by Paige Elwood
“Your father knows about the prototype?” Sarah said.
“No. He is not a supporter of my ‘ridiculous hobbies’ as he likes to refer to them.” Max said.
“That's such a shame,” Sarah said.
The door swung open suddenly and Sarah practically jumped out of her skin. Max doubled over, laughing at her panic. “It's fine, it’s just Henry,” he wheezed.
She turned to see the old man who had spoken to her on the first evening when she had been conversing with the goats. “You!” she said. “The man with no name is named Henry!”
Henry nodded and gave her a brief smile, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. She returned the smile and busied herself looking at a strange contraption that Max had said was supposed to help farmers plant more seeds, more quickly.
Max was proudly showing Henry the latest amendments to the Onager, and she could feel Henry's eyes on her occasionally, watching her. She got the impression he didn’t like her being here.
“Sarah, would you like to come with us tomorrow when we test the Onager?” Max asked.
“I’d love to,” she smiled, avoiding Henry’s eyes. She didn’t know what his problem was, but she decided that ignoring it was the best course of action for now.
“Excellent,” Max said.
Sarah yawned. It must be getting late. She’d noticed that without clocks to rely on, she’d still been able to navigate time just from listening to her body. It was amazing how much more soundly she slept each evening too, even on a lumpy old straw mattress.
“Come on,” Max said. “I’m getting tired too. We’ll need plenty of rest ready for tomorrow.”
The three of them made their way back through the passageway. Sarah snuck out first after checking the coast was clear and headed straight back to her bedchamber, so as not to arouse suspicion. Her legs ached pleasantly as she climbed the stairs, and she thought back to the run this morning. It seemed like so much had already happened since then and she was enjoying the time she spent with Max.
She felt a connection with him that she had never experienced before, not even with her closest friends. She couldn’t wait until the morning to spend some more time together before the lessons began.
Chapter 24
Sarah mimicked the defensive stance that Max was demonstrating. She was wearing his old britches again, but this time he’d fashioned her a belt of some kind from fabric instead of the heavy length of rope tied around her middle.
“Now, if I lunge left, I want you to dodge right, and vice versa,” he instructed, shifting his weight on the balls of his feet like a boxer. Sarah paid close attention, trying to gauge which way he would move.
He lunged right, and she dodged to the left swiftly. “Very good. Let’s try it again.”
He lunged right again, and she successfully dodged. “You’re quick,” he said, obviously impressed.
“Let’s go a bit faster,” he said. He lunged left this time and Sarah moved, but not quite fast enough. He’d expected her to be out of the way, and so had moved with a little more force than necessary. He caught her on the shoulder, and she stumbled back. Max fell forward, and they both tumbled to the ground in a heap.
Max sprung up almost immediately. “I’m so sorry!”
“Don’t be,” she said, rubbing at her shoulder. “I need to get faster!”
He held out a hand to help her up from the ground, and she took it gratefully. The sensation that shot through her when their palms touched was incredible.
“I think it’s time to finish this self-defense lesson,” he said.
“Me too,” she laughed. “But I’m going to knock you on your behind next time,” she teased.
“I don’t doubt it. Can we run again tomorrow?” Max asked.
“You enjoyed it that much?” Sarah asked.
“I did.” He smiled. “Actually, it kind of…cleared my mind a little. I felt a bit less like I had too many things to do.”
“Yeah, it sometimes helps with that,” Sarah said. “You know, I used to get stressed out about all my duties as well when I was new to teaching,” Sarah said.
“Stressed out?” Max asked, brow furrowed.
“I had a lot of responsibilities and I would worry about them a lot. It made it hard to get anything done,” she said.
“How did you deal with it?” he asked. “Was that when you started running?”
“Well over time you kind of get used to it,” Sarah said. “And I already ran regularly. What actually helped me a lot more then running was learning to meditate.”
“Meditate? I haven't heard of that.”
“It’s basically just clearing your mind of all thoughts,” Sarah said. “Giving yourself time and space to just be for a moment without your mind conjuring up a million ideas and worries.”
“But that's exactly the point, I can't stop my brain conjuring up ideas.”
“The point isn’t exactly to stop it. The point is just to let it be.” Max just looked more confused. “So, when you first start to meditate you'll find it really difficult to stop the thoughts from happening. Instead of engaging with them and exploring the problems that they bring up, you simply acknowledge that it is a thought, and move on. You’re watching the thoughts in your head but not engaging with them.”
“That makes absolutely no sense. How can you acknowledge a thought and not identify with it? If I’m thinking it I can’t ignore it. I’m not trying to engage with it in my head I don't even understand how to not engage.”
Sarah laughed. “Trust me, I understand the struggle, but it really works. Let’s try it.”
They found a comfortable spot to sit where the grass was thick, and Sarah sat cross-legged, gesturing for Max to also sit.
The Prince sat, folding his long legs beneath him. “You don’t look very comfortable,” Sarah said.
“Don't worry, I am,” Max said. “It’s just these ridiculous legs of mine.”
