He stood from his chair again, glanced at himself in the mirror and brushed his hair back with his fingers. His eyes were slightly bloodshot from being up all night, and the bags under them were becoming more pronounced as the years wore on. He really was a ghastly mess. Alek was right, he was a pathetic excuse for a king. He threw a shirt on but left it unbuttoned and went to the window again, looking out over the countryside he had ridden through so many times. Over the years, he had become a voice for the people, putting himself in their shoes, sometimes even living as they did, against his father’s wishes. “If you become their friend, they will not respect you as their king” his father used to say. His father was a good king, but Dain thought he was misguided. How could you possibly expect to gain respect if you didn’t give it? How could people learn to respect you if you looked down on them? The people loved him, as they had loved his father before him, but he had gained more trust because of his empathy. He knew he could be an even better king if he really tried. With a throne came certain responsibilities, and although he was thrown into it suddenly, before he was ready, it really was a poor excuse for his current behavior. Where did my life go wrong, he thought, when did I get off the right path and travel too far down the wrong one? He knew his father was probably looking down on him from wherever he was and shaking his head with disappointment; his mother too. He knew deep down he wanted to change, he just had no bloody idea how to do it. Getting rid of Annikka was a good start. Maybe now he could find a proper woman to settle down with, if there were any good women left who would still have him despite his reputation. He sighed. Perhaps his reputation was ruined beyond repair. If I were a proper lady, he thought, I certainly wouldn’t have me.
He had fallen deeper into his melancholy lately and perhaps it was because he felt something dark stirring out there and didn’t want to face it. He didn’t try to understand what it was he felt, but he refused to shrug it off as nothing. Maybe it had something to do with Fallon. Being out among the commoners he tended to hear more than perhaps he should. Fallon was feared, that was obvious. He was a powerful man, owning many acres of estates and ranchland, which made him the richest duke in Aelethia. Dain suspected he wanted to bring the destruction of the surrounding kingdoms and start a war. Fallon wanted to rule over all the lands. Dain would not assume these were just rumors. No one knew for sure. Maybe it was high time he found out and prepared himself for what was to come. Right now, however, he was too tired and too inebriated to think about it.
CHAPTER 8
Melenthia rode hard all day, following the west fork of the Stillwater Creek toward the Dark Woods. She stayed on the border of the woods, not yet wanting to travel through them. They were dark, and there had been stories of wolves attacking people. They were only on the hunt for food, for the longer than normal cold weather was making all life more difficult. But she didn’t want to take the chance that she may well just be a nice feast for a pack of wayward dogs. Besides, the thick stands of trees would make travel slower. She didn’t want to slow down until she knew she had a good lead ahead of anyone that might come after her. Fallon would be arriving at the castle soon, and it would take some time for him to discover her absence and send out guards. She probably had some time, but she would take no chances. She would travel through the forest tomorrow, when she felt her lead was considerable.
She thought of Kevaan while she was riding and how mad he’d be when he discovered her gone. She promised she’d wait, but if she had she would’ve risked Fallon arriving before she could go. It was better this way. She did not need to make Kevaan worry about anything else. He had enough to worry about. If her father was indeed being controlled by Fallon somehow, Kevaan would need to concentrate on finding out how and why. He also needed to make sure his future kingdom did not fall apart in the meantime. She could take care of herself.
Late afternoon was approaching, and she wanted to spend her first night in shelter, for there would be too many nights in the wilderness without any protection. She needed to go into Tamerlane and speak to Garreth the innkeeper. She knew he would put her up for the night. She had helped him solve many disputes with fellow property owners and spoke to her father on his behalf about bandits coming through every spring and stealing from him. Her father had dispatched wardens to roam the borders to keep the cities clear of trouble that might be passing through. Garreth cared about her, and he owed her. Although she never expected anything in return, she knew he would do it to pay her back anyway. He and his family could be trusted to hide her and keep things quiet. She had to be careful going into town though; she couldn’t be noticed, or she would be in trouble. Most of the villagers were simple people that didn’t want any trouble, and if trouble found them, information was the easiest way to make it go away. They would talk if threatened. She didn’t want anyone to have that chance, so she must go unnoticed. She knew in the daylight it would be harder, so she hunkered down inside the trees and waited for dusk. The gloom of sunset would make her stand out less, and that was the easiest way to slip by. Storekeepers and merchants would be busy closing up their wares for the night. They would be too occupied to pay her any mind. She figured she had about an hour, then she’d make her move.