The Everlands Chronicles: The Truth

by A. J. Bell

  It was around breakfast time when an exhausted Meav gave birth. Mother gave the newborn to her mother, whose tears of joy had already created a chain reaction with Mother, Rosie, and me. I went out to fetch the new father. He was pacing the floors nervously and froze the instant he saw me. His face turned pale when he saw me wiping a few tears from my cheeks, but his fears washed away soon.

  “You’re the father of a beautiful baby girl,” I said.

  “How’s Meav?” he asked.

  “She’s tired after a long night of labor, but she’s well,” I replied happily.

  “Can I see them?”

  I nodded. I searched among the faces in the room for Richard, but he wasn’t there.

  “He is outside,” said Orman, pointing towards the front door. I went out after Richard, Shewhite walking next to me.

  Richard was hitting his forehead against the wall and mumbling, ‘Save them both. Both. He needs them both.’

  “My Lord, the baby’s here. It’s a girl. Will you not come to see her? They both seem to be well.”

  A big load dropped from his shoulders. He approached me with arms open wide, and I let him wrap them around me. “If that had been you, I wouldn’t have left you alone,” he said firmly.

  “I know. Shall we go back in? Someone has to get breakfast started.”

  He gave me a smile, and followed me into the kitchen.

  Richard visited me every night. It had been nice getting to know him better, but it had also been very tiring since not only had I been rushing to get to the castle before he did – and on more than one occasion, he almost beat me to my chambers – but also because we ended up falling asleep on the couch while he was telling me stories of his life. In spite of this, I enjoyed every minute we spent together.

  Time passed quickly. We were to depart to the Royal City in the morning. With the early arrival of baby Erenza, Ghad and Mother would stay behind to assist Meav. Father and Orman had everything packed for our departure, including my new unfinished armor. Ghad did his best, but I was afraid his best wasn’t good enough. My helmet, in particular, was a little too big, particularly the visor part, and the only way to hold the helmet it in place was by filling it with my entire mane without braiding it. I just piled my hair on top of my head and put the helmet on it. It made my head look egg shaped.

  My breast and back plates were simple but a little too small, besides the fact that there was a two-inch gap at each of my sides. The latches seemed sturdy, so it should hold up during the fight. At least, I hoped that.

  Richard had asked me to be his partner for the Opening Ball, but I told him I needed to check with John since he’d be going too. When it was time to depart, I had to come up with a creative solution to the problem of Richard expecting to see both of us on the journey. John cut another deal with Richard that he was to leave Elle alone during the journey and keep his eyes on the road for her protection. He agreed, and in exchange, Richard would get to dance a few pieces with Elle.

  I convinced Rosie and Dash to travel with us. Dash would keep Elle company, meaning Rosie would be dressed as me, mounted on Stardust, with a hooded cloak over her head. I thought it would be harder to keep Richard away, but as we traveled, being on a treacherous road and having to keep Elle safe kept him busy studying the roads and the forest around us. I stayed by his side as John, keeping close watch on our surroundings, as well as on him.

  We arrived at the Royal City and set up camp the morning before the Opening Ball. All the knights gathered in celebration. It was during the ball that the names for the first matches would be drawn. We’d know who would fight who.

  A problem I faced that was worse than the mortal weapons of my fellow knights who would fight me was the fact that Richard was expecting to see both John and Elle at the ball, and I had no idea what to do to make it happen.

  “I need to speak with Sir John,” said a familiar voice from outside my tent. The door parted, and Shane came into view.

  “Shane!” I said, hugging him and patting him on the back like the good buddies that we were.

  “Sir Shane, actually,” he corrected me.

  “You have been knighted? That is great news. Why did you not let me know? I would’ve come–”

  “I would’ve liked you to sponsor me. I would’ve loved going to Andora, but the Prince beat you to it. Her Highness needed her own escorts, and I’m the head of them.”

  “You serve Princess Camilla?”

  He nodded. “I’m here on official business,” he said.

