by Deirdra Eden
Lucas and I tore away from each other.
Fredrick strode toward us. He chuckled and clapped his hands, as if applauding our kiss. Lucas’s face flushed. He stepped back and ran his hand through his hair. I bit my lip, hoping he didn’t pull away because he was embarrassed of me. Then, Lucas grasped my hand as if it was second nature. I sighed. He really did love me, even in front of his brother.
“I came looking for you, but now, I see you have a good reason to be late.” Fredrick winked at me. His dark hair and tanned skin only made his friendly smile brighter.
I reluctantly let go of Lucas’s hand. “You better go with Fredrick.”
Lucas turned to me. “I’ll see you later?” He raised the back of my hand to his lips.
“Indeed.” I curtsied and watched the brothers walk toward the arena.
Fredrick playfully punched Lucas in the arm. Lucas laughed and swung back.
I shook my head. Human boys can be so odd.
Lady Hannah’s carriage pulled up next to the armory and the door opened. “Hurry, Auriella,” she said. “We are going to be late.”
I glided into the carriage and sat like a proper lady next to Hannah.
People and animals filled the streets while tents and wagons covered the open fields. Knights, nobles, farmers, mercenaries, and merchants from all over the country came for the festival. The streets bustled with people buying, selling, and trading their wares.
Lady Hannah laced her hands together on her lap. “This is an exciting day for Fredrick. The archbishop is coming, himself, to knight him.” Lady Hannah beamed.
“That is wonderful,” I replied, paying only partial attention to her as I watched the commotion outside.
We arrived at the crowded arena, where common class and nobility came to enjoy the tournament together. I sat next to Lady Hannah in the covered viewing stands reserved for the nobles and looked over the arena. The herald introduced each knight into the tournament. Fredrick strode onto the field when he was presented. He was probably the only man alive who could strut fluidly in full armor.
The crowd roared with applause. Fredrick turned to his audience and flipped his sword through the air before handing it to the archbishop. He was always such a showoff.
Fredrick knelt before the bishop. Despite the energized crowd, the archbishop conducted the formal knighting ceremony with reverence and dignity.
Lady Hannah smiled and wiped her tears with a lacey handkerchief. “I wanted him to be knighted in a church, but he wanted his knighting ceremony to be more of a party.” Lady Hannah shook her head and continued, “I would have given him an elegant party if he would have been knighted in a church.”
I noted the cheering crowd and the line of people at the kegs of ale. Apparently, Fredrick wanted a more boisterous community party instead of a wineglass-tipping-social for nobles only.
After Fredrick’s knighting, the tournaments began. I watched Fredrick win his first joust, but I was more interested in watching Lucas and what he did as Fredrick’s squire. I savored every move Lucas made, hoping he would search the stands for me.
He focused on the sporting event and didn’t seem to notice me. I shifted in my chair, scrunched my eyebrows, and folded my arms.
At the end of the tournament, the archbishop stood and silenced the crowd. A herald in a bright tunic read from a proclamation, “Hear ye, hear ye! Prince Edward has called all men to free the Holy Land from the infidels. Whether ye be of noble birth or common, come, join the prince this spring on a crusade to the Holy Land and earn your knighthood and your place in Heaven.”
I didn’t pay much attention to the announcement. I was in too big a rush to find Lucas. The commoners parted a path for me as I raced to the jousting stables where Lucas and Fredrick were.
I entered and curtsied. “Congratulations, gentlemen.”
“Look at this.” Lucas pointed to a horse and set of armor with a large dent in the breastplate. “Fredrick won these.”
Fredrick examined the breastplate. “I will take this to Ruburt and see if he can pound the dent out. It seems Ruburt can do anything with metal.”
“And, look what else Fredrick won.” Lucas held two swords. “He said we could have them.” Lucas grinned. “Would you like to duel tomorrow morning?”
I admired the swords and smirked at Lucas. “Only if you’re not worried you’ll be beaten by a lady.”
Lucas laughed. “We’ll just see about that.”
I turned to Fredrick. “Thank you, Fre—I mean, Sir Fredrick.”
Fredrick flashed me a smile. “You’re the first woman to call me ‘Sir.’ I like the way it sounds coming from a beautiful voice.” Lucas scowled at him. Fredrick leaned toward me and whispered loud enough for Lucas to hear. “If my brother ever treats you wrong or behaves unchivalrously, you cut off his ponytail with this sword and come looking for me. I’ll treat you right.” He glanced at Lucas and laughed.
Lucas’s jaw tightened. His eyes narrowed. “Let’s go, Auriella.” He took my hand and led me out of the arena stables.
We wandered through the festival, looking at the merchants’ goods. Lucas examined a piece of leather and asked the tanner, “Can you make two matching scabbards from this?”
“Yes, m’lord,” the tanner replied, taking the leather from Lucas. “I can have them ready tomorrow afternoon.”
A familiar odor hit my nose—the smell of blood and sewage mixed with herbs and dirt. I stiffened. My knees felt weak. I jerked my head around, already knowing who I would see. And, there she was. Hazella was arguing with a vendor at a nearby herb stand. Her face was veiled in secrecy by her dark cloak, but there was no doubt it was her.
