Red Rose Rising

by A J Manney

  Zalia waited nervously astride her horse. They had traveled the remaining distance this morning. Now they were armed and ready for attack. They could see the outline of the castle in the distance. Surely by now, King Mylan knew he was under attack, but they hadn’t seen any soldiers from his kingdom yet. That would soon change.

  They waited for word back from the scouts they sent ahead. It seemed to take forever. Zalia’s nerves were stretched thin. She jumped suddenly when she heard the bellow of some kind of horn. It echoed all around them. It was loud and long. Zalia sat in silence until it was done. Then she looked at Beckam and Uric.

  “What was that?” she asked apprehensively.

  Beckam and Ulric’s faces were set and their eyes trained in the distance. “That was a call for war,” Beckam said tensely. “He’s sending out his army to meet us,” Beckam said.

  Zalia’s eyes swept over the hundreds of soldiers lining the battlefield. The soldiers from the Cascadia waited in place behind Beckam. The soldiers from her kingdom amassed across the field. On the far end, stood Adaire’s soldiers. Adaire sat astride his horse in front of his soldiers.

  After the bellow, Adaire and Ulric began riding towards Zalia and Beckam. Beckam rode towards them and Zalia followed with Kell right beside her. They stopped in the middle. The men kept their eyes trained on where their enemy would be appearing. Zalia reached her arm out and placed it on Adaire’s arm. “Thank you for fighting in our war with us,” she said sincerely.

  He looked at her briefly and nodded. “It is our honor to stand with you. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring more soldiers. My father does not agree with this war. He believes we can stay neutral. I have tried to convince him otherwise,” he said in frustration.

  “I’m sorry,” Zalia said.

  Zalia looked back towards the castle in the distance and knew they wouldn’t have long before the battle began.

  “Do you mind if I address the soldiers?” she asked nervously. The men nodded and moved out of her way. Zalia rode closer to the soldiers. She looked out over the field of soldiers from three different kingdoms, the majority being from her kingdom. She took a deep breath and tried to squelch her nerves and find her courage. She threw her shoulders back.

  Zalia pulled her red hood back from her hair, so the soldiers could clearly see her. She felt the breeze blow her hair and stroke her face. She yelled as loudly as she could, hoping the hills would carry her voice to the farthest soldiers. “My name is Princess Zalia of Arrosa, the Kingdom of the Red Rose. King Mylan invaded my kingdom, killed my father, mother, and brother. I am now the sole heir to the throne. Our soldiers have overthrown his rule in our kingdom, but now it’s time to take off the head of the snake. King Mylan is evil and corrupt. He has to be stopped. I have heard of his plans to try to invade Verdia next,” Zalia paused and let her words have the desired effect. The soldiers were very responsive now. “If we don’t stop him, he will take over one kingdom at a time until he is too strong to be overthrown. We have to stop him before he does that. Today, you stand with the Kingdom of the Red Rose and fight with us in our battle, but make no doubt... this is each of our kingdom’s wars. We are fighting for each of our kingdoms. You are fighting for the freedom of your wives, your sons, your daughters, your brothers, and sisters. We must stand united or be destroyed individually. Thank you each of you for your bravery and courage to fight this war. Victory will be ours today, and King Mylan will be killed, his kingdom overthrown. Years from now, we will look back on today and recognize it as the beginning of the change, the beginning of the walls coming down between our kingdoms.”

  Zalia turned around when she heard shouts from the men behind her. She faced the rider coming towards them. Instantly, soldiers all around her trained their weapons on the rider. When he came into view with his hands turned up in a universal sign of surrender, Zalia gasped. “Put down your weapons,” she called out quickly. She turned all around and ordered everyone’s weapons down. “He’s on our side,” she shouted. Beckam and Adaire motioned to their warriors to lower their weapons. Zalia turned back to face the rider.

  She jumped down from her horse and ran towards him. He jumped down from his horse. “Reid!” she called out and gave him a huge hug. “You’re safe,” she breathed out. Reid returned her hug and then quickly stepped back.

  “Princess Zalia, I came to fight with you. My father’s army heads this way,” he said in anger. Beckam came over and gave him a handshake. Adaire just nodded at him.

