The Kings Mistress Chapter 127

[ … words ]

Sierra released her grip on Ida’s hand, knowing full well she was in no position to reject help. She would be kidding herself if she thought she could continue to patch herself up.

“This is going to hurt,” Ida warned as she prepared the needle and thread in her hands.

Sierra found a piece of rag and bit down on it before giving Ida the go-ahead to begin. In an attempt to keep herself distracted, she kept herself talking.

“How… how did you find me?”

Ida pursed her lips. Her eyes darted side to side as she tried to piece together an answer.

“His Majesty told me,” Ida finally said.

Silence hung in the air for a minute as Ida continued to sew the wound. Sierra was beginning to be a little delirious. She had lost quite a bit of blood and at first, she thought she had heard it wrong.

“Alistair told you?” She echoed her words.

Ida nodded.

“How?”

“What?”

“How did he know?”

Ida bit her lip.

“I’m not sure. But he just said you were here and needed help. I was the only one who would be able to help you because…”

“I understand,” Sierra looked away for a moment.

With the situation at present, Alistair could not come to her aid. It would only complicate things for her should she be arrested, which was only a matter of time.

“Done, that should help the bleeding for now. But we still need to get you proper medical care,” Ida said as she did her best to clean up the rest of the wound and put on new bandages.

“Thank you, Ida. I owe you my life,” Sierra was grateful, more than the maid would ever know.

“We believe in you, Sierra. All of us. Princess Myra, Princess Taita…” Ida trailed off before continuing again, “We know you. Someone else must have been behind this.”

“I know that too, but it’s not good enough.” Sierra sighed.

She felt so lost. For the first time in a long while, she didn’t know what to do. She felt so helpless. Perhaps she should have escaped back to Cair with her father. At least, she might be able to keep her life then.

But she couldn’t.

The thought of leaving Drakin and never being able to return was unfathomable to her. She had to prove her innocence.

“Ida, if I…if I were to turn myself in and go to trial, what happens then?”

“They’ll have to prove you’re guilty. They can’t … can’t do anything to you without a proper trial.”

“So I just need to prove my innocence. Can I choose trial by combat?”

Ida bit her lip as she shook her head, “They won’t allow it. That’s usually only reserved for military trials.”

Sierra weighed her options. She knew there was much else she could do. The trial was her only hope of proving herself innocent. But it wasn’t going to be easy. Whoever pinned the assassination attempt on her was bound to fabricate evidence to ensure her demise.

Regardless, it was a chance she had to take.

“I know what I must do,” she said solemnly.

“I’ll go back to Celestial Lodge and release Macadamia from the stables as a distraction. Then, I’ll get Midnight to meet you in the forest. If you leave now in the cover of darkness, you should be out of -”

“I’m not going anywhere, Ida.”

Ida stared at her, wide-eyed.

She shook her head, “Princess, trial is… is death!”

“There’s still a chance. The only chance,” Sierra repeated.

“But…”

“I’ve made up my mind,” Sierra said with determination.

She looked straight at Ida. She was grateful for the maid’s help. However, this was where they had to part ways. Ida didn’t want to leave her side. But Sierra insisted it was for the best.

“I don’t want you getting into trouble because of me,” Sierra insisted.

But still, she had one favor to ask of Ida. She whispered into Ida’s ears a series of instructions.

“Consider them done,” Ida replied upon hearing what needed to be done.

With that, the princess and maid parted ways. Ida gave Sierra a tight hug before carefully leaving the warehouse. She made sure no one saw her before she scurried away. She also left the door slightly open so that it would be easier for Sierra to leave too.

Staring at the wall before her for a good minute, Sierra did her best to gather her thoughts. Her wound had stopped bleeding thanks to Ida patching her up. Though her mind was still a little muddy, her father’s words were still echoing in her mind. It gave her a clear sense of direction.

’I must survive. I will live.’

With renewed determination, Sierra got back up on her feet and made her way out of the warehouse. She hobbled into the forest and crouched down behind some bushes. She reached into one of her hidden pockets and took Opal out.

Her snake pet looked up at her with great concern. She seemed to know everything that had happened and more.

“Opal,” Sierra whispered softly as she caressed the top of her head, feeling her scales beneath her finger.

A sense of calm washed over her for just a moment in time. It was more than enough to give her a little clarity. Sierra gently kissed her on the top of her head.

“I need you to hide for a while, alright? So I’ll be leaving you here,” She whispered to Opal as she gently placed the snake down on the ground.

But Opal refused to abide by her instructions. She slithered back into Sierra’s palm, as if telling Sierra that she did not want to leave her side.

“I can’t take you with me, Opal. I… I don’t know what comes next and I need to know that you’re safe. I don’t even know if you understand what I’m saying-”

As if she understood, Opal nodded to Sierra.

Perhaps she was beginning to hallucinate. Sierra could not help but chuckle at her plight.

“Just do as I say, alright? You’ve always got great intuition. You’ll find your way back to me when the time comes. I’m sure of it.”