Chapter 13

The boy was waiting with his hands behind his back, resting against the tower window that overlooked the grounds while he chatted amiably with the sentry outside her door. The guard, Paolo, started when he saw her, and at once, as if he were a child caught at some mischief, he straightened and stared fixedly ahead, shame-faced and silent. Bella fought the urge to chuckle. What little she could see of his face was red and blotchy, and though she gave him a reassuring smile, it did not ease as she made her way across the threshold.

He bowed to her in response, and then it was Bella's turn to blush.

The boy beamed at her when she approached, his face alight with sudden excitement. He loped over to her with long, purposeful strides, and, as if he knew she was weak, he hooked her good arm around his own.

"Come," he said. He gave her a small tug. "Can you make the stairs?"

"I think so," said Bella. "If we move slowly."

And obligingly, the boy took the stairs ahead of her, letting her lean on his arm as they moved, as slow as snails, down the long, winding staircase.

"Onklo thinks you are too weak," said the boy quietly. "He says you're sad."

"What is Onklo?" Bella asked. She felt winded and tired.

"Onklo," repeated the boy. "The doctor."

"Onklo?"

"Well… for me and my brother," said Jasper. "To others, he is the healer."

"I see…"

"His wife is my mother's fratino."

"Like frato?" Bella asked. The boy nodded. "Then she is your… aunt."

The English made him chuckle.

"Onklino," he corrected. "Onklino Esme. My aunt Esme."

"I see…"

"Yes." They reached a landing and Jasper, accommodating Bella's quavering knees and winded breaths, led her to a bench beneath an arrow-slit window. She sat down gratefully and he perched next to her, kicking his feet.

"What is Princo?" asked Bella softly, earning a grimace from the boy. "I do not know that word."

"It is… princo," he finished lamely. "I do not know how else to say it."

He seemed to ponder.

"It is like… Reĝo," he finished. "Only less."

"I do not know that word, either."

"Reĝo is Edward," said Jasper easily. "You know Edward."

"No."

Jasper stared at her.

"Oh. Well… Princo is like him. He used to be princo, before he became Reĝo."

But Bella, still confused, was no closer to understanding than she had been before, and the conversation dropped like a stone. It was only when they began to move again, Bella forcing her legs to carry her on, that she breathed out another question.

"Can you take me to the water?" asked Bella, and Jasper frowned.

"Water?" he asked. "What water?"

"Oceano," she replied. "Ocean."

"It is far," said Jasper quietly. "Too far for you, I think."

Bella bit her lip.

"Why do you want the water?"

"I need to get home," she said, and this time, Jasper looked sad. "My family will be worried."

"Your family?"

"Yes…"

"It is too far," he said again, and this time, Bella thought she caught a hint of disappointment. "Too far for you yet."

"Do you have a telephone?"

The boy blinked at her.

"...no," he said finally. "I do not know what telephone means."

Bella muffled her groan.

"Where are you taking me, then?" she asked gently. "I know outside… but what is outside?"

And in the strange, mercurial way of youth, the boy's mood shifted again and he gave her a wide, cheeky grin.

"I can't tell you," he said mysteriously. "It is surprizo."

Bella, finally reaching the flat landing at the bottom of the staircase, gave a soft huff, but did not push him any further. She might not know what awaited her outside, but it had to be better than what lingered inside. She was sick of that room, and that bed, with the trestle table full of herbs and spices that were being constantly forced down her throat. It was better than the mural— that tall, sprawling scene of verdant trees and blazing, orange hearthfires. Already the air was cooler— Bella did not know how high up she had been, but basic knowledge of thermodynamics told her that heat always rises, and though the room was breezy and airy, it was as hot as Hades when the sun beamed in. The cool stone on these lower levels chilled the sweat on back of her neck where a draft blew her hair away, and she relished the feeling. Nothing here was ever cold enough…

"Come," said Jasper again. He tugged insistently on her hand. "Not far now…"

Bella forced herself to move— her legs were stiff, screaming their protest at this sudden abuse, but she would not relent. The movement was freeing— while her body might not appreciate it, her mind certainly did, and she trailed after the boy with as much speed and enthusiasm as she could muster.

