The Everlands Chronicles: The Truth

by A. J. Bell

  When I arrived with the jars of wine and finished filling the chalices, I felt a pair of eyes fixed on me. The man from the stable was staring intensely. From my head to my toes, I could feel his eyes moving in a sweeping motion over me. I felt as if I was shirtless again back in the stables, with him half-naked and staring at me. Then I felt Sir Richard’s curious look on me as well. Did this man break his word as soon as I let him go? Did Sir Richard know he was looking at a woman? I wondered.

  Sir Richard answered my unspoken questions. “Please forgive my squire, dear cousin. Obviously, John has forgotten his manners.”

  That caught me by surprise. Sir Richard was always proud of me, but on this occasion, he sounded a bit ashamed.

  “John,” he continued, addressing me, “everybody is expected to bow to the Crown Prince, heir to the Everlands throne.”

  My face must have gone pale as I bowed before the man from the stables. In my mind, I could only think of earlier when I had pointed the Prince’s own sword to his royal neck and threatened to kill him. “My apologies, Your Majesty, I did not recognize you,” I said.

  He chuckled. “Your squire sure is one of a kind,” the Prince said. “Genuinely full of surprises.”

  I remained in the common room to serve Sir Richard and the Prince more wine, and then I excused myself as the Prince continued to stare at me. As soon as I was out of sight, I ran into our house – a fact that did not go unnoticed by either of my parents. They followed me and found me sitting in the corner of my room; my arms were wrapped around my knees as I shook with worry. Mother knelt beside me and put her arms around my shoulders.

  “I made a mistake,” I said. “He knows. His Majesty knows the truth about John and Elle.” I proceeded to explain to them what had happened and how the future had become uncertain. Mother assured me that everything would be fine, but Father scurried away, without a word, slamming the door behind him.

  The next morning, I needed to get the Prince’s horse ready for his departure to the Royal Palace. Father had been working all night on the Prince’s new armor, so far, only the shell of the front breastplate was ready. To my surprise, when I arrived at the stables, I found the horses ready. The entire caravan was prepared to leave. I didn’t understand what had happened. I was sure I hadn’t slept in.

  “I had my servants do it,” said the Prince, coming up to stand right beside me. I fell clumsily to the ground, bowing my head almost to the point that it touched the dirt, the way peasants were expected to do in front of royalty or those who were of a higher state. “I liked you better when you pointed a sword to my throat; I can see your pretty eyes better when you are threatening me. Please do not bow to me that way again.” He had a full smile on his face. “We are good friends now. We have threatened and forgiven each other’s lives. That forms a strong bond that cannot be broken,” he said, extending his hand to offer me help in getting up. I did not take it.

  The Prince then announced to me that I would be going with him to the Royal Palace, a two-or-three-day trip if we traveled lightly. He said Sir Richard had agreed to it, but it made me think Sir Richard didn’t have a choice, and neither would I.

  “Your father agrees that you will be safer in the palace than you will be here. Robert mentioned the Gypsy issues that have arisen lately. You do not have to come; I am making this your choice.”

  If Father had spoken with him, and he thought it was the best thing to do, then why would I question it?

  “I will go and get ready for the trip, Your Highness,” I said, bowing only my head this time, like Sir Richard did with royalty. He gave me an approving smile.

  I stopped by Sir Richard’s chambers to ensure that everything he needed from me was done before I would depart, since I was his only squire.

  “Not sure why he would take you over your father to finish the armor back in the palace. Victor also wants other items to be done before you are free to come back. So you will be there for a while.” He was very thoughtful with his words. “Do not go beyond your calling trying to impress him. Do only what he expects you to do, and hopefully, he will allow you to come home as soon as you are done. I will come to the Royal City for his birthday celebration and also the Squires’ Competition, where I was hoping you would participate this year. I would hate for you to miss it.” There was a tone of sadness in his voice, as if he was thinking he might not see me again, as if he had lost me forever by letting me go with the Prince. Such a thought saddened me deeply, and I prayed it would not be so.

