chapter 34

He was wearing a pleading look for her to come with him. He didn't want to forced her. He wanted her to willingly complied.

"Thank you". Eleanor was bold. "you have been good to me. I can never repay you for your kindness but at this point, I must go with my husband. Please leave us alone". Eleanor told lord Zane plainly.

He was deeply hurt that she was still siding with the man who had no regards for her. Someone who intentionally humiliates her before their subjects. He didn't care about her feelings.

He blinked away from his thinking. She was taking advantage of his love for her. Lord Zane came into a conclusion.

If she was not the one his heart yearned to be with. He would have acted without her opinion. But because he doesn't want her to get hurt as he is still trying to win her heart over. "How is that even possible when she is married?. He questioned his heart and frown.

Eleanor shivered at the sight. She stepped back. Her gaze met the prince over lord Zane's shoulder.

Prince Raymond was convinced that the man protecting his wife from him didn't only possessed some magical powers. He was something else. The something he didn't know. Perhaps he wasn't a human.. He wanted to know what or who he really was.

"Who are you?" he asked lord Zane for the third time now

"It doesn't matter". Lord Zane responded still looking at the princess and backing him.

The sky was changing. The morning sky announced itself. Kate looked up to see it changing to bright blue. They have been dragging all through the night. Kate hoped that the morning shall bring joy.

She drew closer to her lady and pulled the princess to herself when she saw lord Zane's eyes burned with fire.

"I will not considered your opinion anymore". His wings became visible. It was burning with fire as well.

Prince Raymond flinched. All of them except Kate who was willing to protect her lady's interest.

"Let it be her will to come with you". She bowed. "I mean no disrespect sir. Neither do I wished to pry into the talk but my lady said she won't be coming with you".

Kate distracted lord Zane. He was so careful with anything that has to do with the princess. He didn't want to hurt anyone close to her that she would not be hurt.

As they were still discussing, prince Raymond came from behind to stab the demon with a mini dagger he got from his holster.

Lord Zane flapped his wings and hurled the prince into the sky. Prince Raymond was struggling in the air. His front was facing the sky while his back faced the earth.

"Bring him down. Don't hurt him". Eleanor screamed to lord Zane behind Kate's back.

The guards ran and gathered under where the prince was. All of them looking up to the morning sky with their hands up. Ready to catch him when he is coming down.

The prince fell on them and they all fell with him. They spread out on the floor wallowing in pains.

"Attacked him". The prince ordered when he recovered himself.

The guards obeyed. They drew out their swords. Carefully they surrounded the demon. lord Zane stood still.

Immediately they attempted to seized him. He flapped his wings again and howled. The ground vibrated.

Their weapons went to where the prince was. Up in the sky. The breeze from his wings hurled them into the woods.

The swords in the sky descended to human level. Still suspended. They began to fight against the prince. He was defending himself with all his will.

His swords sparking and chattering as it hits the many swords fighting against him.

His guards were scuffling back to where they were before they were hurled into the woods. Each step they took was with difficulty. They could not protect their prince because they had no weapons with them. Beside the demon was no matched for them. He made their weapons to fight against their prince. They knew too well than to throw a stone at the demon. It might returned to cracked their skull.

"Stop it... Stop it... I say stop it". Eleanor screamed. Her face was red. She stood face to face with the demon. "lord Zane.. stop… it"

lord Zane gradually returned to his former self. He snapped his fingers and the swords fell on the floor. Prince Raymond buried his sword in the earth and rested on it. Panting and gulping tiredly.

"Are you okay my prince". Eleanor ran to him. She placed her hands on his shoulder. He shook it off.

"I..I ne..never knew you….were this daft?".

"Are you fine?". Eleanor touched him again.

" Get your filthy hands off me". He screamed and pushed her away. Eleanor hit her head against the carriage's wheel.

Lord Zane was not quick enough to catch her when she was pushed. He caught hold of her lifeless body. He knelt with a knee and placed her head on his arm.

Kate was there crying and shaking Eleanor's legs which were on the floor.

"Eleanor". Lord Zane called but she was not responding. She was unconscious.

"Eleanor..." he yelled again. He held her head to heal all her wounds but he was stopped. A dagger was stabbed into his nape.

He jerked Eleanor off. Kate pulled the princess into a sitting position. Her gaze was on the demon.

lord Zane was stretching on the floor. His veins protruded. It was frightening and disgusting. The demon's entire body was shivering. Kate could tell he was in deep pains.

Her gaze shifted to the prince who still had the dagger in his hand and it was dripping with the demon's blood.

The prince stood mouth agape watching the powerful Being, being reduced to nothing.

Kate tied her shawl round Eleanor's head. She had a deep cut at the back of her head but lord Zane had heal part. He couldn't complete the process because of prince Raymond who stabbed him on his nape.

"I doubt it an ordinary dagger". Kate voice subtly only to her hearing. She turned to look at the princess whose eyes was opening to see the light.

First her vision was blurred but latter she could see clearly. Eleanor saw the demon wallowing in pains on the floor.

She attempted to sprang up but her body didn't respond. Kate held her. Eleanor held her head. She had an intense ached, still she ordered Kate to let go of her.

