Casimir's Journey (21 page)

It was his turn to laugh. “That’s how one becomes old in my profession, my lady. Being cautious. Being direct. Not refusing to see the truth in front of you.”

Her head cocked. “I have a feeling your stay with us will be interesting, Sir Hadden.”

He smiled at her, all seriousness gone. “I will be content if my stay is merely of some duration.”

It took her a moment, but then she caught on to what he was saying, and laughed again.

He smiled, feeling pleased with his foray. While not overly substantive, he’d learned that the older sisters probably had more to do than the younger. And this one was still being wrapped in wool. He’d treated her as grown, and while he knew he’d upset her, she’d remember that and be more of an ally should he need one.

With that satisfying thought, he turned his attention to the meat. He felt he could eat and enjoy breakfast now.

They had finished eating when a number of the princesses entered the room. Viviana looked up. “Come and sit!” She waved to them.

Hadden felt a tremor of nerves. He wasn’t ready for this bevy of females. They looked to be in the hundreds, even though he knew that it was just his imagination.

They came over, a few giggles trailing in their wake. Did all girls have some sort of rule where they must giggle? He stopped a scowl. If he were not nervous, he’d probably find this rather charming.

He stood, bowing, hoping that he was doing the right thing. “Ladies, you honor me with your presence. I am Sir Hadden of Erimoor, and I echo my lady Viviana. Please join us.”

“But you’re nearly done,” said one of the girls. A quick scan showed him that Adelaide was not among them.

“I have no pressing schedule to keep,” he said seriously. “I shall be happy to tarry with you lovely ladies.”

More giggling, but at last they sat down, and he was able to sit again.

“May I ask the honor of your names?” He looked around. This looked to be a mix of younger and older sisters. The eldest was…he thought furiously. Perhaps his age? He was two-and-twenty. He didn’t think she could be quite as old as he—her father wouldn’t have let her remain unmarried to such an age. Viviana looked to be thirteen or fourteen.

How did the king get himself twelve daughters in the span of ten years? His brow furrowed at the thought.

One of the princesses noticed. “Is aught amiss, Sir Hadden?”

He was pulled from his thoughts. “Merely hoping I’ll be able to remember your names, my lady. You are?” He raised his brows in question.

“I am Celestria, the tenth sister.” He bowed his head. He wasn’t sure of court manners, but this was rather informal.

“Oh, let’s not stand on ceremony,” Viviana said impatiently. “Not at breakfast. Sir Hadden, I shall be happy to present you to my sisters. You’ve met Celestria, and next to her is Emaline, then Mirabelle, then Beatrix, and finally, Serafina. Sisters, please meet Sir Hadden.”

“Just don’t let Mother or Father hear your shocking lack of polish,” muttered one—Mirabelle, maybe?—looking furtively around.

“I think they have more to worry over than whether we are being proper at breakfast,” Viviana said quickly, darting a glance at Hadden.

“That may be,” Emaline was calm. “We do not need to descend into poor behavior.”

“You are correct, my lady,” said Hadden. “While I am comfortable with less formality, it is no excuse to abandon it.” He stood from the table and stepped back from the bench. He bowed deeply, feeling more comfortable than he had previously. “I am honored to meet you, my ladies. Even more honored that you choose to break your fast with me.” He put his hand over his heart.

Silence, then a few giggles. “Rise, Sir Hadden, and sit back to your breakfast.” Viviana was amused.

“Thank you, my lady.” He sat down with alacrity. “I’d hate for it to get cold.”

This brought a laugh from most of the princesses sitting with them. Good. He needed them all to feel comfortable and willing to talk. He didn’t know why, but he felt that the more he knew these girls, the better chance he stood of seeing the day through five days from now.

Conversation was not deep. The princesses were sheltered, in spite of the circumstances surrounding the court. They asked a great many questions that he found astounding. They had no idea of how life outside the castle really could be.

