The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Fifty Eight

They rode silently into the river until they were surrounded by the thick fog surrounding

it.

"Cover your nose and don't breathe in the fog. It is poisonous too, but can harm your

skin." They did as he told immediately they reached the inside of the fog, and after a while, the fog finally cleared to reveal a huge dark gate. By its side were two gigantic statues with hoods over their heads. They were bent as if in prayers, their jointed hands lifted as that of one pleading. They were painted grey, and together with the eerie environment, they gave out a very dangerous appearance.

"This is the domain of the blood king. I can't believe this." Forest said as they landed on

the other side of the river. Aaron maneuvered the boat to make it easier for them to come out of

it. They all stood and made their way gently to the other side of the river. Finally, they stood in front of the ginormous gate. The gate was broodingly tall and dark and screamed of power. Elena shuddered while looking at it.

"How are we going to get in?" Elion said, not appearing intimidated by what stood in

front of her. Aaron walked to the gate and hit it twice, heavily. The loud sound ricocheted over the environment, and everywhere became strangely quiet. As Elena felt the goose bumps spread over her skin, a small slit opened across the gate, and once whoever was there recognized Aaron, he shut the slit back. A few seconds passed before the mighty gate was opened, the sound heavy and deafening.

The door opened to reveal armed guards who held weapons Elena had doubts she could

carry. They were about to let Aaron in when they noticed Elena and her crew right behind them. "Who are they?" One of them asked, his voice brutally calm.

"Recruits," Aaron answered in an equally calm measure. The guard's gaze dragged along their forms and widened when their eyes landed on Elion.

Elena felt like rolling her eyes.

Aaron, too, had noticed the look they were giving Elion, and so with a harsh scowl, he

said, "Can you please excuse us? We have to be somewhere immediately."

"Oh right," as if coming back to their senses, the guards made way for them, their eyes still not leaving Elion.

They all wandered through the gates, and their eyes widened as they took in the

splendour of the blood castle. The palace was huge, tall as a mighty fortress meant to intimidate whoever stood before it. This was the only normal-looking building- despite its intimidating features- that she had seen ever since arriving at the blood kingdom. Just like the gate, the castle's colour was a mix between black and grey. The outer wall looked like it hadn't been tended to in years. They made their way deeper into the castle and saw different warriors. They were all powerful looking, lethal, dangerously beautiful. The weapons they carried glinted, even though there was no light to illuminate it.

"Why isn't there any form of light here?" Forest asked, his questions mirroring her own. "Warriors are trained to be able to see clearly in the dark. So it is a necessary action that

no fire was lit. It is to train the guards so that no one would be surprised in case of an attack. It would also make our enemy think twice before attacking us."

Elena had to admit that it was a brilliant plan, and since Elion nodded her head, she must

be thinking the same. Instead of following the front doors into the castle, Aaron took them through the other side till they reached a back door. He opened it, and they were led into a big kitchen with different servants hurrying about.

"Be quick! The Royal mother would be angry if the table isn't set on time!" They heard a surprisingly stern soft voice, and they all turned to face the short motherly-looking woman who shouted the orders for the servants.

"Adrina!" Aaron called out to her. The woman turned, and she beamed once she set her eyes on Aaron.

"My love, how are you?" She walked towards him and gave him a lovely caress on his cheeks.

"I'm fine," he said, smiling as he leaned into her hand. The sight was surprising. She had

imagined the Blood Kingdom citizens to be exceptionally brutal; she didn't know they were also capable of loving gestures.

"Who are these?" She asked once she set her sight on them.

"Adrina, can you find something for them to do? They were brought here against their

will. Their captors have been arrested."

"Why don't they want to return then? You can do that, can't you?" She asked, frowning slightly.

"Yes, but they begged a favour from me. I decided to help them." The lovely woman's scowl didn't lessen till her eyes landed in Elion."

"Oh, my," she said, walking towards her. "A female warrior." With a teasing smile at

Aaron, she said. "Don't worry. Leave them in my care. They would be given jobs and rooms as of today."

"Thank you so much, Adrina." Aaron's face was flushed. While they were still

discussing, Forest and Elena turned simultaneously to look at Elion. She frowned slightly when she felt their piercing gaze.

"What?"

"I'm trying to see what these people are all seeing as they look at you," Forest said, peering at her intensely. Elena mirrored his look.

"Please," Elion retorted. Elena could have sworn that she was blushing. "I am also

wondering, too," Elion replied, folding her arms across herself.

"Hey, you all should follow Adrina," Aaron said, cutting into their discussion. They all

looked up at him. "Follow her immediately. She would take you to where you stay. Once you have settled, I would come and meet you." With a soft glance at Elion, Aaron left them in the woman's hands.

