Chapter 45: The Eastern Woods





I was greeted by the morning warmth I had missed for the past few days when I woke up the next morning. It was far from the cold weather I had during my stay in the North Castle. My body felt heavier and I thought that the activities I had had taken its toll on me. However, despite the urge to stay in bed longer, I rose and lazily dropped my feet on the cold floor. I knew that it would be a long day and if I wanted to accomplish numerous tasks, I had to start the day right away.



I was walking on the hallway when I saw Dorothy pacing back and forth in front of her room. She was deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice me approaching her. I held on to her shoulder to stop her and when she saw me, her face lighted up like she just found the solution to her worries.



"Ah! You're finally awake!" she exclaimed.



She'd probably been walking on the hallway for a longer time. I shrugged my shoulders at her wondering what's she's worrying about.



"It is indeed a bright morning," I answered and continued walking, expecting her to follow me.



"We must go to the woods now!"



I should have known that what she heard from the pirates would trouble her. I doubted if she ever had a sound sleep the past night. We just turned the corner when I saw my mother walking to our direction. Lady Adeline looked so regal in her long, floral dress. No one would dare say that she's old enough for fashion. Some maidens would address her as the Bright Sun of the East because of her beauty. And I, on the other hand, was their little sunshine – their little Primrose.



Lady Adeline's steps became quicker as she approached us and her smile faded a little when she saw Dorothy behind me.



"You'll have to join us for breakfast. Lord William and few members of the council just arrived. Lord Chester Weston is already waiting for us at the dining hall," she started.



I scowled upon hearing the young Lord's name. I suddenly lost interest of the breakfast and it made me want to go to the woods with Dorothy instead. However, I was quite certain that my mother would not allow that. Something was also telling me that this breakfast with the council members had something to do with the political conference in the North Castle. Somehow, it became my responsibility to face them.



I sighed and looked apologetically at Dorothy. She seemed to already understand the situation because she nodded and was about to go to another direction when I called out to her.



"We can still have that morning walk after breakfast."



She just shrugged her shoulders and went off. Mother looked at her with disdain – probably because of the arrogant manner she just showed us. Dorothy didn't greet us, or even answered when I called her. Lady Adeline always looked at a person's attitude first before his or her status in the society. And right at the moment, the young girl was not really trying hard to be on her good side.



"She wanders around the castle like she just found her new playground. How long are you going to let her stay here?" my mother asked, still looking at where the girl disappeared.



"For as long as she needs my help. Mother, please be considerate of her. She must have been living in the woods or moving from places to places for a very long time. She doesn't know how to address us formally. Give her time to learn," I replied.



Lady Adeline still looked unconvinced. She couldn't give her trust to someone she doesn't fully know. And so far, Dorothy is just a stranger I brought to the castle.



"For all we know, we might just be keeping a little snake in the castle," she said in a serious tone.



I completely understood her skepticism against strangers. Her daughter was taken away from her by the pirates. She's leading an immense land alongside with the other ruling families. And even though there was harmony among the four territories, little competitions still exist in the mainland. And my decision in the political conference had gotten us in a vulnerable position.



The dining hall was fully decorated – the East Castle had exerted a huge effort for this breakfast. They must have received the news about the arrival of the council members in the castle at dawn and woke up the maidens to prepare. Or maybe, this extravagance was all for the presence of Lord Chester Weston of the West. What a waste!



The latter was already sitting and waiting at the table. He grinned widely when he saw us and immediately stood so he could pull the chair beside him for me. I was about to take the seat across him instead but my mother threw me a meaningful glare. So, I grudgingly took the seat beside Lord Chester Weston and stopped myself from erasing the triumphant smirk on his face. I sighed as I watched my father and the council members entered the dining hall. I just couldn't wait for this breakfast to be over.



"How's your journey back to the East Castle, Lady Primrose?" Lord William asked. Suddenly, amidst their conversation and breakfast, their full attention was turned on me. They seemed to find a way to finally throw their inquiries.



"Tiring," I answered.



"I've heard that you encountered a snow storm on your way," one of the council members stated. I knew that they're not really interested about my safety and the snow storm. I had gotten bored of introduction so, putting my spoon and fork gently on my plate, I looked at them and said, "The snow storm was worth it. I've finally taken the pirates into our custody."



The breakfast was suddenly bland because most of them stopped eating and stared at me like I had just uttered ridiculous news.



"But why take the pirates to the East Land? Why not let the West Land handle them?" one of them exclaimed.



"We maintained the peace in the east land for a long time by not including ourselves in matters that do not concern us. The pirates are purely the Weston's business! What would happen to our relation with them?"



