Anna couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, you will call him ‘Your Highness,’ and the people of this city will call you ‘Highness’ as well. You are a member of the royal family of this city. You have the blood of its king, and even if you didn’t, you are a member of your father’s royal family, so everyone would call you ‘Highness’ anyway.”
Grundel just shook his head. “Why do humans have to make everything so complicated? Why can’t they just call their leader what they are? A king is a king, and a prince is a prince. ‘Highness’ sounds like the king is a god or something.”
Anna smiled at her son. “You should probably avoid singling out the human race like that. You are, after all, a part of it, and these are your people.”
“I don’t even know these people,” he answered.
“No, but after today they will know you. You are the grandson of their previous king and the nephew of their current one. Everyone in Patria will know who you are by the end of the day.”
They were coming to the end of the road. There was another wall around the palace; this one was also made of stone, but it was only about twenty feet high and it did have a smooth surface of mortar on the outside. There was no gate here, so they turned right down the street and followed it around the wall. It was another small, but specific detail with defense in mind. If an enemy did make it into the city, they wouldn’t be able to march directly up to the palace gate. They went past six streets before turning left, following the wall. They passed three more streets before they came to the gate—two heavy doors made of iron bars.
The commander at the gate spoke with Captain Thompson for a few seconds, but did not open the gate. Grundel saw that there was a line of soldiers on each side of the path inside the gate. The soldiers here had been summoned quickly. Captain Thompson walked back to the cart.
“Your Highness, the king will be here shortly. I apologize, but it has been many years since you have been in the city, and the royal guard has insisted that His Highness confirm your identity. I did insist that I recognized you, Your Highness, but the royal guard has the final say in palace defenses.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Captain. I cannot be upset that my cousin is being properly protected, and as you said, it has been nearly twenty years since I have been in the city. I am curious how it is that you recognize me. You seem familiar to me somehow,” she said, and the man seemed pleased that she had recognized him.
“My father was a member of your father’s personal guard, Your Highness. I lived in the palace for two years when I was a child. I was many years younger than you, but you were always kind to me, Your Highness,” he answered, bowing his head slightly.
She stared at him for a second, and then she recognized the scar over the man’s left eye. “You were my brother’s friend, the one he was always with in the palace.”
The man looked down at the ground with honest sadness. “I was that boy, Your Highness. I did not feel it would have been appropriate for me to speak of it. Your brother was the best friend I ever had. It was a terrible thing that happened. I am sorry for your loss, Your Highness.”
“It was many years ago, but thank you.” She saw a group of people coming down the palace steps. “Ah, it seems my cousin has decided to grace us with his presence. Thank you again for your help, Andrew,” she said, using his first name to show him she really did remember. The man had gotten the cut over his eye when a dog that had somehow gotten inside the palace grounds attacked her brother. Andrew had jumped in front of the dog and was bitten on the face. She remembered that the dog had bitten him just above his eye, ripping the skin and leaving two puncture holes just above his hairline. The captain helped her down out of the cart. He waited there as she walked toward the gate. She stopped a few steps short of the gate and turned back to the man.
“Captain,” she said.
“Yes, Your Highness?” he asked.
“After you saved my brother from that dog, he told everyone who would listen that you were an even better guard than your father,” she told the man.
He smiled at her. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
She nodded and then walked to the heavy, iron gates. Grundel, Rundo, Jerrie, Dobo, and Gobo all pulled their horses up behind them and climbed down.
Anna watched as her cousin approached the gate. He had grown so much. When she had left he had been in his midteens, now he was in his early thirties. He was tall like her father had been. He was at least half a foot taller than her six-foot son. He wasn’t nearly as wide, but he still had a strong build, and he carried himself well. He had the same pale blond hair that she and Grundel had. That hair and his eyes would make everyone in Patria except Grundel. It was a family trait of the Patria line. It was said that their ancestors had come from a place where the sun would shine for only a few months of the year. That is why their hair was the color it was, and why they could see so well in the dark. She didn’t know if it was true, but it was a good story.
“Open the gates. Even if you fools had never seen her in your life, how could you doubt this woman was a Patria?” The gates opened as he approached them. He walked out to meet her. “Anna, it has been too long,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it as she curtsied, bowing her head slightly.
“It truly has, Your Highness,” she said in a very formal tone.
“This must be your son, Grundel. Your letters never said how big he was. I bet you are as strong as an ogre,” the king said to Grundel.
“I am stronger than the only one I ever met, Your Highness,” Grundel said, bowing his head slightly. He decided to try to keep the human customs as best he could.
“Now that is a story I would like to hear, but that will have to wait. Let me introduce you to my queen. This lovely woman is Priscilla,” he said, stepping to the side and motioning toward the woman next to him. She had classic beauty: long legs, a thin build, an ample bosom, and a very delicate face. She had bright blond hair and blue eyes. Many Patria kings had married women whose features matched as closely as possible to the nearly white hair and electric blue eyes of the Patria line, but a Patria had never been born without those features. Even Grundel, whose father was a dwarf and had dark hair and dark eyes, had them.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Highness,” Anna said, bowing her head slightly.
