by Sigrid Kraft
The boy was overjoyed. “May I choose one? I would like to see their faces!”
“Helmets off!” the Prince commanded, and Eryn groaned inwardly. It’s bound to be me again. Story of my life.
Each guard mechanically moved his spear to his shield hand and took off his helmet, putting it under his arm.
“They look mean, Uncle,” said the girl, and Prince Raiden assured her. “Nothing to fear, sweetie. They have to look fierce to scare all the bad people. Then there’s no need to fight at all, and we have peace.”
Meanwhile the boy was walking down the line, and then he pointed at Ravenor.
“Uncle, this one looks a bit like you.”
Eryn thought he saw the Lord of Naganor blush a little, before quickly replying: “Just a coincidence. And? Have you already chosen one? Make your decision quickly, because I have to go. Duty calls.”
The girl plucked at Prince Raiden’s cloak. “Uncle, if Tyren gets one, I want one too. To play with me.”
Didn’t take her long to forget how mean we look.
Fortunately the Prince did not hear her. He was watching how the boy looked from one man to another, trying to make his choice.
“Now, Tyren, make up your mind, or I will reconsider my decision.”
“I want one too! I want one too!” the girl chirped ceaselessly.
The boy was now standing at the end of the row – far away from Eryn, who was already breathing a sigh of relief.
“Should I take you? Or you?” the little prince-brat thought aloud. Then he suddenly turned and pointed at Ravenor. “You! I’ll take you! Yes, Uncle, I’ll have this one.”
“Well chosen, Tyren. Ravenor is a strong warrior”. The Prince was full of praise, but Eryn had his doubts about that combination.
A spoiled prince-brat and one wannabe-prince. How is that going to work?
Meanwhile, the girl complained louder still: “I want one too! I want one too! I want to choose one too!”
The Black Prince grabbed the bothersome little girl and lifted her in his arms again.
“But aren’t you afraid of the men, Elfi?”
The blonde princess looked at Prince Raiden with her big blue eyes and chirruped an almost convincing: “No!”
And so his resistance was exhausted and he could not say no.
“Well, I’ll get one for you. One who takes good care of you and doesn’t frighten you at all. He will no doubt guard you with his life. I will make him promise that.”
Little Elfi planted a grateful kiss on her uncle’s cheek, and then Eryn heard in his thoughts:
“Nurin, you are assigned to be my niece’s bodyguard. No harm shall come to her, or you will pay with your own life.”
Because of the soulban, that order was as binding as a hundred other ban spells, and Eryn surrendered to his fate.
There are worse things than being a little girl’s nanny.
The Prince now pointed at Eryn and said expressively: “He’s the one for you.”
The girl smiled and said: “He has blond hair too, just like me.”
Eryn looked at the little girl and could not deny: She really is a sweet little princess.
The door opened, and all eyes turned to the lady who now entered the room. She radiated a natural dignity, stepping gracefully. Setting little Elfi on the floor, Prince Raiden hurried towards her.
“Greetings, sister-in-law. Your beauty is as stunning as ever. Come, let me embrace you.”
Prince Raiden stretched out his arms, but the woman eluded him.
“Prince Raiden, as charming as ever! But do you really intend to press me against the cold iron of your armor?”
The chivalrous Prince excused himself: “Certainly not. Apologies for my indiscretion. At least, esteemed lady, let me kiss your hand.” And he took her hand, bowed slightly and breathed a kiss onto it.
The lady accepted the kiss graciously, then moved over to her daughter, followed by the Prince. Seeing mother and daughter together, it was obvious that the woman was very close to little Elfi.
“Lady Ysil, you should have chosen me and not my brother. My heart burns with desire.”
Lady Ysil laughed heartily. “I am very happy with my choice! Danian burns with desire too and only for me... whereas your heart’s fire warms many houses”, she added pointedly.
“The most beautiful roses have the sharpest thorns! Forgive me, I really have to take my leave now, for I am already late. More than the usual half hour. Oh, and before I forget: the children wanted their own guards, and I could not refuse. The two men ordered to that service – step forward!”
