The Queen watched he son board the ship, her personal guards standing around watching everyone. After the attack on her son, all members of the royal family had increased protection. Walking up the pier to the carriage, she thought about the conversation she had just had with her son. He was growing up too fast, and now he had started to have feelings for a girl; the time was ripe for him to be married off before he sired a bastard.
Getting into the carriage and sitting down, she signalled to the footman that she was ready to leave as soon as the guard were ready.
Looking to Lady Swan, who had accompanied her this morning but had stayed in the carriage so that she could speak with her son privately or at least as private as their personal guards would allow.
“So Lady Swan, it will be over a month until my son is back at the earliest; what plans have you made?” asked the Queen.
“I have scheduled some entertainments to keep her busy and as far from brooding as I can,” said Lady Swan.
“She’s not like most court women, so the normal things won’t keep her entertained for long.”
“I’ve scheduled some hunting trips, and as you suggest, I’ve spoken with my son and made him aware that I expect him to grace me with his presence often over the coming months. Mal is a beautiful girl, and I’m sure he will be quite taken with her. “
“We can’t push her into the arms of another, but we need her to realise that there are other fish in the stream, as it were.” warned the Queen. “This has all the making of a potential disaster if not handled correctly.”
“I agree, which is why I’ve arranged for my son to drop in while I’m giving Mal a lesson in court etiquette, one that I’m sure will bore her to tears when my son arrives and interrupts. I’ll have no other option than to send them off for Mal to get some fresh air.”
Smiling, the Queen nodded. “A delicate touch indeed, you Lady Swan are a treasure.”
Once they arrived at the Palace, they got out of the carriage, and the Queen bid the Lady Swan a good day.
Mal had been walking in the garden, and that is where Lady Swan found her. She was glad that Mal was wearing one of the gowns that had been made for her. When Mal woke this morning, three new dresses and shoes were waiting for her. She never had so many new clothes in her life. The thought of having so many didn’t sit well with her. Yet another part of her loved the feeling of the new clothes, especially the silk.
When Mal saw Lady Swan, she gave a small curtsy that Cari had shown her was the proper level for ladies at court. She had explained that the more profound and slower the curtsy was performed expressed the level of respect.
“Lady Swan, your back already; I’m assuming that the ship has sailed.” Said Mal in a slightly sad tone. Mal wondered if it was the Prince she missed or the adventure. She wasn’t looking forward to spending the next four to six weeks stuck in the castle having lessons.
“Yes, by this time, they will already be out to sea heading to the Island of Seldar. Are you ready for your first lesson?”
“Yes, mam,” responded Mal, although in reality, not really.
“Well, let us go to my private lounge, and we can get started.”
Four long hours later, Mal was genuinely bored. Lady Sarah had kept the windows shut and the fire on, so it was a bit stuffy; her first lesson was to cover all of the different things that would be covered; there was so much to learn. Lady Sarah had told her that she wasn’t expected to know it all by heart and that when she did come to the age of ascension, she would be well versed.
A knock at the door signalled the arrival of some refreshments. Mal jumped out of the seat and rushed to open the door. Cari came in carrying a tray with a steaming pot and some little cups and a plate of sweet treats, fruit, strips of ham and cheese.
Mal thanked Cari when she put the tray on the table, and Lady Sarah started to pour the steaming liquid from the pot into the small cups. The liquid was not the black of kuffa, but a semi-opaque dark brown liquid and the smell was much softer than kuffa.
“What type of drink is this?” Asked Mal when Lady Sarah handed her one of the cups.
“It’s called tea; it’s the leaves of a plant that only grows in the jungle many months travel from here. It’s a much warmer country than here. In that country, the windows are open all year round as it is warm all year round. Not like here where the wind in winter would skin you alive.”
The thought of travelling to see these countries caught Mal’s imagination. She smelt the tea she had in her hand and thought of travelling to far off distant lands brought a smile to her lips.
“What’s got you in a happy mood, Malderia?” Asked Lady Sarah.
“Just thinking of travelling, and how wonderful it would be to see places for the first time and the things you would find.”
Taking a sip of the tea, Mal recoiled. “Ah, it’s a bit hot,” she said, putting the cup down to cool a little and picking a piece of cheese and wrapping it in a slice of ham. She dipped the ham and cheese combo into a bowl of pickled vegetables before taking a bite of it.
They spoke about many things over their lunch until a knock at the door disrupted them. Getting up and going over to the door, Lady Sarah opened it and exclaimed.
“Geoffrey, How pleasant to see you. I didn’t expect to see you for a few more days. “she said with real delight embracing her son, “Please come in; I have someone I want to introduce you to.”
Turning to Mal, “Lady Malderia Talon of Grey Stones, this is my son Geoffrey, Heir to our family and beloved wonderer. Master Geoffrey Swan of Hightower”
“My Lady, a true honour,” said Geoffrey with his most elaborate and flourishing bow he could make ruined by the cheeky grin he had on his face while he did it.
Mal, in turn, made the most profound curtsy she could in the dress she wore and got safely back up again.
Laughing, Geoffrey shook Mal’s hand. “So has my mother bored you enough for today. I remember sitting through those same lessons thinking that my brains would dribble out of my ears in a minute.”
“Shush you,” said Lady Swan, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. “Have you eaten?”
“Just got in, mother, so haven’t had anything.”
“Well, sit down; there’s plenty left, and you tell us of your travels then and why I don’t get to see you as often,” responded his mother.
“I’ll be home for the next couple of months, mother, so I’m sure you’ll get sick of me soon enough.” He said with a smile as he tucked into the treats on the tray.
“Eat some ham and cheese first, and don’t fill up on the treats first, honestly.”
“Yes, mother,” said Geoffrey with a smile as he popped another treat into his mouth.
“So you are going to be back for a while then?” Asked his mother.
“Yes, the trading went well. I got lots of new merchandise that should provide a good profit for the estate. I saved a young man from a group of thieves in Kamden. It turned out that his father was one of the biggest producers for Abilon Red. His father was most appreciative, and I could get a large quantity of Abilon Red at an extreme discount. That shipment alone will cover the costs of the estate for the next year.”
“I will have to send a token of appreciation the next time that you are in that direction and see if we can cultivate a relationship. To get a foot into the Abilon Red market is a massive achievement and one that might set the estate up for years to come.” Said Lady Swan.
“Where’s Kamden?” asked Mal
“It is about two months by sea or six over land and lies farther to the North past the Empire of Musto and the Kingdom of Tralli. It has a climate that is perfect for growing wine, so they have evolved their economy into the biggest producer of wine this side of the Arabian Sea,” replied Geoffrey.
“Someday, I would like to see these places,” said Mal wishfully.
Taking that as a natural queue Lady Swan spoke up. “Well, I doubt that I’ll get Malderia interested in her lessons now that you have come and distracted her. Why don’t you take Mal to the garden and you can tell her all about your adventures? I’ll see you at supper, Malderia, and we will continue your lessons tomorrow.”
Mal jumped to a standing position almost straight away. Curtsied to Lady Swan, “My Thanks, I’ll see you at supper My Lady”.
Geoffrey already had the door open and was waiting for Mal. As he closed the door behind her, he nodded to his mother. She had been right; Mal was a true beauty, and while his mother only wanted him to become her friend, she had advised being very patient if he wanted more. She knew he would heed her advice and move very slowly in his actions to woo her.
Lady Sarah knocked on the Queen’s door and was immediately let in. Curtsying to the Queen and other ladies in the room.
“How goes the hunt for a wife for the Prince, my Queen?” Asked Lady Sarah,
“Badly, there aren’t many daughters of marriageable age on this side of the Arabian Sea. I’ve asked Ambassador Hikle to get us details on the five of them and our relationship to the royal houses of the countries they belong to.”
Inclining her head slightly to the Balcony, she signalled to the Queen that she wished to speak in private. Getting up, the Queen made her way to the balcony area of her apartment; when Lady Sarah joined her, she simply asked, “Have they met?”
“Yes, my Queen, once Geoffrey started talking about the places he had been, she was enthralled with the idea of other places. I sent them off to the gardens for some fresh air. Look there they come now,” she said, pointing down towards the garden. The two could be seen exiting the Palace and starting to walk through the garden side by side.
