by Laura Abudo
Glory was thrilled to find a book of the royal line and scoured it for mention of her father’s family and how they were connected. She’d giggle when she found a name she recognized. Poor Pearl had no idea where or who she’d come from. She didn’t remember parents but had a fantasy of having been the daughter of a sea merchant or pirate or naval officer. She knew her mother had probably been one of Tucker’s whores, left to the streets. She could always imagine herself to be anyone she wanted to be, which suited her fine. Her reasoning was, what if she didn’t like her real family at all, at least this way she could always like them because they were who she created.
Glory and Pearl were not the only ones who took lessons. Coral was forced to withstand hours of instruction from Mother and Glory in the etiquette of being a lady and wife to an important man. They had discussions about duties, hosting parties, hosting dinners and even guests for tea. There were rules, there were expectations and by the end of the first lesson Coral was ready to call off the whole thing in frustration. Amias Doran wouldn’t care if she could fold a napkin properly or pour tea from the left or right. He’d be more concerned if she could cook a stew over a campfire or oil a saddle properly. She honestly felt she had no use for the lessons but they insisted.
“Ah hah!” her mother called loudly one afternoon, rushing into the library, startling the girls and Coral. She waved a letter and envelope in her hands. It bore the King’s seal. “This is marvelous.”
“What is it?” Glory beamed, recognizing the seal.
“We have been invited to see the King!” she declared. All three of them gasped. “This is what it says, ‘His Highness King Fredrick Pol Stener Curden requests the presence of the Ladies of Marden Manor on the 18th day in the month of Decat. You shall be escorted by Sergeant Kel Ced Wonj Renfrey of His Royal Marshalls upon his arrival at your residence on the 15th day in the month of Decat.”
“Oh, Kel is coming!” Glory cheered. “And we are to see the King!”
“This must be a formal engagement,” Mother said. “If so, Captain Doran will be there.”
With that statement butterflies and then nausea swept through Coral’s insides. She sat down slowly, her thoughts whirling about. “We don’t have much time.”
“It will be good to see the Captain again,” Pearl said. “I miss riding with him.”
“And he’s the most handsome man in the land, isn’t he, Coral?” Glory asked.
Her mother lifted her eyebrow at Coral, silently asking if this were true. She blushed a deep red, she was sure, and her mother laughed. “It is proper to admire your husband-to-be when you meet him, but to find him handsome is even better.”
The ladies giggled.
Kel arrived on the day expected, all smiles and hugs for the girls. He kissed Coral and her mother on the cheeks and gave a hearty handshake to her father. He balked at the wagon of chests containing dresses and other items the ladies would need for their visit to court.
“Whatever happened to simple Brother robes and ugly Sister gear?” he asked as Glory twirled for him in a frilly orange dress.
“But those were awful,” she told him.
“I think I prefer them to all this lace,” Kel told her. “Won’t these dresses get dirty when you fall in mud, brush the horses and climb trees?”
“I have riding dresses for them,” Coral laughed.
“Horses?” Glory protested, wrinkling her nose. “We are going to ride in a carriage this time.”
“What’s wrong with horses?” Kel asked, grabbing her up into a hug for a tickle. “They were perfectly fine for you for weeks.”
“I think Mother is spoiling her,” Coral said.
“I’m going to ride,” Pearl announced. “I’ve even got my own hatchet.”
Mother gasped at the small hatchet hanging from Pearl’s belt. Coral’s father had a local blacksmith make a replica of the Marshall’s hatchets with mother of pearl inlay in the handle and her name engraved at the base of the blade. Kel examined it and made a sound of approval.
“Leather chest armor next!” he declared to Mother’s horror.
“Now that is quite enough,” she told them all, “We are going to see the King, not his Army’s General.”
The girls were put to bed early that night since they’d start their journey at sunrise. They tried to stall to visit with Kel but they finally went, leaving Coral and Kel in front of the library fireplace.
“It’s not a campfire but it will do,” he said stacking another log.
“Do you think it is safe for us to go to the city?” she asked.
He shrugged. With a glance over his shoulder at her he said, “I gave as full a report to the King as I dared. Apparently when our Amias arrived at court the King was about to be wooed by two sisters in veils. He was the one who stopped them, like Pearl and Glory have done. So the King has experienced firsthand some of the …peculiarities of the situation.”
“Amias did?” she asked.
Kel nodded. “The King has arrested as many Brothers and Sisters of the Faold as he can find. He’s brought so many in who have had absolutely no involvement that it’s quite hard to determine what should be done for fear of prosecuting the innocent.”
“There must be many in hiding,” she said. “It was easy enough for me to discard my robes and change my name.”
Kel nodded. “When I gave him the story of our journey he demanded you come to court with the girls. That’s when I told him that Brother Karl was Coral Marden. You should have seen the man laugh.”
“Laugh?”
“I told him Amias doesn’t know you are his betrothed and he thought it was great fun.”
“Strange sense of humor.”
