by J. D. Wright
She flung her arm out and sent the knife flying through the air. It hit the man in his lower back and he fell, face first, onto the ground at Zander’s feet. The man tried to grab Zander’s legs, but the wizard was quick and jumped back.
Zander looked up to see Rianne picking up her sack and swinging it over her arm. The man that she had stabbed in the shoulder was coming up behind her. Reacting on instinct, Zander started to summon a lightning bolt in his hand but Rianne was faster. She pulled another knife, this time from her sack, and spun around, plunging the knife into the man’s chest. From where Zander stood, he couldn’t be sure if the knife hit the man’s heart but it did cause him to fall to the ground, which gave them the perfect opportunity to escape.
Rianne knew it, too. This was their chance to get away. She grabbed Zander’s bag from the ground as he started running toward her. The man with the bloody side wound was still on his knees, and still very much alive. They couldn’t waste any time. As soon as Zander reached Rianne, they took off running through the forest. They ran until they were sure they were out of sight, then Zander grabbed Rianne’s arm to stop her.
“Who are you?” he demanded. “And don’t lie to me. Did my father send you to track me? Are you a spy?”
“I am no spy,” Rianne spat, pulling her arm away. “And even if I were a spy, I wouldn’t tell you. That would make me a terrible spy.”
“Then, who are you? Because I’m beginning to think you didn’t need me to save you from the wolves. You could have taken care of them, yourself.”
“I didn’t ask you to save me and I wouldn’t kill a wolf just for being what nature intended it to be.”
“I hit them with small bolts. It didn’t kill them, only stung a little. Or, a lot. But that doesn’t matter. Where did you learn to do that?” he asked, pointing back in the direction they came from.
“I learned from my brothers. Surprised that a girl can protect herself?”
“Yes, actually,” he replied. He was beginning to relax and his heartbeat was slowing back to normal. But the confusion didn’t go away.
“Why would your father want to track you? I thought you said your father was the Royal Mage of Vale.”
“He is.”
“Then why would he need to track you?” she asked, crossing her arms. He wasn’t the only one who could ask questions and demand answers. “Who is Henry?”
“Henry is none of your business.”
“I just risked my life to save you,” Rianne said, stomping her foot. “Not to mention, I lost two of my favorite knives back there. You owe me an explanation for that, at least. Who is Henry?”
“Henry is the son of a bitch that killed my mother!” Zander shouted. His outburst startled Rianne and she took a step back from him.
“Your mother is dead? But I thought your father was—“
“He is. My father is who I said he is. Henry is my mother’s husband. Or was her husband, until he killed her. That’s why I’m going to Hallowood. To find Henry and kill him. To make him pay for what he did to my mother.”
Rianne dropped her arms as she listened to him spouting his reasons for being in the glen. She could easily understand his anger. She didn’t know Henry or Zander’s mother, but she already disliked Henry and felt sorrow for Zander and his mother.
“If he killed her, why hasn’t he been punished, already?” she asked without thinking.
“Punished by who? They lived in Hosselly. It’s an independent town. It isn’t governed by any kingdom and the mayor is almost always one of Henry’s uncles. There is no way in hell that they would punish him.”
“Then why did he leave? Why did he go to Hallowood if he was safe in Hosselly?”
“Because my mother has family in Hosselly, too. My uncle, Everett, has been tracking Henry ever since he left. And before you ask, no, Everett doesn’t know I’m here. And he can’t know. He will try to interfere.”
“Rightfully so,” Rianne said, in a righteous tone. “Henry may not be punished because of the law in Hosselly, but you will be. Hallowood is governed by my-, I mean, Labara.” She barely caught herself from letting her father’s identity slip out. “Even if you believe you have cause, you cannot simply murder someone unless they are trespassing or harming you, your land, or animals. They will hang you. You have to appeal to the lordship of the town and have Henry prosecuted. Even then, they likely won’t because he isn’t one of their citizens and the crime wasn’t committed in their town. Either way, if you kill Henry, you will die for nothing!”
“You just killed a man. Maybe two. Shouldn’t you be telling this to yourself? Besides, how do you know so much about this?”
“Because I pay attention,” she lied. “And those men were thieves who attacked us. Defending yourself is one thing. Your plan is just foolish. Is this what your mother would want for you? To waste your life, your freedom, for revenge?”
“You don’t know anything about my mother,” Zander said, becoming angry.
“I know she was a mother which means she was probably just like every mother. She wouldn’t want you to throw your life away or spend it angry while trying to kill someone. She would want you to be happy!” As soon as she finished saying it, she wished she hadn’t. Not every mother was the same. Her own mother didn’t care about her happiness. Queen Isabelle was going to marry her daughter off to King Carneath. But Zander didn’t know that, and she would probably say anything to talk him out of going after Henry.
“I don’t want to discuss this with you anymore. It isn’t your decision,” he replied, then quickly changed the subject. “We need to start moving. I know at least one of the men is still alive. Probably two of them. If we stay here too long, they will find us.”
Rianne didn’t reply. She was frustrated and knew that if she started speaking, they would argue again. Instead, she stayed silent and followed him down the trail. They continued until the sky began to darken then they stopped for the night, moving away from the trail a bit before lighting a fire.
