Ayron heard a high pitched squeal coming from his left flank. He turned around just in time to see Krelan, Tilar’s morden, fall to the ground with an assassin’s sword sticking out from his chest. Tilar shouted and tackled the assassin to the ground. Before Ayron could reach them, Tilar assisted by Gerrack had battered the assassins head to a pulp. Ayron reached them sword swinging as Tilar slid from the assassin’s body. He quickly slit the assassin’s throat, and then bent over to check on Tilar. The poor young man had obviously been wounded and would soon be dead. Being wounded by one of the assassins was a death sentence, and there was nothing that a healer, not even one of Galdor’s skills, could do to help. Ayron felt gut wrenching grief that he couldn’t stay and comfort the young soldier in his last moments, but one of the assassins was getting dangerously close to the wagon that held Rhys and Clayre. He knew he had to protect them at all costs. He also knew his soldiers well enough to know that each one of them would keep on fighting until they fell dead at the enemy’s feet.
Ayron ran over, followed by Gerrack, and attacked the assassin who was getting so close to the wagon. He soon realized that this assassin was the leader of one of the squads. He knew enough about the shadow squad organization to know that each squad had a leader that was the strongest, deadliest, and most fearsome fighter of the group. As he fought, Ayron felt as if the assassin was predicting his every move and, at the same time, easily avoiding Gerrack’s attempts to strike him with his hooves. Suddenly help came from an unexpected source when one of Galdor’s arrows stuck the assassin in the shoulder distracting him long enough for Ayron to stab him in the stomach with his sword. Before the assassin succumbed to his wounds however, he managed to throw a small dagger at Ayron, which would have struck him except for Gerrack who blocked the small blade with his hoof. Gerrack then reared up and finished the assassin leader off while Ayron ran over to help Briten who was trying to fight off two of the killers at once. As he ran, he realized just how tired he was to have lowered his guard like that. If not for Gerrack, he would be dead right now, twice over.
Ayron tried to take stock of how the fight was going. Besides himself, he had only Briten, Mintas, and Alea left to fight three assassins. He didn’t dare use Galdor and Stuart for anything other than to guard the wagon. Even though the odds didn’t look that bad, the chances of victory were looking slim. He and his soldiers were exhausted from long hours in the saddle, while the assassins appeared fresh and showed no signs of tiring. Ayron was also exhausted from the long sword battles he’d fought over the past two hours. He realized his fatigue was making him sloppy and he caught himself making mistakes that no seasoned soldier should. But he had given his word to his niece that he would protect Rhys and Clayre or die in the attempt, and that was just what he intended to do. The only thing that Ayron and his soldiers had going for them was their courage and stubbornness. In the past, their determination to succeed in their missions had always taken them beyond even their own expectations, but Ayron was not sure that it would be enough this time. With not much more than his own sheer determination left, he swung his sword, engaging yet another assassin.
Chapter 25 – The Diary
As Elwyn opened her mother’s diary and looked at the delicately written script she was grateful that Clayre insisted she learn to read. She was filled with anticipation and excited to learn more about herself, her mother, and perhaps even her father. The first few pages of the diary were about the grief and loneliness that Rhianna felt when she realized that her parents and other close relatives had been murdered by her uncle Prince Stefan. The diary was one of the few possessions Rhianna took with her when she and Rhys fled the castle the night that Stefan tried to have them assassinated. Stefan in his quest to become king of Avrelan murdered her parents King Justayn and Queen Reyna. He also murdered her father’s twin brother, Lord Valmont as well as her father’s and Stefan’s own sister Lady Georgianna, who helped them escape from the castle. The diary she carried was a gift from her parents for her sixteenth birth celebration, and it felt to Rhianna as if she had a small piece of her parents by keeping it with her. Elwyn thought it was rather ironic that, even though the circumstances were very different, the diary had come to mean to her what it had meant to her mother; a connection to the past.
The next few pages were about Rhianna’s flight from the castle and the difficulties she and Rhys had avoiding the soldiers and assassins that Stefan sent after them, once he realized they’d escaped. The entries on these pages were often smeared with dirt and tears as Rhianna shared how terrified she was crawling through the woods, hiding in caves, and having to constantly keep moving to avoid detection. She wrote that she was sure, if it hadn’t been for Rhys and his skills as a hunter, they would have been caught or killed on several different occasions. Rhianna also expressed how upset she was at being so unable to help Rhys. She had been trained in the basics of reading and writing, but most of her time had been spent learning how to be a queen. It involved learning about other countries in the Known Lands, the treaties that existed with each one, and sitting in on meetings with the various ambassadors from those lands. She had also been trained to oversee the running of the castle, its staff, and its guards. The training she loved the most was learning about all of the different people that inhabited the Known Lands, their customs, and their political structures. Unfortunately, none of this training prepared her for the role of a fugitive.
