“With my enemy dead Your Highness” Jason replied.
“Dead?” the prince said a little shocked before he settled back into his confident sneer. “And how many men have you supposedly killed?”
“I don’t know Your Highness” Jason replied as he tried to think of a number.
“What do you mean you don’t know, it’s not like you kill someone every day” the prince laughed. “Have you killed more than two people?”
“Yes Your Highness” Jason replied.
“Well have you killed more than ten men?” the prince asked.
“Yes I have Your Highness” Jason replied.
“This is ridiculous, well have you killed more than fifty men?” the prince asked.
“I believe so Your Highness, I have lost count” Jason replied. “I think that is the reason I was considered for this position, because I am a fair blade.”
“Y-you killed over fifty men?” the prince said visibly shaken. “Then you have no problem demonstrating your skill then?”
“No I do not Your Highness” Jason began. “My Da taught me the blade from the time I could walk.”
“Your Da did huh” Prince Adam said as he motioned to a guard standing off to the side. “Then you have no problem fighting Virgil here then.”
“I don’t have a practice weapon Your Highness, only my sword” Jason replied.
“It will be alright, if you injure him Virgil is a big boy and if he kills you then you didn’t belong here anyway” the prince said as he hurriedly nodded to Virgil.
Jason looked at his opponent and could see the man had some size but Jason could see he was not only taller but wider around the shoulders. His opponent though was wearing a breastplate while all he had on was cloth, hardly a fair fight he thought as his opponent produced his blade and charged him. Jason was barely able to draw his blade in time and could see his opponent was counting on that as the blow started to fall. His opponent was not even bothering to use the flat of his blade and the attack was so quick Jason was sure his opponent could not pull up on it and meant to hurt him. Jason dodged to the side and in one move drew his sword and bashed his opponent in the side of the head with the pommel. As he watched the man fall he kicked out with his foot on his opponent’s back and pinned the man down with his weight and pointed the tip of his sword to the back of his opponent’s neck.
“Yield or die” Jason said angrily. This man tried to turn a simple duel into a life or death battle. His opponent squirmed a little as Jason pressed the blade deeper and drew blood before his opponent finally gave up.
“That was exhilarating” A feminine voice said, Jason looked up and saw the princess smiling. “You said your father taught you, who is he?”
“My father was a simple blacksmith Your Highness” Jason replied. “He is dead now.”
“I-I am sorry to hear that” the princess replied as Jason could see her face fall. “What do they call you?”
“They call me Bells Your Highness” Jason replied.
“What kind of stupid name is that?” the prince replied as Jason could tell he was still angry.
“It is a nickname given to me on the field of battle Your Highness” Jason replied. “It is because I always wore bells so the enemy would know exactly where I was on the field, I wanted all who would cross me to know I was coming. Your man Virgil is lucky I was not serious, I could kill an idiot like that in the time it would take you to squash a bug.”
“I think you will be a fine addition to my daughter’s guard” the king said in a weak voice. “Virgil is an experienced fighter and you dispatched him easily enough although the fighter in me thinks he was too eager and left himself open.”
“Thank you Your Majesty” Jason said as a part of him pitied the dying king. “I will give Virgil a rematch whenever he wants and give him the same courtesy me gave me here.”
“So is your wife excited that you have this position?” the Queen asked in a voice Jason thought the finest he had ever heard.
“I have no wife Your Majesty” Jason replied. “All I have are my weapons, my training and my smithing.”
“You are a blacksmith?” the king asked.
“Yes Your Majesty” Jason replied. “My main weapon is a halberd, I made it myself.”
“I used to do a bit of smithing when I was younger” the king replied then went into a brutal series of coughs. “My father said it was good exercise to strengthen the arms, of course none of my kids ever picked up the habit.”
The rest of the meeting went by smoothly as the pair were dismissed and Grayland was excited about the outcome. Virgil was not the captain of the guard but was next in command by virtue of being a good fighter and Jason had downed him in a single blow. Grayland was more excited though about being able to finally leave the palace to see his wife, which he did as soon as he showed Jason the way back. Jason stayed in his room and sharpened his halberd since his sword didn’t need it until he heard sounds in the hallway. He peeked out and could see the princess was walking towards him along with four other women Grayland had said were her ladies in waiting, a fancy term for lesser nobles who acted as her servants somewhat.
“Ah there you are Bells” the princess said as she got closer to him. “That was quite the show you put on earlier, come let us talk more privately.”
Jason followed her inside her room and was amazed at the amount of pink and lace he found there. As he looked around he could see he had caught the eye of the younger lady in waiting as the rest had to be over forty years old. It was then that he realized this was the first time he had ever been in a girl’s room before which made him beyond nervous.
“Relax Bells” the princess said as she flopped down on a sofa. “You look more nervous in here with a bunch of women than you did out there fighting with that oaf Virgil. I don’t bite, at least not hard anyway.”
“It’s just this is my first time inside of a lady’s room before” Jason stuttered before adding, “Your Highness.”
“Well you can relax, you will find yourself in here a lot when I am bored” the princess replied. “Is there anything about you I should be aware of? I am sure you have talked to Grayland and he informed you of everything.”