"How far?" she asked, blinking when the boy cracked open a tall, thick, wooden door. The sound of creaking hinges bounced off the stone.

"Not far," said the boy. "But come."

Bella plodded on.

The bright, early sun beat down like a furnace on Bella's pale and tired face, and at once, she halted, bringing her bandaged hand up to shield her eyes. The boy stopped too, glancing curiously at her as she blinked away the blooms of red and blue that flitted across her vision, to lay her eyes on the strange and unbelievable scene before her.

The red-bricked walls that Bella could see from her window stood before her, not 200 yards ahead. With the tops reaching two stories high and the base spanning at least twenty feet thick, this seamless, monstrous structure ran in a great, circular arc so long that Bella could not make out where it might end. She shielded her eyes as she looked up to the top, squinting into the white-hot light to see a widened walkway, upon which two armoured men walked abreast. Bella could see, in the distance, how the walkway protruded out from the main wall itself, its strange, hourglass profile giving the men enough space to move safely across. The boy chuckled at her sudden and abject fascination, and when she felt his hands on her shoulders, gently urging her to turn, she felt her mouth grow dry.

Behind her, laid out in sprawling, majestic grandeur, was a castle. With walls as red as those around the perimeter and a height jutting up at least four stories, the building was massive, striking, and absolutely mesmerizing. Leaning back to get a better look, Bella froze, the sheer magnitude of this structure sending her into a whirlwind. High, straight walls were topped with tall, curving battlements. Wide walkways lined with low walls and square crenels ran the length of the structure, and where each set of corners met, a large, round watchtower had been erected. Their bases were buried deep in the earth, bricks perfectly sculpted to mould together in seamless curvature, but the tops of the conical rooves jutted high over the rest of the fortress. In a window above the battlements Bella saw the small figure of a man. He stood motionless, looking out beyond the ramparts to whatever land lay beyond, the silver of his armour glinting in the sun.

"What is this place?" Bella asked, regaining the use of her tongue as she forced herself to back up even further, her eyes still fixed on the tower. "Where are we?"

Jasper reached out and took hold of her shoulders again— and it was a good thing too, for no sooner had he touched her that she stumbled back over a buried stone.

"Home," he said simply, steadying her with careful hands. "This is home."

"Whose home?" she asked, and the boy chuckled.

"Mine…" he teased. "And Edward's."

"Edward. Mia Reĝo."

The boy rolled his eyes, but spoke again.

"And I suppose…"

Bella blinked, turning around to face him. The boy was tall. Young though he was, she found herself looking up at him, rather than down.

"You suppose?" she prompted.

"I suppose that it's your home, too," he said. "Seeing as you've got no other."

Bella felt her face fall.

"That's not a bad thing," the boy backtracked quickly. "It's a good thing. It is a very nice house, and…"

Bella plastered a false smile on her face to placate him.

"It is nice," she said mildly, her mind raging against this severe understatement. "It's very… big."

"Well," Jasper grinned carefully at her, seemingly pleased with her new reaction, "it's not all house, of course."

"No?"

"No." He ushered her towards the rear. "That part in the middle is house, but the rest of it is the Ŝtataj Ĉambroj."

"The what?"

"The… rooms," said Jasper carefully. He pointed to a low-lying, long portion of the castle, only two stories high, with wide windows and a narrow, almost hidden, door. "Those rooms."

Bella stared, blinking stupidly.

"That's where they…" the boy faltered, "make decisions."

"Decisions?" Bella frowned. "What decisions?"

"All decisions," said Jasper. "Laws, and rules, and traktatoj…"

Bella, confused, shook her head.

"I don't…"

"No matter." Jasper steered her away. "That's not what I want to show you."

Bella, craning her neck to catch a last glimpse of the low-lying wing, followed reluctantly behind him. Though she was weak and slow, something in her had ignited with a determined curiosity that was so unexpected and fierce that she wondered, for only a moment, how long it would take her to explore.

