Chapter 30
30 Chapter 30 : He stole your future queen
“Which dress do you prefer my lady?”
Ella tighten her bathrobe and walked up to the rack that had various dresses displayed. “I’m not sure,” Ella responded, “which one do you think would look nice?”
“I’ve seen how his grace looks at you when you wear blue my lady,” the maid spoke. She took out a baby blue dress and held it against Ella’s body, “I think he likes it on you, besides, it really brings out your eyes my lady.”
Ella took the blue dress and looked at it in the large mirror, it really did bring out her eyes. She blushed at the thought of Nathan looking at her, did he really look at her different when she wore blue? She hadn’t noticed.
“How does his grace look at me Maria?” Ella asked the maid
The maid smiled and walked closer to her lady, helping her out of her robe and into the the flowy dress. “Like the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen,” she responded, “even a blind man can see how smitten he is by you my lady.”
As Maria proceeded to brushing Ella’s hair and putting some light make up on her, lady Morrell walked into the room and smiled warmly at her daughter. She was so grateful that even though she only had one girl, she was as beautiful and as elegant as Ella.
“I remember someone saying and I quote, ‘me and Nathan are just friends and we will never be together, ever.'”
Ella rolled her eyes at her mother and smiled, “good morning to you too mother.”
.....
Lady Morrell chuckled and sat down on Ella’s bed, “and yet here you are dressing pretty for Nathan.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me wanting to look nice for a guest mother.”
“I see.”
Emma walked to her daughter and fixed the hairpin holding her hair, “blue,” the woman spoke with a smile, “lovely choice, I see how the prince looks at you when you wear blue.”
“Am I the only one who doesn’t know this?” Ella responded, this was the second time someone was telling her about Nathan liking it when she wore blue.
“Hurry up and come down stairs, there’s someone waiting for you,” Emma added on
“Nathan is here?”
“Calm yourself sweetheart it’s the coach man.”
Ella felt a little embarrassed, she didn’t expect to feel so excited at the thought of Nathan waiting for her downstairs, gosh what was happening to her?
“Why is the coachman here?” Ella questioned her mother, “wasn’t Nathan supposed to join us for lunch?”
“There’s been a change of plans sweetie, he wants you at the royal palace,” Emma planted a kiss on Ella’s head and turned to leave, “hurry downstairs.” f𝚛e𝗲𝔀e𝚋𝑛o𝘃𝒆𝗹.c𝗼𝒎
Why did Nathan suddenly want her at the palace and not come home? Was he busy ?
“I have a good feeling about today my lady” the maid spoke, “you and the prince have grown even closer than before, I’m assuming he feels it’s time.”
Ella looked up at the maid who was brushing her hair, “time? Time for what?”
“I’ve said too much already my lady,” the maid responded with a smile.
She placed the brush down and curtsied, “I’m done my lady, you’re ready.”
*
“Juliet! Juliet my dear aren’t you ready?”
Juliet Aldos walked towards her husband and curtsied, “I’m ready your grace but could you please tell me where we’re rushing off to?”
“I want us to give the children some privacy of course,” the king responded, “we’ll go and spend some time at our villa in the hills, think of it as a little getaway.”
“What do you mean your grace?”
“Today my dear, our son becomes a man,” the king’s face was beaming with pride and joy, “today Nathan will ask lady Ella to be his wife!”
Juliet felt the ground beneath her feet spin, Nathan would marry Ella Morrell? No this can’t be, his aura was already so devastating after just spending five days with that woman and now he would spend every waking moment with her?
“B- but your grace,” the queen stammered, “don’t you think it’s too soon? I mean.. I mean.. the children barely know each other.”
“Nonsense, they’re not children anymore,” the king responded with a chuckle, “they’ve known each other long enough, it’s about time they tied the knot.”
The king took his wife’s hand and dragged her towards the exit, “let’s be on our way, lady Ella will be here any minute.”
*
Nathan was pacing up and down with his heart pounding, he had never felt so nervous in his life. Would Ella accept his proposal? Good lord what if she hated the betrothal necklace he had made.
