Isabella closed her eyes and braced for impact, but to her surprise, she didn’t feel anything. All she could feel were warm hands gently holding her. She opened her eyes and saw Erik looking at her with worry."Isabella, are you okay?" Erik asked anxiously.She nodded in affirmation. She started gauging her body for any pain or broken bones, but she didn’t feel any. Subconsciously, she smiled, happy that she was fine. The adrenaline rush she had earlier lost its power, and her racing heart felt at ease at seeing Erik.“Princess, Princess!” she could hear a familiar voice calling out to her, but as if from a distance. Maggie yelled worriedly, but her consciousness was fading."Princess Isa,” Maggie kept calling out to her. Isabella wanted to respond, but her consciousness was darkening fast, until she passed out.Thirty minutes later, Erik was inside the princess's chambers, watching the doctor as he took care of her.“How is the princess?” He asked.“The princess fainted because of sh
In an unknown location, in the middle of the forest that led to the boundary between Wales and Avalon, a lady was seen tied up on a chair. Her face was covered with a sack, and she kept screaming and pleading for mercy.“Who are you people? What are you doing with me? Why am I here? Please let me go,” she sobbed non-stop.“Don’t you remember what you have done? Why are you feigning ignorance? Do you have dementia? A few hours ago, you attempted to kill the third princess of Wales. Can you recall?” the voice of Kyler pierced through the air.The lady shivered after hearing Kyler’s words. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” she denied. “I am innocent.”“Oh really, you think no one saw you?” Kyler said. “Too bad you weren’t so smart. One of the servants saw you run out of the stables suspiciously.”The lady shivered even more. “I-I made an errand to the stables, that’s why I was there. Please let me go,” she cried out.“Aren’t you afraid of what we can do to you? Are you still lyi
It was early in the morning, the next day. Isabella opened her eyes slowly and looked around. It was still dark outside. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light, when she saw someone sitting by her bedside. She sat up and touched the person, realizing it was Maggie; she shook her and she woke up.“Princess, you are awake!” Maggie said worriedly.“How long was I sleeping?” Isabella asked curiously. Her head was hurting so bad.“Princess, since you lost consciousness after the horseback riding incident yesterday afternoon, you have been sleeping. And last night your temperature was high,” Maggie updated her.“So I had a fever?” Isabella thought within her. No wonder she wasn’t feeling good.Maggie felt her forehead with her hands.“You are still hot, princess,” Maggie exclaimed. “Please lie down and rest for now. I will be here to look after you, so you do not worry. I will get you some ice tea. The doctor said you need plenty of rest to regain your strength,” Maggie said. Isabella no
It was a cool afternoon. Isabella was done with her studies with Erik when Phillips came to visit."Good afternoon, Princess Isabella," Phillips greeted. "Good afternoon, Sir Erik.""Good afternoon, young Lord Phillips," Erik greeted."How are you doing, Phil?" Isabella asked.“I’ve been quite busy in the last few days, my princess. I am sorry I wasn’t able to visit you when you were sick,” Phillips replied.Isabella looked at him smiling. His eyes were really looking tired and saggy.“Oh, do not worry, I am already better,” she assured him.“That is good to hear,” he said.“But you look tired. Did something happen in the last few days that stressed you out?” Isabella was concerned, as she noticed that Phillips had eye bags under his eyes."Phillips is still a young lord, so taking care of the dukedom is still his father’s responsibility, not his," Isabella thought within her.Phillips sighed. “You remember Charles, right? Charles Danbury.”Isabella nodded. “Isn’t he Camila’s suitor,
They all walked towards the garden. Phillips was right beside Isabella, while Maggie and Erik followed behind them. Phillips and Isabella were chatting happily, while Erik sulked with a sour look on his face. Maggie couldn’t help but smile at the observation.“Sir Erik, are you okay?” Maggie asked. She could feel the coldness emanating from Erik.“I’m fine. Why do you ask?” he said with a fake smile.“Well, the princess and Sir Phillips are getting along, and they seem quite happy in each other’s company,” Maggie teased him.“What does that have to do with me?” he asked her.“You also like the princess, don’t you, Sir Erik?” Maggie confronted him.Erik became silent. His coldness turned into a sweet and soft smile. Maggie didn’t need to hear his answer. Erik’s body language said it all.“My princess is still young and naive,” Maggie explained. “She wasn’t given the opportunities a princess deserves, but she has a pure and innocent heart, and that makes her better than her stepsisters.
When they arrived at the garden in Isabella’s courtyard, she felt a little uncomfortable. After the incident with Charles and Camilla, she had avoided the main garden in the palace in order to reduce her chances of stumbling into the queen or her daughters. The table was located in the small gazebo in the garden. When she was about to enter the gazebo, she tripped and was about to fall when someone caught her by the waist.“Are you alright, Princess?” Erik asked.Isabella nodded sweetly, also amazed at his speed.“Thank you, Erik,” she said. “I just feel a bit clumsy.”“It's okay, Princess. It is my job to protect you,” Erik said.“You have fast reflexes, Sir Erik,” Philips said. “I was about to catch you when you did.”“Thank you, Sir Phillips. I was trained since I was young to be a capable knight,” Erik explained.“That is good to hear. I am happy to know that the princess has a very capable knight by her side,” Philips said.The two men were staring daggers at each other.“The tea
It was almost midnight, at the outskirts of the kingdom, lies General Marcus' estate. The general was in his study reading the daily papers for that day. He lamented to himself while reading the papers.“What is the general lamenting about at this time of the night?” a voice came from outside the room.“Who is there?” the general ordered.“Be calm, general, it is I,” the man entered the room slowly. When he neared the lampstand, the general recognized him.“It is you,” he sighed in relief. “What does your Highness, the crown prince of Avalon, want at this time of the night in an old man’s estate?”"What’s wrong with having a chat with an old friend?" Erik smiled. "Your security system is becoming weak by the day. I can come in here and leave as I please, and your guards won’t even know."Erik stopped in front of the General’s desk. Not far from him was Kyler lurking in the shadows.“That’s what you think, Your Highness. They are not weak at all. It’s just that you and your men are skil
General Marcus started to remember the war twenty years ago. Back then, the continent consisted of four kingdoms: Geneva to the north, Avalon to the south, Wales at the center, and Sparta to the far east.“I was just a lieutenant in the Wales army back then when the war broke out,” General Marcus started. “Sparta was the biggest and the most powerful of the four kingdoms back then."“That was what my mother told me too,” Erik corroborated. “She was a Spartan.”“Yes, your mother was a Spartan. Hence, her knowledge of the ancient powers,” General Marcus said. “Spartans were gifted with the use and knowledge of magic. Some people used it for good while others used it for bad."“When the mad king sat in Sparta’s throne, it became worse,” Erik said.“Yes. The Spartan royal family was the most powerful magic users of all. And they had access to forbidden magic,” General Marcus sighed. “The mad king saw that the Spartan kingdom was more superior to others and wanted to rule the whole contine