    ¡°When ites to Eira,¡± Janis exined. ¡°My brother loses all sense of logic, I don¡¯t know if he is merely obsessed or maybe-¡±

    The blonde put an arm over the beautiful elven woman, ¡°or maybe what?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Janis responded nervously. ¡°I know this may sound crazy, but I really do think Jacob is in love with Eira.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain of that,¡± Zhelimir responded. ¡°Because from where I stand it looks like a bad case of infatuation.¡±

    ¡°No, infatuation doesn¡¯tst years Zhel,¡± Janis responded. She held his hand with both of hers and looked up at him with pleading eyes. ¡°Please help my brother Zhel, help him end up with the woman he loves.¡±

 Chapter 288

    288 Chapter 288 : Hunting

    After six hours of waiting, Maxim got to his feet as the princess walked through the doors of the library. As he walked towards her, so as to meet her halfway, he had to chant to himself not to fall for her, because the gods knew how incredibly breathtaking she was.

    Maxim bowed respectfully before standing up straight and smiling of the red haired princess, it was then he notice she had violet eyes, a perfect contrast with her red hair and fair skin.

    Eira looked around the library before looking at the elven man in front of her. ¡°Are you the only one here?¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace, I am thest suitor of the day,¡± Maxim responded in a calm baritone voice.

    ¡°Alright then..¡±

    Maxim sensed some relief in the tone of Eira¡¯s angelic voice, it was apparent she was exhausted from meeting different men for thest few weeks, and she was d it was finally over. But she didn¡¯tmunicate her relief to Maxim, most likely not to demoralize him, that was a sign that she was an empathetic person. why exactly did Ronda hate this young woman? Maybe Maxim had to get to know her a little more to find out.

    ¡°Well, I suppose I should ask you what you have nned for the hour,¡± Eira spoke.

    ¡°I actually have nothing nned princess,¡± Maxim responded with a polite smile that made his eyes squint in the most adorable way.

    Eira raised her eyebrows in surprise, ¡°you have nothing nned? Weren¡¯t you told that you will have one hour with me?¡±

    .....

    ¡°I was...¡±

    ¡°And still you prepared nothing to try and woo me in that hour?¡±

    ¡°I did not,¡± Maxim responded still smiling.

    ¡°well then what are we to do?¡± Eira asked, ¡°just stand here and stare at each other for an hour?¡±

    Maxim opened his hooded green eyes and looked into Eira¡¯s purple orbs. The princess blushed slightly under his intense gaze, didn¡¯t he have no shame staring at royalty like that?

    ¡°I was hoping that we could do something that you want, rather than something that I want,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°I¡¯d love it if you enjoy this hour with me, rather than endure it. So please, be my guest and choose whatever activity you would like to do. If you want, we could just sit in this library and talk.¡±

    Eira was staggered by the man¡¯s response. For the entirety of this suitor meeting activity, Eira had just been letting the men take her ces and make her do activities that they thought might impress her, of which none did. But this man, he was actually asking her what she wanted to do, how strange.

    ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Maxim,¡± the handsome elf responded with a friendly smile.

    ¡°Alright, well Maxim, since you asked, it has been a long time since I¡¯ve held a weapon,¡± Eira mumbled nervously. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I might be losing my touch.¡±

    Maxim nodded in understanding. ¡°I see, well then, you better change into something a little more appropriate princess, because you and I are going hunting.¡±

    ¡°Hunting?!¡± Eira had never gone hunting before. The only time she held a bow and arrow was when she training with her cousins or uncle. She was never allowed in the forest so she had never gotten the chance to use her archery skills to catch game.

    ¡°Well, you better get going princess,¡± Maxim spoke and gently turned her towards the door. ¡°Time is ticking. I will be in the courtyard organizing our horses, meet me there.¡±

    Eira nodded slowly and walked towards the exit, she turned back to look at Maxim who was waving and smiling at her. Why was this man being so kind to her, it was strange, noblemen were always nothing but arrogant pricks.

    *

    Elric and his two guards had been riding for two days straight, only stopping to water the horses for a few minutes and also to eat. Rest was a luxury the lycan prince had decided he would enjoy after he had Eira within this reach, safe and sound.

    ¡°We will be in the first shire of Gavaria soon your grace!¡± One of his men called to Elric. ¡°Are we heading straight for the capital?!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Elric responded, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to-¡±

    But before he could fully respond, the silver haired lycan spotted a group of men standing ahead of them in a line formation. There were about four or five soldiers, and all of them were wearing Gavarian armor.

    As they approached the men, they all drew their swords and pointed them towards the lycan and his men, making Elric slow down.

    ¡°Hault prince Elric of the snonds!¡±

    The lycan stopped his steed and red at the men, so they were indeed waiting for him. He didn¡¯t know why he was so surprised, Gareth and Melissa had made it clear they did not want him near their daughter, and if he ever tried to defy him, they would have his head.

    ¡°We are members of the queen¡¯s private guard!¡± The man who was presumably their leader spoke in a firm voice.

    So it was Melissa who had sent them. This only proved to Elric that she was aware of the bond that existed between him and her daughter, and wanted none of it to see the light of day.

    ¡°We have been ordered to not let you pass! Turn back or we shall be pushed to use force!¡±

    Elric slipped off his horse and took a step forward, making the men lift their swords.

    ¡°This is yourst warning Elric! Turn back now, or you will die where you stand!¡±

    Unfortunately for the men, Elric could not allow himself to die until he reached Eira, he also could not turn back. Judging from their stance, the lycan knew these were very skilled men, probably appointed by Gareth himself to protect his beloved wife. But sadly, they were not skilled enough.

    A wave of dark aura proliferated from the silver haired man and filled the air. The aura, dark and deadly, was almost choking. Some of the guards took a step back, fearing what was toe. What exactly was this man? And why did he reek of ¡®alpha male dominance¡¯. It felt like his presence alone was a threat, what kind of lycan had the queen pinned them against.

    ¡°I do not have time to deal with the likes of you,¡± Elric spoke calmly as he took off his fur coat and ced it atop his horse. ¡°So I will give you a minute to clear the path and let me pass..¡± he then slipped off his gloves and tossed them to the ground before giving the men a stare that tingled each of their spines. ¡°But if you persist, I cannot promise that you will walk away unharmed.¡±

    The men nced at each other before gathering the courage they had left and repositioned their swords in front of them.

    The silver haired lycan twisted his neck slightly from side to side, before cracking his knuckles. ¡°I see..¡± he spoke with a sigh, ¡°I suppose we have to do this then. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡±

    It had been a while since Elric had gone wolf, and thest time he had, he was bigger and more agile than ever. His days in the forest, hunting and scavenging, had proved to grow the beast within him, so much so that he feared his wolf. It was like it had a mind of its own sometimes, dominated by nothing but feral instincts.

    Before the men could get the chance to charge, a silver blur knocked two of them backwards in a split of a second, rendering them both unconscious.

    ¡°What the-¡±

    Before long, the leader of the small group of men was standing alone, holding his sword with shaky hands, turning his head from side to side trying to see where the silver wolf had disappeared to. All he could see were the bloody unconscious bodies of his mean littered around him.. how was an animal that big able to hide? The shrubs around them were too small and scarce to conceal him.

    Just then, the man gulped when he felt a puff of hot breath on his neck. How did he get behind him? How was he able to move without making any sound?

    Before another thought could cross his mind, everything went ck, thest words he heard Elric speak as he transformed back to his human form was. ¡°No one will stand in the way of me getting to my mate...¡±

    Even though losing consciousness, the man was shocked by Elric¡¯s words. His mate? Is that who he was pursuing? The queen didn¡¯t mention anything about a mate.. if only he had known.. he would have let the man pass. Being a lycan himself, even though not a pure blood, knew and honored thew of mates.

    Elric walked back to his horse, picked up his gloves and pulled down his jacket. After putting them on he turned to his men who were staring at him with both fear and awe.

    Elric hopped onto his horse, ¡°are you going to stand there and stare, or are you going toe with me.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace!¡±

 Chapter 289

    289 Chapter 289 : My friend

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Eira yelled after missing another shot at her target. She turned to Maxim who had an amused smile in his face and instantly covered her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you probably think I have quite a foul mouth don¡¯t you?¡±

    The elf jumped off the rock he was sitting on and walking to where Eira was standing, his eyes fixated on hers. ¡°If cursing when things go wrong makes one to have a foul mouth, then mine must be abhorrent.¡±

    He stood by Eira¡¯s side and looked around the thicket of trees before whistling in a soft tone. Not long after, a bunch of small animals began to peek out from their hiding ces in response to his whistling.

    Eira gasped in awe, she had never seen someone do that before. ¡°You can call to animals?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I am a wood elf,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°Nature is my abode, I speak thenguages of the tress, rivers and animals.¡± He turned to looke at the beautiful princes and smiled, ¡°there are different kinds of elves princess Eira, all with different abilities. I can teach you of them sometime if I get the chance.¡±

    Eira nodded, ¡°and me? What kind of elf am I?¡±

    ¡°For luck of better terms, I¡¯d like to say you¡¯re half high elf,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°More or less like me, but more abilities.¡±

    Maxim moved to stand behind Eira, ¡°show me your stance, the one you use to fire an arrow..¡±

    The red haired princess stood straight and parted her legs slightly. She lifted her bow and mounted arrow to face level, pulled back the arrow and fired it towards a fat white rabbit that she missed.

    .....

    ¡°Damn it!¡± She cursed, making Maxim chuckle.

    ¡°I see where your problem is..¡± Maxim spoke. ¡°Your stance, why do you put your legs apart like that?¡±

    ¡°So I can be stable,¡± Eira responded. This is how she had been standing during her archery training with her uncle Zander, and she had always hit a bullseye no matter how far the target. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I keep missing, I¡¯ve alwaysnded a shot.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯ve always been practicing to shoot a stationed target,¡± Maxim responded. He pat Eira¡¯s shoulders and leaned closer, ¡°put your legs together..¡±

    Eira gulped at how close he was to her but did as she was told.

    ¡°You¡¯re an elf princess Eira, you don¡¯t have to hunt like a human..¡± Maxim pulled out his own bow and arrow and held it firmly in his hands. He ced his legs together and with a quick short breath, floated up into the air and aimed his arrow at a brown rabbit a few feet away from him.

    SWOOSH... CLANK!

    Eira threw her gaze at where Maxim¡¯s arrow hadnded and gasped. The arrow lodged itself right above the terrified rabbit¡¯s head in the trunk of the tree behind it.

    ¡°You almost had it!¡± Eira yelled excitedly.

    Maxim floated back down and smiled at the princess. ¡°I did not intend to kill the rabbit,¡± he exined. ¡°I was simply showing you how things should be done princess.¡± He took an arrow from his quiver and ced it gently in the redhead¡¯s hand. ¡°Killing the rabbit it your job. You¡¯re the one who wanted to learn how to hunt after all.¡±

    Eira held the arrow tightly before looking up at Maxim with a nervous expression. ¡°I¡¯m not very good at flight, I don¡¯t think I will be stable enough tounch the arrow the way you did.¡±

    The green eyed elven man walked back to Eira¡¯s front and held out his hand. ¡°I will teach you, if you will let me.¡±

    Eira looked down at his outstretched hand for a while before cing hers in it. Immediately, Maxim floated up into the air and gestured the princess to do the same.

    ¡°You are blessed with the flight abilities of both a high elf and a nosferatu princess Eira, you can do this...¡±

    The princess took a deep breath and allowed herself to float off the ground. She had always had trouble bncing when flying, no matter how hard she tried.

    ¡°Use the air currents around you to hold you up,¡± Maxim instructed as he held her shoulders firmly. ¡°It¡¯s like learning how to swim, don¡¯t fight the currents, flow with them.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fight the currents..¡± the princess muttered to herself. ¡°Don¡¯t fight the currents.... don¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°Princess...¡±

    Eira opened her eyes and found Maxim floating in front of her. He was not holding her up anymore but she had not toppled over and fallen, she was doing it.

    ¡°I¡¯m flying!¡± Eira shrieked excitedly, ¡°I¡¯m actually- whoa!¡±

    Maxim rushed to the princess and pulled her in his arms before she could fall to the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t get too whirled up now, you still have to practice until you can move around however you want.¡±

    ¡°Thank you-¡± Eira mumbled in embarrassment. She dared not look up at the man whose arms were wrapped so firmly around her, instead, she just cleared her throat and gently pulled herself out of his embrace. ¡°So... can I try to shoot now?¡±

    Maxim moved from her line of fire and pointed to the chunky white rabbit from before. ¡°Are you ready to redeem yourself princess?¡±

    Eira nodded and ced the arrow in her bow.

    ¡°This will be a little tricky in the beginning,¡± Maxim exined. ¡°Unlike standing, you have to keep yourself afloat and be stable enough to aim at the same time. But if you concentrate, you can do it. Let the air currents hold you up and move you where you need to, while you keep your aim and stance steady.¡±

    Eira nodded and gently lifted up her bow and arrow, aiming it at the rabbit. Her hands began to shake as she tried to keep herself afloat and aim at the same time.

    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it princess,¡± Maxim advised. ¡°Nature is an extension of you, and so is your weapon. Do you have to think about moving your legs to walk? Apply the same concept.¡±

    Eira took another deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. By the time she opened them up again, her hands were no longer shaking, and she was floating effortlessly. She pulled back her arrow, closed one eye and whispered. ¡°You will make a delicious stew...¡±

    SWOOSH... JAB!

    ¡°I did it?... I did it!¡± Eira spun around in the air excitedly before rushing to Maxim and embracing him in a celebratory hug. It was not until momentster that she noticed what she had done and pulled away instantly, a faint blush on her cheeks.

    She had let her excitement get the best of her. Eira had never had a friend outside her little circle that consisted of the children of her father¡¯s friends, so she may have let her tion spill out a little.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry..¡±

    Maxim shook his head and smiled warmly at the blushing redhead. It would be a lie if he said the hug did not make his heart tter just a little, it was only because he had an iron will, that he did not swoon with the touch of such a beautiful woman.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright princess Eira, I¡¯m happy you¡¯re having a good time..¡±

    She was indeed having a good time, the best time she had had in weeks, and she was incredibly grateful for it.

    ¡°Eira..¡± the princess mumbled.

    ¡°What?¡± Maxim asked the smiling woman.

    ¡°You can call me Eira,¡± the redhead responded. ¡°princess Eira sounds so exhausting. So please, just call me Eira.¡±

    Maxim smiled, more to himself than the princess. This was a good sign, she was finally starting to trust him, this simple gesture was a step towards the right direction.

    ¡°Of course... Eira.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me your grace!¡±

    The two looked down at the ground and spotted one of the royal guards waving up at them.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid lord Maxim¡¯s time is up!¡± The man called out. ¡°We should return to the pce!¡±

    Eira looked at her bow and then at Maxim, she didn¡¯t want this to be over just yet. She wasn¡¯t ready to face her parents just so they could pester her about nothing, she wanted to spend a little more time with her new friend, and maybe even learn a few more skills from him.

    ¡°Thank you but we will spend a bit more time here!¡± Eira responded.

    ¡°But your grace, all suitors get one hour!¡±

    ¡°I am aware of that,¡± Eira responded. ¡°And yes, lord Maxim the suitor¡¯s hour is up, but Maxim ¡®my friend¡¯ has no allocated time to spend with me. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong.¡±

    The guard could not respond, the princess had a point. The man merely bowed and turned around. ¡°We will be at the carraige if you need us your grace.¡±

    Maxim looked at Eira surprised, had she just dered him her friend? A wave of mixed emotions washed over him as he watched her smile so beautifully at him. He felt ted having a new friend, he always had very little of those. But at the same time he felt guilty, guilty because this friendship was being built on lies and malicious intent, the most unstable foundation of any rtionship.

 Chapter 290

    290 Chapter 290 : Intrusion

    Elric stood up and whipped away the blood that trickled down his cheek from the sh inflicted by one of the men he was fighting.

    The rest of them were unconscious on floor, only one was left and he had managed to injure the lycan. Fighting off these men without killing them was definitely going to get harder, especially if more kept standing in Elric¡¯s way.

    Elric¡¯s eyes glowed yellow and the man gulped before trembling in fear, what sort of monster was this man? Just the look on his face was enough to send shivered down his spine. The soldier held the hilt of his sword firmly and fought back his fears, he had orders from the queen not to let this man pass, and he would adhere to them.

    ¡°This is where you die lycan!¡± The man yelled before charging towards Elric.

    The silver haired lycan simply moved aside and dodged the de, before using his elbow to knock the man on the back of his head, rendering him unconscious.

    He turned to his men who rushed to his side.

    ¡°Your grace, it seems our journey to the capital my be slowed down,¡± one of Elric¡¯s men pointed out. ¡°These Gavarian soldiers keep showing up and slowing us down. We may not be able to take them alone.¡±

    ¡°Yes your grace,¡± the second man spoke, ¡°we may have to go back and return with reinforcements, because at this rate we will never reach the capital in time.¡±

    Elric took a deep breath to control his raising anger. His men were right, this was going to slow them down exponentially and he may arrive in the capital a little toote. But at the same time, riding back to the snonds would waste even more time, he had toe up with a way to moved across the shires unnoticed.

    .....

    ¡°The unconscious men,¡± Elricmanded, ¡°strip them of their clothing.¡±

    Elric¡¯s men nced at each other feeling a little confused and ufortable.

    ¡°Hurry!¡± Elric roared making the two men jump and start undressing the unconscious soldiers.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking your grace,¡± one of Elric¡¯s men mumbled as he pulled off the helmet of one of the soldiers. ¡°Why are we leaving these poor men in the nude? Are you trying to teach them a lesson?¡±

    Elric walked over and took the helmet from the man¡¯s hands. ¡°Don¡¯t get excited, this is not for your amusement.¡± He put on the helmet and then proceeded to taking off his shoes. ¡°We will use their clothing to disguise ourselves until we reach the capital, that way we will avoid any unnecessary confrontations and move quicker.¡±

    Of course, how smart. The young prince indeed was as quick witted as they said, he would make a fine alpha indeed.

    *

    When the carraige carrying the princess and Maxim made a stop outside the pce doors, it was already dusk. Eira had been having so much fun that she hadpletely lost track of time, if it had not been for Maxim insisting that he take her home, they would have probably still been in the forest.

    Maxim stepped out first and helped Eira off before walking with her to the pce doors. As they walked up the staircase to the entrance, Maxim couldn¡¯t help but notice the prying eyes of different maids from the widows of the pce.

    He halted at the door and released Eira¡¯s arm before bowing. ¡°I should leave now princess, I don¡¯t want people around to get the wrong impression.¡±

    Eira blinked a few times trying to understand what Maxim meant, but then she noticed the maids who were peeping through the windows that immediately scattered when they saw her looking their way.

    ¡°There will always be gossip,¡± Eira reassured the elven man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. Besides, it¡¯s almost dinner time, you can¡¯t just leave, please join us for supper.¡±

    Maxim smiled but shook his head. ¡°Thank you for the kind offer Eira, but I wouldn¡¯t want to intrude-¡±

    Without warning, Eira grabbed Maxim¡¯s hand and began dragging him into the pce.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be so uptight Maxim,¡± she spoke with a chuckle, ¡°you and I are friends now, if I invite you to join us for dinner, then you will join us for dinner.¡±

    ¡°But Eira I...¡± Maxim looked to the side and saw the same maids who had been peeping out the windows giggling and pointing. ¡°I really feel like I am intruding.¡±

    ¡°You are joining us for supper and that¡¯s final Maxim, as princess of Gavaria, you shall heed my wish.¡±

    A smile tugged the man¡¯s lips. Ah, she was as feisty as she was beautiful, truly this woman was a gem. And even after a whole afternoon with her, he could not see any reason why someone would want her dead, but it was not in Maxim¡¯s ce to question Ronda¡¯s motives.

    *

    Zhelimir hopped off his horse and then proceeded to helping Janis off with his magic. He floated her off the animal and down into her arms, making the young elven woman blush.

    ¡°You need to stop doing that Zhel,¡± Janis spoke with a chuckle. ¡°I could have gotten off on my own.¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± Zhelimir responded. ¡°I just wanted an excuse to hold you in my arms.¡±

    He put Janis down and tucked her hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek. Zhelimir could not believe that after years of yearning for her, he could finally be with her.. Her, the woman he loved oh so dearly.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that Zhel? You¡¯re embarrassing me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just in awe at how the gods took their time to curve this beautiful face of yours..¡± Zhelimir mumbled.

    ¡°You are such a sweet talker you know that?¡± Janis responded with an eye roll, but her little gesture could not hide the thumping of her heart as the blonde elf inched his face closer to hers.

    ¡°There are other things I can do that are much sweeter than just talk...¡± Zhelimir whispered as his lips brushed against Janis¡¯.

    An electric wave flowed from the elven woman¡¯s head to her legs, making her stagger and hold onto the blonde for support. ¡°Zhel... I should get inside..¡± the woman whispered as she too drew nearer to him.

    ¡°In a moment,¡± Zhelimir whispered as his eyes closed.

    Inches before their lips locked, a portal opened up beside them and Damien stepped out. The red head proceeded to clearing his throat, making the two move apart.

    ¡°Damien,¡± Zhelimir spoke with an irritated smile and twitching eyebrow. ¡°Your inability to read situations is uncanny as usual.¡±

    ¡°You can get intimate any time, right now I have something of importance to discuss with you,¡± Damien responded nonchntly.

    Zhelimir sighed and gave Janis an apologetic kiss on the forehead. ¡°You should go in before your brother knows you are with me.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± she responded, still trying to catch her breath. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what we talked about Zhel.. okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhelimir responded awkwardly. ¡°Now go on, have a good night.¡±

    ¡°Good night,¡± Janis replied before disappearing into the gates of lord Ivan¡¯s manor.

    ¡°That was to be our first kiss,¡± Zhelimir spoke irascibly as he turned to his cousin. ¡°This better be important. Someone better be dying or dead Damien, or you and I will have a problem.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Eira..¡± Damien responded tly.

    Zhelimir¡¯s heart dropped. ¡°Eira?! What happened?!¡±

    ¡°She invited one of her suitors for dinner at the pce,¡± Damien responded.

    ¡°What?...¡± Zhelimir cupped his forehead and sighed heavily. ¡°Damn it Damien! Don¡¯t mention Eira¡¯s name after the mention of death! Gods you are so hard to read sometimes you know that..¡±

    The blonde walked to his horse and grabbed its reins. ¡°So Eira found a man who is a little tolerable, did you have toe all the way here to tell me about it?¡±

    ¡°This elf she has brought,¡± Damien added on. ¡°There¡¯s something about him, something off that I do not trust.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not just being an overprotective older brother?¡± Zhelimir asked while mounting his steed. ¡°Or are you worried she may derail from Elric?¡±

    ¡°Elric is her bloodhalf, I know that now,¡± Damien responded. ¡°So I know she cannot develop any type of romantic feelings for another. I suppose I am being overprotective, but you have to understand Zhelimir, I am good at reading people, there is something about the man that does not sit well with me.¡±

    With a sigh, Zhelimir pulled the reins of his horse in readiness to leave. ¡°Alright, I will join you all for dinner, and then we¡¯ll take a look at the strange suitor who managed to actually hold Eira¡¯s attention.¡±

    ¡°That would be wise. Keeping an eye on him is critical, Eira¡¯s trust in him is blossoming a little to quickly, it isn¡¯t normal.¡± Damien opened a portal leading back to the pce, ¡°he is good at manipting the naive, and that is what makes me not trust his intentions towards Eira.¡±

 Chapter 291

    291 Chapter 291 : Loving little sister

    ¡°Well well well... look what the hybrid dragged in.¡±

    Janis stopped walking and turned around to look to where that oh too familiar voice wasing from. There in the dark corner of the hallway where the light did not fall, Jacob stood, leaned against the wall, with his arms folded over his chest.

    ¡°Why are you lurking in the shadows like some sort of creeper Jacob?¡±

    ¡°And why are you out coniving with the enemy Janis?¡±

    Jacob moved out of the shadows and walked slowly towards his sister. The look in his eyes, he had those crazy eyes that worried Janis, it was as if with every day that went by, Jacob was ¡®losing it¡¯ more and more. It was why she had asked Zhelimir to help move things along with Eira. Maybe being with the princess would bring her brother back from the path of insanity he was slowly walking down. Janis was well aware that Jacob was not the best man out there, heck, sometimes he was one of the worst. But he was her brother, and it hurt her to see him slowly losing his mind over a woman.

    ¡°Zhel is not the enemy-¡±

    ¡°Oh Zhel is not the enemy!¡± Jacob interrupted her as he inched closer, psychotic smile curving his lips. ¡°We are now giving each other nicknames are we?¡±

    Janis did not respond, these past few days she tried as much as possible not to engage with Jacob, it always led to pointless arguments about how much of a traitor she was because she had and Zhelimir were growing close.

    ¡°Why the sudden change of heart little sister?¡± The dark haired elf asked as he took a loc of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. ¡°Did Damien turn you down and so you decided Zhelimir was the next best thing?¡±

    .....

    ¡°With Damien it was mere infatuation,¡± Janis responded in the calmest voice she could muster. ¡°I have always been fond of Zhelimir and you know it, from when we were children, but you would always poison his image and say he was timid and too much of a coward, and that father would never ept him if I decided to be with him. You discouraged me to be with him every chance you got.¡± Janis took a step back and red at her brother. ¡°Your insecurities made me think Zhelimir was not man enough for me, so I spent my life moving from man to man in hopes of finding someone you would approve of, until I was on the verge of giving up. You made me believe he doesn¡¯t deserve me!¡±

    ¡°Because he doesn¡¯t deserve you-¡±

    ¡°I love him Jacob!¡± Janis spoke firmly, ¡°so you better get used to seeing him around. Just because you¡¯re my older brother does not give you the right to control who I can be with.¡±

    Jacob scoffed. ¡°So are you happy with yourself? Are you happy that you are warming the bed of one of the people who stand in the way of my happiness? Me Janis, your only brother?¡±

    Jacob grabbed Janis¡¯ shoulders and looked into her eyes. ¡°He is one of the people keeping me away from the woman that I love, and you are happily frolicking around town with him, making a mockery of me!¡±

    ¡°Ow! Jacob you¡¯re hurting me..¡±

    ¡°At least tell me you¡¯re using him to get to Eira,¡± Jacob grumbled. ¡°At least tell me that you will get him to bring Eira and I closer together like we should be! Tell me you¡¯re still the loving little sister I know, who will put her family first.¡±

    ¡°What is going on here?!¡±

    Jacob sighed when an angry voice he recognized echoed across the hallway. He let Janis go and turned to his mother who was standing behind him, ring at him angrily.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to drag your sister into your obsessive nonsense Jacob?!¡± Elena yelled. ¡°Get out of my sight before I inform your father of the things you were saying just now.¡±

    The elven man simply bowed and walked passed his mother towards his sleeping chambers without uttering a word. What her husband, Ivan, had said was true, their son truly was on a path to self destruction, and she didn¡¯t know what to do about it.

