195 Chapter 195 : You hit me..

Aiden studied the woman standing in front of him not quite believing what she was saying.

Theodora took several steps towards Aiden and gave him a serious look, “didn’t you hear what I just said Aiden? Renly gave me the location of where Estel and your son are.” She sat down on the bed that was opposite his chair and sighed in relief. “She is being kept in a castle called Le brouillard, the castle of the mist.”

Aiden leaned back and listened carefully as Theodora was explaining.

“Apparently this castle is powered by magic and can move from place to place,” Theodora explained, “that’s why you can never find it. Every time they know you’re close by they move to a different location, and they have been doing this for years.”

“Is that so..?”

“Yes, and Renly also told me why they kidnapped Estel and your son,” Theodora continued. “That attack on Ervelon all those years ago, it wasn’t from without, their target was your son all along. So it turns out this ‘master’ Renly used to serve conducts vicious experiments in an attempt to create a hybrid of two different races so he can inhabit its body, but every time the experiment failed. When he caught word that an elf and a nosferatu were expecting a child, he saw that as an opportunity to find his vessel.”

“A vessel? Why would he need a vessel?” Aiden probed

“Renly mentioned that their master has aged and his body is giving out, so he needs a new one. And not just any new one, a powerful one that will allow him to subdue the other races once and for all, placing humans at the top. The great cleansing all those years ago, it was this master who was behind that too.”

Aiden cupped his chin and digested the information Theodora had just given him. Could it be that finally after all these years, he finally knew where his beautiful Estel was being kept? Could it be that after so long, he could finally be reunited with his family? It’s was unbelievable news! A little too unbelievable...

.....

“Theodora...”

“Yes?” Theodora was a bit confused about Aiden’s reaction, wasn’t this the information he had been searching for all these years? She expected him to be a little more excited than this.

“How did you manage to extract this information form our little bird?”

Theodora pursed her lips and averted the man’s gaze, “well I..”

Aiden stood from his seat and made his way to where the nosferatu woman was sitting, “did you torture it out of him?” He asked while studying the woman’s face, “did you snap his fingers? Or threaten to pull his tongue out? Or maybe you shattered his kneecaps?”

Theodora’s eyes widened, “No! I did no such thing.. he.. he gave me this information freely.”

“So you’re telling me that a man who was willing to die by my hand just to hold this very information, just suddenly decided to give it to you freely?” Aiden crouched down to her level and glared into her eyes. “Is he manipulating you?”

“Never!”

Aiden turned for the door, “I’ll be the judge of that...”

Theodora’s chest tightened, “what are you going to do?”

“Pay our little bird a visit,” Aiden responded venomously.

*

historical

Renly lay in his bed thinking about how his life had taken such a turn, just a few days ago his loyalty lay in the hands of the master, his whole life revolved around that man and he was willing to die for him. But now after meeting Theodora, who was ironically a nosferatu, for the first time he found new meaning to this thing called life.

He wasn’t sure of it was the long days of bondage that were making him lose his mind, but he looked forward to seeing the nosferatu woman every day. He looked forward to hearing her voice, seeing her smile and all those other mundane things that made her who she was. He found himself having the urge to keep her happy and hated when she worried or was sad, he wanted to help her forget all the horrible things that had happened to her in the past.

Did Renly maybe care about this woman? He couldn’t tell, he had never cared for anyone or anything in his life, all he knew was loyalty and a sense of duty, maybe he felt indebted to her the same way she felt indebted to prince Aiden. She did convince the prince to spare his life after all, and she had been kind to him this entire time, even though she didn’t admit it.

The door to the room Renly was laying in suddenly flew open, the locks holding it shattering and the hinges almost letting up. Renly jumped off the bed and eyed the nosferatu prince who had walked into the room.

“What is it you want?”

Aiden scoffed before taking two steps forward, “what do I want? You’ve gotten big headed haven’t you little bird? Or have you forgotten that you are my prisoner here?”

“I gave you the information you requested, there is nothing more I have to offer you.”

Aiden flashed to stand right in front of Renly and roughly grabbed his jaw, “what are you getting at human? Did you manipulate Theodora into giving me that load of horse shit you call information?! Are you trying to lead me around in circles for the sake of your master huh?!”

“I’m doing no such thing,” Renly responded calmly, “I am aware you have been through hell and back because of the humans so I understand your skepticism, but know this, the information I have given you is true.”

Aiden tightened his hold on Renly’s jaw, “and why should believe you?!”

Theodora came running in through the door and saw Aiden pinning Renly against the wall, “Aiden stop! Renly has changed, he speaks the truth!”

“He is manipulating you Theodora! He probably used his human magic on you so you turn against me!” Aiden roared and placed his other hand around Renly’s neck, “he needs to die so you can be free of his spell!”

Needs to die?... Aiden wasn’t going to kill Renly was he? No.. he couldn’t.. she wouldn’t allow him.

When Theodora saw a trickle of blood run down Renly’s neck, her eyes flashed red and her nails and fangs extended. She flashed towards Aiden and rammed into him, causing them both to crush into the far wall on the left.

Renly got to his feet, mumbled a few words and healed the wound of his neck. He waved his hand in front of him to clear the debris that had lifted from the impact and saw Theodora hovering over Aiden who had a surprised look on his face.

Her eyes were blood shot and her hair was standing on end, “don’t you touch him!” She screeched in a deafening tone.

Aiden’s look of surprise faded into a small smile. He got to his feet, dusted the dirt off his clothes and looked at Theodora with a warm smile, he had never smiled like that in almost a hundred years.

Theodora spotted a trickle of blood running down Aiden’s forehead and immediately her eyes retained their normal color. Her face was painted with dread and she floated down back to the ground. “Your grace I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to... gods.. I’m so sorry.”

Aiden studied the woman and scoffed, never did he think he would see the day Theodora would detach herself from him, guess it took another man to make her realize what she had been feeling for Aiden wasn’t love. It was a pity that man had to be a human.

“Theodora, you hit me..”

“I’m sorry!” Theodora lamented

“You hit me..” Aiden took a step towards Theodora and cupped her shoulder, “.. because you now what it’s like to truly care for someone. Pity he is a human, but I’m happy for you regardless.”

Aiden made his way passed Renly for the door, but before leaving, he turned to the man and gave him a stern look. “Your information better hold up little bird, or else not even Theodora’s love for you will keep me from pulling your spine out your back.”

*

That night, after a calm dinner and bath with his beautiful wife, Elric lay awake watching Melissa sleep. Over the few weeks she had been here, she was getting more and more beautiful it seemed. Her face was more radiant, her skin smooth, and her body curvier than it was before.

How could a man not obsess over such a beautiful woman? How could he bare the thought of another man with her, he couldn’t! As he cupped her sleepy face, Elric made the decision that he would not give her up to Gareth, he didn’t care if he marched on Meria and lay the whole kingdom to ruins, he would not let him have her.

This was his wife, the love of his life, he would rather lose everything else than lose her.