Dishonest Hearts

By Jessica Walden

In a world of straight expectations, can a befuddled Prince find his happily ever after?

Prince George lives a charmed life, or so it would appear to those who know him best. Even they cannot see the dark secrets of his past and present that he keeps hidden in plain sight.

Prince Daniel has always felt out of place. Only his best friend and servant Annabel has his confidence. Lately even her sweet understanding has not been enough to keep Daniels mask of lies in place.

With an impending marriage to the strong willed Princess Sophia, Daniels facade begins to crack. Knowing that she is his only hope Annabel takes drastic measures to protect her best friend, and dire consequences ensue.

With an army attacking from the north and a wedding party arriving from the south, can Daniel find freedom and himself in the arms of Ethan?

Follow the lies and deceptions, betrayals and long standing rivalries in Dishonest Hearts

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 16, 2012
• ISBN: 9781450283823

Jessica Walden

With a penchant for fl are, farce, and ever fl owing lyrical prose, premiere author Jessica Walden escorts you on a journey, of life, love, self discovery and acceptance. Having come to terms with her own identity, Jessica has the ability to take a life experience that is not her own and draw you in, with such empathy and pathos, as to make you feel enveloped by the warmth of her storytelling and the breadth of her compassion. Jessica is a bottomless wealth of countless lives and histories waiting to be brought to light. She lives with her husband Michael and her two beautiful girls in Whitby, Ontario.

Book preview

Contents

Intro

Long Ago

The Princes

Daniel

George

By The River

The First Owl

Bad Dreams

Requests

Reasons

Confrontation

Acceptance

Ideas

Turmoil

Annabel

The Plan

Love Unknown

To The South

Love

Arrangements

Escape

Betrothed

Travel

Morning

The Cabin

Awoken

The Start

The New Plan

Meeting

Descent

Caught

Heartache

Glory

Impending Arrival

Ghosts

Food

The Caravan Arrives

Dungeon

Working

Watching

Funnel

Death

Satisfied

Morning

Breakfast

Food

Not Food

The Truth

The Hill

Rejection

Helpless

Begging

Attack

Hopeless Help

Awake

Prepared

The Confession

Walking

Fitting

Horses

Ready

Plans

At A Loss

Found

The Execution

Retreat

Duty

Surprises

Satisfaction

Surprised

Morning

Shock

Decisions

Reunited

Dedicated to Brecks and my brother Greg,

without whom this book would not be here.

Intro

She breathed deeply and smelled the sweet leather that was under her feet. The slight scent of meat would have tainted it for anyone else, except that she liked it; it was why she came here so willingly. The man behind her whispered and she knew where she must go, it wouldn’t take long, she was very fast.

She flexed her strong legs and as her talons bit into the toughened leather she pushed upwards with an incredible force considering her size. She spread her compact wings and flexed her swooping tail behind her. As she launched into the air she felt the cold wind rustle her spotted underbelly, it was wonderful. She flapped three times and was in the clouds, soaring majestically above everything with only one objective.

She knew to fly south, she was the fifth generation of a perfect bloodline, and was bred to perform just as she was right now. As she scanned the rugged mountain terrain below her she felt sad that she would be leaving it for so long. She loved to hunt here; the snow was deep and provided her prey with a false sense of safety. She had been known to dive up to three feet deep in the snow to catch something tasty.

Her master was smiling as she circled back around before starting her journey. He was as solitary as she was, though lately there had been many others here in their home. She counted roughly fifty in the clearing watching silently as he sent her away. They stood there with large round eyes that would have been comical if not for the implications of them being here. He had sent so many out already yet more seemed to arrive all the time.

The people of this land had left long ago, only her master had stayed to hunt by her side. He was not as quick as she was but he was quite efficient at finishing off what she started. As she thought about her wonderful master she looked ahead of her and was disappointed at what she saw. Her eyes were very good and she could see a large body of water in the distant south. It was rushing up against a large, flat land that held little imagination.

There was a gathering of dwellings all set closely together seeming to circle a massive monstrosity of human design. She never understood their need to create such elaborate homes, but here was a perfect example of their need to conquer all, including nature. Her master had spoken often of the city to the south, and of the one in the middle. She was glad that she didn’t have to travel as far as the land in the distance; it was lacking in wildlife and she doubted if even her skills would keep her alive for long there.

She refocused on the task at hand; she was, after many hours of travel, approaching her destination. A large stone wall was reaching out of the hillside. As the mountains turned swiftly to hills everything had changed colour. The stark grey and white became a far more vibrant green and yellow. Here the frozen waterway she had often looked to for larger prey had become a babbling brook brimming with all types of fish. She could see them moving just below the surface of the water, how she longed to hunt!

While scanning the new terrain she was dismayed to see so many clumps of humans. Unlike her kind they seemed to prefer sharing their hunting ground and territory. In this area alone she could see two distinct groupings that must contain hundreds in each. The way they moved was very different from each other yet they all looked the same to her. She wanted nothing more than to return to the sweet leather encompassing her master’s well muscled arm.

She didn’t need to remind herself of her duty. He had sent her and promised that tomorrow she would no longer be alone, and he had fed her well enough to last as long as needed without hunger. As she lowered herself on to the wall she watched carelessly as a man ran towards a large stone building that rose from the hillside like it was intrinsic. She saw the few hundred dwellings set within the limits of the walls and was bored already; she could not wait for her master to arrive and send her home.

Long Ago

A happy boy ran through the streets, tall and lean, he was oblivious to everything around him. His father sat on the fence at the end of the path he ran along. As the boy drew closer he began to laugh, I’ve found you! Do I get my present now?

