by A. J. Bell
The smell was unmistakable, but I still had to try it to be sure. I scraped some out from the bottom with a spoon, put it in my mouth, and smiled in delight. “Aligretto!”
He didn’t reply. Still undecided, Orman was staring at the snow. With a full belly, he seemed ready to take the journey onward, but the roads weren’t quite ready for people to travel. Shewhite jumped out of the window and literally disappeared in the deep snow, but it wasn’t because they shared the same color. Shewhite was more like a dingy white than a snow white, because her whiteness had been stained by the ashes in the castle and going in and out of the snow. We’d have to give her a good bath when we got to Andora to get her whiteness back.
I stepped out and almost half of my body disappeared. I had never seen so much snow. The donkeys wouldn’t make it. That was a fact, but I had been gone for so long that my parents were waiting desperately for my return home, and so was Prince Victor, impatiently waiting for a letter explaining how my journey went. Now that he was extremely happy with the Princess, the guilt of leaving me alone had turned him into a matchmaker. He had sworn never to give up until I found a husband, just like I had helped him get his wife.
“We’re going to have to go now, even with the roads like this,” I told him. “My family is waiting, and Mother doesn’t like the uncertainty of not knowing my whereabouts.”
“The wagon won’t go through the snow,” he said, as if I had not thought of that myself.
“We can leave your things in the basement, where they won’t be touched, and take the donkeys with us, loaded. Once the roads are ready to travel again, we can come back. We’ll rest and then come back with horses. It’ll be faster.”
He didn’t look convinced, but I didn’t give him any other choice.
Going uphill was a challenge. The snow wasn’t hard to go through, but the road was very slippery underneath. I slid down more than once. Orman insisted we should go back, but I wasn’t having it until we reached the top. I could clearly see that the challenge had only begun. It was now time to go downhill as steady as possible to avoid bodily harm by accidentally falling.
“There’s no way that this will happen without one or both of us getting hurt,” Orman said.
“We’ll take our chances,” I replied.
“Don’t count me in on this,” he said stubbornly.
“We’ll take it slow. You have to agree that we can’t stay the night here, since we don’t have a tent to cover us from the weather tonight. It won’t be long before the darkness overruns the daylight, and then we’ll be in serious trouble.”
I should have known better; nothing ever turns out easy for me.
We grabbed hold of branches on the snow-covered trees as we walked, staying close to each other. There was no end to the hill. It seemed to flow with the rest of the land into the mounds of whiteness.
Orman stumbled and, of course, when he fell, he took me down with him since he was behind me. We continued to slide downhill for an eternity, picking up speed as we went. Somehow, we were carving a tunnel in the snow, so light could still come through the white, but there was not an opening. All of a sudden, we came to a halt, a very rough halt. I slammed my shoulder against a rock, and then Orman slammed his body against mine. Blood splattered on the snow on contact, and I thought my head had split open since I couldn’t gather my wits to stand. Orman stood up and broke the tunnel above us. When the snow fell on top of me, its coldness brought me back to my senses, and he helped me to stand up. It wasn’t a rock but the wall of a water well we slammed into – the one at my childhood home.
“My home is right over those hills. When you get there, go to my father, who’ll come and get me,” I said, sinking back to the ground.
“I need to carry you up those hills. If I leave you here, the wolves and other beasts will smell the blood and come to attack you. They’ll be out and about as soon as the sun sets. If I leave, I won’t be back in time before they decide to make dinner out of you.”
He picked me up in his arms and carried me all the way to the door of my house before he too collapsed to the ground. He was barely able to knock. The place looked deserted, until Meav opened the door. “Ghad!” she screamed and knelt right beside me. Ghad rushed to the door to catch me as I was trying to stand. He picked me up and carried me inside.
“Wait,” I said and indicated for Orman to follow us. Ghad laid me on my bed gently, while Mother came rushing to the room, using her apron to wipe the blood off my face. Meav brought her some water to wash away my blood.