    Elena looked at her daughter who was fighting back tears and walked over to embrace her. As soon as she was in her mother¡¯s arms, Janis began to sob.

    ¡°I worry about him mother,¡± Janis spoke as tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. ¡°Now he is banned from the pce, what¡¯s next? Jacob might do something that will get him banned from the kingdom, and for what? A woman who doesn¡¯t even bat an eye when he walks by.¡±

    ¡°Ssh it¡¯s okay,¡± Elenaforted her daughter. ¡°We will get Jacob the help that he needs, do not worry about it too much. You shouldn¡¯t cry my darling, it will get you nothing but wrinkles.¡±

    Janis quieted down and held on to her mother. Would getting Jacob some help really make any difference? What he needed was to end up with Eira somehow, because the thought of being without her was what was driving him crazy. And Janis was going to do her very best to make sure that happened, that is after all, what sisters do.

    *

    ¡°What do you mean you have lost sight of him?! Did he just disappear into thin air?!¡±

    The soldier kept his head down as he spoke to queen Melissa on one knee.

    ¡°Thest team thought to have encountered him is no where to be found your majesty, and from that moment on its like he just disappeared.¡±

    Melissa pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. ¡°You had one job, are you tell me the lot of you could not stop one man from entering the kingdom for just a few more days?¡±

    ¡°The lycan had proved to be much more skilled and cunning than we anticipated your grace,¡± the soldier responded. ¡°But some of our men are still searching the shires for him, our hope are that we will find him.¡±

    ¡°When you do,¡± Melissa lowered her hand tucked her hair behind her ear. ¡°Just keep him locked up somewhere until Eira is married. Do not hurt him, that will cause a war between the lycans and us. Just hold him somewhere until I give the word to let him go-¡±

    ¡°Mel?!¡±

    Melissa gasped when she heard Gareth¡¯s voice calling to her, and his footsteps seemed to be getting closer and closer.

    ¡°Go and do as I said,¡± she whispered to the man. ¡°And don¡¯t let anyone know of this.. hurry go!¡±

    The red haired queen then walked hurriedly back towards the entrance and met her husband just as he was about to walk out.

    ¡°There you are,¡± Gareth said and pulled his wife close. ¡°I have been looking for you. I have some news that you may find interesting.¡±

    Melissa pursed her lips thoughtfully, ¡°are you taking me on our second honeymoon?¡±

    ¡°Umm, that will happen in due time,¡± Gareth responded with a nervous chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s about Eira, she has brought a guest to dinner.¡±

    ¡°A guest?¡± Melissa felt a little uneasy, was the guest Elric? Had he made it to the pce after all. ¡°Who is it.¡±

    ¡°One of her suitors,¡± Gareth responded. ¡°A young lord named Maxim. They seem to get along very well, and he seems like a nice young man. Maybe there is chance she may get over her little silver haired obsession after all.¡±

    ¡°A suitor?¡± Melissa felt relieved. She was worried that Eira would never take interest in any of the men she met, and ultimately would have to marry someone she did not even like. If this Maxim was someone she was getting along with, Melissa would do her best to help the rtionship progress into something more. And before long, Eira would forget all about Elric and that ridiculous blood half nonsense.

    ¡°Well then what are we waiting for?¡± The queen spoke excitedly. ¡°Let¡¯s wee our guest properly!¡± She grabbed her husband¡¯s hand and pulled him back into the pce. This Maxim, could be the possible answer to all of their problems.

    *

    At the entrance of the dining hall, Damien and Zhelimir stood and observed the guest Eira had brought for dinner. He and Eira were talking andughing merrily, something that neither of the two men had seen happen in a long time.

    ¡°They have known each other for a few hours and all of a sudden they are talking like they have known each other for years.¡±

    ¡°Give the man the benefit of the doubt,¡± Zhelimir spoke to his cousin. ¡°Maybe they just have a lot inmon. Besides, if he tries anything we will be there to stop him.¡± Zhelimir began walking to the table before turning to Damien who was still giving Maxim a suspicious re. ¡°Come on Damien, no need to rm the young man.¡±

    Damien nodded and walked towards the table as well. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something not right about this Maxim fellow, and he was going to find out what.

 Chapter 292

    292 Chapter 292 : In disguise

    When dinner was over, almost everyone who had been present at the dinner table followed as Eira walked Maxim out to his carraige. It was so obvious that they were being nosy and hoping that him and Eira would be something more than just mere friends.

    ¡°Thank you for having me,¡± Maxim spoke to Eira politely. ¡°Dinner was absolutely delicious.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wel-¡±

    ¡°You are wee toe join us again tomorrow if you like,¡± Melissa interrupted. ¡°Even the next day as well, it has been a while since we have had a well mannered young man around the pce, it¡¯s so refreshing.¡±

    Zhelimir and Damien red at their aunt. What did she mean it had been a while since there was a well mannered young man at the pce? Zhelimir was there every other day, and Damien practically lived there! They were well mannered, were they not?

    ¡°Err thank you for the invite your majesty,¡± Maxim responded nervously. ¡°I am humbled. But I¡¯m afraid I can onlye here if Eira wishes so.¡± He turned to the princess who smiled sheepishly back at him.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Eira mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m sure I will be seeing you again, there is still much you have to show me.¡±

    ¡°Well if everyone is throwing invitations up in the air,¡± Damien spoke. ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t be a problem if lord Maxim joined Zhelimir and I for a drink one of these fine days, would it?¡±

    Maxim nodded. ¡°I would be honored. You are the crowned prince of Ervelon, and he one of the most prestigious knights in all of Gavaria. One would have to be mad to turn down such an offer.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Alright,¡± Eira spoke firmly. ¡°I think Maxim would like to go home now, it¡¯s getting ratherte. Isn¡¯t that right Maxim?¡±

    ¡°Um yes, I should be going now..¡± the elven man took Eira¡¯s hand and kissed it before bowing to the rest of her family.

    They all stood and watched as the handsome elf hopped into the carraige and pulled away towards the pce gates.

    Eira turned to her family and sighed heavily when she saw the expectatant looks on everyone¡¯s faces except for Zhelimir, Damien and her uncle William who seemed more skeptical than expectant.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking and the answer is no,¡± Eira dered. ¡°Maxim and I are only friends and that is it.¡± She walked passed them towards the hallway that led to her bedroom, followed by her mother who walked hurriedly to catch up to her daughter.

    ¡°Eira.. just a second honey...¡±

    The princess stopped in her tracks and sighed. Of course her mother would be the most interested in a man she had brought to dinner. Anyone but Elric huh? She turned around and curtsied before listening to what her mother had to say.

    ¡°You did not inform me that there was a suitor who had caught your fancy,¡± Melissamented with a smile. ¡°And he is quite handsome too, you¡¯ve got a good eye.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you mother,¡± Eira responded. ¡°But I do not wish to be anything more than a friend to Maxim. There is nothing else there if that is what you were hoping.¡±

    ¡°Friend? Eira these men did not attest to be your worthy suitors so they could be your ¡®friends¡¯. If you wanted to make friends you could have gone into the capital.¡±

    ¡°Well Maxim doesn¡¯t seem to have a problem with that,¡± Eira responded.

    ¡°He is only trying to be nice. As the princess he wouldn¡¯t dare speak against your wishes.¡± Melissa walked closer to her daughter, gently held her shoulders and smiled at her. ¡°I saw how he looks at you, trust me when I tell you that lord Maxim is smitten by you. And if you just stop being childish and give him a chance, you will see that you might reciprocate his feelings as well.¡±

    Eira pulled herself away from her mother¡¯s grip and took a step backwards. ¡°Will you please stop mother,¡± she spoke firmly. ¡°I have no such feelings for Maxim and I will not have them at any point. But you know that don¡¯t you.. you¡¯ve always known that I will not want any man whoes my way.¡±

    Melissa shook her head and smiled at her daughter. ¡°What are you talking about Eira?¡±

    ¡°You knew about Elric didn¡¯t you? You knew he was my bloodhalf even before I did,¡± Eira replied. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, this is why you convinced father to make this ridiculous royal decree, because you hated the fact that Elric and I were bound to be together.¡±

    The smile on Melissa¡¯s face faded and was reced by a slight scowl. ¡°You are right, I indeed did know about the bond between Elric and yourself before hand, and yes, I did push your father to make the decree.¡± Melissa took a step forward and gave her daughter a serious look. Her eyes did not exhibit any malice, they were filled with worry and love, indicating that Melissa indeed felt like that she was doing was what was best for her daughter.

    ¡°Elric has been involved with our family far enough,¡± Melissa continued. ¡°Think of the implications of the two of you being together Eira, what would people say?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what people say!¡±

    ¡°Well you should!¡± Melissa spat back, shocking Eira. The princess had never heard her mother sound so seriously angry. ¡°You are a princess, and you want to be queen one day, what people say should carry some importance, because these are your people Eira, you will serve them one day and what they think of you will affect your influence.¡±

    The woman¡¯s features softened a little, and the scowl on her face was once again reced by her warm sweet smile. ¡°I¡¯m only trying to protect you Eira, there is more to life than being in love, especially for someone of your stature. Do you understand?¡±

    Eira thought hard on what her mother had said, and with a determined look, shook her head and took another step back. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk when you¡¯re married to the man you love. I¡¯m sorry, but I will not concede.¡±

    Melissa sighed and folded her arms. ¡°Very well, if that¡¯s how it is..¡± the queen turned around and began walking away, leaving Eira feeling a little confused and uneasy.

    Before Melissa disappeared around a turn she turned her head. ¡°You are expected toe up with the names of the top suitors tomorrow and present it to the royal council. From that list your husband shall be chosen, I hope you did not forget.¡±

    ¡°I did not,¡± Eira responded with an equal amount of spite.

    ¡°And I should make mention,¡± Melissa added on. ¡°Only those who showed up for this little activity can qualify to be on that final list. So Elric does not qualify.¡±

    *

    Elric and his men, now disguised in Gavarian armor walked through the town of Crasmere towards the capital. Their journey had been slowed down a little because they could not move as fast as they wished they could, it would only draw unnecessary attention to themselves.

    Since they were disguised as the very gaurds who had been depatched to look for Elric, they had to pretend to be on patrol as they moved towards the capital. The whole thing was making Elric uneasy, with every passing hour he felt like they were wasting precious time, but there was very little that he could do to speed things up. It¡¯s was either this, or getting caught and missing the chance to get to Eira.

    ¡°Hey! You there soldier! Hold it!¡±

    Damn it, Elric thought to himself. So far they had moved inconspicuously without being stopped by anyone, but now it seemed they had to see if their acting skills were as good as they hoped they were.

    Two men dressed in Gavarian uniforms walked towards Elric and his men. Their slightly different armor and medals were evidence that they were soldiers of a high rank, probably sent to lead the other soldiers during their search.

    ¡°Where are the three of you off to?¡± The tallest of the two men spoke. ¡°Didn¡¯t you receive the orders? All soldiers are to search for the lycan prince in their designated shires.¡± The man inched closer to Elric and tired to peak into his his helmet. ¡°And which shire have the three of you been deployed to huh?¡±

    Elric¡¯s men began to panic a little, they knew they would be caught, they knew nothing about the shires of Gavaria nor how different soldiers were allocated to them, this was the end of the line for sure.

    ¡°Well soldier speak up! We don¡¯t have all day to be standing around interrogating you,¡± the man added on. ¡°Unless you prefer we take you in and interrogate you at the base?¡±

    Elric did not respond, making his men panic even more.

    ¡°As a matter of fact, take off that helmet so I can get a better look at you soldier, you seem a little too cocky for someone of your rank.¡±

 Chapter 293

    293 Chapter 293 : The list

    As the soldier extended his hand, reaching for Elric¡¯s helmet, the lycan sprung his razor sharp ws behind his back. The moment he had heard the man call out to them, Elric had already decided that peace was not an option, he would kill these men, get himself caught, so they could take him straight to Eira. This n of moving in disguise was frustrating him, he didn¡¯t have the time to y soldier anymore.

    Just a few inches more.. the soldier would make contact with Elric and he would lodge his ws into the man¡¯s stomach and then quickly slice the throat of the other.

    The lycan did not want to kill any Gavarian man, he did not want to stir up any animosity between him and the Gavarian people, especially because he was pursuing their princess. But Elric was not known to be a patient man, and his patience had run out.

    Elric removed his hand from behind his back, but just before he could stab the man, hisrade grabbed Elric¡¯s arm and pushed the other man away.

    ¡°Wait! I recognize you..¡± the second soldier spoke to Elric. He then turned to his friend and gave him a reassuring nod. ¡°It¡¯s alright soldier, he is one of the men in Sir Alexander and I¡¯s battalion. You may go back to base, I¡¯ll deal with these insubordinate men myself.¡±

    The taller man gave the other a salute and turned to leave, the whole time stunning Elric and leaving him wondering what was going on. Who was this man? He had clearly seen his ws and had seen what he was about to do. So why did he cover for him and his men?

    The man took a step back and reached for his own helmet. As he pulled it off his head, Elric¡¯s eyes remained fixated on him and his ws remained barred, just in case his act of help was for his own malicious agenda.

    When the man¡¯s head gear was fully off, and the cold snowy breeze whipped his hair from his face, the silver haired lycan was stunned to see who had saved them.

    ¡°I am Sir Jonathan Morrell,¡± he spoke authoritatively. ¡°Second in charge in the Gavarian army and captain of the queen¡¯s royal gaurd.¡± A smug smile suddenly tugged one corner of the man¡¯s lips giving him a rather sly look. ¡°You of course, Elric of the snonds, know me as Melissa¡¯s older brother.¡±

    .....

    Elric¡¯s eyes widened in shock. This was one of the Morrell twins, Jonathan and Alexander. He was part of the people who fought against him when he was pursuing Melissa all those years ago, why was he saving him now? Was it for revenge?

    ¡°If you want to make it to your destination, I suggest you put those away.¡±

    Elric looked down at his ws and slowly retracted them. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡±

    ¡°You want to ask questions Elric, or you want to save my niece?¡±

    With every word that left Jonathan¡¯s lips, Elric got even more confused. So this man knew that he was going to the capital because of Eira and he still had not plunged his sword through Elric¡¯s torso. How strange.

    ¡°Follow me, you¡¯ll draw suspicion standing out in the cold, in a shire you clearly do not belong,¡± Jonathan mumbled as he put his helmet back on and began to walk the other way.

    Elric watched the man walk ahead and then hesitantly gave his men an approving nod. They began to follow Jonathan through the thick snow towards a tall grey building. Logically, what Elric would have done was to thank Jonathan for the help and run, but he was curious to know why the man was being so helpful. He thought that all the Morrell brothers despised him.

    *

    When the birds of the next morning chirped and the sun rays lightly illuminated the pce, Maria walked down the hallways towards Eira¡¯s sleeping chambers to help her prepare for the day. During the winter, the princess was like bear cub, hibernating and never wanting to leave her bed. Had it not been for Eira meeting her suitors, Maria was sure she would sleep in every single day.

    The nosferatu woman knocked gently on Eira¡¯s closed door before opening it, ¡°Eira good morning-¡±

    Maria was utterly surprised when she found that Eira was already awake and dressed up, she had even tied up her hair herself and put away her night gown and coat.

    ¡°Oh good morning Maria,¡± the princess spoke with a smile. ¡°I hope you had a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Maria responded with a wary smile. ¡°How did you sleep? Did you get any sleep at all? You¡¯re never up this early.¡±

    ¡°I slept just fine.¡± Eira walked passed Maria into the hallway. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, I took the liberty of dressing myself for today, I didn¡¯t want to bete for my meeting with the king and his council.¡±

    Maria was still a little shocked at all that was happening. Wasn¡¯t today the day princess Eira was toe up with the list of qualifying suitors from which she was to choose a husband? She had expected her to be a bit more downcast than this, especially considering that Elric would not be on the list. But here the princess was looking almost happy and suspiciously calm, was Eira up to something?

    ¡°I should get going now,¡± the redhead spoke before curtsying. ¡°Have a good day!¡±

    Maria watched as the princess practically ran down the hall towards the library. ¡°Oh okay, have a good day as well Eira.¡±

    *

    Inside the library, Zhelimir and Damien were already there, bickering about who they felt would make it on Eira¡¯s list and who would not make the cut.

    ¡°I bet the list will not even make it to ten,¡± Damien spoke. ¡°She barely liked anyone she met, I bet you the list will have two people, Isabe and that Maxim man.¡±

    ¡°I thought you had a bad feeling about Maxim,¡± Zhelimir pointed it out. ¡°Now you want him on the list?¡±

    ¡°Why do you have a bad feeling about Maxim?¡±

    The two men turned to look at Eira who had walked into the library and gave each other nervous nces.

    ¡°Gossip should be left for the women,¡± Eira teased. ¡°It is beneath you.¡±

    The red haired princess sat down on a chair in front of arge table with a in parchment and a quip next to it. when she was seated, one of the royal guards sat down next to her and rolled out the list of suitors who she had met over the past few weeks.

    ¡°I am assuming you do not remember the names of all the suitors you met your grace, so I am here to help you,¡± the guard spoke. ¡°I will also tell you the specific activities that you did with each of them to help jog your memory.¡±

    Eira dipped the quill in ink and began write down the names of the top ten qualifiers, calling them out by name without waiting for the royal guard to go through his list.

    Everyone in the room was stunned at how urate Eira was at remembering the names of each of the suitors she was penning down, including their titles as well.

    When she she reached thest three slots, she paused and looked up at her cousins who were intensely reading the names she had written down.

    ¡°Are you not going to add Jacob on the list?¡± Zhelimir asked in a slightly nervous tone. He had promised Janis that he would help her brother. Even though Zhelimir was sure Jacob would in no way end up with Eira, he at least hopped he would make the final cut, so that if nothing came of it, it would not be Zhelimir¡¯s fault and Janis would not think he did nothing to help.

    ¡°Jacob? You mean that psychotic man who almost went on a rampage while Eira was nearby?¡± Damien asked in disdain. ¡°Why on earth would Eira want to add him on the list? In fact, he should stay as far away from her as possible.¡±

    Eira knew why Zhel wanted her to add Jacob on the list, he was merely trying to be in Janis¡¯ good graces and it would be unfair to not help him out. He was like a brother to her after all.

    She wrote down Jacob¡¯s name on one slot, and then proceeded to jotting down Maxim¡¯s name as well. To be honest, it would be rather odd to leave Maxim out, even though she wanted to be mere friends, he was the only one who had actually shown her a good time. Secretly, Eira thought that maybe if Elric did not show up, Maxim may make a good husband, just to keep her parents quiet.

    On thest slot, Eira felt her heart race as she ced the tip of the quill on the parchment, the name she would write down here, she was putting down because Isabe had given her a little bit of hope that Elric would not just give up on her, and she prayed with all her heart that he did not, because of he did, she would spend the rest of her life fairly unhappy.

 Chapter 294

    294 Chapter 294 : Call a truce?

    The next morning, Elric, with his disguise still on, left the room in which he and his men and spent the night and made his way to the small meeting room where Alexander and Jonathan were waiting for him.

    When the lycan walked into the room, the two men looked up at him and both gave him a smile that made him a little uneasy.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Jonathan Morrell spoke with a taunting smile curving his lips. ¡°You¡¯re up early.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you close the door, pull that helmet of yours off and join us for breakfast?¡± Alexander added on.

    Elric stood unmoving for a while before closing the door and pulling his helmet off. He then walked to the table where the two men were sitting and pulled out a chair.

    ¡°Care to exin to me what is going on?¡± Elric questioned the two men who, regardless of the situation, seemed very unbothered. ¡°Why did you cover for me and my men yesterday? And why does it almost feel like you are helping me?¡±

    ¡°I see time away has made you incredibly skeptical,¡± Jonathan responded before pouring some wine in a cup and offering it to the silver haired man. He smiled when he saw the look of doubt on the man¡¯s face, which was expected of course. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not poisoned if that is what you are thinking.¡±

    Jonathan poured more wine into his own ss as well and took arge sip. ¡°There, if it¡¯s poisoned then we¡¯re both going to perish.¡±

    Elric hesitantly took the cup and sipped the wine. After his third sip, he felt a little more rxed and leaned back on his chair.

    .....

    ¡°You still have not answered my question,¡± Elric pointed out. ¡°Why did you cover for me yesterday? Thest time I checked, all of you Morrells would be happier if were dead.¡±

    ¡°Gods Elric, isn¡¯t that rather gorish,¡± Jonathan replied. ¡°You may have crossed our family once but that was a very long time ago. Can¡¯t we let bygones be bygones?¡±

    ¡°And besides,¡± Alexander added on, ¡°we may need your help.¡±

    The lycan stopped his cup in midair and threw his gaze at the twins. ¡°My help? And how exactly would I be of any help to the two of you?¡±

    ¡°Remember how I said we should let bygones be bygones?¡± Jonathan responded.

    ¡°Well we¡¯re afraid our sister may not believe in that theory,¡± Alexander added on.

    ¡°She curries a grudge against you, even though she would not admit it,¡± Jonathan exined. ¡°And that grudge is going to affect the family if she does not let it go.¡±

    ¡°You see Elric,¡± Alexander continued. ¡°Word around here travels fast, so we know what your connection is to our niece Eira.¡±

    Elric put his cup down and looked away. It was always so awkward when people brought this topic up, especially people who had been directly affected by his obsession with Melissa in the past. It was a little shameful to say the least.

    ¡°Do we like it? Of course not,¡± Jonathan pointed out. ¡°But does our opinion matter if Eira¡¯s happiness is on the line? No it does not.¡±

    Alexander pushed the te of cheese and meat towards the lycan and gave him a reassuring smile. ¡°If we are to be honest Elric, we too were appalled by the news that the gods had chosen you as Eira¡¯s bloodhalf. And we too were not in support of it in the slightest.¡±

    ¡°But you should have seen her face when the royal decree for her to be married was passed,¡± Alexander spoke in a solemn tone. ¡°You could literally see the sorrow in her eyes, and it only got worse with every suitor she yforced to meet.¡±

    ¡°When we realized it was Melissa who was pushing for all of that to happen just so she could keep the two of you apart, we didn¡¯t know how to feel about it.¡± Jonathan looked up at the lycan with sad eyes. ¡°Is our rivalry really worth it if it puts one of ours in a state of misery?¡±

    ¡°It is not,¡± Alexander responded. ¡°Eira is like a daughter to us, and our love for her outranks our dislike of you.¡±

    ¡°So if you are really what will put a smile back on her pretty little face,¡± Jonathan added on. ¡°Then we have no choice but to assist you in saving her from a life of resentment and misery.¡±

    ¡°So what do you say Elric?¡± The twins spoke in unison while both reaching for Elric¡¯s hand. ¡°Shall we call a truce?¡±

    *

    Maxim looked up from the book that he was reading when he heard a knock at his door. That must have been lord Adalberting to tell him the final list of suitors had been announced, today was the day after all.

    The elf put his book down on the small table beside him and told whoever was knocking toe in. The door opened and in came one of the castle¡¯s butlers who bowed before Maxim politely.

    He had notpletely gotten ustomed to being treated like nobility, it was something that still felt incredibly foreign to him. After all, his parents were meremoners, and his sister was nothing but a maid in the Ervelon pce. Being treated like a lord was something that a lowly elf like him never even imagined possible.

    ¡°Good morning Gregory,¡± Maxim spoke kindly. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡±

    ¡°My lord, lord Adalbert requests your audience in the dining area,¡± the butler responded. ¡°It appears there is good news from the pce.¡±

    Maxim smiled and then waved the man away, ¡°thank you, tell him I will be down in a few minutes.¡±

    The butler bowed respectfully and left the room, closing the door behind him.

    After making sure the butler was far from his doors, Maxim walked to it and locked it. He then walked back to his bed where he lifted his mattress and pulled out a small mirror that Ronda had given to him before he left Ervelon.

    The elven woman had told him that this particr mirror was special and infused with elven teleportation magic, but instead of teleporting an entire body, it teleported the face and voice of the wielder. It was a concept that Ronda had taken from the former queen Tauriel¡¯s own magical mirror and perfected it.

    Maxim walked back to his chair and looked into it, not long after, Ronda¡¯s face came into view, and as soon as she saw Maxim¡¯s, a delighted sinister little smile curved her lips.

    ¡°Well well, hello there handsome,¡± Ronda spoke in glee. ¡°I was beginning to think you had turned your back on me.¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°My sister and I owe you so much, I would never think of betraying youdy Ronda.¡±

    ¡°Very good,¡± Rondamented. ¡°Now tell me, do you have good news?¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact I do, I have qualified for the top ten positions of suitors,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°It seems I have managed to earn the princess¡¯ trust to some extent.¡±

    Ronda chuckled at the handsome man¡¯s words. ¡°Of course you earned her trust, she¡¯s just as vain and as shallow as her mother. All it took was a handsome face and it was downhill from there.¡±

    ¡°I suppose so...¡± Maxim responded in a tone that wiped the smile off Ronda¡¯s face.

    ¡°Oooh, what do we have here?¡± Ronda questioned the elven men. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re catching feelings for the little princess. I did tell you not to fall for those nderous looks of hers, she¡¯s nothing but a little witch.¡±

    Maxim stayed quiet. Had he fallen for Eira? No, he had not fallen for her, well at least not yet. What was troubling him was that despite all that Ronda had said, Maxim had failed to find any reason as to why someone would hate Eira or her family so much. They had been nothing but nice not only to him, but everyone they had interacted with. The elf was starting to think thatdy Ronda was just a bad person.

    ¡°I have not fallen for Eira,¡± Maxim responded, ¡°I can assure you that. I willplete the mission, please do not lose your trust in me.¡±

    ¡°You better not give me a reason to doubt you Maxim, keep your head straight and do your job!¡±

    Ronda¡¯s image vanished, reverting the mirror back to an ordinary mirror.

    Maxim stood up and slipped the mirror back under his mattress before cupping his forehead in frustration. This was slowly bing more and moreplicated, Maxim understood that he owed Ronda so much, but did that warrant him hurting someone as innocent as Eira. It really didn¡¯t seem fair, but what could he do? Ronda was a dangerous person, if he crossed her, she might harm his sister, because in a way, Ronda was keeping his sister hostage.

    ¡°What the hell am I going to do?¡± Maxim sighed.

 Chapter 295

    295 Chapter 295 : He is on the list

    A smile tugged the corners of Eira¡¯s lips when she heard the sounds of her mother¡¯s footsteps getting louder and louder as Melissa marched towards her daughter¡¯s room. From how heavy they sounded, Eira could tell that the queen had seen the final list of suitors and was not happy with it, but of course this was to be expected.

