“I have heard much about your king.”
“Good things I hope.”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not you’re a girl easily swayed by the seductive charms of a rogue.”
“Oh. And you’re not one of those I would assume?”
“You assumed correctly. It doesn’t matter what he looks like or what he does to try and win my affection, he won’t get it.”
“He will respect you, Melenthia, and your wishes.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I will have his head if he doesn’t. What’s left of it after you’re finished that is. ”
She laughed.
“Don’t worry, Melenthia, he may have his faults, especially when drink and women are concerned, but deep down he is honorable. If you give him a chance, I bet you’ll see that he’s a good man, and a good king. You may even like him.”
She humphed, but was smiling slightly.
“I think it will be safe to stop soon. We’ll rest the horses, get something to eat and maybe grab a wink or two. We’ll be at Drydon Keep by tomorrow evening.”
“I thought you said we were over a week out?”
“The trail through these woods is a sacred short cut. It was created over five hundred years ago by the Council of Wizards, at a time when wizardry was considered evil. Most of the wizards from that time were hunted down and destroyed. That was when Aelethia had only two provinces. These provinces spent over five hundred years fighting against each other, and, eventually, the kingdom split into the four provinces we have today. For many years after, the realms stayed neutral to themselves; they didn’t seek assistance from each other, and they didn’t have allegiance to one another. Not until only one hundred years ago did the king of Azlyn and the king of Aaralyn decide that peace was needed between them. They made a pact to each other to be separate but to offer assistance whenever needed. That pact has been strong up to this day. Now it seems Fallon wants to change that. The sorcerers used this trail to move from place to place, without being seen. They could travel back and forth across Aelethia, or from their realms into the hidden city of Vallis. Now, with only one wizard left, the trail is seldom used, and most citizens don’t even know of its existence.”
“Do the elves travel through it?”
“If they need to. The elves keep to themselves for the most part and don’t travel into the realms. When the war was going on, the southern half tried to enlist the elves help, asking for their allegiance to them and only them. The Elders tried to explain that they had allegiance to no one but themselves. They were part of the earth, part of nature. War was not in their agenda. The king of the southern province gave them an ultimatum. If they did not choose to be a part of the fight, then they would be considered outcasts. Now elves prefer that, you see, so it didn’t have the effect the king desired, but to this day, they rarely leave Vallis. They choose to keep themselves separate from the rest of the kingdom.”
“But an elf did come out. He came to me and brought my sword when I was born.”
“Yes, that’s correct. You must be extremely important to have had that kind of honor bestowed on you.”
She laughed. “Yes the honor of being odd, an outcast, sort of like them.”
He looked over at her. “There is more to it, I would bet, and soon, I believe we’ll all know what it is.”
They continued on for another hour, then stopped to eat and rest for the night before their ride into Azlyn.
Tomorrow they would ride on until they reached the castle and not before. They would eat while they rode. He knew she was sore and tired, but he knew she would not protest. Their escape from Fallon’s men would make her desperate to reach their destination as soon as possible, and they would have time to rest when they got there. Until then, they would ride. He would relax only when he knew they were safe.
CHAPTER 15
King Dain sat in his favorite chair by the fire in his sitting room, staring at the dancing flames lapping hungrily at the wood. He had already finished off a glass of ale and was halfway through another, when a servant knocked on the door.
“Enter.”
The servant came into the room. The king turned in his direction, and he bowed.
“Alekzand’r Morgan and the princess have just crossed the gate through the city, Your Majesty. They should be here in about an hour.”
“Thank you, Tobias. Please have some hot tea and warm food brought up here. I’m sure they will require some sustenance after their hard ride. And make sure the rooms for the princess are in order.”
He bowed to his king again. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He departed. The king was left alone again in his lethargy. To his dismay they were a week and a half early, and he was ill-prepared. He was also on his way to inebriation, again. That was not the way to make a good first impression, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He rose and went to the window.