Beginning , Section II, Next Section

Chapter Four – Continued

She was woken some time during the night by a soft, feathery touch on her hair. She turned her head sleepily and could make out Will’s outline in the darkness. She wondered how long she had been asleep. She shifted onto her back and noticed Will jerk his hand back. She guessed that he hadn’t meant to wake her, and she felt a soft glow of warmth spread through her at the private show of affection toward her.

She sought his hand and squeezed it. “What are you doing up?” she whispered.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he replied.

“Why? Are you too used to a soft feather bed?” she half-teased.

“No.” He lay down on his side next to her, leaning his head on his elbow as he gazed down at her. “I’m concerned about you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like leaving you alone for so long.”

“I’m not alone, Will. I’ll be with my family like I have been my entire life. I’ve survived so far.”

“Yes, but now you’ve stepped into a much bigger and more dangerous world.”

”I only poked my toe into that world. I haven’t stepped in completely yet.”

His hand caressed her face, seeking her touch. “Just by agreeing to marry me, you have stepped into my world. Unless you change your mind and will not marry me.”

“So what if I’m in your world now?”

“It’s dangerous, especially for someone like you. Hence my worry.”

“What do you mean ‘someone like me’?”

“You’re unused to the malicious games of the court. You’re innocent and too trusting.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“In my world, it is.”

She reached up and carefully, so as not to hurt her hands, took his face in her hands. “I’m more capable than you realize. I shall be all right.”

He didn’t say anything for several moments. He merely looked down at her as if memorizing her features. “Lyssa….”

“Yes?” she prompted after several moments of silence.

“If… something should happen….”

She didn’t like the sound of that.

“… There is a hermit who lives in the hills of Tatton. She will provide you safe haven from anything. Even me.”

That was something she really did not like. Her eyes searched his in confusion and wariness. In a low, grim voice, she demanded, “Explain yourself, sir.”

“I cannot.”

“You will.”

He paused, then leaned down to kiss her gently. He kissed her a second, then a third time, each one longer and more searching than the last. After the third, Lyssa pushed him away and gave him a look that made him quite aware that she would not let him do anything more until he explained himself. He sighed.

“I do not wish to frighten you.”

“Too late,” she quipped.

“Lyssa, I love you.”

She waited, not allowing herself to be dissuaded.

“Politics can be nasty sometimes. I may be forced to do something I do not want to do. While I do not expect anything of the kind, I want to prepare for the contingency.”

“That what?”

“If I am forced to do something against the one I love.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You are now my weakest point, my Achilles’ heel. If someone finds out about you, but more importantly about how valuable you are to me and what I would do to prevent any harm coming to you, they could use that to their advantage. It would put both the Shire and you in danger.”

Lyssa felt herself shaking, shivering. She had not realized she meant so much to him. It didn’t seem possible that she could after such a short acquaintance. She’d always assumed he was acting on a hunch that they would become a good couple as they got to know one other. He sounded as if she were already something so dear to his heart. While this knowledge was overwhelming in itself, the implication of the danger this presented to both her and him was doubly so.

He felt and saw her reaction. Swearing at himself for telling her, he gathered her up into his arms, wrapping them tightly around her as her head nestled under his chin. He calmed her, soothed her with his hands rubbing her back, his lips kissing her head, and his soft voice whispering reassurances.

Somehow, Lyssa drifted off to sleep while resting contentedly in his arms. She woke up to sunlight coming through the open barn doors and the sound of Charles moving around outside tending the horses.

She discovered herself to be resting her head on Will’s shoulder, one arm draped across his chest while his were wrapped around her. She pulled away gently to allow him to continue sleeping. She crept out of the barn and away from Charles to find a private bush to relieve herself.

She recalled Will’s conversation last night. It had seemed so real, so frightening during the stormy night. Now, in the glistening morning sunshine, it seemed difficult to imagine such grave futures. She was on her way home, where she would be safe until she could get married.

She returned to the barn and found Will awake. He glanced up at her when she walked in. He held his hand out to her. She hesitated, then walked over to him. He hugged her and asked, “Are you all right?” His eyes searched hers.

She nodded.

After breaking their fast, they mounted their refreshed horses and continued their journey towards her home.

They reached her province by late afternoon. Lyssa was thankful that the daylight would hold until they reached her father’s estate. She became more excited and more apprehensive and nervous the closer they came to her home. It had seemed so normal and right at the castle to meet and become engaged to the Crown Prince of Shire. But now that she was in her familiar surroundings, where she had grown up as a provincial nobody, the idea was becoming increasingly preposterous.

But Will had remained by his decision unwaveringly. Unless she begged to be released from their engagement, he seemed determined to see this through. This confidence and determination did much to buoy her own confidence and reassure her.

At dusk, they approached her father’s estate.

“This is the boundary of my home.” She turned her horse from the road down a path that followed the inside of a low stone wall built by her ancestors. To their right were rows and rows of different fruit trees. As it was yet still summer, the fruit was young on the bows.

Lyssa looked around her with new vision provided by her first prolonged absence from her home. She adored this place. The grass beneath the trees was bright green and soft. The forest to her left, on the other side of the wall, rustled happily in the evening breeze, as if greeting her.

She continued down the path for ten minutes, then turned right abruptly, walking between a row of apple trees and the beginning of the rows of walnut trees.

Finally, they could see the end of the orchard approaching. It opened out onto a wide field where a cow and three horses grazed lazily in the dusk. Their arrival startled a large flock of starlings. The birds took wing in a cloud of twittering black shadows against the pink dusk. Lyssa paused and watched, looking around her with fondness.

Will stopped beside her. He saw a house at the bottom of the field with a stable nearby. The house was not large by his standards, but supposed it to be a very good establishment for Lyssa’s station in life. It was made of sturdy stone with a grey slate roof. The wood trimming on the doors and windows was a lovely green colour, matching but brightening the somber stone. It had two stories of windows, but Will supposed the attic was used, too. It looked cozy. A far cry from his own home – a castle.

“Welcome to my home,” Lyssa said.

Will looked over at her. “Thank you. It’s lovely.”

“Come on,” she said, kicking her heels into her horse’s flanks. “We should be just in time for supper.”

“I think I should speak to your father first,” Will said as he caught up with her.

“I think so, too.”

Charles came up on her other side, saying, “This is a charming place, my lady.”

“Thank you. It has a special place in my heart.”

“I look forward to spending time here,” Charles replied with a smile lighting up his face.

Lyssa knew that was exactly the kind of comment to make Will’s jealousy and envy flare. She looked at him, but only saw a sad wistfulness.

Lyssa dismounted as she saw a head poke through a lower window.

“Lyssa!!!” the head cried, and disappeared.

Chapter Five

Posted on Tuesday, 23 September 2003

The door flew open and figures spilled out of it excitedly. One immediately sprinted toward Lyssa and threw herself at the traveler. Lyssa caught her and spun her around laughing. “Oh Jane!” she cried. Lyssa hugged her as tightly as she could. “How I’ve missed you!”

It seemed but a brief moment before she was being pulled away and into other hugs with her sister Katy, then her mother and father. Maria kissed Lyssa’s cheek and solemnly welcomed her return. Lida just stared at the two gentlemen who now stood beside their mounts silently watching.

“Who are they?” Lida demanded.

At this, the whole family became quiet and turned their attention to the mysterious company. Lyssa took a deep breath, walked forward and with a look that told Will, “This is it!” she took his hand. Leading him forward, she said in a firm voice that belied the bees in her stomach, “This is Will, my fiancé.”

There was a stunned silence.

Into it, Lyssa added, “And that is his friend, Charles.”

Another moment of silence ensued before Lida snorted, “You’re joking!”

Lyssa felt Will lace his fingers through hers and squeeze her hand. Lyssa smiled up at him, who returned it with a wry one of his own. “No, I’m not.”

At that, the family erupted again and moved toward the couple en masse. Jane kissed her sister. Lyssa told her fiancé, “This is Jane.”

Will released Lyssa and took Jane’s hand, bowing and kissing her hand as he said, “I am delighted to finally meet you. Lyssa has told me only the highest praise of you.”

Jane opened her mouth in shock, and was unable to recover in time before Lyssa said, “This is Maria, Katy, and Lida, my youngest sister.”

Will bowed to each.

“And this is my mother.”

Lyssa’s mother bustled forward and took both of Will’s hands in her own, squeezing them enthusiastically.

“Forgive me if I am not over my shock, sir. Lyssa is the last of my daughters I would have expected to bring home a fiancé. Oh, I am so delighted!”

Will smiled, replying smoothly, “As am I, Mistress Bent.”

Finally, Lyssa said, “Will, this is my father.”

Will bowed. “Master Bent.”

Master Bent eyed this gentleman keenly with a grave face.

Will said, “I would like to speak with you privately as soon as possible, sir. I have many things to discuss with you, and no doubt you have concerns you will wish to discuss with me.”

“You’re absolutely correct in your assumption. Why don’t we retire to my study now?”

“Wait a moment, father,” asked Lyssa. She beckoned Charles forward.

Seeing that the horses were content to graze where they were for the moment, he stepped toward the family gathering, feeling not a little awkward and out of place.

He bowed to them all.

“Charles has been good enough to accompany Will and me here.”

Mistress Bent smiled warmly at him. “You are very welcome, sir. Please, come inside with us. We are about to sit down to our evening meal.”

“Thank you, madam. I shall attend to the horses first, if you would not mind allowing me the use of your stable.”

“But of course,” Mistress Bent said. “Oh, and normally Lyssa would be the one to help you, but I suppose she will be giving up those duties now.” Mistress Bent’s voice trailed off as she looked dazedly at Lyssa, the realization still sinking in.

Lyssa shook her head. “Not for many months, yet, Mother.”

Charles assured them, “I’m quite capable on my own, thank you.”

Lyssa asked Jane, “Would you be a dear and go with him?”

Jane looked slightly puzzled at being asked but agreed. She took one of the horses and smiled slightly at Charles, leading the way to the stable.

Will caught Lyssa’s eye and raised a quizzical eyebrow. She smiled innocently in return and slid her arm through his. They followed everyone inside the house.

In the small central hallway, Mistress Bent announced, “We shall prepare three more places at the table while you talk with Master Bent.”

Lyssa led Will to her father’s study and managed to kiss him quickly before her father walked in and shut the door. He stood facing the couple, his face grave, but not angry or antagonistic.

Lyssa decided she had better start. “Father, I would like you to meet my fiancé, Prince Fitzwilliam.”

Will had to be impressed in spite of himself when his future father-in-law’s only reaction was to raise one eyebrow. The feeling disappeared when he realized it was merely skepticism.

“Forgive me if I sound rude, but may I see proof?” Will’s face must have shown disbelief and surprise, for Master Bent added, “My second daughter has a reputation in this family for playing us for fools. This is exactly the sort of thing I would expect her to do.”

Lyssa’s face flushed deep red. Out of anger or mortification, Will didn’t know.

