Knight Fall (The Champion Chronicles Book 1) (23 page)

The Princess was in the middle of the dance floor, her long blonde hair tied up in a bun, tight against the back of her head.  A wide smile was on her face as she danced arm in arm with the skinny Mayfair.  He too, had a smile on his face.  They spun and turned to the music, following the dance steps that they had been taught since they were barely able to walk.  It was the perfect place for her, Conner thought.  She was in her element, with her people.

He stood in the darkness, in the shadow of a tall hedge where the light of the nearby torches couldn’t reach.  While the music continued to play, he watched her and smiled.  She was who she was and he was who he was.  There was nothing that was going to change that.  He felt happy for her that she was able to enjoy the festival and have fun with her friends.  He finally felt okay with it.  He would be her champion and he would protect her.  He hoped that he had proved that he could be there for her if she needed him.

After some time, the musicians took a break and the dancing stopped.  The Princess got lost in a crowd of people, so Conner decided it was time to move on and find Master Goshin.  Conner found him in his chambers carefully placing his delicate scrolls into leather cases.  But that was clearly not the only thing that he had been doing.  His chamber was as neat and tidy as it had ever been.  All the weapon making tools were neatly put away.  Even the floor was swept.

Goshin looked up as Conner approached.  “Conner, it is good to see you.”

“And you, Master Goshin,” Conner replied wearily.  He suddenly realized what Goshin was doing and asked, “You’re packing them up?”

“Yes, I am.”  Goshin lowered his eyes.  “I was hoping that you would spend more time at the festival.  There is not a ball for the squires and knights and the ladies of the castle?”

“Dancing is not my thing,” Conner said coolly.

“You are the Princess’ champion.  It would be good for you to be at her side.  Or is it that you don’t know how to dance?”

“I…”

Goshin stood up and grabbed Conner by the hands.  “I shall teach you, then!”

Conner pulled away, slightly irritated at first, then when he realized that Goshin was not serious, he laughed with the old man.  “I think I would do better on my own.”

“That is wise.  I do not know how to dance, either.”

Conner looked closely at the leather cases and then realized there were also two saddle bags stuffed full sitting on the floor.  “You’re not just packing up, you’re packing to leave?”

Goshin let out a long sigh.  “It is true.”  He waved his hands at the scrolls.  “These are just the start.  I must find a library to complete my research.”

“Research?”

Goshin nodded.  “There is an ancient prophecy of my people that foretells our future. King Thorndale has discovered what could be one part of that prophecy.  If true, then the world as we know it could end.  Or change in a way that will not be good for us. If this is the case, and if indeed the prophecy is about to come about, then King Thorndale would like to prepare his kingdom.  And if this discovery means nothing...Well, King Thorndale would like to know that as well.  But I need to find more information on the prophecy and I need to go to the Great Library in Taran to continue my research."

“Why you?  Why now?  My training…”

“Your training is complete," Goshin declared.  "Well, at least as much as I can teach you.”

Conner shook his head.  “No!  You have so much more to teach me.  I only know a little of being Sak’hurai or even Kin Shan!  Who is teach me everything that I need to know!”

Goshin stepped to Conner and put both hands on his shoulders.  “Sak’hurai is more than being skilled.  It is here.”  He tapped Conner on the center of his chest.  “It starts here and it ends with the sword.  You have it.  And you proved it on the field today.  I have given you what you need.  Now you need to hone it.  To forge it on your own.  Sak’hurai have learned the same skills for centuries. The moves have not changed.  The fighting stances.  Even the weapons have not changed.”

“And you haven’t taught me all of it yet, there is so much more to learn!”

“You will take what I have taught you.  What you learned as a squire.  And what you will learn from the other knights.  And you will be more than Sak’hurai.  You can become a swordsman of such skill that no one can stop you.”

“But not without you.”

“I will only hold you back.  I have taught you what I know, but it will be not enough.”  Goshin squeezed Conner’s shoulders and stepped back.  “I was to leave in the morning, after I talked to you.  But since you are here, I will take my leave now.”

