The Everlands Chronicles: The Truth

by A. J. Bell

  “There’s nothing else to see here,” he said. Then he went into Sir Richard’s tent, which was next to ours, and they began to argue loudly.

  Mother gave me some herbs to chew as soon as she laid me on the cot; in a matter of minutes, they put me to sleep.

  I woke up in a soft bed in a room lit only by oil lamps. I recognized the curtains, the bedding, even the furniture. I even recognized the window, one that invited me to take a peek outside to see if my dream was real. I wrapped myself in a sheet since I wasn’t wearing any clothes, probably to prevent the fabric from sticking to my open wounds. I sat at the edge of the bed and heard laughter coming through the window. I knew there were children playing outside, since I could hear them.

  I was still sitting down on the bed when the door opened. Startled, I looked towards the door and the laughter faded away. Mother came in with a jar of clean water and more cloths to clean my back. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I had a dream.” She looked at me as if it wasn’t news to her. “I mean a different one.” I felt compelled to explain when her face turned pale. “I didn’t get stabbed in this one. My back was torn, but someone was playing with children outside my window – there was actual laughter,” I added, looking at the window.

  “Sometimes, when we are in pain, our thoughts play games on us, and we can have strange dreams,” she said. I kept quiet. “Let me clean your wounds one more time, so maybe we can get you dressed. His Highness is getting very impatient. He desperately wants to see you,” she said.

  “How did I get here?”

  “The Prince’s men brought you after you had fallen asleep,” Mother said.

  Mother had a gentle touch. Her fingers glided unnoticed over my back. She also rubbed some numbing herb mixture on my open wounds before starting to clean them. When the door opened once again, His Majesty the Prince came in. Father was following behind.

  “How are you, My Lady?” he asked, concerned.

  “Never been better, Your Highness!” I spat out. He raised an eyebrow. It was obvious that nine lashes didn’t teach me a lesson.

  “That defiant attitude is what got you in trouble. Will you not stop this behavior?” reprimanded Mother.

  “Actually, I owe those lashes to you and Father and your wonderful idea of turning your only daughter into a son.” Their faces turned pale.

  “Greta, Robert, will you allow me a moment with her alone?” interrupted the Prince. They left the room with expressionless faces.

  The Prince sat down on the bed, just like my mother had before him, then grabbed the rag my mother had been using. He dipped it in the water and continued what my mother had started a few minutes before. However, unlike my mother, the Prince had no Healer Hands, and every contact of the rag against my skin made me clench my teeth. The pain was too much; my whole body tensed until he stopped.

  “I am sorry I hurt you,” he said.

  “Not your fault. I am just used to Mother’s soft touch.”

  He looked at the rag in his hands, confused for a second. Then he understood, and put it back in the bowl of water.

  “I meant about hurting you last night,” he said.

  I buried my face back in the pillow. I didn’t want to hear it.

  “Richard and I should’ve asked your opinion. We both care about you. I’m not sure what got into him today that he ended up punishing you like this.”

  I buried my guilty face deeper in the pillow, overwhelmed with shame due to my actions. “I punched him in the face in front of everyone after defying his authority a few times. He made me so angry. You all did! It seemed like a good idea, until I felt the wrath of his whip tearing me apart.” I looked up, expecting a sermon, but he was actually chuckling.

  “I would like to have seen that. No one ever challenges Richard or myself because of our Royal Blood.” He paused. “Instead, I get to see this,” he said, sending a quick glance to my back.

  I chuckled too, since I knew what he meant. “It only hurts to the touch. Mother has been putting all kinds of herbs on it to bring the swelling down.”

  “I think John needs to rest in the palace all night. Richard didn’t object when we brought you here to rest. He won’t object to you staying if that’s what you want,” he said. Then he carefully chose his next words. “Maybe Elle can come with me to the ball tonight and help me show the Queen that she has no power over me. I, myself, also like to defy authority once in a while.” He waited for my answer.

