Chapter 57: Uninvited Guest
Axel was scratching the back of his head for the tenth time before shaking it as he stared off at the spot Evanna ran off to earlier. A scowl was setting on his features while he gripped his axes harder. The princess knows what she is doing. He tried to convince himself.
Axel turned his head back after feeling someone’s gaze on him. Ger was looking at Axel, who had unknowingly been shuffling on his feet. Axel was impatiently waiting for the princess to return, but he watched Ger point his arrow at Axel’s feet, mouthing, "Come on." He looked down then stopped what he was doing before mouthing back,
"Sorry, needa piss."
Ger rolled his eyes and set his arrow back in a relaxed position across his bow. He looked back at the corridor, keeping guard. Even as he eyed the magnificence that was the elven palace, Ger still couldn’t believe he was standing there. It wasn’t long ago since he and Evanna were outside her balcony planning for this moment.
Ger sighed; his anxiousness was rising the longer he stood guarding the hallway, so he inhaled deeply. He needed to keep his heart rate at a steady beat, even lower if he could, but steady was good enough, for if some unwanted guest did turn up, his aim had to be immaculate for the newcomer not to survive and alert others.
**
Evanna’s eyes darted around the darkened room, trying to see if the king was there. But much to her delight, she found it empty, and her senses weren’t alerting her to anything. She knew from walking across the large room that this was, in fact, the kings; the adjoining two rooms for a husband and wife were a small indicator.
When Evanna opened one of them, she found it was a vast room, filled with clothes and a mirror. Without wasting any more time, she began floundering through the clothes and drawers full of women’s garments, once again coming up short.
Evanna left the adjoined room and opened the other to find a similar space, with a more masculine décor and smell. She began scrambling through items and clothing again. Evanna found herself taking more time; the women’s wardrobe seemed to have little to no clothing compared to this room. There were assorted weaved baskets and chests neatly stacked on the bottom and top part of the shelved walls.
While Evanna quickly searched through the baskets and chests, she was so absorbed searching for the gemstone that she didn’t realise her back was growing colder. The sudden sound of the double doors opening halted her hand on the basket as she looked up at the closed door, holding her breath. Evanna stared across her while she heard muffled voices outside.
"* The prince will be here any second! Why didn’t you clean the floor? *" Evanna heard a man’s voice.