Heir to the Throne

by Andrew G. Wood

  “Get some clothes on!” he ordered before turning about and heading back into the main room of the suite.

  Loretta wrapped her thin black silky gown around her naked body and followed her brother, not bothering with the dead man beside her bed or the fact she had his blood sprayed across her. However, when she saw Sharice dead in the other room, she was not best pleased.

  “What have you done brother?” She snarled as she quickly headed over to the body of the dead woman.

  “She attacked me!” Lord Elthan replied calmly wiping the blade of his dagger on the curtains that adorned the windows. “I warned her…but she didn’t listen.”

  “Oh and you might need two new guards as well,” Lord Elthan added, pointing to the main entrance door that was still ajar from when he had entered.

  Loretta stood up straight and had the look of thunder in her eyes. “How dare you!”

  Lord Elthan held his hand up, “How dare I? I’ve had enough of your stupid games Loretta!”

  “Let me remind you, brother, you would not be here if not for me!”

  Lord Elthan made a scoffing sound, “And let me remind you that you wouldn’t be here without me taking you back in!”

  “I have done everything you have asked of me, brother,” Loretta said looking longingly back at the body of Sharice on the floor.

  “We are losing Loretta. Either you help me sort this mess out, or our family will be removed from the annals of history.”

  Lord Elthan was about the only person not afraid of his sister, despite knowing what she was and was capable of. As a result, he calmly sat down beside her.

  “My cultists are gathering to kill the boy, as you requested.”

  “Your cultists are running into a dead end. The boy has been moved, I’m certain of it…Wait, you haven’t foreseen this?” Lord Elthan said getting back to his feet.

  Loretta looked concerned, a look that Lord Elthan had not seen on his sister before.

  “I can not see him any more…There is another power at work much closer to him,” she eventually admitted.

  “What? You mean another witch…someone like you?”

  Loretta merely nodded her head, her gaze still fixated on the body of Sharice on the floor just a few yards away.

  Lord Elthan wandered somewhat aimlessly around the room, “So my sister has found her match, and my son thinks the woman he’s screwing is actually in love with him.”

  Loretta remained silent. She knew her brother well enough not to provoke his temper any further, the evidence of which was already lying dead on the floor in front of her. However, that did not mean she would let him get away with what he had done. Sharice was someone special to her, a follower who had been loyal for some time, as well as someone who had shared her bed on many occasions.

  Loretta stood up and wandered over to the row of windows that lined the far wall, giving a glorious view of the immaculate gardens beyond. She gazed aimlessly outwards deep in thought. While she loved her brother, in killing Sharice, she was beginning to question her feelings towards him. How could he kill the woman she loved? Taking a deep breath and still keeping her eyes fixated on what was happening outside, Loretta eventually spoke.

  “I will head back to Endallen. I can do no more for you brother, you are now on your own!”

  Lord Elthan remained seated on the plush chair, “As you wish dear sister. It would appear your skills have met their match anyway, and your cultists are proving no help at all.”

  A short but awkward silence prevailed, and realising there was little point in prolonging it, Lord Elthan stood up and headed for the door.

  “I’ll have you escorted out of the city tonight. I’m sure you can find your own way back,” he said, pausing just a few seconds in the open doorway.

  Knowing he was now on his own, Lord Elthan actually felt a little better, as if now the one in complete control. Frederick was a spoiled brat and useless when it came to doing anything of use, and so, Lord Elthan had now decided to take matters into his own hands. He had tried the nice and friendly approach, now he would just force the princess to sign the orders, commanding the nobles to rise up and support her. With a new and resolute determination, he headed downstairs to the main offices to get the orders drawn up ready for the princess’ royal signature of approval.

  Loretta had the handful of cultists that she kept in the capital transfer her belongings to the waiting wagons. She had no intention of saying goodbye to her brother, and while there was always love there for him, he had hurt her in doing what he had done, and she knew he must be punished for it. As to what that punishment was going to be, Loretta had not yet decided, but being as he had taken something she cared about, perhaps she should do the same. After taking one last look around the royal suite she had called her home since arriving at the palace, Loretta headed down the main staircase towards a carriage that would take her back to Endallen.

  However, as she reached the bottom step, she stopped suddenly, causing the two cultists escorting her to do likewise. Both men had dressed in the long black robes that she liked them to wear, she signalled for them to follow her. With a purpose to her step, she picked up the pace and headed to another of the royal suites, the one she knew Frederick and his bride occupied.

  “Move aside I wish to see my nephew!” She said firmly ordering the two guards on duty to let her pass.

  “You may go in, they may not,” one of the soldiers told her, lowering his hand down to the hilt of his sword. The two cultists with Loretta made a similar move, but she quickly defused any situation before it had a chance to arise.

  “Very well. I only wish to say goodbye to my nephew before I depart. You two stand and wait for me over there, I shall only be a few minutes,” she said, turning her attention from the guards to her own men.

  The two robed figures stepped back and did as had been asked, although remained just ten paces away from the two soldiers at the door.

