The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Forty Five

Elena looked at the visitor who had decided to join their lessons. She had seen the female several times, but not too much that she couldn't count. Usually, the woman was always in the living room reading a book or in the kitchen assisting Old Porv. She also talked with Calhoun's men, as noticed on different occasions. Something about her put Elena's danger signal on high alarm. Her instincts had never been wrong before, wondering why someone so innocent looking like the female would be dangerous.

Firoza, as called by the old man, was her name. Having hair as dark as coal and eyes as

black as night, she carried an air of innocence so pure, one would feel bad about standing next to her out of fear of tainting her. She had a willow shape, but it didn't hide the curve of her hips and her full chest. Where Elena was light-skinned, she was darker, as if she had been scrubbed with bronze. Her face though sweet, carried an air of mysteriousness, and another thing that Elena noticed, was the possessive look that crossed her face whenever she looked at Calhoun. She looked at the said man, who was busy studying his hands then facing the girl who adored him. "Wow, Firoza, why do you suddenly want to know how to fight?" The old man asked

confusion etched on his face.

"Well, I heard that you and Calhoun were carrying out sword fighting lessons, and I

decided to join in- if you would accept me, of course- especially after what happened at my hometown." She faced Calhoun when she mentioned that part, and Elena turned to him too, confused at his hardened expression.

What had happened in her hometown?

"Well, I don't know how we can go about it, since Elena here has gone a long way. Do

you have any prior knowledge of sword fighting?"

"No." She said, bowing her head. The old man genuinely took her plea to heart, as

expressed by how he scrunched his face and started thinking.

"Well then, Calhoun, what do you think of teaching Firoza the art of sword fighting?"

At that, Firoza rose her head, happiness and longing shining through her eyes. Apart from

that, she remained silent, although her body also exuded the air of eagerness.

Calhoun turned to look at Elena and gave her a questioning glance, which confused her.

Is he asking me for permission?

She simply raised her hands and shrugged, not understanding what he wanted to tell her. Calhoun sighed, dragging his hands down his face.

"Okay then, I'll teach you." He replied finally.

"Oh! Thank you so much!" Firoza exclaimed, jumping excitedly. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow," Calhoun answered. "I need to finish my training with Elena," Calhoun said,

facing her. At that, Firoza turned to face her as well. Elena could have sworn that Firoza looked

at her with contempt, but it had gone just as fast as the look had come. She blinked, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her.

"Hello," Firoza greeted her with a wave. "I'm Firoza. You are Elena, right?" She asked,

her smile as bright as the sun.

Elena's alarm rang louder.

"Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you."

"And you too." She said, her voice laced with mysteriousness. They both stood there,

looking at each other, not noticing how silent the environment had become.

Finally, the old man broke the heavy silence. "I guess that settles it then. I'll teach Elena,

while Calhoun would teach Firoza." Calhoun frowned as if he had just been taught something ugly.

"I want to continue my training." Elena declared.

"Oh, oh sure!" The old man replied, clapping his hands as he faced her. "Let's start over again."

Calhoun turned to face her, already balanced as he took his position, ready to instruct her

and forgetting the new student he had just gained. Elena turned back to look at Firoza, only to see her smiling hugely while her eyes screamed malice as she faced Elena.

And this time, she wasn't mistaken.

The kingdom of Neba.

The King's Castle...

The king stood next to his son by his bed, his wife occupying the other as she spoons fed Wazir. No matter what attitude he portrayed, he was immensely grateful to the heavens for sparing his son. If not for Darukï, he wasn't sure his son would be alive then. With just a few external injuries and so many internal ones, he was surprised at how fast his son could bounce back.

"Open your mouth." The queen called out, holding another spoonful of food towards Wazir's mouth.

"Mother, how many times do I have to tell you?! It's these things that you do which

makes me unable to marry." He said even as he reached forward with his mouth and swallowed the said food.

"Well, until you grow up, I would save you from this disastrous embarrassment. Now open wide." She said, bringing another spoonful of food towards Wazir's mouth. With a heavy sigh, he reached forward and swallowed the food again. Their childish banter continued again, but the king just shook his head, gazing at them with contentment. After his daughter's death, he had made it his goal to destroy whosoever would attack his family. And now that Elena had joined his fold, she had become one under his protection. But she wished to grow stronger by herself, and he aided her. But now, after receiving a particular piece of news, he was beginning to feel like that decision was a bad one. He waited till his wife fed Wazir until he was full and watched as she took the bowl she fed him with and walked out, two maids flanking by her sides. They shut the door to Wazir's room with a soft click, causing the room to be enveloped in silence.

Wazir turned to look at his father, studying his face.

"What troubles you? And I know it's not my wounds that cause it. You have cried enough these past a few days already."

"I did not! You're a man, you're not dead. How would I cry over you?"

"Are you sure?" Wazir asked, his eyes glinting with mirth.

"Yes, I am. You probably heard your mother, not me." The king replied, nodding to avoid looking at him. At that, Wazir smiled.

"But something does ail me." The king said, changing the subject.

"And what is that?"

The king stood up and started pacing, too hyped to continue sitting down, especially with the news he was about to share.

