Whisper of Hearts

Oblivious to what had happened at the palace, Aylin and the others started their journey towards the place where Alpha Alexis had gone missing. It had been quite some time since they had left the palace. But Aylin had not spoken a word, rendering the other men curious and concerned. Yet, nobody raise the topic, allowing her to stay lost in her thoughts while they rode their horses behind her with Knight Commander Louis and young Tarvis leading them.

"Sir Louis, what is wrong with Commander Aylin? Why is she so silent?" Travis queried as he glanced at the lady right behind him, who still did not react when her horse let out a snort in between. 

"What are you talking about?" Louis frowned lightly and turned around, not at all expecting to see his Commander so deep in thoughts. However, unlike the others, he knew the reason why she was worried and the guilt that had finally eased after being assured by his superior, started to corrode his heart again.

Every word that had been said at the court kept flashing through his mind and his eyes were filled with complicated emotions. It was his fault. Yet, his Commander was implicated and Louis felt worse after seeing how the lady was willing to carry all the burden alone, shielding them from all the troubles. 

Aylin had always been a considerate lady. Louis knew it. But this was the first time he was seeing her even vouch for them this way and believe every word they said, not questioning them or doubting them about it. The amount of confidence and trust she had in them was enough for Louis to feel touched and he looked at the sky, a grateful smile gracing his lips.

'You have raised a good child. I am sure where you are, you would be proud of her.' He thought, recalling his friend who he had lost a long time ago.

"Knight Commander Louis," Travis noticed how the man beside him had gone into a trance all of a sudden and he slowed down suddenly, forcing all the people behind him to slow down too. "Sir Louis." He called again when he did not get any response from him and he looked at the people behind him in worry before he leaned over and patted the man's hand lightly to bring him out of his reverie.

"Sir Louis," He called loud and clear and this time, both Aylin and Louis snapped out of their thoughts on hearing his voice.

"Yes, Sir Travis." Louis came out of his trance and gave the man an inquisitive look.

"Where are you so lost, Sir Louis? What are you thinking?" Travis wiped his sweat using the sleeve of his shirt and looked up, squinting his eyes to see where the sun was. 

They were close to their destination and it would another hour or so for them to reach. Despite being hungry, nobody had spoken a word about it. They already had their lunch packed with them. Yet, nobody raised the matter as they continued to ride their horses without stopping anywhere on their way.

"I was just thinking about something normal. Forget it, Sir Travis." Louis claimed and he let out a sigh.

By then, the group had come to a standstill as they listened to the two men's conversation. However, just when silence encroached upon them, they heard a strange sound and Travis lowered his head in embarrassment immediately. His ears turned red and he closed his eyes, unable to meet anyone in the eye. 

Aylin, who had finally come out of her daze, smiled in amusement after hearing his stomach rumble in hunger. "Looks like someone here is hungry." She joked and Travis' face turned beet red.

"Take a right from here, Sir Louis. We will reach the stream. We can have our lunch there." Aylin commanded and the men followed her orders. Soon, they reached the stream and not wasting much time, they finished their lunch, not at all caring how disorderly and unruly they looked. They were running short of time and they had to find Alpha Alexis as quickly as possible.

And since they were in the middle of nowhere with the jungle around them, they had to finish their work as quickly as possible if they wished to return to Aranill before the night fell.

Travis again glanced at the only lady in the group and his frown deepened. She had seemed to have returned to how she had been when they had departed from the palace. She sat away from everyone, isolated from them but in a flood of thoughts as she stared at the stream, his hand just playing with the hem of her shirt. Unlike the others, she did not even open the food she had brought with her.

Her face was impassive. No one could make out what she was thinking and what her feelings were. However, on a closer look, her eyes held traces of worry and trepidation which Travis did not miss. It was quite evident for him and his frown deepened. His Commander's state made him apprehensive and he sat beside his Knight Commander Louis, who was eating his food slowly.

"Sir Louis, what is wrong with Commander Aylin?" Travis still had his gaze fixed on the lady who was leaning against the tree trunk.

Louis stiffened immediately. Since Travis had his eyes elsewhere, he missed it completely. 

