The Palace Library (5 page)

“‘Harry,”
Great Uncle Jasper had said,  “I have to confide in you.  What I’m
about to tell you is a secret which you may share with only those who need to
know. I am a member of The Witan.  The Witan has been the Great Council of
England for over 1,000 years and its role is to preserve the ancient freedoms
of Old England.  Once, before the Norman Conquest, The Witan appointed the
kings of England, but since the conquest, it has stood apart and protected the
peoples of England and their ancient freedoms. Often, this means working with
kings and queens.  Sometimes it doesn’t.  The Witan is a link with a
much older and mystical past that few people in the modern world know about.

“‘There
is an old prophecy, but what I know of it is incomplete.  It tells of
three children who help protect the kingdom.  I believe you, Grace and
Eleanor are these children, but I have woken you first as the time has come for
you to start your journey immediately.’“

“What
do I need to do?” Harry had asked.

Then
Great Uncle Jasper had carried on, “There isn’t enough time to tell you
everything.  You must go to The Palace Library now and then leave through
the Great West Door.  Follow your instinct and The Library will guide
you.  I will try to send Eleanor and Grace after you and Edgar the
Librarian will supply the books you need to help you.

“‘Listen
carefully, as soon as you have found the Great West Door, go through it! 
The Library has a way of letting The Witan know when we need to act and the
time is now.  Right now.  Do not let anyone delay you. Turn back
through the door and find Queen Eleanor. You must trust her and you must ensure
she learns to trust you equally.  You’ll have to be brave and quick to avoid
being arrested.  Tell her that you’ve been sent by The Witan to fulfil the
Prophecy.  If she doubts you, tell her you’ve come through The Palace
Library and that the librarian’s name is Edgar.  Trust her.  Now
go!’”

At
this stage in his story, Harry looked at Grace.  “I’m afraid to say that I
asked Great Uncle Jasper how to get to The Library then.  That was when he
looked at me severely and said, ‘Trust Grace too.  She is younger than
you, but she is wise and does not tell lies.  You know where to go.  One
last thing.  You will be in a different world and time.  Do not boast
about your knowledge or they will think you’re a magician and arrest you!”

“…I
did as Uncle Jasper told me,” Harry continued. “I just seemed to know where I
was going and found myself in front of a huge wooden door with a smaller wooden
door set into it.  I opened it and found a really dark room inside. 
It was the Great Hall, but I didn’t wait.  I turned straight round and
went back through the little door.”

Harry
took another huge mouthful of soup and chewed on the meat in it.  “This is
really good.”  His mouth was not empty as he spoke and soup dribbled down
his chin.

Neither
of the girls noticed, but both looked at him and said, “Don’t stop.  What
happened next?”

“I
didn’t go back into The Library.  It was as if the door had changed and
I’d entered into a different world.  I was in a field and ran straight
into one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen, but dressed in the
strangest clothes.  Then I was immediately grabbed by two men who picked
me up by my shoulders and held me tight.  The woman looked straight at me
with piercing blue eyes.

“The
men were dressed in chainmail down to their knees and they seemed to be guards,
but there was someone else with them.  He was entirely dressed in black
and he had a black triangular goatee beard.

“He
leant towards me and I could smell his horrible breath, ‘Who are you, boy? How
dare you run into Her Majesty like that?’

“I
guessed that the lady must be Queen Eleanor, so I did just what Great Uncle
Jasper told me and said,  ‘I’ve been sent by The Witan to fulfil the
Prophecy.’

“She
looked startled at that and then she was silent for a moment.  I could
feel the man with the goatee beard staring at me and his mouth tightened as he
said, ‘Let me deal with him, Your Majesty.  I can take the brat away and
have him beaten for insolence.’  That made me realise I was right and it
was the Queen, but I certainly didn’t want to be beaten.

