CHAPTER 45

I AM being treated as a queen, Sollel thought when she woke up in the morning and breakfast was already ready and served. Sollel didn't even know how Hakkeran managed to make her a cup of tea and a plate with bread— hell, they're in a cave in the shivering valley, one of the deadliest valleys in Azitera, and here she was, having tea and bread for breakfast. Like she was in some kind of an expensive inn.

Sollel didn't know what to say anymore. It had been a long, long time since a person made her speechless in more ways than one.

But it was not bad— yes, not bad at all.

She finished her breakfast and made her 'bed' and went looking for Hakkeran. She found him in the back of the cave, in the stream, bathing. And she did what anyone would in her situation— she watched.

I didn't know his hair is long enough to reach his shoulder. When she saw him up-close yesterday, his light brown hair was tied back neatly with few strands draping on his forehead, giving him a neat, but messy look.

Sollel walked towards the riverbank and crossed her arms over her chest. "Good morning, my lord." She said teasingly and Hakkeran just turned to her and stared. She was expecting a more adorable reaction like Hakken, maybe, but nothing. He just stared at her and nodded, then went back to bath.

Sollel sighed. For a man who's treating me nicely, he's very... cold and distant.

"Thanks for the breakfast." She said to start a conversation.

But Hakkeran was silent, just bathing. And just when Sollel thought he would not speak, he did... hesitantly. "Did you... enjoy your breakfast?"

"Yes. Thank you. I enjoyed it."

Hakkeran had his back on Sollel, so she didn't see him smile at her answer. "Get ready. We're leaving in an hour. We have to find shelter before nightfall, so we have to move early and quick or we'll die in the blizzard."

"You will," Sollel smiled knowing how much her blood flame hates cold. "But I won't."

Hakkeran finished his bath and came out of the water. "Yes. I know. You don't have to be so happy about it."

Sollel had to keep her face straight when the shameless warlord came out naked and brazenly walk past her. But she was more brazen because her eyes followed him and watched him walk back to the cave, naked. Her eyes were enjoying the view of his perfectly shape buttocks.

Sollel sighed and shook her head. He was shameless, but his body and little Hakkeran were looking great, I gave him that. Sollel massaged her temple at the thought that was rushing in her head. All inappropriate that she found herself blushing. Hakken was adorable, but he never made me blush, Sollel thought. Maybe because Hakken was modest, reserved and prude in so many ways and that made him adorable in her eyes.

Sollel shook her head to clear it and took a deep breath. Let's focus on Gatria. I can deal with Hakken and Hakkeran afterwards. For now, it's Gatria.

"Ready, Your Highness?" Hakkeran asked from behind her, fully dressed, as if she was not a prisoner as he said.

Sollel composed herself and turn around. "Yes. I'm ready."

Leaving the cave, Hakkeran and Sollel started traversing the shivering valley. There was no route, no, nothing but snow, however, Hakkeran's every step seems certain, carrying a confidence that they're going on the right path and Sollel just followed him.

The cold didn't bother her, and she could tell that it didn't bother Hakkeran too.

Silently following Hakkeran and accepting his assistance when there's a steep slope they had to pass, Sollel got used to Hakkeran's help as they quietly traversed the shivering valley. From time to time, Hakkeran would offer her warm water from his water canteen, and he was quick to hold her hand when she needed support to balanced herself.

Only after a few hours did Sollel realize that she was not doing well in shivering valley. The sheer coldness seeped through her bones. Her body, especially the flame on her blood hates the cold. She knew she was slowing down, but what could she do? Her blood flame was doing its best to expel any cold temperature penetrating her body—it was everywhere and not just a normal cold either— that it was spending too much flame essence. And that meant exhaustion for her.

"Your Highness?"

Sollel raised her palm to stop Hakkeran from going back to her. "I'm okay. I'm just not used to this kind of cold that my blood flame is not doing well. I know shivering valley is cold, but not this cold."

"Do you want to rest?"

Sollel shook her head and continued her steps. "I can manage until we reach the nearest cave we can find."

"The nearest cave is still miles away from here. Can you hold out?"

Sollel nodded and continued walking while trying to limit the essence her blood flame was using to expel cold from her body. Her blood flame had a mind of its own when it comes to her safety and it was not doing well at the moment, but it was adapting to keep her safe from this sheer cold. Every step was hard because her feet get buried in the snow. She was too slow even how much hard she tries to go faster.

After few more hours like that, Hakkeran couldn't take it anymore, he turned around and picked Sollel up in his arms.