It was slightly endearing. He liked Emaline, especially. She had that quiet calm that he’d seen in Adelaide last night, but somehow steadier, less nervousness. She had lighter hair than her sisters and eyes that were greenish. Her skin was more golden than pale, and she had a lovely smile that was rare in its appearance. She loved her sisters very much, that was obvious.

He resolved to find a way to talk one-on-one with her. Figuring out what was amiss aside, he’d have to pick one of these girls for wife if—when—he solved the mystery. He couldn’t just think of what intrigue was happening.

“So, my ladies, what is next? What do ladies of the court do? For myself, at this time, I’d be at training, hot and sweaty and unfit for anything but horses and my fellow soldiers.”

“Father suggested we go into the gardens. I believe we can play at chess or draughts, or bowls or quoits if you prefer something more active.” That was from Emaline.

“I would be happy to join you ladies. If, that is, I am invited.” He looked around at the faces of the princesses. They all smiled. It was a sad day indeed that a mere knight could make princesses smile. He felt a pang in his chest. These girls were so sad. Even under the brief moments of levity. He wanted to help them dispel that.

Grizelle was right. Only ending the curse would fix what was wrong in his country—and in this family.

“Of course you’re invited, goose,” said Viviana. “Father is giving us and the rest of the court a chance to get to know you.”

“And vice versa, I hope?” He asked.

“Did you not tell Adelaide you were an open book last evening?” Serafina leaned in, her eyes curious.

He nodded. “I did. It’s the truth. I have lived a spectacularly ordinary life until this moment.”

“My ladies, I am most pleased to find you here,” said a voice behind them.

Hadden turned. Sebastian stood, making the most informal of bows.
He’s awfully sure of himself
, he thought. Painfully so. Nevertheless, he put a smile on his face and inclined his head, much more noticeably than Sebastian did.

“We were moving to the gardens. Please join us,” Mirabelle said. “Have you seen my sister this morning, my lord?” She smiled.

“I have not. My knights and I breakfasted in our rooms. I’d be delighted to join you, after we get in some practice,” Sebastian said, almost lazily. He eyed Hadden. “Do you wish to join us, Sir Hadden? You would be welcome.” He smiled. It reminded Hadden of a wolf.

The spark of excitement he’d felt since the evening before jumped up his spine again. “I would be honored to join you, Prince Sebastian. I only hope that I would not shame you with my poor skills.”

Sebastian laughed, and it nearly sounded sincere. “You’ve been knighted by the king, Sir! Which means he thinks highly of your commander, or he’d have ignored the request. Pray, do you have your armor and gear?”

“Always, my lord.”

“Then we shall meet in the tiltyard.”

“The tiltyard, my lord? Do we joust today as well?”

“His majesty has a very large tiltyard that is also used for practice for the guards and the knights,” Sebastian answered. His eyes narrowed.

That made Hadden stifle a grin. He figured that Sebastian would needle him, attempt to expose his lack of manners, of chivalry, and understanding of what it meant to be a knight. He was very clumsy at it.

A thought came to him. Just like the princesses were naïve, perhaps the prince was as well. It would be fun to discover.

He returned Sebastian’s look with a grin. “Then I will have my esquire gather my things. Do you practice now?”

“We do,” and now Sebastian was smiling with malice. “Unless, of course, you do not wish to practice after a meal.”

Hadden almost laughed in his face. These lords and knights were of a different breed from the men he served with. Taking a break after a meal? They’d never get anything done if such nonsense went on. No need to let Sebastian know that, however.

“No, no, I thank you for your kindness, my lord. I shall meet you in the tiltyard.”

Sebastian was well pleased with his work. He excused himself and hurried from the breakfast room.

“You know that he is going to be challenging?” Beatrix asked him. “He was so ready to do so that if he’d been a hound his tail would have wagged off.” She didn’t seem impressed.

“Ah, well, that’s what we do, my lady. Circle round one another like dogs. At least we don’t—” He coughed suddenly. He’d been about to say something crude and then remembered he was surrounded by a gaggle of royal ladies.
Young,
royal ladies.

