Chapter 19
Aislynn soon found herself back in the castle’s main courtyard, eagerly looking forward to Eryk’s arrival. She had to admit that she was staring to enjoy the small amounts of time that she was now getting to spend with him, and she had no reason to think that this afternoon wouldn't be enjoyable too. She saw a pair of groomsmen leading her gelding and Eryk’s stallion from the stables, both of the horses fully tacked and ready to go. Cheta was practically dancing with excitement at the prospect of being out of the confines of the castle, and Aislynn was so busy enjoying the sight of her wolf cavorting around that she didn't notice Alexius until the woman was practically beside her.
“I know that the black belongs to his Majesty, and since you’re here, I assume the grey is yours?” she asked with an angry overtone.
Aislynn didn't really see a lot of point answering her, especially since Alexius already knew the answer. When she didn't reply, Alexius continued, eager to vent some of her building frustration.
“Just who do you think you are? You show up here out of the blue, spend a week wrapping him around your little finger, and you expect the rest of us to just roll over and accept your claim? I don’t think so!”
Aislynn turned to look down at the woman. Alexius was pretty in the same traditional way that Marja was pretty, and Aislynn had to admit that even with the petulant look on her face right now, she’d have men lined up to spend time with her. Her blond hair fell in perfect waves to her shoulders, and her anger made her cheeks rosy, which in turn brought out the blue of her eyes. Alexius was absolutely gorgeous, and Aislynn knew that she couldn't compete with her on that front, so she felt that it was a good thing that she did not intend to do so.
“For the record,” Aislynn sneered in reply, unable to help herself and using her height to help seem intimidating, “I told him to marry you. It’s not my fault if he doesn't want you.” She knew that the remark was cruel, but it was true. She had no way of forcing Eryk to choose the silly girl, even if it was in his best interest to do so.
“Maybe if you keep trying, you'll find something that works. In the meantime, I’m going for a ride, but you’re more than welcome to join us if you want to.” Aislynn smiled nastily, and strode down the stairs to her waiting horse. She suspected that Alexius, like most of the noble ladies in this city, didn't ride unless she absolutely had to, and therefore wouldn’t accept her invitation. On one hand, she really didn't want Alexius to come, but on the other, not spending time alone with Eryk could only help her goal of getting him to choose someone else for his bride.
A short while later, Eryk came striding out of the castle carrying a sack slung over one shoulder. Aislynn suspected that the sack contained their lunch, which was great because she suddenly realized that she was very hungry. Eryk smiled when he saw her already there waiting for him, and he didn't even register the fact that Alexius was outside until she literally stepped in front of him.
“Oh, your Majesty,” Alexius said in a light, breathy voice. “I am sooooo sorry that I won’t be able to join you on your ride with the princess, but I do thank you for the invitation.” She rose up onto her tiptoes and gave Eryk a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back into the building.
Eryk, confused since he knew that he had not invited Alexius along, practically stumbled down the steps and walked over to his horse still trying to figure out what was going on. One look at Aislynn’s smile sorted everything out.
“You invited Alexius?” he gasped. “I thought you didn't like her.”
“I don’t,” Aislynn agreed, “but if you’re going to marry her, perhaps you need to spend some more time with her. Let’s get going!”
Aislynn turned her horse toward the street, and nudged him into a quick walk, not even waiting for Eryk to mount up. She knew that he’d catch up, and she was as eager as Cheta was to get out into the countryside. One of her guards followed closely behind her.
“Hurry up!” she called over her shoulder, laughing. She could feel his confusion, and she found it funny. She wondered if Eryk had even registered exactly what she’d said to him.
Eryk did finally manage to sort himself out, and he leaped up onto his mount. He quickly spurred the stallion after Aislynn, and his guardsman fell into place behind him.
It didn't take long for him to catch up since Aislynn was keeping her mount to a sedate walking pace through Eaglecrest’s busy streets. She didn't want to run down any of the citizens who were going about their regular day.
“Does your guard know that he’s basically for show?” asked Eryk, very carefully staying away from any topic of conversation that could be construed as him showing interest in her, as per his newly laid plan to win her over.
“Yup,” Aislynn replied with a nod, “though he is highly trained and he would be very useful if something happened. Did you know that your guard knows that he’s basically for show too?”
That silly look of confusion clouded Eryk’s face again, making Aislynn laugh aloud. Eryk decided that he liked the sound of her laughter, but he really wished that it wasn’t always at his expense. I need to find other ways to make her laugh, he decided.
“Byron told his men about me a few days ago, when you basically kicked me out of the castle. It made things a lot easier for me, giving me somewhere to go. It also made things a lot easier for Marja, because I wasn’t confined to my rooms all day, driving her crazy,” she explained.
