by Bridie Blake
They rolled past a large group of common men, their bodies caked in mud, as they trudged up the grassy hill towards the fields. They stared at her, their faces devoid of any emotion.
“Keep it moving!” A deep voice thundered as he advanced on the men.
She flinched as the flesh of one man was whipped. The harsh sound was foreign to her ears, and she brought her hands up to cover them. The fallen man was met by the boot of the whip yielder.
“He’s hurt,” she cried when Rando kept the carriage moving. “I have to help him.”
“Ain’t nothing you can do for him, my lady. Best keep moving.”
“No, I can help him. Turn around. Please.”
Madoc wheeled his horse around and rode up alongside them. “What’s wrong?”
“That man’s hurt,” she said. “We have to go back so I can help him.”
Madoc shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do.”
“I can help!” She cried. “I’ve been trained.”
“No,” he snapped. “You’re not at the convent anymore. There’s nothing you can do. How a man chooses to treat his people is up to him. We stay out of it.”
She glared at him, shocked by his stance. Wasn’t a knight supposed to protect people? Didn’t they take oaths pledging to help those weaker than them? Or was it all just for show and all they did was escort young ladies to and from the city? If that was the case then she didn’t want a part of it.
“Take me back to the convent,” she said. “I would prefer to stay there then keep company with men who stand by and let others be hurt.”
Madoc turned his horse around and kicked it forward. “We’ll stop for the night soon. There’s a merchant nearby who will give us shelter.”
She opened her mouth to object, but he was already gone. She slumped back against the carriage and angrily swiped away her tears. Tilaw whined beside her as he batted her with his paw. She looked down at him, but he was fixated on something up in the sky. She glanced up and found herself calming down as she watched the eagle flying above them. Kwahi stayed with them until they stopped for the night.
—
The road into the city was busy with people pushing forward to be first through the sentries. Their carriage rolled to a stop while they waited for the merchant’s carriage in front of them to move along. Her eyes fell on a man, his clothes hanging from his thin body. His dark eyes were vacant as he stared longingly at the cart ahead of them that was laden with bread.
She fumbled in the basket beside her. She was sure there was some leftover cheese and cold sausage that she had put away for Tilaw. Her fingers closed around the sausage and she pulled it free. Ignoring the look of joy in the dog’s eyes, she jumped from the carriage and hurried over to the man. Behind her she heard Madoc curse and call out her name.
The man’s eyes were wary as she offered the food to him. Others, just as thin as him, crept forward out of the shadows of the decrepit buildings. So many starved bodies. It hadn’t always been like this, had it? Perhaps as a child she hadn’t cared to notice. She wished she had more to give away.
“Take it,” she said slowly. “It’s all right.”
He glared at her, the hatred clear on his face, and she shook her head sadly. A starved man wouldn’t even take food from a Kalaowin.
Rando’s hand wrapped around her elbow. “Come along, my lady.”
She nodded and allowed herself to be pulled along. Before they reached the carriage, a wrinkled hand tugged at her sleeve.
An elderly woman held out her palm. “I’ll ‘ave it miss,” she croaked. “I ain’t picky.”
Tempani shrugged and handed the sausage over before climbing into the carriage, ignoring the angry tirade that Madoc threw her way. They rolled forward as they were waved through the checkpoint, and Tempani did her best to avoid staring at the sad faces below them. Tears pricked at her eyes as she bit the inside of her mouth in a desperate attempt to stop them from flowing.
The men travelling with Tempani became more alert as they got closer to the city. They nudged their horses closer to the cart and formed a protective circle around it with Madoc nearest to her.
“Is this really necessary?” Tempani asked as a group of curious bystanders shuffled backwards to avoid being trampled by the group. “Surely my father did not request such a close guard.”
“There has been trouble on the streets,” he said as he scanned the crowd. “We’re just being cautious.”
“What sort of trouble?”
“There was a riot shortly before we left for the convent.”
She was about to ask why the riot happened when they were joined by a handful of the King’s Guard. Tempani lowered her head and tried to look inconspicuous.
Madoc nodded to Rando, signaling for him to keep an eye on their charge, and nudged his horse forward. His men made room for him to approach the King’s Guard.
“For what reason are we being held up?”
The Squad Leader sized him up and then straightened himself in his saddle. “Sir Madoc,” he said. “I didn’t see you there.”
Madoc nodded curtly. “May we continue?” He asked. “I’m on orders from Sir Otto of Amarill.”
Tempani noticed the looks pass between the Guard. Perhaps her father was not as respected as she’d been led to believe.
They moved aside and allowed the party to pass through. Their eyes fell on Tempani as she passed them, and she felt their stares on her back as they rode on.
As they moved deeper into the city, she noticed the health of the Kamaris seemed to improve, so too did the buildings. Tempani shrunk back into the carriage. The noise of the bustling streets was a shock to her ears after the peacefulness of the convent. Bright colors hit her eyes, and strong smells wafted up her nose. Tilaw panted excitedly, his tail thumping against her thigh, as his eyes darted back and forth. She remembered loving the excitement of the city as a child, but now it was too much for her.
