“Calm down. I didn't mean anything by it, and I apologized.” Flare raised his hands as he spoke, trying to calm her down.
Still pouting, the look of anger left her face. “I just thought that I would surprise you.”
Flare grinned, “You certainly did that.”
Hannah returned his grin, “Well, why are you still standing so far away?”
“Uh. I need a hot bath first. I have been sparring and I'm covered in sweat.”
Hannah sat up, letting the sheet fall down, revealing her nakedness. “Flare, I like it when you're sweaty. Although, I prefer being the reason for it.” She said with a devilish grin on her face.
Smiling, he started to disrobe.
Flare was walking down that same hallway again. The hallway was deserted and he couldn't even hear any voices in this part of the hall. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the distance. He stopped walking and listened when he realized that there were no other sounds at all, no commoners working in the courtyard, no soldiers making rounds, and no sounds from the stables. He was still close enough to the more occupied areas of the castle that he should be able to hear something.
A window up the hallway and on the right caught his attention. Walking quickly, he reached the window and looked outside. Nothing moved in the courtyard, no birds flew in the skies, and nothing could be seen moving in the city.
Bothered by the absence of life, he left the window and continued down the hallway. Suddenly the feeling hit him of being watched. Stopping quickly, he scanned the hall, both in front and behind of him. Seeing nothing, he continued on the hallway, albeit a little faster.
Flare rounded the corner and approached the intersection that had been the focus of his dreams, this time the wall was there and there wasn't a doorway in sight. Walking quicker, he meant to go right through the intersection. Reaching the intersection, he turned right to continue on towards Dagan's room. It was then that he heard, “Flaranthlas.” It was whispered and barely audible.
He stopped instantly and listened for any clue as to where the voice came from. Hearing nothing, he realized he was holding his breath, and he let it go. Turning slowly, he looked back up the hallway, still not seeing anything out of the ordinary. The hair on the back of his neck was standing up, as he walked back to the intersection.
“Flaranthlas,” the voice whispered again, and Flare realized that it was coming from the wall in front of him. He moved closer to the wall, but the stones were without any breaks or cracks. He pushed on the stones, but they refused to budge. Suddenly, a sharp crack sounded behind him. Whirling around, he saw a stone cracking in the opposite wall. Heart beating rapidly, he approached the wall and touched the stone, his back now toward the wall that he suspected of being a secret door. As his hand touched the stone, it crumbled into dust. He examined the stone for several moments without seeing anything unusual about it. Two more cracks sounded from behind Flare, and he spun back around. Two stones in the upper right corner were now cracked, just like the one behind him.
Flare walked back over to the wall, and touched the two stones. As his hand touched the stones, the wall opened to reveal a hallway leading into darkness. Surprised by the wall suddenly moving, he jumped back. Heart once again beating rapidly, he moved back over and looked into the darkness. It was impossible to see anything. He moved a little closer to get a better look, and suddenly a skeletal hand reached out of the darkness and grabbed him. Screaming, he was pulled into the darkness.
Out of breath and covered in sweat, Flare sat up in his bed. Breathing rapidly, he looked quickly to make sure he had not disturbed Hannah, but she was still sleeping peacefully.
Still anxious, Flare laid back against the pillows. His breathing slowed back down, 'Wait a second! The stones in the hallway; that could be the key!' That thought both excited him and terrified him, the positive side was that if the stones were the key, then he could open the secret door. But that was also the negative, what would he find behind it?
Flare spent the rest of the night without sleeping; he tossed and turned but could not go back to sleep. The waiting was excruciating and he probably would have gone in the early hours of the morning, but for Hannah. She was still asleep in his bed, and he didn't like leaving her alone in his room. Shortly before the sun came up, he woke Hannah for her to leave. He was sure that there were rumors of this relationship, but they had to try to keep it as quiet as possible.
When the door closed behind her, Flare stood in the middle of his room and looked around. His bed was a mess after the activities of last night and that brought a smile to his face. He dressed quickly; his bath would have to wait until later as there were no pages to prepare the bath yet. His stomach grumbled as he stepped into the dark hall, but breakfast would also have to wait until later, he was determined to visit the hallway that had been invading his dreams and determine what it meant to him.
Lost in his thoughts and looking down, Flare almost ran over the young page in the hallway. The boy jumped out of the way, “Excuse me, Prince Flaranthlas.” The boy was probably no more than thirteen, but he executed a perfect half-bow as was expected of him.
Flare recovered from his surprise quickly, “I'm sorry. I didn't see you there.” Stepping to the side, he continued down the hall. He could be at the intersection in a matter of minutes, and at this time of day there wouldn't be anyone around to bother him. But what would he find? That thought still scared him.
Flare had taken only a couple of steps when the page's words interrupted him. “Sir, I was sent to find you.”
Flare stopped reluctantly and turned around. He sighed and said, “Who sent you to find me and why?” His words portrayed some of the irritation that he felt.
The boy seemed a little flustered by Flare's manner. Forgetting he had already bowed, he bowed again. “The king did, sir. I am to prepare your bath and get your clothes for you.”
