Pawn (The Pawn Series Book 1)

by Robin Roseau

  "When this is all done, I'd like you and I to have a go at it."

  I laughed. "Any time, Princess. Any time."

  "Ach. I've asked you not to call me that."

  We grinned at each other. Then she tossed the spear to me. I caught it one handed and then twirled it around before pointing it towards the first ring. I waited for the pages to finish resetting all the hoops and cleared the field, and then I called out, "Hai! Hamper! Hai!"

  * * * *

  We arrived perhaps thirty minutes early, finding a crowd already filling the stands to overflowing. I turned to Juleena. "Seriously?"

  "We should have sold tickets."

  I laughed.

  "What would our cut have been?" Muranna asked me.

  Juleena and I both enjoyed that question.

  I didn't see the inner field immediately, but when I did, I was deeply surprised. It had been transformed.

  More barrels had been added. I could immediately distinguish the new barrels from the old ones; they weren't weathered in quite the same pattern. But they had been added somewhat haphazardly, making it less obvious there were additions. The barrels themselves were closer together than I'd had them before, but they were also spread wider from the centerline of the path. That is, a horse would need to turn more sharply around each barrel before taking the line to the next.

  This was definitely an advantage to Zana and me.

  And the course was also longer by perhaps fifty yards. That was a lot of weaving.

  There were two clearly new barrels added at the end of the course I normally considered the turnaround point. I realized these barrels were set to give each rider a similar entry to the course, even though each would be coming from opposite directions. One of us would make a right turn to the course; the other would make a left turn. But the size of each turn was identical, and after that, the courses themselves were also identical. There would be no advantage to taking either side.

  The next obvious additions were the various devices and obstacles for holding wooden rings. There were no pieces of fruit today, and I realized my practice earlier would hold me in good stead. I also realized that twice there were obstacles set up that would require the rider to wheel her mount about before spearing the ring.

  "Did your mother think of all this?"

  "We had help," she replied.

  The entrance to each of the tent pegging courses was also adjusted. The exit from the race track was configured to offer no advantage to either entry. Each rider would exit the track then turn the same amount left or right, then again turn the same amount onto the tent pegging course. After that, the courses were nearly identical except for the direction of some turns. I couldn't detect a single advantage to one side over the other.

  There was one more change. The starting line and finishing lines were both clearly marked, the finish line with a ribbon and the starting line with a banner. But the starting line was moved forward a furlong, shortening the portion of the race that would be run on the standard track.

  I turned back to Juleena. She was watching me. "I could win this."

  "No," she said. "You will win this. Do you understand me?"

  I nodded. "Yes. I understand."

  * * * *

  While Juleena, Muranna, and I were in clothing appropriate for a competitive ride, the queen was a different story entirely. She arrived by open carriage promptly at noon. I couldn't help but stare.

  Her carriage was pulled by a team of four Arrlottan horses. I'd never seen one of our horses in harness before, and I wondered how long it had taken to train them for the role.

  Juleena chuckled at my reaction. "You had to expect her to make a statement of support."

  "Perhaps she's saying that Arrlotta should be in harness to Framara."

  Juleena chuckled again. "No, and you know that's not the message."

  The carriage pulled onto the track and did two full circuits, the queen waving to the people assembled in the stands. Then the carriage came to a stop just before the start line for our race. Juleena nudged me. "Go help her down." She took Zana's reins from me, and I did just that. The carriage pulled away, and I wouldn't see it again until later.

  As soon as Ralalta had both feet firmly on the ground, she pulled me into a hug. The crowd thundered their approval.

  "Send that man home," she said into my ear, "with his tail firmly between his legs."

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  By the time she released me, Lord Baggar was stomping his way to confront us. At the same time, Juleena stepped up beside the queen. When I looked, I saw a groom was managing Zana. She knew the grooms and would behave for them.

  "Your Majesty, this is not the course my son rode."

  "Of course not," the queen said. "We took care to ensure both routes would be identical and all three stages of the race were of exactly equal length." She turned to Juleena. "You measured yourself."

  "We set the start and end of the tent pegging portion and then measured quite accurately. After that, it was simply a matter of adjusting the barrels and the starting line. If ridden by the most efficient path, the three courses are each the same distance within a single yard."

  We all turned back to Lord Baggar. "It appears Crown Princess Juleena has been quite meticulous to arrange a fair competition," the queen said. "After all, you told us your family's honor must be addressed, and certainly your honor could not be addressed through an unfair competition."

  The man tried to stare down the queen, but I already knew that no one beat Ralalta in a staring competition. Finally he looked away.

  "Excellent," declared the queen. "Now, as we seem to have collected quite an eclectic set of spectators -- look, there is the Balstead ambassador." She pointed and then offered a queenly wave. I followed the gesture and saw an ornately dressed, stiff-looking man seated in the stands. "Well, we must put on a good show."

  She stepped away and walked back up and down in front of the stands, waving to the spectators. She was dressed quite elegantly not in the clothing of court but instead in clothing more appropriate for the event. She looked stunning from her boots to the wide rimmed hat perched upon her head.

  The spectators stood, hollered, and waved back to her. A few called out, but all were polite.

