by K. C. Herbel
“He would deny it.”
“But if he practices the black arts . . .”
“A very hard thing to prove. And, he is the king’s cousin.”
Billy sighed. “There must be a way. Has he ever turned someone into a toad . . . or a bird?”
“I think you’ve heard too many faerie tales, William,” said Lady Myrredith. “As with many things in the king’s court, this snake moves with great care and subtlety.”
“So he’s never done anything that he can be blamed for?”
“Although he denies any wrongdoing . . .” Lady Myrredith stopped and surveyed the area before continuing in a whisper. “And no one dares speak of it, there are those who believe that he is somehow responsible for the queen’s death.”
“Has he cast a spell on the king?”
Lady Myrredith looked away from Billy, over the walls of Castle Orgulous. She took a deep breath, let it out, then softly said, “I wish I knew. You are too young to remember, but there was a time when Lyonesse was . . . a better place to live. There was no hunger, no crime, and no sorcery. King William defended the land from any evil. I barely remember it myself. However, since Ergyfel’s arrival a great many things are not right.”
“Like the troghouls?”
“As you discovered today, they’re too unpredictable and dangerous!”
“Where do they come from?” asked Billy. “I’ve heard guests at the inn talk about them, but I always thought they were just spinning yarns.”
“They didn’t exist on Lyonesse before the magister came. Lord knows where he finds the awful brutes.”
“Are they magical?”
“One of Rory’s favorite tales told how the little people put a curse on them, because they stole something. But it’s just a tale.”
The two friends fell silent, as even the best of friends will do from time to time, and continued to observe the people below. Suddenly Billy caught sight of Sir Hugh up on the wall that separated the inner and outer wards. What actually caught Billy’s eye was the appearance of the two gentlemen he had seen above the main gatehouse. They had their backs to him now, but Billy was sure it was they, as no one else in the entire castle wore such ravenlike garments. They were conversing with Sir Hugh, who was fuming.
“Who is that with Sir Hugh?” Billy asked Lady Myrredith.
“Where?”
“Over there on that wall, near the barracks.” Billy pulled himself up onto the balustrade and pointed to Sir Hugh.
Lady Myrredith grabbed on to Billy and sighted down his arm. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the wall, then she straightened and pulled away from Billy.
“That’s him,” she said under her breath.
“Who?” said Billy.
“Him!” she repeated.
Billy focused on the wall again. Hugh was becoming enraged.
Lady Myrredith paced into the central chamber.
“William, come away from the balcony,” she commanded.
Billy didn’t move. His curiosity was piqued, and he wasn’t going to leave empty-handed.
Lady Myrredith stood in the middle of the room, with her hands on her hips. “William! Come here!”
Billy was still trying to get a glimpse of the man’s face. “I only want to know who he is.”
“It’s Ergyfel!”
At that moment, the darkly dressed man, wearing the gold chain of office, slowly turned and looked directly at the balcony. Billy’s heart raced as he felt the eyes of the man in black upon him. It was as if he were being drawn towards the man, and for an instant he saw with perfect clarity every detail of his face—the thin lips, high cheekbones, aquiline nose, and fine crow’s-feet all seemed to be just inches away. Billy looked into the deep-set onyx eyes as cold and black as a moonless winter night, eyes that stared back at him, taking in everything.
Suddenly Billy twitched, as if he’d been shaken from a nap. He had to grab the balustrade to keep from falling to the cobblestones far below. His right hand and arm throbbed fiercely as he gripped the finely carved stonework.
“Now come away from there!” insisted Lady Myrredith.
Billy’s heart was pounding in his ears as he rolled over onto the balcony and dashed into the room. He shook his arm, and the pain became localized in his hand. He held it to inspect it, and a small trickle of blood ran into his palm from around the ring.
“Let me see that,” said Lady Myrredith.
“It’s nothing,” said Billy.
“But you’re bleeding, William.”
“No, it’s fine. Really.”
Lady Myrredith placed her hands on her hips. She wasn’t about to take no for an answer. Reluctantly, he held his hand out. She inspected it and then started to take the ring off his finger.
