by Clark, Lydia
“Calm down, Treea. The Norbese isn’t really like that. I don’t think their ruler is interested in taking away the kingdom. He was more interested in free trade than anything else. The king wouldn’t hear of it when I returned. He told me that I was lying and that I was to stick to my previous agreement, then he tossed me into his hold for safe keeping.”
“The Duke is what I’m worried about. He would do anything to keep this free trade from happening. When he learned about the Norbese refusal to purchase the kingdom, he claimed there would be a war on their hands.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“There is only one thing to do.” Captain turned toward Dale and replied, “Kill the King and the Duke. Treea, you found the heir, so we will still have a King.”
Dale said, “You can’t be serious. Kill the King? Isn’t that treason?”
“The King has committed his own treason by trying to sell the kingdom and his people. Why should we honor such a man? If his men knew what he had planned, do you think he would still have anyone to back him, protect him?”
“Pop, do we really need to kill the King? What if we only killed the duke and let the chips fall for the King? Wouldn’t the Norbese take care of the rest?”
“True, Captain, the man only wants to retire without the responsibility. He wanted to live out his life in some sort of paradise. Though sadly he has no interest in my mother, understandable since time may have erased anything he may have felt when he was younger. That would take care of one problem. Then we would only have to deal with the Duke.”
“I think the boy has a point,” Salty Skip replied. “This is what I think we need to do.” The old captain laid out his plan of action, each of them to play a role. Everyone except for Treea. Captain Pellesi wouldn’t hear of his daughter going back into danger. She belonged on board the ship, out of harms way.
Treea didn’t want to hear of it. She was a big girl and could take care of herself. She continued to argue with her Pop over the matter until Salty Skip stepped in and told Treea the decision was made. She would be locked in her cabin if she continued to argue. Her jaw dropped but didn’t say another word.
Chapter 34
Warships gathered around the coast. The kingdom appeared to be prepared for war. Those ships, five of them, were owned by the Duke and were placed at strategic points about the harbor.
Two pirate ships were positioned on each side of the ship from the Norbese Clan as an escort in the harbor. The captain of the Norbese ship had agreed to take the King back to their country as part of the trade agreement and to take very good care of him. They also understood the hostility. The possibility of a Kingdom being sold out from under the noses of its servants was unheard of. What kind of King would do such a thing? Was he that desperate to get out of his position without having to make one more decision?
It was left up to Dale, to be the one with the task of killing the Duke. He didn’t want to do it. That is until Treea told him about her capture by him and his lieutenant. How they had come close to violating her. It made his blood boil. No woman had ever made Dale feel this way. He had to revenge her honor.
Two of Salty Skip’s men accompanied Dale to the shore with the agreement that they would make sure his mission to take care of Duke Ellington was successful. Their landing point being the cove where the dinghy boat had been left. Not one soul was to be seen on the road leading from the cove or the road toward the town or the King’s castle.
Where should they look first for the Duke? His castle, the King’s castle or should they look in the town’s inn where Captain Pellesi had been arrested.
How could you look for your opponent if you didn’t know how to think like them?
While they discussed which way they should go, a group of horsemen approached them at a crossroad. “Seize them!” Conrad shouted at his men when he saw that Dale was one of the three men.
Dale didn’t want to fight with Conrad.
Weapons were drawn from both parties. There were more of Conrad’s men than there were Dale and his two mates. Without hesitation, the three men stood with their backs to each other in defense.
“What do you want with us? There are more pressing problems than a beef with me over the King’s attention.”
“That’s the problem. The King. What have you done with him? He’s not in the castle and neither are you nor the woman. This lead me to believe that you and the woman are up to no good and have taken the King for ransom.”
“You’re a fool for thinking such a thing.” One of Salty Skip’s men spat on the ground before him. “Your precious King is about to sell your Kingdom to the Norbese Clan. Is that what you want?”
“What are you saying?”
“That’s right! He’s selling the Kingdom as we speak.” Dale added.
Swords began to lower slightly at the news. “Then what are your plans?” Conrad asked.
“We plan to stop the sale. Of course, but first, we want to stop someone’s plans of war.”
“War with whom?”
“The Duke…”
“Why would he go to war?”
“What has the duke wanted all his life?” asked Salty Skip’s man.
“The Kingdom.” Answered Conrad.
“You’re wrong.” Girdy appeared out of nowhere. No one saw her approach them from the forest edge.
“What do you know of this you wretched Goblin?” asked Conrad.
“I’ve watched the King and the Duke for more years than you’ve been alive. The King has tired of his responsibility to the kingdom. The duke wants the kingdom only for profit. He’s never cared about the position, only the wealth that comes with it. Sending people off to war to gain wealth would be his only goal.”
Conrad turned and conversed quietly with his men. Decisions…
“What do you plan to do?”
Dale replied, “We need to find the duke and stop him. Taking his life may be our only choice. A ruler that the people will follow needs to be found to take the King’s place.”
“What about you?” Conrad asked, “You’re the heir to the throne aren’t you?”
