The Betrayal Read online

  Owyn smiled at the use of his title, the very one that matched hers.

  “I think it is a wonderful idea. This room does not get any company so with you here, it won’t have to be lonely any longer. Neither will you.”

  Elsa couldn’t help but be excited by his approval.

  “I will be delighted by it and will think of you and your kindness whenever I am in here.”

  Owyn felt his body stiffen for a moment, but then he sighed, willing his body to relax as he exhaled.

  Elsa took one last look at Owyn and then headed back to her window, leaving Owyn alone at the door.

  A little while later, Elsa wandered down the hall back to the parlor from the library where she had gone to get something to read. She sat down on the purple couch and opened her book, “The Art of Poems” by Sean Biddick. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the door and closed the book, sitting up and calling for her visitor to enter.

  When the door opened and Owyn was there, she was surprised since she had not expected to see him so soon.

  “My lady, I was told I would find you here. I brought the newest letter in to see if we could find out what it said. Are you busy?” he asked, holding up the newest letter.

  Elsa smiled and shook her head.

  “I’m not busy. Come on in.”

  He nodded and headed down the short steps, stopping at the coffee table and setting the letter down. He looked around and considered for a moment where he was going to sit, but made up his mind when he moved to the nearest chair to her.

  She looked at the letter, seeing if she could recognize anything on the paper. To her surprise, she actually was able to translate more of the letter than she thought.

  She sighed.

  “It looks like it still does not give us the actual location of the queen. It is another riddle and has a clearer answer to where she might be. It will, however, cast doubt and suspicion on one of the rulers.”

  She looked at Owyn and tried to gauge his reaction.

  “Who?”

  “‘Mai wru cosi est litre y tenor, sauk yia haes resra oo Krun urai.’ Or, ‘On the island of fruit and grain, there you will see our queen again.’”

  Owyn only needed a moment to think of which island provided those resources to the kingdom.

  “So, it was Cyrus Gray who kidnapped the queen.”

  Elsa nodded.

  “Unfortunately, that is the way it seems to be. The only other scenario, and I don’t think it is a very plausible one, is that he was set up by someone. Although again, not a plausible scenario,” she said, again watching for some kind of reaction.

  Owyn couldn’t help but scoff sarcastically.

  “It is not a plausible scenario because it is not the scenario. Prince Cyrus had the queen kidnapped. I have no doubt it was to get her to change her mind and give us more power.”

  “You don’t think he would harm her, do you?” Elsa asked, unable to fathom the thought.

  “Only until he does not need her any longer,” he replied, her face going white.

  “Everything will be all right. We will find this man who keeps leaving us clues and figure out where she is. We will find her in time to save her.”

  He stood and headed to the door, calling for the nearest maid to find Everett. When that was accomplished, he came back to the chair.

  “This is awful,” Elsa said, her hands clasped together in her lap.

  Owyn sat down next to her on the couch, taking her hand in his. Elsa was surprised by the gesture, the warmth and strength sending shivers down her spine.

  “We will find the queen. If anything, Everett will find the queen. He is the best person for the job. We are all out here fighting to save her, and that patience and hard work will be rewarded.”

  He had started rubbing his thumb across the top of her fingers and it made her feel warm inside, confusing her. She could feel her face flush and tried to focus on anything else but his perfect lips that were so close to her that she knew if she leaned in just a little bit, she would be able to kiss him.

  The thought came so quickly unbidden that it threw her off, her heart starting to race.

  “Elsa, are you all right?” he asked, her eyes flying back to his and the desire that shown brightly in them.

  She nodded.

  They sat staring for Elsa didn’t know how long, but she could feel the desire pulsing between them. She knew, deep down, that Owyn could feel it too.

  He looked deep into her violet eyes and was so tempted to lean in and press his lips to hers. It wouldn’t take much as it was just a small gap between them. Her heavy breathing matched his and before he could stop himself, he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to hers, his eyes falling closed as he did.

  Elsa closed her eyes and returned his kiss, resting her hands at his waist as his tongue met hers and melded.

  He had his hands on her shoulders and slid them down to rest at her elbows, trapping her arms at her sides. When he pulled back to breathe, he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, pressing her body to his as he shifted.

  She lifted her arms from his waist and wrapped them around his shoulders as he pressed his lips to hers once more. Elsa couldn’t feel anything but the heat that coursed through her body as his lips took hers. She had been kissed only once before and it was only a quick peck; she hadn’t known that kissing could be so amazing.

  With his strong arms wrapped around her, she felt completely safe in his embrace, feeling very unfamiliar with all these new sensations. He pulled away again and she whimpered at the loss of his lips on hers; he smiled and rested his forehead against hers, both their breaths coming heavy.

  “I don’t know if you feel the same, but I am very glad I did that,” he whispered.

  Elsa couldn’t even think about forming words at this moment so she answered with a quick nod and the best smile she could provide at the moment.

  Owyn’s huge smile made her even happier. He went to kiss her again but was stopped by the sound of a knock on the door. Everett called out to them and they quickly broke apart, Owyn going to stand by the window and adjust his trousers.

