CHAPTER 21: A DRAGON IN YOUR KINGDOM

"What do you mean? What are you saying right now?"

"Ser Devic Thorne, I left my daughter, my only child, in your care. I trusted you. I trusted you to protect her, to watch over her like your life depended on it. And now you stand here, in front of me, with this... this nonsense? Telling me she’s missing? That she is nowhere to be found?"

He paused, caught his breath, and clenched his hands tightly at his sides.

"You can’t be serious. You just can’t be."

The King stood up suddenly from his throne, his voice sounded scared and angry at the same time as he had just been informed that the princess had been attacked by assassins in Varnmoor. Few soldiers returned. Some were still coming back as they scattered on the way. They were just coming in one by one. Most of them were wounded. Even Sira had returned. But once she heard the Princess was yet to be back, she went out in search of her again.

Ser Devic lowered his eyes, his heart was heavy with guilt.

"I’m sorry, Your Majesty," he said quietly. "I tried. I truly did. The assassins were well-skilled, and there were too many. Princess Nyella was with us when it all started. But... after the attack, we lost sight of her."

The King was just so angry. "I don’t want to hear excuses, Ser Devic," he said with a shaking voice. "I want to hear where my daughter is. I want to know what happened to her. You were supposed to keep her safe!"

"I know, my King," Devic said, bowing slightly with his bruised face. "I sincerely apologize, I tried my best. The gods know I did. Most of us were badly wounded. And there was this beast. You probably would not believe"

The King raised his hand. "Don’t. Don’t you dare join those guards who returned talking about beasts and fire. You, of all people, Devic. You’re my commander. My most trusted. And you stand here, wounded and without my daughter, telling me tales like a frightened child?"

"But it’s real, Your Majesty," Devic said, looking up. "I saw it. A dragon. It flew over the tree and descended upon us with fire. You have a dragon in your kingdom."

The King’s face twisted in frustration. "Shut up," he barked. "Just shut up and be quiet. How am I meant to listen to this madness when my daughter is still out there, who knows where, possibly hurt, possibly worse?"

He said with a cracked voice, but he quickly turned away so no one would see the pain on his face.

"I don’t care what attacked you. I don’t care what you saw," he said. "Your job was simple: bring her back safely. But you failed me."

Devic fell to one knee. "Then let me fix it," he said. "Let me go back out there. I will find her. I will not rest until she is safe and standing in this hall again."

The King looked at him for a long moment.

"Fine," he said coldly. "Take whoever you need. All of them. The Royal Guards. The Phoenix Guards. The Personal Guards. I don’t care. Even if it’s every suitor in this kingdom, take them. Find her, Devic. Bring my girl home. And don’t you dare return without her."

"I promise you, my King," Devic said, rising. "I will bring the princess back."

And just as he turned to leave the hall... The Queen stormed into the room, her face was pale and full of fear.

"What is this I’m hearing? What happened?" she cried. Her eyes were frantic. "Where is my daughter?"

She grabbed Ser Devic by the arm, shaking him slightly.

"You left with her. You were supposed to protect her. How did you return without her? What happened?!"

She let go and turned to the King, almost pleading.

"Tell me this isn’t true. Please, someone, tell me this isn’t real. Where is Nyella?"

The King looked at her, his expression was grim.

"She’s missing," he said. "Right now, no one knows where she is."

The Queen gasped. Her knees buckled slightly.

"You see now why I protect her the way I do?" the King continued. "And you always say I’m being overprotective. Look around you. Our enemies are everywhere and are always watching. They wait for the smallest gap, and this... this is what they do when they find one."

Then he turned to her. This time his voice was hard. "Tell me, Your Majesty... was this one of your so many brilliant plans?"

Ser Devic quietly slipped out of the room with the guilt that was weighing on his shoulders.

The Queen shook her head and spoke with her trembling voice. "Never... not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this. The plan was simple, she would go, inspect the army, and come back. That was all. This wasn’t supposed to happen."

The King sighed. "So this is the safety you speak of," he said, coldly.

"I’m sorry," the Queen said softly.

"There’s no need to be sorry," the King replied. This time his tone was softening. "She’s your daughter too. I understand the fear. But don’t lose hope, we will find her. I know we will. Nyella is strong. She’s not one to fall so easily. I know the daughter we raised."

The Queen nodded, though her eyes were filled with pain.

"But who could do this?" she asked. "Who would dare touch our child, the only daughter of House Elyndor?"

The King narrowed his eyes. "You really don’t suspect anyone?"

"Right now... no. My mind is blank."

The King raised a brow. "Really? You? The one who always warns me about House Vanýr? Now you suspect no one?"

The Queen hesitated, then shook her head. "You mean Voryn Vanýr? He’s the last person who would dare harm my daughter. Not now. Not when he was the one who openly proposed that the princess carry out the crown’s ledger. He knows any danger to her or this family would point straight at him. He’d be the number one suspect."

"Exactly," the Queen added. "And whoever did this, they know that. That’s why they did it. They want us to blame Lord Voryn. And that’s what we’ll do... until the real culprit makes another move and shows their face."