Accidental Champion Boxed Set

by Jamie Davis

  “You don’t have to hide it from us, Princess. We know who you are. Actually, when you look at all the evidence, it is surprising it took us all as long as it did to figure everything out. I suppose it’s hard to realize when a fairy tale told to you as a young child really comes true.”

  Cari sighed. “I really have to stop playing the hero all the time.”

  “What was that?” Merk asked.

  “Nothing, I just hope I can rely on your discretion on revealing my identity. I’d just as soon remain just the Dread Raider Cari, captain of the Vengeance.”

  “I can vouch for myself and most of the crew but the others are already ashore and I’m certain most of them are telling anyone who’ll listen about the daring rescue executed by the Lost Princess of legend. The story circulating on the Freeman of how you ripped the slaver’s manacles apart with your bare hands is spectacular enough that no one will believe it anyway.”

  “I suppose I can’t run away from it too much longer; still, I’d like to hold off owning the title for just a little bit. It’s only going to make what I have to do even harder.”

  “If there’s anything the Freeman’s crew or I can do to help you, you know you only have to ask.”

  “For now, helping to deliver the lieutenant with his message for the Duke of Tandon is enough. I wish you luck on the final repairs and Godspeed on your journey. I have business to attend to in town. Farewell, Captain.”

  “Farewell to you as well, Captain.”

  Cari turned and started into town, leaving the hustle and bustle of the activity around the two ships behind her. She headed up the hill to see about crafting herself a new sword. It would be interesting to see what her friend, Heath, had been able to do with the crafting magic Cari taught him to use before she left almost a year ago.

  Quest accepted — craft a new blade

  Chapter 33

  The steady rhythm of hammer blows sounded from within the smithy, announcing to Cari her friend was in his shop. The smithy had changed since she’d last been here. What had been an open forge with a roof overhead in a large spacious yard surrounded by a tall fence was now fronted by a little shop displaying various metal wares and weapons for sale while the smithy was now hidden behind the small building facing the street.

  A young woman of perhaps fifteen years stood behind the counter in the shop. She smiled at Cari when she entered.

  “Can I help you, ma’am? We have many fine things you might be interested in.”

  “I actually came to see Heath. Is he in?”

  “Mr. Fletcher is out back working, ma’am. May I tell him who is here calling on him?”

  “I think I’d like to surprise him if you don’t mind.” Cari brushed past the shop girl and walked through the rear door of the shop into the forge yard behind it.

  Sterling Fletcher, who looked to have grown close to six inches since she’d last been here, saw her first. He sat working at the grinding wheel, honing a new blade to razor sharpness. From what Cari could see of his work, he had picked up some of the crafting skill, too.

  Sterling stood and reached out to clasp wrists with Cari when she entered the smithy yard behind the small store out front. “Cari, what are you doing back in town?”

  “I came to visit you all, of course. I said I’d be back when I could.”

  Heath, Sterling’s father, looked up from where he was working on a piece of steel bar stock. The metal glowed with a dull yellow hue from heating in the forge. He set the bar aside as a huge grin spread across his face. Heath’s smile, always infectious, brought a smile to her face as well.

  “Cari, I can’t believe it’s really you. Have you been to the house yet? Becca and the other children will be so glad to know you’re in town.”

  “I came here first, though I do intend to stop by and visit.”

  “You’d better. Becca’d have both our hides if she found out you were in town and didn’t stop by to see her, too.”

  Cari had lived with the Fletchers for a few weeks while she earned enough money to pay for her initial trip to Tandon a year before. It was then that she’d learned her smithing skills and leveled up her bladesmith skill several times until she became a master smith at blade craft.

  “I am in need of a new blade, Heath, and I hoped you and I could talk about what might be needed to craft a new one. I have some ideas to improve the design I had from before and make it even better.”

