The Everlands Chronicles: The Truth

by A. J. Bell

  I moved towards Sir Richard. Although he was hurt and bleeding, he was back on his feet. “My Lord, are you all right?” I asked, afraid of the answer.

  “Behind you!” he yelled.

  Rosie had Heaven in her hands and was about to cut me in half. Luckily, Shewhite jumped out of nowhere and caught Rosie’s arm. The pain of its fangs digging into her flesh brought Rosie down to the floor, shrieking in terror. Orman heard her screams and came into the room, followed by Daniel, Victor, Shane, and Lord Gilbert.

  “Kill the wolf!” commanded Lord Gilbert.

  “No!” I yelled.

  Orman pulled Shewhite away from my would-be assassin. Shewhite came straight to my side and bore her fangs to the others in the room. She did look evil with a blood-covered snout, but she had just saved my life. I wouldn’t let them kill her.

  “No?” Richard’s father sounded angry at me protecting Shewhite. “This beast just attacked one of my servants, and Rosie’s life is more important to me than your wild animal. How is she to serve with a wounded hand?” Lord Gilbert’s concern for Rosie ended when his eyes caught a glimpse of his son standing by the back wall. “Richard! What happened?”

  “Father, I am fine!”

  “Are you –” .

  “I’m fine, Your Highness,” I cut his question off. “But My Lord isn’t.” I gestured towards Richard’s blood-stained shirt.

  “My son’s wounded! Get the doctor in here immediately,” ordered Lord Gilbert.

  “That won’t be necessary, Father,” said Richard calmly.

  “She’ll need a doctor,” I said about Rosie, who was whimpering on the floor. Shewhite didn’t damage her much. At least, not by the appearance of the wound from a distance.

  Lord Gilbert looked at Rosie, so angry that it was frightening. “She tried to kill my son, and you want me to help her?”

  “I would tend to her wounds,” said Orman. “If someone can bring some water and towels to my room, I’ll look after her.” He reached down, scooped Rosie up in his arms, and exited the room. Daniel sent Shane to help him.

  Shewhite was standing by my feet, growling at everyone’s movement, except mine. I reached down and began petting her head, which kept the growling to a minimum. It was my way to thank her for saving me earlier.

  “New pet?” asked Victor.

  “New friend,” I corrected. He nodded in agreement. “Whether a scratch or not, your wound needs to be dressed, Sir Richard.”

  “Nothing else to see here. She can take good care of me,” said Richard to the others in the room while pulling a strand of hair from my undone braid behind my ear. I blushed instantly.

  “I’ll go and get some water.” I directed myself towards the door, but Lord Gilbert stopped me before I could exit the room.

  “I’ll get someone to bring it here. There is no need for you to go out there, looking like this, My Lady.” He looked at me with a hint of disgust. It could’ve been because my hair had become a mess during the struggle; or maybe the fact that I was wearing nothing but a shirt way too big for me but too short to cover my legs beyond my knees and too thin to be used as a nightgown, as I was using it tonight; or maybe it was the fact that his own son had just asked to be left alone in the middle of the night with a half-dressed maiden. Whatever it was, his countenance didn’t look friendly at all. After a few minutes, everyone else left the room, leaving only me and Richard sitting down on my bed. A boy of about eleven arrived with the water. He was Richard’s new page. When the boy left, I asked Richard to take his shirt off, but I regretted it almost immediately.

  “You couldn’t wait to have me undress,” he said cleverly.

  I stopped my hand before it even touched his skin. I wasn’t sure if continuing to treat his wound would give him more ideas. He saw my indecision, so he took my hand and kissed it softly. “I was joking, My Lady,” he said, putting my hand holding the wet gauze over his right shoulder where the wound started. He squirmed in pain the moment the gauze came in contact with the wound, but I was relieved to see the wound wasn’t deep. Yet, he complained as if it was.

  “It’s just a scratch, Sir Richard, stop acting like a young girl!” I teased.

