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Alena P.O.V

As I gazed into the stranger deep blue eyes, it suddenly occurred to me that there might be worse fates than to agree to marry this foolish King. The thick lashes, framed the stranger's eyes as he kept staring back at me, revealing the unspoken words in his eyes.

Even though his facial expression was covered, keeping a mysterious cloak around him, yet I wasn't scared. I looked around, peeking at the panicked people. My eyes locked with Vivan's odd yellow orbs and the moment I did, her eyes were wide.

I sucked in a deep breath at the sight of the sharp dagger that was pointed at my breasts. Vivian clasped a hand over her mouth, leaping into her feet.

"What is the meaning of this? What are you trying to accomplish?" Cried King Alvin. "You are pitiful! You can't sneak your way into my kingdom like this!"

"I'm wounded old friend..." Said the stranger sarcastically, taunting the King.

The King loud voice disturbed the church once again. "I'm not your ally, I kill the likes of you for fun!"

"You're not?" Said the stranger dramatically. "Of course you aren't my friend, I wouldn't stoop so low befriending the likes of you either..."

The King's eye twitch as he gazed back at the stranger. "Look at this mad lad! What are you trying to do, boy? Huh?" He demanded.

"I said I came for your bride, fool. I'm not planning to kill her... After all, she belongs to me." He stated with a dripping sarcasm.

Everything began to happen so fast as the stranger pushed me roughly on the back of the dragon. The beast moved forward, and soon he was flapping his huge wing. The stranger wrapped one arm around my waist as I struggled to catch my breath. I drew in a deep one trying to calm down, but it was in vain.

I couldn't articulate how far we travelled, it was torture as I could feel the bones of the dragon moving smoothly underneath us. I closed my eyes and tried to breath, I tried to brush aside all this, but who was I fooling?

I managed to shut my eyes for minutes and when my eyes started to open, another kind of fear started to consume me. We were far away from any form of civilization. Gradually the dragon began to land, but we were still in the ancient Kingdom, yet we were far away from the ancient maze.

He stood along the opposite side of the dragon, patting his head gently. His men soon followed as they landed next to us. Some of them were bold enough to cast a sidelong glance at me, murmuring against themselves.

My features began to harden as I looked around me. I wasn't expecting this! I was expecting a savage trying to kill me, but what he was doing right now was confusing me. This lad was ignoring me.

I looked behind me, wondering if he would notice what I was about to do.

"I wouldn't do it, angel." He stated calmly, giving his back to me.

Right away, I turned to face him. He was running a brush down the dragons back, all his attention was focused on his task. It was as if he could read me like an open book.

I was rather satisfied that he acknowledged my presence.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Sir. Isn't that what I'm obligated to do?" I attempted to keep my voice steady. "Shouldn't I be trying to escape you?"

He shrugged one of his shoulders. "Why would you try such a foolish thing, lass? You wouldn't get three feet before I stop you."

"How?" I mocked. "Are you going to hunt me with that arc?"

He finally moved around to face me, the arch of one of his eyebrows was a strong warning. "That would be a waste of good arrows, wouldn't it?" He said removing the leather armour that was hiding his face. "You are far worth alive to me than dead."

My eyes widen in awe as I looked at the man who stood before me. He was the father of my own child... He was the same, lad, I grew to care for. I tried to contain my fears, he can't know... He can't know about the child.

"Very touching speech, but what's going to stop me from leaving?" I challenged.

He came around the dragon."Me," he said arrogantly. "I allowed you to leave once, but I would never do it again, angel."

My heart began to pound so fast in my chest as I attempted to move backward, knowing that I got no chance to keep him away... He knew me. I was hoping that if I acted like this he would mistake me for another, but I was wrong.

I knew that he had no intention of killing me, but there were other things he could do to me again.

I was trapped, my back was pushed against the trunk of an oak tree, leaving me with no choice but to stand my ground. The closer he got, the harder it became to breath. By the time he was close enough, he was blocking the sun bright light and I began to become lightheaded.

His striking dark blue eyes were always what pulled me to him, but I was wrong. Now that he was so close to me once again, I knew that I was taken by every inch of this stranger. He had sharp features. His nose was as straight as a blade and his lips were sinfully full.

He laid both hands on the tree trunk above my head, as he leaned so close to me, I could feel the heat radiating from his body. "If you'll run, I'll follow you to the end of the earth if I have to. So be a good lass, and spare us the effort because you can't escape me, sweet cheeks."

Then the heat of his body was gone and I could experience the icy bites surrounding me once again. I gazed around me staring at his companions, most of them were staring back at me, while they were trying to contain their laughter.

"You don't need to act like that!" I cried after him. "You might wan this round, blue eyed monster, but trust me the king will find me!" I added.

