Hidden Hearts

           “It’s been 2 years, Duke Leonev, and no one still knows who has done this.” King Albren, ruler of Westhaven for nearly 10 years, sighed. The chamber of the palace was decorated with embroidered tapestries and had tall but narrow windows of stained glass that looked out into a grassy field. The small chamber was a far cry from many of the larger, more elaborate halls, but it was snug and comfortably furnished, with walls that were lined with a thick layer of dark granite stone, thus making it a suitable place for the king to hold one of his frequent private meetings with various counselors and advisors. Considered a fair and just, if somewhat uncharismatic man, he has nevertheless worked hard to build up the kingdom after the damage already done by his father and predecessor, the late King Olred, whose days as king were marked with corruption, scandals, infight

                   Thank goodness there’s a full moon tonight … Slowly pushing the creaky window shutter as carefully as she could, Theya climbed out of the window in her room, taking care that she and her clothes didn’t get caught in one of the window’s shards of broken glass. It was almost midnight, and while it wasn’t winter yet, the air was quite cold and windy. Theya wrapped her thin, rather shabby cloak more tightly around her and shivered. Her room may be on the first floor of the castle, but because it was in one of the outer wings and required walking along a very narrow and very long corridor and going pas

          Theya … She certainly intrigued him. Perhaps more than all the women he slept with put together. Which he found very, very strange - even disturbing in a way. Was it because she was different from the rest of them? Or has he reached a point in his life that he has become so bored he would be entertained by the company of a complete innocent?One thing was unmistakable though - she has not been treated well. Her thin cloak, the way she was sneaking around - in her very own grounds! - as if she was afraid someone will see her, the way she tried to hide the journal like a thief trying to hide his loot, and the fe

              As Gerd carried out the brutal punishment of his niece, another quite different but equally shocking scene took place amongst the tenant farmers.                “Why da crowd o’ people o’er at Tomen’s plot, Willa?” asked one of the tenant farmer’s wives.                “Sum’thin’ downright evil ‘appened ta Tomen ‘imself! Is wat me boy Dan sez so!” replied the scurrying Willa. Burning with curiosity, the other woman joined her.

                 “We’re all set, milord.” Elgin had just finished securely fastening one of the saddle straps of his mount. The 2 men were inside one of 4 of Stormhaven’s stables, busily preparing their horses for their trip. There were no grooms or stableboys around to help them, which was quite unusual for someone of Leonev’s status. But the household servants had been long aware that their master was long accustomed to doing tasks such as saddling a horse all by himself. He personally prefers it that way, because it enables him to have complete control of the situation and to do things to his exact liking.                “Good. Make sure you do not forget anything,” sp