Paladin's Oath

by M. H. Johnson

  Jess laughed at that, and together, hand in hand, they made their way to dinner.

  28

  “Children. So glad you could join us. Now make yourselves comfortable, we have exciting matters to discuss!” Lady Agda looking every inch the elegantly coiffed lady as she waved for her children to seat themselves before a most impressive, almost formal looking repast.

  Jess shared a quick smile with her sister. It was quite clear their mother didn’t suspect a thing. Geoffrey glanced at both of them, raised his eyebrows, then settled back into a relaxed smile when he instantly understood that yes, Apple knew, but she was in their camp, so all was well.

  Jess seated herself, pleased to see her beloved familiar already digging into his own silver bowl of freshly baked whitefish. He purred contentedly when she gently stroked his back on the way to her own seat. Her mother had expressed hesitation in regards to giving Jess's familiar a formal spot at the dining table, and Jess resisted the offer of a silver bowl on the floor, as if he were no more than a favored dog. They compromised by giving him his own elegantly crafted end table placed just to the side of the main table, next to where Jess sat. A silver bowl was always filled with fresh water, and his fish was always served at their mealtime. It was an arrangement that left Twilight in a very forgiving mood regarding Agda's firmer stances, and Jess was wryly impressed that her mother's political savvy was such that she could charm creatures she didn't even fully believe in.

  “I don’t care if she believes in me or not, as long as she feeds me,” Twilight said, all but reading her mind.

  Jess chuckled. “That’s very forgiving, dear Twilight.”

  Her cat had flashed a toothy grin. “And this whitefish is very tasty. All in all, it works out for everyone, this way.”

  “So, what’s the important news, Mother?” Apple queried once they had broken into their pheasants and lingonberry jam.

  Excellently prepared pheasants they were at that, Jess decided. Savory and tasty. She forgot herself momentarily and grunted with pleasure, consuming her rather tasty fare with relish, enjoying the potato soup and fresh applesauce as well, pointedly ignoring her family's pained stares.

  "Jessica de Calenbry, this is the dining hall, not the barracks, and certainly not Highrock! You are no common soldier complimenting the cook, so quit grunting like a pig. Thank you very much."

  Agda flashed a final glare at a blushing Jess before turning to face her youngest daughter. “Your sister’s dancing lessons are proceeding at a wonderful pace, Appolonia. Already she can acquit herself with grace and poise sufficient to do her mother proud. And as we have been sadly remiss in formally celebrating our beloved Jessica’s return to us, I feel that it is high time we had another gala!”

  “Oh that’s an excellent idea, Mother, I was hoping you’d say such!” Apple gushed enthusiastically, earning an indulgent smile.

  “I know my youngest will have a wonderful time. There will be singers, performers, even a bard from the Guild who would love to come and perform feats of legerdemain and spin epic tales for our audience.”

  Geoffrey chuckled at that. “We hardly need a bard, Mother, we have a legend living with us under our own roof.”

  Jess smirked at her brother.

  “I am well aware of that, Geoffrey. And as the Guild has been a worthy ally of late, there is no harm in making them feel welcome as they perform for the sake of one of their own, for all that our dear Jessica knows her true place is by her family's side. The point is to enjoy the evening. All of us. Guests and family alike. With entertainment of various sorts. And I’m hoping you too will have a grand time, Jessica. This gala will be hosted in your honor, after all.”

  Jess blinked. “With dancing?”

  “Of course! That is the heart of it, my child.”

  “But then everyone will see me in a dress!”

  “That is the point, dearest.”

  Apple snickered as their mother stared Jess down.

  “You are presenting yourself to polite society as the lady you are. And you will have a grand time, of that I have no doubt.”

  Jess took a deep breath, focusing on her pheasant. It was going to be a long day, she sensed. Best she get what nourishment she could.

  29

  “At least someone is happy,” Jess grumbled at one point to her happily humming sister, gazing dreamily at the sunrise as she accompanied Jess to the greenhouse.

