Mercenary War - Book 2

Chapter 13

         As Kole reached the center of the courtyard, he felt a hand on his shoulder. A servant had stopped him. A girl. She had long, red hair that fell in curls over her shoulders, around her face, and down her back. She was shorter than the average female, barely four feet and eleven inches. Her emerald green eyes were piercing and friendly and her build was full, but not overweight. He would not say she was beautiful, but he thought she was cute. She had an innocence about her that made his heart ache with a pain he had never before felt. "Sir, Kole?"

         "Yes, milady?"

         She blushed at his expression. "The king has requested your presence." She looked down at the hem of her green dress.

         "Can you take me to him?" He tried to smile but it was forced and he felt as if he had genuinely forgotten how. She gave him a sad smile and nodded, twirling away to escort him. He walked behind her and took in his surroundings. The guard felt awkward and out of place in the great hall and he wondered how Fallon must have felt when he first came here. How his internal conflict must have eaten at him over time, being around an infinite amount of people who must have seemed to him to be completely innocent. He swallowed hard and when he focused in front of him again, the enormous wooden doors to the throne room were being opened for him to enter.

         He nodded to the girl and she turned to leave. Grabbing her arm, he stopped her. "May I have your name? Please?"

         She gave him a cheeky smile like that of a girl younger than herself. "Arenn, sir. My name is Arenn." She pulled away and hastened back to her duties.

         Kole looked after her for just a moment before continuing through the doors to meet with his king. He approached the throne and dropped to one knee before the monarch, his head bowed. "My lord," he greeted. Dane watched him in concern from beside Calya, his heart breaking for what he saw in the other man’s eyes.

         "Kole, stand,” Fallon said. "If anyone has the right to stand before me, it is you. I am assigning you an official position. I expect you to accept it since we are both still alive. I am assigning you as our personal guard. You will live on the royal grounds and will never have a worry concerning money or food or anything else."

         "Your highness, if I refuse, I have nowhere else to go and nothing else I can do. If I can be so bold, sir…" He hesitated. Fallon nodded for him to continue. "My life is gone now. The past two years stole who I was. I am nothing."

         The queen felt an ache in her chest as she saw the poorly hidden agony in the other young man before them. She looked at her husband with concern. Clearing his throat softly, the king stood and walked slowly to his friend. "Kole," he said, placing a hand on the other's broad shoulder. Kole looked up into his eyes. "You did not become nothing. You became different. It will not be easy, but you can find other things to enjoy. You will never be the same and I take full responsibility for that. I feel as though I have stolen your very soul from you. However, if I know anything, it is this." He gestured to his wife and child. "Losing yourself does not mean you can never find yourself again. It merely means you may not find the same self you remember." The king pulled something from his belt and handed it to the soldier. Lowering his eyes, Kole recognized the shears he had used to cut the king's hair. He nodded wordlessly, keeping his head lowered in embarrassment.

         With a pat, the king returned to his seat beside his wife. Lifting his voice, he called back the red haired maid. "Arenn! Please show Sir Kole to the guest chamber."

         The girl hurried in from the hallway she had been trying to discreetly watch from. Her cheeks were flushed from being found out and she bowed low before beckoning to the newly appointed guard. Kole followed her. After a moment, he looked her up and down, taking in her appearance. She had a leather corset tied about her waist, showing her natural curve. Her curly hair was loose and bounced as she walked. He moved to walk closer to her side than behind her. Her face was still pink and he gazed at her a quick moment before clearing his throat and looking ahead.

         Calya looked at Fallon confused. "Fallon, why did you choose her instead of Gammir or Dane?"

         Fallon chuckled sadly and looked at his wife with a small smile that matched. "She was trying to hide in the hallway to watch him after escorting him to the hall. I could see it, even from this distance, that Kole had piqued her interest. He needs someone he can feel comfortable around and she left her duties to see what would become of him. Maybe I am mistaken, but I just have a feeling that she is exactly what he needs right now."

         The queen could not tell if he was being romantic because he had missed her too much, or because he genuinely saw something she had missed.

         He abruptly stood and pulled her up to him by the hand. He waved a maid over and told her to keep an eye on Trayzer playing on the floor a little ways away. Then, in one sweeping motion, he lifted his wife into his arms, kissed her deeply, and carried her from the throne room and down the hall. He would be back soon, but he needed his wife.

         "When did you begin at the palace?" Kole asked Arenn, suddenly. "I would have recognized you if you had been here before I left."

         Surprised, she glanced at him, holding his gaze longer than she intended. "The queen graciously brought me in after my family lost our home and farm nearly two years ago in the first attack on the city. I lost my little brother and was the only one to escape without severe injuries. Her majesty hired me to support my parents who can no longer work."

         Uncomfortable, the man looked at the wall. He did not intend to bring up painful memories for the young woman. "I'm sorry. I did not know."

         The girl smiled sadly and gave an ironic chuckle. "It seems we may not be all that different," she replied quietly. He almost missed her words as she stopped in front of a door and opened it. She quickly opened the drapes and let the light in before retreating back to the hallway to let him enter. She watched him as he peered silently into the empty room. She took in his appearance. His face was scruffy and worn, scars criss-crossing his skin in multiple places where skin was visible. He looked older than he was, his haunted eyes almost vacant and yet at the same time filled with a deep agonizing sorrow. His hair was shaggy and messy, unkempt from the journey. His clothes were covered in dirt and his hands deeply scarred and calloused. He was a big man, intimidating and threatening. She thought he may have been laid back at one point. He looked vaguely familiar, like she had seen him in the city before. He was handsome. Despite his tired expression and the small scars on his face, he was attractive in a way she could not quite explain.

         She nearly jumped when he finally took a step into the room. "I'll leave you then." Yet she lingered another moment before turning to walk away.

         "Please, Arenn," came his coarse voice. "I don't want to be alone. Can you… stay?" He cleared his throat to keep his voice even. "I just want someone to talk to."

         She timidly came to the doorway and observed him. "I don't know."

         "Leave the door open. I am afraid of what I will do by myself. I haven't been alone in so long."

         Arenn nodded even though she knew he didn't see. Slowly, she walked past him. And taking his hand, led him to the bed. When he was sitting, she pulled a chair to the edge of the bed and sat down. There was silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then his voice came, low, rough, and full of such raw emotion the girl had never heard before.

         "I had never seen the king like he was that morning when we left the city. He was dark, intimidating, like a demon from hell itself. I did not know at the time that following him would eventually do the same to me…"