Brotherhood

Chapter 22

Amy's nostrils flared with anger as she watched her father and Charles return indoors, sweaty and laughing like they were best pals. Oh, she was so angry. She would make her father believe her if it was the last thing she ever did.

"Father," Amy said quietly, almost deadly, like a viper getting ready to strike. "I need to have a private word with you."

The king stared intently down at her, a little bit of anger and an air of authority shining through his eyes. "If this is about Gericault, I don't want to hear it."

Unfortunately, Amy couldn't hold back her tears and as soon as they cascaded down her cheeks, her father's countenance toward her changed completely. "I'm sorry," he soothed quietly. "Tell me what's wrong."

She stepped away from him, a mixture of hurt and anger dripping profusely down her cheeks. "Did you know about Charles' plan? Did you have anything to do with it? I need you to tell me right now."

"Don't listen to her," Charles jumped in immediately. "She's probably still distraught about her beloved wolf having to fight today."

Amy's nostrils flared again as she glared at Charles. She took all of the evidence she found earlier out of the pouch she carried at her side and threw it down on the table beside them. "See for yourself, Father. These were discovered in Charles' things. He planned to kill me on our wedding night so he could be sovereign over Colmar and not have to deal with a wife he didn't care for all that much. Am I right, Charles? Do you have anything to say for yourself? The evidence is right here. Even the poisonous herb you planned to kill me with."

The king slammed his fist down on the table, causing all three of them to flinch. "Is this true?" he bellowed right in Charles' face. "You have five seconds to defend yourself or I will personally send you home in a casket."

Charles' jaw trembled and Amy had never seen him this terrified in his life. "I would do no such thing!" he replied, putting on a completely appalled front. "Don't you think this is another attempt to get out of marrying me? I mean, she's already brought a werewolf into your home, don't you think she'd take this just a little further and frame me?"

"Daddy, don't believe that lying snake," Amy said as she wiped her eyes. "I wouldn't lie to you about this. As much as I don't want to marry Charles, I would if it was for the good of the kingdom. Read the letters yourself. Check the facts. It's his own penmanship. Here's a letter from him that he wrote me before he came to Colmar so you can compare them side by side." She put it on the table, lying next to the letters to the apothecary. "You can see that I didn't forge these."

"Is this your way of trying to cover up your tracks that Geric was in your room last night?" Charles said with a sly grin on his face. "Both of you knew that I knew, and now you're trying to get me sent home or killed."

Amy covered her mouth with her hand, trying to put up the best front that she could muster. "How dare you attack my honor! First my life is at stake and now you're trying to strip away my honor? How dare you."

The king slammed his fist down on the table, the wood splintering underneath the force. "I want you out of my castle immediately!" he roared in Charles' face. "And never come back! You have disgraced my family. You are not and never will be welcome in Colmar again. Get out!"

Charles growled and snapped his head in Amy's direction. Before Amy even had a chance to process what was going on, Charles rushed toward her with a murderous expression on his face, but then Geric jumped in front of her and tackled Charles to the ground. Surprisingly, Charles recovered quickly, throwing punch after punch until Geric caught the last punch and flipped Charles over, pinning him onto his back. But instead of punching him back, he let out a snarl deep in his throat. A menacing, werewolfy snarl.

His right hand melted into a furry paw with sharp claws for a moment before disappearing completely. Geric gave Charles one last shove before getting to his feet. "Like I said before. If I wanted you dead, you already would be dead. You are not worth my time."

Charles glared as he got to his feet, but then Amy let out a horrified shriek as Charles produced a silver knife from his belt and charged toward Geric.

"Geric!" Amy screeched as she rushed forward, but she knew that she was already too late. Charles raised his arm and brought the knife down with alarming momentum. Geric spun around last second to deflect Charles' arm just a few inches before the knife plunged into Geric's shoulder.

Geric gasped in pain before he kicked Charles with great force in the stomach, sending the treacherous prince flying across the room and slamming into the wall. Charles tried to scramble away, but it was futile as the king's guards apprehended him, forcefully wrenching Charles' arms behind his back.

"You will pay for this!" Charles screamed. "Colmar will see its end if I have anything to do about it!" And then the guards escorted him from the castle, his shrieks still being heard from all the way outside.

"Geric!" Amy gasped as she rushed to his side. He pulled the knife out of his shoulder and threw it to the ground, the metal clattering dangerously before coming to a standstill. "I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I never meant for this to happen. I didn't know he'd try to hurt you. This isn't your fault." She burst into tearful sobs as she watched blood soak his shirt.

"I'm fine," Geric grimaced. "I heal fast, remember?"

Her fingers fumbled over him like she wanted to do something but didn't know what. "It didn't get your heart, did it? Please tell me you'll be okay. I can't... I can't lose you." She sobbed again, wiping away tear after tear.

"No," he said as he shook his head. "Just barely missed."

Her father reached over and pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair comfortingly. "I promise you I had no idea about Charles' plans. I'm so sorry, Sweetheart. I would never have let him a foot of you if I would have known." He just held her as she cried, and as soon as her sobs died down, he finally let go of her. "Looks like I have a mess to clean up with their kingdom. But before that..."

The king put a hand on Geric's shoulder and started leading him into the next room. "Let's go get you cleaned up."