by BJ Hanlon
“Not here you ain’t noble, and don’t tell Fior,” Henny paused. “You haven’t worked a farm eh?” Edin shook his head. “Ran cattle?” Edin didn’t answer. “Blacksmithing, tanning? Let me guess you’re a knitter.”
“No, I can’t do any of that… I did have chores around the manor.”
Henny snorted. “You were pampered.”
They came to a set of four long low buildings. Farmhands, twenty maybe, hid from the midday sun beneath a long porch or under trees.
Henny led him to a small stable; they left the horses with a boy of about ten. The kid was well practiced and by the time Edin stepped into the sun, the mare was already unsaddled.
Almost instantly, a man appeared before them glaring at Edin. “About bleeding time you showed up. I should give you twenty lashes.” His voice was rough but his appearance wasn’t.
“Fior, this is Edin.”
“I know his name. What the heck do you think you’re wearing? You think the Praesidium is gonna call you for an audience?”
“It’s all he had,” Henny said.
Fior ran his tongue along the inside of his lips causing them to bulge like a waterskin filled to the brim. The man had a trimmed red beard and hair pulled back in a weird bun at the crown of his head. He had pale skin almost completely freckled. His belly said he was the type of man who sat on his backside and told others what to do.
“You know how to work a farm?”
“He doesn’t,” Henny said.
Fior huffed, spat onto the ground near Edin’s boots, and eyed him over. “Why the heck do I get stuck with an incompetent boy?”
Boy… why do they call him boy… Edin clenched his jaw as their eyes locked and Henny twitched uncomfortably.
“You wanna take a swing at me?” Fior whispered.
Edin said nothing.
Fior growled and stepped closer. “Get him on the plow, he’ll work till I say he’s done…” A few more steps and now he was nose to nose with Edin. Or more closely, nose to mouth as Fior was shorter than Edin.
“You want to hit me, don’t ya,” Fior said.
“Not yet,” Edin said.
Henny stepped back. “Enough of this chest beating,” Henny said putting a hand on Edin and pushing him gently.
Edin felt tired and the sun was torching his black cloths. Despite the heat, he’d have done almost anything for a coffee.
“You do and I’ll have you in the dungeons.”
Edin shifted his jaw. The man was a blotard.
“Come on kid, I’ll get you set up with a plow.” Henny took him by the forearm and started to pull.
Edin held Fior’s gaze until they rounded a wall into a barn.
“Watch yourself with him, he ain’t got the talent, but he does have power. He grew up friendly with the FAE. It’s how he got the job,” Henny said.
Then it was work time, Henny showed Edin how to yoke the beast and plow. Then the big farm hand led them a few hundred yards to the south toward a barren field. All Edin had to do was go in a straight line while Henny followed and sowed the seeds.
Edin really didn’t care. He’d decided to do what he had to for now.
They worked for a few hours, Edin’s oxen kept him on a more or less straight path, but the plow kept tilting to one side or the other making angled waving trenches. Behind him Henny cursed just loud enough for Edin to hear.
Eventually, he lost track of time and grew tired. Sweaty and sticky, he was sure to have blisters later from the rough wooden handholds. Edin took a pair of water breaks, sneaking a bit of whiskey each time, but they were barely long enough to make it to the barn and ladle water into his mouth.
“Edin?” A voice said and for a moment, he was sure it was just then wind. It came again, Arianne’s voice, from somewhere off to the west. Edin was seated under a tree drinking from a waterskin and resting.
Edin pushed himself up and looked around. A moment later, he saw her blond hair high above the corn stalks.
“Over here,” he called out and watched her head swivel in his direction. She cut through a row on a small black mare. It seemed she had gone shopping, probably with Casitas. The thought made him fume for a moment. She wore a sea blue tunic, beige trousers, and had a light blue cape strapped to her neck.
“What are y’all doing? Get back to work,” Fior yelled rumbling up from behind them.
Edin wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm and saw the splotchy dirt covered uniform. He tried brushing off the dirt and grime though it seemed to just press itself into the fabric.
“Who are you woman? His water break is over,” Fior yelled as Arianne stopped. They should’ve still had a few minutes before the break was complete, but no one spoke up.
“I was asked by the FAE to speak with worker Edin,” Arianne said. The way she said worker sounded like a title…
The foreman looked at her, eyeing her up and down with squinting eyes as if trying to tell if she was lying. Then he switched his gaze to Edin.
“Fine, you have one minute.” He crossed his arms and stepped a yard back watching them.
“Alone,” Arianne said.
Like a petulant child, Fior said “This is my field, you want to be alone, go to a place different from me.”
Arianne nodded slightly and turned the horse.
Edin said nothing. He followed her into a patch between tomato and corn fields before helping her off the horse.
“Do you know we have a spell that controls growing seasons all year round?” She paused, “and it takes them a quarter of the time to grow plants?”
“It’s nice to see you as well,” Edin said realizing she said ‘we’ she was part of them now…
Arianne’s face went sullen and suddenly Edin had the urge to take her in his arms, pull her close, and kiss her.
Arianne stepped back when he tried to hug her. “You’re filthy,” she said.
