Love Athena

Evangeline Allard was getting married to the prince, and Camila, as her sister and the kingdom's knowledge keeper was expected at the palace in two minutes and fifty-five seconds for the celebratory dinner between her family and the royal family. The Epsilon trainees' workout had to end in eighteen seconds.

"Please, Camila, I can't go any further," Lorena Hearthstone cried out from her place at the battle ropes. Her hands were already on the verge of bleeding.

"You shall stop when you are told to," Camila replied.

There was a loud thud and three of the men rushed to pick up another who had collapsed. That was the fifth one in the past half hour.

"Come on, Camila. Quit it!" Adrien Adams growled, anger in his bright silver eyes.

She turned her cold eyes his way. Barely moving her lips, Camila said, "Stop if you dare."

He visibly gulped. Some of his friends called him stupid, but he wasn't dense enough to go against Camila Athena Allard, the youngest archivist of the shifter kingdom since its official inception roughly 7,000 years ago.

She did not look particularly terrifying; she was small compared to other female wolves, but the things she knew about people could make grown wolves weep like pups. Having been in the position for five years, she took the phrase 'knowledge is power' to new heights. The details and secrets she knew about her kingdom's citizens made everyone steer clear of her to avoid upsetting her.

Hence, the Epsilon defense warrior trainees ignored the pain in their muscles and continued under the watchful stare of her dead eyes.

"Training is over. You are dismissed," she said and walked in the direction of the palace at her even regular pace, her mind running wild with the secrets of the citizens of the shifter kingdom in Sueret, the paranormal world that had been created after the great war 1500 years ago.

Her ponytail swished thrice every two seconds. In the right pocket of her cargo pants was a flattened Rubik's, one of her creations. The other five were filled with tools, paper, and stationery that were set carefully so as not to make a sound. She wore no jewelry; her face was set in stone. She unconsciously numbered her steps, counted the number of seconds she was walking, and stored them away in the compartment of her brain. She was good at everything, but keeping knowledge she was best at.

"I thought I would run into you," a voice said to her right.

Camila didn't need to turn to see who it was. Her assistant Freda was the only one in the royal wolf pack who did not actively avoid her. Freda also took it upon herself to learn all of Camila's schedules, down to the number of steps she took each day. Freda saw Camila as a person, and if Camila knew how to be grateful, she was sure she would be.

At exactly 6:00 PM, Camila and Freda got to the royal family's private dining room. Camila opened the grand mahogany door without knocking; they were expecting her.

"There you are, sister," Eva said, coming to hug her.

Camila knew it was for show. Evangeline wanted to seem nice and family-oriented in front of the royal family. Camila wrapped her hands around her sister to help her. She didn't think Eva's acting would work if Camila wasn't co-operative.

After separating from the quick hug, Camila stepped further into the room to bow before the king and queen.

However, before she could speak, a plethora of smells slammed into her: jasmine, sandalwood, and the ocean. She quickly looked around, noticing no one else was doing the same. Were they not smelling what she did?

The smell seemed foreign and was not far away. The owner was in the room. What intrigued her was that she found it particularly pleasant.

Were they under attack, or did she just find her...

Impossible.

She could not possibly have a soul mate like other paranormals did. A soulmate was given to the beast side. She had no wolf and was essentially human. Granted that it was abnormal for her not to have a wolf as both her parents were wolves, it didn't erase the fact.

Her eyes quickly flitted across the faces of all the inhabitants of the room, servants and guards alike before it finally settled above.

"Honey, Camila, are you alright?"

Her father's worried face came into view, but she paid him no attention.

Her focus was on the set of green eyes, on the upper level of the meeting room, that were boring holes into her soul and stirring her insides. She began to feel a second presence in her head.

Her wolf?

She had no idea.

That was a first. She always knew.

She looked at his face: handsome, chiseled features that belonged to the prince, the same prince her sister's engagement to was to be decided during this meeting.

No. Of all men in Sueret, it had to be him.

Mate, his voice whispered in her head.

Camila turned to Evangeline and gazed at her to formulate an apology. After all, it had been her sister's life long dream to become royalty. Her mouth refused to spill out the words. Something inside her refused to feel sorry for something that was hers.

Feel? Was she feeling?

Camila fought her urge to look at the prince and turned to his parents instead. "Your majesties, may I be excused? I-"

"Of course, Miss Allard. You don't-"

Before the king could complete his statement, Camila turned and, for the first time in her life, ran away from something.

