Volume 3 Chapter 42 – Princess on a Mission (Patreon)

When Morrigan woke up, she found herself in a comfortable bed in a dark room. For a second she thought that she was back home in her own bed. But as yesterday resurfaced, she sat up with a jolt and looked around. At first, it seemed like she had been alone, but she sensed another presence in the room.

"Melanos, is that you?" she asked. Second later, the stealthy demon appeared in front of her bed, kneeling before her. "Let me guess, you're supposed to stop me from going anywhere."

"It is not just for your own good, but also for the good of the kingdom," he said dutifully, his head bowed low.

"You know you're supposed to listen to me first and later to Azrael," she grumbled. He did not reply, instead keeping his head bowed. "Get out. I need to get dressed."

He nodded and disappeared in a blink of an eye. But she knew that even if Melanos has left the room and couldn't see her, he still remained close.

I need to get to the capital and destroy that orb. Theoretically, I could just shadow teleport to Linberor, but it would eat up a lot of my magic. And I'll need every single bit of it to repaint that orb. Not to mention that I could accidentally teleport right in front of the enemy. Also, I do not know exactly where the black orb is either. I would have to ask my Father. 

God, what a mess! But I can't just sit here and hope for the best.

Morrigan quickly dressed up in her most comfortable travel clothes with a black blouse, dark comfortable pants, and a long coat. Not something a princess would normally wear, but she had insisted on taking along some clothes she could easily move in.

She exited the room and saw a bunch of guards stationed outside. They jerked when she appeared, looking rather guilty. Most likely tasked by Azrael to watch over her as well. 

"You know that you can't stop me if I really wanted to go," she said, and the guards flinched.

"We are tasked with protecting you, Your Highness. Please understand," they bowed their heads. She just scoffed and headed towards the dining hall, hoping to find her sisters there. Guards dutifully followed after her, but they seemed a bit skittish and kept a good distance behind Morrigan.

In the dining hall, everyone was gathered around the crystal, eating silently while trying to hear the live feed.

"Morri! You're awake," Deziara said in a hushed voice and ran up to her, pulling her in the hug.

"How are things in the capital?"

"They're… not great. Father and our soldiers cannot recover their magic due to that orb so they're forced to fight with weapons alone. Meanwhile, the enemy is pelting Linberor with spells," she explained.

"And you expect me to sit here and do nothing," Morrigan raised her voice and glared at Azrael who was sitting in the corner.

"Yes," he replied coldly and sipped on his drink. 

"Come eat first, Morrigan," Viana said and motioned towards the seat next to her. Morrigan complied but kept glaring at the mage who did everything not to meet her gaze directly.

"The siege of Linberor continues. The citizens are currently holding strong, however, with all supply routes cut off it is only a matter of time before food runs out. To avoid enemies from teleporting into the city, it has been warded against teleportation so unfortunately currently nobody can either leave or enter the city."

"Warded against teleportation?" Morrigan exclaimed in shock.

"I suspect it is also to stop you from returning," Viana said. Her fist was clutched and she looked down at it helplessly.

"Exactly. So sit tight and wait," Azrael added. Morrigan wanted to yell at the fool but then saw in his eyes that it was plaguing him as much as any other demon in the room.

"Then at least you should go. You could take the enemy down from the outside couldn't you?" Morrigan said.

"Alone? You overestimate my ability. I might be strong but even I cannot break a siege on my own," he shook his head, and her heart sank.

There must be something we can do. If only it wasn't for that black orb. It has to be destroyed. But there's no way Azrael will let me go. His priority is keeping me safe. It's as if I'm the only princess who can take the throne! I have twenty-three sisters, any one of them can take my place.

But there is nobody else who can get rid of that orb. I must go. 

"No matter what you're plotting, Princess. I will not let you go to the capital," Azrael announced.

"Shut up!" she growled and threw a piece of blueberry at him which he allowed to hit his forehead and drop to the floor. The silent breakfast continued.

***

After a very tense breakfast, Morrigan returned to her room and began pondering how to get back to the capital as quickly and with as little ruckus as possible. 

I could teleport to the lizard village which was closest to Linberor and then make my way to the capital from there. But to be honest, I'm not sure if I could reliably find my way. I didn't really follow where the coachmen turned, not to mention that in the dark it is pretty difficult to tell where we're going anyway.

Another option is teleporting just outside the outskirts of the city. However, I end up right in the middle of the enemy army.

Not to mention that teleportation in general is not a good solution. Not if it expands my own magic. A portal would be another matter. Wait… Wasn't there a portal leading straight to the Demon Castle dungeon by the Glittering Cave of Magic? If I were to teleport there, I would need to wait just a few hours for the ambient magic to fully replenish my reserves.

A smile crept on Morrigan lips as a plan began forming in her mind. She was about to teleport away but then stopped as a realization hit her. If the capital was warded against teleportation, then no doubt Azrael would have warded this place as well.  Morrigan slumped down into her bed and stared at the dark ceiling. 

