When Angelina reached the estate and went in, the royal guards turned around and returned to their posts at the tents. Angelina heard voices and laughter coming from the dining hall. She was thinking to herself that perhaps she wasn't up as early as she had thought.
She entered the dining room to find Phillip, her father, Lord Ripley and Lady Corine. Parsell and his wife Dalie and their five children, Noris, Lex, Litmus, Kala and Kasha were there as well. Except for Kasha and Lex, all children had dark brown hair and eyes. This was attributed to Dalie's family background.
Angelina said her hellos and took a seat next to her father and helped herself to the fruits and pastries that were on the table.
A thin wiry young man poured Angelina a goblet full of Nectris. It was a refreshing breakfast. It wasn't long until the rest of the family joined them and after everyone had eaten their fill, they headed out of the estate and to the already bustling activity of the celebration.
There was so much to see. There were bolts of the most fabulous material. Angelina's mother purchased dark blue silk for herself and the girls as well as various other bolts of cloth. There was a tent overflowing with items from a wood carver and there were beautiful tapestries of bright colors depicting all kinds of battles and various scenes. Food booths were everywhere selling spice cakes, bread, fruits, smoked meats, pastries, wine, whiskeys and so much more. The sights and smells were overwhelming and wonderful.
Phillip and his father left the group and headed over to look at the armor and intricately designed weapons and shields. They also were going to stop by the horse master's tent and corral to look over the horses brought this year.
The horse master, Krakis, was a very large muscular man with skin so tan it looked like leather and long jet black hair which he kept braided. He was a clean shaven man and his face was even more weather worn. Krakis always came to the celebration at least a fortnight or more before so that he could take his time bringing the horses and letting them have enough time to rest and get familiar with their surroundings. This made the horses sell much faster and at a better bargain than having tired, anxious horses on display. Krakis had twenty or so helpers with him.
King Kalen was looking for a mare that was worthy of his prized stallion, Ru. Ru was a grandchild of Piper, Kalen's horse when he was young. He had bred Ru with a few other mares and this produced fine looking, healthy offspring but he wanted a heartier mare. After dealing with Krakis to settle on a price, he purchased a gray mare with white and black patches which he named Eko. Krakis would care for Eko until the time that the King departed.
Prince Phillip and King Kalen headed to the armorer to purchase a full suit of armor for Phillip. He was outgrowing his current suit and could not fit into his father's suit when he was Phillip's age. The suits were purchased for certain celebrational occasions and in the event that there would be a dispute that would require a defense of Talenvar or its people. Phillip picked out his armor almost immediately and after it was purchased the armorer set it aside to add the crest of Talenvar to the breastplate.
Kalen and his son decided to get something to eat and to stop back later to check on the armor. They stopped at a nearby inn. The inn was built into the rock and was cool inside. They sat down at a table near the back of the room and were immediately served large mugs of cool nectris by the bar maid. After they told her what they would like to eat she turned and made her way through the crowded inn to the kitchen. It wasn't long before she brought out a tray containing fresh bread and two bowls of steaming stew. The meal was delicious and they took their time eating. When they had finished they paid for their meal, even though the innkeeper insisted it was on the house. The King did not like to deprive the hard working people of any money, especially when you never know when things will take a turn for the worst and when they did these people will be grateful that they were paid.
They made their way back to the armory. Pitt, the armorer, was almost finished with the crest. "Your Highness," he greeted as he set his mallet down and bowed. "I still have another hour or so of work until it will be complete. Would you stop back and take a look at the crest when it's finished so that it is exactly how you want it, Your Highness?" He took a wet cloth out of a nearby pail and wiped the sweat from his bald head before tossing it back in. "Once you give your approval, I'll have it sent directly to your tent."
"Of course," replied Phillip. "I realize that it's time consuming work and I appreciate your craftsmanship. My father and I will return later today."
"Thank you," responded Pitt before he turned back to his work.
Phillip and his father decided to walk around and stop back toward the end of the day. Lord Ripley, Lord Jeffrey, Sir Taz, Parsell and his sons Lex and Litmus joined them as they left the armory. They all spent the next few hours catching up on things and stopping by different tents to say hello to old friends. Only when the torch lighters began lighting the torches staked all around the celebrational grounds and near the tents, did they realize how late it was getting. King Kalen and Prince Phillip excused themselves and headed off to quickly see the armorer and then to locate Queen Gwendolyn and the two girls. Sir Taz decided to join them.
The crest on Phillip's breastplate was beautifully done and after Pitt was assured that it was more than perfect, they left the armory to find the rest of the family. King Kalen and Queen Gwendolyn had already decided to head back to the tents once it became dark, that way no one would have to look around for each other after dark. The three men did not see the Queen and princesses so they decided to head back to their tents. When they arrived they found that the Queen and her daughters had returned to the tents a few hours earlier and were sitting and talking. Kalen noticed that Gwendolyn looked rather pale and he insisted that she retire immediately.
