by P D Atkerson
"Stand up straight!" Munay snapped, elbowing Enrick in the ribs.
"Yes, sire!" Enrick spat, stepping back from his father. "Sometimes...!" He hissed to Fray, then let out a long breath. "Wish me luck."
"King Munay and Prince Enrick!" The guards announced, as they drew the doors open and they stepped through.
Enrick gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, as he walked behind his father towards the end of the hall.
King Munay moved to stand in front of Dasety and Enrick quickly took his leave to the side and as far away from his father as he could.
They stood there for several long minutes before the doors swung open again and the Lady Willow entered, followed closely by two of her servants, holding the train of her dress off the ground.
The room fell silent and all the nobles turned towards her.
Her light purple dress was covered in gems, glittering in the candlelight. More gems held her black hair back in place and decorated her neck.
The soft sound of her dress brushing across the ground, echoed through the hall, as she glided forwards and towards the front.
Already, she held herself as if she were a queen! The sight of her made Enrick sick. Who does she think she is? He wondered.
The queen. A voice inside him hissed.
As she passed, Enrick was sure she smirked at him. An evil glint in her eyes, as she slowly turned away from him and moved to stand next to his father.
Oh! He so badly wanted to kill that Witch! He fingered his sword. Every ounce of his being hated her!
Enrick watched his father closely, as he turned towards Willow. The King's eyes lit up and he took her hand.
Maybe he'd kill his father too! He really wanted to, but he restrained himself. What good would it do? His father probably had an archer trained on him.
King Munay wasn't stupid, he knew his son hated this whole affair and he didn't want to be there.
The thought of an archer watching him, caused Enrick to glance around.
As far as he could see none were around, there wasn't anywhere for them to hide. Though, he still had a feeling of being watched. He shrugged. If there wasn't one, it wouldn't matter. He'd have to choose which one of them he wanted dead most. He couldn't kill them both quickly enough.
Then again, if he did kill them both, would he get the throne, or would he be killed for treason? He'd read about several kings who got their kingdoms that way, but it was a little too much of a chance for Enrick to take. He'd wait from them both to just die off, then take the throne for himself.
Brushing away his thoughts, Enrick turned back towards his father and Lady Willow, who were just finishing their vows.
"Please, kneel," Dasety said, motioning to the steps in front of him.
The King snapped his fingers and a servant hurried forwards, carrying a pillow for Willow to kneel upon.
Lady Willow smiled to King Munay and knelt before Dasety, then looked up at him. Dasety lifted the crown out of its box and held the Queen's crown over her head.
"Do you swear to uphold the laws and customs of the Karlien people?" Dasety asked her.
"I do."
Enrick noticed Dasety hesitated, before placing the crown upon her head. But when he did, a broad smile spread across her face.
Her eyes lit up with a smugness he'd seen so many times in his father's eyes. She was nothing like his mother, and so much like his father. It made Enrick sick. Dasety said a few more words, but Enrick couldn't force himself to listen.
All he could think about, was the fact his mother should still be wearing that crown and not her!
Seeing the crown brought back so many memories of his mother.
Enrick's eyes filled with tears and he quickly closed them. He wasn't about to cry. Not today of all days!
He gritted his teeth and pushed the pain back.
One day he would need to deal with his loss, but today wasn't that day. Today he'd rather be angry than sad.
He opened his eyes, just in time to see his father turn and kiss his new wife.
Enrick pressed his hand over his mouth. He was going to throw up! He gagged it back and fought to control himself. He felt like he couldn't breathe, as he waited for the ceremony to be over.
Finally, the people started to break up and head towards the great hall, where food would be served to all, even the peasants who'd been standing outside the castle walls all morning. It was one of the few times the King had done such a thing, and it wasn't going to be wasted.
The second King Munay and Willow headed back down towards the doors, Enrick bolted towards a side door and yanked it open. Quickly, hurrying out and down the hallway towards the nearest door leading outside.