I probably need to get some distance away from the resort to safely teleport but how do I do it when there's like 20, no 30 demons watching me at all times? I suppose I could just force my way out. No, the Azrael would intercept me and probably put me to sleep again. He cannot know that I've left.

A knock resounded on Morrigan's door and she looked up from her bed.

"Who is it?"

"Your eldest sister."

"Come in," she replied and resumed her staring contest with the ceiling.

"How are you holding up?" Viana asked, her expression a bit worried. Then she heard her sister's voice in her mind. "You must have come up with something by now."

"I'm alright," she replied, not looking away from the ceiling. But she replied to Viana in her mind, "I might have. But I'm not telling you."

"I'm not going to stop you if that's what you're worried about," Viana replied and sat down on Morrigan's bed. She had to temper her expression so as to not appear shocked.

"What do you want?" Morrigan asked loudly, to keep up the appearance of a conversation going.

"I want you to go to the capital and destroy that orb. You're the only one who can."

"What about that whole 'must-protect me mumbo jumbo'?"

"While I do believe that you are important and have to be protected, I also believe they are underestimating you. No, rather Father is just too overprotective, thus everyone has this impression that you must be protected. But I believe that destroying that orb is crucial and you're the only one who can do it."

"I merely worry about you," Viana said and put her hand on Morrigan's shoulder. She felt a surge of magic enter her body.

"I'll keep Azrael distracted. I will be of no use to you anyway. Use the magic I gave you for teleportation. Just don't try to teleport in the middle of Linberor."

"I was thinking of going to Glittering Cave and using the portal."

"The portal might be sealed."

"Damn! What do I do then?" 

"But the portal looks completely different when it is sealed. Perhaps if you could somehow change it."

"OHHH!"

Morrigan smiled and jumped to hug Viana.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"There's no need to get touchy all of a sudden," Viana shook her head and gently peeled Morrigan away. "I'll be going now."

Viana got up from the bed and left without looking back. But she did send another message in her mind, "Good luck, little sister. Save our Father. Save our home."

"I'll do everything I can."

The door closed, and Morrigan was left alone in her room again. She wasn't sure how she intended to distract Azrael, but Viana would certainly complete the task. For the time being, Morrigan decided to head outside and see Haku. Poor dragon probably doesn't even know what is going on.

"Princess Morrigan, where are you going?" Seon asked as soon as she left her room.

"To see Haku. Can I not?" she snarled, and the guards averted their gazes.

"Of course, you can," he replied. Unfortunately, they followed closely after her, and she also felt Melanos's presence among them. 

Ditching Melanos might be the hardest part actually. Azrael is easy to fool and distract, but Melanos is completely different. His focus is wholly on the task at hand. But then again – to what lengths would he go to stop me?

As Morrigan got outside, she saw Haku sitting dejectedly in a lava pool with Galandir next to him, looking just as miserable.

"Morrigan, you're awake!" The elf cheered and jumped up to his feet the moment he saw her. "I still can't believe that jerk would just force you to sleep."

"I am going to burn Azrael's clothes when I next see him," Haku added angrily and let out a roar. The guards took a step back at this and eyed the dragon warilly.

"You could burn his hair. That'll teach him a lesson," Morrigan giggled. Dragon nodded enthusiastically at the idea while she gently patted his neck.

"I'm going to the capital," She told both Galandir and Haku in their minds.

"Me too," Haku replied instantly, his wagging tail sending globs of lava flying.

"No, I'm going to teleport. Even if I managed to teleport you to the Glittering Cave, you'd never fit through the portal. Stay here and protect my sisters," she instructed. He looked dejected but understood and accepted her words.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily," Galandir said firmly into her mind.

"No, you—"

"I'm coming. Like it or not. There's no way, I'm letting you go there alone. Who is going to watch your back while you paint?"

Morrigan wanted to object but when she looked into her friend's eyes, she saw that there was no talking him out of it. She had no option but to nod. Not to mention that his light magic could come really in handy.

"Morri!" Deziara suddenly called as she rushed outside of the resort straight into Morrigan's embrace. "I know you're going to the capital. I am coming too."

"Deziara, you can't—"

"Nu-uh! I know that Viana is distracting Azrael. I am not just going to sit by and do nothing while our home is being attacked. There's no one faster than me in the Underworld. You'll need me."

Morrigan smiled at her sister and gave her a hug. In truth, it was reassuring that she wouldn't be going alone. There's nobody she could trust more than Deziara and Galandir.

"Morrigan, get ready to run," she suddenly heard a faint message from Viana in her mind. It was barely audible since she was so far away. But she heard it. Morrigan had to be ready to go. However, how could she do it with all these guards around? She needed to slip away unnoticed.

Then an idea popped into her mind.

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