Chapter 31
Green Gemstone
The air smelled fresh. The decay and rot from these lands were slowly receding, that disturbing gut feeling I once felt was only a mere memory.
Two days had passed since I had awoken, and today the Apollons were packing up to leave.
I was glad to finally be outside, not cooped up in the manor's haunting walls.
To feel the sun and walk freely. Well, at least try to walk.
The prince had indeed healed my broken knee bone but there was still that annoying limp that had not worn off.
Word had been sent out to the Kingdom of Apollo to call in a minister to govern Litara until they appoint a new lord.
The minister, grey haired with no smile, had arrived early this morning and with this done, we could finally leave.
I limped to where the horses were now stationed.
My hands roamed across my torso, feeling my fire blades around me to make sure all were strapped in tight to the armour I wore.
Gold and white filled my view. White flags with golden sun sigils were spread across the land and were mounted on stands across the village.
Some soldiers held some up while on their horses.
"Goodness, I do hope the next land is more civilised than what we have witnessed," an oily voice complained.
I didn't dare look at Colfe, worried that if he noticed my glare he might take it as an invite to talk to me.
It was a shame he survived. Luckily enough for me, he got into the golden carriage and shut the door.
I gently patted Fluffcake and stared at the dark box attached to his side where the violin was kept.
It was as if the pain in my leg was reignited and the shadows in my heart cried out to hear the music.
I grit my teeth and covered the box with the saddle.
I cleared my mind of any dark thoughts and looked to the bright sky.
Studying the clouds, it looked like soft floating cotton, no longer dark and thunderous. With no scent of rain in the air.
A light tap on my shoulder had me jerking away and grabbing at my nearest fire blade until I noticed it was her.
The innkeeper's daughter stood in front of me, eyes widened as she eyed the blade I was about to swipe out.
I felt like a fool for scaring her after all she had already been through.
I steered my hands away from my blade and gave her a friendly smile.
"Elle, right?" It was only then I noticed the innkeeper and her husband standing a few feet away. They gave a firm nod in thanks.
"Yes, Your Highness." It was my turn for my eyes to widen. The shadows inside me purred at the title.
"No, that's not—" I stumbled over my words and then finally said, "You may call me Mor."
"I apologise. I assumed you and the prince were... together." She looked down and didn't meet my eyes. Her fingers twiddling against her long blue sun dress.
"No, no of course not. I'm his bodyguard," I corrected her softly. It was like trying to not scare off a wounded bird.
"You're a bodyguard? You're just a girl, like me." She looked up to me. Her eyes glittered—something like hope seemed to spark in them.
"You can be anything you want. Don't let the past determine what is to come for your future," I told the pretty lie convincingly because Nocturna knows that I do not follow my own advice.
My heart ached when I saw her pale eyes nod in understanding.
"You also do not need to thank me either, if that's why you're here," I said and got up my stallion.
"Yes. No. Well, I did come to give my thanks.
But I need to give you something else." She spoke so fast in that accent of hers that I could barely comprehend her.
She pocketed something out of her dress and handed it over to me.
The hair on my arms stood up as I held it—the shadows and voices inside me began to rumble.
My jaw clenched as I squeezed onto something bright and solid—a twinkling green stone of some sort.
It sparkled even without the sun's rays shinning upon it.
"The-the monster. That had trapped us. He used this to help enhance his magic.
It was in the cellar. I thought... I thought maybe— "
"It would be safer with me?" I answered for her and eyed the green jewel, it had looked painstakingly similar to the red jewel the vampyre king had owned.
Elle just nodded and then looked at her parents. "I hope to see you again, Your Highness. Thank you, for everything." Giving a quick curtsy to me.
"It's Mor," I said to myself as she now ran to her parents who hugged her and made their way down to their inn.
I frowned at the jewel in my hand and took out one of the flags posted near me to wrap the jewel around it.
I pocketed the jewel, wincing slightly as I dug my heel softly into the stallion to follow the soldiers.
"Mor!" Red called out from in front, spotting me instantly. He turned his mare towards me.
"Where is Inanov?" Where is the prince? I actually wanted to ask but refrained.
"He's with the prince right out front. Leading the front line with Akiel and Hulin." I raised an eyebrow. They were already far out ahead.
"Let's catch up then before we get stuck near Colfe's carriage," I joked. Red then gave me a wary look as he brought his mare to catch up to my stallion.
"About that..." He slowly trailed off.
"What?" I asked, annoyed at the hesitance in his voice.
"Inanov has told me direct orders from the prince. He wants you in the carriage—not riding." Red winced slightly and looked elsewhere to not see my reaction.
"What?! Why on Terran?!" I exclaimed. The soldiers in front of me gave me nervous looks.
"I don't know. The prince perhaps thinks it's better to ride in the carriage because of your injury.
" My mind was clouded in annoyance and disbelief.
I moved my horse forward while Red called out.
"Wait! Mor, no!" Red tried to catch up to me, but I willed my horse to go forward faster, cutting through the soldiers around me.
My leg ached but I ignored it. There was no way I was to be stuffed in a carriage with that old pig.
I saved all these fools from their deaths and now they think I am too weak to ride?
Perhaps I am. But my stubbornness outweighed my sensibility.
And the prince I was meant to protect has been avoiding me.
What is it that I have done to have stirred this reaction from him?
