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CHAPTER FIVE
Rick had the foresight to trade all the coinage they each had for some coin of the realm with Sadie before they left. Even though, given the differential worth of the metal used in the coins that Sadie provided against the modern coinage that Kate and Rick had been able to pull together, the woman was happy to have the exotic money. The coins that she had given to them were basically either pure silver, or copper. The amalgamate metals that their modern coinage was made from had nowhere the intrinsic value as did the pure silver coins she traded them. But it was exotic.
Rick promised that he'd try his best to get her back the value of the money that she had traded with them. Sadie just waved off their concerns. She was happy to have the coins from an unknown realm. The uniqueness and the rarity of such foreign money would make them desirable beyond whatever the metallurgy used to make them. Rick and Kate thanked her, but both kept the idea of paying her back if it ever became possible.
So with some money jingling in their pockets, Rick and Kate spent most of the evening in a tavern of sorts. They managed to secure a couple of pork sandwiches, and enough watered liquor to satisfy their thirst.
They found a dark corner of the establishment and did their best to be unremarkable and watched the locals enjoy their evening.
Both were somewhat surprised that there was very little talk of any sort of danger or threats that the city and the castle might be under.
They took turns dozing off for short naps as they waited for the sun to rise and the gate to the main parts of the city, and access to the castle, would be opened for business. They weren't sure of the etiquette when it came to getting an audience with the king, but they were hoping that their sheer strangeness would work in their favor.
Rick was the one who was awake when the light of the rising sun started peeking through various openings around the door and someone began to open the shutters to let the light in. As much as he would like a little something for breakfast he felt he should be frugal with their small store of coins.
Kate was leaning against him, her cute little flutter snore leaving a wet spot on his shirt up near his shoulder. He gave her a little nudge.
She jerked back, then turned toward him cracking a large yawn in the process.
"Did you have a nice nap?" He asked with a grin.
"Short." She combed back several tendrils of loose hair that had escaped from her ponytail with her fingers. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Time to get up?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I think we should head toward the main gate into the city and see how much we can gleam from some general surveillance."
She looked up at Rick. "You don't want to just head directly for the castle?"
He shook his head. "No, I want to wander around the market place of Avoria and listen in on the general conversations of the city folk. You remember how little there was of any talk in that tavern that might have indicated any trouble for the city and the king."
Kate nodded. "Yeah, Sadie indicated that the king was being faced with some sort of troubles that might be tied to some dragon rumors." She frowned. "I wonder what actually might have happened that could be blamed on a dragon."
He put his arm around her and gave her a hug. "So, let's head out into the city and see how we might be able to get an audience with the king after we've gathered some intel."
They got up and exited the tavern. They picked up their horses a couple of buildings down. A small barn like hut that serviced horses for travelers. After an exchange of several coppers, they led their mounts toward the large gate. It was the end point of the trail they had followed all the way here from the church at the little village where they started.
Kate was about to get up on her horse when Rick tapped her arm and pointed toward the gateway. None of the people were riding their horses into the center of the city. Everyone was leading their horses by their reigns.
She shrugged her shoulders and copied Rick as they walked toward the large open gate in Avoria. She noticed that Rick was limping some.
"How is your ankle?"
He smiled. "It's not bad. I won't be able to run away from a charging bull, or you, but I'll be okay." She smiled.
The two of them walked, leading their horses, through the gate and into the main courtyard of Avoria.
They walked close together but spent their time listening to the chatter around them rather than talking with each other. They didn't pick up on any underlying fear, or anticipation of something big coming soon.
Most of what they heard from the townsfolk was general everyday conversations that you'd expect. But they stayed with their wandering, keeping their ears open.
The sun had risen high enough to begin making walking around in the open uncomfortable. There were no clouds to shade one from the direct sunlight, and there was no breeze to be found.
Rick was just about to call for a break, and maybe find something to eat and drink when he caught onto a couple of rough looking fellows talking as they leaned against the corner of what looked to be a blacksmith's place.
