by Simon Archer
I blinked wearily at Travis from through the crack in the door. Despite my tired state, he stood unperturbed, and as per usual, he held a letter. He turned it sideways, so the thinnest part could slip through to me, then thrust it through the door and waited for me to take it.
“Do you know what time it is?” I asked.
Travis, predictably, said nothing. He held out the letter, willing me to take it.
I debated slamming the door shut, just to see what he would do. However, I decided against it and took the message.
Immediately, Travis spun on his heel and walked briskly down the hall.
I opened the door a little wider and called out, “Have a nice day!” I didn’t really mean it, and my groggy tone made that clear. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with my minimal efforts.
I shut my chamber door and leaned against it to examine my letter. It was addressed to me, with one of the most beautiful calligraphies I had ever seen. The capital A’s swooped and were elegant with pointed tips, and the R in my first name curved with even strokes. My inner artist drooled at the sight of it and wished I had that skill with calligraphy.
I opened the envelope as carefully as I could to preserve the envelope which I intended to frame or stick up on the wall somewhere. Inside was a small, sturdy card from someone I didn’t recognize.
Martin Mark Anthony,
Your presence is requested on the training grounds this morning to begin preparations for your introduction to court. Please wear clothes you feel comfortable moving in and have no trouble wearing, tearing, and dirtying. Tardiness will not be tolerated.
Sincerely,
Madame Alexie Lilysmyth
“Who the hell?” I muttered to an empty room. “Alexie Lilysmyth? Seriously?”
Now I had encountered some weird names during my time in Insomier. When I found out Rebekah’s name had a K in it, I nearly exploded. But Alexie Lilysmyth, spelled with a Y, had to be the worst of them all. I wondered if the woman behind the name was as pompous as her full title implied.
I read the letter again, trying to pull out important details and ignore the ridiculous name staring back up at me with shiny black ink. As I read over it once more, I noticed something that made me huff and throw the letter on the floor.
“Who the hell warns about tardiness and then doesn’t put a time to arrive?” I exclaimed, once again to no one.
Not for the first time, I seriously was starting to regret agreeing to the whole “introduction to court” process. If it was going to be this nonsensical, I might have to quit before I even got started. Especially when my bed, with its goose feather comforter and plump pillows, called out to me. I sent it a longing glance and stroked one of the four posts longingly. After a minute of mourning the sleep that I knew I wasn’t going to get back any time soon, I proceeded to change into something worthy of wearing, tearing, and dirtying.
When I made my way down to the pitch, with an apple for breakfast in hand, it was already occupied with a group of people sitting on the ground and chatting. They all looked well-dressed, as if their outfits had never contacted grass or dirt or sweat in the entirety of their existence. Some of their faces were too rosy, and their hair too styled to be entirely prepared for combat training.
I smirked. Whoever they were, this group was in for a rude awakening. Almost as rude as the one Travis gave me this morning.
I took a bite of my apple and approached the group, standing a bit away to observe and listen closely.
There were six of them in total, four young women and two young men. All of them were younger than me by at least five years, some of them more. Most of them were sitting on the ground, talking excitedly. However, one of the girls was sitting in a wheeled chair nearby the group, no one interacting with her.
I recognized her as Em, King Atlus’s young cousin, though her face was fuller and less pale than when I healed her on the table. Despite sitting on a wheeled chair while everyone sat together, she looked better than when I last saw her.
Our eyes met, and her head tilted curiously. Then the girl’s face broke into a smile, recognition dawning. She gripped the wheels and maneuvered herself back and closer to me. I could see it was rough going, traveling over the grass in her chair, so I met her halfway.
“Martin Anthony,” she said in a sing-song voice. “I cannot believe I actually get to meet you.”
“You’re Emerald,” I said plainly, a little uneasy. She hadn’t been awake the entire time we met, so I wasn’t sure how she knew me. Of course, it was reasonable to assume that someone had told her about me, but this level of recognition was still new to me.
“Yes.” Em giggled lightly, and then she lowered her voice. “I cannot thank you enough for helping me. Mama and Papa were very worried, but they love to tell the story of how you saved me. Well, they love to tell it to the few people who are allowed to know.”
“It was nothing,” I half-lied, trying to shrug off the compliment.
“Maybe for you,” Em said, “but not for them. Or me.”
“Well, it looks like you’re doing better,” I said, gesturing to her.
Em shrugged. “As better as I can be. The chair is normally a precaution. I tried to get them to let me come without it, but Mama and Papa insisted. They have been babying me more than usual ever since… but I guess it makes sense from their perspective.”
“You’re so understanding,” I commented. If I had parents hovering over me like that, I would have been so irritated. My parents had been present and good listeners, but never overbearing or strict.
“It’s either that or be mad at them,” Emerald said with a small wave. “And I already fought with them to let me be introduced this year, so I can’t quite push it.”
“You’re being introduced to court too?” I asked, curiosity in my voice. I didn’t know why, but I had thought I would be the only one.
“All of us are,” Em said as she gestured out to the other people sitting amongst us. “We are this season’s introductions. I am a little older than the average age, but health reasons prevented me from being introduced prior to now. But this is it. This year’s the year.”
