❝ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴋɪɴɢᴅᴏᴍꜱ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ? ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ? ❞
Ever since she was sold to the Kingdom of Racaea as a young child, Sabre has grown up on the castle grounds as a blacksmith's apprentice for the roya...
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"Took you long enough to show up," the scoundrel sighed as he rolled his eyes and put his blade back in its sheath. "My spies told me you set off a couple of days ago and so I expected your arrival yesterday."
What was he doing here? Between the possibility that my parents were inside the cottage beside us and the rogue standing in front of me, I couldn't decide which I was scared of more. He left us all speechless.
"That doesn't matter now, at least you showed up." Mace pushed off of the fence and made his way over to us.
"Why are you here?" Lorella asked, her fists clenching around the reigns of her horse. "If we had known you would show up, we would have let you get this stone yourself."
Mace halted his steps to take a good look at the lady, squinting his eyes in confusion. "And who might you be?" Before she could respond, he shrugged, causing Lorella to grow an expression of fury. "Nevermind, you'll find out why we're all here together in a moment."
"We'd like to know before we get off our horses," I announced. "For all we know, this could be a trap to kill us. You don't exactly have a good record of trust." With the black cloaks his spies wore, they could easily hide within the shadows of the trees. A nice, secluded location was perfect to end the life of the Racaea prince.
"I suppose that's fair." Mace checked the time on his pocket watch and searched for the sun's position in the sky. "Though, we have to hurry. We don't have much time left to get in." What in the forest's name was he going on about?
Placing the watch back into his shirt's breast pocket, he walked up to the house, holding his arm out in front of him. As he slowed his pace, his hand bent at an awkward angle, as if there was a wall there stopping him from venturing any further.
"The Sephirans have placed a barrier here using the power of the Idaphite shard they possess. I have tried every single person who works for me, but none of them can get in either, which leaves me with my final hope." Mace turned to me with a sickening smile. "You."
"If it's just a barrier then why do we need to hurry?" Auron questioned as he and Kayne nudged their horses to move protectively around me. It was something I was curious about too. Was he expecting someone to arrive?
"I've been studying this cottage for months," he began, walking back to where he had been leaning on the fence earlier, "so not only is my patience wearing a little thin, but I've discovered that this is a sun barrier. People and creatures may only try to enter while the sun is visible in the sky, if not, well, let's just say the outcome is quite painful and messy."
"And what if Sabre can't get through either?" Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kayne's hand reach down towards his sheathed sword. His fingers brushed against the hilt, ready to draw it if necessary.
"Then you better think of another way to get through, otherwise, Racaea will still be holding onto a valuable object of Icrodeia's. I'd have to let my spies inform the soldiers back home that they can begin to invade this kingdom." There was desperation lingering in his voice, an urgency fuelled with anger.
