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THE CARRIAGE WAS WAITING for us and it was even smaller than the last one. It was a two seater and it was an open carriage, too. The driver had checked our names on a small piece of parchment before heading for the castle. The day was beautiful, the sun just coming up over the horizon.
Lucah’s family had wished us well and sent along some sweet bread for the journey, in case we got hungry. He had been silent most of the way and appeared to be choosing his words carefully and his lack of words even more so. We sat side by side facing the direction of travel and every now and again I would turn my head and sneak a peek at him. He barely seemed to notice.
The open carriage was a nice change. It allowed me to see all of the scenery without having to peek out of windows. The river flowed north, in the direction of the castle and the beautiful green grass begged to be walked upon. And the trees, standing tall with their green, leafed branches contrasting with their dark trunks, were relaxing to watch go by. Off in the distance I could hear falcons and song birds singing their songs, joyous of the day to come.
And then after traveling for almost half a day, I heard the low roar of the waterfall in the distance. It was faint since we were still quite a bit aways, but I could definitely make it out. We were almost there when I realized an open carriage didn’t seem like such a good idea. I wouldn’t be able to shut the curtain and imagine I was someplace else this time—I would have a full view of everything.
Up ahead, another carriage came into view and our driver didn’t seem to like the fact that it was there. He raised his arms high and then brought them down in a hard, swift motion—the reins let out a crack. The two white horses snorted and ramped up their pace.
We were gaining on them quickly and within moments we were on their tail. There was only one passenger in its open carriage. I recognized her immediately—it was Tessa. She turned to see what all the noise behind her was and when she noticed the two horses that were practically on top of her, she tried to reach out and pet them.
Our driver swung to the right and snapped his reigns again. Inch by inch we gained on Tessa’s carriage and seeing that it was me and Lucah, she smiled a smile so wide, I could see every tooth in her mouth.
I was surprised to find that I was actually waving at her. She answered mine with a two armed wave of her own. The carriages raced side by side, the roar of the falls reaching its crescendo. Our horses pulled into the lead, but not for long. Tessa’s driver cracked his whip and her carriage began to pull away. Tessa began cheering her driver on, yelling “Faster, faster” and not to be outdone I started rooting for mine. It went on like this until the road narrowed and we came upon the falls and the bridge that led to the castle city.
One driver had to yield, the question was which one. When the road narrowed, Tessa’s driver cracked his whip furiously and pulled ahead by a few inches. Intent on not killing us all, my driver pulled on his reigns, commanding his horses to slow. Of course that didn’t keep him from yelling obscenities at the other driver. Nothing like a little friendly competition to get the day started. Sore losers, well that’s another story.
We checked in at the gate and were allowed up the thin bridge leading to the castle. As we rode up the bridge, I was slowly reclined and found myself looking up towards the castle itself. I dared not look left or right. All there was to see on those sides was a deathly, steep drop. I closed my eyes and gripped Lucah’s hand. I was glad he didn’t protest. When the carriage hit a bump and I bounced in my seat I gripped his hand even tighter. Steeper and higher we climbed until the road leveled out and we came to a stop.
“End of the road,” the driver announced, and handed his parchment to a knight. Me and Lucah climbed down out of the carriage and Tessa was already there to greet us. She held me tight, so tight my air felt like it was being cut off. “I’m so happy to see you again,” she said with her head buried in the area just under my ribs.
“Um... me too,” I said. And I was.
She released her vise like grip, waved and said hello to Lucah while he walked ahead. “Still acting that way huh?” Tessa observed.
“Aye, but not really. We, um...”
“You what?” she asked, waiting for the news.
“Nothing.”
“You can’t cut off a sentence like that and then say nothing. Did you guys... you know?”
“He kissed me.”
“Dragon dung!”
“He did!” I answered, surprised that she didn’t believe me. Was I actually so heinous that no boy would want to kiss me?
“How was it?”
“It was pleasant. His lips were soft and gentle.”
“You hag! And you weren’t going to tell me? Is that why he’s walking up ahead? He doesn’t want me to know?”
“I’m not sure.”
A knight was waving us forward and asking us to follow him. We were led through the castle city’s entrance, past the stables, past the merchant square, past the pool of water that split the road in two directions and into the same courtyard where we auditioned for the king and the wizard.
The wizard paced back and forth on the stage with his hands clasped behind his back. The girl with the black hair was there, surrounded by two other girls. She appeared to be their leader. I counted how many of us there were and in total there were sixteen, everyone had arrived. The wizard raised both arms and waved us in closer.
“Come on,” Tessa said, grabbing my hand.
I tried to pull away from her, but it was no use. For someone so much smaller than me, she sure was strong. She finally came to a stop with us standing directly in front of the wizard. He threw me a smile and I felt my pale face, turn even paler. Why did Tessa need to always be at the front? I was definitely more comfortable at the back where no one could see me.
“Get into one single line. Stand shoulder to shoulder,” the wizard directed.