Ravenor and Eryn did so, and were immediately judged by Lady Ysil’s searching glance.
“You need have no reservations, Lady Ysil. These men are impeccably behaved. But now, with your pardon...” He bowed to the lady, took his helmet and ordered the remaining escort to follow him.
Eryn and Ravenor received more instructions from the stern-looking Lady Ysil, and then the children took command. Little Elfi grabbed the end of Eryn’s cloak and pulled it as she made to leave, forcing Eryn to turn around before he was completely rolled up in the cloth.
“Come, let’s go to the garden.”
She let go of the cloak and started to hop away.
So much for a guardsman’s proper and dignified appearance. On the other hand, being a human decoration at the endless ceremonies isn’t what I need either. Maybe this job isn’t as bad as I first thought.
By late afternoon, the two men’s childminding duty was over, and they had found a nice place in a corner of the large palace garden, where they sat together, enjoying being off duty. The spot was also quite well-hidden, and there was a good chance that nobody would find them to give them any more orders.
Ravenor was raging. “The brat is insufferable. I didn’t enter the Guard to mess around with nippers!”
Eryn had leaned back against a wall and his feet were resting on a decorative marble head. The late afternoon sun exuded comforting warmth, adding to the feeling of lazy coziness.
“Well, little Elfi has been really sweet. She ordered extra honey cake for me from the kitchen. And all I had to do for that was to cast a few spells for her entertainment. For the rest of the time I could enjoy the day, like now.”
Ravenor’s day seemed to have been rather different. “Nice for you! That brat Tyren is a right little tyrant. His name suits him. He has two other bodyguards: Kain, a giant without a brain - the brat leaves him alone. I reckon he is afraid of him - and then there is Torren. He’s a good-natured fool. Advised me to always let the prince win, because otherwise he gets sulky and bad-tempered.”
“And?” Eryn asked.
“Well, and then he wanted to race me and Torren. Absolutely ridiculous. At first I let him run a few steps ahead, giving him the feeling he could do it, but then I passed him at the end and won.”
Typical of Ravenor. “But you could have let him win. What does it matter anyway?”
His friend got angry and gestured wildly with his hands. “Why? If he is good enough, he will win – otherwise he loses. That’s how it is! If nobody teaches him that, and he doesn’t learn, he will carry on thinking that he can do everything and knows everything.”
Ravenor, the boy is a child. “And how did he take losing?”
“First he shouted at me. How could I dare win? So I simply said that I was the better man, that’s all. Then he commanded me to run the same distance again. I didn’t like that idea, but I also didn’t want to argue with the brat. So I ran it again and when I came back the little devil asked me who had won that time. I didn’t know what he was up to at first, but then he explained it like the little smart-aleck he is. He won that time, because he had been the first at the finish – already waiting there for me to arrive.”
Eryn snorted with laughter, and Ravenor responded with a look that could kill.
“You have to admit, the boy isn’t stupid. Not a bad idea, that trick!”
Ravenor kicked furiousl
y at a stone. “Oh, keep your mouth shut! For the rest of the day I had to compete with Torren in archery, wrestling, swordplay and umpteen other competitions which spewed out of the child’s sick brain.”
Eryn could not resist the opportunity to tease Ravenor. It was too easy.
“And how exactly is that different than the usual exercise program you do every day in the garrison? It sounds rather similar to me somehow.” This will really get him going.
In fact, Ravenor squinted and bared his teeth. “It’s bad enough when you are bullied by a grown-up bastard. But I don’t need that kind of treatment from a child! And now I’m going to look for some distraction and relaxation, because you’re no help at all today. Not that I expected it anyway!”
Eryn called after him: “Don’t mention it! That’s what friends are for!”
As a result of their special duties, they now had rooms in the palace and not with the other guardsmen. So both of them used their free time to indulge their own interests. For Ravenor, this meant acquainting himself with the ladies, whilst Eryn chose to pay a visit to the palace library, armed with a ream of paper and the copying spell.