Eryk really had no idea how to respond to that, so he just kept silent. The two of them rode in silence for a time, watching the shops and homes of the citizens of Eaglecrest pass. Cheta was acting like a puppy, racing ahead for a bit, and then racing back as if to see what was keeping them. All three of them were happy just to be out of the castle for at least a little while, with nothing to worry about.
Eryk led Aislynn out to the field where he had gone hawking with Branden. It seemed like so much time had passed since that day. So much had changed.
The early afternoon sun was coming from behind the woods, leaving the edge of the meadow in shadow, and it was here that the two of them settled down to eat their midday meal. The kitchen had sent bread and cheese, along with a small corked pitcher of cider. There was nothing romantic about the fare, just as Eryk had instructed the head of the kitchen, who had wanted to send an entirely different kind of meal when she had heard who was accompanying Eryk on this little outing. Everyone just seemed to be happy that he was actually making an effort to choose a bride, even if they thought that he was going about it in totally the wrong way.
“So how did your meeting go this morning?” Aislynn asked as the meal progressed.
Eryk groaned. “The meeting was about as productive as it was last time, which is to say, not productive at all. They want us to concede a huge strip of land along the northern border, which I am not prepared to do. We have settlements up there, towns that are firmly established and thriving for the most part.”
Aislynn nodded in agreement. “You can’t just pick up and move those towns, and you can’t expect the people to uproot themselves either. I understand. What do they offer in return for the land?”
“The usual – trade agreements and the like. Nothing we can’t live without. I have to admit that it would be nice to end the constant hostilities with Madelia, but the cost is just too high. We've been glaring at each other over the border ever since the war ended a decade ago. It’s tiresome.”
Eryk turned to look at Aislynn, and reached his hand up to brush her hair back from her face.
“Marja did a good job hiding your bruises,” he said, changing the subject. “If I didn't know they were there, I don’t think I’d be able to pick them out.”
“She’s good at what she does,” Aislynn admitted. There were times when that skill made her a touch jealous, but most of the time, she was just grateful to have someone to help her play the part she needed to play.
Thinking about her injuries and the
assassination attempt that had caused them, paired with the location, made Eryk turn his thoughts to the previous attack.
“It was here,” he commented. “They first tried to kill me here, while I was hawking. It was the strangest thing. The hawk that I was using suddenly turned off of its prey and attacked—”
He stopped suddenly, looking at Aislynn and then looking at Cheta.
“Rupert was like you, right? An assassin, someone who served your country, and someone whose training would require him to be away from his family and home. You told me, back on our first outing together, that children like that had eesprid to keep them company.”
“True,” she agreed, “all of it.” Aislynn was actually impressed that Eryk remembered so much of their conversation together. They hadn’t been on the best of terms at the time, after all.
“What was Rupert’s eesprid? Was it his hawk that saved me?”
Aislynn nodded. “I suspect that since Rupert spent so much time inside with your father, he had likely left instructions with his hawk that it should spend time with you when possible. Even though you were not being officially protected, Tarren cared enough for you that Rupert would have done that for him.”
“So you don’t always have to be with Cheta? She can be away from you?”
“Of course she can,” laughed Aislynn. “We just prefer to spend our time together, for the most part. It is…somewhat uncomfortable to be away from each other for too long.”
As they finished their meal, Eryk offered up his next suggestion for some amusement.
“Why don’t we leave this pair here,” he proposed, gesturing to the guards who were playing a game of dice at a discrete distance, “and see if we can flush some rabbits for Cheta to chase down.”
Aislynn, thinking that the idea sounded like it could be fun, agreed, and the two of them rounded up their mounts and walked them deeper into the field. Eryk, who was familiar with the field and the wildlife here, indicated the location of some rabbit burrows, and the two spurred their horses toward them. Cheta kept pace easily at the beginning, but soon slowed to a walk to conserve her energy. As the riders approached the burrows, she dropped into a crouch to await her prey.
Soon, there were three rabbits up out of the burrow and racing across the field. Cheta sprang into action, angling her course to intercept one of the creatures. The goal was to catch the rabbit before it could go to ground through another burrow opening, and Cheta was too slow for the first one. She sniffed around a bit, trying to locate any other openings in the area, and then returned to Aislynn and Eryk, eager to try again.
The second attempt was considerably better, with Cheta bringing the rabbit down a few steps away from its refuge. She caught her second rabbit even faster than that, getting the hang of the game and getting a feel for her quarry. Not about to let Cheta have all of the fun, Aislynn and Eryk each caught a rabbit, Aislynn with a dagger throw and Eryk with his bow. They cleaned and skinned the four animals, and Eryk slipped them into the sack that had held their lunch.
“These should make for a fine stew tomorrow,” he commented as they finished up. The sun was beginning to set, and they both knew that it was more than time for them to head back to the castle. They rode back to their guards, who were ready and waiting for them, and then they all proceeded back to the city.