    The door swung open and an irrited Melissa marched to where Eira was sitting, in front of her dressing mirror where she was adjusting her armor in readiness to go train with her uncle and her cousins.

    ¡°Eira Burchard what is the meaning of this?!¡±

    The red haired princess turned to face her mother, a rather smug smile still curving her face. She looked at the rolled up paper her mother was waving at her and scoffed.

    ¡°Well it looks like a sheet of parchment,¡± Eira responded, making her mother even more furious. ¡°But I assume you are referring to what is on that sheet of parchment, in which case you¡¯ll have to be a little more specific.¡±

    Melissa rolled out the parchment and red angrily at her daughter. ¡°Don¡¯t try to be smart with me Eira, you know exactly what I am talking about! Why in the gods good names is Isabe¡¯s name doing on the list of suitors?! What kind of games are the two of you ying?!¡±

    Eira grabbed her dagger and secured it on the belt of her armor before standing up straight, her eyes fixated on her angry mother.

    ¡°You know what your problem is mother?¡± Eira spoke in a calm tone, ¡°you are turning into what grandma Tauriel was all those years back.¡±

    Melissa felt a sharp pain in her chest after hearing her daughter¡¯s words. ¡°How dare you speak with such insolence? Eira I am your mother!¡±

    .....

    ¡°And just because you are my mother does not mean you own me,¡± the princess responded, ¡°I am my one person. You have a problem with letting things run the way in which they are meant to if they do not align with your ns. And you know why, because you are too stubborn to let go of the hurt caused to you in the past.¡±

    Eira walked towards her mother and ced a gentle hand in her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve done what you wanted, I am soon to be married just like you wanted, it may not be exactly how you wanted it, but it is going to happen, is that not enough?¡±

    The princess pulled her hand away and walked passed the queen who was still incredibly furious. ¡°Heal mother, you¡¯ll find peace if you let go of the past. And maybe then, small things like Isabe¡¯s name being on my list of worthy suitors will not affect you so.¡±

    With those words, Eira walked out of the room, leaving her mother unable to determine what emotions she was feeling. Is this how it was like for Estel when she fell in love with Aiden? Was she really turning into Tauriel? Or was her daughter merely being stubborn.

    Eira walked down the hallway feeling better than she had felt all month, she decided she was finally going to start speaking her mind and taking control of her own destiny. No one was going to take control of her fate, not her mother nor her father.

    She snapped her fingers and a guard ran to her with a helmet in hand.

    ¡°Lord Gareth, prince Damien and Sir Zhelimir are waiting for you in the royal training grounds your grace,¡± the guard told the princess as he handed her her headgear.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Eira responded. ¡°And have you called for lord Maxim? He is to help train me as well, ensure he understands why I am inviting him here.¡±

    The guard quickly bowed, ¡°of course your grace, he will be here momentarily.¡±

    *

    Bertram watched Maxim as he walked into the parlor dressed in armor and smiled at him.

    ¡°This is good news,¡± the elderly elven man spoke. ¡°The princess asked for you personally to join her at the royal pce, it means she has taken quite the liking to you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get my hopes too high,¡± Maxim chuckled sheepishly, ¡°I mean, I am told it is only to help her master her elven abilities.¡±

    ¡°Regardless, she asked for you and no other elf, forgetting all of the elven generals she probably knows.¡± Bertram walked to Maxim and gave him a pat on the shoulder. ¡°As long as you are getting closer to her, it is a win. She¡¯s learning to trust you and enjoys yourpany, before you know it she will reciprocate the feelings you have for her.¡±

    The handsome elf smiled sheepishly and nervously scratched the back of his head. ¡°Yes.. umm feelings.¡±

    Gods, it was like the further he went down this path, the more the guilt he felt was building up. Maxim was starting to doubt if he was going to be able toplete his mission, because if he was being honest, the royal family did not deserve the hate that Ronda was throwing at them, they were generally good people. But at the same time, Ronda was a scary woman, crossing her may prove to be very dangerous.

    ¡°Well go on now,¡± Bertram spoke excitedly as he pushed Maxim towards the door. ¡°The royal carraige is already outside, you wouldn¡¯t want to keep your possible future bride waiting now do you?¡±

    *

    At Ivan¡¯s manor, the dark haired elf sat in the study with his wife Elena, his daughter Janis, and his son Jacob as they waited for their butler to return with the poster that contained the final list of suitors, from the town.

    Jacob was the one who was the most uneasy, because in all honesty, he knew how broken he would be if his name was not on that list. But that was impossible, he and Eira had a special bond, they had shared a moment at her birthday ball so there was no way she could have left him out. If there was anyone qualified enough to be her husband, it was him.

    Ivan, Elena, and Janis on the other hand worried because they did know how Jacob would react if he wasn¡¯t on the list. Because considering how self destructive he had been behaving thest few days he had been banned from the pce, they knew that all he needed was a little shove and he would lose his mindpletely.

    When therge double doors of the study swung open and the guard who had gone to fetch the poster entered and took a knee, no one had to be told to stand. Their anxiety alone was enough of a push to get them on their feet.

    ¡°I have the list my lord,¡± the guard spoke.

    And without waiting to hear another word, Ivan walked over and took the parchment from the guard¡¯s hands. He preferred he be the first to see wether his son¡¯s name was there or not, so he could better diffuse the situation.

    Unrolling the parchment was one of the hardest tasks Ivan had ever done in a while, and reading through the list of names proved even harder. But finally, after seconds of enduring the thudding of his heart against his chest, he saw it, Jacobs¡¯s name on the thirdst slot.

    ¡°He¡¯s on the list,¡± Ivan spoke with a shaky sigh of relief.

    ¡°What?¡± Elena responded in shock. She walked up to her husband and took the parchment from him so she could see for herself. And indeed, Jacob¡¯s name was there, oh thank the gods, this could buy them more time to get their son the necessary help that he needed before it was toote. Because without question, Jacob would not be the man that Eira would choose for a husband. Even his name being on the list, Elena suspected it was all her daughter¡¯s doing.

    Janis had be awfully close to the young knight Zhelimir over thest few days, and she may have asked him to convince Eira to add Jacob to the list. Elena understood that her daughter was only being a caring sister, but she was worried that Janis might end up jeopardizing her rtionship with the young knight if she kept using him to keep Jacob happy.

    ¡°Why are you all surprised?¡± Jacob asked his family as he sat back down in his chair. ¡°You act as if there was ever any doubt of me making it onto the list. I told you that Eira and I are meant to be, you need not doubt our future together.¡±

    Ivan looked at his son, and once again sorrow and worry filled his eyes. Maybe he should not have passed thatment all those years ago when he called Eira ¡®Jacob¡¯s future wife¡¯. Maybe he would have saved his son from this self destructive obsessive abyss in which he was falling into. Ivan hoped it was not toote to save him, because nothing good was going toe out of this, that was for sure.

 Chapter 296

    296 Chapter 296 : Maxim witnesses the power of a hybrid

    The elven lord was directed to the royal training grounds when he arrived at the royal pce. He could hear the nging and clicking of swords getting louder and louder the closer they approached the grounds, and it got Maxim wondering.

    ¡°Is that the princess I hear?¡± He asked the guard who had been sent to fetch him.

    ¡°Yes it is,¡± the man responded proudly. He seemed to be very pleased with the fact that the princess was a skilled swordsman, which Maxim found rather odd considering how it was unheard of for women to wield weapons for anything other than self defense. ¡°She is one of the most skilled swordsmen in Gavaria,¡± the guard added on, a broad smile on his face. ¡°If women could be knighted, she would have probably been second in rank considering her abilities.¡±

    ¡°Second in the capital?¡± Maxim inquired further.

    The man walking ahead scoffed in amusement. ¡°No my lord, second in the kingdom. When ites to the sword, princess Eira is only second to her cousin, sir Zhelimir.¡±

    Maxim gasped inaudibly. Why would a woman need to be so skilled with a de? And a princess nontheless, she had armies of men willing toy down their lives for her, she needed not to be a warrior.

    When Eira came into view, Maxim was even more shocked at the site in front of him.

    The princess, fully dressed in Gavarian armor, was going toe to toe with Zhelimir and it looked like she was winning. On the side was Damien who was sshing some water on his face while a maiden bandaged him arm. Had he too been fighting Eira? And had he lost?

    Maxim¡¯s eyed trailed back to the beautiful princess and watched her move like lightening across the grounds, attacking and defending like it was her second nature. He could not believe that that woman in armor, was the same woman who had been terrified of flying the other day. Right now she seemed so... invincible.

    .....

    Zhelimir jumped back and gave Eira a taunting smile. ¡°You¡¯ve be rusty princess! Have all them men you¡¯ve been seeing over the month dulled your de?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk sir Zhelimir!¡± Eira chuckled, ¡°you were with me on half of those meetings, hope one didn¡¯t catch your eye and softened you up!¡±

    The smile on Zhelimir¡¯s face turned into a vicious smile. For a second, Maxim was sure he saw actual bloodlust in the man¡¯s eyes, what kind of training was this?!

    Zhelimir brought his sword to his center and held it with both his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll show you that soft is a far cry from what I am princess!¡± And with a loud roar, the blonde charged towards Eira, his feet not touching the ground in the slightest.

    Maxim turned to Eira and was shocked to see that her feet had left the ground as well, and she was holding her sword firmly with both hands. Had she perfected her flight abilities so soon?

    Looking at her afloat, Maxim couldn¡¯t help but blush. From where he was standing, she looked nothing like the gentle soft princess he had first met, now, she looked like a fierce warrior, and the sight was oh so alluring.

    Eira sped off towards her charging cousin, her de ahead of her and he voice like the nighty roaring of a lioness.

    Before Maxim could blink twice, their des shed, causing a deafening ringing sound that made everyone cover their ears in fear they might bleed.

    Amidst the confusion, Maxim managed to look up, and saw Eira¡¯s sword break into a dozen pieces at the impact. Gods, how strong was Zhelimir.

    In an instantc upon realizing Eira was now defenseless, Zhelimir pulled back his sword and swung it towards the redhead again.

    Maxim watched in horro as the de neared Eira¡¯s head at a deadly speed. Why wasn¡¯t anyone stopping this? Was this normal? Should he stop this?

    Without thinking, Maxim yelled. ¡°Eira! No!¡±

    But an inch before the de to cut her, Eira ducked andnded on the ground with her legs split apart. In another split second, before Zhelimir topose himself, she pushed herself up with her hands and round kicked Zhelimir right in his gut, causing him to let go of his sword and flying backwards into the tree that was situated behind him with a loud crash.

    Eira pushed herself up into the air, grabbed Zhelimir¡¯s sword andnded in front of him just as the tree fell backwards due to the immense impact. She hovered above him, and pointed the sword to him throat.

    ¡°It¡¯s over Zhel,¡± the princess spoke firmly, ¡°had this been a real battle, you would have been dead.¡±

    Maxim was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on when the guards around started apuding.

    What? Was this the training he had been told about? This looked nothing like training at all! The two looked like they were genuinely trying to kill each other.

    ¡°Impressed?¡± The guard who had been escorting Maxim asked him. ¡°What you just witnessed there, is the power of a hybrid. If the princess does follow through to be queen, she will be the most powerful ruler the kindom had ever had in terms of battle. Whoever ends up her husband, should be honored.¡±

    Maxim could not even find the strength to form words. Her power, her skill, her strength, it was amazing. All the warrior Maxim had ever witnessed fighting paled inparison to her, she was truly a force to be reckoned with. Maybe this is why Ronda wanted her gone, maybe the elven woman feared Eira¡¯s abilities.

    Eira pulled off her helmet, letting her long luxurious hair fall down her shoulders and back. She dropped the headgear to the ground and helped Zhelimir up before turning and waving and Maxim.

    The eleven man nervously waved back and gulped when she began to jog happily towards him.

    As he watched her run towards him, as he watched her red hair whip with the wind, as he watched her amethyst eyes glimmer in the light, Maxim now knew.. he knew, that he was falling for Eira Burchard.

    Eira stopped in front of the elf and gave him a weing smile. ¡°Maxim! I¡¯m so d you could make it, sorry to call for you at such short notice.¡±

    The princess reached for the elven man¡¯s hand and pulled him to where Zhelimir and Damien were. As they walked, Maxim looked down at where his hand interlocked with hers and immediately his cheeks flushed a cherry red.

    Good gods Maxim, get a hold of yourself! He scolded himself.

    ¡°You see I don¡¯t have much time left,¡± Eira began to exin. ¡°I have a lot to learn from you about my elven abilities and the clock is ticking. Hence the rush request, I hope you don¡¯t mind?¡±

    When Eira looked back at him, the elf shook his head and averted her gaze. ¡°Of course not!¡± He blurted out in the most ridiculous tone. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Eira eximed.

    ¡°But if I¡¯m being honest princess- err Eira, after seeing you out there dueling with Sir Zhelimir, I don¡¯t think there is much I can teach you. If anything, you should be my teacher.¡±

    The two haulted where Zhelimir was getting some of his wounds treated, while Damien was polishing his de.

    ¡°Actually, after I told Damien and Zhelimir of your elven abilities,¡± Eira exined. ¡°They wanted to learn as well.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Maxim looked at the three nobles who were looking at him expectantly. What in the world could he teach superior beings like them?

    ¡°You will be paid handsomely of course,¡± Damien spoke as he sheathed his sword. ¡°Your services will not be free.¡±

    ¡°No! You don¡¯t have to pay me!¡± Maxim responded. ¡°It would be an honor to teach nobility such as yourselves everything I know, that is payment enough in itself!¡±

    ¡°I told you he would agree, Maxim we are very grateful.¡± Eira spoke happily. ¡°Well then, I suppose you can start with me, since these two are still recuperating from the royal ass kicking I bestowed upon them.¡±

    ¡°You got lucky,¡± Zhelimir responded with a chuckle. ¡°Next time I won¡¯t go so easy on you.¡±

    Eira grabbed Maxim¡¯s hand and began pulling him to the center of the grounds. ¡°Come along Maxim, let¡¯s get started.¡±

    Damien watched as Eira and the supposed elven lord Maxim walked away away and hummed.

    ¡°And what¡¯s your problem?¡± Zhelimir asked his cousin.

    ¡°The way that Maxim fellow behaved just now, it was odd.¡± Damien responded.

    Zhelimir nces at Maxim who had helping Eira pick out a bow and a quiver of arrows at a distance. ¡°Really? He seemed quite normal to me.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly it,¡± Damien responded. ¡°He acted normal, like a normal person, not like the son of a lord. He said it would be an honor to teach nobility what he knew, he spoke as if he is not a noble himself. Don¡¯t you find that a little puzzling?¡±

    Zhelimir sighed and leaned back on the soft grass, ¡°you¡¯re overthinking things Damien. But if you¡¯re that suspicious, let¡¯s invite him for a drink after training, there, you can interrogate him all you want.¡±

 Chapter 297

    297 Chapter 297 : Her own path

    Maxim floated down and sat on the grass where he could have a good view of Eira as she practiced her archery. He was d that there was actually something that he could teach her. Even though she was amazing at sword fighting, probably the best in the kingdom after putting Zhelimir in his ce, she was still a bit shaky in archery, especially the type that elves practiced.

    Watching her now, Maxim could feel that he was slowly falling in love with the princess. How could any sane man not? She was strong, determined, and absolutely beautiful.

    Eira steadied her aim at the apple hanging in a tree in the distance andunched her arrow towards it. The tip grazed the apple deeply, but it did not fall from the tree.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Eira cussed.

    The elf chuckled, it was actually rather cute when she cussed in frustration. Wait..! Maxim shook his head and brought himself back to his senses, what was he thinking?! He shouldn¡¯t allow himself to be attached to her, it would bring him nothing but problems.

    Eira floated down to where Maxim was sitting and folded her arms, she had a sulky expression on and Maxim found himself smiling yet again.

    ¡°Hey, you did graze it that time..¡± Maximforted the redhead who had now sat down next to him.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t supposed to graze it, I was suppose to knock it out of the tree!¡± She sat down, buried her face in her knees and sighed. ¡°I guess thest time with the rabbit was nothing but a fluke.¡±

    Maxim looked at the girl sitting next to him, and debated within himself whether he should reach out and touch her shoulder or not. Under normal circumstances, that was what he was expected to do in order tofort her, to touch her shoulder and rub it gently. But this was no longer a normal circumstance, Maxim had developed feelings for Eira, and making contact with her would only prove to deepen those feelings.

    .....

    ¡°Before we started the training,¡± Maxim mumbled in an attempt to get his mind off his racing heart. ¡°You mentioned that you wanted to learn some skills in archery that I could teach you, and you mentioned that you did not have enough time.¡± The dark-haired elf looked at Eira, and for a second their eyes met. Gosh, her eyes were so bloody enchanting.

    Maxim quickly averted her gaze, and cleared his throat. ¡°what did you mean by ¡®you do not have enough time¡¯? Is there something that you are rushing for?¡±

    ¡°I suppose now that we are friends, I can tell you what all this is about.¡± The redhead princess lifted her head up and leaned back on both her hands, her eyes looking up at the sky. ¡°You know I am to be married in eight days right?¡±

    The elf nodded in response.

    ¡°well, there is a list of ten suitors that still needs to be cut down to one.¡± Eira continued to exin. ¡°And to be honest, I am not willing to go through the hell that I went through meeting each and everyone of those men likest time, and enduring their extremely boring ideas for dates. So I came up with a way in which I¡¯ll be able to select the perfect suitor.¡±

    ¡°And what way is that?¡± Maxim asked curiously.

    Eira turned to look at him, a small smile curving her lips. ¡°The man who is to be my husband, has to be able to defeat me in battle.¡±

    Maxim¡¯s eyes widen at the princess¡¯ words. He fell quiet for a moment, hoping that Eira would burst outughing and tell him that she was only joking, but she never did. Was she serious?! She was willing to go toe to toe with ten men who were probably skilled in battle?

    ¡°But that¡¯s absurd Eira,¡± Maxim responded. The worry and concern in his eyes was evident, and it honestly shocked him a little. He had known this woman for a total of four days, and yet he was already worrying for her safety. ¡°Eira you can¡¯t possibly think you can battle ten men and win! You will be exhausted by the time you fight the second man, how will you go against all ten of them?!¡±

    ¡°I am not as weak as I look, before you joined us for the training Maxim,¡± the princess exined. ¡°I had already dueled with all the guards you see standing here, including Damien and Zhelimir.¡±

    The green eyed elven man looked around at the guards who were upying the training grounds, he managed to count about thirty. Had Eira really fought each and every one of these men and won? How strong was this woman?!

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering why I want to fight these men, I¡¯m sure you have questions as to why I cannot find any other means to pick a husband.¡±

    ¡°I would have to be a little daft not to be curious,¡± Maxim admitted.

    ¡°You see Maxim, all this talk of me finding a husband was never my wish,¡± the redhead exined. ¡°It was my parents who passed the decree, without consulting me at all. You see, my dreams are to rule, I want to be queen of Gavaria, not be someone¡¯s little trophy wife.¡±

    Eira got to her feet and picked up her bow and arrow. ¡°So fighting them, and beating them will be my way of sending a message. Not just to my parents, but to everyone in the kingdom as well. Eira Burchard is a woman who walks her own path, she does not need a man to lead the way.¡±

    The princess floated back up and continued practicing her archery, leaving Maxim utterly dumbfounded, intrigued, and a little aroused. This woman, she was something else indeed.

    A few momentster, Damien and Zhelimir came to sit next to Maxim, one on each side, sandwiching him as if he would run away.

    ¡°Lord Maxim, how is it going with the princess?¡± Zhelimir asked with a pep in his tone. ¡°Do you think she will master archery in eight days?¡±

    ¡°Eira is very talented and highly determined..¡± Maxim¡¯s eyes followed the arrow the princess hadunched towards the apple, only missing it by a few inches yet again. ¡°If she keeps practicing, she could be better than me in three days.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Damien added on. Hearing Damien¡¯s deep voice always made Maxim a little uneasy, he always seemed so serious, and Maxim could tell that the hybrid prince did not care for, nor trust him much. ¡°Where did you learn to use a bow and an arrow like that? Aren¡¯t you the son of a lord who resides here in Gavaria?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°Bertram Adalbert is my father, and I never knew my mother, she died during my birth.¡±

    ¡°And yet you fire an arrow like an Ervelon warrior,¡± Damien added on, not in the least bit falling for his sob story of his mother¡¯s death, that was obviously brought up to derail him from the main point.

    ¡°Well, I was rarely in Gavaria,¡± Maxim exined. ¡°Hence why I am a bit of a stranger to most people here. Some people actually find it shocking that my father has a son. I moved a lot, especially in Ervelon. Most of my archery I learnt there, I suppose that is why it is akin to that of the elves from there.¡±

    ¡°I see, and where exactly in Ervelon were you-¡±

    ¡°Ohe on now Damien,¡± Zhelimir interrupted his cousin. ¡°What is this? An interrogation? You¡¯re making Maxim ufortable.¡±

    ¡°Am merely trying to get to know him a little more that¡¯s all,¡± Damien replied tly. ¡°I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t mind. Do you Maxim?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Maxim responded with a warm smile. ¡°You can ask me anything, I¡¯ll be happy to share.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be modest Maxim, Damien is being a prick,¡± Zhelimir spoke. ¡°If you want to get to know a man, there is only one ce to do that.¡± The blonde stood up and gestures the others to do the same. ¡°Come onds, we are heading down to the bar. A few barrels of ale will have us bonding in no time.¡±

    Maxim already had his entire back story nned out for whenever someone asked about he was, and he had rehearsed it on several asions with lord Bertram and his servants so they would all be on the same page, so he was more than ready to answer prince Damien¡¯s questions.

    But now sir Zhelimir had brought up drinking, and he was talking about barrels rather than a few cups. Maxim worried that if he got too intoxicated, he might end up revealing his true identity to these two men and jeopardize everything.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Damien added on as he too stood up. ¡°We are done for today anyway, so why not loosen up a little.¡± He looked down at Maxim who had not stood up. ¡°Are youing Maxim?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Maxim responded before standing up. ¡°I would be honored.¡±

 Chapter 298

    298 Chapter 298 : I¡¯m on my way

    The most prominent bar in the capital, the golden goose, was one not just anyone was allowed to enter. It was restricted to only the most prominent nobles, sons and daughters of lords, members of the royal council, and every once in a while, their high society mistresses.

    When the three men arrived at the entry of the bar, the door was closed, and in all honesty the ce looked a little abandoned.

    ¡°Is this where we n on drinking?¡± Maxim asked the two men who were walking ahead of him. ¡°It looks a little too quiet to he a bar.¡±

    ¡°I know you have not been in Gavaria long,¡± Zhelimir responded when he stopped in front of the closed door. ¡°So you may not know of this ce. It¡¯s fairly new, owned by the king and my father.¡± The blonde knocked on the door, and immediately after, someone slid open the peep hole, revealing a pair of heavily hooded dark eyes.

    ¡°Jason, be ad and let me and my friends in for a few drinks now will you,¡± Zhelimir spoke to the peeping man.

    It was amazing how he was able to tell who the man was by his eyes alone, or was it because he frequented the ce often.

    The peep hole closed and the door swung open, revealing a huge man covered in tattoos, most likely the door bouncer of the esteemed bar.

    The huge man bowed and gave way to Zhelimir, ¡°good evening Sir Zhelimir, wee.¡±

    The blonde hybrid waved his hand to Damien and Maxim, gesturing them to follow him in. They walked into a small passage lit only by a few torches here and there, a few secondster, they reached yet another door, this one unlike the first, was arge oak double door with silver hinges, and the sound of music was sipping through the cracks of the door into the small passage.

    .....

    The door swung open, and another huge man with tattoos greeted Zhelimir and weed the group in. When they walked into the bar, Maxim was astounded by what he saw. The ce was massive, much bigger that it looked from the outside, it was exquisitely furnished with marble on the pirs and floors, and hand golden candbras hanging from the ceiling. Maxim had never seen such a ce that was not in a pce or grand castle.

    A beautiful woman with wavy brown locks and a warm smile. She curtsied to the men before speaking in a weing tone. ¡°Good evening sir Zhelimir, the usual table?¡±

    ¡°Yes please,¡± the blonde responded

    The followed the woman through the extravagant looking bar to a section that seemed to be reserved for only certain types of guests.

    ¡°Right this way Sir,¡± the woman spoke kindly. ¡°What would you like to drink.¡±

    ¡°Get us some ale,¡± Zhelimir responded, ¡°and keep the cupsing until I tell you to stop.¡±

    ¡°Of course Sir..¡±

    Maxim gulped, so Zhelimir and Damien had been serious about drink barrels of ale? Maxim had to gather every ounce of self control he had if he was going to leave this ce in one peace. He would not let the ale get to him and risk exposing himself.

    *

    Elric sat up in bed, unable to force himself to sleep. He had spent each and every night counting down the hours as they went by, the thought of the time going by was maddening.

    Alexander and Jonathan had insisted that they not be rush in heading to the capital, they assured Elric that they still had time, but the lycan did not understand how there was still time when only had eight days left before his mate was married off to another man

    And as if hisck of enough sleep wasn¡¯t bad enough, the few times he did manage to drift off into slumber, he would have the same dream, telling him Eira was in danger and that he needed to get to get as soon as he could.

    The lycan, having failed to fall asleep, slipped off his bed and walked to his windows. The snow was falling, and the cold breeze slipped passes the cracks and chilled his skin. The feeling, it was simr to the one he would get whenever he touched her.

    ¡°Your grace?¡±

    The silver haired lycan turned around and found Alexander smiling at him.

    ¡°Please do not call me that,¡± he sighed. The man had been purposely taking jabs at the lycan for the past few days. Elric didn¡¯t know if it was meant as a joke, or he too, like his sister Melissa, held a grudge against him.

    ¡°Ohe now, you know I¡¯m only teasing,¡± Alexander chuckled. ¡°And sorry I didn¡¯t knock, you left your door open so I just walked right in.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Elric mumbled and turned back to the window. ¡°It¡¯s not like I was getting any sleep done anyway.¡±

    ¡°Up all night thinking about her I see?¡± Alexander walked to a single chair that was ced in a corner and sat down.

