Reluctant Prince (13 page)

He squatted beside a tree and grabbed her hand to steady her as she climbed up.

Ryleigh stopped to wait, staring toward the castle.

“Don’t worry.” Mia spoke softly. “Sometimes she just needs some time to herself. If you leave her be, she’ll come around in a little while.”

He squeezed her hand.

She settled on his back as they resumed their trek through the field. At least now they were headed downhill.

The huge iron gates in the front wall parted in the distance. Two large, muscular stallions emerged at a full gallop before the gates even finished opening.

Jackson stopped. “Here he comes.”

The animals kicked up a trail of dust in their wake.

Although no snow reached the valley floor, the temperature continued to plummet. Mia’s hands sat like ice cubes against his neck. He took one of her hands between his own and tried to rub some warmth back into it.

Ryleigh watched the horses move toward them with only the thundering of the hooves and the chattering of Mia’s teeth to break the silence.

Chayce slowed the horses as he drew near, swung down smoothly from the smaller horse, and approached Jackson. “My brother.” He pulled Jackson into a quick embrace and patted his back. “It’s good to see you, but I have so many questions. Where have you been? How were you able to return? Has father lifted the banishment?”

“Whoa.” Jackson held up his hands and laughed.

“Forgive me.” Chayce took a deep breath and nodded to the girls. “I haven’t even met your friends.” He made it sound as if visitors from the human realm arrived every day. Chayce inclined his head toward Ryleigh and turned on the charm. “How do you do, my lady?” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against the back of it.

Ryleigh blushed, and a small smile curved her mouth before she cast her eyes downward.

A hot flare of jealousy burst through Jackson’s gut. His hand curled into a fist of its own accord, and he fought to restrain his violent urges. He forced his fingers to straighten, even though he could do little to relieve the tension in his muscles, and suppressed the desire to punch his brother in the mouth.

Chayce turned to Mia, who still sat on Jackson’s shoulders. He pressed the back of her hand to his lips, as well then bowed with a flourish. “Would you care to ride with me, young princess?”

Mia giggled and slid from Jackson’s back onto the stallion.

“Here, let me help you.” After pulling blankets from a bundle secured to the back of his horse, Chayce removed her wet slippers and tucked one of the blankets around her feet as best he could while she straddled the large animal. He draped the other around her shoulders.

Mia snuggled into the thick blanket. “I’ve never felt anything so warm and soft.” She brushed the soft, cream colored fabric against her face, pulled it up over her head like a hood to cover her ears. “What is this made from?”

“It’s actually quite rare. It’s made from the fur of a tigrelle. It’s a large cat that looks sort of like a tiger except it has no stripes. It’s solid, cream colored coat is very long and shaggy, and makes the softest, warmest, most comfortable fabric around. It’s very sought after and hard to find.”

Mia dropped the blanket from her back.

Jackson laughed at the confusion on Chayce’s face. “Don’t worry, Mia. We don’t kill the animals to get the fur. They normally blow their coats during certain seasons anyway, we just shear them right before that.” Jackson tucked her back into the blanket then stepped back for Chayce to mount the horse behind her.

Uncertain of her mood, Jackson approached Ryleigh cautiously. “Can you climb up?” He clasped his hands together and boosted Ryleigh up onto the other horse’s back then pulled a blanket from his own pack and draped it over her shoulders.

“Thank you.” Her tentative smile made his heart soar.

He swung up behind her and turned the stallion toward the castle. They rode in silence, Ryleigh’s back pressed to his chest, his arms wrapped around her. Her hair tickled his nose, and he inhaled the sweet scent of strawberries. His gut tightened.

Chayce moved alongside Jackson. “Can you tell me what’s happening? Rumors have been running wild. I’d heard you were banished, and yet here you are, with two strangers in tow I might add.” Chayce grinned. “Not that I mind you bringing home beautiful women, of course.” He aimed an exaggerated wink at Ryleigh.

Jackson couldn’t see if she responded without leaning around her. He would never give Chayce that satisfaction.

“Come on, let’s get the girls home, they’re freezing.” Jackson took off at a full gallop effectively ending the conversation. He’d answer Chayce’s questions later. Maybe.

