The lord looked up and said, “You’re still as stupid as they come. You are a Wamhoff, when will you get that?”
Elisa pushed his head back down with her plush slippers and said, “Actually, my husband died gallantly in your ambush so I am a widow now. Say hello to him when you see him in the seven hells.”
Elisa lined up the stroke by taking a few exaggerated practice swings to make sure her dress wouldn’t hinder the process. Sir Alwell came up and moved the lord’s head so his neck was straight. The queen took a few more practice strokes and decided now was the time. She raised the sword high and used her wrists like Brehan had taught her as she stroked downward toward her target with all her might. The blade cut straight through and the men erupted in unbridled excitement as they watched the top of the lord’s head hit the fading green grass. She stood in place, shaking wildly and squeezing the sweaty grip of the sword with both hands. Sir Anderley came over and pried the weapon from her as Elisa watched her men drag the body of Lord Nanbert away.
I just did that. Me. I killed a man. I don’t see what the big deal is. The Grizzly Bear kept harping on about how I was going to throw up over it. Well, my apple buns, honey-dipped cinnamon bread, dried apricots and orange slices are sitting just fine, thank you.
The boisterous crowd heartily congratulated the queen as they made their way back to the march. Her chest still heaved in and out as her intense breathing continued. She noticed a different look in the men’s eyes after the execution. Some seemed in awe and others gazed with approval at their queen of action. She thought Brehan was smiling at her but she wasn’t sure because of his severely damaged face. Telly sported a smile from ear to ear and her wide eyes gave the impression that her little sister approved of the execution.
Two days later, Elisa seized on the moment she had been waiting for. Sir Anderley sat by himself and took a huge bite out of a salt cured duck leg. He tore the meat away from the bone and needed to use his hand to support his overflowing mouth as Elisa approached him.
“May I?” she asked with a perfect curtsy and pointed to the spot next to him.
Sir Anderley wiped his mouth, bowed his head and said, “Of course.”
They sat on a rickety bench made of pine and Elisa kept thinking they were going to fall through as she took off her veil.
She began, “I must congratulate you on bringing in Lord Nanbert so he could pay for his treason.”
The modest knight gave a slight smirk and responded, “It wasn’t very difficult. I’d make a pig joke, but they have been plenty exhausted in the past few days.”
Elisa smiled at him and looked the shorter man in the eyes. “Even if finding him wasn’t difficult, you were the only Ellsworth to uphold his duty to his queen and kingdom. I just want you to know that I respect your bold actions and I won’t be quick to forget them. I wish I could say you were just like your father but…” Alright, plant the seed and watch it grow.
Anderley told her, “My father used to be a great warrior. I know it may be hard to believe but he also used to smile all the time. I think he will come around once we take the King’s Castle. He’ll smile again.”
No. No. You are supposed to bad mouth your father, not take his side. Time for the next seed. She smiled and batted her eyes. “But ask yourself if you will be there to see that smile. I know Darryg will. Your family has little problem throwing you into the heart of the battle, yet they watch from the outskirts. I’ve heard from several knights that shall remain nameless that Lord Ichibod never even entered the fray. They say he grabbed Darryg and ran for safer land.”
Anderley started to get tears in his eyes as he spoke softly, “Darryg is a gentle boy. He’s my little brother. He never should have been anywhere near that action. My father did the right thing by dragging him away; he is the future king. Poor Darryg is going to have visions and nightmares for the rest of his days, I must warn you, my queen.”
No. No. No. This is not going well. We have to go straight after his biggest weakness.
“Your brother is a great young man, there is no questioning that, but is he really a king? A real king tracks down and punishes wrongdoers with no regard for his own well-being. You know, someone like you,” Elisa said and tried to appeal to the knight’s weakness for women as she brushed her fingers down Sir Anderley’s unshaven cheek. Come on. Come on.
“I’m flattered but my father would never oblige,” Anderley told her.
Alright, let’s see if I can sculpt anything out of this man of stone.
She asked, “So how can we fix that problem?”
The happy look on Anderley’s face disappeared as he looked down and answered, “We can’t, I’m afraid. We are who we are. You are the queen and I’ll be in the King’s Guard again, most likely. I’m not going to fool myself into thinking that my father will recognize my actions, regardless of how noble they shall be. And I’m obviously not going to kill him.” Anderley chuckled and Elisa knew she would need to look elsewhere for her accessory.
She fake smiled and responded, “Of course, obviously.”
Damn it all straight to the seven hells. Just when I thought he would do anything for me, he’s too afraid of his father. Let the old man push you around forever if that’s what you want.
She lowered her head and flickered her eyelashes as she talked with a lowered voice, “It’s strange that you mention that because I’ve heard a few rumblings about how your father plans to dispose of me after the war, win or lose.” Come on, get angry.
Anderley shook his head and replied, “Probably just useless chatter among the men. You get some of those talkers together and it’s worse than wine-filled women in a needlepoint circle.”
Elisa stood up and forced another smile. She curtsied and closed the conversation with, “Yes, I suppose you are probably right. I shouldn’t be worried at all. Now if you will excuse me.”
