Happily Ever Afters

by Melanie Cellier

  He rubbed his face and sighed. “So I’m hoping you do have some insight for us, miss. It would certainly make my job from here a lot easier.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know how much assistance it will be in the investigation. It’s only a theory after all, I don’t have any proof.”

  “Get on with it,” said Evelyn.

  I shot her an offended look but decided against replying. I didn’t want to push her too far.

  “I note that one member of our adventure is conspicuous only by his absence,” I said, instead.

  “Anhalt,” said Evelyn.

  “Exactly.” I exchanged a significant look with her.

  “I thought he wanted to influence Ava not assassinate her,” said Hans, the scepticism clear in his tone and expression.

  “You’ve all commented that the attempt was surprisingly insufficient.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t think it was ever meant to succeed at all. I was watching Anhalt pretty closely, and his reactions seemed off. He didn’t look surprised when we were attacked, and some of the looks he gave Evelyn were positively murderous.

  “But he looked most annoyed when Ava ordered him to take cover. I suspect he orchestrated the attack with the intention of playing the hero and rescuing us all. If Evelyn had been less competent, and if she’d never overheard his conversation with the other nobles, it might have worked too.”

  Evelyn looked outraged, presumably at the suggestion that Anhalt had gambled on her inability to do her job, but Hans looked a little relieved. I could imagine how pleased he must feel to know there wasn’t an assassin waiting out there, ready to try again.

  No one contradicted my conclusion although the captain looked disappointed.

  “You’re certainly right on one point,” he said. “I can’t go making any arrests based on that information. I’ll start enquiries, of course, but if it was Anhalt, he’ll have covered his tracks, I’m sure. And I’d need much more certain information than a guess before I could bring a noble in for questioning.”

  I nodded, disappointed but not surprised. As I did, my eyes happened to catch Adelmar’s across the table. He looked neither angry nor surprised. Instead his frown showed cold calculation. I smiled. If the captain of the guard couldn’t do anything about Anhalt, maybe Miles’ father could.

  Chapter 10 - Evelyn

  It was an insult, of course. Three poorly trained ruffians and Anhalt was expecting to play the hero? How many other people in Rangmere thought me so incompetent?

  As a female guard I was used to being underestimated - I’d used it to my advantage plenty of times. In this role, it was less of an advantage though. I was representing not only myself but also the crown. If Ava’s personal guard looked weak, so did she. It might encourage her enemies to attack.

  Should I resign? The question rolled around and around in my head the next day until I decided to go to the training yard and burn off some energy. Hans had pressed Ava to take another day off after the scare, and I wasn’t appreciating all the free time.

  This time when I arrived, a group of guards were already involved in a series of training exercises. I recognised many of them from my practice session two days ago. I took a spot across the yard from them and began my warm ups.

  While I stretched, I watched them. They spanned a range of ages and seemed, for the most part, fairly competent. Plenty of glances were thrown my way, some more open than others, and I was surprised how few of them were obviously hostile.

  Perhaps word of the fight the day before had increased the guards’ respect for me. It would be a very nice side effect of the otherwise unpleasant encounter.

  Just as I was regaining my confidence, I met the eyes of the guard who I had beaten two days ago. The level of hatred on his face almost made me flinch. I forced myself to hold his gaze, however, and after a moment he looked away. He muttered something to the guard next to him, the man who had attempted to trip me, and they both moved to the other end of the training yard.

  I sighed.

  “That’s a heavy sigh for a guard who just saved the queen’s life,” said a cheerful voice behind me.

  I recognised it instantly but didn’t turn around. I wanted the extra seconds to regain my composure. Sarah had told me about the animosity between Jake and Anhalt, but I still wasn’t completely sure what I thought about him. I wanted to trust him too much. And I didn’t like it when my emotions got involved with my judgment.

  “Morning,” I said, still facing forward.

  He strode into view and leaned against one of the fence posts beside me.

  “Still as humble as ever, I see.” He gave me the easy grin I’d already started to see in my dreams, and I quickly looked away.

  I let my eyes linger on the other guards and, after a moment, his own gaze followed mine.

  “Everyone’s talking about it, you know,” he said. “A lot of the guards are really impressed.”

  I shrugged. “Not all of them.”

  Jake’s eyes searched the group until they found the same two guards I’d been watching earlier.

  “Well, you can never please everyone.” His voice was light, but I noticed a slight crease between his eyes. I wondered what the men had been saying about me.

  “Why are you out here?” I asked after a moment of silence.

  Jake looked at me with raised eyebrows, and I flushed slightly.

  “Training with the guards, I mean,” I said. “Why don’t you spend your time with the other nobles?”

  An expression of distaste crossed Jake’s face before it smoothed back out to its usual good humour.

  “I’m the lowest of the low when it comes to the nobles,” he said. “I barely count at all. And I don’t like court games. When it comes to intrigue, I’ve been outmanoeuvred before. I prefer to fight my battles with a sword.”

  I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t say any more. I repressed a sigh. Just what I needed – more mystery surrounding Jake.

