“Lost Princess? I didn’t realize that the King recognized that there was a lost Princess,” Cillian commented.
“Well of course he does! The King has grieved for the past fifteen years at the loss of both the Princess and King and Queen Mercier.”
“Is that right? So the King would welcome the royal family back to Montibello? Would he allow them to retain their rightful place on the throne of Tyalbrook?”
I could sense the disgust in Cillian’s voice now. I said a silent prayer that he could hold his animosity inside instead of starting a fight that didn’t have the best odds of winning. At fourteen to two, we were a bit shorthanded.
The soldier shifted his feet for a moment before he asked Cillian his original question again. “Do you or do you not know of the Princess being in your village?”
“Sorry, I have no idea about a lost Princess.”
They knew he was lying. I could sense it as sure as I could sense the presence of danger. The question was - what were they going to do about it?
“Very well, by the orders of the King of Tyalbrook, we will search the Village Sheridan and question all those we come across to verify that she is not receiving sanctuary here.”
“Why would she need to look for sanctuary from the King? IF he is welcoming her home…”
“She would not be seeking sanctuary from the King, Guardian, if she were aware of the past, she would have been seeking sanctuary from your faction.”
“WHAT?!,” growled Cillian.
I started to move when I noticed Cillian’s arm twitch. He tossed his bow to the ground with his left hand and simultaneously drew his sword with his right. The larger soldier on the ground had already pulled his sword a few inches from its sheath.
The two faced off for a moment like a duel in a western movie; Cillian with his sword drawn and ready, and the soldier poised to pull his at any moment. Then, as quick as lightning, the soldier pulled his sword and the two lashed out with everything they had.
CLANK! The metal against metal sound rang out into the meadow.
Before I had a chance to even step out of the shadows, I heard her voice. It was a moment that I was sure would forever haunt my dreams. Full of haughtiness and command, Skye stomped out of our hiding spot with her hands held out wide. It happened so fast and so unexpectedly that I was only able to stand there, dumbfounded.
“Stop!” she thundered, pulling all fifteen pairs of eyes her way. “Soldiers, drop your weapons. I am the Princess.”
TWENTY NINE - THREE DAYS TIME
Skye
What have I done, what have I done, what have I done? Thank the good lord that my long dress covered the quaking of my knees. Standing before fourteen large men dressed as soldiers was enough to make me want to pee my panties.
Cillian and the soldier were still standing, locked sword-to-sword. Their aggressive stances bespoke of two people who were ready to draw blood.
I was determined to keep any blood from being shed.
Cillian’s gaze cut to me only momentarily as I spoke, before he fastened his eyes on his opponent and tensed, ready for the fight. I could only imagine what Xander was thinking with Emeline still standing in the trees. I knew without a doubt that he was standing in the wings with his sword at the ready to strike if a soldier were to even think about moving.
I kept my focus on the smaller soldier holding his helmet as he looked me up and down with his handsome face. Now that I was closer, I could see he was very handsome, and much younger than I expected. For some reason that made me less scared. I had expected to see war wounds and dirty straggly hair, but instead I found perfect green eyes staring at me. Green eyes framed by short blond hair, cut unlike so many of the men I had seen in Tyalbrook.
“Smith! Lower your sword. Forgive me, milady, but are you saying that you are the lost Princess? The daughter of King Mercier?” he questioned.
“I am.”
A low murmur ran through the soldiers. I was very aware that none of them bowed to me like the Guardians had, and decided to keep that in mind. Actions spoke louder than words, and their actions showed me that they did not actually recognize me as the true Princess - regardless of what they might say. The soldier named Smith dropped his arm and stepped back from Cillian.
The green eyed soldier took a few slow steps forward before cocking his eyebrow at Cillian. “May I?”
There were about 15 feet between us, and I saw Cillian look to me and then slightly behind me for confirmation. Not wanting Xander to worry, I spoke up for them. “I would prefer that you maintain your distance, soldier.”
“Of course, milady. However, I have a parchment for you from the King. May I give this to your protector here?”
Cillian carefully stepped forward to meet the soldier and took a rolled up scroll. After taking a few steps back, he opened the letter and read aloud:
“King McClintock would like to invite Princess Mercier to Castle Montibello. He guarantees safe passage and would like to discuss the past as well as her future.”
Mind. Officially. Blown.
That was my initial thought at the letter. Would I really be able to trust the King and use this as my way to get into the Castle? Perhaps once there, I could find more clues into the past or even discover a way to defeat him. What to do, what to do?
“I’m sorry, but my reply will have to be no for the moment. I feel very safe here in the Sheridan village, and I’m not looking for my past, currently.”
The mild look of shock that crossed the soldier’s face was surprising. The King and his men must have been expecting me to want to take my throne back. Something told me that playing dumb would be best.
