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"You shall be dining with His Majesty tonight," Chran announced about a month and a half after I had come to Sheshack.
"Yeah," I said. I had eaten dinner with Kelar, Chran, and Leander every night since my first day in the land. "I know."
"Tu," Chran shook his head. "ONLY Kelar."
"What? But he's the king--"
"And Dlarka will dress you appropriately for the occasion. I have confidence that your speaking skills shall also be appropriate."
"*I* don't! There's so many words I've got to learn before--"
"His Majesty promised to be forgiving of your mistakes," Chran said, in a voice more patronizing than comforting.
"But..." Butterflies were flying around in my stomach. No, not butterflies; they were called 'cree cree,' and the only ones I had seen had light blue wings, not the yellow color I always pictured butterflies having. "What...what if I told him I wouldn't come? Would that insult him?"
Chran smiled, showing his crooked, yellowing teeth, then frowned. "Bonnie, your speech is adequate, but I fear I have failed to teach you proper manners."
"So it would be rude if I didn't come?"
"Bonnie." He grinned again, making me shiver. "You have no choice in the matter. If you truly refused to come, His Majesty's guards would go so far as to tie you up and force food down your throat. Now return to your room; Dlarka is waiting."
Dlarka was actually waiting outside Chran's door; she didn't like to let me travel through the castle by myself. Now that I understood Shesha, Dlarka usually told me to follow her instead of grabbing my wrist to lead me from place to place--unless I wasn't walking quickly enough for her. Today she was in a hurry, and, after just a few steps, she grabbed my arm and dragged me back to my room.
I didn't know whether to be appalled or amazed when I saw the dress she obviously expected me to wear. It was a beautiful dark blue color, with jewels all along the hemlines. The sleeves were short, but had round edges made of something stiff, making them almost bell-shaped. The outside of the sleeves were probably a foot in diameter each. The skirt was narrow until it reached the knees, when it suddenly flared out to be round and nearly as wide as the span of my arms. Other than the sleeves and the bottom half of the skirt, the dress turned out to be quite form-fitting. I'm sure the whole dress was considered beautiful in their world, but to me, it just looked strange; I thought I looked like a blue toilet plunger in it. Dlarka put the dress on me relatively effortlessly, especially when compared to the first dress I had been given in that country. This one seemed to fit.
"Why does this dress fit so well?" I asked.
"It was made for you," Dlarka said shortly.
"Me? Why?"
"So you can look beautiful," she said, sounding annoyed at my stupidity.
"But you never..." I searched for the word. "*Measured* me."
Dlarka stopped buttoning the dress. "What?"
"You never measured me for the dress."
Dlarka frowned, then continued buttoning. "Those who are Chosen are not to be measured. Only peasants are measured."
I frowned in return, although my back was to the woman. "But...doesn't that mean only the poor have clothes that *fit* right?"
Dlarka buttoned the last button kind of viciously. "A great seamster can form a perfect dress just by looking at the one who is to wear it."
I would have liked to argue with her, but the funny-looking dress did fit okay. At least, I think it was supposed to fit that way; the sleeves felt very loose, but these people seemed to think that was okay. The shoes Dlarka put on me pinched my heels, but I didn't say anything, since women's dress shoes on Earth are invariably painful to wear. The jewelry Dlarka fastened to me all matched the blue of my dress perfectly, and it was all sparkled, and was beautiful. The stones set into the jewelry were the largest I had seen in my life, although not as dazzling as jewels I was used to; their jewel cutting techniques probably weren't as advanced as ours. Dlarka did my hair next; this required me to stand in those uncomfortable shoes for what seemed like over an hour (although at that point, I had lost all track of Earth time measurements). When Dlarka showed me my hair in the mirror, it was all I could do to keep from laughing aloud. She had plaited it in about twenty braids, all over my head, with gold thread braided in. She then wound the thread all around all my hair to make it stick together, and straight up; I looked like a good-luck troll with braided hair. But I was afraid that if I laughed, Dlarka might do something worse to me, so I tried to keep a straight face.
By now the sun had set. Dlarka escorted me to the dining hall, but made me go in by myself, which somewhat unnerved me, as it was the first time I had entered the room alone. Kelar was already sitting in his gold-plated chair, but when he saw me, he stood to greet me. He was dressed oddly as well; his long black hair which normally hung loose was braided at the nape of his neck and wound into a bun there. He was wearing long red robes which somehow looked too big for his muscular build. The robes were tied at the waist and wrists by gold ropes. The only thing familiar about him was that heavy gold necklace he always seemed to wear. I gathered that he was probably wearing his finest clothes. Either that, or the whole castle had joined in a conspiracy to make the two of us look positively silly.
I pulled back the chair to Kelar's left side, but he shook his head and motioned to the shiny hardwood chair to his right, the one Leander usually occupied. I shrugged and sat down; Kelar waited until I was seated to seat himself.
