My soul and your soul are forever tangled.
—N.R. Hart
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The King stepped into his room, looking around. It seemed to be the same as ever yet there was a scent in the air, and he felt the presence of something or someone missing.
It was Birdy. She was missing. But it was no big deal, he thought to himself. She would come back again and he was sure of it. Very soon before his patience ran out.
There was only one thing that surprised him. On his table, he saw a small piece of paper that appeared to be folded into a creature. Theo picked it up in his hands and when on further examination, a small smile crept up to his lips.
It was a white bird that had been cleverly carved out of parchment paper in the shape of an origami. He had never seen anything close to it in his life and he assumed that she had learned it from the village where these crafts were made in large quantities to be sold to children.
Besides the bird, a small slip of paper had "Thank you," written on it in cursive handwriting. His smile only increased as he picked both the things up, and placed them in a drawer to be never touched by anyone other than him.
"You have beautiful fingers if you can write so well Birdie," he spoke to no one in particular and stared at the bed.
The maids didn't make up his bed since he never needed to sleep at night. She was thoughtful enough to make his bed up, the blankets all folded and the sheets smoothed out. His black orbs glittered with mischief as he departed off to the courtroom to handle the day's new issues.
Meanwhile, early in the morning, Eva had departed to Gleana in a carriage along with Leon. She could only swallow down a glass of milk despite the attempts of the maid, Daphne. She wore the same clothes she had worn on the day she fell, which had been washed and looked brand new.
The road was smooth and as she looked out the window, Eva noticed that wherever she was staying was very close to the Enchanted Forest.
The only country so close to it was either Xandria, Derkov, or Lorvil. The question was: where had she been staying all along? Who was the King? If she only had gotten to know the name, she would've come to know which Kingdom she was in.
On the way, she tried her best to obtain any possible information out of Leon. It was clear as water that he was loyal to the King only and wouldn't reveal anything. The journey mostly passed in silence with Eva busy staring at the forest which looked less gloomy in daylight.
When she saw that they were nearing Gleana, she asked Leon to stop the carriage right there.
Leon frowned. "I am sorry, Lady Eva but the King has commanded me to see you to your house." came the words of the Advisor and Eva tried her best not to glare at him. It was not his fault but that persistent King who was still not letting her go even now!
Even though she was not around him, she could feel that somewhere in his words, he had been lying the previous night. One second he said he was not going to let her go and the other, he left so abruptly. It was not normal person behavior and somewhere in her mind, she wondered if he had a few loose screws in his head.
"The King isn't here and, I am certain he will not mind," she said, trying her best not to get angry. Then she took a breath to calm herself. "Please?"
Leon glanced at her from where he sat. "Allow me to walk you to your house, Milady." he offered.
"No, that's okay Mister Fernsby, thank you." she politely declined his request.
Leon shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable. "The King won't like this."
"It is none of his business and I know you won't tell him, will you?"
"It would be best if I do, my lady. The King has ordered me to see you safely to your doorstep."
"Please." she begged Leon. "Don't tell him."
It took him sometime to cave in, but eventually, the Advisor nodded. "But if something goes wrong, Lady Eva, I'm telling him."
Eva smiled. "Thank you, Advisor Leon. Goodbye." she spoke and without pausing for his answer, Eva quickly opened the carriage's door and jumped out without waiting for anyone to give her their hand.
Leon exhaled. Until the next time we meet, Milady, he spoke to himself and asked the driver to drive back to the Kingdom.
She knew she was near her village as she could see the people she was acquainted with, chopping wood close by. Not wanting to answer questions about her absence, she took a separate way to reach her house without anyone noticing.
Her leg was almost healed and now, there was a scar left in its place. She didn't mind it but somewhere it made her feel a little less confident about showing it to anybody. The only person who had seen it... was the King.
His face, unexpectedly, materialized in front of her, and Eva's heart momentarily stopped beating. She had always thought that she wouldn't be the one to be dazzled by beauty but he made her question every man's face around her.
Why could no one compare to him? His hair was not short as she had noticed but longer than most people. It reached his neck and was jet black without any sign of another color. There was something in his facial features, that would make people forget that he was dangerous. His eyes alone were enough to strip her bare. It was as if he could see through to her soul and Eva was somewhere relieved that he had let her go.
She remembered how the heat of his gaze tracked her, roving every inch of her body. He was most likely used to having all women worshiping at his feet and he would've wanted her to do it too. Too bad for him, she thought to herself and dropped her shoulders down.
Tapping her knuckles on the door, she waited outside her house to see who would answer. After a while, the gate opened, and her mother's figure appeared on the doorstep.
Shock slowly dissolved on Mrs. Blythe's face which was soon swapped with relief. "Eva! Thank god!" spoke her mother, wrapping her arms around her tightly.
Eva felt a warm emotion brewing in her chest when she realized how worried her mother had been because of her. She returned the hug and closed her eyes.
She was finally home, and yet she still couldn't get rid of those hauntingly dark orbs.
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I have posted the picture of the bird that Eva made for Theo in the comments. Do check it out and like I said, I wanted to hear your opinions about the novel. Drop a review!
Moon ^.^!