***

Camila arrived at her house at 7:39 PM, six minutes later than usual.

As soon as she opened the gate, she knew something was amiss. Some of the stones were turned the wrong way, Freda's potted sunflower was shifted an inch to the left, and her doorway had the sweet scent of jasmine.

Camila opened her door, removed her shoes, and hung her bag on the hook beside the door. Twelve steps later, she was sitting on her couch at one end, leaving the other end open for the intruder.

"You may take a seat, Your Highness," she said, not looking to where the Prince stood at three paces behind her.

"You knew I was here," he said, taking two steps forward.

"Of course. How could I not notice when someone breaks into my home?" she replied, trying not to show a physical reaction to the pleasant tone of his voice.

He sat down and began to stare at her.

Her skin began to itch and she had the urge to fidget or move around, anything that did not involve staying there.

Discomfort. That's what her mind told her she was feeling. But that is impossible, she doesn't feel discomfort or anything at all.

That was her most terrifying trait-she was emotionless and could destroy a person without pity or remorse. What then was happening to her?

"Your Highness, is there a reason you are in my home?" she said, making a mental note to study herself later.

He inched closer to her. "Enough of that. Call me Alexander."

"I do not believe I am qualified to be on a first-name basis with you, Your Majesty."

"You are my mate, soon to be my queen. You can call me by my first name."

"Your Highness, Evangeline Allard is to be your wife in a month," she replied, still not looking at him.

"Camila, I am not marrying Eva," he said.

As soon as he said her name, a shudder went through her. She quickly did an inventory of her body and environment. All her organs were in perfect condition. The room's temperature was normal. Why did a reaction associated with cold occur?

"She's the most suitable candidate for-," she said, still running through her mind shelves of ailments and the ones that could have caused her to shudder.

"She's a power hungry wh...I mean, the young woman who my parents selected," he said using a cough to cover his calling Camila's sister a whore.

Camila would not have minded because firstly, he was her prince and second, Evangeline was a whore.

Not that he was any better.

"I've found you. I've been looking for you for decades," he finished.

"I cannot come between your alliance. It is being done to ensure the well-being of the kingdom. My first obligation is to the kingdom."

"And what about my well-being, Camila? I can't live without you, Camila. You know that."

That was the problem with having him as a mate. Camila knew she needed to ensure he marries her sister before his coronation but also knew that they couldn't live apart for too long after finding each other. Most mates complete the marking and mating process within a day or two. Him marrying her sister was almost impossible especially since Camila would be the one to bless the wedding, right after the king and queen. Not to mention remaining as his servant for the rest of their lives.

Prince Alexander held her face and turned it to face him. Immediately, sparks erupted at the contact points. She stood, moved half a meter away, and sat.

"Don't touch me. I don't like that," Camilla said. His facial features contorted to an expression most people made around her: confusion before suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed. "The complexities of jokes escape me."

Had she said something funny?

"Thank goodness you feel the sparks too. I had heard rumors that you didn't feel anything, even pain. When you left before dinner, I was sure I was the only one who felt the mating pull."

"I don't feel anything," she whispered, flashing back to all the times she'd been laughed at and isolated because she couldn't connect with humans the 'normal' way. She'd come to accept it as her life. Having a mate would cause a certain imbalance that she wasn't sure she wanted.

"What if I help you? I'm not sure I can but I'll try," he said, holding her hand.

She looked at the contact, willing the sparks to vanish. It just reminded her of another reason she couldn't have a mate: she didn't understand the need for interpersonal physical contact. "You are getting married in two weeks. You ought to be focusing on your bride."

"I told my parents to annul the engagement as I have found my mate. My mother particularly was very excited. They would like to meet you," he said with a smile.

"Your Highness, you should not have done that. You are increasing the chances of jeopardizing your reign if you do not marry Evangeline," Camila said.

Her being his mate would be a black mark in his reign. The king of shifters mated to a beastless paranormal would be nothing more than a

"I'm willing to risk it," he said, laying his head on her shoulder and taking a deep breath.

She could feel her logical thoughts clashing with her newly-found emotions, at his words.

"Why?" She asked confused.

"Camila, would you stay in this kingdom and be alright seeing me married to your sister?" he whispered from her neck.