We sat in silence for a while; Kelar was far from shy, but, somehow, he seemed like he didn't exactly know what to say. I had to break the silence.
"You have no idea how strange these clothes seem to me."
"Really?" Kelar asked, sounding sincerely curious. "They are the finest Sheshack has to offer."
"I figured that. But they're not much like the clothes of my land."
"These don't look all that different from the clothes you wore when you came here."
"Yeah; those were my 'church' clothes."
"'Church?'"
I had used the English word; of course, Kelar didn't know it, as they had no weekly worship services for Eku.
"Yeah. That's where we go every week to worship our God," I explained, using their word for 'god.'
"Like the temple, almost?"
"Not exactly..." By then I knew the temple was a place of animal sacrifice, to ask for Eku's favor. "More like...the prayer rooms." Chran had explained that every city had a 'prayer room--' just a small open building with an altar to Eku at the front of the room. Desperate people--those who couldn't afford a sacrifice, or whose sacrifices had failed--could go pray to a dead king, who would, in turn, consider forwarding the request to Eku (if the one asking was obedient to the current king). "Well...not like that, either, but just a little. A man talks to us about what we should do, and then we sing to our God."
Kelar looked astonished, but not quite frightened. "You truly come from a different world."
I nodded, but was at a loss for words. I finally said, " I can't *believe* what Dlarka did to my hair! Look at this!"
"It is the custom," Kelar said.
"I know, but it just looks so silly to me!"
"Well," Kelar thought, "I shall have Dlarka leave your hair alone from now on."
"What?"
"Your comfort is more important than traditional hairstyling. I shall see if the seamster would make you some ceremonial dresses more like the ones of your world, as well."
"Oh..." Why would they go to all that trouble for someone who had just appeared in their world? Someone they had no obligation to? Someone they had taken in out of pity? Even if they thought their god had sent me, wouldn't they expect me to learn their customs?
"I realize you find our clothes strange, but, believe me, you look lovely, Bonnie. Any man here would say the same."
I blushed a bit; his words were awkward enough that his formal tone didn't make the compliment seem forced. "Thank you." Kelar looked a little confused. I sighed, knowing what that funny look meant. "What did I say wrong this time?"
"'You are most kind,'" Kelar said. "That's what one says when paid a compliment."
"Oh, that's right." I blushed, remembering Chran correcting me repeatedly on that very point--I always said 'you're welcome' after he praised my speech or writing, when it was actually the phrase you'd use after receiving a gift. "You are most kind," I said half-heartedly.
Kelar pondered. "But...saying 'Thank you'...as if I had actually given you something tangible..." He smiled. "I find that highly amusing."
"I'm sure you do," I said shortly.
Kelar shook his head. "No. Please, continue saying 'Thank you'--I'm sure the entire kingdom will catch on if you use it."
"Oh..." I said, flattered. But something about his words didn't sound right. "Why would people care what word *I'm* using? I'm not famous!"
"You don't know that, Bonnie," Kelar said, almost mischievously.
"Just because Eku sent me..."
Kelar instantly turned serious. "You are very important, Bonnie. You are the most important woman ever to come to our world--"
"Which isn't saying much. You guys don't even think your women are *people,* do you?" I looked at Kelar. His face was red, and he was staring at me. "What now?" I sighed.
Kelar frowned for a moment more, then blinked and smiled. "Nothing important, Bonnie."
"But you were staring at me!"
"That is because none dares to interrupt the king. But you did."
"Oh..." I knew that couldn't be a good thing. "You...gonna execute me now?" I shuddered.
"Bonnie, of course not! Before you, none was great enough to interrupt the king."
"Kelar...What makes me so important? Just because I came here from Earth? I mean, even if your god sent me, I'm still just a human...like the men and women of this world..."
Kelar looked at me sincerely. "Bonnie..." Two servants suddenly set their trays on the table front of us and took the lids off. Once the servants had retreated, Kelar and I silently scooted our chairs back and laid flat on the ground, in reverence to the god Eku. I figured, since Sheshack had only one god, so he was probably like my God, or at least pretty close--maybe like the God of Judaism, demanding blood sacrifices, and since Jesus hadn't come to this planet, it was okay that they'd continue in their old ways. I never prayed to Eku (and was never expected to) but didn't mind showing homage to him. Even if I knew little about him.
Prayers to Eku at meals were only one sentence long. Kelar's was something like, "Thank you, Eku, for bringing Bonnie to us, and allowing me to know her, and for protecting my kingdom of Sheshack." When he was done, we waited a couple minutes, then got back up and started our meal.
"Why did you wish to have dinner without the others?" I asked Kelar once I had finished savoring the tranu, the sweet green fruit which preceded every meal.