  “I’m thinking that the more it hurts, the more you worry, so the closer you’ll want to be, and the longer you’ll stay beside me,” he said, staring deep into my eyes.

  “You have been faking the pain!” I said, annoyed.

  “No, it does hurt, only not as much now. You have a very gentle touch.”

  I turned around and began washing my hands to remove any blood that his “scratch” had left beneath my fingernails.

  He moved so quietly and swiftly that I didn’t hear him get up from the bed nor approach me until he lay one of his hands on my abdomen and pulled aside my hair with the other with the sole intention of kissing the back of my neck. I felt the warmth of his breath as his lips landed on my skin.

  He froze for a second, and then pulled on my shirt until most of my shoulders and upper back were uncovered.

  My scars. I had forgotten about them. He then took me by the shoulders and turned me around to face him. I pulled my shirt back into place and tried to avoid his gaze, but he leaned his face close to mine until his forehead leaned against mine.

  “Give me a name and I swear I’ll rip the heart out of the chest of whoever left such marks on you!” he promised me.

  Would he ever forgive himself if he finds out the heart that he wanted to rip off was his own? “My Lord won’t be ripping hearts out on my behalf, promise me that. I don’t condone violent behavior on behalf of a woman, any woman, especially me.”

  “What could you have possibly done that would–”

  “My Lord knows little about me, so these lashes might not have been enough punishment for my offense in the eyes of many, sometimes even my own, but my master punishes himself harder every time he glances at my scars. That is all, old scars and a lesson to remind me of my mistake,” I said, quietly staring into his blue eyes. “Promise you won’t–” He quieted my words with a kiss. Reluctantly, I closed my eyes and kissed him back. “I love you,” he whispered. My eyes opened wide to his confession. He had mentioned it once before to John, but I didn’t think he meant it. He kissed me again, but this time, I forced myself to not respond. His confused gaze questioned me in silence.

  “I believe that My Lord deserves better than what I can offer at this moment,” I said, lowering my gaze. He locked his arms behind me.

  “Let me be the judge of that,” he said, searching for the comfort of my lips again.

  I stopped him by covering his lips softly with my hand. “I’ll need some time, My Lord.”

  “As long as you need,” he said, kissing my hand goodnight before exiting the room.

  I couldn’t sleep all night. Sir Richard had said he loved me. Will he still love me if he knew I lied to him, pretending to be a man… I must tell him about John, tomorrow maybe… Maybe with dawn’s first light I’ll have the courage to tell him the truth, not seeking love but forgiveness and understanding. I cannot lie to him anymore!

  When I got dressed in the morning, I wore a dress – nothing fancy, no lace, no embroidery, just fabric sewn together to make a dress that could be worn in the kitchen as well as in the garden. It was a dress Mother had made for me – my favorite dress as a matter of fact – but I rarely had had the chance to wear it, since John was the one present almost everywhere I had gone. I pulled my hair up, but then I remembered my scars, so I let it fall loose against my back, only braiding my sides to prevent the hair from falling into my face. I took a long, lasting look at my reflection in the mirror, took a deep breath, and walked out to find Richard, but I never made it to him. I was intercepted by Richard’s young page.

  “Lord Gilbert has summoned you, My Lady. Please follow me.” We arrived at the west wing of Arden Manor where Lord Gilbert’s chambers were located. The stables were located close behind there, which was very convenient if someone needed to exit Arden Manor thro
ugh its back gates without being seen. That’s what Sir Richard had always said. I didn’t know we were about to test his theory.

  As I entered the room, I took a quick glance around. Straight ahead from the doors was a desk with two chairs in front of it and one behind it. Lord Gilbert was already sitting behind the desk. Orman was standing up behind one of the chairs, where a sobbing Rosie sat. Orman was holding her good hand with a somber look on his face.

  “Please sit down,” said Lord Gilbert, gesturing towards the free chair. He waited for me to sit before he started talking. “I’m not at all pleased with the manner in which Prince Victor decided to use the royal army to search under every single rock until you were found. The soldiers will now be set out on more important matters, since you happened to conveniently appear in my lands.”

