LITMIR.BIZ

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breath. She breathed evenly and slowly and remained focused to the world for the rest of the night. As the sun started to peek over the horizon and the creatures started their morning stirring, she was completely calm and ready for the final days ride into the city. Soon, she would be home in his arms where she belonged.

      ***

      Ruan de Gracy sat at the dining table in the main hall sipping some wine. An empty trencher had been pushed aside after his meal, and he was leaning forward on the table to get a better look at the map of Aelethia spread before him. He was very still, scanning the landscape of the kingdom he loved. He felt anger and anxiousness at the task that would be laid out before his cousin and wished he could take his place. He knew the burdens a king always bore, especially in war time. Torn between the safety of the people they cared about and the right choices for the kingdom they ruled. He knew the burdens Dain felt were larger still, with the fact that the safety of himself and the kingdom lie with a woman he loved. He knew Dain loved her. When they talked late into the night on the evening he had arrived, he could see the passion he felt for her in his eyes and the strength of that love in his voice when he spoke about her. He was happy for his cousin, that had been the truth, but he was worried about the decisions he would be faced with when the time came. What would happen if he had to choose between her or his people? What choice would he make? What if he felt dying for her would save them all, would he choose it? Where would that leave Azlyn? He knew that Dain would make the right choice. He had faith in his cousin, but sometimes the choices changed at the most crucial moment and the choice became blurred. He would stand beside his king and cousin no matter what, and he prayed that whatever decisions came about, Dain would know the choice that was clear.

      He was pulled out of his thoughts by boot clops on the stone floor, and he turned to see Emerick staring at him from just inside the doorway.

      “Good morning,” Ruan said, smiling somewhat.

      “Dain will be around in a few minutes. He decided to pay his father’s grave a visit this morning.”

      “Really? He hasn’t done that since he was young.”

      “Yes, it surprised me too, but I know his reasons behind it. King Colwyn, God rest his soul, might be gone from this world, but his spirit is still alive somewhere in Dain. I expect he wants to feel his father’s strength in his soul. There’s a lot on his conscience.”

      “Yes, I was just contemplating all that myself.”

      Emerick approached the table now and took a chair next to Ruan. He glanced at the map, then back at the young man whom he had looked after so long ago. He was proud at what Ruan had accomplished and the man he had become. When Ruan’s mother had passed away and he came to live under Drydon’s roof, Emerick saw a lost boy. He did his best to teach him how to be a man and demanded the same teachings for him as he did for Dain. Together they were trouble, creating mischief wherever they went. How often they had slipped away from their attendants and snuck off into the city to make trouble for themselves with the local boys. Colwyn was constantly annoyed by his son’s lack of self control, and as he grew it got worse. After his coronation and Ruan moving away to take his place as Earl of Hallmar, Dain seemed to grow even more restless and delved deeper into his melancholy and self-destruction. He was glad to have Ruan back under the roof of the keep, for Dain’s sake especially. As boys they were inseparable, and he hoped the support he gave him now as adults would be invaluable.

      “I wanted to say something before we were mired down and time would not permit it. I’m proud of how you have turned out, Ruan. I think your mother would be proud as well.”

      Ruan smiled to his childhood mentor. “Thank you, Emerick, for saying so. I have tried hard to prove myself. In a small way I suppose I was always trying to impress you. You gave a lot to the two of us, and I for one am thankful to have had someone not give up on us. I’m sure Dain feels the same. Without your stern hand and guidance I fear we would still be lost boys.”

      “Not so anymore. You have both proven yourselves. Together I know you will endure.”

      Ruan paused to take a sip of his ale. Not aware until now that he had drank the entire glass, he downed the last sip and set the goblet on the table.

      “Tell me, Emerick,” Ruan said slyly, “about Dain and this woman. Is she really that extraordinary?”

      “Indeed, Ruan, she is special. She has tamed Dain in a way that even I could not have expected. His mother didn’t even ensnare Colwyn that way. She has a power over him that is unexplainable, and I don’t mean that he is foolishly blinded by her beauty or charm. He’s truly in love with her and it’s genuine. No one is more surprised than I, except maybe Alek.”

      “Then all he said the other night was true. She’s the one?”

      “Yes, that she is. Who are we to question her importance? The elves have confirmed her divine purpose and power. Dain is only the support and strength she needs. Without his love, she will not prevail.”

      Ruan shook his head in disbelief. “I never thought I would ever see an era like this in my lifetime. It’s like something out of a nightmare.”

      “None of us did, but the time has come, and we must fight together in order to prevail. No longer will our differences separate us. We will stand as one unified kingdom, peasant and king, nobleman and servant. This will be our most difficult time, but if we are strong together, it will also be our finest hour. I’m glad you’re here to stand with Dain. He will need you.”

      “Have we heard any news from Alek?”

      “No. I know he left Charbonneau with his escorts several weeks ago, but how close to Salador and the Chancellor he is, I know not. We will get word soon I’m sure. Dain has spies around and hopefully one of them will get word. What are you working on here?”

      “I have been trying to figure out our best path of movement. Fallon is holed up in Lachlan Castle, and I know he has the outer border at the Triple Cities locked down. I don’t think we can go around them. I think we may have to go through them.”

      “That will take many men. More men than I think Dain can gather.”

      “I think Fallon has abandoned his plan to bring in all his men in from the sea. I think General Thorne and his troops would be better placed closer inland to the border. I will discuss things with Dain today and perhaps we can call in men from the western city of Mercer to lead some troops into the north.”

      “Melenthia should arrive late tomorrow. She was spotted this side of Mercer two days ago. She and the elf and sorcerer should have news of the elves plan and maybe news on Alek and his men.”

      “I have an idea that might be useful, but I don’t think Dain will be too jazzed to hear it.”

      “What?”

      “I think we may need some reserves on hand, especially in the water, just in case. Men who will fight hard and strong for the right price.”

      “Please tell me you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking.”

      “I would say that you don’t know me well enough to know what I’m thinking, but I’d probably be wrong.”

      “Dain will never agree to have mercenaries from Blood Island enlisted into his ranks. Those barbarians are not loyal to anyone, no matter the price. They will turn on their own mother if they thought it would bring a higher price, and they are known to eat their young.”

      “Rumors, Emerick, nothing more. They are barbarians, yes, but isn’t that what we need? Troops that are merciless and ruthless?”

      “Yes, but we could never guarantee they would not turn against us if bribed by Fallon’s side. They are not trustworthy, that’s why they were exiled to the island in the first place. Dain’s grandfather sent them there because they could not be trusted. They were the reason he lost the battle in The Valley of Echoes. They turned against him and joined the enemy for a higher wage. I can tell you with no uncertain terms that Dain won’t go for that.”

      Dain

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