Knight's End (The Knight Trilogy) (14 page)

“Yes, dear,
Queen
. Not Duchess of
Summerslade
. She wants to be Queen of Adion. You must have realized that?” Marga
ret chastised
.

Jacob had heard enough. His bride had run away from him? Was his family not good enough? He came from a noble line, but it wasn’t enough for his Jade. No, she had to run off and find adventure, romance! Jacob stormed down the hallway, knocking over a young girl carrying clean towels as he raced for his room.

The duke’s son grabbed his satchel and stuffed it with half the clothes he had brought with him. He made his way to the kitchen and grabbed two loaves of bread and a block of c
heese before leavin
g the palace and heading toward
the stables.
His horse was in a stall at the back of the stable. Jacob wasted no time in saddling the animal, showing a halter into his pack as well.

If Jade wanted to find adventures, she could find them with
him
.

*
*

Aston pushed Jade behind him. Night had fallen a
nd they were outside the palace, standing alone on the edge of the stone path leading to the castle doors. They were just outside the ring of light offered by the tall torches lining the path, and Jade had been about to stride forward into the light.
Aston took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

Jade had had the
bright idea that they should enter
the castle instead of waiting outside, as that hadn’t worked so wel
l for Aston the last time. The knight
, on the other hand, didn’t want to get anywhere near the inside of the castle, unless he had to.

“No one has recognized you, Aston! You’re safe here,”
Jade placated
, patting him on the back.

“Just because commoners don’t know who I am
doesn’t
mean the king won’t,” he repl
ied. He looked up at the palace
be
fore him again. Dark grey stone covered in moss
, and about two hundred people inside who would want to
bring him right back to Fridel to claim the prize on his head.

“Calm down and follow me. No one w
ill notice you, I promise,” she encouraged, gli
ding forward from the shadows. Aston made a grab for her, missed, and gave up, following her
with a gentle curse
along the stone path leading to the front door
.
  He tried his best to look inconspicuous, but more than once he caught himself staring at the ground or fiddlin
g with his sword’s bronze hilt
. He wa
s uncomfortable, but Jade glided
before him like a true lady.

She’
d changed before they left the
inn, pulling a dress from her bag and walking down the hall to the bath area. When she’d come back, Aston had stared at her until she walked out the door,
expecting him to follow. Now, walking behind her, he caught himself staring again.

Jade’s dress was baby blue, long and flowing. White lace wrapped around each sleeve, which cut off at her elbows. The same elegant material wrapped around the collar, which dipped low on her neck, allowing just a pe
e
k of
the pale flesh
underneath. Every once in a while, with her flouncing steps, Aston caught a glimpse of the riding boots she still wore. H
e smiled. His Jade was a warrior
, all business when needed.

His eyes widened at the thought. His Jade? When had she become
his
Jade?

As if hearing her name
in his head, Jade turned
and gave him a dazzling smile
.
She’d lined her eyes again and somehow managed to do her hair without any tools. She’d pulled some of it back and fastened it at the back of her head with a little silver clip, allowing the rest to wave over her shoulders and down her back. She looked more like a princess than ever before, and As
ton found himself wondering
who she really was.

As they neared the front door, the guards stepped in front of them.

“Halt, who goes there?” the taller of the two asked.

Aston froze, not sure what to answer.

Thankfully, Jade spoke
.
“I am Princess Jade du Halen. King Aric du Halen sent me with one of our knights to protect your king.”

Aston gaped at Jade. Jade du Halen?
The
Jade du Halen? The runaway princess K
ing Aric wanted him to track
had been with him the entire time? He closed his mouth
with an audible
click
when the guards cast him a funny look, remembering that this wasn’t supposed to be news to him.

Jade grabbed a charm hanging from the thin silver chain at her neck and lifted it over her head, sliding the necklace off. She held it out for the guards to see. The man who had spoken nodded his approval, seeing King Aric’s crest engraved onto the large emerald charm.
After exchanging one last glance, the guards moved aside and bowed
, allowing them entrance.

As soon as the guards were out of sight and they were alone in the hall, Aston grabbed Jade by the elbow, spun her around, and pushed her into a wall. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” he growled, his voice low and angry.

Jade swallowed, paling a bit. “I didn’t want you to send me home,” she replied, her voice small.

Aston cursed and released her, turning away and running a hand through his dusty hair.
“Do you have
any
idea what would happen to me if people saw us together? People who knew you were
missing?” Aston started pacing as his mind whirled through the possibilities.

“I would tell them I ran away from Marquess Jacob,” Jade replied, standing tall.

“That’s what this is about? You ran away because you didn’t want to get
married
?” Aston asked, turning back to her and pressing her against the wall again. “Are you
daft
, woman?”

His voice rose when he insulted her
,
and
Aston watched as Jade’s eyes flashed with her anger
.

“I am not
daft,
Aston Smith. I am a young woman who doesn’t want to marry a stuck up little boy,” she answered.

“Jacob of Summerslade
is older than you,” came his
reply.

