The New Life

a novel by Mark Robert Whitten

Chapter 18

As time went by, Jess learned to school his feelings and found that he could ignore Miss Edmunds allure—most of the time. It helped him to immerse himself in his studies, not just to catch up to Leslie and the other students, but to be ready in case Miss Edmunds called on him. He had seen others called on and watched as their faces turned red when they didn't know the answer to her questions. Jess didn't enjoy their torment and was pleased to find that Miss Edmunds gained no pleasure from embarrassing her students.

Although she was kind to them, they still looked miserable when they sat back down. Having no desire to twist in the wind, Jess dedicated himself to being a good student.

He would be ready when Julia called on him.

Jess didn't call her Julia, of course; that was forbidden, like their love. He only called her by her first name on the frequent occasions he thought of her. During class, Jess often imagined saving her from horrible monsters and being rewarded with a kiss.

At first, he could only think of trolls attacking the lovely Julia, but as time went by, Jess learned of other things to pit against her: Ogres, dragons and giant snakes. They all held her captive and she would sometimes be enslaved by evil men, waiting for him to rescue her and that's when he would rush in, sword in hand and slay the beasts, setting her free.

Jess could tell by the whispers of some of the other boy students that they weren't so impressed with her; many complained about the workload and imagined Miss Edmunds being attacked by trolls too, but unlike his fantasies, theirs ended when she was devoured. They never let Miss Edmunds hear them of course but Jess couldn't help but listen to their whispered words. He even once heard some of the older boys guessing at what they thought Julia looked like without her fancy dresses.

Such talk made Jess seethe with fury and threatened to cost him his concentration.

He reminded himself of his promise and returned to his work, more determined than ever to impress Miss Edmunds.

It helped that the daily lessons were extensive. They covered everything from reading and writing to mathematics and history. While he didn't care much for math, Jess found that he loved the history lessons. They were full of stories from long ago, tales of great battles and brave heroes, evil monsters and fiends, and the noble struggle for freedom. Miss Edmunds was a great teacher, always speaking clearly and patiently reviewing points he didn't understand. She was very patient with him, never yelling, always encouraging. She would lean over his desk sometimes, her long dark hair hanging beside him as he wrote and the scent of her would make him so calm and excited at once. She would then whisper soft corrections in that smooth, silken voice of hers and Jess wished so much that she would hug him. He tried to get things right so as not to look too foolish, and often times she let him figure things out on his own, praising him on the rare occasions when he was right. The fact that her teachings reminded him of Leslie's certainly helped with the more difficult tasks. Jess was instructed to memorize the names of people whom he had never heard of before: wizards, knights and kings. Leslie was an expert, often correcting him in the proper pronunciation of the names of places, sites of ancient battles and cities that no longer existed. He could see the events in his mind when she spoke of them, the battles won and lost, the thrilling victories and the crushing defeats.

Of all he learned the most interesting were the people. He had never known any knights or kings and he found that they were very much like he expected: brave, strong, noble and proud. He remembered playing in the woods with Leslie, pretending they were heroes and fighting monsters and as silly as it seemed, Jess thought maybe he would one day be a real knight. Maybe he would yet win fair Julia's heart.

As time went by, the monsters he would send against her became more and more viscous. He never ran out of ideas because, as he was delighted to find, there were entire books on monsters and he soon found that dragons and ogres were just a few of the creatures that once roamed the land. There were things called wyverns—creatures like dragons, but smaller and meaner, with two legs instead of four and a venomous tail. Other creatures were more human, like were-spiders—half-human spider-creatures that lived in caverns below mountains and vampires, people of the night who drank blood.

Their element of humanity added to their fearsome nature and made them seem all the more frightening.

There were many other creatures, of course; friendly types like centaurs: half-human, half-horse people that inhabited wooded areas. Looking at the illustrations, Jess thought they were some kind of joke by the author, but Leslie insisted they really did exist. He doubted her and told her so.

"Just because you've never seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Jess nodded agreeably but he still didn't believe in such things. He would have to see them first. When he told her this, Leslie suggested they might someday get the chance.

Leslie continued to show Jess around the castle and as the weeks passed, he became more familiar with the place. He learned many of the lessons Leslie had been taught her entire life, about etiquette and how to act properly at dinner. He always tried his best to keep up with Leslie in classes and Jess was grateful that she took some of her free time to help him catch up. He had so many books to read, he often spent his remaining hours pouring over them and eating while he read.

He often wondered if he would ever catch up.

The long walks through the castle halls helped stretch his legs between lessons. Jess followed Leslie to libraries with mountains of books where she showed him her favorites and made him promise to become acquainted with at least a few of them.

They spent many hours together, reading in that study, Leslie patiently guiding Jess through his history lessons. He watched her across the table, her hands folded in her lap as she quietly launched another question his way.

"How did the forces of Kaadon win against the army of orcs at the battle of Tel-Fenon?"

Jess frowned. He knew this one. "They, uh…fought really hard?"

