High lord Karle was consumed by anxiety, his brow glistening with cold sweat as he waited for Prince Aldric. Despite sending messages back to the palace and dispatching scouts, there was still no sign of him.
"Didn’t you claim to have seen Prince Aldric?" he snapped at his assistant, who flinched at his tone. His nerves were frayed, and he lashed out at those around him.
His assistant responded cautiously, "That was the report from the Fae guard stationed at the border."
Lord Karle gripped the bridge of his nose tightly, fighting to contain his rising anger. The pounding of his heart reverberated through his chest, fueled by his worst fears. Aldric was nowhere to be found, intensifying his dread. Yet, the thought that his assistant might have been mistaken from the beginning was even more terrifying. Would all this be for nothing?
"Bring forth the fae guard who claimed to have spotted Prince Aldric," he ordered with a chilling tone.
Within moments, the trembling fae guard stood before the high lord. Lord Karle’s visage darkened with rage, his fury palpable enough to intimidate the stoutest of souls.
"Where is Prince Aldric?" he demanded furiously.
"M-my lord, I cannot say. I merely witnessed him at the border and relayed the information," stammered the guard.
"And now?" Lord Karle’s voice thundered.
"I assumed he was en route to the palace, my lord. I contemplated following him, but...," the guard trailed off, implying the peril he sensed in shadowing the dark Fae prince.
"You useless wretch!" Lord Karle’s boot collided with the guard’s chest, and he unleashed his pent-up frustration, raining blows upon the hapless fae. Why were those around him so utterly incompetent? The anger boiled within him, finding release in the physical exertion of his assault.
"Disperse! Find my nephew by any means necessary!" Lord Karle’s voice thundered as he issued his command to the soldiers.
With a fierce determination in his eyes, Lord Karle led his guards through the wintry landscape, his mind focused solely on finding and confronting these intruders. They were supposed to come to him first, bearing gifts as a token of respect, and only then would he consider permitting them to do whatever they wanted—after taking his rightful share of the goodies, of course.
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