Singer; Betrayal and Horses

Great, she thought. There they go. If she'd told Trenton once she'd told him a thousand times. "Don't release the horses until I tell you to." The horses were fast and strong. If something went wrong the animals would have been their best chance to escape. Now all she could do was watch her horse gallop across the field and sighed in frustration. She dreaded the long walk back to the village.

At 28 she knew that age was getting the best of her. Although her mind was quick her body was slowing down. You'd never know it to look at Singer. She sported fiery red hair and a long lithe body that made even younger women jealous. Years of fighting were beginning to take their toll. She wasn't as agile as she once was and she knew it.

Groaning inwardly she berated herself for agreeing to this. It would be her last before marriage. Had it not been a matter of life and death she would never have agreed to such a dangerous plan. The question of who's life and who's death now hung in the balance. Pondering the answers did not offer any comfort.

The crackling of leaves caught her attention. She spun her head about to assess the danger but saw no one. The forest became silent. Even the birds had stopped their chatter. Singer knew that the moment was nearly at hand.

Bittersweet memories flooded her mind. Thoughts of home and a family entered unbidden and unwanted. One, two... she gave a long blink and slowly the memory faded. Like her anger at Trenton those thoughts would have to wait.

Remembering Trenton, she almost imperceptibly moved her head to check on him. He was clumsy with horses but a good man. With one glance she knew he felt badly about the horses. His glance told her that she could count on him. The exchange reassured her.

The leaves crackled again and she held her breath. A lone bird gave a chirp of warning. By then it was too late. Strong hands grabbed her and pulled her roughly to her feet. Her bow and arrows were ripped from her shoulder and tossed to the ground. Cold stone eyes bore into hers. She hoped that they were met with the same coldness.

"Tell 'em we got one." the rough voice barked to the soldiers. The captor shook her violently before throwing her to the ground. Singers head hit a rock. She was certain that she would have a bruise but that was all.

Angrily the captor kicked her and demanded to know her name. Her response only made him madder. He had been told to be on the lookout for marauders from the next village. Singer was a common name here.

The order had come down from the king himself. Information had been received that a small group of marauders intended to take the village tonight. The king ordered him to take his most trusted men, find them and bring them back to be interrogated.

He was convinced that she wasn't his target and grew madder by the second. Credit had to be given where it was due. Appreciatively he surveyed the campsite. The spot next to the creek was well hidden. The thicket that hid it was almost impossible to see in the darkness. The quiet forest was thick with pine needles. It was the perfect place for an ambush. He made a mental note of the location so he could use it himself.

What he saw before him led him to question the information. The girl was easy enough to disarm. The bumbling cook certainly seemed to be no threat. The two didn't seem to be the supposed mercenaries that almost thwarted his plans. He would be out all night searching for them and that irritated him to no end.

What the king did not realize is that the person planning to overthrow the village was him. He had worked out every detail carefully in his head and recruited those who were loyal to him only. Everything was perfect. The dark moon cast no shadows in the soundless forest. This was to be his night of glory. His plan was to overtake the village and to make himself king.

That is, everything was perfect until he received word about the intruders. He turned around and ordered his men to bring the girl to him. He may as well interrogate her to find out what she knew. Although he seriously doubted that she would know anything he could at least work out his anger on her. That thought made him smile.

He called his men but there was no answer. By now his temper was at the boiling point. He needed to get his men back to the village so they could follow his plans. He simply did not have time to wander about the forest looking for...

The arrow cut him off in mid thought. Crimson liquid darkened his shirt as the searing pain spread throughout his body. He looked in disbelief at the direction from which the arrow had come.

There was that girl, Singer, standing next to his most loyal compatriot. In his hands were the bow and arrow that he himself had taken from the girl. But, it was the man standing next to them that surprised him the most.

He blinked his eyes but the scene did not change. Standing there before him was the king and Singer. The two were holding hands. He could see his men behind them and in that moment he knew that he'd been betrayed.

They laid him to rest the next day. The king spoke a few words about his faithfulness and comforted his widow. It was a hunting accident he explained and assured her that she would receive a supplement for the rest of her life.

It was a generous promise from a man who had almost been murdered. Had the woman's husband succeeded it would have been he who was lying cold in the grave.

Singer smiled to herself. She knew that her future husband would want to provide for the man's family. The wife had no knowledge of her husband's actions. The king held no malice toward her or the two small children that her husband had left behind.

Later that afternoon, Singer and the king were married in a quiet ceremony. Her brother Trenton doubled as the king's best man. He stood there with the reigns of her horse in hand. After the wedding the two would ride away to their honeymoon.

She caught Trenton's apologetic look in once glance. In his nervousness about the wedding he dropped the reigns of her horse. All she could do was watch him run across the field. She and the king looked at each other and laughed. Their honeymoon would have to wait until her horse returned.