by Riley Walker
Knowing that I have found my Fated and that he is my Knight gives me a sense of peace and belonging. The strong feelings I have for Edrik fill my soul with warmth.
To know that there is someone who was made just for me, someone to complete me in every way is almost enough to bring me to my knees.
24
Not Affected (Winston’s POV)
I saw her as soon as I left her father's study. My attention always draws straight to her, no matter where she is hiding.
She is an insufferable pain in my ass. Unfortunately, no matter how much I try, I just cannot get her out of my head. I have tried everything to forget her.
Franchesca is right. I have flaunted every available female I could find in front of her. I need her to think that I am not affected by her. I knew exactly who her friend Bianca was. I had watched them together over the years, knowing that being with her would cut Franchesca, and yet I still did it. She thinks I did things with each of these women, but the truth is, what I did with Bianca was as far as I have ever gone. She thinks me a playboy, but I am far from it.
I cannot let her know that her crystal blue eyes haunt my dreams. That I ache to touch her unblemished skin. The thought of anyone else touching what is mine is enough to send me over the edge.
No, she cannot ever learn any of this. I will not look weak or vulnerable to her. Wanting her is not enough. I should have the opportunity to find my one, whether that be Franchesca or not.
The thought of arranged marriages are archaic. I have no desire to go through with this farce of a marriage, but my father has whipped into me the importance of my role as Prince and future King of both Light and Dark Kingdoms. I will fulfill my duties and marry Franchesca. Not by choice, but because my honor will not allow anything else.
I will gain her trust, her loyalty and she will become my Queen.
25
Renegade Raid
I find myself unable to fall asleep tonight. Stretching my limbs, I stumble out of bed and pad over to my desk to study the maps of the Renegade camps once again. I shiver from the coolness in my room. It doesn’t help that I am standing here in nothing but a pair of pink boyshorts and a white cammie.
A loud bang makes me jerk my head up just in time to see a large man barreling towards me. Instincts and years of MMA training take over and I deftly jump to the side as he lunges for me. I use my new advantage to throw a kick to the back of his knee. He grunts as he falls forward and I use the distraction to run out of my room and down the servant’s tunnels.
I find myself in the kitchen, hearing the clash of swords and yelling all through the castle. I am frantically scanning the cabinets for a weapon I can use when I see a shadowy figure emerge.
Bianca.
I don’t take the time to question why she is here, I just grab her arm to drag her off to safety. She jerks her arm from my grasp.
“Come on Bianca. We have to get out of here!”
Bianca looks at me and begins to laugh, “Oh Franchesca. How stupid you are? Who do you think told the Renegades how to get past the security and in the castle unnoticed?”
“You! But why? Why would you turn on your own people?”
“Are you kidding me! You,” she spits, “you have ruined everything! All those years of being your friend with nothing to show for it. I finally got Winston to notice me but he was only using me to piss you off. Then I find Edrik, and after being back less than a week, you get your slutty claws into him. I have never been more than just ‘Franchesca’s friend.’ I would have made a better Queen than you. Once I get rid of you, there is nothing left to stop Winston from noticing me. I will be Queen!”
This bitch is crazy.
“Did you really think this plan of yours would work? You actually think Winston would go for someone so beneath him? No Bianca, I am not the stupid one here. You are.”
I hear a chuckle behind me and turn around at the sight of the very tall, very muscular man standing before me. He is at least a head taller than me with dusty brown hair, piercing green eyes, and a short beard. He has a rugged scar that runs from about two inches above his eye to right above a set of full lips. I feel my body betraying me, wanting to be close to this man.
I see his eyes widen and before I know what is happening, he has picked me up and set me behind him. I am close enough that I can feel his back tense suddenly. When I look over, I see a dagger protruding from his stomach.
Bianca’s hand on the hilt.
I look into her eyes to see worry and anger. Worry for stabbing this unknown man and anger that she missed her target. Me.
“No one betrays my Princess,” Edrik growls.
One moment I was looking Bianca in the eyes, the next, I am looking at Edrik as Bianca’s head falls from her shoulders.
“Come on, Chess. Let’s get you to safety,” he says as he wipes his bloody sword across his pants.
“No! I can’t just leave this man here to die Edrik. We have to help him.”
“We don’t owe him anything. He’s one of the Renegades that raided the castle to begin with!”
I push Edrik out of the way just in time to hear the stranger grunt and notice him start to sway. I help ease him down onto the kitchen floor.
“The dagger. I need you to pull out the dagger,” he tells me.
Is this man crazy? He wants me to pull a dagger out of him. As if he heard my thoughts, he slowly lifts his hand and places it over mine.
“Please. You must pull it out so I can heal.”
He squeezes his eyes shut, takes a deep gurgling breath, and I rip the dagger from his body as fast as I can. I toss the dagger away from us and use my hands to try and stop the blood from flowing.
Edrik grabs me under my arms and attempts to pull me away.
“Stop it Edrik! You don’t understand. I have to help him.”
“Franchesca no! He is a dangerous man.”
