A long sigh of relief left the two of them who could leave the cursed forest alive, they looked at each other without any feeling of mistrust or annoyance in their eyes, and then unexpectedly out of joy Eleanor bounced at Francis with a bright smile and happily said,
"we did it! yes! we got out of there alive sir Francis".
Holding her in arms, he looked at Her with a surprised expression because of her sudden act 'this woman, she sure is a fearless one' he thought and returned a smile at her making her finally aware of the situation and leaving his grip with a flushed red face. But Francis somehow knew that it was not out of luck that they could leave this cursed forest and looking at Eleanor he was about to ask,
" say how did you know the way ou....!"
Without finishing his question he went tense and quickly put her behind his back and covered her to protect her from the omnious beasts that were coming their way 'wolves and they are big so they must be mutants' that thought went thorough his mind. They were on an empty road so finding help would be hard, Eleanor gripped him firmly after seeing the monstrous wolves and uttered while trembling in fear.
"what are they?..what should we do sir Francis there are four of them here and we are alone. Why are there no one in this road?"
He didn't give any mind to what she was saying and keep on looking at the mutants wolves and in that moment she saw his eyes turning red and the wolves froze in their place. Then in a flash she saw him take them down one by one with his sword, it was impressive. Eleanor clenched her fist so that he wouldn't notice them tremble, 'this guy is really strong but at the same time I feel in him a murderous intent while killing the wolves, like a beast' she thought but quickly shook her head getting aware of the fact that he just saved her.
Francis put down his sword after killing them all, his eyes were still red and he gasped because of the previous injury that was still hurting him. He then directed his red eyes toward Eleanor and thought, 'these wolves, I wonder why they were squattered in this place. It doesn't look normal, it is surely the work of my enemies, smirk! those idiots seem to be getting ahead of themself. Look like I scared her really good now seeing how much she is trembling in fear, heh! I wonder were that fearless personality of her went to, but I can understand it looking at this sight.'
His wound began to reopen since he pushed it too far and after getting aware of his pained expression, Eleanor went toward him and held his arm to support him, forgetting at the same time the fear she got a few minute ago. Worried, she reprimanded him and said,
"I clearly told you to be careful didn't I? look at your wound now it reopened! sigh!....are you okay? you didn't hurt anywhere else right? tell me if you did...I am here...and also..well, thank you for saving me, you were not bad!"
Her speech going softer, she rewarded him with a smile and tended to his injury. Francis was stunned by the rapid change in her behavior. The trembling woman before him who just a moment ago had as he expected the same facial expression that other often showed him while he was in this state, suddenly ran toward him and yelled, got angry and finally smiled while thanking him. He couldn't believe what happened, for this woman to not avert her eyes while seing that massacre or his red eyes and murderous aura, but at her reaction that didn't reject him his expression relaxed and his eyes turned back to normal. He smiled and said,
" You are as loud as ever! be quiet woman... ."
Eleanor continued to bicker at him and finished to treat his injury, and after some times soldiers began to appear on their horses. They spotted the two of them and ran toward them, got on their knees and greeted Francis with respect and relief from seeing him. Francis looked at them with a serious face and asked,
"How is the situation? did everythink go well?"
A man with brown hair and black eyes, with a scar on his left cheek went forward and said,
"Yes, your majesty we secured the situation but because we were looking for you, that man got away...I am really sorry for my carelessness. Please! punish me for my incompetence in failing to accomplish your order and to protect you, your majesty!!"
Francis glared at him, then he approached the man with the scar and after throwing a heavy punch at him he replied,
"That is to be expected since he planned all this but he will not get away with this, look for him and search in every corners of the empire. He must be thinking that I am dead, so we will keep the part of me being alive secret for the time been. That way he will feel at ease and not leave the empire, we will use that opportunity to capture him."
The man that got the punch shuddered from the pain but quickly got up, he understood from experience that this punch was his punishment and bowed to Francis while answering,
"Yes! I will take care of this your majesty. Ah! and we got you a carriage that will take you to the palace immediately, we will escort you! your majesty this way."
