Heart of the Crown

by Paul J Bennett

  The young prince turned at the sound of her voice, a smile creeping out.

  "Anna," he said, "so good to see you."

  Anna was smiling as well and was about to speak when Brida interrupted, "Alric," she said, "I didn't know you were chaperoning children these days. Tell me, isn't the young princess here about the same age as your youngest sister?"

  Anna's mouth hung open as she fought for words. Alric turned to Brida and looked as though he was about to say something but Cuthbert intervened.

  "Yes," he said, "our father gave him the job. Someone has to look after our young visitor. Isn't that right Alric?

  Cuthbert looked at him, and Gerald could imagine the turmoil going through the prince's mind. He was in a difficult situation, between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

  "I've had the honour to escort Princess Anna for some time now," he answered, diplomatically. "It has been my pleasure."

  The smile died on Anna's face. Gerald's heart felt for her; he imagined the pain she must feel.

  Cuthbert, ever the diplomat, touched his brother's shoulder. "Can I have a word in private, Brother?"

  Alric stepped aside, following his brother who was heading for a side door. It left Anna and Brida facing one another. The air seemed to grow frosty.

  "He's mine," stated Brida. "I've come from the Clans to marry Prince Alric. If you thought he was in love with you, you should put any such thoughts out of your head. In fact, I think you should leave the ball, perhaps retire for the evening? It would be better than causing an embarrassment; then again, you've already embarrassed yourself, and your petty little kingdom."

  The venom in Brida's words stung Anna. She turned, running from the room; the little girl winning out over the stern princess that had fought and won battles. Gerald stared at Princess Brida.

  "You'll come to regret that, Highness," he warned. "Your treatment of a Princess of Merceria will not be forgotten."

  "And who are you to threaten me? You're nothing but a commoner. Go back where you belong, and take your stink with you."

  Gerald fought hard to contain his anger. His face grew red while his hand reached for his sword, but he wasn't wearing it. He wanted to strike her down, remove the smug look off her face, not for himself, but for Anna's sake. He took a breath, bowed slightly and merely replied, "Your Highness," and then turned and strode from the room, looking for Anna.

  It was getting late and Prince Alric, finally released from his burdensome duties, exited the great hall. He had wanted to find Anna, but Princess Brida had kept him busy. His brother's insistence that he accompany her was infuriating, yet he was born and bred a Prince of the Realm and must follow through with his duties, no matter how distasteful.

  He stopped a servant to ask where the Mercerian delegation was roomed and was told to visit the east wing. He made his way there as quickly as he could while still maintaining his decorum. He finally found the rooms they were using; Anna had been given a suite. There was an outer visiting room that joined to a bedroom. He was surprised to see no guard in the hallway and was about to knock on the door when it opened. A young man, perhaps the same age as Alric appeared, his shirt open, exposing his chest. The lad's hair was unkempt, and he was tucking his shirt into his trousers as he opened the door.

  "My lord," he said, "can I help you?"

  Taken aback by the unknown visitor, Alric paused before speaking.

  "Is the Princess Anna available?"

  The stranger looked over his shoulder into the room behind him before looking back. "I'm afraid she is indisposed at the moment. She's dressing. Is there something I can do for you?"

  Alric turned beet red, "No, I think you've done more than enough." He turned on his heels, stomping down the hallway.

  The young man exited the room, closing the door behind him quietly. He travelled down the hall in the opposite direction and rounded the corner to where Brida was waiting.

  "Well?" she said.

  "It worked, Highness. He believes it."

  "Did anyone hear you?"

  "No, Highness. They were busy in the bedroom. The rest had retired for the night."

  "What of the bodyguard, where was she?"

  "I think she was talking to the princess."

  Brida dropped a bag of coins into the young man's eager hands. "Excellent, now disappear, and if I hear of you telling anyone of this, I shall have you killed."

  The youngster bowed, "Your secret is safe with me, Highness."

