The Broken Kingdom

by Andrew G. Wood

  “Seems your sister Elysia is jumping the queue a little,” Samuel said turning to Luca.

  “We will have to announce that Luca is alive, and is the rightful heir,” the young man added, waiting for his father to reply.

  Lord Oakley tapped his finger on his chin as if deep in thought before shaking his head. “We need to make sure Lord Elthan is not behind all this. If we announce that we have the Prince safe and sound, we may put him at further risk.”

  “Does that mean Imogen is dead as well?” Luca asked, knowing that Elysia would be the last in line.

  “The message just says that she was not found, but does say there is evidence to suggest that you are dead,” Lord Oakley replied, still clearly deep in thought.

  “We need to get to Garley as soon as possible. I need to contact a few allies before announcing to Lord Elthan that you are alive and well.” Before Luca could ask any further questions, Lord Oakley turned about and headed outside where Oscar and Robert were already preparing the horses.

  Despite hoping to sit and relax a while and enjoy his breakfast, Luca found everything and everyone wanting to rush. With little choice but to eat as quickly as he could and even clear his own plate away, he was already dreading the day ahead. To make matters worse it seemed the fine weather of late had made a turn to for the worse, and the clear blue skies were gone. Instead, there was a thick dark layer of cloud that hung low in the sky, and Luca knew it would not need a genius to guess it was probably going to rain at some point. With that in mind, he ensured the cloak he had been given by Edward was wrapped around after he mounted up onto his horse. With the morning breeze a brisk one, it even felt a few degrees cooler, almost making him wish he had a few more clothes to put on.

  Thankfully there was little time to dwell on the weather conditions as Lord Oakley gave the order for Oscar to lead them out. The young soldier duly obliged and set off at a much quicker pace than he normally did. The group rode in their usual formation with Luca and Edward riding side by side once more. The young man appeared somehow more focused this morning, and not so insistent on asking nonsensical questions, something that Luca was glad of. With the town of Newton very quickly behind them, the track narrowed a little, but Luca noticed a very distinct change to the environment around them. Despite still being in Brenthellin, his family lands, the wide open fields and meadows were still there, but there appeared more trees.

  Within an hour the track narrowed again, forcing Edward to move right in alongside Luca as they rode. Now hemmed in by thick forest either side of them, it was Samuel who shouted from somewhere behind that they would soon be in Scarwood. As to what defined soon, Luca was unsure, but it took nearly another hour of riding before Lord Oakley’s son announced that was now the case.

  “The border is defined by that stream that we just crossed over,” Edward informed him, somehow sensing the question that Luca was about to ask. Strange, he thought, how just a few feet of shallow water could form the boundary between one person’s land and another. While technically all the lands were ruled and governed by the King, these were classed as Lord Oakley’s, and if his history lessons had taught him correctly, had been in his family for several centuries.

  With so many trees around Luca was beginning to wonder if there were any people, but his doubts were soon cast aside as the track divided into three. While they remained on the widest one, he spotted that one of the others led to some buildings just a short way off to their left. Luca knew that the reason the place was called Scarwood was due to an area of it having a ravine running across it. Apparently, when they had given it the name, someone had considered that it looked like a scar on the land, hence the title. As the track suddenly dipped, Luca could tell they were heading down, and from looking ahead, he could see the track did so for another half mile before heading back up again.

  “Is this the scar?” he asked, intrigued to know.

  Edward nodded his head in the affirmative. “I think so, or at least part of it. I was pretty underwhelmed when I first saw it as well.”

  Luca nodded, in truth, it wasn’t quite what he was expecting, but he understood as to why the name fitted the place.

  Passing several other forks in the road that led off to various settlements and villages, Luca was almost relieved when the dense forest relented and gave way to open fields and meadows. Knowing that Scarwood was not very big, Luca thought they must be approaching Garley soon, and as if that thought had pre-empted that fact, Oscar gave a signal to notify them as such. Over the brow of the next hill, Luca was stunned as it was not only Garley that came into view.

  “The sea!” he gasped, looking beyond the town’s walls to the vast waters beyond. Although he had seen the sea before, it was something of a rarity for him, and although keeping his focus on riding, felt himself mesmerised by the vastness of the water. As they rode down the track and approached Garley, Luca caught the salty smell of the air and inhaled deeply.

  Although never having been to Garley before, Luca had to admit he had misjudged it somewhat. Assuming that as Lord Oakley was the holder of the smallest area of land in the kingdom, that his capital would be a somewhat pokey, insignificant little place, it was actually much bigger than he had imagined. Surrounded by tall, thick stone walls, they gained entry via a drawbridge that covered a water-filled moat. Although clearly old, the walls appeared in good order, and Luca could tell that this had once been a place with a military purpose. With its walls surrounding it, and backing onto the sea, any would-be intruder would surely find it difficult gaining entry. The walls may have been stone built, but Luca noticed that many of the buildings inside them were timber. While he had expected as much, they actually appeared much nicer than he would have thought. With many of the homes painted in bright colours, it gave the place a vibrant feel.

  Luca was surprised to see several small groups of soldiers patrolling the streets, and his initial thought was that perhaps this was not a safe place to live. However, Samuel explained that his father had called in his banners. While some might not have known what that meant, Luca was fully aware of the meaning. Although on a much smaller scale to probably any of the other nobles, Lord Oakley was amassing his army, and Luca had a horrible thought that this entire mess was slowly getting very much bigger. A nobleman only called his banners in times of dire need, usually if his lands were under attack or the King had requested him to do so. There could only be one reason for Lord Oakley sending the message ahead and requesting such a thing; he was expecting trouble. Luca knew that trouble was probably coming because of him, and with the imposing walls around him somehow seemingly looking much less a formidable barrier, the very thought that his country could soon be at war with itself was now a distinct possibility.

  As they neared the side of the town nearest the sea, Luca was lead through another gateway set in another wall. While this one was much shorter than the external one, it had probably been built as a second line of defence should any intruder manage to gain access. Dozens of soldiers were lined up in the yard, all of whom stood upright to attention as their Lord rode in on his horse. Lord Oakley duly acknowledged them and gave a signal with his hand, before slipping down and walking over to one man whom Luca assumed was some kind of officer. He watched as Lord Oakley turned and pointed his direction, although had no idea as to why he would be the focus of their conversation.

  As the others dismounted from their horses, Luca thought to do likewise, and as he grimaced from the pain of his sore legs, he turned to see an unexpected sight. Everyone went down on one knee and dipped their heads before him, showing him loyalty he had not expected. The sight actually brought a lump to Luca’s throat as he noticed it was not only the soldiers in the yard that were kneeling to him but the stablehands, the house staff that had exited from the main building and even a handful of other folk who Luca assumed to be workers or tradesmen. Unsure as to what he should do in response, Luca lifted his hand a little as if going to wave but thought against it, thinking it a stupi
d idea. Instead, he stood tall and dipped his own head in acknowledgement before saying a loud and clear “Thank you!”

  Lord and Lady Oakley invited him into the main building which had to be said, was a strange looking structure. The centre and oldest looking part was stone, but a large section to the right was timber as if it had been extended but done so with a cheaper and more plentiful material. Two members of Lord Oakley’s house staff were waiting inside the main doors, although Luca was more interested in looking around the place rather than pay them much heed. The entrance hall was small and dimly lit, with the only daylight being let in through two small slit-like windows above the doorway. Two large pots stood either side of the wooden staircase that led upwards just in front of them, adorning some strange tall looking plants that had large green rubbery leaves. A narrow corridor led off to the left, while another set of double doors led to the right, and the area Luca assumed was the extended part of the building. The walls were painted white, probably to at least give the area a lighter feeling, and the floor just grey stone slabs.