“You never cared about that before.”
“I’m dressed well now.”
“The life of a farmer I guess,” Edin smiled. Seeing her, made him realize that over the past few hours, he’d focused only on the plow. He hadn’t thought about the journey, the people whose lives had been ended so suddenly.
“You are,” Arianne said.
Edin shrugged, “it’s what that fat fool told me to do so I’ll do it.”
“Don’t call him that,” she said. “Why were you late this morning?”
“Are you watching me?”
“I received word. You spent the evening at a tavern, walked home with some… barmaid and showed up late.” Her voice grew stern and cold. “The first night we’re not together you find some little wench and forget about me?”
“No,” Edin cried, “she walked me home, that was all.” Was his roommate a snitch? “Nothing happened, I’m… I have you,” Edin took her hand.
“Are you sure?”
He leaned in to kiss her.
“Have you been drinking?” she asked pulling away.
“It’s hard work,” Edin said.
“Stop it Edin,” Arianne scoffed. “Stop the drinking, stop acting like you’re too good for this place. You need to behave. Gods,” she said and looked up into the sky as if looking for words written in the clouds.
Edin thought he could see a gleam of tears beginning to form.
“I’m sorry,” Edin said and sort of knew why...
“Edin,” she looked back at him. “I have been given a room in the castle, my own handmaiden. They have accepted me as the daughter of the former king… though they will not accept me as queen. I’m to be listened to.” Her voice deepened. “This is my world Edin. Where I belong.”
“But not with me…” Edin said.
“It’s not that… I need time to adjust… I just don’t know anymore. I’ve only had you for the last few months, you’re the only person who I could trust, could count on.”
He felt as if she’d plunged her bejeweled dagger into him. Edin swallowed. “Now that you’re back in
your castle, I’m beneath you… look at Edin a lowly farmer?”
“No, but I think we should take time. Let’s integrate into this world, find out who we are in this place because we are not… we will not be the same people we were before.”
“Arianne…” Edin started but she held up a hand again.
“Edin, if you care about me, you’ll accept this.” She put her soft hand to his dirty cheek and ran her thumb down his jaw line.
Edin’s hand began to shake and his mouth went dry wishing for a drink. Anything to quiet his mind. He swallowed. “So that’s it. You’re a princess again and I’m… nothing to you.”
“You’re my friend.”
Edin shook his head. “No. No I’m not…”
“If that is what you wish,” Arianne said looking away, “goodbye Edin.” She climbed her mare, turned it around, and headed away. Like Kesona, she didn’t turn back and disappeared behind the corn stalks.
“Women issues?” Fior said appearing next to him.
Edin wiped a tear from his eye but said nothing.
“Take this to the quartermaster in the city. I expect you to be dressed appropriately tomorrow.” Fior handed him a piece of parchment. “I drew a map for you. It’s five leagues as the crow flies, more like six though. If you run, you should be able to make it before they close. “Be at the field on time tomorrow and dressed appropriately. You won’t get another warning.”
5
The Boganthean Tower
Edin shuffled down the dirt road. He wasn’t going to run for anyone, least of all that blotard. He passed through Ranchera and saw women working in small gardens around the cottages. Sweat beaded their arms and chests, dirt covered their hands. A woman grunted, an unwomanlike grunt while pulling at the stem of some root vegetable. She jammed in a small hand shovel, levered it back a few times then began yanking again.
“Coming back later?” a voice called. He turned to see Baili standing in the door of her tavern. A few of the crones looked up.
Edin shrugged. “Not sure, heading into town…”
She chuckled. “I see why.”
“Can I get a drink to go?”
She grinned, “sure thing.” She took his flask, refilled it, and came back out.
As he waited, he watched the women tending the small homesteads. A pair of children were playing down a row of leafy vegetables. A group of baby goats, kids, were calling out behind a small pen.
To the right, a baby began to cry and the mother let out a frustrated groan. It was peaceful and difficult at the same time.
He tried to picture Arianne in one of those patches, tending a garden taking care of their children.
She wouldn’t do that, even for him, she was a princess.
“Here ya go,” Baili said handing him the flask.
“Thank you,” Edin said and began to walk.
Now that he was here and safe, for what that was worth, he wondered why? He fulfilled his promise to his mother, Grent, and Horston. He made it.
The looming volcano, far ahead, stood silent against the setting sun. Now he was in the safest place for his kind and completely alone. Maybe it’d be better if he were a hermit… or not alive at all. At least he’d have his mother in death. His family.
Arianne was gone, and with her leaving so did any hope for the future. Her demeanor had changed, snapped like a twig in the high desert, all in one day. She wanted space, time apart, Edin had heard that before.
Edin took a drink.
As he entered the city, he received the odd curious glance from pedestrians before eventually finding his way to the outfitters as it was about to close.
The quartermaster, a man that looked like he’d crumble and break if pushed, eyed him with the vitriol of a man forced to stay late and miss dinner. He gave Edin two pairs of farmhand uniforms, light in weight and a dirt brown. To hide the mud, he assumed.
He barely even sized Edin up and pushed him out the door slamming it behind him.
