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TUUM MANIFESTES, TUUM manifestes, tuum manifestes. As she walked up the steps back to the palace’s main level, Neala repeated them over and over so she wouldn’t forget them. They were the words Silas told her to give Alora.
After reaching the main level, Neala walked past the great hall and towards the kitchen. Two girl servants, carrying vases with dead flowers, walked towards her.
Neala kept her composure and stared straight ahead, making sure she didn’t make eye contact with them.
As they passed her, she could hear what they whispered to each other.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” one of them asked the other.
“She is. I suppose that’s why the king fancied her so.”
Even though she felt a chill run up her spine at the thought of the king, and how the servants all new about her and him, Neala didn’t flinch. She just kept her focus aimed straight ahead towards the kitchen.
After pushing open the swinging door, Neala entered the kitchen. The kitchen servants noisily and busily washed dishes and cleaned up everything from the morning meal.
It always bothered Neala that Alora never ate anything in the morning. Only servants seemed to do that and Alora was not a servant. She was a knight, a wizard and a lady, and she was always addressed as such.
But Alora used to be a farmer.
She had told Neala about her home, the village she grew up in, and her lovely meadow where she could run barefoot whenever she chose. It sounded so much better than the garden behind the castle and Neala wished she could visit it one day.
Since Alora had been a farmer, she was no stranger to hard work and that is what probably made her such a good choice to be a knight. It’s also probably why she no longer wanted Neala as a servant. The thought of Alora dismissing her worried Neala. What if Alora changed her mind? What if she decided not to keep Neala as her chamber maiden after all?
Her worrying was interrupted by one of the servants, who was busy washing dishes, noticing Neala pass by. “Neala! Good morn,” he said, waving a wet and suds covered hand at her.
“Good morn,” Neala answered, not stopping or looking up at him.
A soapy, wet hand grabbed her wrist and jolted her body to a stop.
“I heard about you and the king.”
“That was a long time ago. Release me please.”
“Perhaps we can spend an evening or two in each other’s company?”
“Nay! Release me!”
She tried yanking her arm away, but his wet and clammy grip was surprisingly strong.
She struggled against his grip and even tried using her free hand to pry his fingers loose, but he held on firmly. The dishwasher finally let her go when he noticed two male and two female servants watching them. “You think you’re better than me?” He raised and spread his arms, signifying everyone around him. “Better than us?”
“That’s not it at all,” Neala said.
“Everyone knows it. You think you’re better than us, but you’re still just a servant to the king. Just like everyone here. Change your attitude, or someone might change it for you.”
Neala couldn’t find the words. The right words to make them understand that she didn’t think she was better than anyone. She knew as much as, if not more than anyone, that she was a servant to the king. A slave that must do as he commanded.
She bit her tongue, to keep from aggravating the dishwasher further, and left through the rear entrance of the kitchen that led towards the laundry. She would take note not to use that short cut ever again.
— — —
AFTER RUNNING BACK to my room, I threw on my sword and harness, then my cloak, and then went outside into the rain. It wasn’t a light, soft rain either. Nay, it was the heavy, pound on your head and soak you from your hair to your toes type of rain.
I positioned my hood just right so that I could still see where I was going. My destination was one of the things I wanted to do on my list—visit the knightlys.
On my way to the guard’s wing, some city citizens — who I was unfamiliar with — hurried by, waved hello and congratulated me on stopping The Apprentice. I waved back and kept my pace.
When I arrived at the guard’s wing entrance, I saluted the two guards posted at the gate and went in. The dirt floor of the courtyard had turned to a thick mud and each step caused my boots to sink in.
The weather couldn’t stop the knightlys from practicing and keeping their skills sharp as their swords. Aednat was busy challenging the others to a battle axe contest and as soon as she saw me, she raised her hands signaling for Ryanne to stop her attempt at the target.
“Why did you stop me, Aednat? Afraid I was about to beat you?” Ryanne teased.
Aednat placed her hand flat on her chest and shook her head at Ryanne. Holding it out in my direction Aednat said, “Look who’s come to join us. Our leader.”
The knightlys came to attention and saluted me. As usual, Aednat was the last to touch her fist to her chest. After I returned their salute, Aednat made her challenge.
“Alora, we’re seeing who can get the closest to the target. No one has been able to reach it but me. Will you have a try?” she asked.
The others cheered me on. “Show her what you can do!” Thomas roared. “Show her why you’re in charge.”
“Aye. Show us why you’re our commander,” Aednat mocked.
“Fine. Clear the path. I don’t want anyone getting hurt,” I said.
“Hold on,” Ryanne said. “You have to agree to the wager.”
I looked around at the others. They all smiled and nodded.
“What’s the wager?” I asked.
All eyes turned to Aednat and waited.
With her already soaked, short black hair sticking to her face, Aednat’s eyes turned up and to the side.
“Make the same wager you’ve been making with all of us!” Ryanne shouted.
“What wager?” I asked.
Aednat didn’t answer.
“What’s the matter?” Thomas asked. “Are you afraid?”
“I’m not afraid of anything!” Aednat shouted.
A whisper escaped Davina. “Then make the wager,” she said, and then turned around avoiding everyone’s gaze.
“What’s the wager?” I asked again.
Aednat finally answered. “Whoever loses has to take off all their clothes and run around the courtyard three times.”
She couldn’t be serious. But now it made sense. Aednat was the strongest, and she was winning. The knightlys wanted someone else to win for once. But Aednat wouldn’t dare strip her clothes off in front of everyone if she lost. Let alone run around the courtyard three times. She would be horrified to be naked in front of all the boys.
“Fine. I accept your wager.”
Aednat’s jaw dropped. She obviously didn’t expect me to accept.
“Who throws first?” I asked.
“Aednat always throws first,” Ryanne said.
“Then go ahead and throw, Aednat,” I ordered.
Aednat stepped to the mark and raised her hand over her brow. With her hand blocking the rain, she judged her distance to the target. Next, she summoned her battle axe and swung it over her shoulder. With a loud grunt, and using both arms, she flung it at the target. I watched in horror as the battle axe rotated through the air and then struck the target in the ring directly underneath the bull’s eye.
The knightlys cheered at her mastery of the throw.
Aednat strutted up to the target and yanked her battle axe out of it. “Your turn. Beat that!”
I stepped up to the mark and dried my hands on the inside of my cloak. The rain started to fall even harder. The droplets seemed to be the size of hail stones, so I blinked over and over trying to clear the water out of my eyes. I copied Aednat by lifting my hand up to my brow and focused on the target. Once I was ready, I summoned my battle axe and lifted it up and over my shoulder. The rain kept falling hard and made it difficult to see. If I lost this throw to Aednat, there would be no living with her. I had to hit the red bull’s eye.
If I did hit the bull’s eye and won, I wouldn’t make Aednat run around in front of all the boys without any clothes on. If I did, Aednat would never forgive me and would hate me even more than she already appeared to. And she would probably never trust me again and wouldn’t follow my orders.
I held my breath and using every last muscle I had, launched my battle axe at the target.
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