Noblewomen walked in groups, their heads held high as they seemed to glide through the crowds, their servants trailing behind them. She doubted she’d ever look as graceful as they did. A pair of young knights rode by and called out a greeting to Madoc, who acknowledged them with nothing more than a nod of his head.
They picked up their speed as they moved out of the throng of travelling carriages. Tempani breathed a sigh of relief as they left behind the noise and rolled along the road. The homes became more scattered as land was a sign of wealth in Kamara. Soon they were passing grand manors, and she knew they were almost there. They descended the hill and rode around the bend, and there it was. As beautiful as she’d remembered.
The gates opened as they approached and were promptly shut behind them. The manor’s servants lined the path and staircase leading up to the front doors. They sank into deep bows and curtsies as Tempani stepped down from the carriage. She recognized some faces, but most were ones she’d never seen before.
The household manservant, Lindow, rushed forward. “It’s good to see you again, my lady. Your father sends his apologies that he is not here to greet you in person. He has been held up at the palace, but he asks that you make yourself comfortable and he will see you in the morning.”
Had she really expected any different? “Thank you Lindow. Please prepare refreshments for the men before they return to the palace.”
Madoc cleared his throat. “These are your father’s men,” he told her. “Only I’m to return to the palace.”
Tempani tried to hide her shock, but she knew she failed. She wondered why her father needed such a large guard when he himself was undefeated as a knight.
“He’s very big on security,” Lindow said.
“Of course.” She turned to the men and was about to order them to the stables, but they were already on their way.
Lindow ushered Tempani inside as the servants rushed forward to gather her bags. She was led up the wide staircase, but instead of heading to the right wing of the house where she had stayed as a child,
she was led to the newly refurbished left wing.
“I apologize that we have moved your room, my lady,” Lindow said as her eyes lingered on the right wing. “Your father has moved everyone over here. Much nicer rooms.”
“I don’t mind taking my old room.”
“No, my lady. Sir Otto uses that wing for storage now. Strictly off limits to everyone except him.”
She frowned as Lindow opened the door to her new room. Life as she knew it was over.
~2~
BEYOND THE IRON GATES
Tempani woke the next morning, confused by her surroundings and lack of bells chiming. And then she remembered. She rolled over in bed, her bare legs enjoying the feel of soft sheets after years of coarse ones. She stretched out her arm to pat Tilaw, but the space beside her was empty and a sudden rush of loneliness washed over her. He had been her constant companion for five years and waking up in a strange room without him wasn’t a pleasant feeling. But he would be around somewhere. Perhaps he had just gone outside to relieve himself.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Someone had already been in and unpacked her belongings. A dress had been laid out on her table, and a pair of slippers had been left on the floor.
The paintings that had hung in her old room had been moved into her new one. So too had the books she had read over and over again as a child. In the corner of the room she saw the two dolls she had once slept with each night. Well someone had wanted her to feel at home again.
She slipped on the dress and then sunk to her knees, closing her eyes as she began her morning prayers. It felt strange to be kneeling at her bed instead of at the shrine to the Goddess, but it would feel even stranger to not pray at all.
She padded down the stairs to the kitchen, where she greeted the old cook Leela with a peck on the cheek and grabbed a cold sausage from the plate. She took a bite and chewed it slowly before offering the rest of it to Tilaw, who was happily lying beside Leela as she worked, catching any crumbs that fell to the ground.
She was licking her fingers when she walked into the drawing room, hoping to find her father but instead finding two men deep in conversation.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said quietly and took a step back towards the door.
“Since when have you ever been sorry for anything?”
Tempani froze and then her face broke into a smile as she recognized one of the men standing before the hearth, “Chae!” She cried before running across the room and throwing herself into his arms. He hugged her back fiercely as tears trickled down her face.
He laughed and pulled free of her grip to get a good look at her. She in return studied him. His eyes were still warm, intelligent even. His nose was long and sat above a pair of full pink lips and his hair now fell to his shoulders. He was only slightly taller than she and had a lean, wiry build.
“Just as I remembered,” he said. “And you still lack decorum I see.”
She followed his gaze down to her bare feet and bit back a grin. “Why change what isn’t broken?”
“My thoughts exactly,” he said and wiped the tears from her cheeks. A cough from behind him interrupted their brief reunion. “Now I’ve forgotten my manners,” he laughed. “I brought along an old friend to say hello.”
Tempani looked over his shoulder at the sandy haired young man. She stared at him, bewildered for a moment until he smiled, causing his blue eyes to sparkle with a joy that she envied. As though untouched from any despair.
“Teddy?” She cried again and went to hug him also before she stopped suddenly and sank into a curtsey instead. “Apologies, Prince Theodore, I forgot my place.”
Teddy gripped her arms and pulled her up to face him. “To you, I am always Teddy.”
“I almost didn’t recognize you. What happened to my little runt?”
“I grew,” he laughed. “But I’m still no match for my brother.”