Kelar swallowed. "Bonnie, there is still much I have to tell you." I raised my eyebrows. "About who you are."
"I know who I am!" I said quickly, as Kelar started to eat his soup. "More than you do, anyway!"
"I don't doubt that," Kelar said dully, "but there is much I don't think you understand about your destiny in this world."
Somehow those words chilled me; I quickly ate a warm piece of vegetable from the soup. "Why would you know my destiny?"
Kelar frowned. "No reason," he finally said.
I was scared to ask anything more, so we just ate the rest of the meal in silence.
Afterwards, Kelar rose from his chair, and I did the same. The king bowed to me. "It truly was a pleasure dining with you, Bonnie. Would you care to join me for tomorrow night's meal as well?"
Chivalry or not (and I think Sheshack was so sexist, they didn't even *have* chivalry, unless locking your wife in a bedroom and pretending she's not human is chivalrous), that was a strange thing for a king to ask of someone who wasn't royalty. Except somehow he thought I was more important than he was... Kelar was waiting for a reply, a questioning look on his perfect face.
"Yes," I told him. I had long since given up trying to kneel to Kelar before taking my leave of him (and besides, Americans aren't too great at showing homage to anyone anyway), but I did manage to nod in his direction before I left the hall to take my nightly bath.
*****
The next morning, the king invited me to watch he and his brother practice sparring. I didn't want to see someone I knew getting run through, but Kelar assured me that no one ever got hurt in spars, so I accepted. Chran sat next to me at the event, hoping he would be able to teach me some new words or something. Besides the king, the prince, Chran and I, and some man dressed in a black robe, who must have been a referee or something, the room was empty.
Kelar and Leander were both dressed in their military dress, with long green jackets, white shirts, and tan pants. Neither had any armor or shields. Kelar still wore his huge gold necklace, and both of them had sheathed swords by their sides--the swords were thick enough that I could tell this wasn't exactly going to be a fencing tournament. The brothers walked to the center of the room, faced each other, and nodded to each other. Leander extended his fist to Kelar, who took Leander's fist in his hand. (That was the equivalent of a handshake there; the person of lesser rank is the one to shake with the fist.) The two of them nodded to each other again, then stepped back two steps from each other, paused for some amount of time, then suddenly drew their swords.
Kelar ran at Leander, his sword flashing silver. Leander used his own sword to block Kelar, then ducked out of the way and back behind Kelar, who turned to face him before Leander could get a hit in. Kelar slashed at Leander again, but Leander jumped up four feet in the air to dodge the hit.
"Are you sure this is safe?" I whispered to Chran. He just nodded quickly; he seemed to be fascinated by the spar, though he had assured me no harm would befall either competitor.
The two men drew back from each other for a moment, and circled, eyeing each other carefully. Kelar broke his concentration once to make eye-contact with me; he seemed a bit surprised that I was scared. He suddenly dove at Leander, his sword and eyes shining, and brought it down hard. Chran gasped as the sword sliced through Leander's pantleg. The prince started bleeding.
Kelar looked shocked, and bowed his head to Leander. "Forgive me," he said softly.
Leander nodded, then knelt to examine his leg. "It's not deep." He stood and held out his fist to Kelar. "Let's finish."
"He's hurt!" I whispered to Chran.
Chran didn't take his eyes off of the two fighters. "It's very bad form to actually draw blood; the King must have been distracted by something. And the prince must have been quite distracted, to miss dodging such a simple attack. The prince chose to continue the match instead of forcing the King to forfeit."
Kelar took Leander's fist, they nodded to each other again, and the swordplay restarted. Leander was definitely having trouble with his leg, and I saw blood coming through where he had been cut and into the tan fabric, making it shine black. "At least now he'll take the fight seriously," Chran muttered. Leander cringed as he set all of his weight on his injured leg, and his gaze did grow more determined. Suddenly he took the offensive. Kelar wasn't as nimble as his brother (even while Leander was injured), so he had to retreat a few steps instead of dodging. Leander easily guarded Kelar's attacks, and got a few slashes in so close I was afraid he'd cut off some of Kelar's hair. Finally, Leander got Kelar fairly close to a corner of the room. The prince suddenly put out his injured leg and tripped his brother (cringing the whole time), sending Kelar to the floor. I guess that was a legal move. Leander quickly put the sword at Kelar's throat. He stood there, triumphantly, for a few seconds before he re-sheathed his sword. He offered a hand to Kelar, who shook his head. Leander quickly left the room with the black-cloaked man, limping.
"Does Leander win often?" I whispered to Chran.
"More than half the time." Chran seemed kind of disappointed with the match.
"So Leander's a better fighter?" Kelar suddenly laughed; he was only a few feet away from me. "What?" I asked.
