Ties of Blood (13 page)

It was easy to tell that the prince could hardly hold his mirth at the news from Eloen. She had no clue what could be going through his head but she was sure it was of an old man with a white beard calling down wonders to sweep aside armies. If that was true he was going to be sorely disappointed.

“First a Katanaga, now a mage. My luck seems to be turning around my lady. As soon as I have a chance to refresh myself I will head over to the fort and see what I can learn about our mage. If he has been captured I will have him released no matter the cost. If he is free I will spare no expense to find him. You have my word on that.”

“That is good to know, but while I believe he would help you that does not guarantee he will.”

The prince’s face dropped slightly but he was able to keep his overall composure. “I understand that, but it is worth the effort. Even if he does not help me having the queen of Farlan owe me a favor cannot hurt in the least.”

Eloen let her thoughts on the subject go unspoken, and allowed the prince his own delusions all that really mattered to her was that she was that much closer to seeing Thad once again. Taking a large bite of the mutton she let her mind wonder to what she would do when she first saw him. The foremost thought in her mind was to slap him as hard as she could for all the trouble he had caused.

Without a word to her companions she retired to her room. It was the first one off the staircase. She didn’t know if it was the orders of the prince or not but his happened to be right next door. She didn’t hate the prince but the way he looked at her made her uneasy. She knew that look she had seen it many times in her life. It was the look of a person who saw something they wanted, and she was in no mind to let him have it.

Inside the room she found a large tub with steam rising off the water. The sight of the bath erased everything else from her mind. As she shimmied out of her dress and armor a knock came from the door. Grabbing a large towel that lay on a table next to the tub Eloen opened the door.

Standing on the other side of the door was the old woman that had greeted the prince when they had entered the inn. She held two long extravagant dresses and two others of plainer make much like the ones she already wore. “I thought you might like to have these after your bath my lady. You are close to the same size as my daughter but if they need adjustments just let me know and I will take them to the tailor with your specifications.”

Eloen took the dresses and gave the woman a nice smile. “I am sure they will fit perfectly if not I hope there is extra room. Better for there to be growing room rather than having to hold my breath the whole time I am wearing them.”

The woman never responded just returned her smile and went on her way with the rest of her packages. Eloen closed the door and laid the dresses carefully on the bed. They were nice two of them fit to wear to a royal engagement at the palace though she doubted her armor would fit underneath them without showing.

Forgetting about her new clothing she finished undressing and climbed into the bath. The hot water over her skin was soothing. Looking over at everything the inn had supplied her with she found a nice dark wooden comb, and a good selection of smelling salts and washing powder. After checking a few, she finally pick some that suited her taste and began the tough job of scrubbing the dirt and blood from her skin.

Once she felt clean she started running the comb through her hair. The first few passes met with a lot of resistance and the pulling brought tears to her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she had taken the chance to care for her hair. It was argumentative on her best day but the constant neglect had made it truly unruly.

Long after the water had lost its heat Eloen decided it was time to climb out of the tub. The air rushing across her skin as she dried off made her shiver. After she was dry, Eloen used the rag to wash her armor, trying her best to reduce its stench even if by a little. Once she was satisfied with her work she hung it up to dry and pulled one of the others from her pack and put it on. With her armor on she picked one of the simpler of the dresses, a light blue one with a darker blue ribbon around the waist. It was a bit tight but not so bad she was in fear of it ripping. It didn’t have pockets but she strapped on her daggers anyway. Thanks to the thicker material of the dress and the good craftsmanship of her armor it was hard to tell she wore anything under her dress.

Once happy with how she looked she took the dress back off and placed it along with the others in the wardrobe. Flinging herself on her bed Eloen let her eyes close. She wanted to wait to sleep until she heard news of Thad but she was exhausted and she doubted the prince had even left yet. She was sure she could get in a few hours nap before someone woke her and right now that seemed like heaven.

CHAPTER XIII

A heavy knocking jerked Eloen from the first truly pleasant dreams she had enjoyed since Thad's disappearance. Sitting up she looked at the door as if it was the culprit. “Come in.” Eloen half yelled.

She expected Darryl or Ballard to come in the door but to her surprise it was the prince who half fell through the archway as the door swung open. She couldn’t help but laugh as the overdressed man stumbled and fell to the ground. He tried to stand up but his arms didn’t seem to work and he ended up laying on his back gazing at the ceiling.

Eloen slid out from under the covers and walked over to where the prince lay on the ground. “As much as I am enjoying you wallow on the ground like a newborn fawn, I want to learn what you learned on your little trip to the fort.”

“Those fools. I should have them tied to the whipping pole for a week.” The prince’s words while slurred still held Eloen's attention as if the queen herself was speaking. “Your friend escaped, and the fools forced him into a cave.” The prince’s mind seemed to wonder as he began to laugh hysterically.

Eloen mind was whirling. Grabbing the prince by the collar she lifted his head from the ground and slapped him hard across the face. “What happened to Thad?” Instead of answering the prince laughed again. “Tell me what happened or I swear to the gods I will beat you until your mind clears enough to answer.” Eloen followed her words with another strong slap leaving behind a large red mark on the prince's face.

The prince stopped laughing and looked up at Eloen. “He's dead. Brought the mountain down on top of the soldiers and himself.” The prince's words struck her in a heart like an arrow. Her hands slipped from their hold and her knees weakened as tears streamed from her face. “The idiots forced him into a corner and he brought down the mountain.” The prince laughed again then his words slurred into mumbles until he drifted off to sleep.

