Servant of the Crown

by Paul J Bennett

  "No, bless my soul. I haven't used a bow for more'n ten years. I'd hardly know how to handle one these days," he grinned as he answered the question. "I'm here ‘cause I ran into a mutual friend of ours, said there might be some work hereabouts."

  "Work?" asked Gerald.

  "Aye, Edgar Greenfield said to mention his name. Seems you're looking for trustworthy people?"

  "Yes, but we'd best not talk about it here. Come up to the Hall after the festivities are over, and I'll fill you in."

  Sam looked quizzically at Gerald. "Trustworthy people? Work? What's that all about?"

  Gerald was slightly embarrassed. "Oh, er, well Anna wants to hire some people for some courier work, nothing you'd be interested in. It requires a lot of travel."

  Sam seemed to relax at his explanation. He hated not telling his friend the truth, but it was not his secret to share. "Listen, let's head over the Old Oak, and the three of us'll have a drink, for old time’s sake."

  "What about Anna?" Sam gently reminded.

  "Tell you what. I'll go collect her and see you back at the tavern. Can you show him the way, Sam? I'll be along as quickly as I can."

  Sam and Wilfrid headed off for the tavern, while Gerald tried to make his way through the press of people to where Anna was mowing down on another pastry. Jax and Tempus had finished their game, and now the two of them were lying beside Anna's chair, one to each side. They were quick to grab any treats that 'accidentally' fell their way.

  "Anna," interrupted Gerald, "I've got someone I'd like you to meet."

  Anna waved her hand, "Not now, I'm busy with these delicious pastries."

  "But I wanted you to come over to the tavern. There are some things to discuss," he persisted.

  "You go on, I'll be safe here," she mumbled as she stuffed yet another pastry into her face.

  He finally gave up and made his way over to the tavern.

  The archery contest was scheduled to begin at noon. Just before it started, Gerald made his way to the seats that had been set up for judging the competition. Anna was already there, looking slightly uncomfortable. As he approached, she belched, trying unsuccessfully to cover her embarrassment.

  "Are you all right Anna?" He tried to sound concerned while he had an amused look on his face.

  "I think I may have overeaten," she replied. She looked at him with a serious face, "Don't you dare say it!"

  He suppressed his laughter; now was not the time to say he told her so. He took his seat beside her, seeing Tempus laying in front so that her feet were resting on him. The competition began with the elimination rounds. These were interesting to watch and, until Osferth shot, things looked close. The ranger shot in the third round, easily beating the competition and securing a berth in the finals. After five rounds of elimination, there were ten people selected to compete in the final round. Not even one of them had shot half the points that Osferth had. Convinced the ranger would win it handily, people were talking amongst themselves; they hoped that one of the locals could at least put up a good show.

  The ten archers took up their places, waiting for the master of the bow to drop the handkerchief, signifying that they were to commence.

  Suddenly, out of the throng of observers, a lone voice welled up, "Wait, stop!"

  The villagers turned, and Gerald wondered what was happening. The crowd parted revealing a young woman with dark brown hair, tied off in a ponytail, stepping up toward the judge’s stand. She wore a long green cloak and carried a well-worn longbow in her hand. She strode confidently forward and stopped before the stands. "I beg your pardon, honourable judges, but I ask permission to compete."

  Anna leaned forward in her seat, and asked, "Who are you?"

  "I am Hayley Chambers," she announced in a loud voice, "a King’s Ranger."

  The villagers, as one, suddenly let out a loud gasp. A King’s Ranger was a rare thing these days, but to have two show up on the same day was almost unbelievable.

  Gerald could tell Anna was intrigued by the way she sat forward in her chair, her discomfort all but forgotten. “The competition is in the final round, how is it that a King's Ranger cannot find their way here in a timely manner?"

  "I beg your forgiveness," the ranger continued, "but I was delayed by the execution of my duties. I had to return unexpectedly to Tewsbury after I arrested some bandits. I'm afraid the delay cost me a lot of time as I had to wait for a magistrate there."

