by Berry, Janet
“Hopefully, Oryn can remember something of the layout and design of the castle. If the queen is being held in a dungeon near the Well, then we would know exactly where she was.”
They waited a few minutes and when Oryn arrived, Elsa asked him if he remembered anything from his patrols.
“I do remember a small door towards the back of the kitchen. I asked what it was, but every time I did, the guards all went silent and didn’t reply. So I thought it was something I shouldn’t be worrying about and went on my way. Now that I think of it, I should have done something more about it, I think.”
Elsa sighed.
“So if we want to get to the queen, we will most likely have to go through that door. I don’t think they would have hidden her anywhere else.”
Owyn nodded and said, “We cannot do it ourselves though. We are going to need help. Our only option is to contact the other islands and see if they can help us. We know that Cyrus is the one who kidnapped the queen, and to take him down, we are going to need everyone’s help. Which means we need to speak to Alastair and Brigid. They should be able to help us.”
He stopped for a moment.
“Are we sure that this is the right path? We at least know that Alastair is on our side, seeing as how Scarlett is not dead yet. If he wanted her dead, she would be.”
Oryn scoffed at his brother.
“Alastair is a good man, and a patriot. You know that as well as I. He would never do anything to jeopardize his kingdom and the safety of his people on Elfyre Hollow. If that means keeping out of something, he will do it. Which could work against us, but since he already agreed to see you, he must be willing to help.”
Owyn rolled his eyes at his brother’s dramatic flair.
“I understand that but I just want to be sure that what we are doing is the right thing. It is time to restore our queen to her throne and take back our kingdom.”
Oryn rolled his own eyes now.
“We will, brother.”
Owyn looked at Elsa and smiled, giving her a wink before he said, “We will have to leave for Elfyre Hollow as soon as possible. Do you need long to pack?”
She shook her head.
“I am mostly still packed so putting things in that I need will not take that long. You are the one who would need longer I would think.”
The twins snorted at the same time.
“I am always ready to go when need be. We will head out as soon as you are ready. I have already sent a notice to Elfyre Hollow to let them know we are coming.”
Elsa and Oryn nodded.
“Are you coming with us, Oryn?” Elsa asked, looking up at him.
He shook his head.
“I am going to stay and look after things here. Owyn needs me to do that for him.”
She smiled at him, and then at Owyn.
“He is very lucky to have you here to help him out,” she said.
“More than you know,” Owyn replied, laughing.
With one last look at Elsa and Owyn, Oryn headed out the door, promising to say goodbye before they left.
Elsa stood and headed towards the door, looking back once more before she left the room. With a wink, she left the room and headed towards the stairs.
Two hours later, they arrived at the dock, Owyn’s personal boat The Comte readied for their departure.
Owyn escorted Elsa onto the boat and was in the middle of speaking with the captain when a man walked on board, asking for him. He turned and saw Oryn’s valet James heading towards him.
“James, is everything all right? Is Oryn all right?”
James nodded his head quickly.
“Everything is fine, My Lord, but this arrived for you after you left and when Lord Oryn saw who it was from, he called me to bring it to you immediately. I asked him why he didn’t have someone else do it, but he wanted me to. I rode out as fast as I could. I am glad I made it, sir, or I for sure would be following behind in another boat.”
Owyn smiled and took the note.
“No need for that now. Let Oryn know I received the message. Be very careful on your way back. There are many dangers you could encounter.”
James nodded and with a bow, walked off the boat and headed for his horse.
Owyn chuckled at the man and looked down at the note he received, realizing it was from Everett.
Hmm…
“Where is Lady Elsa?” he asked of the nearest crew member.
“She was down near the rooms, My Lord, waiting for us to push off,” the man replied.
Owyn thanked him and headed below decks.
A few minutes later, he found Elsa in her cabin, sitting and writing at the small desk he had been able to furnish the room with.
“Elsa, Everett sent us something. It has both our names on it so I wanted to make sure you saw it.”
She jumped out of her chair and took the note from him, breaking the seal and opening it.
She quickly scanned the lines and looked at Owyn.
“He found out from some of his contacts in the castle that the king has been trying to overturn the decision to keep him from being king again, which we knew, but he is gaining support from Obsidian Ridge to do so. So far Cobalt Lagoon, Elfyre Hollow, and Malachite Expanse have not voiced support for this change. There are rumors that with Cyrus leading the charge, you will be pressured into doing it. That means everyone is in danger.”
She paused.
“I don’t understand though. How would that work for Cyrus? He doesn’t want another king to rule; he wants to take over, doesn’t he? Do you think that Cyrus is working with Art to become king again? Why would he abdicate and then try to take over the throne once again?”
Elsa was so confused.
“Try not to think too hard about it,” Owyn said, resting his hand on her shoulder.
“All those questions are valid, and right now we do not have the answers. We will hopefully find those out in time. I need to get back above deck to get us moving. Make sure you put that note in a safe place and no one gets to it, because if so, we will be in trouble.”
Elsa nodded and tucked it away.