His father too began to laugh; his son had been searching for him for hours, looking in every house, and every shop. Come my boy; let me show you your surprise. His father jumped from the fence and began to stroll slowly into the brush. He walked a few minutes, allowing his son to catch up; the boy was out of breath from running so hard the last few minutes.

When he reached his father’s side they were looking over a steep hill into a valley. Do you see the crest on the other side of the hill my boy? his father asked him, putting his hand upon his son’s shoulder and pointing off into the distance.

Yes Papa, but what am I looking at?

You’re looking at your future kingdom, just on the other side of that hill lies a beautiful castle, and within it a Princess worthy of your lineage. You will marry her and our kingdoms will unite, it will be a glorious day.

The boy didn’t speak; he let the breeze blow through his dark, thick curls as he stared off in the direction his father had pointed. For a long while he stood that way, his brow creased in thought. Finally, without turning his gaze from the hill he asked one question, What is the name of this Princess who is mine? His father grinned and answered him, her name is Alexandra.

The boy, now a man, walked slowly through the streets. He was still tall and lean; though well built; and still oblivious to everything around him. Bits of fabric hung like ghosts in the glassless windows where curtains once stood. This place had been empty for so long that no one knew it still stood, wrecked and forgotten, just like he himself was. This man remembered it well, for it had been the place his quest had begun. His name was Roland, and never before had there been a more broken man.

He hadn’t been to this place in many years, choosing instead to wander, collecting men with no history and no loyalty to anyone. He had travelled for many years and his men had become an army, for in every town and every village there were always a few wayward souls looking for a leader. Roland was that leader, for his piercing eyes and his cold nature left everyone he passed feeling as though their graves had been walked over.

He never spoke, spending his time with his birds instead of with his army. He had twenty of them; he had spent that many years refining their bloodline until they were as pure of royalty as he himself was. They were beautiful and silent, with much the same piercing gaze of their master. He had waited so long, yet not once had he doubted what he must do, how he must make them pay. The time had come at long last, and King Aaron would finally pay for what he had taken.

The Princes

Within the stone walls of a beautiful castle set deep in the hillside there were two princes. One was tall, strong, and handsome. His name was Prince George, and he was the King’s nephew. The other was average height, thin, and beautiful, for a boy that is. His name was Prince Daniel, and he was the King’s son.

The princes were very close in age and although they were raised side by side they had nearly nothing in common. The only similarity between the two was a strong desire to please the King. Prince George had been taken in and raised as a son by the King and his family. From the time he was seven George had been raised in his uncle’s home. His parents were killed by a plague that had wiped out nearly all of his people; the only family he had known was that of his uncle. The disease had left him an orphan with no place of his own. He was small and weak when he arrived at his uncle’s door step but quickly turned into a strapping boy.

His cousin was another story. He was always a small boy, quiet and sweet with no interest in sport or hunting. He hated the idea of having to compete; he much preferred the comforts of a good book or a quiet day spent by the riverside. He liked to write and nurture, he felt that much more could be gained by spending one’s time learning and teaching than by fighting and playing. He loved his cousin like a brother; they were closer than any other pair of boys had ever appeared to be. There was no visible rivalry between them despite his cousin being so much better than him, at everything.

Maids followed the princes to take care of their every whim. Prince George had no idea who these women were and cared not to learn, Prince Daniel was another story. He knew the name of every woman who had ever served him, and quite enjoyed the chatter that they brought to his rooms. One of the women who served him was Annabel. She was a tall, strong and beautiful girl who loved Prince Daniel with all of her heart. They often would sit by the stream together and wish their lives away for better ones without so many demands. Prince Daniel trusted Annabel more than he trusted even his own mother, for she would never understand the things that he told Annabel.

They grew up in a beautiful land nestled between two gently sloping hills. Their summers were mild and warm, full of the sweet scent of the roses that grew plentiful all around them. Their winters were as mild as their summers, with barely a dusting of snow and air so crisp it felt rejuvenating just to breathe in.

They were in a valley through which a stream flowed strongly from the northern mountains, giving them a bountiful supply of fish. All around them were large hills, rolling softly as far as you could see. Everything was a brilliant emerald green, sprinkled with the yellow, pink and red of roses.

Their castle encompassed only a portion of the valley; it was a small part of a much larger community. There was a bountiful marketplace able to serve their diverse community. Within their outer walls were some large villas and many smaller houses that were home to the lands happy and peaceful people.

There were a scattering of smaller dwellings within walking distance of the valley allowing for cattle and livestock to roam freely through the hills. No one ever suffered a stomach that was not happily filled at the end of the day and disease was rarely found in any of their people. It truly was a blessed land, ruled over by regal but pleasant people.

The King was a loving man, and though it pained him to do so, he encouraged his son to pursue manly activities like his cousin. He worried that were anything to happen to him, his son would be ill equipped to handle the duties of a King, particularly if he could not hunt or best another in combat. The people of their kingdom depended strongly on their King’s ability to keep them safe from all of the unknowns outside of their walls. In the deep recesses of his heart, the King wished for his son to be more like his nephew, a perfect King in the making, in every way.

Daniel

Daniel was a curiosity of a prince. He had awkward red hair that never sat quite right on his head, constantly falling in his eyes. Hidden under his wild hair were large eyes, soft hazel in colour and full of sorrow and confusion. He had a large winning smile surrounded by a sprinkling of deep red freckles.

Daniel had spent his entire life trying to live up to the expectations of a prince. He was ill equipped at best. Though he had held high hopes for his mother’s height it seemed that instead he had been given her fiery hair and lean figure. His father was thick like most of the men in their lands, bodies accustomed to working the land. He wasn’t as tall as Daniel’s mother but he wasn’t nearly as short as Daniel himself. He had little of his father in him, except perhaps his eyes, kind and soft.

Daniel, like his cousin George, spent