Chapter 6

Aynia was missing. She usually returned sometime after the moon had risen unless it was full. It was not full tonight but it was glowing brightly in the sky as it had been for hours. Her absence left the court cold and draughty, it felt to the King like a wound that would not heal. He hated her leaving; he wanted her to remain forever in his sight which is why he had immediately called his council once he had established that Aynia was not going to return.

The King's subjects, who were usually slumped in their pews or just didn't turn up, were sat upright and alert. However the King was almost certain that this was probably because something of interest had happened to break through the monotonous life in Thornacre rather than actual worry about their Princess' whereabouts. It was something to distract them from the daily grind of their lives of punishment.

The Thorn King straightened up in his throne, biting back a grimace as a shard of wood dug into his back. He longed to retire to his chambers and relieve his head of the excruciating thorns. After his encounter with Prince Aulom in his bed chamber he had not been able to return to the sleep that he so desperately needed. The feast had been as long and tedious as he had expected and he could not shake the feeling that Grianne's mind was on something other than her upcoming wedding or the fact that her eldest sister was missing. She was now stood next to Fenne at the front of the room but her gaze seemed distant and there was a faint tilt on the corner of her lips, almost like a smile.

The King looked around at his people and rose from his throne, taking a few steps forward and taking a deep breath before announcing something he had never even dreamed of announcing before:

"My good people of Thornacre, thank you for attending this council at such short notice," The King paused for his people to nod and mutter amongst each other as they always did "I called this meeting as a matter of urgency. As you may or may not have heard, Princess Aynia is missing," He paused again as there was an uproar of comments passed back and forth throughout the building

"What?" Asked one

"Aynia missing, isn't she always missing?" Asked another. The King drew another large breath and stepped forward.

"Order!!" He bellowed through the hall. The murmurings stopped and all eyes turned on him "Aynia is missing. If anyone, anyone, has heard anything then I command you to speak up" He said, his green eyes darting around the room at the blank faces that looked up at him. A few continued to mutter amongst themselves but nobody spoke to the King. With a sigh, he returned to his throne and sat down. He raised his hands to massage his temples and pricked his fingers on the thorns of his crown. With a hiss, he instinctively brought his finger to his mouth to stop the bleeding.

The doors burst open and the King snatched his finger away from his mouth and watched as a young man entered the court. He wore the clothes of a villager and carried himself like one too. The Thorn King narrowed his eyes into slits as the man came to a stop and knelt at his feet

"Arise, villager" The King addressed the man. He rose and looked at the King squarely in the eye, he stood trembling as if he were cold and his fingers twitched nervously at his sides. He was breathing heavily like he'd been running

"My Lord, my Lord, I have news of your daughter," He said in a shaky voice. The King sat forward in his throne, looking down on the man through his narrowed eyes. His brows crossed, causing his skin to tug at the thorns but he refused to wipe the blood away as it trickled down his face

"You have seen her?" He enquired

"Yes, Sire, I saw her with a man" The Thorn King leaned even further forward in his seat, so close to the edge that he feared he may topple over

"A man?" The King pushed on

"Yes. A tall, broad man with small eyes and he appears to be growing a beard." The man said

"Anything else?" The King asked "What was he wearing?"

"Fancy clothes, he looked wealthy," the man replied with a shrug. The King considered this description carefully. Wealthy noblemen did not come to Thornacre, not unless they had been invited by the King and even then it was rare that one would turn up. He looked down at the villager with intrigue

"Did you catch them talking? A name, perhaps?" He asked

"No, Sire. I may be young but I was not blessed with good hearing," The King closed his eyes and leant back feeling deflated. He knew many noblemen but he did not know who the villager was speaking of, with his vague description it could have been anyone. It could not have been any of the guests at Grainne's feast; none of them had the motive to steal Aynia away and she was missing before the celebratory drinks had even started. The villager cleared his throat, reminding the King that he was still there "He wore a medallion, my Lord, around his neck," he said. The King eyes opened at this, a sign for the villager to continue talking "I only saw it for a moment but the medallion depicted two spears, crossed behind a shield." The King's eyes widened, the room fell silent and the villager stood in bewilderment as the King turned to one of his guards to send out a search party but the villager spoke "They were heading to the pass, my Lord, The Pass of Lost Existence" All heads turned to the King as he paled, droplets of blood were still dribbling down his cheeks as he turned to one of his guards again and said:

"Sir Raymundus, send for the Gwyn of the Wild Hunt."

****



Darkwell looked the same as it had ever been. The grass was as green and luscious as she had remembered and better. As she set foot on the other side of the Pass, Aynia let out an exclamation of delight, bringing her hands together as she looked around the landscape of her homeland, the place of her birth. The sadness and longing that had been an unshakable weight in her heart had vanished and now her soul sang as she felt a strong sense that she was, at long last, home again. Her smile brought a new freshness to the already clear air and the sun seemed to glow a little brighter.

