Servant of the Crown

by Paul J Bennett

  The Grand Theatre was a rather grandiose name for such a modest venue, but it was large enough to have two box seats, one on either side of the stage. They decided it would be safer, considering the earlier encounter with the young lad, if they splurged and bought box seats. As it turned out these were not too expensive, and they settled down for the show.

  All the lamps were extinguished save for the lit candles on the front of the stage. Metal was placed around them to direct the light onto the cast members as they assembled on stage.

  They were dressed in all manner of clothes, some as nobles, some as soldiers and some as servants. They stood in a line across the stage while one man, a host of sorts, strode forward to address the crowd, which fell into a hush.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen,” the man began, “I introduce to you a tale of a king and the mistress that held his leash.” The audience chuckled. Anna sat quietly then looked at Gerald for an explanation.

  He leaned close and whispered, “It’s said that the king’s mistress controls the king by… favours.”

  “What do you mean favours?” she asked innocently.

  “Er… well, she gives him favours… in bed. That is to say-”

  “Oh, I get it, say no more.” She cut him off with a slightly embarrassed look.

  The man’s introduction complete, the acting troupe scuttled off the stage and the curtain rose revealing what appeared to be a Royal Throne Room. The king, or rather the man playing him, wore an over exaggerated crown that seemed to be too large for his head. The play proceeded to tell its story, which mainly seemed to consist of people finding the king in compromising positions with his mistress every time something important was happening. Gerald found the story to be almost non-existent, but some of the scenes were outrageously funny. Anna was laughing uproariously, and even blushed several times due to the rather vulgar, and sometimes overt situations.

  The play had been running on for quite some time when a commotion started. The set on the stage was a Royal Bathing Room and the mistress, played by an overly endowed woman who was not shy about showing her assets, was lounging in the tub, hanging her legs over the edge. Suddenly daylight entered the building from the front of the theatre, and several members of the audience near the door could be heard complaining. The sound of stomping feet began to drown out the performers as soldiers entered the building in two ranks, splitting to move up either side of the room toward the stage.

  “In the name of the king, this play is hereby closed, and all within are under arrest for sedition,” a voice boomed.

  In an instant, a panic started. The room went from almost deathly quiet to sudden screams and yells. The room was still not properly lit, and Gerald couldn’t see much detail, but he had seen enough fighting in his time to understand what was about to happen. He grabbed Anna’s hand. “Come with me, quick,” he urged, and they fled the box. Just outside the box was a stairway and he turned to head upstairs.

  “Where are we going? The exit is that way,” Anna yelled.

  “They’ll have the exits blocked; we have to make for the rooftop.”

  Anna followed obediently. Some of the actors who had not been on stage soon joined them on the stairs. The group got to the top and went through the door to the rooftop, which was uneven and angled. They made their way across it carefully, lest tiles work loose and they slip. Gerald heard a commotion on the street; fighting had broken out, and he recognized swordplay at work. One of the actors indicated a path to the south, and the troop made their way across the roof. The buildings here were close together, and it was only a narrow gap, no more than the length of his boot, to make their way to the next rooftop.

  “Keep going,” urged an actress, “we have to get across two more rooftops, then we can cut across to Cutler Street. It’ll be safe there.”

  They could hear the sounds of a pursuit from a couple of guards as they made their way around a chimney. The rooftops were not all the same height, and the next building was half a story higher. They had to use a drain pipe to climb up to it. Gerald urged the others on, telling Anna to meet him back at Herdwin’s. He saw a worried look cross Anna’s face and then the actress took her hand. Gerald turned to see the pursuing soldiers and waited until they saw him. He strode across the rooftop, angling away from the route the others had gone. The soldiers took the bait, and he heard them trailing. He saw a door leading down into the building and made a snap decision. He paused in front of the door then kicked it open. The door opened with a gratifying bang, and he stopped it from bouncing back and hitting him. He could hear the footsteps getting closer and knew they would be on him in just a moment. He ran to the side of the rooftop and lowered himself over the edge, holding on with both hands.

