Jim Baen's Universe Volume 1 Number 5

by Eric Flint

  She continued to watch as the princess was presented to the court and they re-affirmed their loyalty to the royal family. Before the feast was brought in, the members of the fairy council appeared. This was what she had been waiting for. She leaned closer to the mirror then passed her hand over it. The images sharpened and she could hear each of the fairies as they approached the baby.

  "My gift to the child will be the gift of beauty. Even the dawn, for which she is named, will pale by comparison," the first said.

  "And my gift is that of music," the second said. "The birds will fall silent at the sound of her voice."

  Malei shook her head as the rest continued in the same vein. Beauty, music, grace? What do these have to do with the ruling of a kingdom? They should be gifting her with things like strength, wisdom and compassion. She waited until the next to last of the council approached, then dropped a handful of blue powder on the floor in front of her.

  * * *

  She bowed her head slightly as she appeared in the hall amid a cloud of billowing blue smoke. "Your Majesties, it appears I must apologize for the lateness of my arrival," she said stepping forward.

  "I do not believe you were actually invited," the King said.

  "So, now you refuse to acknowledge the blood kinship I share with the princess and would not allow me to offer her a christening gift."

  The Queen placed a shaking hand on the King's arm. "We are the ones who should apologize for the insult. And we will not stand in the way of your sister bestowing a gift on your daughter."

  Malei raised an eyebrow as she bowed to the Queen. The woman had more strength than she had given her credit for. She stepped forward and looked down at the sleeping child. So small and innocent, she thought. For just a heartbeat, she hesitated before raising the staff she carried with her.

  "The princess has been blessed by the members of the fairy council with gifts of beauty, grace, and music. These gifts will be indeed blossom as she grows. However, before the final setting of the sun of her sixteenth year, the princess shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die." She dropped another handful of the powder on the floor and left the hall.

  * * *

  Back in her office, she watched the last of the fairy council approach the child, her head held high as she smiled at the King and Queen. "Fear not, your Majesties," she said. "While I cannot undo the curse, perhaps it can be modified."

  Malei smiled. This was why her arrival had had to be timed properly. She knew the others would think to interfere and if several them had yet to bestow their gifts on the princess they could have combined their power and undone her spell. If she had waited till they were all done, they would have been able to use their magic to shield the princess until the last day the curse would be in effect and prevent it from happening. Now, the laws of magic bound them; they could interfere at this time or wait to see if they could prevent the final outcome of the curse. She had judged them correctly; they would interfere now, attempting to modify the curse, and she would have sixteen years to complete her plan.

  "This is my gift to the princess," the last of the council said. "When she pricks her finger, she will not die. Instead she will fall into a deep sleep, one that will last until she is awakened by a brave and true prince."

  "A brave and true prince?" Malei shook her head again. Another complication and one she would have to be prepared for as well. There were too many fools who thought of themselves as brave and true princes, and who would be eager to be the one to awaken the sleeping princess and thereby break the curse.

  2

  Malei looked up as the guards escorted the rain soaked figure into her office. The girl appeared to be no more than fourteen years old, despite this being her sixteenth birthday. Her honey blonde hair and clothes clung to her like second skins. Her black eyes stared straight ahead, not wavering as Malei's own met them.

  "Why are you here?" Malei watched the girl as she snapped the question at her.

  The girl blinked once, slowly, before answering.

  "My family was murdered and I want vengeance."

  Malei raised an eyebrow. "Are you accusing me of this act?"

  "No!" the girl said quickly. "I . . . I want to be trained."

  Malei noted the girl's hesitation. She did suspect her of being responsible for the deaths of her family. Perhaps, she still had a faint recollection of Malei's role in bringing her here.

  Malei stood up and walked around the girl studying the small, lithe figure. The girl was shivering in her wet clothing. Despite her appearance, there was something about her spirit that appealed to Malei. It was stronger than she suspected it would be when she had initiated this series of events almost sixteen years ago. Maybe she had misjudged the impact the other gifts would have on this girl's life.

  There was a flash of silver at the girl's throat. Malei reached out and lifted the small alicorn pendant. A tie to the life the girl had left behind. Something else she would have to take away. The girl started to grab for the pendant and Malei slapped her with her free hand. "You come to my house, asking to be trained. Do not presume to lift your hand to me!"

  "As you wish," the girl said.

  Malei jerked the pendant, breaking the slender chain holding it. "As I command! If you are to remain here, you will learn respect for those over you. And while you are in training, everyone is over you."

  "Yes, My Lady." The girl nodded slightly.