A boom of laughter surrounded me, "Trust me, darling your King would never leave those walls ever again... He's a traitor, he turned his back on his own father." He laughed bitterly. "Do you suppose he would care for you?" He added in a mocking tone. "If everything runs as planned you'll never see him again and this kingdom will be ours, sweet cheeks."

He returned to brush his dragon, while his men were laughing like savages.

I hugged the dark, thick fur closer to my body, trying to stop the sharp shivers that were running down my spine.

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Leon P.O.V

"You stole his bride? I knew that you've got some loose screws in that brain of yours, but this is rich... No one ever did this my friend." Said Cavan as he moved closer to me once again.

I couldn't hold back the smile that was spreading across my lips. "Couldn't hold back myself." I responded, then I fixed my eyes back on him. "How are you feeling now, Cavan?"

He drew in a deep breath, refusing to meet my eyes, "I owe you an apology... I should-"

I didn't even allow him to finish. "No, you don't. We all get our crazy moments, but I knew that if you kept all that away it was for a good reason. I understand."

A genuine smile started to cover Cavan's lips, "So what are you going to do with her? She's Alvin's bride, what are you going to do with her when all this is over?"

"Alena is the key to everything, Cavan." I said moving closer to him. "I'm certain you know what I'm talking about..." I added.

He smirked, giving me a knowing look.

"Yes, you are right-" but the smirk that was once spread over his lips was removed when I spoke.

"Alena was the woman who stole my heart that night. She was the one who I was foolish enough to let go." I stated, staring at the evening orange-pink sky. "She is mine and I'll be damned if I'll allow another lad to have her." I said in a serious voice.

I scanned the cliff looking for her, until I found her. She was sitting on a rock at the very edge of the cliff. Her hair fell on her back as the last of the pins were gone. Her arms were wrapped around herself. Dirt filled her once elegant gown. Our eyes locked for a moment, only to be broken seconds later as she fixed her eyes on the campfire, trying to ignore us.

I scowled. I expected her cold facade to be broken by now, but this, lass was a tough one to break. I wasn't planning to send her back to King, Alvin... Yet I had to use Alena to get what I always wanted. I will give the bastard a day or two and then we'll make our move.

As the night began to fall, the temperature started to drop so fast and the wind started to catch up so fast once again. When I set my eyes on her, she was shivering as she hugged herself so tightly to the point her knuckles went white.

I strode over to her and stopped right in front of her, holding a bowl of stew and some fresh fruits. She kept staring at the fire, ignoring me. "I won't allow you starve yourself, angel. Do you hear me?" I said in a low voice. I looked at her again and still she didn't move. I sat right next to her and moved the hot stew closer to her nose. Her eyes didn't look at the stew once, but her stomach betrayed her with a lusty growl.

She snatched the bowl from my hand. I watched her in amusement, as she used the wooden spoon. I started to feel relaxed once again when the colour seeped back into her cheeks as the stew warmed her.

I can't believe that I've heard that's the King's bride was a normal woman and if the king didn't wed her, she would never get the chance. They were so wrong... I found my gaze drawn to her pink lips as they closed around the spoon.

When she finished eating, she pushed the food away and fixed her eyes on me.

"How long are you planning to keep me here?" She demanded.

"Will, you can ask your King. Just don't keep your hopes up, love." He said mockingly. "Perhaps your life would be much easier if you accept your fate by my side, angel." It was a statement more than an offer.

She laughed bitterly. "Accept my fate? Are you mad? You took me away from everything that I once knew!"

"And you fooled me that night for a reason I still don't even know!" I shot back.

"I didn't fool you! You happen to be there, I wasn't looking for you! You just happened to be standing there." She shouted back at me.

"Stop saying that, angel! No one forced you to do anything, you were foolish enough to give yourself away."

"My name is not, angel! It's Alena." She cried.

I folded my arms over my chest, snorting. "Okay, sweet cheeks. How could you even marry that man?"

Alena narrowed her eyes as she stared back at me. "For all you know, I could be madly in love with the King."

"Said the, lass, who was in my arms months ago." I shot back.

She rested her hand on her hips. "You abducted me and took me away! You had the guts to sabotage my wedding and now you're acting as if you knew me? How can you possibly know me? Huh?"

Before I even realized what he was about to do, I stepped closer to her- close enough to touch her burning cheeks. I would never abuse a woman, but there was always something about this, lass. I put my mouth against her ear, lowering my voice. "I know you perfectly, Alena. Do you think that man can please you like I did? Darling, you need a real man in your bed."

I could feel her shiver wildly, I stepped away from her. It was a cold night and I had to fetch her a bedroll and I would be done with her for the night.

"Where are you going, stranger? It's too cold to sleep outside." She whined after me.

I turned around, gazing at her for a moment before I spoke. "My name is, Leon. Leon Lovell."

With that, I turned around and left her staring back at me with wide eyes.

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