Taken By The Wind, Chapter 3

Jehu winced as David cleaned the wound caused by a stone thrown by the local children. A guard had shooed them away but Jehu took a stone to the head and was bleeding. The next day Jehu slogged through the great ebony forest which ran along the border for three hundred leagues. After that, what? Nobody knew where they were going or if they would survive the journey. Jehu remembered some of the history of Talmesh. Talmesh used to be part of orange land, but soon broke off under Yamdra the valiant who single handedly defended the Velquins bridge from 100 invaders and yet still survived. He founded the order of the Yamdors, the nobility and warrior class that held Talmesh together. They were highly trained and well-armed and bound by a strict code of honor. The Yamdors also had a retinue of warriors called Madrons, who were slaves trained to fight. After five years of service the slaves could swear fealty to the order of the Yamdors and become a Yamdor. Talmesh also requires two years of military service from each of its male citizens. The Yamdors are the only practitioners of a martial art called coldora. Coldora requires that users never be unarmed, thus the Yamdors always have a weapon with them and it is considered a great offense to steal a Yamdor’s weapon. Their weapon of choice is usually an Ebony staff.

            While Jehu was pondering the Yamdor order the group came to a quick stop. Jehu walked right into the person in front of him. He lost his balance and fell over a precipitous slope that was blanketed by sharp rocks. He heard a scream and saw two guards dive after him. He crashed into the ground beneath with a thud. Jehu only smashed his arm into the rocks but was alive. The other two were not so lucky. Jehu grabbed one of their knives and began to cut away his bonds. Another guard ran down the slope and at Jehu. Jehu prepared for the attack with his uninjured arm, the dagger clasped firmly. He stabbed, the guard crumpled to the ground. Jehu was still, he had never before taken a man’s life. The Man’s eyes were still open, a blank look of shock stood across his face. Jehu wondered who the man was, who his family was and where he was from. He ran, the preceding events in Jehu’s mind took ages, but to the prisoners it took 20 seconds. The rest of the guards were still climbing down the slope. Jehu saw a black and blue bird soaring towards him. It was a talmeshese blosa falcon, a large and fierce bird which could be used to hunt the largest of foxes. They could also be trained to follow a man or animal till it was dead or caught. Rolling into a deep pond he suddenly remembered something from brown land. He swam and found what he was looking for. A beaver dam still stood, abandoned for year. It was now Jehu’s shelter. Even the Falcon with its confident arc stopped and halted like it could not find its target. The guards fanned out in search of him. After many hours Jehu emerged from the dam. He started walking back to orange land when he heard voices behind him. He saw two girls walking along. The girls looked well dressed, they wore a burnt orange scarves which were a sign of the Yamdors order. Jehu then saw a large log get loosed by the beaver he stayed with. The log began to roll down the hill straight for the girls, Jehu ran to stop it before they were hurt. He dove and jammed his injured hand under the log, stopping it. The girls didn’t notice and kept walking. His wrist pulsed with an intense pain. He saw a hooded figure out of the corner of his eye then blacked out.

Purpleland: Chapter 10

When we were out of sight of the house he grabbed my arm. I turned to him and yelled. “You knew I loved her. You knew I was coming back.” He tried to say something then but I cut him off. “You didn’t ever tell me. You said you were my friend and you lied to me again and again.” I then leapt on him and tried to punch him. He sidestepped and twisted the arm he already held behind me and pushed me to the ground.

 “Are you going to listen now?” His voice was very cool.  I did not say anything, seething with rage. “Alright, I have loved her… loved her, Kail, just as long as you have. And I know I never told you, but it tore me up to watch you two together. I did nothing then. Nothing. I was going to let you have her. You left and I was going to let you wait for her but she didn’t want to wait for you. Listen to me Kail. She doesn’t love you. And she never wants to be queen. When you left she didn’t say she would wait for you. She made no promises and neither did I. I was wrong not to tell you. I should have told you that she wasn’t waiting for you. I should have told you that I loved her. I should have told you that I was going to ask for her hand.” He paused. “I suppose that I hoped you would forget her. As for Alena she thought I would have told you.”  He let me up then and stood before me his hands open, palms facing me. “Now do to me what you want your majesty.”

