Rising from the Ashes
Chapter 33

Elenora watches Charlotte as she trains with the warriors. She had spent the early morning packing up everything Queen Stavros had given Charlotte which was a lot. Now the only thing left to do is tell Charlotte that she will be leaving soon. She should have probably told her before she started packing up her stuff.

Charlotte lands hard on the ground and for a moment she stays there before accepting the offered hand of the warrior who then points Elenora's way. Charlotte tells him something before walking towards her. "Mom." Charlotte manages a smile and sits beside her on the ground.

"Charlotte." Elenora wants to ask how she is. Is she is better? The problem is every time she does Charlotte flinches and inches away from her as if she is trying to resist the urge to run. "It is time to go back," Elenora whispers before clearing her throat and turning towards Charlotte "Not to Bluemoon I think. Perhaps it might be a good idea to find a new place? In Bloodmoon? They have some of the best warriors next to the Kingdom and I think you might feel more comfortable in a new home. You will still be attending the school in Bluemoon of course but-"

"You just want to live close to a certain Alpha." It sounds as if she is both teasing and accusing Elenora of it.

With a smile Elenora shrugs "I will not deny the perk," The admission slips out casually but her face heats up at the thought of waking up to him every morning. It is not something she had wanted until she met him. It is not something she thought she cared much for. A talk will definitely need to happen before that. First Elenora will need to ask if she can stay with him, if he even wants her there. Second, the cells. They will need to talk about that. Elenora is not necessarily mad that he locked her away, not anymore. The more she thinks about it the more it hurts. It is something she never thought he would do and it had been a disappointment when he had, "I think you will like it there Charlotte. It will be closer to work so I can stay in my own bed when the nights go late." They will go late again knowing Cadence.

"And I can still attend my school?"

Elenora nods her answer and the matter is settled. "We will not be going home together." Charlotte swings towards her, eyes wide and mouth already open to argue "It will only put your life in more danger Charlotte. You are a smart girl, you would have figured it out or at least heard who I am by now."

"A princess. Now I can say 'thank you your highness! Anything you wish your highness,' and get away with it." Elenora merely rolls her eyes at Charlotte's antics but ignores them for now "So how long then? A month? Two? You have duties right?"

"This is not my home Charlotte. You are where my home is. Mia is where my home is. Nakoa is where my home is. Screw the duties of a princess. The only thing this Kingdom has done for me is screw me over. I am in no rush to serve it." At this her daughter frowns. Elenora eyes the warriors as they train. Some of the warriors had turned towards them at that and it only reveals the lack of privacy she would have here if she were to stay.

"And yet a warrior sits in the dungeons because he turned you away." Charlotte mutters softly "And yet the royal family spent the last two and a half decades searching for their daughter. That's longer than my parents searched for me." The bitterness stings though it should not. Of course Charlotte would wonder about her birth parents. She did grow up an orphan and the life was not kind to her. The orphanage did not like improper girls. They were sent to a terrible school that preferred rulers over patience and violence over a kind hand. Charlotte went home to little to no food and she got beat if they decided she stepped out of line. Often stepping out of line meant they did not much care for her face in that moment so they would hit it until it was swollen beyond recognition. "He has made mistakes towards the rogues and that is it Mom. I bet he kicks himself everyday for it."

"I'm supposed to be the smart one. Stop it." That is rewarded with a laugh before Charlotte leans her head on Elenora's shoulder, fingers yanking at the blades of grass.

"I am stepping up while you're in pain but I've only got a day left of intelligence. I'm rapidly turning dumb." It is Elenora's turn to laugh. It seems impossible for Charlotte to turn dumb. She had always been intelligent. She had always known how to stay alive. She had kept away from the crowd of the orphanage and learned to listen. There are not nearly enough people in this world who shut their mouth to just...listen. The books had been her guide while Elenora tried to survive herself. "How long until you follow behind me?"

"I will start heading towards Bloodmoon around a week after you. That is enough time for you to arrive safely before sending a letter about your safe arrival. I have already written to Nakoa about staying in his pack and I will wait for his reply before sending the warriors out with you."