“Lucas.” I grasped his arm. “Don’t ask me why, just run.” Lucas and I took off at a sprint and sped to the stables at the manor. We raced inside, and I pushed myself into the corner. I wrung my hands, and tried to keep my legs from quivering.
“What’s wrong, Auriella?” Lucas asked and slid next to me.
Tears welled in my eyes and streamed down my cheeks. I collapsed onto his shoulder. My heart pounded and my palms grew wet. Lucas wrapped his arms around me. I told him about living with Hazella and the abuse I endured at the witch’s hand. I wanted to tell him the rest. I wanted Lucas to know I was the Lady of Neviah, but I held back. I didn’t know how Lucas would react. Would he still love me if he knew I wasn’t human? Would Lady Hannah still want me as an heir?
“You are a lady now and you are strong.” Lucas wiped the tears from my cheeks. “You even look different.” Lucas ran his fingers through my hair. “Your skin is clean and beautiful. Your hair has grown back without all the tangles. You are a new person, not the ragamuffin of a lass who came here a year ago. You could walk past Hazella, and she probably wouldn’t recognize you.”
I nodded—it was true. I was a different person, but seeing the witch brought old feelings of terror. I held my breath. The enemy was close, and it was only a matter of time before the Shadow Legion found me.
From then on, the sword practicing Lucas and I did became more aggressive. Lucas planned to join the crusades with Prince Edward the following spring, and I had a good reason to learn self-defense skills. As the Lady of Neviah, I would someday face the Shadow Legion.
“Pick up your sword and fight, Auriella,” Lucas challenged. His intense gaze held no sign of playfulness.
I tightened my fist and drew my sharpened sword from the scabbard. Our swords clashed and rang with the sound of fierce determination.
There would be no more games. Our carefree childhood was over.
I stood in the corner while Lucas and Fredrick buffed their swords. My hands balled into fists. I kicked at the dirt in moody silence. I proposed going with them on the crusade, but the suggestion infuriated Lady Hannah, and even Lucas detested the idea of me going to war.
Out of respect for their wishes, I grudgingly abandoned my plan to stow away on the crusade with them. Lucas and Fredrick would become great knights, and I’d stay in
Oswestry.
They finished packing the last of their supplies for the trip to London, where they would join Prince Edward and the rest of the crusaders. Lady Hannah had been in tears the entire week and broke down crying at every family meal. Over the past few weeks, Lucas and I had spent every free moment we could together. We knew it could be months, or years, before we saw each other again.
Lucas placed the last of his supplies in the saddle bag. The realization that he was actually leaving struck me like a punch to the stomach.
My hand quavered as he kissed the top in a chivalrous way. “Auriella, when I return, I will be a knight. King Henry will give me land, and we can start a life together.”
I nodded, blankly. It was a nice dream—if he ever came back. I knew nothing I could say would change his mind. All I could do was lay my head on his shoulder and hold him close. My tears stained the front of his tunic.
“I thought you would be happy for me.” Concern overshadowed Lucas’s voice.
“I am happy for you.” I wiped my cheeks. “I’m just worried that ….” His father had died on the last crusade. Lucas was going to the same land to fight the same battles.
“Prince Edward, himself, is leading the crusaders,” Lucas tried to comfort me. “My elder brother, Alwaien, promised to look after you while I am away.” Lucas lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. A sly smile formed across his face. “I told Alwaien he would have his hands full.”
I let out a fragile laugh to please him, but my heavy heart ached in my chest.
“I promise to come back for you, Lady Auriella.” He let go of me. My heart dropped as he stepped back toward his horse.
I couldn’t breathe. Every nerve in my body screamed with uncertainty and fear. I mouthed the word “goodbye” and raced for the privacy of the rose garden. I didn’t want my unsightly sobbing or losing control and combusting into flames to be Lucas’s last memory of me.
I leaned my head against the garden gate and gripped the decorative iron bars. The metal turned red hot in my hands.
Fredrick, who had been hanging back, moved toward Lucas and put his hand on his shoulder. “You love her a lot, don't you?" Fredrick asked.
From the garden, I turned my head to hear them better.
"More than anything." Lucas’s voice strained with emotion. I peered through the thick foliage and blossoms.
Fredrick smiled and put his hand on Lucas’s shoulder. "You will be a nobler knight than I."
"Why do you say that?" Lucas asked. “You are the kind of knight all men want to be like. I have always admired you. Your laugh could cheer anyone. Not to mention, you are talented, chivalrous, and the maidens swoon over you.”
Fredrick mounted his horse. "I became a knight for glory. You will become a knight for love.”
Lucas swung onto his horse and pulled back on the reins. “Brother, there is no other man I would want to fight beside.” The horses kicked up the dusty road as they rounded the bend and disappeared.
I released my grip on the gate and sunk to my knees. The disfigured iron sweltered in the shape of my clenched fingers.
Spring and summer passed. The Harvest Festival wasn’t the same without Lucas. There were rumors that I was the most sought-after of all the eligible women in the providence. Well, just because Lucas had been away for six months didn’t make me eligible. I refused to join in the festivities as they only brought anger and emptiness. Instead, I practiced fighting in an empty field where only the scarecrows could gawk at me.
I whirled a broad sword over my head. Using this heavier weapon toned my arms and made me quicker with lighter weapons. I danced with the weapon as the blade whistled through the air.
A trail of dust billowed into the sky as two riders galloped toward me. It was Lord Broian and Master Keladron. I rolled my eyes. They came toward the gate and Broian flashed me an over-confident smile. I pretended not to notice. I swung into a defensive position before severing the head of the nearest scarecrow.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the two suitors galloping away in the other direction. I hoped they would spread the word that I was not so eligible after all.
Winter hit hard and was bitterly cold without Lucas’s warm hand curled around mine. I engrossed myself in the geography books, reading about the places Lucas would visit in the Middle East.
Spring came again, and I refused to celebrate my seventeenth birthday. I wouldn’t celebrate anything until Lucas returned.
I continued to push my body to the limits, strengthening my muscles and quickening my attack so I would still be Lucas’s equal when he returned from war.
I volunteered to help Ruburt by hauling loads of firewood and farm equipment. My feet toughened, and my thighs toned as I raced Cassi through the woods every morning.
I rode my midnight black horse through the meadow while the wind tousled my long hair like scarlet streamers in a windstorm. I dismounted by the rose garden gate and stared down the dirt road, hoping to see Lucas riding home. I daydreamed about our wedding day and envisioned Lucas standing with me in the cathedral. A breeze from the rose garden danced through the air and painted my hair with the romantic scent. I imagined the manor decorated in roses, Lady Hannah beaming proudly, and Lucas in a royal knight’s tunic.
I waited by the gate until nightfall enveloped Oswestry, then trudged to the manor for dinner. Alwaien and Lady Hannah enjoyed a conversation while I pushed the food around my plate and thought about Lucas.
“My lady,” one of the servants interrupted the conversation. The servant held up an ivory parchment. “A letter from the crusades.”
Lady Hannah and I jumped from our chairs. Finally, a letter from Lucas and Fredrick. “Read it out loud,” I begged.
Lady Hannah smiled and broke the seal. “Dear Lord and Lady ….” Lady Hannah furrowed her brow and continued to read silently.
I wrung my hands. Why was the letter addressed so formally?
Lady Hannah collapsed to the floor and buried her face in her hands. Alwaien and I rushed to her side.
“What? What is it?” I asked.
She handed the letter to me and turned into Alwaien’s shoulder, sobbing.
I skimmed over the letter. My legs lost their strength. I slipped against the wall and dropped to the ground. A tight lump formed in my throat. I felt myself suffocating and blinked past the tears to read the letter again. Six words stood out as if written in bold:
Crusade failed, Fredrick and Lucas SLAIN.
There must be a mistake. I felt a scream rising in my throat and fought to keep it from escaping. I checked the address on letter, hoping against hope that the letter had been meant for someone else. It just couldn’t be true.
A few maids rushed to me, but I held up my hand, signaling to them to keep their distance. I read it again before tossing the letter aside. I stood and raced to the stables where Lucas and I had spent so much time together and flung myself onto a pile of cold straw.
“No! This can’t be.” I released the scream I’d been holding.
My angry face burned with tears. Neviahan flames ran up my arms. My heart hurt so bad that I couldn’t move, but I had to get up before I set the barn ablaze. It took all my strength to stand and stumble to the horses’ trough. I laid my flaming body into the filthy water. The horses’ cold water soaked my clothes and hair, extinguishing the fire and diluting my salty tears. “Please, no. It can’t be true.” I sobbed.
I cried until I was numb. I could barely see through my swollen eyes as I stumbled like a drunk back to the manor, hoping it was all a nightmare.
It seemed as if a dark cloud hung over the manor. The days and nights blended together as the days were dark and the nights were sleepless.
Lady Hannah shut herself in her room and refused comfort and nourishment. Two days later she called for me and her last son, Alwaien. When we entered the room, Lady Hannah held out her hand toward her son, but she struggled to breathe his name. Alwaien rushed to her side while I stood at the foot of the
bed, feeling like an empty shell. I hardly recognized her. White hair hung in wispy thin strands around her face. A yellow tinge covered Lady Hannah’s skin and age spots dotted her like a plague.
Although her breath rasped weakly, her words were earnest. “I have lived a long time—a good deal longer than most people do. A mother should never outlive her children.” She coughed and added, “I am giving you each half of the estate.” Hannah paused, and focused on Alwaien. “Take care of Auriella.”
I tensed at her request.
“Oh, Mother, I will.” Alwaien glanced at me and choked back a sob of his own. “I will.”
“Auriella,” Hannah whispered. I stared at Lady Hannah, unable to move. Alwaien grasped my hand and pulled me over to stand next to his mother. Lady Hannah handed the ruby necklace to me. “Thank you. It truly was a precious gift, but the longer I keep it, the more it becomes a curse. I can’t continue to live and watch everyone around me die.”