Chapter 3 - The West

NORA

We had the whole plan. Lana would go into hiding with her new mate like she always wanted. And I would go to the castle in her place.

 

She accompanied me until her father saw both of us leave into the royal carriage sent to me. In the middle of the way to the West, Lana got down and disappeared with her lover.

I was left alone, sitting in the carriage, seeing the familiar scenery passing by me.

“ Is it necessary for me to travel in a carriage? ” I sighed, slumping into the uncomfortable seat of the moving box.

“ Yes, Lady Lana. ” A young guard answered from outside.

I jerked forward and slid the window away. He was the first guard to answer me from the small Army of twelve warriors walking beside and behind the carriage.

“ Why is it necessary? ” I asked. “ We can move faster if we all shift, you know. ”

His magenta-colored eyes met mine as a look of confusion crossed his expression. “ You don’t know, my Lady? ” 

“ Know what? ” I lowered my voice while scanning the other eleven guards.

“ You have to be presented in front of His Majesty right after you get there. ” He informed.

“ His Majesty? ” I scrunched my nose. “ Who? ”

His eyes widened slightly. The other few guards glanced our way as the carriage kept moving.

“ Alpha King of the West. ” He answered after a suspense-filled pause.

He was talking about Striker Skoldolfr—the Obsidian-eyed, scarred King.

“ Oh. ” I nod my head. “ I am nervous. That’s why I am forgetting things. ”

I didn’t know they called their Kings like this even at this age. His Majesty. Your Highness.

I chuckled loudly, earning a few more stares. The booming noise resonated all around, probably scaring other animals in the forest.

“ By the way...what’s your name? ” I asked the young boy who looked barely my age.

“ Der— ”

“ We are not allowed to exchange names, My Lady. ” An old voice interrupted him.

“ Why? ” I clung to the small window and leaned forward on my stomach to glance at the older soldier whose face was hidden behind the edge of the carriage.

“ That’s a rule. We don’t exchange names with the royals. ” He grumped.

“ Why? ” I bent some more to see him. “ What do I call you if I need something from you? ”

“ Guard. Refer to us as guards. We are here to protect you, My Lady. ” He answered, stiffly.

Rolling my eyes, I wondered what went up his behind to have him so on the edge and closed off.

“ So, what’s your name? ” I chimed to the boy who looked a little nervous. “ Der. What? ”

He stayed silent and straightened up to look ahead. We continued to move. Silence fell between us all.

This was so annoying. I didn’t like this silence.

“ Deran? ” I wondered aloud.

The boy glanced my way but didn’t look alarmed. That was not his name. Okay.

“ Derby? ” He looked like a Derby.

He shook his head and looked away. The guards only witnessed our exchange and said nothing.

“ Derek? ” I sighed, ready to give up.

His head whipped in my direction as his body stiffened. I let out a scary laugh again and reached out to his shoulder to slap it.

“ Derek. See I guessed it right. ”

He didn’t get the time to dodge the friendly slap to his shoulder. I smiled as I pulled my hand back to myself after delivering the gesture.

All of a sudden, I recalled what he was telling me previously.

“ Even if I have to meet the King right away, why can’t we just shift and reach our destination fast? ” I asked.

“ Running all the way to the West will make you tired. ” He looked at me and sighed. “ You can’t be tired when you meet him, my Lady. ”

“ Why can’t I be tired? ” I pouted, not understanding a thing about this.

“ You... ” He blinked. “ can’t be tired. You have to meet him. ”

I don’t know why everyone looked so alarmed out of nowhere. Every single guard I looked at had his eyes pinned somewhere else awkwardly.

“ It’s not like I have to do some physical labor when I meet him. I can just go say a quick hi and retire to my room. ” I tapped my chin with my forefinger.

 

Derek cast me a scared glance and it clicked in my head. A bucket of cold water slammed right into my head. “ Oh. ”

 

He nodded his head.

 

“ Oh. ” I screamed and slid the small window shut.

 

Oh, the ultimate Devil! Shit. I wanted to die right this time. I have lived long enough to embarrass myself for the rest of eternity.

Meet him? I placed my hands over my face and hit the back of my head against the wooden wall, screaming and frightening everyone.

‘ We are having moodie woodie night with him. That’s why we can’t be tired. He is a Lycan. We will be dead if we are already tired before the stupid encounter with him. ’ Zoey whispered.

I screamed once more and threw myself on the floor. I just...kind of wanted to disappear. But I was only embarrassing myself more by shrieking like a pregnant whale.

I huffed and pushed my hair aside before sliding the window open and looking at Derek. He grimaced, perhaps terrified of my hair nest.

“ How long? ” I asked.

“ I don’t understand your question, my Lady. ”

“ How long till we get there? ” I groaned.

“ Seven or eight hours minimum. ” The old man replied instead of the boy.

Glaring at him, I slid the window shut and plopped down onto the uncomfortable seat again.

I would cut off his little thing if he tried to do anything to me.

But, okay. Let’s see if that thing is little or not first.

******

******

I stayed awake. For a very long time. And stared at the wooden walls.

My back and pelvis were about to fall off after sitting for so long. I barely ever traveled anywhere, that too on a wooden box. This ride was enough to traumatize me for a lifetime, for what it was worth.

I didn’t know when I slipped into La La Land and dreamt about the Gold again.

I only woke up when a pair of hands shook me. Quite Violently, if I must add.

I jerked awake and pushed the person away on instinct.

“ My Lady. Thank Goddess, you woke up. ” A woman in her fifties placed her hand over her bugling chest and let out a dramatic sigh of relief.

The world looked foreign. Perhaps, I was dead with the shock of having to do moodie woodie action with the Alpha King of the West.

“ We tried waking you up but you didn’t move so we all got scared. ” Her round magenta eyes settled on me. “ You are late. His Majesty has been waiting for you for some time now. ”

“ I am in the West? ” I questioned and pushed her aside to see my surroundings.

My mouth hung open as I looked at the castle before me. The castle was made of stone. White walled and strong in its appearance. The four high towers around the middle structure stood arrogant and proud.

This was different from the Wolveshire Citadel. It was Euthoria Fortress, after all.

My eyes lowered to the open, high wooden gate of the castle where a lot of women dressed in heavy gowns were lined up.

Confused, I stepped down.

“ My Lady. ” The woman gasped behind me.

Before I could comprehend what she wanted to say, I slipped from the little stair of the wooden box they all called a carriage and faceplanted myself on the muddy ground.