Chapter 32

Sebastian plucked an apple and handed it to Olivia. “I know you are hungry. This should appease you until the evening meal.”

She smiled and took it, then polished it against her skirt. “I admit, I love having food at my fingertips.” She bit off a piece, with a loud crunch.

“Sebastian!”

Someone cried out his name from some distance away.

He whipped his head around. “Over here!” Whoever had yelled sounded urgent.

Olivia grabbed his arm. “Is that Jonah?”

“Yes, I believe it is.” Heart pounding, Sebastian took her hand and guided her quickly toward him.

They reached one another in the center of the orchard.

Jonah looked haggard—as if he had not slept in days. He bent over and braced his hands on his knees, puffing heavy breaths.

Though tempted to embrace his friend, Sebastian held back.

Something was terribly wrong.

Concern covered Olivia’s face. “Jonah.” She put an arm around him. “Please, sit and rest yourself.”

“I cannot.” Jonah stood erect, chest heaving. “I bear grave news.” He grasped both of Sebastian’s arms and stared straight into his eyes. “Your father, the king, is dead.”

Olivia gasped, but Sebastian froze, unable to do anything.

“Sire?” Jonah gently shook him. “Did you hear me?”

Olivia encircled his waist with her arm. “Sebastian?”

“No . . .” he managed to say and dropped to his knees. Almost immediately, Jonah’s disparaging words sunk in, and he jumped to his feet. “I must go to him!”

He turned and sprinted off, oblivious to everything around him.

“Highness, wait!”

Jonah ran at Sebastian’s heels, grabbed onto him, and they both tumbled to the ground.

“Are you mad?” Sebastian screamed and pushed him away. “I must return to Basilia at once!”

“No! You cannot!” Once again, Jonah reached for Sebastian, but he smacked his arm and stopped him.

“You said my father is dead! My place is with my mother!” Sebastian scrambled to his feet and was about to run, when Olivia appeared, breathing hard.

Tears streaked her face. “Sebastian, please wait. Allow Jonah to tell us more.” She clutched her hands to her belly and eased onto the ground. “I cannot run any longer.”

Jonah flopped onto his back. “Nor can I.”

Sebastian sat down hard and fisted his hair with both hands. “Please tell me I misunderstood. Father cannot be dead.” He shut his eyes and rocked back and forth, waiting . . .

The sound of Olivia’s tears tugged at his heart, yet his own internal torment kept him from reaching out to her. He managed to look her way, but her eyes were focused downward.

Jonah pushed himself up to a seated position. “Your father was murdered.”

“No.” The words cut brutally hard.

Olivia’s vision . . .

She whimpered and her tears streamed. Sebastian pinched his lips shut and gritted his teeth, doing all he could to endure what was to be said.

“Someone wielding a Crenian blade cut your father’s throat,” Jonah went on, the pain in his voice apparent. “I failed him and you by not being there.” He beat his fist on the ground. “I was preparing for my dubbing at the temple, and whoever did this took advantage of my absence and slayed him in the stable, while he tended his stallion.”

Breathing had become a forced chore, but Sebastian painstakingly took one breath after another. “A Crenian blade?”

“Yes. I saw it, but the priests have secured it.”

“Donovan,” Olivia mumbled. “It had to be him. The knife he used to torment me . . .”

Even though it felt as if a heavy fist continued to squeeze his heart, Sebastian gathered his senses and moved to Olivia’s side, then drew her close. “We cannot be certain.” Her entire body trembled. “Jonah, I must see the blade for myself. How soon will you be fit to ride with me to Basilia?”

“Never.” Again, he pounded his fist. “We have been banished! If you or Olivia leave Padrida, you will be charged with Princess Marni’s murder. Tannin root was found beneath your bed in Thanwine.”

“Tannin root?” Sebastian glanced at Olivia, then faced Jonah again. “Someone must have put it there to make it appear as if we poisoned Marni. Who would do such a thing?”

Olivia sucked in staggered breaths. “I told Angeline of Donovan’s plan to use tannin root. But I cannot believe she would be capable of this treachery. I fear Donovan has been following our every move, and it is he who has caused all of this.”

