Page 56 of Enamored
The camp was more crowded than I expected, with craftsmen feverishly at labor: the blacksmith repairing a pike, tapping the red-hot metal against his anvil, the swordsmith sharpening a blade, the sparks flying against his wheel, the armorers patching broken pieces of plate mail, grooms doctoring wounded horses.
The farther in to camp we rode, the harder it became to navigate through the injured and dying, having been pulled back from the battle, now clustered outside of tents. Several priests moved about, comforting and praying with the men, but moans permeated the air, and the scent of blood and death hung heavily.
The din of battle continued to escalate—the clashing of swords, the terrified neighing of horses, the cries of the wounded. At last, within sight of the fighting, Elinor halted, her eyes wide upon the destruction unfolding before us.
She swallowed hard before beginning to dismount. Halvard hopped off his horse and was at her side in an instant to assist her. Once she was standing, I caught the slight tremor of her hands before she clasped them together in front of her and assessed two wounded knights limping away from the battlefield, both leaning heavily upon their squires.
“Where is the king fighting?” she called.
One of the knights collapsed to his knees, blood running in rivulets down his face from what appeared to be a head wound. The other stared at Elinor blankly, as if he couldn’t remember where he was or what was happening.
“I have come with an urgent message for the king,” she persisted. “You must direct me to him.”
A priest paused in his ministrations and straightened to look at Elinor.
“Remember to use caution, Elinor,” I murmured. “We don’t know whom we can trust.”
The priest bowed his head and made his way toward us. Even as he did, one of the squires who was drawing closer with his master called out, “The king and his knights are fighting on the frontline.” He pointed to the northeast. “At least half a mile that way.”
Elinor followed the line of his direction. She broke free from Halvard and reached for her mount, clearly intending to ride there. Her servant was quick to move between her and the horse, blocking her access. “Your Highness, I pray you’ll let me take the message to the king in your stead.”
The gravity on Halvard’s face told me I had an ally in him, that he didn’t want Elinor riding into the heart of the fighting any more than I did.
“I’ll be the one to go,” I stated, hoping Halvard read the sternness in my gaze and could understand he needed to stay and restrain Elinor.
She pinned me with a glare that contained the bitterness from earlier. “How do I know you are not bent on going to the king and plunging your dagger into his heart as you make a pretense of warning him?”
“I vow to protect him, Elinor.” How could I make her trust me? What reason did she have after I’d been unfaithful thus far?
“I shall take the message.” She tried to sidestep Halvard, but he blocked her again.
“Please, Elinor.” I had to make her see reason. “You must stay alive to discover more about Lis.” I was manipulating her by reminding her of this newfound possibility, something she’d longed for her entire life. She wouldn’t risk losing a connection to her family, would she?
She hesitated for a moment, staring between Halvard and me, and then she nodded curtly. “Very well. You may take Halvard.”
And then who would be left to guard her? “Halvard must stay and look after you.”
“No—”
“I know I’m not worthy of your trust, but you must know by now I would have taken you back to Vordinberg if I’d remained loyal to Rasmus.”
“You have more cunning and intelligence than Rasmus and the other Sages combined.”
Did I really? At the whiz of an arrow that landed only a dozen paces away, I wrapped the reins more securely around my gloved hand. I needed to go now. I could delay no longer.
With a nudge of my boots into the horse’s flank, I started toward the battle, my mind making a mental path, one that was not only the quickest to the king but also the safest.
“Please, Halvard,” the princess pleaded behind me. “I must be the one to deliver the message.”
“No, Your Highness. We cannot stay here so close to the fighting.” The firmness to Halvard’s tone reassured me that he would take care of Elinor.
“Godspeed, Maxim!” she called.
I shifted in my saddle so I could take a final look at her, perhaps my last. She stood amidst the chaos like a lone flower in a fading field. As our gazes connected, my heart squeezed painfully with the truth I’d tried to deny for so many years. I loved her. Definitively. Deeply. Desperately.
While on the brink of sacrificing my life for my king and country, I wanted her to know my feelings went beyond simple wanting and yearning. It wouldn’t hurt to tell her now, would it? Even if I lived, I’d ride away from this battle and never see her again.
“I love you,” I called to her. “I always have, and I always will.”
