The Scar-Faced King

by Isabell Schmitt-Egner

  7

  When Lilli opened her eyes, she saw a bright pillow in front of her in the semi-darkness. It took her quite a while to understand where she was and to draw conclusions about the last few hours.

  The bed next to her was empty. She touched the sheet, felt no residual warmth, so he had gotten up some time ago. Amon had put his blanket over her before he left. Thoughts raced in Lilli’s head.

  Had she made a fool of herself? Had she come too close to him in her sleep? What did he think of her now?

  She couldn’t even remember the moment she had fallen asleep. Only that at some point she had shifted more comfortably, into a half-reclining position.

  She got up and pushed aside the curtain that divided off this area of the room. To her surprise, night lay over the castle. On the king’s desk, a small oil light sparkled in front of her, ensuring that she could just make out the outline of her surroundings. She thought for a moment, then took the oil lamp so that she could illuminate her way back to her room.

  A short time later, as she crept into her bed in her nightgown, its sheets nestling around her with cool inhospitality, she curled up tightly and tried not to think of the king. But she saw his face whether she closed her eyes or not. He always seemed to be there and yet an unknown kind of loneliness tormented Lilli until at last she slipped into confused dreams.

  The clang of metal on metal woke her, and when she stepped to the window she saw, as she had guessed, Amon down in the courtyard. He seemed to have regained his old strength and was giving his opponent a good thrashing. Lilli watched as the king hurried the other man on, not allowing him a moment to catch his breath, forcing him into his defensive stance from which he was given no opportunity to strike an attacking blow. In the end, his comrade-in-arms fell, and Amon jerked his arm up before his sword could injure the man. Breathing heavily, the king paused, stared for a moment at the lying man in front of him, who was now scrambling to his feet, then Amon left the battlefield without turning around or handing his sword to the young servant as he usually did. The other men followed this exit with puzzled looks, while Amon disappeared from Lilli’s field of vision.

  She pushed herself off the windowsill, went first to the bathroom and then to her clothes chest to put together an outfit for the day. As she did so, her thoughts revolved around the young man with the black hair. What had just happened to him? He had almost seemed angry.

  Lilli chose a simple but elegant red dress that she knew looked fabulous on her. In front of the mirror, she brushed her hair and this time decided to pin it back only slightly and otherwise wear it loose. She was about to take a delicate necklace out of her jewellery box when it struck her what she was doing here. With hot cheeks, she put the necklace back. This was laughable. She would be returning home soon and what was the point if she ....

  Lilli pressed her lips together and then brushed her hair back. She was not used to wearing open strands. For a moment she thought about braiding her hair again, then she dismissed the idea and ordered herself breakfast …

  She had not laid a finger on the almost completed painting. Today didn’t seem to be the day for her to finish it. Lilli went into the garden and wandered a little along the paths. She stopped in front of the locked poison garden and looked through the bars. Constance was working on one of the beds and Lilli noticed that she was wearing gloves. Probably because the plant poison could also penetrate the skin. When she noticed Lilli, she gave her a quick wave and then continued working. Basically, she was the right person to talk to about Amon’s fits of weakness. She had to know what was wrong with him, and Lilli hoped so much that it was curable.

  She also didn’t understand how he had been so exhausted yesterday and was already crossing swords again this morning. While she was contemplating, she had walked on, lost in thought, and now stopped as a golden yellow ball lay on the path in front of her. She bent down and picked it up. When she rotated it, she realised that it must be some kind of small apple. She looked up and almost gave an excited shout. The tree above her was heavily laden with these special little apples that pulled the branches down with their weight. Lilli rubbed the apple against her dress and bit into it.

  It tasted fantastic. Sweet and almost spicy, extraordinary. She was especially surprised that this delicacy was already ripe, earlier than all the other apples.

  “You may take as many as you like.”

  She deliberately did not turn around immediately when she heard Amon’s voice, but smiled to herself. He must have been looking for her, what else was he doing here? The thought gave her a thrilling sensation that rippled through her body.

  “They are lovely apples. What’s the name of the kind?” She turned and just saw him raise his brows briefly, as if he had seen something special. Was this about her? She was almost ashamed of herself for hoping just that. She felt a little as if she were losing in a duel, although the thought was nothing but foolish when examined closely.

  “These apples don’t have a name yet. My mother gave the tree to my father. For their wedding.” Amon came closer and put his hand on the trunk. “Since then, it already bears in early summer, long before all the other apple trees. Like a miracle. My father had hives built so there are always enough bees flying on the blossoms and there are plenty of apples. There are more than you can eat.”

  “And who eats them?” Lilli asked, taking a bite. Amon smiled barely visible.

  “No one but the king and his sister are allowed to eat these apples,” he said.

  “That’s the greatest nonsense I’ve heard since I’ve been here,” Lilli replied, unimpressed by Amon’s clearly surprised expression. She was unable to tell whether he took it as an insult. Perhaps there was a family secret around this tree that she didn’t know about, but even if there was ... the tree bent with fruit and could feed many people.

  “Why do you say such things?” Amon finally asked. It sounded more of interest than anger.