  Apple gave her sister a winning smile. “And who wouldn’t be happy to have a sister with such a green thumb? The rich smell of rose and gardenia, lavender and thyme just lightens my heart and fills me with happiness!” She laughed gently, dipping her graceful neck to scent a couple of Jess’s prize blossoms. They were rather handsome specimens, Jess had to admit. The roses and gardenias were blooming such a rich shade of ruby red and glistening pink that even her father couldn’t help but give her a quiet hug, just the day before.

  She and her father had enjoyed one of their daily walks then, discussing the harvests, the quality of the soil, and whatever other topics had caught their fancy. Of all the things she had missed while she was at Highrock, it was the bond she shared with her father and the love they both had for the land that she had missed the most. Spending time with him was far and away her favorite part of the day, something she loved even more than her diligent training with the blade, as loath as she was to admit it out loud.

  Apple’s knowing gaze made Jess aware that she had slipped into reverie and she quickly apologized.

  "No worries, dear sis!" Apple grinned. "Admit it, Jess. You're happy here."

  “I can’t deny it, Apple. Walking these lands with Father, tending the garden, spending time with you all; it does bring a peace to my restless heart that I had all but forgotten.”

  Jess smiled then, almost embarrassed to look at her sister, turning again to her beautiful bed of roses she was caring for, stroking their long brave stems, feeling the green glow of health emanating from them, imagining her gentle love for them enriching their blossoms, her warmth pouring into them like a second sun.

  “Why Jess, I’m surprised you can actually admit it!” Apple gave her sister a gentle squeeze. “Being a woman isn’t such a bad thing, you know. We echo the rhythms of Mother Nature closer than men do. For us, home is what matters. Tending our gardens, loving and caring for our family. I think, dear sister, that you are finding peace because you are experiencing what comes naturally to all women.”

  Apple sighed and shook her head. "Honestly, Jess, don't you love your roses and us more than risking your life in the depths of Hell?" She blinked then, suddenly chagrined. "I'm sorry, Jess. Perhaps I went too far with my words."

  Jess laughed then, kissing her sister gently on the cheek. "It's okay, my precocious little sister. True! I love my family, and I love my garden. I always have. You know that. Plants like me and listen to my call. In turn, I try to nurture them and hear their cries as well. And as for love? I love you and Mother enough to battle the darkest denizens of living nightmare!"

  Jess gently sighed, her mind's eye suddenly filled with a flashing series of brilliant images depicting scenes of absolute wonder and horror she lacked the words to convey.

  “But don’t be mistaken, Apple. Adventuring into realms unimaginable to most, questing for pristine moments of beauty and wonder, of bygone golden ages lost to the Dreamrealms, perhaps even glimpsing planes beyond our own? All that fills me with the greatest sense of exhilaration! Like those explorers of note who risk their lives sailing the great seas of Dawn, I too enjoy exploring lands so vast and strange that few could ever hope to reach them. And the challenges! The foes faced, treasures won, damsels saved, endless high adventure!”

  Jess grinned. “Sorry to disappoint you, Apple. I have not suddenly changed. I am the same sister you have known all your life. And as soon as my well-dressed purgatory ends, I am off for high adventure once more. To discover strange wonders and explore sights no one on the face of Dawn has ever seen before!” And to serve
beside her brothers-in-arms as a Squire of War when the clarion calls of battle echoed through forest and field. A thought she always had in the back of her mind, for all that battle might be years away.

  Apple's gaze was unusually serious, shaking her head sadly as her too knowing eyes caught Jess's once more. "And with all those voyages of fantastic discovery, how much of it do you even remember? How many of these adventures into lands unfathomable end in a sleep so deep you vanish entirely, with only you animated accounts dutifully scribed by your Guild bards to even remember the wonders and terrors of your journeys?"

  Apple's hands trembled, even as she stroked Jess's marvelous flowers. "And the cost, dearest sister. How many of these Delvings of yours came so close to folly and death it does not even bear thinking about? You crave this Delving like you once craved brandy, Jess, and I fear for you. I truly do. Seeking to catch glimpses of things that perhaps mortals were not meant to witness, and coming back changed. So very changed. And save for hastily scribed accounts, you have no real memory of your adventures at all.”

