Bride To His Darkness-Chapter 297: Queen From The North

"A traitor?" Brian’s eyes diverted to Samantha who had stood up from her seat in a state of urgency, and from her panic-stricken expression, he didn’t have to stress his brain to know who the traitor from the North was.

The knocks on the door turned relentless, with each strike aiming at breaking the door down, but the elf named Brian remained unexpectedly composed. He placed a finger to his lips and signaled Samantha to stay quiet, whilst the elderly elf rose from her seat and directed Samantha towards the corner of the room.

"Here." She handed Samantha a shimmering blue fabric, "cover yourself with this blanket, this will make you invisible to the eyes of those knights." She explained quickly.

Samantha gazed at the blue fabric in her hand, and although her mind was skeptical about a magic blanket being real, she wrapped herself in the blanket, choosing to believe the words of the old elf. To her surprise, she felt a tingling sensation, as if the very air around her was protecting her. When she was all covered and out of sight, the elderly elf gestured towards a cozy corner in the room, urging her to stay hidden and not make a noise.

Meanwhile, Brian had already answered the door to avoid suspicion. He approached the knights with an unchanged demeanor, and then he said, quite arrogantly, "to what do we owe this unpleasant visit?"

"Brian? Who is standing at the door so– Oh! The royal knights are in my abode?" Elara came to stand beside Brian who had an expression that was a stark contrast to her air of hospitality. "How may I assist the noble knights of the kingdom?"

"We’re searching for a traitor from the North." The leader of the knight, whose face was twisted into a scowl, added. "She’s a young lady with green eyes and golden-blonde hair. Have you seen anyone suspicious possessing the list of features I’ve mentioned?"

"What bothers me is the fact that the Queen sent you directly to my village." Brian insinuated sharply, "does she have that little faith that she has to send guards now to scout our homes? What will the villagers think after acknowledging your reasons? That the Queen has no trust for her own people?"

"Do not speak ill of the Queen, unless you want to encounter dire consequences." One of the knights spoke behind his leader, "you should be thankful that the Queen has decided to spare your lives after bringing such unwarranted accusations to her table. We have a permit, that gives us enough reasons to search this house, and from what we heard, the healer of this forest had taken a new lady in."

"No," Elara simply answered while shaking her head objectively. She feigned innocence, whilst glancing around her humble abode. "No one but me and Brian is here. Feel free to look if you must." She insisted, to Brian’s displeasure.

Stepping into the house, the knights scrutinized the vicinity, inspecting every nook and cranny, finding nothing amiss, but their eyes still held suspicion. They stepped into the inner room where Elara had securely kept Samantha, and Brian exchanged glances with the elderly elf, whilst hoping the lady stays still till the guards leave the room.

Samantha held her breath when the sounds of approaching footsteps drew nearer to the corner where she hid. Her heart pounded as she heard one of the knights make an order that they search every corner, leaving no place unchecked.

She was right in front of them, but they glanced right through her, as if she were a wisp of smoke.

"Nothing?" One of the Knight’s asked, sounding disappointed, and his fellow knights nodded. When they stepped out, Elara maintained her composure, staying clueless.

With a curt nod, the leader of the knight admitted defeat. "Apologies for the disturbance. We’ll continue our search elsewhere."

"Please take your search away from the villagers and from my kind." Brian demanded, "I don’t need any unnecessary commotion caused due to your suspicions or that of the Queens, thank you for your time."

The slight curve on Brian’s lips did not significantly point towards a smile, and the knights, although offended, could do nothing but leave the house with their heads held high. When the door closed shut, Elara waited for some minutes before going to the other room to bring Samantha out.

"You don’t have to be afraid, they’re gone now." Elara assured Samantha with a knowing smile, and immense gratitude filled Samantha’s emerald green eyes as she realized the depths of the woman’s kindness.

"Thank you, both of you."

"You’re from the North?" Brian still hadn’t forgotten about how the guards had referred to the young lady. Samantha met his gaze and took a deep breath, summoning the courage to speak.