  Elsa quickly checked her hair and tried to look as if she hadn’t just been kissing a man in the parlor of his home.

  “Come in, Everett! We are here waiting for you,” she called out to her brother, smiling and standing as he walked in.

  “I heard Prince Owyn had called for me to come down here,” he looked around the parlor in amazement.

  “It looks wonderful in here. I saw it when we first arrived and can thoroughly say I am impressed.”

  Elsa beamed at her brother’s praise.

  Owyn cleared his throat and motioned to the letter on the table when she looked in his direction.

  “The letter! I’m so sorry, brother; my mind was elsewhere. I deciphered the letter and it gave us another clue, but this one might be able to clarify as to where she actually is. Or in the least, what island she might be on.”

  Everett looked at Elsa and then at Owyn and took the letter his sister held out to him, deciding to focus on that. There were always downsides to being overly observant.

  “The island of fruit and grain… does it mean what I think it means?” he asked.

  Elsa and Owyn both nodded in understanding.

  “So Cyrus Gray is holding Queen Catriona on Obsidian Ridge?”

  They didn’t even have to nod.

  “That would be treasonous, wouldn’t it? Why would he do that? He already has power. What else could he want?” Elsa asked.

  “He wants to be king. I have no doubt of that. If he kidnaps the queen and there is no heir, then there would be an election and the new king or queen would be chosen. I’m sure it would come as no surprise that he would go after the throne. He has always wanted more power for himself and this seems to be the way he wants to get it,” Everett explained to them, shedding a little more light for Elsa.

  As a Prince of Malachite Expanse, Owyn had alway
s been present at the meetings of the prince and princesses with the king. Cyrus had always wanted more power and had always been after King Art to give them more. Art had always disagreed with Cyrus.

  Owyn couldn’t help but wonder if Cyrus had tried to make Catriona agree and since she had not, she had been kidnapped to see if they could coerce her. He knew that Cyrus would never have done anything to King Art.

  That only left one question: Why now?

  Everett had been thinking the same thing as Owyn.

  “It is clear that since Catriona was not that far into her reign, he thought that this would be the opportune time. She is a brand new ruler and the people haven’t exactly become loyal to her as of yet. This would be the perfect time to take over. If she had been queen longer, there might have been more loyalties to her. This way he could sway any vote or election in his direction. Who wants a girl who has never ruled to become queen over a man who has ruled Obsidian Ridge successfully for so long? Cyrus Gray is the one who did this. Now we have to figure out how and where the queen is being held.”

  Owyn stopped to think for a moment.

  “If she is being held on Obsidian Ridge, then we need to find her before anything can happen to her. If we need to, would Art go to battle to get his daughter back?” Owyn asked.

  “Art has his throne back without all the official titles, and that doesn’t make him a target. It makes Lady Scarlett Kensington the target. She is next in line, but Art is fighting to rule again. The Counsel of Electors has sided against Art if he was elected. He has the full support of Obsidian Ridge and Cyrus. That alone makes her in more danger than she already was. Is Lady Scarlett still on Elfyre Hollow? She was the last time I saw her,” Everett stated.

  The lack of concern that Art had shown so far for his daughter had not gone unnoticed by most of the community.

  “She is. Alastair has kept her there to keep her safe. The last I heard Lady Scarlett had fallen ill so now security has been doubled to keep anyone from hurting her,” Owyn replied.

  “Everett, do you think you know what to do?” Elsa asked, bringing their attention to her.

  They both looked at her as if they had forgotten she was even there, although that was far from the truth.

  “I don’t know just what to do yet. My information that is waiting for me on Ciomodors Garden might be able to give me clearer direction on where to go from here. All I know is that we need to find our riddler. He could give us all the information we would need.”

  Elsa mulled that over for a moment and then asked, “Could we speak to Scarlett at all? Are they letting anyone near her?”

  Everett shook his head.

  “They are not… She is the prized person in the kingdom right now and the only people who can see her are Art and Alastair Brannigan, the main doctor on Elfyre Hollow. There are nurses I’m sure who are able to see her to help Alastair but I don’t think that they would let just anyone in.”

  Deflated, Elsa sagged back against the couch.

  “Would Alastair meet with me?” Owyn asked.

  Everett looked up, slightly surprised.

  “I hadn’t even thought of that. He might be willing to since you are also a ruler of an island.”

  “I would hope so. I do consider Alastair a friend of mine.”

  “Do you want me to ask and see what information is available to us?” Everett asked Owyn.

  “You do that and let me know. See also what information you can find out about our interim king,” Owyn said.

  Everett nodded.

  “Anything else?” he asked.

  As satisfied as he could be at this moment, Owyn shook his head.

  “If I think of anything else, I will try to let you know before you leave. Let me know if you think of anything as well,” he said.

  Nodding in approval, Everett headed towards the door.

  “I will see you both at dinner.”

  Elsa and Owyn both watched as he left the room, shutting the door behind him and effectively leaving them alone together.

