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A Thorn in Their Side
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2024-10-29 19:42:56It was obvious that Katherine was still unsure, reluctance lingering in the distance between them. Yet the hand on his told bounds about her heart. Despite everything she heard and the outbreak she had before, she wanted to soothe his pain.
A thin smile tugged on Nathaniel's lips, caused to same degrees by gratefulness and self-irony. His white lashes lowered as he wallowed in the warmth of her hand but didn't dare to take it firmly in fright she would pull away.With a sigh, he continued his story. "Another reason why Princess Bellatrix was alive to the day of her assassination, was a considerably strong recovery ability. Not as strong as yours and she couldn't use it on others, but she could not be killed instantly either. As long as she'd have had some seconds of life left in her, she could have destroyed everything in a wide radius around her.""So, what did you do? Sacrifice the assassin?" There was some sorrow for the unknown Princess in Katherine's voice, but mRelated chapters
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Katherine's dreams were bad, and she tossed and turned several times, making it hard for Nathaniel to remain asleep. Around five in the morning, he decided that he'd had enough. Besides, he didn't know what Katherine would think when waking in his arms after all he told her yesterday. It was unavoidable that one would recall the bad news when seeing the messenger who brought them. Though it seemed like she didn't hate him, that didn't mean she was as comfortable around him as she used to.So, he sought out poor Aston to have a refreshening morning duel - or "torture him to death" how his grumpy younger brother called it. The rest of the camp slowly awoke to their clinking of swords from afar.Katherine was not better than anyone else in this aspect. But despite being awake, she laid quietly and unmoving like a corpse. Her violet eyes gazed at the fabric of the tent above, but their lively glitter was gone.What seemed like hours later, she slowly crawled outside and s
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On the next crossroad, the party split. The carriage with the King, his mistress, and son as well as their soldiers and servants turned to the left. Lady Orchid's words of goodbye were heartwarming, and Aston waved until they were out of sight. Only then did Nathaniel and Katherine with their entourage of about a dozen - mostly Jack's guards' team - take the right road in the direction of the border.Compared to their travel to the Capital some weeks ago, the time they would spend to reach their destination would be shortened. On the one hand, this was because they were all on horses now and could take the narrower roads that were impossible for carriages, on the other, there was no patient to take care of. Six days later, Katherine was already used to the harsher living conditions and the fast riding pace all day. She even found one thing she secretly enjoyed very much. It was kind of an unspoken agreement between her and Nathaniel. Since in the evenings she was always very ex
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They spend a few hours just lazing about, chatting, kissing, and cuddling to their heart's content. When the waterfall like a grant prism fractured the rays of the setting sun, they unwillingly packed up the pillows and blanket, and started their decent back to camp. Like a young couple that could never get close enough, their fingers remained intervened, and occasionally grins flashed over their faces when their eyes met. At other times, they would gaze fondly at the other talking, as if in a daze.In the middle of a conversation about sight-seeing spots in Dragsa, Nathaniel suddenly tensed up, pulled Katherine behind him, and warily surveyed the surrounding trees. As his ears picked up the rustle of leaves, his sharp eyes focused on the bushes left of the path."Come on out", he ordered coldly, and his right wandered to the hilt of his sword. Katherine behind him reacted swiftly as well. She drew her dagger and turned to the bushes behind them. With narrowed eyes, she se
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Twenty minutes later, Katherine sat by the roadside dejectedly. Despite the assurance that she was needed for patch up later, she felt useless, and that was not only because she was worse at fighting compared to everyone else. No, what worried her most, was her reaction to the corpses. Even though she'd never seen the aftermath of a battle, she'd seen plenty of wounds, illnesses, and heavy burns. Damn, she'd even seen her parents die with the same eyes that were now pressed shut in anxiety confronted with a few unknown bodies! From her self-reflection, her reaction shouldn't have been this exaggerated. But what came up in her mind again and again were not the corpses actually, but the bloody muzzles of wolfs, and the sight of her own disfigured body. Once, she'd been way worse off than these soldiers. And though she wanted to suppress it, the memory of those few minutes before unconsciousness engulfed her, terrified her ever since. After a while, Dorian lit up a lamp
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Bones slid over a piece of paper. Slowly, mendaciously. The golden fountain pen glittering in the sun left a row of words in a sharp and unforgiving handwriting. The handwriting of one who was once a prince excelling in swordsmanship, his head held high, and arms slung around young women on both sides. Today, he was but a skeleton. Yet even as a skeleton, he had a purpose to fulfil.Under his labor, the letter turned longer and longer, boasting about foreign beauties and swordfights that never occurred. He made it clear that the Icelands would soon be under the control of Falumor. Then he signed under the text and sealed it with his personal seal ring.As he had completed his work, he used a secret passage to return to the dungeon and his eternal slumber. All this while, he didn't spend a glance at the pair sitting on a sofa in the same room, sipping their morning tea silently."It still feels kind of off", the woman said thoughtfully, "If not for Mom telling me about
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Despite all the precaution, Nathaniel and his company never reached the General. When the portcullis of the wall fell shut behind the group of four and their escorts, Nathaniel's suspicion spiked. His eyes grew frighteningly cold and calculating as he inspected the defensive measures of the stone corridor they'd entered.Towards the sky, it was unsealed, more like a street passage with buildings to the sides. Yet, both ends were blocked with portcullises and only one door lead away from it. A door, which he suspected could be barred with iron locks from the other side. There was not one other soldier in sight, not even archers up on the walls to the sides of the stone corridor.Nathaniel's eyes met Sam's shortly. At the same time, all riders halted their horses and began to dismount. Since they were heavily armored, the escorts took a longer time than their four guests."Wait here. The General will come to meet you soon", Marcus Iceflower said, and, without another gl
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Five years later"Your Holiness - Uh, ah, Majesty, I mean!"Leaning on the newly-built rails atop the dome of the palace, with the view of the Capital in the background, Katherine scolded lightly: "Shht, Hazel, she just fell asleep."In her arms rested a baby, maybe a few months old, with a tuft of black hair and fair white skin. If she opened her lids, angelic blue eyes would blink up innocently at the viewer.Hazel's head appeared at the end of the staircase leading to the roof. Apologetically, she bit her lip and whispered. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. A letter arrived from Dragsa, and Prince Patrick hurt his knee while playing. He's on his way here.""Dragsa...," Katherine muttered and stretched out a hand to take it. "I wonder what they want. They were very quiet in the latter years."Lowering her head, she took a glance at the paper. Instantly, her brows furrowed, later followed by a deep sigh. "I almost expected it. What a shame."Her gaze wandered to the west, in the direction of
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