Jonah scowled. “Our people blame you, princess. Frederick convinced them you led your people to commit these heinous acts against Basilia. He faults all Crenians and has had those who took residence in Basilia arrested. Even the women and children.”

“No.” Olivia covered her mouth and shook her head. “Sebastian, we must do something.”

“You cannot.” Jonah muttered. “As I said, you have been banished. Your hands are tied.”

“By whose order?” Sebastian spit out the words, knowing full well who had made the decree.

“King Frederick.” Hatred spewed from Jonah, matching Sebastian’s own.

His blood boiled, yet he had no idea how to release his fury. He wanted to scream, lash out, do something to make whoever did this pay for their actions. But he had been rendered helpless for the first time in his royal life.

“Damn him!” Sebastian shook his fists in the air. “Frederick orchestrated every part of this!”

“How can you know it was he?” Olivia said. “What if Donovan is behind it all? Look deeper, Sebastian. Set aside your hate for your cousin and try to see what lies beneath.”

“No.” Sebastian rapidly shook his head. “It cannot be Donovan. He lacks the intelligence to plot such treachery. Frederick, however, has likely been planning this for years. My marriage to you simply afforded him an opportunity to advance his agenda.”

“Even so,” Olivia went on, “Donovan capably slipped from your grasp all those months ago and has not been found. The blade he set to my throat was likely the same weapon used to kill your father. That evidence alone is proof of his cunning.”

Her tears had vanished, and she no longer quivered. She sat tall, displaying strength he currently lacked.

“Jonah,” she said sternly. “I must know. Did you see the king’s body?”

He nodded, frowning.

“Was his beard long or short?” She closed her eyes and whispered the words as if caught up in her dream.

“That is an odd question,” Jonah mumbled. “His beard had been trimmed for my dubbing. The queen insisted he groom it.”

Olivia released a long breath, then bowed her head.

Jonah questioned with his eyes.

“She dreamed of my father’s death.” Saying it, drove the reality deep into Sebastian’s soul. “I prayed it would be a false vision, but her dreams rarely are. That is why I was so insistent you look after him.”

“And I failed you.” Jonah gritted his teeth, shaking his head. “I deserve banishment.” He turned away. “I was not even allowed to bid Allana farewell. Your mother and sisters will be forced to live with that beast! If he touches them . . .” His face drew as tight as his fists, as if he were fighting the same inner turmoil as Sebastian.

Helplessness.

“It seems we have but one choice.” Olivia’s words were spoken so softly, Sebastian had to strain to hear her. “We must live out our days in Padrida and forget all that lies beyond our borders.”

“No.” Sebastian grasped her hand. “There has to be another way.”

She lifted her head. “Perhaps we can find the means to be happy here. At least we will be together.”

“No.” Jonah shot to his feet. “My life is out there!” He pointed, breathing hard. “The woman I love will be trapped with a tyrant. How can I set aside thoughts of what he might do to her? He has no wife, and Allana has come into womanhood. Have you forgotten what Frederick did to Estelle?”

“Of course not.” Sebastian understood his passion, and he certainly had not dismissed Frederick’s history with Estelle. “Why were you banished?”

Jonah crossed his arms. “Frederick’s words have been engrained in my mind. He said my loyalty to you warrants banishment, as does my failure in protecting the king. Truthfully, I believe he wanted me gone in order to get close to Allana. I should have drawn my sword and killed him when I had the chance.”

“Doing so would have done my sister no good. You would have been slain for the act.” Sebastian inhaled deeply and got up from the ground. “I cannot comprehend life without my father. When we last spoke, we discussed everything from Roderick to your knighthood, Jonah, but mostly my mother’s discontent. The only comfort I have now is that I told him I loved him, and he said the same. Unlike my mother, he never once questioned my innocence.”

He peered down at Olivia, who again had tears running down her face. “Olivia?” He extended a hand to her and helped her up. “He never doubted you, either. He saw the good in you and understood why I love you. But, you were mistaken about our future. Though it will not be easy, remaining quietly here is not our only choice.”

