by Hurri Cosmo
"You're right, I don't, but I know you wouldn't run me through without giving me a chance to tell you what's going on either. So do you want to sit here and argue, or do you want me to tell you the story?"
"I want to know where Joron is. That's the only story I'm interested in."
"Fine. Ride with me. We'll talk as we go."
They turned then and continued the journey west. "Why are you headed toward the sea?"
"That's another story. Which one do you want?"
"Funny. I'll shut up. You talk."
* * * *
She hurried as fast as she could, shouting out orders to all her appointed servants, sending them in all directions at once. However, by time the carriage and all that went with a woman for a weekend was finally ready to depart, Abydell was still a good hour behind the king. At this rate, she would arrive after nightfall, but she wasn't worried. There were enough soldiers to protect her and this way Aric would have to let her spend the night. He would never send her back out into the darkness, and all she needed was time with him alone. She was determined she would be able to seduce him, and once she was able to do that, she would have him. He truly was a magnificent human being and she wanted him badly--not just for the money and status any longer but for his amazing body as well.
Yes, there would be progress tonight. She was sure of it.
* * * *
"Nochi? Where are we going?" Joron had moved his horse closer to Nochi's to gain his attention. "I see we've turned north again. I'm not familiar with this terrain but shouldn't we continue going south to travel around the bay?"
Nochi remained silent for a moment. He would eventually have to explain the plan to Joron. He wasn't going to lie to him. But that didn't mean he needed to tell him the whole truth right now.
"We're headed to Nor Ferry Mire, a chateau by the sea, your highness. In fact, it's over this next rise. Forgive me for this diversion, but please allow it for a few days. We can rest the horses and ourselves better before trekking south."
"Why?"
"To give you time, my prince, to be sure of your decision. Eldhaven is so far away and through treacherous regions like The Great Marsh and into kingdoms we know very little about. You need to be sure this is what you truly want to do."
Joron looked down and away. "So basically you're saying you would prefer I don't make a hasty decision based on what Aric thinks or doesn't think, is that it?"
Nochi remained silent.
"Look, I know what I'm doing. The farther away I am from both kingdoms, the better, and Eldhaven is about as far away as I can get. I have to have family there--someone who remembers my mother. I've made up my mind, Nochi."
"Yes, my prince. I understand. But can you indulge me for a few days? The chateau, although it does belong to Claymoor Doom, is a place for rest and reflection. But it is also a place where the king does not go--or hasn't for the last two years. You'll be safe there. And if in a few days you haven't changed your mind, we'll go on to Eldhaven. I promise."
If the king had not contacted him in that time, it was the only other course of action he would have. If it came to that, he would have to send a man back with the information. But in the interim, if Joron agreed, he would have time to figure out a plan. "In fact, we could follow the shoreline for a good part of the way. It will be a much more pleasant journey."
"Fine. I'll give you two days. No more. But I assure you, I will not change my mind."
"Thank you, my prince."
* * * *
Joron sat and looked out over the high cliff at the pounding ocean. They had arrived some hours ago and, after a short rest and a meal Nochi had forced Joron to eat, Joron begged Nochi to let him come and sit, watch, and listen. Nochi had chuckled and told him to be careful, to not stray too close to the edge, and to come in before too long or he would be out to retrieve him.
Joron had felt guilty earlier for not helping as he watched the servants carrying food and supplies into the large chateau through what Joron thought had to be the kitchen door, sitting not that far off from the main door, but Nochi insisted he rest. He had noticed the main door when he walked by. Beautiful double doors, again with the crest adorning the front. Oddly enough there didn't seem to be the flash of the odd colored jewels Joron was used to seeing whenever he saw the Tamusi crest. He stretched, yawned, and headed out to the edge of the land, drawn to the sight and sound of the vast ocean. Though he was told it was only a bay, an offshoot from the ocean, it was still an incredible sight. Nochi had told him pretty much directly across the water was where Eldhaven lay.
