by J A Essen
“Very well.” I take a seat beside her, and once dressed, she slides in close, holding my hand and putting forth a stoic face. “Together.”
Precipitously, a group of panthers burst forth from the dense foliage and take position surrounding us, waiting for the others to appear. They pace in a clockwise manner around us, making sure we have no means of easy escape should we decide to sprint again.
When the four remaining elves appear from the shadows, Eoghan speaks first.
“A caster, huh? Well, I will admit that you caught me off guard, but that won’t happen again. Bind his hands. Tightly.”
There is no sense in fighting, so I present my hands to the elf that approaches me. The pacing panthers have one-by-one begun to shift back as clothing was presented.
“And you, Princess,” he spits on the ground, “you should have accepted me when your father offered. Now your fate will be the same as his.” Eoghan bites at the last word and cuts his eyes to me.
With both of us restrained, the elves set up formation with three in front, three flanking each side of us, and three, including Eoghan, in the rear. We begin our march east, back toward the Forsaken Woods and the Mountains of Dubh; then finally, back to Robor. I’m not sure how, but I can’t let this be the end of my story; of our story. Edana and I have just barely begun our lives together.
*****
As night falls, we are just barely hitting the western edge of the Mountains of Dubh, so our party decides to make camp under a large, overhanging of granite. Setting up camp for the evening, I hear them discussing rotation for sleep and watch duty. Not going to be any sneaking off in the middle of the night obviously.
We are presented with food and water, and while they undo Edana’s bindings, I’m not so fortunate.
“Ahem,” I put my hands out, and the guard laughs.
“Not a chance, Ujnart. Do you take me for a fool?”
“Well, actually…” I trail off. That one earns me a powerful backhand and sends me tumbling onto my side. Maybe not one of my best moments.
Edana begins to move toward me, and another guard speaks, “Sit, down!”
When she refuses to listen, he jumps up and grabs her by the arm. Spionnadh, she bites at him and pushes with her free hand, sending him sailing backward onto his ass. Two of the guards begin to laugh, but he gets up, grabs his sword and with intense anger in his eye begins to charge at Edana.
“Enough, Tysterm!” Eoghan announces. “She’s still the king’s daughter and no harm will come to her at our hands. Leave them both be. We don’t want to deny King Brennus his right of retribution.”
The guard lowers his weapon and sulks back to his station.
No harm will come to her at our hands. No harm will come to her at. OUR. HANDS.
I repeat this over and over in my head. Maybe, just maybe there is something here I can use to our advantage. What, I don’t yet know, but perhaps a situation will present itself.
Slanting back against the rock wall, I raise my arms as Edana places her head on my lap, and then lower them back over her lovingly. Leaning in, I kiss her temple and whisper, “This isn’t over yet, my sweet. I don’t know how, but I won’t let this be the end of our story together.” She turns her head to look at me and with tears in her eyes, she mouths back I love you. I use my thumb to wipe away the first tear that falls, and then she crawls into my lap, inside of my bound arms and begins to cry into my neck, knowing that in all reality, this is probably our final night to ever see each other. I hold her close to my chest and close my eyes. I need a miracle.
*****
“Guards to arms! Take up the line!”
I awaken to sudden abundance of movement and shouting, completely disoriented and shaking. The elves are all forming up just outside of the protection of the overhanging rock, and I can’t tell what is going on. Edana has scurried off of me and is huddled up against the cold, granite rock face. I shake my head to clear the cobwebs and then shove my bound hands toward her, “Hurry, undo the rope.”
She begins fiddling with the bonds and finally gets them loose enough for me to slip out of. “Stay here. I’m going to see what’s going on.” I creep along the wall of rock as far down as I can until I can peer around the elves, and then I see it; I see them. An entire century of soldiers carrying Nathair’s banner.
Five of the elves shift into bears and charge the lines while another five attempt to cast and keep protective magical barriers around those attacking. Eoghan puts up a barrier spell in front of the elves concentrating their protection on the bears, and one other begins casting fireball spells into the mix as the front line of humans drop to a knee and fire off the first salvo of arrows.
I bolt full-out in the direction of Edana and begin screaming at her, “GET DOWN! Protect yourself. King Nathair’s men are here.”
I see her arms begin moving furiously in what appears to me to be wild circles, and then I see a shimmering, waving curtain appear before her.
“Faudron, here behind me.”
I slide in with her and watch as the attack unfolds. The bears are tearing into the lines and going after the bowmen first, mauling them with their enormous clawed paws. The foot soldiers press in with swords drawn but are reflected by the barriers surrounding the bears. Then I spot the incoming sneak attack.
I, and obviously the elves as well, never saw the sides of the lines break off since the attack was focused down the middle. There are men, bowmen and foot soldiers both, stealthily approaching from both flanks. Seeing as I believe we fair better with the humans than elves, I do nothing to warn them.
The first arrows fly in simultaneously from both the left and right; one striking Eoghan and multiple impaling his companion, dropping the shield protecting the protectors. The remaining hunters on the main line fire off another round, dropping three of the elves in the process and as a result, three of the bears are now susceptible to physical attacks. Sword-drawn footmen make short work of them, and then the human lines begin advancing two steps at a time.
