A Warrior's Return: The Royal Houses of Sea and Snow

by Jude Marquez

  EAMON RAN THROUGH MAN after man. The battlefield was a simpler, easier place. You know who your enemy was, and he was right in front of you, trying his hardest to kill you as you were to kill him.

  Eamon lost his cloak sometime earlier in the battle and now he only wore his tunic without the sleeves. His britches were splashed bright with blood and his boots were heavy with mud and red snow.

  He kept so much rage inside for so long that Eamon was a force of his own. His own man parted so that he could charge in before them. They saw that he was thirsty for revenge and perhaps they understood that this was as close as he would get, for now.

  The bodies began to pile up and the battle itself slowed. It was no surprise that the majority of Eamon's men were still standing. Some were as bloodsoaked as him but none so much as him. When Eamon finally took a look around he realized that it was over faster than he realized.

  Something pricked at the back of his neck. There was something he was missing, because the Prince of Vresal was not this simple. He was a conniving liar and Eamon felt like he was stepping into a trap that he couldn't see.

  Eamon looked around the battlefield. He saw Milet, Athalos, Reeve, and Issat standing around. The same feeling he had in his chest was plain on their faces.

  Something was amiss.

  Then it struck Eamon.

  Sir Clifton was gone.

  "It was a diversion," Eamon whispered.

  AVELINA DID NOT HEAR Clifton’s steps lead him away. She could only assume he was still out there.

  "But how would they get in?" Lady Sexton asked.

  It was the same question on Avelina's mind. She had supervised the fortifications of all the entrances and exits of the castle. She didn't like it, because if the Vresal army gained the upper hand, all it would take to kill them all would be a flaming arrow in just the right spot.

  She hadn't shared this thought with anyone else but she knew she wasn't the only one that thought of it.

  "The servants quarters. They weren't finished rebuilding that wall. There's a dozen ways into the castle from those quarters that we didn't remember," Margrave said distantly.

  Avelina buried her face in her hands. He was right. They barricaded the main door that led in and out, but the servants had access to the hallways within the walls of the castle. Some of those hallways opened into the kitchen, the library, and even the King's quarters.

  "Can they get into the towers?" Avelina asked.

  Margrave shook his head. "That must have been one of the reasons that Alik chose these two towers for us. The only way in or out is either the door or the window."

  That was a small comfort, but it wasn't much. If the Vresal army were inside then it was only a matter of time before they battered down the doors. Avelina stood and went to the window. She looked out and tried to look down at the battlefield below them. It was all but over and there were mounds of bodies, black and red against the white snow.

  "Is there any way to get word to my brother?" Avelina asked.

  "No. And that begs the question why Sir Clifton came here instead of going to the King or even Milet," Lady Sexton noted. Lambin had his face pressed to his mother's skirts.

  "Unless he planned on leading them here. How else would they know where we were?" Margrave said softly.

  The guards around them were quiet but none of them disagreed.

  EAMON WASN'T STUPID, despite what Alik had said. Alik had to trust that Eamon would be there soon.

  Alik was not an optimist either, so he had to prepare for the fact that Eamon might not show up in time.

  "Why did he come here?" One of the guards asked. She barely spoke above a whisper and Alik noted her hand tightening on the hilt of her sword.

  It was a good question, but one that Alik would like to save for a later time. Another question that ran through his mind was why Clifton went for the second tower. Alik alone was enough of a hostage for the Prince. Unless he planned on showing the invading army where the entire royal family was, separated as they were.

  They all heard the steps headed for them. They were uniform and Alik knew that meant they were all trained soldiers.

  "The door will hold," Alik insisted even as he pulled his bow from his shoulder and reached for several arrows on the table near him. "It is solid and has held for many generations."

  That didn't seem to reassure anyone, possibly because even as Alik insisted that the door would protect them, he raised his bow and arrow.

  The tension in the room was as taut as the string on his bow and just when he thought the guards would snap, the steps went past the room and down the hall.

  Down the hall, where the stairs led up to the highest tower, where the rest of his family was secured safely.

  What they thought was safe.

  The guards lowered their weapons and turned to Alik.

  "Why did they go past?" The one nearest to the door asked.

  Alik could only shake his head. Moments later, they heard the first strike of the battering ram from above them.

  "TO THE KING!" EAMON roared. He did not wait for the others. He didn't know for sure that he was even right. It didn't matter though. What remained of his family was locked away in two towers and the enemy was far too close for comfort.

  Eamon would not witness this nightmare again, not while he was living and breathing.

  He headed for the front gates and when the soldiers there saw him running for the entrance, they quickly opened the front. They tried to ask him what was happening, but he did not pause to answer their questions. From high above him, he heard the sounds of a battering ram.

  Unless he had wings, he would be far too late to help any of them.

  Again.

  "OPEN THE DOOR," ALIK ordered.

  "My King, Sir Clifton said not to open it unless –" one of the soldiers began.

  "I know what he said, but he might have been the one that led the Vresal here. No one else, not even King Eamon, knew that they were coming. I hesitate to believe Sir Clifton and if he says to do one thing, I am very inclined to do the opposite."

