by L. J. Stock
“Alec seems to think you need to see something.”
“What and where?”
My father's eyes moved to the man standing behind him once again and back to me. From the curiosity in the gesture, I knew the answer before he uttered it.
“That's a good question.”
Sitting back in my chair, I took a moment to ruminate over my options. I could complain, do some more kicking and screaming to get my own way – which really wasn't my style unless I was seething as I had been for the past two days. Or, I could give Alec the same trust my father had and go wherever he was taking me without complaint.
I looked to Alec once more, willing his eyes to meet mine. When they did, I knew I couldn't fight his request. I already trusted him as much as my father did. He'd been his guard for a long time and my instincts told me he would never do anything to hurt me.
“Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough? When would you like to take this trip, Alec?”
“Soon, Milady,” he said, bowing his head in thanks. “I need to arrange a guard for the king while we're gone, but if you're willing, I would like to go today.”
My father seemed to react to this statement more than I did, his head swiveling on his shoulders to look at Alec again. I understood his reaction, but having been around some of the guard, I understood they didn't put anything off. If they thought something needed to be done then it was executed as soon as they could arrange it. They weren't procrastinators by any stretch of the imagination.
“Should I dress for this dimension?” I asked casually, resigned to that fact that it was going to happen.
“You're fine as you are, Milady. You may, however, need something warm to wear. It would be worth asking your ladies for a cloak.”
I rose from my chair with a nod of agreement. It was done, and I was certain that Damon wasn't going to be happy about this. Rasmus had said Damon preferred to go ahead and make sure they weren't walking into a situation with the latros before they committed to anything. That was normal, and more than likely procedure for any person, royal or not, that they were guarding. Unfortunately, it was the short notice that would bother him.
When I stepped out of the king’s office, however, I was surprised to see a familiar, but unexpected guard waiting for me.
“Rasmus?” I said, searching the hall before starting toward the Great Hall.
He smiled brightly as he fell into step behind me. “Milady.”
I rolled my eyes and let the formal greeting slide off my back. In the king's wing, there was nothing I could do to stop him from using the moniker. I'd managed to coerce him into using my name everywhere but there. Only Damon ever called me by my name while we were in the king's wing.
It took everything in me to not ask why Damon wasn't there. Sure, I’d snuck over without telling him, and I was certain the rumor mill had already told him my destination, but he couldn’t be that mad at me, surely. After the revelations the other night, I was even more eager to see him these days. I wanted to know where he was, but at the same time, I knew asking would only make it look like I had an attachment that I, by all rights, I shouldn't have. It was difficult to hide such a large part of myself from everyone, but I knew with that one word, things could fall apart.
“It seems we're headed out on a day trip. You probably need a jacket as much as I do.”
“Where are we going, Milady? I wasn't informed that we were to be leaving the palace.”
“Ask your commander. He's the one that set it all up.”
“Alec?”
I turned my head and gave Rasmus a look, taking in his surprise, which seemed to be caused by the commander’s request. Admittedly, I'd originally thought it odd, but judging by the way my father, and now Rasmus, reacted, it was unheard of.
“Why is that a surprise?”
“I–”
“Don't lie to me, Ras. It's really not a question of royal protocol. You're not giving away national secrets here.”
Silence met my request, which wasn't unusual considering the way the men in the Regius Custos operated as though any detail spoken could be used against the king and state. As much as I appreciated their diehard loyalty and protocols, there were times I just wanted to shake them. I was the last person that would give away their secrets. My life was now on the line just as much as my father’s.
“Alec doesn't leave your father’s side. Ever.”
I snorted my response out and gave Rasmus an incredulous look. “He has to sleep? Go to the bathroom? Eat?”
“He has a room in the king's wing. He uses the toilet, and bathes when your father does, normally in the staff bathroom just outside his chambers. He also eats with your father, or while your father is readying himself for bed. He doesn't take this job lightly.”
“When does he have time to–” I made quotation marks with my fingers. “–Command you?”
Rasmus laughed. “We're briefed in the meeting room that adjoins your father’s office.”
I shook my head, mainly in disbelief. If this was all true, the man didn't have a life. I understood that a lot of these men had given up aspects of their life to fight in our name, but being a shadow your whole life? That couldn't be healthy.
“Does the man ever get laid?”
Rasmus almost choked on his tongue at my question. I felt an odd sense of satisfaction at catching him off guard. He was normally the one surprising other people. According to Anker, Rasmus had seen and experienced too much to shock him. That wasn't quite accurate anymore. I couldn’t wait to tell Anker about my success.
“What? Did I offend you, Ras?”
The lack of response meant one-of-two things: I had rendered him silent, or Alec was standing behind me. Instinct had me turning on my heel and I sighed in relief when the corridor was as empty as it always was. The guards on the door were too far away to have heard me.
“What?”
Rasmus laughed and shook his head. “What do you know about that?”
