A Deal With the Enemy

Chapter 14

Grey sat at the table, his head in his hands. His cousin Evand spent the past hour relaying everything that happened in Blue to him. When they thought he was dead, the royal household was thrown into turmoil. His parents mourned him, his mother weeping inconsolably over the casket. The people were in disbelief at the loss of their future king, him and so were the troops. Morale was at an all-time low.

When scouts arrived with news that the army of Aura was planning an attack, the generals were tasked by the king with defending the kingdom, but unknown to them there was one amongst them who would betray them. General Calen, whose task was the internal defence of the capital, betrayed his fellow men by opening all the gates leading to the city. Not only that, he secretly released tactical information to Aura, allowing them to stay a step ahead all the way. When the enemy arrived at the gates of the capital, he purposely left the royal castle defenceless. The invaders marched in without much resistance. 'He must have been the one who revealed my location to the enemy as well', Grey felt with certainty.

The king and queen were ruthlessly murdered, their bodies hung outside the castle for display in the most inhumane manner. Evand himself had barely escaped along with whatever remnants of the army that were left, and now here they were, with no place to hide, and the enemy at their heels. As for the capital, White Harbour was set ablaze by the enemy after it was looted.

Sitting alone at the table, Grey let his grief consume him, tearing at his mind. His world had crumbled apart. He could not save his parents. His home was destroyed, and now his people would suffer under the tyranny of the enemy. 'NO!' As that last thought solidified in his mind, a change came upon him. The churning grief within began to change, evolving into burning rage. 'No. They killed my family. They will not take my country. I won't let them!' Slowly, he stood up and headed to the awaiting generals quietly standing to the side.

Evand, who stood amongst the generals, noticed the change immediately. The man who'd walked into the camp was steady and full of hope, his young face still holding a touch of naivety. The man who stood facing him now had aged, the innocence lost. Gone was the hope in his eyes, and he did not hide the rage that replaced it.

A trickle of fear ran down Evand's spine, along with a river of rekindled hope in his heart. He knew his cousin well, they were close, more like brothers than just cousins. Grey was serious and calm, and in Evand's opinion, always too cautious, never willing to act impulsively. Yet when he was pushed into a corner, his true brilliance would shine.

Evand remembered the time during their teenage years, when the both of them were cornered while out hunting, by a group of kidnappers seeking a fat ransom. The normally quiet and calm cousin of his had transformed into a vicious wolf, lashing and stabbing at the ill-prepared perpetrators and single-handedly taking down half their numbers before the others fled in terror. Till this day, the image of Grey standing before him, sword in hand, covered in the blood of his enemies, remained clear as crystal in his cousin's memory. Right now, they needed that version of Grey. The vicious, brutal one.

Grey stared at each one of them in turn, "I will not fail our people. We have an uphill battle to win this but mark my words. We will be the victors." Looking at his cousin, Evand slowly smiled, remembering something else about Grey; the man could really hold a grudge.

**********

Rylee awoke to the sounds of banging on the door to his living quarters. "Rylee, it's getting late and I need you to come down, the artist will be here soon," Liander's muffled voice rang out through the door.

'Artist? What artist?'

The late morning sunlight streamed in through the curtains of the windows, alerting him to how late in the day it was. The days had passed by fairly quickly since his return to Havenhall. When news spread of his return, everyone in the vicinity wanted to have an audience with him, thus Rylee's first few days were spent politely socialising with the neighbouring nobility. Afterwards, he took the opportunity to survey the local farmlands, getting insight from the common folk, many of whom he'd known personally for years.

Today was supposed to be his rest day and he intended very much to sleep in. 'So much for that', he smiled wryly. 'I was having such a good dream too', he wistfully thought, recalling the vivid dream involving a certain blue-eyed man...

Sighing, Rylee struggled out of the covers and trudged over to the door, swinging it open hurriedly. "Gosh Rylee, you look like crap," Liander walked into the room uninvited, carrying with him a luxurious set of clothing. "Put these on," Liander draped the clothes on the back of a chair.

"Liander..." he had a rough idea of Liander's intentions.

"No excuses, I'll be waiting for you at the great hall." With that, Liander exited, leaving Rylee standing in the middle of the room. Sighing out loud, he began washing up. 'Why am I still friends with him?' Rylee internally complained while changing into the new clothing.

Entering the great hall, he saw Liander standing next to the artist in question. She was in the midst of arranging the cushions on the chair Rylee assumed he'd be forced to pose on.

"Your Highness," the woman bowed in deference.

"Madam artist," he politely replied. "I do not know your name."

"I am called Urtha, Your Highness."

Liander interjected, "Madam Urtha is an excellent portrait maker. I think it's important to have your likeness painted and placed here in the hall for all to admire, Your Highness. After all it is rare for us to enjoy Your Grace's presence in the flesh."

Rylee's lips twitched. 'So that's your way of pointing out that no one recognises me, not even my own guard? How is this my fault?'

Rylee was forced to sit still as the portrait maker skilfully began sketching on canvas. After staying in position for nearly two hours, he again asked himself why he was friends with a certain commander. Bored and starving, he was about to begin complaining to Liander when a soldier rushed in, bowed and handed over two sealed letters to Liander. Tearing the first one open, the Commander of the Guard read through it quickly. He laughingly remarked to Rylee, "Master Ern is both angry and happy that you're safe, and advises you to keep practicing your archery for self-defence."

Rylee chortled. Liander tore open the second letter. Immediately his demeanour changed, mouth pressed into a straight line.

"What is it?"

Liander's tone was grim, not matching the words he next uttered. "Great news, Your Highness. The war campaign is a success. The armies of Blue have been decimated."

Rylee abruptly stood up, "Madam Urtha, let's take a break." The painter bowed and left the hall. Once they were alone, he asked, "What else?" Rylee had a bad feeling Liander's news could only get worse.

"The crown prince killed the king and queen, strung their bodies outside the castle for all to see, and set fire to White Harbour, burning half the city to the ground. The bodies of the royals are still rotting on wooden poles hanging from the castle walls as we speak."

Rylee sat back down in shock. "He always was a vicious monster," he murmured softly, thinking of their time together as kids.

His wide-eyed gaze met Liander's, "Remember when he killed the little rabbit I found in the fields? He did the same thing to it back then too, dangling its body over the palace fence. He was only a child but the need to hurt others was already there."

Liander folded the letter before tucking it away in a pocket. "Looks like he never outgrew that sadistic streak."

Rylee leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder how it's possible that he and I are related."