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A Day After the Escape

[i]Ryker glanced up at the sky while walking down the cobblestone streets. His mind wandered, trying to come up with a gentle way of breaking the news that a family member had died. [i]You’d think this would get easier…[/i] He wrinkled his nose remember the last time he had to tell someone of a close family member’s death. Ritza still wasn’t on the best of terms with him, even though he was in no way responsible for her father’s death. Or at least he hoped he wasn’t. He still wondered about that sometimes…

His thoughts were interrupted when he came to the Casterly estate. He paused at the door before knocking, gathering his thoughts and making sure he looked at least semi-presentable.

It took a moment but one of the servants opened the door. “What is your business here?”

[color=slategray]”I have been sent from the Vanguard. I need to speak to High Lord Casterly and Lady Casterly regarding their son.”[/color]

The servant seemed to still at that knowledge before nodding and allowing the man to enter into the parlor. 

Elize and Lyra sat in the library, pretending to be immersed in their studies. Their tutor, Lady Illiya, glared as they aimlessly looked over their books. Tension was wrought throughout the room; the family librarian stared and the nearby servants watched in anticipation. The news of the attempted assassination had only reached the family yesterday, but there was still no word of Micah. He was a beloved member of the Casterly household, not only among his kin, but the staff as well. Everybody wanted him to be safe, and it was all anybody could think of. 

A maid nearly sprinted in before seeing the girls studying quietly. She reverted her gait to fast-paced walk, but an urgent look was still splayed across her face. She whispered something into Lady Illiya’s ear before the old woman frowned some more and followed the young girl into the hall. Lyra and Elize glanced at one another. 

“It has to be something about Micah,” Elize instantly said the moment their tutor dashed out of the room.

Lyra nodded in agreement. “There’s something that they’re not telling us.”

Before the younger sister could respond, Lady Illiya came back into the room. “Girls,” she said sternly. “Come with me. Your father has requested you both.”

Exchanging another scared look, the sisters arose from the table and followed the old woman to the parlor. Their mother and father sat at the couch with their hands clasped tightly together. A familiar face sat across from them.

“Ryker!” Elize squealed in delight at the sight of her brother’s friend. Despite being much shorter than him, she still managed to engulf the young man in a hug. Her head barely came above his waist.

“It’s been too long, Ryker,” Lyra noted with the slight wink of an eye. Growing older, she was beginning to notice how starkly handsome the young man was. She already had a betrothed, but it didn’t hurt to flirt a little bit.

After letting go of the young Vanguard, Elize stepped away and blushed slightly. She had almost always had a little bit of a crush on Ryker. She toyed with her fingers and tried not to look him in the eye. “Why come visit now, Ryker?”

Returning the young girl’s hung, Ryker gave a very slight smile. It felt like a rock was sitting in his gut. It was sweet that she was so excited to see him, but he knew her excitement would quickly disappear once he gave them the news he was carrying.

He glanced up at the elder of the two girls and gave another uneasy smile. He couldn’t help but notice how Lyra was growing into her own body. His life as a vanguard had left him more focused on his duties and serving is kingdom. He did a generally good job staying focused but he was an unwed young man. And like most young men, he found his eyes wandering from time to time.

He shook it off quickly and took a step back, looking at the family standing before him. [color=slategray]”I’m sure you’ve heard by now about the assassination attempt on the Prince and Princess…”[/color] He froze up for a moment. What could he possibly say to them? He took a deep breath before continuing. [color=slategray]”This isn’t going to be easy to hear but...Micah didn’t make it.”[/color]

His eyes shifted from each one of the family members in the room as he let the news sink in. [color=slategray]”He fought valiantly and served his kingdom well. There will never be another of his kind. I am so sorry.”[/color]

The words didn’t want to sink into Elize’s skull. She stood, staring at Ryker with her big blue eyes, her young mind unable to react. A horrific sob from Lady Casterly ripped through the room and echoed across the whole house. Servants winced at the sound and High Lord Casterly wrapped his arms around his wife in an attempt to solace her anguish. Lyra cupped her hand to her mouth, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks. 

Elize, numb inside yet still so full of pain, found herself stumbling into her sister’s arms. She buried her wet face into the folds of her sisters dress. She forgot how to think or breathe or sit still. Her little hands shook and her chin wobbled. How was he gone so fast? Micah, her older brother, one of her best friends, her best protector, had suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye. A billion thoughts raced through her mind yet she couldn’t process them. [i]What’shisfuneralgoingtobelike,whatwilliwear,whowillbethere,whatwilltheydresshiscorpsein?[/i] The words just kept on scrolling through her brain before there was nothing, nothing at all but his name over and over. 

