The Unwilling Apprentice (Book 2) (13 page)

"And smell bad," Fred choked out.

"But that is why we are looking for a larger stone. Canavar may have a great deal of castor abilities, but he is limited by the size of the stones he so often uses."

Fred climbed to his feet and felt the nausea disappear. "Can't he just use his power from far away?" he wondered.

Ned shook his head. "Too unreliable, and the greater the distance the weaker the magic. No, Canavar would use a stone to focus his powers and create that white smoke you witnessed last night." They wandered a little farther and came to the square that held the statue of King Stephen's father.

Fred didn't think so highly of the man any more, not after the tale told by Sampson. He walked up to the statue and glared at the cold face. "Did you know the king's father?" he asked Ned, who came up beside him.

The old man gave a nod. "Very well, though not to my benefit. He was as cold as the current king is foolish, and during much of his reign he was a very suspicious man."

"That explains what happened to Sampson and the gargoyles," Fred muttered.

"Does it?" Ned wondered, and Fred told him what Sampson had said. When he finished his tale Ned pursed his lips together and shook his head. "If I had only known I might have been able to help Sampson. A pity one cannot go back and change the past."

"Not even with magic?" Fred asked him.

Ned smiled, but it held more bitterness than Fred expected. "Not even with magic." Ned shook himself of his dreary tone and straightened. "But gloomy thoughts are not for this day, for today is Pat's birthday. What should we give to her as a present?" Fred stiffened. He hadn't thought about giving a gift. Ned smirked. "I can see you haven't thought about this, so I shall append your name to my present."

Fred nervously smiled. "That would help me out very well," he replied.

The pair moved on with their searching and found no sign of the stone. They returned to the castle at nightfall and attired themselves in clean clothes for the celebratory evening. The castle was alive with servants hurrying to and fro, and the guests coming from their rooms in their splendid dresses and suits.

Everyone congregated in the throne room for the coronation. The area around the ridiculously tall throne was roped off and on a pedestal encased in glass lay a golden sword. The glistening weapon caught Fred's eyes and he led Ned over to catch a closer glimpse of it. The hilt was encrusted with jewels and the handle itself was made from gold.

"Wow..." Fred murmured.

Ned browsed over the weapon and shook his head. "Gold is a very useless material for weapons. The king would have done better to mint coins to pay for better training for his guards."

"That's what I tried to tell him." The pair whirled around to find Lady Martley standing not far away. She smiled pleasantly at them and joined them at the rope. "His Highness designed the hilt himself and wouldn't be persuaded to give her any other gift. I'm sure you both will give her something more useful."

Fred didn't know what Ned planned, but the old man bowed his head. "Very useful indeed," he promised.

The three heard trumpets blast, and all heads turned to the entrance. King Stephen stood in the doorway at the head of the procession with his glistening crowd of gold atop his head. He was arrayed in a ceremonial uniform complete with a sword at his hip and medals on his chest.

Lady Martley leaned down so her lips brushed against Fred's ears. "The king thinks himself a general, but he has never seen battle," she told him with a chuckle.

The crowd in the room parted and allowed the procession to walk a red carpet that led up to the throne. Behind the king came a retinue of his guards with Captain Hawkins at the lead. They led a group of beautiful women, and Fred's eyes widened when he realized the loveliest of them was Pat at the front. Ruth trailed behind with other ladies-in-waiting chosen from the city nobility.

The crowd followed the procession to the throne, where the king ascended the throne and gestured to Pat and Hawkins. They stepped forward, stood on either side of the king, and turned to the crowd. Stephen held up his hands for silence. "Ladies and gentlemen, friends and allies, I am here to fulfill my part of a prophecy given fifteen years ago this day." He lowered one arm toward Hawkins and the other toward Pat. "Captain Hawkins will pass on his responsibilities to this fine young lady, Elsa Lamikan, and she will be the leader of the greatest army in all the regions."

