chapter TEN
With Dominic not saying anything as they made their way to the palace, Jake glanced nervously at the soldiers surrounding them, trying to get a sense of their mood. To Jake, they seemed unhappy about their task, but professional. Maybe it was their respect for Dominic; they seemed to want to be seen as dispassionate and disciplined, even Captain Hessel. Even so, it would have appeared to anyone watching them that Dominic was leading the party.
They made their way through one of the parks, torchlight illuminating the path. The palace reared in front of them, its white walls reflecting the pale light of the rising moon. The party made its way across the paved courtyard, heading for the gate that stood open in the middle of the wall. Jake could see additional guards in front of the gate.
Captain Hessel quickened his pace and reached the guards at the gate before the party. Jake heard him speak to the guards and one turned and ran back into the palace grounds. The group reached the gate and passed into the palace grounds.
Even in the torchlight, Jake could see across the open courtyard that there were large gardens of trees and flowering plants surrounding the palace. He could make out carved stone benches and statues placed within the gardens. He also saw guards posted at regular intervals around the palace, some partially hidden by the foliage.
They continued on the wide paved path that traveled up to the smooth stone stairs, which led to palace entrance. As they made their way up the stairs, Jake could see the guards at the door. Unlike the others, these guards were dressed in shining armor, each carrying a white shield on their left arm with a golden eagle painted in the center. Their long surcoats were also white, secured over their armor with a wide leather belt. From the belts, a sheathed sword hung from their hips. They also held a tall spear, its point long and sharp, in their right hand. The helmets, open-faced with a nose guard coming down from the brow area, were also shining, with a plume of white feathers topping them. Jake could tell they were ceremonial guards, but they looked like they could also fight, if need be.
The guards, looking straight ahead, did not acknowledge the group as they passed; obviously, they were expected. As they entered the palace, Jake looked around. He first noticed the polished stone floor, as his sneakers squeaked as he entered the foyer. Dominic gave him a look out of the corner of his eye, shaking his head slightly. Across the foyer were the entrances of three hallways. They headed across the foyer and entered the center hallway. The hallway was tall with an arched ceiling, walls painted golden, decorated by paintings and woven hangings, brightly lit by hundreds of candles along the walls and hanging from the ceiling. There was a thick red carpet that ran down the center of the stone floor, muffling their steps. At the end of the hall were two enormous golden doors, with two more ceremonial guards stationed before the door. Off to the right, a rotund older man with shoulder-length white hair and a short beard, dressed in fine clothing, waited.
Captain Hessel gave his soldiers an order to halt and they stopped before the doors. He went over to the finely dressed man and gave a slight bow. "Greetings, Lord Genela. I have brought Dominic and his charge, as instructed."
"My thanks, Captain." Genela replied airily, sounding as if he didn't mean it. He looked over at the group and frowned. "I do not see Brother Jonas. Didn't your instructions say to require his presence as well?"
Before Hessel could answer, Dominic spoke up. "Enough, Genela; Captain Hessel did his duty. As you well know, as Chief Cleric, Jonas does not have to come at the beck and call of the king. However, I'm sure he'll arrive as soon as he finishes his business. Now, let's get this over with before I do something you'll regret." His hard blue eyes seemed to bore into Genela's, who recoiled slightly.
"Of course, Dominic." Genela gave a sarcastic little bow. "It is, as always, such a pleasure to see you." He turned back to Captain Hessel. "You may leave us, Captain." Captain Hessel gave another bow to Genela, saluted Dominic, and led his men back down the hall.
Genela made a sharp gesture to the guards, who stepped back and opened the doors. Jake could see a large and wide hall, brightly lit, beyond the doors. Genela walked into the hall, with Dominic a step behind. Jake caught up with Dominic and walked by his side. A wide red carpet ran from the door across the room to a raised dais against the far wall. The dais was made up of three large semi-circular steps, the widest at the bottom, the smallest at the top. On the top of the dais, two large gilded chairs stood, side by side. The chairs were made the same, tall backed, with wide arms covered in leather, thick cushions on the seats. Above the chairs, hanging on the back wall, a large banner loomed. It was white, with a green and gold twisted edge. Centered in the banner was a golden crown over a golden eagle. The chairs were empty.
