A Knight to Remember

by Ceillie Simkiss

  I set to work, pinning all twelve pages of my work to the board quickly. That was the easy part. Now I had to read through them and see what actually made sense together, connecting things with yarn pinned to board. From there, I’d rewrite my notes into a page or two. Alys had compared this process to spinning a spiderweb, and she wasn’t wrong. When I had worked at the Academy, I had had a room specifically for this. The walls were covered in cork so that I could do this on a larger scale. One project had been so intensive and required so much in the way of notes and yarn that I’d accidentally trapped myself in the room without realizing it. I smiled at the memory as I worked, chewing lightly on one of the pins I would use later. It helped me focus, though my mother had told me that it was not one of my more attractive traits.

  Reading back over my notes, nearly every book had mentioned an issue with silver, though none of them had actually agreed on why or how it affected anything with the transformation. I realized that the silver necklace I had pulled off of the man in the hospital was still in my pocket. I hadn’t taken much time to look at it before, but it couldn’t hurt to add it to the board along with everything else. I pulled the thin chain from my pocket and rubbed the pendant between my thumb and forefinger. It was a simple but well-crafted circular drop with the goddess’s sigil carved out of the center like those that many who were particularly religious wore - nothing particularly unusual for a soldier to wear.

  I nearly dropped it when Vincent’s voice came from behind me suddenly.

  “You have done some good work here. May I see that?”

  The much taller, light skinned man stepped forward, his hands in the pockets of his robes. I held it out to him without looking away from the board in front of us and he took it from me with gentle hands.

  “From what we know of werewolf attacks, there isn’t much we can do to stop them from turning into the creatures, but we can help them to avoid triggers - like this one.”

  He swung the pendant a few times for emphasis, then hung it from a pin on the board. It made sense. Chewing on the pin, I waited for him to continue, but he didn’t.

  “What are other known triggers for the transformations?”

  “Funnily enough, wolfsbane. Much like silver, it acts as a poison when ingested, which causes the body to transform into its stronger form. There have been a few reports of rye causing the transformation as well. Other than that, they usually transform on the full moon.”

  I shook my head at the irony of it. It was good to know, though. I hoped that these people would be able to live fairly regular lives despite the result of the attacks. Knowing the triggers would help them to heal quickly, though the healers had mentioned that their physical wounds were healing much faster than any of them had expected. They suspected, and I agreed, it was likely because of the source of the attacks.

  There was still the problem of how to deal with the ones that were still roaming the forests of Wolvington spreading this condition. I suspected that I would have to accept Cedric’s help again with hunting the wolves down, though the thought of killing semi-human creatures who were likely once my responsibility left me ill at ease. Three attacks from the same group of them was enough for me to know it was needed.

  The other problem was one that didn’t have as easy a solution in my mind. I posed the question to my companion, while Tomas snored lightly on the couch.

  “How do we keep them from attacking people the way they were?”

  Vincent didn’t answer me for several moments. He stood, staring at the board in quiet contemplation. When he finally did speak, his voice was quiet.

  “That is the question I’ve been trying to figure out myself. Usually, werewolves act like regular wolves when they transform. They avoid humans whenever possible unless they are incredibly low on food. As long as there is someplace nearby that’s got plenty of game for them to hunt on the night of the full moon, there shouldn’t be an issue.”

  “That is definitely something we can handle,” I mused. It wouldn’t be difficult to have people come in on the night of the full moon and have soldiers guard them to make sure nothing went awry. Especially since most of the new wolves were soldiers themselves.

  A groan from the back of the room announced that Tomas had woken up. We looked back to see him rubbing his eyes with both hands before getting up. He kept the blanket around his shoulders.

  “Why didn’t you wake me? I didn’t need the sleep…whoa.” The short, stocky man stopped short when he saw the work I had done. “That is one of the more interesting methods I’ve seen someone use for their notes.”

  “That’s one of the least rude ways I’ve heard someone discuss it.” I grinned at him and the ghost of a smile played on his lips. “We didn’t talk about the healing plan yet, so you didn’t miss much. Would you like to start us off?”

  With a nod, he picked up the stack of papers he had brought in with him and flipped through them. Apparently finding what he was looking for, he took a deep breath and began speaking to us both. I gave him my full attention.

  “Werewolves heal quickly, as your healers have no doubt noticed. However, that can often mean that their wounds do not heal well. If a bone is broken or something gets lodged in their flesh, the bone can often set badly or heal around the problems. With that in mind, here’s what I propose...”

  8

  AVERY

  The sun was rising over the ocean as I passed through the city gates, and I was still entirely exhausted. I had been riding for way too long, stopping only twice to water the horse and stretch some feeling into my legs again. I needed to stop again, but I had no intention of doing so before I reached the palace. Nothing but a royal decree was going to keep me from the featherbed that was waiting for me for the few hours I had before I needed to start getting ready for Julian’s ball. Hopefully, Bayard would be too busy to find anything else for me to do.

  I wasn’t the only one coming in at the last minute for the ball, judging by the dozens of carriages I had passed on the main road. However, they likely didn’t smell of a combination of dust, human and horse sweat, thanks to their smarter traveling accommodations. I desperately wished there were a more efficient mode of travel that I could have used, but for now, this was the best we had.

