princess—to be rolling in the muck
with squires, but Wilhelm easily cast
the argument aside. He was only too
happy to indulge his daughter, who
liked swords, daggers, and jousting
battles.
Before
long
the
stable
hand
reappeared with the mounting block
and a few steps later, Jaisyn sat atop a
rearing Ajax.
She wasted no time in bringing the
animal under control and with a quick
nod to the boy, headed through the
throng
of
bodies
packing
the
courtyard, spurring her horse in the
direction of the Old Lands. It was also
the field made host to the current
battle.
The patter of the rain and the
pounding of Ajax’s hooves as he
raced forward made it difficult for
Jaisyn to pick up other sounds. When
her ears finally locked in on the sound
of approaching hooves, the rider was
almost upon her.
Jaisyn spun Ajax and drew her
sword, tilting her body forward and
tensing her legs about the horse’s
girth. Through the rain, she saw what
appeared to be a gray horse coming
toward her, its rider covered, like her,
in armor. Her grip tightened around
the sword, just as her father had
taught her, and as she prepared to dig
her heel into Ajax and urge him
forward, the rider removed his helmet
and called her name angrily. Wet
golden hair, without its usual bounce,
stuck to his forehead and the sides of
his face.
Stephen!
Her younger brother brought his
horse to a stop and glared at her.
“You cannot fight, Jaisyn. Father
said so. You will return to the castle at
once,”
he
commanded
with
a
pompousness that bespoke his place
as the heir.
“Go back, Stephen!”
It was one thing for her to be riding
out to the battle, but Stephen, who
was barely fourteen and not as skilled
with weapons, was going nowhere
near a battlefield if so long as she
drew breath. And especially not on
Lulu, Jaisyn’s mare, who wasn’t
battle-tested.
“No!” Stephen’s voice shook slightly
but he lifted his head and glared down
his nose at her. “You have to listen to
me, Jaisyn. Father left me in charge,
and you must do as I say!”
Jaisyn would have scoffed if the
situation weren’t so serious. They
were only a few miles from the Old
Lands, and if the battle had already
started, it could very well be moving in
their direction.
“Listen to me, Stephen. Return to
the castle. I will be fine. I’m going to
help father defend our kingdom.”
When Stephen only pursed his lips
further and narrowed his eyes, she
tried another tactic. “Isolde and Matty
must be frightened without you
there.”
Although he was easily the greatest
pain in places ladies supposedly never
mentioned, Stephen took his role as
the future head of the family seriously.
He’d always been protective, but that
had
only
increased
after
their
mother’s death. After the queen’s
funeral, Wilhelm had taken him aside.
To this day, Jaisyn didn’t know what
was said but whatever it was had
created the Stephen before her now.
Golden eyes flashed as her brother
glared at her for the space of long
heartbeats before returning the helmet
to his head.
Jaisyn sighed with relief and waited
for him to turn Lulu around, but he
did no such thing. Instead, he urged
her forward at a trot. Horrified, Jaisyn
turned Ajax, and chased after him.
The faster animal caught up quickly.
“Stephen! Stephen, what are you
doing?” she demanded, riding abreast
and trying to grab for his reins.
“Stop it, Jassy,” Stephen threw at
her, gripping the reins tightly. “If
you’re going to fight, then I will fight
as well. It’s my duty to protect you.”
If not for the fact that he was sitting
on a horse, Jaisyn would have
thrashed him. It had been months
since she’d given in to the urge but
she did not doubt she still could. In a
few months time, Stephen might be
taller than she, but he required skill.
Like their father, Stephen was more
intellectual than warrior. Although
he’d had the same training, her
brother had little interest in the sword,
or any other weapon. What he lacked
there, he more than made up for in his
studies. Jaisyn could no more list the
politics of all the Eastern kingdoms
than Stephen could skewer her with
sword.
“Fine! Fine!” Jaisyn bit out, noticing
they were nearing the line of
blackened earth which marked the
entrance to the ruins of the Old Lands.
The tall trees around them would soon
fall away, giving way to the barren
ground upon which the battle raged.
“We’ll go back. Are you listening to
me, Stephen?”
Stephen allowed his horse to
continue a few more paces before he
reined her in and turned to face
Jaisyn. She knew that under the
helmet, he was beaming. She was
going to take pleasure in thrashing him
when they returned.
Jaisyn turned Ajax and heeled him
into a slow canter, waiting for Stephen
to bring Lulu alongside the stallion.
“Give Lulu her head.” Her voice
was low, but firm, her eyes narrowing
when her brother paused a second too
long to comply. Just when it seemed
like Stephen would comply, a loud
battle cry rose around them and the
sound of steel hitting steel rushed their
ears.
Stephen, instead of doing as she
asked, turned to the sound. Feeling
the cold clasp of fear for the very first
time in her young life, Jaisyn briefly
looked back as she yelled, “Now,
Stephen! Go!”
