The Destroyer

by Michael-Scott Earle

  "I will come to escort you in one quarter of an hour. That will give you time to prepare better attire." The woman nodded and smiled at me. Before I replied she turned and walked away.

  I hadn't thought my clothes were in such poor shape, but then I realized I wore a pair of pants and a shirt I had taken from the Vanlourns. I went to my wardrobe and put on one of the outfits that the king's tailor had created for me: a light red and brown tunic and pants with gold stitching on all the seams.

  Minutes later, I heard Jessmei's handmaiden walk toward my room and I opened the door to greet her.

  "You look very handsome," she complimented me as she appraised my attire.

  "Thank you," I said as she led me down the hallway. Her arm wrapped around mine, similar to the way Nadea's had the other day.

  "How have you enjoyed your stay in Nia so far?" She looked over to me and shook her hair back, it fell like a waterfall of mercury.

  "It has been fine." I chose my words carefully. "I am anxious to be useful."

  "I'm sure you will be." She nodded to a few servants that passed us.

  "Oh, I just remembered, I had asked the girl that takes care of my room to bring me lunch," I said, nearly forgetting the pretty servant in the hallway that had witnessed me choking Runir.

  "Wait," the woman called out to the servants that we had just passed. She eloquently explained to them I would not require lunch and they told us they would make sure it wasn't delivered. After the conversation the blonde woman took my arm again and we continued on our way.

  She took me out of the wing of the castle in which I had spent most of my visit toward the north side. We passed maybe a dozen guards as we walked and they eyed me in surprise. While most of the castle was impressive, I could immediately tell the difference between the North Wing of the castle and the rest of the structure. The Royal Wing was decorated with even richer furniture, better art, even the guards seemed more capable. The ceilings were higher and there were rich dark wooden beams running through them.

  "Does the king know that Jessmei and I are having lunch?" I asked.

  "Yes," the woman said. "We are almost there." We went down a flight of stairs and into an open garden area.

  Large willowy trees decorated the perimeter of the garden, while excellently manicured maples, spruces, and pines led along a stone path into its center. Each side of the small field was flanked by bright yellow green moss and a sunset cascade of colored flowers arranged in a warm rainbow that flowed from papery magenta bougainvillea on one end, followed by deep velvety red camellias, orange chrysanthemums, downy yellow dahlias and dandelions, to a row of buttery gardenias that scented the air with a heady perfume. The colors of the blooms blended artfully and created a gorgeous wash of color that contrasted beautifully with the vibrant greens of the trees and lawn. I imagined the hours of human labor it took to maintain such an unnaturally pristine and purely decorative landscape and wondered how this kingdom functioned without slave labor.

  I heard the soft laughter of a brook up ahead of me. It mixed with the giggles of women's voices and the chirping of happy yellow birds that danced between the branches of the trees. The woman led me along the path for a few minutes. It led up a small hill before sloping down into a shallow and cool glade framed by feathery willows. The sound of the laughter grew louder as we reached a clearing hidden in the depths of the trees.

  "Kaiyer!" Jessmei's voice shouted with delight when I entered the clearing. The woman who was escorting me released me in time for me to cradle the princess's body in my arms as she flung herself on me in exuberance. "Thank you so much for coming!" She pulled her face away from my shoulder and our eyes made contact briefly. For a second I thought she was going to kiss me, but then she released her grip from around my neck and landed easily on the ground.

  She was wearing a thin yellow summer dress that was embroidered with blue and vermillion flowers around the edges of the hem and sleeves. Her hair was done up in a curly tower of golden locks, entwined with white and golden daisies. She wore color on her cheeks and her lips were stained a darker red than I would have expected her to wear. It made her seem more of a woman and less of a girl.

  "I can't turn down food," I said with a laugh. "Especially with my favorite princess."

  "Ha! I'm the only princess you know! You do need to eat more. I believe you've only gained a few pounds since we first met you. Don't worry, I have a great lunch for us all planned out. Oh, let me introduce you to my handmaidens," she said with pleasure as she wrapped her arm around mine and pulled me farther into the clearing.

