Hunted Queen

Chapter Thirty Seven • A Debt Owed in Blood

-William-

"What is next?" Robert asked. Impatience beaming from every part of his body. The brute's arms were stiff, his eyes as restless as his rolling shoulders. The screams coming from the frightened woman echoed over the fields as he spoke.

"We wait." William responded gravely, ending the conversation before it started. "Compose yourself."

"We have to do something." Robert replied in a snarl. His eyes flickered between the woman who was thrown down before Rowan and his king.

William kept his eyes on his uncle. Waiting for him to give the slightest sign to any of his men. He looked for the tiniest movement that would command the men to attack or reach for their arrows and bows.

However, his uncle never moved. Apart from trying to subdue his horse and force it back into position when it tried to move away from the woman, he did nothing. The horse snorted in discontent and shook its head in objection of being made to stay put. It seemed very bothered by the woman.

Not a war horse then. Easily scared. William concluded. Is he planning on running away as soon as the battle begins?

"We should do something." Christian reiterated, in Robert's favor. "Have to..."

"Are you questioning me?" William interjected, his tone growing stern. There came no answer. "You stay where you are. We all are."

Rowan wants us to start this. Needs us to take the first step. What are you planning uncle?

All he knew for sure was that Rowan's motive was to provoke him by tricking him into believing that the woman was Jade. To make him lose control. It was vital that none of them did anything if this was the case. No one could let him get inside their head.

What should be our next move? He asked himself, watching the woman try to crawl backwards from his uncle.

He agreed with his friends at heart. He wanted to do something, wanted to make sure the woman escaped his uncle. But he could not take a step in any direction before having calculated what would come after it. Neither could he spend all of his time overthinking every little thing.

"If we take one step forward, my uncle will have gotten exactly what he wants. A react-"

"My king!" A voice sounded far behind them. Its cadence bounced off the trees and made its way to them. "My king!" A man called for him.

He turned his face slowly and only an inch to the right, listening closer to the voice. Trying to remember the face of its owner.

"Let me through! I bring news for King William the first of his name!" The voice bellowed as it made its way closer to him through the ocean of armored men behind their king. "Unhand me!"

William felt his face twist into an involuntary frown when he heard the desperation in the voice. It rung so familiar in his ears and it raised an instant annoyance and anger within him. A memory of Jade trying to escape him on a horse flashed before him. He blinked it away and knew exactly who was calling for him.

The voice belonged to a very specific guard he once could have killed with his bare hands for losing Jade in the streets, but he had been forced to spare him and send him to a miserable outpost instead.

Stroem. He is back.

"Shit." William whispered to himself and snapped his head back into facing the enemy. Focusing his gaze on the field.

"NEPHEW! Rowan shouted across the field and caught their attention. All the while, Stroem could be heard behind their own troops, calling out for his king over and over again.