I’m on the taller side and tend to shy away from dating men shorter than me. My ex-husband was about even with my height. The man before me is a few inches taller, which I appreciate.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
“Alison Wescot.”
He smiles and I notice his straight, white teeth. “I’m Lucas Azure. Tell me, why have I only seen you in my dreams and never in my kingdom?”
“I’ve never been here before. Well, not really. I’ve dreamt of this place, and you.”
His eyes widen slightly. “You have?”
Nodding, I add, “I only just came through the door.”
“The door?” he asks.
“Yes, the door to the cottage.” I turn and point to the slate blue door on the ivy covered structure.
“You live in the run-down cottage?”
“No,” I smile, shaking my head. “I’m from another place. When I went through that door, I appeared here.”
“That’s impossible.” He walks to the cottage in long strides and opens the door. Stepping inside, he’s only gone for a few seconds before he returns. “There’s nothing in there but some broken furniture, cobwebs, and a lot of dust.”
“Maybe to get through you need the key,” I mumble, thinking to myself.
“What’s that?” he calls.
“Oh, nothing.” I decide to keep the key to myself for the moment. Besides, what if he takes it from me, and I can’t ever go home?
He comes to stand before me again. “Come, I’ll take you to my home,” he says with an extended hand.
As much as I want to go with him, I need to find my father. Plus, I don’t know him. “I’m actually looking for someone.”
“Who?” he asks tightly. His body tenses, his shoulders square.
“My father. Could you help me find him?”
I watch him visibly relax. Was he jealous? He doesn’t know anything about me, but then again I do feel this strange connection to him that I don’t want to analyze at the moment.
“If you’ve never been here before, how do you have a father here?”
“It’s a long story. One I can explain, but I’m really hoping my father is alive and I can meet him.”
“What’s his name?”
“Rafe Pine.”
With wide eyes, Lucas takes a few steps back. “That can’t be,” he stammers.
“What? Is he dead?” I’m starting to tremble. Did I make a huge mistake? What if I went through the door only to find out he’s gone?
“No, he’s alive.” I let out a breath and relax. “But you can’t be his daughter. You look nothing like him.”
“I’m a mirror image of my mother. Everyone used to always say that we could be sisters.”
“Your mother?” He looks at me like he’s trying to piece things together.
“Yes, I look just like my mother.”
“What was her name?”
“Eliza.”
His face hardens as does his voice. “I need you to come with me. Now.”
Revelations
I don’t like the look on his face and start to retreat from him. What happened to the kind, warm man? He’s faster than me. The second I turn to run, he grips my arm and pulls me toward his horse. His fingers bite into my skin. Maybe he’s not the man I was hoping he’d be.
Attempting to wrench my arm free, I hiss, “I’m not going anywhere with you. Let me go!”
“We can do this two ways, Alison. Either you come with me of your own will, or I make you. But either way, you will get on that horse.”
“Why are you doing this? I didn’t do anything wrong,” I cry.
He halts in his tracks and turns to seethe his words at me. “You might not have, but your father did. He’s a murderer. He killed my best friend in battle.”
His words rock me to my core. My father is a murderer? How can this be? My mom would have never been with someone so vicious. She didn’t have a mean bone in her body.
I’m trying to figure out a reason why he would have killed someone so important. “Maybe he didn’t know he was so important to you.”
“He knew. Make no mistake. I saw his face after he did it.”
Tears are threatening to spill from my eyes. “I don’t even know him.”
We are right next to his horse. “Get on, Alison.” Some of the anger has left his voice, and if I’m not mistaken, there is indecision in his eyes.
There is no use in fighting him. He’s bigger and stronger than me. At least if I move on my own, maybe he won’t hurt me. I look up and take in the size of the steed in front of me. He’s tall. Way too tall. “I’ve never ridden a horse and he’s too big. I can’t climb onto him.”
Lucas grabs my hips, and with an effortless ease, lifts me up in the air, so I can grab the saddle and pull myself the rest of the way up. He swiftly climbs up and settles himself behind me with my bag between us.
In my ear he says, “Don’t try anything.” What does he think I’m going to do? Launch myself from this height and break a leg? I’m not jumping down. Yeah, I want to run, but that chance is gone for the time being.
We start a slow trot in the opposite direction of the cottage. I have a sinking feeling in my stomach. I wanted to come here. I thought I’d find my very own knight and live out some beautiful fairy tale. The opposite is happening. I found a knight, but one whose friend died at the hands of my father. Now I’m being taken to who knows where and my knight is no longer friendly.
The further we go, the fewer pretty blue flowers I see. We start climbing a steep hill, and once at the top, I can see a castle in the distance. There is a great, grey stone wall surrounding it, and in the middle is a tall, weathered red tower house. The windows along the sides are arched at the top. There are other structures within the wall that are the same color as the tower house, including a circular building; which isn’t as tall as the tower, but still massive with square windows. The closer we get, I realize that the castle is surrounded by water with a stone bridge connecting it with the land. At the top of the tower house is a large flag, which appears to be the same azure color as the flowers with an eagle on it. The eagle’s wings are spread wide.
“Is that where you’re taking me?” I ask, inclining my chin to the castle.
“Yes, that’s my home and where you’ll be staying until I can contact King Pine.”
I turn abruptly and come face-to-face with Lucas. His breath mingles with my own and my heart seems to stop in the moment. His eyes move from mine down to my lips. Instinctively I lick my bottom lip. His own part and we are again looking into each other’s eyes. My body is starting to react to his. I can feel heat spread throughout me. The horse slows suddenly, effectively breaking us from the spell.
Facing forward again, I say, “I didn’t know my father is a king. My mother is no longer alive, and I only have a letter from her telling me very little about this world.”
“This world?”
“Yeah, the one you live in. I told you I wasn’t from here.”
“Yes, but I thought you were from another kingdom.”
“No, Lucas. I’m from another place entirely. I told you the door brought me here. I left my apartment and appeared here.”
“That’s not possible. I don’t believe you. I went into the cottage. There’s nothing there.”
I wave a hand dismissively. “Believe what you want, but I’m telling the truth.”