chapter 45

She was looking into his eyes. Ready to savoured his lips. She brought her face closer to his. The old general shifted away in shocked.

Eleanor went closer again. She knelt before him. Both her hands playing down there while her face was going to meet the general's face.

The general was reclining in the air and then his head relaxed on the branch it met.

"Remember when you were lusting after me. Some years ago in the throne hall. When my father, the king ordered me to handled issues concerning the Black Dust Empire with you".

She was twisting her body seductively. They were on the dry leaves behind a fallen trunk. A very large one. Another person could not see them unless the person came closer.

The general didn't forget. He has indeed lust after the princess whom he considered not ripe to be tasted, Then.

But now she was ripe enough even though he was still older than her with the same number of years. He bite his lips and blinked away.

What he didn't understand was how she remembered this things meanwhile after the emperor disoriented her reasoning, she had not said something tangible.

She keeps diverted from the actual subject whenever she was asked something serious to something the emperor wants her to do so he could get the power of the Kings' stone out of her.

"Come and taste of my fruit now" . Eleanor told him. She was rubbing the general's rod gently and coarsely. he let out soft moans. His eyes were closed and for the moment he was out of this world.

Eleanor gently took his lips in hers. He couldn't help but kissed her back. The pleasure he has missed for long was rekindled.

The princess wished to have his sugarcane in her mouth but before she could finished wishing her wished, he stood up and flee from her. He was old and big. He ran with the pace his strength could carry.

If they were not under an attacked the knight would have had a good laughed when they sight him ran out of the woods like he saw a monster.

The general kept running only to fall into the trap Zero plotted for the daughters of Serpent Land.

"General Frederick". Jessica screamed. He was already buried in the pit. They were screaming and wailing. They channeled all their will to bring him back but failed.

Zero seized the opportunity and caused the viper to swallowed up the daughters of Serpent Land. He couldn't succeed before when the general thought he had succeeded in swallowing the women up.

All hope was lost for the knights. They panicked and screamed in vain. They were terrified. Their defenders against the supernatural Beings like this was gone.

Leaving them desolate like the ground they stood on. Their eyes was focused on the large cloudy viper which was retreating to the sky. They cursed the magician under their breath. But clearly, the was nothing they could do.

Zero laughed and mocked them. Seeing they all ran to gathered the princess who just staggered out of her hide out.

"Who shall save you all from my wrath". He turned to face them and adjusted his neck from left to right. "Surrender the princess". He yelled.

None of them said a word. Instead they drew their sword and barricade the princess from him. What must be must be. They were prepared for the worst.

His angered was fuel. This silly ordinary humans would not learn. He raised his hand in the air. Ready to torment them with his plague.

They knights began to sweat in places. They knew they were no matched for Zero. They couldn't contend with him in battled. With just a snapped of his fingers they might all sleep off. Leaving the princess vulnerable before him. But before that, they are willing to put their lives in line. All of them. They better died in battled like men rather than died like weakling.

Zero threw his first plague at them. He caused the cloud to thundered and shook the foundation of where they stood. Their sword was snatched out of their hands by unseen forces.

He kept laughing as they struggled to maintained their footings. "stop behaving like cowards. Fight me. Fight me like men".

"You can never be any matched for me". Ken said in a shaking tone. He fell sideward to the ground and groan in pains. Fight me hand to hand. Man to man and stop hiding behind magic. You fool". Ken spat on the floor opposite him.

Zero commanded lightening in his hands. White and blue light to struck Ken into bits.

Luckily for Ken and the rest of them another Being appeared and defeated Zero with the snapped of her finger.

It was Joyce. She exhumed the general and bring forth the daughters of Serpent Land.

Joyce was hovering in the air. The sky had returned to normal. Every other thing too. The ladies were still recovering. After awhile reality set in on them that they just came back from the void. They were glad.

"Joyce" . Jessica screamed when she lifted her head up. Their joy knows no bound. They turned to see the knights who were still protecting Eleanor before they let down their guard and some of them ran to the old general who lay lifeless on the ground.

They were all grateful to this Being whom they knew nothing of. "If the queen knows her, then she must be for us". Kate thought.

The deadly activity between the daughters of Serpent Land and Zero uprooted most of the tree and withered the grasses leaving the space they stood on bare and barren.

Joyce glared at Jessica. Jessica wondered if it was because she called her by her name.

Slowly she descended until her feet touched the ground. Then she closed the distance to stand face to face with Jessica. The foster twin and Beatrice were close, behind Jessica.

"Followed this way to the Mistletoe kingdom". She said and points to her right. Her facial expressions didn't indicate that she was willing to help. They hope Joyce doesn't sent them to their doom. They thanked her anyways.

