He continued riding toward the end of the line of hunters, having no desire to be the center of attention.
They were just entering another clearing, this one larger than the first one where Darion had killed the deer. “Did you see that deer? I'm sure that it will be the best deer taken today.” Prince Darion said clearly. He could be heard throughout the hunting party. Flare shook his head, it was a bad sign that the crown prince was gloating. Gloating was not a quality he considered favorable in a prince. “I don't think any of the other princes have even loosed an arrow yet.” Prince Darion turned toward the rear of the group, and then almost turning the name into a curse, he said, “Flare. Have you shot an arrow yet?”
Several of the nobles turned toward Flare with condescending smiles on their faces. Flare met the gaze of the crown prince, “No, Darion, I have not.”
Darion' smile grew bigger, “What's the matter? Not too familiar with the bow?” His face had a look of pure contempt and nastiness on it as he spoke, and at that moment Flare despised him.
Flare returned the smile, but there was no humor in it. “I know how to use the bow; I just don't want to show you up.”
Utter silence greeted the remark, and several nobles turned around in their saddles to stare at him. They clearly did not know what was about to happen, but they seemed to be enjoying the show. Flare enjoyed seeing the smile wiped off of the face of prince Darion; the smile was quickly replaced with a frown that was more a snarl than a frown.
“How dare you? I got the first deer.” The prince returned.
“Yes you did, but if you didn't notice, everybody was just talking until you did. The hunt didn't begin in earnest until after the first deer was already dead.” Now all the nobles were watching the exchange. Flare could feel his face heating up, but he wasn't about to back down now. Maybe the prince wouldn't act so spoiled if people stood up to him ever now and then.
“That's not true! Everybody was trying, including you.” The prince started to say, but Flare cut him off.
“Don't be such a baby. You got what you wanted, you got the first deer. Congratulations to you!” Flare said sarcastically almost spitting out the words. “Now ease up and let the rest of us enjoy the hunt.”
Prince Darion sat in his saddle staring at Flare with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. Darion was clearly dumbfounded, and was not used to being talked to like this. Flare noticed that quite a few of the nobles had their mouths hanging open as well, but he just didn't care.
Prince Darion closed his mouth with a snap, and with his face turning red, he started to move his horse closer to Flare.
'What's he going to do now?' Flare wondered, but he never got the chance to find out because at that moment King Darion moved his horse in between the two of them.
“Enough!” The king shouted at his two sons. The king's face was lit up with anger in a way that Flare had never seen before. He was wearing a permanent frown as he spoke, “Are you fresh off of the nursemaid's lap that you must act like little children? Are you not grown men? Darion you are the crown prince but yet you act like a ten year old bully on the streets.” The king glared at Prince Darion as he spoke, and the prince returned the look for several moments before he dropped his eyes to the ground. The prince seemed to be almost shaking because he was so angry.
After Prince Darion dropped his gaze, King Darion turned his attention to Flare. “I expected better from you. He pushed a little and you pushed right back instead of dropping it and being the better man.”
The fire was burning in Flare at that moment; anger at the situation was welling up within him. It seemed to erupt forth as if from a geyser. “I have fought and nearly died for the likes of him and how am I repaid? I get condescending remarks and a childish attitude from that whelp of a man. Is that the thanks I get for saving the country for him to inherit one day?” Flare said in such a way that it almost came to shouting. Now all the nobles wore a look of shock on their faces, including the king.
After Flare spoke, utter silence reigned for several moments, and he found himself shaking in anger. 'Where is your justice, father?' Flare wanted to ask, but wisely did not.
The king recovered himself after just a moment. He sat up straight in the saddle and looked at both princes for several moments. Flare sitting in his saddle glaring right back, and Darion sitting slumped over in the saddle staring at the ground. “Fine,” the king said. “If you two want to settle this like men, then that's fine with me.” The prince looked up with a look of pure delight on his face, and Flare quickly agreed as well. The king nodded in head, “Okay, let's have a contest of marksmanship.” The king then called over a servant and had him start setting up some targets. Flare and Darion both dismounted their horses, but Darion would not look him in the eye.
Shaking his head, Flare double checked his bow string, and then picked out several of his best arrows. After all this, it would not do to perform poorly. 'Why did I say all those things?' He thought as he went over what he had said, regret starting to seep in. Disappointing his father and then angering the royal prince were not the smartest things he had ever done. If King Darion died tomorrow, then the crown prince would probably waste no time in coming after him. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized the prince might come after him anyway. Once again, he decided to watch his back. 'There are a lot of people coming after me, what's one more?'
He looked around at the clearing they were in. It was in the shape of a tear drop, with the hunters having entered the wide fat end. The servants were putting up six targets in the right side shrubs that ran along the edge of the clearing. He stood patiently waiting for his shot, not sure of what to expect. The nearest set of targets would be easy to hit, but the second set would be extremely difficult, and the third set seemed impossible.
After a short while, the servants returned to the hunting party, and the king walked over in front of Flare and Darion. “All right, it's pretty simple. There are two targets close up, two far away, and two really far away.” Flare could see the targets, and they were circular in nature, and had rings painted on them. “You each get three shots and I will decide who the winner is. Is that understood?”
