“Well, since I can't lie...” the knight began before pausing. “Did you mean everything you ever said to Erana?”
“Absolutely.”
“All of it?”
“Most of it.”
“What didn't you mean?”
“You'll need to be more specific.”
“What?” the knight asked what a puzzled look on his face.
“Darian,” the lieutenant replied with a laugh, “I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“I mean,” Darian replied thoughtfully, “about the meaningless flattery.”
“Oh that,” Kilren replied with a wide smile. “Yes, I meant every word of it. In fact, none of it was ever meaningless.”
“I thought as much,” the knight nodded, “because you basically intended to marry her from the moment you met her, didn't you?”
“Yes...” the lieutenant replied slowly, relying a great deal on the flexibility of the words basically and moment.
“Right...” the Telian said slowly.
“Was that it?”
“Things have been really different for me,” Darian explained. “I mean; obviously my flattery started out as completely meaningless. As I explained days and days ago, it was meaningless because it didn't really mean anything. You remember I explained that, right?”
“I don't think I'll ever forget it,” Kilren chuckled.
“I'm glad,” the knight nodded. “Because it really did start out like that.”
“But it's not like that now?”
“No...”
“Why not?”
“I don't know...”
“Well, what's changed?”
“I'm not sure,” the knight admitted, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I think it started when I realized that Gwendolyn was perfect.”
“Perfect?” the lieutenant asked with a grin.
“Well, yes. At least from the point of view of meaningless flattery,” the Telian explained. “In an attempt to be more gallant, I started really looking at her, you know, trying to find things to compliment.”
“Certainly.”
“When I really considered it,” Darian continued, “I realized I could say almost anything I wanted to and still be safely within the realm of truth. I could tell her that she was beautiful; that her hair was like sunlight floating on the breeze; that her lips were the color of wine; that her eyes were the most captivating thing I had ever seen; and it would all be true. She's the perfect height, she has the perfect figure...”
“I didn't even know you knew what a figure was,” Kilren interrupted.
“Maybe I don't,” the knight confessed. “I just mean, she looks like a lady to me. Everything about her body is absolutely feminine.”
“You do know what it means,” Kilren replied with a stunned expression on his face.
“She even smells nice,” the Telian added. “I honestly think I could stare at her for hours at a time without getting bored.”
“Have you told her all of this?”
“Not yet,” Darian replied with a wink. “The book says that you should spread flattery out evenly. Like manure.”
“Manure?”
“You know,” the knight laughed, “to fertilize a field.”
“I don't know that much about farming.”
“Either way,” Darian said, “the point is that you're not supposed to use all your meaningless flattery at one time, in one place.”
“The book may not always be right,” Kilren observed. “And, either way, it's not all meaningless now, right?”
“It's not,” the knight agreed. “Although, I'm not sure why it's not. I mean; I mean it. If you know what I mean.”
“I'm pretty sure I do.”
“About... Oh, I don't know how long ago,” Darian said, “Tealor asked me if I found Gwendolyn attractive. I had no idea what he was talking about at the time.”
“I believe you,” Kilren interjected.
“But I've thought about it a good bit since then,” the knight continued. “And it struck me that flowers attract bees, and bees attracts bears…
“Bees attract bears?”
“With honey.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And, bears, of course, attract… actually, I could never think of anything bears attracted.”
“Other bears,” Kilren suggested.
“What?” Darian asked.
“Nothing. Go on.”
“Right,” the knight nodded. “Well, realizing that, it struck me, after I started thinking about flattery, that she did, in fact, attract me; in the strictest sense of the word. I would rather be around her than not be around her. That means I'm attracted to her, doesn't it?”
“I think so.”
“Still, by that definition I'm attracted to you,” Darian pointed out.
“Mmmm,” Kilren replied, nodding slowly.
“But I think there's more to it than that,” the knight continued.
“I'm glad to hear that.”
“Because, although I do like to be around you a lot, I have absolutely no desire to stare at you for hours at a time.”
“I'm even gladder to hear that.”
“Or even Erana,” Darian continued. “I mean; she's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.”
“I couldn't agree more.”
“But it's not the same,” the Telian said, rubbing his chin. “I just don't know why it's not. Obviously, it's not right for a man to stare at another man's fiancée.”
“No,” Kilren replied, shaking his head. “It's not.”
“But I don't think I'd want to even if you two weren't engaged. Don't tell her I said that, though. I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings.”
“I'll be the soul of discretion.”
“So, all things considered,” Darian said, “the flattery is no longer meaningless because, as it turns out, it does matter to me that she's beautiful.”
“Why?”
“I'm still working on that,” the Telian replied, pointing into the air, “but I'm pretty sure it has to do with marriage.”
“Really?” the lieutenant asked, nearly falling from the saddle.
“Yes,” the knight nodded. “Having read, as well as thought, about it a great deal, I'm pretty sure I should get married. I've already got my own lands to look after, just as you do, and I'll likely end up with even more as time goes by. I've tried to be a real help to my parents, not to mention Lord Andor and all of Areon. I could hardly have done that if I'd never been born.”
