21 | ACT I, SCENE XXI

P R E V I O U S L Y

"Oh yes, I am," Emerick leered. "I am, Eric. I'm going to use your daughter to trick Edwina into thinking Amphitrite is unwell. Then I'm going to Stormholt and lure her here. And then," he grinned, "I'm going to kill Edwina Tremayne."

HARTINGTON CASTLE, ALNWICK, STORMHOLT.

TRISTAN

"CRESSIDA!" I I CALLED OUT, ENTERING the Great Hall of Hartington Castle, as my men scattered away to their tasks with a bow and a salute.

"You called, your Grace?" a female voice asked. My golden haired secretary, Cressida, stood at my right, her face alight with worry as I made my way to a velvet couch.

Miriel had fallen asleep on the way back, her tiny frame clinging to my shoulders, curled into my arms. I quietly untangled her arms and placed a soft cushion under her head, laying her on a couch. She turned in her sleep, holding my fingers.

"Please..." she whimpered in her sleep, begging me to stay. Her voice was vulnerable and desperate, and her lids lifted slightly, revealing her sad, violet eyes.

"I'll be right back, child," I sat down next to her and whispered. "You need to rest." She sighed and snuggled closer and I reluctantly drew my fingers from her and got up.

"Your Grace... who is this?" Cressida asked with a bewildered expression.

"A little girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," I sighed, examining my knife.

"But... you cannot possibly save them all, my King," she observed. "You have a gentle heart-"

"No," I interjected sharply, my voice firm. "It's hard to have a heart when you've stopped so many others."

"Er - what do you mean?"

"Nothing," I muttered, ruffling my hair as I observed my reflection in a pale window. I realised I'd let my tongue run too far. If I lost it, they would know... what I had done.

No one could know what I had done.

Hiding it all these years had been no problem... until I'd married Edwina Tremayne.

Her sharp eyes seemed to look right through me, threatening to tear out whatever humanity was left of me. It was very dangerous and very hard being around her. And the fact that her lovely form seemed to entice me to death every time I saw her only added to the agony.

All of a sudden, the doors of the Hall banged open and Daniel flew in, hair askew.

"Your Grace! We have visitors," he exclaimed hurriedly, just coming to a stop in front of me, waving his arms about hysterically as I heard footsteps outside.

"Ah. And who might they be?" I questioned dryly, but before Daniel could answer, more people entered the room behind him and Cressida gasped loudly.

It was a bunch of about eight people. At the back, five of them were soldiers, all armoured and armed with swords. At the head, there were two men I recognized very distinctly. Emerick's eldest son, Elias. With that brat of my cousin, Favian. And the last person, standing right between them?

My niece, Verona!

She looked around nervously, her blue eyes wide with fear. Some of the dread seemed to vanish as she felt a sense of security at seeing me. Her eyes fell on me as well, her lower lip trembled as she bit it timidly.

"Well," I muttered, curiosity taking over me. "What have we here?" Why was Verona here? Eric had just taken her home a few hours ago, and as far as I remembered he didn't like her straying about when he wasn't there. "What is this, niece?" I asked, still wondering why she was gallivanting about with the meanest Rotavelles.

"The King asked you a question," said Daniel.

"I - I'm -" Verona mumbled quietly.

"Verona?" I asked firmly, taking long strides to her as I took in her tear streaked face. "What happened? And where are your parents?"

Her sky blue eyes, eyes just like her mother's, flicked between Daniel, Cressida and I, nervous with apprehension as her shoulders shook.

"Mother is - mother is," she couldn't complete her sentence as a fresh wave of sobs broke over.

"What happened to Amphitrite?" I asked, now tensing.

"She is-" Verona wept even more, and I took her arm firmly, sitting her down on a vacant couch as she doubled over, weeping.

"Water," I ordered, and an attendant filled a glass and handed it to her, as she drank it, gasping for breath between sobs.

'We do not have much time, girl," Elias said in a rough tongue. "Tell them what happened to your mother."

"What is going on, Verona? Speak!" I insisted. She drained the glass, setting it down on the table with a firm crash. Squaring her shoulders, she ceased her sobs a bit. As she took a deep breath, Verona almost drained the glass of water, leaving a bit behind, and placed it on the coffee table.

The glass tumbled and water spilled onto the floor as shatters rained down on them.

"I'm sorry... so sorry," she sobbed suddenly, shaking her head, but I stood rooted to the spot, my eye still on the spilt water.

It had not been an accident.

It would have been very hard to miss the sleight of her hand - the jerk of her wrist as she involuntarily spilled the water. My eye had caught it just in time.

Verona had spilled the water on purpose.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" I asked impatiently, now genuinely concerned that something was amiss here. She would never have been found roaming around with the Rotavelles.

"...spilled over your table too. Your lovely, pinecone table, standing here since five centuries. Just like the one in your library," she cried.

What was she saying? The table in my library was made of rosewood! I had carved it and placed it there three centuries ago, and I'd told her so not more than a few hours ago.

It struck me like a bolt of lightning.

It was a message!

Verona must have caught the glint in my eyes, and her stance immediately relaxed at the reassurance that someone finally understood what clue she was trying to drop.

Something was wrong.

"What happened to Amphitrite?" I curtly asked.

"She's... she's," her sobs were a little more theatrical now, and louder, echoing in the hall. "She's... very sick..."

"What? How?" Cressida gasped.

"She wasn't looking well when I saw her recently," Favian leered from beside her.

"She's... not in good shape," Verona cried further. "Father is with her at Vertgate. She's... she's - bleeding, and unconscious and... asking for her sister. For aunt Edwina."

"I see," I said, giving my mind time to make a plan. "And how come these two are with you?" I motioned to Elias and Favian.