“In age maybe,
but not in mind,
soul, or
spirit
. He acts like a toddler, Aston! He throws tantrums to get what he wants! He missed his own father’s funeral to come to Adion to marry me! Who would want to marry a man like that?” Jade exclaimed, putting her hands on Aston’s shoulders and forcing him back a few steps.
She released him as soon as she had room to step away from the wall and clenched her fists at her sides.

“Every woman who doesn’t have the privilege to marry into the
royal family,” Aston responded sarcastically. He wasn’t sure if he was angrier about Jade being who she was or at the thought of her marrying Marquess Jacob.

“Well, they can have him. In case you haven’t noticed, I already
am
in the royal family. Therefore, I don’t need Jacob.” Her thoughts voiced, Jade walked away, leaving Aston to run after her.
But Aston wasn’t finished with their conversation, so he fell into step beside her and spoke out of the corner of his mouth.

“Are there any other secrets you feel like sharing?” Aston whispered as they made their way
down a well-lit corridor. Servants and guards
were scattered through this one, some whispering, some talking in normal voices, all somber. Normally at this time,
the
servants were already decorating for the winter ball. This year, every eye was open, looking for someone suspicious. Their king was in danger; no one felt the need for celebration.

“Why don’t you go and talk to someone, see if anyone has noticed anything suspicious,” Jade ordered Aston. At his raised brow, she rolled her eyes and shoved him away. “Say you are on official business for King Aric du Halen and no one wil
l question you,” she said.

The knight
sighed and w
alked away,
shaking his head as he realized Jade wouldn’t answer any more of his questions right now. He approached
a group of servants
standing not too far from them.

**

Jade waited until he seemed deep in conversation before
she left, making her way toward
the throne room.
Ernst was probably already in the castle somewhere; she would answer Aston’s questions for later. Right now, finding The Rogue Royal before he killed King Roland was more important.

Several courtiers
stopped her to exchange pleasantries on her way, but Jade
made her exchanges and then quickly excused herself.
When she reached the throne room, she was surprised to see no guards posted outside. When she entered, the king was alone.

“Sir
e
?” she inquired.

The king looked up at her, his eyes swollen and red. “Oh, Lady Jade. What an unexpected pleasure,” he said, standing and bringing the young woman into a hug.

“What are you doing in here alone, Your Majesty?” Jade asked, allowing the king to resume his seat while she settled herself comfor
tably on the floor at his feet, her back to the door.
She’d never been a fan of protocol, and in the king
’
s last hour she wanted him to be comfortable.

“It doesn’t matter how many guards one has. This
Rogue Royal
always sends notice about when and where he is going to kill, and he always succeeds. I don’t want to fight my fate. If he didn’t think I deserved to die, he wouldn’t be after me,” the king
said, his eyes shining with tears.
“I have done horrible things, Lady du Halen. Things I should not speak of with someone so innocent.”

“Sir
e
,” Jade replied softly, feeling tears in her eyes as well. She wasn’t as close to King
Roland
as she was to many others, but he always invited her family for his winter ball. She’d spent every winter, as long as she could remember, coming to his palace dressed in her best dress, dancing the night away with her father and any young man who wanted her. This palace was as familiar to her as her own.

“It’s alright
, Lady du Halen. I
am not afraid of death,” he consoled
,
glancing
up as the doors opened again. Jade knew without looking who it would be. The clock in the hall
began to chime
; midnight. Time for t
he Rogue to kill his target.

“Why are you here, Jade?”

She heard his deep voice right behind her.
She hadn’t realized he’d gotten so close. “You’ve become quieter, Ernst,” she replied, not turning around to meet his gaze. She knew what she would see; cold, steely
emerald eyes, so much like her own.

“You’ve become naïve, sister.”

“Pain is inevitable.
 
Suffering is optional.”
-M. Kathleen Casey -

What happened to you, Ernst?” Jade asked, her eyes fixed on the king. He sat, unmoving, in his throne, his eyes studying the face of the man about to murder him.

“I grew up, Jay. I left the palace and learned things no man should know. Now, I am righting other’s wrongs with my own.”

“You don’t have to kill anyone else, Ernst. Go home. Go home to Mother, and Father. Tell them you love them, and you’re sorry you left. Your secret will be safe,” Jade pleaded. It was the same conversation she’d had with him in Adion. He’d killed Duke Aeron across the hall from her bedroom. She’d tried to stop him, but he was stronger than her.

“You know I can’t do that, baby sister. These men
deserve
what they get.” Ernst was standing beside her, now, and Jade looked up, surprised to see he was wearing a cobalt mask. She could still tell it was him, but she doubted anyone else would be able to.

She stood, putting herself between her brother and the king. “I can’t let you do this, Ernst,” she said, backing up until the backs of her knees were even with the king’s.

“You can’t stop me. Didn’t you learn that last time, before you squealed like a girl and called Prince Talbot to your side?”

Jade scrunched her nose at her brother. “I didn’t know Prince Talbot was there any more than you did, brother. Why King Donn would send his son, I don’t know, but I
didn’t
know the prince was in the palace. I thought you were going to kill me, Ernst. That’s the
only
reason I screamed. I would never do anything to make you unsafe! You should know that,” Jade said, begging her brother to understand
. She knew that if he was
set on killing the king, the king would die. She wished the monarch would stand, run, do
something
other than wait for death.