My 8 E-books written over the years by Alina Udrea - HTML preview

Chapter 3

Lizzy was so happy and grateful for everything. It was like a dream

in which she was a princess…. only it wasn't a dream. She really was a princess and her mother was the queen now. And King Harold was her father. It almost felt unreal. And Mark…she was in love with the wannabe knight and hero. And she knew he loved her. Anybody could see that.

But Mark wasn't the problem. The problem was her step sister,

Milly. She had tried to kill her once when she sent her assassin to do the job for her and failed. If she tried once, it was very likely that she would try again, probably hire a new assassin. So she would have to be very careful if she treasured her life, which she did. Maybe even hire a maiden to taste her food for her in case Milly's new assassin would poison it. And she knew just the girl for the job: Manda, a young and reckless girl who had grown up without her parents' guidance as she had run away from home when she was just a child. She was strikingly beautiful but very quick tempered and sometimes even rude. She was a fighter as she had her share of hardships from a young age when she decided to run away and live life the way she wanted it, making and following her own set of rules. She had known hunger and poverty at first but now things were better as she got a job as a cook at King Harold's court.

Lizzy liked her and decided to hire Manda as her personal food

taster and servant. Manda was glad to work for the princess herself as she liked her more than Milly. Manda knew that tasting Lizzy's food could be dangerous otherwise Lizzy wouldn’t have hired her for that, but she accepted the job anyway. She got tired of always smelling of food. Now she would have to taste the food, not cook it. And of course

370

clean Lizzy's room and so on which wasn't that bad. In time, Lizzy trusted Manda and started to care for the girl as if she was her sister. She acted more like a sister than Milly, who really was her step sister. But you can't choose family, right?

Manda went wherever Lizzy went. And Mark also trusted her. She

had proved to be loyal more than once.

Mark was relieved to know that Lizzy wasn't alone when he had to

join King Harold's army in different missions. He was their general, after all. And in time, he had proved his worth and earned their respect. He had become a very skilled warrior and King Harold was more than happy to have him among his men. So it felt good to know that Lizzy wasn't completely alone while he was away. She had Gabriela, too, but Gabriela was busy enjoying her regained youth and her marriage to the king so Manda had been a very good choice. So one beautiful summer morning, when the king asked for Mark, he was sure there was a new mission in stock for him. He kissed Lizzy and told her the king might send him on a mission again, then he answered the king's call. All his other generals were in the room, so it obviously was something of great importance. He didn't know all the other generals personally, he knew most of them only by reputation. But if the king had summoned all of them, Mark figured it had to be serious. And the looks on their faces confirmed his hunches. He took a seat next to Scarrino, King Harold's most trusted general. Scarrino's face was tensed and he didn't even blink while listening to the king's words. The king and him had fought many battles together side by side, saving each other's lives countless times. Mark had heard lots of stories about Scarrino's bravery and intelligence in battle. He admired him and looked up to him. He hoped that this time maybe the king would deploy them together so he could learn from the best.

- Good, King Harold's voice resounded in the room, so everybody is here. Then he made a pause to make sure everyone was paying attention to his every word. After he made sure that they were all listening carefully, the King went on. Some of you are aware of the

371

threat coming from the North. But not all. So I will say this for everyone in this room: my sources have informed me that the trolls dwelling in the Northern regions have gathered an impressive army and are marching our way as we speak.

- Trolls? An army of trolls? Bobby, another general in King Harold's army asked wondering how was that even possible. Excuse me, Bobby went on, but as far as I know, trolls are stupid creatures. Yeah, I mean they are huge and strong, but they couldn't put up an army and attack us… I don't want to underestimate anyone, but trolls are…big hunks of muscles, but idiots nonetheless.

- Yes, king Harold answered him. They are indeed known to be strong but stupid, but they have a leader now, a leader who is not a troll, a leader who has the brains to command an army and who now has an army to command.

- Who? Asked Scarrino, not even a single muscle on his face moving to betray his real state of mind.

- A powerful elemental wizard. He can summon elements of ice and fire to his help, creatures of extraordinary power besides the trolls he has under his command. So besides his army of trolls, he will also have the aid of the elements. We probably have to expect an army twice as big…- Who is this wizard? Mark asked getting up from his seat. All eyes were on him now, on him and on the king, everybody waiting for the answer.- His name is Kain! The moment the king had uttered his name, the whole room went quiet. Everyone was familiar with the name. It brought cold shivers down on their spines. He was the most powerful and evil wizard of the lands. He was especially renowned for his habit of pulling the still beating hearts of the generals he defeated from their chests before setting them on fire in front of the remaining of their troops which were already his prisoners.

- Kain? Is he still alive? I mean he must be looking like a mummy by now, all wrinkled like a raisin. I heard stories about him when I was just a little boy and he was already old back then so now he must really

372

be…all dried up, said Mark making the rest of the generals smile in spite of the situation. He was planning to conquer the kingdom even then… he should be tired of trying by now, why doesn't he just give up?- Maybe because now he has the army of trolls, too, said King Harold in an attempt to make the generals focus again on the problem at hand. He is more powerful than ever now. He is not to be underestimated. Never underestimate your enemy, you hear me? Asked the king, looking sharply at each and every one in the room to make sure he was being taken seriously.

- So do we have a plan? Asked Scarrino while his mind was already racing, searching for a battle plan, a solution for them to be the winners, something to give them an advantage.

- I thought that was your job, Scarrino!! We all know you develop the best tactics to bring us victory! So I expect you to do your magic and come with a winning plan in spite of the odds! Bobby, you gather the troops, Mark, you go with Bobby.