The Rivalry

The Rivalry Chapter 12

The next seven days passed much too quickly. I had made up my mind. I would go to him but only to negotiate. I had no idea what I was doing. I only hoped he could explain this better to me and give me some gleam of hope, though it seemed doubtful. It took me some work to convince my father to let me out of the palace and Shelisaere. I had him convinced I was going on a trip with Kathryn, I spoke to her and told her that I needed her help. She said she could "disappear" with me for a day. I thanked her gratefully.

And now, I sat high upon Arcadia. I would ride to Bardonte and meet two of his guards there. I could not help but be afraid. He promised to get me to him safely but he promised no return. What if this was a trap and I was walking right into it?

I kicked Cade's sides and we were off. It was a beautiful day, sunny and clear. I wore one of my lighter dresses. It was pale blue and it was not quite as "poufy" as all my others. I rode north for three hours time before I reached Bardonte, confident I had arrived at the right destination as I traveled there numerous times with my mother and father. We often came to visit with the townsfolk here.

I held onto Cade's reins as we walked through the city. I did not know who I was looking for, but apparently they knew who they were looking for because in a matter of moments there were two stern looking strangers standing in front of me.

I knew it was them because they did not look like they belonged here at all. The man had chin length dark hair and a long dangerous face. He had on a loose black shirt, black slacks and I could see a whip and a dagger sheathed at his side. The woman was the one who made me nervous. She also had dark hair but it was cropped short and it stuck up at wild angles. Her eyes had a crazed look about them and they darted back and forth quickly, analyzing everything. She had on leather slacks and a tight shirt. She had a knife sheathed to her right thigh and another hitched to her belt on her left side and she held a long wooden bow in her right hand. Many would think a bow, much like a staff, to be a useless weapon but I knew better.

"Come," was all the man said in a frighteningly deep voice as he jumped onto a black horse and the woman on one of her own.

I sat in silence as I rode behind them on Cade. There was an ironic contrast between their night black horses and mine pure white.

The two guards never spoke once. It seemed as though the man was going to speak once until the woman shot him a vicious glare.

I was both relieved and afraid when we only rode for a short distance. We stopped at an inn and stable.

We got off our horses and the man took Cade's reins and put him into one of the empty slots, not very easily though, as Cade resisted the whole time.

The woman came up behind me and grabbed my wrists, fastening them behind me with rope. I scowled as she tied the ropes tightly..was that necessary?

"This way," I heard the woman's voice for the first time. It surprised me. It was very sweet and soft, almost pleasant sounding. Not a match for her physical exterior.

We walked through a side entrance - they had obviously been here numerous times - avoiding the front hall. She pushed me down a hallway and into one of the rooms. The room was small and quaint, there was a bed, chest and a small table. It seemed almost peaceful.

I was sorely mistaken as I felt a hard blow to the backs of my knees. I fell onto my stomach and my chin hit the hard floor. I tasted blood and my cheek stung, I had bitten it in the fall. I shot a fearful look at the woman, who was twirling her bow in her hands with a happy smile on her face. I could feel the rope digging into my wrists, rubbing them raw.

"Lex, what are you doing?! We were supposed to get her here safely!" exclaimed the man.

"Welcoming her, that is all. She is pampered, can't you see? Plus, she's here and she's alive is she not? Orders fulfilled." I cringed as she laid the end of her bow onto my calf and held it there.

"We were told to be gentle with her," he said angrily.

"Oh please, Jackson. I am being gentle," she laughed as she pulled the bow up high and crushed it to my calf. I bit my cheek as I twisted and writhed on the ground, away from her, trying not to scream. I could feel my eyes filling with tears. This was a mistake. I should not have come.

"Ah, he's coming," said Lex as the doorknob rattled and Grant entered. He greeted her with a nod of acknowledgement, but his mouth was soon a scowl as he looked my way.

"What have you done?!" He said in disbelief.

"Isn't that quite obvious?" Lex said in a playful tone. Grant's eyes burned with rage.

"I told you to get her here safely - as in uninjured you imbecile!" He said as he pulled Lex's knife from her waistline and walked quickly over to me. He crouched down in front of me and I twisted away, afraid of him, waiting for him to slice into me. Why not? He had the perfect opportunity. He shot Jackson a dirty glare as I did this.

"Grant, she was going to try to pull something. I mean look ----"

"You cannot be serious - look at her! Leave, now! Get out of my sight before I skin you alive," he said vehemently towards Lex. "Jackson, you too. Leave!"

"What have they done to you?" he asked as he cut the rope from my wrists.

"I'm fine," I said after clearing my throat, swallowing the blood that kept slowly pooling in my mouth. I tried to stand but my knees would not support my weight and they gave out. My body tensed as I waited to hit the cold floor once again. Instead I landed into Grant's warm, strong hold. I looked up at his face with thanks, his eyes were still full of anger.

"It's not her fault. She was doing her job," I said, trying to get him to calm down. The last thing I wanted was him losing control.

"No. It was never her job to harm you. I am sincerely sorry," he said, looking down at me.

He stood up with me and helped me walk to the bed. He removed his arm, which at the time was around my waist, as he sat me down on the bed, sitting beside me. I shivered.

"Really, I will be just fine. A couple bruises, nothing I haven't had before," I said, remembering when I tried to spar with Aiden with wooden swords. It started out rough but I had actually gotten very good at it and I could beat many of the men who dared enough to exchange blows with a princess. I excelled well enough to be able to defend myself with a weapon if I was ever put in a situation where I needed to do so.

"Unnecessary bruises. She will hear from me later," he promised.

"Yes. Well, I am here. Let's discuss what I came for."

"Alright. You know what I want to do. I earnestly think it could work. If we did this, it would be to protect our people. I do not want to see any more of my family or people killed and I'm sure you feel the same."

I nodded. But I would be...married...to him. It was like he could read my thoughts, because his next statement sent me into a frenzy of blush, which happened often around him.

"Lynnae, I would not be marrying you from love. Obviously. I do not love you and I do not think I truly ever can. If the physical attributes was all that mattered in this situation, I would not hesitate to agree, though your mind comes with it. You are everything I have learned to hate, it is how I was raised. I am willing to try to put that aside."

A breathy "Oh," was all I managed to utter out.

"Now. You said that you need to tell your mother who you choose soon, yes? I think nobody should know until you declare it to all your people not even your parents. Nobody will dare defy you in the public eye. If you agree, I would like to do this within a fortnight. I will tell my mother my plans and we will discuss when we think you should be introduced to my people as my pair as well."

I was very, very unprepared for what he did next. He slid off the bench and kneeled before me. He reached into his pocket and took out a traditional LeHarce style ring, only it was smaller, designed to fit my slender fingers. The emerald stone set in black metal was actually very beautiful, in a twisted, delicate way. My eyes popped wide, my mouth hung open slack and my heart was fluttering like the beat of a hummingbird's wings.

"Lynnae, will you be my queen?" he asked, as he took my hand in his.

I could feel my entire body trembling as I quietly whispered,

"Yes," I took a deep breath as he slid the ring onto the fourth finger of my hand.