  He held his breath as best he could and waited. Sure enough, one of his pursuers shouted and then he heard their footsteps echo as they entered the doorway and descended the steps.

  With some effort, he hauled himself back onto the roof and retraced his steps to join up with the others. After waiting to ensure there was no pursuit, he cut across to Cutler Street. By the time he reached the ground, he could see the group, with Anna. They were catching their breath and laughing at their close escape. Anna saw him and exclaimed “Gerald!” and ran over to him, embracing him in a hug. It was far too much excitement for one day, he thought, but he had to admit it was quite a story. At Anna’s insistence, they took the survivors to a tavern and purchased them a round of drinks. They were entertained by the actor’s stories of adventure and daring do, for thespians made little and had to resort to other pastimes to make their way in the world. Anna was entranced. Here were people who lived for excitement and passion; who had a zest for life she had not seen before.

  Eventually, the excitement wore off, and the young girl emerged, exhausted and ready to sleep. They bid farewell to their new friends, making their way back to the rendezvous to meet up with Sophie. They only made one stop along the way, and when they arrived at the Hogshead Tavern, near the Palace, they saw Sophie sitting at a table, Tempus at her feet. The great beast had proved invaluable for Sophie had not been bothered, and now, as they sat down, Anna rubbed her dog’s ears and gave him the bone she had picked up on the way back.

  Upon meeting up, Anna had a burst of energy as she related all that had befallen them during their foray. Sophie was completely enthralled, and he realized how lucky Anna was to have her, for she was much more than a servant; she was a friend. It was dark before they finally made their way into the servant’s entrance of the Palace and up to their rooms. It didn’t take Anna long to fall asleep once they were back. Indeed she was half asleep before she was even through the door and Gerald carried her to her bed. She was so tired they decided to let her sleep in her clothes with her valiant hound snuggled up against her on the bed.

  Chapter 28

  The Slums

  Spring 959 MC

  GERALD stretched luxuriously in the large four-poster bed. He glimpsed sunlight trying to peer through the curtains, leaving a thin line of bright light that threatened to creep ever closer as the sun rose. He had slept peacefully, so well that even now the bed threatened to pull him into sleep’s tender embrace once more.

  He knew he had things to do and so, reluctantly, he dragged himself out of bed, making his way to the dresser to wash up. As he began to move about his stomach reminded him that he had not eaten in some time, so he dressed quickly, eager to obtain some food from the kitchen.

  In a thrice he was ready and made his way down the hallway. Best, he thought, to check in on Anna and Sophie, and see how they were doing. He knocked quietly on the door and was beckoned to enter. Inside, Anna and Sophie were both sitting at a small table. They were sipping on herbal tea of some sort, and eating mini cakes. They had apparently been up for some time, for the remains of a breakfast lay on their plates nearby.

  He wandered in, noticing the bacon and sausages that were still lying on the serving tray, tempting him with their aroma. His stomach made a gurgli
ng noise, and he apologized. Anna insisted he help himself and not wanting to appear churlish, he took up a small plate and placed the food on it, being sure to grab a fork.

  He was fascinated by forks, they were said to have been invented by the Elves, but everyone used them, even Orcs were known to favour the pronged implement. Most Human forks had four prongs, but he was aware that Elves preferred three. He wondered, as he ate, if there was some significance to that and then stopped, half a slice of bacon in his mouth when he noticed that Anna was speaking to him.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, trying to finish the bacon quickly, “could you repeat that?”

  “I was saying that I’d like to take a carriage to the poor section of town today.”

  “The slums? Why would you want to do that?” he said in amazement.

  “I know how the rich live, and now I’ve experienced briefly how the middle class live, but I want to see how the poor live. Does that make sense?”

