“Can’t this thing go faster?!” I said in a panic.

“I am sorry my lady, this is as fast it can get!” Sir Foulques informed.

“It’s okay Eleanna, the Lord Protector is safe considering he is surrounded by two mages and a witch!”

Though it actually ease some of the worry, my anxious nature is still big on the horizon, Durell is still prowling there and each time that passes, is more time that this murderer can better his plan…

But thankfully we finally arrived with Geamradh spotted in our eyes from the distances, it was so close and so near… but… the horse slowed down, and down until it completely stop, the horse was completely exhausted now and because of this I had no choice but to book it, leaving Sir Foulques with the horse.

Geamradh, though at a seeing distances, was still very far away, I could run but I’ll only exhaust myself like the horse… I could teleport if only I have a photographic memory… but… yeah! I could do this.

I remembered back again at what Lady Chloe taught me on teleportation, it was about displacing oneself from the original place to the target place, but the catch is you need to remember fully what that target place is to the tiny details, which is hard, but there was another way to teleport, though it is short in distances.

So… I looked back to my front, seeing the view in front of me, there was snow, trees embedded with snow, and a rough bush. I then closed my eyes, thinking I was beside that bush berry and as soon as I opened my eyes I was right beside it!

I quickly repeat this with the teleporting hopping from every close eyes to then blinking to make it faster, and thanks to mom’s diamond ring, I could do this infinitely without feeling exhausted.

That teleportation hopping finally got me to the front of the gate, where the guards were startled at me suddenly appearing in front of them.

I quickly told them to open the gates but the portcullis was to slow so I blink again at the walls where I appeared now right beside the guard, I then continued again blinking from wall to wall to then street to street where I finally landed right in front of Castle Feannag’s door step, where the Princess was near and got surprised.

“So, this is how it feels on the receiving end…” the Princess commented.

“I am in a hurry Princess, do you know where Martyn is?” I asked her.

“the Lord Protector? He is with Alaxandair and Domnall in Alaxandair’s study room…”

“Okay good, good! And do you know where Durell is?” I sighed in relief.

“Ohh, I just bumped into him earlier, he was going to the Alaxandair’s study room and from how fast he walked, I think he had something important to say.”

“Shit!” Hearing it I quicky book it.

Passing the Princess who was left bewildered at my comment as well as some of the maids behind her, I went up to the stairs running as fast as I could through the second-floor hallway and as soon as I saw the door to Alaxandair’s study room, I quickly slam the door with my body, even to the point of breaking the door, where… I could only see a startled Durell, rummaging through Alaxandair’s desk.

I quickly prepared myself to combat by pulling out my dagger, but he wasn’t, Durell instead went straight to the window and propelled himself to the walls in front of him, running at the walls.

I followed suite as well by teleport blinking to the walls and pursuing him on foot, it was a bit slippery, from how unbalanced he was running, but he adapted quite quickly by semi ice-skating through this cold slippery stone floor. We were still running through the walls, dodging the guards on the way until he stopped suddenly, I saw why and it was because Lady Chloe was somehow there in front of him.

“And finally the rat is surrounded by the raven and the snake…” Lady Chloe said as she stood there, somewhat menacingly.

“…” he didn’t utter a single word.

Seeing that he has nowhere to go, I could finally sigh in relief that me and Lady Chloe could bring him to Martyn neatly and quietly, but… it’s never that simple, he still didn’t fight us but he did leap off from a three story high wall and he wasn’t injured in the slightest bit as he kept running.

“Why is Durell running?” I heard a faint sound from below, it was Alaxandair’s.

Hearing that I went over to the wall’s edge and looked below to see Martyn and Alaxandair coming out of the gate, they were confused as hell on why Durell was running and they were about to be more confused.

“MARTYN CATCH ME!” I leaped off from the wall where Martyn’s quick reflex and strength as well didn’t betray me.

“El?! What’s going on?” He was startled and confused beyond measures.

“Keep it stable Mar, I am gonna…” As I formed my hand to a finger gun, aiming it at Durell who was running at the distances, I clear my thought for this, thinking what the velocity, the speed, and of course the body part I am aiming, which is the leg, though I was still on the fence on what the projectile should be, but remembering I am in a snowy capped land, I knew right away what to shoot him with.

I then made a recoil gesture with my hand like a gun, and like a gun, a high speed bullet came out from the rear, with this being an solid frozen ice as big as a pebble from the streets, flying in such high speed towards Durell’s leg

“And… got him!”

