by D. L. Boyles
As the day drew on, Audora felt increasingly less hurt by Peter, a new emotion replacing the pain, but one she didn’t fully comprehend. Was it contentment? After dinner, Florian escorted her back to her rooms, Rebecca and Sloane chittering just behind. Her two ladies hurried into their rooms, leaving Audora in the hallway alone with Florian.
“Captain Florian,” she said when the hallway was quiet. “Would you consider going for a ride with me in the morning?”
“Shall I ask Peter to join us?” he asked with a rudely sarcastic tone.
“No. I’d rather you not.”
Her statement surprised him, she could tell by the way he drew his eyebrows together and pursed his lips. “I will need to clear it with your parents, of course, but if you wish to go for a ride, I will do my best to make it happen.”
Audora smiled shyly at him. “Thank you. Good night.”
In her room, she wondered if this new feeling she was having had anything to do with Captain Florian. He was a handsome man, but he was older than her by at least six years. That was only a guess because it took at least that to achieve the rank of captain within the royal guard. Regardless, she could not deny that they’d shared more than one special moment today and she found herself looking forward to the morrow with anticipation.
∞∞∞
She barely slept a wink, but as soon as the light was up, she hurried to dress and leave her room before either Rebecca or Sloane emerged from theirs. They were both appointed her ladies by her mother, a favor extended to their mothers, wealthy ladies who idolized their queen. Neither of the ladies in waiting were her friends, so she didn’t feel the least bit guilty for always leaving them behind. To be honest, Audora rarely felt like she belonged with anyone in Wessix. Her mother was constantly throwing parties and inviting foreign dignitaries to spend weeks at the castle, so Audora knew at least a dozen families in each of the eight human kingdoms. Yet, not a single one of them were her friends and until recently, she’d only ever thought of Peter as someone she knew.
Thanks to Captain Florian, she was beginning to question even that.
Downstairs, she debated going to the stables on her own but decided against it. Instead, she walked across the courtyard, alarming one of the castle’s door guards who came rushing to meet her. “Princess Audora, where is Captain Florian? You should not be about so early in the day without an escort.”
“Thank you…” She wanted to call him by name but realized with a level of shame that she didn’t know it. She’d seen him before, of course, knew him to see his face, but know his name? No. She couldn’t say she did. Embarrassment kept her from asking him now. “I am actually looking for Captain Florian. Do you know where he is?”
The guard looked surprised. Audora couldn’t blame him. How often did she go galivanting through Wessix’s countryside after having deliberately dodged her assigned guards? And, more likely than not, every one of the kingdom’s royal guards had heard about Eric’s punishment…something she was responsible for.
“If he is not with you, Princess Audora, I assume he is in the barracks.”
She smiled brightly at him. “Thank you. I shall find him at once.”
The guard’s eyes grew as round as the moon. “I beg your pardon, Princess Audora, but that would be most improper. There’s no telling the things you’d see.” He began to stutter, rattling off some of the various states of dress she might find the men in but stopped himself. “I will see to it right away that Captain Florian meets you right over there,” he said, pointing to the front steps of the castle where his compatriot stood watching.
“Very well.” Audora didn’t like this new process of asking for permission—or waiting. She began to tap her foot impatiently, trying her best to ignore the stares of the guards in the courtyard. It was already warm though the sun had scarcely lit the sky and as she glanced around at the men, she wondered at how it would feel to be wearing the thick leather armor some of them wore, just so they could walk around the castle and the courtyard to keep her and her family safe. The men stationed on the walls continuously wore their helmet, metal cuirass, and chainmail shirts beneath. Audora never enjoyed the heat of summer but rarely reveled in the cool of spring or autumn either.
Lost in pointless thoughts, she almost missed Captain Florian’s greeting. “Oh. Good morning.” She smiled at him, but it quickly faded when she realized every guard in the courtyard was glancing in their direction. “Did you speak with my parents? Is it okay for us to go for a ride this morning before it is too hot?”
Captain Florian bowed again, nodding. “Shall we go?”
It was awkward being in the stables knowing that they were intentionally leaving Peter behind this morning. He claimed only the day before that he couldn’t go on rides with her anymore and that he had no feelings for her beyond being friends, yet he saddled their horses, giving Audora hard looks. It serves him right, she thought. If he only wants to be friends, he should not be bothered at all by her riding with Captain Florian. Audora smiled a little too sweetly in Captain Florian’s direction, secretly eyeing Peter as she did so.
As soon as the horses were saddled, she allowed Captain Florian to assist her onto the horse, something she had no need to do other than want. She’d rarely ridden out of the courtyard through the main gates, so as she followed behind Florian this morning, she glanced over her shoulder, feeling a little hesitant, and caught Peter watching her. Audora couldn’t decipher what the look on his face meant but a little part of her hoped it was jealousy. The gate guards did not try to hide their surprise at seeing her with Florian, openly leaving on horseback. After her recent antics, it was no wonder. Their expressions humbled her, making her feel as though she’d been childish all this time.
