Chapter 5: Riders, Merchant and King
Mara sighed with relief as the midday bell rang. The Quartermaster waved in dismissal to the various stable hands that had come to discuss the dubious quality of the new supplies of feed for the horses, and motioned for her to stay behind. She watched Hep longingly as he wandered off in search of food before looking back at the Quartermaster. He smiled wearily at her and handed her a small package.
"It contains a letter to the Merchants Guild and a report of the current state of feed for the horses. Do you have a rider to spare?" He asked.
She smiled. "Yes, it would make a good training run for one of the new riders."
The Quartermaster nodded. "I will not keep you from your meal."
Mara grinned and hurried out of the large office towards the servant's dining room just off the kitchens. Although the Green Riders where not exactly servants, they were not nobles either so ate with the rest of the castles staff in a large room packed with crude utilitarian benches. Despite its lack of grandeur the dining room was always packed just after the midday bell and Mara was lucky to squeeze in to a space beside Garth who was sitting with a lot of the latest recruits.
The giant Rider nodded in greeting as he wolfed down meat and potatoes.
"Garth would you be up to a short run to the Merchants Guild?" She asked picking up her own cutlery.
"Should be a good run in this weather." He smiled. "A training run?"
Everyone knew with the influx of new Riders that all short message errands would be made by two people, a seasoned Green Rider and a Rider-in-Training. She nodded and looked across the table to where one such Rider sat nervously. Mara decided that this shy new rider would be perfect to accompany the big friendly seasoned Rider.
"Ellin?"
The new Rider jumped and looked at Mara as if she was Captain Mapstone. Fighting the urge to grin, at the idea that she could be compared to the quick tempered fiery haired Captain by some of the more timid recruits, she gestured at Garth.
"Rider Bowen will be delivering a message to the Merchants Guild. You will accompany him. Report to the stables, fully prepared, at the ninth bell tomorrow. I will inspect your saddle bags at the tenth bell tonight." She announced.
The pale girl nodded and hurried out of the dining room without finishing her apple pie. Mara rolled her eyes. Why are the new ones always so eager? She smiled at Garth and they fell in to an easy silence.
"Training tonight?" Garth asked.
She nodded. Mara always looked forward to staff training with Donal; it was good to feel strong and able again despite her missing fingers. She found that she genuinely liked her teacher or at least more so than the idea of training with Arms Master Drent. The thought of Drent reminded her of Karigan and her heart sank. How she dearly missed her friend.
She sighed and remembered what the Captain had in mind for them this afternoon. It had been five weeks since Lynx had returned to them; in light of the trouble Karigan seemed to get herself in to even when she was in the confined spaces of the palace she had to admit the Captains worries were founded. The idea of looking through Karigan's belongings in hope of finding anything that would help them find out her fate was bad enough but the idea that Karigan might not return...
She shook herself as she saw a Green Foot runner jogging purposefully towards her. Hopefully it would not be a cancellation from Donal; she would need the combat to make her feel better after an afternoon dwelling on Karigan.
"Chief Rider!" The small boy squeaked. "The Captain wants to see you urgently"
It was a warm day the sun shining off the coats of the messenger horses and warming Lynx back as he looked over the paddock, the long grass rippling in the light breeze. In the furthest corner stood his long-time companion, a black and white piebald, happily grazing undeterred by the palace wall. Reluctantly he turned to look at the horse nearest him; Condor was stubbornly standing facing towards the palace gates yet again showing the intelligence the messenger horses were known for.
Karigan, Lynx sighed. She's out there somewhere and Condor knows it.
Taking it as a sign of encouragement he turned away from the paddock and walked towards the training field. He knew he needed to be stationed here in the castle, now, with the threat of Mornhavon, but he did not like civilization. He preferred instead the tall pines and animals of the border lands of Sacoridia. When this is all over, he vowed to himself, I will return to the forest.
"Lynx."
