“I wanted to be sure that was the case. I can’t deal with this idiot anymore,” she said, shooting her eyes to the soldier beside her. He drove his spoon into the broth hard and splashed it on his cheeks as he ate. “Eli, sit down for god’s sake.”
He took a deep breath and sat down next to Maevine. She gently bumped his shoulder and smiled at him. In this light you could hardly tell that Gianna had any wounds on her face, but closer up, Elijah could see the black eye.
“What happened?” He pointed to his own face where the bruises were on hers.
“I taught someone a lesson.”
Eli frowned and looked to Maevine.
“Some people are saying the Elite failed.” Maevine swallowed. “Protecting the prince and the princess was top priority. The Elite did one and not the other… Conrad is…” He put a hand atop hers and squeezed.
“It must be hard for him.” Elijah felt the guilt sitting in his stomach like a weight. “I’d like to see some people saying these things go through what we did. I didn’t have my arms twisted behind my back and a knife in my shoulder for fun. They held me down and made me watch. I still see it when I close my eyes. Still scream and struggle in my sleep, trying to free myself to save him.”
The kitchen was quiet again. Elijah didn’t realise how loud his voice got. The cook placed some food in front of him and he picked up some bread.
“I didn’t watch my friend almost die trying to kill the man holding him down, because we failed. They were smarter and had more information than us. And I will hate myself every day for the rest of my life for not trying a bit harder.” He threw the bread back down on the plate. Standing up, he turned to leave.
“Where are you going?” Sahab asked. “No one blames you, Elijah.”
“I’m going back to my room,” he replied, grabbing two bottles of ale.
23
When A Princess Demands
Over the next few days, Elijah spent much of his time inside his room. Asleep, angry, guilty. He’d broken the chair and one of the bed legs in a fit of rage. He only left his room to get more ale and to relieve himself. However, he only did those things if it was safe to do so. He avoided everyone at all costs.
News of the king’s impatience travelled everywhere, even Sahab, Maevine and Gianna tried to tell him. Notes came through under his door when they finally stopped talking. They told him frequently they knew he was hurting, but he really needed to see Naoko, or she was going to have his door broken down and Elijah would be forcibly removed from the room.
Other letters spoke about how Merrick was recovering well in the infirmary. Now advising King Roderick again, fewer people were being put on trial for simply knowing someone who had turned to the Agents of Cyran.
The king had spent two weeks interrogating people. When their answers didn’t match up, they were accused of being in contact with the Agents of Cyran and unless innocence could be proven; they were put to death.
Elijah rolled over and dropped the note to the ground. Adding to the pile that was already there. He took another sip of ale and counted the bugs running along the wall before falling back to sleep.
His days continued in the same way, avoiding human contact at all costs, avoiding opening the doors. Until a note from the princess was slipped into his room.
Elite,
I have spent the last two weeks in mourning while you recover from your bravery. We lost a great man, a good friend and neighbour. But the time to grieve is over.
There are men out there that hurt him, and we need to make sure they never hurt anyone ever again. My mother has been consoling me, and together we have come up with a plan of action.
You need to be in the Main Hall by the end of the week or you will be removed from the Castle.
Speak Soon,
Princess Sienna
Sitting back, Elijah read the letter two more times before dropping it to the pile. He took a swig of ale and lay back down. The thought of sobering up and getting down to the main hall killed all motivation he had. Yet there was still the nagging feeling in the back of his mind telling him he should pull himself together. There were three more days until he had to drag himself out of bed. Did he need to go now?
“Elijah Walcott, get your ass out of bed.” Gianna pounded on the door. Groaning, Eli rolled over in his bed to face the door. “You can’t stay there forever; you have done nothing wrong.” Another slam came on the door.
“Eli, please come to the door.” Sahab’s voice was less aggressive than Gianna’s. Compassionate, but still telling. Hearing his friend’s pleas on the other side of the door, Elijah forced himself to sit up. “Eli?”
“Will you guys please shut up?” He said loud enough for them to hear. “You’re not helping my headache.”
“Well, if you stopped drinking all the ale, you might not have a headache!” Gianna was getting louder as she spoke. “Read this.” Another note. Elijah was getting bored with these.
“No,” he called, ignoring the bit of paper.
“It’s from Sienna.”
Elijah shook his head. “So was the last one.”
“No, Elijah,” Sahab called, his voice firm. “It’s from Sienna, she personally gave me that to hand to you. Just read it.”
Reaching down, he picked up the note, sealed with a wax stamp. Opening it, a scent of Sienna’s rose perfume hit his nostrils, and he sneezed.
Dearest Elijah,
Please come and visit me in my chambers as soon as you are able.
Fondly,
Sienna
Looking at the note and then at the door, Elijah pulled himself up from the floor. With a sigh, he reluctantly pulled the door handle, opening it to reveal more than just his two friends. Fighting the urge to slam the door shut again, he stepped out and his friends placed a comforting hand on his back.
“I’m glad to see you up and about,” Jaxon said, appearing in front of him. “Merrick is awake. He wants to see you, but you need a shower before you go anywhere.”
