Once

by Alyson Serena Stone

  He kicked open his door and tossed her roughly in, slamming it shut behind him. "Now, the first order of business." He bent his head down next to hers, pressing his lips against hers.

  She gasped, but didn't pull away. Sure, she had been kissed before, but there was something different about this time. This was far different than in the closet at Craskbrand’s. There was no way to describe it. When their lips meet, they just became wrapped in each other; like this was the way it was supposed to be. She really had no idea why they had waited this long, way they had always fought instead of this.

  For the first time in her life, she let him take control. He brushed his tongue against hers, his hair felt so soft as she threaded her fingers through it. She wanted more...She actually wanted all of him. There was not enough strength to keep them close enough. She wanted him...No, she needed him...She didn't give a damn about what was going to go down tomorrow.

  "I was wondering when you would get around to this," she whispered as she broke the kiss. "We really are the odd couple."

  Dak brushed a piece of hair away from her face. "Maybe that's why we work so well."

  Ryanon looked away from him. "Maybe." She bit the inside of her mouth. If only he knew everything that was to come.

  He smirked. "At least you didn't bit me this time."

  "There's still plenty of time for that."

  He handed her a stack of maps. "Here, you need to study these."

  She stared down at the maps. How many maps did he have? She thought she had memorized them all. The barrier surrounded Trelia on all sides with the lands of the fairies to the north. It didn’t look any different from the others. "Do we even know what the barrier is for certain?" She had read about it a million times, but just wanted to be certain.

  "It's thorns. We’re certain on that. We've tried to cut through them, but they just keep growing back thicker and heavier than ever before. When you try to go over or under them, the thorns just seem to come to life." He runs a long finger over the barrier's edge. "The few drones we have managed to get over the barrier are sent back as charred remains."

  Ryanon bit the inside of her mouth. The thought of killing Trelia's king was nerve racking enough, but to go up against a dragon and living was just unheard of. She stared down at the maps. Before the curse, Trelia had been about the same size of Xandria, but now only the court remained. The rest of the kingdom lay to rot under the great thorns. At least, that was if the map was correct. It was hard to believe that there were this many versions of the same land.

  "And I have something from our friend."

  Ryanon looked at Dak as he handed her a vial. She studied it, recognizing its contents. "Are you sure there's enough?"

  Dak nodded. "Our friend told me there would be."

  Ryanon smiled. "Good."

  "Here," Dak said, tapping her arm with something.

  Ryanon took the pint from him. "Should we really be drinking before we do this?"

  Dak threw back his head and started to drink. "We might as well because if we fail, we'll both be dead."

  She took a small sip. She took life all the time, but the thought of losing her own was just downright scary. She took a bigger drink. Well, if she was going to go out, she might as well do it while drinking Dak's ale.

  Morning came much sooner than Ryanon would have liked. Plus, it didn't help that she was woken up by Dak pouring a bucket of cold water over her. She got her revenge by kicking him so hard between the legs that it nearly made him scream.

  "What the hell was that for?" Ryanon screamed as she got to her feet, water running out of her clothes.

  Dak, still bent over, looked at her. "You wouldn't wake up! Was it really necessary to kick me?" The words came out with a little wheeze behind them.

  "Good," Ryanon said at the wheezing. "I hope it hurts for a long time."

  Dak narrowed his eyes at her as he managed to pull himself mostly upright. "What about that moment last night?"

  Ryanon smiled. "Well, that was before you woke me up with water."

  Dak just frowned. "Get dressed." He tossed her a clean uniform as he started toward the door.

  "Aren't you coming to stay around?" Ryanon called after him.

  He let out a curse that would have caused most sailors to wince. Shaking her head and smirking, she changed, wondering what she was supposed to be do while he was gone.

  Amberfall watched as Captain Morninghelm made his way across the castle's main courtyard, muttering under his breath and walking with a bit of limp. Frowning, she watched as he made his way toward the barracks.

  Frostfire came up behind her. "What are you thinking about?"

  Amberfall turned away from Captain Morninghelm. "Oh, nothing." She moved away from the window. "I probably should be going to my meeting with the king. He gets kind of concerned if his meetings start late."

  She started down the hall, but she could still feel Frostfire looking out the window.

  King Teodric looked up from his desk as they entered, greeting them with a warm smile. It was actually the first kind smile she had seen from him. "Sit, sit, sit." He carefully shoved the papers out of sight.

  Amberfall lowered herself into a chair. "You seem to be in a good mood this morning."

  Teodric's smile widened. "Well, it's getting warmer. There is nothing like the thought of spring to warm a man's soul."

  "That is true." She leaned forward. "Now, what did you wish to discuss this morning."

  "There's not really a lot to talk about. I'm going on a journey to spread goodwill throughout the kingdom and will not be around for a few days. You'll have to stay here and keep up the spirits of the people here. They really do seem to enjoy your company, so I don't think it will be too difficult of a task." The king spoke the words so quickly that Amberfall could hardly keep up with them.

  Amberfall frowned. What kind of a man was he to order her around like that? She bit the inside of her mouth to keep herself from telling him her thoughts. "Of course," she did manage to mutter out without sounding to put out.

