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LUCAH POINTED HIS SWORD at me, holding it up by the side of his head with both hands gripping its handle. I did the same. We mirrored each others movements like we did so many times before on the hill. “Are you going to attack?” he asked.
“Are you?” I teased.
He chuckled and then stepped forward and slashed from his right. Our swords collided as I mimicked his movement. He pulled back and his sword came down overhead. I blocked it again, but this time he was close enough and I kicked his shin. He cried out and I lunged in to strike.
“Point for Alora,” Ser Erwin announced.
Lucah’s expression was still one of confidence and this time he didn’t wait. As soon as Ser Erwin yelled on guard, he charged. His sword flew this way and that. He came in fast and hard. Just when I countered his strike, he kicked my shin. This time I cried out in pain and he gained a point.
It was two points to two when I felt the fatigue kicking in. Our match had lasted longer than any other, plus the fatigue was accumulating from my match with Liam, and Lucah was fresh from waiting his turn. I had to do something, but what? Lucah knew most of my moves. I’ll try one I never showed him.
He stepped in and tried to kick my shin again, but I lifted my leg in time for him to connect with the air instead. I planted my foot, and swung my sword to his ribs. When he blocked it, I spun around trying to land a back fist on his face, I figured it would stun him long enough for me to strike him with my sword.
When I spun, my fist connected with air, he had ducked and his sword smacked my fingers. I dropped my sword and when I knelt to pick it up, I felt his tap on my shoulder.
“Winner... Lucah.”
Lucah was already saluting when I came to my feet. I raised my sword hand to my chest and sliced it to my side.
“Places,” Ser Hector ordered.
Me and Lucah took our places back in the circle.
“That was brilliant,” Tessa said to me when I stood next to her.
“Aye, but I lost.”
“That’s fine, you’ll get him next time,” she said in her usual cheerful tone.
I lost, but only because I showed him that move. Using my own move on me, that was so... he made me look like a fool.
Ser Hector spoke. “The wizard had planned to teach you, but he has not returned, therefore I—”
“Ser Hector,” the princess called, waving her hands trying to get his attention. He didn’t hear or see her.
Ser Erwin tapped him on his shoulder and pointed in the direction of the balcony. The princess was pointing out past the courtyard gate. The gate door opened and the wizard stepped into the courtyard. As the door shut behind him he spoke. “Knights, I would like you to form three ranks. Leave an arms length in front of you and on both sides. Do you understand?”
No one did.
He grabbed Lucah by the shoulders and placed him in the front row. “Four boys line up to his right.” The wizard spaced them out an arms length from each other and then said, “Girls, line up behind each boy.” When we took our places he commanded us to line up again, this time in height order, the tallest standing behind Lucah. So it was, that Aednat ended up behind him. Then Davina, then me, then Ryanne and finally Tessa. The wizard walked between us like a snake slithering along, making sure there was enough room and then commanded the rest of the boys to fall in behind us, using the same technique.
The wizard walked in between them and checked their spacing. “When we ask you to fall into ranks, this is what we ask. Remember the spacing. Remember the height order. Whether you realized it or not, there were lessons being taught during those matches. It wasn’t just to find out who was the best amongst you.” He stopped in front of Aednat. “What did you learn?”
“I learned to follow all orders without question.”
“Excellent.” He stopped in front of me, “What did you learn?”
“I learned that size doesn’t dictate abilities.”
“Excellent.” He passed Ryanne and stopped in front of Tessa.
“And you, what did you learn?”
“I learned the bigger you are, the slower you are.”
He laughed. “Knights, please sit.” I sat down on the spot. “Sit cross legged and place your swords across your laps.”
I did as he commanded.
“We are going to perform an exercise that will help you to clear your minds. Meditation is part of what wizards do. We must listen to nature... to the environment, becoming one with it. This lesson is very important. You will need a clear mind when you perform magic, focusing only on the magic and nothing else. Close your eyes and think of nothing.”
