Chapter Sixteen:
Ireland was something to look at.
The green mountains were beautiful against the grey sky and there was some peace to the atmosphere. There are more green here than in Norway.
"Well?" Archer holds his arm out to me, and I hook in, "Let's complete your mission and leave here." I nod my curtly and we start to move to the town.
My heart is racing in my chest as the nervousness settles in my stomach.
The town was small, and there weren't many people out like in my home. There were people sitting on chairs with small tables near buildings and some people were riding the horses calmly. The town didn't bustle or had no loud noises like Norway.
However, we did catch some people's curious eyes as they watch us carefully.
My grip tightens slightly on Archer's arm, and he looks down at me, worry in his eyes. I shoot him a wobbly smile and he smiles softly back.
Roan was tagging with us, giving everyone a warning look even though he does not look the slightest intimidating. I feel very grateful that he is at least trying to protect me in some way.
A guard comes up to us, his armour different than those I am used to. He has his helmet under his arm and is coming towards us with a kind smile. He has a red moustache above his upper lip.
"Good day," He bows slightly, "We rarely have visitors in Ireland these days. What brings you?" I know that he can see we are not just any visitors. I have ensured that I am wearing my best dress and my princess crown that I have refused to wear ever. Archer and Roan is also dressed in their royal attire.
"I am here to speak with your king." The guard frowns, "I am Princess Aria from Denmark, King Frans' daughter." I state with as much power as I can, and the guard's eyes widen.
"Right this way."
He leads up to a stoned castle. It has towers on either side of the entrance and a huge wooden gate with spikes that opens and closes over a river.
Paranoid?
I do not let go of Archer, afraid that I might get lost or get taken if I do.
Now I sound paranoid.
I am a bit.
The guard had put his helmet back on and is walking in front of us with his head held high. I wonder if he is the main guard or something. He is too arrogant to be just another guard.
We stop inside of the very first room of the castle which I can recognise as a throne room.
A man with stands from the throne and gives us a wary look. He does not recognise us but knows that we have to important to be let into his castle.
"Who have entered my grounds?" He asks, his voice filled with power of a king. I can see that he is aging. I only now realise that a petite woman is sitting in the other throne, that is bigger than she is. Her ginger curly hair is braided back, and her face shows the same as the king's.
Why are they so vigilant?
"I am King Archer of Norway; this is Prince Roan from Norway. We have escorted Princess Aria from Denmark to Ireland as she has an important message and needs answers." Archer speaks up and I thank him silently for breaking the ice first.
"Princess Aria?" The king asks, his grey eyes focused on me now, "How come King Frans never spoke of you?" I feel confusion too at his remark. I know my father had kept me safe, but in Denmark he never kept quiet about me.
"My father has been poisoned, your Majesty." I speak up, "And I believe he did not speak of me because of that. He is in danger and wants to keep me safe." The petite woman now stands, her dress sweeping the ground as she walks closer to us.
"Then why are you here if you have to be protected?" She asks, her voice takes me off guard for a bit as it is stronger than what I had expected. "If our grounds is not safe for you according to your father than maybe you should leave." She took offense to our words. I realise that.
"No, because I think you may in danger too." I answer truthfully and the king's face pales at this. The queen's emerald eyes blazes with anger, but she keeps her face straight.
A good compose queen.
My mother would love her.
"Why do you say so?" She demands and I keep myself calm too, not wanting to show her any fear.
"My father was poisoned here. I know this because coming to Ireland is a five-day trip. When my father had returned from here, he had the poison in his system for almost two weeks. That is why he was so weak when he had returned and if I had not acted sooner, he would have been dead." My voice is slightly shaky with emotion, but I just swallow and speak again.
"I have gone to Norway to get the cure that could save him, the only cure and it is not easy to find." Archer squeezes my arm slightly with a small smile, a proud smile and I can see one on Roan's face as well. "My father is safe now, but I am not so sure of yourself."
"You are very paranoid for a king and the way you have everything bolted and kept shut proves that you fear something." I take a quick look around as I speak this, proving my point. "Do you have tasters?"
His eyes are now filled with different emotions, "We do, usually, but no one had any poison in their system after we had served the food." He answers after thinking and the queen is now also worried, her anger gone.
"Then it had to be someone serving the food." I say after thinking, "And you had not been feeling off at all?" I ask and they both shake their heads. "Maybe someone had only targeted my father." I admit softly and Archer heard me.
"We will be having dinner here and will leave tomorrow." Archer speaks and the king frowns at him.
"Why would I serve any meals after just hearing that another king got poisoned in my castle?" He demands and Archer shoots him a smirk.
"Then you can determine who it was and keep yourself as well as your wife safe." Roan finally speaks and the queen looks at him with an emotion that I cannot decipher.
I make a note to ask Roan later when I spot him tugging at his collar in discomfort.
"Fine, very well." The king gives in, and I shoot him a kind smile only to receive a glare from the very emotional queen.
King Reagan was a very calm king if he was not paranoid the entire time, but after him explaining to us about death threats that he and his queen has been receiving and declaring that they will not go into war with the United States they have been very cautious with who comes in and who goes out.
My father had been the last visitor because it was after him that the threats had gotten worst.
"You don't think that the enemy could have disguised themselves as my staff and slipped the poison while serving?" King Reagan asks and I open my mouth, just to close it again.
I do not want to make him more nervous than he already is.
"It could be possible, or your staff could have been black mailed or paid to go against you, got confused and gave the poison to the wrong king." Roan explains, he takes a cautious sip of the water that was served and checks his pulse on his neck after a few seconds.
