Heart Over Sword-Chapter 313: Chilling Realisation

Dressed in a gown, though she clung to her swords like a babe to candy, Evanna entered the dining hall, Axel and Ronan by her side. Cedric returned to his wife and newborn, to which Evanna had absolutely no objection. She didn’t even need Axel or Ronan to guard her, but everyone else felt better that she was protected. Ger had left to go hunt and spread his wings again; he seemed to get restless.

Arawn had yet to return, which made the princess lose her appetite. She knew it was silly, the prince used to leave for days beforehand, yet there was something niggling at the back of her mind, telling her something wasn’t right. The trees did not answer her properly; maybe they were distracted and distraught by what they saw. She would try to contact them again after dinner. Perhaps then she would feel much better. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"You seem worried... princess."

Evanna blinked a couple of times before looking up at King Thalinal. His tone of voice was a little... odd. He was smirking behind a glass of wine. "Arawn has yet to return," Evanna answered, tilting her head slightly, finding Thalinal’s amusement strange. Or perhaps Thalinal was confident about his son’s return. Arawn was incredibly gifted and had been doing this for years before Evanna arrived.

There also hadn’t been faceless on the loose either...

"Hmmm, I would not worry too much. These woods are full of ugly creatures, princess," Thalinal grinned sharply; it didn’t quite reach his eyes until he stared at himself in the glass’s reflection. His hand stroked the side of his face as though infatuated with his looks. Thalinal, like Arawn, was good-looking looking, but he’d never been so arrogant about his looks. How much wine had he drank?

Evanna frowned, looking around, but everybody else was in their own conversations. But as quick as the King was acting a little strange, it was gone. "Loraven, how are you finding the meal?" The King turned to Evanna’s mother.

Loraven conversed back, though she seemed somewhat uncomfortable, which was not like her mother at all. Evanna sliced into her meat, watching Thalinal interact with her mother, flinching when the knife and fork screeched against the plate. Thalinal immediately looked up, glaring at Evanna. "For a princess, I thought you’d have better manners," he snapped.

Evanna blinked back, confused. The King and she made up, so why did it feel as though they were on bad terms once more?

"Thalinal," Loraven snapped back.

The King’s icy gaze moved to her. "Ah, this is why Loraven is here... To make sure nobody picks on you..." The King looked between the mother and daughter with disgust.

Besides Ronan and Axel, who had been watching the interaction between the King and Evanna, nobody paid attention. Thalinal was known for his icy personality that would switch, so they did not find it as unpleasant or strange as them. Loraven wouldn’t accept it, though.

"Maybe you should slow down on the wine-"

"And you should leave me be," Thalinal snarled back, smacking her hand away.

Loraven glowered at him. "Stop being a..." She trailed off, pursing her lips together, suddenly aware of so many watching now.

Loraven was already uncomfortable with the position of Thalinal’s hand on her thigh, but now she could not make a scene. Usually, she could insult him and do what she usually liked around Thalinal, but he was in a foul mood. The Lyvarian princess didn’t care what he might do to her, but it was her daughter she was suddenly worried about.

Not once did Loraven worry about her daughter with King Thalinal. That was why she had no complaints about the loved-up couple marrying.

"Go on..." Thalinal almost purred, leaning forward. His eyes glittered in amusement and something... sinister. "Finish your sentence. We are among friends here."

Evanna narrowed her eyes at the King as Loraven dipped her head in apology. "I am full." She patted her mouth the handkerchief. "I bid you a good evening, Your Majesty."

King Thalinal sat back with a slight grunt. It was then Evanna realised what had made her mother so uncomfortable: his hand had been resting on her thigh. Evanna’s hand curled around the knife in her hand.

"Easy, lass," Axel whispered.

His rumbling voice calmed the princess, if only briefly. It was enough for her hand to relax. Where was Arawn? Maybe he could tell her what was wrong with his father?

It was only the other day she called him dad, and she didn’t mean it in the sense he would get together with her mother. Her stomach churned at that thought and the image of Thalinal’s hand against Loraven’s leg. The food suddenly tasted like sawdust in her mouth.

Evanna leaned back, gulping down the wine that also tasted a little sour, her glare resting on the King. She’d had such a wonderful week and believed she would be fine in the palace, yet this was what she’d returned to. What happened to Thalinal between breakfast and now?

Slowly rising, Evanna dismissed herself, not before the King caught up to her as the music began to play. "Princess, dance with me." There it was again. The King called her princess instead of her name. It was also in an almost mocking manner as well.

Evanna wanted to refuse. She was tired and not quite sure what was wrong with the King this evening and would prefer to call it a night, possibly speak to the trees before she slept. Instead, her hand slipped into his, ignoring the icy feeling sharply stabbing at her stomach. Why should she fear the King?

What was her sixth sense trying to tell her? Even her body’s instincts reacted to the King. His hand slid behind her back, but it felt wrong, like something slithered along her skin, ants crawling down her arms, making her shiver, especially under his almost manic stare. They began to dance, but there was no real sequence Evanna could follow or make sense of.

This was no dance she knew, and it almost seemed like the man was making it up as he went.

"Isn’t it beautiful," the King commented.

"What is... Your Majesty?" Evanna asked, sounding unsure and utterly wary of this man who seemed a little crazed.

"Everybody here... Elven kind... they are so, so beautiful..." the King trailed off, eyes dipping back to Evanna. "And you... princess... you dance well."

"I am led by a good partner," Evanna responded automatically, from years of being a princess.

Thalinal grinned, eyes glistening as he stared down at her. His grip on her hand and back was too tight, and the look in his eyes made her hands itch to touch her blades. While she couldn’t wait to get out of this dance, her stomach churning from the food, the dance finished abruptly. She almost sighed in relief.

That was until the King pulled away, and instead of an elegant dip of his head, Thalinal bowed extravagantly, creepily, his arm sweeping to the side, a broad grin on his lips. The air chilled, the hairs on the back of Evanna’s neck rose, and the icy feeling that never left roared to life, continuously stabbing at her abdomen.

"Scarecrow," Evanna whispered, her hand flexing for her hidden dagger.

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