Crown Sword

Chapter 9

I spent the next two hours with my back turned to Scar, fidgeting with the knot he'd tied at my wrist. He'd tied it in less than a minute, yet it was so complex as there were many loops and ties. It was almost like a brain teaser, and trying to solve it without him waking up was the hardest part.

At some point I must've fallen asleep because Scar was once again, slapping me awake as I lay across the furs. The lantern was blown out and I could see it was light outside. It was already morning?

The rope still bound us together.  He walked out ordering his men, as I tumbled after him, tugging at the knot which now seemed tighter. He turned to me and frowned.

"You shall ride with me. I don't trust these fools enough to allow them to oversee you."

"Ugh... great."

We then walked over to the tree where Leon was preparing Scar's horse. He turned and saw us, then bowed deeply before Scar, "your majesty."

Scar nodded in return. What was up with this place and royalty? Scar being called 'majesty'? A king that wants to kill me? Those animals in the forest bowing to me? This is all too crazy.

"She rides with me." Scar said.

"Yes, majesty." Leon bowed again and helped Scar on his horse. I stood beside him, my hand outstretched to his. I tugged at it once more and he glared at me.

"Sire, there's no other way for her to ride with you than for her to sit at front." Leon looked at us.

Scar assessed the situation. "Yes, there is. She may ride at front the way she rode with you."

"You mean...?" Leon looked a bit shocked.

"Yes."

Leon walked around the horse and grabbed me around the middle.

"Wh-what? What are you doing? Let me go!" He flipped me over Scar's lap in the saddle. He then tied me to the saddle underneath him. I squirmed trying to get off of him. In less than a second, I felt the cold metal of a knife pressed to my throat. I stilled against him.

"Move and be mutilated, or stay and delay your death," Scar bit out.

I was very uncomfortable, and very humiliated. I also knew that there was no chance of me leaving. I could hear the soldier's chuckles as we left the border. Ugh.

The next couple of hours were uneventful as we rode through the countryside. We passed through a village in which people stopped to bow at us as we passed, and stared at me especially.  Wherever I was, I knew I wasn't in Maine. How I got to Arkaysa was still unknown to me.

We made no stops and it almost seemed as though we were rushing to the king as the horses galloped. I felt sick, the constant motion turning the little content in my stomach. I shut my eyes against the bright day.

About an hour later, I felt the horses slow their pace. I opened my eyes. We were in some sort of city. It looked like what I'd imagined an old European city to look like.  The ground was cobblestone and the houses around us looked like mansions. There were also little shops and merchants  with carts yelling about their specials around every corner. I saw a little bakery with a stout man in an apron, waving a fan at fresh loaves of bread to cool them.

I wanted to scream and shout to them that I needed help and for them to do something.  I needed to escape.  But for one thing, Scar's knife made a reappearance at my neck. For another, they didn't seem to care as they saw me strapped to a horse like I was some sort of pack. Maybe they were all part of this cult I was going to be sacrificed for.

My stomach grumbled and I turned red. Scar's face was in a permanent scowl as he looked down at me. I sighed and turned back to the city.

As they bowed their heads, I noticed the look of the people. They were dressed in such finery, I believed them to be in a sort of high class. The men dressed in tunics and coats so formal and the women in elegant embroidered dresses. It felt like the set of a movie.

    We went deeper and deeper in the city and the houses got bigger and nicer.  I looked down the cobblestone street to see a large grey castle looming in the distance. I shivered.

So that's where the king was. I never imagined the king of a cult to live in such a grandeur place, worshipped by all below him in this city, his court.

We reached the castle gates and the guards there lowered their weapons and bowed deeply. I saw an entire entourage of people waiting outside for us. Well... them.

There were servants, squires, footboys, paiges, so many people from different stations, just like the story books. They hustled over to help with anything they could but were turned away as Scar waved his hand at them. They, like everyone else, lowered their heads and stepped back.

The rope loosened around me and before I knew it, I fell to the ground with a thud. I groaned. I looked at my arm suddenly feeling free. The rope slipped from my hand, knotless. Two arms slipped under my shoulders and I looked up to see Alcott on one side of me and Terrowin, the other. I was lifted from the ground, my legs dragging behind me as we moved forward.

The huge wooden doors of the castle were open as we rushed through. People around gawked and bowed as we passed. We were moving much quicker now. My heart began to pound. My stomach was turning at a quick rate and I swallowed, tasting bile in my mouth. Though my head was lowered, I saw everything through the curtain of hair in my face.

We entered a large grand hall, then passed through a smaller corridor. The pace slowed as we entered a darkly lit room. We went in a couple of paces before we stopped. I raised my head.

There in front of us, on a throne of gold sat a middle aged man, with dark shoulder length hair, and a full short beard. He was dressed in robes of red and gold, and his fingers sparkled with rings of different gems. He seemed relaxed yet the look in his eye reminded me of a cat about to eat a mouse, as he gazed at us from his dais.

"Prince Malakye, what have you brought for me today?" He clasped his hands before him.

Prince? What prince? Was he talking to us?

"Father," Scar said to the king in front of me, getting down on one knee. He pressed a fist to his chest. Alcott and Terrowin, followed. Then everyone in the room followed, their heads lowered. My stomach was now doing back flips inside of me.

Father? That didn't make sense. Unless... oh. My confusion cleared as the journey to the castle suddenly made sense to me.

Prince Malakye got up and turned to me, his scar seemed to fade as he did. "I bring you the Crown Sword thief."

The King, his men, and the entire court froze and turned to stare at me.

I leaned forward and threw up all over the dais.