Brotherhood

Chapter 21

Geric eyed the soldiers surrounding him suspiciously. He knew exactly why King Merek had invited him here. It was a show of power, a reminder that Geric's fate was still very much in his hands. He moved back slightly as the combatants lunged energetically into the ropes surrounding the ring, missing one of the soldiers by inches.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the king watching him warily, his mouth curling into a sneer as the victor of the current match was declared and cheers erupted all around.

"Let us make things interesting, shall we?" the king's voice rose above the crowd. "Who dares challenge the wolf?"

No one moved or made a sound for so long that the king repeated his request more loudly. "Anyone?"

Geric half hoped that no one would challenge him. He was not afraid to fight, he was only afraid of what he might be forced to do.

"I'll do it," a voice said toward the back of the crowd. To Geric's surprise, when the crowd parted one of the soldiers who had arrested him was already taking off his shirt in preparation to battle. "But in hand to hand combat only. No silver weapons."

Nodding once, Geric removed his shirt and stepped easily over the rope and into the ring. The noise around them grew louder, the soldiers all around stomping and shouting, striking their swords against their shields until the din was almost deafening.

"You sure you want to do this?" Geric asked warily, not sure whether the man was brave or stupid. Maybe a little bit of both. They began circling each other cautiously before the other man lowered his head and charged. Geric slipped to the side, pushed the man's elbow down and away, caught his head, and rolled him into the dirt.

A roar went up from the crowd of soldiers and Geric heard more than one person calling for his blood. He glanced up at the king for a moment, but his expression was stony and impossible to read.

The momentary distraction gave his opponent time to lunge for his legs, bringing Geric down on the hard packed earth. Geric rolled quickly onto his back, bringing both knees up and kicking the man in the gut as he lunged again, sending him stumbling backward into the crowd.

They circled each other again and this time when the man lunged, Geric took his arm and twisted it hard backwards, immobilizing the man. He was caught off guard when the man flipped out of his hold, using his momentum to drag Geric back to the earth.

The man smashed an elbow into the side of Geric's skull, causing him to stumble but he still managed to regain his footing. Geric kicked the man's legs out from under him, pinning him down with a hand on his throat. The other man struggled but couldn't rise to his feet again with Geric's full weight on him.

"That's enough," King Merek barked and the crowd fell silent. "I guess I have no choice but to declare Prince Gericault the victor."

There was no applause, nothing but muttering from the surrounding soldiers as Geric offered his hand to the other man, helping him to his feet.

"My brother is one of your kind," the man said quietly, dusting himself off. "Not everyone in this kingdom fears you."

Geric's lips twitched slightly at his words, extending his hand to shake the other man's. "What's your name?"

"Darrow," the soldier grinned, pushing his red hair back from his face. "My brother is Tonraq."

A real smile forced its way onto Geric's face as he slid his shirt back over his shoulders and making his way back up to the castle. The king didn't try to stop him, but Geric could feel his glare on his back all the same as he walked away.

. . . . . . .

"Oh thank goodness!" Amy cried when she caught sight of him entering the library a few minutes later. "I was so worried!"

She buried her face in his shoulder, clinging to his neck as though she never wanted to let go. Geric smiled, kissing the top of her head. He loved the way they fit in each other's arms. She helped dissipate some of the anger that he felt that the king had demanded that he fight. He knew full well that he had been hoping for some bloodshed to give him an excuse to put an end to Geric's relationship with his daughter, and subsequently Geric's life.

"You're hurt," Amy whispered, her fingers brushing lightly over the bruise that was already forming where Darrow had struck him in the head.

"It's nothing," Geric replied, catching her hand against his face and holding it there. "One of the soldiers got lucky. Besides I heal quickly, it will probably be gone by tomorrow."

Amy nodded, a flicker of something Geric couldn't quite define passing over her face, like a dark cloud passing in front of the sun. He could sense fear in her as well, but she was getting better at masking it.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently. "Is everything alright?"

Biting her lip, Amy seemed to waver for a moment as though deciding whether or not she should tell him the truth.

"It's okay," he murmured, skimming his thumb over her knuckles. "You can tell me."

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Amy said, "I think Charles has plans to kill me after our marriage."

"What?" Geric's blood turned to ice in his veins. "How did you find out about this?"

Amy flushed a little, looking away in embarrassment. "I was going through his things and I found this," she whispered, holding out a letter to Geric. His eyes roved down the hastily scrawled words, a growl escaping his throat before he could stop it.

"Charles is the youngest son in his family," Amy continued softly. "He would never become a king except through marriage. I can't believe I didn't see this sooner. He plans to marry me so that he can become king of Colmar and then kill me. I'm so stupid, Geric. How could I have not seen it?"

Geric put his arms around her as her eyes welled with tears, stroking her hair gently. "None of this is your fault. You just got caught in the middle of a political fight that has been brewing for years. You had no reason to believe Charles was anything other than what he seemed to be."

"My father needs to know about this," she said, her mouth pulling in a grim line. "We need to tell him."

Hesitating, Geric didn't say anything for a moment. Even though nothing had happened last night, Geric knew that the king would believe Charles' version over his own.

"Geric?" Amy asked, her eyes filled with concern. "What aren't you telling me?"

Heaving a deep sigh, Geric muttered, "Charles knows I was in your room last night."

"What?" Amy gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "But nothing happened."

Geric shook his head sadly, his eyes meeting Amy's briefly. "I know that, but it doesn't matter what the truth is. What matters is what your father will believe."

"We can just tell him the truth," Amy said, slamming the book she had been carrying down on the table. "He'll have to listen to me."

"Maybe, but he'll never trust the word of a werewolf, you know that. In his eyes I'll always be the monster who is manipulating you to try and steal the crown."

"You're not the monster," Amy muttered darkly, glaring at the letter in Geric's hand. "Charles is the monster and he needs to be stopped."