The morning light filtered through the thin curtains of the inn's window, casting pale golden streaks across the wooden floor.
Princess Eleanor stirred beneath the heavy quilt, her lashes fluttering as she slowly emerged from the depths of sleep.
For a brief, blissful moment, she forgot where she was. She forgot the weight of her impending fate. Then, like a cold tide the memory rushed back.
The vampire king.
His castle.
Her betrothal.
The inn.
She sat up abruptly, her heart pounding heavily in her chest as she looked around. She couldn't believe she'd fell asleep last night while waiting for him.
The bed beside her was untouched, the sheets smooth and undisturbed and it made her frown.
Had she imagined it?
The ghostly touch of fingers in her hair, the whispered apology?
Before she could think further about it, a soft knock sounded at the door.
"Your Highness?". Liora's voice, gentle and hesitant, called from the other side of the door. "Are you awake?".
Eleanor swallowed hard, forcing her voice to remain steady. "Yes, come in."
The door creaked open and Liora stepped inside, already dressed in the clothes she was wearing the previous day when they left their town which had now been washed and clean, her dark hair neatly braided.
She carried a tray with warm bread, cheese, and a steaming cup of tea.
"You should eat before we depart". Liora said, setting the tray on the small table by the window. "The journey today will be long."
Eleanor nodded, though her stomach twisted at the thought of food. She had way too many things on her mind.
She rose from the bed, her bare feet pressing against the cool wooden floor. The inn was unusually quiet, the usual bustle of the morning travelers subdued.
"You have your breakfast and I'll go grab your clothes so we can depart early ". Liora said and Eleanor nodded in response.
Just as Liora reached the door, she called out to her and asked her in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Has... has the king already left?".
Liora paused to look back at her and then nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. Orion informed me that His Majesty had urgent matters to attend to at the palace so he departed before dawn."
A breath of relief she hadn't realized she was holding escaped Eleanor's lips. She hadn't realized how tightly she had been holding herself until the tension eased.
Good.
At least one more day without facing him.
———
The innkeeper and his wife saw them off with deep bows and murmured blessings.
The royal carriage from the previous day awaited them just outside and the road had all been cleaned and there was no signs of the yesterday's massacre, not even a drop of blood was on the floor.
Eleanor paused and frowned then realized it might have been the innkeeper who cleaned it so she turned back and smiled at them gratefully and they waved at her.
She smiled and continued her walk up the carriage but she couldn't help but come to a halt at the carriage steps, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her skirts.
This is it.
No turning back now.
Liora gave her a reassuring nod before climbing in first. Taking a deep breath, Eleanor followed.
The interior of the carriage was also clean and neat and she couldn't help remembering how she'd retched last night and the massacre. She then sighed and shook the thoughts away.
She had the future to face.
"Fruits ladies ". Orion smiled as he drop the basket of fruits in his hands on the seat beside them.
"Thanks". The ladies muttered gratefully, almost at the same time making him smile.
He smiled and closed the door before making his way to his position. "We'll ride without pause all day long so as to arrive early, at least before midnight , Your Highness. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call me ".
Eleanor murmured her thanks and with a snap of the reins, the carriage lurched forward.
Silence settled between in the carriage, thick and heavy. Outside, the world passed by in a blur of rolling hills and dense forests, the rhythmic clatter of hooves against the road the only sound echoing in the silent carriage.
Eleanor's mind wandered back to the previous night, she couldn't help it.
The phantom touch and the whispered words.
"I'm sorry you had to see that."
Had he truly been there? Or had it been a dream, her fear conjuring illusions in the dark?
Liora, ever perceptive broke the silence. "You seem troubled, My Lady."
Eleanor sighed, her fingers tracing the edge of the carriage window. "Wouldn't you be?".
She couldn't tell her she was worried about whether he was in her room the previous night or if she had imagined that.
The carriage hit a rough patch in the road, jostling them slightly. Liora steadied herself, then reached out, placing a comforting hand over Eleanor's.
Eleanor looked up at her and smiled. Even without saying a thing Liora knew she was thinking about him so she comforted her.
Liora was indeed the only person that understood her the most , even when quite she knows whatever she was thinking about.
"I feel like we're going to have a nice time over there". Liora said with a smile and Eleanor scoffed at her words.
In a den of vampires.
Eleanor barely suppressed a shudder at her own thoughts. "And I feel like you're thinking too much and trying to be way too optimistic".
"I second that". Orion interrupted. "You're indeed going to have a nice time over there, Your Highness and believe me when I say the king isn't what you think he is".
Eleanor's fingers curled into her skirts. "And what do I think he is ?"
"That he's a monster."
The bluntness of his words struck her like a slap.
"He is a vampire". She said quietly as if trying to defend herself.
Orion didn't argue. "You think of him that way because of what happened last night, I know. But I also want you to know that in this world of ours , you either kill or be killed. We aren't creatures that can be tamed".
"Exactly. He saved us last night and at the inn remember he even wanted to avenge us". Liora butted in and Eleanor sighed inwardly.
Traitor.
Could she at least support her fellow human.
But she knew they were right , he saved their lives last night and was angry that she was ambushed and even wanted to avenge her. To kill his own kind for her.
Moreover, she'd heard him apologising last night to her subconsciously. Apologising that she had to see him like that.
So at this point she could only pray that Liora and Orion's thoughts would come through.
Late in the evening, the carriage finally rolled to a stop. Orion dismounted and knocked on the door before opening it.
"Princess Eleanor, Lady Liora, we've arrived."
Liora blinked, stunned at how he'd addressed her. "Lady Liora?".
Orion nodded. "Yes. According to you humans, isn't it improper to address you by your name when I'm not that familiar with you? Because it sounds... intimate."
Eleanor barely registered their exchange as she stepped out of the carriage, her eyes fixed on the sight before her.
The castle loomed ahead, its towering spires piercing the darkened sky.
She looked up at the sky and sighed.
This was it.
Liora squeezed her hand comfortingly . "Let fate prevail, My Lady ."
Eleanor sighed, steeling herself as she took the first step toward her new life.