The prince opened the little box containing the silver necklace encrusted with three blue diamonds on a pendant. When the door abruptly opened, the prince almost dropped the box in a panic. He was unusually jumpy today
“Good God man!” The prince grumbled as she looked up at the butler at the door.
“Forgive me your grace but lady Ella has arrived,” the butler responded.
Nathan quickly closed up the box and fixed his already perfect outfit. “Please Theo send her in.”
The butler opened the door wide and stepped aside to let Ella into the dining room. To Nathan, the beautiful woman looked like she was walking in slow motion. Her red hair gently swayed with the breeze that blew into the room through the windows, her blue eyes glistened and that blue dress, gosh that dress, Nathan swallowed hard and lightly tagged on his collar. He couldn’t believe this woman would soon be his wife, truly the gods were on his side.
Ella stood a few feet from the prince and curtsied, “your grace.”
The blue eyed woman couldn’t bring herself to look into Nathan’s honey brown eyes, the prince looked so unbelievably handsome that one would wonder if this man was even human. He had on a cream button up shirt, leather black pants, and his hair which he had grown out was neatly tied in a ponytail, exposing his beautifully curved face.
Nathan took Ella’s hand and kissed it, “you look exquisite lady Ella,” he spoke lovingly, “please join me at the table.”
The dining table was decorated with scented candles and beautiful flowers and cutlery. When the pair took their seats, maids started flocking into the room, filling their plates with delicious foods.
“What’s the occasion?” Ella questioned the man before her, “I don’t think my birthday is for another two months.”
Nathan smiled at the woman and shook his head, “it’s a surprise, I’ll let you know when we’re done with lunch.”
*
Adam winced when the light from the outside struck his his eyes. The man who had opened the wagon door bowed slightly and opened the door wider.
“Your majes... umm my lord, we’ll rest here for a bit to water the horses,” the man spoke to Adam, “you should step out and get some fresh air.”
Adam nodded and hopped off the wagon, still tightly securing his hood over his head. He walked to the stream and got down on his knees so he could get a drink of water. He looked at his reflection in the water and sighed, the bumpy wagon ride and luck of sleep was starting to take a tow on him.
“Adam how do you expect to capture Guinevere’s heart when you look like you got ran over by a wagon as opposed to riding in one.”
After his confrontation with his father, Adam gathered some of his right hand men and asked them to pose with him as merchants and their lord who were traveling for trade, so they could leave Gavaria unnoticed and head to Meria. There was no way in hell he was going to be forced into marriage when the love of his life was out there.
They had left the capital late in the evening and traveled all through the night, and now they had reached the next town Crasmere. If they moved carefully and avoided confrontation, they would reach Meria in five days.
“My lord, we have some wine and bread, you should eat and replenish your strength.”
“Thank you Odran,” the prince responded, “I’ll be right with you.”
Adam washed his face in the water and felt a bit more refreshed thank before. He walked back the the wagon and took a seat with his six men, who were also valiant knights, Odran, Zander, Ivan, Ozias, Roland and Beric. It was with these men by his side that Adam was able to to conquer the kingdom of Baiviles. He trusted these men with his life.
“My lord, we have not discussed what exactly we are going to do in Meria,” Zander asked
Zander was a tall slender yet well built man with long golden hair and brown eyes. He always moved with a quiver of arrows on his back and had a thing for long dark cloaks.
“Is it an intelligence mission? Are we gathering intel?” Ozias was the next to ask.
Ozias was the biggest of the group, his hair was cut short in a fade and he had a rather rough exterior, he almost looked like a Viking warrior.
Adam put down his cup and looked up at his men, “Someone stole something very important to me,” he spoke calmly, “and our job is to go and get it back.”
The men exchanged confused glances, who in their right mind would steal from the crowned prince? Didn’t they know the repercussions of such a thing?
Beric, the youngest of the group cleared his throat and asked the question that was on everyone’s mind, “who is it that stole from you my lord, and what is it that they stole exactly?”
Adam gulped down the last of his wine and slammed down the cup, “the crowned prince, Nathaniel Aldos,” he responded coldly, “he stole my wife, your future queen.”