Amara's POV

With Tela being out cold and practically dead weight, my captor slung her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Carry her, I'll take care of him. Go, head for the woods and tell them Ian Xa sent you. Many know not of my name so they'll trust you. Make sure you call for Dawn."

And with that I ran again...away from my home with my best friend in tow.

I felt like a traitor.

But that's what decoys were used for...as I was taught to believe and yet I couldn't bring myself to do so.

I had to free her once she awoke.

Free her somehow, some way and soon before she was taken to somewhere far away while I took the place of a coward.

After some time I was now stepping into the wilds of Aster.

My blood mother would have me hunt small animals here alongside my uncle.

That was before she left me.

Once I knew I was alone I gently placed Tela aside moving any brown colored hair away from her face.

The color of brown dye was starting to fade a bit, showing a shade of faint black which was her natural color.

Thankfully her eyes were very similar to mine and so much so that we could have been sisters by a hard glance but any more and they'd notice we weren't.

"Tela wake up. Please." I begged and shook her just enough to wake her.

She stirred and opened her stormy blue eyes to see me.

"Prince-"

I held a finger up to my lips as to tell her to stay quiet about my true identity.

"I'm here. They want to capture you."

"Who? Is that why they were-" She cut herself off as her eyes grew in horror with tears brimming her eyes.

"Oh god, she killed the king Amara. She killed him and Seth he- and your brother I don't know if he's still alive! I'm sorry! I-" Before she could say anymore an arrow was drawn and shot right to her heart.

Someone had good aim but no heart.

I took the dagger given to me by Ian and jabbed it behind me.

My instincts were right, a person was behind me.

I swiftly turned myself around to see a black masked woman of small stature but paid no more attention to her as I jabbed the knife again in her throat, so hard that I broke the dagger.

I couldn't even grieve over Tela as I had to bolt to safety having arrows flown at me endlessly.

I realized I hadn't called for Dawn.

I didn't say Ian sent me.

And now they were after me.

So I blurted her name.

"Dawn! I'm sent by Ian Xa!!" I shouted loudly as my voice boomed out to who was left.

"You killed her! How can we trust you!"

"You attacked first!"

I felt their hesitation in their silence after.

I walked in the light without a weapon.

"I yield if you do!"

They said nothing as they stepping in the light just a few feet ahead of me.

"Killing Dawn, one of the best will anger Ian greatly. He will surly be happy to kill you himself." They were trying me, threatening me.

"Killing the Princess might just put you at a higher risk."

I noticed the arrow's feathers on the persons back...same as the arrow that pierced and killed Tela.

An eye for an eye.

I lunged toward him with my dull dagger to attempt to take his life but I had slipped over loose rock in the process.

Birds cawed about and flew above us with a sudden shuffle behind me.

When I turned my opponent that killed Tela now held a dagger to my throat.

"Move an inch and you die."

"Zane! What have you done?" Ian seemed to be in a frenzy of rage with a red aura around him.

I knew then that he wasn't human with eyes shifting to that of a wolves.

And just like that with one leap toward me and the man called Zane holding me hostage with a dagger in hand...the wolf that appeared before me ripped Zane apart piece by piece in front of me.

He was truly a monster.

A shifter.

Stories my blood mother told me once upon a time.

I didn't believe it at first but now...there were no doubts that they were real.

And after he had greatly mangled his comrades body he turned to me with a mouth dripping red.

I feared him then at that moment as he stared into my soul as if he were to devour me as he did his own comrade but still...my mother leaving me was a far greater loss to me than anything yet.

And I had his promise to go on, his ring.

His wolf form turned away from me as it transformed into Ian's human form once more.

"I need no explanation from you. My comrades are just fools who lost their lives for nothing. And killed the Princess."

I stayed quiet unaware of what to say to him.

"You will act as the Princess until I can figure out what to do."

"Me? I'm just a Royal Knight! I know not what you plan but this-"

"Yes. And you will continue to follow me blindly."

After that comment I was forced to follow along with him town to town as we travelled to the lands of the East.

After three months and a week I had yet to make a plan.

But at least I had found Kairi at last before we had crossed the sea.

Ian said I could keep her since I'd have nothing left of my homeland besides her and my sword.

Who knows where my armor is now, probably half way across the black market by now.