A Rose To Remember

Betrayal Exposed

Lara,Jared's hunting wolf, stood up as Jared entered the tent, her oceanblue fur flowing like kelp in the sea, yet frozen like ice. Hestarted braiding her fur, a habit he picked up when he first gotLara. Looking at Ali and Uncle Valgon he gestured to the chairs inthe tent. "sit please"
"Does Syria need to leave?" Rosesaid, still standing by the door. Syria looked up from where she waspouring wine into glass goblets.
"does my mistress require me toleave?" Syria said, putting the tray down on a small wooden tablein the corner of the room "I can go help Tommye pack the more...dangerous, medicines if she so wishes?"
"No, no" UncleValgon said "she can stay"
"alright" Rose nodded "Syria,stand outside the tent door, if anyone comes in this direction thentell me" Syria left the goblets where they were and rushed to doher mistresses will. Uncle Valgon and Ali sat down, both lookingextremely nervous. Rose picked up Poxie, a phoenix dog she adoptedwhen she was a small girl and played with his fluffy tail as hesnuggled against her chest.
"alright"Uncle Valgon said, leaning forward in his chair "as you know,because Eli is dead,the kingdom of Oviang is rightfully Jared's"
"and?" Rosesaid softly
"well, back at the capital, your father's advisor,Oolong, has declared himself king of Oviang"
"How!" Jaredand Rose said, louder then intended
"the people wouldn't standfor that" Jared said, "they know that the throne of Oviang fallsto me"
"Oolong blamed your military skills and said that youtwo sent Eli to his death so that you could claim the throne foryourself"
"You've both been named outlaws and are banishedfrom Oviang" Ali finished for Uncle Valgon.
"how do you knowthis?" Jared said looking away from everyone
"Dex, king ofExonia, told me. Said that he and Aragosa heard it on their travels"Uncle Valgon said standing up and pacing
"what do we do now?"Rose said, putting Poxie down and walking over to her brother.
"wesneak you two out of the country and you can regroup somewheredifferent" Ali said from where he was seated
"I am notrunning" Jared said, turning to face everyone "not now"
"soyou are going to stay here and die?" Ali said "Jared, you knowthe rules of this country. Anyone banished from the kingdom, isbanished on pain of death"
"we could hide somewhere" Jaredstepped forward "make Oolong think we are gone, then strike himwhen he feels most secure"
"and where are you going to hide"Uncle Valgon said stopping mid stride to talk to Jared firmly"Jared, there isnowhere to go, if you stay here you bothwill die"
"I am no giving Oolong the pleasure of watching merun away" his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
Everyone stood up and started yelling at each other.Rose backed away and snuggled Poxie again. A sudden, cold icy feargrabbed her heart, making her gasp aloud.
"Jared!"Rose said, grabbing her brother's shoulder and spinning him roundtill he was facing her, everyone went silent and looked at her. "Mezoni is still at thepalace" she said quietly. Jared cursed under his breath, Mezoni wasa 7-year-old girl their father had adopted, who had stayed behind during the battle.
"that settles it then"Uncle Valgon said "I wasn't going to tell you this but there isa house that you could hide in. it is in the forest near the port ofLi Lone"
"the Twisted Folds" Ali said quietly "and none canenter unless they have the medallion of the kings"
"medallionof the kings?" Jared said rubbing his chin and pacingagain.
"Father had a medallion" Rose said "it was gold andset with ruby's. He never said much about it though"
"Eligave me that medallion before the battle started, because he did notwant it falling in the wrong hands." Uncle Valgon said
"do youhave it?" Rose said, a hopeful look in her eyes
"yes, I havenot let it out of my sight since Eli gave it to me"
"let seeit then" Ali said standing up and moving closer to Uncle Valgon.Uncle Valgon reached into his pocket and drew out fathers'medallion
"please remember that this is nothing more than a key,and heirloom" he said handing it to Jared
"it is more thanthat" Jared whispered looping the chain around his neck "it is apiece of father"
Rose nodded and looked away, a single tearsliding down her cheek as she thought about how she will never seeher father again.
"what's the plan?" Jared said pulling outa charcoal pencil and some parchment from within the tunic he wore"what?" he said when Rose looked at him incredulously "I alwayshave parchment on me"
Rose shook her head and sat down on one ofthe settees in the tent.
"we leave for the Twisted Foldstomorrow morning" Uncle Valgon said pacing in front of Jared "wetravel light and in dark clothes. Jared, bring with you 3 of yourmost trusted men. When we arrive and regroup with some supply'sthen we will send a group of us to get Mezoni"
"alright"Rose said, "anything else?"
"no" Ali said heading to thedoor "just eat a good meal and get some sleep"
"okay, I'llget Syria to bring us some food in our tent Jared" Rose said
"that's fine, after that you can send her with Tommye back tothe palace. I am assuming Tommye is not coming?" Jared said turningto Ali
"Tommye is not coming" Ali said "in my absence thepalace will need a good physician. There are still good people inthat building and I will not let them get sick just because ofOolong's betrayal"
"exactly" Uncle Valgon said "I willretire to the valley for the night. Good night"