The queen stepped forward, holding her hand out to Grundel. He took the hand gently in his own and kissed it lightly, the way the king had his mother’s.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness,” he said, tilting his head and releasing her hand.
She stepped back. “It is an honor to meet you both,” the woman said formally.
“Well, that is all out of the way,” said the king. “Come inside. I am sure you would all like to get cleaned up, and get something in your stomachs. The soldiers will take your horses to the stables.” Soldiers walked through the gates taking the reins of each of the horses, including Bumbo. The king turned and walked back toward the palace, and the six of them followed him.
The path up to the palace was made of stone, but instead of cobbles they were large stone tiles, cut and smoothed. The palace itself was made of huge blocks of rough-cut stone that had to weigh thousands of pounds apiece. Grundel would have liked to see how they had built this, how they had gotten the huge blocks of stone so high. The steps up to the palace entrance were made from smooth-cut blocks of granite. The door to the palace was a twelve-foot tall, polished steel door. He saw in the inside that there were steel locking bars that slid into steel brackets anchored into the stone wall. It would take forever to break that door down.
Grundel had expected that the inside would be built with wood, but everything was stone. All of the walls were made of smooth-cut stones of different sizes. It wasn’t the traditional elegance that he would expect from a human palace, but as a dwarf he appreciated this much more. The walked through a large audience chamber with a throne that had been carved out of a huge block of granite that was such a
deep shade of grey it was nearly black. Grundel followed his uncle past the throne to a door at the edge of the room. Two of the four guards that had stayed with the king took up posts on either side of the door. When Grundel walked into the room he saw that the other two guards had taken similar positions inside .
Once they were all inside, the door closed behind them. “This is my personal audience chamber. My room is right through that door. If you have any issues while you are here, please come find me. Now, we can abandon formality and talk,” the king said, and then he walked over to Anna and hugged her. “I really have missed you. I was sorry to hear that you couldn’t make it when your father passed, but I understood your reasons.” He looked over at Grundel. “Nephew, you really are big, aren’t you? We Patrias are naturally tall. I guess you got some of that, too. Not as tall as the rest of us, maybe, but for you to be this tall as a dwarf, well, that is a sight.” He stepped forward and hugged Grundel. “I am glad I can finally meet you. I am sorry that you never got to meet your grandfather; he was a great man. He taught me everything I know. I am sorry I am being rude—who are your friends?”
Anna turned to the others, starting with Jerrie. “This is Jerrie, Grundel’s friend and my personal bodyguard. He is very capable. He helped Grundel fight off a Black Dragon assassination in Ambar.”
“Wow, now that is impressive. It’s nice to meet you, Jerrie, and welcome to Patria,” the king said, holding out his hand.
Jerrie took the hand, bowing slightly. “It is a pleasure, Your Highness.”
“None of that bowing nonsense here. Like I said, we came here so we could dispense with the formality. Let us talk amongst family and friends,” he said. Grundel noticed that his queen made a face at that. She obviously didn’t approve, but she didn’t say anything, and the expression was gone as quickly as it appeared, leaving a perfectly appropriate smile on her face.
Anna turned to Rundo. “This is Rundo. Don’t let his being a halfling deceive you. He is a son of Kalise, and a very capable one.”
The king turned to Rundo. “A halfling druid? Well, that is a first for me. It’s an honor to meat any child of Kalise, but even more so one that holds the respect of my beloved cousin,” the king said to Rundo, holding out his hand.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness. It is an honor,” Rundo responded.
Anna motioned toward the brothers. “These two are the brothers Dobo and Gobo. The one with the scar on his right cheek is Gobo. They are members of my husband’s guard. They have come as security for our little group as well as envoys from Evermount. Grundel speaks with the authority of Evermount and Shinestone.”
“Thank you for bringing my cousin safely to Patria, Dobo and Gobo. I am honored to meet the dwarves that my cousin would trust with her husband’s safety,” he said to the dwarves, bringing his fist to his chest in the dwarven salute of respect.
The brothers both returned the salute. “Thank you for bringing us into your home, Your Highness,” Dobo said.
“Well, we will have to plan a feast.” He looked to his queen. “What do you think, tomorrow?” he asked her.
“I am sure we could have something ready by tomorrow. The whole city will know of her return by now I am sure. The sooner we acknowledge it, the better, I think, Your Highness,” she answered him very formally. She was obviously very much about propriety.
“I thought so, too. It should be a celebration. I was thinking a parade, to let everyone see her again. That is, if that is okay with you, cousin?” he asked, turning back to Anna.
“That would be fine, Your Highness,” she answered with a smile.
He turned to Grundel. “What about you, would you mind? I think it would be good if the people could see you.”
“Whatever you think is best, Your Highness,” Grundel said with a smile. It was entertaining how excited he was getting about showing them off. He hadn’t had any family around for a while, though, so Grundel tried to understand.
He turned back to Anna. “I know you came to discuss some issues, but if they are not pressing, can we hold them until after the celebration? I just don’t want to ruin this.”
