Luana had never seen Baylin more on edge. After Lord Cadman’s visit to Grasmere, the Prince wore a constant frown. With the threat of Mirstone and Kardell attacking at any given moment, the entire Kingdom was preparing for the worst.
The evening after Cadman’s departure, Luana sat in silence as Baylin picked at the food on his dinner plate. She could see the burden of the Kingdom weighing heavily on him.
“You’ve hardly eaten in a week,” she murmured.
He looked up, blinking, as though he had only just realized she was at the table. “I’m sorry, my dear. I know I’ve not been very good company as of late.”
“I understand,” Luana said. “You worry for your people.”
Baylin’s gaze fell and he smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. “I worry for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes, Cadman sees you as a way to hurt me,” Baylin said, his face flushing with anger. “He knows that I will worry about your well-being, so he will try to come for you as soon as possible.”
Let him try. Luana hated the man just as much, if not more, than Baylin did. After Cadman attempted to force himself on her and take away her dignity and virtue in one motion, she was unable to hear his name without the taste of bile rising in her throat. A shiver fell over her at the thought of the man. She didn’t believe in killing, yet she would not mourn his passing.
Baylin’s eyes were heavy on her, as though he could read her thoughts. She did not want to give him reason to worry. “Don’t burden yourself with such things. I’m sure I have nothing to be uneasy about.”
“Still,” Baylin continued. “It would give me peace to know you were more prepared.”
“I’ve taken down wolves before,” Luana said, referring to her times as a goat herder.
“Yes, but a snake can be much more dangerous.” Baylin sneered at the thought of his uncle. “Allow me to train you. We can start tonight.”
“Tonight? Train me to what?” Luana asked.
“Train you to kill,” Baylin said.
*****
Baylin took Luana to a small field outside the castle gates, near the forest edge. The sun had begun to set, and the moon was already beginning to rise in the sky.
“This is much different than the games we played with wooden swords, Luana,” Baylin said, handing her a heavy metal sword. “I want you to learn how to use one and be prepared to take a life, should you need to.”
Luana held the hardened steel in her hands. The sword felt awkward—foreign to her. Even on her goat farm, she never used large weapons to defend her herd. She only ever carried a small knife and relied mainly on her cunning and the element of surprise to scare off the beasts that hunted her flock. She avoided bringing death to any living creature, even one as loathsome as Lord Cadman. Yet now she was being told her only option to defend herself and her child was to kill.
Baylin faced Luana, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I know you are apprehensive, but it is vital you learn how to defend yourself. Women of the Keld are raised carrying a sword, even if they never use it, they know how. She may appear prim and proper, but you can rest assured that Isla was taught by the sword.”
A cool breeze blew through the air, lifting Luana’s silvery blonde hair around her face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose, releasing it slowly through her mouth. She opened her eyes and looked down at the sword in her hands. It has a beauty to it. Its long, silver blade gleamed in the moonlight. Just like Princess Isla, this sword is beautiful on the outside, yet its purpose is one of destruction. I will not allow her to harm my child.
Luana tightened her grip on the sword. “If there is no other way.”
“There isn’t, my love,” Baylin said, his brow furrowed in an apologetic expression.
“Isn’t there?” asked a voice from the dark.
Baylin spun, pulling his sword and tucking Luana in tight behind him. “Who goes there?”
Luana held her sword securely in her hands, turning the knuckles a pearly shade of white in the moonlight. “Baylin… What do… What do we do?” Her voice wavered as she trembled, waiting for an attack to occur.
“You need not fear me,” the voice stated, coming from the darkness of the forest. “I am here to aid you, son of Ashmur and daughter of the moon.”
“Daughter of the moon?” Baylin repeated softly. “What do you speak of? Show yourself.”
The Elven King Rydel emerged from the trees like an apparition in the moonlight. Luana sucked in a deep breath and gripped the hilt of the sword.
In the moonlight his hair seemed to glow, sweeping around his handsome, angular face like sheets of snow. His deep-set eyes glowed a pale shade of blue, like twin orbs floating in the night. He wore a long pale green tunic that appeared to shimmer in the night, billowing behind him in the wind as he walked gracefully toward them.
“Lord Rydel,” Baylin said, bowing his head. “To what do we owe this honor?”
“King Rydel?” Luana whispered through a wavered breath. “He… But he is…”
The elf glided up to the couple, placed his hand over his heart and dipped his head elegantly. “I have come to assist you, Luana, daughter of the moon.”
Her heart began to race in her chest. “Daughter of the moon? I… I don’t understand. What is going on? How are you even here? I thought King Rydel was a myth… an elf King that was said to have died hundreds of years ago.”
The Elf-King looked up into her green eyes. “Has no one told you of your heritage, my child?”
