The Silver Bowl (17 page)

“Then I shall ride beside your cart,” he said, and chuckled at the thought of it.

The door opened then, and Roger came in.

“Brother Eutropious says he would be most glad to tend to the young people and that he will find them some spot to sleep—though he is not sure where exactly, as it is already very crowded in there. He will put up the driver as well.”

“Excellent. Go with them, if you will. Show them the place.”

Roger nodded, and we got up to leave.

“But first, Molly—”

“Yes, my lord?”

“I would have a private word with you.”

Chapter 34

An Army of Innocents

WE WAITED ON THE RISE
that overlooked the castle from the west. Below us the land sloped down, past winter-fallow fields, and the huts of sharecroppers, and on to Castleton—where Tobias had been born and watched his family die—and beyond that to the castle itself, and to the river that protected it from the east. Swarming across those fields, and streaming through the villages and the town, were thousands and thousands of Alaric's followers.

They were peasants mostly, and shopkeepers, and artisans. Except for the knights and noblemen who stayed close by the prince to protect him, none of these people were trained in war. Nor were they equipped in the common way of armies, though a few did carry swords. The rest made do with whatever they had: scythes, and pitchforks, and pruning hooks, and homemade lances. There were women among them too—children even, some of them carrying little flags they had made out of sticks and handkerchiefs.

Oh, Alaric
, I thought,
I hope you know what you're doing.
For up on the ramparts of that great, impregnable castle were two dozen archers at least, ready with their longbows to send a rain of arrows down upon those innocents.

It was hard not to mention this to the prince.

“Will there be a battle, my lord?”

“No, I think not.”

“Then why are we here?”

“You shall see,” he said. “Now, Molly, I very much wish you to be with me to the end of this journey. You are my good-luck charm, remember? But the cart, I'm afraid, will utterly spoil the effect. Tobias, can you sit a horse?”

“If it isn't leaping over hedgerows, my lord.”

“Excellent. Roger, see if you can find us a proper mount—something gentle and strong. Then I believe we are ready to begin.”

“But what about Molly, sire?” Tobias asked.

“She shall ride behind you.”

I didn't say a word.

In time a large gray mare was brought forward, and Tobias climbed up into the saddle. Then he took his foot out from one of the stirrups, and I was bid to put mine into it—at which point several of the prince's men heaved me upward and shouted, all at the same time, that I must swing my other leg over the horse, which I did. And then there I was, on the animal's soft and slippery rump, clutching fiercely to Tobias.

“Nicely done,” Alaric said. “Now stay by my side.”

And down the hill we went, with trumpets blaring and flags flying, flanked by Alaric's royal guard: lords great and small with their knights and other vassals.

When the crowd saw we were on the move, they parted to let us through—cheering themselves hoarse, reaching out to touch the very air the prince passed through. Women held their babies up to catch a glimpse of him. Children leaped up and down, squealing and waving their little flags. Wizened farmers raised their pruning hooks and shouted brave hurrahs.

I began to understand what Alaric had in mind, what he'd meant by a “moral victory.” For at that moment we were all as one, united in a common cause, from the lowest cropper to the greatest noble.
We
were the kingdom of Westria and Alaric our rightful king. Surely Reynard, gazing down at the spectacle from the ramparts, must have felt a worm in his belly—like a boy who'd been caught stealing sweets.

We came to a halt near the castle walls, within shouting distance. Now the crowd was urged to fall back, to open a space for what would come next.

Alaric dismounted and stepped forward—alone and vulnerable in his borrowed, travel-worn clothes, his yellow hair blowing in the wind. He wore no armor, and he'd waved his guards away. A single arrow would have done for him, and this would all be over.

Oh, you have plentiful courage, my dearest prince. But are you wise?
I bit my lip and waited. I think everyone did the same. The crowd was remarkably quiet.

Up on the ramparts, in addition to the archers, there stood a crowd of people—some of Reynard's knights, no doubt, along with other noble supporters and probably his three proud sons, glad of some excitement. There were women among them, too; I could see the gay colors of their gowns, though I could not tell who any of them were.