  She came to a stop in front of the stands again and held her hand for silence. It took only a moment or two.

  "Good afternoon!" she called out.

  "Good afternoon, Your Majesty," the crowd yelled back. The queen laughed with joy.

  "I'm not sure I expected such a large turnout when I announced this event only yesterday," she said. I wondered about that. I suspect she'd sent messengers throughout the city making sure there was a turnout of this nature. "It's good to see you all here to support one of our own."

  The crowd cheered for that.

  "We have a three part race today. You can see the start line." She then described the race. "This shall be a demonstration of the speed and agility of the mount and the ability of the rider. I am sure it will be quite thrilling." The crowd cheered.

  She turned to face the Balstead Ambassador. "Mr. Ambassador, I am pleased you are here. It is only fitting that you help to judge this event, if you would be so kind." I saw a page standing near the ambassador, and so the man rose and allowed the page to lead him. He would appear shortly.

  In the meantime, the queen turned to Lord Baggar and me. "We should offer a formal introduction of our competitors. If you will both mount your horses."

  I turned, and the groom was waiting for me. I bounded atop Zana, making it look effortless. But I also knew it looked showy, and the crowd offered applause. I pretended to ignore it. Juleena handed up my spear.

  By the time I turned, Lord Baggar was just settling into his own saddle. He may have been riding the biggest horse I'd ever seen. I looked down at Juleena.

  "He's going to lose."

  "Don't get cocky. He's going to beat you in the first portion by at least two lengths and probably more than t
hat. And by every account, he's an excellent rider. You won't gain much during the tent pegging portion."

  "We'll be twice as fast through the barrels."

  She grinned. "Yep."

  I watched as he collected his lance. It was huge. Juleena tapped my leg. "That's called compensating."

  I looked back at her, confused. "I don't understand."

  "Good," she said with a grin, leaving me even more confused.

  "If both competitors are ready," called out the queen, capturing my attention. "First, the challenger." She pointed to Lord Baggar. The crowd began to boo, but the queen held up a hand. "This is a friendly competition," she said. "There would not be a competition at all if not for a challenger." She then proceeded to list Lord Baggar's various titles. When she finished her announcement, she began clapping.

  And if everyone in the stands didn't clap, enough did it wasn't an embarrassment.

  Then she pointed to me on her other side. My list of titles should have been significantly smaller, but it seemed overnight I had acquired several more. What was a Companion of Honor? But I liked the title Heart of the Wind. I liked that quite a bit.

  Zana needed a warm up, and so I decided to offer her the beginning of one. I invited her to move sideways from Juleena, who stepped away at the same time. And then we entered in a series of small, agile, fast moves, all of them while riding a basic figure eight pattern.

  The crowd cheered loudly.

  When we came to a stop, Zana snorted. When I looked past the queen, Lord Baggar was scowling.

  Then the queen raised her hand and called out, "I expect a clean, friendly competition. There will be no contact between competitors. There will be no crowding at the rail. The horse in the lead at the end of the first stage will be given clean exit through the gate." I wasn't worried about either of those. Lord Baggar would be ahead of me from the beginning. "There is no opportunity for interference during the tent pegging portion, but you shall both exercise control through the barrels. There is a clearly marked line separating the two courses, and if so much as a lance tip passes over the dividing line, it is a disqualification. Am I clear?"

  "Yes, Your Majesty," I called out. I knew none of that was for me.

  The queen turned to Lord Baggar, who nodded. "Of course," he said.

  At that point, the page appeared, leading the Balstead ambassador. They walked to the queen, who greeted him with a handclasp.

  "Mr. Ambassador," the queen called out. "Today we will see healthy, friendly competition between representatives of our mutual countries. I think it's going to be a good race. What say you?"

  "I believe you are correct, Queen Ralalta." He clearly knew how to address an audience as well. "I admit at first I expected the results to be a foregone conclusion, but now I cannot predict a winner."

  "Surely you are backing your countryman."

  "I am backing healthy competition and sportsmanship," he said. "And I hope to see gracious behavior from winner and loser alike."

  "I have no doubt," the queen replied.

  It seemed the ambassador wasn't fully pleased with Lord Baggar.

  "Due to the nature of the competition, Mr. Ambassador, I thought perhaps you could be one of two judges at the finish line. We have constructed a small platform at each corner of the finish so you will be able to view the entire race and still help to judge the winner."

  "I would be honored, Queen Ralalta. And will you be the other judge?"

  "Crown Princess Juleena will be the other judge," she declared. "I will oversee the entire race from above." She pointed to the viewing tower high above the course, which had been moved since I was last here. It now offered a commanding view of the course we would race today. "And as Muranna has had her part in bringing us here today, she will start the race."

  "Excellent," said the ambassador.

  "Excellent," agreed the queen. "Well then, we have one more minor detail. We must determine the starting positions."

  "Your Majesty," I said loudly. "I would cede the pole position to our Balstead guest." I didn't want to be between him and the rail, so taking the outside position would be safer.

  "Quite gracious," the queen said. "Well, shall we take our places?"