“You know the people know me. What makes you think that they would follow me? You know of my past. I don’t think I’m the right person for the job.”
“But isn’t that why you came forward? To inherit the kingdom?”
“I came forward with the hopes to help a friend in need. Her father was being held captive and I hoped that my influence of being the heir would help free him. He wasn’t freed in the manner I had planned, but none the less, my job was done. I’m not a ruler. Just a man with a mission and love for a woman.”
“You, Conrad, are the man for the job. The people know you and would follow you.” Salty Skip’s man added.
Conrad looked about him. Suddenly his men and Salty Skip’s men, including Dale were on their knee before Conrad pledging their allegiance to him.
“Led the people.” Dale pleaded.
A lone rider approached from the castle. “Conrad! Duke Ellington and some of his men are attacking the castle. The other halves of his men have been sent into town to attack the ships and find the King. Why is the King in town alone?”
“It’s begun…” Dale stated.
Salty Skip’s man said, “Dale, you ride with Conrad and his men to the castle and take care of the Duke. We will go back to the ship and take care of business as planned.”
Dale turned to Girdy. “You go to town and see that my mom stays safe. I have a bad feeling about what the Duke is capable of doing.”
“Say no more.” Girdy hurried off on her way to the town.
Chapter 35
A raid on the castle left parts of the structure engulfed in flames. The stone foundation prevented the rest of the building from burning. A poorly planned raid. Or someone’s plans had been stopped. It didn’t matter which, just that the rest of the castle still remained intact. The doors were barred from the inside to prevent the Duke from entering.
&n
bsp; Ellington could be heard over the clash of swords, ordering his men to remain firm in their fight to take the castle. Even if that meant busting through the door. He wanted to gain entry to the castle.
“Find the King!” He ordered another one of his men.
“Sir, we can’t gain access to the castle. It’s barred from within.”
“Then find something to batter the door down. Do what it takes, I want that man. He’s no right to give my heritage away.”
“But, you’re not the heir so what should that matter to you?” Conrad said. Sword raised to take on Ellington.
“I’m more than the heir than that harlot. Pig Brain, why do you contest me? You can be me right-hand man.”
“I wouldn’t want to be your right-hand man any more than a commander of your army.”
“So you will be a traitor to your kingdom.”
A swipe of the sword across a man’s throat proved to be the final strike Dale needed to free himself to join the side of Conrad.
“He’s not a traitor, Duke Ellington, you are! I have proof of how you not only killed the Queen, but also prevented her from giving him a child.”
“You have no such thing. You’re a putrid excuse of a man, no one would listen to you anyway.”
“I also know for a fact that you tried to have my mom killed when she found out that she was carrying me. Fortunately for her, she was more resourceful than you were.”
The duke continued to exchange sword strike for sword strike. Dale countered with his own sword as he protected Conrad from oncoming challenges of the Duke’s men. Would the man never tire?
Dale had thought many times again and again about what it would be like for him to be the ruler of the kingdom. Each time he ran the scenario, it wasn’t something that he had wanted. He just wanted to be someone but not a ruler. Maybe a medic, an alchemist or a shop owner, but not a ruler. There was too much headache for him to manage a kingdom, the lands, the servants, or its citizens, not to mention the armies and the trading.
Conrad was supposed to be an expertise swordsman, the leader of the King’s army. Why was it taking so long for him to kill the Duke? If they failed, what would become of his mom, Treea, or the kingdom’s citizens?
“Come on, hurry up and kill the man and get it over,” Dale muttered to Conrad.
“You think you can kill me?” Duke Ellington swung his sword toward Dale, who easily deflected the strike.
“He’s a better swordsman than you might,” Conrad replied with a strike of his own to the Duke.
One of the Duke’s men came out of nowhere and body slammed into Dale, nearly knocking him off his feet. His sure-footedness prevented him from taking the fall.
The Duke continued to fight Conrad off.
What would Dale do if the Duke killed Conrad? He couldn’t let the duke take over the kingdom. A swipe of his sword to his opponent left the man with a gash across his stomach. The man dropped his sword to keep his belly from spilling out on the ground.
Dale turned his attention back to the duke. “You want some help, Conrad?”
“Nay, I got this.”
“Don’t say I didn’t offer to help.” Dale deflected an attack from another one of the Duke’s men.
The next sound that followed didn’t sound right to Dale’s ears. Metal hitting and breaking metal. Conrad was down on the ground with the Duke ready to give the final killing swing of his sword across Conrad’s throat.
Dale deflected the sword just in time to save Conrad from a beheading from the Duke. But his other opponent finished the job for the Duke. Now it was just Dale and Ellington.
The duke swung again. Dale dropped down to the ground and rolled out of the way. He was back on his feet in a moments time. Elven quickness did come in handy. He then brought his sword low and cut upwards, slicing the Duke from his belly up to his throat. Apparently he wasn’t expecting such a swing and couldn’t deflect it in time.
Ellington grab at his stomach and his throat in shock, dropping his sword to the ground. Blood spurted from the wound in his throat along with a gurgling sound of someone attempting to speak with no air. Drowning in his own blood.