My shadows seemed to fester in my anger.
The hooves of the stallion thumped the ground in quick rhythmic beats, and I slowed down once I finally spotted a golden cape and a white horse.
There he is.
His horse was next to Inanov's who both moved in the same pace as they spoke in hushed quick whispers.
They were arguing.
"Morana." I heard my name in their rough conversation. They seemed to be arguing. About me.
I was intrigued. I didn't want them to stop, I needed to listen without being caught.
The onyx hair that went past my breast—almost seemed alive when those thoughts ran through my mind.
Answering me and communicating with my shadows.
I wasn't aware of it until my stallion let out a hefty breath of steam that was now concealed by shadows.
I would have panicked, if I had not heard what Inanov said.
"You ought to keep your distance from your bodyguard," Inanov warned.
The prince chuckled. "Is it not the whole point of a personal bodyguard to be kept very close in order to protect me?" My heart stumbled at Inanov’s warning, and I was a coward to admit that it hurt my feelings, I felt as though we were beginning to understand each other. I had trusted Inanov.
"You know what it is that I mean," Inanov snapped.
The prince sighed. "Yes. I know. I haven't seen her these past two days and even doomed her to the carriage with Colfe. She won't take that lightly." He's right because I am fuming.
"You need to do a better job of staying away. And that means no more flirtations or the type of acts I witnessed at the inn. You have a betrothed, a future alliance waiting for you back in the castle."
"Yes, I am more than aware of it." The prince gritted out. "A political alliance is all it is." The prince waved it off.
"Just a political alliance? Is that why you two were always writing love letters to each other?" I frowned at what Inanov revealed. Love letters were very intimate. My heart clenched in a feeling I did not want to acknowledge.
"Courting, Inanov. It is called courting, and I suggest you try it. Also, Izlana is very... docile. Calm. She doesn't make me angry." The prince seemed to think out loud.
"Then why do you flirt with the warrior?
Is it just lust?" Inanov spat, completely confused.
I didn't blame him. So was I. Was this all just some grand game for the prince?
Is this just who he was, uncaring and mischievous?
He may not have a lot of fae blood, but he sure did act like the fae.
Scheming, playful, filled with half-truths and beautiful.
"The warrior is not docile. She is not calm.
She is anything but calm. She makes me angry, so very angry.
She makes me lose my wits." Inanov was quiet when he heard the prince's answer.
"She makes me want her for all the wrong reasons.
" I couldn't control the flutter in my stomach or the gasp I had made.
Whatever shadows that had concealed me were now gone. I was in the open, right behind them.
"So you must keep her away from your heart—" Inanov was cut off by the prince who held a hand up. The prince took in a deep breath in and then chuckled. I stoned my expression and led my horse through theirs.
"Dear warrior, what are you doing here?" The prince graced me with a saccharine smile that I did not return.
Inanov's eyes widened and looked at me in surprise. "When did you get here?"
I decided to answer the prince instead. "I am here to do my duty as your bodyguard." I looked to the distance ahead of us, the hills in the west side of Litara were thankfully less of a maze than the ones in the east, from Viridis Aurum.
"You were told to stay in the carriage." Inanov bit out.
I could feel the heat of his eyes burning holes in the back of my head. "There was no need to," I simply answered without looking at him. Inanov scoffed and then gave a pointed look to the prince.
"Do not forget what I have told you," he said to the prince and then steered his horse away from ours.
The prince was silent for long. It is very unlike him to not tease, or flirt or say anything just to get a reaction out of me.
It makes me wonder if he heeded into Inanov's warning.
We descended the first hill, and I held on tight to the stallion's reign, I clenched my legs over its sides.
The pain was enough to make me bite my tongue.
"You should have been in the carriage," the prince said, frowning at my leg.
"I'm fine," is all I answered.
"No. You aren't."
"And why would you care? Huh," I snapped, there was so much I wanted to get out of my chest. So much I didn't understand.
So many untethered feelings that had been stored up since being taken from my family, since bringing along Red, since having the prince make me his bodyguard and kiss me in front of Ezra, since this prince had pretty poetic cruel words he always said to me.
So many feelings that I had kept in. And now it all came out in spurts of anger.
The prince didn't answer immediately, until he replied.
"You humans are so tormented by not knowing what makes you happy.
As for fae, we have the answer. It's power.
And once I have ascended to being King and claimed my throne from my father, the Sun God will bestow more power upon me.
I will have no need of you when that happens.
You can go back to your little arena, perform your tricks and shows with your goddess blessed freaks.
They are a disgrace to anything natural.
So until the time I ascend—I need you alive.
If not, then just alive for enough time until I achieve what is needed.
" His answer stilled me. My stallion came to a stop.
He continued and left me behind. I should have been happy.
Ecstatic actually. That once he got what he wanted, I could go back.
Back to Ezra. Be free. Yet I was not happy.
I felt used. I felt like a fool for believing anything more of what the prince had felt.
I was to be used and discarded once no longer needed.
And this had been his plan all along. And I would be okay with that.
I will be okay with that. I reassured myself.
So I followed behind the prince. Pulled my cloak over my head and let the ache and pain of my leg consume me, letting it numb and silence my thoughts. Letting myself forget that a glowing green gemstone radiated inside my pocket where it whispered and used sweet words to lure my shadows.