Seeing Hamon's expression of loneliness, Ara sensed that it was not yet time to dig up the secrets about him. No hurries, she would spend a little more time later to know about his mysteries.
"I don't care what you are, even if you're a monster... I am willing to marry you." She stated softly.
"Why? Are you that desperate to become queen?" He asked with an expressionless face.
"Yes, if you become king, I can do even more than a queen can do, and I will possess all the powers I've ever wanted."
Hamon's facial expression changed subtly, as if her answer was unexpected. He leaned back on the rock, and asked.
"For example?"
"If you think that I don't deserv-"
"I don't think so." He cut her off.
"What?" She asked surprised.
"Don't forget this...It was you who came to me first, you can't regret this later on."
"I...!"
Ara felt strange when she heard Hamon's response. He was looking at her as if he was looking at a prey, as if the chance of escaping had already disappeared. Silence hung in the air as they faced each other.
Hamon moved closer to her again. He raised his hand wanting to remove the strands of hair sticking to her face. Suddenly, they heard the sound of horses hooves gradually getting closer. Someone was coming. Ara quickly pushed herself up from the ground, preparing her sword, to face the soldiers who may have followed them.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
"Where are you?"
Ara looked towards the direction of the searching voices, she could see a flag flying in the distance, it was a splendid black flag with a sliver star in it's center. It was the symbol of the crown Prince guards.
Hamon frowned in disapproval at his men's voices for disturbing his time with his future wife.
"Your Highness, what if the enemy are around here somewhere." She stated wearily.
"It doesn't matter now... My men are here."
"But wh-"
"Because of our first meeting, you now think I'm some kind of a weakling." He accused with a frowned brow.
Ara winced at his accusation. He was right, she couldn't just let anything happen to him now that he had agreed to marry her, he was her only hope to save her family, but she hadn't thought him as a weakling, she had witnessed how he fought off the enemies despite being injured.
The Prince casually picked up Ara's helmet, despite his injuries he stood up on his feet and said.
"The man you choose to be your husband is not a weakling. Don't worry about anything and go back home...If you don't go now, your little secret will be revealed."
"Your Highness I ca-"
"Just go I'll be fine. And try to hide your sword fighting skills for now, it would be better for you own good."
"Okay, I understand."
Ara agreed with his words. She could be in trouble if anyone knew about her fighting skills, it was better to keep it a secret for now. Before Ara mounted her horse she turned and said.
"Your Highness, promise me you won't leave."
Hamon looked at her confused at what she meant, but he still nodded at her.
"I promise, now go...I'll visit you in fifteen days."
Even though he promised, she still felt uneasy about leaving him.
Hamon saw that she was hesitating to leave, so he walked to her and with ease he lifted her up and placed her on the horse back, then took hold of the horse reins and pressed it into her hands and said in a hurry.
"I'll see you in fifteen days. Go!"
She Sat on the horse frozen for a second, she didn't expect him to lift her up like that without warning, not to talk about his injuries. She quickly came back to her senses when she heard the urgency in his voice. Ara looked at him for the last time. He stood completely still while his red eyes gazed at her, she finally tugged the reins of her horse and galloped away, leaving him with a warning.
"Beware of lord Cornell."
Cornell was a treacherous king that conquered the kingdom in the future, but now he was a great and caring uncle and brother to the king and his children.
Hamon looked at the retreating figure of Ara on her horse. Then mumbled in a questioning voice.
"Beware of my uncle? What matters to me now isn't my uncle." However the person who could answer the question had already left. Hamon stood motionless, until she was completely out of sight.
__
Inside the majestic castle of Findara.
A maid walked in a long corridor, carrying a folded letter In her hand. She carefully looked behind wearily, she walked in a hurry and stopped when she reached a beautiful double door, she raised her hand and knocked softly on the door, then came a voice from inside.
"Come in." The maid opened the door, and walked in. Inside was, a middle-aged woman sitting on a luxuriously decorated sofa. The woman sat with grace, she wore beautiful clothing. She looked up at the maid and took the letter wordlessly, she slowly unfolded it and read the short letter. Suddenly she crumpled the paper in her fist.
"Such losers!" Her displeased voice, caused the maid to suddenly look up.
"Is there something wrong, Your royal majesty?" The maid asked concerned
"Did anybody saw you receiving the letter?"
"Nobody saw me, Your majesty."
"You can leave.....and remember, no one should hear of this." Warned the woman.
"Yes, Your royal majesty." The maid bowed and left the chamber.
The woman was Merona, the wife of the current King Frederick, she was also Hamon's stepmother.
Merona, watched the maid disappear, then placed the edge of the letter in flame of the nearby candle. The words on the letter gradually began to darken and burn.
"You will regret coming back to the kingdom, you will never be king." She mumbled under her breath, with an evil like smile on her face.
KNOCK KNOCK
There was a soft knock on the door that interrupted the queen's evil smile. "Come in." She said. The door opened with a slight noise.
A young lady walked in with a beautiful smile on her lips, the lady was wearing a gorgeous pink flowery dress, a portion of her black hair was tied into a bun, while the other half was let down her shoulders in slight curls, her Brown eyes looked so innocent and cute, she smiled at the queen and walked in with a hurried steps and said with an excited voice.
"Mother, have you heard that brother Hamon is on his way back?"
The young lady was Hamon's step sister, Merona's daughter, Princess Eadlin.
Eadlin was only eighteen, she looked so much like the queen, but the only difference is that, Eadlin was kind and nice to her step brother, while the queen was nothing but evil.
"Oh, is that what got you this happy?" Asked the queen, with a displeased look on her face.
The princess smile quickly dropped when she saw her mother's displeased look. How could she had forgotten that her mother never really liked her brother. Out of excitement she had ran here to tell her mother. She looked up at her displeased mother and said with a soft voice.
"Yes mother, it has been so long since I last saw him, and he's finally coming ba-"
"Eadlin! Have you forgotten my warnings to you?" The queen asked with an irritated voice.
Of course she still remembered the warnings. 'Stay away from that monster.' How could she stay away from the only person who understands her, and besides he had never hurt her before, she couldn't see the reason to fear him. But her overly paranoid mother doesn't know that, and only kept on nagging her on the same old topic.
"But mother, he h-"
"Eadlin!" Merona raised her voice.
Eadlin just stood there with her teary eyes, without saying anything again, because she knew better than to talk back to the queen, she folded her hands in front of her and said softly.
"I want to take a nap...I'll be in my chamber." She turned and left without waiting for the queen's reply. Yes it was rude, but she doesn't care, right now she needed to be alone.
Merona opened and closed her mouth, like a fish that's out of water, she couldn't believed her daughter just walked away without her permitting it. It was all because of that useless crown Prince, and she will see to it that he regretted coming back to Findara.
'I will make sure he dies a miserable death, just like his useless mother!'