And just like that, the breakfast turned into another political discussion. The council members were not really happy about the outcome of the conference in the North Castle. They must have regretted that they allowed me to represent the East Land. And to make the situation worse, Lord Chester Weston decided to speak his mind.



"Oh, you don't have to worry about the West land. We completely understand Lady Primrose's decision. She had lived with them for a long time. Maybe she had made friends with them in the process. We believe that she's going to change her mind once she realizes that she's wrong about the pirates."



This earned approval from the council members. I clenched my fists on my lap, mustering all my strength to remain calm.



"If we'll let the West Land decide the future of these pirates, I'm afraid their decision would be biased. I loathe the eyes that only see the pirate ships and not the people aboard or the islands behind it. I refuse to be selectively blind about it."



The table fell silent at my sarcastic remarks. They completely understood what I was trying to say and to prove my point, I used the knife to cut the fruits on my plate and chewed on it slowly, taking my precious time, like savoring it was more important than the presence of those people at the table.



My father, Lord Caleb Crimson, cleared his throat to get their attention away from me. I glanced at him gratefully and continued eating.



"The decision is already decided and approved by most of the delegates present in the conference. If we really wanted to prevent such event from happening, we should have been there instead of Lady Primrose. We have brought this to us and the only way to handle it is to face it. Let's turn this decision into the benefit of our land."



Some of the members of the council nodded in agreement while the rest of them still looked disappointed.



"Well, it's a good thing that our tie with the ruling family of the West is still strong. We should be grateful to Lord Chester Weston for coming here and assure us that nothing has changed between the two lands. Your wedding engagement with Lady Primrose strengthens the relationship of our territories," Lord William said, trying to ease the tension.



It somehow resolved the conflict that was continuously building in the dining hall. They thought that my engagement with Lord Chester Weston would make the family of the West oversee what I did in the North Castle. That way, any misunderstanding that apparently formed between the lands would dissolve. I watched as they began eating again, looking satisfied. Lord William nodded at me silently, as if saying that he saved me again from these people. No wonder why the East Land would always send him to represent us – he had his ways of controlling the situation.



However, I was not completely delighted by the outcome of this conversation. I understood that I should take responsibility of the decision in the North Castle but I couldn't believe that the conflicts it made would only be fixed through a wedding engagement. I thought that after being taken by the pirates, they would forget such insane idea.



I loosened my clenched fist and calmed myself. I cleared my throat the way my father did to get their attention and in a second, their eyes fell back on me.



"Since we had completely transformed a supposedly peaceful breakfast into a political gathering, I'd like to take advantage of this chaotic situation to make an announcement."



The dining room stood still as they all waited for my next sentences. I smirked at them and with confidence, I said: "I'm calling my engagement with Lord Chester Weston off. I don't want to marry anyone for political purposes."



Complete silence followed after that. I even heard a drop of fork on a plate as I stood from where I was sitting. They were all stunned. They probably couldn't believe the insane ideas I had on my sleeves.



"Have a good day, ladies and gentlemen," I added and left the table. I heard the chaos broke off as I leave the dining hall. It felt like I just set them on fire as I walk away. And surprisingly, it was all satisfying.



A heavy weight was lifted inside me the moment I stepped out of the castle. I didn't know how suffocated I was inside the dining hall that breathing outside the castle felt like a luxury. Maybe, it also had something to do with me breaking the engagement with Lord Chester Weston. If I wasn't kidnapped that time after they announced the arranged marriage, I would definitely still break it off.



I was disturbed from thinking when I saw Dorothy. She was from the garden of the castle and was then running towards me.



"I thought the breakfast would take longer. I've heard from the maids that it was noisy inside the hall," Dorothy gasped in between breaths due to running.



She must be waiting for the breakfast to be over. I shrugged my shoulders, acting like I didn't have anything to do with the commotion at the dining hall.



"They probably didn't like the fruits and sausages on the table," I answered, preventing more questions from her.



She stared at me with her probing eyes. I knew that she wanted to know more about it. However, there's another pressing matter she thought we need to attend to.



"Then it's time for us to go to the woods and investigate. If we find my group, the castle would finally get rid of me." I noticed the sarcasm in her voice. She probably felt unwelcome in the east Castle. Thanks to my mother's cold treatment towards her.



I wanted to refuse her because of the mild headache I was still feeling. But I had promised to accompany her so I will. I already learned the hard way how a person feels when someone breaks a promise. I might lose her trust.



"Alright! But we have to go back before lunch. I didn't enjoy the breakfast so I'm hoping to get a decent meal." Maybe it wasn't headache. Maybe I was just hungry.



I took Argos from the stables. He seemed to be eager to see me as he nuzzled my palm. I set my foot on the stirrup and mounted on its back. I helped Dorothy in placing herself on the saddle behind me. Once we're both settled and ready, I kicked Argos' side and galloped out of the castle and then to the woods.