“No!” said Billy, pulling back his hand. “I’ll get it!”
“What is it, William? Did I hurt you?”
“No. It’s just that . . . This ring belonged to my mother. It’s all I have of her.”
“I understand,” said Lady Myrredith.
Billy took off the ring and was about to clean it off on his tunic.
“Ah-ah-ah! Stop that!” scolded Lady Myrredith, waging a finger at him. She reached into a fold in her dress and handed him a handkerchief.
“Thank you,” said Billy, bashfully taking the handkerchief.
Lady Myrredith took his right hand and washed it off in a nearby basin. Again she inspected it closely.
“You have such beautiful hands, William,” she said. “Humph? The bleeding seems to have stopped!”
Billy retrieved his hand then took his mother’s ring and started to slip it back into his pocket.
“May I see it?” asked Lady Myrredith.
Even though Lady Myrredith had shown nothing but kindness to him, and he trusted her completely, Billy just couldn’t let the ring out of his possession. It hadn’t left his person since his father had given it to him. John’s words echoed in his head: Don’t show anyone the ring. Billy’s mind and hand vacillated.
“That’s not necessary, William,” said Lady Myrredith, seeing his indecision. “You don’t have to show it to me.”
Billy felt almost ill in not trusting Lady Myrredith. Again his father’s words came to him. Lady Myrredith is a kind and good woman. Trust her. He felt the familiar warmth of his mother’s ring in his hand, and instantly his mind was clear.
“Here,” he said, holding out the ring in his palm.
“Are you sure?” asked Lady Myrredith.
“Yes,” Billy said confidently.
Lady Myrredith smiled and took the ring. She held it into the light and examined its smooth red-gold surface and tiny stone.
“I see why you were reluctant to show it to me.”
“Oh?” exclaimed Billy.
“Oh, yes. It’s very beautiful.” Lady Myrredith breathed on the ring and gave it a quick polishing on her dress. “I think it’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”
“What? That ring? It’s nothing compared to your ring!”
Lady Myrredith eyed the ring on her own hand. She wore an old Cyndyn heirloom, bearing the family crest and a big blood-ruby.
“All that ring does is show off an expensive gem. But this ring,” she said, holding up Billy’s ring, “this ring is perfect.”
“Perfect?”
“Yes, William. It’s perfect. Like you.”
Billy held out his limbs and looked down at himself. He had a sturdy body that functioned well enough, but it seemed obvious to Billy that no one would find his body beautiful or well developed, much less perfect. Except for his hands, it wasn’t formed very well at all and was, of course, much too small for someone his age.
Billy presented himself to Lady Myrredith with his arms out and repeated himself. “Perfect?”
Lady Myrredith smiled at Billy and shook her head. She kneeled before him and took his hands in hers. “Not here,” she said, holding out his arms, “but here.” She gently placed her hand over his heart. “Deep
inside, where it really counts.”
Billy regarded Lady Myrredith with a smile. She in turn smiled and placed the ring back into his hand. On impulse, Billy reached out and embraced her. She put her arms around him and squeezed.
“Thank you, Lady Myrredith,” said Billy.
“Thank you for letting me see it, William.”
At that moment, while they still embraced, the large double doors to the room burst open. A beautiful fair-haired lady, wearing an iridescent pink dress with blue ribbons, entered. Lady Myrredith and Billy cast their eyes on her at the same time that she saw them. The woman froze and gaped at them. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words escaped. Her eyes locked on Billy.
“Kathryn!” shouted Lady Myrredith, jumping to her feet.
The lady and Billy continued to stare at each other, and then she turned to Lady Myrredith, held out her arms, and shouted, “Myrredith!”
“How wonderful it is to see you again!” said Lady Myrredith.
“And you,” replied the woman.
Billy noticed a lightness in the way Lady Myrredith ran across the room to greet her friend—as if the weight of her troubles had been lifted. Just seeing her in such a sprightly mood made Billy forget his troubles as well. The two ladies embraced and then separated to gaze at one another at arms’ length. They held hands and smiled silently.
