214 Helena's Crest

AUTHOR'S POV

The feeling of solitude devoured Stellan whole for the more he think of Helena... the more he gets lonelier. Closing his eyes, Stellan caress his lips as he remember the feeling of her warm mouth on his. He clenched his fist with the memory of her hands tightly grabbing his arms while she call his name. He pulled down his trousers and started to touch himself. While he look at Helena's portrait, he started to grab his manhood, stroking it up and down. Biting his lips, the pace went from slow to rapid strokes. He placed a bit more pressure as he stare at Helena's eyes, twisting his grasp in a pulling motion. Then, he switched with the other hand, as he left out a soft groan doing a faster stroke until he finished. "Damn it", he didn't know that getting so lost like this would make him start to lose his mind. He wiped all the sticky fluids that spilled all over the table, then kept Helena's portrait safe in his drawer.

Timely, a soft knock on the door was heard as Stellan pull up his trousers. "Come in", he said as soon as he's decent. 

"Good evening Sir Stellan, a guest requests for your audience at the receiving area", Radovid said. 

"Coming unannounced? You know what to do. I do not want to be disturbed", Stellan looked for another bottle of wine in his personal collection, and took one glass from the cupboard.

"Of course", the butler hurriedly left and did as told.

As soon as Stellan found a good bottle of wine, he poured himself a glassful and sat back down in his study. He pulled out another clean sheet of paper and planned to make another sketch of Helena. He didn't want to forget how she look. He wanted to remember every feature on her face, and every mark on her body that he saw. Moments later, someone came knocking back on the door again. 

Stellan hissed in irritation as he get interrupted while sketching. "Didn't I say, I don't want to be disturbed?", Stellan growled at the nervous butler. 

"I apologize Sir Stellan. The guest already left, but they wanted to give you this", the butler lifted a small trinket wrapped in a white cloth. Too afraid to be shouted at again, he decided to leave the package on a table near the door. 

Stellan continued to work on his sketches, and then he slammed the slate pencil on the table. His glass of wine spilled over the clean sheets of paper, as he irk in annoyance, He suddenly lost his mood to draw after being constantly disturbed by the knocks on the door. As he made his way to his bedroom, he caught a glimpse of what the butler left in his room. Inexplicably, his heart suddenly pounded heavily. He took the package and slowly opened the nicely wrapped trinket. Stellan was weak to knees when he saw what's inside.

It's Helena's crest.

Pocketing the special package, he sprinted out of his room and reached the stairs in no time. He slid down the metal bannister without blinking an eye. Hurriedly, he went out of the door and had his eyes looking for the owner of the crest. His chest pounded even more, as he breath through his mouth heavily. His restless eyes peered through the misty evening, expecting to see whom his heart has been longing for. 

"I didn't know you'd be this anxious to see me", a voice of a man blurted out. 

Stellan squinted his eyes on the figure of a cloaked man leaning against the wall behind him. As the man reveal himself, Stellan's lips curved seeing an old friend. "Where were you!?", he asked.

"Funny", Ottis smiled. "I had the same thing in mind when I woke up alone in Valdemar's tent surrounded with blocks of snow. "Nice to see you too Sir Stellan", he nodded. 

"Good to see you alive", Stellan tapped Ottis' shoulder in disappointed glee. He was hoping for a different face to see.

"I need a place to stay, somewhere safe. I heard Atrius, Umbriel and Jac are imprisoned in the palace. Please tell me we'll get them out", Ottis told Stellan with a worried look in his face. 

"We are working on it. You can stay here for the meantime.", Stellan was about to ask why Helena's crest is with him when Ottis asked something he didn't expect.

"Where's the squirrel?", Ottis asked. "Did she soul travel? Didn't she stayed?", it was then Stellan knew that Ottis didn't sent the crest. For what Stellan could remember, Radovid clearly said 'they' sent the trinket... which meant the sender is not alone. 

"She's.. she's missing. The sorceress made an avalanche and got us separated. I haven't seen her since then", Stellan heartbreakingly said. 

"Ahh.. that explains the darkling roaming around", sadness is evident on the lines on Ottis' face. "She'll.. she'll be back. Just like a squirrel that she is, she'll come back rummaging all the tarts and pies like always", he laughed awkwardly. 

"Same, Ottis", Stellan hoped. 

"I found this", Ottis handed Stellan's sword which the paladin knight left in the foot of the Snow Mountains. "I'm not sure if you're throwing this away but, here. A knight can't win a battle without his sword", he said. 

"Thanks Ottis", Stellan had Ottis brought to the knights' dormitory. He made sure he's fed and warm as he stay in Hesam. He plans to send a letter to Vesta... informing the paladin crusader that he found a rat who can talk. 

Eventually, Stellan went back to the castle and shut the door. He held onto the knobs a little bit longer, with that strange feeling bothering him. Many thoughts went in and out of his mind, demanding answers which he doesn't know where to find. As he head for the stairs, he caught a glimpse of a silhouette standing by the receiving chambers. "Who's there?", Stellan saw a large bird flew out of the open window. As his eyes adjust in the dark, he noticed a cloaked figure standing by the curtains. "Reveal yourself!", he ordered with a stern voice echoing in the dark room. 

The stranger approached in small staggered steps, as if hesitating to come forth. "Hello.. Stellan", the voice of a woman was so soft, that it was music to Stellan's ears. Stellan swallowed a lump in his throat, thinking that he might have really gone crazy this time. But when the woman removed her cloak, as she show herself in the moonlight... everything suddenly went blank. "It's… me..", Helena shyly uttered as she clasp her hands.