"Leander duels well," Kelar said, "but he would never be able to execute the final move--to actually kill. If this had been a real battle, he'd have been killed." I frowned. Kelar bowed to me. "Pardon me--I should make sure my brother is all right. But I'll see you at dinner?"
I nodded, and Kelar left, while Chran took me off for yet more lessons.
*****
That night, Dlarka didn't do my hair up--she just brushed it carefully. She seemed vaguely scandalized by the whole thing--the idea that a woman would dare to feast with the king--*only* the king--without being made up as per tradition. The seamster had sewn me a fairly nice dress which was much more comfortable than the one I had worn the night before. It was a shade of blue, like the last dress, but styled much like what I had been wearing when I came into this country, only with a wider skirt and long, loose sleeves. It was soft, and a bit velvety. I still felt uncomfortable wearing it, but that was almost entirely due to the corset underneath the dress, not the way the dress was designed. When I went to have dinner with Kelar, I felt much less apprehensive than I had the night before, although when he got up to greet me as I entered the dining hall, my chest tightened.
Tonight Kelar was wearing a deep green jacket. It was very long, and reached nearly to his shiny black boots. He had on tan pants and a white shirt which showed just a bit under his buttoned jacket. He had a patch on each sleeve of the jacket, high up near his shoulder. He wore a sword at his side, and he still had that large gold medallion over the jacket.
"My military dress uniform," he explained. "I had to speak to the troops today, and I'm afraid I didn't have time to change for dinner."
"Oh." I frowned. "I thought it looked nice," I continued timidly.
Kelar smiled at me. "You are very kind," he said, then paused. "No...no, wait. Thank you." I blushed. The king walked over to the table and, again, waited for me to sit before he did.
"Uh...what were you talking with the troops about?" I asked Kelar.
Kelar frowned. "That is not a woman's business."
That annoyed me. "Not even a very important woman?" I asked.
Kelar frowned for a brief moment, then smiled. "This is not the proper time for an important woman to know. Soon, though, it will be revealed to her."
What a weasel.
"Is that new dress to your liking?" Kelar quickly asked.
"Yes, thank you. It's much more comfortable than the other one."
"I'm glad you like it," Kelar said simply. "Everyone in the castle wishes for you to be happy. You are comfortable here?"
"Y...yes," I said doubtfully. "I mean...I wish I could go home..."
"You have never told me of your world. Perhaps tonight you would?"
"Sure," I said. It would be good to force myself to keep talking about Earth, no matter how painful it was, just so that I wouldn't forget my home was like. I told Kelar all sorts of things about our planet. But first I told him about my family; how I had an older sister, how my parents both worked outside the home (this made Kelar think we were a very poor family, if my mother had to work), what our cat looked like. Enough of this talk frightened Kelar (our technological advancements seemed like some untamed magic to him) and made me start crying (I missed home). Kelar non-chalantly handed me a pastel green handkerchief and asked if we could speak of other things for the rest of the meal. I quickly agreed.
"How..." I sniffed and wiped my eyes, then folded the handkerchief and set it down on the table. "How does everyone else live?"
Kelar paused. "I don't understand what you mean.".
"I...I mean...how do the poor live? Or just even the people who don't live in the castle?"
"Very contentedly," Kelar quickly said. "And very well."
"They're happy?" I asked. From what I knew of European history, when castles were built, the peasants had to work the land for the rich, and could barely afford to clothe themselves.
"They are happy to work for the king, yes," Kelar said. "If they work hard enough, they may even earn a place in fairatu."
I knew that was their word for heaven. "That's how people get into heaven?"
Kelar nodded. "By doing what is good; helping the king."
I nodded; that was cruel, but appropriate for the age, right? Like back when people thought the king was chosen by God? "They're happy spending their lives helping you?"
"When they help me, they help Eku as well," Kelar noted. "Surely they'll be rewarded in the end, as Eku sees fit. But you must have other questions about the land, Bonnie?"
"Yeah, I guess...I mean...I don't even know what this country looks like!"
"Well, I could set up an entourage to carry you to another town. I'm sure the people would be glad to see you."
I frowned. "That's not exactly what I want..."
"What do you want?"
I sighed. "Maybe...just to walk through the forest sometime? You know?"
"Oh." Kelar frowned, then brightened. "I could take you!"
"You?" I asked incredulously.
"What's wrong with me?" Kelar smiled.
"N...nothing! It's just...you know...I..."
Kelar motioned to the sword at his side. "I may be the king, but I am certainly able to protect myself, and anyone of my choosing." Kelar was muscular and confident; despite that afternoon's fight with Leander, I didn't doubt his words. "Would you like to see the forest with me?"
The idea of getting out of the castle, even for just a couple of hours, was exciting. "I'd like that," I said.
"Not tomorrow, but the day after," Kelar said. "If that would please you, I mean."
