Smith called out her name severally searching the room but he got no response.
As he moved further, he noticed a small brown piece of paper on her cramped bed. He quickly opened it...
"I will journey to the land of Andoths to train and acquire knowledge for a few years, then come back to Havans to claim the throne ".
- Your niece
He sat on the bed then dropped his face in his palms. She took the right step, he thought. But her last word gave him a heartache. She now referred to him as her uncle.
Before Tyra left for Andoths, she locked herself up in her bedroom. She had no appetite and did not want to see Smith. She felt horrible with a mix of emotions. She thought hard about what she was going to do after learning of her identity. After loads of thinking, she decided to go faraway from the Kingdom to prepare herself for the future, the day she would claim the throne. But first of all revenge her parents death. She was consumed by hatred and pain.
......
The next morning...
Eric sat restlessly in his chambers, eyes fixed on the door. The urge to see Tyra and know she was alright clawed at him. But Smith's warning still echoed in his ears like a curse. With no other choice, he sent Tobey to her quaters.
Tobey arrived only to be met by Smith himself. The older man stood still like a wall before the door with his arms crossed and eyes sharp. He recognised Tobey at an instant, the servant of the Prince.
"You shouldn't be here boy". He growled. "I clearly warned your master".
"I came on my own Sire". Tobey lied looking past Smith's shoulders. Smith hesitated before dropping the words like a bomb. "She's gone".
Tobey gasped, eyes widened. "Gone, to where?".
Smith immediately turned his back and slammed the door.
When Tobey returned with the news, without hesitating, Eric stood up, heart pounding. "We leave immediately".
He barged into the court room, all eyes fixed on him. "Father, I need to mobilise the guards". The King barely looked at him and continued the meeting. Eric took a step further, "Father, a person has gone missing". He said gritting his teeth, his voice cold.
The King hissed, " I'm sure you have eyes to see I am attending to an urgent matter of the court". When he saw that Eric was still adamant he told the elders to leave.
"And who is this person that made you storm into the court room?".
Eric took a step further. "My... Well she is...". He didn't know how to define their relationship before his father. The King looked at him unblinking.
"She is the maiden I danced with on the night of my Ceremony ".
The King laughed, "There are other beautiful maidens in the Palace Eric, I'm sure this one isn't any different".
"No you don't understand Father, I hold...".
The King cut him off sitting on the throne. " Listen to me son, you can only mobilise the Palace for dangerous times or patrols not for a girl ".
"This is a dangerous time father ". He quickly left the the courtroom ignoring the last words of his father.
"I warned you Eric, be ready to bear the consequences".
......
The land of Andoths was known to be a place of knowledge. It was a place people of all denominations went to seek knowledge, train to be Knights or soldiers. It was a place for the learned. It was a three day journey from Havans, so Tyra rested through the night in the thick woods, East of Havans.
Before she left, she had sent a maid to deliver her letter to her friends. She didn't want them to worry about her whereabouts.
Halfway through the night, she found shade beneath an oak tree. After feeding her horse, she rested beneath the tree. Soon after, she was awoken by the sound of a broken twig. She wanted to ignore it, but she heard the sound again. She stood up drawing out her sword from its sheath by her pants, heart pounding, she took few steps forward slowly.
"Who's there". Her voice shaky, she trembled. She had never wielded a sword before and didn't think she would need to use it for her journey. She paused when she felt a sharp blade on her back, it's tip cold and threatening, pressing against her vest.
With teary eyes,she raised her hands in surrender slowly turning back. The tears flowed down her cheeks when she saw two familiar figures, she smiled faintly. "Isadore's Idea". Rachel said embracing her. "Did you think we would stay still after receiving your letter?". Isadore said joining in the embrace.
Tyra wiped her tears laughing, "You both startled me, I was scared to death". She hugged them again, tightly this time.
"But where are your horses?". She looked past them but saw nothing. "Why use horses when we have legs. Besides we already have one here". Isadore walked towards Tyra's horse releasing it from the tree.
"Seriously, was that the plan?". Rachel folded her arms then turned towards Tyra. "That Lady over there told me not to worry about our journey. She convinced me that she had everything sorted out. She...".
Tyra laughed shaking her head. "I can't believe you two. Using just one horse would slow down our journey".
"We would get there quickly if we stop chatting. And we could take turns in riding the horse. I'll go first". Isadore went ahead of them leaving the duo staring at each other behind.
........
For three days, the Prince wandered beyond the borders of the Kingdom in search of Tyra. He couldn't trace her steps. It would have been easier if he knew her destination. He had to return to the Palace because of the guards, they had been away for long. He decided to continue his search later.
The moment he set foot back near the palace gates, royal guards surrounded him.
He looked up only to find his father watching, anger evident in his eyes. He was furious.
Eric barely had time to explain. The cold clink of chains around his wrists spoke louder than words.