  I remembered again the way she had stared down at me, how the Queen had humiliated me, and also how I would have liked to teach her a lesson at that moment. Instead, I ran away, and now the Prince was giving me the opportunity to pay back the Queen. “My Lord, any woman seen at a ball with you is rumored to end up in your royal bed. I’m not ready for that kind of reputation. On the other hand, teaching the Queen a lesson is really tempting, Your Highness. But may I think about it? Taking rash actions has cost me nine lashes today. Going against the Queen’s direct orders might end up costing me my neck.”

  He got upset at that comment. “Do you think I would let her hurt you?”

  “I didn’t mean to insult your authority, My Lord, but she’s after all, the Queen.”

  “Why do you do this to me? First, you said you would rather be with the Gypsies. Now, you think she has more authority than I do. Am I not worthy of someone like you?” He threw his hands up in the air. “Why do you want to make me angry?”

  “I… I don’t. My Lord, don’t be angry! If you continue like this, getting angry for less important things, you will end up having many unnecessary wars as a ruler.” I took his hand and guided it to my back until it was on top of my wounds. He removed it quickly as he saw the pain in my face. I sat up, still halfway wrapped in the sheet. “I was wrong to blame my parents. Failing to control my own anger took me to the road of punishment. Trust me when I say that anger only brings unnecessary pains.”

  He nodded, and then moved closer to my lips but never reached them…

  “May I come in?” asked Sir Richard.

  My eyes opened wide. “I will never kiss you again if we are always getting interrupted!” I muttered.

  “We’ll manage,” he said. He had forgotten that my body wasn’t built like a man’s body. Right away, I could see two very good reasons that would make Sir Richard notice that I was a woman.

  “Lie back down,” the Prince said, and I did. Then, as he started to walk to the door, he turned around in alarm. “Your hair, Elle, hide your hair!” he whispered with urgency. I did the only thing I could do with such short notice. I grabbed my pillow and put it over my head.

  Sir Richard came in, and I imagined he bowed his head slightly as he normally did to salute his cousin before addressing me.

  “How are you?” he asked, choking on the words.

  “What kind of question is that?” said Prince Victor. Ironically, that was the same question that came out of him when he first came in. “Do you not see the open wounds? Think of how you would feel if you had nine lashes on your back,” said Prince Victor. Sir Richard did not answer.

  “Hey, lad, I’m sorry about this morning. Obviously, we both were unable to control our temper; yet, you are the one that paid the greater price.”

  “I am fine,” I assured him from below my pillow with muffled sounds.

  “You don’t have to participate in the tournament. We need you to recover instead.”

  I raised my head in alarm, without thinking about it. Thankfully, Prince Victor was standing next to me and pushed my head back down.

  “I can do it,” I said. “That’s what we came here for. I will win a trophy to adorn your mantel in Stoneburg, just like we planned. We will show the Everlands who is the best squire! Just let me rest here tonight.” He came closer to my bed, and I felt him patting the pillow on top of my head. “The light does not let me sleep,” I said, as if he had asked for an explanation in regards to the pillow.

  “I’ll come and check again on you
early in the morning, and we will decide then.” Once Sir Richard left, I was alone again with Prince Victor.

  “Now that he is gone, I have something for you.” The Prince pulled out a wooden chest from underneath the bed and handed it over to me to open.

  “My boots!” I was speechless. Tim, the greatest shoemaker of the Everlands, had finished them. My boots – knee-high, brown leather boots. At the height of the calf, they had a strap of braided leather and a small buckle to tighten them up if needed; at the ankle, they had the same kind of braided leather but it crossed in the front and had another buckle on the outside, only as a decoration. It pleased me so much to see Tim had successfully replicated the image of The Ethro on the heel of each boot.

  The Prince was smiling, pleased with my reaction. I loved my old plain boots – black wrinkled leather with a simple fold on the top. Nothing fancy about them, but they were well worn because they were always great companions on my long journeys with Sir Richard. They had been part of my life for as long as I could remember, old and worn, but priceless to me.

