Chapter 11

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The night was long for Luana who was only thinking about her father's condition. The fear of failing on her mission devoured her from within. But she still had hope.

Morning finally came. The young girl woke up very early to get prepared for her long journey.

Sitting on her bed, looking out the window, she noticed that the weather was even colder than the day before, and that the sky was covered with gray clouds. A storm was approaching.

'I hope that the weather won't be an obstacle in our mission,' she thought.

She got up from her bed to take a quick bath. Then, she stood in front of her wardrobe to get dressed. She opted for a black turtleneck sweater, black pants, knee-length boots of the same color and a long brown cape to keep her warm. She gathered her hair up into a high ponytail.

The princess stood in front of the mirror to look at her reflection.

'I'm pretty much ready. I only have one thing missing now.'

She walked over to her dressing table to open one of the drawers. She pulled out a medium-sized wooden box and opened it. The latter contained a magnificent silver dagger decorated with some precious red stones. She took it and put it on a small pocket that was hanging on her waist.

Then, she took one last glance at her room before going out, taking with her her big brown bag which contained the necessities she had prepared the day before.

She locked her room and took the key with her.

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Once arrived at the main entrance of the palace, in the courtyard, Luana saw the imperial knights accompanied by their captain. They were preparing their horses for departure.

Her bodyguard noticed her presence and walked over to her.

"Good morning, Your Highness," he greeted, bowing.

"Good morning, Lucas," she replied, smiling slightly.

Leo, who was behind Lucas, walked over to Luana and rubbed his nose against her face.

"Good morning to you too, Leo," she greeted while smiling and stroking his head gently.

"Give me your bag, Your Highness. I'll put it away with the rest of our things," the young knight said.

"Okay. Thank you, Lucas. Is everything ready ?"

"Yeah. Everything is ready for our departure, Your Highness. We're waiting for your signal."

"Very good."

When she wanted to get on her horse, the doors of the palace opened, revealing Duke Lobelia that was accompanied by his daughter and Lady Taliny.

"Uncle Angus..." Luana whispered.

He hurriedly approached the princess and hugged her very tightly in his arms.

"I couldn't not say goodbye to you, Luana... Take care of yourself and don't expose yourself too much to danger, My Child," he said.

Luana hugged him back tightly.

"Don't worry, Uncle Angus. Take good care of yourself and dad too. I know I can trust you."

"Your father is in good hands with us, Luana. You can be at ease about that. You just have to focus on your mission," he reassured, smiling.

"I know. And above all, stay alert. We don't know if there will be another attack like the last time."

"We've already taken our precautions regarding this. Don't worry at all."

"Very good. I'm reassured," she replied, smiling and nodding her head.

Asminah approached the princess in turn.

"Luana, you're still wearing the necklace I gave you last time, right ?" she asked.

The princess gave a discreet look toward Lucas who nodded at her to assure her that he was wearing it.

"Yeah, Mina. Don't worry about that," she answered, smiling slightly.

"Good. Take care of yourself. We all pray for you to come back safe and sound. I'm sure your mission is going to be a success. I have no doubts about your abilities," she said, showing her an affectionate smile.

"I hope so too. Take care of yourself and the palace. It's in your hands."

Luana shifted her gaze to Azusa who stayed silent since they came out of the building. The young girl kept looking at her friend with sorrowful eyes.

Then, suddenly, she walked over to Luana hastily and hugged her very tightly, bursting into tears.

"Azu..." the princess whispered, on the verge of tears.

Azusa was trembling in her arms.

"You have to come back safe and sound, Luana... I'll never forgive you if something bad happens to you..." she whispered between sobs.

"I'll make sure that it won't happen, I promise. You know me better than anyone. I always keep my promises," the princess reassured her, smiling slightly.

"I know that..." Azusa replied, parting from her friend and drying her tears.

Luana took Azusa's hand and put her room's key in it.

"It's my room's key, Azu. If you ever need anything, please, feel free to go there."

"Thank you, Lulu."

"Take care of yourself," the princess said, smiling affectionately.

"We're waiting for you."

The two young girls hugged each other one last time. Then, the princess turned around to get on her brown-coated horse with Lucas's help.

"Thank you," she said to him.

The latter nodded before climbing on his own horse which had a black coat as dark as the night.

"I'll make sure to get back as soon as possible," Luana said.

"Good luck, Your Highness," they replied in unison.

Luana nodded at them, took the reins of her horse, and walked out of the palace gates with Lucas. The other knights got on their horses and followed them.

As they left, their silhouettes began to fade away little by little until they completely disappeared from the field of view of the people who remained in the palace.

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The knights advanced towards the north of the capital at a normal pace to make sure not to tire the horses and themselves too much.

It had been three hours since they'd been gone. The road was very dangerous. Puddles and mud had formed from the heavy rain that fell a few days ago. That's what made their journey longer and more tiring.

"Do we know exactly where the entrance of the forest is, Captain ?" Eric asked.