There they stood, both studying the other. With a strict smile, the woman introduced herself.

"I am Adrina, as Aaron has called me. But since you would work under me, you would not address me as such and call me High keeper. As of today, you are workers for the Blood King and his family, called to do their bidding whenever they like."

They nodded in agreement, even if the dooming declaration made their hearts shudder.

*****

Adrina sent a maid to take them through the levels they would be working at. As they would mostly be cooped up in the kitchen, their primary jobs were to serve the people who resided on the top first floor of the castle. They were to cover their faces while serving royal guests, and they shouldn't peer at them for long. From what Elena could deduce, the nobles of the blood kingdom were harsher compared to other kingdoms, but if one did their job well, they would be significantly awarded. They were all given a waiter's uniform to adorn. The uniform of the king's servants was a bit too- revealing. Unlike the cooks who covered every part of their bodies, the female waiters wore a gown that brought their bust to the forefront and showcased their legs, though they wore stockings. The male waiters were not much different. Even though every aspect of them was covered up, the shirts they wore were created so that from the neckline to the belly button was a long slit that exposed their abdomen. There were some handsome- looking male waiters Elena had noticed earlier, but Elena sighed with Forest added to the mix. She could only imagine what was going to happen.

Elena was uncomfortable in her dress, but she never complained. She had a goal to achieve, and she wasn't someone special that she could suggest for another dress. Elion wore hers proudly. The dress did well to enhance her curves, her total bust, and her bottom. The stockings didn't show mercy as they accentuated her long smooth legs. She could only imagine Aaron's response when he saw her.

Forest already liked the attention he was getting from the maids. He made sure to flex his toned abs whenever he got the chance, and Elena could swear that a collective sigh rang out each time he left the room.

They were shown the floor they would be working on. The floor consisted of the royal family's dining table, and down the hall was the king's study. They were told that his room was connected to it, and no one had ever gone there. The middle floor was where guests stayed, and the upper floor was where the previous king and his wife remained. According to tradition, the present king is supposed to stay on that floor, while the last king would stay on the first floor. But for some reason, the current king denied the tradition, content to stay on the first floor. They were advised to never talk or gaze on his face, as he was always brooding. Any longer look, and a person would end up dead. Elena shuddered. She tried to imagine the scary king as the one who provided shelter for foreigners. There were just so many layers to the king that she couldn't unravel.

The castle was an architectural masterpiece. Paintings hung on every side of the wall, though they weren't ones she was used to. Unlike the family members and their ancestors, the images depicted something brutal or bloody. Elena was fascinated as she was repulsed. Huge chandeliers hung from the middle of the floor, and they illuminated the floor brightly. This was perhaps the only bright place she had seen ever since she arrived at the castle. Despite the extreme cold in the kingdom, the castle was strangely warm. She also realized that unlike the other buildings she had come across that were built of ice, the blood castle was constructed in a typical manner. Though what was used to attain the heavy depth and sturdiness was something that she would study later.

After they were taken around the floor, the High keeper told them to follow the maids posted to that floor and study them as they did their work. They did all these till the nobles retired to bed. Elena never saw the Royal mother or the previous king, though, from how some servants were running all around the upper hall, Elena could tell that she was a very active woman. They were extremely exhausted by the time they were done for the day. They were heading to their rooms when Aaron was standing by their door. In Pres, servants were given a huge room with cots to share. In the blood kingdom, the servants were given a huge floor. They all shared the room according to their position, and as Elena, Forest and Elion were new, they were all given a space to share. Aaron hadn't been joking when he said their women were treated equally as men.

As they drew closer to him, Elena could tell that he had noticed Elion, by the way, his eyes widened, and how hard he found it to close his mouth. His mouth kept on opening and closing, and Elena could see his throat bobbing when she finally reached him. His eyes had shrunk and become heady, and Elena was sure that he barely noticed his crush was with people. "Hey, mister. I know we are all pretty, but I'm sure you came here to tell us something right?" Forest said sarcastically.

"Yeah." His voice came out throaty. Hoarse. He cough. "Yeah. Get changed. We are to start our first training for today."

Elena didn't think she could move another muscle. "Really, must they do it now? They are pretty tired."

"Warriors are trained to overcome any type of pain till they are almost inhuman. This would help you in many cases. If you wish to be as strong as us, you have to get used to still working string despite being fatigued." Elena sighed and nudged Elion.

"Well, let's get dressed." Looking at Aaron, she said, "please give us a few minutes, we would meet you outside." Together, they walked inside the room, gently shutting the door.

"I almost feel pity for you, but then again, you were the one who brought it upon yourself." He threw himself over the bed they were given, and Elena would have given anything just to be in the same position as him. She sighed and started to prepare for her training.