Beauty's Quest

by C. S. Johnson

  “Thank you, Abbess,” Theo said, bowing his head as he plucked up Mary’s pillow and set off toward the cathedral.

  “Do you think she knows what she’s talking about?” Mary asked. “About the Romani territory and so forth?”

  “Yes,” Theo said. “I haven’t been here long, but she is an authority in this church as an abbess, and as a community organizer for this tournament. I’ve seen enough of her diligence and intelligence to trust her.” He smiled. “And I’ve recognized the streak of relentless curiosity in her.”

  “Takes one to know one,” Mary teased.

  “Yes, agreed.” Theo gave a small laugh. “I didn’t think about that before, but you’re right. We share that.”

  “As does Rose.”

  “I think Rose would like the Abbess. I’m hoping when things settle down, I’ll be able to introduce them to each other.”

  “You might be able to do so sooner than you think,” Mary said as she pointed out to the far left of the church’s grand walls. “Here she comes with Philip now.”

  Theo spotted Rose, finding her immediately in the small parade of people heading towards the medical stations. When he realized she needed help, he ran over to her, quickly noting how she clutched Philip’s waist, her fingers covering a large, dark pool of blood. “Rose!”

  *11*

  ҉

  ROSE FELT HER KNEES buckling more and more with each step she took. While she was strong, Philip was a large man; after several blocks, she was beginning to find it nearly impossible to move.

  A few deep, steading breaths later, she resumed her march with as much effort as she could. Her pragmatism told her moving more slowly just made it that much longer before he could lie down.

  Philip’s labored breathing matched her own. And while Rose felt the twinge of pity in her heart for him, as he struggled to keep his balance and his consciousness, she was glad they were nearly out of breath. It would keep him from giving her more compliments.

  Magdalina’s curse would rob her of the majority of her life, but it had also ended up taking away much joy she might have found in good things like that, she thought bitterly.

  Fiona and Juana, at her birth, had gifted her with grand beauty—hair like the sun, lips to shame the red, red rose, and eyes as wide and expressive as the waters of the earth—as well as the gift of grace and song, giving her the ability to still the world around her just by lifting her voice. Even though she had chopped her hair short and hid her other charms, people still found her beautiful.

  Telling me I’m beautiful just makes me sad, Rose thought. Theo would call her beautiful from time to time, but it was usually to make her angry.

  She suddenly wondered if Philip had complimented her in order to keep her pushing on toward the medic tents. After all, he knew her anger could energize her when uncertainty hit.

  “I’ve been wondering if you’ve been taking after Theo in that aspect,” she said aloud.

  “What do you mean?” Philip asked.

  They stopped and leaned against the cathedral wall as Rose scanned the area. “Nothing,” she murmured. “I’m trying to see where we can go.” She bit her lip. “This place looks crowded.

  “Rose!”

  The familiar voice of her friend steadied her as nothing else could have in that moment. “Oh, thank goodness,” Rose muttered. “Mary!”

  She turned to see Theo hurrying over, holding the pillow on which Mary sat.

  “Come on, Philip,” she said, drawing his arm around her body again. “Help’s here.”

  Philip groaned at having to move, but brightened as Theo and Mary came up beside him.

  “Philip, what happened?” Mary asked.

  “I think one of the bulls ended up liking me too much,” Philip said, trying to make light of his situation. When he gasped in pain as he tried to laugh, he shook his head. “Any help would be great, Mary.”

  “Rose?” Theo’s steps faltered some at the sight of her, but recovered quickly. He reached under Philip’s other arm.

  “Thanks for the help,” Rose said.

  Theo just nodded as Rose, who used her free hand to feel Philip’s forehead.

  “Well, it doesn’t feel like you have a fever,” Rose said.

  “I’m working on stopping the blood,” Mary said. “Rose, if you and Theo can keep him still for a few moments, I’ll have his wound sealed up.”

  Rose sighed with relief. “That’s great, Mary. Thank you so much.”

