Page 77 of Quest for her Knights
It’s pretty rare to see a stagellan, and the fact that I saw its trail at the exact moment I wanted to show Elora that our world wasn’t all bad isn’t lost on me.
I’ve only ever seen one once before. They are similar to our common deer but with four giant antlers and a long tail with a small spear-tipped end, which they use for protection to theirflank, as their heavy antlers make it hard for them to turn quickly.
We watch silently as it munches on grass in a small clearing. It’s truly a majestic sight, and watching Elora’s face as she stares in wonder tells me it was worth it to stop for this.
“Ah-choo!” Elora sneezes, scaring the stagellan as it runs off in the opposite direction. “Oops, sorry.”
I laugh, so she knows I’m not upset, and help her stand.
“What did you think?” I ask as we follow Draven back to the road.
“It was amazing! What was it?”
“A stagellan. They are very rare.”
“It was beautiful.”
“They say it’s good luck to see one,” Draven adds from in front of us.
“Really?” she asks, excitement lighting her voice.
“Yep. They say anyone who sees one will have good fortune in their near future.”
“Like money?” she asks.
“Not necessarily,” I tell her. “It could be anything.”
“Hmm.”
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“Maybe it means good things about our next stop. Maybe the lords at Shadowcross will be different.”
She looks up at me, and I see hope there. Is that what she truly hopes for? To connect with one of these groups of noblemen? I suppose she must; it’s her only option, after all.
Chapter twenty-four
Elora
I’m seated in front of Blaze as we trot into the courtyard of the Shadowcross lords. This home was impressive. It wasn’t the size of it, as all the lords so far had decent homes, but this one was only a single story, like a bungalow, and it’s been built with a mixture of elements, stone, wood and some sort of black material I haven’t seen before. It almost had a modern look to it.
I see the front doors open and five men come out to greet us. My eyes widen at the sight of them. They don’t look like anything like the lords I’ve seen before. Maybe they are just coming to take care of the horses?
Most of them have short beards or stubble on their faces, and they look like they aren’t strangers to hard work, their muscles pressing through their tight shirts.
“Princess Elora,” one of them says, coming to stop in front of us. “It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Darian, and these are my brothers, Evren, Kael, Rafe and Lucien.” He points to each as they bow towards me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, thank you for welcoming us into your home,” I say, giving him the formal greeting I’ve been taught with a small dip of my chin.
“May I?” He steps up beside us and reaches up as if to help me down.
“Oh, umm, sure,” I say awkwardly as my hands grip his arms and he helps pull me off the horse as if I weigh nothing. His biceps are huge and firm under my grip and he smirks at me as he places me on my feet and offers me his elbow.
Okay, maybe that stag thing we saw was good luck and these lords wouldn't be that bad.
I link my hand through his elbow as he starts to guide me towards his brothers. I hear the knights dismount and pass their horses to the stable boys that have just appeared. They move in behind me as each of the lords takes my hand and kisses my fingers or the back of my hand.
I try not to blush from all their attention, but they are a good-looking group of men, and they don’t give me the creeps like a lot of the other lords have.
