- My lord?
Your counselor's voice sounded distressed behind Roy. He turned in the chair to face the man.
- Oh, yeah?
- Something's wrong with the soldiers in the siege.
- What do you mean, something wrong?
- The soldiers, my lord, they... - The man paused hesitating. - They're entering attack formation.
Roy frowned on his forehead, standing up.
- That's not possible! - he said exasperated and walked to the nearest window. - Alistair wouldn't be crazy to sacrifice the few men I possessed.
- It's not what it looks like, sir! - the man said approaching Roy.
Roy looked out the window of the tower he was in and saw the rows that formed around the fortress.
- Alistair would rather die than have to give me the crown to you. - Roy whispered and frowned. - Still, something's wrong. As I said, Alistair would not be crazy to put his men in unnecessary danger. If it were this way, he would have tried to invade the fortress before.
- What do we do now, my lord? - asked the man.
Roy turned to him with a severe look and a sarcastic smile on his lips.
- You tell me! - he fired. - After all, you're the counselor, not me!
The man looked at him scared and started to stutter nervously. Roy grunted holding the handle of the sword tightly.
- I'm surrounded by incompetents! - he said following out of the room. - We need to find out why Alistair put his men in attack formation. Does he have any plans that...
Roy stopped talking as soon as he saw two of his men carrying a woman by the arms. She was spitting on herself screaming offenses against men.
- Let me go, you dung bags! - ...she's been poking around.
Roy frowned when he recognized Aileen MacBride. She looked even prettier than he remembered. He had his mother's eyes and the color of his hair, which were of an almost white blond tone. She wore a velvet cloak in amethyst and Ravenna's robes, which he recognized as being the ones he had given her once. A dark green velvet dress with golden details.
- What are you doing here? - he asked if he'd come near her.
- We found her trying to raise the bridge, my lord. - one of the soldiers explained. - She carried it with her.
Roy stretched out his hand taking the bow that was given to him. He smiled.
- How did you get in?
- It wasn't as hard as you think. - she said smiling. - Your tunnels are very visible and this labyrinth is nothing to someone like me.
Roy had a laugh.
- I'd forgotten your skills in finding tickets. - Roy evaluated her for a moment. - How did you get into the castle without being seen?
Aileen just smiled at him in a challenging way. Two other men ran into the corridor they were in. They seemed distressed.
- My lord, we found dead men in the alcove adjacent to the north gate. - one of them shot out of breath.
- Something went through the gates? - Roy asked.
- No, my lord! - the man fired. - Just the little entourage you were waiting for.
Roy looked at the man in amazement.
- Is Ravenna in the castle?
- Yes, my lord! - the man nodded. - He arrived a few hours ago. He asked the guards not to announce it, because you already knew she would come.
Roy let out a roar. Pulling a dagger, he approached the soldier and stuck it in his belly. The man grunted in pain and fell lifelessly at his feet. With hatred in his eyes, he turned to Aileen and pointed the dagger at her throat.
- Where's Ravenna? - he asked coldly.
- I'm not afraid of you! - she fired a cold shot. - No matter what you do or say, I know you won't kill me because I'm valuable to you.
- Don't underestimate me, miss! - he said between his teeth. - Before you, Ravenna is even more important to me. Where is she?
Aileen just stared him down dry. She aimed the tip of the bloody dagger in front of her. Pulling the dagger away, Roy hit a slap in the face. The blow caused his skin to burn and Aileen screamed.
- I won't ask again! - Roy said rough. - Where's your mother?
Aileen laughed and raised her head and stared at him for a few seconds.
- Dead! - she whispered the word with pleasure.
Roy felt the ground missing and everything around him turned.
- What's that? What's that?
- She was hanged almost a month ago, like the traitor she was.
Roy let out a roar at the cold words his daughter said. Hate took over his soul and he advanced with the dagger again.
- You're lying! - he screamed. - I received a letter written by her saying that she would come to meet me. I recognized your mother's handwriting. She can't be dead!
- The letter was written by her before she died. - Aileen explained himself by contorting. - She got Ravenna to write it to get me in here.
- She who? - he asked by frowning.
Aileen didn't answer
