Once again the square in front of the castle was full of horses and Cook's wagon. The Ó Caiside and Camelot banners flew lazily in the slight breeze that meandered through the country and over the battlements of the city. Men in bright green and silver were everywhere it seemed, dotted here and there with a bright red cloak of a Camelot knight trying to make his way on an errand. Preparations were nearly finished, and the sun was starting to become visible over the top of the ramparts.
Brian stood at the top of the steps, looking over the bustle, his hands on his hips. It wouldn't be much longer and they would be able to leave. His heart contracted slightly when he realized he missed a particular big grey and a large black dog darting in and out and under horses. It pained him more than he could explain to leave Jaya behind. She was his. She belonged on the Island. And the fact that she had taken the news so well that she hadn't even bothered to come and see him later by themselves troubled him.
"I understand why you did it, Da." her brogue was rough with the disuse of night and heavy emotions.
Brian turned to her. She was his beautiful daughter. A very near copy of his angel wife, but with a fire in her greenish-blue eyes that he recognized as his own. Her dark curly hair was his too. As was the slight honey gold glow to her skin. If her mother's skin was touched by the sun it turned red almost instantly and was paler than fresh milk the rest of the time. "Good morning, Pet."
Jaya smiled tightly and gripped the edges of her wide skirt to drop a quick curtsy. It swung slightly as she stood straight again. "I really do understand, Da. I'll make you proud."
The roughness of her brogue made him smile. He knew that he would miss hearing it once he was away from her. "You already have. You always do. Your mother is so proud of you. You're the best envoy to Uther that I have."
Jaya snorted lightly, some of the humor that was constantly wrapped around her suddenly sparked up in her eyes. "I'm not going to say that you're in trouble…"
"I have a feeling that Uther is in for more trouble than I." Brian smiled down at her, his heart swelling with pride at the look on her face.
Jaya looked out over the crowded square and smiled suddenly. She turned and started down the steps, her long skirt swinging wildly out when she turned to show the tops of her tall black boots halfway up her shins.
Brian smiled to himself as he watched his daughter rush down the stairs to stop in front of her favorite knight. The scar on his jaw wasn't visible from where the king stood, but the smile was.
Finnian swept his cloak out of the way and half dropped to his right knee, bringing his right fist up over his heart, before standing straight and smiling down at Jaya. "Good morning, My Lady."
Jaya came to a stop, her skirt swishing around her feet, absorbing the last bit of movement. "Good morning, Sir Knight." she returned, smirking at him.
"The King has given me a choice."
Jaya glanced over her shoulder at her father, still at the top of the stairs, and then looked back at him. "And what is that?"
"He said that I may stay here, if you wish." The big knight smiled softly at her. Even in the simple, white, loose-sleeved shirt and the black leather corset cinched tight around her ribs above the black skirt she looked like royalty.
"And do you wish that?" Jaya asked looking up at him.
"I wish for you to be safe, Jaya." Finnian looked at her pointedly.
Jaya smiled, her cheeks turning a bit pink. "I know you do. Do you wish to stay?" she wondered.
Finnian looked at her and then over her head to their King. "I wish only to do what you think is best."
Jaya sighed and nodded. Of course he would ultimately leave it up to her. "I will be safe enough here. Go with the King."
Finnian extended his right hand. "For the Island."
Jaya grasped his forearm, just below his elbow, his large hand closing around her arm in the same place. "For the Island," she agreed, with a slight nod. "Try not to have too much fun without me."
"Never." Finnian smirked, the scar pulling his lip down slightly. "The poets will sing of the great battles."
Jaya groaned dramatically and rolled her eyes. "Just what I want. To hear the stories from poets."
Finnian smiled at her. "They do know much, for men who are rarely around at the time."
Jaya chuckled slightly. She turned at the sound of her father's voice calling her name. Her eyes darted up to him and smiled an acknowledgement. Her skirt swung wildly as she changed her mind twice in rapid succession. She looked at Finnian and pulled herself up straight. "One for all and all together."
