The prince stopped laughing and looked up at Eloen. “He's dead. Brought the mountain down on top of the soldiers and himself.” The prince's words struck her in a heart like an arrow. Her hands slipped from their hold and her knees weakened as tears streamed from her face. “The idiots forced him into a corner and he brought down the mountain.” The prince laughed again then his words slurred into mumbles until he drifted off to sleep.
Eloen watched the prince sprawled on his back while her mind screamed. Thad was dead. She had failed. Going over to the small window Eloen looked up at the moon. The silvery shine of the moonlight helped sooth her broken heart. She didn’t want to believe the prince's words but a part of her knew that he wasn’t lying. She had known Thad's death was always a possibility but she had tried to push those thoughts aside, telling herself she would make it in time.
Looking back over her shoulder she saw the sleeping form of the prince on the hard floor. A thin sad smile spread across her face. “You are going to catch a cold sleeping there.” She said as she walked over to him. Staring down into his face anger bubbled up inside her and she had to fight back the urge to kick him for bringing her the news. She knew it wasn’t his fault but she wanted to take out her frustration out on something. Spotting the basin on the night table she picked it up and threw it across the room and heard the satisfying sound of it was it slammed into the opposite wall.
With her anger sated for the moment she bent down and pulled the prince's arm around her shoulder and lifted up. He was much heavier than his foppish look suggested. Struggling she was finally able to get him over to the bed. The strong stench of ale coming from her made her stomach twist in knots. “Did you drink a keg of ale yourself?” She asked the unconscious form now resting on her bed. When no answer was forthcoming she pulled the covers over the sleeping man and crawled under the covers herself.
She was tired but her mind was whirling. The fact that Thad was dead reverberated in her mind like a nagging fly that refused to go away. As she finally drifted back off to sleep Thad was still at the forefront of her mind.
Eloen awoke the next morning when the prince began to stir. Looking over at the Prince who held his head moaning Eloen's anger flared. Without thinking she kicked the prince and watched as he slid off the bed. The sound of him hitting the floor and the moan afterword made her laugh, lightening her mood even if just slightly.
Getting to his feet the prince gave her a strained look as he held his head. “May I ask what I did to deserve such treatment in the morning?” The prince asked his voice pinched and staggered as if each words caused him pain.
“You woke me up. Do I need more of a reason than that?” Eloen asked giving the prince the hardest look she could muster.
“It would seem that you don’t.” William said sounding none too pleased. “Why can you not be more agreeable?” William said as he stumbled to the water basin and began splashing the cold water on his face.
The prince's words stoked the fires of Eloen's anger. “Agreeable, like that woman last night who bowed at your feet as if she was waiting for you to use her back to wipe your feet?”
“You misunderstand me. I do not...” The prince started to say but was cut off by the icy glare Eloen shot him.
“Then forgive me your highness. Would you please vacate my room so I may make myself ready for the day?” Though her words were placating her tone was far from pleasing. The prince taking the hint made for the door with all hast. Once he was gone Eloen slumped back down on the edge of the bed and tried to calm herself.
She knew none of this was the prince’s fault. He had held up his end of the bargain. What little there was for him to do. Though she had little doubt that if there were more that he could have done he would have. She also knew that in the end it wouldn’t have been for their benefit but his own. He seemed kind but in the end everything he did was to better his own cause.
Fully awake now with little chance of going back to sleep Eloen decided to get dressed. Her first thought was to grab one of the plain dresses but the bright metallic blue dress kept grabbing her attention. It was made of three different layers of thin sink so that the colors of the ones underneath showed though making it look like it the fabric shimmer. To add to this effect small shiny beads were sown into the last layer.
Almost in a trance Eloen ran her hands over the silk fabric as she pulled it from the wardrobe. Pulling it up to her chest Eloen turned to look at herself in the small mirror on the door of the wardrobe. The blue silk matched her eyes perfectly. Without thinking about it she soon found herself putting the dress on.
Once the dress was on Eloen started working on her hair brushing it good so that it laid on her shoulders. Closing her eyes Eloen envisioned the look that would have been on Thad’s face in seeing her in such a state. At the thought of his bashful face a tear rolled down her cheek.
“Enjoying yourself?” Ballad’s voice said with more than a slight bit of amusement. Eloen turned to find the large man standing in her doorway. “Met with our dandy prince down in the main hall. He told me what he found out.” The smile faded from his face. “Are you alright Eloen?”
Eloen's tears began to stream down her face in force as she looked at Ballard's calm and reassuring face. Without a word he closed the door behind him and pulled Eloen into a strong bear hug. With her face buried in his chest she began to beat on his chest with her fists. “Why? He wasn’t supposed to be dead. Why? Why? Why?” Eloen screamed as Ballad held her tight.
Ballard never said a word he simply let her cry and beat on his chest until her cries turned into quiet sobs. When her feet gave out he caught her up in his arms and kept her from falling. When her eyes were dry, and her throat was sore she looked up at her friend. In his eyes she could see that he suffered too. He may not have been close to Thad but even if for a short time had been part of their small group. In a way he had become part of their family. “Thank you Ballard. I'm fine now. Would you mind leaving me alone with my thoughts for a short time? I will meet you down in the common room when I collect myself.” Ballard never replied but simply sat her down, gave her a sad smile and left her with her own thoughts.
