Red Rose Rising

by A J Manney

  Chapter 19

  Zalia spent the next few days recovering. Each day she got stronger, and she had mixed emotions about that. She was happy she was healing and getting her strength back, but each day brought her one step closer to bonding with Valen. Thinking of Valen, Zalia sighed. He was strung so tightly right now. He’d ordered a protective guard on her 24/7. When he wasn’t around, one of the other guards shadowed her. During the night hours, somebody stayed awake outside her room. She was never left without a guard. It made her feel like she was going crazy. She was no longer a helpless, weak princess in her father’s kingdom. She didn’t need all the extra protection!

  Valen was gone a lot. She wasn’t sure where he kept going, because nobody would answer her questions. Whenever he came back, he always came to see her; but he was always vague about where he had been.

  Today she woke up, tired of resting and feeling ready to get back to her life. She got up, took a bath, and got dressed. It took her a while because she was slow. She finally finished. With a smile on her face, she stepped out into the hall ready to take her life back. She came face to face with Conlyn, one of the guards.

  “Princess Zalia, how are you feeling?” he asked politely.

  “I’m doing well, thank you for asking.” She stepped around him. He stepped into place right behind her. Zalia looked back at him. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m your protection, Princess,” he said.

  Zalia bit back her frustration. “Yes, I know; and you have done a great job of protecting me. But I am back on my feet now. I’m going to the kitchen, so you don’t need to follow me.”

  Conlyn didn’t budge. “Prince Valen said that you are to be under protection every moment of the day.”

  Zalia frowned. “Is Prince Valen here right now?” He shook his head. “All right then. I can give my own orders. I don’t need protection right now. Thank you.” He opened his mouth to argue, but Zalia was not in the mood. “That’s an order.”

  “But Prince Valen...” he argued before Zalia cut him off.

  “I will deal with Prince Valen,” she bit out. Then before she could get more frustrated, she walked towards the kitchen. Inside, Mari was busy cooking breakfast.

  She looked up as Zalia entered the kitchen. “Zalia, oh my dear. How are you?” She walked over and gave Zalia a gentle hug. “Come sit down,” she said, indicating a chair to Zalia.

  “Mari, I have been in bed for days. I am going crazy. I have to get back to my life. Please let me help you, and don’t baby me,” Zalia implored her.

  Mari looked at her for a moment, then said, “What are you standing there for? We have work to do.”

  Zalia smiled and got busy. She worked with Mari for the next hour. They laughed and talked and had a good morning together. Zalia was feeling tired, and her arm was starting to get achy. She pushed it aside because she felt so good being out of bed and getting back on track with her life. Everything was going perfectly well until she turned around and nearly ran right into a scowling Valen.

  “Valen,” she exclaimed, “you scared me!”

  Valen looked at her with that intimidating look he had perfected so well. “What are you doing in here?” he asked in a clipped voice.

  Zalia looked over at Mari for a fraction of a second and saw her grinning. “Busted,” she mouthed to Zalia. Zalia frowned at her and turned back to Valen.

  “First of all, I don’t answer to you. Second, I am busy getting breakfast ready. I am sure you could see that,” she said haughtily as she turned and moved away from him. Valen moved right in step with her so that he was blocking her path again.

  “I can see that you are making breakfast,” he said slowly and calmly. “I am asking why. Why are you in here making breakfast when you’re supposed to be in bed? And why did you tell Conlyn not to worry about protecting you?

  Zalia realized she needed a different approach. Swallowing her irritation, she tried to soften her approach. “Valen,” she put her hand on his arm. “I have been in bed for far too long. I am going crazy. I have to start getting back to my life, and you have to let me,” she said sternly.

  He opened his mouth to argue, but she reached up and put her finger on his lips, effectively quieting him. “No. I have to do this. I need to get back to training and get strong again. How will I ever be ready to head back to my kingdom if all I do is sit around?” At her mention of her heading to Arrosa, his eyes darkened with anger. She dropped her hand and took a step back from him. “Please?” she implored him.

