Chapter 3

A few days later

We all gather to watch as Chris says his goodbyes to all of us. He promises all of his constituents to come back to us, ready to be King. I roll my eyes. It's like he senses me and he looks over at me.  I turn my head away from him. I have nothing to say to him and I will probably never have anything to say again. I look him in the eyes, one last time, as I turn and walk away.

The farm needs some tending to. That’s more important for me at the moment. I wouldn’t have even shown up if Mama didn’t force me to attend. All I do is cry anymore. I hate myself for it. I cry for the loss of my best friend. I cry for the betrayal that I feel. I don’t even know why I feel such a betrayal.

My brother keeps telling me that I need to let the idea of Chris go. He knew that I would get hurt and that I have no idea how bad he wants to hurt Chris for what he’s done. Dad isn’t any different. He’s friends with the King and he’s disgusted about the way I have been treated. The day after Chris left, I couldn’t even get out of bed. They heard my cries but I wouldn’t let them in.

Dad was so angry, when I finally told him what Chris had said to me, that he mounted a horse to give the King a piece of his mind. I begged him not to bring the attention to the King. I told him it wouldn’t do me any good. It didn't work. He still left.

Katy comes into my room and lays beside me as I cry at night. Since she’s been married to my brother, for the last month, she’s been like a real sister to me. She holds me, sings to me, talks to me, and attempts to make me laugh. I just can’t seem to pull myself out of this depression that I’m in.

I don’t attend school anymore since he left. I can’t face anyone, definitely not Erin. I want to hate her but I can’t. She has only ever been kind to me. It isn’t her fault that the Prince used me. The only question that I can not seem to find the answer to is why. Why did he use me? What was his purpose? I can’t figure it out. He gave me years of friendship, and for what?

So, my days are always spent the same. Get up, say hi to mom, eat breakfast, go help Talon with the farm, say good bye to dad as he takes the vegetables to the castle, train the horses, swim at the lake, come home, eat dinner, then crawl in bed. Katy will come a few hours after I lay here and talk to me. I got to know everything about her. Some days, Emma will come help me. I try to hang out and be happy with her, but it doesn’t feel the same. I feel like a part of me has disappeared and I don’t know how to find her.

That leads to today. I’m laying here thinking over everything that has happened while tears are falling down my face. It’s been one year exactly. Happy Good-bye Anniversary, Prince Chris.

Even my birthday was full of depression. Sure, I smiled and thanked everyone but I kept looking for something from Chris. Why? I don’t know. I guess, I thought that he would change his mind now that I’m fifteen. There’s a knock at my door, drawing me out of my thoughts, and I ignore it.

“Rae, it’s Emma. Come on!! Tobias and I want to hang out,” she says while banging on my door.

I groan but I climb out of bed. Tobias’ name has sent a fluttery sensation in my stomach, but I stuff it down. He’s the only one that has been able to get any of my feelings out. I open the door and let my best friend in.

“Don’t you think it’s time to stop moping around? We have better things to do.” She looks at me sadly. “Besides, your brother broke my heart. You don’t see me sulking, do you?” She teases.

I roll my eyes, but smile slightly. “It’s not the same thing, Em. My brother never lead you on.”

“Still. Come on. Let’s go riding.” I was about to say that I couldn’t because my mom needed me but she interrupted. “Your mom already said that you could go. No excuses!”

“Alright, alright. Just give me a few minutes,” I say, secretly, a little nervous and excited.

She nods and leaves the room. I look around, take a deep breath, and sigh. She’s right. It’s time to stop moping around. A year is long enough. Besides, I have a hottie that wants to go riding with me.

Who cares if we can only be friends? I quickly change and smile, a real smile, for the first time in a year. I rush out the door. Time to start living!

Emma, Erin, and Tobias are standing beside four horses. I notice them as ours. I raise my brow at Emma. She shrugs and smiles.

“My Dad is letting us ride our prize horses for the King?” I ask, shocked.

“Of course. He agrees with us. So, hop on, let’s ride!”

I blush as Tobias chuckles. “Do you need some help, Shorty?”

I snap my head towards him. “I know that you are not referring to me.” I spit back, attempting to hide my blush.

“Of course, I am.” He smirks.

I laugh, shaking my head, and walk over to my favorite mare. I jump on her with out the stirrups, glance at him, and raise my brow. “Your turn.” I chuckle when he huffs.

One by one everyone climbs up and prepares to run. Talon and Katy come running out before we can take off.

“Hold on, little sis. Katy wants to ride.” He glances at her. “But, she’s sort of afraid. Can she ride with you?”

“Of course!” I look over at a nervous Katy. “Jump on.” Talon lifts her up while I secure her in front of me. I hand her the reins. “Hang on, tight,” I tell her before spurring my horse into gear.

