CROWNS I: Of Desolate Hope | ✔

2. Jaessa's Goodbyes

"Frack!" he shouted as Jaessa thwacked the flat side of her sword across Sir Thom Percy's red face. He hit the ground with a thud and remained there.

He was very lucky it was a wooden sword but it didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. Jaessa helped him up despite his complaints.

"You bitch!" he scoffed, dusting off the dirt of the large courtyard from his brown tunic. He grabbed his own training sword and pointed it at her, "Never drop your guard, girl!"

"I didn't," she said, smiling as she punched him in the jaw with her left hand. This time, he hit the ground and did not get up. She then swirled around to clapping from a man of a similar age dressed in grey with dust coloured boots. Jaessa pretended that she had not noticed him ten minutes earlier, "Pat – I mean Lord Hoff. I didn't notice you." She curtsied sarcastically.

"Jaessa. Don't you dare do that again," the young lord said with a grin that somehow felt to Jaessa like a frown. He jogged over to her and thumped her arm. She tried not to show the excruciating pain. "Firstly, you deserved it. Secondly, what should I call you then, milady?"

"Jaessa. Just Jaessa," she replied clasping her arm, "The Lady of the Dark. If you call me anything else... I'll kill you."

Lord Hoff hit her again in the same place, "Not with a dead arm you won't."

Jaessa knew he was trying not to think about the unofficial 'Lady of The Dark' title that she seemed to have inherited in the eyes of the serving maids. She didn't blame them though. On one side she was descended from a noble family steeped in history but on the other... she didn't know. No one did. Still, despite her noble upbringing in her early childhood, the other girls still jeered at her behind her back but that was ages ago. She was now a young woman – one without fear. Despite this, she still wondered where that other half of her came from.

"I know what you're thinking. Just remember it's a mystery and probably for the better. Not all mysteries were meant to be solved," he said, compassionately. Jaessa knew he hadn't meant it but Pat's words hurt her.

And not all mysteries have solutions, she thought. For all she knew, her family could have been the monarchs of a foreign land generations ago or pirates who had lost their way or maybe she really was from The Dark. Jaessa was convinced she knew more about Pat and each individual grey, moss-covered stone of Greenthorn than her own heritage.

Usually, talk of her ancestors and family wouldn't bother her but today she was leaving her second family. Jaessa's second was unconventional, to say the least. Out of the four children that lived in the castle, only one was a Hoff – a descendant of Arhen Huff – or so the stories tell.

Jaessa hugged him, "We won't see each other for a very long time. Will we?" A tear scraped her rosy cheek.

"No. No, we won't." He let go of her but then took her hands in his own. "I have a present for you. It will remind you of this day and hopefully of what's to come. It's going to be a long journey and you need to be prepared to stick it."

"I will. I have my task," replied Jaessa, rubbing her eyes, "What's my present?"

"It's a surprise," he said, "Rose is looking after it for you. I'd better get going. I need to meet him on the morrow and I have a long way to go and so do you, you're belongings were delivered yesterday, you wouldn't want them to get stolen. Goodbye... well, more like a farewell for now. Gods be with you." With that, Pat marched out of the courtyard to the stables as if he was a soldier.

"That cock was watching us the whole bloody time and you knew! If you'd have told me, I might have tried!" screamed Sir Thom Percy, getting up in frustration and disbelief.