Baylin stiffened, putting an arm in front of Luana. “What do you mean? She is of Open Shaw, daughter of Hal-john and Fersa. That is her heritage.”
“Is it now?” Rydel raised an eyebrow and showed the slightest upturn to the corner of his mouth. “I suppose that is what you would remember, child. But has no one told you of how you came to be in Open Shaw?”
Luana pushed past Baylin to approach the elf. “I was born of my mother, Fersa; that is how I came to be in Open Shaw. She married my father, Hal-john, and they had me and my sister, Lesta.”
“Yes, child, they are who raised you.” King Rydel’s eyes softened. “However, they are not who gave you life.”
Luana’s forehead wrinkled as she furrowed her brow, turning to look at Baylin in confusion.
The Prince reached out and pulled Luana into his arms. “What is it that you speak of? Do you not see you are upsetting her?”
“My apologies,” the Elf-King said, bowing his head. “I do not mean to give the girl any distress. I merely desire to enlighten her. She has been kept in the dark for far too long. It is my wish to show her the light.”
“Then please, my Lord, explain,” Baylin pleaded. A distant roll of thunder bellowed across the sky and the breeze began to pick up, blowing the blades of grass so they bowed at the King’s feet.
“Luana, dear child. Do you ever see things that have not yet come to pass?” the King asked. “Perhaps you have been able to touch someone and see what could be their future?”
Luana’s pulse raced in her chest. She thought of the scene she saw when she had touched Isla in her bedchamber. “I did… I have…” She looked up into Baylin’s eyes. “When Isla was preparing to return to Grasmere. She came to the chamber. She mocked me and went to slap me, but I caught her arm. When I did, I saw something. It was like being in a dream. I saw Isla with flames behind her as a forest burned. Then I saw a hooded figure chanting over a tattered old book. I saw a quick glimpse of your mother in mourning clothes. Lastly, I saw Lord Cadman holding a crying baby… our baby.”
Baylin sucked in a breath, hugging Luana in his arms. “I had a similar vision when the young elf maid visited me in my camp in Mirstone. She gave me a gift to see the best way to defeat the enemy. At the time I assumed it was the troll hordes. In the dream, Isla and Cadman were after our son.” He turned his gaze to the elf. “When I had the vision, it was with a special tea your sister had given me. What is this? How does Luana have these dreams, the visions?”
“It is her birthright,” Rydel explained. “She has the ability of foresight. These gifts can, at times, feel as though they are more of a curse than a blessing. Especially when you do not have the knowledge to interpret them. However, I will help you with this, my dear Luana.”
“I still don’t understand,” Baylin said, wrinkling his forehead. “How can something like this be? You speak of powers and gifts. She was raised in Open Shaw. Her family has lived in Grasmere for generations.”
Still clinging to Baylin, Luana looked up at Rydel wearily. “You called me a daughter of the moon earlier.”
The Elf-King took in a deep breath, as though he were anxious. “Yes, my child.”
“Why?” she questioned.
“Because that is what you are, Luana,” the Elven King said, his expression soft and thoughtful. “You are a daughter of the moon. You are my niece.”
Luana felt her heart seize in her chest as his words poured over her. His niece? An elf? How can this be? Her knees became weak at the weight of the knowledge. The wind grew colder as clouds slowly crept into the sky, threatening to block out the moon.
Baylin supported Luana as her body began to slip to the ground. “Forgive me, my Lord, but you must be mistaken. She is no elf maid. I have known her since she was a mere child. She lived not far from here.”
“Yes, she was raised by Hal-john and Fersa on their quiet little farm,” King Rydel said, turning his back to them to gaze off into the distance toward where Open Shaw lay. “We have kept watch over her, from afar of course, these past nineteen years.”
Luana looked up at Baylin as he held her to his side. Worry was written all over his face while he stared at the Elven King.
“I’m sorry, my Lord,” Baylin said, “but I must insist that you explain yourself. You cannot simply show up out of the darkness, profess that Luana’s life has been a lie, and expect us to take it as truth.”
“Certainly not, Your Grace,” Rydel said, slowly turning around with a soft smile on his lips. “For to do so would make you a fool, and we both know you are no fool. I will happily explain if Luana so wishes it. Just know that once all is explained, it can never be undone. Such knowledge can carry a heavy weight. With it comes much responsibility and obligation at times.”
Luana looked from the elf to Baylin, both of their eyes on her. She found she could not find her voice but managed to nod at the King.
“Hal-john and Fersa are, in fact, the only family you have known,” the Elven King continued. “But it is not their blood you share.” He extended his hand. “Well, not entirely their blood.”
Luana placed her delicate hand into the King’s pale palm. She saw how similar their skin shone in the glimmering moonlight. Could it be? She glanced at Baylin, worry written on his face, then turned her gaze to Rydel. “If not their blood, then whose?”