"Come," said Jasper again. "This way…"

Bella was tugged insistently along, plodding slowly through the green grass around the castle, until, breathless and exhausted, they came upon a different building. The castle lay behind them, tall and proud atop a gently sloping hill, and if Bella had been given a moment to pause, she would have admired the size and scale of the building from afar. As it was, however, Jasper pulled her along, his fingers entwined carefully with her good ones, until they reached the door of a long, flat edifice with a strange, mysterious odor emanating from it. It smelled musky, as if something unwashed and untended lay beyond, and of raw meat, bloody and warm. Bella brought a hand to her nose with a frown.

"What is it?" asked Bella, blinking down between the wooden slats of the walls. She could hear nothing from inside, and though the gaps between the boards were wide, the darkness within made its contents invisible to her.

"Come," said Jasper excitedly. "Come, My Lady…"

"I…"

He swung the door open and Bella felt him tug her forward. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving them in near darkness as they stood, motionless on a bed of straw. Hard, brittle stalks slipped beneath her toes and tickled her feet, and she carefully kicked it away.

Focused on the ground Bella barely heard the sound, but when she did, she felt her pulse accelerate. It was a low, growling rumble rising from one of the alcoves near the end of the row, and at once, her head snapped up.

When her eyes raked over the room, she froze.

Eyes— dozens of pairs of bright, shining eyes— peered out at her from countless recesses along the wall. The cages were dark and cavernous— deep, by the looks of them— and the entrances were covered with what looked like wooden slats for bars. Something in the nearest one shifted, and Bella could have sworn she heard a whine. It was trailed by a low growl— she could not mistake it, this time— and she halted at once, her heart hammering in her throat.

"Come!" Jasper chuckled at her, and to her horror, he reached for the latch on the nearest cage. "Come, My Lady!"

"No…"

"Come!" he insisted, and Bella watched his hand shift towards the wooden latch. "Come!"

"What are they?" asked Bella, but the boy merely grinned. "What is it, Jasper?"

And, without an answer, Bella saw his hand twitch on the bolt. Before she could protest— before she could even react— the door swung open, and Bella heard a sinister shifting from inside the crate.

The room went eerily silent. The smile on the boy's face— or was it a smirk?— tied Bella's stomach in knots as the thing, whatever it was, began to slouch out of its pen. She bit back a whimper as a mass of fur as high as her waist with huge, lumbering paws began to creep forward, its gait nearly silent on the dry, crunching straw. The boy chuckled when it brought its head up, shaking out its pelt as an eye— a great, orange eye— met Bella's gaze in an unblinking stare. She faced off with the thing, unable to think through her terror, before she lost her nerve and stumbled back, terrified. Bella saw, as if in slow motion, how her movement made the beast bristle, and at once, it rose to full height and leaned towards her.

Bella screamed when it rushed her.

With a quick motion that almost missed her, Jasper ran forward and caught her, setting her carefully on her scrabbling feet as the beast— whatever it was— continued forward. The boy seemed stricken by her reaction— the sudden apprehension on his handsome, boyish face spoke volumes— and Bella cowered against the far wall, her good hand held out in a useless, desperate plea.

"Sube, Leah!" barked Jasper. "Facila. Ĝentila…"

And, miraculously, the creature halted, stopping dead in its tracks before it cocked its head with a whimper.

Bella bit back tears as she stared at the thing, its great muzzle not six inches from her outstretched hand.

"Don't be afraid, My Lady," said Jasper quickly. He reached a hand out towards the creature's face. "She won't hurt you. She's very friendly."

Bella, speechless and stricken, said nothing.

"See?" he said, and Bella watched with rising nerves as a flat, pink tongue poked out to lap at his fingers. "She is very kind…"

Jasper reached back behind them and Bella heard his fingers on the handle of the door before he gave it a firm, strong tug, and it swung open again. Light spilled in, falling over the creature's face and flanks, and at once, Bella felt a shaky, if not altogether satisfying, relief.

Standing before her, its head cocked in curious wonderment, was a massive, hairy dog. Its fur was a light grey— so pale that it might have looked white in any other light— and though it was huge, Bella could not mistake the sight of its great, bushy tail waving frantically through the air. Its ears were pinned back in silent submission and its chin jutted out, snuffling curiously towards Bella's outstretched fingers. Though Bella's heart still hammered and her eyes were suspiciously misty, she saw that while the creature was large and intimidating, it meant her no ill will.