“I think I may have magical ability” Jason said as he watched the princess’s eyes light up.
“What do you mean you think you might?” Mellony asked. “Why didn’t the seekers bring you a long time ago? There aren’t very many mages in the kingdom, how could they have missed you?”
“I was sentenced to the Knights of Death before they came” Jason replied.
“Knights of Death?” one of the older women said and grabbed her heart. “You are a criminal?”
“I am guilty of nothing except crossing a noble, something I have paid dearly for” Jason began. “Baron Dawson’s only son Patrick was the reason for me being branded a criminal.” Jason told the women his story but left out the role the priest played, opting to just say he and his father were blessed.
“Well, Baron Dawson has no friends over here” Mellony replied. “He does have my step mother as a confidant though, not to long ago I heard a rumor she wanted to match me with his fat son Patrick. Patrick reviles me to no end even if he is a decent mage, well at least they claim.”
“When was the last time you saw Lord Dawson, Your Highness?” Jason asked.
“More than two years ago but I can't imagine he has changed much” Mellony replied.
“I told you my father injured him, but I didn’t get into detail” Jason replied. “He has a scar right down the middle of his face. Even his nose was split open practically to the bone, last I saw him, someone had sewn him up but I don’t think that would heal well.”
“Why didn’t he send for one of the priests?” Mellony asked.
“The followers of the Light Bringer do not heal those they perceive as wicked” Jason began. “The priest refused to treat him no matter how many threats Lord Dawson tossed at him.”
“Well put the Baron and his fat son out
of your mind” Mellony said looking at Jason. “Your job is to protect me now and I need you dedicated to it, your thoughts of possible revenge have to be cancelled.”
Jason nodded although he was seething a bit inside. This noble had heard everything he had to say and cared nothing for him, then again what could he expect from a noble? She only cared about her own interest, but she did have someone supposedly trying to kill her. Jason’s thoughts of revenge may have to wait a while was the conclusion he came to. Another conclusion was that he should remember he was a guard and nothing more despite the fact he had caught the princess checking him out a bit more thoroughly than he would have liked after declaring his possible desire for revenge futile.
“So this magical ability of yours is untrained is it?” Mellony asked. “It’s easy to tell if you have the ability or not. Magic isn’t that hard to do once you know the basics, of course from what I hear having the best tutors helped me greatly. Teaching you should be fun, at least it will keep my mind off of…well off of things.”
“You musn’t talk like that Mellony” one of the older women in Mellony’s group said. Jason would have pegged her as the leader of the bunch, Jason could tell by body language that everyone including the princess deferred to her.
“I have to Margaret, meeting the future is what I must do” Mellony said in a voice that made Jason think she was on the verge of tears. “My father is dying and because he doesn’t want to leave me any problems, all of his remaining energy has gone to winning this war and finding me a husband so maybe my mother in law will think twice about crossing another noble family.”
“This is too much for a girl like you” Margaret said as she pulled Mellony in for a hug. “You are barely twenty and have to deal with so much. You don’t worry about the queen none, anyone that witch sends I’ll see to them.”
Just as Margaret finished speaking Mellony’s door burst open. Before whoever it was got fully inside the room Jason had his sword drawn and positioned himself ready for a strike just as the Prince came inside with two guards. The prince looked shocked as his two guards pushed from behind him and drew their swords.
“What are you doing in here!” Mellony screamed as she got up off of her seat. “You do not just enter my rooms like you have that authority.”
“Your guard drew his weapon on me, this is unacceptable” the Prince said as Jason watched the royal draw his own blade. “I should have him killed for such an insult. I can visit anywhere I like inside of the palace, it is my home.”
“Guards, you will drop your weapons and leave my rooms or you will be fired at best and killed at worse” Mellony said as Jason could hear the woman coming up from behind him.
“They work for me, they will do no such thing while your thug has his weapon out” the prince replied.
“I am the Crown Princess now drop your weapons” Mellony said as the guards stayed with their weapons drawn.
Jason took that as a threat and went on the offensive, batting one guards weapon away while slashing the other across the face on the return strike. The men looked to be surprised from the attack and put up feeble resistance as Jason weaved in and out of their attacks and struck at will against any flesh that was not covered in armor. Suddenly he heard a loud boom followed by a strong wind which knocked Jason to the side and his opponents almost out the door. Jason quickly regained his footing and was ready to press the attack as he felt someone grab his arm. He looked back to see the princess who had a strange looking weapon in her hand. The bottom of it was made of wood while the top held some kind of metal ball. She motioned for him to get out of the way then leveled the ball at the two men who were bleeding heavily from the face, hands and legs. Jason thought they were lucky he was just trying to wound or he could have killed them within the first few seconds as he had three or four chances for a neck slice that he passed on.
“You two will leave this palace and not return” Mellony said coldly. “It is no secret my father is ill. If you are still here when he dies I swear my first course of action will be your execution, follow my brother if you think he will save you.”
Jason watched the men get to their feet, the Prince had disappeared, probably blown out of the door and was now running scared. The men limped out of the room after a little grumbling and left bloodstains everywhere.
