To Hold Back The Dark - Chapter Nine
The sun was on the verge of making it's warm appearance when the tiny group gathered in the stable courtyard. Aside from the normal five, there were Aline, Ardis Arban, Cosima and Ciris Torchuk, and Crown Prince John. The King wished them speed and luck and reminded them that he wanted each and every of them back home alive and in one piece. With a quick hug to his son, he sent them off. David, as usual, lead the way out of the castle yard and down Riverfront Road to the bridge which lead to North Road and out of town. He had been instructed to command the party until they found or were found by the "thing". At that time, Ardis would take command since she was the strongest of the magic users. David had no problem with relinquishing command to her, since she had a reliable reputation and never rushed headfirst into anything. He was uneasy about having the Crown Prince along. He knew from experience that Prince John was an excellent fighter, yet he couldn't help feel that John's presence would place the entire group in danger. If the Prince were attacked, they would all try to shield him. David couldn't bear the thought of having to tell King Mark that his son and heir was dead. David gave himself a mental shake and promised himself not to worry over much about John's presence. He had plenty of time to figure out how to keep the Prince safe in any confrontation. They passed through town quietly enough, and no one seemed to recognize Prince John. The group probably could have left town completely unnoticed if Michael wouldn't have waved to everyone that he even remotely knew. Still, it wasn't supposed to be a secret mission and it really didn't matter who knew they were leaving town. The thing that mattered most was their destination.
David slowed his horse, and edged closer to Ardis. "Do you have any ideas yet for killing this thing?"
"I don't even know yet that we'll want or need to kill it. First, we have to find out what or who is behind the whole mess and how they control it. We also need to find out just how strong the magic is." She smiled at him. "I'm not the best you know, just very good. This "thing" may be better than we are."
"I hope not. I really hope not. God only knows what type of repercussions something like this could have. Does the thing really travel, as Michael and Allanah described or does it merely spread? How far can it spread or travel? Do you realize what kind of a hindrance this could put on trade between us and our allies?"
"It would isolate us from our most steadfast ally, Marille. That much I do know." She shook her head. "I remember when the two kingdoms were enemies. It seemed to be one long constant battle."
David was shocked; "You can't remember that far back!"
She merely laughed. "I most certainly can! I remember when our King was born."
"You look as if you are in your mid-thirties."
"That's about right. When I was thirty-four, I was experimenting with a spell to keep aging away forever. Unfortunately, the spell only half worked. My body is still that of a thirty-four year old woman. My spirit and mind though are much older. So are my bones. I'm going to be sorry that I volunteered for this. Horseback riding isn't exactly easy on the bones and muscles of an old woman such as myself."
"I'll try to find smooth paths for us then."
"If you can do that, then you will have my sincere thanks."
Aline edged her horse a little closer to Allanah's, smiling shyly at her older sister. Even though they had been reunited the day before, they really hadn't been able to talk. It had been a year since they had last seen each other and they had each grown and changed during that time. As children, they had been close, but now Aline felt as if they were strangers. As the baby of the family, she had always been sheltered. It had been difficult at first to adjust to life at the healer's hall, but once she adjusted to the fact that she was her own person, she had become a confidant young woman. One of the things she had admired about Allanah was her sister's self-assurance and calm demeanor. Yesterday, Allanah had been anything except self-assured as she and Michael related their strange tale. She could also tell from Allanah's facial expressions and the look in her eyes that the pair had not told everything. She wondered what the two could possibly want to hide from King Mark and the others. Aline was dying to know what they were hiding, but how could she ask Allanah a question such as that when she couldn't even find the courage to say "I missed you." to her own sister.
"It looks as if they will have a good harvest this year", she indicated the full fields. "What a dumb thing to say!", she thought.
Allanah nodded, "I'd say that the Healers also have a good harvest. You'll make a fine healer, Aline. We are all proud of you."
"I will try to be worthy of that pride! Allanah, we were so worried about you!", she blurted out the last part.
"I was more than a little worried myself.", she drew in a deep breath. "I'm safe and okay now."
"Do you think we'll all stay safe?"
