Servant of the Crown

by Paul J Bennett

  He saw Anna begin to think. It was becoming easier to spot this behaviour, for she had recently adopted the habit of glancing up to the left while her tongue slipped out the side of her mouth. He was going to say something to her, but the flickering of the candle off the stone shifted his attention. On the rock shelf, near to the edge that overlooked the pool, he saw scratches. He knelt down and crawled to the brink, holding the candle close. It seemed as though the creature had used a knife to cut something, most likely weeds or moss. He ran his finger over them leaving a green stain on his fingertip. “These marks seem like knife cuts,” he said, more to himself than to her.

  “Oooh, let me see!” she said excitedly. She dropped down beside Gerald to examine the marks. “What kind of knife would make marks like these?”

  He spent a moment examining them as best as he could in the dim light. “I would say a bone knife most likely.”

  She looked up at him, and he could see a distant look in her eye, almost as if she was looking through him, deep in thought. “I have an idea! Wait here; I’ll be back in a moment.”

  He watched her tread carefully down the ramp to the edge of the pool then she grabbed the leather strap, pulling the raft to the side of the shelf. She removed the remaining candle from the raft, placing it gently on the rock shelf. Next, she lowered herself back into the water, paddled over near the door, keeping the leather strap between her teeth while she disappeared below the surface.

  He could hear her resurface on the outside and a moment later, the little raft was pulled through the opening back to the outside world.

  He went back to the writing on the wall, searching for more patterns, but, although it resembled writing, it was no language he had ever seen before. He resolved to commit as much of it to memory as he could in the hope that they could send it to Andronicus, or one of the other mages for examination.

  So engrossed was he in his study that he lost track of time. The sound of Anna breaking the surface of the water brought him back from his analysis of the wall. She swam back to the ledge, pulling the raft in once again. He could see a bundle lying on it, and it wasn’t long before it was close enough to identify, for Anna had brought in a blanket. She removed it from the raft, being cautious not to get it wet. She brought it up the incline to where the bed was, placing it with deliberation at the end of the bed. “There,” she said with evident satisfaction, “now we’ve left a present for her.”

  Gerald looked at her in amazement. “How do you know it’s a her?” he prompted.

  “I don’t,” she replied, “I just have a feeling. The place is quite neat, and everyone knows that men are messy!” She laughed at the expression on his face until he joined in.

  “We should get going,” he decided. “It’s still a long walk back, and we don’t want to disturb whatever lives here.”

  “Just one more thing.” She knelt carefully by the knife scratches on the ledge, and gently placed her dagger there, its blade pointing away from the bed. “Now we leave.”

  They made their way to the water’s edge, placing the candles back on the raft, and entered the water once again. It didn’t seem as cold this time. Gerald reflected that it was most likely they were just used to it. They swam to the cave’s opening and dove once more below the cold, clear water, making their way through the entrance, surfacing on the other side. Tempus had obviously been worried about them and barked when he saw them emerge. They swam back to the shore, pulling the little raft behind them. It had been a successful expedition, and there was much to discuss.

  That evening, as they sat in front of the warm fire with hot buttered biscuits and cider, they discussed what had transpired. It would be best, they decided, to wait a few days before they returned. That would give them the chance to see if the creature had used their gifts, or if the cave was, in fact, abandoned.

  Waiting for three days to pass seemed interminable and by the second day, they could wait no longer! They would once again travel to the grotto to discover what had transpired in their absence. The day was quite warm, and the walk across the estate had them both sweating profusely by the time they arrived. Gerald knelt by the pool, cupping some water, and then splashing it across his face. The coldness of the water was refreshing, and he sat back on the bank, collecting his thoughts. He was contemplating their next move when something caught his eye; a section of long grass had been cut back near the bank. By itself, this was not too surprising, but the cut on the remaining grass was very straight as if made by a long blade. He pulled the grass out by the roots and examined the tips up close; sure enough, a very sharp blade had sliced through the leaves.

