A Tale Of Votara

Chapter Eighteen- You Have Me

After a while, they reached their hiding spot, and all four of them got down from the van and started to walk towards the house. Xena and the spy were walking towards the house, while The Prince dragged Her Majesty back and said, "You know, you really should consider the circumstances and the environment you are in before confessing to the love of my life."
Her: "YOU HEARD THAT!?"
The Prince: "I saw that! Seriously, in the middle of nowhere while you are working unofficially with the most wanted person?"
Her Majesty smacked The Prince on the back of his head and said, "Shut up! You don't have to preach to me about where I should confess my love! You have no idea how long I have waited for this! Now follow me before I punch you in the stomach." The Prince followed her while rubbing his head with his hand.
After they entered the room, everyone in the room got up and saluted The Prince and Her Majesty. They were a bit shocked to see them there. Both of them eased the bodyguards and went into a room to discuss whatever information they had in hand.
Xena asked the spy first how he had determined that her father was the one who had escaped. He answered that not many people had the authority to use the golden hilt double-edged sword in the olden times, and this tradition still continued to this day. However, no one knows about this information because it is now just a simple honorary award given to the most eligible guards. This narrowed down the possibilities, and he compared this information with the official records of who had received this honor in recent years. Only a few ministers, army generals, and Xena's father had received it. But this did not raise any doubts, as he suspected a few ministers and army generals who were not favorable to the throne. However, his suspicion became true when he investigated the shoe print. It was not just an ordinary shoe, but a military-grade shoe that is not available to common people. Only a few people in the whole country owned them, as they are very expensive. When he referred to the list, the only person related to the throne with that shoe size was Xena's father. Just as he was about to inform Her Majesty, some men confined him, and he barely managed to see one of them. That person turned out to be Xena's father's right-hand man, Alexander.
He added, "But what really caught me off guard was that if it's your father, he is more than capable of concealing the evidence. However, he didn't do that, so I understood that he was trying to tell us something through the omitted evidence, which he couldn't express directly." Upon hearing this, Xena felt a bit relieved and sad at the same time. She was relieved because she was right about her father, but sad that he was stuck in a difficult situation and she wasn't able to help him much. Xena tried to maintain her composure; however, Her Majesty observed this but kept quiet. After the meeting concluded and everyone dispersed, Her Majesty noticed that Xena was heading towards the terrace, so she followed her. Upon seeing Her Majesty, Xena asked her to leave her alone, but Her Majesty knew that Xena was only saying that because she didn't want to show her weak side. She refused to leave and instead sat beside Xena. Once Her Majesty sat down, Xena felt defeated and laid her head on Her Majesty's shoulder, starting to weep. Her Majesty didn't offer words of consolation but instead allowed her to cry because she knew that Xena needed a good cry at that moment.
After a while, Xena calmed down, and Her Majesty told Xena that she didn't have to take part in this if she couldn't do it. However, Xena refused, saying that it was her responsibility and, most importantly, she needed answers. She admitted that she was afraid of losing her father, the most precious person in her life. To this, Her Majesty replied, "I'm sorry that you have to go through this, but remember, no matter what happens, you will always have me." Upon hearing this, Xena turned towards Her Majesty and hugged her tightly.