Chapter 6
In the dimness of the pre-dawn gloom, Byron watched from the doorway as Aislynn warmed up. He hadn't been sure she would show up, considering the unfortunate greeting he’d given her and the very busy day she’d had yesterday. He found, to his surprise, that he was genuinely happy to find her waiting for him when he arrived.
Her movements were slow and graceful as Aislynn worked her way through a routine with the quarterstaff she held. It was obvious that she was well trained, with movement flowing smoothly into stance before flowing smoothly again into movement. Byron also knew from experience that it was a lot harder to perform weapon routines slowly; it took a lot more muscle strength and control to be able to hold the positions for any length of time. He wondered how badly she was going to beat him this morning.
“You may as well come out and warm up, Byron. I know that you’re there.”
“Of course you do,” he chuckled as he strode forward. “And how is it that you knew it was me and not one of the other guards? I’m hardly the only one in this building.”
“Cheta. She would have informed me if there was a scent she didn't recognize. Since she’s just over there,” Aislynn nodded toward the left-hand wall, “it must be you.”
Byron wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he just changed the subject.
“So quarterstaff today? I expected something a bit more…deadly given our meeting yesterday.”
“Quarterstaffs are deadly, and you know it,” Aislynn commented. “Besides, I figured that bruises and broken bones would be a better way to start out, as opposed to the mess that swords can make. I don’t know you and I don’t know what you’re capable of, and you know nothing about me. Better safe than sorry. ”
She chuckled and finished her routine, coming to a stop in the center of the courtyard, quarterstaff extended in front of her, as if to beckon Byron forward.
Aislynn’s long, brown hair was back in a simple tail at the nape of her neck, and she was dressed in tight-fitting pants with a long, loose blouse gathered at the waist and wrists. She seemed considerably more comfortable with herself than she had yesterday, and Byron suspected that this was most likely her usual attire. He also thought to himself that he could get used to seeing her dressed like this – her long shapely legs and tiny waist were enticing.
Byron gave himself a mental slap and reminded himself that she was far too highly ranked for him. Though she certainly didn’t act like most of the stuck-up nobility he’d come across in his years at court…
To cover his momentary discomfort, and shake the slightly disturbing thoughts from his mind, Byron selected a quarterstaff of his own from the collection at the side of the courtyard, hefting it to feel its weight. He moved into the center of the courtyard and started through a warm-up routine of his own. He had watched Aislynn and made note of her strength and movements, and it was only fair that she have the same opportunity before they faced off. This was a friendly contest, after all.
“So who knows what I am?” Aislynn asked as Byron worked through his routine. “Obviously you, Collin and Tarren. Is there anybody else?”
“Not officially, no. Not even Eryk knows, just as he didn't know about Rupert. I’m certain some of the guards suspected Rupert though. They would sometimes watch us spar here, and you have to admit that such a highly skilled warrior would make a very unlikely serving man. I also imagine that when they see you here, they'll know for sure that you are not only what you say you are. I can’t think of a single nobly born lady in this city who could hold a sword properly, let alone use one. And there isn't a single one of them who would be caught dead dressed like that.”
He said this last comment with a grin, but Aislynn didn’t rise to his barb.
“If they do find out, is it likely to cause a problem? I wouldn't want any of the guards to feel undervalued by having me here. Would they understand that the pact has nothing to do with how capable they are?”
“I doubt that it will be an issue, and if it ever becomes one, I’m sure that we can sort it out. I wouldn't worry about it.” Byron finished his warm-up and moved toward one end of the courtyard, weapon held ready. Aislynn stepped forward from where she had been waiting, and lifted her weapon into a ready position, mirroring Byron’s stance.
They came together with a crack of wood on wood as Byron attacked, aiming for Aislynn’s head. It was a predictable move, and she realized that he was testing her, so she blocked predictably, not exerting herself just yet. Byron pressed his attack, aiming at her stomach and then right shoulder and left knee, but Aislynn's staff blocked each attack easily as it snapped into place. He sped up, trying to get past her guard, but she simply sped up her defensive movements to compensate.