"Why do you ask, Travis? Did something happen?" He threw the question back at him, wondering if he had found out something. But he received was a grunt from the young man.

"Sir Louis, is the Commander not behaving strangely?"

"What do you mean?" Louis followed Travis' line of sight and he immediately understood what the man was trying to convey. From where he was, even he could see her anxiousness and disturbed expression. Unlike others, Louis had seen Aylin grow up and he was closer to her and knew her better. It was impossible for him to miss her expressions even if it was not that evident.

"Commander Aylin is usually silent and I...I...do not know why but she seems a little different than how she was the previous night. I wonder what happened after we left her manor." Travis continued, not catching the expression on the man beside him.

Louis let a smile of mockery and self remorse. He was the only one who knew the reason why Aylin was this distressed and he did not know how to reveal it to everyone. The lady had chosen to protect them, not at all caring about herself. 

"I wonder what happened at the courtroom. If her visit to the palace is the reason for her depressed mood." Travis stated and immediately after, his head snapped towards the man beside him.

"Sir Louis, did you not accompany Commander to the courtroom? Did something happen at that time?" Travis' eyes narrowed his worry and Louis dropped his box and stared ahead as he let out a sigh.

"His Majesty has given an ultimatum."

"Ultimatum? What kind of ultimatum?" All of sudden, Travis did not wish to hear the answer for he had an inkling that whatever it was would not be pleasant.

"His Majesty has issued an ultimatum that if we do not solve this matter as quickly as possible before the contest starts or if this matter were to get worse, then Commander Aylin would be held responsible for it." 

"What?" Travis was dumbfounded by the revelation and he gawked at the man, tongue-tied.

"Yes. If she fails to find Alpha Alexis, then either she would lose her position as the Commander of Aranill or..." Louis stopped and bit his tongue, unable to state the next part.

"Or?" Travis probed, his face turning serious all of a sudden.

"Or she might even lose her life." Louis let out a sigh and packed his food. He lost his appetite completely and was in no mood to even admire the scenery in front of him.

"Ho...Why..." Travis stuttered, not knowing what to speak. He was too baffled and scared to comprehend what was happening and looked at the woman who had shouldered all the blame on herself, not once caring about her well-being.

"Why did Commander shoulder all the blame herself? Was it not us who failed to perform our duties?" Travis argued and Louis gave a mysterious look.

"Ask the Commander yourself, Travis. I tried but have not received any answer from her." Louis' shoulder dropped and he looked exhausted all of a sudden.

"I will, Sir Louis. I will ask Commander. I need answers. She cannot take all the blame on her when she was not even present at that time."

Travis stood up and without even dusting his pants, he turned around. However, before he could walk towards her, the lady herself had stood up and was watching them.

"Warriors, shall we resume our journey if you are done eating? We are just a short distance away and we have a lot to do." Her voice was clear without any traces of grievance and Travis stood still, not daring to move or even confront her in front of everyone.

Just like that, the journey started again and neither Travis nor Louis found the chance to speak to their Commander. Thye could only swallow resentment and wait for the perfect time to approach her.

Louis slowed down as they approached their destination and he looked around him in apprehension.

"Commander." He just called her and tilted her head and Aylin took charge immediately. She too looked around and observed her surroundings keenly. 

"Sir Louis, Sir Phillips, please search the area." She instructed and the men divided themselves into two groups, each proceeding in different directions.

Only Aylin, Travis and two guards stayed with her as they surveyed the path. A frown marred her face as she tried to find something, anything that could help them with the investigation. She alighted from her horse and examined the place. 

But even after searching for long, she could not find anything. Aylin pressed her forehead, not knowing how to proceed with the matter. The man had disappeared suddenly, without any traces and she could not help but feel....

Aylin suddenly lifted her head when a notion entered her mind and she started to look at the trees and their branches. Just like before, she found nothing. The place was too clean. Yet, Aylin found the situation to be suspicious.

Subconsciously, she started to feel something odd about the place. It was as though the place held traces of evil and all that remained was for her to find the clue. But even after searching for long, she could not find anything. She was just about to give up when her eyes fell on the branch of a tree and her eyes dilated immediately.. The tree branch was coated with red and the color was striking against the green leaves.