The Tale of Four

The Tale of Four
Chapter Seven

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to go. I got out of bed and finally looked at the room I was staying in. The canopy bed was huge and took up most of the room. Across from that was a wardrobe with intricate designs engraved into the wood. The last piece of furniture was little table with a mirror on it. I guess you would call it a vanity, but it didn't really fit the picture I had in my mind to what it should look like. All the things in the room were very beautiful and wonderfully made. The room also held two glass paned doors that led to a garden with a small pond.

When I saw what was outside I didn't waste any time and opened the doors. The garden was also beautiful and well maintained. I didn't know who actually took care of it in this heat, but they were doing a fantastic job. My room wasn't the only one that led to this garden, but I was the only one out here at the moment. It was hard to believe that out of this whole palace, I was the only guest. I went over to the pond and looked into the water. It was hard to tell because of the bright sun, but there were fish in the water. I watched them swimming around for a little while and headed back inside. I decided that wearing the same clothes as yesterday wouldn't be proper, especially since I slept in them, so I rummaged in the wardrobe. I don't know who decided on the clothing choices, but they were spot on where it came to my taste. I was never a dress or skirt wearing type of person so when I had to wear them I felt very uncomfortable. What was inside the wardrobe were pants and shirts that had a feminine design to them. Perhaps the women here preferred that to dresses as well. It was hopeful thinking.

After I dressed I left my room to look for Brenda. It was much easier navigating around the palace when it was light out. My little adventure last night was brought on partly because I couldn’t see much of anything. I guess I still wasn't used to the torch light. I missed electricity sometimes. I found Brenda outside the dining area talking to a young man with, no kidding, icy blue hair. I had a feeling I had seen him somewhere before. "Hi Brenda." I said as I approached.

She turned around and asked, "Miss Emma, how are you doing this afternoon?"

"Is it afternoon already?" I asked surprised. "I must have slept longer than I thought. Sorry about that."

"It's alright Miss Emma, I was about to come and wake you up in a little while."

"Why are you adding 'Miss' to my name?" I asked. I hadn't noticed her doing that yesterday and it was kind of weird to me.

"You are a guest so I should at least add that. It shows respect." She explained.

"I see. You don't have to do that though. I may be a guest but I really am not anything special." I felt like I was having a repeat of last night when I was talking to Tara.

"But it is improper." She insisted.

"If she is telling you to drop the 'Miss' then just do it. You have her permission and I was a witness, so if anyone has a problem with it I can tell them to shove it." Said the man with the blue hair.

"Have I seen you before?" I asked. It was bothering me. I was sure I had seen him, but I just couldn't remember where.

"I'm sure you have. I was with Colonel Markus when we rescued King Vincent and you from that ruin of a castle." He replied. "A lot was happening then so I'm sure you just forgot. I'm Captain Eric Graves by the way." He said reaching out his hand to take mine.

"My name is Emma Blackthorn." I said shaking hands with him. "Sorry I couldn’t remember you."

"It's alright. What are you doing today?" He asked.

"I'm not really sure." I said looking at Brenda. "I have no idea what I should be doing."

"If that is the case why don't the both of you follow me and we can have a light lunch together. Then I will show you around the palace." Eric offered.

"Is that alright?" Brenda asked. "Don't you have to do something for Colonel Markus?"

"Unfortunately he has gone on a mission by himself. King Vincent asked him to do it personally so it must be important. Because of that I have today free, until someone asks me to do something."

"So you are using us to get out of doing your duty." Brenda said bluntly.

"Hahaha. You know me so well Brenda." He replied, scratching the back of his head in defeat. "I can never fool you."

With that Brenda and I set out with Eric to have some lunch. I thought we were going back into the dining hall, but Eric had other ideas. He led us out of the palace by going out the back entrance and turning right onto a dirt path. I was amazed at how big the grounds of the palace actually were. You couldn’t see from the front of the building, but in the back there was a whole training area for the army to practice in. Now the whole army couldn’t be there at one time, but different groups could train on different days.

“This is obviously where the army trains.” Eric said to me when we got closer to the training area. “My men are training here today, or they would be if Colonel Markus would have been here.”

“So where did they go?” I asked.

“They went home to spend time with their families. We just got back a little while before you did and they haven’t had much time to spend with them. I thought that it was a good idea.”

“Yeah, until Colonel Markus finds out.” Brenda interjected. “You might be feeling proud of yourself right now, but when he comes back you will be in trouble.”

“He will only find out if someone tells him.” Eric said staring at Brenda. “You aren’t planning on telling him are you?” He asked in a small voice.

“No I am not. But someone will. Just you wait.”

“Well I don’t care so long as it isn’t you. I wouldn’t feel the greatest if you told on me.” He replied getting happier when he found out that she wouldn’t tell on him. I just smiled and shook my head. It was really obvious that he liked her and that was just cute.

“So Brenda, how come you aren’t formal with Captain Eric?” I asked.

“Well….That’s because…” She stuttered.