She said these last words quieter, with a soft determination that I admired. Em clearly believed she had something to prove, and I empathized with her heavily. Mainly because I had to do the same thing. While she might have to prove she was healthy enough, I had to prove I was worthy enough.
A little burst of warmth bloomed in my chest. I recognized, then, that I might have an ally in this whole process and might not have to undergo it alone.
“So, what are we doing here?” I ventured the question, hoping to get a better sense of how all of this introduction stuff worked.
“You do not know?” Em asked with another tilt of her head.
“Nope,” I said, popping the word for dramatic effect. “All I got was a letter telling me not to be late, but then it didn’t have a time on it.”
“Madame Lilysmyth sometimes forgets important details like that,” Em said with an eye roll. “She just expects people to read her mind or something.”
“So you know Madame Lilysmyth?” I asked, feeling a little dumb for asking too many questions.
Nevertheless, Emerald beamed, seemingly eager and more than willing to answer my ignorant questions. “She is an interesting character, but really knowledgeable in the ways and traditions of court. Some people say she is as old as time itself, but you could not tell with how she looks. It is her gift. Her body stays young and healthy, while her mind ages with wisdom and years.”
“That sounds like a nightmare,” I said absently.
Em’s gaze suddenly grew hard and sorrowful all at the same time. The swirl of emotions surprised me. She looked almost offended, and that flash of determination came back in full force.
“What I would not give for a gift like that,” Em said, her words sharp but her voice low.
I opened my mouth to apologize, to backpedal and correct my mistake. It was obviou
s why someone like Em, who had dealt with health problems her entire life, would want a gift that could make her healthy and whole. I was an idiot for not being considerate enough to see how my comment could have offended her. I was about to say something, the apology forming on the tip of my tongue when a whistle struck the air like the crack of a whip.
The seven of us whirled behind us and saw a woman that immediately I knew as Madame Alexie Lilysmyth. She had high cheekbones and the most flawless moon-colored skin I’d ever seen. Her lips were soft but pointed and decorated with a deep crimson paint. A vibrant mess of dark chocolate curls sat atop her head, held together by a paisley scarf. Her clothing matched the scarf, flowing and vibrant. Unlike most of the other women in court, she didn’t wear a corset or even a bra.
Madame Lilysmyth was quite unlike anything I had yet seen in Insomier. She seemed to be a legend all on to herself, and the worst part of it all was, she knew it.
The inductees waited with bated breaths as Madame Lilysmyth walked down the path. She circled the group, examining us with a suspicious and hungry eye. It was unnerving, like anticipating an attack.
“Welcome, inductees!” Madame Lilysmyth said with a small smirk, as if her greeting were more of a challenge than a proper hello. “Over the next six weeks, during the fall season, we will prepare you to make your introductions to court. I have been teaching the new inductees for several years now, and I can tell you, not everyone succeeds. Some young nobles are asked to leave this year and try another year. If you are not performing to the standards of the court, you will be asked to leave without hesitation.”
Someone in the group gave an audible gulp. Someone else giggled nervously, but the rest of us remained silent. I tried to catch Em’s eye, to commiserate or laugh like a pair of school friends. However, the young noble had both eyes trained on our instructor like a hawk. I widened my own gaze and tried to refocus.
“There are three stages to the introduction process,” Madame Lilysmyth said. She paced back and forth between the group of us, like a military instructor, with her hands behind her back and a stiff stride. “The Tournament. The Dinner. The Ball.”
My mouth opened slightly, and my forehead wrinkled. Those three titles sounded so ominous, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about them. Surprising us all, one young woman raised her hand. Madame Lilysmyth pursed her lips together but nodded towards her all the same, giving her permission to speak.
“Do we have to go through this?” the woman asked in one of the most nasal voices I had ever heard. “We all grew up hearing this. It is not as though we do not know it by heart already.”
I raised my own hand but didn’t wait for Madame Lilysmyth to give me permission.
“I’ve never heard this before, so I would greatly appreciate an overview,” I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance at the young girl’s rudeness. “And I greatly appreciate Madame Lilysmyth taking the time to go over it all.”
“How have you not heard of the introduction to court?” The arrogant young woman asked. “Are you a commoner? Are they letting commoners introduce themselves to court now?”
“That shouldn’t matter,” I replied. “Why do you doubt her process, anyway?”
“I was simply trying to save us all some time,” the girl said, literally lifting her nose in the air defiantly.
“You’ve sure saved us a lot of time, stalling the lesson like you have,” I said, my snark clear in my tone.
“Sir! Lady!” Madame Lilysmyth snapped. “Kourtnee, thank you for your concern about the structure of my lesson, but I would ask you to leave now.”
“Leave?” the girl asked, her voice going higher if that was even possible.
“Yes,” Madame Lilysmyth said with a smile that didn’t reach all the way to her eyes. “I am excusing you from this year’s introduction.”
“But…” the girl stuttered, each jolt of her voice accompanied by a blink. “But why?”
“For rudely defying and interrupting the lesson,” Madame said, her devilish smile growing. “I warned you all that I reserve the right to excuse you at any time, and now would be your time. You are excused, Kourtnee.”