  “Let’s hear it then,” I said.

  “Sir John is being summoned by Princess Camilla to her chambers. I believe you know where those are, and she did mention to come quickly.” He was very informal.

  “I guess that means now,” I said, standing up and walking out of my tent with him.

  When we arrived at her chambers, Sir Shane announced my arrival and then departed. I closed the door behind me and turned around just in time to be embraced by the Princess. I was stunned at first, but managed to put distance between us after a few seconds. Then I heard laughter. Prince Victor came from behind the armoire at the end of the room.

  “You should’ve seen your face.” He continued to laugh.

  “I’m glad His Highness finds my reaction entertaining. Have we not found a jester fit for your enjoyment so that you’ve summoned me to fulfill such a task?”

  His smiled faded. “I deserved that,” he said.

  “How may I be of service, Your Majesties?”

  The Princess looked remorseful. “You haven’t forgiven me yet?” she asked.

  I looked at her baffled.

  “She knows,” said the Prince.

  “Your secret is safe with me,” she assured me. There was no need to pretend anymore. “How may I serve Your Highnesses?” I repeated.

  “Actually, we’re the ones that can help you,” said the Prince.

  “How so?” I asked.

  “Have you thought of who is coming to the ball? John or Elle? Perhaps both?” asked the Princess.

  “I haven’t gotten that far,” I confessed.

  “Then we have the perfect solution – the ball will be a masquerade,” said the Princess, clapping her hands in excitement. I waited to hear the rest of their brilliant plan. “We’ve a gown for you and some clothes for John that match in color. Sir Shane has volunteered to be you for part of the night, and we know you have brought somebody with you that could be the other you…”

  “So you have in mind two people to pretend to be me half of the night?”

  They nodded. “The other half of the time, you can be you!” said Prince Victor.

  “I don’t think this will work. What if I accidentally lose my mask?”

  “You haven’t seen your masks yet,” said the Princess, walking towards a chest at the foot of her bed. She opened it, pulled out a mask, and brought it forward. She asked me to sit down in front of the mirror, and she wrapped a layer of gold silk fabric around my eyes and halfway over my nose, so only my lips remained uncovered. Then she wrapped it around my hair until it covered my hair completely, and twisted it until it curled all the way up my scalp and somehow knotted together to where only a bun of twisted hair could be seen. It looked as if my hair were gold. Then the Prince brought forth a full-face mask made of folded gold with a vine of black roses from the middle of the forehead to almost the lips. Onyxes covered the roses. Once he put it over my face, he went back and brought out the other mask, which was just the same as the one I was wearing. “This will be John’s,” she said, “or Shane’s when you are actually you,” she said, pleased with herself.

  My mind started rolling. If this works, then I can be with Richard tonight, I thought. My attire consisted of three parts. One part was my gown’s top made of black velvet that wrapped tightly around my upper body, meeting at the waist with my black set of velvet trousers, white tights, and black leather shoes with a gold buckle in the front. Over these, I would wear a golden jacket with a ruff
led shirt neck sewn onto it to pretend I was wearing a black shirt with Narician lace ruffles. This was John’s attire for the masquerade.

  For my own, I would remove the jacket and slip on a skirt of black velvet with red rubies sewn in the shape of roses and, to fluff it up, layers of black and gold Narician lace laid down below it. My very own velvet shirt had rubies around the neck, thus the need for the Narician lace on John’s jacket.

  I tried it on and off to see how quickly I could make the change of removing the coat and putting on the skirt. In a matter of seconds, I was changing myself from John to Elle and vice-versa.

  The Prince and the Princess seemed very pleased with the results. To complete the plot to trick everyone present during the night, there were two other sets of clothes – the one for Shane and the one for Rosie, who wouldn’t be changing at all. This could work.

  Dangerous ideas can come when people are idle. I wondered if both of their Royal Highnesses had nothing else to worry about, so they spent their time thinking about stuff like this.

  As if reading my mind, Victor said, “It was her idea. When she find out your name was drawn, she came up with this plan.”

