Hunter leaned quietly against the jagged wall of the cave, a sad and heavy sigh left his lips. Small tears ran down the corners of his glossy eyes, he regretted not being able to bring her back with them. If he only what Luca's plan had been, he wouldn't have allowed her to come. His heart broke remembering her sorrowful expression. He understood completely how betrayed she felt, he felt the same way.
If only… thoughts of 'if only' invaded his mind. If only he had known this would happen, if only he were more determined to go against the prince's order, if only his position and his family weren't threatened by royal order, if only he had confessed his feelings earlier. If she could see him as more than just a friend, he would probably be more courageous to protect her not just as a princess.
He lowered his head in self-reproach, a lifeless chuckle left his lips. Who was he kidding, he wasn't able to protect her as a princess, let alone go against the king if he were to reject his feelings towards his daughter. He was a coward and he hated it. He just hoped she didn't hate him for not being able to be her knight like how she always bragged him to be.
He turned to glance at Luca, he was peacefully sleeping, as if he hadn't given his sister to a stranger just a few moments ago. He turned to Viatrix and another tear ran down his flushed cheek. His sister was not going to suffer either; his family and everyone was at the mercy of the new king. Luca had hidden his emotions better than anyone had given him credit for, his acting skills are impeccable, making Hunter wonder for how long his heart had been poisoned by his cruel mother. King Theron had no idea who he had brought into his home but Hunter would do his best to protect him at all costs, he owed it to Krystle, it was the least he could do after what happened.
He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, for he feared what will happen after the next two days when they arrive at the palace and confront the King about what happened to her precious daughter. His heart throbbed on the misery the king will suffer because of Luca, no, because of the queen. He tightened his jaw, fury was all he felt now, as he came to the conclusion that the queen planned this incident very carefully, but he would find out her plans and crush them one by one.
The night went on painfully long and slow for Krystle. She had taken a small nap, feeling exhausted from her trip and from what had happened. The moon was shining brightly and the night's breeze invited her to go out to the small balcony that her room offered. She left the double doors open to let her room refresh. She let out a long, emotional sigh, then she sat down on the cold, hard concrete floor. She leaned against the concrete rail and hugged her knees close to her, at that moment, after feeling the change of temperature there, she missed her cold, winter home.
She had never been to a different place where the weather was warm and sunny, nor where there was no snow, no ice. Being at the Demir Valley made her wonder several questions about the world she lived in. While she had been traveling with Luca and her friends, she was glad she got to discover different places and creatures, it made her want to travel more and meet new people, new friends, and have an adventure.
She became curious about the weather in the few places they stopped to rest, they had encountered rain, desert, and extremely hot weather that she had only heard of. Her skin sometimes became red from the sun, but it would go away at night, it had been magical for her.
Now that she was trapped as a slave, those dreams and magical thoughts vaporized like a drop of water in a blazing desert. She could not get over what her brother had done, what his mother had done. She had been right when she said her father wouldn't give her away, he loved her too much to do that.
Thoughts of her father invaded her mind and tears just started flowing on their own, a tight knot formed in her throat and her chest became heavy. She tried to keep her sobs in but they became hard to control. She decided to give up and mourn for that night, only one night would she grieve their deceit, her powerlessness, her father's vulnerability, and how much he was going to suffer for a fabricated lie.
Those suspicions she had in the past were real and she had discarded them out of foolishness, wanting to believe in Luca, that he was good, that he deserved to be the future king because he was perfect. She made her hands into tight fists, not knowing how to let out her anger.
She leaned her head against her knees and let out her tears run out until she could not cry anymore. Time passed and her eyes had grown heavy and tired from all the crying, she had no strength to think so just let her body shut down for what was left of the night.
"Bring the princess to the dining hall." Lord Theon was finishing dressing up as he ordered Dag to follow his orders without sparing him a glance. To someone who did not know him, he might appear cold and threatening, but as a dragon, and living for thousands of years, would life teach you to stay strong and with a clear mind throughout numerous and countless problems?
Theon had slept quite well last night, not entirely though, but knowing that he had found a solution, he felt more at ease. He gave himself a good, long look in the mirror. He had not aged, and yet, he looked older. He was tired, drained from his long life and from this senseless curse.
He would never be able to escape it and it just crushed his ego every time he looked at himself in the mirror. He regretted many things throughout his lifetime, but he had to withstand this, for he did not regret what caused him this. If he had only planned things more thoroughly, he wouldn't be here, but yet, he was and there was nothing he could do about it. He was still not embracing it, and even after all this time, he had not accepted it.
