Ginny Hartman

by To Guard Her Heart

  Terric shifted slightly, directly behind where all three rulers of Darth sat discussing the most pressing matters regarding the kingdom. The kings sat with their heads close together over the thick wooden desk in the middle of the octagonal room. The tower space had been set aside specifically for use during the king's quarterly council meetings and had been the place where important business regarding the kingdom had been discussed, argued over, and eventually decided on for hundreds of years.

  Terric had anticipated this quarter’s council meeting ever since he had attended Princess Rosalind's entrance. At first he tried to convince himself his interest was purely political. He had always loved having first hand access to the knowledge of the happenings of the kingdom, but when his thoughts constantly turned towards the intoxicating Princess, he knew that she was the real reason behind his eagerness for the council. He had been anxiously waiting to see her again, convincing himself that even a glimpse of her would be enough. Of course, he had lied, one glance would never be enough, but it didn't matter now for the Princess had not come.

  The disappointment he had felt was intense. He wondered if his almost kiss had made it so she had refused to travel with her family to Brantonwall, if she had stayed behind purposely to avoid him. The thought stung. He tried to convince himself it was for the better; he was the High King's lead defender and was rarely allowed out of the man's sight. And she, she was a princess. It wasn't as if he would have the chance to court her and see where his attraction to her might lead.

  A sudden thump on the table caused him to snap out of his reverie and turn his attention back to the table where King Lawrence was pounding his fist angrily against the wood. Terric smiled behind his helmet at the man's antics. All three brothers differentiated enormously in their temperaments, with King Lawrence being the most dramatic. He was usually the last one of the three to agree on something, but once he did, he was fully committed to the course.

  A few more minutes of raised voices and wild hand gestures passed before all three kings sat back in their chairs in silence.

  Finally, King Cedric spoke, “Is everyone in agreement?”

  “Aye,” King Eustace and King Lawrence said in unison.

  “Splendid.” King Cedric signaled a scribe to come forth where he instructed the new law regarding the taxing of livestock to be written down, exactly as all three of them had agreed upon. When the scribe was finished, he handed his quill to King Cedric who signed the document with a flourish before pushing the document towards his brothers to sign as well.

  As soon as the ink dried on the parchment, King Cedric would take it to the holding room where the Trajectors anxiously awaited word from the council. There were nine Trajectors in total in the whole of Darth, three per territory. Their job was to inform every person within their boundaries, both nobles and commoners, of any new laws dictated by the kings as well as any changes made to current laws. They also had the sometimes unfortunate task of enforcing those laws, by punishment if necessary. They were an integral part in keeping peace and structure within the kingdom.

  Terric waited for all three kings to stand and make their way to the door before following closely behind. His position as lead defender to the High King insured that he remained closest to the group of nobles, with the other two king's lead defenders trailing closely behind him. They entered the room where all nine of Darth's Trajector's sat, all nine of them standing the minute the kings walked in. King Cedric walked to where Asher, the Chief Trajector, was standing and ceremoniously handed him the new law. Both men nodded solemnly and no words were spoken before the king's once more made their way out of the room, their task complete.

  Once out in the hall, King Cedric turned to his brothers, “Another productive council has come to an end. I have a few matters I wish to discuss with Terric, then I will be prepared to meet you for supper in the Great Hall.”

  Both brothers nodded then turned and retreated down the hall. Once out of hearing range, King Cedric began walking once more to the council room, Terric dutifully followed. “Have you been able to garner any new information about the attack?”

  “Unfortunately not. I was hoping to be able to get some information while we were in the Southwestern territory for Princess Rosalind's entrance, but not a word was spoken of it. I didn't want to come straight out and start asking for fear of worrying the people needlessly.”

  “Very wise. It wouldn't do for anyone else to know about it; it would only cause undue worry and fear amongst the people.” Terric nodded in agreement. “Perhaps it was an isolated incident and we have no reason to fear,” the king added hopefully.