"I really don't know, Aline. We'll have the best fighters and magicians that three kingdoms can offer. If we can't stop this thing then I think that it will all be hopeless. May God help us all if it goes that far."
"David doesn't intend to let me go into the mountains with you. I think he plans to leave me either here or in Morvalia."
"And you don't want to be left behind."
"No, I don't. If I can't go with you, then I will have to take off on my own. That is what this year is supposed to be for, anyway. How can I go out and complete my training if everyone keeps treating me as if I were a child? I'll be safe. No one would dare harm a healer!"
"I don't think that David is worried about how people will treat you. I have an idea. Why don't you stay think about staying at the House of the Wolf? I know that staying in one place, even one outside of our kingdom, isn't quite what you have in mind, but the people there seem to be isolated. I am sure they need a healer."
"I will think about it. When you all leave the mountains again, will you come back that way?"
"If I have anything to say about, we will! Whether it's all of us, or just one of us, we will return to Trayille the way we came. You won't be left there not knowing what happened to us."
"Thank you. If I didn't know what had happened, I would probably go looking for you all."
"I know. That's why I'll make sure that you do know. You wouldn't stand much of a chance alone in those mountains."
"You and Michael managed to survive."
"Barely. We were attacked twice, remember? We think the wolf which attacked me, also killed our horses, but we aren't sure. It was a very scary time." The sound of a voice raised in anger drew their attention behind them to where Michael and Corin were riding. Corin was speaking very loudly to Michael, and he seemed angry. Allanah had no problem figuring out what the conversation was all about.
"Aline, would you please excuse me? I need to talk to our brother."
"Go ahead."
Allanah rode back to them and edged her horse between theirs.
"Michael, I think that Aline wants to speak with you."
"Uh, right. See you later, Corin.", Michael rode on ahead.
"Corin, I don't know what your problem is, but you had better get control of yourself! The last thing I want right now is for you to shout out to the whole world that I was with Michael!"
"You should have thought of that before you did anything!"
"Did you think of that when you were sixteen in Dari? Can you even remember the girl's name?"
"She wasn't a girl! She was a fully developed woman!"
"But you can't remember her name, can you?"
"I never asked for her name and she didn't ask for mine. I was only with her the one time, and I never saw her again after that."
"You didn't even know her?", Allanah tried not to sound judgmental, but she wasn't succeeding. "You are sitting back here, questioning Michael as if he was a prisoner, passing judgement on the two of us, and you tell me that you didn't even know the woman? How much did you have to pay her?"
"She wasn't a whore! She worked at one of the inns. It's far worse that you were out in the mountains carousing with someone we know."
"I wasn't out there "carousing"! I was fighting for my life, Corin.", she couldn't believe how angry she felt. "Look, if you have a problem with my morals, then you take it up with me at a later date. Leave Michael alone. He didn't start it, I did."
She was just about to ride away when Corin spoke again, "I want to know why he isn't with you now? Does he think he can just use you and then toss you aside?"
"Corin, shut up. Whatever happens or doesn't happen between Michael and me is our business and none of yours."
"It's father's business. He's received an offer of marriage for you."
"Maybe I don't want to get married right now, did anybody think of that?"
"You don't even know who your suitor is! Maybe you would want to be with him."
"I don't need or want to know who he is, Corin. Weren't you listening just now? I don't want to get married right now. Open up your little pointed ears and pay attention to what I have to say!" She spurred her horse forward, leaving him alone and thoughtful.
Corin and Allanah hadn't realized that Prince John and Rhea were just behind them and had heard every word. Rhea thought it admirable of the Prince that he didn't intrude into the conversation or ask her questions as to what was going on. She didn't want to have the details of Allanah's private life spread around and she sure didn't want to be the one doing the spreading.