  “May I go in now?” Loretta asked.

  The two guards looked at each other as if somehow checking with the other, it was okay for her to do so, before stepping aside and allowing her entry. Loretta, who was unarmed posed no threat, as far as either could see and as she walked into the royal suite, she spotted Frederick sitting beside his bride on one of the sofas. Seeing his aunt enter the room caught him a little by surprise, and thinking she was there for some ulterior motive he quickly got to his feet.

  While not much of what his father told him seemed to sink in, Frederick had remembered his father’s warnings concerning Loretta. She was not a person to trust, and he was to be wary when around her.

  “What do you want?” he asked, feeling a little nervous as to her sudden appearance.

  Loretta just smiled, “I mean you no harm, nephew. I’m just leaving and wish to bid you and your beautiful wife farewell.”

  Frederick stepped in front of Elysia, “Okay…safe travels Auntie,” he replied.

  “Oh, before I go I need to check the pendant she wears. Just to ensure the spell upon it is still strong.”

  Frederick was a little dubious about letting anybody near his beloved wife, but being as Loretta was the one who had created the necklace, Frederick let her pass but watched on.

  Loretta stepped forward and merely held her hand forward and placed it between Elysia’s breasts to where the pendant part of the necklace nestled. She closed her eyes and could still feel the dark power within, a spell that she had created after sacrificing several of her followers. The magic had been costly and difficult to produce, almost exhausting her for several days, but she had managed it, and it was still strong.

  Loretta calmed her senses and mumbled a few words that Frederick could not understand before letting out a loud gasp. Frederick watched on as his aunt paused a moment or two before standing up straight and turning to face him.

  “All is good,” she said with a smile, leaning forward and planting a small kiss on Frederick’s cheek. “Enjoy the pleasures of your princess, Frede
rick,” she added before walking over towards the door and letting herself out of the room. Frederick just watched on, and unsure as to what had just taken place sat back down beside his wife, taking her hand in his own and lifting it up to his lips and kissing it gently.

  Chapter 8.A family reunion.

  Luca had become a little more acquainted with life at sea, although was actually looking forward to getting back on dry land. The trip from the Casillian Isle to the Northern Marches took a little over three days, and while the seas had been relatively calm, there had been one or two moments where the waters had become a little more turbulent. Edward on the other hand, still appeared a little queasy, especially when the ship had started rolling about, but even he had managed to keep most of his food down.

  The sun was warm, although the stiff breeze that blew in from across the sea was a little chilly. However, with the sight of the Northen Marches now in view, Luca and the others all stood up on deck to look. Unsurprisingly it seemed much like other areas, in that they could see forested areas and a few settlements along the coast, and the much larger port that was also home to Whitmore Castle. Even from their current distance, they could see the vast stone building standing out in what looked like a large city built on the coast.

  “I’ve not been here before, so this is all new for me also,” Samuel admitted.

  “Really?” Luca replied, just assuming that he and Edward were the only ones not to have been before.

  “I’ve visited once before,” Theo added, “But I was quite young and don’t really remember much. Clarissa will probably recall more of the visit than I do,” he added looking over to his older sister.

  Clarissa just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “Not much more. I seem to remember it rained the entire time we were here and we pretty much stayed in our room the whole time.”

  “Are you nervous?” Edward asked standing beside Luca as the pair watched the dockside slowly nearing as the ship manoeuvred up alongside.

  “Terrified!” Luca admitted. “I never had much to do with either of my sisters before…although to be fair Imogen was always the nicer of the two.”

  Edward placed a hand on Luca’s shoulder, “Well, I’ll be with you,” he said.

  Luca glanced over and up at the young man and smiled, “Thanks.”

  Luca liked to think of Edward as more of a friend now than somebody who was merely there to keep an eye on him. While at the beginning the two of them may not have hit it off, Luca felt quite close to him, knowing that Edward was somebody he could trust and count on when it mattered. The fact that Clarissa was also making the trip seemed to have given Edward a little boost, as the man was quite clearly besotted with her, despite her superior social standing.

  As the sails were neatly furled and the thick holding ropes tossed ashore for the ship to be anchored to the dockside, Luca noticed dozens of smartly dressed soldiers, all standing in rank. Just in front of them was a man he knew to be Lord Romley, a good friend of his father, or at least he had always been led to believe. At each end of the ranks stood a soldier holding aloft the banner flags of Lord Romley, which fluttered and flapped uncontrollably in the brisk breeze. As the ship rocked just slightly when it finally came to a halt, the gangplanks were instantly pushed across to allow them to disembark.

  Thankfully, Luca could leave the ship in a much more dignified way than when he had boarded it. Although in hindsight, he thought being carried around in a large trunk had been kind of fun, it was just that he hadn’t thought so at the time. Waiting patiently for everybody to get into position, Luca watched on as Lord Romley seemed to cordon off this area of the docks. There were dozens of soldier’s clearing the area, and while not everybody seemed keen on moving aside for the recently docked ship, they weren’t given a choice.