  He relaxed slightly and some of the anger drained from him. “Fine, but you have to keep a guard on you at all times. I am not willing to give on that.” Zalia started to argue with him, but he cut her off. “I need to know you’re safe. I’m sorry, but I can’t budge on that.”

  Zalia looked up at him. He was trying to compromise; she could compromise too. “All right,” she said quietly. They both stood there for a moment. He reached down and gently touched her shoulder. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “It gets better every day,” she said.

  “Are you sleeping?” he asked. Zalia knew he was referring to her nightmares. Zalia just shrugged. His eyes narrowed at that.

  “I’m fine,” she said softly. “Can I get back to work now?” she asked with a grin. She was about to step away from him when she really looked at him. “Are you okay, Valen? You look exhausted.”

  “I’m fine,” he said briskly.

  Zalia looked up at him and then at Mari. “I’ll be right back, Mari,” she called out. She grabbed Valen’s hand with her good arm and pulled him into the hallway. He allowed her to lead him. She led him right around the corner to an empty room. “Where have you been?” she asked. Before he opened his mouth, she said, “And don’t try to get around the truth. Just tell me what’s going on.”

  Valen ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just trying to take care of business. Nothing you need to worry about.”

  Zalia frowned up at him. “When was the last time you slept?”

  Valen shrugged. Zalia looked up at him. “Valen, you’re not invincible, you know. You have to get rest.”

  “I will,” he said, aggravation creeping into his voice.

  “When?” Zalia pushed him.

  “When what?” Valen growled at her.

  “When will you sleep?” Zalia knew she was pushing him, but she was trying to get him frustrated so he would just tell her what he was up to.

  “When I can!” he snapped at her.

  Zalia’s heart hurt for him. He carried the weight of the world on his very capable shoulders, but he was still human. She took a chance and reached up to palm his cheek. He instantly stood utterly still, his eyes darkening. “I’m just worried about you,” she said quietly. “Please let me into your life. I want to know what you’re doing.”

  Valen didn’t say anything for a moment. Then finally he said in a quiet low voice, “My father has plans to move on Verdia, the Kingdom of Vines. I’m trying to stall the plans without him figuring out it’s me.

  “Oh Valen, I’m so sorry,” Zalia said softly.

  He blew out a frustrated breath. “The realm is in total disarray. Verdia and Sol are the closest geographically. I can only assume if my father attacks Verdia, Sol will unite and stand with them. In the meantime, your kingdom is being controlled by my father’s guards. I have other soldiers in my father’s kingdom to keep me apprised of his actions. I feel like it’s all on the tip of falling apart, and we are precariously close to falling into an all-out war among the kingdoms. On top of all that, I hate leaving you here. It kills me to not be here to protect you.” He sighed. “I feel like everything is spiraling out of control.”

  Zalia’s heart broke for him. He had so much pressure on him. It was too much! The fate of the entire realm couldn’t depend on one person. She didn’t know what to say, so she just stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his middle in a hug. It took a moment for him to respond. Zalia smiled. She had surprised him.<
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  His arms came around her, and he held her ever so gently against his chest. She felt him relax after a moment and rest his chin on her head. “I’m sorry. You have the weight of the world on your shoulders.” She pulled away from him and looked up at him. “What can I do to help?”

  He looked down at her. “Stay safe,” he said. Zalia just shook her head. She was already running through a hundred different scenarios in her mind. She looked up at him. “I could travel to Arrosa.” He was already shaking his head, but Zalia carried on. “If I took control there, that would be one less kingdom you have to worry about. You could focus on...”

  “Zalia, no,” he said angrily, cutting her off.

  “But Valen,” she got out before he interrupted her again.

  “No,” he said.

  “But,” she tried again.

  “It’s not going to happen. I can’t risk anything happening to you. Arrosa is in chaos right now. I’m not sending you there by yourself. It’s just not going to happen. I wouldn’t know if you were safe or not, and it would kill me,” he growled at her.

