Rhobart looked at the trees and then at the sky. “We need to leave. It will take us at least four hours to reach the next camp, and there are only three hours of light left,” he said before getting on top of his horse. Ayla nodded as she glanced at the river for the last time. She had never told Nixx that her father was King Amul, and he had been the first to treat her as if she was... normal and not royalty. He had suspected she was from a rich family, but she always denied it. When she didn’t know how to build a fire or make stew, he did not judge her. With patience, Nixx taught her not only how to make food and start a fire but also how to properly take care of a horse and how to set traps for rabbits. She was grateful for all the things he taught her, and she made a promise to herself that the next time she saw Nixx again, for she truly believed he was still alive, she would let him know how much their friendship meant to her. She made sure that the memories of Nixx were safe i
Ayla tried to aim for his chest, but he was strong and fast. Before she knew it, he had his stick at her neck. “And you are dead,” Rhobart concluded. “Again,” Ayla demanded. Rhobart took a step back. “We should work on your position first.” He moved behind her. “Move your dominant leg out a bit more.” He put his hands on her shoulders, and heat rose to her cheeks. It felt different from when Nixx or Milton touched her. “Next, we will work on your attack,” he said when he was certain she knew the right position for training. They practiced until Ayla got tired, and her muscles felt sore. Rhobart put away the sticks and sat on a log. “Time to sleep,” the King said. “I will stand guard, so you don’t need to worry about wild beasts attacking us.” Ayla put the kettle over the fire. “When you want to sleep, wake me. I will make some tea for you before I retire to my furs,” she said while taking a few leaves out of her messenger bag. She had found some medicinal plants in the foodshe
On the eighth day of traveling, Ayla and Rhobart crossed paths with a traveling merchant. He was heading to the Warrior Clan and other villages with his wagon full of sweets from all seven kingdoms, silks and furs, books, toys, and many other things. Two young men accompanied him. Rhobart made a sign for the merchant to stop. Ayla hadn’t seen a traveling merchant since she was a child. Her mother rarely left the Royal Palace of Myrthana. Traveling merchants would come to the palace at least once a week, and Queen Lavia and Lady Anza often bought expensive clothes or books, and for Ayla, toys or sweets made of marzipan, chocolate, and caramel. Once, when her mother was haggling with the merchant, Ayla went inside his wagon to look at some dresses when she saw an old book on a small table. It told the story of a young woman who ran away from her childhood sweetheart because she thought he was a monster. After hiding from him for many years, they were finally reunited, and Ayla never fo
Long ago, Tree Spirits lived all over the continent. They not only told stories of the first races but also blessed couples with health and prosperity. When the Second War with the Orcs started, the Tree Spirits used their magic to help the humans and other races defeat the Orcs and send them back into the Uncharted Lands. Soon after, the Dark Mages started killing Tree Spirits all over Aylarra until none remained. To hear that at least one was still alive brought great joy to Ayla. “Can I meet him?” she asked. “It’s a her, not a him. If she wants to be seen, then you will see her,” Rhobart said. They walked through a tunnel for about five minutes until they entered a large cave. Ayla stopped in her tracks. She had read about magic caves, but this was the first time she actually saw one. There was no other word to describe it. In the middle of the cave stood the biggest tree Ayla had ever seen. It was so thick that probably twenty men standing in a circle, with their arms outstre
“Could you repeat that?” she asked. “I was wondering if you wanted me to wash your hair.” “But... but my undergarments!” she protested. “You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I don’t need to look at you to wash your hair.” Her heart throbbed with pain. While he was not married, she was sure he had been with women before. Maybe he bathed with them and kissed and cupped their breasts, as she had seen earlier at the hot springs. Did men enjoy touching women like that? Did he? It was none of her business what he did with women or not. Nor did she care. He was a free man to do as he wished. “I would be grateful if you helped me with my hair,” she finally replied. Rhobart moved behind her and rubbed soap on her hair. His big fingers were gentle, and when he massaged her scalp, it felt so good she closed her eyes and moaned. He stilled for a few moments, and Ayla opened her eyes. “Why did you stop?” He resumed his task. “No reason.” She cl
Ayla walked down a stone hallway she did not recognize. Vases with flowers were placed on tables under large windows, and tapestries covered the walls. A few doors were to her right, but none of them caught her attention. It rained heavily outside. It didn’t appear she was in Nordmar, as it never rained in the kingdom of Eternal Winter. At the end of the hallway was a door with a crown crest indicating it was the Royal Bedchamber. She felt the urge to enter and opened the door. The room was beautifully decorated—exotic furs covered the four-poster bed; velvet curtains hung in front of the windows, a jewelry box lay open on the vanity table, bottles with hair oils and brushes were next to it, while a book was opened on a bedroom bench as if someone had just read from it. But what drew Ayla’s attention was the couple in the middle of the room. The woman was heavily pregnant while the man was on his knees in front of her, looking up at her. The storm and the curtains being closed mad