  “Because it is true. I mean ... how many of those apples can you eat by yourself? What about Constance? What happens to the rest? That’s a waste. You have so many servants, they could all eat from it and it would certainly do them good.”

  Amon’s fingers stroked the bark of the tree as if remembering something long past.

  “You are right, Lilliana. It is a waste. The thought never occurred to me.” He looked up and straight into her eyes. Something in his face had changed. Lilli didn’t immediately know what it was, but his features seemed softer – less forbidding? Possibly. In any case, she liked it.

  “Do you have hampers? Or something like that? I think these apples are just ripe.” Lilli reached for one and pulled at it. It was easy to pick, and the tug caused five other apples to come loose and land in the grass. “See? You have to pick them before they fall and get bad spots.”

  “As you say,” Amon said. He pushed himself off the tree and walked away with quick steps. Lilli looked after him. She liked the way he moved. Amon always seemed calm and yet under tension. Now, at this moment, there was no sign of weakness. He was just a young king, full of vitality, as he should be. He disappeared, but she did not have to wait long before Amon returned with three large woven baskets. Lilli watched as one of the gardeners, seeing Amon with the baskets on his arm, dropped his garden hoe from his hand.

  As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he placed the baskets in front of Lilli.

  “And now, Your Highness?” he asked.

  “Well, what do you suppose. Picking.” Lilli pulled an apple from the branch and threw it into the basket. Amon grabbed the branch and pulled it further down so that Lilli could reach the fruit better. With his other hand, Amon also began to pick the apples.

  They harvested for a while and suddenly Lilli had to laugh. Her eyes met his and he also let out a soft laugh. Then Amon grinned and shook his head as if to banish the smile from his face that was not supposed to be there.

  “Picnicking and apple picking – two important things you have finally
done.” Lilli tossed two apples into the basket.

  “That’s right,” Amon said, reaching for the nearest branch.

  “Where did you disappear to tonight, anyway?” Lilli inquired, hiding her warm face behind a branch as if casually.

  “Where do you think? I woke up and you were lying next to me. Your hands were cold and so were your cheeks. What was I supposed to do? Share my blanket with you? I went to my bedroom. I don’t usually spend my nights in that bed.”

  Now Lilli’s face grew even hotter, and she bent down to leisurely pick up fallen apples. He had touched her in her sleep ... touched her hands and cheeks with his hands. Her stupid heart was beating faster at the thought. She found it humiliating. She didn’t want it, especially not when he was so close to her and could easily notice her silly, girlish embarrassment.

  “You didn’t have to do that. You could have woken me up and I would have left.” She straightened up and now her face, probably red, could have been from bending over. “I wasn’t trying to get you out of your bed, just your nightmares.”

  “You succeeded.” Amon looked her straight in the eye and she held his gaze. “I can’t remember a bad dream.”

  “Amon!”

  Constance’s horrified voice went like lightning at that moment.

  “What is it?” Amon questioned, and Lilli could clearly see that he disapproved of the intrusion.

  “What are you doing?” Constance was standing at the edge of the meadow on the path, looking anything but pleased. But apparently, she didn’t dare criticise her brother more pointedly either.

  “Lilliana says it’s a waste not to harvest the apples and give them to others. There are more than we could ever eat. And I agree with her.” Amon turned to his sister, who was now walking across the grass with her dress gathered and stopped in front of him. She eyed the full baskets and brushed Lilli with a reprimanding glance as she plucked a small twig from her hair. Then her expression became more conciliatory.

  “Yes, she’s really right about that. Lilli, my dear, you are an eye-opener. We should do something clever with all this fruit. I can instruct the gardener to pick the rest. Have a couple of lads take the apples to the storage cellars.”

  “To be honest, I had something else in mind,” Lilli spoke up.

  “Namely?” asked Constance.

  “Mystery,” said Lilli, grinning. “Surprise. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

  “Yes, I’m sure I will.” Constance smiled, but it seemed a little forced. “If you’re keeping secrets here, I guess I’d better be going.” She nodded at Amon and then walked quickly away.

  “Did I offend her?” asked Lilli.

  “Constance is a bit particular about that. It’s not against you. She always wants to have everything under her control, and she just can’t have control over a secret. You needn’t worry about it. We’re all just learning. What is the secret? Will you tell me?” A smile flashed in Amon’s eyes.

  “Of course. But I can only tell you quietly. You must come a little closer.” Lilli pushed aside an interfering branch and Amon leaned over to her so that the scent of his skin rose to her nose. Very briefly she forgot what she had wanted to say, then it came back to her.

  She whispered it to him, her hand lightly touching his arm.

  “The idea is wonderful,” Amon said.

  In the castle kitchen, a kitchen boy dropped the bowl he was holding when Amon abruptly entered with Lilli. For this he caught a blow to the back of the head from the king’s first chef, who immediately afterwards bowed down to the floor when Amon placed the apples in front of him.

  “Your Majesty ... I am overwhelmed. That you stand here, I mean ... I ...”

