“If you have any problems, come and see me,” Luca replied, although unsure what he could actually do.
Jack stopped at the main door and smiled, “Thanks Luca,” he said.
Luca watched as Jack was escorted back to his camp on the outskirts of town by one of Lord Romley’s guards, albeit at Luca’s insistence. Once out of sight, Luca had the guards on duty at the mayor’s house secure the doors while he headed back inside to the others. Having been a somewhat long and tiresome day, there was one thing he felt he needed to know before retiring to bed. Nerina had been very offish with Jack, and Luca intended to find out why. Although somewhat nervous about confronting her, Luca tried to remain calm and ask in a civil manner.
“Nerina,” he said walking up beside her as she sat on one of the cushioned chairs.
“Yes,”
“What was your problem with Jack?”
“I don’t like him. And I definitely don’t trust him!” She said seemingly not holding back her feelings.
“Oh! Okay. Can I ask why?” Luca replied somewhat shocked at her blunt answer.
“Don’t know…Just something shifty about him. I don’t like him, and neither should you!”
Although Luca thought to ask why, he somehow knew it wasn’t worth arguing. While he quite liked Jack, he also liked Nerina and didn’t want to cause any argument with her, and so just shrugged his shoulders.
Unsure as to how long they were going to be at Greensill before either moving on towards the capital or being carted off somewhere else, Luca felt as low as he had for quite some time. While he tried to keep it to himself and not burden the others, Luca was already feeling the pressure building up on him. Although wanting to sit up and chat with his friends for a while longer, his tired mind and body suddenly seemed to fail him and after several stifled yawns had to concede he needed to go to bed. Ultimately that also meant Edward had to do likewise, and after the pair had wished Samuel and Nerina a goodnight, they headed upstairs.
As they approached their room, Luca paused at the door, “What did you think of Jack?” he asked.
Edward just shrugged his shoulders. “Seemed okay to me. Just another spoilt rich kid, dressed in posh clothes and completely oblivious to how most of the people in the kingdom actually live.”
Luca smiled, “So, much like me then?”
“Exactly like you…now come on, are you going to open that door or what?” Edward replied patting Luca on the shoulder.
Edward lit a couple of lamps to give them enough light to wash and undress, before allowing Luca to get into his bed and then doing likewise into his much smaller one across the other side of the room.
With so much on his mind, Luca wasn't certain how quickly he would get off to sleep. He lifted his hand up to where the beaded necklace lay around his neck and touched it. Did he need it on now? He wasn’t sure, but if what Nerina said was true, he couldn’t remove it himself anyway, even if he wanted to. With that in mind, he did consider removing it, yet thought it best not to just in case whatever power it held was still needed to protect him in his sleeping hours.
Luca’s mind seemed to drift off, and although he knew he was asleep, he felt fully conscious of his surroundings. Dressed in smart clothes, as good as he had once worn at the palace, he was just standing in a spring meadow. The sun was up, and he could feel its comforting warmth upon his skin. There were no dark shadows trying to grab and claw at him, only bright sunshine and the feeling of happiness and contentment. Why couldn’t his life in the waking world be as good as this dream? Walking slowly along, he seemed to do so for quite some time, yet his legs never ached or tired, as he felt his entire body being rejuvenated by the warm glow that surrounded him.
Feeling this was probably the most relaxing, peaceful dream he had ever had, Luca then noticed a figure walking towards him. Though knowing this was not real and only a dream he thought it someone he knew, a girl. Nerina, he thought, and quickly increased his pace to catch her up. He looked directly at her and thought how perfect she looked, her pale skin almost glistening in the sunlight and her brown eyes seemed to draw him nearer. He lifted his hand up and ran it through her hair and watched as she smiled up at him. Without thinking, Luca leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, before slowly stepping back to look upon her beauty once more. Then for some reason, she vanished, and Luca was left standing alone once more somewhat confused as to what had just happened. Though only a dream the moment his lips had touched hers had felt so real, and Luca held that thought as he continued his journey through the meadows of his dreamscape.
“Come on sleepyhead,” Luca heard as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He forced his eyes open and looked up to see it was already light, and Edward was already fully dressed and looking down at him.
“What time is it?” Luca asked, stretching his arms up.
“Time you were up and out of that bed. Nerina and Samuel already have the breakfast ready and are waiting to serve it.”
With those words, Edward took it upon himself to throw the covers back unconcerned as to what Luca was wearing beneath them. Luca just laughed and feeling in a good mood he forced his body into action and clambered up from the mattress and headed towards his pile of clothes.
“You seem in a good mood this morning!” Edward said somehow noticing the spring in his step.
“Yes, I had a good night’s sleep,” Luca replied as he started washing.
“Must have been really good, being as you were calling a certain young lady’s name out for most of it!” Edward chuckled.
Luca froze, “What?” he said, slowly turning his head to look Edward’s direction.
“Oh yeh….Nerina…Nerina…You must have said it about ten times…then you shut up again.”
Luca laughed somewhat nervously, “I did not,” he said trying to see if Edward was just pulling his leg or not.”