The feeling of the air hitting me is refreshing. I never feel as free as I do when I’m riding on the back of the horse. Katy is yelling with happiness and it makes me smile. She is such a care free girl and I can’t help but feel excited for her.

I glance behind me to look at Emma and Tobias. They are riding side by side and, I don’t know why, I feel a pang of hurt. What is that about? I glance to my right where Erin is riding. I give her a small smile and receive a bright smile back in response. She breathes out like it was a weight that came off of her shoulders.

I slow down when I hear multiple horses coming towards us at full speed. The others come up beside me, looking nervous, and slow to a complete stop.

“What’s happening?” Katy asks.

“Someone’s coming fast, Katy. I don’t know why.”

“Did we venture too far?” Tobias asks.

I glance around. “No, I don’t think so.”

Emma stands up on her horse and gasps. “It’s Alrich.”

“Young, sir Alrich?” Erin asks.

“Yes, and he’s got several knights with him.”

“I guess we should wait then.” I sigh.

A few moments later, Alrich pulls up to us. He jumps off his horse, smoothly I might add, and walks over to my horse. A few seconds later, the rest of the knights follow. My crew jumps down off of our horses and Tobias comes over to stand in front of me protectively. I glance at him confused while Alrich glares.

“Rae, I really need to speak to you. It’s very important. You may want to sit or hold onto me.” He looks at me sadly. “Can you follow me?”

Before I can speak, Tobias places his arm around me protectively. “Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of us, Alrich.” He spits out.

I look at Tobias. He sounds angry. Confused, I glance at Alrich. His jaw is ticking. “It’s okay, Sir. What’s going on?”

“It’s about our fathers.”

“Our fathers?”

His face suddenly shifts from anger to sadness. “Yes, Rae. I have already spoken to your mom and brother. They sent me out here to you.”

My heart rate starts to accelerate. Tobias grips me tighter. “What is it?” I have a really bad sense of dread but I look him in the eyes. Every one says that Alrich is a bad guy but I remember him as the guy who laughed and danced with me, a nobody, at the Prince’s ball.

“They were hunting with the King.” My eyes grow wide. I remember Dad leaving yesterday to be with the King. “There was an incident.” My breathing speeds up. Alrich clears his throat. “A battle started and our fathers surrounded the King.” He pauses and looks down at the ground. “They didn’t make it.” He says it so quietly that I think I had misheard.

“What?” Katy asks. “He didn’t make it?”

Alrich, or I guess Sir Alrich now, looks over at her. “They died protecting the King. The King survived, but he’s not looking so good.” He looks back at me. “The sad thing is, that we don’t know what killed them. No one saw anything. It was like they were battling ghosts, or shadows.”

There is a collective gasp from everyone surrounding me. It doesn’t make sense to me. There are no such things as ghosts. I start shaking my head. There’s no way this is true. This is just a cruel joke, a very cruel joke, and I was just thinking about how everyone was wrong about him. Before I even comprehend what I am doing, I hear the noise. I just slapped Alrich.

My eyes go wide. I should apologize, but I won’t. He just looks at me. “You’re a liar!” I scream at him. He holds his hands up to keep his knights from moving forward. “I thought that you were different. How can you be so cruel!” I scream out brokenly.

Tobias is trying to pull me back but I push him away from me. When he grabs my arms again, I turn, and glare at him. He holds his hands up. Katy tries to grab me. “It’s not true, Katy. I don’t need you to grab me. It’s a lie.”

Tears start sliding down her face. I look at Emma. “Emma, tell them, it’s not true! Please! Someone please tell him to stop lying to me!” No one moves. I spin back around. “Tell them that you’re lying, sir.” I plead with him.

He’s just looking at me with sad eyes. I walk up to him and grab his shirt. “Please! Please! This can’t be true. Please tell me that you’re just joking. I’ll forgive you, I swear. Just tell them please!”

I hear a knight chuckle at my misery. Alrich spins around, grabs him by his chainmail, and lifts him up. “Do you find her grieving funny, Dean?” He spits.

“No, sir.”

“Then I suggest you keep your face a blank mask because if I see it have any other emotion on it, I will wipe it off with a solid strike through your neck! Got it?”

His eyes bulge out of his head. “Yes, sir.”

“Good, now get back in line.”

When he turns back to me, I know it’s real. I collapse and he catches me in his arms. He holds me close while I continue to cry, not caring who’s watching.

“Sir Alrich, I can hold her and take her home.” Tobias says gently. I don’t look at him.

“It’s okay, Tobias. I’ve got her. You need to take Katy home. She looks like she’s falling asleep.”

He starts rubbing my hair. I think to myself, how is it that he’s not crying. Maybe he is cold hearted. Before I know it, I fall asleep with Alrich holding me in the middle of the field.