"They-"

"-we were just in Vertgate when this happened," Elias broke in confidently. "Eric told us to safely escort Verona to Stormholt so that she could call Edwina."

"Amphitrite was repeatedly asking for Edwina. There isn't much time, Tristan," Favian said with a worried look on his face, flicking his hair back with a sneer. "Come on now, tell me where she is so that we can take her back with us."

"Ah. I see," I snorted, hiding my amusement. Now I was sure this was a trap. I had no idea by what means the Rotavelles had caught hold of Verona, but I was sure that Edwina was in danger, and most probably Eric and Amphitrite too.

"Come on, hurry now. We don't have time! Where is your wife?" Elias asked impatiently, tapping his foot on the floor.

"Of course," I said graciously. "Why don't you sit here while I fetch her for you?" I offered, motioning to the couches.

"Really? Good, very good," Elias muttered, sitting down as I set foot in the corridor outside.

I did not miss the sneer he passed to Favian and the guards.

• • • • •

CALCHESTER CITADEL, STEFFITH.

EDWINA

There was a piano under the Citadel.

I knew I had not been hallucinating.

I was running my hands over the varnished sides. Suddenly, something in my head clicked mentally.

'Tremayne?' Tristan's voice spoke in my head, indicating the link he used. Married couples could communicate mentally, and he'd apparently tried it out right now.

'Get lost, Valmont,' I answered back with a hiss. 'I'm busy right now, you can go back to being a bastard later.'

'Where the hell are you?' he asked impatiently, dissing my sneer with one of his own to match.

'Why don't you go and stick your nose up someone else's ass?' I retorted angrily.

'I'm not an ass man,' he huffed angrily. 'Now are you going to tell me in which pit of hell have you lost yourself?'

'Go and complain about your sexual fetishes to someone else!' I snapped, trying to hide the yearning burning in my blood.

'Look, woman,' he spoke, yet his tone was lined with urgency. 'This is the last time I'm asking you. Where the hell are you?'

There was a deep urgency in Tristan's dulcet voice, far from the mocking tone he used in jest. He wasn't joking around. He was serious.

'I'm in Steffith,' I muttered finally.

'Good. Stay where you are,' I heard a sense of relief in his voice. 'No matter what you hear, do not come back to Stormholt right now. And go to Vertgate at no cost.'

'And why is that, Valmont?' I asked sarcastically. 'You're not the boss of me!'

'Your sister might be in danger.'

'Stop trying to scare me,' I hissed back. 'It's not working.'

• • • • •

HARTINGTON CASTLE, ALNWICK, STORMHOLT.

TRISTAN

"So, did you find her?" Favian asked eagerly, as I entered the hall again, fists clenched. Beside him, Elias was trying to hide a malicious grin as Verona hiccuped with a sob again.

"I don't know where she is," I lied smoothly.

"She's your wife. Husbands know where their wives are," Elias commented at once.

"Since you're already so hell bent on wasting my time... would you like to deliver to me a litany on forgetful husbands who are sons of bitches? Go on, I have all day," I said sarcastically, leaning against the wall.

A moment passed as the two idiots looked at one another.

"Well... if you really don't know, hmm. I guess we'll have to go find her on our own," Favian remarked tentatively.

"Good luck," I muttered, taking the weeping Verona by the arm and pulling her behind me.

"But, Amphitrite is-"

"-Amphitrite is with Eric, didn't you say?" I remarked acidly. "In that case, their daughter needs a guardian around. Neither of you strike me as father material."

I bit back my lip to prevent myself from laughing out loud as they both scratched their heads and Verona gratefully hugged me from behind, wiping her tears.

"Ah. You can have her, I suppose?" Elias muttered.

"Wait. You know Edwina won't trust me," Favian threatened. "We need Verona as proof to tell her."

"And what about the fact that I don't trust you with Verona?" I inquired.

"Your trust issues are not our problem," he pointed out angrily. "You better give her back."

"I see. Llewellyn?" I called out. In a moment, my black haired, grey eyed brother appeared at my side, juggling a set of knives.

"You called?"

"I did." I tugged him by the shoulder and leaned close to whisper in his ear. "Go with them. And if they hurt Verona, kill them without second thought," I ordered in a low voice, sliding a Bloodstone knife into his sleeve. He nodded eagerly with a bemused smile.

"Where am I supposed to be going?" Llewellyn asked.

"Wherever they go. I need those rats out of the Castle, and they won't leave without taking Verona with them. So accompany them, and if they touch her, you know what to do," I muttered with a smirk.

"Excellent. I will rain down stones to break his bones," my brother said excitedly.

"Whatever floats your boat," I acknowledged, then pulled back slightly. "And do your best to lead them away from Steffith."

"Why?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Go now," I waved him off.

"If you are done with your farewell greetings, do you intend to let us go?" Elias asked acidly.

"Of course. I called Llewellyn to help you look for Edwina," I lied. "Get out of my Castle."

"Gladly," Favian said with a sneer, taking everyone by the arm and closing his eyes.

A moment later, the whole group - including Favian, Elias, Verona, Llewellyn and the guards - disappeared. Hopefully, the time Llewellyn would buy us by stalling the Rotavelles in looking for Edwina would be sufficient enough.

I waited a minute till I was sure that they weren't coming back.

"Your Grace... what was that about?' Daniel asked quietly, tapping me on the shoulder.

"Are - are the other two Monarchs in danger?" Cressida guessed nervously.

"Yes," I nodded curtly, before turning around to issue my instructions with a brief flick of my fingers. "Tell Philip to round up our forces. We're going to Vertgate."

• • • • •

We're nearing the end of Act 1 in about 5 or 6 more chapters... then this setting up will be over and the real game will actually begin!