It licked Jasper's fingers when he patted it again, before it turned its bright, curious eyes back to Bella.

"I'm sorry," said Jasper quietly, looking for all the world as if she had frightened him. "I didn't know she would scare you…"

Bella sighed, her knees shaking worse than ever, and sank down on a rough-hewn log against the wall, shaking her head.

"It's very big," she said quietly. "Are they all like that?"

"Yes," said Jasper, and the dog thumped its tail again. "Her name is Leah. She's my brother's best ĉasisto."

"Ĉasisto?"

"Yes…" Jasper bit his lip. "You know…"

"No, I don't," said Bella quietly. The dog shifted again, but did not move from its spot.

"She goes into the woods," explained Jasper awkwardly. "With my brother. And together, they catch cervoj. Or kokinoj."

"I…" Bella shook her head furiously. "I don't understand."

The boy blew out a breath.

"Animals," he finished lamely. "They catch animals. To eat."

"Hunting?" Bella asked, but this time, the boy did not understand. "Animals to eat?"

"Yes!" Jasper beamed at her. "It's called ĉasisto."

Bella sighed. The dog, Leah, whined.

"She wants to smell you," hedged Jasper, and Bella, taken aback, shifted her attention back to the dog. "I promise, she won't bite…"

That tail— fluffy, fat, and eager— thumped a rhythm on the wooden floor. As if to prove him right, her flat, pink tongue laved up the boy's forearm.

"That's how she knows us," said Jasper quietly. "By smelling. She's well trained, and she's the Alfa..."

"Alfa?"

"The boss. Of the group," said Jasper eagerly. "All the other dogs follow her. Most are her children. Once Leah knows you, they all do."

The dog took a step forward and Bella gave an involuntary shiver. She was so much bigger than Boomer, the lab-husky mix her uncle had bought her so many years ago when she was still in high school. When she stood at full height, Bella was sure that Leah's nose would come up past her elbow, and the sheer size of her head gave Bella reason to pause. It would take only one bite from those massive, powerful jaws to snap her arm clean off, and Bella doubted that even the healer, with all his wisdom and care, would be able to save her then.

"Look," said Jasper gently. Bella felt her body clench when he thrust his arm, hand and all, into the dog's open, panting mouth, wiggling it playfully against the razor-sharp teeth. The dog kept still, neither perturbed nor annoyed by this sudden invasion, and after a moment of motionless waiting, it was only her tongue that came out, lapping once again at the skin of his hand.

"Give me your hand," said Jasper quietly and Bella, though she was positively petrified, rested the back of her good hand in Jasper's slobbery palm.

She closed her eyes when he held it out to the dog's face, and she flinched when she felt the cold, wet nose snuffling at her wrist.

"Good girl," said Jasper enthusiastically, and Bella did not open her eyes to see whether he was talking to her or the dog. "See, My Lady? Not so bad."

And when Bella felt the pink tongue on her own fingers— hesitant and gentle— she cracked her eyes open and stared down, blinking, at the furry, focused face.

"No," Bella said finally, her voice shaking and her heart racing. "Not so bad."

And, with more courage than she thought possible, she reached out her bandaged hand, and rested it gently on the beast's great head. When she wiggled her fingers behind its ear the dog groaned, plopped itself down at her feet, and leaned its great weight against her legs. It rested its jaw on Bella's lap and when she felt its wet tongue again, Bella gave a reluctant smile.

"See?" Jasper grinned, and Bella, feeling the fear draining slowly away, gave him a grin. "She's not so scary…"

"No," she agreed finally. "Not so bad."

The boy beamed at her.

Arm-in-arm with the boy, Bella walked through the grassy fields along the northern edge of the castle grounds, the bright sun on her back and the snuffling noses of three hunting dogs on her heels. The wind was delicious. Cool and breezy, it blew over her face and neck, carrying the scent of fresh grass, verdant jungle, and a hint of aromatic vanilla from the open door to the castle kitchens, far off in the distance. The air was hot, though not unbearable, and while Bella had grown used to the sticky, humid air upstairs in her bedchamber, the openness of the field and the dampness of the grass on her sandaled feet had muted the heat to more tolerable levels. Her legs were burning— the ache in her thighs felt like she had walked for miles— and when her step began to lag, the boy laid out his blanket in the shade of a tall coconut tree that cast its shadow over a long swath of ground.