“Are you unwell?” Viviana asked with concern, as though fate needed to remind him of his near-blunder.

“I am most well, my lady. Now if you ladies will excuse me, I need to find my esquire and roust him to work.”

They all looked puzzled as he left, which he didn’t understand. He’d been doing so well before.

It didn’t matter. His focus needed to be on the pack of dogs Sebastian had culled just for him. He grinned. This was something to look forward to.

The clang of the wooden practice sword reverberated down his arm. He grinned at the knight who was trying, without success, to find a weak point. These were the knights that surrounded the Crown Prince of Laurycia?

He’d have had them stripped and tied like hogs before they knew what had occurred, had he met them in real combat.

The knight saw an opening at Hadden’s midsection and lunged forward, further than he ought to have. Hadden brought his practice sword up and across the back of the man’s neck.

“Will you yield?” He asked quietly, not wanting to shame the man with some noisy pronouncement. He knew such a courtesy would not have been given to him, but winning was not the point of being at this session.

Showing the court, for there were quite a number of spectators, that he was a chivalrous and honorable man in spite of how recent his rise was the point.

The knight, whose name he couldn’t remember, hesitated, and then said, “I yield.”

Hadden removed the sword from where he held it, and stepped back, bowing. The knight returned the bow. “I thank you for the combat, Sir Hadden,” he said, and it almost sounded as though he meant it.

“I enjoyed it. Thank you,” Hadden was cheerful. “I don’t care to fall away from my normal schedule of practice merely because I am away from camp.”

The knight walked away, not replying again. It was rude, but Hadden wasn’t bothered. He was supposed to have lost that round, to be soundly trounced and publicly shown to be weak.

As plans go, it was good in its simplicity, but poorly thought out in terms of execution.

Another man stepped out, swinging the practice sword from side to side, his visor raised so that Hadden could see the mocking look on his face.

“Outstanding, my lord! I am ready for you!” Of course they wouldn’t give him any rest. Of course Sebastian would keep sending out his vassals. He snorted as he moved closer to his new competitor. These royals. Not used to doing anything by themselves.

His eye was caught by Sebastian making a deep bow, then walking towards the spectator stands, opposite from where he and lackey number two hacked away at one another.

“Woof, woof, little doggie,” he said to the knight, who had armor that looked nearly black. Apparently for the intimidation factor. Perhaps it had worked at some point.

“Do you dare shame me?” Roared the black knight.

Hadden sighed. He’d not behaved well, but he was not one to play games. That was all this was. He could see Sebastian talking to women he assumed were the princesses, although he couldn’t tell which ones. Sebastian was gesturing grandly.

Time to end this foolishness. He set to the black knight, slashing him mercilessly until the man fell backwards. Did none of these men practice with real soldiers, or did they merely hack and jab at one another and call it well done?

He found he was most impatient with this. Advancing on the fallen man, he put the sword to his throat, and waited.

“I yield.”

“Well done, sir knight,” he said, offering a hand. Getting up in armor was at times a pain depending on how one fell. Once the man was on his feet, he strode to where Sebastian still stood chatting with the ladies.

“My ladies, I beg your pardon for the interruption. I am exhilarated to be on the field! I wish to show my appreciation to my lord Sebastian for the invitation,” and he grinned. He knew it was insolent, but Sebastian brought this out in him. He was heading for a beating behind the stables if he wasn’t careful.

“My lord prince, I would be honored if you would spar with me.” He held his sword down, and bowed low. When he stood, he could see that the ladies Sebastian was talking with were Princess Thea, and another lady, whom he did not recognize.

“Oh? Have you worked with some of the other knights?” Sebastian’s question was casual, but Hadden knew that he’d seen both his men go down.

“Indeed I have, my lord. I know I may be pushing my good fortune, but I must ask.”

“Oh, go on, my lord,” the other lady said, a grin much like Hadden’s on her face. “I have yet to see you spar. We’d enjoy that, wouldn’t we, Your Highness?” She turned to look at Thea.

