The Warrior

Chapter four

*See end of chapter for explanation of certain words and expressions*


         Chapter four


                    “You must be out of your mind!” Confused and overwhelmed by the chaotic situation she suddenly found herself in, Marissa latched on to the one undeniable fact she knew. “I am an Apprentice to Lagoe, I will become a Priestess, not a wife!” The man, Kay, seemed less than impressed by her statement.
                   “The tunic you are wearing, do you realize the significance of the colors and the patterns?” With a frown, Marissa studied the tunic she was wearing more carefully. When she put it on, she had noticed the beauty of the pattern, but she did not take the time to study it carefully. Part of her studies as an Apprentice was the deep secrets of patterns and knot work, and as she carefully examined the intricate twists and turns of the silver embroidery, a horrible thought occurred to her.
                    “This is a dragon design. It is hidden within the triangular pattern, but there are definitely dragons incorporated into it.”
                    “Very good. The triangular design you see is my family pattern, with an added circle. The King put that in as a reference to the whispers of giants in my ancestry.”
                    “The King?”
                    “Yes, King Richard. He designed the pattern. He used the dragon design as a symbol of his favor.”
                   His words confirmed her fear. Only the King himself could approve the use of dragons in knot designs, they were the symbol of Albion. And if the King himself designed this pattern she so casually had worn around a camp full of soldiers who would know the meaning and importance of the knots, she was in serious trouble!
                    “Oh no!”
                   “Oh yes.” He infuriated her with his calm acceptance of the situation. She wanted to scream and cry from sheer frustration, but pride demanded she remained as calm as him. What she needed was a distraction, and right on cue her stomach gave a loud grumble. The sound brought a smile to his face, but it was gone so fast she almost believed she’d imagined it.
                   “I believe I promised you some food earlier. I will be back soon. Perhaps this time you will be so good as to remain in the tent?” With another bow, he departed. His politeness irritated her. It felt false, she was much more comfortable with his earlier grumpy arrogance.
         Deciding to get out of the offending tunic, she rummaged around in her saddlebags for another dress. She pulled out one of her favorites, and tried to stretch it to remove the wrinkles.
         All her dresses were new, signaling her recent change in status. This particular one was a simple but pretty dress made of fine linen. Along the hemline a green ribbon was fastened, the crisp color contrasting nicely with the clean white dress. Out of necessity it clung to her body more than any of her old dresses, as the open gap in the back meant it would otherwise have fallen off. Marissa had discovered that to ride with the dress open in the back was highly impractical, so she had taken the liberty to pull the dress together in the neck, fastening it with a small clasp. This partially covered up the Pryd , but it was both practical and comfortable so she didn’t regret it. The color combination of the dress would signal her status to anyone who saw her. Yet Kay had not even noticed it. Determined to reinforce her status in his eyes, she pulled off the tunic and replaced it with the dress. Her hair was all over the place, impossible to keep under control, but she found a leather strap among her things that she used to tie it loosely together in the neck. As presentable as she could get without a looking glass and a maid, she sat down on the bed to wait for Kay’s return.