“Why did you attack them?” Mellony said as she rounded on him. “I could have handled the situation, don’t ever do that without my permission.”
“You gave your permission Your Highness” Jason replied. “You told them to drop their weapons or be removed.”
“Yes, but that wasn’t” Mellony stammered as Jason could see her replaying the events leading to the small fight. “I didn’t mean for you to attack anyone.”
“So if armed men barge into your room in the future I should let them pass?” Jason asked.
“Well no you shouldn’t” Mellony said with the anger out of her voice.
“Then I am not sure what I did wrong Your Highness” Jason replied.
“You attacked first” Mellony said as Jason could see she was getting back angry. “Adam was just in here for show, to assert himself after you beat Virgil.”
“The boy did nothing wrong” Margaret said as she came over. “He saw two thugs in your room and dealt with them. I bet if someone attacks you now they won’t all mysteriously get away without any injuries.”
“We can’t prove anything Margaret” Mellony said as she faced the woman.
“We don’t have to” Margaret replied. “Now that business with Prince Adam was bound to happen sooner or later, his mother has been pushing him to be more assertive. Once you become ruler you should push him out as soon as possible to the family estate. Up until now you have been content with snide remarks and getting pushed around, this shows you have a little teeth.”
“You may go Bells” Mellony said as she turned towards Jason.
Jason left the room and instantly went into his own room and grabbed his halberd. Maybe he had done something stupid but it was no use fretting about it now. He wasn’t exactly scared of anyone on the palace guard; they probably were soft from doing nothing other than training while he had been in multiple fights for his life. If they had ever decided they wanted some payback he would be ready. If Mellony could teach him about his magic though, that would be just one more ability he would have to dissuade any would be attacker from doing something stupid. The night passed easily enough, Grayland came earlier than Jason thought and relieved him.
CHAPTER 10
“Well does this boy have the ability or not” the King said in a weak voice that Jason could tell was meant to convey his irritance.
“He does Your Majesty” an older man bent from age with a long gray beard said as he placed his hands on Jason’s forehead. “I can feel his power, honestly it is a wonder he hasn’t inadvertently killed someone, an untrained mage is dangerous to himself and everyone around him. I am surprised once he turned twenty his power was not just leaking out causing havoc on its own no matter his power level.”
“The boy is not yet eighteen but will be soon” the king replied. “He is my daughter’s guard since I have little faith in the idiots that were supposed to protect her.”
“Well he definitely would be a good one to have Your Majesty” the old man replied as he took his hands away from Jason. “Even at a low power level he could surprise the hell out of any attacker especially with that halberd he carries. All a staff is, is a length of wood to focus magic and the metal is just to amplify the effect.”
“Yes, yes Gowin but can he be trained and how fast can this happen?” the king asked. “I am not long for this world and I want my daughter to have what she can. I cannot prove my wife or son has anything but love for her but I am not a stupid man. Can you teach this man what you can of combat magic? My daughter has plans to become his instructor but I do not think she is an adequate teacher when she already has so much on her plate like this war and the upcoming ball.”
“Your daughter is an excellent student Your Majesty” Gowin replied. “I can teach him what I can and she can refine it somewhat. Do not let her skill as a mage cloud your judgement of her ability to teach, every lesson I have taught her she has memorized.”
“Then let his training begin at once, I am due to meet with my generals for an update on the war” the king said as he shakily got out of his chair. “You can go Bells.”
“Your Majesty is this wise?” Gowin asked as Jason left the room. “Having him remain as Her Highness’s guard while he is in training. I am not sure how he can do both.”
“Both of you will figure out a way” the King said as he steadied himself on a cane he started to us to walk. “He won't be her only guard for long, once she has more then he can spend a bit more time with his magic.”
Gowin left the room soon after and went to grab his book of spells, he would need to identify the spells the boy should learn first. These spells had to be easily practiced in secret and not too powerful, Gowin didn’t want to destroy the palace. Once Gowin grabbed his book of spells he grabbed a blank sheet of parchment along with a quill and walked over to she Princess Mellony. When the girl had told him about her guard’s ability Gowin thought she was lying. When he saw the brawny protector perform magic in front of him using Mellony’s staff he could have fainted. Mellony said they had practiced for three days so far and said he was moving along faster than she thought he would. Mellony was doing the one thing Gowin himself never did, something the king all but implied that he do, rush along the training of a magic user. Gowin knocked on the Princess’s door and walked inside when he was summonded. The guard, Gowin thought his name was Bells was already there standing by in case Gowin was someone wishing to do the princess harm.
“Alright Bells, I have been instructed to give you a fast and dirty course in magic wielding” Gowin said as he took a seat. “You should have begun your studies when you were sixteen at the academy along with the other prospects. It is there where you would learn a lot of other things besides magic, like how to carry yourself as a mage. Only those deemed worthy would get the full experience, the rest would learn a few spells then would be sent home after two years or so. You on the other hand, thanks to your profession will get whatever I can show you to protect the princess, do take your job seriously.”
The Warrior of Sapin Page 9
