Heart of the Crown

by Paul J Bennett

  "That was easy," her cousin responded. "I have a nice blue dress I've been keeping for a special occasion."

  "I knew you'd pick blue, you always do," accused Beverly.

  "Of course, it's my favourite colour. What are you going to wear?"

  "You're looking at it," said Beverly. "Of course I'll polish it up a little. I AM the Royal Bodyguard, after all!"

  Aubrey laughed, "Whoever would have thought that the two of us would end up here, escorting a Princess of the Royal House."

  "Yes," said Beverly, pausing for a moment. "About that. Her Highness, the princess, wants your advice."

  "On what?" asked Aubrey.

  "On what to wear."

  "That's easy. Whenever in doubt, go with blue."

  "But then YOU wouldn't be able to wear blue, Aubrey. You can't upstage the princess."

  "Oh," her cousin responded, "I hadn't thought of that. This advice thing is obviously more difficult than I thought. What should I do?"

  "I'd start by getting up to her room and seeing what she has to pick from."

  "A very good idea," said Aubrey. "I'll drop these things off and head straight up there."

  "I'll drop this stuff in your room, Cousin. You'd best get up there right away."

  After Aubrey scuttled away, Beverly looked down at the discarded sketch. It showed a remarkable landscape, and even though it was rendered in shades of grey, she saw the colours in her mind. Lifting the tray, she carefully gathered up Aubrey's belongings. They shared a room, and she had to polish up her armour for the ball anyway, she might as well drop this stuff off.

  Sometime later, she sat on her bed, polishing a shin guard. She could almost see her reflection and was suddenly hit by the thought that not so long ago she had thought so little of the highly polished knights in Wincaster. It made her consider her position; was she becoming a spoilt and pampered knight? It only took a moment for her to make up her mind; no, of course not, her record spoke for itself. She continued her polishing while her mind returned to more important matters; the face of the smith who had wrought such finely crafted armour.

  Gerald ran the whetstone down his blade again and then held the sword up to examine its edge. Satisfied with the results so far, he continued with the exercise, each grind bringing him closer to the desired sharpness, until his concentration was disturbed by a knock on his door.

  "Come in," he yelled, not bothering to look up.

  When the door opened, a deep bark shook the room. He looked up to see Anna and Tempus, the mighty dog's tail wagging from side to side.

  "Oh, hello, Anna, Tempus," he said casually.

  "What are you doing, Gerald," the princess asked.

  "I'm sharpening my sword," he said in annoyance. "What do you think I'm doing?" He glanced up again to see the look of shock on Anna's face.

  "Sorry, I'm a little irritated," he said in explanation.

  "So I see," said Anna, entering the room. She sat down on the bed beside him. "I'm sure that's a very fine edge you have there but shouldn't you be getting ready for the ball?"

  "I don't think I should go to the ball," he suggested.

  "Nonsense, you're going as my escort. You don't want me going alone, do you?"

  "I'm not very good at balls," he said abashedly. "I can't dance."

  "I've seen you dance at the village fair," Anna said. "Don't tell me you can't dance."

  "That's different, that's just country dancing. This is a court ball. I'd look like a fool trying that kind of movement."

  "You don't have to dance, Gerald, I promise, but you have to escort me. You're the only real family I've got."

  "Well, it's good to know I'm being chosen because I'm the only one."

  "That's not what I meant and you know it."

  "I don't have anything to wear," he mumbled.

  "That's where you're wrong," she said, standing in triumph. "Bring it in, Sophie," she called.

  Sophie entered, carrying a green tunic. It was well made and had a collar and neck offset by yellow lace.

  "It won't fit," Gerald tried again.

  "That's why Sophie's here. She's going to adjust it for you. Now come along, let's get it on you."

  He grumbled as he stood and Anna began pulling his old tunic over his head. He tried to resist and pretended it became stuck on his head but by the time they were done they were both laughing. Anna's enthusiasm for the ball was contagious, and soon he was wearing the new tunic comfortably.

  "It seems to fit perfectly," remarked Gerald.

  "That's because I had Sophie measure your old tunic."