“I had a really nice time this afternoon,” Aislynn commented as they rode through the city streets once more. “Thank you for inviting me. I know that Cheta enjoyed the freedom too, not to mention the hunt.”
“I’m glad that you came with me,” Eryk replied. “I haven’t been outside of the city since my father died, and it was nice to spend the time with someone I can actually talk to.”
“You can’t talk to Alexius?” she joked.
Eryk sighed. “You are aware that you are an impossible woman, right? Even when I’m trying to complement you or say something nice, you have to be…frustrating.”
“I’m sorry,” Aislynn apologized, and she found that she really meant it. “I'll try to behave myself from now on, but I make no promises.”
“You know, I’m really going to miss this,” Eryk said.
“Miss what?” Aislynn wondered.
“Miss being able to escape the castle and my duties for a little while, just being able to spend time outside, enjoying the sunshine and the breeze and the hunt.” Eryk sighed regretfully.
“I don’t understand. Why are you going to miss that? Are you planning to stop?”
“I hadn't planned on it, no, but circumstances being what they are now… Most of the governing duties have been put on hold until after the funeral, but once that’s over, things will get back to normal and I'll be trapped in the castle. My father–”
“Is dead and you are not your father,” Aislynn interrupted. “Just because he spent all of his time in the castle, that certainly doesn't mean that you have to.”
“But the citizens and the council will expect things to be the same.”
“That’s too bad for them, isn't it? The citizens will adjust, and you can replace the council. The council’s job is to advise you, but you still make the decisions because you are the king. If you decide that you occasionally need an afternoon of hunting, then that is what you decide. As long as you are not neglecting your duties, nobody should have any problems with that.”
Eryk fell silent at that, thinking over everything that Aislynn had said. He’d always assumed that when he became king, he’d be trapped like his father, tied to the throne and the paperwork that came with governing a kingdom. If what she said was true…
When they reached the castle, they left their horses with a pair of groomsmen and retired inside. Just before they parted ways, Aislynn gave Eryk a friendly peck on the cheek. He looked at her, startled.
“That’s just a thank you for a wonderful afternoon. Don’t go reading anything into it,” she said.
With that, Aislynn left Eryk standing in the main hall, and went upstairs to her rooms. She planned to skip dinner and retire early for the night. She had been very busy today, and she found that her injuries were bothering her a little. She hoped that some salve and a good night’s sleep would help, but the first thing she wanted was a nice, hot bath.
When Aislynn reached her rooms, she found Marja inside, nearly bursting with the need to know all of the details of Aislynn’s afternoon. Aislynn obliged her while she waited for her bathwater, and Marja pestered her with question after question. Finally, with the arrival of the bath, Aislynn simply stopped answering Marja’s queries, and she sank down into the wonderful, relaxing water.
While she bathed, Marja filled her in on the castle gossip. Aislynn was only half-listening, as was her custom, while Marja prattled on about who was secretly seeing whom, which Lords apparently had mistresses, and which servants had been promoted and demoted and why. Aislynn was just starting to drift off into a relaxed daze when something caught her attention.
“Hold on,” she commanded. “Say that again.”
“I said one of the serving girls was beaten half to death by Lord Branden this afternoon.”
“What happened?” Aislynn asked, alarmed.
“Well, what I heard was that she had apparently been caught stealing. Lord Branden came back to his rooms a little early and found her there, cleaning as she was supposed to be doing. However, he said that something wasn’t right, and accused the girl of stealing. Instead of taking her to the chamberlain, as he should have done, he took it upon himself to punish her. He took it far beyond what was necessary though, considering her crime.”
Aislynn sat there, stunned and horrified by the thought that she could be responsible for this girl’s condition. After all, she had been in Branden’s rooms this morning, and she had been snooping around. She’d thought that she had been careful not to leave anything out of place, but…
“What happened?” Aislynn asked, afraid to find out that she was responsible, but ne
eding to know.
“Well, he apparently started by hitting her around the head, knocking her to the ground. When she fell, she dropped a pair of silver cufflinks, and when he saw them, Lord Branden went mad. He kicked and punched the girl into unconsciousness, and left her bleeding on his floor. He didn't even summon a healer for her. Instead, he summoned a guard and ordered her arrested for stealing.”
Aislynn had been sure before that Branden’s aggressive behavior was escalating, but here was the proof of it. She desperately hoped that the healers had been able to identify the substance he was taking, and she really hoped that they would be able to do something about it. If someone didn't handle this situation soon, Branden would likely end up killing someone.
As Aislynn dressed for bed, she suddenly felt anger rolling along the link from Eryk. She guessed that he had just found out about what had happened this afternoon while he had been out of the castle with her.
“Marja,” Aislynn called. “What happened to Lord Branden after this afternoon?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “Nobody’s seen him since.”