She felt something begin to claw at her heart filling her with murderous intent, directed at her sister. She refrained from clutching her chest.

"I must serve the royal family," she whispered back.

"Well, I won't be. I will destroy anyone who tries to take you away from me."

He kissed her shoulder. Her hand lifted to keep him there but he stood up and moved away, his eyes alternating between forest green and a deeper green that looked black. He was fighting with his wolf.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, moving towards the door.

"Your Highness, anyone who sees you here might think up a scandal."

"Like I care," he said, his voice gruffer.

"Your Highness, do not return," she said.

Her reply was a closed door.

He came back every single day.

Camila smelled the prince before she saw him.

She was at the Royal Pack's North Side High School library doing her daily rounds, organizing and removing books the students had put in the wrong places.

"Your Highness, a pleasure to see you," Camila said, not looking down from the top of the twenty-foot tall ladder she was on.

"You do not feel pleasure, knowledge keeper," the prince said coolly.

She listened for the presence of another person. She could hear a few, crouching behind a shelf twenty-five feet away, trying to either get a look at the prince or eavesdrop on their conversation. Both reasons irked her. She felt another emotion coming, the first since she saw him last night.

Irritation.

"Social mannerisms are a chore. Did I say it wrong?" she asked him as she put the last book in its place, trying to mask how she felt. He still noticed.

Are you okay, sweetheart?, he mindlinked her. She jerked her head in the direction of the eavesdroppers.

I noticed them as soon as I entered; we'll leave here when you're done, he mindlinked again.

"I have a message from the king," he said.

The king, not my father.

He was trying not to alert any eavesdropper of the somewhat intimate tie between both of them. Did he finally see the sense in what she had said or was he temporarily agreeing until he could find a way to convince her?

Either one didn't sit right with her.

Camila slid down half the length of the ladder and jumped down the rest at neck-breaking speed. His hand moved forward to hold her, but he stopped himself at the last second.

Don't do that to me, mate, he exploded in her head.

"A fall from twenty feet would not hurt the average wolf, much less me," she muttered, knowing he would hear her. She made quick work with a bow. The crown prince rolled his eyes.

Why not just mind link? he asked.

"My wolf is inactive. I have her strength but I do not have a solid connection with her. Hence, I cannot mindlink." She straightened, extending her hand to receive the scroll. "But this is not the time or place for that discussion, Your Highness."

She moved to put it in her bag, but he held her hand to stop her.

They reacted immediately to the sparks: his hands flew into his pockets, and she clumsily dropped the scroll.

As she bent to pick it up, ensuring her back was to the girls, she muttered, "I would rather we refrain from touching each other in public, Your Highness."

So we can in private, he said slyly. In mind link, of course.

Without thinking, she reached under his right ankle and yanked out his leg hairs. The prince flinched but composed himself, glaring at her. She stood and began to walk outside of the building in the direction of her office, three streets away.

When Camila entered and shut the door of the fairly used building with only three rooms in it, she turned to him and held up the scroll. "I assume I am expected to read the contents right away."

He had been staring at her. Her voice seemed to snap him out of the trance he was in.

He shook his head. "Yes, yes, you are."

She opened it and read through it. As she did, she slowly realized her plan of avoiding him had failed. She hadn't remembered this detail when she was rescheduling her daily schedule to ensure they didn't cross paths until the earlier proposed time for the wedding. She had even planned to deliver a letter to the palace that evening, advising the king and queen to reconsider their decision to annul the prince's wedding to Evangeline.

"Your Highness, do you know the contents of this letter?"

She watched him intently while listening to his heartbeat for any indication of a lie.

"No, but my dad did look smug as he handed it to me. Now that I think about it, why did he send me to you?" he mused, rubbing my jaw. Truth.

Camila let out a short breath. "You only just think about it now."

He stepped closer to her. "The only thing I did think about was the fact that I was going to see you without making up an excuse."

Another truth.

Her heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, Camila wished she had paid more attention to Freda when she was ranting about her emotions and her newest crush. Clearing her throat for no reason, Camila handed the prince the scroll.

It read:

To Miss Camila Athena Allard,

Greetings from His Majesty, The King.

His Majesty, King Lucian Gerard requests your presence in his meeting room at 19:00 hours today. As you may have previously discussed, it is time for Crown Prince Alexander Gerard to begin his knowledge training in the Shifter Kingdom archives. Over the next six months, you shall educate the prince on the history and customs he could not have learned in school. This is to prepare him for his ascent to the throne. His Majesty looks forward to seeing you.