Rick used his eyes to clue in Kate about the two fellows. She came closer and they both slowed their walk by fussing with their mounts tack. They stood their ground fussing with their saddles but the two guys kept talking about the sudden recruiting for the army, until they finally walked on down the street.
Rick raised his brow. "What do you think about that?"
Kate gave him a slight grin. "It could possibly be what we are looking for, or just a couple guys at loose ends hoping that there might be something for them."
Rick nodded but seemed more positive. "Yeah, but it does fit. From what they were saying, it sounds like the king is quietly looking for bodies to expand his army. If he didn't feel that Avoria and the kingdom weren't in jeopardy from somewhere, or someone, he wouldn't need to recruit."
Kate allowed herself a small frown. "So, what do we do? Do we just ride up to the castle and knock of the door and say, 'Hey I hear you're looking for soldiers'. Why would they want us?"
Rick grinned. "Because we are exceptional knights from the illustrious kingdom of York, who've found themselves magically transported to this realm. And we would be happy to help out the people of Castle Rock Ridge and Avoria in exchange for help getting home."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Well if you plan to sell the King that story, you'd better start working out the details before you spin your tale."
They both lead their horses in the same direction those other two guys went. "It won't be that hard to sell. We won't come in wanting to join up as much as offer help with their problems in exchange for help with ours." He ignored her smirk. "Unless I'm mistaken, this is a land that believes in curses, fantastical monsters, and magic. We just have to tell him about the magic mirror that placed us here. That's bound to get their interest."
Kate still frowned. "Since real magic doesn't exist, how is he supposed to help us get back?"
"Don't you consider that huge mirror a magic portal of some sort?" He raised his brow.
She shook her head. "There is no such thing as magic. What we encountered was some advanced piece of technology that opened some sort of dimensional door into this particular realm."
Rick smirked. "And as the famous author Arthur C. Clarke wrote in the third of his famous Three Laws, 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is undistinguishable from magic'. It doesn't really matter what is behind that mirror portal. As far as the people we will be dealing with… it is magic."
She glared at him. "Smart ass."
Since the castle's name was Rock Ridge they chose to guide their horses toward the looming mountain reaching up toward the afternoon sky just off to their left. The other mountain that formed the other guardian of the city was a bit further away from the human activity of Avoria.
Once they passed a few buildings and reached an open road headed toward the mountain they knew they were on the right path. Ahead they could see what appeared to be a significant stone wall. The roadway they were on led straight toward a gate that seemed to be guarded with a small cadre of soldiers carrying long pikes.
The gate was open, but anyone approaching the gate was stopped by the guards on duty.
Kate noticed that there seemed to be quite a few young men lined up to enter what must be the castle's courtyard. Maybe the efforts to recruit more men for the king's army wasn't being done a quietly as they'd thought from the lack of gossip heard in the city.
Rick caught Kate's eye. "So, it looks like the king is definitely in a recruitment mode."
Kate nodded. "It looks that way. Is it your idea for us to try and join the army?"
Rick chuckled. "No, we'll present ourselves as a couple of knights from a far off land requesting an audience with the king. We'll let the flunkies think we are some envoy from elsewhere. We should wait until we are in front of the king before we explain our problem."
Kate pursed her lips. "Are you thinking that a king who seems to be preparing for some dire threat to his realm is going to give much concern to a couple of lost travelers?"
Rick smiled. "Oh, but you forget. We are nobles from a far off land. A place that may be a friend in his coming war with whatever has him building up his army."
A few minutes later Rick and Kate were stopped by a couple of burly guards at the gate.
"Are you two looking to join up?" The guard looked up at them as they had chosen to remount their horses a little way back.
Rick shifted on his saddle so he towered even more over the standing guard.