Once inside, Jake was surprised to see at least fifty to sixty people standing around the hall, most dressed in fine clothes like Genela. Jake could feel the eyes of everyone turn towards him and Dominic; he was conscious of his torn and dirty clothes under the cloak in this sea of finery. The faint murmur of voices that filled the hall died for a moment as they stopped to look, then restarted, a little louder than before.
Jake glanced at Dominic, whose face was neutral, though his eyes were still angry; he was apparently unconcerned as he strode forward towards the chairs. As some of the people moved away from the dais, Jake could see that there was a smaller chair set at the base of the stairs, slightly to the right of the dais chairs.
Genela stopped a few feet from the base of the dais, turned to face Dominic and said. "Wait here. The king shall be arriving shortly." With a smirk, he moved off into the crowd.
Jake leaned over and whispered to Dominic. "Where I come from, there is no king. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"Just copy what I do, boy. You'll be fine." Dominic replied, eyes facing forward.
Jake glanced around nervously. He saw the open stares and whispers as the crowd watched him, increasing his anxiety. He noticed that there were several other doors around the hall, smaller than the main doors, each one guarded. There was one set of double-doors set into the wall off to the right side of the dais. Two guards were posted there.
As he was looking at those doors, one opened and a tall, thin dark-haired man carrying a short staff and dressed in green and gold silk stepped into the room. He took two steps forward and stopped. When he banged his staff on the floor three times, the sound echoing through the hall, the murmuring faded to silence.
"King Kristin the First, Sovereign Lord of Sanduas and Protector of the Realm, comes." He said loudly, a surprisingly deep voice coming out of that thin frame. He banged his staff three more times. "He comes."
The guards opened both doors and Jake saw a man in his fifties, average height, slightly paunchy, with pale skin and a halo of gray hair surrounding the bald top of his head. He was dressed in a fine green silk doublet and pants, polished leather boots and a golden belt. A gold crown was perched on top of his head, four spikes rising from the ring of gold. He made his way to the dais, the men in the crowd bowing, the women curtsying, as he passed. He climbed the stairs to the chair to Jake's left. He sat down, face unhappy, and looked down at Dominic and Jake, waiting.
Dominic returned the stare for a moment, then bowed his head, neck barely bending. Jake hurriedly copied him, making his bow lower, not sure what would give offense.
The king nodded his head and gestured towards Dominic. "I join all of Sanduas in rejoicing for your safe return, Dominic. I hope that your hunting went well."
"I had some success, Your Majesty." Dominic replied, eyes hard, voice even. "Why have we been summoned?"
"Direct as always, Dominic." The king sighed. "I know that you must be tired from your travels, but word reached me that you had brought a stranger to the city, wrapped in a cloak and hood. That was a strange report to hear since you are well known to travel and operate alone. I wanted to find out what this was about, in case you were only here for a night."
The king looked over at Jake. "I take it that this young man is the stranger you brought?" Dominic gave a curt nod.
"Welcome to Sanduas, young man. What is your name?" The king asked. Jake glanced over to Dominic, who motioned for him to respond.
"Jake. Jake Thomas." Jake replied. He caught Dominic's slight frown. "Ahh...Your Majesty."
"Welcome to Sanduas, Jake Thomas. Please do not be afraid. I am only looking for some answers." The king said, smiling reassuringly at Jake.
The smile faded as the king faced Dominic again. "Why did you feel it necessary to hide his countenance when you arrived?"
"He is a stranger to these lands. I wanted to consult with Jonas before it was known that he is here." Dominic answered. He gestured to the crowd. "I would suggest that this public setting is not appropriate for further discussion. I ask that further questioning be done in a private audience."