  “How could I say no to you. It was you who opened my eyes and my abilities to the possibilities lying within the blades and metal I’d never seen before. Do you know one of my swords took the prize as the best masterpiece at last year’s Crafters’ Fair in the Crystal City? Since then, my metal work has become the most desirable in the Empire and I’m back ordered for several months. I owe that to you.”

  “Congratulations are in order then. You deserve the credit, too. I taught you what I could. It was your smithing skill and innovative thinking that took your blades to the next level. I’m hoping you can find the time over the next few days to help me with crafting my new sword?”

  “Definitely. Let me finish what I’m doing here and then we can sit down in the front showroom and talk about the design you’re thinking of. In the meantime, Sterling will fetch you some refreshments and food.”

  “That would be wonderful. Sterling, lead the way.”

  They headed back into the shop out front. The shop girl seemed flustered about Cari’s intrusion in the forge. She reached out to grab Sterling’s arm, then dropped it, self-conscious at the sudden, unexpected physical contact with the strapping lad.

  “I’m sorry, Sterling. I tried to stop her and ask about her business. She just pushed past me. Please tell your father it’s not my fault.”

  “Don’t worry, Maisy. This is Cari Dix. She’s an old friend. She’s going to wait in here while father finishes the piece he’s working on. Can you go into the store room and bring out a bottle of wine and some of the biscuits mother sent in with us for lunch this morning? I think there are a few left.”

  “Of course.”

  Maisy, whose eyes had gone wide as saucers when Sterling mentioned Cari’s name, performed an awkward curtsy and rushed into the back of the small shop.

  “She’s a cute one, Sterling.”

  The boy blushed and Cari laughed. “Did I detect a little something going on between you two?”

  “Well, we have been talking together a lot since Father hired her. She’s the daughter of a dry goods merchant down near the docks and he was glad to find work for her because his older children already run his shop.”

  “Oh, so she’s not only cute, she’s also connected to another guildsman in town, too. She’d be a catch.”

  “You sound like my mother. She’s been saying much the same for the last few weeks and has been after me to ask her back to the house after work for dinner.”

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, Sterling, but you should listen to your mother. She has good instincts. I think she gets them from Grandma Gerald. Speaking of whom, I don’t suppose my arrival happens to fall at the same time as her regular trip here to visit.”

  “No, you just missed her. Granny left a few days ago. She’ll be angry she didn’t see you. She was just remarking on all the incredible stories we keep hearing about you from sailors in port and from the few traveling bards who pass through.”

  “Don’t believe everything you hear, Sterling. It’s all exaggerated.”

  Maisy returned with two cups and a bottle of wine on a tray. There were also three fresh, flaky biscuits, arranged on a plate, too.

  Cari picked up one of the biscuits and took a bite while Sterling poured the wine.

  “Cari, it may be exaggerated, but Father says it can’t all be false. He said you’d proven your ability to do great things right here in this smithy. Did you really save Crown Prince Timron’s life?”

  Reluctantly, Cari nodded. “But it wasn’t anything like the bards and troubadours tell it.”


  “I’m sure. From the way they talk, you’re the Lost Princess returned.”

  Maisy, standing nearby, blurted out a nervous laugh. She paused then her pent-up words blurted out in a stream. “Sterling, don’t you see. She is the Lost Princess. She’s not just the Dread Raider Cari we hear about from the few traders that come through the town. She is THE Cari Dix from all the old stories. My father says that with everything she’s done fighting the raiders, saving the Crown Prince, and more, that there’s no other explanation. She is the Lost Princess returned to save the Empire.”

  Sterling smiled. “Maisy, she’s just Cari. She’s like a big sister to me and my siblings. I was joking about what my dad said. Cari stayed with us last year when she got stranded here. She worked here in this smithy for a time to earn her passage west. Does that sound like something a princess would do?”

  “But you told me she taught your father something he’d never seen before, something that changed the way he made his sword blades. You called it magic.”

  “I did say that, but it was just a figure of speech. I meant it was like magic. She’s just very talented and helped dad learn something new.”

