Tales of Sundardesha: Journey of a lost queen (book I)

Chapter 20 - Ayden's friend

Ok, now, this chapter came out a lot longer, than I had expected, which is why I decided to split it.

Hope you'll find it interesting. We'll slowly be discovering the world of the elves hidden among the trees of Erin Taür.

Thank you for reading and supporting me! Your votes and comments are much appreciated!

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It had been a few hours since they had reached Erin Taür. However, since their arrival problems had been arising one after the other. Thalya looked out the window, it had finally stopped raining, and the night sky was mostly cleared of the rain-clouds.

She sighed; she had been held in this small room for hours now. Not knowing what had happened with any of her companions, her concern only grew as time passed by.

When she, Ayden and Saoirse had attained their destination, they had found a very angry Tiergan. He had come to an impasse as the elves had refused to let him enter their forest. With the arrival of more riders, horns were sounded and they had all been held at arrowpoint.

Hopefully, Ayden had been able to defuse the tension. He happened to know the elf commander and as he explained the situation, the travelers were allowed to pass through.

Once they were in the forest, the patrolling elves escorted them to the nearest city. Since then, they had been separated while their hosts awaited orders from high command.

There was a knock on Thalya's door and she looked for something she could use in self-defense in case the situation got out of hand. She took a vase and stood behind the closed entrance ready to strike. Then she caught the doorknob and slowly turned it pulling the door slightly opened, all the while staying hidden. While the seconds passed slowly, Thalya's heart threatened to jump out of her chest as it pounded hard against her ribcage.

"Thalya?" she recognized Ayden's voice, she heard his footsteps and he strode into the room, 'It is alright, don't be scared,' he thought into their bond as he came into view.

Slightly reassured seeing Ayden was unharmed; Thalya lowered the vase. She came out of her hiding spot, closing the door so no one else could come through unexpectedly. At the sound, Ayden spun quickly, ready to draw his ehtar but when their eyes met, he relaxed visibly.

Thalya let out the breath she was holding. As she put the vase back where it belonged, she realized her hands where shaking. She felt so tense and tired, the only thing she wanted was to crumble into Ayden's arms and sleep until the next full moon. Her feet almost started walking on their own and she had to make a conscious effort to stop herself.

Though Thalya longed to be near the young knight, her pride was still hurt after being treated rudely. The young woman didn't feel quite ready to let go of the grudge she held for being mistreated.

Ayden picked up her hesitation and his expression fell, probably realizing he hadn't been forgiven.

"Thalya, listen," he paused while his eyes locked on hers, "I know my words must have hurt you," he admitted, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said all those things". He took a deep breath, "The truth is," he exhaled audibly, "That while I was Bryann's prisoner," he gulped, "She tortured me both physically and mentally. She did some horrible things to me and when I still refused to do her bidding she put a spell on me," he gritted his teeth, and blinked rapidly, Thalya could have sworn there were tears in his vivid green eyes. "She made me betray the only person that I had ever considered my family".

Thalya was speechless; there was so much pain in Ayden's gaze.

"You don't owe me an explanation," she looked away, "I shouldn't have insisted so much." Thalya's voice wavered, "I'm sorry for slapping you. I was just worried that you were keeping something from me. Something important that I feel everyone else knows, except me," Thalya squeezed her eyes shut to hide that they were watering.