"You're back?" Mars looked up from his wine cup. He and most of his men were sitting around a table and seemed to discuss something. They had rented this whole inn to themselves and turned it into their basecamp while they were in Shadowend.

"Yes, I have got all the information we need," Gewen replied smugly. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Bruinen sitting beside the crown prince. So, this wizard returned early?

Ah, no.. it was Gewen who took too long in the tavern. He drank and had fun with the girls before he probed for information. Now, it's almost dinner time.

"Bruinen has confirmed that the witch is home now and will come to town as usual tomorrow. So, we have to prepare quickly," said Mars. He motioned to a servant to pour wine for Gewen. "Sit down and let's talk about it."

Gewen pursed his lips when he heard Mars's words. So, they already knew everything?

He sat between Mars and Bruinen and pushed the wizard with his bum, pretending as if nothing happened. He said, "So, our spy was right when he said the witch always comes to town on Saturday. Did Bruinen tell you that?"

Mars nodded patiently. "He also said there are three types of monsters in the haunted forest. There is one hydra, several blood-red eagles, and the gatekeeper himself."

"Eh?" Gewen was surprised to hear that. He only heard there were two types of monsters and didn't know that the gatekeeper himself was one. He turned to Bruinen and asked the man curiously. "The gatekeeper himself is a monster? How did you know?"

Bruinen grinned. He knew, by the looks of it, Gewen didn't get information as well as he did. That meant, he just won their bet and Gewen would have to pay him ten gold coins.

Sweet!

Bruinen nodded and explained his findings when he went to the market earlier to look for information. "The gatekeeper is a werewolf. So, there are three types of monsters that we need to deal with if we want to go up to the mansion and get Lady Ellena's heart."

"I see," Gewen was surprised. This made sense. Maybe Killian didn't tell the mayor about the gatekeeper because the gatekeeper didn't have the chance to shift when Killian came there to fight.

Maybe, since Killian was just one person, the gatekeeper thought one hydra was enough to take care of him and didn't think he needed to shift.

"But how did you know about this?" Gewen turned to Bruinen and asked him again. "Who told you?"

Bruinen cleared his throat and replied, "It's the mayor. I decided to visit him and asked him about potential salt market in Shadowend. We talk about many things and I ended up asking him about Thessalis Morelli."

Gewen rolled his eyes in annoyance. Apparently, the mayor knew more than what he let his daughter know. That's why Bruinen could get such comprehensive information. Gewen didn't expect the young wizard to directly go to the mayor and asked him.

He thought talking to the mayor's daughter was a brilliant idea, but apparently, it was still not good enough. She didn't know as much as her father.

Gewen grumbled and took out ten gold coins from his pocket and put them on the table. "Sigh. You won."

Even if he thought of the same thing and went to the mayor to find information, Gewen wouldn't be able to seduce men and get that info from the mayor. Also, he was not good at lying like Bruinen who could pretend to be a salt merchant really well.

Nobody would believe him if Gewen wanted to pretend to be a merchant or some poor mercenary. He was far too beautiful and well-cared for. He and Mars too stood out. Telling people that he was a nobleman from Asguay was the best he could do.

Uff... Gewen started to think that his good looks was a curse. It limited his movements, especially at times like this, when he needed to be unassuming and go undercover.

Well.. he couldn't have it all.

"Why, thank you," Bruinen grinned wider and took the coins from the table and kept them in his pocket. Ahh... he had never felt his pocket this heavy before.

Mars pretended not to notice the competition between the two men, and continued his words to discuss their plans.

"We need Elmer to sneak into the mansion as quickly as possible. We don't have much time until the witch returns from the town. That means, we have to split and take care of all the monsters and distract them from Elmer," he said, then he turned to look at Elmer who was sitting across from him. "What do you think?"

"I agree. I can do it very quickly. From what Bruinen told us earlier, the distance from the haunted forest to the mansion will take me half an hour. So, I will need one hour back and forth," Elmer replied.

"Will you be able to immediately find Ellena's heart?" Mars asked him to make sure. Ellena's heart was the most important thing they need to save before they could kill the witch. If they didn't save it in time, Ellena might die.

