Daddy Next Door

by Tina Lee

  I made a big jump and made it on to the balcony. I took another jump and went through Leo’s window. I had arrived in the middle of it all. King Agnor swung his sword at Elizabeth’s head.

  “Save her!” Leo shouted at me.

  I dashed and pushed Elizabeth out of the way. The tip of King Agnor’s sword sliced open my flesh. Kronus slid a dagger to me and I grabbed it and rolled away. King Agnor swung his sword again, this time aiming for my head. I ducked my head, and the sword barely missed, taking strands of my hair. Before he could swing again I rammed the dagger up his throat and kicked him across the room.

  King Agnor grabbed his throat and fought for his life. Pathetic. Even in death he was a coward.

  Veronica’s dead body laid beside Leo, who seemed to be paralyzed. I turned to Elizabeth, “Elizabeth, answer me.” She was unconscious.

  King Agnor fucking betrayed us. After all our father did for that man. Fucking savages. They didn’t know what it meant to be loyal.

  Kronus was bleeding out, and I contemplated if I should let him die or not.

  “Save him,” Leo said.

  I didn’t know why I should. Not after what they did today. Killing our people. Women and child. Why should I let him live? “Save him, please,” Leo said. He was always the soft one. Begging to save our enemy’s son. I put Kronus and Elizabeth on each of my shoulders and went to seek help.

  Kronus was without a hand, but he would live. Elizabeth was fine. She just needed to rest. Leo paralysis would wear of in some hours. For now, he laid there, useless.

  Howls rang out into the dawn. The sun rose and brought light onto the horror that took place. Women and children wash the bloody streets and men began repairing damaged buildings. They could never break the spirit of the North. Even babies sucking on their mother’s breasts understood what it meant to be a Northerner. We will rise. We are fearless. We are the North.

  I returned to Elizabeth’s side. I didn’t feel comfortable in leaving her. I kissed her forehead softly, being careful not to wake her up. “You made me proud,” I whispered to her. The arrow had hit Veronica right in the heart. Elizabeth’s aim was without flaw. She was more of a warrior than any of those pathetic vermin.

  Her tired face wore bruises and blood. I soaked a cloth and wiped the blood from her face. She mumbled something. Probably gibberish. “I love you, Elizabeth,” I told her, then laid beside her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Elizabeth

  I woke up to my assistances over my head and Dante sleeping beside me.

  They gave me sage tea mixed with honey, and it really did the trick. “How long was I out for?”

  “All day.”

  “All day?” I looked through the window. It was nightfall. I looked at Dante, “What happened to him?”

  “He was bitten and sliced but he’s all patched up now. He has been laying by your side all day.”

  I smiled. He looked so peaceful at rest.

  I left Dante sleeping and took a walk with my assistants. They filled me in on all that had happened after I passed out. King Agnor was dead, but strangely, they said that the East attacked and killed King Agnor and Veronica.

  Someone sent out the wrong information, but who?

  I spotted Ben and Sia running at me and I was afraid they were going to knock me over. Sia hugged me, then Ben hugged us. And we just stood there, hugging, and not saying a word. “Hey,” I said, “save me beer, okay? Right now I have people who need me.”

  Sia didn’t want to let go. “I’m fine,” I told Sia, then she finally let go.

  In the previous battle, only men were injured. This time there were women and children, and I had to pretend that everything was going to be alright.

  I saw Leo later that night. He came and personally checked on everyone who was recovering. They all smiled and kissed Leo’s hand, as if that would make them heal faster.

  I pulled him to the side, “You lied to everyone.”

  “The North cannot know that King Agnor betrayed us. That would ruin our relationship with the West.”

  “We don’t have one! They attacked us.”

  “No, King Agnor attacked us. The actions of King Agnor doesn’t represent the West. The people there don’t even know that the East was controlling them.”

  “So you still believe in the alliance?”

  “We have to. Now that King Agnor is dead, the East doesn’t control the West anymore. Kronus is the new king, and from I what I saw last night, he would have given his life to protect you.”

  “So, you will form a relationship with Kronus?”

  “Yes. We’re stronger as allies.”

  “But you’re lying to everyone.”

  “I’ll carry that burden. I’m already carrying so many.”

  “Your Grace, the council is waiting on you,” one of his guard said.

  “I have a meeting. I’ll see you, Elizabeth.” His face looked so tired.

  “I will blow the whistle tonight.”

  “And I’ll be there.”

  I checked on Kronus. He was still sleeping. I didn’t get a chance to thank him. He was going ask for my hand in marriage when he opened his eyes, and I didn’t know what I would say. He said my destiny was to become Queen, and his destiny was to make sure that I was Queen. I wanted know if that dream meant Queen of the West or Queen of the North. Sleep well, Kronus.

  My assistances ran outside and admired the sky. I went to see what had caught their attention. Snowflakes slowly descended from the heavens and covered the earth with a white blanket.

  I didn’t want to think about the war that we were planning for the East. I didn’t want to think about the men, women and children that were lost. I didn’t want to think about neither Leo nor Dante nor Kronus. I didn’t want to think. Just feel.