“Expertly done, Lady Swan, I am indebted to you for this lets hope that our plan comes together. The kingdom must be strong, and the Prince must marry for the strength of the kingdom.”
They watched them make their way through the gardens before a knock at the door announced a guest. Re-entering the apartment, the Queens signalled her maid to open the door and see who was seeking entry.
A page stood outside the door holding a silver tray with a single note sitting on it.
“For the Queen,” announced the page.
“Thank you I will see that she gets it straight away,” said the Queens’ maid.
The page bowed to the maid as she closed the door. Crossing over, she presented the Queen with the note that had been delivered.
“It seems that Lord Mali has one or two too many pheasants and has invited us to go hunting on the seventh day.” Said the Queen after reading the note. “Well ladies, shall we hunt some pheasants on the seventh day?”
A small cheer went up from the ladies in waiting. “That would be wonderful, your highness,” said Lady Swan.
Ambassador Hikle arrived shortly after, and they spent the rest of the day discussing the virtues of marriage to this or that kingdom. By the end of the day, they were no closer to choosing a bride for the Prince.
“Don’t worry, your Majesty; as you know, joining two families together is a large undertaking,” said the Ambassador. “The selection process will take months. By the end, you’ll know as much about these ladies as is humanly possible. Ha, then when we approach their fathers, you are talking another month minimum before we will have a response.”
“Thank you, Ambassador. Shall we pick up tomorrow at noon then?” Replied the Queen.
“Thank you, your majesty; I will see you at noon on the morrow then.” Replied the Ambassador with a bow.
After the Ambassador had left, Lady Swan stood and curtsied to the Queen. “Your Majesty, with your leave, I have a supper engagement with the Lady Malderia to keep.”
“Thank you, Sarah, until we speak on the morrow,” said the Queen with a nod of her head. “Oh, let us invite the Lady Malderia along; I’m sure she’d enjoy it”.
“Thank you, your majesty; I think she would enjoy that.”
Leaving the Queen’s private apartment, Lady Sarah Swan made her way to her apartment. Her maid was setting the small table for supper.
“The Lady Malderia sent a message that she will be along shortly, mam,” she said with a curtsy when she entered the room.
Mal arrived shortly after and was excited to go hunting on the seventh day all through supper; her mind wandered back to the hunt in five days.
The light of the dawn sun hit the light curtains in Mal’s room-filling the room with a pale yellow colour that woke Mal gently from her sleep. Stretching out on the bed to remove the kink in her neck, she smiled and bounded out of bed and went to get her elven clothes out of the wardrobe.
It had been five long days waiting for the hunt. While Lady Swan had tried to keep Mal entertained at night, the lessons had continued throughout the days since. She couldn’t believe the amount of work that was needed to run an estate. Her one escape each day was Geoffrey’s visits. Lady Sawn’s son always raised her spirits. She began to look forward to his daily visits as he always seemed to interrupt the most boring off lessons just at the right time.
The wardrobe was now full of the most incredible silk and satin dresses, all of which had shoes to match. It was easy to spot the elven clothes and the elven boots that matched them as they stood out like a sore thumb compared to the Queen’s dresses had made for her. She dressed quickly and stood looking in the full-length mirror.
The mirror was a treasure in and of itself; the nearest thing they had to a mirror in the mountains was a large copper mirror that made you look blurry.
Mal was surprised at how comfortable she felt in some of the dresses; the first dress she had been given had been a wonderful gift that she treasured deeply; it felt too heavy after a while and didn’t give her the freedom of movement. When she spoke to her maid about it the following day, the dresses she had been supplied next had been beautiful, light and gave her better freedom of movement.
Going over to the table that held her meagre belongings and strapping on the sword felt good. Each item she put on made her feel better and more complete, like she had been missing something while not wearing the bracelet and ring.
A footstep outside her door announced that someone was there. Getting up to go over and open the door, Cari stepped in, holding a tray of food to break Mal’s fast. She nearly dropped the tray when she saw Mal standing there just inside the door with her hand on her sword.
Relaxing, Mal smiled. “Good morrow Cari, It should be a good day for the hunt.”
“Yes, my Lady,” replied Cari looking at Mal’s clothes, “I brought you some food to break your fast.”
Saying thank you, Mal sat down and ate her breakfast, “Do you know what time will the queens’ party be leaving for the hunt?”
“In a couple of hours, my Lady.”
“Great, I must see Master Howard first, though.” Replied Mal getting up and heading out of the Palace to the archery range on the other side of the garden.
Master Howard was standing around a group of lads sitting on stools with a bag of feathers. Mal that they were getting a lesson in fletching.
As Mal approached the group, Master Howard was walking around with a barrel of arrow staves. Placing a handful of staves in front of each of the lads, he said, “Since you all seem to be able to hit the targets now, it’s time for us to see how well you can make arrows. This is as important a job as shooting is. Can any of you tell me why?”
Henry stuck up his hand.
“Yes, Henry?”
Quietly as if scared of suddenly being the centre of attention, he spoke, “Sir, if you have no arrows, you can’t shoot.”
“Exactly, if you run out of arrows, then you will either be standing around looking like a fool or drawing your sword.” Looking up at Male approach.
“Lady Malderia, welcome to our class; how can I help you today.”
“Master Howard, I was wondering if you would be able to help me out. I’m to go hunting with the Queen’s party today, but I only have a dozen arrows, and I was wondering if I could impose for some additional arrows?”
“Certainly, my apprentice here can take the class while we look at my stock of arrows.” Said Master Howard leading Mal to his workshop.
Entering the workshop, the smell assaulted their noses. The prominent aromas were of sawdust, glue and varnish. Five apprentices stood around the workshop making bows and arrows.
Walking over to one of his apprentices, Master Howard tapped him on the shoulder. Lifting his hand up, he made a couple of complex hand signals to the Apprentice. Who responded in kind, leaving Mal thinking of hunting back home with friends, and the hand signals they used were not as complex as these.
The Apprentice walked off deeper into the workshop, leaving Mal and Master Howard standing there.
“Wow, those hand signals were more advanced than the ones we used when hunting in the mountains back home.”
“Ah, it’s a sad story; he was kicked in the head as a child, and the healers were able to save his life, but he can’t hear or speak anymore. He’s been an apprentice of mine for nearly twenty years now. At first, it was more out of pity, but he learnt quickly and has become a Master Bowyer and Fletcher in his own right. The hand signals that we have to allow us to have conversations. Unfortunately, not many have the patience to learn it.”
“Put him in charge of the children and tell them to learn it. In the mountains, we have a variety of hand signals and whistles that allow us to communicate over a short distance when hunting. We take the children and teach them before they go hunting with us.”
“Thanks, that’s a good idea; the other journeymen here know bits and pieces but not enough. He’s liked well enough by people who know him; others think he’s stupid and that he will understand if they just shout a bit louder. Ah, here he comes now.”
When he came back, he had a quiver of arrows handing them to Master Howard. He raised his right hand and touched his fingertips to his lips, and dropped his hand downwards in a sweeping motion.
Turning to Mal, Master Howard asked, “Will these do Lady Malderia?”
Taking one of the arrows out of the quiver, Mal caught her breath; the arrow was perfect. She could see nothing wrong with it at all. “Thank you, Master Howard; these are beautiful.” Turning to the Apprentice, Mal copied the hand gesture she had seen Master Howard use. Smiling, he returned the gesture to Mal.
“Yes, He makes the best bows and arrows in the kingdom.” Leading Mal back out to the archery range, he continued, “Would you like to try them?”
“Yes, please,” said an enthusiastic Mal.
Taking her bow, she took one of the arrows and looked up the archery range. About one hundred and fifty yards up the field hung a little bell on a string. Taking aim, she drew a breath and released it slowly. Waiting for the perfect time before releasing the arrow. The deep twang of the bowstring announced the arrow being fired. Throwing it through the air straight at the little bell. The high ping and ring of the bell told that Mal had hit the bell.