Prince John's silence was born more of embarrassment than decorum. He had been the one who had asked for Allanah's hand in marriage. He thanked God that he hadn't mentioned it yesterday; especially since he now knew that she didn't know who had asked. Yesterday he had been full of hope. Now it seemed to be a hopeless situation. He was in love with her, but she didn't want to marry anybody, and besides, she was somehow involved with Michael. He didn't care if they were lovers or not. All he cared about was becoming her husband and lover. He smiled. Since she , or anyone else for that matter, didn't know who her suitor was, then it certainly wouldn't hurt for him to try his hand at courtship while they were on the road. If he tried, he would either succeed or fail, and if he didn't try, then he most certainly would fail.
"..Should be exciting this year, don't you agree?", Rhea looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?", he asked.
"I was saying that Twelfth Night should be exciting this year. I hear that the King has a surprise planned."
John smiled, "He does, and I'm not allowed to tell anyone about it. Please be nice and don't ask. All I can say is that you definitely want to be there!"
She smiled, "I intend to attend!"
John groaned, "That was awful."
"I know, but I couldn't help myself. I love a good pun."
"Me, too. Do you know what route we're taking?"
"David plans to head straight to Trannelle, where we'll meet up with the Marille group. From there, we'll just take backtrack along Michael and Allanah's route to that inn in Morvalia. From there, getting into the mountains will be a breeze."
"What they were saying about that wolf; it's a little frightening, isn't it?"
"Yes. Hopefully, we'll arrive at that inn during the day. I don't want to be out at night up there."
"Do you think this innkeeper will sell us his horses? They may need all they have."
"I hope he'll sell us enough. He'll definitely have enough reason to, since all the top mages from three kingdoms will be there, as well as our Crown Prince!"
"Maybe we shouldn't go around advertising who I am? I would like to keep my identity a secret if I can. I just want to be "one of the guys" on this trip. I don't wish to be treated any better than anyone else."
"If that's what you want, then that's what you'll get. We're your subjects and we'll obey your wish.", she grinned.
"Now that type of comment is what I'm trying to avoid! I'm also going to try my hardest to avoid being left behind. I know that David considers me to be a hindrance, but I won't be. I'm as fully trained as any of you were on your first mission."
"David worried himself silly then, too! He's just that way about everybody. Bu the time we reach the inn, he'll be too busy worrying about everyone else to even think about you. Trust me."
He smiled, "I guess I have to, don't I? Say, when are we stopping to eat? I'm getting hungry?"
She laughed, "We haven't been on the road for a full hour yet!"
"I did have breakfast before daybreak, but it was small."
"You'll just have to suffer, just like everyone else. We won't stop for food until noon!"
"That's five hours away!"
"I know. Next time, eat a big breakfast."
"Well," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of beef jerky, "I guess this will have to do until lunch. Would you like some?"
"No thank you. I had a huge breakfast and I'll last."
When Allanah had left Corin, she had ridden to the front and was now riding beside David. Ardis had dropped back to confer with her colleagues.
"Is everything okay with you and Corin? I couldn't help but notice the tension yesterday and today."
"Everything is fine with me. He's the one who's being totally unreasonable! If he doesn't quit acting like an idiot, I swear I'll hit him!"
"Look, I know it's none of my business, but what happened in those mountains? I could tell that you two weren't telling us everything."
"You were right, it is none of your business! I don't know why everybody feels they have a right to know what went on! We watched a young man die from fright, we had our horses killed, we were snowed in and attacked by a huge wolf and all anybody wants to know if whether or not Michael seduced me! I'm fine, thank you, and have quite recovered from the horror of it all. Thanks for your concern over the important things."
She swung her horse around and trotted off to the end of the line, hoping to ride alone. She was feeling very angry and was quite sure that she would scream if one more person asked her what was going on! Her desire to ride alone disappeared when John rode back to join her.
"Uh oh, I can see that I'm intruding on a bad mood. Should I go away?"
"No. You can stay. Just don't ask any questions about my personal life."
"I didn't intend to question you. Your personal life is your business and none of mine." He didn't think it was necessary to tell her how he had overheard everything she had told Corin, and therefore, knew quite a bit about her personal life.
"I was just telling Rhea how I hope to be treated as "one of the guys" and not as the Crown Prince of Trayille. I would like your help in seeing to it that the others follow suit. By the others, I mean Ardis. She'll probably still be calling me "Your Highness" when I'm an old man. You all know to drop the court protocol out here, but Ardis can be very intimidating and may take offense if I'm not shown what she considers to be the proper respect."