"I and my companion are noble visitors from the far off kingdom of York." He broke out his most dazzling smile. Kate just stared. "I am Sir Richard Rogers, knight of the realm and protector of the oppressed. My companion is Dame Katherine Beckett who also is a knight of the realm and beloved of the people of York. We humbly request an audience with his Majesty King Zachariah, Lord of Rock Ridge and protector of Avoria and all its people."
Kate had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing.
The guard looked uncomfortable. Obviously he hadn't been informed of an important guest… or two. He opened his mouth a couple times, but no words came out.
Rick rolled his eyes and expelled a deep sigh.
"Obvious no one told you to expect us. I would say that you should have one of your guards lead Dame Beckett and myself to the castle so I can inform your king as to the importance of our visit." Rick leaned down toward the guard. "Don't you?"
The guard quickly grabbed one of the other guards who was wandering by and pulled him over.
"You," he pointed to the confused guard. "Will take these two noble guests," he pointed to Rick and Kate. "To the Chamberlin at the Castle so they can be presented to the king." He shook the confused guard. "Got it?" The flustered guard looked at Rick and Kate, then to the scowling guard who had called him over.
He just nodded and with a jerk of his head, indicated that Rick and Kate follow him. They did.
It was a winding route, but finally they reached a courtyard in front of the Castle. Rock Ridge Castle was aptly named since it was built into the side of the mountain itself.
There was an extremely impressive facade against the majestic north face of the mountain. Multicolored stone work surrounded the courtyard leading to the elegant stairway which provided the entrance to the interior of the castle.
All along the sheer face of the mountain were various sized openings which led to ornate balconies decorated with more beautiful stone work and various plantings in huge pots arranged along the intricate metal railings. There were even select fruit trees scattered around.
The guard that had led them to the edge of the courtyard indicated that they should dismount, He then had a young boy, whose purpose was to be available for any tasks needed done, take Rick and Kate's horses to the stable.
The two of them stood next to the guard who had just sent another young boy scurrying away on another task. They assumed it was to bring the Chamberlin to them, or bring someone who could bring them to him.
They hadn't had to wait long. The young boy came back in a few minutes with a tall somewhat emaciated fellow in toll. The expression he had on his face reminded Kate of a newly promoted detective who would carry himself with a puffed up attitude to let everyone else know how important he was now. She had to bite her lip to keep from smirking.
The thin man tipped his head back slightly so he could look down his nose at the strangers the guard brought.
"And who be these strangely garbed persons, and why should I care?"
Kate almost laughed when she caught the guard rolling his eyes.
"I begs your pardon Meister, but the captain of the guard tasked me to bring these two individuals to the Lord Chamberlain's attention."
The thin man was about to say something when Rick stepped forward and interrupted.
"Greetings, my name is Sir Richard Rogers," Rick waved his hand toward Kate. "And my companion is Dame Katherine Beckett. We are noble knights of the faraway lands of York. We have traveled far and seek an audience with his Majesty King Zachariah, of Rock Ridge Castle, protector of Avoria, and the surrounding realm."
Kate noticed that the skinny meister was puffing up getting ready to exert his imagined importance, so she cut him off as quickly as she could.
She gave the tall, thin putz a huge smile. "Our mission here is very important and most urgent. Any help you can extend to us in our mission will be most appreciated and looked upon with great favor by your and our superiors."
It only took a couple of seconds for the meister to make his decision. He may be a putz but he wasn't a complete idiot.
He gave both Rick and Kate a respectful nod of his head. "Please follow me sir, and milady. I'll bring you to meet with the Lord Chamberlin. It will be him who can set up an audience with our esteemed majesty King Zachariah."
He turned and began walking back the way he had come. He never turned his head to see if Rick and Kate were following. That would show that he was uncertain of his status and he could never do that. Kate just had to keep her teeth clamped onto her lips. It would be poor manners to laugh at the fellow.
