by A. J. Medina
“Nay!” Of course he didn’t. Why would Lucah do that? Besides, we had nothing to worry about. We hadn’t done anything wrong and we hadn’t been told we couldn’t leave our rooms at night. We weren’t even told not to leave the guard’s wing. And if I was asked, there could be no harm in revealing the fact that we met on the second level, could there?
Tessa bounced up and down doing that dance someone usually does when they have to pee. “Tell me...,” she said, grabbing my hand and bolting for the wash room.
In the wash room, she made the request again. “Tell me...” The tone of her voice made it sound more like an order than a request.
I walked over to the window and peered out into the darkness. It’s a good thing it was still dark, we were pretty high. “It was Lucah.”
She let out a squeal. “Details... I need details.”
“Nay,” I said, even though I was dying to talk to someone about it. The way he kissed me on the balcony. The way he held me close and how we made another appointment to meet tonight.
“Alora... Tessa... we must be going,” Neala called from the other side of the door.
“You better tell me or I won’t stop pestering you about it,” Tessa said as we left the wash room—and I believed her. From what I’ve learned about her so far, she lived for this sort of thing. When I had told her me and Lucah kissed when I was staying at his home, she wouldn’t stop talking about it. She asked if we were in love, were we going to get married, have children, and blah, blah, blah. I will tell her about it later because I really wanted to, but I’ll make it seem like she forced it out of me and I’m just telling her so that she’ll leave me alone.
We marched to the palace, stood outside the king’s court and waited to be interviewed by King Remi himself. When we had arrived and found out that this was the case, I shuddered. I hated talking directly to him or to the wizard. It always made those butterflies come back and my stomach twisted into knots. Lucah was the first to enter and when he was done, he returned to his place in the ranks. One by one, we were called in, until it was finally my turn to be seen.
When my name was called, the two gigantic — floor to ceiling — doors mocked me with their presence. The catch clicked loudly and then one door crept open. I had to tell the truth, but worried what the truth might mean. What had really happened yesterday? I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that the king wanted to interview us separately.
I was led into the great hall by one of the king’s guard whose name was unfamiliar to me. The great hall was enormous, the floor a shiny white marble and pillars standing along its left and right walls that stretched high into the sky. The pillars appeared to create a sort of road that ended where the king rested on his throne. The queen’s throne, to his left, sat empty and the wizard stood to his right.
The knight pointed to where I should stand in front of the king, which I did, fearing what questions might be asked of me. I smacked my right fist to my chest like I was taught, returned my arm to my side, and then waited for the inquisition to begin.
The wizard spoke first. “So far we are pleased with your performance. The king has some questions for you. Are you ready to answer them?”
“Aye, Wizard,” I answered, trying to keep my body from shaking.
He nodded and the king began to speak. “Do you know who fell to his death?”
“Nay.”
“His name was Petter. Is he familiar to you?”
“Nay.”
“One of the girls in your chambers said she heard you ask another girl if she heard something. Is that true?”
I tried to remember exactly how it happened, but I wasn’t sure and standing in front of the king and wizard wasn’t helping my memory. “Aye, Your Majesty. I heard what sounded like a scream in the distance and...”
“And…?” the king asked scooting further up to the edge of his throne.
“And I asked Tessa, who was awake, if she heard something. She said nay, and then I heard a splash. The next thing I knew, two knights burst into the room asking if everyone was there. I was frightened.”
“Very good. So you and Tessa were awake while everyone else was asleep?”
“Aye, Your Majesty.”
The king turned and made eye contact with the wizard for a moment, almost as if they were talking using their minds and then turned to face me again. “One of the girls said that you weren’t in the room for a short time. Did you leave?”
Who could’ve told them that? I thought everyone was asleep when I left, but it had to be either Aednat or Ryanne. It must’ve been Aednat. Her mouth must be equal in size to her body. “Aye, Your Majesty. I went to meet someone on the second level.”
“Lucah?” The wizard said his name. He already knew. Of course he did. Lucah was the first one in. They must’ve been testing me to see if I told the truth.
“Do you remember seeing anything out of place? Perhaps someone else sneaking around?” the king asked, leaning back into his throne.
“Nay. Am I in trouble, Your Majesty?”
“It doesn’t appear you’ve done anything wrong.”
“Should you be in trouble?” the wizard asked.
“Nay.”
“If you can think of anything else please alert the wizard immediately.”
“Aye, Your Majesty.”
“Ser Daymon, please escort Alora back to the ranks,” the king commanded.
“This way m’lady,” Ser Daymon said, his hand held out towards the way we came in.
When we returned to the guard’s wing, the two smith boys were just finishing laying out our armor on the dirt floor. They gave their parchment the once over, making sure everything was laid out correctly and then walked back to their carts.
“Fall into ranks,” Ser Hector ordered.
When I stood in front of my armor I gazed upon it with a joy I didn’t even know I could feel. The sun reflected of the metal, but it wasn’t blinding. It made sense, if we fought side by side, armor that was too shiny would blind the entire army.
