Chapter 11 - Elon

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You can read all of Forgetting Arlo and Liberty. You can also read ahead of my new stories Destined and The King's Lost Queen plus many more stories. You will always be supporting me. To find out more, please click on this link: patreon.com/littletroublemaker_

"The hardest part...about seeing someone you love in pain is not being able to do anything about it, except try not to make it worse." — This Is Us, 2016-2022

Word count: 1961

STOMPING down the street, my thoughts were like wildfire.

I could feel all of the bottled-up emotions shaking, threatening to explode at any moment. I was like a ticking time bomb and the longer this hunt went on, the more unstable I felt.

A day had passed and we had received no word from Wylan. That night, I dreamt of my soul mate and her alluring brown eyes. I wished I could reach out and touch her. I imagined her skin was soft and warm; that one simple touch could create an explosion of fireworks. 

My desire for her only grew.

When I woke up and rolled over on my bed, I found an empty spot. My heart cracked a little bit more knowing she wasn't with me. I longed to wake up with her beside me, our limbs entangled. 

Today, all I could feel was anger. Anger that we still hadn't found her. That we were still searching.

We had been so close yet so far.

Zara's green eyes stared at me with worry. She hadn't tried talking to me, afraid I'd erupt like a volcano.

We investigated the area my soul mate disappeared in yesterday. At this point, I was hoping for any kind of evidence.

I just needed something.

I knew my siblings were getting tired from the endless searching. We had so many close calls that turned out to be nothing. They hated Sadorna—they wanted to return to the North where it was safe.

When the sun started to set over the gloomy city, begrudgingly, we headed back to the hotel.

Cale led the way, whilst I followed with my mind forming images of her.

We rounded the corner to the hotel when Wylan suddenly appeared, his eyes darting around wildly. A frantic expression was planted on his face, causing me to stiffen in alarm.

"Your majesty," He breathed in relief. "We found that girl."

For a split second, I thought he was referring to my soul mate. But then, when I glanced over his shoulder and spotted the girl who faked fainting, my happiness dimmed. She was down the other end of the street, eyeing us with contempt. One of Wylan's best guards had an arm around her body. Her hands were tied behind her back, preventing her from escaping.

"Good," I said, bringing my attention back to Wylan. "Do you know of any abandoned buildings close by?"

Wylan nodded his head, never asking any questions. He was good like that.

"Okay, let's go then," I announced, letting Wylan guide us to a remote area. We couldn't bring her into the hotel—too many unnecessary questions would be asked. Plus, if this girl had no idea who we were, it meant another person would know I was here.

An abandoned building gave off an eerie feeling and would make her anxious. She'd be more prone to answering our questions. At least, that was Cale's assumption. 

The girl was dragged into a small, empty warehouse. She was pushed onto a metal chair, with the guard stationing himself behind her.

I examined the room, approval lacing through me. This would do.

The girl—whose name I didn't know yet—huffed, rolling her eyes. She didn't seem that afraid. The people of the South really did have guts, I'd give them that. 

"Wylan, you and your guards may leave us," I commanded, casually.

Wylan opened his mouth, prepared to fight but he stopped himself when I shot him a cold look.

"Okay," He relented, jerking his head in the direction of the exit. His guards followed without any questions, leaving me and my siblings.

Dragging my eyes back to the girl, I circled her chair, slowly. "Who are you?" I asked, standing in front of her again.

She narrowed her sapphire blue eyes and tilted her chin up in defiance. "I am no one, your majesty."

Ah, so she did know who I was. Interesting.

"You know who I am then," I hummed, leaning to get a better look at her. Pretty but not my type. Not the girl I wanted. "So, you must know why I'm here."

"I don't know what you're talking about," She answered, going for the innocent act.

"You know, most people have a tick when lying. They always do something that gives them away." I stated, crossing my arms over my chest. "You just glanced up when you answered."

She swallowed, fidgeting. "I'm not lying. I saw you at the parade and recognized you. That's it, I swear."

"Lying to a King isn't wise, girl," I warned, lowly.

"I'm not lying! I have no idea why I'm here! Please don't hurt me!" She yelled, feigning innocence well. She could have been a good actress if her lying wasn't so obvious. "I just want to go home." She then began sobbing, bowing her head. Her messy black hair framed her face, obscuring her from me.

Sighing, I turned to Cale. He watched the girl with intense interest.

Silently, he asked me if he could try something. I nodded my head and let him approach her.

"Hey," He said in a soft and comforting voice, dropping to his knees in front of her.

