Marlon's men had moved faster than he had expected. It wasn’t dawn yet, and Deleav was already briefing him on what the scouts had seen. General Torunn, along with one-hundred of Zuff’s finest soldiers, were already a day’s ride away from the red sands desert. They had to move quickly. His first in command had also notified him of the coup that was brewing because of the Princess. He had known it would cause trouble and a certain unrest among the men. That was the very reason he hadn't wished to share this information with his men.  It had been a wrong move in hindsight, but now it was too late. The task of protecting her and carrying out his initial mission was appearing to backfire on him, and instead was forcing him to have to work double time to ensure everyone’s safety. “Marlon, you have to get her out of here, now

So what was it? The holy men on the Island would have the answers. He wished they could stay there in that moment just enjoying each other's presence, but he knew he would only be delaying the inevitable.“Then I will leave you to it. I will wait outside while you get dressed and packed.” She leaned in closer to him. He could smell the lavender bath salts she had used, and it awoke his groin. He knew he had to get away from her before he lost his self-control. Without a word, he turned around and left out of his room. Flossina was left alone to her personal tasks. She felt silly now that she was all alone in the room. He just wouldn't touch her anymore, and for some reason that made her feel upset, which was

“I see. Please, ah forgive our intrusion.” She stood then making sure to grab her cloak. “Thank you for the meal.” She quickly left the cottage.Flossina felt tears stinging her eyes as she walked down the dirt path. The old woman seemed so angry at her mother and the chaos that was ensuing because of her murder. It wasn’t her fault, she thought as she strode onward. Marlon had looked shocked at the old woman’s speech, but for some reason, Flossina wasn’t. She couldn’t blame the old woman for not wanting to help. It was not her fight. It was Flossina’s. She stopped and surveyed her surroundings. She stood by a babbling brook. The water was crystal clear. She could see the mo

Thank you, Marlon. I will repay you.”“Restoring my mens honor is all the repayment I seek , Your Highness.”“Then you shall have it. Hopefully, we will have more answers, soon.” She said, referring to their trip tomorrow. Marlon couldn't agree more with that statement. He did need answers, more than the afterlife mumbo jumbo Flossina kept trying to feed him. He kept hearing about this 'Jewel of Humanity'.  More than thrice it had come up. The first time had been when speaking with his second in command, Deleav. The second and third time had been when he’d been in disguise as a soldier at Flossina's home. From what he had overheard from the soldiers it seemed to be a mix of folklore and legend. Some believed it to b

The next day was long and arduous for Flossina. Marlon had them both dress up in disguises and ride a horse instead of Blaze. They left him behind. Flossina noticed he was quite alright with the arrangement and happily got into the nearby pond. He blended in with the jagged and green scenery as he curled himself up and only his back appeared out of the water,looking like a large boulder. Flossina was once again amazed at the marvelous creature. The nice old woman had packed them a satchel with wheat cakes, cheese, fruits, dates and flagons of water. Flossina thought the woman was sweet and delightful, before they had left she had sat her down and put salve on her scrapes and wounds. She noticed she had put a jar of it inside of the satchel. She wished she could repay the woman’s kindness. After the three hour horse ride they were finally on the Ferry Boat, almost on the opposite side of the riv