“There’s nothing special about me. We keep having this conversation. I’m just an orphan.”
“Even orphans become Kings,” he whispered and I knew he meant Eoghan.
“I don’t want people sacrificing themselves for me. I don’t want people needing to protect me. I just want to save Eoghan and become self-sufficient and able to protect myself. I won’t run off after Eoghan, for now. I will focus on my magic and fighting, but if too much time passes and he doesn’t return, then I will go after him and even you won’t be able to stop me.” I walked into the dining room to eat my breakfast.
As soon as I finished eating, Padraic took me outside and showed me the proper sword fighting stances. Once I had mastered those, he showed me a few techniques of escaping from someone when they grabbed me from behind. I wasn’t great at it, but having the knowledge to potentially escape from something that I would not have previously made me feel a tad bit safer.
“Princess Alyssa,” Martin called. “Your magic teacher has arrived.
I wiped my sweaty forehead on a towel that Padraic had given me and smiled at the old man who had given us shelter. “Hello again. I didn’t get a chance to thank you for allowing us to stay in your place previously.”
He smiled. “I’m glad to see that you are safe. Eoghan had discussed the possibility of me teaching you magic while you were sleeping at my house, but we were going to discuss it the following morning. However, those vampires interrupted everything.”
“I used magic,” I told him.
His eyes widened and Padraic asked, “When?”
“During the fight when we were almost to Eoghan’s territory. I made a witch…disappear.”
Martin and Padraic exchanged glances and the old wizard frowned at me. “Let’s go sit and discuss this more.”
Martin brought me a mug of water and I gulped it down greedily. I wasn’t in terrible shape, Platham didn’t allow for out of shape people to survive, but Padraic’s teaching had made me very realize that I had a lot of room for improvement. We went inside the castle to a room with couches and sat down to talk.
I told them everything that had happened and what it had felt like when I had used my power. I also explained how I had tried again and failed.
Eddore listened intently and then said, “Hold out your hand, palm up, and try to get that warmth that you felt to gather in your palm. Once you’ve done that imagine a flame flaring in the center of your palm like it does on a candle wick after being lit.”
I did as he asked and stared intently at my hand as I focused. A few seconds went by as the warmth continued to gather and then a flame the width of my palm flared and went all the way to the ceiling.
A transparent blue bubble surrounded the flame before it could light anything on fire and kept it from harming any of us.
“Sorry,” I mumbled and shook my hand out.
“Nothing to apologize for, that was a great first attempt,” Eddore praised me.
“Perhaps it would be best if she practiced outside,” Martin suggested.
Eddore nodded. “From now on we will practice outside. Today though, I will focus on teaching you to make a shield around yourself.”
Hours of attempts later, I finally managed to make a shield, but it didn’t last more than a few seconds.
“Wonderful,” Eddore praised.
“Pathetic,” I amended.
“You’ve made a lot of progress in just one day,” Eddore said. “Magic control is something that mages would begin teaching their children when they learned to speak. You didn’t have that upbringing so it’s a bit harder for you to control, which is perfectly understandable.”
“Thank you for teaching me,” I said sincerely.
“Princess, it’s time for us to head out,” Padraic said.
I waved to Eddore and followed Padraic outside to find his horse saddled and waiting for us. “Couldn’t we take a cart or carriage or something?” I asked nervously.
He smiled knowingly and said, “I promise not to let you fall off.”
I believed him, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t scared still. He explained how to mount the horse and once I was sitting in the saddle, he hopped up onto the horse’s back behind me in one swift movement.
“That was impressive,” I whispered and then shifted nervously as he put his arms on either side of me and picked up the leather straps connected to the horse’s face that let him steer.
“You seem easily impressed. Now I see why Eoghan liked you.”
I turned, mouth agape to find him smirking with laughter bubbling up from his chest in a sound of happiness that I found relaxing. “You’re teasing me,” I realized and pinched his arm.
“Ouch,” he said though his tone implied I hadn’t really hurt him. The horse started walking and I relaxed to the side-to-side sway of the horse’s walk. “See, it’s not so scary,” Padraic whispered.
He was sitting right behind the saddle, his chest pressed to the top of my back and his arms on each side of my waist. It was a very personal position for two people that hardly knew each other.
“Tell me about yourself?” I requested.
“What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you’re willing to tell me about yourself. If we’re going to spend much time together, it would be good to know more about you.”
He was silent for so long that I didn’t think he was going to talk. The dirt road we walked down was surrounded by lush grass fields that buzzed with insect life and swayed in the gentle breeze of the day. This was so much different than Platham, but I could definitely see myself enjoying life here. It was simpler and more complicated in some ways.
