The Warrior King

Four

Brielle and I rushed to put on our formal slippers and get downstairs. Marko did not like to be left waiting. As we descended the stairs, the boys, who were gathered at the dining table, turned to look at us. Lance and Rodney's jaws dropped at the sight of Brielle, her cleavage available for maximum viewing. Robert and Sam, on the other hand, clenched their jaws and looked as if they were about to grind their teeth into dust at the sight of their sister. Only Jace was unphased, as he was busily shoving the early dinner Bertha had made into his mouth. She and Marko would be accompanying us to the Great Hall for the festivities. 

Marko looked at both of us and grunted; always a man of few words. Bertha clasped her hands together, eyes shining with tears. 

"You girls are just lovely, " Bertha gushed, gathering us into her plump arms. She smelled of cinnamon and yeast, a testament to her main task of baking. Her blonde hair was graying and she had deep laugh lines around her eyes. She was an older, more filled out version of her daughter. She wore a navy blue gown made of fabric that swished when she moved. 

I hugged Bertha back and pulled away. The boys were mostly still starting at Brielle with the exception of Jace, who was taking advantage of the others not eating and heaping more food on to his plate. 

"Well don't you have anything to say to your sisters?" Marko demanded gruffly. 

"Yeah, Brielle go change," Sam stated before being flicked on the back of the head by his father. "Ow! What?! I can't believe you're letting Bri wear that! At least Sasha has the decency to be plain!" My smile wavered. A solid smack hit the back of Sam's head, this time from Bertha. 

"There is nothing plain about our girls," Bertha said, frowning. "They both look lovely and will have so much attention, we will need to beat the boys back." Now it was Marko's turn to frown. 

"You girls will need cloaks. Once the sun goes down, it will get cold fast," he remarked. Brielle and I nodded and went to select our cloaks from the hooks by the front door. "You'll need a pretty heavy one, Brielle," he said gruffly before stepping outside to ready the carriage. Brielle stuck her tongue out at her father's back and grabbed her spring cloak, which only covered her shoulders. Trying to suppress a giggle, I grabbed the only cloak I owned, a sensible middleweight garment that would be fine for a spring evening. Linking arms, Bri and I started to walk toward the door. She turned before we stepped out onto the porch and wiggled her fingers at her brothers. 

"Don't wait up!" she called to them in a sing-song voice, squealing as Robert and Sam lept up. We dashed out of the house and flew into the carriage, not bothering with Marko's outstretched hand, laughing as we collapsed on the bench seat behind the driver's bench. Marko then helped his wife get settled before getting up into the driver's seat next to her. We were off with a quick flip of the reins. 

The Great Hall for the Wheat District was not too far from our farm. Baron Loren Hirad oversaw the district and would be presenting the Warrior King to his subjects tonight. As we rode along in the open carriage, my body began to tingle in anticipation of the coming events. I stole a glance at Bri, who was sitting next to me with a look of anticipation on her face. I caught her eye and she gave me a huge smile and reached over to take my hand. Giving it a squeeze, she tucked it into her lap and held it firmly. 

About ten minutes later, the carriage began to slow as it joined a long line of other carriages and wagons. We suddenly seemed to be inching along. 

"What's going on papa?" Brielle asked, letting go of my hand and leaning over the side of the carriage to see. I followed suit and leaned over my side. 

Up ahead, there appeared to be some kind of roadblock. People were coming from every direction, so it was hard to tell where the line of transportation began and ended. 

"Looks like the local militia. They are just trying to control the flow of traffic," Marko explained. "With this many people and expectations running high, it's wise to take extra precautions."

The realization suddenly dawned on me that I may not see Brielle again for a very long time after tonight. If (and really it was more of a when) she was chosen by one of the soldiers, they would have a bonding ceremony tomorrow and then be on their way to the Iron District. We had not spent a night apart since her family took me in and I was faced with not seeing her again for an indefinite amount of time. Tears sprang to my eyes and I was trying to discreetly wipe them away when Bri gasped. 

"Sasha look!" she said in awe. She was pointing straight out to the horizon where it appeared that the largest herd of cattle I had ever seen was grazing. As I moved to her side, though, and squinted to focus, I realized that it was a massive camp of people. Soldiers. The Warrior King's soldiers. There must have been hundreds if not thousands of them. Knowing that the king had released most of his bonded soldiers to go back to their homes, I was amazed that still so many remained. Maybe I did have a chance at finding someone to bond with me. The thought made my heart starting beating faster. 

"Do you think he's there?" Brielle whispered in my ear. 

"Who?"

She gave me a playful shove.

"The Warrior King," she said. The thought of this mysterious and dangerous man just a few hundred yards away made my stomach knot. I wasn't sure why but the sound of his name set my body on fire. In order not to think about him, I shrugged. 

"Where else would he be?" I replied. At that moment, the carriage started to pick up speed and we were granted entry through the roadblock. We were now just moments away from the being in the presence of the Warrior King.