“You really did grow up here, didn't you?” I asked with a snort.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“The topic of sex isn't a taboo subject in our dimension,” I said, stopping. “It's become commonplace because it's a natural act. No one’s ashamed of it, because it’s an act of attraction between two consenting adults.”
“I didn't say it wasn't natural. I also didn't say I didn't talk about it.” He barked out a laugh and shook his head before continuing. “I am a commoner, though, and you are a noble woman of noble birth. We should not be having this conversation.”
“From another dimension,” I added pointedly, aiming my finger at myself with a smile. “This place has archaic rules from our history and though I appreciate most of them, having to change the way I am, simply to fit a mold, is not something I'm willing to do. This misogynistic way of thinking is barbaric. If you hold the female species in the dirt as a lower being, then one day you're going to wake up really damn dirty.”
“I don't believe this is misogyny, Milady. In fact, I would hasten to admit our problem is just the opposite. We hold you up on pedestals.”
“Fantastic. Like that's any better. The higher you hold us, the harder we fall.”
Rasmus let out another guffaw of laughter before bumping his shoulder against mine. “This is why the fairer sex is considered a mystery. There's just no pleasing you. We either hold you in too high a regard, or too low.”
“Just because we don't have balls and testosterone, we're not equal?”
“You certainly have a way with words.”
Rolling my eyes, I extended my middle and index fingers from my eyes to his and back again. “I'm watching you, Rasmus. That charm of yours will only get you so far.”
The bright smile I got in return only seemed to make my irritation dissipate further. Rasmus was charming and funny. He also knew how to use that against the “fairer sex” and I considered myself lucky that the two of us were just friends. I was unsure how I'd have reacted in any
other circumstance.
The two of us headed to my room in silence. I was almost certain he was thinking about the reasoning behind Alec's field trip, while I was wondering the same thing, paired with a resounding, and whiny, why. If it was widely known he didn't leave the king's side then I was certain there had to be a bigger incentive behind it all.
By the time we got to the room that had been labeled mine, Anker was already waiting for us with a heavy uniform jacket across his broad shoulders. He was carrying a similar one in his arms for Rasmus. How he'd beaten us upstairs was beyond me, but there were so many hidden passages in the palace there was no telling where he'd come from. Melody was already waiting with my cloak, so I had all of ten seconds to prepare myself for heading into the unknown.
Anker and Rasmus flanked me as we made our way through the palace. The easy banter I had with Rasmus was put on silent in front of most of the guard, so it wasn't a surprise that he held his tongue as he escorted me. I was led out to the rear courtyard where the stables were, and continued on through them to a small space beyond. It wasn't until I stopped there that I realized what it was.
All four elements were present in the area. There was a fire pit with a wood stack close by, a large pool with a fountain streaming from the wall, and trees and grassy area to round it out. To the naked eye, it looked like a well kept and private garden, but I knew better, especially with Alec standing to one side watching the flames.
“Princess Cassandra, thank you for coming.”
I shrugged one shoulder in response, unable to find a verbal response to his comment. I honestly didn’t feel as though I’d had much of a choice, which meant my reply would have come out cynical, and that wasn't going to help me.
“Would you mind traveling by air with me?” he asked gently, a small tip of his head following his request.
“What do you need me to do?”
“May I pick you up?”
A small brush of wind moved around me as I stepped forward in acquiescence. Whether I wanted to see it or not, Alec wore his pride in his eyes. He'd expected me to put up a fight, ask questions or voice my doubt. Having given him none of that, I had shown my trust in him, and he was honored by it.
He didn't so much as wince as he swept me into his arms – I may as well have been a feather for all the effort he exerted while settling me against him. Resigned to the mode of transportation, I forced myself to relax as he gave orders to the two men traveling with us.
My curiosity rolled around in my head in the form of questions as they spoke about protocol and perimeters, and though I should have been paying attention, I blocked it all out in favor of the endless stream of where, what and why circling in my head. I only looked up when Rasmus asked the question I'd been fighting back since I'd walked out of my father’s office.
“Are we waiting for Damon, commander?”
“Not today, Rasmus. Damon is guarding the king.”
If I'd been the only one to react to that statement, I'd have come to the conclusion that I still had a lot to learn. The fact that both Anker and Rasmus almost rotated their heads from their necks told me they were as surprised as I was.
“It's temporary,” he said with a hint of humor coloring his tone. “Now pick your jaws up off the floors and wait for the princess and I to get there, then use me as an anchor.”
Before either guard could respond, Alec and I were surrounded by a gust of wind and I felt my body shift as it did when I translocated myself. Closing my eyes, I let myself get swept away with the gentle caress of the wind over my skin.
I knew the moment we arrived at our destination. The air was tainted with the acrid stench of smoke, burned wood, and something I wasn't sure I wanted to name. My eyes fluttered open the moment I was set on my feet, and for a moment I was unsure I wanted to turn around at all. My stomach dropped as my feet hit the ground, and a turn of my head had my hand rising to my throat as my breath caught.