Eleanor was amazed by the turn of events, she knew that Francis wasn't a normal man, but she never could have guessed that he would be the man leading the human kingdom. After getting aware of his identity, she knew that she had to quickly flee from this place because she didn't want to be once again in the center of power struggle nor did she want to be in any way connected to those with power.
To know the reason of her disgust toward powerful people like royalty, we will go back to how her unexpected beginning started....
The kingdom of Elheim is a peacefull land, where the elves lives for decades, the kingdom is not like any other place, it is surrounded by mountains and plains filled with flowers. This blessed land is know only by their citizens and is protected by them so that no one would discover it. It is a place made by elves, only for the elves's well being.And Eleanor lived among them since birth, but if the elves lived peacefully with each other that wasn't the case with Eleanor for as long as she could remember, she was not accepted by them because of her origins. Eleanor was born from an elf father and human mother, so it was always difficult for her, to bind with other kids her age. As a child, she could never understand why she was rejected, and since kids always shouted at her that she was weird, she believed that it was her fault all along.Elves hav
Francis was talking to his knight about the preparation for their return to the palace. Eleanor took advantage of that moment to take her stuff and flee.But before she could take a step, she feel a strong hand hold her wrist. Without turning back, she knew to whom that hand belonged."Can you tell us where you are going like that?""For saving me from the wolves..I express my sincere gratitude to his majesty, but do remember that I saved you too in the forest. So please let me go." She said with her back facing Francis."You didn't answer my question.""Sorry but I am not obligated to answer to that, since it doesn't concern you sir Fran...I mean your majesty." She replied while t
The sky became cloudy, it started to rain and there was a lot of thunder. the rumble of the thunder became more intense and it scared Eleanor who closed the window and squeezed tightly her hands on her arms and slightly trembled. Francis noticed and thinking that she was freezing, he handed her his coat. She didn't want to show him her fear of the thunder, so she took his coat in order to make him believe it was out of coldness that she was trembling.They keep on moving forward even in that rain and Eleanor thought that while they were safe in the carriage, the knights outside must have it hard. Being out in the rain and having to support the cold. And while she was thinking about the knight's situation, she suddently saw an image of the carriage being destroyed by a tree struck by the lightning of a thunder. That vision was quick, so she didn't understand what was happening, and holded her head with her hands because of th
It was morning, you could see the first rays of the sun through the window, and hear the singing of little birds. the bed feel really good to Eleanor who wasn't used to this kind of luxurious life, it was smooth like cloud so she wanted to stay in bed longer.But her sweet moment was interrupted by the step of the maids that rushed in to prepare her for breakfast. They took out of the wardrobe a light pink dress with laces around the chest and the waist, it was a simple yet beautiful dress. One of the maid carefully combed her hair and was making a braid, the other maids excitedly decorated her hair with little flowers accessory. As they were busy making Eleanor pretty, they chatted with her and covered her with praise about her beauty and the unique color and softness of her hair.Their eyes was sparking with joy and excitement, so Eleanor was embarassed and befriended them easily. Since she wasn't a noble, she didn't see the need to keep distance with p
In the office, Francis was immersed in his work, organizing all the documents related to the empire's affaire and all kind of requests. Between every documents he signed, he thought about Eleanor's reaction and a smile appeared on his face. He keep thinking that she was an odd one, because for him womans were sophisticated and elegant, in short 'artificial'. It was like they always played a role and were acting every word they were spewing to him. He didn't mind it since he only spent time with them to play around but it irritated him when they were clinging to him. Compared to them Eleanor was different, she was honest and maybe too honest some times. She doesn't know how to hide her feeling. It was a first but he found it adorable that he could read her like a book.Someone knock the office door and after getting Francis's permission to enter, a man appeared. He was radically tall not as much as Francis though, and he had scarlet red hair and clea
Eleanor was peacefully strowling in the imperial garden, while trying to figure out her thoughts. 'If I recall all the events that happened, I can say that I am quite lucky to still breath. And on top of that, I am well treated by them even though I am not their acquaintance, but I can not let my guard down after all he is a royalty.' Eleanor keep thinking while looking at the beautiful flowers for a moment, then while walking and being absent minded she suddenly tripped on something and fell."Ouch!...What the hell was that....ah!" She paintefully uttered after opening her eyes from the fall, and saw herself lying on top of an unknown man.He looked calm, and had a look of someone that was just awakened. His hair was dark and fell on his forehead, and he had intense dark blue eyes. He was handsome but had a kind of a familiar aura around him that keep people at a distance. After staring at her for a while he said,"Do y