The king paused, staring back at Jake, eyes now curious. Jake, uncomfortable with the attention, lowered his eyes and looked around. As he did so, the double doors that the king came through opened and a young woman came into the room.
Jake temporarily forgot where he was and could not do anything but stare. She was beautiful. She stood about five foot eight, with long reddish-brown hair and sparkling green eyes. She had smooth and unblemished skin, a slim build with curves where a woman should have them. Her dress was made of blue silk, which had a cut to it that accentuated her curves. She moved gracefully as she walked to the dais, nodding to people in the crowd.
She glanced over at Jake, saw his stare and smiled. When she smiled, white teeth flashing, she became even more beautiful, if that was possible. Jake stood there, his here and now forgotten, as he took in her beauty. She continued to smile at him, which he returned until Dominic elbowed him in the ribs, hard. Jake nearly doubled over from the shock.
"Forgive him, Your Majesty. He was apparently raised by savages who never told him it is impolite to stare at a woman." Dominic said dryly. Laughter rose from the crowd.
"No apologies are necessary." The king said, smiling fondly at the young woman. "I have seen the effect my daughter has on young men before." The crowd laughed again.
"It is not like I encourage it, Father." The woman replied, blushing slightly.
"Young men don't need much encouragement, Keria."
"Forgive my tardiness, Father." Keria said as she sat down in the chair at the base of the dais. "Have I missed anything important?"
"Dominic and I were just having a discussion about this young man Jake." The king said, gesturing towards Jake. "He has asked for a private audience to continue that discussion. I am weighing that request."
"I would second that request, Your Majesty." Jonas' voice said loudly, coming from behind Dominic and Jake. Jake turned to see him walking up towards the throne, staff carried in his right hand. Walking next to Jonas was a man a little shorter than Jake, dressed plainly in light brown pants and boots, with a darker vest, his bulging arms and shoulders bare. He had short dark hair and dark eyes. His shaven face had a ruddy complexion, like he was always in the sun. He saw Jake's look and gave him a smile and a wink. He had an open and friendly demeanor about him that Jake instantly liked.
The men walked up to where Dominic and Jake stood, stopping on the other side of Dominic. They both made a bow to the king.
"My thanks for coming, Bother Jonas." The king said, nodding his head. He looked at the other man. "Your presence is a pleasant surprise, Mastersmith."
"It is always my honor to serve you, Your Majesty." Jonas replied for them. "Norlan is here at my request, if you will pardon the presumption." The king gave a small wave of his hand as if to say "It is nothing." "I have asked him to house Jake with his family while he is a guest with us. If you do not object, of course."
"I have no objections, Brother Jonas. That sounds like an excellent idea." He gestured to Norlan. "My thanks, Mastersmith Norlan, for opening up your home. If you need any assistance in providing this care, please send a message to the palace."
"Thank you, Majesty, for such a kind offer." Norlan replied with a bow and a smile. "However, I'm confident my wife will make sure we can manage."
The king chuckled. "Wives are good for keeping us managed." The court laughed with the king, who glanced over at the empty chair next to him, smile slowly fading.
Jonas spoke up. "If I may approach, Majesty, I can tell you my reasons for supporting Dominic's assertion that we should discuss this in private." The king motioned him forward and Jonas climbed the stairs to kneel down next to the king, heads close, talking quietly.
As Jonas and the king talked, the people in the hall started shifting around, talking with each other, voices murmuring. Jake stood there, watching the crowd, next to Dominic, who was leaning over and talking to Norlan. They were speaking quietly, so Jake could not make out everything they were saying.
As Jake turned back towards the throne, he was shocked to find the princess walking towards him. She gave him a smile as she approached. Dominic caught her approach out of the corner of his eye and turned back towards Jake, his eyes trying to determine her intent.
Jake felt decidedly awkward when she stopped in front of him. He could only look into her gorgeous green eyes, his tongue tied up in knots.
