Chapter 118

It actually felt good to have a horse under me. I paid no mind to the four warriors riding behind me. The hills rolled before me, each rise offering a perfect view of our countryside. Green fields stretched over the contoured landscape, and the sea sparkled to my left as I rode. Everywhere, there was peace. Cottages dotted the landscape, backs bent in the fields, while the hedgerows formed a perfect patchwork of the land. Seagulls wandered in from the coast to pick at the invertebrate life of a recently plowed field, wheeling and bickering as they jostled for position. Cattle lazily lowed, raising their heads to watch my small troop clatter by. The smells of salty sea air and fresh vegetation filled my nose, the intensity and vibrancy of it rivaling the heightened senses I had grown to love while in the suit.

Harold had insisted I not travel unguarded. He had openly berated himself for failing to attach a bodyguard to the hospital. Up until today, there had been a myriad of possible outcomes for the Choosing, but now the powers that be had only one option left to remove me: assassination. So I rode with four wildmen from the Pittsburgh hills at my back. Yet, with or without them, who could have predicted I would take a canter into the countryside on this day of all days? But I needed to clear my head, and I had come to understand that. My own mind was my worst enemy, and I needed to enter the arena without distraction.

I had done what I could to ease my concerns for my father. As the day passed, I quietly came to accept the reality that he was almost certainly dead. No grief accompanied that realization. Maybe it would come later, maybe it wouldn’t. What mattered in that moment was that the matter had been attended to, and I could free my mind of it until after the Choosing.

However, another matter remained unsettled. I know, the folly of a young man with feelings and urges. As I rode to Castle Oakcrest, I still hadn’t entirely made up my mind. Every instinct told me that both Lauren and Katya were available to me. I had intense feelings for both of them, though I tried to suppress or ignore them. Looking back, it's easy to see how inexperience can mislead a young man. I was lost in the ocean of romantic considerations, my development in that arena stunted by a cloistered life. Father had never concerned himself with preparing me for courtship. Knowing him, he had probably assumed he could just marry me off to whomever suited his own machinations. Maybe it even suited him that I would be so naïve, so incapable.

What I knew for sure was that I couldn’t enter the arena with these thoughts plucking at the edges of my mind.

As we rode, the shape of Castle Oakcrest began to come into view—Lauren’s family home, the seat of House Oakcrest. Though not the farthest reaches of Boston’s domain, it was still more than an hour’s fast ride from the city. The further one traveled from the city, the more fortress-like the settlements became. Oakcrest wasn’t a true bastion, but it was defensible. Seated on a rise with high stone walls, it was clearly designed with some thought to protection. However, compromises had been made for practicality and aesthetics. There were too many windows, and they were too large. The surrounding settlement had been allowed to sprawl right up to the castle walls, providing potential cover to attackers.

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Yet, this far inside Boston’s territory, the main concerns of a lord were different. Lord Oakcrest's focus was on the proper management of his lands and peasants, and maintaining a force capable of repelling sea raiders and fiends. For that purpose, his knights and soldiers mattered most. Still, as the castle loomed into view, my heart skipped a beat.

I had gained the sense that Katya was staying here as well, having formed a sudden and seemingly significant friendship with Lauren. So, the easy part had been achieved: I was soon to arrive at the location of both young women. The problem, before you wonder, was that I had not entirely decided who to woo.

I had previously entertained the idea of making wives of them both—a thought buoyed by the elation of battle and victory. I can't pretend it didn’t sound like an ideal solution either. But reality demanded a choice, and that was where the problem lay.

What was I doing? Why was I riding out here to make some kind of declaration when I hadn’t even chosen what that declaration was, or to whom? Blame my naivety. Blame the blindness of passion and infatuation. I knew I needed to address this lingering longing, but I couldn’t decide how. I believe I was riding out here, expecting the moment to guide my decision. Maybe I was even hoping that one of them would make the task easier by simply declaring their undying love. Even if one of them declared their undying disgust for my existence, that would have helped.

My small party arrived at the main street of the little town surrounding the castle walls. Heads turned as we rode toward the castle. I doubted anyone knew who I was this far from the city, but dressed in finery like a noble, I was clearly someone of importance. My bodyguard of savage warriors, clad in furs and bearing axes, likely helped draw attention as well. As we approached the castle itself, I could see the gates to the main courtyard were wide open. The resounding sounds of hammering echoed from the walls of the castle, ringing off the nearby buildings as we passed.

Upon entering the courtyard, I found a familiar sight. Just as in Tower Square, a stage was being constructed. Workmen moved about lazily, carrying lengths of lumber, hammering nails, and building a platform.

I reined in my horse, bringing it to a stop just outside the gate. I peered curiously at the platform, noticing other workers bustling around. The castle seemed unusually busy. What were they doing? They couldn't be hosting their own festival; surely the Lord and his family intended to travel to the city for the evening to join in the atmosphere and revel with their peers. Perhaps this was a gesture to the local people who might not make the long journey to the city? Even that seemed unlikely—anyone who could spare the time would surely be going. The festivities in town would feature cheap food and ale, subsidized by the city coffers. It was a rare chance to build unity among the peasantry, and the leadership of the city intended for the common folk to enjoy themselves.

A soldier moved toward me, eyeing my bodyguard of savages without much concern. It was hardly a force capable of laying siege to the castle. He eyed me lazily and said, “M’lord, who do I have the pleasure of greeting?”

“I’m no lord, sir," I replied. "Just a merchant’s son. I came to call on a friend of mine. Can I ask, what’s the meaning of this business with the stage?”

The man turned his head to inspect the work, as though lazily realizing its existence for the first time. He turned back to me and said, “Why, that’s for the wedding, of course.”