by Brad Clark
Conner felt some anxiousness as he reached his hand into the basket. By the time it had come around to him, it was about half full. He looked around the room at the waiting ladies and young maidens. There were many pretty ones and like his fellow lords, he hoped for one that was pretty and pleasant. His hand went all the way to the bottom of the basket and took hold of a piece of cloth and pulled it out without looking. His thoughts were still on trying to come up with the perfect cover story when a rumbling of mutters started around him.
One of the men standing next to him let out a chuckle and said, “Well, aren’t you the lucky one.”
Conner looked at what he held in his hand. It was a fine silvery silk scarf that looked vaguely familiar. Then he looked up and realized it matched the dress Elissa was wearing. His palms suddenly became very sweaty and his mouth went dry. He was sure his heart stopped beating as well. At this moment, he would have accepted even the ugliest and fattest lady to dance with. The last partner he wanted to dance with was Elissa.
Once again fate was driving them together, but this time Conner was not going to succumb to it. He was no longer the naïve little boy drooling over a pretty princess. He was a man fully in control of his fate. He would dance with her, enjoy the closeness of their time together, and then he would walk away from her. His duty to the world needed to be much stronger than his emotional needs.
Queen Elissa, seeing that her handkerchief had been selected walked towards him, a smile on her face. As protocol, he took a knee as she approached.
“Rise, now!” Elissa said. “You are to be my partner, not my subject. At least for the next few minutes.”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Conner said as formally as he could. He also lowered his voice, trying to not only cover his voice, but to make himself sound older and more noble. He certainly did not want her to recognize him right now as he was not sure how she would react. But more importantly, he did not know how he would react. He mentally kicked himself for even trying to see her this one last time. It had been a foolish thing and now it might turn out to be a disaster. “Pleased to meet you, my name is Stephen.”
“Stephen,” Elissa repeated. “From where do you hail, Stephen?”
“A small village on the eastern shores. Krathen is the name.” He had heard the name during a conversation he and Marik had about Sir Brace Hawkden. He needed to be sure to establish himself in a noble family, so he decided to attached himself to Brace’s. The deceased knight had come from that village so its name was familiar to him and he knew Elissa had never been there.
“Oh,” Elissa said. “Sir Brace Hawkden came from there. Did you know of him?”
“Of course,” Conner replied, cursing his fates that she knew of the village as well. Although he knew that her travels had never taken her that far away, he had hoped that she did not even know of the name of his home village. But he only needed to hold the lie for a few minutes until the dance was over. If he was found out after that, it shouldn’t matter as he would be long gone. “He is, well, was, my cousin.”
“I was sorry to hear of his death. He was a good man.”
“Indeed,” Conner replied with as much sorrow as he could muster. It was a strain to not talk with his own voice, so he hoped that he wouldn’t have to do much talking. The problem was that the Dance of the Forest was supposed to help strangers meet and talking was expected.
The pages had passed out all the handkerchiefs and scarves, so the couples were now moving into position to begin the dance. As it was an old dance known throughout the kingdom, it was the one dance that Conner was familiar with. His aunt had taught it to him when he was young, so the idea of participating in it did not necessarily make him nervous. It wasn’t even dancing with royalty that made him nervous. It was dancing with Elissa. And having to talk to her.
“It is good to see a representative from his family here,” Elissa said. “It is fortunate that I was able to meet you. Our lives…” Her voice cracked, but she caught herself and cleared her throat. “Our lives would not be the same without him.”
Before Conner could think of a proper response, the instruments started playing, and the dance began. It was an easy dance that only required the dancers to take simple steps, and then on every fourth beat, bring their hands together with a clap. After the fourth repetition of the moves, the ladies were to twirl while the gentlemen stepped back and bowed. Then the dance steps were repeated. As the dancing did not require any touching, it kept the gentlemen and ladies at a proper distance. But they faced one another for the whole dance, so it allowed conversation between the couples.
“We need more men like Sir Brace,” Conner said with his forced low voice. He was simply trying to make conversation, and did not realize the trap his mouth was causing him to fall into. “With threats coming from all around us, we need good soldiers to help keep the peace.”
“Oh?” Elissa said, her eyes narrowing. “What threats do you mean?”
For whatever reason, his mouth would not stop. He knew that he should just close his lips and enjoy the last few minutes of their time together, but he still had some harsh feelings towards the Thellians. “Threats from the north, of course. Thell is unpredictable. Their ambush that killed your father and many good knights shows that they cannot be trusted.”
A slight redness appeared on the queen’s cheeks. “I fear you do not know the whole story.”
“What’s to know? They are barbaric simpletons. They are jealous of us and will always try and find a way to be better than us. But we will always be better than them.”
“What would you suggest we do, then? Invade them?”
“That would be one fine option,” Conner replied.
