Warrior Queen

CHAPTER 21

✨ LISSA'S POV ✨

My palm hurted but not as bad as before. It looked red and angry but not bleeding.

It had been a week since we entered the dark forest, three days since I met the hag and lived in her hut, and a day since General Cameron woke up.

"You need to sleep. You can't run around while injured. Go to bed General."

"I don't need to sleep now. I'm well. I can do what...whatever I want."

His breathing labored.

"You can't speak without hyperventilating. Please go to sleep." I calmly requested him.

He realized I was right but was too stubborn to accept it.

"How about you rest and tell me some of the glorious stories of yours?"

I asked but nearly pushed him in the bed. Stubborn brute.

He stretched and lied down. I adjusted his pillow to make him more comfortable.

"There is nothing glorious about war, my lady."

"The stories of the great general who led the army against the rebels is nothing but glorious to those who have never felt the discomfort of life. 

I smiled sadly at him. I knew the struggles of life.

He smiled back at me sadly.

"You don't have to call me 'lady'. Just 'Lissa' is fine."

He nodded.

"Then you have to call me Cameron too."

None of us said anything about the pet name he had called me yesterday.

"Deal," he said.

"So... is it true that you and Princess were going to elope after the party?"

He looked at me with surprise in his eyes but didn't deny it. 

"It is true. I thought they were just rumors going around. I never believed them but now I think I should have." 

"Well, I can confirm they weren't rumors. we had planned to elope but we couldn't due to some circumstances that..." he stopped mid-sentence. His eyes flared with regret.

"It is ok. I ruined your plans and destroyed your lives. Oh God, what was I thinking? I shouldn't have chosen you. I made a mess." 

I stood up and started pacing, tears started falling almost immediately. 

"Hey hey. Don't worry too much about it. We will figure it out. The witch would have some answers for us." 

I froze. 

The witch.

The witch was here. She found me. 

"Cameron. Slowly get up and pack whatever things we would need in your journey next. Don't make any noise and don't speak any louder than a whisper."

"What do you.."

"Hurry. We don't have time for this right now. Please believe me." I begged.

I started packing food and water quietly. He started packing too. He took all the knives and forks from the kitchen. He was far more quieter than me. 

"Ah, some now you are stealing from me, aren't you? Where did all the goodness of your heart go?" The hag's voice echoed.

I faced her slowly and saw not an old hag but a middle-aged beautiful woman. her face was the same as the hags but it was wrinkle-free and youthful. Her body had also changed. Instead of a hunched woman, she now stood straight like a tree and instead of hobbling badly, she walked like the living goddess of grace.

I grabbed Cameron's sword as it was nearest to me.

"Stay away from us, you witch or I'll decapitate you."

I could feel Cameron behind me, as steady as a rock. The witch watched us and started laughing. 

"Oh, little girl. So naive. So innocent. Want to kill me, hmmm?" she laughed again.

Suddenly, the sword from my hand flew into her hand. Cameron rushed forward but before he could reach even halfway, he crumbled on the floor.

"What did you do to him?" I rushed to help him but collided with an invisible force.

"Oh, girl. I did nothing to him. He was just so tired that he went to sleep. Now, let's have a talk like civilized people, shall we?" 

She sat on the chair and waited for me. I saw no other way so I sat in front of her. 

"Leave him."

"It is not as easy as you think. If you want to leave alive from this forest, you both need to pass three tests set by the forest itself. Your first test is tomorrow, go and rest if you want to make it out of the test alive." she stood and walked towards her room. 

"I never agreed to these tests."

"I don't see you with any other option," she said softly and closed the door.

I turned and froze again. Cameron was not there or anywhere in the house but a note was stuck on the floor with a small brooch pinned to it. The note said,

"Find the sibling of this ring before the set of the full moon or find the corpse of the beloved."