Chapter 131 - Guardian

The princess woke up with tears in her eyes, when she noticed the sky of embroidered stars over her again. She found herself shivering and grabbed the covers, until her heart calmed. 

Unfortunately, this was not a nightmare. It was real. 

She, Alexa, was willingly in the body of her husband, Alexander, Prince of Holstein. While her own body was abandoned in a forest, in a distant place on the other side of the sea ...!

In the forest on the way to Duncaster, the Princess had deferred to the Shade from a Holstein Knight who had given his life to defend her. She knew that sort of stare that shone with an unmistakable gleam. Iain's soul and many others had this same passion for a mission, and they could only leave after they fulfilled it. 

"Your Highness, I'm here to guard you," Ulrich, who had had a nuanced voice like a talented storyteller in life, in his death sounded monotonous and empty. 

Mildred had grabbed Alexa's injured arm, scared, which made the princess wince with pain,

"W-who's there? Who is he?"

"Calm down, Mildred," the princess had released the other girl's fingers from her arm, "Just calm down, it's okay… more or less, actually."

"I am afraid…!"

The power of that Shade wasn't something to be ignored, although Alexa shouldn't allow Ulrich, that noble soul, to be trapped by an oath or mission, becoming a lost soul after a while.

"I release you from that obligation, Lord Ulrich!" she had said, positioning her hands to create the light that would guide him. He acted as if he were intrigued and stared at her as if he wanted to pierce the Princess with his intense eyes. 

The Light Bearer had wondered what he saw, or what a Shade thought when he saw her, but Ulrich had said,

"My duty is not to Your Highness the Princess, but to Prince Magnus to whom I have given my word. I will watch your sleep tonight, until dawn."

She had gasped on the rawness and intent in his words. The Shade was bound by his honor to protect her, as he had promised. He must watch all night if the Prince did not reach them, as planned.

"I know I won't be able to go against the bonds of your honor, so I will not insist. But then will you leave ... please?" she had asked.

The nightingale perched on her shoulder also had not taken his eyes from the Shade, whose mouth twitched slightly to form the shadow of a smile,

"I did not know, Your Highness ... that you were a Heaven's messenger ..."

"It's because I'm not," revealed Alexa, touched by the mistaken assumption, but feeling it was her duty to deny it.

"Who are you talking to? Who is Alexander? What language is that?" the blind girl had asked, increasingly distressed. And the princess realized that she had slipped into Holstein's tongue while talking to Ulrich. Alexa also realized that, in the peasant's panic, she was being rude.

"Mildred ..." she started, and had looked at the sky that she could see through the treetops and considered that they had little time.

"What is this that you are holding?!" the peasant's voice came out strangled as she took steps back. 

Alexa lowered her hands, letting the 'Torch' go out, but wondering how a blind person could see that. Perhaps just as she was able to speak to Alexander, it was the only conclusion.

"Hey, listen to me. Do not panic. We need to stay calm to survive," she just didn't know how to lie to Mildred now.

She couldn't tell Mildred that and later if Mildred could not touch him or ask for help, the girl could panic when Alexa wasn't awake. And the girl could try to escape, which would be dangerous and bad for both. By now the miller's daughter probably suspected Zand, the mysterious page.

"Who are you?! Who are you?!" the blind girl had raised her voice, but Alexa interrupted her,

"Ssssh! Don't yell out loud! Don't report our location!"

~ Mildred, there's no reason to be nervous. We are all together and we must remain together ... ~ Alexander had tried to intervene, in a calm and patient voice, but it was not enough. The princess could understand Mildred's position, just acknowledging she was surrounded by supernatural beings.

"I… I don't know who you are! You scare me!" the girl had backed away, and tripped over a root, falling to the ground. The maiden's first impulse had been to help her, but Alexander had said, in a calm tone,

~ Leave her alone for a moment. She needs to think. Mildred, I am the Prince of Holstein, and this is the Princess of Holstein. I'm sorry to deceive you, but it was necessary. Our intention is to take you to the convent of St Ewe. But we will need to spend the night here in the forest ... ~

"You are demons!!!" she m.o.a.ned, cowering against the trunk of the tree where she leaned instinctively. It was impossible not to have pity on that helpless and frightened woman.

"You talk to her," Alexa had whispered to Alexander, "and I will try to find a way to protect myself in the mortal world. As much as I appreciate having a guardian like Ulrich, I think I should be on my guard." She had taken a good look around, but she had found no kind of natural protection, like a cave or at least rocks. And with each passing minute, the light in the gloomy forest faded quickly. 