The next day the children were as cheeky as ever. Ravenor found it hard to stomach Tyren’s wishes, but controlled himself and remained calm. He kept his temper until noon, but then he lost it. The little brat wanted to go for a ride, and the horses stood saddled in the yard. Torren held the Prince’s horse, and Kain stood around as usual as if all of this was nothing to do with him.
The boy demanded: “Help me up, Ravenor!”
Slowly and bad-temperedly, Ravenor came over and crossed his hands to make a stirrup.
Prince Tyren sneered and condescended: “That won’t work. I’m not tall enough. You have to kneel here, so that I can climb over your back and onto my horse.”
Now you could see how the veins on Ravenor’s neck started to swell. “I won’t throw myself in the dirt for a spoilt child. Forget it!” Full of contempt, he added a mocking: “Your Highness.”
For an instant Tyren stood there in shock, with his mouth hanging open. Then his voice came back again, and he screamed: “How dare you be so impertinent! I am of royal blood and your Prince! You have to obey me!”
Ravenor laughed at him. “No, you’re not. I pledged my loyalty to one man – Prince Raiden of Ardeen – not to a child. A child that can’t even get on a horse by itself.”
Ravenor was so angry that he completely forgot about the consequences. Prince Tyren stepped back in fear, so Kain stepped in.
“You’ll regret that, Ravenor,” the boy hissed. Then he announced: “Kain shall punish you for your brashness. At once!”
Kain stood there, his hand resting on the handle of his blade, whilst Ravenor turned round and drew his sword.
While this had been going on, Elfi and Eryn had been at the top of one of the countless towers, and from above Elfi had seen Prince Raiden and his escort riding along the street to the palace.
She shouted excitedly: “Look, Uncle Raiden is coming back. Let’s run down to meet him!”
And she was off, racing down the spiral staircase.
Children can be so quick, thought Eryn and hurried after her.
They arrived in the yard just as Ravenor knocked Kain’s blade out of the giant’s hand, pressing his own sword against the other man’s throat. On the opposite side, the Black Prince was just riding through the gate, watching the same scene. A spell immediately wrenched Ravenor’s sword out of his hand and threw him aside. The Prince dashed forward on Brood and jumped out of the saddle even before the demon horse had come to a stop.
Elfi had not realized what had happened and was still running towards her uncle, while Eryn, who would have preferred to walk away, was trying to catch up with her.
Now it’s going to get nasty. Not a good time to encounter Prince Raiden.
“On your feet!” the Black Prince shouted at Ravenor, who quickly jumped up and sprang to attention.
“What’s going on here?” His voice cut like a knife.
Now Tyren dared approach again: “Uncle, Ravenor insulted me, and I ordered Kain to punish him. But Ravenor hit the sword out of his hand.” He pointed at Ravenor accusingly: “He is defiant and doesn’t obey my orders.”
For a moment Prince Raiden was silent, but Eryn knew the look on the Prince’s face and knew he was reading Ravenor’s thoughts now.
Then Prince Raiden addressed his nephew: “The men of the Guard are proud and ferocious fighters. If you want to gain their respect, you have to be an example of total virtue yourself and not demand that a proud and honorable man should throw himself into the dirt in front of you. Do you understand, young man?”
Tyren felt trapped and meekly agreed. Anyone who did not know any better might almost have thought that Prince Raiden’s temper had cooled, so calmly had he spoken. But they would have been wrong. He turned suddenly and smacked Ravenor hard in the face with the back of his hand. The seam of the glove tore a deep scratch in Ravenor’s cheek, which everybody could see as he turned his head back again after the blow. The scratch turned red and blood started trickling down his cheek. “How dare you take out your sword in the palace?” The Prince started the rebuke, but suddenly Elfi screamed in terror: “Uncle, you have hurt the man!” And she started crying.
That saved Ravenor obviously. Prince Raiden appeased the child in his soft voice.
