THE Knight's Hidden Princess
Chapter 188: Hawthorne’s Lineage

Chapter 188: Hawthorne’s Lineage

REAGAN POV

Bjorn arrived at my manor late at night, alone and without any entourage. I met with him and brought him in using the secret passage way that Dahlia uses when she was the black knight. I quickly brought him upstairs and straight into my study where Nikolai and Killian were going to be waiting for us. His coming here was a secret something that we didn’t want anyone else to know. Too many people knowing about it was going to ruin the plan, something we couldn’t afford. We were already starting to run out of time.

I ushered Bjorn in before I turned around to lock the door before anyone could see him. I turned back only to see that Bjorn’s posture had gotten rigid. He was staring at something in the corner of the room. I followed his eye sight and my gaze landed on the baby’s crib where Ivar cooed softly. I watched as Bjorn slowly staggered towards the baby’s crib and I realized that it was the first time he was going to be seeing his nephew for the very first time.

We all watched as Bjorn reached his hand inside the crib almost as if he touched him, Ivar was going to disappear. Bjorn released something that looked like sob and a laugh. He reached inside to stroke Ivar’s cheek affectionately before he released another choked up sob.

"He can’t fall asleep without me holding him in my chest." I offered an explanation, "Heather claims it’s one of his phase. So when I heard you were coming I brought him here because if he doesn’t see me, he throws up the biggest fit."

Bjorn said nothing as he continued to stare at Ivar, before he shook his head a look of wonder in his gaze. "Gods, he looks so much like her, especially her eyes."

"He is beautiful." I said proudly as I stared at the crib.

"That he is, just like Dahlia." Bjorn said but it was almost as if he whispered that last part to himself before he stared at me, "May I?"

He was requesting for permission to carry Ivar, a permission which I granted. Bjorn smiled wryly at me before he reached inside and carried Ivar in his arms. Ivar cooed in response, raising his small hands up to say hello to his uncle.

"Oh gods." Bjorn whimpered and I smiled because I had the same reaction too.

Funny how I had thought I wanted nothing to do with Ivar but now, we can’t sleep until we are near each other. Ivar completes me, he makes me sane and drives away the darkness that threatens to take me away anytime I think of Dahlia. I need Ivar to be near me all the time, he was the only one that makes me look forward to a new day with renewed hope and I swore that I was going to get him reunited with his mother.

Now that we have Bjorn on our side, our plan was now in motion!

Bjorn chuckled as Ivar squeezed his finger before he dragged into his mouth to chomp on it. It was an adorable sight and I hate to interrupt their family bonding but we have more pressing matters.

Clearing my throat, I decided to speak up, "So, did you look into what we asked?"

Bjorn looked up at us, the smile slowly vanishing from his face and a more serious look took place. Carefully, he put Ivar back in his crib before he straightened. I watched as he slowly dragged the hood that was shielding some of his face. Bjorn then turned to look at us and I noticed he now had some new bruises on his face.

Killian let out a low whistle, "Did you do this to him?"

"Fuck man, you could have gone easy on him. His is the prince!" Nikolai said his voice tinged with disbelief that I did that to him.

I shook my head but my gaze remained on Bjorn’s face as I answered their question. "No, I did not do it."

Then what happened to him? I asked myself before realization suddenly dawned on me. "You spoke to her didn’t you?"

"Her who?" Nikolai asked as he turned to look at me in confusion and I didn’t look at him as I answered.

"Evie." I said my gaze still on Bjorn, "She did this to you?"

Bjorn swallowed but nodded his head at me in response. "I meant to talk to her and at first she had pretended not to know anything. Things escalated when I continued to persist demanding she tell me the truth." Bjorn said before he chuckled, "You know that was the first time that I was going to being seeing her in a very long time. I always thought that she was in some part of the castle learning the whole ways of the court and whatever it was princesses learn. I didn’t even realize she had changed. Did you know she shaved her hair and now has tattoos?" He asked and all we did was arch a brow up at him as he went on.

"My father would have killed her for it on a normal day. I mean there is no way he would condone such thing under his roof unless he knew about it and she has several! Several of them on her arms and I can’t even get one because according to my father, such acts are below us, can you believe that?" Bjorn asked and we shared a look amongst ourselves in response probably thinking the same thing.

How does any of this information help us to find Dahlia?

Bjorn continued, "Although, I suspect she got them to cover up her scars and when I asked her about it that was when she got touchy about the subject and that was when she hit me. I was surprised so she was able to hit me well and there was also the fact that I can’t hit a girl, especially one that was my own sister."

"Yeah, understandable." I informed him, "But did she give you any information that would be helpful to us?" I asked and the look on Bjorn’s face told me what I needed to know.

"She jumped out the window before I could ask her anything further."

"Well, that goes the plan." Nikolai said his voice taking a disappointed tone.

"There’s more." Bjorn said and we all looked at him wondering what he meant by that. Bjorn paused, staring at us for a few seconds before he decided to speak, "She might have known about your plan to rescue Dahlia."

I growled harshly at him. "What?"

"Yeah, she said something about you betraying and trust and that whatever deal you have is of?"

Fuck’s sake! I thought as I growled harshly as I let out a string of curses. Evie knows about our plan to get to Dahlia. I was going to be taking her with or without her help but that wasn’t something I wanted her to know yet, that knowledge changed everything.

If Evie believes that what we did was betrayal and the deal was off, she could turn to her father. Sigurd knowing about the plan to save Dahlia was going to change everything. For all we know he could get Dahlia killed over there so all we have to bring home is her body.

"I’m sorry, Evie is more unstable than I thought." Bjorn said but his apology meant nothing.

I wanted to hit something, fuck that I wanted to hit something. I wanted to hit someone, I wanted to kill someone and watch the blood drip down my sword and there is only one person’s bloodshed that would satisfy me.

The blood of Sigurd Hawthorne!

I stared at Bjorn, my hands trembling at my sides from all the rage I was feeling. Nikolai stepped in front of me, obscuring my view of Bjorn.

"Look, I know what that look on your face means. But we need to calm down, okay?" Nikolai said, "No matter how badly you want to turn to violence right now, you will need to reign it in. we do not want to startle Ivar who is asleep now do we?" He asked me and my gaze went to the crib which was now quiet which meant that Ivar was asleep.

Drawing in a deep breath, I clenched my fists so tight my knuckles made a cracking sound. There was a scream burning in the back of my throat but I managed to suppress it. Sigurd, that vile, evil bastard, I wish for nothing more than to burst into the palace, grab him by that silver hair, end his life and leave him a last message in his own blood!

However, Nikolai had spoken the truth, I couldn’t create a scene here. I heaved in a sigh to calm myself before I approached Ivar’s crib. I reached inside and I picked him up, adjusting him in my arms before I turned towards the door but not before stopping in front of Bjorn.

"Know this, my prince." I said looking at him, "If my son grows up without a mother, I will make sure I end every single Hawthorne lineage!"

"Reagan_" Killian warned but I continued.

"I won’t stop shedding blood of every single Hawthorne, I will wipe everyone from existence and I do not care who they are!"