“Hey Josh. What are you still doing up at this hour?” Caleb asked with a soft smile that Joshua could tell was fake.
“I could ask you the same question. What’s on your mind?” Joshua asked as he cautiously approached his cousin. To Joshua, Caleb was more than just a cousin—he was his best friend, so the fact that Caleb was standing by himself late at night looking as if the world had collapsed all around him, told Joshua that something was wrong. He knew getting information out of Caleb would be difficult, especially on a night like that one.
“Couldn’t sleep. I just have too much on my mind.” Caleb admitted as he hunched his shoulders over and turned his attention back to the moon.
“What were you thinking about?” Joshua asked as if he didn’t know. He knew all too well why Caleb, who was normally one of the most optimist people he had ever met, would seem so down in the dumps—only he wanted Caleb to say it—at least to get it off his mind for the night.
“Can you believe it’s been eighteen years already?” Caleb asked as he rubbed his hands together, his eyes were still focused on the night sky. His eyes were so distant, like he wasn’t really there, and Joshua knew why, it had been eighteen years since his mother died and his father took off without a word, leaving poor Caleb alone with no one to take care of him, but his aunt’s best friend, who he would later accept as his second mother.
Joshua sighed then placed one of his hands on Caleb shoulder.
“I still remember that day like it was yesterday—like it just happened and I’m still fighting trying to make him stay.” Caleb continued.
“I know man.” Joshua said, softly.
“Why did he have to leave us? Why did he choose them over us? Was I not good enough? Did I do something wrong?” Caleb asked as he tried to fight back the tears in his eyes. Caleb was never one to cry, if anything, he was the toughest person Joshua had ever met, however, when it came to his father, his guard was always down.
“It wasn’t you, Caleb. It was them, they got to him. They corrupted him. You were only a child and he chose to leave you and your mother.” Joshua said as he tried to comfort his cousin. This was a ritual for them. Every year on the same night, Joshua would find Caleb in the west balcony looking up at the moon—wondering how different his life would have been if his father would have stayed with him. For years, Caleb had asked those same questions, and as much as he tried to deny that he really cared about his father, Joshua knew different. They had grown up together like brothers, since Caleb was abandoned, with Joshua paying close attention to his older cousin, especially when Caleb would sneak off by himself to the places he and his father had gone.
Caleb sighed, “I know. You tell me this all the time, but I still can’t help how I feel,” he admitted.
“The way you feel, is understandable. Anyone who has been through what you have been through, would be acting the exact same way.” Joshua said, trying to reassure his cousin.
Caleb shook his head, “True,” he whispered.
“But enough about this, let’s talk about how weird the moon is.” Joshua said, trying to change the subject and get his cousin to smile.
“Yeah it is pretty weird.” Caleb admitted, “But it’s not the first time I’ve seen it.”
“Right, it was eighteen years ago, right?”
Caleb sighed, “Yeah, eighteen years ago, a night to remember.” He then suddenly turned towards his cousin. “You should turn in, it’s late.
“After you.” Joshua replied.
Caleb laughed then shook his head. “Fine.” They both knew that Joshua would never leave Caleb alone on a night like that one, not without escorting him to his room first.
“Your highnesses.” A soldier said, interrupting them.
Joshua and Caleb turned their attention from each other and looked at the solider. He was as tall as a mountain but always slouched over, making him appear a lot shorter than he really was—almost like he was too ashamed of himself to stand tall and firm. He reminded Joshua of a bagger by the way he dressed, as well as the way his eyes looked when he was explaining things—almost like they were his only hope and he needed them to provide for him.
“Yes, soldier.” Joshua asked.
“The Grand Duke sent me to fetch you, Prince Caleb.” The soldier said as he bowed before the two princes. “He says that we have found the village.” Caleb and Joshua looked at each other, and then back at the soldier in disbelief. After eighteen years of searching, could they really have located the village where they were? Caleb shook his head and turned his back toward both Joshua and the solider.
“Impossible,” were the first words out of Caleb’s mouth. “We have been searching for them for years, and in all that time, they have never slipped up. You mean to tell me, that he has finally made a mistake?”
“I am not sure your highness, but the Grand Duke’s spies are everywhere, and we all know how good they are.” The soldier reminded him.
“Where is this village?” Joshua asked, curious.
“On the outskirts of the kingdom. The Grand Duke says, if we leave now, we should make it there by morning.” The solider explained. His eyes were still glued to the ground as if he were afraid that if he met their gaze, he would be turned to stone. “.”
Joshua’s attention turned to Caleb, who looked as if he were conflicted with the idea of possibly seeing his father again.
After what seemed like an hour, Caleb finally spoke, “Tell Hugo I’ll be done in a minute.” He ordered.
The solider bowed, then hastily made his way into the castle to inform the Duke, while Caleb and Joshua walked down the long candle lit hallway towards Caleb’s room.
Neither Caleb nor Joshua spoke as they made their way down the long hallway. The walls were painted red with pictures of royalty both past and present hung on them, all looking as if they were staring right at the young princes. In front of every other wall sat a table with a vase on top, with flowers inside giving the hall a pleasant smell.