Ayla woke up, her heart still racing in her chest. The dream she had experienced had been so vivid she could still see each detail clearly in her head. Her hands trembled as she looked around the cave. Seeing Rhobart so brutally tortured and killed made her more determined to help him in the upcoming war. And to find Uzriel. Rhobart was near the waterfall, training, his back facing her. He was wearing only a pair of trousers. His muscles flexed, and she bit her bottom lip, her cheeks turning pink. Her heart kept hammering in her chest, but for a different reason. He was bad for her health. Trying to distract herself from the dream and Rhobart, she decided to make breakfast. A basket with fruits was next to the fire pit. Cheese, smoked meat, and bread were in the supplies satchels. The kettle already had water in it, and Ayla put it over the fire to make tea. When she had finished setting up the food on two plates and tea in the cups, she sat on a rock and started eating. She kept t
“I should have asked you before putting the bracelet around your hand. You can take it off,” she said. His eyes found hers. They appeared as cold and full of hate as the day they met in Myrthana. “I should have never brought you here!” he snarled. She felt like he had punched her. “If it is for the bracelet, I assure you I will never—” He didn’t let her finish what she wanted to say. “Because you remind me of things I had and will never have again!” he growled, ripped the flower bracelet, and stormed off. She had hoped they were finally friends but seeing the raw anger and hate in his eyes hurt. He will forever see her as King Amul’s daughter. If not for her father, and maybe if Rhobart and her met under other circumstances, would he have liked her? She picked up the bracelet Rhobart threw on the ground and put it in one of her satchels. Tears prickled her eyes, and she blinked them away. Daya appeared on one of the rocks near the fire pit. “Love is always painful. But after a st
Hi everyoneThe book is not abandoned, neither is the story, but some things are happening with the story, the world.There is another story that comes before Frozen Heart - no need to read, but I am focusing to finish that one first, before I go back to Frozen Heart. Once Wolf Heart is done, I will finish this story as well.I just ask all of you to be a bit patient until I finish what I have planned.I also want to wish everyone a happy new year.you can find me on FB as well - Amy T Stories is my group and I will post news there pretty soon
His long hair was braided, and he wore not only a cloak identical to that of Rhobart—mottled grey, green and brown but also his tunic and trousers had the same colors, making him hard to be seen in the forest.“Who are you, female?” he asked.Rhobart took out his sword and put the tip against the Elf’s neck. “Put the bow down, or else I will remove your head!” Rhobart growled.But the Elf’s eyes were still fixed on Ayla, and he did not appear to have heard Rhobart. Rhobart nicked his skin, a few drops of blood ran down his neck.“Don’t release more arrows!” the Elf yelled, lowering his bow.Two more Elves jumped from the trees—a female and a male, both blondes—landing close to Kerra before moving closer to Rhobart and Ayla. The male had a sword in his right hand, while the female had a whip on her left hip and a short sword on the right one.“She looks identical to you, Taeral,” the female said. “Except for her ears, which are human.” She sniffed the air. “But she is only part human.”
The forest felt so silent Ayla could hear her heart pounding against her ribcage. Rhobart straightened himself in the saddle, his fingers brushing the pommel of his dagger. Ayla reached inside her to that strong spring of magic—her gift from her mother or father, or perhaps both.Kerra sniffed the air, her two tails whipping violently.“We mean you no harm,” Rhobart said, his voice strong. “We are just passing by!”“Where to?” the man asked from a different tree.Ayla wondered when he moved so fast. Or so silently.“Far away from Myrthana. I advise you to do the same!” Rhobart replied.“You lie! I see you wear the cloak of a hunter while the female has a black one, like those used by mercenaries. You had your chance to leave, but I am afraid your time is up,” said the man. Ayla tried to say something, but he went on, “Release the arrows!”Kerra growled and got in an attack position.A few leaves rustled, Ayla put her right hand in the air, and a magic shield appeared around Runner and
