Chael's Luck (A Knights of Dorathan Novel) (6 page)

“Chael!” My aunt rushed to my side and glared
at my father. “I told you this would happen!” She led me to my bed
and started to help me undress so that I lay in my undershirt and
shorts. “Is the leg the worst of it?”

I nodded. “I don’t think it’s deep.” She
wiped my thigh down and I sucked in a breath at the pain.

“A couple of stitches should do it. Once I’m
done, it will be a bath and bed for you, my dear.”

“Once I’m cleaned up I need to get my good
tunic and pants out of my bag. There’s the banquet tonight.”

“There will be no banquet for you.”

“But Aunty, I have to. I’m to escort the
princess.”

Her jaw dropped. “You can’t possibly!”

I shrugged and looked to my father for
help.

“The princess has requested for Chael to be
her escort. We can’t very well say no.”

My aunt jabbed the needle into my leg a bit
more forcefully than was necessary. “Peter! You can’t honestly
agree with this!”

Her husband shook his head. “No, I don’t, but
as Jamie said, the princess requested it.”

She tied off the stiches and threw the bloody
rag against the wall. “You’re all insane! The three of you have
lost it, I’m sure! In the name of the gods, how far are you willing
to take this?” She stormed to the doorway, gave us all one last
glare, and left the house.

My father looked to his brother. “Tomorrow,
we leave. We’ll just have to make sure Chael stays on patrols.”

My uncle nodded.

Once dressed, I gave myself a quick look in
the mirror. The dark green tunic and dark brown deerskin pants were
my best and I smiled. The tunic had our family’s emblem, the black
winged horse, embroidered on the right sleeve. Besides the bruised
face and the limp, I looked decent.

“Are you ready to go?” My father poked his
head into my room.

“I am.” I strapped my worn leather belt
around my waist over my tunic and slid my dagger into its
scabbard.

“Take that off.” He handed me a package.
“I’ve been saving this for today.”

I peeled away the layers of cloth to reveal a
new, black leather belt. I ran it through my fingers, marveling at
the craftsmanship. My fingers hesitated over the silver and gold
hilt of the dagger in the scabbard. I pulled it out, awed at the
winged horse that had been engraved into it.

“Dad, I… I don’t know what to say.”

He smiled. “You don’t need to say anything.
You’ve earned it, and then some.” He watched as I buckled it.

I smiled back. “Thank you.” We joined my
uncle and aunt in the living room. My aunt’s hair was pulled up and
curled on the top of her head. Her velvet dress was a combination
of green and black layers. The green layer matched the green of the
family tunics my uncle, father , and I were wearing.

“You look beautiful, Aunt Jannet.”

She smiled. “And you look very handsome.”

I watched as they climbed into the cart
before mounting Klora. I gave him a pat on the neck. “I’ll get you
back to the castle stables and you can get a good night’s rest
after all the excitement of the past couple of days.”

He tossed his head as if to agree.

“Try not to cause too much of a ruckus in
there, mind you. I don’t need a repeat of our last visit here.”

As if the stable hand had been thinking the
same thing, his eyes widened at the sight of my horse. I pulled
Klora to a stop and dismounted. The instant I handed the reins over
to Nate, Klora started to dance around in a circle. I rolled my
eyes, took them back, and led him into the barn myself.

“You know, if you learned to relax a bit, you
might find this enjoyable.” I pulled the saddle off and left him in
his stall. Whisk jumped onto his hind legs and looked out at me
through to top of the door. “You stay in there with him and keep
him company.” I patted the large head. He let himself drop back to
the ground, walked a few small circles in the far corner, and
flopped himself down on the straw. I turned to young Nate.

“He shouldn’t be too much of a problem with
Whisk in there.”

He nodded. “Umm, Sir Chael?”

I started to remind him I wasn’t a Sir yet,
then stopped and smiled. As of this afternoon, I was exactly that.
I patted his shoulder, knowing exactly what he was about to
ask.

“If he starts to destroy his stall, come
fetch me.”

“Yes, Sir.”

I made my way to the great hall.

“Sir Chael.”

I jumped at the voice behind me. The princess
giggled.

