The Betrayal Read online

  “Can you speak with them, Everett? Please? They will listen to you. Well, Father will. Mother would understand but Father won’t. Please, Everett?” She looked at him the way she used to when they were younger.

  He sighed and rolled his eyes at her in that big brother way.

  “Do you mind having her come to Greenlyre? She is the only other person who can read or write this language. If you receive any other notes, she can help decipher them. She won’t be any trouble. Will you, Elsa?”

  Owyn knew he was getting into trouble with her going to Greenlyre with him. Especially after the dream he had last night.

  He did need someone who could translate, and with Everett busy…

  “I don’t see how it would be a problem, especially with a dedicated chaperone such as Jade,” he said, unable to hide his smile at the look of excitement in Elsa’s eyes.

  “I will go talk to them,” Everett said.

  Elsa squealed with happiness.

  “Thank you, big brother!” she said, hugging him excitedly.

  This is going to be fun.

  The next day

  Owyn watched from the railing of the boat as Elsa excitedly said goodbye to her parents, her maid Jade standing not too far from her, looking almost as excited as Elsa was. He laughed when Elsa grabbed Jade’s hand and they walked up the gangplank and onto the ship.

  “My Lord, thank you so much for letting Jade and me come with you. She and I are so excited,” Elsa said to him when she and Jade walked over to him.

  “It’s my privilege,” he said, making Elsa smile if at all possible, brighter.

  Jade pinked and squeezed Elsa’s hand, and they both burst into giggles.

  Somewhere a horn sounded and the captain called for everyone who was going to board to come aboard.

  Everett appeared beside him and he nodded, acknowledging him. He did the same and they watched all together as the boat left the dock, heading into open waters.

  Elsa watched and waved as her parents became smaller and smaller until she could no longer see them. Jade left the railing to check on their cabin and make sure Elsa had everything she needed.

  Elsa watched in awe as a dolphin surfaced, then dove again, all of a sudden shooting high out of the water into the air, gracefully diving back into the water and disappearing. She clapped and leaned over the railing, trying to see if there were any more dolphins.

  Owyn, who had been talking to the captain when the animal had made its appearance, walked over, resting his hands at her waist and pulling her back.

  “If you lean too far, you will fall off the ship,” he said, his hands holding her tightly until she got her legs under her.

  Elsa blushed and stammered, “I-I-I- thank you. I wouldn’t want to fall.”

  She looked up at him and he smiled, their faces close, their noses almost touching. He sighed and removed his hands from her waist.

  “You’re welcome. One rogue wave and you could have been swept away.”

  She nodded and turned to go.

  “Would you like to join me for dinner? You and Jade are welcome to come. I have also invited Everett,” Owyn said, bringing her back to face him.

  Why did I stammer? I have always prided myself for being calm and collected and a man’s hands on my waist and his nose so… close… to mine…

  Her thoughts faded away as she stared. Mentally she shook her head and cleared her thoughts away. She couldn’t believe he had that effect on her.

  She smiled and said, her voice soft, “No, sir. I am sorry. I am not feeling well so I am going to take my dinner in my room.”

  With that, she briskly walked away. Owyn sighed and shook his head, very confused now. Everett sidled up next to him and watched his sister walk away.

  “My sister has been acting strangely as of late. She is always strange to me, but this is different. Maybe it’s a new confidence because of the letters. You coming was a good thing I think.”

  Owyn shook his head and laughed, “I am sure that is what it is. Has your sister always been interested in ancient languages?”

  It was Everett’s turn to shake his head. “Not really. I think I had a hand in that to be honest. I brought home an artifact and she was so excited about it that I told her all about the history of the language. We have poured over all the available materials to learn as much as we could about Foyeile. I have also picked up things on my travels. Then as I learned, I taught her. She is an excellent learner.”

  He smiled brightly and continued.

  “The best part is that she is so good at it. She picked it up faster than I did and that is hard to say because I am a quick study. I’m glad now that she is being given a chance to use her abilities.”

  The pride Everett had in Elsa showed in his words.

  “Well, I can definitely say she is very happy you taught her and she is proud of you with all your accomplishments. She has it all over her face when she is around you,” Owyn said, looking over the railing and into the waves of the blue ocean.

  Everett chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Thank you, sir,” he said, walking off in the direction of the cabins.

  The Dormhnall siblings’ pride in one another made Owyn wonder if Oryn was proud of him. He wasn’t sure why, but he did. He was very proud of Oryn and had told him so on many occasions.

  Owyn shook his head and headed down to the cabins, unsure of where all these feelings he had were coming from.

  The next afternoon, Owyn, Elsa, and Everett departed the boat with Jade and made their way to Owyn’s waiting carriage. Elsa was enchanted by the island, the pier a lot bigger than Dewberdeen’s. What she was most curious about was how rocky the terrain was as they made their way to Greenlyre. There was grass and some trees but the terrain around them was mostly rocky and had a lot more boulders than she had ever seen before.

  She looked around at her traveling companions and had to hide a smile.

  Everett had chosen to sit with Elsa, which put Jade with Owyn on the other side, the maid very flustered by the presence of the man sitting next to her.

