Rowan

Chapter Eight

Last update of the month! It'll be back to my sporadic updates, sorry! I hope you enjoy the moment you've all been waiting for ;)

The room was in the same condition as the hallways, yet it looked worse with the destroyed furniture. There was a couch that had been torn in half and a mirror with shards of glass surrounding it. A lamp stood nearby, although it gave no lighting and, judging by its stance, it no longer could.

I almost didn't see the King because I was so focused on the room itself. It was a disaster—something I didn't think even a professional designer had the ability to fix. It was beyond repair, but you could tell by the fine colors that it had once been grand.

"Your Highness," Sage said, and I looked over in time to see him bowing towards the windows. My eyes drifted in the same direction and found the reason I had been brought here.

The first thing I noticed was that his black hair was a mess. It was dark, shades darker than I had realized the color itself could be. It was also long and pulled back, although I could tell it had been a long time since it was last nurtured.

His skin was just as bad, from what I could see. It was light, much too light. I wondered when was the last time it had been kissed by the sun, and if it ever had. A doctor would find it concerning, seeing the complexity of his skin.

His clothes were faded in color as if they too had missed the touch of the sun. Parts were torn, allowing the King to blend in with the room.

Yet, at the same time, he stood out. He was exotic in comparison. He was alive with a beating heart, while everything in the room had been torn and broken. He was the last thing left—the only one standing.

His back was turned but he still said, "You can stand now Sage," as if he could see us.

Sage straightened and walked over to the King, his movements slow but his footsteps loud. I had once done the same thing with an injured possum. If I moved too fast, I could scare it and then it would harm itself further. If my footsteps weren't loud enough, I could slip up and scare it, only to result in the same thing. It was exactly what Sage was doing with the King.

"Our journey within the forest was fine, and there were no unexpected surprises. Her father has been brought to the nearby town, as you requested," Sage explained, and I blinked in surprise. I didn't think the King would be responsible for my father's living arrangements, much less care about it.

"And how is our guest?" The King responded, not bothering to glance at me. I stiffened, something Sage caught when he looked back at me. He shook his head slightly, before answering the King.

"She is fine. She has requested that in return for her services, you ban hunting and killing in the forest she resided in. I told her it would be done."

"She must have quite the personality to demand things from me," the King murmured, still not looking back at me. Sage attempted to stop me, but I didn't pay attention.

"I want protection for the animals. If you cannot do that, you can forget about my service," I snapped, nearly regretting it when the room descended into silence.

I did not think I'd ever understood the true definition of fear until King Sandalius turned around, his distinctly hazel eyes trained on me. When he began moving from his spot, my entire body froze.

It was fear that kept me from moving or attempting to find shelter from him; it was fear that caused me to forget all of Sage's warnings, my eyes never straying from the King's.

"Do you think," he started, taller than I realized. Even if I stood on the tips of my toes, I would still not be equivalent in height. "—that I will simply cave into the demands of a female?"

My head remained high, despite the need to back away. He was close now, close enough that I could see his eyes resembled those of a wolf's. They were eerie, yet beautiful.

"You will, if you desire any help from me," I replied calmly, surprised my voice did not shake as much as my nerves were.

I could see his nostrils flare at my words, his eyes narrowing at the silent challenge. He flexed his hands by his sides, as if to loosen them.

"Get her out of here before I decide I do not give a damn about her abilities," he whispered, and Sage was over by my side in a second, pulling me back.

He opened the door to lead us out, but the second he did, an orange ball hurled itself at me, chattering nervously.

Behind him were several guards, all winded. "We're sorry, he just darted inside—" one started, but it was the King who finished.

"Get out! Get out now!" He snapped, his voice like the boom of thunder. I could see him visibly shake before he grabbed the nearest chair.

I watched as he hurled it with great strength and it flew, sailing through the air before it met the wall. It was there that the chair met its end, the wood shattering and breaking off into a multitude of pieces.

Sage chose then to push me out, slamming the door shut behind us. He did not stop running until we were out of the hall, the second door also closing when we were all out.

However, even from there, I could still hear the cries of a wolf.