“Princess Katheryn.” I bowed to her and
acknowledged her parents before offering my arm. She looped hers
through mine and we walked until we reached the large doors that
led into the great hall. The Knights at the doors stood at
attention and saluted the king. General Krane’s voice boomed over
all of the conversations in progress.

“Ladies and gentlemen! His Majesty, King
Gale, Queen Margaret, and Princess Katheryn who is accompanied by
our newest Shadow Knight, Sir Chael.”

I spotted my father and couldn’t help but
smile at the pride he was obviously feeling. My uncle and aunt
stood by his side. Princess Katheryn gave a small tug on my arm and
smiled up at me. What in the world had made her want me to win? Of
all the knights she could have wanted to escort her, there were
many that were more suitable. Knights were supposed to be tall,
thick, and strong. Though I was about three inches taller than her,
I was a good half a foot shorter than the next shortest knight in
my group. And thick? I’d never be mistaken for thick. I had
inherited my mother’s slight bone structure and couldn’t put on an
ounce of muscle had I thrown logs twenty hours a day.

I followed the king to the head table, pulled
out the princess’ chair, and sat beside her. I looked to the table
where Harry, Hal, Mac, and the rest of the newly appointed knights
sat. I noticed Caleb was absent.

“Do you know what happened to Caleb, your
majesty?”

The princess nodded. “My father dismissed him
from the Knighthood. He is no longer welcome here at the castle.”
She took a sip of her wine. “It was decided he did not possess the
honor needed to be of service on this guard.”

I tried to feel a bit of sympathy toward the
man that had made it his life’s ambition to make my life hell, but
couldn’t. I took a drink of my ale and took a deep breath to savor
the aromas of the feast being put down in front of us. I spent most
of the time answering questions for the princess, from anything to
do with my childhood adventures to what I planned to do in the
future.

“Well, I plan on staying on as a Knight.” I
frowned, not sure what she was trying to say.

“Has your father found a match for you
yet?”

I tried not to choke on the mouthful I had
started to swallow.

“Um, no. Quite frankly, I haven’t really
thought of the possibility of taking on a, uh, wife.”

“Surely you plan on having a son to carry on
the family tradition.”

This time I pretended to choke so I could
excuse myself. I could feel her gaze on my back as I went out for
some fresh air. I heard the band strike up the first song and the
sound of dancers moving along to the music.

“Are you alright?” Katheryn’s small hand
touched my arm.

I smiled. “I am. I’m not one to enjoy being
in a room filled with people. I’m mostly comfortable off in the
woods on the back of my horse.”

She grinned and moved closer. “I thought
maybe I was the one making you uncomfortable.”

I took a step back and found myself pressed
against the railing.

She frowned. “Do you find me attractive,
Chael?”

I felt the blood rise into my face. “Of
course, your majesty.”

Her frown relaxed. “Can you explain to me
then, why it is you look ready to jump over this railing even
though you know you’re two stories up?”

“Your majesty?”

“Katheryn.” She took another step closer. I
tried to look relaxed as her knee touched mine and she placed her
hand on my waist.

“I want you to kiss me, Chael.”

“Katheryn?”

“I’m asking you to kiss me.”

“But…”

“I could order you to do it.”

I looked around, hoping to see another person
so I could use that as an excuse not to. “Princess…”

“Katheryn.”

“Katheryn.” I gazed into her dark eyes and
forced myself to forget everything that was racing through my mind.
“You are a beautiful, independent, and obviously strong willed
woman…” I grinned as she tried to hide the smile the complement
brought to her lips. “I just…”

“You’re wondering why you?”

“I’m not the only one wondering.”

“You’re a man of honor, Chael. You’ve spend
years proving yourself. You’re brave, skilled, and you care about
your fellow Knights.” She smiled. “There are many women who have
watched and are interested, Chael. You just don’t seem to notice.”
She laughed at my frown. “Some women want big, strong men. I prefer
mine to have brains over brawn. Honor trumps muscles any day in my
books.” She stood on her tip toes. “Now, does that answer your
question?”

Her lips brushed against mine and I nodded,
held her face in my hands, and pressed my lips to hers lightly.