My eyes scanned the landscape of the valley below me. Burned homes, and the black skeletons of the trees that surrounded them. The charred limbs reached toward the village like a lover longing for their partner. Stripped of their leaves, they gave the scene a nefarious cloak of sadness that moved to my heart. The structures were still smoldering, the frolicking smoke climbing from the ruins and disappearing into the atmosphere above.
The small village was, quite literally, a stain on the green of the land and forests surrounding it. It cut into the landscape brutally, even though I was certain that it had been a quaint village at one time. My eyes followed the curve of the path into the center of the town until I found a small patch of grass where there was a crowd gathered.
“What are they…?” I didn't bother finishing my question. I’d figured it out for myself.
“Graves, Milady.”
“So many,” I whispered, stumbling forward, only to be stopped by a strong hand on my shoulder.
“The latros offer no mercy. They rarely take hostages, and they don't discriminate between men, women or children.” His tone was very matter of fact, and it seemed displaced considering the situation that was surrounding us.
Tears prickled my eyes as they surfaced, and my throat closed with the building emotion that ran rampant through my body. Even from my place on the hill, I could see the desolation running through the people in the village. The pain shrouded them, weaving into the sweat-drenched bodies of the boys who were digging the graves.
Standing alone, I wrapped my arms around myself, my hands rubbing my sides to keep myself warm as I stared at the unfolding scene, my tears now falling freely. As I stood there on that hill, watching mourning families burying their loved ones, I finally caught onto the reason Alec had brought me here. As the pain and devastation of loss sank into me, I understood that I had the ability stop this violence. I had that power within my grasp. My obtuseness had already ensured too much death and destruction.
This realization sent me to my knees. My grief drowned out the footsteps of the men approaching from behind me and the quiet baritone of Alec giving them their orders. The march of retreating steps was the only indication the command had been followed, and when the strong arms of my father's most trusted guard folded around me, I accepted the comfort they offered.
“I could have stopped this.” My voice broke uncharacteristically as I turned my head and buried it in his shoulder. There was no way to stop the tears from coming as the gentle breeze brought the scent of death up over the hill. How many lives had been lost in this small town? How many times had they been forced to defend the only things they owned in the name of a monarchy they probably didn’t see much of?
“No, Cassandra,” Alec cooed quietly, his normally deep voice barely a whisper. “No one could have prevented this. It was not my intention to bring you here so you would blame yourself. The destruction you are witnessing now is all the result of the ego of one twisted man.”
“I've been so selfish.”
“Milady, even if you had agreed and started living the prophecy the day you were imprisoned in the hospital, you still could not have impeded this travesty.”
I closed my eyes, sucking in a small breath through my mouth, unable to tackle the fetor that was still billowing around us from the village.
“Then why did–” I started, confused.
“This township is Felgar.”
“As in…?”
Alec nodded above me, the motion moving me against his body and forcing my head to pull back and look at him. I could see the sadness lingering at the corners of his eyes. He knew what he was asking of me. I could see years of hurt and sacrifices of his own shining out at me.
“You know, don’t you?” There was no question. It wasn’t needed. I could see it in the way he looked at me expectantly.
“I made an assumption, Milady. The more I watch, the more I see it’s not just an attraction. You love him, and please, understand that if the circumstances were different, I would never have asked you to do this. I would never
have brought you here to show you what is spreading farther inland like a disease. I didn't want to make you feel responsible or guilty for what happened here. I wanted you to see that your love for Damon would–”
“Have consequences?”
Alec nodded sadly. “I know it's unfair of me.”
“Where was he found?” I asked, dragging in a painful breath, my throat burning from my tears. I wasn’t even sure if Alec had been there when Damon was taken, but something told me he knew what I was asking and had the answer. Alec sighed, obviously uncomfortable with the turn in conversation. He, as well as I, knew this wasn't going to make my decision any easier, but the look in his eyes said he would deny me nothing.
“The copse of trees outside of the village,” he said, pointing to a spot that had to be at least a quarter of a mile from the village. The trees were still healthy and grouped together tightly. “He was so angry. I didn't realize how long the two of you had been friends. Your father didn't want either of you hurting, which is why Damon has the life he does. He couldn't take the one thing he lived for away without giving him something in return.”
He’d given me more information than I’d asked for, seemingly knowing that I needed to hear it. Damon had meant the world to me as a child. He’d meant even more to me as I’d started to hit puberty, and then he was gone. Now, as an adult, there was no question of how I felt about him. I loved him with every part of the person I had been, the woman I was now, and the woman I would need to be in the future.
“I can't say goodbye to him,” I cried, the emotion overwhelming as I leaned into Alec’s embrace once again. My forehead rested against his chest as I fought to drag in oxygen. It was the truth. I couldn’t say goodbye, but how far did my selfishness go? “But, I can’t and I won't make him watch me do this, Alec.”
I felt Alec’s muscles loosen in relief. I believed him when he said he wished he could make this easier for me, but my compliance had told him that I’d understood the message. “I give you my word. I will save you both as much pain as I possibly can.”
