The Veredor Chronicles: Book 02 - The Journey West (13 page)

‘
But surely who you marry is your decision,’ said Eben, feeling horrified that she didn’t have a say in the matter.

‘Exactly!’ cried Apherah
in agreement. ‘That’s what I have been saying for months, yet my father said I should meet King Lenard before I make any judgements on the matter. King Lenard arrived three days ago, and I was taken to meet him in the royal guest chambers. We talked for about a minute, and as we conversed I started to feel very unwell. I almost feinted for the first time in my life. I tried to see the best in him, yet there was nothing, not one good quality. King Lenard is quite possibly the most horrid man in all of Veredor.’ She cast her eyes sadly down at the mug of ale. ‘And I am betrothed to him.’

Eben l
aughed, seeing the stupidity in the situation.

Apherah looked up and frowned. ‘
What are you laughing at?’

‘Sure
ly all you have to do is say no. Really, this is not so complicated.’

‘You speak like a commoner, Eben Ecorian,’ she said
, shaking her head. ‘Surely you know that royal marriage is more complicated than simply choosing to marry whoever I like. I cannot simply meet someone in the street and marry them. There is so much to consider: alliances, tradition, and the fact that they must also belong to an Ecorian Arbiter bloodline.’

‘
That sounds very unromantic. No wonder you want to run away.’

Apherah stared at Eben for a long moment
. Eben could feel she was contemplating something. ‘Are you going to help me escape?’

‘Of cours
e,’ said Eben, sipping at his ale.

Suddenly several Royal Guards
appeared outside the tavern. ‘They can’t possibly have gone that way!’ shouted a guardsman. ‘They must have gone inside one of these buildings. Eben jumped up at hearing their words.

‘
Time to go,’ he said, taking her hand and leading her out a side door.

They ran from the tavern without b
eing seen. Eben turned down an alleyway that led toward the west gate. They rushed along and entered a square surrounded by high buildings.

‘Do you know where you are going?’ asked Apherah,
looking at Eben with a doubtful expression.

‘Not exactly
,’ replied Eben. ‘Didn’t you say the west gate would be still open?’

‘I
t may be open, yet my father will probably have people watching all the gates by now.’

‘D
o you have any other ideas?’ asked Eben.

Suddenly they could see the red capes of the
Royal Guards charging down an alley that led to the square. Eben took Apherah’s hand and they dashed toward the opposing alleyway, but instantly they saw more guardsmen approaching, blocking their escape. Apherah fearfully clung to Eben’s arm.

Eben back
ed away and looked for an exit as the two groups of guardsmen approached. A few moments later more than a dozen guardsmen entered the square. They drew their swords and cut off the exits.

‘Release the Princess!’ ordered the largest guardsman, who was a man well over six fo
ot tall and stockier than any other man Eben had ever seen.

Eben scanned their faces as several more guardsmen arrived in the square. ‘No,’ said Eben firmly. ‘I certainly will not.’

‘We don’t want to have to hurt you,’ said the lead guardsman, stepping forward with his large broadsword pointed directly at Eben.

Eben drew the Sword of Light. Instantly Apherah stepped forward. She looked back at Eben and wi
nked. ‘Royal Guards, I know my father has ordered you to return me to the palace, but let it be known that one with more authority than my father stands before you. My father’s claim to the throne is based on the fact that he is a direct descendent of the Ecorian Arbiters, yet here, before you stands the Ecorian himself.’

The g
uardsmen all stared at Eben. A few moments later they lowered their swords.

‘We have heard the rumour that the Ecorian has returned
to Faircastle. Are you saying this man is the Ecorian?’ asked the lead guardsman.

‘
Yes, I tell you the truth; this is Eben Ecorian.’ The Royal Guards stared at Eben in awe. They also looked conflicted, not knowing what to say or do. Eben put away the Sword of Light as Apherah took his hand. ‘Now, you will let us pass.’ The guardsmen bowed their heads and they stood aside to let them pass. Once they were out of sight they started to run again. They rushed through the city backstreets and lanes toward the western gate. After a few minutes they came to the gate and found it was still open.