"Here," he said, and the dogs stopped with him. The blanket was thick and heavy, made of some scratchy, grey fibers, and when Jasper helped Bella down onto it, she pressed the heels of her hand into the shaking, quivering muscles. He had placed them in the shade of that tree, away from the heat of the direct sunlight, and Bella, sighing in relief, leaned her back against the thick, sloping trunk.

"Thank you," she said, grinning when he plopped down before her, cross-legged. "I'm not as strong as I should be."

The boy simply shrugged.

"Strong enough," he reasoned. "You made it this far."

The castle, far in the distance, seemed a great feat, and Bella did not refute him.

"I suppose," she said. Leah and her two sons— a large, black pup called Brava and his yellow littermate, Mielo— prowled around the tree with curious, snuffling noses, before they, too, took refuge on the blanket. The younger dogs began to tussle in the strip of sunlight at the far end while Leah, calmer and tamer than her rambunctious boys, laid herself at Bella's side, her long body pressed against the length of Bella's leg.

Bella patted her gently on the side and the dog pressed even harder against her, bearing her belly.

Bella, obedient, gave it a good scratch.

"She likes you," said Jasper pleasantly. "I'm sorry she scared you."

"It's alright," said Bella, her cheeks pink. "We're friends now, I think."

Jasper sighed.

"Are you very tired?" he asked quietly. "Alice told me you might be, and I promised her I'd take you back if you were."

"No," said Bella, though the ache in her legs would beg to differ. "Not yet…"

"As you wish," said the boy, and he flopped onto his back. Sun hit his face, blazing and hot, and Bella watched him, a curious tilt to her head.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," grinned the boy. Bella rolled her eyes. "But yes, I suppose you can."

"Were you there when they found me?"

The boy sat up.

"Yes," he said quietly, and this time, his smile did not return. "I was there."

Bella felt her cheeks heat up.

"Was I…"

"You were very hurt," said Jasper quietly, and Bella watched him pick at a stray thread on the blanket. "Very, very hurt. We thought you might be dead."

Bella bit her lip.

"But Emmett and I… we carried you. You rode on Emmett's horse."

"Emmett?"

The boy grimaced.

"My brother's… friend," he said awkwardly. "He and I were on patrolo."

The word made her grimace.

"Patrol?" she asked. "For what?"

"Alia," said the boy mysteriously. "But we found none. We found you."

"Alia?"

"You spoke in your strange language, and then you… slept," he said gently. "Not real sleep, but dead sleep."

Bella sighed.

"Where did you find me?"

"On the sand," said the boy easily. "You know that."

"What sand?" asked Bella desperately. "I haven't seen any beaches…"

"No," agreed the boy, "but they're here. To the south."

"Can you take me?" she asked, and the boy balked.

"No." He shifted uncomfortably. "It is very far. Hours of riding."

"Riding?" Bella asked.

"Yes," he said. "And even more hours to walk. You cannot go so far yet, and there is nothing there but sand and water."

"I need a boat," she said, and she saw his face pinch.

"There are no boats to the south," Jasper continued. "Only to the north. And even then, only for fiŝkaptado."

Bella frowned at him.

"Only for work," the boy clarified. "Only for men who catch fiŝo."

"I don't understand…"

"It doesn't matter," said Jasper sharply, and Bella fell silent. "There is nothing but sea. What would you do with a boat?"

"We were turning for Hawaii," said Bella desperately. "I remember that much. The captain said…"

"I do not know what… Hawaii is," said the boy, "but there is no other land. None but this. I don't know where your home is, but it's not from here. If you got in a boat, all you would do is get lost. And then…"

Bella said nothing.

"And then you really would be dead," he said. "We'd find you on the beach— all the bodies wash up on the beach— and then…"

He trailed off with a frown.

"I need to go home," she said, and this time, he grew angry.

"There is no home!" His voice began to rise. "Only here, My Lady!"

