Time Castaways #1

by Liesl Shurtliff

  They passed beneath a bridge and when they came out the other side Matt spotted the palace.

  “Richmond Palace,” said Captain Vincent. “One of the queen’s favorite residences and the place of her death.”

  “It’s beautiful,” said Ruby. She gazed fixedly on the palace, completely mesmerized. It was magnificent, Matt had to admit. Built right on the banks of the river, the castle was a bright grouping of dozens of towers and turrets with spiked domes on top that looked like giant Hershey’s Kisses, frosted with ice and snow. It looked like something out of a fairy tale.

  “It was built in 1501 by King Henry VII,” said Albert in his usual pompous tone. “It’s no longer standing in your time.”

  “What year are we?” said Ruby.

  “February 1603,” said the captain.

  “Oh! But that’s only a month before the queen dies!” said Ruby. She seemed quite disappointed.

  “Yes,” said the captain, “and she knows her death is imminent. She’ll be more desperate than ever for the compass and more likely to give us what we need.”

  “But the compass can’t stop her death, can it?” said Matt.

  “No, but she doesn’t know that,” said Captain Vincent. “As far as she’s concerned it can grant immortality, and who knows? It’s possible that it can. I certainly haven’t unlocked all its secrets.”

  Brocco steered the barge toward the bank, a ways before the castle, where they could be well hidden by the thick, frosted brush. The captain jumped down and helped Matt, Corey, and Ruby off the barge. The rest remained behind.

  “Good luck!” said Jia.

  “Keep your hat and tights on!” said Albert.

  “And if you don’t understand someone or don’t know what to say,” said Wiley, “just say ‘Forsooth!’ and leave.”

  “We will go on foot through the village,” said the captain. “When we reach the palace you will have to be on your own.”

  Matt turned his head every which way, trying to take in all the sights: the tall gabled buildings with tiled and thatched roofs, the merchant stands selling everything from fish to medicines to amulets to protect against witchcraft. He kept his nose plugged against the smells. Though it was cold, the odors were still quite strong. Clearly bathing was not a priority at this particular time, and he knew plumbing was also not developed, so it smelled like a combination of teenage boy’s gym bag, rotting compost, and sewage. He hated to imagine what it smelled like in summer.

  A woman poured the contents of a chamber pot out of a window, which splashed mere feet from them. Steam curled up from the frozen ground.

  “Gross,” said Ruby. It seemed her romantic visions of this period in time were beginning to fade with the starkness of reality.

  Matt met eyes with a boy about his age, his clothes so dirty and full of holes he could see his bony shoulders poking through. His cheeks were sunken. His eyes were big in his skull and looked more animal than human. He stared at them, unblinking, as they passed. Matt expected the captain to reach into his pockets and give the boy a sack of money, as he had done for all the other poor beggars they’d encountered, but he walked right by without even looking at the boy. He’s just nervous and distracted, Matt thought.

  “This is as far as I dare go,” said the captain. He placed himself between two buildings. “I will wait here for you. You will be all right without me?” He seemed nervous.

  “We’ll be fine,” said Ruby. “We know what to do.”

  “Very well. Good luck.”

  As they approached the palace Matt had a strange sense of foreboding, and it only grew as the towers loomed over them. Just nerves, he told himself. It was their first mission on their own, without the captain or any of the crew. And there was so much riding on this one. They needed to be convincing. They needed the queen to trust them. They needed to succeed.

  As they reached the gate, Matt started to feel a bit nauseated. He should have brought some chips or cookies with him or something. He’d been so focused on what they had to do with this mission, he hadn’t thought about managing his time sickness.

  Ruby and Corey approached the gate before they realized Matt wasn’t with them.

  “You okay, Matt?” said Ruby.

  “Pray pardon me, wench,” said Corey. “Methinks you meant to say, ‘How fare thee, brother?’”

  “Oh, by your leave, brother!” said Ruby, taking a curtsy.

  Matt laughed and joined them at the gate. “I’m fine,” he said. “I mean, I feel wondrous well.”

