Destiny Scorns

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  News indeed traveled very fast in the city but Gorham and Sidney had disappeared and no one seemed to know where they were. There was no trace of them anywhere around the castle. They sent word privately to Alice's castle. Half an hour later, it was Jared who was ridding furiously into the castle. He stormed in demanding to know the guards who were supposed to be keeping an eye on the king.

  `How dare you send word that you have lost the king?' he shouted. `I have been guarding him for almost three years and not once had he ever slipped under my fingers. What the hell were you people doing?'

  One of the guards who had a bit of courage in him spoke up, `We are afraid that something terrible might have happened to him?'

  `Terrible? Terrible won't be enough a word to describe what you are going to go through after this. I don't want your theories I want information on where he might be.'

  The same guard earlier spoke again. `Miss Sidney has also disappeared along with him.'

  `Why didn't you start with that?' Jared felt like slapping him in the head. This cleared up a lot. Gorham just wanted a bit of privacy with Sidney after she had accepted his proposal.

  `But they are not anywhere in the castle and they weren't seen going out.'

  There goes his hope. `Have you questioned everybody in the castle?' `Yes sir.'

  `And you are sure that it was everyone?'

  `No,' the guard looked panicky for the first time. `I don't remember seeing the messenger you sent within the castle this morning.'

  `I don't send messengers here. I come by myself.'

  `He said that he came from the castle...'

  `Do you let everyone who says that into the castle?' he was almost shouting again and tried very hard to bring himself under control. Being in power was frustrating and he was experiencing it firsthand.

  `Tell them that the security is slacking.' A voice came from behind the formation in front of Jared. Then a figure was walking round them towards him, `Remember me?' he asked.

  Oh! Did he remember! `Victor? What are you doing here?' They embraced and patted each other like old friends which they probably were if you looked at it from some angle.

  `Probably picking up the slack that you leave behind.'

  Jared laughed at that. `No seriously, I thought I would never see you again.'

  `And I thought you would stay a bachelor forever!'

  `Stranger things have happened. You and I know that.'

  `Indeed,' remembering how he was always beating Jared in the training field.

  `Given that you are here, I take it you know where the king is?'

  `Of course.' Everybody was listening to them. `He asked me to smuggle him out of the castle to spend some time in privacy with Sidney.'

  `And you did this because?'

  `He ordered me to.'

  `But you are here. Who is protecting them?'

  `Jared, you of all people know that I don't have to be close to protect them and so everybody wins.'

  `Everybody wins eh? I suppose I shouldn't send out a search party?'

  `Completely unnecessary. For one thing they won't find them and the other, they'll be back before the festival starts.'

  `I know I'm not supposed to trust you but why do I find it hard to not do that?'

  `Because you know me and you know that I'm a man of my word.'

  The silence in the room was deafening. Finally Jared said, `Okay Victor, I trust you.'

  `I'm glad some things never change.'

  `And never will, but I want to win back my wager that I can still beat you.'