  "That was very sneaky of you, Anna."

  "Of course," she returned, "I learned from you. Now, we shall be arriving in a carriage. The earl's estate is some distance away, and they'll be providing rooms for us. I've made sure you and Beverly are billeted to either side of me."

  "Couldn't we just come back here?" he suggested.

  "We could, but it'll likely go quite late. It'll be nice to be able to retire after the ball and not have to worry about a long ride home."

  Gerald smiled at her.

  "What?" she asked.

  "You're happy because Alric is staying there, aren't you?"

  "Of course not," she replied, but her blushing revealed the truth of it.

  "What are we doing with Tempus, here?" he asked. "It's not his sort of place."

  "He can stay here with me," offered Sophie. "We'll have a wonderful time without you two getting in the way.

  "Thank you, Sophie," said Anna. "I know you're my servant, but you didn't have to do that."

  "Nonsense, Highness," the young woman responded. "It's my pleasure, you've done so much for me."

  "So," said Anna, a note of finality to her voice, "are you ready to go?"

  "I thought we had more time?" protested Gerald.

  "I lied. We have to leave right away."

  "But what if the tunic hadn't fit?"

  "There was no way that was going to happen," replied Anna, "we were very careful. I know it's not really your birthday, but happy birthday anyway." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Now come along, Father dear, or we'll be late."

  "But I'm not your father," he said, once again.

  "Maybe not officially, but you'll always be so in my heart."

  Gerald smiled, holding out his arm. "Then let us be off, Daughter dear."

  She took his arm, while Tempus barked, wagging his tail again.

  The hall echoed with the sound of instruments as Lady Aubrey Brandon, daughter to the Baron of Hawksburg, entered the room. Little attention was paid to her entrance, for the place was filled with the rich and powerful of the city. She spied the earl himself, seated at one end of the hall, holding court over the proceedings. He was richly adorned with jewellery, only outshone by his wife. Aubrey thought to introduce herself, for unlike the court of Merceria, the guests were not announced here. She reconsidered; the princess had sent her ahead to scope out the festivities and determine the layout of the land, and this duty she had taken to heart. She slowly scanned the area, her sharp mind absorbing it all. The more influential people were up by the earl, chatting amicably. Around the hall, guests clustered in groups. Her keen eyesight allowed her to quickly sort them; the wealthy merchants, with their gaudy jewels and wildly colourful clothes; the lesser nobles, with their formal dress and carefully manicured hands with perfect hair; the more affluent nobles, who cared little for the opinions of others and dressed for comfort.

  It was strange, she thought, how easily this type of observation had come to her. She had always been inquisitive, but her studies as a mage had honed her intelligence, had helped her to strengthen her powers of observation.

  A commotion erupted at the far end of the hall as the doors opened. Her view was blocked, but the guests were suddenly oohing and aahing in appreciation. Aubrey wondered if Anna had already entered but knew that could not be so; the princess would not come until Aubrey returned to make her report. Perhaps Prince A
lric had arrived, or his brother, Cuthbert, for he was rumoured to be present in the city. She made her way through the crowd as politely as possible to see a small party entering. They were led by a young woman, close to Aubrey's own age. Aubrey had complimented herself on her modest choice of dress, but this new visitor clearly had no such compunctions, wearing a rather low cut yellow dress, which fell to the floor, concealing her feet. She moved with grace, veritably floating across the floor. Aubrey couldn't help but notice the great care with which the woman's sandy coloured hair had been arranged in ringlets which fell to her shoulders. Who was this person?

  As if in answer to her unspoken question, a woman beside Aubrey turned to her, "Isn't she lovely? I had no idea the Clans were so fashionable."

  "The Clans?" asked the young mage.

  "Yes, she's the daughter of the High King of the Twelve Clans. Isn't she magnificent, full of grace and beauty?"

  "So she's a princess?"

  "Yes, Princess Brida," the stranger responded.

  Aubrey couldn't help herself, "I thought the Clans were enemies of Weldwyn?"

  "They were, but they've sent the princess to make peace. Isn't it wonderful?"