    ¡°More like worrying about her,¡± Elric responded, his eyes fixated on the kes of snow falling onto his window seal. ¡°I can only imagine what she must be going through. With her strong willed and free spirited nature, having to be forced into a union with some random block you barely know must be torture.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯d rather she marry you then?¡±

    Elric turned to look at Melissa¡¯s brother. ¡°I¡¯d rather she not marry anyone at all until she feels ready.¡± He responded firmly. ¡°I¡¯m not journeying to the capital to ask for her hand, I¡¯m going there to protect her happiness.¡±

    A sly smile tugged the corners of Alex¡¯s mouth. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it when Jonathan first said it, but it seems it¡¯s true, you genuinely care about her don¡¯t you. Don¡¯t get me wrong, but the Elric I knew would want to ughter every other man there and im Eira for his own.¡±

    ¡°I have no rights to the princess,¡± Elric responded in a low tone of voice, ¡°regardless of our rtionship. In fact, most of the time I feel I may not even deserve her.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t,¡± Alexander responded, making Elric frown.

    Was it necessary to point out the obvious?

    ¡°Eira is pure and innocent,¡± Alexander added on, ¡°while you on the other hand have a magnitude of scandalous deeds behind you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware, you need not remind me..,¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re a different man now aren¡¯t you?¡± Alexander stood up and took a few steps towards the silver haired prince. ¡°Whatever happened to you after the battle of the mages, it molded you into a better man. And being a bit of an optimist myself, I¡¯d even go as far as saying the word was preparing you for her. Breaking down that old less to be desired man you once were, and building you into the worthy man you are now.¡±

    Elric scoffed and looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t know wether to be insulted or honored by your words.¡±

    ¡°All words of praise,¡± the man responded with a chuckle. He dug into his picked and pulled out a parchment. ¡°You should write her a letter, to keep her spirits up. Tell her you¡¯re on your way, and that she should not lose hope.¡±

    The lycan took the parchment and looked up at Alexander, ¡°but how will she get this? They will be sure to dispose of the letter before it can reach her.¡±

    ¡°Do you honestly think that a master mind like me would let that happen?¡± Alex walked to the mall table that was situated by Elric¡¯s beside and ced a small bottle that contained an colorless liquid.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Elric asked curiously.

    ¡°This, my dear prince Elric is concetrated lemon juice,¡± Alexander responded. ¡°You see when you use lemon juice as ink, it¡¯spletely invisible until the parchment is slightly heated up. Eira will know

    what to do, she used use this trick all the time to send little notes when she was younger.¡±

    ¡°And where did she learn such a trick..¡±

    ¡°Whe you were still a tyrant, we had to use many tricks and gimmicks to get word around,¡± Alex exined, the taunt in his voice very evident. ¡°William taught it to her a few years back.¡±

    ¡°How ironic,¡± Elric muttered as he opened the bottle and dipped a quill in the lemon. He ced it on the parchment and paused, he actually didn¡¯t know what to write, he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d get the chance to write her a letter. All he had reserved to say to her he wanted to say in person.

    ¡°Just give her a little assurance,¡± Alexander advised the lycan as if reading his mind. ¡°She may seem hard hearted, but when ites to you for some strange reason, she get a little emotional. So just a statement of encouragement will do.

    Elric took a hard look at the in one parchment before writing down something short and quick. He wrote; ¡®worry not, I am on my way.¡¯

 Chapter 299

    299 Chapter 299 : The letter

    The three men where already in their third cups of ale, and maxim could feel the alcohol slowly making him feel lightheaded, but he slowly continued drinking, not wanting to look suspicious.

    Even though they were suppose to be rxing, Damien had his eyes fixated on Maxim, watching his every move like a hawk.

    ¡°Prince Damien,¡± the elf spoke, breaking the silence that seemed to be lingering among them. ¡°You look like you have something to say, you¡¯ve been staring daggers at me the entire evening.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± the red haired man responded and took arge gulp of his ale. ¡°I observed you¡¯re not drinking much, are you trying to avoid getting intoxicated for some reason?¡±

    ¡°Well it would be rather embarrassing if I started drunkenly bbing in front of my possible future inws.¡± Maxim responded with a broad smile. ¡°I imagine you would disapprove of me as Eira¡¯s possible husband.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of Eira,¡± Damien added on, ¡°are you okay with all of this? Marrying someone you only just met? I mean do you think it¡¯s right for you be forced into a lifelong rtionship with a total stranger?¡±

    ¡°Damien,¡± Zhelimir scolded his cousin, ¡°are you really going to bring up such a topic now? This isn¡¯t very good bar talk.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright Sir Zhelimir,¡± Maxim responded, ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to tend to his curiosity.¡± He turned back to Damien, who he could tell was getting a little drunk, might exin why he was being even more direct than he usually was. ¡°I in fact feel it is a little unfair, especially considering how free spirited Eira is, she should not be shackled down by a man.¡±

    ¡°Even if that man is you?¡± Damien added on. ¡°Are you honestly telling me that if a decree was passed right now that you should be the man to wed princess Eira, you would turn it down because she should not be shackled down by a man?¡±

    .....

    ¡°If the princess would have me,¡± Maxim responded, ¡°whole heartedly and with open arms, I would be honored to wed her. But if it is against her will, I would not force her into anything she does not want.¡±

    The elf downed all the ale on his cup before continuing to speak. ¡°I care for Eira enough to let her be happy, even if it means I will not be in the picture. In the beginning, I suppose you can say all I wanted was the title of being the crowned princess¡¯ husband, but in the few days I have gotten to know her, it has turned into someone more. At this point, I would even settle for being her friend, as long I can be by her side, watching her live life happily the way she sees fit.¡±

    The words that had left Maxim¡¯s mouth shocked him, he had practically confessed his feelings about Eira to her cousins. Maybe he had had more to drink than he initially thought.

    ¡°Maxim...¡± Zhelimir looked at the elf with a shocked expression. ¡°Are you in love with the princess?¡±

    Almost immediately, the elf¡¯s cheeks flushed, looking even redder than they already were from all the ale he had been taking.

    ¡°You sly fox!¡± Zhelimir yelled and burst intoughter. ¡°You have a thing for her don¡¯t you?! No wonder you behave a little odd around her, you have a little crush.¡±

    Damien looked at Maxim who was covering his face in embarrassment. Was that really the reason why he acted so odd? Because he had devastated feelings for Eira? Had Damien read him wrong all this time? Maybe, but maybe not. He would still keep an eye on him just in case this was all an act.

    *

    After their moment at the bar, Maxim could feel that Damien had be a little less intrusive about who he was and what his background was, which was great because Maxim knew if the man looked hard enough, he would eventually start seeing the cracks in his mask

    Even as the days went by, training with Eira got a lot more easier and a lot more fun for the elf. It reached a point where Maxim couldn¡¯t deny the fact that he like Eira a little more than he cared to admit. He enjoyed being around her, making herugh, and making the slightest contact with her. Gods, Ronda should never find out about this, otherwise it would be a disaster.

    After another day of archery training, of which Eira was getting very good at, in fact, she was excellent at it he was being honest, Maxim bowed and gave her a smile.

    ¡°Well, my work for today is done,¡± the elfmented. ¡°Tomorrow will be ourst day, we¡¯ll use it to try and go hunting, see how your skills will works on a moving target. Though honestly Eira, you¡¯re already pretty good-¡±

    The elf was surprised when Eira took a step forward and gave him a hug. For a few seconds, he didn¡¯t know how to respond. His heart was racing and he immediately broke into a sweat. Should he hug her back? Yes of course he should! But she was the princess and-

    ¡°Thank you Maxim,¡± Eira mumbled while still embracing the elven man. ¡°I would have never done this without you.¡±

    Maxim slowly and gently wrapped his arms around Eira as well, and instinctively buried his face in her hair. She smelled so good, likevender and fruit.

    ¡°You¡¯re most wee, Eira¡± the elf responded, subtly inhaling her sweet smell.

    Eira broke the hug and smiled at the green eyed man in front of her, ¡°as payment, I promise not to be too hard on you during the battle.¡±

    With augh, Maxim nodded his head and picked up a few of his belongings. ¡°I will hold you to that.¡± He bowed a second time before bidding the princess farewell. ¡°Enjoy your evening princess, I will be on my way now.¡±

    ¡°Sad you couldn¡¯t join us for dinner, my mother seems to like having you around.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not get her hopes up now shall we?¡± Maxim scoffed before waving Damien and Zhelimir, and turning to leave.

    Maxim was well aware that the queen enjoyed seeing him around Eira, and maybe, just maybe she hopped that they would end up together, but Maxim knew better. Looking at the reason why he was here in the first ce, he really did not deserve to be with Eira, and in a way he was starting to make peace with that.

    The least he could do was to help her in anyway that he could while he was here and then leave. He would deal with whatever punishment from Ronda, he just could not bring himself to hurt Eira, or her family.

    When the elven man existed the pce doors, his attention was drawn by a bit of a racket that was urring near the pce gates.

    An elven man with dark hair tied in a ponytail, was yelling and pulling on the cor of one of the gaurds.

    ¡°Do you have any idea who I am?!¡± The man screamed. ¡°I am to be Eira¡¯s husband soon, and when I am, I will make sure to throw you out of here!¡±

    Jacob shook the gaurd violently, making him drop some items that he was holding.

    Maxim rushed to the scene and picked up the items, before using his magic to grow arge root from the ground that coiled itself around Jacob and subdues him.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Jacob yelled. ¡°Who are you?! Who gives you the right to treat me in such a way.¡±

    Maxim ignored Jacob and walked over to the gaurd who he asked if he was okay.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine lord Maxim,¡± the gaurd responded with a quick bow of the head. ¡°Thank you for the help, I hope I did not pull you away from your session with the princess?¡±

    Upon hearing mention of the princess, Jacob stopped straggling and red at the elven man. This was the same guy he has met at a bar not too long ago, why was he having ¡®sessions¡¯ with Eira?! What was the rtionship between them?

    ¡°Do not worry,¡± Maxim responded. ¡°I was on my way home you are not interrupting anything.¡± He then handed the man the items which he had picked off the ground. ¡°These belong to you?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes,¡± the guard received the items and bowed. ¡°Thank you lord maxim, see you again tomorrow.¡±

    Jacob, with his teeth gnashed in fury watched the elf and the gaurd walk away from him. It was not until Maxim had disappeared from sight did the vines bonding him wither away. Jacob was about ready to chase after Maxim when he noticed somethingying on the ground in front of him. It was a letter, had Maxim dropped it?

    When Jacob picked it up, he frowned when he saw it was addressed to Eira. It definitely had to be from Maxim.

 Chapter 300

    300 Chapter 300 : Love potion?

    Maxim hopped off the carraige, feeling tired from the day but still happy that he had spent with Eira. And now that her cousin Damien was no longer on his neck, he was enjoying spending time with her even more.

    The young elf would often times almostugh at himself, whenever he thought of the situation that he was in. Here he was, practically an assassin sent to ruin Eira¡¯s life, and her whole family as well, but now there was no doubt that he had developed feelings for her, and was slowly bing protective of her.

    Of course this meant that Maxim had by default, abandoned his mission, and at this point, she was ready to face any consequences that came with it.

    The dark haired elf walked towards the entrance of the castle that he now called home, but stopped mid stride and turned to look back.

    ¡°Is there something wrong my lord?¡± One of Maxim¡¯s guards asked him.

    The green eyed elf moved his head from side to side before looking at the man who was standing beside him and responded. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± and proceeded into the castle.

    Maxim could have sworn that he had felt the presence of someone, someone he had met before but not quite, lingering behind him in the shadows. Was he being followed? Was it Damien? or was it someonepletely different?

    And if it was someone different, who was it and what did they want? He decided he would investigate itter, he didn¡¯t want to raise any suspicion or unnecessary rm in the castle.

    From behind an old tree that stood near the gates of the castle, Jacob watched as the elf disappeared into the doors of his supposed home. He cussed lightly when he realized that Maxim had almost sensed him, it meant that his magic was very powerful, otherwise he would have not been able to sense his presence after the veiling spell Jacob had used to hide himself.

    .....

    something was definitely going on with this elven man named Maxim. First he seemed to have shown up out of nowhere, and all of a sudden he was Princess Eira¡¯s best friend? Jacob had to find out more about this young lord, anything at all that would help him get a leg over in thepetition.

    Jacob would not let anyone take Eira away from him, not while he still lived.

    With his veiling spell still active, Jacob slowly pushed open the gates and walked into the castle grounds. A guard who was standing near the gate looked in his direction and pinched his eyebrows together suspiciously. But after seeing that there was no one there, the guard continued his patrolling, concluding that it was the wind that had rattled the gates open and closed.

    With a quick stride, Jacob rushed into the castle, through the hallways and began to search for where this Maxim man had gone to.

    There was something that this man was up to, and it did not sit well with Jacob that it had something to do with Eira. He remembered how this man had offered to buy him ale, pretending to be consoling him after what had happened between him and Eira. But it was obvious now, that Maxim was only after information about Eira, probably to get closer to her.

    if Jacob was going to end up with the princess, he would have to get rid of any threats that stood in his way. And one of those threats was the green eyed elven man named Maxim.

    As Jacob was lurking through the hallways, quietly tiptoeing so that he would not be discovered, he heard a familiar voice whispering from the other side of a slightly open door.

    He peaked within the room, and saw Maxim speaking to no one in particr. Carefully, Jacob pushed the door open a little more, and peeped at the elf a second time. This time he noticed that Maxim was speaking into a mirror, and within the mirror was a blonde green eyed elven woman speaking back to him.

    what kind of sorcery was this? Jacob had never seen magic of that sort before, what was this man up to? And who was the woman he was speaking with in the mirror?

    ¡®If she trusts you so much as to let you train her every day,¡¯ The woman in the mirror spoke to Maxim. She seemed a little agitated, as if the green eyed elven man was refusing to do as she wished. ¡°Then you should¡¯ve already done what I instructed you to do. It shouldn¡¯t be so difficult Maxim, all you need is a drop and the princess will be gone.¡±

    Jacob covered his mouth to hold back a gasp. The princess would be gone? Were the two of them talking about Eira?

    ¡°Things have be a littleplicated,¡± Maxim responded to the woman, his face clearly showing that he was not in the least bit interested in doing what she wanted. ¡°You did not tell me the kind of person she was, and her family, they have all been nothing but good to me. It¡¯s not easy to do what you want me to do to her, the situation has beplicated.¡±

    ¡°All I am hearing is that you fallen for that little wench, and your emotions are clouding your focus.¡± The women growled angrily. ¡°Now you listen to me Maxim, and listen to me good. If you do not use the potion on the princess, I will make sure you and your sister live the rest of your lives miserably! That I swear!¡±

    when Maxim put down the mirror he was holding and turned to look towards the door, Jacob ducked out of sight. Had he just heard right? Was Maxim really trying to use a love potion to get Eira to marry him? That was what that woman had said right? It was the only exnation. And that letter that Jacob had found, it was probably written by Maxim, obviously part of his n to charm the princess into being his wife.

    Jacob peaked into Maxim¡¯s room a third time, and saw him pull out a small vial from his jacket pocket. The elf ced the vial on the table he was sitting on, and then walked to his bed and fell t on his face.

    That must have been the love potion that Maxim was to use on the princess. all of this was probably a scheme for power, if princess Eira fell in love with Maxim, he would definitely be the next ruler of Gavaria.

    Suddenly, an idea crossed Jacobs mind. If he could obtain that love potion for himself, and use it on Eira, then she would be in love with him and not Maxim. And unlike the green eyed elf, Jacob had no need for power, all he wanted was his beautiful princess.

    Now all he had to do, was to steal the potion, without Maxim noticing. And then, all of Jacob¡¯s wildest dreams of wedding the love of his life woulde true.

 Chapter 301

    301 Chapter 301 : The goal justifies the means

    ¡°What are you so worried about?¡± Jonathan asked the lycsn as they move down the small road towards the Gavarian capital. ¡°you have been quiet the entire journey, are you missing your mate?¡±

    The taunt in Jonathan¡¯s voice made Elric look up and shake his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from her from the time I sent the letter, are you sure the man who was to deliver it did the job?¡±

    ¡°Of course he did,¡± Jonathan responded. ¡°that man works within the pce, he is able to hand-deliver the letter to the princess herself. So I can assure you that Eira is waiting for you as we speak.¡±

    ¡°Even if it so happens that she did not receive the letter,¡± Alexander added on, ¡°what¡¯s the worst that could possibly happen? She is your mate after all, what, do you think she¡¯ll fall for some other man and get married to him.¡±

    The thought of Eira marrying some other man was starting to weigh heavier and heavier on Elric¡¯s shoulders. It was amazing how thew of mates worked, he had not seen her in sometime, and before that they had barely interacted, but his feelings towards her grew day by day. This was definitely some sort of sorcery.

    ¡°On the contrary,¡± The silver haired lycan responded. ¡°I fear she may concede to her parents wishes, and settle with whichever man is least annoying among the ones she has met so far. if only I had some sort of response from her, some sort of assurance that she will not give up on me or on her happiness, I would feel much better.¡±

    ¡°Is this the most feared lycan, the son of Edron speaking in such a way?¡± Jonathan chuckled. ¡°The years have definitely softened you up. What you should be saying is, you will y any man who daresy single finger on her before you get to Gavaria.¡±

    When Elric heard his men chuckle behind him, he turned around and gave them a scornful stare. It was true, the years really had made him a little soft. But then again, was it truly the years that had softened him up? Or was it the princess?

    Back in the day, he would have not hesitated to gather hundreds of men, march to the capital andy carnage and waste to anything that stood in his way. But he did not want Eira to perceive him as a man of impatience and violence, he did not want her to think that he was a monster or a psychopath like everyone had said. He wanted her to feel safe around him and not to fear him.

    .....

    Before leaving the snonds, Elric had sworn to himself that the only times he would act like a monster, was if anyone tried to harm her. Only then, once he revealed the beast within.

    ¡°Chin up lycan,¡± Jonathan spoke. ¡°I can assure you you have nothing to worry about, in a few days you and her will be united, and only the gods will be able to tear you a part.¡±

    *

    The next morning, Maxim seem a bit disoriented. He kept tapping his feet and biting his nail as his eyes fixated on the food in front of him that he did not touch.

    ¡°Did something happen between you and the princess?¡± Lord Adalbert asked the young elf. ¡°because I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s the only thing that would have you so nervous.¡±

    The truth was that Maxim was worried about somethingpletely different. When he had woken up that morning, he had walked to his table and found that the vial containing the poison was gone. Of course, Maxim should¡¯ve been happy that he had finally gotten rid of that dreadful little potion, but it was unsettling not knowing who had taken it from his table, and for what reason.

    Had someone taken it to use as evidence against him? So that they would draw a wedge between him and Princess Eira? Or had one of the maidse in while he was asleep to clean his chambers, and identally thrown it away? Maxim did not know, and this made him very uneasy.

    ¡°I am just a little nervous about today¡¯s training,¡±Maxim lied. ¡°it is thest day I¡¯m going to train the princess, and it¡¯s a bit disheartening. What if it¡¯s thest day that I¡¯m ever going to see her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lose hope,¡± Bertram responded. ¡°With the way things have been going, I know that of all the men and suitors that princess Eira had met so far, you are the one she is most fond of. If there is any man with the highest chance to end up as her husband...¡± The elderly elven man ced a gentle hand on Maxim¡¯s shoulder ¡°it is you Maxim, so hold your head up high, you have worked hard for this.¡±

    Maxim nodded and forced smile on his face. If that vial that had gone missing hadnded into the wrong hands , today might indeed be thest time he was going to be with Princess Eira, because that little vial would expose him for what his true mission had been all this while. In fact, if the worst case scenario happened to ur, Maxim might even be sentenced to death for attempting to harm the princess.

    *

    ¡°Maxim? Maxim?!¡±

    The green eyed elf looked up at Eira who was looking down at him in concern. He quickly stood up and gave her his attention.

    ¡°Princess! Is there something wrong? Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Those are questions I should be asking you Maxim,¡± Eira responded. ¡°you seem a little out of it today, I have been calling out to you for the past five minutes, but you were so lost in thought you couldn¡¯t even hear me.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me princess, I must be a little tired,¡± the green eyed elf responded.

    The red haired princess sat down on the lush green grass and invited the elf to sit next to her. She then adjusted her position so that she could face him and gave him a warm smile.

    ¡°If there is something bothering you, you know you can tell me right? I mean we are friends after all, are we not?¡±

    ¡°Of course we are,¡± Maxim responded.

    Eria reached from Maxim¡¯s hand and gently ced hers on top of his. ¡°Then tell me what¡¯s wrong, you have been acting strangely the entire afternoon.¡±

    Maxim took a breath and looked up at princess Eira, and just like always he was drawn in by her beautiful amethyst eyes. he really wanted to tell her the truth, to tell her everything that had been going on, and to apologize for even thinking about hurting her. But he didn¡¯t want to lose her as a friend. he also didn¡¯t want to put her in a state of panic, if he revealed that the poison he was supposed to use on her had gone missing.

    ¡°I am just worried about tomorrow,¡± Maxim spoke softly. His hand moving on top of hers and squeezing it lightly. ¡°Do you really have to fight? What if you get hurt or worse? There has to be some other way for you to choose a husband.¡±

    Eira looked down at their interlocking hands, and blushed a little before clearing her throat. ¡°I have already made my decision Maxim, but you don¡¯t have to worry..¡± The princess looked away and covered her mouth with her other hand. ¡°You are a good teacher, and with what I have learned I assure you I will be alright.¡±

    Standing at a distance, Zhelimir elbowed his cousin Damien. ¡°You see, you were wrong about Maxim all this time. The only reason he was acting so strange, was because he had a thing for our little cousin.¡±

    Damien did not respond, he had not failed to notice that Maxim was acting even more suspicious than he usually did today. There was something that this elven man was up to, and Damien hoped they would figure it out before it was toote.

    ¡°Don¡¯t encourage him,¡± Damien spoke before turning away. ¡°Eira already has a mate, you and I both know that. Nothing creates a bitter and resentful enemy like a broken heart.¡±

    *

    Back at Ivan¡¯s Manor, Jacob was sitting in his room twirling the little vial that he had taken from Maxim¡¯s quarters the previous night in his fingers. He couldn¡¯t help but smile at himself at hoe easy it had been to steal this little potion from him.

    The next day would be the day that the beautiful princess Eira would choose a husband. And thanks to this little vile in his hand, and thanks to that stupid elf Maxim, Jacob would be the man that Eira would choose.

    Was Jacob proud that he had to use a potion to get Eira to love him? Of course not. But at this point, she was not willing to take any chances. He had almost lost her once, he would not allow that to happen ever again.

    Besides, did it really matter that he was using such methods if it meant that his goal was to make her happy? Because Jacob knew that he was the only man who would love Eira like she had never been loved before.

    Jacob strongly believed that the methods he used were unnecessary if the end goal was to secure the princess¡¯ happiness.

 Chapter 302

    302 Chapter 302 : Edron knows

    The day had finallye, the day the entire kingdom had been eagerly waiting for. The day the princess was to choose a husband.

    There were many people gathered outside the royal pce from all walks of life, each of them trying to get a glimpse of how exactly the selection would happen.

    Ten men had been shortlisted, and each of them very handsome and of high nobility as well. It was almost impossible to choose between such fine and esteemed gentlemen. How on earth would princess Eira do it?

    The crowds that had gathered at the gates roared in excitement as the carraiges carrying the noble men ferried passed them into the pce grounds. Among the excited screaming, came shouts of the names of suitors, different people voicing out who they wanted to end up with princess Eira.

    The atmosphere was filled with excitement and curiosity, because other than the royal family and a select few, no one knew how princess Eira would make her final decision.

    Within one of the carraiges, Maxim sat across from Bertram looking very anxious and stressed. He still had not located the vial containing the poison anywhere, and the more time passed the more it bothered him. What if whoever had taken it nned on exposing him on an important day such as this one? If that happened, Maxim¡¯s life would be over for sure.

    ¡°Getting cold feet now are we?¡± Bertram chuckled upon seeing the stress lines on the young elf¡¯s forehead.

    Maxim awoke from his stressful musing and nced up at the man who was sitting across from him. ¡°I am a little nervous about today,¡± Maxim admitted. But it was for a set of different reasons than what lord Bertram thought.

    ¡°I told you before son, you have nothing to worry about,¡± the elderly eleven man assured Maxim. ¡°Princess Eira is very fond of you, you¡¯ve got a good chance today, just keep your chin up alright.¡±

    .....

    Maxim forced a smile before nodding. How he wished winning Eira¡¯s heart was all that was on his mind this day, but s, he had far more pressing matters at hand.

    In another carraige within the convoy, Jacob satfortably in the carraige with his family, beaming from ear to ear.

    His demeanor was unusually confident, and this worried Jacob¡¯s family. He seemed to be so sure that all would go well, but what if it didn¡¯t?

    This delusional attitude where he felt that he was the best candidate made his family very uneasy, because in all honesty, among the ten men who were on their way to meet with the princess right now, Jacob may have had the least chances to end up with her. Even him being here on this day, was probably just a fluke.

    ¡°Is there perhaps something you know that we don¡¯t brother?¡± Janis asked the man who was smiling and humming happily to himself. ¡°You seem to be quite confident about today.¡±

    ¡°That is because I am my dear sweet little sister,¡± Jacob responded with a smile and a merry tone. ¡°I am happy because by the end of today, I will be making wedding arrangements for me and my beautiful future wife Eira Burchard.¡±

    Jacob¡¯s response made everyone in the carraige tense up. Oh gods, none of them were looking forward to how today would end, not at all.

    When thest of the carraiges entered the pce grounds, the gates were closed shut and the pce guards helped guide the guests to the training grounds, that had been lined with rows of seats. Overhead were tent like structures to keep out the snow, and besides the benches, were fire pits set alight to keep the guests warm.

    ¡°Why does this look like an arena for a diator match?¡± Janis whispered as her and her family sat down on some benches allocated to them.

    ¡°It does seem like a rather odd ce to choose a husband doesn¡¯t it,¡± Elena responded while inspecting her environment. ¡°I thought all this would be done in the pce hall or ballroom.¡±

    The guests all settled down before an average height man wearing armor announced the king and queen¡¯s arrival.

    All the guests stood up to wee their host, and it didn¡¯t take a spector to see that they both looked oddly ufortable, as if they did not want to be here. The queen looked the most bothered, as if she was one wrong statement away from leaving.

    After everyone had sat back down, the armored man stood in front of the crowd and made another announcement, this time, what he said sent shock waves across the masses, leaving everyone confused and dumbfounded.

    ¡°Each of the suitors,¡± the man cried out, ¡°will have a chance to duel with the princess until either he, or the princess, admits defeat! The man who will defeat her grace, princess Eira, will be the man to be her husband!¡±

    Gasps and loud whispers filled the atmosphere. Surely this had to be some sort of joke, who in their right mind would fight the princess?! This was absurd!

    ¡°Those who will refuse to fight,¡± the man added on, ¡°will be disqualified indefinitely! So if you wish not to participate, I suggest you leave now! But if you do, step forward and arm yourselves, the princess will be arriving shortly!¡±

    *

    The snow was falling heavily as Elric, Alexander, Jonathan and some men raced across the white covered terrain towards the capital.

