Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Elyria’s POV

My entire body ached. I knew I was not on my bed because whatever I was lying on was hard as a rock.

I gradually forced myself up as I opened my eyes. A groan left my lips as the pain racked through my entire body. My head was pounding, and my mouth was as dry as the desert.

“Where am I?” I muttered, rubbing my eyes in hopes that it would clear my blurry vision.

I stood up slowly and realized that I was out in the wild all by myself. The thing I had fallen asleep on was actually the ground. That’s why it was so hard! I, Princess Elyria, had spent the night on the bare ground. Never in my twenty-five years on earth had such happened.

That was when the events of last night started pouring in.

My coronation.

The coup.

And worst of all, Cassian’s betrayal.

I don’t know which was worse: the emotional heartbreak or the physical pain I felt from running through the woods.

I didn’t stop for once to rest. I had just kept going. Tears fell from my eyes at the thought of never seeing my parents again. I lost everything. My parents, my kingdom, my home…

Who was I without Aetherion? It had been my home my entire life, and it was snatched away from me by someone I thought I knew.

I wanted to keep crying at the thought of it all, but no tears would drop. It was obvious that I was done crying. In fact, I needed to find something to eat as soon as possible. I needed energy to sustain me if I wanted to last the next twenty-four hours.

I started to move around to scavenge for some wild berries. I was picking some off the plant when I heard footsteps.

Alarmed, I ran to hide behind a rock. The footsteps drew closer, and my heart started to thump. Had one of Cassian’s men found me so quickly? It was unlikely because I was very far from Aetherion’s borders.

If I remembered correctly from my geography classes, I was somewhere near the Ashen Mountains. I had obviously never been here before, but it fit the description in the books perfectly.

I stayed as still as possible, hoping that whoever it was would pass without spotting me. Unfortunately, they only kept coming closer.

“Who’s there?” the male voice asked, and I knew they could sense that I was there.

What do I do?

I was full-on panicking now. I didn’t want to out myself, but what if the man was armed?

“Show yourself!” he yelled, and I risked a look at the man from behind the rock.

I gasped when I saw who it was. A young, handsome man, but that was not the surprising part. It was his face. He looked just like my father.

He must have heard me gasp because he walked right over to my hiding spot and grabbed me by the arm.

“Let me go!” I protested, and his eyes widened when he took a proper look at me.

We stood there, staring at each other for about five seconds before saying anything.

“Who are you?” he asked, and I almost asked him the same thing.

No, I almost asked him why he looked exactly like my father, who I was still grieving. His silvery hair was almost more prominent than mine, and he had the same facial features as my father.

Anyone who had known King Aldric Valenor during his time would be able to attest to this. In fact, with the way he looked, we could as well pass as siblings.

“Don’t you talk?” he asked again. Then his eyes went down to my clothes.

My dress had been torn from all of the running. The beautiful garment that had once flowed behind me as I walked was now reaching just below my knees. Not only was it tattered, but it was also covered in dirt and mud.

“I’m Elyria.”

“Hmm. That’s an uncommon name,” he said, observing me again. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“No, I’m not.” I shook my head.

“So what brings you to these parts of the woods? Did you get in trouble with your master or something?” he asked, and I nodded violently.

It was best to go with the lie. I couldn’t tell him the truth. He would hand me over to the first soldier he found.

“Yes, he accused me of stealing, so I ran away.”

It was the best I could come up with. I needed something that was actually believable. I didn’t want him to call my bluff immediately.

“Hmm,” the man smirked. “Did you actually steal from him, though?”

“No, of course not. I would never.”

“Well, I would just have to take your word for it, strange girl.”

“What’s your name?” I asked him in turn. He had been the one asking me questions. I figured I would do the same.

“The name’s Harry. My village is just over there.” He pointed into the distance. “I could take you, maybe get you something to eat?”

“Yes, you can. Thank you for your kindness.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t done anything for you.”

He looked so genuine, and I knew right there and then that I had met a good person. I knew it was too early to judge, but I felt it in my bones.

If I had fallen into the wrong hands, I probably would have been taken advantage of by now. Rather, here he was, offering me food.

“Well, you offered.”

“My grandmother taught me to never leave a damsel in distress all by herself.” The smile on his face seemed almost flirtatious.

Was he trying to flirt? If only he knew who I actually was. He wouldn’t even dream of flirting. We trekked down the slope that led to his village.

Pretty soon, we arrived at a cottage, and it was so painfully small. I didn’t realize people actually lived in conditions like these. I was used to large buildings. Even the cottage Cass…

I stopped myself from saying his name. Even in my mind. He was a traitor, and he ruined whatever good memories I had left of my life.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked, looking concerned.

“Yes, I am. I just had a very bad memory.”

“Don’t worry. Once you taste my cooking, all bad memories will disappear,” he joked and served me some stew.

“Thank you, Harry. You really don’t know what you’ve done for me.”