  "That is better." Malei turned and placed the girl's necklace on her desk, then picked up an egg-sized purple stone. She held the stone at the girl's eye-level, then rubbed her thumb across the top if it. A brilliant purple light burst from the stone and captured the girl's attention. Malei lowered the stone as the dark obsidian of the girl's eyes faded to clear lavender.

  "For now, until you are instructed otherwise, your name is Pawn. A Pawn is all you are and all you will be, until you earn a higher place. Do you understand?"

  "I understand."

  Malei nodded to the guards. "Escort her to her quarters. See she is fed, given new clothes and the opportunity to bathe."

  The guards bowed and led the girl from the room.

  Malei sat at her desk, picked up the small pendant and caressed the winged unicorn. She carefully coiled the chain around the pendant, and then placed it on the shelf next to the purple stone before turning back to look at the door. She had waited sixteen years for this day to come.

  3

  Malei listened to the reports of the trainers each day and personally supervised much of the girl's training. Pawn quickly learned to use a rapier and other small bladed weapons, in both defense and attack. Her grasp of strategy and tactics was surprising in one who had been taught her primary talents were her music and beauty. Malei shook her head as she thought about that. This girl's family only expected her to make a good marriage, just as Malei's had once expected of her.

  The girl's training progressed rapidly. She was intelligent and an eager learner. She demonstrated a willingness to accept the authority of those over her. But while she was never abusive when granted authority over others, she seemed hesitant to wield that authority. That was something Malei worried about. The girl had shown strength and spirit when she first came to her citadel, but Malei now wondered if that spirit had been crushed by the months of training. If it had, all her planning would have been for nothing.

  Malei walked into the dimly lit training hall. Pawn had been given a day to herself and she wanted to see how the girl was passing it. The training ring was covered in shadows as two figures sparred in the center. The ringing of the blades echoed off the stone walls as the metal flashed in the flickering torchlight.

  Malei watched as Pawn sparred with one of the guards. The girl had matured well in her time here, but still carried herself with the poise and grace of her former life. Pawn's beauty and intelligence, if combined with a strong will and sense of self would make her a powerful person when her training was complete. Tomorrow would be the test to
see if that time had come. If the girl's spirit had been broken she would have to hope the other half of her plan worked better than this one had.

  4

  Malei smiled as Pawn was escorted into the throne room of the castle. Her pale blue gown shimmered as she walked and the silver and sapphire crown sparkled brightly. The only thing missing was the silver alicorn pendant. That part of Pawn's past would only be returned when her training was completed. Another glint of silver caught Malei's eye and she nodded to herself at the small dagger Pawn was wearing under her sleeve.

  "This will be a role-play scenario. You are the new Queen of this Kingdom and Pyrin is your Prince Consort. A petitioner has approached you both regarding an idea he has." Malei bowed slightly as she backed away from the throne. She stood in the shadows and watched carefully. Pawn had been given instruction in government and royal hierarchies as part of her training. She would know that as Prince Consort, Pyrin's position should be considered subservient to her own. Malei wanted to see if and how the girl would exercise her authority when Pyrin tried to usurp it in this little scene—just as her father had done to her mother.

  Pawn seated herself on the throne and blushed slightly as Pyrin laid his hand on top of hers. He left his hand there as the petitioner was escorted in.

  "Your Majesties," he said bowing deeply.

  The man kept his attention focused on Pyrin instead of Pawn. Pawn sat quietly, smiling softly and occasionally glancing at the Prince-Consort as the petitioner explained a plan to send tutors to each of the towns and villages in the kingdom to teach the peasants to read and write. She continued to sit there without saying anything when Pyrin stood and dismissed the petitioner, saying they would consider his proposal and announce a decision within the next few days.

  After the door had shut, Pawn stood and faced Pyrin, her hands crossed together lightly. "What did you think of his proposal?"

  "I don't like it. Educating the peasants cannot be a good idea. It will encourage them to rise above their stations." He stood also and reached out to take her hands in his. "However, this is not a matter you need worry about, my dear. I will send a message to the man and let him know we have given the proposal its due consideration and have decided against it." He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed them.

  "And what gives you the authority to do that?" Pawn pulled her hands away from Pyrin and placed them on her hips, her head cocked to the side. "You are only my consort, I am the Queen."

  "My Lady, you have much more important concerns that demand your attention: the running of the castle as well as providing the Kingdom with an heir."

  "The Kingdom is my primary concern and I will make the decision regarding the proposal that has been brought to us. I appreciate your opinion and I will be speaking to the council of advisers as well. This is not a decision to be made lightly."

  Malei was pleased. Pawn had not made a scene regarding the petitioner's apparent dismissal of her, yet she did not back down to Pyrin when he tried to assume her authority. She had demonstrated both diplomacy and wisdom in her handling of the situation. Malei wondered what the young woman's decision regarding the proposal would be. Her father had agreed with the petitioner. Though he had not mandated that everyone would be taught to read and write, he had decreed schools would be set up and open to all. She would have to ask the girl what her opinion of the petition was. But that could wait until after the final test.