“When I was four years old, my father came to work for Eoghan’s father as his guard. I grew up in the castle and played with Eoghan often. He was the only one who didn’t view me as an Elf, but as a being. I admired Eoghan so I spent my life training to be his guard. When he took the throne after our fathers were murdered, he didn’t hesitate to make me his guard. He has never looked down on someone because of their social standing or their breeding. He judges people on their actions and that’s how it should be. He has been so withdrawn the past few years that I worried we might never get him back. If what Martin says is true, you may be the key to him becoming the king he was meant to be.”
“No pressure,” I muttered and dropped my head down. Why did they pin their hopes on me? I had been here a week and had accomplished nothing except getting Eoghan captured.
Padraic put both leather straps in one hand and used his free hand to turn my head so that I could see him behind me. “Don’t worry about the future. Focus on now and learning what you can.”
He was right.
He stared into my eyes a moment longer and then released me and focused over my head. A town of stone buildings came into view and just outside the town were farms on each side of the road. People walked on foot down the road into the village while others rode on horseback like us. Padraic expertly maneuvered around them and it wasn’t long before we were the center of attention with all eyes on us.
“Why are they staring?” I asked softly.
“Because they’ve never seen me ride with a woman before.”
“Is it improper?” I asked curiously.
“No, but doing so indicates that you’re important to me and so it has made them curious to find out who you are,” he explained.
“Well now we know that men won’t cause a scene to talk to me with your display,” I whispered.
“On the contrary,” he said as a man stepped out of a building to stare at us as we past, “anyone who I would deem worthy enough to ride with must be worthy indeed and thus more wanted.”
“Did you do this on purpose?” I asked.
He stopped the horse at a building that looked like all of the rest, but had shoes in the window and grabbed me by the waist, lifted me from the saddle and gently set me on my feet all with his own strength, a feat no human could do. “Perhaps,” he whispered in
my ear when he set me down and then pushed open the shop’s door and bowed with a flourish, waving me inside.
He was odd, even more odd than Eoghan, but at least I was safe with him. I stepped into the cobbler’s shop and inhaled the leather scent that permeated everything. “Hello?” I called.
“Coming,” a male voice answered from somewhere in a back room. A man with a halo of white hair stepped out of the back with glasses pushed up on his head and a measuring stick in his hand. “What can I do for…Padraic, what are you doing here?”
“Princess Alyssa is in need of a new pair of boots,” Padraic told the cobbler.
“What kind of boots are you after, Milady?” the cobbler asked.
“Please, call me Alyssa,” I requested. “I need a pair for long hikes in the forest and riding horses.”
“Let me measure your foot,” he said and then looked at my sneakers curiously. “What type of shoe is that? I’ve never seen such a thing in my life.”
“They’re called sneakers,” I informed him and took them off. “They’re comfortable and used for long walks or runs.”
He inspected them with awe. “This material is unlike any I’ve seen. Where did you get these?”
I looked at Padraic for help and he answered, “They were brought from the other dimension during the Transfer.”
The cobbler set my shoes down and measured my feet. “I have a pair that would fit you perfectly, but if you would prefer I make you a new pair, that’s no trouble either.”
“May I see the pair you have?” I requested.
He walked to his stand of boots and pulled down a dark brown pair. I slipped them on and was surprised at how soft and supple they were. They went to just below my knee and as I walked around the store in them, they felt fully broke in and amazingly comfortable. “These are perfect,” I whispered.
“Those are best used for riding,” he explained. “I’ll make you a pair for hiking and deliver them within two days.”
“She also needs a pair for dancing,” Padraic said.
I spun and looked at him in shock. “Dancing? Why would I need a pair of boots for dancing?”
“I’ll have those ready when I deliver the hiking boots,” the cobbler assured him.
I wanted to argue, but I held my tongue and picked up my sneakers. “Thank you,” I said and bowed slightly to the cobbler.
Padraic handed him some coins and the cobbler slipped them into a pocket of his apron. “No need to thank me for doing my job,” he mumbled with a blush on his cheeks and went into the back of his store.
There was a crowd gathered outside and I had a suspicion that it was because of me.
“This way,” Padraic said and gently pushed me forward with his hand on my lower back. He led me to another building, pushed open the door and I stared, open mouthed, at the weapons on the walls, on shelves, and hanging from the ceiling.
“What are we doing here?” I asked him nervously.
“Getting you a sword,” he explained, but I could tell he was upset.
“You’re mad,” I whispered to him since the store keeper was helping someone else and hadn’t noticed us yet.
Padraic exhaled and whispered, “It stings my pride for you to want to protect yourself even though that is my job.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” I muttered and felt terrible. Couldn’t I do anything right?
“It’s alright. I understand that you want to be able to protect yourself,” he said and picked up a sword from the rack.
“Greetings,” the store keeper said with a smile as he walked over to us. He was a short man, probably around forty years old, with a thick red beard that hung down to his chest. “What are you looking for today, Padraic?”
