Missing Princess

Agatha woke up gasping for air, tears streaming down her cheeks from another nightmare. She was covered in cold sweat.

She was about to get up when she realized she wasn't lying on a bed. She was in a moving carriage, surrounded by men. Her hands and feet were tied, and her mouth was gagged with cold metal chains.

She couldn't identify any of them. Fear filled her heart.

Where am I? she thought.

Her memory flashed to her dream. It was just like this—she was in a carriage, tied up, and surrounded by men.

But this time, she was more nervous and scared. The three men beside her were powerful, their muscular bodies strong and firm. A strange aura emanated from each of them.

It was dark, but the lamp held by one of the men illuminated the tribal tattoos on their arms.

Werebeasts.

Why had they captured her? Agatha couldn't recall any wrongdoing that would make her their enemy.

"She's finally awake, Levi," said a man with long hair.

The man holding the lamp glanced at Agatha, studying her closely.

He approached, making Agatha step back, but there was nothing behind her but the wall.

Agatha's heart pounded wildly. She wondered who they were, if they were Nysander's allies, and where they were taking her.

Agatha thought they might be bringing her to where Nysander was hiding Aiden.

Her eyes frantically searched the area, but all the exits were near them.

There was only one door, and the man with the lamp sat next to it.

The man with long hair sat near the open windows.

Even if Agatha managed to escape the carriage, she couldn't outrun any of them.

Werebeasts were one of the fastest beings in Quailsham, second only to Wind Faes. Elvens were the fastest of all, able to travel great distances in a flash.

So many questions filled her mind that she failed to notice the chains had been removed from her mouth.

"Drink," a man said, pressing a glass against her lips. But she bit her lips firmly, refusing to comply.

"It's not poison," he assured. "Don't worry, we need you alive and unscathed. You've been unconscious for a few hours. If you want to stay alive for the next few, you should drink."

Agatha felt the itchiness of her dry throat but still didn't dare to drink. She had to stay vigilant. Their words meant nothing to her.

"I see you're not thirsty. How about food?" asked a young man sitting on her left.

Agatha just stared at him. Like the others, he was bulky, with most of his skin inked with strange symbols.

She cleared her throat. "W-what do you want from me? I am not rich. I have no Galleons to give you. So, it's better if you just let me go. I am nothing…"

Agatha tried to sound firm despite her nervousness and the tears threatening to fall.

"No," he said nonchalantly. "We need to deliver you to our client."

If Agatha had been merely nervous before, now she couldn't breathe properly due to her pounding heart.

Tears formed in Agatha's weary eyes. "No! Please! Don't give me to the Ravager. I'll do anything. Please. Just don't. Aiden…"

Agatha couldn't stop crying. How was she supposed to save Aiden if she herself was captured?

She could no longer see clearly through her tears, but she tried to suppress her sobs. She needed to stay strong. Crying would do her no good.

"Please…" Agatha continued. "Aiden needs me…"

Agatha wiped away the tears spilling down her cheeks. Then she stopped crying as realization hit her. Wait…

She looked curiously at her hands, noticing that the chains were no longer around her wrists.

"We're not supposed to tie you up," said the man with a smirk. "But you're too careless. You almost fell… So yeah…" There was awkwardness in his voice.

"Why the hell are you a lady? It would've been easier if you were a man. We could just carry you over our shoulders and knock you out with a quick punch. Not like this. This carriage is making me crazy and nauseous. We should have transformed and just run."

The man near Agatha said, "Anyway, don't worry. We're not going to deliver you to the Ravager, whoever that son of a bitch is."

Levi, meanwhile, tied Agatha's right wrist with a thin rope.

He shrugged when he noticed her staring seriously at what he was doing. "Just in case you try to escape. We don't have time to track you down again, so we can't afford to lose you. We've been looking for you for months. Please cooperate."

Agatha pulled her wrist away and asked, "What the hell do you want from me? Why are you looking for me? I—"

She couldn't finish her sentence as the carriage came to an abrupt halt.

They soon descended and carried Agatha along. She cleared her throat as they entered the thick darkness of the forest.

Tall trees surrounded them, and deafening silence filled the air. Wherever she looked, only darkness and trees met her gaze.

Beside Agatha was the man carrying the lamp. The light seemed meant only for her, as the other two men walked ahead without any source of light.

