Valiant

by Sarah McGuire

  “—s kiss!”

  I heard the rest of the chant. “Fate’s kiss! Fate’s kiss!”

  Had they made a tale of us already? Had they decided that, somehow, kissing the princess would put the world right?

  I rolled my eyes. The princess saw it, and a tiny smile curved her mouth.

  “Fate’s kiss!”

  I’d have none of it.

  I didn’t need to look at Leymonn. I’d already decided what to do. I faced the crowd, legs apart, shoulders back, and I bowed as I had when I was the Tailor’s apprentice: a quick bend at the waist. Then I took the princess’s hand and led her off the balcony. Soldiers closed the doors behind us, muffling the roar of the crowd.

  Princess Lissa immediately yanked her hand away from me. “Bring my new errand girl to my maids’ quarters this evening,” she commanded Lord Verras. She rubbed at the smear of red dust I’d left on her hand. “And be sure she’s bathed.”

  I stared after her, jaw clenched. That dust had come from facing two giants.

  Leymonn glanced at the princess, then back to me. “You’re good, Champion. That should keep the city happy for a while, don’t you think, Your Majesty?”

  King Eldin didn’t answer. He stared at me and, for a moment, I thought he looked jealous. Then he turned away abruptly. “Come with me, Leymonn.”

  The advisor flinched, anger flaring in his eyes before he smiled and followed the king.

  And then it was just Lord Verras and me in the dim room. The clamor of the crowd leaked through the closed balcony doors. Had I looked at Will that day in the street the way Lord Verras looked at me now—as if he needed to do something with me, but wasn’t sure what?

  My shoulders sagged. I couldn’t play the champion any longer. “Well?” I asked. “What now?”

  “Now,” said Lord Verras, “I take you to Will.”

  Chapter 15

  I followed Lord Verras through a blur of narrow hallways and staircases. I kept remembering the balcony, hearing the crowd, seeing the hopeful faces of the people below.

  “That was horrible,” I murmured.

  “You did well,” said Lord Verras.

  I slanted a glance at him.

  “They think there’s a champion, a real champion! They think I can save them. And I can’t!”

  “No,” he said, “you can’t.”

  Did the man ever try to soften the truth?

  “But you did well,” he added.

  “You said you wished I’d never run out to face the giants.” I’d resented the comment a few hours ago, but after looking out at Reggen from the balcony, I understood.

  “I don’t know a soul who would blame me for saying that after all the trouble you caused. But—” Lord Verras sighed, and I saw how weary he was. “I won’t be in any mood to repeat a compliment, so listen well, Miss Gramton: you showed more bravery than a soldier when you saved Will, and you noticed more than most scouts during your time with the giants. Then you stood before the king and returned alive, despite your foolishness. So. As I said, you did well.”

  I almost stopped, right in the middle of the corridor.

  He cleared his throat, as though he was unused to giving such praise. “It just would be easier if you were a man. Much easier.”

  I smiled and gestured to my clothing. “If only you knew how many times I’ve thought that.”

  We reached Will’s door before Lord Verras could answer. He rapped softly, then opened it. “The champion wishes to speak to the boy.”

  A physician stepped out of the room. I nodded at him, hoping I looked the part.

  “How is he?” Bless Lord Verras for asking. I couldn’t find my voice.

  “His ankle—and his leg just above the ankle—were broken. We set it when he passed out, though there may be many small breaks that we could not tend to. He’s been given a draught for the pain and is sleeping now.”

  “Will he walk again? It looked—” I couldn’t finish.

  The physician’s gaze flicked away, then back to me. “I hope so, but I can make no promises.”

  The corridor swam and I blinked away tears.

  “Thank you, Cannon,” said Lord Verras.

  Then he led me into Will’s dim, windowless room. One wall was solid stone, as if it was part of the cliff the castle stood against. That comforted me. I liked the idea of Will being far from the throne room. I hadn’t been in the castle long, but I’d seen enough to feel that it wasn’t safe. Not with someone like Leymonn advising the king. A fire lapped at the edge of a small hearth, throwing shadows against the bare wall and over Will’s bed.

