“So?” Laelliandir stated, crossing his arms. “You are a liar. What don’t you understand about this? I believe nothing you say. You are a rat and want to use me for something.”
“Aye, I do, but I am on your side,” Lonewolf repeated as he turned again and pointed at him. “The day you rode into Magwhen arguing against the Overlord’s plans and they ignored and belittled you. That’s when I knew it. I said to myself, “Now this a man that won’t take no for an answer. Too stubborn,” and then I said, “I like that.” Because I have to admit your courage is outstanding!” Laelliandir listened, eyeing his sword from time to time, wondering if he could get to it before Lonewolf did. “I suspected you would try some kind of revolt. And when the White Turban Rebellion got started, I was sure you were the leader. There’s been no doubt in my mind since the beginning.” Laelliandir’s heart sunk in his chest. “I never said a word because I understood if there was a man that could also change the course of history and my fate, it was you. The only real hope. Overthrow the real tyranny. Every carrier pigeon that was sent was plucked from the sky before ever arriving to its mark. Only someone with inside knowledge could do this. Someone with knowledge about the bird’s routes. We use different and safer routes now, but that still begs the question, how were they intercepted in the first place? White Turban Rebellion, White Lion and now whispers of a rebellion leader called The Harbinger. And look at you.” Lonewolf flaunting his hands at Laelliandir’s white and gold clothing. “You, not only in your white but in all your stubborn self-righteous ambition. You are the White Turban’s Shining Harbinger if there ever was one.” Lonewolf ended his speech with a flourish. He had not realized it, but some time along the way he had begun to talk like Icaz, expressing his emotions with garish hand gestures and theatrical movements. He had always been a quick talker, witty and sarcastic, but the years he had spent with his partner had taken a toll on him. At this point, he enjoyed hearing himself talk.
“Accusations are treason. I could report you for this!” Lonewolf chuckled aloud.
“Yeah, well I could report you for claiming contact with King Edward Dawnhand and General Kadwalador Thornheart and then setting them free.” Lonewolf reached behind his back and brought out one last knife. “I have no reason to lie to you about this, Laelliandir. What could I possibly gain?” To Laelliandir’s surprise, Lonewolf tossed him the knife and walked toward him, his arms raised in the air. Laelliandir caught the blade and pointed it at Lonewolf’s heart. It would be easy to jam it his chest and rid himself of this man for good. “Kill me. I won’t fight you. I told you I need your help. I know the inner workings of the Novanians. I know where they’ll be, and what they’ll be doing. I have some say in it. I can orchestrate a ruse to get you there with your people and render them powerless in one stroke. One stroke is all you need.” Lonewolf eyed Laelliandir watching the man think over his options. “One stroke into my heart or one stroke into theirs. That is the question.”
“How can I trust you?” Laelliandir questioned.
“That’s up to you, my lord. I’ve told you I know your darkest secrets and have never said a word to anyone. I’ve given you a knife to kill me, and I have no reason to lie. Nothing to gain. I don’t expect an answer at this moment, but I hope you’ll consider it. I’ll be here all week, and you can hold on to all the weapons if it makes you feel better. Talk it over with your mother. I need your help, and I think you could use mine. Do the right thing.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sundown
B y sundown, Bella swung her sword against the air alone. She had no idea that Laelliandir planned to challenge Lonewolf before his meeting with her. Even Laelliandir had expected a brief confrontation with Lonewolf ending in his demise, but Lonewolf's proposal had shaken Laelliandir's world. Instead of killing Lonewolf, he left him in solitude. Laelliandir needed time to mull over what Lonewolf had told him. Thus, his rendezvous with Bella must wait. He couldn't face her with such heavy thoughts weighing on him. Instead, he woke his mother to share the burden of Lonewolf's revelations and stood up a bereft Bella.
For a while, Bella hoped Laelliandir was running late, but after a couple of hours passed, she believed she had been purposely ignored and not merely forgotten. She walked to the stream’s edge and plunged her sword into the soil before sitting on the grassy ground behind it. Hypnotized by the peaceful current of water, Bella peered at her reflection. The sky was clear, and the moon's glow dimly lit up the backside of the castle.
