The Unknown Royal Heir by Kimber Swan

Author:Kimber Swan [Swan, Kimber]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-04-15T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The barge landed with little to no fuss less than two hours later with the sun directly overhead shining between the gaps in the clouds. We were quick to disembark because Daniel wasn’t sure what spies may be lurking around and the port wasn’t secured for my entrance. He didn’t want to risk being spotted by friend or foe.

The mountainous backdrop of the harbor frames the quaint town we drive through, reminding me of a time long ago, but now only found in trashy romance novels. The single lane street that leads out of town opens to a double lane road. Once on that road, we are immediately flanked by three black SUVs.

“Daniel?” I ask fearfully, gripping his hand across the gear shift.

“Don’t worry they’re with us.” He says smiling and patting my leg reassuringly.

“Can they be trusted?”

“Yes.” He says definitively.

Although his words should calm me, I still feel apprehensive. The drive to Daniel’s lands affords me a beautiful view of lands that are mine. Mine? It feels surreal. I’ve never owned anything as great as this. I guess I don’t technically own it yet, but it will become mine when the time is right.

The landscape ranges from gently rolling farms to rocky hills and crags seen in the distance. The hearty, purple heather growing full under the trees and along the road are breathtaking. The landscape is scattered with patches of snow. The further we head inland the colder it seems to get. The sun that was shining moments ago is now hidden behind the gray clouds and a light snow has started falling. The countryside is littered with old abandoned stone cottages, some with roofs, some missing. Farms are overgrown by neglect with the slightest hint of cultivation.

“Does anyone live in those?” I ask.

“When the road was put in, many of the villagers in this town moved away.” He replies. “This was all farmland until about twenty-five maybe thirty years ago when your father starting making changes to bring Farquadt into the current century.”

“How did that go over?” I ask, knowing that if I was asked to move out of my home or change the way things were, I wouldn’t be happy.

“Believe it or not the villagers handled the change better than the aristocracy.” He says. “The villagers were happy to receive the money, especially since many of them were struggling to feed their families and stay afloat.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. Towns like the one we drove through are home to most of the people of Farquadt. The aristocracy didn’t want things to change. They wanted the lower castes to be dependent on them. What the king proposed by giving the lower castes more freedom as met with much resistance. It was after these events that the country started to see strife between the king and the aristocracy.”

“That’s about the time my parents were together?” I speculate.

“Exactly.” He replies.

“What made him decide he needed to make changes?”

“From what I understand, he was tired of not being taken seriously by our neighboring countries.

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