Flare frowned at the words and the creases on his forehead stood out in his confusion. He could be at the intersection in mere minutes, but it appeared that the king might have other plans for him. The dreams had prevented him from sleeping well for several nights and had made him irritable; he had hoped to have the mystery of the dreams resolved before tonight. He shook his head in disgust, “What does the king want with me?” He asked, rather unpleasantly.
The page paled at the anger in Flare's words, apparently he wasn't used to dealing with angry princes. “Uh, my apologizes, sir. Prince Darion just returned from a visit to the west and the king has decided to have a hunting expedition for him. I was sent to let you know that you will be going as well.” The way that the page said it, Flare knew that it was not a request.
“This is kind of sudden, isn't it?” Flare said in a grumpy manner, although he knew it wasn't the boy's fault.
“I'm sorry sir, but Prince Darion wasn't supposed to be back for several days, but he got back early.” The page moved down the hall, “Please sir, we must hurry so we don't keep the king waiting.”
Flare sighed and shook his head; reluctantly he followed the boy down the hall.
After a hot but short bath, Flare dressed in the dark green clothes that the page had brought with him. The shirt was light green with some gray mixed in, and the pants were a solid dark green. He also wore a pair of boots that he knew were already broken in and comfortable, and a light greenish gray overcoat. The overcoat was long, it hung almost to his ankles, and it was open in the front. It provided protection against both cold and rain. It wasn't all that cold out yet, but fall was here, and the morning temperatures had started to fall. The boots and the overcoat belonged to Flare, with the pants and the shirt having been brought by the page. The last thing he put on was his sword.
The page waited patiently until Flare was dressed. “The king will meet you in the courtyard. If you will follow me, I will show you the way.” Flare followed the young page, yawning as they walked. Another restless night and now a long day of visiting with nobles, it wasn't exactly the way that h
e had intended to spend the day.
The page left him after they reached the courtyard. Several of the other members of the party were already there, and while he recognized several of them, he barely knew them and merely nodded and said hello. He stood there in the early pre-dawn cold, watching as some of the other members of the party shivered, apparently they hadn't thought to bring a cloak or coat. He could see their breath in the cold morning air.
After a few minutes the horses were led in by the stable boys, the horses already had their saddles and bridles on. Flare counted the number of horses to see how many people would be in the party. There were seventeen horses, and one of them was a beautiful white stallion wearing a white saddle and bridle that looked expensive and clearly hadn't seen much use. He guessed the white stallion belonged to the king, who else would spend so much money on a saddle and bridle and then not use it much. He walked over to the horses and rubbed the nose of one while he waited. The horse was brown with a white nose and white stocking feet; it nickered as he rubbed its nose. Flare was still patting it when the king arrived.
King Darion strode into the courtyard surrounded by a group of men. Several of the men were the courtiers that normally accompanied the king, but the rest of the men wore attire similar to Flare's and he assumed they were the other members of this hunting party. They walked toward him and the horses, and then began the arduous task of organizing the party. Flare stood quietly watching the mass confusion and shook his head. He had seen some disorganization in the army, but nothing like this.
“Hello Flare. How have you been?” Called a voice from behind him. Flare jumped at the sound of the voice, he had been rubbing the nose of the horse and had not noticed anybody walking up behind him. The horse jerked its head in response to his movement. He turned around quickly to see King Darion with a smile on his face. “I'm sorry I startled you.” The king was wearing a dark green shirt and tan pants; he also had on a light brown cloak.
“That's okay, Sir. I didn't notice you walk over.”
Darion nodded towards Flare's cloak, “I should have known you would have brought a coat.” He leaned closer and said in a quiet voice, “Most of these nobles haven't been up this early in years.” He laughed a little at his own joke and then with a little more seriousness in his voice, he said, “I am glad that you could make the hunting trip.” Flare thought that the king was going to say something else, but just then a young page approached them, and stood waiting quietly to one side.
The king sighed and turned toward the page. “Yes, what is it?”
The page was barely more than a boy; in fact Flare thought he was still a year or two away from shaving. His voice cracked a little as he spoke, “I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but the guides are ready.”
Darion nodded and said, “All right. Tell them I am on my way.” He turned back to Flare, “Let's go, and remember it's lucky to kill the first deer.”
“Great!” Flare said, hoping there was more emotion in his voice than he felt. 'It's going to be a long day.'
The group spent several minutes getting on their horses, and Flare guessed that most of them hadn't been on a horse since the last hunt they participated in. He actually felt sorry for some of the horses, since several of the nobles were quite fat. One in particular had to have two men help him climb into the saddle, the poor man was out of breath by the time they got him up, and Flare was surprised the horse's back didn't break under the heavy weight. Shortly thereafter, everyone was situated and Darion addressed the hunters, “We are ready to go.” The nobles let out a cheer as the king started speaking, and he waited patiently for them to stop. “We will be hunting about an hours' ride to the southeast, where quite a few deer have been spotted recently. Our guides will lead us there.”
