by K. J. Nessly
Lerina snorted a greeting and Kathryn fed her a sugar cube from the stash she kept in her saddlebags—which she kept in her room to keep her greedy horse from nosing through.
Minutes later she was flying across the grassy plains behind the palace—the wind whipping her hair out behind her. Perhaps I should have tied it back, she mused as she raced away from the palace. But no, she didn’t need a headache this early in the morning, and it was a rare noble, man or woman, who rose early after a ball. No one would be around to see her conduct herself in a manner befitting a peasant.
As she rode, Kathryn felt some the tension and fear drain from her body. With every step Lerina took, she felt a small weight lift from her shoulders. The farther they went, the more relief Kathryn felt. After a radian Kathryn felt more like her old self.
“Come on girl,” she urged her mount. “Let’s see if we can catch the wind!”
Lerina took off like an arrow shot from a longbow; it was as if she had been waiting for such a command and now rejoiced at the opportunity to race the wind.
Destiny called from high above. Riding a rapidly rising thermal she was but a black speck against the blue cloudless sky. Before them the plain stretched for kilometers before rising sharply to form the Airë Mountains.
According to legends the land beyond the Airë Mountains was the homeland of both the Elves and the remaining Wanderers. It was said that a mystical forest lay beyond the mountains and that both races could perform magic that would make the Guardians look like children with an adult’s sword.
Kathryn reigned in Lerina until they stood motionless before the towering mountains.
It is odd that both the Elves and the Wanderer’s histories begin beyond the mountains, she ruminated as she shifted in the saddle. The Elves, with their places of healing, desire for knowledge, and dedication to a mysterious being should not come from the same land that houses the heathen Wanderers who sacrifice their own children and worship the sun and fire.
According to the ancient scrolls the name Airë originally meant something in an ancient Elvish language, but its meaning had been lost over the countless generations and the ink on the scrolls had faded so badly, the significance was impossible to make out. Interestingly enough, Airë was also the last month of the year, all the other months names had meanings, just not Airë. Kathryn had often wondered if the name wasn’t Elvish, but an ancient dialect used by the Wanderers. The Airë Mountains contained the highest peaks in the kingdom and such an altitude could have been considered by the Wanderers to bring them closer to their object of worship, perhaps Airë meant something along the lines of worship.
Not that there was anybody who could confirm or deny any theory that arose. Those who traveled across the mountains never returned. Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom claiming anything from the supposition that no one ever crossed the mountains alive to the idea that the wild tribes on the other side killed them as soon as they arrived, or that some dark and evil magic sought out and enslaved those who would dare to cross the mountain barrier.
Kathryn believed that it was a combination of the intense cold and thin air at such high altitudes and the hungry mountain predators that kept the questers from ever returning.
Returning. Something she should probably consider since it was likely the castle guests had started to awaken from their slumber. Glancing back at the towering peaks, Kathryn reluctantly turned Lerina back towards the palace—a mere speck on the horizon.
They made it back in just over a radian and as Kathryn rubbed Lerina down she heard male voices enter the stable. It didn’t take her long to discover the speakers’ identities.
Luke, Tyler, and David walked down the long rows between the stalls. Luke was muttering something about not getting enough sleep, Tyler was complaining about his sore feet, but David wasn’t saying anything.
Kathryn retrieved a strand of leather and quickly tied her hair back before stepping out of Lerina’s stall. The boys, three stalls ahead, stopped.
“Good morning, Lady Kathryn,” Luke called, his voice sounding like he was still half-asleep. Or still suffering from the effects of the wine from last night, he’d sure drunk enough of it. Later she would have to discuss his drinking habits with him. He wasn’t helpful to anyone in an inebriated state. She sincerely hoped that it had been an act, she didn’t want to live with another drunkard.
She frowned at him. “I hope you aren’t planning on competing in that state, Sir Lucian.”
Luke turned to Tyler. “What is she trying to tell me?”
“She’s trying to tell you that you’re acting like you’re a drunk who hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in days and that if you try to compete you’ll be skewered by your opponent before you can find your balance on your steed,” his friend informed him matter-of-factly.
Luke grimaced. “What a lovely image to consider so early in the morning.”
David laughed. “It’s almost time for brunch. I hardly think it is that early.”
Luke frowned again. “All I said was good morning! I hardly think that deserves a lecture. If you guys make this a habit, I’m not going to speak to anyone before noon.”
Looking up, David winked at Kathryn. “Make sure you do this every morning,” he told her in mock seriousness. “He can’t form a coherent sentence before noon so it would save us all the trouble of having to translate his garbled words.”
As Luke protested, Kathryn rolled her eyes skyward and quickly moved past them. Men! Couldn’t they ever be serious? Well, perhaps Tyler could, he seemed to be the only sensible one in the family. Maybe David too, she added grudgingly.
When she returned to her room, she found a breakfast tray had been delivered with a delicious assortment of fruits and cheeses. As she ate she considered what competitions she wanted to watch.