Right now he had to order his thoughts before he went before King Maynard. Even if the King accepted the situation with Ryleigh, there was also the matter of the dead soldier he’d left in the hospital parking lot. He’d forgotten about that, assuming at the time it had been Daygan’s minion, but after the confrontation with Kai he’d begun to suspect Kai had sent him as a distraction. Damn.

As they approached the huge stone wall Ryleigh straightened.

The iron gates swung slowly open, and he leaned to the side and peeked around her, hoping to see her expression as they entered the city limits.

She spared him a quick glance and smiled, her eyes filled with wonder. “It’s amazing.”

His heart soared higher. “I’ll show you around later. I want to get to the King first thing.” He had no way to know how the girls would be treated by the people of Cymmera unless King Maynard first welcomed them. Since this was such an unusual situation, and Cymmerans tended to be a somewhat suspicious bunch, it would be best not to take chances.

All was quiet as they passed through the barren farmland, the scattered farmhouses sitting miles apart leaving no one to witness their passing. But once they reached the village, things changed. They slowed the horses. Cottages dotted the landscape, first spread sporadically across the remainder of the valley floor then built into the side of the mountain as it rose up toward the castle.

Rumors buzzed in the air, curiosity arced like electricity through the trails, and he had no doubt eyes peered from behind curtains to follow their progress up the side of the mountain. Oh well, obviously news of his return had spread.

Ryleigh pressed a little closer to him.

Mia leaned back against Chayce, the blanket pulled tightly around her. Had she fallen asleep? He couldn’t tell.

They crested the plateau and started toward the drawbridge. A line of sweat ran down Jackson’s back. Until now, he’d been so preoccupied with Ryleigh, he hadn’t given enough thought to the welcome he could expect from his father.

The King had banished him, after all, yet here he was with two strangers, one of whom he was supposed to have killed. He scrubbed a hand over his face. Then, there was the issue of the dead soldier pressing like a weight against his chest. He wiped the sweat from his brow and started across the wooden bridge.

Ryleigh’s sharp intake of breath dragged him from his doubts.

The castle loomed above them, and he tried to envision it through her eyes, see it for the first time as she would. Pure white stone topped with dark green roofs, towers and spires soaring high into the sky, the traditional crenellations. Majestic, noble, gorgeous. A wide moat surrounded the entire complex.

“It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” Ryleigh’s comment pulled him from his reverie.

“It is amazing.” Nostalgia washed over him, immersed him in a world long past.

In the days of his childhood, the castle had held a prominent position in the center of the moat, floating on an island amid a sea of color. Flowers, bushes, and trees were in constant bloom, softening the sharp lines and angles. A layer of mist resting on the water had added warmth and mystery, created the feel of a tropical oasis. Now, the incredible beauty of the structure was a stark contradiction to the barren, desolate land surrounding it.

Sadness overcame him, but a new determination followed on its heels. He would see Cymmera returned to her former dignity. His own vision of the future did not hold such hopelessness. He glanced at Ryleigh then at Mia. They were the keys. He didn’t know how, or why, but Cymmera’s rise began with the two of them, of that he was certain.

Warmth spread through his chest, settled in his belly. Hope blossomed, and it chased away the apprehension struggling to take root. He straightened his back and lifted his chin as conviction lent him courage. “I wish you could have seen it when it was filled with life.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder, searched his face, placed a hand on his. Sparks flew. This time, she didn’t pull back. “What do we do now?”

“I must go before my father immediately. Technically, I’m still banished from Cymmera, which makes my presence here a crime. The fact that the king hasn’t sent soldiers to detain me gives me hope that he’s at least willing to hear my explanation. If I don’t go straight to the throne room that could change.”

The horses stopped. Jackson dismounted and held a hand out to Ryleigh.

Mia joined them, still wrapped in one of the blankets, her feet bare.

“Good luck, my brother.” Chayce gripped Jackson’s forearm.

Jackson returned the gesture.

Chayce then led both horses away, leaving Jackson to face his fate on his own.

“Follow me.” He tried to slow the racing of his heart as he led the girls across the bailey toward the keep. Anticipation dried his mouth, and he struggled to swallow.