The fury inside me had turned to a kind of cold fire. I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him toward me. “You said you were my friend, you were the closest thing I had to a brother, I trusted you above anyone. And the second my back was turned you took the one thing in the world I wanted. I will hate you until I die. You are a snake and not welcome near me. Go now, find the girl and marry her, but from this day you have lost my friendship.”

He bowed and said. “I wish it could be otherwise.” Then turned and left me, covered in mud, panting and almost crying.

I rode after my servants and waylaid them on the way to Marcus’ castle. We took lodging in an inn nearby and made plans to leave on the morrow. I retired to my room. It was then that Alena came to me. She told me she was sorry. She told me that she loved me as a brother and hoped she would not lose me. She said no word in defense of what she had done but I read it in her eyes. She loved Marcus, not me. She did not want to be queen. She had thought Marcus had told me.

I told her that I would never cease to love her but as she was to be a bride I would not speak of it again. I told her while I could not forgive the man who would marry her she was free of all blame in my mind. She begged that I would forgive Marcus but I told her that her pleas were useless and that was the only thing I would not do at her request. We bid each other farewell and she went back, back to her parents, back to her lover, back to Marcus. I suppose I knew that by refusing to be reconciled with Marcus I was giving up any friendship I might have had with his future wife. At the time friendship seemed a meager thing to give up when compared to the ocean of my anger.

 Alena had only gone a few minutes when Shay came. That was a surprise, but she looked at me with compassion, not pity and told me how truly sorry she was. I saw tears in her eyes and asked, haltingly if she had loved Marcus. She looked surprised then nodded slowly and somehow her grey eyes had never looked less like her sister’s. We stood there in our mutual grief and eventually I broke the silence to congratulate her on her recent marriage. She smiled sadly.

“He’s ill you know. I’ll be a widow before the year is out most likely.”

I expressed my deepest condolences but she shook her head.

“He never loved me, was never even kind to me. I was pretty bedroom ornament and a part of an assembly line for his heir.”

I looked up quickly. “You are with child”

She smiled softly. “Yes, the child will come in the spring.”

I congratulated her and she smiled again. Then shyly took her leave and returned to her failing husband. But first she put her arms around me quickly, which was almost scandalous, and whispered, “They had no right to hurt you so.”

Purpleland: Chapter 9

It was three years before I was able to visit Marcus again. I had received occasional letters from my friend and, as it would have been most improper to keep up a correspondence with an unmarried girl, I had to depend on this for all new of Alena. He told me she was well and so was her family, but said little else about the girl who was constantly haunting me in my dreams. When I returned to Marcus’ domain it was in high hopes. I was then twenty-one; Alena would be nineteen. It seemed to me that some of the obstacles to our engagement were removed by the three years since my first proposal.

I sent off a letter detailing my visit two days before I left, but set out towards Alena’s home first. I could not restrain myself from seeing her as soon as possible and her father’s holding was actually to some extent on my way to Marcus’ castle.

I sent my attendants on and rode up to Alena’s home alone. I knocked on the door and was received by an elderly servant who seemed a little awed by my titles and announced me to the family, all of whom seemed to be in the sitting room. I was so overwhelmed by Alena’s beauty that, for a moment, I did not notice the other occupants of the room. The three years had only made her more beautiful. Golden hair cascaded down her shoulders and her grey eyes sparkled with health and happiness. As I entered I heard her laughter and I felt something frozen inside me melt. Smiling like a fool, I made a deep bow. I looked up and noticed that sitting beside her, his hand on her arm, was Marcus. The hand disturbed me slightly, but I was too glad to see both of them to let myself think on it over much.

I embraced Marcus and knelt to kiss Alena’s hand she blushed and I heard her murmur something to Marcus. That bothered me more than the hand, but I stood and made my polite enquires to Alena’s parents. I asked them how they had been. Well. I asked after Shay. It seemed that she had been lately married to a minor lord who I remembered vaguely as much older.

“But that is old news,” Said Alena’s mother smiling widely. “Our second daughter is engaged as well.”

I felt like I had been kicked. I refused to look at Alena. “Really?”

“Yes.” She smiled wider. “Marcus asked for her hand a week ago.”

