Chapter 42: Princess Lirael

As the knight was almost upon us, I did the only thing I could think of.

I bowed. My head parallel with the ground.

I don't know if villagers are supposed to bow to knights, but I definitely don't know what the greeting is supposed to be, so bowing and keeping my mouth shut seemed best.

I straightened and saw Olivander put one hand on his sheath and the other on his shoulder.

"Sir Knight," he said, giving a barely perceptible bow.

"I have no quarrel with you. I wish to speak to the girl."

Being a princess's knight probably gets him a lot of sway. He didn't sound like a man who was used to hearing the word no.

Olivander took a step to the side, firmly putting himself in front of me. Which made it clear that the knight was a full head taller than my brother.

"My sister has not moved since you arrived. I see no reason why you should hear her voice."

Ah. He was telling me to be quiet. Got it.

I had to hold back a smile despite the tension. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eric making his way over to us, though he was going at a leisurely pace.

The knight ignored my brother and spoke over his head.

"Where are you from, girl?"

"Here," my brother said.

"Quiet," barked the knight. "Who do you serve, girl?"

Serve?

I guess I serve Lumisiel, but I kept my mouth shut. This time, my brother did too.

A few moments passed as the knight fumed.

"I said, who do you serve?"

"You have quite the way with children," Eric said, standing directly behind me and putting his hands on my shoulders.

He got down to his knees at eye level. There was a twinkle in his eyes.

"And who are you?"

Eric ignored him.

"Who do you listen to?" he asked me.

God. Dad. Mom. Alaric. Magnavex for now.

"Mom and Dad," I said quietly.

The knight clicked his tongue.

My brother took a step back and gripped my hand.

Eric smiled.

"Aren't you currently grounded for not listening to your parents?"

My embarrassed pause seemed to have been what he wanted. He stood up and faced the knight.

"As you can see, this girl is not under anyone's service, but she barely listens to her own parents. I recommend you recruit someone else."

He wanted to recruit me?

"I do not want to recruit her!"

Oh.

"Then whatever reason do you have to talk to a little girl?" Eric asked, genuinely confused.

"When we arrived, I saw her hesitating to kneel," the knight hissed.

At that, Eric seemed taken aback.

"She...?"

"Yes. And the only way to resist your royal's authority is through an Oath."

He looked at me harshly.

"Who do you serve?"

But I don't have an Oath, which means he is wrong. There has to be some other way to resist.

Hmm. He said your royal's authority. That's why he asked me where I lived. Maybe this is about allegiances, since I am from this kingdom. She should be my princess, but I answer to a higher authority.

Both Olivander and Eric seemed lost for words, which meant it was up to me. I needed to tell a truth if I wanted to be convincing.

"I serve no authority other than God," I answered the knight for the first time. "Just because you don't know of another way doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"It is known fact," he stated simply.

"Just because something is known doesn't make it true," I retorted.

He paused.

"And what about your face?"

What's wrong with my face?

"When you laid eyes on the princess, your face went red with rage," he accused.

I didn't know what to say about that. The reason I went red was from my embarrassing thoughts, not anger.

Luckily, my brother knew what to say. Or rather, what to snicker despite the tension.

"That was because she thought the princess was pretty."

"Wha... wha..." I sputtered as a response.

The knight looked annoyed.

"You expect me to believe that?"

Mira stepped up. I had honestly forgotten she was there.

"Yes, you should. She even blushed while we discussed her outfit."

What? No! I didn't. What was she talking ab...

The image of Ezkyrath laughing popped up in my mind.

I wasn't blushing about the princess. That was... ugh!

I could feel my face going red again. I hated how easily this happened to me.

The knight looked between the three of us, then simply turned and walked away.

I turned to the others. Olivander gave me an apologetic look. Mira didn't seem to think anything was wrong. Eric, though, stared at the knight's back with a confused expression.

I wasn't sure what he was thinking, but I knew what I was thinking.

I need to find out if Alaric is telling the princess I was possessed.

***

The princess was sitting in a side room, sipping tea calmly while Daario paced behind her sofa.

She had been ignoring his complaining as he attempted to give her advice for the umpteenth time. Daario wasn’t her man. He was a soft, heavyset man with smooth hands, a round stomach, and the pale complexion of someone who spent most of his life indoors, far from the fields, very different from the villagers they had just walked by outside. His cheeks sagged slightly at the jowls, and his gray hair had been combed back with too much oil, leaving it flat and shining against his scalp.

His cuffs were spotless. His boots were polished. His fingers were ink-stained but not calloused.

My brother got a sword master and I get an accountant. Useful, if it weren’t for my every expense being reported back to Father.

