Second Son (The Minstrel's Song Book 2)

by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

  “I love the horse, Uncle Ramius,” Ky said, his eyes filled with admiration for the proud, golden beast. “It’s just that…” he trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.

  “The boy does not know how to ride yet, Ramius,” Stiorne interjected, saving his son from having to explain.

  Ramius’ face turned red and he looked outraged. “The prince does not know how to ride?”

  The king shook his head. “He is young yet, Ramius.”

  “But he is the eldest son of the king!” Ramius all but shouted. “He ought to have learned how to ride long since!”

  “He has been learning other things, Brother, riding has not been a part of either of their lessons yet,” Fiora said quietly, “they will both learn soon enough.”

  “I learned to ride before I learned to walk, as did you Fiora! I am surprised at you! I would have thought, hoped, that you would have taken a better control of the young prince’s education. He will be king one day; he needs to know things like this!”

  Fiora’s brow wrinkled in consternation at that, but she did not attempt to correct Ramius. Few people knew that Rhoyan was the one who was slated to become king, not even Ky and Rhoyan knew yet, so it was only natural that Ramius would expect it to be the other way around. It worried Fiora though, and she usually tried not to mention the subject around either of her sons; Master Yevo was not the only one who was concerned about how Ky would react when he found out. The queen exchanged a worried glance with her husband, but he shook his head slightly and she bit her tongue. Ky’s face had grown redder and redder during the exchange.

  “Will you teach me, Uncle? I’m a fast learner.”

  Ramius’ expression changed immediately from anger and outrage to one of pride and delight. “Of course, my boy! Of course! It would be my pleasure.”

  “Right now?” Ky asked excitedly.

  “No, not right now,” Fiora interjected quickly. “Ramius, it’s nearly the boys’ bed-time, I won’t have you getting them all excited now. They’ll never sleep tonight if you start giving riding lessons at this hour.”

  “But, Moth…” Ky began to complain.

  “It’s fine” Ramius said smoothly, smiling down at the young prince, “tomorrow morning will be a better time to learn; your mother is right, it will be dark soon anyway, and you don’t want to learn to ride in the dark, or when you’re tired.”

  “But we have lessons tomorrow,” Ky complained, “and we have to start getting ready for the tournament, I won’t have any time to learn to ride.”

  “Tournament?” Ramius asked.

  “Oh, Papa!” Rhoyan said suddenly. “We forgot to tell you about the tournament! Master Yevo said that we could have a mock tourney for the younger boys who haven’t achieved Kestrel ranking yet. It will be just like a real tournament, with all the events, but not using real weapons, don’t worry Mother, and, oh! Ky! If you learn to ride before then, you can even enter the jousting competition! I’ll bet you could win it, imagine! That would be so great! Can we, Father? Can we? Master Yevo thought it was a great idea!” Rhoyan’s words seemed to tumble over each other in his excitement at the combined prospects of a tournament and riding lessons.

  “That’s right,” Ky verified his younger brother’s tale, “we asked Master Yevo about it today and he liked the idea, but we forgot to tell you, what with the excitement of Uncle Ramius being here and all.”

  “That sounds like grand fun!” Ramius boomed out. “And we’ll see what we can do about making young Ky a master horseman before then, shall we?”

  “Will you stay for the tournament, Uncle Ramius?” Rhoyan begged.

  The captain rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “When is it to be held?”

  “In three months’ time,” Ky replied. “Will that be enough time for me to learn to ride?”

  “I might stay, I just might,” Ramius said. Then he turned his attention to Ky, “As for learning to ride, who knows? Some are born for it and others aren’t, but you’re a prince and you’re my nephew so that should count for something. We’ll soon see, in any case. We start bright and early tomorrow morning!”

  The next morning dawned in a gray and drizzly mist. Ky was contentedly sleeping in his bed, happy to let the Dragon’s Eye rise to greet the day long before he did. He was dreaming about the tournament, and the prizes he would win, when a rough hand yanked him out of his slumber.

  “Huh what?!” Ky mumbled sleepily, and then yelped as he was plopped down onto the cold stone floor.

