Knight's End (The Knight Trilogy) (21 page)

“When Aston Smith disappointed him,” he
thought aloud
. He shook his head and clasped his arms behind his back, resuming his pacing. Aston had been his father’s finest soldier, and Talbot had been the one to bear the news of Aston’s betrayal. He’d lost all standing with his father that day.

Tired of his incessant pacing, the prince sat on the bed, sinking into the soft mattress. He laid back
with a defeated plop
and stared at the ceiling, crossing his arms under his head.

“Aston Smith. Who knew that by condemning you, I would also condemn myself?”

*
*

Jacob arrived at the palace
of Queen Eve and the former King Roland
a bit before noon. With the ball a week away, he’d decided to move to the palace from the inn and stay with the other royalty arriving early. Queen Eve sat beside him in the library, an old volume open in her lap. The marquess glanced at her, noting the bags under her eyes, the way her hair fell limply around her shoulders. Grief had not been kind to the lady. Even her blue eyes seemed dimmer than usual.

“Your  majesty,” he started, but stopped, unsure of what to say. He couldn’t count how many summers he had spent in
this palace
, studying with his father. Now, both his father and the kin
d King Roland
were dead. It amazed him how fast everything changed.

“No need for formalities, Jacob. You know I think of you as my own son,” Eve s
colded
, turning her eyes to him.

Jacob nodded and looked away.
“I’m sorry, Eve. I wish I could have been here,” he offered.

The queen smiled at him, though the expression was forced.
“There’s nothing you could have done, Jacob. Lady Jade was here with her father’s finest knight, and even
he
ended up injured.”

Jacob whipped his head to the side
to meet Eve’s eyes. “Jade was here?
With Sir Aston Smith
?”

The woman shook her head. “I know not what his name was. I know only that he arrived with Lady Jade about an hour before my husband was murdered. Jade was with him, in the room with The Rogue Royal. I don’t know how she managed to escape,
but a servant of mine saw he
r rush from the room before my
husband screamed.”

“I’m so sorry. I’m sure the princess was terrified, being in the same room as that monster. She must have seen his face,” Jacob said, leaning close
r to the frail woman and setting his hand lightly atop her knee.

Again, the queen shook her head at him.
“He wore a mask, my servant said. No one recognized him.”

“Have you heard from Lady Jade? Is she attending the winter ball next week?”

“I received word from King Aric that he has not heard from his daughter in a month or more. He was
unaware she had been here
. Your
guess is as good as anyone
’s,” Eve replied. She st
ood then, filing her book back o
nto one of the library’s many shelves. “Be comfortable, Jacob. There is a week until the ball and more royalty is arriving daily. Don’t fret about what cannot be changed.” The queen set her hand gently on Jacob’s shoulder before leaving the marquess alone with his thoughts.

*
*

Ernst was uncomfortable. Seated across from his mother and father in their carriage, he felt like a stranger. No one spoke; what was there to say when you rarely saw each other? He lo
oked out his window, watching
the brown and
white countryside ease
past
. It was customary for him to attend the winter ball with his family, but it was odd without Jade seated beside him.

Jade had known who he was from the beginning. She’d been the one to find him that night seven months ago, covered in vomit and blood in his room. She’d fretted over him, searching for wounds before discovering the blood was not his. He’d cracked
then, telling her everything; she hadn’t looked at him the same since.

She used to be his little sister, the one he needed to protect. Now, she was the one protecting him. She’d had countless opportunities to turn him in, to tell everyone
the Rogue’s identity
. She never did. Even now, traveling with that knight, she still wouldn’t
betray him
. Jade was the strongest, smartest,
stupidest
woman he’d ever met. What did she have to gain,
keep
ing his secret?

Ernst sighed and stared at the empty seat beside him. Would Jade appear at the winter ball with her knight? Would Aston Smith risk being seen whe
n the knight was just as wanted as he was
?

*
*

Jade breathed a sigh of relief as Knight’s Inn came into view. After two days of riding and a night in the snow, she was read
y for a real bed. S
he left her horse with Aston and entered the inn, immediately taking in a deep breath of the warm air. She rubbed her arms as she walked to the front desk,
greete
d by the same woman as before.

“A room for two?” Jade asked, looking the lady over. Her bosom
spilled
from
the low cut neckline of
her dress, leaving little to the imagination. Her hair needed to be washed and her makeup looked cheap, but there was
still
som
ething beautiful about her
.

“Fifth door on the right,” the lady answered, han
ding Jade a small iron
key. The princess paid and made her way up the stairs, stepping into the room she would share with Aston for the next week. She quickly unpacked their costumes, glad to see that the silk hadn’t wrinkled much on the journey. She hung the costumes i
n the small wardrobe
before lying on the bed, covering herself with the thick, wool blanket provided.

She was asleep in moments. Subconsciously, she felt Aston slide into bed beside her and squirmed closer to him and the heat he provided before sighing in content and falling deeper into her slumber.

*
*

The week leading up to the winter ball was uneventful. Jade still hadn’t shown Aston their costumes and, as the night approached, the knight became more and more worried.

