by A. J. Bell
I thought I had only imagined his lips springing to life with the touch of mine, until his hand grabbed the back of my head and pulled me closer to him as he seized the opportunity and continued to kiss me. I reached out with my fingertips and extinguished the flame of the candle sitting on his nightstand. Darkness filled the room the moment I broke our kiss. I stumbled back when he released his grip on my head and crawled on my back through the door. He called after me, but was still too weak to follow me. I ran to Victor’s room and banged on the door as if my life depended on it.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as I walked in and turned my back on him, quickly locking the door and slowly backing away, staring at the door handle while trying to regain my breath. When I turned around to face him, he was fastening the sheath of his sword around his waist. I started to laugh because he was wearing his sleep gown and was barefoot. His hair also held the shape of the pillow that had been cradling his head, but his face was the funniest thing of them all – he looked like a little child who has been thrown out of bed too abruptly and still wanted to sleep.
I unfastened his belt, and he seemed confused. “All is well. Sorry I scared you. It didn’t occur to me that you’d actually be asleep.” I put his sword back on the dresser. He was still dumbfounded. “He’s awake. Richard has awakened.”
Victor’s face lit up. “Richard is fine?” he asked, fully awakened by the news. I nodded. “Then why did you look like you were running away?” he asked.
“I thought he might try to follow me out of his room.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“I’m not sure if he saw me… If he did, we’re in trouble.”
“If he did, then you can go ahead and trust your secret to him, just like you did with me–”
“You found out on your own. I didn’t trust this secret to you. Besides, what am I going to tell him? Hey, Richard! Surprise! I’m a woman – remember all those times I saw you naked because you thought I was a man!” I said sarcastically. “He’d never understand, or forgive me for that matter.” I didn’t want him to be mad at me. “You go and see him and persuade him to believe that any maiden he saw or… kissed was only a product of his imagination.”
“You are asking me to lie to my cousin?” asked Victor, taken aback by my suggestion.
“No, you’re only keeping the truth from him, just like you told me to do with your father. Besides, I’ve been knighted, so there’s more at stake here than just my identity. If your father finds out about me keeping the truth from him, he’ll surely feel like giving some punishment to the liars, which includes my family and anybody else who knows. I won’t risk it if I can help it.”
Victor shook his head and left the room, heading in Richard’s direction.
I retired to my room. “What a strange place!” I thought. I had hardly spent any time in my chambers since we first arrived in Andora. I disguised myself as John and went back to see Richard, stopping by my parents’ and Daniel’s rooms on my way to spread the good news.
“Hey, lad,” Richard greeted me. “I believe thanks are in order,” he said, raising his wounded hand. “You saved my life – again.”
“No problem! I’m sure you would’ve done the same for any of us. Welcome back to the land of the living. What took you so long, My Lord?” I asked playfully, although what I truly wanted to do was to take him in my arms and reprimand him for scaring me the way he did.
“What happened to your face, John?” Sir Richard asked, concerned. “Have you been running into fists in my absence?” he joked.
“Only one fist! I took down everyone else though,” I said.
Sir Richard chuckled. “You’re not supposed to have that much fun without me.” He tried to sit up in bed, so I ran to his side to help him. He stared at me, but I avoided his questioning eyes and helped to fix his pillow behind his back.
“You are no longer my servant,” Richard said to me.
“I’m still your friend, and you’re still weak, My Lord. Let me help you.” He was looking at me intently, as if he was seeing something beyond the man who first came into the room, but he didn’t dare to say it. Dash came into the room with another jar full of the Erenza nujar. He stared at me, surprised to see me as a man. I just ignored his gaze and took the jar from him.
“And who is this?” Richard asked. “New servant?”
“This is Dash, an acquaintance from Surien. You owe him and his father your life.” Richard raised an eyebrow at my comment. “You must continue to drink the Erenza nujar; this has given you your life back.” I handed him a cupful and watched as his hand shook all the way until it reached his lips – he almost spilled its contents twice but brushed my hand off when I tried to help him.
“What is in it? It is quite delicious, actually,” he said, taking the cup again and giving it another sip.
“It is called Erenza nujar, made out of Ghost berries that we brought from Surien. That’s where I ran into the fist.”
“You went all the way to Surien for those berries? Bellaterra is full of them,” he said. “I’m sure the fire spared some of those bushes. They grow like weeds once they hit the ground. Anyway, I’m glad you knew what I needed.”
“How did you know about the berries?” Mother quietly asked me.
“What do you mean? From your stories, of course! The story of Hope’s Hill is one of the few things I remember from my childhood.”
Mother’s face was puzzled as she exchanged looks with Father. “I don’t recall the story at all,” said Mother thoughtfully.
“What else do you remember, John?” asked Father.
“Only that story; everything else is gone,” I said.
The alarm on their faces evaporated instantly.
“The patient must rest,” said Doctor Stern.
We said goodnight and parted to go to our chambers.
Relaxing, I lay in bed and closed my eyes. Richard was fine, and my secret was safe so far. All was well. I fell into deep slumber, which I had not had in a while.
