Knight's End (The Knight Trilogy) (6 page)

The knight
had spent plenty of time outdoors. He’d spent weeks out on missions before, but this felt different. Maybe because he was running. It was his soul that was dirty, not his skin. Aston quickly washed his face and hands, wanting to get back to his friends as soon as he could. He’d had enough with the depressing thoughts for the night.

In the kitchen, Alys was putting the finishing touches on a homegrown salad. Delgrab was already at the table, chugging a huge goblet of water.
Aston took a long look at his friend, noticing the subtle changes in the man. His dark beard was starting to turn grey and had grown well past the man’s chin. Brown eyes were starting to wrinkle around the edges from hard times, but his mouth was forever curled up in a smile. His pants were snugger than they had been before, and Aston t
hought that without the suspenders
, his friend’s pants would snap right off. His white shirt was covered in dirt and drenched in sweat, and his boots were covered in mud. Alys was eyeing them, but Delgrab paid her no mind.

The man spent his days outside, chopping trees and building wooden furniture. When he came in for the night
,
he did everything he could
to make sure his wife was happy while playfully teasing her. If ever
Aston needed a place to stay, he was always willing to help. Delgrab was the most selfless person
the knight
had met in his life, nothing like the monarchs he was used to.

Aston
took his spot at the table as Alys brought the last of the food out
,
and the three settled into a comfortable routine.

“So, how’s
life at the palace
, Aston?” Alys asked. She was always too insightful for her own good. She was only asking because she knew something was wrong.

“It’s great, Alys
. Just taking a little break,” he
lied. He didn’t have the heart to worry the woman.

“Alys has been trying to perfect her apple pie recipe lately,” Delgrab interjected
, and Aston was grateful for the change of subject.
Alys sent him a pointed glare, but Delgrab glared right back

“Perfect it? I didn’t know anything w
as wrong with it,
” Aston answered, turning his attention from his plate to Alys. She smiled and blushed, looking down.
He tried to ignore the tension his unannounced arrival had caused.

“Oh, stop it, boys. You just know I’ve got one in the oven now and you want some,” she said. Aston and Delgrab both laughed as Alys stood and took her pie from the oven, setting it on a raised wooden rack to cool before retaking her spot at the table. The rest of the conversation was light, and Aston was grateful his reason for visiting didn’t come up again.

When dinner and dessert were done and the dishes were put away, Alys excused herself for a bath. Delgrab motioned for Aston to sit on the couch in the living area, which he did so reluctantly. He knew what was coming. As Delgrab sat beside him, Aston looked everywhere but at his friend. Instead,
he focused on his surroundings, letting his eyes wander around the familiar cabin.

Not much had changed since the last time he’d been there. The curtains over the windows were the same dark hunter green ones that Alys had made years ago. The sofa
was
made of thick logs that Delgrab had strung together and carved out, making a seat t
hat curved inwards. Alys had sewn
two green cushions to fit
perfectly into the curve, making a soft surface to rest on. The small end tables beside the piece matched. Most of the floor was hidden underneath various animal skin rugs, prizes of Delgrab’s hunts, and a couple of deer “trophies” adorned the space over the hearth.

As his gaze neared the end of the room Aston finally made his eyes meet Delgrab’s. His friend was looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to tell his story. Aston realized Delgrab
wouldn’t leave him alone until he knew exactly why, after three
years of planned meetings, the knight
would suddenly turn up unannounced.

“I’m in trouble, Del,” he began. Delgrab’s eyes widened a bit, but otherwise he didn’t react. Taking that as a sign to continue, Aston moved on. “I was sent on a mission with Prince Talbot. You know who the Rogue Royal is?” At this
,
Delgrab nodded. “King Donn received word from King Aric that the Rogue wa
s going to kill Duke Aeron.
Donn sent Talbot and I to stop him, but Talbot messed up. We were supposed to wait outside and catch him as he was leaving, but everything was so still that Talbot and I went inside. Everything was fine until a woman screamed and Talbot ran off. The Rogue
managed to kill his target and escaped. Talbot blamed everything on me and now…” Aston stopped, not sure how much he wanted to give away.

“Now you’re on the run because you basically abandoned all of your duties to come here,” Delgrab finished for him. Aston shook his head.

“I didn’t mean to come here. I shouldn’t have come here at all. I’m putting you and Alys at risk. I apologize for that. I didn’t know where else to go. Do you know what the punishment is for killing a monarch, for killing anyone you aren’t told to kill? Death, Delgrab. They were going to kill me, even though I didn’t kill the Duke with my own hands. According to Talbot’s story, he would
still be alive if I hadn’t risked everything to save a woman. I didn’t want to die. I don’t...” Aston stopped talking as his voice cracked.

He
hadn’t realized it before now, but he was scared. His situation was finally sinking in. He could never be a knight again. If
he
ever went back to Fridel, he would be kill
ed. He could never go home
, see his father, his baby sister. He would be an outc
ast wherever he went. Aston
felt his throat constrict as his heart started to beat furiously within him. He was having a hard time cat
ching a breath, and his mind raced
as he realized all that he had lost.

A hand on h
is shoulder made him turn to
his friend.

“Calm down, Aston. You came to the right place. Don’t worry about Alys or me. We can take care of ourselves. What we need to be worried about is how we are going to keep
you
safe.” Aston nodded, appreciating his friend’s words, but he knew he couldn’t stay. He would never forgive himself if something happened to either of them.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. Can we talk about this in the morning? I haven’t gotten much sleep the past couple of days.” Delgrab nodded, and Aston stood. When Delgrab stood as well, Aston pulled the man into another hug. He didn’t know when he would see his friend again.

