Page 7 of The Beginning
Carefully, I said, "My lady, you know why we're here.We are all following the orders we've been given by our King."The words felt heavy on my tongue, formal and distant.I hated to say this to her, given her obvious despair, even as much as I wanted to be rid of her.
I knew she didn't want to marry him.I think everyone at court knew how much the Lady didn't want to marry the man who was her intended.The whispers had been circulating for weeks since the betrothal was announced.But the order had been given.The king himself had made the match, sealed it with his royal decree and the weight of political necessity.I'd heard that the queen was in favor of it as well, seeing it as a strategic alliance that would strengthen the kingdom's position with neighboring territories.
Which meant Lady Annaliese would marry as she was told.
Besides, it wasn't just me—Gavin, my fellow guardsman, was with us as well.Why was I getting all the questions?I tried to keep the irritation from showing on my face.
"Eamonn, this is not a good match!I don't want it!Why are you listening to this order?You know this isn’t right!"Again, with the use of my first name, as though we were friends.Her voice rose with each word, desperation bleeding through the careful composure she'd been taught to maintain.The way she said my name suggested a closeness that puzzled me—an assumed familiarity that left me on edge.
The lady and I were not friends.Our paths had crossed in the castle corridors, certainly, but always with the proper distance maintained between a noble lady and a member of the King’s Guard.I'd always nodded respectfully when she passed, received her polite acknowledgment in return, and thought nothing more of it.
I turned to face her, taking in her appearance more fully than I had since we'd begun this walk.I could see the anguish on her face, etched in every line of worry around her eyes, in her trembling of her lips, in the way her hands clutched at her skirts as if they were the only thing keeping her anchored to this world.Her usually perfectly arranged hair had come loose from its careful styling, auburn strands escaping to frame her tear-stained cheeks.And I found that I felt empathy for her, a stirring of genuine compassion that surprised me with its intensity.Not enough to tempt me from my orders— my oath was sacred, my duty absolute.I took a deep breath, hoping I would say the right thing.Spoiled and indulged she might be, but I understood not wanting to do something against your will.The feeling of being trapped, of having one's choices stripped away—it was universal, affecting commoner and noble alike.
It would also be helpful if Gavin spoke up, shared some of the burden of this conversation.
I looked over at him, but his gaze was fixed on the floor in front of us.His usual easy confidence had vanished, replaced by something I couldn't quite identify.His lips were pressed to a thin line so tight they'd gone pale, a sign of an extreme emotion for him that puzzled me.This wasn’t a pleasant chore, to be sure.I'd need to talk with him later about supporting your fellow guardsman, about the importance of presenting a united front in situations like this.
"Lady Annaliese, I do understand your distress.The king and your father—they wouldn’t make a decision for you that was unwise."I had no idea if her father was a good man, but I knew the king was.King Jharak had always been fair in his dealings, just in his judgments, and genuinely concerned for the welfare of his subjects.If he had arranged this marriage, there had to be sound reasoning behind it, even if that reasoning wasn't apparent to those of us not in the king’s confidence.
"Please, my lady, we must continue to escort you as we have been instructed."My arm moved up toward hers hoping to guide her in the direction we were going with no further delays.A gentle nudge, nothing more forceful than what might be used to guide an elderly relative or a child.
Again, I wondered why Gavin wasn't helping here.His continued silence was becoming more concerning and annoying with each passing moment.But he remained mute, his arms hanging at his sides like dead weights, his eyes still fixed on some invisible point on the floor ahead of us.
My unease increased, settling in my stomach like a cold stone.I couldn't see anything amiss in our immediate surroundings—the corridor looked exactly as it always did, the afternoon light streaming through the windows in familiar patterns, the distant sounds of castle life carrying on as normal.But the feeling was deep and persistent.Years of training and experience had taught me to trust my instincts, to listen to that inner voice that warned of danger even when everything appeared calm on the surface.
Lady Annaliese began crying again, but at least her sobs were not the harsh, loud sobbing of moments before.Perhaps she'd realized that I—like she—must do as I am ordered—all the king's subjects must.I could tell from Gavin's face that he was also affected by her crying, though he showed it differently than I did.Where I felt compelled to offer what comfort I could within the bounds of duty, he seemed to withdraw further into himself.I shot another glance at him.His reaction—or lack thereof—continued to bother me more than the lady herself.