“It would certainly have made things more difficult.”
“So, I have a responsibility to have children, so they'll be there to help people after I'm gone. Just like you do.”
“Ahem,” Kilren replied, clearing his throat. “Absolutely. I mean; in the fullness of time, when nature has taken its course, after...”
“That's exactly what I'm saying,” the knight interrupted. “We both have our duty to do. And that means children. And that means wives.”
“That's where Gwendolyn comes in?”
“I think so,” Darian replied. “If you have to get married, you want to have a wife you can enjoy staring at all through the long winter evenings, right?”
“I certainly do.”
“Since I can't imagine wanting to stare at anyone more than I do Gwendolyn,” the Telian said, “she seems like the obvious choice for a wife. More importantly, she's one of the best people I've ever met. Not to mention that she'd probably make an excellent mother. What do you think?”
“I think you're making real progress,” the lieutenant nodded.
“Progress?” Darian replied.
“I'd like you to consider this, though,” Kilren continued, ignoring the knight's question. “Would you want to marry her even if you weren't duty bound to have children?”
“Why would I?” the Telian asked with a shrug, completely puzzled by the question.
“I can't tell you, Darian,” Kilren laughed, “but if you ever find a r
eason, I want you to be sure to let me know.”
“I'll certainly do my best to,” the knight replied with a smile.
For nearly an hour after this somewhat, at least to Kilren, shocking conversation, the companions traveled along discussing little more than the surrounding landscape and the probable outcome of their current quest. Roughly a mile before they arrived at the outskirts of the city, Kilren insisted that they stop long enough to discuss some rather important details before riding into the hamlet. Being dressed as Mikralian soldiers had been enough to quell the curiosity of the few peasants they had passed along the thoroughfare, but it might be less than sufficient to get them in and out of Casfar unnoticed.
“Ian,” Kilren said, his gaze turned to the dwarf, “you and Erana need to stay here.”
“I was thinking the same thing, lad,” the bard nodded in agreement.
“Why?” Darian asked.
“Because the town guards may have heard about the dwarf and the elf that escaped from Mikral City not all that long ago,” the lieutenant explained. “Farmers wandering the roads weren't likely to make the connection, but if the local authorities put two and two together, we could have more explaining to do than I would like.”
“I suppose I can see that,” the knight replied.
“For safety's sake,” Kilren continued, “I think you'd better stay with them.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Ian replied with a knowing wink. “If a patrol were to somehow spot us, we could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Wouldn't you feel better if Darian were to stay with us, my dear?”
“I don't see...” Erana began with a wide smile, having been distracted by something that Gwendolyn was whispering, before noticing that her love was directing a meaningful scowl at her. “Where there's any question about it at all,” she continued, turning her eyes to the knight. “It would obviously be better if our valiant Telian, as Serena would call him, were to stay with us.”
“I'll be happy to,” Darian smiled. “I doubt we'll run into any trouble, but if we do, the three of us will certainly be able to handle whatever it is.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Kilren nodded. “Now, the rest of us...”
“Actually,” the knight interrupted, “Now that I'm thinking about it, Gwendolyn should probably stay with us, as well.”
“Why?” the maiden asked, smiling at him.
“Because,” was his simple reply.
“Because, why?” Erana asked, a smile on her own face.
“Because...” the knight began with a thoughtful expression, “if a patrol does come by, she'll be able to make us all invisible.”
“That's true,” Gwendolyn nodded. “So, I suppose I'd better stay.”
“Although I'll certainly miss your company,” Gregor said, his eyes locked on the maiden, “the loss is more than made up for by the knowledge that you'll be kept safe until my return.”
“She certainly will be,” Darian replied, his own eyes on the handsome young lord.
“Let's go,” Kilren replied before kicking his mount into motion, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
“So,” Gregor said, the moment they were out of earshot, “you didn't want Darian to come with us?”
“Did you?” Kilren chuckled. “How would you handle the task at hand?”
“Well...” the lord replied, “I suppose I'd ride into town quietly enough, then grab everything we could from the blacksmith's shop and head out as quickly as possible.”
“Which is why it's a good thing you have me with you,” the lieutenant said, shaking his head. “If we did that, we wouldn't even get the carts loaded before the town guards were on us.”
“Then, what do you propose to do?” Gregor asked.
“Lie,” Kilren replied. “Lie, and lie, and lie some more.”
“I can see why you didn't want to bring Darian,” Jalek laughed.
“Exactly,” the lieutenant nodded. “I mean; the way I see it, we'll actually be doing a load of good. We'll be keeping our enemies from getting this equipment, which will save lives. We'll be arming our own men with it, which should end the war more quickly, which will save lives. We'll be keeping the smiths from knowing that we're robbing Lord Grimmas, which will save lives. And, we'll be keeping anyone from calling the town guards, which will save lives. In this situation, lying makes us heroes.”
“Heroes?” Jalek asked with a grin. “I don't think Darian would agree.”