“We are childhood friends!” Eric interrupted. When he said that Brenda turned a nice shade of red. “We grew up together in a distant village and when Brenda came here to work I decided that I would join the army and hopefully get to see her. I guess I was so good that they gave me a Captain title.” He laughed. “To be honest though I just can’t survive without Brenda.”

“Stop it. You’re embarrassing me.” She said turning a deeper shade of red. “Where are we going to eat at?” She questioned trying to change the subject.

Eric just laughed and pointed towards the training grounds. “Some of my men who don’t have families stayed to train like good men should. I thought it would be nice if we ate with them. I’m sure they won’t mind if two lovely ladies joined us.”

He sure knows how to lay it on thick. I hope he doesn’t talk like that around other women when he is on duty. “How many of your men have stayed?” I asked.

“About twenty or so. Most of them are young men who haven’t settled down and gotten a wife. Perhaps you will find a man you like?” He teased me as we walked towards a little building farther into the training area.

“Are they attractive?” Brenda asked as we neared the door to the building. I think she was just trying to mess with Eric by saying that, and it worked.

“No! They are all ugly!” He shouted as the door opened.

“Who’s ugly Captain?” Questioned the big burly man who had opened the door. He didn’t sound all that happy to be called ugly by his superior.

“I didn’t mean you!” Eric hurriedly recanted. “I was just saying that…umm….” He didn’t seem to be able to think of a good excuse.

It was then that the man noticed me and Brenda standing next to him. When he looked at Brenda he got a look of understanding in his eyes. The men here must know of their Captains feelings. That was both nice and kind of sad. I didn’t think I would want my subordinates to know of my love life.

“Never mind.” The man said and stepped away from the door. “Are you coming in or what?”

“Ha ha.. Yes I guess so.” Eric replied.

All three of us stepped into the building and at once we were assaulted with the smell of sweat and men. It reminded me of back home when I would go to my martial arts lessons. I suddenly missed home more than ever before. I must have had a look on my face because Brenda asked, “Are you alright Emma?”

Eric turned to me and said, “I know the smell is a little rank, but it’s not all that bad.”

“No it isn’t about the smell.” I explained. “I just got a little homesick all of a sudden. This place reminds me of it.”

“How does a place like this remind you of home?” Brenda asked.

“Well…” I started, but was interrupted by the men who were waiting for Eric.

“When are we going to eat? You said that you were going to the kitchen to ask for food. That was over an hour ago!” They angrily yelled.

“Sorry I got distracted.” Eric apologized.

“Yeah we see why you were distracted.” One said looking directly at Brenda and me. “Who is the new girl?”

“This is Emma everyone.” He said introducing me. “Some of you may remember her from two weeks ago. She is the one we helped rescue along with King Vincent.”

“Is it true that you killed the jail keeper?” Another one asked. “How did you do it?”

I guess the rumors had spread about that incident. I suppose it was only natural, but I didn’t like it. “Yes I did. I don’t want to talk about it though.”

“Why not? That guy was nasty and evil.”

“It is not wise to talk about the dead.” I said feeling cornered.

It was then that Eric stepped in. “Enough guys. She said she didn’t want to talk about it so respect her wishes. She obviously feels a certain way about it, so apologize you fool!” He said smacking the head of the one who asked me the questions. “Any way I did actually go to the kitchen like I said I would and ordered some food for us. They weren’t happy about it, but it should be here soon. These ladies will be joining us so be on your best behavior.”

“Yes sir!” The men shouted in unison. Shortly after that the food arrived and we started to eat. It wasn’t as grand as yesterday’s meal, but it felt more comfortable. We were sitting on the floor enjoying a few sandwiches and water. It felt like something you would do with your friends after school had been left out. After the earlier conversation I was afraid that the men wouldn’t speak to me because I had refused to answer their questions, but Eric had the unique ability to calm people down and have them harmonize with each other. I guess you would call him a leader and a people person. It was starting to make sense why they would choose him to be a captain. At one point someone had brought out a bottle of wine, or maybe two, and the men were starting to get rowdy. I didn’t drink any, but I had a good time watching them. Soon after someone brought up the dreaded subject again.

“I don’t see how you could fight off a man.” The one from earlier said. “I mean you are a woman, and women don’t fight.”

“I assure you I can hold my own weight in a fight.” I replied a little angry. He was making it seem like all women were weak. I suppose it could just be the way things were around here, but I had a feeling it wasn’t that. He confirmed my suspicions with his next statement.

“I mean women from around here are strong, but you are definitely not from around here. You look like a normal human to me.” I really had to ask Vincent what the heck was so different about me. I realized soon after I arrived here that the people were not what I would call ‘normal’. All of them had weird colored hair and eyes, like they were more vibrant and full of life. “Why don’t you show me what you can do?” He asked.

“That is not a good idea.” Eric spoke up. “It is not proper to try and hurt a lady.”

“I’m fine with that.” I said ignoring Eric’s concern. I was mad. Here was a man thinking that I couldn’t fight. I would show him exactly what I could do.

“Emma I will repeat what I said. It is not a good idea. King Vincent would not like it if you got hurt.” Eric sternly said.