I closed my eyes, but how do I think of nothing? I found myself thinking back to when Lucah ducked and slapped my fingers.
“With your eyes remaining closed, think of the sky. Imagine its colors as the sun rises and then as it sets. Can you see it?”
“Aye,” I answered. Someone said nay.
“Who said nay?”
“I said nay, Wizard.”
“And you are?”
“My name is Silas.”
I waited to hear what would come next. “And why can’t you see it?” the wizard asked while walking towards him.
“I can’t see color.”
“Then how do you see?”
“In shades of gray.”
“Well then, imagine the shades of gray the sky creates just for you. Can you do that?”
“Aye.”
Can’t see color? Shades of gray? That’s weird. I wondered if anyone else with violet eyes could only see shades of gray. They aren’t that popular, rare even. One of the reasons that they captivated me whenever he stared at me with them.
“Now, I want you to think of your favorite thing to do or place to visit,” the wizard said.
I instantly thought of my meadow and the hill, running barefoot with the soft grass underneath me and the wind in my hair.
“Open your eyes!” he yelled.
My eyes were instantly open. I forgot about everything. The only thing on my mind was the back of the head in front of me, until the main gate opened and a man and two boys entered. The boys were each pulling a small cart full of armor pieces.
“Ah, the smith is here,” the wizard said.
The wizard and smith exchanged pleasantries and such, and then he asked us to stand. “The smith has brought along some armor for fitting purposes. This will take some time as they try each piece on you.”
“Oh Wizard...,” the princess cooed, “I don’t think it’s proper for them to measure my ladies.”
“But Princess, they are my knights.”
“Aye, but they are my ladies first. My maidens and I should be the ones to fit them.”
“I wasn’t aware that you were versed in the ways of armor, m’lady,” he said with a sarcastic undertone.
“I’m not, but proper etiquette must be practiced.”
“It’s fine, Wizard,” the smith said. “My boys can help her.”
“Very well then.”
“Thank you Sers,” the princess said and then clapped twice.
Moments later she appeared in the courtyard with our chamber maidens and we were the first to be fitted. I couldn’t see the looks on the boys faces, but I assumed it wasn’t one of kindness. Special treatment didn’t seem like a good idea, but how does one challenge a princess? Very carefully I suppose.
After the boys in the front row were ordered to step forward three paces and the ones behind us were ordered to step back three paces, there was enough room for Princess Evelyn, our maidens and the smith boys to work. They started with Aednat and Davina and when they made it to me, Neala took a cloth measuring tape and measured my torso. She wrapped it around my chest and then my waist, calling out numbers each time. “They don’t have chest plates for you and will need to fabricate them,” Princess Evelyn started. “You have curves in different places than the boys. Well, some of you do.”
Tessa gasped and then giggled knowing full well the only one the princess could’ve been talking about was Aednat.
She continued by measuring from my neck line to my shoulder’s edge and once she was done calling those numbers out, she measured from my ankles to my waist and finished by measuring along the inside of my legs. The smith boys handed Branna the shoulder armor and forearm armor for my right side and Neala tried the armor for my left. They exchanged a few before they found the right sizes and then marked them down on parchment along with my other measurements.
Next up were my thigh and shin protectors. Where were these when I was fighting Lucah? They would’ve come in handy and protected me from the black and blue marks I was positive were forming there.
After the smith boys collected everything, they wiped the sweat from their brows and handed the princess a sword sheath. Her pursed lips transformed into a smile as she spread the leather harness wide, slid it up my arms, around my back and buckled it across my chest. “M’lady, her sword,” the boy said, handing her a real sword.
I’m sure the boys were getting angrier by the minute. Ladies first and such. The princess held my sword across both of her hands and presented it to me. I bowed as I reached for it and noticed immediately that it was heavier than the wooden practice swords, Tessa was going to gripe about it for sure. Reaching behind my back to take hold of the sheath, I lifted my sword over my head, lined it up with the sheath and slid it down.
The princess curtsied and moved on to Ryanne.