He was nervous he could not see the chateau from this point, due to a small rise in the land before it fell away to the remarkably dangerous cliffs. But though the draw of the water was strong, Joron still sat well away from the edge.
Amazing.
With all the running Joron had constantly done over the years, he had never been this close to the ocean. It was magnificent. The crashing of the waves called to something ancient in him. Of course, he knew Eldhaven was by the sea and he had been born there. It was probably a memory buried deep within. He was happy Nochi had made this suggestion. He would benefit from a couple of days here and take pleasure in the trek they would take south following the coast.
After a time, he heard the crunch of a steady foot on rock and sand behind him. Thinking it was Nochi, he said "You're right, Nochi. This is definitely a place for reflection. It's hard to believe there is no higher power when you see something like this, hear something like this. God is truly an amazing God."
"Yes, he is," Aric said.
Joron froze, not wanting to turn around. Had Nochi betrayed him? Had he indeed set it up that Aric would be here, too? How could he have done that? When? The man he had sent the day before to see if they had been trailed had come back. If he had met someone along the way who he then sent back to the castle, there still would not have been time. The king would have had to have already been on his way.
"Joron? Look at me."
Joron swallowed hard, rose to his feet, and slowly turned to see Aric, lit by the setting sun, glorious in his stately attire. The man was truly beautiful.
But the man was not his.
And Joron did not belong to him either.
"I didn't know you would be here. I wouldn't have let Nochi bring us if I did."
"Joron, I didn't know you would be here either, but I'm glad you are. May we talk?"
"What is there to talk about? You're married. Even if she would share you, I will not. That's the way it is. She's your queen and mother to"--he choked when he thought of the tiny boy who called him Jo Jo--"Taiyo. I'll not get in the way of that."
Aric let out an exasperated breath. "That's... the way it appears..."
Joron looked up suspicious. "What do you mean?"
Aric turned half away, hands on his hips. "I... She's an... I..." He turned back and took the few steps to stand directly in front of Joron. "Look, trust me to handle this. You don't know everything at this moment. Please, come inside where you'll be safe. I don't like...this cliff. You can take a room on the far side of the chateau, well away from us. But give me time to make this right."
"What can you do? She wears your ring. She has a claim on you that I will never have."
"Yes, but I don't believe her. That's the hell of it. I need to find a way to..." Joron saw Aric's eyes open wide as the grimace on his face fell away. "Wait..." Aric breathed as he grabbed Joron's shoulders. "Wait! Wears my ring? What are you talking about?"
"I saw it. The ring on her finger with those stones--the same stones that are on your throne and everything else that bears your crest. You said it yourself. Those stones only come from one mine and it's on Claymoor property. They are more precious and rare than diamonds."
"You saw it? She wears the royal ring?" Aric released Joron, turned, and walked a few hurried paces away, then turned again and came as fast back to Joron.
"She wears the ring! Of course! I saw it, too. I knew ther
e was something off. I couldn't put my finger on it." He laughed at his own pun. "Finger! Ring!" He laughed again. "But that's it. That's the answer."
"What are you talking about? What's the answer?"
"Joron! The night I thought she fell over the cliff, the night I thought she died, she took off the ring and threw it at me. No one else ever knew that. No one. I left the ring here. I even forgot about it. Thinking...no, knowing the real queen was truly dead, dragged out to sea, as we all believed, and not knowing she had actually taken the ring off, an imposter would think of course to duplicate the ring, which honestly wouldn't be that difficult. Expensive, but not hard. It actually proves Relel was involved, because he would be the only one who would have had access to that stone. And she would show up with it on her hand. The fake Abydell is wearing a ring, not the ring." He grabbed Joron's hand. "The real ring is actually up in the master bedroom. Come on. I'll show it to you."
They headed back to the cottage and came in through the back door, through the kitchen. When they arrived in the living room, Joron gasped at the sight of Diagus. Diagus inhaled a breath as well. "Diagus! What are you doing here?"
Aric stopped short. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention... Shit!"
