Briarheart Read online

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  IT WAS OBVIOUS FROM THE MOMENT WE SAT DOWN WITH THE squires that we were going to get tested. Luncheon fare with the squires was pottage and bread and butter served on common platters and in big common bowls. The other squires filled up their bowls until there was no room left, leaving us with only scrapings. This was far more food than anyone could reasonably eat, especially if they were going to train right after luncheon, which, of course, they were. They were just trying us to see if we raised a fuss over being left with nothing to eat.

  But the servants, unperturbed, just brought another bowl of pottage and plate of bread, which we helped ourselves from—with much more reasonable portions for someone who was about to get a heavy workout. The oldest boy, who sat in the middle of us all, smirked at the looks of dismay from the others when they realized their attempt at making us upset had backfired on them. “That’s what you get for pranking the new squires. And you’re going to eat all that, you greedy little pigs. Every bit. And if you vomit it all back up when we go back to training, you’ll be the ones cleaning it up.”

  So, the Chief Squire is on our side, I thought.

  That was proved a little later. “How do you like slumming down here, Your Maj—” one began, but he ended with “Ow!” when the Chief Squire smacked him on the top of the head with a particularly long-handled spoon that appeared to have been made for just that purpose.

  “Manners,” the Chief Squire said mildly. He was a good-looking young man, probably just about to be made a knight, with tidy brownish-black hair and chiseled features.

  “I’m not royal,” I said, politely ignoring the smack and the admonition. “I’m certainly not a ‘Majesty.’ My name is Miriam. And I like the food down here very much. It’s what I was used to before, when my father was alive.”

  That was a reminder that I used to be a simple knight’s daughter and liked it that way.

  The next test came when Elle got up and one of the other squires leered at her. “I see you still have all your hair,” he said. “I can use it against—”

  Before the Chief Squire could stand up to rap him on the head with the spoon, Elle stepped swiftly behind the other squire, whipped her braid around his neck, and pulled.

  “Urk—” he said. The Chief Squire sat back down and watched in amusement.

  “The thing about using my hair to garrote you,” Elle said conversationally as he tried and failed to loosen the noose, “is that, unlike using my hands to choke you, you can’t escape my hold by prying up a finger and trying to break it.”

  He clawed at her wrists to no avail.

  “And I can tighten it at will, which I can’t do with my hands.” His face got a little redder.

  “You’ve made your point, Squire, and a good point it is,” the Chief Squire said, and Elle released the boy and whipped her braid back too fast for him to grab it. “Gentlemen, please remember your fellow squires are being trained by Sir Delacar. Sir Delacar has trained the last three King’s Champions. Don’t ever mistake his girth for a sign of incompetence as a trainer. Now, if you’re quite finished, I’m going to be interested to see if any of you can keep that triple portion of pottage you hogged down where it belongs this afternoon.”

  He gestured with one finger, and the other squires got up a bit shamefacedly and filed out the door. He stopped at my seat and held out his hand. “Wulf,” he said as I took it. “Don’t mind them. The puppies think they have to prove themselves.” Then he grinned wryly. “Or rather, they thought they had to make you prove yourselves. You’ll be pleased to know that during their move to the Knights’ Tower, the three male Companions took no prisoners, either.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw the three boys grinning sheepishly. Well, that explained the bruise on Giles’s cheekbone.

  “We expected it,” I replied, although I hadn’t. “Call me Miri. This is Elle.” Then I introduced the others. “I don’t envy you this afternoon. If nothing else, they are going to learn the folly of training on an overfull stomach.”

  He made a face. “I’d advise you to avoid the training yard until tomorrow.”

  It was a good thing for us that we were training with Brianna in the afternoon. When we got back, changed, and went down to our first dinner with the squires, a good half of the seats at the table were empty, and Chief Squire Wulf wore a smug little smile on his face. It appeared that his prediction had come true. The rest of the squires were quite subdued.