    If it was not for the armor they were wearing, the icy wind would have chipped the men¡¯s ears and fingers off.

    Elric did not mind though, noting in this moment mattered more than to reach the capital where Eira was, not even his own appendages. He would dly lose his fingers to frostbite, if it meant he would reach his mate before he lost herpletely.

    ¡°How far to the capital?!¡± Elric¡¯s voice was muffled against the blowing winds, but thanks to their heightened sense of hearing, the two brothers could hear him just fine.

    ¡°Do not worry! We should arrive there in a few hours!¡± Alexander yelled back.

    ¡°A few hours! In case you have forgotten, Eira is choosing a husband today! We don¡¯t have that kind of time!¡±

    With the cold wind whipping his hair wildly, Alexander turned to look at the lycan riding beside him and gave him a mischievous grin. ¡°You are the guest of honor Elric, you need to make an entrance!¡±

    *

    Back in the snonds, Edron paced the room angrily while mumbling incoherent words to himself. His Luna, La, was sat on a chair in front of him, mentally preparing got the earful she was about to get.

    For the past few weeks, La had managed to keep her husband calm and unconcerned about their son¡¯s whereabouts in her own feminine way. But unfortunately, Edron had overheard a conversation La had been having with one of the guards who was giving her a progress report of Elric¡¯s journey.

    And now here she was, sitting in front of her furious husband, waiting to be scolded.

    ¡°I should have known something was going on,¡± Edron finally spoke audibly. ¡°I should have known you were up to something La! The sex, it was too good, I should have known you were trying to distract me. La do you have any idea what you have done?!¡±

    With a straight face, the Luna nodded her head. Her silver eyes showing no hint of remorse whatsoever. ¡°I do..¡± she replied.

    Edron was in shock, had his beautiful wife just lost her bloody mind? They had almost lost their son because of those damn Burchards, and now she was driving Elric right back into their clutches.

    ¡°You realize if anything happens to our som La, this time his fate will be in your hands?!¡±

    La nodded, ¡°I am aware, but I do not regret my decision to let him pursue his mate. I will take responsibility for whatever happens..¡±

    ¡°You all have lost your bloody minds,¡± Edron growled before leaving for the door, ¡°if I did not love you so, you wouldn¡¯t be sitting there talking back to me, I would have had your beautiful deceitful little head up on a pike.¡±

 Chapter 303

    303 Chapter 303 : I never deserved you

    The pce training grounds were deathly quiet as Eira walked in, fully dressed in armor ready for battle.

    some people were still waiting for someone, anyone, to say this was all nothing but a bad joke, but no one ever did. The princess would indeed use this strange and barbaric practice to choose a husband, and no one could stop her.

    The announcer from earlier dramatically unrolled a parchment of paper when princess Eira was at the center of the field and called out the name of the first suitor.

    All eyes turned to the man who was frozen in ce not knowing exactly what do do. Was he really expected to fight the princess? Was such a thing even allowed? What if he ended up hurting her? He would be hanged for such a treacherous act.

    The man took a step back and shook his head, indicating that he was not willing to fight the princess. There were other three men who did the same, refusing to take part in an act that involved them hurting a woman.

    ¡°We refuse to raise a sword against a woman!¡± One of the four suitors dered, ¡°and a princess at that! Such a thing would be disgraceful and a blow to our pride as men! Forgive us, but we will not partake in this madness!¡±

    Eira flipped open the visor of her helmet and took a few steps towards the four men who had refused to take part in the duel.

    ¡°If you cannot conquer me as a warrior on the battlefield, how do you expect to conquer me as your queen?!¡± The redhead yelled. ¡°I will not let a man with such a weak constitution stand at the alter and call himself my husband, you four are disqualified!¡±

    Gasps filled the training grounds when the crowds and participants realized that the princess was actually serious with her agenda. It was absurd but she seemed to actually want to fight these men.

    .....

    ¡°Call on the next suitor!¡± Eiramanded the announcer who bowed and called out the next name on the list.

    This time the man did step forward, and princess Eira recognized him immediately. She watched him carefully as he put on some armor and grabbed a sword in a shaky hand, it was obvious the man was in doubt of what to do.

    He was a nobleman from greenhill, and Eira knew him passively from her visits to her grandparents¡¯ house, the man was no fighter that was for sure.

    ¡°Draw your sword!¡± Eiramanded him as she pulled out her own weapon, the dagger that Zhelimir had gifted her on her birthday.

    The young man looked down at the dagger Eira was holding and gulped. Was she honestly going to go against him with that tiny weapon?!

    Just before Eira could attack, the man dropped his sword to the ground and fell to his knees. He just couldn¡¯t raise a sword to the woman he wanted to snuggle up against and take care of.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it , I just can¡¯t bring myself to harm you princess....¡±

    The man was expecting to be praised for his actions, or at the least padroned. But the princess merely dismissed him as weak and asked for the next suitor

    Janis who was also shocked by this turn of events, rushed to where her brother was standing and pulled him by the shoulder.

    ¡°Jacob, what are you going to do? Are you seeing this madness unraveling before our very eyes? Where you aware this would happen?¡±

    Jacob shook his head. ¡°I too I¡¯m shocked at Eira¡¯s methods,¡± he responded as he grabbed some armor and put it on. ¡°But if this is what she wants, then I have no choice but to oblige my future wife.¡±

    Janice narrowed her eyes in shock, ¡°are you insane? This is madness, you cannot duel a woman in front of all these people! It¡¯s shameful!¡±

    Jacob gave his sister a reassuring smile, ¡°do not worry, there will be no need for me to fight the princess at all, I assure you that her love for me will make her surrender to me before our swords meet.¡±

    ¡°Jacob this is no time for your delusional nonsense!¡± Janis growled. ¡°Can you not see that I am serious?!¡±

    ¡°And so am I,¡± Jacob responded firmly. ¡°Just stand back and watch.¡±

    Janis groaned in frustration, this entire fiasco was a mess. She had to find Zhelimir and ask him why Eira was doing all of this.

    *

    Isabe got to her feet when she saw Leonard walk up to her. She rushed to his side, but became worried when she saw the look on his face.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Isabe asked the young elven man. ¡°Is he not here yet?¡±

    ¡°I have searched every inch of the ce, but I did not see prince Elric,¡± Leonard responded. ¡°Zhelimir and Damien are keeping an eye out for him as well, but they say they have not seen or heard anything.¡±

    ¡°Oh gods,¡± the blue eyed young woman groaned. ¡°Where could he be? This is hisst chance, I can¡¯t hold his ce for much longer. Eira is already fighting the second suitor, that makes seven already out of thepetition, Elric doesn¡¯t have much time!¡±

    Leonard took Isabe¡¯s shaky hands and brought them to his lips, kissing them both gently. ¡°If he cares for Eira even half as much as I care for you, then I have no doubt in my mind that he will be here, he may be just running a littlete.¡±

    *

    The red haired princess leapt off the ground and kicked the man she was fighting against right in his chest, sending him flying across the field. He groaned and tried to stand but the pain pinned him down, dering the princess the victor of that battle.

    ¡°You left yourself open to attack,¡± Eira spoke to the man on the ground. ¡°Your an unstrategic warrior, and you would most likely be an unstrategic leader.¡± She then turned around and motioned for the announcer to call for the next suitor.

    The spectators of the event were stuck between being horrified and astonished by the princess¡¯ power and skills. Other than the five who she had not battled, she had defeated two of the suitors without breaking a single drop of sweat.

    The announcer rolled out his parchment and called out Maxim¡¯s name. And Eira smiled underneath her helmet. Battling Maxim would be tricky, she wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted him to win or lose considering the circumstances.

    Eira was aware that the only two who remained where Jacob anc Isabe who was standing in for Elric. Of course she did not want to end up with Jacob, but she was unsure if Elric would show up to this event. If he did not, it would have been wise to lose to Maxim, he would make a good stand in, and besides, he and her got along fairly well.

    She watched the elven man walk to the center of the field while securing his headgear. He drew his sword and pointed it towards her, and she did the same.

    She charged towards him ready to strike, but as she neared him he did something that she did not expect. The elven man lowered his hands and left his torso wide open for attack, and it was a little toote for Eira to stop. He was deliberately going to forfeit the fight, why would he do that?

    When Eira made contact with him, they both went flying across the field, dust and debris lifting up into the air around them.

    Before Maxim faked losing consciousness, he opened his visor and smiled at the woman who was now on top of him and whispered.

    ¡°I never deserved you...¡±

    He winked at her and chuckled sadly before pretending to go limp.

    His actions left Eira a little puzzled, why would he assume he did not deserve her? Had her cousins told him about Elric?

    As she got off of the man, the announcer then called for Jacob¡¯s name as her next contender. She cursed lightly as she watched some guards carry Maxim away, there went her backup n.

 Chapter 304

    304 Chapter 304 : He came

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    The unexpected voice of his sister made Jacob almost spill a bit of the potion. He quickly emptied the vial into his canteen of water and closed it before turning to look at Janis who was standing behind him with a skeptical look on her face.

    ¡°I am preparing to go out and im my wife,¡± Jacob responded with a smile that riddled Janis¡¯ skin with goosebumps. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±

    ¡°I saw you putting something into your water,¡± Janis pointed out. ¡°Jacob I hope you don¡¯t n on cheating. It will bring shame upon the family!¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you shut up and mind your own Janis!¡± Jacob hissed. ¡°Go take all of that nonsense to your little boyfriend Zhelimir, I have important things to do.¡±

    Jacob shoved his sister aside and walked towards the battlefield where Eira was standing waiting for him. She wouldn¡¯t be able to understand, no one would. It seemed no one knew the extent to which he loved Eira, all he wanted to do was to spend the rest of his life making her happy, and that is exactly what he was going to do, no matter the means.

    Janis felt her stomach knot up as she watched her brother walk away. Jacob was definitely up to something, and she had to find a way to stop him before he did something stupid. The blue eyed woman lifted the skirt of her dress and ran to where Zhelimir had been sitting watching the battles. If there was anyone who could stop Jacob it was him.

    *

    At longst, after riding for what seemed like an eternity, Elric saw the Gavarian pcee into view. He whipped the reins of his horse and increased his speed, praying in his heart that he had made it in time.

    .....

    ¡°We¡¯ll go on ahead and distracted the guards!¡± Jonathan yelled out to the silver haired prince.

    ¡°Use the opportunity to head straight to the pce training grounds! That is where the selection is being made!¡± Alexander added on.

    The two brothers let go of the reins of their horses and leapt up into the air. Elric¡¯s eyes widened a little when he saw the two men growrge wings from their backs and fly towards the pce. He hadpletely forgotten that they were part nosferatu.

    Jonathan and Alexander flew towards the gates and knocked out the gaurds who were guarding it,nding at the center on the courtyard.

    More guards came, but they were clearly outmatched. Because within minutes, all of them were knocked out cold, leaving the gates and courtyardpletely open.

    Within a few seconds, Elric rammed through the ce gates, his steed leaping over the pile of unconscious men and dashing towards the training grounds.

    ¡°Eira..¡± he muttered to himself as the grounds apppeared in front of him.

    *

    Eira drew her dagger as she watched Jacob casually waltz onto the battle field with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Are you ready Jacob?¡± Eira spoke to the man. ¡°I will not go easy on you just because you¡¯re my friend!¡±

    ¡°And I don¡¯t expect you to,¡± Jacob responded, ¡°you¡¯re a woman of resilience, so I too will put in my all in order to win your heart.¡±

    Eira rolled her eyes at Jacob before trailing them to his hand. He was holding a water canteen instead of a weapon, was this man taking any of this seriously?

    ¡°And what is that?! Do you wish to go against me with a water canteen?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Jacob responded with a chuckle. He then tossed the canteen to Eira who caught it. ¡°As a gentleman, I thought you might need a drink of water before we start. Are you not parched?¡±

    Without thinking anything of it, Eira opened the water canteen and took arge sip before closing it and tossing it back to Jacob.

    ¡°Enough talk,¡± Eira told the elven man. ¡°Shall we get this over with?!¡±

    ¡°As you wish princess..¡± Jacob replied and drew a sword. He wondered how long it would take for the potion to kick in, and how he would know. Would she merely drop her dagger and run into his embrace? He couldn¡¯t wait to find out.

    Across the field, Janis¡¯ heart stopped when she saw Eira take a sip from her brother¡¯s canteen. Oh gods, what had Jacob done? What had he just given the princess?!

    ¡°Janis?¡±

    The woman turned around and found Zhelimir walking towards her. He had a rather worried look in his eyes.

    ¡°You look pale,¡± he spoke as he held her arms gently. ¡°Are you feeling alright? Should I take you home?¡±

    Janis opened her mouth to speak but to no avail. She had been the one who pushed Zhelimir into putting her brother on the list, so she was practically responsible for what ever was going on, and whatever Jacob was nning to do to Eira.

    The blue eyed elven woman knew how much Zhelimir cared for Eira, so if anything happened to her, Zhelimir would hate her.

    *

    Isabe rose to her feet when she saw Leonard running towards her. He was gasping and sweating regardless of the cold, and he had a relieved smile on his face.

    ¡°What happened?¡± She asked him, her anxiety peaking with every passing second.

    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± Leonard gasped while still trying to catch his breath. ¡°Prince Elric, he has arrived.¡±

    ¡°Are... are you sure of what you are saying?¡±

    Leonard grabbed Isabe¡¯s hand and dragged her towards the direction he hade from. ¡°You can ask questionster, for now let¡¯s go to him and get him in the loop of things, we don¡¯t have much time!¡±

    *

    Jacob gasped and coughed when his back hit the ground after Eira¡¯s kick sent him flying across the field. He groaned in both frustration and pain, when would the bloody love potion take effect?! He was getting his ass handed to him out here.

    Before he could stand up, Eira appeared above him and pointed her dagger to his throat.

    ¡°Do you yield?¡± She asked him.

    To be honest Jacob was spent, he had lost his sword and was bruised badly. In as much Eira was a woman, she was a highly skilled warrior, more skilled than he was that was for sure. Even if he wanted to go on, he knew he couldn¡¯t beat her.

    But he had to push on, he couldn¡¯t back down until the potion took effect, he wasn¡¯t going to give up on hisst chance to be with the woman he loved.

    Jacob slowly got to his feet and looked Eira¡¯s way. She had knocked him around rather badly that his vision was starting to blur, but he was not going to give up. He took a step forward, trying to scan the area for his sword, but his legs gave in, and he fell to the ground.

    As he felt himself losing consciousness, Jacob cursed, this was not how things were supposed to happen. Why in the bloody hell had the love potion taken so long to take effect?

    Eira sheathed her dagger as she watched some guards carry Jacob away. She slowly looked to the announcer with mixed emotions before giving him the go ahead to call in thest suitor.

    This was it, Elric had note for her like she hoped he would, and she had not selected a husband. She knew that after this, her mother would not give her the liberty to choose for herself who to marry, because clearly her methods had not worked. Instead, the queen would simply choose a man to wed Eira, and she wouldn¡¯t have a say against it.

    The announcer rolled out his parchment ready to call out Isabe¡¯s name, when Damien walked to him and whispered something in his ear.

    The two seemed to have a bit of an argument before the announcer finally conceded to whatever Damien¡¯s demands were.

    ¡°It seems we¡¯ve had a bit of a change!¡± The announcer yelled. ¡°Instead ofdy Isabe, someone else will be taking her ce in today¡¯s battle!¡±

    Eira took a step forward, her heart racing as she spoke. ¡°Who will be taking her ce?..¡±

    The gasps from the audience made Eira turn towards the entrance of the battle field, and there he was. His silver hair whipping in the cold breeze as he walked forward. His honey brown eyes held her purple orbs captive, and before she knew it, her body moved on its own towards him.

    ¡°I will be taking her ce,¡± Elric spoke when he closed the gap between them.

    Eira was at loss for words, he had reallye, he really did care, he really was her blood half.

    ¡°Elric...¡±

    ¡°Eira...¡±

 Chapter 305

    305 Chapter 305 : ck magic

    Eira¡¯s emotions were all over the ce, she felt sick, she felt happy, she felt anxious, and she also felt a little angry. She was happy that Elric hade for her, happy to see see him standing in front of her, happy that he had not abandoned her. But at the same time, she felt a little angry because he had made her wait till the veryst minute, she had waited for so long that she had almost lost hope.

    The princess opened her mouth to speak but her words failed her. There was just so much running through her mind, and the feeling of sickness kept getting worse little by little. Was it all the emotions she was feeling that was causing all of this?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I took so long,¡± Elric spoke sweetly, his voice made her skin tingle ever so slightly. Oh how she had missed his voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to worry you.¡± The lycan took a step forward, trying so hard not to reach for her and embrace her in his arms. Gods, he didn¡¯t realize how much he had missed her presence until now. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get this over and done with shall we? So I can get you out of here.¡±

    A tear left Eira¡¯s eye, she was so relieved that Elric had showed up, so much had happened for her to get to this moment, and the relief was overwhelming. She wiped her tear away and nodded, ¡°you¡¯re going to have to make it up to me, you had me worried sick you prick.¡±

    ¡°Of corse I will,¡± Elric responded with a relieved smile, ¡°right after we put an end to this fiasco.¡±

    Sitting in the reserved seats far from the gasping crowd, Melissa got to her feet and pinched her eyebrows together. This was outrageous! Elric was not suppose to make it to the pce, what the bloody hell was going on?! Where were her guards?!

    She turned around, ready to have Elric escorted off the property and locked up with immediate effect, but her husband grabbed her hand and stopped her.

    ¡°Gareth!¡±

    ¡°Mel please!¡±

    .....

    The queen was shocked to hear her husband use that tone of voice on her. ¡°Gareth what has gotten into you?! Are you honestly going to stand there and let this happen?!¡±

    ¡°The rules are the rules Mel!¡± The king spoke firmly. ¡°Isabe was listed as one of the suitors to participate in today¡¯s battle, if she agrees that someone takes her ce, there is no one who has the right to stop them.¡±

    King Gareth looked up at his beautiful wife and softened his hold on her, ¡°please sit down my queen, do not cause a scene and risk pushing our daughter away even more.¡±

    Melissa narrowed her blue eyes suspiciously at her husband. ¡°You knew this would happen, didn¡¯t you? You knew Isabe was just a stand in for Elric and you allowed it.¡± She pulled her had away and walked past Gareth. ¡°If you won¡¯t do something about this then I will, I¡¯d be utterly mad to let my daughter wed that madman!¡±

    Gareth sighed heavily as he watched his wife make her way to the battlefield. He knew Melissa was stubborn, but never did he think it was this bad. Would she really carry out her agenda at the expense of their daughter¡¯s happiness?

    Back on the battlefield, Eira tightened the dagger in her hand and pointed it towards Elric in readiness to duel with him. She told herself that she would put on a little show for a few minutes, and then pretend to lose her dagger and surrender to Elric, that would be enough to legitimize his victory as her future husband.

    Eira got ready to charge when the lycan prince drew his own weapon, but all of a sudden her vision slowly began to blur. Maybe she was a little more tired than she thought she was. After all, she had just battled over six skilled men back to back.

    She blinked several times to readjust her vision, but ended up feeling incredibly dizzy. The redhead dropped her dagger as the ground beneath her spun violently. She heard Elric scream her name when she vomited and dropped to her knees.

    ¡°Eira!¡±

    Everything around her began to move in slow motion, and her stomach hurt badly. With a fuzzy vision she looked to the ground and noticed she had vomited blood, what was going on? Was she dying?

    Elric reached the princess and cupped her face in his palms, his eyes were filled with dread and worry, and the tone of his voice indicated fear.

    ¡°Eira! Eira stay with me!¡±

    He looked down and gasped at the blood she had vomited, he became even more petrified when he saw her eyes darkening and her face turning purple. There was only one thing that could do this to a person.

    The silver haired prince scooped Eira into his arms and turned to where Gareth was sitting. With a loud fearful voice, he screamed ¡°Eira has been poisoned! Send for a physician! Now!¡±

    With those few words, panic erupted in the pce training grounds. Gareth got to his feet, his heart beating wildly, and ran to where his daughter was, arriving right at the same time as his wife.

    Zhelimir who had been worried about Janis, heard what Elric had yelled and felt his entire face go numb. His limbs, just like Damien¡¯s and Maxim¡¯s, moved on their own to where Elric was holding Eira. No, that couldn¡¯t be, poisoned? This had to be some sort of a joke.

    ¡°Eira! Eira!¡± Melissa screamed when she saw her daughter¡¯s face that was now etched with veins. ¡°What have you done to her you monster! Let go of her!¡± Fangs sprung and Melissa¡¯s eyes shed red, ready to attack Elric. But her husband grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into his embrace.

    ¡°Mel! Melissa stop!¡± He held his wife tightly as she wed at him and screamed hysterically. He turned to the guards who were trying to control the now panicking masses and ordered them to call the doctor immediately, while all the while calming his wide down.

    Elric held on to Eira like his very life depended on it, because lord knows it did. His entire constitution was crumbling as he listened to her gasp for air, never in his life had he ever felt so afraid, so helpless, and so useless. He was supposed to protect her, he should have been here earlier, he should have put in a little more effort, and maybe all this wouldn¡¯t have happened.

    A tall man with raven ck hair pushed through the crowds towards Elric, with a younger man who looked like his son, following close behind. When Renly reached the princess and inspected her face, horror coursed thorough his viens. ¡°Gavin! A healing bubble! Now!¡±

    ¡°Yes father!¡± The tall young man responded before cing his hands together and muttering an incantation.

    Renly reached for princess Eira, but Elric growled and snapped his now razor sharp teeth at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch her!¡± He growled.

    ¡°The poison is extremely potent!¡± Renly yelled in urgency. ¡°If we don¡¯t do anything now, she¡¯ll die!¡±

    Eira would die? The thought made Elric feel like vomiting, if that happened, it would be the end of him. He slowly ced Eira on the ground, but before he could back away, she grabbed his sleeve with the little strength she had left. At this point she could no longer speak, but Elric could read her lips, she was asking him not to leave her.

    He held her hand with both of his and kissed it tenderly before speaking, ¡°I would rather die than leave your side ever again.¡±

    Gavin finished his incantation, and a field of white light encased Eira.

    ¡°This will slow down the poison while we prepare an antidote,¡± Renly exined while pulling out different vials and small containers from his bag. ¡°Gavin, bring me a sample.¡±

    The young man pulled out a small hallow ss contraption on which he ced a thin needle at the tip.

    ¡°What are you nning on doing with that?!¡± Gareth questioned. Even though he was trying hard to keep hisposure, the elven king was losing his mind seeing his daughter in such a state. Whoever had done this to her, was going to burn at the stake.

    ¡°I suggest you look away your majesties,¡± Gavin apologized, ¡°I have to take a bit of blood from the princess to identify what poison has been administered. This is not something you¡¯ll want to watch..¡± he got down on his knees and looked up at Elric who was holding on to her, just from the look on his face, Gavin could tell that this man Ares deeply for the princeads. ¡°I suggest you look away as well..¡±

    The lycan tuned his head away slowly, but when he heard Eira groan in pain, he couldn¡¯t stop his fangs from sharpening and his eyes from glowing in rage. Luckily, by the time he turned back, Gavin was already bandaging the spot he had taken his ¡®sample¡¯ from.

    Renly quickly mixed different liquids in multiple small vials, and in each added a drop of Eira¡¯s blood. Everyone around waited impatiently for the man to say something... to say anything. It was frustrating not knowing what was going on, especially for Elric.

    Suddenly, one of the vials turned pitch ck and Renly gasped in horror. ¡°Oh gods...¡±

    The look on Gavin¡¯s face also showed the same amount of fear. What in the world was going on?

    ¡°Well?!¡± Elric roared, ¡°are you going to just sit there gasping, or are you going to save Eira?!¡±

    Renly shook his head, ¡°this isn¡¯t just an ordinary poison,¡± he muttered in a devastated tone. ¡°This is ck magic, and I¡¯m afraid there is no antidote.¡±

 Chapter 306 - 306 Chapter 306 : You monster!

    306 Chapter 306 : You monster!

    There was a ringing in he ears, and all the voices around him seemed to be getting more and more distant. Did Renly just say there was no antidote? What did he mean there was no antidote? Does this mean that Eira would....

    Elric couldn¡¯t even say the word in his thoughts, no, this couldn¡¯t he happening, there had to be some way to save her, any way at all! He would do anything, go anywhere, just to find a way to save her.

    He looked down at the woman in his arms, the woman he was more than sure at this point, that he loved dearly. Her beautiful eyes were darkening, and so were her lips and tongue. Who had done this to her? Whoever it was, Elric prayed for their sake he would never find them, because if he did, he was going to tear them to shreds with his bare ws and feed them to the wild animals till there was nothing left.

    Gareth grabbed Renly by the shirt, desperation painting his face, ¡°what do you mean there¡¯s no antidote?! Every poison has an antidote! Check again!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry your majesty,¡± Renly responded, ¡°but this is barely even a poison. It¡¯s ck magic, the kind I have never encountered before. Even if there was someway to stop it, it would take me days to find out how, and as you can see, we don¡¯t have that kind of time.¡±

    Renly too felt disheartened, he had chosen to learn his father¡¯s ways to help people, to better people¡¯s lives. Like some form of penance for his father¡¯s sins. But he had failed, he wasn¡¯t able to save an innocent young woman who had such a long and beautiful life ahead of her. How could he call himself an alchemist when he couldn¡¯t even save one life.

    Melissa, who was now kneeling beside her daughter, was no longer throwing a fit. She merely knelt there as uncontroble streams of tears ran down her face. She was literally watching her daughter die, watching a part of her getting ripped away and she could do nothing about it.

    Her eyes moved from her daughter¡¯s face to where her hand was interlinked with Elric¡¯s and gasped. Was this all her fault? Were the gods somehow punishing her for trying to defy fate? Was it toote to take it all back? Because no grudge was worth losing her child.

    Melissa looked up at Elric. He was not blinking, and his expressions kept transitioning from devastated to furious as tears trickled down his eyes. She had known Elric for years, and never had she seen him look so sorrowful before. Could it be that all this time he genuinely cared for her daughter?

    .....

    Maybe if she had just let them be, if Melissa had just let Eira and Elric be together, there would have been no need to choose a suitor, and this day would have nevere. This was all her fault...

    ¡°Save her..¡± Melissa mumbled in a strained voice. ¡°Elric please, save my daughter..¡±

    The silver haired prince looked to Melissa and frowned, was she bing hysterical? How was he going to save Eira? If he could, he would have already done that by now, even if it meant taking her ce and losing his own life in the process.

    ¡°You¡¯re her blood half aren¡¯t you?!¡± Melissa yelled deliriously. ¡°Save her!¡±

    Gareth relinquished Renly and pulled his wife back into his embrace, stroking her gently to try and soothe her, even when he too wanted nothing more than to wail in sorrow.