“I would, however, like to meet with him at a later date. How about if I ride to the Castle for a meeting in three days? This will allow me ample time to prepare for a return to my birth home.” My voice wavered as I spoke, and the thought of actually returning to my home hit me.
So far I had tried to stay impartial to everything around me, but the idea that I was now in a position to be able to walk the same halls as the parents I’d barely known brought both a great deal of sadness and excitement to me.
“Milady, the King feels you would be safest if you had a guard from his army escort you to the Castle. Would you please reconsider coming with us now? The King feels your life is in jeopardy if you stay here outside of the Castle walls for too long. Word reached us that there has already been one such attack.”
“How, may I ask, did word reach you? It’s a seven day trip from our village to the Castle,” Cillian questioned.
Several of the King’s men shifted, and their horses were getting restless. “I’m well aware of the travel time, Cillian Concade. Our party was actually traveling to Sheridan from Ballinger when we heard the news. The King sent us here in search of the Princess. He’d heard that she was back in Tyalbrook.”
“And how did he hear of such news?”
“The King has his ways. I am sure that I don’t need to speak for the King. You, however, could be brought to Montibello on charges of treason for lying to the King’s men.”
I stepped forward again and quickly worked to keep Cillian out of trouble. “He was acting on my behalf, soldier. Surely you can appreciate his duty to keep me safe.”
“Yes, of course I can, Princess,” he grudgingly acknowledged, bowing slightly to me. When he lifted his head, his eyes held mine as he said, “I would do the same thing for a lady of such beauty.” I was taken aback by his boldness.
“You forget yourself, soldier!” I admonished, thinking back to all the movies I’d seen where royalty was always treated with reverence. My life was beginning to feel like a King Arthur movie or BBC television show. In the back of my mind, I started to wish that I’d brought a copy of the book. Maybe it would have helped me in this situation.
“I apologize, milady,” he spoke; his voice dripping with sweetness. I merely cocked my head in acknowledgment of his apology.
“Soldier, it’s getti
ng late and I would like to return to the village. Again, I am willing to ride to the castle in three days to meet with the King. Would you and your men be able to find an inn here in the village until that time?”
The large soldier who had tried to battle Cillian barked out ‘No!’, however, Mr. Green Eyes again interrupted him and met my gaze.
“That is reasonable. We’ll find an inn in the village and will plan to provide you safe travels to the Castle in three days’ time.”
“I will have my own riding party when the time comes, but you may escort us,” I inserted, in an effort to maintain control of the situation.
“Yes, of course,” he spoke. Then, almost as an afterthought he added, “You can tell your friends hiding in the woods there to come out. I highly doubt that you were out here alone with Concade, unless you are working on damaging your reputation.”
The rumble of snickers that ran through the soldiers made my back straighten. I wanted to slap the slightly arrogant smirk off of the soldier’s face.
“I believe that I should repeat what the Princess said before, soldier. You forget yourself.”
Shocked, I spun around to find Xander swiftly coming to my side; his weapons now sheathed. Emeline followed behind him with her head held high. Damn them for bothering to come out now!
“I think it would be best if you and your men were to leave. NOW!” Xander spat out in irritation.
The green eyed soldier motioned and called out to the larger soldier to mount, and then nodded his head at Xander before stepping forward once more. Xander pulled up to my side and then stepped in front of me.
“What is your name?” asked the King’s man.
“He does not answer to you,” I blurted out before I could help myself. “He is my protection, and therefore answers only to me.”
Cillian coughed and smiled in our direction, adding sarcastically, “That is, unless the King does not recognize the Princess as having that right. I’m still confused, soldier. Does King McClintock recognize the Princess as being the rightful owner of the crown?”
Aw crap. The look of anger that ran over the soldier’s handsome face made me want to run and hide. Just when I’d thought we were about to make a peaceful getaway.
“Cillian! I’ve said that I am not here to revisit the past. I make no claims on the throne, soldier. I only request to have my own protection, and for someone I know and trust to be allowed to escort me to the Castle.”
We all stood and regarded one another for a full minute. I felt Emeline’s hand tightly grasp my sleeve. Cillian was standing proud and defiant, like he would love nothing more than a fight, while Xander looked bored. Although I couldn’t see his face because he was in front of me, his posture was one that showed little respect for the King’s men.
Finally the soldier nodded his head and relaxed. “As you wish, milady. I believe there’s only one inn in Sheridan. When you are ready to make the journey, please have your party contact us.”
I watched as he retreated and mounted his horse. After another glance, he placed his helmet upon his head and lifted the visor to call out, “Good day.”
The soldiers prodded their horses forward and left us standing in a cloud of dust.
Xander turned to face me and I could see that he was trying to hold his tongue. He was angry at me, of that I was sure. Cillian spun around immediately and jogged back in the direction of the village, and Emeline started to pack our picnic back up.
