Heart Over Sword - Chapter 125

Prince Conrad stood there gazing around the tavern, all 6ft4 of him, his white shirt unbuttoned, exposing half of his muscular chest and the tattoos covering his chest and partial neck. His dirty blonde hair pulled back into a bun, his stubble shaped to go with his sharp jawline and cheeks. The only flaw to his otherwise handsome features was a scar running through his lip.

Ger glanced at the local’s faces, a mixture of awe, fascination and fear. He was a big man, and his muscles were on full display for everyone to see. Ger did take note, though, that nobody seemed to recognise him; it was both perplexing and understandable. Hatherland was a northern kingdom, the prince’s castle on the coast; it was quite far from where they were now. But the Hart royal family all had a distinguishable look that most commoners knew of.

They had golden eyes that both dazzled and shook people to their cores. They were piercing, and many rumours plagued peasants and nobles alike about those eyes alone. There were also the infamous rumours surrounding the second prince- Conrad was a demon on the battlefield, mercilessly slaughtering and preferred living among the battles than in the castle.

Ger knew that there were a lot of rumours circulating the prince, but there were a few he was sure of. Conrad was near impossible to beat in a fight; even as a kid, he seemed to have a knack for the sword. After each battle, he always returned victorious, taking over more and more land, making them a much bigger kingdom than Dunhurst.

“Who’s that? If you keep glaring at him, he might sense it and come over,” Axel whispered.

“Someone we need to avoid,” Ger replied quickly. Prince Conrad had met Ger many times growing up, and it was safe to say they hated each other. The prince knew Ger and Evanna were close friends, so he would stick out immediately. He must be aiding king Osian in finding Evanna; it had been over a month now since she left the palace in search of the gem.

Prince Conrad pulled out a paper and smacked it onto the bar. “Has anyone seen this lady over the last six weeks?!” He raised his voice though the attention was already on him. His beefy comrades held up their own papers, revealing a painting of Evanna with her name and a high reward for returning her alive.

“Why’d we tell you!? There’s a bounty on there for the princess..” A man stood up, ripping the paper out of one of Conrad’s guard’s hands. Conrad instantly unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the man’s neck.

“Do you have her then?” His voice was low and menacing, his golden eyes darkening as he stared at the man who started to tremble.

“Please refrain from fighting; I have a strict no fighting policy here!” The innkeeper rounded the bar and placed his hands on his hips, his round belly bumping out more as he tried standing taller against Conrad and looked at him sternly.

“Since when was that a policy? I swear there’s always a fight in this place..” Axel trailed off as his attention went back to the leader of the newcomers. He didn’t know who he was, but Ger seemed a little panicked by his appearance. Now seeing the posters of Evanna, he understood why. This man had to be a part of the royal guard who had been whispered about arriving earlier.

“My apologies, this is an urgent matter, and I will not tolerate anyone who gets in my way,” Conrad replied, his sword still cutting into the other man’s neck. However, his gaze roamed the tavern again and landed in Axel and Ger’s direction. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but the innkeeper raised his hands, regaining Conrad’s attention.

“I-I recognise her!” The innkeeper blurted out. Conrad sheathed his sword on his back as he looked at the man now pointing at the poster.

“Is she still here?”

“I cannot believe she was the princess! I’m pretty certain she attacked some men-”

“Answer me!” Conrad grabbed the innkeeper by the collar of his shirt, his eyes blazing with fury.

“N-no! She was here.. a month ago? No.. It was over a month ago..” He trembled, his eyes wide until he was released, but the prince kept his unwavering gaze on him as he towered over him.

“Where did she go?” Conrad continued to ask the innkeeper questions. Ger and Axel listened in, they wanted to go back to the room, but it would only cause a commotion. Everyone was still and watching the interaction between the newcomer and the innkeeper.

Once Conrad finished his interrogation, he nodded his head to his men and exited the inn. His comrade left their accommodation details to anyone that may know more information about Evanna and would receive a reward if the information was found sufficient. The men then followed swiftly, and Ger and Axel took their time returning to the room as the tavern became rowdy once more.

Ger opened the door to their room and found the maid washing Ronan’s back.

“Get out,” Ger ordered. He wasn’t usually mean, but the crumpled sheets showed that they’ve had their fun. Edith looked at Ronan, and he kissed her sweetly and bid her farewell. She scrambled out of the room, adjusting her hair as she did so. Ger sat on the sofa while Axel closed the door and checked outside the window into the dreary streets.

“You could have been a bit nicer to her-”

“You’ve had your fun. But we have pressing matters now,” Ger snapped back while contemplating on whether to remove his cloak or not. He was feeling a little anxious after seeing the prince. He looked their way earlier, and if he had not been distracted, Ger knew he would have approached them and found out his identity.

“What’s happened?” Ronan stood up, sloshing some of the water onto the floor. He wrapped a towel around him, observing the pair and their tense bodies. Something happened in the time that he spent with Edith. The guilt that had started to surface for being with another woman and picturing Evanna was replaced with curiosity, alerting his body to any possible dangers.

“Prince Conrad of Hatherland was downstairs. He is searching for Evanna,” Ger explained, his voice shook slightly as he put his face into his hands.

“HE was prince Conrad!?” Axel questioned loudly and flinched after Ger shushed him. He could not believe that man was the prince; he looked like a handsome bandit. Yes, he would admit the man was good looking. It must be a royal thing because Conrad had quite the fearsome reputation, not once mentioning his looks.

“And you’ve met him before?!” Axel whisper-shouted before scraping the curtains shut and sitting down by the table.

“Yep. The arrogant prick,” Ger muttered, taking the other two by surprise. They glanced at each other then stood in front of Ger, waiting for him to explain further, but he did not.

“Did he and Evanna get on by any chance?” Axel enquired. His suspicions leaned towards Ger being jealous. Conrad was a prince and a perfect choice as a husband for Evanna. It was likely they became friends at a young age, and Ger already knew of his class difference.

Ger scoffed, “They hated each other.”

“Then why is he searching for her?” Ronan tilted his head to the side as he tightened the towel around his hips more.

“A convenience marriage?” Axel enquired and watched as Ger revealed his hardened face from his hands.

“Indeed. The king loves Evanna and would do anything to get her back. She has been missing for over a month now; he most likely made a deal, granting their betrothal if Conrad can get her back.” Ger said thoughtfully.

Ger knew of the talks of a possible marriage between Evanna and Conrad when they were young. But after their continuous fights and Evanna’s outright objection to the idea, king Osian called it off, granting his daughter’s wish. Though Ger was never convinced that the prince was never off the tables for Evanna. After all, an ally with the mighty kingdom of Hatherland would be beneficial for the king, though he does have an older daughter who could marry the crown prince.

Ger shook his head. He didn’t care about the royal affairs and politics. They had much more important things to deal with.

“Maybe for a few days, we keep an eye on the prince. He may gain far greater information in regards to Cilv’s location. If she hears of a prince searching for Evanna, then surely she would appear for a grand reward?” Ger smiled for the first time in ages. He felt the first flare of hope at things possibly going their way.

Fate could not be that cruel to not help a mother and daughter in need?