The carriage rocked slightly as Mariana began to open her eyes. She was still quite dazed, likely due to the effects of that relaxing tea. The first thing she saw upon waking were the faces of several elves standing near the prince, though he was nowhere to be seen. The first face she recognized was Doral's, leading her to deduce that the plan was his doing. She tried to move but found her hands and legs tightly bound. When she attempted to speak, she realized her mouth was gagged with a cloth.
"I never thought capturing the princess would be so easy. It's clear the Magnolia clan is finished," said one of the elves.
"With this, they'll have no choice but to accept our terms," another added.
Doral noticed Mariana was awake and listening to everything. He approached her with a smirk.
"Well, look who's awake. Are you comfortable, Princess?" Doral mocked. Mariana tried to speak, but her muffled words were incomprehensible.
"Oh, of course. Forgive my manners," Doral said, removing the gag to allow her to speak.
"I find it strange that the prince isn't here. I suppose he's not part of this," Mariana said.
Doral leaned closer, draping his arm over her shoulder. Mariana shot him a look of disgust, but he didn't seem to care.
"Please, the prince is nothing more than an idiot. He's not even fit to rule. It was the king who ordered us to do this. We don't need the prince anymore."
"I see. I'm glad to know he's not like you," the princess replied, a hint of relief in her voice. "You seem very confident. Do you think my guards won't come looking for me?"
At her words, Doral and the other elves burst into laughter.
"You're quite amusing, Princess. Even if they did come, they're nothing but weaklings. We'd dispatch them in no time."
A small smile spread across Mariana's face as she listened.
"I think you're underestimating the Magnolia clan far too much."
Doral couldn't understand what she meant. One of the elves standing by the window turned to him, his expression alarmed.
"Captain!" the elf exclaimed. "The Magnolia clan has found us!"
"Well, speak of the devil," Doral said with a grin. "Let's give our guests a warm welcome."
Mariana looked out the window and saw the Magnolia elves on horseback. Leading them was Arwin, his expression a mix of fury and determination.
"Princess! We've come to rescue you!" Arwin shouted.
The Carrion clan elves fired their arrows, but every shot missed, much to their astonishment.
"How have none of the arrows hit them?" Doral demanded, turning to Mariana. "What's going on here?" he asked angrily.
"I told you," she said calmly. "You shouldn't underestimate our clan."
"Charge!" Arwin's command echoed through the forest, and the Magnolia elves surged forward, following his lead. With practiced precision, some of the elves unleashed their magical powers, forging bonds with the very forest around them.
The trees' branches came alive, stretching out with remarkable speed and entangling the enemy carriages. With a resounding crash, the carriages were overturned, throwing their occupants violently to the ground. As the Carrion elves struggled to recover from the impact, the Magnolia forces descended upon them with ferocity.
Swords in hand, they cut through enemy ranks, turning the battlefield into chaos. Despite their smaller numbers, the Magnolia clan's superiority was evident. Riding his horse through the skirmish, Arwin carved a path toward Doral. His face was flushed with anger, his focus unrelenting.
Finally reaching Doral, Arwin dismounted with a leap, his sword pointed directly at him.
"You've made a grave mistake by crossing us," Arwin said coldly, his gaze sharp and unwavering. However, Doral didn't seem intimidated. Instead, he wore a smirk.
"Don't you think you should be more worried about your princess?" Doral said, locking eyes with him.
Arwin turned to his left, seeing an elf holding a blade to the princess's neck while clutching her hair tightly. She was visibly terrified. Arwin stepped back instinctively, his mind racing. Why wasn't anyone fighting that elf? He glanced around only to find most of his allies sprawled lifelessly on the ground.
At that moment, a sharp pain pierced his back, the cold sensation of steel slicing through his skin. Barely understanding what had happened, he dropped to his knees. Only two enemies remained in front of him—so who had attacked him?
Arwin turned, trying to confront his assailant, only to meet the gaze of Calawen, who wore a sly smile. Struggling to make sense of the situation, Arwin felt his vision blur from the blood loss. For a fleeting moment, he thought his eyes might be deceiving him.
"What... what are you doing, Calawen?" Arwin stammered, fighting to stay conscious as he fixed his gaze on his friend's face.
"I'm sorry, Arwin. But staying with you all wouldn't get me anywhere," Calawen said coldly.
"You bastard... so the traitor you spoke of earlier was yourself..." Arwin's vision dimmed further as exhaustion began to take over. The blood loss was becoming unbearable. Calawen turned away and walked toward Doral.
"Arwin!" the princess cried out, her voice filled with concern for her guard and friend. Arwin struggled to his feet, trembling as he watched the others walk away.
"Mariana..." Arwin murmured weakly, his voice barely audible as he saw his friend being taken, powerless to intervene. The pain overwhelmed him, and he collapsed onto the ground, a pool of blood forming beneath him. The sound of approaching horse hooves echoed faintly in the distance.