  "Pawn!" Malei called. "I have an assignment for you. Change your clothes, get your weapons and report to my office."

  The girl nodded then hurried out of the room.

  * * *

  Malei looked up at the girl as she entered the office. She was dressed in her leathers and carried herself with confidence. Her back was straight and her head held high as she nodded politely. This would be the last time she addressed her only as Pawn. After today, she would be a different person. The girl she had been when the original spell had been triggered was dead, and a new person had been forged in her place.

  "When you came here you said you wanted revenge for the murder of your family. The time has come for you to achieve it. This man," Malei passed her hand over the mirror on her desk, "is the one responsible for the deaths of your family. I can send you to his castle. My magic will return you here once your have accomplished your assignment."

  The girl looked at the image in the mirror and tightened her hand on the dagger at her side. "I understand," she said.

  Malei tossed a handful of the blue powder on the floor in front of Pawn and watched the girl vanish in a swirl of smoke. Then she passed her hand over the mirror on her desk. The polished silver clouded for a moment to show the girl standing in the shadows of a long hallway. Dust covered the floor and spider webs hung from the burned out torches and empty sconces. Pawn didn't seem to notice the signs of neglect as she moved through the corridors, but the girl's soft leather boots left almost no trace of her passing.

  Malei touched a corner of the mirror and the scene changed slightly. Now, she could see what the girl was seeing.

  * * *

  Pawn pressed back into a curtained alcove as footsteps approached from an adjoining hallway. Malei had shown her an image of the man who had ordered her family's death, but she had not told her specifically where to find him. From the picture she assumed he was a man of some importance as he had been well dressed and wore a thin gold band on his head. If he held some type of power in this place, then it seemed reasonable he would have an audience hall. It was that location she wanted to find.

  She waited until the footsteps passed her then slipped out from behind the curtain. She watched the two guards turn down another hallway before moving to follow them.

  A statue stood at the corner and she found enough space to stand between it and the wall as she risked a quick glance down the other hall. There, at the end of the hallway was a set of double doors and guards stood on either side. The other two guards waited as the doors were opened and an older man stepped out of the room. The guards saluted as he walked past them. It was the same man Pawn was here for.

  The guards did not accompany the man and Pawn moved from one shadowed area to another as she followed him. She was surprised to find the corridors empty except for herself and the one she was after, but she wanted to wait until they were both in a room or other less accessible place before striking. After what seemed like an hour of following the man through the corridors of the castle, he opened a door and stepped into a room.

  She waited for several minutes to see if he exited or if any voices could be heard in the silence of the hallway. Only the creak of a chair as someone might have sat down reached her. She moved to the door, which had been left ajar. The man was sitting in a large cushioned chair, his back to the door, as he appeared to be looking out a window.

  She slipped past the door and into the room. She caught her breath at the sound the metal of the dagger made as she pulled it from the sheath. The man in the chair didn't react in any way and she offered a silent thank you to whichever power was watching over her.

  The man turned and looked up as she approached the chair. "Why are you here?" His voice was soft as he spoke.

  "To take payment for the death of my family." She shoved the blade into his chest. The strike was perfect, passing just under the breastbone and into his heart

  She stared at the man for a moment as he slumped in the chair. There had been no protest, no struggle, no attempt to call for help. He had let her kill him. It made no sense to her. Her hand shook as she removed the blade from the body and stared at the blood on the now dull metal. A chill wrapped itself around her and she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them the scene had changed. The man was still there, blood staining his clothes, but everything else was covered in dust—the dust of many years.

  She looked again at the man she had killed. She knew this person. The golden band he wore on his graying hair and the slender hands that rested in his lap. A glint of silver sparkled at his ne
ck and she reached out with a trembling hand. He wore an alicorn pendant. She snatched her hand back, but continued to stare at the pendant as it rested against the dark blue of the man's clothes. Her hand went to her own throat for a moment as her vision blurred with a lavender haze. When the haze faded, she glanced at the body in the chair again.

  "Father?"

  Pawn dropped the dagger, the metal of the blade ringing as it hit the stone floor. She felt her heart pounding—her whole body drumming with the rhythm as she tried to catch her breath.

  "Malei!" She finally forced the name out between breaths as she picked up the dagger.

  Now she realized exactly who it was she had gone to. There had been no attack against her family. She had met an old woman who had offered to show her how to spin thread. When she took the spindle, she had pricked her finger. The next thing she remembered she had been standing outside the gates to Malei's castle in the high mountains.