Andrew pointed the sword at Edward’s chest and asked, “Do you yield?”
The bell rang signaling victory for Andrew, and Edward pushed his sword away and grabbed the front of his clothes and started to say something. But then he just looked Andrew in the eye, pushed him away and walked out of the courtyard.
Oh dear, thought Lorriel, this is not good.
Oh no, thought Raven, a bad step was all that was. Edward should not have lost. Surely everyone saw that.
Master Fields spoke as Edward approached, “Do not worry about it, Edward. It could happen to anyone.”
But Edward would not listen to Master Fields; he felt humiliated. He had lost by something as little as a stone while Raven had defeated a much larger opponent. Edward left without saying a word.
Raven felt bad for him and looked at Master Fields, who shrugged and said, “He will get over it. Now Raven, what did you learn today?”
Raven thought for a moment and said, “Not to allow your opponent’s strengths to be used against you, like Mason’s weight and size that almost did me in. Also to never take your surroundings and footing for granted as Edward did.”
Master Fields nodded approvingly, “This contest has been a good lesson for you. I’m glad you entered.”
“Master Fields,” Raven asked, “why did you throw the sword to me?”
“Because I knew you would not show your full talents, and I wanted people to see more. Besides it put Mason in a different frame of mind and made him more of a challenge when he saw you catch that sword. He would have been too careless and overconfident otherwise.”
Raven shook his head at Master Fields’ logic. Sometimes he could not figure him out. Raven asked leave of Master Fields and headed up to sit again with Rebekka.
King Mollen watched as Edward stumbled over the rock and the resulting disarming by Andrew Crestlaw of his son. Anger burned in King Mollen’s heart as he saw Edward lose. Andrew Crestlaw will pay for this, the king thought.
Raven found Rebekka seated in the same place on the balcony and took a seat beside her. She handed him some drink and he thanked her heartily for such consideration, for he was very thirsty.
They watched for a while, the last of the competitions, when she turned to him and said, “I thought it bad for you when you were pared up with Mason in competition, until I saw you in action. I then realized you were in no danger at all. In fact, you could have defeated him sooner.”
Raven looked at her, again recognizing her insight. “What do you know about arms?” he asked.
“I know enough to recognize a gentle heart and good sportsmanship in competition. I do not know what you said to Mason, but I could tell you eased his pride and complimented him. The result was the biggest applause of the day. That is the difference between you and Edward, how you deal with others, and that is why I am interested in you and not Edward.”
Raven did not know what to say to this so he just smiled and turned to the competitions. I had better not ever get on the bad side of Rebekka, he thought, she could really cut to the quick if you deserved it. And then he smiled, but that was what he liked about her.
The competitions came to an end and people were filing out. The next event was the afternoon feast. The balcony was starting to empty and Raven looked to where Lorriel was seated. The king had left and she was sitting there all alone.
“I think we should take Lorriel with us to the feast,” Raven said to Rebekka. “She needs company.”
Rebekka looked at Raven and placed her head on his shoulder and said, “I was thinking the same thing. I know we can’t cheer her up, but let’s try.”
Raven looked around as they headed over to Lorriel to see where Andrew had gone but saw him nowhere. Where has he disappeared to, Raven wondered?
When they reached Lorriel, she was just staring off into the empty courtyard. She only looked up when Raven put his hand on her shoulder.
“Let’s get something to eat,” Raven said, and before she could object they both grabbed her hands and set off for the feast.
Andrew went searching for Edward to speak to him, and finally finding him, spoke these words: “I want no hard feelings between us, Edward. It was a good and fair duel today, and I want you to know that in time you would have defeated me if you had not stumbled on that stone. You are by far the better swordsman.”
With that Andrew held out his hand and Edward reluctantly shook it. After Andrew left, Edward thought, Andrew is right. I have no right to be angry with anyone. It was just a stone, and things like that happen. After this, Edward felt better and decided to get something to eat at the feast.
Raven, Rebekka and Lorriel were wandering with their plates between the different barbecue pits tasting the different recipes of Tor. It seemed each chef’s reward was how fast he got rid of his meat. Raven made sure he stopped by and received a large portion of his favorite pepper spiced meat from the south, and even Lorriel looked in better spirits. It was a wonderful event, wandering around, stopping at different tables. There were tables with drinks if you were thirsty, tables of vegetables and sauces, breads and deserts, anything the heart desired. At one table a baker congratulated Raven on his kill earlier that day.
Rebekka, smiled and looked at him, “I forgot to ask about the hunt. You eliminated old meany, didn’t you?”
“I sure did,” Raven said laughing. “In fact, I think that is a piece of him on your plate!”
Rebekka looked down at the meat on her plate, and Raven burst out laughing. Even Lorriel laughed at this.
“Oh, you,” Rebekka said, hitting him on the arm.