Joyce disappeared and stood before the knights who flinched and then stood their ground again.

She shifted her gaze from the men whom she considered to be children because of their reactions. Her gaze landed on Eleanor who stood indifferent in their midst.

Joyce didn't blinked. "Returned the king's stone". She spoke, her gaze was choking Eleanor. "You caused all this". She paused and looked at Eleanor who stood tattered and helpless.

"It is because of you that I came here". Joyce clapped her hands and the men became deaf.

She didn't want them to hear what she was about saying to the princess. "lord Zane sent me here. I wouldn't want to be sent to save your sorry arse ever again. So behave yourself". She took her gaze to Eleanor's hair and trailed down to her feet and back.

" lord Zane wouldn't let me be all because of you. I hate the day I met you". She wave her hands and the men involuntarily stepped side. Leaving Eleanor to stand directly opposite her.

The women were alarmed. They started walking towards them.

"Stay away from him or I shall crushed you with my bare hands". Her hands were crushing the air in front of Eleanor. She gritted her teeth. "He said I should tell you to prepare your mind so you could returned the stone".

Joyce snapped her fingers and the deaf fellows starting hearing again. They heard the wind whistled into their ears while their hands went to pulled out what was previously blocking their hearing. But they found nothing. Joyce disappeared before the women could come near.

Confusion was etched on Eleanor's face concerning what Joyce talked to her about. She couldn't comprehend a thing. "What nonsense stone was she talking about". Eleanor thought. " All I desire is a man, any man that shall satisfy my urged. I'm I asking for too much?". She hissed and snapped out.

The people were acknowledging each other's presence. They discovered they were not complete. Luke and Timber who went back to Black Dust Empire were not back.

They looked round. Especially on the spot were they thought was the borderline. they spread out into the woods.

It wasn't long before Arthur's voice called them back.

"Look they are over there". Arthur screamed. They ran there. It was their dead bodies they found. They wept.

"What shall be done to their bodies". Martin who sat at Timber's side asked. "You all must go. We shall handle it" Jessica suggested.

It was not as easy as she spoke to leave them behind. They have gotten fond of each other along the line of this their unending journey. They kept weeping for their demised. This was the first time they were losing their own. Two at a time.

Jessica was confused on what to do. Their outburst of emotions was contagious. She signaled the other females. The daughters of serpent land, they encircled the weeping knights and teleported all of them to the real border of Mistletoe kingdom.

They didn't have a choice than to moved on. The bodies was left behind.

With heaviness in their heart they bade goodbyes to the daughters of Serpent Land. Some moments are just too emotional to stay strong.

"Go on" Jessica told them.

The men were crossing the borderline while Ken bend like a gentle man and stretched forth his hand for Eleanor to crossed over.

She lagged behind, turning around her eyes met with Jessica whose right hand was still up in the air as she bade them farewell. She and other of her kind.

Eleanor gulped. "I shall missed you". She said more to herself. Just when she was about crossing over, Jessica held her hand and pulled her to herself. Princess Eleanor bowed to her. "My queen..."

Jessica wondered what was going through her mind when she lagged behind. Her eyes were still on Eleanor, she couldn't take her mind off what had changed the young princess completely.

Why she couldn't resist her urged. How effective the dark magic emperor Cassius deposited in her was that it would make her loose her sanity whenever she set her eyes on any man.

"My princess... Please resist this temptation. Resist the urge and it shall flee from you. You can do it. Believe in your self".

Eleanor looked at her indifferent. Jessica shrugged her shoulders and broaden her eyes at her to be sure she heard her. Eleanor blinked and bowed slightly.

Jessica saw it. The foster twin and Beatrice saw it too. They were going to defeat Zero but when Jessica saw Eleanor kissed the general, she flinched and was distracted.

Her abilities became numb. Everything stiffen in her. The three other daughters of Serpent Land who lend their powers to Jessica paused.

They worked in unity. After the incident with emperor Cassius. They were too weak to charged at Zero individually. That was why they held their hands and meditated with closed eyes.

Only when Zero casted a spell on Eleanor did Beatrice break out but returned immediately. Together they seems stronger than before.

They saw the general struggled with the sudden excitement Eleanor revived in him. General Frederick's breath was thumping in their ears. They saw the need in his eyes.

The princess and the old general thought until a person came close before they could see them but they were not hidden before the eyes of this Beings who protected them with their lives.

General Frederick closed his eyes at her sensual stroking. He jerked and licked his under lips.

He didn't pushed Eleanor's hand off his thing as she continues to fondled with it. Then Eleanor leaned forward to kissed him.

It was at that moment that Zero overpowered them because their focused on him lost completely.