“He knows Amias and his father well. I think he just wants to play a prank on our dear Captain by not telling him. But if he tries to put you in Brother robes for the wedding I’d start to worry.”
Coral couldn’t help but laugh at the imagery that comment produced. She became pensive again and asked, “Do you think he will want to go through with it?”
“Why wouldn’t he? He’d be a fool not to marry you.”
“That’s nice to say,” she said with a smile.
“You ride a horse well, don’t belch too loudly after a hearty meal, and can make Brother robes look somewhat appealing. You are a catch.”
She threw a small book at him and he caught it, laughing.
“And you have an accurate throwing arm.”
The early morning departure was full of excitement. Glory and Mother rode in the carriage and Coral and Pearl rode horses next to Kel. The entourage of servants traveled in carts or on horses at the rear.
The signposts marked with X’s had been removed along the highway and people once again waved greetings as they saw the travelers on the road. The threat of fever was slim now that the Sisters had been caught. Most believed they had been responsible for the illness. It may have just run its course but Coral reasoned that if the storms had not occurred naturally the fevers may not have either.
When they stopped for food, drinks and rest Mother stepped out of the carriage. The servants immediately got to work in preparation. Coral and Kel had a chuckle remembering their long journey north and having to do everything for themselves.
“I can see why Glory is so happy,” Kel said as a blanket was spread for her on the soft grass at the side of the road.
“She’s landed in the lap of luxury,” Coral told him. “With Ruby gone Mother has someone to pamper again. I was never one for tolerating it.”
He grinned and watched Pearl as she checked over the horses and made sure they had water and small apples she’d brought from home. “Have you heard from Krisa?”
“No, not yet. I’m sure she is well. I miss her terribly.”
“Pat will take care of her. He’s a good man, young but competent.”
She nodded. Mother called them over to have food with them. They sat in the sun eating fruit and drinking tea like they were having a picnic in t
he garden. Kel showed Coral a fancy carved piece of melon and they laughed again at the contrast between this day and how they’d always traveled before. Mother looked at them as though she wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or not but with a pat on her arm from Coral she brightened. Coral couldn’t imagine her mother riding horse-back without a bath for days, with mud on her dress and sleeping on a bedroll among a dozen or more road-toughened men.
When they reached the crossroads garrison late in the evening near sundown they found a message from Amias to Kel. He took it with him to his bunk in the communal barracks but didn’t share it with Coral. She was extremely curious to know what he’d written. Mother was put out to sleep on a bunk in a barrack but agreed to when Glory said it was great fun and they could share one. The servants slept in the wagons and Mother’s personal maids slept in the carriage.
Pearl and Coral were tucked in together when Kel came in with a lantern and set it on a table at the head of his bunk. He sat and wrote a letter, referring to the one he’d got from Amias earlier. When sealed he stood and walked over to Coral’s bunk.
He whispered in her ear, “I have been told to keep Amias’ letter to myself so I’m going out to smoke my pipe. If you read it it’s your choice. I had nothing to do with it.”
And there it was, left open on the table. Coral snuck out of the bunk and over to the table. She sat to read:
My Friend, Kel,
I hope this letter finds you healthy and in good cheer. First, I must apologize for my behavior the last time we were together. I am forever wishing things had not turned out as they had, but I cannot change the past. I can simply apologize for it.
Please, tell me the children are well and safe and that you finished our mission successfully. I received word from the King that our troop arrived to report but I’ve had no further word of our men or the girls.
I am at home with Father. He is improving but not yet able to journey to the city. I have begun building the new manor for my bride though I’ve postponed the wedding. Father and the King are urging me to complete my task and retrieve the woman but I can’t bring myself to do so yet. I have a ghost haunting me. If I thought it tortured me before, I was mistaken.
I must ask a personal question, and in that light, please keep the contents of this letter between us. What of Brother Karl? Have you taken her to wed? I have no claim and should not have reacted the way I had. Again I apologize deeply for my actions, my friend, my brother.
Forever your servant in friendship,
Amias Natan Filbar Doran
Tears filled Coral’s eyes as she returned the letter to the table. She blew out the lantern and returned to the bunk, where she silently wept until she fell asleep.
Mother pointed out a strangely shaped apple tree to Glory. Its branches all seemed to point in the same direction, like it was being swept by a strong wind. “You remember this tree,” she told her. “This is the tree that tells you where the King is.”
And as soon as they made the next bend in the road they could see far off in the distance the city and in the middle on a rise was the castle. Glory clapped her hands and stuck her head out the window of the carriage until they were close enough for her to see the city from inside. As they entered the outer city wall the sun was going down so windows in houses and shops began to light up with lanterns and hearth fires. The city was much bigger than Brynntown so it took time to make their way through the streets to the inner wall at the castle. Guards saluted Kel, who introduced the party belonging to Lady Marden of Wickton. The guards checked the carriage then admitted them through the gates.