“Really, Skye?” Xander asked in exasperation.
“Really what?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb with me. They could have grabbed you or hurt you! Why couldn’t you just stay hidden?”
“Xander, I was not about to let Cillian or you get into a fight with fourteen of the King’s soldiers. I didn’t feel threatened. You know as well as I do that their plan isn’t to hurt me.”
“I don’t really know what the King’s plan is. We don’t know that he won’t just get rid of you.”
“Why would he? You heard what Cillian and Emeline said. The closer I get to my eighteenth birthday, the more unsettled the Kingdom gets. It must be the prophecy. It has to be why he stepped up the army patrols back home - to find me. I’m the only one who can bring peace and prosperity back to the Kingdom. The question is, what do I have to do in order for that to happen?”
Xander sighed in frustration. I turned to help Emeline carry the baskets from our abandoned picnic when I spotted a familiar person striding towards us.
“Rioden?” I questioned, knocking Xander in the stomach to get his attention. “It’s Rioden!”
He turned on his heel and instantly his face brightened with a smile. Xander hurried to his side and clasped Rioden’s hand, pulling him into a hug and pounding him on the back as only men do.
“I saw the King’s men go by from the cottage. Cillian filled me in. You two okay?” He spoke to us both; his brows pulled together in concern.
“Skye agreed to go to the Castle in three days, Ri.”
“Yes,” he looked my way and bowed. “I think that might be a good idea, Princess.”
“You agree?” Xander asked incredulously.
“I’m glad you’re here Rioden, and safe.” I stepped up and kissed him lightly on his whisker-covered cheek. I had decided for now to swallow my anger at him; there would be plenty of time for that later. “Thank you for risking your life to give us time to get here.”
Rioden’s face fell as he looked at me and fear began to creep into my heart. He looked troubled.
“What is it?” I begged him when I noticed his aloofness; assuming that he had spoken to Selene and she’d told him about filling Xander and I in.
“Skye, I’m sorry, and I don’t know how to tell you this…” He glanced at Xander and Emeline, who stepped up close to me. I felt Emeline put her hand on my arm as if she knew what Rioden was about to say.
“Once I realized McClintock’s men were no longer tailing me, I made my way to your home to check on your friends…”
I gasped as I guessed where he was going and heard myself cry out. “Oh no! Janelle? Rex?”
“The house had been ransacked and the male, Rex, was dead. Your friend Janelle was nowhere to be found. I searched and searched…”
My knees went weak as I processed what Rioden had just told me. Arms grasped me by the waist and I felt myself fall. What had I done? Rex had been murdered and Janelle was, what? Missing? Kidnapped?? Tortured for information regarding me? I felt the sour taste of my lunch begin to rise up in my throat and swallowed hard to keep from being sick.
“Why?” I screamed. “Why me? Why them?”
I was suddenly yanked into Xander’s strong arms and I pounded at his chest in anger.
“Why didn’t you let me go back to them? To protect them! Damn you!” I thundered as his steel-like grip stilled my fighting arms. “She was the only friend I ever had…the only friend I remember ever having.”
Over my cries I could hear Rioden’s voice trying to comfort me. “Skye, I doubt that they would have hurt her. More than likely they took her for leverage. My guess is that she was brought here. I couldn’t get a single trace of the Semvon anywhere around town before I went to the portal.”
I let his comment sink in but I felt numb - too numb to argue as Xander lifted me in his arms and carried me back to the cottage.
Once at the cottage, Rioden asked that Emeline keep me company while he met with Xander and Cillian next door. Xander balked at leaving me alone again, but I reassured him that I would stay put, and with the guards they placed outside the door he was convinced we would be safe.
I sat stoically on a bench and watched the flames leap in the fireplace while we ate some soup. Emeline stayed quiet through our meal, but finally tried to open up a conversation once she had placed our dishes in the kitchen area.
“Would you like to talk about your friends?” She questioned me timidly.
I began to deny her request, but then thought that talking about it may help my
confused feelings, so I began to open up. I filled her in on how I had met Janelle and some of the fun things we had done together. It felt good to tell someone about her, but it also hurt. I don’t know at what point I began to cry, but once I did, I allowed the tears to flow freely.
“Rex was...he was just Rex. He was somewhat of a bum. He’s 25…or was 25, and had no real secure future going for him. He just worked here and there; picking up out-of-town contracting jobs doing mechanic work. But, he treated me kindly and Janelle too. I just can’t believe they would kill him,” I finished with a whisper.
Emeline let me go on for what felt like hours about my friends, before she was able to swing the conversation around to more cheerful things such as boys and what life had been like back home. She was a cheerful friend, and I was truly glad to have met her. She loved hearing about the modern technology we had in the other dimension, although she really didn’t understand it.
Never Let You Fall (The Prophecy of Tyalbrook) Page 27
