Berlina's Quest (15 page)

“Ridiculous!” Berlina blushed a little. “Even if I were, what of it?”

“Just be careful, Bee.”

On the trip back, the group stopped at inns and lodgings whenever possible, in large part because Darvid didn't care much for camping out. In these places, they always took two rooms—one for the men and one for the girls. Darvid grumbled a little at having to accept a commoner as his roommate, but Berlina just pointed to their dwindling supply of gold.

There weren't always places to stop, and sometimes, they had to camp. Berlina took advantage of these opportunities when she could. She would hit her brother with a sleep spell to ensure he wouldn't wake, and then go off into the woods with Lathan. The sleep spell she used was designed to trail off into natural sleep after a few hours, so she didn't have to worry about reversing the spell.

The morning after one such night, Felistia pulled up next to Berlina and asked, “Have a good time last night?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on Bee. I woke up in the middle of the night, and both you and Lathan were missing. Darvid had the appearance of more than natural sleep. I know what was going on.”

Berlina blushed a little. “You're right. We did engage in a little…well, you know. You aren't going to tell anyone about this, though. Especially Darvid. Even more especially, when we get back, my mother.”

“Of course I'm not going to tell anyone! I'm on your side. Just be careful. That's all. By the way, this sort of thing is going to be more difficult to arrange when we get back to the palace…If you find you need someone to jigger for you…”

“Thanks, I'll remember that.”

* * * *

As the four got closer to home, they passed Drailsen's castle. Berlina moved up next to her brother and asked, “What are you going to do with that?”

“Me?” replied Darvid. “What do I have to do with it?”

“Well, you're the king—or will be soon—and if Drailsen dies without heirs, his property escheats to you. The same thing if, as in this case, he is convicted of a capital crime such as treason. So, it's your castle, whatever you want to do with it.”

“Oh. I have no idea what to do with an extra castle. Do you have a suggestion?”

“Not really. You should probably set up a staff of caretakers to keep it in good condition. Beyond that, maybe just wait and see.”

“Yes, that sounds good. I'll worry about caretakers after the coronation. Thanks for the help, Berlina. You know, I think I am going to appoint you—officially—adviser to the crown.”

Berlina grimaced. “Thanks, I guess. Just the kind of job I need.”

“It looks so ugly, with all the banners in Drailsen's maroon and orange colors,” said Lathan.

“Oh, what colors would you give it?” ask Felistia.

“Perhaps blue and silver? No, better would be red and silver,” said Lathan. “Yes, if I were in charge, I would change all the banners and flags, and all the workers' uniforms, to red and silver.”

“You are not in charge, guardsman,” said Darvid, acerbically.

“Pardon, Your Highness,” said Lathan with a slight bow of his head. “I did not claim to be in charge. I was merely giving my opinion regarding what might be a nice set of colors.”

“Darvid, leave him alone,” said Berlina. “It was just idle conversation. There is no reason to get upset about it.”

Darvid looked like he was about to say something, but then remained silent, a scowl on his face.

* * * *

When the four approached the gate of the High Palace, they found it locked and heavily guarded. Berlina rode up to the captain who was commanding the guardsmen and said, “Open the gates. We wish to enter.”

“I'm sorry, ma'am. On the orders of the Queen Regent, no one is to enter or leave without her permission. With the Crown Prince kidnapped and the princess missing, she fears for the safety of the kingdom.”

“Captain, do you know who I am? Do you know who this man is?” she said, pointing to Darvid.

“No, ma'am. I have no idea who you are, or your companion.”

“Tell me. How long have you been serving as a guardsman here at the palace, and where did you come from?”

“I've been here, let me see, about a month. My men and I were drafted from our home village of Watergreen. The Queen Regent has drafted similar companies from many of the villages of the kingdom.”

“Ah, that explains your abysmal ignorance. Well, if you don't recognize our faces, perhaps you will recognize these.” She signaled to Darvid. Simultaneously, they pulled out their golden royal identification medallions.

The captain's eyes bugged out, his jaw dropped, and he gasped for breath. When he was finally able to talk, he bowed deeply and said, “A thousand pardons, Your Highness.” He made another bow to Darvid and repeated, “Your Highness.” He turned to his men and said, “Open the gate. One of you run as fast as you can, to tell the Queen Regent that the Crown Prince and Princess have returned.”

The gate opened and the four entered through the gate into the courtyard, before it was closed again. They rode over to the door into the palace proper and dismounted.

“Now what?” asked Darvid.

“Now, we wait for Mother,” said Berlina. “We have no idea where she might be, but the messenger surely told her we were at the gate. I'm sure she will arrive soon.”

It was only minutes before a sedan chair bearing Lystia on the shoulders of four servants came through the door. “Darvid! Berlina! Thank the Holy Figure you are safe and have returned. I have been so worried. What happened? Tell me.”

“Darvid was kidnapped. You know that,” said Berlina. “I told you I planned to go out and rescue him. That I have done, as I promised. Of the foul traitors who did this deed, one is dead and the other locked up…or maybe he's also dead by now.”

“I have been so upset,” said Lystia. “For a while, I had the support and solace of Court Sorcerer Zatarra. Then, he left and I had no one to lean on.”

“Mother, I hate to be the one to tell you this,” said Berlina. “Zatarra was one of the traitors. He will bother you no more—that is certain. I personally put a sword through his heart.”

“Berlina!” Lystia shrieked. “A sword? You? Not the proper action of a lady—a royal lady at that. How many times have I told you not to fool around with things like swords and other weapons?”