  "You have already met Cerra," she indicated the pretty woman who had walked me from my room. She had joined her companions in a small circle where they were working on a complicated knitting project. Cerra gave me a dazzling smile before looking back down to her work.

  "That is Yera, Levie, Damina, and Siliah." She pointed to the other women of the circle. All as pretty as Cerra and ranging in age from Jessmei to a few years older than Nadea. “There is a table over here for us, please join me." She indicated a small table with two chairs placed about fifty feet from where her maidens were knitting. I followed her lead toward the table. I remembered seeing men pull chairs out for women at the banquet, so I did the same for her before I took my seat.

  As soon as we sat down two servants appeared out of the shadows and put glasses on the table and then poured water into them. One waiter put a small basket of steaming bread in the center of the table, and the other placed a platter of cheese, red berries, and butter alongside it. They moved back a few steps and Jessmei nodded at them before they removed themselves.

  "Where is Greykin?" I asked, looking around for the big man. I couldn't imagine him being more than twenty feet from the princess, especially if I was near her.

  "He took a week off to visit family. A sister I believe. It is a few days’ ride. Let me prepare some bread for you," she said as she grabbed a thinly cut slice and put a spread of butter on it, then she placed it on a plate and handed it to me.

  "Thank you," I said before I took a bite. It was delicious. "I don't see any guards. Aren't you always under some sort of protection?" I said as I eyed the trees. I didn't hear anything except for the servants, her handmaidens, the stream that flowed nearby, the breeze through the branches of the trees, and the birds.

  "Oh they are around the garden. Do you think my father would let me dine with you alone and unprotected?" she giggled and stuck her tongue out at me. Her voice was as pleasant as the sound of the brook. "I am so glad you came. We haven't had a chance to talk in a few weeks and I wanted to catch up with you. How do you enjoy my home?" She looked at me eagerly. The rays of the sun danced through the trees and made her eyes sparkle like sapphires.

  I sat back in my chair and debated on what to tell her. Then I figured the truth was the best. Perhaps Jessmei could convince her father that I needed to have a little more freedom here.

  "It has been a nice stay, but I am going to be leaving within the week." Her face cracked like she had just lost a favorite pet.

  "What? Why?" Her eyes opened up as her lips pouted. They were full and moist, like the berries on the table. For a second I wanted to lean across and taste them.

  "Your father, Nadea, and her father are having disagreements with me," I said as I reached across to sample some of the berries. They were good, but probably not as delicious as her lips were. I tried to steer my thoughts from ravishing her to the conversation. It was difficult.

  "About what?" She took my plate and began to slice cheese for it, concern plain on her face as she concentrated on our conversation.

  "I would prefer to leave as soon as possible for the North, where the Ancients’ army is. They argued that I should stay here since the winters are terrible up north and there will be no activity for the next few months. I agreed as long as they could meet my requests. So far we have been at an impasse about my dormitory. They seem to think that it will be safer if I am locked in my room for the winter
. This is unacceptable." She nodded at me and handed me a new plate of bread and cheese.

  "Can I help?" she asked me. "I don't want you to leave."

  "If you can convince your father to let me have free rein over the castle it would be excellent. I need to move around, train, become stronger, and run. Spending the next three months locked in my room will not be pleasant for me."

  “I know.”

  "Is that why you left the castle and followed Nadea?"

  "Yes," she answered plainly. "You have been here for a few weeks and you already want to leave. I've been here for almost nineteen winters. I don't leave my room unless the guards are with me, when I am in my room my handmaidens are always around.” Her face fell a little, she maintained the smile in her lips but her eyes narrowed in anger. “Those first days on my own, having freedom to do what I wished, not to have to explain myself or ask permission, it was the first time I felt . . . real?” She looked up at me, unsure. I nodded to encourage her to continue. While I could not relate to the sheltered, privileged life she led, I did understand how it felt to go from being watched over and ordered around to having to think for yourself. It was at once jarring, terrifying, and exhilarating. “Here I am just another treasured object,” she gestured to the elegant marble statues flanking our table, “my purpose is to look nice, grow in value and eventually be used to purchase political power.” Her face was suddenly hard, serious.

