The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Forty Two

The Northern part of the kingdom of Tush...

It had been several days since Elena began her training with Old man Porv. After every practice, she noticed herself getting better, and she could only thank the old man, Elion, and Calhoun. The latter appeared in her training almost every day, seeming to derive pleasure from just watching her. Once she was done with her lessons for the day, she always continued practicing. Calhoun stood with her till she ran out of energy. They have gotten to know

themselves better since she started practice, making them comfortable with each other. While she

was with Calhoun, Forest and his sister caught up with the time they lost apart.

She wielded her sword, swinging it left and right strategically just as the old man taught

her.

"Back straight," Calhoun commanded, and she did so immediately. She continued her

practice, her back rigid as she moved her sword, trying to move according to what she had been taught.

"Have a blank mind, Elena. Distractions would get you killed. Move with your body's

instinct. Your attack would become sharper." Elena took a deep breath, cleansing her mind of all her thoughts. She pointed out her sword, moved backward, and slashed to the left. She continued her dance, her mind free of thoughts. When she finished the sword dance, she fell to the ground, trying to catch her breath. Calhoun gave a dashing smile, walking over to where she stood with pride illuminating his eyes.

"You have drastically improved, Elena, Especially in these few days. I'm impressed." He

sat down next to her on the grassy field she practiced on. She looked at him, breathing heavily as she was still trying to calm herself from exerting.

"Thank you so much, Calhoun. I'm not sure I would have been able to do it without your

help. You, old man Porv and Elion has helped me tremendously. I appreciate it." Elena thanked.

Calhoun nodded his head, his chest puffing out with pride at her praise.

"So Elena, have you gone around the town?" He asked after a while.

"No," Elena replied. "I barely leave my room ever since I got here. It's just been me, the practice field and the kitchen."

"You cook?"

"Yeah, I told you before. I work at a restaurant."

"Oh, I remember that. I would love to taste your cooking sometime if you don't mind

that." Calhoun said, staring at her intensely. She blushed, moving her gaze from Calhoun to her sword, which she still held on to.

"No problem. I wanted to cook after I finished practice anyway. You can join us if you

like." Calhoun grinned, his smile causing strange shivers to dance through her skin."

"I would love to. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She said, finally raising her head to meet his gaze. They sat there for

a while, simply content to look at the sky. The sun went down, and the evening breeze softly caressed their skin. One thing Elena loved about the practice field was the simple quiet and peacefulness it exuded. Combined with the fragrance of the plants that were all over the house,

she decided that she could sleep there forever if possible. The birds flew overhead, preparing for the night as the cricket began their night songs. Elena sighed then stood up, dusting her hands on her laps.

"Okay then. Let's head inside." She told Calhoun, stretching her hands towards him to

help him up. Their hands joined, and immediately she felt the sparks that ran all over her body, causing her to suck in her breath and jump slightly.

"Are you okay?" Calhoun asked, concern written all over his face.

"Yeah," she said, removing her hands from his when he finally gained his balance. "I'm

fine." Calhoun looked doubtful and concerned, but he chose to remain quiet.

They walked back over to the house where Elena and her crew stayed. As they entered

the room, laughter could be heard, and Elena smiled gently. Forest and Elion were getting closer

to each other with every day that passed. She walked towards the kitchen and paused before she reached it, suddenly remembering something.

"We don't have a sitting room yet. So uh, would you join me in the kitchen, or wait for me in my room?"

"I'll join you in the kitchen, do not fret," Calhoun said, his eyes glinting. Elena almost

swore that she saw satisfaction shine through his eyes. She scrutinized him a bit before she relaxed, leading him to the kitchen.

"Follow me."

The kitchen was a small place by the side of what was to be the sitting room. It was filled with the necessary things; a sink, stove, bowls, pots and pans, plates, and ingredients. Some were hers, while some were already in the kitchen when she arrived. Elena was partly surprised that the man kept a good store of all his possessions, especially as he claimed not to have occupied the house and not ever having any visitors. What she thought was more strange was that despite

his looks resembling a poor old man, he had a place that most middle-class families might still

not be able to afford. The kitchen was clean, and she set to work immediately. "Would you just like to sit and watch as I cook? Or would you assist me?"

"If you need my help in any way, I would. Although I must admit that I have never been

to the kitchen, nor have I cooked."

"Hmm. You have people who do it for you then. Well, just sit back and relax. I'll do the

cooking for myself. Perhaps you can help me even without aiding me." She brought out some

ingredients and her secret formula and set them on the counter.

"So since you arrived," Calhoun started. "The main reason you haven't joined us for

breakfast or dinner is because you can cook?" Elena nodded her head.

"The old man once offered to cook for me and my friends, but we declined. I could

already cook. No need to stress him out."

"Hmm," Calhoun replied. They fell into silence, the only sound being Elena mixing,

chopping, and washing. After half an hour, when Elena was allowing the food to cook, she turned to face Calhoun.

