Kurtis sat on a stool, but the king had a chair with a high back and a big cushion under his royal ass. Kurtis had missed the cozy office with its smell of wax, paper, ink and dust.
"Yes, the Moren Emperor is dead, and no Chosen was found to replace him," Kurtis answered. "The two years since Emerald's death have expired and nobody was able to find his successor, so I guess the Moren Empire is definitely gone."
"They already had trouble finding the Chosen some twenty years ago, when the barbarians killed Gold IV and there was a regent for one full year before Emerald III came along..."
"He didn't last long." Kurtis scoffed. "And now that the Genn are hiding and the other Magical Races are as elusive as them, nobody can find the Chosen. I guess the spell that lasted almost three centuries is now broken."
The king nodded, thoughtful.
"So you've given up hope of becoming emperor?" he asked with a half-smile.
"Yes, Father. I kind of liked the idea of not marrying, since the succession was not dynastic, but I guess it wasn't meant to be." Kurtis shrugged, but his thoughts went to handsome Rohan bathing in the warm pond in the woods.
"Kurtis, you're almost thirty now. It's really time you tied the knot and started breeding," King Konan chided. He'd been very patient with his rebellious firstborn, but Kurtis had assured him he knew everything about the succession of the Moren Empire, and therefore the king had allowed his heir to try and get an imperial crown.
"I thought you were ready to pass everything to Ewan."
His younger brother was married, and probably had children already. Kurtis hadn't seen him yet, but he'd left after Ewan's wedding and since it had been three years...
"Indeed, but what will you do with yourself? You're the eldest, Ker Noran is rightfully yours..."
"If I marry and breed. I'm not too keen on that, Father."
King Konan sighed.
"Very well. I assume you'll be happy to protect your brother and the kingdom, and be his general then."
"Absolutely. Has he already chosen his retinue?"
"We were waiting for your return, or the news that you'd become the next Moren Emperor. Tomorrow the tournament will start, and it will last three days. I'm sure you and Ewan can find the best knights to serve you among our younger fighters."
Again, Kurtis's mind went to Rohan. He wondered what the servant was doing. He'd look him up when the tournament was over, though. Too many things to catch up on right now, he'd have no time for the beautiful young man...
Ewan had indeed bred, a girl and a baby boy. He was glad to see Kurtis again and they both went to survey the tournament's preparation.
Ker Noran had thick walls that formed an irregular hexagon with six square towers joining them. The main building was rectangular, and on one side there was another square tower, taller than the others.
The guards' barracks were built against the external walls on both sides of the main gate, and the stables were hidden at the back of the main building. Commoners' houses basked in the shadows of the castle walls and on the northern side of the grounds there was a vast esplanade that could be used for tournaments, fairs, festivals or any other public celebration.
But it needed cleaning after the weekly open air market. The joust and the quintain should be set up, and seats for the king and the audience must be built on both longer sides of the almost rectangular area. There were no windows on that castle wall, so a stall was built for the royal family and the nobility, while benches were brought for peasants and servants.
The day flew by as Kurtis rekindled his relationships in his birth castle. He didn't have time to go to the river and talk with his secret friends, but there was plenty of time for that. Besides, they probably already knew the Moren Empire succession spell was broken. They were true magical beings after all.
He was glad to be back. And that he didn't have to marry soon. He went to bed happy and hopeful he'd dream of Rohan.
2.
The next morning, Rohan tried again to convince his stepmother to take him to the tournament.
"You don't have weapons or armor," William said, frowning at him.
"Who wants to see a Cinder Boy joust?" Tristan added.
Rohan clenched his fist, trying to control his anger. He wanted to punch them both in the face and show them he was as much of a knight as they were!
"It is better if you stay at home," Lady Blandina said contemptuously. "If you behave, we will tell you what we saw."
Tristan sniggered, elbowing William who nodded with a smirk.
Rohan gritted his teeth. He watched them go in the carriage led by the gardener, who doubled up as stableman and coachman. Two horses for the joust were attached to the carriage and trotted behind it.
