Second Chance (5 page)

Ava thought her voice sounded pretty commanding as well and she squared her shoulders to lend extra authority to her statement.  She waited for him to say something but he did nothing but stare at her.

“Don’t you think you have wrought enough pain in my life?  If you had any decency whatsoever, if you want to try to make amends for the hurt and betrayal you have heaped upon me, you can just go and leave me alone.” 

Ava noticed her voice now sounded whiny and pathetic.  She could tell her anger was giving way to hurt feelings again. 
Please don’t start crying Ava.  Be strong girl. 

Looking at Carrick, wondering what his next move would be, she was absolutely stunned when he said, “I don’t have time for your princess dramatics, Ava.  You need to grow up and act like a woman, not a petulant child.”

Ava inhaled sharply with surprise then sputtered, “Who the hell do you think you are talking to—.”

“Oh give it up, Ava,” Carrick interrupted her.  “You know as well as I do that you are acting like a spoiled brat.  So I sent you away against your wishes.  Boo hoo.  Poor little Ava has been so abused and mistreated.”

Ava felt like she was in the Twilight Zone.  How dare he say these things to her when he should be groveling at her feet for forgiveness?  She was the victim here and yet he was acting like he was the one that should be affronted.  Ava saw red and didn’t have any control over her next actions. 

Screeching like a feral cat in heat, Ava picked up a book on the dresser she was standing next to and hurled it at Carrick’s head.  He easily ducked the missile which made her all the more angry.  She picked up a bottle of perfume, wound up and let it fly at him.  Without waiting to see if she hit her target, she picked up her next projectile—an alarm clock—and made ready to take aim.  But as she looked up with the clock in her hand, Carrick was standing in front of her grabbing both of her wrists.  He squeezed just hard enough that she dropped the clock. 

Ava started kicking and trying to wrench her arms loose.  She brought up her knee between his legs, but he turned away at just the right moment and her knee glanced off his thigh.  Still gripping her wrists, Carrick walked Ava back toward her bed.  Just as her knees hit the side of it, he gave her a slight push, releasing her arms. 

Gravity pulled Ava down and she sat hard on the bed, bouncing back up slightly, and then coming to a rest in a seated position.  She started to get back up but Carrick held up a hand and said with cold menace in his voice, “Don’t even think about it!”

Ava stayed seated on the bed, her breathing hard and ragged.  She was so mad her ears were ringing but the tone of Carrick’s voice also caused a little course of fear to run through her.

“I’m going to only say this once,” Carrick began.  His voice was icy and brittle.  “Yes, you are acting like a spoiled brat.  You can choose to believe me, or not, but I am sorrier than you will ever know for what I did to you. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time.  But that is over and done with Ava.  I need you to let that go, and I need you to remember who you are.  You are Ava Clairmont, of the House of Clairmont and sovereign ruler of Kestevayne.  You have people who belong to you, who are dying, and suffering, and will continue to do so without your help.  Most of all, if you fail to return with me, you will dishonor the memory of your parents.  Their murder will have been in vain and that will be on your head.”  He fairly snarled those last words at her but then the heat died from his eyes.  He looked worn to the bone.

“Now, I’m going to give you one half hour to consider my words, pack up what you want, and be ready to go.”

Without another word, Carrick turned on his heel and walked out of her bedroom, softly shutting the door behind him.

Carrick stood outside the paddock while Kieran worked getting the horses ready.  Yeah, he’d been rough on Ava but it was probably the only thing that was going to snap her out of her sulk.  There was too much at stake in Vyronas for Ava to stay behind so it just wasn’t an option. 

Carrick heard the door to her house open, and then close.  He turned around and saw Ava coming down her front porch steps.   She had changed into jeans and an olive green, long sleeved t-shirt.  Her long hair was pulled up into a pony tail, and it swished back and forth as she walked toward him.  She wore her cowboy boots and carried a backpack, which he guessed contained some more clothing.  Bing was trotting by her side. 

Looking at her face, he tried to judge her mood.  Clearly, she had decided to come with them, but if the disdain in her eyes was any indication, she wasn’t happy about it.

“Where’s Kieran,” Ava asked.

“He’s in the barn getting the horses ready.  I figured you would want to bring them along.”

“As usual, you figured wrong.  I only need King.  I’ve made arrangements for the other two to be cared for until I return.”

 Carrick gritted his teeth and let that last remark slide.  He knew, for Ava, there was no coming back.  If they were able to reclaim her throne, she would need to sit upon it to rule.  There could be no substitute for the magical line of Clairmont to continue.  She would hopefully realize that once she returned to Vyronas and got re-acclimated.  Carrick turned away and walked into the barn to tell Kieran to ready just King for the trip.

***

Ava watched Carrick walk away.  Her stomach was rolling with emotion.  Yes, she was angry at him.  Pissed as hell.  But he had shamed her too.  He was not wrong to point out that she was selfish not to immediately want to return to her homeland and help her people.  Her parents would have been so disappointed in her had they seen the way she had behaved. 

Carrick had given her a half an hour to decide what she wanted to do.  She only needed three seconds after he walked out of her bedroom to know she was returning to Vyronas.  She was not about to let her parents down or their death be in vain.