Smiling, Mal bowed to Master Howard. “If the rest fly as straight as that one did, I will have good hunting.” Opening the gate to the field, she walked down to the end where her arrow lay on the ground.
When she came back, Master Howard bowed and said, “That is the best shot I’ve seen in a long time, my Lady. I don’t think the bards truly understand how good you are with that bow.”
“Thank you again for the arrows; I must go now. I don’t want to keep the Queen waiting.” Said Mal, slightly rushed; she still didn’t know how to take these compliments.
As she approached the Palace, Cari was coming to meet her.
“My Lady, there you are. Lady Swan sent me to let you know that they will be going shortly and for you to meet at the front of the Palace.”
Cari would have dragged Mal something that Mal found humorous. Slowing down on purpose to look at a rose, she almost laughed out loud as Cari resisted the urge to stamp her foot.
“Ok, Cari, let’s go before I’m late.” She said, breaking into a brisk pace.
Picking up speed, they arrived at the front of the palace moments before the Queen exited the Palace. Everyone curtsied as the Queen arrived. Then the groomsmen arrived with a dozen beautiful horses. Mal ran her hand down the neck of the horse she was to be using. It was a beautiful golden colour, and its eyes shone with intelligence and understanding. They stood there for a moment before the horse broke the trance by nudging Mal with its nose.
“This is Lady, mam,” said the stable hand that had brought the horse out and was standing watching the pair of them interact. “I think she likes you, mam,” he continued.
“I think your right and the feeling is mutual as well,” replied Mal smiling at the stable hand.
“Have a good day, my Lady,” he replied, heading off on an errand.
Mal looked around, taking in the rest of the party was ready. The Queen and her ladies in waiting, Lady Swan, two royal guards and several squires were in attendance. Mal didn’t realise so many people would go on the hunt.
Half of the hunt was about being quiet and moving quickly and unnoticed. The Ladies and maids were all wearing fancy dresses made of bright colours, mainly reds and blues. Shaking her head at the thought of the group traipsing over the mountain ranges of home in their large dresses.
“Doubt if they could catch a mountain deer in that getup,” said a voice quietly behind her.
Looking behind her, Dareon was walking down the steps behind her, looking at the group.
“True Dareon, but there are no mountains near here.” Replied Mal with a smile. “I didn’t get to see you yesterday. Are they keeping you busy?”
“Lessons with Lord Turok and his Chamberlain mostly. I heard you were going on a hunt, so I’ve begged off as your official protector. I’ll be coming along.”
Laughing, Mal responded, “You? My protector? Would you like a rematch?”
The rematch referenced a fight they had two years before where Mal bested Dareon fair and square.
“No rematch needed, but protector I am. Yourself and the Prince are too valuable to risk, and the King agrees. Myself, Darr and Tomi have sworn an oath to Onk-nacka to protect you or die trying. If you are going outside of the Palace, let me know so I can come along. Besides, we’re friends, and I know you can protect yourself, but you would accept backup in a bad situation, would you?”
Mal was shocked to swear to Onk-nacka that you would do something was the most severe oath anyone from their village could make. Anyone that broke that oath faced hard times.
“No, not if you put it that way. Did you really swear that to Onk-nacka? That’s a solemn oath indeed.” Replied Mal, “Ok, you have my word that if I leave the palace, either you, Darr or Tomi will be informed.”
It was several hours later when they arrived at the estate of Lord Mali. Lord Mali and his wife had received them as they rode into the courtyard of his demise.
Lord Mali was a tall thin man whose warm smile lit up when he saw the Queen.
“Welcome, Welcome one and all,” he said warmly. “Come in for some refreshments after your journey.”
Everyone dismounted after the Queen and entered the keep. A log fire roared in the centre of the room, and two large shaggy dogs lay on the ground next to it.
“So your highness here to take me up on my offer for a days hunting?” Asked Lord Mali.
“Yes, what type of game are we expected to hunt today?” Enquired the Queen.
“Pheasant mostly, my Queen, There is quite a few of them, so we should be able to catch a few today,” he replied.
After they had partaken of the refreshments, they left the keep and remounted their horses. Lord Mali led them across moorland to a wooded area. Once there, the Queen and her ladies in waiting dismounted, and squires approached with hawks.
Mal looked around for someone with a bow and was shocked to see that none of the ladies in waiting had a bow.
Sensing movement from the direction of the trees, Mal spotted a few birds taking flight as if being scared out of the trees.
Soon the ladies hawks were taking flight and returning with woodland doves and the odd hare that broke into the open area between the woodland and the waiting ladies.
Mal stood beside Dareon, watching the hunt; the ladies laughed and drank from crystal glasses filled by the squires. A squire came towards Mal and Dareon with a tray holding two glasses and a jug of wine. They both waved him off.
Lady Swan approached the pair. “You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself much?”
“No, Lady Sawn,” said Mal formally, “This is not the type of hunting that we were expecting. Our hunts take many hours of tracking before the kill. This is not what we expected, “she said, gesturing the scene in front fo her.
“Ah, I see, since most of us have never held a bow, you see, so we train these hawks from young chicks to hunt for us,” replied Lady Swan.
“Lady Malderia, Lord Dareon, you not taking part?” Asked the Queen from behind.
“Sorry, my Queen, we don’t have hawks to hunt with just our bows.”
“Well, maybe you would be kind enough to show us your fabled skills that we have heard the bards singing about.” Said the Queen gesturing to the area between the wood and the hunting party.
Curtsying, Mal nodded to Dareon, walking forward to stand twenty paces from the trees.
Drawing their bows, they didn’t have to wait long; six doves flew from the trees. Pulling and releasing as fast as they could, they put an arrow in each dove. Much to the applause of the Queen’s hunting party.
Walking over to the downed birds, they spoke in unison while removing the arrows from the birds. “Onk-nacka god of the hunt, we thank you for this bounty.”
“That was wonderful,” exclaimed the Queen, smiling brightly at the two mountain people that had come to her sons’ rescue. Seeing the look on her face, “Why do you look so sad?”
“To be honest, your highness, we only kill what we will eat. What you have killed here today would feed you for a month.”
“Ah, I see you think that we are wasteful fear not nothing that is killed here today will be put to waste. Lord Mali has a large family and staff which needs to be fed. So you see, we are helping him out. Anything left over will be shipped to the Palace and used to feed the palace staff and us.”
Seeing the look of open relief on the faces of Lady Malderia and Lord Dareon, she realised that these mountain folk are more complex.
“Come, let us have a glass of wine and talk of other things,” said the Queen.
They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing the mountain village and their life before coming to the kingdom. Mal spoke of her younger brother finding a Hawk chick and her hope that he would become a Hawk Master. Telling the Queen that if someone was lucky and had a natural affinity, there was a chance that they could bond with the chick and become a true Hawk Master.
Back in the Palace, Mal’s next couple of weeks were taken up with lesson upon lesson. Mal’s only relief was from brief visits from her new friend Geoffrey and meeting up with Dareon when Lord Turok’s studies allowed.
It was a seventh-day that Mal was going to head to the archery range to practice. Dressed once again in her elven clothes, she had run down to the archery range.
A page called out, “Lady Malderia, A moment of your time, please, mam.”
Stopping to let the page catch up with her, she watched him cross the courtyard. He was about twelve summers old with black hair and brown eyes. He was tall and lanky with almost elf-like qualities around the ears and eyes. Mal was struck by the thought that there must be elven blood in his veins.
“Yes, Quentin, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes, Mam, The Chamberlain has sent me to find you. Two monks have arrived from the Monastery of Hasder; they are looking to speak with the Prince on a matter of urgency.”
“Please take me to them, maybe; the Abbot has found some news.”
“Yes, My Lady,” said Quentin, “This way.”
He led Mal back into the Palace and to the office of the Chamberlain. As Mal approached the office, she could see the Queen enter the room.
The hairs on the back of Mal’s neck stood on end the moment she saw the Queen stepping into the room as if a predator was stalking her.
I one fluid movement, Mal’s sword was out of its sheath, whistling through the air as she sprinted the last couple of meters, throwing her full weight against the door that was in the middle of closing. She took in the scene in one glance. The Chamberlain had a dagger in his shoulder, and another blade was flying through the air towards the Queen.