In the morning, I woke up as my excited mother came into my room with a piece of parchment in her hands – an invitation for Elle to assist in Meav’s wedding in Abilene.
Victor began preparations to return to the Everlands as soon as Richard was able to stand up on his own, but he would wait for Richard to be fully recovered before their departure. I was sad at the thought of not having them near anymore. On the other side of my emotions, I was also beyond excited to be going to Abilene for Meav and Ghad’s wedding. I could only imagine how beautiful she would look in her bride’s gown. Victor wasn’t well acquainted with Meav and her family, so even though he received an invitation, he decided not to go. Neither would Richard. Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder if Sir Dorian would be there. According to his father, Meav was like a daughter to him, so maybe Sir Dorian would come to see his sister.
“Did you hear anything I said?” Victor asked.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were talking to me, My Lord.”
“Are you going to Abilene?” he repeated his question.
“Yes, Meav is my friend and I’m going to be there for her.”
“Well, you’ll be seeing Daniel there too,” he said but avoided my inquisitive look. “I’m sending him to escort Princess Camilla to the Everlands.”
“Maybe you’ll fall in love with her quickly,” I said quietly.
“It doesn’t matter. You will always have a special place in my heart. After all, you have changed my life in so many ways,” he said, giving me a little hug.
“That’s not a bad deal,” I said. “If it means that I can still count on you, you still get to be Prince, and the Everlands will be ruled in peace.”
“I want you to remember your promise to me,” he said seriously. “You promised to become an outlaw with me should I decide to decline the Crown and–”
“That won’t happen. I’m certain that you’ll marry the Princess, and you’ll be a great ruler.” He sighed. “I thought I wo
uld be mad at the idea of your being with another woman,” I said. He looked at me in surprise. “But I’m only jealous of the happiness that is coming your way while I will be watching from the other side of the fence for who knows how long.” How pitiful I must have sounded to him. “It’s like the pieces of your life puzzle are falling into place on their own accord, while mine are still scrambled all over. I don’t see how they’ll ever come together.” He looked around, making sure nobody was near, and then gave me a big hug that felt so warm and so good. His arms always gave me comfort. I would miss that, but I won’t let him know that or he may change his mind.
“They’ll come together eventually. When I’m King, you won’t have to hide any longer.”
“Great! I only have to wait until I’m an old lady, since we both wish long life to the King.” We laughed, but then we both became serious. “When you become King, I’ll be under your command, and I’ll wear your seal proudly.” We kept silent as we walked towards the castle, until I opened my mouth again. “Allow me to go.”
He stopped abruptly at my words. “Allow you to go where?”
“Allow me to be part of the escort for your bride-to-be. Let me go to Ganzale and bring her to you. I can get to know her and help you to earn her heart,” I suggested.
“With your luck, you’ll end up getting both of you kidnapped by pirates. I’d rather not take such a risk.”
“Women do like knights in shining armor,” I mumbled.
“Do explain yourself.” Victor said, curious.
“Well, you’d rather send a man to retrieve your Princess Bride, and since it is a long journey on the seas, there would be enough time for strangers to get to know each other–”
“I see what you are suggesting. I do trust Daniel, so I don’t think you should go on this particular journey.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt.” Daniel cleared his throat. “But there are some people here to see John. We invited them inside.”
“Someone is here to see me? I wasn’t expecting visitors.”
We followed Daniel to the kitchen in the castle, where four men sat around the servants’ table, talking to Dash. They all were filthy and looked extremely tired, but they still stood up as they saw us come in.
“They got lost on their way when they turned at the wrong junction and ended up in the direction of the Royal City. When they realized their mistake, they turned back around. They are deeply sorry,” explained Dash.
“They seem afraid,” added Victor.
“That’s because they know what John’s capable of.” He rubbed his nose. The bandages were gone now, but the bruise remained.
“You did that?” asked Victor mockingly. “I thought you Suriens were tougher–”
“I can show you how tough we are,” said Dash, grasping the hilt of his sword.
“Or how stupid!” I unsheathed Heaven. The other men looked at each other in alarm. “You don’t know how to show respect for His Majesty yet, but I can teach you how.” Victor lowered my sword.
Daniel had his out too. He put it down at the same time. “The people of Surien have no need to bow to this Prince; he’s not our ruler.”
I wasn’t expecting that.
“Surien is a free land – no King, no royalty,” said Dash.
I could see Victor’s body tremble with the ire building up inside him. “Because you saved my cousin, I won’t kill you or your men for the disrespect you’ve shown, but you’re not in Surien anymore, and here you follow the ruling of my father, King Tobias. If you don’t like it, go back to where you came from and stay there.”
“You don’t serve the Crown?” I asked, curiosity consuming me. “Yet, you owe your lives to the brave men of the Everlands who came to your rescue.”
“No. We owe our lives to you. It was you who found out about the attacks; it was you who sent the message to the Kings’ troops; it was you who almost died by the sword for those that you didn’t know. The men who were following you – they fought under your command. We don’t owe anything to the Crown–”
“Why have you come?” Victor asked him.
