Eltanin, Fafnir, Lerna and Rigel stood there at the place where the seal was broken. They were flanked by twenty faes, each equipped with lethal weapons from head to toe.
Eltanin nudged his horse to move forward and signaled the rest to follow him. When they entered, Lerna noticed that the entire place was absolutely quiet. Not a single soul was there on this side of the river. The lone bridge that stood connecting Hydra with the rest of the mainland was damaged beyond recognition. Half of it was jutting out on the river with its support pillars broken or shattered.
"How are we going to cross?" Lerna said, feeling miserable about the desolate state of the bridge.
"I will create a portal," said Lerio, the leader of the faes. He dismounted his horse and before creating a portal, he flared his wings and flew over the river. He landed on the other side, looked around and assessed the location. Once he got the rough idea of the coordinates, he ca back and created the portal.
Along with the rest of them Lerna stepped into the portal. Rigel made sure that he stayed right beside her.
"Be very cautious," Eltanin said to them as he nudged his horse to move forward. The faes had surrounded all the royals and they created two layers of protection around them as the horses trotted ahead.
They passed through the villages and Lerna's eyes filled with tears. The kingdom was a picture of misery. She stared over the empty land. At one point of ti there were farms and houses and inns where people could stop and rest. But now there was nothing but endless tall grass and... graves. The trees were cracked, splintered, bent and twisted. The tall reeds climbed over the ruins of the houses and inns.
As the wind gusted through them, eerie noises ca and Lerna was convinced at one point of ti that there were ghosts inside.
It seed that the n had killed and slaughtered each other. They tainted the land with their blood when they should have nourished it with their sweat. Her horse neighed and made its way through the limbs that stuck out from the earth.
Lerna's eyes flooded with tears. She didn't know that this place would be shrouded in so much desolation. Her holand was nothing more than a graveyard. Rigel's hand ca to her and he grabbed her hand. He wanted to take her on his horse and wrap his arms around her to soothe her anxiety, but he knew that she had to deal with her emotions. He was going to stand by her side and be with her for as long as she would allow.
The cavalcade traveled towards the capital and it was then she saw signs of life. Won and children were loitering on the street looking pale and malnourished or starved. There were very few n. As they crossed the cobbled streets, the won and children stared at them with wonder.
They hadn't gone very far when a group of won ca right in front of Lerna. She had to pull the reins of her horse to stop. All the faes behind her beca highly alert.
"You are Princess Lerna!" said one of them pointing at her with wide eyes. "You have finally co, princess!" All of them sank on their knees imdiately and bowed their heads in submission. "Please save us from all this!"
Lerna swallowed down her throat that was burning with emotions. The won surrounded her as near as possible to the layer of protection by the faes. They cried and cried and beseeched her to save them, to save the Hydra Kingdom. It was clear that the kingdom was on the verge of poverty and breakdown.
"It all happened because of Princess Morava!" one of them cursed.
"Morava?" Eltanin jerked his head back. "She is still alive?"
"Morava?" Lerna was shocked. There were so many questions in her mind, but there was no point in asking it from the won. She had to go to the palace as soon as possible.
When they reached the palace, Lerna noticed that it was in a bad shape. It was broken from so many places. The structure looked dilapidated. There were Nyxers patrolling around.
As soon as the Nyxers spotted them, they ca to stand right in front of them with spears pointing at them. A fae chuckled. He waved his hand in the air, chanting a spell and all the spears burned in the hands of the Nyxers. Shocked, the Nyxers tried to attack them, but they were repelled by the protection layer. Upon coming in contact with the layer, their body burned with the magic. Complete mayhem ensued. Now the Nyxers looked at the cavalcade with fear in their eyes.
"I have co to et the Alphas of the Hydra Kingdom," said Lerna. "I am Princess Lerna of Hydra."
The crowd in front of her gaped at her with wonder. And when realization weighed on them, they bowed to her, inclining their necks at an angle in submission. They parted for her group to pass through.
The leader ca to her halfway and bowed to her. "Princess Lerna," he said with a lot of respect. "Please co this way." He pointed to the path that led to Alpha Henk's quarters. He looked at the faes behind her and imdiately averted his gaze. They looked... deadly.
Rigel was with Lerna all the ti as they reached Alpha Henk's quarters. It seed that Henk was expecting her. He was waiting for her outside. His eyes went wide when he saw Lerna and a smile spread on his face out of excitent. But when his gaze went to those who accompanied her, his smile disappeared. The mighty king of Draka, Eltanin was right beside her along with his General and Prince Rigel, who was her mate.
Lerna dismounted her horse. She bowed to Alpha Henk and said, "We co in peace, Alpha Henk." She was expecting him to be furious but he looked... relaxed upon seeing her.
"And I receive you in peace," he replied, bowing back to her.
All of them jumped down on their horses. The guards took the horses to the stables while the group walked in.
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