Captain Hawkins stepped forward and removed the elegant sword from the glass case. He turned to Pat and knelt before her. He stretched out his arm, and presented her with the sword. She took the sword in hand and brandished the weapon. Pat turned, stepped up before the throne, and knelt before King Stephen. He smiled down at the young woman and placed his hand on her head.

Stephen looked out over the crowd, and swept his free hand over them. "The prophecy is fulfilled. I present to all of you my captain, Lady Elsa Lamikan." The crowd broke into cheers and clapping, and Stephen raised Pat onto her feet and turned her to the company.

Pat smiled at them all, and particularly the two behind the rope. They grinned back at her, but Fred thought he saw tears in her eyes and they weren't of joy. Stephen raised a hand and smiled at the crowd. "Now let us drink and be merry, and let us hope this night is one none of us will remember." The guests laughed and mingled.

King Stephen stepped from the throne pedestal and entertained his guests. Hawkins offered his hand to Pat and led her down to the floor, where Fred, Ned, and Martley greeted her with open arms. Ned took her hands in his own and his eyes twinkled as he looked her over. "Very beautiful, like your mother," he complimented.

Pat blushed. "Thank you," she whispered.

Ned turned his attention to Hawkins. "And what will you do now, good captain?"

Hawkins smiled and shook his head. "Captain no more, but lieutenant of the guards."

"And I hope to have you at my side to aid me in my inexperience," Pat graciously replied.

Hawkins bowed at her. "I am forever at your service, my captain, but if you will excuse me I must attend to your men."

"Your men," she corrected him. "Until they trust me they are yours, and yours alone."

Hawkins bowed again, and left them to attend to his duties. Lady Martley wrapped an arm around Pat's shoulders and her face beamed with joy. "You are very lovely, and I'm sure the men under your command will soon learn to trust you" she encouraged the young woman.

Pat smiled, and gave a nod. "I thank you for the compliment, Lady Martley."

Martley's eyes darted over to Ned and Fred. "But I see you wish to be alone with your friends. If you will excuse me I must attend to His Royal Highness' needs."

That left Pat with the two men, and she noticed Fred hadn't spoken a word to her. "You look nice tonight," she complimented him.

"What?" Fred looked at himself and recalled his suit. "Oh, yeah, right. You look nice, too." He felt awkward talking to someone who looked so regal, so above him. She flinched back from his indifference.

Ned noticed, and covered his mouth with a fist to stifle a cough. "Well, since the blessedly short ceremony is finished, perhaps we should get some refreshments."

"Later," Pat promised. She looked over the room and sighed. "I am required to greet everyone who was kind enough to attend."

"Then we will see you at supper," Ned replied with a bow.

She returned the gesture and went on her official rounds to speak with all the guests. Fred frowned; she looked so unhappy beneath a mask of a fake smile. "Isn't there anything we can do?" he whispered to Ned.

The old man raised an eyebrow. "What would you suggest?" he returned.

Fred shrugged. "I don't know, some way we can cheer her up or get her out of here."

Ned set a gentle hand on Fred's shoulder. "You would seek to change her destiny." It was a statement, not a question.

Fred nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's it."

"Perhaps we may yet play a greater part in changing her destiny," Ned mused.

Fred shot him a curious stare, but at that moment trumpets sounded and King Stephen raised his arms. "Come, everyone! Let us feast and be merry, for tonight we celebrate a prophecy long-coming!"

The guests politely clapped and followed their king to the dining hall, though Fred noticed Sturgeon stood along the wall and didn't join in with the festivities. Fred watched Percy follow Pat and congratulate her on the ascension to her destiny. Fortunately the pretty lord and Pat were separated at the table by the seating arrangement, and the three companions were reunited at the head. Ruth stood behind Pat as her servant and winked at Fred, who nervously smiled back. She had a lot of courage to stand in the presence of the son of the man who had tried to destroy her people. Lady Martley and Hawkins rejoined them at the table, and there was much talking and laughter from everyone.

