Behind The Wooden Door (3 page)

CHAPTER 4

The sun began to set and the moon started to rise making the sky a perfect blend of grey and orange. Silence was the only thing that accompanied me as I walked back to the castle. The three soldiers went back to their camp and left me to walk alone. I preferred it that way, though. This was always my favorite time of the day.
When I was young, my mother and I would sit in the garden and watch as the day gradually turned to night.

I walked through the courtyard to the entrance of the castle. The guards posted at the entry bowed low to me as I passed them, but neither of them spoke to me. They never did. Columns aligned the walls holding the long wooden torches that lit the way down the corridors.
I stopped and looked out the window that overlooked the decaying garden.

I remembered going out there and sitting on the lonely stone bench hoping that maybe, just maybe I’d be able to see her ghost. I would wait and look for her striding along past the rose bushes in her favorite auburn-colored dress. But she never came. It was a fool’s hope, and I knew it.

Sleep didn’t come easy for me that night. My dreams were tormented by ghostly images, black butterfly wings, and my death by Tristan’s hand. He played the role of the Angel of Death. He stood over me in the dark, his body engulfed by shadows; his voice whispered my name as he waited for the right time to ram his sword through me.

A cold sweat covered my body when I opened my eyes. The room was dimly lit by the morning sun. The rising of the sun brought me pain. It was a reminder that another day had gone by, and the war was one less day away.

I walked around the castle’s grounds aimlessly and tried to figure out what my dream meant. Was my mother appearing in my dreams to warn me? Was the butterfly going to follow me as it had her? Was Tristan going to sneak into my room one night and plunge his sword roughly through my beating heart? Only one person was known to have the ability to decipher dreams, and I had to go to see her.

“Where do you think you’re going, Princess?” The sudden sound of Tristan’s voice startled me.

Two long lines of crudely pitched black tents separated only by a dying fire stood to my left. Soldiers sat cross-legged on the ground engaged in conversations of their own. A few looked up at me, but most avoided eye contact and stared at the ground.

“I don’t see how it concerns you,” I said as I stared up at his towering figure.

He smiled his crooked smile. “Concerned? Who said I was concerned? I was just curious as to why you were walking like a blind person past our camp. Could you not stay away from me?”

“If you must know, I was just going for a walk. I find it easier to think when I’m not stuck amongst brick walls.”

I tried to walk past him but he held me back.

He looked over his shoulder to where I was headed. “If you go that way, you’ll end up on Artair’s land.”

“I’ve lived here for seventeen years. I think I know where I’m going,” I said and pushed past him.

“Well, if his soldiers get you, then good riddance.”

His laughter echoed in my ears as I walked on toward the woods.

I weaved my body between the trees
and thought about his last words,
‘good riddance.’
Was he the only one who would think that if I died an early death? I knew my father wouldn’t care. I’d be a long forgotten memory to everyone in the kingdom, just like my mother.

I could already see my funeral playing out. My cold, lifeless body lying in a wooden coffin. My father saying how tragic it was to lose his only child. The sounds of sobs coming from the women. Some small peasant girl placing a flower in my hands as they lowered my coffin into the rushing waters of the river. The birds would swoop down from the blue sky and slowly tear the flesh away from my body, and no one would think twice about it.

The only reason my father might care at all about my death was because he’d have no one to rule after him.

I stopped at the sound of a stick breaking nearby. My breath came out at a frenzied pace as I looked around the forest, but I saw no one. The
wind rustled the autumn leaves that lied underneath the canopy of trees.

There was nothing to be afraid of. No one knew I was out here except for Tristan. Artair more than likely thought that no one on our side of the forest would be foolish enough to wander to his land.

I walked forward again and listened for any detection of another person. My head pounded from the fear that pumped through my veins. It was probably a forest animal or even my own imagination because of what Tristan had said.

I stopped dead in my tracks at the sound of horses stampeding. Definitely not my imagination. The blue and black colors of Artair’s flag rushed toward me. A dozen armored soldiers came at me with their swords drawn. The only thought I had was to run.

My feet stumbled on my dress, but I didn’t stop even though I knew I was doomed either way I went. If I kept going in the direction I was headed, I would eventually find myself standing in front of the brick walls of Artair’s castle, but if I turned, I would be facing the armed soldiers who waited to kill me.

The horses drew closer. I knew I could not outrun them. All I could do was wait. Wait to die? Wait to become a prisoner? I didn’t know which, but either way I was damned. 

The soldier in the lead reined his horse in front of me. His long black hair made it difficult to see his face. But I could make out his cold, black eyes. He let out a deep laugh that echoed throughout the forest.

“Well, look who we’ve stumbled upon here. If it’s not Thanos’ little princess. Artair will be thrilled to see you. He may even let us watch your execution seeing as we’re the ones who brought you to him.” He dismounted his horse and walked circles around me.

Two of the others descended their horses as well and stood in front of me. They reeked of alcohol.

“I think we should have some fun with her first, Gregory.” The man who had been holding the flag walked toward me with a wicked grin on his face. He laughed and wrapped his arm around my waist.

“Let go of me!” I yelled.

I tried to push him off, but it was useless. He was much stronger than I was. He walked behind me and pressed his torso against my back.

“Oh, you’re a feisty one, eh?” I could feel his hot breath against my neck as he ran his hands down my body. “I like that.”

I looked up at the cloudy sky to keep the tears of fear and hatred that had filled my eyes from falling. If I w
ere to die, it would be without tears, and with what dignity I had left.