‘Perfect,’ said Eben as he led her through the gate
and out of the city. Instantly the came upon a group of fifty Irvarian mounted guards. King Edric, in full shining armour, sat high on a warhorse and looked down at them sternly. They had walked directly into his trap.

‘I knew if I left one gate open that you would eventually come
through it,’ said King Edric. ‘I did not expect to see you, Eben, helping my daughter escape her duty.’

‘Eben has nothing to do with this,’ said Apherah defiantly.

King Edric stared down at his daughter. ‘Dearest Apherah, I do not know what you hoped to achieve by running. You know your duty.’ A moment later Apherah’s carriage came through the gate and stopped beside her.

‘She should be able to marry whoe
ver she wants!’ said Eben firmly.

King Edric stared harshly down at Eben. ‘And who would you suggest?’ asked the King angrily. Eben had no answer for the King. He looked across at Apherah. She stared deeply
into his eyes; she then reached up gently and touched his face.

‘Thank you, Eben Ecorian,’ she said. A moment later she stepped up into the carriage. Instantly the carriage was led aw
ay.

King Edric look
ed down at Eben. ‘I’m sorry that my daughter drew you into this.’ With these words the King turned his horse and rode back into the city.

**

Later that same day Eben sat with Cassiel and Red in his chambers as the sun was setting, casting long beams of light through the misty sky surrounding the palace.

‘I must say that I’m proud to be a friend of an Ecorian Emperor,’ said Ca
ssiel. Eben looked at Cassiel and wondered if this new revelation would change their friendship.

‘I’m not an emperor, Cassiel. I just happen to belong to a certain family.’

‘The Ecorians are more than a family. They’re a race in their own right,’ said Cassiel assuredly.

‘But I feel
and look just like everyone else,’ said Eben.

‘I have re
ad that the Ecorians have exceptional and extraordinary abilities,’ said Cassiel.

‘If I have any powers I haven’
t discovered them yet. As far as I know I’m just like everyone else,’ replied Eben.

There was a gentle tapping at the d
oor. Red crossed the floor quickly and opened the door. A beautiful dark haired maiden was standing in the corridor. She was wearing a long flowing red cotton dress.

‘Greetings, Eben Ecorian,’ she said to Red, nodding her head as a sign of respect.

‘Ahh, I’m not the Ecorian,’ stated Red, indicating back over his shoulder toward Eben.

A moment later Eben was at the door
and standing beside Red. She looked up and her bright eyes glanced across to Eben. ‘Greetings, Eben Ecorian. My name is Lila. I am a personal attendant of Princess Apherah. Princess Apherah sent me to personally hand you this letter.’

Eben stared down at the
letter which had a red wax seal in the shape of an intricately designed A. ‘Thank you,’ he replied.

Lila nodded once again
handed him the letter. She then stood there and seemed to be waiting for something. Red glanced across at Eben, not knowing what to do, and then took from his pocket a few coins. He went to hand them to Lila as gratuity, but her dark eyes looked away and revealed her embarrassment. Red quickly returned the coins to his pocket, blushing from his mistake.

‘
Do you have a message for Princess Apherah?’ asked Lila, a look of excitement was in the young maiden’s eyes.

‘Y
es. Tell her that I was pleased to meet her today, and I hope we can meet again. Tell her not to make any decisions she does not want to make.’

‘
I will take your message to her,’ she said, smiling as she turned to leave. Red closed the door and looked across at Eben.

‘
You met the Princess today?’ he asked with a laugh.

‘Yes, when I went for a walk I met her in the town.’

‘What is she like?’ asked Cassiel.

Eben thought about how best to answer the question. He opened the letter as he spoke. ‘She is actually a lot of fun and very nice.’

