The Palace Library

by Steven Loveridge

  7. Queen Eleanor

  “The Great Sword of State has been lost forever,” said Queen Eleanor to Harry, Eleanor and Grace. “It was seen being thrown overboard from the King’s ship during a stormy passage from Normandy to London and His Majesty is in turmoil. It can never be recovered from the depths of the English Channel.

  “Worse than that, there must be a traitor in close connection with the Court who was aboard that ship and had access to the royal treasure. The culprit wasn’t seen. He hasn’t been uncovered, so he may be amongst us even now.”

  The children had been brought to Queen Eleanor’s Rooms at Clarendon Palace. Master John had told the children that the Queen was a great person in her own right. She had been Queen of France before she married the King of England and she was ruler of a land almost as large as England called Aquitaine.

  “It would be as well to listen to what she has to say and obey what she commands!” said Master John, before he and Sir Guy ushered them in to see her.

  Sophie stood with the children as they had their audience with the Queen. Sir Guy was standing apart to one side. As he pushed past Sophie, the hackles on the back of her neck rose up and Eleanor noticed she gave a very low growl. It was a growl no one else could hear, but it was enough to set Eleanor wondering what was wrong.

  The children could barely believe there could be more beautiful rooms in the main part of the palace. A huge fireplace with double marble columns was the centrepiece and the floor was paved with gold, grey and pink tiles.

  Harry was listening carefully and thought it was time to ask a question, “Why is the Sword of State so important?”

  The Queen looked at the boy for a moment as if he were a fool. Master John was quiet, but Sir Guy tut-tutted in a disapproving way.

  The Queen’s head turned towards him. “That will do Sir Guy.” Then she sighed and explained, “The Great Sword of State was given to the kings of England before my husband’s ancestor, Duke William, conquered England. It was given to them by the ruling council, The Witan, and it represents both the might and power of the King and the justice of the old and the new England. Its significance to the governance of the kingdom cannot be underestimated.”

  Then it was Eleanor’s turn to ask a question, “Can’t it just be replaced?”

  This time the look of Queen Eleanor was even more withering, “Have you been taught nothing at home?” she said. Eleanor and Grace held each other’s hands even more tightly.

  The Queen paused and started again. “No. It cannot simply be replaced. It is not only symbolic, but it is also magical. It has a real power which cannot be duplicated easily. In these modern times…” (at this the children looked at each other, thinking the Queen did not know the meaning of modern, but they did not dare speak) “…many people no longer believe in magic and the power of the Sword, but there are others who are well aware. There are some who say that it is King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur, but it is far more likely it is St George’s sword, Ascalon. The history is uncertain. No one doubts its importance.

  “The loss of the Sword has made the King furious. It could not have happened at a worse time. Every person of importance in the land has been called to Clarendon to reaffirm the authority of the King and the ancient laws of England. All of them will expect to see the Sword of State and its absence could ruin everything.

  “The treachery in the court must be uncovered in secret and the Sword must be replaced.”

  Harry now thought it was time to ask another question, even though he needed to summon up courage to do so, “I think we believe in magic. That must be what brought us here through The Palace Library, but what has this to do with us? How can we help? Surely there must be others who can do this?”

  “We must replace the Sword,” answered the Queen. “Or rather you must. The Sword can only be replaced with the help of innocents - with the help of children. That is clear in the Prophecy. The magic cannot be replicated by grown men or women.”

  “How can we do that?” asked Grace. “We’re just children.”

  “You must do that with the knowledge from The Palace Library and the books that Edgar gave you. There are many secrets to making the Sword. We know a few.

  “First, the Sword must be forged by an English blacksmith. We know the name of a man in Devon who is capable of doing that. Secondly, the Sword must be forged in the heat of a volcano where dragons live and breathe the hot fumes. Thirdly, the Sword must be mounted with a diamond wrestled from the oldest of the dragons. It will not be easy. There is no map to take you there, but there should be clues in your books. The King’s best ship will be at your disposal. You’ll need to leave tonight.”

  At this moment, Grace said, “Does that mean we’re magicians if we can make a magic sword? Are you a magician?”

  The Queen looked at her more kindly, “No we’re not magicians. There are very few left in the world. I am Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy and Aquitaine. I’ve been Queen of France and I’ve visited Jerusalem on the Crusade, but I’ve never met a magician. It’s our role to harvest the magic of the natural world.

  “Be careful not to appear to be magicians. You are from a different place and time and people may believe you are witches, which would scare them and be a danger to you. People do not believe in magicians, but they believe in witches and they hate them.”

  The Queen then turned to Master John. “Master John, you must leave your hounds in the care of your kennelmen for some time. You will accompany these three to the King’s harbour at Axmouth, where they will find the blacksmith who has been given his instructions. Then return here.”

  Sir Guy of Caen interrupted, which caused the Queen to frown, but he continued anyway, “Would it not be better if I, a knight, accompanied them?” Sophie’s hackles rose again, but she was quiet. Only Eleanor noticed and put her hand up against the deerhound’s side.

