Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 6: Amara and Dion's Plan

"Have you found Amara?" Lord Laxus asked, sitting on the throne once owned by the late king, Lord Lennox. He was talking to five of his preeminent soldiers who were kneeling before him.

"Apologies, my lord, but there is still no trace of her whereabouts," replied Asval, a man of stature and strength. He currently leads the town of Bronwen.

"I'm sorry, Lord Laxus, but it's the same for me. No one has informed us of the whereabouts of the foolish princess," said Luna, the alluring and seductive chief of Dillon.

"Is that so," Lord Laxus sighed. "I am certain she is still alive. Perhaps someone is helping her. There is a possibility that is the reason why you haven't found her yet."

"But, my lord, who could be doing that? We have placed a substantial reward on her head, and we have spread the news of her heinous act of slaughtering the former royal family throughout the kingdom. Surely, no one would dare hide her," argued Desmond, the current leader of Priya.

"We cannot be certain of that," Lord Laxus said. "There are still many people in this kingdom with compassionate hearts. Besides, there are only two possible reasons why you haven't found her yet. It's either someone is helping and hiding her, or she is already dead."

"But, my lord, what if the princess is already dead? Wouldn't it be better if we didn't find her?" Thaddeus, the new leader of Erin, interjected.

Lord Laxus stood up and looked outside the large window of the vast hall. His hands were clenched behind his back, and he stared into the distance outside the kingdom.

"I would prefer to be sure that she is gone. I know that child, I know her very well," Lord Laxus said, gripping his own hand tightly. "Since she was a child, I have been the one teaching her how to fight. I trained her so that one day, she would rule alongside me. But everything changed when she arrived earlier than expected, disrupting my plans. If only things hadn't turned out that way, I could have used her skills in this kingdom. It's a pity, hmm."

"Do not worry, Lord Laxus. If we need to search every household, we will!" Nolan, who had been assigned to lead Niall, assured.

"Do what is necessary! I am certain she will not leave this kingdom until she has sought revenge against me," Lord Laxus said, furrowing his brows with restraint. "Find her! And anyone who helps her, eliminate them! I am giving you my permission! I do not need traitors in my kingdom!!!"

****

I really don't know how to start again. Now that I have nothing left, no one is here by my side to guide me in my decisions. I'm confused about what to do next, but I know there must be a reason why I am still alive! I assume that it is to bring justice to my family and reclaim our kingdom! B-But... how can I even do that!?

"Big sis!" Dion greeted Amara happily when he caught her meditating by the small river behind their house.

Amara opened her eyes and turned to the child. "Dion!"

Dion smiled broadly. He approached her and whispered, "Are we starting the plan today? Uncle has arrived!"

Amara and Dion looked around to ensure no one could hear them, and Amara's determined expression matched the child's. She stood up from the grass and held hands with Dion as they walked back to the house.

When they reached the front of the house, they walked slowly like a sneaky cat. They secretly observed him from the open door and they saw him sitting in the dining area while drinking alcohol again.

Why is he drinking so early in the morning?

Amara continued to gaze at the young man, she was so puzzled as he examined his figure.

Upon staring at his body, Amara concluded that the young man took good care of himself. She would think he was barely thirty years old if she was only going to base his physique, but whenever she looked up at his face, she would become confused about his age due to his beard, mustache, and messy hair that was covering his face.

"Is he always like this? Doesn't he have a job?" Amara whispered to Dion, who was beside her.

Dion nodded. "He often gets drunk, and Grandma can't stop him. He doesn't need to work because he owns farmland we cultivate with the help of our relatives, and besides that, Uncle manages a business that Aunt Luciana oversees. She's Uncle Dravis's cousin. Those things are enough to sustain us daily, so Uncle does nothing else but drink... and look for trouble."

"W-What? Look for trouble?" Amara asked in astonishment.

Dion nodded again. "Yes, whenever he's drunk, he wanders around as if he's out of his mind. He looks for people to beat up. For example, thieves or crazy people who cause trouble around here. If the town is peaceful, he goes to dangerous places and goes wild there. Sometimes, he even brings home dead ferocious animals like bears, wolves, or wild boars!"

Amara couldn't believe what the boy was telling her. A mixture of shock and amazement left traces on her face. "R-Really?"

"Yes, at first, Grandma and I were also surprised, but we got used to it when it became more frequent. He also sells those animals in the central market of this town, so we earn money too!" Dion replied, smiling at Amara.

As the boy recounted his stories, Amara recalled how the drunken man had saved her. She remembered how it seemed like he had just passed by and stumbled around in drunkenness. She even heard him say back then that he thought he would see fierce wolves in the forest as if he was really hunting them.

