The Reign of Trees (13 page)

Chapter Ten

Illianah woke to the sound of something falling on the wood floor. It was not a loud sound, but it was frequent.
Clack, clack
. There would be a short pause, followed with another clack. She sat up in bed and listened for the sound again. This new position brought discovery; several small rocks were strewn across the floor near the open window. She crossed the room to the window to investigate the reason for the barrage of rocks.

Just as she came to the window, she caught sight of a rock sailing directly toward her. She ducked and missed the impact, but then she stood and quickly scolded, “What is the meaning of this?”

“I am sorry My Lady, I was merely trying to wake you,” a voice said from the ground.

She looked down. Donovan. He beamed up at her as if he’d just discovered gold in New Burchess.

“You have succeeded. For what cause?” She looked around the courtyard. It was very early—not a single soul was milling about. The sun had not yet completed its ascent above the horizon.

Donovan gestured behind him; about fifteen feet off stood two horses tethered together. “But for a ride, of course. Did we not agree to this yesterday?”

She had thought riding together—spending any time together—would be out of the question after the scolding the king had given them last night. Realizing Donovan had disregarded such admonishment made her smile like a child receiving a gift from their dear papa. “We did. Yet I do not remember agreeing to wake up before the crack of dawn.”

“’Tis not before … ’tis after.” He looked behind him, to where the sun was rising. “It is full past the ‘crack,’ I would say.”

“Yes, so it is,” she agreed, even though it still seemed to be an ungodly early hour to rise.

“Will you ride with me then?” he asked.

“But of course. Just give me … a moment.”

He nodded and turned to the horses. She would have liked to watch him from her perch in the tower a moment longer, but her stomach bubbled with excitement at the thought of riding out with Donovan. She quickly threw on a pink dress, knowing it would flatter her tired skin, and brushed through her hair. She did not have the time get her hair braided by her lady’s maid; this pleased Illianah. She gave her reflection a careful inspection. Her figure had grown shapely in the past few years and her face was no longer adorned with fresh innocence. She did not look like the child who had once loved Prince Henrick, yet she felt the same inside. She felt just as eager and giddy at the thought of riding with the prince today as she had two years ago. This thought should have troubled her, yet today, she would not let it. She deserved to be happy. It had been far too long.

When she reached the courtyard, it had grown brighter as the sun continued to climb into the sky. A few people milled about now as well, but Illianah paid them no attention. She kept her eyes fastened on Donovan’s. His smile grew larger as she approached. “Princess,” he said, and then he gave her a regal bow. “Your steed awaits.”

She wanted to tease him for being so formal, yet she did not want to do anything to muddle his mood. If he was willing to dote on her, so be it.

“Thank you, My Lord,” she said once he had helped her onto
Kasba’s
back.

“My pleasure.” She thought he was still putting on a pretense of regality, yet his eyes indicated he really was pleased to help her into her saddle. It felt as if her gown had suddenly tightened across her chest and she was unable to take a deep breath.

Donovan mounted his horse; they left the courtyard and crossed the drawbridge. Illianah looked behind her as they left the castle. How she had once longed for this sight—the castle of Andoradda behind her. But thoughts of leaving the castle permanently were no longer with her.

“Planning your escape, Princess?” Donovan asked.

“On the contrary. Just admiring. I’ve never seen the castle from beyond the courtyard.”

“It is nothing like your castle in Burchess,” he said.

True, the St. Moraine Castle was a sight to behold. It still made her breath catch, even though she had lived in that castle since birth. It was taller, bigger, and more ornamental than the castle at Andoradda. Yet, while the Da Via’s castle was unadorned and void of golden trim and stained glass windows, there was something very pleasant about it. “No, it is not like my father’s castle,” she said, “but that is what I like about it.”

She thought her compliment would have pleased Donovan, yet the smile upon his lips did not match his eyes: they looked vacant and dull.

When she looked behind her again, she noticed a group of ten soldiers riding out to meet them. “I did not ask for them to accompany us,” he said as the soldiers approached.

Illianah did not doubt his words. “I am not allowed to ride alone either,” she said.

“Ah,” Donovan replied, his voice hinting at anger, “but you are a woman.”