In books sometimes they say the light became dark before his eyes and that’s the only way I can describe what happened. I sort of stumbled through the rest of the conversation with Alena’s parents and made some excuse to leave. I finally turned to Marcus and Alena. Marcus was biting his lip and Alena was staring at me with something like infinite pity. That made everything worse. I left their house and Marcus followed me but I was passed listening to anything he had to say.

Purpleland: Chapter 8

I did not see her until I left the next day. She stood between Marcus and Shay. They were all wearing black and I could not help but think of the day of Lord Stephan’s funeral when I had fallen in love with Alena. Marcus stepped forward. I had told him all about Alena’s rejection the night before and he, with uncharacteristic emotion, told me how he had received a similar rejection from the red head he had courted. Now he grasped my shoulder and said, “If you ever need a friend”. I clasped his shoulder and replied, “You will be the first to know.” I looked back only once as we rode off and saw that only Alena and her sister were left on the parapet Alena’s Golden hair blew out behind her like a banner in the wind.

I rode for two days before we reached the capital. Britt said not two words to me the whole way, nor I to him as I was brooding on Alena. When we reached the capital and my father’s castle it seemed nothing was changed. The glittering lords and ladies still had balls and played at lunch parties and morning parties and washing parties and parties for seemingly no reason at all. I had not changed either. I hated all of them.

My father had not change in appearance, he was still feeble and too thin and his hair was still prematurely gray, however he had change his views about how I should deport myself. He had formerly been content to see me once a day for perhaps a quarter of an hour and had not bothered himself with what I did with the other twenty three and three fourths hours. Now I had tutors in war making, tutors in courtly manners, and lessons on economics, politics, and dancing. On top of that I was expected to spend two hours every day attending the courts in the city so as to see how justice was to be dispensed. I also had to attend balls almost every night and was expected to make myself agreeable to everyone there.

I was so much depressed by my thoughts of Alena that constantly being busy was a relief to me and I threw myself into my studies with more vigor that I had yet spared for anything, aside from my love for Alena. My father was pleased with this and called me into his room for about an hour every day for lessons of his own.  I learned from him how he managed his vassals, how he arranged the finances of the country, who he trusted and who he did not. I minded these longer visits less than the former shorter ones as he seemed to have realized that he could not expect me to treat him as a father and had begun to treat me as nothing more than an heir.

Purpleland: Chapter 7

Plans were quickly made for my return. Marcus, showing surprisingly that he might in fact have a sense of humor however deeply buried, housed Britt in a room adjoining mine. It seemed that there was no hope of delaying the departure. That gave me only one day to speak to Alena.  I found her in the field behind the main house. There was a rock there that we had often sat on together and talked for hours. Now she sat there alone. When she saw me she smiled.

“Come here Kail and sit with me.”

I came but did not sit. “You know I have to go back.”

She nodded.

 “And I will have to stay there, perhaps for years.”

“Of course I know.” Her voice was very soft.

“I want you to come with me.”

She looked up sharply.

“As my wife.”

“Oh Kail.” There were tears in her eyes and she put her arms around me. “I should have to leave mother and father and the mountain. I should have to be queen. I should never again be free. Kail, I’m seventeen. I have so much more I want to do.”

“But Alena I love you. I would die for you. Does any of that matter if we are in love?”

“You are in love.” Her voice was not cold only sorrowful. “I do love you but I do not know yet whether I should not be just as happy loving you as a brother.”

Her words struck something in deep me and I felt as though I had been punched. I pulled away from her.

“I love you Alena. I will always love you. I will come back for you when I can.”

She just looked at me with her sorrowful grey eyes and it cut deeply that she said nothing about waiting for me.

Many men have said they would always love the woman who is at the time the object of their affection but few maintain their passion. I will swear to anyone that what I said to Alena on that day was true. I love her still and my love has never waned. Soon death will come to seal the promise as fulfilled.

Purpleland: Chapter 6

Alena’s mother slowly gained back her strength and Marcus became used to his new duties so the three of us were often together. Marcus had not really been changed by his new title and it was like the old days when the three of us were always together but now there was no secret of my love for Alena. Even Alena’s parents knew about us. As often as the three of us were together Alena and I were alone. Her mother’s illness had made Alena more solemn and she laughed less often but when she did it was an even more beautiful sound than formerly. Nor did her solemnness dampen her shining beauty. It only served to add to all her other charms a gentleness which could not fail to enthrall me even more.