  Elsa didn’t blame her at all. She had felt the same way last night when Owyn had asked her to join him for dinner. She was flustered by the invitation and had been embarrassed by that fact.

  When she had arrived at her cabin, she berated herself for being so scared but had stayed hidden in her room, begging a headache and declining an invitation from Everett when he came to her door and invited her to the same dinner as Owyn had. It was not a large ship after all.

  Sighing, she went back to the scenery outside the coach windows.

  “Why are there so many rocks?” she asked.

  “This is a mining island. There are mines and iron ore deep underground all over the island. There is more than one very large field of rock as the rock from the underground mines actually has a chemical in it that makes it grow.”

  He pointed out of the carriage window to show her.

  “The rocks you see on the surface are the roots and the iron ore grows down into the mines. It is very strange that it happens and no one has been able to explain why it does that, but it forms over time, making the island very rocky.”

  Elsa listened intently, very confused. The rock actually grew or formed over time? She had never heard of that before.

  “Do you ever harvest it from the ground?” she asked.

  “No. If we did, it wouldn’t grow back and the mine and the product would dry up and then the mine would no longer be usable. We discovered that when a rock was damaged on the surface, by the next day the whole mine had dried up. That one rock was the whole mine so we had to close it up and move on.”

  Elsa soaked up all the information with fascination. She had never heard of growing rocks! The fact that they grew from a root fascinated her.

  “Do you know where the rocks originated from? Is there any information about them at all?”

  Owyn relayed the tales that the islanders had told him when he was younger
about the island and how it came to be.

  The whole ride to the castle was full of stories and laughter, the riders inside happy and carefree.

  When they finally arrived at the castle, they departed amongst giggles and laughter, filling the foyer of the house full of noise.

  Oryn came down the stairs and stopped short when he saw the group of people standing there. Recognizing the man he had worked with for years, he called out a greeting to him.

  “Everett! Welcome to Greenlyre.”

  Everett turned and walked over to Oryn, grabbing his hand and shaking it roughly.

  “Oryn, I didn’t know you would be here. How long have you been staying here?” he asked.

  Owyn chuckled.

  “He practically lives here now. He even does my job for me occasionally,” Owyn said, making the whole group laugh.

  “Doesn’t surprise me at all,” Everett said. “Please excuse me, this is my sister. Elsa Dormhnall, Princess of Dewberdeen. This is her lady’s maid Jade.”

  Elsa stepped forward and giggled as Oryn bent over her hand and kissed it, winking as he straightened. Elsa was stunned by the fact that they were twins. It was like there was another Owyn in the world. She sensed though that Oryn was very different from his brother.

  It was then that she remembered that Owyn said Oryn had been in the Keepers of the White with Everett. Their differences were not just physical, but emotional and spiritual it seemed. Oryn also seemed to be just as much fun as Owyn was, if not more so.

  Their physical appearance was that of a mirror, but Oryn had a much more relaxed stance where he stood, whereas Owyn stood tall at all times like her father did. Oryn had an air of fun about him, and Elsa was eager to see how different they actually were.

  She reached out and took Oryn’s arm in hers, surprising everyone in the room when she asked, “Would you mind giving me a tour of Greenlyre, Oryn? I would love to see this wonderful home. I would not want to put our host off his business to take the time to show us around, so would you be so kind?”

  Oryn looked at Owyn and then at Everett, the look on his face making it difficult for the two men to hold in their laughter. Owyn could tell Oryn was surprised by Elsa’s forwardness, as he was the one who usually was the one who asked the women if they wanted a tour.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t want Owyn to—” Oryn was interrupted when Elsa laughed and put her hand on his arm.

  “Don’t be silly, Oryn. Owyn has many things to do now that he is back on the island and taking a tour with me would just put him farther behind. I think you know this place well enough to do a tour justice in your brother’s place. Come now, you wouldn’t want to leave me all alone in this huge place, would you? I could get lost and not know where to go.”

  Owyn had to hold his lips closed very tightly to avoid laughing outright at his brother. When Oryn looked at him, he almost couldn’t hold it in anymore.

  “I have some business to attend to now that I am back at home. Oryn, you are the only person who can make this place seem more interesting than it actually is and I am asking you to please show her around if you would be so kind. Everett, would you be interested in joining your sister?”

  Everett shook his head and said, “I wish I could but I need to rest. I have to get up quite early tomorrow and head to Ciomodors Garden. I have an appointment there and cannot be late. The bridge is still quite some ways from here.”

  Elsa broke away from Oryn to kiss Everett on the cheek and hug him.

  “Make sure to wake me before you leave. I want to say goodbye to you.”

  Everett dropped a kiss on her forehead and said, “I will. You know that. I never leave before saying goodbye to you.”

  He hugged her once more and then headed upstairs behind one of the maids.

  “Shall we, Oryn?” Elsa asked, turning back to him.

  He smiled and held out his arm to her, holding his other arm out for Jade.

  “Come, miss. You shall not miss out.”

  Jade blushed but handed off the luggage to the footman that appeared next to her.

  “Off we go!” he said, heading down the hall towards the library.