“Try on your armor. If there are any problems,” Ser Hector said, smiling at the smith boys, “and I’m sure there won’t be — since we have the best smiths and apprentices in all of Ly’vera — the smith’s apprentices will help correct them.”
I analyzed the armor and tried to figure out the best way to put it on. Aednat was putting her chest plate on over her manly torso and Davina followed her lead fastening the buckles on hers. Ryanne did the same, but had a bit more trouble sliding it over her head and down over her robust cleavage.
Tessa was in a full squat trying to figure out the best way to put hers on when I decided to start at my shins. I lined up the metal shin guard with my leg and fastened the two buckles in place. I kicked my leg, bending from the knee and it stayed put, not sliding or flying off. I knelt and installed the other one.
Next up were my thighs. I lined up and fastened one and then the other. I reached for the black chest plate and slid it on like a sleep shirt. My breasts did get in the way, but with a little wiggle it slid on just fine. I fastened the buckles that rested on my ribs and waist and made sure they fit snugly.
By now all that was left were my leather waist wrap, my shoulders and forearms and... a chain mail suit. Ugh! I realized that should’ve been put on first. When I picked it up, Ser Hector announced, “We have a winner!”
“I froze.”
“Did anyone think to ask for help? To ask for directions on how to put on your armor?”
No one responded. Least of all me.
“Knights, remove whatever armor you have on. Smiths, can you take Alora’s armor and place it up on the stage.”
What was he doing?
“Alora, take the stage.”
I froze again and melted just enough to look up at the princess and hoped she would save me. She wasn’t there.
“Stage!” he yelled, pointing to the stage.
I raced onto the stage and stood in front of my armor while facing everyone. Suddenly I wis
hed I had been the one to fall into the water last night. All eyes were focused on me. I found out quickly that I didn’t like being watched. I didn’t like being put on display with everyone looking at... judging me.
“Knights follow what Alora does. First, chain mail.”
I picked up the chain mail suit. It was one solid piece, like my second skin, but it had a zipper opening along the back side with a length of ribbon attached. I stepped in, pulled it up to my waist and then slid my arms into it. I reached back with one arm to snatch the ribbon and then contorted my other arm over my back to reach it. I pulled up and sealed the suit.
“Excellent. Next... shin guards. Alora you had put your shin guards on first. Why?”
“Because I needed to bend down and if I had all my top armor on, I would be top heavy.”
“Brilliant. Next... thighs.”
When I finally stood with all of my armor on and my sword in place, I gleamed. I truly felt like a knight. I stood on the stage, tall and proud, and felt like they were my knights awaiting my orders.
“Do we get helmets?” Tessa asked.
“Why? Do you plan on taking a blow to the head?” Ser Hector asked.
“Um....”
“No helmets... yet. Knights, move around. Rotate your shoulders. Twist and turn and make sure the armor doesn’t pinch or hinder your movement.”
I did as we were instructed. We looked pretty silly all of us twisting and turning, but no one had any problems.
“Like I mentioned... the best smiths in all the kingdom. Thank you boys. You may go.” He waved them out.
“Alora, fall into ranks.”
“Aye, Ser Hector.” I jumped off the stage and hurried to my position. The weight of the armor was something I wasn’t accustomed to yet. It wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be, but it would take some getting used to.
“From now on, you will wear your armor. Like your sword, your body needs to adapt to its weight by getting stronger. The longer you wear it, the lighter it will feel.”
“I’ll take it from here, Ser Hector.” The wizard stood on the second level balcony where the princess normally watched. How long was he up there watching us?
“Aye,” Ser Hector said, and then sat down on one of the chairs that rested on the stage.
“Knights, pass through the doorway and wait for me in the passageway,” the wizard instructed.
We went through the door that took us further into the guard’s wing and waited. The wizard emerged from the stairwell and asked us to follow him. In the middle of the passageway he stopped and turned to face the wall. His eyes began to glow blue and a blue light appeared in his hand. He touched his hand to the wall and a door appeared. Tessa giggled happily and I gasped wondering what was next.
When I entered the room there were wooden tables with two stools at each one. The wizard was making his way to the front and said, “Two to a table. I don’t care who sits where.” Tessa reached for my hand and led us towards the front of the room, stopping at the closest table in front of the wizard. On the table in front of us were two vials of some sort of blue liquid.
Tessa reached for hers and eyed it closely. Only when she flicked the vial, causing it to emit a ping, did the wizard turn around and scold her. “Put that down Tessa! I haven’t explained what it is yet.”
She gently laid it on the table and smiled. I used to do that with Mother when she caught me sneaking sweet bread. The wizard with his eyebrows crunched together, didn’t appear amused.
“Today you are going to perform your first trick,” the wizard explained.
Tessa smiled wide eyed and happy. She was fidgeting in her stool. I heard metal rattling and looked down, I was fidgeting too. I tried to hide my excitement at our first trick.
“First things first.” The wizard’s eyes glowed and intensified their brightness. I felt someone push me and looked for the culprit, but no one was there. My armor was no longer there either and I realized that the nudge I felt was my armor vanishing.