The cook patted his shoulder.
"Let it go, Rohan. Since your father's death, you are no longer the master of the house," she said with a mournful look on her round face.
"I will change that," he said, determined. "First of all, I'm no longer a boy. I shall prove to them that I'm a knight and have the right to sit in my father's place, or take a position in the king or prince's retinue!"
"How can you attend the tournament?" she asked, worried. "You might take one of the horses, but you have no weapons and no mail hauberk..."
"I know!" Rohan stomped his food, frustrated. "Where did my father keep his armor?"
He looked at the cook who shrugged. Why would she know... but then, neither did Lady Blandina, or she'd have given Lord Alan's armor and weapons to her sons.
Rohan pursed his lip and frowned. He must find his father's equipment. Lord Alan had put everything away when he had retired from the king's service, after his first wife's death. Rohan knew he was meant to inherit them, but couldn't remember what his father had told him about them.
He went through his parents' chamber (now Lady Blandina's), through his old room (now belonging to his stepbrothers), through the whole first floor and found nothing. Snorting impatiently, he went to brood on his bunk bed in the attic... and then noticed the furniture covered by dust and cobwebs in a corner.
He went to have a closer look. He had used the attic to sleep, but hadn't really explored it, or even kept it clean. He'd rather be outside than in that poor excuse of a room most of the day.
He moved a wobbly bed table and opened an old wardrobe with carved doors. He gasped at the sight of his mother's clothes, neatly stashed in there.
And under a linen sheet was the mail hauberk with its chainmail coif that had belonged to his father. Underneath, on the wardrobe floor, there was the flat-topped helmet and the chausses, or chainmail leggings for riding. And leaning against the back of the wardrobe, a kite-shaped shield and his father's sword.
Rohan almost screamed with joy. He pulled out all the items and spread them on the bunk bed. They needed polishing, but they looked as new as the day Lord Alan had stashed them away with his late wife's things. Lady Blandina had never seen them, but she'd recognize the kite-shaped shield with her late husband's coat-of-arms painted on it.
Rohan took everything downstairs. He rolled the chainmail in the same barrels of sand where his stepbrothers had polished theirs, and checked the blade of his father's sword. It needed sharpening, but it wasn't a priority.
"You found Lord Alan's armor?" the cook asked, brightening at the sight.
"Yes, but I need to paint the shield, or they'll immediately recognize me. I don't want my stepmother to know I disobeyed her."
Just in case I make a fool of myself. So if I don't win anything, nobody will know and I shall be the Cinder Boy forever.
He held a sigh at the thought, but then he was even more determined to prove to the world he could do it. He'd enter Ker Noran as a knight, an honor he'd earn on the field. His father would be proud of him.
"You don't have time to paint it, the tournament will start soon," the cook said. "Here, cover it with these leather strips that came off that chair over there."
She helped him to cover the painting and reinforce the sh
ield for the blows it would definitely get during the tournament. Then she helped him put on the chainmail armor and she pulled an anonymous tunic over it.
"The Nameless Knight is ready to win the tournament!" She chuckled. "Let's hope your stepbrothers don't recognize the horse..."
"They never really cared for horses, and in fact neither of them can ride my father's steed," Rohan said proudly, holding his helmet in one hand and the shield in the other. "Wish me good luck."
"You shall return a winner," she said gravely, patting his cheek.
Rohan grinned and went to the stables. The cook's grandson was there, since his mother had come to do the laundry, and he helped Rohan to saddle Lord Alan's horse. Rohan put on the helmet, effectively hiding his face behind the metal, and spurred the horse towards the castle.
***
Kurtis watched as people gathered on the tournament field. He had already donned his chainmail and was ready to join the knights in the games.
In Moriana he had attended a lot of tournaments and had won many. He'd been considered a true champion at the former capital. Many had wished he sat on the throne in the great hall, but it wasn't meant to be.
