Maura had ventured inside to help Zander fix the food they were to have, and Silvia was left alone with Keelan, who sat down beside her on the grass. He was breathing heavily, and still had to use his shirt to mop off his dripping face.
Silvia smiled. “I don’t see how you can move so fast when doing such hard work.”
He shrugged. “It is a part of everyday life for most people. I usually enjoy it. It helps me calm down when I’m worked up and makes me feel exhausted in a good way. I like it almost as much as I like sword fighting.”
“Oh? And do you know much of sword fighting?” Silvia was immediately intrigued. She was more than tempted to challenge him to a game of skills.
“I cannot say that I am an expert on the sword, but I am skilled enough.”
Silvia hesitated a little before asking her next question. “Do you believe women should learn to use swords or do you perceive that as improper?”
Keelan thought for a moment. “Well, I personally do not see any reason why women shouldn’t learn the skills of a sword, even though most men would tend to disagree with me. Who watches over the home while the men are away working? Or while we are away at war? The women do. But who protects the women and children during this time? They protect themselves, and therefore need to know the use of some weapon or another to help them. Why not swords? They are the most common of weapons and most of the people in the city have them. Bows and crossbows aren’t used as much and not many people have any interest in dueling daggers or throwing knives.”
“Is there any way you would teach me to throw knives one day?” Silvia asked shyly.
He smiled. “My lady, all queens should have the knowledge of such weapons and I would gladly help you learn.” He stood up and brushed himself off. “But right at the moment I am going to the river to wash up and clean my shirt. I should be back before mealtime.”
But he wasn’t, and when the meal was ready Silvia went to fetch him. She followed a well-worn path Zander had pointed out to her which led directly into the woods. After a short walk, she finally caught sight of the river. The path rose up and crested before heading down a gentle slope to the riverbank. Silvia stopped on the little rise to take in the beautiful scenery. Weeping willows, white willows, and elegant chenerbaum trees flourished on the banks, blooming brilliantly. Soft, delicate blades of grass cushioned the soles of her boots, and moss grew here and there up the sides of the trees and the bank. The river was a picture of serenity: gently flowing, slow and clear. Several large rocks dotted the top of the water and many more could be seen below it. The sun shone through the tree leaves and speckled the water brilliantly. With a contented sigh, Silvia walked down to the riverbank.
She looked to her left and her right, but found no sign of the man she was hunting. She began walking along the river and a few minutes later she came upon Keelan’s pants and boots lying on the riverbank beside his wet shirt. She looked into the water and could only see the fish swimming to and fro above the rocks and silt. She bent over and picked up his pants to fold them (she could not stand to see clothes just tossed about) and saw a dagger lying on the ground beneath them. She put the pants aside and picked it up. Its leather sheath was old and worn, but still held, as did the leather straps at the top. She assumed it was a boot dagger that strapped to the side of the calf or ankle. Slowly, she pulled the hilt and saw a wicked silver blade emerge. The double-edged blade was thin, but razor sharp. The handle was tarnished silver and a tiny gold plate fixed to it said ‘To Keelan, With All Our Love’.
“It’s from my parents. They gave it to me on my twenty-second birthday two years ago.”
Silvia jumped up, dropping the dagger and involuntarily backing up. She nearly tripped over Keelan, who was standing directly behind her when she spun around. He gazed into her eyes, indifferent to the fact he was completely unclothed before a queen. Silvia didn’t realize her eyes wandered over his body; the only thing that registered in her overwhelmed mind was his perfection. His body appeared to be sculpted, every muscle chiseled out of stone and smoothed down. His thighs didn’t have an ounce of fat and as he walked around her and bent over to retrieve his pants, she saw that his backside didn’t either.
Keelan put them on in front of her as casually as if they were having a conversation, and tightened the laces over his skin before tying them. Then he sat on the ground to put on his boots and stockings (which had been shoved inside the boots). His knife tied to the calf, but was hidden by his tall boots. He stood up, grabbing his shirt as he did so and shaking it out.
“Did you like it?” he suddenly asked.
Silvia’s jaw started to drop, for she didn’t at first know what he was talking about and thought he was referring to her seeing him naked. Then she saw that he was pointing at the knife, and relaxed. “’Tis a splendid knife,” she replied, a blush creeping up her cheeks.
Keelan saw this and changed the subject. Gesturing towards the river he said, “It is called the Tambian River. I love to come here—it’s very peaceful.”
Silvia nodded in agreement. “Well, I came to fetch you for lunch. Are you hungry?”
“Oh yes,” he laughed, patting his stomach. “I’m always hungry.”
Together, they walked back to Zander’s by way of the path.
“Are you…are you ashamed of me seeing you undressed?” Silvia asked tentatively.
Keelan reddened slightly, but looked her in the eye. “I was hot and in desperate need of a good washing. As for you seeing me undressed…well, at least you saw me clean.” They smiled at each other. “I am a bit embarrassed though,” he continued. “I am not as good-looking as some of the men that have no doubt courted you.”
