Rising from the Ashes

Chapter 29

Nakoa's POV

Nakoa grips the sleeve tightly. He had never thought it would come to this. He had always thought any mate he might find would easily settle into the Kingdom but this is a death sentence and she would have known. Elenora is smart. The smartest woman he had ever met and by far the most beautiful yet this is perhaps the dumbest thing she has ever done.

Call Alpha Bardrick. Your daughter for mine King Stavros.

She kidnapped the princess and wrote it on what looks to be a sleeve. Never before had he stood before the King in a situation like this. Queen Stavros is crying silently in her mates arms. Prince Ardon looks like he wants to rip Nakoa's throat out. "She is my mate." Nakoa explains "And I had no idea she might do this or I would not have let her come." He whispers to the King and chuckles to himself. It is bitter. The type of bitterness that comes with knowing he might be a traitor to the Kingdom come tomorrow. Nakoa will not stand by as King Stavros kills her. He will not let it happen even if it means dying himself. "I thought you might kill her if she came here so I had her brought to the cells but I had no clue she might be desperate enough for-"

"Explain the note not what you did to stop her." The queen manages to say through her pain "Your daughter for mine King Stavros." She repeats the words written on the sleeve.

"Charlotte was kidnapped. Her daughter." Nakoa explains. Even he notices the automatic shift in the room. Hatred turns to sympathy though Nakoa knows full well they will still sentence her to death. "You have my sincerest apologies King Stavros I-"

"Stop.

King Stavros snaps. Nakoa pauses for a moment before bowing his head and continuing "I had given her the letter with the hopes you would read it and help her Uncle Maverick." Nakoa explains and then a terrible thought hits. If he were smart he would not voice it. If he were smart he would keep the accusing tone to his head. "Did you even read the letter or did you see a rogue and have her thrown in the cells to be killed?" Would he have done the same in his shoes? The kings hatred for rogues goes as deep as his own if not more so. It was a rogue -supposedly trustworthy- that had kidnapped his daughter though not many know that truth.

"Letter?" King Stavros voices after a moment. When Nakoa looks to the king all he sees is confusion. Did she not give it to him? "Warrior Kent!" King Stavros bellows.

The door swings open to reveal the large man immediately. Kent and him have never really gotten along. Mostly because he has always been a no good swine. He cannot help himself it would seem. "Were you the warrior who had the rogue escorted to the cells." It is a mere statement to which Kent nods his head.

"Yes your highness." Kent confirms without hesitation. If it were just the two of them Kent would have been bragging about his catch and insulting Elenora. Just for that Nakoa cannot help but want this man dead no matter how unreasonable that is.

"There was a letter." This time Kent pauses. Nakoa smells the fear before it is visible on his face. The king never got the letter. In fact it seems Elenora had never made it past the wall. That explains one of his questions. She must have done something to warrant her capture. She would have seen it as the only way past the wall at that time. Perhaps that is true. Perhaps she would not have made it past if not for committing a crime but why kidnap the princess? She could have easily broken free. Elenora had proven as much in Bluemoon. Though people do not know most of the details they do know that there is a lost princess. Why couldn't Elenora try to appeal to the Queen? She would have been sympathetic. Even for a rogue.

"Yes your highness." Kent nods once more looking a great deal more stiff. "I had Warrior Lance burn it." Everything makes sense as Kent tells the group this. Nakoa can only imagine the look on his mates face as she watched the letter burn. It would have been her only hope. She had already thought the worse of the Kingdom. In fact her going was another desperate attempt to save Charlotte and Nakoa doubts Elenora had believed the King would help her. She went in hoping, trying to give King Stavros the benefit of the doubt only to be proven right. She would not have believed them to help her no matter the case. The worse had already been proven. They wouldn't even let her past the wall.