A boy to my right bumped me and when I turned to say hey, I couldn’t speak. It was Silas. He winked one of his violet eyes and then turned to face the wizard. I didn’t turn. Instead, I followed his black hair down to where it stopped on his neck. His dirty, white shirt meant he was either poor or didn’t wash it frequently. Or maybe he was a farmer like me? The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his defined forearms, and the hand that stood at the end beckoned me. I wanted to reach out and slide mine into his and I almost did except that Tessa had noticed. A gentle nudge to my abdomen brought me back to reality.
“What about Lucah?” she whispered.
“Um... who?” I let slip.
Tessa gasped, her eyes and mouth opened wide. “You hag...!”
“I mean... Lucah. Right.” I decided right there and then that Silas would have to be just a fantasy. I was with Lucah... wasn’t I? Ugh....
Lucah once mentioned that I could get killed as a knight, now I wondered if the whole boy-girl thing would kill me instead.
When everyone was lined up single file in front of the stage, the wizard explained. “You are now all knights in training. You are being trained to become knights of the king’s guard, but as far as the people are concerned, you’re knights. First lesson. When the king enters, you do not kneel. In a situation such as this you will come to attention. Do you understand?”
“Aye!” we yelled.
“When you are in the king’s personal guard,” he continued, “meaning you are with the king, escorting him somewhere, that won’t be the case. Your duty is to protect the king and therefore you do not snap to attention. You’ll surveil the area and watch everyone, keeping a close eye and making sure the king is safe at all times.”
Just then, the king emerged and entered the courtyard. We all snapped to attention and stood as tall and still as trees. He walked onto the stage followed by the ten knights that made up his personal guard, the guard we were being groomed for. They lined up behind him and stood at attention.
He began on the far end and scanned each and every one of us. I could’ve imagined it, but I swear he paused longer on me than on anyone else. After the king made eye contact with us all, he stood in the center of the stage and began his speech.
“Today will be a free day, my knights in training. You will enjoy your midday meal in the knight’s dining hall and then be shown to your living chambers. The females will have two chamber maidens and the males will have three squires to help and assist you.
“Tomorrow will be your official first day of training. Before we continue, I will need each of you to pledge your allegiance to me. I want you all to understand that this oath is taken with the utmost of seriousness. I will say the oath and ask each time if you swear. I want you all to answer, ‘I swear.’ If you don’t answer ‘I swear’ to each question or if you don’t wish to swear to each statement, then you are free to go and I will give this great honor to someone else. Do you understand?”
“Aye!” we all answered.
“Excellent,” the king said. “Do you swear allegiance to me and the kingdom?” He waved his hands, signaling us to respond.
“I swear!”
“Do you swear to show courage in the face of your worst fears?”
“I swear!”
“Do you swear to be honorable, to stay true to your word and to tell the truth no matter the cost?”
“I swear!”
“Do you swear to strive for excellence? Becoming the best at whatever you do.”
“I swear!”
“Do you swear to follow orders, to fight for your king, to defend the weak and to protect the kingdom and its citizens?”
“I swear!”
“Do you swear to share skills amongst each other? Helping those that need it.”
“I swear!”
“Do you swear to defend your king and queen unto death?”
“I swear!”
“And do you swear to always be at the ready?”
“I swear!”
“Then by taking this oath and pledging such, you are all now knights in training. From here on out, you will be held to the highest standards. Much is expected of you all.” The king turned and looked at his guard behind him. “Ser Hector...”
Ser Hector stepped forward. “Aye, my lord?”
“Please escort our new knights to the dining hall for their midday meal.”
“Aye, my lord,” he said, and then addressed us. “Stay single file and follow me to the dining hall.”
We weren’t the only ones in the dining hall this time. There were more tables and other knights seated in their armor, eating in silence. We sat in the order in which we entered and were fed a smaller meal than last time. It was a simple dish, lamb stew. Since the king said it would be a free day, I didn’t see any harm in eating my fill. No one spoke, the only sounds were the smacking of lips from the stew and the clinking of mugs as they hit the table.
After our plates had been removed by the servants, we sat and waited as we were told. Three girls walked into the hall. I immediately recognized the first one as Princess Evelyn. Whenever the day of her birth was upon us, the king and queen would send out announcements with her image painted on them.
She wore a gown the color of roses, with a black rope tied around her waist. Her hair was dyed a bright blue color. She takes after her mother, I’ve heard, in that she likes to change the color of her hair often. It’s easy for them because their natural hair color is a shade just shy of white.
The other two girls were dressed in identical white gowns that, like the princess, hugged their bodies from their chest to their waists and then flowed freely down to their ankles. Their shoes were brown and slipped onto their feet and were held in place with a single strap across the top. They looked very comfortable. I wished I owned a pair.
Behind them were three squires dressed in brown pants with matching tunics. They waited at the head of the table looking at everyone’s place settings. Since all of the food and plates were gone, the princess waved her hand. One of the squires spoke. “Sers, we are here to take you to your chambers. If you are all done with your meals, please follow us.” The dining hall buzzed as the boys stood and left with them.
When they were gone, the princess spoke. “My ladies, we are here to take you to your chambers. I am Princess Evelyn and these are your chamber maidens. If you are all finished, please follow me.”