There was a minor difference in the room from the breakfast in the form of a curtain positioned behind the king's seat. Two servants stood on either side of the cloth with cords close at hand to reveal what lay behind the curtain.

After everyone ate their fill the king stood up and the room quieted. "Let us give to this young lady the gifts she deserves."

The servants marched in a procession of presents which they laid all around Pat. She broke into the wrapped gifts one at a time, and allowed everyone to admire each present and congratulate both her and the giver. Pat whittled down the pile until none remained and she was surrounded by dresses, hats, shoes and other girlish trinkets.

Then and only then did the king stand up and signal to his servants. One of them carried in a small case the size of a throne pillow with a lid, and gave it to Stephen. He in turn held it out to Pat, though not close enough that she could take it. "On this most special occasion I give to you an heirloom of my family, the Tiara of Galaron." He lifted the lid and there was a collective gasp from the audience when he revealed a tiara covered in jewels and forged from pure gold. The gems reflected the light from the hundreds of candles and lit up the box with its own rainbow-colored light.

Pat smiled and bowed her head. Stephen handed the box back to the servant, took the tiara in hand and set it atop her head. The room erupted in applause and Pat raised her eyes. Fred saw that the joy on her face didn't reach them. The king was very pleased with himself, and now the presents were gone.

That is, until Ned stood up and his voice broke through the chatter. "My apprentice and I also have a present for you."

That caught everyone's attention, for they all knew Ned was a castor and castors generally didn't give ordinary gifts. King Stephen raised an eyebrow and Pat's eyes lit up. She glanced from master to apprentice. "Really? From both of you?" Her eagerness for their gift irked the king, whom she had not shown such deference.

"Indeed we have," Ned replied. He walked around the table to stand in front of her, and dug into his cloak. He rummaged in there for a while, captivating everyone with curiosity until he pulled out the ugliest scabbard any of them had ever seen. Its leather was blackened and chipped from fire, and holes dotted the entire length. "You must excuse the wrapping. I hadn't time for anything fancy," Ned apologized. He held out the scabbard to Pat, and Fred regretted his name being affixed to such a strange and ugly present. "This will keep you safe when we cannot," he promised her.

Pat plastered a smile on her face. "Thank you both very much," she lied as she took it from Ned's hand.

The moment she touched the scabbard the item lit up with light from the tip and traveled down the length. It transformed from an ugly piece of weaponry to a beautiful, ornate scabbard. The holes filled in and the leather repaired itself so the surface shined with a good wax and there were no signs of fire. Jewels sprang up from the leather in intricate designs of hunting scenes, and the gems rivaled those on her tiara. The most extraordinary change was the appearance of a sword inside the scabbard. The light traveled past the end of the scabbard and the hilt of the weapon emerged from the brilliance. Pat nearly dropped the gift because of the added weight, and Ned's eyes twinkled with merriment at her surprise. "Show everyone your fine sword."

Pat stood and pulled out the sword in a swoosh of air. The sharp, unstained blade glistened in the light, and with a deft swing Pat cut the air and the weapon whistled, so clean was the cut. She returned the sword to its scabbard and her eyes filled with tears. "Thank you," she choked out. Her eyes looked to Ned and Fred. "Thank you both so very much."

Down the table Percy stood up and called to them. "What beauty is this you have given to our lady? Surely it isn't any ordinary sword, and yet is seems so very familiar," he wondered.

"It is the sword of her ancestors, the knightly line of Lamikan who once protected the lands to the east. Her father entrusted it with me before he passed on," Ned replied. Pat's head shot up and her eyes widened. "They called it Storm-Bringer, but for Lady Lamikan I would suggest she choose her own name for it."

Pat's hands glided over the jewel-encrusted scabbard, and a smile spread across her lips. "I will call it Phaetonus after the priests who raised me."