“I would be safer if I was number twenty in that line of yours?”
“Safer from assassination, for sure. But, each position in line also determines the castle you live in, the royal allowance provided, and the lineage of your children. One unfortunate death may move your children from obscurity to bearing a title. The competition is fierce.”
“I didn’t ask for any of this. How do I get out of it?” Hannah asked.
“You don’t. At least not for many years. From the King’s viewpoint, you have an obligation to serve your people unless you cannot do so because of ailment, age, or insanity. The King will not allow you to make such a decision at a young age. You are far too young to make a choice that lasts a lifetime and affects tens of thousands.”
Hannah sat and stewed. There had to be a way out. “How old is the King’s son?”
“Thirty-five, maybe a year or two older. He could have many good years ahead of him to rule the kingdom, and of course, if he fathers, children, they will step in front of you in the line.”
“Is he married?”
The Knight cleared his throat before speaking as if stalling before answering. He chose his words carefully. “I believe the King’ son, the Royal Prince has a very handsome boyfriend.”
The statement took a second to sink in. If the Prince had a boyfriend, there would be no children. “I’m beginning to understand. No matter what I do, if the King recognizes me as my father’s child, I’m doomed. I’ll upset the whole line. Maybe he won’t name me as my father’s daughter.”
Sir James laughed softly to himself and when finished, paused and then laughed again. “There is no chance he will not. First of all, I will testify to what I know, and that is enough to establish your royalty. Second, he was a great friend to your father and will insist you take your rightful place. But, most of all is my third reason. If he formally recognizes you, the assassination of his son becomes less likely because that places you on his throne. You will prevent others from taking the crown by killing his son, the Prince so that you protect his son.”
“You could lie to him about me,” Hannah said.
“No, I’m sworn to the crown. I cannot lie to my King. And I made my promises to your father, a man I greatly admired and liked.”
“So, I’m almost a Queen whether I like it or not?”
“Only if we avoid the rest of the assassins roaming the land in search of you.”
CHAPTER TEN
By the time the sun came up Hannah had been awake for some time. She reviewed all Sir James told her about families, Kings and Queens, jealousy, murder, and power, understanding most, but not all. One item stood out above all the rest. The tiny flame on her index finger had flamed and spread into a roaring firestorm, with her at the center.
All she had wished a few days ago was to be recognized by the Old Mage for who she was. There was no intent to leave the Earl’s Castle with him or any of the other hundred things that either happened or threatened to happen. Her dreams had been simple. She wanted to get to know each other on his visit, and on future visits. She hoped they might walk around the stables while he told her about far off places and people she’d never meet. She could share things in her life with him, tell him which of the cooks were nice to her, about a new task assigned to her, and perhaps she would have gained a little respect in the eyes of the cooks and other servants in the Earl’s Castle because of their relationship. Those were her hopes and dreams. Simple things.
As the morning light increased, she saw the vast amount of blood on the knight’s shirt and pants. It looked like he had been to a pig slaughter. Dried blood caked his neck, but she still was not certain it was not all his.
He snored softly but had mentioned he wanted to leave at first light. Chasing after the three assassins must have been tiring for him, and waking the Knight didn’t seem right since he had been away most of the night. The horses glanced her way now and then as if they were anxious to leave. The one she rode snorted and rolled its eyes.
In the conversation last night, he’d also mentioned there were other assassins searching for her. Assassins who were paid to kill her for a reward. They may have traveled all night. One might be within sight. The thought struck her almost as a blow. Her head spun to make sure none had crept close. Then she examined the edge of the clearing again as she shook the Knight awake more roughly than required.
He didn’t grumble or moan, but from the tiredness in his eyes, he should have. He stood, pointed to the horses, and said, “Let’s be on our way.”
His horse turned sideways to her, and she noticed several objects tied behind the saddle that hadn’t been there the day before. His eyes followed hers. “Ever use a bow?”
“No. I’ve seen the boys training, use them.”
“Good enough. I’ll teach you the basics today. In the meantime, watch me.” He untied a bow from the saddle and placed one end on the ground, then used his weight to flex it and slip the string into a slot. She suspected he could do the same just using his massive arms, but he was teaching her how to use her weight since she didn’t have his strength. He unstrung it and handed it to her.
The bow slipped and fell to the ground on her first try. The second didn’t bend it far enough to fit the string into the groove at the top end, and she gave up. She glanced at Sir James but saw no trace of humor or impatience. He nodded for her to try again. She set the lower end firmly on the ground and used the weight of her upper body to bend it as she stood on tiptoes. The string moved into position and took up the tension.
“That’s enough for now. Unstring it and tie it on the back of your saddle with a handful of arrows. If you need to use it, aim a little higher. Arrows tend to land lower than where you think, but even if it goes a little high, it’ll put the fears of six gods into them.”
Hannah hadn’t spoken during the training. She did as he asked and mounted her gentle horse when he climbed on his. He motioned for her to lead again. “Which way?” she asked.
“Keep the morning sun on your back to go west.”
She followed the stream until they came to a shallow place to cross. A game trail took them deeper into the forest, and it climbed higher and higher, always uphill, with very little down. The sun warmed her back. The trees remained fir, cedar, and pine. The undergrowth thinned, with occasional thickets of brambles and briars that she avoided.
More than that, the trees became larger and larger as the day wore on. Instead of trees so big a large man couldn’t place his arms around, some now stood so large two men couldn’t reach around them. By mid-morning, a few of the trees would need ten men holding hands to reach around, and the tops seemed lost in the air, too high above to see.
Not all the trees grew that big, but by noon more did than did not. The forest took on a silence of three parts. First was the sounds of their horses: the snorts, falling hooves, and protest of leather moving against leather. The second was the absence of birds singing, chipmunks squeaking, crickets chirping, and other sounds made by living things in forests filled with trees that have leaves that fall in winter. The third part of the silence was that of two worried people passing through the forest without speaking, each lost in his or her thoughts.
A floating pink dot caught her attention. It looked smaller than the tip of her smallest finger, pale pink, and it moved from her left to her right, a dozen steps in front of the horse, head high. It moved on currents of air, bobbing and drifting like a twig floating in a stream, sometimes faster, other times slower or spinning. Another dot gently floated past. Then another. They rose and fell as they slowly moved, always going in the same direction.