Her.

Chapter XIIX

"Beauregard is dead?" The other man asked, his voice harsher than his partner's.

"Yes," Erik said sternly and pushed Haya further behind him. "What is it that you want?"

"Well, since the man is dead, we need the girl."

"Why?" Erik asked quickly.

"Has Beauregard been receiving the letters?" One of the guards asked.

"Yes," Erik said, "they just stated that Henry needed to meet with the king immediately or he could be severely punished."

"What?" Haya asked in sheer surprise. "That's what he's been hiding from me?" She asked loudly, coming out from behind Erik.

"Haya," Erik warned.

"That is not all there is. The man married our princess and took her away to an unknown place. He took also our king's wife with him. We had been on their tail when the man removed them from where we found them. After that, it wasn't until now we found him and her. The man, and now you, have a debt to pay to our king. The debt will be paid by your life."

Haya swallowed hard and looked back at Erik.

"Why death?" She wondered curiously, her body shaking with a new fear that was even worse than when her father had passed. Haya has never imagined she would be meeting her father and mother again so soon, but she didn't want that any longer! She wanted Erik.

"The matriarchy is of important value, and the fact that his daughter escaped makes the king look bad. For him to remain in control, someone must be punished. You, certainly not his only heir now that he has remarried, will take the death as payment to our country," the man stated bravely, happy to tell Haya she would be dying for her country's sake.

Haya could hardly breathe as she stared incredulously at the men trying to take her away to be killed.
She didn't even know what country they were talking about! Her mother hadn't told her where she was from, just that her skin was dark. Henry hadn't said a word either on the subject, and it was quite obvious now why that was. Their union had been illegal.

Unfortunately she was now in the position that there was no other option than to join her parents. Erik obviously wasn't going to budge on his opinions, no matter what she thought or believed of him.

"What if I took her and married her, then what?" Erik suddenly asked, surprising Haya from her most recent and dark thoughts.

Haya couldn't believe what was happening, was this all nightmare? Some ghoulish fantasy that her mind had created? She pinched herself hard and discovered the worse. It was very real.

"Then you would both be put to death."

Erik retracted and attempted to pretend he hadn't said anything. But the meaningful look he passed Haya told her that she wasn't going to die.

"Erik," she cried and held onto his embrace, clutching at his pristine clothing for her very life... Quite literally.

"You'll be okay... I promise."

He kissed the top of her head and began to bargain with the men.

"There is nothing you can say to sway us!" One suddenly shouted, sweat glistening on his dark brow. "We take the girl now!"

They easily over-powered Erik as they held a gun to his head to make sure he did not interfere, and then they placed metal shackles on him to make sure he stayed.

"Don't worry," he mouthed to Haya who was restrained by the other man, rather brutishly.

She was thrusted into their carriage, foreign seals resting up in it with white horses attached to them. And soon, they were traveling onto a boat to cross them to the continent of Africa where Haya would be tried and put to death in whatever country it was her parents had failed to mention. It was just too bad that this misinformation was going to cause Haya her life.