Half Heart

  Chapter 17

  “I see you have been taking good care of Dido.” I brushed the impatient horses’ mane. I had to stand on a stool to be able to get the top of his head.

  “I have to,” Adda replied. “He was Wade’s.”

  I nodded. The horse had been Wade’s, but only for a short while.

  “Have you talked to Mama and Papa about the trip yet?” Adda asked me with hope in her voice.

  “Yes.” I tried to keep a solemn look on my face, but a short laugh burst out. “And they said…“

  “Yes!” Adda shouted. “They said yes?”

  I shrugged. “How could they refuse the queen?” I slipped her a sly grin. “You’re coming to Mount Geot with me.”

  “Yes!” She jumped up in the air with her arms above her head. “After reading so much about the Elves, I am dieing to see them.”

  “I’m dieing to see them two, especially after that book with the living pictures.” I stopped brushing the horse and stepped down off the stool. “Do you think we should bring that book? It may help us while we are there.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Adda said thoughtfully. “You can go get it, and I’ll get a servant to saddle Dido and Clupint.”

  “Okay.” I walked through the hay on the ground out of the stables. “Oh, Adda,” I called back, “Make sure they put the saddle bags on them.”

  “I will!”

  I watched Adda as she skipped out of the stables and over to a trough where an older servant stood. The man was petting a horse as it drank. When he heard Adda coming behind him, he turned to her with s big smile on his face. Everybody was always glad to see Adda. She was such a cheerful soul. She would make an excellent traveling companion, as long as she doesn’t talk my ears off before the journey is over.

  I made my way into the castle. It was colder in there than it was outside. The sudden change in temperature caused goose bumps to rise on my arms. I rubbed them trying to smooth the hairs on my arm that were sticking up. The hairs were blonder than they had been last year. I was out in the sun more often. My complexion had darkened quite a bit, and I was very glad. I didn’t feel as much like a restricted princess– Queen, now– as I had before.

  LaShebah passed me in the hallway. “Have you packed the horses with everything yet? Remember that you will need a change of clothes for everyday your gone, and maybe some extra because you know how traveling can be. And you need to…”

  “Don’t worry. I have everything I need, except a book. And I am on my way to get it right now.”

  LaShebah smiled. “Okay. I will be waiting for you outside to see you off.”

  I patted her arm and scooted past her in the narrow hallway. I sped my pace; I didn’t want to keep everyone waiting. I came upon the library door, which was, strangely, closed. Adda and I hadn’t closed it last time we had left it. I pushed the heavy door open, stepped in and shut it behind me. Maybe it was being kept closed for a reason. It probably let in a draft to the rest of the castle.

  I turned around after I had shut the door securely and faced the table. Immediately I gasped. There sitting at the table, leaning over the books… was the man from the road. The man who had thrown the flower. My lip quivered as I tried to grasp what was going on.

  “How did you get in here?” I demanded in a shaky voice.

  The man said nothing. He stood up and pushed his chair in. was he about to disappear again?

  “Wait! What’s your name?” I was curious in a frightened sort of way.

  His mischievous eyes embedded themselves into me. “Soea.” He smirked, then disappeared.

  I was left speechless, my feet glued to the ground. I was afraid to move. His name was Soea. He had magical powers. And he was stalking me.

  I grabbed the book hurriedly and skittered out of the library. I dashed down the hall as quickly as I could. I had to tell everybody. Or… did I? Maybe that was what he wanted me to do. I slowed down, nearly skidding on the stone floor, and regained my cool. I would pretend like nothing had happened. Perhaps then he would leave me alone, after he saw that I wasn’t going to make a big fuss about ‘Soea, the disappearing man.’

  “Layla!” Adda called. She was already on Dido. Ten knights had mounted their horses and were ready to accompany us to keep us safe incase we encountered something that I couldn’t fight off by myself. LaShebah’s idea, not mine.

  “Are you ready, princess? I mean, your Majesty.” Sir Conrad over-exaggeratingly bowed as deeply as he could atop of a horse. He almost fell off, and came back up laughing. Two of the other knights were laughing too.

  “Yes, I’m ready.” I mounted Clupint. “Your knightly-ship.” I bowed equally as low, mimicking Sir Conrad. I, too, almost fell off. I swung myself back up, my face red from being nearly upside-down. I beheld a sight of knights lost in peals of laughter. I smiled and grabbed the reins.

  “Lean down.” LaShebah was beside Clupint, motioning me to lean over so she could kiss my cheek. “Stay out of trouble.”

