Isadora had stayed hidden all day. She had secretly entered the throne hall with her guise but it fell and weakened minutes after the killing scenario was brought up, so she went into what used to be her room. She couldn’t understand why Griffin had decided to kill Alexander. She had told him that she was the one to do the job but seems his patience was growing thinner. But what exactly was his aim in killing Alexander? What could he get in return? Revenge? No! It was not vengeance that Griffin wanted. She saw it in his eyes. The greed. He was up to something bigger.

But now he had thrown himself in hot soup. What would happen to him if they found out that it was truly him? He would simply be killed. Such a fool! How could he even attempt to kill a prince in his own kingdom? No! She had to go back and see what would happen.

She pulled the door open to only be welcomed by a sight she never imagined. Gareth was standing in the hallway holding his stomach as his face shifted in all sorts and manners of pain. He was now closing his eyes tightly and she could hear him curse. He had not yet recognized her.

Who could have defeated the almighty Sir Gareth? As far as Isadora could remember, only Griffin could come close to hurting Gareth. She had seen them spar in the past. Who then could have inflicted pain on him? That must be one strong person. Or was it Griffin? But why would Griffin harm his own knights, especially Gareth?

"Gareth?" She called. "What happened to you?"

Sir Gareth was writhing in pain when he heard that familiar voice that he so much yearned for. All the pain seemed to disappear for a moment as he lifted his face in anticipation. His eyes bored into those hazel eyes and his heart skipped a beat. It was her. How he missed her. And without further ado, he wrapped his arms around Isadora as he found comfort in her warm embrace.

Isadora was caught off guard by the sudden hug. Never in her life had she ever received a hug from Gareth, even when she was gone for months. But today he had surprised her, or rather, proved her wrong.

"Where were you? What happened to you, Isa? You have no idea how worried I was. Are you alright," came the thousands of questions from him as he pulled back to check her condition from head to toe.

"I am fine Gareth. What happened to you?" She asked instead. And now that she mentioned it, the searing pain came blood like open floodgates, making Gareth groan in pain.

"Damn it," he cursed. "It was that crown prince. Something about him has changed Isa. You should be wary around him now." Gareth hurried to say before he groaned again in pain.

"Get in," Isadora helped him into the room. Gareth couldn’t understand why a mere punch in the stomach made him feel so much pain. He dragged his feet until he sat on the small bed. Isadora helped him onto the bed before she turned to him with a questioning gaze.

"What?" He asked raising a brow before he hissed in pain again.

"What did you just say? How can Alexander attack you? I mean he is weaker than you, and he is human."

"No, he is not. I noticed something new about him. He is something like... powerful" He managed to find the word.

"What do you mean by, powerful?" Isadora asked still not believing that it was Alexander who did this to him. He was the second most powerful person in Crescia after all. He had even defeated Lord Newton in a duel even though he was his trainer.

"He’s just powerful," he said, putting more emphasis on the word powerful. Gareth could not forget the power that was displayed by Alexander. That sight alone made him shiver in fear as if he would appear there any time soon. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"It’s alright. Let me have a look at your wound," Isadora offered. She just wanted to get off the topic. How could the weak Alex she knew even come close to harming Gareth? Maybe he was just hiding something from her. But why would he mention Alexander of all the people? He could have mentioned someone powerful, like Griffin, to hide the shame.

"There’s no wound Isadora. It was a punch in the belly," he stated as a matter of fact.

Now Isadora was confused. How could a simple punch affect him this much? She was certain she could have already recuperated by now if she was in his place. Gareth coughed while placing his hand on his mouth before a liquid splattered on his hand. This was serious now. Isadora rushed to where he was, worry all over her face.

"You need to see the physician right now," she said trying to lift Gareth off the bed. All she wanted for now was to see Gareth safe and sound. She didn’t care if she got caught. Gareth was too weak to walk on his own right now. He clumsily placed his heavy hand around Isadora’s shoulder making her almost lose her balance. He didn’t protest though. He also needed medical attention. This was not a normal thing, especially for a Crescian. He was sure had it been a normal Valorian knight, another funeral would have been in place by now. And he was certain Alexander didn’t exert his full potential. How strong was he exactly?

Before he could think further, the pain came again and this time it was more painful than before. He could feel his head throb in pain and his eyelids now felt heavy. ’Not now,’ he warned his body. Oh no! Keeping his eyes open now became the most difficult part. He began swaying from side to side before he had Isadora’s grip loosen on his shoulder. He fell back on the bed and the last thing he heard was the worried voice of Isadora.