As Owyn headed back upstairs, she couldn’t help but feel a little less safe than she had before.
Chapter Thirteen
Owyn and Elsa stood at the railing on the deck of The Comte as it pulled up to the dock.
She held onto his arm and grabbed the railing as the ship bumped the wooden pier as the men pulled the ropes to anchor the boat to the dock. Owyn smiled and patted her hand as the captain called for everyone to go ashore. Elsa was happy to be on land again, but had enjoyed the short jaunt across the sea. It had only been about three days since they had left, but they were finally at Elfyre Hollow.
She was anxious to see if Scarlett and Alastair had learned anything else in the three days they had been at sea, but she was fairly certain nothing else had happened.
They were greeted by the steward of the castle Ashaven, and he showed them the way to the carriage that awaited them.
“Hello, my name is Jasper and I am the steward of Ashaven. I was asked to come in Alastair’s place. He and Lady Scarlett are taking care of a few last minute preparations for your arrival.”
“That is so lovely of them,” Elsa stated as Jasper led them to what was obviously Alastair’s carriage. It had the large royal coat of arms on the side of it, proudly displayed for all to see.
“Are you ready, sir?” Jasper asked, waiting for Elsa and Owyn to get settled.
“Ready when you are, Jasper,” Owyn called.
Elsa sat across from him, almost deciding against it when the carriage jolted into motion and took off.
“Are you all right?” Owyn asked.
She stared at him and he laughed.
“I believe that means you are all right,” he said, shifting in his seat.
She chuckled at him and looked out the window, taking in the scenery outside the window.
“It is beautiful here,” she said, looking at him and the
n back out the window.
The grass was so green here as opposed to Malachite Expanse that had little to no grass at all due to the rocks that grew there.
Elsa was tempted to tell the driver to stop so she could get out and run around barefoot in the grass, but she was sure that Owyn would tell her not to do that, at least not right now. So it would have to wait. She was hopeful that the grass out here was as beautiful as it was near the castle.
When the castle came into view, Elsa knew she was wrong.
A small fortress served as the front gate of the castle. They crossed a small stone bridge that led into the fortress, surprising Elsa with just how large it was.
Elsa was amazed by all the activity going on behind the castle walls.
Owyn had seen it all many times before as he and the other royals had met at all the castles often, with the exception of Obsidian Ridge.
Cyrus had never been very willing to let the Royal Company onto Obsidian Ridge. They hadn’t been too upset by it as the castle was not always kept in the best shape. King Art had insisted on seeing the castle at least once a month, so their weekly meetings had rotated there at least every few weeks.
He had always thought that Alastair had the most impressive castle out of all of them and had decided that if they were ever under attack that he would come to Alastair’s castle. It had the best defenses and fortifications that Royal Litas could buy. Owyn’s castle had fortifications, but they were nothing compared to Alastair’s.
They rode down the winding road that divided the fortress into two parts, a lively marketplace lining the road on both sides. Elsa marveled at all the vendors as the carriage worked its way through the crowded streets to their destination. When the actual castle came into view, it took Elsa’s breath away.
Ashaven lay across a long bridge of stone that connected the fortress and the actual castle together. The bridge had two layers of stone arches stacked one on top of the other, the width of the bridge just wide enough for a carriage to get through.
The main building was large and isolated on an island, the tip of the highest tower able to be seen from the other side of the bridge. The castle itself was impressive, and the stonework on the bridge and the fortress before it was enough to make any person sigh in admiration.
Owyn smiled in appreciation at the admiration on Elsa’s face.
“It is beautiful!” she said, sticking her head out of the window to look over the edge of the wall of the bridge as they crossed the narrow ledge.
The water below them was deep and clear. Elsa was able to see deep down into the water at the sea life that swam there.
Excitedly, she pointed down to the water and told Owyn, “Look! I can see a dolphin!”
He leaned out the carriage window in time to see the dolphin dive back underneath the water, its form still mostly visible if not slightly blurred.
She had hoped to see more of the huge structure before they arrived but the bridge was too short for Elsa to get a proper look at the building. They arrived inside a small round-about courtyard and the carriage pulled to a halt.
Jasper hopped down off the perch above and headed quickly to the door, letting the butler know they had arrived. The doormen helped her out of the carriage and Elsa couldn’t help but look up; the tallest tower on the building made her feel quite small. Elsa was overwhelmed by the sheer height and presence of the building.
“I have to say, this is the first time I have been overwhelmed by the sight of a castle,” she said, taking Owyn’s arm as he stepped down from the carriage.
“It is quite an impressive edifice, I do have to say,” Owyn replied. “I almost envy Alastair for his home, but the upkeep must be phenomenal. That is when I will take my much smaller, easier to take care of household.”
He chuckled before saying, “I would, however, not hesitate to come here should the kingdom ever be under attack.”
“I agree,” she said, heading through the now open door with him.
They were whisked inside the castle by a slight man, small in stature and build with a balding head and a greying beard. His eyebrows were bushy and matched the rest of his facial hair in color and texture.