"It was out of pity he kissed me. I'm still a fool and scared him away. How could you be such a coward, Laelliandir?" Bella spoke her thoughts aloud feeling more sad than angry. "Why did you do that?" She now wished that Laelliandir had never kissed her. What was she to do with her feelings? Laelliandir made no sense to her. Although she was still crazy over him, she wondered if he was too detached from anything outside his life as a White Lion. It seemed he had no room for anyone or anything else. She wanted to blame him, but she blamed herself. Was she asking too much of him? "I'm being selfish and pushing him into a trap. I must be.” Swiftly her thoughts flipped and she was angry and accusing. “Damn you! You didn't have to kiss me. That's not what I wanted. I wanted your acknowledgment. I want you to understand. Why?" Bella mumbled to herself. A cool breeze blew through the grass near the stream while Bella struggled with her thoughts.
"A little chilly for a swim, Bell." Bella recognized Markus' voice and turned slightly to see him and Fern walking toward her from behind.
"Winter will be here soon, and we'll be saying goodbye to the swims," Fern added. Bella didn't respond at first but turned her attention back to the water. Markus had changed into a long-sleeved white shirt with a dark tunic that complemented his muscular frame. He also wore black pants and boots, and since he hadn't shaved in two days, he had a dark shadow on his face. As he walked, he hugged his shoulders as he tried to warm up his arms manually in the cool breeze. Next, to him, Fern looked even more slight and fragile as if a big gust of wind might knock him over. When they reached Bella, Fern took a seat to her right and Markus to her left.
"Good thing I'm not planning on swimming," Bella answered. She had dressed for swordplay in green and brown garments that covered her arms and chest. Her matching green leggings were tucked into boots while her long blond hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, with wavy bangs falling along the sides of her face and resting on her shoulders.
"Sword fighting with yourself tonight, Bell?" asked Markus. Fern already told him she was supposed to be practicing with Laelliandir. When they'd seen her alone, they'd decided to join her and try to cheer her up.
"Something like that," Bella spoke low wishing they had not come as she was not in the mood for company. Remembering how Markus left earlier after she kissed Laelliandir in front of him, she felt even worse. She hugged her knees and rested her head on her forearms in despair. There was no changing the past.
"You can train with us. Take it easy on me though," Fern suggested in his friendly way.
"Thanks, you two, but not tonight. Luminear still sleeping?" Fern nodded and answered as he plopped down next to her.
"Yes. That Lonewolf sure got her drunk. I reckon she'll sleep until morning."
"And wake up to a major headache," Markus laughed. "Her first time, poor doll." Bella glared up at Markus.
"Like you're an expert. What, we've only drunk a few times." Bella reminded.
"Maybe you. We've done it twelve times," Fern corrected. "Every time the new shipments come in, we're there for the unloading, and ole' man Buthomar lets us drink as much we want for helping unload and deliver through the town. He is short of coin to pay us, but spirits work fine for us."
"Keeping count now, guys? Really proud, I guess,” Bella jabbed.
"Fern shouldn't be proud. Drinks a couple mugs and you're falling all over the place acting the fool." Markus laughed, which made Bella smile recalling Fern stumbling around the castle to find his bedroom after a night out of drinking. He was so los
t he barged into a servant's room and crawled in bed with her.
"Poor servant girl." Bella chuckled as Fern's face grew red.
"That was after only three mugs, mind you," Markus explained. "You need to put on some weight, but not only to hold your booze but to spare yourself the embarrassment of a wee servant girl picking you up and throwing you into the hall."
"Corda is no servant girl. She's a full-grown woman, and built like an ox," Fern corrected getting flustered.
"Aye, well you could still stand to put on another thirty pounds."
"Oh, stop it, Mark. Fern is fine the way he is." Bella defended her friend, noticing how nervous he was getting as he remembered that night. Fern was not a confident young man like Mark and often found himself ashamed over the smallest of things. "I'll drink with my uncle sometime this week, and I'm sure I'll do something funny for you all to laugh at. Maybe we can all get together." Bella said.
