Lady Grace

Lady Grace sat in the drawing room, staring out into space. The portraits of her ancestors seemed to gaze down at her sternly. Lady Grace sat, wondering where her brother, Sir Adrian, could be. He had disappeared in such a hurry. Her mind went back to the messenger from the palace. Could the Princess Adara be in danger? For the fact that the messenger wanted to know if he had returned alone, seemed to point to that.

She rose and ordered a carriage to be prepared. When it was ready, she drove off to the palace. When she arrived, Prince Kylos greeted her.

“Lady Grace!” he exclaimed.

“Prince,” said she, “I was wondering if something was the matter. I saw several groups of horsemen riding out, on the way here.”

Kylos’s face grew worried, “Yes, Adara is missing,” he said, looking troubled.

“Tell me, Prince, did she go riding with my brother?” asked Lady Grace, anxiously.

Kylos wet his lips, “Yes. But Lady Grace, you need not be worried, we are sure to find her soon,” he said.

“But, why would my brother leave her, if she was in danger?” inquired Lady Grace.

“I do not know, but there must have been a reason. Your brother, Lady Grace, was no coward,” Kylos said firmly.

“Oh, no! You see, Prince, Adrian is all I have in the world, since father died.” Said Lady Grace, “And I love him so much, if something was to happen to him…” she paused.

“I know. I am sure your brother is fine,” said Kylos.

Lady Grace sighed, “I hope so,” she replied quietly.

* * * * *

The man stood, leaning against the battlements, gazing off into the distance. His face was thoughtful. Behind him the ancient castle stood dark against the evening sky. The man stood, his mind busy. He had seen them bring the girl into the courtyard. And now, he was thinking of the punishments that would occur if that girl was of the nobility. He wondered what they wanted of her, anyway. He had heard that Derek was in charge of the keys to her cell in the tower. He didn’t like the captain of sentinels. He knew the man to be cruel and coldhearted. The man also was curious to know who was in charge of this setup, anyway. Whoever was, lived in the capital, and was quite wealthy. He didn’t like it. He hadn’t realized what this band was like at first. They had given him lodging for the night, when he came wandering along. He had stayed when they offered to pay him to help guard. He had decided that guarding an abandoned castle in the middle of nowhere should be fairly easy. Now, he wished that he could leave. He didn’t like the shady way they handled things. But, now, he couldn’t leave. He had tried, but they had laughed and told him that once you get here, you stay here. The man frowned, perhaps he could sneak away in the dead of night, while he was on guard duty. The question was, was it worth it? If he was caught sneaking off…the man shuddered. His hazel eyes looked off at nothing for a while. Then he straightened up, tall against the dark sky and continued pacing the battlements.

Late that night, the man laid awake, turning over the thought of escaping in his mind.

“Walter,” he told himself, “You’ve got to get out of here. So far you’ve never been mixed up in anything wrong. The only thing you have done that you would be better off not doing, is wander about, and not make yourself a home. You should get out of here, while it’s still possible.”

End of Chapter Four

I hope you're enjoying it, still!