Kingdom's Reign (6 page)

“Talea, this is my good friend William—”

“Please forgive me,” Leinad interrupted. “William, please allow me to introduce you to my daughter, Talea.”

They exchanged courtesies, and Leinad returned to his question. “How is it possible that you two have met?”

I looked at Talea, but she seemed content to remain silent, so I spoke. “On our transport ship there was a mysterious young woman who was neither Arrethtraen nor a Silent Warrior. All of my attempts at discovering her identity failed, and she seemed to avoid me for most of the journey. Although you call her your daughter, I must admit that I am at a loss as to how this is possible.”

Leinad laughed out loud. “Oh, what a coincidence that put you upon the same ship as Talea! I can imagine the awkwardness of it.” He seemed to thoroughly enjoy the thought.

Talea looked a bit sheepish. “I am sorry, Sir Cedric, if you felt offended in any way. You see, I could not reveal my identity to you, nor could I lie. The wonder of the Life Spice had not been disclosed to you yet, and neither I nor any of the Silent Warriors were allowed to divulge anything of that nature while on mission. I spoke to you too much as it was, for your curiosity was great.”

“There is no need to apologize, my lady,” I replied. “But I must admit that I am still puzzled as to how you are Leinad's daughter.”

Tess put her arm around Talea. “Talea is our one and only child, Cedric,” she said warmly. “In Arrethtrae, I grew weak from my injury, and I was taken across the Great Sea to the Isle of Sedah. My departure from Leinad was hard to bear, but the Silent Warriors who came for me said I would soon die if I did not go with them. Leinad insisted, and I finally acquiesced.
What neither Leinad nor I realized was that I was with child. The voyage across the Great Sea nearly killed me, but once on the island, the Life Spice began to strengthen my body. Shortly thereafter, I found that I was carrying a baby.” She smiled at Talea.

“I had a daughter and never knew it until I arrived on the island, Cedric,” Leinad said. He put his arm around Talea and Tess. “Can you imagine the day of my reunion with my wife
and
my daughter?”

“But why were you taken to an island and not brought here to the kingdom?” I asked.

“No Arrethtraen was allowed into the kingdom until the Prince had completed His mission. When He died and rose again, He came to the Isle of Sedah and brought us into the kingdom.” Leinad paused. “Only the Prince could unite us with the King. We all waited for Him. Even though I was not with you, I waited for the Prince as well.”

I looked at Talea. “But those hideous creatures … Didn't you say they came from the caverns on the Isle of Sedah? How did you survive?”

“The island is divided by a mountain,” she explained. “One side belongs to Lucius; the other was protected by Silent Warriors and became a place of refuge for us while we waited for the Prince. I saw the scynths only once before—there on that island. Yutan told me they abide deep in the mountain in caverns, and only Lucius can control them.” She appeared unnerved. “I am glad to be here now.”

Our group fell silent as we contemplated Talea's last bit of information.

Leinad finally spoke up to restore the festive mood. “Talea, after dinner you must challenge William and Cedric to a bout on the Intrepid Course. I think you might find your equal in one of them,” he said with a sly smile.

From Talea's response, I could tell she had a competitive side that was no small part of her character. That had been evident even on the ship.

“Intrepid Course?” William asked.

“Yes,” Tess answered. “While on the Isle of Sedah, the Silent Warriors mentored Talea and trained her in the art of the sword while I recovered. To condition her, they developed a challenging course that she loved to run. Over the years, as she grew, she began to beat even the Silent Warriors. The course tests not only strength, but stamina and speed.”

“Don't even bother trying, gentlemen,” a deep voice from behind us said. We turned to see Yutan smile admiringly at Talea. “You will save yourself a dose of embarrassment at the hands of this little lady if you refuse.”

“Yutan, you let me win to make me feel good,” Talea said jokingly.

“Yes … when you were just a lass, my lady. But I have not bested you in years and not for lack of trying, as you well know.”

Talea laughed. “Yutan reconstructed the course here on our palace grounds for me. It was an important part of my childhood.”

“Because of her skill,” Yutan said, “Micalem has allowed Talea to accompany us on many of our sea missions. Take her challenge, but know that I have warned you.”

William shook his head. “I think I shall leave my dignity intact and refuse. But thank you just the same.”

Leinad looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I felt coerced, but thought it might afford me an opportunity to acquaint myself more with Talea.

“I humbly accept the challenge, provided Talea will be kind and not humiliate me too dramatically,” I said.

Yutan slapped my back with a large hand. “Eat lightly, my friend, for though she is as pretty as a flower without, she is as tough as the largest of Silent Warriors within.”

Shortly thereafter, Gavinaugh and Keanna arrived, followed by Sandon, Weston, Marie, Addy, and Keaton. Addy and Keely became instant friends, and Keaton was now old enough to hold his own with them.

It was good to see Gavinaugh, for I desired to talk with him but had not yet had the opportunity since our arrival. “Sir Gavinaugh, what a delight to see you. You look well.” I offered my left hand to greet him, but he smiled and extended his right instead.

“What a pleasure to see you as well, Sir Cedric.” He grasped my hand, and I felt the full strength of his grip.

“I see your thorn has been removed,” I said, joyful for him.