“Am I?” she teased. “I do not know that I had noticed.”

He smirked at her comment and said, “I do not know how I can respond to that without bringing condemnation upon my head. Your tongue is cloven, My Lady.” The way he continued to smile after he said this indicated he teased as well.

She looked away from him and studied the forest approaching ahead of them. “So I get to see the great Deltegran forest? I did not think we would be taking this ride after … yesterday.” It was difficult to speak of the censure that had come from General Montague and King Henrick, as acknowledging it might be construed as admitting guilt.

“I promised we would ride, and I am a man of my word.”

“Yes, that you are. But I thought that since …”

“I do not take stock in the chatter of others, Princess. Neither should you.”

“And that is why we ride at dawn, before the citizens of Andoradda have a chance to see us together?”

“We ride at dawn because that is the best time to ride. It is peaceful at dawn. It is the time of day when I feel the most powerful. I like feeling like I am one step ahead of everyone else.”

She did not need to be reminded that she was now awake when she was usually sleeping, as she inadvertently stifled a yawn. Donovan chuckled.

“I am the opposite,” she said. “I like to wait until I see the last candle in the castle extinguished before I climb into bed. I do not like feeling like I have missed even a minute of the action.”

“Between the two of us, we seem to have every hour on the clock covered,” Donovan said lightly.

His words brought sadness to her heart, although she was certain his response was meant to be trivial. He referred to them as “two,” yet Illianah knew that could never be the case. Fate seemed to revel in punishing Illianah, as she was married to one man and forced to live with another.

The highway took them deep into the forest and for a time, it looked as if the hours were turning backwards. The forest was dark, showing no signs of dawn. She shook an inadvertent shiver from her shoulders. Of course Donovan would have to look at her at that exact moment.

“Are you cold, princess?” he asked.

The simple answer would have been, “yes,” but that was not the truth. “No,” she said. “I just had a chill, thinking of …”

“Stories about the haunted forests of Deltegra?” he interrupted.

Even though she felt foolish, she admitted as much.

“Those stories did keep our forests safe from looters for many centuries. ’Tis a shame King Gregory does not believe in ghosts.”

“Perhaps that is your answer,” she said with a smile. “You could dress your men in ghastly apparel and have them hide in the forests along the borders. You might be able to scare off a few hundred Burchessian soldiers.”

“That is a terrific battle strategy. I will have to inform General Montague of our new tactic the moment we return.”

“Yes, please do. You must give him reason to dislike me all the more.”

“Do not worry about Montague. He is harmless. It is like they say: his bark is worse than his bite.”

“I doubt that. He is the commander of your army. He must have some bite to him.”

Donovan sat taller on his horse. “I suppose you are right. However, he has never sunk his teeth into me, so I cannot attest to his ferocity.”

“Really?” she asked doubtfully. “I saw him take a chunk out of you last night.”

“He may have nipped, My Lady, but he did not draw blood. Montague and I were raised like brothers. I know him better than any other man. It would take a great deal more than slinging false accusations for him to injure me.”

Their horses began to climb a steep embankment, causing the conversation to come to a stop while they focused on the careful steps of their equines. But Illianah’s thoughts did not stop. Why was she so troubled by last night’s comments when they seemed to slide right off Donovan’s chest? Was it because she knew, in her heart, she was guilty of being disloyal to her husband? And was Donovan’s lack of distress because he had committed no such crime in his heart? It was all too possible he did not care for her the way she cared for him. It was also possible he was truly extending friendship and nothing more. Her heart tugged upon her lips until she frowned. Even though she knew he would question her change in countenance, there was nothing she could do to wipe the grief from her heart and face.

At least she had thought the frown was irrevocable until they reached the top of the ravine: their horses stopped in a clearing at the top of the hill where the sun now shone brightly, indicating it would be a hot day in Deltegra. She squinted against the sun momentarily, but once her eyes had become accustomed to the brightness, the forest stole the air from her lips. “This is breathtaking!” she exclaimed. She had never seen anything equally as beautiful. The forest rolled on as far as her eyes could see and in the distance, the horizon was framed by the majestic mountains of Vieve.