“Then
the Queen broke her silence.  ‘No thank you, Sir Guy.  I think I can
look after myself from one so young.’  Then she said to one of the guards,
‘Find Master John and tell him to take care of this boy and keep him in his
kennels.  I’ll deal with him later.’

“One
guard tightened his grip on me and looked at the Queen. ‘Wouldn’t he be safer
in the dungeon?’ he said.

“‘No,”
replied the Queen.  Then she stared at me intently and leant down and
whispered, ‘Wait with Master John until you’re called for.  Speak to no
one else of this.  I will summon you.’

“That
was only about two hours ago.  I can’t tell you both how happy I am to see
you.”

Harry
gobbled the rest of his soup in double-quick time, while the girls chatted to
him and tried to ask him all sorts of questions about where they were and what
they were doing here.  This time, he did not try to talk at the same time,
but when he had finished he answered in the only way he could. 

“I
don’t know what adventure we are on.  We need to find out, but I promise
to look out for you and to try not to let you down again.”

Reaching
across for Grace’s hand, Eleanor answered him, “You’re right, Harry. 
We’re all in this together and we don’t know who we can trust other than
ourselves, but we all have to look out for each other, as family and
friends.  Let’s make that our pact.”

Harry
reached out for Grace and Eleanor’s other hands and looked at them.  “I
agree.”  At that moment, Grace felt more than ever that she had a proper
family and she just nodded, too moved to speak.  Then Sophie had her front
paws on the table between the girls and gave a gentle whine and Grace spoke
up.  “Yes, Sophie.  You too.  We can trust you.”

Master
John came back to see them.  He looked serious, too serious to reprimand
Sophie for having her paws on the table, and said,  “You must stop eating
and talking now.  The Queen wants you.  She waits for no one and Sir
Guy of Caen is downstairs waiting to escort us.”  More quietly, Master
John added, “Sir Guy is not a man to cross or keep waiting.  Come now.”

“The Great Sword of State has
been lost forever,” said Queen Eleanor to Harry, Eleanor and Grace.  “It
was seen being thrown overboard  from the King’s ship during a stormy passage
from Normandy to London and His Majesty is in turmoil.  It can never be
recovered from the depths of the English Channel.

“Worse
than that, there must be a traitor in close connection with the Court who was
aboard that ship and had access to the royal treasure.  The culprit wasn’t
seen.  He hasn’t been uncovered, so he may be amongst us even now.”

The
children had been brought to Queen Eleanor’s Rooms at Clarendon Palace. 
Master John had told the children that the Queen was a great person in her own
right.  She had been Queen of France before she married the King of
England and she was ruler of a land almost as large as England called
Aquitaine.

“It
would be as well to listen to what she has to say and obey what she commands!”
said Master John, before he and Sir Guy ushered them in to see her.

Sophie
stood with the children as they had their audience with the Queen.  Sir
Guy was standing apart to one side.  As he pushed past Sophie, the hackles
on the back of her neck rose up and Eleanor noticed she gave a very low
growl.  It was a growl no one else could hear, but it was enough to set
Eleanor wondering what was wrong.

The
children could barely believe there could be more beautiful rooms in the main
part of the palace.  A huge fireplace with double marble columns was the
centrepiece and the floor was paved with gold, grey and pink tiles.

Harry
was listening carefully and thought it was time to ask a question, “Why is the
Sword of State so important?”

The
Queen looked at the boy for a moment as if he were a fool.  Master John
was quiet, but Sir Guy tut-
tutted
in a disapproving
way.

The
Queen’s head turned towards him.  “That will do Sir Guy.” Then she sighed
and explained, “The Great Sword of State was given to the kings of England
before my husband’s ancestor, Duke William, conquered England.  It was
given to them by the ruling council, The Witan, and it represents both the
might
and power of the King and the justice of the old and
the new England.  Its significance to the governance of the kingdom cannot
be underestimated.”

Then
it was Eleanor’s turn to ask a question, “Can’t it just be replaced?”