Edrik lifts me to my feet. Before he can drag me out of the room, another man comes running into the kitchen. When he sees the stranger laying on the ground he bends over him, putting his hands over the open wound.
“Damn bastard. Rook! Can you hear me?”
He looks up at Edrik and I, then back down to the stranger. I now know this is the infamous Rook. He picks Rook up, tossing him over his shoulder and running out of the kitchen, through the back doors and out into the dark night.
I watch Rook and the stranger fade into the dark when I am suddenly turned and crushed into a hard body.
“Damn it, Franchesca! What do you think you were doing? That man is our sworn enemy and you were trying to save him?”
As soon as he says the words, I see the fight leave him. He picks me up and crushes me to his chest then proceeds to give me a passionate kiss. After a few heated moments of kissing, he releases my lips and just holds me tight against his chest. I wrap my arms tighter around his waist, breathing in his scent, thankful that he seems to be okay. Edrik pulls back a moment later, his eyes roaming over my face and down my body.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
I shake my head no and once he accepts my answer, kisses me again. This time slower and softer than before.
A throat clearing has Edrik and I pulling our mouths apart. Winston is standing in the doorway, covered in blood.
“Well, I was going to ask if you were alright but it seems as if your Knight got to you first.”
I slowly slide down Edrik’s body and walk over to Winston. As I look him over, searching for injuries I ask, “Are you okay, Winnie?”
He gives me a knowing smirk, “Oh, Franchesca. No need to worry. None of this blood is mine.”
Winston turns away and saunters out of the room.
I put my hand in Edriks. When we begin walking out of the kitchen, he suddenly falls into me. Why am I just now noticing all the blood covering him? I barely catch him before he passes out.
As luck would have it, Colton chooses that moment to come stumbling in. He has a giant bruise on his forehead.
We each swing one of his arms over our shoulders and proceed to drag him back to my room. Colton manages to roll him up onto my bed before sitting down on the floor.
“Colton, what happened to you? Where have you been? Are you alright?”
He grabs his forehead and winces, “I’m fine. Just a headache. I have no clue what happened. I went to your room because I couldn’t sleep. One minute I am opening your door and the next thing I know, I feel a blinding pain. I woke up laying on the floor in your room just minutes ago. What happened to you guys?”
Edrik starts moaning as I remove his button down shirt. There seems to be several gashes across his chest and a deep wound in his side. The door to the servant’s tunnels, hidden in my closet, opens and Gretchen comes out looking rather pale. She takes one look at Edrik and flees into the bathroom. She comes out carrying towels, a first aid kit and a basin of water.
“Franchesca, clean off the blood so we can get a good look at his wounds.”
I nod at her and get busy. Colton changes out the water in the basin several times before I am finished getting rid of all the blood. Gretchen hands me some antibiotic cream and I spread it over the gashes on his chest before she covers them in gauze.
“Okay Franchesca, I am going to have to sew up this stab wound so it will stop bleeding. Could you help hold him down?”
I nod my head yes but my stomach is saying no. The thought of seeing her sewing up Edrik’s wound is making me queasy. Thank goodness Gretchen is here and she knows what to do.
Gretchen gets to work on Edrik with steady hands.
“Where have you been Gretchen?”
She looks up at me for a moment and goes back to work on the wound. “When the Renegades started coming through the back entrance to the kitchen, I herded the staff into the servant’s tunnels. We are not trained in combat so we would have only been in the way. I came directly to your room and found Colton crumpled on the ground. I checked his pulse and it was strong so I went back to the tunnels. There was no way I could have dragged him in there with me. I have been standing next to your door and I came out as soon as I heard movement in your room.”
“Thank goodness for that. I don’t think I would have been able to sew up Edrik’s wound.”
Gretchen finished up and pats my hand.
“He will be right as rain in a few days. He lost a lot of blood so he will need plenty of rest and sustenance.”
26
Goose Egg
I must have dozed off for a bit. Colton is sitting in my desk chair and I am laying on the bed next to Edrik when a knock wakes me up. I stiffen, worried for a moment that the Renegades have returned again, when I realize they would not be knocking. My dad pokes his head in the room, eyeing me laying in the bed lying next to Edrik.
“Can I come in?”
I nod as he enters and closes the door quietly behind him, “Are you okay Frannie?”
“Yes Dad, I am. How are you? Where is Mother?”
“I am fine. As soon as the Renegades infiltrated the castle my guard rushed me and your Mother into the panic room off of the study. She is downstairs now overseeing the clean up.”
Well, once again my Mother has her priorities straight.
“What happened to Edrik?”’ my dad asks.
“He was stabbed in the side but I am not sure when. He was already hurt when he found me in the kitchen.”
My dad frowns and takes a deep breath. “Frannie, I need to tell you something. I am so sorry, but Bianca was killed.”
“I know, Dad. I was there. Edrik is the one that killed her.”
“What? What do you mean Edrik did it? Why would he hurt her? I thought they were happy together.”
The knot in my stomach returns thinking about Edrik ever touching Bianca. I don’t know if I can ever get past that.