"Francis, you are misunderstanding the situation here. I am the one at fault not Lea,....I went too far with the joke, I just wanted to tease you a little, but did you really need to yell at her like that?!" Shouted Alphonse toward Francis who was finishing his fifth glass of wine."This doesn't concern you, and what I told her was the truth, it had nothing to do with your situation in the garden....I don't care about what happened between you.""Are you kidding me?! we all saw that you released your anger on her, because of what I said. Don't try to fool me, I know you better than anyone." Alphonse said, after loosening the tight tie around his neck."So what?! even if you pushed me to my angry state, it doesn't change the fact that I thought every last words I told her.""But why? Lea is a good girl though, and you know that, I saw on your face that you don't hate her.""STOP CALLING H
He pondered for a while in front of her door, then after gathering his thought, he knocked on the door."Yes, come in.""Ah...Sorry to have come unexpectedly....."After entering her room, he was stunned and interrupted what he was about to say. Eleanor was standing absent minded in the terrace with her elbows on the balcony ledge, her hair fluttering in the air and eyes closed.'No wonder his majesty said that she fell from the sky, she look like an angel.' He thought, as his eyes didn't leave her figure in the balcony.The one who answered the door was her maid so he told the maid,"Tell the lady that I would like to have a talk with her, it is about the investigation. I will be waiting in the garden terrace.""Yes Sir, I will tell the miss." Miel replied while bowing her head.Then, Sebastian left
"Hein?! what did you just say? you recently discovered that you were a witch? how is that possible?" Lise had a surprised expression while saying that and looked at Eleanor with her eyes wide from curiosity."Ah well, I cannot tell you all my story but the main point is that, I was in the cursed forest when I meet the emperor and found a book that belonged to a witch. There was many spells and all kinds of things inside. But I could understand what was written in the book and when I tried to read aloud a spell, it immediately worked. Thanks to that, we were able to escape the forest safely.""The cursed forest.....So, that's were you found out about you been a witch?! is that it?" Lise looked absent minded while saying those words as if her mind was elsewhere."Yes, why do you ask?"When Eleanor asked that question, Lise snapped out of her thoughts and answered,"Well, that is because of my reason for being her...Also, can you tell me the spell you used to get out of the forest? Becau
If someone asked if there was a way to escape the imperial palace's heavily guarded jail, then the answer will obviously be negative. Each cell in the basement of the imperial palace was designed to be unbreakable and without a way out. In addition to that, they made sure that it was guarded by a lot of knights night and day when there was a criminal locked up. It wasn't common to see someone locked inside the prison of the imperal palace, because the empire already had a big jail used to imprison all kind of criminals. Only the most evil one or those who attempted to assassinate the imperial family were locked in the imperial jail until the execution day. And of course, without fail, all the people residing in the imperial palace knew that every person that stepped their foots on the imperial jail would undeniably die by the next few days. That's why the palace was noisy from all the workers gossiping about the fact that the young woman named Eleanor, who was treated like a princess
Escorted by Val and Sebastian, Eleanor didn't feel like a criminal because despite knowing her identity they treated her Kindly, contrary to how they treated the witch locked in the basement. As soon as they left Francis's office, she saw Miel worried sick with a face full of tears.With a faint smile, Eleanor thought that she was truly kind to still worry about her even though she heard the fact that she was a witch.'She must have overheard the conversation but still she is worrying about me and crying for my sake. You are the first human that I thought of as a friend.' She looked at her and took her hand before saying,"Miel, you don't need to worry, I am okay.....everything will be fine. You know, after I came here I always felt out of place and I worried that I wouldn't be able to get used to this place....But thank to you Miel and Elise and Anne, though short I liked my stay here. For that I want to thank you since
At that moment Eleanor felt a great loss, something inside her broke. It wasn't like she felt all that because of the witch's sad fate but because of the fact that she saw herself in her place. She imagined how they would look at her,....how he would look at her if he knew her identity.The simple thought of seeing him reject her or condemn her, hurt her more than she could fantom. But despite her fear, she believed that something must be done in order to save an innocent life. She looked at him for what seemed like an eternity and thougth,'Do you have to go this far?....must it end up like this? I don't want to make thing hard for you, I get what you must have went through. That's why I wouldn't mind it if you cursed at me for the things I am gonna do. It is okay, I am willing to be the bad guy here...maybe one day you will understand what I meant while doing this.'Thinking that the meeting ended Sebastian and Val were
Eleanor couldn't read in Francis's mind, he was indecipherable and his expression didn't show his inner thought. So, she was worried that behind those cold eyes, an inreversible decision may be pronounced and change the course of fate. She prayed deep inside that he would resolve the matter without killing anyone.'Please Francis! don't take that path, it will only end up hurting others and you too...' she tried to forward him those thoughts while looking at him with a sad expression. She couldn't understand his hatred toward witches and wondered why he felt that way toward them.Then suddenly, she saw an image of a young boy who looked like Francis standing at the same place she stood, looking at a man sitting on Francis's office. As she looked at the young boy that was nearly 12 year old, she reconized the familiar golden eyes and dark blue hair. He was looking firmly at the man behind the office desk, standing straigh like a soldier.