"I hate cold." Sollel couldn't help complaining after experiencing coldness in shivering valley. She thought she could use her flame essence to fight it, but her blood flame was eating up all her essence while trying to adapt to the environment.

"Shivering valley is the deadliest valley in Azitera," Hakkeran spoke as he traversed the iced covered valley with her in his arms, close to his chest. "Even a powerful being like you will have a hard time surviving here."

Sollel was too exhausted to complain about her situation and just let her head rest on Hakkeran's chest. "But you can. Why is that? I'm pretty sure my flame is much stronger than what you're using to protect yourself from cold."

"Practice."

"Practice?"

"Hmm."

"So, this is not your first here in shivering valley?"

"Yes. I died here once."

Died here? Sollel stared at the warlord. "What were you doing that you died here?" At this temperature, no one would come here just for fun.

"Mapping the valley." Hakkeran answered while his eyes were focused forward. "Looking for the best route, the easiest path to take and where to take shelter when a blizzard hits at night."

"And you died for it? Why the effort?"

"Because someone important to me will traverse this valley and I want them to be safe. I want them to cross the shivering valley with minimal damage." A small smile appeared on Hakkeran's lips. "Dying here was worth it."

Sollel frowned at the warlord's last words, before Sollel's face softened. "That 'someone' is lucky to have the warlord of Sappher's backing. You deserved hundreds of thank you'."

Hakkeran shook his head. "No. I don't need it. I just want that person to be safe. That's all that matters to me."

Sollel became somehow overcome with emotion that she had to close her eyes to stop it from watering, but tears still fell from her eyes. And seeing the queen cry, the composed and expressionless Hakkeran started to show emotion.

"Your Highness, are you okay? Are you feeling well? Talk to me."

Sollel tears fell ever harder that she crossed her arms and put them over her eyes to cover them from the warlord's worried gaze.

"Your Highness!" Hakkeran have now stopped walking. "Talk to me—"

"I'm fine, Hakkeran." Sollel was doing her best to contain her emotion. "I just... It just came to me that maybe, if I had someone like you back then, maybe, maybe I wouldn't have suffered so much. But you're a descendant of Sappher... We're not exactly an ally."

"My queen, my loyalty is not to my race, but to my heart. And the person who owns my heart will have my undying loyalty and fidelity."

"Then that person is very lucky." Sollel wiped the tears off her face that had become frozen and smiled at Hakkeran. "When I met you in that clearing, I know you're not that bad. You're adorable even, but compared to my Hakken, you have a long way to go."

It didn't escape Sollel's eyes how the warlord's face darkened. "Hakken? The hunter who was with you?"

Sollel nodded with a happy smile. "He's so prude, which makes him so adorable. I like teasing him a lot and seeing his reaction."

Hakkeran's face darkened even more. "The last I remember, he was being crushed to pulp by General Kar."

Sollel shrugged. "I'm sure Hakken is fine."

"After receiving two direct attacks from General Kar's war hammer, I'm sure he's dead."

Sollel shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm sure he's fine. He's still going to fight the whole world for me, so I'm sure he's still alive." Sollel closed her eyes. "I'll rest for a little bit while my blood flame is doing its best to adapt. I will leave my safety to you, my lord."

"... Of course, my queen."



♕♕♕



SOLLEL WOKE UP in a cave again, but this time, it was not dark. There was a lamp a meter away from her comfortable 'bed' again. Hakkeran. She instantly got up and looked for him. She found him near the entrance to the cave, leaning on the cave's wall with his eyes closed, sleeping. He must be tired after carrying me.

She was about to leave Hakkeran alone to rest when she saw him slightly shivering and his bracelet's immediately glow red and a thin veil appeared and covered Hakkeran's body from the neck down to his feet, warming and protecting him.

Sollel's lips parted in shock. She recognized the bracelet he was wearing the first time she saw him in the cave even if it changed appearance to suit Hakkeran's stature, but she was not certain if it was working for him.

But now...

Sollel leaned down and touched the bracelet on Hakkeran's wrist, then imbue it with her flame essence.

If this works, then it really is my Solaris and my Solaris accepted him.

Sollel's lips slowly parted when the bracelet accepted her flame and glowed brightly as if it has woken up from its slumber.

Sollel took a deep breath and looked at the glowing red bracelet—Solaris was its name— on Hakkeran's wrists. She was now certain that it was the thing that kept Hakkeran's body warm while traversing the valley earlier. That, and practice. Hakkeran did say that he had been coming to the shivering valley to map. She was positive that as Hakkeran was mapping the valley, her Solaris was adapting to the cold like how her blood flame was adapting now.

That means, Solaris had been keeping Hakkeran safe since it was taken away from her.