  I finished my stretches and shook out my limbs. Jake wasn’t in training clothes, so I couldn’t ask him for another practice bout. I glanced uneasily across at the other guards.

  To my surprise, one of them had noticed that I was finished and was making his way towards me. He looked young but was very tall and moved with the easy confidence of a born fighter.

  “Morning, sir,” he said, giving Jake a mock salute and a smile.

  Jake grinned back at him. “Evelyn, meet Turner, Turner, Evelyn.”

  I nodded at the newcomer. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “I thought I’d come over and congratulate you,” he said. “I hear you took out three soldiers who had their eyes on our queen.”

  “Ruffians more than soldiers,” I said.

  “Ha! See, I told you she was modest.” Jake was still grinning at Turner, and I was suddenly dying to know what else he’d said about me. I pushed the thought away.

  “You’re right, as always.” Turner seemed almost as cheerful as Jake. They made a good pair.

  “The truth is, I was hoping you might be interested in a practice bout. I wasn’t here the other day, and I missed seeing you in action.”

  I weighed him up for a moment and then nodded. “Why not?”

  As we prepared for the fight, several more guards drifted over and began to form a loose circle around us. A few of them called out encouragements to Turner, but none of them seemed hostile towards me. Some of the hope from earlier returned.

  It didn’t take long for me to work out that Turner’s skill level fell somewhere between that of Jake and the other guard. In fact, his fighting style felt familiar enough that I suspected he often trained with Jake.

  We fought for ten long minutes before he managed to land a winning blow.

  “Good fight,” he said, as we shook hands. “It could easily have gone the other way.” I was gratified to see nods of agreement from all around. “Best of three?”

  “No you don’t, Turner,” called out one of the other guards.
/>   “Yeah, we want a chance,” chimed in another.

  I was soon besieged with requests for practice bouts and Turner fell back, laughing, before his comrades. I fought four more of them and managed to win all four matches. From the banter around me, it was soon obvious that Turner was well-liked and well-respected. A thought grew in my mind.

  When I called a halt there were cries of disappointment, but I stood firm. Eventually the other guards disbanded, and I was once again alone with Jake. We wandered back towards the castle, and I hated just how much I enjoyed his solid, cheerful presence by my side. I wanted to ask him straight out about Anhalt, but I didn’t dare.

  “You fought well,” he said, at last, breaking the silence between us.

  Despite my misgivings, I felt a warm glow at his words.

  “I’m glad you weren’t hurt yesterday.” His second comment was much quieter and made me glance over at him. His eyes, filled with concern, were fixed on me. “When I heard you were attacked while alone with Count Anhalt and Queen Ava, I was worried for you.”

  I examined his expression, trying to decide if there was something strange about his wording, or if it was just my paranoia. What exactly was there between Jake and the count?

  I had just decided to ask him straight out when a voice called to him from behind us. When he saw who it was, he made his apologies and bid me farewell.

  “My steward,” he said ruefully. “I’m afraid I’ve been avoiding him all morning.”

  I bid him a polite farewell and continued into the castle alone. The unanswered questions swirled in my mind. I attempted to shrug them off and direct my thoughts down a different path. I hadn’t gotten any answers from Jake but on another matter…

  I directed my steps towards the captain of the guard’s office.

  His head was deep in paperwork when I entered, and he looked relieved to be interrupted. When I explained my purpose, he leaned back in his chair and regarded me thoughtfully.

  “Aye,” he said, after several long seconds. “His Majesty mentioned to me that they were wanting a second personal guard for the queen. Unfortunately, the matter has been overshadowed by the events of yesterday.”

  He was silent again, and I had to repress the urge to shift restlessly on my feet.

  “I’m curious as to why you’ve brought this name to me? You could have made your suggestion directly to Her Majesty. She clearly has a soft spot for you, so I’m sure she would have accepted it readily enough.”

  I considered my words carefully.

  “You are the captain of the guard and my superior officer. It’s appropriate that any recommendation for the position should come through you. I can only give a suggestion based on a single day’s observation, and I wouldn’t trust the queen’s life to one day’s observation. You’re the one who really knows the guards under your command.”

  I held my breath, hoping my response had satisfied him.

  After another long examination, he nodded his head.

  “That is correct,” he said. “Your observations are noted. I’ll move Turner to the top of the list of candidates under my consideration.”

  I gave him my thanks and made my escape. Today had gone well, but it didn’t change the fact that I was proving to be a liability to my friend. I didn’t want to leave Ava in the lurch, though. I figured I would wait until the captain of the guard had chosen another personal guard before I handed in my resignation.

  Chapter 11 - Sarah

  I sat in one of the smaller courtyards of the castle and stared at the bubbling fountain in front of me. There was no one else in sight, so I pulled my feet up onto the bench and hugged my knees.

  Yesterday I had defended my own life and that of my friends, and I was quite proud of myself. But, I couldn’t seem to stop reliving the feeling of my knife plunging into the attacker’s body. The awful sound it had made kept playing over and over again in my head, and I was concentrating on not being sick.