“It’s not too deep, so you won’t be needing stitches. I think it was more the place of the wound than the wound that’s making you dizzy.” She kissed my forehead. “Meav, get some water ready for her bath. She needs one.” Meav scrambled out of the room.
Orman was standing against the wall, watching as everyone hovered around me, until Mother noticed he was bleeding too. “Sit down,” she told him and came by his side to look at his wound. He had a branch sticking out the back of his left shoulder, probably from the fall. “This is going to hurt,” she warned him as she pulled out the stick. She was a little cruel doing that – unlike with me. Mother wouldn’t give time for people to build up fear before she would touch their wounds for treatment. Orman was a strong man and didn’t even flinch. “Take off your shirt,” she said. “It will be easier to care for your wounds without it.” Orman did. Just like me, the man had way too many scars on his body for a lifetime. Some of them were from animals – since he was a hunter, he was expected to have those – but the other scars were manmade, very similar to the whiplashes on my back. “You’ll need some stitches… but we’ll do it somewhere else, Orman. My daughter needs a bath.”
“Your daughter? You had a son–”
“Not now, Orman.” Mother interrupted him and turned her attention to Meav coming into the room.
“The water will be ready soon,” Meav said and sat down on the bed by my side. “What happened?” she asked, worried. “We have been expecting you to come back for a while now. Stardust arrived almost two weeks ago and she was so covered in blood that we thought–” She began sobbing. “We thought you were dead.”
“She almost was when I found her.”
Mother stopped at Orman’s declaration. “When you found her?” she asked him.
“The blood on Stardust wasn’t mine,” I said.
“We can see that now,” said Mother.
“Sir Dorian was hurt in a misunderstanding with Vince’s men, so Stardust carried him back to camp, and I tended to his wounds.” Meav looked worried for him, since she looked up to him like a brother. “On my way back, I took a few wrong turns, got lost and almost drowned. Orman got me out of the frozen water, saving my life,” I concluded.
“What were you doing in Bellaterra?” I thought she was asking me, but then I noticed the question was directed to Orman. I realized that she must have known him from before, since she had called him by his name without being introduced by me first.
“Bellaterra is my home; you know that.”
“Meav, can you tend to Elle in here without me? I need to sew this man back together.” Meav nodded. When Mother was gone, Ghad exited the room to give me some privacy, but before he left, I asked him to get a room ready for Orman.
The next morning was a little uncomfortable, with Mother and Orman exchanging multiple looks over the table. Hers were more like “Don’t you dare!” His were more daring. So I decided to break the ice.
“Where’s Father, and where’s Dash?” I asked.
Mother put her fork down. “Dash went to look for your friends who live in the Haunted Forest,” said Mother tensely. “And your father went to the Everlands to inquire about your whereabouts. He left the day after Stardust arrived,” she said grimly.
“You sent Dash into the forest? How could you? That is like sentencing him to death. The Gypsies don’t welcome outsiders… And why did Father go to Victor? You know how he worries.”
I stood up and was
about to leave the room when Orman spoke. “Why do you let her speak to you like that? How ungrateful can you be to Greta?” he said.
“Look! I’m not stupid! I noticed that you two know each other, but I do not have time to dig up your story. I must go and stop the Prince from creating a war with the Gypsies when he finds out that his cousin was almost killed by one of them when he followed me to the forest.”
“Where did you see Dorian?” asked Meav.
“I delivered a message for His Highness to Sir Dorian.” I should’ve known the next question.
“Why you? Doesn’t he have enough messengers already?” asked Mother.
“It was my choice! Just like I chose to go now and find them in hopes of preventing a massacre. And for everybody’s information, I’m very capable of delivering a message or riding a horse!”
“Or drowning in the river,” said Orman.
“You don’t know me. You know nothing about me,” I said.
“Are you taking John?” asked Mother.
“No, they need to see me alone.” I went up to my chambers, packed a few things, and went out to the stable. As I was saddling Stardust, Orman came to see me.
“I’ll go with you to the Everlands,” he said.