Anna smiled at her cousin. He was just over thirty years old, but to him she was still his older cousin. “Of course, Your Highness.”
“It’s settled, then. Tomorrow we will celebrate the return of Princess Patria, and the arrival of Prince Stoneheart, grandson of the late King Patrick Patria. My queen, would you handle the arrangements?” he asked, turning back to his wife.
“Of course, Your Highness. It will be a day no one will forget,” she said, smiling politely.
He turned back to all of them. “She really is great at arranging things like this. I am sorry, I just keep going. I am sure you all want to get cleaned up, and you have to be starved. We have already eaten, but I will send someone up from the kitchen to take your requests. They can make almost anything.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. What time would you like us for dinner?” Anna asked.
“Let’s go with seven. That will give everyone plenty of time to get rested up. Do you need any additional clothing or anything?” he asked.
“No, Your Highness, I believe we are okay for now. Well, I will likely need to have some things made for tomorrow’s festivities, if anyone can ready them in time. I only brought one gown, and it is twenty years out of style,” she told him.
“Of course. Priscilla will send someone up to get your measurements and show you some samples,” he said, turning back to his queen.
She smiled and bowed slightly. “Of course, Your Highness. I am sure Renwald could have something ready in that time.”
“Very good. Well, I will not bother you any further.” He led them back out into the main assembly hall. There was a man waiting there.
“Master Brennin, I can’t believe you are still here,” Anna said excitedly.
The old man smiled at her. “I was old when you left, Your Highness, but I was not that old,” he said to her jokingly.
“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it,” she said hugging the man.
“Of course, Your Highness,” he said with a smile.
The king was standing off to the side with a big smile on his face. “Master Brennin will be taking care of you as long as you are here. If you follow him, he will lead you to your chambers.”
Master Brennin nodded to the king. “Your Highness.”
The king nodded back. Brennin turned back to the group. “If you would all follow me? Hot baths have already been drawn for you.”
They all followed him out of the audience chamber and down the passageway. Grundel looked at his mother. She had a big smile on her face. She looked over at Grundel.
“Master Brennin was my family’s personal caretaker. He taught me how to read and write, and he took care of me when I was sick. He is very dear to me.”
Grundel smiled back at his mother. She was enjoying being back in her childhood home, and he was enjoying watching her happiness.
Chapter Thirteen
Parades and Parties
Grundel stood in front of the mirror in the big sitting room of the apartment. that he and Rundo shared. When you came through the door you were in a sitting room with a half dozen comfortable chairs. On the other end of the room was a small circular table with four chairs around it. The door on the wall near that table led to his room. A door on the opposite end of the room led to Rundo’s room. The rooms were comfortable, but not lavish. He had a big, comfortable featherbed with feather pillows. There was a small table with a single chair on one wall. Next to the table was a door that opened onto a balcony. The balcony was made of solid iron plates and steel bars; it was all anchored into the thick stone walls of the palace. On the other side of his room was a door that led to a small bathing chamber. There was a big tub and a small water basin with a mirror above it.
He stood in the sitting room staring at his clothing. He wore his black leather jacket that Anwar had enchanted to be his ar
mor. He had wiped it down and oiled it making it shine. A tailor had come yesterday and measured him for pants. His mother had sent the man, so Grundel had obliged him. This morning the tailor had returned with three pairs of pants. He had a dark brown pair, a tan pair, and a gray pair. The tailor had recommended the brown pair for the parade, and the gray pair for the feast. It didn’t really make a difference to him, so he took the man’s advice. The pants looked so fine that he was surprised when he put them on. They weren’t as soft as they looked. They were actually quite tough and durable.
“You approve?” the tailor asked.
“I approve. You did a very good job, and I am sorry, but I don’t remember your name,” Grundel said.
“No need to apologize, Your Highness. My name is Renwald. I am glad you approve of the trousers. If I may, I made a few adjustments I thought you might appreciate.” He picked up one of the other pairs of pants. He held out the waist of them. “Here in the back of the waist is a small loop on the inside. I noticed your belt knife. This will allow you to hook the clip of your sheath on the inside of your pants so that others can’t see it. It will conceal the weapon quite nicely when you are wearing your jacket, I think, Your Highness.”
The man was clever. Grundel pulled his belt knife off the waist of his old pants and slipped it inside his waist. When he pulled the blade, it slid from the sheath easily, and the sheath stayed in place better.
“The loop is a strong but flexible material. It will allow you to use other sized knives if necessary, but it will also hold the sheath tighter than the clip alone,” the man told him.
Grundel smiled. “This is great, Renwald, thank you.”
“I took the liberty of making you some new boots as well, Your Highness,” Renwald said, pulling a pair of boots from a bag. They were black boots like the ones he had been wearing. They would go about halfway up his calf. “There is a similar strap on the inside of your right boot, Your Highness.”
Grundel slid the boots on and put his boot knife in the right boot. Sure enough, it held it in place much tighter. It wouldn’t move around and rub against his ankle. “You are a master of your craft, Renwald. You must have been up all night working on this,” he said.
The Half Dwarf Prince: 02 - The Dwarf War Page 11