“Well, goodnight,” he said, releasing Delgrab and heading to the room Alys had pointed out to him.

“Aston.” He stopped and turned back to Delgrab. “Stay tonight, okay? We can talk in the morning.”

Aston faked a smile and nodded. Delgrab knew him too well. He knew Aston intended to leave as soon as he and Alys were sleeping. Aston’s fake reassurance wouldn’t make the man rest any easier, but at least he tried.

Aston lay down and slept, his internal clock waking him four hours later. He rolled over sleepily and debated whether he should really stay until the morning, get a good night’s rest, and leave early. He knew he couldn’t. As soon as they searched his father’s house, Delgrab’s cabin would be next. King Donn required his soldiers to map every place they frequented, in case a mission ever came up while they were gone. King Donn liked to know where his knights were at all times.

Aston had to be gone when they came here.

With a curse, he rolled off the bed, immediately missing its warmth and softness, and forced himself to tug on his boots and head outside. The early morning air was cool on his skin and Aston breathed deeply, loving the pine smell. He would miss this place. It had been his second home for the longest time, and now he feared he would never be able to return.

Sterling wasn’t pleased being woken in the middle of the night, but the animal cooperated with Aston, and for that he was grateful. He quickly put the horse’s bridle back on
before saddling him.
He swung his satchel over the saddle and then climbed up himself, riding Sterling out of the stable and into the night. He took one last look at the cabin before looking ahead of him and promising never to look back again.

“When small men begin to cast big shadows,
it means that the sun is about to set.”
- Lyn Yutang –

Early the next morning,
Aston took a long drink from the stream he’d stopped at and looked up at the sky. The sun was burning hot as
fall slowly became winter
, the scorching rays singeing his neck as
it tried to survive the season’s change.
He splashed so
me water on his neck to cool its burning
before climbing back onto Sterling and taking off again.

He wasn’t sure where he was going. He knew he had to find a safe place to hide
,
for a month, at least. He’d planned on staying with Delgrab, but had immediately decided that would bring too much danger to his friend. Instead, he found himself riding through the forest, hoping to come across another cabin. He needed to find someone who rarely visited town, someone like Delgrab, but without the emotional connections.
Someone who wouldn’t recognize him and immediately run to turn him in, or know who he was at all. As long as it was a place King Donn’s soldiers would never look, it would suit him just fine.

Aston stopped Sterling as the bushes next to him rustled. He drew his dagger from his belt and carefully lowered himself from
the
horse’s
back. He c
rouched next to the
horse, waiting to see what was causing the ruckus. A small rabbit, solid white with red eyes, emerged from the shrubbery, twitching its nose in Aston’s direction. Aston made sure to hold completely still so the animal wouldn’t see him as a threat. When the rabbit inched a little
closer, Aston pounced, skillfully skewering the small creature on his dagger. The rabbit barely had time to squeal before the life left his eyes.

The knight
looked away, saying a small prayer for the creature before picking him up by the feet and tying him to Sterling’s saddle. He’d always disliked this part of the job. Aston usually let the other knights travelling with him do the hunting. He didn’t like taking lives, of humans
or
animals. Why he’d gone into a profession that required him to do both, he wasn’t sure. He liked saving people, but the job almost always came with the opposite end as well.

“Come on, boy,” he said to Sterling, climbing back on. “Let’s find somewhere to rest for a bit and cook.” Urging his horse on, he continued through the trees.
He found a quiet clearing and used
twigs and flint to create a fire before setting to work skinning his catch. Once the rabbit was cooking, he laid back, pulling a blanket from his satchel and leaning against a tree to rest.

Aston was exhausted. Two days of running and already he wished he could be back at the palace, getting ready for a mission or teaching Richard how to read. The boy would be heartbroken when he heard Aston’s story. He’d be forever scarred knowing his mentor had been accused of allowing Duke Aeron to die, of being sentenced to hang and instead running in fear. The brave Aston Smith, reduc
ed to a rodent, living off the forest
and hiding in the shadows.

He stood and began to pace, his mind wandering. He wished there was a way for him to get word to Richie, to let the boy know what had
really
happened. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have eyes inside the palace, either, watching Talbot and King Donn to see what happened next. Aston stopped pacing and went back to his rabbit, turning it once before resuming his pace. If
Richie knew what had really happened, he would be more than happy to help. The knight was sure of that. All he needed was a way to meet the boy and give him a message.

As Aston ate his meal minutes later, he tho
ught of the perfect plan. Every few days,
Richie went with Madam Louise to the market to fetch cleaning supplies and sometimes extra ingredients for the cooks. If Aston could get Richie alone on their next run, he could tell the boy what had happened. Satisfied, Aston finished his rabbit and packed up again, turning Sterling
around and heading back toward
Fridel.
He
needed to find the perfect rendezvous point.

At nightfall he found a quiet niche right outside the city’s borders and made camp, foregoing a fire in favor of an extra blanket. If someone saw the smoke and came to investigate, his mission would be a failure. Aston knew what he had to do. Even though The Rogue Royal was the reason he was running in the first place, he knew the man would be the one to clear his name. If the Rogue had seen him at all, he could clarify that Aston had been the one chasing him, not Talbot. Even if The Rogue didn’t come clean, at least Aston would know he’d finally caught the man responsible for ending his life as a knight.