Eleanor crawled to where lord Zane was. She was shocked to see him like that. His eyes were like crimson. His body red and his black veins were moving wildly in his body. He kept stretching and vibrating uncontrollably.

She couldn't do nothing to help him. She wept. Her heart ached. He was going through this because of her.

"what did you do to him?" Eleanor asked the prince who seems to pride himself with what he just did.

"Get in the carriages all of you". The prince commanded.

Eleanor was not ready to leave the demon in such condition. She wrapped herself around him.

"Get her". Prince Raymond ordered. She was bundled into the carriage. All of them left. Leaving lord Zane still wallowing on the floor... Maybe that was what Eleanor thought.

Prince Raymond had ordered that lord Zane be tie to one of the carriages and he was dragged on the floor as the rode.

Eleanor didn't know what they did to the demon. If the demon was looking this terrible. Then prince Raymond was a monster. She now believed when they said his kingdom was immune to magic.

As she was bringing herself to think of the possible caused of lord Zane condition right now, her head began to spinned. The pains was too much for her to bear. She passed out again.

Lord Zane was still in pains. His entire body got bruised from scrapping on the sandy and rocky roads. Hitting on trees as the carriage turned. He was also soaked in mud.

If one was to look from a distance. The person would think it was a log of wood that was being driven around. Only that woods don't stretched.

***

Their journey was peaceful but not to Eleanor and the demon who were in their misery. Eleanor was not yet conscious. This worried Kate so much. She was allowed to ride with Eleanor in her carriage.

It was in the evening and they where about five miles closer to the boundary of their kingdom. Mistletoe.

Eleanor told them that she wanted to ease her self. When she stepped down. She heard that someone was whimpering from the last carriage behind.

The guard told her to go ahead with the reason she made them stop. Since prince Raymond didn't regard her. The guards was not compelled to speak to her as deserving of her title.

From the sound, Eleanor knew that lord Zane was being dragged by the carriage as they rode.

When she was done. She saw a Being appeared. She was not scared. They rest hurried out of their carriages.

The Being snapped her finger and the demon was untied from the carriage. She carried him in her hands.

She looks familiar. Eleanor tried to recalled where she met her. She had a golden hair and...

Eleanor walked towards her "see what you evil humans did to him". Even the voice too was familiar. The voice of the Being. She was hovering in the sky with the demon in her hands. "Did he deserved this for loving you Eleanor?".

" Joyce ". Eleanor called. " It you"

Joyce was the demon girl from Serpent Land. "you are all grown now. I mean so I'm I" Eleanor said.

"Please take care of him. Help him out if this misery please..." She wanted to say more but her health didn't permit. Kate advise her to be calmed.

Joyce broke her gaze from her. She spoke with a loud voice to prince Raymond.

"Pray the entire Serpent Land doesn't come for you and your kingdom". She warned sternly and flew away.

"No wondered" the prince thought. "He was from Serpent Land". The was no kingdom which didn't know or heard about the wonders of Serpent Land and it magical powers.

The prince was scared that if the Being he stabbed returned for revenged. He might wiped him out and his entire kingdom.

When the emperor had threatened him he was not scared because the emperor acquired his magic after he was born which would make it easier to eliminate him.

But people from Serpent Land he had heard much stories about them that they were born with this powers.

They have not gone to war with any other kingdom after they defeated Sandroar and make it part of their kingdom. Instead they go about making peace in each and every kingdom. They never got involved with the affairs of any of these kingdoms except on invitation into the matter.

He wondered how Eleanor got to know them. Even this female Being that came she knew also.

"If he was protecting the princess. It can only mean the princess prevented him from hurting me". He thought "but what is the relationship between them".

Many thought was flowing through his mind right now. The dagger he stabbed into lord Zane can caused him his magical powers. It was soaked in a poisoned.

The Mistletoe kingdom had a portion which they used on supernatural Being. This portion drains the powers and weaken the Being both physically and spiritually. If lord Zane wasn't strong and very powerful. He would have been death by now.

"No wonder he has been that active after the poisoned". The prince exclaimed in his head.

They were now in their kingdom and in the castle. Eleanor was too tired to bother with it fascination. She hope she could be given a room to bath and sleep in comfortably without disturbance.

It looks like they were all tired. She heard as the prince passed a passive order and she was taken to a room. Maids attended to her.

They helped her bath and gave her food which she couldn't eat. She chose to sleep instead. "Won't he sent a physician for me". Eleanor head was too pain to deliberate on too much thought. She slept off.

The rays of light which penetrated into the room through the white curtains woke Eleanor. Every thing in the room was white. Which makes it brighter as the rays penetrated.

Eleanor sat up on the bed. Her entire body aches. Starting from her wounded head to her body that the prince hits against the floor repeatedly.

She remembered when she was pushed to the carriage. She meant well. She wanted to check on the prince who was panting like his life was about to leave him. But she didn't remembered what happened next. When she woke up. She saw lord Zane stretching on the floor in absolute pains.

She shut her eyes at the image that reappeared in them. She was scared that he might not survived the tortured. He was being dragged along the coarse road they drove through.