“Certainly, sir,” Will said, and turned to look at Lyssa.

“What?” she demanded, hotly. “I’ve never done any fooling as outrageous as this!”

“That’s not what a meant. You have the only proof I could give of my identity.”

“What?”

“The seal.”

“I know what you mean,” she said brusquely. “But… how could you have given me your only way of identifying yourself as the prince?!”

“It was the only thing I have that was truly mine. Everything else seems to belong to the kingdom or my parents more than me.”

“But… but,” she spluttered. “How will you do without it? This is ridiculous!” She began to take it off.

His hand wrapped around her wrist, preventing her. “No. We’ve been through this before. Besides, I’m having a new one made.”

“And meanwhile?”

“Uh… meanwhile you have the only seal for the Crown Prince.”

“What if something were to happen to you on the way home? What would you do then?”

“I don’t intend to get into trouble on the way home.”

“But on the off-chance that you did?”

Will shrugged. “I’ll deal with that when I get there. That’s what Charles is for. Meanwhile, you are keeping that thing on your person.”

Lyssa glowered at him, even though her heart glowed at his defiant devotion to her.

Master Bent cleared his throat, startling the bickering couple. They’d forgotten they had an audience. Master Bent was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

When he had their attention, Master Bent made a short bow to Will. “I believe I am convinced that Lyssa is telling the truth, Your Highness,” impressing Will with his correct address.

“Good,” said Lyssa. “But you may see this all the same.”

Master Bent sat down and lit another candelabrum so that he might better see the intricate silver seal hanging from the chain on her wrist. He nodded, and sat back in his chair, indicating that his daughter and her fiancé should sit as well.

“Perhaps you should begin with an explanation from the beginning.”

Lyssa explained how she had met Will, about the ball – glossing over her distress and her reluctance – and finally to her meeting with the King and Queen.

“Because I am staying here until the wedding, our engagement will remain secret. Only you, the King and Queen, Charles, and Jane know.”

“How does Jane know?”

“Well… she doesn’t yet. But I will tell her the first opportunity I have.”

“What are you going to tell your mother and sisters?”

“That Will is a butler at the castle and Charles is a messenger to Lord Albester.”

Master Bent nodded, lacing his fingers over and over again in thought. After several minutes of this silent thought, Will asked, “Do I have your permission sir?”

“Permission for what?”

“To marry your daughter.”

“I could hardly deny you, Your Highness.”

“I will respect whatever is your decision, sir.”

“If I refused you permission, you would give her up?”

“No. I would do my best to change your mind.”

Master Bent nodded as if satisfied with Will’s answer. “Very well. I should probably save time and give you my consent now.”

“Thank you sir.”

Master Bent stood to shake his future son-in-law’s hand.

“You do my family honour, Your Highness.”

“I prefer to see it as you granting me the honour of having your daughter. And it would be best if you call me Will.”

The older man nodded.

“There is one more thing I need to discuss with you.” Will reached inside his tunic and pulled out a small sack that just about fit inside his palm. He put it on Master Bent’s desk, the clinking sound giving away the contents. “This is to ensure Lyssa’s safety and well-being.”

“Your Highness, I will not accept,” Master Bent said, at the same time as Lyssa’s protest. “She is still my daughter, and I shall provide for her.”

“You may do so, but it would ease my mind greatly to know that this is here just in case. I’m not talking about normal expenses, but rather anything unexpected that may come up as a result of our new arrangement. I won’t brook refusal. Take it and hide it away safely if you want. Lyssa could bring it with her to the wedding untouched.”

Master Bent appraised Will, then nodded. “We’ll hide it away somewhere.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, if there is nothing more, we should probably join the family. We have been gone some time.”

Will and Lyssa stood as Master Bent left the study, leaving the couple alone in privacy for a few minutes.

“This is unnecessary, Will,” Lyssa said, firmly.

Will took her face in his hands, bringing his only inches from hers. “Do you remember our conversation last night?”

She nodded.

“Should something like that happen, you have some funds to give you more freedom.”

Lyssa’s eyes grew wide at the second mention of such contingencies.

“Most likely it will remain untouched, but it will do my mind some ease to know it is available for you. And I want you to use it even if you need something else. Should the crops fail and your family falls on hard times or something. I just don’t want you to suffer at all.”

Lyssa smiled up at him. “Thank you,” she replied.

He kissed her, then pulled her arm through his once more.

She showed him the well where they washed their hands and faces before going in to the dining room. Mistress Bent had managed to find room for three more. She beckoned them in and everyone was soon seated.

Lyssa noticed that Charles did seem to be somewhat partial to Jane. But it was difficult to tell when the other choices for company were Mistress Bent and Lida.

Everyone was curious about Lyssa’s trip to the castle and the ball.

“Did you meet the Prince?” asked Katy.

Lyssa, who had never thought of an answer to this question before, said hesitatingly, “Not exactly, no. I was in the same room as he, but I didn’t see him close enough to recognize him again.”

“Was he handsome?” Katy asked dreamily.

Lyssa hid a smile with her serviette, glancing quickly at Will, who was doing his damndest to keep his focus on his plate. “Like I said, I never got close to him, so I couldn’t see for myself. I heard rumour that he is devastatingly handsome.”

Lyssa felt Will’s knee nudge her. She didn’t know what he was trying to convey, but she dared not respond.

“Did you get to dance?”

“Only once.”

“With whom?”

“With Will, actually.”

“But was he invited?”

Lyssa laughed. “He’s sitting right next to me. It’s all right to speak directly to him.”

Will looked at Katy and smiled mischievously. “I snuck in just to dance with the most beautiful woman in the ball room.”

It was Lyssa’s turn to nudge him. Again, in warning or thanks she did not know.

Katy sighed dreamily. “What was it like?”

“The ball? Well… it was full of people. There were candles lit all over the place, and beautiful paintings on the walls and ceiling. Two sides of the room had many windows and doors opening into a garden. There was food, all of it made in miniature so that it was possible to be eaten in one bite. There was a large group of musicians playing for the dancers. The entire room seemed full of excitement, but nothing was happening.”

“Perhaps everyone was waiting for the Prince to make his choice of bride known,” said Jane. “Who did he choose in the end? We’ve had no news yet.”

Lyssa, floundering, turned to Will and asked, “I don’t remember. Do you, Will?”

Will swallowed with difficulty the bite he’d had in his mouth. Clearing his throat as everyone looked expectantly at him, Master Bent the mostly keenly of all, he said, “I believe his choice has been postponed. I … the gossip I hear among the servants is that he managed to convince his parents to wait a little longer.”

“He can’t wait too much longer, can he?” said Mistress Bent. “How old is he, 30?”

“28 and a half,” Will answered almost automatically, then froze.

“You know that so accurately?” Mistress Bent said.

“Uh… he’s the same age as me. Well… I’m younger by six months.”

“So you’re only 28. How old were you when you became a butler? 28 is quite young, I thought, for such a position.”

“Oh, I’ve only been a butler for a year now.”

“What were you before that?” Mistress Bent asked.

If Lyssa hadn’t known her mother knew absolutely nothing, she would have suspected her of deliberately taunting him and choosing questions he could not know the answers to.

“Um…” Will appeared to be thinking.

“You were a footman before that, were you not?” Charles jumped in to rescue his Prince. Charles was well aware that Will had no idea what one did to become a butler, nor even the names of the different types of servants in his household.

“Mmm,” was Will’s only reply as he quickly ate another bite so he wouldn’t be able to answer another question.

Lyssa quickly said, “Charles and Will have been friends for… how long is it now?”

“Sixteen years,” Charles said with a smile.

“You both grew up around the castle then?” asked Mistress Bent.

“Yes.”

Mistress Bent’s conversation began to be aimed at Charles, who did admirably both at lying and diverting attention from Will.

At one point, Maria asked, “What did you do to your hands, Lyssa?”

Lyssa looked down at the rather ugly scabs on the heels of her hands. “Oh, I … fell down in the garden. I tripped on something.”

Mistress Bent shook her head. “You always were a clumsy child.”

Will, angry at the insult to his fiancé, opened his mouth to argue with her, but Lyssa put her hand on his knee under the table and shook her head. It took tremendous self control not to say something. After a moment, he said with a calm voice, “Clumsy is one of the last words I would use to describe Lyssa.”

Jane beamed at him while Lyssa just chuckled. Mistress Bent had enough sense not to comment on Lyssa after that. In any case, she didn’t want to scare away Lyssa’s fiancé.

After their meal together, Lyssa asked Jane to accompany the three travelers on a walk to a hill on the corner of the Bent property overlooking a lake rimmed with mountains.

They walked in companionable silence for twenty minutes until they reached the isolated spot. It was a beautiful place. Very peaceful and relaxing, but most especially, private.

Lyssa decided that she wanted to tell Jane in private. She excused them and began to stroll along the hilltop with her older sister.

“Will isn’t a butler,” Lyssa began.

Jane looked at her sister, puzzled. “What is he then? Why does he pretend to be a butler?”

Lyssa took a deep breath. It was difficult convincing someone else when she could hardly believe it herself. “He’s the Crown Prince Fitzwilliam.”

Jane gasped and looked at her sister’s face, trying to gauge whether she was serious. “How did that happen?”

Lyssa told Jane the story of how she met Will and their idyllic afternoon together. Then she explained about the ball and her decision.

“It’s amazing!” Jane breathed, still trying to let the information sink in.

They remained quiet for several minutes as they sat and watched the bright moon shimmering on the water.

“Who is Charles, then?” Jane asked softly.

“He is Will’s protection and best friend.”

Jane nodded and they lapsed into silence once more. Finally, Lyssa asked, “Do you think I’ve made a foolish decision?”

Jane hesitated. “No, I don’t think so. He must really love you. And I have faith that you will be an excellent princess.”

“I’ve asked that you come with me to the castle,” Lyssa said, studying Jane’s face intently.

Her sister looked at her, eyes wide.

“If you are willing, of course.” She paused, took Jane’s hands in hers. “I need you, Jane. I’ll be all alone there and I would miss you too much. You don’t have to decide yet. Come and meet them properly. We have more to discuss.”

They got up and returned to where the two men were lounging on the soft grass. When they saw the women, they got to their feet. Jane curtseyed to Will.

“No, no, don’t do that,” Will said. “You can’t be treating your brother like that. Much too formal.”

Lyssa realized that it was one thing for Jane to accept that her sister was marrying the Prince, but quite another to accept that she would have a Prince as a brother. Nevertheless, Jane was the capable type to hold steady under any circumstances.

“I look forward to the occasion,” she replied with a small smile.

Will put an arm around Charles’ shoulders and said, “This is my best friend, Charles Bailey.”

Charles bowed to Jane who curtseyed, blushing.

The four of them sat down together, Will pulling Lyssa to lean against his chest. Whispering in his ear, she said, “Should we tell Jane about the risk?”