This
time the look of Queen Eleanor was even more withering, “Have you been taught
nothing at home?” she said.  Eleanor and Grace held each other’s hands
even more tightly.

The
Queen paused and started again.  “No.  It cannot simply be
replaced.  It is not only symbolic, but it is also magical.  It has a
real power which cannot be duplicated easily.  In these modern times…” (at
this the children looked at each other, thinking the Queen did not know the
meaning of modern, but they did not dare speak) “…many people no longer believe
in magic and the power of the Sword, but there are others who are well
aware.  There are some who say that it is King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur,
but it is far more likely it is St George’s sword, Ascalon. The history is
uncertain.  No one doubts its importance.

“The
loss of the Sword has made the King furious.  It could not have happened
at a worse time.  Every person of importance in the land has been called
to Clarendon to reaffirm the authority of the King and the ancient laws of
England.  All of them will expect to see the Sword of State and its
absence could ruin everything. 

“The
treachery in the court must be uncovered in secret and the Sword must be
replaced.”

Harry
now thought it was time to ask another question, even though he needed to
summon up courage to do so, “I think we believe in magic.  That must be
what brought us here through The Palace Library, but what has this to do with
us?  How can we help?  Surely there must be others who can do this?”

“We
must replace the Sword,” answered the Queen.  “Or rather
you
must.  The Sword can only be replaced with the help of innocents - with
the help of children.  That is clear in the Prophecy.  The magic
cannot be replicated by grown men or women.”

“How
can we do that?” asked Grace.  “We’re just children.”

“You
must do that with the knowledge from The Palace Library and the books that
Edgar gave you.  There are many secrets to making the Sword.  We know
a few.

“First,
the Sword must be forged by an English blacksmith.  We know the name of a
man in Devon who is capable of doing that.  Secondly, the Sword must be
forged in the heat of a volcano where dragons live and breathe the hot fumes. 
Thirdly, the Sword must be mounted with a diamond wrestled from the oldest of
the dragons.  It will not be easy.  There is no map to take you
there, but there should be clues in your books.  The King’s best ship will
be at your disposal.  You’ll need to leave tonight.”

At
this moment, Grace said, “Does that mean we’re magicians if we can make a magic
sword?  Are you a magician?”

The
Queen looked at her more kindly, “No we’re not magicians.  There are very
few left in the world.  I am Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy and
Aquitaine.  I’ve been Queen of France and I’ve visited Jerusalem on the
Crusade, but I’ve never met a magician.  It’s our role to harvest the
magic of the natural world.

“Be
careful not to appear to be magicians.  You are from a different place and
time and people may believe you are witches, which would scare them and be a
danger to you.  People do not believe in magicians, but they believe in
witches and they hate them.”

The
Queen then turned to Master John.  “Master John, you must leave your
hounds in the care of your
kennelmen
for some
time.  You will accompany these three to the King’s harbour at Axmouth,
where they will find the blacksmith who has been given his instructions. 
Then return here.”

Sir
Guy of Caen interrupted, which caused the Queen to frown, but he continued
anyway, “Would it not be better if I, a knight, accompanied them?” 
Sophie’s hackles rose again, but she was quiet.  Only Eleanor noticed and
put her hand up against the deerhound’s side.

“No,”
said the Queen.  “My decision stands.  You, Sir Guy, will go ahead as
quickly as possible on horseback to ensure the King’s flagship is as ready as
can be, although they should even now have their orders.  Master John will
accompany the children.”  She was impatient with Sir Guy and created an
atmosphere in the room, which made the children think they would far rather be
in Horrible Hair Bun’s bad books than on the wrong side of the Queen’s
temper.  “In fact, go now.  You have the King’s trust and he expects
your support in this matter.”

Sir
Guy could do nothing except say, “Yes, Ma’am,” and depart with a bow, a bow
Master John thought far too short for taking leave of one’s Queen.