The Bloodshed Crown

Chapter 21: Arrow To Her Head

"You are selling me off," Ayla told the ladies as she looked at them with so much madness.

"We are making you a queen," Isabella said as they enjoyed being with her.

"I don't want to be a queen," She said.

"And stop with the makeups and dresses. I have several hours left before meeting the King of Losman when the sun sets," Ayla said, and the girls stopped moving.

"Then are you agreeing to meet with the King of Losman?" Hannah joyfully asked.

"I am only agreeing because I will only listen to all of you since I am going to make all of you comfortable while you are in court," Ayla replied.

"But then again. I must go and wash the dishes as the queen commands me to," She said as she stood up and went on.

"Ayla! Let me do the dishes for you, please!" Hannah stopped her, which made Ayla thinks she was suspicious.

"It's okay! I heard Prince Elijah was looking for you. You should go to him." Hannah said as she held her hand.

"Then I will come as soon as I am finished with the prince," She told her, and Hannah nodded at her.

She walks down to the hallways, trying hard to remember where Prince Elijah's chambers are.

"Where are you going?" Someone asked from behind. When she turned around, it made her smile as she saw Carlyle going in her direction.

"You have a lot of time to goof around," She said as they walked together.

"Well, I just came back from a very depressing battlefield, and you are telling me to work again?" He said as he crossed his arms.

"How can a king bear send his son to a battlefield?" she asked him.

"Oh well~ we are fighting back those lands that we almost lost to outsiders," He replied, and Ayla was amazed by this brave young man.

"By the way, how old are you?" Ayla asked as she stared at his brown eyes for a long time.

"I am nineteen years old. Same age as Alexander, but he is way older by four months," He replied to her question.

"Oh~ then where are you headed to?" Ayla asked him.

"I was summoned by my father to practice my skills with swords," He said while she could see that he didn't want to go.

"By chance, do you know where prince Elijah is right now? I heard he was looking for me," She told him.

"Oh~ Elijah is receiving an archery lesson from Alexander, go to the woods in the east, and you can see them there. Before, I forgot to remind you that you should never head to the west woods." He said as he ran away.

"Wait! Wh--what is there to be afraid of the west woods?" She asked, but he was already too far from her.

She just took his advice and went to the east part. She looked everywhere for the young princes but couldn't seem to hear them.

"Hello? ~~~ Prince Elijah?" She shouted, but no one still responded to her call. She goes beyond, and that's when she hears laughter beyond the woods. She followed it.

From a distance, she saw the bond between the brothers, which was a bond that no one could ever break. She was smiling from ear to ear as she witnessed an incredible sight.

She walks towards them and suddenly breaks a piece of branch. As an arrow almost touched her shoulder, this made her almost lose her life.

"Are you mad?!!!!!" she shouted as she was in shock.

"Why did you do that? You almost killed her!" Elijah was also mad at his brother.

"It's your fault! You did not even let us know your presence!" Alexander shouted for me to hear him.

"Well~ you should have checked first before releasing it!" Ayla shouted back at him as she moved closer to them.

"I have my quick senses, and I only heard the branch break, making me shoot to where I heard it. You're lucky because if I hadn't controlled it well, I might have struck the arrow straight in your head." He said, which made Ayla angrier, and even Elijah didn't find it funny.

"Lucky me!" She said sarcastically.

Elijah went to her and assisted her to where the crown prince was. Alexander puts another arrow, and another branch is heard on his left side. He waited for seconds and released his arrow; he caught a deer.

"So you were imagining me as an animal when you shot that arrow at me," Ayla told him as she also finds his skills in archery amazing.

"I'm sorry about that. It wasn't intentional," Alexander told her.

"It's okay; it did not even scratch me," Ayla said and smiled.

"Look how she immediately changes her mood. Women are so unpredictable," Elijah said as he smiled from ear to ear.

"He was right, though. It was my fault that I did not announce my presence because I was enjoying the view of the two of you having a good brotherly bonding," Ayla said as she kept her head high.

"I was told that you are looking for me, Prince Elijah," Ayla said as she held his arm.

"We should talk somewhere safe," He said as he gazed at Alexander.

"Oh! About that! He already knows I am from Kaastiana," She said, and Alexander stole a gaze as he smirked.

"I thought that was our secret. Only the two of us know," Elijah said as he looked at his brother.

"Well, I met him before, and he used your nam---" She was stopped from talking.

"Elijah! Give me a hand; help me carry the deer," Alexander said, making Ayla think he was unpredictable.

"You are seriously dodging the fact that you used your brother's name when you were on Kaastianan soil," She said as she smiled.

"You used my name in the country who seeks to attack us because you were engaged with the queen of Egothedia? You're so unbelievable," Elijah said as he constantly gave his brother an earful.

"Oh, I remembered about that incident a week ago! You sneak into our envoy's boat to roam around the world!" Elijah said as he was outraged.

"Correction! I did not sneak into the boat. I was sleeping peacefully and did not notice that I was in the middle of the sea when I woke up," Alexander defended.

"But wait a minute" Elijah realized something.

"You two met before she even walked in our country?" Elijah said as he turned around and saw Ayla's face.

"Yes! I thought she wouldn't remember, but after the party, I was also in a trance because I already knew her identity, but she insisted that she was not a spy." Alexander replied as he took the deer's feet.

"Come on now. Let us give this to a nearby family," Alexander said as he gave Elijah a sign to take the other pair of feet of the deer.

"But I still despise you," Elijah said as he took the other pair.

"I will take note of that," Alexander said as they took the deer to where Ayla was standing.

"Now, I need to go and get my horse," Alexander said, but Ayla volunteered.

"I will go and take your horses," She said as she quickly ran into the woods.

"Bu--" She is no longer in sight.

"But that direction is not the way to the horses," Elijah murmured as the two looked at each other.

"I'll go get her, and you should go and get our horses," Alexander said as he followed Ayla.