“Come with me,” said Lady Myrredith. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” The lady followed her to where Billy waited anxiously. “William,” she began, “I have the honor of introducing to you Lady Kathryn, Princess of Lyonesse and heir apparent to King William.”
Billy’s mouth dropped open in complete shock. He stood motionless and openly gawked at the princess.
“William?” prompted Lady Myrredith.
After a slight hesitation, Billy recovered his wits and bowed to the princess in the manner which Malcolm the Magnificent had taught him.
The princess acknowledged him with a stately nod.
“Your Highness, may I introduce to you my very good friend, William?”
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance . . . William,” said the princess. “It isn’t often that I get to meet another of Lady Myrredith’s very good friends.”
Princess Kathryn gave Billy another curt nod and turned to Lady Myrredith. She stared at her with an expression that seemed to ask for an explanation.
“Well . . .” said Kathryn at last, “is this why you wanted to see me?”
“No. Not exactly,” answered Lady Myrredith. “I wasn’t sure you would come to me, especially with the wedding . . .”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous!” said the princess. “I came the minute Gullinburst told me you were here. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had hoped you would come sooner.”
“Yes. Well, we ran into some trouble on our journey here.”
“We’ve heard . . . something about Sir Aonghas being wounded?”
“By brigands!” piped in Billy.
Both Lady Myrredith and the princess had almost forgotten that Billy was there. They regarded him silently.
“Near Hillshire!” Billy added. “And we . . .”
At that moment, Billy realized that he had interrupted and started to shy away from them.
“Brigands?” exclaimed Kathryn, directly to Billy. “That must have been very exciting!”
Billy, seeing that the heir apparent of Lyonesse was addressing him, could not fail to answer her. “Well . . . yes, Your Highness,” he answered, nervously picking at his breeches.
“William?” said Lady Myrredith.
“Yes, milady?”
“Would you mind leaving us alone for a while. I need to discuss something with Kathryn—that is—Princess Kathryn.”
Billy bowed to the two noble women and smiled. “Of course, milady,” he said. “I understand.”
Billy exited and closed the great wooden doors behind him. He was about to walk away when he decided he should tell Lady Myrredith where he was going. She had already begun to speak, when Billy stuck his head back through the doors.
“Kathryn, I have a boon to ask of you . . .”
Lady Myrredith stopped when she saw Billy’s smiling face protruding into the room. “What is it, William?” she asked patiently.
“Well, I thought I should tell you, that if you need me, I’ll be exploring the donjon . . . or the inner ward . . . or the bailey wall, or . . .” Billy stopped short when Princess Kathryn started to giggle. “Maybe I’ll just explore the hallway . . . right out here.”
“I think you forgot to mention a good portion of Nyraval,” said the princess with a smile.
Lady Myrredith and her guest both laughed at seeing Billy’s face turn such a deep shade of red. He quickly bowed and closed the door.
Billy roamed the hallway outside their quarters for nearly half an hour. During this time, he examined a suit of armor and several weapons displayed on the wall. A young warrior, wearing chain mail and a tabard with the king’s coat of arms, noticed Billy’s interest in the weapons and engaged him in a very knowledgeable discussion of their history.
“And this is the sword of Cuchuramgar, the giant, whom King William defeated on a quest to Erin.”
“Wow,” whispered Billy, ogling the seven-foot weapon. “It’s so big!”
“Aye,” said the warrior with a laugh, “but then Cuchuramgar was a giant. Well, I must be on my way.”
“So soon?”
“Aye, laddie,” replied Billy’s impromptu tutor, “I have duties elsewhere.”
“Oh,” said Billy, obviously deflated. “Thank you.”
The young man turned back as he was leaving and bowed his head. “It was my pleasure.”
Billy watched his newest acquaintance go around the corner. As the warrior disappeared, the dark form of Don Miguel Scarosa appeared.
Billy hailed the approaching troubadour. “Don Miguel! Don Miguel!”