  When we were ready to leave, Sir Richard came out to bid us farewell. He noticed my weary face and tried to cheer me up. “I’ll watch over Greta and Robert until you return, lad.” He held my shoulders back to fix my posture and, turning me around, he spanked me forward as to encourage me, but instead, I was so embarrassed that I could have sworn I was blushing when I mounted the horse.

  His Majesty was staring at me concerned, but I ignored his questioning looks. My focus was to keep myself from punching Sir Richard square in the face. He had never before taken the liberty of spanking me. I had seen him do it to a few girls, but I was a man, or at least, I was dressed to look like one. It was hard to pretend that I did not care for his actions; the woman in me felt humiliated to the point of tears.

  We started our journey to the heart of the Everlands by the road of Gether, the never-ending road that ran parallel from the Gardenhills, through the Everlands, the Haunted Forest, and all the way to Abilene – the same road where I had encountered the Gypsies and was somewhat rescued by Sir Richard a couple of weeks back.

  We stopped for the night and set up camp at the edge of the road. The Prince’s tent was set up in the center of the camp. He had the same men that set up his tent assist me in setting up mine, right next to his. I tried to convince the men that I needed no help since it wasn’t the first time that I set one up. “Prince’s orders,” they would reply, as if that would settle the matter, but it didn’t, and I soon lost my patience and decided to do something about it.

  “I need to speak with His Majesty,” I said to the guard outside his tent, but he objected to let me pass.

  “Let him in,” called Prince Victor from inside.

  “Prince’s orders,” I said with a chuckle as I shoved my shoulder against the guard’s while going inside the tent. Two servants scurried away as I stepped in. I was taken aback by the view before me. Luxury shone everywhere. I could not believe my eyes. I always thought Sir Richard splurged on our trips by carrying a few luxurious items along with his tent. Being the nephew of the King, he was entitled to certain privileges, but nothing like what my eyes were witnessing now. This was where our taxes paid to the King ended up – in the tent of a spoiled Prince who seemed to have issues keeping his clothes on.

  He was in the back of the tent. Obviously, he had taken a quick bath; only a towel covered his nakedness. He did not speak to me, but was trying to analyze the disgusted look on my face as I continued to observe the expensive waste around the tent. When our eyes met, I took a deep breath before speaking.

  “I need this to stop, Your Highness! I can take care of my own things. I can set up and take down my tent just like every other man traveling with Your Majesty,” I concluded.

  “But you are not a man like them.” He approached me.

  The fact that he was only covered by a towel made me feel so uneasy that I took two steps back for every step he took forward, until I ran out of room and my back hit the tent wall. He was so close to me that I could feel his warm breath on my skin. Using the tent as a wall, he positioned his arms on each side of my body to prevent me from walking away as he talked to me. “I promised your father I’d take care of you.”

  My breathing was heavy, just like the beating of my heart. No man had ever been this close to me except Sir Richard, but there was never any edge of desire in his voice, unlike the Prince’s; every word he spoke showed his hidden intentions. I was both nervous and angry; I wasn’t sure which feeling was stronger. I felt trapped.


  The Prince was indeed handsome, but he looked at me as if I were something to eat on a day when he hadn’t eaten. It made me want to put an arrow through him, just like you would do with a hungry wolf about to attack.

  “I have never forced a woman nor will I force one to be with me, Elle.”

  I gasped when I heard my true name come out of his mouth. No one had called me that in a long time. At least, not out loud.

  “To most women, I am very desirable – not to mention they love what I represent; you know, the Crown and all that comes with it. Many women seek after my affections, because they want to spend a night with the Everlands’ future King.” When he mentioned the Crown, it made my blood boil.

  “You think you have not taken many of them by force, but what can poor peasant women do to deny themselves to the Crown? In their minds, they think they have no choice but to submit to your desires!”