“I hate to agree with him, friend, but you smell like a brewery.” Sahab held his hand over his nose. Gianna grimaced and held her nose, nodding in agreement.
Listening to his friends, he allowed himself to be dragged to the showers to freshen up before seeing Sienna. Dressing in a clean Elite uniform and having Sahab flatten down some of his unruly hair, he was ready to see her. Ready as I’ll ever be.
Gianna and Sahab walked with him up to the princesses’ room. If only to make sure he didn’t negate on his agreement to see her and then left when Maevine opened the door.
“I’m grateful you came. She will be happy to see you.” Maevine let him inside and brought him over to the small table.
Before he had a chance to settle down into his chair, or speak with Maevine, another door opened, and the princess walked out. Her hair was tied up, plaits running down either side of her head and stray bits falling onto her face. Sitting atop was a small, delicate tiara comprising only one gem matching the colour of her blue and grey dress. The dress itself had a long under-skirt with the grey over skirt loosely gathered on top. A trimmed bodice which bared her shoulders and loosely gathered sleeves. She really was breath-taking, even in her informal wear.
“Elijah, I am so glad you decided to come and see me. I was worried about you,” she said in a soft voice. Taking her seat, Maevine came over and poured them tea, while another handmaiden brought out some cakes.
“I appreciate your concern, Your Highness, but there really is no need to worry,” he said, sitting down. “I’m fine, honestly.” Taking a sip of his tea, he couldn’t fight the thought of adding something stronger to it.
“You’re shaking, Elijah,” she pointed out, reaching for his hand. Looking down, he saw his hand holding the cup, teetering slightly. He frowned. That never used to happen. Elijah knew there would be some repercussions to his drinking, but he didn’t think it would be this bad.
“Just nervous about being here,” he lied, brushing her off. Setting
his cup back down on the table, he sat back in the chair, placing his hands between his legs.
“Why are you nervous? You’ve been in my company before.” Sienna blushed, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
“Considering everything that has happened over the last few weeks, I think it’s reasonable to be nervous, Your Highness.”
Princess Sienna’s face dropped. Elijah felt a twang of anger at himself for being such a prude. The girl was trying to tell him something, and he was blowing her off. I should let her speak.
“Yes,” Sienna started before he could string a sentence together. “These recent events have changed things. As sad as John’s passing is, I am happy I do not have to marry him.”
“You didn’t want to marry him? But you were so upset at leaving him.” Elijah looked up at her, his heartbeat quickening.
“I had to be,” Sienna explained. “If I didn’t go along with the marriage, Prince Conrad would have declared that the truce between our regions was over. He would have ruined years of hard work, over his son’s happiness. I couldn’t subject the kingdom to his anger. Who knows what Lord Conrad would have done.”
“You really didn’t want to marry him?” Elijah was finding it hard to think of anything else.
Sienna shook her head. “Of course not, my love,” she leant forward and placed a hand atop his. “He’s not the one in my heart.” Elijah’s head was spinning. “You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened. Prince John isn’t dead because you and Leon failed to protect him, he’s dead because the Agents of Cyran attacked us.”
The scene of Prince John dying flashed before his eyes. Elijah felt the tug of his attacker as he tried to reach him in time. Something took over him before the knife went into his shoulder. He killed the man that got in his way.
“Elijah?” Sienna’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.
“Apologies princess, it’s been a long road to recovery. My shoulder is playing up.” He cursed internally, at yet another lie he told her.
“Are you not healing well? Are you always in a lot of pain?”
“Usually fine, but sometimes the ache…” he trailed off once he saw she understood.
Princess Sienna rose from her seat but stopped him as he tried. Sitting back down, Sienna gently ran her hand over his shoulder. A twinge of pain went down his arm, but he didn’t flinch. The feeling of her hands on him was too distracting.
“What are you doing?” He breathed.
Sienna didn’t answer as she crouched in front of him. “You saved my life. You protected him until you couldn’t. I could have lost a lot more that day than a potential husband.” She took his hand in hers and looked up at him. “Thank you, Elijah.”
“I was only doing what I was supposed to do.” He shook his head. “I should go.” Moving to stand, Sienna stood and moved back too.
“No, you shouldn’t.” She stood firmly planted in front of him, a hand flat on his chest stopping him. “Look at what they did to you. I was so worried. I didn’t know who was attacked, then they told me someone was dead, and I thought… I thought it was you.” Her voice got higher as the words came out of her mouth until they trailed off.
Elijah put his hands on her shoulders. “It’s alright.” He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her, allowing her sobs to be muffled by his shirt. They broke the embrace to look at each other and there was something in her eyes that made him want to stay, when every thought in his head was telling him he should leave. “I really should… go.” He moved his head closer to hers, breathing in her scent.
Then her lips were on his and for a moment nothing else mattered but the calmness that washed over him.
Kissing her was like a dream. It had to be a dream. In the real world, there was no way a princess would like him. He was a soldier, her bodyguard, her Elite. The king would never allow it. She kissed him again, and all his worries faded for one more blissful second.