Angelina and Amberlynn were a little disappointed at this because they wanted to tell Phillip and their father what they saw and purchased that day as well as hear about their day. Angelina was very disappointed when she found where they had planned to go and that she was to stay with her mother and sister. She would have loved visiting the armory and was hoping to convince Sir Taz to take her there some time during the celebration. Sir Taz wasn't like her father who thought that women shouldn't be exposed to those things. Angelina wanted to be exposed to those things and wanted more than anything to learn the art of swordsmanship. Sir Taz was giving her lessons, to the King's dismay, on the many ways of properly using her dagger.
Angelina wanted to purchase a sword. Sir Taz, of course, would not say anything about it to her father unless directly asked and he would be the perfect person to help her pick out the right one. After she gave her mother and father a kiss goodnight, she was escorted by Sir Taz to her tent, which was to the left of the King and Queen's. Phillip's was on the right. Amberlynn stayed with her mother and father. Angelina said goodnight to Sir Taz and Phillip and entered his tent.
Her Lady-In-Waiting, Elise, had already started a fire and was warming water so that Angelina could get washed. Lady Elise Onson was of sturdy build, four years older than Angelina and was slight, with long thick brown hair and pale blue eyes. She had been with Angelina for the past seven years. Her mother, Lady Alfreda, was the kitchen master of the King and Queen's castle and her father, Sir Larry, was the King's counselor. Lady Elise and Princess Angelina grew to be good friends.
When Angelina finished washing, she dressed in a light cotton top and leggings. She sat with Lady Elise and told her about all of the wonderful items she saw. Lady Elise also had an interest in weapons and sword fighting but not nearly as much as Angelina. She had seen most of what Angelina was describing. It was late when they decided to go to bed.
Chapter 6
Unexpected Turn of Events
The next day the celebration participants woke to a light drizzle of rain and gray cloudy skies; however, the air was still warm. By the time Angelina and her family were ready to head to Lord Rippley's estate, the rain had stopped but the sky was threatening more
.
Queen Gwendolyn was not looking well at all this morning and King Kalen had told her to stay in bed and rest today; however, Queen Gwendolyn was quite stubborn and would not hear of it. She was there to see the family and the sights like everyone else and demanded that her husband not worry so much about her and to let her enjoy herself.
When the royal family reached the estate, Lord Rippley had a hot breakfast waiting for them consisting of warmed nectris and steaming porridge with spices sprinkled on top. Everyone took their time eating and discussing what they did yesterday and what they were planning today. Phillip left the estate earlier than the rest of the family with his escort Lord Akbar. King Kalen and Queen Gwendolyn knew that he was heading out to meet with Julia and to ask her to be his wife.
Angelina, along with Sir Taz and Lady Elise left to see the armorer and the forger to purchase a blade for Angelina so that Sir Taz could begin her training. This of course would be withheld from her father as long as possible, for Sir Taz knew he would not approve.
The King and Queen were planning on taking it easy and resting up for the evening feast, which would be held in a large cleared area of Eldorfess. The area was set up with tables and chairs and would stay this way until the last day, the largest feast day.
Phillip met Julia not far from her family's tents and they began walking through the crowd. They made a handsome couple, Phillip in a white tunic tied with a royal blue sash trimmed in gold and brown leggings with a pair of sturdy leather boots. Julin was dressed in a light yellow colored dress, which was made of the lightweight fabric called zef that most of the inhabitants of Eldorfess used for their clothing. She had on a pair of cream colored leather boots and her hair was tightly braided and intertwined with yellow ribbons. She also carried a yellow parasol in case it started to rain again.
Many envious eyes were on Julia. There were a lot of young maidens who wished that they were the ones getting the Prince's attention. Julia and Phillip walked on until they had cleared the tents and the commotion. Lord Akbar trailed behind the prince and Lady Julia, keeping a watch out for any trouble. Lord Akbar stayed back as far as he felt would be safe so that Phillip and Julia would have some privacy.
Phillip took Julia's hand and escorted her to a quiet area near one of the wells and sat down on a bench. Julia took a seat beside him.
"Julia, you know what I feel for you and I hope you feel the same," he began as he looked lovingly at her.
"Yes Phillip, I do feel the same," she agreed and smiled at him.
"Well, I guess I'll say what I've been wanting to for quite some time," he continued as he took both of Julia's hands in his and looked into her eyes. "Will you be my wife?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied as she leaned forward to meet his kiss. She had a feeling that he was going to ask her some time during this celebration and knew something was up when he wanted to leave the crowd and go off alone.