“I'm sure he wouldn't,” Kilren agreed. “His view of the world is too narrow.”
“Perhaps your view is too broad,” the wizard suggested.
“You could be right,” the lieutenant agreed with a nod. “Erana said something similar once. She usually knows what she's talking about. Still, under the circumstances, I think we'll try it my way.”
“You're in command,” Gregor replied. “I'm just here to help if things go wrong.”
“Don't worry,” Kilren assured him, “they won't.”
The party rode slowly into town and made their way directly to the blacksmith's shop.
“Now remember,” the lieutenant whispered as they drew near their destination, “just act like everything I'm saying is absolutely true.”
“I think we can do that,” Jalek replied.
Just moments after they came to a stop at the door of the establishment, a young man in a leather apron stepped into the street.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?” he asked.
“What's your name?” Kilren demanded.
“Kalmar, sir.”
“Where is your master?”
“He's out of the shop, sir,” the young man replied, “but I can go and fetch him for you, if you’d like.”
At this reply, Kilren took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I doubt that will be necessary. You should be more than capable of handling this task. We've come to retrieve the equipment you've prepared for Lord Grimmas.”
“But, sir,” Kalmar replied, “it won't be ready for nearly two weeks. I thought the lord...”
“Lord Grimmas, is very well aware that the order isn't complete,” Kilren interjected. “But, in case you haven't heard, we're at war with Innalas. He needs everything you have ready at the moment.”
“But, sir,” the young man said again, “just two days ago Master Dormin was told...”
“Circumstances have changed!” Kilren snapped, pulling a piece of paper from his saddlebag and handing it to the young man. “That's an order from Lord Grimmas himself, instructing you to give us whatever you have ready at the moment. Surely, you recognize his lordship's handwriting.”
“Well, I....”
“You at least recognize the seal, don't you?” the lieutenant barked. “You could hardly fail to know a coat of arms you must have stamped on countless blades and breastplates over the last few weeks.”
“No, sir,” Kalmar replied. “That is to say, yes, sir. I certainly recognize his lordship's seal, sir.”
“I'm happy to hear it,” Kilren said before pulling a coin from his purse and handing it to the young man. “Forgive my impatience, it's simply that we're in a great hurry. One of the wagons lost a wheel on the way here and it cost us half-an-hour to set it to rights. Lord Grimmas will likely be furious with what little delay we've already had. I don't want to waste time talking in the streets when we should be loading up weapons and armor.”
“I can certainly understand that, sir,” Kalmar nodded. “But the equipment isn't here. We've got it at the warehouse a few streets down. That's where Master Dormin is right now. I can lead you there and he can help you get it all loaded himself. And you don't have to worry about him recognizing his lordship's handwriting, sir. Many a letter has passed between the hands of those two over the years.”
“Figures...” Kilren said softly, shaking his head.
“What was that, sir?”
“Nothing, man!” the lieutenant replied. “I told you, we're in a hurry. Lead the way.”
/>
The young man closed the door of the shop, having let another apprentice know where he was headed, and led the band down several streets until he came to a large building on the outskirts of town. Kalmar instantly explained the situation to his master and handed him the piece of paper he had been given.
“That's certainly his lordship's hand,” the master smith nodded. “Although, it looks as if he may have had a glass or two before he sat down to write this.”
“Unfortunate news from the front,” Kilren replied. “Which is why we need the equipment as quickly as possible.”
“Of course,” Master Dormin nodded. “We should be able to get you loaded in less than an hour.”
“We would appreciate it,” the lieutenant replied. “Time is absolutely of the essence.”
With the help of Kilren, Gregor, Jalek, and the soldiers of Lord Jannus, the carts were loaded to capacity and on their way out of town in less than half-an-hour. The moment they reached the outskirts of the city, Gregor spoke.
“So,” he said, turning his eyes to the lieutenant, “you just happened to have an order from Lord Grimmas requesting early shipment of the weapons and armor that were currently ready in your saddlebag?”
“Of course not,” Kilren replied with a wink and a nod. “That was a little plan of Ian's and mine. You see, Ian has this liquid that completely dissolves ink, but doesn't do any damage to paper. I'd seen him use it in the past to correct mistakes in his books, or lines he's accidentally drawn when his pony's stumbled while he was writing. It struck me, while Darian was still arguing about the tabards, that it might come in handy in this instance.
“I asked Ian if we might be able to use it on the last letter Lord Grimmas had sent Lord Jannus. He assured me that we could. That meant we could write our own letter, bearing on it the seal of Lord Grimmas. Obviously, the handwriting would be different, but it was better than nothing. Ian was able to improve the plan, however, by forging his lordship's hand. Which, as you can see, he did with remarkable skill.
“We managed to come up with the plan, get the letter, wash away the old words, and replace them with our own before the horses were even fastened to the wagons.”
“Well,” Gregor said, nodding, “I'm impressed.”
“As am I,” Jalek replied with a wide smile. “That was rather brilliant.”
The Lords of Areon (The Chronicles of Areon Book 3) Page 20