The Princess and The Bandit

FORTY ONE

She looks like she's gonna be sick but keeps a straight face for show. Stoic and intimidating like her comrades. The elf prince senses that her heart isn't truly set in this kind of profession she got herself into.

After all, most thieves become thieves because of dire necessity.

"That bitch over there! With the big hair! Bring her to me!"

Jelena can try to hide it but she already got Prince Zayn's eyes on her. Observing every miniscule movement on her face that indicates a possibility she would turn her boss in.

She goes to grab a female minister this time who cries out.

"Please! Please! Spare me, I have children!"

Jelena doesn't say anything. She shoves the minister forward like the others before her.

Alejandro repeats his question, demanding where the Arcadian book of life is. He gets little to no answer again and his face twists in anguish. He screams at the female minister's face, so loud it stopped all other sounds inside the castle. He backhands the woman's face with full force then drags her by her neck.

"Jelena Noura! You're in charge for now! Kill any imperial bastard who comes in through any doors unless it's the princess! Kill every other useless rat in shackles in this room except for prince pointy ears over there! I'm going to have my fun with this one, I'm getting bored!" he snarls.

He carries on dragging the minister by her neck who was begging for mercy. Something Alejandro doesn't really recognize. They disappear by one of the passageways, and now the entire hall falls into the hands of Jelena.

She starts to call the execution of the other hostages but prince Zayn tries to intervene.

"Please don't this!" The elf pleads, "You don't want to do this,"

Jelena turns to him, angry and offended. "You don't get to say what I want to do or won't do!"

"The book was stolen years ago. If you tell me why Alejandro wants it, I'll tell you who was the last person who held it,"

The bandit marches towards him, sword drawn out. She places her blade right against his neck, her face an inch away from his. Her eyes were wide with something other than anger. Prince Zayn can see the slightest hint of hesitation that her expressive blue-green eyes struggle to hide, but he doesn't say anything. Not yet anyway.

But whatever uncertainty there is in Jelena, she hides it with her well practiced snarl and attitude.

"It's a magical artifact, prince. Magic can do anything when used accordingly. I'm sure you've heard of the magical blue fire, yeah? Now, think. What could possibly a dark, deluded bandit would want with such a thing, huh?!"

She shoves him hard against the pillar behind him where he's shackled into. She turns back and barks an order to another serpentina.

"Call the boss! The prince knows where the book is!"

"I didn't—"

The bandit smacks him to silence.

Zayn was only making it up. He doesn't really know who was the last person who had the book. He just wants to know how will Alejandro use it for his own gain. Now he has the general idea what it is but it still puzzles him.

Only members of the Jauregui family can read it. Because the book was actually written by the first Jauregui, the human fruit of the Arcadian tree of life, detailing his journey into power. And with magic he learned from his adventures, cast a spell on the book that allows it to continue to chronicle the journey of his lineage. And with the same spell, it only allowed his direct descendants to be the only people to decipher it; bloodline of the first born to be specific. A guide for his progeny, to learn and understand the power and responsibility they held as the offsprings of the magical Arcadian tree of life.