“Nyra!” Rachelle cried.

“It was about to attack you. I had to tranquillise it,” someone said. “Men take it away!”

“Hey, you can’t do that. Nyra’s harmless,” Rachelle snapped as armoured men blocked their way.

"You've named it! It's a wild animal. It's impossible to be harmless. If you can't see that, you shouldn't be here," he said.

Rachelle tried to push through the men but couldn’t do anything as she watched them leave, taking Nyra with them.

***

Meanwhile, atop the gate wall, Eldric looked over to see Duke Dawellen below.

“What is so urgent for you to be here alone?” Eldric asked confidently.

Duke Dawellen looked up at Eldric with a composed expression, hands clasped behind his back.

"Ah, Your Majesty, forgive the suddenness of my arrival. I had hoped to request a private audience with you. Urgent matters have arisen within my lands that I believe are of grave importance to the realm," he explained. "I chose to come alone as a gesture of goodwill, Your Majesty. I did not want to raise an unnecessary alarm by bringing an entourage, especially given the sensitive nature of my concerns."

Eldric narrowed his eyes, suspicious.

“And what matters would be so important that it requires my immediate attention, Duke?”

The duke hesitated as though he were searching for the right words to continue his deception.

“There are whispers of unrest… rumours of an alliance forming against the crown. I fear that certain factions might seek to undermine your rule, and I have come to offer my assistance in investigating the matter. It is in all our best interests to maintain peace since dear Princess Elira passed.”

Eldric's gaze flicked down the path, sensing that something was amiss.

“You expect me to believe you came here? Without warning. For a rumour!” Eldric said firmly.

“Your Majesty, my loyalty has always been to Lornyth,” Duke Dawellen replied, his voice steady, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of something darker. “I wish to warn you directly, without prying ears, and if I may be so bold, time is of the essence.”

Bang!

“Sir, Nyra has gone missing!” a guard said, breathlessly barging through the door. “Rachelle ran into me in a panic, and I made out ‘Nyra's gone’”.

Panic flared behind his eyes, but he pushed it down. He couldn’t afford to lose control now.

“Duke, stay where you are!” Eldric ordered.

Dawellen looked down as a small smirk spread across his lips.

Eldric followed the guard, each step heavier with dread. His mind raced.

“What happened? Who would dare take Nyra from me?”

He clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms. They reached Rachelle, who was pale and shaken, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Your Majesty! They… they took Nyra. Men in armour… they put her to sleep and dragged her away, saying she was dangerous!" Rachelle blurted, her voice high with panic.

Eldric knelt before Rachelle. Gripping her shoulders gently but firmly.

“Who did this?” Eldric’s tone was calm, but his eyes burned with fury.

Rachelle exhaled, her voice steadier now.

“They looked like guards, but the emblem was different… it had snakes on it," Rachelle said, pointing in the direction they went. “They left the castle in that way.”

Eldric’s stomach dropped.

“The duke,” he growled, rising to his feet.

He squeezed Rachelle’s arm briefly, trying to reassure her.

“Thank you, Rachelle. I’ll make this right, I promise.”

He turned and sprinted down the hallway, his heart pounding. His vision tunnelled.

He burst through the door leading outside, his boots pounding against the stone. He noticed a carriage sped off in the distance, dust rising in its wake. Eldric’s eyes narrowed, seeing the Dawellen emblem on the side of the carriage.

“DAWEEELLEEEEN!” he roared, his voice carrying over the wind. “You won’t get away with this!”

***

Nyra was dragged down a dimly lit hallway of Dawellen’s palace. At the end of the corridor, a heavy door creaked open, revealing a dungeon lined with rusted cages. Without care, her captors hauled her inside and shoved her into a cage, her front and back paws bound separately, leaving her unable to resist.

“There, this one was an easy catch,” said a voice.

“What we got here?” said another.

“Looks like a lion with no mane?” someone said confidently.

SMACK!

“Ow!”

“You idiot, that’s a female lion, a lioness!” said another.

Footsteps began echoing down the hallway, and they began walking towards them.

“My Lady! My apologies, the lioness is all yours,” a man said as Nyra began opening her eyes.

“Leave at once, and take this idiot with you, ugh,” they said, a voice higher than the others.

The footsteps got louder as they approached, the sharp clack reminiscent of a fine heel striking the stone.

