Only the Worthy by Morgan Rice Read Free Book Online

now.”
    Royce nodded
back.
    “If we storm the
fort and ask for her back, they will refuse,” Raymond added. “We have no legal
grounds to demand her back.”
    Royce gritted
his teeth.
    “I’m not going
to ask for her back,” he replied. “I’m going to take her back.”
    Lofen shook his
head as he rode up beside them.
    “You’ll never
make it through those doors,” he called out. “A professional army awaits you.
Knights. Armor. Weaponry. Gates.” He shook his head again. “And even if you
somehow manage to get past them, even if you manage to rescue her, they will
not let her go. They will hunt you down and kill you.”
    “I know,” Royce
called back.
    “My brother,”
Garet called out. “I love you. And I love Genevieve. But this will mean the
death of you. The death of us all. Let her go. There is nothing you can do.”
    Royce could hear
how much his brothers cared for him, and he appreciated it—but he could not
allow himself to listen. That was his bride, and whatever the stakes, he
had no choice. He could not abandon her, even if it meant his death. It was who
he was.
    Royce kicked his
horse harder, not wanting to hear anymore, and galloped faster through the
fields, toward the horizon, toward the sprawling town where Manfor’s fort
stood. Toward what would surely be his death.
    Genevieve , Royce thought. I’m coming for you.
     
    *
     
    Royce rode with
all he had across the fields, his three brothers at his side, cresting the
final hill and then charging down for the sprawling town that lay below. In its
center sat a massive fort, the home of the House of Nors, the nobles who ruled
his land with an iron fist, who had bled his family dry, demanding tithe after
tithe of everything they farmed. They had managed to keep the peasants poor for
generations. They had dozens of knights at their disposal, in full armor, with
real weapons and real horses; they had thick stone walls, a moat, a bridge, and
they kept watch over the town like a jealous hen, under the pretense of keeping
law and order—but really just to milk it dry.
    They made the law.
They enforced the cruel laws that were passed down by all the nobles throughout
the land, laws that only benefited them . They operated in the guise of
offering protection, yet all the peasants knew that the only protection they
needed was from the nobles themselves. The kingdom of Sevania, after all, was a
safe kingdom, isolated from other lands by water on three sides, at the
northern tip of the Alufen continent. A strong ocean, rivers, and mountains offered
thick walls of security. The land had not been invaded in centuries.
    The only danger
and tyranny lay from within, from the noble aristocracy and what they milked
from the poor. People like Royce. Now even riches were not enough—they had to
have their wives, too.
    The thought
brought color to Royce’s cheeks. He lowered his head and braced himself as he
tightened his grip on his sword.
    “The bridge is
down!” Raymond called out. “The portcullis is open!”
    Royce noticed it
himself and took it as an encouraging sign.
    “Of course it
is!” Lofen called back. “Do you really think they are expecting an attack?
Least of all from us?”
    Royce rode
faster, grateful for his brothers’ companionship, knowing all his brothers felt
as strongly for Genevieve as he did. She was like a sister to them, and an
affront to Royce was an affront to them all. He looked out ahead and on the
drawbridge spotted a few of the castle’s knights, halfheartedly looking at the
pastures and fields surrounding the town. They were unprepared. They had not
been attacked in centuries and had no reason to expect to be now.
    Royce drew his
sword with a distinctive ring, lowered his head and held the sword high. The
sound of swords rang through the air as his brothers drew, too. Royce kicked
out front to take the lead, wanting to be the first into battle. His heart
pounded with excitement and fear—not fear for himself, but for