“As much as you think she can handle.”

Lyssa explained a little bit to Jane, enough to justify the need for secrecy.

“Will has promised to come visit when he is able, but in the meantime, Charles will be our courier. In order to explain his frequent visits here, we were going to use you as his reason.”

Charles, still uncomfortable with the arrangement, began to pluck at the grass methodically.

“I don’t understand,” Jane said.

“The story is that he has become enamored of you and visits frequently on his way to Lord Albester’s.”

“Oh.”

“Do you mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind being his excuse to come here.”

Charles looked at Will, almost glaring. He really did not like the arrangement, and for some reason Jane’s willingness didn’t help at all. Will resolved to ask him about it later.

They continued to talk about plans and what they would do during the period of engagement. When the moon’s light began to fade behind the clouds, they left the idyllic hilltop and returned to the house. Will and Lyssa walked more slowly until they were alone. Will slid an arm around her shoulders while she wrapped hers around his waist.

“It’s a beautiful place,” Will said.

“It’s one of the most beautiful orchards in the kingdom, I’ll wager. Father has had many people attempt to buy it. The only problem is that he has no sons to work on the orchard or to inherit it.”

“If you’re a princess, it won’t matter will it?”

“Nothing could substitute this place in my heart. It will always be dear to me. And it would be nice to know the orchard is kept altogether in good hands.”

“Who would it normally go to?”

“My father’s cousin. But we don’t like him at all. I think he would sell it if the price was right.”

Will kissed the top of her head, giving her shoulders a squeeze. “Maybe you can do something about that in your new office.”

“Will, I don’t want to abuse my position.”

“That’s why you make a perfect princess. You have more scruples than all the ladies in the court put together.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Perhaps a tiny bit.”

Before they reached the house, Will turned her to face him. “I feel better about leaving you here. It’s a beautiful place, a peaceful place, but most of all, it seems isolated and safe.”

“I’m glad you feel more at ease. I look forward to spending a lot of time with you in all my favourite childhood haunts.”

“As do I.”

“Shall we go inside now? It must be late and we’ve been traveling for two days.”

“I feel better than I have in many years.”

He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, resting there for several moments, before pulling away and leading him inside.

Mistress Bent was just coming down the stairs. “Oh, my dear sir. I was just explaining to your friend that we have only one guest room. We can put the other one of you in Lyssa’s room.”

Hurriedly, Will said, “Charles outranks me and should take the guest room. I’ll be content to stay in Lyssa’s room.”

Lyssa nudged him, giving him a raised eyebrow and a smile.

“Lyssa, would you show him up?”

“Certainly, Mother.”

Lyssa took Will’s hand and tugged him up the stairs, down a hallway and into a room on the left. The floor was just bare wooden boards, there was one window, a table with candles on it in one corner, a bed in the centre of the left wall, and a chest in the other corner. The walls had various drawings pinned up. On closer inspection, Will later discovered they had been drawn by the five sisters at various times in their lives.

The simplicity of the room struck Will, and he began to realize what a big change Lyssa was making to his own luxurious life in the castle. At the same time, he felt like he was becoming closer to her just by being in the room she had spent her life in.

“Rather plain and ugly, isn’t it?” she said, smoothing the worn quilt on the bed.

“It’s comfortable,” Will replied. “I like it.”

Lyssa laughed.

“Where are you sleeping?” Will asked.

“With Jane.” She paused, then added, “And I’m sure Jane will have much more to talk about. So I’ll see you in the morning.”

Lyssa kissed Will’s cheek and left him standing alone in her bedchamber.

Lyssa and Will spent the following three days together. Mistress Bent even went so far as to complain about how inseparable they were. They pruned the orchard, occasionally eating a piece of early-ripened fruit. They went swimming in the large lake bordered by the majestic mountains that marked neighboring Eos’ boundary.

They took long walks through meadows and fields. They discussed politics, their childhoods, and their future together. Will liked to build castles in the air with all the wondrous things they would do. It amused Lyssa to no end.

While Will and Lyssa flitted about the serene countryside, Jane and Charles were left together. It was slow going at first, both seeming to be too shy with the other. After the first day, however, they were more comfortable, able to hold conversations and laugh together.

Will was loath to leave, delaying their departure each day. Finally, Charles put his foot down. “You must return to the castle, or else we will suffer serious consequences!”

Will nodded, knowing his friend was right. But never had he wanted to stay away from the castle so badly. He wanted to be nowhere else but this charming orchard in the remote corner of the kingdom with his beloved.

“You must go, Will,” Lyssa said gently, slipping her arms around his neck.

He nodded, leaning down to kiss her. “I know.”

“Go in the morning. With good weather, you should be back in the late evening. You will write to me as often as you can. But I don’t want you running Charles ragged.”

Will nodded.

“I shall look forward to your return.”

“I shall count down the days,” Will whispered, his eyes gazing at hers with an overwhelming intensity.

Will and Charles left at dawn the following morning. Only Jane, Lyssa, and Master Bent were awake to see them off. Will shook Master Bent’s hand firmly.

“Take care, Your Highness,” Master Bent said.

“I shall, thank you sir.”

Jane kissed Will’s cheek, but only curtseyed to Charles. “Have a safe journey, sir,” she said softly.

Master Bent and Jane went inside while Charles set off down the path through the orchards leading the horse Lyssa had used, leaving Lyssa and Will in privacy.

Neither could say anything for several minutes as they embraced tightly. Finally, Lyssa whispered, “I… I’ll miss you.”

The powerful feeling of happiness, passion, devotion, and love that swept over Will prevented him from responding in any way but to kiss her as ardently as he could, taking Lyssa’s breath away. He didn’t want to let her go. Not now. He would give anything to remain with her. He wanted to ask her to return with him. Beg her. But he knew she was safest here, and that meant more to him than anything else. As long as he knew she was safe, he could rest at ease.

He heard her sniff and realized she was crying. He pulled away enough to cup her face in his hands and look at her. “You mean more to me than anything else in the entire world. I am a better man because of you.”

She closed her eyes to squeeze several more tears out of them. The droplets ran down in rivulets. He kissed both her salty cheeks, then lingered on her lips for several moments, hoping to drink her essence and take it with him.

When he pulled away, she hugged him tightly, burying her face in the crook of his neck. “Be safe,” he heard her say.

“I will.”

Eventually, they parted, and Will mounted his horse. He took one last lingering look at his fiancé, then turned and walked resolutely through the early morning mist in the orchard.

Lyssa lingered outside long after he was out of sight, her arms wrapped around herself, partly to ward off the morning chill, and partly to hold onto the memory of his presence for as long as possible.

Ten minutes after Will had left, Jane came outside to fetch her younger sister.

“Come inside, dearest. He shouldn’t be coming back soon.”

Lyssa sniffed, rubbed her cheeks and nodded. “I know.”

Jane tugged Lyssa inside.

At breakfast, Mistress Bent lamented the absence of the two handsome men to the point where Lyssa dropped her knife and fork on her plate loudly and left the table. She retreated to her room, hoping that evidence of Will’s three-day stay was still there.

She had wanted to tell him that she loved him, but for some reason she had balked and they had parted without her ever having told him. She was most afraid of such a powerful emotion from such a strange relationship. They had become engaged after knowing each other one day. Will never seemed to be disturbed by this. She supposed that he was still better off than had he been in an arranged marriage, or even married a courtier he did not know. Even if he had met that noble lady many times, he still would not have known her like he knew Lyssa, for that noble lady would only have acted for his approval.

Still, she hadn’t felt comfortable expressing an emotion that defied all her reason and logic. It frightened her.

She entered her room and to her absolute delight, she discovered a letter waiting for her on her bed. Her heart clenched in anticipation and love. She locked her door, quickly opened the letter, and climbed onto the bed to read it.

My beloved darling,

I miss you already and I have not even left yet. But by the time you read this, I will be gone. How I wish I could remain by your side for eternity. However, it gives me comfort to know you will be safe and happy here. That is the only thing that prevents me from begging you to return with me.

Every morning, I awake and wonder whether I have woken from this dream yet. You have changed my world so much merely by opening my eyes to it. I thank the Fates every day that we met on that roadside. I dream of the time when we will not have to be parted like this. I wonder how much use I shall be at the castle without you by my side. Not that I was ever that useful in the first place.

I could go on adoring your person on paper, but I must save some for future missives.

I love you more than there are drops of water in that lake.

~ Will ~

Lyssa read and reread the letter five times, then lay on her bed imagining him sitting at her desk writing it. She curled up, clutching the letter to her and lost herself in memories of him. She fingered the seal and chain absentmindedly. He was right. This seal meant more than anything else he could have given her because it was his. He had worn it since he was born. And now she kept it with her always. The chain was a little too big for her smaller wrist. With a little effort, she was able to take it off without unclasping it. Gradually, still clutching the letter in one hand and the seal in her other, she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Six

Posted on Friday, 3 October 2003

Two weeks of summer passed before Charles returned to the orchard. When Lyssa saw him she dropped the knife she had been using to prune the rose bushes by the house, nearly cutting off a toe. She ran to him eagerly.

He dismounted, laughing at her. He hugged her first, giving her kiss on her cheek before he delivered the long-awaited letter. It was thick, Lyssa felt with a delight.

She wanted to run off alone to read it, but felt obligated to make sure Charles, who must be tired, was cared for. Fortunately, Jane appeared from inside, wiping her hands of silver polish on her apron. She smiled her beautiful, tranquil smile.

When she approached, she said in her gentle voice, “Good evening, Charles. You must be tired.”

“It wasn’t too bad a journey.”

Jane went with him to the barn to take care of Charles’ mount.

Lyssa, now free to retreat on her own, dashed off to one of her favourite places to be alone. She ducked under pear branches and around the large walnut trees until she came to a grove of young birches beside a babbling brook. She sat down and looked at the seal on the letter. It was anonymous. On closer inspection, Lyssa realized it was the shape of a daisy. She smiled giddily.

She hurriedly opened it and shuffled through the five or six pages of elegant scrawl that she had come to familiarize herself with from the previous letter he had left. The letter spanned several days, explaining the size of it.

She began to read, her heart throbbing with love and pounding with anticipation.

My beloved darling,

I have never yearned for anything as much as I yearn to see you again. I keep trying to sneak off to see you, but Charles has taken to keeping a closer eye on me. If he had ever been in love, he would not be this cruel to me! He takes great amusement in my melancholy. For indeed, I am exceedingly melancholy while you are far away.

Mother and Father ask after you. I met with them soon after my return and told them about my visit. I told them how beautiful your orchards were, how pretty the countryside. I told them how sensible and intelligent your father is, and how sweet and good your older sister. They have agreed that it is all right for her to come and live at the castle when you come to marry me. I love saying that. It is very difficult for me to contain this entire engagement in secrecy. I want to shout to every lady fawning over me that I am in love with Lyssa, and none of them could possibly compare. I wonder what the people around me think of my moods. For sometimes I am deliriously happy thinking of you coming soon, but most of the time, I am morose.

