Dark One Rising (44 page)

“What if I don’t want this burden? What if I refuse to take on this task?”

“You cannot escape your destiny. You cannot deny the world your power, now that you know you possess it. I feel you have always known you were meant for greater things, that you were special.”

“You mean odd. So what, I have no choice? I’m just supposed to give in to what you want, without a second thought about it?”

“You have the soul in which to make the right decision. I have faith you will choose the right path.”

“I’m supposed to choose to be the savior of the kingdom even if it means my death?”

He stared at her, his kind eyes never wavering from her face. “If it is right, the sacrifice will be worth it.”

She stared back at him, her arms now resting in her lap. She was not scowling, but rather pensive, as if she was going through scenarios in her mind. She looked to Dain now. “Do you expect me to make a decision, here? Now?”

“No. I’m sure while we’re planning our part in this, you’ll have time to soul search and choose.”

“So my decision is to die for the world or take the chance at a life with evil.”

No one answered, there was no need. She stood up from her place at the table, all the men standing too. “I will be in the garden if you require anything else from me.”

With a swirl of her skirt, she left the room, leaving the four men wanting of words.

***

She was sitting on the garden bench dipping her now bare feet into the fish pond, swirling the water around with her big toe. Her shoes were put aside, forgotten by the garden gate, her skirts pulled up to her knees. Dain approached her, pulling a dry leaf from an autumn colored tree as he passed. He stood next to her quietly, crunching the leaf absentmindedly. He leaned up against the arched marble garden entry, looking down at her with rapt attention. She felt his gaze and looked toward him, then turned away, focusing her attention once again to the ripples on the pond.

“Please tell me what you’re thinking,” he finally said, breaking the silence that had engulfed them both.

“What am I thinking? I think you’re all insane. I’m odd that’s all. I’m no savior, no hero.”

“You could be. Just because something seems unbelievable doesn’t mean that it isn’t true.”

“Do you believe it’s true?”

“I want to.”

“That’s kind of you to say.” She was silent for a moment, then, “You are the only man who has ever been complimentary. The only one who has ever allowed me to be myself without judgment.”

“How could I judge you without looking into the mirror myself? I’m no more a proper king than you are a proper lady. But who makes the rules for what is proper anyway? I, for one, don’t want to be ordinary.”

She smiled despite herself.

He continued, “You’re still very much a mystery to me, but from what I have been given the chance to see so far, I don’t see you as odd at all, but rather special.

She laughed at that, not of happiness but of amusement. “I have tried my entire life to do what is expected of me. To be what people wanted me to be, but in return I was looked upon with disdain. Now you’re asking me to fight to protect the very people who have made me feel odd, the people who have shunned me.”

He sat down beside her on the bench now; she looked at him, her reflection dancing in the dazzling blue pools of his eyes.

“I’m asking you to do what’s right for the people in this kingdom that you love, those that see in you what I see: grace, beauty and compassion.”

She felt her ears flush.

“The people whom you love are what matter. And I’m here to make you a promise. You will not go into this alone. I will stand beside you, as will Alek and your brother. This is not your fight alone.”

“I will not be responsible for getting the king, or the future one, killed.”

“Your brother and I know the risks of battle, Melenthia, and we choose to fight when the cause is right.”

“But maybe I don’t.”

“You must decide what’s right for you. No one will ask you to do anything they don’t think you can handle. We have faith in you; you have only to have faith in yourself.”

She sighed and kicked the water with her feet, leaving a trail of droplets that slowly faded away as they dried.

He put his finger under her chin and moved it so she faced him. “Just know that whatever you decide, I’ll stand beside you and protect you, or die trying. I would be honored to fight with you. You have my word and my allegiance.”

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then stood and left her with the garden silence. She knew he was with her, but what she didn’t realize was that he had just declared his undying love for her.

CHAPTER 27

S
he tossed and turned, the covers a sweaty tangled mess. She kicked them off and, frustrated, lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. The lone candle that burned on her side table had dwindled to almost wick, but the dancing light still cast shadows on the walls and ceiling of her large room. It was comfortable. She had taken to living here, but she missed her home; she missed Kevaan.

She gave up trying to sleep and sat up. She flung her legs over the side of the bed and put on her slippers and threw on a robe. She went to the side table, picked up the candle and walked quietly out of her room. She tip-toed down the hallway, not wanting to disturb anyone else, especially a servant who would insist on getting her whatever she required. What she needed was not material, but emotional. She needed someone to understand her, to understand the decision she was asked to make. She didn’t want to live under Fallon’s evil rule, but going into battle with his army of giants and whatever dark forces he had at his beck and call frightened her beyond belief.

She didn’t get any false pretenses from the elf, or from the old sorcerer, but she still didn’t know if she wanted to believe them. She laughed to herself. A hero, a Chosen One born into this life to thwart evil and rid the world of a dark being. What did they know?

The dark shadows on the walls danced as she passed, the sconces in the corridor casting more light on her petite form. She went down the stairs and out the side door to the garden beyond. The sounds of crickets and frogs reached her ears almost immediately, and the smell of soil and moist earth wafted on the chilly night breeze. She pulled her robe tighter around herself. The moon was large tonight and shone down from the starry sky and lit the rest of the path for her. She blew out her candle and placed it on the garden bench just past the archway.

She walked quietly to the edge of the pond and looked up at the stars. They twinkled at her as if saying hello, and she waved at them.