The Earl watched as the goddess spun around as if she was trying to take the whole of Darkwell all at once. They were only just over the border but the Princess seemed to want to take it all in one step at a time. He felt himself smiling a little at her glee as she took in the mountains that enveloped the landscape and the trees of the forests that could be seen on the rolling hills and took time to listen to the babbling stream that could be heard from anywhere in Darkwell. These were all surroundings that the Duke had grown accustomed to and took for granted. At last, Aynia's glistening eyes settled on him and she approached him, taking his big bear-like hands in her own, small and dainty and soft as a Princess' should be.

"Oh, Gerald, this is wonderful! How I have missed this place. I owe you so much. Oh, I cannot wait to return to the castle!" She smiled radiantly at him. Gerald frowned, this was not his intention

"The castle?" He asked, raising a bushy eyebrow

"Why, yes. I can go to the King, my cousin, you see. We could live with him, Grianne, Fenne and me. I will have no need to return to Thornacre again and I will not have to get married!" She said smiling more

"And your sister's fiancée?" The Duke enquired

"Well, that is Grianne's choice. We can sort that out when we go and speak to her, come" She made to lead him back towards the Pass but the Duke stopped her. He was stronger than she, even if she was a goddess she was still in the body of a weak female. She looked up at him frowning

"I said I was taking you to Darkwell. Not to the King and I certainly did not invite your sisters" He said fiercely. Aynia looked at him in puzzlement

"But they have a right to be here. They do not have to stay in Thornacre. They can be happy here away from Father. He intends to control us" She explained to him, her eyes seeking his for sympathy. The Duke only smirked

"Yes, they do have a right to be there. But I am not about to tell them," Aynia frowned at this, starting to push the Duke away but he held on to her arms so tight that she was convinced that he would leave have bruises.

"Let go of me!" She demanded, her eyes darted behind him and the Duke suspected that she was looking for the guard of the archway, how little she knew.

"I brought you here because I want you, Aynia. You are to be my wife" he smirked. Horror filled the goddess' eyes as she struggled against him. She had only just gotten rid of one suitor and she was not about to marry someone else, even if he was from Darkwell.

Realising her mistake of trusting the Duke, Aynia tried to rush back towards the Pass of Lost Existence to return to Thornacre but the Duke stepped in her way. If she screamed, he would surely hit her. Oh, where was the guard?

"You said you drugged the guard, where is he? What have you done with him?" She demanded. She was hot and flustered and the smirk on the Duke's face only brought more anger boiling up inside her.

"I brought you home. I played my part. Now you must stick to your word" He told her in a scarily calm tone that made Aynia's guts churn

"I did not promise you anything" She said through her teeth as she glared up at him

"Nothing specific, but you said you owed me. This is how you will pay your debt" He grinned wickedly

"Never," She replied "You cannot make me marry you"

"Oh, I can. I could end your life, and you know what that means for the people"

"You wouldn't dare" She scowled up at him, as soon as the words were out she felt metal against her throat and she did not have to look to tell that the Duke had unsheathed his sword and was holding the blade against her skin. She swallowed as she looked at the archway again. The joy of being home fizzled away and she felt a lump in her throat as she returned her gaze to the Duke

"Very well," she said carefully "I will marry you" The Duke smiled slowly, exposing his glistening white teeth as he said:

"I know"

****

Once Sir Raymundus had gone, the court room started to buzz with muttering and whispers. The King sat upright and silent, his green eyes fixed on the doors as he waited for them to open. To anyone else, he looked calm and composed but Fenne could see that he gripped the arms of his throne so hard that his knuckles turned white. Blood pooled in his palms as the rough wood dug into his skin.

Fenne rose from her space where she was sat next to Grianne who had looked distant throughout the meeting, and approached the throne. The Thorn King did not look towards her until she stood in front of him and placed her delicate hand upon his own and spoke quietly

"Father," She said "Are you sure this is a good idea? Gwyn can be_"

"He is the only one who can go in and out of Darkwell as he chooses," The Thorn King interrupted her and sighed at the disapproval in her expression "Fenne, it is the only thing I can do, you must understand that" His eyes pleaded with hers as he scanned her face, searching for understanding

"I know, Father, but you know that he always expects a price. He will not do it out of free-will, his dealings are with the dead not the living" She whispered to him, being as gentle as she could. She knew her father was prone to outbursts and she could see that he was gripping his seat even tighter.