Knowing that she was probably too late, Mal’s blade flashed through the air and just barely touched the hilt of the dagger and causing it to hit the Queen with the handle instead. Spinning towards the Monks that were in the process of discarding the monks’ robes. Mal stepped forward, skewering the first assailant in the shoulder as her blade whistled throughout the air pinning him to the chair behind him.
The second assailant smiled as he drew two blades and held them as if he knew how to use them. Hunkering down, he moved towards Mal.
“So you are the mountain bitch I’ve been hearing off. Glad I’m the one to kill you. I’ll get a handsome reward for killing you.”
Glancing around, Mal positioned herself between the Queen and the assailant. Grabbing a simple wooden chair in front of the Chamberlains desk, she smashed it across the desk and shook off the fragments. Leaving her with two wooden sticks about four feet in length and bits of wooden rods protruding from the two shafts. She swung them experimentally to get the feel of them. Never taking her eyes off the assassin.
Stepping forward to meet the assassin as he suddenly leapt forward, Mal’s wooden sticks met each assassin’s attack. The look on his face turned to one of fierce concentration as he realised that Mal was no lamb aimlessly wandering in a paddock just waiting to be picked up but actually probably more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. If he got out of this, he would return to the Red Parrot and kill Lincoln, the tavern keeper.
He had never seen anyone move so fast as the speed that Mal countered his attacks. He went from simple to complex attacks, none of which could get through. His rejoice on disarming Mal of one of her sticks was short-lived as Mal’s other stick smashed into his wrist and broke his wrist, making him drop the dagger in that hand.
The Queen had only a moment to react to seeing the Chamberlain being attacked, and a dagger was thrown straight at her. She had seen her death flowing towards her, the sight of the blade looming larger and larger.
She had a moment of clarity and knew that she had lived a good life and raised a good son. She was sad that she wouldn’t get to her youngest son grow into a man like her firstborn.
When Mal suddenly charged into the room, faster than the Queen could believe, her sword had flashed, and the Queen had watched the dagger that had been about to kill her twist in mid-air, and instead of the blade hitting her, the hilt had struck her in the head. The blow had knocked her down for a moment more out of shock and pain.
Shaking herself and standing up, she saw that one assassin was pinned to a chair screaming in pain. Picking up the dagger that had been thrown at her. She steadied herself shaking her head slightly to get her thoughts in order she could hear the page outside the room raising the alarm. The fight between the assassin and Mal was fierce, with Mal defending herself with two bits of wood.
Suddenly Mal had lost one of the wooden sticks she had, and the assassin lost a dagger, but the battle raged on. Hefting the dagger in her hand, she knew that she would probably hit Mal with it if she threw it to her. Indecision wracked the Queen she needed to help Mal but could not assist without distracting Mal from the fight.
The Queen could hear guards coming but wasn’t sure how long Mal could hold out against the assassin. Suddenly Mal moved over towards the Chamberlains table. Seeing her chance, the Queen slid the dagger over the table, hoping that the action wouldn’t distract Mal.
As Mal and the assassin fought each other looking for an opening that would end the fight, Mal found the killer pushing her back towards the desk where she would have less movement. The glint of a dagger sliding across the desk caught her eye, and her hand snatched it off the desk and threw it at the face of the assassin.
The assassin’s natural reflexes overrode his wishes, and his blade snaked out to deflect the dagger. Mal’s wooden stick caught him across the side of the chest. Slightly winding him in the process as he curved the blade to come back at Mal open face, blood exploded out of his mouth, and his knees collapsed.
The last thing he saw before the darkness of death took him from the world was the blood dripping from the end of the stick where a fragment of the original chair was sticking out. He hadn’t seen it; he could have sworn that the wooden shaft she had was free of items. The curse died on his lips as he drowned in his own blood.
Guards burst into the room moments later. Taking the scene into account, the dead assassin on the floor and another passed out from pain with Mal’s sword pinning him to the chair.
Mal turned to the Queen. “Are you all right, your highness?”
“Yes, Mal, thanks,” said the Queen as she knelt by the Chamberlain. Whose face was as grey as stone from the blood loss.
“Take them into custody and get the healer now,” snapped the Queen as she put pressure around the wound of the Chamberlain.
“I’m here, your majesty; I was nearby and heard the commotion. Here let me take over there. Quentin, run to my hall and get more healers; that’s a good lad.” Said the Healer.
“Master Anslo, thank the gods you are here. Do you think he will live?” asked the Queen.
“I’ll be honest, he’s lost a lot of blood. But I’m here now, and I have no intention of losing him. Besides, he’s too stubborn to give up without a fight”. He said, looking into the face of his friend, whose eyes had opened slightly and had a slight smile on his lips.
“You bet” was all that he said before slipping into a deep sleep of exhaustion.
It was only then that Mal noticed the large bruise on the Queen’s face.
“Are you alright, my Queen?” said Mal “did the dagger cut you?”
“Yes, I’m alright, just bruised; you deflected the blade so that the hilt hit me, not the blade. I own you my life Mal, it seems you’re making a habit of saving my family members.” Replied the Queen with a smile and a reassuring hand on Mal’s arm.
Gesturing to the Man that Mal had pinned to the chair. “Your sword, I believe, retrieve it and come with me we must see the king immediately.”
“I’m sorry, your highness, but you are in lockdown until I get more men here to escort you to the King. I’ve sent a message to the Captain of the palace guard.”
“You dare hold me here.” Demanded the Queen.
“Yes, for your safety, I can’t guarantee it at the minute, and there is only three of us here to protect you, four counting the Orge Slayer, and I can’t leave any here to protect the others if you leave. You can report me to the Captain once he comes here, but until then, you’re staying put.” said the guard.
Several minutes passed before the Captin, and a detachment of palace guards arrived. Followed closely by Dareon, who came down the stairs sword in hand. Seeing Mal and the Queen both safely surrounded by Palace guards. He put his sword away.
“Well, Mal looks like I’ll be putting an end to the lessons from Lord Turok for a while; if you’re not safe in the Palace, I’ll be camping outside your door, and I won’t be leaving your side until the Prince and the others are back.”
Seeing Mal about to protest, he held up a hand and said, “No arguments.”
Remembering the sworn oath that her friends had given to protect her, she nodded her acceptance. “No Arguments from me, but we will discuss camping outside my door.”
Overhearing this, the Queen turned to Mal. “From this moment onwards, two guards will accompany you everywhere. Lord Dareon, you will be given six guards to help in the protection of the Lady Malderia.”
“Thank you, your Highness,” said Dareon.
“And I have the first for your squad,” she said, pointing to the guard that had stopped her leaving.
“You, what is your name?” asked the Queen.
“Samuel, your majesty”
“Samuel, it takes a certain type of man to stand up to his Queen and disobey a direct order. You put my safety paramount you did the right thing, and I commend you for that. From now on, you are to report to Lord Dareon here and are part of the personal guard for Lady Malderia. I’m sure that Lord Dareon will fill you in on what’s going on.”
Hearing the sound of marching men, they turned to the corridor the sound was coming from and saw the King striding towards them. The enraged look on his face spoke volumes of his displeasure.
“Will someone tell me what’s happening in my own palace for the love of the gods,” demanded the King.
The Queen curtsied to the King, and Mal followed her lead, remembering her lessons. “It seems like two assassins have snuck into the Palace dressed as monks. Saying they had information from Lord Abbot for our son. The Lord Chamberlain had them brought to his office. While having a page sent to Lady Malderia and me. When I entered the room, the Lord Chamberlain questioned the two monks, and it was clear they knew nothing of the monastery. When I walked in, they seemed to realise that the ruse had been uncovered. They threw daggers at the Lord Chamberlain and me. If it wasn’t for the Lady Malderia here, I would be dead. She deflected the dagger meant for me so that the hilt hit me instead of the blade.” said the Queen.
“Lady Malderia, you have once again served the people and me. Words escape me at this time but mark my words. I will find a way to repay you.”