“Oh, you did, and not quietly either…Don’t worry I won’t tell her,” Edward added with an evil looking smirk on his face.
“You better not,” Luca replied, feeling somewhat nervous about going downstairs now.
By the time the pair of them had made their way into the dining room, Nerina and Samuel were already sat waiting.
“At last!” Nerina said with no small amount of annoyance in her voice.
“Do I have to eat in the kitchen again?” Edward asked unsure what the arrangements were now the meetings had all passed.
“Of course not…I want you all to join me for breakfast,” Luca said, opening the invitation to Samuel as well who was stood holding the door open for his sister.
“Really?” Edward replied, “I always said you’d make a good king!” He added with a grin.
“Oh but we still have to play housemaids,” Nerina added as she carried a large tray in through the door and placed it down firmly on the table.
“You didn’t need to. Please sit down,” Luca said trying to placate her. He wasn't sure why she always got so moody with him, and as much as he had to admit he liked her, Luca did wish she wouldn’t be so temperamental all the time. Smiling up at her, Luca hoped to soften the mood, and with an expectant look in his eyes, he saw Nerina’s hard glare melting away.
“Fine…We’ll join you,” she said, shaking her head as if it were a big deal and she was making some great sacrifice by doing so.
It was only then that Luca noticed the other places were already set on the table. He smiled as he realised he had been played for a fool and that Samuel and Nerina had expected him to offer anyway. As usual, for breakfast, there was sausage, bacon and eggs to eat, and a pot of tea or freshly squeezed fruit juice to drink.
“Are we heading back today?” Edward asked as he piled several sausages on to his plate.
“No idea,” Luca replied before taking a sip from his glass of juice. “I assume we have to wait and see what Lord Romley has planned, or what he has arranged.”
“Should you not be riding into battle with them?” Nerina asked. “Father always says a
man should lead from the front.”
“I did offer, but he refused. I guess I’d be more of a hindrance than a help.”
“No change there then!” Edward added with a chuckle.
Luca just shook his head slightly at the remark. While it wasn’t expected as normal for someone to mock the king, Luca thought it was something he’d actually miss when all this was over.
While he was eating, he listened as Samuel and Edward chatted about having to endure another trip in a carriage, although the pair hoped they’d be able to ride back. Luca wasn't sure why, but he felt the urge to turn his head slightly and look at Nerina only to see her staring right at him. He held her gaze for a few moments before she averted her gaze, and if he wasn't very much mistaken, she blushed as she did so. With a smile on his face, he thought back to his dream and the moment within it when he had kissed her. He felt strange that it felt so real, his dreams often did of late, and that he always remembered them so well. Inadvertently he lifted his hand up to the necklace he wore around his neck and felt the wooden beads beneath his shirt. Only then did he have a theory, and something he had never considered before. If Nerina had indeed placed some magic upon it, and she had been protecting him in his dreams, did she have some influence on what he dreamed about? While there had not yet been anything unpleasant, far from it, Luca suddenly felt very uncomfortable that she might in some way be controlling his thoughts.
With breakfast over, all four of them cleared away the dishes and plates and returned them to the kitchen for Lord Romley’s people to sort out. After their evening trying to wash dishes, they thought it was probably best to leave it to others. As they headed into the lounge, Luca thought to ask Nerina a question, one that had been on his mind since breakfast. He waited for Samuel and Edward to get a few steps ahead of them before turning to face Nerina.
“I’m not sure I need your necklace on anymore Nerina. I mean if Lord Elthan’s sister is dead…then do I need protecting in my dreams?”
Nerina glared at him as if he had suggested something terrible to her.
“Fine, if that’s how you feel just ask Edward to remove it for you. It’s up to you!” She said in a huff before barging past him and walking off.
Chapter 19.What am I doing here?
Elysia awoke from her sleep and looked over at the man she had married. Frederick Elthan was not a handsome man, but so many of her memories felt as if they were missing, and the reasons as to why she would want to marry such a person did not fit. True, father had always wanted to appease Lord Elthan to ensure Endallen remained part of the kingdom, but why would she have agreed to marry Frederick.
A recollection from the past had returned when Elysia had overheard Frederick talking of a man named Lord Fallon, and his son Elliot. As if hearing that name had recalled some long lost memory, she remembered a face. A handsome young man with short, brown curly hair and beautiful hazel eyes, and a slim but well-defined body. Such a charming man as she recalled, which made it all the more puzzling as to why she would agree to marry someone like Frederick. Since her illness, the man was insistent on making love so many times, something that she was now finding quite repulsive. If she truly loved her husband why would she think that? So many questions remained unanswered in her mind, and Elysia aimed to discover why. As each day passed by, it seemed a little more of her hazy, blurry past returned to her, although there were still massive gaps.
Hoping to clamber out of bed before her husband awoke she felt a firm hand on her arm as she went to slip from beneath the covers.
“Good morning, my love.”
