~Chelsea POV~
Rowan was furious with me.
The anger that was resonating within him resembled that of his cousin's when he thought Esmerelda was betraying him. I had never felt Rowan's wrath before...and I was more than a bit nervous as I walked down the hall with him and a few hand picked men who knew about the severity of this task.
"Chelsea will hide out near the gates...when they are spotted she will tell some lie to get the guards to abandon their posts. That is when she will sneak them in," Rowan explained to the men who were all glancing at me with deep respect. I did not want their respect. I wanted their strength. To make sure that I made it back to Rowan. Alive.
Although I was still upset with him...I loved him. Nothing in his past or mine could change that...and now that I was faced with a situation that I possibly might not come out of. I was nervous. Of course I could not let that show. If I showed it now, Rowan would cease this plan immediately.
"You eleven will protect her with your life, do you understand? We will ride out into the village and find the exact path where she will walk them throughout the village to the castle. You will all be posted various places down that path," he explained to the men who would be protecting me.
He turned to some other men. "You all will be posted to escort Queen Esmerelda everywhere. Once we get word that they are here, wherever the Queen may be, you do not let her leave that room or anyone enter. Understood?"
These men were no regular soldiers or guards from the castle... That is what King Sirus and Rowan wanted everyone to think, but they were trained killers. They carried out orders for deaths that The King would never ever dream of doing in person. Also Rowan. Every Kingdom had them and this one was no exception. "Yes, Lord Rowan," they all answered in unison.
"Gather anything you will need. Meet me at the stables when you are all prepared." The men filed out, and I watched as Rowan turned to look at me. The concern and fury in his eyes was just too much. "Chelsea, do not die," was what he said as I smiled at him, walking up to him and grabbing his hand. He flinched as if it had hurt for me to touch him. "I-I thought you were angry with me."
"I am...but I am also about to lie to a powerful King and well some humans." I told him as I stood on the tips of my toes to kiss his hairy cheek. He pulled me closer to him, "I love you."
He grumbled softly, kissing my forehead. "I love you too."
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I stood at the gates waiting patiently. I was scared of course. I had a cloak on and was dressed as a villager. Esmerelda had given me the description of her friend in depth and Rowan has given me what the Vampyr King looked like.
They told me it was easy to spot the King, and that did not make me anymore at ease. Rowan had true not to make him sound so intimidating but...it was hard to do so. I knew I had to be strong though, it would probably be the King, Everton and some of their men.
I had to act like Fiona. I had to tap into that awfully mannered, I'll spirited, sad woman that I had to call my...cousin now I suppose. Even though Rowan does not claim her as blood anymore.
Glancing, around my eyes met with one of the many soldiers stationed around the village. He gave me a nod and I immediately tensed as I looked over towards the gates.
They were here.
Eight cloaked figures.
Walking with such determination.
I flipped my cloak down and then back up, a signal for some of the special soldiers to follow me quickly to the soldiers stationed at the Gates. I watched three of the men approach the guards that were at the gates. "King Sirus has ordered all of the gate keepers to the southern border. Something about an attack!"
The six guards that were stationed at the gates all looked at one another. I made my way towards the gatekeepers who were looking at my soldiers suspiciously. I stood, glaring at the men. "My mate, Prince Rowan has just alerted them. He said that even if they are not there stay for at least half of the hour...they believe it is the work of Vampyr and stay stationed at the southern side." At the word vampyr they were all convinced. I was surprised they even I slowly watched one grab at the hilt of his sword. The other few began to shift. "Hurry! Go!"
I watched as all of them rushed the other way, such looks of anger and war in their eyes...I felt bad for deceiving them but it had to be done.
As I walked up to the gate, I looked around to only see the soldiers who were tasked with protecting me. They were dressed in peasant clothes.
I quickly made my way over to the gates, taking a whiff of them. I smelt vampyr and humans. This was definitely them.
"Welcome, gentlemen," I told them as they all filed in through the gates. I was careful not to make eye contact just yet. Once they were all inside the gates, I began to push it close. It was rather heavy and I felt the weight of pushing disappear quickly.
"I have it, Princess Fiona." That voice was as if someone had scraped a sharp and icy tool down my spine. I shivered, turning to look at the cloaked man, who helped close the gate.
He had the darkest of cloaks on. His paled, large hands pushed at the gate with ease and I watched him do so with a smirk on his lips. "Is everything, alright Princess?" He questioned, craning his neck downward, to get a better look at me.
My heart lurched into my stomach, as I received a look at his eyes. Pitch dark. The night. That was what his eyes looked like. Endless night. Not to mention the power that was surrounding him.
He had to be the King.
King Talon.
I was used to the feeling of power. Hilda had much of it...the King exuded it. Rowan wielded it. But this cloaked man who stood before me... it was unrealistic. It reminded me of when the Dragon King was upset about his wife eating something...the anger and power rolled off of him in tendrils. This man...King Talon reeled with power.
"I am fine...Gentleman, we must hurry. The soldiers will be back any moment," I told them as they all began to follow me. Immediately. I imagined it would be more pressing than this. But it was not.
As we walked throughout the village, I could feel a presence right on my heels, and I suddenly paused. Turning to look who was so close to me. It was the Vampyr King.
"Yes, King Talon?"
Now that he was just walking...I noticed the sleeves to his cloak covered his hands. You could see nothing of his body but his lips and chin. He walked around like some sort of ghost. A reaper.
The dark tendrils of his hair peeked out beneath the cloak covering his face. The only indication of what he might look like beneath the disgusting cloak. I should have gotten a better look at his face when he helped me close the door...but I was to entranced with his eyes..
