Chapter 179 - Fire

Delaney turned to Ilona with eyes full of fear.

"The castle is on fire," she whispered, "Vincent's there. My husband is in the burning building!"

"No," Ilona shook her head, "No Delaney, Lord Adair is smart. He would have gotten out as soon as he heard about the fire."

Delaney's heart was pounding hard in her chest but at the same time felt like it would simply stop any minute.

"He wouldn't though. If there was anyone else left in the castle he would insist on going back in and helping them. Vincent would never leave anyone behind. Most people aren't good like him. He's probably in there alone!"

Ilona saw her friend's fear and took her hands, "Ian's there too, and the Prince. They'll be alright. None of them will let anything happen to the others. Besides I... I think this might not be an accident."

"W-what are you talking about?" Delaney faltered, "The King's castle is on fire. Of course it as to be an accident."

"It... It may not be..."

Delaney shook her head in confusion, "What on earth are you talking about?"

The dark-haired woman dropped her gaze which only worried Delaney more. A frown creased her brow though as the duchess realized there was something going on.

Delaney looked over, remembering suddenly that they weren't alone. Ms. Bird and Penelope stood a ways back, anxiously waiting to see what their mistress would tell them to do.

If Ilona had some secret to reveal it would be best if these women didn't hear it. She took a deep breath, gathering herself.

"Go to the stables and out to the guards and even down to the servant's hall," she commanded, "Any man that's willing and able can take one of the horses and ride to the castle to help put out the fire. No one has to go if they choose not to though. I will not force them."

"Yes My Lady," Ms. Bird nodded, "We'll tell them."

The maids were quick to head off on their task, leaving Delaney and Ilona alone in the room. Delaney walked to the door and closed it before turning to look at the other woman standing in the flickering candlelight.

"What's going on?" she demanded now, "Why did you say this fire might not be an accident? How would it not be an accident?"

Ilona lifted her chin and stared at the duchess. She hesitated as she studied her before, at last, she sighed and gave in.

"I'm going to tell you something Delaney and you're not going to like it."

-

Ilona told Delaney of the night she and Ian had gone out on business. What they had actually been doing was going to meet with the Prince. He had decided he couldn't bear to marry the horrible Anna so he asked them to help him get away. It might not have happened if he hadn't agreed to go to the Red Lands with Ilona and do as their King had requested and marry his young daughter.

When Ilona had revealed the part about the marriage, Delaney felt as if she'd somehow fallen into a dream. Or was it a nightmare? There was no way Mason would agree to go to marry the princess of the Red Lands. They would never see him again!

The pirate woman continued, saying that Sophia had increased the number of guards around the Prince until he could barely leave his room and they knew there was no way he was going to be able to escape them. Not without a lot of help.

They had decided on the night of the feast where Daniel was planning to announce the upcoming wedding of his brother and Sophia's twin sister, they would create some kind of distraction and that was when Mason would get away.

Even that morning they had not heard from Mason about what he planned for the distraction to be. That had been part of the reason Ilona had been so nervous. Then when Delaney and Vincent decided she would be staying home, things became even more stressful.

"So what did you plan to do then?" Delaney asked quietly, "Once the guards were distracted and Mason was able to get out of the castle. Were the three of you just going to ride away without telling us anything?"

"Ian was never going to go with us," Ilona told her quickly, "He believes his place is here. The Prince and I were going to ride out tonight towards the ocean. My ship is ready to sail so we could get away before they could catch up to us."

Delaney shook her head, trying to work out what she had just learned.

"So... you and Ian came up with this plan with Mason... to steal him away in the night and take him to the ocean with you... where you'll then all load onto your pirate ship and sail to the Red Lands... So he can marry the princess there and free your siblings... even though we would never see him again."

Ilona hesitated, "I suppose that's true yes. He would be leaving and likely not coming back. At least not for many years."

"And you are only now telling me this? Did Vincent know?"

"No!" Ilona shook her head quickly, "No Lord Adair didn't know. We didn't tell anyone and we weren't going to. We didn't want either of you to have to lie if you were questioned by the King. Ian was going to explain everything once it was safe."

Delaney frowned, still not knowing quite how she felt about this.

"I have to go now alright?" the pirate continued, "I need to get my bag from my room and go down to wait for the Prince. He should be here any minute."

-

Delaney hurried along with her friend even though she found herself in a sort of daze. She couldn't believe what was happening and she couldn't believe their friends hadn't told them. She wondered what Vincent would say. She imagined by now he at least knew some of the story.

The house was deserted as they hurried out to the front entryway. The yard was clear of guards, all having gone to help with the fire. The women had only been standing there a few minutes, looking out at the rain, when they heard the sound of galloping and two horses appeared no the cobbled street.

The riders cut straight through the grass, bringing their mounts to a stop right in front of the steps. They both wore long black capes with hoods and swung down from their horses. Delaney hoped one was her husband but as the men hurried up the stairs to them she was disappointed to find it was Mason and Ian and Vincent wasn't with them.

"I told you I would come to tell you goodbye before I go," Mason grinned at her with sparkling eyes.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us," Delaney spoke louder, over the rain, "You're leaving and we may never see you again. Why didn't you tell us?"

Mason's smile slipped into a sad version, "I didn't know when I came to see you. You know if there was any other option Delaney I would take it. But if I stay here I'll be forced to marry Anna and I... I just can't condemn myself to a life like that."

"But this princess could be worse," she argued as tears built up in her eyes, "She could be even worse than Anna and then what will you do?"

"I will be a King," he said quietly, putting his hands gently on her shoulders, "I will be the king of a land of my own and maybe a father to children I will love. I will find a way to live and enjoy my life dear girl. I can never have that here now."

Hearing him say that Delaney finally accepted that he was right and this was the right decision. If he stayed here and married Anna he would be miserable and always a prince under his brother and the queen's rule. If he went to the Red Lands, even if his wife was terrible too at least he would be King and be able to have some power. He could carve out a happy life for himself there.

His blue eyes stayed on her until at last, she nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. Mason didn't wait but pulled her into his arms against his chest, hugging her tightly.

"I love you, Delaney Adair," he said against her hair as she cried, "I will miss you greatly. Take care of my cousin. He needs you and he has never been happier."

"I love you," she managed through her tears, "And I will take care of him. Maybe one day we can sail to the Red Lands and visit you."

Mason beamed down at her, "That would be wonderful."

"We need to go your majesty," Ilona said from behind them. She had taken Ian's cloak and doned it herself.

"You do," Ian agreed, "And I need to go back to the castle before my absence is noticed."

"Alright," Mason nodded and gave Delaney one more squeeze before he let her go.

Ilona grabbed her and gave her a tight hug too before she turned away.

Delaney stood in the doorway with Ian and watched as Ilona and Mason rushed out into the rain and pulled themselves up onto the horses. They didn't wait, spurring the animals forward, they took off fast towards the streets. She watched them ride away as tears streamed down her face. She would likely never see them again.

They were gone.