Chapter 34
Gwen
A gust of wind blew one of the windows in my bedroom shut and I jumped a little in my seat.
I’d been sitting next to the fire, trying to write a letter to my family, but after many failed attempts, it seemed futile.
This morning, a messenger arrived with a letter from Cai.
He said that they’d won back Mistwood Palace and that war plans were in progress as they gathered more men.
He didn’t say anything about Thatcher, which disappointed me a little, though I wasn’t entirely sure why.
What my brother had done was unforgiveable. And yet, I still wanted to know.
I could go back to Norrandale if the weather allowed, something which wasn’t looking very promising at the moment, not to mention the impending war.
Norrandale was no longer my sanctuary, but Everness was not my home, and I felt torn.
From where I sat, I could see grey clouds gathering in the distance, and every room in the palace felt cold despite having all the fireplaces lit.
According to news from Mistwood, my parents had gone into hiding after what Thatcher did.
Either they were humiliated by his betrayal or they feared for their own lives. Perhaps both.
I thought that maybe I could send a letter to our estate, hoping they would eventually get it, but once I actually started to write, the words would not come to me.
I scrunched up the piece of paper and tossed it into the fire. Writing letters would have to wait.
It would be evening soon, and I needed some new reading material for dinner.
Despite our newfound friendship, I hadn’t been seeing Lance around the dinner table much.
But, according to a servant, he’d been spending most of his time in Eloisa’s room, which was entirely understandable with her declining health.
Not that I minded my own company at all.
A slight pitter-patter sang against the window. Lovely, now it was raining too.
I got up and left my rooms, heading in the direction of the library. With the high ceilings of the palace, it was difficult to hear the rain on the roof, but the world outside the windows I passed was grey and dreary, growing ever darker.
I walked slowly, still trying to be careful of my ankle, when I heard a cry in the distance. As I rounded the corner, I saw a figure, glass bottle in hand, before he suddenly turned and threw the bottle against the wall. Glass shattered everywhere, the amber liquid spilling across the floor.
Lance hadn’t noticed my presence at the end of the hallway. He leaned back against the wall and slid down to the floor with his head in his hands.
Whatever was going on, this was a deeply personal moment, and I was intruding. I doubted Lance would want me to see this, and yet, as I turned to leave, I heard the soft muffles of him crying and my gut twisted into knots.
Something was clearly very wrong if he was in such a state. If it had been anyone else, I would have rushed over without a thought and tried to comfort them.
But this was Lance.
I had no idea how to react.
I shifted my weight and the damned wooden floor creaked. Lance’s eyes shot straight in my direction. He looked surprised and anguished all at once.
“Are you all right?” I managed to croak out.
I started to approach, though carefully. He might still chase me away, not wanting to be seen in such a state.
Lance’s head hung low. As I reached him, he looked up, his eyes bloodshot from crying.
“She’s dead,” he said softly. “Eloisa’s dead.”
The youngest Evernean princess, with an illness of the mind, had always been hidden from the world.
I had no idea what her and Lance’s relationship was like, but based on how much time he’d been spending sitting by her bed the last few weeks, it was clear he had cared for her in some way.
Not to mention his current reaction on her passing.
“I’m so sorry.” I crouched down so that I could be at his level, broken glass crunching under my shoes. “Was she in a lot of pain?”
He shook his head, looking down at the floor.
“The physician said she shouldn’t really have felt anything, she was in such a deep sleep by then.”
I didn’t know entirely what to say. Didn’t know how to give my condolences.
“I’m really sorry, Lance.” I wished I could say I understood but our circumstances were vastly different when it came to our siblings.
“She was the last of my family. Now I have no one left.” His mother had died when he was a little boy, his father only a few months ago, and now his younger sister.
“You still have Elara.” I gently placed my hand on his bent knee.
“Please,” Lance said, wiping a rebellious tear from his cheek as if he’d not been crying. “She wouldn’t give a damn if I died, just like the rest of you.”
“That’s not true. You may not be Elara’s favourite person in the world, but I know she doesn’t want you to die. Even though she would probably never admit it, I think that deep down she cares for you in a way she cannot necessarily explain. If she didn’t, then you would still be in prison.”
