Behind The Wooden Door

Copyright © 2013 Emily Godwin
 

All rights reserved.
 

No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To
Nikki

T
hank you for being the Tristan to my Tommy.

Hawk will always be yours, no matter how many times his name changes.

CHAPTER 1

A whirlwind of cold air and autumn leaves rushed around me as I stared out at the castle grounds. My heart raced in my chest as hundreds of soldiers marched in unison toward my home. Black armor covered their torsos, and sheathed swords hung at their sides.

I wished it was possible to fly away with the wind as the orange and brown leaves had. I tried to fight the panic that surged through me as the strange men entered through the gates of my castle. Why were they here? Rattonim wasn’t at war. My father would have told me if we were.

The soldiers garbled conversations floated through the air, and it seemed they were happy to be here. How would they feel when my father told them that there had been some sort of mistake? There was no war here. Would they be so joyous then?

The soldiers below parted to allow room for the only man who wore no armor. He was taller than most of the men, and silence echoed behind him as he walked through the crowd. He had to be their leader.

His blonde hair was cut short and spiked; his eyes surveyed everything around him, as if he were expecting an attack. He ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes met mine. And at that moment, I wished nothing more than to fly away with the leaves.

Chills ran through my body. I was paralyzed. I felt as if I had an enchantment over me keeping me in a moment that would end too soon.

His voice was loud and demanding. “Go set up camp! Cormac, Hawk, we’re going in.”

The soldiers departed and the leader and his men entered my home. My mind spun as I ran from the balcony to the ballroom.

Music from the pipers’ horns floated through the air as I opened the back door to the beautiful marble room. I took my place beside my father and watched the men and women dance.

My eyes swept the throng of dancers as I searched for the soldier. He wasn’t amongst the crowd of people, though. He stood with his back against the door and his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze focused only on where I stood.

My father rose from his throne and silenced the pipers with a wave of his hand. The dancers froze in mid-dance. They stared at my father waiting for him to speak.

“Our guests of honor have arrived!” he said.

He motioned toward the three soldiers. Whispers hummed through the crowd. The women clung to their men as if these soldiers were the plague. The three men walked side by side through the mass of people and stopped merely feet away from my father and me. I stared at my father incredulously. They were supposed to be here. My father had invited a band of assassins to our kingdom, and he had not told me. 

“I do hope you have brought more men with you than this,” my father sneered.

“As if we’d need them,” one of the guys said.

“Shut up, Hawk,” the leader said.

Hawk was slightly shorter and not as broad as the two other men. His hair was dark blonde and cut closely to his scalp. His dark blue eyes glared up at my father and me. Hawk seemed to be the perfect name for him. I felt like a field mouse staring at its predator.

“I sent them to set up camp, Your Highness. I did not see the point in bringing hundreds of men into the castle.”

“What is your name?” my father asked the leader.

He stepped away from his men and closer to my father and me. His green eyes were like marbles staring up at us. He wasn’t like the men here. They all had dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin. The same mold over and over. But not him, he was special.

“Tristan. Tristan Aissur,” he said.

He gestured for his men to join him. Hawk stood on his right. His hostile expression seared through me. The man to Tristan’s left was taller and more broad, his hair a dark brown, but his eyes were the same color as his leader’s but somehow less haunted.

“King Thanos, allow me to introduce to you the two best soldiers in my army,” Tristan said.

He nodded to his left. “Cormac Fletcher. The strongest man I’ve ever met. One swing of his sword and he can decapitate three men.”

He gestured to the guy on his right. “This is Hawk. He may not look like much–”

Hawk opened his mouth to protest, but Tristan ignored him. “But he’s a great soldier, amazing in combat, and a
very
skilled knife thrower.”

I stepped forward, finding my voice for the first time. “Your name is
just
Hawk?”

All three soldiers stared at me. Heat filled my face under the intensity of their glares. I prayed the lighting was too dim for them to see the bright red color of my cheeks. The blue-eyed predator smirked, and the flames of the candles reflected in his eyes. If Hawk had not unsettled me before, he certainly had now.

“Yeah, just Hawk,” he replied.

I nodded slightly and retreated away from the soldiers. The crooked smile on Tristan’s face lit up at my retreat. He seemed to enjoy their intimidation over me.

My father placed his hands behind his back and approached Tristan.

“You’ve boasted about the other two men, and you’ve told me their strengths, but what are yours?” he asked.

Tristan’s smile slid away instantly, and he held himself straighter.

“In the past nine years, I have fought in twelve wars. I have perfected my fighting technique and have yet to find anyone who can defeat me in combat,” Tristan said.

He continued, “Of those twelve wars, I have led eight of them, and my army has always walked away victorious.”

My father sat down on his throne and stared out at the townspeople.