  “Doubtful. People generally don't attack the High King by random or without cause. No, there's definitely something going on here. I'm just not sure what. Some of the defenders have been trying to acquire information in the village discreetly, but so far they have come up short, just like I have.”

  Clasping one hand on Terric's shoulder, King Cedric said, “Well it's the best we can do. For now. At least my life is in capable hands.”

  Terric welled up with pride at the compliment, knowing he gave his all when defending the king. Just then, two pairs of footsteps were heard coming down the corridor. Both men turned to see who was approaching. King Eustace was walking briskly towards them, his wife, Queen Constance by his side.

  “Cedric, have you seen my son?”

  “Not since this morning. He's probably out in the stables with Edmund. Those two are always looking for mischief together.”

  King Eustace smiled. “That they are. Colin and Edmund remind me a lot of us as lads. Never a dull moment. And you're right; he's probably out in the stables. I just thought I'd check here before traipsing outside if I didn't have to.”

  Queen Constance snorted inelegantly. “Surely you can send one of the servants to fetch him. I will not have you visiting the stables before we are to sit down for our evening meal. I refuse to have my husband smelling of horse droppings.”

  King Eustace smiled at her as if trying to appease her, though he refused to pacify her with words. “Well then, we will leave you to your business.”

  King Cedric nodded before turning to push the door to the council room open. He had a few more matters to discuss with Terric before supper. As soon as Terric entered the council room, the hairs on the back on his neck stood up. His years spent defending the king had taught him to be hyper aware of his intuition, of even the tiniest inklings that something may be off, and this was one of those times.

  He shouldered past King Cedric who looked up at him in surprise, but thankfully, he knew not to say a word. Terric glanced around the room, his eyes taking in even the minutest of details. Nothing seemed to be out of place. His ears honed in on every sound in the room; he heard the crackling fire in the hearth and the small rustling of a tapestry covering a narrow slit in the wall, the wind causing it to pat gently against the stone. Nothing sounded out of the ordinary until he heard the faintest scraping of metal and turned in time to see a man lunge towards the king.

  Terric's defender instincts kicked in without hesitation. His hand enclosed around the hilt of his longsword, pulling it from his scabbard and lunging forward, knocking King Cedric out of the way with his elbow. He faintly registered seeing the king fall to the ground out of the corner of one eye, but his entire concentration was focused on the man moving towards him. The attacker was shabbily dressed in a brown tunic, his face covered in a tarnished helmet obliterating Terric's view of his face completely.

  Terric reached the attacker just in time to deflect a blow from the edge of the attacker’s sword with the sharp edge of his own. Metal clashed with metal as he valiantly fought off the attacker. The fighting continued for several minutes, with Terric unusually surprised by his opponent’s skill. And though his opponent was expertly skilled, Terric had the advantage, but only just barely.

  Terric could tell that the man was growing weary by the slight sluggishness to his movements, but the man refused to gi
ve up. He swung his sword at Terric's midsection, giving Terric barely enough time to step back and avoid the blow. The tip of his sword caught on his tunic, slicing a gash in it that revealed his chainmail beneath. Better his clothing than his skin, he thought.

  He didn't waste any time over the close call. Instead he swung his sword high above his head, intending to bring the weapon down harshly on the man's shoulder. Just as his sword was about to make contact, the man bent and turned out of reach and began heading towards the king with a predatory instinct. Terric's sword hit the stone floor instead, the force of the blow causing a wild vibration to reverberate up his arm.

  Ignoring the sensation in his arm, Terric stepped forward, blocking the man with his larger body as they both headed for the king who was still lying on the ground, his face pale with shock. Just as they were about to reach the king, a high shriek pierced through the air. All three men turned towards the intrusion. Standing in the door was King Eustace and Queen Constance, who immediately began to swoon.

  King Eustace reached for his wife, catching her before she hit the ground. “I heard a noise and came as quickly as I could.”

  “Leave,” Terric growled, knowing King Eustace would be of no use in battle and, that if he stayed, he'd only be risking his life.

