The Unforeseen
Chapter Twenty-One

"What do you mean the wedding is cancelled for now?" Adelia almost screamed at Timena.

"As in, you can forget about anything having to do with the wedding for a while." Timena replied casually.

"W-We already let people know, a-and the dress has been made, the flowers, and-"

"Mother, Silas called the wedding off, not me." She said with a smirk.

"W-Why? He was so insistent before?"

"I guess he came to his senses."

Adelia's gaze narrowed on her daughter for a while. "You managed to run him off, didn't you?" She pointed at her.

Timena laughed, rolling her eyes at her mother's accusations. "No mother, I'm giving him a chance... without the threat of marriage."

Adelia's brows furrowed in confusion. "He agreed to that?"

"I suppose so, we talked and for now, it seems as though he's listening. I am going to Calyx with him soon." Timena gauged her mom's increasingly stunned reaction. "I'm coming back, it's just to see his home and meet his people." She added.

Adelia's lips turned up in a smile. "This is good, I am pleased to hear this. Your father will be thrilled to hear his daughter isn't leaving the nest just yet."

Timena's face fell slightly, remembering yet again what her father had confessed. Replying absentmindedly, she decided to leave the room shortly afterwards.

At dinner, Timena ate in the dining room with her family, Silas, Aldus and Miro. Her mind was at work, focusing on multiple things at a time as she pushed her food around on the surface of her plate. Silas squeezed her thigh lightly, drawing her attention. His gaze was questioning but she just smiled weakly before looking back down to her plate.

"So, we hear the wedding has been put on hold?" Vassar asked, a bit gruffly.

Timena snorted. "Don't worry father, it won't ruin anything."

"I also hear you are going to be visiting Calyx, when and for how long?" He inquired further.

"I plan to take her tomorrow or the day after, and only for a few days so she can become familiar with the land and the people." Silas replied dismissively.

Aldus sensed the tension, and quickly changed the conversation.

"Are you going to bring her back?" Delacroix asked nervously.

Silas looked at her sympathetically. "Of course, you will get your sister back I promise."

"I need to excuse myself for a moment." Timena slowly got up from her seat.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just need to relieve myself." She answered.

After relieving herself, Timena walked along the halls, trying to replace solutions to problems she was not sure how to fix. It seemed fairly quiet as she continued along the hall. When she made it down to the kitchen, she was shocked to see that it was empty.

"Hello?" She called out, but there was no reply.

The kitchen door was open and immediately her hand went to her scabbard. Approaching the door slowly, she hadn't even made it halfway before turning around to see one of Silas' guards standing behind her with his hands coming towards her. Pulling out her sword, Timena's blade swung upwards so that the tip was just barely grazing his throat.

"Explain yourself." She demanded.

"It's all a part of the plan princess." Reevus replied deviously.

She was confused. "What plan?"

And before she could get an answer, everything went black.

"You need to work on your capturing skills Reevus." Barinon tossed the large rock out of the kitchen door.

"Sorry." Reevus apologized.

Bending down, they used rope to tie her hands tightly before picking up her unconscious body from the floor and heading outside.

Two horses stood on the outskirts of the castle, Barinon placed his foot in the stirrup as Reevus helped put Timena onto the horse with him before getting onto his steed himself.

"Prepare to beg for her life Silas." Barinon murmured, taking one last look at the castle and then to Timena before they slowly rode off into the cover of the forest.

Timena groaned in pain, her head was pounding. Her surroundings began to creep upon her slowly and then all together. She opened her eyes only to replace herself slung over a trotting horse, she looked around in confusion.

"Ah, the princess awakens." The unfamiliar voice rang in her ears.

They came to a stop, and Timena gasped as she was practically thrown from the horse's back, she landed with a thud. It took her only a moment to focus on the person's face, and she did not recognize it. Another person walked over to her and she was shocked to see that it was a guard that belonged to Silas' army, the same one she had remembered from the night of the ball.

"W-What are you doing?"

Reevus laughed. "Carrying out the plan."

"What plan?"

"To right a wrong." Barinon answered, looking down at her distastefully.

"Forgive me, but who the hell are you?" Timena turned her attention to man.