  “Excellent,” said Corey. “We don’t want the queen thinking you’re a tosspot!”

  They all laughed, and Matt did feel a little better.

  It wasn’t so hard to get into the palace. Children weren’t seen as such a threat and they were dressed well enough that they were at least allowed inside. Matt was eager to get in from the cold, but the palace was not much warmer on the inside than outside, and they found getting an audience with the queen would be much more difficult than entering the palace.

  After speaking with several servants, they were led to a small room where a man met them. He was short, slightly hunched, with a pointed beard and watery eyes with puffy pouches underneath. He wore a white ruff about his neck and looked rather surly at them as they entered.

  “I am Sir Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury and advisor to Her Majesty the Queen,” he said. “And you are the children of whom?”

  “Captain Bonnaire, my lord,” said Ruby with a curtsy, “who was acquainted with the queen some time ago, before we were born. We have brought Her Majesty some news we think will be of interest to her.”

  “Regarding?”

  They all paused, not sure if they should mention the compass to anyone but the queen. Who knew who else might know of it and be after it as well?

  “Pray pardon me, my lord,” said Matt. “It is a very private matter between Captain Bonnaire, our mother, and the good queen.”

  Sir Robert stiffened a little. His dark eyes narrowed. Matt could sense his annoyance and distrust of them. “This captain you say is your mother? A woman? Captain of what, pray?”

  “Of the ship Vermillion,” said Matt.

  “I’ve never heard of such a ship, nor of a woman captain on any ship,” said Sir Robert.

  “Well, our mother was one of a kind,” said Corey. He laughed a little, until Sir Robert turned his gaze on him. Corey started to scratch at his tights. Matt fidgeted with the buttons on his vest. He couldn’t help but feel they had started off on the wrong foot.

  “It all may seem rather, er, strange,” said Ruby. “But I promise Her Majesty will understand and be quite keen to see us, when you give her the name of Captain Bonnaire.”

  “I will see if she can be persuaded,” said Sir Robert, “but Her Majesty has not been well of late and rarely takes visitors, especially children.” He sneered down at them as though they were filthy dogs instead of human beings. He left them to wait in the room with a man standing guard at the door.

  They waited and waited. None of them spoke or hardly moved, not even Corey, except to scratch at his tights. A fire was blazing in the hearth, and Matt was starting to feel extra warm now. He pulled off his cloak. The man standing guard at the door didn’t look in their direction or in any way acknowledge their presence. He didn’t even move, but Matt got the sense he noticed their every breath and twitch. He felt himself growing increasingly nervous, panic rising in his chest with every minute they waited. It had been at least an hour. What was taking so long? Had they been forgotten? If the queen wouldn’t see them, would they be arrested? Thrown in a dungeon?

  Finally Sir Robert returned. “The queen will give you a brief audience,” he said. Ruby let out an audible breath. The Hudsons followed Sir Robert to a large set of doors. Two guards were placed on either side of the doors, each wearing red tunics and red tights, a white ruff at the neck, and black flat-topped hats with red-and-white rosettes around them. They stood stiffly and silently at attention with long, sh
arp-looking spears.

  Sir Robert opened the doors to a stately sitting room with lavish furniture and tall, arched windows that overlooked the river. Matt squinted to see if the Vermillion might be visible, but the windows were so warped and bubbly it was hard to make out anything. It was cold again in this room, though a fire had recently been lit. Matt thought regulating comfortable temperatures in these giant castles must be impossible.

  A figure suddenly moved near the windows. Matt hadn’t noticed her, but as she turned slowly around he wondered at how anyone could not notice her.

  “Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth of England,” said Sir Robert.

  The Hudsons all bowed low. Matt only stumbled a little bit. When they came up they were face-to-face with none other than Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen, Good Queen Bess, Gloriana, and, as Captain Bonnaire had named her, the Pirate Queen.

