The Dhravok lunged. Alias reacted instinctively, sword raised, striking with precision, deflecting its massive claws. Sparks flew where steel met scale.
Throughout the clash, he stole glances at her. Her gaze never wavered from the Dhravok, cataloging its movements, her chest rising and falling in controlled rhythms, her body tense but measured. She's terrified, but it's all internal. She's processing, not panicking. "My lady get away from here!! You'd be harmed!!" He screamed once more, but all were futile, as she didn't move, rather she spoke….. "Staying still would make it ignore me since he's mind is focused on its current prey, which is you, if I move, it would make it notice me and change course, it would attack me as it sees me as its new prey, very dangerous"
Alias could feel his rage snapping, Is she in her right mind!!!
The creature faltered. Alias struck its eye, making it bleed, and the Dhravok stumbled, retreating with a final hiss into the shadows.
He exhaled, chest heaving, and turned to her.
She was still there, standing slightly away, hands at her sides, shoulders lowering as if releasing the tension slowly. A faint, private smile touched her lips as her eyes looked everywhere but him—not relief, not triumph, but acknowledgment: she had seen him act, she had survived, and in her own way, she was quietly registering everything.
Alias felt an unfamiliar pull at his chest. And it wasn't a good pull.
Alias snapped, voice sharp: "Were you out of your mind? Why weren't you running?!"
She flinched, eyes flicking to him, blinking multiple times then back to the path where the Dhravok disappeared to, voice calm and precise, but a little loud: "I was… observing. It matters. I see its patterns… if I run blindly, it would've catch me, and kill me, very dangerous." She chuckled " hehehe, you're stupid"
Did she just call me stupid?!!!!
He couldn't believe his ears, nor his mind, she called him stupid when she was the one standing infront of the creature instead of running, he could've swore he felt his nerves breaking.
He was about to shout at her again when he noticed the king and queen along with others run towards them.
Alias cooled down and dropped the sword to the ground which caused the slight glow of the blade to die down.
When he reached them, he asked as the queen's arms already around the woman's body. Her hands clenching and unclenching her gown on her sides. The four princesses were also there staring at the woman and Alias.
" We heard a commotion here" the king said as he stared at Alias and the woman " what happened?!"
"Dhravok!! Dhravok!!" The woman spoke. All turned in shock as they stared at her, she continued with a louder voice, as if narrating a book
"It came from the left side of the garden, near the ash tree. I heard the branches first—they snapped in a pattern, three quick breaks, then one slower one. That's how I knew something heavy was moving."
The king blinked. "Isabelle…."
Isabelle?!!! Alias turned his head abruptly to the king and back to the woman 'she's the third princess?!!' He asked himself, unable to believe this fearless dumb head was the third princess.
But She talked over the king, unable to stop the flow.
"Its claws were covered in mud. The second toe dragged; that means it was injured. It breathed loudly—too loudly. Like a bellows that's rusted."
Her hands fluttered once, then stilled.
"It was running straight at me. Faster than horses. This man stepped in front of me before I finished counting its strides. He pushed me back and the creature couldn't get to me. It wanted me. I don't know why." Her eyes couldn't stop moving, she either stared at the ground or the sky with an uneven gaze, blinking as if something got in her eyes, but not once did her glance land on either of the people surrounding them.
The guests were in the ballroom, non was allowed to reach the garden as they were stopped by the knights of the palace. Only the royal family, high dukes and the guards were there, and as soon as she finished talking, the king ordered " How did it get in here? What were the guards doing?!! Search the palace grounds, if it's anywhere near the palace or with in, find it and kill it!!" The king ordered.
"Yes your majesty!!" The guards responded and run towards where the beast emerged from. "Loraine, Selene, take your sister back to her room" he ordered.
"Yes father"
Loraine and the three princesses took their sister, princess Isabelle from their mother and left, heading to the palace, away from the ball.
The queen hugged Alias " Thank you, Thank you for saving my child, I owe you more than I could express"
She didn't look she wanted to be saved.
But he bow to her and spoke " I am glad the princess is safe, that is all that matters your royal highness"
"No Alias, a dhravok is a dangerous creature, if you were not there, it would've killed her in an instant, I too, owe you as well, and I shall repay your kindness"
" Thank you my king" he bow to him, as in a formal way of thanking his king.
The guards returned moments later, breathless.
"The dhravok is gone," one reported. "We searched the east and west grounds. Nothing. Not even tracks."
The king exhaled sharply — a sound he had held in his chest far too long.
The queen's fingers loosened around her own gown, her shoulders slumping with a tension she had not shown even when the beast stood before them.
Only Alias remained rigid, spine straight, gaze toward the now-empty stretch of darkness. He didn't savor the relief. He didn't accept it. Not yet.
"It shouldn't have been here at all," the king murmured. "Dhravoks do not wander into the heart of a kingdom unless…"
His eyes slid to Alias. "Unless they were drawn."
Alias understood what the king meant, a power surged within him, a power which he himself had no idea of its limit, its attracts many creatures, its like a trigger for them to fight him and destroy him as they were all sensing the danger within him.
It was his secret, he hid it well from the world, from the human race, anyone who was as normal as humans wouldn't sense it, only creatures and high mages would sense beyond his protective shield, and the king knew because of these mages.
Alias bowed to him and spoke "It has been along night my king"
He was running away, as he always do escaping situations that overwhelmed him.
"Yes, it has been, you have my gratitudes…"
"Thank you my king, I shall take my leave"
"No—wait!" the queen's voice rang through the corridor, sharp enough to halt even the guards.
Alias paused mid-stride.
She exchanged a look with the king, a silent plea passing between them before she stepped forward, hands clasped tightly against her chest.
"Lord Harrington," she said softly, her tone gentler, more vulnerable than before. "You have saved my daughter… perhaps even all of us, tonight."
Alias bowed slightly, wishing the conversation would end before more questions surfaced.
"Her safety is enough. I require nothing further, Your Majesty."
But the queen shook her head.
"No. Not this time. A dhravok breached our inner grounds — the most protected land in our kingdom. For generations, nothing has crossed those wards. Nothing."
Her gaze lifted to him, sharp with worry. "We cannot ignore what that means."
Alias held his breath.
He knew exactly what it meant.
It meant him.
"Please," she continued, stepping closer, "stay within the palace for a few days. As our guest. We must strengthen our defenses, and I would feel… safer… knowing the man who faced that creature is not far."
Alias stiffened.
A trap of courtesy.
A request no Duke could refuse without raising suspicion.
The king joined her, voice firmer, authoritative.
"Your presence may deter other creatures — or at least give us time to understand why one appeared at all."
Alias swallowed hard.
Or it may draw more, he thought.
But he didn't say it.
No one needed to know that his very heartbeat was a beacon to monsters of every realm.
He bowed again, lower this time.
"If that is Your Majesties' wish… I shall stay."
Relief washed visibly over the queen's face.
Even the king's shoulders eased a fraction.
"Good," the queen whispered. "Then at dawn, a chamber will be prepared for you."
Yet as Alias straightened, he felt the weight of the palace walls closing around him — and somewhere deeper inside, the dangerous hum of the power he tried so hard to bury.
And in the far wing of the palace, five princesses disappeared into a room…
…while one Loraine… sat in silence, hands folded in her lap, staring at nothing.
Not relieved.
Not grateful.
Just waiting.
As though the creature had come for her…to ruin her plans..with the Duke of Ashbourne.
As always, her third sister took all the attention.