All the Ellsworth men are heartless and they might all be conspiring against me after that conversation. I had to listen to Anderley complain endlessly about how much he hated his father the entire trip to Lightview and now he defends the man at every turn. Anderley is useless to me now. Who would take no issue with me asking him to kill another man, no matter the circumstance? Who would be comfortable killing someone for me in the first place? Who is someone that would never break my trust?
Elisa looked across the field at Telly and Brehan, her one and only. First, she had to be certain of the situation. Elisa walked up waving, and asked, “Hello, can I talk with my sister, please?”
Brehan responded in a dejected tone, “Of course, your highness.”
“Walk with me,” Elisa said to her sister.
Telly rose slowly and started to walk slightly behind her as the queen led her to a deserted area. Elisa spoke, “This is very important. I need to know if what you told me about Lord Ichibod is the absolute truth.”
Telly gave her a dirty look and returned, “Yes, it’s true. Why do you think I would lie?”
Elisa calmly explained, “I just need to be positive to decide whether a plan I am working on is necessary.”
“What plan?” an excited Telly asked with widening eyes.
Elisa explained, “The plan involving all of us ruling the kingdom together. That plan, nothing nefarious.”
Disappointment came over Telly’s face as she said, “Oh.”
Elisa looked at her moody little sister and told her, “Don’t worry. You are included in these plans to rule as well. You are to be the Grand Duchess of Donegal.”
Telly asked, “What even is that?”
Elisa answered, “You will oversee all the dukes and duchesses. You will make sure they are ruling their regions properly. You’ll get to travel the kingdom and visit all the castles.”
She hoped this would intrigue Telly, but the girl remarked, “That sounds stupid.”
Elisa shook her head and replied, “I could have guessed you would say that. Would you rather muck the stables?”
Her feisty younger
sister said, “No. I thought I was going to stay with you. Now you’re saying you want to send me all over the kingdom. Sounds like you are trying to get rid of me.”
Elisa tried to explain, “No, no, not at all. You won’t assume that role until you turn eighteen so you will be with me until then if not longer. I’ll join you on some of these trips too. A queen must visit her own realm.”
The cheerful statement didn’t dispel Telly’s crankiness. Elisa became serious as some men started to walk by. She asked Telly, “So every little detail you told me is the truth, correct?”
Telly became annoyed again and haughtily said, “I already told you it was the truth. How many times are you going to call me a liar?”
Elisa scolded her, “Lower your voice immediately. I never called you a liar, not once. Much thought and so much more goes into my decisions and I need to make certain all information is verified. By no means am I calling you a liar. Now let’s get back to the coach.”
Telly disagreed, “No, I’m not riding with the Ellsworths. They always whisper around me and I hate it. I’m riding with Sir Brehan.”
Elisa promptly said, “No, you are not. I really don’t like you spending so much time with him.”
An agitated Telly told her older sister, “So what? So you want him to ride all by himself in that creaky old wagon? He’s lonely and needs someone to talk to. He did risk his life for you when you should have been killed and now you won’t even talk to him. He’s supposed to be your friend. We argue a lot because all he does is talk about how great you are and I just don’t agree.”
Telly’s statement shattered Elisa’s heart of ice into a thousand pieces. She knew that she had been avoiding Brehan since the duel, but she kept justifying not seeing him to herself for various reasons like being too busy with her queenly responsibilities. She assumed that some of the men would talk to him but understood that they might avoid him as he had killed their champion as an accused criminal in the duel.
She told Telly, “Alright, you can ride with him. And tell him I want to talk to him but the circumstances are…they are confusing.”
Telly finally looked happy and said, “I just know that he really wants to talk to you. Don’t forget he did risk his own life for you, you know.”
Elisa responded, “I know, I know, you can stop reminding me now, thank you. I feel awful enough already. I’ll see him soon, you can tell him, but a queen cannot ride in that wagon. I am going to catch flak for letting you ride in it.”
“Thanks,” Telly yelled as she ran over to Brehan’s wagon and jumped on just as it was starting to pull away.
Elisa smiled and waved but she was crying on the inside. She stared at the man she had been responsible for disfiguring and waited until he left her sight to stop waving. The thought that hurt Elisa most was the fact that she knew he would do anything for her and she couldn’t say the same. She tried to think about something more pleasant but paranoia about the Ellsworths’ plan to dispatch her crept in. She got into the coach and looked at Lady Victoriah and still didn’t want to believe she could be part of the devious plan as she put her veil back on.
Whom can I trust? This is a queer game I’ve involved myself in. With Jon Colbert usurping without claim, Lord Ichibod doesn’t really need me. My king husband is dead, nullifying any true claim to the throne. Why are they still pressing on with me as their queen? I could be joining my dead husband if I don’t figure this out soon. Whom can I trust? An idea shot into her head as the coach dipped into a ravine.
Later that night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Elisa went to see Brehan. She had to wake him up but the groggy man was excited to see his love. Even in total darkness, his grotesque face made Elisa want to vomit. She had hoped that nightfall would improve his looks but he was just as hideous.
“Sorry to wake you,” she whispered.
He rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t be silly, is something the matter?”