  The queen was quite intimidating and severe-looking, Matt thought. She was a tall, slender woman in her late fifties or early sixties. She wore a black gown embroidered with gold, a large hoop around her hips to make the dress shape into a sort of cylinder around her legs, and a white collar that extended up and around her head. Her skin was powdered white, while her lips were painted crimson. She wore a dark-red wig, curling around her face and decorated with pearls. She must have been wearing a lot of perfume, because Matt could smell her from across the room.

  The queen eyed each of the children in turn, studying their faces intently, first Matt, then Corey, and finally rested and lingered on Ruby. Ruby seemed to be holding her breath beneath the queen’s piercing gaze.

  “You may leave us, Sir Robert,” said the queen. As she spoke Matt noticed that her teeth were quite gray and rotted, which wasn’t something he expected in royalty, but then they probably didn’t have the best dental care in this time.

  Sir Robert bowed, gave the children one last suspicious look, and left the room.

  “You are the children of Captain Bonnaire?” said the queen when they were alone. Her voice was high and a bit shrill, as though she was used to shouting demands and yelling to large crowds.

  “Er, yes,” said Matt. He winced at his poor speech. With the queen’s entrance, all the fancy words and manners he was supposed to have learned fled from his mind. The queen’s nostrils flared a little, as though she could smell fraud, and then her eyes rested on Ruby, and she seemed to soften.

  “And you, young lady, what is your name?” the queen asked.

  Ruby curtsied again as she spoke. “My name is Ruby, Your Majesty, and this is my twin brother, Corey, and our eldest brother, Mateo. We are the children of Captain Bonnaire.”

  The queen appraised them. Matt hoped they looked enough like her to be believable. At least they all had dark hair. “Captain Bonnaire did not strike me as a woman with much desire to bear children,” said the queen. “She certainly never mentioned you to me.”

  Matt shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure how to respond.

  “But she was always a rash, unpredictable woman,” the queen said. “I much admired her for it, except when it came to that abominable rogue who was always with her. I suppose he is your father?”

  The children all looked to each other, none of them sure what to say. They hadn’t discussed who was supposed to be their father. Somehow that detail had been overlooked. “You mean Captain Vincent?” Corey blurted.

  “Captain Vincent? And how is he captain? Did he come here with you?”

  “No, no,” said Corey, suddenly realizing his mistake. “He’s definitely not our father, and we have nothing to do with him. We hold him responsible, you see.”

  “Responsible for what, pray tell?”

  Corey’s voice suddenly became a bit wobbly. “For our mother’s death.” He dropped his head and sniffled a little. Matt had to give it to Corey. He was a good actor.

  “Her death?” said the queen. “You mean she is . . .” The queen became very still, and then her face slowly darkened. “I warned her,” she said. “I told her that man would bring her to no good. I should have beheaded him while I had the chance.”

  “It would give us nothing but pleasure to see it done,” said Ruby. “Captain Vincent used our mother most ill, and cheated us of our birthright.”

  “Yeah, we hate that tosspot,” Corey added.

  The queen’s pale brow rose, crinkling into folds.

  Now Matt thought Corey was probably overdoing it a bit. Ruby clearly thought the same. She furtively stepped on Corey’s foot and glanced at Matt, nodding slightly for him to speak.

  “If it pleases you, Your Majesty,” said Matt, “we bring you news of something our mother told us would interest you—the Obsidian Compass.”

  The queen looked surprised. “The Obsidian Compass? You have it?”

  “No,” said Ruby. “In truth, Captain Vincent stole it from our mother before she died, even though our mother meant for us to have it.”

  “Yes,” said the queen, “I am not surprised. I always sensed his greed for it.”

  “She did, however, leave us a message, telling us that you could help us to retrieve it.”

  “Did she now?” said the queen. “Pray tell, how did your mother say this was to be accomplished?”

  “She told us you have something in your safekeeping, something that would give us information about the compass that Captain Vincent doesn’t have.”

  “Indeed,” said Queen Elizabeth. “Captain Bonnaire did leave something with me of that nature.”