  “On top of that, she just admitted to saving the prince. That means she’s accomplished with a sword and in battle. She’s also the youngest captain anyone in these parts have ever heard of, and she has single-handedly fought off the raiders sailing all along the coast.”

  Sterling started to argue, but Cari could almost see the wheels spinning in his brain, putting the pieces together. Maisy had made a strong argument and his affection for the girl helped him accept what she said and the arguments she made.

  He glanced over at Cari as if appraising her in a different way.

  She had to put a stop to this. “Sterling, does it really matter who I am. Even if I were some princess out of a fairy tale, it doesn’t change anything about how much I enjoyed staying with you and your family.”

  “That sounds like you’re admitting to being the Lost Princess. Are you really her?”

  Cari sighed. This was getting to be a routine thing it seemed. Despite her best efforts to deny it even to herself, the truth still found its way to the surface.

  “Yes, Sterling. It’s all true. My father is Hal Dix. My mother is Mona. But to you, I’m still the same Cari you knew before. I don’t want any of that other stuff to change anything between your family and me.”

  “Change what?” Heath asked, entering the shop, wiping his hands on a dirty white towel he had draped over his shoulder.

  Maisy pointed at Cari. “She just admitted to being the Lost Princess, Master Heath. Sterling didn’t believe me until I proved it to him.”

  Heath smiled. “Sterling, you needed her to convince you after all you’ve seen Cari do with your own eyes?”

  Sterling stared at his father, his mouth hanging open.

  “Close your mouth, boy. You’ll catch flies. Your grandmother put it together first, soon after the first story-teller came to Morton Creek with the tales of the way she rescued the prince. Your mother and I thought about it and decided we agreed with Granny’s theory. The three of us also decided, Granny along with your mother and I, that since Cari didn’t want to make a big deal about it, we wouldn’t either. Everyone needs a place to call home. We decided to be that sort of place for Cari. We owe her that much, right?”

  “I don’t suppose I can swear you all to secrecy, can I?” Cari asked.

  “It’s not really a secret anymore, is it?” Heath remarked.

  “No, I suppose not. I just don’t like all the attention.”

  Heath threw his head back and laughed aloud. “You should stop saving princes and rescuing people from raiders and slavers, then. Come on into my office. We’ll talk about the new sword you need. I have some ideas, too, now that you’re here. Sterling, you and Maisy close up the shop and then you can walk her home.”

  Sterling nodded, then blushed when he saw the smile on Maisy’s face.

  Cari got up to follow Heath and walked into a room off to the side of the shop. It was small, but there was space enough for a desk and two chairs.

  Heath sat down behind the desk; Cari in front of it. He pulled out a piece of chalk and leaned over the desk. The wooden planks on the top had been painted black and he started sketching right on the desktop.

  “I assume you want something like the modified rapier you used before.”

  “Yes, it’s the blade I’m most used to.”

  “I agree. Given your size and quickness, it’s the right blade for you. It just suits you somehow. Now, tell me about the modifications you were thinking about and how you think we can make them work without weakening the blade or adding to its weight.”

  The two of them settled into a lengthy discussion about the design of her blade. An hour and a half later they’d come up with a prototype drawing of the sword she’d envisioned.

  There were a few modifications suggested by Heath based on his experience with some new alloys he’d developed and the way the blade should be tempered. Overall, if they could pull it off, it was going to be a blade better than any she’d ever used before.

  As they left the smithy, having agreed on the design, it was already dark out.

  “Are you sure I cannot convince you to come by and join us for dinner tonight? Becca will be so disappointed she missed you.”

  “Tell her I’ll come tomorrow night for sure. I have to get back to my ship and check on the schedule and progress of the repairs.”

  “I’ll hold you to that. If you don’t show up, Becca’s likely to come down and drag you back to dinner herself.”

  “Sounds like she is taking after her mother,” Cari laughed.