“I’m not going to the Everlands. I’m going to the Gardenhills border, and then I’ll turn from there towards Stoneburg, so I’ll ride through the forest. It’s faster. Come if you must.”
Ghad came out to join us, but I refused to let him follow. The last time I rode with his brother, I got him killed, and I wouldn’t risk Ghad meeting the same fate.
“If Father comes back before we do, don’t let him leave again. Send a messenger to His Highness with the news of my well-being, but don’t allow Father to leave.”
Chapter 27
We rode like mad men, as if we were being chased and our lives close to being lost, but we both were so weak and exhausted that we had to stop to eat and rest for the night. With only one night to recover from our journey, our bodies were resenting the load.
On the fourth day, after passing the Gardenhills border, we entered Stoneburg, where we needed to stop to replenish our supplies. There was a big surprise when I arrived at Arden Manor. An entire army had set up camp in its courtyard, as well as in the nearby city. Tents and soldiers were everywhere – a fact that made Orman extremely nervous. As we approached the gates of Arden Manor, one of them recognized me. Only he wasn’t a soldier; he was a squire – Sir Daniel’s squire.
“Shane!” I dismounted and shook his hand.
“You’re alive!” he said. “She’s alive,” he said louder. “She’s alive!” he yelled again, loud enough for everyone to hear. He then pulled me by the hand and together we ran inside. Poor Orman followed behind us, trying to keep up. Victor, Richard, Daniel, and two more knights in full armor were looking at a map laid out on top of a small table in the middle of them.
“She’s alive!” yelled Shane. They fell quiet and stared at me. Shane let go off my hand, as if he had done something wrong, and stepped to the side. Victor came to me and took me in his arms.
“Don’t you ever, ever, ever… scare me like this again! That’s an order!” he said, softly kissing my forehead. It was awkward to be in his arms in front of everybody.
“The search is over,” said Daniel. “Tell the men that we’ll rest here tonight.” One of the soldiers immediately left the room with those instructions. Richard cleared his throat, and Victor let go of me.
“Where have you been?” Sir Daniel asked. “I think this proves you can’t send a woman to do the job of a man,” he said mockingly. Yet, he still gave me a smile.
Sir Richard came over, held my hand, and kissed it politely. “Welcome to Arden Manor, My Lady – always a pleasure to see you.” My goodness! He just found out I wasn’t dead and was already flirting with me.
“You owe me an explanation,” said Prince Victor. “Perhaps during dinner.” I nodded. “Unless you want to deliver the news of being found to Dorian in person, and maybe take a look at that injured shoulder of his. It would be good for him to know that we found you, so he can lay back down until he is fully recovered.” So the Prince knew about Dorian’s encounter with the Gypsies.
Victor’s statement seemed to catch Richard’s attention. “Dorian’s wounded? How did that happen?”
I ignored him. “You can send a male messenger to deliver the news. I think Sir Daniel is right. I’m not a good herald myself.”
Victor looked at me, wondering what was going through my mind. But thanks to Daniel, I didn’t have to answer his unspoken questions.
“And who are you?” asked Daniel to Orman.
“He’s the reason I’m alive and well. I fell into the river and he pulled me out and cared for me. I’ll be forever in his debt.”
“Perhaps, I can help repay the debt,” said Victor, removing a necklace with the Royal Crest and putting it on Orman’s neck. “This will show people you have been favored by the Royal Family…” he paused.
“Orman.” I filled in the blank. Orman looked so proud of himself. “Long live the Prince of the Everlands!” I shouted and bowed slightly. Everyone else joined me in the cheer.
After dinner, Richard had Rosie prepare two rooms for us, and we went off to sleep. Victor, however, decided to sneak into my room and talk about how worried he was, how worried Princess Camilla was, and how worried Dorian was when he told him that Stardust came back home without its rider and covered in blood. “Dorian organized his men into searching parties, wasting no time. He’s very weak, yet still looking for you. Why did you not stay by his side?”
“He’s being well-looked after,” I said, ignoring his gaze.