Joron looked up at Aric, who still held tightly to Joron's hand. "What's the matter?" He darted his gaze back to Diagus. "What's going on?"
"He can tell you later." Aric pulled on Joron's hand again as he headed for the main staircase. "Right now I need to check on something." As he pulled Joron up the stairs with him, Joron looked back to see that Diagus was following, bounding up the stairs two at a time to catch up.
"What are you up to, Tamusi? Where are you taking Joron?"
"The master bedroom." Joron could hear the smirk in his voice, although he couldn't see his face.
"Like bloody hell. Release him right now!" He grabbed a hold of Joron's other hand when he reached them and pulled back.
Aric stopped but held tight to Joron's hand. Joron looked back at Diagus and tilted his head at the guards still standing in the living room, staring up at the three of them on the staircase and nearly laughed. It was clear the guards had no idea what to do, intervene or run like hell.
"Come on then." Aric growled at Diagus. "You can come, too." He turned and continued up the stairs, pulling on Joron as he went.
"Are you serious? You think I want to join you? You are absolutely..."
"Shut up, Amar! Just follow us."
Diagus, who also did not release his hold on Joron, relented and allowed himself to be pulled, along with Joron, up the stairs and down the long hallway to yet another set of large double doors. They were very ornate, with the Tamusi family crest deeply carved into each one, the precious stone eyes winking in the semi darkness. Without releasing Joron, Aric fumbled in his pocket and fished out a key. He quickly inserted it into the lock. It turned hard but they were greeted with the sound of ancient locking mechanisms rolling back.
Aric breathed a sigh of relief. "Obviously, by the sound of the lock and the fact I have the only key, no one has been in this room in years."
He pushed back one of the heavy doors and walked into the dark room. He finally let go of Joron, walking across the room to open the thick drapes to let in more light, but the sun was now low and not much light made it past the thick glass. Aric went immediately to a tall bureau and opened the top drawer. Rummaging around inside, he finally pulled out a small object that glinted in the flickering light.
"Here it is. This proves it."
Diagus had pulled Joron closer to him. "Proves what, Tamusi? What's this all about?"
* * * *
"My so-called wife. She's fake. I knew it."
The image of her throwing the ring at him ran through Aric's mind. He saw her shrieking and running out of the bedroom, down the stairs. He followed her. He had to. His first fear was that she would pitch herself down the flight of steps but, thankfully, she didn't. She raced to the bottom, arriving safely, but hardly sound. She took off across the floor toward the front doors, tipping a priceless vase to the floor in her haste. Stupidly, one of the houseboys who saw her rushing toward the doors, dashed to open them for her. Too late, Aric shouted out for him not to. Up until that point, Aric had not been in too much of a hurry. He didn't expect her to run out of the chateau in the middle of the night, much less that night. The rain was torrential and the winds were fierce and unrelenting. One misstep and it would be over.
And of course, that was exactly what happened. A misstep.
"The woman claiming to be my wife is not my wife. She's an imposter." Suddenly the shadows shifted and came alive.
"What nonsense are you spewing, husband?" The sound came from behind all of them. They all three turned to see Abydell, standing in the doorway of the master bedroom, candle in hand. Immediately Diagus pulled Joron behind him, putting himself between the strange woman and Joron.
Aric noted the move, and knowing Joron was protected, his gaze fell on the woman at the threshold. Without lifting that penetrating look, he tossed the ring in the air and caught it again. "This, my love. I am talking about this."
"What...what is...that?"
"The real royal ring. Not the fake you're wearing."
The woman brought her left hand up and clenched her fingers in obvious guilt at having been found out. But she continued to tell her lies. "Has hanging around that child made you daft? This is the real ring--the one you put on my finger at our wedding. You don't remember, darling?" Although her voice sounded calm, there was a definite crack in it, a faltering. It was clear the dam was breaking.
