She fled through the door before he could glimpse her tears. Why did it hurt so much to do the right thing? She had never felt so broken and so strong at the same time.
Chapter 26
Onric continued his surveillance of the castle perimeter. He approached the side gate to check in with the guard on duty. Before making his presence known, he watched the man for a few moments to ensure he was following all the directives that had been ordered for the security of the ball that night.
The guard stood at the gate entrance, facing outward and watching the road that led to the castle. When a cart approached, he stepped forward and spoke with the driver, taking notes in a ledger. He looked in the cart, inspecting its contents thoroughly and respectfully, and he then allowed the driver to continue into the courtyard. He then resumed his position, scanning the road for incoming traffic.
Pleased with what he saw, Onric stepped across the courtyard and addressed him.
“My Lord,” the guard responded, “I thought you would be preparing for the festivities tonight.”
“This is my version of preparing,” Onric replied. He forced a smile, though he knew it did not reach his eyes. The ball, which had started out a nuisance, now seemed like the most difficult event he had ever faced in his life. Many times, in his twenty-four-years of living, he had thought he was in love. But not a single one of those experiences could compare with the way he had felt about... Ashlin. The very thought of her name made his throat close up, and he focused on the matter at hand. He was responsible for castle security, and it was the only thing he felt that he had any control over.
“What can I do for you?” the guard asked him.
“Anything to report?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary has happened here under my watch.”
“No one suspicious has entered the castle?”
“No, my Lord. I have personally recognized nearly every person this morning. So far, most of them are the local farmers providing for tonight’s feast.”
“Excellent. May I scan the ledger?”
“Of course.” The guard handed him a small wooden panel. A stack of parchment had been fixed to it by a leather strip at each corner.
Onric glanced over the entries. He too recognized the names of most of the farmers. He slid the top piece of parchment out of the leather binding and glanced over the entries from the day before. He had already looked at it three times, twice yesterday and once this morning, but he wanted to make sure no Majis could have come into the castle. This would indeed be an ideal event for a Majis spy to wreak havoc at. Hopefully, the quick timeline in which the ball had been announced and executed would prevent such a mishap.
Another cart rolled up the hill.
Onric handed the ledger back to the guard. “Thank you, Brandon. Carry on.”
The guard gave him a slight bow and turned his attention back to the road.
Onric exited the gate to walk along the road towards the official palace entrance. He had already checked it twice that morning, but they were expecting hundreds of new visitors to enter before the ball began that evening.
Walking along the road gave him the opportunity to watch for any unusual activity happening outside the palace itself. Other than the increase in traffic, he did not find anything to distract him. At this point, he was almost wishing for a disaster to happen. He felt confined, restless with energy. His body longed for activity and motion. Instead, he was facing an entire night of dancing, conversing, and trying to make an impossible choice.
He briefly considered defying his father, but he knew it was not only his father who had asked. Just as it was his duty to see to the safety of every person inside the castle walls that night, it was his duty to protect Iseldis in whatever way he could.
A hooded figure trudged along the road towards him. Onric lost all other thought as he studied the approaching traveler for a moment. He quickly recognized the confident gait of his older brother.
“Ho! Traveler,” Onric called, deepening his voice and speaking as an aggressive guard, “what business do you have walking so close to the palace of Iseldis?”
Ian hunched forward, attempting to further hide his face beneath the dark hood. “Just passing through to see the festivities, my good sir,” he replied. His voice was uncharacteristically high.
Onric smirked. “Be on your way and be quick about it, or I shall call the castle dogs on you.”
“Castle dogs?” Ian replied in an entirely Ian voice. “Since when does the castle have dogs?” He remembered his character halfway through the second statement, which ended on a much higher note than it had begun.
“Ever since Lord Onric decided he’d rather not see the traveling peasants when he looked out his window. He’s really quite clever, that one—the best of the whole royal lot, if you ask me.” Onric could not keep the laughter from his voice.
Ian stood up straight when he recognized who was speaking. He pulled his hood back slightly so his face was visible. He did not look particularly pleased to have been found out. “What gave me away?”
“You are my older brother. I could pick you out of a crowd anytime.” Onric fell into step beside him. “What are you doing out here? I thought you would surely be preparing yourself for tonight,” he said, echoing the question he had just been asked by the guard.
“Preparing what?”