"I understand what you mean about her. I'll try to do my best to make things comfortable for you."
"Thank you. It's not all that often that I get to be John and not Prince John. Excuse me." He reached into his pocket and withdrew another piece of beef jerky. "Would you like to have some?"
"No thank you. I had a big breakfast."
"I think the entire world had a big breakfast! I am starving!", He bit off a piece and chewed hungrily.
While watching him eat, Allanah found herself relaxing and even smiling. Being around the prince had always put her at ease.
"You have a really beautiful smile, did you know that?", he spoke sincerely.
She laughed, "Thank you for the compliment. Its not often I hear things like that."
"It's always my pleasure to give compliments to beautiful women."
She laughed, "You must have all of the young ladies at court eating right out of your hand with lines like that! I must commend you on your charm."
"Thank you. I get a lot of practice at court. I would like to thank you and the others for allowing me the opportunity to be myself when I'm with you. Around court, I never seem to get that to do that. I'm never allowed to forget that I'm the heir and will one day be King. It's nice to be a normal person sometimes."
"I guess I never really thought about what it means to be royalty. From where I am, it looks enticing. I guess I've been wrong."
"There's no strolling through the market place for me, that's for sure. My life is within the castle walls, or within school walls. Even when I was on the Amber Isle I still had boundaries. The rest of the students were free to go home at any time, but I had to stay, no matter how I felt about learning magic. How would it look if the Crown Prince quit? I wasn't even free to wander around the Isle at will. It was too dangerous."
"You would think that a king would have more freedom than anyone else and could do what he wants. In reality, he's more like a prisoner of his own rank."
"I think it's worse for my mother. My father and I have no choice in the matter. We were born to it. Mother, though, made a choice to be with my father, and to be his Queen. Her love for him overcame her fear of the title."
"I'm surprised that a person would willingly choose a life such as yours."
"Me, too. Still, my mother thought being with the man she loved was worth the loss of freedom. Sometimes love will force you to make some tough choices."
"I suppose so. Maybe someday I'll fall in love and find out for myself."
John felt like shouting his joy to the world. Allanah wasn't in love with Michael, or anyone else for that matter. There was one less obstacle between him and marriage to her. He had to get her to fall in love with him, yet he knew he had to move slowly or else risk having her reject him completely. If he couldn't have her as his wife, then he would be willing to settle for being her friend and he didn't wish to endanger their friendship.
"When you do fall in love, you may have to make some tough decisions. Do you think you can handle that?", he asked.
She looked thoughtful. "I really don't know. I know that eventually I'll have to choose between doing this and settling down. I suppose that I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it. What about you? Could you bring it upon yourself to ask a woman to take on such a stifling life?"
He laughed, "I really don't have a choice, do I? Still, if I were faced with spending my life with someone I love as opposed to an arranged marriage, I would definitely chose the woman I love. Besides, even though there is a loss of freedom, there are some nice gains. If I want to be alone, all I have to is inform the guards of the fact and they see to it that I'm not disturbed. I get to go to a lot of feasts and dances - hell, we have huge meals every day just for the people who live at the castle. I can also choose to dine alone in my rooms. Since I can't go to the merchants, they bring their best wares to me. I do get some compensation for being the prince."
"But if you can't move about freely, how are you expected to fall in love? How can you meet someone?"
"I can fall madly in love with a visiting Princess or a lady of nobility. There are numerous ladies at court. I could even fall in love with one of the guards or even a servant. Father will let me marry according to my heart."
"I suppose that a lot of women dream of being Queen. There's probably a lot of poor serving girls who spend their idle moments imagining that you or some other prince will come and sweep them off of their feet."
"Did you ever dream that?"
"Not exactly. I used to imagine that my father was the King of the Elves and I was his only heir. A child's fantasy born out of having so many brothers, sisters, and cousins. What about you? What did you dream about?"