I watched the trees and the tall bushes we passed by. The green and brown around us helped me calm my senses. Somehow, riding Argos lessened my headache. We already reached a clearing when Argos suddenly stopped. It became uncomfortable and tensed about its surrounding. I looked at the woods nearby trying to find the thing that threatened Argos but I didn't see anything.



It almost felt like a déjà vu. I was also in the same clearing when I found Dorothy. It's just that this time, the girl was just behind me probably wary of the woods around us.



"He must be sensing my group! Let me check on the woods near us!" she announced and got down on the ground. She seemed to be not scared at all. Well, what would you expect from a person who wandered on the woods for a long time?



I got down from Argos' back and settled on the ground trying to calm the stallion. But Argos was still agitated; he wanted to leave the place immediately.



"Dorothy, I think it's best if we go back to the castle and bring Tarnus with us," I suggested, still looking around us.



"But what if we missed them? This is my chance to find my group that will lead to my family. If you want to, you can just leave me alone here," she insisted, she was walking further to the woods.



Her hardheadedness was not helping with the tension that's building up in the woods. This time, I could feel pairs of eyes watching us. Argos neighed louder and started to stomp its hooves on the ground.



"Dorothy! Listen to me this time! We must go back to the castle now!"



I made my voice louder to prove my point. She pouted at me but still, listened and walked back. I was about to mount Argos when an arrow was shot on my right leg, causing me to fall on the ground. I winced in pain as I clutched my leg. Argos became more agitated sensing the inevitable danger. Dorothy rushed to my side, keeping her head low to avoid any attacks.



"Primrose! Here! Let me help you!" she said.



As she supported me to the stirrup of the horse, another arrow was shot and hit my back. I screamed in agony. I could feel the pointed sharpness against my flesh, tearing my skin. I knew that mounting Argos would take time and lessen our chances of both getting out of the woods alive.



"Ride Argos back to the castle and tell them what happened," I commanded, trying to put authority in my voice.



"But Primrose –"



I cut her hesitation and screamed, "Now!"



Dorothy finally understood the situation. She mounted the horse quickly and took the rein.



"I'll call for help!" she promised as she galloped away.



I let myself kneeled to the ground. My right leg was getting numb, blood was gushing from the wound. I wondered how the arrow at my back was.



I waited for the shot that will bring the final blow – the arrow that would definitely cut my tie to life. This was definitely not the end I was expecting. I was thinking of dying of sickness at an old age, or not being able to wake up again after having a perfect day. We all wanted to have some kind of fulfillment before closing the curtain. Not like this. Not when I was in the middle of it all.

But that arrow didn't come. And instead, I heard the rustle of leaves on the bushes around. Finally, I saw three people, who looked like hunters, approaching my direction. The two of them had daggers in their hands while the other one was holding a bow. He must be the one who shot me.



"I think I'll be living like a king from the golds we'll be getting from her head," one of them said.



"You should have let me shoot her heart. I never thought that killing her would be this easy."



The one with the bow and arrow smirked at me. He pushed me with his foot from kneeling so I would be lying with my face on the ground. I was getting weaker because of blood loss and whatever they're going to do with me, I probably wouldn't feel it anymore.



"How about we taste her first? It is a waste to just kill a fine lady without feeling that inviting body."



I was horrified by what I've heard. At that moment, I wished they would just give me an easy death.



"Just slit her throat, you faggot! I want my money already. I will just by a dozen of wenches once we get our golds!" one of them shouted annoyingly.



"Fine, fine! You always want it fast!"



I closed my eyes and waited for the blade that would cut my throat. But then again, it didn't come. Suddenly, I heard rustling of leaves, followed by cries of agony from the men. My eyes widened as one by one, my attackers fell on the ground beside me – their throats were slit opened with blood gushing from the wounds. Their blanked eyes stared at me and I watched as the light faded from them. I almost screamed in horror but I was too shocked and pained to do so.



I heard two snaps as someone break the arrows on my back and my leg. The stranger caressed my hair gently; his masculine scent was so familiar, like a sunset on the beach and musk of the woods. Before I understood what was happening, I felt tears rushing from my eyes. It was like my body knew who it was and crying was its natural response.



I felt the stranger's fingers brushed the tears from my cheeks. His touch was gentle, almost scared that he would hurt me. No one uttered a word. We just stayed like that as if that particular moment would never come again.



Hooves of horses were suddenly heard from a distance. He stopped from what he was doing and rose to his feet. And since I was lying on my stomach with my face on the ground, I could only watch silently as the man who was wearing a black cloak and boots walked away from me, and disappeared on the woods.