I knew that my father wasn’t well and that my happiness could not last. I knew that someday soon there would come a summons and I would be irrevocably saddled with a kingdom I had never wanted. But in those days I closed my eyes to anything I didn’t want to see. I didn’t want to think about what would become of my love for Alena when that occurred so I didn’t. I enjoyed her company and her laughter and closed my eyes firmly to the future.

The messenger came about a year after Lord Stephan’s death and he did not come to tell me that my father was dead and I was king but to bring a royal summons. My father had it seems regained some of his strength and now was made fully sensible to the fact that his young son would likely be king within the next few years and had no experience ruling. He now wished to impart his wisdom so that I would be prepared to take up the reigns of the kingdom. At least that was the impression conveyed to by the messenger, one of my father’s sworn body guards, dressed all in black and it seemed ready to spit me on his sword, crown prince or no, if I did not return with him. He glowered at me as if the fact that my father was dying was all due to something I had done.

His name was Britt and he made it clear that he cared very little whether I wanted to return or not. His lord had told him to bring me and he would take me back. We would leave the next day and not all the protestation in the world could sway him. In jest, I compared him to a boulder. He gave me a look that could have permanently frozen my tongue to my sword and informed me that the boulder would be rolling tomorrow and better be moving if I had any views as to not being crushed.

Purpleland: Chapter 5

The next few months were some of the best of my life. I spent almost all my time with Alena. Marcus was constantly busy and Shay spent all her time in the library so there was no one to disturb our time together. I wanted to tell her how I felt but at that time I seemed like I had all the time in the world and I was sure she knew anyway. We explored the mountain together and talked about almost everything.  She was so beautiful. I wondered that her father had not set up a marriage for her. She only laughed and told me that she was not likely to be promised until Shay was engaged. I asked her whether that was likely to happen soon but she had a strange reluctance to talk about her sister and I let it drop.

The days with Alena lasted four months before they were cut short. Alena’s mother fell ill and Alena spend all of her time by her side. I still spoke to Alena often but usually hushed conversations of five minutes outside the sick room. I would have been happy to sit with her by her mother’s side but it would have been improper for me, a man not part of the family, to be in a lady’s bedroom for any length of time. I strove to show every solicitude to Alena and her mother. I rode for the doctor whenever he was needed. I Brought Alena food and convinced her to eat. I did my best to distract her father form the worry that was eating his mind. Marcus also spared no expense for her care and went to express his sympathy to Alena almost as often as I.

It was during that time that I developed an odd friendship with Shay. It started when I went to the library one rainy day to find a book. There I found Shay. She had her head in her arms and was sobbing. I had never really liked Shay but seeing her so touched me and she was the sister of the girl I loved. I went to her and begged to know what was the matter.  She only sobbed harder and said something unintelligible about her mother. I told her to stop crying and that her mother was getting better. And she sobbed out that it was not just that, then she looked up and there were tears in her grey eyes.

“She loves Alena. Not me. Never me. And my father too, It’s always all about Alena with them. It’s not her fault of course, she can’t help being beautiful and adored by everyone but that doesn’t make it any better for me.”

I told her that I was sure her parents loved her just as much as they loved Alena but she shook her head.

“I went to her when she first fell ill and all she did while I was there was ask for Alena. Of course Alena would be the better nurse but I wish she could have been, for a half an hour, content with me.”

I had never thought about how Alena’s obvious beauty and favor with everyone would affect her older and much more subdued sister. But I saw that what she said was true. Her parents were always talking about Alena and her accomplishments and I rarely heard them even mention the name of their older daughter. I patted Shay’s arm rather awkwardly and told her she was very beautiful and that things were sure to get better. She smiled at me with tears in her eyes which were the same exact shade of gray as Alena’s but were still so different. Then thanked me and left. After that I would talk to Shay sometimes. She was extremely intelligent and I found that she could be pleasant company. Not that for a moment I thought of exchanging my love of the younger sister for the older. I was I love with Alena, desperately, madly, forever.