The Bard, page 18
All conversation stopped as Brin loudly announced their presence. “Hello Uncle,” he called out. “May I have the honour of presenting his royal Highness Prince Tor of Remeny.”
“Brin,” the Queen cried out, standing up and pushing past Illen. She was tall, for an elf, and was wearing a long dress made of green silk with gold trim. She ran up to Brin and threw her arms around him. Up close, Sam could see the lines on her face which betrayed her age.
“Fay,” the King called out, exasperated. “Please try to show a little decorum in front of our visitors.”
The Queen released Brin and returned to her throne. Brin approached the King and bowed low. “Your Majesty,” he said in a mocking tone.
The King sighed. “Not you as well.” Then he smiled. “Come and give your favourite uncle a hug.”
“You are my only uncle,” Brin pointed out as he jumped onto the dais and put his arms around the rotund elf. The sight of the King had taken Sam by surprise. Admittedly, until entering the forest, Brin and Illen had been the only elves she had actually seen, but all of the folklores, legends and fairy tales she had read described all elves as slim. To see one that definitely needed to go on a diet seemed somehow wrong. Introductions were made before the King turned to the business in hand.
“I have been told that you have made a statement to your step-mother that she has taken as an untrue accusation. Do you wish to pursue the matter?” Brin nodded his head. “Very well then. Please tell us your side of the story.”
Illen started to protest, but was told by Zanthir that she could either be quiet or leave. She closed her mouth and looked at the old advisor, her eyes full of hatred.
Before telling his tale, Brin pointed out that others in the room were material witnesses so would have to leave before he could begin. A member of the home guard who had escorted them to the palace happily showed the visiting guests to a waiting room and arranged refreshments for them. Brin told the royal couple, Nisse and Zanthir everything. He started when Illen had first come into his life by marrying his father and had begun to make advances towards him. He described the events that had taken place the night he left his home. He skipped over his adventures with Cirren, moving directly to his meeting Illen once more at Queen Helen’s palace. He explained how, and why, he had swapped rooms with Sam and that he had been awoken in the night by the commotion caused by Illen getting into bed with Sam, thinking she was Brin. He was unable to describe the smell that had alerted Ellen to the fact that Illen was wearing hemper, as only the females present could detect it. He went on to tell the assembled audience all he knew of his step-mother’s arrest and subsequent escape.
When he had finished, the King turned to Illen. “What is your side of the story?” he asked her.
She smiled pleasantly at him. “I have no story,” she said sweetly. “I only have the truth. I have never made any advances towards Brin. Why would I? He is like a son to me. I went to his room at Helen’s palace at his request. He is setting me up and I have no idea why.” She turned her attention to Brin. “I love your father and we are very happy together. Why can you not accept that?”
“I have witnesses who are prepared to testify against you,” Brin snarled, unable to keep the vehemence out of his voice.
Illen laughed. “They are your friends. Of course they will speak up in your defence. Especially your little floozy. It will remain your word against mine, so you cannot win. Not even Tor’s testimony will do you any good. After all, he is only going to say what you have told him to.” She turned to the King. “You should end this farce now,” she all but commanded.
She was surprised to see anger in the King’s face as he struggled to remain polite. “That is twice now in as many sentences that you have neglected to use the proper title for members of a royal family. To do so towards one of your own people is a severe discourtesy. To do so to a visiting foreign Prince is unforgivable. Nisse, please escort Illen to the prison while I hear from our guests.”
“You cannot do that,” Illen screeched as Nisse took her arm and began to drag her from the throne room. “I am family.”
The King held up his hand and Nisse stopped pulling her towards the door, though he kept a tight grip on her arm. “You may have married my widowed brother-in-law and hence become related to my nephews and nieces, but that makes you in no way related to me. Now get out.” Nisse smiled as he began pulling roughly on Illen’s arm again. “Oh one more thing,” the King called out just before they reached the door. “If I hear one more word from you before the morning I will order you executed.”
Illen was about to protest once more when she realised he was serious and her words died in her mouth. She was silent as she was finally removed from the throne room and the door slammed shut. The King sighed wearily. “I do not suppose I can find her guilty now can I?”
“I am afraid not dear,” Queen Fay said to him, gently patting his hand.
“Oh very well,” he said. “Who should I see first?”
“Sam,” she replied immediately. “I want to talk with that young lady when you have finished with her. The way she and Brin were looking at each other there is definitely something going on.” She was looking at Brin as she spoke and was certain she saw him blush.
“Fay,” he admonished his wife. “This is not the time or the place to pry into your nephew’s personal life. This is a serious business we are investigating.”
“No dear, you are investigating. I am present merely to hear the gossip. Now send someone to get the young lady.” Obeying his wife, he motioned for another of the home guard to do as she requested and Sam soon found herself standing alone in front of the royal couple and their head advisor. Full of nerves, she was trembling slightly when she was asked to begin and looked toward Brin for encouragement, though he was unable to give her any. His face remained emotionless during her entire speech. She succinctly described the events at Linket, from the moment she first met Illen, to when she heard about her escape. Everything she said matched perfectly with Brin’s story, even the part about his last night in the forest, though she did point out that she could only repeat what Brin had told her of those particular events.
