{Music Recommendation: Tattoo ~ Loreen}
"Pa!! What do you mean you’re going to Eridor?!" Freya asked, following her father around the kitchen as he monitored the breakfast the maids were preparing.
After hearing last night that Rowan would be leaving for Eridor as the king’s envoy, Louis quickly suggested accompanying him. When Freya found out the next morning, she almost lost her mind.
"Pa! Talk to me." Freya pushed her father, her voice laced with brewing frustration.
Louis opened the cauldron, stirring it with a long wooden spoon. "More rosemary and a little garlic will do. The meat should be tender; Walter’s front tooth is still growing. And a separate pot for the Queen, add more pepper so she won’t throw it up," he ordered the maids, ignoring his daughter. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
The man walked towards those who were baking. Folding his sleeves, he tasted the mixture in the bowl. "Add two more eggs and milk; the mixture is too bland," he said before walking away to wash his hands.
"If you don’t talk to me, then I’m going to stop being your daughter," Freya threatened. This tactic had always worked in the past and her father would quickly apologize and do everything she wanted. Thinking it would work again, she turned her head to the side, pouting.
Louis wiped his hands on the kitchen towel, nodding his head as he replied, "Even better, I will gladly accept Rowan as my son. It’s all my fault for spoiling you and not training you better, so I better look for an upright son to carry my name."
"What? Pa!" Freya shouted, running after her father, who was now leaving the kitchen. "Upright? Father, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Trust me."
Louis turned to look at his daughter. "And you know what you’re talking about? You just rejected the best man in the entire kingdom; Orion, Avon, Eridor, and Morado combined!"
"You do know there’s a king of each of these kingdoms, right? And I’m sure their wives won’t agree," Freya said, rolling her eyes.
Louis cleared his throat, realizing he might have crossed the line with his words. "All I’m trying to say is, Rowan is the best man for you. He is kind, strong, handsome. What else do you want in a man?"
"Love?!" Freya exclaimed. "You always tell me how you loved Mother, and you still won’t marry another woman after she died. I want that kind of love, and he is not capable of giving that."
Louis frowned, his temples creasing. "And you know that because?"
Freya blinked, knowing how much her father had come to admire the royal guard. She didn’t want to tell him that the same guard was involved with a married woman. Ignoring his question, she continued, "Pa, you don’t have to go to Eridor with him, okay? Please just stay here with me. Remember how you promised not to leave me all alone again."
Louis turned towards the passage leading to the dining room. "I have to go with him. He’s going all alone, who will feed him in a strange land? He has no family. If only he were married, I wouldn’t bother myself, but he has no family..." The man’s voice trailed off, as if lost in thought.
"Am I not your daughter anymore? If you leave me behind, then I have no family. Pa! What did he give you to make you stop worrying about me?! You used to love me more than anything and anyone..." Freya cried. She couldn’t believe her father was now taking the side of a man he had only recently met over his own daughter. The young girl found it absurd.
Louis reached the dining room and, holding the door, turned to Freya. "He saved my life and your life. There’s something called gratitude! Learn that. We are leaving for Eridor tomorrow. You can choose not to go, but have it in mind that you’re losing me as your father! Humph!" The man harrumphed before entering the room.
Freya stood there, looking at her father. She was so frustrated that she didn’t know who to vent her anger on.
"You’re standing in the way."
Freya’s blood boiled even more when she heard the voice of the same man her father was choosing over her. She slowly turned her head to meet his always brooding black eyes.
"What did you tell my father to make him want to follow you to Eridor?" she asked with a deep frown.
Rowan lazily moved his eyes from the girl, looking behind her. "You should ask him yourself."
"Freya! Are you still bothering this innocent man?" Louis, now standing behind his daughter, scolded the girl. Pushing her to the side, he went to hold Rowan.
"Come in and eat; you need to rest for tomorrow."
Freya watched as her father walked back inside, ignoring her. The girl looked around to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. All she wanted was to know how Rowan had even stolen her father’s heart.
When she heard her father was going to leave with Rowan to Eridor, she was against it, begging everyone to be on her side. But they told her that her father was old enough to make his own choices, and there was nothing they could do. Freya didn’t want to be left alone again; she and her father had always been together, no matter where they were until Rowan came into the picture.
"Fine! I don’t care! You can leave with him, and I’ll stop being your daughter!" Freya pointed at the door as if her father could hear her before leaving the passage.
The next day finally arrived. Louis and Rowan packed their bags into the carriages, ready to leave Avon for Eridor. Everyone gathered outside the palace to bid them goodbye. Everyone except Freya.
Adric touched Rowan’s shoulder. "I know this is a lot, but the kingdom is counting on you. Make a good name for Avon."
"I will be back with good news, dear friend." Rowan bowed slightly. When he raised his face, he noticed someone hiding behind one of the pillars. Knowing who it was, he smirked before turning to enter the carriage.
Louis was smiling with everyone, but his eyes kept darting left and right, as if he was waiting for someone.
"Don’t worry about Freya; I’ll make sure she’s okay. She will always write to you," Oriana noticed the look of worry on the man’s face, and she knew that no matter what, he was still Freya’s father.
Louis nodded, bowing to Oriana. "Thank you so much. I’m sorry I didn’t train her properly. Just take care of her until I return."
"I will," Oriana smiled. "Take care." She waved, watching as they moved towards the carriage, ready to leave Avon.
"Wait!" Freya’s voice was heard as she ran towards the carriage, running past her father. She threw her bag inside and sat down opposite Rowan, glaring at him.
"I’m only going because I’ll prove to you that my father is only mine and nobody else’s. I won’t let someone like you take away what belongs to me."
Rowan’s lips curled into an evil smile as he propped his head up with his hand. "We’ll see about that..." His voice was so calm that the girl missed the underlying meaning of his words.
"They’re going to be fine right?" Oriana turned to ask Adric, as the carriage now started leaving the palace gates.
Adric hummed, moving his head to the side. "Rowan is too excited...and it’s not goodnews when he is... It’s always because his prey just walked right into his web..." He muttered, turning to Oriana he leaned closer and kissed her lips.
"Let’s just wait for them to return, while waiting for our little one too," he said rubbing Oriana’s stomach gently.
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