  Zalia and Reid both climbed back up on their horses and turned to face the battlefield. Even now, Zalia could finally see movement in the distance. She glanced quickly at Reid. Zalia’s insides tightened. “Is Valen a-alive?” she asked. She almost didn’t want to hear Reid’s answer. He nodded once but didn’t look at her. Zalia wanted to ask more, but she heard Uric start commanding orders.

  Kell yelled to Zalia, Beckam, and Adaire. “Remember, our objective is to go straight through the front door. We will have to fight our way through. Keep moving and try to get there as quickly as possible.” Zalia and the Princes nodded.

  Beckam and Adaire went into battle mode, and Zalia shook her head. It never amazed her how kind these princes could be in one moment and how deadly they were in the next. That made her think of her own prince, and she straightened her shoulders. She was ready for a fight.

  Zalia saw the dust begin to billow before them in the distance. She heard Adaire and Beckam yelling orders at their soldiers. Beckam came riding over to Zalia. “Back of the soldiers,” he said as he pointed with his chin towards the rear.

  Zalia shook her head. “I’m staying here and fighting with my soldiers,” she said emphatically.

  “Zalia!” he ground out.

  “Save it!” she shouted. It was getting loud now. The black army was now within eye distance. Ulric, Beckam, Adaire, and Zalia all sat facing the oncoming enemy. Zalia readied her bow and arrow and tried to take a calming breath.

  “Ready your weapons!” Ulric bellowed. “Standby for my order!”

  As Zalia waited for the command, she opened herself up to the bond once again and called out to Valen. Valen? She waited a few moments but heard nothing in return. Anxiety started to plague her. She shut down her thoughts quickly. She needed to focus on the mission that lay ahead of her. She watched for a moment as Reid lined up with the soldiers from her kingdom.

  With a war cry, Ulric lifted his sword and charged forward. Beckam, Adaire, Kell, Ulric, and Zalia were instantly at his side. As her horse thundered towards the battle, she could feel the ground trembling from not only the army surrounding her, but King Mylan’s army moving towards them. A war cry surrounded all around her and Zalia took courage and strength from them and added her own cry to their midst. It was time to end this!

  Chapter 30

  In moments, the battle was upon them. Zalia had already started shooting arrows the moment she could distinguish bodies. Adaire rode next to her, shooting arrows faster than Zalia thought possible. They charged forward and were soon surrounded by soldiers. Zalia didn’t slow down. Their goal was to make it through the battlefield and into the castle. More than once, she had a close call. They cut their way through soldiers on all sides, never once slowing down. When they were well on their way, Kell and Ulric fell back to lead the soldiers outside. Beckam, Adaire, and Zalia continued their race for the castle walls. Vaguely, Zalia became aware that another rider had joined them, but she didn’t take her attention away from the battle in front of her to see who it was.

  When they finally neared the castle walls, Zalia’s heart sank. They had hoped to pull most of the guards away from the building, but it looked like dozens of guards still held their positions on the castle walls. Zalia and Adaire immediately began taking them down from a distance, but Zalia knew it would be near impossible to get past all of them and into the castle. Suddenly, she saw the rider who had joined them pull off to the side and motion for them to follow him. Zalia glanced over quickly and realized it was Reid.
She automatically turned her horse, spurring him in the direction Reid was leading them. Adaire and Beckam quickly did the same. They continued picking guards off the walls. Zalia realized gratefully that some of their soldiers had broken through and were now giving them cover as they sped towards the castle. The guards had to focus on the new threat and couldn’t continue following their rogue group.

  They charged around the side of the castle, still following Reid. Soon, Reid jumped from his horse and ran towards the wall. Zalia quickly dismounted and followed him, with Beckam and Adaire right on her heels. He led them to a small opening in the wall. They followed Reid as he led them around the side of the castle and up a steep set of stairs. From there, he led them towards an open window. He motioned them to stay low as they walked. When they stepped inside, he held his finger to his lips. They followed him silently. He led them quickly through a myriad of hallways and finally into a room. He closed and locked the door behind him. “We can speak freely in here, but we need to make it fast,” he said.

