The Crown's Entrapment

The couple started walking outside of the castle. Xenia gasped upon seeing how everyone bowed down before her, paying her their great respects as she walked her way out with Darius in hand towards the king’s chariot. Everything had been prepared for her and Darius as they traveled toward their destination together with the inner court and high-ranking officials.

It was like a grand procession. Every Cordonians they passed by the street bowed down and paid respects to her and their king, and she couldn’t help but imagine what their reaction would be once she became Queen.

Xenia felt a myriad of emotions running through her. A few jitters came and went, but overall, she was feeling rather confident with her odds. Meanwhile, Darius had picked something up, Xenia only seeing a hand-sized disc in his hand.

“What is that?” she curiously asked.

There was something engraved into it, a symbol of an opened eye inside a circle, that seemed familiar to her. It was as if she had seen something like it before during one of the lectures Wizard Lurio gave to her that she, unfortunately, escaped from before it even ended. It was only no wonder then that she was unable to recognize the symbol and the spell corresponding to it.

“This will help me monitor the important and meaningful events happening to you inside the Element forest, with the guardians’ permission, of course,” Darius explained in length.

“It had been in the treasury for centuries being used by Kings who had chosen a human queen. Well, it’s not just me, actually… Every Cordonian will have the opportunity to witness your trial, seeing as every pack’s territory in Cordon has a designated sacred place harboring the same symbol and spell for them to follow your fate inside the forest.”

Xenia frowned. She wasn’t aware of such a thing, but then she realized that it was how historians managed to record every tiny detail of any previous humans in history who had attempted the trials and failed.

“Hmm… Since they’ll be a witness to my trials, then I can only hope not to disappoint them all and somehow give them a good show, yes?” Xenia humorously asked before a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Oh wait… My family…”

“Yes, both your mother and father have the same discs as I do, so they’ll be able to see you as well,” Darius quickly explained. “We’ve all been busy lately, so I didn’t see the opportunity to tell you this until now…”

After a slight apology, Darius then explained to her all the important details regarding the event, as well as the wizard who would be in charge of monitoring her situation.

“What if the guardians of the Element Forest don’t approve of such?” Xenia curiously inquired after hearing his explanations.

“Hmm, I don’t think so,” Darius hummed in consideration. “We have more than enough bribes for them to accept this small request. Besides, they know that it is in our kingdom’s right that we witness the trials in their realm,” he added. “Also, our Kingdom has a pact with them made centuries ago when Cordon initially upheld this ancient law, specifically about the trials for a non-werewolf who wants to be the kingdom’s queen.”

Xenia simply nodded, well-aware of how she skipped such details during her studies. She and Jayra had focused more on the books containing the details and experiences of the previous challengers for the trials.

Xenia then felt Darius’s hand gently holding hers, gently raising it up to kiss her knuckles. He didn’t mind how openly he was showing his affections to the public, even with their chariot moving and exposing them to more of their citizens.

“I’m sorry you have to go through this just to be with me, Xen,” he murmured, the anxiety and weariness in him going through their bond. He was struggling to let her go.

Knowing this, Xenia lovingly turned and smiled at him. She raised her other hand so she could gently caress his cheek. “I don’t mind at all. I would do everything in my power just so I can be with you in the same way that you did everything to keep me by your side from the start…” she assured him. “You’ve been fighting for me since the start, so let me fight for you for once. You’re worth fighting for, you know…”

After some time, the chariot stopped. Everyone had gathered to witness Xenia step inside the Element Forest. Stepping forward, Chancellor Talon signaled the men to reign in the horses carrying a caravan’s worth of offerings and gifts for the guardians of the Element Forest to enter first.

Standing to the side, Xenia blinked as she saw a white wizard she had never seen before move forward. He cast a few spells, creating symbols in the shape of animals and insects in a separate caravan. They were the same symbols carved onto the disc Darius was holding a while ago, their familiar shape being of note to her as she watched the horse carrying the marked caravan go straight inside the forest.

While waiting for everyone to finish their businesses in securing what would be Cordon’s seeing eyes during the trials, Darius held her shoulders as he leaned closer. He moved her head towards him, down until their foreheads were touching one another.

“Be careful out there,” Darius reminded her. “Remember your training.”

“I know,” she murmured, trying her best not to cry, but she bet that Darius could feel her emotions anyway as he heard him curse and whisper. “This is way harder than I thought. Letting you go like this…”

Xenia chuckled, trying to loosen the tension in the air between them. The two of them seemed to be stuck in their own world despite their eyes saying otherwise, witnessing each other’s heartfelt farewells.

“I won’t let all those days we’ve spent out at sea and in the mountains all go to waste,” Xenia declared. “And I have no plans on dying any time soon either, so let me go, okay?”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Darius hummed, his now outward confidence masking the hint of anxiety she was feeling from him through the Bond.

“Remember, no matter what happens, your only goal is to find your way back to me, my love. Don’t take too long, and come back to me soon.”

“All while being victorious, of course,” she hummed back. “Don’t worry. By the time I’m back, I’ll be more than ready to become your Queen.”

And there Xenia gave Darius one sweet and passionate loving kiss before she immediately turned to step inside the Element Forest without holding back.

******

AN: Mark this chapter as the end of our Volume 1: The King and His Mate. Hopefully, you are all still with me as we proceed to Volume 2: The Queen and Her Husband. Please tell me your thoughts so far about our book by making comments and giving it a review. I wonder if it’s still engaging enough or if you’re already bored? It’s alright, be honest… *hides in the corner*