Sierra almost rolled her eyes. She dusted her clothes off and got up on her feet. From the way the man spoke, and his attire, she knew he was not a commoner. He was likely to be a noble or of higher rank. But that did not change her attitude towards him.
"A simple thank you would have been nice, but I guess people like you don't have the basic courtesy," she said.
"Thank you?" the man chuckled. He came up close to Sierra, forcing her backward until she hit a tree.
He cupped her chin once more as her heart pounded in her chest. They were barely inches apart.
"Was that kiss not enough payment?" he whispered seductively in her ear before kissing her neck.
Sierra pushed him away once more.
"Have you no shame? Argh! This is what I get for trying to do something good," she cursed while rubbing her temples.
"You seem like you can walk so I guess you're fine. Good luck,"
With that, she turned to leave. Little did she know her cheeks were burning red. She could feel her heart palpitating in her chest. Sierra tried to take a few deep breaths but it did nothing to calm her nerves. She did not get the mysterious man's name either, nor did she give him hers.
"It's for the better anyway," she muttered to herself.
Little did she know their little encounter was just the beginning. The man was intrigued by Sierra. Though he did not successfully learn her name, the kiss they shared left an imprint in his mind. Finding out her name was a piece of cake for him. There was nothing King Alistair of Drakin could not obtain.
He raised his hands to touch his lips, remembering how it felt when they kissed. A smile formed on his face.
"Until we meet again, sweetling," he whispered beneath his breath.
***
Sierra got back to the room safely, no one noticed she was gone. The next day, they continued on their journey towards Drakin's Capital City, Vargos. Upon entering the city gates, Sierra could not help but peer out of the window.
She was mesmerized by all the new sights and smells of the vast city. It was unlike anything she had seen before. She was surprised to learn that the Vargos was the largest city in the Drakin Kingdom.
Back home, her Kingdom Mora was made up of one main city and the surrounding villages. The city of Mora was only half as big as Vargos.
"Hmph, and that King thinks he's at the top of the world," Sierra scoffed as she folded her arms.
After traveling through the winding cobblestone streets, the horse carriage arrived at the palace gates. A long line of horse carriages lined up to enter. Sierra looked out of the window again, only to see an endless queue of carriages before her own.
By the time they got to the front of the line, the sky had turned into shades of yellow and orange. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon. Sierra noted that security in the castle was tight.
"Sorry for the delay, your Highness," the royal guard apologized as he greeted Sierra when she got off the carriage.
He offered his hand to her but Sierra did not take it. She was not used to having someone helping her off a carriage. She always got off it on her own.
"It's alright. Has the security been tightened for a specific reason? Or has it always been this way?" she asked as she dusted off her outfit.
It did not take long for people to notice that Sierra dressed very differently from the rest of the young women who arrived at the palace gates. For ease of traveling, she chose not to wear a dress. She did not let her hair down, in fact, it was tied up into a single ponytail with her fringe tucked behind her ear.
The royal guard who spoke to her was stunned. Despite her attire, she was still a beauty. Sierra turned to the royal guard who was staring at her with his mouth wide open.
"Is everything alright?" she asked, worried that she might have done something wrong.
It was her first visit to Drakin. She knew she had to play by their rules but she was still uncertain of what they might be.
"It's... it's nothing," the royal guard replied swiftly and answered her earlier question, "I'm afraid I cannot say. But the security here has been tightened."
Sierra noted it down, "I see."
She turned to check on the other two carriages that had traveled with her. Since she was supposed to be a princess, Sierra was sent to Drakin with a set amount of dowry. She did not bother to check on it before she left, but now that she was here, she had to see what was in store for her.
She did not have high hopes, to begin with, knowing Cedric and Felicity would not let her have it easy. But they knew the consequences of not giving her anything. Should King Alistair find fault with them, Sierra's life would not be the only thing that was at stake.
The future of the kingdom would be at risk too.
Sierra had the accompanying servants open the carriages to check. To her surprise, there were a good amount of items piled up to the ceiling of the carriage. A quick check of the items put a smile on Sierra's face.
From the inked stamp on some of the wooden crates, she knew they were added on by her father's orders. It had the emblem of the Bancroft family on them. When she checked the other crates, the smile she had quickly disappeared.
Not only were some of them half-empty, but it was also clear that the items were not of great quality. She gritted her teeth in anger but quickly composed herself, careful not to give herself away. People all around her could be watching. She had to be careful.
"Knightess-" before the servant could finish addressing her, Sierra glared at them.
"What did you address me as?" she warned him.
"My apologies. Princess Sierra, General Leon instructed us to hand you this upon arrival," the servant corrected himself and bowed respectfully.
He held up a long package wrapped carefully in cloth and leather. Sierra received it from the servant. She clutched it close to her heart. She knew exactly what it contained.
It was her twin swords.