“Caleb,” Joshua finally said, once they reached Caleb’s room.
Caleb turned around and faced his cousin. Joshua could tell that Caleb knew what he was going to say before he said it. They had been looking for his father and the girls for years to no avail, every time coming up empty handed and each time Caleb would come back feeling defeated and useless. This time would have the same results—Joshua believed.
Caleb placed his hand on his cousin’s shoulder and looked into his eyes. “Before you say anything, I just want to tell you that I am truly grateful for your concern, however, you know my position. I’m not just a prince, I’m a solider, and if I don’t go, I don’t deserve to be the second in command.” He explained.
Joshua sighed then looked down. “Okay, just be careful.” He warned.
Caleb smiled, then opened the door to his room, “I will” he said, as he walked into his room and closed the door behind him.
Joshua then turned and headed toward his room, hoping that everything would work out.
3
The next morning after breakfast, Elizabeth made her way toward the barn. It was one of the biggest in the entire village and housed more animals than Elizabeth cared to count. Her father was a merchant and because of that, he spent many months away from home, leaving Elizabeth to be cared for by either Renee or Jasmine’s parents. As she made her way through the big red doors that led into the barn, Elizabeth couldn’t help but notice the smell. Normally, she wouldn’t mind the potent smell of manure and cow dung. Mostly because she had grown used to the smell over the years, after having to tend to the animals for her father whenever the servants in charge couldn’t. However, this smell was different. It was almost like oil and blood and it made Elizabeth’s head feel as if she were being stabbed repeatedly by a dagger.
“Is someone in here?” She asked. Her voice was a bit shaky as she cautiously made her way from one end of the barn to the other—slowly turning her head to make sure that no one could pop out at her. After five minut
es of searching, Elizabeth sighed then went to work. She started by picking up a silver bucket that was located just outside one of the horses’ stalls and began to fill it up with feed. After she had finished with the pigs, she gingerly made her way toward the horses.
“Excuse me.” A male’s voice said. The voice was pleasant, almost warm, however, his sudden arrival caused her to drop the bucket of feed and she let out a tiny scream.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you miss.” He said as he knelt down and began to pick up the feed.
She just stood there and watched as his muscles flexed, while he swiftly gathered up her belongings. His hair was shoulder length and brown. He wore a short sleeve black shirt with short gray pants that exposed all his muscles and on his back he carried a long sword, however, she was too busy staring at his muscles to notice it. His sudden appearance made her consider giving up the idea of going to the capital and maybe settling with him—that was if her father would let her.
Once he finished gathering her things he stood up and handed them to her. “Here you go miss,” he said, politely.
She looked at the dark stranger's face for the first time. He had a chiseled jaw with a well-formed bone structure and broad shoulders. He was tall with the most beautiful soft hazel; almost yellow eyes she had ever seen. A flustered smile crossed her lips as he smiled at her, showing off his perfect teeth and dimples. “Thank you.” She said, with a bashful smile, as she gratefully accepted the bucket like it was a ring and he had just proposed.
He extended his hand to her, “I'm Rico, Rico Cordova.”
She looked at his hand and extended hers. His grip was firm but there was something about the way he held her hand that made her feel as if the world had stopped and they were the only two left. “Elizabeth Kimache. It's nice to meet you.” She said with a flirtatious smile—hoping he’d catch on.
The moment she said her last name, his expression changed from kind to excited, as if he had just been sworn into knighthood by the king himself. “Kimache?”
“Yes.” She said, confused as to why he was so excited about her last name, while secretly hoping that their parents had agreed for the two of them to get married and he was happy that she didn’t look like a hyena.
“Tell me child, how old are you?” He demanded rather than asked.
Child? Do I really look like a child to him? She thought to herself and at the same time feeling as if she had been hit on the head with a ton of bricks. Her brown eyes glared at him, as if he were the scum of the earth, and it was her job to get rid of him, “I don't think that's any of your business, sir, and I'm not a child. Just state your business and be on your way, I have a lot of work to do.” She snapped. She didn’t know if she was mad at him for calling her a child, or if she was mad at herself for looking so young. If someone as handsome as him thought she was a little girl, then what chance did she have outside the village? All of a sudden she felt depressed and began to reconsider her idea of going to the capital and thought of staying home to sulk instead.
Rico bowed his head a little and closed his eyes as if he were paying respect to an old soldier. “You're right, it is none of my business and you are not a child. For both I apologize.”
Elizabeth smiled, it was something about the way he apologized that made her feel that he was sincere—either that or he was too cute to stay mad at. “Thank you for your apology.” She placed the bucket back in the horse’s stall then turned to look at him.
He was staring at her curiously, almost as if she were some kind of mythical creature she had read about in one of the many books her father kept in his library.
“What?” She asked, feeling a bit flushed.
“Nothing. It’s just last time I saw you, you were a baby, now— “
Her eyes brightened, “We’ve met before?” She asked, interrupting him while thinking; is this fate? The fact that they had met before and were meeting again after so many years, only confirmed her first thought that he had come to take her as his wife, and she would happily accept.
