Elf Prince - Protected by the Elf Prince Part 2

Chapter 10

It was late at night. Earlier, I wrote about my experiences and my conflicting thoughts of my brother and the deal he forced upon me. That part I hid in the pages with common English and the secret Akashan language. I then locked up my diary in a special box without a keyless lock that only I could open. Even though no one in the realm could read common English or decode my family's secret language, I wasn't taking any chances.

After that, I was finally able to relax and recuperate. Because I was so winded, my seven maids all tended to my every need. They gave me a hot meal, a warm bath and massage, brushed and braided my hair, and dressed me in some clean night clothes for the evening. They even washed and mended my clothes and cloak. I didn't have the strength to do anything else and fell asleep quickly.

At some time during the night, I was awoken by a pattering noise. I jolted awake in my bed, startled.

What's that? Is someone there?

I heard the pattering noise again. It sounded like something tapping against glass. I looked and saw some small objects hitting at my bedroom window. For a second, I thought I heard someone saying something.

"Psst. Psst..."

This made me extremely nervous. There was no reason anyone would do this at this time of night. I wondered if that was Keasatran coming to taunt me again. Cautiously, I got out of bed and went over to the window. Pulling back the curtains, I unlocked the window, opened it, and looked down, wondering where the objects were coming from.

To my surprise, Elluin was standing below my window in the gardens. He had been throwing small pebbles at my window to try and get my attention. On one hand, I was relieved that it was a friend and not my enemy. On the other hand, I was puzzled as to what he was doing up.

He called out to me in a hushed whisper. "Isilme... I need to speak with you. Meet me in the maze."

Curious, I closed and locked the window, put on my cloak and some shoes with my nightclothes, and quietly snuck out of my room. I walked through the halls, avoiding the guards, and made it outside to the castle gardens. The nighttime creatures were already singing while fireflies flashed their taillights. I then made my way through the maze and got to the center. Besides the glowing Sabrina flowers in the hedges, I found Elluin sitting near the fountain.

"Elluin, it's the middle of the night." I said.

"I'm sorry to call you out this late." He said, "But I wanted to talk with you and it couldn't wait."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well...I have been thinking. When we were in Limbos. The canteen. I thought we had lost it when the horse went missing. I...remember putting it back in the saddlebag. How did you come by it? And why didn't you tell me when I mentioned it at that time the horse went missing?"

My heart rate rose as I hesitated. I feared this question coming up. I really wish I could tell Elluin the truth, but I couldn't. I couldn't bear to put him through any more pain than he already had.

Elluin spoke up in a sadden tone. "Isilme... Have I done something or...said something to you where you couldn't trust to tell me?"

It's not that I don't trust you, it's the fact that I can't tell you.

"It's not that... It's just... I thought I was the one who put it in there..."

Elluin let out a sigh. "Fine. But you can at least tell me what you wanted to say after the Akashan spirits that surrounded us left?"

"I was taken to the dream realm to talk with the Priest and Priestess twins. They told me to go to each of the guardian shrines to bless them with the Akashan water. It's supposed to protect them from the Darkness spreading throughout the realm."