Homecoming

by Tull Harrison

  Richmon looked startled but composed himself quickly. "Gladly, Your Majesty. I know enough of military strategy to understand that secrecy is valuable. The fewer rumors leak out, the better. It does not matter what class you are from, the temptation to gossip is always present.

  "Now, sending an entire army out to search for the objects would be impractical, as I'm sure you all agree. Sending just one person is simply too dangerous. Small groups are the most obvious choice. Each group would have some set disguise — so, as General Portam suggested, foreigners would not be a bad idea.

  "Your Majesty, I must be honest, though. I have no idea where I would send these groups. Perhaps you could enlighten us." Richmon was soft spoken, and Rebenna was surprised to see every person nodding in agreement with his reiteration of previous suggestions.

  Delmer said in a softer tone, "I think the idea of two parties is excellent. I also agree that foreigners would make good group members. However, those people not from Malzepher would have to commit to searching for at least a moon. For instance, when we search through the Impenetrable Mountains, we could have a trusted Noennaan lead or take part in that search since they live around that area.

  "On the issue of the piracy, I will deploy my navy to deal with them, but only after the five items are secured. Now, does anyone have any questions?"

  Everyone nodded in agreement, though some reluctantly.

  These nobles are just as petty as Noenna's, Rebenna thought, laughing, as she left the council.

  Chapter 7

  After the meeting Rebenna wanted some peace, so she decided to go out. She walked through the grand halls in silence, except for the bustle of the servants. Unlike in Desert Stronghold, marble held up nicely in the seaside palace of Kingdom Cove. There were large windows overlooking the sea, fitted with rare, expensive glass.

  Outside the building there was a large courtyard, open for all people. Near the stables, several horses were being broken. Two women gossiped in the corner, while a master falconer taught his noble students. When they saw Rebenna they smiled, calling out warm greetings. She had never felt so welcomed in a foreign place.

  She walked into the stables and spotted Trouble. Happily, she ran to her horse. Trouble just snorted, wanting to be let out. Rebenna quickly tacked her up, led her outside, and started out again.

  Past the courtyards, a large, bustling city sprawled. There were buildings of all sorts, and the guild center served as both marketplace and business headquarters to the town. She walked through it, pretending to be looking for medicine for her business. Trouble walked loudly beside her, just as interested as she was.

  Rebenna glanced at all the buildings, stalls, and smiling people. How can Delmer be worried about them? I wish a fraction of Noenna’s population was this happy.

  Several people tried to sell her objects, but she politely declined, until she reached a women's stall. She was selling plain but beautiful clothing. The women spied her interest and immediately started glancing around her booth. When she located what she was looking for, she turned to speak to Rebenna. She held an elegant dress. The fabric was silky and dyed a deep amber, her favorite color.

  Like the rest of her clothes, it was plain but formal at the same time. It was long with flowing sleeves. It looked as if it would fit Rebenna perfectly. The rich color complemented her eyes flawlessly. "Well, Ambassador, it is nice to meet you. I'm Lauren, and I knew your father. He was the kindest man I ever did meet. I'm sure you're probably not interested in my drab dresses, but I thought maybe you would like this."

  Rebenna was startled. "Oh dear, your clothes aren't drab at all. In fact, they are rather elegant. I am glad you thought highly of my father. He always said Malzepherians were kind, and as a matter of fact I would be delighted if you would let me purchase that wonderful dress."

  Lauren blushed. "Like father, like daughter. Such high praise for a humble dressmaker..." Lauren cut off the rest of what she was going to say. Her head swiveled to where a crowd shouted loudly.

  Rebenna followed Lauren's gaze and spotted two Low-Born men, one old and one young, facing off. They both wore hardened leather gloves without fingers. The crowd of bystanders circled them.

  The older man's gloves were scarred and worn, much like the man himself. His clothes were old, but of decent quality. His beard was gray, but the way he moved betrayed his prowess.

  The younger man was probably the age of Rebenna's oldest brother, and he acted similarly. He did not walk so much as saunter; did not grin so much as smirk. His clothing was well worn, but his gloves were new. He was arrogant, and Rebenna hoped he would be humbled before the fight ended.

