A Stolen Crown, page 14
She was disgusted that Cerric was her uncle, that he was family. He was greedy and scheming and, even though he would pretend to show concern for her and try to act like he cared, Ariana always felt like he was insincere. It also occurred to her that if Cerric would go so far as to kill his own niece, then why would he not kill his own brother and wife, Ariana's parents. Now that she no longer had any doubt of Cerric's duplicity, she resolved that he would pay dearly for what he had done. The cold of the winter had hardened her feelings of betrayal and by the time the snow began to melt, her anger flared to life, burning stronger with every passing day.
As the snows disappeared and the days became longer, the two were able to venture further and further from the cave where they had made their home for so many months. The day finally came when the two decided that they should leave their mountain refuge and make their way back to civilization. That evening, they gathered their things into packs and made ready to leave. One more night, they slept together in the tiny pocket that had been their home then started off through the forest early the next morning.
When they approached the road, they argued about which direction to take. Ariana wanted to return to Maramyr, but Aaron tried to convince her that it might be best to push on to Rivergate Keep, named for the great river that ran down from the mountains toward the densely wooded Elven forests to the southwest. The keep was much closer to where they were and it was also where they hoped to get some horses and supplies. It would certainly be much easier than walking all the way back out of the mountains on foot. Ariana was less than pleased with the idea of such a detour. She was impatient to wring her uncle’s neck but she agreed that it made the most sense to push on to the mountain keep
“As far as anyone knows, you were killed in the mountains by bandits or assassins. If you go back to Maramyr, I doubt they would even recognise you,” Aaron explained, trying to be tactful.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She cast him a sharp look. Aaron grimaced. It was a subject he had avoided all winter long. He tried another tack.
“Lets put it this way,” he said. “When you left Maramyr, you traveled with an armed escort of Maramyrian soldiers.”
“Don’t remind me,” she muttered.
“You were also finely dressed in thin silks and fine leathers,” he pointed out.
Ariana held up her arm, about to inform him of how fine her clothing actually was when she saw what he meant. The shirt that had once been a deep forest green was now a kind of grey black, after a winter of living by campfire, even though she had diligently washed everything. She looked at her hands and realized that they too were smudged, and her nails were broken short. She did not want to think about the state of her hair but instinctively reached a hand into the tangle. They had kept reasonably clean, heating pots of water to wash with, but living in the smokiness of the cave for so long had taken its toll. Ariana realized how desperately she wanted to have a bath. She looked at Aaron, and decided that he needed one too, and a shave. He had also grown a beard over the winter, and she was not sure whether she liked it or not.
“I suppose we could make for Rivergate, resupply and then head back to Maramyr,” she said, conceding that his idea might have some merit.
“It's also safer. Given that Maramyrian soldiers were the ones who tried to kill you, we should probably find out what is happening before walking back in the front door."
“I am pretty sure my uncle, Cerric was behind it,” Ariana said.
“I wondered about that, but didn't want to say it,” Aaron told her.
“It's fairly obvious. I don't think I told you that the members of the guard were selected for me by my uncle himself,” she admitted.
“But why would your uncle do such a thing?” Aaron asked.
“To be king?” Ariana asked rhetorically. Aaron nodded in agreement.
“You're right. And, if that's the case, he might not like it if you were to show up, all of a sudden.”
“What do you think we should do?”
Aaron scratched his head. Even though they had not spoken about it, he had wondered about the answer to that question quite a lot over the winter.
“Nothing. Not until we know more. It wouldn't be safe just to go rushing into situations where the people who are supposed to be protecting you turn out to be enemies. We have enough gold to get new clothes and horses as well as a proper meal and perhaps stay a few nights at an inn. If we make good time on the road, we can make it to Rivergate in less than a week.”
Ariana thought about it for a moment. Cerric had the power of a kingdom at his disposal and they had only a few gold sovereigns between them since the soldiers who betrayed them had been carrying the saddlebags with the princess' gold and her letters from the Trade Guild. If it weren't for the few coins Aaron carried, they would have had very little. They would go to Rivergate, resupply, collect themselves and figure out how to return to Maramyr so Ariana could claim her throne from her treacherous uncle.
“Okay," she agreed, "but I think we can afford to travel in a little bit of comfort.”
Ariana pulled a dagger from her pack. It was encrusted with jewels, diamonds, rubies and inlaid with various different metals. Aaron had never really looked at the dagger closely before and now he noticed that it was made of silvergold, the same metal as the ring he had found in the temple of the Lady. The princess figured they should be able to get something for it if they were completely desperate although the dagger had been her mother's and she hoped they would not have to sell it. Aaron agreed that it would be better if they could avoid selling something that had not only sentimental value but its own intrinsic worth as well. Having decided their plan, they set off northwest, away from Maramyr.