  Owyn waited until he heard the door click and sat back down next to her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Elsa looked at him. “What do you mean?” she replied.

  “Well, I wasn’t sure how you felt about what just happened. Then Everett came in… so I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  Elsa giggled and Owyn couldn’t help but feel embarrassed; he was behaving like a young schoolboy who had just gotten his first kiss.

  “I can assure you, sir, that I am perfectly all right,” she said, resting her hand on his cheek. “I also enjoyed it very much.”

  Encouraged now, Owyn leaned in and kissed her again, deeper this time. He wondered how she would react if he…

  Elsa gasped as Owyn slid his tongue between her lips to slide it sensually over hers. She sat still for a moment, letting herself feel the sensations building in her body.

  Owyn pulled her closer to him and delved deeper into her mouth, the sensations running through her, making her moan. When she moaned louder than she had before, he pulled away slightly, trying to avoid attracting too much attention. He rested his hands around her waist and squeezed, trying to keep his control that was rapidly slipping away.

  He hadn’t ever felt this way about a woman, and he wasn’t sure how long he could keep his composure and keep her purity intact. The thought of her being a virgin brought him to a screeching halt and he pulled away, not completely letting her go but almost.

  “Owyn…?” she whispered.

  “I… I need some space,” he said, standing and walking to the window.

  Elsa watched him, unsure of what was now happening between them. First there had been nothing but tension, then there was kissing and wonderful sensations that went with them, and now there was nothing, only air.

  “Are you all right?” she asked, standing up and straightening her hair.

  If she was going to be told something she wouldn’t like, she would at least be presentable when it happened.

  He smiled.

  “I am feeling just fine. A little better than fine, but I need to think. We can’t just jump into things. There are, unfortunately, rules that go along with this sort of thing.”

  She looked at him curiously.

  “Rules? What thing?” she asked, completely confused by what was going on here.

  “The thing between us. Do you deny that there is an attraction between us?”

  Elsa thought for a moment, then replied, “I don’t deny that there is an attraction there. As to what to do about it, I am not sure. I haven’t ever been attracted to anyone.”

  Owyn smiled and said, “I think then, this calls for a courtship. I court you and we can see where it goes from there,” he paused for a second, then continued. “If that is all right with you, of course, I wouldn’t want you to feel obligated to go along with it if you aren’t willing.”

  Elsa didn’t know what to think about what he said.

  When Owyn still hadn’t received a reply a minute later, he said, “I am sorry to have wasted your time. Please excuse me.”

  Elsa stopped him before he could get to the door.

  “I think a courtship would be an excellent idea. Close proximity to one another and getting to know one another without any temptation mixed in.”

  Owyn had to hand it to her, she sure knew how to make a man wait for an answer.

  “I will see you tonight at dinner,” he said, bowing and leaving the parlor.

  Elsa watched him go, standing still in the middle of the room.

  Chapter Nine

  Elsa woke up and rolled over, unable to contain her happiness. She still was a little shocked about what had happened between her and Owyn last night in the parlor. She did know that she was excited and nervous all at the same time. She had never felt this way before.

  Elsa sat up with a start when she heard a knock at her door.

  “My Lady, may I come in?” she heard Jade ask.


  She smiled. She wondered how Jade would react.

  “Come in!” she called.

  Jade couldn’t be upset about it, and she would find out eventually because he was supposed to be courting her; that meant they would have to be seen together.

  She watched as Jade came in and pulled open the curtains, dispelling the darkness of the night with the light of the sun. Elsa slid across the bed and stood up, untying the laces on her nightgown as she walked towards the dressing room.

  “My Lady, what would you like to wear today?” Jade asked.

  “Jade, did we pack my purple day dress? The dark color, not the light?” Elsa asked.

  “Yes, My Lady, we did. I will pull it out for you right now if you would like.”

  Elsa nodded and said, “Yes, please, and pull out the matching ribbon that goes in my hair.”

  Jade giggled and went to get the matching ribbon.

  “Is there a particular reason My Lady is dressing up today?” she asked.

  Elsa smiled conspiratorially and turned to face Jade, now in her shift.

  “I am dressing up for myself, but if the Prince Owyn happens to notice me then all is well.”

  Jade looked at her with wide eyes.

  “Prince Owyn? Did he say he liked you?” she asked.

  “He and I explained to one another our feelings for each other and have decided to court and see if we will suit,” Elsa explained, waiting for Jade to reply.

  “Well, My Lady, I am very happy for you. I am certain that you will suit,” she said, a big smile on her face.

  Elsa looked at Jade dead in the eye, knowing that she would be honest with her about it.

  “Jade, are you sure? You have never been wrong when it comes to these things. You knew what a scoundrel Lazy Anselm was when I was foolishly enamored with him for those two days.”

  Jade smiled and took Elsa’s hands, the ribbon dangling between them, “I am certain, My Lady, that Prince Owyn is a good match for you.”

  Elsa smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Now let’s get your hair done so you can go on down to breakfast.”

  Half an hour later, Elsa walked down the stairs, heading down to the dining room when she heard a knock at the front door.