Riches to Rags, page 25
If this was only a portion of their men, Galder’s army must be enormous. A single rider approached with a raised flag, but he wasn’t far ahead of the men behind him. Yurak took his glass back again, alarm crossing his features. He noticed the same thing we all did. They weren’t trotting toward the castle; beast and man alike were running. When the shouts of the front rider came close, we could finally make out his words.
“Tierney is upon us! Open the gates!”
King Yurak briefly hesitated, training his spyglass on the rider again. Asher whispered in my ear, “He’s making sure it’s his men, and not Tierney using the same trick we used to take this castle.”
I turned to him, mouth agape. “Everyone needs to get inside!” I screamed. “If Tierney’s army is right behind them, the fighting could spill through the gate before we can close it.”
Yurak heard me and called to his soldiers. “Women and children inside! Everyone else: Arm yourselves!”
Women kissed their husbands who shoved them into the crowd trying to get into the castle, sharing glances they hoped wouldn’t be their last. Children cried, clutching their mothers’ thighs as they left their fathers behind. The air was thick with fear.
These people had already lost so much, and now they were risking everything again. The King thought Carden would rest his men before the attack and assumed they would attack at dawn. He said we had time to prepare. He was wrong.
Yurak’s men scurried to find their armor and weapons. Shouts and cries came from all angles. Asher’s hand tightened on my arm as the last of the women and children made their way up the steps.
“Go inside with them,” he pleaded.
Matthew jogged to us, carrying a helmet and breastplate he’d found. “Can you help me get this on?” he asked hurriedly.
Asher helped him into it, stepping back when he heard Jewel’s cry. She rushed down the stairs. “What are you doing? You can’t fight, Matthew! You’ll be killed! Ella, come inside!”
“I’ll be right behind you,” I lied. She gave me a look that said she saw right through it.
“Matthew, come with me!” She reached out for him, but he moved out of her reach.
“I can fight, Mother!” he argued, muttering a curse that made her stop in her tracks. He pulled the helmet onto his head.
“Jewel, go,” Asher begged. “I’ll stay right beside him.”
She shifted her weight, torn between protecting her children.
“Go check on Millie, Mum. No one’s down there. She’ll be scared. I’ll stay with Asher, I swear,” Matthew yelled.
With that, she finally went inside.
The Smith’s wagon sat on the cobbled stones. Asher ran to it and rifled around in the back, finding Matthew and himself a sword. Matthew ran to get it and quickly helped Asher back into the armor he’d worn that morning.
I instantly noticed it was the wrong color. It was the dark metal of Tierney. “What if they don’t know it’s you?” I cried.
“Don’t worry about me, Ella. I’ll be fine.” He kissed me fast, but let his hand linger on the small of my back, staring into my eyes like he had so many things to say, but didn’t know where to start. It felt too final. Like he was saying goodbye just in case.
“Asher—”
“RUN!” he screamed, dragging me toward the door just as the portcullis was raised. Men on horseback poured through the open gate. Matthew ran to help with their horses.
The Galderian army was not only renowned for their skills with a blade, their archers were rumored to be the deadliest in all the kingdoms. Their archers took to the wall overhead.
In gleaming, unscratched armor, Trevor appeared in front of me and Asher. “What are you doing out here? Are you insane? Get inside the castle!” he seethed at me before baring his teeth to Asher. “She’ll be their first target!”
He positioned himself between me and Asher, grabbing hold of my upper arms. “Carina, we cannot be distracted while we fight because we’re concerned for your safety. Your safety is paramount. If you want to help, find everything you can that will burn and toss it out the windows. We need wood, fabric—anything that will hold a flame. And we need it now.”
“I’ll help,” I said to Trevor, but not before throwing my arms around Asher, whispering in his ear, “Be safe. Come back to me.”
“I promise. I’m going to find my father, Hayden, and Matthew. We’ll stay together.”
As promised, I went to every room. “Throw anything that will burn out the windows—furniture, tapestries, drapes, bedding. Everything!” I cried to the assembled women and children. Together, we ransacked the rooms and before long, debris was piled high beneath the window.
Soldiers and villagers on the ground bundled what debris they could into tight balls. As a great trebuchet was pulled into the castle yard, rumbling and rattling over the cobblestones, the portcullis slammed closed behind it.
“Ready yourselves!” Yurak screamed above the commotion.
But could anyone ever truly be ready for war?
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
ELLA
My flesh crawled with every scream, every cry that rose to the windows. The archers were able to hold off Tierney’s forces for a while, but the number of soldiers they sent was overwhelming. The trebuchet hurled our makeshift balls of burning debris with practiced precision. They exploded into Tierney’s army, but the hordes kept coming. Like an unrelenting, dark wave upon a sandy shore, their army weathered our strength and diminished our hope.
Explosions rocked the castle, mortar sprinkling from between the great stones with each blast. No one was allowed near the windows. We huddled in the corners of the rooms.