Durell falls quite hardly as his leg was immobilized by my bullet, and… he’s dragging himself! Pulling his body inch by inch

“DURELL!!” Alaxandair ran towards him.

“El… Just make sure this is good!” Martyn as well confused of my actions.

I of course explain it to them all about him being the murderer as Martyn, who was still carrying me, went over to Durell and… Alaxandair of course doesn’t accept it.

“GUARDS!”

“Alaxandair… it’s true…” As Alaxandair was about to call the guards on me, Durell gave in.

“No, no, you are not! I know who you are, and you are not a killer!” He again still won’t accept it.

“Haha… little man you don’t know who I am…” He chuckled mockingly at Alaxandair. “It’s easy really manipulating the one you are raising Lord Protector… because they will deny every bit about the one who they look up to, case in point here!”

“So… why did you do it?” Martyn asked, with a semi-livid tone.

“To turn this realm to chaos? To take revenge on the injustices the nobles incur on us? Hate? Grief? Or maybe just for the fun of it… take your pick!” Durell answered.

“…I am not asking why you got into this, I am asking why did you still do it?” Martyn asked… something curious.

“To accomplish his failure of a cousin’s plan, nothing more nothing less…”

“Hmm… not only you are lying to us, you are even lying to yourself… well, either way have fun in the dungeons with Domnall…”

Durell kept his silence, I don’t know what Martyn meant by this, I don’t know what he found out when I was away, but… I saw it too in his eyes, he was indeed lying to himself, but again… this is Alaxandair’s stuff to deal with now.

After that the guards came, they arrested Durell and brought him to the dungeons, Alaxandair was in a mess I could tell from his body language, but like a true noble man he bottled it up, he created a façade of him being somewhat fine, I couldn’t blame him, but… he can’t blame anyone but himself if that eats him up

“Well… that is… that...” Alaxandair said with a saddened tone. “I’ll be continuing on extracting any information Domnall and… Durell have… and a feast should be in place this night for the winter eve as well as for Lady Eleanna’s and the Lord Protector’s success…” Alaxandair said, again in a saddened tone.

“You go ahead Alaxandair, we have… another place to go first!” Martyn said.

“We have?” I curiously asked.

“Well, I’ll see you two later and happy new year!” Alaxandair said.

“Happy new year to you to Alaxandair!” After replying, Martyn then left off carrying me.

As we left Alaxandair I realized something for the last 5 minutes, I, have, been princess carried for that long by Martyn! It was… my god… embarrassing but something off the list that I’ve always wanted to do with Martyn, well… you win some you lose some, but I need to get down, his muscles must be soring, I did dropped from a three story tall wall after all!

“No, I can handle it! and besides you’ve been dreaming for this day to come right?” He said while smirking at me.

“Y-yeah…” I can’t deny him. “But where are you exactly taking me?”

“Just wait!”

And I waited as he princess carried me pass the second gate into the city, with some people outside still loitering around, looking at us with curiosity and a bit of awkwardness I could detect in their head.

But I ignored it, Martyn was taking me to a somewhere romantic I presume from how romantic the premise he already built up for me and it was exactly as I though when he stopped.

“We’re here?” I was containing my excitement for whatever he has in plan.

“Yep… it should be here in, 3, 2, 1”

BANG!

The sound of huge loud bang suddenly appeared from the sky, I quickly turn my head to the source of it and realize… it was a firework.

BANG!

Another one exploded in the sky, splashing and spreading rainbow colors to the misty night.

BANG!

Then another followed with it being more sporadic and flashier, which grabbed everyone’s attention in the town to come out of their houses and see what’s happening to their skies.

BANG!

And… my god… he really knows how to melt a maiden’s heart, a red heart shaped firework in the sky.

The fireworks still continued with various colors being splashed around in the sky, holding hostage the beholders eyes, while I… was held hostage by Martyn’s eyes instead, his… deep violet eyes… with one thing that is stuck in my mind, yelling and screaming me to do it, to take the leap, to go for those thin light pink lips of his!

“Woahh…” As I leaped my lips to his, he was left with only amazement.

“I love you Martyn…” I smiled, slightly embarrassed, but definitely in happiness.

Hearing that he leaped forward his lips himself to mine, kissing me under this misty empty sky, filled with the fireworks he prepared for me.