“Sienna,” he whispered, as reality snapped back in his mind. “You shouldn’t be kissing me. Your fiancé just died.” Hating himself as soon as the words came out, Elijah knew it was the right thing to do. Elijah grabbed her by the shoulders and held her at arm’s length, although she was still sitting on his lap. “Sienna.” His tone of voice didn’t mean to come across as a warning.
“Of course, you’re right.” She wiped a finger along her mouth and moved to sit back down.
“More tea?” Maevine said, making them both jump as she appeared from nowhere. Unable to speak, the pair of them just nodded. She looked at Elijah with a soft tilt of her head.
“No, thank you. I was about to leave.”
Maevine nodded and served a cup of tea to Sienna, hovering for longer than she should have.
“Speak freely, Maevine. Elijah is your friend. What’s on your mind?”
She shook her head. “Nothing, Your Highness.” Placing the pot of tea on the table, she took three steps back from them. Elijah shook his head. Whatever she had on her mind, Sienna did not need to hear it.
“Maevine, as your princess, I ask you to tell me what’s on your mind.”
Elijah tensed as the girl looked to the floor and sighed.
“I’m worried about you. There’s been rumours that Lord Conrad wants your Elite removed, and I have to protect you from…” Maevine looked up and caught Elijah’s eye. “Pain.” Silence hung in the air and Maevine’s face dropped. “I shouldn’t have said anything, if you’ll excuse me, Your Highness.”
“Of course.” Sienna’s voice was soft but firm. “Maevine, before you go, I trust that you’ll keep this meeting to yourself.”
She nodded her head and disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.
Elijah stood from his seat and looked at Sienna. “I had best go. Need to train before the meeting.” The lie was easy, but he hated himself for it.
“You’re going?” Sienna lowered her eyes to the floor.
“As you said, the time to grieve is over. Let’s make them pay.” He bowed and walked out of her room. As he shut the door behind him, he closed his eyes and leant against it. The strawberry taste of Sienna was still on his lips and he yearned for more.
Looking down the hallway, he noticed someone walking towards him. Lilliana.
24
A King’s Admission
Merrick looked worse for wear lying in his infirmary bed. His skin glistened with a light covering of sweat and his breathing was strained. Elijah was beginning to feel increasingly guilty that he had not visited sooner. After spending a week in here because of his shoulder, and being spurred back into action by his friends, Eli wanted to move on from what happened and return to normal duties.
Lilliana had been waiting outside Sienna’s room, but as soon as she saw him, she took off. It was curious, seeing as she had previously made a point in finding him, and the reasoning behind it. Now, Elijah was looking at Merrick’s greyish skin, wishing he visited more and praying his uncle recovered.
Elijah was worried about Merrick, but he knew the nurses in here would take good care of him. Naoko and Gwenilia had grown attached to his guardian. It was written all over their faces, in concern and longing. He was sure they felt more than just duty.
“Elijah?”
Turning back around to face the bed, Eli saw Merrick’s hand outstretched to him. “Merrick, you’re awake.”
“Yes,” he coughed out. “I’ve been pretending to sleep because of Gwenilia. She’s lovely but wants something I cannot give her.” Coughing loudly, Merrick put his hand to his mouth. Elijah grabbed the goblet of water and helped his guardian take a few sips.
“What happened?”
“They stabbed me multiple times, it’s going to take a while, but I will recover.” Merrick tried to smile, but he was too weak and the arm he was using to lift himself up slipped, causing him to lie back down on the infirmary’s bed. “You’re staying safe?” Elijah nodded in response. “Good. You cannot tell anyone who you really are.”
“I won’
t Merrick, I promise.” He looked out of the curtained off area they were in. “But I’m afraid some people already know. A nurse saw my shoulder.”
“Which one?”
Eli went to pull his shirt down.
“No, which nurse?”
“Naoko.”
Merrick shook his head. “She will say nothing. She’s an old friend.” His uncle squeezed his hand and spoke in a lower voice. “Naoko was here when your father was king.”
Elijah gulped. How many people know who I really am? Can it really be that much of a secret? “I have to go and see someone; she has information that might be useful to us.”
“Go and make sure you help the king.”
“I’ll do my best. I’ll come back later?” He phrased it as a question but meant it as a statement. Merrick nodded his head and waved his hand, gesturing for him to leave. There was only one place he was going in search of Lilliana.
Who was easy to find, as she was waiting for him in the hallway. He stepped towards her and raised an eyebrow. How does she always know where I am?
“You’re not going to run off again, are you?” Elijah asked, cocking his head to the side.
“No, not this time.” Her eyes dropped to the floor. “I came to apologise about the attack.”
“Shush,” he said, taking her arm and moving off to the side. “We cannot speak openly about this here. Too many ears that might reach the wrong person.” They walked down the corridor, arms linked and avoiding eye contact with some servants cleaning the curtains.
“Elijah, where are you taking me?” Lilliana asked, tugging her arm back from his grasp.
“The pond, unless you would prefer not to speak?” Lilliana shook her head and they continued in silence until they reached the seclusion of the hidden passage.
Kingdom of Lies (The Kane Saga Book 1) Page 17