  “Feels good to use magic more openly.” Mary’s wings fluttered in a small show of excitement. “I’ve been trying to be discreet all day.”

  “How has your day been?”

  “Not bad,” Mary responded. “We’ve had a lot of smaller injuries, nothing too serious.”

  Rose eyed Theo, surprised to see one of the monks or priests must have given his ebony locks a quick trim. “Nice hair.” She fought down an urge to reach out and touch it.

  “Thanks,” he replied absently. “You didn’t carry him all the way through the bull run, did you, Rose?”

  “No, of course not.”

  Philip laughed. “I’m much too heavy for that. We were in the last leg of the trip when a bull managed to gouge me. Just a bit,” he added.

  “He should be better in another minute,” Mary said. “But you’ll need to watch it for a few days. I’ve been healing people all day and there’s a limit to my energy.”

  “Should be easy enough,” Rose said. “Philip is competing in the sword fight tournament, but not till later in the week.” Looking down at him, she added, “If we’ll even need him to fight at all. I’m sure we’ll get enough funds by then.”

  “There! That should do it,” Mary announced.

  “Thank you very much, Mary,” Philip said. “It’s not often I get roughed up in battle, especially one of this nature, but I can tell you with certainty I do not like pain.”

  “It has its purpose,” Mary assured him, “but I agree with you.” She wriggled her nose in distaste. “For a variety of reasons.”

  “I won’t argue with you.”

  “And you’ll not argue with me, either. You’re going back to the inn and staying in bed until tomorrow.” Rose turned to Mary, ignoring the exasperated look on Philip’s face. “Can you stay with him?”

  “You might as well,” Theo told Mary. “I can take care of the burials by myself. You’ve done such good work earlier, too. You should really rest.”

  Mary nodded. “All right.” She yawned and then smiled. “I could use a bit of a nap.”

  Rose laughed. “Good. Let’s get Philip back to the inn and I’ll tend to you both then.”

  “I’ll be late getting back,” Theo spoke up. “Can you manage him like that, Rose?”

  “Yes, I’ve got him. Wait, what do you mean, you’ll be late? Can’t you come with me now?” Rose asked.

  “I have duties here just as you do,” Theo reminded her. “Abbess Aurelia just asked me to stay late to help out with lunch.”

  “She’s the one in charge of the nuns,” Mary told her. “And she’d mentioned she has some scrolls for us with information we need on the dragons.”

  Rose felt a slight wave of disappointment despite the good news. “Okay,” she said, resigned. “Come back when you can. We’ll be there.”

  Theo nodded and hurried up the cathedral steps. Rose turned back to the long walk to the inn. “I was hoping he’d help me entertain you some, Philip.”

  “Mary can do just as well, I’m sure,” he said, smiling down at the small fairy, who blushed. “And we get to look forward to seeing Ethan and Sophia again soon, too.”

  “Doubtful,” Rose said. “I know Sophia will be back late as well, since she’ll be there getting ready for tomorrow’s matches.”

  “And Ethan’s with his Penelope,” Mary informed Philip. “He might be late getting back, too.” She giggled. “He was very eager to head out and see her this morning.”

  “I can imagine,” Philip agreed. “There’s someth
ing to be said for having someone to aspire to please.” He used his free hand to pat at his chest.

  “What’s wrong?” Rose asked. She peered back at Philip, to see the edges of a piece of paper plastered between the folds of his tunic.

  “Nothing,” Philip said, a small amount of blush accenting his cheeks. “It’s nothing.”

  “All right.” She looked at him suspiciously. What was he hiding? Rose wondered.

  After a moment, she decided to let the matter slide; they had other things on her mind. “On the way back, look for Roderick,” Rose directed. “I haven’t seen him since we left the arena, but I’m sure he finished before us.” Considering how much he seems to love my mother, that should be a given.