Kourtnee did not move. She sat still and shocked, her mouth hanging open like a guppy fish. We all stared at her, waiting and willing her to move, but Kourtnee didn’t seem to want to listen.
“Please, Kourtnee,” Madame Lilysmyth urged, “I do not wish to embarrass you further by having the guards escort you out.”
Kourtnee scrambled to her feet and gathered her skirts, straightening them out. Her mouth never closed, and her eyes never shrunk as she stomped past the group and back towards the center of the court. I could hear her muttering to herself the whole way out. I bit one of my knuckles to keep from laughing.
“Martin,” Madame Lilysmyth called out with such sharpness, I snapped straight and stared directly at her.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, resorting to the politest setting I could.
“While I appreciate your defense of me and the class itself, I would ask that you please limit your snark when addressing your fellow inductees,” Madame Lilysmyth warned. “You are privileged to be here and walking on thinner ice than the rest because of your special invitation. I would advise you to remember that.”
My blood froze as I waited for her to excuse me as suddenly as she had Kourtnee. I had been here for not even five minutes, and I was already ruining any chances of appeasing the court. However, Madame’s focus turned away from me and readdressed the rest of the group.
“As I was saying,” Madame Lilysmyth continued, “three stages to the introduction. Tournament. Dinner. Ball.” The lady ticked them off on her fingers as she announced them.
“The Tournament is an example of your fighting skills,” Madame Lilysmyth said. “After you are introduced to court, some of you may choose to go into the king’s guard where these skills will be useful to you. Additionally, it was the desire of King Garham that all of his subjects know how to defend themselves and their kingdom.”
I nodded subtly in approval. I liked to hear that this was something that King Garham asked of his kingdom. I also appreciated that this was at least one of the three tasks I was going to be halfway decent at, thanks to my training time spent with Diana.
“The next two weeks will focus on The Dinner,” Madame Lilysmyth said with a tempting raise of her eyebrows. “This is where you will get intimate time with the Council. Some of you will want to work in their departments, and this will give them a chance to get to know you and hopefully widen your job prospects.”
I had to hold back a groan. If I never saw the Council again, it would be too soon, but I kept the noise in my throat and kept my negative opinions to myself.
“Finally,” Madame Lilysmyth said with wide eyes that lit up like a kid on Christmas, “there is The Ball. This is the event of the season where all of the nobles turn out, dress up, and dance. This is where you will be formally introduced to the rest of the court.”
Then our instructor clapped her hands. “But first, I would like you all to introduce yourselves to us. However, I do not wish for your formal titles. I do not need the whole thing. First names will do for now. We will reserve those formalities for later weeks.”
Madame Lilysmyth placed a hand to her heart and leaned forward generously. “I am Alexie, and I wish you all to call me as such until I tell you otherwise.”
I made a mental note, but it was going to be difficult to think of such an extravagant woman so casually. Madame Alexie Lilysmyth held out her hand to Em.
“I am Emerald, but please call me Em.” the King’s cousin announced. She held her head high and took pride in her name as if she was proclaiming her entire title instead of just one section of it.
Going down the line went very quickly. Eamon was a linebacker sized boy with a thick neck and gruff voice. Kadir had an afro of black curls and glasses that were much too big for his face. Razia had an oval face, and her hair branched into spidery braids. Then there was Ma
ria, the Shirley Temple looking girl I met with Raiyna in the market.
“Wonderful,” Alexie said. She gestured for all of us to get to our feet.
I moved forward to join the rest of the group. Em parked her chair and slowly rose to her feet. She shook the entire time she did it, and it was almost painful to watch. Nevertheless, Em hardened her face and held her ground as she stepped up.
“To start, you will all be dueling me,” Alexie said with a short bow. “Now, who shall be first?”
16
Diana
I stood on the edge of the training grounds, eyeing the new group of inductees. I leaned against a column close to the grounds but with enough distance between myself and the group so they couldn’t see me. Normally, Madame Lilysmyth conducted this training without any kind of audience, but I offered her the use of the grounds, so I could observe Martin.
I almost missed the training this morning. My body was so tired that I didn’t wake with the sun as I had done consistently for years. It was worrisome, thinking that I missed my morning run and nearly skipped this session because of exhaustion.
I wiped my brow, and a small layer of sweat came away on the back of my hand. I looked down at the bee sting that had refused to heal from when I got stung on Maji’s birthday. It just sat there, like a little mound on my skin. I stretched my hand out in an effort to get the stiff skin to move. I shook it out, trying to ignore the uneasiness that lurched in my stomach every time I remembered the sting was there.
While standing there, something caught my eye off to the left. There was a weird ripple along another column. Despite how weird the ripple was, I recognized the effect immediately.
“I did not take you for a fan of sparring, Alona,” I chided. I crossed my arms and waited for my old friend to reveal herself.
Slowly, the image around the stone dissolved and reformed into the tall form of Alona. The small colorful flutterbird, Harmony, circled through the archways and then landed on Alona’s shoulder. When she fully appeared, the caretaker removed her glasses and wiped them on her shirt. She returned them to her face before speaking.