  Anna looked confused, and she turned to Gerald, asking "I thought that rangers doled out the king’s justice on the spot?"

  "Not always Anna, there are still some that follow the rules of the land."

  "What should we do?" she asked. "We can't just let her compete. She should have gone through all the elimination rounds."

  "Why not have her shoot right now. If she scores as good as the others, you can add an eleventh shooter to the final round. We have enough targets."

  "Excellent idea!" She turned back to the new arrival. "We have deliberated and decided that in the interest of fairness, we will have you shoot ten shots. From your performance, we shall determine if it is fair for you to compete in the final. Is that agreeable to all?" She asked the crowd this. The response was instantaneous, as a horde of cheers erupted.

  Gerald could tell she was playing to her audience and they loved it. "Take up your position, and make your shots."

  The young ranger walked to the line taking her place. Removing an arrow from her quiver which hung from her waist, she then stood for a moment, looking at the target. She wet her finger and held it up, testing the wind, then placed the arrow into the ground in front of her, followed by eight more. She drew the tenth arrow, putting it on the bow, drawing it by pointing it upward, then extended her arm as she brought it down in front of her, using the extension to add draw power to the bow. Holding it for only a moment, she then let it loose.

  There was the briefest of sounds as the arrow tore through the air, impaling the target very near the centre. In rapid succession, she drew the arrows from the ground, and with a machine like precision, they whistled through the air to strike the target. The crowd cheered as her last arrow hit the bullseye solidly, the third of the ten to do so. The judges examined the target, then walked to the stands to give their report. She had scored higher than all the other competitors, save for Osferth.

  Anna stood slowly, and the crowd grew silent. "It is the opinion of the judges that the Ranger Hayley Chambers be allowed to compete in the finals." The crowd went wild with cheering, but Osferth stormed over to the princess.

  "I object, Highness. The final ten have already been determined and she," he looked at Hayley with disdain, "does not merit inclusion, once the competition has begun."

  "I am afraid that I have been told that one cannot refuse a King’s Ranger’s request to participate in a competition." Anna turned to examine the other townsfolk sitting nearby, searching for Renfrew. "Isn't that right Renfrew?"

  Renfrew, ever the obedient servant now, stood to answer, "This is accurate, Your Highness, as I instructed your brother Prince Henry himself. A King’s Ranger cannot be refused entry to an archery contest, for it is part of their charter that they be the finest archers in all the kingdom."

  Osferth, knowing he had been outmanoeuvred, stomped back to his position in the shooting line. Hayley retrieved her arrows and took up a position at the end of the line. The other contestants looked on with interest.

  The shooting commenced, but it was soon apparent that the real contest was between the two rangers. Osferth shot with tremendous force, his arrows often sticking out the back of the target, while Hayley shot with swiftness, often being the first to loose all her arrows, which seemed to strike their target unerringly.

  Third place was eventually awarded to William Green after the others bowed out. So close were the scores of the two rangers, that it came down to an elimination round to determine the winner. They would both shoot one arrow at a time to their targets until one outshot the other. The crowd w
as holding their breath as the two archers prepared for their first shot. Osferth shot first, striking the centre of his target. Hayley loosed her missile which impaled her target dead centre as well. Osferth delivered his second shot, a solid hit which touched the bullseye, but not dead centre. The crowd gasped as Hayley shot, her arrow striking her target so close to her previous hit, that they thought she had split the arrow. It was only when the judges examined carefully, that they saw the two arrows side by side, buried in the exact middle of the target.

  The judges strolled over to Anna and spoke to her quietly and then she stood to pronounce the verdict. The crowd was hushed as she stood. "The winner of this competition is" she paused for dramatic effect, "Ranger Hayley Chambers!" The crowd erupted in applause and surged forward, lifting the winner onto their shoulders in her triumph.