She did not realize she had covered her heart with her hand until Donovan said, “It is heartwarming to see God’s grandest creations, is it not?”

“Yes, very.” She felt as if something had changed within her heart. This was not just another land—a place where she had traveled to and had grown fond of. It felt as if this land was hers: as if her soul was intertwined with the roots of those stately trees. To think of going back to the barren landscape of Burchess made her soul feel as if it was being whittled away, causing weakness and a looming demise. “I have come to love Deltegra,” she said, not knowing she had given her heart permission to speak.

Donovan looked happy and satisfied, but then his countenance changed. He looked as if he had the weight of the kingdom upon his shoulders. “This may sound irrational, but do you know what I fear the most about this war? I fear that if we are to lose to Burchess, King Gregory will destroy our forests. He does not know how to harvest timber selectively so that the entire hillside is not annihilated. He does not know of the animals that call this forest home. He does not know how carefully we select each tree that is harvested, ensuring that our forest remains healthy. He does not know how we love our forest. He only looks at is as a means to his prosperity.”

Illianah’s heart felt heavy again, yet at the same time, she felt a closer kinship to Donovan. She too felt great concern for what would happen to the forest if her father had his way, but the way Donovan had worded his speech made it feel as if the strings between her heart and his had been pulled taught. He had said, “We,” as if she was one of them. And he spoke no soft words in regards to her father, King Gregory. He spoke as if she was an ally. As if she was no longer akin to Burchess.

“I do think we fight with greater zeal than Burchess, as we know we are the guardians of this forest. I do believe God will reward our efforts, as this is His land we protect.”

Donovan no longer looked troubled; he looked confident. He looked imperial as he sat upon his horse, staring out over the infinite forest. If there was ever a man who deserved the blessings of heaven as he protected his kingdom, it was Prince Henrick. But Illianah’s mind was troubled. She knew Prince Harrington’s austerity. She knew King Gregory’s fortitude. However unfortunate and unfair it may seem, she could not feel confident that virtue would triumph.

***

As they continued to journey through the forest, Donovan explained the process used to harvest the trees. The topic that Illianah had once thought to be about as dull and stiff as the trees themselves now captivated her interest. The Deltegrans had divided their land into small quadrants and only a certain number of trees were allowed to be taken off each quadrant every year. Donovan said that while this process did take more time and was not always convenient, it was done for the good of the forest so it might be bountiful for years to come. He spoke of the forest as if it were a living, breathing thing, whereas she knew her father thought of it only as a commodity. Ever since she had learned of her father’s duplicity, she had felt indifference toward the war. It had mattered not to her whether one side won or lost. But now, a fiery passion ignited within her chest. Burchess must not claim Deltegra. She could not think of a greater injustice. Yet, although she now had the passion to protect Deltegra, she lacked the power to do so. Short of donning armor and marching out to battle, there really was nothing she could do. She had been born into the wrong body. She should have been born male: then she would be able—and expected—to make a stand against injustice. This angered her. Her skin felt as if it was about to crack from the pressure of her enraged soul. Even though she was sitting atop a horse, she felt as if her body was too still in the deluge that surrounded her.

“What is our destination Donovan?”

“You grow tired of our ride already?” he asked.

“On the contrary. I merely wish to know where I should wait for you.” Illianah could think of only one way to contain the anger which burned in her soul: speed.

“Wait for me? You plan on racing?”

“Yes.” She quickly repositioned herself on the horse, so that she was now riding astride. She had never seen Donovan raise just one eyebrow, though he did so as he watched her get resituated on the back of Kasba. Illianah wondered if he was aware of his expression. “And I plan on winning.”

“I see that,” he said, his eyebrow still raised. He seemed to shake off his state of awe and looked ahead. “I had planned on stopping at the river. It is over this next mountain. Do you think you can make it that far?”

“Of course.” She did not wait for further instruction. She dug her heels firmly into
Kasba’s
side and yelled at the horse. Within moments, the wind was blowing against her face and through her hair; the sound of Donovan’s horse grew farther and farther behind. She did not stop until she reached the river, nor did she look back to see if Donovan would be able to catch her. For the first time since her springtime wedding, Illianah finally felt happy.