    Elric pulled Eira into his arms and cradled her against his chest, at this point, she didn¡¯t even have any strength left to hold on to him, so her arms just lifelessly dangled on her sides.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a mage?!¡± He yelled to Renly, ¡°use magic and save her!¡±

    ¡°Aye, I am a mage, but even I have my limits..¡±

    ¡°Then find another! Call the mages of the rocks! Call anyone! Just save her!... please...¡± the ly¡¯s voice cracked as she held Eira closer, literally feeling her body going limp in his arms.

    Everyone who was watching, burst into tears at the pain in Elric¡¯s voice. Damien, Isabe, Maxim, and many others. Was Eira really going to die?

    At a distance, watching the whole scene with a look of horror, Janis turned around and run towards the infirmary where her brother, Jacob, was being treated.

    What had Jacob done? Janis thought fearfully. Eira had nit eaten or drunk anything all day, except the water Jacob had offered her. She knew this, she had been with Eira all morning.

    That liquid she had seen him pouring into the canteen, was that poison?! Had Jacob really decided to poison Eira? Oh gods! Oh gods! She prayed that this was all a misunderstanding.

    Janis rammed into the infirmary and found her brother sitting upright, indicating that he had recuperated.

    ¡°Jacob!¡±

    The elven man turned to look at his sister, a little surprised at why she sounded like she wanted to strangle him.

    ¡°Jacob what have you done?!¡± Janis screamed as tears flowed down her rosy cheeks. ¡°Jacob please tell me it¡¯s not true!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s not true? Janis what are you going on about this time?¡±

    ¡°What did you put in the water you gave princess Eira Jacob! And don¡¯t you dare lie to me!¡±

    Jacob tensed up at his sister¡¯s line of questioning. Had something happened while he was out? Had the love potion finally taken effect?

    ¡°What is it to you?! I told you to mind your business!¡±

    Janis covered her mouth as more tears run down her face, why would Jacob do such a thing? Was he so affected by Eira¡¯s rejection that he decided to have her killed?

    ¡°Jacob...so it was you..¡± Janis mumbled incoherently, ¡°it was you! You monster! You¡¯re the reason Eira is going to die! You poisoned her!¡±

    Before Jacob could respond, he saw someone enter the infirmary who brought a feeling of dread to his heart.

    Zhelimir amidst all the chaos, had seen Janis running towards the infirmary. Worried that maybe she too had sumbed to something, he followed her and happened to walk in on the conversation they were having, and Now had identified the person who had hurt his little cousin...it was Jacob!

    ¡°Zhelimir, no, it¡¯s not what you think,¡± Jacob responded with fear as he slipped off the bed. ¡°I didn¡¯t poison Eira, I swear to you this was not what I intend to happen. I had no malicious-¡±

    Jacob¡¯s words were cut short when the hybrid moved like light and mmed him against a wall, his sword pinned dangerously against his throat.

    ¡°Tell why I should not slice your throat wide open right this second,¡± the hybrid hissed venomously. A small horn sprouting from the left side of his forehead. ¡°Tell me why I shouldn¡¯t paint this floor with your blood Jacob!¡±

 Chapter 307 - 307 Chapter 307 : What had he done?!

    307 Chapter 307 : What had he done?!

    Elric could feel his own soul leaving his body as Eira sumbed to the cold grasp of death. Her skin was now as white as a parchment of paper, and her eyes were barely open now.

    ¡°El.. ric...¡±

    The lycan, with tears flooding his eyes, looked down at the young woman in his arms. ¡°Please don¡¯t speak,¡± he told her in a pained voice. ¡°Save your strength Eira.¡±

    She twitched her arm and Elric took in his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m d I got to see you again,¡± she whispered while gasping. ¡°At least I know you care.¡±

    Tears flowed down his face, did she really feel like he didn¡¯t care? Elric felt his chest tighten, he should have never left her, if he had been here, maybe, just maybe, all of this would not have happened.

    ¡°Eira,¡± the silver haired prince spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t just care, I... I love you Eira...¡±

    A small smile tugged the corners of Eira¡¯s mouth, before she whispered words thatpletely shattered his heart.

    ¡°Elric, I love-¡±

    .....

    Her words were cut short, her hand went lip in his, her eyes closedpletely, and her beautiful head fell back.

    ¡°No... Eira? Eira?!¡± Elric shook the young woman in his arms. ¡°Eira please, please don¡¯t leave me! Eira!¡± He leaned onto her chest to try and hear her heartbeat, but there wasplete silence. ¡°Noooo!!!¡±

    A devastated roar escaped Elric¡¯s lips while his heart broke into a thousand pieces. Finally he had met the one, the woman who was actually meant for him, and he had just lost her just like that.

    Melissa screamed when she heard Elric roar in anguish, she tried to pry herself out of her husband¡¯s arms, but Gareth held on to her tightly, his own tears dampening her hair.

    Their little girl, their princesss was gone.

    A dark cloud settled on the kingdom of Gavaria that moment, as everyone bowed their head and moaned the princess. Of which the one who felt the most pain, even though no one realized it, was Elric.

    The lycan held Eira tightly and wept, he could not fathom the kind of sadness and pain he was feeling. He felt like his heart had just been yanked out of his chest. He had lost a part of him, he was crippled, and he knew he would never be the same again.

    He knew that his life would be one of misery, that¡¯s if he didn¡¯t put an end to it. Because in all honesty, this life was not worth living without Eira, his mate.

    Amidst all the confusion, Zhelimir appeared while dragging Jacob, while Janis was crying and screaming his name behind him. The hybrid threw Jacob in front of the king and queen, his face bruised and beaten and his arms tied behind his back.

    ¡°Zhel please!¡± Janis cried

    Zhelimir pushed Janis away and gave her re warning her to stay back. He loved this woman, he really did, but the anger and fury he was feeling towards her brother was too immense, and he didn¡¯t want to hurt Janis identally.

    Ivan pushed through the crowd, his wife following him closely behind and stood next to where his son was kneeling.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this Zhelimir?! How dare you treat my son in such a way?!¡±

    ¡°Look at her!¡± Zhelimir growled at Jacob, ¡°look what you did to her you bastard! You killed Eira!¡± As he yelled, tears were flowing down his face. Zhelimir had just lost a sister, someone who he considered his best friend, all because of this selfish man.

    Ivan looked down at his son and then back to Zhelimir. ¡°What in the world are you talking about Zhelimir?¡±

    ¡°Jacob killed her!¡± The hybrid yelled. Earning gasps from everyone around.

    ¡°That is a big usation Zhelimir,¡± Ivan spoke out, ¡°watch what you¡¯re saying!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?! Ask him, ask him about how he snuck poison into Eira¡¯s water!¡± Zhelimir yelled. ¡°You still have doubts?¡± The hybrid pointed to Janis, ¡°she saw it! She saw him pour the poison into the water that Eira drunk before their battle.¡±

    Elena looked up at her daughter, her eyes full of disbelief and fear. ¡°Janis? Is this true?¡±

    Janis looked at her brother and nodded, ¡°it¡¯s true, I saw him putting something in the water that he gave Eira before the fight, when I asked him about it he told me to mind my own.¡±

    ¡°What proof do you have that it was poison?!¡± Ivan yelled. ¡°The princess could have eaten a plenty of other things before this moment.¡±

    ¡°Father, Isabe and I were with Eira all day,¡± Janis spoke out while sobbing uncontrobly, ¡°the only thing she ate or drunk, was the water that Jacob gave her! Can¡¯t you see, he has finally sumbed to madness! He couldn¡¯t handle Eira being with someone else so much, that he decided to end her life!¡±

    Jacob looked at the red head in Elric¡¯s arms, and it was then, that all that was happening hit him. ¡°Is she... is she dead?¡±

    Elric red at the elven man, his fangs bared and ready to rip him apart. How dare he have the audacity to ask such a question? After all, he was the one responsible!

    ¡°No...¡± Jacob mumbled. ¡°No! I didn¡¯t do this! I would never want to hurt Eira! No!¡± Jacob tried to reach for Eira¡¯s hand but Elric growled viciously and stopped him in his tracks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch her!¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t kill her!¡± Jacob yelled.

    ¡°Then how do you exin the evidence?!¡± Gareth yelled. ¡°Exin yourself Jacob, and for the love of the gods you better be innocent!¡±

    ¡°Wait, your majesty please,¡± Jacob pleaded, ¡°I admit it! I did put a potion into the water I gave the princess, but it was not poison I swear to you!¡±

    ¡°Lies!¡± Zhelimir roared angrily. ¡°What could you be possibly putting in her water if not poison.¡±

    Jacob paused a moment, he had no choice, if he wanted to take away any suspicion from himself and prove himself innocent, he had to admit he was about to cheat in thepetition.

    ¡°It was a love potion!¡± Jacob yelled. ¡°I wanted to use a love potion on the princess so I could make her my wife! I had no malicious intentions, I¡¯m madly in love with Eira! I love her! I¡¯d rather die than harm her. believe me!¡±

    ¡°You fool!¡± Renly yelled, ¡°that was no love potion, that was a very potent poison. Because of your selfishness, you killed her! Who sold it to you?!¡±

    ¡°Tell us now and maybe your punishment will be lenient!¡± Gareth yelled. ¡°Where did you get the potion Jacob?!¡±

    With a trembling hand, Jacob pointed to Maxim, ¡°him! I stole the potion from his home! I heard him speaking to a woman through a mirror about using a potion on the princess. I thought it was a love potion, so I took it for myself to use, I didn¡¯t know he was plotting to poison her I swear!¡±

    Everyone turned to look at Maxim. The elven man waspletely mortified, so it was Jacob who had stolen the potion from him?! And that stupid man had used it on Eira?! This was not how things were supposed to go, he had changed his mind about using the potion. And Ronda, she had lied, she had said the potion was going to put the princess into a deep sleep, not to kill her!

    Oh gods! What had he done?!

 Chapter 308 - 308 Chapter 308 : Life can be cruel

    308 Chapter 308 : Life can be cruel

    Zhelimir turned to Maxim, his throat running dry as he uttered his name. ¡°Maxim?.. You? You were plotting to kill Eira all this time?¡±

    Maxim nced at all the pained and disappointed faces that were staring at him, and he felt his heart sink, a veil of shame enveloped him as he bowed his head in anguish. This was not how things were supposed to turn out, he had never intended for any of this to happen.

    ¡°I admit it,¡± the green eyed elven man mumbled in a trembling sorrowful voice. ¡°I was sent here to wreak havoc on the royal family. That had been my mission from the start.¡±

    ¡°You bastard!¡± Damien roared, ¡°I knew there was something off about you! I should have trusted my gut!¡±

    ¡°I was not going to go through with it!¡± Maxim yelled. ¡°After I got to know the princess, I realized I couldn¡¯t bring myself to harm her or anyone that she loves! Before Jacob stole the potion, I had already tolddy Ronda that I would not be part of her plot for vengeance, I was merely waiting for the right moment to dispose of the potion, but it was taken from me before I got the chance.¡±

    Maxim looked to Eira¡¯s lifeless body before leaning forward and cing his forehead on the ground. ¡°I admit this is my fault, and I will ept any punishment for harming Eira, I would even ept death if that will take away the guilt I feel now. But you should know, I cared deeply for Eira, so much so that I was willing to face whatever wrathdy Ronda would bestow upon me after forsaking her mission.¡±

    Melissa pinched her eyebrows together, dy Ronda?¡± She mumbled before looking up at her husband.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be the same Ronda can it?¡± Gareth mumbled to his wife.

    Melissa pried herself from her husband¡¯s arms and shifted her angry re between her husband and her mother inw. ¡°I told you to get rid of that crazy woman! I told you! Now look at what she has done!¡±

    .....

    ¡°Mel, please calm down...¡± Gareth reached for his wife but she whipped her hand and pushed him away with whip of shadows.

    ¡°Calm down?! Gareth my daughter is dead because you chose to show mercy to that vile woman! This is as much your fault as it is Jacob¡¯s or Maxim¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°Melissa this is no time to start throwing around me,¡± Tauriel spoke out. ¡°We are all deeply affected by what¡¯s happening, pull yourself together child.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one to talk! Everywhere you go tribtions follow! Look what your daughter and grandson had to go through!¡± The shadows around Melissa were going into a frenzy as her temper soared. ¡°All of you! All of you wanted my baby dead!¡±

    Gareth gave Renly a nod before he got up and took careful steps towards his weeping wife. Grief had engulfed her, and now hysteria was taking over. Her powres were responding to her pain, and they were getting dangerous.

    ¡°Mel, my wife, please calm down... I loved our daughter as much as you did, I would never want any harm to befall her.¡±

    ¡°Stay away from me!¡± Another wave of shadows flew Gareth¡¯s way, but he was able to block them with light magic.

    Gareth could feel his wife¡¯s sadness, and it was consuming her quickly. If he didn¡¯t get her under control quickly, a lot of people would wind up hurt, or possibly dead.

    ¡°Do it...¡± Gareth mumbled.

    And before Melissa could know what was going on, Renly injected something in the back of her neck, making her hiss in pain and sway to the side.

    Gareth reached for her and scooped her up in his arms, securing her tightly as she lost consciousness. Too much was happening all at once, even he couldn¡¯t handle so much emotional stress, he needed to put his wife to bed, recuperate, and then tend to the death of his daughter. He turned to his guards and ordered part of them to arrest Maxim and Jacob, while he ordered the rest to tend to Elric.

    ¡°Throw those two traitors in the dungeon until I decide what punishment befits their crimes,¡± hemanded. ¡°And as for my daughter and her mate, give them whatever support is required until I return.¡± Gareth then turned to Zhelimir who was weeping at the loss of his cousin, ¡°stay with them.¡±

    ¡°Yes your majesty!¡±

    ¡°Gareth!¡± Ivan stood in front of the king and gave him a pleading look. ¡°Please your majesty, that is my son, have pity.¡±

    ¡°You should have pity on me Ivan,¡± Gareth responded as tears flowed down his face. ¡°You still have your child, I don¡¯t.¡±

    Ivan was left speechless, he stepped aside and watched helplessly as the king walked away, his unconscious wife in hand. The look of loss and pain in Gareth¡¯s eyes, it made Ivan feel like his was but a child¡¯s tantrum.

    ¡°Father! Father don¡¯t let them take me! You know I would never want to harm Eira! Please father! Please!¡±

    Ivan looked away as the guards dragged Jacob away. He loved his son, but Jacob had to learn that every action had consequences.

    The crowd in the field dwindled as the guards escorted them out, until only a few people were left, quietly sobbing and grieving over Eira¡¯s death.

    Unable to move, Elric still held on to Eira, even if his arms were now going numb from the cold and the weight of her now lifeless body, he still held her tight. He could not move, his mind, his soul, every fiber of his being, refused to let her go. Not just yet.

    Zhelimir walked to the silver haired prince and knelt beside him, his eyes unable to look down at the princess¡¯ once radiant and beautiful face.

    ¡°Elric, we must take her to the chapel now.¡±

    The lycan did not respond for a long momemt. He had his face buried in her hair, and his arms wrapped around her so tightly.

    Zhelimir did not push him, she was his mate after all, he could only imagine what he was going through in that moment. Zhelimir quietly asked the gaurds and all the others who were standing by to give them some privacy, and they obliged.

    After about twenty minutes, Elric finally rose his head. His eyes were still misty and he still held on to Eira tightly.

    ¡°She¡¯s getting cold,¡± he mumbled as he covered her with his coat. ¡°We should go inside or she might get sick.¡±

    Zhelimir felt like bursting into tears a second time at the lycan¡¯s words. He wiped his eyes before nodding at Elric, and giving him a pained smile. ¡°I know where we can take her that¡¯s very warm. Come with me.¡±

    Zhelimir was crippled with sorry every time he looked back at the lycan prince as they walked to the chapel morgue. The poor man had taken off his own coat and wrapped it around Eira, and once in a while, Zhelimir would hear him whisper things to Eira as if she were still alive.

    Life could be truly cruel, and it seemed it¡¯s cruelty had sent Elric over the edge.

 Chapter 309 - 309 Chapter 309 : I can help you

    309 Chapter 309 : I can help you

    CLING!

    CLANG!

    BANG!

    Jacob dropped to his knees and wept, angry and hurt by everything that had happened. He had been thrown into jail, possibly would be sentenced to death, and worst of all; he had a hand in the death of the woman he loved.

    ¡°Eira!¡± Jacob screamed and mmed the ground with his fists, bruises riddling his knuckles, but he did not care. His Eira, his beautiful Eira was gone.

    In the corner of the same cell that held Jacob, Maxim was sitting with his face leaning into his knees. To say he was sad was an understatement, the green eyed elf was devastated. All this was his fault, he deserved to die, not Eira.

    Jacob got to his feet and turned to look at Maxim, a new found rage sipping into his blood at the sight of the man who was responsible for Eira¡¯s demise. He marched to where Maxim was sitting and grabbed his cor, dragging him to his feet and punching him right in the face.

    Maxim tumbled backwards and hit into the wall. Before he could rpense himself, Jacob grabbed him again andnded another blow right on his nose, causing blood to flow profusely from it.

    After several seconds of waiting for the next punch, Maxim looked up at Jacob, he was ring daggers at him, growling like a rabied dog with his knuckles tainted in blood.

    .....

    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Maxim mumbled. ¡°Hit me again, break my nose, gouge my eyes out, render me unconscious!¡± Tears trickled down Maxim¡¯s face as he gnashed his teeth together in anguish, ¡°if not for me, princess Eira would still be alive, I don¡¯t deserve to fill my lungs with air.¡± He slowly got up and took a few wobbly steps towards Jacob. ¡°Kill me, hit me as much as you can and end my life! Please!¡±

    Jacob pushed Maxim away and spat at his feet. ¡°Death would be too easy a punishment for you,¡± he growled angrily. ¡°You deserve to stay alive and live through what you¡¯ve done, you don¡¯t deserve the escape that is death, that would be mercy to the likes of you.¡±

    Maxim bowed his head in dejection, wishing he had never epted Ronda¡¯s deal. He wished his sister had never found work at the royal pce, and above all, in this moment, he wished he had never been born.

    Jacob walked to the other end of the cell and sat down, his mind fighting suicidal thoughts. If he could, he would slit his throat right now and join his beloved wherever she was.

    *

    Zhelimir sighed as he watched Elric sitting next to Eira¡¯s body, that had been ced on a stone bed in the chapel morgue. The lycan prince had her hand in his, stroking it gently while speaking softly to her.

    This was how strong the bond of mates was, when one sumbed to the cold hands of underworld, the other would sumb to madness and eventually follow. It was a sad reality, but it was just how things were.

    Zhelimir turned to leave so he could go and help with themotion that was obviously sweeping the kingdom, when he bumped into Gavin.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the human hybrid aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I prefer to referred to as an alchemist in training,¡± Gavin responded while trying to look over Zhelimir¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How is he doing?¡±

    ¡°Take a guess, his mate just died...¡± Zhelimir leaned against the door post and shook his head. ¡°I fear he may be running mad. It¡¯s an incredibly sad and pitiful sight in there, if you¡¯re faint hearted, I¡¯d advise you to stay out here.¡±

    ¡°I see, is it possible for me to speak with him for a moment?¡±

    Zhel nced back to Elric and raised his shoulders, ¡°you could try, but the poor man really isn¡¯t in the right state of mind right now.¡±

    Gavin pat Zhelimir¡¯s shoulder and approached the morgue door, ¡°I think he may be interested in the few words I have for him... umm words offort that is.¡±

    Zhelimir knew he should have been weary of what Gavin had just said, but he really did not have the mental constitution for all of that. He gave the human hybrid a wave and slowly walked down the hall towards the exit.

    ¡°Do whatever it is you want,¡± Zhelimir mumbled, ¡°just don¡¯t upset him, I can¡¯t promise that he won¡¯t tear you limb from limb.¡±

    When Zhelimir left the chapel, Gavin drew a quick breath and walked into the morgue towards where Elric was sitting. Zhelimir was right, the sight of Elric stroking Eira¡¯s hand and speaking to her was heartbreaking, he needed to help this poor man, that after all, was the work of an alchemist.

    ¡°Sorry, may I interrupt your conversation you two,¡± Gavin mumbled sheepishly as he pulled a chair and sat across from Elric.

    The lycan had a serious face on, and was ring at Gavin skeptically. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know me,¡± he replied as calmly as possible. ¡°I¡¯m Gavin, Renly¡¯s son.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the young wizard...¡±

    ¡°I go by ¡®alchemist¡¯ but anyway, that is not why I¡¯m here.¡± Gavin inched closer to Elric and gave him a hopeful look. ¡°I think I can be able to help you prince Elric, I may be able to help you see princess Eira again.¡±

    Something happened in the lycan¡¯s mind, and it made him rise to his feet abruptly. That¡¯s right, Eira, his mate, had left this earth, and he might never see her again.

    ¡°You can?...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not one hundred percent certain,¡± Gavin admitted, ¡°but what kind of alchemist would I be if I didn¡¯t try. I can see how life has been unfair to you, and it is my job to help make life fair for every being Ie across, so please, allow me to try and help.¡±

    That was all it took, that little glimmer of hope was all Elric needed. Yes, Eira had left this world, but he had seen crazier things being achieved with the use of magic. If this young wizard was willing to help in anyway, Elric would dly ept the offer.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do this without your help prince Elric,¡± Gavin exined, ¡°and I must make mention that this will be a difficult and very dangerous spell, but if you¡¯re willing to-¡±

    ¡°I ept!¡± Elric responded without a second thought.

    ¡°Hold on prince Elric, I have not told you the risks of this spell. You could die.¡±

    ¡°Without Eira I am lifeless, I am as good as those corpses rotting out in the graveyard,¡± Elric responded sternly. ¡°I¡¯d rather die trying to be with my mate, than to sit by and endure a miserable life without her.¡±

    Gavin nodded before getting up, ¡°alright then, this is what we have to do...¡±

    ______________________

    This chapter is dedicated to my dear reader Rachelmytorment. Happiest birthday and thank you so much for your interactions and supporting the book!

    If you wish to reach out to me dear readers, I have an Instagram @author_bee1429. I¡¯d love to hear what you have to say <3 much love < p>

 Chapter 310 - 310 Chapter 310 : All grieve differently

    310 Chapter 310 : All grieve differently

    After Gareth made sure that his wife was safely tucked into bed and breathing, he walked to their bathroom and nced at his reflection in their water stained mirror.

    The grief and sadness he had been holding in from the moment he realized his daughter was gone, finally bubbled up to the surface, and the elven king cried bitterly.

    He had failed, not only as a king, but as a husband and a father. He had failed to see that an enemy had infiltrated his pce, he had failed to protect his only child, and he had failed his wife by allowing soneone to take away the child she suffered so much to give life to.

    Gareth mmed his fist on the edge of the water basin, almost cracking it in the process. What kind of pathetic man was he? He didn¡¯t deserve to be called a king,ter on a husband or father. If he couldn¡¯t protect his own family, how in the world was he going to protect an entire kingdom?

    ¡°Father,¡± Gareth mumbled painfully as tears flowed down his handsome face. ¡°I need your counsel now more than ever, why did you have to leave this earth so soon?¡±

    After king James Burchard passed at the ripe old age of a hundred and twenty, queen Margret decided to leave the kingdom and settle out in the countryside on her own. Being that Gareth and his mother were not in the best of terms, ever since the incident with the dwarve princess all those years ago, he couldn¡¯t stop her, but like a good son, he did offer her to live at the pce.

    Queen Margret was a proud woman, and because of that, she still insisted on living on her own and sending the asional letters to her son. She had visted a few times to see her granddaughter, but that was it, she never overstayed her wee even when she clearly wanted to.

    Gareth made a mental note to inform her of Eira¡¯s demise, it would break the poor woman¡¯s heart. Even if she saw very little of Eira, queen Margret loved her granddaughter dearly.

    Gareth finally ran out of tears and washed his face. Regardless of how defeated and downcast he was feeling, he had to put on a brave face, even though a failure, he was still king and needed to act as such.

    .....

    He walked out of the bathroom towards the bed where his wife was still out cold, and leaned over her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry my love, I have failed you,¡± he whispered to her and pushed strands of red hair from her face. He then leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly, before heading for the exit.

    Out in the hallway, Zander, Ozias, Odran, Beric, Rnd and Finwe all stood waiting for him. They wereter joined by Renly, who was worried about the well-being of the queen after being dosed with so much anesthesic drugs.

    When the door opened, all the men stepped back and bowed when Gareth walked out.

    ¡°Your majesty,¡± they uttered in unison, more out of pity than respect.

    ¡°Thank you all for being here,¡± Gareth mumbled. He tried to wear a fake smile, but even that proved impossible to do.

    ¡°How is her highness doing?¡± Renly asked in concern.

    ¡°She¡¯s resting,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°do not worry Renly, her breathing and pulse is normal, she will be fine.¡±

    Renly nodded in relief, ¡°that¡¯s good, I will leave her be for now, but willter have to tend to her self inflicted wounds and give her another dose in case she¡¯s still hysterical.¡±

    ¡°That is not a problem,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°you have my permission.¡±

    ¡°So what happens now?¡± Zander asked the elven king, ¡°the kingdom is in chaos to say the least, and we have two potential murderers on our hands, one of whom is the son of a dear friend.¡±

    ¡°Let us convene in the meeting hall,¡± Gareth responded and began to walk down the hallway, ¡°this is not the ce to discuss such a sensitive matter.¡±

    *

    The former elven queen Tauriel paced her chambers angrily as she tried hard to stop the tears from flowing out her eyes.

    ¡®Everywhere you go turmoil follows! This is as much your fault as it is hers! You wanted my baby dead!¡¯

    Melissa¡¯s harsh words were practically etched into Tauriel¡¯s mind. The nosferatu queen was right, this was all her fault. She had lived with Ronda all this time and had not noticed that she was nning such a despicable scheme right under her nose.

    Because she had raised the little elven woman like her own, her fondness for her had blinded Tauriel from seeing the kind of monster Ronda really was.

    And now her grand baby was gone, all because she made a bad call and kept a venomous snake by her side.

    The elven woman dropped to her knees and wept grievously. ¡°Oh Eira, my sweet beautiful Eira, can you ever forgive me?¡±

    A knock at the door made Tauriel wipe her eyes and mumble a shaky e in¡¯.

    The first person to enter was her daughter Estel, followed by Aiden and then Damien. Estel ran to her mother and hugged her, she too had puffy eyes, indicating that she had been crying as well.

