Phoenix Destiny

Twenty-Four

She nervously surveyed her small band of rescuers who had no trouble dispatching a group more than three times their number. The idea she might be worse off suddenly occurred to her.

Her voice wavered as she asked, “Who are you?”

“Mercenaries hired by your father to take care of these men and to bring you back to him,” Jaron answered. “He expressed a keen interest in paying them back in kind for any ill-treatment you may have suffered.”

“You’re mercenaries?”

He nodded.

“How much did he pay you?”

“Two chests from the treasury, I don’t know their exact contents, and your weight in gold. I don’t know all the details since I didn’t handle the negotiation.”

“And here I thought you were noble men. You’re just the same as them,” she gestured to the raiders.

“There is one very big difference.”

“What?”

“They are very dead.”

“As will you be for this life you lead. I will not let my father’s gold be a part of it,” she said and kicked Gambler’s side.

The stallion grunted. Its ears flicked back and forth, but it didn’t move.

“Come on!” she yanked on the reins, wrenching the stallion’s head backward.

Gambler whinnied protest but remained rooted.

Jaron snatched the reins, pulling them out of her grasp, and glared at her. Gambler huffed gratitude. She tried to meet his disapproval with her own but could not hold his fierce gaze.

“If there is one constant, princess, it is that a soldier’s most trusted friend is his horse, mine more than most.”

Gambler nudged his shoulder and Jaron obligingly petted the stallion’s long face. The princess stared. She opened her mouth to say something, then quickly closed it as Jaron bowed and touched his forehead to the gray horse's. Then he patted its neck while his compatriots finished their work.

* * *

The General waited, nervously tapping the pommel of his sword. His company had made short work of the invaders once Ivy whistled Jaron’s success. Now they waited a few leagues from the castle for Jaron’s group to catch up. He hoped the small group hadn’t taken casualties. He wanted Jaron to take more men, but Jaron was confident in his chosen troops.

Ivy perched on a signpost and seemed unconcerned. The dragon’s large ears pricked and she chirped. A few moments later, a call went up through the men and the General turned to see seven riders loping up. Jaron’s company let out a cheer and the General felt the tension ease out of him.

The small group slowed to a jog, then a walk as they neared the waiting company. Jaron halted in front of the General and saluted. Stretching out an arm, he caught the eager dragon as it dove. Beside him, astride a small, bay mare, the princess gasped at Ivy’s sudden appearance. She had not had a good view of the reptile before.

“Princess,” the General bowed from the back of his horse before turning to Jaron. “You are short one.”

“He’s leading the horses,” Jaron nodded back the way they had come. Several of the horses were weighed with the spoils of the small encampment and had been tethered in a long train to make it out of the forest.

“Good ones?”

“Some. Looks like they bought or stole cart horses to add to their stock.”

The General nodded. That was common enough. Then he asked, “Any trouble?”

“It will take more than twenty to cause us trouble.”

A brief cheer from his men echoed the sentiment.

“Well then, let’s get moving.”

The company rode on to the castle. Jaron dropped back to ride with the other captains while the princess rode beside the General. She stole occasional glances in his direction, but he didn’t seem to notice. The majority broke off at the gate to return to the camp. The General, princess, Jaron and a handful of others rode on and halted at the keep.

A knight took control of the princess’s horse while another helped her dismount. The king burst out of the keep draped by fur-lined robes and hugged her. Tears streaked his face as he released her and quickly wrapped her in his robes. Then he turned to the waiting mercenaries.

“Thank you for bringing my daughter back.”

“Your Majesty,” the General bowed. “Thanks for your daughter’s safe return should go to Jaron. He led the party responsible for finding her.”

The king followed the General’s gesture until his gaze fell on Jaron, quietly standing beside Gambler with Ivy perched on his arm. A smile spread across his face, revealing crooked teeth. He walked up to Jaron and grasped his hand, saying, “Thank you, Jaron. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Your Majesty. But it was our General who came up with the plan.”

“Of course,” the king turned back to the General. “You will be compensated fully, as agreed. Allow us to properly thank you for your efforts with a feast!”

The king slung an arm around his daughter and escorted her inside. As they disappeared, knights delivered their payment and saw them off the grounds. Returning to camp, the General divided the take while the soldiers traded weapons and looted items. Jaron left Ivy and Gambler to watch when the General summoned him.

“Here’s your take, my boy.”

Jaron looked at the three bulging purses the General set out for him.

“A bit more than a captain’s share.”

“It is four captain’s shares.”

Jaron raised an eyebrow at the obvious show of favor.

“Winter’s coming. You’ll need the coin. Besides, you earned it.”

“I only did my part.”

“Your part was doing something with less than half the number of men someone else would have used to accomplish the same task. Where did you learn such a strategy? Certainly not from me.”

“Trickery is hardly a strategy, but it seems a good enough substitute in many situations.”

“Well, it works. That’s why I’m sending you and your company north, to Borden. They have some troubles there that could use your touch.”

“Just my company?”

“Harlea needs us to end a border dispute. You are the only one I dare to send alone.”

In all the time he had spent with the company, never once did Jaron hear of a captain being sent on his own to handle a contract. The General liked to handle things personally.

“Take it. It’s yours,” the General gestured to the purses. “Now, let’s enjoy the king’s hospitality, shall we?”

Jaron’s brow furrowed, but he nodded. He accompanied the others to the castle but slipped away before entering. The last thing he wanted was to enter the castle again. His head often pounded, especially near stone walls, and he’d just as soon avoid it all together.

His life, it seemed, was stable for once. He had a defendable position; friends, or at least comrades, guaranteed income and meals. Why then is my mind so unsettled? Where is Artac when I need him?

Gambler snorted. Ivy chirped.

“Why are you out here?” Jaron asked aloud with a sigh. “Haven’t you learned your lesson about going around unescorted?”

A small gasp came out of the shadows. He looked over his shoulder to see the princess step into the moonshine. She wore a dark, simple gown, most likely azure blue, as was Northern custom. Someone had tried their best to even out her ravaged hair and covered the rest with a wimple.

Powder lightened her bruises, and he wasn’t sure what was used to camouflage her cut lip. Clean and clothed, she looked like the princess she was. As she stepped closer, she warily glanced at the reptilian perched on Gambler’s saddle. Ivy’s eyes shined like torches.

“We’re only in the shadow of the castle,” she finally said.

“Best place for an ambush,” he answered, pointing to the nearby forest. “All that makes for excellent cover. The knights patrol infrequently and no one expects an attack so near the wall. You’re lucky we didn’t let them go.”

“You’re here.”

“I won’t be for long.”

“You could stay,” she edged closer. “You could train our knights. Help my father. And maybe—”

“No.”

“Why?” she seemed hurt at his quick answer.

“I don’t belong here.”

“But you could.”

Her tone caught him by surprise.

“You could make this place your home. I could help.”

He shook his head. It wasn’t that simple. There was no way to explain that she was too young. He had other places to be. And someone else already had a place in his heart, if he was being honest.

“You know what they did to me, don’t you?”

He nodded. He finally recognized the smell.

“How can I tell anyone? How can I tell my father?”

“You tell them or you don’t.”

She jerked at his bluntness.

“That’s all any of us can do.”