  “Then go with me,” Zalia said. “Help me establish my rule over my kingdom. We can do it together. If we gain control of Arrosa, we can invade your father’s kingdom and overthrow his rule there. You would control Astra. When we, uh, move forward with things, we could establish rule over both kingdoms,” she finished quickly, stumbling over the last part.

  He smirked at her. “When we marry, you mean?”

  Zalia’s face turned red. “You knew what I meant,” she grumbled.

  His smile faded, and she could tell he was actually considering what she said. After what seemed like forever, he said, “I’ll think about it.” That surprised Zalia; she expected more of a fight.

  Maybe he’s starting to get used to me, Zalia thought to herself. Then she laughed. Probably not.

  Valen looked at her. “What are you laughing at?” he asked.

  Zalia just smiled at him. “Just myself. Come on. We’ve been gone long enough. There’s not going to be any breakfast left, and I’m starving!”

  Valen gave her a full smile as they headed out the door and back into the kitchen. Zalia walked in with Valen right behind her. She met Beckam’s eyes as she moved towards the table. He lifted an eyebrow and winked at her. Zalia rolled her eyes at him. She moved over to the open chair next to Raven. Raven leaned close and whispered in her ear, “It’s okay, I would need Valen time too if I were you.” Zalia elbowed her. Zalia started to reach for food to fill her plate, avoiding Mari’s knowing glance and smile as she did. When she tried to lift a particularly heavy bowl with her bad arm, she grimaced. Immediately, Valen lifted it out of her arms. He gave her a helping and set it back without a word.

  Zalia leaned close to him for a moment. “Thank you,” she said quietly. He just nodded and continued the conversation he was having with his brother and Beckam.

  After breakfast, Zalia walked with Raven to the training hall. Beckam, Valen, and Reid were right behind them. Raven hooked her arm through Zalia’s good arm and asked her, “How are you doing with everything?” Zalia knew her all too well. What she was really asking was, “How are things going with Valen?” Zalia smiled.

  “Really good,” she whispered to Raven.

  Raven leaned even closer. “Has he kissed you yet?”

  Zalia smacked her arm. “No,” she whispered.

  Raven continued quietly, “Well, when he does, I want all the details.”

  “Stop it,” she said. Raven just grinned at her. They got to the training hall and Zalia started out with a nice easy jog. Valen fell into place next to her. She looked up at him as she jogged. “What are you doing?” she asked him.

  “I’m training with you,” he replied without looking at her.

  Zalia frowned and sighed. “I suppose you’ll be taking over all my training now, huh?”

  “Yes,” he answered. Zalia groaned, and he looked down at her with a cocky smile.

  Zalia spent some her time just trying to get back in the swing of things. Valen had her start some light strength training for her bad shoulder. Then she did light work with her sword and dagger.

  They broke for lunch, and everybody came in and sat down. Zalia smiled, listening to the conversation flowing around her. As she sat there, her body started stiffening. She realized after a little bit that her arm was starting to hurt. By the time she was done eating, her shoulder was throbbing. The pain was starting to get to her, but she didn’t want to say anything. She was contemplating what to say when Valen stood up. “We have a few things to do, so we won’t be joining you for afternoon training,” he told the others at the table.

  Everybody just nodded. If Zalia had more energy, she would have argued with him; but she was in too much pain to think about it now. Valen put his arm around her waist and gently pulled her up out of her seat. He walked them towards the door and into the hall. As soon as the door closed behind them, he swept her up into his arms. Zalia was too worn out and in pain to argue. She simply put her head on his chest.

  He looked down at her and frowned. “You did too much today. I shouldn’t have let you do so much.”

  Zalia said quietly, “I’m fine. I have to start somewhere to get back on track with my training,” she said quietly. She didn’t say anything more. She was too weary. When they got to her room, Valen opened the door and placed her gently on her bed. She gritted her teeth when her shoulder bumped the bed. It was really bothering her now after her training. She knew she had overdone it. She tried to just lay still and let the pain ease in her shoulder. Valen bent over her and touched her cheek gently.