  That was a low hit on my part. He took a couple of deep breaths, and then turned around and dressed under the towel, which I truly appreciated. Then his eyes turned back to meet mine, and I lowered my gaze quickly. I was making angry a man who had the power to have me hung from a nearby tree.

  “Do you fear me?” he asked as he sat on his bed.

  The man is so full of himself, he’s so arrogant, I thought, but when I looked straight in his eyes, I saw disappointment in them, maybe even sorrow. I walked towards him and fell to my knees – feeling guilty for the insensitive words I had spoken. Instinctively, I put both of my hands on top of his to offer comfort.

  “Your Majesty, you aren’t scary. What scares me is the power that has been bestowed on you since your birth, power that seems to be wasted on the luxury that surrounds you. There is so much good that My Lord could do instead of using his charm to gain women’s affections. You could be great!”

  His face showed curiosity about what I had said. He stared at my peasant hands still on top of his royal ones. I started to pull mine back but he held them in place. “You find me charming but repel the crown I wear?”

  I rolled my eyes, yanked my hands away, and stood up.

  I started to walk towards the door. The man is so arrogant! I thought again.

  “I did not ask to be born a prince,” he said scornfully.

  “Neither did I ask to be born a peasant!” I turned to face him again. “We can’t change it, whether we want it or not, but it is not who we were born or what things we possess that are important. It’s what you give to others even when they don’t expect to get it; it’s who you choose to become that matters in the end,” I said to him.

  He stood up again and walked slowly towards me, then he reached for my face with one hand and softly caressed my cheek. “I made the right choice bringing you along. I can see that there is so much I can learn from a blacksmith’s daughter.” He gave me a little smile when he mentioned the word daughter. “Elle, since we are friends and we can trust each other, I want you to call me Victor. Not Prince, Your Highness, Sire or anything like it.” He continued to reduce the distance between us until his face was once again too close to mine, close enough to kiss my lips.

  I chuckled softly. “We aren’t that close of friends yet.”

  He smiled playfully and pulled back again, but was still smiling.

  Suddenly, everything changed. I felt I could trust the man in front of me. I felt I could call him friend and that he could call me friend too! “I best be off to bed,” I said.

  Before I reached the tent door, he took my hand and instinctively pulled me behind him as we heard rumbling in the camp.

  “Protect His Majesty!” yelled one of the guards outside the Prince’s tent.

  Chapter 3

  The Royal Guards were taken by surprise. Most of those traveling in our party had already lay down to sleep, so when the Gypsies surrounded the camp, some soldiers were immediately subdued while others took the chance to fight.

  His Majesty ordered me to stay in the tent, then took his sword and went out to join the fight. I peered through the opening at the entrance and saw that there were many of them and so few of us. I knew I needed to help, so I ran out to my tent, ducking blows from right and left until I reached Heaven. When I came out, the bodies of wounded men were already piling up. Surprisingly, the Gypsies were not killing anybody; they were just wounding the soldiers enough to stop them from fighting.

  There were more Gypsies across the river, waiting for their turn to get into the raft they had used as a liner to cross the river and join the fight. I saw three Gypsies charge at full speed towards the Prince, and even though I knew he was good with his sword, he was outnumbered.

  Soon, another Gypsy came to join them, bigger than the other three, yet older as well. I recognized him as the old Gypsy whose mercy had set Sir Richard and I free before. I doubted I would be as lucky this time, but I wouldn’t sit idly by either way.

  The Royal Guards tried to come to the Prince’s aid, but it was almost impossible to swim through the sea of Gypsies. I started to run towards him until two Gypsies noticed me and came swinging their blades at me. I evaded the first Gypsy’s blow by stepping quickly to the side and hitting him hard on the back of his head with Heaven’s hilt. That sent him down, but I grabbed a hold of his sword before he hit the ground face first and used it to knock him out completely.

