HENRIETTA: PRAELUDIUM [TO BE EDITED]

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 26

[ THIRD P.O.V. ]


A week has passed since the kidnapping of the Crown Princess happened. Everyone in the palace are still in chaos as they are still unable to locate the whereabouts of Princess Henrietta and her kidnappers. The Grand Duke secretly passed an order to his trusted vassals to deploy their family knights in search for the Crown Princess.

Prince Hendrix leads the search, while Prince Arthur remained in the palace to assist his father the Grand Duke. They maintained the order of the imperial court along with its people to prevent anyone from knowing about the chaos that ensued inside the walls of the palace.

It was a move they had to make in order to stop any more threats to the throne.

On the other hand, the Crown Princess' mage Astraeus and her personal guard Keita were also on their own pace in search for the princess. They did not waste any time and tracked Princess Henrietta using Astraeus' magical prowess. They spent their time in an abandoned tower between the border of Annaritas Nation and Clareian Kingdom.

"I think I found her," Astraeus muttered as his magical crystal responded to the location of the Crimson Forest.

He whispered softly in the air and snapped his fingers then a blue flame appeared above his hand and it transformed into a bird. The blue flame bird split in half then it flew out of the tower and went to the northern and southern direction from the tower, delivering the message to the others.

"Let's move," Astraeus said.

Keita squinted at him and he stood up as well. It has been a while since the two worked together, and neither of them dreamed of doing it again.


<ROUTE TO THE CRIMSON FOREST>


Since magic was useless to the Crimson Forest, Astraeus and Keita decided to travel via horse. The Crimson Forest was known for its wild nature. The trees surrounding it are the wittered type of oak trees that bears no fruits and leaves. The animals, preys and predators living in the Crimson Forest are all magical and cursed. If someone uses magic in that place, the whole forest will be in chaos for the creatures living in there would respond to the magic.

It wasn't a long journey from the border to the Crimson Forest. But it was enough to annoy them. They both wanted to see the princess right away since they've been idle for a couple of days now. The thought of her being tortured or hurt was too much to think of.

Their horses galloped along the path to the Crimson Forest. The ends of their robes danced along with the wind, kissing their hardened faces. They passed a small, barren village and a few people that watched them with curiosity. They both held on their horses reins tightly when the horses stopped from their tracks and a high-pitch sound of fear rushed out of their horses mouths.

As they calmed them down, a blinding flash of light erupted out of nowhere. Astraeus covered his face using his hood to protect himself from the light, and Keita did the same. Black birds flew out of the forest, as if they were hiding from something. They were expecting to be hit by some energy, but to their surprises, nothing bad happened to them. So they peered from their hoods to check on their surroundings. They saw the light glowing in a purplish shade and piercing right through the sky.

As they traced the light down, they saw that it was coming from the middle part of the Crimson Forest.

"The Princess must be in there," Keita said, and he quickly slapped his horse with the reins and moved to the direction of the light.

It was slowly fading from their sight, so Astraeus moved quickly as well, following Keita's lead. The two raced towards the source of the light.

"Halt!"

Keita and Astreaus pulled on their horses reins to cease their movements, the people from the other side who almost crashed to them did the same. Astraeus was frowning as he checked on the knights in front of them. He quickly recognized the insignia on their uniform's chest. It was the knights that Hendrix was leading.

"Have you found the source?" He inquired.

Hendrix pulled down his hood then he pointed ahead of them. "Let's go!" He ordered.

The race through the forest continued and they all came to a stop when they reached a castle-like building surrounded with tall walls. Astraeus, Keita, Hendrix, and the knights mounted from their horses, as carefully as they can.

"What's the plan, Your Highness?" One of the knights asked.

"There's no plan." It was Astraeus who answered, his eyes observing the building in front of them.

The knights looked bewildered as they looked at their superiors.

"We infiltrate and kill everyone inside," Hendrix instructed them.

The three must have noticed the knights' frozen reactions. "Don't get in our way if you won't move," Keita said.

The three were now prepared. They took one last glance at each others before they entered the building using their own methods. Two climbed up the walls while the other vanished into thin air.

