By the time Prince Edward awakened, all trace of dawn had left the sky. The fire flickered, orange and gold, over logs no longer recognizable as stakes. Nightfall had washed and shaven, the latter action taking the place of the ritual disguising that had grown so familiar over the years. He appreciated the time saved, though his face felt cold and his identity nakedly vulnerable. Despite years of perfecting his agility and sense of touch, he had only shaved a few times and appreciated the hand mirror he had taken from the palace. For clothing, the king had granted him only tunics, tabards, and breeks in Alyndar’s colors, apparently to remind him of his duty to Edward. As if this ceaseless grind of magic would let me forget.
Edward disentangled himself from the blankets. "Good morning, Sudian.” He sat up, his silks twisted, his yellow hair hanging limply into his eyes, and a pine cone stuck into the locks above one ear.
Fighting laughter, Nightfall paused longer than decorum demanded. "Good morning, Master." He passed the brush and mirror. Surely, Edward carried toiletries of his own; as heavy as the prince’s pack had seemed, Nightfall wondered if he had dragged along an entire vanity table. Still, the squire knew his manners would lose to humor if the pine cone remained in place too long. "I’ve got breakfast ready. And the horses. When you’re ready to leave, I’ll tie up the gear."
"Very good." Prince Edward accepted the objects, flipping errant strands back into place. The pine cone tumbled from its perch. Its touch made the prince jerk away with a suddenness that changed his expression from pleased to pained.
Just noticed the riding soreness, Nightfall guessed. He moved to the fireside, stirring a green twig through the embers, watching the prince from the corner of his eyes for no better reason than amusement.
In obvious discomfort, Edward lurched to his feet. Yet, though he moved with a painful slowness, he still managed to change into a fresh set of linens, replace his hauberk, and cover it with a woolen cloak without a single moan or complaint. Then, he wandered off toward the stream to wash.
Nightfall folded the blanket, replacing it with Edward’s effects. He seized on the prince’s absence to examine his personal gear. Plates of armor sandwiched a collection of folded clothing and spare boots. A book lay protectively wrapped in a pair of linen britches. A sack held a matching brush and comb encrusted with tiny pearls, a vial of perfume, leather soap, and sword oil. A waterskin sloshed, smelling of an exotic wine unfamiliar to Nightfall. A tooled leather, drawstring purse held twenty or thirty silver coins, five years’ wages to a laborer.
Nightfall closed the pack, securing everything except the pouch of silver which he left for Edward to carry on his person. Again, he sat by the fire just as the prince returned, clean and wet from the stream, his own morning ritual completed.
Edward took a seat on the log by the fire, starting in on the breakfast Nightfall had arranged. He stopped with a bite of cheese halfway to his lips. "Did you want to test it first?"
"Master, I’ve done that already."
"Fine." Edward put the food in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “Aren’t you going to eat?"
Thinking it wiser not to confess that he had already done so, Nightfall accepted an apple and munched slowly. The warmth of the fire made a pleasant contrast to the morning breeze. Fully risen, the sun beamed through layers of needles. Comfortably full of rich bread and fruit and reasonably well rested, Nightfall felt content. Perhaps the king did do me a favor. The thought raised a sudden, goading stab from the oath-bond. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to get this child some land. Aware Edward did not like being questioned, Nightfall turned his query into a statement. "I was wondering where we were headed."
Edward tore a chunk from his bread, kneading it between his fingers. "East," he said. "We’re headed East."
Since Alyndar occupied the western most tip of the Yortenese Peninsula, the direction seemed obvious. "Well, I was just wondering if we had a certain place in mind. A city? A barony‘?"
"No." Edward clutched his bread, his gaze becoming distant. “We’ll go where the winds take us, spreading goodness where we can, enlightening the ignorant to the Father’s greatness, to the dignity and worth of all men and women."
Nightfall rolled his eyes. What star are you from? "I thought our mission was to get you landed."
"That’s secondary.” Edward put the bread into his mouth.
To you, maybe. Nightfall was beginning to remember why the king’s oath-bond was anything but a favor. Ned, would it save you any trouble if I just went mad right now? “Master, forgive my ignorance. But l always thought a king’s son was given land."
Prince Edward swallowed. "My brother, Leyne, is the crown prince. He inherits everything.”
"That’s more land than any one man can handle. Can’t he share?"
"That’s not how it’s done."
"Oh." The ways of royalty made little sense. To have so much, yet still not enough for his brother. Nightfall understood that men’s greed and covetousness expanded to cover all that they had, apparently no matter whether it was a crumb or a kingdom.
"My mother always planned for me to become part of Leyne’s household as a scholar. But Father believes I should prove myself worthy by winning land of my own." Prince Edward rose, holding the bread slice in one hand and drawing his sword with the other.
Nightfall skittered out of the way.
Caught up in his own heroics, Edward no longer seemed to notice his squire. He raised the blade in a salute to the gods. "And I would have it no other way. The kingdom of Alyndar has many brilliant thinkers, Father’s wisdom, and Leyne’s talent with words and weapons. Somewhere…” He gestured with the sword to indicate the world. “. .. out there is a kingdom, a barony, perhaps only a village that needs a leader like me."
Nightfall crouched, heart still pounding from the prince’s sudden lunge with a drawn blade. You mean, I presume, a kingdom starved for buffoonery.
Prince Edward sat, returning his attention to his bread. "Sudian, prepare my destrier!”
"At once, master." As soon as I figure out what, in hell’s confines, is a destrier. Nightfall traced Edward’s gaze to the grazing horses. Ah.
Quickly Nightfall set to work saddling and bridling the white and the bay, then lashing Edward’s personal gear to the rump of his riding gelding. He tied the pack full of necessities to his own bay. Then he placed the remaining weighty trinkets onto the chestnut, binding them haphazardly in the hope that they would disappear during the ride. He tied the spade on the top of the chestnut’s gear. With all this equipment, we couldn’t outrun a pregnant turtle. Checking the spade’s binding one more time, he loosened it and turned back to the prince.
"Ready, Master," he said.
Unwilling to trust the whims of the wind, Nightfall unobtrusively steered Prince Edward toward Nemix, the first large city in the area and one in which he had a strong chain of contacts. The maneuver proved easier than he ever expected. Caught up in the scenery and his own grandiose ideals, Edward did not seem to notice when they detoured past the villages of Quant and Rankelle nor when the spade slid from the top of the chestnut’s stack and tumbled to the dirt. Quietly, Nightfall edged them from one set of trails to the other, traversing one of many familiar routes from Alyndar to Nemix. At this rate, we may get t0 Nernix before dusk.
At least, the bruises and stiffness from the previous day taught Edward something. He made frequent stops to eat and urinate, using each to work the kinks from his muscles or search the heavens for information about time and direction. At each stop, Nightfall unobtrusively jettisoned a few more objects from the unnecessary items packs, tossing them deep into the woods to keep from leaving a trail of gear and niceties for footpads to follow.
Late morning, a rustling in the tall brush by the roadside caught Nightfall’s eye. Weed tops bowed and danced, revealing something’s winding, awkward path. A muffled groan sifted through the grasses, nearly lost beneath the rattle of stalks and the clop of hooves on roadway. He reined back, then threaded behind Edward to interpose himself between prince and unidentified creature, hoping to manage a close but unobtrusive look. He wanted to determine the best course of action, ignore or intervene, before Edward discovered the presence and made the decision for them.