After all of us girls had been given our swords and measured for our armor, the princess left the courtyard and went back to watch us from the balcony. And then it was our turn to wait as the boys were measured by the smiths. It took them less time to measure the boys since they knew what they were doing and it appeared they weren’t trying to be as exact as Neala and Branna had been.
“From this point forward you are to keep your sword with you at all times,” Ser Erwin announced.
“Even when we’re off duty?” Tessa asked.
“Knights are never off duty. At all times means at all times. Understand?”
“Aye.”
“The edges are blunted, for now. When you are ready, Smith will sharpen them.”
Ser Erwin had a squire collect the wooden practice swords and place them back in the barrel from earlier. “That’s enough for now. Let’s break for the midday meal. After the meal, feel free to return to your chambers for some rest. The squires and chamber maidens will bring you back when it is time.”
The wizard waved for Ser Erwin and Ser Hector to follow him and they left through the main gate of the guard’s wing and out into the castle city.
At the midday meal I sat and waved Lucah over again. He refused to sit with me, instead choosing to sit amongst the other boys at the other end of the table. “I can’t believe they kicked that guy out,” Ryanne said. “I can’t believe it.”
“Maybe if m’lady Alora didn’t beat him so bad he would still be here. Remind me to stay away from you,” Aednat said. “You girls might want to stay away from her too. She might get you kicked out.”
“Dragon dung!” Tessa argued. “You can learn a thing or two from Alora. Besides she tried to help him.”
Silas sat down in the empty space between Aednat and some of the other boys. “He should’ve just apologized. I would’ve if that had been me,” Silas said, stuffing his mouth with goat cheese.
The boy he sat next to, Thomas, joined in the conversation. “Liam was a fool. I knew he wouldn’t make it. He was the first one to complain about us having to wash together. He wouldn’t do it and that’s why we weren’t allowed to tour the castle yesterday.”
“Who are you?” Ryanne asked, flicking her hair and eyeing him hungrily.
“Thomas.” He bit a chunk out of his bread.
“I’m Ryanne.” She smiled and twirled her hair around her finger.
He smiled back while swallowing. “She’s Alora, right?” Thomas asked.
Ryanne huffed. “Aye.”
“How do you know me?” I asked.
He shrugged.
Silas continued to eat, and he had that same smirk he had the first time I laid eyes on him. When I was done eating I took one last sip of water, stood and headed to my chambers. Before I could leave the dining hall, Lucah grabbed my arm and whispered something to me. “Meet me on the second level balcony tonight after everyone is asleep,” and then he went back to his seat.
I stood there trying to absorb what had just happened and wondered if I had imagined it. I left the dining hall murmuring and cursing him, but knew... I knew I would be meeting him on the balcony anyway.
Back in my chambers, I was looking over my sword. I watched as the light twinkled off the metal as I turned it in my hands. The handle had leather wrapped around it for a better grip and it ended with a metal ball at the tip. Something seemed interesting about the ball and I wasn’t sure what it was, but I took hold of it and gave it a twist. I unscrewed it and found that the handle was somewhat hollow. It was perfect.
I went into my closet, opened the drawer and retrieved Mother’s emerald. I ripped a small piece off the tunic pants and wrapped the emerald inside of the material and stuffed it into the handle. It fit perfectly.
Now I wouldn’t have to worry about it getting lost, or worse, thrown away. I slid my sword back into its sheath and hung the harness up on the nail. I kicked of my boots and laid down on my bed. I splayed my toes trying to stretch them out after being mashed together all morning. The sides of my pinky and big toes protested by glowing red like tomatoes.
I found myself thinking about Lucah and how he didn’t ask me to meet him tonight, he ordered me. What confused me even more was that I was going to meet him. I couldn’t understand why. Maybe he wanted to apologize for ignoring me. Or maybe not. Either way, I shouldn’t give him the opportunity. But like I said — I was.
Aednat burst into the room just then, with Ryanne on her heels. “I told you not to trust her,” Aednat said.