“Dad, it was Bianca that told the Renegades exactly how to get into the castle. She told me everything. How she was only my friend because it benefited her and how Winston used her to make me jealous. She even told me she was only with Edrik to get back at me.”
“Why would she think being with Edrik would hurt you? Frannie, answer me.”
I cannot tell my dad the truth about my feelings for Edrik or about us being fated. So for the first time in my life, I lie to my dad.
“I don’t know dad. She was crazy. Why else would she be helping the Renegades?”
“You are right. I just cannot believe Bianca of all people would betray us. Alright Frannie, try to get some sleep. Let me know the second Edrik wakes up.” My dad leans down and kisses me on my forehead. “Love you, Frannie.”
“Love you, Dad.”
He leaves us and Colton looks over at me. “Are you really alright Franchesca?”
“No! No, I am not alright. I am the opposite of alright. You have a big goose egg on your head, Edrik has been stabbed, my ex best friend just tried to kill me, and my bestie has been kidnapped! So no. I am not fucking alright! I am about to lose my shit in a big way!”
Colton lifts his hands in the form of a surrender and says softly, “Franchesca, hey it’s okay. You have every reason to be upset. Just don’t lose your shit on me. Is there anything I can do?”
I feel like a tool. He is just trying to help.
“I’m sorry, Colton. I am just so tired and overwhelmed. We both need to get some rest so we can regroup in the morning.”
He stands up and walks to the door.
“I am here for whatever you need, Franchesca. I promise that we will get Shelby back.”
I watch him as he leaves and lay back on my bed, resting my head next to Edrik’s. I am physically and emotionally spent.
27
Sleeping Knight
I wake up when I here someone entering my room.
Gretchen is holding a tray covered in sandwiches and fruit. I sit up when she hands me a glass of water. “Franchesca you need to eat and I need to check his stitches. We do not want it to get infected.”
I nod and reach for a ham sandwich. I don’t have much of an appetite, but I know better than to argue with Gretchen.
“The stitches look good Franchesca. You should get cleaned up after you eat.”
“I will not leave Edrik’s side. What if something else happens?”
I look down at Edrik. My Knight has never looked so fragile. “Why isn’t he waking up Gretchen?”
“Well dear, he lost a lot of blood. His body needs to rest while the blood regenerates. Give him time. Edrik is the strongest man I know and he will be back to normal soon.”
I keep playing last night over and over in my head as the hot water helps relax me.
My mind goes straight to the stranger I now know is Rook. If he is the Renegades leader, why did he save me and why was I drawn to him? It was the same feeling I get when I am near Edrik and even, regrettably, Winston. What does this mean? If I am Fated to be with Edrik I should not be having any feelings toward anyone else and yet I am.
I try to push Rook to the back of my mind and Bianca’s face is what I see next. Although it hurt badly to be betrayed by her, I do not hate her. My heart breaks knowing she felt so much hatred for me that she felt the need to help the Renegades. Why aide the one group that has waged war on our Kingdoms? Did she let them into our home for the sole purpose of killing me? Was I that bad of a friend to her?
I don’t think I will ever get the picture of Edrik standing behind her, her head no longer attached to her body out of my mind.
When I start to doze off in the water, I force myself to get out. While drying off, I look in the mirror and notice the amulet around my neck. I take it off, staring into my lavender eyes. They give me comfort and remind me that I am not alone in this world.
When I open the door to my bedroom, I take a moment to just watch the rise and fall of his chest. I hope he wakes soon. I need him now more than ever.
The Rene
gades are becoming more aggressive since the attack on the castle.
Yesterday word came that they had burned down a large portion of the Merchants square. Gretchen tells me that several stores and homes were destroyed. Her friend Ruby’s shoppe, who made the amulets for us, was luckily spared.
I need Edrik to hurry and heal so we can continue making the plans for Shelby’s rescue. I worry about her all the time and my fear has increased with every Renegade attack. I hope my best friend is okay and she knows that I am doing all I can to get to her.
I walk over to my bed and ease myself down by Edrik. I wipe the sweat from his brow and lightly kiss his lips before laying my head on his shoulder. Sleep finds me quickly tonight.
Colton, Gretchen and my dad check on Edrik and me several times over the next two days. I guess my Mother cannot be bothered by something as silly as her daughter’s wellbeing.
Edrik’s condition has not changed any but his color is better and he is breathing deeper. Gretchen is continually checking and changing his bandages. The wound is healing nicely. All we can do not is wait for him to wake up.
On the third day, I wake to the feeling of being watched. When I open my eyes, a pair of beautiful deep brown ones are staring back at me. My Knight has awoken.
28
Confessions
Princess.”
I have never been happier to hear his raspy voice speak that word.
“Knight.”
Edrik looks around the room in confusion, “Why am I in your room Chess?”
“Colton helped me bring you up here after you passed out on me. Do you remember getting stabbed? There is a wound on your side that Gretchen has been tending to the last three days. We felt it was best for you to stay in here so I could look over you.”
