by A. J. Medina
“I can do something now. Do you want to be on this farm forever, Mother? I don’t. I want more. Please give me your blessing. Please Mother.”
“My young daughter. Has life been so terrible for you here with me?”
“Nay, but an opportunity has presented itself for more. Much more.”
“My dear daughter. You have much to learn.”
“That’s enough talk for today. Why not sleep on it and decide in the morning?” Biron said.
“I can’t. If I’m going to go, then I must leave in the morning.”
“Let your mother and me sleep on it. We’ll have an answer for you when you awake.”
I could tell I wasn’t winning this argument. “Ugh... fine.”
“Alora!” Mother scolded.
“I’m sorry. Aye, Father.”
I hated calling him father. After all, he wasn’t my real father. After Father died in battle, mother married Biron. That’s when she commanded that I address him as Father. He does take care of you like a father, she had said. I went to my room and thought about my real father. Father was a knight and brave by default. He would let me go. He would understand what this means to me.
From my room I heard Mother arguing with Biron. “Nay Biron. I won’t let her go.” I sat down by my door and put my ear to it. They were talking loud enough for me to hear them clearly.
“She’s getting older. She’s no longer a baby. If it’s what she wants, then she should go,” Biron said.
“She doesn’t understand the real world. She doesn’t know what it’s like. She’s still too trusting.”
“You can’t shelter her much longer. She needs to get out there and learn.”
“I don’t know.”
“She doesn’t want this life. If she has the opportunity to do something she’s really interested in, then we shouldn’t stand in her way.”
“But what if she gets injured, or worse?”
“Then we’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
“I’m going to go talk to her some more,” Mother said. When I heard her footsteps getting closer, I scrambled to my feet and leapt onto my bed. I crossed my legs and sat waiting. Mother knocked.
“Alora dear, may I come in?”
“Aye, Mother.”
The door creaked open and a rush of wind followed her in, blowing out my candle. She shut the door, struck a match and brought the flame back to life. She sat on my bed next to me and inhaled slow and deep. Exhaling a sigh, she began speaking. “I know you think you want this, but how can you be sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
“But finding a husband and starting a family is what ladies do.”
I wrapped my finger around my big toe. “Mother, I’m not a lady. Boys don’t even like me,” I said.
“They do dear, but no one likes to be made a fool of.”
I thought about that. “I suppose. And what about other girls? They don’t like me either.”
“Perhaps because they don’t know how to talk to you. A girl that prefers sword play versus stitching isn’t going to be easy to talk to. Besides, what about Lucah?” Mother asked.
“We’re friends.”
“I see the way that boy looks at you. You might think you’re friends, but I can tell he wants to be more.”
I realized I was playing with my feet. “What? How?”
“A woman knows. Don’t worry. You’ll figure it all out one day. Just open your eyes, dear, and pay attention to what people do, not what they say.”
“May I answer the king’s call?” I asked.
She sighed. “Just give me this evening. I will wake before the sun rises and give you my answer.”
“But Mother—”
“Before the sun rises.”
I nodded.
She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. Before she stood, she patted my dirty feet. “Looks like you’ve been out and about barefoot again. Wash your feet before you go to bed. They’ll dirty the sheets.”
When she shut the door, I slid out of my brown pants and green shirt and walked over to the pail of water resting in the corner. I used a wash cloth to clean myself and made sure to scrub my feet thoroughly. Throwing on my plain, white sleep shirt, I climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling again. I hoped she would give me her permission, but I couldn’t risk missing the carriage. I weighed the options and made up my mind.
There was no way I was going to miss this opportunity. I planted my feet on the floor and looked at my toes. Mother would be proud at how clean they were. I shimmied out of my sleep shirt and put on the clothes I was wearing earlier. I grabbed my shoes and walked to my window. Picking up my practice sword, I climbed out and landed quietly.
After sliding the window closed, I crouched low and tip toed past the house and towards the woods that led to Lucah’s home. I stopped, leaned on a tree and put my shoes on. The woods were no place for bare feet.
I made my way through the woods to Lucah’s house, a journey I’ve taken many times before, and could see light filtering through the cracks of the window coverings. I knew his parents would have something to say, but they knew me and knew I could take care of myself. I walked up and knocked.
“Hello Alora. Out at this hour again?”
“Aye. Is Lucah available?” I asked.
“We were just finishing our evening meal.”
Lucah’s father moved out of the way and motioned for me to enter. “Lucah... Alora is here,” he announced.
Lucah came out of the kitchen area. “Alora. What are you doing here?” he asked, surprised to see me.
“I need to talk to you about tomorrow. Can I come along with you?”
“Did your mother give you permission? I can’t believe it.”
“Nay. She hasn’t made up her mind yet, but I’m not waiting for her decision.”
“You shouldn’t disobey your mother,” Lucah’s mother added as she came out from the kitchen area, drying her hands on her apron.
“Sorry, but I must audition. I must.”
“I understand dear. But if your mother comes looking for you, I will tell her where you’ve gone. As a mother, I must.”
