A Stolen Crown (12 page)

“Good,” Toren approved. “There is much that your company can provide and I am pleased to find you agreeable.” Carlis bowed deeply.

“Then, good king, I will be happy to discuss the terms of service and make myself available to you as is mutually agreeable,” Carlis said with a smile. One think he had done was to read up on Aghlar business practises on the long road from Maramyr. He knew that, under Aglhar law, with three or more witnesses present, anything he agreed to with anyone, let alone the king, could be legally binding. He was not entirely sure about the words he had chosen to use, being a man of laws and the Maramyrian court where formality was preferred and as yet unfamiliar with the local customs of Aghlar, and when he saw Sten stand up a little straighter as the sailor-king gave him a penetrating stare, Carlis began to feel a little uncomfortable. His worries that he had offended the sailor king were dispelled when the big man burst into laughter.

“Very good. I will send several of my builders to you so you may negotiate the details, and the costs,” he added. “Now, I invite you, the Duchess and the Princess, to dine with me this evening aboard the Al-dea.”

“You do us great honor, King Toren. By the lady’s grace, I thank you,” Carlis replied.

“I will send some men to guide you. Until later.” Toren said with a nod.

“Until later,” Carlis responded and Toren turned and he and his soldiers departed the ship just as orderly as they had come.

When they had gone, Ehlena clapped her hand with obvious excitement.

“I’m so pleased. I think Toren likes you, Carlis. He wouldn’t have invited you to his table otherwise,” Ehlena said as she watched Toren and his men disappear through the shipyard. Carlis looked suspiciously at her.

“You didn't tell me he was your father,” Carlis said accusingly, but with a smile. Ehlena smiled back at him mischievously.

“Well, now you know,” she said. “Lady Valamyr did not think it was important and it isn't really.” Carlis caught the mild sarcasm in the girl's voice. Ehlena smiled then walked back toward the aft cabin to find her aunt.

“Did you know she was the daughter to the king?” Carlis turned and asked Sten. The first mate shrugged.

“Of course, Cap’n. She’s Ehlena Al-aran. We’re happy ye’ve brought her ‘ome to us.” Sten told him. “And good work, by the by with Toren. We figured on bein’ plenty busy and now it looks to be true.”

Carlis shook his head in unconcealed wonderment at how much his life had changed in so short a time. Just this morning, he was freezing his way in a wagon along the Aglhar coast with only his personal belongings and a non-descript writ of sale to his name. Now he apparently owned a rather successful shipyard, which in reality had cost a fortune, and had just been invited to the king’s table. He was about to ask Sten whether there was anything he too might be hiding when he heard a loud yell from the cabins nearby.

“I will not! Not in a thousand years will I set foot on that man’s ship!” Elaine exclaimed. Ehlena came running up on to the deck.

“Carlis?” the girl looked to him as though he might offer some solution. Carlis took a deep breath and descended the heavy wooden steps to where Elaine was obviously having one of her finer moments.

As he disappeared below, Ehlena looked around at the assembled men and women sailors. Carlis had forgotten to give them their orders.  She turned to the burly first-mate.

“Sten?”

“Aye, Princess?”

“Please give everyone leave to resume their duties,” she told him in a voice loud enough for the sailors to hear her.

“Aye,” he said with a chuckle. “You heard the fair lady! Back to work!”

“Thank you, Sten. I think Lord…I mean Captain Carlis will have his hands full for a while. My aunt Elaine can be somewhat…demanding.”

“No, thank you princess,” he said, glad of the warning, though Elaine’s shrill reaction to the king’s invite had been a strong enough hint that the Lady Valamyr was likely to prove difficult. “I’m a man who like’s knowin such things. Makes it easier to navigate when you’ve an idea where you’re goin.”

“That’s true. So, while Carlis figures out aunt Elaine, how about you show me the ship?” she suggested.

“’Twould be my pleasure.” He smiled and led her off on a tour of the great ship as a few soft winter snowflakes gently began to drift from the sky.