  “That’s unlikely. Not Layla.” Sir Conrad chuckled, his hands crossed over his lap, and his back slumped over. He was a young knight, a young nineteen years of age, only a year older than Brye. He had followed in his brother’s footsteps, Sir Perkrite, who had been killed in the battle with Aduhlajh. Sir Conrad was the one who had pulled me onto his horse after I had cut off Aduhlajh’s arm. I often wondered about what had happened to Aduhlajh’s army. After we retreated, they did too! We never found out what happened to them. For all I knew, they could have given up, and were sitting in their palace right now.

  LaShebah frowned at Conrad. “I know she’ll behave herself. You keep to your own business.”

  I laughed, squeezing my old nanny’s hand once before I let go. “Farewell, everyone!” I called. There weren’t many people to bid good-bye, though. Just the castle servants, Mr. and Mrs. Heartha, LaShebah and Coca. I was beginning to think LaShebah liked the little monkey! Making clothes for him, not letting me take him on any of my trips. It was odd. She probably didn’t want to admit she cared for the little monkey, after the fit she made when I first brought him home.

  I looked at Adda, legs straddled over her brother’s horse. She had practiced her riding, preparing for her first journey with me. I told her that she wasn’t going to ride with me. So she worked very hard, and now she was nearly better than me. Her handling skills were amazing.

  We had started trotting, all twelve pairs of hooves clanking over the wooden drawbridge. The sky, looming over us, was so blue it was almost purple. The sun beat down with mercy, not making us drop a bead of sweat. The air smelled fresh, like bedclothes that had just taken off the line. The pace was slow-going. I was getting impatient. LaShebah couldn’t see us anymore, so I squeezed Clupint with my heels, making him speed past everybody.

  “Hey!” Sir Conrad shouted good-naturedly. I could feel his horse gaining on me, challenging Clupint and me to a race. I moved over to the side, allowing Sir Conrad to come up beside me. I smiled at him. He smiled back, until I cried, “Yah!” Clupint zoomed in front of them so fast that I could barely make out the smile melting off his face.

  We left them in the dust, unable to catch up. After a few moments I slowed my horse down.

  “You beat me,” said a voice. It should have been Sir Conrad, but it sounded like… Soea!

  I spun around to confront him. “So–” It was Conrad again. I stared at him, puzzled. “So, yeah, I beat you, Sir Conrad,” I finished. I turned back towards the front, my scowling in bafflement.

  “You can call me Conrad, you know. I call you Layla.”

  I pasted on a smile that had deep concentration beneath it. “Thank you, Conrad.” I rode on past him, wanting to be alone to think.

  “Is there something wrong, Layla?” Conrad rode up beside me again.

  I wanted to tell him about Soea, but I didn’t want to ruin my plan. Soea could be watching right now, just waiting for me to tell everybody about him. I bit my tongue and shook my head.


  “Yes there is,” Conrad pulled his horse in front of mine, cutting me off. “Tell me.” The lines in his face were soft, but curious. His eyes were such a pale blue they weren’t even there. His hair was an equally as pale, thin blonde hair, as if he had been under the sun all his life. His skin looked like it too. His pale pink lips were always in a slight smile, exposing lustrous white teeth. He had a mischievous air.

  “Even if there was, I wouldn’t tell you!” I made my eyes round and irritated looking, and tried to pass him. He let me by and trotted along beside me.

  “Come on, Layla! Tell Conrad your troubles.”

  Tell Conrad my troubles. Hmm… rather not. I looked back behind me. The rest of the knights were caught in one of Adda’s never ending conversations.

  “I’m sent to protect you. You need to tell me so I can do my job. If your trouble could be dangerous, I need to know.” He watched me intently.

  I had never thought about that. What if Soea was out to hurt me? Or kill me? I touched my neck reflexively. But, no. I jerked my hand down onto the reins. I couldn’t tell him. It would ruin my plan. I looked at Conrad. He looked relentless. I doubted I could get away without telling him something. He was very full of pride. He wanted to help anybody any chance he got. I would have to make something up.

  “I’m not sure if Adda is ready for this type of journey. I need somebody to watch over her like a hawk.” That was a lie. I knew she was ready for something like this, and if she weren’t I wouldn’t have let her come.

  Conrad nodded, his eyebrows knit together. “I see.” He made his voice deeper than usual, trying to sound more professional. “I’ll watch her!” He smiled, his voice normal now.

  “Really?” I tried to act surprised, and overwhelmed with happiness, which I actually in a way was. He was taken.

  “Sure! I won’t tell her, though. She might get defensive if she knows.”

  “Yes,” I nodded. I was laughing hysterically inside. “Will you start watching her now?”

  “Yeah!” He grabbed his horse’s reins, turned around and head back towards everyone else.

  Wow. I had gotten him off my case, and got him to leave me alone for a while all at once. Now I could trot in peace. And think without being questioned about the look on my face. I sighed, relaxing my tense muscles. My body swayed in the warm breeze.