Elize took one last glance up at Ryker before he left. He looked somber and sorrowful, his eyes respectfully turned down.[/i]

[hr]

Elize reflected on the memory as she read through her spellbook. Everything seemed so gray and dull and stale in her head, as if she had blocked part of it off. She hadn’t spoken to Ryker since then. For five years, she had silently watched him at royal court events but guiltily refused to talk to him. After he broke the news about Micah to the Casterly’s, Lyra was shipped off to her husband and Elize was all alone in that big empty mansion with only her brother to think about. From that time on, she had begun to associate Ryker with Micah’s death, therefore associating Ryker with the worst pain and misery in her life.

But ever since she found out about Fenros, he had been nagging at the back of her head. The whole court knew how close Ryker and the general had been; rumor has it that Ryker may be up next for imprisonment. Elize would never want that for him.

Putting away her spellbook, Elize left her room, not knowing exactly where she was going. She vaguely knew which part of the palace the Vanguard stayed on, but not very well. She tended to avoid it; anytime she was there, she thought she could see Micah’s ghost wandering down the hall, his cloak swishing behind his back and sword at his side. 

Ryker stood in the training fields, furiously swinging his sword against one of the training dummies. His face was distorted into a scowl, every strike on the dummy letting out a loud grunt. His forehead was drenched in sweat and his hair lay ragged around his face and shoulders. He had been out there for some time, his sword growing dull from the hits. But he showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Furious thoughts ran through his mind. What was his life coming to? It seemed like everything was falling apart. All he had wanted to do since he was a boy was join the vanguard and serve his kingdom. But somehow everything got all screwed up. [i]My life is a joke…[/i] It seemed that every time he got close to someone, something bad happened and ruined it. How was he supposed to defend anyone when his own friend and general of the vanguard wasn’t even safe?


[color=slategray]”AAAAHHHH!”[/color] he let out a loud scream as he brought his sword down so hard atop the dummy that it practically cleaved in two.

Elize hesitantly wandered through the training grounds. Shirtless young men, all drenched in sweat, surrounded her, wielding blades and holding shields. She blushed and tried avoiding staring at their toned bodies. [i]Why does it always seem like they pick the prettiest boys for the Vanguard?[/i] she asked herself. A few heads turned as she walked by. The young members ran their eyes over her body, making her hold her arms tighter to her chest. She hoped they dare not catcall.

It was hard not to recognize Ryker. Still towering and bulky like an ox, he slashed through a dummy like it was butter. It seemed so odd to see him angry; nearly every memory Elize had of him, he had been kind and gentle beyond measure. Then again, that was five plus years ago, when Elize had been a young girl. The world changes when one grows up. 

The Casterly girl stopped a distance away, reluctant to waltz right up and talk to the soldier. She had always found him handsome, but now that she could [i]really[/i] understand how handsome a man could be, things had changed. Ryker did look older, yes, with the lines on his face and the lost look in his eyes, but they somehow made him more a reality. When Elize was a girl, Ryker was a simple crush she and her sister fussed over, but now…

The girl took a quick glimpse down at her gown, making sure to smooth out all the creases and fix her hair. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. “Ryker?” she asked. She could barely speak loud enough for him to hear, her heart was beating so loud in her chest. “Ryker Leonte?”

Ryker had just pulled his sword out of the dummy and was about to take another swing when he heard the quiet voice behind him. He paused, his sword mid swing, and turned to see the young girl standing nearby. It was definitely out of the ordinary. He lowered his sword and turned all the way to face her. It took a moment but he recognized her.

[color=slategray]”Elize?”[/color] he spoke with surprise. The anger fading from his face, he wiped the sweat off his brow. He hadn’t quite caught his breath yet and was still panting.

What was she doing here? He hadn’t seen her since the day he told her family of their son’s death. Like Ritza, he assumed she held some kind of resentment over this. [color=slategray]”What are you doing here?”[/color]

A slew of curses coursed through Elize’s mind when Ryker turned around. [i]Fuck, shouldn’t have come here, god, he’s so fucking--[/i] Elize cut her thoughts off. She gulped, her throat suddenly dry. She needed water. “Would you mind if I spoke to you? In private?” she asked timidly. 