  “Anna,” he called, “come over here and look at this. It appears that the knife you left behind has seen some use.”

  Anna came over, her attention transfixed by the sight of the cut grass. Her eyes grew wide, “It’s true! Someone’s been using the dagger. I knew something was living here. What do we do now?”

  He thought it over carefully before answering. “When we came here last time, no one was home. I’m betting that the creature is probably foraging for food during the day.”

  “That would make sense,” she added. “It probably returns in the late afternoon, or maybe early evening. We should find a place to hide that would give us a good vantage point and wait. Perhaps we’ll see it return?”

  The plan sounded reasonable enough to Gerald, and so he scanned the area, hunting for a hiding spot with an advantageous view. “Over there,” he pointed, “there’s some undergrowth at the wood line that would hide us, but still give us a good vantage point.”

  Anna nodded in agreement, and they made their way over to the wood line. It didn’t take them long to get into position and Gerald, who had led patrols into enemy territory before, set up the area to hide their presence.

  The afternoon dragged on, with no activity before them. The heat of the day soon had a wearying effect on all; Tempus was the first to fall victim to dozing, with Anna following shortly after. Gerald was determined to remain awake lest they miss the opportunity that had brought them to the grotto in the first place.

  It was late afternoon when he saw the first indications of activity. It began with a rustling noise from among the reeds. He lifted his head slightly to get a better view, expecting to see a deer perhaps, coming to the pool to get a drink, but what he saw instead surprised him. He could see a head poking out of the long reeds. It was elongated, like a lizard, with an eye on each side of its head. The creature couldn’t have been more than five feet tall. As it moved out of the reeds, he saw it had a thin frame, with two arms extending into claw-like hands, and two legs with an extra joint below the knee so that the lower portion of the leg bent forward ending in clawed feet. It was a pale green colour and had a small crest which occupied the back half of the head.

  He nudged Anna awake, and she crawled forward to see what was happening. As they watched, the creature moved toward the edge of the pool, stooped, and grasped some flowers that were growing near the bank, using the knife to cut them from their stems. It then took the flowers and placed them into a satchel that it had slung across its shoulder, that was woven from some plant fibres. Gerald was frozen in place, fascinated by what he was observing, but Anna moved quickly. She stood up and held her hands in the air as if surrendering. She stepped out from behind their screen and then stood perfectly still.

  The creature, hearing the movement, rapidly turned its head in their direction and froze. Gerald was aware of holding his breath and the moment seemed to last an eternity. The creature glanced down at its knife then back to Anna. For a moment Gerald wondered if it meant to attack, but then the creature held out the knife in both hands, palm upwards, looking at Anna.

  Anna stepped forward slowly, still keeping her hands in the air. Ever so slowly, she began shuffling her feet forward, getting closer and closer to the being. It stared back at Anna, their eyes locked on each other. It suddenly darted forward, closing the distance between them with startling s
peed. As it closed the range, it placed the dagger into its satchel, stopping about an arm’s length from the young girl. They stood staring at each other, then the Saurian, for that is what Gerald decided it must be, placed its hands out in front, palms up, bending its arms at the elbow. Anna did likewise, and then the Saurian spoke.

  The sounds coming from its mouth were unintelligible, but it was obviously a language, for Gerald could hear distinct words and phrases.

  Anna responded by pointing to herself and saying, “Anna.”

  When the Saurian made no further noise, she repeated this action, and then it gestured at her and spoke. “Ahh-Naa,” the Saurian said, and Anna nodded. She pointed back at it, waiting for it to give a name, but the Saurian didn’t seem to comprehend.

  “I don’t think it understands,” she said, just loud enough for Gerald to hear.

  “Try giving her a name,” he offered, not too loudly, “perhaps she’ll understand and provide you with something else?”

  Anna cast her eyes about, searching for inspiration, and her eyes came to rest on some plants nearby. She turned her gaze back toward the creature. “Anna,” she said again, indicating herself, then she pointed at the Saurian. “Lily?”