  I stuck my tongue out and let the snow fall on my tongue. The coldness of the air stinging my skin reminded me that I was alive. It was the season when the North was strongest.

  Winter is here.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Elizabeth

  The snow fell softly on the lamps outside. The soft and blurry light shined through the fogged glass. The snow had put out some of the lamps. The flame was tamed by the humble cold.

  The winds whistled outside. One by one windows closed and men empty the streets for some warm stew, which every man, woman and child would be eating tonight.

  I hadn’t spoke to Dante in a few days. This was the season he liked best. He was probably out there, somewhere, in the cold, watching over the city.

  I closed my window and returned to my bed, where Sia laid. She didn’t want to leave my side after what happened last week. I didn’t mind, though. I liked her company. It was nice having someone there when the nightmares came. The faces of people no longer here. I see them, sometimes, and in all of my dreams, I was powerless. I could do nothing but watch them die.

  The cold crept inside my room, and in an attempt to hide from it, I cuddled with Sia, who was trying to make sense of her feelings for Ben. The shock of it all had gone, and now I could begin to see Ben with Sia. Somehow, I believed they could make it work. If I was a betting person, Ben and Sia as a couple was something I would hide my money from, but against the great odds, I truly believed it.

  I delegated Kronus’s care to my assistants. I had a hard time looking at him, knowing I was the reason he lost a hand. There was news that he was awake and talking. I planned to see him first thing in the morning. But first; some rest.

  I blew the candle out. “Goodnight, Sia.”

  “Goodnight. Liz.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Elizabeth

  Kronus smiled when he saw me, waving his wrapped stub where a hand used to be. He looked awful. Bleary eyes with the color gone from his face. “Elizabeth,” he said. My named cracked under his breath.

  He was about to rise but I stopped him. “Stay. Rest.”

  “I’ve been doing a lot of resting, it seems.”

  “You’ll b
e up and walking about soon. For now, just rest.”

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “Me? I should be asking you that. I had a few bruises. That’s all.”

  “I’m alive,” he said. He held up his stub, “I’ll have to get used to this.”

  I sat beside him. “What will you tell your people?”

  “Just as Leo said. The East attacked us.”

  “Leo came to see you already?” That didn’t take long. Leo was eager to cover everything up, and return thing to normal, whatever that was.

  “Yes. Little after I woke up. He explained a plan and I agreed.”

  “What exactly is that plan?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t say a word. Not yet, at least.”

  Kronus saved my life. I was alive because of him. Every breath I took from that night onward was because of Kronus. To simply say the words ‘thank you’ didn’t feel right. I held his hand, wanting to say a million things to him. “Kronus, for the last few days I’ve been trying to figure out what to say to you. I owe you my life—”

  “You don’t owe me anything, Elizabeth. I was merely doing what the Gods told me.”

  “Well, I thank the Gods, and I thank you, Kronus.” I squeezed his hand. “If there is anything that you need of me. Don’t be afraid to say.”

  “No, you misunderstood. It is I that serve you.”

  “You’re the new King of the West. You don’t serve me.”

  “I will serve you until the Gods tell me when my job is done.”

  I was taken back by the conviction in his eyes. He firmly believed that I was apart of his purpose. All this time, I had doubt whether the Gods truly spoke to him, but seeing his face, the way he looked at me, had me thinking if it could be true. What I found hard to believe was; what could the Gods possibly want with me?

  It was time for me to say what was on my mind. “I can’t go with you, Kronus. I can’t marry you because I don’t love you.” I felt awful for saying it, even though my words were true.

  He wasn’t surprised. Not a single wrinkle appeared on his still face. Nothing. “I understand.” His eyes turned to the ceiling.

  “If the Gods truly intend for me to be Queen, then no one can come in between that. I don’t wish to be Queen of the West.”

  “You want to be Queen of the North.”

  “If the Gods wish it.”

  “Leo. You love him, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  His gaze returned to me. “These people. You love them as if they were your own. Why?”

  I was surprised he had to ask such a question. “It is true that had done terrible things to my people, but I can’t hate them. I will never allow hate to consume me. Never. The day I do that is the day Elizabeth dies. Hate is the destruction of the soul.”

  He chuckled. “No wonder the Gods chose you.”

  “Chose me? To do what?”

  “You’ll know soon enough.”

  His hair was growing out, darkening where it was once shaved. He was beginning to look more handsome now that his ridiculous hair style was now fading. “I have to go now. I have to tend to others.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “I will check on you again, this evening, and if you are up for it, we’ll take a walk.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I smiled. As I was bout to walk off, he said, “I dreamed about you again.”

  “Oh yeah? What was I doing in that dream of yours?”

  “You were running through the woods, twirling, smiling and screaming ‘It’s spring.’ You then pointed at a tiny plant, peeking its head out of the earth. ‘It’s a rebirth,’ you said. And that was it.”

  “Me? Running and twirling? You don’t know me well, Kronus.” I laugh. “Get some rest.

  We walked that evening, strolling through the city streets and talking. Leo had guards walk behind four steps us. Kronus was important to him now. This was his opportunity for a true alliance.