  Gerald could see Osferth steaming in the background, now being ignored by everyone. The ranger would not forget this, he thought, and perhaps one day he would return to exact some form of revenge for this supposed insult.

  Chapter 22

  Return to the Grotto

  Summer 958 MC

  GERALD strode into the kitchen to grab something to eat. He had been working all morning, trimming the trees. Anna was sitting at one end of the table in the kitchen, while around her the staff worked. She was nibbling on some pastry, reading a letter that she held in her hand.

  "What have you got there?" Gerald asked.

  Anna looked up. "It's a letter, from Westland, from that mage" she looked down at the page again, "Tyrell Caracticus. Funny name, isn't it?"

  "Yes, well, I suppose all mages have unusual names. It's not as if Andronicus is an ordinary name."

  "Is that how you know if you’re destined to be a mage," Anna mused, "being born with a funny name?"

  "I doubt it." Gerald grabbed a pastry from the cook’s tray before continuing, "They probably pick their mage name when they become an apprentice."

  "I suppose that makes sense," she said absently. "I never really thought about it before."

  "So what does the mage with the funny name have to say," he asked, before stuffing the food into his mouth.

  "Quite a lot. He confirms the race is called Saurians, and they were one of the ancient races."

  "Ancient races?" mumbled Gerald around a mouth full of food.

  "Yes, the races that predate us Humans. Apparently, there were many civilized races before the coming of mankind, but only three survive to this day; the Elves, that are rarely seen; the Dwarves, who spend most of their time in the mountains; and the Orcs, who he says have degenerated into a savage race. At least that's what he writes."

  "I don't know that I would call the Orcs savages," Gerald ruminated over a tart as he spoke. "I've seen one or two of them; they’re primitive, but not necessarily savage."

  "Be that as it may," she continued like a tutor, "at one time it's believed the Saurians had a vast trading empire. All the other races valued their goods, and they commanded high prices."

  "Does he mention what these Saurians looked like?"

  "Yes, they were about four and a half to five feet tall, slim of build, but very agile. They were said to be very wise; their knowledge was known to surpass even the Elves. Are Elves known to be exceptionally wise?"

  "Well," replied Gerald, "they certainly like to tell everyone else they are. Most of us seem to think the Elves are a bit high and mighty; then again I can't say I've interacted with them much."

  "They do live a long time. I suppose when you live that long you could learn quite a lot. I wonder if the Saurians lived a long time?" she mused.

  "Does he say anything else?" he prompted.

  "Yes, the Saurians were an old race before the others came along. Some people believe they were the very first race, but by the time mankind arrived, they had all died out, or so it’s believed. He thinks they may have been a race of mages too. Not much detail, but it sounds interesting, don't you think?"

  Gerald knew what was coming next, so he pre-empted it, "I suppose this means you want to head back out to the grotto and have another look?"

  "Yes, but I have an idea. I want to take some wood with us," she stated.

  "Wood? Whatever for?" He had thought he knew what she planned, but once again she had surprised him.

  "For a raft. I can float along holding onto the wood and get closer to the cave."

  "I don't remember a cave," he stated, looking at her quizzically.

  "Oh, I found a reference to it in one of the old books about the estate. There's a cave only accessible from the pool, but the pool was supposed to be smaller. When they made the grotto all those years ago, they didn't take into account the way the water drains off the grounds, so the pool’s deeper than they had originally planned."

  "Are you sure it's wise going into a cave that might be inhabited by something?"

  "Don't be silly. If there was something there that was dangerous, it could have killed us last time we were there."

  He had to admit she had a point. The last time they went to the grotto, they had been stuck in the mud while surrounded by the fog. Anything could have taken them out.

  "Alright," he agreed with a determined expression, "let's get going and see what we can discover."

