The First Trials (The Second Queen Sequel)

Chapter 27

Edward

I quietly close the door and walk about the room, unlocking my bedside table and grabbing the locket and stuffing it into my satchel. I close the drawer and quickly lock it, then buckling the bag closed. "Are you trying to sneak out without saying goodbye?"

"No, my love, I simply wished to collect the rest of my things before waking you. It's nearly dawn; don't get out of bed, don't-"

"Like hell I won't; I'm coming with you to your horse."

She throws the covers off and grabs her robe off the bedroom bench, wrapping it around her, tying the laces into a quick knot. Her unbound hair flowing across her back and shoulders. "Very well, let's go."

We walk out our chambers, Isabella trailing a few steps behind me. I pull open the doors of the palace revealing a group of five soldiers sitting atop their horses in the front courtyard. A young squire holds the reins of my horse. I stand with my back to my horse, holding Isabella's small hands. "Don't even try to argue. You cannot come with me, and I will not make the pathetic excuse of it begin too dangerous. But, I need you here, to govern our country as I am away."

"You are to be in the front lines?"

"Yes. but do not fear for my life; we still walk the same path, this is merely a temporary parting, where we will meet again in a few weeks. And nothing, nothing on this entire Earth will be able to keep me from you. You are my heart and my soul. You carry all of love with you. You are my compass and my light and I will always find my way back to you."

"You promise that you won't die?"

"I do."

"Good. I will take care of the Fitzwarrens when they come later this week. I'll try to keep our baby hidden; although it's getting hard to do so."

"It doesn't matter," past her shoulder a guard gestures toward the gate with his head, "I must be going now my love." I place my hands on her hips, and kiss my lemon sized baby, whispering my love. I look back up at her, her eyes shining, "I will be back mere dila; and I love you, remember that."

"I will. I promise."

Her forehead is warm underneath my lips as I kiss her forehead, before resting my head against hers. I let go of her and mount my horse. The gates of the palace open and we ride out, leaving safety behind as the gates shut with a clang.

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The closer we get to the Safian border the more villages appear to be abandoned. The sea comes into view though many miles away. A group of soldiers, with a circle of blue stars over their hearts, riding on horseback surround us. "Who are you?"

"I am Lancelot Montagu, and these men are the escorts sent to retrieve me by General Wolf of the Northwood."

The men place their right fists over their hearts as their leader speaks, "Your Majesty, follow us."

They ride out across the plain towards the cliffs, following the river. My men and I follow them down to the beaches. We reach the edge of the cliff, the army and naval forces come into full view as we ride down the cliffs to the camp. The camp is filled with men sparring and sharpening their swords around the fires. As we dismount our horses, General Northwood walks towards us with his arms wide open. "Welcome to hell Majesty."

"The pleasure is mine, General Northwood. Now let's get through this because I have mountains of paperwork to finish."

"I'm sure, amongst other things waiting for you back at Ordet. This is a complex situation, to say the least. There is a fleet of enemy ships about five miles offshore. Our fleet is four miles away from their fleet. No one has shot or raised any flags."

"How large is their fleet?"

"300 and growing daily."

"And ours?"

"250, but, Umen is sending a fleet. They did not give any indication to size."

"Has my sister sent anything?"

"A fifth of our fleet is hers. We have not heard anything from them in a week."

"What did she say last?"

"Twenty pounds of gunpowder she sent us was destroyed enroute. The Safian general, Sebastian de Aguilar, will be able to tell you everything you wish to know about the Safian contribution and the naval components of this coming battle."

"Thank you, General. What are your plans for the coming days?"

"It's hard to say, Sire. We, General Aguilar and I, believe that this may be the battle to end the war. We have been getting more weapons and men everyday, as is our enemy. We do not know what is on their ships, all we can do is try to transport weapons to our ships and prepare for the coming battle."

"Very good, General."

"Majesty."

The general bows and walks off clapping men on the shoulders and barking out orders.

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"The Aralians are coming to shore, there is no sign of surrender. This will be a battle fought on land and sea."

"Get a letter to the Regent, tell her that the Aralians are preparing to engage in combat. Tell you men to write their letters, it's unlikely that most of them will make it out of here alive. If they get to close, build a trench and set fire to the sand."

I sit on a log around the fires and pull out a pad of paper and a quill placing it to the page and begin to write.

My dearest Isabella,
    If you have received this letter, it means that I have perished from this Earth and have handed over our country to you and only you until our child is born. Mere dila, please know that I regret nothing and it was my greatest honor and joy to have known you and been your partner for the past ten months. I know that you will miss me; all I ask is that you don't miss me too much, you still have a long life ahead of you. Tell our child that I love them.

The quill falls from my hand as a boom of cannon fire fills our ears. "THEY'VE FIRED UPON OUR SHIPS. ARM UP!"

I grab my sword and sling my shield off of my back, checking my plate armor. I slide a few daggers into my boots as the generals begin to bark out formations and orders to our men.

A/N: thank you so much for reading!
I will be back next weekend.
We are entering the home stretch (kind of).

All my love,
M
❤️⚔️