  “No,” said the Queen. “My decision stands. You, Sir Guy, will go ahead as quickly as possible on horseback to ensure the King’s flagship is as ready as can be, although they should even now have their orders. Master John will accompany the children.” She was impatient with Sir Guy and created an atmosphere in the room, which made the children think they would far rather be in Horrible Hair Bun’s bad books than on the wrong side of the Queen’s temper. “In fact, go now. You have the King’s trust and he expects your support in this matter.”

  Sir Guy could do nothing except say, “Yes, Ma’am,” and depart with a bow, a bow Master John thought far too short for taking leave of one’s Queen.

  “Do not let us down,” added the Queen. “Since you enjoy the King’s trust, make sure it is deserved.”

  As the man left the room, Eleanor felt Sophie physically relax.

  “Children, I’ll offer you my best wishes. You’ll have to use your own initiative, but I’ll wait every day to hear of your successful return.

  “Harry, to you I give my signet ring. It will prove who you are and will open doors for you which would otherwise remain locked.” With that she pulled a ring from her finger and slid it onto Harry’s hand. It was far too big, so she turned and said, “Eloise, fetch my chain from the bedchamber so that Harry can wear this around his neck.”

  The children had not noticed the girl Eloise before. She had been sitting in the shadows by the fire and came forward. She would have been beautiful except a scar had disfigured her from her ear to her mouth, giving her a permanent sour smile on one side of her face. When she returned with the chain and it was slipped over Harry’s neck, the Queen turned to her with sudden decision. “Eloise. You are to go with the children. I charge you with the care of their health and well-being, if necessary with your life. Be vigilant.”

  Eloise looked shocked and frightened, but said nothing.

  To the children she turned and said, “Eloise cannot speak. She has no tongue, but she is not a dumb girl. Far from it.”

  “Now all of you, prepare yourselves. You must leave before midnight. Follow the valle
y down towards Sarum on foot and you’ll find a coach waiting to take you. Above all, beware of traitors who will try to stop you.”

  The children were dismissed and as they left the room they felt frightened and lonely and full of questions. To make matters worse, lightning lit up the cloister and made scary shadows. Sophie kept close to them all to comfort them.

  Master John tried to cheer them up, “You have the Queen’s confidence and so you have my confidence too. I’m sure you will succeed and I’ll look after you until we get to Axmouth, where one of the King’s ships will take you to wherever you need to go.”

  The children knew the village of Axmouth, at least in their own time, so they hoped there would be something familiar there. And perhaps some clues.

  8. The Stuffy Carriage

  The children sat in a stuffy carriage after their journey on foot to Sarum. The carriage surprised them. It was quite unlike the carriages they had seen on television carrying our current Queen. This carriage was like a great big wooden box covered in metal bands and studded with great iron nails. At each corner was a wooden wheel bound with a circle of heavy steel. Each wheel was taller than Harry and the whole thing was drawn by four of the largest horses any of them had ever seen. From the outside, it looked most uncomfortable. Worse, it looked like a mobile prison.

  Inside was quite another matter. Plush upholstery and rich red and blue material lined the coach. Compared to the quarters in the kennels, it was luxurious. There were no windows to look out of, but only a couple of wooden shutters to keep the cold winter weather out. In a way it was like being locked in a box, even if it was a comfortable box. Grace, Eleanor and Harry sat on one seat facing forwards. Master John and Eloise sat on the other opposite to them. Sophie was in the middle and had her head on Eleanor’s lap. Master John looked quite uncomfortable sitting there, unused to the luxury of travelling in this way. Next to him sat Eloise, still looking quite terrified.

  There was no time wasted getting underway and the carriage lurched and swayed along the rough roads.

  It was not long before Grace asked the inevitable question that she always asked at the beginning of a journey. “How long will it take us?”

  “If the road hasn’t been washed away in the rain and there are no unusual delays, it should be no more than two days,” answered Master John.

  “Two days?” cried the children in unison. “How can it take so long?” They were quite dismayed.

  “This is the finest carriage in England,” said Master John, “and we’re travelling under the King’s protection. We won’t stop except to change horses. I can never imagine the journey could be made more quickly. This carriage will be our home together until then.”

  To the children, it was an age. They had been thinking in modern terms and knew the journey never took more than two hours, even in traffic. They looked at each other and sighed.

  “At least we can read our books to pass the time,” said Eleanor.

  This time it was Master John who looked surprised. “You can read?” he said. “At your age too?”

  “We all can,” answered Grace proudly.

  “Well I admire you,” he said. “I’ve never learnt to read books, for it is only the work of government that requires the clerics to read. I can only read my hounds and the coverts in the royal forest where we hunt. My learning is in nature and understanding what’s necessary to look after the hunt.”

  “And can you read, Eloise?” asked Harry, trying to be polite. The girl shook her head, but made no further effort to communicate.

  “We must give you your book, Harry,” said Eleanor suddenly remembering. “It seems to have been such a rush that we’ve never had time, nor been able to tell you about our books and Edgar.”

  “Well, I hope they give some clues about what we have to do,” replied Harry. “Let’s see it,” he added excitedly.

  Eleanor drew the slender volume out from under her cloak and gave it to Harry. It had a plain green cover and, being patient, Harry looked at what might be written on it. There was nothing there, so he opened the first page and then the next and the next.

