The King's Descendants

by Robin Simmons

  “Just keep your mind on arms during the competitions. I do not want you injured because of a lack of concentration.” Master Rollins had a hard time saying this with a strait face. Pi came from the kitchen just then and announced that breakfast would be served. Edward welcomed the break from the scrutiny of his sister and Master Rollins.

  After breakfast, the king and Master Rollins hastened to depart for the hunt. The other hunters had already left, but Master Rollins had seen some bull Tor holding up in a little draw not far from the castle a few days before. He highly doubted that any of the other hunting parties would think to look there. As Master Rollins and the king rode down into the small draw, Edward had doubts that there would be any thing there because of the sparse cover. He knew that if the king failed to bag a Tor for the feast, people would find that unusual, since no one could remember a king’s hunting party failing before. Edward smiled, he and Master Rollins had been invited by a dozen hunting parties to join them. It seemed everyone wanted the luck the king would bring to them. Now it seemed that the king and Master Rollins by themselves would come up empty this morning. He did not know if they would have time to search farther since they had such a late start.

  As they approached the cover in the small ravine two large Tor stood up from their concealment. Edward could not believe their luck, not one but two bulls were hiding in the sparse cover. He slowly reached down for the crossbow bolt attached to his saddle and slid it quietly into the already cocked bow. It was a powerful weapon created by the ancients with a metal string that shot metal bolts. His father had used it to kill Tor during the hunts and had given it to Edward. Master Rollins likewise was quietly knocking an arrow onto the bow he held. Edward smiled as he saw Master Rollins draw back and aim at one of the Tor. It seemed that Master Rollins and the bow became one and his whole being was poured into the bow. The arrow sped swift but quietly to its mark in the side of the Tor. Before the animal could react, another arrow and then another found its mark beside the other arrows in the side of the Tor.

  Edward marveled at the swiftness with which Master Rollins could pull the arrows from the quiver and dispense of them. At times like this Master Rollins reminded Edward of Master Fields, the former weapons master of his father. He knew Master Fields had chosen well in picking his successor and pouring all of his knowledge and skill into him.

  With arrows protruding from his side the Tor stumbled a few paces and then fell over. The other Tor bull looked for a moment at the dying form of his companion and then bolted from the ravine. Edward raised the crossbow and took careful aim. Just as the Tor reached the crest of the ravine, Edward fired. The bull somersaulted and lay still. Master Rollins let out a whoop and clapped Edward on the back. It seemed that Master Rollins enjoyed the hunt more than anyone else he knew.

  “What a shot, Sire” Master Rollins remarked.

  “I will bet there is not a coins difference between your arrows in the side of that Tor,” remarked Edward. “No one shoots a bow as smooth as you.”

  Master Rollins smiled at the compliment, “But yours was running, Sire.”

  “This crossbow makes that shot quite easy,” Edward added.

  “That may be, but it was beautiful just the same. Why don’t you go back to the castle and get some help to bring these Tor in. I will prepare them for transport.”

  Edward nodded and headed back to the castle to bring a cart and some servants. He had not been too optimistic about getting any Tor and now they had two. He smiled to himself, the other hunters would be surprised to find they had two Tor before any one else returned.

  As the other hunters arrived from the hunt they were greeted to the sight of two Tor being dressed and readied for the barbecue pits. News spread quickly of the quick success of the king and Master Rollins. One man was heard to remark that the king must have had them tied up around the back of the castle. Everyone laughed at this because of the absurd notion that someone could capture and tie up a large bull Tor. In general, everyone was in good spirits this day. The hunts had been successful and Tor were being cooked over glowing coals. It was the beginning of a great celebration for the kingdom of Glenfair.

  Edward paced the floor of the great hall, going occasionally out to the balcony to glance at the crowd gathering in the lower courtyard. Pi watched him and smiled at Edward’s impatience. Earlier Adriell had started to give Edward a hard time about his nervous pacing, but Pi had sent her out to do some errands. Now she approached the king to speak with him.

  “Edward, you are going to wear the floor out pacing so. They will come. It seems you care for this girl more than you let on.”

  Edward smiled a weak smile, “I am nervous because of how the last encounter with Brianna ended. I think that may hinder my efforts to get to know her better. She will not be relaxed around me at all, now that she knows I am king.”

  “I do not think the hindrances you believe exist will cause a problem. They will be overcome by your charm I am sure.”

  Edward scoffed, “What charm? I know nothing about relationships with women. I don’t even know where to begin.”

  Pi began to laugh but quieted down under Edward’s scowl. “Just be yourself, Edward. A woman must like you for who you are. What did you do when you first met Brianna? Did you try to charm her?”

  “No,” Edward responded, “I felt relaxed and natural around her. But I feel that may be ruined now.”

  “You both will be tense at first, but give it a little time and she will relax around you again.”

  When Pi had finished saying this, Adriell entered and announced; “Telfra, Brianna, and Damara have arrived.”