The queen turned and spun as the fourth iteration of the music finished. Conner bowed and rose to see Elissa’s face having lost her friendly look. Her eyes were fiery with anger.
“You must be a soldier, are you not?”
“Well, yes. A knight, as a matter of fact. Well, a former knight, as the case may be.” He had no idea why he was letting these words come out of his mouth, especially when they dripped heavy with sarcasm. But he believed everything he said. There was just something about Elissa where he felt comfortable sharing his thoughts and for some reason, his brain decided now was the time.
“That explains your own simple view of the world. The problems of our kingdom do not need to be solved with the sword, or the bow, or axe, or whatever your weapon of choice is. We can solve our differences by coming together as people. Not as enemies.”
“I have seen much of the world, my queen. And the sword is very handy. As is the axe. And the bow. Thell is our enemy, and we cannot put down our means of protecting ourselves just for the sake of peace.”
Conner could see her take a very deep breath. The anger was still in her eyes, and he knew that she was about ready to explode. He had seen that very same thing first-hand on several occasions. She could get spit-firing mad when she was angry. He didn’t intend to make her irate at all, and although he was trying to play the role of Stephen from the small town of Krathen, he really did mean what he said.
So much of his life had changed over the past few months. No longer was he the simple commoner boy from the forests. He was now a seasoned soldier with much blood on his hands. Some of it he regretted and some he did not. Death was sometimes a necessity to ensure peace or survival. He knew that her father had understood that. That was why the Knights of Karmon were so powerful. They needed to be that way so that they were ready and able to protect the kingdom.
After several beats of the music, the queen had regained her composure, but she continued to press her point. “Once there is peace with Thell, there will be no need to carry a sword.”
“But our peace with Thell can only come when there is the threat of the Karmon Knights. And you have disbanded them. They were the reason that we were as protected as we were. Everyone feared them, and now with them gone, I fear we are left unprotected.”
The anger came back in an instant.
“I am sorry, my queen,” Conner said as soon as the words came out, recognizing he had finally crossed the line. This is how Conner would have talked to Elissa, not how a subject should be talking to his queen. Even though he, as Conner, believed what he said, he should have kept it to himself.
“You are not the first, nor will you be the last to say such things,” Elissa said with clear restraint.
“I have crossed a line. I am sorry.”
“I once had a friend, a really good friend that could use a sword as well as anyone in the world. And the one time I saw him use it, he did it to protect me. Do not believe for an instant that I do not understand the need for the sword. If not for him, my life would be different. Everyone’s life here would be much different. But I know he would not use his swords unless he absolutely needed to, as a last resort to resolve a conflict. What I fear is the soldier, or the knight, who thinks first with the sword and tries to solve all their problems with it. That is the type of person I do not wish to have around me.”
Conner could see a tear start to form in the corner of her eye. At that moment, he wanted to throw off his mask and cape and show her who he really was, to take her in his arms and hold her. But the friend, whom she described, did not exist anymore. His hands ached for his swords, to hold them, to use them again. They were not the swords of last resort; they were the swords to hold the enemies at bay. And there was now more than just the Thellians to hold back. There were enemies much bigger and more powerful than the army from the north. And if he did not strike first in that battle, he might never get a chance to strike at all. She might not like soldiers, but they were a necessity. He just hoped that she wouldn’t have to learn that lesson the hard way.
The music changed to indicate that last stanza.
“Your Majesty, I fear I have spoken too freely. I have upset you.”
“I do not want my people to fear speaking their mind,” Elissa replied. “As long as they remember that I am still queen. I feel sad for you, that you cannot see the peace that Thell wants. They do not want to be our enemy. They want to be our friend.”
“What about your friend, the one you spoke of. What if he were to take up the sword against Thell, how would you think of him then? Would he still be your friend?”
Her eyes watered again and she let a tear fall down her cheek while she completed her last spin. As Conner gave his final bow of the dance, she simply said, “It matters not, for he is dead.”
The music stopped with the gentlemen in full bow.
He felt a mixture of sadness and anger directed at himself. He had spoken too much and now the last conversation he would have was one where she was mad at him. Well, not at him, but at the person she knew as Stephen. The only consolation was that she thought he was dead. At least it would make it easy for him to stay away and do what he had to do to protect the Ark.
The thought of the Ark sent a sight panic over him as he realized he had wasted too much time in this personal endeavor. He needed to put aside his personal feelings and get back to finding the Ark.
As the dance ended, others moved between them. With the queen so close, nearby ladies wanted to take the opportunity to greet her. Conner started to step back when she glanced up and caught his eye. He couldn’t stand looking at her for one more moment, so he turned and started to walk away.
Another trumpet call rang through the hall. All activity stopped as Lord Martin, once again, stepped forward.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the kingdom, may I present His Majesty, King Toknon of Thell.”