“Your Highnesses, my name is Bard. My Lord Alastair will be with you in just a few moments, along with Her Royal Highness, Queen Scarlett Kensington. I have secured the parlor for you to wait for them and I hope you find it suitable for your needs.”
Bard pulled open the door to the parlor and it took everything that Elsa had in her not to gasp. The parlor had large white columns that extended to the ceiling, the walls a white to match them. The room had a large bank of windows that filled the room with light, and a wonderful view of the ocean beyond the castle.
Elsa walked in and went straight to the windows, ignoring the white silk brocade couches that sat across from one another. The ocean looked beautiful from where she stood, and as she took in the surrounding water and the sunlight shining on it, she felt very at peace.
Owyn looked around the room and smiled, now reminded of his newly cleaned parlor. The rich silk of the couches reminded him of the colored couches Elsa had cleaned and restored.
He watched her happily bounce around the room, taking in all the beautiful pieces of art and the sculptures that filled the room. He lingered in the doorway for a few moments before moving to sit down on one of the couches.
Owyn noticed that Alastair had added two end tables made of glass and metal to the room and spent a few minutes admiring the metal work.
Elsa turned to see him admiring the tables and came over to him, her voice cheerful when she asked, “What are you looking at?”
“I am admiring the metal work on these tables. I can tell these were made on Malachite Expanse by one of our metal workers. If you look closely at the bottom of the table, there should be a set of initials on it.”
He actually kneeled down to look at the bottom of the table, able to admire the ironwork even better. Locating the initials, he smiled, realizing he knew who made these tables.
Elsa kneeled down with him, looking for the initials.
“They are here,” he said, pointing them out to her.
He straightened and helped her stand up, walking her over to the nearest couch. She sat down and fixed her skirts and he sat down next to her, careful not to sit on them.
“His name is Alonso. He has been a smithy for near on twenty years and has made many items that have graced the halls of royalty and nobles across the kingdom. He is actually a direct descendant of Malachite Randash, the founder of the island of Malachite Expanse.”
“That is amazing,” she said.
“It is. I have always admired him and all his work.”
Elsa reached over and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in her own. Owyn squeezed her hand and then leaned over and kissed her, pulling her into his arms. Their desire built quickly, but they were forced to break apart when they heard the door open.
Owyn stood and walked over to the window, turning to face their host when the door opened fully.
“Prince Owyn, it is nice to see you again,” Prince Alastair Brannigan said, reaching out to shake his hand.
Owyn shook the offered hand and then turned to face Elsa.
“Prince Alastair, this is Princess Elsa Dormhnall of Dewberdeen. She is the sister of Prince Everett Dormhnall.”
Elsa stood and curtsied. “It’s nice to meet you, Prince Alastair. I have heard many good things about you. Where is Queen Scarlett?”
“She will be here in just a moment. She wanted to make sure she was presentable for our guests.”
Owyn and Elsa both chuckled.
“I feel the same, as I am the one who usually greets anyone when they arrive at Braewood Keep,” Elsa said, sitting back down on the couch.
It was Alastair’s turn to chuckle.
“Well, I hope she gets here quickly. We have much to discuss,” he said, reminding them all of why they were there.
When Alastair saw her coming down the
stairs and towards the parlor, he stepped away from the door. He didn’t sit yet, and Owyn and Elsa both stood as Scarlett came through the door.
Elsa had to admit that Scarlett looked very well for being as sick as she had been. Elsa was just relieved that she had made it through and was still alive today.
Elsa and Owyn both bowed and she waved them off with a smile.
“I am not your queen,” she said, chuckling. “I am really not even the interim ruler of the kingdom right now. The real queen is Catriona, not me. So please don’t treat me as such. I keep telling everyone that, but no one seems to understand.”
With a sly smile, she looked back at Alastair and he just inclined his head towards her in acknowledgement.
“They only call you that because right now, it is true. If we find your cousin and it changes, then they will call you otherwise,” he said.
Scarlett rolled her eyes and she sat down on one of the couches opposite from Elsa.
“So Owyn, tell me what have you discovered.”
An hour later, Owyn had explained to Scarlett and Alastair everything that had happened over the last few days.
Elsa explained what all the notes that they received meant and Owyn told Scarlett about the meeting with Angus McBride. When they were finished, Alastair and Scarlett absorbed all the information with stoic faces.
“So if we are correct, she is on Obsidian Ridge in an underground cell. Is that correct?” Scarlett asked.
“That is what we believe, yes. There is no other evidence to point to any other suspect. We thought it might have been your uncle, but we ruled him out with the last clue. He is also not nicknamed the Black Knight,” Owyn said, sitting on the arm of the couch next to Elsa.
“There would have to be a lot of evidence to support the story. Going after Cyrus could have dire consequences for all involved if we cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he is the one who kidnapped the queen. I am sure though that there is something more going on here than just him wanting more power. It is just a feeling in my stomach,” Alastair said, standing from where he was seated next to Scarlett and walking to the windows.
