12 Chapter 12 - Lurra (2)
"If you want to show this Kingdom the ruthless King that you are, then punish me. Show the world you will be their King," Estalle pushed Gerra with her tiny fist, the one that held enormous power despite its lack of strength.
"Not my husband."
His defeated features are shown all over his face, as the word my child rings for quite a while.
She never acknowledges me.
Estalle turned around and walked limply towards the double door at the end of the room, each step resonated loudly with power, piercing his heart.
"You can't protect me and my child inside this castle", she takes a deep breath, clearly exhausted but strength fills her statement, "You are aware of that."
She pushes open the door and leaves Gerra inside the hall.
Falling on his knees screaming in utter despair.
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The girl is weird.
No, it was not her appearance. It was the way she treated him.
It was Artha's first time being reprimanded by a witch, a hunter one at that.
Her eyes clearly blame him, as she commands him to stay.
Any creatures that ever dare to talk back with him, could only do that while trembling in fear.
He wasn't a creature that could be ordered around by other creatures.
So then, why did he stay?
He could easily turn around, despite the bloody wound on his paw. However, he stood still with confusion flickering through his mauve orbs, clearly lost within his own thoughts.
There's something he wanted to see.
What will that girl do?
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Soren takes a slow step approaching the Crown Prince and stands silently in the middle of the forest, the Crown Prince expression is cold and rigid as always. It's been almost five years since he served the Crown Prince by his side, Soren was fourteen when he was introduced to his master, the fifteen years old Artha. He still remembered to this day the way the Crown Prince had gaze at him, eyes cold and indifferent.
At first, Soren finds it hard to communicate with the Crown Prince. Soren is younger than him and he is a little bit scared of the Crown Prince, he hasn't even worked for long inside the Castle before he was suddenly assigned to be his personal servant.
It had all added enormous pressure to him at first, especially after he heard the rumours going around inside the Kingdom of Suttern. The Crown Prince killed a creature.
Though the Crown Prince is a royal with few words, Soren still serves him and is able to notice what he needs with a single glance after serving him for a year. There is no need for instruction and Artha never replaces Soren.
Soren handed Artha the black leather bag filled with clothes and a few pills, these pills could numb his wound in case Artha got hurt. His healing process takes longer than other werewolves, which is why Soren always purchased these pills and put them inside the bag.
Although the Crown Prince never takes that pill.
"Serve Alron," Artha said.
Artha turned around and left, his figure drowned by the green lush forest. It will take him a week at most, before he returns back to the castle, he usually spends a bit longer hunting and fills his primal desire.
However, because he arrived late at Qye this time, he could only spend a week inside the forest, so that he could later on witness the Lantern Festival.
Soren turned around and headed towards the castle to serve the Prince of Suttern while the Crown Prince hunted.
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Will you believe me, Artha.
I always believe you, Mother.
Did you know that I love you, your Father, Rin and Ron, Artha?
I used to know that, Mother.
Sleep my child, the world is vast and beautiful.
Don't drown yourself in misery.
There will come a time when you understand everything.
I shouldn't, Mother.
If I had known, If I had just known that you wouldn't open your eyes the very next day, I wouldn't close my eyes.
Exactly what is it you want me to understand?
Love in the end has destroyed everyone's life.
Father.
Rin and Ron.
and me?
Artha pushed further inside the forest, howling with a loud killing threat through his teeth. Eyes that have long turned bloodshot red, his body that wraps with fur alongside rough breaths he lets out.
"Father."
The King lifted up his head, staring into his son's orbs. Yet another year has passed and the child in front of him has turned into a fine man. He smiles weakly, but then turns his eyes towards the unconscious body on the bed.
"Rin and Ron need you."
It indicated everything. That sentence Artha finally let out. He had become sick of this, his Father had confined himself with his Mother's body. Not going out, day after day only staring at her, grabbing her hand tightly and whispering of hope that continues endlessly.
He wants his father. At least for Rin and Ron, for his siblings. This state of him has slowly filled his mind with hatred, but he wants to believe in him, he wants him to leave this room and stay with his children.
Was it wrong of him in wanting that?
Rydan would always stay quiet, not a single word. Like a corpse, like a soulless creature. Perhaps his father has turned into one since the day mother turned like this. But Artha needs him, he needs him the most.
Artha can't handle the sudden weight of responsibility he had to bear. Expectation that he had to receive without a single notice. He can't stay rooted while everything around him wants to tear him apart. He can't handle all of that within days. He needs his father.
Artha growled, hating his wolf for playing this piece of memory inside his mind. Memories that he wanted to forget long ago.
But it all started once again.
"Someday you will understand."
The King once whispers, eyes still glued to his wife, a smile slowly graces his face, as a flash of something inside his eyes makes him sigh.
"The time will come when you will do the same thing to the girl you love."
Artha clearly remembered that sentence he despised the most and the answer he had chosen to tell him. His step suddenly stopped, breathing hard. A growl emitted from his mouth as he glared at the blue sky. The colour that reminds him of his Mother's eyes.
"Then I choose not to love."
He had once declared.
"If the love that I have will cause the misery of my children. I choose not to love. Father."
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Ruby never thought her sense and prediction would come out wrong, right at this moment. She previously had speculated that the girl wouldn't return until midnight.
She imagined Raiene would run around inside the forest while pointing her fingers at one or two particular plants she never encountered before, gushing about how it looks and probably wrote down everything she found before later on asking Ruby about its possible function or ability.
However, what she witnessed proves it all wrong as she saw Raiene sauntered inside the cottage after leaving just for an hour. Raiene returns with sweat gathering on her forehead, breathing hard as her eyes scanned inside the cottage, her steps sound urgent as she walks past Ruby. Walking around as if she didn't see Ruby, her eyes settle on a brown leather bag at the couch, retrieves that bag in instant and turns around, leaving within seconds.
What was that all about?
Ruby blinked her eyes several times and shook her head in disbelief, thoroughly flustered. Soft chuckles emitted from her red lips as resumed walking towards the kitchen, about to make herself a cup of tea for an afternoon relaxation. However, a single warning flashes on her mind, as she whips her head towards the slightly open back door.
Raiene wouldn't go past the red trees, right?
She wouldn't possibly wander that far, right?
Why would she?
Raiene needs energy, although she is stronger than a normal human, she still needs to save her energy to be able to wander around later on. Otherwise, how can she enjoy herself later at the Festival?
However, there's one thing Ruby didn't know.
The girl had flown around the forest, she preserved a great amount of energy by doing so, because she wanted to prove herself useful in front of Alin. Searching with keen eyes for prey, finding one within the red trees, at the Qye's palace territory, descending down towards her prey. Aiming at it and then ended up hurting a wolf.
However, there's one thing Raiene didn't know about.
It was not an ordinary wolf, that wolf holds the identity of a Royal.
The very Crown Prince of Suttern.
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I strongly believe that humans should encounter other creatures. However, staying safe and sound is human number one priority.
So better not.
-Excerpt from The Essential Book of Human Survival
Jonathan Lorth.