As the prince read, his smile grew.

"So, I get to see you for at least six hours every day with permission from the king? This is the best thing he has ever done for me."

He laughed, picking Camila up and twirling her. His green eyes brightly staring at her caused something warm to blossom inside her. His happiness was contagious, and she felt her facial muscles twitching upwards in a smile.

That would be a first.

When he dropped her, that was when they realized how close they were to each other in an empty, locked room.

He moved first.

Prince Alexander crashed his lips on hers. Her knees gave way. If he was not holding on tightly to her, Camila was sure she would have fallen.

A second later, she closed her eyes and let the feelings of pleasure, completion, and happiness flood into her, washing away her uncertainty and fear about their relationship.

She began to see colors behind her eyes; the air touching her skin seemed lighter, almost soft. She felt like she was flying above the ocean in a cloud of jasmine.

Who knew she could feel this way?

She held him by his collar and moved him impossibly closer.

He tugged on her lower lip, and she responded, opening her mouth. As soon as their tongues touched, he groaned, and just like that, their bubble shattered.

Camila pushed him away and jumped back a few feet, trying to catch her breath. He leaned on her desk, doing the same.

"That was amazing," he said, chuckling.

Prince Alexander was a unique being among men. His light brown hair looked gold in the sun, and his green eyes welcomed her but reminded her that the forest was dangerous. She could see the joy and mischief in those pools as he tried to step closer to her.

Camila scurried a few more feet away. "Yes, it was. Do not come any closer, and never do that again."

He scoffed. "If I was going to let you go, I won't now. Not after I've tasted that."

His eyes fell on her lips. Camila jumped atop the shelf behind her. "You know why we should not repeat that although it was..."

A shudder of pleasure ran through her.

He grinned up at her. "You're feeling, aren't you?"

"Too much. Freda did not tell me a first kiss was supposed to feel this way," she whispered. "Maybe I would have been more prepared."

He started laughing but suddenly stopped, all humor gone from his features.

Did she break him?

"T-that was your f-first kiss?" he whispered, now looking sad.

"I do not...understand the need for physical contact, and even if I wanted to, I have been isolated, reading my whole life," she said.

After leaving school when she was seven to start her education with the previous archivist, she lost all contact with everyone aside from her family. Since then, her entire life has been based on the accumulation of knowledge.

He stared at her for a few seconds, then knelt and bowed, his head to the ground.

"I am sorry for not being there to protect you, for not waiting for you so we can experience our firsts together. From now till forever, I promise to think of you before anything else. I promise to always be by your side when you need me and when you do not. I promise to be your shield against the demons of your past that may surround you. I was incomplete before you, and I shall be incomplete without you," he said before jumping on the shelf she was on.

"B-but...This shouldn't h-happen...y-you..." she stuttered as he held her.

She was a mess, a stuttering emotional mess.

With each of his words, she could feel his love and acceptance pouring into her heart, threatening to burst it at its seams. She could feel his scent and presence, satisfying a need for unity that she did not know she had. She wanted to throw it all to the wind and latch onto him and never let go, but she knew she could not.

He was a prince, next in line to the throne. His obligation was to his kingdom. Their relationship would only cause problems.

As if he read her thoughts, he said, "I know you feel hesitant about being with me. You don't understand why I'm willing to risk my crown to be with you but allow me to show you there's more to life than words and algorithms. I'll take it slow as you want, I promise. It'll be our little secret".

He kissed her shoulder lightly before getting down from the shelf. "I'll see you in a few hours."

As he walked out of the room, she stared at him, her hands lightly touching her still-tingling lips. Despite what would generally be termed a scandal that had occurred, she wanted to smile. She covered her face with her hands and made a high-pitched noise, looking forward to the next time she saw the prince.

As Camila entered the royal family's private dining room, her eyes met the Crown Prince's. Their earlier moment of intimacy flashed through her mind for the forty-third time in the past five hours. She quickly ducked her head, bowing while Anders, the king's private secretary, announced her presence.

Astonishing, the prince whispered in mind link.

Her knees nearly buckled at the single word.

She was in a black V-neck short-sleeved high-low dress that Freda had suggested on a hunch that she was going to be asked to stay for dinner. She had disagreed but upon seeing his reaction, she was glad she had finally given in to her assistant's pleas.