  “I don’t approve of the way Victor has handled things either, Sir,” I said.

  “Approve? You are nobody. His Highness doesn’t need your approval to do anything! ” I regret my choice of words immediately.

  “That’s not what I meant, My Lord –”

  “And in regards to my son’s attitude towards you, ” he cut me off, “let me make this clear. My son holds the Lordship of Stoneburg for as long as he does what he needs to do. He won’t throw away his future over his lust.” I stood up, insulted at his accusation. “I was hoping now that he had you last night, that he could reasonably move on, but he seems obsessed with you, and I won’t have my son running away with a peasant who is only interested in his money and title!” he said, hammering each word.

  “I understand you worry about your son, but don’t expect me to just stand here, let you insult me, and not defend my honor!”

  “You’re correct. I don’t expect you to listen to me. I didn’t think I could reason with words regarding this matter.” He opened a drawer, pulled out a small sack, and threw it to me. “This is all I’ll offer to you – five hundred gold coins. This is the only gold you’ll get from this family, so now take it and go away. And from now on, stay away from my son.”

  “You can keep your gold!” I threw the sack back to him. “And your title and your lands. As for your son, you have my word that I won’t seek after him. Other than that, I can’t make you any promises. Orman, we have worn out our welcome.” We walked towards the door.

  “Your horses are ready, so make no delay. Everyone will be informed accordingly of your departure,” Lord Gilbert said.

  I knew where the stables were, so we walked that way immediately. It was not until I was mounted on Stardust that I realized that Orman was helping Rosie to his horse.

  “What do you think you are doing?” I asked him.

  “She has nowhere to go!”

  “She tried to kill me. She controls people. She’s probably controlling you already.”

  “I can’t leave her. She needs my help, just like you did back in the river,” he argued. “You don’t help Everlanders!” I reminded him.

  “I helped you and broke my oath by so doing. Now, I have a new oath and it is to help all those who need help, and she does!” Orman replied.

  “If she gets near me, I’ll finish what Shewhite started, so you keep her away from me,” I warned him. He was so stubborn!

  As quickly as we arrived, we departed also. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Victor or Richard. I wondered how long it would be before they found out that I was gone.

  Richard’s words proved to be truth. Exiting through the back gates, nobody noticed our departure, and so we disappeared from Arden Manor and took to our journey back home. I stilled my horse a few miles away and stared back at the place that once was my home, and I wondered when I would see my friends again?

  Chapter 28

  My life back in Andora went on without any more problems. Dash was nowhere to be found. I was not sure if he had gotten lost in the mountains or had returned to Surien. I couldn’t help but feel guilty about it, but there wasn’t much I could do.

  Rosie’s wound had healed, and she was working in the castle. Orman kept an eye on her most of the day. Nothing in Andora had changed since we returned. Only me – I had changed. I had gone through fire and got burned, and my wounds didn’t seem to heal. On one end, Dorian would soon be married; on the other, Richard had confessed loving me, but I’ve been forbidden to see him ever again by his dear father, Lord Gilbert – a man I once respected. My heart was torn to pieces, and I had no idea what would happen when I saw them under the same roof for Victor’s wedding.

  Even though my heart was a mess, my mind and body had to focus. Each city and village must present a gift to the new couple. In our case, Andora was not only bringing a gift, but Victor had requested that Father and I work with the Royal Jeweler to make the wedding bands for the royal couple. He wanted the rings to be made of Clouds, like his armor, and then covered with gold and diamonds, especially hers. He wanted me to design her ring and to make it the most beautiful piece of jewelry ever seen by the Princess.

  I had been working hard to make different models and try different engravings. It was close to the wedding date, but I still hadn’t decided what to do. I was getting so frustrated. Maybe, I was just being too particular in trying to find the most elaborate design for them when, sometimes, the simpler things were the most beautiful.

