|
“I don’t know what to do.” Brett said with a sigh.
“You need to go back to Arcadia.” Mary-Kate said. “But wait until morning so you can see what is around you.”
“But what about you? I want to stay and protect you.” He said, looking at her.
“Arcadia is more important.” Mary-Kate said.
“Nothing is more important to me than you.” Brett said softly.
She smiled. “Brett, you need to go back.” She couldn’t believe she was actually saying this. She wanted Brett to stay with her. She put her feelings aside at the moment.
He nodded silently.
Marc-Andre was with Annick at that same instant. He was worried about his new love as well. If the Tiberians attacked Hresna first, there would be little to no chance of getting Arcadia back. Although the idea of staying in Hresna with Annick was more than appealing, he couldn’t abandon his kingdom.
“I’m going too” Marc-Andre announced.
“What?” Brett said “Woah, wait a second here. There is no way you are going back to Arcadia with me.” Brett said walking up to Marc-Andre.
“Why not?” Marc-Andre demanded to know.
“Because you have to stay here, supervise the preparations, organize the battle plans and keep Mary-Kate and Annick safe.” Brett said. “If something should go wrong, one of us will still be here.”
“But...” Marc-Andre started.
“No ands, ifs or buts.” Brett said. “The next words I want to hear from you is ‘You’re right’.”
“You’re right.” Marc-Andre said.
“Good.” Brett said. “Now, I have to go get ready.” He said as he left the throne room. Mary-Kate followed him out. She wanted to be with him as much as possible before he went on the dangerous mission.
Marc-Andre held Annick is his arms. They both fell asleep for a few short hours.
Brett met the king and queen in the throne room at dawn. The king, queen, Annick, Mary-Kate and Marc-Andre were there to see him off.
“God speed to you my boy.” King Sebastian said. He came down from the throne and shook his hand.
Queen Michelle also wished him good luck and kissed him on the cheek. Princess Annick did the same as her mother. She hadn’t really gotten to know Brett, but recognized the valor and dedication the young man had for his kingdom.
Marc-Andre came over and shook Brett’s hand, which quickly turned into a hug. “You had better come back. I need you here to help me.” He said as he hugged.
“You’re not going to hog all the fun.” Brett said. “I’ll be back.”
Mary-Kate was the last. She gave him a very long and deep kiss. She knew that it might be the last time they ever see each other, but tried to push the thought out of her mind. She handed him a blue scarf. “Here are my colors.” She said softly, trying to hold back the tears. Brett took the scarf and tied it around the arms on the sword in a figure eight fashion, leaving the ends to dangle and sway in the wind.
“Thank you.” He said. He took Mary-Kate’s hand and left the castle.
They walked to the stables where Brett’s horse was waiting. He gave Mary-Kate one last kiss and said, “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She said, almost crying. She hugged him very tightly. Once she let him go, he got on his horse. “I will come back to you.” He said as he rode off.
Chapter 21
Back to Story Index