As curious as Elwyn was and as anxious to know answers to specific questions, she made herself read the journal page by page in the order in which it was written, to better understand how her mother felt about her life’s experiences. It occurred to her that her mother was about her age when all the events from the diary transpired. She felt a connection that went beyond their shared age though. They were also both hunted by assassination squads sent by the same man; a man who was determined to see them both dead. It did occur to her while she read the first part of her mother’s story, that she was probably the heir to the throne of this land of Avrelan. She now had some idea why Rhys tried so hard to keep her out of the public eye. Unfortunately now they were both targets. The one thing she still didn’t understand was why now. Hopefully she would find some answers somewhere in the pages of the book she now held.
The next series of entries in the diary described how Rhys and Rhianna were rescued by some soldiers from the land of Silvendil. Elwyn discovered how her mother fell in love with Lord Azavon at first sight, and how that love had eventually been returned in kind by him. It also described how, ever the big brother, Ayron advised them both to wait until Rhianna was older before allowing their relationship to become too serious. He felt it would allow her the time to grieve the loss of her loved ones and to learn the ways of their people; since if she married Azavon, she would someday become the queen of Silvendil. Rhianna and Azavon saw the sense in what he was saying and agreed. Rhianna described how hard she worked over the next several seasons to learn more about the elves, the mix of people who lived in Silvendil, as well as the companions; who were an important part of Silvendil society. Rhianna went on to describe how she and Azavon spent every moment they could together. She did say however, that the most wonderful moment during that time was when Gemma chose her to life-bond with, and how all of the people, especially the Companionkeeper, were surprised that a morden, especially one of Gemma’s pure bloodlines would chose a human with no elven blood. Apparently all of the previously chosen candidates had some elven blood in their backgrounds.
Elwyn was interrupted from her reading by the smell of her food cooking. She put the diary down and began to bake her bread in a small pan over some coals. She checked her soup and pulled her crispy cooked fish off the spit and onto a small plate. Before she ate, she went over to check on Keroc. She was shocked to discover that he was conscious. She quickly poured some of the broth she made into a small bowl and fed him as much as he was willing to drink. Other than moving his eyes, he was still unresponsive to her when she spoke. Elwyn
was pretty sure that he could understand what she was saying so she filled him in on all that happened since he was wounded. He blinked several times when she shared with him how Thane died protecting her life and how sad that made her feel. She also told him that in Kierra’s last report, she shared that Ayron was well. She also sensed that he was hoping that Ayron would be joining them soon. As she shared her plans to move on if Ayron didn’t arrive soon, Keroc quickly blinked again. She felt that, like the morden, he was against her moving on without Ayron by her side. She stroked his head and told him she would return to check on him a bit later. Then she went to see if it was time to eat.
She checked her bread and found it just about done. She had some time before her meal was finished so she went out to check on the morden again. They were in a meadow adjacent to the hut she was using. Standing with them looking over the village, Elwyn felt a strange sense of unrest. Hoping to distract herself, she gave them a quick update about Keroc’s condition. Gemma and Raffe both snorted and nuzzled her neck. Elwyn was pretty sure they were pleased by the news. She wondered if the morden could see images projected by the drakenhawks. But that was a question that would have to wait until Kierra contacted her again. She groomed both the morden as dusk began to fade into night. Seeing that they were both content, she turned to return to her hut, still wishing that Ayron would suddenly ride in on his beautiful black morden Gerrack. Before she entered the hut, she turned and looked back, sighing deeply as darkness crept quietly into the deserted village. She felt a moment of sadness as the day journeyed slowly toward night realizing she still felt alone. She slowly entered the hut, trying to block out the loneliness she felt and the fear that staying in this village generated. She decided instead to focus on the dinner that awaited her and the anticipation she felt about reading more of her mother’s adventures.
Elwyn entered the hut and quickly took her bread from the fire. Before settling down to eat and read her mother’s diary, she took another small bowl of soup to Keroc. She was delighted to find that he could move his head as well as blink his eyes. She also detected a small sensation in her head. It was as if he was trying to enter her mind. She leaned down over him and told him that Kierra felt that he would fully recover and was sending several of his nest mates to fly with him back to Findara as soon as he was ready. At this news, Keroc weakly bobbed his head and she could tell the news made him happy. She fed him some more broth and checked his broken wing to make sure that it was healing straight. Then she wrapped him up tightly again and told him to try to sleep as much as he could. Keroc nodded weakly and closed his eyes. Elwyn returned to the fire and served herself some fish, a bowl of soup, and some bread. It felt glorious to be eating something besides jerky and travel biscuits. After eating, she cleaned off her plate and put the leftovers in a covered pot, in the event that Ayron arrived during the night and was hungry. Elwyn then settled on her bed pad and began to read more of the diary.
The next several pages were about Rhianna’s courtship. It sounded almost like a fairy tale. After her eighteenth season, Azavon shared his feelings with her and their courtship officially began. She and Azavon went on picnics together, they rode around the countryside together, and he even let her sit in on his council meetings. Lord Elwin, Azavon’s father and the ruler of Silvendil was always kind to her and encouraged her to learn as much about the people of Findara as she could. Azavon’s mother Lady Azriel was also very nice to her and spent time with her, teaching her what she would need to know to run the castle efficiently. Azavon’s brother Ayron was like a big brother to her and seem to delight in teasing her about the bright reddish gold tresses that curled in wild abandon down her back and the temper she tried so hard, although sometimes unsuccessfully, to hide. Ayron took her to meet the drakenhawks, and was also responsible for her presence at the morden choosing where Gemma chose to life-bond with her.