“Will I see you again?”

Goshin nodded his head.  “I do have more to teach you.”  He tapped Conner on the side of his head.  “Next time for head to learn, not muscles.  I only wish there was more time.  But time is gone.”

He tucked his scrolls under his arms and picked up his bags.  “Good bye, Conner.  You are a great young man.  Do not let the world change you.  Ever.  Be who are.  Be who you are supposed to be.”

"I don’t..."

Master Goshin smiled.  "Do not worry that you don’t understand now.  You will.  I do not know how long I will be, but I will try and return by next spring.  Until then, take care of the princess, and take care of yourself."  The he turned and walked away.

Conner watched him leave in silence, confused at the suddenness.  The day had started exactly as he had planned, with him able to finally show the king, and the princess, the skills that he had been learning.  But when he had hoped that the squires and knights would treat him better, they had not.  They weren’t mean to him, they simply ignored him.  Not even those who had been friendly to him before acknowledged him.  And now, his master, the man who had made him who he had become, was gone.  He felt as alone as he ever had.  He sat on a stool and buried his head in his hands and wept.

“Conner?” the soft voice broke him from his trance. 

He had no idea how long he had been sitting on the stool with his head in his hands.  He lifted his head with what little strength he had left.  The voice came from the darkness and Conner could only make out a shadowed form standing in the doorway to the barely lit chamber.

“Elissa?” Conner asked.

“I have been looking for you,” Princess Elissa said softly.  “We missed you at the ball.  And...I wanted to talk to you."

“I didn’t think you want to talk to me anymore,” Conner replied sharply.  The humiliation that he had felt out in the woods, when she and her friend and treated him like he did not exist had morphed into anger.  The tone was really harsher than he had intended, but he felt relieved when he let it out.  They had been friends, talking and sharing their thoughts and feelings.  But something had changed.

She had dropped her head at his words and looked down at her feet.  “I did not think that you wanted to be my champion anymore.”

Conner was even more surprised.  “What?  What are you talking about?  Being your champion is the only way that I can even be near you!”  His emotions and thoughts suddenly became perfectly clear to him.  The moment the words came out of his mouth, it all made sense.   “We spent so much time together, running for our lives, and I liked being with you.  But I’m a peasant boy.  You’re the princess of a kingdom!  How can I compare to that!  How can I compare to the other suitors?  The other lord’s sons that hang out at the castle spending their entire day doing nothing but eating and merrymaking.  And me, I clean pig pens, horse stalls, and let myself be pummeled by arrogant little kids that I could whip in a second.  If it weren’t for being your champion, then I would have been sent back to my village, to live out the rest of my life hunting and fishing and just being.  But being your champion, I can be with you.  Be with someone I really care about.”

“Conner…” tears had welled up in her eyes.  “I like you, too, but…But you are…”

“I look at you and my heart stops.  I see you laugh and have fun with someone like that skinny jerk Mayfair and I burn with jealousy.”

“I cannot…”  Her words got lost in her sobs.

“You cannot what?”

“I am a princess.  I have duties, responsibilities.”

Conner let out a forced laugh.  “Really?  Responsibilities?  You play dress up in in your fancy gowns.  You parade around the gardens.  What responsibilities do you really have?”

“Someday I will rule the realm.” Princess Elissa declared.

“Rule?  As queen?  And who will be your king?”  Conner countered with a sneer.

“I don’t need a king,” she replied, lifting her chin.

“The gods gave your family this kingdom, but only a man can rule it.”

“Well, maybe the gods are wrong!” she shouted back.  “I do not need you or anyone else to tell me what I can and cannot do!”

“Know your place in this world!”  Conner knew he had gone too far as soon as the words came out.  He regretted the tone as much as words, but he kept his lips tight, because there was a small part of him that believed what he had said.

Her face turned a deep red and she replied with a lowered voice, “I could have you flogged for speaking to me this way.”

He looked at her for a long moment and then asked, “Why?”

“Why, what?!” she asked confused.

