“My place is here. Your place is outside this kingdom until it is your time and turn to take it back. Abner will not be strong forever; for evil acts soon corrupt to the point of destruction. You must remain strong. Cultivate kindness. Be aware of others. Everyone you come into contact with leaves a mark upon your character whether you wish it so or not. Be wise in your friendships. Pave a new destiny for yourself. But you must leave now.” His father pulled him into a tight embrace and removed his signet ring and placed it in Lancer’s hand. The warmth from the gold heated his palm as he took one last look into his father’s kind face and ran.
∞
It had taken him days to reach the fringes of The Realm of King Granton. To remain off the common paths had caused delay in his travels and he sighed in relief at the sight of the Eastern Kingdom’s castle on the tip of the horizon. His sister. He knew she would take him in until tensions in their home kingdom subsided. She would protect him. After all, it was his idea for her to marry so young and leave the Valleylands. If he had not suggested it, she would be riding along side him or worse, preparing for death at Abner’s hand. It seemed fortuitous that King Eamon of the Eastern Kingdom had been searching for a bride at the time. And if Erica had not been so lovely, he doubted the marriage would have taken place so swiftly. But as it were, his sister and the young king had meshed rather nicely, and their relationship blossomed swiftly. She owed him for seeking out a suitor. She owed him.
He made his way through the market streets and up the stairs to the front of the castle. Two guards flanked the doorway and he straightened his regal purple tunic and attempted to appear at ease. He knew his appearance was road worn, but he mustered what little dignity he had left and addressed the two men. “I am Lancer, Prince of the Valleylands, brother of Queen Erica. I wish to see my sister.”
The guards looked at one another and nodded, one disappearing into the castle.
The doors creaked open and there before him stood his sister alongside King Eamon, both wearing expressions of surprise at his abrupt visit.
“Sister.” He greeted.
Erica’s dark brows rose slightly as she surveyed his appearance. “Brother.” Her voice held caution, and her hand draped around her husband’s waist tensed. “To what do we owe the surprise?”
Lancer glanced over his shoulder towards the direction he had come and shook his head. “May we discuss the matter inside?”
“No.” She stated quietly, suspicion evident on her face.
Lancer’s temper flared but he inhaled deeply to maintain his self-control. “Please, Erica. It is important. Our father is dead.”
Her brows rose once more, and he saw the briefest flash of sadness in her eyes before they steeled to the sharp icy blue she inherited from their father.
“Abner has overthrown our kingdom. Father is dead. I have escaped. I need a place to hide for a bit until the current hostile circumstances die down.”
“And you come here seeking refuge?” She asked with a slight edge to her voice.
“Yes. It is the only place I could think of at the time. I presumed since I helped you find your happiness you could help protect me in return so that one day I might find my own.”
“No.”
Lancer’s chest tightened, and his gaze flashed towards Eamon who seemed equally surprised at his wife’s refusal.
“No?” Lancer asked.
She nodded. “You are not welcome here, Lancer. Take your troubles elsewhere.” She began to turn away, but Lancer reached out and grabbed her elbow. His eyes flashed with anger and Eamon quickly came to his wife’s defense and withdrew Lancer’s hold.
“You sentence me to death if you do not help me.” His voice was low, almost a growl as he pierced his sister with the sharpest of gazes.
“You have sentenced yourself to death. Perhaps if you had been kind to me in the past I might be of more service. But you were cruel. You have always been cruel. And though I find happiness here as a result of your cruelty, I do not owe you anything.” Erica looked to Eamon for support and he nodded.
“How dare you.” Lancer hissed. “I was never cruel to you.”
“That is not how I remember it, brother. Or do you not remember trying to sell me to the highest bidder so that I may not stand in the way of father’s affections or your right to rule?”
Lancer stepped forward and stopped quickly as a small boy ran up to his sister and hugged her around her skirts. She gently placed her hand on his head and smiled down at him. The boy, hair dark like his mother’s and eyes to match looked at him with curiosity, intrigue, and wonder. The sharp blue gaze in a soft face softened Lancer’s resolve.
