The Heir (13 page)

Will Luana even recognize me when I
return?
Baylin sighed.
Can she still love this man who looks
at me now?

Baylin washed his face and began the tedious
task of trimming back his beard. He then moved on to his matted
hair. He cared little of what the royal family of Mirstone thought
of his appearance, but he did not want to represent his father in a
poor manner.

Once he had finished, the Prince stripped
off his trousers, kicking them aside. He dipped a rag in the icy
cold water and began washing the dirt and sweat from his body. He
hadn’t had a proper bath in months; it was one of the many luxuries
he and his men had to give up when they came to battle on behalf of
Mirstone.

His thoughts kept returning to the dream and
the sense of dread it had poured over him.
Cadman I could
believe, but Isla is no traitor to the crown
. He tried his best
to brush the feeling off so he could prepare for the day ahead.

He spent the entire morning cleaning and
grooming for a celebration he did not want to take part in. He had
finished washing and was reaching for a clean linen cloth when he
felt a warm breeze of afternoon air flow through the tent.

He turned quickly to see a hooded handmaid
standing in the open entryway. She was dressed in a simple grey
dress with a brown hooded wrap hiding her face.

The Prince opened his mouth to command her
to leave when she removed the wrap to reveal her face.

“Isla!” Baylin yelled, wrapping the cloth
around his waist. “What is the meaning of this?”

The Princess raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“Oh my, Prince Baylin, I do apologize. I certainly did not mean to
disturb you.”

The sight of the Princess caused bile to
rise in the back of his throat. Baylin flushed red with anger at
her intrusion. “Well, you did, unfortunately. This is no place for
a Lady of the Court to be. You must return to the castle at once. I
will be there shortly to dine with your family.”

Instead of heeding his words, she closed the
tent flap behind her and walked toward Baylin. “I’m sorry, my
Prince, I merely wanted to see for myself that you were well. I
have been so worried for you.”

Baylin took a step back from her. “I assure
you I am fine. Now please, return to the castle. It is not right
for you to be here, especially with me in this state.”

The whole situation felt wrong. Not only
because she had burst in unannounced and saw him naked. He felt a
darkness beginning to grow between them. He tried to shake off the
feeling as he made efforts to put distance between himself and the
Princess.
Surely it’s the dream… but what if the dream was the
truth, like the elf said. What if this was a warning?

Isla took a few steps, bridging the gap
between her and Baylin, and reached a hand out, running it down his
chest. “Well, I don’t know about that. I would think that I arrived
at a perfect time.”

Baylin grabbed her hand and pushed it from
him. “Isla, no!”

“No? What do you mean?” The Princess gave a
wounded glare. “We are betrothed. There is nothing wrong with me
coming to check on the welfare of my future husband.”

Baylin rolled his eyes. He had no intension
of marrying the girl, but he wasn’t going to tell her that right
before dining with her parents. His refusal of the betrothal would
require his father and King Gideon. It would be imprudent to refuse
her so directly. “Please leave. I have affairs to tend to before I
join you at the castle.”

Princess Isla shrugged playfully. “I
suppose. But you must give me a kiss first.”

Prince Baylin’s eyes grew wide. “A… You want
me to… I’m sorry, Isla, but I cannot. It isn’t proper, not with me
like this, in here. No, I can’t.”

“It’s just a kiss, Baylin. After all, I did
go to a great amount of trouble to come see you. I had to take
these ghastly garments from the servant’s quarters.” The Princess
gave him a wounded look. “Certainly you don’t mean to be so cold to
your future wife. Now give me a kiss and I will forgive your
callousness.”

Baylin felt like he had betrayed Luana
without even doing the act. He was beginning to see what Luana had
tried to warn him about. Princess Isla was manipulative, and he had
fallen right into her pit of snakes.
Maybe she does have a
forked tongue behind her teeth.

Baylin tensed up as anger overtook him.
“Isla, go!” His voice was loud and his tone was definite.

Isla shuddered at the sound of his words and
wore an expression of fear mixed with rage. “As you wish, Your
Grace.” The Princess turned on her heel and stormed out of the tent
as she mumbled under her breath.

