by A. J. Bell
I decided to change subjects. “When you were coming out, did you see my mother?”
“She was back in the dance room, with Sir Richard. Why do you need her?” I showed him my foot. “That looks painful. My place is not far from here, and I have things that can help it. Can you walk?” I nodded, but as I tried to step on my foot, the pain bent me over once more. Shane asked my permission first, then picked me up and carried me over to his tent. I sat down on his cot, and he started to work on my foot, first putting on towels dipped in hot water and salt. It hurt a little, but he was trying to be gentle, and I was doing my best not to cry.
“So, your parents really believe you are in danger?” he said, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“They are trying to protect me, but I’m not sure from who or what,” I said.
“So they have you dress as a John,” he eyed my clothing, “to protect your life; yet, they let you climb up a post into a building in flames?”
I should’ve seen that question forming in his head. “They do what they can to prevent someone from harming me. Sadly, they can’t protect me from my own stupidity.” We both laughed. It felt good to talk to somebody else about it, someone who seemed to take things easy. However, he was not done with his questions.
“So, the Prince and Elle…?” He didn’t finish his question, but I knew exactly what he meant. Why would he go to the extent of giving me his own armor to protect me if I was just a peasant to him, someone without worth in his eyes?
“Not officially. I don’t know a better answer to that,” I said, although I was certain the one that needed to define the relationship was me, and I wasn’t entirely sure of my feelings for the Prince. Not after the way I had felt during those short moments with Sir Dorian, or my longtime attraction to Sir Richard, and the kiss I had shared with Vince. Good heavens, I was so confused. Love would certainly be the death of me!
Chapter 12
Shane was very gentle, as gentle as a man could be, not like his master, who was very smart and strong, but also very insensitive.
“Well, well. I’m glad to see that you two are good friends now,” said Sir Daniel, coming into the tent. “However, His Majesty has been waiting for you to open the dance, and he’s starting to lose his patience,” Sir Daniel said.
“You knew it? You knew she was a woman and still let me fight her! What’s wrong with you?” Shane asked Sir Daniel, outraged.
“I’ve seen her fight before – she’s good. I knew it would be a fair fight. Besides, I am sure that you would have let her win if I had told you the truth.”
Shane looked at me as if expecting me to intervene. “Sir Daniel is right; it was a fair fight.” I turned to Sir Daniel. “I don’t think I’ll be dancing tonight,” I said, pointing at my injured purple foot.
“You were only supposed to fake it,” he said, upset.
“I didn’t hurt myself on purpose. Contrary to what you might think, I don’t enjoy being in pain,” I said indignantly.
“If you say so.” He went out for a few seconds then came back in with my gown and handed it over to me. “You still have to be present. Today is his birthday, and he’s expecting to see you.” Sir Daniel motioned to Shane to exit the tent with him. I stood up with a lot of effort, even though the pain was unbearable. I slipped the gown on top of my clothes. Keeping my back to the door, I took off my shirt and put my hands through the sleeves. From under my skirt, I unstrapped my pants and let them slip down until they fell to the ground. However, putting on my shoes was an impossible task.
Since Mother wasn’t near, I used the help of the closest person to me to continue with my transformation. “Shane! Could you give me a hand?” He came in and instantly blushed. He cleared his throat to let me know that he was behind me. I looked over my shoulder and noticed he was looking away. “I need help with my back.” He looked around as if there was somebody else in that room. “I would do it myself, but I can’t reach that far back.” He approached me shyly but took the dress strings anyway and began to tie them until my back was covered, for the most part.
“Thanks,” I said.
He looked extremely uncomfortable. “Do they hurt?” He was staring at my wounds in horror.
“Not as much. They itch worse than they hurt. Good thing I can’t reach my back, or I’d be scratching there all the time.” His expression worsened. “It’s in the past, Shane. If I can let it go, you can too.”
He looked at me as if I’d slapped him in the face. “Those scars will never go away, just like the ones below them. It looks like Sir Richard likes to beat you down.”
