Chapter 31

"I woke up startled by noises and explosions coming from all directions. I got up in a hurry and saw my door being violently opened.

"Miss Bass, come, run!" Chant was at the door, in tears, shouting at me.

I couldn't understand what was happening, but it seemed very serious.

"Where to?" I felt the smell of smoke spreading through the corridor as soon as we stepped into it.

"This way!" She coughed and dragged me with her small hands along a path I had never been before. "We're almost there."

My eyes stung from the amount of smoke, and my lungs burned.

"What's happening?" I spoke desperately.

"They're attacking the castle." My eyes widened even more. "You'll be fine."

"And the others? Where are they?" I asked desperately. "And the king, where is the king?" My sobbing intensified as I followed her to the safe place.

We descended several spiral staircases, and each time I thought there was no way to go deeper, we found out that yes, it was possible.

Finally, we reached a huge door, guarded by two soldiers. They opened it as soon as they saw us.

I stumbled into the room and was embraced by large hands that took me straight to his chest.

"Are you okay?" Eldric held me tightly in his arms, and I started crying desperately. All of this brought back frightening memories from the past, from the times I was hunted.

"I... I..." I cried again, and he cradled me in his arms until I calmed down.

Eldric stepped back to look at me, and something in his expression changed. It was as if he was reliving the past.

"You are safe now; nothing will happen to you. I promise. Nothing will happen to you, Rachel." It seemed like his promise wasn't made to me, and that confused me even more.

The door was opened again, and the other contestants arrived as frightened as I was. Eldric settled me next to Chant and went to comfort them, just as he did with me.

"Who would attack us?" I asked Chant, but she couldn't answer.

Once the five of us were there, the king declared that he would end whatever was happening outside, and only when it was safe, could we return to our rooms.

The hours passed, and the fear that something had happened to Eldric grew. All the contestants were clinging to their maids. They were the only link they had within the castle.

"Have they managed to drive away the invaders?" I heard one of the girls say, but no one dared to answer for fear of being overheard.

The sniffling and lamenting continued until the doors were opened, and Connor came in.

"I'm sorry for what you witnessed today, ladies." He took another step forward, and one by one, we stood up to hear his words. "Now everything is back to normal, and I believe you want to return to your rooms to clean up and have something to eat." We all agreed with him.

We went back slowly, but by another path, and we began to see that there were no damages inside the castle.

"No rebel managed to enter; you can rest assured. All the damage was on the outside." I looked at Chant, who was as shaken as I was.

As soon as I reached the door of my room, Chant told me she would bring the copper bathtub for me to wash up and left. When I realized it, I started crying and lay on my bed, curling up like a shell. All my fears were reawakened that day, and only Mother Luna could calm my heart at that moment.

Chant returned sometime later with the guards and the bathtub, and the hot water was left in the middle of the room.

As soon as it was full enough, I asked her to leave so I could have some privacy at that moment.

The water was warm and inviting; I didn't take long to undress and enjoy the little time its temperature would last.

I avoided wetting my hair because I couldn't explain its discoloration, but I missed washing it. It was heavy and oily from the product I was using.

When I finished, I called Chant back, and she brought my dinner to the room, but I couldn't even think about eating. I was still very shaken by everything that had happened.

Knocking on the door snapped me out of my trance, and when I opened it, I saw the king standing in front of it, looking tired with a deep cut on his face.

"Oh, my Moon," I said, going straight to his face and analyzing every detail of the injury.

"I'm fine, I've had worse." he tried to joke, but I could see that he was tired. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." he said, and I hugged him tightly, feeling his arms wrap around me protectively. "I'm sorry for tonight."

"It's not your fault." I said, trying to hold back the tears that were already welling up in my eyes.

"The king always bears the blame for not realizing others' actions in time." I heard his heart beating faster, and I took a deep breath and looked at him. His eyes dominated mine for a minute, and I felt that he wanted more than just a hug at that moment. "I didn't want you to feel afraid here in my kingdom, but I can't always avoid these confrontations."

"I understand." I spoke softly, still analyzing. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself when this happens again?" He smiled slightly and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"I promise, Miss Bass." he leaned his forehead against mine, and our auras became one. "I promise to try my best to avoid any confrontations." I knew I could ask him to stay there with me. And I wanted to, but it wasn't right, and my reason woke up at that moment.

I backed away a little to break the spell he had on me. His eyes followed my movements, and he held my face in his hands.

"Tomorrow, at breakfast, I need you to be there. I have an important announcement to make, and all the contestants have to be present." I nodded. "Now I have to go. I have a few more young ladies to calm down." His smirk irritated me, and I pouted, which caught his attention, and he started laughing.

"You have to make a choice soon." I said stubbornly, moving away from him.

"That's what I intend to do." he bid farewell and left, leaving me intrigued about what would happen the next day.