The Crown's Entrapment



At the Southern Border of the Kingdom of Zion

"What?!" 

Jayra burst out as soon as her husband relayed the message Bella had for them. In the message, Bella told them that she wouldn't be able to meet them since she was already too far out of the way. She also informed them that she was traveling together with Helion's entourage and that there was nothing to worry about.

"She probably saw him already," she weakly murmured as she turned to Xenia.

"And she's handling everything well, wife, so I don't think we need to worry," Bartos reassured her as he gently put a hand on her shoulder. "She said that we'll see each other at the Global Summit venue, right? And her message was calm. Do you want me to relay anything else to her?"

Jayra sighed heavily and murmured, "Tell her that we'll see each other soon."

Xenia smiled as she did her best to reassure her friend. "I'm sure everything will be fine, Jayra."

Jayra could only nod. Not that there was anything else she could do for now.

"Alright, come now. Let's continue on with our journey," Bartos spoke calmly. 

And with that, their caravan continued on with their pace anew. However, for some reason, Jayra still felt uneasy with Bella's message. "How about we meet them?" she bargained with Bartos. "I feel like that would still be better than just leaving Bella with Helion. I'm really worried for her."

Seeing his wife's distress, Bartos turned his gaze to their King who had just helped Xenia back up on their horse Pluto.

"It's alright… You two can go to Bella if you wish," King Darius commented. "If something's wrong then, inform me immediately."

Almost elated, Jayra looked at Xenia who also gave her a reassuring nod.

"Thank you, Your Majesties," Jayra gratefully nodded. 

With their permissions secured, Jayra waited for Bartos to shift into his wolf form before then quickly climbing onto her husband's back. Then, Bartos started running. And with how fast they were going, she estimated that the two of them would reach Helion's entourage in due time.

[Something just feels off to me,] Jayra couldn't help but discuss the matter through her bond with Bartos. [I mean, if Bella saw Osman, how come she's not mentioning it in her message?] 

[We'll soon reach them, so don't think too much about it, my wife,] Bartos reassured her once more. [I believe Bella just doesn't want us to worry about details that she thought we shouldn't hear.]

Jayra could only sigh at that. It didn't make sense in her head, but she'll just have to take her husband's word for it. Soon, darkness clouded the sky, and Bartos stopped as soon as they were near their destination. Already, he shifted back into his human form, and Jayra quickly helped him get dressed.

"Their camp is near, so we can simply walk and approach them from here," Bartos remarked. "I can smell Bella's scent already." 

Jayra nodded. With a breath of preparation, she hugged Bartos's arm before they started walking toward the supposedly near caravan.

"Who's there!?" a guard shouted out as they neared. Their swords were aimed at them, and she did her best to remain calm despite the danger.

"We come in peace… We received a message that one of our own from the Kingdom of Cordon is here," Jayra began as she explained their reason for coming. "She is Lady Bella Hindman. I am her sister-in-law, Lady Jayra, the royal mage for both Cordon and Ebodia, and this is my husband, Alpha Bartos Hindman, one of the Royal Commanders of His Majesty, King Darius of the Kingdom of Cordon."

At their introductions, the guards looked at each other as if waiting for the other to speak. Eventually, one of them signaled for the other. "Inform His Majesty," he said before then looking at the two of them. "Please stay here and don't make any suspicious movements…"

Jayra simply offered a kind smile. Watching as they moved, she noticed how strict the security was. Their weapons were still aimed at them, but she paid them no mind.

[Even their bows are pointed at us…] Bartos annoyingly grumbled. [And I can smell iron…] 

[Well, isn't our own security tighter anyway?] Jayra chuckled. [This Global Summit is an exercise of compromise, so you shouldn't expect each kingdom to come unarmed. They'll surely be extra prepared if things go haywire…]

A few beats passed, and it didn't take long before a familiar figure approached them. Jayra her breath as the man stood in front of them, the same man that they were searching for all this time.

"Osman!" Bartos burst out as he moved to approach him, but the guards were quick to shield the man from him.

Seeing the response, Bartos frowned as he stopped himself from approaching.

"Brother!" 

Jayra held her smile as she heard Bella. She was about to speak to her when her sister-in-law quickly went beside his brother.

"He's King Amon, the King of the Helion Kingdom," Jayra heard Bella whisper into Bartos's ear. "Addressed him properly. Don't mention Osman's name before his subjects."

Bella then turned to address the guards. "Please lower the weapons! It's just my brother!" she reasoned with a smile. "They just came here to check on me."

Visibly, the royal guards all waited for their King's signal. By the sidelines, Jayra simply observed the situation. It would seem that things were much more complicated than they seemed, and thankfully, the guards all lowered their weapons upon their King's orders.

"We came here to pick you up, Bella," Bartos hissed. "Come now… Let's leave! We have our own convoy, and I don't see the point of you traveling with this group!" 

Jayra could feel her husband's annoyance through their bond. He wasn't pleased with how they were being treated like some kind of dangerous beings, but she could at least understand where they were coming from.

[Calm down… Put yourself in their shoes…] she chided her husband. [And you heard Bella. He's known as Amon here, the King of Helion. Something must have happened… He does look like Osman, but something seems different about him. Can't you sense it?]

It was what she was getting at the moment. After all, Osman did have a demon father. However, what really fascinated Jayra was how calm Bella was being in this situation.

"I cannot allow the three of you to leave so easily…" Osman's firm and authoritative voice resounded. "Unless we can prove that your identities were not faked, you will all have to stay in our custody for the time being."

"This…" 

Bella gasped as her eyes widened on the glowing string that suddenly formed on her wrist that connected her to Osman.

"The command spell," Jayra murmured with a frown.

"What?!" Bartos growled. "What kind of spell is that?!" 

"It's a spell wherein he can command Bella to do whatever he wants," Jayra explained with a frown.

"No harm will befall Lady Bella as long as the two of you will behave," The King of Helion stoically remarked. "I apologize in advance for these precautionary measures, but please understand the situation. It's not easy for us to trust strangers that suddenly walked into our encampment like this, especially when we're aware that most kingdoms are still wary of our kingdom. All of you will be set free upon confirmation of your identities from the King of Cordon himself…" 

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