  And very polite. There was no attempt to hog all the better offerings, and dinner was quite nice even down at this end of the table. Everyone shared. Wulf more or less monopolized the conversation, directing most of it at us, asking us how far along we were in our training with Sir Delacar, and giving us some very useful tips.

  Although, to be honest, he was paying attention mostly to Elle. Anna looked a little put out but soon reconciled herself when a new knight got up from farther up the table and came back to us when the last course was being served. She didn’t even have to exert herself, as he made it quite clear that while he was ostensibly there to rib his old comrade Wulf about not being made a knight yet, his interest was really in Anna.

  They both looked disappointed when I cleared my throat gently and stood up, and they stood up with me. Now, it was true that Anna and Elle didn’t strictly have to go up when I did. As long as I made it clear they could stay, they could. But we all were pretty young, and for that reason, they’d certainly hear about it from their parents if they didn’t accompany me. In a few months, they could probably get away with staying in the Great Hall after I went up, but not now, and all three of us knew it.

  Besides, there would be lots of opportunities for flirting. We’d had a long morning of moving things and a longer afternoon of training, and if they weren’t feeling tired now, they would be as soon as those boys’ eyes were off them.

  And—all right, I was a little jealous. I was in a very awkward position socially. Although technically I was probably the same rank as the young squires and knights, having the Queen as my mother made things… odd.

  This is where Belinda’s lessons had been spot-on, and I was reluctantly grateful for them. My behavior with young men had to be beyond reproach because what I did could have political repercussions. Missteps on my part meant potential things that could be used against my mother. While I was not a princess, I was still valuable material for a political marriage, so I couldn’t engage in anything that even appeared like light flirtation with young men.

  I knew this in theory, but this was the first time I’d come up against this in practice. So I said good night politely, the other two said good night reluctantly, and Giles got a friendly nod and a wave of my hand. Then, with a summoning gesture from Wulf, Giles and the other two boys moved farther down the table and took our vacated seats so they could all talk. Which was a very good thing; it meant that the Chief Squire had decided that they measured up to his standards. Having the Chief Squire as your ally meant that even if you were lowborn like Giles, no one would dare try to snub you.

  Since we were nowhere near the head table, we went out the usual entrance and up the main stair. As soon as we got out of earshot of the boys, Elle giggled. “Please don’t tell me you two are going to stay up all night talking about Wulf and Sir Karel.” I sighed. “You’ll regret it in the morning if you do.”

  “Well, what do you think about them, Miri?” Elle demanded.

  I could see that I wasn’t going to be allowed to keep my opinions to myself. “I like them both. Wulf is smarter than Karel, but Karel is probably a better fighter. Did you see how he caught the tankard that was about to fall off the table? Those are quick reflexes.” I shrugged. “They both seem nice and not as full of themselves as that one idiot was.” I didn’t have to specify which idiot.

  “So you were watching them!” Anna exclaimed.

  “Of course I was.” I smirked. “And listening too. We’re more or less attached to the squires now, so it makes sense to pay attention to the Chief S
quire. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome.”

  “Oh, is he?” Elle sighed. I laughed.

  By this point, we were up on the fifth floor passing through the maze of rooms to get to ours, and she was obliged to keep her feelings to herself. Both Elle and Anna must have learned what I was taught at an early age: Don’t say anything you wouldn’t want spread about where there are ears to hear it, staff or Court. People will gossip regardless of rank. I have no doubt at all that Belinda shared plenty about me with her fellows.

  It was still light outside although dusk wasn’t far off, so it was easy to weave our way through the palace, and the only people we encountered were servants. Everyone else would be outside in the garden enjoying the balmy night air and the minstrels. It was only when we got to the room Elle and Anna were sharing that they could both talk freely again.

