WRONG #complete

Chapter Fourteen

“Welcome home, Princess” Amir stood behind her on the deck. She struggled against her tears as Celin came into view. They had finally arrived. One week on the ship had been tedious; she hadn't seen Adrianna in three days.

“Thank you” She turned to Amir, a smile on her face.

“You do not seem too happy” He watched her.

She bowed her head. She didn't know how to feel about coming home but happiness was far from her.

“I am happy” She lied. “Gather my things together. Tell Sayid to prepare Adrianna, we are in Celin” She announced, turning back to face the city.

The ship came to a halt and they all disembarked from it. She watched as guards sent by her father surrounded them and in a few seconds, she was mounted on a horse.

“Give my escorts a horse too. Adrianna rides with Sayid and Amir rides alone. They must be too exhausted to walk. ” She gave the instruction to a guard who nodded his head.

The party rode the long distance to the palace. All the while, she was filled with so much anxiety. What would she tell Father, how would she begin? She took a deep breath and focused her mind on the road ahead. Travelers lined every corner of the road, all stopping for a brief second to bow down low as she rode by. Normally, she would wave but she was too exhausted. Father must have informed the entire city of her return. It had been different the day she left Celin; no one had known about it, she had been disguised and taken out of the city in the middle of the night. Father insisted that her leaving needed to be a secret and she didn't argue.

Her entourage approached the city gate. She could see a Princely entourage as they approached. She sucked in her breath. Chris! Oh, how she longed to throw herself in his arms but she couldn't, she was not allowed to be emotional in public and her display of such foolishness would greatly embarrass the heir to the throne.

They entered the city gate and she saw Chris, seated on his white Horse.

“Princess” He gave her a knowing look and bowed his head a little. “Welcome home” He smiled.

“I'm glad to be back, Your Majesty” She smiled at him as they rode side by side towards the palace.

It almost seemed like the entire kingdom had come out to welcome her. They cheered loudly as the Royal party rode by, children running behind and yelling. She smiled. Father was a good King, the people loved him and lived happily. It was no wonder they loved his children as well. She looked around at the city. Celin boasted of some of the greatest architectural designs in history. Throughout history, her fore fathers had fought to transform the merchant village into a mighty, powerful city with most of it's citizens living like royals themselves.

As they approached the palace, she could feel her heart beating. Perhaps she was excited. She missed Father and Mother dearly. She smiled.

A loud trumpet sounded as they rode through the gate of the Palace, announcing her arrival. Mother stood outside, a big smile on her face. She didn't bother to inquire of Father's whereabouts, she would see him some time in the day. Her horse came to a stop and Chris jumped off of his and held out his hand to help her down. Settled firmly on her feet, she faced Mother.

“Mother” She whispered, hating the custom of Celin and the fact that she couldn't hug her own mother in public. 

“Eve” Mother smiled. She took her hand and squeezed it. “The King awaits you inside.” She said, turning to walk into the Palace.

Eve and Chris followed, nothing more being said between them. They walked down the marbled corridor and came to a halt in front of a huge wooden door. Two guards stood before the door. One of them bowed his head then pushed the door open. Eve, Chris and the Queen maintained their position by the door as the guard went in to announce their presence. He walked back out and bowed his head.

“The King awaits” He said as he pushed the door wide open. 

The Queen led the way into the massive throne room. Eve could feel her heart beating. She would have preferred to meet with Father in his bed chambers rather than in the presence of so many Statesmen and Royals. They probably numbered about twenty. All eyes were on her as she made her way to where Father sat.

Four stairs in the far end of the room, facing the door led to the throne where Father sat. A similar throne, a little smaller than his stood by his right hand side and two others stood by his left. The one at his right belonged to Chris and the two others to his left belonged to her and Mother.

“Your Majesty” She fell to her knees at the foot of the stairs.

A soft murmur followed as the King rose from his throne and walked down the stairs. She didn't know what to think. What was Father thinking? She averted her gaze. He touched her chin and she looked at him.

“Eva, rise up” He said, holding out his hand to her. She took it and rose to her feet. She looked at him. He had aged in just a year. His features looked strained and stressed. His eyes filled with unshed tears and it took everything in her not to throw herself into his arms.

“Father” She whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

He touched her face and smiled. “Welcome home, Eva” Before she could respond, he threw his arms around her, breaking one of the most important code of conduct for the King; he displayed his love for her in public.

Author's Note :

Hey guys! Thanks for taking the time out to read my story. I hope you're enjoying it so far. I'd like to know. Please remember to vote if you liked this chapter and have a nice day.