  “Let just hope I don’t ruin it,” I said, staring in the mirror at the unrecognizable person I had become.

  Chapter 35

  I started the night as John with Rosie as me by my side. Although I didn’t want to dance with her, I didn’t have a choice.

  Shane was already in there as himself, of course. Then, after the first few songs, he changed to John, I changed to Elle, and Rosie stayed out of sight, hidden in Queen Kyrah’s chambers. We had decided to stick together when we came back into the ball room. Shane was to be John and I was to be me, and we weren’t meant to leave each other’s side until it was time for me to change into John again.

  However, the plan didn’t go exactly as we planned. We entered together, but didn’t remain together. Richard took me by surprise onto the dance floor, just a few minutes after Shane and I came in. Then, Daniel’s sister approached John and wouldn’t let go of him. Or was it the other way around? I knew Shane liked Daniel’s sister, but out of respect for Daniel, he would say nothing to her while he was Daniel’s squire. But now that Queen Umah was gone, she was Princess Camilla’s First Lady-in-Waiting, and he was the Princess Head Guard, they got to spend more time together, and their friendship had blossomed into something more. Now, in the middle of the dance, they had suddenly disappeared together.

  The problem I was now facing was that at the moment of the drawing, I needed to be John. That moment was fast approaching, and John was nowhere to be seen.

  I excused myself from Richard and went out in search of John and Daniel’s sister in the gardens. I hated myself for having to interrupt their attempt to kiss. When I arrived, Shane was about to remove his mask. I needed him not only to go into hiding so that I could be John, but I also needed him to stop his advances of her while he was pretending to be me.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt, John, but I’ve been looking for you. The names are about to be drawn and you need to be there,” I said, ignoring the looks of embarrassment coming from Daniel’s sister.

  As soon as we were out of hearing and safely hidden to get changed, I lashed out at him. “What’s wrong with you? You are supposed to be me! Why would you kiss Daniel’s sister?”

  “I’m sorry, but I had to take my chance while I could. Daniel won’t let the both of us be together, and she won’t go against her brother’s wishes,” Shane explained.

  “I understand, but don’t you see what you have done? She wasn’t about to kiss you, she was about to kiss me… In her mind, she would be kissing John–”

  “But I wasn’t,” he said as he began to undress and then dress back up as himself with his back towards me.

  Shane, Elle, and I walked together into the ballroom, and she stayed by the door while Shane and I walked to sit with the other knights without our masks. The music stopped when His Majesty King Tobias read the names of the knights that would take part in the first match – Sir Richard Arden and Sir Dorian LaFonte. I hadn’t noticed Dorian was present until he stood up. The other names were read, but I had tuned myself out. Richard and Dorian were to fight each other in the first match. I didn’t even hear when my name was called until Shane elbowed me.

  “We are up,” he said, extending his hand. “It will be you against me.” I shook his hand in acceptance of the duel. The crowd cheered, but we were doomed. I had almost lost to Shane before, and it is well known that Richard had always lost against Dorian.

  “Let the dance continue,” announced His Majesty the King.

  “He’s coming your way,” Shane announced about Richard.

  “I hope Rosie sees him coming and runs or we’ll be history!” I said. Come on, come on, Rosie! Run! Run! I thought.

  “We need to distract him,” said Shane, just as Rosie noticed Richard coming her way and turn around to walk away.

  “You stop him! I’ll go and change my clothes,” I said.

  “You owe me one,” he said as he chased after Richard. I trotted through the main hall into Queen Kyrah’s chambers, put on my skirt, and jumped out of the balcony, just like the day I met Shane. From there, I ran until I reached the opposite entrance of the ballroom where Richard would have to exit to follow Rosie. I didn’t get a chance to pull my hair back together when I stumbled upon Richard outside the door.

  “There you are. For a moment I thought you were running away from me,” Richard said.

  “Sir Richard,” called Shane from behind him. I guess I didn’t owe him after all, since I beat him to Richard.