  “Dawn has broken and it’s time for you to get up!” the gruff voice held a hint of laughter, but the tone was also firm and not to be argued with.

  “Ugh,” Ky groaned, as if in pain.

  “Some fine warrior you’ll make!”

  Ky wanted to argue that he would make an excellent warrior, if he could just open his eyes. But he had a feeling the argument would fall on deaf ears. His tormentor did not seem to be the sort that would sympathize with him bemoaning the loss of a few hours of sleep.

  “Uncle Ramius?” Ky asked groggily, as he began to get his bearings.

  “Who in the blazes did you think it was, boy?”

  “I-I don’t know,” Ky said, still trying to clear his thoughts. “Why did you wake me up?” He rubbed his eyes and his vision began to clear. “Ugh, it’s horrid out. Let me go back to sleep, Uncle Ramius, please. It’s not time to get up yet.”

  “Do you want riding lessons or not?” Ramius asked.

  Ky snapped to full wakefulness. “More than anything!”

  “Then move your lazy self out to the stables as quickly as you can. Your horse awaits you my prince,” and with that, Ramius left the boy to get dressed.

  Ky moved as quickly as he could, his boots gave him some trouble but he yanked them on and galloped down to the kitchen, taking the stairs two at a time. As he raced by Lita she handed him a pastry.

  “Good morning, young Ky,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “I ‘ad a feeling ya’d be needin’ breakfast on the run today.”

  “Thanks, Lita,” Ky mumbled around a mouthful of delicious tartlet.

  He continued out to the stables where his Uncle Ramius was waiting. The horse was tacked up and ready to go, and Ky’s enthusiasm suddenly wavered. The animal was huge, much bigger than Ky remembered from the day before. Its golden coat blazed in the morning light and it was tossing its head in impatience and pent up energy.

  “Ky!” Ramius said sharply. “Come take these reins. Today I tacked up your horse. But tomorrow you will learn to do it for yourself; a true horseman takes care of his own mount.”

  Ky approached the animal with growing trepidation. The horse loomed over him as he took the reins with a trembling hand; if the beast had wished to break free, that hand would not have put up one ounce of resistance. Ky almost hoped the horse would make a bid for freedom, and then he could go back to bed. He had never been very interested in horses. He had taken for granted that he would eventually learn to ride, most aethalons did, but he hadn’t given much thought to it otherwise, assuming the ability would just come naturally.

  “All right, you’re ready,” Ramius said, coming back from closing the stable door. “Up you go!”

  Ky was not sure what happened next. He suddenly found himself on the horse’s back. The horse snorted and tossed his head, Ky imagined the motion was made in irritation at his rider. Ky would have been all too happy to oblige the horse by getting down, but he was not sure how to go about getting off. As he was trying to figure out a way off the horse and out of this predicament Ramius slapped the horse and unclipped the lead rope that he had been holding. The horse took off at what Ky felt was a terrifying pace. It was, in fact, merely a trot, but Ky, afraid of falling, half slid, half leapt out of the saddle.

  The hard-packed ground hurt, and Ky was slow in rising. The horse stopped when its rider fell off and was now quietly munching on some grass near Ramius. Ky stood up and decided that he’d had enough, and he said so as he
turned to go back to the palace. Ramius’ hand on his shoulder stopped him in mid-stride. The hand could have been made of iron, and it gripped Ky’s shoulder so hard it made him wince, and he cringed a little, trying to get away.

  “Get back on the horse.” If Ramius’ hand was made of iron, then his voice was steel. “When you fall off, you get straight back on. I’ll not let any nephew of mine be a quitter, or a coward.”

  Ky looked up at his uncle, frightened more of the old captain than of the horse now. “I don’t want to,” he said the words as firmly as he could, but he could not keep the slight tremble out of his voice.

  “Get back on the horse.”

  There was no arguing with that voice. Ky turned around and obediently allowed his uncle to help him mount once more. This time the horse sensed his fear. Though the animal was truly well-trained and broken to a rider, it was still young and had a high-spirited temperament. Additionally, the horse had been cooped up in a small stall in Captain Ramius’ ship for several weeks, which meant that the creature was in no mood for riding lessons and was quickly becoming frustrated with the humans who were trying to make him stand still and go at a slow and sedate pace. Thus, as soon as Ramius let go of the reins this time, the horse did not break into a trot, but burst into a full-out run across the pasture. Unprepared for such sudden speed, Ky was left behind. He hit the ground rolling.

