The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Twenty One

The forest was strangely still, the soft breeze being the only thing that moved. Svetlana's

eyes widened at seeing the stranger, and the feeling of surprise was not foreign to Daruki either. They stood silently, dragging their eyes across the other's form, then suddenly, Svetlana ran to him and threw herself on top of him, hugging him tightly.

"Dar," she said, sobbing heavily. She couldn't believe that her reason for seeking refuge

in Neba had paid off after so many years.

She had found her father.

"Hush, Lana," Darukï said, dragging his hands across his daughter's back as he fought his tears from falling.

"It's okay, it's okay. Everything is fine now." He said, consoling his daughter. They

separated after a while, though Svetlana clung heavily to his arm.

"I thought I had lost you! I have been looking for you for years! Where have you been all those while?"

"Relax," Daruki said with a smile, moving a tendril of hair that had fallen on her face behind her ear.

"Now that we have seen each other, I am sure that you have a lot of questions, as do I. But let's get to the obvious situation here. What were you doing at this place?"

"I also want to ask you the same thing!"

"Well, I'm doing the king of Pres a favour." They walked towards a huge stone that had been strategically set at the front of the shed, and he nudged her to sit down while he stood beside her.

"The king of Pres? Wait, don't tell me, you are involved in Elena's kidnapping?"

Daruki raised his brows, curious how she knew the girl he had locked up.

"You know her?"

"Yes. Her grandfather was the one who sent me to look for her. He is the king of Neba." Darukï scrunched his face, confused. He probably wondered why the king asked him to get Elena and how Svetlana had come into play.

"How did you end up with the king of Pres?" Svetlana asked, a line drawn on her forehead.

Taking in a deep sigh, Daruki paced for a while in front of her, then started to recount his tale.

"After that- incident, which caused us to be separated, I was severely weak. The king of Pres was returning from a journey and had found me lying at the roadside. He took care of me and gave me a house in his kingdom, which I refused, opting for the solitude and comfort of the forest of Pres. There I built a log cabin, and I hadn't been called since till recently. I owe the king my life, and I am paying it back."

Svetlana's face hardened, though there was a glint of confusion on her face.

"That doesn't sound like the King of Pres to me. I have been in his palace as a spy, and he doesn't strike me as that type of guy."

"What do you mean?"

"He killed his wife," Svetlana replied without hesitation.

"He killed his wife and married his lover two days later. His daughter, the one who he

sent you to capture, has been treated wrongly. She had suffered ever since her mother's death, but

the final straw was when the king wanted to give her away as a bride to the Blood King. She ran away from the castle, and made a name here for herself."

Daruki stared at her strangely.

"Although I haven't talked with the king for a long while, who you are describing to me

doesn't fit the person I met. I suppose he might have changed in the long run. Power does change people, not that we are strangers to that." He said, and their environment suddenly became tense

as they both slipped into the past, their expressions one of heartbreak and anger.

"But enough about me. What about you?" Daruki asked, clearing the air.

"Well, as I looked for you, I became a bounty hunter. I helped so many people with their

deeds, both good and bad, and it was through this that I met the king of Pres. I was to be detained in the kingdom's prison, but the king asked for my help instead. I agreed, as working for him would help me with the resources to find you faster. But for years I never did. The king tried to free me from my duty to him but I refused, agreeing to stay by his side till I have completed my mission. Seeing that I posed no threat to him and his kingdom, the king agreed to keep me. I have been with him ever since." She shrugged, finished with her tale.

"Oh my dear," Daruki said, placing his hands lovingly on her cheeks. "How you have grown. I cried daily, praying that I would find you. Hating myself for not protecting you better." "It's not your fault father. All these wouldn't have happened if not for- "

"Hush now, my dear. Let's not remember sad things." Sighing, he dragged his hands across his face.

"We really should go to a healer. There are capable ones who can heal the wounds on

your face." Svetlana said, studying the burns and scars that destroyed his features. Her father was once a very handsome man, but the hands of fate took that away from him, along with many other things.

"I know, but I wish to carry it more. It serves as a reminder of what I had gone through." He said broodingly. Even though her father might not be heavily built like most warriors, his whole body exuded power, and adding the scars on his face, nobody would want to associate with him. She can even go as far as to say woe to him, who gets on her father's wrong side. He was the strongest warrior in her clan and the most-deadly. But a series of incidents left him wounded- both in body and spirit- turning him into a fugitive. Sighing, he stretched his hands to his daughter, waiting for her to put her hands in his. "Let us release the poor girl. I might not know what had happened to the former king, but

I am not that honourable that I can't break my promise, which I would do, till he comes to his senses." He said, plastering a smile on his face.