Millie was locked the dungeon by herself. With every able body needed for the battle, the guards locked all the cells and doors and left her behind to join the fight. Jewel was distraught. She hadn’t been able to find anyone to unlock the doors to the dungeon, and she wanted to be with Millie. More than that, she needed to know her husband and son were alive.
Instead, she and I sat beside each other, wincing with every blast, praying every scream wasn’t from someone we loved. Asher had promised he would make it, but could anyone really keep a promise like that?
Minutes felt like hours, and hours like days. The fighting lasted well into the night, and when Tierney’s soldiers finally lifted great ladders, some of their men were able to slip over the wall. They were met with swords, fury, and the unflinching will of a people who weren’t willing to give even an inch of their freedom away. Not again.
Inside, thick smoke wafted in from the windows. The sound of exhaustion and desperate groans filled the air as hour after hour, the battle raged. For hours the panicked, terrified shrieks of the dying intermingled with the silence of the dead.
But at dawn, everything went quiet. And it stayed that way.
I remembered back when Tierney attacked the first time. I was trapped in my room, forced to endure the sounds of battle by myself, when all of a sudden, it went quiet. My fingers began to shake with the memory, fearing a repeat of those moments. Had we lost?
The women and children around me watched as I stood and walked over to my window and looked down into the courtyard. King Yurak’s face was smeared with soot, sweat, and blood. He raised an arm and bellowed, “Princess Carina, the Kingdom of Aelawyn is victorious.”
We won.
I let out the breath it felt like I’d been holding since the battle began and gave him a smile of thanks.
Tierney lost the battle.
It was over. It was finally over. I blinked away tears and walked from room to room, sharing the good news. Then, together, we unbarred the castle door and stepped into the morning sunlight. We survived. Because the people were strong and brave, and because Galder fought with us, we won.
In that moment, I saw why my mother had loved Yurak at one time. He was strong-willed, a true leader, and his men were well-trained and cared for. Standing beside his father, Trevor waved. I waved back, but my eyes restlessly searched the grounds for three other men. Where was Asher? Where were Hayden and Nathaniel?
My eyes flicked back to Trevor, whose smile had evaporated.
“Ella!” a familiar voice called from somewhere in the castle.
“Asher?” My heart thundered as my feet carried me toward him.
Jewel and I ran inside. Asher was walking down the staircase. “I’ve been looking for you. Oof!”
I leapt into his arms, nearly toppling him over, but he just laughed. “Where are Hayden, Matthew, and your father?”
“Around back near the gardens. They’re fine, just exhausted and badly in need of a drink.”
Jewel left us, running to the back of the castle.
“Everyone’s okay? No one was hurt?”
He shook his head. “Matthew fought well. He knew some dirty tricks. I wonder who taught him those…”
I smiled.
“He threw dirt into the eyes of one of the men who came after him. Then he ran him through.”
Pride for him surged through me, but also fear. He was only fourteen. While I knew what it felt like to see death at that age, I didn’t know what it felt like to cause a death.
“He’s okay,” Asher said, stroking my hair as he held me. I didn’t ever want to let go of him. “Do you want to see him?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, you have to let go.”
“But I don’t want to,” I said, laughing.
He smiled and kissed my hair. “Neither do I.”
It took several days for those who fought to regain their strength, but when they were rested, we made a feast fit for our warriors out of beef and lamb. And while the entire village and all of Galder’s men ate and celebrated the victory, King Yurak pledged that his army would stay for a time to make sure King Stefan didn’t try to attack again.
Thankfully, they didn’t return.
Weeks later, half the Galderian force was dismissed by its King and given leave to travel home. Yurak asked Nathaniel and Asher to make all sorts of weaponry for the people of Aelawyn.
“The armory is empty, and the people need weapons to defend themselves with. My men will train anyone willing to learn to fight, with sword, bow, or hands,” Yurak pledged. “Men, women, and children can begin learning right away. We’ll need every person who is able.”
I knew the men who were ordered to stay in Aelawyn couldn’t stay here forever. They had families and lives in Galder. We needed to learn how to protect ourselves.
He kept his word, and for weeks his men worked with the villagers. They trained for endurance, accuracy with a bow, and learned to fight with wooden swords. The trainees never complained or quit, because they’d seen the ravages of war firsthand. They knew how taxing it was on a person. The exhaustion and pain. They knew the cost of not being stronger than the enemy they faced. They’d already buried their friends, family members, and neighbors. Aelawyn was free. Now they had to fight to stay that way.
Once the dust settled and a new sense of peace and normalcy descended over the kingdom, King Yurak and Prince Trevor invited me to dine with them privately. I knew what they wanted. They wanted me to uphold my end of the bargain. There were conditions and expectations that were still required of me.
During dinner, Yurak was gentle but firm. I calmly sipped from my goblet as he lectured me. “Since the battle, you’ve been busy. You’ve walked around the castle talking with the villagers, dressing as they dress, digging in the dirt.”
My eyes snapped to Trevor, but he refused to look up from his plate.
