The Princess' Harem
Chapter 94: The Valendale’s Heir

Chapter 94: The Valendale’s Heir

The desert shimmered under the relentless afternoon sun, waves of heat warping the horizon into mirages. The world felt endless, stretched beneath an unforgiving sky.

Joel suddenly pulled his horse to a stop. His movements, normally smooth and unbothered, were sharp, tense. His eyes, typically distant, narrowed against the glare, locked on a faint distortion in the heat haze.

Reyes and Arden noticed instantly. Their hands fell to their sword hilts, their bodies tense. Viana, riding close, felt the shift—an unease threading through the air. The desert, usually predictable in its dangers, suddenly felt unpredictable.

Slowly, the blur in the distance took shape. A group of riders, moving steadily, though with visible strain. Their horses looked exhausted, their gaits uneven. As they came closer, banners became visible—silver-threaded, hanging limply from their lances.

Reyes exhaled, his voice low. "Valendale Royal Dragoons."

Joel’s laid-back nature had vanished, replaced by sharp watchfulness. Arden frowned, shifting uncomfortably in his saddle. A foreign prince and his knights, deep in Elysia’s blighted desert, was not something easily explained.

It was him, Prince Rayne of the Valendale Empire, leading a small but weary group of knights. His face was streaked with dust and sweat, his uniform torn and dirty. His knights, equally worn, bore signs of harsh travel, armor dulled by sand, faces marked with exhaustion.

Rayne barely managed to dismount, his movements stiff with fatigue. His horse, like his men’s, barely stood, its flanks slick with sweat. His dark, tired eyes scanned the group before settling on Viana.

"Princess Viana," Rayne rasped, his voice hoarse. "I knew I would find you here. I... had to." His strength gave out, and he leaned heavily against his horse, shuddering from exhaustion. His men, though trained warriors, barely held themselves upright, their discipline the only thing keeping them standing.

Viana rushed to him, shock quickly turning to concern, and wariness. This was not just a meeting. This was something else.

"Prince Rayne!" she demanded, disbelief and caution mixing in her tone. "Why are you here? And with your men?"

Valendale and Elysia were neither allies nor enemies. They maintained careful diplomacy, always watching from afar. For him to arrive like this, unannounced, accompanied by knights, was more than unexpected. It was a complication.

She gestured for Joel to get him water, her mind already racing through the implications. How had he found them? What did he want? And how would she explain this to her father, the King, let alone the Emperor of Valendale?

Rayne took the waterskin with shaking hands, gulping it down. Water ran down his chin, soaking into the dust on his face. His knights accepted water as well, drinking deeply, grateful but silent.

"The blight," he coughed, finally catching his breath. "It doesn’t respect borders, Princess. It has started creeping into Valendale’s lands, twisting the outer villages. The reports are grim. Fear spreads like the sickness itself. My people are afraid, just like yours."

His tired eyes burned with resolve. "I heard whispers of your quest. The Desert’s Embrace, it’s mentioned in our imperial records, dismissed as myth. But I knew. I knew it might be the best chance, the only hope. I had to follow."

He exhaled shakily, the weight of his journey evident. "I convinced my most loyal men to come with me. We staged a false scouting mission, covered our tracks. We’ve been chasing your trail for days, surviving on what little we could find. We need to be here, Princess. Valendale’s fate is tied to this just as much as Elysia’s. And I—I want to help find the cure."

Reyes stepped forward, his expression dark. His grip on his sword remained firm. "Prince," he said, voice low, measured. "This mission is dangerous... meant for Elysia. Your presence complicates things, politically and practically. Your Emperor..."

"My Father would understand," Rayne interrupted, his voice rough but unwavering. He met Reyes’s sharp gaze directly. "I am a Prince of Valendale. My duty is to serve my people... to fight for their survival. If that means working alongside Elysia, then so be it. I won’t be left behind. Not when our kingdoms are dying."

His knights, though silent, stood firm. Despite their exhaustion, they showed no hesitation in following their prince’s conviction.

Viana studied him carefully. He was young, perhaps too young for such a burden, but his determination was undeniable.

Sending him back wasn’t an option. He had come too far, and turning him away now would mean forcing him, and his knights, to attempt the impossible alone. His presence, however unexpected, proved how far the blight had spread, beyond Elysia’s borders, beyond their knowledge. Perhaps, if nothing else, it meant the start of something different. A fragile alliance against a shared enemy.

"Very well, Prince Rayne," Viana finally said, her voice carrying both exasperation and reluctant acceptance. Politics could wait. Survival came first. "But understand this, this is not a diplomatic visit. This is a desperate quest. You and your men will follow my orders without question, as everyone else here does. You will pull your weight. And you will understand the risks."

She gave him a hard stare, then let out a weary sigh, her expression softening slightly. "Welcome to the expedition, Prince. Now, rest. We ride at dawn."

Rayne nodded, a flicker of fierce and raw relief in his eyes. He had made it, he had found them.

His knights, though exhausted, straightened slightly, their discipline holding them together. They had found her.

The group now numbered more, an unexpected addition, but one that spoke volumes about the blight’s far-reaching grasp and the desperation gripping two kingdoms.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long, violet shadows across the sand as the company prepared for another cold desert night.

Their journey pressed forward, growing harder with each passing mile. The landscape twisted into towering dunes and jagged rock formations, the heat relentless.

They were far beyond any known settlements, deep in the heart of the eastern desert. Water had become more precious than gold.