He turned to see Mara walking down the grassy slope towards him. He nodded in greeting, but his heart sank. Was this going to turn in to another long questioning session about Blackveil, Mornhavon and Karigan?
He sighed heavily as he remembered the audience he had had yesterday with the King. His monarch had seemed unusually interested in Karigan, but then that was why Ardmont was sent on the mission to Blackveil to get rid of her. Lynx did not tell the King that he and the few Eletians that had survived knew of the pair's feelings for each other. In fact, from what Yates had told him, Karigan had thought that the king did not know about her feelings towards him.
"Lynx?" Mara asked again.
He shook himself. "Yes? Sorry what were you saying?"
She laughed. "I was just asking if you'd like to go for a ride. I thought you might want to get away from Sacor City for a few hours. There is a message to go to the Mayor of Childrey. I managed to clear it with Ben if you wanted to go."
He nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
"Also we will be going through Yates' belongings later today. We have already searched through Karigan's room, although we are leaving all her belongings in for now. Alton said he found a message from her in his tent that she wrote before she entered Blackveil, thus the search. We found three letters. Ty is riding out to give one to Stevic G'ladheon. He is also taking a new rider as part of a training run..."
"I don't envy Ty of the task. Bringing news to the wealthiest merchant in Sacoridia about the disappearance of his daughter with a Rider-in-Training in tow isn't the easiest of tasks."
"He volunteered for it."
That did not surprise him. Riding with someone gave you a good idea of exactly who they were-the good, and the bad. It took a special kind of person to actually volunteer. What was it the other riders called Ty? He smiled as he remembered Karigan explaining "Rider Perfect" to the newest recruits before they left for Blackveil. Although she would never admit it, Karigan made a good teacher. He almost laughed at what she would say about that idea.
"The second letter Captain Mapstone has. It's for all of us, so once she has read it we will all be allowed to read it. Although I'm sure you know her sentiments as well as I do."
He nodded. "It will be a fond farewell to her family."
They stood in companionable silence for a while, in which Lynx found himself wondering who the third letter was for. Karigan's life revolved around the Riders and her father. Who else was there? Alton had received one from the encampment at the wall. Who else would Karigan write to? He knew how she felt about...
"The King!" He whispered.
No she wouldn't have risked writing a letter with her feelings in it to him. Unless, he remembered, she thought she would be dead when he received it.
"Mara?"
She gave an assertive noise while watching her horse in the paddock wistfully.
"Who was the third letter for?" He asked desperately.
"Hmmm?"
"Who was Karigan's other letter addressed to?"
"Oh."
Please don't say Zachary, he thought.
Mara smiled "King Zachary of course. The Captain was planning to give it to him at the end of the public audience."
Lynx swore. Ignoring Mara's calls to him he raced back towards the throne room, as best as he could through the crowded corridors of leaving petitioners, ignoring the indignant nobles and the stares of the Weapons. The King could not read Karigan's letter unless she really was dead; there was nothing that would endanger the kingdom more than the King knowing the woman he loved really did love him back. Obviously Lynx was the only person that thought Karigan could make it back.
As he reached the throne room he saw Captain Mapstone leaving. What if he was too late? Not thinking he burst into the almost empty throne room only to be held back by a tall stony-faced Weapon. Fastion, wasn't it? On the dais, head in his hands, sat the King, a single piece of parchment on the floor. The Weapon led him out of the throne room gently and smiled weakly.
"He knows about my Sister-in-arms' feelings now?"Fastion asked.
Exhausted, Lynx nodded. There would be trouble when Karigan got back. If she survived this war against Mornhavon then what? Lynx felt sorry for her. He had never fallen in love and had vowed not to. But to fall in love with the most unattainable man in Sacoridia? Karigan sure knew how to attract trouble.
In this Chapter I added in the whole section from Mara's POV I felt it gave the reader a bigger picture of life inside the Castle after all Karigan has a lot of friends so to focus on only a few would not give the desired affect.
Let me know what you think of the new section and how it fits in.
Rhi