"It's protected by an invisible magical wall. If we're close by, we can feel its presence," Lucas explained.

"If we keep taking this path, I think we'll eventually get to Witstone Field. Do you think the entrance is over there, Captain ?" Matthew asked.

"It's very possible."

The knights continued to advance on their way in silence.

"Captain ?" Matthew called out.

"Yes ?"

"If ever you can't access the forest, what should we do then ? Should we go back ?"

"No way !" Luana replied in a harsh tone.

"Your Highness ?" Eric called worriedly.

"I won't return to the palace without bringing Klefasse with me," she declared, determined.

"But, Your Highness..." Matthew began.

"His Majesty has only three months to live. If I don't enter this damn forest today, the chances of us saving him will be very minimal," she added.

"I know that very well, Your Highness. But we should expect all the possibilities. We all know that you can access the forest. But we're not sure about the captain. And it's not like we're gonna let you go in alone," said Eric.

"I-"

"I thought this topic was closed yesterday in the meeting we had. Even the duke was sure that I could pass the magical wall without problems. May I know why are you doubting this so much ?" Lucas replied coldly.

"It's not that we're doubting it, Captain. You always have to expect the worst when embarking on a mission, that's why. And here, it's a matter of life or death," Carter said.

"It's a little too early to worry about that. We still have to look for the entrance first. We'll think about the other thing later," Lucas ordered.

"Understood, Captain."

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A few minutes later, Luana felt that her horse was starting to behave in a slightly weird way.

"What's wrong, Piper ?" she asked while gently stroking its head.

Piper had become slightly unsteady and restless.

"What's wrong with you ?" she asked worriedly.

Leo started to whimper too.

"Looks like they sensed something," Lucas remarked.

"Could it be the magical wall ? But I don't feel anything..." she said.

"We're still a bit far from the field. It might be something else, don't you think ?" Carter said.

"Animals can sense magic at a longer distance than humans. They may have sensed the presence of the magical wall. It's not too far from here," Lucas confirmed.

The young captain looked at Leo.

"Leo, guide us to the source of this magic. You can feel it, right ?"

The animal nodded affirmatively before running straight ahead.

"Let's follow him," the young captain ordered.

The knights' horses galloped through the same path as Leo.

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A few minutes later, they got to a huge field. The sky above them was cloudy, announcing the approach of a heavy rain. The land under them was green and looked very fertile.

"It's here. It's Witstone Field," said Matthew.

"Do you feel that ? The air is full of magic," Eric remarked.

"The entrance is here," concluded Luana.

"Let's disperse to search for it. If you find anything suspicious, let us know," Lucas ordered.

The knights nodded, got off their horses and scattered across the huge field.

"It's hard to pinpoint its location. The atmosphere is the same everywhere here," Eric remarked.

"Are you sure the entrance is here ?" Matthew asked.

"I have a feeling that we are in the right place," Luana replied.

As the others continued searching, Leo began to sniff the air and barked loudly while pointing his nose to the east side of the field.

Luana approached him.

"Leo ? What's wrong ? Did you find something ?"

The animal continued to stare into space while advancing slowly. Luana did the same, following him.

Suddenly, a very strong hand grabbed her arm from behind and made her stop her mouvements.

"Don't go any further, Your Highness. The magical wall is straight ahead of us," Lucas said from behind her.

"It's here ?" she asked, confused.

"I think so. There's only one way to confirm."

Lucas glanced at Leo and nodded his head at him. The animal walked slowly towards the magical wall, the bags that contained their provisions and things on its back. His body began to gradually disappear with each step he took, until it completely disappeared.

"Fascinating..." the princess whispered, amazed.

"Carter ! Call the others to gather here ! We've found the entrance !" Lucas ordered.

The knights obeyed and gathered near the wall, awaiting orders from their captain.

Lucas put his hand on the magical wall and tried to pass through it. His hand pierced the wall without any difficulty.

"You managed to do it, Captain !" exclaimed the knights.

Lucas turned to Luana.

"Try it too, Your Highness," he demanded.

The princess nodded and did the same as him. She raised her hand and walked slowly towards the wall. The result was the same as Lucas's. Her hand pierced the wall easily.

"That's very good," he whispered, smiling at her.

Then he turned around to the other knights.

"This is where we go our separate ways. From now until I return, Sir Carter and Sir Lobelia will take my place. Obey their orders and do your job properly. I know I can count on you," he ordered.

"Understood, Captain !" the knights replied in unison.

"Good."

He turned around to the princess again and held out his hand for her.

"Give me your hand, Your Highness. We're going to walk through the wall together. That way I'll be more peaceful," he said.

After a little time of hesitation, she gave him her hand, nodding her head. He squeezed it tightly in his.

Luana's hand was small, soft and white. Quite the opposite of his which was big and covered in his armor. The contrast between the two was flagrant.

"Let's go ?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

The young princess walked towards the magical wall with her bodyguard, hand in hand. They gradually passed through it until they completely disappeared from the knights' gaze.


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