Iftia: Lyx Palace, Large Foyer
• Elianna •
"Your Highness, please do not advance any further!" The guards from the main entrance exclaimed.
Your Highness? Elianna turned to her head to the side and looked at the Rowan, who was standing right beside her. Then, she noticed the change in his expression as it darkened and dulled with unreadable emotions. Her gaze went back towards the entrance and she came to her realisation. Matthias?
"Seriously, don't stop me!" A familiar voice grumbled from outside which proved her assumption right. "I'm not here to seek trouble! I just want to talk to Doctor Everson!"
Elianna marched forward to push on the heavy doors and stepped outside. Matthias was trapped in the middle to two crossed spears as he pushed on them effortfully, trying to get past the guards. Looking at the Second Prince sternly, she folded her arms in front of her chest and asked, "Your Highness, what are you trying to do?"
His head shot up and glared at her. "Elianna! Who the hell said that you can go to the borders?" he shouted, discarding all his princely manners.
"Why are you getting so worked up?" Elianna frowned, not understanding but feeling very worried about his agitation. She remembered sending a letter to Nvre the night before, addressing to Matthias to tell him that she would be heading to the borders to provide medical aid. Yet, she didn't expect that Matthias would stomp his way to Lyx to yell at her.
"As the Second Prince of Iftia, I disallow it!" he shouted.
"What?" Elianna raised her voice louder than she expected while her brows nipped together into a frown.
Everyone surrounding them was dumbfounded. They simply rotated their gaze back and forth trying to understand the whole situation. She immediately realised that this was the first time she had spoken so loudly in annoyance since she arrived here. Not far from where she stood was a perplexed Tristan and an utterly confused Kaylon. They were staring at her with their jaws dropped. She hurriedly glanced towards Matthias, who was equally baffled. However, Matthias instantly snapped out of his paralysed state and argued, "Don't you understand how dangerous it is now and you want to go there?"
"I can handle it!"
"I said no!"
"Why are you being like that?" Elianna exhaled.
She was growing frustrated because regardless of what Matthias was going to say, she would insist on going. Therefore, it all seemed so pointless that they were just standing around to bicker with one another.
Turning around, Matthias backed away a little and she thought he was going to return. Elianna reached forward wanting to apologise because she didn't want to leave the Royal Grounds on bad terms with him but he suddenly turned back and claimed, "Fine, I'll go with you then!"
"Matthias?" Elianna wasn't understanding the situation.
"It's either you stay here or I'll go with you," Matthias said firmly, turning he was about to tell Ray something.
Elianna rushed down the stairs to hold him back by his arm, she asked, "At least explain to me why you're being as such?"
"You, really—" Matthias exhaled. "It's a long story, I'll just be there to assist the situation with Sir Tristan."
"You don't have to go!" she argued.
He gripped her arm in return and said firmly, "I have to and I'm going with you. Since I cannot tell you what to do, neither can you, Elianna."
"Matthias!" she gasped in horror.
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• Rowan •
When did the two of them get so close?
A nagging feeling of unease and displeasure rose in him as he held his fists tightly against his sides. He heard her calling Matthias by his name and that proved that they had become close enough for them to be addressing each other without honorifics and titles. Still, pushing his anger aside to think rationally, it would do Elianna good to have Matthias with her.
Because of the Thethian princess, he couldn't leave the Royal Grounds and could only allow Tristan and Kaylon to follow her. If Matthias went with her, she would've more people escorting her and protect her if anything arose. Matthias and his knights were all skilled fighters and he would honestly feel more at ease. Exhaling a sigh, Rowan pinched the bridge of his nose in slight annoyance as he requested, "Please follow Doctor Everson."
"Alright, permission granted. I'm definitely going now!" Matthias jumped triumphantly.
"We are not going to have fun!" she complained.
Right in front of him, Matthias tugged on her arm as he tried to drag her out to the carriage. A wave of dark emotions ripped out from within him and his feet shuffled down the steps and pulled on her arm, hard.
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• Elianna •
"Your Highness?" She spun around and breathed in surprise. Behind her, she felt Matthias dropped her hand and when her head turned to look at Matthias, she saw that he was smiling widely at Rowan with two hands raised on his sides, showing his empty palms.
"Please stay safe." Rowan's blue eye brimmed with sadness and insecurity. His grip tightened around her arm and she felt him trembled slightly. She could feel her heart pounding harshly in her chest and his expression caused a heavy-weighted pressure squeezing within her. Her feet pivoted around as she stepped closer to him. She placed her hand in his as she guided him back into the large foyer, away from everyone.
"Rowan," she whispered. "I'll be alright. Please do not worry."
Even her words seemed to have little effect because he kept his gaze down. Thick lashes shielded his eyes and he remained silent while his hand clasped tighter onto hers.
