by B. K. Parent
Da moved up beside me, and I held out my hands, showing him the rings. “One of these is the one you left for me.”
“Looks to be,” he answered back. “And the other?”
I explained I had been given it by Mistress Fern. While I was torn between thinking whether or not I should return them both, I said to Da, “I can’t explain it, but I don’t think I am meant to return these rings to either of you.”
Da did not look at all upset with my declaration but asked what I felt was the right thing to do. Rather than trying to explain, I reached forward and placed the first ring in the square in the upper left hand corner of the box in the plain stone. It fit snuggly. I placed the second ring in the square directly below the square I had placed the first ring in, and it too fit snuggly. Before anyone could question what I had done, or if I even had the right to do it, Master Clarisse spoke up.
“According to the Book of Rules, the box is designed to hold the nine pieces of the oppgave ringe. The book states that anyone trying to put something in the box that does not belong there does so at their own peril. Anyone trying to remove the pieces of the oppgave ringe prior to the time that all nine are returned to the box, also does so at their own peril. All nine pieces need to be returned to the box in order for the next part of the Gylden Sirklene challenge to commence.”
Once again the Regent must have felt that everything that had been witnessed so far was just smoke and mirrors, for he pushed aside an elder rover, walked up to the box, and reached for one of the rings I had just placed there. A searing light arced, and the Regent screamed and fell to his knees clutching his hand. He stayed there rocking back and forth whimpering until the captain of the elite royal guards came forward, assisted him up, and helped him return to the speaker’s platform and seat himself on a chair.
Suddenly Master Clarisse’s voice rang clear over the noise of the crowd, and the assembled folks fell silent to listen. “The Gylden Sirklene challenge has been called by Princess Esmeralda to choose a new ruler of our land. Do you, Princess Esmeralda, relinquish your right to the throne at this time?”
“As I understand it, I never really had a right to the throne, so I cannot give up what I did not have. But to answer your question, I will honor the rules of the challenge and vie for the throne if I have the right.”
“According to the Book of Rules, anyone, no matter their station, has the right to call and to participate in the Gylden Sirklene challenge, so Lady Esmeralda, will you take your place on the governing council for the next year?” Master Clarisse asked. There was a loud gasp from those assembled that Master Clarisse had addressed her as a noble and not as a princess.
“A double demotion, all in one day. First, no longer the heir to the throne, and now no longer a princess. To answer your question, I, Lady Esmeralda, would be honored to serve on the governing council for the next year,” she answered graciously.
“Before we adjourn this assembly, let word go out across the land that the Gylden Sirklene challenge has been called. Know that according to the Book of Rules, the remaining seven rings that make up the oppgave ringe need to be placed in the box here before one year’s time passes. Anyone trying to detain a ring bearer from making the journey here does so at their own risk. In addition, no harm should befall seekers whose task it is to search out the ring bearers.”
When the crowd would have all begun to talk once again, Master Clarisse held up her hand for silence.
“In addition, the individual or individuals who are living keys in the Gylden Sirklene challenge are also protected and should any try to harm them, harm will come back to them threefold.”
When Master Clarisse made that statement, a shiver ran down my spine. I believed every word she was saying, and her voice carried a conviction and authority that was hard to deny.
“And in case any of you have the idea that you can stop this challenge by trying to either harm me or others belonging to the Høyttaier clan, or by trying to gain possession of the Book of Rules, I suggest you remember what just happened to the former regent, Lord Klingflug. What Lady Esmeralda has called into being is now started. Let those who would be our next king or queen assemble here one year from this day to face the Gylden Sirklene challenge. This assembly is now over.”
You would think that chaos would have reined after that, but all who had gathered in the Well of Speaking quietly and quickly dispersed with the minimum of talking and jostling. Those who did remain near the plain stone had a quick conference setting a time for a meeting at the royal library the next day to begin the process of selection of the interim ruling council members. Lady Esmeralda asked the captain of the royal guards to escort the former regent to his quarters and help him move out of the palace. In addition she requested that the captain of the royal guards ask housekeeping to make ready rooms and suites for incoming members of the interim council who might not have permanent housing in the capitol. No one questioned Lady Esmeralda’s right to make these requests since she was already acknowledged as a member of the new ruling council.
Just before she prepared herself to be escorted out of the Well of Speaking, Lady Esmeralda turned to me and asked me a question. She asked if at the end of one year, and after the challenge was over, and if she were not the new queen, did I think I might have room in my homewagon for a rover who was a knitter by trade? I was going to miss her.
