The Kings Mistress Chapter 187

[ … words ]

“Ida, are you alright?” Sierra asked as she checked on her maid.

“I’m… I’m alright, Your Grace,” her heart was still pounding in her chest.

Sierra smiled, nodding her head. She looked around at the men who had fallen. Their horses had already run off. With this scene, they had drawn too much attention.

“There will likely be patrols coming here soon. We’ll need to travel in the forest for cover for a while,” Sierra said as she guided Midnight and Macadamia off the main road and into the nearby forest.

It was going to delay their progress, but Sierra was certain they could still make good time. Lucky for them, they did not have any mishaps for the rest of the way. At the end of the third day, they made it to the town of Bardford.

A rare smile formed on Sierra’s face as they made their way through the town square. Every corner she looked, she recalled fond memories of the brief period she had spent in this town with her father.

But there was something weighing down on her heart. She wished Alistair was here to see the place with her.

“You would have loved it,” she whispered to herself, imagining the look on his face.

She wondered how would he react the next time they meet.

Was there still hope for both of them?

~

Back in Drakin, Alistair oversaw the last of the rites for Roxine’s funeral. Only a handful of people knew the truth, while the rest of the kingdom mourned the loss of their queen.

The royal court was already debating over who should be the next Queen. But Alistair did not have time or energy to speak to any of them.

As per Roxine’s request, her body was to be placed on a boat and sent off down the winding Nexus River, toward her homeland. Alistair was there by the shorelines, along with his entourage from the castle.

As the boat sailed out of the docks and down the river, small lanterns were placed on the water, to float down the river.

“All the best, Roxine. May you find happiness,” he said with a soft smile, “Till we meet again, old friend.”

According to her letter, Diane was waiting down the river with a small group of armed guards. From there, they would receive Roxine and leave Drakin for good. To the world, Roxine was dead. She would go on to live under a new identity.

Alistair watched the boat as he continued to sail down the river. Some of those who had gathered already left. Those who remained exchanged a few words with Alistair, though he did not say much.

Roxine’s words replayed in his mind over and over again. Time passed on by and eventually, only King Alistair and his shadow guards were the ones left on the shoreline.

“What are your orders, Your Majesty?” One of the shadow guards came forward to ask while on his knees.

Alistair turned to him and handed him a sealed envelope with a royal wax seal.

“I’m going to receive my bride.” He said casually as he walked off in the opposite direction of the castle.

A horse had already been prepared for him, along with supplies he would need for his journey. This time, he would not be traveling on the road as a King. He was but a humble traveler making his way to Cair.

’I’m coming, Sierra. Wait for me,’ he thought to himself as he set off on his journey.

It had been a while since he’d traveled on the road on his own in disguise. The King of Drakin took a while to get used to his new standard of living. It did not take him long to enjoy the light-hearted travel.

“I could get used to this,” he mused as he took a sip from the mug of beer he had ordered.

Though the drink was a little rough on the edges, he welcomed the refreshing flavor. The merry music of the tavern set the mood too, Alistair had not felt this relaxed in quite some time.

But one thing weighed heavy on his mind. He wanted to enjoy these things with Sierra, not alone. He did not care for his consorts, those were just political alliances. Roxine was his closest friend and now she was going after her own happiness.

All he cared about now was Sierra.

“Hey, did you hear?”

“Things are brewing in Cair.”

“Brewing? How so?”

Alistair shifted in his seat as he kept an ear on the conversation. Being in a tavern like the current one had its perks. He’d been able to keep tabs on what was happening in Cair and Drakin.

But he had to take it all with a pinch of salt. Not all information exchanged was genuine.

“I heard the famous female knightess is back in Cair!”

“You mean Knightess Sierra?”

“Yeah! Rumors say she’s now in Bardford.”

“The ancestral home of the Bancroft family? What is she doing there?”

“Are you numb in the skull? General Leon is her father! Where else would she have gone?”

“Shouldn’t she be going to the capital to save her father? I heard he’s been poisoned and dying.”

Alistair clenched his jaw when he heard that. It seemed like things were a lot worse than he had expected. While on the road, he had seen the oppression the people were facing under their current king. King Cedric, the general who was crowned.

The circumstances in which he took the throne were shrouded with rumors. Not many dared to speak of it for those who spread it were mysteriously captured, disappearing into the night never to be seen again.

“What can she do anyway? Overthrow the King?” One of the patrons snorted as he chugged his cup of beer.

“Who knows? She’s already won the heart of one,” Alistair chuckled to himself as he finished the last of his beer and paid his tab before leaving.

As the night breeze cooled his warmed skin, he carefully got back up on his horse and rode off down the road. Though it was nighttime, he decided to travel as far as he could.

He wanted to get to Sierra as soon as possible. No time was to be wasted.