I ignored their conversation.
“Maybe you’re right,” Ryanne answered, looking at me with fire in her eyes.
Wait... were they talking about me? What did I do now?
“She thinks she’s the best at everything. Now she wants all the boys to swoon over her too,” Aednat said, jumping onto her bed. She patted it with her hand, motioning for Ryanne to sit on the edge.
Tessa entered the room and helped shed some light on what was going on when I asked her why they were talking about me. “Didn’t you notice the way Ryanne was acting around Thomas?”
“Nay. How was she acting?” I asked, utterly oblivious.
“Didn’t you notice? She was twirling her hair.”
“What does that mean?” I truly didn’t know.
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that he ignored her and focused on you. And now Aednat has her convinced that you did it on purpose.”
I sighed. How is it that I can do all these things to all these people and not even realize it? All I did was sit and eat my food. Yet somehow, someway, I want to be the best and have all the boys swoon over me.
“She’s just jealous of you and your body. We all know you have the most... womanly body among us,” Aednat said, coaxing her on. “No one likes her fiery hair and her horse legs anyway.”
I closed my eyes and tried to drown their voices out. I tried that meditation — clear your mind — thing the wizard was trying to show us. I pictured my meadow. The wind, the trees, the leaves rustling quietly with the breeze. The way the sunflowers shifted in the wind and I remembered my father lifting me into the air. I snapped back into reality when I realized I was flying through the air.
“Thomas is mine! Stay away from him!” Ryanne screamed, standing over me with her hands resting on her hips.
“I don’t want Thomas. He’s all yours,” I said, rubbing my elbow where it had hit the floor.
Ryanne huffed and then went to sit on Aednat’s bed again.
“You should’ve let her have it,” Tessa said, “for knocking you off your bed.”
“Not worth it. I don’t even want Thomas.” Still rubbing my elbow, I decided to sit on the edge of my bed this time.
“Why not? He’s cute.”
“You think so? Then you can fight her for him.”
The rest of the day consisted of the wizard having us work some more on meditation and clearing our minds. Along with that, he had us practice a slow form of fighting. He said it would help us focus on the movements and when we needed to, we could speed it up and get the desired effect.
I ate my evening meal and patiently — well, as patient as I could — waited for the time when everyone would be asleep so that I could meet with Lucah. Neala and Branna prepared the bath and when Neala announced it was ready, one by one we each said — expansionem — to remove our second skins and headed in. Everyone except Aednat that is. She sat on the edge of her bed twisting her fingers in her hands staring at the floor.
“Aednat, come on,” I tried to coax her. “It’s no big deal. Just get undressed and get clean.”
For the first time I didn’t see hate or anger in her eyes. “I... I can’t,” she said stuttering.
“But why?” I asked, surprised to find myself concerned.
“I don’t want to.”
“Come on you two,” Branna said, emerging from the wash room.
“I’m coming, but Aednat doesn’t want to.”
“Aednat, you must,” Branna gasped. “If you don’t the princess will be angry. You are disobeying.”
I took hold of her hand and pulled. “Let’s go.”
“She yanked it away and yelled. “Nay. I... I won’t!”
I had enough of her silliness. She wasn’t my concern anyway. And after being so mean to me and Tessa why should I care? I went into the wash room, snatched a wash cloth and climbed in the bath.
“Aednat doesn’t want to join us again?” Tessa asked.
“Nay, and Branna’s warning her about the princess.”
“The princess will be furious if she doesn’t follow her commands,” Neala added.
“What do you think will happen?” Davina asked her.
“She will be dismissed, most likely.”
Ryanne was blowing bubbles in the bath again and when she heard that Aednat might be dismissed, she stood up and climbed out. Leaving a trail of dripping water, she went to convince Aednat to wash up. Since she didn’t shut the door, we could hear everything.
“Come on Aednat. It’s time to wash up.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Branna, I’m sure Neala can use your help with the others.”