He took her by the shoulders, his face mere inches from hers, and Bella started.

"Nowhere!" he said. Bella flinched when he shouted. "Nowhere else!"

"I…"

"Haven't we been kind to you? Haven't we been good?" he demanded, and a wash of guilt flooded over her like a tidal wave.

"I…"

"There is no home," he repeated, and he released her shoulders with a jolt. Bella saw his hands curl into fists. "Nowhere else… Only the island. Only Marolando."

Bella felt her tooth dig so deep into her lip that she tasted blood.

"The world is bigger than you think," she said, swallowing hard against the threat of tears. Leah licked her fingers in consolation. "Far, far bigger…"

The boy snorted at her, his jaw twitching, before he jerked away and sat, brooding, with his head on his knees.

"Why does no one want to stay?" he asked, and Bella, caught off guard, struggled to translate those words in her head. "Why does everyone want to leave?!"

And with that, though Bella could do nothing to stop him, he rose to his feet, kicked a stone angrily towards the wall, and took off at a sprint towards the kennels. Mielo and Brava— headstrong and eager to run— followed after him with frantic, yipping barks, leaving Bella and Leah alone in the shade of the tree. Leah rested peacefully with her head on Bella's lap, unperturbed by the boy's sudden and ferocious temper, and Bella simply blinked, reeling with confused shock.

"Now what?" she grumbled, the English flowing from her mouth much easier than Maronese. The dog's ears twitched. "Do you think he's coming back?"

No sooner had she spoken did she turn to face the way he had gone, but she could see nothing but the long, curving wall, and the distant pattern of soldiers moving along the castle battlements. She stretched up, her spine cracking when she arched her back, and, ignoring the pull in her ribs, got slowly to her feet.

Leah rose at once, and watched her carefully for a command.

"I don't know what to tell you," she said, and the dog continued to stare. "Come?"

And when Bella, taking a hobbling, tentative step towards the distant castle, began to move, the dog was right by her side, her furry flank always touching Bella's thigh.

"Good girl," she praised, giving her an indulgent pat on the head. The dog flicked her ears. "Come on, then."

And together, with the blanket draped over her arm and the great, wild dog at her hip, Bella began the slow, laborious trek back up that long, sloping hill, towards the castle, where she was sure to find Alice, some water, and a blessed place to rest her weary feet.

She had not made it halfway up that hill before her legs finally gave in, and she sank, shaking and exhausted, to the ground.

"That's it," she said dejectedly to Leah, who waited, obedient and patient, by her side. "I'm done."

Bella spread the blanket out beneath her and Leah, quiet and stoic, sat back on her haunches next to her companion. Unable to help herself, Bella laid back on the blanket, ignoring the tickle of grass on the back of her neck, and closed her eyes.

Leah rested her head on Bella's stomach.

She did not know how long she lay there, eyes closed and legs shaking, but when Leah's head snapped up with sudden fervour, Bella cracked an eye open. All at once, she heard it— and how she had ever missed it, she would never know. The sound was so loud that the ground beneath her rumbled, and she pushed herself onto her backside with sudden and disquieting surprise.

Hooves. Pounding, sprinting, hammering hooves, sinking deep into the grassy dirt upon which she lay. She felt the ground begin to shake. She heard a shout— much closer than anticipated— of a man. When she tried to lift herself to her feet, struggling with her broken arm, she saw hair— a cascade of glossy brown, and white, and black, and grey. Manes and tails, flanks and noses… half a dozen horses, all coming to a screeching halt not twenty feet from where she rested.

"Mia Damo! Mia Damo… Ĉu vi vundas?"

She blinked against the sun as a man, taller and broader than any of the others, leapt down from his mount and ran, as fast as his armour would allow, to the edge of her blanket. She grimaced to herself, embarrassed by his fuss, and tried again to rise.

The man leaned down at once, and Bella felt a strong, sturdy hand beneath her good elbow. He hefted her to her feet with ease and Bella stood, determined not to sway, until the man let her go and she leaned against Leah.

"I'm fine," she replied, clearing her throat. "Just fine… We got a little tired, but we're fine."

Leah eyed the man curiously.

