Page 5 of Their War

“It has. You still got that hidden cellar?”

“You know I do. 'Twas your idea after all, but it was too convenient to get rid of. Never know when you need to squirrel yourself away.” Gerard led the way for us into another room, moving a huge barrel of ale by himself to reveal a trap door.

Lennox and Baer looked at me with furrowed brows. I knew that I'd have a lot to explain, but thankfully, they were waiting until we were alone before demanding answers to the many questions I could see in their eyes.

Gerard lifted the door to reveal a wooden staircase down into a dirt room that was much larger than I had expected. I knew I’d suggested the idea, but it appeared that he had taken the idea and expanded on it.

Lighting a lantern, he pointed to the wooden shelves and cots that were present. “Got supplies and a place to sleep, although it wasn't meant to shelter five grown men, so ya might find yerself sleeping on the dirt. But it's safe. I'm the only one that knows about this place. Not even Ingrid, and she's been with me fer years.”

Nodding, I clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, Gerard. I promise we won't be here long. We just needed a place to regroup.”

“No worries. Yer welcome to stay as long as ya need. I'll leave ya to it now. I'll bring something down fer ya to eat when we're not too busy.”

“Thanks again, Gerard.”

“Anything for you, my boy. Just glad I could finally help.”

Callum set Brannoc down on a cot to rest while Baer gawked at the shelves full of supplies. Food, weapons, and clothing. Anything one might need for a quick get-away. I was nothing if not well prepared, and this had been one of my smarter ideas. It was also not the only place in Avalon that I’d put aside through my vast network of contacts.

“I'm sure you all have questions,” I started.

“You think?” Lennox snarked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. His conceited prince mask fell back into place, but not before I caught the look of betrayal on his face.

“Look. It's a long story,” I said.

“Seems we've got nothing but time now,” Lennox muttered, gesturing around the room with his arms held wide. Baer and Callum took a seat on the second cot, Callum's weight causing the frame to bow slightly with a groan.

I pushed my hands through my hair, trying to clear my mind, which was rushing with thoughts of what I should be doing instead of having story hour. I knew it was necessary to let them in on this part of my life, but a part of me was concerned about their reaction. While I suspected they’d be on my side, I couldn't be sure.

“Brannoc and I grew up together.”

Lennox interrupted me, snapping, “No shit. Tell us something we don't know. For instance, why exactly you're now considered a traitor?”

Holding out a hand to placate him, I said, “I'm getting to that. You need to know my history first.” Lennox dipped his head in acknowledgment and as an indication for me to continue. “We grew up in a small village on the outskirts of Summer Territory. My parents were farmers, barely growing enough to support our family after my father’s commission was up in the Army. He’d spent his retirement pension to purchase the plot of land to support our family and to pass down to me. Brannoc was also raised in the village, but his story is his own. All that matters is that we were close friends while growing up.

“Things were great until about forty years ago when we started to notice that the lands were dying. First, it was just a farm or two that were closer to the borders, then it was every farm in our village. It wasn't long until we were all starving. Our crops had failed and left us with little to nothing.

“The village elected my father to approach the Queen for assistance because of his previous ties. He was to plead for her help in restoring the land and making it through the coming months. I watched him mount up on our last horse, a sorry excuse for a thing, barely able to manage the plowing that we needed, but we had sold off everything else already just to keep us fed.”

“Why do I get the feeling that we're not going to like the next part of the story?” Lennox asked, a queasy look taking over his face.

I didn't need to say it. We all knew where I was going with this, but I felt the need to tell my full story. “Needless to say, he never returned. Apparently, the Queen didn't appreciate his brazenness, accusing him of slandering the Crown.”

“Fuck. Sorry, man,” Baer said on an exhale. It was easy to forget that when it came to the Queen’s sadistic tendencies, he’d had very little experience, squirreled away safe and sound in his parents’ retirement home. He’d led a plush existence until now, unlike the rest of us, who were jaded by the Queen’s actions.

I shrugged. “It is what it is. I've come to terms with it. We lost everything. The whole village had to migrate to a closer area. Along that journey, I stumbled across a couple of farmers who also felt the same as I did about the Queen's failures. What started out as simple grousing over a couple of ales in the tavern quickly turned into secret meetings. Those meetings grew until I found myself as the head of an underground rebellion.

“I quickly realized that I could no longer stand idly by. I needed to do something, and Brannoc and I, along with a couple of higher-ranking rebellion members, formed the plan that saw me joining the Royal Guard.

“It didn't take long for me to rise through the ranks. My father had once been a Commander and had ensured that I’d been raised with the knowledge I needed. His hope was that one day I would serve the Crown. He would have never guessed just how I planned on doing that.

“My loyalty always has been and will always be to Avalon and the rightful heir. I've begun to suspect from my time as a soldier that the Queen has been twisting the magic, upsetting the balance, and causing the land to die. I believe that she’s responsible for so much death, and I will ensure that she is held accountable for her crimes against Avalon.”

“You do realize that this idea is absurd?” Callum asked. Not bothering to wait for my response, he continued, “You’re not the first to think that you can do what others have failed at. My parents thought the same thing, and they were a lot more powerful than you are. They failed, and as a result, my entire court paid for their crimes.”

Unable to argue with him, I said, “I get what you're saying. I do. But what kind of man would I be if I did nothing? If I just sat by and let her do as she pleased at the expense of our world?”

“Are you saying I'm not a man?” he growled out in little more than a whisper.

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