Beyond(29)

I help organize breakfast the next morning. The hens hadn’t laid many eggs so we had to make do with berries, oats and milk from our cows. With so many people, it was quite a mission each day, and everyone worked hard. The women in the kitchen, the farmers who managed our small amount of livestock and crops. It was a lot of pressure too. If the crops didn’t grow, we didn’t eat. We didn’t get to have much red meat. If we ate the animals, then we went without milk or eggs. It was a hard job to balance, and got very overwhelming at times. My dad let everyone have red meat on my wedding day, as part of the celebration. We hadn’t had any since then. If Dane found cows or chickens roaming he would bring them back, but even then there was a chance that they could be contaminated. The best bet was finding tinned food or catching some fish. We could always eat that and knew it was safe.

“Did you eat enough?” I ask Regan as he cleans his plate. He glances up at me shyly. “Is there anymore?”

I grin and hand him the berries from my plate. “You can have these.”

His eyes widen. “I can’t eat a lady’s food. That’s not very gentlemanly.”

I laugh warmly at that. “It’s okay, I’m full,” I lie. “You go ahead.”

I see Regan’s mother, Ivy, giving me a grateful look. I smile at her, kiss Regan on his head and then head outside where Sam, Jase and three other men are sharpening sticks into spears.

“Can I help?” I call out.

Sam lifts his head, grinning at me. “Sure. We can use you for target practice.”

The other men look horrified at his idea, while Jase nods encouragingly. “Best idea you’ve had all day.”

Laughing, I sit down, pick up a stick and a knife, and get to work.





When five days pass with no sign of Dane, I begin to worry. I tell myself it’s normal, he’s been gone way longer than that and has always come back safely. Circumstances could have changed, and he has no way to contact me. I was worrying for no reason, wasn’t I?

“Sam, I feel like something has happened,” I say, wringing my hands. We were sitting outside on the grass, staring at the stars.

“What do you want to do?” he asks.

“I guess we will have to wait a little longer, but if he doesn’t come soon then…”

“Then I will go out and find him and the others,” Sam says.

“We don’t know where they are.”

“I do,” he said, getting my attention. “We don’t just go in any old direction every hunt. This time they were going north. Because he said they planned to be back soon, they probably would have stopped after a two to three day walk.”

I never thought about their hunts being so organized before, but I should have.

“So we wait,” I murmur.

Sam takes my hand in his, and I remember that it isn’t only Dane missing.

It’s Lars.

And other men too.

We wanted them home.





Two Weeks Later

I pick up my tatted back pack, and slide it on my shoulder, then grab my bow. Picking up the case of arrows, I close my room door and lock it behind me. Storming down the hallway, I continue until I come across Sam and Jase. They both look at me, instantly on alert.

“Where are you going?” Sam asks.

“I’m going beyond the walls. I’m going to find the men.”

They share a glance. “We’re going Olivia. You’re staying here. Who will take care of everything and everyone?”

“Well, then one of you stay. I’m going,” I say, steel lacing my tone. “I always do what’s best for my people. Today I do what’s best for me. I need to find Dane and the men. He’s my husband, Sam. Not only that, but everyone needs him here.”

“I know Olivia,” Sam says, “We will handle it. Imagine what Dane will do to us when he realizes we let you leave the safety of the walls. We’ll be dead.”

“Let her come,” Jase says, surprising me. “She won’t slow us down. I’ve seen her skill. Let her show what she’s made of. She’s not just a princess. She’s a warrior princess, aren’t you Olivia?”

“Warrior Queen,” I reply, grinning. “And I’m ready to leave when you are. How many men are we taking? We can’t leave the castle vulnerable.”

The men from the dungeon were released and were working alongside the guards, just to keep an eye on them. They seemed okay, and weren’t infected in any way, but we still had to check their characters.

“What about the men from the dungeon?” I say.

“What about them?” Sam asks.

“I don’t feel good about leaving them here,” I whisper, looking around us. “What if we took them with us?”