    ¡°It is all my fault,¡± Tauriel sobbed as she embraced her daughter. ¡°If only I had-¡±

    ¡°No mother, do not me yourself,¡± Estel hushed the woman. ¡°What happened is terrible, but it¡¯s all Ronda¡¯s doing and not yours.¡± She pulled away and wiped her mother¡¯s face. ¡°I promise she shall be dealt with ordingly for her treacherous sins.¡±

    ¡°But how? If word of my granddaughter¡¯s demise reaches her, she will flee.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a chance she will not get,¡± Aiden responded coldly.

    His eyes were not puffy, but one could see from the angered and confused look on his face that he too was feeling broken.

    ¡°My royal guard has already received instructions to capture Ronda and hold her in the dungeon until Damien can ride for Ervelon,¡± Aiden exined.

    Tauriel turned to look at her grandson whose expression sent chills down her spine. Rather than hurt or broken, Damien seemed darker, looking at him was like looking into a pitch ck bottomless pit. What had consumed him between anger, guilt or grief, Tauriel could not tell.

    ¡°I should have trusted my gut instinct about Maxim,¡± Damien mumbled, his eyes glued to the floor and his fists balled up. ¡°If I had done so and reacted in time, Eira would have still been alive. Now it¡¯s my duty to nip this right at the source...¡±

    When Damien looked up at his grandmother, Tauriel almost shuddered. His eyes werepletely ck, and his fangs were bared like never before.

    ¡°I,¡± Damien dered in an icy tone, ¡°will be that wicked woman Ronda¡¯s executioner.¡±

 Chapter 311 - 311 Chapter 311 : Eighty percent

    311 Chapter 311 : Eighty percent

    Elric nced at his beautiful mateying unmoving on the cold stone b and turned back to look at Gavin.

    ¡°And you are positive this will work?¡± He asked the alchemist. ¡°I can really see her gain? Hold her in my arms?...¡± he walked to her body that was now cold and pale, and grazed her cheek with his finger tips, ¡°I can see those beautiful amethyst eyes beaming with life again?¡±

    ¡°I am eighty percent sure of it,¡± Gavin responded honestly. ¡°But time is of the essence, the longer she remains in this deceased state of hers, the harder it will be to transmigrate her soul. We must act fast before she permanently leaves this world.¡±

    When Gavin was still young, he would hear his father and mother talk about the dark art of transmigration that was only done by the mages of the rocks, and the topic caught his attention.

    The idea of using the art of magic to move one¡¯s soul from one existence to another after death, intrigued him greatly. But when he brought it up with his father, Renly immediately shut it down and burnt all the literature his son had collected on the topic.

    Gavin was warned that forbidden magic was forbidden for a reason, but that did not take away his curiosity to learn how it worked. So instead, he would study it secretly, using small animals like rats and other creaters to test it.

    Gavin had failed countless times, Until the day his cat died. Before his father could burry Mittens, Gavin took him out into the woods and tried to transmigrate the cat¡¯s soul, but to his dismay, nothing seemed to have happened.

    Mittens was buried and Gavin gave up on transmigration, until one day a cat that looked a lot like his old cat jumped through his window and curled up on his bed.

    When he called to the cat, it responded just like Mittens would. Even the cat¡¯s antics where simr to his old cat, it was then that he picked his books back up and began to perfect his skill. And now, he was eighty percent sure he could perform it on a human soul.

    .....

    ¡°I¡¯m positive that I will be able to reunite the two of you prince Elric,¡± Gavin repeated himself.

    ¡°Eighty percent?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gavin nodded. ¡°The twenty is for my uncertainties. You see, I can and I will transmigrate princess Eira to life again, but the problem is, I don¡¯t know which reality or timeline she will transmigrate to, hence the eighty percent.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Elric gasped, ¡°but you said you could make it possible that I see her, and now you¡¯re saying she could be reborn in any timeline where I may or may not exist?!¡±

    ¡°Calm down prince Elric. Yes, I cannot guess the location or timeline of the princess¡¯ rebirth,¡± Gavin exined to the disgruntled prince carefully. ¡°But once she¡¯s reborn, I can trace her aura and pinpoint it, making it possible for me to send you to where she will be.¡±

    Elric¡¯s face rxed a little at the young wizard¡¯s words, as long as there was a possibility of seeing his beloved again, he cared not where this ludicrous magic would hurl him to.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get to it then,¡± Elric replied anxiously. ¡°You said time is of the essence didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes I did, but a word of caution prince Elric,¡± Gavin warned the silver haired lycan. ¡°Once you are transmigrated, it may not be possible to bring you back here. You may never see your friends, your family, or anyone you know ever again.¡±

    The young wizard put his hand on Elric¡¯s shoulder, ¡°you¡¯ll be as good as dead,¡± he exined, ¡°is that something you¡¯re willing to risk?¡±

    Elric¡¯s honey brown eyes fell on Eira, while his mind wondered to his family. He would have to say goodbye to his mother and break her heart all over again, his father would be devastated to lose an heir, and his brothers, well, they could live without him but he was still going to miss them.

    But what was the life of a lycan without his mate? Even though surrounded by his family and hundreds of other friends? A miserable one, that¡¯s what.

    Elric had heard of people who had lost their mates, many of them were insane, and most dead, either from suicide or depression.

    The lycan would rather die trying to be with Eira, than live a life of misery awaiting an imminent demise.

    ¡°My mind is made Gavin, I must be reunited with my mate.¡±

    Gavin nodded, ¡°alright, it will take me a day and a half to prepare everything for the ritual. Meet me the day after tomorrow at noon, in the uncharted forest near the waterfall.¡±

    ¡°Alright...¡±

    ¡°And your grace, you must find a way to prevent princess Eira¡¯s body from being buried, we need it for the ritual.¡±

    Elric gulped but nodded in agreement. If they thought he was losing his mind before, theing day and a half they were going to think he had lost all sanity. But it was a small price to pay to ensure everything went along smoothly, and he could go after the love of his life.

    ¡°You could also use the time to be with close friends and family,¡± Gavin advised Elric. ¡°You may never see them again.

    *

    Ronda walked through the garden of flowers tending to her thoughts. That bastard Maxim had been quiet for far too long without giving any updates on the mission at hand.

    Had he really gotten cold feet and abandoned the n? No, that wasn¡¯t possible, he knew what was at stake if he went against Ronda.

    But then why had he been so quiet? Had he been caught or something of that sort? The young elven woman was a little anxious about the whole thing, what if the Gavarian royal guard were on their way to Ervelon to apprehend her right now?

    She had to do something, before anyone caught word of her involvement in the n. She turned around to run back to the pce, but was blocked by arge man dressed in armor.

    When she took a step back, she realized that she waspletely surrounded by huge guards who towered over her, and each of them holding a different kind of weapon.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Ronda asked the men who didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Ronda of Ervelon?¡± One of the guards mumbled in a deep baritone. ¡°You are under arrest for crimes against Ervelon, and crimes against Meria!¡±

    ¡°What?! What in the world are you fools bbering about?! I did nothing wrong...¡±

    Completely ignoring her statement, the guard signaled the others. ¡°Take her away.¡±

    ¡°What?! Don¡¯t you dare touch me!¡± Ronda screamed, ¡°do you have any idea who I am?! I¡¯ll have all of you fired.¡±

    The guards did not heed to her warning. They grabbed her arms and ced them firmly behind her back, before pinning her roughly on the ground.

    ¡°It would be wise not to struggle,¡± the guard mumbled. ¡°If you do, we will be pushed to use force, and a delicate little elf like you would not appreciate that.¡±

 Chapter 312 - 312 Chapter 312 : What burial?

    312 Chapter 312 : What burial?

    Alpha Edron nced at his wife who was pouting and looking outside the window. It was evident that she was still upset about the little argument they had had over her letting their son ride off to Gavaria.

    She was wrong to let him go, those Gavarians, all they did was take and take and never gave anything back, regardless of what rtionship Elric had with Gareth¡¯s daughter, it was in his best intrest of he stayed away from that family.

    But darn it all, he couldn¡¯t stand not talking to his wife, on most long carraige rides she would be cuddled up in his arms, and especially in this cold wether.

    Edron slowly moved from his side of the carriage and sat next to his wife, she nced at him, rolled her eyes and turned back to the window.

    ¡°Darling aren¡¯t you cold? Here let me warm you up..¡±

    Before his hand could go over her shoulders, La stopped his attempt at cuddling her. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare Edron, you¡¯re sitting here in this carraige on your way to break two people apart. You left your kingdom with an aim to take our son away from his mate, and you sit here trying to hold me? Have you no shame?¡±

    The lycan sighed and ced his hands on hisps, ¡°darling I¡¯m doing this for the good of our son, there¡¯s more to life than falling in love. Elric is a prince, he can draw fulfillment from many other things.¡±

    ¡°Easying from a man who murdered an entire pack for a woman!¡± La fired back. ¡°You say Elric is impulsive in the way he handles matters of the heart, but you¡¯re too blind to see that he gets it from you!¡±

    Edron looked away feeling a little ashamed, it felt almost like his wife had held up a mirror to his face and he could finally see that his son was like him in more ways than one.

    .....

    ¡°La what do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°I want you to let our son choose for himself what he wants out of life! If he wants to pursue love then let him, that won¡¯t make him any less of a prince!¡±

    ¡°I worry for him, you¡¯ve seen what he¡¯s been through in the name of pursuing love?¡±

    He took his wife¡¯s hands in his and rubbed them gently, ¡°I¡¯m not for the idea of Elric being involved with those people, it always ends in nothing but trouble, but if we get there and he proves to me that Eira truly is good for him, I will let them be together.¡±

    La turned to look at her husband and for a brief moment her eyes sparkled.

    ¡°But she will have to return to the snonds with us,¡± Edron added on, ¡°I will not let my son stay away from home any longer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a start,¡± La mumbled and leaned into him.

    Edron wrapped his arms around her and sighed in relief, this is all he had wanted, for his mate to be safely tucked away in his arms. But before Edron could fully embrace his beautiful wife, she suddenly jolted upright and clenched the blouse of her dress.

    ¡°La?...¡±

    Beads of sweat littered her forehead and she began to gasp for air.

    ¡°La! Darling what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    La¡¯s eyes looked up at her husband, and with quivering lips told him she had a feeling something very terrible had happened.

    ¡°What is it?! Is it our son?!¡±

    The Luna shook her head as she tried hard to keep herposure long enough to formte words. ¡°His mate, something must have happened to Eira, it feels... so empty.¡±

    Edron had a bad feeling about this, if indeed something was wrong with Eira, Elric would not hesitate to risk his life for her. He might end up losing his son all over again.

    The alpha opened the small carraige window and screamed at the carraige man to move faster. They had no time to waste.

    *

    Elric sat close to Eira¡¯s body as the maids cleaned and tended to it. It was painful to see hery there motionless, with each passing hour looking less and less radiant.

    ¡°Your grace, we are finished,¡± one of the maids spoke with a curtsy.

    The other held a dress out in front of Elric, a beautiful lc gown that reminded him of her once beaming eyes. ¡°His majesty picked this out as the dress the princess will wear for the burial.¡±

    ¡°Burial? What burial?¡±

    The two maids nced at each other.

    ¡°Your grace, princess Eira¡¯s burial, it will be conductedter this evening-¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t,¡± Elric responded in a firm tone. ¡°No one is taking Eira anywhere. In fact, get her a beautiful blue dress and a coat, I want her to look beautiful tonight.¡±

    ¡°But your grace princess Eira is dead-¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not!¡± Elric roared, a little more aggressive than he intended. ¡°Eira... she¡¯s not gone, so whatever ns any of you have of holding a burial should be canceled, I will get her back... I just need a bit more time.¡± His voice trailed off as he held back tears, non of them could understand.

    ¡°Of course your grace,¡± the two women spoke synonymously. ¡°We will take our leave now and return with the gown you requested.¡±

    It seemed the two women had forgotten that Elric had the sharp hearing of a lycan, because they had barely left the chapel morgue when they began whispering among themselves.

    ¡°How sad, he really hasn¡¯t epted the princess¡¯ death yet.¡±

    ¡°I hear when a mate dies, the other plunges into madness, the poor prince, he must be taking it so hard.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s such a shame too, he¡¯s such a handsome man.¡±

    Elric sighed and looked to Eira, it would not be easy to keep this up, he couldn¡¯t keep postponing her burial without people questioning his sanity. He prayed Gavinpleted whatever preparations he had quickly, he couldn¡¯t keep this up for much longer.

    He walked to his mate and stroked her cheek, seeing how her beautiful face was looking now made the prince steel his heart. If he would be called a mad man yet again for the sake of Eira, he would dly take on that burden. After all, all this was so they could be together again, he just had to wait a little longer.

    ¡°I promise we¡¯ll be reunited my love, and I won¡¯t let anyone get in the way of that.¡± He gently pulled the nket over her body and ced a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Let me get you some clothes.¡±

 Chapter 313 - 313 Chapter 313 : Never want to be the reason you shed tears

    313 Chapter 313 : Never want to be the reason you shed tears

    ¡°Your majesty...¡± Jacob dropped

    to his knees and grabbed the bars of his cell, his face turned up to look at king Gareth who was looking down at him with an unreadable expression. ¡°Please your majesty I beg of you, allow me to see Eira one more time I implore you. I will ept any punishment for my involvement in all of this, but please allow me the privilege to see off the woman I love.¡±

    ¡°The woman you love you say?¡± Gareth mumbled as he looked at the young elf. What did Jacob know of love? What this young elf felt for his daughter was possessiveness and obsession, because love could have never led him to perform such a selfish act.

    ¡°Tell me Jacob...¡± Gareth spoke calmly yet sternly, ¡°if indeed what you felt for my daughter was love, why did you opt to use a potion to earn her affection? Even if that potion had not been poison, would you really have called what you and her would have had love?¡±

    Jacob lowered his eyes to the floor in shame, ¡°I... I was foolish your majesty, and I was desperate. I thought I was losing her to someone else and I sought a solution.¡±

    ¡°If you really loved my daughter Jacob, you would want her to be happy, even if it was not with you,¡± Gareth responded coldly, making Jacob want to shrink and disappear. ¡°You didn¡¯t love Eira,

    and now because of you..¡± Gareth nced at Maxim who was curled up in the corner. ¡°... because of both of you, no one will ever get to love her ever again.¡±

    Jacob felt himself crumble, he really had been selfish, and because of that, had yed a part in denying the world a jewel like Eira.

    The main door of the prison flew open and one of the royal guards walked to Gareth and bowed. ¡°Your majesty...¡±

    .....

    ¡°Have youpleted the preparations for the funeral?¡±

    The guard shook his head, ¡°everything is ready your majesty, but we have a problem. Prince Elric, he refuses to release the princess¡¯ body, and no one has been able to convince him otherwise.¡±

    Gareth sighed, he had somewhat anticipated this, as a mate, it would not be easy for the silver haired prince to let Eira go.

    ¡°I will speak with him,¡± Gareth told the guard, ¡°for now just make sure all are informed of the uing funeral, this dy may give us a bit of time to let others travel for it.¡±

    The guard bowed a second time and then turned to leave.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re both pleased with yourselves,¡± Gareth spoke without turning to look at Jacob and Maxim, ¡°look at all the turmoil you¡¯ve caused, all because you were greedy. Why don¡¯t you both sit here and think about what you¡¯ve done, while I think about what punishment is befitting of two people who murdered my only child.¡±

    With heavy hearts and a sinking feeling, Maxim and Jacob watched the king walk away. Wasn¡¯t this punishment enough? Sitting here in a cell drowning in the consequences of their sins, it was torture! So much so that death would be mercy.

    *

    Zhelimir looked up and saw his mother walking into his room. She gave him a small smile and closed the door behind her. Even though she had a smile on her face, Zhelimir could tell it was forced, and the puffiness of her eyes indicated that she had been crying.

    Vivian was particrly fond of Eira, not only because she was Melissa¡¯s daughter, but because of her impact in her son¡¯s life. Zander grew up timid and would asionally get bullied for it, but Eira would always stick up for him and gave him friendship when he had none. Eira was like a daughter to her, and losing her was very painful.

    ¡°Hello darling,¡± Vivian mumbled as she sat down on the edge of her son¡¯s bed. ¡°How are you coping?¡±

    Zhelimir¡¯s tears had long dried, but the pain and hurt in his heart raged on. He could not wrap his head around how he would go on without Eira, she was like his sister, always there for him when he needed her, and even more when he didn¡¯t, and now she was gone, just like that?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Zhel replied in a low tone. He sped his hands together and sighed, wondering if he would ever get over this feeling of loss.

    Vivian ced a gentle hand in Zhelimir¡¯s and rubbed them, ¡°no one is taking this well, Eira was so special to all of us, and now that-¡± his mother chocked and blinked speedily to hold back the tears that suddenly stung her eyes. ¡°Now that she¡¯s no longer with us, it¡¯s left us all with a huge void. But we need to be strong, there are others who are feeling the impact of her death more than we Zhel, we must be strong enough to be offort. Her parents, her mate, they are taking this very hard.¡±

    ¡°I know mother,¡± Zhelimir responded. ¡°I have personally seen how much of a mess aunt Melissa is, she had to be drugged to calm her down. Uncle Gareth isn¡¯t doing much better either, even if he puts on a brave face. And then there¡¯s prince Elric,¡± Zhelimir looked at his mother and sighed, ¡°if he makes it out of this grief alive and sane, it will be a miracle. I weep more for them than anything else.¡±

    His mother rubbed his hand gently, ¡°there are others who have been affected by this sad event as well. Others who feel they may have lost more people than just Eira.¡±

    Zhelimir stared at his mother in confusion, ¡°lost more people? Has anyone else died?¡±

    ¡°No sweetie,¡± Vivian responded, ¡°I¡¯m talking about Janis, the poor girl is suffering Zhelimir, and all

    for her brother¡¯s actions. She is terrified of losing you too, you need to talk to her.¡±

    Ah yes Janis, Zhelimir had been trying his level best not to think about her, because every time he did, he would feel rage. Rage that was directed at Jacob, was making it¡¯s way to Janis, but Zhelimir didn¡¯t want that, he didn¡¯t want to end up hating his blood half.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that I can,¡± Zhelimir mumbled, his fists tightening till his knuckles turned white. ¡°Every time I see her, I just feel so frustrated.¡±

    Vivian inched closer to her son and put her arm around him. She leaned his head onto her shoulder and began to stroke his golden locs.

    ¡°I know how you feel, but Janis had nothing to with this Zhel...¡±

    A tear tricked down once of Zhelimir¡¯s cheeks, ¡°the day before the shortlisting, she begged me to add her brother to the list somehow, and I stupidly obliged because I love her. Mother if I had not intervened, Jacob would have never had ess to Eira, and maybe she would have still been alive!¡± Zhelimir¡¯s tears that he thought had dried poured from his eyes as he gnashed his teeth and sobbed bitterly. ¡°I had a hand in her death mother! When I was the one who was supposed to protect her!¡±

    Vivian embraced her son andforted him, in that moment, he had reverted back to the timid little ten year old Zhelimir.

    ¡°It was in no way your fault sweetie,¡± Vivian assured her son. ¡°All this was castigated by Ronda¡¯s vengeful heart, and she should be the one to me, no one else.¡±

    Vivian waited for her son to calm down before cupping his face in her palms. ¡°You casting Janis aside is hurting you too.¡±

    ¡°It is not!¡±

    ¡°Zhelimir, when you were exining yourself just now, you said ¡®love¡¯ her rather than ¡®loved¡¯ her. That says a lot.¡±

    ¡°It was merely an error mother, you¡¯re reading too much into it.¡±

    ¡°Janis is your blood half, and in trying moments like this you need each other the most. Please sweetie, if you won¡¯t reach out to her for your own sake, at least do it for me.¡±

    Zhelimir had to admit, he did miss Janis badly, and that is one of the things that frustrated him the most. He was suppose to be angry with her, not wishing she was the one holding andforting him.

    ¡°I will go and see her when I can,¡± Zhelimir finally agreed.

    ¡°No need,¡± Vivian responded with a small smile. She stood up and walked to the door, ¡°I invited her over.¡±

    Vivian opened the door wide, and there in the doorway stood Janis, eyes puffy, streaks on her face from where her tears had been running, and her face red from the consistent crying.

    Seeing her like that made Zhelimir forget all about the resentment he had been feeling a few minutes ago. His legs moved on their own, and he made his way towards the sniffing young woman.

    ¡°Zhe... Zhelimir,¡± Janis mumbled between heavy sobs, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Zhelimir... I ... I didn¡¯t know this would happen I swear.¡± Her voice was breaking badly, and it was horse from all her crying. ¡°I was just trying to be a good... a good sister... I didnt know-¡±

    Zhelimir couldn¡¯t bare to watch her like this any longer, it was breaking his heart. He grabbed her trembling hand, which he could tell had be thinner, and pulled her into his arms.

    When her face crushed into his chest, and she felt his hands stroke her infort, she bawled her eyes out.

    ¡°I am so sorry,¡± Zhelimir whispered as he held her tight. ¡°I never want to be the reason you shed a tear ever again.¡±

 Chapter 314 - 314 Chapter 314 : What spell?!

    314 Chapter 314 : What spell?!

    ¡°Let¡¯s see... let¡¯s see...¡± Gavin rushed to the other

    end of theb and grabbed several potions and bottles that he stuffed in his satchel with much haste. The reincarnation circle was almost ready, all he needed was a few more things and he and Elric could get started.

    ¡°Glowstone dust.... spider eyes... and...¡± he nced at the shelves near the door and snapped his fingers, cussing slightly that he had almost forgotten the most important ingredients.

    Gavin rushed across the many piles of books, passed the narrow pass way littered with papers that had scribbled formuli on them, and dashed towards the shelves where he and his father kept the rarest and most potent artifacts known to alchemy.

    ¡°There you are,¡± he muttered in relief. He reached for the bottle and blew on it, holding it at eye¡¯s view before allowing a small smile to tug his lips. ¡°Eye of newt, a spell cannot beplete without you.¡±

    Gavin quickly threw the bottle into his satchel with the rest of his ingredients and turned around ready to leave. He suddenly paused when he saw his father Renly, standing at the door looking askance at his son.

    ¡°Do we have a job today?¡± Renly spoke with careful notation as he walked into the room. ¡°I was under the impression that our services were restricted to the king and his family until the princess is buried.¡±

    Renly stood mere inches from Gavin and studied his every reaction to the words he was uttering to him. He knew his son was up to something, he just needed to figure out what.

    ¡°Father, I didn¡¯t hear youe in,¡± Gavin responded as casually as he possibly could. ¡°Umm yes... the king, that is exactly what I intent to do. You see, we cannot know what other cmities lie ahead, so I thought if I practice my alchemy a little more, I may be of better help to his majesty.¡±

    .....

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Renly nodded in response and pretended to turn around, and just when Gavin lowered his guard for a second, he grabbed his satchel and peered into it. ¡°Gavin!¡±

    The dark haired man knew the ingredients within well, he had banned his son from using them several times in the past.

    Renly looked into his son¡¯s eyes, ¡°you¡¯re not nning to do what I think you¡¯re nning to do, now are you?...¡±

    Gavin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial that he tossed to the ground. Upon impact, the vial created a screen of smoke that allowed him to grab his satchel from his father and run out the room.

    ¡°Gavin!¡± Renly yelled while trying to cover his nose and mouth. ¡°You can¡¯t do this it¡¯s too dangerous!¡± The smoke was making his eyes water and his throat hurt, it took a lot out of him to walk towards the door his son had exited. ¡°Gavin!¡±

    Renly was now coughing uncontrobly and eventually his knees weakened, impelling him onto the ground. He looked up and noticed his vision blurring, and he cursed upon realizing what Gavin had infused him with.

    ¡°Hemlock...¡± Renly coughed as the ground beneath him drew closer. ¡°I taught you too well.¡±

    Gavin rushed out the door and towards the stables.

    ¡°Midnight!¡± He called as he secured his ingredients and winter coat. He had to get to Elric and the princess immediately. Once his father regained consciousness, the first thing he would do would be to tell the king of his n and ruin everything.

    And in a split second, the stable door burst open, revealing arge majestic ck horse that galloped powerfully towards him. He grabbed the reins and hoisted himself onto his steed.

    ¡°Come on boy, let¡¯s go!¡±

    *

    Elric stood up when the door to the chapel morgue flew open. He was expecting the guards of the pce to march in and arrest him for refusing Eira¡¯s burial, but instead, Gareth walked in and closed the door behind him.

    His face didn¡¯t show any emotion Elric was expecting either, he was not angry or agitated, but instead he looked worried and concerned, something Elric never thought he¡¯d ever see from Gareth.

    ¡°May I?¡± The elven king asked while pointing at an empty concrete b.

    ¡°This is your pce, I don¡¯t know why you have to ask me for permission to sit in your own morgue.¡±

    Elric narrowed his eyes when the corner of Gareth¡¯s mouth tugged ever so slightly. Had his response amused him somehow?. The elven king sighed and sat down on the b, his eyes sweeped over his daughter whoy motionless in front of him, before making their way back to the lycan prince who stood over her like a guard.

    ¡°I thought by now your hostility towards me would have receded.¡±

    Elric scoffed, ¡°I suppose old habits die hard.¡±

    A brief moment of silence filled the room as the two men processed their current predicament. Who would have though that they would go from wanting each other dead, to mourning someone they both loved dearly.

    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± Gareth muttered, to which he received silence as an answer as expected. Of course Elric was not holding up well, his mate had just died after all, it was utterly shocking that he was still standing there right now without attempting to take his own life.

    ¡°Parting with her is something none of us want to do Elric, but at this point in time there¡¯s not much we can do about it.¡± Upon receiving no response yet again, Gareth got to his feet and walked to the b where Eiray. He noticed that she looked clean and groomed, most likely a doing of Elric¡¯s.

    ¡°This ce can only keep her looking this beautiful for so long Elric, in time, less than you think, you¡¯ll have no choice but to part with her. I personally would not want to watch her beauty rot away, so I¡¯ll give you till the day after tomorrow to let go.¡± The elf turned to look at Elric who seemed unphased with the words he had just uttered. ¡°After that we burry her.¡±

    Elric scoffed again, this time earning a furrowed set of eyebrows from the elven king.

    ¡°I respect you as my daughter¡¯s mate Elric, but I won¡¯t be able to stand for you when you¡¯re used of madness by the masses.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t give less of a fuck about the masses Gareth,¡± Elric responded tly. ¡°Let them say whatever they please, I know what I¡¯m doing. And since no one else wants to take the initiative, I¡¯ll have to bring her back myself.¡±

    Gareth quickly nced at Elric, doubting if he had heard him right. Did he just say he would bring Eira back? Was it a possibility that she could be brought back to life? Was there something the lycan knew that Gareth did not?

    Gareth was about to march towards the silver haired lycan and demanded for answers, when the door of the morgue flew open and Gavin rushed in shouting.