Tiring of the game after a little while, Aislynn stepped forward as she blocked Byron’s last attack, this one aimed at her left hip, and she spun around his left side, aiming a strike at his knee as she moved. He jumped sideways, easily outdistancing her hit, but the jump left him a little unbalanced, and it was Aislynn’s turn to press the attack.
Her staff moved quickly as she threw shots at Byron’s head, arms and thighs, alternating from left to right, but the predictable pattern of attacks made it easy for Byron to move his staff into position to block. She was fast though, so he was unable to take back the advantage.
The sound of wood on wood filled the courtyard as the sun began to rise above the walls of the castle, with Aislynn and Byron spinning around each other trying to find openings that just didn't exist. Suddenly, Byron changed direction, stepping into Aislynn’s path and causing her to lose her balance as she tried to stumble out of the way of his attack at her ankle. She avoided the attack, but her unsteady balance caused her to fall backwards, landing with a thud.
Aislynn wasn’t going to let Byron get a victory so easily though, and her weapon was up defensively before she’d even finished expending her momentum. She held off his series of attacks as she got her feet under her, grateful now for the hours her Master had made her fight on the ground.
They were both tiring, seemingly evenly matched, and the sun was rising still higher. Aislynn could feel through her strange new link to Eryk that he was starting to rouse a little and would soon be awake. Determined to end this combat quickly, Aislynn increased her speed even more. Her staff was nearly a blur as she blocked Byron’s attacks and made attacks of her own.
Not to be outdone, Byron stepped up the intensity of his attacks too. But when Aislynn intercepted each of his strikes with a crack, he moved into a series of quick attacks, alternating left and right, all aimed at her head. Aislynn blocked them easily, but it was simple for the rhythm of the attacks and defenses to draw her in. This meant that when Byron suddenly swept his staff down and across at ankle height, she was slightly unprepared. She felt her legs sweep out from under her, and suddenly she was on the ground for the second time of this encounter. Unfortunately, her momentum continued to carry her backwards, and her head struck the cobblestones with a resounding crack.
“Ouch.”
Aislynn lay there a moment, the world taking on a slightly reddish tint.
“Oh my gods! Are you okay?”
Byron was horrified, and he dropped his staff to the ground and rushed over to make sure she wasn’t badly injured. Aislynn waved him away, and sat up slowly.
“I've had worse,” she said, feeling around the back of her skull. “Nothing broken, but it feels like I'll have a nasty bump for a few days.”
Byron extended his hand to help her to her feet. She took it, and he hoisted her up from the ground. Still a little dizzy, Aislynn stumbled forward and abruptly found herself in Byron’s arms. She stood there for a few moments looking into his bright blue eyes, with his strong arms around her waist.
“It looks like you win round one,” she said softly, and then she pushed herself away with a slightly pained smile.
Byron smiled back, happy that
she wasn’t badly injured and that she apparently wasn’t going to hold a grudge about being beaten.
“Same time tomorrow?” he asked hopefully.
“Definitely.” Aislynn took a few slow steps, and when her balance remained steady, she picked up the pace, heading for the main courtyard.
“Have a good day,” she called, and then proceeded back to her rooms to clean up. She knew that Marja would be awake by now, and she felt Eryk awake too, so Aislynn figured that she’d better hurry. Cheta came trotting up behind her after a few moments, looking smug.
“What were you up to? Making friends with the captain?”
Since that was exactly what she’d been doing, Cheta just wagged her tail and kept right on trotting. She knew that Aislynn’s pride could be a bit touchy and didn't want to add to an already remarkable start to the day. It had been awhile since Cheta had seen Aislynn beaten.
Back in her rooms, Marja was awake and dressed, just as Aislynn had expected. She took one look at Aislynn’s disheveled appearance, to say nothing of her clothing, and sniffed disapprovingly. But she said nothing and set about getting some water for Aislynn to clean up.
“You may as well get used to it, Marja. I’ll likely be practicing every morning, after all. You know as well as I do that I need to keep in shape.”
Marja pretended not to hear her as she laid out a dress for Aislynn to wear when she finished washing. She then laid some hair accessories and jewelry down beside the dress before turning to look at the princess.
“The Courting Ball is in three days. Anna will be here sometime this afternoon for your first fitting. I will come and find you when she arrives.” Marja was apparently going to pretend that Aislynn hadn't just spent the past hour or so being run around a courtyard by a man with a big stick. “We will also have to discuss your jewelry choices for the big night. I’m pretty sure that you have nothing that will match the blue that we selected, so we'll likely have to make a trip to a jeweler, tomorrow at the latest.”
Aislynn sighed, and began to dress. The king expected her to eat her morning and evening meals in the dining hall with him and his family. That would certainly make it easier to start her day with her protégé, but Aislynn had absolutely no idea what she was going to have to do in order to spend the rest of the day near him. To say nothing about the fact that she wasn’t sure she wanted to spend the day near him. Her first impression of the prince as self-centered and arrogant hadn’t changed by the end of the previous day, and now she was stuck with him.
Byron had told her that Eryk didn't know who or what she was, and she assumed that there was a reason for that. That meant she’d likely have to be creative over the next while, at least until something changed and Eryk could find out the truth about her and her role in the Bacovian court.
Marja laced up her dress and helped her with her hair. Aislynn winced when the brush found the goose egg at the back of her head, but neither of them said anything about it. Marja then held the door for her with a reminder about that afternoon.
Aislynn and Cheta led the way down the stairs toward the dining hall, Aislynn’s beacon telling her that Eryk was also on his way, currently heading down the hall above her and to the right. He seemed thoughtful, and she wondered what he was thinking about and how she could use it to her advantage. She smiled to herself and entered the dining hall to find Byron already there.
“You most certainly do look different in a dress,” he greeted her with a smile.
“You should be careful what you say in public, or people may get the wrong idea,” she said with a grin as she took a seat, the one that Branden had occupied the night before. Marja sat down beside her, and Byron sat down opposite.
Eryk entered the dining hall at that moment, followed closely by Durham and Cora. Davin was nowhere to be seen. Durham and Cora sat in the same seats as the night before, and after quickly looking at the configuration of the table, Eryk sat next to Byron. Tarren and Collin entered last, and the servants brought out the food as soon as the king sat down.
Aislynn introduced Marja to everyone, and then the conversation turned toward the subject of the upcoming Courting Ball, a topic that clearly made Eryk uncomfortable. Waves of discomfort traveled through the link that he and Aislynn shared, though he was unaware of it, making her feel even more ill at ease than she already did.
It was clear from the animated conversation that the prospect of Eryk finally choosing a bride excited the older gentlemen. Even Cora, who until now had said nothing, was taking part in the conversation, making comments about some of the ladies who would attend. One particular lady, Alexius, came up frequently. It seemed like the assembled group was hoping to nudge Eryk’s choice in her direction.
Finally, the feeling was simply too much, and Aislynn cleared her throat delicately.
“I’m very sorry to interrupt this fascinating conversation,” she began, “but I am afraid that I must excuse myself. I have been informed that I need to take a trip into the city today, and I’m anxious to get started.”
“Of course, of course,” agreed Tarren. “Why don’t you take Aislynn into the city and show her around, Eryk? It will be good for you to get out of the castle.”
Eryk leaped at the opportunity to get out of this distressing situation and was up and out of his chair in an instant.
“Certainly,” he said, “I’d be honored to escort the princess around.” He tucked his chair into the table and left the hall without a backward glance, so eager to be out of the room that he neglected to wait for Aislynn.
After a quick goodbye to Marja, Aislynn and Cheta left the room too. She was somewhat surprised to see Eryk striding down the hallway ahead of her and called out to him. Eryk turned toward her.
“Sorry about that,” he said, but the apology didn’t sound particularly sincere. “Do you actually need to go into the city, or were you just as desperate to get out of that room as I was?”
Aislynn laughed. “Sadly, I actually need to go shopping. I apparently require some jewelry for this Ball of yours.” She rolled her eyes for emphasis.
“Well let’s get started then,” he replied with a sigh. “Would you like to walk or would you prefer to ride?”
“Walking is fine. I’d prefer to actually see the city, if it’s all the same to you.”