Dag found the princess sitting down at the hairdresser, she was in a simple white gown that she found in the closet. Her hair was in a small bun, she had an emotionless expression, and Dag instantly knew that what had happened last night changed her.
"His highness wishes you to accompany him to breakfast, princess. If you could please follow me." Dag was curt and left the room to give her privacy to finish up.
Krystle squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. She had enough time to think things through and knew what she needed to do. She stood up and went out to meet Dag, she nodded to him and he immediately lead her back down the same hallways from last night. They descended the stairs and followed the same wide hallway full of chandeliers, but this time, he lead her to the double doors that she had seen yesterday.
Dag opened them and it lead to what looked like a waiting room, a room with several lounges and recamiers, some side tables, and a huge window that brightened the entire room with white light from outside. On the other side was another door and when he opened it there was a small hallway, they crossed it and he opened the golden door, leading to a dining hall. A long table was in the middle, it was mostly empty.
She glanced at the head of the table and she gulped, Lord Theon was already sitting there, in a graceful manner eating his food. He seemed concentrated on it as if he had been really hungry.
Krystle's mouth watered from the food she saw as she neared the table. Theon looked up as he took a bite from his food. He chewed in such a way that made her wonder if the food really was that good.
He nodded to the chair next to him and she went. She hesitantly sat down and took a deep breath. She had become speechless as soon as she saw him, was he a nice person, or would he turn out to be a villain? The maids immediately attended to her and gave her a plate full of food. Her eyes widened when she saw how big the portions were.
"Eat, we can discuss your duties while we do so." He made it sound more like an order rather than a suggestion. Krystle picked up her fork and cut a piece of the meat on the plate, she took a bite and her buds tasted heaven. It had been a long time before she had eaten meat and she refrained from moaning in joy.
After a few moments of silence and eating, Lord Theon started speaking while she enjoyed her food.
"From today on, your duty will be to attend to me only, consider yourself as my personal…healer." He gave her a small glance and wanted to laugh when he saw her reaction. She started coughing uncontrollably, she choked on her food, she had swallowed a piece of meat whole and her throat was burning in protest.
She drank almost a full glass of water before taking deep breaths. Did she listen correctly? She would become a personal healer? She had never used her legacy in such a way.
"I only have one condition," he looked up after setting down his cutlery, she shivered from the hard gaze he was giving her, "never, ask questions about what you will see. That would be disobeying me, and I do not tolerate disobedience. Understood?" He never left her eyes, her eyebrows quivered in fear of what she would have to do. Just how awful was Lord Theon wounded? At that moment, she remembered that moment when she almost died while trying to save a patient.
She was basically risking her life to heal him, but this time she had no choice but to oblige his commands. She stared deep into his gray eyes, his apathetic expression just showed how much control he had over her. She calmed down and nodded at him.
"Alright, I will ask no questions, but in return, I have one condition as well, if your highness allows me." She did not look away from his eyes and he squinted in curiosity at her. He nodded at her to proceed.
"When I finish healing you, you must promise to let me go. You will have no use of me then, so there would be no reason to stay here longer than necessary- "
"What will you give me in return?" He looked down at his drink and his middle finger started tracing the edge in a bored manner. The sudden question disarrayed Krystle, she did not know what he meant.
"Pardon?" She asked in a small voice, she was not catching up with his motives.
"Yes. Your brother exchanged in you for peace. If you will not be here, then isn't that breaking the alliance? Or do you have anything better to offer?" He spoke nonchalantly as if knowing she had nothing to offer.
Anger rose inside of her as she caught on to the meaning behind his words. Was he belittling her? Did he think she had nothing and would not be able to offer anything in return?
"You brought me the most precious gems from your kingdom, is there anything more valuable than rare gems and an uncommon talent of healing? If so, please do tell." He glanced at her once more, amused by her lack of words. He got her, he knew she had nothing to offer at that moment, yet she couldn't accept the fact that she would live there forever.
"Since you have nothing to offer, I believe this little deal is over. There is no room for discussions." He stood up and turned around to leave.
"Please!" Krystle jumped out of her seat and followed him. She stood in front of him and held onto his sleeve. For a second, her cold skin brushed against his hot skin and he felt shivers run down his spine. What was she doing?