By the time Xenia woke up, she had already been moved from the inn to a carriage. She could still feel the excruciating pain and soreness all over her body – every part of her body ached severely from its previous ordeal.
Feeling herself, she moved and tried to sit up, only for a woman to hold her still. She frowned at the stranger.
She was pretty sure that this was her first time seeing the woman. A little while ago, it had been a man who was holding her. But now it was a woman? The rapid change in her situation was starting to confuse her.
“Don’t move just yet, or the wounds will open up again,” the woman hushed in her soft voice.
“Where are we going?” Xenia asked weakly. She was feeling nauseous, probably because of the smell of incense that was suffused throughout the carriage. She could tell that it held a mixture of some herbs and aromatics.
“Don’t talk too much. Rest first,” the woman with the beautiful and pleasing smile insisted. “The scent will help you relax. Just lie down.”
Xenia obeyed, comfortably laying back down as guided by the woman.
“What’s your name?” the woman asked.
“I’m Xen, and you?” she answered with a faint smile.
“I’m Tarah, and I am a healer,” the woman answered.
Xenia’s eyelids were getting heavier as she asked, “Where are we going?”
“We are at the mercy of His Majesty, King Darius of the Kingdom of Cordon. He is the one who saved you,” the healer explained. “We are on our way to his castle right now.”
Xenia felt her mind whir at the information she just received. ‘The man who saved me was King Darius of the Kingdom of Cordon? The Werewolf King?!’ she thought before she lost consciousness once again, drifting back to sleep.
*****
After what felt like centuries, Xenia opened her eyes again, observing the ceiling and walls that now surrounded her.
She woke up in a comfortable bed inside a spacious chamber, realizing she wasn’t alone, she looked around her to find the people who she had traveled with and saved.
“She’s awake!” one of the kids waiting for her to wake up shouted.
Xenia raised her body and comfortably leaned her back on the headboard of the bed.
Looking down, her eyes widened in shock. She was all cleaned up and dressed in comfortable, new clothes. She then quickly turned her head in terror, wondering who had changed her clothes. Had she slept so deeply that she couldn’t even tell that someone had already touched her and changed her clothes?
No one can find out that she was Princess Xenia, the eldest Princess of the Kingdom of Ebodia, the princess who ran away from marrying the Vampire King.
She was masquerading as a lad in an effort to keep her anonymity when she ran away from her own kingdom. And as a result, she now had to keep up the act for her safety.
“Finally, you’re awake. I was the one who changed your clothes, so don’t worry too much. Your secret is safe with me,” Tarah said with a reassuring smile after she dismissed the kids and women hovering around Xenia that were thanking her for saving them.
Xenia wanted to ask her how long she had slept, but that seemed vastly inferior to her current problem, which was her secret being exposed.
“Don’t worry, no one knows about your identity except for me. I understand why you have to disguise yourself,” Tarah added, seeing how Xen bit her lower lip.
Astounded, Xenia whispered, “Huh? You do?”
Tarah nodded as she continued, “I know you from before… I mean… I’ve seen you before.” The healer stopped mid-sentence and looked around cautiously. Upon confirming that the others were busy with their work and were enough distance away from them, she continued, “…in my dreams. I also saw what could happe-”
“You’re a Seer!” Xenia whispered, cutting the woman off as she wasn’t fond of hearing her future from Seers.
According to Beirut, one of the most trusted Seers in their kingdom, Seers had special abilities that enabled them to see the future, either through their dreams and through other means, depending on the Seer.
Seers had been aiding their kingdom for a long time now, and Ebodia would not have reached the point where it was right now without their help.
“Hmm, I’m a healer, but lately I’ve been seeing a lot of things in my dreams. Not just in dreams, but…” Tarah paused before she continued, “I’m honestly not used to seeing things in those dreams, let alone understanding them. But they’re giving me clues about which path to take as I move forward. So when His Majesty brought you to the village, I had honestly seen it coming. I knew that I should help you while I’m still here with you.”
The healer reassuringly nodded. “Trust me. Although, I have to say that I will not stay here for long as I must continue my journey and follow my gift of sight.”
A terse silence followed, and the two women soaked in the peace surrounding them.
“Your disguise… Do you plan to continue it here?” Tarah asked, breaking the silence.
“Yes. I don’t want anyone to know about my identity, so I plan to stay like this in everyone’s eyes,” Xenia confirmed. She was a master at disguising herself. She was good enough that no one would suspect her unless, of course, someone saw her naked.
Currently, the layers of her clothes were thick enough to hide her bosom, which she had tightly bound to make it look flatter than it actually was. She also wore a wig to hide her long black hair, and she used her naturally deep voice to help her keep up her act of masculinity.
After all, disguising was a part of her training in their kingdom, apart from learning some magic and improving her fighting skills.
Suddenly, the door swung open, startling everyone inside the room. Upon seeing who it was, everyone quickly bowed their heads and kneeled except for one.
The man stood in the doorway. He wore his black onyx crown. His eyes moved across everyone in the chamber.
Eventually, his eyes met Xenia’s. He stood there as he continued to stare at her as if carefully analyzing her every move. She didn’t know why, but she felt something strange wash over her. She then noticed his face frown and darken at the same time.
‘Is he displeased about something?’ she wondered.
She suddenly cursed herself, thinking that she had offended him by being the only one not bowing her head and kneeling in front of him. Not only that, but she also dared to meet his gaze with her chin up.
After realizing her mistake, she immediately followed the rest. She wasn’t used to it in virtue of being a princess, but she could easily keep up the act of humility.
“Rise,” his voice commanded, his tone full of power.
Everyone’s eyes turned to him at his command. Xenia unconsciously stared at him. Immediately, she thought that the man looked too young to be a king.
He looked nothing like she previously imagined the infamous King Darius of the Kingdom of Cordon would look.
She recalled some of her kingdom’s soldiers talking about him and mentioning how much they feared him. One of them even said that the Werewolf King was so scary that some enemies would admit defeat and run away just after seeing him.
As such, she expected someone who looked physically frightening to be the self-same king. But they were so wrong! It was the first time that her jaw dropped just looking at the beautiful sight of a man. She blinked several times, making sure that her eyesight wasn’t failing her at that moment.
It was just impossible. Why did this man have a face that could make any woman drool by just looking at him?