𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 (𝙔𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚!𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙭𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧)

Chapter Forty-Four: One's Ordeal

My mind reminisced, unable to comprehend to withstand my own tragedy. As I fell to the ground with eyes squeezed shut, I felt myself land on soft arms. Multiple gasps came in unison with whispers coming from each voice that sounded familiar.

I fluttered my eyes slowly open, the blur of my tears at it's way. A curved smile struck my face immediately, realizing the familiar faces that laid upon me. They backed away, slowly letting me fall from what seems to be hay. "Your highness!" Andrea hugged me tightly, wrapping her arms around my neck in a quiet sob. "We thought we lost you, lady (y/n)!" Imelda stroke my hair as I darted my eyes upwards with a furious expression.

It all faltered away after noticing Nikolas no longer stood there. I tilt my head down, squeezing the tip of my fingertips to check if I were in a floating dream, but I was far from the terror that had struck me from the near death experience I had felt. It was too real to be a dream.

"Thank you...ladies." I whispered, still in in a blow over what had happened. The painful groan of Aleksander was to be heard from my thoughts, making me jump from knees and bolt back inside with a throbbing heart. With each rapid steps I took from the stairs, I could only surmise of the worse outcome possible.

To somniate between the celestial bodies was something I will forever forbid, never again.

Heavy footsteps was heard from behind. I craned my head to the side, only to be met with many sentinels running towards me with their hefty armors. My eyes widened as big as a golden platter and picked up speed in no time with my shoeless feet, running through the long, scarlet carpeted castle hallway.

The moon beamed in each window, following my steps inches from the front. "Faster, lady (y/n)!" yelled one of the ladies from behind, catching my attention as I turned my head around and made eye contact with many of the ladies with their metal bowls and whisks at hand, aggressively taking place as they bonked and yanked the sentinel's armors and fought to their utter demise.

Each armored men struggled between the ladies grasps, some tumbling down from their ponderous knightly heels after putting one's whisking bowl at it's head.

I heed myself forward, huffing and puffing from the rapid running.

A loud crash and thuds were to be heard from inside the large, white door with its golden edges and cold, golden doorknob that creaked an inch open.

I touched the knob tightly with a grasp, biting down on my upper lip in dismay of my perpetual thoughts. As I finally found the fragments of courage, I pushed my body forward and swung the door open as a breath escaped from my own body.

I fell speechless over what stood before me. Nikolas stood in all grounds with his furrowed brows and messy, blonde hair over Aleksander who kneeled beside him while Nikolas pushed a thin, sharp-pointed sword to his throat. A rapier.

"Nikolas...don't...don't do it!" I yelled, taking an inch forward while he pushed the rapier forward to Aleksander's throat as I heard a low grunt. My eyes darted to the king's bed to see him struggling beneath the binds of his manacles that held his right wrist to the pole of his wooden bed. "Stop this, Nikolas. At this instant!" king Callum pulled himself forward but only to be yanked back by his shackles.

Nikolas laughed, pulling Aleksander's hair back with a tight prise. "Look at this, my dearest (y/n)! Can't you see? I'm doing this for you! For us and the future of our damn nation! I am meant to be king," Nikolas stated in a loud tone, feeling powerful over apprehending his own blood. "And not this old fool that you all dearly respect as the owner of the title of king." he pointed to his father with a daggering glare.

"There's so much more ways than this, Nikolas! This isn't it!" I answered softly, while taking each stride forward slowly from the carpeted floor. "I believe this is the only way, my dearest (y/n)." Nikolas gazed back to Aleksander with eyes of fiery, no sight of emotions coming pass by his unfazed mind.