Thea looked at the lady. It was apparent she’d not been listening fully to the conversation. “I always enjoy watching the practices,” she said absently.

“Then we shall do so for you,” Hadden said. “My lady Thea and...” He looked at the other lady, the unspoken question clear.

“I am Lady Lisette, lady-in-waiting to Her Highness, Princess Thea.” Lisette dimpled at him. “And you are the freshly minted Sir Hadden! You must, when practice has ended, tell us how you have come to be knighted. I am sure it is quite the adventure! Come my lady, let us sit and watch these two impressive warriors!” She took Thea’s arm and led her to a seat.

Hadden watched this interplay. Thea was not attending. What had Adelaide said? That she had loved Casimir. That everyone knew it. He looked over at Sebastian. While he hadn’t known the late prince, he wondered at why her father chose Sebastian over a man who, by all reports, was a good man. Better than this sniveling child.

“Come, knight. I don’t wish to take all day.”

“Of course, my lord,” Hadden kept his grin to himself. Adelaide had also been right that Sebastian didn’t acquit himself well. He was petulant. It was not becoming in a future king.

He glanced over his shoulder. Lisette was watching him carefully. Thea seemed to be, but he couldn’t tell.

He’d barely reached the area that others were practicing in when Sebastian came at him. Oh, like that was it? He lunged, parrying the angry thrust from the prince.

The sound from their swords hitting rang out. While his skill was not flawless, Sebastian clearly had skill. He was also fighting angry, which never helped anyone, no matter the skill level. He was also used to winning. Hadden could feel it when he didn’t pull back or ease up on some of his maneuvers. Sebastian was surprised. A clear sign of not being properly challenged regularly. What was his father thinking? Wins by any means other than superior tactics and skills shortchanged a man.

He could also see Sebastian was tiring. Suddenly, his eye was caught by something over where the other knights and esquires were congregating. It was Roysten. He was shaking his head. Hadden knew what he meant. He could not take this man down as he would another. Roysten was letting him know that he’d pay a high price for it.

“My lord.” He held up his sword and his other hand. “I must ask a favor of you. I will yield, sir. You and your fine warriors have worn me down.”

Sebastian had stopped when Hadden spoke, and now, he lowered his sword. “Do you? What will you do if I do not?”

“I shall fight on, my lord. I find that you…” he hesitated, having trouble with the outright lie. “And your men have proved a most satisfactory challenge.”

Sebastian didn’t speak for a moment, and then said, “I accept. Thank you for your efforts. Well fought, Sir Hadden.”

A page hurried forward to take the prince’s sword, and Roysten followed. When he reached Hadden he whispered, “Well done. I heard from some of the other ‘squires that he is a most sore headed loser. I don’t want—”

“I know. Thank you,” Hadden said in a whisper as well. “Now let’s get me out of this and back into the castle. Mayhap he’ll leave off deviling me when someone tells him I withdrew.”

“Not likely,” Roysten snorted. “It’s not his way.”

“You’ve found out a lot,” Hadden said.

“Not all that much. We see ones like that all the time.”

Hadden nodded. “We do indeed. Unfortunately, they are often in places to make things difficult for the rest of us.”

“Is that not the truth, Sir Hadden?” Roysten had raised his voice.

Hadden looked around. Some of the knights were eyeing them, most intensely.

“Indeed. What good sport today, eh Roysten?”

Roysten nodded enthusiastically. Hadden handed off the rest of his armor, and together they left the field. He looked behind him. Lisette was helping Thea from where they’d been sitting.

“I need to get back and get cleaned up,” he said.

“Going fishing for something cold?”

“I am. Perhaps the fishing is cold, but the company is most lively.”

“Then let us hurry.”

They made it to their rooms quickly, and Roysten tossed the armor onto the bed. “I’ll have that cleaned once I’ve sent you back out.” He changed Hadden’s surcoat, and brushed him all over to remove the dust and bits of plant that had stuck to him.

“There you are. Happy fishing,” he said.