Enrick gulped in the clean air, his heart thudding in his chest as he bent against the balcony railing. His head spun, as he forced himself to breath. He was working himself up for no reason. What good was it going to do to freak out? It wasn't going to change anything. His father would still be married to that witch!
"What are you doing, Enrick?" He mumbled to himself, gripping the side of the railing. "Get yourself together!"
If he didn't go back in, she would win! And he wasn't going to let that happen!
Steeling himself, Enrick turned back towards the door and headed back inside.
The Great Hall was packed with people, Lords, Ladies, servants, and a few serfs who'd somehow worked their way inside.
Prince Enrick couldn't help but feel like everyone was watching him, as he entered and slowly worked his way through the people.
As one of the servants passed him, Enrick grabbed his sleeve and pulled him to a stop. "Bring me something strong to drink!" He ordered.
"My lord, are you sure? Will the king..."
"Did I ask for your advice?!" Enrick snapped. "Bring me something, now!"
The servant quickly nodded, then hurried off towards the kitchen.
That's when his father spotted him and waved him over to where he and Willow stood together. Enrick hesitated, before heading over to stand next to them. People were saying ‘hello’ and congratulating them.
It was nauseating for Enrick.
Just as another man moved towards them, the servant returned, handing Enrick a glass of very strong wine. Something his father would never allow. He was only allowed very watered-down wine. Enrick smiled, as he took it.
"Dilly!" Queen Willow cried, throwing her arms around the man's neck. Enrick had never seen him before. The man grabbed her and spun her around, then dropped her down again.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't able to come earlier, but I wasn't given much of a warning," he said, glancing toward Enrick and his father.
"Oh, darling!" Willow said, grabbing Munay's arm. "This is my brother."
"It's an honor to meet you... Dilly?" Munay said, raising an eyebrow.
"Please, call me Dillaran," the man said, smiling. "Only my sister and wife are allowed to call me Dilly."
King Munay laughed. "Good! I felt a little strange calling you that."
"And who is this?" Dillaran asked, turning towards Enrick.
"This is my son, Enrick," King Munay said, placing his hand on Enrick's shoulder. The prince thought about shrugging it off but knew it would only make his father angrier. What good would it do anyway? "Enrick, this is King Dillaran of Shenock." Enrick nodded his head and forced a smile.
"It is nice to meet you!" King Dillaran said, smiling at them. "I know my sister adores you both." Ha! Enrick thought about laughing. The woman hated Enrick! Luckily, the feeling was mutual.
"I'm glad to meet you, as well," King Munay said, elbowing Enrick.
"It is an honor to meet you too, my lord," Enrick said, bowing his head to him as he fingered his glass. How he hated his father! Making him act this way towards the man! Who cared if he was a king? His father loved to marry well, that was all.
His mother had also been closely related to a king. So, was that it? Did his father only marry Willow because her brother was a king? No. His father
had the nasty look of someone marrying 'for love' and not for money or power. What was he thinking? That was no way to run a kingdom.
"Do all Karliens drink that strong of wine at your age?" Dillaran asked, eyeing Enrick's glass.
King Munay's head shot around and his face turned bright red. "Enrick what are you doing? You're not allowed to drink that strong of wine and you know that!" He snapped. "Drinking alcohol shouldn't be taken lightly!" King Munay said, yanking the glass out of Enrick's hand. "What were you thinking?"
Enrick's eyes flashed. "I was thinking I wanted to numb this day out of my mind!" He screamed in his father's face. "If you'll allow me to leave, I have a few things I must do!" Enrick said, stepping back. "Good evening. Have a fun time getting drunk! I won't be!" He hissed, quickly turning around and vanishing into the crowd.
There was no way he could handle this all night. He had to get out of there, and fast! Before he ended up killing someone! He took in a deep breath, kept his head low and hurried towards the kitchen.
Enrick grabbed one of the cloth napkins and quickly filled it with food.
