Dale's Fate Ch. 00

Prologue

The final touches were done, everything was ready for the coronation, Richard, the new king was very nervous in his chambers waiting for it all to begin, he knew that he would arrive to this moment since he was a baby, but that was different from actually living it.

As he paced the room he remembered all that had happen before this moment in time, he was glad that the had so much family and friends that he could actually trust, especially after everything went pretty much to hell at one point.

Dale his best friend, whom he loved as a brother, was actually becoming his brother today too, he was marrying his sister after the coronation, something he had anticipated for a long time. Especially since Elizabeth was his best friend too.

Richard sat down and stared into space, remembering how it all began.....

Five months earlier.....

"Hey Richard there you are". Elizabeth came in laughing, she is five foot five, in a very feminine sort of way, and has this wavy long black hair that ripples to her waist, her green eyes looked worried.

"What's going on sis you look worried", Richard answered putting down the files he had been reviewing.

"I don't know, it's probably nothing but Dale told me on Saturday that he was going to come today and tell me something important, but I ran into Duke Dragon, his step father and he told me that Dale had to leave for an emergency in x and that he will not be back in three months," Elizabeth answered while she sat next to her older brother.

"That isn't unusual in Dale, you know he rides off every time someone needs him" Richard answered.

"I know that, but this time it seemed different, Duke Dragon normally looks furious with him for that and this time he was actually smiling, there is something wrong here but I cannot pinpoint what it is!!" Elizabeth was getting excited about this.

"Ok sis, we both know that Duke Dragon isn't the most likable character around especially not towards Dale, but why would he harm his heir??" asked Richard

"He is only his heir because Dale is the rightful Duke's son, remember, Duke Dragon became Duke after he married Dale's mother. And you know that he hates Dale because of it and believes his son Morton should be the next Duke not Dale".

"Yes I know, but maybe he finally figured out that it is highly unlikely for Morton to be the heir" Richard answered.

" God, Richard for a future king you are really naïve, I'll have to tell you a secret Dale asked me not to tell anyone but maybe you'll understand my concern better if I do" said Elizabeth

" Ok, with that you have my undivided attention, it's not like Dale to be keeping secrets from me, we've been best friends forever and to be honest if we can survive boy school then is really weird he kept something worse from me" Richard smirked when he said that.

"Yep well, I know you intend to change a few rules around here when you are crowned but the point is that boy school and the custom to summit your anal virginity to your wife is as old as this world, especially since the great wars, when the women had to force the men in power to summit to stop them" Elizabeth said laughing "although the rule that says that traitors will be turned to slaves and that hostages to other kingdoms when raped and returned need to summit to anyone that wants it, that is a custom you should change especially when it is being abused so much"

"Thank goodness you are not in politics or my live would be hell, but that is not the point what did you want to tell me?" Richard laughed and turn the conversation around, he knew Elizabeth point of view and respected it but that was another issue totally.

" I don't know if you remember the first time you invited Dale to the palace for the holidays, I do though, I remember I was doing sword training and you both bragged you could do better, and I beat you both soundly, what I didn't know at the time was that Duke Dragon was watching us practice" Elizabeth said.

"I didn't know he was watching either, although while we were growing up he usually was there with Morton by his side, glaring at Dale." Richard answered " His glares were worst when you or your friends and that includes Raven, and Dani, beat the hell out of the boys, including me, I hated to loose but you three are the best swords women we have." He admitted.

"I know but that isn't important now, the point to the story is that, two days after that episode I walked into the stables, and Dale was there in the corner hiding, I was 13, I think, and Dale was 15, when I approached him he tried to hide better but he turned his back to me, he was bleeding, I wanted to help and I told him and he said that if I helped than I couldn't tell anyone about what I saw." Elizabeth got up remembering that afternoon so long ago, and feeling as mad as she felt then.

"You are kidding, right???" Richard asked amazed, that meant he didn't know his best friend as much as he thought.