“I will leave you then. But I will remember this.” He warned.
“And you,” he pointed at Eamon, “I will remember your silence on the matter as well.”
Eamon straightened his shoulders. “Threats will do you no favors, Lancer. Be gone. And take your troubles with you. We do not wish for Abner to set his eyes on our kingdom because of your presence. Please leave.”
The two royals turned to walk away, and the young boy remained. Staring. The look of childish marvel constricted Lancer’s chest as the doors began to close and the blue eyes disappeared behind them.
TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS LATER…
CHAPTER 1
“My Lord?” Prince Edward waved a hand in front of Lancer’s face, but the dark scowl remained and the distant shadow of memories in his eyes slowly cleared. He shook his head to clear the images of the small boy, but the eyes before him remained the same. Only now they resided in a man. His nephew. Prince Ryle still had his sister’s eyes, only now they held contempt, anger, and tinges of fear as he surveyed Lancer from the chair he claimed, his bound hands tied behind him. The effects of recent torture slowly fading from his body as the Unfading Lands power healed his body.
“Again.” Lancer ordered Edward.
“But my Lord, we have completed three rounds of torture already. Perhaps we should take a rest to compose ourselves and create a plan.” Edward cast a pointed gaze towards Ryle in apology as Lancer turned away from them.
“I said again.” His voice firmer and his shoulders straight. “I expect to hear screams from my chambers, Edward. Do not disappoint me.” With that, he lightly tugged his tunic to straighten his resolve as he stormed out of his reflection chamber and made his way down the hall.
“I will allow you to catch your breath.” Edward stated as he sighed in defeat and removed the gag from Ryle’s mouth.
Ryle sat, chest heaving as his wounds slowly continued to heal. “Why wait?” He growled. “Lancer has made his demands.”
Edward watched as a deep gash on the former prince’s arm slowly closed and all that remained was the frayed fabric of his emerald tunic. “I am sorry, Ryle, for what you have had to endure.”
Ryle tilted his head as he studied Edward. “You stood there and accepted the darkness. What is it? Where does it come from?”
Edward shrugged. “I do not know.”
“You have to have some clue.” Ryle challenged. “Why would you allow such an evil to seep into your veins without knowing its origins?”
“I confessed to you already that I consumed the darkness out of hatred for these lands and in hopes of helping the realm. I did not think beyond that at the time. Now, I must accept it each time in order to maintain Lancer’s weakened state. It is my sacrifice that I am willing to bear for the sake of the realm.” Edward explained.
“And me? He wishes to turn me?” Ryle asked.
“I believe so. I believe he thinks you will eventually consume the darkness as well and aid in the destruction of the Realm; for if he turned another prince, then the strength of The Land of Unfading Beauty will only continue to grow. Plus, it would bring him great pleasure to turn one of Eamon’s sons. He has quite a hatred of your father.”
“Apparently. Though I must say the feeling is probably mutual.” Ryle added with a smirk. “Now are you going to hit me or stab me, so Lanc
er will be pleased?”
“He will not be able to hear your screams even if he were standing outside the door. This room relays no sound. His comment was a coded way to tell me to not hold back on you.” Kneeling to one knee, Edward eased to the floor to converse more comfortably on Ryle’s level as he sat bound to the chair.
“So what now then? You free me?”
“I cannot do that.” Edward shook his head. “If I did, he would certainly know I was involved. Besides, I need you here.”
“You? And why is that?” Ryle challenged.
“We must find out who betrayed the Realm. Together we can do that.”
“How can I accomplish anything when I am tied to a chair?” Ryle asked.
“Point taken, but you will not always be tied to a chair. I have a feeling you will be taken to the prison chamber soon. Once there, you will be right next door to the armory. I oversee the armory and prison cells myself. We can make trips to the Uniters’ camp frequently.”