  “I’ll leave you to rest now. I hope to see you tonight.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. I fell asleep shortly after he left.

  Chapter 9

  I lost track of time. I woke up in the afternoon when Mother came into the room, carrying the same purple gown that the Prince had offered me the night before. “The Prince sent you this. He said in case you change your mind.” She didn’t look upset at my comments from earlier.

  I now had the right dress and the right boots. The only other thing I needed was the guts to face the Queen.

  Mother cleaned my wounds one more time. She was still doing her best to care for me, which I didn’t think would happen after my temper tantrum I had thrown earlier. Unfortunately, not even a gentle touch like hers could heal the emotional wound I had caused in her and Father. She could feel my guilt, though. When she was done, she kissed my forehead.

  “We love you,” she said, “and we want what is best for you. Until a few months ago, we thought the best thing was for you to remain hidden. We are having second thoughts. Elle, until we figure it out, it might be better if John stays around for a little longer,” she said softly.

  “I am deeply sorry, Mom. Can you forgive me?”

  She nodded, and then took the gown. “His Majesty is looking forward to seeing you tonight.” She smiled when she saw me blushing.

  “We’ve kissed,” I confessed shyly.

  “I thought you liked Sir Richard,” she said playfully.

  “Sir Richard doesn’t know I am a woman, and for all of our sakes, we need to keep it that way. Besides, he doesn’t want to fall in love. Love to him is a distraction, a weakness–”

  “Yet, you still like him.”

  She could never comprehend how I felt about Richard. The bond between a knight and his squire, it’s unbreakable and sacred! Loving Richard as anyone other than my master could be disastrous.

  “It sounds to me like His Majesty needs to keep a close eye on his own cousin.”

  Since John was not expected at the ball, I decided to go as Elle. We continued to talk about the cousins as Mother helped me to get dressed. As good as I felt being with the Prince, I was not certain of my feelings for him, or for Sir Richard for that matter.

  Mother had made modifications to the gown by cutting the back open and sewing in a black veil that would help cover my scars from view and, at the same time, allow my skin to breathe. My lower back felt almost normal, but my upper back stung hard with any movement I made.

  Mother made two small braids, one on each side of my face, and then crossed them over and under the back of my head, wrapping them loosely halfway down my back. She also took a few flowers from the Queen’s gardens and threaded them in between my braids. I put on my brand new boots and was ready, but it was still early, so I sat down, thinking about what I would do next while I drank some herbs Mother gave me to diminish the pain for the next couple of hours.

  Mother left to get ready herself. I waited, sitting by the window frame, staring at the gardens and how peaceful they looked.

  I made my mind up a few minutes after I heard the orchestra practicing their repertoire. I walked slowly down the hallway, feeling uneasy but also excited. I was being cautious, regardless. I was sure the lashes that I received that morning would be nothing compared to what the Queen would do to me if she found out that I not only dared to speak again to the Prince, but that I also dared to stay in the palace for the night and that I was planning to join the rest of the guests at the party. The Queen could have me killed if I was seen by her when Prince Victor wasn’t around.

  In my fear, I thought I heard the Queen coming my way and quickly hid on repeated occasions. What a coward! I thought, hurrying my steps until I arrived at the entrance of the main hall, where the party was about to start, but the Prince was nowhere to be seen. I decided not to go in until I saw him there. I saw Mother and Father among the crowd. The insufferable Rosie was there too. Good grief! There was no way to get rid of her.

  “I was hoping to see you here tonight, but I thought you would be entering with my cousin.” There was a hint of sarcasm to each word Sir Richard spoke as he came up behind me.

  “If your purpose is to insult me, Sir Richard, save your time. Although there’s no need for me to explain myself, what you saw the other night was just a misunderstanding,” I said.

  “Oh, I’m sure of it. Victor manages to have many misunderstandings. It doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Do you really enjoy making those that are lesser than you feel like trash? Nine lashes to your squire… Did that make you feel stronger? Because it sure made you look like a coward to me. He stood up to you, and the only way you dared to take him down was by tying his hands to a pole and cutting his back to pieces. You could’ve fought him like a man, but you chose a battlefield on which you had all the advantage. Did you not tell Prince Victor the night before that the same squire was your friend? What kind of friend are you?”

