“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, they know that a yeti was killed, that someone fought it in person and stabbed it with a sword! No one believes that’s possible!” she held his arm with one of her hands, as she led the boys with her other. “My mother wants to meet you; they all do!”
Kestrel smiled at her gay spirits, pleased to see her so happy, glad to know that the visit with her parents had gone well. That night they drank another bottle of wine in the evening, but determinedly avoided any emotional conversations; Merilla recited the details of her visit, while Kestrel told her about his tour of the town, and his appointment to be presented to the Doge.
“The Doge? In person? Oh Kestrel, my mother will absolutely demand you come to visit us. You have to pay attention to details about him and the palace, so she’ll feel like she knows something no one else would know. You’ll come to dinner with us, won’t you?” Merilla insisted.
Kestrel made the promise to visit her family, as their evening wound down, and the two of them fell asleep, carefully staying on their own sides of their mattress.
The next morning, they again went their separate ways after breakfast. At Castona’s shop, Kestrel changed into the colorful clothes that the merchant had insisted were the fashion at the court, bright yellow and red and green pants and shirt and vest and jacket, along with boots and a wide-brimmed hat, all of which drew attention Kestrel did not want. “Now, sit down here,” Castona’s assistant had directed when Kestrel had everything in place. “The boss says to do this,” he held up a large roll of gauze, piquing Kestrel’s apprehension.
As the elf-spy sat in his seat, he felt the assistant place a hand on top of his head, then gauze began to wrap around his crown, round and round, for several minutes, growing thicker, warmer, and more uncomfortable as it was layered thickly. “I’m supposed to make sure I cover your ears,” the assistant explained as he worked.
“There,” the man said, stepping back. “Now, put your hat over that,” he instructed.
“It looks perfect; you don’t see anything with the hat on, but it will cover the ears when you take the hat off to meet the Doge,” Castona said as he stepped into the room. “Now, let’s get going,” he directed.
They spent a long time walking through the streets, then passing through the palace gates, and finally waiting with the many other subjects due to be recognized ceremonially by the chosen leader of the Estone nation.
“Here,” Castona said to Kestrel, shoving a clay vessel in his hands. “This is the sample of the yeti blood you need to give to the Doge. Wait until the herald finishes announcing you, then advance and hand it to the attendant who stands next to the Doge, not to the Doge himself, and humbly accept any token of appreciation they give you.
“The emphasis is on humble, Kestrel,” Castona told him, looking at him directly. “I don’t think it will be a problem for you, but don’t try to act like a fool or a hero. Just being here is all we need to raise the market’s interest in bidding in the auction.”
Minutes later they were separated, as Kestrel was led to the final waiting room with the others to be addressed by the Doge, while Castona went to stand with the nobles around the edge of the audience square. Kestrel stood uneasily in line with a dozen other minor dignitaries, mostly from the duchies and earldoms around Estone, their trip to the capital city a social highlight of the season for them. They all wore the same bright colors that Kestrel wore, but with finer and fuller materials, not suits like his that clung tightly to his figure, though Castona had insisted that the suit made him look more like a fighter.
One by one the minor dignitaries were called from the waiting room, and polite rounds of applause were heard upon their introductions. After each of the guests left the room, the others clustered closer together, other than Kestrel, who was excluded by the others, the country gentry who knew or knew of one another, but knew nothing of him.
For an hour, Kestrel waited and watched as the room slowly emptied out, until he was alone after the last daughter of a county earl was called to be recognized by the Doge. There was a tap on the door, and a court official beckoned him out. Kestrel followed the silent man down a short hall, then passed through a door into a vast room that was filled with a gallery of observers on one side.
Across from his entry door Kestrel spotted the others who had waited with him, standing apart from all others in a ribbon be-decked box. Around them, and on three sides of the room there stood a ring of observers, dressed in finery. But on the side of the room to his left, the side he was walking towards as he followed a narrow red carpet way, was a raised platform, and a large, heavyset man who sat upon an ornate throne, with various staff members hovering about.
