Thirteen

Hi all, I've finally got round to updating again! (at long last!) Missed me?" (no, right?") OK, my exams are finally over and I can get back to dreaming up nice, inconclusive stories, yay! Now let's get started:

"Do fairies exist?" It was for the first time that day that Artemis had said anything, and he seemed more to be talking to himself than anyone else. Their flight from the quiet village was at least a week past, but Artemis was still rather preoccupied by the very nearness of their capture. He could yet remember the horsemen racing through the village in the strangely mellow, primrose scented gloaming, them and the blazing gold torches they held aloft alongside the Cross; the Destroyer and the Saviour, side by side.

"Yes…and no. Why dost thou wish to know this?" The alchemist, who was walking in front replied, he had ears which could pick up the slightest whisper of a wind amongst his numerous other curious abilities.

"Oh, um… there is no reason but for my curiousity." Artemis was unceremoniously pulled from his silent reverie by the matter-of-fact reply that he had not even expected to come.

"Hmm," the alchemist mused for awhile, the scarlet-hooded back of his head not betraying the slightest hint of emotion. "Ah, curiousity is a dangerous thing—it could do thou a great deal of harm."

For a long while after, not one word passed between them.

They walked on, all three of them, over the autumn countryside as the distant hills inched past, it was Edgar's idea really, to walk through the countryside to the nearest town where they could make their next move instead of joining the carnival that was packing up the day before they left like Artemis recommended, but Alaric, brilliant master of the universe wished to go along with Edgar's silly idea. Artemis was worn, tired, footsore and hoped desparately that the other two were by then regretting the error of their ways, unfortunately they were not, instead, they went all cheerful and preachy though Artemis, a top authority in Human Psychology amongst his many other qualifications, felt that it was an absolute impossibility to be both jovial and sanctimoniously moralistic.

"I think I see something." Artemis said loudly though they were nowhere near any civilization at all (he often liked to play that sort of trick on his St Bartleby's Compulsory Camping/Character-Building Trips to drive all and sundry into a frenzy).

"No thou dost not." A strained voice came from behind him—Edgar. Artemis smiled his usual cat-ate-the-canary smile as he turned around to look, the saint wasn't so saintly after all.

"Thou should not believe that we are so foolish as not to notice thou's intentions. Master tolerates thou out of goodwill, I do so out of obedience." And in an unusual venture into modern English, he hissed, "Now shut up."

Artemis scowled, it had been a good long time since anyone had both the nerve and stupidity to take such a tone to him (the last person was Holly and he had only borne it in an uncharacteristic show of tolerance out of friendship), but just as he was to make his usual stinging retort, Alaric turned around and said, "Up ahead, look carefully, dost thou see smoke rising from thy horizons?"

They both stopped arguing and peered out across the skyline, yes, there was smoke, a thin, greyish-blue haze lazily swirling up to reach the clouds like a faintly irridescent ribbon waving in the wind. "What dost thou suppose it is?" Artemis asked, he was getting used to the funny 'old-speak' pretty quick.

"There are no inns or farms anywhere near, it should be a campfire or suchlike if I am not mistaken," Edgar said, standing on tiptoes as if it would give him a clearer view, "hast thou a spyglass by any chance?"

"Spyglass?" Artemis blurted out, spyglasses hadn't even been invented!

"Ah, thou hast studied nothing in alchemy, I had forgotten. Spyglasses have been used by our kind of 'queer folk' since time immemorial," Alaric spoke up, eyes still fixed upon the horizon. "but thy Church dost not agree with our practice of herb and spell. Also, that reminds me, thou asked if the Fairy folk exist amongst Man, they do, and they are ever present amidst us, but thy Church disagrees with this too and talk of the occult is sure to bring destruction on us all. Speak no more of this at present."

As the evening darkness descended like a curtain of night, they finally came to the source of the smoke. It was all spread out in their path, extending till Artemis could see no more, a multitude of white tents with sable and crimson flags and embroidery to mark ownership was spread out over the field like a kingdom of nomads from a desert. In the middle of the wilderness of fluttering whiteness was a huge tent, it was vibrantly coloured, purple and scarlet like a richly festooned flower in the first snowfall of winter.

Artemis exploded despite of how the tent looked like something that would have inordinately interested him had it been for sale (it wasn't). "What a wonderful piece of luck we have now, and all because of your brilliant ideas! We are now trapped between what's likely to be a camp full of stupid mystic-haters and going back to thy village. What now?"

"Nothing, except to go on forward. We shall have to. So we will sneak through thy camp for it seems to be unguarded for thy present." The alchemist said nonchalantly, "Come."

Artemis groaned, rolled his eyes and followed after him when Edgar poked him in the back. The camp seemed to get bigger as it loomed forward, but Artemis could feel a faint sense of courage swell in him, maybe he would get out alive after all.