“I understand.”
“But of course I won’t go looking for her. Only if she comes looking for me,” she added.
I wished Mother and Biron were as understanding as Lucah’s parents.
“Good luck with the audition Alora. Show them what we Kingsley girls are made of,” she said, and then went back to cleaning up.
I asked Lucah to meet me before the sun rose, where the town road meets the main road. From there we can hike to the bridge where the carriage will be waiting for us.
“I have to get home before they realize I’m gone. See you in the morning.” I waved goodbye, but Lucah just stood there shaking his head as I walked out of his home.
I made the journey through the woods and back to my window. Prying it open from a corner, I climbed in. I undressed again and threw on my sleep shirt. Looking at the dirty chore clothes I had removed, I wondered what I would wear. I had other pants that were used for chores. Those looked too dirty and ragged. I didn’t want to look that way in front of the king. I opened my small closet and pulled out a blue dress I’d never worn. Biron had given it to me as a gift and I refused to wear it. I laid it down and retrieved my stitching kit from underneath my bed.
Using scissors, I cut the bottom of the dress in two. I stitched it closed, making two separate legs and tried it on. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do. At the very least it was clean. I tried moving around in it—a few kicks here, a few lunges there.
I performed overhead strikes, side strikes and jump strikes. I stretched my body in every direction and it moved with me easily, not bunching or catching during any of my movements. I removed my new outfit, folded it, and placed it gently under my pillow.
Standing in the candlelight, I focused on my pillow as if the outfit hiding beneath it was the key to a new l
ife.
There was a knock at my door. “Alora, may I come in?”
“Just a moment. I’m just getting ready for bed.”
“Bed? It’s still early,” Biron said from the other side of the door.
“Just give me a moment.” I rushed to get into my sleep shirt and then jumped onto my bed, crossing my legs and resting my elbows on my knees. “Come in.”
Biron entered, shut the door behind him and sat at my side. “You understand why your mother doesn’t want you to go?”
I nodded.
“I think you should go, but your mother doesn’t want you to. Please don’t make this any harder on her than it needs to be.”
I was playing with my feet again.
“Whatever the decision, will you be able to accept it?” he asked.
I didn’t want to lie, but I couldn’t tell him the truth. Instead, I answered with silence.
Biron stood and made his way towards the door. He pulled it open and turned one last time. “Your mother loves you Alora. And even though I’m not your real father, so do I.” He nodded once and then closed the door behind him.
With him gone, I threw myself backwards and stretched out my legs. I wondered what my punishment was going to be when I returned home. Whatever it was, I was sure I could deal with it. I stared into the darkness thinking about what tomorrow would bring.
I’ve never been as far as the king’s castle. What would it be like? Would I be good enough? Would I be better than the other volunteers? Suddenly, I found myself concerned. What if I wasn’t good enough? What if everyone else was better than me? There was only one way to find out. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep. I needed my rest. Tomorrow was a big day.
Chapter 3
The wizard’s apprentice sat staring at the notice from the king. Volunteers? 15-17 seasons of age? Very clever King Remi. He crumbled the paper into a ball and tossed it into the fireplace. The paper sat mocking him. He brought his hand up to his lips and with his palm facing upwards, he blew, and the paper ignited.
Not bad, he thought, I need to practice that more often. It could come in handy. Controlling fire was never his strongest ability—potions were. With a flick of his wrist the flame went out. Looking out the window over the kingdom of Ky’lima, he imagined a world without kings. A world where you didn’t have to follow their commands, lest you lose your head. That was the world he decided to create when he was asked to do... to become something terrible.
He opened the wizard’s spell book, the one he had stolen from Agbavitor, and practiced making the potion of deceit again. He wanted to be sure he could replicate it from memory from this point forward. I’m coming for you, King Remi. You’ll be the last.
— — —
I waited crouched in the shadow of an old oak tree and glanced south west, the direction of Lucah’s house. As the thought — he should be here soon — popped into my head, a rustling came from the dark woods. “Alora. Are you there?” Lucah asked, emerging from the darkness.
“Aye. Over here.”
He made his way towards my voice. “You’re going to be in such trouble when your mother discovers you’re gone.”
“I don’t care. I need to do this. I’ll deal with whatever punishment she hands me when we return.”
We started towards Caskars Bridge where the carriage would wait at dawn. The hike wasn’t too difficult since the trail was clearly marked by dirt where the grass never grew back.
“Do you think the others will be better than us?” I asked him.
“I don’t know. I suppose we’ll be up against good and bad. After all it’s open to anyone, even you.” He snickered.
I, of course, was not amused. “I can beat you! As long as there aren’t too many as good as you, I should be okay.”
“I wonder what they’re going to make us do,” Lucah said.
“Fight of course.”
“Aye, but with swords? Shields? Or just our bare hands?”
“I hope not our bare hands. I’m better with a sword.”
“I warned you not to depend on a weapon.”
Now I wish I would’ve listened. Lucah always told me that I was too dependent on my sword. Sometimes fights occurred when you didn’t have one.