  The bed linens covered him, but not his broken foot. Those smooth blankets startled me more than Will’s pale face. He was more likely to get tangled in his blankets than lie so still beneath them.

  I stopped in the center of the room, half expecting him to kick back the linens and leap from bed.

  Lord Verras closed the door behind us and pulled a chair beside the bed. “For you,” he whispered. Then he took the other chair and dragged it behind me to the far corner of the small room. “For me. This is all the privacy I can offer you.”

  I couldn’t look away from the still form on the bed.

  The chair creaked as he sat down. “He’s brave. Strong. He was almost across the bridge before I reached him. I don’t know how he did it.”

  Will pulled in a whiffling breath. How many times had I heard that from his nest under the Tailor’s cutting table? I almost smiled, and found I could move again.

  I twisted my chair so that I could sit as close to him as possible. He slept on, his freckles stark against his pale skin. Pain still pinched his face, but the trembling that had shaken his body when he lay near the fountain had stopped.

  How I wanted to hold him close! Then I realized I didn’t have to pretend here.

  There was no one in the room left to fool.

  I reached out and rested my palm against Will’s forehead. It was dry and warm, no fever. I pushed his unruly hair back from his forehead. His eyelids fluttered, but didn’t open. I wouldn’t try to wake him, not yet. I took one of his hands in mine, and softly combed his hair back with my other.

  “Sir?” Will’s whisper was so thin I barely heard it.

  He looked at me with sleep-clouded eyes. “I thought you were Ma at first.”

  “She used to do this?” I asked, still sweeping his hair back.

  He nodded.

  “How do you feel?” I asked.

  A shrug.

  “The doctors think you’ll be just fine. You’ll have to lie still a while, though, or your foot won’t heal. Do you think you can manage that?”

  His eyes opened wider. “How will I go to the fountain to look for Pa?”

  I kept my voice firm. “You can’t. Not for a while. If you try to walk before you’re well, you might not be able to walk at all. You’ll have to wait, do you hear me? You need to heal.”

  He nodded again. “Maybe I can wait a few days.”

  “Good.” After a little while, he scowled at me and whispered, “Sir, you shouldn’t do that. What if the doctor comes back and sees you?”

  “Sees what?”

  “You doing what Ma did with my hair. They’ll know you’re not a boy for sure.”

  Lord Verras’s chair creaked as he shifted his weight. Will heard it and jerked away from my hand, trying to see into the shadows behind me.

  “They know now, Will. They already know.”

  He pushed himself up onto his elbows, worry pinching his forehead. “I didn’t tell them, Sir. I swear I didn’t!”

  I pressed him back onto the pillows. “They just figured it out. It would have happened sometime.”

  He pushed himself back up, trying to see who else was in the room. The chair groaned again, and a moment later, Lord Verras stood beside me.

  “Hello, Will.”

  Will’s face grew serious, even though his head swayed a bit from the draught. “Are you going to hang Sir?”

  Lord
Verras blinked. “Who?”

  “Sir.” Will pointed at me. “That’s what I call her. So … are you going to hang Sir?”

  “No,” said Verras. “We aren’t.”

  The answer didn’t satisfy Will. “Is Sir in trouble?”

  Lord Verras answered immediately. “Not with me.”

  “But maybe with someone else?”

  A pause. “Maybe.”

  The answer satisfied Will, who accepted it with a grim nod. I sensed Lord Verras weighing how much he should say. “We’re going to hide her for a while. So the giants don’t find out the champion’s a girl. She’s going to dress as a maid and stay in the castle. If you see her—”

  “I’ll act like I don’t know her,” Will finished.

  “Good,” said Lord Verras. “Very good. And I need you to tell me about the giants tomorrow. Everything that happened. Can you do that?”

  Will’s mouth thinned, and I caught my breath. What was he remembering? But he nodded immediately.

  Lord Verras held out his hand to Will, who shook it solemnly. I looked at the nobleman. His face was set, as if he’d just made an agreement with another man. No silly smirk that adults sometimes wear to humor children.