  The ambassador turned to Juleena, and she offered an arm. Together, they followed the queen, stepping through an opening in the rail. Then we all watched as the queen began to climb the ladder to the tower.

  I never would have expected the queen to be seen climbing a ladder, especially not dressed as she was, but she made for a regal figure as she settled into the tower.

  I turned Zana away from the starting line, asking for a trot, just a little trot to loosen her up and get her ready. We turned around and approached the starting line.

  Muranna was already waiting. She held two scarves wide from her body, blowing lightly in the breeze. Lord Baggar took a place to her left, closest to the rail. I took a place to the right. Muranna had taken her position well clear of the rail, giving significant initial separation between the two riders.

  Lord Baggar held his lance vertically, the tip high in the air. I held my spear in my right hand, parallel to the ground, with Zana's reins loosely in my left hand. I would guide her without the reins, anyway.

  "It appears all judges and both competitors are ready," called out the queen from high above. "Let the competition begin!"

  The fans roared their approval. Muranna yelled her words. "Ready. Set. Go!" she waved both scarves, and both Lord Baggar and I were off.

  As expected, I had a slight advantage at the start, but it lasted almost no time at all. Lord Baggar's mount was large and powerful, and while it took longer to come to speed, it was not such a long time. I didn't worry about that, and I didn't worry about keeping it close. I was perfectly happy letting him get through the exit gate first.

  And he did, reaching the gate with a six-length lead. But he promptly lost a length and a half making the turn to exit the track and another half-length when he turned right onto the tent pegging course.

  After that, I wouldn't see him again until we reached the barrels.

  Zana and I turned left, and we raced towards the first of the wood hoops. We slowed for it, and I took it cleanly, letting the hoop slide down the spear to my hand. I flipped my thumb over it to capture it.

  I caught the next one easily but missed the third. Zana stopped and twirled, and I caught the hoop from behind, completing the spin back onto course, and then we were off again. There was a gap, and I used the second I had to dump the three rings into the waiting small sack, hanging from the saddle.

  I got one more, missed one, but that was the last I missed.

  My focus was so intense that I became aware only of Zana, the spear, the rings, and the course itself. I ignored the crowd, the other rider, and everything else.

  But we spun towards the start of the barrels. Lord Baggar had his lance tip in the air again, and I could see the rings riding on the lance. He was still a length or two ahead of me when he turned onto the barrel course, and I smiled.

  I saw him fumble his first turn, riding well wide of the best course. After that, I caught a glimpse of him as we rounded the barrels closest to his side of the course, but he was behind us from the third barrel.

  The finish wasn't even close. It could have been judged from one of the towers of the palace.

  Responsibilities

  Juleena handed me a book. "Start at the beginning," she said. "Read the first five pages, then tell me what they mean."

  We were in her room -- Juleena, Muranna, and I. I sat in a chair by myself, and Juleena took a seat on the sofa beside Muranna. They both watched me. Muranna smiled and nodded to me.

  I opened the book and began reading. I read carefully and deliberately, and if a few times I stumbled over unfamiliar words, Juleena said nothing. When I finally looked up, Muranna was still smiling.

  "I have questions."

  "All right, Yalla," Juleena said carefully. "Go ahead."

  I back
ed up to one of the words that had been troublesome. "I do not know this word." I sounded it out carefully. "Conciliatory."

  Juleena corrected my pronunciation and explained the word.

  "And this one. Discord."

  "Strife," Juleena explained.

  I asked about two other words then said, "It's a book of history. I did not recognize many of the place names, but I believe it is discussing the times leading up to the war that created the Wizard's Gorge. Five pages aren't enough to be sure."

  Juleena asked a variety of questions. Some I felt I answered better than others. She asked me to read a passage and explain it in more detail. She did that twice more. And then she smiled before turning to Muranna. "What do you think?"

  "Perfect!" she declared.

  "Spoken like a true friend," Juleena said. "Perhaps not perfect, but good. Incredible improvement, Yalla."

  "Thank you," I said.

  "I want you to continue to read every day, no exceptions, for at least an hour, and longer if you desire. You will read the books I give you. If you want to read others in addition to these, of course you may, but you will devote at least an hour a day to the books I choose." I nodded understanding. "I believe reading aloud has achieved its goals, and reading silently is far faster."

  She turned to Muranna. "If she moves her lips, you will help her break that habit."

  Muranna laughed.

  Juleena leaned forward. "A few months ago, you asked about increased responsibility." My heart began to pound. I was sure she was going to tell me I wasn't ready. "The palace finds a need of an able pair of hands wielded by an intelligent mind." She turned to Muranna. "Two able pairs, but you I cannot command."

  Muranna laughed again. "Sure. It won't be anything too distasteful, will it?"

  "You'll have to decide that for yourselves," Juleena responded. "Lady Malta has begun to plan the Winter Solstice festival. She requires assistance. The two of you will be that assistance. You will do anything she asks of you. If she needs you to inventory a storeroom, you will inventory the storeroom. If she asks you to deliver messages, you will deliver messages. You will do anything she asks, and you will exercise every bit of responsibility you possess while doing so, and wear a smile besides. Am I clear?"