"Yeah, that sounds great," I said, blushing a bit. Was this a date?
"We can bring a lunch; you've never eaten a meal outside the castle."
It was a date. But that was okay. "Yeah, I'd like that."
Kelar got out of his chair, signifying that the meal was over. "I shall be busy tomorrow night; you may eat with Leander and Chran then, or by yourself. But I shall look forward to seeing you the next day." I stood, a little flustered. Kelar bowed to me. "Until then," he smiled, then left the room.
*****
The next morning, Dlarka didn't wake me. Another woman was in my room instead. She didn't introduce herself, but explained that my normal lady-in-waiting was sick, but would probably be better tomorrow. I hated to let this total stranger put my corset on me (I had given up on wearing my own undergarments, as I only had enough for one day--they were in a drawer with my clothes from earth) and dress me, but she was awfully strong for her size, so I couldn't stop her. But, for once, I did get to escort myself to Chran's office for my learning that morning.
I was about to kick the door (that was how people in that world 'knocked') but I heard voices inside, and didn't want to interrupt. The voices were soft; I couldn't make out what they were saying. But suddenly Kelar's strong, confident voice made itself known.
"I am the king, and I shall do as I please, Chran."
Chran said something in his quieter voice.
"I am quite capable of defending myself AND the Chosen One. Above all, we need her to be happy, and to trust us."
Chran was starting to get angry; I could hear his words. "But surely the promise of anything she wishes would be enough to motivate her--"
"Perhaps not. She has a god of her own on her world, right?"
"Yes, but I fail to see where--"
"Her god isn't the same as Eku, is he?"
"I'm sure they are similar. She may not even know the difference."
"And if she does?"
"Then we'll convert her," Chran said.
"I shall not force her to worship Eku!" Kelar's voice thundered, nearly shaking the door in its frame. "She shall help us because she wishes to, or not at all! And I shall make her want to help us! Is that understood?"
Chran's voice grew quiet and timid again. I suddenly realized I probably wasn't supposed to have heard that conversation, so I ran back down the hall and waited. As soon as Kelar opened the door of Chran's office to leave, I walked down the hall as if I was just arriving.
"Bonnie!" Kelar smiled as he spotted me. He was dressed in his full military dress again, with that beautiful green jacket. "How are you?" Without waiting for an answer, he frowned. "You look worried about something."
"Oh, it's nothing." I was busy wondering what in the world he and Chran had been talking about, but I couldn't really tell him that, unless I wanted him to know I had been spying.
"Chran tells me you are doing quite well in your lessons," Kelar continued. "I'm impressed."
I blushed; I knew I had been learning the characters pretty quickly, if more slowly than Chran would have liked. "Well...it's not so hard, once you get started..."
"I remember learning to read," Kelar smiled. "I had a hard time."
"Why do you want me to learn to read?" I asked.
Kelar paused for a moment; I could tell he was having trouble finding an answer to the question. "Because you are very important," he finally said. Even if that hadn't been a pathetic answer, his suddenly tentative voice raised red flags in my mind.
The king quickly changed the subject. "You will be eating dinner with my brother and Chran tonight, if that pleases you."
I nodded. "Yes, I know. That would be fine."
Kelar bowed to me. "Then I shall see you tomorrow."
"Yeah," I said quietly.
Could I somehow be their 'Chosen One?' Is that why they needed me to read? Why did they think I wouldn't like their god? What did they expect me to do? Of course I didn't dare ask Chran any of those questions, even though they ate away at my concentration. So, despite how Chran had bragged of my skills, I really didn't learn much that day.
*****
For that night's dinner, I got to wear my everyday blue tunic-like dress, which was very comfortable. When Chran and I entered the dining hall, Leander rose to greet us, kneeling quickly to me--something he always did when he saw me, even if he just passed by in a hallway. He was wearing simple clothes--a plain pastel green shirt and tan pants. Like Kelar, the prince waited for me to sit before he sat down himself. But Leander seemed shy around me. Or maybe I just thought that because he always addressed me as 'Greatness.'
"Why are you guys always so polite to me?" Leander started to recite some excuse, but I cut him off. "I've seen how your people treat other women--even wives of foreign ambassadors--and it's nothing like how kind you have been to me. Why am I so important, so 'great?'"
Leander looked at me sincerely. "I'm sure the king will explain it to you when he sees fit, but, Greatness, we think you are the Chosen One."
"The Chosen One?" I suddenly felt nervous.
"The Chosen One of Eku."
"What does that mean?"
Leander looked at me seriously. "That you're very important."
"That's circular logic!" I complained. After I explained to Leander what circular logic WAS, exactly, he replied.
"I know, Greatness, and I'm sorry, but it is up to the king to reveal things when he wishes to. Perhaps if you asked him..."
I sighed. "He doesn't want to tell me."
