Page 200 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“We’re going back,” he simply said after a while. “Leave them alone. Don’t let the men grab any valuables either. We don’t need any. We’re leaving with what we brought, and if anyone disobeys, teach them a lesson. And I want a full report from each unit captain before sundown. As soon as my sister gets back, we’re attacking again.”
“Understood, Commander,” Sazaran said, “but are you sure we don’t want to keep any hostages...?”
Kassein pinned him with a furious glare.
“No. There’s no point in negotiations; they don’t have what we want.”
Other tribes would get the message either way and without Alezya, they couldn’t talk to her people.
His men behind him, he left the mountain tunnels and slowly started making his way back to the camp, but every so often, he couldn’t help but glance southwest toward the Onyx Castle. He didn’t know how long it would take for Kiera to convince his sister-in-law to part with the triplets’ dragons to help him out, and come back from the Eastern Kingdom.
After a hesitation, he stopped in his tracks and watched as Kein made one last loop before heading toward him.
“Commander?” Sazaran gave him and Kein a couple of nervous glances.
“I’m going to the Onyx Castle for a bit.”
“Don’t you want to come back and celebrate this victory with the men?”
Kassein gave Sazaran an annoyed look; he’d never celebrated with his men and barely considered this a victory.
The General gave him a resolute nod.
“...I understand, Commander. I shall head back and make sure those reports are ready for you when you return.”
Thus, Sazaran led the men down the mountain while Kassein went off-path to climb on his dragon’s back.
He and Kein couldn’t resist the urge to do one last survey of the mountains. Far too many hours had passed since Alezya’s departure, and he knew that, even by foot, she could have reached the edge of the continent already.
There was hardly a human soul out on the mountains, and he wondered how fast the word would spread about today’s battle. The tribes had probably seen Kein on the prowl and decided to hide in fear.
Alezya was the only one with nothing to fear from his dragon...
“Let’s head home,” he muttered as his dragon was already turning around.
Kassein realized he’d just called the Onyx Castle “home” for the first time in years. He didn’t want to linger on the idea, but he could feel how it pulled on his heartstrings nonetheless.
Although they were tainted by melancholy and bitterness, one tragedy didn’t erase all the good memories he had at the Onyx Castle or of his childhood.
When Kassein was still a warm and loving brother, and his siblings didn’t think his dragon was mad... Even flying Kein, like he was at present, felt like a strange miracle.
Yet, for once, he and his dragon were of the same mind, aching to protect Lumie and find Alezya. Kassein still couldn’t feel like he was anything but a fraud commanding the North Army, but for once, he felt like he had to step into those shoes and actually try to fill them the best he could. For Lumie and Alezya.
They landed minutes later, and while Kein immediately darted to the remaining egg, Kassein walked into the Onyx Castle.
It didn’t take long to find them; he only had to follow the excited giggles of a little girl, which made his heart feel a bit lighter before he even pushed the door open.
“Come on, Lumie! You can do it, sweetheart!” Lorey was encouraging her.
To his surprise, Lumie was standing, albeit unstably, with her chubby little hands holding onto a stool.
Her butt kept wobbling a bit, and her head was turned to Lorey with a big, bright smile. On the other side of her, Lady Nebora was standing with her arms spread, ready to catch the little girl if she were to fall.
Nebora was an old friend of their mother’s. She had always been a beautiful woman, and even now, she was aging verygracefully, with a few white streaks in her dark hair and crow’s feet that emphasized her piercing dark eyes.
She had worked in the Onyx Castle for a long time, and was someone they had grown up around, closer than a servant but not as close as a sibling. She was like a strong-headed auntie who had always been around, helping out their mom when they needed it but having her own life down in the village with her husband and sons.
She was always close to their mom and kept a respectful and cordial relationship with their father, but she had never taken nonsense from Kassein and his siblings or their dragons.