“Runner knows you. Trust him and me. Grab the reins,” Rhobart said before handing the reins to Ayla.Rhobart put his left hand under her tunic, his thumb brushed over her peak, while his right hand drew circles on her stomach. “Rho!” Ayla moaned when his hand went down, two fingers slowly circling and pressing her throbbing core. She felt as if she would melt. Pleasure started building in her lower stomach.“Are you wet and ready for me, Ayla?” asked Rho, his voice coated with desire.Oh, she was. Rhobart’s fingers kept moving, and his lips went up and down her neck. Tension kept building inside her body.“Yes,” Ayla forced the word out of her mouth.“Had you been wearing a dress, I would have ripped your undergarments, spun you around, and have you sit on my cock. I would have Runner gallop fast, and I would fuck you until we reached the rebel camp,” Rhobart said into her ear as his fingers moved faster. Rougher.‘Oh, Gods!’ Ayla thought.“Would you like that, t’xoria? To be fucked o
Rhobart looked at Eluvene, his eyes turning cold as the stark winter. “He will never lay another finger on her again! But I need to know everything about King Amul. He is more cunning than I thought.”Eluvene’s green eyes went to Ayla. “King Amul accepted what Ayla refused,” said the Dark Mage, winking at Ayla. “I don’t know much about King Amul. He mostly spoke with King Galian and with my former Master. But since he accepted the Crown of Darkness, he stopped being a normal human.”Rhobart frowned. “What did Ayla refuse and when?”Eluvene shrugged.Between the prophecy, the Seeker, the forgotten book, and the attack on the Fire Monastery, Ayla had forgotten about her vision with Beliar. When she saw that crown on her father’s head, she hadn’t made the connection with the one she was wearing in her vision. “Nothing important,” said Ayla. And it wasn’t. “I chose you back then, and I will choose you always!”Rhobart’s gaze lingered on Ayla for a heartbeat before turning his attention to
Milton returned from the river and grabbed a bowl of porridge. “Rania is a Fire Mage novice, and Sylvar is a Snow Elf. They are n’alxaes, but the twins fucked Rania. I am still wondering how Sylvar permitted you two to live after touching what is his.”“We did not fuck her!” Eude protested.Rhobart snorted. “You only deflowered Rania... as you did with Skurja! Don’t think I forgot about my cousin!”Ayla had missed the bickering between Rhobart and the twins. When she heard the twins and Rhobart fighting for the first time, she was afraid for the twins, but as time passed, she came to understand the brotherly affection Rhobart, Milton, and the Paladins had for each other.“We might have plucked a petal or two, but nothing more!” Hudde said. “And Skurja had many petals gone by the time she was on top of me!”Rhobart folded his arms. “You mean you ripped all of Rania’s petals! And talk about Sjurka like that, and Ayla won’t stop me again from challenging you to a duel!” He looked at the
After Ayla and Rhobart completed their alxa-lotx, when she remembered the prophecy, Milton had been the first to suggest that Fire, Water, and Darkness could refer to mages. Ayla and Rhobart had spent many hours discussing it, trying to understand everything. In the Fire Monastery, when Ayla found the forgotten book, they searched for clues about Uzriel and the prophecy, but the book had yet to reveal all its secrets to her. The forgotten tome was still in her bag, together with Eude’s sketchbook, which she would burn, sketch by sketch, so that Rhobart wouldn’t get any new ideas from it. Or embarrass her with it.In the Black Tower, when Ayla and Godefray gradually started to become friends, they talked about the prophecy. Ayla had hoped the dragons would appear again in her dreams, but the last time she spoke to them had been before the fight with the Seeker. There were many things Ayla still didn’t know and wanted to learn before sailing to Korinus Island.Milton picked up a flat pe
Hudde pointed at the burning tent. “I was in the tent, sleeping with Eude, Hewe, Tizgar, and Gorn. The tent was not big enough for all five of us, and my ass was almost sticking out of it. I could have slept better, but someone refused to let me use his tent. Anyway, I was dreaming about… never mind that, when Milton set it on fire and burned my ass in the process,” he complained while turning around to show Rhobart and Ayla his burned trousers. Ayla covered her mouth and hid a smile while trying to look shocked. “This was my last clean pair too!” Thick smoke was coming from the burned tent, making Ayla’s eyes fill with tears. She flicked her index and middle finger, and a soft breeze swept through the forest, rustling the leaves of the trees, carrying the smell of smoke away from the camp. Ashes jumped on the two remaining tents, and they caught fire. Kerra came out of Rhobart’s tent with a big bone in her mouth. Drax took out a magic rune, and small grey clouds appeared above them,
Rhobart kept walking, and Ayla looked around the forest. While in Nordmar lived many dangerous beasts, Myrthana’s woods were quieter, and the animals were smaller. Even the shadowbeasts were not as aggressive as those that lived in the cold forests of the Northern part of the continent.“Earlier, when I was hunting with Kerra and Gorn, we stumbled upon a small cave. It hasn’t been used by wild creatures for some time, and furs and blankets are inside. Even some wine. I think the lumberjacks used the cave to wash because there’s a small pool inside. Would you want to go there? And while we wash away the dust from our bodies, we can also spend a few quiet moments.”It did not matter if it was only a lonely rock, as long as she was with Rhobart. Ayla nodded against his chest, his scent soothing her. “I don’t know if I told you, but I’ve missed you terribly,” she said as the sun began to set. Rhobart tightened his arms around her. “I was afraid I would never see you again.”“I will never