Edin sighed and looked down at the brown paper wrapping and the small twine ties. He took a drink from the flask and glanced up. He was on Canal Street, though the significance meant nothing to him as there was no canal he could see.
Drinking from the flask he gazed up toward the castle. It seemed close and somewhere in there was Arianne.
Without a thought, his legs began taking him there.
He wanted to talk to her, talk her out of leaving him. What made her do it? What was the reason? She wanted to find herself? What the heck did that mean?
Was she with Casitas? Sharing his bed?
The image hit him hard causing his knees to almost buckle as he moved toward the castle gates.
“Edin de Yaultan?” a guardsman said. “You’re not allowed in the castle.”
Edin stared up at the man in the sliver helm and gritted his teeth. Then he saw the face of Foristol and lowered his eyes.
“I wish to see…”
“Get out of here before I throw you in the dungeon.” Edin recognized him as one of the guards that escorted him. So much for their rapport.
He looked back up and clenched his jaw and the retort on the tip of his tongue. Edin took a left along the short walls in full view of the guards.
Around the castle square, merchants were packing up their stands, doors were closing, flames were being lit on street lamps.
Edin watched as a dog chased a cat across his path before both disappeared between two tall and colorful buildings.
After a while, he began to realize the same patter of footsteps behind him had been going on for some time. Edin glanced over his shoulder and saw a man in a black cloak. The man stopped as Edin did, but didn’t even pretend not to be following him. Edin slid a hand toward his sword before realizing it wasn’t on him.
He continued down the avenue before cutting into a smaller road and finding a lush tavern. Inside, the chatter stopped and he received curious and angry glares from the patrons. Everyone, men and women, wore brightly colored cloaks, rings with gemstones, and garish hats. The floor shined marble and the walls held brilliant paintings of men, women, the castle, the sea…
Edin moved toward the bartender. A short slender woman somewhere in middle age. She peered at him above a pair of spectacles. She was nothing like Baili.
“Can I get a whiskey?”
“You got chits?”
“Chits?”
“Money boy…”
“Yes.” Edin felt inside his tunic and pulled out his small purse. He pulled out a copper, the woman took it and shoved it in her bosom.
“Don’t be showing that around,” she whispered. “Law states you must turn over all gold, silver, or copper to the exchanger.”
“Can I get a drink?”
She poured him a double whiskey and topped off his flask. “Don’t get coin much…” she said winking. “If you need anything else…”
Edin walked to a small table in the corner and set his package next to him on the chair.
A man and two women, all in their mid- to late-twenties, were at the table next to him.
As Edin sat, they must’ve decided their chairs were not comfortable and moved a few tables away.
The tavern stayed quiet; a fire roared offering the smell of wood smoke. He began to notice the place was fancier. There were velveteen couches in the corner where a group of men sat around smoking pipes, flowers hung in pots from the ceiling. The dress was nicer too, all had the capes thrown over their shoulders, red, green and two shades of blue.
A group laughed near him, it drew Edin’s attention. They were all staring at him as if he were the jester.
Only the bartender spoke with him.
Edin sipped on his whiskey and stared down at the polished wood. He followed a vein in the slab of the dead tree. It started at a knot and continued down, winding until it reached the edge. It took a circuitous route. His eyes began to blur and somehow in it, he saw the Crystalline River.
An inch from the knot, Edin pressed down. That
was where Yaultan was, that was home—one he’d never see again with people who’d want to burn him on sight.
He took another sip of his whiskey. Looking up, he saw blurred figures milling about and then looked back down. His head swayed slightly. He was drunk. He’d remembered the barmaid filling his glass a few times, how many, he didn’t remember.
Edin pushed himself from the seat and staggered toward the door. Stumbling he bumped into an empty table. It squealed on the floor causing heads to turn. People whispered around him but Edin couldn’t make out anything.
Finally, he reached the door and exited. He tripped and fell. A knee scrapped the perfectly fitted flagstone.
Edin glanced around, closing one eye to try and make out definitive shapes. Then he wondered, Where am I?
He pulled out the map Fior had given him and stared down at it. There was Delrot and the other two isles. The roads in the city were almost a perfectly formed grid pattered. The ones that went through the countryside swayed and bobbed like he did.
But he didn’t know where he was on the map. Edin glanced up at the castle, even blurred, it felt imposing and strong. A place for the wealthy and powerful. A place for a princess.
He found it on the map.
If he got to the gates, he could follow the road on the map. Edin began walking toward it.
Edin cut across another large road and found himself approaching the castle from the west.
Then it caught his eye. Dark and ghostly. The tower he’d seen before in the shadow of the giant castle. It sat like an old cripple next to a giant.
Something drew him there. It was enticing, like a wink from a woman or the smell of a fresh cooked fruit pie.
Before he knew it, he was going that way, zigzagging through roads and alleys.
As he walked toward it, he got the feeling he was being watched.
Guards turned their heads in his direction, a woman moved toward the side of the road giving him nearly ten yards of space.
Edin noticed it all. Others spoke in hushed whispers, certainly talking about him, not even trying to hide their disgust.