  The king stood. "With any luck, after this is all over, we can all sleep better."

  Amberfall and Frostfire also stood.

  "We'll have to see," Amberfall said as Teodric bowed them out.

  She really hoped that one day Captain Morninghelm buried a knife in his back.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Long Journey

  Ryanon mounted her horse and watched as Dak exchanged a few final words with the prince and king before mounting his own black horse. Her eyes narrowed as she studied just how many people were actually going on this journey. Sure, it wasn't a large group, but it was enough to be worried about. This was going to be a hard mission. She just hoped that the Trelian king could manage to walk far enough away to get to safety. Even though Queen Amberfall had promised that someone would be at the end of the tunnel to take the Trelain king to safety, it just didn't sit well.

  The prince and king walked to the front of the line. Both of them wearing military uniforms covered with medals, even though neither one of them had and probably never would fight in a battle.

  "FORWARD!" the king called. "MARCH!"

  The small group of legions moved forward. Their horses stepped perfectly in step with the drum.

  Ryanon caught Dak's eye. "Shouldn't you be up front?" she whispered, making her voice as deep as possible.

  "It doesn't work that way."

  She watched Dak twist the reins tightly in his hands. "Why?"

  "It's just not the way we do things." He clutched his jaw tightly. "Come on, we have to keep up."

  They were slowly leaving behind the crowds of Skalavik. The people on the streets all stared as they passed, hardly anyone cheered for them. Every now and then, Ryanon would catch the glimpse of someone in the early stages of the Exhausting Plague; it was just chilling to think that in a matter of weeks that person would be dead.

  The ride through the countryside was oddly peaceful. The peasants all worked their field
s, looking up as they passed. However, their eyes were not filled with love for their royal family, but of hatred. Dak keeps his hand on the small dagger at his waist as they made their way through a rundown village. The just glared at them, but didn't come out.

  However, none of the peasants had the same haunted look of the Exhausting Plague that the people in Skalavik had.

  "What's all of this about?" Ryanon asked after getting another stink eye from an old woman.

  "This is Kjallaksstaoir," Dak said as if that explained everything.

  Ryanon frowned. "Huh?"

  "The king has raised taxes again and many cannot afford to pay them. If they can't pay, then he takes their land." Dak flinched as a rotten apple came flying toward him. "I really don't blame them, but throwing things is not necessary."

  "Then, why don't you stop it?"

  "We are on another mission. We can't deal with a revolt today."

  Ryanon stared as they passed half-starved children. Their eyes were so far back into their head that it looked like Death would come knocking on their door tonight. Their skin was filthy that it was impossible to tell where their skin ended and clothes began.

  "Dak, this is horrible," Ryanon muttered.

  Dak nodded. "I know, but there's nothing we can do right now." He kicked his horse's side. "Now, let's go!"

  Ryanon stared back at the children as they raced out of Kjallaksstaoir. One day she would come back and kill whoever did this to those children. She didn't care the king was the one put down the law, there were others who carried out the deed.

  Even long after Kjallaksstaoir was out of sight, Ryanon kept looking over her shoulder, expecting more fruit to come flying out at her. It wasn't right. She didn't know how a leader could let people suffer like that. It just wasn't fair.

  The horses were almost up their knees in mud. Only a little bit of snow lingered; most of it had turned to mud. More than once, Ryanon had to take her horse away from the muddy trail and over to the side where the mud wasn't quite so thick.

  Ahead, she could see the legions in front of her struggling. Their pace had for sure slowed down. Above, the sun was starting to sink. They probably were not going to reach the Trelain border before darkness set in.

  They kept going. Ahead, Ryanon could make out what looked like a rather large forest. She had heard about the large forest that surrounded Trelia; however, it was another matter to actually see it in person. It seemed dead, but, yet, alive.

  She could hear strange sounds coming from it. It sounded like the animals that she had always heard, but there was an odd mix to it. It was almost like a moan, but, yet, not. It almost reminded her of a child screaming from hunger, but only more pitiful. Whatever the sound was closest to, it did raise the tiny hairs on the back of her neck.

  The horses in front, stopped, staring down the forest. It was so quiet that made the forest's cries stand out even more.

  "CAPTAIN MORNINGHELM!"

  Dak rolled his eyes as he started out toward the front of the line.

  Ryanon kept her eyes on him until her disappeared from sight. She kept double checking on the legions around her. Most of them were talking to themselves about normal mundane things. She quickly tuned them out. Not a one attempted to talk to her, so she really didn't see the need to reach out to them.

  Several minutes later, Dak made his way back to her side. "We're stopping here for the night. There's not enough time to get through the forest and the thorns. Plus, no one really wants to spend the night in Trelia."

  The legions around them climbed off their horses as soon as Dak shook the words. All around them, the legions were not wasting any time with making camp. Ryanon climbed off her horse, watching as Dak began pulling camping gear out of his saddle bag. She just stood there, unsure of what to do. She must had been standing there for longer than she thought, because some of the legions were giving her looks.