"Miss Allard, join us for dinner," the king said, pointing to the only empty seat at the table.

She almost sighed with relief. The seat was between Prince Alexander's twin younger siblings, Prince William and Princess Adelaide.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for having me," she said, ensuring to school her expression and ignore the heated gaze of her mate.

She had accepted it; they were mates. There was no other plausible explanation for the unseasonable attraction between them.

"You look beautiful, Camila," Prince William said, glancing at Prince Alexander from the corner of his eyes.

Immediately, his brother growled.

"Alex, honey, is there a problem?" his mother asked him in a soft tone that contrasted greatly with the amount of power she possessed as the strongest individual in the wolf kingdom.

Upon meeting her mate, she relinquished her throne as the monarch with royal blood to avoid a lot of politics and societal demands. Instead of the king remaining as prince consort, she elevated him to King making him an equal and sometimes, a higher power. At 2506 years old, having ruled for 1253 years, she was ready to retire.

"William should not flirt with our guest. It may cause her discomfort," he gritted out.

"You flirted with the Norwegian Alpha's mated daughter last week at dinner," Adelaide pointed out.

"I've matured since then. Besides, I didn't know she was mated," he replied, frowning.

"Matured in a week? What kind of...", Adelaide bit back.

"Enough! Now, you're causing her discomfort and embarrassing yourselves. My apologies, Camila. It seems my children in their twenties are still growing," the King said.

"It poses no problem, Your Majesty. About the scroll you sent earlier..", she said, reminding him of the reason for the meeting.

"Ah yes, Alexander's training. I understand that you may require at least a week to prepare?" he asked.

"Negative, Your Majesty. We can commence tomorrow," she replied.

"Tomorrow? Don't you need time to prepare something along the lines of coursework of study?" he asked, shock evident in his voice.

"Yes, I have prepared all the required information. You can view it and modify it as you see fit," she said pulling out her tablet from her bag.

She made to stand up but he waved her down, signaling Anders to receive and deliver the tablet.

"Camila, I am afraid I do not know how to operate your device. What do I do with this?", King Lucian said, holding the pen up.

His words were expected. Older paranormals were not familiar with technology.

"You use it to move the screen and write, Your Majesty," she explained.

The king nodded and touched the screen with the pen. When it lit up so did his eyes.

"Aleks, you have to try this. It's fascinating."

The king handed the tablet cautiously to Queen Aleksandra.

"Oh my, it is wonderful. Luc, the little squares open up," she said, showing him the screen.

"Now, you're embarrassing us," the princess groaned and dropped her head on the table.

Camila could see how it could be embarrassing but she found the interaction endearing as well. She began to imagine more bickering-filled, embarrassment-evoking meals like this with five of them.

They would be family.

She quickly shook her head, dispelling the thoughts.

Focus!

"No wonder the children are always staring at these things. Anders, you have to get us ours," the king said.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Anders replied, pleased by the childlike joy of his charges.

"My apologies, Camila. Your device is very fascinating," the queen said with a smile.

"If you would like, Your Majesties, I could get you two tablets of my design," she offered.

"No, we won't want to bother you. Anders can get us...", the queen started but her younger son cut her off.

"Mother, stop. Miss Allard's technology is the most sought-after in the world. That device in your hand is one of seventeen, the other sixteen in the hands of kings and dignitaries who paid millions for them. So, if she offers you for free, you take it. Quite frankly, I am a bit jealous", William explained and huffed before returning to his meal.

"Camila, do you want to give us without charge? We can pay for it, you know," the king said.

"No charge. I could get them to Anders tomorrow," she turned to Anders who nodded enthusiastically.

"Now that is settled. Let us return to the matter at hand", King Lucian said then frowned at the tablet screen before turning to Prince Alexander at his left, who had still been staring at Camila.

"Move," the king said. "Camila needs to sit here."

The prince jumped and turned to his father puzzled, then to Camila who was on her feet. Only then did Prince Alexander register what his father had said. He stood up but before they could cross to each other's seats, Prince William sat in Camila's leaving the two empty seats next to each other.

Camila looked at the younger prince as he continued his meal with a small smile on his face. Judging by his actions, there was a 38% chance that he knew her status with his brother. He gave her a long, slow wink. That chance increased to 80% immediately.