As they entered the camp silently, no one jumped out at them all of a sudden from one tent or another, the folds of white fluttering in the weak breeze of evening whispered nothing threatening, and Artemis could feel himself getting slightly less fearful, stupid plan or no. They walked on, their footfalls cautiously soft and light, hush…hush…hush…

Then came, out of the blue…… "Halt!" A shout came from near the large tent, and a sentry came running out toward them, sword in hand. "Halt at once! Thou is trespassing on thy camp of Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Oh dear, I think we have been caught." Alaric said drily, as both Edgar and Artemis gaped, open-mouthed in abject horror at the approaching guard.

"Dost thou think we should run?" The both of them asked the alchemist. 'No, I think not, if we were to run and be caught, punishment would be far greater than what we face now."

"We will die if we do not flee!" Hissed Artemis, looking around.

"Try, if thou wishes." came the answer as they were caught.

"Ouch…I do believe I have broken my knee." Spoke Artemis, he believed it was perverse to be worrying about broken knees at a time like that but with soldiers on guard over the entire surrounding area and absolutely no technical help or weaponry (they were

stripped of their belongings and thrown into what the twenty-first century police would have termed a 'holding room'-tent), even he was at a loss of what to do. "What shall we do?" questioned Edgar.

Then, just as if his question had reached their 'jailers', a sentry poked his head in and said, "Get up, Her Highness wishes to see thou at once." So all three of them got up and went out to the main tent (or rather, were pulled up and dragged there). Artemis could feel his heart in his mouth, partly from fear, but mostly from a morbid excitement at what was to happen next as they entered.

The inside of the tent was a picture of imperial splendour, tapestries which depicted scenes from hunts, battles and legends hung everywhere, exotic Persian carpets were spread over the floor and the ceiling, from which a huge chandelier, like a globe of light hung, was embroidered (it's a tent, remember?) with strands of silver and gold with an intricate map of the world. Every corner, every crevice told of the stately grace of monarchy.

"Hurry, Her Highness wishes to see thou immediately!" the sentry pushed them past a curtained doorway. "This way!"

As they entered, the guard dropped to his knees and motioned them to do so as well. "Your Highness, here are thy trespassers thou ordered to be brought in."

The queen was a tall, pale woman, with such a crystalline clearness of eye that it seemed as if she could miss nothing. She was quiet at first, scrutinizing each of them before she finally spoke, "Thou hast been caught trespassing, thou could be hanged for this offence."

Artemis could feel the hairs on his back prick up, and he raised his head to face her, but her face was an unreadable mask.

"However, out of goodwill to all peoples under thy sky, I shall pardon thou, but thou must serve me in return in whichever way thou is able…is that agreed upon between us?"

"Yes your Highness, thank you for your kindness your Highness." The three of them said, scarcely believing their luck in escaping death so narrowly.

"Then let us start with a few questions first, one, why were thou trespassing my camp?"

Barely a glance was exchanged between Artemis, the alchemist and Edgar before Artemis spoke, "We are mere countryfolk and know nothing of thy law, we saw no other way besides going through thy camp. We beg your Highness's pardon."

"Fine. Then in what way can thou serve?" The queen asked.

It was Artemis again who answered, "I am learned in thy use of herbs to cure maladies and thy two with me are skilled in…" in all the time he had known his companions, he was never quite sure in what they really did do besides mucking about with trying to turn metals into gold and other activities that the Church was against. Then Edgar cut in, "We are learned in thy science of astrology. We are able to read thy stars and decipher thy cosmos to foretell thy future."

"Very well. Thou shall prove useful to me." The queen said slowly, as if calculating something in her head over and over again (palace finances, what else?!). "Thou shall be given food, bed and raiment, and follow me on my journey. I trust that thou shall serve me well, if not…"

"Our thanks, your Highness, we shall do our utmost to be of service."

"Good. Thou may go. Thy maid will show thou thy tent where thou are to sleep and work." And with a wave of a hand, a maid stepped out, bowed, and ushered all three of them out.

As they walked out, Artemis looked at Edgar and asked, "Why astrology? Dost thou really know it?"

"Well, I do not. Neither dost master, but what can be done with astrology can also be done by our trade, that—and much more." Edgar shrugged and continued, "also, I do understand but a little of thy lore of thy stars, thou just hast to know how to look at them. Most things in our lives are but that way."

They walked together in silence until they came to an abrupt stop, "This is thy tent where thou are to sleep." The maid said, then, her eyes flickered up for awhile, and she added in a hushed whisper, "And this shall be thou's new life, live it carefully."

And then they were left alone, standing at the threshold of the near barren, white tent.

Please review! I'm dying for them--oh...oh... ...gasp------------silence, falls dead.