Once she had finished speaking, she was given permission to depart and the Queen grabbed her arm before she could leave the room. “Come with me dear,” she said in a motherly fashion. “You too,” she called to Brin, who reluctantly followed.
“Women,” he heard his uncle mutter as he left the room. One by one, the others were interviewed, until only Tor remained. Each person’s account had matched Brin’s closely enough that neither the King nor Zanthir could believe they were lying.
“I also have a letter from Queen Helen, confirming everything you have been told,” Tor informed the King, taking the paper out of his tunic and handing it over. The King inspected the seal carefully before tearing it open and reading it. He sighed heavily when he had finished. “While this agrees with all you have said, it is still only your word against Illen’s. Do you have any solid evidence against her?”
“I am afraid not, your Majesty,” Tor said regretfully.
“What about this Ellen you have all talked about. Why is she no longer with you? I feel her testimony may be invaluable as she is the one who actually recognised the smell of hemper.”
Tor gave an embarrassed cough. “Actually, your Majesty, she is with us. She will be arriving with the wagon.”
“Why do I have the feeling there is more to this story?”
Tor winced. “She is a vampire.” Neither the King nor Zanthir reacted the way Tor had expected; they simply requested the full story. “That is going to take quite a while,” Tor replied.
“Then join me in my sitting room. You can fill us in over a glass or two of wine. I will make sure your friends are found accommodation for the night. Illen is obviously guilty, but I need some time to decide what her punishment should be. Without physical evidence, I can do no more than banish her, I am afraid, and I am not sure that I can even go that far. Tales of your adventures will take my mind off things for a while.”
Tor took the King up on his offer and the two royals, along with Zanthir, talked long into the night.
While the individual cross-examinations were taking place, Brin and Sam were being subjected to their own interrogation. Queen Fay wanted to know everything, from the moment they first met, to how they got together and what they saw in their future. The Queen was very pleasant, treating Sam like she was already one of the family, and Sam felt comfortable talking to her. Brin, however, did not. Elves tended to be private people, Brin more so than most, and he did not like to discuss his personal life with anyone except Sam.
They were in the Queen’s private study, sitting in comfortable chairs made from wood and covered in leaves and moss. It was lit by a number of lamps, each giving off a yellow glow. As soon as they entered the room, Sam noticed the lamps and queried their use. They looked like other lamps she had seen which created light by burning oil then using glass to magnify and contain it, yet Nisse had said that fire was banned within the forest.
Fay took down one of the lamps and held it out to Sam, who took it gingerly. She was surprised to find it was not hot. “How?” she asked
“My people discovered a long time ago that if you dry then crush the leaves from two of the types of trees that grow in this forest, mixing them together causes a reaction that lets out a large amount of light, but no heat. Naturally the light is bright blue, but experiments showed that adding in a third leaf changes the colour to the bright yellow you now see.”
“How long does the light last?” Sam asked the Queen.
“In the base, each lamp contains small amounts of each type of leaf, ground down to a powder and kept separate. Every few minutes, the smallest piece possible of each is released into the main bowl where they combine. Turning them off is as simple as stopping the release mechanism. They only need refilling every few days, even if left on all night and all day.”
“Amazing,” Sam said, genuinely impressed, as she handed the lamp back.
Fay laughed, the sound reverberating around the room. “Just one of our many secrets. Now tell me all about yourself and your role in my nephew’s life.”
Evening drew close and Brin could finally take no more. “Enough,” he said, standing up and taking Sam by the hand. “She needs some time to freshen up before dinner. You can see her again later.” Without waiting for his aunt to give permission to leave, he led Sam from the room. She called goodbye just as he closed the door.
“Do you think she likes me?” Sam asked apprehensively.
“Of course,” Brin replied.
“How do you know?”
“She did not kick you out.” Sam stared at him, unsure if he was joking or not, but his face was unreadable.
“Where are you taking me?” she eventually asked. He had led her out of the building and took one of the paths leading away from the city centre.
“Home,” he replied. “With my step-mother in jail and all of my family out in the forest somewhere, we will have the place to ourselves.”
They walked for a while, Brin explaining what some of the buildings they passed under were. Sam was enthralled by the sight of those scampering about the branches above her as they made their way back to their own houses, or those of friends. Even the young ones climbed the trees as if they were born in one. Suddenly Sam realised that they probably had been.
Brin stopped and pointed upwards. Above her was a large abode, two stories by the looks of it. “Home,” he said.
“Did I ever tell you I am scared of heights?” she asked nervously.
“Really?” Brin asked doubtfully. She nodded her head.
“So how do we get up?” She had seen some of the elves leaping at the trees, grabbing hold of the lowest branch and pulling themselves up, while others used ropes made from vines, which were placed at convenient intervals. As Brin looked at her, a trace of concern crossed his features.
