KALDRIC'S POV
I stepped out of the tent when Ardelle was deep in slumber, the freezing air of the North hitting my face, a welcome distraction from the warmth of Ardelle's hand that lingered that provided me with comfort.
Outside, Emerson was waiting, humming to himself while polishing his helm. I almost walked past him to ask Araleth when we could leave.
But, his stern voice cut through the air, "Have you interrogated her yet?"
I stopped in my tracks, "Interrogate her? For what?"
"She was with you everywhere in Sernic. She knows too much. Our stop. The strategies. The formations. Everything." He shrugged monotonously, speaking of the most reasonable thing to do which didn't cross my mind once.
"They took her, tortured her and you think she had nothing to tell them? Don't be ridiculous." He stopped, looking at me with raised brows.
I frowned, "Is that the only reason you save her?"
"I have to save her because she is 'your' bride." He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.
I remained silent.
"Forget it. Tell me, are you going to ask her or shall I do it?"
"Do it yourself. Though you will be disappointed. My bride is the woman of the streets. Terror or wounds couldn't shatter her spirit." I enunciated proudly, folding my arms at my chest.
"But, you can? How gut-wrenching." He smirked, shaking his head and continued cleaning his helm as I went to Araleth.
His words induced a sour sensation. Emerson was absolutely right. My duty was to interrogate her. I should have, I should have questioned whether she spilled the secrets or not.
But, as I stood in the snow, I couldn't fathom doing it.
I didn't want to watch the disappointment in her eyes.
I had disheartened and disappointed her too many times. I didn't want to, Emerson could handle that better than me.
Why should I bother, no?
Shaking my head, I found a basket of apples with Emerson and grabbed a few, cutting them in slices with swift efficiency.
"Are you that hungry?" Emerson raised his brows, checking the tray of sliced apples.
"Hmm." Taking a sharp turn, I went back inside and saw Ardelle had awakened, twirling her fingers around the fur of my cloak I draped on her shoulders.
"Here."
"Oh, Apples," She smiled, loving this fruit as usual, picking a slice and began to eat it. "Did you cut it?"
"No. I grabbed it from a soldier." I lied.
She paused, nervously knitting her brows, "You shouldn't take food from the poor soldiers, My Lord. You already give me Aldwin's during dinner."
"You need… nourishment. They have their share." I muttered, looking in the other direction.
She let out a weak chuckle and finished the tray with a satisfied look.
"Rest for now. We will move soon." I said coldly, taking a tray and leaving her.
Emerson smirked when he saw me, peeling an apple with a small, silver dagger, his movements as fluid and arrogant as ever, completely opposite to my swift ones.
He looked at me, a sharp, knowing glint in his eyes that made my hand instinctively drift toward the hilt of my sword.
"She is a fragile thing, Kaldric," Emerson remarked, tossing a slice of the apple into his mouth.
"A bird with broken wings. And yet, she reaches for the stone that crushed her. Always. Fascinating."
"Stay away from her, Emerson, you have done enough in Sernic." I growled, my voice a low, dangerous vibration.
"What did I do? I merely offered her a better life which the fatuous soul refused. Could have lived delicious with Olivine. But, no, she wants the stone." He mocked Ardelle, letting out a snicker.
"Stay. Away. This is the only warning I will give." I stepped closer, my features hardening.
"She is my bride. She is under my protection. If you cross that line again, I will break your wrist."
Emerson let out a soft, melodic chuckle that grated on my nerves.
"No. I don't think I will stop."
"Why not?"
"Because," Emerson said, his smile fading into something sharper, something almost pitiful, rising from his seat, facing me sternly.
"I want to see what happens when the Commander finally cracks."
I froze. Words vanishing from my tongue. Me? Cracking? Impossible!
"I want to witness the moment you will fall for her. And when you do…. Are you going to embrace her…. Or kill the very heart that dared to beat?" He asked darkly, placing his hand over my shoulder, inducing a blurrying sensation that stunned me.
"Tell me, Brother... is your duty strong enough to survive a heart?"