  “Use your knees next time boy!” Ramius shouted as he chased after the horse.

  He brought the horse back to where Ky was sitting and glared down at him, his eyes looking as stormy as the seas he sailed. “I saw you bail out at the last minute,” the sea captain said in a tight voice, “now get back on, and this time, stay on!”

  Ky wiped away the tears that were beginning to form and attempted to get back on the horse. But by now the beast was prancing around wildly and tossing its head, making it impossible for Ky to even get his foot in the stirrup. He sighed and looked at his uncle in frustration, his eyes begging for mercy. Ramius shook his head and threw the boy up on the horse.

  “Hang on with your knees,” Ramius instructed, handing Ky the reins.

  Ky nodded and tightened his grip on the reins. Ramius let go of the horse and Ky tensed, waiting for the horse to take off again. But the horse merely stood still, looking about as though bored.

  “Give him a little kick,” Ramius yelled out encouragingly.

  Ky nodded stiffly and tapped the horse lightly with his heels. The horse jumped forward stiff-legged and then bucked, sending Ky flying over his head. The boy landed on his face and began to sniffle harder. Ramius grabbed the horse’s reins and yanked the boy to his feet.

  “Stop crying and get back on. You’ll ride this horse if it’s the last thing I do!”

  Ky squeezed his eyes shut and wished his uncle to the bottom of the courtyard well. When he opened his eyes, he was back on the horse. The next few tries went in a similar manner, and Ky was now crying in earnest. The tears obscured his vision and he had no energy to even attempt to stay on the horse anymore. He just hoped that the horse would throw him hard enough to break something and then maybe his uncle would leave him alone. Any desire to learn how to ride had vanished.

  Finally, the torture stopped. Ky was sitting numbly where he had landed the last time the horse had thrown him, when he heard his uncle mumble something that sounded like defeat. Ky looked up, his tear-stained face streaked with the dust of the paddock. The old sea captain stared down at the boy and then shook his head and threw up his hands.

  “Completely worthless,” he growled savagely, then turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the desolate boy sitting on the ground.

  As soon as Ramius was out of sight, something shattered within Ky and he began to sob. Never before had he been so humiliated. He had never failed so utterly at anything in his entire life. His humiliation slowly turned to anger. His wounded pride flared up and laughed at him. Rage began to grow inside of him; he was angry at everybody. He was angry at the horse that would not let him ride, angry at his parents for letting Ramius talk him into riding lessons, angry at his brother for still being asleep, and angriest of all at Ramius who had witnessed his defeat. Slowly the shards of his shattered pride hardened and froze into bitter icicles. He stopped crying.

  Ky wiped his eyes on his sleeve, a determined look on his face. He stood up and walked purposefully towards the horse. At Ky’s approach, the creature flicked an ear unconcernedly, as if to say, “Oh, it’s you again.”

  Ky took hold of the reins and there was a new strength in his grip that made the horse toss its head in surprise. Ky stepped firmly into the stirrup and mounted, clumsily, but decisively. He then grabbed a handful of mane along with the reins and dug his heels into the horse’s sides. Taken by surprise, the horse reared slightly, but Ky held on, gripping instinctively with his knees and clutching at the reins. The horse took off at a gallop with Ky clinging to his neck. After several laps around the meadow, training began to take hold again and the horse calmed down. Slowing its pace, it was ready now to acknowledge the small creature on its back as master. Ky gave the horse a few experimental commands, to which the animal responded perfectly. Ky sighed and relaxed his death grip on the reins, satisfied that the horse had accepted him and would now obey.

  When the young prince had ridden several more laps, he glanced at the palace. He could see his father and uncle standing outside talking. A hard glint came into his dark eyes.

  “Worthless!” Ky muttered to himself. “I’ll show you worthless!”

