The Palace Library (17 page)

The
sight of the big huntsman’s face and his smile had been a joy to them.  So
had the huge bowls of soup and mead.  Without Eloise to restrain them,
they all had a little much, children included and became talkative and
chatty.  Sophie, now fully recovered, had had to run alongside them all
the way and lay exhausted under the table, curled up at their feet.

Edwin
got up to look in his bag, then found what he wanted and wrapped it in a cloak,
before dumping it on a table.  “If we had to face any other adversary, I
would have lent this to you before.  But against the dragons, it would
have been wrong.  Now you’ve proved your worth, so it is a gift.”

“Well,
what is it?” asked Grace excitedly.  Like everyone, she loved presents
whether they were hers or not.

“Stand
up, young Harry,” said Edwin, mellow, even without his pipe, which he swore he
would never touch again after the experience with the Dragons’ Bane.  “And
you girls shut your eyes.  No peeping!”

Edwin
took the gift from the package and, telling Harry to put his hands in the air,
thrust it over his shoulders.  

“You
can open them now,” said Edwin.

“Wow!”
gasped the girls as they looked at Harry, dressed in a chainmail coat.

“It’s
wonderful,” said Harry.  “And it’s so light.”

Master
John looked at them.  “Master Edwin may make a fabulous Sword of State, but
he can’t make a living from that!  He’s known throughout the kingdom for
making the lightest and finest chainmail.”

“Surely,”
said Eleanor, slightly jealously, “chainmail is for grown-ups.”

“Grown-ups,”
said Edwin with good cheer, “and princes and knights, but also for dwarves, the
bravest of them all.  This was mine when I was younger, but now it is
Harry’s!  He’s as brave as a dwarf.  Almost anyway.”  They all
laughed at that.

“How
can I possibly thank you?” asked Harry.

“By
wearing it with pride and honour, and living up to the bravery you’ve already
shown.  That is all.”

Suddenly
Grace yawned and the others found it was catching.  The journey and the
mead were upon them, and they were all exhausted.

“To
bed with you all,” said Master John. “The Queen will see you at dawn and that’s
only a few hours away.”

As
they pulled blankets over their tired bodies, sleep soon overcame them, even
lying on straw mattresses set around the same room.  But Eleanor lifted
herself up on one arm and looked at Master John, sitting talking at the
table.  “What will happen to Eloise, Master John?”

“I
don’t know, Eleanor, but I can tell you the Queen and the King are both
just.  Since the Queen is the only one who can understand her sign
language, we may learn more tomorrow,” he replied.

It
was not a good enough answer, but it would have to do and soon she too nodded
off.  All of them felt the beds were swaying as if they were still at sea.

It
seemed to be just a moment before they were all stirred from their rest. 
As if by magic, the girls’ cloaks had been cleaned and Harry’s new chainmail
had been polished, but it was not magic.  Master John had fixed it with
the Palace staff.  “We cannot have you looking scruffy when you’re
presented to the Queen.”

So
once again, the children found themselves in the presence of Queen Eleanor,
Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy and Aquitaine.  This time it was
no less daunting, even though the room was familiar.  Sophie stood with
them.  Before them, on a long red velvet cushion sat the Great Sword of
State.  Somehow during the journey back from Hell’s Bay, Edwin had managed
to gild the hilt and decorate it ready for a State occasion.

“So
you have fulfilled the Prophecy.  There are those who say that our lives
are all predetermined and this is your destiny.  But from what I have been
told, it’s clear your destiny has been in your hands too.  I congratulate
you.

“You
will present the Great Sword of State to the King and the Court this
morning.  It is not a moment too soon.  Everyone is gathered.”

The
children stood stiffly and silently.  This might almost be another
torment, since meeting the King himself might be as scary as meeting the
dragons.

It
was Eleanor who broke the silence.  She could not resist asking, “What
will happen to Eloise?  I don’t believe she’s evil!”

“Nor
do I,” said the Queen, an answer that surprised them.  “But she’s a
traitor.  Not once, but twice over.  She must be punished.”

“But
Your Majesty,” stuttered Eleanor.

“Silence!”
said the Queen.  “You will not speak again until asked.

“I
have interviewed Eloise.”  At this moment, the Queen beckoned and they saw
Eloise had been standing in the corner accompanied by a malevolent looking old
woman, her prison warder.  Eloise looked quite different.  Her head
had been completely shaved and she was dressed in a shapeless sackcloth, the
garment of a prisoner.  The children stood still and stared.  Only
Sophie moved and went towards Eloise nuzzling her, an indication of support,
but Eloise stood stock-still.  The Queen watched with interest before she
continued.

“It
seems that she’s been under the compulsion of Guy of Caen and of the King of
France, a curse if you like.  Her brother, unknown to me, is a captive of
the King of France.  She had been given guarantees of his safety if she
did what she was asked.”

The
Queen spat the next words, “I know too well what little those guarantees mean
from him.

“But
still, Eloise has betrayed my trust and the King’s, just as Guy of Caen has
betrayed the King’s trust, pretending to be a loyal subject.  Her fate
will be at the mercy of the King.”

Eleanor
could not wait to speak.  “But she saved my life!”  The Queen looked
aghast at the interruption, given she had commanded them to be silent. 
“And she nursed my wounds,” said Harry for good measure.

The
Queen softened slightly.  “Well, her pride clearly prevented her from
telling me that after her confession.  It is in her favour, as is the fact
that Sophie clearly trusts her.  Her fate still lies with the King.”

A
curtain at the back of the room twitched.  “It most certainly does,” said
a deep and angry voice.

