The Hibernian Runaway

Chapter 29

Lilly kept one hand on the wall as she walked up the stairs in the pitch black darkness. She heard Will faintly rustling behind her, but otherwise she wouldn't have known that he was there. The blackness was good though, it hid her nervousness from the Ranger behind her. She didn't know what she was going to encounter at the end of the stairs, nor if she was ready to get to the end of them.

She didn't realize that she had stopped until Will walked into the back of her.

"Lilly," Will whispered, "why'd you stop?"

"I-Ii. I don't know." Lilly replied, stammering as she started her spiral into self-doubt. "I shouldn't be here right now. I abandoned my father, my country, my friends."

"Lilly, you managed to do more for your family coming to Araluen than staying here in Hibernia." Will explained. "If it could be anyone going up these stairs, it should be you."

Lilly took a deep breath, letting the Ranger's words sink in. She felt herself calm down, and she started forward again, up and into the blackness.

After, again, what seemed like forever, Lilly could finally make out the shapes of what was in front of her. A soft orange glow was radiating out from the landing three steps up. She slowed down as she heard voices, waiting for Will and to listen to what they were saying.

"My Queen, we need to get you out of this castle. If you stay any longer, you won't be able to escape."

"I don't care, Gregory. I am the Queen here; no one would dare take the crown away from me."

"Josephine, you don't understand. The Araluens have- "

"I don't want to hear that word out of your mouth again. I don't care about the Araluens. They're just a bunch of no-good meddlers."

Will was just at her elbow, saxe knife in his hand. He was listening just as intently as she was, and almost concerned for the sanity of the Queen as her anchor on reality was slowly fraying away.

"Josephine, please. There isn't much time left. You don't know what Sean will do to me, to us."

Josephine made her way over to the crib where Connor was sleeping soundly. She stroked the sleeping boy, and Lilly tensed up tighter. Her brother was still her brother regardless of their parentage, and she did not trust the madwoman standing over him.

"Tell me, Gregory. Did you think your lust for me would get as far as to bring turmoil to my kingdom?" Josephine said, walking away from Connor.

He paused, sensing the double edged question. "I didn't think that it would go this far, but we couldn't have planned for Lilly-"

Gregory cut off in a scream that sent Lilly's teeth and hair on end. Josephine stepped back from her husband as he fell to his knees, a dagger stabbed up to the hilt in his chest. He sank back, his eyes showing more pain and emotion than what Lilly thought possible. He gripped the hilt, but didn't have the strength to pull it from his chest.

"You are the reason why I am not in control of my country. If you never existed, then none of this would've happened. Sean wouldn't have been the wiser and I would've been Queen without these pesky Araluens sticking their noses where they don't belong." She looked down over her husband and grabbed the hilt and started to twist it deeper into his sternum. "I don't need you anymore. I never needed you."

With that Josephine pushed Gregory backwards, and he fell, dead, to the cold stone floor. The Queen picked up the hem of her dress and stepped gingerly around the body, avoiding the blood. She bent over and pulled the knife from the body, it coming away in a flash of silver and red. She looked at the body with disgust and wiped the knife on the sleeve of her dress.

"By Gorlog's beard!" Erak shouted, "Horace, it's been too long!"

Horace relaxed the grip on his sword and smiled at the Skandian. Halt put down his bow and relaxed too, then he turned to the men who were still warily holding up their weapons.

"You can relax, they won't do us any harm," Halt offered. He could see that most of the men had taken his word and relaxed, but there were still a couple of men who had too tight of a grip on their weapons.

Halt watched as Horace laughed as the larger Skandian enveloped him in a bear hug.

"And isn't it our second favorite Ranger," Erak teased, giving Halt a clap on the back that almost sent him reeling forward.

"Isn't it our favorite Skandian," Halt replied, taking a deep breath. The men around him relaxed even further as they realized that the northern raider was a friend. "What brings you here?"

"We got wind of easy pickings in the ports here, so we went sailing. But when we landed, we only found one man and all he had on him was Araluen gold." Erak answered. "I asked where he got the gold, cause I wanted to know if he had more stashed somewhere, but he said that a party of Araluens had landed to overthrow the Queen of Hibernia."

Halt mentally cursed the lose-lipped tavern owner. If it had been Josephine's allies, they could've done some serious damage to their plans. "But why did you come here?" Halt pressed, "this is a bit far inland for you sea-raiders."

"That tavern keeper let it slip how a grizzled old man with a gray beard in a weird colored cloak scared him more than us." Erak laughed. "I immediately knew it was you, and I wouldn't miss a chance to help a friend."

"Who knew Skandians were such teddy bears?" Halt muttered under his breath. Then he looked up to the rest of the men around him. "The Skandians are here to help us, let's keep going."

The rest of the fighters, Hibernians, Araluens, and Skandians together, swarmed down the dark castle walls, now allies against a common, and crazy enemy. Halt and Erak watched them run off, a little surprised that they were working so well together after almost being at each other's throats a minute ago.

"I suppose we should follow them," Halt sighed, "we can't let Skandians have free range around a castle, who knows what souvenirs they'd bring home with them?"

"I don't know, we teddy bears are pretty picky when it comes to looting. We do like to hug our opponents to death." Erak teased behind him.

Halt rolled his eyes to the gloom in the castle,but couldn't erase the small smirk he had on his face. The two friends walkedtogether into the darkness, weapons drawn.