  “What is the book?” asked the girls.

  “I don’t know,” answered Harry. He tried not to sound irritated or disappointed. “I think it’s just a notebook, there don’t seem to be any words on the pages at all.”

  “But Edgar said it would give you wisdom when you needed it,” said Grace.

  “Yes,” said Eleanor. “But he said something else. It was a word I didn’t understand and I can’t remember it. Can you Grace?”

  “No.”

  “You’re both a fat lot of good,” said Harry crossly.

  “I remember. I remember,” answered Eleanor. “It was ‘cryptic.’ Do you know what that means?”

  “Yes. It means it’s like a puzzle. We have to work it out.” He stared at the book, slightly relieved that maybe it wasn’t blank after all. “Perhaps the writing is just very faint. I wish there was more light in here. Two days like this. How can we read?”

  “I know,” said Grace and she pulled her own book out of a pocket. She laid it on her lap and opened it up. Everyone gasped except Eleanor who knew what to expect. The inside of the carriage lit up in the same way that the dome of The Palace Library had been lit. Stars shooting out of the book were like silent fireworks. The carriage was bright with twinkling light and it was like being outside on a clear night with a full moon.

  “Wow!” said Harry.

  Suddenly Sophie caused mayhem. Alert almost at once from sleeping, she sat up and barked at the stars. Then she thought the best thing to do was lie on her back to look at the way the stars seemed to hover on the ceiling of the carriage. But there wasn’t really room for her to manoeuvre, so as she turned she thumped her head on the door. She whined for a moment and then just comically turned her head this way and that whilst wagging her tail. She turned from noble royal dog to naughty puppy in seconds.

  “Sophie!” cried Eleanor. All of a sudden the dog looked crestfallen in such a way that she changed position and sat up again, treading on all their feet in the process and placing her head on Eleanor’s lap. When they finally settled down, it was Master John who spoke, “I would never have believed it, if I hadn’t seen it. If I hadn’t heard the Queen say that you’re not magicians, I would tremble before you. But you certainly do have powerful magic. I hope you heed the Queen’s advice about who you share this with.”

  Eloise trembled and looked worried.

  “That is really cool,” added Harry. Let’s see if I can see any writing now. “No. Boring. You show me your book, Eleanor, anyway.”

  She opened up her book and showed him the beautiful pictures. As she did so, Grace tipped up her book and the stars went out, causing Sophie to bark again.

  “What’s happening?”

  Grace put the book down flat again and they came back on, “Hey, it’s like a switch,” she said. “It’s groovy.”

  “Yeah,” said Harry, still annoyed that he seemed to have been given a dud book and completely uninterested in pictures of plants. Then Harry shut the book crossly and said, to no one in particular, “What are you little green book?”

  Suddenly gold lettering appeared on the cover.

  Peto, was the word. Then it vanished and was replaced by Invenio.

  “It’s Latin,” said Harry, “but I haven’t learnt these words yet. I wish they were in English.”

  As if responding to his wish, the gold words faded and were replaced in English: I seek… Then: I find.

  “I get it I think,” said Harry. “Maybe if I ask the book questions, it’ll give me answers.”

  So Harry opened the book, as the girls looked over him. “What’s my name?” he tried.

  Know thyself, was the answer.

  Master John was looking intently too, “Well you were told it was cryptic. Try something else.”

  “Where are we going?” asked Harry.

  West, was the word on the page. Harry spoke it. Ma
ster John laughed out loud. “Well I could have told you that!”

  “And so could I,” added Grace as she pulled the gold compass and watch out of her pocket. “I must remember to wind it up each day!”

  “That’s beautiful,” said Harry, but ignoring her really, as he was far too interested in the book now.

  “Why are we going west?” tried Harry.

  To fulfil the Prophecy. The three children were silent. Then Eloise seemed to recover herself and nudged Harry’s knee. She looked at him and put her hands to her mouth as if she were singing.

  “What do you mean?” asked Harry.

  “It’s no good asking Eloise that sort of question,” answered Master John. “You must ask her questions she can reply ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to by nodding or shaking her head. She means read it out loud to us, since neither of us can read.”

  So Harry did, then he realised the next question he must ask. Great Uncle Jasper had mentioned the Prophecy and so had Queen Eleanor.

  “What is the Prophecy?”

  This time the book filled a whole page with words and when Harry turned the page over he found there were more. The words were in English but they were difficult to read, written in a tiny gothic script.

  Speaking out loud, he strained over them. “It’s a poem. I can read some of the words, but not all of them. Dragons is here. I wonder what that means. Past World’s End is here. I’ll have to concentrate to read this.”

  The journey continued as the children looked at their books in silence. For Master John and Eloise, it was late in the day and they soon fell asleep, John snoring loudly. But the three children had not only leapt in time, but missed a great chunk of the day, so they did not feel at all sleepy. Instead they turned to read each of their books.

  An hour or so later, Harry declared he had deciphered the poem, but he saw that even then the girls had fallen asleep, so he closed Grace’s atlas to dim the light and decided that it would have to wait until the morning.

  9. The Prophecy