“As long as he doesn’t attack like he intends to kill me I will be fine.” I said determinedly. “Besides he’s had a few drinks now, so I have the advantage.

Eric sighed in frustration. “I swear you are as pig headed as any man I know. Fine!” He said giving up. “But at least take a wooden sword or something to defend yourself with. He may have had a few drinks, but that only means that he won’t go easy on you.”

I walked into the center of the room and took a wooden sword that was handed to me. It was a normal practice sword with nothing overly spectacular about it. It was a little heavier then I would have like, but it was intended for a man to use. “I’m ready when you are.” I said not taking a fighting stance. He must have thought that to be an opening, because he didn’t even wait for me to really finish my sentence before attacking. He was much taller than I was which only added to my advantage. When he got close enough I buckled my knees and slammed my shoulder into his waist, using his own weight and momentum against him I flipped him over and onto his back. He landed on the ground with a loud thud. Everyone was shocked for a few seconds before he regained his senses and got to his feet.

“You got lucky that time. I wasn’t prepared.”

“Spouting excuses will get you nowhere.” I replied. He growled and attacked again. He was more cautious this time and ran at me with his fist held to his face like a boxer would do. I knew if that hit me it would hurt. He was fast, but I was faster. I dodged out of the way at the last second and brought the broad side of the sword down on his ass. He yelped and covered his butt with his hands. The men were laughing at this point, making the man even angrier than before. He attacked again and again with the same results. Each time he attacked I swear he became more and more sober. I was starting to tire and knew I would screw up eventually. I needed to end this game. He charged me one more time and once again I dodged. He knew I was going to do this and as I side stepped tried to grab me by my hair. Unluckily for him I ducked down and brought my right leg over to meet the back of both of his. He tumbled backwards and while he was dazed on the floor I climbed on top of him and pointed my wooden sword at his throat.

“Ok that’s enough you two.” Eric said standing up. “You had your fun, now it is time for the ladies to go back to the palace.” Some of the men grumbled and got a glare from Eric. “Martin I think you owe this lady an apology.” He directed that to the man I had floored.

“Yes I suppose I do.” He replied getting onto his feet. “I apologize for my rude comments earlier.” He said with a slight bow. “My opinions of a human woman are pretty low, but you have proven them wrong. I will think before I speak from now on.”

“I accept your apology.” I said. “I’m afraid I didn’t act all that well either. To be truthful I didn’t even use any of my training that day in the dungeon. I was just desperately trying to survive. My instructor would have been furious with me. I guess your comments earlier just struck a nerve because they were true.”

“Have you had much experience in battle?” He asked.

“I have not.” I replied.

“Then there is your problem. If you had experience then you wouldn’t have forgotten your training.”

“That is true Emma.” Eric remarked. “Many people can train their whole lives in an art, but when it comes time to actually implement that training it is forgotten because of all the excitement.”
“If it is ok with the Captain maybe you could come here to practice with us.” Martin suggested. “We hold mock battles that get us used to the chaos of wartime. It could help you cope better when you are in danger next time.”

“Well let’s hope that never happens.” Eric said grimly. “Unfortunately in this period of time there are many struggles going on. Danger is around every corner. I wouldn’t mind if you came and trained with us. I also am interested in some of the moves you used. I have never seen such movements like those before.”

“I would be honored to come here and train.” I agreed excitedly. “I am glad that I met you Captain! And you as well Martin.” I couldn’t wait until Eric and the others were here again so that I could join them in their mock battles. The whole jail keeper thing had really knocked my self-esteem down, more so than I had originally thought. Never before would I have succumbed to the taunting of a man who thought that women were weak.

“Will you two be okay heading back to the palace by yourselves?” Eric asked.

“We will be fine, we are still inside the palace walls after all.” Brenda replied quickly. “Let’s go Emma.” She grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the building. It was early evening when we got out of the training grounds and Brenda wouldn’t let go of my hand. She seemed to be deep in thought.

“What’s wrong Brenda?” I asked.

“You seemed really happy when the Captain offered to train you.” She said after a pause.

“Of course I did. In my town I had a martial arts class that I went to so that I could learn to fight. Since I got here all I have done is sleep, eat, and get dragged around from one place to another. Not that I mind being here, and I am grateful for all the help that I have been given, but I am getting restless and if I can get some training I think I could calm down. Do you know how it feels to be the only one that is different and to be completely alone?” I asked. “I was attacked by a man who would have done awful things to me if I hadn’t fought back. And the one time that I could have used my training I messed up because I had been so scared. If Captain Eric can help me overcome my fear when in a situation like that, then of course I would be happy.” I finished completely out of breath.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know you felt like that.” Brenda said in shock. “I was afraid that you were falling for the Captain so I got a little jealous.” She admitted.

I was the one in shock this time. “Did I seem that way? I’m sorry I don’t feel like that about him. I mean I just met him and all. Don’t worry he is completely yours.” I said as I walked away from her.

“Wh…What! I didn’t say that I liked him!” She replied running to catch up with me. I chuckled at her bashfulness.