Sarah laughed. “Okay, well if you're sure. Now first of all close your eyes.”
Max closed his eyes and immediately began to chuckle. “Stop it,” Sarah said, giggling herself. “You need to concentrate.”
“Sorry,” Max said. He took a deep breath, composing himself. “I’m taking this seriously now.”
“I hope so,” Sarah said sternly. “Now take a deep breath in and release it slowly.”
Max did as he was asked. “Now,” she said, “take another deep breath, but this time make sure it goes all the way down to your stomach.”
Max cracked one eye open. “To my stomach? I thought my lungs are for breathing and my stomach is for food.”
“Well, yes, if you're going to be stupidly literal about it. You’re not actually going to breathe into your stomach, but it is going to go to your abdomen.”
“I don't understand the instruction.”
She let out her own breath, hissing through her teeth. “Come here,” she said scooting across to him and taking his hand. She placed it gently on her stomach and breathed in, allowing her abdomen to expand with the breath. “Like this.” Sarah placed Max's hand on his own abdomen. “Now you breathe normally.”
Max breathed in and out slowly. “See how your abdomen didn't expand?” She said. “Now this time breathe a little deeper and focus on consciously expanding your abdomen a little bit with the breath.”
Max did as he was asked. “Did you feel the difference?” Sarah said.
“Yes, I understand now.”
“Excellent. Now that's how I want you to breathe for the duration of this exercise. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, close your eyes again,” Sarah said. “Don’t answer me, just listen to what I say. Now take a deep breath in… and breathe out… keep your breath slow. I want you to concentrate on the breath itself. I want you to think only about the sensation of air coming in and air going out…”
She watched him take several deep, slow breaths before continuing. “How does it feel? What's the temperature, is it relaxin
g? Just concentrate on the breath. I’m going to stop talking now, but I want you to keep breathing in and out slowly until I tell you that you can open your eyes.”
Max didn't acknowledge but continued to breathe, so she assumed he was taking her instructions literally again.
She gave it what she thought was a few minutes. This was one of the few times she’d missed having a watch or a phone to check the time on.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now,” she said.
Max opened his eyes and smiled. Sarah stuttered. “H…h…how do you feel now?”
“I feel a little less harried,” he said, sounding surprised.
“Good. If you do that exercise daily, you will see a real difference in how you feel.”
“So, I just breathe 15 minutes each day?”
“For now. There are advanced techniques, but just doing that will make a difference for you if you do it regularly.”
“I think I can commit to that,” Max said. “Actually, it's quite strange what difference it makes.”
“I know, right!” Sarah said. “You wouldn't think just a little bit of breathing would make such a big difference, but it does.”
The Princess had decided to skip today's lesson as well, so Sarah and Max used the opportunity to work on researching for the fireballs. On the way through to the secret passageway, Sarah saw that the new portraits had been hung on the walls.
“Oh, look!” she said, pointing. “Who is this handsome, manly prince on the wall?”
She looked at Max and back to the picture. “Is he a relation?”
Max glared at her. “I believe that is Prince Maximilian,” he said, pointing his nose in the air and his chin tilted upwards.
Sarah laughed. “What a manly specimen he is. You must be jealous of his rugged good looks. Do you think that Princess Katherine would rather be marrying this Max?”
Max raised an eyebrow at that. “I think the Prince Max that she's got is quite a catch, thank you! Anyway, I'm not the only one with features that a painter might… tweak, am I?”
“What do you mean?” Sarah said, suddenly self-conscious.
Max looked her over appraisingly, hand on his chin. “Well, those unsightly brown spots on your face are not very ladylike. No self-respecting lady would allow the sun to mark her face in such a manner.”
Sarah stuck her tongue out at him. “Well, I like my freckles. I think they make me look healthy I think, so I don't care what your opinion is.”
“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Max said, leaning in. “I actually think your freckles make you look rather sweet.”
“Then I'll let you in on a secret,” she said. “I actually think I prefer the real Prince Max to the one in the picture. And I am sure Princess Katherine does too.”
“Well, unfortunately for Katherine she doesn't really get to have a choice!”
They ducked into the secret passageways and darkness and privacy made Sarah bold. “Do you love the Princess?”
A pause stretched out between them. “I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped the mark,” Sarah said quickly. “I shouldn't have asked that, it’s none of my business. I suppose with all of the philosophical talk of love and you being betrothed I just couldn't help but think about that.”
“It’s fine,” the Prince said. “I don't mind the question. Honestly? I don't love Katherine.”
“Oh,” she said, nerves fluttering in her stomach. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Max said. “I'm sure. And I don't feel particularly bad saying it, because I'm fairly confident that Katherine does not love me either.”
“That’s so sad,” Sarah said. “After the discussions we’ve had, I get the impression that you actually believe in real, true love the same way I do.”
“I may be being hasty,” Max said. “I think perhaps we do not love each other yet. We have our whole lives. Wealthy, privileged lives, which will no doubt help.”
