BIRTHRIGHT (complete #Wattys2016)

Chapter 11: Revenge is served.

Isabelle lay sleeping on her bed. Dreaming peacefully. Suddenly she felt as though she was being watched and her eyes snapped open, only to be greeted by a stag's head. A scream escaped her lips as she scrambled out of the bed, her scream resonate throughout the corridor.

***

"Where were her guards!" Alexander bellowed in fury as he paced the length of the Isabelle's chambers with his sword held tightly in his grip. He turned towards the bed as he watched the servants remove the stag head from her bed posts, the blood dripping from its severed neck. Anger boiled up again as he roared out in fury.

"WHERE WERE HER GUARDS!?" He yelled at the people gathered in front of him, causing them to flinch and cower back. Alexander held his sword under one of the servant's neck as he pressed the blade in.

"Whoever the hell these people were." Alexander stated as he gestured to the Stag head. "They got into my fiancée's room and placed that head there! If they got so close to her than they could easily have killed her! What do they want with my Isabelle!?"

"Alexander!" Natalia's voice called out from the door as she ran in breathlessly. "Isabelle is panicking!"

Instantly Alexander dropped his sword and followed Natalia out the room, and ran down the hall. Swinging open the doors he found Isabelle rocking herself as she continuously wiped at her bloodied cheek as tears streamed down.

"Isabelle." He called out to her as he went and held her in his arms. "You're fine, you're not hurt."

"W-who are they?" She hiccuped as she held onto Alexander. "What do they want from me?"

"Shh...everything is going to be alright." Alexander comforted her and held her tightly to himself.

"From today on wards Isabelle will stay with me in my chambers and I want my guards to be there day and night." Alexander told the people that were gathered around the two.

"What? Alexander, you can't do this!" His mother exclaimed.

"Why not?! She is my fiancée and soon to be my wife, I can do so and she will be staying in my chambers with me." Alexander growled as his tone clearly put an end to all arguments. Gently he picked Isabelle up in his arms as she buried her face in the crook of his neck as he whispered comforting words to her as he took her out of the chambers she had been.

***

Alexander held a sleeping Isabelle to him as her head was rested on his shoulder while he gently stroked her hair. She had worried herself to the point of exhaustion and fell asleep while crying. Suddenly a knock followed on his doors.

"Come in." Alexander called out as he tried not to be loud so to let Isabelle sleep. The doors opened as Nathan stepped in cautiously.

"Alexander, I wanted to inform you of a matter." Nathan whispered as he stepped to the foot of the bed.

"Is it urgent?"

"Yes, I know who placed the stag's head in Isabelle's chambers." He informed as a jolt of electricity went through Alexander's body. Gently he placed Isabelle's head onto the pillow and got up and followed Nathan out the room.

"Who did it! Tell me!" Alexander demanded gruffly.

"Alex, calm down a moment because you are not going to like what I'm going to tell you." Nathan sighed in defeat.

"Okay, I'm calm."

"You remember when Isabelle rode into Blood Wood Forest alone and the Blood Pagans wanted to sacrifice her?"

"Yes, how could I forget?"

"Well, we stopped their sacred ritual, and well, the stag head is their way of warning us." Nathan spoke cautiously as he inspected Alexander's features for any clear sign of any emotions, but his face was vacant of any.