  The two guards at the front exchanged a look and the one nodded to the other. "He is right. If Clifton led them here then we have the element of surprise by now. If they get the heir or the Princess, all may already be lost."

  It was so silent in the room, that Alik could hear the lock being unlatched, and the accompanying cry for them to stop. But it was too late. The door was unlocked, and it was already open. The soldiers who were standing silently on the other side kicked it down and pushed their way into the room.

  Alik was thankful for his forethought to have his bow ready.

  EAMON STORMED UP THE stairs and was surprised when Issat and Milet caught up with him. They pushed on and distantly Eamon heard others heading in their direction. When they came to the room where Alik was supposed to be locked away, all they found was an open door and a room soaked in blood. There were bodies everywhere but as Eamon looked around, he did not see any sign of Alik. He saw far too many of Heaven, though, and he felt his heart break for them.

  That was until he turned around and saw Issat holding Alik’s broken bow.

  The look on her face could only match what he was feeling; rage, heartbreak, and an unquenchable need to kill the person that might have taken him.

  Eamon did not have to give the order. He left the room with Issat and Milet on his heels. They headed for the stairs and for the next tower up. Although it was only the three of them, Eamon was confident that they could cause enough damage to whoever had invaded the castle.

  ALIK DIDN'T KNOW WHICH guard grabbed him by the back of his cloak, or how many it took to drag him from the room. But as he did, he caught sight of Sir Clifton, fending off three more men that were headed straight for them.

  One of the guards that were with Alik extracted himself and went to Clifton's side. Quickly, they dispatched those three men and Alik returned to his senses. He looked into the room he had just been occupying, and saw t
hat it was more blood than stone now.

  "Why didn't you stay in the room?" Sir Clifton asked desperately.

  "You will answer to the King, when he finds out that you betrayed us," Alik snapped.

  "I would tear the tongue from my own mouth and fall on my own sword before I betrayed Emelina or either one of my kings," Sir Clifton said and he had the nerve to look aghast.

  "Then who led them here? How did they know where we were? How did they know how to get in here?" Alik demanded.

  "I do not have those answers, but I saw a contingent of men invading the broken wall of the servants quarters. I knew that if they found out where you were, they would be headed straight here. I found a servant, demanded that they sneak me up here, and leave me. I knew they would be after the heir or the Princess but I also knew they wouldn't pass you by," Sir Clifton explained.

  "Why did you not go to the king right away?" One of the guards demanded.

  "There was no time. If I had gone to the king, would you have opened the door when someone said that they were sent by the king? King Eamon is not hardheaded. Once he saw me gone, once he realized how easy that battle was won, he would know that it was a distraction," Sir Clifton said.

  "You will answer to my cousin and you should be grateful that it is not me who will be holding the knife," Alik said.

  "Your Highness, the others –" a guard said.

  All at once, Alik registered the sound of the battering ram above them that he didn't realize he was ignoring.

  "Come," he ordered.

  WHEN EAMON REACHED the top of the stairs, all the strength fled from his legs and he almost stumbled to his knees.

  In front of him, Alik and Avelina looked as though they had bathed in blood. Sir Clifton was on his back with strips of Lady Sexton's dress staunching a deep wound on his leg. Margrave held Lambin and they were being shielded by the few guards that remained.

  "So glad you could join us," Alik said and pushed a rope of bloody hair back away from his face.

  Everyone, including Lambin was splashed head to toe in blood. Alik and Avelina appeared to have gotten the worst of it, along with Sir Clifton.

  "What happened?" Milet asked.

  "What does it look like? We killed them all," Avelina said. She was panting but she also seemed more exhilarated than anything else.

  Eamon felt relief slam into him like a wall. Then it all came flooding back to him and he looked down at Lady Sexton and Sir Clifton.

  "I suppose I should trust my husband and his instincts more," Eamon said.

  "Perhaps we should wait on that judgment. I believe there is more here that we have to learn than I previously thought," Alik said.

  Eamon turned to him, eyebrows raised, surprise written all over his face. "Will the surprises of the day never end?"

  Alik stepped over the body parts and slipped in a small puddle of blood. Eamon barely caught him by his arm before he fell on his ass.

  "I do believe we owe Sir Clifton at least the time to provide us an explanation," Alik said.

  "It also helps Sir Clifton's case that he saved Lambin and Margrave," Lady Sexton said.

  Eamon looked down at Sir Clifton and his pale face. If Eamon were not mistaken, Sir Clifton could be dead. But his rapid breathing seemed to indicate otherwise.

  "I do hope that he has good reason for acting as he did. If there is a spy amongst us, once again, it seems like he is the most likely one," he said.

  "I would stake my own reputation on Clifton's actions. He is a good, honorable man. If it helps for anything, I personally vouch for him and believe that he did what he did because he believes it was the right thing to do," Lady Sexton said.

  Eamon looked first to his sister and then to Alik. The pair of them had identical frowns on their faces. It was clear that neither one of them believed her fully, but if she were to vouch so heavily for Sir Clifton, then they at least owed her enough to give him time to provide an explanation of what was going on.