  Jess hissed, her sister having rather effortlessly plucked away all the fierce joy she had felt but moments before, leaving her feeling oddly undone and out of sorts.

  Tear-stained eyes met her own. “At least promise me this, Jess. Promise you will always come back to us. Even when the dreams would cloud your mind with delirium and wonder, promise me you will always find a way to break free. That you will always remember that we love you.”

  Jess held her sister close. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Apple smiled, wiping away her tears, taking her sister’s hand. “Come, Jess. Take me to your Jopples! Have you managed to get any to take root? They are so incredibly delicious, Mother says it’s almost wicked how carefree and light they make you feel! Father swears it will be a big hit at the gala.”

  Together they left the greenhouse and proceeded to the rich fertile plot of land Jess had reserved for what might one day be a future grove of Jopple trees. The surrounding soil was protected by benign foliage that was no threat to the prosperity of fruit tree saplings, and Jess's own talents all but assured that no grazing herbivore would think to nibble on the soft new leaves of her trees. She sighed softly as she gazed at the tiny saplings. "They are happy and healthy, eager to embrace their long journey growing towards the sun, but I sense the wheel of time will spin the seasons about manyfold before even one matures enough to bear ripe fruit.”

  “How many years, do you think, if you can sense such a thing, Jess?”

  Jess shrugged. “Not just years, Apple. Decades. Perhaps centuries. Certainly not in our lifetimes.”

  Appolonia blinked, brilliant green eyes growing wide. “Surely you’re not serious, Jess! The Jopple tree outside the Turnsby’s grand villa. It’s huge. And it grew in a span of weeks! You could see a difference from one day to the next!”

  Jess gazed sadly at her sister. “I’m sorry, Apple. I’ve never been more serious. These creations are bound tightly to the wheel of time in ways I can hardly describe.”

  Apple tilted her head. “Really. From you? That’s saying something. You normally have a knack for understanding the odd.”

  Jess had no answer for that.

  “Well, can’t you use your magic on it or something? Jess, I’ve seen you do some remarkable things with plants. The Turnsby’s window was transformed into a grand wood and glass blossom, open petals sparkling in the sun in but an instant, just so you could jump through three stories to the ground below! If you can do that, how hard would it be for you to make a couple of trees grow?”

  Jess smiled. “Two things, sister mine. No, three. For one thing, I’m no wizard, so I certainly am not casting spells. I don’t know if you’d even call it magic, since there’s no web of power spun from strands of arcane energy being used to manipulate the world around us. I’m just changing the world directly.”

  “Like a god?” Apple teased.

  “Manipulating dead wood is far easier than trying to force it to grow in a sudden burst, and risk killing every iota of it. When it comes to living things, I like to be gentle. To nurture it, to encourage it, to help it to blossom to its absolute fullest potential. And I garden to relax and find a sort of harmony, not stress myself and risk killing my garden in the process."

  Jess turned to gaze fondly at the rich plot of land from which Jopple trees might one day lift up their first tender shoots. “And yes, I have tried to nurture and encourage my Jopple trees to grow as vibrantly as I can. But for some reason, it is as if they are perfectly content to grow at their own steady pace, and nothing I can do is going to change that.”

  Jess shook her head ruefully. "Even I know when to give up, Apple. So I just listened. Paid attention. They are in the best possible location with the best possible soil and water supply. If they are going to prosper, it will be here, perhaps the best spot in all of Erovering, and they will grow at their own sweet pace for all that."

  Her sister shook her head ruefully, rich auburn locks blowing gently in the breeze, hair only slightly darker than Jess's brilliant crimson mane. "In that case, the Turnsbys will make a fortune! Imagine. The sweetest fruit that can leave one heady on dreams of yesteryear, and only one source in all the world. And even the most powerful Greenmage in all the land can't change that fact.”