  “It is all right,” Amon said. “I have a request, and I hope it is feasible.”

  He conferred briefly with his chef, who then scrambled up all his assistants.

  Preparations were also underway outside in the courtyard. Amon had given appropriate instructions and soon servants and maids were hurrying around, laughing and chattering, setting up tables and benches, dragging dishes in, while a fire was lit in the middle of the yard.

  Lilli visited Florian and Sophia and told them that they were also invited. Florian, however, could not walk that far yet, so Lilli ordered two men to support Florian and slowly lead him to the main courtyard of the castle where he could sit down. By now it looked as if a summer party was taking place here, and in fact that was exactly what it was.

  The most wonderful smells of apple dishes were coming up from the kitchen and mingling with that of roasted meat being prepared over the fire in the courtyard.

  When everyone had gathered and then taken their places, giggling and apparently still amazed, Amon rose and immediately all the people in the courtyard fell silent. Dusk had set in and the fire seemed even brighter as a result. Oil lights burned on every table, spreading a cosy atmosphere.

  “I would like to say right away that this spontaneous feast was not my idea,” Amon began. The entire servants looked at him with anticipation. Surely, they were not used to the king even talking to them, let alone sitting at one of their tables. “I don’t want the apples on my parents’ tree to go to waste. Therefore, tonight we will eat together and remember them. Enjoy yourselves at Princess Lilliana’s apple summer feast.”

  “Lilli,” said Lilli.

  “From Princess ... Lilli of Aurenbrunn. You may serve.” Amon sat down and smiled at her, making a shiver run down her skin.

  Immediately the platters came floating in, apple compote, apple pie, baked apples, meat with apple sauce ... the chef had probably wanted to try out all the apple recipes in the country at once. Lilli now clearly felt the hunger and could hardly wait to taste everything.

  Amon sat next to her, she had the place of honour as his guest, and while they were eating, there were several brief touches which she found extremely pleasant. Whether he handed her a bowl or simply brushed her arm unintentionally, she could not deny that she enjoyed sitting next to Amon of Grauemfall.

  In the course of the evening, a few people even got together to play songs and many a one got asked to dance. Florian had been put back to bed after almost falling asleep at the table, and Lilli laughed softly when she spotted Auntie Jahne shaking a leg with a lad no more than nineteen years old. Amon also seemed to be in a very relaxed mood, talking a lot to a man sitting next to him, and Lilli noticed that today, for the first time since her arrival here, she felt really comfortable – almost at home.

  Constance had caught Lilli’s glance several times that evening and then always smiled at her. Nevertheless, Lilli wanted to talk to Amon’s sister again so that nothing would remain between them. She waited until Constance rose and moved away from the table, then Lilli stood up, apologised briefly to Amon, and followed her. Before the king’s sister could disappear into the castle, Lilli had caught up with her.

  “Constance!”

  “Yes?” She stopped and turned to Lilli.

  “Are you angry with me for this idea? I didn’t mean to ambush you.”

  “Of course not, dear,” Constance said, looking anything but happy.

  “It’s because you’re worried about Amon, isn’t it?” Lilli hoped not to cross another invisible line now, but she just had to know.

  “Yes, we all do,” she finally said quietly. To Lilli’s surprise, Constance suddenly slapped her hands in front of her face and Lilli heard her sobbing as she sat down on the stone steps in front of the entrance.

  Startled, Lilli gathered up her dress, sat down next to Constance and gently put her hand on her arm.

  “I sometimes think I can’t do this anymore.” Constance’s voice sounded agonised, and she pulled out a little cloth which she pressed to her eyes.

  “Is Amon that sick?” Lilli hoped Constance meant something else; she didn’t want to hear that Amon was unwell.

  “We just don’t know what’s wrong with him at all. And he could collapse at any time. I often can’t sleep at night. Sometimes I get up
, worried about him, go to his room to check on him. He doesn’t know about that. Please don’t tell him. He will forbid me if I do.”

  Lilli remembered how she had watched Constance in Amon’s room. She carried the worry around with her alone and Lilli could understand how stressful that must be.

  “So, what does the doctor say?” Lilli asked cautiously. She was having trouble concentrating as the fear for Amon was also reaching for her heart.

  “The doctor doesn’t know anything either. Sometimes Amon is fine, sometimes not. I don’t see any connection. It comes over him like a storm out of the blue.”

  “Is it ... dangerous for him?” Lilli asked. She didn’t know how to say it. Basically, she didn’t want to say it at all. The possibility that he ...

  “No, dear. Don’t worry, the doctor assured me that it’s not a question of his life. Not yet anyway. But what we can’t rule out: He may not be able to fulfil his duties as ruler at some point. The people need a strong king who can lead an army if necessary, who can take decisions ...” Again, Constance propped her head in her hand. “But I will not burden you with this. You will return home soon and that is just fine. This place is not for you. You’re young, you should laugh and dance. Like today, this idea with the party, I thank you for that. It’s been good for all of us, but it doesn’t suit this castle. Too many terrible things have happened here.” She sighed heavily and then stood up, with a movement that made her seem much older than she was.