Charles has news to tell you that I may not write down. Things are going well here in general.

The letter continued, and Lyssa read each word avidly. She felt somewhat restored with each paragraph. He was subtly different on paper. Aside from being much more vocal about his love for her, he was also more playful and light-hearted than he usually was in person. She felt like she was seeing more of the real Will that was inside. At the end of the letter, he wrote, I love you more than there are blades of grass in our meadow above the castle.

The daylight soon faded, and Lyssa returned to the house to discover the family already sitting down for the evening meal, with Charles in the place of honour between Master Bent and Jane.

Lyssa slid into her place and began to eat.

“How is Will?” asked Master Bent.

Lyssa looked up at him, swallowing. She was grateful for her father’s interest. “He does well, thank you.”

Charles laughed. “He does well aside from lovesickness and melancholy. But that is not to be helped.”

Lyssa flushed, smiling a little.

Katy piped up, “Lord! I never thought we would have the opportunity to tease Lyssa about a beau!”

The family laughed, but Lyssa took the teasing good-naturedly. The meal continued pleasantly with Charles’ company.

Afterwards, Charles asked Lyssa to accompany him on a walk.

“Would you not like to rest before we talk together?” Lyssa asked.

“Thank you, but I not too tired.”

Lyssa strode beside him as they made their way to the lake once more, this time on a darker night.

When they were a sufficient distance from the house, Charles asked, “How have you been, my lady?”

“Charles,” Lyssa sighed. “Must you insist on calling me that?”

“You will be my princess soon. It would be best for me not to become used to calling you anything else.”

“I don’t want you calling me that when I’ve married Will, either.”

“Do you want to hear my news or not?” Charles asked, avoiding the subject.

“Please go ahead.”

“The King and Queen announced that their son, the Crown Prince, has become engaged,” Lyssa gasped, “but did not divulge who the lady was. The court was abuzz with gossip of who it might be. No one mentioned you.”

“When will the King and Queen announce who his fiancé is?”

“I do not believe they will do so for several months. They will not do so until they need to.”

“How risky is this?”

“The King and Queen know what they are doing, my lady.”

Lyssa nodded, telling herself to trust her future parents-in-law.

“The King of Windham has taken a fall off his horse and is seriously injured.”

Lyssa looked up at Charles with wide eyes.

“It is uncertain whether he will survive. This has thrown our court politics into a bit of a frenzy regarding whether we should invade. In anticipation of our invasion, Roble and Arcadia have formed an alliance with Windham. They will fight us should we invade the Northern Province of Windham.”

“Why would we go ahead with the invasion against such opposition?”

“There are several of our nobles who do not believe Roble and Arcadia will truly risk troops against us. Roble does not have a strong army at all. It has more strength in its navy, which is useless for this dispute. Arcadia does have capability to be strong unless it is harvest time.”

“But surely we would suffer the same losses at harvest time should those nobles decide to act then.”

“Not if our nobles are ruthless and foolhardy enough to demand farmers to leave their harvests.”

Lyssa gasped in shocked horror. “They wouldn’t!”

Charles nodded gravely. “Greed will push a man to do extraordinary things, my lady.”

“What does Will think of all this?” Lyssa finally asked.

“He is hoping that it blows over.”

“Is he doing anything?”

“Will tends to work subtly. He’ll casually mention something to a few choice people, manipulating them so cunningly, they don’t even know they have been influenced. It is therefore difficult for me to say exactly what he is doing. My guess is that he is trying to work on the younger sons of these foolish nobles. A couple of the sons are nearly 17 or 18, an impressionable age. Will merely expresses his contempt and boredom for such hawk politics. He is clever at making dove politics seem popular.”

Lyssa glowed with pride for her fiancé.

The conversation turned to more mundane matters. Lyssa pried every piece of information about Will she could from him. When Lyssa perceived Charles’ exhaustion, they returned to the house and Lyssa made sure he was comfortable in the guest room before retiring to her own room to reread by candlelight Will’s letters.

She stayed up late into the night finishing another letter in reply to him, adding it to the four others she had written before.

Charles stayed for two days, spending it mostly in the company of Jane and Lyssa, before he went on to Lord Albester’s estate to deliver his message. Lyssa tried not to worry about the political situation she had been informed of by Charles. In the end, she persuaded herself to stop her fretting since she could do nothing about it.

Five days after Charles had left, the Bents received the news of the Crown Prince’s engagement from one of their neighbours. Mistress Bent was excited by the news, and Lyssa had to act the part of someone hearing this for the first time about a person she had never had contact with. Lida and Katy spent a couple of days speculating on who it could be, before the subject lost its appeal and was dropped altogether to Lyssa’s relief.

Lyssa somehow managed to pass another fortnight before the next visit from Charles. It helped that she was busy working on the orchard as harvest time drew near. She was thinning the apple bunches when Charles arrived. Jane was the one to greet him as he rode up to the house.

“Charles,” she said, smiling her usual serene smile. “It’s always a pleasure to see you.”

“Thank you. You look as radiant as usual.” Charles took her hand in his, bowing to kiss it.

Jane blushed prettily. She couldn’t find anything to say, so she just led the way to the stable.

While Charles unloaded and brushed his horse down, Jane attempted to make conversation. “How have things been at the castle?”

Avoiding her face, Charles replied vaguely, “They’re the usual.”

“The King and Queen haven’t said anything more about the engagement, have they?”

“No. But the courtiers have by now figured out that it must not be anyone living near the castle since he doesn’t see any woman more than the rest. This has led to speculation of a marriage to royalty in a distant kingdom.”

“Do you think anyone will discover Lyssa?”

“It’s doubtful, but not impossible.”

Charles finished in a few minutes, and was then free to deliver the Prince’s letter to his fiancé.

“I think I know where to find Lyssa,” Jane said, leading him toward the apple orchard.

They began casually strolling through the rows, talking quietly together. Every now and then, they would scan the trees for a sign of Lyssa before they kept walking.

Lyssa’s concentration on her task was broken when she heard the sound of laughter. She began to peer through the branches, attempting to see who it was.

“Jane?” she called out.

Then Lyssa heard a familiar male voice call back, “I have something you might want.”

Lyssa squealed with glee and clambered out of the apple tree. When she was on firm ground, she saw Jane walking with Charles down one of the rows. She ran to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before taking the letter. It was another thick one with the same daisy seal and the same elegant scrawl. Her insides began to flutter and twist and roil.

She stayed beside Charles and Jane, but couldn’t help shifting her weight from foot to foot in anticipation of reading Will’s letter.

Finally Charles said, “What are you waiting for? Don’t stay on my account.”

There was a sadness in his voice and face that only briefly registered in Lyssa’s mind before she tore off toward her retreat. She returned to the birch wood and settled against the trunk of one of them to read the letter. It began in the usual manner of melancholy, fervent adulation, and effusive declarations of love. She found herself grinning just to be able to read his amusing observations of courtiers and courtly life. He kept this up for the first three letters, but in the fourth, the subject was more serious.

I’m afraid Charles and I had a bit of a fight when he told me he would set off to see you again. I’d been in a foul mood for a couple of days, and Charles had prevented me from coming to see you three times. When he told me he was going to make a delivery to you, I blew my top. I yelled at him that it was unfair that he got to see you while I, the you-know-what, had to stay cooped up. He yelled back at me, and … what he said was quite remarkable. You will, no doubt, find this very intriguing. He yelled back, as hard as I had yelled at him, that it was even more unfair that the woman he wanted to woo would never know his intentions since it had been arranged, against his will, that their relationship be used as a smokescreen for us. I can only gather from his outburst, that he is falling in love with your sister. But any attentions he tries to give her will be seen as part of the illusion, and not his true actions and feelings. I felt horrible. I am a very selfish person, I can see that now. You must find out what Jane thinks and feels. If at all possible, together we must remedy this situation. For would it not be wonderful to have my best friend and your sister marry?

Lyssa was surprised at this information. She hadn’t seen any evidence of partiality on either side. She gave it some consideration and decided that the idea was rather a pleasant one. She hurriedly finished reading the rest of the letters so that she might return and begin observing them with this knew knowledge. It was apparent, from what Will said, that Charles did like her older sister. As she considered it, she came to the conclusion that they would make an excellent match. They seemed to suit one another somehow.

Lyssa reached the last letter and was disappointed that there would be no more for several weeks. Will ended his letter with, I love you more than there are stars in the heavens.

Lyssa laughed in glee, clutching the letters to her breast. Then she leapt up and swiftly ran back through the birch wood, the walnut and the pear groves, until she reached the house.

She didn’t find Jane or Charles inside, and they weren’t in the stable or in the surrounding groves, so Lyssa decided they must have gone off somewhere on their own.

Better and better! she thought to herself.

Lyssa had to content herself with replying to Will until evening when supper was served.

Lyssa, from her bedroom window, saw Jane and Charles returning from the direction of northern border of the orchards. They seemed relaxed and comfortable together, but Lyssa could not yet discern her sister’s feelings for Charles.

Lyssa went down to dinner when she was called. During the meal, her father again asked after Will. No one teased Lyssa this time. They knew how Lyssa had become more touchy the longer the absence from Will.

After the meal, Lyssa suggested that Charles and Jane go for a walk. When they asked her to come, she excused herself, saying she had letters to write to Will. She watched them walk away together, knowing that soon, her mother would begin to speculate on this match.

Much later that night, Lyssa went to her sister’s room. She went about it more casually than she had used to do. On previous occasions when she suspected her sister of liking some gentleman from the village, she just asked outright, and invariably Jane laughed and denied it. This time, Lyssa didn’t ask. Instead, she talked about Will. She said how much she cared for him and how much she missed him.

The sisters lay in the bed together, Jane’s head resting on her sister’s shoulder. Lyssa trailed off and was silent for several minutes. Then she asked softly, “Do you ever think you’ll fall in love with someone?”

“Yes,” Jane answered firmly but softly.

“Have you ever been in love before? Whenever I used to ask you, you would deny it.”

“No, I was never in love then.”

“So you’ve never been in love?”

“No.”

“No you haven’t or no you have?”

“I have.”

”But I just never guess who it was, huh?”

Jane didn’t say anything. She snuggled closer to her sister and whispered, “I’m glad we won’t be parted when you get married.”

“What will you do in the castle? Won’t you become very bored?”

“I shall be there for you.”

“I’m sure I shall be bored myself. I can’t imagine what you will do.” Lyssa giggled. “Perhaps you’ll have a courtier fall in love with you and whisk you away to his estate.”

“No,” Jane said.

“Why not?”

“I wouldn’t be in love with him.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

“You’re not in love right now, are you?”

Jane didn’t say anything. The silence, however, was not a stubborn one of secrecy. It was more a sad silence than anything. Lyssa turned over to look her sister in the face. She saw there the depressed face she half expected. Indeed, it gave her hope.