  “I’m going to get some healer’s brew from Mari. I’ll be back in just a few minutes,” he said quietly.

  Zalia nodded and kept her eyes closed. It wasn’t long before Valen was back and helping her drink down her dose of healer’s tea. It didn’t take long for it to take effect, and she fell asleep.

  Chapter 20

  Zalia awoke some time later, surprisingly rested. She was beginning to think there was something in the tea that kept her nightmares away. She looked over and saw Valen sitting in the chair next to her bed, looking at a map or something in his lap. As soon as she turned her head towards his, he looked up at her and put it away. Zalia looked at him, confused. “What are you doing in here? You have a life; I don’t expect you to stay by my side all the time,” she finished.

  Valen looked intently at her for a moment. Then he stood up. “I am going to help you get packed.” He turned around and grabbed the bag she had brought with her from her grandfather’s castle.

  Zalia sat up, surprised. “What are we packing for?” she asked. Just then, somebody knocked on the door. Valen turned around and opened it, and Beckam strolled in. He was dressed in his warrior clothes, with his daggers tucked around his waistline.

  He looked down at her and then to Valen. “The royal guard should be in about twenty minutes; we need to be ready to move.” Valen nodded. Beckam looked at Zalia. “Do you need any help?”

  Valen moved in front of Beckam. “I got it.” Beckam smirked and headed out the door.

  “Wait!” Zalia called out as she stood up. “What’s going on? Where are we going?”

  Beckam walked back over to Zalia. “We’re moving our training back to the castle. The training center’s been compromised.”

  “But I thought you said you killed all the soldiers who made the attack?” Zalia asked in confusion.

  Valen supplied, “We did, but we’re not taking any chances with your life,” he said.

  Beckam looked back at Zalia. “We will have more security at the castle.”

  Zalia looked at Beckam, then at Valen. “Won’t everybody know who I am? Wasn’t the whole point in coming here to keep my identity a secret until I was ready to head back to my kingdom?”

  Beckam nodded. “Yes, but...”

  Valen interrupted him “The plan’s changed. Now let’s get you packed.”

  Zalia put her ha
nds on her hips. “Wait just a minute. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. How has the plan changed?” She looked at Beckam and Valen. Neither of them would say anything. “Hello, anybody going to answer me?” she asked.

  “Beckam, what is the change of plan?” Beckam opened his mouth but hesitated and looked at Valen.

  Valen spoke calmly, “We’re going to your grandfather’s castle to be bonded and then engaged. Once my ring is on your finger, Beckam and I will lead a contingency of soldiers to Arrosa and take back the power there. Then we will overthrow my father’s rule in my kingdom. After that, we will merge the two kingdoms under our combined leadership.”

  Zalia’s head spun. Her mind shut down right after he said bonded and engaged. Then she caught something he had said. “Wait, what about me?”

  Beckam started slowly backing up and heading towards the door, but Zalia was not going to have that. “Stop,” she called out, looking right at Beckam. She crossed her arms and glared at the two men. She narrowed her eyes at Valen. “You said you would think about me going with.”

  Valen didn’t look the least bit intimidated when he replied. “I thought about it and decided against it. You will stay with your grandfather until I acquire both kingdoms. Then you will join me, and we will be married.”

  Zalia stared at him. Beckam at least had the decency to squirm. Valen didn’t move a muscle, nor did he look away.

  Zalia met his eyes. “I am not going to be staying at the castle. Those are my people, and that is my kingdom. I have been training for this, and neither you,” she looked at Valen, “nor you,” she said looking at Beckam, “are going to stand in my way. I will return with you to the castle. When it is time, I will go with you and fight with my people to overthrow your father’s rule.”

  Valene shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  Zalia looked at him in shock and anger. “Well, you don’t get a say.”

  Valen just narrowed his eyes at her. “Yes, I do. You’re going to be my wife. You will listen to me and obey me, and...”