The old man led Calhoun to the back of his stall, where an empty alleyway stood. It looked like it hadn't been used for years; the walls were moldy, and the air stank of rot. He wondered what poor rodent had died there. The road was narrow and rough, barely enough for him and his horse. They walked deeper into the alleyway, and Calhoun noticed that the path was between two walls. One was just a regular wall used as a means of demarcation, while the other was a huge, tall wall that he immediately assumed encased an expensive building inside. Whoever owned it was probably a warm-hearted person as he allowed people to be selling goods by his wall. They continued their walk for some minutes before reaching the end, stopping before two paths. The right path led to the other end of the enormous building, while the left led to a small forest. The old man started towards the left. Calhoun inwardly sighed. They had just left a forest only to find themselves in another one. He hoped that

Elena made her way to her grandfather's study. After being in the castle for weeks, she could finally navigate her way around it. She arrived at the big mahogany doors and knocked, waiting for permission to come in. "Enter." The king called out almost immediately. Elena slowly opened the door and peeped inside. The king was already facing her. "Elena, come in. We have been waiting for you." Elena looked at her uncle, who had a weird smile as he stood next to the king. She scrunched her brows, curious as she entered the room, closing the door quietly behind her. "Is there a problem?" She asked. "Whatever gave you that idea?" Her grandfather exclaimed as if even the thought of it was evil. She turned to face Wazir. "The way Wazir is looking at me right now." She still hadn't gotten used to calling Wazir her uncle, and when he noticed her discomfort, he told her that she could continue calling him as she had; he didn't mind. Wazir chuckled, walking over

Elena stood by the kingdom gates, waving goodbye to those who had come out to see her. Her grandparents were still in the castle, as it was inconvenient for them to see her out. Her grandmother had cried and hugged her tightly when she was leaving, and she promised her grandmother that she would be back. She also made her grandmother promise to be strong for her and her grandfather. She wanted to come back to a lively castle. Her grandmother had nodded her head, adhering to her wish. Mac and Wazir had followed her and Forest to the kingdom's gates. Forest was adamant about not leaving her alone, and Elena surmised that he was still in trauma from her kidnap incident. Mac was trying so hard to hide his tears, and so Elena promised him to try and create a branch of the Red Queen's restaurant in the kingdom of Tush, making his dreams come to life. Mac immediately brightened and stopped his tearing, enveloping her in a big hug. Wazir also hugged her tightly, which she returned,

The next day came earlier than ought. Barely able to sleep due to how dry the weather had been the previous night, Elena woke up somewhat disgruntled. She stretched herself before rising from the bed, stretching again as her hands lifted, wiping any remaining trace of sleep. She walked to the bathroom in her room adjacent to her bed and freshened up. She looked hale when she stepped out, though traces of tiredness could still be seen on her face. She walked back to her bed and picked up her belongings, then made her way out of the room. Once she made her way to the passage, she was greeted by the scent of a delicious meal. Swallowing her immediate hunger, she made her way to Forest's room, knocking on his door before silently opening it. Forest's bed was empty when she entered, and thinking that he must have made his way downstairs, she started to back out of the room when Forest immediately came out of his bathroom. He was dressed and looked like he had a good night

Elena stood there speechless, not knowing how to approach the situation. Of all the things going on in her head about what would happen to Forest, the one of him being treated like a king wasn't what she thought would happen. She slowly lowered her sword and called out unsurely. "Forest?" Immediately, all eyes in the room turned to where she stood. While Forest's eyes widened when he saw her, the women who surrounded him stood up immediately and drew out their swords. "How did you enter here?" One of them shouted. It turned out that her guess was correct. The kidnappers were women. She looked at all the women facing her like she was some intruder. They had not expected someone to enter in and rob them though they left their doors wide open. Hell, they had even been in the storage room where they kept their stolen riches. Elena also found it funny how they all stood at attention, with their swords drawn to attack while wearing heavy dresses. If they were members o