  Edward visibly stiffened at the news, but then relaxed and headed out to the courtyard to greet his guests. Edward found them standing at the gate of the castle, clearly mesmerized by all the activity. Telfra was the first to see the king approaching and greeted him with a graceful curtsy that was both elegant and respectful of his position. Brianna and Damara noticed their mother’s greeting and faced Edward and greeted him in the same fashion. Edward watched Brianna’s eyes which never left his throughout her graceful movement. He could see there was no anger or scorn there, only genuine admiration. Or was it curiosity? Yes, he could see it now, it was inquisitiveness that held her gaze.

  “Come,” Edward invited, “refreshment awaits us in the great hall.”

  When they had entered the great hall and were seated, Edward motioned for refreshments to be brought. Adriell and Pi began to converse with the guests in a relaxed manner, while Edward was hard pressed to even begin a conversation.

  Brianna, sensing his uneasiness took the initiative and said; “We are grateful, King Edward for your gracious invitation to be your special guests during this feast. We have not had a day of celebration like this for many years.”

  Edward smiled now more relaxed, “I promise, you will not be disappointed with today’s events. You may even be surprised to know the royal house enjoys these feasts as much as the people.”

  “I do not think much will surprise me anymore,” Brianna answered.

  Edward was caught off guard by her statement and his face flushed a little.

  “I wish to apologize to all of you for my deception in your home. I intended to tell you who I was but that man Jamath arrived and...”

  Telfra interrupted the king saying, “No apology is necessary, King Edward. We understand you were enjoying our company as an ordinary citizen. Even royalty needs to be free from its constraints from time to time.” As she said this she scowled at Brianna who quickly averted her eyes from Telfra.

  Edward rose from the table exclaiming, “Today’s events are about to begin. Please come, you will sit with us on the balcony.”

  Pi, Adriell, and Telfra’s family followed Edward out of the great hall onto the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. The other dukes had arrived and were seated in their places of honor reserved for them during these celebrations. The balcony was the best place
to view the entertainment in the courtyard below. Edward walked to the front of the balcony and began to address the people.

  “Today we celebrate the summer feast began over a 1000 years before by our ancestors. It was their wish that the royal house would always be in touch with the people of this kingdom. May the land, the people, and the king be one! Let the celebration begin!”

  A great cheer arose from the people as the entertainment in the courtyard began. Edward smiled as he watched the pleasure Telfra, Damara, and Brianna received from the entertainment taking place. Edward was surprised at the intense interest Brianna showed in the arms competition. He could see her hands slightly moving with little motions as knives were being thrown, or sword play engaged. There was much, Edward realized, that he did not know about Brianna. That she understood the complexity of arms was evident. The time came for Edward’s own competition, so he politely excused himself and headed down to the courtyard.

  Brianna watched Edward leave, but thought he was attending to some official business. She was quite surprised to see him enter the courtyard dressed for arms with a sword on his side.

  Master Rollins rose and addressed the crowd: “As you know, it has been a long time since King Edward has engaged anyone in the arms competition. Today there is a special prize, a bag of gold to anyone who can score against the king. And to make it more interesting, the king will allow up to four swordsman at one time against him in this competition.”

  At this news there were cheers from the people and two competitors stepped forward right away. Master Rollins waited until another swordsman volunteered, and finally duke Mason Zandel’s son, Jonnos filled the last position. Edward smiled to himself. Jonnos was by far the best swordsman of the group, and would add a challenging dimension to this duel. He would have to be very careful of that area of attack.

  Brianna was stunned. She turned to Adriell and asked, “Is the king serious about fighting four men at once?”

  Adriell smiled, “Yes, he is very serious. No single man in the kingdom would have a chance to score against the king. And perhaps not even four.”

  Brianna was now very interested as the competition began. The four men circled the king and began testing him. The king had a sword in his right hand and a long knife in his left. Then all at once the scene became a blur of weapons and movement. All of the swordsmen were trying desperately to reach the body of the king for a score and the end of the match. But with each thrust, the king’s reflexes blocked the attack with either his sword or the knife. At one point it seemed there was no escape for the king when all four thrust in at him simultaneously. The king quickly blocked the thrusts of the two men facing him, pushing into them as he bent his body away from the attack behind him.

  Brianna had never seen someone so fast and well tuned to his surroundings. The king seemed to feel or see all that was around him. His moves and turns were all timed with precision and a discipline that she had never seen in all her days. What no one knew except her mother and sister were the fact that Brianna was well schooled in the arts of weaponry and defense. The Sabatol kingdom allowed its women to study arms if they so desired. Brianna had been instructed by the very best the royal house had to offer, and was more than a match for any normal swordsman. Damara on the other hand had no interest in arms and had no formal training. The competitions to her were interesting but she lacked the enthusiasm that Brianna exhibited.

