Chapter Four
Warm and steamy bath water cascaded around Kassen’s aching body, soothing his muscles while he thought.
Once the King had left, Derio and Sitnen brought Kassen what they called ‘a man’s breakfast.’ That was when he had tried to describe to them the strange girl who he was still sure had saved him.
“You’ve been away from the ladies for too long if you’ve started dreaming about them.” Derio laughed tucking into the pile of bacon he had brought up for them all.
Kassen was determined to make them believe him. “It wasn’t a dream, she was here. She saved me.” His voice drifted off and he stared towards the open window. “She was so close...”
“I’m sorry, Kassen, but I haven’t seen a girl like that round the castle.” Sitnen tried to comfort the General.
“Yeah, I would have had my way with her long before she came to your bed!” Derio grinned at Kassen.
“As if that would ever happen. You’re all muscle, Derio, but nought on the charm!” He replied.
“Too true.” Sitnen slapped Kassen on the shoulder making him wince. “Sorry.”
But General Kassen could not get the stranger out of his mind.
Allowing the water to embrace his body, he ducked his head beneath the surface with a large breath, enjoying the solitude of his thoughts.
Maybe she was a dream, he thought, but I have no doubt she brought me back to the living, whatever she was.
Deciding he was clean enough, Kassen dried himself and got swiftly dressed.
The servants of the castle greeted him as he made his way to the stables. They bowed and curtsied and said how pleased they were to have him up and well again. Kassen returned their greeting with small nods but was grateful when he reached the far entrance to the castle and was able to breathe in the mid winter air as he stepped into the castle gardens. It cleared his head while he walked casually across the stone path to where the royal horses were kept.
“Good, you’re back.” Was how Alti, Kassen’s second in command, greeted him. A strangely delightful change from the normal welcomes he had received.
“There are some new drills I need to go through with you. You should find them suitable enough.” They both strode to the far end of the stables where they could view the training grounds. Men were all in array on the field a little distance away, stretching in the mid morning light and talking heartily.
“We are a little behind with the new recruits however, as your illness was more than a little inconvenient.”
“I’m glad to hear you missed me.” The General replied while leaning against the fence. Alti just gave him a sideways glance and continued talking him through the drills; seeming not to notice that Kassen wasn’t listening.
He didn’t remember much of his illness. He didn’t even remember much pain but it seemed by everyone’s reaction it had been worse than he was being led to believe.
Kassen tried to think back to the last thing he remembered. It was sitting in the mess hall with Sitnen and Derio, discussing the strange customs of Verxia with this Unisayan business.
“I’m sure they’re just implied.” Sitnen had speculated. “Like some sort of test of courage that they call ‘slaying the Unisayan,’ perhaps.”
“Surly it would be easier just to kill one?” Kassen replied, he had not seen one himself but had heard tales of a horned creature that roamed Canah forest to the North. “They are only supposed to be a little larger than a horse.”
“Yeah, but with a huge horn to impale you on!” Derio said, putting his spoon up to his head in demonstration.
“I’ve had worse.” Kassen challenged, swatting the spoon away with his own.
“So have your chambermaids.” Sitnen mocked, pointing a finger at Derio who was still brandishing his spoon on his head...
Kassen was sure that conversation had only been a day or two ago.
Apparently the illness had lasted almost an entire two weeks before the healer from Verxia was called for and it seemed she had arrived just in time. Countless medicine men and women had been sent to him from all the towns and villages across Attashar, and a reward had been laid down to the person who could cure Kassen of his illness. He was lucky to be alive.
“With all these rumours of an attack from the east the pressure on these short-arms to be at fighting standard will be high.” Alti appeared to be finishing his speech on what to do about the new members of Attashar’s army; using the derogatory term for all new recruits. They were labelled ‘short-arms’ as they had not yet trained fully with a sword and the heavy strain of metal meant that their arms would soon lengthen more than a man who had never used a sword.
Alti seemed about to start on a new lecture, when he was interrupted by shouting coming from behind the sheds.
“Get off me louse or feel my sword!” Came a loud voice followed by a crash of what sounded like buckets and a crack of wood.
“What the…?” Said Alti as he and Kassen made their way around the corner to the rear of the stables.
There they saw a man walking backwards towards them. He appeared to be holding out a sharp plank of wood with one hand and with the other, was using one of the saddle bags as a shield. Despite having straw clinging to his body from head to toe, it was obvious that the man was completely naked.
A red faced stable hand followed the naked man round the corner with a small boy not far behind.
“You dare wake a man from his sleep? I’m a member of the Attashar army!”
“Not for much longer.” The man span round at Alti’s disapproving voice and saw him and the General watching the proceedings.
It took all Kassen had not to laugh at the sight of this unclothed man, as he dropped the plank of wood in ardent to slam his fist against his chest in salutation and use the saddlebag to cover himself in the only place he could.
The man stood swaying for a moment and it became clear that he had been drinking. The smell was an obvious indication.
“Sir! I was just on my way to the training ground, sir!”
“Was that before or after you put some clothes on?!” Alti replied and Kassen could hear the anger in his voice. The naked man seemed not to detect this.
“After of course, sir. I was only… oh, General Kassen. You’re back.” The man noticed Kassen for the first time who was still trying to hide a grin of amusement. He simply nodded in greeting but was quite content to let Alti deal with the situation.
“And do I really want to know why in Fardonmeria you’re naked?” Alti sighed in despair.