  Terric had no time to see if King Eustace obeyed his command, for his attacker was quickly on him once more. Metal hit metal, over and over again as the two engaged in a fierce battle. Terric briefly wondered where this man had come from, for it was obvious that he was a highly trained fighter. They were slowly moving towards one corner of the room, with the attacker being the one backed into the wall. The man lunged forward quickly, but Terric's instincts were quicker. He blocked the blow, twisting his arm furiously to bind his opponent’s sword. A quick flick of his wrist caused the man's sword to knock from his hand. The weapon clanked and slid across the floor as Terric maneuvered the blade of his own sword under the man's chin, pinning him against the wall.

  He was just about to remove the attacker's helmet with his free hand when he heard an agonizing scream near the doorway. He turned his head, never once taking his grip from the man, only to see that a second man had joined them. His heart dropped to his stomach as he watched King Eustace fall to the ground, his unconscious wife tumbling with him. The man had stabbed the king directly in the heart, his sword going all the way through his chest. King Eustace groaned loudly, both hands frantically reaching for the sword's hilt in a futile attempt to remove it from his chest, a last failed attempt to save his own life. Terric knew it would be of no use, there was no way the king would survive the fatal wound.

  “No!” King Cedric screamed as he watched his beloved brother dying on the floor, blood beginning to gurgle from his mouth.

  The second man reached down and retrieved his sword from King Eustace's body, holding it high above his head as he positioned himself above Queen Constance. Terric knew if there was any chance of saving the Queen, he had to act quickly. He forced the blade of his own sword through his opponent’s neck, ensuring the wound would be fatal before stepping back and letting the man fall with a thud to the ground. He fled towards the last remaining enemy but he was too late. Just as the man's sword fell to smite off the queen's head, Terric jabbed his sword with anger into the man's back, causing him to crumple and fall on top of the decapitated queen, his helmeted head hitting the stone floor beneath in an angry thud.

  Terric had no time to digest what had just happened, he was still in full defending mode and he needed to see how King Cedric fared. He turned towards him then and his heart clenched. The strong, confident leader of Darth was curled into a tight ball on the floor, loud sobs racking his entire body. Terric knew that the violent scene that the king had just witnessed would be burned into his mind forever, as it would his own.

  Chapter 6

  An Oath to the King

  Terric turned from the king and rushed to the door, dodging the dead bodies as he angrily pulled it closed, barring it from any further assassins that may still be lurking within the castle walls. He had no idea how these two had managed to get past the other defenders, and he desperately hoped that the entire castle wasn't under attack. But before he could find out, he first needed to check on the king.

  Dropping to one knee next to King Cedric, Terric stretched forth one hand, tentatively placing it on his shaking shoulder. And then he did something he had never done before, he apologized to the King. “I'm so sorry I didn't save them.”

  The King continued to cry, long soul wrenching sobs, that Terric could feel to his very soul. Not knowing what else he could do, Terric slowly rose and made his way over to the first man he had killed. He used the tip of his sword to pry the man's helmet off to avoid having to touch such evilness with his own hands. When the helmet was off, it revealed a plain looking man, his brown hair matted to his head with sweat. Terric looked long and hard at his face, trying to decipher if he had seen it before, but his memory came up blank. Terric never forgot a face and he never forgot a name, though he couldn't always remember to put the right face with the right name. He was absolutely sure that he had never seen the man before.

  Next, he made his way to the other attacker, the man who was lying dead on top of the queen. He reached down and hefted the man angrily off of Queen Constance, hating to see his vile body disgracing the queen by touching her, even in death. He threw the man down on the floor like a sack of potatoes and indignantly pried his helmet off like he had done to the first man. A quick study of his face revealed to Terric that he had also never laid eyes on the man before.