  Aubrey thought the coincidence was unsettling. Having a foreign princess visit while Anna was in town seemed a little too incredulous, to her mind.

  "When did she arrive?" Aubrey continued.

  "They say she got here late yesterday afternoon. Prince Cuthbert himself escorted her. Oh look, she's moving toward the earl."

  Aubrey was roughly jostled aside as the crowd of guests pushed forward to see the exchange. The young mage thought it best to return to Princess Anna and inform her of all that had transpired.

  * * *

  "So you say this Princess Brida arrived yesterday?" asked Anna.

  "Yes, Your Highness," responded Aubrey.

  They were in the outer courtyard, awaiting Anna's command to enter.

  "It doesn't matter, Highness," said Beverly. "They're throwing this ball in your honour."

  "Something smells here," commented Arnim.

  "Speak, Captain," commanded Anna. "What do you mean?"

  "As Lady Aubrey has indicated, her arrival here is suspicious. I think she's being used to put pressure on Merceria."

  "What kind of pressure?" asked Gerald. "Of what use would this be to those in the Weldwyn court?"

  Arnim turned to Aubrey, "Did you say she was brought here by Cuthbert?"

  "Yes," admitted Aubrey, "at least, that's what I heard."

  Arnim continued, "Prince Cuthbert has been gone for a long time. He was the only prince not present in the capital when we arrived. I think they sent him westward to seek out the possibility of an alliance. They fear us. The attack on you almost caused a war. With an alliance, or at least a lasting peace with the Clans, they could pull troops eastward, toward our border."

  "I can't believe Alric would condone such a thing," defended Anna.

  "With all due respect, Highness," continued Arnim, "Alric has little say in the matter."

  "So how do we react to this?" asked Dame Levina. "Do you think the princess is in danger?"

  "Unlikely," offered Beverly. "They don't want a war with us if they can avoid one."

  "Agreed," said Anna. "So what can we expect?"

  "I would suggest," Dame Levina continued, "that this new princess may have an agenda of her own."

  Anna looked at the older knight carefully, trying to judge her statement, "Go on."

  "When I was younger, I fell in love with a knight. He was a marvellous specimen, strong and handsome. We were introduced and found common ground on a number of things."

  "Common ground?" commented Gerald. "That doesn't sound very romantic."

  The knight continued her story, ignoring his jibe, "I would have sworn he felt the same way, but another woman came between us. She dazzled him with her grace and beauty, and he fell for it."

  "A sad tale," offered Beverly, "but are you saying that this visitor is after Alric?"

  "Of course," said Levina, "isn't it obvious? What better way to seal an alliance than with a marriage."

  "But she can't!" stammered Anna.

  "There's little we can do about it, Your Highness," responded Levina. "I suspect Prince Cuthbert has arranged all of this."

  "We could change Cuthbert's mind," offered Gerald. "Perhaps if we broke his legs?"

  "No," commanded Anna, "much as the thought pleases me, we can't jeopardize our mission here in Weldwyn. We must carry on as if it is of no concern to us. Now, let's form up and make our way inside."

  Levina and Beverly took their places in front of Anna. Gerald put his arm out for Anna's hand and saw the look on her face.

  "Are you all right, Anna?" he asked.

  "I can do this, Gerald," she promised. "I'll make you proud of me."

  "I'm always proud of you, Anna," he replied, patting her hand. "Be strong."

  Beverly nodded to the servants standing by the door, who then swung the double doors open revealing the great hall before them. Like the Princess of the Clans, they entered the room, nodding to the guests as they made their way toward the earl.

  Lord Mainbridge, Earl of Loranguard, rose from his chair and stepped toward Anna as Levina and Beverly moved to the side.

  "I am honoured to receive you," he proclaimed, "for we have heard great things about you, Princess Anna."

  "Thank you, Your Grace. I am humbled by your greeting."

  The earl appeared to beam at the compliment. "May I introduce Lady Elswith..."

  His wife bent low and curtsied, that strange greeting that Anna was still not used to.

  "Pleased to meet you, Lady Mainbridge," Anna replied.