  Twenty-Two

  Unexpected Events

  Autumn 960 MC

  Gerald was up early, determined to buy a gift for Anna. He knew she was feeling down and he thought something special might cheer her up. He ran into Dame Beverly in the dining hall as the servants set the table for Anna's morning meal.

  "Did you talk to Hayley about guarding the princess?" he asked.

  The look of sudden recollection was plain to see. "I forgot, sorry. Don't worry, Gerald, we've other knights I can use and anyway, Alric will have his own guards."

  "I don't think Alric will be showing up, she'll likely have a quiet day. Perhaps I should leave it for tomorrow," he offered.

  "No, don't do that, you wanted to get her something. She'll like that. Hopefully, it'll take her mind off things. We can cover, you head out."

  He hesitated a moment, and Beverly saw the indecision on his face.

  "Go," she commanded.

  "All right," he caved in, "I'll go. Don't let anything happen to her."

  "I won't," she promised. "Now get going before she comes down or you'll have to explain yourself."

  He hurried out of the room at the warning and Beverly smiled in victory; getting Gerald to leave the princess's side was almost impossible. It would be good for him to be free of his obligation for a day.

  The sound of footsteps interrupted her introspection; the heavy tread of a large dog, and the lighter patter of young feet.

  "Highness," she said in greeting, wheeling about as they entered.

  "Good morning, Beverly," said Anna. "Are you joining us for breakfast today?"

  "I've already eaten, Highness," she offered in apology.

  "Is Gerald up yet?" the young princess asked.

  Beverly formed the answer in her mind before speaking, "He's on an errand, Highness. He promises to catch up to us later."

  Anna looked surprised, but as she was about to open her mouth, a servant appeared, announcing the arrival of Jack Marlowe. The distraction worked to Beverly's advantage for the attention shifted to their guest, who entered, wearing an immaculate blue and white surcoat, bowing deeply.

  "Good morning, Princess," he said. "Prince Alric sends his apologies, and asked me to look after you today. Might I enquire what you would like to do?"

  Anna tightened her lips, and then took a deep breath.

  "I thought we might go and see the tournament field I've heard so much about. Perhaps you can tell us more about such things."

  "Indeed I can," said Jack. "It is a particular interest of mine for I've spent many an hour in such places perfecting my skill at arms."

  Beverly rolled her eyes as the man began his infuriating description. She was sure he would drone on forever about his passion, so she excused herself by quietly exiting the room. She would wait in the hallway, free from his incessant talking, and join them when they exited.

  She closed the door quietly behind her, letting out her breath, pleased at avoiding the close call. Detecting whispering coming from down the hall, she moved toward it, taking her time to avoid making any noise. Peering around the corner, she spied Lady Nicole, who was whispering something to someone, but her companion's face was blocked. The Lady-in-Waiting whispered some more, peering over her shoulder conspiratorially and Beverly was shocked at the identity of her accomplice, for it was none other than Arnim Caster.

  "Why did you have Valmar send me?" Lady Nicole asked. "Surely there were others more suitable to this task?"

  "You're the best at what you do, Ni
kki, and despite our past-"

  A noise from a door opening interrupted their conversation. Arnim and Nicole separated quickly, each going in different directions. Beverly backed up slightly and then tried to act as if she was just coming down the hall. Lady Nicole passed by, paying no attention to her actions. Beverly wondered what she had stumbled across. She made a mental note to talk to Gerald about it when he returned, and then made her way back to the dining room.

  The sound of Jack's voice could clearly be heard through the door, but Beverly decided it was time to get things moving. She opened the door, interrupting the young cavalier's remarks.

  "It's time to go, Your Highness. We'll want to get to the tournament field before the practice is over, or there'll be nothing left to see."

  "Good point," agreed Anna. "Lead on, Jack, I'm eager to learn more about this jousting you've been on about."

  They made their way out of the Citadel to the sound of Jack's eloquent descriptions. Beverly fell into step behind, the better to keep an eye on things.