Barinon's brow raised in slight amusement. "A sharp tongue you've got there. Continue like that and I just might have to cut it off." He warned.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"I am Barinon." He introduced himself. "An old friend of Silas."

Timena's head fell, here she was in yet another predicament. Being with Silas was a bit more trouble than she had originally bargained for.

Reevus helped her up from the ground, keeping a tight grip on her arms.

"What are you planning to do with me?"

"Time will tell, I am more concerned with getting as far away from Silas' reach as possible first." Barinon replied.

Silas had realized far too late that Timena had went missing. When he went to look for her in her room and then the kitchen, he was stunned to instead replace Eurina and a few of the other kitchen staff locked in the cellar.

"What happened?" He tried to keep her calm, as well as himself.

"It was one of your guards, he took her Silas." Eurina cried out.

"He came down here, threatening to kill us if we said a word. He had a knife to my neck, and he pushed the few of us that were in the kitchen into the cellar. Where are the others?" She looked around frantically.

"We are going make sure we replace the rest of the staff, was it only him Eurina?" Silas held onto her forearms, anticipating her answer.

"I couldn't tell you, the walls were too thick. But I heard a loud thud on the floor. We tried to break down the door, but it was no use."

Aldus came down the flight of stairs in a hurry. "What happened?"

"It had to be him." Silas replied. "Find out which of our men is missing." His voice was deathly low and his face had become a mask of anger.

They had been traveling for a while and it wasn't long before Timena realized that they were headed towards Vitabesk.

As the horses trotted alongside one another, she took in Barinon's appearance. He blonde hair was matted to his forehead, his cheeks somewhat hollow— indicating that it had been some time since he'd had a decent meal. He was not too muscular or too frail in build, and upon closer inspection, she noticed multiple scars that marred the side his neck.

Timena was not shocked that someone would seek revenge against Silas, but she was not thrilled at being used as a tool of retribution. Reevus' arms brushed against hers as he held onto the horse's reins, reminding her that an attempt to escape mightn't work out too well in her favor.

"Why are you helping him?" She whispered.

"Barinon is my comrade, what Silas did to him was horrendous." He spat out.

"What did he do?"

Reevus looked to his friend sadly, "He murdered his wife in front of him."

Timena's shoulders sagged, she felt no shock, but disappointment.

"What will he do to me?" Timena worried about her own life now.

"He hasn't made up his mind yet."

Timena worried if she could get herself out of this bind, her life had never been in serious danger like this before, she was defenseless. She wondered if she could bide her time before Silas found her or maybe escape at some point.

Timena spent her night tied to a tree, under the watchful eyes of Barinon and then Reevus. She had barely gotten any sleep before being forcefully awoken at the break of dawn. They continued hastily through the forest, only stopping to relieve themselves.

At the sign leading them into Vitabesk, Timena felt a glimmer of hope that she might replace Makar. Barinon and Reevus got off their horses, then leading them by their reins into the city. Barinon grabbed Timena by her tunic suddenly, pulling her close to him so that their faces were merely inches apart.

"If you so much as try to escape I will slice your throat open, if you try to get help, I will make certain that you choke on your blood before you even get the chance to scream." He pushed her away then, turning his attention back to the streets.

Timena blinked, slightly stunned by his harsh words but her anger was building up.

"Listen to him, and you might just live." Reevus whispered as the continued along the path.

The streets were busy, it was nearly impossible to see anything besides the crowds of people. Timena peered her head out to see if she could possibly spot Makar's shop, but it was absurd to even try with the number of people teeming the streets. When they made their way inside a small tavern, they went straight to the most secluded part of the room. Barinon got up to go to the front to get food and ale.

When he came back to the table, he had two large plates of stew for himself and Reevus before tossing half a loaf of bread towards Timena.

"So kind of you to pay for us princess." Barinon smirked.

Timena realized that he had stolen not only her sword, but also her money. She stifled her laughter; her anger was making her delirious now. What she wouldn't have done to remove that sly expression from his face.

"What a shame your wife died." The words fell from her lips and she almost instantly regretted it.

Reevus shook his head in disbelief, Timena knew by uttering those words she was only asking for consequences, but it was too late to take them back now. Barinon's lips turned up in an even wider smile and Timena felt her chest sink.