“However, now your people need you to lead. They don’t need a friend or an equal; they need strength. They need to look at you and know you can and will do what’s best for them. Now is the time to set yourself apart from them. Have your own throne constructed, and dress like the Queen they need. They’ve given you the crown and castle; now, you need to focus on helping them repair the damage.”
Throughout Yurak’s speech, Trevor remained quiet. He wouldn’t even meet my eyes, a look of guilt visible on his face.
His father continued, “The damage Tierney caused is superficial. Buildings can be rebuilt. Lives can be mourned. But the damage your father caused was deep. It’ll take a long time to repair the broken relationships with the northern kingdoms, but it can be done, and you have to be the one to do it. Stop wearing dirty overdresses,” he chastised. “Wear a gown. Wear your crown. You’re not a farmer anymore. You are Ella Carina, Princess and soon to be Queen of Aelawyn. Let your people know what kind of Queen you’ll be. Right now, they’re hopeful. Don’t disappoint them by putting your own wants in front of their needs.”
He was right. I hated it, but he was right. The people did need a ruler, and for the time being, that was me. “I’ll do my best to be what they need,” I finally said, properly chastened. “There is a slight problem, though. I no longer own any fine dresses.”
Yurak was prepared for everything. “A caravan with everything you will need, as well as supplies for the castle, should arrive on the morrow.”
The meat in my mouth suddenly felt too chewy and would not break down. I swallowed it along with my pride. “Thank you for your generosity,” I said quietly, remembering my manners. “We will reimburse Galder for whatever provisions you provide.”
“With what?” Yurak asked, a confident smile on his lips.
I wiped it away with a single statement. “Tierney never robbed the treasury. Aelawyn is not destitute, and neither am I.”
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“I’ll forever be grateful for what you’ve done for Aelawyn, King Yurak, but I will pay for anything you give us.”
I wiped my mouth and tossed the napkin over my plate, unable to stomach another bite with them. “If you’ll excuse me.” The legs of my chair scraped loudly against the stone. I didn’t bother to push it back in. And I didn’t look back.
The caravan from Galder arrived the following day with seed, food, fine bolts of fabric, and—true to his word—dresses that had somehow been made to fit me perfectly. I left my chamber in a whisper-soft pink gown with sheer fabric skirts that grazed the floor as I walked down the hall. Jewel had arranged my hair, and instead of a crown, a braid encircled my head. Yurak wanted me to look the part of Princess, but my crown no longer fit. And before I put it on, I wanted to see Asher. I needed him to know that no matter what I wore, how I looked, or how properly I spoke, my heart still belonged to him.
I walked out of the castle and down to the forge within the castle yard, searching for Asher’s familiar face. My eyes zeroed in on him like a magnet. Waves of heat rippled the air around him. When he looked up, his eyes dragged slowly down the length of me and then back up. A lazy smile formed on his face as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a rag and walked out of the building and into the sunlight.
“You look beautiful,” he breathed against my lips before kissing them.
“Thank you. I’ve missed you.”
Nathaniel continued to pound on a red-hot piece of metal, but raised his hammer to say hello before beating at the glowing chunk again, a smile tugging at his lips. Asher had turned to see the exchange and glanced back at me. “We’ve been busy.”
“I know, and I can’t thank you enough.”
He smiled, looking me over again.
I grabbed the fabric of my skirts, feeling shy. “Yurak said I needed to look the part of a princess, but I feel silly.”
He shook his head. “You shouldn’t. This is what you were born for, Ella. This is who you were meant to be.”
But it wasn’t. “I wasn’t meant for this; I was crafted entirely for you, Asher Smith, and you were created solely for me.”
A grin, brilliant as the sun above, stretched over his soot-smeared face. My fingers itched to touch him, but when I lifted my hand to do exactly that, he stopped me. “Don’t. You’ll get dirty. We can’t have that, now can we?”
I supposed not. Lowering my hand, I told him, “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. We’ve been working from dusk till dawn. It’s an enormous undertaking to arm an entire Kingdom—even a small one. We found Aelawyn’s armory, but it was empty. Either the weapons are being stored somewhere else, or Stefan’s men took them. Yurak is having his men look everywhere just in case.” He squinted up at the sun, no doubt checking the time.
“I’m not sure where all the weapons went,” I answered lamely. It was a strange puzzle. Tierney didn’t take them when they took me away, but maybe they came back and took them later. Or maybe the men stationed here to hold the castle for Carden hid them somewhere. It was pure dumb luck that they didn’t find the treasury itself while they were stationed here. Otherwise, we’d have nothing.
My father’s personal treasury was located in a hidden room, and he and all those who knew of the secret room died along with him when Tierney attacked. The only times I was allowed inside the treasury were the times when my head outgrew my crown and a new one was made. My mother would lead me to the dark room, quietly place it on my head, and then send me back to my chamber.
“At least you get to do something useful,” I said grumpily. “I’ve been attending meetings about strategy now that the Kingdom is secure. Yurak wants to invite the northern Kingdoms to visit so he can introduce me and try to secure their alliances.”
Asher reached out to touch an errant strand of hair that escaped my braid, but stopped himself. “You can touch me, Asher.”