“Why could you have me flogged?” Conner asked.

“Because I am the princess," she snapped back.  "Is that what you wanted to hear?  I can’t change that.  I can’t change who I am any more than you can.  I will always be a princess.”

"And I will always be a peasant boy," Conner said.  The anger that had filled him was leaving just as fast as it had risen up inside of him.  "So I can never measure up to you."

Conner looked around at the empty chamber and wondered how long it would take him to catch up with Master Goshin.  He could join him in his studies.  And then he would be able to see Taran.

"It is time for me to leave," Conner said softly.

Princess Elissa shook her head.  "I do not want you to go," she said.

"I’m done with what you want," Conner said.  He turned and marched out of the chamber.

He did not see Elissa crumple to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Chapter Eighteen

Marik bent down to look closely at the head.  Small animals had nibbled at it and there was already a small swarm of bugs flying around the severed body part.  He held his breath, trying to avoid taking in the horrible stench that emanated from it.  The head was from an old man with a shaggy gray beard.  The dress of the nearby body indicated that he was likely a mountain nomad, most likely Thellian.  The cut was clean, either from a very sharp blade or very strong man.

The grass of the field at the base of the mountain was still covered in morning dew, making his leather boots wet and his feet cold.  But it also helped him see the way the grass blades had been bent by the events that had transpired the day before.  The old man had died here.  A younger man, much larger, was slain about a hundred feet away, possibly as he was trying to run away.  Three had arrived on foot.  Someone who limped and two others.  He was fortunate that one of them limped as it made for better tracks to follow.  It could have been the old man, but it didn’t appear that the old man had any sort of leg injury.  His only other conclusion was that it was Brace who had been the limper.

The horses had come from the trees that lined the small creek, so he followed the tracks to a spot that was well matted and torn up.  The horses had been there for some time, presumably waiting for Brace and his companions.  He spent a few minutes searching, but there were not any signs of who the attackers might have been.  Only torn up dirt clumps and matted grass could be found.

He took the opportunity to fill up his water skin from the creek and splash some water on his face.  The winter snows from the White Mountains fed the creek, making the creek free flowing and fast.  It was very cold, but refreshing.  While kneeling at the bank of the creek, he looked over at the other side of the creek.  The ground was flat and appeared torn up as well.  With a running start, he was able to leap across the expanse of water, thankful that it was but a small creek and not a wide river.

There were clear prints that lead out of a thicker grove of trees.  After pushing his way through some unusually think underbrush, he found the abandoned camp.  There was only the remnants of a campfire and matted grasses to show that anything had been there.  He scouted the perimeter quickly, but found nothing of interest.  Whoever had been here arrived from this side of the creek from the north, and then crossed the creek to kill the old man and take Brace.  Either the horseman had happened upon Brace and the two dead men by chance, or they were lying in wait for them.

Marik returned to the clearing and the two dead bodies.  He thought briefly about burying them, but he didn't have any time to waste.  And even if he did have the time, he didn't know if he would have.  They were Thellians, the enemy.  For his entire life, he had hated them.  He had fought them and killed them.  It didn't make him feel proud, but he didn't really feel sad about it, either.  But now that the king was trying to make peace, and Brace had risked his life for peace, maybe he needed to rethink what he thought of the Thellians.  For a moment, he looked at the two bodies and didn't think them as Thellians, but as people.  Men with fathers and mothers.   Maybe children.  The old man likely had grandchildren.  He turned away from the bodies and towards tracks that led north, towards the army encampment.  Right now, he needed to focus his energy and finding Brace.  After that, he would have a lot of thinking to do.

***

“Father?” Princess Elissa said from the doorway.

King Thorndale turned at the sound of his daughter’s voice.  The smile on his face faded at the sight he saw.  “Elissa?”

She stepped into his chamber and the royal guard attending the doorway pulled the double doors shut behind him.  She tried to smooth out the wrinkles of her gown, but it was to no avail.  There was also nothing to do about the dirt stains.  If she would have looked in a mirror she would have been horrified at her presentation.