There was no way he was going to hang around for them to put the food out. He was leaving right then! It was almost as bad as the ceremony, but he didn't have to stay for this, so why should he?
As the people around him laughed and drank, Enrick slowly edged his way towards the nearest doorway.
He opened it part way and quickly pushed himself through, before the door had closed behind him, he was hurrying down the hallway.
He already knew where he was going.
Enrick was going to see the only friends he had any more in this horrific, old, smelly, castle!
Chapter 28
Alone
As Enrick made his way down the old stone steps, he could hear the Hounds growling and snarling below him. The sound made him smile.
They were known as King Munay's Blood Hounds, but anyone who really knew them, also knew they were really Enrick's Hounds. He spent much more time with them than his father ever did.
He reached the bottom of the steps and moved towards the cage. The poor Hounds had been placed in it because of the wedding, just because they were never sure they wouldn't attack someone, and Willow didn't like them.
Another reason he hated the woman.
Anyone who didn't like his babies, was a bad person.
The Hounds' tongues hung out of their mouths, and they jumped joyfully against the cage, as Enrick drew nearer to them. He could tell they smelled food on him.
"Sh..." Enrick whispered, holding out his hand towards the Hounds. The Hounds slowly began to calm. "That's better," he said, as he pulled the cage key out of his pocket and slid it into the old rusty lock. "I'm sorry, guys. You know if it was up to me, you'd be running free around the castle." Enrick slid the door open and stepped inside.
The Hounds quickly moved out of his way.
"But that witch has a hold on my father," Enrick mumbled, as he moved to the back corner of the cage and sat down.
Instantly, the Hounds were all around him, sniffing his clothing and hair.
One of the small puppies came up to him and began to scratch gently across his legs. "Hey, buddy," Enrick said, smiling as he lifted it up onto his lap.
The Hound nearest to him, froze, as its ears perked up and it began to growl softly.
Enrick stopped playing with the puppy and listened too.
He could hear the distinct sound of footsteps coming from above. Enrick closed his eyes and listened harder. By the sound of it, it wasn't a guard or a warrior. Their boots echoed more than this person and he doubted any of the guests would wander into this dark, damp corner of the castle.
The Hounds weren't freaking out either, so it must be someone they knew and could trust. He opened his eyes and smiled. He knew who it was.
"Dasety," he mumbled under his breath, as the steps drew nearer to the bottom of the stairs. A minute later, Dasety appeared.
"There you are," Dasety said, descending the last of the steps and turning towards the cage. "I thought I might find you down here."
"Yes, here I am," he said, turning away as he tossed a piece of meat to the Hounds. The nearest one snatched it up, as Enrick stared idly down at the ground. "Did you want something from me?"
"Are you alright?" Dasety asked, kneeling outside the cage.
"I'm fine!" Enrick said. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?!" He snapped. The Hounds instantly grew tense. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, dropping his head back against the wall. "I just don't care to enjoy the bountiful feast; my father has decided to host for his dear wife. That is all," Enrick mumbled.
"I know this is hard for you, my lord," Dasety whispered. "But you can't let your father's actions affect you so. If you do, you're going to destroy yourself," he said, placing his hand onto the cage's bars.
"Affect me? Affect me?! Is that all you think has happened?" Enrick asked, slamming his fist into the ground. "My mother is barely cold in the grave, and already King Munay has moved on! Marrying someone younger, and prettier than my mother!" he snapped. "What are you even doing down here? Shouldn't you be up there advising my father about what wine to drink, or something like that?!"
Dasety smiled sadly, then sighed. "He seems to care more about Willow's advice, than mine anymore. I doubt I'll have a job for much longer."
"I'm sorry," Enrick mumbled, dropping his gaze again. "I guess we've both been replaced by her."
"A father can't replace his son."
Enrick laughed. "Well, he's giving it a good try."
"I'm sure that's not true."
Enrick shoved himself up and stood in front of Dasety. "Go enjoy the party, there's no reason you should be down here."
