Mission

The next day, As Astrid strolled along the tranquil lakeside in the calm morning, her feet carrying her toward the serene waters.

In deep thoughts, she didn't notice the person approaching her until they collided.

Her countenance turned apologetic immediately. "I'm sorry, I'm-"

But when the other person's eyes met hers, her gaze narrowed as she recognized the culprit – Prince Ryker.

She stopped the apology she was about to alter.

Ryker flashed a charming smile, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Ah, Astrid, how's your sister?"

Astrid's glare intensified, sensing the malice behind his innocent-sounding question. "Who asks that so early in the morning?What do you want, Ryker?"

Ryker's grin broadened. "Oh, I was just wondering if Zulin's... condition has improved."

"How about you go check up on her instead? She can explain her condition perfectly to you!"

He faked a shiver, his voice dripping with false concern. "No I can't! I must admit, I was shaken when I saw her... abilities. I thought she was going to kill me!"

Astrid's eyes flashed with anger. "You delusional bastard, what did you see? You're always drunk, you were probably hallucinating! Did you even see my sister at all?!"

Ryker's smile never wavered, but his eyes gleamed with malevolence. "Oh, I saw her, all right. And I wasn't the only one who witnessed it, we know what we saw."

Astrid's anger boiled over, but before she could retort, Ryker turned and sauntered away, whistling a jaunty tune.

As Astrid watched him disappear further into the palace, her mind whirled with questions. What exactly had this fool seen that very day?

Everything seems true but why do they keep dragging the whole situation??

Astrid, had always been very protective of her sister, but she felt at the center of this whole storm being unable to do anything.

She doesn't even care if her sister was indeed anything apart from being human, she just wanted her to be released.

She knew that Ryker was behind the rumors, for his own selfish interest but she also knew that she had to be careful.

The kingdom was on the brink of chaos, but Astrid was determined to uncover the truth and clear her sister's name.

She sighed as the memory of that fateful journey, the one that had sparked the rumors about Zulin's true nature, flooded Astrid's mind.

She recalled the day they set out to investigate the strange occurrences at the sea borders...

**********

On a nice day in kingdom of Azuraea, the sun dipped into the horizon and painted the sky with hues of crimson and gold as Princess Zulin prepared for her journey to the sea borders.

The air was alive with the sweet scent of blooming flowers and the distant calls of seagulls.

As the eldest daughter of the king and queen, Zulin had always been drawn to the thrill of adventure and the pursuit of justice.

Her parents, though wary of the dangers that lay ahead, had come to trust her instincts and bravery.

"Astrid, help me with my gear," Zulin called out to her younger sister, who was busy checking the saddle of her horse.

Astrid looked up, her deep indigo eyes sparkling with excitement. "Almost done, Zulin! Father said we should be careful and—"

"I know, I know," Zulin interrupted with a smile. "We'll be fine, Astrid. We have the best guards in the kingdom with us."

Their parents, the king and queen, stood nearby, their faces etched with a mix of concern and pride.

They exchanged a glance, their eyes shining with a sense of wonder at their daughter's growing strength and determination.

"Zulin, please be careful," her mother said, her voice trembling slightly. "We're proud of you for taking on this mission, but we can't afford to lose you."

Zulin's expression softened, and she hugged her mother. "I will, Mother. I promise."

With a final check of their gear, Zulin, accompanied by a contingent of seasoned military officers, set off toward the sea borders.

Their mission was to investigate reports of smuggling at the sea borders, specifically the trafficking of illegal drugs.

As Zulin and her contingent of military officers journeyed toward the sea borders, the landscape shifted from lush forests to rugged coastlines.

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore grew louder with each step.

After several hours of riding, they arrived at a small village near the sea borders. The villagers, though initially wary, welcomed Zulin and her officers warmly when they realized who they were.

As they settled into the village, Zulin began to gather information about the smuggling operations. She spoke with the villagers, who shared rumors and whispers about strange ships and clandestine meetings.

With each new piece of information, Zulin's determination grew. She was convinced that they were closing in on the truth.

******

The journey to the sea borders had been a resounding success.

Zulin and her contingent of military officers had gathered irrefutable evidence of the smuggling operations and brought the perpetrators to justice.

Therefore they prepared to head back to the kingdom.

As they began their journey back home, the group was in high spirits. But little did they know, their return journey would be marred by a series of strange events.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Zulin and her companions, including Ryker, her cousin who had tagged along, set up their camp in the woods.

The night air was filled with the sounds of crickets and the occasional hooting of owls.

Just as they were settling in, the sound of wolves howling pierced the air. The group exchanged nervous glances, and before they could react, a wolf emerged from the shadows.

In a flash, the wolf darted toward Zulin, its jaws open wide. But before anyone could intervene, Zulin sprang up in sheer reflex.

She stood up and took a step to flee.

And after only feeling like she just took three steps, she found herself very far from the group.

With incredible speed, she had covered a distance of ten meters in the blink of an eye, this realization shocked her entire world as she couldn't even understand what happened.

How she was able to pull off such a great deal.

The group watched in awe as Zulin seemingly defied human limitations. Ryker's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with suspicion.

How could Zulin possess such weird abilities?

The wolf, seeing Zulin's unexpected speed, and maybe some other thing that scared it, retreated back into the shadows, its tail between its legs before they could think of a way to run or fight it off.

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief as Zulin returned to the campsite, her chest heaving sligh.

Everyone was surprised, but they knew they couldn't conclude on baseless facts about the princess.

Ryker's eyes never left Zulin's face, his expression a mixture of fascination and unease.

He couldn't shake off the feeling that there maybe something unusual about Zulin, something that set her apart from ordinary humans.

And he was determined to get to the buttom of it.

As the night wore on, Ryker's suspicions simmered just below the surface, waiting to boil over into accusations.

Zulin never knew her strange extraordinary abilities, which she couldn't explain, had just sparked a chain reaction of events that would threaten her very future.

As they continued their journey back home the next morning, Zulin's companions couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss.

The incident with the wolf had left them all stunned, and Ryker's suspicions had been aroused.

It wasn't until they reached a small running lake, they were supposed to cross, that the true extent of Zulin's strange abilities became apparent.

As they prepared to cross the lake, Zulin realized to her dismay that she couldn't, her eyes fixed on the water in confusion.

"I... I don't think I can cross," she said, her voice laced with unbelievability and barely above a whisper.

Ryker's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? You're the princess. You can't just—"

But Zulin was insistent. She tried to take a step forward, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot.

After so much futile attempts and wasting of time. In the end, they had to take a different route, one that added hours to their journey.

They finally returned to the kingdom and within half a day, rumors of "THE PRINCESS WASN'T HUMAN" was already spreading like wildfire.