He looked at her sharply as he asked her that question. She didn't react to it because she knew that Francis and his closest friends were all smart enough to figure out the tiniest change in her expression. Hence, with a calm tone she answered,"Back then, my grand mother told me all kinds of stories..." Before she could finish, Valeria burst in laughter and said mockingly,"Pfff!Haha! Are you saying that you were telling us child's stories, right now?!This is ridicilous, you are wasting our times""Well, I don't really care about your time miss, but if you could refrain from interrupting me, that would be helpful." At her reply, Alphonse and Sebastian were having a hard time hidding their laughter, it infuriated Valeria who felt mocked."Whaa?!.." Before she could retort Eleanor continued,"She once got a gift by a wandering traveler, it was a book about the witches. I love reading a lot so my gran
Francis turned his gaze toward Eleanor with an indifferent expression and asked her with a cold tone,"And why do you think that my decision is too much?!"She didn't seem fazed on the outside but on the inside, her heart was bitting faster with every breath she took. She was scared of being discovered but she couldn't bear to stay still while a poor innocent girl was going to be executed. So, she decided to talk back even though her heart expressed anxiousness and fear."Because I believe that she doesn't deserve to die just for entering the palace....it is too much of a punishment."He didn't move his golden eyes away from her and replied after looking at her for a moment,"I am not killing her for trespassing, that is just an excuse..." Before he could finish, her face became pale and stunned she said with a voice full of anger,"Then why?! why are you deciding to kil
Alphonse took Eleanor to the imperial library since he knew that she loved to read, he guessed that it would help her forget all the bad event that happened. And to his delight she had glithering wide eyes at the sight of the enormous library. She looked around excited like a little girl and occasionally looked back at him like a kid making sure with his parents, that he was allowed to play with a toy.He thought that she was cute and showed her all kind of history books about the three kingdom and those beyong the ocean. They enjoyed their time but once in a while Alphonse was absentminded, felling bitter about the situation that happened at town and also most of all about his brother's attitude toward her.He understood that Francis was getting attached to her and he feared that it would hurt Eleanor at some point, he wanted to avoid that by all mean. The butler interrupted them and fowarded the emperor's order to come for a meet
After taking a bath, Eleanor felt a lot better and less nervious. She wore the dress that Miel choose for her, a beautiful light blue lace dress. She looked stunning on that dress that aristocratic women often deem as too simple for their taste. They loved the extravagant and gorgeous kind of dresses to look more astonishing and imposing. But Eleanor looked pretty and elegant on it, the light blue color of the dress went well with her sky blue eyes. At lunch, in the dining hall, those who came to see her along with Francis earlier were all present aside from Cain who had a lot of work.There was an open sit beside Francis on his right side, she thought that it was too close to him and would rather sit beside sir Val, further from the emperor. But unfortunately, Francis's intense gaze didn't let her have the choice, so she obediently sat on her place. While eating her meal she didn't look toward Francis even once, and he on the other hand occasionaly glanced at her.