"The kingdom of Tush is under attack. So far they haven't reached the Northern kingdom, but my sources tell me that it would take just a few weeks for them to reach there. I'm worried for Elena." He paused his walk and turned to face Wazir.

"Do you think that I should send a message for her to leave? She still has a few weeks left

in her training and according to the letter sent by Old man Porv, she is an excellent student, learning at a very fast pace. I would feel sad if she suddenly stopped, so I started thinking if I could bring her and the old man over to this kingdom. What do you think?"

"You should leave her just where she is," Wazir replied blatantly.

The king immediately dragged his chair closer to Wazir's bed and sat down, leaning forward.

"Did you have a vision?" The king asked. At that, Wazir nodded.

"A lot of hardship would be on our bay girl's path. If she continues on it, her future is

great, very great. All I can tell you is to leave her with her fate, and she would become one of the most powerful people alive."

At that revelation, the king's hope and pride rose. He, being related to someone powerful,

was something he was sure to boast about till the end of time. He smiled hugely, not able to contain his happiness.

"Well then, may the heavens guide her journey." Wazir smiled at that, happy that he could calm his father with this small piece of news. It was better than telling him that his granddaughter's path was filled with bloodshed.

The Northern part of the Kingdom of Tush...

A few weeks had passed since Elena stayed at the Old man's cabin. Soon, it would reach the end of the month, and she would have to return to Neba. So far, she had accomplished so much. She had reconstructed a new branch of the Red Queen, putting the old man in charge. He, in turn, had hired people who he swore were trustworthy, and she had taught them how to cook the Red Queen's unique and original dishes. She never taught them how to prepare the secret ingredient, though. That one would remain a secret she would take to the grave. It was something she created, and she didn't like the idea of it being made common. Telling someone else would make it lose its specialty.

She made the restaurant have the same layout as the one back at Neba, offering rooms for customers and VIPs and creating a special corner for the workers to sleep in. Using the same strategy she used to bring customers to the Red Queen at Neba, she also brought in Customers in this town. People swarmed into her restaurant like flies, even her competitors, who were hoping to taste her food again and find out what she used to cook it. So many attempts have been made to steal her recipes; by bribing the cooks and the waiters. But just as the old man had declared, the people he hired were loyal to the end. She wondered what caused his unwavering trust in them.

When she wasn't at the restaurant, she was back home in her garden, training. She knew

that she had improved immensely, and one day, she was even able to end her fight with Elion in

a tie. The old man and Calhoun had praised her immense growth. Speaking of Calhoun, they had gotten so much closer. Whenever Calhoun was done teaching his student- he always taught Elena first before he taught Firoza- he came back to her house and joined them for dinner. Along with Calhoun, she and her crew all ate and made jest of each other. But when they were done, and the rest had retired, she and Calhoun always remained, at times settling outside the house where they could see the stars and talk. Calhoun told her of his family. Of how wonderful yet strict they are. He spoke of how he had to undergo several harsh pieces of training to grow into a warrior, especially as he was the firstborn son. He spoke of his mother and father. He spoke of how he wished he had siblings and that being an only child, it was hard making friends, especially since his father was in charge of where he stayed.

He admitted that it was his secret desire and that she shouldn't tell anyone else he would deny her. At that, she laughed. Even though they had just known each other for a few weeks, Elena couldn't deny that she liked Calhoun. And she was sure that he wanted her too. She had noticed how his eyes sought her out when they weren't together. He barely stayed at his part of the house, always opting to be next to her when he wasn't busy. She had noticed the flash of jealousy that passed through his eyes when Forest had tried to peck her. Ever since that day, she avoided Forest's peck when he was in front of Calhoun. Forest had confronted her about it one day, and she couldn't lie to him since he was her closest friend. And so she told Forest of her suspicions. Forest had laughed, saying he had noticed the spark between them and Calhoun's jealous look, especially as he tries to decide between killing him and letting him go for her sake. Elena had blushed, not knowing that their sparks were that heated.

As she watched Calhoun speak in the night, she couldn't help but notice how handsome

he was again, something she saw every night. As if feeling her intense stare, Calhoun turned to

face her. She quickly removed her face, her face turning crimson.

"Elena," Calhoun called out softly. She turned slowly to face him.

"Yeah?"

"I have a confession." He said. He looked at her, his eyes mixed with intense longing and raging passion. Her face heated again, her heart beating at a much faster rhythm. No one had ever looked at her like that before. It was either compassion or pity, not the intense possession she saw in his eyes.

"What do you wish to tell me?" She asked, her voice coming out as a whisper as her heart took on a much faster rhythm. Calhoun dragged his chair closer to her, and then he leaned forward, causing their nearness to be different just by a few inches. Her heart started to gallop, and she was tempted to remove her face and run, but she assumed boldness which she drew from the very depth of her soul and kept her ground, even though she was sure that her face was the mixture of all variations of the colour red.

"What is it?" She whispered, staring at his nose. She felt his fingers on her jaw, raising her head to meet his gaze.

"Elena," he whispered again, his gaze flicking from her eyes to her lips.

"I wish to court you."