  Owyn rolled his eyes. Oryn was quite the ladies’ man and Owyn was okay with that. He chuckled once more at the trio retreating and headed into his study.

  Chapter Eight

  Elsa laughed at Oryn as he walked her and Jade through the halls of Greenlyre. He had already shown them the library and small garden. The garden was small by her standards; her garden at home was much larger. She had to admit that she really enjoyed Oryn’s company but she still couldn’t stop thinking about Owyn.

  Looking at Oryn didn’t help either because he looked exactly the same, with the exception of a small scar on Oryn’s upper lip. If one did not inspect it at close range, one would miss it as Elsa had when she first looked at him.

  Upon closer inspection though, she had noticed the small discretion in his appearance. She wasn’t sure why she had noticed the difference right away, but she was pretty sure that she saw it because she had spent so many days with Owyn, studying his face and features. She sighed inwardly, breaking free of her reverie and returning her attention to her tour guide.

  “I think Owyn needs to repurpose this room. Sadly, it has been left to rot,” Oryn said, pulling the door to the parlor open.

  He stepped into the room and descended the two small steps down to the carpeted floor and walked over to the window, pulling open the curtains and bringing light into the room. The light illuminated the room and revealed the white cloth-covered furniture, reminding Elsa of a ghost room that hadn’t been disturbed.

  From what she could see, the room held two couches and multiple end tables and chairs, all gilded in gold from the legs she could see beneath the edge of the cloth. The fireplace was covered in a cloth that had half-fallen, revealing the marble beneath. The mantel was covered in dust and the large shelves flanking it were as well. Statues, some books, and decorative bowls sat on the shelves as well, the dust and cobwebs covering the whole area, evidence of the neglect that had befallen the room.

  Elsa pulled back the edge of the nearest sheet to her and gasped as a beautiful gold-legged, round, marbled-top coffee table revealed itself to her. Pulling off the next cloth, she smiled and looked at the dark purple silk that shined brightly in the light. Excited now, she pulled the other cloths off, revealing a pink silk-covered couch that was exactly the same as the purple.

  The chairs in the room were covered in a dark blue silk that matched the rest of the furniture. All the silks were dark and floral-patterned, matching the drapes that were also floral, but in a soft yellow.

  She leaned down and ran her fingers across the marble, the tabletop beneath her fingers cold and smooth. Elsa looked around at all the beauty around her and sighed, in love with the room already.

  “How could someone let such a beautiful room go to waste?” she asked, looking at Oryn.

  He chuckled and shrugged.

  “Owyn doesn’t have a use for it. All the visitors he has he usually sees in the study or the library. This room stays closed and unused.”

  Elsa shook her head.

  “It is such a shame,” she said.

  Oryn thought for a moment and said, “Well, while you are here, why don’t you use it for your leisure? Like you said, it is a shame to let a great room go to waste.”

  Elsa’s smile faded.

  “Do you think Prince Owyn would mind if I made use of this room?”

  Oryn shook his head, his tone reassuring when he replied, “That should not be a problem at all. This is Owyn’s home and he occupies the library and the study. While you are here, you can use the room he does not.” He winked at her. “Besides, that should keep you from being underfoot all the time.”

  Elsa and Jade giggled at his comment, curtsying when he bowed and said, “Ladies, that concludes our tour of Greenlyre, and as such, I must go. I have a few things I must do and take care of. Make yourself at home an
d use this room as you need it.”

  They watched him leave and then dissolved into a fit of giggles once again.

  Elsa plopped down on the purple couch, sending dust flying through the air, prompting yet another round of giggles. Jade sat down next to Elsa and looked around.

  “It is going to take some work to get this room to be functional,” she said.

  Elsa nodded and replied, “Well then, let’s get to it!”

  Owyn walked out of his study and looked around, wondering where all the noise was coming from. He looked around and saw Alice, one of the downstairs maids walking with a bucket towards the parlor.

  “Alice, what is going on in the parlor and why does it involve buckets?” he asked, the maid stopping and turning carefully towards him to avoid spilling water on the floor.

  “Sir, we are cleaning it out for Princess Elsa’s use while she is here. She didn’t want to bother you by asking you. She was sure you wouldn’t mind since the parlor never gets used.”

  He nodded and sent the maid on her way, holding in a chuckle as she turned carefully back around and walked slowly into the parlor. Curious now, he went down the hall and looked around the corner into the parlor, amazed by its transformation.

  All the furniture had been unclothed and wiped down, and all the gold had been polished, making the furniture shine. The room looked marvelous after all the hard work they had put in and it made him actually want to spend time in the very room he had been avoiding.

  The drapes were pulled back and the maids helped Elsa scrub the grime off the windows. She had changed into one of her day dresses and had an apron tied around her waist, making her blend in with the rest of the maids. Elsa had even put her hair into a sleeping cap to keep it from getting in her face.

  He recognized Jade as one of the maids who was also helping.

  Elsa noticed him standing in the doorway and left her spot by the window, one of the other maids filling in the gap she left.

  “Your Royal Highness, what do you think of your parlor now?” she asked. “I hope you don’t mind that I cleaned it up. I thought I might make use of it while I am here.”