Zander could tell that Rianne was angry with him. She didn’t say a word to him the entire evening before turning her back to him and falling asleep. He couldn’t blame her, really. She didn’t understand. She never would. He sighed and summoned water magic to put out the fire. Then he leaned back against the trunk of a tree and looked up. The last of the fire’s smoke and steam rose up to meet the treetops. He wished he could see the stars but it was the middle of spring now and the trees were full, hiding the night sky above.
In the morning, they packed up the few things they had used the night before and continued down the trail. By the time the sun had reached the center of the sky, they finally found the end of Silver Glen. The forest began to thin, letting more sunlight slip through the trees.
Rianne wanted to be happy when she saw the fields in front of her. It meant the trail to Sire was just up ahead. But as much as she wanted to reach her destination, she felt a huge pang of guilt. Knowing how grim Zander’s fate would soon be, she almost felt like she was walking in a funeral procession. But he was right in that the decision wasn’t hers to make. It was his future to destroy just as she had left Labara to save her own future.
Because sunlight could reach the ground here, there were flowers growing, sprinkled all around the edge of the forest. Rianne saw a beautiful purple flower and picked it. She had just finished smelling the flower’s lovely aroma when Zander cleared his throat behind her.
“I guess this is where we part ways,” he said. He forced a smile, hoping to hide the fact that he felt terrible for shouting at her. It wasn’t her fault and he should be grateful that someone cared enough about his well-being to try to talk him out of his plan. He had wanted to apologize for most of the morning but was never able to work up the courage to do so.
“I suppose it is,” she replied, softly.
Zander caught himself staring at her, again. This time, she noticed it, too.
“Uh... The trail, the one to Sire, it’s just over there,” he said, trying to compo
se himself. “Take care and safe travels.”
“Safe travels to you, too,” Rianne said.
Zander nodded. He paused for a moment. Knowing he likely would never see her perfect face again, he wanted to get one last look at her. One that he could burn inside his memory. But soon it felt awkward, standing there and staring at her, so he turned to go.
Rianne tried to think of something to say to stop him. Anything. But nothing came to mind. Then finally…
“Wait! Zander!” she called out. “Could I ask for a favor? A small one?” She quickly removed her hairpin and shook out her hair.
Zander stopped and turned back. “Do you need a map?” he joked before walking back over to her.
“No,” she replied, unamused. “I have a map, thank you.” I’m just not sure how to use it. “I wondered if you could change my hair. With your magic?”
“Change your hair? Why? It’s beautiful,” he said. Then he cringed, inside, realizing he had just said that out loud. He really did think her hair was beautiful, but he never intended to say it. Her light brown hair was slightly wavy and shined in the sunlight.
Rianne blushed. There was something different about the way he was looking at her this morning. Almost as if he missed her, though she wasn’t even gone yet. It made her heart flutter. She tried to avoid looking into his eyes. Every time she did, she felt her face getting warmer.
“Thank you,” she managed to say. “But I want to change the color. Don’t ask me why, just… Just agree to do it. Unless you can’t…” she said, teasing.
He narrowed his eyes at her and smirked. Then he moved closer, to stand right in front of her, so close that her gown was touching his robes. She looked up at him and tried to be brave but being this close to him made her heart beat even faster. If she stayed here for much longer, she just might faint.
He took his eyes off of hers and glanced down at her mouth. For a brief moment, he thought he might kiss her. Instead, he looked further down, at where her hair was lying on her shoulders. He reached his arm up and lifted a lock of her hair. It was so soft that he couldn’t help but rub a finger over it.
“It will only last until the magic wears off. What color would you like?” he asked, almost in a whisper.
“Uh… Surprise me,” she replied. She didn’t mean to be funny. She was just so nervous that she couldn’t think of a single color to name.
“As you wish,” he said. He closed his eyes and thought of his mother. She had dark blonde hair, similar to his. He had always loved it, especially the way it lightened from the sun during the summer. He thought about the color.
“Immutatio,” he said. Then he opened his eyes. “Hmm…”
“Oh, no. What? Is it terrible?” she asked, sensing something was wrong.
“I like this color on you. Not as much as your normal color, but it’s still beautiful,” he replied. “It’s just…” He bit his lip and tried not to laugh.
“What? What is it?” She was beginning to panic and was afraid to look down.
He reached down and took her hands, lifting them up. When he brought them to her eye level, she saw the purple flower that she had been holding the entire time. Only, now the flower was white.
“I should have mentioned that you can’t hold anything in your hand when I say the enchantment. The magic will almost always include the color. So… you have a streak of purple in your hair.”
Rianne looked down and sure enough, there was a thick lock of her hair that was bright purple. It was very noticeable against the rest of the now blonde hair. Even though she thought it was really pretty, just as pretty of a color as it was on the flower, it wasn’t exactly going to help her to blend into the crowd in Hallowood. And disguising herself in order to get out of the town was the entire point of changing her appearance.
She groaned and frowned, slightly. “Can you change it? Take away the purple?” she asked.