  "He did also help save my life," Alik sighed, as though he regretted admitting to it.

  "Then another time, we will hear what he has to say. For now, get him to the healers. I will go see to the men and assign duties. Everyone should clean up and get fed. I'm afraid it will be a late night," Eamon said, directing that last sentence to Alik.

  "Of course. I will see you in our rooms when you get there," Alik said and pressed a kiss to Eamon's lips.

  Eamon made a face when Alik pulled away. Alik laughed and wiped the sticky blood from Eamon's face. "I apologize, husband."

  Eamon waved it off and they all dispersed. Even as Eamon was walking away, the actions of Sir Clifton troubled him. He racked his mind to try to figure out why Clifton had done something so foolish and puts so many lives in jeopardy. Perhaps he wanted to be the hero in the story. Perhaps Sir Clifton wanted his own tales told about him, of how he saved the kings, and how he did it all alone.

  If it was something as silly and as foolish as that, Eamon would reprimand him, but nothing more. It would be hypocritical of him to scold another soldier for doing what he thought was right without thinking his actions through.

  Or perhaps it wouldn't matter at all. The war was upon them whether they were ready for it or not. Perhaps reprimanding a soldier for something like this would have to be put away for now, saved for a later time. Prince Raulyn had so far proven himself a liar and a conspirator. They had to move their timeline, which meant that Eamon would have to leave sooner than he thought.

  Alik would not take the news well.

  ALIK PACED THE LENGTH of their rooms that night. He was clean once more, dressed in loose sleeping clothes, and he was ready for bed. His body was exhausted from the day and all that occurred the night before, and even the days before that. But his mind would not stop racing.

  Sir Clifton's explanation came down to being in the right place, at the right time. Coincidences did happen, Alik had to acknowledge that. But sometimes, it seemed too lucky. That Issat had found those spies, that Alik was able to obtain the information of the invading army, that a contingent of soldiers was able to find that weak wall, and that Sir Clifton was able to get to them in time.

  If any of that had not happened in exactly the right order that it did, then it's entirely possible to say that Grayhaven would be no more.

  Eamon opened the door just then and if Alik thought he was exhausted, then it was nothing to what look like just then.

  Eamon gave Alik a weak smile and sat down heavily in the nearest chair.

  Alik went to the door and sent a servant for food and some sweet, warm mulled wine. When he turned, Eamon was placing his sword on the table, and was reaching for the laces of his boots.

  Alik knelt at his feet and brushed his hands away and quickly went to work on pulling the laces free. For once, Eamon did not protest. He must have been more exhausted than Alik realized.

  "I will miss this," Eamon said.

  "What? Me kneeling at your feet, like some kind of common peasant?" Alik teased.

  When he looked up Eamon had a soft smile on his face. "No, just coming back here, and finding you waiting."

  "I will be here waiting, no matter how long you are gone, no matter how far you go," Alik said quietly. He bowed his head and concentrated on getting the laces loose. His fingers felt clumsy and thick and he couldn't seem to work them loose. He blinked and realized that there were tears in his eyes.

  "If anything happens to me, I don't want you to waste your life here, all alone. Don't make your life an empty tribute to me," Eamon said.

  "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, you are not going anywhere. You are not going anywhere that I cannot follow," Alik insisted.

  "But if I am called –" Eamon began.

  "Then I will answer that call with you," Alik interrupted.

  Eamon sighed. He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes. He knew what Alik was talking about. He felt the same way and admitted to himself, that if Alik was ever taken from him, he w
ould burn the world down looking for him, trying to return to his side.

  But those were childish notions. They had to face the facts. Their lives were not their own, they had people and countries depending on them, and they had to do everything that they could to keep those innocent people safe.

  Eamon opened his eyes and saw that Alik was standing above him working the laces free at his wrist.

  "Do you think me selfish?" He asked.

  "If you are, then I am the same," Eamon replied.

  "Perhaps what I say is impossible, and if you are called and I cannot follow, then I give you my pledge that I will do all that I can hear to avenge you, until I am called to your side once more," Alik said.

  Alik finally finished the laces at his wrists and turned to his chest. He was quiet and then he said, "There was only one thing that I request."

  "Anything."

  "That you will not follow that call if it is made. That you will do all that is within your power to stay here with me so that I am not forced to rule alone."

  "It goes without saying."

  "Then swear to me."

  Eamon grasped Alik by his arms and pulled him close. "I swear to you, by all that is holy and all that I love, that I will fight our enemies and return to you and our family."

  Alik sighed and leaned in close to Eamon. It was all he could ask for.

  Chapter 13

  Sir Clifton would not be joining them when they sailed for the Storm Isles.

  "If it is my fealty that you question, your highness, I will take any oath that you ask. I swear to you that I do not work for the Vresal army," Sir Clifton protested.

  "It is not your fealty that I question," Eamon replied.

  Clifton struggled to sit up. He was still on bed rest, ordered by the healers. There was a large swaths of cloth around his midsection which was bare. Alik finally admitted that Sir Clifton was more than likely just lucky to have seen the invading army breakthrough the wall and the servants quarters and figure out their plan before tragedy struck.