  “Were you looking for me, My Lord? I just needed some fresh air before I retire for the night.” I put my arm through his. “Walk with me, My Lord.” I turned around to face Shane. “Find Rosie and hide her!” I mouthed.

  We only went a few steps before he pulled me to a halt. “Are you worried about him? Is that why you were running away?” His question took me by surprise. He was wondering if I was concerned about Dorian’s safety. “I’ll never hurt him on purpose,” he said, “but I won’t lose to him – not this time.”

  “I’m concerned about you. History shows you’ve never defeated him in a fair fight.”

  “I never have had to fight to earn the hand in marriage of the woman I love,” he said.

  “I don’t want a blood bath in my name, My Lord.”

  “I will do my best; I promise.” We walked a few more steps. “Will you be cheering for me?” he asked candidly.

  “Only a little bit.”

  He walked me back to my tent and then left me there with a small kiss on my hand. As soon as he walked away, I tossed the skirt aside, ran to the Queen’s quarters where I had left my jacket, put it on, and then joined the rest of the party as John.

  Shane raised one eyebrow when he saw me come in. “You look tired,” he said mockingly.

  “I’ll show you how tired I am when I meet you in the jousting arena,” I retorted. Then we both laughed.

  The morning came sooner than expected. Richard would soon be fighting with Dorian, and hopefully, both of them would finish unharmed. We left the tent early – Orman, Father, and I. Dash stayed behind to keep Rosie company since she had a tendency to get very lonely.

  As we approached the arena, excitement filled the air. First, all knights participating would parade their way into the arena until we all had been introduced. Then the first duel would be announced.

  “My Lords and Ladies,” said the announcer, “please welcome the Champion of Greenville, Sir Gabriel of the House of Benne.” The people cheered, and the announcer continued. “Please welcome the Champion of Stoneburg, Sir Richard of the House of Arden.” The crowd cheered even more as he kept announcing the champions. “Please welcome the Master of the City of Andora.” Since I had never been a participant of a joust before, Master was all the praise I could get from him. A few peasants clapped here and there, but for the most part, there was silence
as I rode into the arena. “People of the Everlands, please welcome the Champion of Abilene, Sir Dorian of the House of LaFonte.” The reaction from the crowd changed when Dorian was announced. People were shouting, clapping, and stomping feet. He was their favorite, no doubt. Shane, the last one to enter the field, was the champion representing the Royal City, but the spectators acted the same way they had with me, since he was new, too, and also had to prove himself before earning the love of his people.

  Before the matches began, it was time to show our other skills, like archery and horseback riding. There was a small reward for the winner of each of these challenges – a small gold pin shaped like a sword with a few diamonds embedded on it with a loop at the end. As an act of chivalry, the winner of such a prize would then give it to the maiden of his choice to wear after tying a ribbon with the symbol of his household on it. In return, the chosen maiden would give a token of good luck to the knight, usually a handkerchief.

  While all the eligible maidens looked forward to receiving such a jewel, the knights, on the other hand, had their eyes fixed on the Lion Heart Medal, bestowed with honor to the bravest knights. Everyone wanted that prize, except Richard, who already owned a few of those, but not as many as Dorian did.

  I purposely missed enough arrows to not win the archery challenge, and tightened Stardust’s reins to make her so uncomfortable, she didn’t want to move during the horseback riding challenge. I literally was making a fool of myself because I didn’t have anybody to give my token to, nor did I want to take someone’s handkerchief with me.

  Shane won one of the challenges and, of course, gave his prize to Daniel’s sister, who was very surprised. She then removed a ribbon from her hair and gave it to him. Dorian won two, and gave the tokens to two little girls. In return, they gave him a doll and a flower. Those little girls were ecstatic with their gifts. The other challenge was won by Richard, but after retrieving the pin, he came back to formation with the rest of us. His Majesty the King asked him if he was going to bestow the gift on the lady of his choosing. His reply surprised many, but not me.