  “I suppose so, but we should take some extra guards. It’s a dangerous area of town,” he paused for a moment before continuing, “and I should like to avoid the area near Walpole Street. It has some unpleasant memories for me.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem,” Anna agreed. “I’ll arrange to get, say, four soldiers to act as an escort?”

  “I would suggest four horsemen and two foot soldiers on the carriage, just to be safe. It’s not unheard of for mobs to swarm carriages.”

  “Very well, I thought we might head down that way just after noon.”

  “How much time does that give us until we leave,” he asked, polishing off another sausage.

  Anna smiled, “Enough time for you to finish eating, I should say.”

  The look of surprise on Gerald’s face must have been plain for all to see, for both Anna and Sophie laughed. He sheepishly downed the last of the sausages. “I’ll just clean up a bit after my breakfast… or lunch and be ready to go. Shall I meet you downstairs?”

  “Yes, I’ll send word for the soldiers. I expect it will take them awhile to get ready.”

  He headed back to his room to get into his travelling clothes. This time he donned his suit of chainmail and strapped on his sword. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and noticed how battered his mail was. It had been patched and repaired over the years, and you could tell from looking at it where new links had replaced the old. If he were returning to service, he would fix that, but the prospect of combat seemed remote. He was now a peaceful man, a simple groundskeeper, but he would still take care to protect Anna. He tucked his helmet under his arm and made his way downstairs.

  The carriage was already waiting with four soldiers on horses nearby. As he approached, one of them dismounted and came toward him.

  “Sergeant Matheson?” the man enquired.

  “Yes?” he answered.

  “I’m Barret, and these men are Hansuld, Wiggins and Blackburn. We’ll be your escort today.”

  “Thank you Hansuld, what company are you with?”

  “The Wincaster Medium Horse, Second Company.”

  Gerald looked them over with a practiced eye. “Ever been in combat?” he asked.

  “Blackburn is new, but the rest of us have fought before. I spent some time on the northern border.”

  He knew what that meant; you couldn’t serve on the northern border without seeing a fight or two. “Glad to see you’re with us. I believe we’re waiting on a couple of foot soldiers?”

  “Yes sir, the 3rd Foot Company is sending a couple of men. They should be along soon. We passed them on the way to the Palace.”

  Sure enough, as if summoned by his very words, two foot soldiers arrived, their thick leather jerkins making them look slightly overweight. They reported in as soldiers Buckley and Collins. They looked ill-disciplined, and he was disappointed by the condition of the armour, but he supposed they would do. Hopefully, they would not be needed, and all these extra precautions would be for nought.

  The unmarked carriage would have to make its way to the southernmost district of the city to reach the slums. The first part of the trip was pleasant enough for the main thoroughfare led directly south from the Palace then turned west, covering the majority of the route. It wasn’t until they turned back to the south that the signs of poverty became more apparent to them. The streets here became narrower than those they had travelled through. Filth was dumped from windows, and some of the roads had no paving stones, only dirt or, more usually mud, which caused thick ruts to impede their progress. Even the buildings here were run down, showing signs of neglect. Many had broken shutters or ill-fixed holes in the wall.

  People began to take notice of the carriage now, and wherever they went, people stopped to watch. Two of the horsemen had ridden ahead of the carriage with the other two bringing up the rear. Now the road became quite narrow and the two in the lead had to move forward to remove a blockage. Someone had a stall or barrow that had spilt onto the roadway, and the owner was struggling to pick up his goods. Gerald had a suspicion of something more sinister, like a trap, but the way was cleared relatively quickly. As they were sitting, waiting for the horsemen to finish their task, there was a knock on the carriage door, and Anna looked to see a young child, begging for coins. Gerald watched her pull forth a silver shilling and slide the window down, dropping it into his waiting hands. The child grasped the coin as if his life depended on it and ran off into the background. Gerald’s eyes followed the child's route as others stepped forward, eager for coins. Soon Anna was handing out silver back and forth, but Gerald’s trained eye caught sight of the first beggar. He had made it to an alleyway, and as he watched, the lad dropped the coin into the hands of an adult. Other children soon joined him, and it became painfully obvious to him that all of these youngsters were turning over their profits to the man.

