The Uninvited Princess ✔

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

It was a walk towards what felt like her death.

Tanet was holding her hand tightly as they walked through the crowd of soldiers. Pranee moved through the crowd slowly as they parted a path towards the king. Their expressions showed no remorse nor had any sign of emotions at all.

She didn't know what to expect from Ritthirong and only went through the possibilities of what it would entail.

It didn't take long before they were standing in front of Ritthirong. The four wizards beside him now clearly had their faces hidden with long hoods of their purple cloaks. They were taller than Pranee had expected and towered over the army. Yet Ritthirong sat above them all on his large throne to indicate he was the one with the most power.

The king couldn't contain his grin as his eyes looked over Tanet. Tanet only glared in response and the king looked to Pranee.

"Nong, please step to the side. I want Tanet here to stand in front of me."

She hesitantly let go of Tanet's hand and he nodded to her in an attempt to calm her nerves. A wizard grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side, not letting go. Probably to make sure she wouldn't interfere with anything.

"I've been searching for you for so long, I thought I would never find you."

"I never thought you cared about me so much."

"I don't. I only care about the throne."

The conversation between the two was tense and Pranee's anxiety only heightened. She twisted her bracelet in one hand, unable to keep still as she watched.

"Kneel for me." The tone was cold and harsh but Tanet followed the order. "What made you think you had the right to overthrow me? Do you think you would be a better ruler than me?"

Ritthirong placed a hand on the side of his face. He was slumped in his seat while he waited for an answer.

"Don't act like you didn't kill our parents," Tanet spat.

"You're speaking to your king. To suggest that is treasonous."

"I've had enough of this." Ritthirong waved a hand and one of the wizards stepped forward. "Execute him."

That was when Pranee lunged forward. Her eyes wide with fear as the wizard raised their staff. She could feel her stomach become warm and there was a clench that almost made her double over in pain.

She broke free from the other wizard's grip and grabbed Tanet. That was when she realized she was several feet off the ground. She was seated on what seemed to be leathery and white and the crowd recoiled from the sight. She couldn't tell if they were in awe or horror of what they were seeing. Her eyes snapped to her side and saw three sets of large white ears.

It was a white elephant with not just one head, but three.

"Airavata," Ritthirong whispered. "How did you summon the holy elephant."

She unconsciously reached for her bracelet to calm her nerves. It was gone. Tanet groaned beside her and saw that his legs were bloody. She couldn't see his feet at all. She looked towards the ground and saw two bloody lumps before looking away.

"Ritthirong." She looked at the king directly in the eye and his eyes narrowed at her. "You have declared yourself as an enemy not only to our brother but to me as well. The next time I'm here, I will not only pay my respects to my mother but I will avenge her."

He only frowned at the comment before turning away. "Wizards, attack them."

Flashes of energy shot past the two and Tanet's groans grew louder. Pranee quickly tore the hem off her dress and covered up Tanet's wounds. He was still bleeding profusely and she looked at where the elephant was running. The soldiers had attempted to attack the elephant but it swung its trunks, disarming them immediately.

"P'Tanet, are you still awake?" Pranee gripped his shoulder and shook it a little. "Hey, stay with me."

His eyes were closed and sweat beaded his forehead. She worried he wasn't alive until he sucked in air through his teeth.

"Pranee... Don't focus on me, I'm f..." He grimaced and Pranee could tell that his stare wasn't focused on her.

"Just stay awake until we can get someone to heal you."

Her panic was now directed to the elephant as she had no idea how to control where it was going. It seemed to be attacking the soldiers in front of them as it ran further away from the palace. She looked around searching for Shashi and saw bright lights from a distance. It must've been them.

"Uhhh... Airavata?" Pranee's voice shook. "Can you please help me find my friends and save them?"

The elephant raised one head as if to confirm that it heard her before storming off. The elephant was running so fast that Pranee's eyes couldn't focus on anyone, trying to see if Shashi anywhere near them.

"Pranee?"

Pranee tapped her fingers against the elephant's back. She was unsure of what to do to stop the elephant. The elephant slowly halted, surprising Pranee. She looked around her surroundings, now able to focus on what she was seeing.

A net shot out from Kiet's staff. A few soldiers got trapped in the net and couldn't get out. Chann on the other hand had knocked out a soldier and stole a soldier's weapon. They both stood in front of Tanet's guards. One of them was unconscious while the other one tried to heal him. Shashi on the other hand had their staff in front of them. The fire burned at the grass and clothes of the soldiers. Some ran away screaming while the others stood in the defensive stance. They dared not to move a muscle

"Where did you get an elephant from?" Kiet shouted incredulously.

"Get on first! Questions later," Pranee yelled. "Help P'Tanet! He's losing a lot of blood."

"I'll get him." One of the wizards handed the unconscious body to Chann and flew onto the elephant's back. She immediately began tending to the prince and whispered some words quietly to herself.

"What do I do...?" Chann drawled but was interrupted.

The elephant grabbed the unconscious wizard. It placed him in front of Pranee and she held a hand on him, making sure he wouldn't fall. Kiet and Chann quickly climbed onto the back. Shashi flew onto the elephant with their staff. The staff then flew to Pranee, hovering in front of her.

"Could you hold this for me, please? I don't have my bag." Shashi whispered into her ear.

She grabbed the staff with a blush. "Of course."

"Do you think it'll be able to go past the barrier? It seems to be made out of magic." Pranee could hear Kiet ask Chann but judging from the lack of vocal response, they didn't know.

"Only one way to find out," Pranee frowned.

She tapped her hand against the elephant. There was a pause. The elephant began to stomp its legs before speeding off. She could feel Shashi pressed up to her back, trying not to fall off.

Pranee focused on the path in front of her. Wherever it leads her, she was sure it wouldn't be wilder than the days after she got sent to the tower.