Knight's End (The Knight Trilogy)

by Montgomery, Jami

  She couldn’t stay here. She had no life in this palace, this country anymore. Her life lay beyond the castle walls, in a little cabin in the woods. Her life lay stone cold in the palace somewhere, being prepared for a warrior’s burial. Would King Donn and Prince Talbot take Aston back to Fridel with them to be buried? Would they return his body to his sister and father?

  A soft knock at the door made Jade jump. She threw the wedding dress to the ground and returned to her bed before answering with a quiet, “You may enter.”

  Prince Talbot walked in. His broken arm hung limp in its sling, and his neck was bruised from where her brother had tried to kill him. Talbot walked to her, sitting beside her on the bed, which shocked her. Even Aston had been more formal around her to begin with.

  The prince turned to her, then. His eyes were red and moist, his cheeks holding clear trails where his tears had fallen. Jade was surprised; the man had never seemed to care about Aston before, when he’d ruined his life. What had changed?

  “I wanted to apologize to you, Princess Jade,” he began. Jade nodded, encouraging him to continue. “I feel that this is my fault. If I hadn’t.. if I could have..” Unsure of what to do, Jade patted Talbot’s shoulder gently, careful not to jar his arm. Talbot reached up with his good hand and set it atop Jade’s. “This isn’t right. This isn’t how it was supposed to end,” he told her.

  “I know, Talbot. I don’t blame you.”

  “What will you do now?”

  Jade looked away, thinking. She knew what she had to do. Could she trust Talbot? “I plan to leave Adion. I plan to never return, and I plan to find the person who killed Aston.”

  “Do you have any idea who could have done it?” Talbot asked her.

  Jade nodded. “I have guesses. For now, I want to leave.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “Back to Fridel, with Delgrab and Alys. I think they will have me, and someone has to tell them about Aston.”

  Talbot nodded his agreement. “I want to help,” he announced.

  Jade turned to look at him. “Excuse me?” she questioned.

  “I want to help you. I want to find his killer, too. I want to be able to live with this guilt. I think this is what I am supposed to do.”

  Jade smiled at the prince. He had come so far since she had met him. He was a kind man now. He would make a great king. “What about your father?” she asked him.

  Talbot shrugged. “What about him?”

  Jade smiled and pulled Talbot into a hug before standing and going to her wardrobe. She grabbed a bag and quickly packed it. She would have laughed at the irony of the situation if she wasn’t so sad.

  “How do we go without being noticed?” Talbot asked her.

  Jade glanced at her window and smiled. “I have an idea.”

  An hour later, she’d been to the throne room and retrieved Aston’s satchel, telling her mother and father that she needed it to part with her feelings. Her father had objected, but the queen had been more than happy to allow Jade to take it. Now, she was climbing down the grey walls of the palace backwards, holding onto the rope from Aston’s grappling hook. Talbot had gone through the palace and out the front door, his hurt shoulder not allowing him to climb down.

  As soon as her feet touched the ground, Jade felt her heart lift a bit. She’d felt too cramped, being inside the palace. The place that had once been her home held nothing but bad memories. She turned to take one last look at it before blowing a kiss to the moss covered walls and to her knight, who was still somewhere inside. Then she turned and followed after Talbot, racing him to the stables. She tacked her horse slowly, watching as Sebastian helped Talbot tack Red and then gave the prince a hand up.

  “Can you ride with one arm?” she questioned.

  Talbot smirked at her. “How do you think I travelled here?” he answered.

  Jade watched in awe as the prince maneuvered his big bay with his knees, holding the reins in only one hand. She smiled at him before finishing Sterling and mounting. Sebastian handed her Edward’s reins as well, and she sadly smiled down at him.

  “Leaving again, Princess Jade?” he asked her, a twinkle lighting up the old man’s eyes.

  Jade nodded and leaned down to kiss the man on his wrinkled cheek. “Thank you, Sebastian, again,” she told him. She followed Talbot out of the stables and onto the path leading away from Adion. Talbot broke Red into a gallop and Jade followed, urging Sterling faster. Aston’s satchel bounced against her back as she rode, and she felt comfortable, having him so close.

  She vowed to herself that she would catch Aston’s murderer or die trying. She was grateful to have Talbot to help her, and she knew Delgrab, Alys, and even little Richie would do all they could to help as well. She clung to Aston’s sword, which she held in her lap, laid across the saddle, and smiled. She would learn to fight with the blade. She would become strong and agile, quick and sure-footed. This would be her weapon from now on. It had been chosen for her.

  Chosen for her at her Knight’s End.

  About the Author

  Jami Montgomery is a twenty-two year old author from South Texas. She spends every second she has writing, reading, and buying countless books. Chances are, if you can’t find her, she is furiously typing away on her computer or buried in a book somewhere. Or lost in a bookstore.

  Knight’s End is Jami’s first published work, and she looks forward to sharing more stories with her readers, family, and friends.

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