  Jess grinned. “Their ancient arts were lost long ago, Apple. I'm just good with plants. Besides, we get half.”

  “That’s right!” Apple chuckled. “See? You’re not such a bad negotiator when you put your mind to it. I know, we’ll have Father and Geoff consult you with crops and selling our herbs and cuttings, potent as they are. The perfect role for you!”

  Jess grinned. “That’s already my role. When I’m here, at least.

  Apple spent a long time gazing out at the fields and apple groves dotting their private lands before turning to her sister once more. “Jess? I think Father's afraid the king will declare eminent domain, and claim your Jopple tree as property of the Crown.” She swallowed, gazing at Jess carefully. “What do you think we should do?”

  Jess smiled. "For three years I trained at Highrock to fight for king and country against all odds, without hesitation or fear. I have scars upon my soul I will spare you the telling off, even now. If it would please the king to claim my Jopples for his own and place the Calenbry clan even further in his good graces, then I would be more than happy to lay all my bushels at his feet."

  Apple nodded, her expression strangely solemn. “It is that sort of attitude that will keep our fragile little clan alive in the years to come. Thank you for that, Jess.”

  Jess nodded, for all that she wasn't really sure what she was being thanked for.

  Apple laughed, gently taking her sister’s arm. “Come, Jess. I think it's almost noon, and time for more of Mother’s wonderful crepes!”

  “There is that,” Jess nodded approvingly, “but I know you’re looking forward to the dancing lessons after.”

  Apple laughed and together they proceeded to the house proper, feeling as close as they had ever been, Jess thought, and as the days were pleasant and the evenings unusually mild, she soon found herself enjoying the simple pleasures of sleeping under starlight, when it was time for bed.

  30

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Geoffrey had said appreciatively one evening they were stargazing together upon a woolen blanket, her brother twinging only slightly as he rested his head upon his hands.

  “It is indeed, brother,” Jess agreed. “How is your shoulder?”

  “Nothing broken, but it has felt better.” He chuckled ruefully. “That was a brilliant strike, Jess. And here I thought you were pulling your blows.”

  “I am, Geoff.” Jess sighed. “I’ll have to be more careful, next time.”

  “And I was wearing my diOnni armaments, no less! By the gods, Jess. I’m glad I’ll never have to face you on the field of battle.”

  Jess smiled, though she doubted her brother could see that in the gr
owing dark. But perhaps he heard it in her tone of voice. “You’ve faced me many times, brother mine, particularly on the ballroom floor. I know of more than one engagement that left you limping away.”

  Her brother’s chuckle left Jess feeling warm and content, happy to share laughter and reminiscence with someone she loved dearly. But she sensed a faint undertone of discontent, even worry, troubling her brother's gentle soul. “Geoff? What’s wrong?”

  "It's Apple," he sighed. "No, I have to be honest, it's Rena too." His chuckle was rueful. "I thought it a sweet fling. And then, well, things happened, you know? She's beautiful, Jess. Not just her features, with her perfect milky white skin, those dark long tresses that tickle your chest when she lets her hair down, snuggling up close to you, her beautiful eyes that pierce your heart."

  “Yes, Geoff. I get it. You don’t have to rub it in.”

  Geoffrey squeezed her shoulder apologetically. “You're right, Jess. I am straying. The point is, she’s also beautiful on the inside! Her voice is as sweet and melodious as nature's clarion call to face the day with courage and valor, and her tone so gentle, so understanding when I just want to sink back under the covers with her in my arms. She has the sweetest sense of humor, and finds such pleasure in life’s little things.” He chuckled gently. “She has dreams, you know. Gentle, humble dreams. She is a smart girl, Jess. She lacks our noble education, but when we talk she can pierce the heart of a matter with a wit and insight that fills me with admiration, for all they are said from a humble serving girl’s point of view.”

  Geoffrey sighed. “She understands the differences in stature between us, this has never been in question. She understands that our relationship, our romance is like the passing of a beautiful summer’s eve. To be cherished. And remembered. But it can never be anything more than a few golden hours in the days of our lives.”