  They ended up using the top to an old mahogany chest, removing the hinges. They found that, inverted, it floated nicely. It was just large enough that Anna could, if necessary, lie on its top, though her feet would be dangling over the edge along with her arms. Gerald fixed a rope to one end with a metal ring, so that he could pull her back if something went wrong. The entire process didn't take much time, and they easily made it to the grotto before lunch.

  The grotto was as they remembered it, but this time the summer heat had dried the mud, and it no longer tried to keep them in their place. They carried the raft to the edge of the pool, putting it in the water. Anna lay on it and experimented with using her arms to paddle. It took some concentration, but she soon discovered she could manoeuvre the raft, although slowly.

  She paddled out with Gerald paying out the line as she went. Tempus sat watching the entire operation from the bank, relaxing in the sun. Anna moved the raft toward where the cave should be, stopping her paddling as she looked through the water.

  "I can see a cave entrance; there’s about a hands length above the surface, and the rest is underwater. It looks quite large."

  He could see her trying to peer into the cave, with her head even with the surface, but after a while, she looked back to Gerald.

  "It's no use," she yelled, "I can't make it through with the raft. I'm going to lower myself into the water."

  Gerald was about to object, but she acted too quickly, rolling off the makeshift raft, holding onto it with one hand. She disappeared below the surface with her hand still touching the wood, and a moment later she resurfaced, gasping for air.

  "The water seems clear here, I'm going to try again, but I won't come up for a moment or two."

  She disappeared below the surface again, this time her hand let go of the raft.

  Gerald was worried. This was dangerous work, he decided, and she shouldn't be taking this risk. Time seemed to stand still, and he found himself holding his breath, imagining what it must be like for Anna, under the water. He had never been a fan of water, at least not immersing himself in it. He was all right with baths, but couldn't understand why anyone would want to go swimming for the fun of it.

  There was a splash near the raft, then Anna resurfaced, grasping for it. She was breathing hard and hanging on with both hands. "Pull me in!" she yelled. Gerald began immediately tugging on the rope.

  It did not take long to pull her back to shore. She was catching her breath but had a big smile on her face.

  "What did you see?" He was still concerned about her safety.

  "There's a cave there, and it's filled with air. But it was dark; I couldn't see much. There was only a little light coming through the entrance. We need to return with a lantern of
some sort; a small one we can float on the raft."

  "The raft is only big enough for you," Gerald stated.

  "I thought we could make a smaller raft. I don't have to ride on it, I can just hang on, and we can set a lantern on it. Then we can float it through the entrance that's above the water. We just need to make sure it’s the correct size."

  Gerald looked around and found a small stick which he handed to Anna. "Take this stick," he said, "and paddle out to the entrance. Break the stick to a length that matches the width of the cave entrance that's above the water level, that way we'll have a measurement for the new raft."

  She thought this was an excellent idea, and after catching her breath, she was paddling back to the cave. Once she had decided on the length of the stick, she waved to be pulled back.

  This time Gerald had attached the other end of the rope to Tempus. He ran with the dog, resulting in the raft moving with a high velocity back across the pond and onto the bank. There was a sound from behind him, and he turned to see Anna yelling "Weeeeeeeee!" as the raft was pulled in.

  "That was exciting. We need to do that again sometime!" she exclaimed.

  Gerald took the stick and carefully placed it into his satchel. He removed a blanket from his pack and wrapped it around her. Though it was a warm day, the water here was quite nippy. She was shivering, and cold to the touch. They ate while they waited for her to warm up, discussing their progress.

  "We need to get you some warmer clothes for when you come out."

  "Yes, it's quite cold," she agreed, "but it's all right for short periods of time. I didn't feel cold till I got out."

  He gazed out at the grotto as he deliberated what they needed for their next visit. "We'll bring you a change of clothes tomorrow and a small lantern." He was trying to think of a small lantern, but all he could think of was the coach lanterns, and they would be far too big.

  "What about an oil lamp?” she suggested. “We could use a small bowl of oil with a wick in it?".