But surely,
surely
Gertrude was among them. She would not miss this for the world.

Reynard leaned over the wall now, looking down at us. He wore a breastplate but no helmet. I thought I saw contempt upon his face. Or was it amusement?

Alaric gave a signal, and a trumpet sounded.

“Cousin!” he shouted. “I come in peace, for I know you to be a fair man. You assumed the throne believing me dead; and there is nothing improper in what you did, for you are indeed next in the line of succession. But as you can see, I am very much alive. And so I come now to declare myself, to you and to all these people here assembled, the rightful heir to the throne of Westria.”

“Cousin!” came Reynard's booming reply. “What charming soldiers you have, armed with sticks and pitchforks. I wonder if my archers have sufficient arrows to dispatch them all. I believe they do, though I think they will not need them; your mighty force of peasants will trample one another as they run away.”

Alaric had not expected this. “You do not acknowledge me then, cousin?”

“I acknowledge that you are my cousin. Will that do?” And he laughed at his own wit.

Alaric stood speechless, his hair blowing, his eyes squinting into the sun.

“This is not going well,” I whispered to Tobias.

“No,” he agreed.

“You must help me down, and quickly.”

“Why?”

“There's something I need to say to the prince.”

“Now, Molly? This isn't a good time.”

“It's the absolute perfect time. How do I get off this blasted horse?”

“Well, you put your foot in the stirrup, and do what you did before—only backward. Grip my hand. Yes, just so.”

“Excuse me! Excuse me!” I pushed my way through the crowd till I came to the edge. “Alaric!” I called. “There is something I must tell you.”

He looked at me uncomprehendingly, astonished that I would interrupt him at such a moment.

“You need to hear it,” I said.

And so the prince held up his hand to Reynard—
Wait a moment, I shall be back
—and walked over to me. “It had better be important,” he said.

“This is just like our little scuffle,” I said. “We were outnumbered; the odds were overwhelming. But the Guardian knew every one of those dreadful creatures, had known them since they were infants. He told me which were slow, and which were stupid, and which were vain. And so we used their weak points against them and won. Alaric, what do you know about Reynard?”

“I told you before. He's lazy. He likes things easy. Truly, I am surprised to see him so bold today.”

“But this
is
easy. He has the castle packed with knights, and you have an army of peasants. That's why he's laughing. He need do nothing much, and it's all his.”

“This isn't helping me, Molly.” Alaric was about to leave. I grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“Alaric—is he brave?”

“Not particularly. No.”

“Good. For this will help you, I promise. Reynard does not know that the curses in the bowl have been destroyed. No one knows but the three of us.”

“Does he know about the bowl at all?”

“I doubt it. But his mother does.”

“So? I don't understand you, Molly.” Alaric was at the edge of his patience now.

“Alaric, the bowl cursed the royal house of Westria—and no one else.”

He stared at me, his mind working for a precious long time, while the crowd began to grow restless. Then he finally understood and broke into one of those dazzling smiles.

“You
are
my good-luck charm,” he said.

Chapter 35

A Moral Victory

“CONSULTING WITH YOUR GENERAL
there, cousin?”

“You are as witty as ever, Reynard. And braver than I thought you to be. For I should not have believed—with a kingdom of your own, and a handsome castle there in Austlind with such a lovely view of the mountains, and all your many estates with their fine deer parks, and jousting grounds, and ponds, and rose gardens, and orchards—that you would risk your life to get Westria, too.”

“Risk my life? You think I fear that rabble?”

“I don't refer to these good countryfolk. I am speaking of the curse, Reynard, that has long plagued the house of Westria. If you become king and I am disinherited, it will be your blood it seeks, and that of your family—not mine.”

“You think to scare me with fireside tales?”

“You were there when the wolves came, Reynard, and my brother died—and my mother, God rest her soul, and my poor sister.”

“Yes. I was there.”

“Did they harm you? Or your mother? Your sons? Or anyone else for that matter, besides my family?”

“That was mere chance. You survived, I notice.”