  Zalia couldn’t wait any longer. “Reid, is he alive?” she asked.

  Reid looked at Zalia compassionately. “He is, but I don’t know if he is the same guy you knew, Zalia,” he said sadly.

  Zalia felt her knees weaken. “Wh-what do you mean?”

  He looked at her for a moment, like he was trying to gauge how much to tell her.

  “Just tell me,” she said impatiently.

  “My father destroyed your bond,” he said. Zalia had been prepared for a lot of things, but not for this.

  “What?” she questioned dumbly. Beckam drew his hand through his hair in an angry fashion. Adaire muttered something unkind under his breath.

  “How did he do that?” Beckam asked angrily.

  Reid looked at the two of them. “I don’t really know. All I know is my dad works with some of the worst kinds of people. Somehow, he found somebody who could undo the blood bond,” he said angrily.

  Zalia just stared in confusion. It was too much to take in. "I don’t understand...”

  Reid sighed, then said in a low voice, “I think he was a warlock or something. He is ancient and evil. I don’t know how my father found him. Anyway, after Valen came out of the spell, my father told him he had killed you. Valen believed him. He said he couldn’t feel you anymore. He,” Reid looked away for a moment. “He went off the deep end.” Tears welled up in his eyes. “He started turning into my father. He was angry and... a monster. Father used him to do horrible things, but it wasn’t his fault.” Reid tried to plead for Zalia to understand.

  Zalia’s eyes flooded with tears. Oh Valen, what has he done to you?

  Beckam blew out a frustrated breath. He looked at Adaire. “We need to find and kill Mylan and free Valen. We will decide what to do with him after that,” he said in an angry voice. Adaire nodded.

  Zalia wiped away her tears and said, “Okay. I’m ready.”

  Beckam turned to look at her. “Not you,” he said. “You’re staying here.”

  Zalia stared at him in shock. “Why?” she demanded.

  “This changes everything,” Beckam said. “The emotional blow is too much for you, and Valen is a loose thread. We don’t know what we will be dealing with. We may have to take him down, and I will not have you there for that,” he said with pain in his eyes.

  Zalia sucked in a harsh breath. Then she stepped right up to Beckam. “I am going, and I will deal with Valen when we get there. Valen would never hurt me,” she said angrily.

  “You don’t know that,” Beckam said. “You don’t have any idea what he’s been through.”

  Reid looked at Zalia sadly. “He’s not the same man you remember. He’s changed,” he said quietly.

  “I don’t care. I’m going. If you stop me, I’ll just go on my own. Then you won’t be able to protect me,” she said angrily.

  Adaire just grinned. Beckam snarled at him. “What are you grinning at?”

  “You know she’s right. If we leave her, she will just sneak out. Besides, she may be the only one who can help Valen. He might indeed try to kill us, but she might be the only person who is safe.”

  Zalia could have hugged Adaire in that moment. She could see Beckam was considering it. She wanted to get moving before he decided against it. “Come on,” she said. “We’ve wasted too much time already. We need to move!”

  Beckam finally nodded. Reid said, “Follow me. I can get you to where he’s being held. One more thing,” Reid said. He looked at Zalia. “He’s taken a lot of beatings.” Reid didn’t say anymore, and Zalia knew what he was trying to communicate. They didn’t know what kind of shape they would find Valen in. With her heart hammering, Zalia followed the three guys.

  Reid led them again through a maze of hallways and down a few flights of stairs. Finally, they ended up in an underground area. Reid held his finger up to his lips. When they had walked a distance, he put his hand up to stop them. He left them for a minute. When he came back, he held up three fingers. Beckam and Adaire nodded. Zalia was guessing that meant there were three guards on Valen. She quietly pulled her bow out and slid an arrow into the ready position.

  Her heart was slamming against her chest now. She couldn’t believe she was so close to seeing Valen. Reid led them around the corner to a large open area. Three guards instantly came towards them. Reid, Beckam, and Adaire took them down quickly. Zalia didn’t stop moving. She saw Valen, and her feet moved forward without her permission. As she got closer, she wasn’t sure if he was conscious. He sat on the ground with his arms chained to the wall behind him, and his head slumped down on his chest.