*****
Having spent a lean winter together in the frozen mountain, both Aaron and Ariana barely resembled what they had looked like when they had left Maramyr. The harsh life and vigorous activity of staying alive had toned the softness of the city out of them. Aaron’s beard had grown thick and his hair long while Ariana’s features had sharpened from the lean living. Her mother’s Elven blood now showed more prominently and the slight angularity of her features gave her a natural intensity that Aaron noticed increasing day by day as they got closer to civilisation. He wondered about the burn scars that ran down one side of her face from where the burning pitch had injured her. He had not said anything to her about it, thinking it might be the sort of thing that might make her upset, and in all reality, he barely noticed it anymore. As far as he was concerned, she was just as beautiful as the day he had first met her.
Quietly pondering their return to civilization, they walked all of the day and into the night before camping, staying off the main road, just to be safe. It was difficult going as the spring thaw had made a lot of the ground soft and muddy, but for the most part they found animal trails that offered better footing and ran fairly close to the main road. Four long days of travel later, they finally emerged from the woods to find a stone fort on the mountain road.
The place was called Mountain Ridge hold and Aaron had heard of it described as little more than a military outpost with a small garrison. The sight that greeted them was somewhat different. The stone fortress with its high walls was surrounded by a small town with its own outer wall and a gate. Outside the town, there were also dozens of pitched tents along with a large number of heavily laden wagons lined the road. The grey-blue smoke of campfires hung low in the still, damp air and the tangy scent of burning wood filled the air. As they neared the fort, Aaron and Ariana recognised the markings on the wagons and the uniforms of the men in the camp. They were soldiers of Maramyr.
“What are they doing here?” Ariana asked.
Aaron wondered if maybe the attempt on Ariana’s life had something to do with it and he feared the worst.
“I think we’d better be careful until we know what is going on,” Aaron said to her quietly as they neared the camp and he suggested that they pull their hoods over their heads to make sure they were not recognized.
None of the soldiers gave the two travellers a second look when they stopped to listen to an old man standing on a wagon, speaking to the crowd waiting outside the walls of the city. The old man’s voice strained as he conducted the crowd with his tale.
“Discovering that our Princess was to leave for that good priestly Island, the diabolical villains hatched their fiendish plot. Murdered in the mountains, she was, by Kandaran arrows and with the treachery of her own guards. Our fair Princess was murdered and for that the Kandarans shall pay dearly. I say join the King’s army and we’ll rout the thieving barbarians from their mountains! They have stolen the life of our Princess, and will we let them steal our Kingdom? I say nay!” The old man roused the crowd to angry cheers and it was all Aaron could do to stop the princess from saying something and he practically had to drag her away from the crowd.
“I should say something,” she told him. “I can't believe the lies they are using, to raise an army, no less!”
“What would you say to that crowd?” Aaron asked. “Would they listen?”
“I will tell them I am the Crown Princess of Maramyr!” Ariana said, her voice rising a little too loud. Aaron gave her a look and she lowered her voice again. "By rights, I will be Queen by mid-summer. They are my people and they are my soldiers, and they are being led astray. It is my duty to tell them the truth.”
“And if they do not believe you?” Aaron asked.
“Why would they not believe me?”
“We already talked about this,” Aaron told her. “Let's get into the city and cleaned up, then we can figure out how best to approach this situation.”
As much as Aaron did not like the idea that Maramyr might be going to war over a lie, he was more worried for Ariana's safety and that took priority. Tarnath had always told him not to rush into battle, to look at things from as many angles as possible before taking action and he figured the advice would hold true in this kind of situation as well.
Ariana scowled as they worked their way out of the crowd, but she at least agreed to keep up the subterfuge that they were nothing more than simple travelers. As they approached the gate and a burly looking guard with a thick, brown beard stopped them and asked them their business, while he suspiciously eyed the two dirty travellers.
“What’s your business?” He glanced at Aaron’s sword in its scabbard at his waist, not noticing the other one Aaron had wrapped in a sheet of leather and tied onto his pack. “Joining the King’s Army like everyone else I suppose?”
“No, I was a soldier for a while before I injured my arm in a campaign in the borderlands to the east,” Aaron lied. “I just keep this old thing for protection when I travel.” The guard looked at Aaron skeptically as he continued his story. “I thought I might see if there’s any work as a builder up at Rivergate Keep while the Army is getting organized, then it’s off to Markwood. My cousin is a woodsman there. If I don't get hired on at Rivergate, there's always wood to chop. Hope to start a family up there.” He gestured to Ariana. “This here’s my wife, Katie.”
The bearded guard nodded to her with barely a glance, grunted his approval of Aaron's story then ushered them in through the gate.
“Just stay out of trouble. Lots of strange folk in and out these days what with the coming war and all,” the man told them. Aaron thanked him and Ariana tried to smile as they made their way into town.
They told the same story to the innkeeper who claimed to have no room until Aaron produced one of his gold sovereigns and told him to make sure ‘his wife’ got everything she wanted. The man’s expression immediately brightened and he led them to a tiny room on the upper floor, near the back of the inn.
“It’s all I got left.” He wrinkled his nose at them. “I suppose you’ll be needing some wash water?” he asked. Aaron nodded.
“Yes, it's been a very long road,” Aaron told him
“I’ll see if we can heat some up for the lady,” the innkeeper said and left them in the room. Ariana let out a deep sigh and Aaron could tell that she was unhappy.