"Well, I can say that, if you choose to be, you can be the greatest thing to befall our country, and perhaps the thing which delivers us from the hand of the enemy."
"W...what kind of enemy?" I asked.
"Tlaklen," Leander said, "the country to the west. We have been enemies for years, and they are getting their troops ready for war."
"Why are you enemies?"
"We want their land, and they want ours, and we both think we're strong enough to conquer the other." Leander shrugged and smiled weakly. "Stupid, huh? I figure we've got enough land, but if they try to take ours, we have to fight back. And Kelar trusts our troops."
"You sure you're supposed to be telling me this?"
Leander looked at the table. "Greatness, I have loyalty to both you and my brother, but...but you were sent here by Something great. My first loyalty is to you."
I was powerful.
Leander did answer most of my questions throughout the meal, but his almost worshipful attitude made me a little scared to ask anything--I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answers. Knowing what they expected of me might be worse than just resting and letting them worship me. So I left that meal nearly as confused as I was when I went into it. Well, at least I learned that Leander--maybe my future brother-in-law--was nice.
*****
Kelar wore what I thought was a rather large sword when we went for our walk in the forest. He carried a very small knapsack (I can't say it was a 'purse'--he looked much too manly for that) and wore his green military jacket and his military attire, plus that gold necklace with the huge medallion. It was almost as if he was daring trouble to find us, so he could strike it down. I was wearing what Dlarka considered a 'hiking outfit'--the skirt of my short-sleeved green dress was fairly loose, and only reached to the middle of my calves. Underneath it, I wore some extremely thick, protective socks which reached past my knees--I wasn't sure if that was to protect my modesty, or my legs. My boots looked just like Kelar's, only violet, and were a little uncomfortable; they hadn't been made for me. My hair was tied back loosely from my face. It was refreshing to be out in the open, away from the castle, and in the untamed forest. Well, it wasn't really wild or anything; there was a defined path through it, wide enough for a man-drawn cart to pass another on the way through. (In Shesha, there were a few creatures that served a similar function to horses--different ones for hauling loads and carrying people--but only the very rich could afford them, and they had their own roads. The small 'middle class' would hire peasants to transfer their goods.)
Compared to a paved highway or sidewalk from my world, the path was exciting, almost dangerous. The walking quickly tired me (I was out of shape from spending my days studying in the castle), but I still thought it was lots of fun, to walk proudly with the king of the country beside me. Kelar always looked proud, but as we walked, he seemed even more puffed-up than usual.
"You look really..." I searched for a euphemism, but my limited knowledge of Shesha's small vocabulary hindered me--"*proud*."
I discovered that pride in Sheshack was considered to be a positive trait. "I am," he noted. "You trust me in the forest, with your life." I cringed a little. "Don't you?"
I looked at Kelar. His confident strides, his smile, his build, the way he carried his shoulders, even--all of these traits made me trust that he could fend off any trouble if he wanted to.
"I trust you," I said, smiling up at him. I drew nearer to him, letting my wrist glance the sleeve of his jacket. Kelar smiled, and put the back of his hand against mine. When I didn't withdraw, he reached around and held my hand, tentatively. His touch sent pleasant shivers up my spine. I had been on a few dates before, but never with someone who was as handsome as Kelar, and who cared about me like he did. I squeezed the king's hand in return, and he intertwined his fingers in mine, obviously not afraid that doing so would make him lose his guard. And so we strolled through the forest.
We found a beautiful meadow to eat lunch in; it looked just like something out of a picture book (except most of the flowers were blue and violet). But the place was perfect; it even had a couple rocks we could sit on.
"You don't mind sitting on such a rough surface?" Kelar asked in disbelief.
"As long as I don't have to do it every day!" I laughed. "And this is NOT something we get to do every day, right?" I smiled at him.
Kelar smiled back. "I suppose not, no. But..." He trailed off.
"But *what?*"
Kelar handed me what was basically a sandwich, although the bread was a little large, and the grain was strange and coarse. This was his way of telling me to shut up; no one ever spoke during the noon meal in Sheshack. I took a bite of the sandwich, then looked over shyly at Kelar and leaned against him. He was a bit surprised, but he took his free arm and put it around my shoulders. He didn't seem to mind eating one-handed.
When we were done, I got up and walked to the center of the meadow, and just spun around with my hands out. "It's so wonderful out here!"
Kelar kind of snickered at me. "What did I do wrong NOW?" I asked.
"Nothing, except it looks kind of like you're *dancing.*"
"And what's wrong with that?"
"Only the peasants dance," Kelar noted.
"Oh." I was a little disappointed. "But..." I smiled mischievously. "How would you know it looked like I was dancing, if kings don't dance?"
"Touché." Kelar grinned. He took his belt off, leaving his sword and sheath on the rock we were sitting on, then walked over to the middle of the meadow. "I fear I picked up some rather unfortunate habits from associating with the servants in my youth."