“Sir Chael!” The sound of running footsteps
echoed through the empty hallway. I swore as Nate appeared around
the corner.

“What is it? Is Klora alright?”

“He broke out of his stall and ran off. I
tried to stop him, Sir.”

I noticed he had a large bump on his
forehead. “Katheryn, take him to a healwife.” I looked at her,
surprised with myself. “I’m sorry, princess. I didn’t mean to order
you around.”

She smiled. “I’ll take care of him. Go find
your horse. We can continue this conversation tomorrow.”

“I’m leaving tomorrow. My father and I have
an assignment.”

“Then I’ll be at the gates to see you
off.”

I nodded and started to run to the stables. A
young woman in a long dark orange dress looked up at the sound of
my footsteps.

“Sir Chael.”

I smiled. “Jasmine. Have you seen Klora? He
broke out of his stall.”

She brushed her black bangs out of her face
and grinned. “Again?”

“Again.”

She shook her head. “I haven’t seen him, but
I did hear a ruckus a couple of streets down.”

I hesitated and looked up at her. “Are you
alright? Why aren’t you at the banquet?”

She shrugged. “I was. I was going to come
talk to you, but it seems the princess was holding the majority of
your attention.”

“Jasmine, I’m not interested in the
princess.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “I’m off on an assignment tomorrow
and plan on staying gone for a long time. I’m not interested in
finding someone to be my wife.”

She frowned. “But..”

“Jasmine, I can’t go into details, but the
fact of the matter is, I will never take a wife. I’m to spend the
rest of my life with Whisk and Klora.”

Whisk rounded the corner and gave a deep
bark. I smiled and pulled her into a hug. “Go back in and take a
seat beside Mac. The man is heads over heels for you, but is too
shy to talk to you.”

Whisk watched until I released her before
giving another bark and running down the street.

“Good luck catching Klora!”

I grinned and ran after my dog. By the time I
had reached my uncle’s house, it was obvious where Whisk was
leading me. I walked the last block to catch my breath. Klora stood
by the front door. He raised his head at the sight of me and let
out a welcoming whinny. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Don’t pretend you missed me.” I patted his
neck and led him to the backyard where he promptly started to eat
the grass. “I have to admit, you have great timing.”

He shook out his mane and blew out of his
nose as if to say, ‘well, of course’.

“Chael’s luck,” I mumbled to myself. “Of all
the knights she could have picked.” I looked toward the castle then
up to the sky. “And then I find out it’s not just her! Did you know
Jasmine was interested as well? What in the world is wrong with
them? Look at me. You think you’re funny, yeah? That must be it.” I
shook my head and turned to my horse. “I’ll just tell them I didn’t
find you.” I left him to his midnight snack and made my way to my
aunt’s kitchen where I poured myself a mug of ale. After adding a
few logs to the fire, I sat and stared into the flames.

A wife. I shook my head in disbelief. In my
eighteen years it had never occurred to me I would one day have to
answer why I didn’t want one. Whisk thumped his tail as my father
walked into the house. He frowned.

“Why aren’t you at the banquet?”

I shrugged. “It’s been an interesting night.
I needed to get away. Not to mention I had to catch Klora; he broke
out of his stall.”

“Blasted horse.”

“Never mind swearing at my horse. If it
weren’t for him, I’d still be trying to get away from the
princess.” I finished the ale and set my mug down. “Do you have a
plan we need to put in motion now that the princess seems smitten
with me?”

“Do you actually think I thought this might
happen? Chael’s luck and blast it all.” My father frowned and shook
his head. “Of all the knights she could have picked…” he muttered.
He frowned at my grin. “You’re enjoying this?”

“It’s comical. It’s like you said; of all the
knights she could have picked, she picks me.”

“It can’t go any further than this,
Chael.”

I grunted. “I’m small, not daft. Of course, I
know this has to end. However, having said that, I have no idea how
I’m supposed to tell her I’m not interested. She’s the
princess!”

It was my father’s turn to grunt. “I have no
idea. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about it for a while yet
as we’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

“I’m not sure if this is going to be as easy
of an issue to get rid of as you think. She’s coming to see me off
tomorrow.”