"Enrick, I care what..."
There was a loud 'bang!' from deeper into the castle basement and the Hounds started to freak out.
"What was that?" Enrick asked, trying to calm the Hounds, but was unable to. Something was wrong.
Dasety's face paled, as he looked down the hallway and into the darkness beyond the cage.
"Prince Enrick, stay here. I'll go check it out," he said, stepping towards the darkness. "Why don't you go back up? Maybe you'll find something to entertain yourself with." Dasety moved forwards and vanished into the shadows.
Enrick didn't know why, but an icy wind blew against his skin.
He swallowed. They were a hundred feet underground. Where had the wind come from? He quickly reached through the bars and opened the door. Then he moved towards the staircase.
With one glance towards the darkness, he hurried up the stairs and back into the main part of the castle.
By the time he reached the top of the stairs, his heart was pounding, and he had no idea why. He glanced around and went straight back to his chamber.
The next day, when Enrick saw Dasety, he acted as if nothing had happened. But he noticed there was something like fear in his eyes. Then later that day, he pulled Enrick aside and told him, "Don't under estimate Lady... Queen Willow, my lord. She is not all that she seems. Now that she's Queen, I don't think you'll be attacked by that shadow creature again." With that, Dasety was gone.
Giving Enrick no time to ask questions of him.
* * *
Chapter 29
Winter
Snow and wind howled around Aroron, as he stumbled across the valley. He wasn't even sure where he was anymore. Everything was the same, white and unforgiving.
As he continued, across the frozen valley, the cold crept up his legs, and entered the rest of his body. He felt like his fingers were going to snap off if he used them. He couldn't believe how cold it had become! The snow storm came out of nowhere.
For almost a week now, Aroron had been on his own, doing his best to survive. But it wasn't easy keeping in the shadows all the time. He knew he needed to go where he could hide from his past. The best place he could think of was Shey. One of the largest cities in the realm, once he was there, no one would be able to find him.
/> The problem was, Shey was nearly a hundred miles away, through rocky mountains and across a wide valley, filled with snow.
But in just a few days, he would reach the desert separating Shey from the mountains, where he could say goodbye to his past forever
As he marched his way across the valley, the cold ground became harder and harder, frozen solid by the freezing rain. As night slowly crept upon him, Aroron found himself barely able to walk.
He stumbled forwards and slipped on an ice-covered rock, falling to his knees.
For several minutes, he just sat there. Too tried to stand again, as his body heat seeped through him and began to warm the ground. Melted snow soaked into the thick fabric of his pants, causing him to grow even colder than before.
He wanted to cry but wouldn't.
What good would it do him? Most likely they'd only freeze to his face. He wanted to scream but couldn't.
If there is a Creator out there, how could He let this happen? What had he ever done? He'd always tried to be good. It wasn't his fault his father was an assassin.
All he wanted was to be left alone to live out the rest of his days. He wasn't anyone important. No matter what lies Hunter might tell. He was just the son of a Warrior and his wife, nothing more, nothing less.
If there was a Creator, He wanted nothing to do with Aroron.
"That's fine with me," Aroron mumbled, looking up towards the sky. "I don't care to have anything to do with you either!" He shoved himself off the ground and stood there for a second, the snow falling all around him, as he looked up towards the sky. "Did you hear me?!" He screamed. "I want nothing to do with you or any of this stupid stuff!"
He screamed, spun around and slammed his fist into the nearest tree. For a few seconds, he pounded against the rough bark, but the last time he did, he looked down.
His own blood stained the pale snow around him.
The cut in his hand had ripped open. The cut he'd made almost three months before to help Enrick escape the Dubh-Woods. Was nothing going to go right for him?!
Reluctantly, he ripped off a piece of his cloak and wrapped it around the cut. It was the only thing he could do. He'd have to just hope it healed up again. Would he ever be rid of it? Or was it a permanent part of him?