Flanking teams are approaching at break speed and although Eoghan and his fellow elf have regained their footing and begun casting fireballs once again, they simply cannot take enough down quickly enough. In seconds, the companion is run through, and Eoghan has been put to the ground.
The two remaining protectors drop shields from the bears and attempt to recast the spells to protect themselves, but their timing is off. Multiple arrows strike both in the chest, and they fall exactly where they were; neither managing a single step of retreat.
All but Eoghan have been felled, and he’s currently being bound tightly. I see a group of about ten approaching our position. “Edana, drop the shield. They won’t harm me. They undoubtedly have orders to return me to King Nathair himself.”
“Good morning, gentlemen.” I greet the soldiers as they approach.
“Shut it, Faudron. You are coming with us. King Nathair has,” the soldier scratches at his unruly beard while he contemplates how to phrase it, “things to discuss with you.” He chuckles at this.
Another, one of higher rank obviously, and one I recognize from the group that brought me out, strides up on horseback. “And who is this beautiful creature?” He attempts to sidestep his horse between Edana and myself, but I slide her in behind me.
“Touch a hair on her and I will break both you and your horse’s legs,” I growl through my teeth at him. “She’s my mate.” My eyes are cut, and my hands are posed for casting.
“Easy now, Faudron. No one else is going to get hurt here today. Bring them both horses.”
I gather Edana in my protective embrace while we wait for our transportation to arrive. Not thinking, I brush the hair back from her face, preparing to give her a kiss on the forehead when I hear the same soldier gasp.
“You’re the princess; Brennus’ daughter.”
“How could you possibly know that?” I’m now even more protective of Edana. “She rides with me. Period.”
“Fine, Faudr
on. I was wholly serious when I said no more harm would come to the two of you from us.”
As two mounts are brought forward, I accept the large brown steed and after helping Edana up, climb on as well.
“Let’s get this journey underway, shall we then? By the way, the name is Wallace in case you were wondering; and I know you were.”
He circles around and tells another of the men to knock out Eoghan and bring him with them. I hear something to the effect of Nathair can determine his fate.
The dead bodies are gathered and set aflame before we leave the area. To say things have gotten more complicated today would be an understatement, but, nonetheless, I like our odds better with my kind than with Edana’s. I keep pace alongside Wallace, and as the sun makes it way up into the sky, we just break out of the tree line. I make note to Wallace that neither Edana nor I have had anything to eat thus far today, and we halt our trek here at this point for lunch. Apparently the few dozen remaining soldiers are thankful for the reprieve as well. Some stretch their legs first while others tear straight away into the rations.
Wallace sits with Edana and me as we begin to devour fresh carrots, dried rabbit, flatbread and warm mead. Everyone eats until their bellies are full, and since it’s only a few hours ride back to the kingdom, Wallace allows them a small period of rest as well.
“Tell me, Faudron, how is it that you came to be with the princess of the elves?”
“It’s a long story and one I’m sure Nathair will want to hear as well, so why don’t we just save it for a single telling. It has everything to do with my, shall we say, less than complete truth to the king.” I tear another chunk of bread off and jam it into my mouth, followed by a long gulp of mead.
“Very well. I have to admit; I cannot wait to hear the tale.” Wallace is all smiles; which has me worried.
“All right men, time to move on. We need to have Faudron back before dinner.”
There are groans from the men who were just beginning to doze off with bellies full of warmth and happiness. Once again, I assist Edana and then climb on right behind her. Grabbing the reins, my arms lock onto her waist, and she presses back into me, leaning her head back and exposing her beautiful, long neck. I give it a quick nip and then spur the horse, moving us forward to an uncertain future. Why have we been treated so well? This isn’t at all what I would expect.
Chapter 19
Edana
To say I’m on edge as we pass through the city gates of Dun Felmar would be an understatement. I have never been surrounded by so many watchful eyes in my entire life. Faudron has his right arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me into his strong chest, as we continue riding towards the castle. This area is not so much unlike Ithoran with shopkeepers tending to their customers, children running through the streets, and day-to-day life proceeding as normal.
I would actually feel a lot better if we had been tied up and brought back as true prisoners rather than, well, whatever this confused mess is. I can feel the uncertainty in Faudron as well, but he’s doing his best not to show it and be brave for me.
The castle is imposing as it should be, surrounded by a very impressive moat. It’s so wide actually that a bridge must be lowered from both our side and the castle side, meeting on a large pillar in the middle of the water. I glance over the side as we ride across and let out a muffled whistle.
“Long way down, huh?” Faudron whispers in my ear.
I nod my head in acknowledgment. “Murky too.”
“From what I hear, that is done purposefully. The water surface is only a couple of inches deep above forged, sharpened rods and craggy boulders. If you fall over the edge, you are either going to be impaled or your body riddled with broken bones from the impact against the rocks; quite ingenious actually.”
I turn my head to look at him, and he’s smiling at the creativity of it.