  “Sire, this is Madine, she will help make your stay here as comfortable as possible,” Lady Oakley said, introducing a young woman to him. Dressed in a navy blue frock with a white pinny at the front, the woman gave him a smile and curtsied politely.

  “If you would like to follow me, Your Majesty, I will take you to your room.”

  The word room used in the singular as opposed to the plural did not go unmissed by Luca, and although he wasn’t quite sure what to expect followed dutifully behind.

  “Wait for me!” Edward shouted after him, scurrying up the wooden stairs and almost tripping over his sword as it got tangled between his legs.

  With the Prince deemed safe, at least for now, Lord Oakley gave his wife a worried look. “Right, let’s get settled back in before I try to find out what is going on.”

  Lady Oakley gave her husband a warming smile, before leaning over and kissing him tenderly on the lips, causing both Samuel and Narina to quickly divert their gaze. The commander of Lord Oakley’s guard entered through the doorway behind them, asking if there were any specific orders for him to proceed with in the meantime.

  “I want the town guarded around the clock. Entry can be made in and out, but I want everyone scrutinised. Entry into the keep gates is strictly forbidden by anyone who does not need to be here.

  “Not easy with so many new faces around my Lord,” the commander replied with a wry smile on his face.

  “I know you won’t let me down Brenton,” the Lord replied.

  Lord Oakley, being the nobleman responsible for the lands known as Scarwood, would ordinarily only keep perhaps a score of full-time soldiers. Mainly used to keep Garey safe and secure, oversee the dock area and surrounding villages, as well as guard the home of their master, the small force would usually be enough. However, there were four other larger towns in Scarwood, each governed by what people referred to as lesser nobles. These were typically some relation or family member of the man in charge, and in Lord Oakley’s case, this was no different. With one being run by his younger brother, and the other two by two of his cousins, he knew he could count on their unwavering support. To call his banners, meant a nobleman requested the aid of those under him in the chain of command. As a result, the minor lords of Scarwood had sent the few soldiers they kept as their own retinues. However, that was not all, those deemed able to fight, typically most men between fifteen and fifty were also drafted into the army. While Lord Oakley did not require all of his lands to rise up in arms, he had requested his minor nobles send at least twenty men each, with his younger brother sending forty.

  Adding these to his own full-time staff and those he had drafted from Garley and the surrounding farms and villages, Lord Oakley would already have a small army of nearly two hundred men-at-arms. More than enough to keep the prince safe, should somebody discover his whereabouts, until such time as they were ready to announce he was still alive. Samuel, as the young man who would one day take over his father’s lands, often stayed close by. While not actually making any major decisions of his own, Lord Oakley liked to think his son and heir would learn much from watching and listening to how he did things.

  Being a nobleman was not all high living and lounging around. As a matter of fact, Lord Oakley’s life was far from one of luxury and leisure. Not only was he responsible for the welfare of all those that lived in Scarwood, but was also the man to whom the people looked to for justice to be served on those not abiding by the laws. Whereas the lesser nobles would inevitably deal with those deemed lesser crimes, anybody accused of a more serious offence would be dealt with by Lord Oakley. Thankfully such occasions were rare, and the people in his corner of the kingdom tended to be mostly law-abiding citizens. With a number of house staff, soldiers, the upkeep of the town’s defences and a multitude of other expenses, it was also Lord Oakley’s job to ensure there were enough coins in the treasury to pay for it all. With having a seaport, some money was gained from ships docking and wishing to trade in the area. A little more was made by taxing the people, although to ensure they did not have to bear the brunt of his overheads, he always tried to keep them as low as possible. As a nobleman of the kingdom, it would have been expected that Lord Oakley and his family would live an expensive lifestyle, but while that might have been the case in other areas, and definitely so in the capital, here it was not so noticeable.