Eleanor can't believed the prince was such a beast. If the was another word more fitted than a monster, he was all of it.

She wanted to find out what he did to the demon that made him lose his powers and became vulnerable. Thereby being tortured in such cruel manner.

She heaved. Her brows drew together at the thought. "How did Joyce knew where they were?. Why didn't she showed up to save him long before now?". She let it slipped. Some thought won't just go away.

She wondered where Kate was. If she was treated right.

Just then she heard a knock on the door. She didn't respond to it. The knock came again and next the person came in.

It was a maid. "Good morning my lady". She greeted. "The prince said I should prepare you. You would be meeting with the king". She bowed again.

"What is your name" . Eleanor asked. "I'm Sandra my lady". Eleanor remembered it was two of them that attended to her in the night of their arrival.

"Do you know where the other lady that came with me is?" . She didn't want to address Kate as her maid. Kate had grown above that when she tried to take punishment from the prince for her.

"My lady, she is in the maid's quarters. I can bring her if my lady wants to speak with her".

"aye". Eleanor said and tried to stepped down but she couldn't. Her legs were useless.

She flinched when she stood up. Her legs and body and head was hurting real bad. She was shaking. The maid ran to her. "my lady…are you alright". She held the princess. "sit back".

She helped Eleanor sat back on the bed. When the princess was still in the bed she was not feeling like this. Now her head was pounding and spinning. She felt like she wants to die.

"My lady… my lady don't tried to stand again. You have injury on your head".

Eleanor's hand ran there immediately. She was not aware that she had injury. She knew that her head was paining her.

"How big is it" she mumbled. "Stay calm my lady".

It was a deep cut on the back of her head. "That must be when the prince pushed me down". She reasoned. When she woke, she saw a shawl tied round her head.

She slept all through the journey until the time she felt pressed.

"How would she meet the king like this?". She thought.

The maid excused her to called the physician after she made her lie on the bed.

Eleanor was confined in the room for days till her head was half way stable. She could walked out of the room for the first time since she came.

The maids had prepared her to meet with the king.

She walked through the corridors of the castle. Everything seems to be white just like in the room. The portraits were white and blue and black. Beautiful carvings and sculptures stole her gaze.

Sandra, who led the way was patient with her gaits. Eleanor didn't bother to increase it. That was the least her body could carry right now. She didn't know how long she had been sleeping in the room.

The maid stopped by a small hall by the left. On getting to the door she heard people talking inside. Sandra wanted to draw their attention that the princess was present. Eleanor told her to go that she would take it from here.

They were two men talking to the prince. She wanted to listen to what the were saying. She heard them made mentioned of her kingdom.

The prince was backing them facing the large window. It was an awesome scenic out there.

The other men looks older. They wore all white clothing. Eleanor wished she could rewind their talks. She heard vividly the made mentioned of her kingdom but she didn't know what it was all about.

"Should we informed the lady" one of the older man asked the prince respectfully.

'No need. She must not hear of it".

"But my prince a person death's can not be hidden for long".

Eleanor's breath skipped. They were talking of death in her kingdom. Who died?". She didn't say it out. She stood there numbed.

One of them turned to behold Eleanor. "My lady". He bowed. This made the prince turned to look at her.

Eleanor didn't recovered from the shocked of what she heard.

"Who is dead in my kingdom?". She asked. Looking deeply into the prince eyes.

"You may excused us". The prince said to the men. They bowed and left.

"What was that Being back there?". Her eyes dilated. That didn't answer her questions. Instead he was throwing back another question at her.

Eleanor was not ready for this. "Please I begged of you. Who died?". Her eyes was wet as she spoke.

" You know your crocodile tears means nothing to me. Absolutely nothing". The prince said walking towards her.

She bite her inner cheeks. "If you don't start talking of your defilement with the Being of Serpent Land, you wouldn't like what shall come next"

There was nothing she could do at this moment. " I am not defiled". Tears dropped from her blue enchanting eyes.

"He is a demon"

"Who?".

Eleanor marveled. He asked her just now who lord Zane was.

"The person you tortured on our way down here".

" Stop calling him a person. A demon is not a human". The prince screamed and walked back to the window. "Keep talking".

"His name..." Eleanor gulped " his name is lord Zane".

That was all he needed. What he was and his name. He didn't care if the were in a romantic relationship or not. The prince wanted Eleanor out of his life.

"You dumbed thing. You have been asleep for the past seven days since you arrived here". He said and walked back to her.

" Seven days" it rang in her head.

"It was just a small pushed and you slept that long. If I begin with you...". He clenched his fist and stiffen his cheeks.

She looked at him fearfully. He let a wicked smile crawled up his lips.

"Your father is death". He said simply.

Eleanor didn't understand a thing of what he said. "What?. Lies. Never. When?. How?". Eleanor's hands was stretched out as she spoke. She didn't believed her ears.

The prince walked past her. "Please can I go back to my kingdom. I shall returned".

He halted when he heard her words. " Will you go and give life to him?". He turned to look at her. " Erase the thought from your mind. You are going nowhere". He laughed and walked again. " Fool you want to run back into the arms of your lover". He mumbled as he walked.