  "To my right," offered the earl, "is our new guest. I present to you Her Highness, Princess Brida of the Twelve Clans."

  The new visitor bowed slightly. "Please to meet you, Princess Anna," she said, her voice smooth and silky.

  Gerald could see Anna's nervousness; she was sweating and fumbling for words. He had seen her take apart people with her commanding presence, but here, she seemed naught but a naive girl, overshadowed by this new visitor.

  "Pleased to meet you, Brida," she offered.

  "Your Highness," the newcomer corrected.

  "I beg your pardon?" Anna stammered.

  "I am a princess, like yourself. You should refer to me as 'Your Highness', or don't they have manners in Merceria?"

  "Perhaps," interjected Gerald, "we should meet the others guests..."

  "Yes," agreed Anna, her face red with embarrassment. "Excuse me, Your Highness."

  "Of course," replied Brida.

  They had only gone a few steps when Brida's words echoed behind them. "She'll get over it, she's just a child."

  Anna tried to turn, but Gerald kept a firm grip on her arm. "Calm down, Anna," he whispered, "getting upset will do no good."

  They nodded their way through the line of nobles and important visitors. Anna kept silent while Gerald did all the talking. Finally, they found themselves at the side of the hall.

  "That was...interesting," commented Beverly.

  "I'm surprised she was so rude," added Levina. "Surely the earl should have said something?"

  "He won't," answered Beverly. "This is the western border of Weldwyn. The Clans are the biggest threat here. Merceria is nothing but a foreign land that has little meaning for him."

  "So what do we do now?" asked Aubrey.

  "We mingle," offered Gerald. "Talk to people, find out all we can about this Brida."

  "Princess Brida," spat out Anna. "We must use the proper forms of address."

  "Don't let her get to you, Anna," soothed Gerald. "She's trying to put you off balance."

  "She's succeeding," complained Anna.

  When the grand doors opened once again, they all turned to see Prince Alric and his brother, Cuthbert enter the room. They marched straight to the earl, but Alric, at least, looked over at Anna. Their eyes met and they shared a brief smile then Alri
c turned his attention once again to their host.

  Aubrey was watching Brida and tapped Beverly on the arm, "I just saw Brida give a dirty look in this direction, Cousin. I don't think this bodes well."

  Beverly sighed, "I suppose it shouldn't surprise me, nothing is ever easy around here."

  The two princes were welcomed with a hearty handshake and Gerald recognized the esteem in which the earl held them. The rest of the guests continued to mingle while Gerald kept his eye on the royals. Prince Cuthbert was introducing Alric to Brida, and although he couldn't hear them over the noise of the crowd, he had a pretty good idea what was going on. Brida was smiling and looking down slightly, a sure sign that she was interested in the young prince.

  "What do you see, Gerald?" asked Anna.

  "Not much," he offered. "Alric is being introduced to Brida."

  Even as he spoke, Brida put her hand on Alric's arm. Gerald felt sorry for Anna; the young Mercerian Princess was apparently quite fond of Alric but this upstart from the Clans was doing all the right things. The young prince appeared utterly taken in by her charms.

  He turned to look at Anna, who was biting her lip. "Shall we get something to drink?" he asked.

  "Yes," she murmured, "I believe we shall."

  He waited until a servant was passing with wine and snagged two goblets.

  "Here," he offered, "try this. I have no idea what it is but judging from the crowd around here I'd say it's expensive."

  Anna took the cup and downed it in a single gulp. Gerald looked at her in surprise; was she really this upset?

  "Come on, Gerald," she urged, "let's go and say hello to Alric."

  "Are you sure that's wise, Anna? Brida is-"

  "I don't care what Brida is. I want to greet Alric, it's the least we can do, after all, we're on a diplomatic mission, aren't we?"

  Gerald sighed. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, but felt trapped. He only hoped Anna's feelings wouldn't be hurt. Anna headed off, pulling Gerald's arm by the hand. He felt like a little boy again, being led by his mother, a strange feeling considering who was leading him. They made a direct route toward Alric, who was chatting with Brida and Cuthbert.

  "Hello, Alric," she said in greeting.