"Where did he leave you?" asked the man, and Bella frowned. "Jasper," he clarified. "Where did he leave you?"

"Oh…" Her neck went red as she glanced back the way she had come, towards the tree that had disappeared behind a bend in the wall. "By a tree…"

"Foolish child," snapped the man, and as if she were a child herself, he knelt down in front of her. "Can you walk, My Lady?"

"Yes…" Her legs shook with determination. "But I'm fine here…"

"You must return to the keep," said the man gently. "Everyone is out looking for you. Mia Reĝo has sent every spare guard out to look, and until you're safely returned, they will continue to search."

Bella, flushed red with mortification, glanced nervously at the other five men, still mounted on their horses with their eyes glued curiously on her.

"Come," said the man again. "Bring Leah, if you wish. She's a good girl…"

Bella, glancing gratefully at her companion, rubbed her gently behind the ear and glanced towards the castle, which was still so far.

"I do not think I can, just yet," she admitted, her face as red as a beacon. "My legs…"

"Come," said the man again. "I will lift you. Leah will follow."

"I…" The man gestured invitingly towards the tall, stamping horse, who watched her with its long-lashed, black eye. The beast's shoulder was as high as her head, and when the man led her to the stirrup, she knew she would never make it.

Leah whined when Bella hedged.

"Please, My Lady…" The armoured man offered her a hand. "It is no trouble to lift you…"

But when Bella went to reach for the pommel, her fingers barely high enough to grip it, the horse gave an angry whinny and shifted away, making her stumble. She yelped as she fell, though the man caught her before she could hit the ground, and the horse shuffled nervously when the man began to scold it. When his voice rose to a shout, the chestnut creature trotted lithely away, munching on a patch of long, uncut grass about five feet away.

"Stupid animal!" was all Bella understood as the soldier ranted, gripping the reins tightly in his fist as he drew the animal closer again. "Headstrong beast!"

But Bella, retreating from the snorting head and stamping hooves, fell gently to the ground on her backside, her face in her hands as the other men turned to their commander. The horse jerked away from him again, this time rearing onto its back legs in protest, and the man let go of the reins. The horse, gleeful in its freedom, tossed its defiant head and trotted off towards the outside wall, pausing, as if in challenge, to look back at its irritated master.

"Samuelo!" barked the man, and a smaller, younger soldier stepped forward. "Help the lady up and get her to the castle! That damnable horse…"

But just as the man, Samuelo, reached down to offer her a hand, Bella saw his eyes snap up and he fell, sinking gracefully onto his knee, with his head bowed towards the ground.

The other four men, minus their commander who was leading the horse back to the group, leapt down from their horses and did the same as their comrade, leaving Bella perplexed. Each man sunk into a low, respectful bow, their armoured knees sinking into the dirt, until another voice spoke, and Bella gave a violent, unexpected start.

"Please…" said a voice from behind her. "Please, rise…"

And like marionettes attached to invisible, threadbare strings, they did, rising in one, fluid motion to stand face-to-face with the figure behind her.

When Bella turned around, her eyes went wide.

He looked different in his armour, with his hair in disarray and a shining helmet beneath his arm. His horse— a magnificent and proud stallion of the purest jet black— was equal to, if not bigger than the chestnut creature that had knocked her over. His face was dirty— dust and mud was smeared on his nose and cheeks, but beneath the muck, Bella could make out a smattering of brown, boyish freckles. Sweat poured down his face and glistened on his neck and his sword, which Bella had never seen unsheathed, gleamed in his fist, poised and ready to strike. He had no fruit for her this time, though the thought made her stomach snarl, and she fought to sit herself up properly with her good arm thrust into the dirt. Bella saw his lips move as he spoke to her, though what exactly he said was lost on her, and when she did not answer, his determination melded into concern. When he spoke again and she still did not respond, he leapt down from the saddle of his great, black beast.

"My Lady?" he asked, and Bella blinked in surprise. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," she said. "I'm sorry." She struggled again, trying to rise, but his careful hand on her shoulder made her still.

"You can speak," he said, grinning. "I had heard you were learning."

"Alice," said Bella stupidly, and the man's smile widened. "She's an… eager teacher."

