Please Stay

The note in front of me was plain and simple. ‘I’m leaving’ it said, ‘don’t try and stop me’. But it wasn’t enough. My head swam, but I couldn’t stop myself from jumping to my feet and running from my room. The courtyard was teaming with life; horses whinnied, men shouted, women begged them not to leave. But there was nothing that could be done.
I ran past them all, looking for the one man that told me I couldn’t stop him.
I still had to try.
The crowd parted as I ran through; one of the benefits of being Lady of the castle. My brother’s horse loomed menacingly before me, standing tall as ever. I circled him easily and ran straight at Caleb. He was talking to a squire, who was clearly hanging off of every word he said, revelling in the attention my brother was giving him. I stalked over to where he stood, just about ready to slap his face, when he turned my way, as if expecting my retaliation. His face was almost pained.
“You can’t stop me Adeline. This is something I have to do.” He barely whispered his words, looking straight into my eyes as if begging me to understand. And I did understand, truly. But I couldn’t let him know that.
“Please don’t leave me. The risk is too great, you know it as well as I.” 
“Yes, but I cannot leave our Father’s army to face them alone. He has requested my aid, and I must go.” He was right, I knew it and so did he. That didn’t stop me from trying my best to have him stay.
“Lord Paratore will rip you apart. He is ruthless, cunning, you he won’t give you a chance to surrender. You know as well as I the dangers that await you once you reach that battlefield.” Tears filled my eyes but I refused to let them fall. Tears were a Lady’s weakness, and although I may be a Lady by title, I was far from a dainty woman who needed to be rescued at the first sign of difficulty.
“Who will protect the people if you are gone?” I knew he would have an answer, he always did. I simply wanted him to remember the responsibility he had towards our people.
“Who better to watch over them that a woman so gentle and so fierce she has never needed a man’s protection in her life.” His smile was playful, his eyes were pained. He knew this wouldn’t end in our favour, which made it all the more frustrating that he was so determined to leave.
“Caleb Fortin, you are the sole protector of this castle, it is your sworn duty in Father’s absence to watch over our people and our land. You have no right to run off to battle when all that awaits you is a certain death sentence. I forbid it.” My voice was stronger than I thought it would be. I stood up straighter, pushed back my shoulders and folded my arms over my chest. Despite my obvious disadvantage height wise, Caleb looked slightly intimidated. His gaze faltered for a second, before he let out a deep sigh.
“Addy, Father is dead.” The words hit me hard and fast, like a blow to the chest. I stumbled back, and when I spoke again, my voice was broken.
“All the more reason for you to stay.” I felt the wetness on my cheeks before I realised the tears had broken through.
“His army is left without a leader; they are surrounded and only have a few days left of provisions. If we don’t get to them fast, they’ll die. I don’t know about you, but I can’t live with that knowing I could’ve done something to prevent it.” His eyes pleaded with me, begging me to understand. I did understand, but I couldn’t let him go alone.
“I’ll come with you then. Someone needs to make sure you don’t get yourself into trouble.” I tried to sound playful, but it came out forced.
“You know I can’t let you do that Addy. Someone has to stay behind and keep things running smoothly. Besides, I want to give Paratore some chance. If you were there, the battle would be over in minutes.” I knew he was flattering me, but I couldn’t help the small smile that crept through. I was no better than any man when it came to fighting, especially when it came to hand to hand fights. But with a bow and arrow, there was no one better than me.
“Adeline, look at me.” I looked into his eyes, such a rich blue, just like my own. They were fierce, the eyes of a warrior.
“You are in charge now. You understand the needs of the people, maybe even better than me. You are more able than any man I know, and now is your time to prove it. No matter what happens to me, remember that you are a warrior, capable of the mightiest strength, and the greatest compassion. That is what makes you strong.” He pulled me tightly to him for a brief moment, each of us savouring the time we had left.
“Damn you. Why do you always have to be right?” I forced a laugh, hoping to break the tension just a little bit, and he laughed with me. Together we walked to his horse, silent and solemn, knowing full well this could be the last time we saw one another.
Once we reached the mighty steed, he hugged me once again. This time I felt a soft kiss on the top of my head and my brother whispered to me.
“I love you, Adeline.” At that moment I yearned to have a sword in my hands; anything to give me some kind of strength to help me get through this.
He mounted his horse in one swift movement, graceful as ever. The other knights followed suit, and soon they were ready to ride. Caleb turned to address the crowd of people that had come to say their farewells.
“I leave you all in Lady Adeline’s capable hands. Any troubles you have, go to her directly and she will see to it everything is resolved. We shall return as swiftly as we can.” The tears continued to fall as the men rode out of the castle gates. I ignored the cries of the women and children behind me as I ran along behind them. I stopped at the gates, knowing I couldn’t go further, and watched as my brother led his men to their almost certain deaths. They knew what they were getting themselves into; but that didn’t make it any easier to accept. As I watched the last man ride over the hill and out of sight, my mind began reeling. There had to be a way I could help them, I just had to figure it out before they all got themselves killed.