  She got her wish. The young man dove in rashly. The older man was ready and dodged the blow more quickly than she had thought he could. Infuriated, the younger unleashed a barrage of punches. Not one of them landed. Finally, the old man seemed to take pity on the younger and ended the fight with a simple right hook.

  He looked down at the man lying on the ground, offered him a hand up, then turned and walked away. The younger man hung his head, though his eyes burned in anger.

  The crowd dispersed, leaving Rebenna gazing in wonderment. "Why was nothing done? I saw a guardsman in the crowd."

  Lauren smiled. "In Queen Minna's reign, there was restlessness because of the war and many riots broke out. She decided to legalize street brawling, but it was governed by strict rules. She figured it was the easiest way to relieve the tension. Look around; there are many more men and some women wearing those strange gloves."

  Rebenna saw that the shop keeper was correct. "Those gloves mark out anyone willing to street fight. Anyone who doesn't have them cannot participate; it's part of the rules. The youngsters are normally brazen and graceless, like the one you just saw. The masters, however, have made street fighting almost into an art form.” She smiled and shrugged. "You were lucky. That older gentleman was Simeon. He is a legend among street fighters and is rumored to have trained the king. It is said that His Majesty used to secretly compete in these fights when he was still a prince."

  "King Delmer was trained by a Low-Born street fighter?" Rebenna forced her voice to sound only mildly interested.

  Lauren shrugged again. "Well, it would have been addition to his tutors, and it is only a rumor." Then her face took on its business look again. "Now about that dress...” She proceeded to name a generous price.

  Rebenna asked her if she was sure of her price, but Lauren remained adamant. So, she obligingly handed over the money for the dress. Thanking Lauren, she tucked the beautiful dress safely in Trouble's saddlebag. They were soon on their way, with no more stops.

  When she got past of Kingdom Cove's thin walls, she let Trouble canter. She glanced at the sky, noting gray storm clouds that promised an afternoon shower. Almost immediately, she spotted Delmer. As she rode up beside him, he smiled and let Lancelet out a bit, his pace increasing. Rebenna followed, and she got close to him again, Delmer gave the horse his head and they took off at a gallop.

  Trouble got excited. Unwilling to be left behind, Rebenna gave Trouble her head too, and they closed in on Delmer. Morag raced along them.

  They dismounted and let their horses graze. At the outskirts of the forest, they sat and she leaned nonchalantly against a tree trunk, trying to catch Delmer's gaze. However, his mind was elsewhere. Morag sprawled across her master's lap while Tymon perched comfortably on Delmer's shoulder.

  "Some meeting." Rebenna sighed, mentally fatigued.

  Delmer looked at Rebenna, as if finally realizing she was there. When he finally returned her comment, his reply was distracted. "Yes.”

  Quietly, they sat in the grove for a while, and their silence was a restless one. To Rebenna, it felt as if they wanted to say something, but couldn’t. The silence was partially broken when the clouds rumbled overhead. Within moments, the sky opened, and rain poured down on them.

  Good old' costal weather...I miss my desert. She thought longingly.

  Ever the gentlem
an, even in a dark mood, Delmer stood and fetched his cloak from Lancelet's saddlebag. Rebenna had forgotten hers. He offered it to her, but she shook her head and pulled him down next to her. Carefully, she wrapped the large cloak loosely around their shoulders, ignoring Delmer's startled and embarrassed look.

  Finally, she decided to say something — though it wasn't what she wanted to say. "Delmer, who is going to be in the search groups?"

  "I'm not sure. Earlier I implied that perhaps you could lead the one at the Impenetrable Mountains." Delmer seemed to slightly open the barrier he had built around himself.

  "Thank you for your trust, but you don't really think the items are located there, do you?" Rebenna was happy about the confidence he felt in her, but wondered whether Delmer thought the items were hidden in the same place she suspected.