“That was for Treea. This,” Dale raised his sword to cut off the Duke’s head, speaking as he swung. “…is for Conrad.”
Duke Ellington was dead.
Shouting…
Men ran around Dale while he remained standing over Ellington looking down on the dead body. The head had rolled several feet away, stopping before one of the Duke’s men. The man looked horrified by the sight.
“Putdown your arms, the battle is over.” Captain Pellesi stood beside Dale and carefully removed the sword from his hand.
Duke Ellington’s men were kneeling down on one knee before Dale. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t ruler material. Conrad, where’s Conrad. That man was supposed to lead these people as agreed.
His body lay a few feet away, the top part of his body was covered by a cloth, unlike the Duke, whose head still lay on the ground, displayed before his men.
“Son, you’re their ruler now.” Captain Pellesi pointed to the men scattered around the grounds.
Dale composed himself. His first words to his new servants, followers. “This place is a mess. Get it cleaned up. And, take care of that.” He pointed to the Duke’s head. “I don’t want to see it ever again.”
He didn’t want to see their expressions. Dale turned away, the castle door, charred at the base, now stood open, allowing access. He had a kingdom to rule.
Chapter 36
Do Kingdoms come with instructions? If only the king were still there, he could continue to teach Dale all about what it takes to rule the land. He couldn’t even rely on Conrad helping him. Only a few people knew what the king’s action plan had been. Eat, spend money and find a woman. Well, that should be easy enough.
Dale knew many women. He also knew how to spend money. Eating wasn’t on his greatest past-times. He loved the food, just not to the extent that the King liked food.
“Shall we plan you a Banquet feast this evening?” The assistant to the cook asked Dale. He was seated in the sun room trying to put together what the Kingdom’s finances were. His mother sat beside him. She was better at math than he was.
“Banquet? What for?” Dale asked the servant.
“When the moon is full, the King always called for a Banquet in the Great Hall.”
“I hope that it wasn’t just for him.”
“Nay, just him and his counselors.”
That meant the Duke and his men, along with Conrad and a few others.
“The trading has done our Kingdom well, my son.”
“So our coffers are full?”
“Full and then some.”
Dale pondered. The Tavern in town would meet his needs. He leaned over and whispered something into his mother’s ear. She giggled at what he said, nodding.
“Delightful!” His mom replied.
“Do me a favor before planning this banquet of yours. Go to the town tavern and ask them if they would mind doing me a favor by coming to the castle. I would like to request a service of them.”
The cook bowed out of the room. They couldn’t imagine what the young king wanted with the tavern.
It had been over a month since Dale had last seen Treea. He’d seen her father a few times since then and knew his plans were to stay close to the coast of the city. The man was a sailor, a merchant, but he no longer wanted his daughter to remain living on board the ship with him. It was time she made a life of her own.
Captain Pellesi had paid for an apartment for his daughter in the midst of the city. In an area known for the upper class, this was where he wanted her to live. Not the lower side of town where Dale and his Mum used to live.
Since Dale took over the kingdom, he’d made Captain Pellesi his royal naval captain. It was an honor the Pirate had never expected to be bestowed on him.
Chapter 37
Treea spun around in the room before her P
op, showing off the dress she had chosen to wear to the banquet at the Tavern. Many people were given invitations to dine with the new king, and she was one of them.
“Treea, you look beautiful.” Captain Pellesi said.
“Pop, I still feel odd being dressed like this.”
“Don’t you worry, dear, you look lovely.” Captain Pellesi held a box which he placed on the Kitchen table. He opened it slowly. Treea couldn’t help but gasp.
An amethyst crystal wrapped in a silk cord hung from a thin chain of gold. It was beautiful. Breathtaking… The Captain placed this about Treea’s neck, complimenting her white lace dress, tight bodice, full skirt, and puffy short sleeves. Her hair, braided in a fancy, high society fashion, was laced with dried flowers.
“There, you look like a princess.”
“Oh Pop. Do you have to jest so?”
“I don’t know what you are worried about.”
“I’m not the only woman he’s to choose from for a bride.”
“We will see in time, won’t we?”
The captain draped a shawl over his daughter’s shoulders. She needed a husband, the man needed someone who would be able to help him with the functions of the castle. Who better to do so than his daughter, of course.
Treea still held a secret. It was the one thing that kept her from arguing with her pop about being made to live on land instead of the ship. Hurley. She never wanted her Pop to learn about the relationship she had with the man. It would have ruined the way her Pop regarded him. After all, it was taboo for any of them to have had the kind of physical contact that Hurley had had with Treea up until his dying day. She hoped her Pop would never learn about the two of them.
Funny how she didn’t think much about Hurley. Maybe she hadn’t loved him as much as she’d thought she had. Maybe Hurley had felt the same way too. It was just a thing of convenience and nothing more.
Dale, on the other hand, she couldn’t stop him from invading her mind. It didn’t matter what she was about, whether it was picking up a needle and learning to make one of those beautiful tapestries or knitting a shawl for to wear while the weather turned colder.