“No, sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “The rest of the color will fade after some time, a day or two at the most. The purple will probably fade then, too.” He could sense that she wasn’t thrilled with his response so he added, “But I like it, though. It’s a little rebellious. And unique. I haven’t met anyone else with purple in their hair.”
“Ha! I’m not sure I can do it justice then,” she said, laughing.
There was that laugh again. He frowned, realizing this was the last time he would probably hear that adorable laugh. The thought was incredibly depressing.
“After making it out of the glen, I think you’ve earned it. Almost like a badge of honor,” he joked.
She couldn’t hide her smile if she wanted to. He just had a way of bringing it out of her. She looked at the flower and noticed he was still holding onto her hands. He must have noticed, too, because he let go of her and plucked the flower from her fingers. Then he lifted his arm and tucked the white flower into her hair, just behind her ear.
Rianne felt herself blushing, again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. But when she opened her eyes, there was only an empty forest in front of her and the field that could be seen in the distance.
Chapter Ten
Dahlia tucked a stray curl behind her ear. She was about to enter the castle of Labara. She needed to look her best. Being invited to sing at royal events was nothing new to her. In Sire, she spent many nights entertaining her father’s noble subjects at nearly all of King Silas’ celebrations. In addition, she had performed twice in Junacave and once in Taten, not to mention the countless taverns across Southeast Everealm. Singing for a crowd had become second nature to her.
However, this would be the first time she entertained at a royal wedding. She had even purchased a new white blouse to wear under her dark blue gown. She just wished that she had brought along a gown that was green, seeing that Labara’s royal colors were green and gold. But it was easier to travel with just a few bags, so the rest of her gowns and belongings were still in Junacave. And she was glad to have a safe place to return to when she was ready.
She had never been inside of Labara’s castle before, so she needed an escort to show her the way to the great hall. Once she arrived, the servant bowed and left her alone in the hallway. Dahlia could hear the bustle coming from the hall. She could only imagine how busy everyone was, preparing for such a large event. She stepped into the doorway and was nearly trampled by two men carrying out a large tapestry. Once the men brushed past her, she got a good look at the hall.
Servants were everywhere. Some were setting up benches and dusting them. Others were on ladders, hanging long strings of pink and blue flowers along the walls, benches, and windows. The hall was a great deal larger than the one in Junacave and easily three times the size of Sire’s throne room. The tall walls made the noise even greater as every sound echoed off of them and carried down the hallway. Standing there, watching the commotion, she was thoroughly entertained.
That is, until she saw him. He was standing by the throne, next to another man who looked very similar, just a bit older. A brother, perhaps? Wait. No.
Immediately, she jumped out of the doorway. Taking a deep breath, she peeked around to get another look. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he just looked like him, from afar. If she got another look at him, she would realize her mistake.
But it wasn’t a mistake. And this time, a much older man walked over. Dahlia knew the king when she saw him, even without noticing the crown. Just his clothing and the way he carried himself was enough to give it away. Watching the older man with the younger two, it was obvious. The man from the tavern was the king’s son. The man she had spent the most incredible evening of her life with was a prince.
Just seeing his face brought back the memories. The vivid and fabulous memories. The entire reason she left this area was to avoid running across this man. She was afraid to see him again and ruin the perfect images she kept of him in her mind.
When she heard that the Prince of Labara was looking for a blonde bard by the name of Dahlia to sing at a roy
al wedding, she never in a century would have guessed it was the same man. She hadn’t even learned his name at the time. He must have asked the barkeep for her name because she didn’t remember giving it to him. She didn’t remember speaking to him, at all.
But if he was about to get married, why did he have amazing sex with a perfect stranger in the tavern? Was it a final hoorah? Was she just a last minute attempt to satisfy his needs before becoming married to some stuffy princess? She knew it shouldn’t matter. She used him every bit as much as he used her, yet she hadn’t felt cheap for it until now. And she couldn’t understand why.
A knight walked out of the hallway and took her out of her trance. She nodded to the knight as he passed, then she covered her face with her hand and walked past the hall. She had no intentions of singing at the wedding of the man whose face she still saw every time she closed her eyes. There was absolutely zero chance that she would prance around and act as if she hadn’t kissed those tender lips or squeezed that tight bottom of his.
The fact that he had personally requested her to perform was morbid, really. Why in the realm would he want to see her on his wedding day? On the day that he took vows to honor and respect his wife? She doubted many royal men took those vows seriously, but she certainly did. And she couldn’t imagine distracting a groom from his bride on her wedding day. It just wasn’t fair to whichever poor woman intended to marry this schmuck.
Whatever his reasons for inviting her, she intended to find out. When she reached the end of the hallway, she saw a door that led outside. She soon found herself on the terrace. It, too, was being decorated and swarming with servants.
Suddenly, she had an idea. With so many people buzzing around the castle, it should be easy to get lost in the crowd of faces. Guests would be arriving throughout the day and she had already seen two carriages full of noble women arrive while she was waiting for an escort at the castle entrance. She could easily behave herself and blend right in. She was the Princess of Sire, after all. It was in her blood.