He is such an idiot but can be so smart.
"My staff respects me too much." He defends and Archer shakes his head at the king's obvious oblivion.
"Not if they can gain something out of disrespecting you." Archer reasons and the queen lets out a huff.
"How do we even know if you are telling the truth and not just trying to scare us? Are we not scared enough for you?" She asks frustrated and I frown at her.
"You think that I would make up the fact that my father has been poisoned and could possibly die just to scare you?" I ask in disbelief, and she shrugs.
"The king never even mentioned a daughter, so how do I know if you are really from royalty even?" She looks at me with disgust, "You don't even act like a true princess. You lack power and confidence and everything you do is just not that of grace."
I feel the anger starting to nip at me like a fire.
"How dare you." I say softly, rising from my seat. "I may not have wanted to be queen a few months ago, but after realising that I am my kingdom's only hope I had to stand up and get ready. My father's almost death scared me a lot and I have been having nightmares every night. I know I am not very graceful, but at least I have the respect to understand you or at least try to, instead of raging out on you for allowing my father to be poisoned in your castle!"
King Reagan rises too now, "I will not allow you to raise your voice in my castle." He states with a straight face, "But I understand your frustration." He nods his head calmly as he thinks about something.
"We will search our staff's rooms and find any traces of poison. I will ensure that the person who had the poison explain themselves and then I will send them to the dungeons for doing so." I look at him with gratefulness and he nods his head to his guards who comes closer immediately.
"You were brave." Roan smiles and Archer shoots me a kind smile as well.
"Thank you." I smile back and we walk slowly through the hallways back to where we had come in from. "Do you think they will find the culprit?" I ask after silence and Archer nods his head.
"They will. I can see they are very proud royalties and do not appreciate it when someone messes with them." Archer explains and this makes me feel better.
I look at Roan, about to ask what the weird tension between him and the queen was when a woman runs across the castle's front yard. She was running at a very fast pace, and she was wearing dark clothes, a veil covering her face.
She looked like someone mourning after someone's death.
"Stop her!" A guard yells and at this Archer takes off after her with a few other guards. I pick up my dress and start darting after them with Roan following me yelling that I am putting myself in danger again, but I ignore him as I try to catch up with the woman and Archer.
Archer finally catches up to her and grabs her arm, stopping her from running any further. The guards catch up to him and I am just a few feet away with Roan still cursing for allowing me to run off like that.
"You got the witch, thank you." One of the guards speak up and I frown. A witch? That could not be true. Maybe it is like the elves, only a name given to people who are different.
However, as I was thinking this the woman's dark eyes meets mine through the dark veil and I feel an eerie feeling from her. She shoots me a smile that only sends shivers down my spine.
"A fragile princess, I see." She speaks and her voice is luring. The guards seem to be frightened too, but I can see that Archer is trying to decipher her. "What are you doing here if you are in so much danger outside Denmark?"
How does she know where I am from?
"I am not in danger. My father was, and I am here to find out why." I state firmly, but it comes off as a squeak. I feel intimidated and confused by her presence and I find myself wondering if witches could be true.
"No, you are in very much danger. You have a small kingdom, and a lot of kings want to have it, as they will gain more power and royalty from it." She smiles again, "Your father was protecting you from becoming queen as long as he could, but I see that he is failing miserably. You are not cooperating, and it will cause a lot of trouble for your father."
"You have no idea what you are talking about!" I glare at her, and she chuckles as the guards take her from Archer.
"You will need a lot of help to be safe, Princess." She keckles and I find myself worried and scared all over again. "Get out of Ireland to begin with." She yells over her shoulder, and I look back at a worried Archer.
King Reagan comes out of his castle, probably to see what the hassle is about and looks at me. I can see a strange look on his face, but I am not sure what it is. He nods, and I thought it was to greet us, but darkness enveloped me soon after.
I groan as I try to sit upright, but the I am not even sure if I can because I cannot see anything.
I try to push my hands up to my face, but they do not get far before something pulls it back. De ja vu hits me when I remember being tied in a cell in Archer's mansion the very first time I met the brothers.
I hear footsteps, a murmur and soon the thing is ripped from my head and King Reagan is looking at me with a straight face. He kneels down so that he is facing me eye to eye and a sick smile crawl on his face.
"Such a beautiful daughter, but no admiration." He murmurs and I glare at him, wiggling against the constraints and he clicks his tongue, "Do not do that. You will only hurt your soft skin and leave nasty bruises."
"Stop talking to me like I am a small child." I grit out and he laughs, his laughter booms through the quiet cells. I feel the fear crawling up my spine, but I hide it well with my glare.
"You still do not realise that you are in danger, do you?" He chuckles after his laughter quieted down. "Young princess, your kingdom is going to be ruled by someone stronger than you or your father." He stands up, putting his hands behind his back. "Rule number one of royalty, never leave your kingdom with no king or queen to reign." He walks from side to side.
"My father is there. The real king." I utter out and he laughs again.
"Your weak father? The poison is barely even gone!" He looks at me and I feel the disgust on my face that he can see so clearly, "Rule number two, do not trust so easily. You gave away your entire plan and everything about your father's path to healing. How can you even trust the Prince and King that tags along with you?"
"I trust them because they have done me no harm." Except for kidnapping me, but I never told him that. "I know they will not be so awful as you are."
"They left." He states with a bored expression and my heart falls to my feet.
"What?" I ask softly and he laughs again.
Is this king crazy?
"You heard me! They left you, here, all alone." He laughs again, opening the cell door and leaving too.