Seduction of a Princess

Chapter Twelve

Hi everybody!

Okay, first of all, I have to say I am proud of myself. It is currently 3.34 AM... or PM? I always get those messed up... 3.35 AT NIGHT in any case. I stayed up this long due to a miscommunication between me and the Hub's broadcasting program, and because I eventually thought it might be a good idea to write. Next, I decided to finish the whole chapter, even though I had just started it...

Long story short, I will be getting a disagreement with my future self as he will find himself sleep-deprived tomorrow morning--or afternoon, whichever sounds better to him.

And I finished a chapter in a day.

Yay sleepy me...

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          The Bigwood got his name from being the largest woods in all of Wealthorn—and even before the Everins founded this kingdom over the pre-existing Seven Kingdoms, it had been called this. In fact, it was one of the few names that hadn’t been changed at the start of the Everin’s rule. As all cities were renamed to dispose of any memory of prior kings and queens, and the names of the Seven Kingdoms themselves were reduced to mere ‘Provinces’, the Bigwood stayed what it was: the Bigwood.

          What had changed, however, was the reputation of this large forest. Used to be that it was rumored to contain more treasure than any man could possibly steal, and more secrets than any man could ever discover. Mythological creatures such as manticores and unicorns used to live there. But the newly instated Royal Mage had wiped straight through the forest, cleaning it of all things magical and dangerous, making it safe for travelers.

          Unfortunately, with travelers come thugs. And nowadays, with rebels in the east, pirates in the west and foreign armies in the south to keep the Royal Generals busy, and the most recent Royal Mage on a quest of his own—a hunt that had cost him multiple years already—there was no one to re-clean the Bigwood. It was infested with rogues, much like all the other forests in the Wooden Province.

          That was one of the reasons why Marc was appointed to be June’s bodyguard.

          With few soldiers to spare, no one could argue that the Royal General had made a mistake in assigning the Province’s best swordsman to guard the prince’s fiancée, especially when he had requested it himself. The soldier was sent to Bailey Manor with precise orders: transport June Bailey to the Royal Palace in Broadlakes. She had to be kept safe, not a single risk should be taken.

          That was why Marc disliked Terrance.

          The hitchhiker seemed to shift from role to role within mere seconds, and he had no problem with it in any way. First, he was some kind of victim, then a storyteller. A thief, a burglar. A blackmailer. And now, he suddenly was unaware of the most well-known wedding in the kingdom? Impossible. The man was far too observant to miss anything like that, especially since the wedding had been announced months ago; throughout the entire kingdom, messengers had carried the news, telling everyone they met. The whole kingdom had to know that prince Christian Everin, only son of the king, and June Bailey, daughter of the richest landlord in Wealthorn, were getting married.