"I'm glad," said the man. "Are you hurt, dolĉulino? I could kill my brother. He's such a stupid, headstrong boy…"

"No," said Bella, and the man's shoulders dropped. "No, I'm alright."

He stared at her, deep in thought.

"It's past midday," said the man finally. "Come. You must be starved."

Her stomach, singing its song to the heavens, was answer enough, and Bella was glad for the help when he reached down and took her by the hand, pulling her gently upright. Leah followed her towards the horse, who, thankfully, did not slip away when Bella touched the saddle, and the man lifted her with strong, able hands. He sat her sideways, with her knee hooked around the pommel, and she held awkwardly to the sides of the saddle with a white-knuckled grip, her stomach clenching at the fierce and sudden height. The man swung up behind her, pressing his chest to her back, and at once Bella felt secure, with his hard, immovable arms on either side of her torso.

"Edward," said the returning leader, and Bella glanced around. The broad man, having retrieved his wayward horse, was staring at the man behind her, his face solemn and his lips pursed. "What of the boy?"

Bella glanced between them, her mind racing to keep up.

"Find him," said the mystery man, and when Bella glanced behind her again, she thought she saw a distinct grimace of displeasure on his face. "Find him, and bring him to me. This foolishness cannot go unpunished."

"Yes, Mia Reĝo."

Bella felt her eyes grow wide.

The man did not see how the realization hit her, nor the inopportune redness of her cheeks, and though Bella caught the questioning gaze of the large soldier in charge, she did not offer any response. Her mind raced to connect the dots, to match this face with that name she'd only ever heard, uttered in reverent tones by everyone besides young Jasper. It made sense— confused, baffled, and embarrassed as she was, Bella could see how the pieces fit together, and when the man urged the horse forward, Bella could have kicked herself for her lack of brains.

The man clicked his tongue and gave a soft tug on the reins, and the horse began to trot, slowly and gently, up the slope of the hill.

Bella stared down at his large, tanned hands, her mind racing as the pieces came together.

Men answered to him. Jasper feared him. These soldiers, all stalwart and sturdy fighters, bent their knees in the dust and the dirt at the very sight of him. Alice revered him. The healer deferred to him. Bella herself owed her life to him, though until now, she had been sure she had never met him before in her life.

He had fed her fruit.

He had given her hope.

This was the man in whom the people trusted. This was the great and powerful mind that sanctified the law. This was the man who, even as he sheathed his great, steel sword in the scabbard at his waist, had been entrusted with the safety of the people, the trust of the masses, and the justice of the land.

This was Mia Reĝo, and Mia Reĝo was a soldier. Mia Reĝo was a leader.

Mia Reĝo was a King.

As if in response to her sudden epiphany, his fingers, warm and rough, slid down the pale gooseflesh of her arm. Bella felt a shiver course down the length of her spine, from the roots of her hair to the ends of her toes. She trembled— whether from fear or nerves, she did not know— and though he said nothing in response, she felt his hand tighten on her arm. Gently, as the horse slowed to a walk, he slid his hand down and tightened his hand around hers, their paired digits gripping the pommel with firm and fierce strength. Bella froze at his touch and though the horse stopped altogether, neither she nor he made any move to spur it on.

Only when her fingers twitched, her knuckles tickling the tender flesh of his palm, did he release her, his hand returning slowly to the reins with a soft and quiet sigh.

"Do not worry," said the King, and Bella felt her mouth go dry. "Do not worry, My Lady. You are safe now. Do not worry."

He snapped the reins, and the horse sprinted on.

Translations:

Fratino
Sister

Onklino
Aunt

Surprizo
Surprise

Ŝtataj Ĉambroj
State Chambers

Traktatoj
Treaties

Sube
Down

Facila. Ĝentila…
Easy. Gentle…

Ĉasisto
Hunter

Cervoj
Deer

Kokinoj
Hogs

Fiŝkaptado
Fishing

Fiŝo
Fish

Mia Damo! Mia Damo… Ĉu vi vundas?
My Lady! My Lady… Are you hurt?

Mia Reĝo
My King

Dolĉulino
Sweetheart

A/N: Everyone's been pretty quiet lately... let me know what you think!