  He sat for some time, his head resting on his steepled fingers. He seemed to be listening to the rain, which was gradually tapering off. Eventually he shook himself out of his reverie. "I think they are hidden on Mount Slate. I'm not sure why exactly, but I just have this feeling. I am probably wrong. I have certainly been wrong about plenty of things in the past."

  "How can you say that? If there is anything I've learned in my life, it is to trust your instincts. So far, I think you have been a wise, patient, and self-sufficient king, which is everything a king should be. You have wisdom far beyond your years and I respect you, but if you continue to doubt yourself, you'll never live up to what you want to be."

  Delmer looked startled, and then he did something that Rebenna hadn't anticipated: He laughed. It wasn't the hollow laugh she had heard from him before either. It was a long, hard laugh, and he actually looked happy. Even Morag and Tymon joined in the fun. Morag howled and Tymon made an odd squawking sound from the tree above.

  When he had stopped laughing, Delmer smiled, saying, "Thank you Rebenna. I needed that. It was like something my father would say. When he wanted me to do something, he'd use my full title too. You just made me realize that I can mope forever, mourning my father, when I need to improve this kingdom.

  "Now, I do think that the items are on Mount Slate. I will not ask anyone to go on that insane quest, though, so I will go myself. Tully, Lindy, and Lynen can rule for the time that I am away. All I have to do is inform my advisors of my departure."

  Rebenna laughed. "You go from being too cautious to being too reckless. Why can't you find a middle point? Scaling Mount Slate is insane, especially by yourself! Besides, you don't have an heir who can take over if you die.”

  A twinkle appeared in Delmer's eyes. "If it's too dangerous to go by myself, then why don't you accompany me?"

  Rebenna balked. "No way, and what about the matter of who will take over if you die?"

  Delmer's grin lessened slightly, but the twinkle in his eyes was still there. "Rebenna, you told me to trust my instincts. I have decided to, and my instincts tell me that everything will be all right. If you don't want to come, I don't blame you, but I am going. As for who will rule if I die — and I won't — then my cousin, Duke Kennith, will take over until Richmon is ready. I guess that there are some disadvantages in waiting to marry."

  Rebenna again laughed, and this time she wasn't laughing over Delmer's recklessness. "Throughout all Noenna I am known for my negotiation skills. People have said that no one can match me, but I believe that I have met my match. You turned my own argument back on me. What I think both our negotiation skills are really based on, though, is our stubbornness."

  Delmer's grin broadened again. "So, you'll come?"

  "I will, but if I die, I'm blaming it on you." Delmer laughed as she looked at Morag, "Delmer, I don't think any of the animals can come. The slopes are bound to be treacherous, the ground frozen, and the air bitter and cold."

  Delmer stroked his chin. "I guess not, but I think we can take them as far as the Razorback Hills, don't you?"

  "Yeah, I think that would be fine. We could leave them with some goat herders. You know, your advisors are going to have a fit when they hear of this mission."

  "I know. It would be great if we could just leave."

  Rebenna grinned wryly. "Then why don't we?"

  "What?"

  "Why don't we? We'll write a message and I'll go on Trouble back to the outermost wall of Kingdom Cove. I can give it to one of the guards and tell them it is urgent business, but I can't come in because—"

  "Because it would look better if someone official, like a guard, delivered the message. Then we'll head towards the Razorback Hills. Perhaps we should stop long enough to get supplies in a small town on the way, so we'll be set." Delmer concluded, picking up on Rebenna's plan. "How should we say we know each other? People are bound to ask."

  Rebenna thought about that. "Well, we can't very well say we are brother and sister because of how different we appear."

  She was somewhat hesitant to voice her next thought because she didn't want Delmer to withdraw again. She was surprised when Delmer suggested it. "Then we will have to pose as husband and wife. Since neither of our countries keep slaves, so we can't travel as slave and master."

  Within the hour they were off. Everything had gone smoothly. The message she had delivered explained what they were going to do. It also said that Delmer's three advisors were to take over, and if Delmer died then Duke Kennith would become regent until Lord Richmon reached his majority.