Perhaps this was what they had been talking about. Werebeasts had heightened senses and could see through total darkness.

The coachman, also a Werebeast, assisted Agatha.

Once they reached a wide clearing, Agatha was seated on a cut tree. She looked around but saw only the five of them.

As time passed, she became more frightened. She wasn't sure what awaited her. But more than for herself, she was concerned about Aiden.

She wondered how she was supposed to escape from all of them. She knew she couldn't outrun the Werebeasts. She also couldn't hide, as they could easily smell her.

They were the best trackers in Quailsham, probably the reason they had captured her in the first place.

The only way she could escape was probably if there came a fierce rainstorm. The rain seemed to lessen their abilities.

Agatha closed her eyes and bit her lip, thinking of ways to escape. Then she heard a soft rustle not far away. Her body went stiff as she waited impatiently for whoever it was to arrive.

She didn't know what or who she was waiting for, but she certainly didn't expect to see none other than Liam himself.

Agatha froze, as did Liam, with a surprised look. His eyes widened while staring unblinkingly at hers.

His hair was disheveled, and he had bags under his eyes. He looked exhausted, a state Agatha had never seen him in before.

Agatha wondered if Liam was carrying the world's collective despair.

"Aggie..." he whispered.

Her mind raced with questions and assumptions. Why was he here? Did Liam order her capture? But why? Was it because she escaped from Slumber Shack to look for Aiden, despite his warnings to stay put?

But then, the Werebeasts had said they had been looking for her for months. So, it seemed unlikely. Was Liam behind all of this? But why…

Liam moved quickly, so fast she barely saw him.

In the blink of an eye, he was standing before her.

Liam attacked the Werebeast holding her wrist. But the Werebeast was fast too. He easily dodged Liam's fist and leapt far away, roaring.

"What the fuck is this?" Liam was livid. His voice thundered, shaking the muted forest.

Agatha felt a little scared when she saw his face. She had never seen him this angry before, not even when she escaped from him. This was a new level of anger, as if he was ready to kill or be killed at any moment.

Levi stood between Liam and his companions, expressionless. "We've already found who you were looking for, King Liam," he said. Though he used Liam's title, there was no respect in his voice.

But he wasn't disrespectful either. His tone was just empty, casual.

"You kidnapped my Fate, you fucker!"

Liam attacked the Werebeasts one by one, but they easily avoided his blows.

Agatha noticed the calmness in their movements. They didn't attack Liam. They merely avoided his assaults.

Once they surrounded Liam, they attacked together. They moved simultaneously, easily pinning Liam to the ground. They didn't attack to kill, just to stop him from issuing unnecessary punches.

Soon, Leonel arrived with Liam's other knights.

Levi then shouted in a rising tone. "We are not paid to fight, and we're not here to fight." He looked around, his eyes calm like the aftermath of a rainstorm. "We're here to talk with your King about the individual he wanted us to track. We understand why he attacked us. We captured his Fate. Anyone in his position would have done the same, so we allowed it."

There was a deafening pause. "But if you attack us, which won't benefit either of us, we promise we won't let it slide. We can kill, and we will."

Leonel readied his weapon, staring at Levi. "Is that a challenge then?"

Liam suddenly vanished from the Werebeasts' grasp and attacked Levi from behind, but Levi sensed him and leapt behind Agatha.

"Stop these futile attacks," he said, sighing. "We're wasting our time and energy instead of focusing on more important matters."

Levi then held Agatha's elbow and gently pulled her towards Liam.

Liam clenched his jaw, calculating the situation. He had stopped his attacks to catch her, preventing her from falling.

Before the other knights could retaliate, Levi spoke. "She's the remaining Blue Blood Water Fae you want us to track."

Everything fell silent at Levi's words. Leonel glanced at her, as did Liam, while Agatha stared back, equally confused.

Last Blue Blood Water Fae?

Liam's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" His voice softened a bit as he processed the information. Then he helped Agatha remove the rope from her wrist.

Levi's tone remained composed. "I'm sure you know this better than anyone. It is exactly as I said. Your Fate is the one you were looking for all along. This woman is the remaining Blue Blood Water Fae, the true heir to the throne, and the rightful holder of the Pearl Scepter, the missing princess of the Water Fae Kingdom."