Eloen watched the prince sprawled on his back while her mind screamed. Thad was dead. She had failed. Going over to the small window Eloen looked up at the moon. The silvery shine of the moonlight helped sooth her broken heart. She didn’t want to believe the prince's words but a part of her knew that he wasn’t lying. She had known Thad's death was always a possibility but she had tried to push those thoughts aside, telling herself she would make it in time.

Looking back over her shoulder she saw the sleeping form of the prince on the hard floor. A thin sad smile spread across her face. “You are going to catch a cold sleeping there.” She said as she walked over to him. Staring down into his face anger bubbled up inside her and she had to fight back the urge to kick him for bringing her the news. She knew it wasn’t his fault but she wanted to take out her frustration out on something. Spotting the basin on the night table she picked it up and threw it across the room and heard the satisfying sound of it was it slammed into the opposite wall.

With her anger sated for the moment she bent down and pulled the prince's arm around her shoulder and lifted up. He was much heavier than his foppish look suggested. Struggling she was finally able to get him over to the bed. The strong stench of ale coming from her made her stomach twist in knots. “Did you drink a keg of ale yourself?” She asked the unconscious form now resting on her bed. When no answer was forthcoming she pulled the covers over the sleeping man and crawled under the covers herself.

She was tired but her mind was whirling. The fact that Thad was dead reverberated in her mind like a nagging fly that refused to go away. As she finally drifted back off to sleep Thad was still at the forefront of her mind.

Eloen awoke the next morning when the prince began to stir. Looking over at the Prince who held his head moaning Eloen's anger flared. Without thinking she kicked the prince and watched as he slid off the bed. The sound of him hitting the floor and the moan afterword made her laugh, lightening her mood even if just slightly.

Getting to his feet the prince gave her a strained look as he held his head. “May I ask what I did to deserve such treatment in the morning?” The prince asked his voice pinched and staggered as if each words caused him pain.

“You woke me up. Do I need more of a reason than that?” Eloen asked giving the prince the hardest look she could muster.

“It would seem that you don’t.” William said sounding none too pleased. “Why can you not be more agreeable?” William said as he stumbled to the water basin and began splashing the cold water on his face.

The prince's words stoked the fires of Eloen's anger. “Agreeable, like that woman last night who bowed at your feet as if she was waiting for you to use her back to wipe your feet?”

“You misunderstand me. I do not...” The prince started to say but was cut off by the icy glare Eloen shot him.

“Then forgive me your highness. Would you please vacate my room so I may make myself ready for the day?” Though her words were placating her tone was far from pleasing. The prince taking the hint made for the door with all hast. Once he was gone Eloen slumped back down on the edge of the bed and tried to calm herself.

She knew none of this was the prince’s fault. He had held up his end of the bargain. What little there was for him to do. Though she had little doubt that if there were more that he could have done he would have. She also knew that in the end it wouldn’t have been for their benefit but his own. He seemed kind but in the end everything he did was to better his own cause.

Fully awake now with little chance of going back to sleep Eloen decided to get dressed. Her first thought was to grab one of the plain dresses but the bright metallic blue dress kept grabbing her attention. It was made of three different layers of thin sink so that the colors of the ones underneath showed though making it look like it the fabric shimmer. To add to this effect small shiny beads were sown into the last layer.

Almost in a trance Eloen ran her hands over the silk fabric as she pulled it from the wardrobe. Pulling it up to her chest Eloen turned to look at herself in the small mirror on the door of the wardrobe. The blue silk matched her eyes perfectly. Without thinking about it she soon found herself putting the dress on.

Once the dress was on Eloen started working on her hair brushing it good so that it laid on her shoulders. Closing her eyes Eloen envisioned the look that would have been on Thad’s face in seeing her in such a state. At the thought of his bashful face a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Enjoying yourself?” Ballad’s voice said with more than a slight bit of amusement. Eloen turned to find the large man standing in her doorway. “Met with our dandy prince down in the main hall. He told me what he found out.” The smile faded from his face. “Are you alright Eloen?”

Eloen's tears began to stream down her face in force as she looked at Ballard's calm and reassuring face. Without a word he closed the door behind him and pulled Eloen into a strong bear hug. With her face buried in his chest she began to beat on his chest with her fists. “Why? He wasn’t supposed to be dead. Why? Why? Why?” Eloen screamed as Ballad held her tight.

Ballard never said a word he simply let her cry and beat on his chest until her cries turned into quiet sobs. When her feet gave out he caught her up in his arms and kept her from falling. When her eyes were dry, and her throat was sore she looked up at her friend. In his eyes she could see that he suffered too. He may not have been close to Thad but even if for a short time had been part of their small group. In a way he had become part of their family. “Thank you Ballard. I'm fine now. Would you mind leaving me alone with my thoughts for a short time? I will meet you down in the common room when I collect myself.” Ballard never replied but simply sat her down, gave her a sad smile and left her with her own thoughts.

Once she was alone Eloen sat down on the bed stared at the ceiling. She had no tears left to cry but that mattered little she doubted all the tears in the world could wash away the hurt she felt. Wiping her face with the palms of her hands she let out a cracked laugh. She couldn’t bring Thad back from the dead but she could make the person who caused his death pay. It wasn’t the people of Abla who were at fault but the person who pushed for the war. It was the prince’s uncle who would pay.

Her resolve set Eloen washed her face placing the silk dress in her pack along with the others. When she left the room she wore her armor openly along with her sword swinging freely at her hip. She had enough of hiding who she was. She was a soldier not some meek and mild farm girl for the men to push around and it was time they knew it.