“But I, too, was singled out from all the others. I was attacked and sorely wounded. Had it not been for friends who came to my aid, you would have inherited Westria honestly. And so I ask you again: is that what you wish—to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life? To see your sons buried before their time, struck down in peculiar ways? For that is what it means to rule Westria.”

“I don't believe your fanciful tales,” he said. “You read too many storybooks.”

“Then ask your mother. Ask Gertrude.”

“Nonsense, Alaric. I've heard enough. Leave this place now, and take your people with you, or I shall unleash my bowmen. And be assured, you shall have the first arrow.”

“
Ask your mother
, Reynard! Ask her about the silver bowl, the fine gift she sent on the occasion of my father's birth. Ask about the silversmith who made it, and what he put into it—besides silver. You might also tell her that Thomas will not be around to do her bidding anymore; but before he died he admitted what he'd done. I think once you have heard what Gertrude has to say, you will not be so eager to take my kingdom anymore. Go ahead. What harm can it do?”

I held my breath as a figure broke away from the crowd and came up to Reynard, a woman dressed in a plum-colored gown. She wore a linen headdress, so I could not see if she was white haired or dark. But I knew who it was.

Reynard turned to her, and they spoke. She touched his arm. He leaned forward, then pulled suddenly away. He seemed angry and unsure what to do.

“Was that your idea?” Tobias asked me.

“Yes,” I said.

“Shrewd.”

“I know, wasn't it?”

Reynard was back at the wall again calling to Alaric. “Cousin!” he said. “I find we have done you a terrible wrong, you and all your kin. I knew nothing of it.”

“That is true!” Alaric said to the people around him.

“But tell me—are you not afraid of this curse?”

“I've lived with it all my life, and watched my family die one by one. But it's my duty, and my heritage. As to why you should wish to take it on, I cannot imagine. There is little to gain and a great price to pay. So what will it be, Reynard? Will you signal your archers and take my life right here before the walls of Dethemere Castle? Or will you acknowledge me, and open the gates, then pack your belongings and go home—to live out your life in comfort and prosperity, and watch your boys grow to manhood and your mother die a natural death in her bed—though the saints know she does not deserve it. What shall it be, Reynard?”

The crowd, which had been listening in stunned amazement, now let forth a hearty roar. “Go home!” they cried. “Go home! Go home!”

Reynard signaled to one of his knights, and then a second one; they escorted Gertrude away. He watched her go, then returned to the wall. He looked out at the hushed and anxious crowd that filled the valley as far as eye could see.

“I won't have my mother answering for what she did,” he said. “She is old and she believed most truly that she was wronged. But I will take her home with me and lock her in her chamber, under guard night and day. She shall never leave that room until the moment of her death. Will that satisfy you?”

“Yes. There's been enough royal blood spilled already.”

“Good. Archers, stand down. Let the gates be opened. Come into your castle, young Alaric, and rule your country well. I acknowledge you as king of Westria.”

Chapter 36

A Private Conversation

“
THAT NIGHT AT THE PRINCE'S
encampment, when he asked for a private word . . .”

“Yes, Tobias?”

“You were there a long time—while we waited out in the cold.”

“I'm sorry. He had something important to ask me.”

“Words he couldn't say in my hearing?”

“It was of a personal nature.”

“Oh, I see.”

“
Do
you, Tobias?
Really
?”

“I can guess.”

“Go ahead then.”

Silence.

“All right. Had it something to do with marriage?”

“Mmmmm . . . yes. It did.”

“
His
marriage?”

“Yes again. Isn't this fun?”

“Do I look like I'm enjoying it?”

“No. But you're getting warm.”

“All right then, here's what I think: I believe you love Alaric. I believe you've loved him since that day you first saw him in the hall, when you threatened to stick him and stuff him—”

“I never threatened. I only meant—”

“But you love him?”

“Of course I do.”

“And he loves you?”

“Well he must, for I have done him a very great service. And he also thinks I bring him good luck. And I make him laugh.”

“True enough.”

“And likewise he loves you, Tobias, for you served him just as I did.”

“Oh for heaven's sake, Molly, must you torture me so?”

“Do I—torture you?”