  There was a pond not too far from the castle, so I went there, trying to get away from the pressure that creating those jewels was giving me. I sat under a willow tree, leaning against its trunk and admiring the waves the wind made on the pond. It felt calm and quiet, a good place to think, but thinking for me was a bad thing. All that came to my mind hurt me; all that came to me were the things that I wanted the most but couldn’t have; the things I needed to forget. Ironically, it was through the agony my heart that the idea came to mind for the royal wedding bands.

  I remembered my skin burning with anger and pain and passion, burning like it was on fire. I decided that this fire would be wrapped around Victor’s finger – a golden band of Clouds with engravings of flames containing rubies to bring the flames to life. And then came the hurtful feeling of Dorian’s rejection. The disappointment with the red dress, the ice water that had almost killed me, the cold, the numbness. All of these had brought me pain, but also had made me stronger. Water-winter-rain-ice. All of these elements would wrap around the fragile finger of Princess Camilla. A band of blue Clouds with small waves engraved all around and diamonds encrusted to form the ice. Fire and ice, they were the perfect combination!

  I ran quickly to Father. “Get the bellows ready! I know what we are doing!”

  Father and I worked on the bands nonstop until we had finished, and they were ready for the Royal Jeweler to cut the diamonds and rubies and to set them in the rings. They looked like a work of art.

  When it was time to go to the Royal City, I sent John instead of Elle, even though he wasn’t invited. Mother packed a dress, just in case I changed my mind. We arrived at the Royal City, hours before the wedding, and presented the wedding bands to the Prince.

  Orman decided to come with me, even though I begged him to stay behind, even after he put on the necklace Victor had given him. I still didn’t think it was safe for him to go. Mother had told him about John when we first arrived from Bellaterra, so he was not surprised when he saw me all dressed up for the ceremony. Nor did he ask questions as to why I’d dress like men do or any other kind of questions. He just let me be. Victor opened the small chest of Clouds Father and I had designed together with the Royal Jeweler to carry the wedding bands. He looked as if he didn’t like what he saw. He shut the lid of the box and requested for everyone to exit the room.

  “I did the best I could – with the time I had,” I said, trying to justify my bad work.

  “The rings are perfect!” he said. “They are even better than I expected them to be.”

  “Then I don’t understand why you look so unhappy.”

  “Why did you leave without saying goodbye?”

  “Your uncle kindly aske
d me to leave his land. Actually, he offered me five hundred gold coins to get out of Richard’s life.”

  “But you didn’t take it, you should have told me, I could have talk some sense into him.” he said reproachful. “Why has John come? I invited you, my friend, to my wedding, not him.”

  “It isn’t a wise choice for Elle to be here – remember? The Queen is not a friend of mine,” I said, as if speaking of another person and not myself.

  “She won’t touch you. Besides that, Elle, Camilla is expecting to see you tonight. She wanted you to be in her chambers to help her with her hair and her dress. She considers you to be her friend, and she wants you to be the one holding her train as she walks down the aisle. I also wanted you to be the one to bring the rings to us. I want to see our friend tonight.”

  I sighed. “Fine, I’ll change. I think Mother packed a dress, just in case.”

  “Thank you,” he said.

  After I did the best I could with my appearance, I went in search of the Princess.

  “You made it!” She sounded so happy to see me. “What are you wearing?” she asked, as if my dress was an abomination. She came behind me and covered my eyes. Slowly, she guided me deeper into her chambers. “Tonight, you’ll wear this.” When she removed her hands, I beheld a vibrant red velvet dress, with only just the right amount of cleavage showing. The work on it was extraordinary. She was smiling, pleased with my surprised reaction. “Come on, put it on. Let me see you in it.” She began undoing the strings of the dress I was wearing. She was even more pleased when I had changed into it.

  The red of the fabric reflected in my lips, making them look almost as red. She clapped her hands in delight and continued to smile as she saw me in the dress she had chosen for me. “You will definitely catch someone’s eye tonight. Who knows, maybe by the end of the night, you can have your very own knight propose.”