Making our way across, we turn to the right and after a short trot around the front and to the side, we come to the stables where Faudron dismounts and then helps me down. Wallace hands his reins over to a stable hand and then begins to make his way to us.
“Excuse me Princess, but does this thing have a name?” He points a long finger toward the lethargic elven body draped over a horse.
“His name is Eoghan,” I reply simply and matter of fact.
“Thank you.” He turns his attention to one of his men. “Take Eoghan and lock him in the dungeon for now. I will discuss with the king what is to become of him.”
Two of the men remove Eoghan’s unconscious body and drag him under his arms into the castle and out of sight. I could honestly care less what the king decides to do with him now.
“Faudron, Princess, if you will follow me please.” Wallace moves forward to a separate side entrance into the castle.
Faudron pulls me into his side, kisses the top of my head, and we follow. The passageway we enter twists and turns several times before depositing us into a large gathering room. There are works of art and beautiful blue draperies hanging on the walls. Several various designs of full body armor and miscellaneous weaponry are perched upon presentation pedestals. Shining gold chandeliers hang low from the massive ceilings and illuminate the large, open space.
Wallace has stopped to talk to a small group of women, giving me a chance to take in the surroundings. They’re indeed impressive, but not as overwhelmingly as they would be to someone who wasn’t brought up amongst royalty.
“Sorry about that; just needed to take care of something. Shall we proceed?” Wallace shows the direction with his open arm and then begins again.
Another passageway with more turns and we come to what I can only describe as an over the top throne room. Enormous draperies depicting family crests adorn the walls at the very back, behind the throne, and a three tier golden chandelier hangs directly over the raised perch of the throne area itself. There are several jeweled crowns displayed in insets along the wall to the left, but the right wall is what leads me to believe that this King Nathair is a total pompous ass.
No less than fifteen feet tall each are three separate paintings of the king. In one he’s on horseback, one on his throne, and one looks as if he’s meeting with a group of men over something important. No family portraits, none of his son, the prince, doing impressive deeds; just oversized, arrogant reminders of his position.
Faudron catches me rolling my eyes. “I know, right,” he comments under his breath.
Wallace leads us to a seating arrangement near the raised throne seats, “Have a seat here and I will return in a moment.”
“No guards?” I inquire.
“Why? Do you think they are warranted?” Wallace raises an eyebrow at me and then turns on his heel, leaving us alone in this massive place.
“So, have any inkling where this is all going?” I ask Faudron.
“Not a clue. I have been trying to figure out this entire situation since Wallace first told me that absolutely no harm was to come to us. There is something going on here that I’m missing; something big.”
I’m too anxious to sit, so I wander up towards the thrones. There are three, as is customary, with more seating room available. The center, King Nathair’s is double the size of the two flanking it. His is made of most likely oak and is covered largely with hand laid gold design and fitted with plush, crimson seating, and backing. The seat to his left, for his queen, is more feminine with a scroll worked back and inlaid with beautiful silver filigree. To the right, his prince son’s seat is a smaller, less detailed version of the primary throne.
I take a seat in the king’s, and it swallows my petite frame. Sitting with my legs drawn up and crossed, my knees just barely touch each side. Watching my fingers trail along through the dips of the hand-beaten gold arm rests I’m suddenly startled and jump clear out of the seat.
“Do you approve, Princess?” A loud, booming voice fills the hall.
Faudron is doing his best not to laugh at me, but failing miserably. He must have known when the king came
in but didn’t say a word. Through my rose colored embarrassment, I cut my eyes at him and glare.
“I, I’m sorry your highness.” I stutter, quickly clambering down and moving in beside Faudron.
King Nathair is smiling as he makes his way toward us. Faudron regains his composure and stands to greet the king. I curtsy and as Faudron begins to bow, the king shoots his hand out instead. Faudron quickly glances at me and then back to the king as he takes his hand and shakes it.
“Thank you for holding your tongue, Faudron. I’m not easily entertained, but knew that would be good for some exuberant amusement.”
Turning to me, “Forgive an old man, Princess, but life is too short to live without laughter. Let’s all sit shall we?”
The right side of the room is set with a large round table, presumably for meeting dignitaries, and we all take seats.
“So, from what Wallace tells me, you two were looking at a pretty dire situation when my men came upon you; especially you, Faudron. Must be a good story behind why you were bound, and the two of you under guard by twelve elves on the outskirts of the Dubh Mountains.”
“Well…” Faudron started but was quickly hushed.
“I think, though, that story may be better saved for dinner. There is something else I would rather discuss right now.” Looking across the room, “Wallace, care to join us please.”
I see Faudron roll his eyes.
Wallace nearly skips across the room; this is undoubtedly what he has been waiting for since he found us.
“So, Faudron.” Nathair rolls his head on his shoulders and then interlacing his fingers, cracks his knuckles before continuing, “Care to explain the boar’s head you presented to me as the supposed ‘Beast of the Forsaken Woods’? I had men follow you, and I know that, that disfigured creature is not the same one that charged at you from the woods before my men fled.”
“To answer both of your questions, your highness, and yours from earlier today Wallace, this,” he points to me, “is the reason why.”