"We'll stay united through darker days." Finnian responded making the verse sound more like a promise than a simple recitation.
"And we'll be unbeatable forever." Jaya finished the last part of the battle hymn verse smiling proudly. She spun again, her skirt flaring out to it's extent and wrapping back and forth as she started up the stairs.
"Ireland, Ireland," Finnian started singing when she was a couple of steps up. "Together standing tall," a few more had noticed she was there and joined in.
Jaya stopped abruptly and turned to face them.
"Shoulder to shoulder," a good third of the square was singing now. "We'll answer Ireland's call," half the men had turned from what they were doing, arms resting on saddles, or on horse's necks. "Hearts of iron and heads unbowing, vowing never to be broken," very nearly the whole square was singing. "Vowing never to be broken," if there were none singing, no one could tell. "We will fight until we can fight no more," their voices swelled mighty. "Till or final requiem is spoken,"
Uther and Arthur had just stepped out of the palace, and were staring in shock. The voice's rang back and forth from the stone of the city.
"Ireland, Ireland,
Together standing tall,
Shoulder to shoulder
We'll answer Ireland's call"
The sound of a few dozen knuckles hitting metal breast plates all at the same time brought the singing to a close with a melodious but mighty clang. There wasn't a man who wasn't facing Jaya on the steps, his knuckles over his heart. Evan Cook stood in front of the seat of his wagon, knuckles over his heart.
Jaya stood perfectly still for a moment longer, and then made a fist with her right hand and brought it up to her heart with more force than she probably should have. She looked over the men and then up at King Brian. "For the Island!" She called throwing her fist up in the air.
"For the Island!" the square roared back, every fist shooting up to match hers.
Jaya inclined her head and half dropped to her right knee. She turned and trotted up the rest of the steps, her skirt wrapping around and back and twisting the otherway around her legs. She stopped when she caught sight of the Pendragons, both looking like they weren't sure what square they had suddenly found themselves on the edge of. Her smile was quick, and definitely more proud than embarrassed. And with a slight toss of her loose, bouncing curls she trotted up the last few steps to her father, ducking under the arm that he reached around her shoulders.
"You appear to have whipped them up quite a bit, Pet." Brian mused, starting them down the steps that Jaya had just trotted up, toward his horse.
"It was Finnan." Jaya acknowledged.
"He's coming back to Island I take it." it really wasn't a question, Brian had expected as much when he offered the big knight his choice.
Jaya nodded.
"I have something for you, Pet." The King stepped away from her and pulled open the nearest saddle bag.
"For me?" Jaya asked, sounding confused. "Da, you don't have to give me anything."
"I'm well aware." Brian smiled brightly at her, before his face clouded over as he began to dig in earnest in the saddlebag. After a moment he relaxed and pulled a small box from the very bottom where it had worked itself. He turned to Jaya, holding out the box to her. "For you, Pet."
Jaya slowly reached out to take the box, looking like she was sure that the scrolled wood would bite her fingers. "What-?" her voice cracked slightly and she viciously cleared her throat, not looking away from her father.
"Open it." The King directed, his voice and smile encouraging.
Jaya's fingers shook slightly as she pushed back the lid. And shook more visibly as they came back from inside the box with a short, fine black chain. A single, medium size, silver pendant dangled from the lowest point, flashes of bright green and deep, pure black winking in the light. Jaya handed her father the box without realizing that she did so, her left hand coming up to cup the pendant. It was a wolf head. An Ó Caiside wolf head, if there ever was one cast. It was heavily tooled. Highly polished black obsidian ran like black gold through the deep channels that formed the ears, cheeks, and ruff. The small sliver canines stood out brightly from the black of the mouth. Two small, bright green emeralds flashed for the eyes. Jaya lightly ran her thumb over it, looking at it with awe. Suddenly she looked up and at her father, holding the necklace out to him quickly, the snarling wolf bouncing and swirling on it's black chain. "I can't take this." she shook her head.
"You know what that is, Pet?" Brian asked quietly, not reaching for the necklace still dangling from Jaya's fingers.