  I found it hard to pity her though. I remembered a world where I was nothing more than a beast of burden. I remembered my father and brother, their handsome faces contorted into ones of pain and death. She lacked freedom, but she was safe, she was valued and irreplaceable. This girl had no idea how easy her life was compared to what the women of my time had endured. She had never known fear or hunger. I doubted she had ever experienced any real pain.

  "Were you punished for following Nadea?" I asked so my mind could wander from the raw memories.

  "Yes, but not that badly. Father and Mother canceled a few of my activities. I had also planned a trip to Nadea's home for a few weeks and they told me I couldn't go. Mother probably believes my cousin is a bad influence on me." She laughed but I could sense frustration in the expression.

  "Nadea's home? Doesn't she live here?" My mind thought back to an hour ago when I had almost kissed her. I forced myself to focus.

  "No. The duke's keep is a hundred or so miles east, closer to the mountains. He guards the Teeth Mountain ranges from the Losher Tribes." I gave her a puzzled look. "They are another country. Losher dislikes us even more than Vanlourn. Nadea and her father are here for you, although she has been using the castle for her studies for the last few years. She normally goes home during the winter. I was going to go with her."

  I nodded and thought to myself. Perhaps I could use Nadea's keep instead of staying here. It sounded like it might be out of the way. Jessmei took a sip of her water and looked over at the birds. She appeared lost in her own thoughts.

  "Jessmei has such a crush on the stranger," one of her handmaidens, I believe Levie, whispered to the others. They had been softly talking about various frivolous topics, I had ignored their conversation but my ears pricked up when they began to whisper.

  "Shhh! She'll hear you and make you spend all night brushing her hair out," Siliah said with a chuckle.

  "At least you didn't have to put her hair up into that complicated nest. You should have heard her the whole time: 'Do you think he'd rather my hair be up or down? Do you think he'll like what I picked for lunch? Do you think he'll like this dress? What if he doesn't talk at all during lunch? What do I do?'" Damina laughed loud and then covered her mouth with her hand. She looked over to Jessmei and me but she must have thought I couldn't listen in on their conversation from so far away.

  "She should have been more worried about spending all morning getting ready to meet him without even asking if he was available!" Siliah tittered.

  "He is handsome, I agree with her, but so skinny! I can see the bones in his face and neck. I like my men with some meat on them," Yera whispered as she leaned over her knitting.

  "You are only interested in one piece of meat on a man's body," Cerra commented as she picked up a bundle of thin orange yarn. The rest burst into laughter.

  "Rumor is that he killed twenty of the Ancient soldiers bringing Jessmei back from Vanlourn. Then at the banquet he killed a dozen more that showed up to demand that the king bow before them," Levie said.

  "No. Look at how skinny he is. He probably can't even lift his fork!" Yera said with a laugh.

  "Let us hope the rumors are at least half-true, she'll need someone to protect her from the king when he finds out she is having lunch without Greykin's guards in attendance," Siliah said.

  "What are you thinking about?" Jessmei pulled my attention back to her. I had been looking at the handmaidens past her but she probably believed I was looking at her.

  "Sorry. I was studying you,“ I said, as I smiled at her. "Your hair looks beautiful, as does your dress. Thank you for inviting me to lunch. You have made a stressful day very pleasing." I hoped the compliments made her feel better.

  "Oh. Well, I figured we hadn't talked so . . ." Her face reddened and she turned quickly back toward the brook. I could see her fight back a smile. It made her even prettier, if that was possible.

  "What are you planning for lunch?" I asked before the tension between us grew any more.