  I deftly blocked the other Gypsy’s strike by crossing both blades high above my head and catching the edge of his blade. It was a good move that saved my life for the moment, but since his strength was superior to mine, my arms started to give in. Second by second, his blade continued to creep closer to my head until my arms could bear it no longer. I jumped back as his sword slashed down my shirt, but there was no pain and no blood – he had failed! I felt stronger, more confident, than ever. I continued to battle this man. I used Heaven as my defense as I attacked with the other sword. A feeling of certainty came to me when I pulled off the same strategy of crossing both swords above my head, but a wicked smile showed on his face as he knew his strength would overtake me eventually. Then I did something neither of us was expecting. Keeping the swords in the air, I raised my right leg and kicked him in the groin so hard that his sword dropped, and he crumbled to the ground on his knees, screeching in pain. I’ve heard that no matter the fight, there is an unwritten code of honor in which a man never attacks the manhood of another honorable man. Since I am a woman, that rule does not apply and, if given the chance, knowing it would save my life, I would do it again and again.

  I turned and started to swing both swords, finding targets on my way to the Prince. He was still fighting the same old Gypsy, whose blows had made His Majesty take several steps back. Without knowing, the Prince was about to back into one of the ropes that held his tent in place.

  Prince Victor fell to the ground when he stumbled over the rope, and his sword went flying into the depths of the Loveless River. As the old Gypsy released the fatal blow of his sword, Heaven intervened, sparing the Prince’s life; the other sword I pressed against the old Gypsy’s throat as I moved in between the fallen Prince and the old thief. Our eyes met for an instant.

  My chest was breathing heavily, but my arms were steady. When he lowered his gaze towards my chest, his eyes filled with surprise. I did not want to show that I was curious about the look on his face, because any careless movement could bring me down, so I did not look to see what had caught his attention.

  “Stop the fight!” he said so loud that even the animals in the Haunted Forest fell quiet and the sound of the waters running through the Loveless River seemed to stop. I could feel everyone staring at me – soldiers and Gypsies alike. “Lower your weapons,” said the old man to his comrades.

  “A woman!” I heard someone whisper in shock. I looked down and understood. The stupid Gypsy I fought before did not only cut my shirt open, but also cut the strings of my corset, unbinding my breasts, which explained the sudden gain of strength during the fight. I was able to breathe! Not much showed, but it was obvious that
I was not a man. There was no point in covering myself anymore; everyone here knew the truth. I was not the blacksmith’s son, but his daughter. The Prince was standing right behind me now. Everyone was stunned.

  The old Gypsy lowered his sword, and his men did the same. “She will come with us,” he said. “The rest of you may go.”

  Prince Victor protested. I turned to him and pleaded with him not to try to be a hero and to let me go, but he argued that he needed to keep his promise to my father. I ignored his argument.

  “I will go, under one condition,” I said. “The Prince needs to get back to the palace in safety. May I have your word that your men will leave him alone through the rest of his journey?” The old man nodded. His Majesty tried to argue. “Think about it, Your Highness; the life of one to save the lives of many. I promise, if I can get out of it, I will meet you at the palace. Do not send word to Stoneburg yet. Give me some time to try to escape,” I whispered to him alone, yet I doubted such a thing as escaping was possible.

  “I am coming with you,” he insisted.

  “I don’t think so,” said the old Gypsy. “She comes alone, or we will continue to fight.”

  “Your Highness, my family… someone has to care for them if I don’t return. Promise me you will take care of them.”

  “You are brave and smart, but if you can’t figure a way out, I will come and get you back to your own,” he said to me, and then turned back to the Gypsy. “If she is harmed in any way, I will burn down this forest, down to the last branch until your people are finished!” Prince Victor warned the Gypsies.

  “That sounds so much like your father,” taunted the Gypsy. The Prince was insulted by the Gypsy’s words, but even though I was about to be kidnapped by these men, I tried to appease him by convincing him that letting me go with them was for the best. After so much pleading, His Highness finally allowed us to go.

  I was escorted to the raft and sailed across the river with the Gypsies. On land, they blindfolded me to protect the path to their hidden city; sometimes, they even went around in circles to distract me so that I would not know how to get where we were going or how to find my way back.