  It seemed to take time to absorb this then spoke. “Lil-ee” she responded, pointing to herself.

  Anna smiled, and the Saurian smiled back. It reminded Gerald of a dog’s smile; the mouth wide open with the lips stretched ever so slightly upward.

  Anna reached under the collar of her dress and pulled out her necklace. She slowly raised it over her head, holding it out in front of her. Lily stood still, and so Anna took the necklace in both hands and lifted it over the Saurian’s head, lowering it around her neck.

  Lily grasped the lower end of the necklace and held it up to her eye to examine it. She then let it drop back down. Reaching into her satchel, she pulled out some plants that she had earlier cut. As they both watched, she deftly twisted them together to form a necklace. It took no time at all for her to fashion the ornamental string. Once completed, she placed it over Anna’s head, dropping it around her shoulders.

  Time seemed to stand still, and Gerald could make out in great detail the Saurian’s skin. It was smooth, not scaly as he imagined it would be. It was slight of frame, and both he and Anna had assumed the creature was female, though there were no physical signs of any sex whatsoever.

  Tempus stirred from his slumber and, sitting up, let out a yawn which the still air seemed to magnify. The area instantly filled with fog. The whole scene suddenly erased itself from their view; there was only a scurrying noise as Lily disappeared from view.

  Anna called out to Gerald, and, guided by his voice, made her way slowly back to their lookout point. It had been an exciting day, and there was much to discuss. Andronicus and the other mages would be thrilled to know that they had made contact with a Saurian, for they both knew that was what they had encountered here.

  As summer wore into autumn, visits to the grotto became more commonplace. Lily proved to be friendly but was easily startled, and in each case, the thick fog enveloped the area almost instantly. By the time the cooler weather came even Tempus could be present without startling the creature. Through careful trial and error, they discovered what Lily ate, and what her habits were. Anna and Gerald would bring her food, mostly roots and berries and although they tried to communicate with her, the language barrier just seemed insurmountable. Eventually Lily would greet them with their names, but further communication was just not possible.

  Chapter 25

  The Trip

  Spring 959 MC

  THE land had finally shed its winter coat, and spring had struggled its way out of the cold. Gerald and Anna were walking back to the Hall from their weekly excursion to the grotto, and Anna appeared to be restless.

  Gerald watched her in silence for a while, then broke her concentration by speaking. “Anna,” he enquired, “what’s wrong? You’re very quiet today.”

  Her faraway look was washed from her face as she gazed over at him. “I’m bored,” she stated simply.

  “Bored?” he retaliated. “How can you possibly be bored? We go to the grotto once a week, and you always look forward to your trips into town.”

  “I know, and I like doing both those things, I really do, but I want to do something different.”

  “Like what?” he prompted, knowing full well she had thought this through.

  “I want to go to Wincaster.”

  The statement took him by surprise, and he had to gather his thoughts. They walked in silence for some time before he finally spoke, “Why do you want to go to Wincaster?”

  “Wincaster is the largest city in the kingdom, and I want to see what it’s like. I’ve learned everything I can here at Uxley Hall.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Anna.” He knew that he had to tread carefully explaining this to her. “It’s a dangerous city and… well, no one there even knows who you are.”

  Anna turned to look at him. “I know that, I’m not simple-minded. The king won’t acknowledge me, and I haven’t seen my mother in years.”

  “Don’t you think,” he interrupted, “it might prove difficult when you arrive in Wincaster. I mean, what will the king do?”

  “I’ve thought of that. I know he likes hunting in the spring, and his favourite place for hunting is down by Shrewesdale. He won’t even be in Wincaster when we go, and I discovered that Mother spends all her time these days in Burrstoke.”

  “How do you know that?” he asked.

  Anna smiled and answered, “My couriers told me.”

  He could tell that he could not dissuade her, but he felt very protective of her. “Where will you stay in Wincaster? The Palace?”