If this affected him so, I felt concern for his ability to follow through on any future assignments.A guard who couldn't maintain his proper composure during a simple escort duty would be useless in a real crisis.Annoyance rippled through me once more.We hadn't been in the King's Guard for very long.Only a year, barely long enough to prove ourselves worthy of the position we'd fought so hard to obtain.It wouldn't do for Gavin to be labeled surly, or less than enthusiastic.Such a reputation could end a career before it truly began, could see us both demoted back to regular castle guards or worse, dismissed entirely.
Other than our orders to escort her to her waiting carriage, it was of no concern of ours that a lady of this court was to be married.Our only care was to see her to where she was supposed to be, safely and without incident.
Her intended was a courtier, and he was much higher up in importance than either Gavin or I would ever be.Lord Marius held lands in the western provinces, commanded respect in the king's council, and had the ear of influential people throughout the kingdom.
We were respected members of the King's Guard, and while that was a coveted position, it didn't make one a member of the court.Lord Marius, the man who was so apparently hateful to the lady, was someone the king favored.Hence the hand of the Lady Annaliese in marriage—a political alliance of value and position, disguised as romance.
As always, when kings bid a thing be done, those subject to him get the duty of carrying out his bidding.Not that I minded terribly.Today was rather…challenging, but King Jharak was a good man and a good king.In my year of service, I'd seen him make decisions that put the welfare of his people above his own comfort, watched him wrestle with difficult choices and always choose the path that served the greater good.It was inevitable that his decisions were not beloved by all those involved.For every good, there was bad.For whatever reason, today found me with this responsibility.
My unease served to make me more aware, sharpening my senses and heightening my attention to details I might otherwise have missed.Given her tears now, and the fact that she needed an escort in the first place—I guessed that Lady Annaliese put up quite a fight in private.However, that was not my problem, nor my concern.
The gasping from just a moment ago from the Lady Annaliese turned into hiccupping sobs, the kind that come after prolonged weeping when the body begins to rebel against the intensity of emotion.I wanted to continue to be empathetic, but the noise was so painful to my ears that it made my temples throb.
My attention caught on something as we passed one of the hallways off this main corridor.There was a shift of the shadows, as though someone was moving who I couldn't quite see.The movement was subtle, barely perceptible, the kind of thing that might be dismissed as a trick of the light by someone less trained in observation.With the crying woman beside me, my friend and fellow guard strangely unresponsive, I was doubly alert to every detail of our surroundings.
A woman shrieked.The sound was sharp, sudden, cutting through the ambient noise of the castle like a blade.Then again, another scream—high-pitched and desperate.Putting pressure on the lady's elbow, I stopped our procession, holding up a hand for us all to halt.
Gavin, on the other side of her, looked at me with something approaching relief, as if he were grateful for any interruption to our current task."What was that, Eamonn?"he asked, reaching for his sword and stepping in front of Lady Annaliese.
Finally, he was back to being a guard, showing some sign of the training and professionalism I knew he possessed.I took a step, my hand still cupping the lady’s elbow."I don't know," I replied, my voice taking on the crisp tone of command decision."Stay with the Lady Annaliese; I'll be right back."I let her go and moved toward the noise, every sense alert for signs of trouble.
If I had been with anyone other than Gavin, if my partner were another of my fellow King's Guards, I wouldn't have left.I would have called for backup, or I would've sent the other guard to investigate while I maintained security of our primary objective.But Gavin and I had been friends since we were young, had grown up in the same village, trained together, supported each other through the rigorous selection process for the Guard.
I trusted him with my life, had seen him prove his loyalty and courage in smaller situations over the past year.Knowing that seeing the Lady Annaliese to her coach was our responsibility, I had no worries that he and I would succeed in our mission.Even if we thought it rather trivial, even if this simple task was taking on major concerns with each passing moment.
I hurried down the narrow hallway that turned off the main corridor, my footsteps echoing differently in the confined space.The sooner I addressed whatever this was, the sooner we would be able to finish our assignment.
Chapter Three
Marigold