  "It is going to be delicious! Let's start the first course!" She waved into the shadows of the trees and I heard a pair of feet patter away. I guessed it was the servants going to fetch the food.

  "Tell me about the young prince that escorted you at the banquet," I said, changing the subject to one I hoped would put her at ease.

  "Rilc?” She waved her hand dismissively. “There is not much to tell, he is three winters younger than me and a pompous dullard. The king of Loorma wants us to be wed. I hope it does not come to that. I have a few more years before my father will decide whom I wed, and I have shared my opinion of Rilc with him. He loves me enough to take it under consideration, but in the end he will have to choose the union that will provide the best political alliance for Nia.”

  "What does 'wed' mean?" I heard the servants approaching.

  "It means joined or married," she said, her face slightly shocked. "I guess Paug hasn't taught you that word yet?"

  "No. What does 'joined' or 'married' mean? He spoke of it during the banquet but I'd like you to tell me of it. Didn't you say something about us being joined at the inn when I asked you to be my lover?" I questioned as the servants put the dishes of the first course down in front of us. It was a variety of red and green vegetables with bits of bread, cheese, and yellowish cream spread on top. The servants filled up our water and then poured new glasses of bright yellow wine. I could smell its sweet aroma a few feet from the glass. It all looked and smelled delicious.

  I realized that Jessmei and the servants’ hearts were beating extremely fast. I looked away from the food toward them. It was two women, they looked straight ahead into the trees, not at Jessmei or me. Sensing danger, I peered into the brush. I didn't hear or see anything. I looked back at Jessmei. Her face was white and her mouth hung open in horror as she looked at me.

  "What's wrong?" I asked.

  "Nothing!" she blurted out. "I'll signal for the next course," she said curtly to the servants, they quickly moved back to their positions at the edge of the tree line. Jessmei picked up her fork and knife and put one of the pieces of culinary art on her plate. Then she carefully cut into it. She avoided eye contact with me as she sliced the morsel into tiny half-bite sizes. Her heart was still thundering in her chest.

  A minute passed and I hadn't taken any food yet. She still looked at her plate, avoiding my eyes.

  "Did I say something wrong? I don't understand what those words mean. Please forgive me." I had obviously done something to upset her.

  "I can’t believe you just said that," she hissed under her breath.
She put her fork and knife down and looked up at me. The frown made her beautiful nose upturn a bit.

  "Sorry Jessmei. I really don't understand. If you prefer, I can ask Paug to explain marriage more in depth," I apologized again.

  "No!" she blurted out again, then she looked to her entourage and back to me. "I'm not talking about your first question. I'm talking about when you asked me about the inn and us being lovers," she was whispering again.

  "Yes. I didn't know how to ask you to be my lover then. But I thought I did a good job of indicating it with my hands. Then you mentioned something about joining. Is that the same thing as marriage?"

  "You asked me that in front of the servants!" she gasped as she realized she had yelled it out. Her handmaidens looked over to us.

  "Cerra! Can you play some music, please?" Jessmei said as she looked back over her shoulder. The woman nodded and walked over to a gathering of yarn and knitting tools. Hidden behind the pile was a small string instrument. Jessmei waited for her to go back to her seat and begin playing before she continued.

  "The servants will spread a rumor that we are lovers. That is not good," Jessmei said. She did look very distressed.

  "I'm sorry. I don't want to cause you displeasure," I said sincerely. I was still unsure as to why the women I had met all seemed so offended and scandalized by the mere mention of sex.

  We sat for a few minutes in silence. She picked up my plate and put two helpings of the vegetables on it before setting it back in front of me.

  "What's done is done," she sighed. "Please eat. It makes me happy to see you enjoy a meal."

  I took a few bites and it was amazing. The vegetables were slightly spicy and I had to wash them down with a swallow of the sweet wine.

  "There is one solution I have," I couldn't hide the smirk that was spreading across my face.

  "Oh?" she said with an eyebrow raised. She put her fork down and dotted her mouth with the cloth napkin.