  The city was back to normal, thanks to the around the clock work of these proud citizens. The snow hid the scars of the city. The North was now a white glowing wonderland.

  News spread that I had picked off wolves from the roof tops. Now, It wasn’t only the humans who nodded as they saw me. They saw me as a warrior. A killer. Not sure if that was a good or bad thing.

  “How do you live in this cold?” Kronus asked.

  I laughed at him. He reminded me of myself, when I first came here. I had never seen the snow before coming to the North. It was all new to me. I hated it, and still do. The winter was always so silent, dark and eerie. “You get used to it.”

  Kronus tightened his coat around him to fend of the icy wind. “I had another dream today.”

  “Of me?”

  “No. It was someone I had never seen before.”

  “And what was this person doing in your dream?”

  “Uniting all the lands.”

  Children chased each other across the street and threw snowballs.

  “What do you mean by uniting all the lands?”

  “Exactly what I said. I believe, there will come a time when there will be no North, South, East and West. There will be only one Kingdom.”

  I chuckled. The idea of that seemed impossible. “What did this person look like?”

  “All I can remember was he had an shaved head.”

  “So the person was a man. A King, maybe?”

  “I think that’s a likely possibility. Everyone was singing praises of him. Not out of fear or obedience, but words sung purely from their hearts.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yes. They sung his name. Alric.”

  “Alric,” I said. “I’ll keep my ears open. If I hear any news of Alric then you’ll be the first to know. If your dreams are true, then I would want to meet such a man.”

  “The South has always been known as the holy land. Their Gods is different from ours. They don’t believe in Wars. I can’t say for sure, but I have a feeling that you can find Alric there.”

  I stopped, and the guards stopped too. “I get it. You want me to look for Alric.”

  “Not me. The Gods want you.”

  “Enough with the Gods. First they wanted me to become Queen. Now, they want me to travel all the way South? I am not some puppet who you can make do this or do that.”

  “I believe that it is important that you do this.” There it was again. The conviction in his eyes.

  “Okay,” I said. The reason I agreed wasn’t because I believed in whatever the Gods told him. I agreed because he saved my life, and I at least owed him this. I would travel South, spend thirty days looking for Alric and no more, then I would return. I would prove that his dreams were nothing more than just dreams.

  He smiled.

  “Stop smiling,” I teased. “Come, we’re going to have some stew.” I turned to the guards. “You can have some stew too.”

  I took Kronus and the guards to the Snake’s Head to let them eat and mingle with humans. As expected, cheers ran through the hall as I entered, and Kronus gave me a grin, then said, “you’re a star here.”

  “Not at all.”

  Two drunk men approached me wearing hanging smiles. “Is it true that you picked off those wolves from the roof?” one of the men asked.

  “Come on,” I said, then gave them a wink. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

  Before I had a chance to sit, there were hot bowls of stew already on on my table. “Sit,” I told the guards and Kronus. The guards looked around, contemplating if they should leave themselves vulnerable. The scent of the stew was calling their names. The guards looked at each other then agreed that a bowl of stew wouldn’t hurt.

  Ben and Sia joined us soon after, with suppressed blushes and inside jokes. It was obvious that it wasn’t just sex anymore. Dare I say it? They were basically a couple.

  “This stew is scrumptious,” Kronus said.

  Ben and Sia tried to contain their laughter. “It’s just stew.”

  “D
on’t listen to them,” I told Kronus. “Stew is most delicious when it’s winter.” The two guards agreed, having already finished their bowls.

  Kronus’s face was brighter, and there was life in his eyes. I was happy to see that he was smiling. I put myself in his shoe, and questioned what if I had lost a hand. I could never use a bow again. I dug my nail into my right hand, to feel the pain, to feel something, and to be glad that I can feel anything at all.

  Ben and Sia were flirting all through dinner and I didn’t bother to interrupt them. I got to know Kronus’s life story and all his travels. It was similar to Leo’s childhood. A great expectation on a young shoulder. While Leo sat in the library and read, Kronus was traveling all over, learning from all who had a story to tell. He told me many fascinating stories. Some I doubt were true. It really showed me that all along I had been living in a box, while a whole world was outside it. He mentioned shifters who could shift into dragons and bears. In order to see them, I would have to cross the seas.

  “I’m telling you. It’s all real,” he said.

  “When I see it then I’ll believe it.”

  “Elizabeth!” a man burst into the hall and shouted. “Come look!”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “A woman from your village was found wandering at the gate.”

  Ben and I looked at each other, and I could tell what he wanted to say, even though he didn’t say a word. How was this possible. We had heard news of everyone being killed some years back.

  “Kronus, have the guards escort you back. I must go.”

  I left the hall with Ben and Sia and headed to the gate.

  “That means the village is still there,” Ben said, but it sounded more like a question.

  I didn’t know what to think, and it was silly to get my hopes up. But I wanted to believe, even if the chance was slim, that my mother was still alive, somehow. Ben knew what I was thinking. If Sia wasn’t with us, I think he would have pulled me by the arms and warn me not to get my hopes up.