“Good question,” he finally said. Then his face brightened up as he heard movement behind him. “Perfect timing Hawk,” he said without looking round.
“So this is where you live,” the vampire commented, not in the least bit surprised that the elf had not only heard him, but had known who had been approaching. “Impressive.”
“It is my father’s,” Brin said proudly. “He built it himself.”
“So why do I have perfect timing?”
“Sam needs to get up there,” Brin explained, looking upwards.
“No problem.” Before she had chance to protest, Hawk grabbed Sam round the waist and flew up to the first branch, holding onto her until she got her balance.
“You could at least have let me prepare myself,” Sam yelled, hitting Hawk on the arm and almost losing her balance. Hawk laughed. Before Sam had time to swear at him, Brin was beside her, opening the door to his home.
“Thank you Hawk,” he said, closing the door before the vampire could follow them.
Sam was looking around the room, her back to Brin, when he addressed her. “So, you own me do you?” He kept his tone flat and emotionless. Sam winced, but did not turn around to see the slight smile touching the side of his mouth.
“Sorry,” she said, looking down. “I guess I got a little carried away.” She did not hear Brin draw near and was slightly startled when she felt his arms slide around her waist, pulling her backwards into his embrace.
“Actually I kind of liked you saying that,” he whispered in her ear. Whatever reply she was going to make died in her mouth as he began to gently kiss the side of her neck, making her breath come in shallow gasps. He chuckled as he felt her body reacting to his touch. “Maybe we should be late to dinner,” he suggested before spinning her round and kissing her. She did not have time to see any more of his abode as he swept her up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom.
The next morning, Brin led her back to the throne room. Tor was already present, talking quietly with Zanthir and Nisse. Ria, Patrick, Liselle and Torrick soon arrived, escorted by members of the home guard who Sam recognised as part of Brin’s old company.
More elves arrived with Illen. She walked close to Brin as she approached the empty thrones. “You will be all mine soon,” she said softly as she passed by. Sam felt him stiffen, but he showed no other reaction that he had heard her.
The door opened once more and the King and Queen walked in. Zanthir called for silence as the royal couple took their seats and all talking ceased. Illen was looking smug, as though she had been forewarned of the verdict and it was in her favour. The King looked around and, once he was satisfied that he had everyone’s attention, began to speak.
“I have heard the evidence presented by Brin and backed up by many other people. I have also spoken with Ellen, who dropped in for a visit during the night, literally. Unfortunately there is no physical evidence.” He glanced at Illen and was not surprised to see a smile flash quickly across her face.
“However, I am still able to find Illen guilty of using hemper to seduce her step-son.” A feeling of satisfaction swept through him as he saw the smile drop from her face. It was replaced by complete incredulity. “She is hereby banished from Eshden forest. She has five days to get her things in order and depart. If she is ever found within our borders after this time, her life will be forfeit.”
“You cannot do this,” Illen screeched. “You have no right.”
“Actually, yes I do,” the King replied. “Guards, take her away.”
Two members of the home guard took hold of her and began dragging her towards the door. She was fighting frantically to get away, screaming obscenities at everyone present. They were almost to the door when it banged open and an exhausted elf stumbled in.
“I must speak with you, your Majesty,” he gasped.
“This is neither the time nor the place,” Nisse said sternly.
“Wait,” Zanthir called out. “This is the runner I sent to find Prince Brin’s family.”
“Speak,” the King commanded.
“I found them your Majesty,” he said, still trying to catch his breath. His eyes involuntarily turned towards Brin. “They are all dead.”
Chapter 17
“What!” Queen Fay called out in disbelief. Brin went rigid, his face hard as stone. Illen was forgotten by all but the guards who held her.
“Bring some wine,” Nisse ordered. “And some brandy,” he added when he looked at Brin. One of the guards ran from the room while the runner was led to a nearby chair. The guard soon returned, accompanied by a couple of young female elves carrying trays of glasses and jugs of wine. The guard handed the brandy he was carrying to Nisse, who grabbed an empty glass and filled it.
“Drink this,” he said, handing it to Brin. Brin ignored the proffered glass so Sam took it instead.
“Sweetheart, you are in shock. Please try to drink some of it.” He turned his face towards her and the depth of the hurt in his eyes cut her to the core. She forced the glass into his hand and moved it upwards until it was touching his lips. He downed it in one, not noticing as it burned his throat on the way down.
Everyone crowded round the runner, desperate to hear more details. The King waited until the runner had finished his wine before requesting that he give a full report.
The runner complied, keeping his eyes away from both Brin and Illen. He started from when Zanthir had approached him, requesting he hunt out Brin’s father and the rest of his family and request they return to the city immediately. He was informed of their intended route and expected to find them quickly. Night fell and there was still no sign of them, so he continued along the trail he expected them to take. He was beginning to think he must have missed them when he found the clearing where they had stopped for a rest.