We arrived at the bridge when daylight was beginning to peek over the horizon. The carriage was waiting on the other side just like the paper had stated.
“Good morn,” Lucah said to the driver. He was standing by the side of the carriage waiting for any and all comers. The carriage was huge in comparison to the tiny one Biron dragged behind him every time he went to proposition the towns. It looked big enough to hold twenty passengers and was pulled by four, midnight black horses.
“Good morn,” the driver answered. “We will be departing very soon.” He opened the door to the carriage and motioned for us to climb on board. Lucah, being such a gentlemen, climbed in first. Ugh….
I filed in behind him and there were two other boys already inside. Me and Lucah took the seats directly across from them, with our backs towards the horses.
“Hello, I’m Lucah and this is Alora. We hail from the Village of Kingsley. And you?” he asked the boys. They eyed me intently. The boy on the right had long, blonde hair and the one on the left wore an identical face and also had long, blonde hair. To finish off their look, they were dressed identically—wearing white shirts and pants. The one on the right leaned over and whispered something to the other. I shot a glance at Lucah and he shrugged.
The boy on the left was about to speak when the door opened and the driver spoke. “We’re off. If anyone else is coming they should’ve been on time. We’ll be making one more stop in the Village of Nightwood. We will wait there for a few minutes before moving on to the castle city, Castle Ly’vera. Sit tight.” He shut the door and the carriage leaned to one side as he climbed up to his perch. With a crack of a whip and a giddy up, the carriage jerked into action.
“I’m Kylar and this is my brother Yargi. We didn’t think any girls would actually try out for the king’s army.”
“Neither did I,” I sneered.
Lucah laughed so hard he almost choked on his spit.
“I don’t understand,” Kylar said.
“Never mind,” I said, with a wave of my hand, trying to contain myself. “Heard anything about what the auditions will be like?”
Kylar went to speak when his brother cut him off. “I heard they’re going to whip us and the ones that don’t scream will be chosen.”
Kylar shoved his brother. “That’s stupid, why would they whip their knights?”
He shrugged. “That’s what I heard.”
“Well I heard, we would have to fight against a knight and he would show no mercy and will try to separate our heads from our bodies,” Kylar added.
“Now whose stupid? That makes less sense than what I said. At least with a whipping we’d survive.”
Me and Lucah stared at the two boys. Their imaginations and whoever told them those things were farfetched. These two were useless.
I focused my eyes on the window and pulled the curtain aside, the sun was higher in the sky now. The grass shown a beautiful bright green that I wished I could go for a stroll on. A peaceful land that for all I knew could be at war sometime in the future.
The carriage followed the road adjacent to the river. From what I’d heard, the river should lead all the way to our destination. I’ve never been to the castle city before, but like all children I’ve heard stories. Stories about the castle that sits on top of the mountain. Impregnable because of the long steep road leading up to it and its tall stone walls that rose towards the heavens. Legend says it was built by dragons.
The carriage slowed after what felt like hours of steady travel and then came to an abrupt stop. The carriage rocked some as the driver climbed down off his seat. I slid the curtain aside and peeked out to see what the world looked like, since I hadn’t traveled this far from home before. The water of the river continued to flow north
and Lucah leaned over me to sneak a peak. He was close enough to make my stomach dance with butterflies.
I followed the lines of his ear before scrutinizing his brown, neck long hair—the strands danced with the breeze. The driver noticed us looking out and opened the door. “Feel free to stretch your legs for a moment. We will be leaving soon and won’t stop again until we reach the castle.”
I stepped out and everyone else followed me. I stretched towards the sky and gazed at the land. Across the river, lining the kingdom of Ry’uet, was a forest. Behind me and to the east, was an open field that led to a small grouping of trees.
There didn’t appear to be much around, the towns must’ve been hiding over the small mountains and hills just north of those trees. Lucah squatted by the river, grabbed some rocks and started throwing them in the water. The blonde boys followed his lead and a contest brewed to see who could throw them the farthest.
“That’s long enough. Everyone back on board.” The driver stood holding the door open and everyone made their way back in. With a crack, the carriage jerked forward. We were on our way when I heard what sounded like a scream. I looked out the window. Nothing. “Did you hear that?” I asked Lucah.
“What?”
“I guess I’m just.... There it is again.”
Lucah moved the curtain on his side of the carriage and off in the distance I saw someone. I squinted and stared. There was a girl running as fast as she could trying to catch us.
“She’ll never catch us,” the blonde boys said at the same time. “She might as well give up.”
I turned and banged on the back wall of the carriage. I banged again and then again. I was about to keep banging when the carriage slowed down. When the door opened the driver asked what was wrong.
“There’s a girl trying to catch us,” Lucah said while pointing out his window.
“She’s late, she should’ve been on time,” the driver said, obviously annoyed by the delay.
The girl’s voice became clear now. She was yelling, “WAIT..! WAIT FOR ME...!”
When she reached us, she was panting heavily. She leaned on the carriage and paused to catch her breath.