"No I'm not, while I cured him, I asked what happened, and little by little got all the details, It seems that Duke Dragon has this fascination with beating Dale, and had been doing it since he became his stepfather, because of nothing really, Dale said that the Duke punished him to make him stronger, since he was ten he was subjected to 25 sticks or lashes depending on the Duke's mood. Every three days, so that he can become stronger, and that if he cried out he would get 5 more for every scream, that day the Duke screamed at him that he was a weakling for getting beaten by a woman and that he would get 30 only for that with the whip, I was spitting mad I wanted to go and cast the Duke on the lowest dungeon on the castle, but he begged me not to, since then every time I beat him the Duke did the same thing, I tried to loose a time or two but when Dale noticed he asked me not to because if it wasn't me beating him it will be another excuse for his step father to punish him." Elizabeth was watching Richard's face and saw the emotions on it, he seemed incredulous at first and then the pieces started to fall in place for him, why Dale didn't hug him like every other friend, or why he never went swimming with the group, Stephen and Drake the two other that formed that closed knit group always remarked on that but Richard thought it was because Dale was shy.

"Damn!!!!" Richard said, "He should've told me, I could have stopped it by bringing him to the castle and not letting him leave".

"He knew how you would react and was ashamed that he couldn't protect himself, he never wanted to go home because he knew what to expect, that is one of the reasons we were so close as children, it was because I figured it out and was there for him afterwards, It killed me not doing anything else but he asked me not to..." Elizabeth drifted off, remembering and feeling how mad she was every time her hero came back to the castle beaten and suffering, she was in love with him but he had never said anything to her. But the kiss last Saturday said a lot, and she knew something was wrong when he didn't come back as he promised.

"There is something else isn't it???" Richard asked seeing the faraway look on Elizabeth's eyes, he knew his sister too well.

"Yes, but you have to swear not to repeat it or get mad" Elizabeth turned to her brother.

"Lizzie I never get mad with you, and I swear not to say a work" Richard answered concerned now about where this was going

"Ok, I have been in love with Dale since I can remember, but he never said anything. So I figured I didn't have any hope you know??" Elizabeth blushed while she said this

"That is not a secret, every one knows how you feel about him" Richard laughed but quieted when Elizabeth punched him on the shoulder.

"I know, Idiot, but on Saturday it was different, we danced at the party as always but later he kissed me and told he had some thing to work out but will come back today to tell me something important, I hope about the kiss, he even promised he was going to come, but as I told you before he didn't" Elizabeth said, "You know how Dale is when he promises something he always sees it through, that is why is so weird that he would run off for three months as the Duke told me" .

"He kissed you!!!!! Wow at last..." Richard exclaimed.

"Be serious I am worried" Elizabeth answered glaring at her brother.

"You are right, if he promised he should be here, he always keeps his word that is weird especially if he will be gone for three months, even if it is an emergency he should be here." Richard conceded knowing his friend.

Even while the news of how his step father treated Dale had shocked Richard, he knew that Dale was a man of his word, he never promised things without seeing them through, so it was really weird for him not to show up and for his step father to deliver a message, Dale usually sent a personal messenger to Richard when he was going to be absent that long and that messenger hadn't arrived at all.

"You are right, this is weird, and the messenger he normally sends hasn't arrive, is usually Pierre his servant, and then he goes to join his master, but he hasn't been here today at all" Richard said.

"Wait one second, The Duke doesn't know how Dale sends you messages, does he??" Elizabeth asked and Richard could see her mind working overtime.

"No nobody except for the amazing four as we call ourselves know how we communicate" Richard answered.

"We need to find Pierre if we want to know what is going on" Elizabeth said

"You are right Lizzie, but how do we find him???" Richard asked, now he was worried, this didn't sound like something Dale would do and something was definitely wrong with this picture.