  His eyes wandered briefly to where King Eustace and Queen Constance's bodies lay, blood pooling brightly on the floor beneath. His stomach lurched, and he wanted to vomit. Terric had seen his fair share of blood and dead bodies throughout his years as a defender, but never had he seen anyone killed who meant something to him, and never nobility. His thoughts turned to Princess Rosalind, and he felt as if he had failed her by not being able to protect her parents. He hated to think of her hearing the news, of hearing the bloody and violent way they had experienced their demise and knowing she would blame him. He wanted to curl up next to the king, to bring his legs to his chest in a fetal position and sob—sob for his failure to protect the king and queen, sob for the scene he'd had to witness, a scene that would never disappear from his mind no matter how much he willed it to, but most of all, he wanted to cry for Rosalind and the hurt he knew she would feel. But, he knew he couldn't and wouldn't do that.

  He shook the foreign thoughts from his head, unsure of where they came from. He was not usually prone to such weak emotion; his job had trained him to be different than that. He forced himself to walk back to the pitiful display that was King Cedric. He once more knelt besides the man and said in a loud voice, “The danger isn't over; you are not safe; the kingdom is not safe. We need to take action. Now.”

  His words had an effect on King Cedric, who looked up at him. His eyes that were rimmed with redness were eerily haunted. “I can't go on without him. He's my brother, and he's dead. I wish I were dead too.”

  Terric pulled him forcibly up by the shoulders, bringing his face squarely in front of his. “You can go on and you must. Darth has experienced a great loss today. If the kingdom lost you as well, utter chaos would ensue leaving the entire kingdom vulnerable. It would be the perfect excuse for another kingdom to come in and conquer Darth. You wouldn't do that to Darth; I know you wouldn't.”

  Terric's tirade seemed to sober him. “You are correct.”

  "We need to get you to safety. I need to go out and see if the rest of the castle is under siege, if there has been any other fatalities."

  King Cedric managed to sit up, propping his back against the cold, stone wall. "I need you to ensure that the rest of my family is safe; all of them."

  "Of course." Terric rose, anxious to see if chaos prevailed throughout the rest of the castle. "Bar the door the minute I step into the hall. I haven't the time to re
locate you at the moment or I would. Do not open the door for anyone but me, and do not look at them," One hand waved in the general vicinity of the corpses lying on the floor.

  The king cringed at the mention of the bodies. He didn't need Terric to remind him not to look, for he never wanted to see the bloody carnage again. He followed Terric to the door, shutting and barring it the minute he slipped out into the hall.

  Terric squared his shoulders and began jogging towards the main keep of the Castle. He tuned into his surroundings, noting that he heard no sounds of battle. There were no screams piercing through the air, no clanking of metal. He held his breath as he rounded the corner, anxiously hoping that the silence meant nothing was amiss. His shoulders slumped in relief as he witnessed a scene not unlike any typical day in the castle. Servants were busy readying the long tables for supper. Several of them were carrying in large bowls of fruit to place down the center of each table.

  He reached forth and stopped a young boy with one hand, “Tell me lad, where can I find King Lawrence?”

  The boy appeared shocked that the King Cedric's lead defender had chosen to address him. Stammering, he said, “I saw them in the inner courtyard of recent, sir. Mayhap they are still there.”

  “Thank you,” Terric muttered, as he turned to check on them himself, hoping he would be where the boy had said.

  When he reached the doors leading outside, Terric paused and scanned the courtyard with his eyes. It didn't take him long to spot King Lawrence conversing with a small crowd under the large oak tree that framed the door of the outer wall. Upon closer inspection, Terric observed that the crowd was his wife, Queen Margaret, and his own three children. Queen Isabel and her two daughters were also counted among the crowd. Along with the royal families was King Lawrence's Lead Defender and several other defenders as well. He exhaled in relief, knowing they would be safe. He watched them momentarily, relieved that they were safe before his heart clenched within him. They appeared so happy, so unaware. He was suddenly grateful that it was not his duty to inform them of the tragedy that had just occurred in the council room, pitying King Cedric for the task he would be required to perform.