As soon as she sat beside Prince Alexander, the atmosphere was electrified and began to feel warmer. Her hand under the table inched closer to his. When they touched, her hands flew to her lap and he looked down, feeling tortured that he could sit next to his mate but not touch her.

She shot down the pull and turned to the king. The king, oblivious to the incident, handed her the tablet jovially.

"Your Majesty, this document contains a specially designed curriculum for his highness. I took into consideration his grades from high school and his reports from his private tutors-" Camila said but her mate cut her off.

"You looked at my grades?" he exclaimed.

The queen snorted under her breath but his siblings outright laughed. Camila and the king ignored him.

"His grades suggest relearning of concepts taught in his high school and post-graduate learning. I have included them in his new studies," she said, pointing to the topics to show the king.

"So in other words, his grades are terrible," his sister wheezed out, still laughing at her brother's slack-jawed expression.

"Certainly, they are below expectations," Camila replied.

"You too?!" Prince Alexander exclaimed again.

"Your Majesty, for that reason, the course extends to thirty-one weeks, closer to eight months, if the prince ensures to sleep at the right time and report to the archives every morning," she finished.

"He will. Won't you, Alex?" his father said, raising an eyebrow at his eldest son.

"Of course, Father. When am I required to sleep?", he asked, his question directed at Camila.

"My observation of your current health vitals state you sleep between the hours of 1 am and 4 am and get an average of four and a half hours of sleep every day. For effective learning, you are required to sleep between six and seven hours every day and report at 7 am," she said, not looking at him.

"B-but..but...," the prince stammered.

"But nothing, you will do as Miss Allard says. If I get word that-"

A loud siren rang through the palace, interrupting the king. The siren that rang only during situations that were risk to national security.

A guard burst into the room almost immediately, halted when he saw the occupants and bowed. "I apologize for the interruption, Your Majesties. There is a situation at the border that requires the archivist's attention."

Camila looked at the three-inch heels she was wearing before running out of the room, the prince hot on her heels.

.//.

Queen Aleksandra broke down in tears. Prince William took a sniff, turned around, and said that he was heading to bed. Princess Adelaide threw up at the sight.

It was gruesome.

At the Northern border of the royal pack, there lay pieces of the bodies of wolves arranged as if to be a sort of display.

As shifters returned to human form when they died, the patrol guards immediately identified them as regular wolves but that did not make the sight any disheartening. The forest wolves were their kin.

"How did they get past the border? It is impenetrable," the king said, holding on to his tearful mate, more upset at the fact that she was crying than anything else.

Camila walked to the border marking, looking for something, the prince right behind her.

She hoped she did not find what she suspected.

Today was a day she hoped not to be right. As usual, she was.

Unfortunately.

"Cursed magic," she whispered and everyone turned to her with their breaths held as if daring her to repeat the unspeakable word.

"Cursed magic," she said louder.

"That is impossible, girl," the king's Beta Adam said in a condescending tone.

"I apologize, Beta Adam but this is no time for your prejudice against my age. The facts speak for themselves. The cursed runes are present. There is evidence of destruction, that is the dead life forms, not just the wolves but the plants right outside the border. They are all dead. Nothing but higher magic can dent the border that the most powerful witches in the world made. If this was regular magic or even black magic, there would be a louder presence. There is no other explanation," she finished and was greeted with silence.

Cursed magic was something every paranormal younger than two thousand years old had only heard in stories. It was part of their history, something that had been wiped out or so they thought.

"It can't be. Not when we have finally achieved peace," the queen muttered sorrowfully.

"I am an archivist, your Majesty. We prepare for every situation, theoretical and practical. I have translated the runes. Only cursed magic bearers can do such powerful ones without dropping dead," Camila said and looked back at the bodies.

Another translation jumped at her.

"The ancient language of the knowledge keepers," she said and the queen looked up at her, then at the ugly sight.

"You are right, it is the forgotten language. I know the last symbol. It means knowledge keeper. It was on the door of the archivist when my grandfather was king," the queen said slowly.

All eyes turned to Camila who stared blankly at the pattern that she had seen appear on her master's desk six years ago two months before she died.

"Camila, what do the rest mean?", the king asked her.

"We are coming. They mean, We are coming," she said.

They joined the two parts in their heads.

No one will hurt you, the prince roared in her head, barely keeping his outward anger at bay.

She ignored him.

We are coming, knowledge keeper.