The knights were still standing outside. It took them a minute before they could pull themselves together and followed their superiors. Today would be a massacre party.


<THE HIDDEN CASTLE>


The men wearing crimson robes looked quite shock as they watch a magnificent reaction in front of them. They've been doing countlessly of rituals to detach the Princess' body from the new essence inside of her, but they received no reactions. And when they were about to give up doing the same methods, a reaction happened.

A burst of purplish light erupted from her small frame. The impact threw the three of them away from her. And as the light died down, they saw her body being enveloped by a huge purplish light sphere. No one could get closer as electricity was being emitted by the sphere.

Henrietta was still unconscious, her body floating peacefully inside the sphere. It was a curious phenomenon that no magic could describe. Or perhaps, it was a sign, the end of her awakening. The first princess was angered by this that she wanted to kill all of the people around her.

"This can't be happening... I have to get it. I have to take it!" She screamed.

The chaos bursting inside the torture room stopped when they heard loud rumbling noises outside and the sound of swords clashing against another metal.

Panicked emerged from their faces. The two sorcerers, the first princess and her trusted servant prepared to escape. They wanted to take Henrietta with them, but the sphere won't allow them to come any closer. And as they were about to leave, the door of the torture room burst open and along with the arrival of two men in front of the door, a heavy gush of wind appeared right behind them.

They were now cornered. Astraeus was standing behind them while in front of them were Hendrix and Keita, both holding their swords covered with blood. But the first princess do not wish to surrender without a fight.

"Thomas! Corpsé! Attack them!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her dead eyes filled with rage.

But they did not move.

"I do not permit any heinous act. You got me the first time, and I would not allow it the next time." Astraeus' voice sounded deep and dangerous.

"Please... Don't kill us! We'll tell you how to take her out of that sphere!" Thomas cried, kneeling in front of Astraeus.

But Astraeus wasn't a dumb mage, in fact, he was the most powerful one than any of them could ever be. On a flick of his fingers, the two sorcerers' hands and feet were bound by a shackle induced with Astraeus' magic. If it wasn't for Hendrix's words earlier, he would've killed the people present in this room. Hendrix was right that they needed them for interrogation.

They were all taken by the knights, lead by Keita, back to the Clareian Kingdom. Astraeus and Hendrix were left in the torture room to take back the princess. Astraeus had foreseen that this day would come, and the princess' powers will be awakened to its final form.

"She's not in danger, right?" Hendrix asked, his eyes focused on the purplish sphere in front of them.

Astraeus sighed as he watches her. She was like a sleeping caterpillar hiding inside her cucoon. So fragile yet so alluring. "She will be if we let her stay there for too long."

The mage took a step forward. He was so careful as to not surprise her. He had to be gentle and careful so the sphere won't lash out and vanish from their sight. It was like a representation of Henrietta's true self.

"I'm sorry for coming too late, princess, but we're here now. We can now go home." His voice was as gentle as his footsteps. Hendrix watched him cautiously, imitating his careful movements.

Astraeus placed his hands against the sphere, and it gave him a shock that electrocuted his body, but that didn't stop him. He bit his molars and sighed gently.

"Don't be angry now. Everyone's been waiting for your return." He pushed his hands inside the sphere, clenching his jaw as a crease formed on his forehead. He was trying to ignore the stinging pain invading his system.

He could deflect it, yet he didn't do anything. He was too scared that the impact of his magic might bounce back to her and hurt her. Astraeus tried to swallow another sigh that was threatening to escape his lips. His heart frenzied. He was so close to her and the pain was starting to increase.

"Henrietta. It's me... Rae..." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and the other under his knees.

The pain striking every part of his body slowly disappeared and the light flickering around the sphere, including the sphere itself, was slowly absorbed by her small frame. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he looked down at her. Her face looking as peaceful as a bright day as her body leans against his chest.

He carried her carefully and walked back towards Hendrix.

"Let's take her home first." Hendrix clenched his jaw as he remembers every bruise inflicted on her body. He was itching to torture the people who made her like this.