  Dried blood coated what was left of his clothes. He was covered from head to toe in filth and deep bruises. Cuts marred every inch of his body. Zalia wanted to weep for him. She approached him slowly. “Valen,” she called out softly. “It’s me, Zalia. I’ve come to take you home.” No response. “Valen?” she called again. Still no response.

  She was close enough to touch him now. She knelt down in front of him. She heard Beckam’s intake of breath and his deep voice, “Zalia.” At that, Valen’s eyes flew open, startling Zalia. She fell on her backside in front of him. Valen instantly tried to break out of his chains. He was growling like a crazy person at Beckam. Beckam moved closer to Zalia.

  “Zalia, get away from him,” he yelled at her. He stepped forward, and Valen more fiercely pulled at his chains.

  Zalia got onto her knees and started crawling slowly towards Valen. Beckam yelled at her again, but she ignored him. “Valen,” she said softly in a soothing, low voice. “It’s me, Zalia. I’m here to help you.” He looked at her and Zalia froze. His eyes were the darkest black she had ever seen. He didn’t move or make a sound; he just watched her. “I’m here to take you home, Valen. Everything is going to be okay.” She kept talking to him in soothing tones. She was close enough now to touch him, but she didn’t.

  “Zalia,” Beckam warned again. At that, Valen jerked in his chains again, growling at Beckam.

  Zalia called out softly. “Valen, focus on me. Don’t focus on anybody else. Just me.” She began crawling closer to him. She finally sat right next to him on her knees. She didn’t touch him yet. She just waited. When he didn’t look away, she reached out and gently touched his arm. He jerked momentarily, but then he held still. “I’m going to get you out of here, okay? Everything is going to be okay. Reid,” she called out quietly without ever taking her eyes from Valen’s. “Do you know where the key is?” Reid disappeared a moment later.

  Zalia continued to look into Valen’s eyes. When he didn’t look away, she reached up ever so gently and palmed his cheek. He shuddered when she did that and closed his eyes for the first time. Zalia sighed a breath of relief. Her relief was short-lived.

  “How touching is this?” an evil voice called out and suddenly they were surrounded by guards. Valen and Zalia both jerked. She didn’t have to turn to know it was King Mylan.

  All of a sudden, Zalia felt herself being moved as Valen used his
legs to try to position her as close to him as possible. She held herself straight, being conscious not to lean against him because of all his wounds. Zalia’s eyes teared up because she knew he was still her Valen, no matter what he had been through. He was still trying to protect her.

  Zalia slowly turned her face around and was surprised to not see the evil king anywhere. Slowly she scanned the room. She finally located him on a platform high off the ground. She saw Beckam and Adaire standing to the side in warrior mode.

  “Princess Zalia, you are a hard person to track down. I had heard such lovely things about you, but then you led this army straight to my door. I must say, I am extremely disappointed,” Mylan said.

  Zalia felt a rumble roll through Valen. She reached out and gently touched his shoulder. As she did, Zalia eyed her bow. It had fallen to the side when Valen slid her around. While watching King Mylan, she reached out her foot and dragged it towards her.

  “Prince Beckam and Prince Adaire, it’s so nice of you to join us. I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances. Oh, and please drop your weapons. If you do not, I will be forced to punish Valen again. Or maybe this time, the Princess can take his place,” he said with an evil laugh. Valen struggled now, pulling against the chains and growling. King Mylan just laughed. Zalia stroked Valen’s arm. “It’s okay,” she said softly.

  Beckam and Adaire both tossed their weapons on the ground. Zalia knew for a fact they both had knives in their boots, but she didn’t know if they would do any good at this distance. What they needed was for Adaire to take him down with his bow. There was nobody better. Right now, however, that wasn’t an option. Zalia glanced down quickly at her bow again. She realized that King Mylan must not have been able to see it at this angle. Either that, or he didn’t think she was a threat. That will be his mistake.

  Zalia waited a few more moments, listening to him drone on with threats of retaliation against each of the kingdoms and more. Zalia knew she would need to take a chance and soon. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and saw Kell and Ulric had joined them and were standing next to Reid.