“I’ll go and get supplies while you freshen up,” Aaron suggested. Ariana sat on the little chair next to the bed and rested her chin on her arm. He dropped the packs next to the bed and promised to return soon. He would find her some new clothes. That would surely cheer her a little. One thing Aaron knew for sure was, women liked being clean.
He ventured in through the door of the trading post and found an old man sitting inside, whittling a small piece of wood and spilling the shavings into a pail. He put his idle work aside and stepped up to help Aaron
“What can I do ye for, sonny?” he said, gumming a smile. The man barely had a tooth in his mouth. “Somethin to buy, somethin to sell?” Aaron shrugged, doing his best to appear disinterested, which was something Borrican had told him to do when dealing with merchants.
Despite his attempts at bargaining, the prices of goods were very high and Aaron was forced to spend the better part of his money to get provisions and arrange for two horses, which were equipped with old tack. The trader told him the war had driven up costs and that Aaron had just bought the last two horses available.
After leaving the horses with the stable boy at the inn, he set out to find some other items. Aaron soon found what he was looking for at another small shop. After some bargaining and a short wait, he paid and thanked the seamstress who had helped him and headed back to the inn, paper bundle under his arm.
He arrived back at the inn to find the innkeeper waiting for him, with a worried look on his face.
"You're back," the man said, nervously. "Very good. There's a bit of a problem with your missus upstairs."
"What's wrong?" Aaron asked the man, his hand flying to his sword. The innkeeper put his hand on Aaron's arm.
"No, not that kind of problem," he said. "Just come."
Aaron followed the man up the stairs and down the long wooden corridor to the back of the inn where the room was situated. He tried to open the door but found that it was locked.
"It's locked," Aaron told the innkeeper. The man pulled out his key.
"This is my master key and it will not work. Your wife has blocked the door from the inside, with a dresser, I believe."
"Katie?" Aaron called, using her false name. "It's me, Edward. Open up."
"No!" Ariana's response was shrill but clear. "Go away!"
"What's the problem?" Aaron asked through the door.
"Like you don't know," she said, and her voice was like what Aaron imagined a dying cat might sound like.
"I don't know," he told her. "Now open up!" Aaron pounded on the door then turned to the innkeeper. "What happened?"
"I don't know," the man said with an expression of incredulity. "Just after you left, I had some hot water brought up and an early supper, since your wife said she was hungry. She also asked if we had some basic things like soap, a brush and a mirror, so I sent those up as well. Everything seemed fine and then we heard a loud scream. It ws like someone was being murdered. I ran upstairs myself to see what was the matter and heard a commotion in the room, but the door was blocked. I knocked and asked if your wife was okay and she told me to go away. After that, she cried a lot. I tried talking to her through the door, but she wouldn't say anything else. I have a business to run and the tavern will be getting busy soon, so I couldn't stay here all night."
"It's okay. My wife, her sister died not too long ago and sometimes she gets emotional," Aaron lied. "I'm very sorry for the disturbance. Thank you for doing what you could."
"Should I have some supper brought up for you as well?"
"Yes, please," Aaron said, realizing how famished he was.
The innkeeper retreated down the hallway, leaving Aaron standing by the closed door to the room. He knocked again.
"Open the door," Aaron said again.
He reached out with his power, searching for Ariana's thoughts, hoping that he could touch her mind the way she had showed him. He found her thoughts, but they were closed to him, like a wall had been drawn around them. He tried again, harder this time, and he felt the familiar pain in his neck and his temples as he pushed, trying to get through. Finally, the pain was becoming too great for him and he had to stop. The effort left him reeling and Aaron was just about to sit down on the wooden floor of the hallway when he heard a deep scraping sound on the other side of the door. A few moments later the door opened.
Aaron entered the room to find somewhat in disarray. The bath basin was still half-filled with water, and from the dark, brackish look of it, Aaron figured that Ariana must have washed the whole winter's worth of grime from her all in one go. The princess' clothes they had managed to salvage from the few trunks that had fallen clear of the burning wagon were strewn about the room and Aaron noticed shards of glass on the floor. He bent over and picked up a piece and saw that it was not glass but pieces of a mirror. He looked around and saw that the blankets of the bed were bunched up in one area and he could see that they were moving. Ariana was underneath them.
"Ariana," he said, tentatively. "Are you okay?"
"No," she replied, her voice muffled from beneath the covers. Aaron walked over to the small table that was set against the wall and put the bundle he was carrying on it, then he sat down at one of the chairs.
"What's wrong?" he asked. Ariana did not respond. Aaron waited until she finally spoke.
"How can you ask what's wrong?"
"What do you mean?" Aaron asked. He was not sure, and the broken mirror had been something of a clue, but he did not want to say the wrong thing.
"How could you look at me?" she asked. "You didn't say anything about it."
"What should I have said?"
"Something," she replied, then pushed back the covers and sat up, looking at him through bleary, tear soaked eyes. "Anything! You could have said something! All that time, you never said a word, as though it was nothing!"
"What should I have said?" Aaron asked.
