It was nightfall, and all my men were ready. They were waiting for me and I was waiting for Lady Blue to be ready to come with me. She'd had to be specially put together because I had wanted her to be a little more protected, seeing as she was my favorite horse. No one had complained, in fact they thought of Lady Blue as a part of me, and they wouldn't hurt me. Unlike Nick. I was busy in my own thinking when I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
"Yes?" I turned to see a small pregnant woman before me. She had red vibrant hair with eyes a misty grey color with specks of green in them. She looked like she'd been under a hard circumstance.
"Princess Eliza I'm sorry to bother you, but you see I was looking for my husband." She says. I wanted to make her life easier, so I smiled down at her. She seemed nice.
"What's his name madam?" I asked. She bushed a light red.
"Please call me Ana. His name is Nick." The minute she said his name I felt horrible.
"You don't know?" I asked. She looked suprised.
"Know what?" She gingerly placed a hand on her stomach.
"He fights with the false king now Ana." Her face was a mask of utter horror as I gave her the bad news.
"Bring him back." she said lightly.
"Ana, I don't think I can." I put my hand on her shoulder. She grabbed that hand and placed it on her belly. She looked up at me with newfound tears in her eyes.
"Tell him I'm waiting. Our child needs him. He'll come back. He wants this family as much as I do. He will come back." I nodded my head.
"I'll do my best." I turned and boarded Lady Blue.
"Thank you Princess." She said as I moved slowly past her. I smiled down at her. I hoped I'd be able to make this woman happy, but I didn't know the truth. I didn't want to see her face if I didn't come back with Nick, but I also didn't want to have her worrying to the point her baby was born while he wasn't there. I just wanted her to be happy.
"Eliza, we have to get in line now." Edward says as we move. I nod my head and begin to follow him out.
"Edward I don't think I'll survive, so I wanna say this now." I tell him as we begin the ride to the castle. I felt tears enter my eyes by the thought that this was our last night together. I was scared by just the thought.
"No, Eliza you are coming out of this with everything intact. Do not worry about anything else, except getting what's rightfully yours." He says without looking at me. I look at his face and see that his jaw is clenched to the point he could break a bone. He looks like he's trying his hardest to make sure he doesn't think about us.
"I just have to tell you while I still have the chance. I may never get the chance to tell you anything else." I whisper. He looks at me there, and there's a determined glint in his eyes.
"You will get through this. I promise you this. I will fight for you and I will make sure that nothing bad happens to you while I'm here." It's said with such devotion and honesty that I know what he's saying. He would die for me, for this because of something. Maybe he didn't want to live after this, or he couldn't bare to see me laying there dying again. I didn't know, but I wish I did.
"My birthday." I say. He looks at me shocked.
"Excuse me?" He answers.
"My birthday is tomorrow. If I don't win tonight the castle and everything inside of it is his." I tell Edward. He doesn't answer which hurts more than I thought it would. I move up towards the front and watch as the dark skies give just a glimpse of it's beauty. A few stars appear out of the mess of clouds that have taken ahold of the night. Up ahead I could see rows upon rows of men ready to fight us. I didn't really understand why they wanted to fight us, I just knew that they did.
"Alright men! I have been pleasantly blessed with the lot of you, but it's time to fight for the rights in which was taken. I'm positively sure that one of your brothers, sons, or even cousins or fathers are right there and for what? To protect a man who doesn't even deserve to be king. A man who killed my father and watched as his wife killed my mother. I will fight them both, but I will need your help if I'm to do this correctly." I tell them. I see nods of agreement and then they raise their weapons in honor and shout. It was more beautiful then I expected to ever see. These were my men and we were going to fight, fight for our freedom, our family, our faith, and mainly their loyalty.
We marched closer and watched as weapons were dropped. Men began to lower on their knees and bow their heads. I was shocked.
"Ma'am we are warriors by the hands of a man named Nick. He's been sweet to us by pretending to be part of the king's army. We shall help you find a way through." the man says softly. Nick? I thought he'd given up on everything like that. I thought he wanted to be with the king, but it didn't surprise me that he would fight. He had a wife and a baby waiting for him at home. He had every reason to fight and no reason to give in.
"I believe you, but know this one thing. I shall not leave one man here unharmed if he is to lie and you would be responsible for what happens to them. Do I make myself clear?" I ask him. He swallows bile and nods in agreement. "Then take me to Micheal's and Marelda's chambers and let this end with the people who started this."
The man nodded his head and began to lead me into the castle. The stairs were made out of concrete that was not worn down. On each side there were statues of the first man and woman of our family to take control of this place. They had been beautiful and very nice in their day and it had passed down until Micheal where it skipped a generation. We went up the stairs to a secret doorway that lead into the cleaners quarters. They bowed their head and looked away, except for one man. He stared at me with the oddest look on his face. He looked like he'd seen something he had lost in a long time. He had blue eyes that looked as if they were seas flowing and he had black hair like mine. He had the nose that I recognized because I also had it and he had aristocratic cheekbones. Dad? I never got to ask because Edward shepherded me onto the stairs that winded up to the chambers.
"I hate her!" I heard a woman scream. Marelda.
"Honey, she isn't even here yet. I see the men all standing out there waiting." Micheal says. I couldn't wait I opened the door and their in front of me was a man dressed in fighting gear and a woman in the palest of pink dresses.
"Miss me?" I say as I stand there smiling. I'd locked the men outside. I could hear them pounding on the door, but this was my fight with them, not theirs.
"How did you even get in here? There are gards down there!" Marelda screamed. I just shrugged.
"Maybe it's the fact that those men are my soldiers. Or the fact that the true Queen is right here." I tell her. Her nostrils flare. She spins around and grabs her husband's sword. "I killed that fake mother of yours, I'll kill you as well."
"You may have killed an innocent woman who had done nothing to you, but I am not my mother. I will fight you the entire way." I tell her. She swings the sword, awkwardly and I just bend backwards. When I get back up I see that they each have a sword in their hand. I laugh. They both look at me like I've had the attack of the crazy.
"What is wrong with you?" Micheal asks. I just shrug.
"Maybe the fact that you have to fight her battles for her." I answer back. Marelda hisses and launches her whole body across the room. I twirl to the left and watch as she moves towards the door. I see Micheal swing left and deflect it easily. I spin and make it so they are both by the door with men pounding against it.
"King Micheal! Are you alright?" I hear someone say. Marelda smiles and opens the door to the men. She puts on a fake scared look and points at me.
"This woman just tried to kill me! Arrest her." she pretends to cry. I see my men have disappeared and alone stands the worker who had stared at me earlier. What is he doing here? The man steps inside and closes the door, pulling Marelda and making her face Micheal, his sword at her neck. He looks at Micheal who has decided to see the fate of his wife.
"I will not turn on my very own daughter." He says. A clear gasp comes from both Marelda and Micheal. I stare as if I'd seen a ghost, for this man had been in the marriage picture with my mother.
"Harry?" Micheal asks.