Once she was alone Eloen sat down on the bed stared at the ceiling. She had no tears left to cry but that mattered little she doubted all the tears in the world could wash away the hurt she felt. Wiping her face with the palms of her hands she let out a cracked laugh. She couldn’t bring Thad back from the dead but she could make the person who caused his death pay. It wasn’t the people of Abla who were at fault but the person who pushed for the war. It was the prince’s uncle who would pay.
Her resolve set Eloen washed her face placing the silk dress in her pack along with the others. When she left the room she wore her armor openly along with her sword swinging freely at her hip. She had enough of hiding who she was. She was a soldier not some meek and mild farm girl for the men to push around and it was time they knew it.
She found Darryl, Ballard, and William sitting at one of the tables in the corner of the common room. When they saw her none of them called out but their thoughts were clear on from the look on their face and the moments of their bodies. She didn’t care if they approved or not. She didn’t have the energy left in her to continue the charade.
“Now this is a sight I must say I didn’t expect, though I can’t say I am disappointed.” William said giving her a pleasant grin.
Eloen returned his smile and bowed at her waist. “This is who I am your Majesty. I am a soldier, not a milkmaid.”
“The look suits you well.” The prince said nearly laughing at her defiant tone.
Eloen gave the prince a slanted smile. “Now that you have fulfilled your promise it's time for me to uphold mine. So what is the next step Your Majesty?”
The prince winced as Eloen put emphases on the term majesty. “I would much prefer you to call me William.” The prince said giving her a pleading look. “As for out next move I believe we should head for Copperstone. The lord
there has known my father for a long time and has little love for my uncle. If anyone is willing to aid me it would be him.”
“As you wish William. When do we leave?” Eloen said with far more bite than she intended. She tried to give him a smile but she couldn’t find the strength in herself to force one on her face.
It was obvious to anyone watching William he was trying his best not to yell at the young lady talking to him. Eloen herself was surprised at how well the prince was able to hold his calm. “We will leave at first light in the morning. I have to meet with some of the officers of the Fort. I am going to have them search the area around where the mage brought down the mountain in the hope there is a chance he might have survived.”
At the mention of Thad, Eloen’s eyes widened and she felt as if the prince had hit her in the chest. She thought of hitting him back with a quick remark but when she saw the sorrow in his eyes she lost all will to continue in the verbal fight. Sitting heavily down in a chair across for Ballard she let her face fall into her open hands.
Ballard slid Eloen a bowl of portage that he had already ordered for her. She didn’t say thank you but simply started eating. It wasn’t badly made but it would have been a lot better with a couple spoons of honey. Once the bowl was empty she looked up at the worried looks of her companions. “I am going to have a look around town.” Eloen said standing. She could tell that Ballard and Darryl wanted to object but she effectively silenced them with a stern look.
CHAPTER XIV
Once the inn was behind her Eloen let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t know why but just seeing the prince made her anger flare. She had no real reason to dislike the man but something about him just rubbed her the wrong way. A part of her feared because he was a man with power and she wasn’t used to dealing with any man in a position higher than her own in social circles.
Not watching where she was going she found her feet had carried her back to the street that ended in front of the gates of the fort. The bent and busted gates they had seen when they arrived were gone, though they hadn’t been replaced yet. In the place of the gates were twelve guards standing shoulder to shoulder. Eloen didn’t envy them the duty of having to stand there for hours on end.
One of the guards noticing her moved out from a small guard and started walking toward her. “What are you doing there?” The man said forcefully as his hand moved to the large sword strapped on his side.
Eloen's first thought was to go for her own sword and teach then man what a woman could do with a sword, but the thought was dismissed as soon as she had it. Calming herself Eloen held her arms out empty palms toward the guard. “I am part of Prince William's entourage. I heard of what had transpired here and thought I would take a look for myself.”
The guard looked her over and gave out a short laugh. “Never heard the prince kept a sword wielding wench in his company.” The look the soldier gave her chilled her to the bone. It was as if all he could see was a woman in front of him not a fellow warrior. “Makes sense the prince would keep as many swords around him as possible. That prissy little brat wouldn’t know the difference between the tip and the hilt of a sword.” The other guards began laughing at the older soldiers joke. “Now, why don’t you run back to your little prince before you get yourself in trouble?”
Eloen looked over the older man closely. She noticed the five stripes on his left collar that marked him as a sergeant. “I might do that sergeant though when I tell Prince William what I heard today I can bet your position will soon change for the worse.” Eloen replied keeping her voice calm with only a hint of a biting edge to it.
The sergeant’s sword rang as it leaped from its scabbard. “Now why did you have to go and say that? I wonder if the prince would look for a wench that got herself lost in town. My bet is he would forget about you before the sun fell from the sky.”