Arpwin, who had been helping the king put on his armor quickly crossed the room and took the princess by the hand and led her to a couch.  “Are you okay, your highness?”

She ignored his question, for her eyes were focused on her father.  “Why are you wearing your armor?”

“Elissa, what is wrong?” the king asked.  “You looked like you slept with the horses.”

“I am fine,” she said sharply and asked again, “Father, why are you in your armor?”

The king was silent for a moment as he pondered his answer.  He glanced at Arpwin, who remained silent.  He was on his own on this one.  “It fits a bit tighter than the last time I wore it.  I did not know that metal shrinks over time.”  He smiled, but Elissa did not share in his humor.

The king did not wear the same suit of full plate armor that his knights did.  His was a finely crafted breastplate that not only protected his chest and back, but had plates that covered his shoulders.  It was as functional as it was ceremonial.  It was highly polished and nearly flawless in its smoothness.  The last time he had warn it was from the back of the army and he never had to test its effectiveness.  The chain mail shirt that he wore underneath covered him from head down past his thighs.  The helm was fashioned similar to his chest plate.  It was carefully wrought and polished to the same shimmer.  Unlike the breastplate that fit almost too snuggly, the helm fit perfectly atop his head.

He pulled off the helm and set it carefully onto a nearby table.  “The men of the realm have been called to arms.  The army will be raised and as soon they have gathered here at the castle, they will follow the knights northward.”

“War?” Elissa whispered.

“Yes,” the king said.  “I will be leading our soldiers into battle.”

“War?” she repeated.  The announcement had taken her by surprise and she was not sure how she should react.

“Yes, war, I am afraid.  The king of Thell has refused my offers of peace and has committed an act of war.  I cannot sit idly by while he executes my emissaries.  He will pay for this transgression through his own blood.”  He turned to his faithful attendant.  “Arpwin, please help me out of this.”

Arpwin left Elissa’s side to help the king get out of the armor.  After several minutes of struggle, the king pulled a thick robe on and settled himself in a plush chair with a goblet of sweet wine.  “Lord Arrin, Lord Kor, and Lord Martin have been summed to the castle.  They will govern the city while I am away.”

Elissa was still in a daze.  The words were hard for her to comprehend.  She had never known war or even a major conflict in her lifetime.  She looked at her father and could only see the worst.  “Father, you cannot go.”

“I must," the king replied.  "It is my duty as king and leader of the realm.  I cannot ask my knights and the men that I rule to take up arms if I am not willing myself.”

“But you might die,” she said, her lower lip trembling.

“I am old, my dear.  I might die any day.  If the gods will…”

“Damn the gods!” she said fear suddenly being replaced by anger.  “You cannot go to war.  I cannot lose you, too!”

The king quickly jumped from his seat and took his daughter in a firm hug.  “My dear,” he said, his eyes watering.  “You will not lose me like you lost your mother.  I will always be here for you.” 

She responded by holding her father tightly, her anger going away just as quickly as it came.  In its place were uncontrollable sobs.

King Thorndale held her close, until her sobs became soft whimpers.  He released the hug and held her at arm’s length so he could look into her eyes.  “And I have nothing to worry about, for I know that you have a courageous champion who will always be at your side.”

“I need you, father,” she said, pushing herself back into his arms.  "Not some silly boy."

“I will always be here for you, but I also have a duty to the kingdom, to ensure its safety.  Your champion proved himself yesterday.”  He pushed Elissa away again to look back into her eyes.  “Did you not see how he embarrassed those squires?  It was amazing how quick he was.  I never could have imagined that Master Goshin would do so much, so quickly.  He is an amazing warrior.”

“Master Goshin?” she asked.

“Yes.  He has been training with Master Goshin from the time he arrived at the castle.  You did not know?”

She shook her head.

“That Conner is an incredible young man.  Training with the squires during the day and with Master Goshin pretty much every other waking moment.”  He smiled at his daughter with a twinkle in his eye.  “And he seemed to spend whatever time remained with you.”