The
time it was the Queen’s turn to show surprise, as she turned and curtsied low,
bowing her head.  Eloise and then the girls followed suit.  Harry
bowed.  Here was a giant of a man, his presence unexpected.  King
Henry II of England himself.

“Stand,”
he said gruffly.  “Few things have angered me more than this treachery,
but then I have also heard of your heroics these last few days.  That is
commendable.  I congratulate you.”

Uncertain
how to behave in front of a King, especially an angry King, the children
remained silent.  Even Sophie seemed to stand at attention.

“You
think this Eloise deserves mercy do you?” asked the King, his eyes boring into
Eleanor’s.

“Y-
y- yes, Sir.” answered Eleanor nervously.

“And
you two?” said the King turning to Harry and Grace who both nodded.

“Your
sense of mercy is commendable.  Since this treachery remains secret, I am
able to offer mercy and Eloise won’t face execution.  This will be my gift
of thanks and will be your reward.

“Guy
of Caen deserves a far greater punishment, but in fact he will be returned to
his overlord, the King of France.  His safe passage will result in the
freedom of Eloise’s brother, who will henceforth live under my protection and
in my service.  This will be her reward for the kindness she showed you
and her last-minute change of heart which resulted in the capture of Sir
Guy.  But the punishment of Eloise is this.  She will never see her
brother again and she’ll be banished from the kingdom to remain an outlaw
forever.”

The
King turned to the Queen, “Get the girl taken to the dungeon ready to be thrown
out of the Traitors’ Gate.  These children must prepare for the ceremony.”

The
King left as swiftly as he arrived, with the Queen curtseying low again and
bowing her head, all the others following suit.

When
he had gone, she turned to the children.  “There.  You have your
answer and the King’s mercy too.  You must prepare.  Master John will
show you what to do.”  It was clear they were dismissed.

It
was an hour later.  The Great West Door of Clarendon Palace was thrown
open and the trumpets sounded.  The children led the King and the Queen
into the Great Hall of the Palace as the nobles of the court stood and
cheered.  Harry’s arm still hurt and so the girls had to support him as he
held the Sword, taller than him, and nearly as heavy, above his head. 
Sophie walked erect and smart beside them, after being brushed by Eleanor.

As
the Sword was placed on its cushion in front of the King and Queen, seated on
their thrones, the children and Sophie withdrew.

There
was a sudden sense of anti-climax and disappointment.  The Court’s session
had started and the children were no longer the centre of attention.  It
was Grace who voiced what they all felt:  “I want to go home now.  I
even miss Horrible Hair Bun.”

It
was Master John who brought them away from the Great Hall.

“What
does it mean to be banished?” asked Eleanor.

“Someone
who is banished must live outside normal society.  They may not mix with
others and they become outlaws.  It’s better than death though,” he
answered.  He might have added “only just,” but he thought better of it.

“How
do we get home?  Edgar said we’d need to find another door,” said Grace.

Master
John looked sympathetically at her.  “I can’t answer that.  I don’t
even know how you were brought here.”  He smiled at them tenderly. 
“But for as long as you need it, your home can be with me.”

They
all thanked him, but he knew their hearts were not in it, fond as he was of them.

“Can
we go and see Eloise?  I want to say goodbye,” asked Eleanor.

“Yes. 
We may, if we are in time,” was Master John’s reply.

So
Master John led them to the dungeon.  As they went Harry said, “I suppose
that’s what was meant in the Prophecy:
Freedom and not the end lies through
the traitors’ gate.
”

“Banishment
doesn’t exactly sound like freedom,” said Eleanor sadly.

“Here,”
said Master John, after leading them down steep stairs into the dank
dungeon.  “It looks like we’re just in time.  There’s Eloise, waiting
to be released into the forest through the Traitors’ Gate.”

They
stood next to the guard, looking through the portcullis gate that had been
raised.  Master John looked through the gate and said, “See the beautiful
day and the land beyond.  You must be grateful Eloise has her freedom.”

The
children and Eloise looked at each other and at John strangely.  They just
thought he was being optimistic.  All they could see was a stone corridor
stretching into the distance.  Sophie began acting strangely too, her ears
pricked forward and sniffing the air.  She was excited.

Grace
suddenly understood, “It’s the door to The Library!  It’s time for us to
go home.  It’s not Eloise we have to say goodbye to.  It’s Master
John.”

Grace
hugged John and skipped through the gate, into the corridor. 

“Where’s
she gone?” asked John who could only see the trees and the land outside.

“She’s
on her way home,” said Harry with sudden realisation.  “We must say
goodbye, John.  Thank you for everything.”  Master John did not
understand.

“Come
on,” shouted Grace from the other side.  “You never know when it might
shut.”

So
the farewells were swift and unsatisfactory.  Three children, Eloise and
Sophie went through the gate and then when they turned around, there was just a
blank wall.

Master
John looked through the gate at the forest, bemused.  He knew he would
miss them all.

Grace bounded up the stairs with
Sophie close behind her.  She turned into the main reading room of The
Library and ran straight into her Great Uncle Jasper.  Sophie licked his
hand and smiled at him.  Moments later, the others were around him too.

“Well,
well,” said Great Uncle Jasper kindly.  “You’re all back safely.  How
excellent.  I didn’t expect it would be quite so soon, but I should have
guessed.  The Library opened a door for me from my study.  That
doesn’t happen too often.”

He
looked them up and down and said to the girls with a wry smile on his face,
“I’m not sure nighties are quite appropriate at this time of day.  And
Harry, I would have thought it was a bit hot and heavy for chainmail in
here.  Let me help you.”

Whilst
Harry was helped out of his chainmail, the girls looked down at themselves and
saw their beautiful purple robes had vanished and they were back in their
bedtime clothes.  The robes had been pulled back into the books without
them noticing.