— I come from Faolán. I’m a werewolf, the last of our kind. My real name is Eira.

Oriana couldn’t believe her ears. If not for seeing her shape-shift before her eyes, she’d laugh at Valeria for making such outlandish things up.

Then, something else caught her eye.

— Eira? Princess Eira? The heiress to Faolán’s throne?

The Commander didn’t answer.

Once done with the binds restraining Oriana, she went to check on the unconscious thug laying in the puddle of pickle juice.

Aside from the dagger, he had nothing else on him. Still, not willing to take any risks, Valeria tied him to a chair and waited for him to wake up.

Oriana took the silence on her part as confirmation.

Even more questions started popping in her head as she was trying to digest the revelation that the Bastard Commander was also the long lost Princess of a fallen kingdom.

— How? — she didn’t know what other words she could use. “How” was the only thing echoing among her chaotic thoughts.

How did you survive?

How did you manage to escape?

How did you manage to hide the truth for so long?

— My parents sent me away right before the final attack. Fergus, my father’s subordinate, was supposed to hide me somewhere away from the city. While running away, something happened, and we fell into the river. I survived, he didn’t. — Valeria paused, letting the distant memories resurface.

Then, she told Oriana about how she was caught by a group of poachers, and almost died. How she lived for many years in the wilds, hiding from people, having to learn to survive on her own.

Finally, she told her about meeting Kyra, and how she left “Eira” behind and became the woman Oriana knew.

Even though she spared her all of the grim details, the Princess’ heart ached listening to the story.

— I’m sorry. — she wanted to comfort Valeria, but yet again the words eluded her.

— It’s all in the past now. I left this life behind even before I took a step in a Golden Palace.

The pained grunts coming from the kidnapper signaled the end of their conversation.

— What the… — upon realizing what kind of situation he was in, he immediately started tossing around. — Untie me!

— I’ll consider it after you tell me who you are working for. — Valeria’s tone was ice cold. There was no doubt that she had no intention of letting him go.

— No, you don’t understand! You have to let me go or..— the next words froze in his throat.

A magic seal flashed ominously in the air.

The man started contorting and convulsing, as if toyed with by an invisible force.

Suddenly, he stopped and, in the blink of an eye, turned into a pile of ash.

Neither Oriana nor Valeria were expecting such a turn of events, so both of them stood in complete silence, trying to process what had happened.

The first to regain their senses was the Commander.

She approached the pile of ash that used to be the kidnapper, and carefully examined it.

From the looks of it, everything that belonged to him was completely pulverized. There was nothing that could be salvaged. Even the dagger, which was cast aside during their struggle, was obliterated.

— Whoever is behind this, they wanted to make sure there would be no traces left behind.

— What are we going to do now? — Oriana watched as Valeria walked to the door and went outside.

— We’re going back to the Palace.

— How? We’re in the middle of nowhere! If you think I’m walking all the way back then you must be insane! We should stay here and wait. Eventually, someone will find us.

Valeria sighed.

She was well aware how far from the Palace they were. She made sure to memorize the way when she was tracking the kidnapper.

She was also very familiar with the Princess’ physical prowess, which was leaving much to be desired.

There was but one choice.

— Wait for me here. — She said while walking behind the shed.

A moment later, Oriana gasped in shock, as a great white wolf appeared before her eyes.

It was the size of a horse, or bigger.

— V-Valeria? — She asked in disbelief.

The wolf nodded its head then gestured to its back.

— Wait… you… you want me to ride on you?!

The animal gave an annoyed grunt, and lied down to make it easier for Oriana to get on.

The Princess, on the other hand, was frozen in place with flushed cheeks.

Hearing another wave of dissatisfied whines, the Princess eventually climbed on the wolf.

The moonlight enveloping its white pelt made it look almost like snow. The moment Oriana touched it, however, she was met with warmth and softness.

Instinctively, she reached out her hand, and ran her fingers through it. The fur was like a cloud, yielding under her gentle caress.

With the Princess safe on its back, the wolf darted into the forest, taking them back home.

DannyTheDaikon

Hello! It's been a while. I'm sorry for the break taking longer than I originally anticipated. Some complications occurred in my life and I had to find the way to readjust to the new situation. 

Not everything is finished in that regard, so the next 2 weeks could be a bit rocky. I'll do my best to keep to the schedule, though! 

Thank you for patience and welcome back! :D