“What is it?” she asked.

Jane shook her head and lay back down on the pillow beside Lyssa. “Nothing,” she whispered.

“Tell me, Jane. I feel awful for going on about my own problems with Will when you are in distress yourself.”

“There’s nothing you can do.”

“Tell me anyway. Oh Jane.”

Jane turned over, facing her back to Lyssa. Lyssa slid her arm around her sister and lay down, eventually falling asleep.

During Charles’ brief stay, Lyssa made sure to leave him and Jane together as much as possible. She steered her younger sisters away, and managed to distract her own mother with fictional plans for her wedding. Then in her last letter to Will before Charles returned to the castle, Lyssa wrote her own suspicions of Jane’s sentiment.

Charles left on the third morning, bidding his farewell to Lyssa and Jane. He kissed Lyssa’s cheek in an almost brotherly, friendly fashion, but Jane he kissed on the hand in, what Lyssa could only suspect, was a loverly fashion.

Lyssa didn’t bring up the subject of loves or marriage with Jane again. But she did casually mention Charles frequently when she could.

It had been a longer period than usual since the last occasion Charles had visited. Lyssa was beginning to worry and pine for news from the castle once more.

Harvest was nearly upon them, coming earlier to the southern provinces. Lyssa was again up in the apple trees, checking the fruit for worms, bugs, and other blights. She heard someone approaching and called out, “Jane?”

She paused for a few moments until she heard a voice she had ached to hear for so long. “No, not Jane. But I can go and get her if you’d like.”

Lyssa nearly fell out of the tree in shock. But somehow she managed to scramble down from her precarious perch, swinging down on the lowest branch like she was a tumbler.

Will caught her before she landed and enclosed her in his warm, tight embrace. Lyssa laughed a little before Will began to kiss her. Oh, to be back in his arms again! Never had such a feeling been so wonderful. She clung to him, trusting him to keep them on balance as she reeled from his kisses.

Suddenly feeling something rough on her face, she pulled away. He let go of her lips reluctantly. He looked at her stunned face, wondering if he’d hurt her or frightened her with his exuberance. She laughed, her face still surprised. “You have a beard!” she exclaimed.

Relieved that this was all she meant by her surprise, he chuckled at her. “The Arnclivians call it a goatee because their longer ones look like a goat. It’s just a small beard on the chin.”

She pulled away a bit more so she could look at his face properly with its new style.

“If you don’t like it, I can shave it off.”

“No,” she began hesitantly. “I’ll have to get used to it, but I think it suits you. You look older and more dashing.”

Will grinned down at her. Pulling her back into his arms, he kissed her softly a few times, then murmured, “Did you miss me?”

She laughed, as if such an idea that she did not was quite preposterous. “Too much.”

“I’ve been miserable without you.”

“So I’ve heard,” she teased.

He held her for several more moments before he asked, “What are you doing leaping down from trees anyway?”

“I was checking for blights in the apples. We’ll harvest in a few days.”

“But it’s dangerous for you to be up there.”

“No more dangerous than you racing your horse.”

Will gave her a look that fully informed Lyssa of his disapproval of such risks.

“I’m very careful, Will.”

“Even so, accidents happen. And no one is around here to help if you had fallen.”

“I’ve only fallen out of a tree five times in my life, and only broken my collar bone once.”

“What!?”

“I’m just fooling!” laughed Lyssa. “Relax. I’m perfectly fine here.”

Will wrapped his arms around her, swinging her around several times. “I’m so happy to see you,” he said.

When he put her down, Lyssa asked, “Have you been to the house? Is Charles here?”

“Yes, I’ve been to the house. And yes, Charles is with Jane now.”

Lyssa grinned up at him. “Are you making plans?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, tell me. Are you planning something for Charles and Jane.”

“Maybe.”

She tugged at his hands. “Tell me.”

“I will, soon. Come, let’s go and sit somewhere.”

She took him by the hand and began to lead him to her birch wood haven. He soon wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“You look well, darling.”

“Thank you. See? Nothing horrible has happened while you were gone.”

“Yes. And I hope it stays that way. I noticed your hands are as good as new.”

“Yes. My mother was sure I would have permanent scars because I kept reskinning them.”

“Lyssa!” he said reproachfully.

“I couldn’t help it,” she protested. “Anyway, I’m all better now.”

“I’m glad. I’ve always felt a bit guilty. You wouldn’t have fallen if it hadn’t been for me.”

“True, but don’t think about it anymore.”

When they reached the birch copse, they lay down on the soft grass. Lyssa cuddled up to Will and they talked until sundown.

At one point, the conversation turned to politics. Gravely, she asked him what the situation was like at this point.

Will sighed. “If anything, the tension has only increased. The King of Windham is still bedridden, his eldest son is not yet 16 years of age.”

“Surely they don’t mean to get rid of Windham’s monarch all together, do they?”

“No, I don’t think so. But I’m not positive, and that’s the difficult part. It is never spoken of, and that worries me more as a result.”

“Is anything important going on within our kingdom besides that?”

“Not really. It’s a bit of a difficult time for some regions since this is right before the harvest, so food supplies are at their lowest. But there’s nothing serious. We’ve had good rains for crops this year.”

“We certainly have had excellent weather here.”

“So we should pull in an excellent harvest.”

His voice sounded worried, though, rather than optimistic.

“Do you think some nobles will attack during harvest?”

Will didn’t reply, but the look on his face made his answer.

“Isn’t there any way you can control your nobles?” exclaimed Lyssa, exasperated. “Isn’t there any consequence for taking matters into their own hands like this? Going to war should be a decision made by the King and Queen, not by the nobles alone.”

“I’m not sure my father is willing to take the steps necessary to hold them in line. He’s been easy on them for too long to suddenly decide to control them now.”

Lyssa wanted to ask what would happen to them if war did break out, but she was too afraid of the answer.

The conversation moved away from politics soon after that.

When they finally returned to the house at dusk, everyone was waiting to begin the meal.

Will and Lyssa quickly sat down at the table, apologizing for keeping them.

“It is good to have you visit us, dear sir,” Mistress Bent said cordially.

“Thank you, madam. I have wanted to come back ever since I left.”

“You are welcome any time,” she assured him.

“Thank you, but I’m afraid my work does not permit me the time away that I would like.”

“Of course.”

Lida piped up, “You work at the castle, don’t you, Will?”

Will nodded.

“Then do you know who the Prince is going to marry? No one here seems to know. But I know that you servants must gossip and everything.”

Will couldn’t help chuckling. “No, even we servants do not know who the new Princess will be. But I’ve heard that she will be more beautiful than any previous princess has ever been.”

“Will!” Lyssa exclaimed, glaring at him while she smiled. “Where did you hear that piece of ludicrous gossip?”

“From the Prince himself, my love,” Will replied, looking at her intensely.

Lyssa opened her mouth to retort a sharp answer, but his hand slipping into hers took everything she had intended to say out of her head. She merely blushed and smiled at him.

Charles cleared his throat and said, “Master Bent, it looks like your crops are nearly ripe.”

“Yes, son. We’ll begin harvest most likely tomorrow, if you and Will would like to join us.”

Will perked up at this. “We’d love to!”

Lida looked at him quizzically. “Why would you love to help with harvest?” she asked, confused.

“I’ve never done it before. It sounds exciting.”

Katy and Lida laughed. “You’ll get over that very soon!”

Will just shrugged amiably, refusing to let his spirit be dampened.

After their evening meal, Lyssa took Will by the hand. “Come. I must prepare my room for you. This was somewhat unexpected. And I have the letters I’ve written to you that were meant to go with Charles.”

Will followed her up to her room, making sure to leave the door open for the family’s peace of mind.

“Do you mind if I read them while you make the room ready?”

“You’re not going to help me?” she asked.

Will laughed and looked at her. “Do you honestly think I know the first thing about it?”

Lyssa, shocked, stared right back at him in disbelief. Then she broke out of it. “Well! You can learn now, can’t you?”

When asked by her, Will was prepared to do anything. Even servants’ work.

“All right, then. But don’t let your family see. They’ll wonder what kind of a butler I am if I can’t do… whatever it is you do.”

Lyssa laughed. She began to pick up the few odd things that had been laying about her room. Thankfully she hadn’t left it in too much of a mess, and certainly nothing embarrassing.

Will, browsing and looking around rather than helping her, asked, “What’s this?”

Lyssa looked over at him pointing to a small, very ill-carved wooden box. She laughed. “Open it.”

He pulled off the top and looked inside. “Hey! These are all my letters.”

“Exactly. I made that box when I was 12, and it’s where I put them all.”

“Wow. Couldn’t someone just come in and read them, though?”

“No, they don’t.”

“But they could.”

“Yes, they could. But my family knows I would never forgive them if they did read them.”

Will continued looking while Lyssa fluffed up the pillows and pulled back the duvet. Soon, she was finished.

“Why do people go through all this stuff just to go to sleep anyway?” asked Will. “I mean, I have servants so it’s no bother to me. But if you have to do all the work for yourself, why do it? Why not just crawl into the bed and sleep?”

Lyssa shook her head at him. “Because it makes it more pleasant. Not everyone does it. I’m sure your servants, by the time they get to their beds, are much too tired to do all this. And I only do it when I feel like it. You’re a guest, however, so the courtesy is extended to you.”

Will still looked like he wasn’t convinced, his brow furrowed in deep consideration of the weighty subject.

“I shall leave you to your thoughts, my lord. I need to get to sleep if we’re beginning the harvest soon.”

“Good night, then. Oh! And don’t let me forget your surprise tomorrow.”

“My what?”

“I brought you a surprise. But don’t let me forget to give it to you tomorrow,” he repeated patiently.

“What is it?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“But what is the surprise?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

Lyssa scowled at him.

“You didn’t think I would come all this way from the castle to see my fiancé without some kind of gift, did you?”

“Actually, I did. It never occurred to me that you would bring a gift. Now I feel guilty because I have nothing for you.”

“There’s no need.”

“Why can’t you give it to me now?”

“You won’t be able to see it properly in the dark. I want you to wait until day light. And I would have given it to you earlier except… well, I got distracted.”

Lyssa, now desperately curious, slid up to him and slipped her arms around his neck. Bringing her lips very close to his, she murmured, “Can’t you give me a little hint?” She brushed his lips a couple times, then began to trace the line of his jaw with her lips.

“Lyssa,” he moaned.

“You can tell me,” she whispered.

Before she got any farther, Will pulled away while he still could. Breathing a little heavily. “No. It’s your surprise, and I won’t ruin it. Now… you should really go to bed now.”

Lyssa smiled at him, kissed his cheek and said cheerily, “Good night, sleep well.”

Will groaned again and shut the door behind her.

The following morning, as soon as Will appeared downstairs dressed for the day, Lyssa pounced on him and demanded to know what was her surprise.

Will smiled at her. “Come on, then.”

“Where are we going?”