"I have not come here for the human Queen but for your brother. I want his heart in my hands, that does not pose a problem for you does it?" He questioned, my eyes going to his lips that were slowly moving up. In a slight smile.
A smile found its way on my lips, "Of course not. My brother needs to be dealt with. I have tried many times to save him from...from that human filth but he is too far gone now. If you succeed, the throne will be mine... a true Queen my kingdom will have."
The words coming from my mouth felt acidic on my tongue. I could not understand how Fiona could say things like this daily. Sure I had no love for King Sirus but he was King....and he also had the power to kill me whenever he saw fit. So I would never utter these words if I were just...Chelsea. But I was a princess now...a princess trying to protect my friend. My mate...and lastly my King.
"Even though I have heard that you would like to be Queen with your brother ruling as King?" He questioned, as we passed at least four of the guards that were stationed throughout the village.
I scoffed, "My brother does not deserve to be King."
"Princess, if I may ask has the Queen birthed that monstrosity yet?"
My attention was immediately drawn to the other men walking wth us. It was one of the humans. I instantly knew who he was. The cloak that covered his face, did not do him justice. He was Everton. The man who had been sending Esmerelda letters.
I turned to the human with wide grin, "What if I say yes? What will happen to that monstrosity?"
The look in the man's eyes was not one of kindness. One would think since he wanted Esmerelda as Queen he would not want to harm her child... "I will kill it in front of that father of his, Princess Fiona."
"Good. He is nothing but filth anyway...right along with his mother," I told him as I quickened my pace. The Vampire King was being oddly quiet and that made me nervous. "Will you end the human filth too? Or you have plans for her?"
When he did not answer, I looked at him. He seemed to be thinking. "I have always wanted Esmerelda...but she is tainted by your brother. She is mentally ill though. Last time we spoke, she told me not to attack, to kill Sirus. I believe he had poisoned her mind. I will take her back with me and cleanse her of the foul beast then maybe she will be mine."
Cleanse her? How on earth was he to do that? It did not sound like a good thing and I would die over having him take Esmerelda. I glanced at the Vampyr King to see him suddenly halt in his movements. So did his two men.
"What? What is it?" I questioned, as he began to shake, and whisper words that were unintelligible to the ears. "What is wrong with him?" I snapped towards Everton as he shrugged giving me a wary look.
I looked around to see if we were drawing attention to ourselves. Only a few elderly people were out. Two special soldiers who posed as carpenters were watching carefully. "King Talon, you must stop whatever you are doing, you will draw attention to yourself!"
He paused, his hand reaching out to my shoulder. He gripped it hard. "Where does the sleeping woman lie?"
I could see the two soldiers beginning to put down their tools. I shook my head quickly, and they gripped their tools tightly. Not appreciating me holding off their attack.
I muffled a cry of pain, "I do not know who you speak of."
"A woman who has been sleep for a few months now. Where do I find her? Surely a phenomena like that has been spoken about hasn't it?" He hissed, as my eyes widened.
Sleep....more than a few months. He could not possibly be speaking of....! "Ah, what is that light in your eyes? Tell me or I will break your shoulder."
The man beside him, grabbed him and said something in his ear. His lips that were pulled tightly into a smile, revealing his sharpened fangs...now closed, into a straight line. He sighed, letting me go. "I suppose I have no time to harm you...Princess."
After saying such an awful thing...he disappeared. I do not mean as if he ran away to hide behind something...I mean disappear as in Hilda disappear! Into nothingness!
"Where is he headed? Where is he going?!" I snapped, grabbing at the Everton man.
He was trying to pry my hands off of himself. "I do not know! He has a mind of his own....it was either ally myself with him or the Dragon King...I took the lesser of two evils."
The Dragon King did not seem all that awful. "Are you sure about that?" I spat, now becoming increasingly angry. What was I to do now?
I could see the 'carpenters' setting down their tools, and I held up my hand. "Everton he might have...might've proofed into the castle or some sorts...we have to get going. Let me just see if anyone has witnessed that.."
He nodded his head, "Yes...go check if those gentleman have seen anything," he said while pointing towards the very men that I needed to speak to.
I quickly made my way over to them. "Listen, and listen carefully. I need one of you to rush back to the castle and tell them that the Vampire King is missing and he might be headed there."
It was odd...I know when Hilda does her disappear acts she can only be somewhere she has been before...but the Vampire King had never set foot in the castle. Not with the impending rage between King Sirus and him.
"Yes, Princess Chelsea, I understand. I will stay here and watch over you just in case."
The other man nodded and I smiled at the two before turning my attention back towards the Duke Everton man and his three comrades. "They have seen nothing. They are poor peasants, no one would believe them anyway."
Everton chuckled, "Ah! We are cut from the same cloth, Princess. I do hope that Talon does nothing rash and messes up this entire plan."
My thoughts exactly, but I just hope he does not know where the castle is located. "Yes...well lets hope. It is not like he knows the layout of the castle or anything. That is a good thing."
Duke Everton suddenly grabbed me by the hand, pulling me close to him. His eyes turning to slits. "Why of course he would, considering his awful situation years ago."
"Oh well yes...I forgot. It has happened so long ago...I-I seemed to have momentarily forgotten," I lied while pulling away from his clammy hands. "We do not have time to waste, let us hurry!"
What awful situation did he speak of?!
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Hey guys I'm so sorry for updating so late but I promised I would today so here it goes!!
I also updated Queen of the Dragons too today, check it out if you haven't.
Please vote and comment! Also thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story from day one, it's been a long ride and it's almost over (sobs in the corner)