"Then take her," They said as they threw her to the ground."I expected they'd do that," She said as she stood up and removed the dirt from her clothes.
"I was told that you ran away," The man said as he offered his hand.
"I am not an important person to be protected by the king," She said
"Well, his sons don't want any harm to come into your way," Carlyle told her, making her like this man.
"What's your name again?" she asked.
"I am Carlyle Le Normand, the king's bastard," He said, which made them laugh.
"That's a harsh word you use on yourself," She said as they walked.
"I am used to it," He said
"I shouldn't go back with you. I have a crucial task to do for myself," Ayla replied, but she was quickly denied.
"I promised Elijah and Louis to bring you back this instant," he demanded
"Then, if that is the command you receive, I shall go back to prevent you from losing your life," She insisted.
Carlyle assisted Ayla to his horse, and there was no space between them as soon as he sat behind her.
"Hold on tight. This horse is fast," Carlyle warned, and she certainly enjoyed the ride back to the castle.
Carlyle carried Ayla off the horse, and many eyes were directed at them.
"Ayla~ You're back," Elijah greeted
"Ayla~ I thought you died," Louis said, and that was a bit offensive to her.
"You want me to die?" she asked.
"No! I would never want to see an innocent life taken before my eyes," Louis told her as he held on to her hand.
"You should go back to your chambers, Lady Ayla~ the ride was a bit tiring for you," Carlyle said as he took his horse to the stables.
She returned to her room and lay down for minutes but immediately got bored. She looked at her window, but the skies were not giving her a nice view.
The clouds covered the moon, and most of the stars were unseen.
She was then reminded (flashbacks) that there is a place where the children enjoy going every night to see the sky.
She got her coat and followed the steps as if she knew the castle well. She was heading to a vast balcony, and now the skies had cleared up for her.
"So beautiful," she said as she admired the moon and the stars twinkling in the sky. She sat on the stone railings and ensured she would not fall by holding on tightly.
"Beautiful indeed," Someone said, and to her surprise, she slipped backward.
"Careful," He said as he embraced her, preventing her from falling forward.
"If you haven't been sneaking from behind, then I wouldn't have fallen," She said
"It wasn't my fault that you are seeking danger," He said as he carried her down.
"The Crown Prince of Serdruan seems like you can't sleep," She greeted
"It's a week before her sixteenth birthday, and still her mother insists that she's alive," He said
"That concerns you? A birthday party?" She said as she was preventing herself from laughing.
"You don't understand, her mother and my parents arranged this marriage for the good of both countries, and I do not have the intention of marrying her," He said
"You are worrying about something that might not happen," She told him as she traced and formed some objects using stars.
"What if we found her? If she's found, I will have no other choice than to marry her in the king's command," he said
"Oh! And you always say that you are an engaged man so that women will not go close to you" She was so sure in her speculations.
"If single women continue to come, the king will not hesitate to kill them. Preventing me from gossips or whatsoever that will ruin my reputation," He said as he looked at her.
"Then I should go. I need some air, and you need some time to think. It's your burden as the future king of Serdruan," She said as she returned to her chambers.
"Sixteenth birthday? Are they going to throw a party?" she asked herself and lay down on her bed.
"That's not my concern anymore," She said, returning to sleep.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"My half-sister's birthday is just around the corner. My stepmother will visit Serdruan for the yearly event," Isabella said as she put the earrings on her ear.
"Lady Ayla ~ you should join us," Mia said
"What are your plans for today, my ladies?" she asked as she kept her head down.
"We were planning to go stitching with the noble ladies in the castle," Hannah told her.
"Then I should join you as your servant," Ayla replied, but this word displeased them.
"Ayla~ it's alright. You don't need to serve us," Isabella warned her.
"It's a job I must do" Ayla smiled at them.
"You remind me of my stepmother," Isabella randomly said.
"Your stepmother is powerful; please don't compare her to a commoner like me," Ayla replied as she started combing her hair.
"You have my stepmother's eyes," Isabella replied as she looked at her in the mirror.
"Your stepmother's eyes?" she again asked her.
"Yes! She also has hazel eyes. I can even see my father in you," Isabella told her, which made her confused.
"You are royals. I am just an unknown citizen," Ayla replied
"My stepmother was dedicated to finding her daughter at all costs. She never stopped searching for her even though ten years had passed. She said she could still feel her daughter's presence. Erytheia was her only child with my father and never wanted to marry again," She shared. This information made Ayla's heart hurt a little.
"That's why she remains as a reagent? She never desired the Crown because she was waiting for her child to come home," Ayla realized, and Isabella agreed.
"I have never experienced being hated by her; she protected me from the people who threw a rock at us. We are just born out of wedlock," Isabella shared, and everyone just hugged her tight.
"Although we all wish that she would come back on her birthday," Everyone said, which confused Ayla.
YOU ARE READING
The Bloodshed Crown
Historical FictionErytheia Knight who was the queen of Egothedia was lost since she was at her six years of age. She was engaged together with the Crown Prince of Serdruan Alexander Le Normand III at the age of four through a public announcement by their parents. Thi...