With no options, the princess started gathering dry leaves and sticks to try to cover herself during the night.

"Alexander, if you need to take Mildred away, if you're still looking for us, I better stay hidden." Anyway, Alexa had not been happy with the heavy silence and the clear fear that the girl who accompanied them showed with each slight noise. They had lost Mildred's trust, and the princess wasn't sure if she could trust Mildred either.

Ulrich's Shade was nowhere to be seen, but Alexa still felt her presence, and apparently, Mildred could also feel it. It was common for a Shade with a lot of energy like Ulrich to be able to communicate and appear to the living, but Mildred seemed more attentive than most people.

"How is she?" he had asked as he gathered the leaves in a pile, and the nightingale landed on a piece of fallen log.

~ She doesn't want to hear. She says that we are demons wanting to lead her to perdition, ~ Alexander had sounded dejected and ashamed.

"Don't blame yourself, she is traumatized. All she wants is to live, and she has had horrible experiences. She is not as calloused as we are, due to excessive contact with the supernatural," Alexa had barely believed that those words came out of her mouth. She had a feeling of resentment for Mildred's ingratitude. However, she had managed to understand that not everyone could handle what was the easiest part for her.

~ I feel like she's trying to make a plan. Maybe she'll try to escape, ~ Alexander had said.

Alexa said nothing. At that moment, she was worried that Mildred would remember how she, Alexa, used to be a heavy sleeper, and wanted to kill her.

That was how, after making sure to make Mildred comfortable with her coat, she had asked the peasant to be quiet and wait for dawn.

"Where are you going?" asked Mildred.

"I will be here, but sleeping. My condition doesn't allow me to stay up at night," Alexa had unwillingly revealed. She seemed to notice the mind behind the girl's forehead working furiously with the information.

She had exchanged a look with Alexander and said,

"You should go on the road. Magnus can stop by on his way to Duncaster, if he still remains innocent about what happened to us. He needs to be warned, and you can guide him to us."

It was her greatest hope tonight.

Alexander however had looked at Mildred, and said,

~ I don't know, she looks very anxious ... ~

"You are our biggest chance, Alexander. Go to the road and wait for Magnus. He should be passing by around that time. If there is an ambush for him, you can alert him."

Although reluctant, the Second Prince had nodded and left, leaving Alexa with the blind girl, and a ghost guardian.

"Calm down, Mildred, we will have help and everything will be fine. Just be quiet and out of trouble."

But Mildred had not answered her.

Alexa sighed, and then went to the pile of leaves and branches and began to cover herself. 

She didn't know if she was going to wake up in that body again.

If it weren't enough to live the terror of imagining that the desperate peasant could kill her in her sleep, Alexa didn't know what had happened to Magnus.

But, back in Holstein, nothing could be done about what was going on in the distant kingdom of England. Alexa got up at the same time as Helga entered the tower room, accompanied by Balbo Cérdan. Alexander's ex-nanny had a forced smile and carried the 'Prince Alexander' dinner tray unnaturally.

"Is there a problem, Helga? Are you in pain or something?"

"Helga is a little sore, Your Highness. Apparently another maid pushed her from the stairs near the kitchen, for no reason," Balbo revealed.

"Oh! I told you not to upset Your Highness, you gossipy Soldier!" the gray-haired lady reproached Balbo, unimpressed by the warrior's towering presence. 

"Are you alright?" Lex asked, finding it silly that she wanted to hide.

"Well, since you ask me, Your Highness, yes, I'm fine. I'm more than used to being your nanny and having people trying all kinds of maneuvers!"

Alexa felt satisfied. Prince Gutard had chosen them not only because they were trusted ex-nannies, but because of their experience as the guardians of a cursed and politically persecuted child.

Lex figured it might have to do with the fact that some people already knew that the Second Prince was awake. They might want to have access to the hideout, through Helga.

"Take care, please," said the Prince. The way both, the warrior and the nanny, looked at the Prince was clearly suspicious.

"What's it?"

"Your Majesty went to Duke Konrad's as soon as he arrived, in the morning. But about an hour ago, Her Highness Princess Cordelia reported that Princess Alexa's body was found," explained the warrior, before the nanny could.

"The new Princess is organizing your wife's funeral, Your Highness!" said Helga, not containing her outrage.