Rising from the Ashes
Chapter 30

The scene princess Lydia causes is admirable and dramatic all at once. They had been laying down on the forest ground when the warriors found them. They had been talking when the warriors had grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. Princess Lydia had immediately screamed at the warrior who readjusted his grip. The princess had decided to defend her and by defend Elenora means lie because she has been screaming the same thing for the past thirty minutes "It is truly unbelievable how you insist on treating my friends! I cannot have any right? It would be a weakness to the princess? Outrageous! I cannot have a decent talk with anybody these days-"

"We thought she kidnapped you Princess Lydia." The warrior explains "We were very worried. Did you not hear the horns when you went on your walk or..."

"You guys are always so dramatic. Always the worst case scenario!"

"You are aware your...friend had escaped from the cells right? Burned the chains off."

"What did she do?"

"Attacked a warrior at the wall."

The princess nods. Of course she had already known that. It is one of the things they had talked about in the forest. They had mostly talked about Charlotte and they had also talked about Nakoa. The princess was positively estactic about her bond mate. She had demanded answers such as how they met and the whole love story. She was disappointed up until Elenora got to the trip. It had been a good distraction from her worry but now she must think about Charlotte once again. They are getting closer to one month. "Which warrior was it if I may?" If she may? Elenora shares an incredulous look with the warriors before they all remember she is the enemy. It is almost hilarious that they had forgotten in the first place. They are discussing her after all. Where is the infamous king anyways? This must be his office. It reeks of tyranny.

"Kent my lady."

"If I were my brother I might celebrate that but atlas, I am a princess and I must behave accordingly" Princess Lydia sighs "Nonetheless since we are locking people up for hitting Kent I believe we should bring Alpha Bardrick to the cells."

"If you would leave my mate out of this dramatic display that would be much appreciated your highness." Elenora mutters only to be gasped at

"You dare call your princess dramatic!" She screeches before wincing at the sound of her own voice. Elenora bites back the smile.

"I dare." She deadpans

"Shh I am trying to save your life and you are making it exceptionally difficult." She whispers as if the warriors do not have very sensitive hearing.

"My apologies princess. Continue." Elenora bows her head just as the door to the office swings open to reveal a very large group. At the front of the group is Alpha Bardrick who looks more than relieved to see her. Elenora had almost walked straight into his arms until she remembered exactly why she was so mad at him. He had her locked in the cells the bloody bastard! Elenora is certain her face tells him exactly how unwelcome his touch is at the moment because he drops his arms and steps back, his face red.

"Well that was entirely awkward." The man standing behind King Stavros notes with a nod of his head. If Elenora had a guess she would say he is the Prince. Prince Ardon "What did you do?" It is when she catches sight of the queen that everything hits her with certainty. Marcella's voice whispers through her head. Family. Princess Lydia is already joining her family. The hugs are quick, soft spoken words but their eyes keep flickering back to her.

Their voices fade as Elenora watches the queen tear up and then they fall in a stream. She has the nose of the king. Abnormally big though Mia claims it isn't. The face of the queen. Her freckles. "Are you going to have me killed?" Elenora hears herself ask, more blunt than she had meant to. The queen is moments away from sobbing and guilt rushes through her but these people are not her family. These people are just blood and they have made her suffer in ways they would not be able to fathom. The queen is shaking her head, stepping forward.

"Will you have me arrested? Tortured?" Elenora continues and she wants to close her mouth and she wants to glue it shut because the queen is no queen right now. She is just a mother who has spent the last two decades searching for a daughter who no longer wants her.

"No." King Stavros whispers, breathless. Elenora wants to run. She wants to run and never stop. Her shoes would ware and her feet will be raw and bloody but even then she would run. Away from this reality. Away from this kingdom. Away from those crying eyes. They are all looking at her as if they are expecting something out of her but Elenora has nothing to give. Nothing. She had spent too long hating the king for forgetting rogues are his people and they need the most help. She had spent too long bitter about the queen and her love for everybody but rogues.

"Have they decided to help Charlotte?" The question is pointed towards Nakoa but he is the last to answer.

The queen nods her head, shoulders shaking with her pain. The prince had gone decidedly stiff at the mention of her daughter. Prince Ardon and Nakoa had met eyes for half a second before quickly glanced away. Whatever they have is not good. "We are going to the Opalite realm to look. Ardon and Nakoa suspect the Posuvník tváre have them. All of them were banished. It is possible they found out who you were and took Charlotte because of that." Who she is. Elenora had hoped that they would not bring it up so soon. The King pulls his mate close in attempt to calm her down. It does not work. She merely turns to stare at Elenora once again.

"Do you think-?" pause, voice shaky and she takes a moment to wipe away her tears "Please can I-?" It is obvious what she wants. Queen Stavros had lifted her arms only to put them back down half a dozen times. She had stuffed her hands into the folds of her dress and she had picked at her fingers. It was all so terrible to watch. Elenora puts herself in her shoes. She imagines herself in the queens place. She imagines Charlotte going missing for years only for her to show up and hardly pay her any mind. The lost princess was taken straight from the crib. Days old. Innocent. Then she was stolen away. It is the thought of it all that has Elenora walking towards the queen. She does not look at the rest of the royal family as she pulls Queen Stavros into her arms. She does not start sobbing but she shakes. Queen Stavros trembles in her arms, holding her so tight Elenora wonders if she is trying to suffocate her to death. "Please come home." She whispers in her ear "We cannot keep you safe across the country. I cannot lose you twice."