“Yes sir!” Flare answered, and he heard prince Darion mumble something to the affirmative.
“Good. Darion you go first.”
Prince Darion stepped out in front of the group and pushed two arrows into the dirt, then taking the third arrow, he lined up his shot for the nearest target.
Flare looked around at the nobles who had all dismounted and were eagerly watching the contest. Most did not meet his gaze, although a few shot a look of pure hatred his way. Shaking his head, he returned to watching Darion. It was obvious from the way Darion held his bow that he knew what he was doing. He had his arm bent just right, and he sighted down the length of the arrow.
The prince let go and the arrow sped on its way, impacting the target nearly in the middle. A cheer went up from the crowd and it was plainly obvious whose side they were on.
The prince lined up his second arrow, and sent it on its way toward the middle target. It was a hard shot, being that the target was so far away, but with a THUNK, the arrow hit the target but off center. “Good shot!” Someone in the back said, “That's an awfully long way.”
The prince smiled in the direction of the hunters and lined up his third arrow. Flare saw a bead of sweat run down his face as he prepared for the shot, and Flare could see why, it was an extremely difficult shot.
The prince let go and the arrow sped on its way, but came up just a foot or two short and landed in the grass in front of the target. Smiling, Darion turned around to the congratulations and comments of the hunters. He stepped back into the group, and stopped next to Flare. “Okay, brother, let's see you top that.” Pure venom dripped from the words, and King Darion frowned at the animosity.
Flare smiled back and stepped in front of the hunters. Like prince Darion had done before him, he stuck two arrows in the ground and
lined up the first arrow. Flare breathed in and at the very end of exhaling, he let the arrow go at the nearest target. THUNK! The arrow hit in the center of the target just like Darion's had. A few snide comments were quietly said in the throng of onlookers, but he ignored them.
Reaching forward, Flare pulled the second arrow out of the ground. He lined up at the second target, and once again exhaled, letting go of the arrow at the very last moment. The second arrow sped on its way and impacted the target, slightly off center. Darion' second arrow had also been slightly off center, so they were still tied, All he had to do was to get as close to the third target as Darion had and they would tie, if he got closer, then he would win.
Flare took the third arrow and lined up the shot. It was not going to be easy, as the target was so far away. Ignoring the anxiety, he found a place of inner calm and steadied his hands. Exhaling, he sent the arrow on its way, and heard a satisfying THUNK, as the arrow hit the edge of the target and buried itself there.
Turning around, he walked back to the group. Some of the nobles had the strangest looks on their faces, it seemed they were beyond shock but others wore appreciative smiles, but Flare ignored them all. He walked directly in front of prince Darion and stopped; he extended his hand and said, “It was an excellent competition. You are a worthy opponent.”
Darion also had a look of surprise on his face, a look that was quickly turning to anger. He looked from Flare's face to Flare's extended hand, and then back to Flare's face. With a murderous glint in his eyes, he ignored the offered hand and turned away. He stomped over and mounted and horse, swinging it around and galloping out of the clearing.
Flare hadn't realized he had been holding his breath, until the Prince turned and stomped off. He slowly exhaled and ran his hand threw his hair.
One of the hunters that Flare recognized as Hortus, a minor noble, stepped nearer to him. “That was a hell of a shot,” he said and several other members of the group voiced their agreement. “Don't worry about Darion, he'll get over it.” Hortus said, “He's doesn't like being shown up.” He looked like he was about to say something else, but just then the king walked over and Hortus decided it was time to leave.
The king stood next to Flare and stood there quietly until the hunters had stepped away. He leaned over to Flare and spoke quietly, so that no one else could hear. “I cannot believe that you hit that third target. That was the best shot I think I have seen.” The king said, a smile cracking his lips.
Flare smiled back, “So you're not mad at me for showing up Darion?”
The king looked to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, and then said, “Absolutely not! I have made the mistake of spoiling that boy, and it's good to see someone stand up to him. I think that you'll be an excellent influence on him.” The king started to step away, but then thought better of it, “Don't tell anyone I said that.” He said, pointing his finger at Flare, “Oh, and I would watch my back for a while if I were you.” He added.
Watching the king walk away, Flare shook his head. 'How do these problems always find me?'
Chapter 6
After the archery contest and the disappearance of Prince Darion, the hunting party called off the hunt. As they rode their horses back to the stables, Hortus and the other nobles carried on a congenial conversation with Flare. They seemed to appreciate the skill he had shown in the archery contest, but even more than that, they appreciated the honor and dignity he showed after winning the contest. He didn't gloat at beating the crown prince, but instead had congratulated him on how well the prince had performed. Although Prince Darion was probably a bitter enemy, the other nobles seemed to at least respect him now.
Reaching the stables in the middle of the afternoon, Flare jumped out of the saddle and handed the reigns over to the stable boy. The rest of the hunting party was not as used to being on a horse as he was, and they got down much slower, some of them almost falling off. A smile broke out on his face at the sight of so many nobles gingerly dismounting; he tried to cover up his smile but failed miserably. No one noticed though, as they were too busy paying attention to their aching and popping joints.