Kestrel held the clay jar before him in both hands, and as he reached the bottom of the platform, a staff person nearby subtly signaled for him to stop and kneel.
Kestrel went down on one knee, then rose, and as the staff member approached, he held out the jar.
“What is it?” the man whispered.
“It’s yeti blood,” Kestrel whispered back.
The man’s eye’s widened. “Remove your hat when I hand it to the Doge, and remain silent. If the Doge wants to hear from you, he’ll motion for you to approach.”
Kestrel nodded, then stood and watched as the man, dressed all in black, stepped up to the Doge’s throne, and whispered briefly in the leader’s ear, then stepped back and spoke aloud, in a voice that surprised Kestrel with its volume and ability to carry to seemingly every attendee in the facility.
“The great hunter, Kestrel, returns from the Water Mountains, where he has faced a yeti in mortal combat and emerged as the victor. He humbly offers this gift of precious blood from his vanquished foe as a token of his regard for your great leadership of the nation,” the man announced.
“Come forward Kestrel, and be recognized,” the man turned and spoke to Kestrel. “Doge Deloco wishes to thank you for fulfilling his command to rid the land of the yeti threat, and helping to protect his people.”
Kestrel climbed the steps, and came to a stop just a few feet from where the Doge sat on his throne, a solemn expression on the big man’s florid face. He rose when Kestrel stopped, and shuffled forward, his ornate robes restricting his movements. Out of the corner of his eye Kestrel saw the black-robed attendant frantically motioning for him to remove his hat, and he hastily snatched his headpiece off his skull, revealing the phony bandaging that was wrapped around his head.
There was a murmur of sympathy from the crowd as they saw what they presumed was evidence of the wounds Kestrel had suffered in battle with the yeti. Kestrel saw a flicker of concern in the Doge’s eyes as well, as he noted the bandages, and then before the crowd’s gentle sighing had ceased, the noise from the observers changed to gasps and cheers as the Doge reached out and drew Kestrel into a supportive embrace.
Kestrel uncomfortably wrapped his own arms around the Doge’s bulk, uncertain of the protocol regarding how a commoner responded to the ruler’s personal touch. The Doge stood motionless and silent for a handful of seconds, then broke the clinch. “Your gift is a priceless one, young hunter, and much appreciated.
“I want to reward you for your heroism and valor, and today I do so by naming you as a Captain of the Fleet of Estone, entitled to the rewards and privileges that accrue to the position. And I also name you to be the People’s Champion should the need for single battle arise again,” the Doge told Kestrel in a deep, resonant voice. “Kneel before me now,” he commanded discreetly.
Kestrel dropped to his knees, and bowed his head, then heard the sound of a sword being drawn nearby. There was a light tap on his right shoulder. “By the power of Shaish, goddess of water,” the Doge said. There was a light tap on his left shoulder. “By the power of Kusima, god of the land,” the leader intoned. Then Kestrel felt the Doge place his hand lightly on the top of Kestrel’s head. “By the power of Kai and Growelk, air and fire, I name you the People’s Champion, give you the
freedom and honor the title carries, and oblige you to serve the men and women of Estone in times of need.
“Rise and face your people,” he said last, as he stepped back from Kestrel and resumed his seat.
Kestrel stood, dumbfounded by the ceremonial honor he had received, and by the boisterous applause that began to thunder from the crowd.
“Thank you, my lord. You have been far more generous than I deserve,” Kestrel said in amazement.
“I think not,” the Doge replied. “In a dream last night Kai showed me your face, and said you would be a hero for your people. I am only doing what the goddess wants. Now go and receive your rewards and accolades,” he motioned Kestrel towards the side.
“The audience of the court is at an end for today. All hail the Doge of Estone, ruler of the Northern Seas and Lands,” the black garbed herald proclaimed in his extraordinary voice, as Kestrel strode over to the beribboned stall where the other recognized individuals were waiting, clapping enthusiastically along with the rest of the audience.