  Anna was genuinely pleased with herself at helping these poor children. He didn’t want to disabuse her of this but felt he had to say something. Before he could act, however, he heard someone yell, “There’s a swell over here, with lots of coins.”

  Abruptly the carriage was rocked as a press of people rushed forward, adults this time, not children. Gerald acted fast; he pulled Anna away from the carriage window and slid it shut. Even as he did this, he had to push arms back out of the way. The carriage began to rock violently, and they heard a scream. A moment later the two foot soldiers were pulled from the carriage, their bodies driven to the ground. The yelling intensified, and then the whole carriage was in danger of being pushed over. Next, he heard the driver being pulled from his seat, and for just an instance Gerald was glad that they had not brought their own driver. Something had to be done, and quickly. He looked to Anna and Sophie, thankful that both of them were keeping their wits about them. He drew his sword knowing there was some work to be done. Anna copied his actions, drawing her new blade, holding it toward the window.

  A stone broke the window and shards of glass scattered about the cabin. Gerald yelled out, trying to be heard above the din, “Stab with the point at anything that pokes through the window!” He held his sword in both hands and drove it into the ceiling of the carriage. As expected, the blade quickly pierced the thin wood and canvas, and he began sawing back and forth, desperate to gain a means of exit. The other door was pressed close to the wall, but even so, the mob was trying to gain entry. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anna stab and heard a scream of pain as someone withdrew their arm. Sophie was pressed back against the other door, but the rocking of the carriage suddenly resulted in the glass window shattering behind her. She let out a scream of surprise but kept her head. She picked up a shard of glass carefully and cut some material off her dress, using it to create a handle to hold the glass as a weapon. A hand reached around through the window on the left side, and she sliced down with the glass leaving a trail of blood. The hand disappeared, and she gasped for breath.

  He cut harder, trying to make an escape route. He could hear the soldiers fighting, but at least one of them o
ne was down, and he heard a horse whinnying in pain. Finally, Gerald finished the cuts and braced himself beneath, ready to push open the newly constructed hatch. Sophie was watching him, and he handed her his sword then braced his legs against the bottom of the carriage, his hands resting on the panel above him. The small, roughly cut panel came loose when he heaved with all his might. Sophie quickly gave him back his sword, and he started climbing through the hole. He was thankful for his choice of mail, for as he struggled to the top, a man already there struck him with a cudgel. The armour made it little more than an inconvenience, and he pulled himself through the hole, and then attacked the man with a vicious backhand blow, sending him toppling from the roof.

  He glanced about quickly. He could see the two horsemen in back, still mounted. They were slashing left and right with their swords, but the crowd was keeping its distance. Ahead, there was a horse down, its rider bludgeoned to death by the crowd around him. A peasant was trying to climb up the back of the shaking carriage, while it was bouncing around violently. He saw Sophie looking up from below and braced himself, holding a hand out to her. She caught his arm in a vice-like grip, and he pulled her up to the top in one smooth motion.

  The left side of the carriage was up against the side of the street and Gerald could see an awning beside them. He pointed to it, and Sophie carefully climbed off, using the canopy as a stepping point to get onto the roof of the building. He swung a vicious cut at another man trying to climb up and almost lost his balance as the carriage rocked back to the right. He saw Anna, coming out of the hole and yelled at her to get to the roof.

  She paused half-way out, and he wondered what was happening. He heard a shout from below and realized someone must have tried to enter. She sprang up all of a sudden, using her Dwarf sword to free herself. The carriage suddenly lurched forward as one of the horses went down, its weight dragging them forward. He saw Anna make a jump and unexpectedly she was hanging from the awning. It had ripped as she landed on it. Sophie, seeing Anna's predicament, helped her up to the safety of the roof.