Dash took his sword out, stabbed it in the ground, and then knelt down. “I, Dash Grover, son of Jais Grover, Leader and High Commander of the people of Surien, hereby pledge our allegiance to the Lord and Mistress of Andora standing before me. Our spears, our fields, and our hearts are entrusted to you. We will fight your battles, celebrate your victories, and mourn your losses. Our loyalties will be yours until death takes us or My Lady releases us from our word, and this I swear under oath. Will My Lady accept our pledge?” asked Dash humbly.
Victor and Daniel were astonished with what they had just witnessed, and so was I. “I, Lord and Mistress of Andora, am honored with your pledge, and I accept your allegiance.” I gave him my hand, and he kissed my hand, not my ring. The tradition was for them to kiss the ring given to me when I obtained Lordship over Andora. It represented the seal of approval of His Royal Highness the King. I got the message though. Their allegiance was pledged to me, not the King. He stood up, and we shook hands on it. It wasn’t just an ordinary handshake; our hands wrapped halfway across each other’s arms and our fingers rested on each other’s elbows. It was a meaningful handshake. We had sealed the deal by doing this.
“Go to them,” I said, looking at the men behind him. “Tell them that all is well and that they are free to return to Surien as soon as they feel like leaving. The same applies to you. You are free to leave anytime.”
“I think I’d rather stay,” Dash said. “Someone has to keep watch on you. I don’t need to be a fortune teller to know you get into trouble even when you are not awake.”
How did he know about my nightmares? Had he heard me scream in the middle of the night? “Very well then. If you shall be staying now in Andora, we must find you a home. Until then, you may stay in my home. Giles Manor has a lot of empty rooms. Besides, I could use a knowledgeable hand running this place.” He nodded and went back to the men now sitting back by the table.
Victor, Daniel and I left the kitchen, and went into one of the many living areas in the castle.
“That is at least five hundred spears, swords, pitchforks, or whatever they use to defend themselves. Surien has been neutral for at least seven years, since they separated from the Kingdom of Lerona. Now they have pledged allegiance to you. We’ve tried to get their allegiance for years, and the answer had been always no. I didn’t think I would ever see them on our side!” said Victor excitedly.
“Has your father ever visited them personally?” I asked.
“That is a stupid question,” said Daniel. “Contrary to what you think and what you’ve convinced Victor to do, His Majesty the King does not mingle with Gypsies or their children.”
“The people of Surien are–”
“Gypsies!” he interrupted. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that. They’re Gypsies, but a more civilized kind compared to those who live in the Haunted Forest, but Gypsies, nonetheless,” said Daniel sharply.
“When you said we’ve tried, who do you mean exactly?” I asked.
“The Kingdom’s Peace Ambassador and myself,” said Victor. I waited for him to say the name. “My cousin Dorian,” he concluded. My eyes widened, as hearing his name pained my soul. I had been so caught up in my own adventures that the thoughts of him had faded to the background, but Victor had brought them back to life. “Sir Dorian has tried to persuade them to become allies with the Everlands?” I asked.
“He came to your aid without delay with the sole purpose to get the Suriens on our side. He wanted to prove to them that if they would become our allies, we would come to their rescue whenever they would need us. Thanks to you, he has finally succeeded in his attempts. Surien is now, indirectly, an ally to the Crown. I can’t say my father would be happy with the news, but Dorian will find this news to be great, because that is one less problem we have to face–”
“Problem?” I asked.
“Surien joining the Kingdom
of Lerona instead of ours would be a great problem, since it seems that their King wants to take over every kingdom that surrounds his. We’re sure this is where the men you fought came from.”
“Seems like no matter which direction you go, the Gypsies always find a way to get to you,” said Daniel sarcastically.
He was right, because no matter where I was going, one way or another, Gypsies would cross my path.
Chapter 22
There was so much I needed to do to get ready for my trip to Meav’s wedding. I thought that keeping my hands busy would keep my mind occupied with thoughts other than Dorian’s last words, “For the second time I was too late,” that kept hammering my head. But what did he mean? I couldn’t remember meeting him before; yet, being close to him, my entire being recognized him. I didn’t realize Victor was standing by the door, staring at me.
“I’ll give you one thousand gold coins for your thoughts right now,” he said.
I was startled. “They aren’t worth that much.”
“The look in your eyes said they are.”
I lowered my gaze and began folding a pair of trousers. “Is there anything you came here to ask me, besides trying to buy my thoughts that are none of your business,” I retorted sharply.
“The task is yours,” he said, waiting for my reaction.
I looked at him impatiently. “Do you care to explain, Your Highness?”
“Daniel will accompany you to Ganzale to bring Princess Camilla to the Everlands,” he said, proud to grant me my wish and probably expecting a compliment or praise for his generosity.
Instead, I replied, “What’s the catch?”
“Catch?” Victor said innocently.
“There is always a catch with you.”
“I don’t know what you–” I raised my eyebrows in warning. He sighed, disappointed. “The task is yours, not John’s. John will be left behind while Elle goes to Ganzale and becomes friends with Her Highness Princess Royal of Ganzale.”