Once they were free of the city, Florian guided her down the gravely road until they were out of sight. It was only then that he turned to look at her, flashed her a wild grin, and heeled his horse into a full gallop, darting quickly away. Audora cackled with glee, nudging her horse to give chase. The horses wanted the freedom just as much as their riders and, given their heads, they raced across the rolling hills of Wessix with abandon. In the distance, the Candes Mountains loomed, tall sentries guarding their eastern border, but here, the land was nothing but hilly plains with only a few scattered trees. The thick compact clusters of forest known as Pinewood Forest that Wessix had hugged the curves of Lonely River, following it north to the briar patch or south towards the kingdom of Tomah. It was the perfect countryside for horseback riding, Audora thought, but everything about it felt lonely to her—hence her name for the river.
Rising up onto a hill, she spread her arms wide and leaned back in the saddle, her reigns tucked at her thighs.
“Princess Audora!” Captain Florian’s eyes shown with worry at her recklessness, which only caused her to laugh and spur her horse along. He tried to catch her, but her mount was too fast and just as reckless as she.
Finally, at the crest of the next hill, she pulled back and asked her horse to slow. Florian’s breathing was accentuated when he stopped alongside her. “You should not be so careless, Princess,” he told her, but his eyes shone with equal mischief.
“You can scold me when we reach the river.”
“You mean, the stream.”
She shrugged. “Semantics.” Then, she charged ahead once more to the tree line, which obscured the Lonely River. Once there, she slid from her saddle, breathing in the fresh air. “I love hearing the birds,” she told the captain when he joined her. He said nothing in reply, just smiled. “Peter would have tried imitating their calls for me,” she told him.
“I am not Peter.”
No, he wasn’t. And yet…She bit her bottom lip, giving him a shy smile. They walked along the stream with nothing to say, comfortable in the silence. Though, considering the chirping of the birds, it was far from void of noise.
“You appear bored.”
Audora shrugged.
“Is it because, for the first time, yo
u have permission?” He paused, waiting for her answer, but when she did not respond, he continued, “Or because you miss your paramour?”
“Peter made his feelings very clear,” she snapped.
The captain flashed her an impatient look. “I suppose he did.”
“I am ready to go back.”
Captain Florian did not argue. On the return, they followed the Lonely River until it disappeared then turned westward until they reached the gravel road that led back to the city. From this direction, they passed by old farms that were no longer in operation, their buildings and barns now rotting with holey roofs and unhinged doors. Audora always wondered about the places that were no longer in use such as these farms and the brewery near the castle. There were places in similar shambles all across Wessix. No one seemed to know why they’d been abandoned, and no one made attempts at repairs.
They finally reached the stables and one of the other stable boys, a young lad of ten or so, hurried out to greet them. Peter was nowhere in sight. “Oh!” She was trying so hard to look for him that she wasn’t watching where she was going and accidentally kicked a bucket of water. She tumbled forward, expecting to crash into the forming mud, but strong hands reached out and swept her back onto her feet.
“Are you all right, Princess Audora?” Captain Florian had a hand on her waist and one on her arm. Heat flooded through her from head to toe. She nodded mutely, rubbing a hand over herself in an effort to calm her nerves.
“Thank you,” she finally managed. When he stepped away, Audora felt saddened by the distance between them and sought to close it. “Captain Florian, I…” What? Her mouth was suddenly dry and her pulse quickened. She felt lightheaded and fluttery. “Thank you for today.”
“It was nothing, Princess, just part of my duty to keep you safe.”
“You do a remarkable job,” she said then silently chastised herself for her ridiculous comment. Captain Florian didn’t laugh at her, at least, which is something she fully expected and rightly deserved. “Do you ever get a day off, Captain?”
“Rarely, Princess Audora.”
She chewed on her lip in thought. “When you do, where do you go?”
“To the tavern some days. Fishing others. Sometimes, I just sleep in. Others, I visit my sister and her family.”
“Oh.” That was a shock. Audora didn’t realize that he had a family to visit. Just like earlier when she didn’t know the guard’s name, she felt embarrassed for her lack of knowing.
“I know what you’re doing,” he told her, a sly look on his face.
“And what is that, Captain?”
He tilted his head at her with a pair of raised brows as though to say you won’t fool me. “This seems similar to something we spoke about not too long ago.”
“Maybe I’m just interested in knowing more about you.” Honestly, she should know a lot more about him; she should know a lot more about a lot of people.
“And what about Peter? Will you begin asking him endless questions now?”
She huffed out a breath and began stomping towards the door of the stable. “I’m done with Peter, Florian. Done with him.” Her guard chuckled behind her and she whirled on him. He almost ran right into her, stopping just shy of doing so. “It isn’t funny. I’m serious.”
“And what brought this about?” he asked her.
“You. I think…Well, if you must know, I think I love you and not Peter. You could be my true love, Florian.”
“What?” For a moment, Audora thought Captain Florian had spat that at her, but then she realized he was staring at her open-mouthed, not saying a word. She turned her head slightly and spied Peter. He was brushing the blue roan mare, a look of disgust on his face as he glared at her. It was Peter’s voice that she’d heard. “You are something else, Audora. You are so convinced that you have to find true love that you jump from one man to the next. You cannot go around claiming a man to be your true love one day and move on to someone else the next.” He rolled his eyes at her then shoved his way out of the stall and stomped off in the opposite direction.