“After everything I’ve done, I wouldn’t be surprised if she hated me. She has every right to. I’m selfish and reckless and I know it.”
Well, at least he was self-aware. That had to count for something, right?
“Sometimes we care for the people we are bound to by blood, even when we shouldn’t.” I wasn’t sure if I was referring to him and Elara or me and Thatcher.
“Well, she is a much better ruler than I could ever be.”
“Eh.” I shrugged, trying to make light of the situation. “Nobody’s perfect.”
He tried to push himself up but let out a hiss as some of the shattered glass pressed into his skin.
“Did it cut you?”
Without waiting for him to respond, I pulled his hand towards me. It was a very small cut, and I could easily pick out the glass.
“What a waste,” he murmured, giving another sniff. “That was a damned good bottle of whisky.”
I couldn’t help but let out a snort as I made sure there was no more glass in his hand. I felt Lance’s eyes linger on me. For some reason, it made my stomach flutter.
“There, it should be fine.” I let go of his hand, which had a small trace of blood left on it but nothing serious.
Lance rubbed his face with his good hand. His eyes were still red from crying, and I could tell he was holding back a little. Perhaps he needed privacy to cry by himself. I wouldn’t blame him. His sister had just died.
A loud booming noise erupted from outside.
“Thunder,” I noted. “It seems like there is a bit of a storm coming.”
“Mmhh,” Lance agreed absentmindedly. We sat in silence for a few moments before the thunder sounded again.
I looked out of the nearest window as movement from outside caught my eye.
“The horses,” I said. “The horses are still in the paddock.”
Lance’s eyes grew wide, and he shot up into a standing position.
“They’ll never get them all in in time,” I continued without hesitation, already on the move.
Lance and I hurried through the palace until we reached the door that would lead us to the stables and paddocks.
Before we could open the door, a strong gust of wind blew it open, the curtains flapping about.
Outside, it was now pouring rain, the sky completely covered with a dark grey blanket.
“You should stay inside. You can’t go out in this weather.” To tell me that I couldn’t do something was probably the surest way to get me to do it.
“Like hell I can’t.” I was out of the door before he could stop me.
The royal stables had many horses, so it would take a while to get them all inside, even if we took two at a time. When we reached the paddock, the servants were already at work while the stable master’s voice was carried away by the wind as he tried to give orders.
There was another crack of thunder and one of the horses took fright and reared.
Without intending to do so, I looked for Bessie.
I found her in the field furthest from the stables, calling to one of the other horses that was being led away by the stable boy.
Poor thing, she probably didn’t want to be left alone there.
I made my way over to her as Lance grabbed some rope and took hold of one of the other horses.
I pulled her leather halter over her nose, but it took me a minute because she was tossing her head so much.
“Come on, girl,” I pleaded with her. “I’m trying to help you.
” Eventually I managed to lead her to her stable, both of us soaked to the bone.
I made sure to close her stall door tightly.
She seemed a little more at ease now that she was next to her friend.
I was back outside quickly, trying not to shudder at the loud thunder. Lightning flashed close by.
The problem with horses was that they were herd animals and if one was frightened, it got all the others worked up.
Lance had a horse in each hand, walking past me as I made my way to the nearest stallion.
Not bothering to search for other halters, I took Bessie’s and slipped it over his head before we made our way to the stable.
My ankle was starting to hurt from all the quick walking, but I didn’t care.
“Where is Windchaser and his mother?” I asked with concern, noting that I hadn’t seen them yet.
“Don’t worry, they were the first to be taken to the stables. They’re all tucked in, warm and cosy,” he assured me.
There was another flash of lightning. It was getting closer.
The stable boy and the servants brought in four more horses. “That’s all of them, Your Highness.”
“Thank you. I think we’d all best get inside.” Nobody had to ask me twice. Now that I was certain all the horses were safe and warm, I wanted to hurry myself to a fire as quickly as possible.
Lance walked ahead of me, and I ran to catch up with him, but pain shot through my ankle. That was what I got for running around the palace grounds in the rain.