  In their absence, the frames for the bed curtains had been set up around the little beds, and the heavy curtains and canopies had been installed. Theirs were a heavy wool rather than the velvet of mine, but they were a nice shade of green. They weren’t needed now, but when winter came, those curtains were really good to have to keep out the cold drafts. Elle looked as if she was about to fling herself down on her bed, then she suddenly remembered that she had duties and started to follow me into my room.

  “Oh, don’t bother,” I said, waving them both back. That was one of the many things that drove me insane about Belinda. “I’m perfectly capable of undressing myself, so you two—”

  “When you’re ready for bed, would you rather come in here for a good long gossip, or would you rather we come to you?” Anna asked, looking to me expectantly. And I was startled, because I’d never actually had friends before, and it had never occurred to me that they’d want to include me. They were my ladies-in-waiting, after all. On the other hand, we were also Aurora’s Companions. I thought quickly and said, “Come to me. I’ve got one of those beds big enough for a family; there’ll be room enough for all three of us in comfort.”

  I had just finished a good brushing of my hair when they peeked in, with dressing gowns wrapped around their nightdresses. We all clambered into my bed, and I used a tiny bit of Fae magic to light the candle in the headboard. By now, it was fully dark. I’d left my window open, and the hooting of Gerrold’s owl drifted in the window on a breeze cool enough that we all wrapped part of the blankets and velvet coverlet about ourselves.

  But I really didn’t want to hear them coo and sigh over boys until we all got too sleepy to stay awake any longer. “So, are you properly settled in?” I asked. “Everything put away? Happy with the furnishings?” They nodded happily. “Oh, and I have good news and bad news for you about being my ladies. The good news is that one of your privileges is that you get the pick of my old gowns. The bad news is that Mama told me that the Royal Household is going to be a model of economy and that our gowns are going to be turned at least once before they are handed down.”

  They both laughed at that, genuine laughter that I was happy to hear. “The way you like to run about in tunics and trews, your gowns are never going to see enough wear to be turned once before all the muscles we’re getting make you outgrow them, Miri.” Elle chuckled, pulling her knees up to her chin so her dressing gown and nightdress covered her toes. “I must admit, I like the squires’ clothing better myself except for the way we look in it.”

  Anna made a face. “Shapeless.”

  “We can fix that,” I reminded them. “That is, if you’re willing to give up a few free hours to alter your tunics. I’d leave the trews alone if I were you.”

  They exchanged a look. “Mama’s dressmaker will alter them for us… but we’ll need something to give her for her trouble,” Anna said after a moment. I nodded; Anna’s family was much better off than Elle’s, and it was lovely of her to think of helping Elle out.

  “Well, I get money from the estate the King gave me, and I haven’t touched a copper yet,” I told them. “That’s my ‘household money’ and you’re my household, so there you go, that’s something I’m responsible for. The only complication is that when we get our tunics back from the palace laundresses, we’ll have to be careful that we get the right ones.”

  “We can mark our initials inside the collars in ink,” Elle suggested.

  “So, were you both maids of honor to any of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting?” I asked, before the topic of boys could come up.

  “I was actually between ladies, I guess you could say.” Elle laughed. “My mother had decided for some reason I never learned that I shouldn’t attend to Lady Diona anymore, and the Queen hadn’t requested I attend to anyone else.”

  Anna sighed. “I was attending old Lady Katrion. She may be a bear on the Privy Council, but she was actually very sweet to me. I like being a Companion better, but I quite miss her.”

  “So tell me about being a maid of honor,” I urged.

  Elle and Anna happily chattered away, the topic quickly turning to how they wanted to alter their gowns since now they were my ladies-in-waiting and would have to make a better show of things. I offered to let them dive into the chest of trimmings that Mama shared with her ladies-in-waiting—when a gown is spoiled by staining, tearing, or burning, and there’s not enough good fabric to remake it for someone smaller, the trim and embroidery are cut off and salvaged, and the remaining fabric made into something for a child.