Leslie giggled. "No." She smacked his knee. "C'mon, Jess, think!"

"I-I don't remember, exactly…"

Leslie sighed. "The forces of Kaadon outwitted their adversaries," she quoted from the book. Her voice sounded resigned, as if she thought she shouldn't have to explain everything to him. "Even though he was outmatched, Kaadon knew that orcs are stupid. He held the high ground but offered his surrender." She waited a moment, giving him a chance to finish, but he could only shrug so she continued her lecture with a patient smile. "Emboldened by the promise of the slaughter of a weakened foe, the orcs charged ahead, abandoning their defensible position behind the river and running right up into the well-defended positions of the knights." Her smile turned sly. "Kaadon's forces were well-trained and they held the high ground." She leaned close, raising a finger to mark her point. "Thanks to quick-thinking, Kaadon won the day and although his army suffered heavy casualties, the greenskins were completely wiped out in the fighting."

As Jess sat back, he breathed a deep sigh. He tried to imagine being at the battle of Tel-Fenon, facing the charge of all those monsters. Their courage was impressive, but even more impressive was Leslie's ability to remember all the details.

He had to do better, he knew. Leslie promised she would help and took him other places in the castle to forget his troubles. She snapped the book closed and stood, a smile lighting her face. "C'mon, I know the perfect place to help you relax."

As they ascended the stairway into the open, they looked out over the city below.

Jess squinted against the high wind and found that he could see for miles beyond the city. "I can't believe it," he breathed in silent wonder.

Leslie strolled over to the wall. Jess knew from her lessons that the separation she gazed through was called a crenellation and the large parts of the stone to each side were merlons. He came over to her and peered out across the sweeping vista. He could see the lake, glittering like a massive jewel. Leslie had promised to take him out on a boat trip one day. He wanted to ask her when but she surprised him with a question. "Why do you like Miss Edmunds so much?"

He blinked at her. "I-I don't like her. I just—" Jess could tell by the look she gave him that she wasn't convinced. He sighed. "Is it so obvious?"

"Oh yeah."

In spite of the cold wind, Jess could feel himself blushing. He stuffed his hands into his black wool pants as he turned away. "I don't know. She's just so… amazing." He expected her to laugh. She didn't. "I guess I don't really know why. Maybe if you told me more about her…"

He darted a look at Leslie. She had her back against a merlon. "She's what's known in the trade as an Enchantress."

Enchantress. Edmunds the Enchantress, Jess mused. It sounded right. "So, she enchants people?"

Leslie gazed out over the water. "No, not people; just objects. The green crystal she wears has some kind of magic. I don't know what it does though—she's never told me."

"So can she do other magic… stuff?"

She returned her gaze to him and smiled. "Like spells?" He nodded. "Yes. She's very good at it." Her smile widened. "Why, once, she even—"

A servant interrupted them, curtsying as she appeared from the stairway. "Begging my lady's pardon, but there's a visitor arriving." She glanced to Jess a moment. "You are both needed in the courtyard."

Leslie dismissed her. She turned to him and shrugged. "Duty calls."

Jess followed Leslie down the stairs. He wished he knew what she never got the chance to say, but he hoped he would get to ask more about Miss Edmunds.

The visitor wasn't there when they arrived. Jess was delighted to find that Miss Edmunds stood waiting for them. Jess was glad he looked his best. He ran his hand down the front of his fine black vest, appreciating the smoothness of the wool. The vest matched his pants and was made more vivid by the red shirt he wore underneath. Leslie picked it out that morning. Jess remembered her arrival in his room, wondering if she would visit him everyday before he awoke. Smiling, she pulled his shirt out of the wardrobe and asked if he would like to wear it. "I know you favor red," she explained.

"How did you know?" He didn't mind wearing blue to match Leslie's favorite dress, but he had always thought he looked better in red.

Leslie shrugged. "You always wire red shirts when we were on the farm."

Jess nodded with the memory; it seemed a lifetime ago. "Well, if you don't mind."

The red shirt contrasted well with his black vest and pants. Leslie said it made him look daring. Jess was glad; he wanted to look daring for Miss Edmunds. As his eyes feasted on her slender form, he noticed her hair was tied in a bunch to the side, left to hang over her shoulder. She wore her blue dress intermixed with turquoise—a fine look for a fine day.

He wanted to speak to her, but Leslie beat him to it. "Who's visiting?" she asked. She looked about, expectantly. "Where is he?"

Miss Edmunds pointed upwards. "He'll be along any minute now."

Leslie frowned for a moment, but as she thought about what Ms, Edmund told her, Jess watched her eyes light up. "Is he really coming?"

Julia nodded. "He's just about to arrive."

Leslie looked up expectantly. Jess followed her gaze, shielding the bright glare of the sun with his arm. He couldn't see anyone. He glanced to Miss Edmunds to see her staring upward as well. Jess couldn't imagine who they could be looking for; it was if they expected whoever it was to simply drop out of the sky.