“Yes, of course you do! You squeeze my heart. You—”

“Good!”

“Molly, whatever has come over you?”

“I wasn't sure I could—squeeze your heart,
that is.”

“Well you can. I'm glad it pleases you.”

I waited.

“So Alaric wishes to marry?”

“Yes, he does. He thinks it is wise not to wait very long. He must have an heir.”

“And that is what he discussed with you in private.”

“We do keep returning to that. Yes it was.”

“Molly—does Alaric wish to marry
you
?”

And then I laughed so hard, I nearly lost my breakfast. And when I finally got control of myself, I lost it again and laughed harder still. My face grew hot, and tears streamed down my cheeks. I was gasping for breath.

“Are you done?”

“I'm not sure. I hope so. For truly if I laugh anymore, I shall be sick all over this beautiful gown.”

“I think you've had fun enough at my expense—”

“Yes, Tobias. And you bore it like a saint. So I shall be plain now and not torture you any longer. Alaric would never wed a scullion, not even one who brings him luck and has risked her life in his service—not even after she has been raised to great estate, as you and I have been.”

“I see.”

“Tobias—he wishes to marry
the princess from Cortova
. Surely you remember—the dark beauty who was meant to marry Edmund? But she left under rather awkward circumstances, and he wishes to be sure of her before he asks. He is proud and could not bear to be refused. And so he wondered whether my family, by any chance, still had one of Grandfather's Loving Cups.”

“Do they?”

“Of course not.”

“Was he disappointed?”

“Rather. But he got over it somewhat when I gave him my necklace. I explained that the silver was full of happy magic, just like a Loving Cup. He was a bit worried that there were already initials on it, and they were neither his nor hers. He thought perhaps he could get it altered, have a silversmith turn the
W
and the
M
into vines and curlicues so they'd blend in with the rest of the design. And, of course, he'd need to get a new chain.”

“I am astonished.”

“That I gave him my necklace?”

“Yes. It always protected you.”

“I used to think so.”

“It has no . . . special powers, then?”

“Oh, it does. That's why I gave it to Alaric. He wore it on the day he challenged Reynard. Here”—I touched my chest—“beneath his doublet. I think it gave him courage, made him feel invincible. It wouldn't have stopped an arrow, though.”

“But why give it away, Molly—even to the prince?”

“When I left home all those years ago, my mother gave me that necklace. I asked her the same question: Why give it to me? Why not keep it for yourself?”

“And?”

“She thought it would protect and comfort me, and she expected my life would be hard—what with hearing voices and seeing visions and all. But I never really needed it, and neither did she. Uncle taught me that—and Thomas, too, when he took my necklace. I was the same without it. The power lies within
me
, Tobias. It's in my blood.”

“You're magical then?”

“Do I seem so?”

“Yes. You always have.”

“Well, then. There you are.”

“Did Alaric remember to thank you, I wonder?”

Silence.

“Molly?”

“He is who he is, Tobias, and I shall hear nothing said against him.”

“Ah.”

“There's one more thing. Alaric was glad to have the necklace, but his mind was still fixed on the cup. So he wondered, you know, about my family—whether there might not be a few of them left back in the town where Grandfather lived. He thought that perhaps one of
them
might still have a Loving Cup from the old days. And if not, well, perhaps one might be found in a pawnshop in that town. Or wasn't it possible that some magical cousin had carried on the family tradition and gone into the silversmithing line . . .”

“And might be persuaded to make one for the king of Westria.”

“Yes. So he asked whether I wasn't just a little curious to meet those relatives, assuming they exist, of course.”

“And?”

“Well, of course I am. And as we are rich now, and have no work to do, we might as well have ourselves an adventure—and if we should happen to find Alaric a Loving Cup, so much the better.”

“
We,
Molly? You're that sure of me, then?”

“As sure as I am that the sun will rise in the east and that winter will be followed by spring.”

“Then I will go with you. And if we should be so fortunate as to find
two
Loving Cups, I shall buy one for myself—as I am rich now and have nothing to spend my money on.”

“Oh, Tobias,” I said.

“What, Molly?”

“
You
don't need one.”