  Both she and Delmer were dressed in riding garb, so all they needed to pose as peasants was to remove the royal crest from Delmer's clothes. Their garb was still slightly flashy, but it would work. As a last thing, they buried Delmer's crown in his saddlebag, but kept their swords and bows in plain view.

  By the time they started off, they only had a few hours of light left. They pressed into the night, fearing that guards from Kingdom Cove would come after them, and finally camped a few miles from a small town. They had agreed to always sleep outside around a fire because although they had money, if they had stayed at an inn they would be offered a single bed. They decided to avoid that awkwardness.

  Rebenna and Delmer tethered their horses with the stakes that Rebenna kept with her. They started the fire as Tymon brought back a sparrow and Morag a small rabbit. Rebenna had found some berries and honeycomb earlier in the day, so they ate that too. Then they settled in for the night. Rebenna lay on the side of the fire next to a grove of trees, and Delmer lay on the other side of the fire from her. Morag took his place across Delmer’s body, and Tymon perched in a nearby tree. They could see their horses’ silhouettes and hear them rhythmically crunching grass. It was a warm summer night, so neither of them was cold — but both were tired and fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

  When Delmer awoke, Rebenna was still sleeping, and he was careful not to wake her. He went out and gathered berries, catching a rabbit with Morag's help. Tymon circled above their heads and screeched what sounded like a warning, but Delmer ignored it. Tymon often just liked to make noise.

  He arrived back at camp, stirred the fire, and left the rabbit cooking over it while he went to check the horses. The animals looked fine, but what he saw far off on the horizon worried him. It was a group of horses. Understanding Tymon's warning, he freed Lancelet and Trouble, and hurried back to their makeshift camp.

  "Rebenna, wake up. We must leave this place. We are being followed." Delmer shook Rebenna's shoulder.

  A light sleeper, she was up in an instant. They grabbed the cooking rabbit off the fire. Delmer quickly took his knife out and cut up the meat. He tossed part of it to Rebenna and part of it to Morag. Rebenna covered the fire with dirt, putting the smoldering coals out. Then she saddled up their horses. They swung into the saddle munching on the rabbit and spurred the mounts into a gallop. Morag did her best to keep up.

  They were forced to detour around the small town, no longer having time to stop and not wanting to be conspicuous by speeding through. They galloped hard and put a good amount of space between them and their pursuers. Rebenna bent and grabbed Delmer's h
alf-grown puppy, placing her in front of the saddle; Morag was already exhausted. They continued at a taxing pace, and privately Delmer wondered if the horses would be hurt by the exertion.

  They rode at breakneck gallop practically the whole day. It was Lancelet that began to tire first. Still, the horses seemed to sense their urgency and continued fleeing from their unseen pursuers.

  Hours passed until they arrived at a creek. They let their horses gulp down some water and stooped to drink as well. Feeling refreshed, they walked the horses out. They were still blowing hard, and Delmer didn't want to injure them.

  Once the horses were dry, Delmer took Lancelet to the highest ground around them and looked back towards their pursuers in the west. For the first time since the sun had risen, he couldn't see the guards chasing them. Delmer glanced up towards Tymon, which had acted as their lookout throughout the day, but he wasn't there. Delmer began to panic, but as he started to call Rebenna, Tymon landed on his s shoulder. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  "So, have they stopped chasing us?" he asked the bird.

  He wanted some sign but did not really expect the falcon to respond. However, Tymon chirped and rubbed his head against Delmer's cheek. Delmer smiled, thinking about Tymon when he had arrived as a present for the prince’s sixth birthday. The small falcon had been testy and aggressive, but he had gradually warmed up to Delmer over time.

  Rebenna stopped beside them, an exhausted Morag with her. She handed Morag to Delmer. Lancelet stamped his foot at the delay but was still too tired to protest further.

  "Tymon says we've lost them,” Delmer said, although he hated to keep pushing the horses. “Are you ready to go again? We're near the town of Windy Hollow."

  "Yes, and I vote we walk the horses there. They are tired and deserve a rest. I'm glad we're safe again, for now."