Flare was not in the mood for hunting, being so tired from the lack of sleep the night before. The hunting party was guided to a heavily forested valley south of the city. Early in the hunt, his elven vision allowed Flare to see deer much more quickly than the human hunters, but he didn't even try a shot. The human nobles seemed to be more interested in talking than hunting while they rode their horses. He was surprised that any deer were even spotted at all with all the noise the nobles made. 'I'm glad that dinner tonight doesn't depend on this hunt,' he thought, smiling.
He rode quietly, not even trying to engage the other nobles in conversation, and they left him alone as well. The valley was truly beautiful, with all the undisturbed wildlife and plant life. Numerous different types of trees and shrubs grew in the valley, pine trees were the most common tree but there were also shorter trees that Flare didn't recognize. Every now and then, an oak tree was spotted, but the trees only seemed to interest Flare, the nobles were more interested in talking than observing the forest.
The wildlife seemed interested in the group of loud humans that passed by. Flare noticed several deer that watched the humans, from hiding, for several moments and then bounded away. Smaller animals were also in abundance, squirrels could be seen running along the branches of the trees and rabbits were seen bounding away in the tall grass. The forest was also full of the sounds of birds, some of which were familiar to him and some that were not.
The coolness of the morning had worn off, and the sun warmed the riders, although it was still cool in the shadows of the trees. Flare removed his cloak shortly into the ride, as did the other riders who had thought to wear a cloak. He did enjoy the fresh smells of the forest as they rode along. The coolness of the air and the forest smells reminded him of fall in Solistine.
Grass and small shrubs covered the ground, but he could see that the group was following a trail that showed signs of frequent use. The nobles' excitement of being on a hunt seemed to wear off slowly over the first hour, and they started to quiet down. Hunting accidents were common and Flare tried to keep an eye on the other members of the hunting party so as to not get an arrow in the back, accidental or not.
Around an hour into the hunt, no one had even shot an arrow yet. He had seen numerous deer and other wildlife in the forest, but the nobles didn't see them. It seemed a wise idea to avoid the attention of the nobles and to do that Flare had decided to intentionally not get the first deer. As the hunt wore on, his patience started to wear thin, and he started considering shooting at a deer, if for no other reason than to get the nobles more into the hunt.
Suddenly a shout went up from the front of the group, and the hunting party took off into the woods to the east. It quickly became apparent that someone had shot at a deer, although it was not so clear if the deer had been hit. The party disappeared between two small trees that were covered with vines, more short trees and shrubs grew immediately behind and made it difficult to see. The forest was thick and dark behind the trees and forced the riders to wind and weave their way through. The sun was blocked as they rode through the dense underbrush.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he rode between the trees, this would have been an excellent location for an ambush. He dismissed the thought and urged his horse faster since they had fallen behind, hoping all along that the king had taken appropriate precautions.
He rode around a small tree, and nearly ran over the horses that had stopped directly in front of him. He almost flew over the head of his horse, as the horse slid to a stop. The other nobles didn't even pay him any attention as they watched the scene in front of them.
Prince Darion stood over a deer that had been shot. The animal had run from the hunters until he collapsed in the middle of a small clearing, the arrow still sticking out of his shoulder. The arrow in the deer matched the arrows in the Prince's quiver.
'It would have to be him, wouldn't it?' Flare thought. Of all the people in the hunting party, Prince Darion was the last one that he wanted to get the recognition for killing the first deer.
Prince Darion had a smile that beamed from ear to ear as he approached the struggling animal. Darion had a foot long knife in his hand and he wasted no time in putting the animal out of its miser
y. Flare's opinion of the prince rose a little at that, since some men didn't think about the pain that a wounded animal must be suffering and would delay the killing stroke. Prince Darion walked up quickly to the deer, as it lay on the ground with its front legs still kicking weakly, and used his knife to slit the deer's throat.
A cheer went up from the hunting party, with the exception of Flare. The blood ran freely from the throat of the deer, and he felt that he had seen enough blood to last him a life time.
King Darion walked up and stood beside his son next to the deer. The king turned to face the hunters with a smile on his face. “Truly a magnificent animal, which my son Darion has slain.” Flare looked towards the trees as King Darion spoke, although he continued to listen. “And because of it, I pronounce the luck of the hunt shall be bestowed directly on my firstborn son.”
Flare's head whipped back toward King Darion, because whether he knew it or not, he had just bestowed the luck of the hunt onto Flare. Flare was the firstborn son of Darion, although no one but King Darion and Flare knew that. His eyes quickly sought out King Darion and he was astounded to see King Darion staring back at him with a secretive smile on his face. 'He knew, and he still did it!'
“Call up the pages to tend to the deer, and let's continue the hunt,” King Darion said, pointing to the pages gathered at the back of the horses. They scrambled forward toward the deer, and King Darion returned to his horse.
It took several minutes to get the hunting party reorganized, but the young pages were quick and they were already starting to skin the deer when the hunting party rode out of the small clearing. They continued to ride eastward, but the hunters now seemed to be more interested in scanning the forest for game, and they made less noise. Were the hunters inspired by the deer that prince Darion killed, or was it that they had waited until the prince had gotten the first deer? The second thought disgusted Flare, but perhaps that was how the game was played in the royal court.
Ossendar: Book Two of the Resoration Series Page 12