“Yes, and I am stronger than ever. I can't tell you how good it feels to be whole again,” he said. He formed a fist with his right hand and opened it. The injury he had received from the
blade of a vicious Shadow Warrior had left his right arm useless for years, but now it seemed completely healed. His eyes gleamed. Keanna joined us, and she slipped her arm in his.

“Good evening, Lady Keanna. I see that you have been made whole as well.”

She smiled and leaned into Gavinaugh. “I'll never let him go again,” she said, gazing at him with great admiration.

There were more introductions and light conversation before we were called to dinner. It was a marvelous meal and a time of pleasant fellowship. Taking Yutan's advice, I did not eat quite so much.

As the afternoon lingered, Leinad eventually brought us to the Intrepid Course on the far side of the palace grounds. It was a veritable plethora of obstacles and challenges that I had never before seen. There were ropes, trees, targets, beams, and even a rock cliff, which I imagined was to be scaled at some point in the run. I began to question my decision to accept Talea's challenge, or rather Leinad's. I had never pictured Leinad as a father. It was interesting to see the healthy pride of a father within him.

Leinad turned to the large Silent Warrior. “Yutan, in all fairness to Cedric, would you run the course first for him so that he is not at too much of a disadvantage?”

“Certainly, Sir Leinad,” he replied.

Yutan removed his outer tunic, revealing well-sculpted muscles. As he ran the course, I concentrated on each task he performed. There were ropes to climb, beams to walk, pendulums to evade, arrows to shoot, and rocks to scale. At one
point, he was required to retrieve a sword and strike three opposing targets in a specific sequence all within a certain amount of time. His sword moved quickly, but it took him two tries before he was rewarded with a drawbridge that automatically lowered in place to allow him to cross a wide ditch filled with water. It took some time before he completed it, and when he did, sweat ran profusely down his brow, neck, and torso. He finished the course by ringing a small bell at the end. While he was running the course, Talea had disappeared and returned adorned with the same outfit, minus the cape, that I had first seen her wearing on the ship. She looked fit for combat in an unusual way.

Talea came and stood before me with her fists on her hips. The sweet smile from before had been replaced with the stern face of a competitor. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked. The tone of a fierce challenge was in her voice.

“Lead the way, my lady,” I replied.

We readied ourselves, and Yutan gave the word to start. I instantly became aware of a social dilemma.
How do I not look a fool and yet preserve the honor of Talea?
I entered the course with every intention of letting Talea win, but within minutes it became evident that “letting” her win would not be a problem. Although my strength was superior, her speed and agility were like that of a cat. She quickly maneuvered into the lead, and it took all I had to stay up with her. Before long, I was breathing hard and sweating like an overworked horse.

Talea seemed to move from challenge to challenge undaunted by physical strain. Partway through the course, I
caught a second wind and started to feel the rhythm of the obstacles. I was closing on Talea, and the challenge of the competition soon took hold of me. Keely, who had been watching closely, found it an opportune time to cheer exuberantly for Talea.

Our leads were exchanged many times during the last half of the course. Talea became fiercer in her competitiveness, as did I. She edged forward just near the end with one obstacle remaining, and I knew I could not overtake her. After clearing the last obstacle, she glanced back toward me as I redoubled my efforts. We both stretched our hands for the rope of the bell, but she stumbled and missed. Without thinking, I grabbed the rope and pulled. I regretted it an instant later when I saw the hurt on her face.

Our audience politely applauded, and I reached to lift Talea to her feet. She hesitated but took my hand. I felt horrible. “I am sorry,” I said quietly.

“Do not be sorry. You have won fairly. You deserve my congratulations.”

“I am sorry you tripped. You were quite in the position to win,” I said, trying to ease the tension and make both her and myself feel better. It did not seem to work.

“It appears we have a new Intrepid Course champion,” Leinad said without much enthusiasm but with a genuine smile.

But there was no victory in the victory. I reminded myself that it was just a friendly competition, but I still felt miserable. Tess gracefully redirected all of us back to the palace for refreshments. Talea resumed her pleasant demeanor as she
helped Leinad and Tess host their guests. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves except me.

Talea and I were polite to each other the remainder of the evening, but I felt a distance between us that I did not like and did not know how to close. It was the only sadness I had felt since arriving in the kingdom.

When William and I left, we walked in silence for a while. He finally placed an arm over my shoulder. “Your heart is good, my friend. She will see that with time.”

“You are a good friend, William. Next time, please rescue me from my folly, lest I make a bigger fool of myself than I did this evening,” I responded.

“You are no fool, Cedric, and there was little I could do for you. I do not think you would feel this way were it not for Talea.”

I wasn't sure what he meant by his last comment, and I chose not to ask him. I was thankful for William. He knew me like a blood brother, and I hoped I was as good a friend to him as he was to me.

Some days later, I revisited Leinad and Tess's home, hoping to make things right with Talea, but she had departed on another sea mission with Yutan. I awkwardly apologized to Leinad, but he reassured me that all was fine. I could not convince myself of it though until I met with Talea personally. Unfortunately, it seemed that might not happen for a long time. But other matters helped occupy my mind and my time, for which I was thankful.

THE AWAY YEARS