“Greetings, Barm. I’ve brought her here to purchase a sword and a dagger as well as a bow and quiver if you have something her size,” Padraic explained.
Barm looked me over and then picked up a short sword with a oddly curved blade. “Hold this one handed in your dominant hand,” he ordered me.
I obeyed and was surprised at the weight of the sword. It wasn’t too heavy, but it wasn’t as light as they made them look in the movies.
“That seems a good fit for her,” Padraic said with a nod.
“Try it out for a few days and if it’s not right, bring it back and we’ll try another,” Barm told Padraic. He turned and went to a section of wall where several unstrung bows leaned. He picked up one, held it out in front of me and then shook his head and traded it for another. He did this a few more times and then blew a breath out his nose. “You want my honest opinion?” he asked Padraic who nodded in reply. “She would do best with an Elven bow.”
Padraic tensed a moment and then said, “Thank you for your honesty. I can arrange that. Do you have a quiver she could use?”
He nodded and handed me a small grey leather quiver. “Now for a dagger, do you want something for her to keep hidden or to have at her hip?”
“Both,” Padraic answered immediately.
“I thought so. This set should be perfect. I balanced them myself and tested them.” He set a pair of gleaming black daggers on the top of a table, one shorter, thinner, and sharper pointed than the other. They both had a ruby in the end of their hilts.
“We’ll take them,” Padraic said and then set a bag of coins on the table.
“You going to find her some arrows as well?” Barm asked.
Padraic nodded and then helped me strap the sword to my waist along with one of the daggers. The additional dagger he put into his boot. “I’ll help you figure out where you’re going to hide this dagger after we return to the castle.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Thank you,” I said to Barm before we left.
“Greetings, Padraic,” a woman no older than twenty said and smiled sweetly at him. I watched as her eyes slid to mine and just for a moment the smile slipped.
“Greetings, Megan,” he replied and led me towards a shop across the street. It was a bakery judging by the smell and the cakes in the window.
“Who might this young woman at your side be?” she asked.
Well, straight to the point it was!
“How rude of me,” Padraic said though I sensed some irritation in his words. He paused and then turned to face her. “Megan, this is Princess Alyssa. Alyssa, this is Megan, she lives here in this town.”
“Princess?” she asked with a gasp and started to grab her dress to curtsy.
I grabbed her hand gently and smiled. “No need for that. You can call me Alyssa.”
Her mouth opened in a cute circle and she said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alyssa.”
“Likewise, Megan.” Though I was certain that her interests were all for Padraic.
“I’ll, uh, let you be on your way,” she said nervously and walked away with a few glances back.
“She likes you,” I whispered to Padraic.
“I’m well aware,” he grumbled.
“She’s pretty,” I said and looked up to see him scowling down at me. “What?”
“Telling people you’re a princess won’t do much good if you insist they call you by your first name,” he whispered.
I shrugged. “Then stop saying it.”
“Padraic, what brings you here?” a very old man said as he hobbled towards us with a thick cane made of a gnarled tree branch.
“Princess Alyssa was in need of a few items from town,” he explained.
“You can’t leave without getting a sweet cake,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
“That’s where we are headed now,” Padraic assured him.
The old man hobbled into the store and put four small cakes into a box and then tied a string around the box to keep it closed. “Here you are.” Padraic started to get coins to pay him, but the old man shook his head. “No charge.”
“Thank you,” I said with a smile.
A woman screamed outside and Padraic spun around and charged outside with his sword drawn.
“Come
back here, Princess,” the old man ordered me and hobbled quickly to a back room.
“I can’t leave him alone out there,” I argued and looked out the window where Padraic was talking to a crying woman.
“He’ll dispatch whatever nasty creature is out there and then come fetch you. He works fast, that one, so he’ll come back for you in no time,” he assured me. “Here, try a cookie.” He held out a small cookie and I took it.
“Are you sure?” I asked. He nodded so I chewed on the sweet treat as I wanted anxiously. A few minutes later Padraic still hadn’t returned. “I can’t wait any longer. Thank you for the treats.” I ran outside and immediately had to duck to dodge a sword swung at my head. I rolled away and a green skinned being with a sword growled and ran at me. I drew my sword and deflected his next hit, but the sword was heavy and his strike had been hard.
Padraic was fighting with three more of the green things and he was faring much better than me.
I tried to cut the green being, but he hit my sword and knocked it out of my hand and across the road.
“Keep her alive!” one of the green beings fighting Padraic yelled. “She’s the one Pella wants.”
“Alyssa!” Padraic yelled and cut his way through the green beings until the only one left was the one next to me.
It grabbed me and held me against its chest with a dagger to my throat. “Come closer and I kill her!” he threatened.
Padraic paused and then kept walking. “You need her alive to take back to Pella,” Padraic reminded him.
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