"But there's nothing wrong with dancing! It's not like anyone can see us!" Okay, so I wasn't the best Southern Baptist.
Kelar paused for a moment, then suddenly embraced me and leaned back a bit, until my feet were no longer touching the ground. My heart pounded loudly; Kelar and I were closer than we had ever been before. "What are you doing?"
"Dancing." Kelar smiled. He spun around in place about twenty times, then let me go, caught me by the hands while I was still in the air, and kept spinning all the while, like a big man roughhousing with a small child. We kept up the 'dance'--Kelar doing most of the work, but occasionally teaching me a thing or two, though we kept spinning all the while--for what seemed like hours. It was the strangest, wildest, and most wonderful dance I had ever tried, much more like an amusement park ride than a waltz. Finally, the two of us fell on the ground, indifferent to the world spinning around us. I was out of breath, but Kelar's breathing seemed nearly normal, although he had been lifting my weight for the better part of the dance. We just looked up at the deep blue sky and the cottony clouds for a while, breathing in deeply.
"That wasn't...exactly...the right kind...of...exercise...for *after*...a meal." I smiled in what I took to be Kelar's direction (he was falling with the ground), in-between breaths.
The king said nothing for a while. Finally, he said, "Do you ever look up at the clouds and see things in them?"
I was a little surprised; I hadn't done that for years. "N...not now, no..."
Kelar sat up, then held his head. "Ow."
"You all right?"
Kelar nodded, then looked back at the sky. "I never do, either. I never did. Not even when I was young. But Leander still looks at them. Sometimes I catch him sprawled out on the castle wall, not even caring how close he might be to falling off the edge, just looking up at the sky."
"Sounds like he knows how to keep himself amused." I smiled a bit.
Kelar's eyebrows were drawn together in concern. "But someday he might fall off, keeping himself amused..."
I squinted up at Kelar; the sun shining down on us shone on his black hair, making it harder to see him clearly. "Are you scared of heights?"
Kelar's eyes opened wide, and his silence spoke louder and more persuasively than what he said afterwards. "No, no, of course not! I was merely speaking figuratively, Bonnie!"
I sat up and leaned against the king. "I don't mind," I said quietly. "Weaknesses are what make us human."
Kelar leaned his head close to my ear; whatever sort of cologne or scent he was wearing smelled cool and strong, all at once. Very manly. "I see no weaknesses in you."
I didn't know exactly what to say at this comment; I knew he thought I was the Chosen One (whatever that was), but did he mean to say I was superhuman?
I looked over at Kelar--his face was just inches from mine--and he swiftly pressed his lips to mine. I was surprised, and terribly nervous (this was only my second kiss), but I didn't draw away. And I suddenly didn't care if Kelar thought I was a peasant or a goddess. As long as he cared for me.
"Do you love me?" I asked Kelar, my head on his shoulder.
"A man does not kiss one he doesn't love," Kelar said.
"He does in my country. Answer the question!" I demanded. "Please."
He answered with another kiss. "Yes," he said softly.
I believed him.
*****
By the time we started to walk back to the castle, the sun was starting to set. I walked leaning against Kelar, and he had his arm around me, but his muscles felt tense.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Kelar didn't reply. Suddenly, he dropped his arm from my waist and stepped in front of me. Two men jumped out ahead of us, their swords drawn. They were dressed in deep violet jackets not a little like Kelar's military attire, but their eyes were a little larger than most of the people's I had seen in the castle, and their skin a bit lighter. The men didn't look especially vicious; they seemed determined, and almost noble. Kelar moved his hand closer to his sword but didn't pull it from its sheath.
"What do you want?" Kelar asked.
"Give us the Chosen One," the smaller of the men replied. "She can serve Plir as easily as she can serve Eku."
"You speak Shesha well." Kelar smiled for a moment before turning serious. "But you shall take her Greatness only after you have killed me."
"Surrender her now, and you may live, Frun." The man said 'Frun' mockingly; obviously, they had little respect for the title of Sheshack's king.
Kelar grasped the hilt of his sword, not yet pulling it from its sheath. "She shall lead Sheshack to victory."
"We cannot let that happen." The two purple-clad men rushed at Kelar simultaneously. Kelar stepped forward a stride, and swung with his sword, hitting the smaller of the men in the chest. The man had no armor; blood spurted from the wound, and he fell to the ground. I guessed that almost any wound would be fatal in a land like Sheshack, with its inadequate medical supplies, but the guy wasn't moving, and I was too scared to see if he was still alive.
Kelar used the flat of his sword to hit the other man in the head, knocking him to the ground. Kelar put one foot strongly on the fallen but uninjured man's chest, and put his sword at the man's throat. "Who told you we would be here today?" the king asked, his voice low.