When Branna entered the wash room she was going to close the door behind her, but Tessa shushed her and motioned for her to leave it open.
“You’ll be dismissed! Don’t you want to be here? Don’t you want to show her that you’re better than she is? Then come on.”
“Nay!”
“Is it your body? Are you ashamed of it?”
She didn’t answer.
“Is there something physically wrong with you. Scars? Burns?” Ryanne asked her, trying to sound sympathetic.
“Nay.”
Ryanne’s voice turned angry, the way a parent’s does when they scold their child. “I know you don’t have any of those, this is ridiculous. We’ve already seen you without your clothes this morning when the princess ripped off your sleep shirt. You’re not hiding anything from anyone. Getting dismissed because you’re shy or whatever the reason, is stupid. Come on now.”
As I listened on, Aednat said — expansionem — and then Ryanne led her into the wash room.
After I finished bathing, I talked with Tessa about home and about my father. We spoke in whispers, not wanting anyone to hear us. When the chamber maidens informed us that it was time to go to bed, I climbed under the sheets and waited. They stood on stools, so that they could reach the candles on the shelves, and blew them out.
I wanted to be sure that everyone was asleep before I left so when I heard Aednat snoring loudly and the soft breathing from the others in the darkness, I decided it was time. I gently tossed my covers to the side and tip toed towards the door. I turned the latch, pulled it open and stepped onto the small landing at the stairs.
While the candlelight in the stairwell cast eerie shadows as they flickered, I carefully and quietly as a mouse shut the door and then traveled down to the second level. When I arrived, Lucah was at the balcony leaning on its edge gazing out into the night. There was a half moon, high in the sky, and even without the lanterns along the walls I would’ve been able to make out the contours of his face.
“Lucah,” I whispered into the night.
“Aye,” he answered, turning to look at me.
“What do you want?” I asked, trying to sound more agitated than I really was.
“I don’t like how the other boys are treating you.”
“How are they treating me?”
“They’re showing you too much attention.”
“At least someone is.” I was oblivious to what he meant. What attention?
“This again?”
“Aye, you’ve been ignoring me since we got here. You won’t even sit at my table.”
He didn’t say anything. A shadow darted across his face causing me to look up at where it had come from. In the moonlight I could see a falcon headed west, away from the castle.
“I don’t understand you,” I said annoyed.
He pulled me close and grazed his lips across my forehead and inhaled deeply, taking my scent in. When his lips slid down to my cheeks and then pressed against mine, I new one thing for sure. I didn’t understand boys, or myself, one bit. How is it that he can ignore me and then with one kiss I was melting in his arms?
“I should go. Will you meet me here tomorrow evening?” Lucah asked.
“Aye.” What was I doing agreeing to his request?
He strolled off towards the stairwell to his chambers and when he disappeared I walked up the steps to mine. I pushed the door open, slid in and then shut it carefully behind me. Tip toeing past Tessa, I climbed into bed.
“Thomas?” a voice asked, snickering in the dark.
“Nay.”
“Then who?”
“Go to sleep,” I told Tessa. I rolled over and covered my head with my sheet and then heard what sounded like a scream. I couldn’t be sure. A splash came next. “Did you hear that?” Tessa asked.
“Aye, was it a scream?”
“I’m not sure. Should we alert someone?”
The door flew open and two knights emerged with lanterns reflecting the light off their armor. “Did anyone fall from here?” the first one asked. “Is everyone here?”
There should’ve been five of us and as they swept their lanterns over the beds, there were.
“Aye,” I said. “There are five of us here.”
“Good. Let’s go,” he said to the other knight.
“What’s happened?” Davina asked, suddenly wide awake by the commotion.
“Don’t know yet. Sounded to us as if someone fell from the castle and into the water below. Stay put,” he said, and then left us in the dark once more.
Tessa jumped out of bed and peered out one of the turret’s windows. I joined her, and even though I couldn’t see much, I wondered what or who had screamed. How was I going to fall asleep now?