Elara tossed and turned in her sleep, her mind turning cruel as it buried her in memories she wished to forget.
Her thoughts were of Kaelos. She saw nothing but the images that brought her here.
She remembered his hands on Athena.
The kiss.
The thrusts.
The broken glasses.
How Athena screamed—something between pain and pleasure.
Elara jolted up, her breath ragged.
"Kaelos."
"Kaelos."
She cried out.
She attempted to stand, but her ankles gave way beneath her.
"Gods help me!" she exclaimed.
"Careful, Princess," Cedric called out. "You do not want to worsen the pain."
Elara sat back, her body trembling. She felt too many things at once—anger, humiliation, sadness—all of them numbing her until she was left completely hollow.
Cedric stepped closer and sat in front of her, pressing the back of his hand gently to her forehead.
"You still have a fever," he said. Then, lifting a bowl of soup from a nearby table, he offered it to her.
"Here. Take this. You need to eat something."
"I'm not hungry," Elara replied, wincing as she shifted.
"That is not a decision you have the luxury to make right now," Cedric said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You will not die in my care, I assure you."
He took a spoonful and brought it to her lips.
Elara didn't protest. Her pride might have, but something in her had quieted—softened. She opened her mouth and let him feed her.
Cedric's gaze lingered as she swallowed.
"What were you doing out here on your own? So far from the palace?"
Elara paused. The silence stretched.
"You can tell me," he said gently.
She nodded slowly. "I was… running."
Cedric gave a knowing smile. "You know, Princess… running is often the cure for fear—but not for pain. Which one sent you into the dark?"
Elara said nothing, but her eyes brimmed with tears.
"You were calling the prince's name in your sleep," Cedric added, tilting his head.
"Is that what made you run? Are you running from your husband, My Lady?"
Before Elara could respond, the faint clang of warning bells rang in the distance. The sound was distant but unmistakable.
She lifted her head, her eyes widening.
"They're looking for me," she whispered.
Cedric glanced toward the window.
"It seems they are," he said.
"I do not want to go back to the palace, I will not." She protested, attempting to get up.
"Lie back, princess. You are fine."
Elara held onto her chest, her breath coming in short gasps.
He knelt, putting his hand over her palm.
"Relax, Your Grace. All will be well."
_______
Back at the palace, chaos stirred beneath the grandeur.
Servants whispered in corners, guards thundered down stone corridors, and nobles clustered in uneasy silence beneath towering arches.
The warning bells tolled through Aldovia like a curse.
In the war chamber, Kaelos stood at the centre of it all, jaw clenched, knuckles white around the edge of the table where maps were sprawled.
"She is not in the royal gardens. Nor in the southern wing," said one of the commanders.
"We've searched the stables, the riverbanks, and every guard post—she is not there."
"Then where could she have gone?" Queen Alaina said, pacing with tight grace.
Kaelos didn't know the answer. But she should. He should know where his wife is, and for the first time, he wished he had never left her that night.
His eyes were wild with a storm only he understood.
"She left because of you," his mind screamed. "She told you not to go, not to see Athena." He thought to himself.
King Aegeus entered the chamber, his boots echoing in the room like thunderclouds.
"Where are we on the Princess Elara?" He asked, turning to the head official, Atlas. "What is the news?"
"The Crown Princess is still…..missing your highness," Atlas said. "But we are circling the villages and even beyond, we are certain we will find her."
King Aegeus exhaled sharply.
"I want every street turned inside out. Every villager spoken to. Every horse, cart, cellar, inn, and alley scoured. The Princess Elara does not simply vanish!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," several knights echoed, scattering in response.
Kaelos remained still, his breath heavy.
"Father," he finally said. "I would like permission to search the eastern grove."
"And what would she be doing there?" Aegeus asked.
Kaelos didn't know how to answer the question, but a part of him believed she went after him, and he didn't know why.
"You know what?" Aegeus said. "I do not care where you search as long as she is found. I would not put my alliance with Alderidge at risk, and I won't start a war with Orion. So do whatever it takes and find her."
Aegeus hissed through his teeth and stepped out into the open courtyard, the court official trailing behind him.
The bells answered him again, louder this time—urgent and unrelenting.
From the towers to the gates, the kingdom surged into action.
Aegeus looked up to the sky, the tolling bells echoing like a death knell above the palace walls.
"If the Princess is not found before nightfall," he muttered darkly, "I will hold every man who failed to guard this palace accountable. Every commander and watchman—none of them will see the light of tomorrow."
His cloak snapped in the wind as he turned sharply and disappeared into the shadows of the archway, leaving tension in his wake.
_______
The door creaked open, letting in a shaft of dying sunlight and the scent of earth.
"Father! I'm home." A voice called out.
Hallel stepped into her home, brushing dust from her hem and dropping her basket on the table, only to freeze at the sight before her.
"Father?" she asked cautiously.
Cedric looked up from where he knelt beside Elara, wrapped in blankets. "Welcome, child."
