The Blade Princess

---Double the Grief---

"Oh, Princess I can assure you it's not a myth."

"There is good magic then?" I asked and felt a fool for saying it out loud.

Obviously, there must be.

"Princess, the werewolf you met is also magical, was he bad?" He asked with a raised brow.

"No, I think Tibran was kind and good." I mused mostly to myself.

"Careful Princess," Bretrarum said in a stiff tone which made me smile.

"I left him in the cave remember."

"And yet you accepted his moonstone." His tone was not pleasant and I wondered if moonstone was a big deal or this was just Bretrarum.

"It's just a method of contact."

He inhaled sharply and shook his head, "I don't I should be happy at your naive nature or annoyed."

I dropped the topic since I didn't want to dwell on this more as anxiety resurfaced on seeing Bretrarum changing back to Dark Prince persona. We were getting closer to our destination.

---

Tahira was waiting for us with the Dark Prince's substitute where she met me last time I came here as a spy.

"You lost didn't you?" Bretrarum completely changed with the mask on.

Even his tone held so much terror and authority that I saw Tahira and the substitute cower under his gaze. All the warmth he previously held was gone replaced by a cold exterior that made me wonder what his real self was.

"Where is father?" He asked Tahira now.

"He is staying at the outer palace and hasn't revealed anything to the King and Queen for reputation sake."

He scoffed at her words, "I assumed that much."

"I can take her away while you can meet the King." Tahira offered and I felt the panic rise in me.

For some reason, I did not want Bretrarum to meet the King alone.

"She is going to be my bride, she stays with me and no one else." He said in a dangerous tone that made Tahira gulp in fear.

And yet his tone did not mask the effect his words had on me.

He just called me his bride.

We started walking in the direction as told by Tahira to find the King without alerting the whole Kingdom. When I spotted the palace, I could feel the whole vibe darken. The guards standing around the place were all dressed in heavy armor and all looked terrifying. Anyone coming around would know that his place was dangerous. It felt like death and tension hung heavy in the air.

Maybe Bretrarum could feel it as well because he stopped and raised his hand in a gesture to stop me.

I questioned him with my eyes.

"He is in a bad mood." And then without even warning, he picked me up in his arms.

"Close your eyes." He said in a serious tone and I did.

A few moments later I opened them and I was in a familiar looking room.

It was elaborate, a room within a room and I knew it belonged to Henley even though it was empty the moment.

"You will be safe here. Hide in any wardrobe if anyone else comes in. Henley wouldn't harm you."

Before he could leave me, my hands acted on their own accord and gripped his arm.