After dinner, Angel fell asleep. She did not want to because her 'devil' husband was in the same room. But her eyes felt heavy, and before she knew it, she was back in a dream world.
Angel opened her eyes. She was back in the big ship and saw the king's body sprawled on the wooden floor. His back was on the ground, and his body resembled a pin cushion with many arrows protruding from his chest and abdomen.
An eerie silence followed.
The rebel warriors who heard King Toren's last words shuddered as their hearts were gripped in fear. The faithful guards of the king clenched their hands into fists and silently lamented the passing of their ruler.
Zurin froze. A chill ran down his spine.
'Who was he talking to?' Realization hit him.
"The little princess. Go find her and bring her to me!"
…
Angel felt that her body floated above the boat, and the scene shifted.
Downriver, Lando, who was sitting on a small boat, dozed off but was awakened by the sudden heart-wrenching cries of the baby in his arms. Without him knowing it, tears started to fall from his brown orbs and turned dark. He knew that at that moment, his king had died.
He used a lengthy strip of cloth to fasten the baby to his body securely. He stood on the boat and positioned his legs as far apart as possible. With his left hand clutching a bamboo pole, he struggled to steer the boat towards the riverbank. He urgently needed to get off the river before the boat was carried to the sea.
He tied the boat to a tree root that protruded from the bank. Then, he searched for a safe spot to lay down the little princess. She was fast asleep now, probably exhausted after crying for a long time.
He sat down beside the princess, who was now awake, and kept on cooing. He released a deep breath and probably due to tiredness, he fell asleep.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Royal Boat of Astralis.
"King Zurin, there is no sign of the little princess. One boat is also missing, and five of the guards escaped."
"What!" King Zurin hissed when a female doctor treating him accidentally touched his wound because of his sudden movement.
"Where is Lando and Yuri?" King Zurin shouted.
"Yuri is dead, Your Majesty. Queen Narida pierced him with a sword before she died."
"What? Narida is dead? How stupid that Yuri was. I told him to keep her alive." He was so furious that he kicked the warrior standing near him.
"How about Lando? Where is he?"
"He is dead, Your Majesty. One of our warriors stabbed him, and he fell into the water."
King Zurin nodded. He stood from his chair and went inside the cabin, where Queen Narida was still lying in a pool of blood.
"Leave me." He said in an anguished voice, and his guards scampered away.
He kneeled beside the dead queen and traced her delicate face with the back of his hand while clutching his chest with the other hand.
"Why did you die? Did you love him so much that you accompanied him to his death? What about my love for you? I am now the king. Why did you not give me the chance to sit with me beside my throne?" He said sadly.
He lifted her and placed her gently on the bed. He stayed in the room for almost one hour, mourning the death of the woman he had secretly loved since he was young.
"When he left the cabin, he had reverted back to being the ruthless warrior that he was."
"Bring the Queen's body back to the palace. As for the former king, throw his body into the river so the fish can feast on him." That was his first order as the new king of Astralis.
'I will not allow you to be with your beloved wife, Toren.' He kicked the dead body of the King of Astralis, who was still lying on the floor.'
His second decree was, "Look for the princess and bring her to me, dead or alive!"
He moved to his own big boat and headed back to Astralis to celebrate his victory.
The warriors who were left behind were reluctant to throw the former king into the river.
"Let's put him on a boat and throw the boat into the river," the chief warrior suggested, and the rest agreed that it was a good idea.
…
"Promise me, Lando, protect her with your life! Promise me!"
Lando jolted. It was just a dream.
He stretched his tired body and checked on the princess, who was still sleeping. It was now mid-morning, and he felt hungry and thirsty. Looking around, he noticed a bamboo grove not far away. He also realized that they were under a big tree with a wide canopy, which provided perfect shelter from the heat of the sun.
He closed his eyes and channeled the mana from inside his body to the bamboo grove.
Nothing happened.
Lando sighed. His body was still riddled with poison, and he was still powerless.
He took the sword along with him and cut down a tall bamboo. The bamboo had many nodes, and after some more cutting, he was able to make ten bamboo water containers. As he was about to pick them up, he heard the heart-wrenching cries of Tala for the second time that day. He quickly rushed back to the tree, picked up Tala, and tried to comfort her to stop crying. However, no matter what he did, the baby continued to cry.
Angel was watching the scene, pitied the baby, and wanted to hold her, but no matter how much she struggled, she could not move.
'Maybe she is hungry.' Lando looked towards the river, and he froze at what he saw.
A boat was coming toward their side of the river, and on it was a dead body with arrows protruding from his chest and abdomen. Lando's legs turned into jelly, and he almost lost his grip on the princess. He quickly laid her down, went down into the river, and pulled the boat to the side. He secured the boat by tying the rope to the other boat.
His heart ached so much he had difficulty breathing. He gently pulled the arrows from King Toren's wounded body one by one. He felt his heart was being pricked every time he pulled out an arrow. He placed the arrows in a safe spot where the water would not reach them. He cleaned the king's body and removed the blood that dried. There were so many wounds, and they looked really ghastly. His king has suffered much.
He lifted the king and laid him beside Princess Tala, who was still crying.
"Sorry, little one. I have to attend to your father first."
He removed his cloak and covered King Toren's body with it, then placed the little princess on his stiff arm, making sure that she was safe.
"The river led you to us, my great King. Oh no, it was not the river that brought you here. It was you who found us. I am certain that you would like to spend some time with your little princess before I lay you to rest." Despite tears continuously streaming down his face, Lando's voice remained steady. The king's presence, even in death, had brought him a sense of peace—a peace that transcended human understanding.
"Shhh, little one, stop crying now. Your father is here to watch over you. Be good. I will prepare his bed."
Princess Tala stopped crying.
Angel's heart seemed to have been squeezed and it stopped beating. She felt like she was drowning.
'Unnng... ungggg... unggg'
Leoric looked at the woman who was moaning on the bed. Her fists were clenched, and her toes were curled up. Her brows were furrowed, and her forehead glistened with sweat.
'Is she having a nightmare? Is she struggling to wake up?'
Leoric rose from the couch and approached her.
The boat suddenly shuddered and tilted to the side. Leoric lost his balance and he was about to fall unto Angel.