Casimir's Journey

by Lisa Manifold

  “How grateful are you?” She asked.

  “Enough to pay you fairly.” Hadden said sharply, wary of the turn in the previously light-hearted conversation.

  “I shall take payment, but not of your coin.” She looked at Roysten, and he froze in the act of biting into a piece of bread.

  “Who are you?” Hadden was on his feet, hand on his sword. What witchery was this?

  “My name is Grizelle, as I told you, and I need your help, good sir. Hadden, is it not?”

  He drew back further and drew his sword. “How do you know this? We did not share our names with you.”

  “I know, as I know many things. And I have been waiting for you, Hadden. I am glad you chose this path today. Will you sit? I will not harm you, nor will I alarm you further with anything more than information.”

  Hadden studied her. She looked sincere, and she was old, but such a woman with the power to stop men—mayhap she was not as she seemed.

  “Do I have your word you will not harm myself or my man?” He gestured at the still-frozen Roysten.

  “Indeed you do. Please sit. I cannot keep this up forever, and I have much to impart.” Incredulously, she sounded impatient and cross.

  That decided him. “Very well.” He sat, but left his sword at the ready. “What information would you like to share?”

  “You are aware of the curse of the princesses of Gallivas?”

  “Is not everyone?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’d be amazed at how many are not. Simpletons. Regardless, I want you to go to the castle. The curse must be broken, and make no mistake, Hadden, those girls are cursed.” She looked down, heaving a sigh. “A great many curses making people miserable these days.”

  “I know nothing of that, Grizelle. I do know of the princesses, as I…have recently been in Gallivas. It was there we heard of your prince’s death.”

  “So foolish,” she said quietly. She still gazed at the table. Then she looked up, and Hadden felt pinned by the intensity in her eyes. “I abhor foolishness, Hadden. Even more so, I detest seeing innocents suffer. Many innocents are suffering. I am asking you to please end it.”

  “I? How am I to end anything?” His wariness was gone in the face of his astonishment. “I am a simple soldier, madam, and know nothing of kings and courts, much less cursed princesses.”

  “You know more than you think, Hadden. I wager you will go and fit right in, as though you grew up there.”

  “Madam Grizelle, I thank you for your hospitality. However, my comrade and I must go.” He made to stand.

  She reached across and yanked him back onto the stool. He was so surprised he didn’t fight against her. He hadn’t thought an old woman would be so strong.

  “Unhand me,” he said, moving his sword forward.

  She didn’t respond but waved her other hand at him. He froze, just as Roysten had. Whereas Roysten didn’t seem aware, Hadden could see and hear her. He just couldn’t move.

  “Stupid boys,” she muttered. “All I want you to do is listen. Will you please hear me out, Hadden?”

  He glared. She sighed. “Very well, you may listen from your present position. I know that the princesses are under a curse. I know this because…well, it matters not. What you need to know is that they are. There is no chance of this curse being broken without some…” she pursed her lips, “Some help from outside the situation. You are going to be that help. Now,” she said, getting up, and going over to a cupboard that leaned crookedly along the wall, “I have something that will help you.”

  He made a strangled sound.

  “Why am I doing this?” She asked without turning around. “Shall we say…” here she turned to face him. “I know the origin of the curse, and if this doesn’t end, it won’t be just the princesses who suffer.”

  He made another noise. “Oh, very well. You may speak.” She waved her hand as she came back to the table with a package wrapped in cloth.

  “Madam, release me this instant.” His voice was icy.

  “You haven’t heard a word, have you, you foolish boy? It’s no wonder…” Her voice trailed off again. “So caught up in pride. Listen, boy! I’m giving you a chance to ensure the war your commander is worried about will never happen—a chance to end the curse that is plaguing Gallivas and her neighbors! There’s more at stake here than you know!”

  “Tell me.”

  “No.” Her tone matched his. “I cannot. There are things I cannot do. I would oblige you, but I cannot. What I can do is ensure that you solve the riddle.”