“The boy is doing a good job keeping his master alive, but I still think you should’ve stayed by his side. Elle, I know he’s got Jane, but he needed your care.”
“I was being selfish and it almost cost me my life. If there’s another chance in the future, I’ll help him, but right now, I need to stay away from him until my own wounds are healed.”
“I’m sorry for him. Not having you will be entirely his loss,” he said.
He was trying to comfort me, but his words made me so angry. “He’ll get over losing me soon with the help of Jane, just like you did with the help of the Princess. Women like me are too easy to forget, now do you mind… I need to rest, Your Highness.” I opened the door for him and stood there until he left. I lay down, engulfed in bitterness, but then Richard required my attention too, in a different way than the prince had.
As soon as he came into the room, he kissed me passionately and held my head by my neck, whispering in between short breaths. “I thought I lost you,” he said, and then kissed me again. “I agree with Victor,” he said. “You can’t scare me like that either, ever again!” His pulse was accelerating, and I could feel his heart beating like a war drum against his skin as I tried to push him away by putting my hands on his chest. “I need you right now, My Lady.” His lips were hungrily devouring mine. Everything was happening so fast, giving me very little time to react. “I have been dreaming of this moment since I first saw you,” he said as his hands began to caress my legs underneath my oversized shirt. I took his hands away from my skin and turned him around so his back was the one pinned against the wall. His lips were trying to kiss me again.
“I’m afraid, My Lord, you’ll have to keep dreaming,” I said, stepping away from him. “Tonight, I’m sleeping alone.” I opened the door for him also, and he clearly understood.
“I waited this long, so I can wait one more night,” he said.
“If you try anything again tonight, My Lord, I won’t be here when you wake up.”
He stole another kiss before exiting out the door. “I am a very patient man–”
I shut the door in his face before he could finish his sentence. I rolled my neck, trying to relax. Although this kind of passion was too much for me, I couldn’t help but feel flattered by his way of loving me. But Richard deserved to be
loved back just the same, and I couldn’t offer him that at this time.
When I was able to brush off the daydream of Richard sneaking again into my room and, this time, giving into his advances, I was able to fall asleep for a short moment.
I woke up, feeling someone staring at me. Richard, I thought, annoyed, but I was wrong. It was Rosie standing next to my bed, not my former master, and she was holding a knife in her right hand. I‘m dead!
“You took him from me!” she bellowed and plunged the knife down, straight into my chest.
I only had a few seconds to react, so I rolled off the bed onto the floor. The knife’s blade barely scratched my arm as it stabbed the mattress where I just had been asleep. Over and over again, Rosie continued to stab the mattress, until she realized I was not at the end of the blade.
“Listen to me, Rosie!” I said, standing up. “You don’t want to do this–”
“Oh, but I do,” she interrupted.
“Put the knife down before somebody gets hurt,” I said nervously.
“That’s the purpose of my visit, or did you think I only stopped by to see you? You have ruined my life!” she said venomously. She then threw herself at me across the bed. I jumped back. She got back to her feet and walked towards me while slashing the air with her knife.
I heard a knocking on the door, but I didn’t have time to open it. Rosie had grabbed the vase from a nearby shelf and threw it at me, but it missed me by a few inches. I ducked her next blow and dove to get Heaven from behind her. She grabbed my foot and pulled me closer to her knife. I kicked her in the chin and crawled towards Heaven, but my sword was not in the sheath.
“You won’t find it there,” she said. “This time, you’ll pay!”
I kicked her again, and she got angrier. Before she could attack again, Richard opened the door and came up behind her. “Rosie! What the–” He didn’t finish, because she took her knife and ran her blade diagonally across his chest. He fell backwards to the floor. His fall worked as a distraction, which gave me enough time to run and tackle her. We rolled on the floor until we hit my bed. I held her hand and hit it hard against the hardwood floor, again and again until she dropped the knife. I left her on the floor, forgetting rule number one on a battlefield: never turn your back on the enemy.