“He is a peasant,” she said harshly.  “And just a boy.”

“Oh my young princess, he is a boy no more.  He may yet fill out into his body.  But he is strong and will do well as your protector.  He is smart, too, from what Master Goshin has told me about him.  He knows how to read and write, you know.”

“I did not know,” Elissa said, her eyes dropping to the floor.

“Master Goshin is teaching him.  He may be no scholar, but reading and writing will do well for him in the castle.”

“He seems to no longer like the castle,” Elissa said.  “Or to be my champion.”

“Unfortunately, that is no longer a choice of his,” the king said firmly.  “He is duty bound to you and to me.  He will give his life for you, if necessary.  He will protect you to the end.  That is his duty and the promise he made.  And you will abide by that promise, as well.  While I am on the field of battle, he will be by your side.  Day and night.”

His voice softened as he continued, “You and I are all that remain of the royal family.  My brothers died so long ago.  And you mother.  Well, she died so soon after you were born…”

“Why did you not remarry?” Elissa suddenly asked.  It had been a question that she had thought to ask many times, but really never had a chance, or the guts, to ask.  “I mean…if you wanted another child, a male heir…”

This time, it was the king’s eyes that watered.  “Your mother was a special woman.  One of a kind.  Irreplaceable.”  His voice cracked and faltered.  He turned his head so that his daughter could not see the tears streaming down his cheeks.  At times he hated himself for this, for feeling the way he did about his wife.  It would have been easier if he didn’t love her so much, if he hadn’t missed her so much.  If he had been willing to remarry, to have another queen, to have his heirs, then maybe he would have gotten over his grief.

The king took a deep breath to collect himself and turned back to his daughter.  He looked at her, sitting in what was once the prettiest dress in the realm, but was now not much more than a tattered rag.  Her hair was messy and tangled.  She looked more waif than princess.

“I wish I knew her,” Elissa said.

“She was just like you," the king said, desperately trying to hold back tears.  "Beautiful, loving, and kind.  And strong.  I was not ready to be king when your grandfather passed on.  But she was there for me and helped me become who I am today.  I owe everything to her.  She would not have liked me going to war, either.  But because the gods have put me in charge of the realm, I have to make the hard decisions.  I just hope it is the right one.”

“If you have doubts, then why go to war?  Have you not tried talking to the Thellian king?”

The king straightened.  His initial reaction was defensive, how dare this little girl question his authority!  But the thought quickly passed as he realized his daughter was no longer the little girl that he wanted her to be.  She was grown up.  Almost the same age that her mother was when they first met.  “I have been talking to their king.  King Lorraine and I have been in communication for almost a year.”  He dropped his eyes to the ground because he could not bear to look into her eyes at the moment.  “We had settled upon a peace treaty of sorts, and the final details were being hammered out.  However, he decided to go back on the deal by killing my messenger.”

“He killed one man and you go to war?" the princess asked.  "Isn’t that a bit silly?”

It was, the king agreed to himself.  “Wars have been started for less,” the king said aloud.  “Wars start more from personal insults that anything else.  It’s not just this.  This is just the last in a series of events.  Lord Neffenmark has been suffering with their assaults on his land for years.  He bears the brunt of their actions as he holds the northern lands.”

Elissa wrinkled her nose.  “I do not like that man.  He looks at me funny.”

“His family is one of the oldest in the kingdom.  At one time, his family ruled most of this land that is our kingdom.  That was when we were just a bunch of tribes struggling to survive.  One of your ancestors, about five hundred years ago, was able to align the tribes into a cohesive government.  He built the first city of Karmon and turned the wilderness into a kingdom.  Neffenmark's ancestors were vital to keeping the kingdom together, but it was our own ancestor, Raven Thorndale that was given the blessing of the gods and became king.  A descendant of that first Thorndale king has held the crown ever since.”

“I have not heard this history before, how come?” Princess Elissa asked.

“I did not know that history interested you," the king responded.  "It’s well known.  I guess I kind of assumed that you already knew it.”

“Can you tell me more?”