They soon left the castle and entered Eaglecrest, followed closely by Cheta and a pair of guards. The guard from Evendell looked sharp in his uniform of dark blue and silver, and was complemented nicely by the Bacovian guard who walked beside him. Aislynn was aware of the men following them, but Eryk didn't seem to notice. He did notice Cheta, however.
“Does that wolf go everywhere with you?” he asked, grasping for a topic of conversation to end the awkward silence that stretched between them. “I don’t think I've seen you without it, though I'll admit that you haven’t been here very long.”
“Yes, she pretty much goes everywhere with me. She’s been my companion since I was born.”
“How is that possible? She certainly doesn't appear to be old and infirm, and she’d have to be if you've had her with you all of your life.”
“Cheta is something called an eesprid. Nobody knows exactly what they are, but they don’t age like the animals they resemble. Some of the children in Evendell are marked at birth, so to speak, for positions that will require them to spend a lot of time away from their families and friends. And the training for these positions is very time consuming. The eesprid come to these children so that they have a constant companion and a reminder of home.”
As they strolled through a residential district, Aislynn noticed that they were attracting a lot of attention. Eryk was easily recognizable, and the guard confirmed his identity. She was an unknown, with a wolf and a guard wearing his own livery trailing behind, so she was obviously important. In addition, she was female, which apparently had a number of people speculating. Heads were turning as they passed, and as t
hey moved into the merchant district, the streets became considerably more crowded.
“It looks like you have a number of admirers,” Aislynn commented to Eryk. “Just look at the glares that I’m getting.” She laughed.
Eryk looked around, confused. He apparently hadn't noticed all of the young ladies looking at him and judging her.
“If looks could kill, I’d be long dead,” she continued. “These ladies seem to think that you’re quite a catch.” Her tone made it clear that she did not share their opinion.
“You don’t think I’m worth fighting over? It looks like more than one of them is willing to take you on,” Eryk laughed.
“They have no idea what they’d be getting into.”
“With me or with you?”
“Both, I suspect.” Aislynn looked slyly over at Eryk. “Besides, what do I need you for? I have a kingdom of my own, after all.”
“Then why are you even here?” Eryk asked, a little exasperated.
“To make my father happy, I suppose. You do what you’re told, you know?”
“You are so…odd!” Eryk exclaimed, totally confused by what he was hearing. He stopped in the street and turned to look at her. “You are totally unlike anyone I have ever met. One minute, you’re speaking your mind to me despite regular etiquette for a lady of your station, and the next minute you’re touting obedience to your elders.”
Aislynn just laughed. In all honesty, she didn't really have a response to his statement. She knew that she wasn’t a typical noble lady, so she certainly couldn’t disagree with him.
“So tell me about this Alexius girl everyone seems to want you to marry,” she asked, getting them moving once again.
“Well, she’s Branden’s sister, for one, which makes her Lord Collin’s daughter. She’s well connected, obviously.”
“Do you like her? Since they don’t do the whole arranged marriage thing here, I've been told, I suspect that your feelings toward her actually matter.”
“I really don’t know. I've known her forever, so it’s more as if she’s my sister than anything else. I’m honestly not sure I could ever see her as my wife.”
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully, with Eryk leading her from jeweler to jeweler until she found something that she liked. With her errand complete, they returned to the castle, and Aislynn’s appointment with Anna.
The afternoon passed as slowly as the morning had been fast, with Aislynn playing dress-up doll again for Marja and the seamstress. She monitored Eryk through the link, noting that he stayed in and around the castle. That made her feel better, knowing that there were so many guards around him when she couldn't be. She wondered a little about the protectiveness she was starting to feel toward Eryk, but figured that it was just a side effect of the link that now bound her to him. Especially since she didn’t like him all that much. She made a mental note to write to her father and ask him about it.
Dinner that evening passed quickly and uneventfully, and Aislynn was happy to retire early. She knew that Branden was spending time with Eryk this evening, so he’d likely be safe enough, and she was really starting to feel the aches and pains from her morning workout with Byron. So she had Marja pour her a nice, hot bath, and soaked away some of her pains before bed.