Raven was still laughing, “You should have seen your face. You looked as if that piece of meat was going to charge after you.”
“I did not,” Rebekka said sternly. She looked at Lorriel for support, but Lorriel could not keep from snickering.
“You did,” Lorriel said.
“Did not,” responded Rebekka defensively, and then they all laughed.
“I, for one,” said Raven, “am glad he is gone. Well, not entirely, because his head will be a trophy in our castle.”
“I await the time I shall look him in the eye,” Rebekka said, trying to be overly brave. The result was even more hilarious, and they all laughed again.
Raven was glad to see Lorriel laughing and for the moment forgetting her heartache. As he watched her he thought, I will fix things, dear sister, just give me time.
Chapter 6
What is Lost Can be Found
“Honor be that which defineth the noble above the common, it be not bestowed because of class or station in life, but thine own heart chooseth honor over convenience.”
--Chronicles of the Ancients
Lorriel finished the letter and sealed it. I have to do something, she thought to herself. The summer feast was over and Andrew was back up north. She would not see him at all until the fall feast, and even then, she might not be permitted to speak to him. Raven had pleaded patience and said he would work it out somehow, but she had to communicate with Andrew. She had the perfect way to send a letter to Andrew without drawing any suspicion. A merchant had come through the northwest pass from the lands to the north of Glenfair and must return that way again. She would go down to the merchant in the courtyard as if inspecting his goods, give him the letter and pay him well to deliver it to Andrew on his way back home. She knew in her heart that Andrew was the only one for her, and she was willing to leave her father and position as princess for him if he wanted.
Andrew Crestlaw was summoned by the gate keeper to see a traveling merchant who said he had something for him. When Andrew arrived at the gate, the man handed him the sealed letter from Lorriel. Andrew thanked him and went back up to his room to read its contents, his heart beating rapidly with anticipation. In his room he read the words Lorriel had written:
Dear beloved Andrew;
I do not know what has happened to make father forbid us to see each other
, but please hear me on this matter. I pray you do not think less of me for breaking the king’s command in writing to you, but it is necessary for what I am about to say to you. I love you, Andrew, and cannot bear the thought of living out the rest of my days without your companionship. If you but request of me, I will leave the castle and come to you and we will be married, even if my father disowns me and I am no longer welcomed in his presence. If you believe, like I do, that we are meant to be together, you will respond and give me an answer, truthfully and honestly.
Love, Lorriel
Andrew pondered the letter for a while, cherishing the bold step Lorriel was willing to take to be with him. Truly she did love him deeply. Then Andrew sighed. He knew it was time to talk to his father about this...
King Mollen had summoned Edward and Raven to his private council chamber. Now they stood before their father waiting to hear what he was about to say.
Raven could see the anger in his father’s eyes as he began to speak, “Something has to be done about this Crestlaw upstart who has cast his eye upon Lorriel. It is irrelevant whether he loves her or not. She has fallen for the duke’s son and has mentioned to her maids that she is thinking of eloping to marry him. If they are married, the throne will not be secure for Edward.”
Raven was getting uncomfortable with this conversation and where it was headed.
He interrupted his father, “I believe that the love between them is genuine and without malice.”
“Silence!” his father yelled. “If they are married and something were to conveniently happen to the both of you, he could just waltz right in and claim the throne after my death. And even I might meet an untimely end. There is only one solution--Andrew Crestlaw must die, but not by assassination. That would lead to suspicion, and if that got out we could have total rebellion on our hands.”
Raven was horrified. He had no idea his father’s mistrust had gone this far.
The king must have caught the look on Raven’s face for he said very sternly, “If you want no part in this, leave now!”
Raven was tempted to leave, but knew it would take time to go to the secret passage and he might miss something. Then he would not know what his father was planning. So he stood still saying nothing.
After a moment of silence, the king went on, “The fall feast is coming soon when all the nobles and dukes will be gathered in attendance. This year we shall require a full show of military arms and have competitions and games between the dukeships. This will leave the passes with only a handful to guard them. We will secretly leak word of this to the northwest kingdom of the Wickshields. They will not be able to resist such an opportunity to gain access to Glenfair. But the Wickshields will not send the bulk of their army for it is too expensive to mobilize such a large force if the rumor were untrue. But it will be too much of a temptation not to send a few hundred, enough to secure the pass. That size of force will be able to break through into Duke Crestlaw’s lands. Then we will hear of the attack on the northwest kingdom and respond.”
Raven looked at Edward and now even he looked pale and panic-stricken.
“Father,” Edward spoke, “there has never been a foreign army on Glenfair’s soil. To allow the Wickshields access to the pass is dangerous. It will put all of Glenfair at risk!”
Now, Raven thought, Edward is making sense and everything will get straightened out.
