Just a quick one for today. I hope you enjoy!

3 Linny

Two Worlds

Chapter Thirteen

"You are certain that it is him?" Edward asked as he collapsed in a heap upon his overstuffed lounger, though by the look on Dimitrius's face he already knew the answer. It felt better to ask, because he wasn't certain how much more bad news he could handle, although, there was a bit of good news hidden within.

Nodding, D took a seat opposite His Majesty, his head slightly bowed and his hands folded carefully in front of him. "Yes, sire. I am very certain. He looks exactly like his father and he has the soul of a Hudson." The boy just didn't know it yet.

"How much does he know?" Discovering that the son of one of his closest friends and allies has been alive for all this time and living as his very own Stable Master was taxing on his mind. He should have seen it; he should have recognized the good looks of the Hudson men, yet he'd remained blind and that could have cost him a great deal more than he had ever imagined.

"Only what you told him, which I gather is not all that much for he wouldn't have run if you'd told him everything." A small smile graced the corner of his mouth.

Mimicking the movement half-heartedly, Edward stared at his good friend with curiosity. "I don't think I understand, Dimitrius." He added one raised eyebrow to the mix. In all of the confusion, what had he missed?

"His heart has been captured by your daughter's spirit, my Lord. So much so that he risked everything he had to attend her birthday party." It was unfortunate that they hadn't found the opportunity to dance. He watched Edward's face light up for only a second before falling back into the solemn façade he'd faced since he'd arrived. "And for what's it worth, sire, I hadn't seen such a glow on Lady Sue's face in quite some time."

Edward understood all too well. He'd seen the golden glow that surrounded her when she told him that the Hudson heir was alive. At first he'd only assumed it to be from the heat of the dance floor, but looking back on it, he'd realized that the glow had been the same one he'd witnessed the last time she'd given her heart to someone. "I know," he sighed. "That's what worries me." His gaze shot to Dimitrius after floating around through his thoughts, fright almost clear in his hazel eyes. "Does he… I mean… Did she… tell him?" Why did he always find it so awkward to talk about her deafness other than when it was being discussed as a part of her?

So many have failed to see how wonderful she was because of what they could see on the outside. He didn't want another to break her heart like David did so long ago and he was afraid that young Hudson would be the next on the list.

D shook his head. "She never told him, sire." Edward fell silent once again, his gaze shooting once more around the room, the spines of the books on the multitude of shelves only being skimmed over as his thoughts ran rampant. D understood what he was thinking. If she hadn't, then why had he run? He really wished he could answer that question, but he had one of his own that he needed to ask to possibly shine some light on that subject. "Does he know about the arrangement you made when they were children?"

A short mirthless laugh escaped the King as he stood up from his lounger. In all of the confusion, he'd forgotten all about that. Staring directly into the orange and yellow flames dancing in the hearth, he sighed heavily and only turned his head in a glance. "I never got to tell him."

He slowed Quickshot down to a slow canter as something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. A ribbon made of the finest fabric he'd ever seen and dyed a blue-as-the-sky color was billowing in the wind, one end wrapped tightly around the twigs of a large bush at the fork-in-the-road. He unwound it from its wooded trap without climbing from the horse's back and lightly sniffed it. A flowery fragrance wafted into his nostrils. It belonged to her; he was sure of it. But, that meant…

He dropped his hand and a curse rumbled from deep within his chest. She'd headed out into troubled territory. Even the King's bravest soldiers refrained from entering those woods. Not only were there thieves and bandits at every turn, but it was also rumored to be haunted.

At night, when the sea breeze reached its highest, travelers have been known to hear a high-pitched moan and there were even a few stories about a ghost wandering around the woods. She was supposed to be a vision of beauty, dressing in a white, flowing dress and an ethereal glow surrounding her.

Gulping hard, Jack tried to convince himself that they were just stories; ones that he could never believe in. He'd once been a soldier in the army; men like him didn't become frightened of such children's tales.

Then why were his hands shaking so badly? He watched as the ribbon shuddered in his grasp and it took him a moment to realize that it was because of him. "Get a grip, Jack," he told himself, sitting up straighter in the saddle. "They were only stories." Of course, why did that statement do so little to unnerve him?

He couldn't turn back. Pressing forward was his own personal mission. It could be days before the royal guard finally discover where she'd gone. He couldn't let her go days in the Dark Woods.

Swallowing his fears, he kicked Quickshot back into motion.