“You never know what you might catch,” Hadden said as he walked out. He wasn’t sure where Thea, and more importantly, Lisette would be. Where had Viviana said? Oh yes, the gardens. It wasn’t time for lunch, so he would try his luck there.

When he entered the gardens, he stopped. It was actually very pleasant and well-tended. An area for chess and draughts was set up with several boards in use. He could see people playing at quoits, and further out, it looked like bowls.

He composed himself and slowed his pace. He was looking around discreetly. Plenty smiled at him, but he wanted to find the princesses. There was no need for idle chitchat.

A young woman he didn’t recognize stopped and curtsied. “We have not been introduced, so let me remedy that. I am the Princess Isabelle, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Sir Hadden. Will you accompany me for a time?”

Did all the princesses have dimples? It was so thus far. “I would be delighted, my lady. If you care to?” He held out his arm, hoping he did it right.

She smiled kindly at him, and took the offered arm.

“What would you care to do, Sir Hadden? There are a number of games and diversions to choose from.”

“I would enjoy walking and conversing with you. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to introduce me to the rest of your sisters?”

Uh oh. Had he said the wrong thing? She had an odd look on her face. “I mean no disrespect. It’s only that I have not met you all, and I am desirous of changing that.”

He must have said something right, because the perplexed look disappeared from her face. “Of course. It stands to reason that you would wish to know all of us a bit.” She led him to where another gaggle of women stood.

With twelve daughters, he supposed he could forgive the king all the pockets of young ladies laughing their tinkling laughs and giggling, even though it seemed inappropriate after the deaths of two princes. One thing he’d learned with Lord Maddox was that people were far more tolerant of the young in regards to poor behavior.

Or maybe my lord Maddox was simply a tough taskmaster. He resolved to try to withhold judgement until he had all the facts.

Probably the only way to get out of here alive and with head and neck still attached.

The thought made him shudder. His neck itched, and he scratched at it a little, careful not to scratch too heavily against it. It always seemed a little sore after he did such. Perhaps after this was over, he’d meet with the castle physician and see what might be done for a hurt that wasn’t there. Quietly, of course. No need to have rumors about him.

He spent the afternoon talking with mostly the princesses. He did counting in his head, and realized he’d met and spoken with all of them but the eldest. Thea. The one everyone was fighting over. The fish, as Roys called her.

She appeared on the arm of Sebastian, her lady-in-waiting right behind her. Lady Lisette didn’t look happy, and Thea looked much as she had when he’d seen her in the tiltyard. Not involved in what was going on around her.

He hated to see someone suffering. Even someone who he wasn’t sure about. Thea and Sebastian, with Lisette in tow, came to where he was sitting with the princesses.

The air about them changed. Hadden looked around. It had been most pleasant. The servants had brought cushions, and the princesses and their followers were all sitting on them having pleasant conversations, but when Sebastian led Thea over, he brought with him a palpable chill. One that made for a momentary hush. He looked carefully at those around him. Everyone looked uncomfortable. Why?

He glanced over to the edge of the plants. Roysten stood, attempting to be unobtrusive. He raised his eyebrows, and Roysten gave a nearly imperceptible nod of the head.

He stood, and put on a smile. “Your Highness, Prince Sebastian, it is a pleasure to see you again,” he said, walking over, and coming to a stop to bow to him. “May I be the first to offer you and your lovely lady a seat?” He gestured behind him at the cushion he’d been sitting on.

Sebastian nodded, and led Thea to the cushion.

“Would you care for some wine, my lady?” Hadden asked her. He’d followed them, and spoke before Sebastian had a chance.

“What a perfect idea,” said Lisette. “Let us find a footman, Sir Hadden.” She tucked an arm in his and towed him away. Sebastian stood next to Thea, arms clasped behind his back, glaring.

“Are you mad?” She didn’t look at him, but nearly dragged him along. “Why do you taunt him so?”

“Because your mistress is unhappy, and he is a churl to see it and do nothing to help.” He answered quickly, not sure where the words had come from.