"Hello, Jake. My name is Keria." She said sweetly, smiling the whole time. Jake was not sure what to do. Not only was she beautiful, she was a princess. Was he supposed to take her hand and kiss it? Bow to her? His mind raced to think of something to say, realizing that he was looking like an idiot just standing there.
"The boy is so captivated by your beauty, Princess, that it has rendered him unable to speak." Dominic said, his deep voice suddenly polished and urbane. That tone took Jake by surprise, coming out of that scarred and hard face, but then he remembered Jonas saying that Dominic had been a ladies' man back in his younger days. The princess laughed at that and reached out to take one of Jake's hands, giving it a squeeze before releasing it.
"I will not bite you, Jake." She said with a giggle, her perfume filling Jake's nose.
"Ahh…thank you...ahh…Princess." Jake sputtered, flushing from her attention.
"You are a stranger and it is my duty to make you feel welcome. You will have to come and talk to me sometime, Jake, so we can get to know one another." She said, gesturing at the palace. "I'm sure Lord Dominic will be able to arrange it."
"Just Dominic, if you please, Princess." Dominic said. "The boy is obviously not used to the manners of court, so he will need some instruction before he can return."
"I think I would prefer to talk with him without such instruction, Dominic." She said, her beautiful face frowning. "I have to talk to too many people with the 'manners of court'. It is not often that I can speak with a stranger, especially one around my age."
"I'd be happy to talk with you, Princess, if I am allowed." Jake said. The princess smiled again at that. She took Jake's hand again and stepped closer.
"I would like that, Jake…" She started, then stopped, wrinkling her nose. She stepped back, her smile slipping for a second, then recovered. "Maybe after you have had time to visit the baths and have settled in with the Mastersmith."
Jake flushed bright red, aghast as he realized that she smelled his body odor.
"Forgive the boy, Princess." Dominic said, voice sounding apologetic. "We have not had the time to seek the baths since arriving. He has had some adventure coming to us, leaving no time to properly bathe. I will make sure he is presentable, the next time you meet."
The princess laughed and said. "If he has been having adventures, then he smells like he should."
The king gestured and his herald rapped his staff on the floor again. Everyone turned to face the king again. The princess gave Jake's hand a squeeze. "We shall speak again, Jake." She turned and went back to her seat.
The king spoke. "After hearing Brother Jonas' reasoning, I will entertain him, and my council, in a private audience. Dominic, Jonas has said that he can speak for you in this meeting if you wish to leave." Dominic nodded his accent.
The king turned to Jake. "Jake, I understand that you have had a long journey. Please accompany Mastersmith Norlan to his home, so you can rest. I am sure that Brother Jonas will speak with you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Jake said.
The king rose from his seat. "This audience is at an end. My council will meet in the council chambers immediately." He turned and headed for the double doors, Jonas walking next to him. Bows and curtsies followed him as he left the room.
"Come on, boy." Dominic said, as he turned with Norlan and headed for the exit. Jake fell in behind Dominic and Norlan, still feeling the eyes of many of the people following him. They made their way outside of the palace walls and into the courtyard. The turned and followed the palace wall toward the north, then turned right and headed away from the temple.
Dominic saw Jake's look as they changed direction. "Norlan lives in the River Quarter." He turned to Norlan. "Are the baths near the wall still open?"
"Yes, Dominic." The mastersmith replied. "They should be open for another hour or so."
"I will take the boy there, so he will not stink you out of house and home." Jake flushed angrily at that, but did not say anything. "I probably could use a bath as well." Dominic admitted. "After the bath, I will bring him to your home."
"As you see fit, Dominic." Norlan leaned over to Jake. "I look forward to getting to know you, Jake. I will go and make sure your room is ready." He gave Jake a reassuring smile and headed off.
Dominic and Jake wove through the streets as they made their way to the baths. With the streets only lit by torches, it became impossible for Jake to remember the path back. Jake was surprised by the number of people making their way down the paved streets. He tried to take in the surroundings as they walked.