Jaya's eyes darted down to it and then back up to her father. "It's Mother's. She looks at it from time to time, but she doesn't take it out of that there box. And she doesn't wear it. Not that I've ever seen."
Brian looked at her fondly and shook his head slightly. "And you, my daughter, my daughter, never asked what it was?" his eyebrows rose.
Jaya shrugged, still holding out the necklace.
Brian took it and looked at it, flashing silver, black and green in the palm of his large hand. "The one thing you never asked about Pet." he chuckled, shaking his head. "This is the first thing I ever gave your mother, Pet. I had it made for her, when I was on my first campaign. Brought it back to her when she was around your age. I gave it to her the first night I convinced her to take a walk with me." Brian chuckled, a faraway look in his eyes. "She was a stubborn lass. She wore it every day. The only time she took it off was when I went off to war. She'd give it to me the morning that I left. I got up early so many times, and she was always awake. I'd argue and plead with her. She stubbornly hold out and make me take it. Said it would bring me good luck. She always said it would keep me safe and bring me back to her." Brian reached out and took Jaya's right shoulder. He pulled her closer and turned her so her back was to him. And clasped the necklace around her neck. "It always did."
Jaya turned around to look at her father. The wolf bounced lightly against the hollow of her throat. "And now I have it."
"For good luck, to keep you safe, and bring you back to us one day." Brian smiled at her.
"And Mother?" Jaya asked.
"Insisted. It was her idea, Pet." Brian grinned.
"You can't give me this," Jaya half shook her head.
"I can do as I please, Jaya. Being king has some perks. And besides that, I'm your father. Which also means I may do as I please." Brian laid a hand against each of Jaya's cheeks. "Your mother and I want you to have it."
Jaya nodded, the movement heavily restricted by her father's hands on the sides of her face.
Brian smiled and lightly kissed her forehead. He pressed his forehead against hers for a moment. "Goodbye, Pet." He pulled back to look at her.
Jaya sniffed stubbornly, her jaw locked tightly, her eyes watery. "Good-" she cleared her throat violently. "Goodbye, Da. Take care of Mother."
Brian smiled. "Every moment. Behave yourself, Pet." He dropped his hands.
Jaya nodded, blinking three times much too fast. "I'll make you proud, Da." she smiled stubbornly, a single tear breaching the edge of her eye and sliding down her cheek leaving a silvery trail down her cheek. She scrubbed the back of her right hand across her cheek. And smiled again, rolling her eyes and looking at the sky when another silvery trail rolled down her other cheek.
"You say that like you haven't already. Jaya, you are more important to me than the whole of the Island." Brian reached up and brushed his thumb lightly across her cheek, smudging the bottom of the track dry. "You've already make me proud. There's not a doubt in my mind you will continue to do so."
Jaya nodded jerkily and smiled brightly. "Goodbye, Da."
Brian kissed her forehead again and suddenly turned to swing onto his horse.
Jaya stepped back and up onto the bottom step of the staircase without looking at it. She watched as the knights mounted up, as she continued to walk up the steps backwards.
Horses turned and started to clatter out of the square. Cook's wagon lumbered around before pulling out of the gate. Everywhere the clatter of iron-shod hooves ricocheted off the stone walls and pavers.
Jaya suddenly whirled and raced up the steps, her skirt flying around her to wrap back and forth between her legs. She didn't pause, or slow as she passed the Pendragons, barely looking at them.
Arthur ascended the steps onto the wall just behind his father. He walked onto the top of the wall, his hands behind his back. A fair piece down the road, the glitter of chainmail and bright green winked against the landscape. He looked down the wall.
Jaya leaned on the wall, her hands lightly folded in front of her. Most of her weight on her forearms and left leg, her right foot resting on the toe of her boot, hooked around her left ankle. Her eyes glued to the column of horses and wagon that moved toward the edge of the far hills. The breeze ruffled her sleeves and blew some lighter strands of her hair up and around her neck and face. She didn't seem to notice.
Arthur and his father watched until they couldn't see them anymore and then turned to go down the steps to their duties.