By the time Borrican and his uncle arrived at the royal palace the entire kingdom was blanketed by a thick layer of snow. Borrican was glad to see the tall peaks of the castle rising above the snow-covered buildings of the city below. As much as he had marveled at the bustle and diversity of Maramyr, he was still glad to call Kandara home.

His elder brother Elric greeted Borrican and their uncle Boric at the main courtyard of the palace. Borrican was glad to see that his brother was well, though there seemed a tired look in his eyes that had not been there when Borrican had seen him last.

“Good meeting, my brother.” Borrican clasped his brother’s arm and embraced him. Elrik smiled.

“It is good to see you, Borrican. I am pleased that you eluded Cerric’s men to come home to us safely.”

“Eluded?” Boric snorted good-naturedly. “More like they would have been lucky if they hadn't run into us. Lucky thing I was there or there’d have been real trouble.”

Elric turned to his uncle.

“Uncle Boric. As much as I am glad to see my younger brother returned home safely, yours presence gladdens me. Things are not altogether well in Kandara, and it is good you are back at the palace,” he said.

Upon getting settled, Borrican and his uncle met with Elric to share some food and whatever news they could. Elric took the news of Cerric’s recent military buildup with a quiet interest. The Darga seemed the only item that raised an eyebrow and he shook his head in obvious disapproval.

“The Xallans are playing with very dangerous creatures. I have studied the Darga as they once played a major part in our history. Did you know that many of them once lived in these mountains?” he asked them. Borrican shrugged. Elric was a life-long student of Kandaran history and would be one to know about such things. "This was their homeland, once upon a time, but they became very troublesome, so they no longer inhabit any of the lands of Kandara.

"I've been meaning to do some digging into these creatures. How did we get rid of them?" Boric asked.

“Apparently, they were banished,” Elric told them.

“Banished?” Borric shook his head. “From what I’ve seen of these creatures, they’re pretty tough. What, did they get a scolding and then an invitation to leave and just go?”

“In a matter of speaking, yes,” Elric replied.

“Then they were part of Kandaran society,” Borrican supposed, thinking aloud. Elrik nodded.

“As much as it was a very different land at the time. The Darga lived here over a thousand years ago with a whole host of creatures that no longer inhabit these ranges. I have not directly researched the Darga so I don’t know the whole story but I do know they committed some unspeakable act and were banished,” Elric told them. “I will see if I can find out more but I suspect that they will play a part if Maramyr actually does try to attack us. The Darga did not leave willingly and it would not be surprising if they had plans to return. I have read the reports from our few remaining agents at Maramyr, and it sounds as though there is some kind of negotiation going on between Cerric and this Xallan queen, Calexis, one that goes beyond a mere peace treaty.”

Borrican could not agree more. He had kept track of most of the delegations during the Xallan Queen's visit to Maramyr and many of them were of a military nature, more than would be necessary if Calexis was merely concerned with her own security.

“It amazes me that Cerric has such nerve. No one has ever attacked Kandara and won. Don’t they know how defensible our kingdom truly is?” Borrican shook his head at the idea. Boric laid a hand on the table.

“Times change. Maybe they think they have a chance now that almost all the mages have joined this Priesthood,” he said. “These mage priests are different from the mages we have dealt with in the past.” Elrik nodded.

“Ah, yes. We received several emissaries from the black robes while you were both away. They are most interesting, these mages. Did you know they are somehow all linked together by the magic of their religion, their belief in the book they worship?” Elric asked.

Neither Borrican nor Boric were overly aware of the specifics on the priesthood. Borrican only knew what he had seen at Maramyr and what he had heard the mage Calthas tell Aaron and the princess that one time.

“The link appears to give them access to a much greater power than they would normally have on their own. Should they choose to involve themselves and side with Cerric, it will make things much more difficult for us. In all of the histories I have read, there is little mention of anyone openly attacking Kandara with magic before.”