  “Till tomorrow.” Lord Verras released Will’s hand gently and returned to his chair.

  Will flopped back in bed and scowled at the ceiling. “Here I am, stuck in a bed,” he muttered. “Who’ll help you?”

  “I’ll be fine,” I told him, pushing away every thought of dungeons and spoiled kings. I didn’t want Will to see even a shadow of fear on my face. “Truly. Don’t worry about me.”

  But Will didn’t believe me. He just looked up, dark circles under his eyes. He’d fought against the doctor’s draught for too long.

  “I’ll listen,” he said finally, “and then I’ll tell you what I hear. Folks talk around children. They don’t think we pay attention. But I already know the doctor doesn’t think you could stop an army of giants.”

  “He’s an intelligent man, then.” I pulled the too-neat blanket up to Will’s shoulders. Then I swept his hair back from his face, wishing he’d give in to his weariness. “Listening is a fine idea, so here’s your first assignment: I’m going to sing you a song, and you’re going to listen to every word. I couldn’t sing before, but I will now. I have a fine voice, young man. You tell me if I don’t.”

  Before he had time to argue, I began to sing the song I had whistled for him that first day we met. The song about the dragon and the brave bowman who killed it.

  At first, I was too aware of Lord Verras behind us. But then I thought about how long it might be before I saw Will again. I thought about the giants outside the castle and the villains who walked inside it. I thought perhaps this room still wasn’t a safe enough place for Will.

  And I knew, certain as sunlight, that I’d shoot every dragon from the sky for him if I could.

  I closed my eyes and sang about fear and fire, scales and wings and curved talons as the dragon attacked the village. I sang about the bowman who saw the destruction, who stood grim and still as he aimed the arrow. Who didn’t flinch as the dragon dove toward him. I sang about the silence afterward, as smoke cleared and the sun rose. I sang every verse, and Will grew quiet.

  “That’s a good song,” he whispered when I’d finished.

  I smiled. “I told you.”

  The chair behind me creaked as Lord Verras stood. We’d run out of time.

  “I have to go now,” I said. “You won’t try to walk before you’re allowed?”

  “Sure,” said Will. “But you’ll be back soon, won’t you?”

  “I don’t know. It might be a few days.” I tried to sound more certain than I was, but Will must have seen my doubt. He opened his mouth to say something, but I spoke first. “Listen for what they say about me or the giants. You can tell me when I visit next.”

  “Whatever you say, Sir.” Before I could stand, his wiry arms wrapped me in a fierce hug. “Don’t let them hurt you.”

  I hugged him back, pressing my cheek against his forehead. “I won’t.”

  The last thing I saw before Lord Verras closed the door was Will’s pale face, like a moon in the dark room.

  “Now what?” I asked Lord Verras.

  “One more visit,” he said. “Your father.”

  I rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hand. “The Tailor.”

  Lord Verras opened his mouth, then closed it. “I had my men bring the trunk as you asked.”

  I nodded and followed Lord Verras, too exhausted to notice the route we took. We finally stopped outside another door. The Tailor lay on the bed, awake. His eyes widened when he saw me. I walked to him, one halting step after another, until I stood at his side.

  His mouth was white with fury, his eyes wide. He was angry. I didn’t take his hand.

  “I don’t have much time, Tailor, but—” I didn’t know what to say, and looked over my shoulder at Lord Verras. Why did I think he could help me find the right words? “Do you remember how Will and I talked about giants? Giants came to Reggen today. They had Will, and I made them release him. So I have to stay at the castle. I don’t know how long. But you’ll be safe here.”

  I looked down at him.

  “No …,” he said, venom in the rasping word. “No. No.” His eyes rolled as they took in the room.

  My throat tightened, as if I still wore a cravat. I looked around the room for the first time. A cot sat in the corner, for whoever would tend to him. And the chest with the Tailor’s fabrics stood at the foot of the bed, where the Tailor could not see it.

  “Why couldn’t Leymonn know about you? Ask about you? Will should be hidden,” I whispered to myself.