Catching his breath, Ryker nodded slightly. He sheathed his sword and motioned away from the training field. [color=slategray]”Sure. We can talk over here.”[/color]

Wondering what it was she could want to talk about, he lead her out of the training fields and into a small groves of trees. It was far quieter there, the sounds of the training fields muffled. He stopped just under the shade of a tree and turned to face her. [color=slategray]”It’s uh...It’s good to see you again.”[/color]

Elize felt almost scandalous being this close to Ryker, despite being in the open. Her face was still flushed and her tongue still felt like mush in her mouth. “It’s been so long, I know,” she responded as she twiddled with her thumbs. When she was a girl, it was so easy to talk to Ryker, but now, her words were lodged deep in her throat. “I’ve just been thinking about Micah lately and...I wanted to see you and apologize.”

Ryker was caught off guard. In all honesty, he hadn’t thought of Micah in some time and a pang of guilt struck him. He had been so caught up in his duties that he had little time to reminisce on the past. But there was no way that the man’s family had forgotten about him. [color=slategray]”Oh, ah...it’s okay.”[/color]

Staring at her, he noticed her beautiful blue eyes and her silky blond hair. He suddenly became very aware of his own status. He was drenched in sweat and dirt, his hair unkempt and his clothes disheveled. He had left his shirt on the training ground, where he had taken it off while training. There wasn’t much he could do at that time.

[color=slategray]”You don’t have anything to apologize for. It was...unfortunate. I was simply the messenger. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there….”[/color]

“No,” Elize interjected quickly. “It’s my fault. We never blamed you, obviously, but seeing you meant seeing all that guilt again.” Unable to find the right words, Elize huffed an exasperated sigh. “This whole thing with General Fenros going on...I wanted to say I’m sorry for that as well. I’ve met him a few times whenever I’ve been with Princess Eleanor, and I can tell that he was a good man. I know that you were close to him.”

[i]And he’s not dead. Good to see you again![/i] she said in her head. She wanted to tell him so bad, thinking it would somehow makeup for the way her family had ignored him for the past five years. But that was dangerous information. It could easily get her killed. 

Ryker’s eyes dropped at the mention of Fenros. Everything that happened with him and the fact that he was able to do nothing about it was causing quite a bit of anger to bubble to the surface in the otherwise calm man. He didn’t want to show that side of himself to Elize, though. He closed his eyes a moment and took a breath before looking back up to her.

[Color=slategray]”General Fenros was a traitor to the crown. Whatever he did, it was unfortunate.”[/color] He spoke with an almost monotone voice, practically reciting the words while not feeling them at all. He knew he had to put on an act to try and prove that he himself was not a traitor. But it hurt him to say these things about his friend. Especially considering the fact that Ryker was probably more of a traitor than Fenros.

[Color=slategray]”Thank you for your concern. I appreciate it.”[/color] He gave a small smile, trying to push his thoughts aside, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

Elize’s chest burned with shame at the look in Ryker’s eyes. [i]Fuck it,[/i] she thought to herself before pulling the man into a hug. Her head barely reached to his shoulder, so she stood on her toes to whisper in his ear, “Fenros lives. He sent a letter to Eleanor.” She held him tighter for just a moment, trying to make it look like a passionate embrace. She didn’t want anybody nearby to suspect anything. She reluctantly let her arms fall to her sides. Her face burned brighter and the memory of her hands around him. “Beyond that, I don’t know much,” she murmured softly. The noble girl placed a quick peck to Ryker’s cheek before saying, “Keep in touch. Be safe.”

Ryker froze up when her hands grasped his torso. He could feel her soft dress pressing against his bare chest. It was so smooth compared to most of the clothing he wore. He imagined that most nobles’ clothes probably felt like this but it was new to him.

He began to lift his arms from his side to lightly return her embrace when she whispered into his ear. Chills shot down his spine. [i]He’s alive? And he’s contacted Eleanor?[/i] A thousand thoughts ran through his head. He was relieved, confused, curious and suddenly concerned. He turned to look at Elize as she leaned in closer to kiss his cheek. He had a puzzled look on his face, his mouth hung open. He wanted to ask her so many questions but he knew he couldn’t.

He reached out and grabbed ahold of her hands before she could leave. [color=slategray]”Wait.”[/color] He held onto her hands for a moment in silence, studying her face. He realized that he had taken hold of her without really thinking through what he was going to say.

Suddenly embarrassed, he let go. [color=slategray]”I’m sorry,”[/color] He withdrew his hands and gave her a faint smile. [color=slategray]”Thank you.”[/color] This time, his voice was much lower and more genuine. He felt a wave of relief wash over him. This girl he hadn’t spoken to in five years risked her life and well-being to give him this news. He was grateful, but he also felt a sudden pang of fear for her own safety. Did she know what she was getting herself into?