She glanced at the room again. Expensive tapestries hung on the walls where there were not bookcases or shelves. An ornate chandelier hung above a massive table filled with stacks of papers. The chandelier hung from the carved ceiling by an iron chain that ran from it the top and then across to one wall and a hook where they could raise or lower it. She counted twelve candles.
“Hannah, wake up,” the Knight hissed.
They crossed the room and went to the door leading outside. Sir James came to a halt in the doorway and stood tall. “My Lord.”
The man sitting waved an impatient hand to bring them forward. “Come on, let me see what you’ve brought home this time. I’ve already heard a few tongues wagging.”
“Her name is Hannah, Sire.”
Hannah tried to stand upright like Sir James. She looked at the plump man, his balding head, and eyes that were small and crafty until he smiled. He sat at a table made of a single slab of white stone, and a chair of peeled-bark wood. The legs of the chair were four different sizes, the back of the chair too short, and unless the floor was crooked, the legs were of different lengths because she noticed it rock slightly as he shifted positions. He said, “Instead of taking my measure, you look to my chair. What is your impression?”
“I expected something better.”
He exploded in laughter. “Would you change your mind if I explained that this chair was fashioned by my hands when I was only a little older than you?”
She hesitated, then, believing she should be honest, said, “Did you ever make any better ones?”
He waved a wrist, indicating for them to sit. The other five chairs at the table were fashioned by professional hands, although they were still simple in design and also made of peeled-bark wood, a type of construction favored by peasants. The man gave Sir James a slap on his shoulder when he bent to sit, but his eyes were on Hannah. “When presented with the same question I asked you, most lie to their King. Only James and William tell me the whole truth. Do you want to know why I sit in this chair? I’ll tell you, anyhow. It’s old, misshapen, and I have never been able to get the damn thing to sit square, but it reminds me of my many failings, and how much others are better at certain tasks.”
Hannah said, “What about the Old Mage? Did he always tell you the truth?”
The King didn’t miss that she used did instead of does when speaking of the Old Mage. He flinched at the word but then chuckled hoarsely, but without humor. “That rascal tells me what he wants me to hear, or what I need to hear. But you are right when the three of us sip ale or wine here. There is more truth passed between us than in the rest of my entire palace.”
Sir James said, “I must speak of things you will not enjoy.”
“You must tell me all.” The King waved to a servant and motioned for wine to flow.
The King’s eyes darkened as he listened, but he never once interrupted. Twice he drained his goblet, and the servant leaped to refill it. Finally, Sir James finished his tale, telling the story in simple, unedited words, from the initial attack to the wagon that carried them into the Palace grounds. The only item left out were any mentions of Hannah’s mage ability.
The King turned to Hannah. “Do you wish this man to be your uncle and benefactor?”
“Yes.”
“Done. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of meeting your mother, but have heard of her many times at this very table from your father. That alone certifies your birthright. I will make the Royal pronouncement later today at a meeting of my Lords and Ladies. Do you understand what that means?”
“I think I’m beginning to and wish it was different.”
The King looked at Sir James, “She speaks her piece, doesn’t she?”
“Like her father.”
“She looks like him, only prettier.” Again, the King turned to her. “From a fire starter to a princess in a few days. It would be a lovely bedtime story but for the darkness that will follow. While many will appreciate the justice of it and they will support you, others will not. Those most powerful in the kingdom sit near my throne. Should I die, or better said, when I die, a firestorm of ambition will flare into being like none before. Knowing these people, I expect to have more deaths follow mine, as they fight and claw for position in line for the crown.”
“I’m not interested in it,” Hannah declared.
“Which may be the very reason you should wear it, young lady. But my fear is for your immediate safety. I want you to make me a single promise here, today.” He waited for her to agree.
“I have to know what it is, first.”
He almost laughed, then turned serious again. “If I die in the next few years, you will barricade yourself in a room, or run for the hills, or whatever it takes to remain at a distance from your enemies, all of whom are blood-related to you in some fashion.”
Her impulsive words never made it past her lips. She gulped them back as she saw in the King’s eyes that he required her answer and solemn promise. She reached out and took his hand in hers. “I promise.”
“While I can appoint Sir James to be your guardian, I can proclaim him your “uncle” but in name only. There are those who scour the births and deaths trying to keep track of all and their positions, and they will soon know your precise lineage. Most of them hold a birthright of some level and how high they rise depends on who above them dies, and when, or who is born. The game in this palace is power, and who has it, wins the game.” He finished his third goblet of wine before setting it down on the stone table so hard he may have bent the metal bottom.
Sir James said to her, “I agree with our King. We’ll use the word uncle as a term of generosity or endearment.”
The King said, “That aside, we still have the primary reason for my request. The murder of my Mage and my three Knights is unacceptable, as are the attempts on the life of Hannah, a member or the royal family and successor to the throne. As of now, we begin a private war, the three of us. All else are suspect.” He pounded his fist on the stone table, making the goblets jump.
Sir James said, “You and I can narrow the list of suspects to three or four. The Old Mage was not the target of the assassination attempts. It was Hannah, but none outside of the Earl’s Castle knew of her, so that narrows the suspects even further.”
The King threw his head back and sighed. “From your tale, we know of one culprit for sure. I will dispatch people to arrest the Earl’s Young Mage and return him here for questioning before I introduce him to my Dungeon Master.”
Sir James stood. “Sire, Hannah and I have work to do. If you’ll excuse us, we will get started.”
“You offer that excuse to leave because I’m making a mistake?” the King demanded.
“Not exactly a mistake, but a futile action. By now the mage you’re seeking is long dead at the hands behind this, or he is in league and has hidden himself away, as is the second mage he worked with, the one who offered the rewards closer to your palace. Whoever it is that is behind this attack would not dare leave them alive or unguarded.” Sir James said.
“Go. Attend to your business while I think,” the King snarled.
Once in the hallway again, Hannah whispered, “He’s your friend?”
“A very upset friend. And a very dangerous one. I feel like spiriting you away until things settle down.”
“Spiriting?”
“Nothing like that it sounds. I meant it would be safer to hide you until the King makes his pronouncement and you get officially enrolled in the line of succession. I don’t think anyone will attempt anything here in the palace, but I would never have believed what happened has in the last three days either.”