Thanks to David asking her to be his sponsor, she would have to attend the joust. Javelin throwing held no appeal to her, neither did hand-to-hand combat. Something about half naked men wallowing and grunting in the mud and dirt while slapping each other silly held no appeal for her. Although some of the other noble ladies were convinced that such was the high point of the competition. Archery she would definitely attend as well as the sword fighting. Of course if I had my way, I’d be competing instead of sitting in the heat wearing a ridiculous dress.
Now that she had finished breakfast she moved to her closet to pick out a dress. Brushing past the ball gowns, with the dreaded blue gown hanging in front, she picked out a deep green day dress. The light material would keep her cool throughout the tournaments and the color was one she favored.
By the time she finished bathing and dressing it was still early so she decided to visit the palace’s massive library.
There were a few brave souls who had risen early and taken refuge in the numerous rooms that made up the library, Kathryn wandered through the rooms until she found an empty nook. The room she found herself in housed books of fantasy and fiction.
Kathryn chose a book called The Dragon’s Call off the shelf and settled herself in a window seat as she opened the book.
Immediately she was pulled into the story of a kingdom that was undergoing an insurgency—one of the king’s own sons had killed his father and declared himself king. His two brothers he kept locked away in the dungeons and mines. His eldest brother, the true heir, was deceived by the usurper’s charms and believed everything he was told and remained partially free. The younger brother was not deceived and the false king sent him and his beloved to work the mines. After a month, the dictator called the young prince’s beloved away from the mines and to his side for she was a very desirable woman and he wanted her. However the young woman resisted him—until the dictator offered her a way to save the one person she loved. If she married him, and became his wife in every way, he would free his brother from the mines.
“Lady Kathryn?”
The quiet question startled Kathryn out of the fantasy world and back into reality. She looked
up to find Natalie and David looking down at her.
“Are you okay?” Natalie asked, settling herself onto the other half of the window seat.
Kathryn looked at her, confused. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“It’s just that Sir Darian and I were able to get within three meters of you, talking the whole while and yet we startled you,” Natalie explained slowly.
That was a disturbing piece of information. In a place as quiet as the library, she should have been able to hear them enter. Kathryn grimaced, nodding toward the book she had placed on the side table. “It’s a very intriguing book.” And one she wouldn’t risk picking up again. She couldn’t risk being caught off guard again.
David picked up the book and raised an eyebrow at her. “The Tales of the Great Wizards of Old. Normally I give books the benefit of the doubt, but our history instructor read parts of this to my class. He cured everyone’s insomnia in about five minutes.”
Kathryn quickly reached out for the book. “That isn’t the title at all,” she exclaimed, looking down to correct him, only to stare at the words, The Tales of the Great Wizards of Old. “I don’t understand,” she whispered slowly. “This wasn’t the book I grabbed off the shelf,” she opened the book to look inside. “And this certainly wasn’t the story I was reading.”
“It’s okay if you like the book, Lady Kathryn,” David told her. “It’s just that I personally thought it was boring.”
Kathryn shook her head. “No, it’s not that at all. This was not the book I was reading.” She watched Natalie and David exchange a look and knew that they didn’t believe her.
“Oh, never mind.” She pushed herself up off the window seat and headed back towards her room.
“Hey!” Natalie and David hurried after her, “Where are you going?” Natalie demanded.
“Back to my room, I need to get ready for the tournaments,” Kathryn replied, her voice stiff.
“You look ready to me,” Natalie commented eyeing her appearance. “Maybe do a little something with your hair and you’re ready to go.” After a moment she added in a low tone, “And I can’t believe that you didn’t tell me that you are the Dowager Princess’s ward!”
Kathryn risked a glance at David who was watching her intently. “I didn’t think it was important.”
“Not important?” Natalie’s voice rose a little. “You’re practically royalty and you don’t think it’s worth mentioning?”
“I’m not royalty,” Kathryn ground out. “I’m the ward of the Dowager Princess, whom I rarely see, so what’s the point of mentioning it?”
“What’s the point?” Natalie echoed incredulously. “Kathryn, you’re in the perfect position to get to know the princes! Perhaps even be courted by one!”
“I’ve met both of them and I’m not interested,” she retorted sharply.
“Come on, Kathryn, you have to be a little curious about what’s underneath their royal exterior. What about the youngest prince?”
“I could care less,” Kathryn replied firmly. “I’ve seen enough and I’m certain that the last prince is going to be just like his brothers—someone I don’t wish to associate with.”
Natalie threw her hands into the air. “I give up. The youngest prince’s identity hasn’t even been revealed yet and Kathryn has already decided to hate him just because he’s royalty.”
“It’s not just because he’s royalty,” Kathryn protested. “It’s because the whole royal family’s character is all the same and I can’t see it changing in the last prince.”
Natalie sighed heavily. After a moment she asked, “Do you want me to do your hair for the tournament?”
Taken off guard by Natalie’s offer, Kathryn stared at her in bewilderment. ”What?”
“Would you like me to style your hair for the tournament?” Natalie reiterated with a roll of her eyes.