  He stood there, speechless for a second. I felt awful, not just about what I had said to him, but at the guilty look on his face when I mentioned the event of that morning.

  He took my hand and stood in front of me, looking for words. “Let’s start over. Like we haven’t met before. I beg you, My Lady,” he said nervously. “I am Sir Richard of Stoneburg.” He planted a small kiss on the back of my hand, held it in his, and waited for me to introduce myself, but the Prince arrived at that exact moment.

  “So you decided to joins us after all,” he said, walking towards me.

  I smiled. “My Prince, why aren’t you in there already?” I asked, curtsying.

  “Because I went looking for you, but you weren’t in your chambers anymore, which I am glad to see.” He extended his arm for me to take, but I did not.

  “You are staying in the palace?” asked Sir Richard accusatively. I ignored his question, but squeezed Richard’s hand a little before letting go, pleading for his trust.

  “It would be better if you go after us, instead of going together. I don’t want to claim any more attention than I need tonight,” I said to the Prince. Reluctantly, he waited for Sir Richard and me to go in. I followed Sir Richard, and he reintroduced me to my parents as Lady Elle, because that’s who he knew me as. Father and Mother were alarmed at first, but I pretended all was well. The one that would not be content was Rosie.

  The announcer made Prince Victor’s presence known. “His Majesty, the Crowned Prince of the Everlands, Sir Victor of Lovan,” echoed throughout the hall.

  The people in the hall, including me, created a pathway for him to walk through. Prince Victor strolled down the few steps on the stairs with a big smile on his face. With every step he took, I understood better why everyone in the Everlands loved him so. He had the looks of royalty with his handsome hair and dashing smile. He was a ruler in the making – a very handsome ruler. His curly brown hair bounced slightly as he walked. Throughout the room, I heard
the female guests’ desperate sighs. They definitely wanted him!

  He passed by my side and smiled brightly, pleased to see me blush in return as I bowed along with everyone else. Prince Victor sat on the throne and, with a nod, gave his consent for the party to begin.

  The music began to play immediately, the food tables were overfilled with good food, and the people were instantly enjoying it all. The night was meant for the families of the squires and for their masters who came to participate in the tournament. Since the palace was overrun with guests, the Queen had decided to recluse herself in her chambers. Bless my luck! I celebrated in my mind.

  Father wouldn’t stop complimenting Mother and me on our appearance. Mother was wearing a gorgeous burgundy gown, with black lace and beads all over. It shimmered magically from the light of the chandeliers. Mother’s skin was paler than mine, since she wouldn’t expose her skin to the sun like I did, so she looked extremely white against the darkness of the gown she wore – a marvelous gift from Sir Richard. She wore her strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a half ponytail with a barrette adorned with pearls and red feathers. Her hair was completely sleek and just as long as mine. On her neck, she wore a velvet choker with a Clouds teardrop shaped pendant hanging from it.

  Sir Richard had given Father his attire too – a burgundy velvet vest with gold buttons, a new leather belt with a gold buckle, brand new black trousers, a brand new white cotton shirt, and black leather boots with three strap buckles on the sides. He wasn’t wearing his usual black cap, so his ash blonde hair, full of grey, was elegantly fixed.

  “May I have this dance?” Father asked, not worrying about the estranged looks Sir Richard gave him.

  We walked to the center of the floor and danced. Father was being careful not to put his hands over my wounds. “I never thought I would see you in public as your beautiful self, instead of the roughness of John. You have been hiding behind his shadow for so long that I lost track of time, and now my young girl has blossomed into a woman overnight.” Father stopped talking when he saw Prince Victor coming towards us to interrupt our father-daughter dance. Prince Victor wanted to dance too, but he was not choosing from the maidens standing on the sides of the dance floor.