  His anger waned a little. He’d heard of this riddle. “How is that, madam, when you cannot even be honest with me?” Curiosity would not make him forget that he was trussed like a goose for dinner.

  “Have you heard what the princes have said when asked where the princesses go?”

  “I have not. Not in any detail, as they both came to the same end.”

  “They remember nothing, I’m told. What I have here is something to help you avoid that.” She unwrapped the fabric and shook out a cloak.

  “You are mad.” he said. His anger was gone. She was nothing more than a madwoman with some training in magical trickery.

  “No, I’m not. Keep a civil tongue, boy.” There was the speech that didn’t fit her again. “This is a cloak that renders the wearer invisible to those around him.”

  He gasped. “That is unnatural, madam!”

  “No, it’s not.” She was impatient. “It’s practical. Throw it around you, and you will be able to see where it is the princesses go, for I assure you, they go somewhere each night.”

  “If you know this, why do you not go and end the curse for these poor girls?”

  “I cannot. I wasn’t even sure I’d get this chance, but now that I have, I must make the most of it. Take the cloak and present yourself to the castle. Once you retire for the night, lie abed as though you’ve gone to sleep. Do not move or indicate otherwise. Have the cloak at the ready. When you hear movement outside your chamber, use the cloak and follow them. You will discover all.”

  “If it were that simple, why have not greater men than I discovered this?”

  She laughed. “That is an excellent question. That brings me to the other piece that I can arm you with. Take nothing you are offered to eat or drink after the evening meal in the hall. Nothing, do you hear? If you are offered a cup of wine before bed, do not drink it. Pretend to drink, but do not let it pass your lips. All will be lost if you do.”

  “Poison?” He couldn’t fathom what she was telling him. “Are you implying the princesses are poisoning their suitors? You are dangerously close to treason, Grizelle.”

  “Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your behavior was pre-determined, regardless of your wishes? I believe the princesses find themselves so.” She looked away, and Hadden could see that she was thinking of something that upset her.

  Mad though she might be, that expression stirred something within him. “If I were to undertake this for you, can you assure me that I will live? And that I will keep Gallivas safe?” He didn’t see the sense of pretense in regards to their mission any longer. “For those are my priorities, ungallant though it may sound in relation to the princesses.”

  “I understand, Hadden. It’s not unchivalrous to be concerned about whether one will live or not. If I free you, will you give me your word to act as a gentleman?”

  He tried to grin, and found that he couldn’t. “I am no gentleman, madam. I am, as I told you, a simple soldier.”

  “One who has risen quickly for one so young,” she said slyly.

  He flushed. “I carry out my orders well, and I am generally successful at whatever I am tasked with.” His long-standing relationship with Lord Maddox didn’t hurt, either.

  “Exactly!” He felt he’d been maneuvered. “Exactly why I want you for this task. You are a successful soldier. I believe you have the aptitude to solve this.”

  “It’s nothing to do with aptitude. You said yourself
it will not be broken without help.”

  “It won’t.” She waved her hand at him again, and he fell off the stool. His sword clanged to the ground. He immediately jumped up, sweeping his hand out to grasp his sword. He pointed it at her.

  “I have listened to you, madam. I have heard you out. I respectfully decline the honor of your undertaking, and I must,” he glared, “Insist that you free my comrade so that we may be on our way.”

  She didn’t respond immediately. Then she sighed. “Very well. You have indeed heard me, and it is within your right to decline. You may go. May I ask that you finish your meal? I would rather not bring your man,” she indicated Roysten, “Into this.”

  Hadden watched her for any sign of deceit. He saw none. Merely an old woman who looked more tired now than when she’d invited them in.

  He nodded stiffly. “I will keep silent on this matter as long as you give me your word my comrade and I may depart after the meal.”

  She looked dejected. “You have it.”

  He sat down and as he did, Roysten sprang to life again, chewing noisily. He offered Hadden a piece of the bread, which Hadden declined.

  Conversation halted. Once Roysten had eaten all the bread Grizelle had put on the table, he sat back with a belch. “Thank you, Mistress Grizelle. That was a fine meal. Hadden, you have coin for her?” He raised an eyebrow.