King Darion didn't say anything to Flare as he left, but the king did nod at him, so at least the king didn't hold any grudges over the argument between Flare and Prince Darion.
Flare left the stables and walked slowly through the palace. Although he hadn't realized it, he also was a little sore after the hunt. A nice hot bath and some food sounded excellent. He still hoped to check out the hallway, but that would have to wait until later this evening.
As he was walking though the hallways towards his room, a young page came running up to him. “Excuse me, Sir. I was instructed to give you this letter.” He said as he held a letter out to Flare.
He took the letter, and without even looking at it, he said, “Thank you.” The young boy started to leave, but Flare stopped him. “I want you to have a chambermaid draw a hot bath for me. Oh, and have her bring some lunch with her. Okay?”
Smiling, the boy quickly answered, “Yes sir. I'll go there right now.” He then quickly turned and ran off down the hallway.
Flare watched him run off and smiled to himself at the energy and excitement of the young boy. Then remembering the letter, he opened it and hastily read it. He almost groaned at the words, though. The letter was from Cassandra and she wanted to have dinner tonight. He shook his head, 'At this rate, I'll never get to that hallway.'
Flare walked slowly toward Cassandra's room. It was early in the evening, with the sun having set about an hour previously. The lack of sleep was starting to affect him, and he felt lethargic, although the hot bath had helped tremendously. He had soaked for almost an hour, and then gorged himself on the food the chambermaid had brought. Between being tired and being full of food, he was ready to go to sleep, but he doubted that Cassandra would want to sleep anytime soon. He smiled at the thought, but it lacked any real mirth.
Reaching the door, he knocked and waited until he heard Cassandra telling him to come in. Opening the door, he stepped inside. It was dark inside but his eyes adjusted quickly. The room was cleaner that normal, without the usual books and magical instruments spread around. Several candles were lit and placed around the room on tables and bookcases. There was also a large candle stand sitting next to the bedroom door, which had one huge candle on it. A rug, which was new, sat on the floor in front of the couch. Cassandra sat on the couch leaning against the couch arm, with her legs resting beside her. She was wearing a transparent negligee that was long enough to cover her ankles, and she was smoking something that left a haze in the room. Her hair looked extremely sexy hanging down around her shoulders.
A smile grew on Flare's face as he watched her. A familiar warmth spread through his mid-section as he admired her figure through the negligee.
He walked over to the couch and sat down to Cassandra's right and she moved her legs for him. She smiled, but her eyes seemed a little glazed over, and he wondered what she was smoking. “Hello, Flare.” Her smile grew even bigger, “Did you have fun on the hunting trip today?”
His smile vanished, “You heard about that? Does everybody in the palace know?” He asked incredulously. It was bad enough that the Crown Prince was furious with him, but now that the whole palace knew about it only made it worse.
“Of course everybody knows! Didn't you grow up in a royal court? You can't keep things like that quiet.” Cassandra said, her eyes were still glazed over and her eyelids drooped like she was having a hard time holding them open.
Flare just shook his head; he should have known that word of his argument with Prince Darion would have spread through the palace like a wildfire. There were few things that nobles enjoyed more than gossiping. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “So what is everybody saying about the argument?” He muttered through his hands.
Cassandra giggled, “Nobility love talking about a scandal, and you sure put prince Darion in his place. People will be snickering abou
t it behind his back for quite some time.”
She leaned forward and put her right hand on the back of Flare's neck, and started massaging his muscles. His sore muscles felt so much better under her strong touch, and he closed his eyes in pleasure. She quickly moved her left hand to the back of his neck and massaged with it as well. She moved from a sitting position to rest on her knees behind Flare so that she could massage his neck better. “I heard another rumor today as well; do you want to hear it?” She asked as she continued to massage his neck.
Flare's eyes were closed and rolling back into his head as he answered, “Sure. What is it?”
“I heard that Hannah spent the night with you last night.” She said slowly.
It took a second for the words to sink in, but then his eyes popped open and he opened his mouth to speak. The only think that came out was a howl of pain as Cassandra dug her thumbs into his back and neck.
He jumped forward off of the couch and spun around on Cassandra. “What in the name of the abyss was that for?” He shouted at her.
Cassandra was still sitting on the couch on her knees and looking at him with an innocent look. “Is it true? Are you continuing to have sex with a woman who is most likely a spy?”
'Well, of course,' was the first thought that popped into his mind, but he knew better than to say that to any woman, especially Cassandra. Make her angry, and she just might turn you into something despicable. “Listen,” Flare said in a much more diplomatic tone, “I can't just stop seeing her.” He quickly continued at the sight of Cassandra's eyebrow going up, “We think she's the spy. If I don't see her, then they will send another spy, and I won't know who it is, at least this way I can watch her while she's watching me.” It sounded logical to him; he sure hoped that Cassandra agreed.
Ossendar: Book Two of the Resoration Series Page 13