How she got herself into this predicament she’d never know. She knew that defying her fathers wishes to marry got her to this point, and being someone’s wife would have saved her from this agonizing decision. Or would it have? Would Fallon have tried to have her anyway? If she was truly the Chosen One and he knew it, he would have tried to get her no matter who she was married to. Marriage would not have saved her from him and what he meant to do. She remembered back to that night, what seemed like so long ago. She shuddered at the memory of his vile smile and threat of what he’d do to her.

She sighed and sat down on the bench near the water. She stared down at the ripples made from the night bugs and let herself be hypnotized by the sparkles the moonlight made on the almost still water.

She didn’t hear the footsteps approaching, nor was she ready for the hand on her shoulder. She whipped her head around and took an intake of startled breath. It was Dain. He frowned when he realized he scared her and removed his hand from her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Melenthia, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

She took a moment to regain her breath and said, “It’s alright Dain, I know you meant no harm.”

“I went to your room to talk to you and you were gone. I figured this is where you might be. What are you doing out here this time of night?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I thought the fresh air would calm my restless spirit. What are you doing up?”

“Same as you. I too could not sleep.”

“What’s bothering you?”

He flopped down on the bench beside her. “The same thing. I don’t know what to think about all of this, and I don’t know what to do next. I’m trying to grasp the fact that you are the one that’s supposed to save us all.”

“You don’t have to make it sound completely ridiculous.”

He looked at her and smiled slightly. “Sorry. That came out wrong.”

“It’s alright. I have the same thoughts. I too am finding it hard to grasp. I didn’t get any feelings of malice from the elf, and I know that they keep to themselves and only interfere with the world if something is amiss. The fact that he traveled here tells me what he says is true.”

“I know what you mean, but his words are true. When I said it’s hard for me to believe the prophecy is true and that you’re the one, I in no way mean to say that it’s you that makes it unbelievable. I have no doubt you have it in you to do great things. I just find the whole scenario a bit unnerving.”

She was looking at him as he spoke, and he felt her eyes on him. He faced her, his blue eyes not noticeable in the moonlight, but the shadows created on his face by the muted light made his features softer, more chiseled. He was so handsome. The more she had gotten to know him, the more she realized he was not like all the others. He was kind and allowed her to do what was comfortable for her and seemed to genuinely like her for herself. He never expected her to be someone else, in his company or anyone else’s, and he always made her feel like her opinion mattered. She decided that she had better just face it. She wanted him for her own. The kiss she had given him was only a small token of that fact. She wanted to give him more.

He stared at her for a moment, then moved his eyes over her, but not in a leering way. He appeared to be trying to memorize every part of her. He could see the outline of her through the thin ma-terial of her nightdress and was suddenly swept up by passion. He leaned over and kissed her. He expected her to push him away, or pull back from such a bold move, but to his surprise she did not. Instead she let him.

She felt the heat rise from her ears and run down her spine, her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty. His urgency told her he wanted more, but he did nothing inappropriate. She leaned in closer and his arms reached for her. Soon, they were entwined on the bench.

Several moments passed and he finally, slowly, pulled away and gazed into her eyes. He brushed back her thick red curls, and his touch caused a shiver. She blushed slightly when she felt the heat rise through her.

He spoke, “I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I find myself completely lost when I look into your eyes. Since the first time I saw you, I have found myself drawn in by your beauty, then I was drawn more by your spirit. Now I can’t control myself any longer. I want to protect you, to wrap my arms around you and keep you from harm. I know you don’t need or want it, but I can’t help it. I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Her ears were warm again and her cheeks flushed. “Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because I can’t go another night without you knowing what I’ve been feeling. All my life I have been cavalier in my pursuits. I never thought about being in love, I just spent my days and nights wrapped up with anyone whom I took the time to pursue but never got to know. I never thought about wanting or needing someone I cared about. But in the last few months since I met you, I can no longer lie to myself about what I want. I want someone, need someone in my life to love. I want someone who has passion about life and who can have passion for me, not because I’m king, but because they truly see me. Melenthia, when I said I would stand with you, I meant it. I will fight beside you and will do it because I love you, not because I have a duty to.”

“I love you too. I have for awhile, but I was afraid. Afraid it might just be a passing moment and then it would fade away. I’ve never loved anyone, and I want it to last forever.”

Tears were filling her eyes. They started to fall. He brushed them away and touched her cheeks with a gentle hand. He leaned in to her again, kissing her once more, passionately and urgently. When they parted she looked up at him.

She did not speak again. She didn’t have to. Her eyes and her heart told him what he wanted to know. He stood from the bench and pulled her up into his arms. He took her hand and she followed him back inside, candle all but forgotten.

They went up the stairs quietly and went down the hall to his chambers. He opened the door; the small fire burning in the room made it comfortable, the low flames dancing across the walls. He took her in his arms again and kissed her, wanting to take it slow so as not to miss any part of her.

She had gone too far to stop herself now. She wanted this, more than she had wanted anything. She knew it might be improper, but she was not a proper girl and she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was her pounding heart and her burning passion.

He pressed up against her, and she could feel his wanting. He gently carried her to the bed. She had made her choice and maybe it was too late, but she was in love with him. She couldn’t express that until now and hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. Hoping he hadn’t said those things to get her to this moment. She realized that he could’ve had her that day in the meadow and didn’t, and he was letting her lead now. She wanted desperately to believe it was real. As she looked into his eyes, she threw her propriety and her doubts away and let herself get swept up in her passion.