The Dark Kingdom

Chapter 4

Alexius and Jaron had left the castle what seemed like weeks ago. They were stopped right now to let Dawn and Midnight take a break. Mystic was Jaron's old horse that he usually rode, but Mystic had grown old with time, so Jaron moved onto one of his foals who had an almost equally build, strength, and stamina as Mystic. Midnight had the same dark blue-ish gray coat like Mystic, but Midnight was a moody mare at times, but she was the best type for Jaron. "Okay, if we leave in the next couple of minutes, we can pass through Gelvins by the time the sun has risen. We can make a stop to collect any needed," Jaron pointed at a map of Carthya and it's surrounding kingdoms. Alexius nodded and prepared both Dawn and Midnight to leave again while Jaron collected the rest of their stuff.

For the next hour, they silently rode their horses on a trail towards Gelvins. Like her father had said, they arrived at Gelvins within the next hour.  The town was alive with movement, it seemed like these people were early risers. Once we rode into town, Jaron was immediately noticed. "King Jaron! What brings you here?" A woman who looked to be in her mid-fourties asked after she first bowed. She had almost black hair that was highlighted with gray hairs. Her eyes were a pale blue, which was complimented by a simple blue dress she wore. "Were just passing through, were on our way to the mountains," Jaron said. Everyone who was listening in gasped, which made Alexius feel unsteady. "No offence your highness, but you shouldn't go there. People have begun to go missing in those mountains," she said. "I disagree! I've seen people go into those mountains with little to trade and come back with loads of goods! They say there's an underground market or kingdom of sort!" An older man countered what they lady said.

"I beg of you my king, please don't go there!" She begged, sincerity in her eyes. Alexius cleared her throat and everyone's attention turned to her. "So it's true, the princess is home," Alexius heard someone whisper. The news of Alexius's return had obviously traveled through the kingdom, but not many had seen her since she returned home. "Miss, what all do you know about those mountains?" Alexius asked. They lady seemed a bit stunned to see that Alexius was here. "My apologies, but we don't know very much about the situation. People do go missing there, but it's also true that there seems to be a market in the mountains," She explained. Alexius turned to face her father who seemed to be in deep thought. "Have you seen someone with black and blonde hair? He has sharp silver eyes and scars? He's kinda hard to miss to be honest," Alexius muttered the last part. 

The group surrounding them was quiet for a bit before a small girl spoke up. "I have! He stopped at my fathers shop the other day when he was passing through," The girl said. "Which direction did he go in?" Alexius asked the small girl. "He was heading towards the mountains," by the smile on her face, Alexius could tell that she was glad to be of some help. "We should continue going on then," Jaron said, then he kicked his horse and they rode off. "Thank you for the information," Alexius said, she kicked her horse and followed after Jaron.