Elemental Prince by Megan Fall
Chapter 34
Emmalyn
Emmalyn watched Kell warily as he passed through the gates and headed for the castle. The change in his wardrobe seemed to affect his attitude as well. He was showing Emmalyn a side that she had never seen before. She was realizing the lengths Kell would go to keep her safe. No one was immune from the scrutiny.
They reached the castle and two of Kell’s men stepped forward to take hold of Beauty and Zephyr’s reigns. Emmalyn smiled at the man closest to her as she slipped from Beauty’s back and walked to her husband’s side. Kell’s hand brushed against hers for just a second before he headed for the castle doors. Rayme was ahead of them and nodded at the castle guards who eyed the couple with open hostility.
“Open the doors,” Rayme ordered with a hard glint to his eye and a wave of his hand. “They wish to see the King and Queen and I have granted them entrance.”
The guards immediately opened the doors and bowed formally. As Emmalyn stepped inside, she glanced back, pleased to see that Thane, along with Oryn, Behr and Torin had all followed suit. Several more men followed, but remained inside the doors in a protective stance. Intimidation appeared to be the only tactic they knew.
She followed Kell and Rayme down a wide hallway and grimaced at the darkness inside the castle. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, but the dark colour of the rock walls and the drab carpet running down the middle dispelled the light. The castle felt creepy in stark contrast to the bright airy feel of the Fairrest castle. She didn’t like it at all.
Without a word she followed the men down the hall and into a large room off to the left. Just like the hall, the room was adorned with dark coloured tapestries, dark furniture and dim lighting. It was depressing and Emmalyn wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“Is something not to your liking?” a female voice questioned snidely from the corner, drawing everyone’s attention.
Emmalyn turned in the direction of the voice and found, who she assumed to be the King and Queen, watching her. Both wore matching scowls and sat upon two ridiculous looking wooden thrones. It was obviously their attempt at gaining control of the situation. Emmalyn straightened in an attempt to look taller and scowled right back at them.
“Your castle is extremely uninviting. It’s drab and hides the beauty that it contains,” Emmalyn declared. “A little colour wouldn’t hurt and maybe open the draperies to let the sunlight in. It would certainly warm the place up.”
The King and Queen looked surprised by her declaration and Emmalyn heard muffled snickering from behind her. She frowned realizing she probably should have kept quiet.
“And who are you?” the King questioned with a raised brow.
“The lost Princess of Fairrest. This is the girl the Council sent me to retrieve,” Kell replied in answer. Kell angled his body slightly in front of hers in a show of protection. The royals bristled as they watched him move.
“Obviously she needs to be returned to the realm she was hiding in,” the Queen sneered. “She is not fit to be a part of our world. Her clothes, attitude, and looks all leave me with a retched taste. See to it at once,” she demanded.
“Now look here,” Emmalyn stated furiously before Kell cut her off by completely blocking her with his massive body. She was tired of the derogatory comments and looks aimed in her direction.
“We are not here to discuss the Princess. We are here to get answers,” Kell declared. “Although, if you wish to insult Emmalyn further you will answer to both myself and my men. We have all become quite fond of the girl in our short time together. She is a treasure.”
Emmalyn swallowed the lump that suddenly lodged in her throat as she leaned into Kell’s back. He was always quick to defend her, and she was constantly surprised. She still hadn’t become accustomed to it yet.
“Why is she here?” the King demanded. “She should be turned over to Councilman Gelding.”
“For what reason?” Kell growled.
“He needs to confirm that she is actually the lost Princess we seek. There must be proof,” he furiously shouted.
“She is,” Kell grunted. “Her parents confirmed it.”
“As if they would be able to recognize her after such a long time. She was just a baby when she was taken. She is a grown woman now,” the Queen huffed. “That is not proof.”
“The King and Queen’s personal guard accompanied her. Mathias was by her side the entire time,” Kell seethed.
“That is not proof either,” the Queen began but Kell cut her off.
“Enough,” he bellowed causing the lantern flames hanging on the walls to rise before returning to normal a minute later. Both of the royals paled slightly as their expressions turned wary.
“You are here because you believe we had something to do with the attempts on her life,” the King announced.
“You know of the attempts?” Kell questioned taking a step towards them.
“Councilman Gelding graced us with his presence two days ago. He recalled the events that transpired when you crossed through the portal. We also know you were accosted by assassins at the inn,” the King reluctantly admitted.
“So, you are aware that one of her attackers was Warrick? He crossed through the portal somehow with the intent to kill both the Princess and Mathias.”
“We are aware yes, but we did not send him. He disappeared almost a month ago and we have not seen him since. We sent men to search for him but they returned empty handed. The man has simply vanished and it is quite unnerving,” the King explained.
“Believe what you want,” the Queen huffed. “Although we admit to wanting the princess out of our way, we aren’t guilty of the crimes that you are implying.”
“You want me out of the way?” Emmalyn repeated as she moved to stand beside Kell once more.