  “You have no idea,” Heath said, laughing along with her.

  The two clasped wrists and Cari headed back down the hill, back to the harbor and her duties as captain.

  Chapter 34

  The following morning, Cari stood on the dock with Merk, Stefan, and Rodrigo. On one side of the wooden pier floated the Freeman and opposite it, on the other side, was the Vengeance.

  “Merk, good luck and Godspeed on your journey.”

  “Thank you, Cari. Don’t worry, I’ll get the Lieutenant here to Tandon in one piece.”

  “Good. Stefan, do you have everything you need to pass along my concerns to the Duke and my plans about what is going to happen next?”

  “I do.” Stefan patted his belt pouch. “You explained everything very clearly, and I’ll be sure to add my own assessment of everything based on what I’ve seen.”

  “Good. You both should be on your way. The tide waits for no one.”

  Captain Merk nodded and turned to board the Freeman, calling out orders as he went.

  Rodrigo and Stefan clasped wrists.

  “Be careful on the journey, Stefan.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Rod. I’m just traveling a week by boat. The raiders have mostly been tamed. It should be an easy trip. You’re the one who should watch your back.”

  Rodrigo shrugged. “I’ve got a cross-country journey with plenty of inns and farmsteads in which to rest my weary bones. I’ll be fine.”

  “Stefan is right, Rodrigo,” Cari added. “If the Duke of Charon gets word of your trip to find Liam and the others, or if any of his henchmen find out who you are and get word back to him, he’ll stop at nothing to track you down and stop you any way he can.”

  “I’ll watch my back, Cari. I’m more concerned about you.”

  “I am, too,” Stefan added. “Who’s going to watch your back?”

  “Helen will keep me straight, I’m sure. Plus, I’ve got the whole crew of the Vengeance to back me up.”

  Captain Merk called from the Freeman to the group. “Lieutenant, if you’re traveling with us, you’d better get on board.”

  Stefan saw the last of the hawsers dropping into the harbor, having been untied from the pier. A few crewmen on the former slave ship hastened to pull the thick mooring ropes back on board as the shi
p started to drift away from its position at the dock.

  With a final wave to Cari and Rodrigo, he ran across to the side of the dock and leaped across the widening gap to land safely on the deck of the Freeman. He turned and waved back at them.

  Above him, the Freeman’s sails unfurled and caught the breeze, carrying the former slave ship out into the harbor.

  Cari and Rodrigo returned the wave and then walked down the dock to a horse tied up to a hitching post at the end of the pier. Rodrigo checked the saddle and girth one more time while Cari waited.

  In a single sweeping motion, he pulled himself up into the saddle and settled on his mount.

  “Like Stefan said, be careful.”

  “I’ll be back before you know it, our friends in tow. Then we can get the princess to her great-grandmother where she’ll be safe.”

  “I’ll be waiting. If I have to leave Morton Creek for any reason, I’ll leave word at the smithy owned by Heath Fletcher up near the old castle on the hill.”

  Rodrigo leaned down and clasped wrists with Cari then wheeled his mount around, trotting up into town towards the north gate.

  Cari glanced up at the sky. The sun was already climbing higher than she’d expected. Heath was going to wonder where she was. Cari turned and started up the hill towards the castle. It was time to start working on her blade.

  ———

  The elongated bar of glowing metal stretched out even farther as Heath pounded on it with powerful, yet precise blows from his hammer. He had folded the metal back on itself nearly a hundred times, working different trace materials into each succeeding layer, creating a unique alloy of steel just for Cari.

  As he pounded on this final layer, laminating the steel alloy to the layer beneath, a purple aura began to appear around the bar. It wasn’t an effect of the glow from the extreme heat of the forge. This was something else.

  “Heath, can you see anything different about the steel right now.”

  The smith squinted through the heat as he leaned over the glowing metal. He stared at it for a few long seconds before he turned and shot Cari a broad grin.