  Dak frowned. "You need to make camp or you will be sleeping out in the cold." His tone was harsh, very similar to the one Ryanon had heard him use with his men. However, he did at least give her a small nod toward her saddle bag.

  She opened it and discovered that Dak had packed her everything that she would need for the night. Smiling, she went to work. Even though she didn't want anyone to take care of her, it was still nice to have someone thinking of her.

  Sleep did not come easy that night. All through the night, the noises from the forest made it next to impossible for her to close her eyes. She could not even imagine what kind of creatures were waiting for them.

  On top of the creatures, there was the wall of thorns that nothing had really been able to get through. If the finest technology had not been able to break through the wall, then how were they supposed? How was a group of men supposed to be able to break through a wall of thorns?

  All through the night, she tossed and turned on her small bed roll. The nightmares from the Ioslullumary plagued her...Every time she would even think about closing her eyes, the vision of someone cared about was dead by her own hand. Everything that she ever cared about ended up being burnt to the ground. The haunted eyes of the children of Kjallaksstaoir stared back at her, asking her why she didn't help them. She was a killer...Everything she touched ended up dying.

  After several hours of this, she climbed out of her tent. The sun had not yet broken over the horizon; the legions remained sleeping all around her.

  Letting the early morning frost crunch beneath her feet, she made her way toward the edge of the camp. The only other people mental enough to be up at this early hour were those sleepy guards stationed outside the king and prince's tents. She went the other direction, staying clear of them.

  The forest greeted her as she broke over the hill. Down below, it looked just as dark and unforgiving as it ever did. The stillness reached her, sending her heart racing. She had never had this feeling from the stillness. It really didn't make her feel ill, but it didn't make her feel right. It was like was thinking of something that made her anxious.

  The snapping of the grass from behind her, made her grab her dagger before whipping around.

  Dak stood behind Ryanon with his hands in the air. "Don't stab me."

  "One of these days, that is going to cost you your life," Ryanon muttered as she replaced the dagger back into the folds of her uniform. "What are you doing here?"

  "I should be asking you the same thing. Juel said he saw you coming this way. He was afraid that you would try and go into the forest. I think he thought you were one of the drunk legions."

  Ryanon frowned. "Drunk legions?"

  Dak shrugged. "They're not all my men. I just happened to be placed in charge of them."

  "Didn't you get to pick who came?"

  "I just picked the castle guards."

  "Whose legions are they, then?"

  "General Malculmus Irondrifter."

  Ryanon shuddered at the mention of General Malculmus Irondrifter's name. He commanded Leria's troops. Leria was the most northern city in all of Xandria; it simply existed to provide Xandria with the strongest legions-the ones who were not afraid of getting blood on their hands. They were the ones who kept most of the invaders out of Xandria after the Trelian curse. Had it not been for them, the Iron Fairies would have most likely sacked all of Eaken.

  "Is the general here?" Ryanon whispered, finding her voice.

  Dak shook his head. "No, my father didn't want him around. The legions are more loyal to him than they are to the king."

  Ryanon did a double take. "That's not really a good thing, is it?"

  Dak shook his head. "No, but that's why he is so good."

  "I thought it was just because he was from Leria," Ryanon muttered.

  Dak laughed. "Well, there is that too."

  The sun was starting to break over the horizon. Ryanon smiled as the early morning rays warmed her body, making it feel as if spring was actually going to come.

  The moment the sun reached the forest, it seemed as if Death had come. The creat
ures started their song of doom, as if they were calling the legions into their circle of hell. Ryanon winced, wanting to run away from it instead of going into it. Now, that they were so much closer to it, it just sounded so black, so full of death and doom. That alone was enough to keep most people away. Now, it was very clear why the legions from Leria had been invited over the other troops. They lived for this kind of fight. They would not let something as small as death stand in their way.

  Dak sighed. "We probably should go back."

  Ryanon casted one final look at the forest before turning and following Dak back toward the camp. In a matter of hours, they would be entering that death. The bigger question was: how long would it be until they reached the legendry wall of thorns and the dragon?

  Breakfast was kind of a solemn affair. No one really said much; most of them seemed to be keeping their eyes on forest, as if they expected the creatures to come charging out at them at any given time.

  The legions were also pulling on armour. Ryanon found herself looking around for hers. She didn't remember Dak saying anything about needing armour. She did manage to find one of the castle's guards and followed him over to a wagon. Inside, was all of the goods. Smiling, she took a set and began to pull it on. It was heavy, far heavier than the gear she was used to carrying, but it made her feel safe. It was a sense of safeness that she had never felt.

  It ended much too soon for Ryanon's liking. It seemed like no time at all had passed before they were breaking camp and climbing back onto the horses. It seemed like the horses even knew something was coming. They were so jumpy that many of them had to be circled around more than once.

  The group slowly made its way slowly down over the hill. The sense of doom seemed to be never ending. Ryanon could feel her heart pounding in her chest; there was a twisting feeling in her stomach, making it feel like she was going to be sick.

  The forest stood in front of them. The noises seemed so much louder now that they were actually on top of it.

  Ryanon looked over at Dak. "Are you ready for this?"

  Dak changed his grip on his reins. "Let's do this."