“You are all probably wondering by now why these young heroes are amongst us. I received a letter from my nephew, Artair, claiming that if I did not merge Rattonim with Norric, then he would conquer our kingdom and force a unity,” my father announced. “His father, my dear brother, is on his death bed. Artair is young and driven by greed, but he will not take what is rightfully ours!”

Thunderous applause rang throughout the ballroom. Scenes of carnage would be here in Rattonim, on our soil, and yet they cheered. Blood would turn the rushing waters of the river crimson. Injured soldiers would die in their very yards, but they thought not of that.

“Aissur!” my father called. “Summon the rest of your soldiers and join in the festivities.”

Tristan bowed once to my father and made his way back to his army. I kept my eyes on him until his silhouette blended into the night just outside the castle doors. Hawk and Cormac gave one another small fleeting smiles before they headed to the back of the room. No doubt to drink as much ale as they could stomach.

With a signal from the king, the pipers resumed their joyous song. One by one the dancers stepped into sync with the music and moved in unison as if made of the same body. The colors of their gowns shone brightly against the marble flooring.

“Join them, Lanie. Enjoy yourself for tonight, for this may be the last party we have for a very long time,” my father said.

How did my father expect me to smile and dance with the others? I didn’t know how he acted so composed as he sat on his throne. He didn’t seem the least bit frightened that one day soon he may not be the one who sat on it.

With a deep breath, I stepped into the throng of dancers. Many of them stopped dancing to bow or curtsey to me. I tried to smile, but I couldn’t, especially not as I watched Cormac and Hawk greet their comrades as they filled the room.

The red and gold of the women’s dresses twirled around me like dancing flames. The same flames Artair would use to burn down their homes and crops. They’d all suffocate in the smoke and watch as the ones they loved slowly died. I could smell the smoke filling the room as if it was already here. It filled my lungs, and I gasped for air and tried to get out of the fiery dance. My knees buckled and white marble flashed in front of my eyes.

Strong arms wrapped around my waist and knocked the air from my lungs. Everyone’s eyes focused on me and the man who held me. The fire and smoke had vanished.

“Are you alright, M’lady?”             

The man released his hold. Calm emeralds stared back at me when I opened my eyes, concern evident on Cormac Fletcher’s face.

“Yes, yes I’m fine,” I replied. “Thank you.”

I kept my head down to avoid everyone’s stares as I exited the ballroom. I pressed my back against the cool stone wall of the corridor. The night was surely not how I had expected it to go.

I used what strength I had left to push myself from the floor. October air floated through the windows and sent chills down my body. Death’s grip lingered around my kingdom; I could feel it in the wind. This war would not end soon. It would be long and dreadful and both sides would have great losses.

In my seventeen years I had not had to witness a war. For seventeen years we’d had nothing but peace. All of that was ending, and I wasn’t ready for it.

CHAPTER 2

A thunderous bang echoed throughout my room, and the door flew open. A silhouette stood in the doorway. I laid still in my bed and held my breath. If I stayed still long enough, maybe whoever it was would leave. My first thought was that it was one of the soldiers coming to rob me of whatever jewels he could find in my room.

“Still in bed at this hour?” my father asked.

I groaned internally and sat up to get a better look at him.

He moved into the dim light, and a leaner figure followed. It was the army leader, Tristan. My heart skipped more than a few beats, and I laid down again instantly to hide my early morning appearance from him. I brushed my fingers through my hair and hoped it was lying flat.

“Get up, Lanie,” my father commanded. “
You are to draw Aissur a map of the kingdom. He’ll need to know the layout for the upcoming battle.”

“Why me? Why not just ask Ramon to do it?” I asked.

“Because Ramon does blueprints of architectures, not forests. You are the only person in this kingdom who knows the land well enough to make an accurate map,” my father replied. “Take Aissur to the war chamber and get started. The sooner this war is over, the better.” 

My father left the room without giving me any time to argue. He left me alone with an assassin without a single care that he had left me vulnerable for attack. Tristan stood impatiently by my bed and cleared his throat.

“Where is this ‘war chamber’?” he asked.

With a sigh, I threw my legs over the side of my bed and got up. I glanced quickly at the mirror and shuddered. I still wore my dress from the night before, and my hair stuck out at different angles. So much for a good impression.

“It’s just a short way down the corridor,” I replied.

Sunlight flooded through the arched windows. I flattened the wrinkles of my dress as I led the way down the corridor. Tristan’s boots thudded hard against the stone floor. I glanced over my shoulder repeatedly and tried to keep my distance from him. Even though he was here to fight for my kingdom, the hollowness of his voice gave me an uneasy feeling.

“Lanie.” His voice sounded questioning as he spoke my name.

I stopped and faced him. “Yes?”

He cocked his head sideways and stared at me. It seemed he was trying to learn everything about me in one look, and for a moment, I believed he could read the thoughts in my mind.