The Crown's Entrapment

Outside the borders between the Element Forest, Silver Crescent Pack, and the Moonlight Pack Territories, Gilas and his men waited along in a straight line, making sure that they wouldn't overlook the arrival of Princess Xenia once she came out from the Forest. They marched out from the Capital City as early as the King had dismissed him yesterday, and they arrived as fast as they could at their destination, waiting outside the border of the Element Forest at a respectable distance.

Gilas shook his head as he noticed another presence in the shadows, who seemed to have been already waiting at the scene when they arrived. He couldn't see them clearly, but he could still feel that they were just around. All he could tell from a glance was that they were the king's men, and he shouldn't be too worried about their presence.

Looking up at the bright moonlight shining above them, he creased his forehead before letting out a sigh. "What's taking her so long?" he whispered as his eyes narrowed at the forest. To the naked eye, the place merely looked like an ordinary forest, but the barrier cast around it was so powerful that it was clearly distinct from everything else.

Judging by the time, it was already midnight. In a few hours, dawn would arrive, and time was of the essence. The Princess had finished her trial yesterday, right? So what was keeping her for this long?

[Do you think something bad happened to her then?] Ham curiously asked.

[I don't think so,] Gilas quickly replied. [His Majesty will definitely sense something like that happening. And knowing him, he would barge inside the forest himself as soon as that happened.]

He was honestly taken aback by Darius's firm and authoritative order yesterday. But then again, it was the right call against Nasser's plans. It seemed like the Elder didn't want him to be beheaded, probably because he thought he was his son. Despite that, Gilas still couldn't help but wonder if such would be the case should the old man find out that he was actually his twin's son.

Gilas greeted his teeth upon recalling the horrendous fate that his real father had suffered from Nasser's hands.

"A light has been seen in the west side of the forest, milord!"

A soldier reported something, and being positioned by the center of the line, Gilas quickly moved toward his left towards the Moonlight Pack's territory.

Upon arriving, everyone gasped upon seeing Princess Xenia's new mount running towards them, a massive group of fireflies fluttering above her serving as the light to guide her way. She looked so majestic, and all of them, including Gilas, had their breaths taken as the Princess's visage became clearer. The Princess was riding a mythical horse!

Eyes widening, Gilas gasped. [That's a Sleipnir… Right, Ham?]

A Sleipnir was an eight-legged horse with a coat as grey as the thunderclouds. The mythical horse supposedly had a strength that knew no equal, and it was described as the best among all horses due to its great speed.

[I guess she'll become our Queen after all,] Ham commented. [She's remarkable, don't you agree? Look at how she had earned the respect of most Cordonians.]

Gilas turned to see what Ham meant. Sure enough, all of the soldiers with him bent down on their knees, while the others unmounted from their horses as they waited for the approaching Princess. Gilas was no exception as he did the same. The Princess of Ebodia deserved it, after all.

It was a scene to behold. No one had instructed them to bend their knees and bow like this, but obviously, the Princess of Ebodia had earned everybody's respect. She was the first in Cordonian history to have come back alive and successful after experiencing the trials of the elements, and such a thing was already a feat of great renown.

The moment the Princess of Ebodia stopped her horse, the soldiers all greeted her in unison. "Welcome back, Your Grace!"

******

Xenia blinked at the scene before her. Her heart hammered inside her chest the moment she got out of the Element Forest, only to see all of these soldiers on their knees waiting for her.

She ordered Pluto, who was moving really fast towards their destination, to halt as she moved to address the men. As for the fireflies, the Queen Fairy had ordered them to give her enough light to see well enough. But with their task fulfilled, they dispersed back into the forest.

"Please, all of you, rise…" Xenia ordered. Looking around, she quickly spotted Gilas who walked towards her to help her down on her horse. Well, Gilas was the last person she had expected to see here, but then again, she knew that Darius was currently not allowed to give her any sort of assistance while the tournament was still ongoing.

"Your Grace, this is…" Gilas remarked, trailing off as he looked at her horse.

Xenia's smile widened as she caressed Pluto's head. She had immediately accepted the Sleipnir without a second thought the moment Devas presented it to her as a gift. She instantly fell in love with it, and through their bond, a connection quickly formed.

"Ah, this is Pluto," Xenia explained as she caressed the horse's head. "Lord Devas, the ruler of the lands, gave me this mythical horse as a gift." She then turned to Gilas with a smile. "Hmm… I didn't expect to see you here though, Lord Gilas."

The latter simply smiled at her and said, "His Majesty had given his royal order that I personally escort you back to safety. Should I fail, he will behead me himself."

Xenia nodded in understanding as she hummed, "I guess that was the best option in this situation, Lord Gilas."

"Indeed it was, Your Grace…" Gilas seconded.

"Well then, let's not keep my husband waiting," Xenia remarked. Let's go back home…"

With that being said, Xenia turned to climb back onto Pluto. However, she was interrupted when Gilas asked, "Won't you prefer to ride a carriage for the rest of your journey to get some rest?"

Oh right… She would actually love that. She was quite sleepy, after all.

Turning to Pluto, she said, "I'll ride on a carriage then, Pluto. Take care of our things, alright…"

Pluto sighed and nodded its head in understanding. Smiling back, Xenia patted its head before promptly walking towards the bed carriage led by Gilas. She smiled, knowing how her dear husband had arranged for all of this just to make sure that she would be comfortable. As they moved, Pluto followed beside her, acting more like a guard as her horse stood by guarding the entrance.

With everything out of the way, Xenia settled down inside, comfortable with the knowledge that she wouldn't be in danger from Nasser's plan.

Her smile only widened upon recalling the scene of the old man furiously smashing up everything in his private sanctuary inside his mansion yesterday. He had to cancel all of his prior plans to eliminate her, simply because her husband ordered Gilas to escort her back.

'It seems like Nasser also somehow cares for Gilas's life…' Xenia mused.