“If the mask doesn’t cover my face, someone is bound to recognize me,” he told Jade for the hundredth time.

“Stop worrying, Aston. The disguises are perfect.”

“How many blond royals
and nobles
are there?”

Jade looked at Aston, a brow raised. “About a hundred,” she answered.

The knight
sighed and looked away
, thinking he should have asked how many fiery red headed females there were.

Jade went to him, sitting beside him on the bed. “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. There will be so many people there, you probably won’t see
Talbot or Donn anyway,” she assured him
.

“I know, I know. I’ve never been somewhere I wasn’t wanted before is all,” Aston said, taking her hand in his and giving her a light kiss on the cheek. Jade smiled and stood, going to the wardrobe. She turned to face her knight, holding the handles behind her back.

“Ready to see your costume?” she asked, a smile growing on her face.

The glisten in her eyes scared the knight, but he decided to appease her anyway.
“As ready as I am going to be,” he answered.

Jade
frowned at him but opened the door anyway, pulling Aston’s costume from the wooden rod it hung on. She held it up for him to see.

The emerald silk was the same color as Jade’s eyes. Golden buttons made their way down both sides of an emerald coat, finer than anything he’d seen before. Emerald leggings were partially hidden under a pair of brown pants that cut off mid-calf. The mask Jade was holding was half white with emerald beading lining the outer rim. The other half was green, elegant white scrollwork branching out from where his eye would
peek out
.

“That’s astounding, Jade!” he exclaimed, standing and taking the garments from her. He peeked
over her shoulder
, hoping to see her dress, but she qui
ckly closed the door and shooed
him from the room to change.

“The ball starts in an hour. If you don’t plan on making a grand entrance, I suggest you get ready now,” she called after him, watching as he disappeared to the washroom at the end of the hall. She locked the door and went to the wardrobe, pulling out her own dress.

“This is it,” she said, her nerves bunching in her stomach,
before stepping out of her breeches and into the beautiful gown.

                                                   **
Aston shifted uncomfortably in the hall. He’d been finished changing for half an hour and Jade had locked him out of their room. Instead, he was stuck outside, smiling at people going and coming
down the hall
who looked at him as if he were crazy. Turning around, he knocked again.

“Jade, people are staring at me,” he whispered, hoping she would answer.

“I’
m almost done,” she called back, and the knight heard her laugh.

Aston sighed and leaned against the door. If she didn’t hurry, they were go
ing to get their grand entrance
after all. The last thing he needed was for everyone at the ball to turn to look at them when they entered.

As Jade stepped from the room, he feared they would anyway.

Her auburn hair was pile
d atop her head, some of her tight curls hanging down from their elegant perch. Silver stones adorned her hair, shining every time she moved. Her dress was the same color as his suit, the same color as her eyes. It fit tight to her waist and then billowed out, hiding every bit of her figure underneath its canopy. A bit of white tulle stuck out from the bottom, crinkling when she stepped. White silk lined the top and created a sash at her waist. The dress was tight across her chest, allowi
ng just a bit of breast to peek
over the top. She’d added small diamonds in her earlobes and her mask was made the
reverse of his.

Aston stared as she stepped from the room. If he hadn’t already thought
her
beautiful, his opinion would have instantly been changed.

“You look beautiful,” he
breathed
, though he was sure the words weren’t necessary. Surely someone as stunning as Jade already knew.

“And you look like a handsome prince,” she replied, taking the hand he offered her. Now when people stared, he was sure they were looking at the woman on his arm and not at him. If he were
those staring eyes, he would not
be able to tear away from Jade
either.

As they exited the inn, Aston directed his princess to the chariot he’d hired for them earlier in the week.

Jade’s eyes lit up in surprise. “A chariot to take me to the ball? How noble of you, Aston Smith,” she said, a smile in her voice as she allowed him to help her into the chariot. As soon as he was seated beside her, the coachman closed the door behind them and they were on their way to the ball.

“We should think of different names to call each
other. I can’t be Aston
, and you can’t be Jade. It can be a true masquerade,” Aston
gently warned
, turning to look at the woman beside him.

“You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that,” she answered, setting her hand against her chin in thought. “I always wanted to be named Bella
.” She turned
her eyes to Aston.

“Bella it is. And you can call me Richard,” he said.

Jade laughed and he smiled at her.
“I miss that boy. I hope I
get to see him again.”

“Me too,” the knight replied, somber. He’d gone a full week without thinking about his situation. Now it crashed down on him again. A light kiss on his cheek brought his attention back to the current moment.

“Everything is going to be fine,” Jade told him again.

“It’s the heart afraid of breaking that never
learns to dance. I
t’s the dream afraid of waking
that never take
s the chance. It’s the one who
won’t be taken who can
not seem to give. And the soul
afraid of dying that never learns to live.”
- Bette Midler -
 

Jade marveled at the palace as the coachman helped her from the carriage.
Lit
inside and out with candles and lanterns, the winter wonderland she’d come to know and love seemed more beautiful than usual. Sneaking a glance at the man beside her, she thought she knew why.