Dark Heart

I

(Then)

"Dead." Elowen smirked as she walked away from her dueling partner and toward the water set out for them.

He, of course, was outraged, "Dead? I am not dead. You barely had a scratch on me!" He marched toward her, "You cannot just proclaim me dead. That is not how sword fighting works. Where is Woodson, I want to fight a real swordsman, not some girl."

Elowen sipped her water, waiting for him to finish. The Prince had grown quite a bit since the last time she had seen him, making him taller than her now. His pale blonde hair had grown darker, so had his skin. His bright blue eyes never changed though, she could stare into the sea of glass forever. 

"For your information, Prince," She said the word with no respect, "I cut your femoral artery. You bled out. Sometimes it is not who is the biggest or the strongest, the winner is the one who is smarter and quicker than their opponent. And you were dumb and slow and left your legs exposed. Sword fighting is an art, you cannot just go around hacking at everything with brute strength and call it a 'duel'. That is not how sword fighting works." Elowen threw the rest of her water in his face and the cup on the ground.

"Children, enough!" They had forgotten Grant, their instructor, was still standing there. Elowen crossed her arms and looked away from Garreth, he did the same. "You two are done for the day. Go get cleaned up for whatever lesson you have next and get out of my training pit." Grant waved them off. He was a young man, in his early twenties, discharged from serving in the war after he had been severely injured in a battle. Elowen often caught him waiting for the courier for news from the front. His wife was leading her own battalion, and was barely escaping each skirmish. He hadn't received a letter in several weeks, which lowered his tolerance for their childish antics. 

"What? No, we still have an hour. I do not need arithmetic when we are at war, I need to fight." Garreth had always wanted to fight more than learn. He was a natural with a blade in his hand, even if Elowen beat him most of the time. He was second in line for the throne. His brother was five years older, married, and expecting his first born soon, which would make Garreth third. He was never interested in ruling, but as they got older, the possibility of him actually having to rule grew less and less. That gave him relief, he could put his energy into this training instead of his lessons on history and agriculture.

Grant puffed his chest and pointed with his only arm, "I said get out!" That made the two children scurry off toward the castle. Grant rarely showed his temper, but their constant fighting today had pushed them over the edge.

Garreth tugged on Elowen's elbow, insisting she stop and wait for him. "Show me." 

Elowen furrowed and crossed her arms. "Show you what?"

He mirrored her stance, "How did you get past my defense? I've never seen that technique used before."

"A girl never gives away her secrets for free." Elowen grinned as she turned, he envied her. He envied her fighting technique. She walked down the corridor and up the stairs to Ariella's room. She didn't bother knocking as she entered, her sister was sitting in her salon, reading. She looked up and smiled.

"You look happy. What happened?"

"I killed the Prince!" Elowen flopped into the arm chair across from her, legs dangling over one arm, making sure not to get dirt on her sister's furniture.

Ariella giggled, "And how did he feel about that?"

"He yelled at me."

"Well, naturally, as any dead man would."

"I hope he sits next to me at dinner tonight." Elowen imagined the stolen glances between them. Him gently reaching over to hold her hand without their parents noticing. It was all so dramatic and romantic. She sighed aloud.

"Elly, he's three and ten. All he's thinking about is what's for dinner, not who is sitting next to him."

Elowen stuck her tongue out at her sister. "I need to change my clothes for our next lesson." A girl could still dream that a boy was thinking about her. She swung her legs forward and jumped out of the chair.

Ariella was correct to be skeptical, Elowen had tried for three summers to get Garreth's attention. She started wearing prettier dresses and making sure her hair was tucked back. She tried smiling and complimenting him. But when the leaves turned green and the flowers blossomed, he would leave again without noticing her. There were moments when he'd joke with her, invite her and Ariella to play in the woods. But he never asked her to walk the gardens with him. He never asked her to help him pick out a book in the library. The things she dreamed up every winter while he was gone never came true.

But now, Garreth envied Elowen's fighting, and that made her smile. He envied her for something she did not do to impress him but because she loved it, and that made her happier than him noticing her pretty dresses.

Elowen practically skipped to her chambers down the hall. Her dress was laying out on her bed, it was a light green dress made of thin cotton for the hot days of summer that were approaching. She pulled off her dusty clothes that were still a little damp from her sweat. She quickly rinsed off before changing into her dress and pulling her blonde hair back into her usual half twist. If she hadn't stopped to talk to her sister, she would've had time to take a proper bath, but this would have to do.

Arithmetic was not her favorite class, especially since now it had transitioned into more economic applications befitting the ruling class. Elowen sat beside Ariella and across from Garreth. Every now and again she tried to steal glances at him, but he was never looking back. History was Ariella's favorite subject. She loved the politics, the intricacies of fragile trading agreements, and the betrayals. The last lesson of the day was Science. That was Elowen's favorite subject. She was fascinated by Anatomy, Physics, Alchemy, the discoveries man had made were astounding. During that hour, she had forgotten all about Garreth, she was too engaged, too excited. The lesson was over before it felt like it had even started.

Ariella linked arms with Elowen as they walked out of the room, Garreth was trailing just behind.

"Is that how you learned where to cut the leg? In Anatomy lesson?"

The sisters turned, Elowen's heart stopped beating for second and she blinked to start it up again. "Yes."