  Matt’s heart skipped a few beats. “If you give it to us,” he said, “we promise we will come back when we’ve gotten the compass from Captain Vincent, and we’ll let you use it whenever you need.”

  “That is generous,” said the queen shortly, and Matt’s hopes rose until the queen’s next words. “But I’m afraid I no longer have what you seek.”

  “Y-you don’t?” stuttered Matt.

  “The object you seek was retrieved by another, just days ago.”

  “But . . . who?” said Ruby, real panic starting to reach her voice.

  “In truth, he didn’t give a name. Rather mysterious man, not sure I trusted him myself, but he did have convincing evidence that made me believe I should give to him what he asked for.”

  “What evidence?” said Matt.

  “Why, he had the Obsidian Compass,” said the queen. “He wore it round his neck, just like Captain Bonnaire used to wear.”

  Matt was stunned. “And . . . it wasn’t Captain Vincent?”

  “Oh no, this man didn’t look a thing like Captain Vincent. I would have known him at any age, and I would never have let him escape my presence alive. A powerful object such as the Obsidian Compass should never be in the hands of a man like that. I confess it probably shouldn’t be in the hands of any man, for what man is to be trusted with such power? Or woman, for that matter?”

  “But . . . don’t you want the compass?” said Matt.

  The queen looked down at him and spoke a little more gently. “There may have been a time when I did desire it. I thought the compass would bring me all I ever wanted, but when you’ve lived as long as I have, and seen all that I have seen, you don’t wish for more time. You see the value of endings.”

  Matt felt truly nauseated now. How had things gone so horribly wrong? They’d missed what they were after by just days. Perhaps they could try again, come at an earlier date, before this other mysterious man came.

  “Ah! I’ve just remembered,” said the queen. She moved toward a secretary in the corner of the room with many drawers. She opened a small drawer at the bottom and retrieved something. “This curious stranger did leave a letter in my care, should anyone else come to collect what he took. He seemed to believe that a rather likely event. I had hoped, even expected, it would be Captain Vincent, but alas, no one gets everything, not even a queen.” She held out an envelope toward them. No one moved at first. Finally Matt reached out and took it.

  “I am sorry your visit was in vain,” said the queen. “I hop
e that letter, whatever it contains, will be of some comfort to you. Now you must leave me. I am old and tired and my time is precious.” She held out her hand and waited expectantly. Finally Matt remembered that they were supposed to bow and kiss her royal ring if she offered it. Matt stepped forward and reached for her hand, then paused because the queen wore several rings, and he wasn’t sure which one he was supposed to kiss.

  “On the right,” the queen whispered.

  Matt felt his face burn. He quickly kissed the ring and backed away. Corey and Ruby followed.

  “Can I see the secret locket?” Ruby asked after she’d kissed the queen’s royal ring.

  The queen withdrew her hand. “How did you know about that?” she barked.

  “Forgive me,” said Ruby, cowering a little. “My mother. She told me about it.”

  “Of course,” said the queen, softening. “She was one of the few whom I trusted enough to share such a treasure.” She unclasped her royal ring and opened it, revealing a tiny portrait of a young woman. “My mother, Anne Boleyn. She died when I was barely three, beheaded by my own father for treason.” The queen snapped the ring shut. “So we share something in common. Both our mothers caught the eye of the wrong man, I’m afraid. You and I must be wiser than our unfortunate mothers and not make the same mistake.”

  Ruby nodded, and then the door opened and Sir Robert entered. Matt suddenly felt eager to leave. He gave another bow to the queen. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Corey and Ruby did the same and then they moved toward the door, but before they left Ruby suddenly turned back. “Your Majesty?”

  “Yes?”

  “What’s it like? To be queen?”

  The queen’s steely eyes seemed to soften with a touch of sadness. “Lonely,” she said. “And a burden I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but then it was always mine to bear and I have carried it the best I could. Still, I shall not complain when it is lifted. Farewell, children of Captain Bonnaire.”