The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

21~ THE RED WEREWOLF

I squeezed my eyes shut so tight that I wouldn't be surprised if I got wrinkles on my face afterward. I couldn't open my eyes even if I wanted to. Mez—or should I say, Mez in her wolf form—was running so fast that the blowing wind almost knocked me off her back a few times. I didn't remember riding anything this fast before. Although Aine was one of the fastest horses in Zariya, her speed was pale compared to this white wolf.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, finding my voice traveled backward with the wind instead of reaching her ear.

There was no answer. Still, what did I expect? Mez was a werewolf now. Not a human. Of course, she couldn't talk. Besides, I didn't have the wolf's link to speak with her in this form.

I kept holding on to her thick fur, hoping I didn't pluck out a few of them. I wouldn't want to imagine the look on her face when she saw her pearly white fur in my hand.

I lost track of time about how long she had been running. But after a while, she stopped and shook me out of her back without warning.

"Ouch!" I yelped in pain when my butt landed on the dirty, hard ground. "I'd appreciate it if you gave me a sign and let me get off on my own, you know." I opened my eyes, wanting to give her more of my thoughts. But she was no longer here.

She didn't bring me all the way here just to dump me, did she? A question arose at the back of my head.

"Mez?" I got up to my feet and looked around, wondering where she had gone off to.

Did she want to tease me by leaving me here and letting me walk back on my own? Or did she want to drive me out of Ascian?

Hold on. A thought popped up to console me. She can't do that. She may be the vice-captain, but the order of banishing someone lies with the king. Even if she hates me and wants to get rid of me, Valdemir won't allow it.

"Then what's the point of bringing me here?" I murmured to myself.

"To open your eyes and let you see what a worse situation is," echoed a silvery voice from the left-hand side.

I looked to the source of the voice to see Mez coming out from behind a giant tree, wearing a cadmium green dress.

"Don't tell me you brought me all the way here just to change your dress?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not a narcissist."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I frowned.

She didn't reply and kept walking until she was at arm's length. Then, she tossed a black cloak to me and asked, "are all humans dumb like you?"

"I told you not to call me dumb." I glared at her.

"Then act like you aren't," she said, bringing her wistful warrior braid to the font and letting it rest on her left shoulder. "I was fully clothed when I shifted into a werewolf in front of you. If you're not dumb, then you should know what has happened to my clothes."

"Oh." My mouth formed in an o-shaped as my brain processed the situation. I finally knew why she had to disappear behind that tree when she shifted back. "Well, what's this for?" I asked, raising the black cloak she'd thrown at me.

"For you to put on," she said.

"Why?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

"Your blonde hair stood out too much." Before I could say anything else, she continued, "come on. Let's get moving. I need to take you back before noon. I don't want Valdemir to freak out, thinking the precious thing he's spent years waiting for is lost." She walked past me, letting her shoulder bump into mine.

I held my ground so that I wouldn't fall again. "Where are we going?" I asked once I gained my balance.

"Shut up and follow me," she said over her shoulder. "Remember. I'm your instructor now."

"Right," I muttered under my breath and put the cloak on before trailing after her like a lost puppy.

We kept moving forward without uttering a single word to each other. The air would've been awkward if it weren't for the birds chirping and leaves rustling to break the silence. After a short while, the trees surrounding us were getting smaller and fewer, allowing the sunlight to shine inside and illuminate the area. It seemed we were walking out of the forest.

But where?

Before I could ask her, Mez halted her step and raised her right hand in the air. It was as if she told me to stop. So, I did as she was told.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She turned around and stared at me from head to toe. She then fixed the cloak, making sure it covered my face from all sides. "Hold it," she said. "It might be windy out there."

"Okay," I said, holding the cloak around my chin.

"Be careful not to let the wind blow it off. You don't want anyone to see your face. After all, you were quite a popular figure to stay unnoticed." She took out her sword from the sword belt and held it in her left hand. "Stay close to me."

Mez and I stepped out of the forest into open grassland. It should've given the delightful smell of grass. But what hit my nose was smoke and the scent of rusty metals, just like that night in the throne room. It was the smell of blood. I widened my eyes in shock, wondering what could've brought this kind of pungent smell to this area.

"What's with the smell?" I turned to my right to ask Mez.

"You'll see," she said without looking back at me. "It's just over these hills."

I looked back to the front, where a row of small hills stood before us. When we arrived on top of it, I gasped in horror at the sight below us. "What the...." I trailed off, not knowing what the right word to put was.

Corpses of people—men, women, and soldiers—topped together into several piles, letting the fire consume them. Some were already charred beyond recognition, while the flames barely touched some. I could still see the blood oozing out from their open wounds for those who were piled on top. My eyes moved to the scattered crowd of people in dirty clothes to see that their situation wasn't any better. More than half of the men had gashes on their heads, forearms, and legs. Some slept on the ground with their eyes rolled back, while some sat with heavy breathing. As for women, their braided hairs were a mess as they dashed from one place to another to tend to the wounds. The lower part of their dresses was also torn as they used it in place of a bandage. Everyone was so busy treating the injured people that no one paid attention to a piercing cry from a group of children whose faces started to turn blue.

"What's going on here?" I asked.

"A war is going on there, Lae," said Mez. "These people were forced out of their villages because of a war between Izles and Gantrick."

"Wait." I somehow found the name familiar. "That's Conrad's kingdom."

Conrad was a prince of the Gantrick kingdom—one of Zariya's neighbors and the most trusted ally. He was one year older than me, but we loved to play together when we were young. Every time his father visited Zariya, he always came along. And so, not only were our fathers close, but we also were. I considered him a good friend I could count on. When Conrad was sixteen, his father died from an illness. The queen was so depressed about the sudden passing of her husband that she, too, passed away after a few months. It was a devastating time for Conrad. He was so young when he took the crown and became the king of Gantrick at sixteen years old. But my father and I went there to help him with what we could.