They were led through a pair of massive doors made mostly from some dark wood that neither of them could identify, with highly burnished copper hinges, bands and ornate accents. The door way was easily twenty feet high to the peak of the arch, and easily as wide.
They found themselves following the meister through several hallways and made multiple lefts and rights. One might think that they were trying to hide where the Chamberlin operated from.
Finally they reached a door that had a military guard standing in front of it. The meister walked up to the guard and spoke to him in unheard whispers. The guard nodded and opened the door just enough to slip through but nothing could be seen inside.
The meister used his hand to indicate some plush chairs sitting next to an oval table which held a bowl of some sort of punch.
"Please have a seat. Feel free to quench your thirst." He glanced up at the closed door. "The guard will come for you when the Lord Chamberlin will see you." He nodded his head once then turned and left.
Rick looked over at Kate. "Well milady, would you like some punch?"
"I am a bit thirsty. I thank thee kind knight."
With a smirk he poured a cup full of the juice being held in the large glass bowl. "I'm sorry that it will be only room temperature since ice cubes aren't exactly easily found when it's not winter."
Kate sipped the warm punch. She frowned and mushed her face into a strange expression.
Rick smirked. "Taste bad?"
She shook her head. "Not bad exactly. I just can't place the flavor."
Rick took a quick sip from a cup he poured for himself. "Ah… it's pomegranate."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Like you know what warm pomegranate juice would taste like. I'm sure you have it all the time."
Rick shrugged. "Doesn't everyone?"
Just then the door opened and the guard stepped out of the Chamberlin's chamber.
He gave them a brief look and spoke. "The Lord Chamberlin will see you now."
The Lord Chamberlin was every stereotype one might think that basic middle management would look like. He was a person who had just enough power to enjoy his position without too much actual responsibilities.
He had enough power to appear important to those in lesser positions, but not enough to put him into situations that would put his office or his person under any significant scrutiny. He became very adept at passing along anything that might require him to risk himself or his cushy position.
Not that he didn't have a certain level of power in the structure of their governing. Being ruled by a monarchy put the real responsibilities on the king and his close advisors. The Lord Chamberlin was strictly a middle man. He had just enough sway to tell those whose basic function was to say yes sir and then they'd go do what he wanted them to.
He was good at picking flunkies who wanted to do anything he told them to because they saw it as a means of bettering themselves. What they didn't realize was, all that ended with the Lord Chamberlin. His real job was to pick enough of, and the right ones, who would do all the actual work that came under his purview.
He rarely had to actually exert himself physically. He mostly just decided who to hand off a particular task to do in his name.
This latest piece of inconvenience that he had been handed was a bit more of a problem than usual. He knew that his newest meister would jump at the chance to deal with these unexpected foreign guests. But these two knights from some far off realm would need to eventually wind up in front of the king and his meister wasn't ready for that yet.
Even though this realm was under a monarchy it still ran as a political entity. The church was at the top. They controlled most of the wealth of the realm and even though the king is the leader of all the people, the king must answer to the church… most of the time. He may have the last word on matters, but the church knew how to exert the proper pressure and wasn't afraid to do it.
Then there is the military. The king's strong right arm. They keep the peace and protect the masses. But it is those masses who are the kingdom's strong back which holds it all together.
The Chamberlin knew that it wasn't his job to solve problems of the kingdom. It was his job to divert problems to the best person available to handle it. He was happy in his vision of who he was and what he did. But every so often he is confronted with something that requires a more subtle touch. And those are the problems that he has yet to find someone he can trust with them.
He stood up as he knew the guard had just told the unknown travelers that he would see them now. Moments later two attractive individuals came into his office. The man seemed to walk with a bit of a limp but overall he seemed a well-muscled fellow, but not muscle bound like some of the military types.
The woman was something else completely. She was incredibly attractive with a lithe figure that looked like she could take care of herself but not at the cost of her feminine virtues. From the confident expression on her face, she wasn't the kind of woman who would expect someone else to take care of her.