  Hadden laughed a little. Trust Roysten to ensure he parted with no money. “Of course I do, and I shall be pleased to cover yours as well,” he said as he stood smoothly. He looked down, realizing that his sword was still drawn. He sheathed it, which occasioned another upraised brow from Roysten.

  “If you can bestir yourself to get the horses, I shall pay for the meal.”

  Roysten nodded, and with a “thank you,” and bow to Grizelle, he hurried from the room.

  Hadden looked at her. She hadn’t gotten up when they did.

  “You’re sure you won’t reconsider?” She asked.

  “I must decline.” He didn’t hesitate.

  “Then I wish you nothing but good luck and great fortune, Hadden.”

  He inclined his head, and left a handful of coppers on the table. Then he left the hut, ducking as he walked out the doorway.

  Roysten was mounted, holding the reins of Hadden’s horse. “That will make the journey back a bit less miserable, but we’ve discovered nothing.”

  Hadden swung up into the saddle. “Only that this far in, the lone resident doesn’t seem overly concerned. I think we should concentrate on hanging about the tavern to see what we might here.”

  “I’m all for that,” Roysten said, as he kicked his horse out onto the rough lane. “Less time in the saddle with ready ale sounds promising to me!”

  Hadden laughed. Unlike their hostess, Roysten was simple and uncomplicated. Such a fact should be reassuring, but the entire ride back to the tavern, he mulled over his conversation with Grizelle. At the time, he felt he’d done the right thing, but as each mile passed, he was less sure.

  What if he could solve the riddle? It would be a fine thing, to be a lord, married to a princess. He’d heard they were uncommonly pretty. Mad and completely tiresome, as royalty was up close, but pretty nonetheless. He grimaced to himself. He’d only heard the mad comments after men started dying, so perhaps that wasn’t the best testament to their characters.

  He nodded to Roysten when he spoke, but couldn’t stop his mind from poking at the riddle. She’d said they were cursed and not acting of their own accord, that they were doing things they’d rather not. That resonated with him.

  What had he heard? In the service of the king, he’d listened to the idle gossip that surrounded the court, but never with much interest. The king was considered fair, if a bit indulgent with his daughters. He was an object of sympathy at times, what with twelve of them, and not one married. No son amongst them either.

  By the time they reached the tavern, just as dusk was falling, he was glad to be out of the saddle and to stretch his legs. Roysten was eager to go to the taproom.

  “You go,” he said. “I’m not in the mood.” Roysten didn’t hesitate. Hadden watched him hurry in. At least his pockets wouldn’t be lighter for this.

  He trudged up the narrow stairs to the space he and Roysten slept in. It was a small room, and smelled very much like it had been a storage space before. The smell of onions lingered. He didn’t care. It had a door and a bed.

  Once he’d divested himself of his sword and outer clothing, he lit a small tallow lamp and fell onto the bed. He couldn’t get the princesses out of his head, which irked him. He served the king, not a bunch of spoiled chits who snuck out at night.

  Would this, however, not be further service to the king? Grizelle said that this would not end without help, that there was no way to end this unless someone stepped in.

  If the curse didn’t end, what did that mean for Gallivas? He lay in bed for another hour, tossing the problem over in his mind. What bothered him was that he kept coming to the same conclusion, and it was one that he didn’t want to face.

  Finally, he got up and rummaged through his saddlebags. Maddox had given him parchment, ink, and quills in case he needed it. This needed a letter of explanation to his commander. He didn’t want to come back and find himself facing charges of desertion or dereliction of duty.

  He snorted to himself. If he failed, there’d be nothing to worry about in regards to coming back.

  Once the letter was done, he allowed the ink to dry, then sanded and sealed it. Then he set it aside and went down to join Roysten and eat.

  Perhaps the last carefree meal he’d have.

  Chapter Nine

  When he reached the taproom, he could see Roysten at a corner table with a girl on his lap. Where else would she be? For all his complaints, Roysten was charming when he put his mind to it.