"If you tell the court that I have a cold I could probably go to Duke Dragon's castle and ask around, obviously under a disguise, Raven can come with me and will be fine, also you need to keep Duke Dragon and his spawn Morton here at all costs for a few days, until I send word on what is going on" Elizabeth said

"You know I love how your mind works, definitely you are the best tactician at court" Richard laughed

"I'm only better than you because I paid attention at class, you didn't" teased Elizabeth

"Ok, I deserved that, when will you go???" Richard asked, concerned about his spitfire of a sister.

"In two hours, I don't like to think what might have happened but I have a few suspicions on the matter, I will be there before dinner if everything goes as planned, and you know I think Raven knows a few of the servants in that castle, I think her nanny was the sister of the housekeeper, although I will have to ask" Elizabeth explained

" Then you better leave, I will maintain the Duke here with some tasks he will like, he always was fond of his job as advisor, I will create a minor imagined threat and make the council talk for days, He wouldn't dare leave because he believes he is so important" Richard smirked.

"Far well brother, I hope I'm not too late" Elizabeth said while running out of the room.

Elizabeth knew she had to hurry, she was really afraid for Dale, he was very important to her and she didn't want to think the worst, since she run into Duke Dragon fear was running through her body in waves, sheer terror of what must have happened, she was terrified that this was some kind of cover and that she would find Dale dead and wouldn't be able to get to him in time to save him.

"Raven!!!" Elizabeth screamed as soon as she saw her friend lounging by the pool "I need your help"

"What is going on? You are pale as a ghost, Lizzie calm down and explain it to me" Raven stood up as soon as she saw Elizabeth face, sheer terror was reflected there and she never had seen her like that

"I had a talk with my brother, remember I told you about the kiss with Dale, and his promise of coming back today to tell me something important?" Elizabeth asked

"Off course I remember you were so excited that you talked my ear off during that day and the next three" Raven laughed

"Dale never came back, and Duke Dragon said something had come up and he needed to leave for three months, but talking with Richard he told me that Dale usually sends him a personal messenger when something requires him to leave for long but Paul hasn't come by at all" Elizabeth explained trying to steady her breathing.

"And you are worried that Duke Dragon might have done something to harm Dale? We all know he doesn't love the guy but I don't think he will kill him, he knows how popular Dale is at court" Raven said.

"I know but there are things you don't know and I can't tell you, I promised, I did tell Richard though, to get his permission to go, please trust me in this is important you come with me and that we do some detective work, I have a bad feeling about all these" Elizabeth explained

"I know you well enough that if you say he is in danger, he probably is, you'll tell me the rest later, watch out Morton is looking this way and coming towards us" Raven said

"Follow my lead and we might get rid of him soon enough" Elizabeth said

As Morton approached the he saw Elizabeth start coughing and acting faint that made him smile, if she was sick the plan would go unhindered and no one would be able to save his idiot half brother.

"My ladies, may I ask how are you this fine morning?" Morton said in his most courtly manner.

"We are here aren't we" was Raven's caustic reply

"I am sorry for my friend's bad temper Morton, but she is worried about me, I have this cold that is getting worse by the minute, so I will have to leave you and Raven will take me to my room, I don't think I will be able to see you for a few days, so I wish you Godspeed." Elizabeth sounded really congested.

Morton was renowned for being a notorious hypochondriac, so when he saw Elizabeth he took out his handkerchief and cover his mouth and nose.

"I am really sorry your Highness, but I think that is best if you keep to your room we don't want you to get any sicker" While saying that Morton took several steps back, bowed and hurried away

"God he is such a pompous ass" Raven laughed.

"Yes that he is, but now we have to go, he will tell his father and our way will be clear, let's get the horses and be on our way" Elizabeth was in a hurry.

They got the horses and left through the rear entrance to the castle, that way no one would be able to tell if there were gone or not. While they were ridding Elizabeth couldn't help but worry about Dale, She was hopping his fate was not worse than death.