Laughing, Svetlana allowed herself to be dragged to her feet, and with the help of her

father, they both reached the shed. He opened it, and Svetlana, who stood behind Darukï, could

see Elena flinch as the night light poured inside the shed.

"Elena?" She called out gently. Elena raised her head and squinted her eyes, obviously

trying to make out her features.

"Elena, I'm Svetlana. I'm here to help you." Even though she couldn't see her, Svetlana

noticed the dry disbelief on her face. She understood immediately that she thought her fake because she stood next to Daruki.

"No, don't worry about him. He has decided to help us." She confirmed.

"Why are you helping me?" Elena asked, her voice throaty.

"Your grandfather, the king of Neba, heard about your kidnap. He sent me to look for

you."

"My grandfather?" Her eyes widened, shocked. That was probably the last thing she had expected to hear.

"Yes," Svetlana replied as Daruki made his way inside to Elena. "He ordered me to look for you. Now that you are found, we can all go back. Your friends miss you so much." Darukï untied Elena's hands and foot, and she stood up, trying to get her balance after being immobile for many days. She almost fell, and Darukï caught her immediately before she could land on the ground.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. Elena faced him and smiled, even though she couldn't see his features yet.

"I just have one question. Why didn't you take me back to the kingdom after you caught

me? The journey back would just take a day." She asked, genuinely curious.

"I do not know." was all he could say. Elena scrunched her brows, noting the truthfulness

in his voice. He didn't know why he had stayed. He just did.

Still supporting herself with the help of Daruki, she finally made it outside the shed and

sighed, feeling the breeze and the moonlight on her face.

"Thank you! She said, finally turning to face Darukiï. Her eyes widened in pure horror

and pity when she saw his face. She imagined what he must have gone through to get those scars.

Daruki noticed her reaction but remained silent.

Svetlana noticed the tense atmosphere and immediately tried to change it.

"Okay. Let's head to the castle. The king would be expecting you."

Elena snapped out of her reverie and faced Svetlana.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Let's head back to the Red Queen. I would love to

check up on my friends first, especially Forest."

"Forest is doing well, I can assure you."

"I know," she replied with a sad smile. "But I would love to see him for myself."

Knowing that it would be impossible to change her mind, Svetlana nodded, agreeing to her decision.

They all crept through the forest, following the path that Svetlana had found earlier. They finally made it to the street she had taken that led her to the forest.

"You know," she started. "Your grandfather always knew you were in Neba."

Elena's eyes widened, shocked that her attempt to hide was futile and curious why her grandfather never pointed it out.

"H-He always knew?"

Svetlana nodded. "He knew what you had gone through in Pres, so he didn't want to alarm you with his presence. But that didn't stop him from looking out for you though. How do

you think you were able to make it inside the kingdom gates?"

Elena frowned, not understanding what she was saying.

"I used the aid of an old man." She said, pointing it out. Svetlana gave her a secret smile,

and suddenly her eyes widened in understanding.

"You're the old man?" She asked, shocked.

"At your service," Svetlana replied, amused at her reaction.

"How were you able to make yourself look like that?"

"It's easy. I can always teach you a trick or so later, as we get to know ourselves."

"That would be wonderful!" Elena answered, extremely enthusiastic.

Svetlana couldn't help but give her a doting smile. She realized that she still hadn't lost

her innocence despite the horrendous things Elena had gone through. The same couldn't be said

for everyone. She frowned as she remembered a sad incident from her past. Noticing her forlorn expression, Darukï held her hand behind Elena, giving her an assuring smile. She returned it, rubbing his hand in return.

"C-Can you tell me more about my grandfather? Please?" Elena asked, looking at

Svetlana hopefully. Smiling brightly, Svetlana answered her.

"Your grandfather is one of the best King's ever." She started. "He is a very formidable

man, and no one can treat him anyhow. His people love him, as he never made them suffer ever since his ascent on the throne. He is fair, and judges everyone equally, both nobles and commoners. He is a very great man." She ended proudly.

Elena remained silent, taking it all in. She knew that her grandfather was a great man, but Svetlana's description made her realize that it was more than she thought. She wondered if he would accept her as she was.

"Do you know if he would accept me? After all, I'm not like normal royals." She said,

insecure.

"Nonsense," Svetlana exclaimed. "If he wouldn't accept you, would he ask me to watch

over you and help you when you need it? He wouldn't even have sent me to look for you!" Sighing, she paused and placed her hand on Elena's shoulders.

"I assure you on my honour, that your grandfather would accept you. You are his family,

and he would treat you well. You can bet on that."

Elena couldn't stop the tears from her eyes, so she immediately wiped them away,

grinning widely.

"Thank you." She said.

"No problem," Svetlana replied. "Now, let's us head over to the Red Queen's restaurant.

I'm sure that you can't wait to see your friends."