Dark & Cold (FREE TRIAL!) [YA Fiction/Royalty/Romance] (D&C Series Book #1)

Chapter Six: The Devil In The Woods

   ERICIA HEARS THE startling sound of anguish echo out from the woods behind the palace. Then, there are the double-timed gallops of a horse. She stares out from her balcony into the darkness before her. A black silhouette appears from the eerie woods –tall, mysterious, bone-chilling, riding out on a white stallion, reminiscent of a devil in the flesh. The silhouette jumps off of the animal and pulls a large beast that had been hanging off the back of the horse, swinging it over his shoulders and stumbling towards the palace with the weight of it on his back. Ericia then hears the footsteps of soldiers rushing towards the silhouette –at least five of them.

There's a knocking at Ericia's door –she wakes up.

"Your Highness, are you awake?" It's Avie's voice. "Ericia, darling, it's Avie."

Ericia sits up on her bed, shaken up by the vividness of the dream. "Come in, Avie."

Avie bursts through the doors, the maids following behind her and getting to work.

"Ericia, you would not believe what I'm about to tell yo-" Avie says just as Ericia stands to her feet, takes a step forward and crashes to the tiled flooring. "Oh Heavens," Avie exclaims, rushing over, "Are you alright?"

Ericia hadn't had enough time to process the situation –she'd completely forgotten about her injured ankle. She sits on the floor, crying out in pain as Avie raises her dress slightly to look at the injury.

"Someone get the doctor here immediately," she says to the maids. "Dear God, Eri, what happened?"

"I fell last night on my way to the wine cellar," Ericia says, "but I didn't realise the injury would be this bad. It didn't feel that way at all."

"Ericia," Avie says, frustrated and in utter shock, "Are you daft? You're a Princess, you're supposed to call for help in situations like that. Dear God, why were you going to the wine cellar? Where were the maids?"

"All busy entertaining the soldiers," Ericia mumbles, pouting. Avie gives her a disappointed look. Ericia looks away in shame. "Rowan said he wanted red wine, so I went to fetch a bottle for myself."

The royal physician rushes in to take a look at Ericia. All other conversation after this point ceases.

***

"A week," Ericia says, shaking her head as she repeats the phrase yet again. "I'm lucky it's not the worst injury in the world, though it's still terrible."

"Are you alright?" Rowan asks her, his face flooded with concern. "Would you like me to get you anything? Some water? A eat? Would you like to go back into the palace and sit in the Queen's lounge? Tell me –anything, really. I'll try to help you out as much as possible."

Ericia places a warm hand on Rowan's cheek. "I'm fine, Rowan. Really. I just want to look out at the city from here. The breeze is calming me down. You're making me feel tense by making a big deal out of this."

"I can't believe I didn't realise you were injured last night," Rowan says, frowning. "What a poor excuse for a gentleman I must be."

"Hey," Ericia says, "It's alright. I didn't know it was this bad. It was my fault for ignoring it."

Before Rowan could say anything else, Avie approaches, bowing to them both in her manner of formality and relaying her news to the Princess.