  Evelyn had taken down the two other men, and yet earlier today I’d seen her heading out to the training yard, as calm as ever. I wished I could be so brave.

  Once again the sickening sound ran through my head. I shivered and closed my eyes.

  “There you are!”

  I didn’t move in response to the familiar voice, I was too busy keeping down the contents of my stomach.

  “Sarah?” The tone changed to one of concern and someone sat down on the bench beside me. A warm hand began to rub my back.

  I concentrated on the calming sensation and let the other thoughts flow away. Gradually I began to feel better. When I finally returned to something approaching normal, I opened my eyes.

  Miles was looking at me with an expression of concern. I drew a deep breath and produced a smile.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Don’t be.” His reply came quickly. “Is it about yesterday? My father told me what happened. I can’t believe you were attacked like that!” His eyes drifted away from me and became hard and angry. One of his hands curled into a fist.

  “Well, they weren’t exactly attacking me.”

  “No, of course not.” He looked only slightly appeased. “But you shouldn’t have been left so vulnerable. You haven’t had any training like your cousin.”

  I sighed. “The truth, of course, is that none of us should have been so vulnerable. I imagine Hans is currently in the process of convincing Ava that she should never leave the castle without a large escort of guards.”

  I chewed on my lip thoughtfully. “I wonder if she’ll listen to him.”

  Miles reached out and took my hand. His clasp felt strong and warm and strangely intimate. I stared at our entwined hands.

  “Well, I hope you’ll listen to me,” he said, his eyes intent on my face, “and not put yourself in such a dangerous position again.”

  I stared, mesmerised, into his warm brown eyes. He was concerned for me. He truly cared what happened to me. It was a heady thought.

  I let myself revel in it for a moment before pulling myself back down to earth. I gently extricated my hand and returned my gaze to the fountain.

  “I definitely think that would be for the best,” I said, nodding. In fact, I wholeheartedly agreed with him and would be lending my support to Hans’ plans for an armed escort.

  I glanced back at Miles and saw that he was watching me with a slightly disappointed expression. He opened his mouth to say something, and I quickly cut him off.

  “You left the ball in rather a hurry the other night. How did your chat with your father go?”

  He snapped his mouth closed, his brain clearly scrambling to catch up with the change of topic. After a moment he laughed a little guiltily.

  “Was I that transparent?”

  I laughed, too. “As clear as glass.”

  “I just get so frustrated.” He slammed one of his fists into his leg. “He complains that I don’t take my family responsibilities seriously enough, but then he goes and treats me like a child. How can I learn how to take on a serious role at court, if he doesn’t even bother to keep me informed?”

  I opened my mouth and then shut it again, deciding his question was rhetorical. Sure enough, he went on, not appearing to notice my lack of reply.

  “I know he’s planning some sort of countermove against Anhalt, and I want to be part of it. Or at least part of the planning.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “He tells me I need to live up to our family name, and I think I could if he would give me a chance. It seems pretty clear he doesn’t think I can contribute anything to his strategies.”

  I could actually hear his teeth grinding together.

  “And now he’s been called back to our family estates over some urgent matter. Personally, I think the timing seems highly suspicious, but he wasn’t interested in my opinion. He says he has complete trust in his steward and that the man wouldn’t have called him back unless it was truly important.”

  He sighed and shook his head.

  Gingerly I reached out
and placed my hand over his clenched fist.

  He looked down at it in surprise and then took a deep breath, slowly relaxing his muscles.

  “Does he have the same expectations of Annabelle?” I asked, struggling to imagine his shy younger sister getting involved in court machinations.

  “Oh, no.” He shook his head emphatically. “Annabelle is the sweetest girl in the Four Kingdoms but she would hate a life at court. Even Father has accepted that. She only came down for the coronation.”

  His eyes seemed to focus on me properly for the first time since we had begun talking of his father.

  “My apologies,” he said, with a smile. “None of this is your fault. I shouldn’t be unloading on you like this.”

  “No, don’t be silly.” I shook my head. “You can say anything you like to me. Part of being a merchant is knowing how to listen and how to keep your mouth shut afterwards.”

  He threw me a curious look.

  I grinned. “You’d be surprised how many people will talk themselves into a sale when presented with a listening ear.”

  He smiled back at me and twisted his hand under mine, capturing my fingers before I could withdraw them.

  “Sarah,” he said, his voice serious and his gaze once again focused on my face.

  My heart leapt and then began to race. I couldn’t seem to get a full breath.

  “Ahem.” The moment was broken by a loud throat clearing behind us.

  Miles looked almost savage as he wheeled around to face the intruder, but his expression changed to one of surprise when he saw who it was.

  The man looked vaguely familiar, but it took me several seconds to place him. Adelmar’s body servant. I wondered why he hadn’t accompanied the lord on his unexpected return home.

  He held out a sealed piece of parchment to Miles who took it, still looking bemused.

  “This is addressed to my father.” Miles’ voice was sharp.

  “Yes, my lord.” The servant’s face and voice were equally impassive. “Lord Adelmar left instructions that his communications should be delivered to you in his absence.”