“Who do we have here?” She said, lowering her voice as she crouched down.

Nyra tried to turn to the woman with great difficulty. 

The woman fed something through the bars, hooked it onto the rope around Nyra’s front paws and pulled her closer to the bars of the cage.

“Let's get you out of those,” she whispered.

The woman pulled out a small blade and started cutting through the rope until suddenly, a fresh set of heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway. The woman suddenly stopped, put the blade away, leaned on top of the cage, and watched Nyra.

“Mirael, what are you doing here?” said a deep voice. "Didn't Father say you're not allowed here?"

Mirael turned around, flipping her long black hair behind her.

“There’s nothing wrong with me looking, and he said 'stay away from the goods'. I don’t see any goods in here,” she said. Leaning her elbows on the cage.

"The lioness is the goods father has spoken of," he said firmly.

"What, no, goods are inanimate objects like food, silver pots, gold, and jewels. Animals aren't goods unless you count cows, pigs, and sheep," Mirael snapped.

"That’s what father called it. It guards King Eldric, his family, staff, and castle," he snapped back. "So, as it is like a tool to be used, it’s under the label, goods."

"Don't call her 'it'; she's not a thing; she's a live animal," Mirael snapped again.

“I thought I recognised that voice. Mirael,” a familiar voice spoke.

“Father!” Mirael blurted.

“Didn’t I tell you not to come here?” he said firmly.

"But you said goods, not a lion—"

“Ah. No excuses. Leave!” he snapped.

“It’s the Duke!” Nyra thought, her eyes now fully open.

“But—"

“What did I just say?” the duke said, pointing down the hallway.

“She’s not a thing,” Mirael muttered as she passed her brother.

“Ever since Elira died, Mirael thinks she can do what she wants. She has been helping people she believes to be locked up for the wrong reasons," he said randomly.

Nyra growled.

“Now look what you have done, Leopold. You’ve bothered it. Go bother Mirael if you have so much to complain about,” Duke Dawellen said, shooing Leopold out.

Nyra was now alone with the duke.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, of course, she tried to cut you free," the duke groaned, seeing the rope slightly frayed.

Nyra lay in the cage, her mind racing. The duke’s words echoed in her ears.

“Don’t you dare take advantage of my Mirael!” the duke snapped, gritting his teeth.

She had to escape, but she didn’t know how.

***

In the great hall of Lornyth, chaos reigned. Eldric paced back and forth, with worry written all over his face. Mistral stood by the throne, his tail twitching with anxiety.

Mistral whined.

“I should have followed her,” Mistral whispered to Nero.

"Dear," Elena started.

“Enough!” Eldric snapped, his patience wearing thin. “We’ll find Nyra. We must stay focused.”

He turned to Rachelle. “Did they say anything about where she was being taken?”

"No, they just grabbed her and left while blocking our way," Rachelle replied. "I tried to stop them."

“Horus, gather the guards,” Eldric commanded. “We need to organise a search party. “Nero, you’ll lead it.”

Nero nodded.

Meanwhile, back at Dawellen’s palace, Mirael watched her brother with a smirk on her face.

“What do you want, Leo?” she said. “If you wanted to impress Father so much, don’t talk about me.”

“Don’t you dare lecture me, Mirael,” Leopold shot back, crossing his arms. "Father expects us to listen to him, not go against his orders, and free the wrong things or people!"

"His orders are wrong!" she argued. "The lioness is more than a thing, and those people are trying to feed their families. What's the harm in one piece of bread going missing?"

“Spare me your idealism,” Leopold said, rolling his eyes. “You’re too soft, and it gets you in trouble.”

Mirael clenched her fists, trying to suppress her frustration. "Maybe if you had a shred of compassion, you'd understand that not everything is about power, status, and money.

Leopold shrugged, unfazed. “Keep your head in the clouds. I’m going to see Father. He’ll know how to deal with you.”

As he turned to leave, Mirael called after him.

"You're an arse. What if the lioness gets hurt because of Father's orders?”

Leopold paused, glancing back over his shoulder. “That’s none of my concern. Just remember, you’re treading dangerous waters.”

With that, he strode away, leaving Mirael alone with her thoughts. She had to find a way to help the Lioness and prove her brother wrong, but how?