She wanted to run after him and apologize, but she wasn’t even sure where to begin.
“I should escort you back inside, Princess Audora,” Florian told her, regaining his voice. He stepped around her, also turning his back on her, but he expected her to follow and she did. Audora was thoroughly embarrassed and ashamed. She was thankful, however, that her guard said nothing more on the subject for the remainder of the day.
Chapter Five
Death and Disappointment
Snow sipped her coffee in a dark corner of the busy tavern. With her hood covering her face, no one paid her much attention. In fact, many of the patrons in this establishment had similar desires…anonymity. It was something she excelled at. No one here knew her name; there were none who truly did. She had, in fact, not heard her name spoken in so many years she wondered if she’d like the sound of it should anyone speak it aloud.
Dismissing that trail of thinking—for it only led to dark places she’d rather not visit—she watched the people around her. The man she followed into the tavern was sitting with a lively bunch of young men at the round table in the center of the room. They were playing endless rounds of cards and laughing at jokes and one another’s lots in life. None of them were well-off and all had calloused hands, indicating that they worked hard for whatever meager earnings they were currently losing to one another. When it appeared they were all out of money, the buggers sorted it out, returned whatever each had tossed in to begin with, and started anew, laughing wildly at their creativity. She rolled her eyes at their obvious foolery.
She debated joining their game, livening it up with the gold gravi she had in her pocket. That, she doubted, would be something they’d willingly return to her after a round of cards. No, she needed the gravi to aide in her mission. And she needed this man to make it all work.
For hours, she sat there, drinking coffee and beginning to feel jittery from its effects. All the while, the men played round after round, only spending their money on a few pitchers of sarsaparilla. They were either unable to afford the ale or unwilling to drink it. Not that she had any room to judge. She could afford the ale and didn’t mind it so much, but she needed her wits about her this evening. There would be other times to drown sorrows in a pint of ale or in a jug of cider.
Finally! The man she’d been following stood and bade his fellows a good evening, tossing a copper coin onto the table before he left. None of the others made to follow him, but she did—nothing more than a shadow. While her hood hid her face and her cloak hid her curves slightly, there was no mistaking she was a woman. Her long hair, something she rarely hid, stuck out from beneath the hood from time to time, and she would casually tuck it back in. As long as there was a hint that she was female, most overlooked her when she trailed them.
She waited only a moment before stepping out into the darkened city. Her target was wearing a white tunic beneath a tan vest, something that made him stand out easily against the night sky. Quietly, she followed him, hoping to catch him in one of the narrow streets he’d have to traverse in order to return to the stables.
From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw movement, something lurking in the shadows. When she looked more closely, however, there was nothing there. Nothing that even her keen eyesight could detect. Continuing after the young man, she hurried down a side street that ran parallel to the one he was on, passing a few drunken men singing to themselves, hoping that she could cut him off. Darting down a narrow alleyway, a familiar sensation struck her heart just as strong hands grabbed hold of her and pulled her backwards, a dagger thrust at her throat.
Pressed against the firm chest of a man and a sharp blade pushed against her skin, she fought the urge to curse. She’d been too focused on her objective and had lost peripheral vision, awareness of her surroundings. Fool…The Hunter had not been secretive about his presence either. Reflecting on the past few moments, he’d subtly reveal
ed himself to her, but she’d been too narrow-minded to think he was tracking her.
“Hello again, little rabbit. This makes three times I’ve caught you.”
With her neck craned backwards, she glanced down at his hands and recognized the handle of the weapon he held. Her own blade, of all the things. He was holding her own blade at her throat. Fool, fool, fool, she cursed herself.
Her hands were free, however, so she slipped the smaller dagger that she kept hidden in her sleeve—the other sleeve—into her hand and pressed it backwards against the man’s abdomen. Rather than act surprised, he laughed. The blasted man laughed! She was infuriated.
“And again, you surprise me.” His grip on her neck loosened slightly but he did not release her. “What shall we do now, do you think? If I am faster, I slit your throat and get away. If you are faster, you will mortally wound me before I slice your throat and get away.”
Though it should have frightened her, his presence sent a shiver of excitement through her body. One she hoped he’d miss but one she knew he hadn’t. “Do what you think is best, sir. But do not delay, for I have somewhere to be.”
“And someone to be with? I saw you watching the stable boy.”
“He’s hardly a boy.” It wasn’t worth the argument, but she could not help but oppose him even now.
“Ah. So, you’re in search of male company on this cold evening. If that is what you seek, you should ignore the stable boy.”
“And what would the queen think of you being so suggestive with another woman?”
He barked out an incredulous laugh. “I think you’ve misunderstood my…arrangement with her.” She felt him shift, the sharp edge of her own blade drifting downwards away from her neck an inch as he leaned forward, trying to see past the edge of her hood. “If I did not know any better, little rabbit, I’d think you were jealous.”