He had been complaining of their delaying their journey, how they should "push on ahead and leave this pathetic little village behind."

The only way to avoid his influence was to ignore him. Whether she did what he said or the opposite, that would give control over to her father, something she couldn’t allow. Especially not now.

The princess continued ignoring him and turned towards Eloise, her handmaiden.

She was a girl of soft features and bright eyes, with purple curls that refused to stay pinned no matter how many jeweled clips had been forced into them. Her handmaiden’s dress was fine enough for court, pale cream with gold stitching along the sleeves, but she wore it like a borrowed thing, one shoulder slightly crooked and the hem already creased from the way she had tucked her legs beneath the chair.

Proper etiquette dictated that she should be standing by, waiting on Princess Lirael. Instead, she sat hunched over a plate of cookies. She looked more commoner daughter than noble one.

Daario had long since learned not to point out her deficiencies, as Lirael liked Eloise’s mannerisms, in private at least. It felt like another push back to her father.

"Eloise, where is Sir Loren?"

Unlike her brother, who boasted a large retinue, Sir Loren was the last of her confidants. She had others in attendance, but they were all loyal to her father before her.

"He said he was going to check something out," Eloise answered, not bothering with honorifics, none did. "I don't know why he is..."

The door to the room opened, interrupting the girl.

Sir Loren walked in. He was still in armor, though he had removed his helmet and tucked it beneath one arm. His hair was dark and cropped close, damp at the temples from the heat outside. His face still had that boyish look of a young man. He wasn’t simply a knight; he was her sworn shield. Meant to protect her against all harm. She had picked him herself, which is why she could trust him so.

The princess spoke first, her words coming slowly.

"Where have you been?"

The gall to leave me alone before we were even situated. Having to talk to the Saint without him beside me.

She fumed, but none of it reached her face or voice. Years of court lessons had taught her better.

"Questioning some villagers about a girl," he said honestly.

"Then the girl?" she asked.

Daario spoke first.

"Who cares about a girl? We should be heading out!"

The knight ignored him, as the princess had not even given him a glance.

"The girl seemed to be struggling against your Authority when you exited the carriage."

The old man raised his arms in anger.

"She what?"

The princess took another sip of her tea.

That was interesting. Could there be some dissent in this village?

"And what did you learn?"

The old man bounded towards the door.

"She should be arrested and interrogated. Her and her whole family!"

He grabbed the handle when the princess yelled.

"Sit down and be quiet."

She turned to Sir Loren, ignoring the man once he sat down.

"The girl, Olive, is the daughter of Oliver, the captain of the Grovekeepers. From the villagers I spoke to, the girl has never left the forest."

Then it is her parents who have instilled distrust in the crown.

"If he is the captain, why didn’t he greet me?"

"Her parents left to Drowsend."

The princess could tell from how Loren smiled that the next news would favor her.

"They found the remains of Saurkin. Seemingly, a battle occurred, or a massacre. Either way, they left there with a few of their Grovekeepers to cause a fuss."

This was good news. It seemed they were upset at demibeings being killed.

"And what of the villagers you spoke to?"

"They spoke to me without fear. I don’t think they are being pressured, but..."

"It felt like they were hiding something," the princess interrupted. "Yes. It was the same with the clergy. There is something they have been told not to say."

The old man grumbled.

"That is the problem with these little villages. They lack the beggars and thieves that would sell the information."

"But what they did matters as much," the princess said. "The Saint told us there was a dungeon discovered in the mountains."

"The dungeon wasn't discovered," the Daario said. "It is the Little Mouth Dungeon. The king had declared it would be starved. This is of no consequence."

"No consequence? The dungeon leads through the mountain. A second exit connecting both sides of a mountain. Merchants and travelers alike will benefit greatly."

"They also said there were Flashstalkers. Such magnificent beasts would have adventurers traveling from much farther than the city," Eloise added.

"Exactly. We won’t be able to catch up with my brother at this rate."

She glanced at Daario and added, for his benefit, "That’s why we will simply remain here. This must be managed for the kingdom’s sake."

In reality, it was a change of strategy, nothing more. She had discussed the possibility with Eloise and Loren on the ride over. If her cause was to survive court, it could not begin with dukes and bishops already counting favors. It needed towns. Villages. People who would remember who had stood beside them before the war reached their gates.

Tillshade had offered itself up almost too neatly. A village led by a captain. A captain angry enough over dead Saurkin to ride for Drowsend himself. A forest already important to naturalists and beast scholars.

And now, a dungeon.

Yes.

The princess determined she would start here.