Charlotte sighs, her eyes closing "I think I will miss this place Mom. We will visit right? I don't think I've ever been in a more beautiful place." Elenora wants to say no on instinct. She wants to say that she will never step foot in this place again. Who cares about the gardens or the people or the culture or any of it really? Elenora wants to hold tight to her anger and let it guide her because wouldn't it be the worse betrayal yet to any rogue if she just let go? If she just forgave? Rogues are still treated terribly, encouraged by the King himself. Can she really forget so easily?

"It is likely we will visit again. I will have to train."

The rest of their time together is spent in a calm silence. Elenora had taken to watching the clouds pass over her and occasionally she would point out an odd shape or too to Charlotte. They never saw the same things when this happened. Elenora is certain Charlotte just wanted to argue about something and what better than the shapes of clouds? "Charlotte. Princess Muriel." A couple warriors stop in front of the two of them. Both tall, broad, and very shirtless. "We were wondering if you would like to fight with us? See what you've got."

"He mostly means you Mom. They know full well what I've got. Mostly bruises." The red head snorts his amusement while the blonde offers a hand Elenora accepts with a nod of her head. "Good Luck." Charlotte grins before standing herself and dusting the dirt off her butt.

"Thanks." Elenora grumbles. Why is she even doing this anyways? Since when does she fight for fun?

"I was talking about him. He has nothing on Anthony." That surprises a laugh out of Elenora though she is not certain if she should believe that. The warriors here are the best. Who is she to think she can beat one of them even with Anthony's training? They stop in a circle of dirt. It is the red haired man she will be fighting and the crowd around them is growing by the second. Even a couple of ladies had made their way to the circle and it gets to the point where Charlotte pushes her way to the front "I've got money on the princess!" Charlotte shouts with a wild grin and then the bets are on. Elenora closes her eyes and that is when he lunges forward. He suspected a moment of weakness no doubt. Dirty. Elenora likes it and so she laughs as she surprises him with a blow to the chest, ducking his own attempt. The warrior grabs her by the hair and so Elenora lands another blow to his nuts. It had sent him to the ground immediately and Elenora tries to jump on top of him and end this fight quickly. He rolls and she lands hard on the ground.

"Stop playing!" Prince Ardon? You have got to be kidding. With a growl Elenora lunges forward once again. Mistake number one. One does not fight with emotions, they fight with patience and he is able to grab her and pin her because of it. Elenora protects her face and flips them before punching him in the gut. Once, twice, his face. He shoves her off. The fight continues, increasingly more dirty as it goes. From throwing dirt in his eyes to him throwing a stray rock that hits her in the face, followed by a punch to the gut.

Shall I help you? Marcella's voice whispers across her head. She does not wait for the 'hell no' that would have followed. Before Elenora can even process what was happening, fire wraps around her fist just before it makes contact with the warriors face. It is the first scream Elenora earned and it made her feel dirty in a way. Cruel. A cheat. She does not need her...abilities to win against him. This man is a challenge but he has nothing on Anthony. Charlotte was right. Elenora mentally chides her wolf in a way she can only hope got through before continuing her fight without the use of fire.

"That was dirty little wolf." The warrior growls before lunging forward. They both land on the ground hard before the punches come in every direction. Wherever he can hit. Her face. Her chest. Her arms. Her gut. Everywhere. Pain erupts. Elenora wraps her legs around his body and brings her head up hard against his. The hit gives her a migraine but has him cussing long enough for her to flip them both over and then the fight is over with one hard punch to the temple. Hard enough to kill a weaker creature. Hard enough to leave him seeing stars no doubt. He doesn't knock out but he doesn't get up either.

"Yes!" Elenora vaguely hears Charlotte call out as she stumbles towards where she had seen a bench "You owe me money! Oi! Don't you dare walk away. Give it up! Thanks." Charlotte's voice carries across the training grounds as Elenora falls into her seat. She had seen two benches for a brief moment before they merged into one.

"That was a good fight. Few manage to hold their ground with Dennis, much less beat him. Grandfather will be happy to hear somebody finally punched that smug look away." Prince Ardon grins, offering her a water bottle Elenora takes it and chugs it down immediately.

"Grandfather? As in King Zathrian?" It is a sobering thought. King Zathrian is still alive. There has been no real announcement of his death but some have suspected. Nobody has set eyes on the former King since the day he stepped down. Nobody. "He really is still alive?"