“Freely given my King, together we will free our peoples from the threat of the goblins and dark elves.” Said Mal with a curtsy.The Queen watched he son board the ship, her personal guards standing around watching everyone. After the attack on her son, all members of the royal family had increased protection. Walking up the pier to the carriage, she thought about the conversation she had just had with her son. He was growing up too fast, and now he had started to have feelings for a girl; the time was ripe for him to be married off before he sired a bastard.
Getting into the carriage and sitting down, she signalled to the footman that she was ready to leave as soon as the guard were ready.
Looking to Lady Swan, who had accompanied her this morning but had stayed in the carriage so that she could speak with her son privately or at least as private as their personal guards would allow.
“So Lady Swan, it will be over a month until my son is back at the earliest; what plans have you made?” asked the Queen.
“I have scheduled some entertainments to keep her busy and as far from brooding as I can,” said Lady Swan.
“She’s not like most court women, so the normal things won’t keep her entertained for long.”
“I’ve scheduled some hunting trips, and as you suggest, I’ve spoken with my son and made him aware that I expect him to grace me with his presence often over the coming months. Mal is a beautiful girl, and I’m sure he will be quite taken with her. “
“We can’t push her into the arms of another, but we need her to realise that there are other fish in the stream, as it were.” warned the Queen. “This has all the making of a potential disaster if not handled correctly.”
“I agree, which is why I’ve arranged for my son to drop in while I’m giving Mal a lesson in court etiquette, one that I’m sure will bore her to tears when my son arrives and interrupts. I’ll have no other option than to send them off for Mal to get some fresh air.”
Smiling, the Queen nodded. “A delicate touch indeed, you Lady Swan are a treasure.”
Once they arrived at the Palace, they got out of the carriage, and the Queen bid the Lady Swan a good day.
Mal had been walking in the garden, and that is where Lady Swan found her. She was glad that Mal was wearing one of the gowns that had been made for her. When Mal woke this morning, three new dresses and shoes were waiting for her. She never had so many new clothes in her life. The thought of having so many didn’t sit well with her. Yet another part of her loved the feeling of the new clothes, especially the silk.
When Mal saw Lady Swan, she gave a small curtsy that Cari had shown her was the proper level for ladies at court. She had explained that the more profound and slower the curtsy was performed expressed the level of respect.
“Lady Swan, your back already; I’m assuming that the ship has sailed.” Said Mal in a slightly sad tone. Mal wondered if it was the Prince she missed or the adventure. She wasn’t looking forward to spending the next four to six weeks stuck in the castle having lessons.
“Yes, by this time, they will already be out to sea heading to the Island of Seldar. Are you ready for your first lesson?”
“Yes, mam,” responded Mal, although in reality, not really.
“Well, let us go to my private lounge, and we can get started.”
Four long hours later, Mal was genuinely bored. Lady Sarah had kept the windows shut and the fire on, so it was a bit stuffy; her first lesson was to cover all of the different things that would be covered; there was so much to learn. Lady Sarah had told her that she wasn’t expected to know it all by heart and that when she did come to the age of ascension, she would be well versed.
A knock at the door signalled the arrival of some refreshments. Mal jumped out of the seat and rushed to open the door. Cari came in carrying a tray with a steaming pot and some little cups and a plate of sweet treats, fruit, strips of ham and cheese.
Mal thanked Cari when she put the tray on the table, and Lady Sarah started to pour the steaming liquid from the pot into the small cups. The liquid was not the black of kuffa, but a semi-opaque dark brown liquid and the smell was much softer than kuffa.
“What type of drink is this?” Asked Mal when Lady Sarah handed her one of the cups.
“It’s called tea; it’s the leaves of a plant that only grows in the jungle many months travel from here. It’s a much warmer country than here. In that country, the windows are open all year round as it is warm all year round. Not like here where the wind in winter would skin you alive.”
The thought of travelling to see these countries caught Mal’s imagination. She smelt the tea she had in her hand and thought of travelling to far off distant lands brought a smile to her lips.
“What’s got you in a happy mood, Malderia?” Asked Lady Sarah.
“Just thinking of travelling, and how wonderful it would be to see places for the first time and the things you would find.”
Taking a sip of the tea, Mal recoiled. “Ah, it’s a bit hot,” she said, putting the cup down to cool a little and picking a piece of cheese and wrapping it in a slice of ham. She dipped the ham and cheese combo into a bowl of pickled vegetables before taking a bite of it.
They spoke about many things over their lunch until a knock at the door disrupted them. Getting up and going over to the door, Lady Sarah opened it and exclaimed.
“Geoffrey, How pleasant to see you. I didn’t expect to see you for a few more days. “she said with real delight embracing her son, “Please come in; I have someone I want to introduce you to.”
Turning to Mal, “Lady Malderia Talon of Grey Stones, this is my son Geoffrey, Heir to our family and beloved wonderer. Master Geoffrey Swan of Hightower”
“My Lady, a true honour,” said Geoffrey with his most elaborate and flourishing bow he could make ruined by the cheeky grin he had on his face while he did it.
Mal, in turn, made the most profound curtsy she could in the dress she wore and got safely back up again.
Laughing, Geoffrey shook Mal’s hand. “So has my mother bored you enough for today. I remember sitting through those same lessons thinking that my brains would dribble out of my ears in a minute.”
“Shush you,” said Lady Swan, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. “Have you eaten?”
“Just got in, mother, so haven’t had anything.”
“Well, sit down; there’s plenty left, and you tell us of your travels then and why I don’t get to see you as often,” responded his mother.
“I’ll be home for the next couple of months, mother, so I’m sure you’ll get sick of me soon enough.” He said with a smile as he tucked into the treats on the tray.
“Eat some ham and cheese first, and don’t fill up on the treats first, honestly.”
“Yes, mother,” said Geoffrey with a smile as he popped another treat into his mouth.
“So you are going to be back for a while then?” Asked his mother.
“Yes, the trading went well. I got lots of new merchandise that should provide a good profit for the estate. I saved a young man from a group of thieves in Kamden. It turned out that his father was one of the biggest producers for Abilon Red. His father was most appreciative, and I could get a large quantity of Abilon Red at an extreme discount. That shipment alone will cover the costs of the estate for the next year.”
“I will have to send a token of appreciation the next time that you are in that direction and see if we can cultivate a relationship. To get a foot into the Abilon Red market is a massive achievement and one that might set the estate up for years to come.” Said Lady Swan.
“Where’s Kamden?” asked Mal
“It is about two months by sea or six over land and lies farther to the North past the Empire of Musto and the Kingdom of Tralli. It has a climate that is perfect for growing wine, so they have evolved their economy into the biggest producer of wine this side of the Arabian Sea,” replied Geoffrey.
“Someday, I would like to see these places,” said Mal wishfully.
Taking that as a natural queue Lady Swan spoke up. “Well, I doubt that I’ll get Malderia interested in her lessons now that you have come and distracted her. Why don’t you take Mal to the garden and you can tell her all about your adventures? I’ll see you at supper, Malderia, and we will continue your lessons tomorrow.”
Mal jumped to a standing position almost straight away. Curtsied to Lady Swan, “My Thanks, I’ll see you at supper My Lady”.
Geoffrey already had the door open and was waiting for Mal. As he closed the door behind her, he nodded to his mother. She had been right; Mal was a true beauty, and while his mother only wanted him to become her friend, she had advised being very patient if he wanted more. She knew he would heed her advice and move very slowly in his actions to woo her.
Lady Sarah knocked on the Queen’s door and was immediately let in. Curtsying to the Queen and other ladies in the room.
“How goes the hunt for a wife for the Prince, my Queen?” Asked Lady Sarah,
“Badly, there aren’t many daughters of marriageable age on this side of the Arabian Sea. I’ve asked Ambassador Hikle to get us details on the five of them and our relationship to the royal houses of the countries they belong to.”
Inclining her head slightly to the Balcony, she signalled to the Queen that she wished to speak in private. Getting up, the Queen made her way to the balcony area of her apartment; when Lady Sarah joined her, she simply asked, “Have they met?”
“Yes, my Queen, once Geoffrey started talking about the places he had been, she was enthralled with the idea of other places. I sent them off to the gardens for some fresh air. Look there they come now,” she said, pointing down towards the garden. The two could be seen exiting the Palace and starting to walk through the garden side by side.