Chapter 20 – Sprites in Estone
Nightfall arrived before Kestrel finally left the environs of the palace. He was befuddled by the incredible series of events that had befallen him, and felt even more strongly his discomfort with the city setting as he eventually evaded all the supporters and hangers-on in the palace, and slipped away to begin his walk back to the hotel. Castona’s shop was surely closed, Kestrel concluded, so there was no reason to return there in the evening, and he simply wanted to find the comfort of the hotel room and Merilla’s company so that he could relax.
The palace had showered attention upon him once the Doge’s audience had ended. The daughter of the country earl who had been recognized by the Doge just before him, the girl who paid no attention to him before the ceremony, even when they were the only two in the waiting room together, had hung on his arm for over an hour, attaching herself with a persistence that Kestrel found almost admirable in one sense. Only going to the bathroom had at last freed him from her clutches, but many others had wanted to bask in his reflected glory immediately thereafter, and the experience had been smothering.
He didn’t find his way through the maze of streets and canals easily, and finally gave a coin to a street urchin to lead him to his inn, and was full of relief when he saw the front of the inn come into view.
Merilla and her sons were sitting in the dining room. “Kestrel!” she called and waved wildly to draw his attention, as if he might not see her otherwise.
He walked over to their table and sat down, as Jacob immediately crawled into his lap, and he left out a noisy sigh of relief. “I am so glad to see all of you,” he told her.
“Where have you been?” she asked, and then without taking a breath immediately blurted out her news. “We picked our new house today! It’s just around the corner from my parents. I want you to come see it tomorrow.”
“What time?” Kestrel asked, thinking of the other obligations that had been heaped upon him at the palace. “I’d love to come see your new home,” he added.
“Any time,” Merilla replied as she focused on cutting food for Marco. The waiter came and took Kestrel’s food order, then left them alone. “Do you have an errand tomorrow?”
“A couple; a few,” Kestrel acknowledged. “But not much in the morning,” he thought about his discovery that little happened at the palace before noon, as the inhabitants slept late into the morning, recovering from their apparently regular habit of revelry during the evening.
“That’s it then. We’ll go take a look in the morning. It has a shop on the street floor, and then our rooms will be on the three floors above the shop, a small leather goods shop,” she told him, then proceeded to enthusiastically describe her proposed home.
“How did you find it?” Kestrel asked as his food arrived, and he began to share it with Jacob.
“My mother has an old friend whose son is the leathermonger in the shop on the street level,” Merilla replied. “So she told my mother, and my mother told me. I’ll be able to buy it and collect rent from the shop, so it will have an income too,” she looked at Kestrel with an expression that was a mixture of pride and hope and something else that Kestrel couldn’t identify.
“So how was the palace? Do you have details you can tell momma? After the palace did you go to Castona’s shop?” she asked, ready to hear about Kestrel, and truly interested in his day as well, despite her excitement over her prospective home.
“I’ll tell you about it when we get upstairs,” Kestrel said as he took his last bite of food.
Merilla raised her eyebrows, and for just a fleeting moment, to Kestrel’s eye she looked vaguely elvish, and more appealing than ever before. “Well then, upstairs it is,” she said, placing Marco on the floor and standing up, as Kestrel raised Jacob to his shoulder and stood as well.
Kestrel gratefully flopped across the full length of the mattress once they were upstairs, as Merilla took her boys into the other room. He felt fully relaxed at last, the door shutting out the world of cities and humans. He closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh, then started to fall asleep until he felt Merilla pulling his boots from his feet, startling him awake.
“Don’t think you’re going to just fall asleep now and leave me hanging with your mysterious day-at-the-palace story waiting to be told,” she mockingly growled. She pulled her skirts up around her thighs, then crawled upon the bed, and settled in to straddle Kestrel’s stomach. “So let’s hear what you have to say,” she shook a threatening finger in his face, “or else!”
