Princess Elowyn's Arc

Chapter 5 of 7

Two days passed. Each morning Elowyn sat with Everest in the gardens while the puppy chased its tail across the grass. She had said nothing of what she wanted. Now his horses waited in the courtyard, saddled and loaded. He was leaving, and she had run out of days to decide. She stood in her room and looked at the books he had sent. Then she looked at the little dog asleep on her bed. She had spent a month dreading her father's choice. She would not spend her life dreading it too. She lifted the puppy into her arms and ran. Her slippers made no sound on the stone. She reached the throne room doors and heard voices inside. She stopped, hand pressed to the wood, and listened. Her father spoke first. King Edmund's voice was heavy and slow. "The chest of gold you brought," he said. "Let me have my servants load it for you." "No," Everest said. "Keep the gold if it helps your people. But it was never a payment for her. I know that now. She cannot be bought, and I will not pretend she can." Elowyn's chest tightened. He had come with silver and gold, and now he gave it away and asked for nothing. That told her everything. A greedy man clutched his wealth. Everest handed it over and wanted only her. She pushed the doors open. Both men turned. Her father stood near his throne, silver crown catching the light, fur cape heavy on his shoulders. Everest waited below him, black cloak already fastened for the road. "I am going with him," Elowyn said. King Edmund's brow lowered. "You will not. I choose your husband at the month’s end. That was my promise." "Then choose him." She crossed the floor and stopped beside Everest. The puppy squirmed against her chest. "You gave your word to pick a good man. You just heard him refuse his own fortune. What more proof do you want?" Her father looked at Everest for a long moment. "Moonspire is two weeks of hard riding. If I let you go, I may not see you again for years." "You would see her happy," Everest said stepping forward. "I can promise that above all else." The king was silent. Elowyn held her breath. She had never once asked her father for anything and meant it this much. "Go," King Edmund said at last. His voice cracked on the word. "Go. But you leave with my blessing, not against it." Elowyn's eyes stung. She had won the thing she wanted and could not speak. Everest took her free hand. "Then we ride today," he said quietly. "To Moonspire. Together." She nodded and let him lead her toward the doors. Outside, the horses stamped and the road stretched long. She was leaving her home, her mother, everything she knew. She was riding two weeks into a kingdom she had never seen, with a man she had known for less than a month.