The Spaniard’s eyes narrowed as they focused on Billy. His shoulders stiffened, and he turned his face away from his energetic rival.
“Don Miguel!” repeated Billy as he moved to intercept him.
Scarosa, seeing that Billy was not to be put off by aloof manners, stopped in his tracks and glared at the young juggler. “What do you want?” he spat.
“I only wanted to say hello . . .” said Billy.
“Well, I no want to say hello to you!” exclaimed the Spaniard, thrusting his face down at Billy.
Billy took a step back, feeling threatened by Miguel’s aggressive posture. The troubadour took another step towards Billy and quickly glanced to either end of the hallway. Billy retreated again and felt the cool, smooth surface of the wall at his back. Then he too looked up and down the corridor. They were alone.
Don Miguel’s hand was suddenly on Billy’s chest holding him in place. “In fact,” said the Spaniard, “I no want to say any words to you again! Except this . . .”
Without warning, Billy felt something sharp under the chin. He was quickly reminded of the time Redgnaw, the giant, held him captive on the King’s Road. He peeked down at the dagger Don Miguel held to his throat.
The Spaniard jabbed Billy lightly then whispered into his ear, “You ruin my chance at Cyndyn Hall. You will no embarrass me here.”
“But . . .” started Billy, before Miguel’s blade sharply reminded him that he was not leading the conversation.
Don Miguel continued. “You had best stay out of my way, or you will no like it!”
At that, the door behind Scarosa opened. As Lady Myrredith appeared in the doorway, Billy looked at his assailant. Don Miguel leaned nonchalantly on the wall, his hand just above Billy’s head, his weapon neatly put away, as if it had never been drawn.
“Well,” said the guileful troubadour, examining his fingernails, “it has been interesting, as always. Billy, you know I will be around . . . should you need my attention.”
Miguel then bowed curtly to Lady Myrredith. “Milady,” he intoned. Without waiting for a reply
, he spun and walked down the hallway.
Lady Myrredith watched the cocky Spaniard leave and then motioned for Billy to come. Immediately Billy ran to her and, taking her hand, entered the room.
“What did that wanton snake say to you?” asked Lady Myrredith.
“Nothing,” answered Billy, not wanting to alarm her. “But I thought he was a peacock.”
The Lady of Cyndyn Hall snickered softly. “Well . . .” she said with a knowing grin, before putting a finger to her lips to shush him.
Princess Kathryn was on the balcony, staring into the distance. She remained motionless as Billy and Lady Myrredith approached.
“Myrredith,” said Kathryn, “you may leave us alone with him.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” answered Lady Myrredith, bowing her head.
Billy was confused. He didn’t have any idea why the princess would want to be left alone with him, or why the two ladies were talking so . . . formally! Lady Myrredith gave his hand a squeeze, and he watched her leave the room.
“Lady Cyndyn has told us a great deal about you, William,” said the princess. “I don’t know whether to believe her or not.”
“Oh?” Billy said timidly.
“Yes,” said Princess Kathryn as she turned to face him. She made eye contact for only an instant before he looked away. “She tells us . . .”
The princess stopped to reflect for a moment. “Did you know that she and I were friends from the first time her father brought her to Castle Orgulous?”
“No, Your Highness.”
“She and I . . . and little Rory.”
The princess moved behind Billy and paced over to a large high-backed armchair. Billy turned to face her. She stood for a moment in front of the chair and then sat. Billy couldn’t help noticing how beautiful and regal she looked enthroned on the chair. He could see that she was going to make a very impressive queen.
“Come, William,” she commanded. “Sit here, next to me.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” said Billy crossing the floor.
“William, it pleases us . . . That is,” she said, lowering her formal manner, “I am very pleased to see that Myrredith is in such high spirits. It’s been a long while since I’ve seen her so, and with her husband lying wounded in Waru-Dunom . . . It’s a wonder she even came. After hearing her talk so much about you, I can only believe that it is you that has somehow brought her this courage and happiness.”