“You sound confident. How will you explain our trips to your fellow guards? The men loyal to Lancer?”
“I can tell them anything, and they will trust my words.” Edward stated. “Do not think my time here has been wasted, Prince Ryle. I have a position of authority, and it is respected.”
Ryle studied Edward a moment longer. “Fine. We play this your way. Though I must say, if I am to experience torture every day, I may need new garments soon, for these are almost shredded.”
Edward nodded. “I imagine you will be dressed in some of the finest apparel the Lands has to offer if you will agree to a position of friend instead of foe.”
“I will not.”
“I figured as much.” Sighing, Edward rose to his feet and walked over to Ryle and untied his hands.
Ryle rubbed his wrists and tried to shake out the numbness from the uncomfortable position and then stood. “Take me to my cell, Captain.”
“Right.” Edward motioned to the doorway. “I warn you, Prince Ryle—”
“It’s Captain Ryle.” He clarified.
“Yes, well in these lands you are the prince of the East.” Edward led him down a long hallway to the back side of the castle. “I warn you that Lancer will not take kindly to your rejection of his offer of friendship and to be brought into the fold.”
“He has not offered.” Ryle stated.
“Yes, but he intends to, and when he does, if you do not accept… I cannot promise your safety.”
“I understand completely.”
Edward nodded as he nudged Ryle into a darkened cell that had but straw and dirt for company. He locked the door as Ryle eased slowly to the floor, his body sore and still healing from the atrocities from the reflection chamber. The Eastern prince was stubborn, and Edward prayed Ryle would see reason and allow him to help him. However, the only way to help the prince was to convince him to play along with himself as an ally to the Lands. He feared the Eastern prince would forfeit his life if he did not side with Lancer, even if it were just an act. That, Edward realized, was his new task. To convince Ryle to immerse himself in the Lands as another asset, otherwise the torture would only continue until death should take the prince.
∞
Elizabeth stood in the gardens of her sister’s castle, grief- stricken as she stared down at the small stone with Mary’s name engraved upon its smooth surface. It was odd losing her attendant, but standing before what was left of her memory, Elizabeth felt even more devastated over losing such a friend. Mary had been with her since they were children, and the close camaraderie they shared was now gone leaving a hole of grief Elizabeth did not know how to fill.
“You still in the gardens, my love?” She felt Clifton’s hand slowly press against the small of her back as he came to stand beside her.
“I’m finding it hard to leave her here.” Elizabeth admitted.
“You can always come back out after breakfast, but you need to eat, Elizabeth. We all need our strength today if we are to face what lies ahead in the coming days.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. “I suppose you are right.” She gently kissed two fingers and laid them against the cold surface of Mary’s stone and turned to leave. “How is Isaac?”
“Pulling through. He survived the night, which is a good sign. Arnos is seeing to him closely and Katarina has yet to leave his side.”
“I guess she is not upset about him killing her father.”
“Truth be told, I think she is still in shock at the moment.” Clifton replied. “I’m not sure the death of Abner has sunk in just yet.”
“Do you think she will handle his death well?” Elizabeth turned her face up to Clifton as they walked awaiting his response and studied the firm set of his jaw as he contemplated his answer.
“I do not know. I hope so, but as much as I wish to say yes, there is part of me that feels she will have a harder time than we believe she will.”
“I agree. I know he was an evil tyrant, but he was still her father.” Elizabeth added. “Though we only knew of his wickedness, I’m sure at some points in her life he showed kindness and love towards her. It is still a loss of a loved one, and those are hard.” Her voice quieted. Clifton knew her mind had wandered to the loss of Mary again as well as the loss of her father, King Granton. He lightly clasped her hand in his. “We will just have to make sure she has support from us during this hard time.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, indeed. I pray Isaac pulls through as well. The Realm cannot lose him, and I believe Katarina will have an even harder time if he passes as well.”