The word Love felt like a curse, a foul taste in my mouth.
"Love has no place in my heart or my life," I responded coldly, my hand twitching at the remembrance of the oath I had taken.
"I am a soldier of the Crown. Nothing more, Emerson."
"That," Emerson whispered, putting another slice in his mouth, pointing at the tray in my hand. "-is exactly what I intend to find out."
He turned and walked toward his own encampment, leaving his words to hang in the air like a death sentence.
I stood in the silence of the blizzard, my mind spiraling back to the memories, the sight of negligence. My father, shamelessly playing with other children. I would never, ever follow the same path.
Foolish of Emerson.
I wonder what I did to evoke such perceptions. Maybe he was only attempting to twist my mind.
Ignoring his words, I called Ardelle as we went back to the Northern Fortress.
We were gathered in the main hall to discuss the next strategy to subdue this rising tide before it drowned us all.
The King sat upon his high chair, his gaze sweeping over the weary, blood-stained faces of his men. The air was thick with a tension that hadn't dissipated with the retreat of the rebels.
"You have held the North, Leonidas." the King announced, his voice booming, "The Crown owes its stability to your steel."
"It was but my honor to serve the Crown, My Liege." Leonidas bowed.
He paused, his eyes shifting to Emerson, who stood beside me, his emerald cloak miraculously clean despite the massacre of the night.
Emerson didn't bow as low as I did, he carried the casual weight of a man who knew his worth in gold and grain. Smirking darkly.
"However," Emerson started, his expression hardening, his eyes swept across the hall.
"This tour has been compromised. You cannot continue this progress while the head of the serpent remains hidden in the shadows."
"Indeed. My life, and the life of my court, has been endangered by a rot within our own ranks." His Majesty nodded in agreement.
"The tour must come to a halt," He declared, "We must return to the Capital. "
The King nodded slowly, "We depart at first light. But the investigation into this coup cannot wait for the comfort of the Capital."
He leaned forward, his eyes falling on me and back to Emerson, giving me a terrible omen. No, not another unendurable order.
I already married Ardelle on his word. Not another burden.
"Kaldric. Emerson. You are the two finest pairs. Strength and Intelligence. You will work together. I want the leader of this rebellion unearthed. I want a name. And I want their heads."
My mouth gaped, completely against it, "My Liege… I work best with my own scouts. The Earl's methods are… unconventional."
Emerson let out a soft, sharp chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Unconventional is a polite word for 'effective,' Kaldric. While you were busy roaring at the snow, my men were already mapping the rebel supply lines."
He turned to the King with a roguish flourish.
"It would be my pleasure to assist the Commander. I've always wanted to see how the Obsidian Pillars handle a puzzle that can't be solved with… violence." He smirked impishly.
I could feel his intentions from afar. The thought of his proximity was highly unsavory. He would worsen things.
"It is not a request, Kaldric," the King warned, "It is a command. Find the traitor."
I stiffened, my hand tightening on the hilt of my sword. Working with Emerson meant he would be at my side for the entire journey back.
It meant his eyes would be on Ardelle. It meant I would have to endure his constant, needle-like reminders of the heart I was trying to bury.
"Dismissed."
As we walked out of the Great Hall, Emerson fell into step beside me, his spurs chiming a jaunty resonance that agitated me.
"Leave me alone."
"Don't look so miserable," he whispered, his eyes flashing with a predatory delight.
"Think of the fun we'll have. You can watch the suspects, and I'll watch... everything else."
I wrenched my arm away.
"Stay focused on the task, Emerson. If I find your 'influence' interfering with my wife's peace, the King's order won't save you."
"Oh, I'm very focused," he grinned, watching me walk away.
He winked and disappeared down the corridor toward the guest wing.
I stood in the hallway, the silence of the fortress pressing in on me.
The journey back wouldn't be long. But with him here, I had to count every breath, that would make it painfully long.
The hunt for the traitor had begun, but as the wheels started to turn toward the capital, I realized the real danger wasn't only the coup, too.
It was the man riding beside us, and the heart I had sworn would never beat for the woman in front of me.