Even Frederick’s voice seemed to irritate her. The more he spoke, the more she was convinced she would never have willingly married this man. Moreover, she also knew what he would like to do, and as things stood there was no reason to give for her to decline him. With his hands already groping at her breasts, Elysia turned to face her husband and forced a smile as she felt his hands running down her body. Trying not to flinch or appear repulsed, Elysia allowed her husband to do as he wished, knowing that the sooner he was finished, the sooner she could start investigating further. Not only was she starting to find Frederick repulsive, but his love-making did nothing for her. Not only was he rough and brutish, but it was all over so quickly, leaving her feeling empty and unfulfilled.
Elysia lay under the cover of her sheets as Frederick got up and started to dress, strutting about as if some great stallion.
“I won’t be with you much today, My Love. Father needs me to discuss some important plans,” Frederick said from across the other side of their bedroom.
“Oh…That is a shame,” Elysia replied, feeling that perhaps it might give her more time to try and work out what was going on. So many things didn’t seem to fit to what she had been told. While her father and step-mother had been killed, along with her sister and half-brother, it would seem that the latter two didn’t have any graves in the royal cemetery. Having ventured down their two days back, it did seem somewhat strange. Another thing that appeared odd was the fact the nobles were rejecting her as queen. Why would they do that? If as she had been led to believe the rest of her family were dead, then she was next in line. After much deliberation, the only reasons she could come up with were either they wanted another family to take the throne, or they didn’t think she had the right. If the latter was true, then they must be supporting another, and she knew she needed to find out who.
Only when Frederick had left the bedroom did Elysia finally manage to get out of her bed. Feeling dirty and used, she immediately went to wash, and while a hot bath would have been nice, waiting for the servants to fill it would take too long. Checking nobody was looking she opened up the small cabinet beneath the washstand and took out a small glass bottle. Knowing it took only a few drops she opened her mouth and using the stopper allowed just that mount to fall onto her tongue. Having Frederick hump her whenever he felt like was something she could probably tolerate, the mere idea of falling pregnant to this man was not. A potion given to her by her sister, Elysia had started taking it the moment she had started doubting everything was as it seemed. Thankfully, Frederick had not thus far managed to get her with child, but now she was fully aware something was not right, she had no intention of taking that risk. Amsu oil allowed her to do just that. Just a few drops each day and Frederick could hump her to his heart's content, and she would never fall pregnant to him.
After taking a light breakfast of sliced fruit and a little-sweetened tea in her suite, Elysia ran her plan of action through her mind. With so many holes in her memory, she knew the best way to know what was really going on in the world was to venture out of the palace. To do that she would need a disguise, and heading down the corridor towards the staff quarters she knew exactly where to get one. Dressing in her fine clothes would have her stand out, adorning the uniform of a maid would allow her to pass through the doors and with a cloak over her head, beyond the palace gates into the capital.
Trying to remain unseen, knowing that if any of the house staff recognised her, they would wonder what she was doing in these parts of the palace, and start asking questions. Slipping into a room she knew was used to store staff uniforms, Elysia grabbed a few items she thought would fit and hastily lifted her dress off over her head. Though the very idea of wearing such a garment repulsed her nearly as much as Frederick did, it was a sacrifice she was willing to take. Placing on a bonnet to cover her hair, she then found a suitable pair of shoes in among the dozens of pairs stored in one of the cupboards. Hoping she looked the part, she now needed to get a cloak if she aimed to venture further than the palace, and duly found several hanging from metal pegs in the room next door. As to whether it actually belonged to anybody, Elysia was uncertain, but in truth didn’t care.
Still moving about discreetly along the corridors, Elysia was forced to duck into an open doorway to avoid two other house staff. As soon as she managed to get to the nearest exit, she used it and found herself at the side of the main palace bu
ilding. Knowing there was a smaller trade entrance on this side of the structure, mainly used for those not deemed worthy of the main entrance, Elysia headed off that direction. With her cloak pulled up over her head to avoid anybody seeing her face, she walked slowly past the two guards on duty. Neither man seemed to care who she was, and Elysia afforded herself a smile as she ventured out into the capital.
This was not the first time she had done such a thing and was something she had done many times as a young girl, much to her father’s annoyance. Always one for a little mischief, Elysia had always found dressing up and venturing out of the palace a fun game to play, despite her father’s warnings of how dangerous it could be. The sounds and smells of the city were a far cry from the walled gardens of the palace, almost as if they were not even in the same place. Yet the difference in being this side of the vast wall to the other was immense. While not all the smells and aromas were pleasant ones, Elysia inhaled deeply as she walked past a baker’s shop. The smell of freshly baked bread was so nice and almost had her mouth salivating as if the aroma was enticing her into the shop to buy.
As nice as the shops were, Elysia knew the best place to be would be the market square. Here, traders of all kinds set up their stalls and hollered their wares trying to invite people to look at what they were selling. So many weird and wonderful things to see, that Elysia found herself drawn over to look. Being bumped and barged about by these common folk was a little frightening at first, although knowing she needed to remain unseen, she kept her head down and pretended to look at the items for sale.
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