She spent the remaining time setting up for someone to care for the ranch.  She contacted her former ranch manager and asked him to run the place in her absence.  She told him it would be for an undefined period of time. She then set up online payments from her bank to secure his salary indefinitely until she returned. She also gave him access to a fund so he could pay the ranch bills.  He was only too happy to accept. 

The rest of the time she spent changing her clothes and putting some other provisions in her backpack.  She knew she wouldn’t need much.  Her magic was strong in Vyronas and she would be able to provide well for herself.  Instead, she took advantage of bringing clothing that would be practical to wear.  She assumed she would be camping out and possibly involved in battles.  No, she wouldn’t be wearing any royal gowns until she was seated back in her palace. 

Ava didn’t look backward as she walked out of her house.  She wasn’t sure if that was because she felt she would be back, or if she was realizing that this ruse was never her home.  Now as Ava waited for Carrick and Kieran to come out of the barn, she let her mind drift over her situation. 

The Carrick that stood in her bedroom shaming her was not the Carrick she had loved back in Vyronas.  This Carrick was a bit scary…cold… almost cruel. She wondered if that was an act to motivate her or had he really changed that much in the past four years.  Not that it really mattered to her anymore, but a memory came unbidden to her.  She had seen him act with that frigid menace once before.

Ava was just eight years old but already being an heir to the sovereign throne of Kestevayne put quite a burden on her young shoulders.  Oh, it’s not that her ultimate duties of ruling and protecting her people were bothering her at this tender age.  It was the burden of being unpopular with the other children.

Although Ava was a sweet and generous child, none of the other kids wanted anything to do with her. Oh, she sometimes had her cousin, Quentin who she could count on.  But he was away traveling with his parents and she was lonely.

 Ava was old enough to know that the other kids were jealous of the privilege that being a Royal brought to her.  But she didn’t know how she could change her circumstances.  Her family was wealthy, their magic was the strongest, and they lived in a palace.  Ava often thought she would give that all up if she could just have one true friend. Since that wasn’t really an option, the most she could do was be extra nice to the other kids and hope that one day they would accept her.

On a beautiful spring day, Ava followed a group of kids, of varying ages, as they went to play in the meadow that lay just to the east of the palace, yet still inside the city walls.  The kids were from all diverse backgrounds, poor and rich alike.  They all got along well which confused Ava as to why they would not accept her into their group. 

Some of the kids came from the working class families such as farmers, butchers, potion makers and the like.  Some of the kids came from the Maiorn caste, which ranked above the working class, but was not of royal lineage.   These were families who owned land and oversaw the running of towns and cities that sat upon their land outside Kestevayne.  The Maiorn swore allegiance to Kestevayne and although most Maiorns had some type of military force of their own, they were also under the protection of the Kestevayne Army.   

The rest of the kids were from the Warrior caste of Kestevayne.  While not part of the Royal family, they were about as close to royalty as one could get.  The Warrior caste descended from a long line of strong Magi.  Their only duties were to protect Kestevayne, its citizens and the royal family.  It was a great honor to be part of the Warrior caste.

So, there was a hodge podge of kids in the mix, and they all seemed to get along relatively well.  The children, about twenty in all, gathered together and discussed what they would do for the day.  Some wanted to go fishing, while others wanted to play a group sport game.  Ava stood on the fringes, watching the discussion but not participating.  When it was finally decided that they would go fishing, Ava decided this could be her chance to get included.

“We could go fishing on Parness Creek just off the Ainse River.”

All the kids turned to look at Ava, and by the looks on their faces, she was beginning to think that maybe she had sprouted antlers or something.

“Sure,” said one girl who looked to be a few years older than Ava.  She thought her name may have been Ralina.  “We can just go fishing on Royal land. I bet everyone in Kestevayne is invited and we can all wear our jewels while we fish.”  The other kids snickered and Ava realized she was being made fun of. 

“No, really,” Ava continued hopefully. “My father would be more than glad to let us all go fishing there.  It has some of the biggest and best fish in the area.”

One of the older boys pushed through the others and came to stand in front of Ava. She knew his name was Barney and his dad had a large farm a few miles from the palace.  She would often ride her horse that way and Barney’s dad always had a friendly wave for her.  Barney was not so friendly.  There had been times where he had tripped Ava as she walked by or pinched her if they were standing close to each other in a crowd. 

Looking down at her, Barney sneered, “We don’t need your generosity, little Princess.  Why don’t you just get out of here?”

Ralina walked up to stand beside Barney.  “Don’t you get it? We don’t want your snotty little ass around us.”

“But, I just wanted to play with you and be a part of your group.”  Ava could feel tears welling up in her eyes but she hastily blinked them back.

“That’s right, Ralina,” Barney said in agreement.  “We don’t want her snotty ass around us.”

Barney pushed Ava in the chest, sending her sprawling backward and landing hard on her butt.  The fall didn’t hurt, but boy was her pride taking a beating today. 