"Hopefully nothing you'll regret too much," Markus added as he thought of Laelliandir. With Lonewolf nearby when she drank, he'd keep her in line. Or so he hoped. "I have not met Mr. Wolf yet. I remain eager and hope to tomorrow."
"Oh, he's nice. He has a lot of jokes, but he may pick on you." Fern warned. After Bella had introduced Fern to Lonewolf, Fern had enjoyed roaming the castle halls listening to his stories which mainly consisted of treasure hunting adventures. Lonewolf was vague about anything to do with his current job in Nova, sharing stories from his earlier life. Lonewolf was less ashamed of his years as a hunter, mercenary or thief. His pairing with Icaz had changed him, and he'd done things he preferred nobody ever knew, certainly not Luminear and Bella.
"He's always been great to me. A little secretive but a good man. I look up to Lonewolf and want to be like him. He's a protector, and he saved Luminear and me more than once. I wouldn't be here if not for him. He knows you're important to me and you watch my back, so there is nothing for you to worry about, Markus. He'll like you immediately just for that."
"Laelliandir should watch his back then with Lonewolf here." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Markus realized he should not have spoken. Bella looked to Markus in disbelief.
"Mark," Fern said in a cautious tone.
"I realize you're mad at me, but sometimes you need to watch your big mouth." Bella snapped back. Markus looked away from her, intimidated by her angry stare.
"I'm not mad at you, Bell. Mad at him. Nothing has changed. Wasn't he supposed to be here with you tonight? Isn't that why you're out here alone, weeping? Again. And over the same man." Markus couldn't restrain himself, and his words exasperated Bella. She didn't have an answer for him, but she wouldn't stick around to hear Markus' insults, even if she agreed with him.
"Keep your thoughts to yourself, Mark!" she ordered as she pushed herself to her feet and grabbed her sword. "If you have nothing good to say, then shut your lip. I don't need this right now." Bella turned and stormed off, leaving her friends behind while Fern gave Markus a disappointed look.
"Real helpful. I hope you feel better now that you got that off your chest," Fern said before he chased after Bella. Markus ignored Fern's words and didn't respond to his friend.
"It's true," Mark muttered as he looked at his reflection in the water. He remained on the shore as Bella and Fern returned to the castle. Fern tried to apologize for Markus hoping to calm Bella, but she didn't want to hear it and demanded him to quit following her. Even though Markus was right, Bella didn't want to admit it. She returned to her room with Luminear alone, crawled in the bed and sobbed quietly, trying not to wake her sister. Fern also went back to his room since he failed to cheer Bella.
Mark stayed outside by the water for some time thinking to himself and wondering what he should do about Bella. It wasn't that he expected Bella to care for him in the way he did for her because he honestly wasn't sure if she ever could. But it infuriated him she was in love with someone who refused to give her what she needed and who treated her with such disregard. It tore him apart thinking on it, and he wished Laelliandir had never returned home to stir Bella's emotions up all over again. He wanted to say something to him but did not know what he would say if he ever got the courage to confront him.
As it happened, Laelliandir came to the waterfall three hours late to find Markus standing alone by the creek bed. Markus didn’t expect Laelliandir to show up there. Now that he had the chance to tell him what he thought, he wished he was anywhere else. The last thing he wanted was any kind of conversation with this man. Laelliandir approached him and took a seat next to him.
"Not a good night for swimming," Laelliandir observed. Markus nodded but didn't make eye contact.
"Aye. Had this conversation not too long ago. It's a little too cold out." Laelliandir looked around to see if Bella was still around, but the grounds behind the castle were empty. He turned his head to look up at the keep's silhouette searching for Lonewolf's window. A lone candle flickered in the room which meant Lonewolf was still up although he was out of sight. Laelliandir replayed Lonewolf's words in his mind over and over, and he had already informed his mother of the gist of the conversation. She was just as surprised and puzzled as Laelliandir, and they agreed to mull overnight whether trusting Lonewolf as an ally made any sense. Laelliandir had not ruled out having Lonewolf killed on his return trip to Nova, making it seem like an accident. However, if Lonewolf spoke the truth, his plan might bring a swift victorious end to the rebellion. Also weighing on Laelliandir was honoring his promise to King Edward Dawnhand and General Kadwalador Thornheart. If he joined forces with an enemy, it meant he would break his word. There would be no alliance with the north which might have repercussions down the road, and Laelliandir believed he would be no better than Lonewolf if he did not fulfill a promise he had already made. Given the monumental decisions he had to make, Laelliandir's thoughts did not include Bella Luna. Markus noted Laelliandir's state of mind and hoped he experienced guilt for breaking Bella's trust, but he had his doubts.