“He is no match for you.” She grinned at how easily they fell back into their patterns of old, but it made her face burn with shame knowing that she had ignored his attempts to contact her over the years.
Before Hamalia’s death, Chae and Tempani had spent half of their time at Amarill and the other half staying in their manor in Fenella. When in Fenella, their days were spent playing with the young princes, Nicolass and Theodore.
Nicolass and Chae had been the same age and had played together, often excluding the younger two from their games. So Tempani and Teddy had stuck together, running around outside pretending they were knights like Otto.
And during the summer when King Wimarc and Queen Tryphena made their visits to the kingdom’s estates, the princes were left with the kingdom’s greatest knight, Sir Otto, and his family. Tempani had loved those summers. Swimming in the lake and sneaking treats from the kitchen. And then Hamalia had passed away, and Tempani stopped visiting Fenella. She was glad she didn’t have to play nicely with Nicolass anymore, but she had missed Teddy’s friendship.
“I hope you don’t mind my tagging along with Chae. I wanted to see you before you’re launched on the court tonight,” he explained as they all sat down.
Tempani grimaced. “Of course not. I’m glad you came now while I’m in a good mood. Needless to say by the end of tonight I will be grumpy from having to engage in mindless conversations with boring nobles.”
Chae looked on nervously until Teddy laughed, and then he relaxed enough to let out a sigh. “You may want to keep those thoughts quiet tonight,” he warned his sister. “People here aren’t forgiving.”
Tempani groaned. “I have just spent five years biting my tongue at the convent. I get one moment of freedom, and then it’s snatched from me again.”
“Was it really that awful?”
Tempani shrugged, not really wanting to delve into her life as a Daughter of the Convent. “Tell me what is happening here,” she said. “It seems so long ago that I received your last letter.”
Chae stretched his legs out before him. “There’s not much to tell. Since I was knighted, I’ve been doing some work with the Raiders, which has kept me busy. I’ve been lucky to have my friend, Xanthir, with me,” he said. “We were worried that once we were all knighted we would be sent to separate parts of the kingdom because of all the trouble we used to cause.”
“Nic would never allow it,” said Teddy.
“I don’t understand why you’re still friends with Prince Nicolass,” she said. “No offence, Teddy.”
Teddy held up his hands. “None taken. I must admit my brother has matured since you last saw him. He no longer pins me to the ground while he counts to one hundred.”
Tempani snorted. “We’ll see.”
—
The sun was high above in the vast blue sky that afternoon as Tempani sat beneath the oak tree by the pond in the furthest corner of the manor grounds. A thick, heavy book rested in her lap. Chae and Teddy had stayed for an early lunch and then left to attend to business before dinner at the palace.
She had thought of them both many times over the past five years. Anytime she’d had a problem, she had imagined conversations in her mind where they gave her guidance and told her what to do. Or to calm down. That was Teddy’s voice. Chae was her voice of reason, her conscience, but Teddy was her calming influence. He always had been. And she saw herself as his protector. As the one who stood up for the quiet, reserved prince. She closed her eyes and found herself back at Amarill.
—
The day was warm, the heat held in by the clusters of grey clouds. She breathed in. She smelt the dampness in the air. It would rain soon. She knew he would want to be back inside the castle before the rain came. He hated getting wet. She spun around, her eyes searching for Teddy. She spotted his blonde hair as he crouched behind the bushes. She smiled to herself. He was never good at hiding. She always had to pretend to search for him for longer or he’d get upset. His brother never did that and always teased him about it causing Teddy to cry. She hated Nico
lass for that.
There was a clap of thunder, and she heard Teddy stifle a scream. It wasn’t just rain. A storm was rolling in. Now he really would be scared. She ran towards him, her calls to him getting lost in the howling wind.
She gripped his hand when she reached him and pulled him to his feet. “Come on,” she said. “We have to run.”
The thunder boomed again before the clouds opened up and the rain fell down in sheets.
“It’s too far,” he cried, his eyes shining bright with fear as the sky flashed with lightening.
Tempani bit her lip, her mind racing. It was true. They had strayed far from the castle during their game. Teddy’s guard was normally close by, but today he had gotten sick and had run for the privy. He had told them to stay put, and he would send another guard out but as soon as he’d disappeared they’d run off, eager to play on their own.
“There’re caves,” she called out as she dragged him. “We can hide in there until the rain stops.”
They ran slowly, their feet sliding on the mud as they rushed past trees and began to climb up the path to the caves that overlooked the sea. She knew the climb well and led him over fallen logs and around large rocks until they stumbled into the first cave. It was small, but they were little so it would do.
Teddy slumped to the ground and shivered. The air was still warm so she knew it was not out of coldness that he shivered. She sat down beside him and put her arm around him.
“I’m not scared,” he whispered. He was only five yet he knew that as a prince he was expected to be brave.
“I am,” she lied. “It’s all right to be a little scared.”
He nodded. “Just a little.”
They sat together, listening to the waves as they crashed violently against the cliffs. She sent a prayer to the Goddess to watch over any fishermen out in the waters. The sky outside darkened as the storm rolled across the coast.