“Money doesn’t make up for lack of love, and you shoulder great burdens, your life isn’t just wealth and privilege. It’s duty, and honor, and doing the right thing for everyone. Don’t you deserve love in your life to make that easier?” Sarah challenged.
“Perhaps, but if my father is to be believed, love doesn’t really have a place in the life of a royal. If it happens then it's a blessing, but I can, and will, rule without it.” He lowered his voice an octave and said, “Strong kingdoms are built on strong marriages.”
Sarah assumed he was mimicking the King, but she’d not yet met him. “By strong he means well-matched diplomatically, not well-matched personally,” he added.
“Do you ever wish you were born 'normal'?” she asked. "I mean, not royal."
“Sometimes,” he sighed, “but then you can’t change your destiny.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“It's something my nanny used to say, but then she told me I was destined for true love as well, so what do I know?”
He pulled a piece of paper off the workbench with a flourish and showed her the schematic. "Ta-da! So, we already thought that we need two compounds that join and cause an explosive reaction to set the hay alight."
Sarah nodded. Max pointed at the diagram. "So I managed to create a vessel with two chambers that will break on impact.”
"Ok, so impact rather than trajectory?" she clarified.
"I decided trajectory was too ambitious. Lighting on impact will be just as useful," he said.
"Agreed. Now what compound?" Sarah thought for a moment. "We did an experiment in High School where we mixed glycerin with something... potassium... permanganate I think?”
“I don’t know what those are? Do you think we call them something different in my kingdom?” Max asked.
“Possibly, or they may not have been discovered yet... umm, here. Maybe you don’t have them here?”
Max wrinkled his nose. “What are they created from?”
“I don’t know. I mean, glycerin is from vegetables, so I suppose we could get that. But potassium permanganate? No idea,” she said, wracking her brains. “Are there books on different rocks in the library? It’s made from minerals so perhaps there will be something useful there?”
“Some?”
“Let’s go and find out.”
Chapter 25
They relocated to the library, Max finding a set of ladders to reach the higher shelves. He plucked a book off the shelf, a cloud of dust billowing into his face and setting him off coughing and spluttering.
Sarah studied the titles of the books on the lower shelves, where the dust was thinner. Regardless, her hands were covered in a thin coat of grey grime when she’d finished her search. She uncovered no useful titles, but Max climbed down from the ladder triumphant, with two books clutched under his arm and a dust bunny lodged in his hair. Sarah hesitated, and then reached out to pluck the bundle of fluff and dust from his dark strands.
Max’s eyes widened at the gesture, but he nodded when she held up the offending particles. He ran his hand through his hair, shaking his fingers as he went to dislodge any more unwelcome residents.
They spent a couple of hours pouring over the two books Max had found, and Sarah’s bottom was numb by the time they finished. Max offered Sarah his hand to get up from her seated position on the floor.
"Thank you," she said, dusting off her rear when she stood. "I'm sorry, I just don’t know enough to use the descriptions in these books. I need pictures, maybe then I would recognize it.”
"Don’t worry," Max said. “At least we now both know much more about indigenous rocks than we ever did before!”
Sarah laughed. “Yes, this is true.”
“Come on, let’s get back to the workshop. We may as well use the time we have left on something else.”
They scurried through the passageways, and found Henry sitting at the workbench in Max’s workshop. He looked at them disapprovingly as they came through the door.
"I thought you were working on the fireball," he said, looking between t
he two of them.
“We were!” Max said. “We were trying find a material that would combust, we were researching in the library but unfortunately we can’t find it.”
“I'm sorry,” Sarah said.
“It’s not your fault,” Max said. “It was always a long shot, but we tried. Besides, if we focus on something else now, an answer might come to us before tomorrow. I always find thinking too hard about a problem makes the solution harder to find.”
“OK,” Sarah said. “So, what are we working on?”
“I don’t know what exactly,” Max said. “I want something to stop the recent bandit attacks in the city.”
“Like streetlights?” Sarah said, thinking of the narrow, winding streets leading to the town square.
“What are streetlights?” Max said.
“They’re lights in the street, they come on at night and then there are no dark places for criminals to hide.”
“You’re telling me some candles stop them?”
“Well, it’s more than a candle, but yes, it deters them.”
“It doesn’t stop them,” Max said.
“No, but you can’t stop human nature. You can just deter the baser elements by making it less attractive. Dark places are easy to hide and attack people from. When it’s lit up and you think people can see you, you’re less likely to indulge in criminal behavior,” Sarah argued.
“And who lights all these candles?” Henry asked.
“At home, they come on auto... Umm. Government workers.”
"Servants?" said Max.
“Kind of, yes,” Sarah said.
“Seems like a lot of man hours. It would be sunrise again by the time they finished,” Henry said skeptically.
Max looked thoughtful “Perhaps, perhaps not. And it’s better than nothing.” He nodded.
“I like it. let’s try it in a concentrated area. That’s if I can convince my father.”
“Would he even notice? When's the last time he went into the town?” Sarah asked.
“His Lords would notice and mention it,” Max said.