Her body bent slightly to her side to see behind him and realised that everyone had looked away, granting them some privacy. She giggled softly and she removed the thin piece of satin that concealed half of her face. Her heels raised to the tip of her toes and pecked a light kiss on his lips. Those blue eyes widened in pleasant surprise as they speckled in joy and curiosity.
"I'll miss you," she blurted out.
His smile widened on his charming face as he leaned forward to kiss on her forehead. "Wait for me, I'll be right there at the earliest time possible."
The smoothness and tenderness in his voice made her toes curl as red flowed from her neck up to her face. She adjusted the veil on her face before she grabbed on the strap of her medical bag tightly and scurried out of the main entrance. Matthias shouted after her as they went up the carriage.
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Iftia: Journey To Iftia-Rivia Borders
• Elianna •
The journey to the border from the Royal Grounds was estimated to take around four days through the snow-filled lands. Elianna shared the carriage with Matthias and Thunder. She was flipping through her book when she caught Matthias staring intensely at Thunder. Since the beginning of the journey, he had been staring at Thunder with amazement.
"If you stare at Thunder like that, he'll bite," she said casually, knowing that the panther would start to call for her help if Matthias continued to look at him as such.
"I can't believe you had a panther as a pet!" he finally broke the silence and he shrieked in surprise.
Elianna dropped her head in her hand and sighed, "For the last time, Thunder isn't a pet."
"Then, what is it?"
She paused for a moment before saying, "Well, this panther practically raised me."
He didn't understand what she meant and she also didn't know how to explain everything to him. To put it simply, she said, "I lived in the mountains with it since I was nine."
The sadness in her expression was apparent and he only gave her a knowing smile before he nodding his head to let her know that she didn't have to say more than what she had. Her heart warmed a little because that was the kind of friendship they shared. Matthias had been nothing but accommodating.
The journey continued as Matthias busied himself with his book and she continued reading hers. Occasionally, he would engage her in a small talk and all of their conversations were light and enjoyable. The group finally stopped when night fell and tents were set up as everyone rested for the night
Elianna settled her things down before following Thunder out of the tent. They threaded into the woods and went around for a while before settling by a large tree to rest. She smoothed her hand along the length of his back and her fingers ran through his short black fur. She called, "Thunder."
The panther opened his eyes, those glowing emerald green sparkled within the total darkness as he stared at her and waited for her to continued. She laughed, "If I told Matthias that you raised me, does it make sense if I call you my father from now on?"
Hissing in annoyance, the panther raised his paw and thudded on the side of her arm to express his dislike. Elianna gave a soft chuckle before a sudden rustle silence her immediately. From the sound of the footsteps, she noticed that it was Matthias and she turned around while looking at him trudging aimlessly. She called out, "Matthias."
"Who's there!" he stumbled back into a defensive stance and she burst out laughing. Her hand reached out to grab him by the hem of his shirt.
"It's me, Elianna."
"Damn, you scared me!"
"Please mind your language," she reminded.
"There's no one here," he groaned before he continued, "Why are you sitting here in the dark? You should light a fire."
She quaked at the thought of those flickering red flames.
"I'm not good with fire," she muttered. Thinking about it, she never actually lit a single fire since that day. She relied on magic to heat her food and warm herself during winter in Thethia. She never needed to light a fire, or more accurately speaking, she would avoid anything that needed fire.
Her silence sat comfortably with Matthias because he didn't question her further. However, she didn't want to let the tense silence hang between them for too long so she asked, "What about you? Why are you travelling in the dark?"
"I saw you going into the woods with Thunder," he replied. "I didn't expect it to be so dark, but I'm glad I manage to find you."
She guided him to sit beside her and the darkness surrounded them felt peaceful in the dead of the night. Other than the sounds of their breathing, they were greeted with the rather lyrical calls of the crickets.
"Elianna, can I ask you something?"
"Hmm?"
"Will you marry my brother?"
The sudden question caused heat to rise quickly from her neck to her face and she thanked for whatever reason that there was no source of light to reveal this embarrassing expression of hers.
"W-what are you a-asking?" she stuttered as though someone had tied a knot on her tongue, refusing to let her speak properly.
"I mean, I'll really be happy," he admitted. "You know, I'd choose for you to be my sister-in-law more than anyone else."
"I'm not sure if Rowan would want me as his consort."
"Are you an idiot?" he checked.
She closed her hand into a fist, holding herself back from wanting to swing a punch at the rude prince beside her. Yet, he was right because she exactly knew how Rowan had felt for her. Those feelings that were shared between them were genuine and he had also made his intentions and gestures clear from the start. It was she who refused to commit to it. She mumbled, "I can't be with him, not now."
"Why are you running away?" Matthias asked again.
"There are things that I must do," she said, voice low. "And I shouldn't pull Rowan into this mess."
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