"You have been around town for a while, right? Old man Porv told me that you aren't a citizen."

"Yeah," Calhoun started slowly.

"Where are you from?"

"Well, I'm from the eastern part of the kingdom of Tush. I just came for a vacation to this

place as I was being overwhelmed at where I stayed." Elena felt that something was off with the answer, but she couldn't point it out.

"Oh. Well if you know your way around here very well, I would need your help with something."

"What do you need?"

"I want to open up a branch of my restaurant in this kingdom. My boss dreams that his restaurant would be all over the four kingdoms. I would love to help him kick start that." "That's a lovely idea." He said, then paused, taking on a thoughtful pose.

"I know a few places," he started. "But they are almost run down, and would need serious reconstruction." Elena beamed at that.

"Don't worry about it. Decorations is another fort of mine."

"Well, we can get started on it tomorrow," Calhoun suggested. "You can ask the old man

for a break, and even share your plans with him. Perhaps he would also be of great help." "Yeah, I thought of that too." She walked over to the stove to check what she was cooking atop it. She stirred it for a bit, then put off the stove, flashing Calhoun a huge smile. "Food is ready."

*****

Calhoun cannot remember the last time he had been so free with someone. Ever since he started hanging out with Elena, he craved her presence and always sought her out at every opportunity, not wanting to miss seeing her again. He was falling hard and fast, and he was already thinking about ways to try and convince her to go back with him.

He realized that his father was right about something during the last few days. The humming of power always inside him, ready to erupt, went silent once he was near Elena. The genuine peace he felt was heavenly, coupled with her presence.

Calhoun felt bad that he had to lie to her about where he was from, but then again, he doubted telling her that he was from the blood kingdom would soothe her nerves, not to talk of him being the king. But then, he would have to think of a way to tell her if he wanted her to return with him. Helping her with her restaurant was an opportunity he would use, and he also hadn't forgotten about the strange destroyer of the outlaw city. He would use the opportunity wisely and perhaps kill two birds with a stone.

"Here," Elena said, handing him a bowl. The aroma of the food was nothing like Calhoun had ever perceived before. He could feel himself drooling, and he quickly wiped his mouth to make sure it wasn't factual.

A king never drools.

"Thank you." He said and dug into the food. He couldn't help it at the first bite. He moaned. The mixture of such simple ingredients produced such a heavenly concoction, he doubted he would ever eat from another place.

"Elena," he called between mouthfuls. "This is wonderful." He couldn't help it; he started

rushing off his food, indulging deeply. Her cooking sealed the deal for him.

He would marry her. And he would see to it whether it was the last thing he did.

"This is amazing. How did you create something like this?" He looked up and was greeted with the sight of Elena beaming proudly, her chest puffed out. He hiccupped, the vision causing his chest to race faster than normal. That had always happened when Elena smiled at him. His heart raced and pumped heavily. When she touched him or brushed his hands, the tingles he felt were enough to shock someone to death. He had never had such a reaction to anyone before who had a poker look all the time. He could see himself becoming like his father in the future. Yes, for Elena, he is likely to become a henpecked husband. "It's a secret." She replied, not hiding the mirth from her eyes. The bang of a door alerted Calhoun that people were coming over. Forest, the beautiful looking young lad, entered the kitchen and walked straight to Elena, encasing her in a hug and planting a firm kiss on her cheeks.

Just then, Calhoun felt his power that had been latent rise with full force. He had to suck

in a deep breath and force his power to calm down, reminding himself repeatedly that killing the

young lad would make his Bride unhappy. He looked up and noticed the boy and his sister- who

had joined them when he was still battling his feelings- scrutinizing him intensely.

It couldn't be. Surely they weren't able to feel his aura just then.

Elena looked between them, casting her gaze from her friends to him, then back again.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, curiosity laced in her voice.

"No. Everything is fine." Calhoun said, forcing a smile. The siblings looked at him one

last time before focusing their attention on Elena.

"Oh my dear, you have blessed us again with such wonderful cooking. My sister and I were drooling from my room." Elena looked at the young lad and smiled, fondness dripping from her expression.

"Here, you guys should eat." She said, placing bowls next to them. Elion wasted no time and dug in, not after thanking Elena, though. Calhoun took in a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. His possessiveness just then shocked him. He had never, ever reacted like that. He sighed, he could only imagine what he would do if a man were actually to woo Elena, and she replied to him with such fondness. There was no doubt that blood would flow that day. Suddenly, he felt an arm on his shoulder, and all traces of anger fled, leaving only the fast thumping of his heart. Knowing who it was already, he turned and faced Elena, taking in her features and drowning himself in them.

"Are you okay?" She asked, concern etched on her face.

"I am." He replied. Now, he thought. He couldn't wait to finally be alone with her again.

He would officially woo her and make her his wife.