Hesitantly, the girl lifted her head up, her watery orbs locking onto Cale's. Cale had the traditional handsome looks—before he met Beverly, he was known as the most eligible bachelor. 

"There you are," He smiled gently. "I'm sorry about my brother, he's sort of losing his mind over there."

She bounced her gaze to me and then back to my brother quickly.

"What's your name?" He asked, calmly.

"Harriet," She eventually replied, her voice shaking. Harriet never moved her eyes from Cale's. It was almost as if she was entranced by him. He had a way to capture people's attention and draw them in.

"Hi Harriet, I'm Cale." He introduced himself in a friendly manner.
I had to admit, I was quite surprised by how Cale was able to get her to communicate with him.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you—I bet you're terrified." He apologized, sincerely. "I admire you for acting so strong."

Harriet said nothing. She mashed her lips together, listening to my younger brother intensely.

"I have a few questions I want you to answer. It's okay if you don't know but it would really help us." He added, enlarging his eyes. "Yesterday, you were in the streets when a young girl with dark hair passed you. It looked like you were conversing with her. She ran past you and you fainted, stopping us from catching her. Do you know her?"

Harriet stared at him for a solid minute, debating how to answer him. She almost wanted to, which astounded me.

"I know what you're trying to do," Harriet mumbled, blinking. She released a restrained sigh and bit her bottom lip. "I was there with her that day."

Her words pulled me at the moment she said she. Harriet was referring to my soul mate.

"I dragged her along even though she really didn't want to go. I should have listened to her. The moment your eyes landed on her, I saw everything and I knew one of my closest friends—my sister—was doomed. You don't know her—you don't know the pain she's faced. She can't be with you. She won't survive your torment, your manipulation." Harriet explained, pleading with us—me. 

My heart broke when she mentioned my soul mate's suffering. What had happened to her? What did people do to her?

"I don't understand why a King would chase after a citizen of Sadorna, not when he had plenty of women in the North. Have you gone mad since the death of your wife? Or are you lone—"

"Enough," I growled, pissed.

Hearing her talk about my ex-wife—it was confirmation that my soul mate knew the whole history too—made me so angry. I didn't want to face what that meant. 

"Her name," I barked, avoiding Cale's disapproved look. He wanted me to continue to take a soft approach. That would only go so far, as we'd just seen. Harriet wouldn't give me anything substantial. 

Harriet released a long breath, her jaw ticking. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because I'm going insane without it," I quipped back, surprisingly honest.

Harriet stilled, clearly not expecting my answer.

"Aurora," She muttered, the name rolling off her lips effortlessly.

Aurora. My soul mate was called Aurora. What a beautiful name.

"Where is she?" Cale asked, delicately.

Harriet tore her gaze from me to my brother. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head, giving us our answer. She wasn't going to reveal anything else.

"Cale, come here," I demanded, ignoring Harriet's eyes on me.

Cale rose to his feet gracefully and stalked over to me and Zara. I beckoned them away from Harriet. I could still spot her from the corner of my eye.

"What are you doing?" Zara spoke up, her voice scratchy.

"She's not going to reveal anything else," I told them, pushing down my annoyance. Zara glanced at Harriet who was wiggling in her seat, trying to undo her hands. "So, we're going to let her go."

"What?" Both my siblings whisper-shouted, staring at me as if I was crazy.

"I have a plan," I deadpanned, rolling my eyes. "When she escapes, we're going to follow her. She'll eventually lead us to my soul mate."

"And what if she doesn't?" Cale countered, arching an eyebrow.

"She will," I said, certainly.

Harriet took longer than I expected to break free from the bonds. Her beady sapphire orbs scanned the now-dark warehouse, conscious of us. We were standing outside, peeking through a window. We had left her for half an hour which was enough time for the sun to set.

I could practically hear the wheels screeching in Harriet's head, deciding whether she should make a run for it or not. She had to know there was a possibility we'd follow. It was a decision of whether she risked it or not.

To my relief, Harriet leaped to her feet and sprinted out of the room, her dark hair swishing behind her.

Immediately, we all jumped into action, following her.

Harriet weaved through the dark streets with ease, knowing them off by heart. The many drunk men and women barely had time to look at her before she was gone. It was a struggle to keep up with her. There were a few times we nearly lost her.

She stopped on the other side of town, at an abandoned warehouse. It was eerily quiet, without another soul in sight.

We stayed hidden in the shadows, using the darkness to our advantage.

Sighing in relief, she trudged the rest of the way, her shoulders loose.

Creeping behind her, we came to a halt by a window and watched her enter and light a candle.

The following events were not what I expected. 

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