The room filled with oohs and aahs as we were wowed and tried to understand what just happened. We were left with only our second skins, swords in their sheaths and our boots.
The wizard released a maniacal laugh, the type the villain always lets out in stories. “Did I forget to mention? Since those are my suits, I can control them. I created them with one purpose, to store armor and weapons. Your first trick is going to be summoning your armor.”
“How?” Silas asked.
“First, you must drink the vial in front of you. Go ahead, drink it.”
I removed the cork and chugged down the blue liquid. I didn’t feel any different. Tessa let out a burp and sent the class into hysteria. She’s lucky the princess wasn’t here. That wasn’t very lady like. And then I burped. It became contagious going around the entire room. “I might have added too much dilweed. I’ll have to check on that,” the wizard said.
“What does the vial do?” Aednat asked.
“The potion will allow you to perform magic. Everyone stand and clear your minds.” He waited for us to get to our feet.
“With your minds clear, imagine your armor is back on your bodies. Close your eyes if it helps you focus.”
At first I tried with my eyes open and failed.
“Well done, Silas,” the wizard cheered.
Silas was the first to do it — his armor was back on — his eyes dimming from the transaction.
I tried focusing on summoning my armor. I held my breath and squeezed my eyes as tight as possible. I tried to imagine my armor appearing and all of my muscles tightened as I clenched my fists hard. And when I opened my eyes, nothing. No armor, no magic, nothing. Disappointed I raised my hand.
“Alora?”
“Wizard, it didn’t work.”
“Give it some time, Alora. It will take practice.”
But I wanted to be able to do it now.
“Here’s something for you to try. Relax your body. Stand straight and think of your armor. Breathe rhythmically, in then out. In and then out.”
“But what if I need to summon my armor quickly? I can’t do all this slow breathing then.”
“Aye, but you must first learn to summon it before you can summon it quickly.”
I was growing impatient. The wizard didn’t seem to understand what I was saying. He just doesn’t understand. Maybe he’s not a good teacher. No one else has been able to summon their armor either except Silas. Maybe it’s not me. Maybe it’s him.
“Alora, try it. Just try it,” the wizard pleaded.
“Aye, I’ll try it.”
I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I focused on my breathing. In then out... in then out. My mind took me back to my village. Those beautiful sunny days when me and Lucah would go running on the hill and in my meadow. The feeling of the soft grass on my bare feet always brought a smile to my face. I could feel a smile escaping my lips as I continued to daydream. The memory of lying in the grass with my eyes closed and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face.
And then I was snapped out of it. “Alora, armor!” the wizard yelled.
I felt a nudge and noticed all the other knights were looking at me. Their expressions concerned me. Why did they look so surprised? Why were they whispering to each other and pointing in my direction. I lifted my arm to casually comb my fingers through my long hair when I noticed my arm felt heavier than usual. When I looked at my forearm it was covered with metal. I looked down at my chest and marveled at my armor.
“Well done, Alora,” the wizard congratulated.
I was at a loss for words. How had I done it? I didn’t even try. “How... how did I do it?”
“You looked so relaxed. More relaxed than I have ever seen you thus far. I took that moment to yell for your armor,” the wizard explained.
“I see, but I doubt I’ll be so calm during battle.”
“Don’t worry child. There will be plenty of time for practice. Before you know it, you’ll be able to summon it whenever you plea
se.”
I sure hoped so. I could see it now. Me on the battlefield and I can’t summon my armor. What a mess that would be.
“Everyone continue practicing summoning and dispersing your armor. I will wait until each of you can do it and then we will move on.”
Silas was showing off on his side of the room. Him and Thomas had paired off and were seeing who could summon their armor the fastest. Tessa ended up being the last one that hadn’t been able to do it. I tried to get her to think of home, but that seemed to make it worse. And then an idea popped into my head.
She was always excited about performing something new. Our first day in the bath she had enjoyed herself. Never having been washed by someone before and feeling like royalty.
“Tessa, remember the first bath. Think of that. Remember how much you enjoyed it.”
That didn’t work either. The wizard stood by the side of the table and poked Tessa on her shoulder.
She ignored him, but he did it again this time so hard that her body twisted.
“Stop it!” she screamed.
“Stop what?” the wizard responded, and then poked her again.
She smacked his hand away. I gasped. Was she out of her mind?
This just egged him on. He slapped her in the face and the smack caught the attention of some of the others. She didn’t know what to do, her mouth fell open in shock.
“Wizard?” I tried to take his attention away from her, but he slapped her again.
“Are you angry with me?” he taunted her.
She didn’t answer him.
“I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!”
“Aye!” she yelled.
The rooms attention was now totally focused on the two of them. “I’m going to hit you so hard in your stomach, you’ll need to go see the healer. Do you want that?”
She shook her head.
“It’s going to happen. Are you ready?”
She shook her head again. I was afraid for her, but her clenched fists and statuesque demeanor told a different story.
The wizard pulled his arm back, summoned his staff and aimed for her stomach, “Armor!” he yelled.