Borrican frowned, knowing there was something he should remember, some story about Kandara and magic. He knew that there were very few Kandaran mages compared in power with the neighboring kingdoms, but he also knew that there was some reason that they had not overly feared magic in the past, even during the time of the Great War. For some reason, the thought eluded him and he let it go as Elric brought up a most difficult subject: the King.

When Borrican’s mother had died a year past, something in king Erik had changed and he began to grow old very quickly. Within a few months, his hair had turned white and his usually ruddy face had paled and wrinkled. Borrican had already gone to Maramyr to study so he had not seen the worst of it. Instead, Elric had been there to manage the king’s rapid decline into senility.

Elric told them that the king was still alert, but that he often had bad days when he would be unable to make realistic decisions on matters of state. At first, the aging Eric had detected his own unsteadiness and would defer matters to his son, Elric when he was unsure of certain things, but more recently, his feebleness had been replaced with an aggressive vitriol that made him all but unmanageable. Now, he would insist on seeing orders carried out that made little to no sense to anyone. Thus far, Elric had managed to avoid having the king embarrass himself, but he admitted that it was becoming more and more difficult.

Deciding that they should visit the king, Elric led Borrican and the Duke down several hallways and out of the main palace and they wondered where he was taking them.

“The king, our father, has recently developed an obsession with the royal butchery. More specifically, he feels he must personally select which animals will grace his dinner plate. Suffice it to say that the butcher himself vacillates between being flattered and being downright annoyed, though he does always maintain decorum around the King,” Elric explained.

Sure enough, they found old king Eric standing in the hay among the fences and stables where the royal livestock were kept. He was leaning on the wooden fence where several deer had been corralled and was talking to a large buck, who did not seem at all interested in his attentions. Borrican was shocked at how much older his father looked, though there was something that appeared vigorous about the old man, despite his aged appearance.

“This one," the king pointed to one of the deer. “I think he will perhaps not agree with me. Please inform the royal hunters to turn him loose,” A man wearing green hunting garb and who looked to be the royal gameskeeper nodded and stalked away to the other end of the stables to set about fulfilling the king's command.

“Father,” Elric said and the king turned.

“Who’s this! No one informed me the Ansari chieftans were here already! I am sorry, gentlemen, our customs do not permit the free sharing of our noblewomen. Instead, we have asked some professional entertainers to ensure that you have an enjoyable stay in our fair kingdom. Welcome!”

The king smiled widely and held his breath expectantly in the uncomfortable silence that followed his strange and very mistaken greeting. Borrican sighed, for he had suspected that Elrik had made light of just how far the king’s mind had gone, but apparently that was not the case. Boric’s face wavered between shock and dismay at his brother’s seeming delusion. They said nothing for a moment until Erik broke the silence, bursting into laughter.

“Eric?” Boric frowned.

“I fooled you!” the king howled then he calmed himself when none of them laughed. “Oh, please. I might be losing my mind, but at least let me have a little bit of fun with it,” he explained. Boric cleared his throat and chuckled.

“You're an old fool, brother,” he told the king. “You never could resist a good prank, could you?” Boric turned to Elric. “You were in on it too, weren’t you?” he accused. Elric shook his head uncomfortably. Eric laughed.

“No, Boric. Elric probably told you I was becoming old and feeble. He is right, I am and it’s surely more of a pain for him than it is for me. Some days are better than others, but what can I say, I’m old. Besides, you seem to have kept your wits about you, Boric, and my boys, you’re old enough to handle most of the affairs of the kingdom, so why don’t you let an old man have his fancies.” He smiled, but Borrican could tell that it pained his aged father to say these things. “I can’t afford to beat around the bush, lads because I’m prone to wander, so that’s the way it is and I hope you three can put up with me.” Elric nodded.

“We’re glad you’re having a good day today father,” he told him.

The king laughed.

“It’s a great day! My family is home, except of course for your dear mother,” he added with a hint of melancholy. “So, let us prepare a feast to welcome Kandara’s beloved sons!” the king exclaimed and turned to look for the gameskeeper. “Gameskeeper. I’ve changed my mind about the buck. Kill him, for I’ve a mind to feast this night!”