Manon's Child

Part 17

Dorian's POV

The one good thing about being King is that no one can tell me what to do. The one bad thing is, they can.

I sit on my bed in my temporary chamber that I'm occupying while my old ones are fixed. I'm reading, devouring the pages of my book in one of my ever decreasing moments of free time. I've ordered no one to disturb me, but I have no excuse they'll find one in a minute or two.

It's as if as soon as I think it an urgent knocking sounds upon my door. I sigh, closing my book and standing. The knocking becomes more insistent.

I open the door, not bothering to put on more formal attire than the blue trousers and loose white shirt I've been reading in. A wide-eyed, out of breath guard stands there, panting.

"Your majesty," she gasps out, as though she ran all the way up here."There's a white haired Ironteeth witch fi—"

I don't let the guard finish ehr sentence before I gasp "Manon," and am rushing past her, sprinting towards the castle grounds where she'll no doubt have landed with Abraxos. Servants and courtiers alike rush out of my way as I sprint through the castle towards the entrance and Manon.

I've missed her so much. I've spent every waking moment dreaming about her, especially in the most boring of court meetings, thinking about how she would laugh their silly customs. I dream about her too. About the burning gold of her eyes. About the elegant sway of her moon-white hair when she walks. About the feel of her perfect body on mine, in a mountain range surrounded by Crochans. I never thought, not in my wildest dreams, that I would see her again so quickly. I thought -

I stop dead when I see her. My mouth falls open.

She is in a group of guards,  my guards, fighting them in a whirlwind of iron and steel. I gape at her in horror. What the hell?

I pass out of my momentary shock, striding towards them, King again. "Guards, I command, and they pull their eyes off my witch for a moment, awaiting orders from their King.Manon stops too as she notices me. "Guards, stand down."

Obediently, they do, backing away slowly from Manon. Some of them are wounded, their blood dripping of Manon's nails. Manon, on the other hand, doesn't have a scratch on her.

She stands at Abraxos' head, smiling at me like all hell is about to break loose. Slowly, I approach her, wondering what the hell could have caused this.

"Manon," I say, my voice coming out much weaker than I'd wanted. I sound shocked more than anything. "I - what the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, your majesty," Manon says sarcastically, mock bowing. I've done something to piss her off. I definitely have. But what? "I didn't realise I wasn't allowed on your precious property."

"Manon, I - " I start, shocked. Suddenly, a wave of anger hits me. What have I done? I haven't even seen her since Terrasen. "You can't just come in here and start brutalising my soldiers. I -"

"I never killed one of your precious soldiers." Manon's face turns from a smirk to fully blown anger, and she opens her mouth to say something else, but I interrupt her.

"Oh really? Then how come they're -"

Manon growls menacingly, loud enough to cut me off. She stalks towards me. "First of all, Princeling."