But the king went on, “There will be no risk to the kingdom. We will have all of the dukes with the bulk of their forces, a good-sized army, at the north end of Pearl Lake, a little more than half a day’s ride from the pass. We will engage them in battle, and while it is raging we will withdraw from the Crestlaws and the duke’s son will perish. When Andrew is killed, we will rally our forces, defeat the small band of Wickshields and secure the pass before they can send for the bulk of their army. No one will be the wiser and we will have eliminated the competition without arousing anyone’s suspicions.”
Edward looked calmer now and was rubbing his beard in thought, “Why must a whole army be brought in to eliminate one man, father?”
“Do you have a better plan to destroy Andrew Crestlaw without suspicion?” the king asked.
Raven and Edward stood there in silence, so the king continued;
“This is the best way to solve our problem. I have already sent letters to the dukes, asking them to bring their forces to the fall feast, and I have already leaked word to the Wickshields of the appropriate day the pass will be unguarded. In two weeks, we shall be rid of Andrew Crestlaw for good. You are dismissed.”
With that Edward and Raven left the private council chamber, and when they were far enough away not to be overheard, Raven grabbed Edward and said, “Edward, we can’t go through with this. This is crazy. Please don’t let your judgment be clouded by the fact that Andrew bested you in sword’s play during the summer feast.”
Edward looked at Raven and spoke, “I have no great affection for Andrew Crestlaw, but I do not wish him dead, either.”
“Then you must stop father, Edward. He will not listen to me, but he will listen to you.”
“I will not,” Edward said. “Father has always been wise. He has reasons for his actions, and I will not question the king.”
“He is wrong, Edward. The Crestlaws are loyal to the throne.”
“Raven, who made you the receptacle of wisdom? You think you know how to run the kingdom better than the king? You insolent boy, you think you’re a man, but you know nothing!”
Edward then turned and walked away, leaving Raven standing behind distraught.
Coming back to his room, Raven fell on his bed and thought about what he should do. If he sent word to the Crestlaws of this plot to give up the pass, all the dukes would see this as treason against the whole kingdom of Glenfair. They would then rally against the king and what would happen to his father and Edward then? Most likely they would be branded as traitors and executed for putting the whole kingdom at risk for plotting to allow the Wickshields access to the northwest pass. He believed that his brother Edward was good and decent and would make a good king. Unlike his father who had turned against the Crestlaws and Raven who stood for them, Edward was neutral, caught in the middle. Raven could see this in Edward’s eyes: the fear, the indecision. That was why he was so harsh with Raven. He did not know what to do. But one thing Raven now knew, Edward would not contradict the king. If Raven revealed this plan, the dukes would not see Edward as neutral. This paradox was tearing Raven apart. No matter what he decided, someone would die. What could he do? Raven had only two weeks to devise a plan to save the kingdom from the Wickshields, to save the lives of the Crestlaws, and to save the lives of his family. He could not think, so he began to clear his mind as Master Fields had taught him.
What had happened to Raven happens to many who loose their innocence to great moral conflicts and dilemmas. Just six months earlier, Raven had been full of joy, soaking in the life about him with the vitality that comes from youth who have no great responsibilities. But now a cloud hung over his head, seemingly with no way out. He was shouldered with a responsibility no young man should carry, the desire to be loyal to his family and the king, pitted against a code of honor to do what was right.
As Raven cleared his mind, he thought of the ancients, what they would do, what would their code of honor demand of them.
Honor, Raven thought, is something the Kallestors had admired in the Crestlaws long ago, and something the Crestlaws still possessed. Damen Kallestor had to be honorable to be able to appreciate that trait in another.
As Raven thought on this, he made a decision. His father had lost the family honor somewhere along the way, and honor had to be returned somehow to his family. He could not stop the battle now without costing the lives of his family. But one thing he would not do, withdraw from Andrew to let him die during the battle. He knew that was the honorable path to follow. He could not believe his father would let him perish with Andrew to secure the
throne for Edward. Raven smiled to himself. He might be scorned and disowned by his father, but he would do what was right. The Wickshields would be defeated, Andrew saved, and the only cost would be the lost position he had in his own family, for his father would never trust him again. This hurt Raven to think about being scorned, or even disinherited, but he must do what was best for the kingdom and others regardless of what it cost him personally. Honor had been lost, but now it had been found in a young man called Raven Kallestor.
Andrew knocked on his father’s door. As he entered, he said nothing but only handed the letter to his father that Lorriel had sent him. Andrew’s father was aware of the king’s wishes for Andrew not to see the king’s daughter because they had already discussed it on their ride home from the summer feast.
When Sauron had finished the letter, he looked up at Andrew and said, “Well, boy, you sure have gotten yourself in a fix over the king’s daughter.” Andrew nodded, and his father went on, “I like this Lorriel. She shows strength in sending this letter to you. One question I have for you son; are you as much in love with her as she is with you?”
Andrew did not ponder the question at all but answered bluntly, “As much, if not more, father.”
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