Forbidden Love

Chapter 5

" Tell me Finnigan, why has my daughter not been found " the king, Walter asked his advisor angrily.

" We are doing all we can to find her, your highness, "he assured the king.

" Well, it does not seem so "he replied in annoyance. " I will go out myself and search for her "

" You cannot do that your highness, it is not safe for you, if they had the gall to kidnap the princess then we have no idea what else they are capable of, it is best you stay in the safety of the walls "

" I do not care about my safety, my only child is missing, I simply cannot sit and do nothing "

" I understand how hard it must be, your Majesty but I beg you to be patient "

" I have been patient Finnigan, what else would you have me do, she is all I have left " he said sadly.

" A little bit more time your Majesty, surely she will be found "

" I hope so, I cannot bear to lose her Finnigan, I cannot "he said overwhelmed with sadness.

" You will not, your highness, that I can ensure you of, we will find her. Please excuse me I have to go see if any new messages have arrived from our men at the battle field "

" Yes, yes go, you are excused, mayhap there is a missive form the soldiers we sent out to search for Laura. "

" Thank you, your highness "he replied bowing before leaving.

He strode quickly to the North tower where the aviary was situated, stepping into the large, circular chamber he dismissed the attendant and went to check for the bird he used to send missives to his contact in Khael. It seemed the bird was just getting there because it was eating.

He untied the rope securing the letter and rolled it out to read; the princess was captured successfully by our men and the journey to the capital has begun, I trust you have led your search party astray. You will regret it if you defy Khael.

" Bastards "he snarled. " They have the guts to threaten me. Me?! Of such high standing, I have the king's ear and they talk to me so. If not for my machinations within the army, Khael would have fallen to Eldoria "

He stomped around angrily for a moment before he settled down and composed a letter to send back to them; I am pleased to hear the capture went smoothly, I hope the journey will also go as smoothly. Per my promise I have led the men astray and they are going in the opposite direction from your men. I would not dare defy the king and Khael.

" There, "he said satisfied with his reply.

He hurried to tie it to the bird and let it fly. Making sure everything else was in order, he walked out of the aviary and went to his quarters.

* * * * * * * * * * *

" What news do we have from my brother, Hamond " King Edward asked his advisor.

" They have not sent any missives, my lord, the last we saw they were about to cross the twin mountains, there has been no information since then "

" Hmmm...... " Edward hummed in thought. " See that I am informed immediately if there is new information "

" Yes, your Majesty "

" Dismissed "

Bowing deeply in deference to the King Hamond walked out.

King Edward stood up from his throne and walked to the large window. Snow blanketed the landscape as far as the eye could see, it was the peak of the cold season, it would be like this for a few more months still. Khael could be harsh in the winter for those unprepared for it.

With a bitter frown, he remembered one winter his father had taken him and his brother to a nearby mountain and left them there to fend for themselves, it builds character, he said when their mother had complained. She was powerless to do anything and had let them go. His parents were dead now, a terrible accident at sea during a storm, their ship crashed into an isle of jagged rocks and broke apart, those that fell on the rocks died a quick death, like his father.

His mother however was another story, the impact with the rocks had flung her into the sea, when she washed up on shore, she was severely wounded and could not move. She was viciously picked apart by the vultures, the report he had read stated she was missing an eyeball and half of her leg. A tear slipped down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away.

This always happened when he thought about his parents, they were not the most loving parents but he knew they cared, they provided for he and his brother and were fiercely protective.

Turning away from the window, he went again to this throne and paced around it, he began to feel worried about Philip, surely going by the last missive, they should have crossed the mountain bridge, so why was there no message from him?

Sleep was far away from him that night as he tossed and turned in his bed, thinking about his brother and the princess he was bringing to him. She was a great beauty or so he had heard, it did not matter to him so long as she bare him strong sons. Yes, that was his endgame, even his brother did not know.

By marrying the princess, he would put an end to the war and have control of her kingdom vastly increasing his empire. He did not care if he had to force her to marry him, it would be done, she just had to get here first.

Turning around for the last time, he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

* * * * * * * * * * *

" So it seems your princess does not like me " Dominic stated handing Yara a cup of sweet wine.

" No, she does not "she replied smiling into her cup. " Though, one cannot blame her, you did after all kidnap her "

" True, I also kidn*pped you yet here you are "

" Make no mistake I am not pleased with that but I was not the primary target, she was, I was merely at the wrong place, at the wrong time "

" Having met me, do you still believe that "he asked coming closer to her.

She smiled coyly and replied " Yes, although I am sure my mind can be changed "

" Oh " he said dropping his cup and taking hers and dropping it. " Then allow me to change your mind, my lady "he said bending down to kiss her.

She received him eagerly, learning how to fit her lips to his, to follow his lead. When he licked into her mouth, she groaned deeply, then said" Take me "

Smiling wickedly, he replied " Your wish is my command ". And he took her to bed.