Eloen could tell the man didn’t really want to fight. His threats were more to silence her. If she had been a normal woman of Abla she might have fallen prey to such a tactic but she wasn’t she was a noble of Farlan, and no one was going to treat her in such a manner. “I don’t know if the prince would look for me or not, but if he did he would find more than just my body thrown in the gutter.” Eloen said as she pulled her own sword free.
Eloen didn’t wait for the man to attack but quickly covered the few paces between her and the aging sergeant and attacked swiftly. Fuelled by the anger and contempt that had built up over the past weeks her blade darted around the older soldier with grace scoring a dozen small hits before the man knew what was happening. “You think the prince keeps me around just for a pretty face?” Eloen asked as she pressed the attack forcing the man back until he lost his balance and stumbled, twisting hard on his leg and slamming into the ground. “Should I finish this little dance or are you willing to swallow your pride and get back to your post?” Eloen asked as he tapped the fallen man's neck with the blade of her sword.
“Get off me woman before you find yourself in trouble your prince can't get you out of.” The soldier growled back.
Keeping her sword at the ready Eloen stepped back and let the man off the ground. Giving her a sharp look he collected his sword that had slid a few feet away. Eloen could tell he was embarrassed and wanted nothing else but the chance to flay her alive. Never letting her eyes roam from his Eloen slid her sword back in its sheath on her side.
Once she was certain the man had given up on the fight Eloen turned her back on the soldiers and wondered off back toward the inn. She had a bit more of a spring in her step as she walked. Her nerves were still on edge and her hands were shaking in urge to turn back and finish the fight but she was able to hold herself back. Her body craved a simple fight where she didn’t have to think of anything more that the enemy. Where she could take out all of her frustration on the body of her enemy.
As she walked back a group of four children ran in front of her path. One of the older boys around the age of eleven noticed her and stopped in his tracks. He watched her as she walked down the street for a few moments then turned and ran straight toward her. Eloen wasn’t sure what the child wanted but she was in no mood to entertain them with a game.
“Is that a real sword?” The boy asked boldly.
“Yes.” Eloen answered the boy curtly.
“Can I see it?” the boy asked his eyes open wide in awe.
Eloen wasn’t sure what all the commotion was about. Abla was a nation of soldiers, surely the boy had seen a sword before. It was about this time the other children noticing the other child’s missing presence made their way over to where the two stood talking. Hoping that it would hurry the boy on his way Eloen slid her sword from its sheath. The other kids not knowing what was going on stopped in mid stride their eyes opened wide at the sight of the weapon and the lone girl in the group let out a high pitched scream.
“Wow it's a real sword. I never saw a woman carry a sword before. Are you any good with it? Have you ever killed anyone before?” The child asked his voice brimming with enthusiasm.
“I can hold my own.” Eloen said sliding the sword back in its scabbard. She looked over the other children who have now gathered behind their friend. They were a ragtag group but they were fully dressed and didn’t look to be in the need of a meal. “It has been a pleasure but I must go.”
“What do you have to do? If you need to find any place in town we can get you there.” The boy asked plaintively as she turned around.
Eloen felt something grab her arm. Her hand went instinctively to the hilt of her sword as she swung her head around. When she saw the face of the little girl Eloen nearly laughed at her own actions. “Do you need something littlebit?” Eloen asked trying to give the girl a kind smile.
“I know the best place to buy tarts.” The girl asked with eyes so big Eloen though she might drown in them.
Eloen ran her hand over her forehead trying to think of a way to escape the children's grasp. It would be easy enough to simply tell them no and walk off but she
doubted they would let her go without enough pleading to make her heart sink. She knew if she was mean they would run but she knew she didn’t have it in her to act that way towards children. “Alright I surrender.” Eloen said bowing slightly to the small girl. “Will you be so kind as to show me around the town?”
“We know all the best places.” The girl said tugging her arm as she led her down the street. The other children following quickly behind. The other children asked questions and began telling her everything from their names to what their parent’s jobs were. Eloen wasn’t surprised to find that most of the children's parents were soldiers that was except the young girls whose name was Brenda. “My mother died when I was born, and papa died a few weeks ago.”
Eloen's heart broke when the words came of Brenda's mouth. While the girl tried to keep a sunny smile on her face her eyes told Eloen that she was hurting. “Who takes care of you now?” Eloen asked worriedly.
“My friends bring me food, and a lot of the shop owners do too. It’s not too bad..... I can take care of myself for the most part.”
Eloen could see the tears welling up in the girl’s eyes as she spoke. One thing she could understand was the pain that came with losing those you loved. The fear of being left alone. Without thinking tugged the girls arm and pulled her into a tight hug. “I lost someone very important to me as well....I.... miss him a lot.” Eloen said tears threatening to fall from her own eyes.
Brenda couldn’t hold it in any longer and she began to sob. Eloen could feel the tears of the young girl as she buried her head in Eloen's shoulder. After a while the sobs quieted and Brenda pulled away from Eloen. “So you’re alone just like me?” Brenda said looking at Eloen with her puffy red eyes.
Looking around at the kids who obviously cared for the girl Eloen Gave her a big smile. “Just like you I have friends to help me but just like you when the night falls I am alone.” Eloen said not hiding to pain that the words caused her.
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