  * * *

  The jousting field was an open area where along one side they had erected some tiered benches. Beyond that was a railing which split the field in two. It looked odd, thought Beverly, and she struggled to see the reason for it.

  Anna was obviously having similar thoughts, for she asked, "What are the railings for, Jack?"

  "They keep the jousters from running into each other," he offered.

  "I thought," commented Beverly, "that the point of this jousting was to train you for combat?"

  "It is," he confirmed.

  "Then, I'm confused," the knight responded. "Do armies line up along fence posts when they fight in Weldwyn?"

  "No, of course not," he objected.

  "Then why the fence?" she persisted.

  "It keeps the contestants from injuring the horses. They're expensive beasts, you know."

  "I'm well aware of the expense of horses," she bristled. "But if you're so afraid of injuring them, why don't you fight on foot?"

  "Oh, we do!" exclaimed Jack. "It's called the melee, but they don't do that here, this field is only for jousting."

  "So you spend a lot of time training for a lance attack? Those are useless after the first contact. Why don't you use swords from horseback?"

  "It's meant to be refined, Dame Beverly," Jack responded. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, being a foreigner and all."

  Beverly's face grew red at the insult, but Anna was quick to diffuse the situation. "Perhaps you could show us the stables," she asked. "Lady Beverly is a keen horsewoman."

  "I'd be delighted," he responded.

  As it just so happened, there were three cavaliers tending to their horses when they entered. They bowed deferentially to their Royal Visitor, nodded politely to Beverly, but it was Jack who consumed their attention.

  "Aren't you 'Mad Jack' Marlowe?" asked the tallest one.

  Jack smiled, bowing slightly as he replied, "Why, yes I am."

  "I heard you won the wreath at this summer's tourney," the man continued.

  "It's true," offered his sandy-haired accomplice, "I saw the whole thing."

  "How did you defeat Raston?" the tall man persisted.

  "I went in low," explained Jack. "He has a habit of leaning back, so I ducked at the last possible moment. Completely shook him."

  Once more Jack was boasting of his accomplishments. Beverly tried to ignore him by looking over the other cavaliers, trying to judge their ability, but saw little that would indicate they were battle-trained for they lacked definition. Wielding a sword and fighting developed muscles but these men clearly spent the bulk of their time on horseback. She wondered how they would fare in a real battle, but then decided it was a moot point for as far as she knew Weldwyn had been at peace for years. She allowed her gaze to wander over to Princess Anna who was absorbing everything judging by the keen look of interest on her face. If she was missing Prince Alric, she was doing a good job of hiding her emotions.

  Hayley drew the bow, waiting as Lily watched her. She let loose and the arrow flew out over the water to splash in the middle of the river. Lily dove under the waves and the ranger waited patiently as her diminutive friend swam beneath the surface. A moment later she emerged, the arrow held in her hand, and then began madly swimming back toward the shore. Hayley laughed and turned to where Aubrey was sitting on the grass. The young mage had unfolded a parchment and was sketching with some charcoal.

  "What are you doing, Aubrey?"

  "I'm sketching," she replied.

  "Sketching what?" asked Hayley. "There's nothing here."

  "Nonsense, there's plenty. Take that boat over there, for example," she said, pointing with her fingers, covered as they were in the dark grey charcoal.

  "The one in the middle of the river? Why would you sketch that?"

  "I draw lots of things, it helps me remember them."

  "Why would you want to remember that?" asked Hayley.

  "As a mage's apprentice, I have to remember lots of things. Anything that can help my memory would be beneficial. I've always liked drawing, I take after my mother in that."

  "Your mother's a baroness, isn't she?"

  "Yes, that's right. My father is the Baron of Hawksburg."

  "I've been there," the ranger remarked. "It's a nice little town."

  "I'd have to agree with you there. I miss it, but visiting Weldwyn has been terribly exciting, don't you think?"

  "I suppose so, although I could do without all the fighting."