He began to read: Dear Eben Ecorian, I must thank you for assisting me today. You are truly a gracious and noble man. It was a pleasure to spend some time with you. My father has asked me to apologise to you and to explain that it is my duty as the Princess of Irvaria to marry King Lenard of Everdon. Regrettably I must accept this duty. Thank you for understanding me. I hope one day we will meet again. Sincerely, Princess Apherah of Irvaria.

Eben felt his heart thump in his chest
and a lump in his throat. He couldn’t stand the idea of her marrying King Lenard against her will.

‘What does it say?’ asked Red.

‘I think she is going to marry King Lenard,’ said Eben as he read the letter again.

‘W
hat a pity; he’s a horrid man,’ said Red.

**

It was early in the morning on the following day and a crisp chill had fallen over all the land. Many fireplaces throughout the palace were burning brightly, which was a very rare event in summer. Eben stepped into the Ecorian Hall from the stairwell and saw that at least twenty guardsmen stood around the Sapphire Throne. They stood to attention as they became aware of him. Eben looked across the marble floor at the throne; an air of anticipation pervaded the hall.

Eben moved on and
continued to follow the stairwell up to the royal quarters which were on the level above the Ecorian Hall. He arrived at the top of the stairwell. A large ironclad door and four palace guardsmen stood in his way. One of the guardsmen, a stout and sturdy man with black hair, stepped forward.

‘How can
we help you, Ecorian?’ he asked in a respectful but somewhat firm tone.

‘I wish to see Prin
cess Apherah if she is able to see me,’ said Eben.

They whispered among themselves for a few moments and then one of the guard
smen entered the ironclad door.

‘We
will see if she is available.’

Eben waited in si
lence. After about two minutes the door opened, and the guardsman returned.

‘She is no
t available to see you, Ecorian. The King himself will have a word with you. Follow me.’

Two of the guardsmen led Eben through the doo
r and down a long corridor with doors lining the walls. They arrived at the far side and the guardsman knocked on a solid wooden door. The door opened into a large chamber with a massive polished desk, bookcases lining the walls, and a small fireplace burning in the corner. King Edric was seated at the desk and sternly looked up at Eben as he entered.

‘Guardsmen, p
lease leave us,’ said the King, the guards bowed low before leaving and closed the door.

‘I must say that your arrival has caused quite a stir among my guests,’ said King Edric. ‘Please, take a seat. We need to have a discussion about a few important issues.’

‘I do not want to cause you any trouble,’ said Eben calmly.

‘I a
m glad to hear you say that. I want you to know that I am very happy the Ecorian line has not been extinguished. Unfortunately it has proved to be a diplomatic nightmare assuring some of the envoys that you are not a threat to them, and this is not my only problem at the moment. A rumour of your existence is circulating throughout the city. The Irvarian people want to know the truth. A crowd is waiting outside the palace as we speak. My people are seeking answers.’

‘Why not tell them the truth,’ suggested Eben
steadily.

‘Of course I will have to
tell my people everything; however, my main focus at the moment is maintaining our alliances. Much hangs in the balance as we speak. You must understand that if we do not unite we will be conquered by the Prince of Shadows. This brings me to a new problem; one that may prove a decisive blow to our survival. This problem has much to do with you.’

‘What problem?’ asked Eben
.

‘
Can I have your word that you will be discreet about what I tell you?’ asked King Edric.

‘Of course,’ replied Eben.

The King nodded with relief. ‘You know, as it was evident at the council, that King Lenard of Everdon is not happy about your sudden emergence. He is concerned that you plan to take the Sapphire Throne; no amount of reassurance can calm him. I must say he is not the easiest man to deal with. His parents were both noble people, and my hope is that their young son will someday come to be like his late father. Alas, this is what I must deal with if we are to have an alliance with Everdon. We need this alliance to stand against the muckron invasion. If we do not work together we will fall. Thankfully, as it stands, we do have an agreement to work together.’