Phillip reached into the pouch that was under his sash and pulled out a thick gold band inset with a large square dark green emerald. The emerald was the native gem of Talenvar. He took Julia's left hand and slid the ring onto her third finger. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She was so excited and wanted to head back and let her family know the good news.
On the way back to her father's tents they were greeted by the King, Lord Ripley, Lady Corine, Lord Damery and Princess Amberlynn. Queen Gwendolyn was resting and her sisters were keeping her company. Congratulations were given and a number of nearby people looked in their direction. King Kalen noticed this immediately and suggested to Phillip and Julia that they make their way to her father before word got to them by other means.
Phillip and Julia hurried through the crowd with Lord Akbar. When the group arrived, Lord Jeffrey, his wife and daughter were out. One of the servants poured a tankard of cool nectris and took it outside for Sir Akbar who had insisted that the two be alone and had taken a seat directly outside the tent. Julia poured Phillip and herself a glass of wine and sat down to wait for her family. An hour later, when Julia's family returned, she jumped up from her chair and rushed to greet them and tell them the wonderful news. Lord Jeffrey insisted that this called for a drink and poured himself some whiskey. The rest of the family filled glasses with either nectris or wine. Phillip and Julia refilled their glasses and everyone took a seat so they could talk.
Meanwhile, Sir Taz, Princess Angelina and Lady Elise made their way to the forger to check on a blade. The forger or blacksmith was named Delder. He was a young, large muscular man with long sandy brown hair that was pulled back with a leather tie. He wore a long leather apron over his chest and leggings and had on a pair of heavy boots. He did not wear a shirt because of the intense heat of the forge. He had burn marks on his apron and arms from sparks when he shaped tools. You could tell he had been in the business for many years.
When the group arrived, Delder was shaping a shoe for a horse. Sir Taz, Princess Angelina and Lady Elise watched as he finished up and submerged it in one of his barrels of liquid and then placed it on a metal rack to cool.
Sir Taz walked over and Angelina and Elise followed. After Sir Taz made the introductions he proceeded to ask Delder about the sword hilts that he had already created and the blades that needed to be forged. Since each person preferred a certain weight and length of blade, Delder would create the hilts first and then the blades after he talked with his customer to find out their needs.
"I would be honored to make a blade for you, Sir Taz," Delder informed him.
"Thank you, Delder. But the blade isn't for me," he explained. "I'm here to help Princess Angelina pick out a blade."
Delder quickly recovered from his astonishment and turned toward the princess, "Do you see any hilt of interest?" He was used to forging the smaller blades for most women. The only sword blades he had ever done for women were for women of Cardel. He had never been asked to create a sword blade for a women of royal standing.
Princess Angelina and Lady Elise looked over the hilts and decided on a silver hilt that was shaped into a dragon. The wings were the base of the hilt where the blade would be attached and the dragon's head extended out from the bottom of the hilt and would overlay the blade approximately three inches. The grip of the blade was coiled around like the dragon's tail and this would provide a solid grip. At the end of the hilt was a small knob so that your hand would have something to rest against and the blade would be less likely to slip from one's grasp.
Sir Taz and Delder then worked with Angelina using a test blade to determine the weight and length that she would need. It was well after midday by the time they left the forger.
Sir Taz asked that the forger not make mention of this blade for the princess to anyone. Delder readily agreed since it wasn't the first time he had been asked to keep things quiet. Angelina was very excited about her new sword.
Sir Taz and the ladies decided to get a bite to eat. They stopped and purchased mugs of nectris and meat filled pastries from the nearby vendors and sat down on a bench to eat. They all agreed to visit a few more places before they headed back to their tents to rest a few hours before the evening feast.
Angelina stopped by the glass blower's shop to pick up a gift. Yesterday she saw two beautiful goblets that were shaped like roses. The base and stem of the goblets were green and the cup was shaped into pale pink pedals. The shopkeeper had noticed the princess the day before and hurried over to her when she entered.
"Your highness," greeted Hubert as he bowed. "If there is anything I can assist you with, please let me know," he continued as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He was a short plump man and was not used to the warmth of Eldorfess.
"As a matter of fact, there were two rose goblets that I was looking at yesterday and am interested in purchasing," replied Angelina.
"Of course your highness," smiled Hubert. "If you'll come with me you may inspect them and if you're satisfied I'll have them wrapped for you," he offered as he directed Angelina and her companion
s to a display near the back of the tent.
"Are these the ones you're interested in your highness?" he asked as he pulled two rose goblets off of the display table and gently handed them to the princess.
"Yes, thank you," she said as she twirled the goblets slowly in each hand to inspect and admire the craftsmanship.
"They are beautiful, my lady," Lady Elise commented as she eyed the goblets admiringly.
"Yes very." Angelina turned toward Hubert and handed back the goblets. "I will take them," she decided. She was thinking of giving them to her mother since her mother loved roses.
The Uzan Crystal Page 7