One of the servants carrying the queen's chair had a fancy hairdo, which stuck up from his head like the horn of a unicorn. Berlina pulled out her sword and slashed across the top of the servant's head. The fancied up hair went flying, and the skin on the top of the man's head was visible. The skin, but not a drop of blood. The queen gasped.

“Were it not for me and my sword,” said Berlina, “you would not have Darvid back.” She sheathed her sword and continued, “Have you more to say on this, Mother?”

“No, perhaps not. I suppose things have changed a bit since I was a girl. Come, let us go in for some refreshment. You must be tired from all your travels.”

They proceeded to a comfortable drawing room. The servants sat the sedan chair down so Lystia could get out and sit in a regular chair, then took the sedan chair out of the room. “Pardon my use of that device, but my health is failing faster than I had originally thought. I can walk, but not far, nor fast, so if I have to get somewhere in a hurry—such as to meet you at the gate—I ride.”

Berlina and Darvid had also taken seats, but the other two were still standing. The queen looked at them and said, “Who are these other…Oh, Felistia, of course. We are being informal right now. Take a seat, my dear.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Felistia, and she sat.

“This other…you look like you are wearing the uniform of our palace guards?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I am Lathan, and I serve as a palace guard. At least I did, until Her Highness, Princess Berlina, recruited me to aid her on her quest to rescue her brother.”

“Lathan? You can't be Lathan. You are talking quite well, and Lathan was hardly able to put three words together. Quite useless, but he was always a favorite of my late husband, so we kept him on. You can't be Lathan. Who are you?”

“Your Majesty, I assure you I am Lathan. Your daughter led me to a place far off in the eastern mountains, where the wizards cured me.”

“This is getting to be a bit much for me, I am afraid,” said Lystia. “All right, Lathan. For the moment, I also grant you permission to sit.”

As Lathan sat, servants entered bearing trays of sumptuous food, and the four, who had been subsisting on trail rations for several days, dug in.

“While you eat,” said Lystia, “we must go over the plans for Darvid's birthday celebration and coronation.”

* * * *

“Damn!” said Berlina, as she read the letter just handed to her by a messenger.

“What's the matter?” asked Felistia.

“It's another alleged invitation to a pre-coronation ball. With a ‘suitable escort' provided, of course.”

“Why do you say ‘alleged'?”

“Because it is really a royal
command
from Mother to attend, and to spend the evening in the company of some boring noble, the Duke of Bilgewater or whatever. I thought I had that evening free and planned to take a ‘nature hike' with Lathan.”

“Do you think your mother has heard about you and Lathan, and this is a subtle ploy to break that up?”

“No, I've never known Mother to be subtle about anything. She's just blatantly fixing me up with as many unmarried nobles as she can, in the hopes I'll like one and get serious. I think she'd like to see me married, or at least engaged, before she dies.
Not
to a commoner like Lathan. She'd have a real fit about that. I'm just hoping things will be less of a problem once Darvid is crowned.”

“Bee, do you really think it will make much difference if Momma's boy Darvid is king, as long as she's alive?”

“Not so much, no, but she's really ill. I'll miss her when she's gone. I just hope she doesn't have some way for her ghost to continue running things from the grave.”

* * * *

The day of Darvid's twenty-first birthday—and King Darvid's coronation—dawned bright and clear. The palace was decked out in ribbons and bunting, and a pair of special thrones had been set up in the courtyard so far more people could watch than would have fit in the throne room. The earlier part of the day was mostly the birthday party, and it was a carnival, a festival. Darvid received many gifts, far more than he had time to open and look at. Most were just piled at one end of the courtyard, with a dozen scribes keeping track of who gave which package.

Finally, as the sun started to set, Darvid got up to speak to the crowd. “I want to thank all of those who have given me gifts, and all of those who could not afford a gift but have given me their best wishes. I do want to acknowledge the best gift of all—that given to me by my sister, Princess Berlina.”

Felistia turned to Berlina and whispered, “What did you give him that was so great?”

“I don't know. I gave him an ermine cloak, but that hardly seems worth such praise.”

“What my sister gave me…” Darvid continued, “is my freedom and my chance to be here in front of you today. Berlina, come up here on the platform with me.”

She walked forward and climbed up next to her brother.

“When I was kidnapped by the traitors, she was the one who found where I was. She enlisted the aid of a friendly prince and rescued me. I'm still not sure how she did all the things she did, but she managed it somehow. Let's have a round of applause for Princess Berlina.”

The applause and cheering went on for ten minutes. When it finally faded, Berlina curtseyed to the crowd and said, “Thank you.” She jumped down off the platform and went back over to where she had been standing with Felistia.

“Gah!” she said. “I hate that sort of thing…but I guess I'm stuck with it on occasion.”

“Just think how much more you'd have to do it if you were the queen,” said Felistia.

Berlina shuddered and said, “Please! Don't even suggest such a thing. It doesn't matter. It will never happen.”

Up on the platform, Darvid was going on about the coronation. It was getting dark, and servants lit torches. Finally, the Queen Regent came out on the platform, bearing the crown that her late husband, King Samsor, once wore and the scepter he carried. Darvid sat on the larger of the two thrones, and his mother handed him the scepter. She placed the crown on his head and said, “I crown thee King Darvid of Jylyria.” As she did so, a fantastic display of fireworks was touched off, and every color of the rainbow rocketed into the sky. Lystia, now Queen Mother, took her seat on the smaller of the two thrones.

This time, the cheering and applause went on for twenty minutes. When it finally quieted down, Darvid stood and said, “Thank you, my people. I am proud to be here, and to take this honored position. I promise to be a just and fair ruler.”