  Luca felt somewhat disappointed at the room he was given. While he couldn’t fault the cleanliness of it, the place was barely half the size of his bedroom back in the palace. Furthermore, there was no lounge, dining area, study or library. Luca supposed it would have to do for now, but clearly, the urgency in getting all this mess sorted so he could go back to the palace was now of the utmost importance. Madine opened the wooden shutters allowing some modicum of light into the room, but like the entrance hall downstairs, it was barely sufficient. The bed was probably half the size to what he was used to, but at least he had a washstand and wardrobe, though he doubted any clothes would be inside. Therein lay yet another problem. Still wearing the same underclothes since the day of the wedding, and adorning a mixture of Samuel’s and Edward's cast-offs, Luca needed something new and clean to put on. While at the palace he only needed to ask for something new, he was beginning to think that would not be the case here in Garley. However, feeling somewhat dirty and grubby, Luca decided to ask the question anyway. If Madine was there to cater for his needs, then surely the least she could do would be to get him some new clothes to wear.

  With Edward apparently needed elsewhere, Luca was alone with the serving girl and thought it as good a time as any to ask.

  “I will need some new clothes Madine,” Luca explained, trying his best to remain polite despite these obvious trying times he was having to endure. “These are dirty, and not mine. I’ll probably need several outfits, and at least two pairs of boots, these are clearly not suitable,” he added pointing down to the ones currently on his feet. Madine looked somewhat perplexed at his request, worried almost that she wasn’t going to be able to help.

  “I’m sorry, Sire, but Lady Oakley hasn’t given me any new clothes for you. Perhaps I can sort through Master Samuel’s things and find you one or two pieces to wear?”

  “No!” Luca said far more abruptly than he meant to. His sudden sharpness caused Madine to jump slightly, evidently catching her by surprise.

  “No, Thank you, Madine. I don’t want Master Samuel’s old things,” Luca said this time deliberately keeping his voice calm. “Perhaps you will be kind enough to ask Lady Oakley to get what I have asked?”

  Madine was clearly not used to be spoken to in such a manner, and Luca was beginning to think that the Oakley’s were clearly far too lax with their staff.

  “If you can’t get me any clothes then I don’t see the point of you being here,” Luca added, waving his hand towards the door.

  Madine just gave him a stern stare, before turning around and walking quickly out
of the doorway, leaving Luca alone. With a heavy sigh, he sat down on the bed and placed his head in his hands. Thinking his life was now a living nightmare, he started wondering if things would ever get back to normal. With sub-standard staff, no clothes, a room that was barely bigger than a servants quarters, added to the fact people had tried to kill him, surely things could get no worse? However, just as that thought came to mind, he heard footsteps outside his room and without so much as knocking, Narina let herself in without his permission to do so.

  “What did you say to Madine?” she said standing there with her fists clenched down at her side.

  Luca looked up at the girl, “Nothing, why?”

  “I’ve just seen her in tears downstairs. She is a very good person, and you’ve obviously said something to upset her.”

  “Oh, I just told her it wasn’t worth her being here if she couldn’t do as I asked,” Luca replied waving a hand as if it were no big deal. Although he knew as the future king that he didn’t need to explain anything to some insignificant Noble’s daughter, Luca felt it the right thing to do.

  “You have clothes. She offered to get you some more, did she not?”

  “She offered me more of your brother’ things. I wanted something new…”

  Luca was cut off mid-sentence as Nerina walked right up to him and placed her face within a few inches of his own to glare right at him.

  “You are a selfish, rude, arrogant, ungrateful little pig. You know what? I wish my father had let you get killed in Miranor, then we wouldn’t have to go through all this!”

  To say Luca was a little shocked was an understatement. As the crown prince people did not talk to him in that way, and it was something he was not going to put up with. He was the future king of the entire kingdom, and therefore nobody was allowed to speak to him like that. Nerina’s outburst had clearly been overheard elsewhere, and within a few moments, Lord Oakley came rushing up the stairs and into Luca’s room.