So, it was just luck that night because a crazy drunkard saw me. Amara sighed at the thought.

"Don't you know that it's disrespectful to talk about other people's lives?" Amara and Dion were startled when they heard the cold voice of the young man, who was now in front of them.

"Uncle!!!" Dion exclaimed.

"Dion!!!" Amara screamed out and signaled to the boy that they should proceed with their plan.

The boy nodded and became alert to what the lady was about to do. The man didn't expect Amara to jump on him, causing them both to fall to the ground. Amara was on top of him, holding his arms, seemingly restraining him from moving. Amara looked at Dion as a signal, and the boy ran towards them.

"What the fvck are you two doing!?" Dravis angrily exclaimed.

Amara grinned mischievously. "Nothing! I just wanted to know if you're really handsome. Dion, do it now!"

Dravis furrowed his brow in irritation, and Amara couldn't see that due to his long hair that was still covering his face. "You bastards!!! Get away from me!!!"

As Dion attempted to brush his hair away from his face, the young man quickly got up. Amara was surprised when Dravis suddenly sat down, and she was still sitting on top of him. Her eyes widened when she realized that their faces were just inches apart. For a moment, the girl couldn't move, and her face turned red during those moments. Although she couldn't see his face clearly, she could make out his piercing eyes.

Dravis also stared at her but didn't show any expression. It took a few moments before he spoke.

"It seems you like this position of ours," he said as if he was teasing her. "Do you want me to ask Dion to leave for a while, or is it fine with you that he's here?"

Amara suddenly realized it. She was startled to notice that she was still sitting on the man's lap and her hands were touching his muscular frame. She quickly stood up and tried to overcome embarrassment. She tapped her face multiple times as if hoping the ground would swallow her up at that moment.

What kind of embarrassment is this!? Dion even saw what I did! Mother was right. I should have been more modest in my actions! Tsk! I'm so ashamed!

"Are you alright, big sis!?" Dion asked, peering into Amara's face.

Amara forced a smile, concealing her embarrassment, and nodded.

This is so humiliating! Tsk!

Amara heard the footsteps of the young man and quickly turned to face him.

"Hey! Wait!" she called out to him.

Dravis stopped in his tracks but didn't face her. Instead, he glanced at the former princess from the corner of his eye.

Amara hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether to ask. But her family's encouragement resurfaced in her mind, giving her strength. She clenched her fists and looked at the young man again.

"Have we met before?" Amara asked. "Is it true... that you were a former general of Emmett's?"

Dravis stared at the young woman for a few moments without speaking or showing any intention of responding. After a while, he turned away, but Amara quickly grabbed his hand.

"Wait, please! Answer me!" she pleaded.

Dravis was taken aback by the young lady's actions, and the touch of her hand on his skin seemed to elicit a strange reaction in his body. He felt something unusual, but he disregarded it.

"And so what? Do you think I can do anything for you?" Dravis said, seemingly indifferent to her.

"Yes! I believe you can! I know you can!" Amara firmly replied. "So answer my question, are you truly a former general?"

Dravis narrowed his eyes and once again ignored her. He walked back to the table and poured himself a glass of alcohol.

"Why don't you just keep quiet and forget about everything? In your current state, you don't stand a chance against them," Dravis stated, gulping down the drink he poured. "What you want is impossible."

"No! Justice for my family is what I seek! Justice for this kingdom!!!" the brave princess asserted. "If you were a former general, shouldn't you desire the welfare of this land? Or are you one of those traitors—"

"If I were one of them, do you think I would let you live and listen to you screaming like this now?" Dravis interjected with a cold tone. Amara was taken aback and quickly realized the implications of his words. "You're thinking nonsense. Suicide, in other words. Tell me, if I help you, what will I gain? Do you think it is that easy? Have you forgotten that Lord Laxus is now the king of this land? It's not just Dillon he controls, but the other prominent towns of the kingdom as well! Your enemy isn't just one person, and it's not just whoever you want revenge on. So tell me, why should I help you? If I wanted to kill myself, I would simply jump into the sea and let myself drown."

As Dravis spoke, Amara's confidence seemed to wane. She lowered her head slightly and felt a pang in her heart. She wanted to fight back. She wanted revenge, but everything the young man mentioned was undeniably true. What chance did she have against her uncle, Lord Laxus? What chance did she have... against the kingdom she once loved and served? None, she knew there was nothing she could do, but the word "surrender" was something she never learned from her father.

"Then what? Should I just let everything be? Even though I know he won't be a good ruler for the people of this country!? If he could do what he did to my family, he could surely do it to anyone! No! I won't allow it!!!"