  There was no chance in hell I was going to miss out on a chance to see Genevieve in that dress again, preferably when she wasn’t pointing a pair of sharp blades at me.

  CORMAC

  On the day of the Prince’s ball, one of Poppy’s shop girls came running into the forge. The bell over the door jangled so hard that I thought it might fall off.

  “Isabella, what is the matter?” Finn asked. Concern was clear in his voice, and I could see why. Isabella’s simple, yet cleverly decorated dress was covered in dust and she was very out of breath. “Is Poppy all right?”

  The girl raised a thumb to us in affirmation, then bent over, trying to catch her breath. Finn set aside the decorative iron work that he was working on and rushed to her side, offering his arm for her.

  “Poppy is fine…but we need your help to deliver that blasted knight’s gown to the palace. Maria and I aren't strong enough, and Poppy doesn't trust us with the other gown they have to deliver.”

  A laugh ripped its way out of my chest. Poppy would send their shop girl running like her life depended on it over a gown delivery. I can see from the way her back was straight, even as she struggled to breathe, that she was wearing a corset. It could not have been a comfortable run from the shop to the forge.

  “That's something we can easily do,” I told her. “Finn, get Isabella some water and help her get her dress cleaned up. You two can meet us at the palace. I'll head over to the shop and help Poppy. I am sure they will need Isabella’s help to perfect the gown for Lady Alys once we arrive.”

  Finn nodded firmly and took the lead with Isabella. I ran my fingers through my hair, slipped my coat on and started on my way to my partner’s shop. It felt good to think those words. My partner. Even if w
e hadn’t said them out loud yet. I was enjoying this new aspect to our relationship, even when it meant something as normal as helping them with the delivery.

  As soon as Poppy had realized they needed to do repairs on Ser Genevieve’s gown, they had wondered about the logistics of delivering it and the gown for Lady Alys. I couldn’t wait to see the finished product for both gowns. Poppy did wonderful work and I was bursting with pride at the thought that the Teagan heirs would be showing it off tonight.

  I was also proud in a weird way of how both of the heirs to the duchy he’d grown up in had turned out. It’d been a long time since they had watched me from the forge’s front room, asking me all kinds of questions.

  They were famous for their fights even then, which I supposed was the way of things when one sister grew up a sorcerer and the other a knight. Lady Alys kept everything closer to the vest than her sister did, for all she was constantly running around having all sorts of fun.

  The lady was constantly being gossiped about wherever she was, but I hadn’t heard anything of Ser Genevieve that I recalled until she’d walked into my shop, glorious as the morning sun. Both gowns would suit them and their differences.

  As Poppy’s shop came into view, I could see them pacing back and forth between their shop’s arched double doors and window. I began to whistle one of my favorite tunes and Poppy halted in the open window. I couldn’t see it, but I knew exactly what the scowl on their face would look like and I loved it.

  “Come on now, old man!” They called irritably. “We don’t have all afternoon to get these gowns to the Teagan’s! Put some pep in your step!”

  I laughed, lengthening my strides and closing the distance between myself and the whitewashed building quickly. Poppy would be tapping their foot in irritation while they waited for me. As I got closer, I could see the way that the bright afternoon sun glanced off of their skin, deepening their frown lines and showing off just how bright their eyes were.

  Just looking at them brought a silly grin to my face. I tried to cover it by running my hands around the edges of my beard, but there was no mistaking the love that pounded through my veins.

  “You’re completely done in, aren’t you, mate?” I muttered to myself with a shake of my head. “You’ve gone and fallen head over heels for your friend. How silly is that?”

  I was far too old to be mooning about like an apprentice. We had a job to do and there was no time for foolishness.

  When I reached the door, Poppy was in fact tapping their foot impatiently. Behind them stood two mannequins with the gowns we were set to transport.

  “Did Isabella not tell you that this was an emergency? I look out and see you moseying along the road like we’ve got nowhere to be!”

  I held my hands out to them in apology. I was glad that they weren’t covered in soot and sweat for once. It wouldn’t have been the first time that Poppy made me wash myself from head to toe before coming in, and it certainly wouldn’t have been the last. Forge smoke and soot had a magical power to get on everything you didn’t want it to.

  “Isabella did tell me it was an emergency, but I didn’t want be unable to breathe once I got here, like she was when she got to my forge. You know you scared that poor girl half to death.”

  Poppy sniffed and rolled their eyes.

  “A little bit of fear is good for the soul. Besides, it’ll give Finn a reason to be the mighty protector as he likes to be. Consider it my contribution to their romance.”

  I shook my head at them.

  “You, my dear, are ridiculous.”

  “And a skilled matchmaker, as you well know. The only people who leave my shop unmarried are those who have no interest in it or have not met anyone they are interested in having a marriage with. Isabella falls under neither of those categories.”

  “And what about yourself?”

  The words slipped out before I could stop them. I clapped a hand over my mouth but there was no taking them back. Luckily, they laughed.

  “I defy all rules, my good man, but I have not left this shop behind just yet. There’s plenty of time.”