"I wanted to be a minstrel and travel through-out the Kingdoms. After I got older and started my training as a fighter, I decided that I wanted to be a Caravan Guard and travel throughout the Kingdoms. I remember that whenever King David would visit my father he would ask what my father intended for me in the way of training. As you know, when King David was younger, and still a prince, his father sent him off as a mercenary. He also worked as a Caravan Guard for a short while. I believe that Duke Nicholas was a Caravan Guard also. I suppose that one of the reasons father allowed me on this trip was to appease my hunger for travel and to get some real experience. I've received excellent training in both the arms and magic, and I'm very good at both. Still, I've never had to put either one to serious use."
"And you hope to do so now?"
"I hope to be able to use my talents, yes. I'll at least return to Tralik knowing what it's like to work in a team and how to plan strategy at a moment's notice. I'll get to actually see a plan in motion. I've been taught well enough, and I can plan just about any type of battle you can imagine. I've been taught to deal with any scenario imaginable. But I have no idea if the things I plan will work. Forever the scholar and never the soldier."
"Well, I can see your point, but do you think it's really necessary to put yourself in danger to do it? You're taking a lot of personal risks by coming along."
"I could fall down the stairs and break my neck, too. However, I don't avoid all stairs and I don't go around looking for them either."
"But, by coming along with us, you're looking for danger, aren't you?"
"I don't think so. You and Michael weren't attacked by this "thing" that we're after."
"No, we weren't. We were attacked by something else entirely."
"Allanah, I can't hide. No matter what I do, there will always be some danger. Not a single one of us is safe all of the time."
"She frowned, "Now you've depressed me by talking like that."
"I though you were already depressed."
"No, I was angry. Let's change the subject to something a little cheerier than death and danger."
"That's fine with me. What do you want to talk about?"
"I don't know. You pick."
John thought for a moment. "Your sister seems to be a very nice person."
Allanah smiled, "She is. Since she's the youngest, we've always though of her as being a little special."
"I imagine she must be excited about going out on her own as a healer."
"Very much so. I know she doesn't want to be left behind. I haven't had much opportunity to have a long talk with her."
"Well, since we're riding at such an easy pace, why don't you go talk to her now?"
"I couldn't just ride off and leave you alone."
"Why not? I promise not to take offense. Go on."
She smiled, "Thank you, Your Highness." She spurred her horse forward and caught up to Aline. Within minutes, they were deeply involved in conversation.
John watched, a slight smile on his face. Yes, he would definitely court her on this trip and afterwards. He would court her until she finally had to accept his proposal. Life as King would be much easier to handle with Allanah by his side.
It was shortly after noon when they reached Kilcannon, which was Rhea and Michael's hometown and was also where David's mother was presently living. David planned to rest for an hour at her house and then push on to Trannelle, following the river route rather than the road. This would save time and they would also be able to move at a faster pace, since the traffic was lighter along that route. He wanted to reach Trannelle by dusk and have time to rest before heading on to Morvalia. Both Michael and Allanah had stresses the importance of reaching the inn before dusk. Even though he wanted very much to get a look at the wolf that attacked Allanah, he didn't want to expose the entire group to that threat. They had a set mission, and it didn't include wolf hunting. He also wanted to leave Aline behind in Trannelle. She would have no problem finding a caravan or other travelers to accompany.
The lunch hour passed much too quickly for everyone, especially David's mother. She embarrassed him by giving him a long hug and a kiss while telling him to be careful. Still, it had felt good to see her and Michael and Rhea had even managed to see some of their old friends. All three made silent vows to return again soon for a longer stay.
David swung up into his saddle. "This is the rough part of the ride people" He looked over at Ardis in an apologetic way as she, Cosima and Ciris groaned. "I know that you aren't used to horse back riding. You will be sore tonight, I can guarantee you that. But there will be hot baths waiting in Trannelle"
He looked from his horse, who stood sedately, and then at Michael's horse, who was shifting from hoof to hoof with impatience. "I know your horses want to run, but try to hold them back. As fast as they can go, you two would be in Morvalia before the rest of us even reach Trannelle. Let's go."