“All of us will have a hard time if Isaac does not make it. But he will. He’s a fighter.” Clifton waved his hand for the guards to open the castle doors, so he and Elizabeth could enter the castle. As they walked through the corridor towards the conservatory, Samuel rushed by them in a sprint.
“Samuel?” Elizabeth’s voice caused the young king to slide across the floor as he tried to stop his current pace. His breathing was heavy as if he had sprinted the entire way from his chambers on the upper level of the castle. “What has you in such a rush?”
“Prince Isaac. He’s awake.” Samuel’s words had them all hurrying their speed as hope ignited in their hearts. When they reached the Western wing and Isaac’s personal chambers, Melody paced outside the door. When she saw Elizabeth, relief sagged her shoulders and she accepted the comforting hug from her dear friend.
“How is he, Melody?” Clifton asked.
“He just awoke. Arnos is with him now. I am awaiting his permission to enter once he has looked over Isaac’s wound once more.”
“Katarina?” Elizabeth asked.
“I sent her to her chamber to rest. I have not sent anyone to alert her just yet.” Melody stated. “I wish to wait until I have gotten to see my brother for myself. Though she is a new friend, I wish for only those closest to him to see him first.”
Elizabeth nodded at Melody’s wishes and waited with bated breath for Arnos to appear.
“My dear,” King Eamon began, “You must stop your pacing and worrying. Both are not accomplishing anything but making my head spin.”
Alayna stopped in her tracks and turned to the king, his eyes held worry and fatigue. “I am sorry, my Lord, it’s just… we must act. We have no idea where Ryle is, Lancer is weak, and we have removed our largest obstacle, Abner. It is now or never.”
“You wish to conduct a retaliating attack without your captain?”
“I know it sounds reckless, but Ryle will join us when he comes back. In the meantime, he would want us to be proactive and take advantage of this shift in our circumstances.” She waved her hand over the maps before her. “We must take back the Land of Unfading Beauty while Lancer remains weakened. It is the only way.”
“And what of Isaac? What of Anthony?” Eamon continued to press her. “We have a prince on his deathbed and a king who we have yet to reach. We cannot jump into another battle without everyone in place. Trust me when I speak to you, Alayna,
we are not ready.”
“I will have Mosiah lead the troops. He was our former captain and he will gladly serve in that capacity again until Ryle returns.”
Eamon shook his head and watched as Alayna continued pacing and ranting about her unstable plan to attack the Unfading Lands. She did not wish to see the larger picture, the higher stakes that the Realm was facing.
“I do not advise such a plan.” Eamon stated firmly. “It is foolish.”
Alayna’s head popped up at his words and her eyes narrowed in anger as she faced him. “I appreciate your counsel, King Eamon, but I believe I can take it from here. Please see yourself out.”
Eamon, frustrated, bit his tongue to prevent a harsher reprimand from escaping his lips and he stood to leave. He straightened his tunic and looked at her one more time. “There needs to be a time of reflection, Alayna. For everyone. I know you are upset at the current circumstances, but I say this now, I will not risk the lives of Eastern guards for an ill-advised mission. I will not risk my son’s life either. So, know this, if you decide to push through on your plan of a swift attack this close to our latest defeat, you will not have support from the East.” He bowed as he left her to reflect upon his words, praying the new queen saw reason.
Alayna softly growled under her breath as the doors closed and she crossed her arms in a huff. How could King Eamon not support her decision? It all made sense. Lancer was weak. He was recovering from Abner’s attack just as much as they were, and yet no one wanted to take advantage of the situation. She knew Ryle would stand beside her decision. He always did. They worked harmoniously together, which was but one reason why she wished he was with her now. That and she grew more and more worried about his current whereabouts more now than ever. He had yet to make it back to the castle and the battle ended two days prior. Perhaps he was wounded, and his slow progression was due to discomfort and fatigue. She could think of no other reason for his delayed arrival… well the other possibility she refused to think upon. She would not allow herself to think of losing him in battle. He survived. She would feel it if he hadn’t. Wouldn’t she?
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