"She's gone." Markus' words broke the silence. Laelliandir looked back to Mark and away from Lonewolf's room. It took a few seconds to realize what he meant, but then he remembered Bella again.
"Aye, I figured I'd check in to make sure. I had a few things come up that demanded my attention." Markus turned his head away to roll his eyes, not caring to hear any more.
"Busy man. I'm sure she'll understand." Markus lied as he grabbed a small pebble near his feet and threw it in the water to see it skip a few times before sinking.
"She knows my duties here are plenty. I'm sure she understands that sometimes plans must be delayed." Laelliandir also grabbed a pebble to copy Markus. He chucked the stone into the water and watched it skip a few times before vanishing into the stream.
"Yes, your duties." Markus realized he should keep his mouth shut, but his frustration was too high. "The duties you've been away from forever now? Wherever you've been for so long has not made the city fall apart. Your mother, the captains, and even Albatros kept everything flowing just fine without you. I'm sure whatever you had to do could have waited until tomorrow, since you had a prior engagement. Given you are a man of your word and all, lying does not seem like it would be a part of your noble code." Laelliandir looked at Markus peculiarly, but Markus just kept skipping rocks not bothering to look over.
"Something of vital importance came up. Bella will understand, even if you do not. Were you here for training too? What is this hostility toward me?"
"Nothing."
"You like her, do you, Markus?"
"She's my best friend, and I don't like seeing her lied to. I don't enjoy seeing her lied to by you especially." Markus raised his voice and turned his head to make eye contact with Laelliandir.
"It is more complicated than I can explain. If Bella is upset with me, then she can tell me herself. I mean no ill will toward you, but you need to stay out of the affairs of others."
"Ha!" Markus mocked. "That is how it looks to me. Bella cares for you more than you
realize, and you're taking her for granted because of your lack of insight or because you don't find her important enough. I’m the one who has been with her nearly every day since you left. I've helped her move past her mindless obsession over someone that doesn't share her feelings."
"You can't presume to tell me where my heart is. You don't know me well enough to pass judgment." Markus threw one last rock into the stream before rising to his feet.
"Not for lack of trying. I've been here or near your family for a long time now, and you've never attempted to get to know me."
"Is that what this is about? That I overlooked you? That was not my intent either." Markus shook his head in frustration.
"I don't care about that. I never have. I might pretend to be a part of your esteemed family, but I know who I am. I'm an orphan with no real family, and one day I'll be on my way again. I'm fortunate for all the Javallas have given me, but it doesn't change who I am. This isn't about me. Bella is an orphan. As strong-willed and determined as she is, it doesn't change who she really is. She was lucky to be taken in by your family. You gave her a reason to believe she was more than what she really is. Paid attention to her and showed interest no normal person of your stature and power would ever do. You humored her. Made her believe she could belong somewhere other than the poor orphan life she's led. You fractured her reality, and that was partially her fault. I could have told her long ago that you didn't really hold her in the regard she held you in, but now you come back in your fancy white armor and white horse and kiss her. You're toying with her and rekindling all the emotions she had before you left, and that I had to help her move past. You need to let her go. She will never be like you. She will never be a renowned warrior or even a respected name so quit telling her she's someone she's not. It's thoughtless, and you're breaking her. You don't see the power you have over her, and I'll be damned if I have to sit and watch her fall apart all over again." His rambling rant awakened Laelliandir to the depth of Markus' love for Bella, and he also understood Bella in such a way he had failed to before. Yet, Laelliandir saw that Markus' words defined Markus and how he saw the world just as much as he tried explaining Bella.
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