Bride To His Darkness-Chapter 291: Fae Of The Forest

Samantha blinked at the genuity in his statement; he sounded unbelievably honest about his proposition but she didn’t fully buy it. If the Queen’s name was Carmela, then who was he? Everything about his presence bothered her to her wits, and she couldn’t help but shudder in fright whenever he was near. There was something very peculiar about him that made her whole nerves scream to stay far away from him... but why?

The cool dawn air was starting to bite at her skin through the exiguous dress she wore, whilst the reflection of the awakening sun danced on the water, providing a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding before her eyes. Her grip on the hilt of the sword tightened, and her heart pounded as she kept her gaze fixed on the man who just stood there, staring with a harmless expression.

’Master should start the boat!’ Viney’s voice snapped Samantha’s mind back to reality, ’do not believe a word he says Master. Viney will stay on guard while you get the boat ready.’ her pet plant assured her, and Samantha believed it. There was an intense warning in her plant’s voice, as if it knew what it was cautioning her about, and so far, she knew she had to trust her plants judgment if she wanted to get out of here.

Turning around quickly, she spotted the rows of boats that were securely tethered to a rickety wooden dock. With adrenaline coursing through her veins, Samantha sprinted towards the nearest boat with her pet vine keeping watch. The wooden vessel creaked as she hastily untied it from its mooring.

The boat rocked gently as she pushed it towards the water, the cool breeze tugging at her disheveled hair.

Looking back to ensure that everyone was still under control, it eased her petrified heart a little, and with a determined shove, Samantha sent the boat gliding into the calm water. Without hesitation, she leaped into the vessel, balancing on the edge as it bobbed on the gentle waves.

"Viney–"

’Viney is right behind Master, keep going.’ her plant prompted.

Samantha quickly grabbed an oar, her eyes scanning the rippling surface for the quickest route. She has never been on a boat in her life, but her actions right now would make it hard for anyone to believe. It is true when people say that fear can unleash the most hidden skills– although she wouldn’t wish for any skills to be revealed like this.

As Samantha used every bit of her strength to row away from the Palace, the golden light from the rising sun illuminated her sleep-deprived face, displaying her worries.

"Viney!" She called out to her pet plant when the boat gained momentum, concerned on how her Viney was going to get out of there on its own. When faced with the strange royalty man and guards all cornered about, she knew she has to do something to help but what can she possibly do? What else can her powers do to bring Viney to her?

"Think think think think..." she pondered.

Meanwhile, the guards were still unable to move or react since the gigantic plant had their Queen in possession. Unbeknownst to Viney, Carmela had managed to stick out one of her hands from its firm wraps, and in that hand was a knife it failed to notice. Knowing her secret weapon would come in handy someday, she immediately used the knife to cut off the plants tendrils, and instinctively, Viney was forced to release the trapped Queen from its grip.

The fall was so sudden that Carmela couldn’t hold back a scream, seeing the ground close in on her, but before she could plummet to the ground, Marius was quick to save her. He dropped her on her feet, allowing her to catch her breath, and then she glared at the monstrous plant in front of her.

"Seize it!!"

"Viney!" Samantha screamed its name when she sensed its pain, and she barely knew how she had done it, but her hands, which glowed with a green hue, were already stretched forth, summoning four to five chompers from the ground where the guards stood. As though her Viney had sensed the presence of a fellow plant, it immediately shrunk in size and jumped into the water before Carmela could seize it with her powers.

"Damn it!" She cursed through gritted teeth.

However, when the angry growls from the chompers gained their attention, this gave Samantha the distraction she needed as she waited for her pet plant. When Viney got into the boat, Samantha immediately began to row as fast as she could, and she watched as the guards took down the chompers she had created, but the damage had been done. Shaking her mind from her chompers, she continued to row the boat.

"She’s getting away! You idiots stop her!!" Carmela panicked as she watched the boat go beyond the distance, the guards already hurrying to enter the next boat so they could go after her, but Marius didn’t appear as distraught as Carmela.

"Let her go." He stopped the guards from going after her, to Carmela’s unexpected disbelief, "we’ll get her back."

"What do you mean– we went through all that trouble just to bring her here and you’re saying we should let her leave?? Are you being serious??"

"Yes." He quipped without giving any further explanation, and that made Carmela ponder suspiciously on his intention. She had gone speechless by his orders, unable to go against them as he was her King, but that didn’t mean she was okay with him ruling over her judgements.

It was all because of that plant! Where did it even come from? She hardly knew, but the protection it offered the Orb girl could only mean it was her beast plant. She had heard of beast plants amongst the Forest of the Fae’s, and how rare they are to the point not all Fae’s possessed them, but she didn’t know an Orb could possess one too? Was it because of the Orb’s connection to nature?

Carmela’s brows creased dubiously as the boat vanished from her line of sight.

As the breaking dawn painted the sky with hues of pink and gold, Samantha’s breaths were ragged, her pulse echoing in her ears. She had managed to somehow escape the clutches of those people, and she found solace in the rhythmic sounds of oars slicing through the calm water.

Rowing tirelessly, despite her exertion, Samantha’s boat drifted further from the looming threat. The distant voices of the men she left behind gradually faded, replaced by the soothing whispers of the water. The initial adrenaline rush subsided, leaving her arms heavy and her body fatigued.

Feeling the weariness settle in, Samantha decided to pause her efforts. She let the oars rest against the boat’s side, allowing the gentle current to cradle her vessel. Her eyes, which gleamed with concern, moved to her Viney, and she let out her palm for her animated plant to rest upon it. She knew it experienced pain the moment Carmela had sliced off its tendrils, and she assumed it was similar to having an arm sliced off one’s shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly, her tone laced with an apology as it had gotten hurt from trying to protect her.

’Viney is fine, Master. It will grow back.’ it said assuringly, making her aware that she had nothing to feel bad about. ’Master, we’re away from the Palace, do you think they’ll come looking for us?’

Leaning back, Samantha closed her eyes for a moment, relishing the tranquility of the open waters. As she caught her breath, she took her time to survey their surrounding. The horizon stretched indefinitely, the morning mist veiling distant shores. A sense of freedom enveloped her, but she was presented with a new challenge– finding a place to rest.

"They will surely come looking for us." Samantha murmured cryptically, "we’re still in their Kingdom. This is the only reason he must have let us off the hook." She contemplated on his intention, her eyes studying the shoreline.

Clusters of tree stood sentinel along the coast, and rocky outcrop promised potential hiding spot. Her tired gaze searched for a secluded cove, or a hidden inlet where she could anchor her temporary refuge.

"I’m sorry for putting you through this with me." Samantha felt the need to apologize to her pet plant, "I don’t even know how I got here, and those people who took me away... how I was taken from the Palace, from Ivan, from everyone, I don’t know and it’s like, whenever I find a little bit of happiness, the world somehow snatches everything away from me. All of this is happening because I’m some stupid Orb aren’t I?" The more she spoke about her connection to the Orb, the more she hated herself for even having anything to do with it.

’Master isn’t an Orb.’ Viney’s soothing voice was transmitted in her head. ’Master’s soul was released from an Orb doesn’t mean she’s an Orb. You’re more than that, the truth is, Master is a very powerful Fae of the forest. Actually, the last Forest Fae to have ever been reborn.’ it dropped.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l