    ¡°Carry the princess! We need to start the spell now!¡±

    Gavin looked up and met Gareth¡¯s gaze, almost immediately a silent ¡®fuck¡¯ and a sigh left his lips.

    Gareth shifted his gaze between the two men, his mind going in circles trying to connect the dots. ¡°What spell?¡± He asked ¡°Elric?! What the hell are you and Gavin ning on doing to my daughter?!¡±

 Chapter 315 - 315 Chapter 315 : A cold winter

    315 Chapter 315 : A cold winter

    Elric and Gavin exchanged tense nces, as if asking each other what the hell they were going to do next.

    The sliver haired lycan walked towards where his beloved¡¯s body wasying so he could pick her up, but Gareth used his light magic to form a barrier abound her.

    ¡°Not another step Elric!¡± Gareth warned, ¡°not until you tell me what you¡¯re up to!¡±

    Elric looked up, increasingly feeling frustrated. Couldn¡¯t this man see that he was trying to reunite with his mate? All this questioning he was doing was wasting precious time.

    ¡°Gareth, step aside...¡±

    The eleven king thickened the light barrier around his daughter and frowned.

    ¡°Eira is my daughter Elric, I¡¯m not just going to hand her to you without an exnation...¡±

    ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed ¡®your majesty¡¯, your daughter is dead!¡± Hearing himself say those words hurt Elric a little more than he anticipated. ¡°All I¡¯m trying to do, is it join her on the other side! If you waste any more time the transmigration spell won¡¯t work! Now step aside!¡±

    ¡°Transmigration spell?...¡± Gareth gulped at the thought. Wasn¡¯t that the forbidden magic that was used on them all those years ago? ¡°You want to use ck magic on my daughter?¡± He turned to Gavin and then back to Elric, ¡°are you both mad?! Have you forgotten the hurdles we went through because of ck magic?! All those wars, all that death and blood?!¡±

    .....

    ¡°Theres no other way Gareth!¡± Elric roared and mmed his fist against the light barrier Gareth had formed, slightly cracking it in the process.

    The shock at how the lycan was able to crack his light barrier was short lived, as Gareth was focused on the lengths to which Elric would go just to be with his daughter. What if the spell failed and they ended up in some far away world in a far awaynd? Or worse, what if they both died, never to be reborn again?! Gareth couldn¡¯t allow it, there had been enough chaos in his kingdom for one lifetime.

    ¡°Think Elric! Your emotions are draining you of all logic, you think a mage like Gavin can perform a spell asplex as that?! I will not allow you to get yourself killed and desecrate my daughter¡¯s body in the process, forget it!¡±

    The dark haired king tripled his barrier and frowned at the now growling lycan.

    Elric¡¯s animal instincts were beginning to rage, it was just matter of time untill Gareth became less of a man, and more of a thing standing between him and his mate, and once that happened, there would be blood.

    Gavin could read what was happening to the lycan prince all too clearly, the rage of a wolf who had lost his mate was not something that they could afford to unleash right now, he had to do something quickly before that dark aura that was slowly sipping out from Elric chocked them all.

    ¡°Your majesty!¡±

    Gareth shifted his gaze from Elric to Gavin who had called to him. The young man¡¯s face had an indifferent look, which made Gareth instinctively look down at Gavin¡¯s hand. And there, held firmly between Gavin¡¯s middle and index finger was a small vial with a dark fluid.

    ¡°Gavin, stop!¡±

    ¡°Forgive me your majesty!¡±

    Gaving threw the vial towards the elven king and turned to Elric.

    ¡°Your grace!¡± Gavin yelled and grabbed Elric¡¯s attention. ¡°Grab the princes and follow me! Hurry!¡±

    Elric turned to look at Eira, and to his surprise, the barrier around her began to crumble. As he reached for his beloved, he caught glimpse of Gareth who was holding on to the wall and coughing hysterically, obviously a consequence of whatever Gavin had thrown at him.

    ¡°Prince Elric! We must go now!¡± Gavin yelled a second time.

    It was just a matter of time before the guards came and arrested them both.

    Elric carried Eira and bolted towards the door after Gavin, as he ran, he transformed into his lycan form. He grabbed Gavin by the cloak and threw him onto his back, urging him to hold on to Eira and give him directions to where they were to go. Gavin nodded and did likewise, the adrenaline of just having tranquilized the king still rushing through his veins.

    *

    ¡°Your highness please,¡± Maria pleaded with Melissa who was stubbornly finishing up changing so she could leave. ¡°The king gave strict instructions for you to stay in bed until he says otherwise!¡±

    Melissa stood up straight and looked back at Maria with a cold stare. ¡°Maria, my only child was just murdered...¡±

    The way those words left her lips made Maria shudder. One could literally feel the pain in the redhead¡¯s heart as she spoke, no mother should ever have to bury their child, it was cruel.

    ¡°I can¡¯t justy in bed and let my husband bare all of that on his own, I need to be by his side. I need to ensure that the people responsible for my daughter¡¯s death are brought to book.¡±

    Melissa grabbed her coat and walked out of the room with Maria following closely behind.

    ¡°Where¡¯s my husband?¡±

    ¡°Last I saw him he was on the way to the chapel morgue your highness,¡± Maria responded in defeat, it was clear there was no convincing Melissa to stay in bed. ¡°I hear he wanted to speak to the lycan prince, the poor man has not left the morgue since Eira wasid there.¡±

    Melissa pulled her coat tighter as she walked out of the pce. She felt sorry for Elric, but at the end of the day, all of them would have to ept the fact that Eira was gone. The best they could do for her is to put her to rest and punish those responsible for her demise.

    She walked briskly towards the chapel, the cold icy wind bitting her cheeks. This was easily the coldest day of winter, and she couldn¡¯t spend it in bed while her husband was dealing with all thismotion.

    She walked into the chapel corridor and immediately heard her husband¡¯s voice, he was having a heated argument with Elric about Eira, what were they talking about? She inched closer and could hear them a little clearer. They were talking about a spell and ck magic.

    ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed ¡®your majesty¡¯, your daughter is dead! All I¡¯m trying to do, is it join her on the other side! If you waste any more time the transmigration spell won¡¯t work! Now step aside!¡±

    Melissa covered her mouth and gasped. Elric was trying to use dark magic to be with Eira? Could he really do that?! If so, was there a way she too could be able to see her little girl just one more time?

    Melissa was about to rush into the morgue when she heard the sound of something break, and before she could react, arge silver wolf burst out the door with Gavin and Eira on its back. There was no question about it, it was Elric.

    ¡°Wait! Elric!¡±

    Melissa was about to run after Elric when she heard her husband coughing and yelling Elric¡¯s name. She ran into the morgue and gasped when she saw Gareth on all fours on the floor, gasping for air.

    She would have to go after Elricter, right now, her husband needed her.

 Chapter 316 - 16 Chapter 316 : That idiot

    16 Chapter 316 : That idiot

    La squeezed her stomach and groaned, it was churning painfully the closer they got to the Gavarian royal pce, this definitely was not a good sign, a Luna¡¯s instincts were never wrong.

    As she watched the gaurds inspect their carraige and open the pce gates, she said a silent prayer. She beseeched the gods to do everything within their power to ensure her son and his mate was were okay, but something within her kept telling her things were already heading south.

    When their carraige came to a halt, Edron reached for his Luna¡¯s hand and stroked it gently.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much,¡± he uttered softly, ¡°nothing is wrong I promise you my love. Besides, Gavaria is the most secure ce in the continent, what harm could possiblye to our son and his mate?¡±

    La nodded and watched her husband step out of the carraige before he reached for her. Hesitantly she took his hand and stepped out into the paved courtyard of the pce, she soon realized she was not very fond of the ce. There was no moment she hade here and all was well, each time she stepped foot in this pce, there was always something that went tragically wrong.

    Edron tightened his hold on La¡¯s hand and nced around skeptically, wondering why no one wasing to we them, it was rather odd.

    But before long, Edron and La heard shouting and screaminging from the inside of the pce. The silver haired alpha was about to walk towards the pce doors so as to get a better view of what was going on, but as soon as he took a step forward, arge silver wolf, one he recognized almost instantly as his son, leapt through.

    On the back of therge beast, was a young man holding a woman who seemed unconscious.

    ¡°Elric!¡±

    .....

    The wolf¡¯s ears perked up at the sound of his mother¡¯s voice calling to him. Hended a few feet away, breathing heavily and watched his parents intently.

    La broke free from her husband¡¯s grip and ran towards her son, as she inched closer to him, her eyes fell on the young man and the woman on his back.

    The Luna¡¯s eyes circled when she recognized the young woman, that was princess Eira! But why was Elric carrying her like that? And why did she look

    so deathly pale?

    No, could it be that.....

    La gulped at the thought and stopped in her tracks. ¡°Elric, what¡¯s going on? Why does the princess look this way?¡±

    This silver wolf made a whimpering sound and took a step back, that sound alone was more that enough to let La know that her thoughts were right.

    The Luna gasped and covered her mouth before shaking her head in disbelief.

    ¡°No, no it can¡¯t be...¡± La¡¯s eyes began to water, for she knew the consequences of losing a mate to the cruel hands of death. ¡°What... what are you nning to do Elric?¡±

    When she saw the look in her son¡¯s honey brown eyes, she knew.

    ¡°Elric no!¡±

    She reached for him but he moved away and turned for the pce gate.

    ¡°Elric wait! There has to be another way!¡±

    When the sound of the yelling gaurds drew nearer, the silver wolf broke into a run towards the pce gates, leaving his mother screaming after him.

    It broke Elric¡¯s heart to put his parents through this yet again, but he really did not have a choice. He had a chance to be with Eira, and he had sworn to himself that he would not let anyone get in the way of that.

    As they broke through the pce gates, shoving the four guards who were stationed there aside, Gavin developed a new found sense of respect and admiration for the lycan prince. He was literally sacrificing everything for Eira, his family, his friends, and quite possibly his own life.

    Gavin held on tightly to Eira and made a vow, he was going to unite them no matter what it would take, He swore this upon his grandfather¡¯s grave.

    La watched helplessly as her son run off to his possible demise, she wanted to scream, cry andugh all at once, why was the world always so cruel to her boy?

    Edron grabbed La¡¯s shoulder and swiftly turned her around.

    ¡°What is he doing?! What happened to the princess?!¡±

    A group of guards emerged from the pce yelling after Elric.

    ¡°Get the horses! We can¡¯t let him escape!¡±

    Edron held both his wife¡¯s shoulders and shook them. ¡°Gods La! Say something!¡±

    The Luna looked up at her husband with eyes thatcked all emotion and uttered three words, ¡°Eira is dead.¡±

    Edron didn¡¯t need anything more, he knew what was toe. If the princess had died, he knew perfectly well that his son would not think twice about joining her in the afterlife.

    ¡°That idiot!¡±

    Edron transformed into his wolf and dashed after his love deranged son. He had to catch him before it was toote. Damn these bloody kids!

    La stood by the carriage feeling helpless as she watched her husband disappear into the horizon ahead. The truth of the matter was that, even if they somehow stopped Elric from ending his own life, without his mate, he would ultimately pass in due time.

    That was thew of mates, and it was bigger than all of them.

    *

    Melissa closed the door to her chambers and turned to Maria who was pacing the hallway nervously. When she saw the queen emerge from the room, she rushed to her and sped her hands together.

    ¡°Please your majesty, tell me, is the king alright?¡±

    Melissa nodded, earning a long sigh of relief from Maria.

    ¡°He is alright, he is merely unconscious,¡± Melissa spoke. ¡°The mage Gavin must have tranquilized him so he and Elric could get away with Eira¡¯s body.¡±

    ¡°But why in the Gods¡¯ good names would they want to do that?!¡± Maria eximed. ¡°I understand the lycan is still in denial but what will he gain from stealing the princess?!¡±

    ¡°A second chance with her,¡± Melissa mumbled and squeezed her chest. She looked up at Maria who was clearly buffled by her response and gave her a serious look, ¡°you must summon Renly immediately, he may know what Elric and his son are up to.¡±

    ¡°But your majesty-¡±

    ¡°Now Maria, go!¡±

    As the queen watched maria scamper away to do as she was told, she caught sight of a familiar face she had not seen in years. She walked slowly towards the beautiful woman and curtsied before her.

    ¡°Luna, what... why are you here? How did you-¡±

    ¡°You know what my son is nning to do don¡¯t you?¡± La spoke in a voiceced with grief. ¡°You must tell me everything.¡±

    Melissa nodded and gestured her unexpected guest towards the library, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡±

    *

    Tauriel walked to where her grandson was saddling up his horse and cleared her throat to get his attention.

    ¡°Damien...¡±

    The young hybrid turned to look at his grandmother and proceeded to bowing slightly. ¡°I am about to ride for Ervelon grandmother, is there something you needed?¡±

    Damien¡¯s face was still as dark as the pits of hell, his anger and need to avenge his cousin had consumed him so deeply that he was almost unrecognizable.

    Tauriel handed him a satchel, ¡°I packed you a few things for the road.¡±

    Damien took the satchel and bowed thankfully before mounting his steed.

    ¡°Damien, I worry about you,¡± Tauriel mumbled, ¡°don¡¯t you think you should be apanied on this journey?¡±

    ¡°I will be fine grandmother,¡± Damien responded coldly, ¡°I assure you that I can take care of myself.¡±

    He kicked the horse¡¯s sides and sped off, leaving his grandmother downcast.

    ¡°It¡¯s not you i worry about Damien,¡± Tauriel whispered to herself as she watched her grandson speed away. ¡°It is whoever will cross your path.¡±

 Chapter 317 - 317 Chapter 317 : Higher stakes of the same game

    317 Chapter 317 : Higher stakes of the same game

    ¡°Make a left over there your grace! By that moldy bolder!¡± Gavin yelled instructions to the lycan prince as he struggled to hold on to both the princess¡¯ lifeless body and the prince¡¯s thick coat. His arms and fingers were numbing, both from the blistering cold and the weight of the Eira, but he knew he only had to hold on a little while longer and they would arrive at their destination.

    At an unwavering speed, Elric followed Gavin¡¯s instructions to the letter. Now that his parents had somehow arrived in Gavaria, and Renly and him had practically attacked the king of thend, he knew that his time was up. If he and Eira didn¡¯t perform the reincarnation spell now, they might never get the chance, and if that happened... he may never see his mate ever again.

    Elric growled at the disturbing thought, no... he was not going to let that happen, he was going to see Eira again even if it cost him his very soul.

    ¡°There! Right there your grace!¡±

    Therge silver wolf halted in front of a narrow path that cut through a small thicket of trees. His pace slowed and his breathing became heavy as he walked along the path towards what seemed like a small clearing ahead.

    With every step Elric took, the reality of what he was about to do became more and more apparent. He thought back to the heartbreak in his mother¡¯s eyes back at the pce, and he could only imagine the fury in his father¡¯s once his mother had told him what had happened. But what could he do? Life had been unfair to him in love, it never came easy to him, he had always had to fight and sacrifice for it. This time would not be any different.

    Higher stakes of the same game of love

    And besides, for the first time ever, he had undoubtedly found his mate, he had found a woman who actually wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her. A woman who wanted no other but him, regardless of how unrefined, reckless and frightening he was. he would have to be utterly mad to let her slip through his fingers so easily.

    ¡°Here is fine,¡± Gavin spoke and nudged Elric to stop

    .....

    The lycan lowered his body so Gavin could get off and pull Eira with him without idently dropping her. He quickly morphed back and immediately reached for Eira, practically grabbing her from Gavin¡¯s hold.

    Elric secured the princess¡¯ cold body in his arms and looked forward to where the young mage was moving some twigs and branches aside, revealing something that made his spine tingle.

    Arge pentagram covered the clearing, drawn into the snowy ground by a dark brown liquid.

    Elric grimaced when he realized the dark brown liquid was dried out blood, to what or whom it belonged to, he did not wish to know.

    After clearling the gruesome ideogram of all forest debris, Gavin took a step back and whispered a few words. Candles that where stationed on each point of the pentagram set alight at the mage¡¯s murmurs and an eerie sound, like a faint whisper filled the open space.

    Gavin turned to look at the prince, and Elric was shaken by the urgency in his eyes. ¡°ce the the princess at the center of the pentagram your grace, we don¡¯t have much time. The disembodied whispers that reach your ears as we speak, they are here from the afterlife to im her soul, we must hurry!¡±

    Elric looked at the pentagram and felt his legs be heavy, was this really going to work? And what if it did not, then what? What if those whispers took Eira away from him forever?!

    ¡°Prince Elric!¡±

    The prince took a deep breath and carried Eira to the center of the circle, with much hesitation he lowered her onto the icy nket of snow. His cold calloused fingers brushed her cold cheek as he whispered to her;

    ¡°Please wait for me Eira, I¡¯ming...¡±

    ¡°Your grace, sorry to rush you, but I must proceed with the spell now!¡±

    Gavin gestured the prince to him by his side, to which Elric obliged and looked away. For some reason, he didn¡¯t even want to watch it happen, he feared if anything seemed like it was going wrong, he was going to rush to her and disrupt the entire thing. It was best he looked away and let the mage do what he needed to do.

    *

    ¡°Poisoned?... oh gods, Melissa I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    The redhead nodded and forced a smile. ¡°In a way I feel like I brought this upon myself,¡± she looked up at La and wiped a tear that had trickled down her cheek. ¡°I was selfish, to your son, and to my daughter. I put them both through so much, and all for what? A century old grudge?¡±

    Melissa wiped another tear that had trickled down her cheek, leaving behind a streak of despair on her delicate skin. Even though her lips were curved into a small smile, her eyes were sad and empty.

    ¡°This is what I get for putting my own selfish agendas ahead of fate,¡± she murmured, ¡°and because of it, because if my own selfish and foolish antics, I¡¯ve lost my daughter...¡± she looked up at La who had an expression on that was rather hard to read. The Luna looked like she could not decide on wether to resent or pity Melissa, an understandable reaction to their current predicament. ¡°... and you¡¯re about to lose your son.¡±

    ¡°Not if I can help it...¡±

    The two women turned towards the familiar voice, and there at the door, still looking a little disoriented stood Gareth, and holding him up by the arm was the mage Renly, who too looked like he had been a victim of Gavin¡¯s tranquilizing potion.

    Melissa got to her feet and ran towards her husband, worry and relief riddling her beautiful fact as she reached for man¡¯s cheek.

    ¡°Darling, what are you doing? You should be resting, you¡¯re not-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Gareth interjected and smiled slightly at her. He then gestured Renly to help him to a chair, where he sat down and rposed himself before proceeding to speak.

    ¡°Before I say anything else, I would like to extend my most sincere apologies to you La,¡± Gareth bowed his head slightly before looking the Luna right in her silvery eyes. ¡°My family and I have never made a proper apology on all the misery and heartache we caused you, so I¡¯d like to take this opportunity to say we are very sorry La, for everything.¡±

    Layal pursed her lips at the sincerity in the eleven king¡¯s eyes. After everything that has happened, the war in Ervelon, Melissa¡¯s pregnancy, Elric¡¯s disappearance.... she had subconsciously told herself she would never get an apology, and that life would just go on like nothing had ever happened and she would be alright with that. But now after hearing Gareth¡¯s sinsere words of remorse, her heart was filled with emotions she couldn¡¯t quite tell apart.

    ¡°I know that words alone will not make up for all we¡¯ve put you and your husband through,¡± Gareth added on, ¡°so that is why, I will take it upon myself to save Elric from the grim fate that awaits him if he tries to go after Eira.¡±

    La lifted her eyes from the floor back to Gareth¡¯s face and stared at him befuddled. ¡°Go after Eira?¡±

    Gareth nodded and turned to Renly, ¡°go ahead Renly, tell them everything you told me.¡±

    Renly took a quick breath as all the eyes in the room befell him, the situation was dire, and time was of the essence. Gavin was a talented mage, but he was inexperienced, if the slightest thing went wrong during the spell he was attempting to cast, they would lose not only the princess, but Elric, and everyone else wishing a ten mile radius of that spell.

    ¡°Your majesties, forbidden magic is at y as we speak....¡±

 Chapter 318 - 318 Chapter 318 : dagger to the heart

    318 Chapter 318 : dagger to the heart

    Damien gawked at the embers of the dying fire he had set alight to keep himself warm through the cold snowy night. It had been four nights since he had left for Ervelon, he knew he was getting close, the slight rise in temperature assured him that he would arrive in the elven kingdom soon.

    Ervlon faced no winter, just like the snonds faced no summer, some referred to the two pr kindoms as the heaven and hell of Ronia Cresus, with Ervelon in all its warm radiant beauty; the heaven, and the snonds with their cold gloomy days; the hell.

    Damien scoffed at the irony, especially considering the fact that once he had Ronda in his grasp, he would make Ervlon a living hell for her.

    The mere thought of Ronda made Damien gnash his teeth in both frustration and anger. That wretched woman was the reason Eira was gone, he had failed to keep her safe from Ronda¡¯s clutches even when every fiber of his being told him something was wrong.

    Even though Damien was very inexpressive about what was going on in his head,ter on his heart, he did open up a bit more than usual around Eira and Zhelimir. With them he didn¡¯t feel so different, they were the same after all, and they were his family.

    Eira was like the little sister he never had, he had watched her grow and always kept an eye on her from a distance, something no one but himself was knowledgeable about. He always had the urge to look after her, just like any older brother would his younger sister. And for years he had managed to keep her from harms way, until now.

    His failure, his inability to protect her when it mattered most, boiled Damien¡¯s core. He had failed to protect the people he loved before, his mother, his family, and money others. It was then he swore never to fail again, but s, he was unsessful yet again.

    A rustling sound from a nearby bush drew the redhead from his reverie. His blue eyes trailed the snowy ground to the bush where the sound wasing from, causing him to draw his dagger and get to his feet.

    Swiftly, he walked to the bush and reached into it. When he pulled his hand out, he had a grey rabbit dangling in the air by the ears.

    .....

    ¡°Today isn¡¯t your lucky day little fe,¡± he mumbled coldly.

    The rabbit crunched itself into a little ball and whimpered at the impending doom.

    The hybrid brought the dagger close to its fat little neck, ready to bask in the satisfaction of spilling some blood after holding in all his bloodlust for so long.

    He stared at the little rabbit for a long while, his dagger to its neck. After minutes of self badgering to end the little critter¡¯s life, he ced it back on the ground and sheathed his dagger with a sigh.

    ¡°Go on, get out of here,¡± he told the animal as if expecting it to understand. ¡°Shedding blood won¡¯t bring her back.¡±

    The rabbit stood still as Damien walked back to his dying fire, probably surprised why therge man had let it go.

    Damien sat back down and gazed at the rabbit that was seemingly staring at him in shock.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? Get out of here before I change my mind and have you for dinner!¡±

    As if heeding the hybrid¡¯s warning, the rabbit scampered away into the bushes.

    Damien scoffed before burying his head into his knees. If he couldn¡¯t bring himself to ughter a small woond creature, how on earth was he going to reprimand Eira¡¯s killer?

    ¡°Grandmother was right, I should have traveled with someone...¡±

    *

    La¡¯s face paled at Renly¡¯s words...

    ¡°We need to leave now and find them,¡± Renly spoke with much urgency. ¡°If Gavin casts this spell wrong, many will die.¡±

    ¡°Edron....¡± La whimpered through quivering lips. ¡°My husband.... my son!¡±

    Melissa walked to where the Luna was sitting and took her hand. ¡°What is it? Where is your husband?¡±

    ¡°He went after Elric,¡± La mumbled panickingly as she got up from her chair, ¡°You heard what the mage said! If anything goes wrong....¡± La pulled her hand away from Melissa¡¯s grasp and started walking towards the door. ¡°I have to go after them, I can¡¯t lose them both!¡±

    Melissa zipped to La and blocked her path, ¡°you can¡¯t La, it¡¯s too dangerous-¡±

    ¡°They are the only family I have!¡± The Luna screamed making Melissa step back.

    Never had she seen La angry before, that glow in her silvery eyes, that aura of protectiveness over the people she loved, it reminded Melissa of Elric.

    ¡°Step aside! My family is in danger!¡±

    The Luna pushed Melissa aside and ran out the room towards the exit. By the time Melissa was able to make her way to the door herself, all she could see was a beautiful ck wolf running towards the pce gates.

    ¡°La!-¡±

    A hand pulled Melissa back, gripping it firmly before a pair of reassuring eyes met hers.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we will go after them...¡±

    ¡°But Gareth you said it yourself, it¡¯s dangerous!¡±

    ¡°Do not worry your majesty,¡± Renly spoke in response. ¡°I won¡¯t let anything happen to your husband, nor to anyone else.¡±

    *

    Elric stared at Gavin with furrowed eyebrows, not believing what the mage was asking of him.

    ¡°No!¡± Elric yelled and threw the dagger Gavin had given him onto the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, I won¡¯t!¡±

    Gavin picked the dagger up and walked towards Elric, ¡°but your grace you must, it¡¯s the only way.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any idea want you want me to do? To plunge a de into the heart of the woman I love?! Never!¡±

    Gavin held back the words ¡®but she is already dead¡¯, knowing very well he might trigger the prince.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it?!¡± Elric suggested with much difficulty.

    ¡°I cannot,¡± Gavin responded, ¡°it has to be done by someone who loves her dearly. We have no choice your grace, it must be you!¡±

    ¡°I.... I can¡¯t....¡±

    The whispers around them became louder, making Gavin more and more impatient. He grabbed the prince¡¯s hand and shoved the dagger into it.

    ¡°We are running out of time prince Elric! It¡¯s either now or you lose her forever, the choice is yours!¡±

    Elric looked down at the dagger in his hand and then at Eira. He took a few steps towards her, his soul screaming at him to stop. But the whispers in his ears drowned out his irrational fears, he was doing this for her... for them.

    He got down on his knees and ced the de right above her chest. His hand was shaking and his breathing was aggravated, but his mind was focused.

    ¡°I swear Gavin, if this doesn¡¯t work I will plunge this dagger right where the sun doesn¡¯t shine.¡±

    As he lowered the de, he heard a loud growl behind him, followed by Gavin granting in pain.

    Elric turned around to see what was going on, but in the process was rammed by arge silver wolf. The dagger fell out of his hand and his body flew across the terrain into a pile of snow.

    The silver haired prince wed himself out of the snow and looked in Eira¡¯s direction. Over her stood his father, ws and fangs bared as if warning him not to try anything.

    Elric stood up and red at the alpha, ¡°step aside father! This has nothing to do with you!¡±

    Therge wolf growled angrily, indicating that he was not going to do anything Elric was asking for.

    ¡°Well then I¡¯m sorry father...¡± Elric mattered to himself as his flesh was slowly engulfed by silver fur. ¡°I cannot let you get in the way of this. This is may be my only chance to see her again!¡±

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