She clutched onto him. “I know. My visions are proof of that. I only hoped I could convince you otherwise.”

Jonah dropped his arms to his sides and stepped closer. “What do we do?”

“We mourn my father’s passing, then we continue building an army and take back all we have been stripped of.”

Olivia frowned. “The people of Padrida are not aware you were forming an army. They believe you were merely strengthening my father’s guard. They are not warriors and will not want to fight. They will wish to go on living in Padrida as they always have. What reason can you give them for making a change?”

“Frederick will not sit idly by and allow us to live out our lives in peace. And what of King Callum? You yourself already brought forth fears of him coming here seeking retribution. Now that Frederick is high king, the two will align. If Callum believes I killed his daughter, he will not accept simple banishment. What was the saying of old? Blood for blood?”

“So you do believe an army will come here, whether or not we venture from our borders?”

He cupped his hand to her cheek. “Search your heart, Olivia, just as you told me to look deep. You know it to be so.”

She pressed her head into his touch. “When we discussed it previously, you said you would turn yourself over to Callum to spare Padrida—something I would not consider. Yet now, you wish to fight?”

“We have no choice but to fight, Highness,” Jonah muttered. “I was present to hear the rumblings of the people. If Sebastian gave himself up and allowed King Callum to end him, it would not stop there. Callum believes you pushed Sebastian into using tannin root to kill his daughter. And, the people of Basilia are casting blame on all Crenians for the death of King Roland. They want your blood even more so than Sebastian’s. Our fight would not end with his death.”

She sadly nodded. “And what of Donovan?”

Sebastian let out a long breath. “If he is a part of this, one day soon, he will make his presence known. We must be prepared for whatever comes.”

She firmly grasped Sebastian’s hand and reached for Jonah with her free hand. He stepped forward and took it.

“In my visions,” she said, “I have not been granted the ability to see the faces of those slain, but my heart assures me the two of you will live. Even if my heart has misled me and I must bear the possibility of losing you, I cannot keep you from the fight.”

They stood in a circle facing one another.

Sebastian drew strength in their presence. “If we are fortunate, time will be on our side. Frederick will assume we have accepted our fate. He will be gloating in his new title, and while he struts, we will train every man in Padrida, so when the battle comes to our land, we are ready to fight.”

Jonah nodded his agreement, but frowned. “And what of Allana and the others in your family? How can we protect them?”

“My mother and sisters are exceptionally strong. If they see the need, they will flee. They know where to find us.”

“So . . .” Jonah stood a great deal taller. “You think Allana might come to Padrida?”

“My sister will follow her heart. If it leads to you, then so be it.” He firmly patted Jonah’s back. “You may not have been dubbed by my father, but he told me Allana could find no better husband. He respected you, Jonah. Blame yourself no longer for his death. You loved him as much as I.”

Olivia cast her eyes downward and tenderly rubbed her stomach. “Love brought all of us to where we are now. It is difficult to accept that our child may be born in a time of war, but I believe in God’s plan. We may think Frederick and Donovan are the orchestrators of our lives, but it is not so. They are treacherous and evil, and they seek power, but no one is as powerful as God. We must keep our eyes on Him. If we hold onto faith, we shall prevail.”

She lifted her face to the sun, and a smile slowly lifted the corners of her lips.

Her faith resembled that of her father’s. King Boden had spoken of God’s plan and her role in fulfilling the old prophesies. But Sebastian could not see her as a warrior. His deep love for her pushed him to protect her at all cost, not stand by and allow her to lead them into battle.

He could not bring himself to display any form of happiness, not while mourning. But he had been trying with all his might to have the kind of faith Olivia so easily wore. Like breathing itself. He had come to accept that God did not rest, and neither would he.

There was much work to be done.

With his best friend to keep him strong and focused, and his faithful bride to encourage him along the way, he would move forward. He would try to dismiss Masa’s prophecy and any resemblance Olivia had to the woman foretold, and instead, place his efforts on proving their innocence and restoring the respect of his people.

He owed it to his mother and more importantly, to his father.

His death would not be in vain.