Silvia stopped walking and grabbed a fistful of his hair. She whirled him around to face her and pressed her mouth to his. Keelan’s lips parted hungrily, devouring her tongue. His hands grabbed her buttocks and forced her closer. She could feel his hardness against her and yearned to have it touch her more intimately.
Keelan was the first one to pull away, breathless. “It is dangerous to do such things to a mere man, my Queen,” he said in a low voice filled with passion. “It makes a man want to take you right then, no matter where you are or who is watching. It makes a man feel like he has to be with you, or he will burst and die…It makes a man want to love you forever.”
It was after dark when Maura, Silvia, and the fox entered the stables, for Zander had tutored Silvia for several hours in magic. Willis greeted them with a relieved face.
“I was afraid he threw ya,” he explained, poking a thumb at Windfall.
“Nonsense,” Silvia said. “Besides acting a little skittish at first he was very well behaved and did not disobey me once. Give him a lump of sugar for a treat when he cools down.”
When both horses were squared away, Silvia went to her room and immediately called a counsel to see if any information was collected. Her servants began talking about the events of the day, starting with Hans.
“I talked a great deal with Willis the stable master and he said it would be a great help if I could join him in the stables each day. Apparently he is the only one who ever works there. He starts in at daylight, works all day and well into the night, and then climbs into the loft to sleep. He says the King hired a stable hand to help him, but the lad hardly ever shows up to work. I told him I knew how to capture wild horses and train them, birth foals and calves, clean and keep the saddles and such, break colts, and a few other things, and he was greatly impressed with my experience. I didn’t learn anything of special significance but Willis was very open with me in private; if he knows something which might help us, it wouldn’t be very hard to get it out of him.”
Motilda was next. She had her long hair braided over one shoulder and her dress was quite dirty. “I have renewed friendship with many of the servants and earned their pity, although all of them know I never loved my husband to begin with.”
“You did not love your husband?” exclaimed Silvia. “Then why did yo
u marry?”
“Perhaps it was not her choice, Mistress,” said Maura, who had unpinned her hair and was running a comb through it.
“You are only too right,” said Motilda in a sad, childlike voice. “The King knew of Dan’s attraction to me and married us…But Dan was an old, ugly, and cruel man and I could never have grown to love him. We were married four months ago, and my servant friends knew he was fond of raising his hands to me. He wanted me pregnant, but he had difficulties behind closed doors. He did get his wish, eventually. I was not happy but I felt sorry for my unborn child. If I had had a place to go, I would have left him and ran away. However, my parents were poor and had sold me as a slave to Gregorich to begin with, and I do not know where they are now. I tried to stay away from Dan, because I hated him so. Unfortunately, one day I had to cater to him because he had received a rare day off. I tripped bringing him a tray of food and it went all over him. I tried to tell him it had been an accident, but he had been drinking pretty heavily and would not hear of it. He beat me badly in my stomach and back, and I lost the child. It was just a week later that Dan died.”
“How, exactly, did he die?” asked Quentin, thinking he might know the answer already.
“I poisoned him,” she answered calmly, shrugging her shoulders. “He deserved it.”
The room was quiet with shock, everyone waiting for her to go on.
“The servants know all of that, except for the poison part, and they felt sorry for me. I went to the kitchen today and asked if I could have a bucket of soapy water and a scrubbing brush to keep myself busy. I ambled around until I was right down the hall from His Majesty’s office. I scrubbed nearly the whole hallway before I saw Gregorich. He looked mad seeing me anywhere near him, but later he came up to me and asked if I would be willing to clean up the room on the third floor, to which only he has the key.”
“When?” Silvia asked rather sharply.
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Damn the Dark Moon! That fool Dalton has me scheduled for horseback riding tomorrow.” Silvia cursed her luck.
“I wonder if he asked Dalton to take you riding so that, being strangers, you would both be out of the palace?” Keelan said.
It made sense, when one thought about it. “I’ve got to see if there’s something that could aid us in that room.”
“Don’t worry Mistress,” Quentin said, “I’ll follow Motilda around tomorrow morning and when Gregorich leads her to the room, I’ll see where he gets his key from. I will trail him around for the rest of the day if that’s what it takes to find out where he keeps it. Then we can sneak it to a blacksmith and have him forge a key of its likeness.”
“And did you learn anything important today?” she asked him.
“No, milady.” Quentin rolled his eyes. “Gregorich held court again today for several hours, and then retired to his room for a nap. Afterwards he went about the castle giving out orders wherever he saw fit.”
“Frero, what about you?”
Frero wiped his wrinkled face with one hand and sighed. “Well, nothing exciting came my way. I worked in that big courtyard with the statues in it—the place has not been weeded in weeks, it seems! I studied the statues and their stories while I worked and talked to anyone who happened by me. I am sorry to say that I did not meet up with any Guards, milady.”