“To get your surprise.”

“Where?”

“I left it in a field.”

Will and Lyssa walked through the orchards hand in hand toward the eastern edge of the estate. Will stopped her at the edge of the field. “Wait here,” he said.

He went off across wildflowers and grass toward the far end which was out of sight while Lyssa had a difficult time being patient. A few minutes later, he came back over the rise of the field leading a horse.

Lyssa walked out to meet him.

“She’s for you,” said Will.

Lyssa didn’t understand what he meant at first.

“This mare is my gift to you,” he explained.

“Will!” Lyssa was speechless as he gave her the reins. She sputtered a bit before forming a coherent thought. “This… this is too much.”

“Why? You’ll need your own mount someday soon anyway. I thought you might as well become friends with her now, she’ll enjoy the land around here, and you could use her in the meantime.”

“But for you to give me… a horse!”

Will shrugged. “She’s bred from my father’s prize stallion. But she’s so gentle I thought you two would get along perfectly.”

“I don’t know what to say, Will. She’s so beautiful,” Lyssa breathed, running a hand down the mare’s sleek coat.

The mare was a chestnut red colour, with a pair of white socks on her hind legs, and a white stripe flowing from forelock to nose. Her mane and tail were a soft sandy colour.

“What is her name?” Lyssa asked.

“Whatever you want it to be.”

After several minutes of consideration, she said, “I’ll have to give it some thought.”

“Shall we go for a ride while you think?”

“A short one. I have work to do.”

“And I’ll help.”

Lyssa laughed. “Just like you helped last night, eh?”

Will ignored her jibe and went to fetch his own horse. Ten minutes later they were both riding side by side through the orchards.

“How about the name Blossom?”

Lyssa wrinkled her name in distaste.

“What about Moonlight or something.”

“Too prosaic. “

“Copper?”

She shook her head.

They spent several minutes throwing names back and forth, until Lyssa said, “I know! Firefly.”

“Firefly?”

She nodded, smiling eagerly.

“That’s the name you want?”

She nodded again.

“Firefly it is, then.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I think it suits.”

Lyssa paused before asking, “How will I explain having this horse?”

“You can say I just bought it and don’t have a place to put her at the castle so she’s staying with you for a while.”

“All right.” She paused, then added, “Thank you very much, Will.”

“It was my pleasure,” Will replied, meaning every word.

Harvest work began that day. Lyssa and Will worked in the apple orchards since that was her specialty. Almost immediately they had an argument over who would be up in the trees. Lyssa, bringing out a stubborn side Will had never seen before, absolutely refused to let him climb any of the trees.

“Good grief, Will! What if you were to fall out? Where would the kingdom be then?”

“The same could be said for you!” he argued back.

“No. No one knows about me. If I killed myself, only the people on this orchard would miss me. If you kill yourself, then the whole kingdom mourns and it sets off an entire political battle over who is the next heir.”

Lyssa wouldn’t budge on her stance and Will knew her to be right, even though he did not want to acknowledge it. So Will stood at the base of the tree, steadying the baskets that Lyssa put apples into.

This was just a first harvest of apples. Lyssa picked only the ones that looked ripe. Some apple trees were farther along than others, depending on their variety and their location in the orchard. They broke for a picnic lunch, enjoying spending the time together. Will made Lyssa’s work ten times more pleasant than it usually was with one of her younger sisters. Lida was positively bratty to work with.

They continued to work until sundown. By the time they stopped for the day, Will’s muscles were sorer than he had been since his training as a lad. Lyssa seemed to be fine, but she knew he must be feeling their hard labour.

“Would you like to go down to the lake and have a swim?”

“Will it help?”

“A little.”

He nodded. Lyssa went to fetch their horses from the field they had been grazing in nearby all day. They mounted and slowly rode in silence to the lake.

“Won’t we be late for dinner?”

“They won’t wait long for us. We can eat when we return.”

“How many bushels of apples did we get today?”

“I think it was around 35. A really good day’s work.”

Will could have sworn it was twice as much as 35. It irked him even more how amused Lyssa was at his discomfort.

Lyssa led them to a different part of the lake than they had been to before. The shore of the lake was easily accessible here, and Will was struck by a young maple tree already in its brightest scarlet stage. It provided a striking contrast to the stark mountains on the other side of the lake.

“Won’t it be cold?”

“Yes. But not as cold as it’ll be in the winter.”

“Doesn’t it freeze over in the winter?”

“Exactly.”

Will shook his head.

“You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to. I find a cool swim refreshing after a hard day’s work.”

Will wasn’t actually going to turn down an opportunity to go swimming with her. Lyssa let the horses drink at the lake first, before leading them back up to higher ground where they could graze happily.

Will had already begun to shed his boots and shirt, which was still quite damp from the sweat-soaking it had received during the day and soiled from the number of times he had wiped his hands and forehead with it.

Lyssa only took off her outer gown that had protected the undergarment from the soil of working in the orchard. The outer one had rips and dark marks from her carelessness in the trees. Will assumed it was part of the territory.

As soon as she had shed her shoes and stockings, she waded in and when she reached water deep enough, she dove in. Will watched until she popped up, shaking her hair out of her face and gasping. Will was entranced by seeing her floating in the clear water, her movement sending ripples across the wide lake, marring its mirror-like stillness.

“Are you coming in?” she asked, her voice carrying over the water.

He stood, and wearing only his breeches, he gingerly stepped over the rocks that bordered the shore, then even more gingerly into the frigid water. He paused, letting his feet become accustomed to the temperature.

“Come on, Will. If you do it that slowly, you’ll never make it. You need to just plunge right in.”

Will took another tentative step into the lake, the water rising up to mid-shin. He knew Lyssa was right. He would never make it at this rate. He took a deep breath and took several steps in until the water was up to his waist. Lyssa came toward him then, her soaking dress clinging to her body in a way that forced him to look down at his feet in the clear water. He could have sworn they were turning blue. He couldn’t feel them anymore.

Lyssa took his hands and began to tug him in until the water was up to his chest. He gasped. Lyssa laughed at him and swam away towards the middle of the lake.

Will decided to follow her, and dove under the water. Once he was completely immersed and the first shock of the cold was over, he actually liked it. He swam under the water, skimming the rocky bottom, the clear water allowing him to see all sorts of fascinating things in the aquatic environment.

He came up for air a few feet away from Lyssa.

“There,” she said, grinning. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Will replied by diving under the water and yanking her down by her ankles. He heard her scream before she sunk underneath. She shoved him and swam away. He came up and saw her swimming. He set off after her, but couldn’t catch up to her. She was a fast swimmer.

She turned back and watched him coming toward her and laughed. She enjoyed working and playing with him. She waited for him, and took his hands in hers before he could do any more mischief. He tread water with his legs and looked at her. He freed one hand and pushed back some hair off her face. She looked a bit bedraggled, but no less charming. He didn’t know how she was able to stay afloat in the water with so little effort.

She pulled away from him and looked toward the opposite bank. It would take her a good half an hour of swimming to reach the Eosian border.

“Let’s go there, Will,” she said.

“What, to Eos?”

“Yes. Let’s flee there, get married and live on our own with no courts or courtiers to worry about.”

Will heartily wished they could, but also felt a keen responsibility to his kingdom. “You told me only this morning how my kingdom would miss me.”

“That was only to win my argument,” she replied petulantly, but knowing he was right.

“It won’t be so bad.”

Lyssa didn’t believe him.

Will moved onto his back and floated lazily, looking at the sky. It was beginning to turn a deep, dark blue as darkness approached. In the east, he could already see some stars.

Suddenly he felt Lyssa kiss his forehead. He looked up at her smiling at him. He grinned back, and raising his arms above his head, he took her waist in his hands. She began swimming backwards toward the shore, pulling him along with her.

“You’re so lazy,” she teased.

“You’re so willing.”

She reached a depth where she could stand, pointing her toes to reach the bottom. He stood up also, able to put his feet down firmly and still be above the water. She swam behind him, and wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, she rested her chin on his shoulder.

“You think you’re getting a free ride, do you?”

“Yep,” she grinned.

Will turned and dove under the water with her still on his back. He was surprised that she managed to hold on. He couldn’t swim very well with her on his back, but tried to stay under the water as long as he could, hoping she would need to breathe before he did. She didn’t. He finally burst up above the surface gasping. She laughed as she caught her breath.

“You’ve swum in this lake all your life, haven’t you?”

“Pretty much,” she admitted. “You’re in my territory now.”

They continued to play around for ten more minutes before Lyssa said, “We should go home now. It gets dangerous at this time of year after dark.”

“What do you mean?”

“The cold descends quickly at night, and we’re already very cold and wet.”

Will began to follow her to the shore. Before they got out, Will caught her hand and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. When they parted, he said, “I’ve enjoyed this.”

“En par with spending a day on the meadow?”

“Nearly, yes. If I weren’t so damned tired, I would say yes.”

Lyssa laughed, rubbed his shoulders a bit, and kissed him.

“Come on. Let’s go home.”

Lyssa put on her work penny over her soaking dress, forgoing her shoes, while Will put on his clothes. They walked alongside the horses since they didn’t want to get the saddles wet.

By the time they reached the house, Lyssa’s teeth were chattering. They put the horses in the stable and ran to their rooms to dry off and put on some warm clothes.

Jane and Charles came to sit with them while they ate their evening meal by the roaring fire. Lyssa had a blanket draped around her shoulders and Will was wearing his cloak.

Charles laughed at the picture they made. “Where were you two? Did you go hiking on the snow-capped mountains?”

“Close,” Will said. “We went swimming in a lake most likely fed by mountain springs.”

Chapter Seven

Posted on Tuesday, 11 November 2003

Will stayed to help with the harvest for two more days before leaving with Charles for the castle. Once again, Lyssa cried as she said goodbye. Once again, she couldn’t manage to tell him she loved him. And once again, Will left her a letter in her room, telling her how much she meant to him. I love you more than there are leaves in your orchard. This time, reading the letter made her cry with more sadness. She did love him so much, but wished she could say it. She was angry with herself at the same time as self-pitying.

To flee from the ache of missing him so greatly, Lyssa threw herself into the harvest labour. The entire family, even Mistress Bent, was put to work doing the rush of tasks that had to be done all at once. They even had two hired hands to help out.

Firefly was a tremendous help for Lyssa. They were able to be a team, working together in the orchards. Lyssa strapped four baskets onto Firefly and filled them from her place in the trees, hopping down to move from tree to tree. She worked long hours – from sun up to sun down, often taking a quick dip in the lake to soothe her body.

Mistress Bent deplored Lyssa working so hard, wailing about how much of a wife she would be when she was all wiry and muscular. Lyssa merely ignored her mother. Only Jane understood how she felt.

Lyssa became anxious to have news from the castle. She often thought about the present political trouble in the north-western corner of the kingdom. She fumed as well as worried.