The look on my face must have given me away.
“He didn’t give you those?”
Until he mentioned it, I didn’t know about the other scars.
“Are you ready?” Daniel asked, standing outside the tent.
“As ready as I can be in my condition,” I said. Trying to walk was completely out of the question. I bit my lip trying to hold in the pain. Feeling pity for me, Shane picked me up in his arms again and carried me back to the palace. “I don’t think I can go down the steps without help,” I said, having second thoughts about showing up at all.
Sir Richard spotted us up on the steps and came to greet me.
“Good evening, My Lady. I was hoping to see you here tonight,” he said. “After I saw you dance with my cousin Dorian, I wanted to test my two left feet on the dance floor with you too. Will you grant me a dance tonight?” I didn’t want to hurt him by saying no, but I couldn’t say yes either. Thanks to Prince Victor, I didn’t have to.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Where have you been?” said the Prince.
“Patience, dear cousin. Women take time to get ready, and it’s only understandable that she takes a long time when she looks this beautiful.” Sir Richard took my hand and kissed it softly, and I smiled at him. I knew what he was doing. I couldn’t believe he was trying to use his gallant thoughts on me. Yet, I still felt flattered.
“Thanks for the compliment, My Lord.” I took Prince Victor’s arm and bit my lip harder with every step I took. He was so happy to have me there that he didn’t even notice my pain. He walked me all the way to the dance floor and showed me around proudly, like a new jewel in his royal crown, until the music began. He only had to start the first dance then everyone else could join in. Once the guests would fill the dance floor, we could sit down. I did my best to shuffle from side to side without putting too much weight on my foot. Finally, I wrapped my arms around him and let him be my support and carry my weight for me. I dug my head into his shoulder to hide the agony that I was feeling. He rested his chin on my head, clueless of the suffering he was putting me through. Finally, the music stopped. What a relief!
“Can we sit down for a moment, My Prince?” I begged.
“You look pale. Elle, are you well?”
“I’m just a little tired,” I lied. I should’ve told him the truth, but I just couldn’t ruin his birthday.
He walked me to where the musicians stood. “What did you say was your favorite piece?” he asked me.
“Rainy Day,” I said reluctantly.
“Oh yes!” he said. “That’s what we want to dance now.” He started to turn towards the dance floor, but I pulled him back to face me. “It’s fine,” he said, smiling. “I might not be as good as Dorian was, but I’m not that bad either. I am sure you will enjoy dancing this song with me too.”
Besides my injury, I had one more reason to not want to dance with him. What I had shared with Dorian was more than a dance. I was not sure how to explain it even to myself, but I knew it couldn’t be redone with anybody else. I let go of his arm and walked to the musician that played the harp.
“May I?” I said, pointing to the instrument, with its beautiful golden arch and with the finest strings in all the Everlands. Prince Victor was staring at me. “I have a gift for His Majesty,” I said, and I began to play a few strokes here and there until the sounds in harmony became a melody and
the melody a song.
High from the Gardenhills streams down its crystal waters, feeds life into the Everlands and makes the lilies grow by its side. Refreshing on its way the land of Greenville, until it finds home in the Abilene Sea.
River of Kings, River of beggars, Rov dof kreys, rov dofosggaris
The moonlight’s reflection shines on its surface, the current helps quench the traveler’s thirst. By the road of Gether, you see it flowing – the beauty of its waters will captivate you, the river that lives on the shores of Abilene.
River of Kings, River of beggars, River without end. Rov dof kreys, rov dof osggaris, Rov nos le fand.
There was a moment of silence after I was done, but then the guests clapped joyfully to honor my performance. Prince Victor gave me his hand to help me stand up.
“That was beautiful,” he said. Then, unexpectedly, he kissed my lips in front of everybody. His feelings were no longer a secret among the guests, and it would be only a matter of time before all the Everlands would also find out. I saw Mother cover her mouth in surprise, but everybody else seemed to be delighted with the affectionate display. His public kiss had now taken us past the point of no return. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shane smiling, most likely thinking that such a kiss made the relationship official.