Mars didn't want to think about the possibility. It felt so grim. He didn't want to owe Ellena forever. If she died, Mars would carry his debt to his grave since there was no chance for him to pay it back to Ellena.

That's why he was so adamant to get Ellena her heart back, so he could really cut ties with her and didn't have to owe her anything. He knew that Emmelyn also didn't want to owe Ellena any debts. So, Mars was really doing this for both of them.

"Yes, I can do that," said Elmer reassuringly.

"Okay, we can leave immediately after breakfast and do our mission," Mars let out a long sigh. He turned to Gewen and patted his shoulder. "You will handle all the blood-red eagles, bring your bow and arrows. I will handle the hydra and Bruinen, together with all the other knights, will take care of the gatekeeper."

They all nodded in agreement. Inwardly, everyone felt excited and nervous at the same time. After traveling for more than six weeks, they would finally accomplish the mission that they were set to do. After this, they could go home to their wives and kids.

"All sounds good," Gewen commented. "So, we should rest and wake up early to make sure we will get there in time."

"I agree with you," said Mars. "Now, let's have dinner and rest. We will have a really important mission tomorrow."

They did according to his order. Dinner was served and everyone ate in silence. After they were full, they washed up and went to sleep.

Mars had always had trouble sleeping and he had suffered for six weeks with this condition during this trip. Sleeping potion from Mr. Vitas didn't really help him. Gosh... he missed his wife so much.

Only around her, he could feel so relaxed and happy that he could fall asleep easily. He couldn't wait to end this suffering and came back to her.

***

They woke up very early the next day and after breakfast immediately went to the haunted forest. They took their horses and rode from dawn.

Once they arrived at the end of the small village called Swansea Village, they all spread out and hid behind some big rocks. They waited for Thessalis Morelli's carriage to pass on her way to town before they continued.

That was the only way they could know for sure that the witch had left her mansion. Once she was far, they would immediately enter the haunted forest, fight the monsters and take Ellena's heart.

By the time Thessalis Morelli returned, she would face everyone. Without the monsters to protect her and Ellena's heart as her collateral, Thessalis would be done for.

***

Half an hour after the crown prince and his men left the inn, two court officials from the Winteremere palace arrived and asked the innkeeper for the prince.

"Of, you meant the salt merchant group?" the innkeeper asked back. "I think they just left. They have something important to do."

"Oh... this is very important," said one of the court officials with a distraught expression. "Where did they go? I need to tell them something."

The innkeeper shrugged. "I have no idea. They didn't tell me. Yesterday they went to the market. Maybe they are going there again to sell salt?"

The two officials exchanged glances.

"What do you think? Should we go and catch up with them in the market?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. What if they went to another place? We will only waste time if we go in the wrong direction."

"Okay, maybe we should just wait."

One of them turned to the innkeeper and said, "We will wait here. Please let us know as soon as they return."

"All right, Sir," said the innkeeper respectfully. He could recognize the court official's uniform that these two men were wearing. Secretly he was wondering if they were really working for the governor.

The two men looked distraught and impatient. Did something bad happen that they must meet the salt merchants immediately? Did the salt merchants do some crime and now they were being chased by the authority?

No, that didn't seem like it, the innkeeper thought. He tried to think of all possibilities, but in the end, he could only keep everything to himself. He didn't dare to ask these important-looking people questions.

The court officials sat in the living room, waiting for the prince's return. This news that they brought was big and they must make sure the prince hear it from them immediately.

Queen Elara just passed away, and he was needed to go home to the capital as soon as possible.

.

.

>>>>>

From the author:

I know this part is starting to get intense and hard to go through. Emmelyn is framed for murder, the loving queen is dead, and the future seems so bleak for both Mars and Em.

Please remember that this story has a happy ending, all my stories do. So, don't let this intense conflict discourage you from reading.

Like I said, we are lulled by love and fluff in the beginning, to prepare us for what's to come. Without sadness, we cannot appreciate joy, without darkness we cannot appreciate the light.

So, we need to go through this rough patch in order for Emmelyn and Mars to have their love tested and flourish.