Elion Silthral of SnowReign

7. Stolen

Heavy thuds kept resonating through the large and darkened chamber, clashing over the nocturne silence as the elf prince kept pacing over and over again for such long time now, the bright and mighty moon already peeking through the open stone balcony.

His tall and lean frame shadowed over the stone walls and wooden-carved furniture like the looming darkness, slithering from one corner to another at the same rhythm with its owner, reflecting his inner turmoil.

Tightly closed, his fist encased the silver trinket recently retrieved from its apparent thief whilst he aimlessly ambled back and forth, the thought of placing it back in its destined spot now long forgotten as much more urgent matters plagued his mind.

He was restless. He had such little time until their little intruder's trial and yet he couldn't find any just way of obtaining that sole piece of such precious information from her.

Oh and how he needed it. He needed to know.

After all, he was the one to be held accountable for SnowReign's safety.

What if there were more creatures alike her someplace outside their realm? And if there were, what if they someday decided to ambush their kingdom?

He couldn't allow that. Ever. He needed to protect his realm. Even if his father and current king of SnowReign so foolishly believed in their race's supremacy, he knew better than treat such matters so lightly.

His personal mentor had trained him better.

After all, she herself came from a different race than his...

His stride abruptly took a halt after that sole thought, one single name flying past his thin lips.

Sarina.

And within the following moment the rude sound of a door slamming struck the eerily silence of the castle's one of many corridors as the elf prince stormed past it, heading straight to the stables.

**

The white stallion's hooves dug into the leafy soil as it fastly galloped through the darkened forest, resembling to a wandering spirit in the dead of the night.

Its lithe whinny tore through the gravely quietness, fleetingly disturbing the peaceful slumber of few winged occupants of the tall branches as its master lightly dug the heels of his boots into the sides of its hips, beckoning his faithful beast to go faster.

He was running out of time. He needed to reach to the dungeons before the first streaks of light touched the sky, otherwise it would've been too late.
So with another shove, the stallion went even faster, fleeing through the woods like a furious gust of wind, its master almost failing to even acknowledge the moment they finally reached the said place as so many thoughts coursed through the prince's mind, his impending punishment of course being one of them.

Oh and he will receive one allright.

He scowled, hastily dismounting the overwrought animal.

Royal lineage or not, abducting of a prisoner deemed as a high crime within their lands, hence his incessant fretting as he hurried towards the wooden gates, his gaze warily scouting his surroundings whilst doing so. And only the moment he pulled the metal handle and snuck inside did he allow himself to breathe in relief for he had found himself all alone inside the dimly-lit stone corridor, curiously enough his ever faithful soldiers nowhere to be found.

He hummed, dismissing that thought as his current matter demanded more urgency, so without another waste of breath he dove deeper through the damp and cold corridor, taking the stairs that led straight to the cells.

Only the moment he reached the weathered wooden door of her cell, his palm hovered over the lock as he purposefully enhanced his hearing, listening to the peaceful sounds of her steady breaths.

She was asleep.

His eyelids fluttered closed, feeling his jaw clench as a strange pang of guilt pierced his chest whilst his fingers pulled against the lock.

Gone was that peaceful sound, replaced by the violent pounding of a frightened heart and erratic breathing, his swirling green eyes settling on the feeble creature already huddled in a dark corner as he pushed the door open.

A small whimper tore past her lips as he stepped inside, with wide eyes watching him take another few steps in her direction before abruptly taking a halt.

She only blinked a few times, entirely failing to understand the reason behind his unexpected presence before noticing how he suddenly approached again, earning another whimper from her.

"No...W-what do y-you want from me?" She weakly stuttered, his swirling gaze trailing over her shaking body as he pondered over how to seize and carry her all the way outside, to his awaiting stallion since as he could observe she were most definitely not very keen on following him willingly, not to mention that the thought of actually hoisting her up over his shoulder seemed so rather...inappropriate, considering the state of her dressing.

What kind of garments were those anyway?

He portrayed a displeased grimace as he glanced over the too small and revealing piece of flowered fabric barely covering her lithe body, the sight of her exposed legs and...female features making him feel rather uncomfortable.

Oh sacred mother give me strength...

He blew out an irritated sigh since he most definitely knew that there was no other way and he was running out of time as well. And with a clench of his fists he almost inaudibly grumbled,

"You better worth the trouble,"

And before she could even realize what was happening he had already grabbed and thrown her over his shoulder, fleeing through the corridors like a furious storm with her kicking and screaming like a crazed wildling over his back.

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