There was applause, much more so than what Conner could have imagined. Why in the world were they clapping for their sworn enemy? He turned to look at Elissa, hoping she would not be happy to see the king of Thell within the walls of the castle. But instead, she had a bright, beaming smile on her face. With the gleefulness of a young girl, she walked briskly towards Toknon. Conner turned and marched out of the Great Hall.
***
Marik stood atop the highest wall above the castle. He leaned over one of the battlements, ignoring the coldness of the stone. The wind had died down making it tolerable to be exposed to the weather. Most days, winter guard duty atop the castle wall was miserable. Watches were cut in half to keep the guards from freezing to death, but it was still the least pleasurable job for a soldier.
“Sir Marik,” one of the guards said in greeting.
Marik turned to him. He had once been a squire training to become a knight. Although he continued to train hard, he would never become a knight. He would have to settle for simply being a city guardsman of Karmon. “You can drop the Sir,” Marik said. “Such a title no longer exists.”
“Yes, of course,” the guard replied. “Why are you up here in the cold? You are missing out on the festivities.”
“Although dancing with young maidens would be a delight, I find the atmosphere down there to be a bit…well, I guess stuffy would be the right word.”
“But I have seen some of the maidens from across the kingdom. One dance with them would be worth all that stuffiness!”
Marik laughed. “Yes, but you are young! Old men like myself can only dream of such things.”
The guard laughed as well. “You are not so old!”
“Tell that to may aching bones. It is cold nights like this that make me feel even older.”
“Then why are you really up here? Could you not find yourself a nice warm fire to sit by?”
“Once a soldier, always a soldier,” Marik replied. “The most important people in all the kingdom are dancing away below our feet. I guess I wanted to make sure that all was well.”
The guard turned to look out upon the city as he thought Marik was. After a moment, he said, “The city is beautiful under the clear sky.”
“Indeed it is,” Marik said. But his eyes were not upon the city, they were upon the darkness far beyond. He suddenly straightened up.
The guard, sensing that something was wrong, asked, “What is it?”
Marik remained silent for a moment, his eyes continuing to scan the darkness. “Look beyond the city,” he asked. “What do you see?”
The guard looked as asked, but shook his head. “I see nothing, really. It is so dark that I can hardly see the trees in the forest.”
“Watch more closely.” Marik pointed to the northeast where the forests came to an end a few miles from the city gates. “Take your time and be patient. Keep looking at the same spot.”
The guard did as asked, his breathing slowing to that which he would use in combat. After several minutes of staring at one spot, he suddenly exclaimed, “What? What was that?”
“What did you see?” Marik asked.
“A light that flashed on and off. And it looked like the forest was moving, too.”
“Yes. What do you suppose that is?”
The guard shook his head and said, “I am not sure.”
“It is because you still have much to learn in the art of warfare. When you are old and grizzled like me, you will see what it is trying to be hidden.” A wry smile crept across his face. “And you will stop dreaming of young maidens.”
The guard dropped his head in shame. “I am sorry, Sir Marik.”
“Do not be sorry! I was young once, too.” Marik turned back to look out into the darkness. “What do you think it is that is out there?”
The guard picked his head up and looked once again beyond the city at the forest. He no longer saw the movement and did not see any more flashes of light. He was beginning to think that his eyes had deceived him and he really hadn’t seen anything.
Finally, he shook his head and said. “Do we have any patrols in the forest?”
“They would not be carrying torches that we could see from this distance,” Marik replied.
“More guests coming to the masquerade ball?”
“Most come down the river or from father to the south. Those that would have come from the north are already here.”
The guard let out a sigh. “I do not know. What is it that you see?”
“I see an army that is trying to hide their presence in the forest. I thought my eyes were lying to me, but you saw it as well.”
The guard’s demeanor suddenly changed. Pretty maidens were no longer in his thoughts. “Who? What? An army? Thell?”
“I do not know,” Marik replied. “We have a treaty with Thell and I cannot believe that they would not honor it. I talked face-to-face with both King Lorraine and King Toknon, when he was still just a prince. Neither wants war. I am sure of it. King Toknon is a soldier by nature, but he is not foolish enough to make his first act as king to attack us. That would be deadly for him. Not to mention, I saw him arrive in the castle yesterday.”
“If not them, then who?”
“There is a small delegation from Taran. Take ten men and find them. Disarm them and put them in a locked room. I will need to talk to them.”
“You think it is a Taran army in the woods? Why would they attack us?”
“I do not know. We are not prepared for this. Do as I ask and quickly. I have much to do myself.”
Chapter Sixteen
Conner found Glaerion where he had left him. The elf was awake, but still weak. But he refused Conner’s assistance to help him walk. He took slow steps at first, but within a few minutes, he was walking as if nothing had happened.
“The strength comes back quickly, when it is ready to come back,” Glaerion explained. He paused to look around an empty corner. Conner was sure he just had to stop to catch his breath, so he waited patiently for the elf to check the hall.