Without the succession spell, nobody could hold together the lands of the Moren Empire, in fact it was already falling apart. Emerald's relatives had crowned themselves kings at Xendaria, the Blackmoren family claiming a castle and a town because they had given birth to the last Moren Emperor.
On his way back from Moriana, Kurtis had seen cities proclaim their independence and smaller kingdoms reform, as if the Moren Empire had never existed, even though only three years had gone by since Emerald's death. Moriana itself was now part of the Salamar Kingdom.
"Are you sure you want to participate?" King Konan asked, worried. "Sometimes things get rough out there..."
"So? It's not as if you're losing your one and only heir," Kurtis replied with a grin. "I want to test my men personally."
Ewan chuckled. "You're crazy, dear brother, but you'll be a great commander, if we are ever in danger!"
Kurtis winked. "I have won many tournaments while in Moriana. If only those victories were enough to become Moren Emperor!"
"Good luck, Kurtis. May you unsaddle all your future men," King Konan said.
Kurtis bowed and stepped down the royal stall. His squire gave him his steed's reins and he mounted. He pulled on the coiffe and then his squire passed him his cone-shaped helmet.
The first day of the tournament was a run at the quintain. The dummy mounted on a pivot with a revolving arm unsaddled quite a few knights, but not Kurtis or an unnamed knight with no coat-of-arms, who struck cleanly the wooden post and avoided a hit by the revolving arm.
Kurtis nodded his admiration to the other knight who bowed his head in acknowledgment.
The Nameless Knight scored higher and was declared the winner of the first day, but he refused to remove his helmet, and left as soon as the king announced the results.
"Strange man," Kurtis commented, passing his helmet to his squire and taking down the coiffe. He was drenched in sweat after the exertion under the sun. "I like him, though. He'd make a perfect lieutenant."
"Or the captain of your retinue," King Konan said. "Like Alan was for me. Except I assume you'll be your own captain, since you'll be working for your brother?"
Kurtis nodded. "All captains need lieutenants, don't they?" He smiled at his father who grinned back with a nod.
"Go bathe yourself. I don't think we'll see our champion at the banquet tonight."
Kurtis obeyed with a sigh. As he waited for the servants to fill the bath-tub, he remembered the previous day's bath in the natural warm pond. And Rohan's naked body.
I must be obsessed. I will have to look him up when this is over...
***
Rohan cursed himself for having been so naive. Of course the gorgeous stranger was Prince Kurtis. He should have known as soon as his stepbrothers had mentioned he was back.
It had been a shock seeing him wear his helmet and enter the quintain. Rohan had to control his heartbeat and take long breaths to remain calm.
Luckily his father's horse carried him to victory, and he managed to make a clean hit on the revolving post. Not bad for someone who hadn't completed his knightly education. Tristan was unsaddled and William barely kept hold of the reins.
He couldn't stay for the festivities, thus he'd gone back as fast as he could. He knew Lady Blandina would attend the banquet, trying to place her sons as close as possible to Prince Kurtis, but he'd better pretend he hadn't left the house at all.
He jumped off the saddle, took the horse back to his stall, then went to the attic and took off the armor, hiding everything in the old wardrobe. He went back down again and made sure to clean all the hearths of the house, so that when his stepmother came back, he was covered in ashes as usual.
He wished he could go to the pond and bathe, but didn't dare risk it. He'd better look his usual dirty self if he didn't want to be discovered yet.
The carriage came back before sunset. Tristan and William demanded warm baths while Lady Blandina sat in the main hall. After he'd taken the warm water to his stepbrothers' room, Rohan went to her.
"Will you be eating tonight?" he asked.
"No, we already ate at the castle," she answered, bored. She stared at him from head to toe. "You should bathe, Rohan, you're covered in ashes."
"I cleaned all the hearths while you enjoyed the tournament," he said. "How was it?"
"Interesting." She looked away and shrugged. "An unnamed knight won the day and didn't even stay for the festivities. Let's hope he doesn't show up tomorrow."
Oh, he will! Rohan tried to keep his exhilaration to himself.
He bowed. "Should I retire, my lady?"
She waved him off without looking at him.