"What are you talking about?" The man's voice trembled.
"You had no way of knowing the Chosen One and I would be in the forest today, and shouldn't have been able to prepare accordingly."
"Two men...that's...that's not preparing..."
Suddenly I felt a pair of hands around my throat. I tried to cry out, but one of the hands covered my mouth, and I could barely even breathe. Before I could try to fight, someone had a hold on my arms and legs as well. Kelar suddenly turned his head towards me, then dove in my direction, his sword ready. It all happened so quickly, I couldn't tell how he did it, but the next thing I knew, I had warm blood all over my dress and skin, but no wounds, and there were three dead men--two without heads, and one missing an arm--lying at my feet. I nearly threw up then and there, but contented myself with sitting on the ground with my head between my knees. The man Kelar hadn't killed took the opportunity to flee, but Kelar went after him, looking like a cheetah dashing after a gazelle. Kelar quickly tackled the enemy, then picked him up, held him by the throat, and forced the man's back to a tree, holding his bloody sword menacingly, and far enough back that he could use it to slice the other man wide open. Kelar caught him so quickly, they were still within earshot, though I hadn't moved since Kelar had struck down those three men.
"Who told you we would be here?" Kelar's voice was turning impatient.
"N...no one..." The man cringed as Kelar raised his sword. "Wait...it was...the...the fault of the prince...Leander..." Kelar half-smiled at the man in the violet jacket, let go of his neck, and stepped back so he could drive his sword right through the man's chest, and part of the way into the tree, as well. The man cried out, still alive, but in pain, and quickly losing blood.
"You fool. *No one* lies to the king of Sheshack."
The man gasped for breath a few times. "You don't...it wasn't...it was..." The man seemed to suddenly realize he was dying; he cut himself off and glared at the king before he went limp, his eyes still open. The sword still held the man upright; he looked like a walking corpse. Kelar yanked the sword free, causing the man to fall, and wiped the weapon clean on the grass. The once-beautiful forest around the path, as well as the dirt road itself, was now covered with red dots and puddles, all quickly turning brown.
"K...Kelar..." I didn't know whether to hug the king for saving me or to run away. This was the first time I had ever seen anyone die, and it had been more graphic than any horror movie I knew of. I walked a few steps down the path toward the castle, turning my back to Kelar and the whole bloody mess he had made. But I couldn't strike the images of decapitated bodies and pools of blood from my mind. Not then, and probably not ever. In a few seconds, I heard Kelar's steps behind me.
"That was not a proper sight for a woman to see. We shall get you a new dress at the castle." And we walked in silence the whole rest of the way home.
After the half-hour walk, my stomach started to calm itself a bit. "Why did you kill them?" I murmured faintly, not looking at Kelar.
Kelar didn't reply. I looked closely at him for the first time since the battle; I noticed he had a cut on his face. He had killed the men so easily, but maybe he had been in some danger.
"I had to protect us, Bonnie," he said. "You first, because without you, the kingdom and its king are both lost."
I shook my head. "But...that fifth man...you had him trapped...you didn't have to..."
"I can't let anyone slander my brother, Bonnie. He is too innocent to have done such a thing as he was accused of. He cares for me--and for you--very deeply."
"But why would that man lie to you, when you were going to kill him for it?" I asked cautiously.
Kelar's eyes just about threw off sparks, although he was looking straight ahead. "Don't you trust Leander? My brother?"
I recalled the dinner I had eaten with the prince--he couldn't wish me to be kidnapped, and his brother dead, could he? "It's not that I don't trust him...but if he didn't tell, then who did?"
Kelar shook his head. "Perhaps there is a spy in the castle. I've toyed with the idea of killing the lot of them and selecting a new staff, but--"
"You wouldn't do that! All those people, just because--"
"Of course not. The new staff would probably have as many spies as the old." We neared the castle, and Kelar stopped and looked into my eyes. "Please don't think ill of me, Bonnie. Don't be so horrified. I wish no one harm, but when one hurts me, I have to strike back." He turned away. "I'm very sorry you had to see it, though. Strike it from your mind if you can."
We entered the castle; I got the feeling that Chran would be yelling at Kelar when he found out what had happened.
"I'm going to go take a bath," the king noted. "I'll see you at dinner."
I nodded, still numb from what had happened the afternoon. But the memories of our kisses and our walk through the forest won out over the images of the vicious killer I still had in my brain. Life in our Middle Ages was hard, cruel, and violent, and, even though this place seemed like a fantasy of that era on earth, complete with baths, it made sense that some of the horrors would show through. I walked back to my room, knowing Dlarka would be a bit annoyed with the state of my dress, but just wanting to get out of it. And, by the time dinner came around, the knot in my stomach had come undone, and I was ready to eat, to rest, and to smile at Kelar again.
