Blood Ties

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The people of Rarus hid from her, and honestly, Layla did not blame them for their fear. In fact, she reveled in it, knowing that they feared her –the princess and assassin of Aqua, daughter of the insane queen.

"Perfect pedigree," she muttered under her breath, her feet hanging off the side of the dock. She knew that the Aquan boat in front of her was probably for her, but at the moment, she could care less. The ship was grand and overly exquisite, a statement instead of practical transportation. If she were to board that boat, whoever was aboard would make sure she returned to Aqua, safe and sound. The only thing was, Layla didn't want to return to Aqua. She wanted to complete her task, and she could only do that if she were allowed to reach Regis. She wondered idly how much say she would have in the decision, and figured it would be very little. Her eyes trailed away from the Aquan ship and down to the rolling waves beneath her, almost enjoying their beauty. The blue was endless and deep and she longed to throw herself into those waves, never to return. She raised her gaze upwards so that she faced the dark wooded area to her right, and wished she could vanish into them.

But she really did not want to die.

"Princess Layla?" a hesitant voice called beseechingly as footsteps neared. The voice was trembling and full of fear, and Layla sucked in a deep breath.

Standing, she turned to face the man, who she presumed was the captain, her face absolutely blank. "Yes?"

Her expressionless gaze, she knew, disoriented people quickly, and this captain was not unlike everyone else. He looked away, running his hand through his fair hair. "You –um, Her Majesty, Queen Grace of Aqua, requests that you return to Aqua right away. She said..." he trailed off suddenly, his face panic-stricken.

"Yes?" Layla's voice was flat and uninterested, and her features were unruffled. In reality, she burned with curiosity to know exactly what her mother had said.

The captain continued to feverishly pull at his hair with one hand, his eyes staring in any direction but hers. "Queen Grace said that you were failing at a simple task and that you need guidance. She called you a number of names, some that I will not even say aloud. But take it not to heart, Princess Layla, as she was smiling the entire ti-"

Those words were the last heard from the captain's mouth thereafter. Her face burning with humiliation and rage, Layla left his body on the dock, her mouth pulled artificially into a grim smile. Boarding the Aquan ship, she told the first crewman she saw that their captain was dead, and they were to take orders from her now. The word spread extremely quickly, and soon, she had control over the entire ship. She was almost tempted to assassinate all others that even reminded her of the captain, but knew that was futile and cruel.

All occurred just as she had expected, that is, until one thing happened that she did not plan. Jake ran into her arms suddenly, a grin on his glowing face, and all murderous thoughts fled her mind. Her brows furrowed together, showing a small amount of emotion, and she pushed him away gently.

"Jake? What are you doing here?" She glared at him reproachfully, almost as a mother would glare at her child. "I told you to stay in Aqua, where you'd be safe."

He shrugged and pointed at her, his smile fixed in place. Underneath the sunshine of that smile, she relaxed, almost allowing her own smile to grace her lips. She resisted and forced her face back into her calm mask. "I...I'm glad you're here." Abruptly, a frown pulled harshly at her features, as she looked him up and down. "You look healthy."

She could hardly believe this boy was the same Jake she sent to Aqua for protection. He was taller, nearly her height, and his alarming emancipated state had filled out considerably. Where his bones had once stuck out was now covered in a healthy layer of fat, and all his bruises and cuts had healed. His face lost its childish touch, but his eyes remained just as young and full of love.