He smiled, and it wasn’t just a normal smile. It was a smile so bright that she had to stop herself from staring at it and smiling hard. “Yeah a long time ago.” He admitted.
“So what brings you here now?” She asked, feeling a bit more at ease while hoping he would just skip the ritual of talking to her father and just marry her then and there.
He stood there for a while as if he had forgotten something then spoke, “I need to speak with your father.” He said, sternly.
She looked at him puzzled, as if the words he had just spoken to her were foreign, “My father? Why do you need to speak to him?” She felt her heart beat faster; it almost felt like it was trying to escape her chest, with her hand being the only thing keeping it in place. Am I right? Is he really here for me? She thought to herself. This is happening so fast. Who should I have as my maid of honor?
“I'm sorry, I can't tell you.” He said, interrupting her thoughts, “What I have to say is for his ears only.” He informed her.
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at him flirtatiously, “I understand.” She said softly, grinning from ear to ear, while thinking. Sorry girls, looks like I won’t be going to the capital with you, I already made my choice. She then let out a laugh.
“What’s so funny?” He asked, curious.
She smiled and shook her head, as if to say ‘nothing’ then turned to walk out of the barn. “This way.” He followed her out of the barn and she shut the door behind them, it was then that she noticed blood dripping from his arm under a bloody red towel. Alarmed, she ripped a piece of her dress and grabbed his wounded arm. He tried to pull it back, but she stopped him. “Hold still,” she warned as she removed the blood stained towel from his arm. The wound was so deep that she could almost see the bone, while the blood continued to ooze out like a geyser. Without warning she pulled him over toward the well and picked up a bucket full of water.
“What are you doing?” He asked, both shocked and confused at how strong she was.
“You’re bleeding, I’m trying to make sure you don’t die.” She informed him. “What happened to you anyway?” She asked, as she poured water over the wound in order to clean it.
“Ouch.” He hissed. His arm looked like it was throbbing and she knew she was not making it feel any better; however, she could tell that he was enjoying her doctoring. “I was attacked on the way here.” He explained, as she vigorously worked on cleaning and bandaging his wound. Her eyes were focused on the task at hand, never looking up once—it was as if she were afraid that if she took her eyes off of it, his arm would fall off.
“By what, a spear?” She asked, once she had finished, finally taking her eyes off of his arm.
He laughed, then moved his arm back and forward.
“How does it feel?” She asked, watching him moving his arm back and forward.
“Different.” He admitted.
“Different good or different bad?” She asked, begging for a compliment.
“Good, it feels different from the way I had bandaged it.” He said, admiring her handiwork.
“Of course, you didn’t have it wrapped around you tight enough, if you would have kept on going without getting it looked at, you probably would have bleed to death.” She explained.
He smiled that beautiful smile again then said, “Well then, thank you for saving my life.” He said with a playful bow.
“You’re welcome sir.” She said, playful as well. “But you didn’t answer my question, who shot you?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see them.” He explained.
“Right,” she said, sarcastically. “Well follow me, the house is this way.” She had a feeling he was lying but decided not to ask any more questions, at least not at the moment; instead, she led him to a big brown house at the top of the hill. It was one of the biggest houses in the village, and sat on 12 acres of land. The house was blocked by trees and fences, with a direct route to the fores
t. The only houses close by, were her friends Renee and Jasmines’; everyone else lived further down the hill.
“So how do you know my father?” She asked, trying to focus on the house but felt her eyes being drawn back towards his arm, hoping that more blood wouldn’t come out.
“He and my father grew up together, they've been best friends since the academy.” He said, his eyes focused intensely on the house with a look of urgency on his face.
“I see, that's why you got excited when I told you my last name?” She said softly, still holding on to hope that he was there to honor the deal their parents had made—after all, what other reason would he have to see her father? And from the looks of him, he could be a soldier or knight come to take her back to his land after receiving permission from their fathers. Elizabeth let this idea roll through her mind as they gradually made their way up the hill to the house, which was now in closer range. Whatever it was that he had to talk to her father about had to be extremely important for him to risk getting hurt over.
“Yes, I knew that you were John's daughter because no one else has that name.” He informed her.
“Oh.” She said, unsure of what else to say. “By the way, I'm 18 today.” She said, with a shy smile, but feeling triumphed over his earlier comment.
They stopped in front of the house and he turned to look at her. “Already?” He asked, as if he were thrilled she were a lot older than he thought she was. “Last time I saw you, you were a baby, and now you’re practically a grown woman.”
“Not a child,” She added.
“No, definitely not a child.” He said, amused.
“As long as you know.” She turned towards the door in front of them and opened it.
They said nothing as they strolled down the long hallway towards a set of double brown doors. Paintings hung from every wall of random wilderness. Elizabeth had asked her father, why they never had their portraits panted, but he would only reply back by saying they didn’t need it and he preferred seeing the live person over a picture. She just saw it as him being cheap because they cost a pretty penny to have them done
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