Rhianna was ecstatically happy with only two exceptions. The first was Rhys who seemed bored and restless at Findara. Rhianna, Azavon, and Ayron all tried to get him interested in hunting, a craft, or military service, but nothing they proposed interested him. He took several extended trips on his own and finally told her that he would stay in Findara until she was married, but after that he wanted to pursue a life of his own. The other difficulty was her relationship, or lack thereof, with Azavon’s sister Lady Alysan. She was polite when the rest of the family was present, but curt and cold when alone with her. Rhianna was fairly sure that Alysan resented her presence, but uncertain why. Alysan was engaged herself to Gelmir, a young elf of high station, and soon to be married, so Rhianna didn’t think that it was jealousy. Whenever she found herself alone with Alysan however, she ended up taking barbs about her wild hair, her all too common human features, and her lack of elven blood. Her future sister-in-law also took great delight in reminding her that she was marrying a man who was over twice her age and who would still appear young when she was old and wrinkled. While these hurtful statements didn’t trouble Rhianna all that much, she was upset about not being able to make friends with Alysan. Rhianna had no sister and very few female friends. She had hoped that she and Alysan could become close.
As the time of the wedding drew near, Rhianna’s journal entries were about the wedding plans, the dress that was being made for her to wear, and the love that was growing within her for the new family that would soon be hers. There were a few journal entries about Rhys and his plans to leave after the wedding. He told Rhianna that it was important for him to establish himself alone and not become dependent on another family. Rhianna could tell that Rhys was still very angry about what Stefan had done. Rhys had always looked up to their uncle and regarded him as both friend and family. Rhys just wasn’t able to accept another family this quickly after Stefan’s betrayal. Rhianna wrote that she gave Rhys her blessing to go off on his own, but hoped that he would remember that he and she were the only members of their family left and how important to her it was that they stay in touch.
Rhianna then wrote about her wedding day. She described it as a day right out of a fairy tale. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue, and there were large fluffy clouds dotting the sky. The large ceremonial tree under which they were to be married was decorated in the most beautiful iridescent flowers in a multitude of pale colors. There were lanterns hanging from the branches underneath the tree to add extra lighting for the ceremony, which was to begin at dusk. Rhianna’s dress was a beautiful long white gown covered in fine gossamer lace that shimmered as she walked. Instead of a veil, she wore wild flowers in her hair. Her only adornment was a simple strand of gemstones around her neck. As she walked down the aisle, accompanied by Lord Elwin, she saw Rhys, Ayron, and Azavon waiting for her. Lady Azriel and Lady Alysan stood on the other side of Azavon. In her diary, Rhianna described her wedding as more like a dream. She felt almost as if she was dreaming when she said the vows she wrote, heard Azavon say his, and enjoyed the wonderful dinner celebration that followed. She also remembered being torn between sadness and happiness when Rhys came to say good-bye to her as she was leaving on her wedding trip with Azavon.
The next several entries Elwyn read were about Rhianna’s wedding trip with Azavon into the mountains. They’d arranged to stay for two weeks in a lovely little cottage next to a beautiful waterfall. They swam, hiked, and rode during the days, and talked, cuddled, and loved each other during the evenings. Azavon also taught Rhianna how to better communicate with Gemma. During that time she also got a chance to get to know Raven, Azavon’s morden and Torjon, Azavon’s drakenhawk much better. When Rhianna expressed her desire to have a drakenhawk for a companion as well, Azavon told her sadly, that no female had ever been chosen as a companion, but he encouraged her to go to a choosing if she wished to see if one would choose her. The days passed too quickly for Rhianna. She loved having time alone with her husband and knew that when he got back, the time they had together would be limited. Two days before they were due to return from their ho
neymoon, a messenger from the castle showed up with a message for Azavon. His father had been mortally wounded and he was needed back in Findara at once. Azavon set out immediately on Raven, and left Rhianna to follow with the messenger.
Rhianna wrote next about the great sadness in Findara at the death of Lord Elwin. It was obvious to her that he had been loved by his people, as well as by his family. There were thousands of people at his funeral. Rhianna hadn’t known him very well, but she’d respected and cared for him. She felt his loss very deeply. Unfortunately, none of the family had much time to grieve. Lord Azavon was named the new ruler of Silvendil, and shortly thereafter he appointed Ayron to head up the military. To Rhianna, that translated into less time with her husband and seeing her brother-in-law very infrequently; as his new position required him to travel extensively. Rhianna’s mother-in-law was pleasant, but very busy helping her son to understand his responsibilities as the new ruler of Silvendil. Rhianna tried reaching out to Alysan again in an attempt to forge a friendship with her, but to no avail. It was clear to Rhianna, after a couple of run-ins with her sister-in-law, that Alysan disliked her, thought she was not good enough to rule by Azavon’s side, and had no intention of developing any kind of relationship with her.
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