"Is that…?" Hallel stepped closer and gasped. "Princess Elara?"
Elara stirred slightly, her skin pale against the makeshift bedding, her brow damp with sweat.
"What happened?" Hallel's voice rose with alarm as she dropped beside her. "The palace has been turned upside down! There are guards in every hallway. They've locked the front gates. My gods…"
"She was hurt," Cedric said calmly. "I found her in the forest, unconscious and bleeding. I brought her here. She's safe now."
"She doesn't look safe, Father!" Hallel reached out, brushing a cool hand across Elara's forehead. "What if they find her here? Do you know what they'll do?"
"They will not find her," Cedric replied firmly.
"She's the Crown Princess! If anyone sees her here—"
"She cannot be moved. Not yet. She needs rest, not questions and distress."
Hallel shook her head. "No, father! She has to go back."
"No!" Cedric said. "She is not well enough to travel back."
"We can send word. We'll tell the prince— He is searching like there is no tomorrow."
"No," Cedric snapped gently but sternly. "She stays here until I say otherwise. That is final."
Elara opened her eyes, her gaze falling on Cedric. Her expression faltered not with suspicion or fear, but something closer to relief.
She didn't have the strength to speak, but her eyes said enough. Thank you.
Cedric gave her a brief nod, as if to say he heard her.
________
Later that night, the fire crackled low in the hearth, casting golden light across the small cottage.
Outside, the wind howled through the trees, but inside, a heavy silence wrapped around them like a second skin.
Elara lay back against the cushions Cedric had stacked beneath her. Her fever had broken, but her limbs still ached and her thoughts swam slowly, like leaves in a stream.
Hallel sat by her side, a warm cloth in hand, dabbing gently at Elara's brow.
"I did not know that Cedric was your father." Elara coughed.
Hallel said nothing. She only nodded.
"You scared me," She then whispered. "They have locked down everywhere for your sake."
Elara offered a tired smile. "I am sorry for the trouble."
They shared a quiet look—one filled with the unspoken ache of a friendship tested by forces neither had fully named yet.
"You shouldn't be here," Hallel said eventually. "If the King finds out…"
"I know." Elara's voice was hoarse but steady. "But I couldn't stay there. Not after… what I saw."
Hallel didn't press. Her fingers stilled on the cloth, and she looked down.
She wanted to ask her what she had seen, but she knew it was not her place.
From the other room, Cedric's voice murmured with low incantations—his usual way of calming his mind while brewing teas. The scent of crushed herbs floated through the door.
"Elara," Hallel said carefully. "What will happen when they find you here?"
"I'll tell them I came on my own. That your father only helped me. That he saved my life."
"That may not be enough. They may not see it that way."
Elara looked toward the window, where the moon cast its pale light over the distant forest. Her eyes narrowed.
"Then I will make it enough."
________
The eastern grove was quiet—too quiet.
The wind barely stirred the leaves, and even the birds held their breath.
The warning bells had stopped ringing, and the search for Elara had slowed.
Kaelos pushed his horse harder until it neighed in protest. He dismounted with a jolt, his boots sinking into the mossy earth.
His eyes scanned the dense line of trees ahead as he knocked.
"Athena!" he called.
Athena slightly opened the door, her brows furrowed as she saw Kaelos. Her eyes scanned the environment before opening the door and stepping forward."
"Kaelos?" she asked. "You are back already?"
He didn't answer right away.
"What is the ruckus about? I've been hearing the bells," she said, drawing closer. "What's going on?"
Kaelos turned to face her, the weight in his chest impossible to contain.
"Elara's missing."
Athena stilled. "Missing?"
"She's gone," he said, voice low and tight. "No one's seen her since dawn. The guards can't find a trace of her, not in the palace or the grounds. The entire kingdom's been shaken into motion."
Athena blinked, clearly stunned. "But why would she leave?"
Kaelos shook his head. "I don't know. But—" he paused, the words catching on his tongue. "I have this feeling… that she followed me here."
Athena's eyes darkened. "Here? To me?"
Kaelos ignored the edge in her tone. "She was upset last night. We fought. And I—" he looked away, jaw clenching. "She told me not to come, and I shouldn't have."
Athena took a slow step forward. "You think she saw us?"
"I don't know what she saw," Kaelos snapped. Then his voice came softer and broken.
"But she knew. She always knew where I went when I left her. She just never said it."
The silence between them twisted like a thorn.
Athena hesitated. "So what are you saying, Kaelos?"
He looked at her then, and for the first time, his gaze wasn't clouded with longing or guilt. It was clear, sharp and determined.
"If my speculations are true and Elara did follow me, I am afraid that I would have cost my kingdom the crown."
Athena raised her brow, confused.
"If the guards happen to see or question you, you will do well to let them know you know nothing of her disappearance," Kaelos said, backing away.
"Well, where are you going?" She asked.
"I need to find her," he said. "No matter what it takes."
Without another word, he turned back toward his horse, the grove behind him folding in silence.