"Wrong. This is the ring." He held it up between two of his large fingers, the stone catching the light. "The one you took off and threw at me the night you ran off into the storm for... What was it again? A walk? Don't you remember...darling? So tell me, my love, how is it that the ring I gave you is still locked up in this room, yet you seem to be wearing one. If we cared to look, I would venture to guess it is identical. Am I right? You and Relel reproduced the royal ring, mainly because you had no idea the real Abydell did not go to her death wearing it. That was a detail no one but I knew."
"No! It's not true. This is the real ring. That one is the fake. You're...you're lying to... Someone is trying to deceive you, Aric. You have to believe me. Please, you have to believe me." She turned to plead to Joron and Diagus, holding up her left hand to show off the ring. Diagus quickly pushed Joron back farther still. "Have any jeweler in the land look at it. It's genuine."
"Oh, I have no doubt of that. I'm sure it's genuine." Aric huffed. "I can't imagine you would have tried to get by with anything but a ring with real stones. In fact, if I remember correctly, the jewels are missing from the front door of this very house. Could it be my brother couldn't be bothered enough to be more stealthy than that?"
"That...that doesn't prove anything. Those stones could have been stolen."
"Yes, I suppose. But there's one more little detail few knew about--the engraving on the inside of the ring. The jeweler who did it for me prior to our nuptials is still alive and can vouch for it. If you have the real ring, Abydell, it will have the engraving. Show me."
"No. I won't take it off."
"Don't be ridiculous. The real Abydell took it off all the time."
"No. I won't."
"Then, my dear, tell me. What does the inscription say?"
"I...I don't remember. I...was ill so..."
Aric's smirk on his face belied his words. "I'm hurt. You don't remember?"
"No, it's just that... There are...there are several things... I mean..."
"It says, 'I give you my honor.' Remember now?"
"Oh. Oh yes! That's it." She laughed, tiny beads of sweat starting to make her face a bit shiny.
"Wrong! It says 'I give you my everything.' The ring you wear is a fake, and so are you."
By this time, a few of the guards had made it up the stairs. Aric wasn't sure how many of them would be loyal to him. He was hoping all of them. He
shot a look to Diagus, who understood immediately and grabbed Joron to drag him to safety behind Aric and stood to Aric's right side. The movement was not lost on the fake queen.
"And what is it about that currish dolt? Why do you cater to his every whim? He is filth."
Aric took a step forward as did Diagus, both with raised hands, as if their intent was to slap the dirty words from her mouth. They looked at each other and both decided at the same time it wasn't worth the effort. She was a fool without power.
Aric put his hand down, only to raise it again as he gave his command. "Take her away. Lock her in the basement or some equally unpleasant place, but get her out of my sight. She'll be returned to the castle tomorrow and will be tried for treason to the crown. And send word to the castle to make sure my brother, Prince Relel, is still confined. He will be lucky if he ever sees the outside of his rooms again." His hard gaze returned to the fake Abydell's face, as the guards took hold of her arms. "Looks like you're facing death again, my dear, but this time by hanging."
"Fine! Go bed your whore. Go have babies with him, too. Oh wait. You can't." She laughed a hysterical laugh. "Get a disease and die. All three of you." They dragged her out of the room as she continued to laugh.
When they were gone, even the sounds of her laughter, and all that was left were the noises of the chateau and the far-off ocean, Joron turned to Aric. "You mean...you're not married?"
"No, my pet. I'm not."
"That means..."
"Yes, it means we can be together."
"Hold on." Diagus stepped in. "Hey, Aric, old buddy. You seem to be forgetting something."
Joron turned a suspicious eye on Diagus. "Forgetting? What is he forgetting?"
"The news I came with, my dear brother--or should I say--my king?" With those words, he bowed deeply.
Chapter 11
They sat around the massive stone fireplace in the library of the old chateau, the fire giving off a heat that could not reach Joron's bones. He sat facing the fire, sitting on an oversized, overstuffed chair with a quilt wrapped around him. Aric was on his left, sitting on a chair similar to his own, filling it out a lot more though, and Diagus was off to his right on a matching bench. Both Aric and Diagus had a drink in hand, some old wine they found hidden in a secret cupboard Aric remembered.