"I will be Luna of Bloodmoon Queen Stavros. Even if I am tempted to murder my mate as it stands right now unfortunately I sort of like him just a little bit." The queen chuckles and pulls away. Her eyes move head to toe as if trying to take in every detail. "I have my own enemies Queen Stavros-"

"You do not need to call me that. You are family." Elenora looks away at the mention. She steps away from the queen and settles against the wall.

With a swallow she changes the topic in the most subtle manner "What are the Posuvník tváre?" Elenora questions and she looks to Prince Ardon for that answer "Prince Ardon." She specifies. He does not look like the type to lie and he does not shy away from answering bluntly.

"They are flesh eating beast. They shift to look like those their prey might trust before eating them there or dragging them back to their nest. If your daughter is alive right now than they would have decided to bond with her. Otherwise you would have found her bones in the room they took her from." Elenora's nod is slow to come. She does not cry. She does not shake. She does not show any sign of emotion outwards. Instead her body heats up. Warmth floods through her like a river and Elenora tries to suffocate it. She loses that battle. Her hands light to flames and Elenora tries to shake the fire away. It crawls up her arm instead. It shows how little control she has when it comes to this particular gift.

"You need to focus." King Stavros tells her "You need to imagine the fire sinking back into your skin. Focus the warmth inward. Imagine it going to your center. Your heart." The King guides. When the flames are gone he seizes the opportunity. "You need to receive proper training Muriel. It is for the safety of those around-"

"I am not coming to live here." Elenora snaps before breathing in deeply. She needs to control her temper. They need not know how much she dislikes them. She breathes out. "When you go to get Charlotte I am going with."

"Absolutely not."

"Sorry sister dearest but that is a hell no. I will lock you in your bedroom if I must."

"Perhaps you might be better off letting the men handle this."

"Can I come too?"

The only person who had not dared to say a word is Nakoa. Too smart. Princess Lydia is the only one with an acceptable answer though Elenora would deny her the same way they had denied Elenora. Elenora steps forward and she is sure to meet all of their eyes before settling on King Stavros. "You are not my King Stavros. You had stopped ruling over the rogues the moment they set a crown on your head and I had denied you as my King the moment packs started hunting me as their prey. Anybody here whether they are family or not will be killed the moment they try to stand between my daughter and I."

King Stavros had looked pained for exactly too seconds before he forces a smile on his face. His entire body lights to flames as he leans forward "Pray tell what you will do to me that I cannot match tenfold Muriel. Unlike you I am not on the edge of my control."

"Unlike you I am not scared to hurt you. I will with joy." Elenora smiles and fire spreads head to toe to match the king.

"Unlike you I have hundreds of warriors standing behind me, waiting for a command."

"They were useless when it came to finding Princess Lydia. Had I been evil she would have been dead-"

"Hey!" Princess Lydia interrupts, face red in her embarrassment "I held my ground quite well Muriel. Mention the part where I opened the ground up to bury you alive."

"I told you that was useful!" Prince Ardon pitches in, looking away from the sight that is King Stavros and Elenora "You were all like -it is cruel to bury somebody alive" The prince mocks in a high pitch voice. Vines reach across the floor to grab the prince by his feet. He shows his own ability when he grabs the water from the fish tank and dumps it all over his sister. Elenora cannot help but turn away from the King at the sight of fish in Princess Lydia's hair. She looks mad. Pissed. Furious. The vines go from his feet to his neck and with a sigh Elenora burns the vines from the center.

"My daughter." Elenora reminds before walking out of the room. The king is not likely to fold on this and so when it comes time Elenora will have to follow them from a distance. At least until they get to the realm. Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous! Nakoa appears at her side and Elenora spares a glare his way "I am still furious with you."

"I am sorry."

"You had me locked in a cell!" Elenora seethes, swinging around to face him "I expected something from you but it was not cruelty Nakoa. I had given you far more credit than that. I suppose that was wrong of me to do."

"I was trying to protect you Muriel." Great. Even he had shifted to that name. It only serves as a reminder of who she is. That is the name a King gave her. Muriel. It sounds too sweet. It sounds like who she might have been if she was not stolen away from her crib, her life. She would have been happy. She would have been oblivious and blissfully ignorant.

"And you thought to throw me in a cell?" Elenora does not miss the sound of the door opening. Of the royal family exiting but she had waited long enough and now her fury is at the forefront of her mind. "Yes I suppose it does make sense if I think about it." Nakoa does not dare to believe she might understand his position. Instead he waits silently "Yes it makes all the sense in the world if I stop thinking and shove my head up my anus." Elenora growls, her wolf coming up. "I spent most my childhood in the cells only to be drug there again. It is positively lovely to know that the one person I had dared to trust will not hesitate before dragging me to the cells once we come across a disagreement." With that Elenora swings around once again and heads anywhere but near her mate.

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