"Yes, I am." She answered steadily, "Actually, I’m a Queen from the North. My husband is the King, and I’m aware of the feud happening between our Kingdoms." freewebnoveℓ.com

"The Queen?" Brian’s eyes widened slightly, and even the elderly elf appeared dazed to know this. Samantha had assumed the reason behind their expression was because she didn’t tell them sooner about her origin, so she immediately proceeded to explain.

"I promise I mean no harm at all. I wouldn’t even be here If the Queen hadn’t made plans to abduct me from my Kingdom. I had been skeptical about revealing myself cause I was concerned I’d be viewed as a bad person. You two have shown me kindness, you treated me well, so allow me to repay you for your deed, and all I ask after that is to return to my Kingdom, to my husband." Her eyes looked pitiful as she pleaded softly, and Brian exchanged communicative glances with Elara. With their eye movements alone, they both seemed to have come to an agreeable decision.

"We’ll help you return to your land, but it will not be easy, as the knights are searching the whole Kingdom to find you." Brian notably discussed, "I suggest you stay here, where you’re safe, for some days till the matter drops. When the search becomes futile, we’ll sail you off in a ship, as through the water is the only way you can make it to the Northern borders, but on one condition."

"What?"

"You will have to convince your husband to drop the war." He said, "the Northerners are causing problems for everyone here. We only wish to live in peace, and that cannot be achieved if there is a war outbreak."

"Believe me when I say, my husband has no intention of starting a war," Samantha genuinely uttered, "but, from what we’ve heard, the Queen of the south has been abducting children. She’s taken three from my Kingdom, or more if there are others we don’t really know about. She’s testing the patience of my Kingdom, and surely, as King, my husband can’t sit and watch his people get abducted without taking the necessary actions."

"Do you believe me now?" Brian turned to the befuddled Elara after listening to Samantha speak. "Did you hear? I knew she was up to no good and now she’s resulted in kidnapping? I knew what I saw when I visited the Palace, do you hear it for yourself now?" His eyes were laced with the expression ’I knew it!’ as he turned away from Elara.

Samantha was rendered quiet, slightly dazed by the reaction, and from what she sensed, the elves clearly have no sort of relationship with the Queen Carmela. When Brian exited the house, Elara turned her attention to Samantha whose green eyes inadvertently met her own.

"Since you will be staying for a few days, come, the knights of the Palace do not linger in the home of elves, as we have been rejected by our Queen." She informed Samantha, "you are safe here, in the meantime, let’s get you settled, and then we can have a proper discussion. By then, Brian would have calmed his nerves."

Elara’s manner of speaking made Samantha feel even more safe than she wanted to be, and she readily nodded.

As the day progressed into dusk, the golden orb suspended in the air illuminated the path, guiding Samantha through the street of the elf forest, with Elara by her side. The trees whispered with the autumn breeze, their golden and red leaves falling like confetti in the fading light.

Samantha eventually began to feel a sense of belonging in this hidden hamlet, whilst the elves she was introduced to welcomed her nicely, their kindness evident in the warmth of their gazes. Children with pointed ears played games beneath the luminescent bough, their laughter like tinkling wind chimes. They chased after glowing fireflies, and some of them had stopped to offer her a polite greeting before continuing their chase into the clearing overhead.

Samantha couldn’t help but smile at the sight of their innocence, a stark contrast to the trouble she has fled. Everyone seemed so nice so why would Queen Carmela reject such benevolent elves??

’Next time, we will eat her Master.’ Came the words of her pet plant, and Samantha wondered if it was merely craving human blood or if it wanted to avenge her. The sight of it gobbling down the man who nearly molested her was still vivid in her head.

"Isn’t she the same lady?" Woodluck, who was tending to his pet Crane with Brian, paused in what he was doing after spotting Samantha pass by with Elara.

"She’s a pretty woman."

"Unfortunately you can’t have this one, she’s married." Brian heartlessly crushed his fellow mate’s hope with that information, and not just Woodluck, but he too was also disappointed at the thought that she was married.

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