“Expertly done, Lady Swan, I am indebted to you for this lets hope that our plan comes together. The kingdom must be strong, and the Prince must marry for the strength of the kingdom.”
They watched them make their way through the gardens before a knock at the door announced a guest. Re-entering the apartment, the Queens signalled her maid to open the door and see who was seeking entry.
A page stood outside the door holding a silver tray with a single note sitting on it.
“For the Queen,” announced the page.
“Thank you I will see that she gets it straight away,” said the Queens’ maid.
The page bowed to the maid as she closed the door. Crossing over, she presented the Queen with the note that had been delivered.
“It seems that Lord Mali has one or two too many pheasants and has invited us to go hunting on the seventh day.” Said the Queen after reading the note. “Well ladies, shall we hunt some pheasants on the seventh day?”
A small cheer went up from the ladies in waiting. “That would be wonderful, your highness,” said Lady Swan.
Ambassador Hikle arrived shortly after, and they spent the rest of the day discussing the virtues of marriage to this or that kingdom. By the end of the day, they were no closer to choosing a bride for the Prince.
“Don’t worry, your Majesty; as you know, joining two families together is a large undertaking,” said the Ambassador. “The selection process will take months. By the end, you’ll know as much about these ladies as is humanly possible. Ha, then when we approach their fathers, you are talking another month minimum before we will have a response.”
“Thank you, Ambassador. Shall we pick up tomorrow at noon then?” Replied the Queen.
“Thank you, your majesty; I will see you at noon on the morrow then.” Replied the Ambassador with a bow.
After the Ambassador had left, Lady Swan stood and curtsied to the Queen. “Your Majesty, with your leave, I have a supper engagement with the Lady Malderia to keep.”
“Thank you, Sarah, until we speak on the morrow,” said the Queen with a nod of her head. “Oh, let us invite the Lady Malderia along; I’m sure she’d enjoy it”.
“Thank you, your majesty; I think she would enjoy that.”
Leaving the Queen’s private apartment, Lady Sarah Swan made her way to her apartment. Her maid was setting the small table for supper.
“The Lady Malderia sent a message that she will be along shortly, mam,” she said with a curtsy when she entered the room.
Mal arrived shortly after and was excited to go hunting on the seventh day all through supper; her mind wandered back to the hunt in five days.
The light of the dawn sun hit the light curtains in Mal’s room-filling the room with a pale yellow colour that woke Mal gently from her sleep. Stretching out on the bed to remove the kink in her neck, she smiled and bounded out of bed and went to get her elven clothes out of the wardrobe.
It had been five long days waiting for the hunt. While Lady Swan had tried to keep Mal entertained at night, the lessons had continued throughout the days since. She couldn’t believe the amount of work that was needed to run an estate. Her one escape each day was Geoffrey’s visits. Lady Sawn’s son always raised her spirits. She began to look forward to his daily visits as he always seemed to interrupt the most boring off lessons just at the right time.
The wardrobe was now full of the most incredible silk and satin dresses, all of which had shoes to match. It was easy to spot the elven clothes and the elven boots that matched them as they stood out like a sore thumb compared to the Queen’s dresses had made for her. She dressed quickly and stood looking in the full-length mirror.
The mirror was a treasure in and of itself; the nearest thing they had to a mirror in the mountains was a large copper mirror that made you look blurry.
Mal was surprised at how comfortable she felt in some of the dresses; the first dress she had been given had been a wonderful gift that she treasured deeply; it felt too heavy after a while and didn’t give her the freedom of movement. When she spoke to her maid about it the following day, the dresses she had been supplied next had been beautiful, light and gave her better freedom of movement.
Going over to the table that held her meagre belongings and strapping on the sword felt good. Each item she put on made her feel better and more complete, like she had been missing something while not wearing the bracelet and ring.
A footstep outside her door announced that someone was there. Getting up to go over and open the door, Cari stepped in, holding a tray of food to break Mal’s fast. She nearly dropped the tray when she saw Mal standing there just inside the door with her hand on her sword.
Relaxing, Mal smiled. “Good morrow Cari, It should be a good day for the hunt.”
“Yes, my Lady,” replied Cari looking at Mal’s clothes, “I brought you some food to break your fast.”
Saying thank you, Mal sat down and ate her breakfast, “Do you know what time will the queens’ party be leaving for the hunt?”
“In a couple of hours, my Lady.”
“Great, I must see Master Howard first, though.” Replied Mal getting up and heading out of the Palace to the archery range on the other side of the garden.
Master Howard was standing around a group of lads sitting on stools with a bag of feathers. Mal that they were getting a lesson in fletching.
As Mal approached the group, Master Howard was walking around with a barrel of arrow staves. Placing a handful of staves in front of each of the lads, he said, “Since you all seem to be able to hit the targets now, it’s time for us to see how well you can make arrows. This is as important a job as shooting is. Can any of you tell me why?”
Henry stuck up his hand.
“Yes, Henry?”
Quietly as if scared of suddenly being the centre of attention, he spoke, “Sir, if you have no arrows, you can’t shoot.”
“Exactly, if you run out of arrows, then you will either be standing around looking like a fool or drawing your sword.” Looking up at Male approach.
“Lady Malderia, welcome to our class; how can I help you today.”
“Master Howard, I was wondering if you would be able to help me out. I’m to go hunting with the Queen’s party today, but I only have a dozen arrows, and I was wondering if I could impose for some additional arrows?”
“Certainly, my apprentice here can take the class while we look at my stock of arrows.” Said Master Howard leading Mal to his workshop.
Entering the workshop, the smell assaulted their noses. The prominent aromas were of sawdust, glue and varnish. Five apprentices stood around the workshop making bows and arrows.
Walking over to one of his apprentices, Master Howard tapped him on the shoulder. Lifting his hand up, he made a couple of complex hand signals to the Apprentice. Who responded in kind, leaving Mal thinking of hunting back home with friends, and the hand signals they used were not as complex as these.
The Apprentice walked off deeper into the workshop, leaving Mal and Master Howard standing there.
“Wow, those hand signals were more advanced than the ones we used when hunting in the mountains back home.”
“Ah, it’s a sad story; he was kicked in the head as a child, and the healers were able to save his life, but he can’t hear or speak anymore. He’s been an apprentice of mine for nearly twenty years now. At first, it was more out of pity, but he learnt quickly and has become a Master Bowyer and Fletcher in his own right. The hand signals that we have to allow us to have conversations. Unfortunately, not many have the patience to learn it.”
“Put him in charge of the children and tell them to learn it. In the mountains, we have a variety of hand signals and whistles that allow us to communicate over a short distance when hunting. We take the children and teach them before they go hunting with us.”
“Thanks, that’s a good idea; the other journeymen here know bits and pieces but not enough. He’s liked well enough by people who know him; others think he’s stupid and that he will understand if they just shout a bit louder. Ah, here he comes now.”
When he came back, he had a quiver of arrows handing them to Master Howard. He raised his right hand and touched his fingertips to his lips, and dropped his hand downwards in a sweeping motion.
Turning to Mal, Master Howard asked, “Will these do Lady Malderia?”
Taking one of the arrows out of the quiver, Mal caught her breath; the arrow was perfect. She could see nothing wrong with it at all. “Thank you, Master Howard; these are beautiful.” Turning to the Apprentice, Mal copied the hand gesture she had seen Master Howard use. Smiling, he returned the gesture to Mal.
“Yes, He makes the best bows and arrows in the kingdom.” Leading Mal back out to the archery range, he continued, “Would you like to try them?”
“Yes, please,” said an enthusiastic Mal.
Taking her bow, she took one of the arrows and looked up the archery range. About one hundred and fifty yards up the field hung a little bell on a string. Taking aim, she drew a breath and released it slowly. Waiting for the perfect time before releasing the arrow. The deep twang of the bowstring announced the arrow being fired. Throwing it through the air straight at the little bell. The high ping and ring of the bell told that Mal had hit the bell.