  “Yes,” she replied defiantly, “and why not. I have a Royal Signet Ring. My mother gave it to me the last time I saw her, and it’s been sitting in my jewellery box ever since. If I show that at the Palace, they will have to admit me, won’t they?”

  Gerald thought it over carefully; he supposed it was true. There were always rumours of a royal child as Fitz had intimated. Her presence in Wincaster would bring that out into the open. He was worried what effect that might have on Anna’s future. “Very well,” he finally said with a hint of resignation in his voice. “I suppose there’s nothing I can do to stop you, but I insist on going with you!”

  Anna smiled, “Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way. When we get back to the Hall, we shall have to start planning. I thought we might depart in a day or two. How long does it take to get to Wincaster?”

  “By carriage, only two days,” said Gerald. “We’d need to stay at the inn on the way. It lies on the king’s road. I understand it’s quite large with sufficient stabling.”

  Anna made a face. “Haven’t you stayed there? I thought you came to Uxley from Wincaster?”

  “No, Anna, I didn’t have the coins to pay for an inn. I came cross-country to Uxley and avoided the main roadway. I caught lifts on wagons and carts where I could. I didn’t know what to expect at Uxley Hall, so I had to mind my coins. I camped out under the stars as I did so often in the army.”

  She looked surprised, but he could see the look of compassion on her face. “Well, you won’t have to worry about sleeping outdoors anymore. There’s more than enough in the treasury to cover the cost of a nice room at the inn. Now, we shall have to decide how many people to take. I suppose I should have some servants, and of course a carriage driver.”

  “Naturally,” he agreed, “as well as a lady-in-waiting or at least a maid.”

  “Yes,” she agreed enthusiastically. “Sophie will be my lady-in-waiting. This will be so exciting!”

  By the time they returned to the Hall, they had the beginnings of a well thought out excursion, and Gerald found himself warming to the task.

  Two days later, in the early morning mist, they set out. Inside the carriage were Anna, Gerald, Sophie and, of course, Tempus. Owen acted as carriage driver while beside
him sat Ned to help with the horses, and occasionally relieve him should he tire. The princess travelled exceedingly light for she did not want to burden the carriage with too much luggage. Sophie had insisted she take some dresses suitable for court, a decision that Gerald wholeheartedly supported. Anna took some plainer clothes, for she wanted to travel about the city incognito for a little while, to get an idea what life was like outside the Palace.

  The spring weather was cool and wet, but the roads were clear and in reasonably good repair. Gerald had never travelled inside a sprung carriage before, although he had sat upon the back of one when Prince Henry visited. He found the carriage to be very relaxing. Though he tried to remain alert at all times, he drifted off to sleep, and only awoke when the carriage pulled into the Gryphon’s Rest. He was jostled awake by the sudden slowing, and he tipped forward slightly, almost falling out of his seat. Sophie and Anna were sitting opposite him, and he could see a look of amusement on their faces at his distress.

  He saw two stable hands running out to greet them; no doubt alerted to their approach by the sound of the horse’s hooves on the king’s road. The carriage usually bore the Royal Coat of Arms on each door, but Gerald had suggested they remove these until they were closer to Wincaster, so they arrived in a fancy carriage with no markings. The innkeeper would infer that Anna was a noble of some sort, and would likely respect their privacy.

  Gerald waited for the stable hands to open the door, then exited the carriage first. He offered his hand to guide Anna down, then Sophie. One of the stable hands was talking to Owen, while a second began unloading the chests that were tied to the back of the carriage. A rather plump man had exited the inn and was walking toward Gerald, no doubt the innkeeper himself.

  “My lord,” he said, bowing slightly.

  Gerald was taken aback by the greeting and flushed slightly. He had never been mistaken for nobility before. “This,” he quickly improvised, “is the Lady Anna and her lady-in-waiting. We shall require some rooms for the night. I assume you have some available?”