Cold, Dead Pillows

Leandro woke up earlier than he used to. His heart pounded against his chest, arousing him from his sleep

He didn't usually feel that way every time. It seemed to be ominous, as if something bad was imminent to happen throughout the day.

Or was it because he still hasn't decided on what to do with the female human?

He immediately stood up and went to the King's Dressing Room to change his sleeping clothes. A servant immediately attended to him.

"Good morning, your Majesty," he helped him fit in one of the royal robes that the King usually wears during ordinary days.

"Quickly. I need to do an important task," Leandro hurried the servant, making the servant hasten his actions, so he wouldn't be bothersome to the King of Gaea.

It was early dawn and the sun was just peeking out of the horizon. Its rays weren't ready just yet to shed its light on the King's Castle.

Usually, the King woke up as its beams hit the Chamber's window. But now he didn't even wait for it.

After the servant dressed him, he immediately went out to one of the Castle's Towers and surveyed the land of Gaea. It seemed to be at peace.

There's no wildfire or any chaotic movement disrupting the tranquility within the Gaean realm. Still, something was bothering him.

He decided to go to the Apartment for the Guest Ladies and Lords in the Castle. He wanted to make sure that the female human was all right.

"Give me the keys," he said to the Guard who was currently looking after the Chamber at that time.

He told the creatures that have found her to never utter a word about her to anyone. If anyone learned about her existence, her life would be in danger.

And he wouldn't allow that to happen. Now that the Great Theos has already confirmed the possibility of her being the bearer of his offspring.

He could not recall in his hands the number of times he attempted to procreate until he finally gave up. She was a glimmer of hope for him.

Her state in Gaea was complicated, though, which made him think twice about planting his seeds on her.

As much as he wanted to have descendants of his own, he didn't want to endanger someone's life just because of it.

He gently opened the door so as not to wake the sleeping beauty.

She seemed to be sleeping with her body covered in a thick layer of quilts. But something was not right.

Leandro's heart thumped wildly as he quickly uncovered the blankets. And he was right. Under the blanket was not a warm vessel of human life, but cold dead pillows!

The Castle Guards' jaws dropped at what the King just found out. They immediately fell down on their knees with their faces to the ground.

"We deserve to die, your Majesty!" They chorused in shame.

"You will surely die if you don't find her at once!" His rough, raspy voice thundered throughout the hallways, making the servants who have heard it shivered in fear.

The Castle Guards immediately scrambled to their feet and fled to find the missing lady.

In a fraction of a second, he immediately went to the window and peeked down below.

His amethyst eyes turned to fiery scarlet as he searched every nook and cranny of the Castle.

The Castle Guards were doing their usual morning rounds. He could hear the diurnal warblers chirping in the sky, excited to welcome the sun.

His nose could smell the freshly baked bread from the furnace. His mouth could almost taste them.

His skin could feel the changing temperature as the sun rose up.

But he could not sense a warm-blooded human anywhere in the Castle grounds!

"Your Majesty," Lord Emilio uttered breathlessly.

He seemed to rush to the Chamber as soon as he learned of the news. "Forgive me for my negligence, your Majesty," he kneeled before him.

"Gather the Nephilus Guards and find her. She's out of the Castle," he ordered to him in a grim manner.

He brushed his silvery gray hair away from his chiseled face as he tried to think where she might go.

As he recalled, she wanted to go back to her world.

But that was impossible. There was no portal that could make anyone travel from Gaea to the human world unless the Great Theos would allow it.

"Should I have just brought her to the Temple of Astrum instead?" He thought as a feeling of regret crept up in his heart.

Yes, he could request The Great Theos to bring her back to her world if she really wanted to.

But as he thought about it, his heart felt as if it was breaking. His shoulders dropped low as he desired her to stay in Gaea.

"Yes, your Majesty. With her bare feet, she could not have gone far," Lord Emilio responded to him, distracting him from his speculations.

He was about to leave when an idea came to Leandro's mind.

"Unless -" Leandro's lips blurted out. His alert eyes faced the other Watchman who was with him.

"Prepare Draco," He ordered him in a hasty manner.

"Yes, Your Majesty," The guard bowed and immediately went to the Dracus Dungeons.

Leandro quickly faced Lord Emilio, "Did you command the spies to go to the Southern Lands this morning?"

"Yes, your Majesty. I gave them the order to be there before dawn," Lord Emilio answered him.

Leandro's lips turned pallid white. "She would not have ridden with them."

He immediately went to the Castle Gates together with Lord Emilio.

"Who left the Castle since last evening until now?" He gruffly asked the GateKeepers who were on duty that day.

Beads of sweat formed in Leandro's forehead as he hoped that there were other travelers aside from the spies.

She could go to other destinations in Gaea. But not to the Southern Lands.

"There were two, your Majesty. One went to the Eastern fields to get some grain. The others were merchants to the Southern Lands," The GateKeepers stuttered as they gave a questioning look at each other, thinking that they have done something wrong.

"Did you see a woman with any of them?" Leandro interrogated.

"No, no, Your Majesty," The GateKeepers immediately shook their heads.

Leandro nodded back. But he made his decision.

"Once I learned that a woman escaped your oversight, all of you and your families will be banished from serving the Castle. Do you understand?" He growled at them before going to Draco, leaving horrified Gate Keepers behind.

*****************************************************

"A great battle is a terrible thing," the old knight said, "but in the midst of blood and carnage, there is sometimes also beauty, a beauty that could break your heart."

― George R.R. Martin, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms