Seize the Crown

by Gemma Perfect

  “So, who’s watching the King? What about Wolf?”

  “Wolf was attacked by Weaver. We think he’s still unconscious – at least he’s not been in here looking for Millard. No one is watching the King, but he’s tied up. Weaver will come straight back.”

  “So, what do we do?”

  “Well, you need to rest and I need to...”

  “What? What do you need to do?”

  “Nothing. I’ve done enough.”

  WEAVER FOLLOWS FINN, Della and Addyson into the cottage. “I think you’ll be fine here. I’ll go back to the castle, watch the King, until either Ceryn finds Everleigh or whoever took her brings her back. As soon as we know something, we’ll come and get you. Addyson, you’ll be able to go home.”

  “Thank you. I want to thank all of you. It’s been a horrible few days. I’ll be glad to go home.”

  “I’ll miss you, little lamb.” Della takes hold of Addyson’s hand and holds it to her cheek.

  “Will you visit me?”

  “Try keeping me away.”

  Weaver nods to Finn to follow him out. “I won’t be any help if anyone comes looking for the princess.”

  “I don’t think they will. No one knows Everleigh was here. If she has been captured she won’t give up Addyson’s whereabouts. Just be vigilant. Try to keep them calm. I’ll see you soon.”

  Weaver claps Finn on the shoulder and then heads back to the castle. The King is tied up, but Weaver will feel better when he’s being guarded as well.

  CERYN IS SICK OF SCREAMING out the same word over and over again.

  Everleigh.

  It’s pointless. She won’t be roaming the woods around the river; whoever has her will have hidden her or locked her up...

  Shaking her head, Ceryn wonders if it’s too obvious. Would Millard have had her locked in the tower? It’s worth looking and if she’s not there, she’ll go back to the King’s rooms, stay with Weaver and wait until Everleigh is brought back to the castle.

  She rides faster than ever and tethers Pitch in the stable. The tower is unmanned and even as she pushes open the door; she knows that if Everleigh were in here, it would be locked up and heavily guarded.

  She has to check though, and once she has, she heads inside to help Weaver. She only takes one wrong turn on her way to the King’s rooms but finds her bearings pretty quickly.

  She pushes open the door, expecting to find Weaver standing outside the closet, standing guard, and Millard in an unconscious heap on the floor inside, neatly tied up, waiting for Everleigh to dole out the appropriate justice.

  But the room is empty.

  No Weaver.

  She throws open the closet door.

  No King.

  Cursing, she storms out and heads for Ginata’s room.

  Ginata

  WHAT HAVE I DONE? WHAT have I done? What have I done?

  The question reverberates through my brain, my skull, my soul.

  Will is sitting beside me in my receiving room, gingerly touching the tender spot on his head, oblivious to the facts that I have withheld from him.

  Millard, the King of the Realm, who took the throne by murdering his brother, is not tied up.

  Because I freed him.

  He killed his brother, who had killed their father. He killed Halfreda, who was the wise woman in this castle before me, he killed Everleigh’s first love – Archer and he killed her handmaiden, Lanorie.

  Since his coronation, since I moved to the castle to take Halfreda’s place, I have feared for my own life on more than one occasion.

  I know that this King, this young man, is a menace. He is dangerous, impulsive, terrifying really, and yet...

  How can you explain something that you do not understand?

  I am not a foolish woman. I pride myself on being clever and intuitive, level headed and good hearted.

  But I can also tell you that even through my fear, I could accept that Millard was handsome, alluring, even.

  I am a woman unused to the attentions of men. I am innocent of so much and yet when he kissed me – twice – my head turned and my heart thawed.

  But now I feel sick that I have betrayed Everleigh.

  The Kingmaker who lived, the Kingmaker who should rule. I have sworn to put her on the throne, sworn to help her and thwart her brother and yet I have aided him.

  But when I saw him tied up, vulnerable and hurting, attacked and unable to defend himself, I wanted to help; I had to help. My heart told me to help him and I did.

  I cannot explain it or justify it.

  But I did it.

  I take a drink from the flagon of ale on the table and ask Will if he wants any. He shakes his head and I move to his side. “Are you alright?”

  “Lanorie’s dead.”

  I nod my head. The murderous King did it. And yet I still have a soft spot for him in my heart.

  I disgust myself.

  “She is. I’m sorry.”

  Will has loved her for a long time, the fool and the handmaiden, Everleigh’s handmaiden, like a silly tale or a song. And what would my song be? The King and the wise woman? Not so wise, really.

  “My head hurts, I can’t...”

  “Rest. There is nothing we can do until we find Everleigh. We may have Millard’s crown but we have nowhere to put it.”

  “It’s my fault we lost Everleigh.”

  “No, Will. It’s Brett’s fault. He took her.”

  “I don’t remember anything...”

  “Maybe that’s for the best.”

  I leave Will resting, hurting, worrying and I walk through to the other room. Millard’s crown is sitting on the table where Addyson put it.

  I touch it and wonder again at what I have done and what I have become.

  When I dole out lotions and potions I always give my advice to go along with it. I give it freely and I think I’m pretty clever, pretty good at telling others what to do.

  What should I do?

  I have betrayed a friend. I have helped a murderer. I have fallen in...what? Love? No, I do not love him – I know how horrible he can be, how evil his actions are. Lust? I find him attractive but I cannot say that I am overcome with wantonness at the sight of him.

  I cannot explain or understand and so what do I do now?

  If I continue to help Everleigh, despite my betrayal, do I tell her what I have done? Would she forgive me? She is forgiving. She is kind and just and so wonderfully perfect. And I am dark and cruel. We finally had what we wanted. Millard was helpless, his crown stripped from him, his throne ready for the taking and I let him go.

  I will help Everleigh but I do not want to tell her what I did, who I am, what I have become.

  A traitor.

  On both sides.

  Millard thinks I serve him but I aid Everleigh.

  Everleigh thinks I serve her but I aid Millard.

  Maybe the only person I truly serve is myself?

  2

  ARCHER HASN’T MOVED from Everleigh’s side. He is determined that when she stirs, when she opens her eyes, he will be the first thing she sees. And then he will be able to explain to her, hopefully without her fainting again, what happened to him and how he is here.

  He winces in pain, remembering the coronation, his fight with Millard. Waking up hours later, wrapped up in old blankets, next to a fire, a disgusting concoction being dripped slowly into his mouth. The pain in his side, his heart, his head.

  “I will never be able to thank you enough for what you did for me,” he says to the teacher.

  The teacher smiles and walks to his side, touching his head softly. “Everleigh needs you. You need her. It wasn’t your time to die.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because you are alive.”

  “Funny. You think I’d be used to you talking in riddles by now.”

  “Sorry. I have no answer for you. I don’t know why I gave you the body shield. I don’t know why I came back. I don’t know why I thought I could save you.”r />
  “But you did.”

  “I did. And you are glad?”

  “Of course. No one wants to die.”

  “Some do.”

  “Who?”

  “An old man, ill and confined to bed, his brain sharp but his body broken may be glad to end it all.”

  “Fine. Some do.” Archer closes his eyes. The teacher – who still hasn’t revealed his real name despite Archer asking him constantly – is clever and wise but also exhausting.

  “Sorry if I irritate you.”

  “You do. But only because I’m in pain and worried about Everleigh.”

  “She’ll be fine and so will you. Your body is almost healed on the outside which means it is healing on the inside.”

  They are both silent, watching Everleigh, her breathing steady and her colour slowly coming back.

  CERYN TAKES THREE WRONG turns in her haste to find Ginata’s rooms and is cursing under her breath by the time she pushes open the door. Ginata looks up, pulling her fingers away from Millard’s crown. “Any sign of her?”

  Ceryn shakes her head. “No. And Millard’s gone. And Weaver.”

  “Weaver took Addyson back to the cottages. With Della and Finn. We thought she’d be safer there.”

  “And the King?”

  Ginata shrugs, deceit making her movements painful and slow, her face a practised mask of innocence. “I don’t know.”

  “You haven’t seen him? Wolf?”

  “Nobody’s been in here. It’s just me and Will.”

  “How is he?”

  “Come and see.”

  They walk through to Ginata’s work room, where Ceryn smashed a bowl over the King’s head, knocking him unconscious.

  Will groans as he sits up. “Hello. Well done on capturing Millard.”

  “He’s gone.”

  “Where?”

  Ceryn lets out a shout of frustration. “No one knows. Millard’s gone. Everleigh’s gone. Weaver left the King. I left Weaver. I should have killed Millard while I had the chance. Damn him.” She kicks at the table and swears when she hurts herself.

  “Damn me.” Will sits up, moaning in pain. “I should have looked after her better. I should have protected her.”

  “You tried. Brett knocked you out.”

  “That’s no excuse. I should have run faster with her, gone a different way, hidden somewhere.”

  “Will. We know how much you love her. You’d never see her hurt. It wasn’t your fault. Really.”

  Ginata takes a deep breath. “Whoever has Everleigh will bring her back here. They cannot mean to harm her. Millard would want her alive. We’ll just go back to his rooms and wait.”

  “But he’s gone. What if he’s gone to her? To whoever has her. She’s not safe.”

  “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do.”

  “We need to go to the cottages,” Will says, standing up and swaying slightly. “We all need to be together and then we can make a plan.”

  “Our plans don’t work.” Ceryn’s voice is as angry as her face. “We had him. We have his crown. I could scream.”

  “We have no idea where either of them is. Let’s do what Will said. Go down to the cottages and at least the rest of us will all be in one place.”

  Ceryn nods her agreement, though her face is still set in fury.

  They support Will, each of them taking an arm and they head to the cottages, keeping an eye out for Millard, Wolf or any other trouble.

  They don’t meet trouble but they do meet Weaver in the woods.

  “Millard’s gone.” Ceryn spits out the words as an accusation. “Why did you leave him? We had him.”

  Weaver rubs a hand over his face. “Gone?”

  “Yes. Now we don’t have him or Everleigh.”

  “How did he get away?”

  “His ropes were cut; someone must have carried him away. Oh, I don’t even know. But now what? We had him. He killed Archer and we had him.”

  Weaver takes his friend in his arms, holding her tight, crying with her. “I’m sorry. I took Addyson to the cottages. We thought she’d be safer there.”

  “I can’t believe we’ve lost them both.”

  “We’re worried in case whoever rescued him has taken him to whoever took Everleigh.”

  Weaver nods. “Let’s go back to the cottages. Reconvene. Think.”

  They trudge to the cottages, each consumed with their own thoughts, and none of them good.

  Ceryn

  IF I DIDN’T LOVE WEAVER so much I’d kick him. Why did he leave Millard alone? We are so slow getting back to the cottages that I want to cry. To scream. To punch something. Or someone.

  I am so angry I can feel my insides squirming like a trapped rabbit. We are too slow. Too stupid. All of us trooping through the woods. Will is like an old man, wincing and groaning, filled with misery that he didn’t look after Everleigh better. Weaver is angry too, I can tell, but it’s kind of his fault for leaving Millard.

  We had him. Damn it. I clocked him twice over the head. I tied him up so tight. And Ginata had drugged him. Whoever freed him would have had to carry him. They wouldn’t have gone too far, and he could be hidden somewhere in the castle but I’d get lost. I’m going around in circles. I hate being helpless like this.

  And Ginata, well I don’t know her well enough to say, but she’s as miserable as a dead frog.

  I hate this day.

  I hate that Millard has escaped. I wanted so badly to get revenge for Archer’s death.

  Why didn’t I kill him?

  No more weakness. No more second guessing myself. If I see him or Wolf or anyone else I don’t like the look of, they can watch out. I’ll kill them first and ask questions later.

  We reach the cottages and Weaver pushes through the door. Della, Finn and Addyson jump up. Waiting for our news. Our terrible news.

  “Millard’s gone,” I tell them. Relishing the bad news, actually. Wanting them to feel the way I feel. “Millard’s gone. Everleigh’s gone. We have the crown, but no one to wear it.”

  I throw myself down on the chair, scowling at them all, daring them to say a word to try to calm me or placate me. Della stands with her hands over her mouth, masking her horror. We had the man who killed Archer, Halfreda, locked Addyson up, killed Lanorie, would kill Everleigh in a second, tied up and helpless and now he’s gone. I know how she feels.

  Addyson walks to my side, perches on the arm of the chair and takes my hand.

  Damn her. She’s the only one who even has a chance at softening me now.

  “Where’s he gone? How did he get away?”

  “We don’t know. We don’t know anything. I know he’s your brother but I wish I’d killed him when I had the chance.”

  “I wish you had too. Do you think he’s gone to Everleigh? To whoever has her?”

  “If he has...” I shake my head. I won’t say what we all know, no matter how cross I am. If Millard has Everleigh then Everleigh is as good as dead.

  “Let’s all go to the castle. To Millard’s rooms. In case she’s brought there.”

  “We all need to stay together.” Ginata looks around at us all. At least she’s talking now. Doesn’t look so...sad.

  “What if the King’s men come to Millard’s rooms. They’d outnumber us.”

  “What if we go to your rooms, Addyson? We need to be at the castle. And we need to be together.”

  “Let’s just go somewhere. We can make a plan as we go along. They never work anyway.” I cannot bear this sitting around doing nothing. Waiting. Wondering. I need to be moving, fighting, making stuff happen.

  I’m at a loss here, though.

  What do we do?

  We have lost the King. We have no idea who rescued him or how or where they took him.

  We have lost Everleigh. We don’t know where she is or if she’s safe. We think Brett took her but we don’t know anything for sure. The castle seems the only logical place to go. It’s the centre of this whole mess.

 
I walk with Addyson because I don’t want to talk to Weaver. It made sense to move Addyson, I know she had to be kept safe but if he had stayed with Millard, then we’d still have him. Weaver would have easily fought off whoever took Millard. Easily.

  Addyson takes my hand. She needs comforting. “Do you think my sister’s dead?”

  I shake my head. Then shrug. “I don’t know.”

  I wish I knew. I wish I could comfort this girl who’s so much like me.

  “I hope not. I hope she’s alive and kicking. Fighting whoever took her. Battling...”

  It hits me then that wherever Everleigh is, she’s alone and scared and helpless. How will she kick, fight, battle? We need to find her. We need to help her. I just wish I knew how. I stop still, causing the rest of us to stumble. “We have to find Everleigh. It’s no use hiding away at the castle. She’s not there and neither is Millard. She’s been taken somewhere.”

  “She might be there, hidden...”

  “Right, so me and Finn and Ginata will go and search the woods, the river, the villages. You lot go to the castle and look there.”

  “She won’t be in the villages. No one in the villages would hide her or harm her.” Will knows more than any of us how well loved and well known the Kingmaker is, strange how he fell in love with Lanorie instead of Everleigh.

  “So where? Where would you take someone to hide them away from the castle? But close.”

  “There’s a few places...” Finn says. “Between the castle and the village, there’s a few places. The old barns, the caves by the river, the top of the forest where they hunt – the shacks up there.”

  “Right. We’ll search around and about. You guys search the castle. Every room, every place you could hide someone. Just be careful. Watch for Millard or Wolf.”

  “I’d rather search outside. She’s more likely to be outside and I’m the one who lost her.” Will looks at me, trying to appeal to my better nature. It’s no use; I don’t have one.

  I shake my head. I like having a plan, but Will is in no state to hunt outside for Everleigh. He still looks woozy from the blow to his head. And I don’t want him slowing me down. “Will you’re not well enough. Right Ginata?”