He seized the opportunity, their diverted attention was a plus for him.

The magician twirled his hands and dug the pit to dragged them in since the viper failed to swallowed them up at first but the general flee from the princess like an animal who was being chased and he fell inside the pit.

The duaghters of Serpent Land took extra precautions to watched over Eleanor after their carelessness made her ran off with the man in the kingdom where they were being driven out.

They had not bothered to checked on her then. Even though Ken suggested but they wave it off because they didn't want the stone to hit her.

Their negligence lead to such disgraceful act with the stranger. Jessica would have strangled the man but she left him because he didn't know that the lady he was rocking was not in her right senses. Eleanor was under the influence of the dark magic and still is.

"My princess only your husband has a right over your body. The rest are nothing and shouldn't stand the chance to feed on the tenderness of your womanhood. Please whatever voices is speaking through your heart. Is lying to you". Jessica gulped audibly.

The men were waiting patiently for her at the other side, in the Mistletoe kingdom. The old general's gaze continue to bury in the ground after the incident. He was too ashamed to look at or talk to the princess.

He wanted to tell her to come over that time was far spent. He sent Francis instead. Francis on the other hand was drowned in thought.

He was trying to place why he couldn't talk to his first and only love freely. He understands she was married but why couldn't he just talked to her. He believed he might still have the chance with her because his subconsciousness kept assuring him that Eleanor shall dissolved her marriage out of frustration because of her husband's ill manners towards her.

Talking to Eleanor wouldn't make the power to transfer to the emperor. he was sure of this

But then he saw Eleanor behaved differently now. She became a shadow of her former self. The strong woman in her was gone and was replaced by a whore who was always distracted with lust.

He hated the emperor for doing that to her. He wished he could strangled him but he was there. When emperor Cassius intoxicated her and he couldn't do nothing. He didn't know this shall become of her.

Francis didn't want to disobeyed the general. He walked closer to the borderline and stood there.

Jessica was not done speaking with Eleanor. "My princess, this thing is not making you think straight".

Jessica looked at her. she was returning with blank stares. She looked different since the time of the incident. Her blue charming eyes looks dull and her skin pale. She looked like a curse.

The queen wept internally. She wished she could do something to save her integrity. She doubted Eleanor would not misbehaved there in Mistletoe, her husband's home. Her home.

Even the immunity of Mistletoe would have no effect on the powers that concerned the Kings' stone. Eleanor shall still be under the influence of the dark magic even there, in Mistletoe.

There was no point talking to her. She was being controlled by greater forces beyond them.

Jessica wanted to discussed about returning the kings' stone with her but her heart was not ready. It has to be ready and willing to return it.

While Eleanor was not hypnotized, she was not willing to return it for the fear that she might die in the process. Now that she was hypnotized, the possibility was thin.

The others who were behind Jessica wept internally as the watched their princess. Eleanor didn't understand why everyone was looking at her with pitiful eyes.

She was going to moved ahead and leave them here if that was all they were going to do. 'Looking at her'. She only felt their gaze. Whenever she looked at any of these her guidances. They looked away.

Jessica held her hand and brought it close to her lips. She kissed it. Eleanor felt the warm crawled up to her heart. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them she saw four women bowing to her. She needed a man and not women like her.

"I shall leave now" the princess said and proceed through the borderline to the other side where she saw men staring in her direction.

They all bowed to her immediately she near them, they made a path for her to walked through.

They stood in opposite sides bowing as she passed. They believed she knew the way. So they allowed her to lead while the followed.

The old general caution the men. None of them walked side by side with her. In front or directly behind her. They gave her space. All the space she deserved.

It was Kate whom they pushed to walked with her. Eleanor was still trying to know why they were avoiding her. Like she was a plague that could infect them or maybe death that could killed them.

This days all her knights looks palatable to her and she needed to have a filled of them but they seems faraway. They wouldn't get close to her and it suddenly became a taboo to sit with her. She thought maybe she was stinking. She kept thinking. Once in awhile she would smell her armpit and dress to be sure she wasn't.

Even when she go to speak with them, they would run out of her presence like breeze.

If they were not going to comply, others shall. She was beginning to see some men around. Two of them.

To what Kate trace her gaze to see. Those men looks like guards who stood some metres away. Some knights immediately ran in front to guard the princess.

"They must be guarding the borderline to prevent intruders". Kate told Eleanor. Kate noticed how princess Eleanor increased her space. Only to get block by Ken who didn't even turned to face her.

The men of Mistletoe spread out with hands against their sheathed swords when they sight them coming. More came out of the woods.

Eleanor's threw her gaze around. She saw so many tree houses, it had men in them. These men were armed with bow and arrow ready to shoot.