Episode 16

...As Arya Narrates...

When I arrived at the inn, Leonard was sitting at the entrance, and I was a bit startled.

"Is everything okay?" He asked me curiously.

"I'm sorry, I... Everything's fine," I finally say, then...

Damian enters, standing behind me, and Leonard bows his head in reverence.

"Alpha," Leonard says.

"I'm going to help Liana in the kitchen, excuse me," I was already leaving when I heard Damian call my name.

"Arya."

"Yes?" I said, looking at him.

"Thank you for your help today."

I knew he didn't want everyone to speculate things, even if those things were half-truths, so I played along.

"It was a pleasure to help you, Alpha."

I watched him leave and quickly walked to the kitchen, trying to avoid Leonard's gaze on me.

"Where were you?" Liana asks as soon as she sees me enter.

"I'll tell you later," I replied as I tied my apron.

I washed my hands and Liana's father entered the kitchen.

"What were you doing with the Alpha?"

"Dad, don't be nosy. I told you Arya fights very well, surely our Alpha wanted to meet her, a traveler in our city, and she fights, we all have to be on alert since the gates were opened again."

"I know, daughter, I apologize for the intrusion, Arya."

"Were the gates closed before?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, the former king ordered them closed when they took Princess Selena..." Liana says.

"Liana, this is a forbidden topic," Leonard warns his daughter.

"But she needs to know if she's going to live here."

"You'll have time after dinner, the guests are waiting," he says and leaves.

When he leaves, we focus on finishing everything here quickly, serve the meals, and when everyone finishes, we wash the dishes and organize the kitchen, I was exhausted. Liana went with me to my room, and I was dying of curiosity, today I would be the one asking the questions.

"Tell me, who is Princess Selena?" I asked at the first opportunity.

"It's a long story."

"I'm listening." I sit on the bed and wait for her to begin.

She sits next to me and starts talking.

"It was the coldest night in the North when Queen Siena gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, her hair was as white as snow and her eyes as blue as the sky, the King was happy, both of them were, even though they wanted a son they loved the princess more than anything, a week after the princess was born, the king decided to invite his allies East and West to celebrate, and it was the worst day of all."

"Why? What happened?"

"The Queen was feeling a bit unwell, so she decided to go fetch the princess earlier to introduce her to the guests, she never left her alone since she was born, it was only a few minutes, she went up to the princess Selena's room, but her crib was empty, the queen screamed and cried, she searched everywhere, the king ordered the gate to be closed and all houses to be searched, the guests were searched on their way out and nothing was found."

"What a horror, poor things."

"Yes, the guards searched all the places and found no sign of the princess, the king summoned Morgana, the most powerful witch in Garden, she was here in Monteaveu at the celebration, she tried to locate the princess but they had used forbidden magic, and that's when our wizard told the obvious to the king, he had severed ties with the South, could they not have stolen the princess, the king's eyes turned as dark as night, he called six of his best warriors and sent them after the South, but none of them ever returned."

"The King didn't ask them anything, just attacked them? What if they didn't steal the princess, all these years attacking without asking."

"The King confirmed what the wizard Ellis said when none of his men returned, the South killed them."

"But if they were attacked, they would have to defend themselves, don't you think?"

"Whose side are you on, Arya?"

"On the sensible side, the King acted without thinking, that's obvious, Liana."

Have you ever felt the pain of losing someone? If you don't know how painful and distressing it is to be without news, not knowing what is happening to that person, just imagine, your only daughter, one you have waited for years and in a second everything is taken from you, imagine the despair he felt at that moment.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know."

"Well, that was the longest night in the North, the princess was never seen again, the Queen isolated herself from the world waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled."

"Prophecy? What prophecy?"

"I've talked too much for today, I'm going to sleep, good night."

"Liana, you need to tell me."

I talk to her but she leaves me alone, I know that the subject of losing someone reminded her of her mother, and as much as I want to know, I let her go, I really wanted to call Lucio, but I can't trust a text message or partially telling him what I found out on the phone, I need to find out more, I let the water run over my body and allow myself to relax for a few minutes.

When I get out of the shower, I see a note on my bedside table, accompanied by a rose.

Meet me in the same place as today.

Damian

I smell the rose and smile like a fool, I get ready and go to meet him.

... "Somewhere"...

Not far from there, Ellis was in his secret cave, making another one of his concoctions, he was talking to his crow, he needed to react.

"The prophecy will not come true, I need to find a way to take her back to the South before they find out who she is. Well, at least the alpha shows interest in her, if I move some pieces and say that the supposed parents took her by force, I would lock her up here with the others, the alpha would be furious, surely he would take all the wolves to attack them, steal the princess and now his mate would be too much for him, even though they are the same person, well, he doesn't know that." He says and lets out a menacing laugh.

"Our alpha will never fall for your schemes." One of the prisoners says.

"Yes he will fall, he will fall as easily as he fell thinking that the South was holding you prisoners, but rest assured, on the day of the attack I will come and kill you one by one, after we take the South of course." Ellis says angrily.

"You won't get away with this." A prisoner says.

"You better hope I do, Erika, or your daughter will come to keep you company."

"Don't you dare lay a finger on my daughter Ellis, leave Liana alone." She says, holding onto the iron bars.

"Well, if everything goes as planned, I will return soon with good news." He says and then disappears like smoke.

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