Elisa answered, “Nothing, really, however, my sister brought to my attention that I haven’t been around to see you as much as I should have, so I’ve set out to remedy the situation.”
She thought Brehan smiled, but couldn’t be sure with his new face, and he said, “I like the sound of that.”
Elisa explained, “Yes, well, I would endlessly apologize, but the duties of a queen seem to be endless.”
Brehan reminded her, “It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
She said, “We.”
Brehan asked, “Excuse me?”
She looked into his eyes and said, “This is what we’ve always wanted. I’ve lost track of who means the most to me. I’ve taken you for granted with all the other happenings.”
“I know, but I realize that circumstances have changed and I’ve come to understand that,” Brehan told her.
Should I do this? Does this make me an awful person?
She said, “Perhaps I was a bit hasty in our previous conversations. There may just be a way to make everything work for us. But I guess it won’t matter if what Telly told me is true.”
Brehan asked, “If what’s true?”
Elisa quietly responded, “Oh, it could end up being nothing. Just between the two of us, it may seem that I’m in some trouble with Lord Ichibod.”
He bluntly asked, “Why?”
Elisa looked around before she spoke, “Well, my sister overheard him saying that he was going to dispose of me once we captured the castle.”
“I’ll kill him,” an angered Brehan stated.
Elisa told him to lower his voice. I’ve got you. Now that’s how a real man acts.
“No, no, no…at least not yet,” Elisa said as she thought about what she needed to do. I really don’t want to do this but it will guarantee that Brehan will kill Lord Ichibod or anyone else who stands in my way.
“I’ve missed you so much,” said Elisa as she touched the side of his face.
It felt jagged and scabby. She wanted nothing more than to snatch her hand away but she kept it on his cheek. She tentatively leaned in to kiss him but stopped short. Brehan moved forward to avoid the awkward moment and the lovers’ lips met once again. The kiss felt disgusting to Elisa. How could the man she had once loved with all her heart now repulse her? She fought off the gagging sensation as he shoved his tongue into her mouth, and kept kissing him back. She drew away and stopped for a moment. She pulled down Brehan’s britches and pulled up her fur-lined silk nightgown. She mounted her lover and was relieved to find that he hadn’t suffered any terrible injuries to that region of his body. The sex felt the same physically, but not mentally. She had to keep her eyes shut and fight off the urge to retch. She couldn’t look at Brehan’s face and closed her eyes again. Now that I fully have Brehan, I need to make a foolproof plan to eliminate Lord Ichibod.
A-BREHAN
Brehan lay back and basked in the afterglow of being with Elisa. The stars looked more luminous as he felt complete for the first time in a long while. The sex felt perfect to Brehan, just the way it should be. His entire body tingled with the pleasure of having his lover back.
My first, my last, forever my only. I thought I was being punished by the Gods for my sinful actions during my pirateer days. I assumed they would smite me by chasing Elisa from my heart forever, but she’s back, she’s finally back. The fact that I survived the Royal Road ambush, the pirateer battles, the duel with the Grizzly Bear and Lord Nanbert’s ambush shows that we are meant to be together forever.
The brisk autumn night didn’t bother Brehan, who had pushed the heavy blanket off to the side. Love kept him warm as his fiery blood surged throughout his body.
TERSEN
Tersen lay face down on the stone ground, not moving. Kryen grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back. Tersen’s eyes shot open and he gasped heavily for air. His blue face turned red, then albino white again.
“Kill me,” screamed Tersen as he started sobbing. “Why don’t you just kill me already?”
The torturers’ favorite g
ame for the past week had been to see how close they could take Tersen to death’s door before yanking him back to life.
Kryen kicked him and warned, “No crying. You know what Lord Harolg is going to do if he sees you crying.”
The sounds of boot bottoms skipping down the steps cut through the musty air as a breathless Harolg appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
As he tried to catch his breath, he managed to get out, “Don’t kill him, don’t let him die.” The lord of the castle went down to a knee and took a few moments to steady his breathing. Harolg looked at Kryen and spoke, “We’ve received a very generous offer to free our former king. Yes, as it should seem, a family member has paid for your release.”
Tersen tried to think of who would love him enough to risk their life for him. Only one vision materialized as he cried out, “Alvyra, I knew she loved me.”
Lord Harolg laughed and told him, “She may have loved you, I couldn’t readily say, but she didn’t pay.”
One other person stuck out to Tersen and he said, “Neron. I knew I could count on my son.”
Harolg looked at him and shook his head. He responded, “You aren’t very good at guessing, are you? No, last I heard about your son was that he was rotting in the castle dungeons on the charge of buggery. He’ll be lucky to see the light of day again, let alone pay for your release.”
Tersen guessed, “Ali-Pari?”
Harolg seemed to be enjoying this and said, “Wrong again. Just stop guessing because you are terrible at this. The family member requested that their identity remain a surprise. So what to do now? We will clean you up, throw some clothes on you, and Ali-Tersen Wamhoff will be on his way again. But for now, put him back on the stretcher.” Harolg released a demonic laugh and left with Kryen as the third torturer stayed and started to strap him up.
Six Heads One Crown (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 3) Page 26