The ball was over a few hours later. Victor and I didn’t dance again, and after the kiss, all hopes of Sir Richard to get even close to me to dance had vanished as well.
I stayed in the palace one more night before going back to Stoneburg. Once in his mother’s chamber – the place I normally stayed when I was his guest – I showed him my foot. He felt awful that he had put me through so much pain for the sake of jealousy towards my dance with Dorian a few days ago and for Sir Richard’s compliments on the steps. He didn’t apologize for the kiss. He said he had nothing to hide. To show me how sorry he was for the foot incident, he said he would send a few servants to Stoneburg with us to help on the journey, as well as to stay in Stoneburg until John fully recovered. Then they could come back to the Everlands. When I started to protest, he reassured me that he would give them three times as much wages for going with me and that he was not forcing them to go; he had asked them first. Victor – as he begged me to address him when we were alone – tried to come up with a thousand excuses for me to stay behind, but I was glad when I finally left. The services the new servants provided really helped me to heal better, and it was good to have a break. However, after three-and-a-half weeks, I regretted not having objected more strongly about it. Stoneburg had never been a place of gossip until the servants from the Royal City came around and filled every mouth with rumors. “Who is this mystery woman that has bewitched the noble Prince’s heart?” somebody asked me when I was at the market. “Will he marry her?” someone else asked me when they came to see my mother for some remedies. “What’s her name? Will the King approve of the Prince’s choice? Was she a new courtier, someone that has never been seen before in the palace? How does he know her?” The questions went on and on, but the rumors stopped when the Royal Servants left Stoneburg. I often thought the only reason they came to Stoneburg was to complicate things.
A few nights after they left, Sir Richard and I began preparations for another journey. When the Prince had asked to speak to Sir Richard alone, he had informed him that both of their fathers were on their way back home. They would be arriving on the coast of Abilene in the next few weeks, and Sir Richard and part of his men were to be His Majesty’s escorts to the Royal City.
The trip to the city of Abilene would be an eight-day journey, if no complications arose on the way from Stoneburg. We would be staying in Sir Dorian’s home until His Majesty’s arrival. We’d rest for a few days in Abilene after their arrival, and then together we would be on our way to the Everlands to reunite Prince Victor with his father, King Tobias of Lovan. From there, Sir Richard, along with his father, Lord Gilbert of Arden, and the rest of us would return to Stoneburg.
The day of our departure, Mother and Father begged me to please behave and to be careful when I meet the King. They feared that, with my luck, I would get in some sort of trouble within the first few minutes of meeting him. I couldn’t blame them. Lately, I had gotten into a lot of trouble, especially since Prince Victor and Shane had figured out I was a woman and had set their minds on making my life more difficult.
Luckily, from the moment we got to the road of Gether until the moment we passed through the city of Greenville, our journey was peaceful.
The men that accompanied us stayed on the outskirts of the city. Sir Richard and I would stay in the inn at the entrance of Greenville. The bad news for me was that we were staying in the same room. It had two different beds, but it was still the same room. Normally, when he lodged, he stayed by himself or, better said, with a girl from wherever we were staying.
I sat alone by the window at the bar, overlooking the main street. Then Sir Richard came over with two pints of beer and two girls – one to keep him company, one to keep me company. I tried to ignore her presence, but she kept leaning her breasts against me and sending me flirty little laughs. At the same time, she ran the tips of her fingers down my arms or back, each time making my back tense. She continued to do that again and again between conversations. The word “uncomfortable” doesn’t even define the feeling I had all night.
When Sir Richard was completely drunk, all he wanted to do was go to bed and take his companion with him. There was so much happiness and too many kisses between them; it was disgusting. Fortunately for me, he was way too drunk to realize that I sent the girls away with a few coins at the first chance I had.