Dominic set a quick pace and Jake soon found himself in front of a large single-story stone building with a set of wooden doors in the middle, the city wall towering over the rear of the building. There was a sign over the doors with what looked like a waterfall painted on it.
Dominic strode up to the door and went in, Jake following. As they entered, Jake could smell that slight musty odor that accompanies damp places. The room they entered was lit by several torches and had stone chairs lining one wall. There was an opening on the back wall, from which Jake could hear the faint sound of running water. There was a stone desk with a man sitting behind it, looking bored. He brightened when he saw Dominic and Jake enter and came over to them.
"Good evening, good sir. What would you like tonight?" He asked, smiling and trying to be helpful.
"Baths for both, as well as robes and sandals." Dominic replied, indicating Jake and himself.
"That will be a total of twelve silvers. Five silvers each for the robes and sandals and one silver each for the bath." The man said, his eyes bright at the thought of a sale.
Dominic opened a pouch on his belt and pulled out a gold piece. The man went back to the desk and made change, returning it to Dominic. He motioned them to follow and he led them through the opening and down a flight of stone stairs. At the bottom, there was a short hallway with an opening on either side, both covered with a curtain. He led them to the curtain on their left and pulled it back.
"Please enter. These are the men's baths." As they went through, Jake found himself in a large room that echoed with the sound of running water. The room had an open space near the door and rows of rectangular holes cut into the floor to the right. These holes were tubs, Jake realized. There was steam rising from the tubs and Jake could see that several were occupied, the men's heads leaning back against the edge of their tubs. There was a long stone bench next to the left wall. The wall was pocketed with square holes, with a row of ten, each about three feet wide, lining the bottom. Above them were two rows of one foot wide holes. Dominic walked over to the holes as the man helping them left.
"You can store your clothes and other items in these spaces." Dominic said, pointing at the holes as he unbelted his sword and sat down. He wrapped the belt around the sword and dagger and slid it into one of the large holes in at the bottom. He started to remove his armor, unbuckling his breastplate and sliding it in next to his sword.
Jake came over to the bench and sat down. He was surprised that he felt a little weird getting undressed. He had never had a problem showering in the gym back home. Maybe it was because he was a stranger here or that he really didn't know Dominic. Shaking his head, realizing that he was letting his mind get carried away, he undid the cloak and put it into one of the smaller holes. He bent over and untied his shoes, nose wrinkling at the smell. As he was putting them in the hole, the man helping them came back, carrying a pile of clothing.
The man set his bundle down between Dominic and Jake. Jake saw that there were towels and soap, cream colored robes and leather sandals. He divided it, placing a pair of sandals, a robe, towel and soap next to each of them.
"I hope that the sandals fit." The man said. "If you have any problems, please see me and I will find a better pair." He gave a small bow and left.
Dominic finished undressing and stood to wrap the towel around him. Jake could see that Dominic was scarred not just on his face, but there was a patchwork of scars crisscrossing his arms, legs and body. Dominic saw Jake's look and simply stared back at him. Jake turned away, embarrassed.
"When you finish undressing, you can use any bath you like." Dominic said, as he grabbed his soap. "The water is heated and pumped into the baths. The water is circulated out quickly, so every bath is clean. When you finish the bath, you can rinse off over there." He pointed to what looked like a waterfall against the back wall, the source of the running water sound. He headed for a bath near the bench and got in.
Jake finished undressing, wrapping his towel around his waist and placing his clothes in the storage hole. He made sure to wrap up his phone inside his clothes to protect it from the moisture. He grabbed his soap, which had the same floral scent as the one Dominic had given him, and headed for the nearest bath. He quickly got in, the hot water giving him a little shock. He sank into the bath, submerging his head and giving his hair a quick scrub, then came back up. He laid his head back against the edge, enjoying the hot water, and closed his eyes, the face of the princess filling his mind.