Chapter 98 [Bonus Chapter] Encamping
Chapter 98 [Bonus Chapter] Encamping
"Mother!" Morava shouted, bringing Sirrah back to the present. "How is it possible that that slave girl is the true heir? I knew Father had a mate, which he rejected, but why hadn't you ever mentioned her child? How did the child survive? You told me long back that the fae woman had left on her own and then was hunted down by the locals for practicing black magic, what is it that I am missing?" She picked up another porcelain flower vase and threw it against the wall, roaring with anger.
"I don't know!" Sirrah gritted. She held her head in between her hands as a headache started forming. "I had sent the guards to kill Kinshra, but they informed me that before they could reach her, she had escaped to her realm. Then my guards went after her maid, Cordea, to erase all evidence. Both Cordea and Arthur escaped my guards with the new born baby." Sirrah hadn't known where Cordea had taken the baby to. It was five years later that she had learned the child survived and the rest was history. She had even had the Pegasii's borders covered in so many dark spells, using the help of a Shaman who practiced dark magic. The spells were to ward off any children of Biham, other than Morava, to enter Pegasii. But how did Lusitania enter then? Was it because she accompanied Morava or was there something else?
"Mother, we have to kill the bitch!" Morava said as she stood up with panic inside her. "If people learn about her, about the rightful heir of Pegasii, we will both be in huge trouble. Father will announce her to his subjects soon!"
"I know!" Sirrah snapped. All her plans after so many years seemed to shatter in front of her eyes. It was as if she was back where she started. An hour back she was with Biham, planning out arrangements for her daughter's marriage with the most powerful king of Araniea, now here she was—thinking about the slave girl who suddenly became the center of Biham's life, and would soon be the face of Pegasii.
The mother and daughter shuddered at the thought. They were supposed to become rich and the most powerful, but now they didn't even have that chance in their own home. Moreover, if Biham was correct, King Eltanin would soon wage a war against them.
"Think Mother!" Morava goaded her as she stood in front of her. "We have to eliminate her before things get out of hand. We have to poison her, even if father doesn't reveal what I did to her, she will reveal it to Eltanin! As such Eltanin is too protective of her. He would—"
Sirrah clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes. Rage bubbled in her chest. She got up and slapped Morava hard across her cheek. "Mother!" Morava shouted as she pressed her cheek, surprised at her mother's sudden change in demeanor.
"If it hadn't been your foolish decision to exact revenge over a slave girl, we would have never gotten into this situation!" Sirrah hissed as she glared at Morava. Then she left her daughter and strode to her room. She had to get to Lusitania.
---
Biham was sitting at the edge of the bed where Lusitania was lying. Two healers were constantly with her. They had given her poppy in order to induce deep sleep as they applied yarrow to close her wounds. They had poured honey into the yarrow and added beeswax in order to bind the salve. It was applied all over Tania's wounds and then clean bandages were wrapped around them. Just so that the infection didn't set in, the healers had changed the bandages twice in the day. The girl was delirious and muttering something incoherent whenever she would wake up.
"How is she doing?" he asked the healer in a low choked voice.
"She should be okay, Your Highness," said the healer as he made her drink hot chamomile tea.
Biham nodded tightly. Throughout the day he spent his time with his daughter, with the true heir of Pegasii, with the child his mate had given birth to. He had lost all hope and was sure that Kinshra had died. He had tried to find her, looking everywhere after the Elders made him reject her. His own pain after rejecting her was so horrible that he couldn't imagine what Kinshra must have undergone. She was pregnant with his child.
When he sniffed Kinshra's scent in Lusitania, he stared at her incredulously. He thanked every god in the world that they had given him the chance to live with the child he had been searching for, whom he thought had died with Kinshra. And now his hopes sprung back to life. What if Kinshra was alive? Tears welled in his eyes. They had thought of the name Lusitania together, if they had a daughter.
It was almost midnight and dark outside. He had visited the temple in the palace premises to pray to the deities to save his child, the rightful heir of Pegasii. The girl was in a terrible condition. When he returned, he had wanted to whip his eldest daughter, but he avoided them instead, because at the back of his mind he knew that had Morava not committed this folly, he would have never met Lusitania. He had canceled the court and asked every guard in the palace to stay vigilant. He had stationed two dozen guards outside Lusitania's room. No one, except him, was allowed to enter that wing. He had especially ordered that both his wife and daughter would not be allowed in and if he found them anywhere near that wing, he would slaughter every guard stationed. Last time, Sirrah had done everything she could to show her hatred for Kinshra. He was afraid that she might harm Lusitania because of hatred for her mother. And as for Morava—she already loathed her.
Biham got up and rounded the bed to reach where Lusitania was lying. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead. He was going to take good care of the girl and he would never return her to king Eltanin. Lusitania was born to take the reins of Pegasii. As soon as she healed, he would take her to visit the spirit of the kingdom for its blessings.
"Your Highness," a guard knocked from the door. He had a nervous tone in his voice.
Biham growled. "What?"
"General Balfour is here."
"Send him in."
The guard opened the door and Balfour stepped in. He bowed to the king.
"What is it, Balfour? You look as if you have just seen a ghost. You should be happy that we have found the true heir of Pegasii. In fact, the whole kingdom will be in a celebration for the next few days!" Biham said, wiping his tears and looking at Lusitania with his chest full of pride.
"May the moon shine upon the princess," Balfour said and bowed to Tania. He turned to Biham and said, "However, very disturbing news has come."
Biham raised an eyebrow.
