The Dragon Prince

Chapter 19

Princess Jocelyne Andry

Iron City, Sarkin

It has been a long time since I had taken a walk in the gardens. After the events of the night, I figured I should wear myself down, find a bit of silence before retiring for the evening. I had danced and laughed. I had kept up in conversation and gossiped about the other people in the room. I had done things that I hadn't done in years. The moonlight shinned over the city, casting a blue hue over everything it touched. My dress was one of them. The already blue color seemed to shine more, while the dark blue looked black. The silver accents and sleeves were now a baby blue color. This had been the first dress that I had worn that wasn't black and everyone seemed to notice the second I had entered the hall.

I spotted my favorite tree when I was younger. Felix had taught me how to climb it when I was six. It was where most of my siblings and I visited nearly daily, but over time, we all stopped coming. Lost the joy in it after Felix was taken. I reached out, placing my hand on the tree, seeing the letters carved into the trunk. A small W had been added in after William's death. He was like a brother to all of us and it seemed fitting to do so.

I sighed, walking around the back of the tree, now blocking my view of the castle, and its view of me. "I knew you would show up eventually." I stated calmly, turning slightly to see a dark shadow leaning against the castle courtyard wall. The thick branches hid us both from the sight of the guards high on the wall.

"And here I thought you would have been happy I would have been gone." I saw him reach up and pull of his mask, taking a few steps towards me. Though the held a bit of humor, there was still something I couldn't place in his voice.

"Can I ask you a question?" I dared not move, or speak to loud in fear of the guards overhearing. He tilted his head slightly, his blond hair catching the moonlight that fell between the leaves, as he took a few more steps towards me. "Do you work for Tom?" I asked.

He stopped, a few steps in front of me, but close enough to see his reaction to my question. He took a deep breath, letting it out. "Yes."

I nodded. I had already suspected as much, ever since Felix had told us about Tom. Felix had told us about his journey back, and how long he travelled. It wasn't a coincidence that Jack showed up after Felix escaped. "Did you have a hand in what was done to my brother?"

He hesitated, but then looked me squarely in the eyes and answered the question. "Yes." He gave me a second to let that sink in before trying to come to me. I took a step back, feeling the tree behind me, but he stopped. "I was one of his guards for the last few months. I was there when he escaped. I got the scars to prove it. You got to understand, Jocelyne..." He shook his head. "It wasn't an accident your brother escaped. Bad timing, yes, but not an accident. I knew he was trying to get out. He had spent years trying. The other guards told me about Matylda, and Felix and every escape either one of them had tried. I noticed the whole in the floor once, but I didn't try to stop him. I didn't let him know I knew." He groaned, when I gave him an angry look. "I wasn't trying to catch him in the act, or play some game. I wanted him to get out. I wanted him to go home and lead an army against Tom and the Rebellion, because I couldn't. You may think you all know Tom, but you don't. This is the man that turned everyone who was a traitor into those monsters. Roland. Callan. Logan. Rowley. Markus. All of them. He also orchestrated the deaths of many people. By the time I realized what kind of person he was it was too late for me to escape. I tried. Believe me, Jocelyne. I tried. He killed my family because of it."

I winced, hating to hear what was done to him and his family, but there was one other thing I wanted to know. "Did he orchestrate the attack on the Valiant City?"