And for that to happen...

Sollel carefully held Hakkeran's hand and run her fingers over his bracelet. To be able to wear Solaris on both his wrists, Hakkeran had to be as loyal to the Mistress of flame as Solaris and prove his worth to earn Solaris' protection.

Sollel took a deep breath as she withdraws her hand and stared at Hakkeran's handsome face. He's loyal to me. No wonder he treats me like his queen even when his mouth says otherwise. But he wanted to drag me back to the empire knowing that there's tons of moonrite stone there. That means Hakkeran was planning something, but not to betray her, because the moment Solaris felt even a sliver of betrayal in Hakkeran, Solaris will burn him inside out. So, what is he planning?

Sollel sat on the ground facing Hakkeran and stared at the warlord until he woke up from Sollel's intense gaze.

"Your... Highness...?" Hakkeran blinked before he sat up straight. "Do you need anything? Oh, are you hungry?"

Sollel had so many questions for Hakkeran, but she didn't voice them out because he's just going to lie anyway, she was sure of that. Just like someone she knows.

Hakken and Hakkeran is seriously making my head hurt.

"I... I just don't want to be alone in there." Sollel glanced towards the deepest part of the cave and looked at Hakkeran again. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. You should eat." From his ring, a bread appeared on his open palm, and he handed it to her.

Sollel accepted it, then split the bread in half and she gave the half to Hakkeran who accepted after hesitating for a second. "You should eat too."

With that, Sollel and Hakkeran shared the same bread and eat silently while the blizzard was wreaking havoc outside the cave. Sollel didn't like talking to strangers, but Hakkeran was a different case. He was hardly a stranger to her.

"I have a question; will you answer me?" Sollel asked afterwards.

Hakkeran looked at the queen. "I'll try."

Sollel nodded and asked her question after a moment of thinking about it. "You said you died here in the shivering valley; how did it happen?"

Hakkeran blinked at the queen. "You're asking how I died instead of how I'm alive after I died?"

Sollel nodded. "I know about the Sappher's arcane ritual of rebirth."

Hakkeran nodded in understanding. "Oh. Okay. Um, I died horribly."

Sollel waited for the continuation, but there was nothing. That was the end of it. "That's it?"

Hakkeran leaned back on the cave's wall again while fumbling his bracelet. "The details are not that important. I died after mapping the valleys. That's it. Then I choose rebirth. That's it too."

Sollel took a deep breath and summon a floating flame with the size of her fist and started poking and playing with it. "That person must be really important to you for you to risk your life like that."

"I love her." Sollel could feel Hakkeran's eyes on her, but she didn't look his way and just continued playing with her floating flame. "Always have, always will. There is no me if there was no..." you, Hakkeran continued it on his mind as he paused and cleared his throat. "Anyway, what's with the sudden interest, Your Highness?"

"I'm just curious who my jailor is." Sollel smiled while still poking the floating flame that was now jumping up and down as if it was happily playing with Sollel too.

"I'm curious though," Sollel continued questioning Hakkeran subtly. "How did a descendant of Sappher, like you, ended up in the empire? I mean, the Sapphers I know would rather hone their skills in battle than participate in the bureaucracy."

"My mother left her family and married the second prince of the empire." Hakkeran answered, careful not to say too much. He was telling the truth though, well, as truthful as he could be. "And I received the warlord title after my father passed away. He was killed."

Sollel just listened to Hakkeran even though there was a big hole in his story. He's really working hard to lie to me. How adorable. Should I give him a prize?

"After what your mother did, the Sapphers still accepted you?"

Hakkeran nodded. "I'm a descendant. A warlord."

"Then, while you're the second price's son, have you heard of me being imprisoned in the bottom of the city of Faberion."

"Yes."

"Did you visit me in my prison cell?"

"No."

"Not even a peek?"

"I didn't."

Sollel took a deep breath and willed her floating flame to vanish before she stood up. "Well, it was nice talking to you, my lord. I will take my leave now and rest."

Sollel silently returned to her 'bed' and closed her eyes to rest. Though she couldn't sleep, her eyes remained close and her breathing even for hours as she lay on her bed.

That was until she felt Hakkeran's presence that she had to do her best not to give away that she was not asleep. And when Hakkeran sat on the edge of her bed and felt his stare, Sollel became curious, but her breathing was controlled to look like she was sleeping deeply.

However, when she felt Hakkeran's hand cupped her face, her breathing hitched a bit and just when she was about to control her breathing again, she heard him whisper softly— almost lovingly, at the same time painfully.

"I love you, my queen."



CECELIB | C.C.