Finally, three weeks after Will had left, Charles rode through the orchards looking for Lyssa. He hadn’t even gone to the house, hoping to speak to the Prince’s fiancé as soon as possible.

He found her among the pears near the edge of the estate.

“My lady,” he said.

She jumped, startled, and dropped her penny holding a pound of pears. She hugged him enthusiastically as he apologized profusely for startling her.

“Never mind that, give me the news!”

Charles’ face turned grave. “I have no letters for you, my lady.” She looked confused. Charles continued, “It would be too risky at this point. In fact, this is the last time I can come here for a while.”

“What?! What do you mean? How long is a while?”

“Until things… are better.”

Lyssa felt panic rise within her. “Will? Is he all right?”

“He’s fine for now.”

“For now?!” she exclaimed.

Charles put his two heavy hands on her shoulders to calm her. “Let me explain everything.”

It was a short walk to the birch wood retreat. When she was settled, Charles began. “While I don’t want to alarm you, you must understand that the kingdom is now in turmoil.” Lyssa gasped. “We are no longer assured of your anonymity nor your safety.”

Lyssa closed her mouth, which had been hanging open in shock. She took a deep breath, feeling her fighting spirit rise within her. “Tell me everything.”

“The northern nobles have, for some time, been causing discord in the court. While I hate to speak ill of my lord, the King has given them too much leeway in the past. This kingdom has had it easy for some time now. The nobles have become greedier and much less responsible. You are aware that the northern nobles had their eye on the mineral-rich Northern Province of Windham. The King refused to wage war against Windham for territory acquisition of that kind. We’ve had fairly good relations with our neighbour for many years. The King assumed the final word had been said on the issue. He was king, he had said no, that was the end of the matter. But the northern nobles, having had their way for too long, became angry.”

Lyssa gasped again. “Tell me the King and Queen are all right!”

“They’re fine for now. But the northern nobles have declared themselves independent from the throne. They’ve seceded.”

“No!” she exclaimed, appalled.

Charles nodded grimly. “When I left, no decision had yet been reached about what the King would do. Will fears His Majesty will fight to take them back.”

“What would Will have him do?”

“Will is in a quandary himself. He knows that the kingdom needs the northern provinces. He also knows that the northern provinces will not survive without the minerals the south provides. Will assumes they will soon try and conquer Windham’s Northern Province.”

“What if we did nothing, but waited until they invaded the Northern Province, and then surely Roble, Windham, and Arcadia would defeat them.”

“It is likely they would defeat our northern provinces. But consider what would be left. The northern provinces would be wasted. Think how many lives would be lost – both our citizens and those of the other kingdoms. If His Majesty brings the northern provinces back to the kingdom now, it prevents much bloodshed in the long run.”

Sitting on a rock, Lyssa rested her elbows on her knees, her head propped up in her hands. She stared down at the leaf-covered ground. Finally she asked, “What is the King doing?”

“He’s still using diplomacy and sweet-talking to bring them back.”

“When I met him, he just didn’t seem like the sweet-talking kind of king.”

“He’s stern, but he is a bit too loath to take up the sword in my opinion.”

“Will won’t fight, will he?”

“Not if I can help it, my lady.”

“What about me? How do you know I’m not a secret anymore? How did they find out?”

“Remember one evening meal when Lida asked Will who the princess was? She said that the servants always know things.”

Lyssa’s face turned white. “Not Mistress Reynolds!” she breathed.

“No, no. But several servants waited on you, and one of them must have put two and two together and guessed that it was you.”

“How do you know this?”

“After finding out that there is someone looking for you, I did some investigating myself to find out how he got his information about you.”

“What do you mean he is looking for me?”

“The servant did not know where you were from. He could only give a rough description of you and a guess at your station in life. While this man will have a difficult time of it, I don’t doubt that he could find you given enough time. That is why I must not return here until I know things are settled. I came via a very indirect route, hoping to confuse anyone who could be watching me.”

“What would they do with me?”

“The northern nobles know that Will won’t let them go as easily as his father.”

Lyssa interrupted him, “But I thought Will was a turtle and his father more of a hawk!”

“The King may once have unhesitatingly gone into battle against these provinces, but in his older age, he’s not so keen. He wouldn’t be able to lead the men into battle. Will, on the other hand, will inherit the kingdom, and is fully aware how dysfunctional it would be in this conceivable state. While I shall try my best to keep him out of battle, he may try other tactics. Will has a brilliant mind – most likely more so than his father. And because Will is so vital in this, it means you are too. You are the ideal weapon against him. He’s told you this before.”

“He was talking hypothetically!” she cried, feeling the panic inside of her rising once more.

Charles took her hand in his. “I’m sorry to tell you all this, my lady. I did not want you to know, but Will insisted that you be informed.”

Lyssa took a calming breath. “Yes. Yes, it is best that I am forewarned. Will is right to tell me.”

“My lady,” Charles gravely said, “Will is almost distraught with worry for you. If he is like this when you are still safe here, I know not what he will be like if he knows you are captured.”

“Don’t worry about me, Charles. Tell him I will never be captured. I give him my word.”

“How could you make such a promise?”

“I’m not as important as the kingdom. If removing myself from the equation means saving the kingdom, then so be it. It’s no more than what any soldier going into battle does.”

Charles’ face conveyed horror. “My lady! Lyssa, you cannot be serious.”

“I am. If I am such a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands, then I shall stay out of those hands at whatever cost. I would do this for the kingdom, Charles. It must stay in one piece. They can’t let it be split like this. If the northern nobles are allowed to split away, what is stopping every single province from becoming a kingdom on its own?”

“But think of what Will would go through,” Charles pleaded.

“Will asked me to marry him after spending one day with me. Somehow, I think he would soon find a replacement for me.”

Charles looked at her hard face in amazement, wondering how he had destroyed the warm, vibrant woman he knew Will loved with all his being. She didn’t seem to realise Will’s depth of feeling for her.

“When do you leave?”

Charles took a moment to register the sudden change in subject. “T-tonight,” he sputtered.

“Come, you’ll want to rest before you leave again. And see Jane.”

Charles groaned. “Lyssa, what will I tell her?”

“Just tell her you won’t be able to return here for a few months. I’d rather you not tell her everything else. Nor to my father.”

Lyssa began to walk toward the house rapidly. Inside of her was a will to live, a desperate will to live at all costs, that she had never before experienced. She felt continuously on the verge of terror and panic. If she thought about it too much, she would go mad. She must stay ahead, stay alert, and stay alive.

Charles was fed and his horse refreshed and rested in the stable beside Firefly. He took a nap in the guest room. When darkness fell, he spoke with Jane for several moments. Then Lyssa walked with him to the edge of the estate.

“Don’t worry about me,” Lyssa said. “Whatever you do, I want Will to be kept safe.”

“Damn it, my lady!” he exclaimed. Lyssa held in a giggle at hearing an expletive followed by the noble address. “He’s telling me the same thing – to keep you safe.”

“Tell me this, then. What is your duty? To protect me, or to protect him?”

Charles didn’t answer.

“All I’m telling you to do is fulfill your duty to him. I can take care of myself.”

Charles nodded unhappily.

Lyssa stopped at the stone wall that separated her estate from the woods beyond.

Charles hesitated. “My lady,” he paused again. “He does love you.”

“Yes, he’s told me.”

Charles didn’t know what else to say, so he merely said, “I hope to see you in a few months, hopefully less.”

“Safe journey.”

Lyssa watched Charles ride into the gloomy darkness, beginning his long, circuitous journey back to the castle. She thought on his last words. He does love you. It was an odd feeling … to want to hear that assurance so much, and yet to fear it. If she managed to convince herself that Will didn’t love her, it would be far easier to deal with the rejection when it came – on either side. The circumstances between them did not lend themselves toward an easy courtship. If she imagined that she was easily replaced in his affections, she felt freer to act as she felt she needed to in order to save the kingdom. The less emotionally attached, the less pain in the end.

Lyssa lent against a walnut tree, her face contorting in pain as she bent her head to her hand, her shoulders shaking slightly as she sobbed. She didn’t know why she cried. There were so many reasons, each in itself no good reason to cry, but all together they overwhelmed her.

Once a good portion of the harvest had been brought in, Lyssa was sent into the village of Meryton with a cart full of deliveries. She walked slowly beside Firefly pulling the cart of goods, lost in introspection. She’d heard nothing of any danger since Charles had left. Rather than making her feel easier, the waiting had begun to tear at her nerves. Constant vigilance, jumping at small noises, the paranoia, ate her alive. Katy and Lida had taken to teasing her recent jumpiness, taking advantage of this display of weakness.

It was a good hour and a half walk into the village. Lyssa’s first few stops were to the outlying farms. She picked up wheat, barley, and corn in exchange for walnuts and apples. Then she began making her rounds in the village itself, having to stop for a cup of cider and conversation at most of the houses. She kept the details of her life to a minimum. Everyone, however, wanted to hear about the ball. By the end of the day she was losing patience and tact.

Her final stop was Luke’s Lodge, the local tavern in the village. Luke generally had the biggest order of produce from the Bent orchards, using the apples in his drinks. She took them round to the back, and after loading the bushels into Luke’s storage cellar, she entered the tavern to chat with the old man and have a drink. The tavern was a dark and smoky place. Little light passed through the tiny windows in the upper walls, spluttering candles on a few tables illumined the centre of the room.

She gave Luke a kiss on the cheek when she found him behind the bar. Luke was a portly gentleman with small, friendly blue eyes and a nose that showed his love for drink. He had the kind of face that encouraged people to talk to him.

This late, autumn afternoon, Luke’s face became grave upon seeing her. He brought her under his heavy arm and leaning down to speak softly in her ear said, “There’s been some northern gents askin’ ‘round about you. Look, they’re over there at the back.”

Lyssa became paralyzed, feeling an icy grip of fear steal over her. She thanked her good fortune for having kept her cloak and hood on, hoping it hid her enough from view so that she would not attract unwanted attention.

“They’ve been friendly and such, but they just seemed too curious to me. You didn’t get in trouble when you went to the ball did ye? You didn’t insult no nobles?”

Lyssa managed to shake her head.

Several moments later, when Lyssa still hadn’t said anything, Luke assumed that she minded his intrusion. Hoping to apologise for it, he offered her a drink – a stiff one. She accepted it, moving away from Luke and into a corner to nurse her drink.

She bent her head over the glass and tried to calm herself down to think rationally. It took several minutes and a couple more sips of her bitter drink before she gained some sense. She stood up and moved casually to sit right behind the two men’s table. She slouched over, leaning on the table and hiding her face in the hood of her cloak.

“-said she went to the castle to attend the ball.”

Lyssa clenched her glass in panic.

“Then she comes home with a fiancé. A butler, that milliner said.”

“Do you really think she’s the one?”

“Dunno.” There was an implied shrug of the shoulders in the tone of the voice. “We catch her, take her up to the master and he can decide. If she’s not the one, then we keep looking.”

“When are we gonna do it?”

“Wait until dark and Bents’re asleep. I’ve heard that there are a lot of ‘em. The master said he’d cut our heads off if we harm her. He wants her alive and unharmed.”

The second man burped loudly and laughed thunderously. Most of the patrons in the tavern turned to look at the two men.

The first man snorted and grabbing the second’s shirt pulled him out of the table. “Come on. We gotta get outta here. You’ll just get drunk and screw up the mission elsewise.”

After some grumblings, the voices went away and Lyssa was left to slump onto the table. Twenty minutes later, she left Luke’s Lodge and began walking back home with Firefly, her mind awhirl with plans and thinking, all the while pushed on by the edge of panic and fear. She couldn’t go to the castle. She knew she couldn’t be safe there. Not only would she be an easy target, but word of her betrothal would spread even further – dangerous news in this time of uncertainty. She was no longer safe in her own home.

She could run away. She could go to that hermit Will mentioned. Lyssa clenched Firefly’s mane as if ready to leap on her back and flee. She relaxed again in despair. If she ran, the men would simply track her down. There had to be some other way of preventing any kind of search. She could try and kill the kidnappers. No. Even if she succeeded in doing so without getting into trouble, there would only be more kidnappers more sure of their quarry. She had to find a way of stopping the trail dead.

…Dead.

By the time she reached her orchards, she had a plan to escape.

Lyssa took her wooden box full of Will’s letters, read through them all one more time, then hid them in the stable with a flint.

Dearest Jane,

When it was dark, she returned to the stable. Her stomach was full of the writhing snakes of nervousness. She knew that what she was doing was dangerous; there was a possibility that she really would be killed in the fire if things went wrong. She tied Firefly to a tree hidden from the house. She took a small sack of walnuts and hid them with Firefly. Next, she took a blanket, soaked it in the horse’s water trough, leaving it beside Firefly in case she needed it.

Dear Father,

Finally, she took a deep breath, went into the stable, and took out the box of letters. She settled it in the bed of hay in the corner of the stable at the opposite end of the animals, and lit the flint. After several tries, the letters caught fire. She stood back, pocketing the flint, and watched the letters go up in flames. She bit her lip to keep back her tears and all the emotions that came with it. Swallowing with difficulty, she continued observing as her box caught fire next, warping and sparkling in deep purple, yellow, and white flames. It was but a few seconds before the hay caught fire.

I must leave you.

The horses, by this time, had smelt the fire and become restless. She suddenly remembered she’d forgotten to make sure that all the stalls were open already. Leaving the fire, she rushed over and began unlocking the stalls. She got to the second to last one and had difficulty pulling the latch back. It was the sticky one that always gave people a hard time. Feeling panic beginning to rise in her as she saw the flames grow larger at the other end of the stable, she left that stall and began to lead the Bent’s one cow out of the stable. She let her loose outside, taking a deep breath of cool air before rushing back into the increasingly hot stable. There were four horses to free before she could escape. She grabbed the first one, closest to the fire, threw a blanket over its head, and led it steadily out of the stable. She grabbed the blanket and ran back inside as she heard the shouts of her family. She coaxed the second horse out of its stall, tugging a little bit in panic. When she turned to go back in once more, she felt someone trying to stop her.

Burn this letter as soon as you have read it.

“Let me go!” she shouted, and rushed back in.

By this time, the fire was blazing.

I am in danger. I must escape and not be sought for or found.

She began to cough. She struggled with the latch again. She jerked and yanked it, even spitting on it to make it slick enough. The horse inside the stall was beginning to panic, whinnying and showing the whites of his eyes. With a desperate sob that turned into a cough, the latch flew back. Her hand was gashed by the wood on the edge of the stall, but she ignored it. Throwing the blanket over his head, she quickly led him out of the burning stable. One more to go, Lyssa turned back.

You must not tell Will or Charles the truth.

“Lyssa, no!” Maria shouted, tugging her arm and trying to pull her away.

“Stop! Let go!” Lyssa pulled herself free and ran back inside one last time. She freed the mare and as she led it toward the door, a beam in the left hayloft collapsed. She screamed, and had difficulty making sure the last horse was out.

They must not look for me.

She wanted to collapse from exhaustion, heat, and the smoke that made her mind fuzzy, but she knew she had to go in, and not come back out again.

This time it was Jane who tried to stop her. “Lyssa!” she cried at her.

I love you. I shall return when it is safe.

Lyssa turned to go back inside and heard Jane say for her ears alone, “I love you,” and Jane allowed Lyssa to pull away.

Lyssa ran inside, putting her sleeve over her mouth. She squinted, trying to see through the smoke and wavering heat.

She saw the back entrance at the far end of the long stable, and knew she had to pass through it. She must not go out any other way. The danger was that the entire end was ablaze. She decided she had to go. It was either this, or betray Will.

Hide the evidence of the truth.

She stumbled to the end of the stable, thinking it to be an awfully long way away. She felt her breathing become more and more laboured, her mind more and more fuzzy and confused. She was so tired. It was so unbearably hot. A stall door narrowly missed hitting her, but she continued moving toward the exit.

A gust of wind came through the open door and blew hot embers at her. She fell to the ground, feeling her shoulder beginning to burn. She managed to get up, and clutching a hand to the pouch hanging around her neck, she burst through the door.

With all my love, Lyssa

The cool air was just as painful as the hot air had been a few seconds earlier. She whimpered, staggering away from the burning building. When she was a safe distance away, she rolled onto the ground, curling on one side, coughing intensely. The deep, wracking coughs seized her body for several minutes. She became desperate for air. Eventually, she was able to calm herself down enough to get some gasps of air between coughing fits.

She turned to her other side to watch as the roof of the stable collapsed. Over the roar of the fire, she could hear the screams and wailings of her family. Her head dropped to the ground in exhaustion as tears streamed down her face. Another coughing fit seized her for several minutes. When it ended, she managed to pull herself upright and stagger to Firefly. She took the wet blanket and wrapped it around herself, rubbing its cool dampness against her sweaty, tear-stained, sooty face. She tried sucking some of the moisture from one corner, but it only served to increase her thirst. She didn’t have enough energy to mount Firefly yet, so she sat back against the tree.

While relieved that the plan had worked, she also felt more alone than she had ever felt in her entire life. She had no one to turn to.

Ten minutes or more must have passed before she was able to pull herself into Firefly’s saddle. She slowly rode her to the lake. When they arrived, Lyssa practically fell off of Firefly and onto the shore of the water. She cupped her hands and took deep draughts of the sweet water. She splashed her face, rubbing it a little, before she drank again. She began to cough again, spitting up phlegm. She sat upright to allow herself to breathe easier.

When she was calm and had caught her breath once more, she began to look at the injuries she had sustained during the fire. Her left hand had a deep gash from the stall, and her right shoulder was badly burned, as well as a few burns on the right side of her face. She decided she was lucky her hair hadn’t caught on fire. She bathed her shoulder in the cool water, tearing the material of the sleeve away from the wounds.

Finally, Lyssa felt well enough to continue her flight. She mounted Firefly once more, and they began the long journey away from everything she knew.

Lyssa and Firefly journeyed to the foot of the Eosian mountain range, where she knew of a rocky crevice in which the shepherds kept provisions. They spent the night there, Lyssa too exhausted to mind the uncomfortable bedding.

At sunup, they began to make their way along the mountain range south. Not having any other form of guidance, she intended to follow the coast. She soon found a stream that looked to be heading to the sea.

Lyssa felt naked without the seal around her wrist. She had dithered about taking it for some time. She knew that it would present some danger, but could not bring herself to give up the last link she had with Will. After much deliberation, she decided to keep it with her, but had borrowed a small pouch Jane had worn full of herbs when she was ill one year. She was thus able to wear it away from curious eyes. The pouch hung lightly around her neck, but heavy enough to know of its presence.

Following the stream provided her and Firefly a continuous source of fresh water. The mountains were already mostly covered in snow, but the lower areas were ablaze with bright autumnal colours.

After having saddle-sore muscles the first few days, the only discomforts she had left were the burns on her right side, and her hand, which looked to be healing to her satisfaction.

She avoided the villages and farms she encountered along the way, developing a fear of people. Her meager rations, however, soon ran out, and she was forced to stop in a village to purchase more provisions, using some of the money Will had given her. She wore her cloak and hood to prevent her being seen as much as possible.

One evening, as the sky turned a pinkish purple hue, Lyssa and Firefly found themselves looking at the ocean from a high cliff.

To their left, the mountain range continued, rising almost immediately from the water. To her right, was the stream – which had by now grown into a river – with the flatter, rolling hills of southern Shire.

She dismounted, and pulling her cloak tightly around her against the bitterly cold sea winds, she sat down and watched the sunset in a flare of colour. The sight was beautiful, and gave her a sense of tranquility she hadn’t had in a long time.

She missed Will, but felt like she was doing the right thing. She felt like she was doing something for him in roundabout way, rather than just sitting and waiting for things to happen.

She listened to the roar of the waves crashing against the cliffs hundreds of feet below. Hundreds of kittiwakes and murres swooped and called to each other along the cliffs. They dove into the water, coming up with their evening meal, returning to their nests in the cliffs.

After darkness fell, Lyssa quickly mounted Firefly and went inland in search of a warm place to sleep. Eventually, she found a place that would do for the night. She unsaddled Firefly and brushed her down with the brush she’d brought with her.

She soon had a small fire blazing, which she used to heat her meager rations. Wrapping herself up in her cloak and blanket, she fell asleep.

Lyssa followed the coast east, climbing up into the snowy mountains to cross the range. This was the hardest part of her journey so far. She had prepared before moving through the mountains at the last village she’d come to. She had bought warmer clothes and as much food as Firefly could carry. The locals directed her to the route usually taken, but warned her that most travelers did not attempt it this late in the year.

She knew the risks, but also knew she did not want to be trapped on the west side of the mountain range until late spring. She had set off with grim determination that soon diminished to cold, feverish plodding. She worried more about Firefly than herself.

Together, they survived the first day of moving through the mountain pass. The snow was not yet too deep. They stopped when they came to a shepherd’s summer cabin. She managed to coax Firefly to come inside the tiny shack, and wrapped her in a blanket when she had freed the horse of her burden. That night, Lyssa snuggled up to the warm flank of her horse, dreaming of Will once again.

They continued in the morning, moving slowly and difficultly through the snow drifts. Lyssa’s constant fear was a blizzard. She knew that if one did hit them while they were exposed, they would not survive. This awareness spurred her on, walking beside Firefly to make it easier for the mare.

Soon, the snow-covered fir trees stopped, and Lyssa knew that they were now above the treeline. The woman who had advised her of the path through the mountain pass had said that they would not be above the treeline for long. Lyssa could only assume that meant they would soon begin their descent.

She knew Firefly was tired. She planned to stop and rest for several days once they crossed the mountains.

Continued In Next Section