  "That's what we do, isn't it?" asked Aubrey. "Make the world a better place by fighting so others don't have to?"

  "Good point. I suppose it's what we do, isn't it. I never thought I'd be here of all places. I was just a ranger, now I'm a Knight of the Hound in service to a princess. My father would roll over in his grave at the thought."

  "Why is that?"

  "He was a poacher. They hanged him for it in the end."

  "What happened to you?"

  "I went to live with my aunt and uncle. They have a farm outside of Wincaster."

  "And so you grew up to serve the king as a ranger? That seems like an odd choice."

  "Not really. My father taught me everything about hunting, what else could I do?"

  "You could have worked for a noble, as a games keeper or something," Aubrey offered.

  "No, that's not me. I'm not always the most sociable person. Don't get me wrong, I get along with people, but I prefer solitude. The ranger life was just the thing for me."

  "So what changed your mind?" the young mage enquired.

  "I recovered Prince Alfred's body from the field of battle. The king decided to knight me for it, though I never asked for it. After that, I was sought out by Beverly. She convinced me to join the princess."

  "Yes, I can understand that. My cousin can be quite persuasive."

  "How, exactly, are you two related?"

  "My Aunt Evelyn was Beverly's mother. She was my aunt on my father's side."

  "It seems the bloodline is overflowing with talent. I suppose if you decide to give up magic, you could make a living with your drawings."

  "Why would I want to give up magic?" asked a confused Aubrey.

  "Never mind, it was meant as a compliment."

  Aubrey returned to her sketch as Lily scampered out of the water. The Saurian was moving her hand in a circular motion; the sign to repeat and so Hayley nocked another arrow and drew the bow. She aimed due south while Lily prepared to rush into the water, but at the last moment, she turned slightly, shooting an arrow further to the west. Lily chattered in delight, diving into the river again with abandon.

  "There, what do you think?" asked Aubrey, holding up her parchment.

  Hayley looked down at the drawing. It was very lifelike, and she stared at it for some time. Something seemed off, and then it hit her. "You haven't put any people aboard."

  "There aren't any, as far as I can see," replied Aubrey.

  "Are you sure? There mu
st be someone over there."

  "I've been sketching since we arrived and I haven't seen anyone. It's anchored, perhaps they're all ashore?"

  "It seems odd to me, but I'm not a sailor. I would think you'd leave someone to keep watch, you wouldn't want someone stealing your ship."

  "Maybe they're below decks, sleeping off a hangover?" suggested Aubrey.

  "You're probably right," said Hayley. "In any event, we should head back to the Citadel, we've been here all morning, and I'm starting to get hungry."

  "Good idea, just let me pack up my things."

  Aubrey began returning her items to her satchel then walked down to the river's edge to wash the charcoal from her hands as best she could. Hayley waited as Lily emerged from the water. The Saurian was clutching the retrieved arrow and trotted up to her, passing a middle-aged woman who was staring out over the water. The ranger immediately felt concern for the woman and approached her.

  "Excuse me, is something wrong?"

  The woman turned to face her, fresh tears staining her cheeks. "It's my son," she said, through sobs, "he's gone missing."

  "Have you notified anyone?"

  "Aye, the watch, little good it'll do. They don't take much notice of missing children."

  "Tell me more," begged Hayley, "perhaps I can help."

  "I've been sick of late," the woman began explaining, "and I sent my son down to the herbalist, but he never came back. It's all my fault."

  "Don't say that. You had no way of knowing. When was this?"

  "Three days ago."

  "And where is this herbalist?"

  "Sharpe's, down on Lassiter Street. Do you know it?"

  "No," Hayley replied, "but I'll see what I can find out."

  "I knew it was dangerous," the woman said, "what with all the disappearances and such, but I never thought it would happen to my own blood."

  "What disappearances?"

  The woman stared back in shock, "Surely you've heard? It's all over town."

  "I'm not from around here," offered Hayley. "Please, tell me."