“What’s wrong with my hair?” Kathryn demanded.
“It’s boring,” Natalie said candidly. “You never vary your hairstyle, it’s always the same bun.”
“I like it,” Kathryn protested.
“Which is part of the reason I think you’re a boring person,” Natalie informed her.
David watched Kathryn’s entire frame go rigid. Quickly he ushered the two girls outside the library so that they wouldn’t disturb the other readers. “Come on,” he urged. “We all need to get ready for the tournaments,” he fixed his gaze on Natalie.
She shrugged. “See you later,” She tossed the phrase over her shoulder as she was leaving. David turned to face an irritated and angry Kathryn.
Chapter 26
David braced for a repeat of yesterday’s scene back in her room, instead Kathryn surprised him.
She swallowed hard, closing her eyes tight—as if she was willing her ire to disappear. Or trying to prove to both me and herself that she is in control. After a moment she opened them again and looked at him. “I’m going back to my room. Do you know when the archery competition begins?”
Surprised that Kathryn had managed to hold onto her temper, David had to race to collect his thoughts. “I think it starts just after the ninth radian.”
She nodded a thank you before abandoning him in the hallway. He watched her go with mixed feelings of annoyance and admiration.
Turning he returned to his room and collected his bow, quiver of arrows, and sword. He had no illusions that he would be the best archer on the field, however he was confident his swordsmanship would put him in the top three. After all, the only person who could out-spar a Guardian was another Guardian.
He spent the radian before the ninth rechecking his equipment and practice weapons. When he got to the archery field he noticed that the crowds had already gathered. Kathryn and Amy were once again seated in the royal box. He grimaced remembering how Kathryn had pursued the truth about his parents and how she’d just told Natalie that she didn’t want to associate with royalty. Life had a fine sense of irony,
He didn’t know what she’d do if she found out that he was really Prince David, not just an annoying family leader who couldn’t leave well enough alone. Come to think of it, he really didn’t want to find out what she’d do if she knew the truth. Of course, once he turned twenty she’d find out. He wasn’t looking forward to that. Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure whose reaction he dreaded more; hers or Natalie’s.
The royal family would never speak of it—it was against the rules of the Guardians. As a Guardian, David had forsaken his royal heritage to become someone, and something, else. Only if both his brothers died would he be permitted to leave the Guardians to run the kingdom. There were many reasons that the Guardians did not allow the public release of the fact that royal children often joined the ranks of the Guardians. The most important reason being that there were discontented people who would accuse the royal family of placing their children in positions where they could control the justice the people would receive.
David had never heard of such an event taking place. As it was, royal children technically forfeited their royal status when they entered the school—only under extreme circumstances with approval by the entire Guardian council, could a royal child take place in official sovereign affairs once inducted into the Guardians. The reason for this was simple. A power hungry king was a pain but a manageable one. A power hungry king trained in the ways of the Guardians would be nearly unstoppable. Of course, in reality, royal children were expected to be seen at court. They were expected to be seen with their kin, or at least maintaining their own castles and families. More often than not, any gifted children born to the King and Queen were presented at court once and their continued lack of court presence was covered by carefully selected doubles who would take their place when the Guardian returned with his assigned family to their region. It wasn’t a perfect system, but the fact that everyone involved kept their lips tightly shut allowed for nothing more than speculation from the ranks of nobility.
Balls and feasts such as the one David was atte
nding now were a common occurrence in a Guardian’s life. They needed to be able to mingle with both the common people and those of the aristocracy.
Royal children and children of nobility came in handy in situations like this because they already have contacts in the form of their own family. Just as in the same way children from the villages and farms came in handy because their biological families served as contacts.
A trumpet signaled the start of the competition. David wondered what the other Dragons would say if they knew he was about to throw the competition.
After all, he thought as he released his first arrow, it hit just outside the bulls-eye, nobody can excel at everything except a Guardian. At least that what was generally believed. And that false perception was also what gave those who were gifted the ability to hide in plain sight. The people, common and nobility alike, were fed stories and legends of omnipotent Guardians and warriors. As such that was what they expected to see. When what they saw didn’t match their own perceptions, they disregarded it or completely disbelieved it.
He made it to the fifth round before his shooting wasn’t good enough to go on. As he left the field he looked towards Luke and the rest of the guys. From their sympathetic faces it didn’t appear as though they had picked up that he purposefully lost the match. Amy had the same sympathetic look as the guys. Kathryn’s face was set in its usual rigid expression.
Mentally sighing, David found a place on the sidelines and watched the rest of the contestants. Prince Derek hadn’t even entered the competition, supposedly to prepare for the swordsmanship contest, but David knew better. His oldest brother’s archery skills were pitiful. Prince Darcy was an exemplary archer, so was Lord Tanner. In the end it came down to the two men, with Lord Tanner scoring three points higher in the end.
The sparring tournament was one David was determined to win. When it came his turn to spar he had been able to watch most of the contestants go before him, giving him a chance to analyze the stronger competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.