  I looked up as they spoke, and Poppy winked at me. My heart skipped a beat.

  “Now, we really are in a hurry. Help me and Maria load these gowns into bags, would you?”

  In my haste to feel less awkward and do what I was told, I nearly tripped over my feet on my way to the mannequins. Biting back curses that I knew Poppy wouldn’t appreciate, I quickly unlaced the shiny black gown and shimmied it over the mannequin’s shoulders.

  Maria held the garment bag open and Poppy pressed the fluttering gown into it so that it wouldn’t be damaged or wrinkled when we got there. We repeated the process with the chainmail gown, though this time I held the bag. For something that was half silk, this gown was heavy. I was fairly certain that I’ve made full suits of armor that were lighter than this gown was now that it was finished. However, there was no chance they were anywhere near as pretty. Poppy had done wonderful work.

  “All right,” Poppy clapped. “Maria, you carry Lady Alys’s gown, and Cormac, can you carry Ser Genevieve’s? I’ll get my kit ready and we can have this delivered and perfected.”

  “After you, boss,” Maria said unenthusiastically. Poppy beamed at us both and grabbed their woven reed basket from beside the door, leading the way through it with a bounce in their step.

  GENEVIEVE

  Alys and I were going to wear paths in the carpet attached to our rooms at the palace. Alys had never been good at waiting and the stress that was radiating off of my younger sister was adding into my own.

  “When will they arrive?” Alys fretted, worrying the edges of her sleeves between her manicured fingers. The pointed tips had been painted the mulberry of their house crest for the evening, standing out against the light, lilac dressing gown she wore.

  “It’s early yet,” I reminded her gently. “I’m sure they’re already on their way.”

  “But what if the gown is terrible?”

  “Didn’t you go and look at it just a few days ago? You told Mother you loved it.”

  “Well, yes, but-”

  I cut her off.

  “No buts. Even if the gown fits like a potato sack, and it won’t, you have several others that you can make work, and you know it. Will you at least pretend to be calm?”

  Alys growled wordlessly under her breath, but slowed her pace measurably, just in time for several short raps on the door. I called for them to come in, and was surprised to see my mother and Juniper standing in the doorway.

  Duchess Vivienne stepped into the room and raised a single blonde eyebrow at her daughter’s antics.

  “I see we are taking the wait well. I suspected as much, and came prepared.”

  She gestured for Juniper to come forward, and Genevieve saw that they were carrying a large leather case in both hands.

  “I am going to help you prepare for the ball,” Vivienne declared. Juniper set the carrying case on the vanity with a loud thunk. I wasn’t sure what was in it. The case had piqued Alys’s curiosity as well, judging by how far she was craning her neck to see it.

  “Instead of having the maids do your hair and makeup, I thought we’d have a little fun and I would do it for you!” Mama grinned, showing off sharp canines behind bright red lips.

  A twinge of jealousy pinched at me as I looked at them. They were both so beautiful in a way I could never be, thanks to having my father’s square build and a collection of scars from years spent practicing in the heat of the sun. It was something I had long since come to terms with, but tonight I was struggling with the comparisons.

  Mama laid out her tools - a selection of small pots and brushes, as well as several metal implements that looked as if they would fit better in the king’s dungeon than the dressing room we stood in.

  “Now, who wants to go first?”

  I thought for a moment, figuring out the logistics.

  “Alys, why don’t you go first, so that you’re ready for the fi
nal fitting when the gowns arrive?”

  Alys nodded, rising wordlessly from the chair she’d plonked down in.

  “Anything is better than sitting here waiting with nothing to do,” she declared as she swanned across the room. I didn’t bother hiding my eye roll.

  Now that Alys was preoccupied, it would be possible for me to focus on the book I’d been reading before she arrived. I slid into the chair that sat in the corner of the room. It had the best vantage point, with a direct view of the door and if I turned my head, I could watch my mother work.

  Alys was perfectly capable of applying her own makeup, but had never been skilled with styling her own hair. Fortunately, Vivienne had always been great at convincing her daughters’ curls into the court’s fashionable styles, no matter how intricate.

  “Mother, I’d like to have my hair in proper ringlets tonight, if that’s all right?”

  “Of course, darling! Why do you think I brought the irons? We’ll start with your eyelids, so that the irons have time to heat properly, and so we don’t get any lipstick on that beautiful gown you ordered. Sound good?”

  Alys smiled at her mother in the mirror and closed her eyes obediently. I shook my head lightly, and turned my eyes back to the novel in my hands while I waited.

  POPPY

  A liveried servant who introduced themself as Juniper showed the three of us to another room in the palace, this time near the knight’s barracks.

  I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I’d been this nervous, even when we’d done the last fitting for the knight. Cormac placed a hand at the small of my back and the warmth was reassuring.

  I took a deep breath and nodded to Juniper. They rapped hard on the door.

  “Come in,” an unfamiliar woman’s voice called jovially. “You have perfect timing! Alys is just about ready for you, and I cannot wait to see what the two of you have come up with for her!”

  We walked in and I nearly dropped my basket at the sight of the duchess. Bowing low, I motioned for Maria to do the same.