Chapter Four
Stiborn, Adam discovered once Master Ilarms left him to his own devices and he could peruse the library maps and atlases at his leisure, was a large kingdom roughly the size of the western European countries combined. To the west it was bordered by the Eternal Ocean, also referred to as the Endless Ocean, where nothing had been mapped beyond an island nation labeled as Ryther'an. To the north lay the small kingdoms of Eliasias and Verduth; to the northeast Agohac; all resting within the crescent of the Tryyan Mountains. Beyond the Tryyan Mountains lay the Ice Wastes, and it took little imagination for Adam to figure that the area was a probably a tundra and less than hospitable to travelers.
Carelle Ichtung was Stiborn's eastern border, and nearly equal in size. The Tryyan Mountains arched southerly and created the easternmost border of Carelle Ichtung, and became known as the Spire Mountains. Beyond them lay only an area called "The Deadlands."
To the south, across the Daelth Sea, lay Albarasque. The Daelth Sea Adam estimated to be somewhat larger than the Mediterranean, but not nearly large enough of vast enough to be called an Ocean. However, the separation of the two continents was large enough for Adam to understand how different languages and cultures could have developed.
He also learned, while plodding through several piles of well-paged books, that this world, unlike the medieval world of his time, was one that was polytheistic rather than monotheistic. The gods were many, so many that he thought it would take him a while to learn all the names. There were the main gods, those that made up something of what reminded him of a Greek or Roman Pantheon, the gods of war and love and the sea. Then there were lesser gods and demi-gods, some even sacred to certain regions or cities.
Eris, one of the gods Master Ilarms had mentioned earlier, was the Zeus of this world, the leader of all the gods. Shira was his wife, the goddess of marriage, fertility and the Queen of the gods. Damiaren was said to be the son of Eris and Shira, and was the god of magic and holy portents, and the keeper of the religious rites. The priests of Damiaren were called damia or Damia, as an honorific if one was considered a High Priest. The mages were damiar; Damiar, added as an honorific was reserved for High Mages.
It told Adam a lot more than he had known before, but the information didn't necessarily soothe him. The queen of Albarasque was the Damia Reina, the implications of which he understood clearly. She was a priestess before she was a queen, as had been her mother before her, and her mother before her — going back quite a few centuries. In fact — and Adam double checked his research to be certain — it had been at least three hundred years since Albarasque had a King or a Rey. It had been even longer since the ruler of the land was not trained by the temple of Damiaren.
Albarasque was a matriarchal theocracy; a theocracy with magocracy leanings but a theocracy no less. A matriarchal theocracy was marrying its crown heir to a patriarchal monarchy. It took Adam a moment or two to digest that, simply because it made no sense. Unless of course, the abilities and honors given to those who were mages went deeper than what Adam could find in these books and scrolls. But while that gave Stiborn an advantage, what did Albarasque earn through the marriage?
For the first time, Adam became more than a little bit curious about the land was in and the role he was expected to play. With more questions having been raised now than what were answered, he wanted very much to see the original draft treaty and marriage proposal. There had to be more here than met the eye; what that more was, he was certain that his alter-ego already knew, hence the reason that Master Ilarms had not mentioned it when he mentioned other things.
But Adam didn't know. And he wanted to find out.
"Boo!"
The sudden shout right behind him caused Adam to leap immediately to his feet, knocking his chair to the floor in the process. The book he had been perusing, as well as the maps spread out before him went scattering to the floor while his heart climbed up his throat and tried to expel itself through his ears.
Panting and clutching his chest he took a moment to regain his equilibrium while he glared at the interloper — a girl no older than twelve, but so strikingly similar to his mother — or at least pictures of his mother — that his heart nearly failed to resume beating again.
Soft, golden brown curls framed a heart shaped faced. Her lips were pink and pouty, her eyes a soft, warm brown that reminded Adam of the love and warmth and affection of his grandmother. Already a delicate beauty, with a slightly upturned nose and a splattering of freckles dusting her upper cheeks and the bridge of her nose, she would turn heads and break hearts when she was older.
Her dress was a dark blue, embroidered with flowers and sunbursts, with a dark violet surcoat worn over. The sleeves and edges of the surcoat were embroidered with lions and roses. Her hair was held back with a thick, dark blue ribbon and as he blinked at her, she hopped, quite unlady like onto the table in front of him and crossed her legs at the ankles. A thin silver chain hung around her neck, a finely crafted silver rose pendant hanging at the base of her throat.
"Gotcha," she said by way of explanation.
"I'll say," Adam took a deep breath, his heart slowing to a normal rate. "I didn't hear you coming."
"That's the idea. You said that I wouldn't be able to sneak up on you again. Well, I did."
"Congratulations," Adam responded, still waiting for some hint of the precocious child was. He bent down and began to gather up the books and maps he had scattered. "Now, can I just ask you not to do it again?"
"I'll think about it," she promised with a bright smile. Another reminder of a mother he had never known except through pictures and he distracted himself by focusing on the piles by his feet. "What is all that?"
"Reading. I was doing some reading."
"About?"
"Albarasque."
"Again?"
Adam placed the pile of books on the table and met her somewhat disenchanted look. "Yes, again. What's wrong with that?"
She shrugged. "Nothing. Except that Master Ilarms says that you're not going to learn in anything in those books that he hasn't already told you."
"He told you that?" Adam was actually charmed by this girl, even if he had no idea who she was.
"No," a hint of a blush crept into her cheeks, "I heard him talking to Mother and Father. Father wonders why you're spending all your time in here reading books when you should be at battle practice with Stewart. But Mother thinks it's sweet.
"By the way, Adam, why does Father think that whatever you read won't help you with the wedding night anyway?"
In the midst of her question, Adam had bent down to retrieve the remainder of his lost reading material. He was sorry he had done so, because he jerked up suddenly, ramming his head against the table. With a groan, he lifted his eyes and rubbed his head, glaring at her as she giggled..
"You shouldn't eavesdrop." The scolding words came naturally, before he could even consider them, or the true implications about her words — and her familiarity with him.
"Why not?" She pouted, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest. "It's the only way I find out anything. No one tells me anything. It's always, 'Run along now Tara,' 'This doesn't concern you, Tara' or, 'Off with you now, Your Highness.' I'm part of the royal family too!"
The tweaking, rubbing suspicion in the back of his head had just been confirmed and Adam could only stare for a moment at the girl before him. This was his sister; no, this was the sister he might have had in his world had things turned out differently.
Luckily, he was spared from answering her by Hagen's loud and boisterous arrival. "Oh, looky, a princess that I must eat."
Tara squealed at the words and lunged off the table. Skirts gathered in her hands, she raced across the library, screeching at the top of her lungs. Hagen went to pursue her and in a moment, Adam found himself being used as a human shield as the young princess held onto him from behind. Between giggles and hiccups, she pleaded that he — her "brave and most honorable of knights" — protect her from the "Evil Dragon King."
For a moment, Adam was at a complete loss, not sure how to respond. Acting on instinct only, he caught up the chair and threateningly held Hagen at bay while Tara raced for the entrance to the library. Her giggles echoed until the door closed behind her, and with a smile, Adam turned to a foolishly grinning Hagen.
"I'm still willing to trade you, cousin. I'd much prefer a little sister like that to the terrible shrews I can only hope will be married off soon." To emphasize his words, Hagen gave a shiver.
"No." It seemed a safe enough answer, and one that Adam had a reasonably good feeling he had given numerous times before.
"Worth a try," Hagen shrugged. "Shall we sup? And then, I will tell you about the lovely milkmaid that is now helping Helga in the kitchens . . ."
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