"King Eltanin's armies have reached the outside of Pegasii and as we speak, they are encamping."
"Mother!" Morava shouted, bringing Sirrah back to the present. "How is it possible that that slave girl is the true heir? I knew Father had a mate, which he rejected, but why hadn't you ever mentioned her child? How did the child survive? You told me long back that the fae woman had left on her own and then was hunted down by the locals for practicing black magic, what is it that I am missing?" She picked up another porcelain flower vase and threw it against the wall, roaring with anger.
"I don't know!" Sirrah gritted. She held her head in between her hands as a headache started forming. "I had sent the guards to kill Kinshra, but they informed me that before they could reach her, she had escaped to her realm. Then my guards went after her maid, Cordea, to erase all evidence. Both Cordea and Arthur escaped my guards with the new born baby." Sirrah hadn't known where Cordea had taken the baby to. It was five years later that she had learned the child survived and the rest was history. She had even had the Pegasii's borders covered in so many dark spells, using the help of a Shaman who practiced dark magic. The spells were to ward off any children of Biham, other than Morava, to enter Pegasii. But how did Lusitania enter then? Was it because she accompanied Morava or was there something else?
"Mother, we have to kill the bitch!" Morava said as she stood up with panic inside her. "If people learn about her, about the rightful heir of Pegasii, we will both be in huge trouble. Father will announce her to his subjects soon!"
"I know!" Sirrah snapped. All her plans after so many years seemed to shatter in front of her eyes. It was as if she was back where she started. An hour back she was with Biham, planning out arrangements for her daughter's marriage with the most powerful king of Araniea, now here she was—thinking about the slave girl who suddenly became the center of Biham's life, and would soon be the face of Pegasii.
The mother and daughter shuddered at the thought. They were supposed to become rich and the most powerful, but now they didn't even have that chance in their own home. Moreover, if Biham was correct, King Eltanin would soon wage a war against them.
"Think Mother!" Morava goaded her as she stood in front of her. "We have to eliminate her before things get out of hand. We have to poison her, even if father doesn't reveal what I did to her, she will reveal it to Eltanin! As such Eltanin is too protective of her. He would—"
Sirrah clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes. Rage bubbled in her chest. She got up and slapped Morava hard across her cheek. "Mother!" Morava shouted as she pressed her cheek, surprised at her mother's sudden change in demeanor.
"If it hadn't been your foolish decision to exact revenge over a slave girl, we would have never gotten into this situation!" Sirrah hissed as she glared at Morava. Then she left her daughter and strode to her room. She had to get to Lusitania.
---
Biham was sitting at the edge of the bed where Lusitania was lying. Two healers were constantly with her. They had given her poppy in order to induce deep sleep as they applied yarrow to close her wounds. They had poured honey into the yarrow and added beeswax in order to bind the salve. It was applied all over Tania's wounds and then clean bandages were wrapped around them. Just so that the infection didn't set in, the healers had changed the bandages twice in the day. The girl was delirious and muttering something incoherent whenever she would wake up.
"How is she doing?" he asked the healer in a low choked voice.
"She should be okay, Your Highness," said the healer as he made her drink hot chamomile tea.
Biham nodded tightly. Throughout the day he spent his time with his daughter, with the true heir of Pegasii, with the child his mate had given birth to. He had lost all hope and was sure that Kinshra had died. He had tried to find her, looking everywhere after the Elders made him reject her. His own pain after rejecting her was so horrible that he couldn't imagine what Kinshra must have undergone. She was pregnant with his child.
When he sniffed Kinshra's scent in Lusitania, he stared at her incredulously. He thanked every god in the world that they had given him the chance to live with the child he had been searching for, whom he thought had died with Kinshra. And now his hopes sprung back to life. What if Kinshra was alive? Tears welled in his eyes. They had thought of the name Lusitania together, if they had a daughter.
It was almost midnight and dark outside. He had visited the temple in the palace premises to pray to the deities to save his child, the rightful heir of Pegasii. The girl was in a terrible condition. When he returned, he had wanted to whip his eldest daughter, but he avoided them instead, because at the back of his mind he knew that had Morava not committed this folly, he would have never met Lusitania. He had canceled the court and asked every guard in the palace to stay vigilant. He had stationed two dozen guards outside Lusitania's room. No one, except him, was allowed to enter that wing. He had especially ordered that both his wife and daughter would not be allowed in and if he found them anywhere near that wing, he would slaughter every guard stationed. Last time, Sirrah had done everything she could to show her hatred for Kinshra. He was afraid that she might harm Lusitania because of hatred for her mother. And as for Morava—she already loathed her.
Biham got up and rounded the bed to reach where Lusitania was lying. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead. He was going to take good care of the girl and he would never return her to king Eltanin. Lusitania was born to take the reins of Pegasii. As soon as she healed, he would take her to visit the spirit of the kingdom for its blessings.
"Your Highness," a guard knocked from the door. He had a nervous tone in his voice.
Biham growled. "What?"
"General Balfour is here."
"Send him in."
The guard opened the door and Balfour stepped in. He bowed to the king.
"What is it, Balfour? You look as if you have just seen a ghost. You should be happy that we have found the true heir of Pegasii. In fact, the whole kingdom will be in a celebration for the next few days!" Biham said, wiping his tears and looking at Lusitania with his chest full of pride.
"May the moon shine upon the princess," Balfour said and bowed to Tania. He turned to Biham and said, "However, very disturbing news has come."
Biham raised an eyebrow.
"King Eltanin's armies have reached the outside of Pegasii and as we speak, they are encamping."
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