“Well actually I was waiting for a girl. She said she’d meet me behind the stables. It did seem a little odd though; I’m sure I have never seen a girl with hair like that hanging around the castle, and those eyes…” Kassen was suddenly caught by what the man had said. He had not thought that someone other than him might have seen the woman that saved him, and if this girl fit the description then perhaps she was real.
“So you neglected your duty for some woman of fancy?” Alti scolded. “How about I stick you in the stocks for a week or two and you can watch all the women you want walk by. Perhaps you might even get a few rotten apples thrown your way if you’re lucky.” He turned to Kassen who was blank faced and staring at the naked man. “Does that suit you, General?”
Kassen stepped closer to the man who now looked a little less sure of himself.
“Tell me, what did this woman look like?” He asked the man who was all too pleased to describe her.
“She was better looking than any woman I’ve seen around here. I mean, I’m not complaining about some of the maids you got but this one had something more to her, if you know what I mean.”
“I want details!” Despite his long illness Kassen could still produce a tone that commanded immediate obedience and respect in his men.
“Well, it was sort of golden and tied up. Her eyes were b
lue I think and she was slim but small.” Both men were quiet for a moment as Kassen watched the man’s features for anything that might show him to be lying, but he appeared to believe what he was saying at least.
“This is what drink does to you.” Alti interrupted the thoughtful silence.
Kassen looked back at Alti and said, “put him in his dorm till he sobers up. Then he can clean all the armour and weapons before reporting back to the training grounds.”
Alti looked as if he was about to argue but Kassen strode past him and leant against the fence again. “And make sure he gets some clothes, we don’t want to scare the short-arms on their first day.”
“Yes, General.” Alti replied and led the soldier away quietly, leaving Kassen to think once more about the girl who had saved his life.
Kassen heard a rustle in the bushes below the gate to the stables and lent over to see who it was.
Sherin was busy climbing out of a bush and brushing the dew from her dress. She was about to enter the stables when Kassen spoke.
“What are you doing lurking around here?” He asked, wondering what she had seen of the naked soldier. She was only young.
“Do not worry, I did not see anything.” She giggled. “I was waiting for you so I could ask you about something.”
“What would that be?” Kassen replied leaving the stables and making his way down the hill with his Princess half sister. He was still wrapped in his own thoughts so didn’t notice her hesitation.
“Well…” She paused seeming to decide what words to use best. “I was wondering about that girl you said you saw…” Now he was listening and stopped to look at Sherin’s innocent face. She had already paused on the hill and was fiddling nervously with the ribbon on her dress, her light brown hair concealing her expression.
“Where did you hear about that?” Kassen asked. With one step he was stood before her, although she didn’t look up.
“I overheard Derio and Sitnen talking about it. Then when I asked them who she was, they laughed and Derio told me that she was just a dream. He said guys have dreams like that sometimes and then Sitnen kicked him and told him to shut up. They said I was too young to know about things like that yet.” She sighed and continued walking down the hill towards the still pond waters.
“Well they have a point.” Kassen said once he was by her side again.
“I am not too young!” She shouted in reply staring forward, jaw set and small hands clenched into fists. “I am going to be Queen one day you know…”
“Exactly,” he interrupted, “therefore you should enjoy what time you have when you’re young. It doesn’t last forever...”
Both were silent as they reached the pond at the bottom of the hill. Although it was still early, it never froze over despite the drastic decrease in temperature and the frosted life that surrounded it.
The surface was almost as clear as glass with the sun reflecting off it.
“Kassen?”
“Yes, Sherin?”
“Do you believe in angels?” She seemed embarrassed by the question and for a moment he was taken aback by the spontaneity of her subject.
Almost as a reflex the General thought back to the mystery girl, he decided against hiding all of his thoughts on angels from his little sister and smiled down at her optimistic expression.
“I believe that there are such creatures among us, in a sense.” He turned away and looked towards the trees. “Why do you ask?”
“Because… well I saw one this morning, well spoke to her actually.” Sherin looked up and was surprised to see Kassen looking so shocked.
“I know you think I am mad but it is what I saw.” She tried to clarify, mistaking the shock in his eyes for judgement that she was going insane.
“Where, Sherin? What did she look like? What did she say?” Now it was Kassen’s turn to look insane once he had composed himself long enough to speak.
“When I was on my way to your room, she acted like she did not know I was the Princess, like I was common, a servant. She told me…” Hesitating Sherin looked at her ribbon again.
“Yes?” Kassen replied, a little too eager for her to continue.
“She told me that... that you would get better soon, I didn’t think anything of it until this morning. Well here you are back from the point of...” She struggled with the word. “...the point of death. Like you were never ill in the first place.”
Not believing what Sherin was telling him, Kassen could do no more than stare at the little Princess, mindlessly twisting her ribbon around her delicate fingers.
“Was she blonde, with blue eyes and lips that…” He stopped remembering vividly every feature of the woman’s face, she was so beautiful it hardly seemed real.
“How do you know what she looked like? Did you see her too?”
Sherin had suddenly regained her enthusiasm at the thought of an angel in the Kingdom.
“Yes. She saved me; I have no doubt about that.”
It was silent for a while. The pair lost in thought.
If this woman was as real as everything indicated, then why did she not make herself known and claim acknowledgement for healing him?
“Do you know what this means, Kassen?” Sherin broke the silence that was growing between them and grinned at him eagerly. “You have fallen for an angel.”
She laughed lightly at how simple it was and Kassen couldn’t help laughing with her. The thoughts of the young girl always brightened his day.
Truly he was indebted to this angel and perhaps, if they were to meet, he would soon fall for her.