  Kicking the horse into a controlled canter, Ky made his way up to the gate where his father and uncle were standing. Ky aimed the horse at Ramius and kicked his steed into a full gallop. His senses felt clogged, as though gauze had been wound around his head, he saw and heard nothing but the derisive look that had been on his uncle’s face when he uttered the word, “worthless.” Ky was completely focused on his goal, intent on trampling his uncle beneath the flashing silver hooves. The horse raced towards the captain, but Ramius merely stepped to one side and grabbed the reins as they flew past, halting the horse mid-stride and nearly causing Ky to topple out of the saddle again.

  “Ky!” King Stiorne’s voice was thunderous.

  Ramius held up a hand to stop the king from further outburst. “It is my own fault, My Liege.”

  “Yes,” Stiorne’s face was dark, “I saw. But that does not excuse impertinent or uncontrolled behavior. Ky is my son and he is a prince of the realm and that means his behavior must be exemplary, especially since his younger brother is still very young and impressionable. Ky, you know Rhoyan watches everything you do, you must think about what kind of example you are setting for him. No matter how you are treated, you must control your own actions. Now apologize to your uncle.”

  Ky’s expression became more and more abashed as his father spoke. The weight of what he had just tried to do, what he had wanted to do hit him and the shame of it reddened his face and made him wish once more that he was back in bed. He slid off the horse. What sort of monster am I? he wondered miserably.

  “I’m sorry, Uncle Ramius,” Ky mumbled quietly. “I should not have lost my temper. I hope that you will forgive me. You can take the horse back… I don’t deserve him.”

  Stiorne nodded in approval. Ramius acknowledged the apology with a slight lifting of his eyebrows. Then he pursed his lips and sighed. “No harm done,” he said gruffly. “It takes more than that to upset this old sea captain! Why, it reminds me of the time I was…”

  “Ky,” Stiorne interrupted before Ramius could start on another of his tales, “go wash up and wake your brother. Master Hobard will be waiting for you both to attend class for your lessons in mathematics and literature, and I don’t want to hear of any tardiness today. We’ll discuss whether or not you get to keep the horse later.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ky said quietly.

  He was nearly out of earshot when Stiorne spoke again. His voice was low and angry.


  “I saw that sorry excuse for a lesson, Ramius, and if you ever treat one of my sons that way again, I swear I’ll...” Stiorne’s voice lowered even further and Ky never did learn the rest of his father’s threat, but his steps became lighter as he led his horse to the stable. His father had seen and understood.

  Rhoyan was already up by the time Ky made it back to the palace to wash up. The younger prince was full of energy and excitement about the riding lesson, though he was bitterly disappointed to have missed out on the fun.

  “Did Uncle Ramius teach you how to ride?” Rhoyan asked exuberantly, not noticing the grim expression on his older brother’s face.

  “No,” Ky replied, “I taught myself. Now get ready for class, Master Hobard is waiting for us both.”

  Rhoyan bounced out of bed and grabbed his tunic. “You taught yourself?” He pulled the shirt over his head and began shoving his legs into his pants. “Uncle Ramius must have been impressed! Oh! Will you teach me to ride, Ky? Will you? I bet you’ll be the best rider in the country, I bet no one will ever beat you in a race, even if all you had was an old cart horse to ride!” Rhoyan was bounding around the room and trying to put on his boots at the same time, he careened into a table, nearly upsetting it, talking the whole time. “I don’t want anyone to teach me to ride but you!”

  Ky had to bite back a grin at Rhoyan’s chatter. “If you don’t stop bugging me, I won’t teach you anything, ever. Now come on!”

  Rhoyan fell silent at his brother’s command, and Ky glanced at him in concern to see if he was hurt. He nearly burst out laughing at the sight that met his gaze. Rhoyan had one hand firmly clamped over his own mouth.

  “Okay,” Ky relented, glad that Rhoyan had not been offended by his comment, “I’ll teach you to ride, you can talk if you want.” He reached over and tousled his little brother’s hair, silently thanking him for his innocence.

  Rhoyan beamed in pleasure and chattered all the way down the stairs and out the door and into the library about how famous they were going to be for their riding skills someday.