155 Chapter 155 : Ashes
“I.. I can’t do it..” Elric muttered, more to himself than to the woman standing in front of him.
Melissa was still frozen in place and her face was completely flushed. When Elric had pulled her into his embrace she was sure he was going to kiss her, and every fiber of her being screamed at her. But for some reason his lips brushed right passed hers and he ended up kissing her cheek instead. Had he sensed that she didn’t want to kiss him?
“Elric are you-”
“What is going on with us?” He whispered, his hands firmly griping her waist. “I love you Lissa I know I do!” This time his voice rose making the redhead tense up, “I love you, I feel it every time I’m near you but why can’t I...”
The silver haired king relinquished the woman and took a few steps away from her. He looked confused, angry and sad. “This shouldn’t be happening..” he muttered and looked down at the palms of his hands in confusion, “I can’t be losing feelings for you that’s impossible. I can’t, you’re my wife, my queen..”
Melissa cautiously closed the gap between her and the mumbling man and reached out to him. She was a little worried about the way he was acting right now, he looked like he was about to snap. “Elric-”
“I did all of this for you!” The man roared making Melissa retract her hand. “Everything! I conquered the humans to make you queen, I waged war against the elves to get you back! So then why!” He grabbed Melissa’s shoulders and shook her violently, “why is this happening?! What did that bastard elf do to me?! Is this sorcery?! Tell me!”
The king saw a tear escape the woman’s eye and he immediately let her go. What the hell was he doing? Was he insane? He was scaring the only women he’d ever loved. “Lissa I-”
Melissa took a step back and shuddered. The fear on her face broke the lycan king’s heart into a million pieces. “Lissa I am so sorry..” he whispered as he attempted to inch closer to her, “I’m sorry, please.”
.....
He reached for her and pulled her into his embrace. There it was again, that warm feeling of love, protectiveness and longing he felt whenever he held her close. But why did he now only feel it when she was in his embrace? This was so strange. “I’m sorry I scared you Lissa,” he spoke as he stroked the hair of the woman who was as still as a statue in his arms, “I’m just so confused.”
He lossened his grip and planted a kiss on her forehead before turning away and walking out of the library. Elric needed some time to himself, to think and figure out what the hell was going on.
Melissa stood there stunned as she watched the man leave the room, she was probably more confused than he was. One minute he is holding her and caressing her, the next yelling at her, and the next back to holding her again. And what was all this he was going on about his feelings? Was the king perhaps going mad.
The blue eyed woman brought her hands to her chest and sighed, “Gareth,” she whispered, “I don’t think I can live like this for long. I miss you terribly my love.”
*
Prince Gareth sneezed for the third time and this time, instead of blessing him, Finwe arched a brow at his brother. “It’s either someone is talking about you or you’re coming down with something.”
“I hope it’s the former,” the dark haired prince responded, “I can’t afford to be sick right now.”
The caravan that now consisted of a little over five hundred men, dwarves and elves alike, had been on the road for three days now. It would take them about another week and a half to finally reach Gavaria.
“A wizard would have been a big help right now,” Ivan complained, “would have just teleported us, or portaled us, or whatever it is that wizards do to zap people from one place to another, so we wouldn’t have to move so far.”
“Even the best wizards wouldn’t be able to portal a group of five hundred men,” Finwe commented, “if that was possible, warfare would have been quite boring don’t you think? The journey is what whirls you up so you’re too fatigued to feel guilty about slicing a man’s throat.”
The smirk on Finwe’s face made Ivan flinch, this man had a dark sense of humor that scared him sometimes. Must have taken more after his mother.
“So what exactly is your plan when you reach Gavaria boy?” Dvalin asked Gareth, “are you just going to apologize to ol’ mommy and daddy and expect them to give you control of the army?”
“Goodness your majesty how did you know,” Gareth responded sarcastically.
Gareth’s plan infact was a lot closer to exactly what king Dvalin was saying. He was hoping he could make amends to his father and seek his help, and hopefully with him by his side, they could try and work together and shift the massses to their side. If they could convince the people of Gavaria that prince Gareth was a much better ruler than Elric, their job would be made a lot easier.
Gareth honestly felt a little nervous about returning to Gavaria and that was no secret. The way he had left last time was very.. well unconventional, for lack of better terms. He hopped that his parents would find it in their hearts to forgive him.
“Stand clear there’s something up ahead!” Zander announced to the group.
Gareth awoke from his trance and looked up ahead. From afar it seemed that they were approaching a barren piece of land that had hundreds of dark figures standing and waiting for them. What in the world was that?
As they inched closer, Gareth’s eyes widened. The barren land was littered with ashes, soot and traces of darkened bones and burned up carcasses of small animals. And the dark fingers he had seen from afar, they were burnt trees, hundreds of them as far as the eye could see.
“Good gods..” Dvalin mumbled in shock as he dismounted his horse and inched towards the burnt up waste lands. “Are these...”
“Yes,” Zander responded as he walked towards the sad site, “these are.. or should I say ‘were’ the wandering woods. King Elric set them alight and burned them to the ground when he attacked Ervelon.”
“And this is the maniac you want to go up against?!” Dvalin asked prince Gareth, “this man who burns an entire magical grove of trees for a woman?”
“He’s nothing but a savage,” Gareth replied looking unmoved by what Dvalin was saying, “I have no reason to fear him.”
“This right here is reason enough!” Dvalin spoke and hopped back onto his steed.
“Let’s keep moving!” Zander called out, “watch your step! The ground may still be hot.”
Forget the heat, the place was like a grave site. The men could barely move a few meters without coming across some carcass of a burnt up animal or a scorched corpse.
“Are those people?” Beric questioned as he covered his nose trying not to inhale the stench of smoke and burning flesh.
“Maybe some of Elric’s men?” Roland added on. He grimaced when he saw a blackened body that resembled one of a woman. “Or maybe not..”
“Must have been some of the people who had been lost in the wondering woods,” Zander explained, “they probably got caught up in the fire.”
Gareth furrowed his brows. Elric had done all of this, it took a real mad man to think of burning the wandering woods. And that was the man he had allowed to take Melissa?! In her state?! Gareth’s chest tightened and so did the hold on the reins of his horse.
“Brother, are you alright?” Finwe asked the man who he noticed had tensed up.
“It’s nothing,” Gareth responded, “we just need to get to Melissa as quickly as possible.”
*
Theodora lowered her hand from her forehead and turned to look at the handsome red haired man. “They are close,” she spoke, “they are crossing the wandering woods as we speak. I assume they will be here in less than five days.”
“Will that give you enough time to prepare?” Aiden asked the woman.
Theodora smiled and inched closer to Aiden. She trailed her finger up the buttons of his shirt and looked at him seductively, “i play around with you Aiden, but I don’t play around with my magic.”
Aiden did not react to her touch as usual, and with a straight face she grabbed Theodora’s hand and placed it on her own chest. “Then get to it,” he instructed her, “we have no time to play your little games.”
The woman blew Aiden a kiss and turned around to go do as she was told. What the man had asked of her was a first, but she knew she could do it. This was a chance to impress Aiden and prove that she was useful to him. She just prayed and hoped that she wouldn’t get carried away and have everyone, including Aiden and her, killed.
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