Smiling, Mal bowed to Master Howard. “If the rest fly as straight as that one did, I will have good hunting.” Opening the gate to the field, she walked down to the end where her arrow lay on the ground.
When she came back, Master Howard bowed and said, “That is the best shot I’ve seen in a long time, my Lady. I don’t think the bards truly understand how good you are with that bow.”
“Thank you again for the arrows; I must go now. I don’t want to keep the Queen waiting.” Said Mal, slightly rushed; she still didn’t know how to take these compliments.
As she approached the Palace, Cari was coming to meet her.
“My Lady, there you are. Lady Swan sent me to let you know that they will be going shortly and for you to meet at the front of the Palace.”
Cari would have dragged Mal something that Mal found humorous. Slowing down on purpose to look at a rose, she almost laughed out loud as Cari resisted the urge to stamp her foot.
“Ok, Cari, let’s go before I’m late.” She said, breaking into a brisk pace.
Picking up speed, they arrived at the front of the palace moments before the Queen exited the Palace. Everyone curtsied as the Queen arrived. Then the groomsmen arrived with a dozen beautiful horses. Mal ran her hand down the neck of the horse she was to be using. It was a beautiful golden colour, and its eyes shone with intelligence and understanding. They stood there for a moment before the horse broke the trance by nudging Mal with its nose.
“This is Lady, mam,” said the stable hand that had brought the horse out and was standing watching the pair of them interact. “I think she likes you, mam,” he continued.
“I think your right and the feeling is mutual as well,” replied Mal smiling at the stable hand.
“Have a good day, my Lady,” he replied, heading off on an errand.
Mal looked around, taking in the rest of the party was ready. The Queen and her ladies in waiting, Lady Swan, two royal guards and several squires were in attendance. Mal didn’t realise so many people would go on the hunt.
Half of the hunt was about being quiet and moving quickly and unnoticed. The Ladies and maids were all wearing fancy dresses made of bright colours, mainly reds and blues. Shaking her head at the thought of the group traipsing over the mountain ranges of home in their large dresses.
“Doubt if they could catch a mountain deer in that getup,” said a voice quietly behind her.
Looking behind her, Dareon was walking down the steps behind her, looking at the group.
“True Dareon, but there are no mountains near here.” Replied Mal with a smile. “I didn’t get to see you yesterday. Are they keeping you busy?”
“Lessons with Lord Turok and his Chamberlain mostly. I heard you were going on a hunt, so I’ve begged off as your official protector. I’ll be coming along.”
Laughing, Mal responded, “You? My protector? Would you like a rematch?”
The rematch referenced a fight they had two years before where Mal bested Dareon fair and square.
“No rematch needed, but protector I am. Yourself and the Prince are too valuable to risk, and the King agrees. Myself, Darr and Tomi have sworn an oath to Onk-nacka to protect you or die trying. If you are going outside of the Palace, let me know so I can come along. Besides, we’re friends, and I know you can protect yourself, but you would accept backup in a bad situation, would you?”
Mal was shocked to swear to Onk-nacka that you would do something was the most severe oath anyone from their village could make. Anyone that broke that oath faced hard times.
“No, not if you put it that way. Did you really swear that to Onk-nacka? That’s a solemn oath indeed.” Replied Mal, “Ok, you have my word that if I leave the palace, either you, Darr or Tomi will be informed.”
It was several hours later when they arrived at the estate of Lord Mali. Lord Mali and his wife had received them as they rode into the courtyard of his demise.
Lord Mali was a tall thin man whose warm smile lit up when he saw the Queen.
“Welcome, Welcome one and all,” he said warmly. “Come in for some refreshments after your journey.”
Everyone dismounted after the Queen and entered the keep. A log fire roared in the centre of the room, and two large shaggy dogs lay on the ground next to it.
“So your highness here to take me up on my offer for a days hunting?” Asked Lord Mali.
“Yes, what type of game are we expected to hunt today?” Enquired the Queen.
“Pheasant mostly, my Queen, There is quite a few of them, so we should be able to catch a few today,” he replied.
After they had partaken of the refreshments, they left the keep and remounted their horses. Lord Mali led them across moorland to a wooded area. Once there, the Queen and her ladies in waiting dismounted, and squires approached with hawks.
Mal looked around for someone with a bow and was shocked to see that none of the ladies in waiting had a bow.
Sensing movement from the direction of the trees, Mal spotted a few birds taking flight as if being scared out of the trees.
Soon the ladies hawks were taking flight and returning with woodland doves and the odd hare that broke into the open area between the woodland and the waiting ladies.
Mal stood beside Dareon, watching the hunt; the ladies laughed and drank from crystal glasses filled by the squires. A squire came towards Mal and Dareon with a tray holding two glasses and a jug of wine. They both waved him off.
Lady Swan approached the pair. “You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself much?”
“No, Lady Sawn,” said Mal formally, “This is not the type of hunting that we were expecting. Our hunts take many hours of tracking before the kill. This is not what we expected, “she said, gesturing the scene in front fo her.
“Ah, I see, since most of us have never held a bow, you see, so we train these hawks from young chicks to hunt for us,” replied Lady Swan.
“Lady Malderia, Lord Dareon, you not taking part?” Asked the Queen from behind.
“Sorry, my Queen, we don’t have hawks to hunt with just our bows.”
“Well, maybe you would be kind enough to show us your fabled skills that we have heard the bards singing about.” Said the Queen gesturing to the area between the wood and the hunting party.
Curtsying, Mal nodded to Dareon, walking forward to stand twenty paces from the trees.
Drawing their bows, they didn’t have to wait long; six doves flew from the trees. Pulling and releasing as fast as they could, they put an arrow in each dove. Much to the applause of the Queen’s hunting party.
Walking over to the downed birds, they spoke in unison while removing the arrows from the birds. “Onk-nacka god of the hunt, we thank you for this bounty.”
“That was wonderful,” exclaimed the Queen, smiling brightly at the two mountain people that had come to her sons’ rescue. Seeing the look on her face, “Why do you look so sad?”
“To be honest, your highness, we only kill what we will eat. What you have killed here today would feed you for a month.”
“Ah, I see you think that we are wasteful fear not nothing that is killed here today will be put to waste. Lord Mali has a large family and staff which needs to be fed. So you see, we are helping him out. Anything left over will be shipped to the Palace and used to feed the palace staff and us.”
Seeing the look of open relief on the faces of Lady Malderia and Lord Dareon, she realised that these mountain folk are more complex.
“Come, let us have a glass of wine and talk of other things,” said the Queen.
They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing the mountain village and their life before coming to the kingdom. Mal spoke of her younger brother finding a Hawk chick and her hope that he would become a Hawk Master. Telling the Queen that if someone was lucky and had a natural affinity, there was a chance that they could bond with the chick and become a true Hawk Master.
Back in the Palace, Mal’s next couple of weeks were taken up with lesson upon lesson. Mal’s only relief was from brief visits from her new friend Geoffrey and meeting up with Dareon when Lord Turok’s studies allowed.
It was a seventh-day that Mal was going to head to the archery range to practice. Dressed once again in her elven clothes, she had run down to the archery range.
A page called out, “Lady Malderia, A moment of your time, please, mam.”
Stopping to let the page catch up with her, she watched him cross the courtyard. He was about twelve summers old with black hair and brown eyes. He was tall and lanky with almost elf-like qualities around the ears and eyes. Mal was struck by the thought that there must be elven blood in his veins.
“Yes, Quentin, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes, Mam, The Chamberlain has sent me to find you. Two monks have arrived from the Monastery of Hasder; they are looking to speak with the Prince on a matter of urgency.”
“Please take me to them, maybe; the Abbot has found some news.”
“Yes, My Lady,” said Quentin, “This way.”
He led Mal back into the Palace and to the office of the Chamberlain. As Mal approached the office, she could see the Queen enter the room.
The hairs on the back of Mal’s neck stood on end the moment she saw the Queen stepping into the room as if a predator was stalking her.
I one fluid movement, Mal’s sword was out of its sheath, whistling through the air as she sprinted the last couple of meters, throwing her full weight against the door that was in the middle of closing. She took in the scene in one glance. The Chamberlain had a dagger in his shoulder, and another blade was flying through the air towards the Queen.