“Elfi, don’t cry! You know, the man didn’t follow my orders and so I had to punish him. But it doesn’t hurt much, does it, Ravenor?”
“No, my Prince!” his bastard son confirmed stony-faced, as the blood continued to flow.
But Elfi was still not convinced and she had some more concerns too: “My guard has been very nice. You mustn’t smack him too!” Eryn did not like to be mentioned now.
“Ah, has he?” the Prince said, to distract Elfi and also to placate her. But the child thought it was a real question and started telling precise details.
“Yes, Uncle. We played very nicely together. Eryn picked some flowers for me and made me a crown out of them.
Then he magicked little shining stars on it and said I was the prettiest princess in the whole world and gave me the crown. He also made new hair for my doll. Really looooong hair! And he stuck his lance in the ground and bewitched it to make roses grow all round it. It looked sooo lovely!”
Prince Raiden looked at Eryn, who stood to attention like a true soldier, while Elfi clung to one of his fingers with her small hand and went on talking with great enthusiasm: “... And we built a castle out of stones and sooooo many other fantastic things.”
The Prince interrupted her: “I’m happy that you had so much fun today too, Elfi, but now you have to give Eryn back. I need him in my escort.”
Elfi had forgotten her tears and asked with shining eyes: “Can I play with him later, Uncle? Only if you don’t need him anymore.”
Prince Raiden ran his hand through her hair. “Yes of course, little princess, when the coronation ceremonies are over. We’ll see. But now go with your brother into the palace. Tomorrow is the coronation and you have to try on your clothes.”
The children left obediently, followed by Kain and Torren. Before they had reached the palace gate, a spell banged on Eryn’s head.
"Nurin,” was the short annihilating comment. Then Prince Raiden turned to his commandant:
“Sir Haerkin, you take over.” Prince Raiden waved his head in Ravenor’s direction and snarled. His bastard son was not worthy of even a look. “And do not let that complete fool out of your sight. I am in no mood now to deal with such brainless idiocy. Tomorrow is the ceremony and there are still a thousand things to be done.” Then the Prince too went off into the palace.
Under Sir Haerkin’s strict supervision, the Black Guard also prepared for the coronation, because they, and not the Kings Guard, had been chosen to escort the new King.
They did not have a lot to do. Most of the time they had to stand to attention in exemplary fashion. But Sir
Haerkin was extremely picky, going over the details again and again.
They spent the evening in their quarters, when Ravenor began to vent his anger.
“Eryn, can you cure the wound? The Prince smacks pretty hard. That was all very unfair. The little toad provoked me non-stop, and I was the one getting smacked!”
Eryn was concentrating on his spell, so he could not listen to Ravenor’s complaints at the same time.
Hartwig found some fitting words in response: “You act like a child, brother. Just be glad you got away with only one smack. Think about what you did. You drew your sword in front of the future Crown Prince and held its blade to his bodyguard’s throat. Men are usually executed for doing such things.”
Eryn completed his spell and was pleased with himself: I can now heal small injuries quite well. Not that I expect any thanks from Ravenor. He is much too concerned with being upset about absolutely nothing.
“That so-called bodyguard is a total loser. I disarmed him in an instant. The little tyrant had demanded that Kain punish me, and so I was just defending myself.”
Eryn interrupted the conversation at last, because he was sick of all the useless complaining: “For God’s sake, Ravenor! Of course none of this is your fault! If you had only humored the little prince a bit, it would never have come to that. But you had to act the proud and undefeated warrior – just to compete with a child!”
It was useless to discuss the matter with Ravenor.
“Why should I spare the feelings of a child whose blood isn’t that much better than mine? This Tyren is nothing other than my upstart cousin!”
Hartwig grabbed his shoulder hard: “You had better keep that kind of talk to yourself! Of course you are not the same. They are members of the Ardeen royal dynasty, and you and I and twenty more of us are bastards without a name. Just Ardeen commoners. So don’t try to put yourself on the same level as the rich and powerful. Control your temper or it will end in tears for you.”