By seeing their body language for just a few moments, it was clear that they belonged together.
With a wave of his hand he indicated some chairs surrounding a small table. He waited until they had seated themselves and took a chair opposite from them.
He gave them his opening smile. "Greetings, my name is Josiah and I'm the Lord Chamberlin at Rock Ridge Castle. It's my understanding that you are travelers from a far realm and wish to discuss some matters of importance with his Majesty King Zachariah."
Rick smiled and nodded. "Yes we would." Kate just stared back at him.
The Chamberlin returned the smile. "Is this something you can share with me, or is it some secret correspondence from your land to ours that is for the king's eyes and ears only."
Rick frowned. "No, it's not like that. At least not exactly like that." He stared at his hand for a few moments then turned his attention back to the Chamberlin. "As we've said when we've told others, we are travelers from a kingdom very far from here. But we've only been away from our realm for a couple of days."
The Chamberlin leaned back in his chair and showed his astonishment. "Then how ever did the two of you get here?"
Rick shook his head. "That my Lord Chamberlin, is the crux of our problem and possibly a problem for your kingdom."
The Chamberlin leaned forward. "Please, as noble knights you can address me by my name, Josiah."
"Thank you. As introduced I'm Sir Richard Rogers, but things will be easier if you just call me Sir Richard. And I'm sure that Milady Katherine Beckett would answer to Dame Beckett, or Lady Katherine."
Kate gave Rick one of her looks of annoyance. "No need to get too formal. I will answer to Lady Katherine."
Josiah smiled and nodded. "Excellent, now please tell me what you can so I can plead your case to the King and his advisors."
"Thank you." Rick clasped his hand together. "I understand from some of the gossip we've heard during our short time here that there is some unrest in the kingdom, perhaps even a threat. And I can't help but think that the information I have in relation to how we got here from our realm might have repercussions for your realm when the troubles you seem to be anticipating become a reality."
Josiah's face betrayed his unease. "Please tell me your story."
Kate leaned back and enjoyed Rick's accurate but with significant embellishments, the story of how they got from home to here. He didn't talk too much about their kingdom of York, but he made sure that he accurately explained how they got transported to this realm via the magic mirror portal. He played up the abandonment of the small village they had first came across. He didn't add that they hadn't really bothered to find out where the people of the small village had gone. Just that they were gone.
Not knowing the normal traffic that was usual on that trail they'd rode from the village to Avoria he merely emphasized the lack of others on that trail except for a robber they had come across and the one family they saw near the outskirts of the city.
Once Rick had finished. Chamberlin Josiah stood up.
"That is quite the tale you tell Sir Richard, and parts of what you've spoken are unsettling for certain. I will do what I can to get you an audience with the king and his advisors as soon as I can." Josiah paced around the room a couple of times. "I will have some food and drink brought in for the two of you. You can stay here until I can get back from speaking with his Majesty's advisors and have set up a time for an audience with him."
Kate smiled at him, and noted the smile he sent back to her. "We can't thank you enough Lord Chamber-," He held up his hand. She smiled again. "Josiah. We will try to be patient while you are away."
"This probably has the potential that this something that has thrown the two of you into our realm could very well indicate some danger to our own security. I thank you both, but I must go and do what I can to inform those that need to know."
He forced his portly body to hustle through the large door to the outside corridors.
Kate stared at Rick. "Now what do we do?"
"We wait… and hope he remembers to tell someone to bring us some food. I'm starving."
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All Readers are Appreciated, Review if you wish
A/N: On the 13th, we had a late electric storm for about a half an hour up here in MN. Unfortunately, it was just annoying enough to knock out the power for about two hours. When the lights came back on, I found out that my computer modem had been put out of business. I had no internet. Calling a 1-800 number for service the next morning, I was told a new modem would be overnighted to me… it wasn't. More calls, and finally getting someone to come out with a new modem… and some more waiting, I'm finally back with my internet.