Rohan took a lamp and went to the pond. At night it looked eerie, but he wasn't afraid. He undressed and went into the water, sitting on the uneven ground and looking at the fireflies dancing around it.
Another lamp soon joined his, and he had a glimpse of Prince Kurtis's smile before the other man slid into the water next to him.
"I was hoping to find you here," the prince said. "How was your day?"
"The usual." Rohan gulped and looked away. He shouldn't let the other man know he knew who he was. That would mean giving away his identity, and he wasn't sure he could tell anyone yet. The Nameless Knight had won only the first day of the tournament, there were two more greater challenges to come.
Rohan could still make a fool of himself in front of the whole of Ker Noran, so he'd better keep his mouth shut for now.
"What does the usual mean?" Kurtis asked. "I could also say I had the usual day, since I've spent most of my days in Moriana attending tournaments, but I'm aware not everyone spends his life in mock duels."
"Some people don't get the knightly education they deserve," Rohan said sourly. "But sometimes, this doesn't stop them from trying to achieve something."
He felt Kurtis's hand on his back. The caress sent a shiver down his spine.
"I need to go. I have to wake up early tomorrow," he said quickly, rising and heading for the pond's shore.
"Please, stay!" Kurtis said.
"I can't." Rohan quickly dressed, grabbed his lamp and almost ran away from the pond.
***
Kurtis sighed. Mysterious and elusive, but so beautiful! He should really claim Rohan for his service.
Having already bathed at the castle, there was no reason to linger in the pond, if the reason why he came was gone.
He got out of the water, dressed and went back to the edge of the woods, where he'd left his horse. He rode back to the castle and retired to his room, wishing he could have brought Rohan with him.
3.
Rohan dreamed of Prince Kurtis. They were together in the warm pond, naked. He awoke before things could get really embarrassing between them, but the thought lingered in the pearly light of dawn.
What a
m I thinking? Me and him... lovers? I must have gone crazy!
He got out of bed to keep his mind busy. He shaved and dressed, and then went downstairs to help the cook prepare breakfast. He didn't ask again for permission to attend the tournament and barely listened to his stepbrothers' excited chatter. He didn't even watch them leave, too busy pulling out his father's armor and weapons from the old wardrobe in the attic.
This time he reached the tournament field almost at the same time as William and Tristan. He signed up for the joust and was given a long wooden lance. He knew today his father's shield would take a beating, but he hoped the leather strips would still cover the coat-of-arms.
The length of the field had been divided in two by a low fence. Rohan waited for his turn to run the joust and unsaddled two knights with no real effort. Then he was pitched against Prince Kurtis, and was almost unsaddled as the lances broke into splinters.
He enjoyed unsaddling Tristan – William had already been unsaddled in the previous round – and started to have a lot of fun, in spite of the hard, physical work of holding the lance and staying on the saddle. He was born to be a knight! He felt one with his father's horse and the cheers of the crowd galvanized him.
Again, in the second round he had to run against Prince Kurtis. It was his turn to almost unsaddle his opponent, but since neither fell off their horse, they both went to the next round.
A few hours later only he and the prince were left. His shield was battered and he had had to change three lances, but he was ready for the last joust of the day. Then he'd rush back home and have a relaxing bath in the pond.
When the trumpets sounded, he spurred the horse and lowered the lance. The impact was so hard that both knights flew off their saddles and rolled to the floor. Rohan huffed. He had almost lost his helmet in the fall.
He picked himself up, went to retrieve his horse and jumped on the saddle.
"Hey, wait!" Prince Kurtis called.
Rohan didn't think he needed to know the outcome of that day. His stepbrothers would tell him when they got home. For now he was sweaty and sore, and only wanted to take off the mail hauberk and relax in the warm pond.
But first he took care of the horse, since it had served him so well on the tournament field. Then he took off the armor and left everything in his room. Half an hour in the warm waters gave him back his strength and he went back to the manor to check the damage to his equipment.
Fairy Tales Revisited on Silvery Earth Page 10
