Part Wolf

"Hail, Prince Lloyd!"

The shouts from beyond filled the air. Elize could hear it clearly even from two miles away from the gate. There were tonnes of people standing on top of Castlewall's gate and under it, crowding to see the return of their prince. Never had she seen such a display of loyalty in her weeks of stay in the place. 

The army was camped a few miles outside the gate, waiting for the prince and Elize to join them. As soon as they reached, Droth and Ellisar came running over, informing them that they've already sent a messenger to the palace to announce their return. Elize looked towards the gate in dread as the army got ready to depart. 

"That sure is a lot of people." She said with an awkward laugh. 

The one thing she always got nervous about was crowds. A good thirty to fifty was manageable, now that she had so much exposure to extreme situations but an entire district coming out to welcome them was something else. 

"Don't worry. You'll be safe with me." Lloyd said, pulling her closer against him. 

Elize laughed. "I know." She said, pushing him away. 

"Oh?" The prince asked, grinning at her mischievously. 

Her heart skipped a beat watching him smile like that. She quickly looked away, lest he sees her reaction. They had had a quick ride from Westcrest till the border. Both of them had been silent during the journey. The prince had been lost in his thoughts while Elize was too nervous to utter a word. Last night had been embarrassing, and neither of them had talked about it yet. She looked away from him, keeping her eyes glued to her grip on the Zhouyu's fur.

"Yes." She said, biting down on her lips to suppress her smile. 

Their short moment was cut short by Ellisar's interruption. He cleared his throat, calling for their attention from on top of his horse. Elize looked towards the elven guard who maintained a good distance from the Zhouyu, looking between the beast and them cautiously. His horse, on the other hand, looked like it was having a hard time standing so close to a mythical creature. 

"My prince, shall we proceed?" He asked, trying to keep his horse calm. 

Lloyd chuckled, seeing the man fumble around with the reigns. "Yes, let us not keep them waiting for too long, Ellisar." He said, winking at the man. 

Ellisar smiled back awkwardly. "I'll go ahead with War Commander Aiwin. I'll leave the boy with you." He said, pointing towards Droth.

"Thank you, Ellisar." The prince acknowledged, nodding in approval. 

"My lady," Ellisar said, bowing his head, before leading his horse towards the front of the procession, where others were waiting for him, keeping their distance from the gigantic mythical beast. 

Elize's gaze traveled back towards the gate, where the crowd was only getting thicker. She patted her chest as she exhaled, trying to feel less nervous. The image of a certain wolf flashed in her mind, smiling warmly at her. It made her shiver. How was she going to deal with all of this? She wondered, feeling overwhelmed with a sudden wave of emotions. 

"It's going to be alright," Lloyd whispered, placing a warm hand over her own. 

Elize nodded halfheartedly. Yes, it was going to be alright. She was going home- to the palace where everyone awaited their return. There was nothing to be worried about, she told herself. The prince adjusted himself on the Zhouyu's back so that he was close enough for her to feel his warmth and yet not be conscious of his body pressing against hers. 

The procession started moving forward, and the Zhouyu moved with it, its movements subtle and graceful like a cat following its prey. The only thing that was keeping her from shifting out of nervousness was the prince's hand on her back. The shouts of celebration grew louder as they entered the enormous decorated gate of Castlewall- the capital district and the seat of power. 

The district was huge, but the main town that they walked into was a sight to see. On either side of the wide street were all kinds of fae, shouting praises of joy, celebrating the victory of the prince and his army. The Castlewall that she was seeing in front of her was grander than the one that she had seen on her various night outs with Lloyd. 

Strings of colorful ribbons and expensive silk decorated both sides of the street and above their heads. Elize had to keep leaning forward and whisper calming words into the Zhouyu's ears to keep it from growling at the happy citizens, looking at them with awe. Unaware of the creature's temperament, they stood their ground, and some even came forward to get a closer look at the creature. It was the first time that they were seeing the creature, that was only heard of through rumors of being kept locked in the palace grounds. 

"So it was true! It is the Zhouyu!"

"Then our prince must be him- the righteous king who is born to save the world."

"No, no! It should be a good omen due to the arrival of the Chosen One!"

"Such a beautiful beast!"