Da and I climbed up the stairs to the fairgrounds, and it suddenly struck me that we were walking side by side as ourselves, not Jonzee Smed and Nissa Anissasdatter, but Thorval and Arial Pedersen, father and daughter. Yet with all that had happened, I was not sure that I was really that Arial Pedersen who left Mumblesey all those many weeks ago, or that I wanted to be. And what of Da? What did he want to do now that he was no longer being sought? Would he want to return to the cottage at Rumblesea cove? We had a lot to talk about.
As we headed back to my booth, I was struck with how ordinary the day was outside the Well of Speaking. Smoke rising from cook fires, folks moving from booth to booth looking at wares, children trying to convince their parents that fruit tarts were needed immediately or they would perish of hunger, all the normal sounds, smells, and sights of a regular day at the fair. It was such a contrast to what had just happened in the Well of Speaking that the last hour seemed unreal, but it had been real.
When we arrived at the booth, Shyla did not ask what had happened at the Well of Speaking, but asked if I had been to the Woodworkers Guildhall pavilion to check if my carved chest had won a prize. I had to stop and think for a moment as to what she was talking about. Da intervened and asked me to introduce Shyla, which gave me a moment to collect myself. I had forgotten I had even entered my chest carved with the Neebing designs, and I was having a little trouble gathering all that had happened in the last few hours and fitting it together. I was pulled back from my thoughts when Shyla stepped out of the booth as I entered it and asked if she could bring me back something to eat. Da excused himself also and said he would be back later, he had some folks he needed to see.
The next two days of the fair passed by quickly. Da stayed with me each night, and we finally had time to talk and catch up. Two days did not give me enough time to get all my questions answered, but in the long run, it really did not matter. It just felt good knowing he was safe. We did have a serious talk about where we each were going next, and I think I surprised myself more than Da when I told him I wanted to continue on the road rather than returning to Mumblesey. He told me he was very proud of me and was delighted that I wanted to follow the life of a rover. He intended to return to the cottage and make sure Nana was alright. Da let me know I always had a home there. He gave me the homewagon with his blessings. He intended to sail home with Johan.
On the last day of the fair, I finally got around to going to the Woodworkers Guildhall pavilion to pick up my chest, and to my delight, I had won a medal of excellence. That night we a
ll gathered around the cook fire for the last time. Mistress Jalcones outdid herself and all of my new friends were there: the Jalcones, Oscar and his family, Bertram and his family, and Shueller and Tannar. Da arrived followed closely by Master Rollag, Master Clarisse and Evan with Beezle trailing close behind. The meal was bittersweet, an ending and yet a beginning also.
“Is this an exclusive party, or can an honorary rover join you?” a soft voice asked. I looked up as Lady Esmeralda, dressed once again as Kiaya, stepped into the firelight.
Beezle stood up and gave her his seat, and Mistress Jalcones began fussing over her, making sure she got some of the mixed berry crumble before Evan ate it all. We all talked of our plans for the next day. The Jalcones had a few more days in the capitol and then were going to head south on their normal routes. Master Rollag was going to stay in the capitol for the next month or so, on guild business. Master Clarisse was going to remain at the capitol working with Lady Esmeralda and representing the Høyttaier clan until such time as word could get out to others in her clan.
Master Rollag was moaning and groaning that he was losing one fine glassmaker and one possible fine glassmaker, and we all looked at him questioningly.
“It would seem that young Evan here is also deserting me for the lure of fine horseflesh has won over the lure of beautiful glass. Seems the guild’s master of the horse has snagged him away from me to train him to take his place.”
I was glad for Evan, for that seemed a better fit, and while he tried to seem unenthusiastic about his new apprenticeship, I could tell he was jumping for joy inside.
Beezle would be heading back to Glendalen with his uncle, and at the end of the summer would head back to his own landholding. He invited all of us to stop and stay awhile if we were near. Rover Kiaya would of course transform in the morning back into Lady Esmeralda, but for this one last night, all of us were together.
It was late when the group broke up, and I must admit a few tears were shed as we parted. The hardest one to say good-bye to was Da, as he headed to the harbor to Johan’s boat. They intended to set sail at first light when the tide was high. I sat on the back steps of my homewagon with Carz after they left, wondering if I had made the right decision. In the morning, I hitched Flick and Clover up to my homewagon, checked one last time to make sure everything was secure and in its place, and pulled my homewagon in behind Oscar’s, Bertram’s, and Shueller’s, for we had decided to travel on to the next fair to the south together. It looked to be a long and adventurous year between now and the fair at the capitol one year from now, but that is a story for another time.