Ariella stifled a giggle with her hand while Elowen jabbed her in the ribs with an elbow. Garreth looked between them, before meeting Elowen's eyes. Her heart stopped again. She swallowed. "Would you mind teaching me after dinner?"

Elowen could only nod. Her stomach was in knots and suddenly she was very conscious of her appearance. Was her hair in the right place? Were there crinkles in her dress from sitting so long?

Garreth smiled, "Perfect, I will see you both at dinner." Elowen returned the smile and nodded again before Garreth cut down another hallway to avoid walking with the girls.

Elowen felt like puking, hurling up the cherry pastries they had between lessons. Ariella gave her arm a squeeze as they walked back to their rooms. "Elly you look like you are about to be sick. This is a good thing, he asked you on a date! You should be jumping, we should both be jumping." Ariella giggled as she gently shook her via their linked arms.

"Is it a date though?" Elowen's smile faded, "I feel as though he sees me as a friend, or a sister, he did not just ask me on a date. I have pined for him for years, and only now. Only now he asks to talk to me? I have tried everything to get his attention. I have looked prettier, and laughed at his jokes, I have dropped so many hints, and only now that I have bested him, does he talk to me. He does not care for me, he cares for how I have beaten him at war."

Ariella rolled her eyes, "Do not dare fret on the why he asked you, embrace the fact that he asked. Elowen, you are so artful with that sword, something I could ever dream to be. You have even beaten Ean more than once, who is 5 years your senior and who by all accounts should kill you every time. I have been in meetings with Father and Grant, the way Grant praises you," She sighed at not being able to find the words, "You use your knowledge of anatomy and physics to try to perfect new moves. It is amazing. Really. He must see that. He has to see that."

Elowen shrugged, and looked down at the wood floors, still insecure and still unsure of Garreth's intentions. They had reached the point of parting ways to get ready for dinner. "You should wear the blue dress, it pairs well with your eyes and hair. Garreth will love it."

Elowen escaped from her sister's grasp before she could say anything else. She closed herself off in her room. She was too nervous to talk to her sister anymore. Her stomach was tight, her chest was one huge knot. She closed her eyes, put her hands to her face, she took a deep breath and exhaled. The dinner feast would start soon. She wiped her eyes clear of the tears. This was it. She was nervous, too nervous. She was worried, worried that she had jumped to conclusions. This was a simple meeting, he was not asking her for a date. He was asking her for information. 

He did not love her. She had to keep telling herself that as she got ready. As she walked to the dining hall. As she ate her meal. As she sneaked peeks at him to see if he was looking at her. She had to repeat the thought so she could keep herself calm.

The clinking of glasses shook her from her thoughts. She blinked a few times to reorient herself in her surroundings. Dessert had been served, she didn't remember what was for dinner. A piece of pie was sitting in front of her, half eaten. She was sitting next to Ariella, and their father was standing on Ariella's other side. She grabbed her wine glass and lifted it as everyone else did. Her father did not allow them to have wine, except for special occasions. Today was the last day of winter, and her father was standing to make his usual celebratory speech to wish the King and his son good travels North for the summer.

Lord Hartfell was always the tallest man in the room, even if it wasn't physcially. His presence just commanded respect and attention. He spoke loud enough to be heard, but low enough that everyone in the room remained quite in order to hear. Elowen held her wine glass, watching the legs trail down the side as the wine moved around.

She looked down the table at Garreth. At that moment he looked at her. When they locked eyes, he smiled. He smiled at her. She tried to hide her smile and looked away. Her heart fluttered in her chest a little as she directed her attention back to her wine. Maybe?

Ariella nudged Elowen with her elbow, bringing her back to the feast. To her father speaking.

"So we thank King Rolland, and his son, Prince Garreth, for gracing us with their presence this Winter." Everyone raised their glass in celebration for another winter. But before they could drink, Lord Hartfell began again. "We have one final announcement." He looked over at the King, who rose from his chair beside the southern Lord.

"As Lord Hartfell stated, this Winter has been good for our Kingdom. We have prospered, our economy has flourished, and the warfront is stronger than ever. My first grandchild is expected this Summer. And today, today we make our betrothal announcements. After long conversations with Lord Hartfell, we are pleased to announce the betrothal of my son, Prince Garreth, to the lovely and gentle Lady Ariella Hartfell." Elowen's heart stopped. 

Ariella was not as strong as Elowen, she was not as swift with a blade as Elowen, and she was never smarter than Elowen. But, Elowen knew that Ariella was kinder, softer, calmer. She was graceful in a Lady sort of way while Elowen was agile and quick footed that only seemed graceful. She was beautiful too. Elowen was always jealous of her long red hair, it often looked like flames when it danced in the wind. They had the same grey eyes though. The same eyes as their father, but Ariella seemed to make the cold steel color soft and gentle. Ariella was the perfect choice to be a princess.

The King was not finished with his announcment, "And the tenacious and strong Lady Elowen Hartfell is betrothed to Lord Irving Wood, son of Lord Sean Wood. Lady Elowen will be joining us North to Woodstone for the Summer season."

The dining hall filled with the sound of applause, but Elowen's ears were deaf to the sound of everything except her own world shattering. She would be spending the summer away from her home, her family, her sister. Even though Summer solstice was tomorrow, Elowen felt as though it was the coldest day of her life, like she would never be warm again, like she would never be happy again. But she was only two and ten years old, she would not know real sadness until later.