Before she could even think of anything to say, or pick herself up off the ground, another boy, this one larger than the rest, came forward and with no warning punched Barney in the face.  The hit had so much force that Barney’s feet flew out from under him and he landed flat on his back. 

Ava looked up at her protector but his back was to her.  He was tall and had long blond hair.  Then he turned to glance at her and she recognized him.  Holy Cow!  It was Carrick Dunne, from the Warrior caste.  His father, Graeme Dunne, was the Commandant of the Kestevayne Army, the highest rank of the Warrior caste. 

Ava was in awe and couldn’t believe she had not seen him in the group before.  Maybe he had just arrived.  As part of the Warrior caste, Carrick lived inside the palace with his parents so Ava had seen him quite often.  But she had never spoken a word to him as she always felt shy and awkward in his presence.

“What the hell did you do that for Carrick?” Barney asked, although his words were slurred due to the split lip he was sporting.

“I did that, you moron, because you don’t hit a girl, and if I ever see you touch her again, I’ll do worse.” 

There was such fury in Carrick’s voice that Ava actually winced. His face was full of rage and all the other kids took a few steps backward.  Ava found it odd that he was defending her for being a girl, and not as a Princess.  She liked that he saw her as just an ordinary kid.

With that, Carrick turned his back on the other kids and walked over to Ava.  Still sitting on the ground, Ava looked up at Carrick, fearful as to what he would do next.  He gave her a small smile and held out his hand to her.  She reached out and grabbed it and he helped her to her feet. 

“Are you hurt?”  

He still had a bit of anger laced into that question.  Ava couldn’t seem to find her voice, so instead shook her head no.  He smiled at her again, more warmly this time and Ava felt all of her fear slip away.

“Now, if you will excuse us,” Carrick said toward the group, “I am going to accept Ava’s invitation and we are going fishing on Parness Creek.” 

Still holding her hand, Carrick led Ava back toward the palace.  Ava heard Ralina call out, “I’d like to go too.”

“Sorry,” Carrick yelled back. “You’re not invited.”

And in that moment, Ava fell in love with Carrick.

Ava mused over that first time she had met Carrick and mentally shook her head in embarrassment that it didn’t take five minutes for her to fall head over heels for him. Granted, what did an eight-year-old know about love, but from that minute forward, Ava had worshipped the ground Carrick walked on. 

She remembered how they went fishing that day on Parness Creek, a lot of which was just spent in companionable silence.  She did learn that day that Carrick was thirteen-years-old and was hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps.  Ava had heard her father talk about Carrick’s father a lot and knew that he counted him as a trusted advisor.

Never once did Carrick treat her different because she was a Princess, and from that day forward, it was amazing how many of the other kids now wanted to be her friend.  The petty part of her wanted to ignore them all and just be friends with Carrick, but she knew that was wrong on several levels. But mainly because Carrick was older than her and his interests were different, they didn’t spend a lot of time together.  He was learning more about his magical abilities and would be entering training for duty with the army in a few years.  Still, they remained close friends for the rest of her childhood and when time permitted they would go fishing or hunting, or would just ride their horses through the countryside talking.  She always considered him to be her Protector in Chief.

Yes, Ava ruminated.  She had seen that cold, fury from Carrick all those years ago when he was protecting a little eight-year-old girl.  It was the same wrath he exhibited toward her just a bit ago in her bedroom. 
Ironic
.

Ava’s trip down memory lane was cut short as Carrick and Kieran came out of the barn, leading King. She marveled at how much the brothers looked alike.  Kieran was two years younger than Carrick but they looked almost like twins.  Even though they had very similar features and builds, Kieran, even now, was carrying himself with an easy grace and had a light smile on his face.  Carrick walked as he if carried the burden of the entire world upon those massive shoulders of his, and his mouth was set in a grim line. 

Carrick and Kieran joined Ava, King trailing shortly behind on his lead.  “Do you have everything you need?”

“I’m ready.”  Ava grabbed hold of Bing’s collar, not quite sure what to expect.  Her last experience with inter-dimensional travel was a long time ago but she remembered the tugging feeling on her body  She held Bing’s collar tight as she wanted to make sure they didn’t get separated and have him end up in a weird dimension ruled by cats.

Standing with his eyes closed, Carrick began chanting in a low voice, words that she could not hear.  She felt the wind kick up, and pulled Bing a little tighter to her.  King reared up slightly, surely feeling a little spooked, but she could hear Kieran talking to him in a soft voice to help calm his nerves.  Then Ava felt the tugging on her body.  She looked over her shoulder at her house, and suddenly had a moment of great sadness that she was leaving.  She hoped she would return one day.  Then she watched as her house started to fade while the tugging on her body became more insistent. 
Goodbye, Wyoming.  I will miss you.

As Ava watched her house and the majestic Tetons behind it fade, she noticed other things coming into focus.  She first saw trees, then noticed a small creek running to her right.  The babbling water sounded cheerful. 

As things became clearer, Ava gave a little gasp.  She was back in Vyronas and the brilliance of color that surrounded her made her go weak in the knees.  Just five minutes ago she had thought Wyoming was the most beautiful place in the world, but how could she not have remembered the stunning brilliance that was Vyronas?