The sound of approaching hooves consumed the air. More soldiers to join in on the “fun.”

“Let her go!”

I never thought I would be happy to hear Tristan Aissur’s voice. My tears of fear turned into tears of relief as I watched him draw his sword. Hawk was with him.

The man holding me laughed as he stared at Tristan and Hawk. “You’re outnumbered, boys.”

“You really think numbers matter?” Hawk asked as he dismounted his horse. The leaves crunched under his boots as he walked as if he were crushing the bones of the men in front of him.

“Now, are you going to let her go, or are we going to have to enjoy
my
kind of fun?” Tristan’s eyes filled with a light I had not yet seen.

He knew they would fight against him and Hawk. Who wouldn’t? They had a dozen people to two.

The man named Gregory looked at the man that held me. “Take the princess to Artair.”

My legs dragged against the hard ground as he pulled me away from Tristan and Hawk. I closed my eyes and prayed that an opportunity would come for me to escape.

Screams of agony flooded my ears. I kept my eyes closed for fear that it was the two men who had come to rescue me.

My body hit the ground. The flag bearer had let go of me. I opened my eyes to see him lying dead beside me. The black hilt of a dagger jutted from his forehead. The thick, red blood that poured from his mouth matched the garnets encrusted on the handle. One by one, Hawk and Tristan cut Artair’s men down.

Once Hawk had a clear path to me, he ran toward me with his hand outstretched. I took it and allowed him to help me up.

“You okay?” he asked. It didn’t seem like he really cared if I was alright or not. He looked to where Tristan was fighting. There were only three men left now.

“I’m fine.” I couldn’t take my eyes away from Tristan as he drove his sword into each of the three men. It amazed me how effortlessly he moved when he fought.

Tristan took a deep breath and walked to where Hawk and I stood. He looked down at the dead man that lay beside me and kicked him as hard as he could in the head. The sound of bones cracking filled the air.

“Are you alright?” His voice was colder than usual.

“Yes, thank you.” I smiled and looked over at Hawk. “Both of you.”

Tristan just nodded and looked behind him at the rest of the dead men. “Hawk, take Lanie back to the castle. I’ll get rid of them.”

I followed Hawk to the black steed that stood waiting for its owner. I watched as he climbed onto the horse’s back and stretched his hand out to help me get on behind him. I didn’t like the idea of riding with Hawk, regardless if he saved my life or not.

“I think I’d prefer to walk.” I turned my back to him and walked away from the scene of carnage.

As his horse trotted behind me, I wondered why he had come to help me. Why either of them had come. Tristan thought the world would be better without me, and Hawk had shown no sign of friendliness toward me.

I stopped walking and looked at Hawk. “Why did you come to help me?”

He looked at me and then back ahead of him and shrugged. “Tristan was coming and I didn’t want him to go alone in case there was any trouble.”

“How did Tristan know I was in danger?”

“I don’t know. Ask him.” It was obvious that Hawk wouldn’t give me any information.

I crossed my arms and sighed. “So he didn’t say anything before you came out here?”

“I saw him leaving camp and going toward the woods. I stopped him and asked where he was going. He told me he thought you were in trouble, and there was no stopping him from going after you.” 

I couldn’t fathom why he would risk his life for mine. Had he not said only an hour before that my death would be a good riddance? There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, but I knew it would not be easy to get the answers I wanted.

CHAPTER 5

The early morning mist surrounded the billowing black tents and cold dew clung to yellow grass. I couldn’t believe what I was about to do, but my fear of death was stronger than my humiliation of asking Tristan for his help. All the tents were deserted, and the fire had died out. My first thought was that the soldiers had abandoned my kingdom and me, but that thought soon vanished when I heard the sound of distant cheering.

The soldiers stood in a large circle and watched as two men dueled. I pushed my way through them and saw quick flashes of metal. Tristan dodged the sharp blade that was aimed at his shoulder. Turning quickly, he beat down his opponent’s sword.

“Better luck next time, Tommy.” Tristan straightened up and looked at the other men. “Who’s next?”

A soft murmur ran through the crowd. The soldiers exchanged anxious glances as they waited for someone brave enough to venture forward and battle against Tristan.

“Me!” The cocky smile on Hawk’s face made Tristan laugh.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you, Hawk.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Hawk replied as he drew his sword.

The two circled each other for a few moments before Tristan struck out with his sword. Hawk jumped back out of the way, and the fight was on.

“What’re you doing here, M’lady?” a deep voice asked from behind me.

I turned to find myself face to chest with Cormac Fletcher. Every ray of sunlight was blocked entirely by his towering figure.

“I need to ask Tristan a favor,” I told him.

The sound of clashing metal made me turn my attention back to Tristan and Hawk
. How many years had they been fighting together?
I wondered to myself as I gazed on. It seemed as if they could predict what move the other was going to make.

“Anything I can help you with?” he asked.

I looked at the tall, muscular man and considered his offer, but I had never seen him fight. I knew that Tristan could protect me, and I needed to get him alone to ask him about the incident in the forest.

“I don’t think so, but thank you for your offer,” I said.

I turned my attention back to the duel.

Tristan’s sword was knocked out of his hand by Hawk’s last blow, but it didn’t stop him. Tristan dodged the blade of Hawk’s sword and grabbed his own again. They acted as if they were fighting their worst enemies, and I knew if their swords hit one another, there would be no hope for a survival. My only hope was that they would stop before then.

Hawk’s dark blue eyes caught sight of me. He yelled something incomprehensible that made Tristan look over at me as well.