“Of course we do,” the Queen sneered. “Our daughter is the perfect fit to rule beside the Elemental Prince. They would make a striking pair. Seraphine has all the qualities that you clearly lack and your presence here is unwanted.”
Emmalyn took a step back at the vehemence of her words. It was clear the Queen believed her words to be true. Emmalyn squared her shoulders and pulled the small sword from her side. In a few short steps she crossed the room and brandished it against the Queen’s neck. Shouting and clashing swords rang out all around her, but Emmalyn knew that Kell and his men would handle it.
“I am the perfect match for the Elemental Prince,” she growled. “Not your crazy ass daughter.” The Queen trembled beneath the knife but thankfully held her tongue. “We have more in common than you will ever know. I am not afraid to fight by Kell’s side and have fallen for both the man and the warrior. He has become everything to me, as I have become to him.”
Emmalyn would have said more but the room had suddenly quieted. Strong arms grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away.
“That is enough my wee warrior,” Kell chuckled in her ear. “I will take over from here.”
Emmalyn huffed as he released her, but turned and stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. He leaned down and met her halfway, slamming his lips down on hers. The kiss lasted only a second, but it became clear to everyone in the room just how deep Kell’s feelings ran for Emmalyn. She was beaming as he pulled away.
“Do your thing,” she grinned and stepped back to stand beside Behr.
“She’s a savage,” the Queen declared, the horror clearly showing on her face. Emmalyn looked towards the King and saw a similar expression.
“She is mine,” Kell bellowed. “Just as I am hers. You can forget your ridiculous notions of me wedding your daughter.”
The King and Queen were furious but wisely kept quiet. While Kell had appeared relaxed at the beginning of the conversation, he was now seething with barely contained anger.
“Tell me who is trying to kill my Princess,” he demanded.
“We don’t know,” the King answered shaking his head back and forth.
“Guess,” Kell pushed as he edged closer.
“Really,” the King stammered. “We have no idea. All I know is that we are not to blame.”
“What about Seraphine? She clearly desires the throne. I wouldn’t put it past her to send Warrick to do her evil bidding,”
Both of the royals looked surprised and Emmalyn leaned in closer, eager to hear their response. The King and Queen glanced at each other before the Queen answered.
“We haven’t seen her in quite some time,” she admitted. “We were informed that Seraphine has taken a new lover and is spending her time with this gentleman.”
“Who?” Kell inquired, as Thane stepped up to his side.
“Is he a royal?” Thane pushed.
“We do not know,” the Queen admitted. “Although we believe he is a royal.”
“How can you be completely in the dark about who your own daughter is taking to bed?” Kell growled. “Do you not care?”
The King bristled and stood up from his throne. Even standing on the raised platform, Kell still towered over the man. The King paled as he looked up at Kell.
“She is not the ideal daughter,” the King huffed, surprising them all. “We hoped that over the years Seraphine would grow softer and display the qualities a Princess should possess. We showered her with love and support, but she scoffs at us. She is cruel, vindictive and untrustworthy. We are not a close family.”
“Yet you were pushing me to marry her,” Kell fumed.
The King looked to the floor and his whole demeanour changed. His shoulders suddenly hunched over and he appeared to wilt in front of them. Emmalyn glanced at the Queen and noticed she appeared chastised as well.
“Kell, we hoped that you would force her to change for the better. You never would have allowed her to continue on such a destructive path. You would have insisted that she act like a princess fit to rule by your side. We hoped that she would be terrified of you,” the Queen added.
“So, your harsh words and cold demeanour were all an act?” Thane questioned with a sneer. “You have been God awful to everyone in your presence for years. We thought she inherited that attitude from you both.”
“We apologize,” the King was quick to say. “You can’t imagine how terrible we feel. As her parents, our duty was to raise Seraphine with the right qualities and values. Her behaviour is a reflection of us.”
“Are you satisfied?” Rayme interrupted as he locked eyes with Kell. “I would never align myself to someone who would betray you. I won’t betray the royals either. They have been good to me and it was not my place to speak ill of them.”
Kell studied the man for some time before giving a sharp nod. Kell said nothing in return so Emmalyn placed her small hand on his arm.
“Please,” she whispered, knowing he would understand the hint.
“I apologize,” Kell told Rayme and Emmalyn could hear the honesty in his voice. “But I love Emmalyn with all my heart and I had to ask the question. You would have done the same in my position.”
Rayme nodded in agreement. “Yes, I would have.”
Kell turned back to the royals. “We will take our leave. But I want you to send someone to notify me if Seraphine returns or if you hear anything that you think I should know.”
Both nodded and Kell was satisfied. Kell took Emmalyn’s hand and guided her towards the door.
“I lied earlier,” the Queen declared, just before they stepped into the hall. “She is stunning and a good match for you. I hope you two live a long and happy life together.”
Kell stopped momentarily, but refused to look back. Emmalyn however, twisted at the last minute and smiled genuinely at the royals before Kell pulled her away. All in all, she thought things had turned out pretty well.