“Who could withstand the fearful threats of the mighty Merilla?” Kestrel laughingly asked. “Not me, and I’m now Champion of the People.”
Merilla laughed, then looked at him, and her face grew puzzled. “Okay, so what’s the joke?” she asked.
“Well,” Kestrel drawled, “the thing is, there is no joke. The Doge gave me titles today in the ceremony at the palace. I get an annual salary, I can sail aboard any ship of the navy, and I am expected to fight on behalf of the people of Estone in the event my strength is needed.”
Merilla’s eyes darted wildly all about his face, studying his eyes, then his mouth, then the white bandages, before they drilled into his eyes again. “You’re serious!” she exclaimed. “The Doge has made you a member of the nobility, Kestrel! That’s fantastic!” she shouted, and leaned down. She placed her lips against his to kiss him in celebration, but seconds passed, and passion overtook them both. The kiss became a long lusty one, one without the fuel of alcohol, but only the compatibility and companionship the two had discovered during their long time spent so close to one another.
Kestrel’s hands stroked Merilla’s flesh as they kissed, and when at last she raised up, and looked down at him with smoldering eyes, he softly said, “I know it seems wrong, but it feels so perfect for us. May the gods of two races send me a sign if this is not what we should do.”
“Hello friend Kestrel!” Dewberry said brightly in the Elven language as she suddenly appeared on the bed beside them. “I think I’ve seen you with three different females the last three times I’ve seen you. You’re a busy one, aren’t you?”
Merilla screamed so loudly at the sudden appearance of the sprite that Dewberry instantly fled in fear, and doors opened in the hallway, followed by the sound of boots and bare feet striding about, trying to locate the source of the bloodcurdling shout.
“What in blazes?!” Merilla asked Kestrel. She scrambled off of him and off the mattress altogether. “Was that a sprite? Aren’t you concerned?” she asked.
“That,” Kestrel said, then paused. “That – I’m sure – was a sign,” he paused.
“That was my friend, Dewberry, the sprite,” he said. “But I don’t know why she showed up here; she’s supposed to be on her honeymoon. She married a water imp.”
Merilla turned at the sound of her own boys moving about in the connected room, and moments later they appeared at the doorway. She scooped them up in her arms, just as there
was a knock at the front door.
“Is everything okay in there?” a masculine voice asked. “We heard a scream somewhere up around here.”
“Everything’s okay in here,” Kestrel called as he sat up. He walked over to the door and threw it wide open, so that the visitor could see Merilla and the boys standing nearby. “Thank you for checking,” he added as he closed the door.
“You’re friends with a sprite?” Merilla stuttered, so stunned by the event. “I’ve never seen one before; I didn’t think they were real, to be honest.”
Kestrel sighed, frustrated by the turn of events. He had asked for a sign, never expecting something so obvious. Clearly, if the gods would so clearly send a sign, he and Merilla could have no immediate future together. The dreams that had pecked at the back of his brain during the day, the dreams of being a nobleman, the dreams of living in Estone with Merilla, settling down to live a blissful, domestic, human life, they were empty, they were only dreams, not what the gods had planned for him.
“Take the boys and try to settle them back into bed,” he directed Merilla. “I’d like to call Dewberry to find out why she came.”
“Can I watch?” Merilla asked in a small voice.
“Will you promise not to scream at the top of your lungs?” Kestrel asked with a crooked smile.
“You would have screamed to if you didn’t know what was happening,” the young mother defensively said.
“Go on,” Kestrel laughingly said, “and come back quietly.”
“Dewberry!” he called. “It’s okay to come back now,” he spoke in the Elvish language.
“Dewberry, my friend. She’s sorry she shouted,” he added moments later.
“’Shouted’ doesn’t begin to describe it,” the blue sprite was suddenly sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. “I thought the world was coming to an end.”
“You surprised her,” Kestrel explained. “We were, you know, alone together, and then suddenly you were with us.
The Inner Seas Kingdoms: 01 - The Healing Spring Page 23