Servants rushed forward. A finely dressed man assisted Mother and Glory from the carriage. The girl was beaming and nudged Pearl when Pearl was lifted down from the horse she rode. Kel helped Coral down, who straightened her skirts and wondered if she should have ridden the last of the leg of the journey in the carriage. Her riding dress was wrinkled, she smelled of horse and she walked stiffly since her rear end hurt from sitting so long.
“I have to check in,” Kel told her. “If I can I’ll see you this evening.”
The ladies were kept occupied by hanging their dresses and settling into their room. All four were to stay in the suite provided by the King. It had two attached rooms with a sitting area in the larger. They had a small dinner and tea and when the girls started to yawn it was time for bed. They had a big day ahead of them with a brunch planned with other courtiers, an afternoon in the gardens and then a dinner party with the King. Glory fell asleep whispering to Pearl her dream of attending a festive ball where all the ladies wore pale cream gowns but she had on the most brilliant blue with silver sparkles. Pearl tsk’d at Glory but secretly she fell asleep happy, wondering how a street rat like her could end up here. She wondered how Tucker’s face would look if he knew where she was.
Coral was called out of brunch by an invitation by the King to visit him in his library. When a manservant deposited her at the door she knocked timidly.
“Come,” a man’s voice called.
As she entered the library the man nearing forty stood to greet her. He bowed and offered her a chair.
“I am Fredrick,” he said.
“Oh, Your Majesty!” She curtsied and stood without taking her seat.
“Sit,” he commanded and she did. “This is my library, not my war room. I hope you can be comfortable here. I won’t expect you to bow and grovel.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” she smiled, not exactly able to relax in his presence.
He sat back and put a foot up onto his opposite knee. He studied her. “So you are our Brother Karl.”
She winced slightly. “I was,” she told him. “I was a Brother of the Faold until recently when I denounced the robes.”
“So I heard. The brave Brother who has been escorting three small girls across the land to take them to the Sisterhood then deciding to defect. You kept them from those very same Sisters, risking their wrath and put yourself and everyone else in danger.”
“It sounds quite traitorous when you put it that way,” Coral said slowly, beginning to get nervous.
“It sounds quite heroic,” he said, smiling.
“Your Marshalls were heroic. I was simply taking care of the children.”
“They tell it differently,” he told her, standing. “They admire you greatly.”
“I feel the same about them.”
“And one in particular?” he asked with a wicked twinkle in his eye.
“I have become friends with them all,” she told him, refusing to admit what he was trying to urge out of her.
“I was certainly surprised to find out that our Brother Karl, hero of the people, was none other than Coral Marden, the very young woman who I’d personally betrothed to Amias Doran. And he turned out to be the Captain of the Marshalls who escorted you to safety.”
“Strange set of circumstances,” she agreed, nodding.
“And he doesn’t know!” he laughed, slapping his hand down on his desk. “Sergeant Kel tells me Captain Doran was smitten with you and left on less than favorable terms. So he has no idea our Brother Karl is his bride to be. I am delighted with this outcome.”
Coral swore at Kel under her breath. Now her embarrassment was public knowledge and the King of all people was going to use it to his advantage.
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t make too much of a fuss about it. But I’ll tell you I wasn’t very happy he left his men behind while he came back here with his tail between his legs. I told him at the time I wasn’t pleased but he’d just saved us all from some unimaginable danger from the Sisters so I couldn’t be too harsh on him. But now, I’m going to use you to get my revenge for his indiscretion. I hope you don’t mind.”
She did mind, but she couldn’t tell the King that. She smiled her agreement. Her mother would kill her if she refused to play a part in his ruse.
“Now, the girls. You have them with you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. They are having brunch. They will b
e at dinner tonight.”
“Good. But I’d like to meet with them outside all this pageantry. I hear they are quite precious. I’ve only got sons, you know. My wife wanted a daughter but passed before she bore me one.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll slip into the gardens this afternoon while you and the girls are there. Please don’t tell anyone. I want it to be a surprise.”
“I won’t, Sir,” she replied
“I may find another wife yet. Amias had better be careful or I might steal you away for my own.” And with that he stood laughing and led her to the door where another manservant waited to take her back to the brunch. She curtsied and rushed off, glad to be able to breathe again.
The gardens were stunning. It was a massive courtyard within the castle grounds, bordered by the castle walls on three sides. Windows and balconies looked out over the gardens from private rooms and offices. The ladies strolled among the flowering trees and beds of brilliant blossoms, sitting on benches to revel in the beauty of the day. Pearl wandered off toward the sound of other children but Glory stuck close to Mother and Coral.
“Oh, can we get these for the garden at home?” Glory asked, pointing to some delicate white bell-shaped blooms. Then she’d point out a dozen more she wanted and Mother just laughed.
Other women, courtiers, wandered the gardens, watching them furtively then whispering, perhaps trying to recall who they were. An older woman approached in a lime green dress Glory stared at for all its frills, ruffles and beading. It seemed a little much for a walk in the gardens on a warm afternoon. She introduced herself as Lady Cecile Suz Tara Poton, wife to someone’s brother’s cousin’s uncle, as Coral would be able to recall.