"It was," said Mez as she emphasized the last word.

"Was?" I frowned. If she used past tense, it meant Conrad wasn't the king anymore. "Then who's in charge now?"

"Who else? I've said it. Izles led this war." She turned to me.

"Iory?" I couldn't believe my ears. "He already took Zariya. Why would he invade Conrad's kingdom?"

"Conrad suspected the death of your parents and twin brothers was more than an accident. And now that you also disappeared, he thought Iory must be behind this," she said.

"So, what did he do?"

"He confronted Iory. First, he stopped all trades between Gantrick and Izles. And then, he declared war against them."

"What?" My jaw dropped open in disbelief. "Was he mad? The number of Gantrick's army is less than half compared to that of Izles."

"Exactly. It was a war that was meant to lose."

"Why did he do it?" I knew Conrad was short-tempered. Still, he should've known what he was dealing with.

"Simple." Mez turned to look at me. "Ignorance."

"What?"

"Conrad was a young, hot-blooded man. He didn't think far before he acted. And now, his people have to bear the consequences for the rush choice he has made."

"Where is he now?" I asked, even though I feared what was to come.

Mez directed her eyes back to the crowd below us. "Do you think the people will be scattered helplessly like this if their king is still alive?"

I gasped, finding it hard to believe. I was a jinx. I caused the death of my parents and twin brothers because I brought Iory to our kingdom. And now Conrad was gone, too. He died because of me.

Tears filled my eyes as I thought back to the loss of lives I had caused. If I could turn back time, I'd do everything to avoid this.

But I couldn't.

"Queen Laelia, tell me. Do you think you're the only one who has gone through an unpleasant situation?" asked Mez.

I bit my lips, trying to hold back my tears. Not that I didn't want to answer her. I just couldn't.

"In the training camp, you've asked if there is a situation worse than yours." Mez continued when she saw I showed no sign of speaking. "This is my answer to you. Open your eyes and see. Who exactly is in the worse situation than who?"

I looked back at what was going on down the hills. It pained my heart to see those people suffer. The weather was cold. Yet, they had no provision to stay warm. They had no house to shelter them from the frosty air. Not to mention food and medical supplies. There were only tents that were already torn in many places.

"I-I'm sorry," I said, l swallowing a lump in my throat and looking at Mez. This was my first time to say sorry to someone who wasn't a prince or of noble birth. It was also my first time apologizing to someone who had a lower status than me. "I was rude back then. You're right. I'm nothing but a dump and spoiled princess. I thought I had the most miserable life in this world when I lost my family. I thought I was the most unfortunate one after all the things that happened at Zariya. But I was wrong. Some people had it worse. Yet, they still stand strong on their feet and keep moving on without complaining."

Mez sighed and turned back to me. I couldn't see the face she was making, given the unshed tears were still blurring my vision. "Queen Laelia, I—"

"Call me, Lae." I cut her off. "I'm not fit to be queen."

She remained silent for a while before placing her hand on my shoulder. "I'm in no position to tell if you're fit to be queen or not. But one thing I can tell is that you're not a bad person, Lae."

"T-thank you." My voice cracked at her words.

"Cry if you want to. Don't hold back. Crying doesn't make you weak." she said.

And with that, tears that I'd been trying to control fall out like a broken dam. My body fell to the ground as I broke down crying. All the memories from the past and now overflowed inside me, making me unable to hold them back.

Mez said nothing as she, too, sat on the grass before me and pulled me in, letting me cry on her shoulder.

"That's it. Just cry," she said, patting my back up and down. "I understand that you've been through a lot. Your entire luxurious world turned upside down so fast, like a flip of a coin. You got betrayed by someone you trusted the most. So, everything was a mess. Before a princess or a queen, you're simply a woman, Lae. It was one cruel thing to have someone who you've given your love to take out your heart and stumble on it as if it was nothing."

I nodded, wanting to thank her for understanding me. Still, I couldn't speak.

"You know what? I'm sorry, too, for bringing you here without warning. Valdemir knew it'd be too hard for you to handle. That was why he didn't bring you here. He didn't want you to know that you'd lost another person you cared for. Still, I lost control this time when I saw you act out in front of Gerold."

"N-no… You did the right thing," I said. My voice muffled against her shoulder.

"There is also one thing that you need to know. Valdemir really wants to help you. But our numbers are small compared to the Izles' army. We need time and strategy. As a king, he doesn't want his people to become like the people in Gantrick. You have to understand him. He really cares about you."

"Okay. I understand." I nodded as I made a promise to myself never to let my spoiled upbringing impede my training again.

It took me a while before I could calm down and regain my composure. When I did, I broke away from Mez's hug and wiped the tears off my face.

"it seemed that I stained your dress," I said, looking at the damp place on her shoulder.

"Don't mention it. This isn't made of silk, anyway," she said with a shrug. "Now, let's go back."

I nodded.

Mez and I headed back to the forest. We waited until we reached the dark part where the trees were dense so that she could shift to her wolf form. But just as she was getting ready, she paused and held her breath. It was as if she was concentrating on something.

"Mez? What's going on?" I asked, wondering what made her alert.

"Shh." She shushed me. "Something is coming our way."

I looked around to see if there was any incoming danger. But I didn't seem to see anything. When I was about to ask her again, I felt my body being pushed.

"Whoa!" I closed my eyes as I stumbled backward. Thankfully, there was a tree nearby to break my fall.

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see not only one but two werewolves in front of me. One was white, and the other was red. I knew Mez was the white wolf.

Then...

Who was this red werewolf?

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©️StellaKMary | The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard