First of all! Thank you all so much for 92K reads on this story! Your support means the world to me! ❤️
-Rowan-
"They are growing in numbers by each day." Rowan's commander informed him while he studied the battlefield without the slightest trace of an expression in his face.
The man, who he had unwillingly learned was called Wright, had outlived as his predecessor by quite some time now. Amidst an aggravating increasing number of deserters, Wright had earned a sliver of Rowan's respect for not letting the war or his traitorous brothers failing in arms loyalty get to him. Something the commander would never ever hear from his king. However, he had started to appreciate the commander's growing confidence and decreasing urges to voice complaints or issues about the tasks he was handed. Now, Rowan barely had to tell the Wright twice when giving the man an order he earlier would have hesitated to carry out. At least before making sure that his king had not misspoken. Wright's stomach had grown used to the colors of war and the heavy presence of its sibling; death. Soon, the commander would be just as Rowan preferred them; empty on the inside, loyal and strong on the outside.
Beyond the bleak battlefield, his nephew's numbers was slowly increasing, turning his thoughts darker for each boot he imagined walked into that whelp's camp. Rowan's eyes never fell on the bodies of his rotting men that laid between the two battling armies and their camps. He ignored the strange shapes their bodies formed, or parts of them scattered or lost. Not wasting any time on these men when they were no longer of any use for him.
"How many?" He asked Wright, his voice empty of life. His gaze fixed on the faint light of his nephew's camp leaking out through the trees. The very trees his enemies cowered behind.
The light means that they are still alive... enough of them at least. Which means there is still hope among William's soldiers. The thought angered him so that he clenched his right hand hard, the leather glove it donned screamed in objection. Folds of the glove, created by his what he was doing, made it feel like the leather cut into him when his grip did not loosen. He ignored the discomfort, would not admit to himself that it was in fact pain he was experiencing.
The commander hesitated calmly after hearing his king's question. Taking his time to think before speaking. He cleared his throat before he opening his mouth. "Our scouts have not gotten close enough to oversee their complete-"
"Spit it out." Rowan grunted impatiently.
"Over five hundred men..." Wright did as he was told when noticing Rowan's foul mood. The words almost stumbling out between his lips from being pressured to speak.
Wright inhaled slowly before continuing, collecting himself "...But there could be more of them. There most likely are. I am sure their numbers have grown by at least seven hundred." He seemed more certain for each word leaving him.
Rowan's eyebrows crept closer to each other as his commander's sentences grew more and more confident. Was they true or did he just spew the words out? Was his estimations correct? Either way, William's forces was growing.
Fuck. That bloody whelp managed to get over five hundred men to come to his aid? How? Did his father send for his old allies? How are they constantly growing in numbers while I am slowly having to execute deserters and diminishing my own numbers?
The large numbers of men who had known no fear and longed for the battlefield where almost all gone now. There was still some left, but they had their hands full disciplining the young brats they had squeezed out of the villages of the kingdom. In this rate, Rowan would stand at the front alone as a seasoned fighter, children surrounding him on all sides.
"Prepare an ambush for tonight. Take a dozen of those young bastards with you." He instructed Wright darkly, not letting the light of William's camp out of sight as gave the order. "Make sure as many of them as possible are sleeping, then set it on fire."
"Set what, and who, on fire?" Wright asked, requesting specifications on his order. Not objecting or questioning it.
"The newcomers part of their camp." Rowan answered and rolled his shoulders backwards. "I do not want to hear any excuses or promises of you trying to do your best - do it. If it takes every life of those you bring with you." He continued. "Return to me at dawn and let me know how many fell."
Let me know how much of my nephew's hope you have crushed.
"I will see you at dawn." Wright replied.
"If you can... bring my nephew to me." Rowan called after his commander. "Not dead. Not dying. Alive. Or his father. Either of them..." He said darkly. "I wish to speak with them." He added silently to himself.
"Yes, my king."
-Jade-
They where closing in on home now, she could feel it. Their surroundings were more peaceful... at ease almost. Despite a war being waged. Despite this serious part of everyone's life, it had not touched this part of their world. The people seemed to be going about their days just as she figured they always did and always had. Although, their faces were not completely free of worry, but compared to the villages and people she had passed through on her journey home, William's and her people were far happier and most important of it all, spared from the horrible consequences of war, than Rowan's.
On top of it all, Jade was getting increasingly bigger but experienced little to no nausea at this stage of her pregnancy. She had no clue of how far along she was by now, but she was sure Elizabeth would know by just looking at her when they reunited. If the woman had not been counting each and every day since she had noticed that Jade's monthly bleeding had stopped.
"Does someone recognize that lad walking behind us?" Ove asked over his shoulder, speaking to his passengers, interrupting Jade's thoughts. He seemed like he wanted to make sure that it did not appear as if he was speaking to them... and of whoever was following them... Not wanting whoever it was to know what he was doing.
Eirir grabbed Brother Richard by the arm before the monk could turn around and ruin Ove's attempt of staying unnoticed and unsuspicious. Jade pretended to adjust herself, trying to find a new and more comfortable position to sit in all the while trying to catch a glance of this lad Ove's was referring to. Avoiding getting up on her swollen feet at all costs. Her eyes shot two glances in the direction behind the cart, following the road until they found him.
A man, quite young looking even when only glancing at him, walked on the road, far behind them. He carried no possessions of any sort from what she could tell, not even a shoulder bag. Strange She thought as her eyes glanced over him for the third and last time. Each boot determined as it met the ground beneath it, but the rest of his body revealed how exhausted he was.
She sat down, not having made herself any more comfortable than before. "Never seen him before." She informed Ove and leaned back against the wooden railing of the cart.
"Why would we recognize him?" Eirir pondered after he had glanced at the young man after Jade. "Neither of us are from around here." He added.
None of you are. Jade kept her thoughts to herself. "You are right." She agreed softly. "None of us are..."
Ove and Brother Richard stayed silent for a moment, clearly noticing her lie but ignoring it since Eirir still did not know who she truly was.
"No, but family and friends can travel as well, can they not?" Ove spoke and seemed to aiming his words at Eirir, referring to his still missing family.
"Aye... I did not think of that... Right you are." The farmer sighed and rubbed his forehead while falling into a spiral of his own thoughts. Jade had noticed that he often did this. Sometimes, he suddenly turned dead silent while thinking or speaking of his missing family. More times than she could count on one hand, it had come to the point where he did not speak for hours. However, whenever this happened, Brother Richard seemed took it upon himself to soothe the farmer's pain and did not leave the poor soul alone until he had spoken more than five words.
After not having crossed paths with his family, Eirir had decided to come with them. After a lot of convincing from the monk. Living on hope that just maybe his family had heard of this new queen's promise of protection and offer of a better life.
"Whoever he is..." Jade began and eyed the young man again, only moving her head to look at him. "Do not let him up in this cart... I have had enough of surprises for one life." She said. As she blinked, fractions of everything she had endured up until now flashed before her.
Eirir shot her a strange look, appearing to deem her behavior rude and words brazen. Jade could easily tell from the look of him that he did not think this was her decision to make, but when Ove agreed with her in a low mutter, the annoyance in his face faded somewhat. Eirir was not at fault for thinking that she overstepped, or took advantage of Ove's kindness in letting her go with him... but he did not know what Ove knew. And she intended to keep it that way until she was safe behind her own walls.
Days later, she recognized the road they were travelling down. Last time she had traveled in this direction had been astride Dimma and her wounded husband in a carriage... and it had been freezing. Now it was a scorching hot day with little shade, her entire body covered in a hue of sweat since the robes were unbearably hot.
The young man whom Ove had noticed days earlier, had not tried to make contact with them, nor had he managed to keep up with them. Leaving all of them to assume that he was a simple traveler just like them. Something Jade was completely fine with... a part of her felt bad for telling the others not to engage with him, but she could not be too careful. Not when she was so close to the end of this nightmare.
Jade let out a heavy breath when she finally could see it. Tears blurred her vision as she watched castle Eldhen coming into view. It stood steadfast and strong on the rock plateau just like when she had first laid her eyes on it. Her home seemed untouched and it warmed her heart that something in her life had not been defiled by Rowan and his war.
"Is this it?" Eirir asked, not seeming too impressed at the sight. Just longing for their journey to be over. "Is this that castle Eldhen you-"
"It is." Jade's voice broke as she said the words. "I cannot believe it, but it is."
I am home. I am finally home.
-------------------------------
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Sorry that I did not post an extra chapter last week! Work has me so exhausted at the end of the days - at least these last two weeks. But know that I would like to publish two chapters/ week in a perfect world!
Lots of Love!
Jenny