  “I wouldn’t worry about him, either.” Philip smiled brightly at her. “I imagine you’ll have a lot to write about in your first letter to Isra.”

  “Well, I suppose I have some time to write her, if I’m going to be watching you and Mary rest, don’t I?”

  *12*

  ҉

  “ARE YOU SURE YOU CAN do this?” Rose could barely open her mouth to speak. The scent of sweaty, sinewy bull muscle had been replaced over the last two days with the filthy, corpulent thickness of boars. The rainfall during the previous night had done nothing to help dispel the perpetual cesspool enchantment placed on the city, and the early morning sea breeze had failed to fight off its foulness. She glanced around the small pen, one of the many that had been crudely constructed for the boar wrestling matches, as she sat in the stands with Roderick.

  Roderick gulped down some ale from a large tankard. Roderick nodded, determined. “I’ll be fine, My Lady. I grew up on a farm, you know.” He looked around with a nostalgic expression. “One that was close to the Aragonian border.”

  “You came from Aragon?” Rose asked, her curiosity overcoming some of her stomach’s tepidness.

  “I was outside of its borders, but my mother took me into the cities to see my father from time to time. He was a knight of sorts himself, before he went off sailing for the young Queen of Castile and Aragon.” Roderick looked out into the distance. “He was presumed lost at sea when I was eight.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Roderick shook his head. “A boy who loses a father he barely knew does not lose that much, Highness.”

  “I suppose.” Rose thought about her own father and how he had imprisoned his mother. And how her mother might actually be in love with Roderick. She wasn’t sure if she could say she knew either of her parents very well all of a sudden.

  She decided to keep her attention on Roderick. “When did you come to Rhone?”

  “My mother received a small inheritance for me when my father was declared lost. She decided to go away from the area, back to her own family. We were headed for the Farnish kingdom, but we ran out of money when we reached Rhone. So we stayed. She remarried, and I joined the King’s knights.”

  “When did you meet my mother?” Rose asked.

  Roderick shook his head. “If you were not the princess, My Lady, I would not be having this conversation with you.”

  “Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I am the princess, and even though I don’t typically order people around, I will in this case,” Rose countered. “I’d rather you answered now, anyway. We’re alone, for one. And for another, your competition starts in a few minutes. I need a distraction in the meantime.”

  “You’re not the one who is competing,” Roderick reminded her. He reached out and, almost in a fatherly manner, patted her arm. “You’ve always taken on so much responsibility for those around you. You needn’t worry about me.”

  “Don’t tell me what I already know.” Rose shifted uncomfortably. “I’d hate to think my mother’s friend died trying to get me out of a mess I made.”

  “You didn’t make it. Magdalina did.”

  Rose shrugged. “I could have stayed at home.”

  “Doing nothing in the face of evil never helps anyone,” Roderick replied, “and you are not one to do nothing, anyway.”

  “Quit avoiding the topic. Tell me how you met the Queen.”

  “She was at court when I came. We bonded over travel more than anything. She was having some of the castle restored, and she heard I had been born to an Aragonian knight. Over the years, she sent me there with some messages and such.” He raked his fingers through his bright red hair. “I doubt she loves me, if you’re worried about that. I’m more like a pet to her than anything.”

  The sadness in his voice was disconcerting enough Rose wondered if he loved her more than her mother loved him in return. “I’m not sure she would send a pet to protect me, on either this journey or the last one,” Rose told him quietly.

  “Really, My Lady? I feel as though that is exactly as she would have it.”

  Before Rose could object, the trumpet blared, and Roderick was summoned to the center of the wrestling ring. She watched as the round bell sounded out and a boar was released into his circle. She knew he only had a few moments to tackle and subdue the beast.

  “There you are.”

  Rose jolted in surprise. “Theo. What are you doing here? Don’t you have morning mass or something?”

  He handed her a decanter of water. “I thought I would come and cheer Roderick on. Give you a break, if you wanted it.”

  “I am on break,” she muttered. “I joust tomorrow.”