When Baylin arrived at the celebration, the
festivities had begun without him. The great hall within the castle
of Mirstone swelled wall to wall with soldiers and villagers alike.
The room felt alive with vibrant color. The Kingdom spared no
expense decorating the great hall with roses of vivid red and
yellow; the fragrance filled the air with its warm scent. The
colors extended into the clustered crowds of guests. Those soldiers
from Grasmere donned their sapphire blue tunics, while those who
belonged to Mirstone wore crimson. Mingled between were the
numerous villagers wearing their best dresses and tunics in shades
of muted browns, greens and greys. The sounds of laughter and
singing rang through the great hall; the whole room was filled with
joy and fellowship.

As the Prince shouldered his way through the
crowd, he took in his surroundings. The hall, though far smaller
than that of Grasmere’s, had an elegant beauty to it. The long
rectangular-shaped room displayed silken crimson banners that
flowed in great billowy waves across the ceiling, giving the room a
sense of warmth against the cold stone. It was early afternoon and
the sun shone through the high windows which lined the walls.
However, the King planned for the celebration to go on well into
the night, for the room was alight with the flames of thousands of
white candles hung from golden chandeliers and lining the tables
that had been filled to overflowing capacity with more food than
most people could dream to see in a year’s time.

Baylin wound through the people toward the
front of the room to meet with the royal family. His chest heaved
with deep, deliberate breaths as dread weighed on him at the
anticipation of the meeting. Baylin knew what was expected of him
next
. I am supposed to make arrangements to join the two
Kingdoms by marrying Isla. I will not. I risked my life for them. I
have saved their Kingdom. They cannot ask this of me.
However,
the Prince knew it would not be as simple as refusing. Political
arrangements would have to be made by his father.
First, I must
convince Father to allow it. This will be in no way easy.

When the Prince got closer to the front of
the room, he could see his uncle, Lord Cadman, had already sat
beside Princess Isla, speaking quietly with her. She was giggling
and looked perfectly at ease until she spotted Baylin
approaching.

He drew near the royal family and gave a
bow. “Your Graces.”

“Prince Baylin,” King Gideon said with a
friendly smile as he stood and returned the bow. “You honor us with
your presence.”

“The honor is mine,” Baylin said, glancing
at Princess Isla. He could tell she was still in a mood from their
quarrel earlier that morning.

Queen Fia rose from her seat and bowed
gracefully. “Prince Baylin, you have restored peace to our Kingdom.
How can we ever thank you?”

“No thanks are needed, I assure you,” Baylin
said. “It is my duty to the realm to keep the troll hordes in
check. Your people are safe, that is thanks enough.”

The Queen smiled affectionately at him. “You
will be a great King one day, Your Grace. It will be an honor to
call you our son.”

The words hit the Prince like a club to the
gut. He fought to keep his composure. He glanced at Isla, who
glared at him like a spoiled child nursing the wound of a
well-deserved scolding.

Before Baylin could speak, King Gideon gave
him an affectionate clap on the shoulder. “I’m afraid you missed
the big introduction. I had a whole speech prepared to introduce
the Kingdom to their savior! Goodness knows, they all owe you their
lives. The least they could do is applaud your presence.”

“I certainly appreciate the gesture,” Baylin
said. “But no thanks or applause will be necessary. It is my duty,
as the future King of Grasmere, to ensure that all the Kingdoms of
Wintervale are safe.”

Queen Fia smiled at the Prince. “You are far
too modest, Baylin! You are going to have to get used to being
praised and admired. I’m sure my dear Isla will help you with
that.”

Baylin nodded politely to the Queen and
turned his attention to King Gideon. “Your Grace, I do appreciate
you inviting me to the celebration. It is a great sight to behold,
and I know my men appreciate the food and rest it brings. However,
I must inform you I will be returning to Grasmere at first
light.”

“What?” Princess Isla sat up in her seat,
her eyes wide with shock. “You can’t! We are to plan the
wedding.”

Queen Fia grabbed her daughter’s hand and
shot her a disapproving look.

King Gideon gave Baylin an apologetic look.
“Forgive my daughter, my Prince. As you know, she has a tendency to
speak whatever is on her mind.”