  The handful of soldiers that had travelled from the Casillian Isle surrounded both families and Luca, before finally giving the word for them to cross over the walkways and on to dry land. Luca thought it all seemed a little too over the top, especially as Lord Romley had cleared the area, but just decided it was easier to go with the flow. As the planks beneath them bowed and bounced a little from the stomping of so many feet at one time, Luca had to adjust his stance to steady himself, even going as far as having to reach out and hold on to Edward’s arm.

  “You okay?” Edward asked.

  “Sorry, just never seem to get the hang of this bit,” Luca replied.

  Once off the ship and on to the quayside, the guards of the Casillian Isle remained firmly around Luca and his group as Lord Romley approached. Luca thought how strange it all was, almost as if one lot didn’t quite trust the other. Deciding to make the first move, Luca stepped forward, quickly followed by Edward who now had his hand on the hilt of his sword. Noticing this, Luca quickly gave the signal for him to relax a little, “No need,” he said trying to remain calm.

  “Let me pass,” Luca said trying his best to give his voice a certain air of authority. Thankfully, after glancing back to see who it was that had made the request, two of the soldiers at the front parted for him to continue forward.

  Lord Romley stepped to within a few yards of him and got down on one knee, bowing his head in the process. While Luca may not have been dressed in all his finery, it seemed Lord Romley knew exactly who he was.

  “Sire. It is good to see you are safe and well. Please accept my deepest sympathies for your losses. Your father was a very dear friend of mine.”

  In truth, Luca hadn’t been particularly close to either of his parents but being as the words seemed genuine and sincere, Luca thanked him.

  “The Northern Marches are with you, Sire.”

  “Thank you again,” Luca said, unsure what else to say. Although he had always known that he was due to be king, all this protocol was still somewhat foreign to him.

  “You and your guests are welcome,” Lord Romley added.

  Luca turned and introduced those with him, although Lady Dalby and Lady Oakley he already knew.

  “This is Edward. He is my personal bodyguard.”

  Luca watched as Lord Romley gave Edward a somewhat confused look; as if wondering why somebody so young was deemed suitable to keep him protected.

  “Where ever I go, he goes,” Luca added, just to make sure Lord Romley understood.

  “As you wish, Sire. Please, if you would all like to follow me, I have your sister waiting for you back at the castle.”

  Without any further delay, Lord Romley signalled to his troops, and they turned about and started moving, although always keeping on the outside of the smaller group from the Casillian Isle.

  Whitmore seemed a strange place, in that it seemed to be laid out over a large area. Whereas most of the other towns and cities Luca had visited saw many of the buildings crammed together, here it was the complete opposite. The roads were wide, and the buildings interspaced with side streets or avenues of trees and hedges. From what he could see, Whitmore looked a nice clean place, and at its heart looking down on the rest of the city was the castle.

  Built on an area of land slightly elevated from all the buildings that surrounded it, the castle was surrounded by its own fortified wall. Luca could see several circular turrets positioned along it, and was impressed by the heavy wooden gates and portcullis that protected the entranceway. Passing through the stone archway, they emerged in a large and spacious courtyard which led to a rather grand set of steps and on to a large iron-studded set of doors. Although all well built, Luca could tell that this was a place built for the purpose of war and not for show, as the palace was. Everything here was constructed with defence in mind, although it was clear Lord Romley and his family had tried to make it a little more homely by having two large planters positioned in the courtyard either side of a small water feature. Each planter was filled with bright and colourful flowers around the outer edges and some taller wide leaf plants at the centre.

  There were dozens of soldiers both on guard duty and hurriedly taking up positions at the ga
tes now Luca and the others were inside.

  “Welcome to Whitmore Castle, Sire,” Lord Romley announced as he led them up the wide steps towards the doors. One of the soldiers on duty opened one of the doors and left the way open for them to go inside. They were greeted by a large bright foyer plenty big enough for all of them and perhaps a dozen more to stand in if they so chose. Yet waiting with her husband at her side was a young woman Luca knew only too well.

  “Imogen!” he said with a smile, never thinking he would be pleased to see one of his sisters.

  “Sire,” Imogen said with a smile bowing her head slightly and dropping to a curtsey as he approached her.

  Luca was a little taken aback by the formal greeting and realised this was no ordinary family reunion as Imogen’s husband, George, then bowed his head. This was his sister clearly making a statement indicating that Luca was indeed the true leader of Arandor, even though she was much older than he was.

  “It is good to see you are well,” Luca said returning his sister’s smile, “We all thought the worst for a little while,” he added.

  Luca wasn't sure whether it was correct protocol, but he introduced the rest of his travelling party to Imogen and her husband, even including Edward.

  “Please, I will have you all shown to your rooms, and perhaps we can chat a little later about what’s been going on,” Lord Romley suggested once Luca had finished talking.

  “I’ll assume your guard stays in the same room?”

  Luca glanced at Edward, and while it might have been fun to see the look on his face to suggest he should be put in the barracks, Luca didn’t have the heart to do so.