Then he saw it. Coming out of the sun, a dark image descended, framed by the blinding light. Jess staggered back, gasping as the thing grew closer. It flew towards them with alarming speed, coming to rest near them on the grassy field. Jess stared in wonder.

It was a horse.

A white winged horse.

He couldn't help but stare. A horse with wings. It was the most amazing wonder he had ever beheld. The man atop her dismounted and Jess could see clearly the black tunic he wore bore a bright star—the symbol of a knightly order.

A small crowd of servants had gathered to see the visitor. They all spoke about him, the girls whispering how handsome he looked when he removed his helmet. As he came closer, Jess realized the man was larger than most he had seen. His thick brown hair flowed almost to his shoulders as the wind blew across his stern face. Jess looked to Leslie to ask who he was and found she was staring at him. A bright smile lit her face.

She wouldn't take her eyes off the man and before he could ask who he was, Leslie answered his question in a breathless whisper. "Sir Thomas."

Jess' browed twitched. He had never seen such a look on Leslie's face. Her goofy grin was ridiculous and the way she stared at the knight reminded him of the way his sisters would stare at a boy they fancied.

The answer hit him like thunder.

Leslie was in love.

While Jess stood stunned the knight drew his sword, the clear ring of steel filling the air. He pointed the tip of the fine blade at Miss Edmunds. Jess swallowed. Julia didn't move, didn't speak. Her beautiful face displayed no fear, nor anger. She just watched him calmly as if expecting nothing.

"This works well," Thomas said.

Miss Edmunds at last smiled. "I'm glad you like it." Her eyes roamed the length of the blade. "I see you haven't managed to break it yet."

The grim looking knight returned her grin. "I'll try harder, next time."

"I'm so glad you've returned, Tom."

He strode forward and seized her around the waist as she tried to speak pulled her into a tight embrace, pressing his lips to hers in a deep kiss. As Julia moaned against him, Jess felt his jaw drop. Leslie rolled her eyes. Jess averted his. After a moment, Julia managed to push the bold knight away. She swatted his armored shoulder. "Not in front of the children, Tom!"

Jess bristled at the knight's brashness and he felt his face heating uncontrollably at Miss Edmunds referring to him as a "child." He glowered at the placid look Leslie was sending Tom's way. Jess decided he didn't like this man. Not one bit.

When he returned his glower to Thomas, he watched as he stroked Miss Edmunds raven hair. "I couldn't help it," Jess heard him whisper. "I've seen not beauty in so many months."

Julia crossed her arms and gave him a wry look. "Surely a knight of your charms must have found some fair lady in need of rescuing."

He shook his head. "I've seen only the enemy," he whispered, "and orcs aren't that pretty."

"Well, you smell of orc," Miss Edmunds complained. "Go bathe."

Jess couldn't help but snicker at her comment. Good girl. He knew his Julia was too clever to be beguiled by such paltry words. He decided he would teach the knight a thing or two about manners. As if on cue, the man turned to them and smiled Leslie's way.

She beamed.

"Hello, Thomas."

Jess couldn't believe how she fawned over this ridiculous man. He felt his blood heat at Leslie's shy smile and Jess clenched his jaw as he watched the knight kneel before his friend. Thomas daintily took up her hand and kissed the backs of her fingers. Leslie giggled as her face turned a bright red. "Are you going to be staying long?"

He shook his head and her face fell. "I'm sorry, my lady, but I'm afraid I'll have to be moving on soon." Jess tried to hide his delight behind a frown. He didn't think he did a very good job. "But I suppose I could stay long enough to train you."

That brought the grin back. Jess didn't understand what he meant but he was sure it was something Leslie wanted. He wasn't sure if it was something he wanted. The big man turned to him then. "Who's this?"

"Who?" She seemed to notice Jess for the first time. "Oh! This is Jess. He's new."

Thomas extended his hand. "Hello, Jess." Jess clasped arms with the man and tried not to look away as the knight smiled. "Get my horse to the stables, will you?"

As Jess face went red, Leslie barked a laugh. "No, Thomas," she laughed, "Jess is my new valet. He's supposed to keep me out of trouble."

The big man straightened. "I see." His gaze slid back to Jess. "Well, then, you have my sincerest sympathies."

"Oh, very funny," Leslie grumbled. "Why don't you go wash up—Miss Edmunds is right; you do smell."

He glanced back to Miss Edmunds and Jess saw her nod that it was true. He laughed then and stepped back. "By your command, m'lady."

He dipped a sweeping bow to Leslie and strode off, giving his horse a parting scratch behind the ears and Julia a parting kiss. A boy from the stables led the winged creature away and Jess watched Leslie watching the strange knight depart. She sighed wistfully.

Jess harrumphed. "Well, that guy is really—"

"Wonderful?" Leslie's eyes had a strange glint. Her grin was silly.

Unsure, Jess only nodded, wondering why she looked so goofy.