  Then I walked to the chest and pushed it to the wall nearest the Tailor’s bed. It was very heavy, but my fury made easy work of it.

  “There,” I said. “You can see it now. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

  He blinked once: Yes.

  “Then—” I almost called him Father, but the word could not rise past the tightness in my throat. “I pray it comforts you, Tailor.”

  Chapter 16

  Weariness pulled at me the moment I left the Tailor’s room. My anger had given me strength to see him, but it spent itself as quickly as it had sprung up.

  The corridor tilted and I leaned back against the wall while Lord Verras pulled the door closed behind us. I’d never fainted before and didn’t plan to start.

  “What do I do now?”

  “Sleep.”

  The rest of the evening blurred together: bending over a basin, sponging the red dust away, lads’ clothing scattered at my feet. The feel of a skirt catching and swirling around my ankles as I walked to my new maids’ quarters. Lying in moonlight, my body too tired to move and my mind unable to rest.

  And finally: dreams. Dreams of dust and heat and crowds. Of giants with voices like thunder. And dragons, so many dragons. Too many to shoot from the sky.

  I woke to someone shaking my shoulder.

  “Will?” I threw back the bedcovers, looking for the cutting table and his nest of blankets.

  “Who’s Will?” a girl asked, hands on her hips. She had pale skin, black curly hair, and a sweet expression.

  I rubbed my eyes, not quite awake.

  “You must have had quite a trip to Reggen yesterday.” She shook her head sympathetically. “You need to dress quickly. The princess is asking for you.”

  Had something happened in the night? More giants? The duke?

  Will.

  I scrambled to my feet. “Is everything—is Princess Lissa well?”

  I plucked my dress off its hook and tugged it over my head. I hardly remembered how to fasten a dress after wearing trousers and a shirt for so many months. The girl must have noticed my hesitation.

  “Let me help you.” She stood behind me, and I felt her fastening the back of the dress. “The princess is well. And we address her as my lady.”

  It was a short walk to Princess Lissa
’s suite. The guards flanking her door didn’t even blink as Nespra, the princess’s maid, led me in.

  I looked around the room, worried that I’d see more guards there, eyes sober with a night’s worth of bad news. But there was only the princess in a silk robe, sitting by the fireplace. She looked tired.

  Nespra grabbed my arm and gently tugged me into a curtsy. I dipped down, wobbly and off balance, then quickly stood. I wanted to know about Will, about the giants. I stared at the princess, hoping for some hint.

  Princess Lissa glanced at me, then reached for one of the pastries on a fine porcelain plate beside her. She knew that I wanted news. And she didn’t seem to care.

  “Nespra,” said the princess. “I see you’ve brought Saville.”

  Nespra dipped her head. “I have. Is there anything you would have me get for her? She has only one gown.”

  Princess Lissa waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll have Kara tend to that.”

  Kara, I decided, was the girl laying out a dress for the princess.

  “In fact, Kara,” said the princess, “we shall see to Saville right now. Please arrange her hair. She can sit at the bench beside the window.”

  I turned to the princess, astonished. A duke with an army of giants was camped somewhere near Reggen, and she wanted her servant to arrange my hair? The princess merely nodded at Kara, who led me to the bench and pointed for me to sit. A moment later, the ribbon was yanked from my head.

  “Were you ill? Is that why it’s been cut?” Kara asked. “I’ve never seen hair cropped so short before.”

  “Kara, I told you to arrange her hair, not comment on it,” murmured the princess as she poured a steaming drink into a small cup. “Saville, I hear you entered the city just before the giants. Tell me about them.”

  I studied her. What did she want from me? “I hardly saw them.”

  “My lady …,” prompted Nespra with a smile.

  “—my lady,” I said.

  Lissa looked at me, mouth set, eyes blazing. “Tell everything you noticed. I’m sure you know more than you think.”

  Was this a test? “They were nearly as tall as trees.”

  “Oh! The willows?” asked Nespra.

  I shook my head, but Kara’s small hand clamped down ovoer my hair, preventing any further movement. “The oaks. They were as tall as the oaks. The … tailor didn’t reach their knees.”