THE Knight's Hidden Princess
Chapter 148: The Arrival At Mount Callum

Chapter 148: The Arrival At Mount Callum

The journey to Mount Callum took exactly five days. Five long days and there was not much rest. The first two days everyone was still in high spirits, still excited about the fact that we were going to explore somewhere new, a place of history. Even Ivana who although tried not to show any emotions hummed a few tunes and I could tell she was very excited to be out of Lord Skarde’s house. Having visited the residence myself, I would have been excited to get out. I would have done the exact same thing.

By the third day though, our excitement had been starting to wane. There was less laughter, less chatter. The horses made their way forward with reduced passion while their feet produced a slow and a weary clopping noise. The unyielding sun pounded above us as though it had an individual animosity for every single one of us while the path turned into a rugged path covered in dust.

Ivana had stopped humming. Silence settled over her as she kept staring straight ahead yet I observed her shooting several glances backwards almost like she was fighting the urge to run away into the woods. At this point, I wasn’t even going to get mad, I was also thinking the same thing to be quite honest. I was very tired and running away had been very attractive to me.

Heather was the only one who had seemed the most exciting about the trip. She started reading some scrolls about purity and the beauty of nature and she would have continued reading if Ivana hadn’t threatened her to shut up or she was going to yank out her tongue. That seemed to shut Heather up immediately and I was too tired to even tell her that Ivana was joking even though I knew she wasn’t not really. I loved Heather but if I had to hear one more word about the beauty of nature, I would have burnt the scroll and knocked her out myself.

On day four all our moods grew tensed because of our conditions. The hunger and pains from sunburns and muscle fatigue afflicted us as a group. We were so tired and we couldn’t afford the luxury of resting, we had to continue walking and because we were too tired. Nikolai created different methods of sleeping with his eyes open while still maintaining his seat on the horse. When Ivana caught him sleeping twice, he explained it was simply meditative focus. I didn’t buy it not one bit.

The fifth day when we finally arrived at mount Callum it was like I we had stepped into a magical painting. We had no idea the beauty that awaited us but when we did, it was almost magical. A smooth white stone hill supported the monastery which had pine trees as a backdrop while winds moved their trunks gracefully through the fresh air as if Naktus herself was among them. The golden sunlight scourged through drifting mist providing a gleaming effect on the spires which appeared to be made from crystal.

The painting in the archives had not done justice to the scenic beauty in front of me. It was an entirely different vision. It was elegant, beautiful, serene and it looked enchanting. The view in front of me was beyond regular human knowledge.

The ivy colored merged with pale tints while intricate carvings placed along the archways displayed forgotten prayers and old tales through runes and symbol patterns. The marble staircase ran long until it reached the big wooden entrance doors while the mountain base featured trees with petals showering as gentle rain.

When we reached the gate two females stood at the entrance, dressed in white long dressed with some sandals and on the top of their head was a crown of flowers and I would have laughed if they didn’t look so intermediating with the spears they were busy holding and there was just something about them. They may be women but they had a good form, I could tell from the way they stood.

"Guess Eddie was right about the whole crown of flowers after all!" Heather snickered.

One of the women turned to look at Heather with a look on her face. "And what’s funny?"

Heather clamped her mouth shut. I accept Nikolai’s offer to help me down from my horse and I did so with as much grace but the minute my legs touched the ground it trembled a little bit and I had to rest a bit on Nikolai to get myself. I didn’t miss the way the other woman standing glared at the way, my arms wrapped around Nikolai’s arms. The way she stared at me was almost as if she was judging me but I couldn’t give a flying fuck at that moment I was tired and I was hungry too.

After casting a lingering stare at Heather, the woman who had spoken turned to look at me. "State your business here."

Heather was the one supposed to make the introductions but it would appear that she was now a little scared at the moment. I turned to look at the woman and I stepped forward, "My name is Dahlia Hawhthorne and I...."

"I wasn’t asking you, I know who you are princess!" The woman interrupted me, "I was asking him!" She nodded at Nikolai who was standing next to me.

Nikolai straightened to his full height but the woman didn’t seem intimidated by his muscles and his height. "Name’s Nikolai Volktov and I’m her guard, that’s all you need to know." He responded, his tone nearly insolent clearly not taking kindly to being addressed as if he doesn’t exist.

The woman arched a brow, unimpressed. She stared Nikolai up and down, her slender fingers drummed slowly up and down her wooden spear as she stared at Nikolai, probably considering the weight of his words or how she would fair in a fight against him, or perhaps she was simply admiring him.

Her companion stepped forward, "Well the man that calls himself Nikolai Volktov is not allowed in mount Callum!"

"But he’s my guard!" I said looking at the women who glanced at me.

"The man that calls himself Nikolai Volktov is not allowed at Mount Callum!" The women chorused together at once.

I was about to say something else when Heather grabbed my arm. I whirled around to look at her but all she did was shake her head at me.

"Mount Callum is a place where the sister of the earth reside. Males are not allowed in the sacred ground, only women." Heather whispered her voice calm and urgent.

The woman’s head turned to look at Heather a look. "Seems this girl has some brains on her after all!" She said and Heather made a face probably wondering if it was a compliment or an insult.

A little bit of both perhaps!

I turned to look at the woman, "But still he needs to be here..."

"Are you saying you can’t do anything with this man?"

"What? No!"

"Then I see no reason why he should stay!" The women spoke in unison.

I opened my mouth to argue but Nikolai beat me to it. "Well tough shit, I’m staying!"

"You can’t."

"No, you can’t tell me what to do actually. The princess doesn’t go anywhere without me, so tough luck!" Nikolai said not willing to take no for an answer.

"Alright muscles_"

"Muscles?" Ivana asked making a face and all I could do was just shrugged in response as I turned back to listen to the woman talk.

"Since you demand that you can’t leave without the princess, then I suggest you should leave now!" One of the woman said.

My eyes widened in surprise as I walked closer towards the women deciding I’ve had just enough of their nonsense. We’ve been on the road for five freaking days and I will be damned if I am being turned away when I made an effort to come to this place in the first place.

But before I could step forward, Ivana rushed ahead holding her hands in front of me. "Wait, wait, please!" She said and everyone turned to look at her, "We don’t mean any offense. He doesn’t, he’s just a man who is all about duty, so please!"

The women didn’t look impressed. The one on the right side who had called Nikolai muscles, glared at him. "Then if he doesn’t know how to hold his tongue when speaking with women, he best holds his tongue!"

Ivana smiled at them before she turned to look at us. "Look we need to stay here and since we are here we need to abide by their rules and do as they ask which means that Nikolai you have to leave!"

"Yeah no chance in hell!"

"You will have to." I said this time around, "Ivana is right which means you have to leave, I’ll be alright. Besides, what is going to happen to me when I’m among my own kind?"

Nikolai said nothing for a moment as he glared at the women behind him, "Fine but I’ll be around!" He said before he turned and got on his horse.

The moment he was gone I turned to look at the women who looked as if they were more relaxed now. "You may now enter, the keeper has been expecting you all!"