  “I thought you might want to go train. Or maybe rest; I know you didn’t sleep much last night.” Theo’s eyes held a shadow of accusation Rose decided she didn’t like.

  “I’ve had worse, and you know it. As long as Sophia has my lance ready for tomorrow, we’ll be in good condition.”

  “You might want to go select a horse.”

  “They’ll have horses ready for me tomorrow. Are you trying to make me leave?”

  “No,” he scoffed. His voice lowered as he said, “I just didn’t think you’d like being here with Roderick that much. And it is wrestling. It’s not something you’ve ever been particularly interested in.” He looked up at her. “Just trying to watch out for you, Rosary.”

  “Stick to praying for now,” Rose bit back. “We’re doing okay.” She counted off her fingers. “Roderick, Philip, and I all finished the running with the bulls. We were given some coins at the end, some of which Felise took so he could reinvest them—”

  “Reinvest them?”

  “You know, place more bets.”

  Theo, surprisingly, laughed. “He would, that sly fox.”

  The audience around them gasped in surprise, and then cheered. Rose and Theo turned to see Roderick had managed to pin the boar down to the dirt.

  “All right!” Rose jumped up and clapped. “This is great.” She turned back to Theo. “This will help some more. He’ll get money for every boar he wrestles, and if he wins the most rounds, he’ll get a bonus.”

  “Do you think he’ll win?” Theo asked.

  “I have my hopes,” Rose said. “He was telling me about his childhood and everything, but I’m not sure of his competition in this matter.”

  “Marsor’s over there,” Theo said, pointing out another nearby wrestling pen.

  “Is he? Where?”

  “I know he made you upset, Rose, but you’ll get your revenge. I heard one of his men say he’s signed up for the jousting tomorrow.”

  “Good.” Rose caught sight of Marsor, stretching beside one of boar pens. “I hope he loses.”

  Theo nodded. “I won’t argue with you there. But do be careful.”

  “I am careful.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Do I? What do you mean?”

  Theo sighed. “I mean that you get upset and you can lose your focus, or you can only focus on the problem he presents. It’s not good battle tactics, Rose.”

  “Considering I’m the one who taught you most of what you know about battles, I’ll take that as an insult.”

  “I learned a few things from watching you make those mi
stakes,” he insisted.

  Rose snorted in reply. “Why did you come here again?” she said, deliberately changing the subject. “Was it to aggravate me?”

  “No. I definitely didn’t want to argue, if that’s what you mean.”

  “Well, you’re doing a horrible job of it.”

  “You’re too stressed to see I’m looking out for you just as much as you look out for everyone else,” Theo said quietly.

  Rose said nothing to that for a long moment. She thought about denying the need for it, but decided to let it go.

  She had known Theo for a long time, and he had always told her the truth, even if it was unpleasant and not what she wanted to hear. Even the first time she’d met him, talked to him, and punched him in the nose for his blatant impertinence. That was what she had liked about him. Now was not the time, she decided, to show him she was still that seven-year-old girl with a temper.

  “I met with some of the church members yesterday,” he told her, changing the subject. “Some of them donated money to help our cause.”

  “They did?” Rose asked, brightening up at the mention of money. “Well, that was kind of them. You didn’t tell me.”

  “I got in late again last night.”

  “Yes, you did. I would have thought that with the running of the bulls over, there would be fewer people dying.”

  “Fewer people dying, in a sense, sounds like less work. But there aren’t so many deaths here. There would be fewer if the tournament organizers weren’t so determined to injure people. Only the prayers are needed at the graves. But when people are injured, there’s treatment and follow-ups and materials needed.”

  “I see. I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

  “Well, that’s what keeps me busy,” Theo said. “Of course, I’ve noticed some of the others coming in later, too. Ethan met me at the door on my way in last night.”

  “I’m willing to bet it’s his teacher that’s encouraging him to do so.”

  “I have no reason to argue with you on that point.”