  While I certainly like the comfort of wearing squires’ clothing, I do adore a pretty gown, so that was a much better topic for gossip than the boys as far as I was concerned. Truth to tell, my feelings about young men are very complicated. I can’t just flirt willy-nilly like other girls can. I’m not really free to do what I want unless Papa says I am. And while he did promise that I could be whatever I want, I am very aware, thanks to Belinda, that this promise does not extend to random flirting that could lead to jealousy or worse among his allies.

  Mind you, now that I was the chief of Aurora’s protectors and everyone knew I had Fae blood, things might be very different. But until I knew for certain that they were, well, when it came to boys, I needed to keep my feet on the ground and my wits about me. And as soon as Elle and Anna started to yawn, I chased them back to their beds.

  I blew out the candle feeling absurdly happy. Tonight had shown me that I had friends.

  Bring your wolf present to the tower tonight after supper, said the note left on my bed a few days later. It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. Gerrold must want to look the sword over again.

  But now there was a complication. Elle and Anna.

  I’d been told by Lobo not to tell anyone but Mama and Papa and Gerrold about the sword—but then Papa had told Sir Delacar, and Sir Delacar had told the armorer. And if I was going to tell the girls, I should tell all the Companions. It wasn’t fair to the boys not to have them in on it. They were going to have to find out sometime.

  That night, when we were all eating together at the squires’ table, I gave the lads little signals that we needed to talk. Giles caught on first, then Nat, then finally Rob. So instead of going up to bed followed by Anna and Elle as I usually did, I had them follow me to the main door. They were probably pretty puzzled when, instead of going to the garden like everyone else, I went to the training yard, where we were least likely to be overheard.

  “What’s going on, Miri?” asked Giles as we gathered in the dim light coming from the windows of the palace above us.

  “I have a bit of a story to tell you,” I said, and I told them as much as I could about Lobo and the sword. “And this is absolutely to go no further than us. This sword is dangerous because it protects anyone who has it against Fae magic.”

  “Which means if someone bad got hold of it…,” Nat said, catching on first.

  I nodded. “Exactly.”

  Nat was more interested in the wolf than the sword. “Has Lobo really been escorting you to Fae Firehawk’s cottage?” he asked, his eyes wide with what looked like delight.

  “Ye
s, from the tree door to the cottage and back when you and Delacar aren’t with me. I think he’s probably lurking in the underbrush after luncheon to see if I come through Brianna’s door alone and going off when I’m with you.”

  Nat’s face fell. “I don’t suppose—” But I already knew what he was thinking.

  “Tomorrow I’ll go through first and see if he doesn’t mind meeting all of you,” I promised, and his face lit up. “But that’s not why I wanted to get us all together. Wizard Gerrold wants to look at the sword tonight, so it’s a good time for all of you to see it.”

  “But that means going up to the Wizard’s Tower,” Nat replied, sounding dubious. “I’ve heard things.…”

  “You’ll like it,” I said. “Go up to the foot of the staircase, and I’ll get the sword and meet you there.” That seemed like a better idea than all of us traipsing through the ladies-in-waiting’s rooms. Especially the boys, who wouldn’t be especially welcome there.

  When I got to the doorway at the base of the tower, they were all there. I beamed at them and led the way up to the rooms at the top.

  The wizard looked surprised to see us all as we crowded into his relatively small workroom, but Brianna Firehawk, who was also there, looked as if she had expected us. Before Wizard Gerrold could recover from the intrusion of having seven people in his usually private space, she smiled and said, “I can see I am going to have to do something about this. Gerrold, can you give Miri one of your insulating cloths to wrap around her sword?”

  I would have thought that in all the clutter, Gerrold would never find what the Fae had asked for, but he squeezed between Nat and Rob, and pulled a slightly smudged thick-twilled patchwork cloth from a basket on the floor. I took it from him, realized with a bit of a start that it was made of silk, and wrapped every inch of the sword in it. It was clear that Gerrold got first chance at pieces of silk not large enough to use for clothing and had special cloths patched together out of the scrap.