The prince laughs but answers with a nod of his head "In hiding. Sort of. Not really. He is still out and about but our grandfather tends to dress as a commoner. He even got himself a job. It does fairly well." The thought of King Zathrian working is a hilarious thought. He always seemed too...mighty? What does he even do? Is he a baker? The image of King Zathrian designing a birthday cake is enough to startle a laugh out of her. The thought of him becoming a seamster is by far the least likely scenario but it is even better to think of than him frosting a cake.

"What does he do?" Elenora grins "Is he a baker? Seamster?" Elenora feigns a gasp "Do not tell me he is a -a whore!"

This earns another laugh out of the young prince. It is loud, boyish, and gains a lot of attention "Could you imagine?" Prince Ardon chuckles and with a shake of his head he tells her the boring answer of what King Zathrian actually does "He is a swordsmith, Muriel. I thought that was fairly interesting in itself. When have you known a royal to work? He enjoys it quite a bit. He donates the money of course." Elenora had always dreamed of meeting King Zathrian. He is a man she admires in every way and the werewolf kingdom had thrived under his rule. The rogues loved him. His people loved him. Hell even the fairies loved King Zathrian. He was stubborn but kind and patient. He could definitely teach his son a few things about ruling.

Prince Ardon looks as if he wanted to talk about something else but Charlotte had run up to them before he could bring it up. "Is this gold?" Elenora takes the offered bag and weighs it in her hands. A lot of it. "And I only had to get my face bashed in." Elenora teases Charlotte before handing the bag back to her "When we arrive back home you can put it aside for saving. For now bring it to your room and get yourself ready to eat in the great hall." Charlotte's eyes widen at the mention of eating with the royal family but she nods and runs towards the castle.

"How did you end up with her? She does not look like your biological daughter."

"It sort of just happened I think." Elenora responds after a moment before explaining "Charlotte was found fairly close to the border wrapped in a blanket and abandoned. I would go to the orphanage to hide and help and I tended to Charlotte the most. She grew up quiet and distant from the other kids and so I would talk to her in the corners. Eventually she started calling me mother and I started bringing her to visit Anthony and Grandmother May. We just became a family." It is a nice way to put all of it. A way without the dark side of the story such as Charlotte hid because she lived in fear of getting beat. She grew apart from the other kids because they hated her, because she could not stand the cruelty of them.

"What was it like?" Elenora questions "Living here? Growing up here?" The question dampens the mood immediately. It is a reminder of the reason Elenora is asking this question. This life is the life that was stolen away from her. His life. She would have grown up like him or even like Princess Lydia. She would have loved King Stavros because she would have only seen how he treats the people he claims as his own and there is no denying his love for them.

"Sometimes it is suffocating." Prince Ardon offers "I am getting trained to become a King but for now I train these warriors. If I fail it makes us weak. I do not get to be myself nor do I get to run free when I wish. Everything is a schedule. Everything can make or break my people. If I fail, millions will die because somebody will try to overthrow the throne. The crown weighs heavy." Elenora does not have to wait long for the but to come. "But I can learn to do whatever I want. I get whatever I want. When I think about your life and how it has turned out my deal seems better. You have been tortured, beat, your daughter kidnapped, and then you were hunted by your own people only to find out that now you must serve them. Not in that order but your life does not sound very appealing to me."

"Thank you Prince Ardon. I love to hear how crappy my life is." Was. Elenora has too much to wish for any other life now. She has Charlotte to be grateful for now. Mia. Nakoa. Even her job.

The Prince shrugs before standing and straightening out his suit "It does not look half bad anymore." He offers before walking away. It is not long before Princess Lydia seizes the opportunity to join her. The princess yanks her towards her bed chambers. Elenora suspects quite a few dresses are going to be forced over her head in the hour to come. All for a meal with the King of Tyranny. Still smiles are easy to come where Princess Lydia is involved so Elenora willingly follows and listens to the latest gossip of the Kingdom.

Authors Note. (IMPORTANT)

Not my best chapter I think but here it is! Enjoy!

I do have a side note of course. I will be on a much needed vocation next week and though I love you guys and this book very much I want to be on the beach, not my laptop. With that said give me a couple of weeks and things will be back to normal up until I finish the first book of this series.

This is just a little reminder. After I finish Rising from the Ashes there will be a break before I start publishing the second book, (TRAPPED IN ICE). I will most likely start editing and updating my other book regularly in the meantime.

With that said happy reading!

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