Before Baylin could speak, Lord Cadman stood
and interrupted the conversation. “Your Grace, King Gideon, do
forgive my nephew. I’m sure his eagerness to return to Grasmere
rests in the thoughts of his father’s dwindling health.”

Baylin gritted his teeth.
What makes him
think he has any right to intercede? I am the future King of
Grasmere.

“However,” Cadman continued, “as Prince
Baylin will remember, he does have a duty to both Grasmere and
Mirstone to move forward with the joining of the two Kingdoms.”

The smile that spread across Cadman’s lips
made Baylin’s stomach turn as he remembered the nightmare. He had
to remind himself, again, it had only been a dream. Or had it? He
was starting to believe the elf’s magic had, indeed, worked.

King Gideon nodded in agreement with Lord
Cadman. “I understand. I also worry for your Lord Father, the King,
Prince Baylin. He has been a longtime friend to me, and I value his
life above all others. I assure you we all pray to the gods that
his health returns and he will rule for many years to come.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.” Baylin nodded. “I’m
sure it would lift his spirits to know you hold him in such high
regard. I will most certainly tell him when I—”

“However,” the King interrupted, “Lord
Cadman is right. We must get the wedding plans underway.”

Baylin noticed a quick glance between Lord
Cadman and Princess Isla. The exchange made him uneasy. His heart
raced at the thought
. I will not marry her. I must convince
Father to undo this betrothal.
He searched for the words that
would buy him the time he needed to remove himself from the
situation. The Prince had never been someone who would lie or
deceive, it was not part of his nature. However, this situation
required the delicacy of a lie if he was going to return home and
dissolve his pending marriage to the Princess. “Your Grace, I
understand, and I certainly plan to do as you ask very soon.
However, I insist that I must return to Grasmere first. I must see
to the condition of my Kingdom as well as that of my father.”

“Boy, you…” Cadman began.

“I am your Prince, Lord Cadman. You will
remember your place.” Baylin faced his uncle with a grimace on his
lined face. His nostrils flared in anger as his lips parted in a
snarl. “I am to be the High King of all the Keld Kingdoms, and my
first duty is to the welfare of those Kingdoms.” His words echoed
like the roar of a dragon through the great hall. All those within
the massive room fell silent as they turned to stare at the
confrontation taking place at the royal family table.

His uncle could not hide the expression of
shock and embarrassment that covered his face. The Princess looked
fearful as she shot a piercing glance at Lord Cadman. King Gideon
and Queen Fia, both of whom were visibly shaken by the angry
display, tried their best to smile as though nothing was the
matter.

The King stood, addressing the room. “This
is a celebration! We need more to drink! Bring out more wine and
ale for our guests! Eat, drink!” The room erupted in applause and
everyone went back to being boisterous and lively.

Baylin turned to the King and bowed his head
respectfully. “Apologies, Your Grace. I meant no disrespect.”

The King smiled at Baylin. “Not at all, not
at all! It’s understandable.” Gideon then turned and looked at
Cadman with a piercing stare that caused him to look down at his
lap.

“My Prince,” Queen Fia said with a musical
tone. She stood and gracefully walked around the table to where
Baylin stood. She placed a delicate hand on his arm and motioned to
the table. “Won’t you please sit and dine with us. You have done so
much for the Kingdom, you must allow us to celebrate your
victory.”

King Gideon chuckled. “Now come, Baylin. How
can you refuse my lovely wife when she is so charming? You can see
how hard it is for me to deny her the things she wants.”

“Hush,” the Queen said, playfully waving a
hand at her husband as she guided Baylin around the table to his
seat.

The Prince smiled at the King and Queen’s
banter. It reminded him of his own parents. “I suppose a proper
dinner would be nice.”

“I reckon so,” said Gideon boisterously.
“I’m sure a nice feather bed would hit the spot as well. I had the
servants make up a room for you so you can have a proper rest after
all your time in camp.”

Baylin only nodded a slight bow of the head
at the King. He wanted to argue, but did not wish to upset his
hosts by reminding them of his wish to return home.
Tonight,
once everyone is heavy with drink, I will slip away and return
home.