  Adriell watched Brianna intensely during the king’s competition. Her hands were clenched and and white from pressure and she could see Brianna move and flinch as the king defended himself. As Adriell was watching Brianna, an understanding settled upon her. This woman knew arms! In fact, Adriell could tell from her intenseness and movements that she was probably quite good. Adriell focused back on the competition just in time to see the king leap upward and somersault out of the circle of attackers. As the two nearest the king turned to face him he disarmed them both and the judges bell rang. The two disarmed men left and the remaining two faced the king. The king took the knife he had in his left hand and hurled it toward the throwing target at the opposite end of the courtyard where competitions had taken place earlier. The knife stuck firmly with a thud in the bullseye of the target. The crowd cheered wildly at a throw twice the distance of the competitions earlier. The bell sounded and Edward began defending against the two remaining competitors. Edward disarmed one man and only Jonnos Zandel was left. Edward tried time and time again to disarm the young man, but his sword refused to leave his hand. He was impressed with the young man’s tenacity and decided it was time to end the competition. With a wide sweeping movement Edward moved the young man’s sword out away from his body and brought his own quickly back toward the neck of Jonnos. And with a preciseness that only the king possessed, stopped his sword the moment it touched the young man’s skin. The bell rang and Edward started to lean forward to say something quietly to the young man and felt a sharp point at his stomach. Looking down he was surprised to see a knife in the young man’s other hand. When he had drawn the knife, Edward did not know. It had been such a natural extension of Jonnos' movement that Edward had not noticed.

  “When did you draw that knife?” Edward asked.

  “Not nearly soon enough,” Jonnos replied smiling.

  The crowd was cheering, for such a display of arms had not been seen for many years. Adriell was clapping and cheering and as she did so she glanced at Brianna who was cheering and clapping as well. Brianna was breathing almost as hard as the contestants. Adriell almost laughed, it seemed Brianna had become so involved in the duel that her own adrenalin had elevated.

  Duke Mason Zandel nodded with proud approval of his son’s performance. It seemed that the training he had invested in his son was paying off. Many years ago he had been in an arms competition with Edward’s father. He believed strength of force would carry him to victory but King Raven had proved that wrong. Since that defeat he had learned much from King Raven and had tried to put that into practice training his son. He was pleased by the fact that no one with the exception of Master Rollins could stand that long in combat with King Edward.

  Adriell likewise admired the composure that Jonnos had exhibited while dueling with Edward, and had seen what others had missed, the drawing so smoothly of the knife. A new interest in the young man had been created by the duel. Adriell quickly set that aside and turned back toward Brianna.

  “Let us go back into the hall for some more refreshment,” Adriell said. Telfra, Damara, Brianna, Lucinda and Pi rose and followed Adriell back into the great hall. None of the men followed, for they were all discussing the competitions as men do. When the ladies were seated, Adriell could not help but smile at Brianna.

  Brianna frowned, “What do you find about me that is so humorous?”

  “You know arms,” Adriell said matter of factly.

  “Am I that transparent?” Brianna asked.

  “I am afraid so,” Adriell responded. “You were tense and kept moving with the battle.” At this statement Damara laughed.

  “Brianna has always had a passion for arms. She can throw a knife more accurately than anyone I know.”

  “Show us,” Adriell implored. “There is no one in the hall and I see a pesky beetle crawling up that wood beam over there against the wall. Do you think you can hit that with a knife?”

  Brianna shook her head, embarrassed by the challenge. But the others kept on until she relented. She picked up a table knife and felt the balance in her hand.

  “This is not balanced very well, but it will do.” Her hand moved swiftly and the knife sped through the air impaling the beetle against the beam. Everyone was very impressed.

  Adriell picked up a second knife saying; “Once more please. There is another beetle on the door post at the end of the hall, and I so deplore those beetles.” She said this with such a loathing that everyone laughed. Brianna took the knife from Adriell’s hand and threw forcefully at the beetle. Everyone watched as the knif
e sped quickly toward its destination. Just then Edward walked through the doorway and into the path of the knife. The women had time only for a gasp as Edward caught the knife in his hand just short of his chest. He looked behind him and saw the beetle on the wall and quickly figured out what was going on. His eyes then found the first knife stuck into the wall through another beetle.

  “Who threw this knife?” Edward asked.

  Brianna fell to the floor on her knees imploring, “My Lord, I did not intend you harm. It was foolish for me to throw a knife so close to a doorway.”

  “This was all my fault,” Adriell stated. “I asked her to kill the beetle.”

  Edward seeing the concerned looks the women wore began to laugh. Then he said, “I have not seen many who could throw a knife so swiftly and accurately. And this is not even a throwing knife, it is our dinnerware.”

  Edward walked over to the table and setting the knife down he reached down and helped Brianna back onto her feet.

  “It seems you are a woman of many talents.”

  Brianna quickly recovered and countered, “You are the one with talent. No one could catch a knife out of the air like that. How did you do it?”

  “Tell me first, how is it you can throw a knife like that, and I will tell you my secrets.”

  Brianna relaxed and said, “The women of the Sabatol kingdom are encouraged to learn arms if they so desire. I have studied arms my whole life.” Edwards eyebrows lifted but he did not say anything.

  Adriell cleared her throat and spoke; “I too have studied arms most of my life. Pi has been my instructor since I was a child.” Edward was shocked by Adriell’s statement. He was not overly surprised by Brianna’s statement, but he had no idea his sister had studied arms. He looked back and forth between Pi and Adriell until Adriell spoke.

  “I felt it may be useful some day to know a little self defense.”

  Edward did not know how to answer all this new information so merely said: