Chapter 2
Gwen
I tightened the girth around the horse’s stomach, making sure the saddle wouldn’t slide around.
The grey mare chewed on some hay while I tacked her up.
Apart from a few small spots on her legs, her coat was pristine.
Combined with her sweet temperament, you had yourself a very fine horse.
I’d only been riding her the past week or two but one could easily tell that every other horse in the royal stables had been selected with just as much care.
Whoever was in charge clearly took their duty seriously.
I adjusted the stirrups while the stable boy pretended to be busy in a far-off corner.
I hoped I hadn’t insulted him by insisting that I tack up the horse myself.
It was not that I thought him incapable.
The truth was I enjoyed the grooming and tacking part just as much as I enjoyed the riding part.
There was something about being in the presence of these animals that soothed me.
I took the reins and led the mare away from the hay and towards a nearby mounting block. She was momentarily hesitant to leave her food but quickly obeyed. “Good girl, Bessie.” It seemed like an odd name for a horse but somehow it suited her sweet personality.
I mounted and pulled the reins between my fingers, nudging the horse into a walk.
The morning air was crisp, and I wondered how long the weather would allow me these early-morning rides.
Every day the sun rose later and later. These rides had become my solace and comfort in a time where I felt as though I was at my wits’ end.
It was a chance to be alone with my thoughts.
And while I often found myself without company in the palace, there was something about the fresh air and the movement of the horse’s steps that brought a sense of calm over me.
I found the sounds of nature to be soothing in comparison to the daily hustle and bustle of Levernia’s palace.
The two of us crossed the path from the stables to the palace gardens. I pushed the mare into a brisk walk on the path between the lawns. Soon, some of the guards would come out to start training, but for now, I was alone.
I preferred it this way. The quiet, lonesome palace grounds with nothing but the sound of horse hooves relaxed me a little. The grey mare twitched under me, and I realised how my body had tensed up in the saddle. I forced myself to let out a long breath.
Finally, I made it out of the gardens, through a gate. The flowers and hedges turned to trees and tall uncut grass.
Tightening my grip on the reins, I nudged the horse into a slow trot, and she lowered her head.
“Good girl.” I wasn’t the most experienced of riders, but this was clearly a very well-trained horse.
“I wonder why no one rides you more often?” The mare continued to trot through the grass.
“Were you perhaps the late king’s horse?
” I had a hard time imagining a man as hardened as him could have had an animal so sweet.
The mare would require a kind owner with a gentle spirit. Someone just as calm as she was.
Grey clouds darkened the sky but there was no breeze in the air. Still, I pulled the mare back into a walk while trying to cover more of my body with my cloak.
My nerves were shaken by the council meeting a few days earlier.
And I wasn’t really the type of girl to have her nerves shaken about anything.
I was thankful that Queen Elara hadn’t asked me to join them because she was suspicious of me in any way, but because she wanted a better understanding of my brother.
The thought brought a sting to my chest. The very idea that someone who’d been so close to me could do such a thing .
. . But when I truly thought on it, if there was anyone, I knew capable of doing something so abhorrent, it would be Thatcher.
We were the kind of siblings to mess with each other a lot, despite both of us being young adults, and for the most part, it was all in good fun.
But I knew my brother better than anyone and he had a dark side lurking underneath that cool exterior.
And maybe, as his sister, I’d always suspected as much.
But perhaps I’d just wanted to ignore it.
Didn’t want to believe that the person I was closest to in the world would partake in such cruelty.
Thatcher could be cunning, even sometimes selfish and despicable, but this .
. . this was unforgiveable. He’d hurt everyone I cared about.
He betrayed me too. My mind drifted to the day he left Everness.
It was after Cai and Elara had gone to Argon for Eloisa and to see if it would be possible to negotiate peace between Norrandale and Argon once again.
Thatcher and I had stayed at the Palace of Levernia, awaiting their return . . .
“Where are you going?” I walked into the foyer of the palace, surprised to have stumbled upon all of Thatcher’s belongings being carried out by the servants. I noticed a carriage waiting through the open doors.
Thatcher spun around. “You’re up early.” He looked surprised to see me, which was odd.
“I’m going for a walk.” As was evident by my outdoor attire. The weather wasn’t bound to stay decent for much longer, so I wanted to make the most of the palace grounds while I could.
“I was going to leave you this.” There was a folded piece of paper in his hand with my name scribbled in his handwriting. He quickly tucked it away. “But I suppose it doesn’t matter now.”
“Are you leaving?” I had a hard time believing my brother would just pack up his things and go, especially without telling me.
“Yes, I have to go back home, I’m afraid.”
“What for? We haven’t even been here that long.” His whole posture looked uncomfortable. He was on edge, which wasn’t normal for Thatcher, who was laid-back, with a “couldn’t care less” attitude most of the time.
“I have a few loose ends to tie up. Besides” — he looked around the foyer of the palace — “I think I prefer Norrandale.” Levernia wasn’t home, to be certain.
Norrandale’s towns were much more vibrant, with their endless shops and quaint little markets and the taverns from which music often spilled out onto the streets.
But with the recent rebellion and the people being so divided, I supposed it would take time for Levernia to regain its liveliness.
Thatcher loved his life at court in Norrandale. But did he honestly plan on leaving me alone here with no one but Prince Lance to keep me company? Something didn’t feel right.
“Is it Mother and Father? Is everything all right?” Our parents hadn’t been to court for quite some time. Perhaps something had gone awfully wrong with Father’s businesses and we’d lost all our money. I could think of few other things that would get Thatcher rattled like this.
“Mother and Father are fine,” he assured me, but I wasn’t sure what to believe.
“What about Cai?” The King and Queen had just left for Argon, hoping to sort out matters with King Aries.
Thatcher put his hands in his pockets. Took them out again. “I’ll meet him at Mistwood. They’ll probably stop there on their way back. Who knows what Aries is planning. Cai might need my support that side.” He did have a point there. But it didn’t settle the uneasy feeling in my stomach.
“Do you want me to come with you?” I wasn’t sure which answer I wanted.
Part of me feared I would feel alone here but the other part of me wasn’t ready to return home yet, to face my duties that side.
Mother was not pleased that I had come here with Thatcher, and she would see me married off as soon as possible.
“I think it’s better if you stay for now. I’ll be back soon.”
It was the last thing my brother had said to me. And now I didn’t know if I would ever see him again. I knew something was wrong that day. I should have stopped him or done something. In a way I felt responsible for letting him go, unknowing of the atrocities he was about to commit.
Everyone here had been treating me kindly, but how long before they turned and decided I was a traitor too?
I looked at the thick Evernean Forest in the distance and thought about all the stories and myths I’d heard.
I remembered Elara briefly mentioning, once, that the woods contained some kind of magic.
I’d heard some of the fairy tales as a kid and wondered now if they had any merit to them.
“Come on.” I lightly pulled at the rein, coaxing the mare to turn around. “Let’s go back.”
My brother’s words followed me as I made my way along the wooded track: “I’ll be back soon . . .”