  “Hadden! Good to see you finally come down!” Roysten raised his tankard while the girl giggled.

  “Mistress, would you excuse us? And be so kind as to fetch me some food and drink?” Hadden bowed to the girl, who skittered away, still giggling.

  Roysten laughed. “You’re as good as some poncy lord with your bowing and mistress-ing,” he said.

  “Well, it doesn’t hurt to be mannered. Not that you’d know, you churlish boor!” They laughed together.

  “Are your wits still with you?”

  Roysten sobered immediately. “Of course. This—” he gestured with the tankard, “Provides my bona fides. Makes me look like an old sot who got some free time from his overeager commander. People like to see a man go on in spite of such. Makes them chatty.” He grinned conspiratorially at Hadden. “Course, you go waving that blond hair, and batting your lovely blue eyes, with all your manners, then I’ll look the churl.”

  Hadden rolled his eyes. At least Roysten hadn’t called him ‘as pretty as a lass.’ “. What have you learned? Look like I’m coming down on you.”

  Roysten immediately set down the tankard and glued his eyes to the table, as though feeling sheepish. “The locals are angry. Prince Casimir was well liked in these parts. In the whole kingdom, to hear them tell it. They don’t feel Aland did right. That he should have granted mercy to Casimir. They are angry for their king. Nothing where action is going to happen, not yet. All it’ll take is one man to come and stir them up, and they’ll be at the border. Lots of support for the bandits we’ve been chasing, too. Rather feisty about it, they are, with their support.” He looked up at Hadden, looking for all the world like a man asking for forgiveness.

  “Good job. So there is some worry—we need to ensure that no one gets mad enough to stand up.” He drummed his fingers on the table.

  “That’s not really anything we have any control over,” Roysten pointed out, looking down again. “Bang on the table, look like you’re still angry with me.”

  Hadden thumped it a few times as he leaned in. “What do people want to see happen?”

  “Now there’s the rub. They feel Aland owes somethin
g—no one can really say what—money, a princess, something—to Markellus and Ethion. I gather that the remaining sons, while well thought of, don’t seem to be as highly regarded as the late prince.”

  “Damn. Damn it all.” This made his path forward clear. There was no other way. “Listen, tomorrow, you’re going back to Maddox. I’ve a letter for him that tells him what I’m about. I have an idea that I think can stave off this anger.”

  Roysten sat up. “You’re leaving on your own? I think not!”

  “I must. I’m sworn to keep Gallivas, and our king, safe.”

  “Then you’ll do it with me. We can hire someone to deliver the message.”

  “From where? Here? Are you mad? We’re not at war, but they aren’t feeling friendly to Gallivas at the moment, as you’ve pointed out. No, Roys, I must send you. I trust no one else. We leave tomorrow. You must let Maddox know.”

  Roysten compressed his lips together in a straight, angry line. “I don’t like it and neither will Maddox. You know it’s better with two than heading off on your own, like a damn fool.”

  If anyone else spoke to him in such a manner, he’d have ordered them whipped at the pole. But Roysten had been with him since he was given the position of company commander and had proven his loyalty many times over.

  “I realize that, and I know that I’m a damn fool. But there’s no other way. Do I need to order you?”

  Roysten glared, and looked down. When he looked at Hadden again he said, “No. I’m leaving tonight. If you’re going off on your own anyway, I’d prefer to go back to our company, Commander. Give me the letter for Maddox, and I’ll be on my way.” He stood up, and headed towards the stairs. “You’re buying the meal!” He threw over his shoulder

  Hadden sighed as he turned to watch him walk away. Roysten’s body was stiff with anger. It was deserved. Maddox was firm on the idea that no one went off on their own, but he didn’t want to involve anyone else in what might become a quick march to his death.

  The serving girl returned then and set a platter and tankard in front of him. He hunkered over his meal, eating quickly, not looking around. The taproom was filling, and he could tell that a number of people had seen Roysten storm off. He kept his head down, and when he was done, he found the girl and paid their bill.