Huffing, I helped him up the steps. He was way heavier drunk than when he was wounded. Once in the room, I let him fall on his bed. He had his arm over my shoulders, and when I let go of him, he pulled my cap off and my braided hair fell on his face. Laughing under the effects of the beer, he pulled me into bed with him.
“Going somewhere, Missy?” he said, rolling on top of me, his eyes halfway closed. I tried pushing him off me, but my attempt was in vain. “I’ve been looking forward to getting to know you better,” he said, leaning closer to me. He’s going to realize who I truly am, and I’ll be in real trouble. He kissed me on the lips, and I fought it, at first. I didn’t want to be one more on Sir Richard’s never-ending list of lovers. Besides, he was my master.
But in spite of how wrong it was, I ended up kissing him back. In full honesty, his kiss wasn’t bad; I could only imagine how much better it would’ve been if his breath didn’t reek of beer. Out of Richard, Vince, and Victor, Richard was by far the best kisser. His lips softly made their way to my neck, and reality settled. What am I doing? This is all wrong! But there was no need to panic. After a few seconds of his lips caressing my skin, he fell asleep and started to snore. It took a couple of attempts before I could actually free myself from underneath him, but in the end, I pushed him off.
As soon I got up, I undressed Sir Richard, as I’ve done many times before when he had been just as drunk. My guess was that Lord Gilbert’s homecoming had given Sir Richard a great excuse to celebrate with beer on hand and a few girls. He didn’t do it often, but even if he had done it only one time, that was one too many. One of these times, he would get in trouble and drag me along into the pits of hell.
Since he was passed out on the bed, I wasn’t afraid of removing my trousers so that I could sleep more comfortably. As soon as my pants were on the floor, I heard some yelling going on at the bottom of the stairs. A man’s yelling, to be more precise.
“I am going to kill him!” the man yelled.
“I swear I didn’t do anything; he was the one trying to touch me!”
I opened the door slightly, and I realized the woman that was pretending to be the victim was no other than the girl that would have gone to bed with Sir Richard, had I not decided to send her away.
Things went from bad to worse quickly when the other girl joined her friend in the cries. “She’s te
lling the truth. He was trying to do it to me too!”
It didn’t look good, not good at all. I let my hair run wild and got under the sheets with Sir Richard, laying his head on my chest. I kept Heaven resting on the night stand, close enough for me to grasp it if I needed it. And I was right about needing my sword.
The man kicked the door open. He was about six feet tall and at least two-hundred-and-fifty pounds. He could not have been older than twenty-five; yet, his long beard reached almost to his chest in length and had pieces of food stuck on it. I wondered how long those had been stuck in there. By the blood on his clothes, the knife, and the smell he carried, I could tell he was the butcher of Greenville. He was surprised to see me. Just great!
“Where are your manners, you beast? You don’t go bringing doors down just because you can… you are supposed to knock,” I said stupidly.
He came straight to the bed and grabbed Sir Richard by the shirt, trying to stand him up, but the shirt ripped, and he fell on his face to the floor. I took Heaven and pointed it at the man’s stomach.
“I will give you a second navel if you touch him again!” My threat only increased his anger.
“You defend this pig?” he asked in disgust.
“This pig is the King’s nephew.” I mimicked his tone of voice.
“King’s nephew or no King’s nephew! Nobody! Nobody!” he repeated louder. “Nobody touches my woman and lives to tell the tale!” His nostrils were flaring like a bull about to charge. I lowered my sword.
“Perhaps you should inform that to your woman and her friend.”
Their faces turned pale when I said that to him. He turned around to face them. His woman, as he called her, stepped forward and started to rub his arm softly with her fingers, just like she had been doing to Sir Richard earlier.
“Don’t believe her! I don’t know what she means! Don’t you see that she is with him in his twisted games!”
I rolled my eyes at them. “I am well aware of My Lord buying a few pints of beer for you as well as your friend, who seemed at that moment to be very interested in Sir Richard’s servant. Perhaps you remember him – he gave you two gold coins that you put… oh yes! In a little sack between your breasts,” I concluded. The butcher looked from me to her and me again.