No one had anything else to share. Silvia leaned back in the soft greenness of the chair and began massaging her temples through her veil. “Everything moves so fast, and yet so slow…We need to start building something solid against Hapshamin. We need to be the ones with all the power and the upper hand. Not him!”
“All of that will come in time, milady. I am sure of it,” said Frero warmly.
They sat there, entwined in their thoughts and engulfed in the light of several bronze torches and many candles. Presently someone knocked on the door. As Hans stood to go and unlock it, Keelan shivered and changed into a fox, hopping onto Silvia’s lap. When the door opened to the King, Silvia was stroking the fox’s fur and staring at Gregorich. Quentin had disappeared next to the door, ready to take action if the situation called for it.
“Your Majesty,” said Hans, bowing low.
Gregorich strode into the room, his heavy boots sinking into the animal skins and silk rugs. He looked about the well-lit room, taking in all of her servants, and then at Silvia.
“Lady Serena, we missed you at the dinner table.”
“I have only just returned from my friend’s home,” she said.
“It is sometimes quite unsafe for women to travel in a city after nightfall. A true gentleman would have escorted you back. Did you have any troubles?”
Silvia shook her head, ignoring his implications that her ‘acquaintance’ was not a gentleman. “I had a pleasant day and a pleasant evening, thank you. And so you know, the man I went to see is getting on up in his years and I wouldn’t dream of asking him to escort me here when it isn’t necessary. Besides, two women riding alone is formidable to most trouble-makers because of their incessant chatter, even if the women are weaponless.” She wanted to inform him that she could take care of herself just fine, thank you very much.
Gregorich chuckled and clasped his hands together behind his back, obviously relieved that the person she had went to see was much older than he was. His blond hair shone like sunlight from the torches and he flashed a handsome smile. “That is spot-on, milady. Although I seriously doubt that you could drive off a thief with chatter. Charm, maybe, but not chatter. You are actually one of the few women that does not talk my ears off about silly things and I like that about you. It is a very appealing quality to a man such as me. Now, would you care to have a tray of food sent up to dine on?”
She continued to stroke Keelan’s red fur for a moment, and said, “That would be too kind of you, Sire. You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do, Lady Serena of Alwak. Would you have me send food for your servants as well? The ones who were present tonight would not eat without you.”
“Yes, thank you. And please—send an extra flagon of wine for me and a good plateful for my little darling here.” She scooped Keelan into her arms and held him to her.
The King nodded. “It will arrive shortly madam. Is there anything else?”
“Oh, yes there is,” she said. “I need my tub filled with hot water; I smell like a horse.”
Gregorich Hapshamin smiled, bowed a little, and exited the room.
They set to the food that arrived a few minutes later. Roasted pork, fried potatoes with onions, soup beans, apple sauce spiced with cinnamon, and garlic bread slid down their throats until they were stuffed. Silvia’s tub water started coming in big pitchers carried by burly servants and she lit the torches around the private bath so they could see where to pour it. When the tub was as full as she wanted it, she shooed everyone out and locked the door.
She retrieved a nightgown from her wardrobe and the flagon of wine she had requested from the table and sat both of them on the ledge in the bathing room. On the ledge already were several huge towels, a bar of washing soap, and several different bottles of oils to put in the water. All of the candles and torches in her room except for one in the bathroom, one next to the couch and one above her bed were extinguished. Silvia undressed, putting her nuuisaket on the counter and tossing everything else in a heap to be washed. Searching through the oils she found a silver-handled brush and stopped to brush her hair. Next she poured some sweet-smelling oil into her bath and stepped in, not realizing she was being watched with great interest.
Chapter Six—A Strange Ride
The steaming water nearly burned her skin, but she relished in it. She loved soaking her body; it was extremely relaxing…which was why she dozed off. She dreamed that she was in the Tambian River, nearly drowning due to a fast current sweeping her away. On the riverbank, running to keep up with her, was Keelan. He kept shouting that she had to answer his question before he could save her: Are you taken?
“No!
” she tried to yell back, but the picture faded as she woke up…looking into Keelan’s eyes.
“I’m not, Keelan! I’m not!” she said to him in a shaky voice.
“What’s the matter? Tell me!” he said. His blue eyes were full of worry—she had been moaning in her sleep and he had been about to wake her so that she wouldn’t slide beneath the water in her slumber.
“I’m not,” she sobbed into her wet hands. She had sat up in the tub and was rocking back and forth, water splashing onto the rugs. She gazed at him and leaned over, throwing her arms around his neck.
Tentatively, he placed his hands on her back, distinctly noticing the way her breasts were wetting the front of his shirt.
“I’m not taken, Keelan! I’m not! Don’t let me drown!” She sobbed for a minute. “I dreamed I was drowning, and you were running beside the river. You said you couldn’t save me unless I answered your question. My answer is no—I am not taken!”
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