Their footfalls echoed through the silence, a gentle reminder that he wasn’t alone. This time strength walked beside him, stood with him. Jackson, Ryleigh, and Mia approached the throne room where the same two soldiers stood guard.

The men watched the trio approach, eying Jackson with intense curiosity.

Well, it was better than ignoring him as they had the last time. Jackson nodded as he passed through the doors they held open.

Ryleigh and Mia both stopped short as they entered the room and faced the king.

“Just follow me, and do as I do.” Jackson spoke quietly as he started across the room. “I’ll do all the talking unless he asks you a direct question.” Fear consumed him, not for himself, but for the girls. What if his father wouldn’t accept them? Would he allow them to return to their own realm, go on with their lives? Probably not. They would most likely be sentenced to death and executed alongside him. His mouth went dry.

He would accept that punishment with dignity if his father so ordered it of him, but how could he accept such a fate for Ryleigh and Mia? He couldn’t.

Kai stood at King Maynard’s side. His posture rigid, his jaw clenched, staff gripped tightly in his fist. Apparently he hadn’t forgiven Jackson for stabbing him.

Jackson approached the throne, lowered himself to one knee. As he bowed his head, he stole a quick glance at the girls to be sure they followed his lead.

Ryleigh bowed in deference to the King.

Mia stood frozen, mouth hanging open in awe.

He stood, gestured for Mia to bow.

She’d already begun to move forward past him. Her lack of respect would not be taken lightly, no matter she didn’t come from their world, or understand their ways.

“How do you do, sir?” Mia climbed the two steps to the platform surrounding the throne and extended her hand.

Jackson’s heart stopped.

Kai stepped between her and the King.

Mia simply sidestepped him and stood face to face with King Maynard. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She waited.

King Maynard glanced at Kai.

Kai seethed.

The king then looked to Jackson.

Jackson shrugged and held his breath. One of these two girls would surely be the death of him. He cringed and braced himself to intervene.

The King rose to his full height. Taking the young girl’s hand in his, King Maynard nodded in acceptance. “It is a pleasure to meet you, as well, young lady.”

“Can you please help us?” Mia cocked her head to the side.

“That depends. What do you need help with?”

“Well, first there was an earthquake, and Ryleigh got hurt then this lunatic attacked us and threatened to kill Ryleigh at the hospital.” She gestured toward Kai.

The King’s gaze flew to his advisor.

Kai shrugged and looked away.

“Jackson was nice enough to save us and take us home, but then some crazy man named Daygan and a bunch of his savages attacked us and burned our house down.”

His father’s eyes widened.

A soft sob shook Mia’s shoulders.

It pierced Jackson’s heart.

“Then we ended up here, in Cymmera.”

“I’m sorry for your suffering, but what makes you think I can help you, child?”

She looked straight into his eyes. “Jackson has been so kind, helped us so much. Since you’re his father, I figured he must have learned such compassion from you.” She glanced back over her shoulder at Jackson and smiled through her tears before returning her attention to his father. “Besides, Jackson kept telling us that if we could just hold on ’til we got here, you would be able to make sense of it all for us. And I did hold on.” She swiped at her tears. “But I’m tired. And I’m cold and hungry, and I just can’t hold on anymore.”

Ryleigh rushed to Mia’s side.

King Maynard pinned Jackson with a glare that said he wasn’t off the hook. “I’m sorry, my child. Sit please.” He gestured toward the second throne that sat beside his, the throne that had sat empty these past few hundred years, the throne that had once belonged to Jackson’s mother.

Ryleigh sat, pulled Mia down beside her, and looked over her sister’s head at Jackson, hiding a smile.

The instant their eyes met, a ray of sunlight poured through the stained glass of the windows. A kaleidoscope of color washed over the throne creating a halo of light around the sisters.

A gasp at his side was the only indication Elijah had entered the chamber. The seer rushed forward, dropped to his knee, folded his hands over his other knee, and bowed his head, not in deference to the king, but to Ryleigh and Mia.

“What are you doing?” Anger reddened Kai’s face. “Get up, you fool.”