Chapter 4
Tolian awoke early to the sounds of the fireboy at work in their outer chamber. She pulled the warm covers more tightly around her and listened to him. The fireplace was on the opposite side of the same wall as the bed, so the sound came quite clearly even through the stone and heavy tapestries behind the bed. The shoveling of soot and ashes. The scraping and dragging of the metal across the stones. For a couple of moments there was silence, then the boy’s grunting and the sound of logs (large logs, apparently) tumbling into to the empty fireplace. She inhaled deeply and sprang lightly out of bed.
The frantic nervousness of last night was gone. She was calm. Her obsession with the Yule Jarrels was considerably diminished by her embarrassment at her actions of last night. She would have to apologize to Kiliordes, of course. Still, she was curious, she admitted to herself.
She pulled back the heavy window curtain and took a breath of the cold, clean air. The sun rose golden-red, shrouded in icy mist as it topped the distant hills to the east. A blanket of frost covered the fields, rolling hills and rooftops of the many small villages that surrounded the palace of Lorm. Twelve stories below her, a few merchants braved the cold to set up their wares in the main courtyard. A few small cooking fires sent their smoke curling into the air. A hunter with a deer carcass swung over his shoulder made for the butcher’s tent. Tolian was generally a late sleeper and rarely witnessed such early morning views.
Presently her handmaiden entered.
“Good morning, Milady.” She smiled and curtsied.
“Good morning, Dovyse.” Tolian smiled warmly in return. “What are you doing up so early?”
“Bilfk heard you up and about early again when he was preparing your morning fire, Milady. He woke me straight away, in case you needed anything.”
“Well,” the princess explained, “I’ve had a lot on my mind, and it seems to have ended my slumber early. I should be back to sleeping late again after today.”
The girl looked at Tolian attentively as she spoke. She always did. The princess appreciated that. Dovyse was one of the few people in the palace who seemed to genuinely accept and like Tolian. It seemed to Tolian that the girl almost revered her, not in a religious way but as a teen girl might look up to a woman she admired. Tolian was fond of Dovyse as well. She was such a pleasant surprise. Having a handmaiden was a significant adjustment for Tolian. In Lormian society, princes required much less maintenance than princesses did. She was grateful for Dovyse for making that transition an easy one to adjust to. Both Tolian and Brythia depended on the girl to help them with the things they needed to know as Lormian princesses.
“Would you please make up a warm bath for me, dear?” Tolian asked her.
“Of course, Milady.”
A short while later, Tolian was clean and dressed in a tight, brown, and green winter gown that accented her figure nicely. She was taking her breakfast in her outer chamber with Dovyse, which was technically inappropriate, but she was so lonely without her beloved Brythia, she needed the company. A door servant knocked and entered. She was a new girl and Tolian did not yet know her name. She looked a little surprised to see Dovyse seated next to the princess, but redirected her attention to her errand.
“Milady,” she announced. “Lord Delorick is here to see you.”
“Lord Delorick?” Wasn’t he supposed to be at Hyge Bryth with Brythia, Relinder and Myrthis?
“Yes, Milady. He regrets the early hour, but says the matter is urgent.”
“Show him in please,” said Tolian.
The girl bowed and left. Tolian looked at Dovyse, “Sorry, looks like you’ve been displaced. Take your breakfast and finish it in your room, dear.”
She smiled, nodded, and went about her business.
Tolian rose and waited for Delorick. He entered immediately. He looked worried and it showed in his brown eyes. There were lines of unease on his face.
“Your Highness,” Delorick said, formally as he always greeted his friend, before lapsing into the casual tone.
“Delorick, welcome. I must admit I’m surprised to see you. Is everyone all right?”
Delorick shook his head and smiled. “No, no. Relax. They’re fine. Don’t worry. Brythia and Myrthis can take care of themselves, that’s for sure. They are safely at Hyge Bryth, no doubt deeply involved in the druidic celebrations.”
Tolian sighed in relief. “Well, what brings you back early and in such a hurry?”
Delorick looked squarely into Tolian’s eyes.
“I have to talk to you. Before your father announces the Jarrels’ Champion.”
Tolian waited, her curiosity now quite piqued. Delorick bit his lip.
The Captain of the Royal Guard began, nervously at first, but gaining in control as he continued: “I know you have always been Jarrels’ Champion. You’ve always done a great job. There’s no one better than you with a sword. There’s no one stronger than you. But... I would like you to do me a favor. I want you to refuse to be the Jarrels’ Champion this year.”
Tolian’s head spun. While thoughts and questions bounced around in her mind, a servant knocked and then brought in breakfast for Delorick. The princess gestured for her friend to sit and join her at the table. “Why?” she asked at last.
“I am going to ask the King if I can be the Jarrels’ Champion.”
“You? But—”
“Let me explain,” offered Delorick. “I have a boon to ask of the King.”
A boon. What boon would Delorick seek in Lorm that he could not simply take by right as the Captain of the Guard? It must be something quite important.
“What boon do you seek of my father?”
“I promise you we’ll get to that. But, let me ask you something,” he said. “If you were the Jarrels’ Champion could I ever really hope to best you at combat and win my boon?”
“No, you couldn’t,” Tolian answered. “But, if the boon is a worthy one, I sometimes let people win.”
Delorick looked at her and chuckled, “That was before, when people didn’t know for sure you were doing it. Before you got your strength. Your power. Everyone would know that I did not win my boon fairly. It is too important to me. However, the Jarrels’ Champion always gets his boon, just for being the Champion. No one could say I didn’t receive my boon fairly and with honor.” He looked at her with an imploring expression.
“And you’ll tell me what this boon is?” Tolian asked.
“Of course, for I must ask your permission before I can even talk to your father. Tolian, I want to marry Myrthis and she wants to marry me. However, since her legal status is essentially that of royal concubine, the matter becomes horribly complicated. Obviously, such a thing has never been done before. I’m not even sure it would be allowed, even with your father’s and your blessings. But, of course, Jarrels’ Boons transcend even the ancient protocols.”
So that was it. She should have guessed. She did not hesitate. “Yes, you have my permission to marry Myrthis, even though she is the mother of my heir. And yes, I will decline to be Jarrels’ Champion if we can convince my father to give you that honor in my stead. If he was going to give it to me to begin with. That is not as certain as you may believe.”
“The King was going to announce you as Jarrels’ Champion this morning,” said Delorick. “At least that’s what Kiliordes told me.”
Copyright 2004, 2015 Diana Hignutt
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