Knowing that she was probably too late, Mal’s blade flashed through the air and just barely touched the hilt of the dagger and causing it to hit the Queen with the handle instead. Spinning towards the Monks that were in the process of discarding the monks’ robes. Mal stepped forward, skewering the first assailant in the shoulder as her blade whistled throughout the air pinning him to the chair behind him.
The second assailant smiled as he drew two blades and held them as if he knew how to use them. Hunkering down, he moved towards Mal.
“So you are the mountain bitch I’ve been hearing off. Glad I’m the one to kill you. I’ll get a handsome reward for killing you.”
Glancing around, Mal positioned herself between the Queen and the assailant. Grabbing a simple wooden chair in front of the Chamberlains desk, she smashed it across the desk and shook off the fragments. Leaving her with two wooden sticks about four feet in length and bits of wooden rods protruding from the two shafts. She swung them experimentally to get the feel of them. Never taking her eyes off the assassin.
Stepping forward to meet the assassin as he suddenly leapt forward, Mal’s wooden sticks met each assassin’s attack. The look on his face turned to one of fierce concentration as he realised that Mal was no lamb aimlessly wandering in a paddock just waiting to be picked up but actually probably more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. If he got out of this, he would return to the Red Parrot and kill Lincoln, the tavern keeper.
He had never seen anyone move so fast as the speed that Mal countered his attacks. He went from simple to complex attacks, none of which could get through. His rejoice on disarming Mal of one of her sticks was short-lived as Mal’s other stick smashed into his wrist and broke his wrist, making him drop the dagger in that hand.
The Queen had only a moment to react to seeing the Chamberlain being attacked, and a dagger was thrown straight at her. She had seen her death flowing towards her, the sight of the blade looming larger and larger.
She had a moment of clarity and knew that she had lived a good life and raised a good son. She was sad that she wouldn’t get to her youngest son grow into a man like her firstborn.
When Mal suddenly charged into the room, faster than the Queen could believe, her sword had flashed, and the Queen had watched the dagger that had been about to kill her twist in mid-air, and instead of the blade hitting her, the hilt had struck her in the head. The blow had knocked her down for a moment more out of shock and pain.
Shaking herself and standing up, she saw that one assassin was pinned to a chair screaming in pain. Picking up the dagger that had been thrown at her. She steadied herself shaking her head slightly to get her thoughts in order she could hear the page outside the room raising the alarm. The fight between the assassin and Mal was fierce, with Mal defending herself with two bits of wood.
Suddenly Mal had lost one of the wooden sticks she had, and the assassin lost a dagger, but the battle raged on. Hefting the dagger in her hand, she knew that she would probably hit Mal with it if she threw it to her. Indecision wracked the Queen she needed to help Mal but could not assist without distracting Mal from the fight.
The Queen could hear guards coming but wasn’t sure how long Mal could hold out against the assassin. Suddenly Mal moved over towards the Chamberlains table. Seeing her chance, the Queen slid the dagger over the table, hoping that the action wouldn’t distract Mal.
As Mal and the assassin fought each other looking for an opening that would end the fight, Mal found the killer pushing her back towards the desk where she would have less movement. The glint of a dagger sliding across the desk caught her eye, and her hand snatched it off the desk and threw it at the face of the assassin.
The assassin’s natural reflexes overrode his wishes, and his blade snaked out to deflect the dagger. Mal’s wooden stick caught him across the side of the chest. Slightly winding him in the process as he curved the blade to come back at Mal open face, blood exploded out of his mouth, and his knees collapsed.
The last thing he saw before the darkness of death took him from the world was the blood dripping from the end of the stick where a fragment of the original chair was sticking out. He hadn’t seen it; he could have sworn that the wooden shaft she had was free of items. The curse died on his lips as he drowned in his own blood.
Guards burst into the room moments later. Taking the scene into account, the dead assassin on the floor and another passed out from pain with Mal’s sword pinning him to the chair.
Mal turned to the Queen. “Are you all right, your highness?”
“Yes, Mal, thanks,” said the Queen as she knelt by the Chamberlain. Whose face was as grey as stone from the blood loss.
“Take them into custody and get the healer now,” snapped the Queen as she put pressure around the wound of the Chamberlain.
“I’m here, your majesty; I was nearby and heard the commotion. Here let me take over there. Quentin, run to my hall and get more healers; that’s a good lad.” Said the Healer.
“Master Anslo, thank the gods you are here. Do you think he will live?” asked the Queen.
“I’ll be honest, he’s lost a lot of blood. But I’m here now, and I have no intention of losing him. Besides, he’s too stubborn to give up without a fight”. He said, looking into the face of his friend, whose eyes had opened slightly and had a slight smile on his lips.
“You bet” was all that he said before slipping into a deep sleep of exhaustion.
It was only then that Mal noticed the large bruise on the Queen’s face.
“Are you alright, my Queen?” said Mal “did the dagger cut you?”
“Yes, I’m alright, just bruised; you deflected the blade so that the hilt hit me, not the blade. I own you my life Mal, it seems you’re making a habit of saving my family members.” Replied the Queen with a smile and a reassuring hand on Mal’s arm.
Gesturing to the Man that Mal had pinned to the chair. “Your sword, I believe, retrieve it and come with me we must see the king immediately.”
“I’m sorry, your highness, but you are in lockdown until I get more men here to escort you to the King. I’ve sent a message to the Captain of the palace guard.”
“You dare hold me here.” Demanded the Queen.
“Yes, for your safety, I can’t guarantee it at the minute, and there is only three of us here to protect you, four counting the Orge Slayer, and I can’t leave any here to protect the others if you leave. You can report me to the Captain once he comes here, but until then, you’re staying put.” said the guard.
Several minutes passed before the Captin, and a detachment of palace guards arrived. Followed closely by Dareon, who came down the stairs sword in hand. Seeing Mal and the Queen both safely surrounded by Palace guards. He put his sword away.
“Well, Mal looks like I’ll be putting an end to the lessons from Lord Turok for a while; if you’re not safe in the Palace, I’ll be camping outside your door, and I won’t be leaving your side until the Prince and the others are back.”
Seeing Mal about to protest, he held up a hand and said, “No arguments.”
Remembering the sworn oath that her friends had given to protect her, she nodded her acceptance. “No Arguments from me, but we will discuss camping outside my door.”
Overhearing this, the Queen turned to Mal. “From this moment onwards, two guards will accompany you everywhere. Lord Dareon, you will be given six guards to help in the protection of the Lady Malderia.”
“Thank you, your Highness,” said Dareon.
“And I have the first for your squad,” she said, pointing to the guard that had stopped her leaving.
“You, what is your name?” asked the Queen.
“Samuel, your majesty”
“Samuel, it takes a certain type of man to stand up to his Queen and disobey a direct order. You put my safety paramount you did the right thing, and I commend you for that. From now on, you are to report to Lord Dareon here and are part of the personal guard for Lady Malderia. I’m sure that Lord Dareon will fill you in on what’s going on.”
Hearing the sound of marching men, they turned to the corridor the sound was coming from and saw the King striding towards them. The enraged look on his face spoke volumes of his displeasure.
“Will someone tell me what’s happening in my own palace for the love of the gods,” demanded the King.
The Queen curtsied to the King, and Mal followed her lead, remembering her lessons. “It seems like two assassins have snuck into the Palace dressed as monks. Saying they had information from Lord Abbot for our son. The Lord Chamberlain had them brought to his office. While having a page sent to Lady Malderia and me. When I entered the room, the Lord Chamberlain questioned the two monks, and it was clear they knew nothing of the monastery. When I walked in, they seemed to realise that the ruse had been uncovered. They threw daggers at the Lord Chamberlain and me. If it wasn’t for the Lady Malderia here, I would be dead. She deflected the dagger meant for me so that the hilt hit me instead of the blade.” said the Queen.
“Lady Malderia, you have once again served the people and me. Words escape me at this time but mark my words. I will find a way to repay you.”
“Freely given my King, together we will free our peoples from the threat of the goblins and dark elves.” Said Mal with a curtsy.