"If she is still alive" He said in return. Before Fenne could answer, the doors burst open and Sir Raymundus walked in closely followed by tall man with golden brown curls, wicked eyebrows and irises the colour of the night sky. But his striking facial features were not what everyone's eyes were drawn to. Upon his head were two magnificent antlers, as majestic as a deer's and just as strong. He wore them like a crown and moved like a King as he walked towards the Thorn King's throne. He was flanked by two majestic hounds that walked in silence behind their master, taking no interest in their surroundings.

The Thorn King looked down on the leader of the Wild Hunt and felt the familiar knots in his stomach that he often got when he observed the Hunt at work. The King knew the Hunt would come for him someday when he was finally free of his reign. Gwyn did not bow when he neared the throne and came to a stop, nor did he kneel at the King's feet but nobody expected him to, the King did not rule over the Wild Hunt, nobody did apart from its leader. Gwyn was a psychopomp; he guided souls to the place of the dead. He existed outside the mortal desire to be ruled and did not usually come to royal aid but the Thorn King was Aynia's father and the Princess worked closely with the Wild Hunt as she too guided dying souls to the Otherworld.

"Gwyn," The Thorn King addressed the man stood before him. Sir Raymundus kept close to him as if he expected one of the hounds to lash out and pounce on the King but they sat quietly on either sides of their master and watched the Thorn King with vacant expressions. "Thank you for coming." The leader of the Wild Hunt reacted only by quirking the corner of his lips up into a little smirk as he regarded the King. The Thorn King cleared his throat

"I have invited you here because I need your help" He said. No words left Gwyn's lips as he stood watching the King with blank, unblinking eyes. The Thorn King refused to be intimidated by Gwyn's demeanour as he straightened his spine and relaxed his grip on his throne. He forced himself to look the psychopomp in the eyes "My daughter is missing," He explained "I have been informed that she has returned to Darkwell" The leader of the Wild Hunt did not react to this, only when the King opened his mouth did he finally speak in a low, velvety voice which paired with his manner and appearance sent a chill down the spine of all who heard it.

"And what has that got to do with me? I do not deal with the affairs of the living, Thorn King. A missing daughter is no one's fault but the father's." Gwyn replied watching the Thorn King through unblinking eyes. The Thorn King took a deep breath; he had forgotten how infuriating the man could be

"I cannot return to Darkwell as you know. Only you can come and go as you please" the King explained.

"That is not necessarily true is it, Thorn King? You have people from your surrounding kingdoms who could seek her out" He replied

"I will not risk their safety. This is too much for me to ask and I do not want gossip spreading. I need someone I can..." He paused, considering his words "Trust" Gwyn's lips quirked into a tiny smirk before fading again

"Then I find myself back at the question you have failed to answer. What is it to do with me? She is not dead, I would have been told" He replied. The king held in a sigh

"I will offer you something. Anything. As long as you bring my daughter home safe" The King said. This seemed to attract Gwyn's attention. He stepped a little closer, his movement causing the council to hold their breaths in suspense

"What do you have to offer?" He questioned

"Anything you want" The King replied. Gwyn looked around the room, his gaze lingering on Sir Raymundus before he turned back to the King

"I need a new man for the Hunt. My men have grown tired and weary; I am in need for some new blood" he said displaying no emotion as he placed a hand on the head of one of his hounds

"Who would you like?" The King asked him. A smirk spread over the lips of Gwyn as he placed his other hand on the guard's broad shoulder, his long fingers tapping his collarbone in a rhythm of three.

"This one" He told him. The King looked at Sir Raymundus and again at Gwyn whose expression had yet again turned blank but his eyes were fixed on the king, his stare as hard as stone, like a challenge.

"But he is my best man. My guard. How about this villager instead?" He indicated the villager who had informed him of Aynia's whereabouts. He was still stood by the throne and jumped when the King had pointed at him. The leader of the Wild Hunt gave the villager a cursory glance before turning back to the King

"He is weak and feeble. I want this one. This one comes with me or your daughter remains lost" Gwyn said. Sir Raymundus cleared his throat and the King looked at him once more as he

stepped a bit closer, only stopping when Gwyn tightened his grip on his shoulder.

"Let me go, Sire. Do what you can to get Princess Aynia back" He said. The Thorn King thought long and hard about this before sighing and turning back to Gwyn, avoiding Sir Raymundus' gaze.

"Very well. You may have him. Just bring Aynia back" he told Gwyn who grinned revealing a set of jagged white teeth, sharp enough to cut through bone. He then turned on his heel and wrapped an arm around Sir Raymundus' shoulders before whisking him out of the court room, his hounds trotting obediently after him.

The King dismissed his court before allowing himself to sink against the back of the throne and closed his eyes. Fenne and Grianne approached their father but when they went to say something to him, they were dismissed not with words but with a flick of his hand that made it clear that he wanted not to speak to them but to be alone with his thoughts.