Aware now of the seriousness of
their situation, Stephen leaned further
over Lulu and the mare began to run.
Jaisyn did the same, and Ajax sped
along beside Lulu.
They’d passed the first stone
archway marking the path to St. Ives
Castle when Jaisyn heard the raucous
sound of male voices behind them.
Her heart stilled for the fraction of a
second, before it began a hard
thundering. There were still two more
archways to pass, which meant they
were nowhere near the castle. Even
the outriders would be unable to see
them. A peek over her shoulder
revealed the soldiers were gaining on
them. She made a decision.
“Oh sweet Goddess,” she intoned in
fear. “Faster, Stephen!”
Lulu wasn’t as fast as Ajax but the
mare sped up as if knowing the
direness of the situation.
“Keep going, Stephen!”
Jaisyn brought Ajax to a halt and
turned him, prepared to meet whoever
was coming after them. Her sword
screeched as she removed it from her
scabbard and held it above her head.
“Jaisyn!” She heard Stephen scream
but the adrenaline was rushing
through her body. She waited until she
could make out a body, a massive
giant with an equally large sword held
high. He reminded her of a demon
from Pantalus, the mythical realm for
all evil. As he continued to charge her,
Jaisyn steeled herself, screamed her
battle cry, and urged Ajax forward.
They met midway and the ringing
sound of steel on steel could be heard
for miles. It was a dance of death, as
the horses circled each other and their
masters attacked and retreated, each
searching out the weakness of the
other. Jaisyn ducked a thrust that
would have taken her head and
returned an attack that pierced
through the shoulder slit in the
soldier’s armor. He screamed in pain
and lashed out with the flat of his
sword.
She didn’t react quickly enough and
with a groan of pain, toppled from
Ajax. The soldier immediately came
forward.
“Yer gonna pay for that one,” he
snarled, following her down. Jaisyn
scampered back, looking wildly in the
mud for her sword. She found it and
stood, ready to fight to the death.
He lunged at her with his massive
size and Jaisyn dodged to the side.
Although small, she was fast, and
knew to use it to her advantage. With
a snarl, he lunged again and she
eluded him. Thrown off balance by
her fast movements, the man spun on
unsteady feet to confront her. She was
ready. Her sword found its mark at
his neck, screeching against the
protective helmet as it pierced his skin
clean. Tugging her sword back, Jaisyn
stared transfixed as the dark blood
sputtered from his throat. She’d never
seen so much blood before...
“Jaisyn!”
Stephen’s
scream
brought
her
around just in time. Another soldier
was riding for her. On horseback, he
had the advantage. She looked to her
mount, realized it was too far, and
stood her ground. As he advanced,
she dodged away, bolting in the
direction of Ajax.
Knowing she would never be able to
vault onto him with the heavy armor,
Jaisyn patted his flank twice, hoping
he remembered the command and
didn’t ignore her as he sometimes did.
Slowly, Ajax lowered himself and as
quickly as she could, she lay on his
back, grateful when he popped up
moments later.
The soldier was heading for her at
breakneck speed. She found the
stirrups and urged Ajax forward.
Jaisyn met her new attacker in a clash
of swords, a dance of death. He was
better than the last; quick, like her.
Several times, he came close to killing
her. In the end, he overreached, and
her blade found its mark in between
his shoulder plate and breast armor,
coming away bloodied. As he fell
from his horse with a moan, Jaisyn
turned to Stephen. With his sword
arm incapacitated, she saw no need to
kill the man.
“Get on Lulu!”
Her brother stared at her, transfixed.
At some point, he must have jumped
from the horse and drawn his own
weapon. Lifting her bloodied sword,
she pointed in the direction of the
mare and yelled, “Now, Stephen!”
That spurred him into action. In the
next moment, he was running for the
horse, using a boulder to secure his
perch on the animal. As the sound of
battle grew closer—the clashing of
swords, the screams of the fallen
soldiers—Jaisyn used her sword to
point to the clearing.
“Go back to the castle, Stephen!”
“Jaisyn—”
“Leave now or die!”
He stilled before giving her a quick
nod. As he kicked Lulu into a gallop,
Stephen yelled, “I’ll bring more
warriors, Jaisyn! I swear it!”
She waited a few minutes, enough
to give Lulu time to gain a good
distance, before nudging Ajax into a
gallop behind her brother.
The thundering of the ground
beneath her told her she had
company. A quick glance over her
shoulder confirmed it. A soldier on
horseback urged his steed after her,
and a few on foot yelled with
bloodlust as they too gave chase.
When she was far enough to escape
the two on foot, Jaisyn pulled Ajax to
a halt and turned him.
He snorted and pranced, shaking his
dark mane, perhaps in anticipation. As
if feeling his mistress’s unrest, Ajax
pawed the muddy ground and snorted.
When he reared, Jaisyn held on,
digging her heel into his side.
The Morden soldier came into view
as Jaisyn released a loud battle cry
and her mount surged forward. They
clashed brutally and with his bulky