         Kay could not understand his reaction. He was trapped in an impossible situation where his only honorable course of action was to marry a girl who wanted to become a priestess. Yet instead of being furious he found himself, Ignar help him, eager.
         Marriage was not a thing he had ever considered before. Despite his friendship with the King, women found his reputation off putting. Especially when they realized most of the rumors about his ruthlessness and brutality were true. He was not a courtier, would never recite poetry and flatter a woman with empty compliments, he had no family connections, no estate… He was wealthy enough, but since he was always traveling with his army on missions for the King, there was never any point in purchasing land, so most of his assets sat unused and untouched in the King’s treasury. Wooing a woman had never been worth the trouble, yet now one had fallen into his lap. One impulsive act had changed his future, and he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. The weariness that had penetrated his body to the very marrow of his bones only earlier this day had eased. For the first time in years, the future beckoned with possibilities, not just a bloody death. Though his little vixen didn’t seem too eager for the match, they had three weeks of traveling ahead of them, plenty of time to change her mind.
         With a newfound enthusiasm and optimism, Kay smiled to his page and greeted him by name as he passed him, causing the boy to whimper and run off. So much for getting the boy to fetch food. He should probably try being friendlier to the boy, but scaring the crap out of him was fun.
         The grin on his face caught quite a few glances as he made his way toward the food tent, but luckily nobody commented. He was in an excellent mood, and he would maim anyone who ruined it.
         The food choice was sparse. They were an army, and not equipped to cater to sensitive palates. Hot stew and bread was the only option. Not exactly suitable for an engagement dinner, he thought with a wry grimace, but it would have to do until he could arrange for something better.
         On his way back to the tent, Kay noticed his second in command Rodrick Camden coming toward him. Rodrick was the only man in camp who could question him and get away with it, and Kay was in no mood to listen to his well meaning advise right now. He tried to speed up without seeming to run away, but the older man was determined to catch up, and Kay realized he couldn’t avoid the confrontation. He stopped and waited for the other man to reach him.
          “Hello there, Kay, what are you doing, fetching your own supper? Where is that lazy page of yours?” Rodrick spoke with good-natured curiosity. Easy going, but a skilled fighter, the older warrior was well liked by the men, and a good man to contrast Kay’s darkness of mood and demeanor.
          “I believe I scared him off.” Kay sent the other man a suggestive stare, signaling that he would do well to follow the page’s behavior, but as usual Rodrick was immune.
          “Useless boy! That kid is not fit to be a page, I don’t know why you haven’t sent him home in pieces ages ago.” Neither did Kay, except he knew the boy had no home to return to. Not that he would ever admit to such sentimentality.
          “He amuses me. He may not be a good page, but he is great entertainment.” Rodrick laughed obligingly, but with a knowing glint in his eyes, suggesting he knew of Kay’s soft spot for the boy. Uncomfortable, Kay changed the subject.
          “So how are the men looking?”
          “Good. After all those months resting by the seaside, they are unaccustomed to marching, but the past week’s training has done them good. We are ready to move out when you give the order.” Resting by the seaside was hardly a fitting description of the harrowing work they had done, hunting the pirate raiders, but Kay refused to raise to the bait.
          “Good, then we move out at dawn as planned. There will be an addition to our party, by the way.” Kay was not sure how to break the news of his engagement, but Rodrick saved him the trouble.
          “So there’s something in the rumors after all?” He sounded delighted to get the gossip confirmed. Kay had known there would be talk, but he still disliked having his private business talked about by the men.
          “There have been so many! Anything from you being secretly married, to you having kidnapped a Priestess of Lagoe and are keeping her captive as your mistress.” Rodrick laughed at the absurdity of the tales, and didn’t see the anger and discomfort crossing Kay’s features, before he could school his face to remain blank. To put an end to the idle gossip, he declared: “The woman is my fiancée. She will travel with us to Albion where the King will bless our union.”
          “So there’s nothing to this priestess-business?” Rodrick was clearly teasing him now. Kay briefly considered having the man flogged for his disrespect, but abandoned the thought with a longing sigh. It would probably make no difference anyway.
          “She was an Apprentice before our engagement, and because of this she will wear the colors of an Apprentice until her Year of Silence is up. That does not however have any impact on our engagement.” He spoke with finality, and walked off before the other man could ask any more questions.


         Hungry and increasingly impatient, Marissa paced back and forth in the confining space of the tent. A sound by the entrance startled her, but it was not Kay returning with the food. Instead, a young boy peered in through the flap. When he saw that she was alone, he entered. It was the page who had greeted her earlier in the day, and directed her to this very tent. The boy seemed painfully shy, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and staring resolutely at his toes. He was skinny, but not starved, and his green clothes were well kept and of good quality. He clearly wanted to speak, but was at a loss on how to start. Marissa decided to take pity on the boy.
          “You’re Kay’s page, right? You were the one who welcomed me earlier today.”
         The boy drew a deep breath before speaking, but the words were barely more than a whisper. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
         Confused, Marissa tried to get the boy to elaborate. “Why are you sorry? You haven’t done anything wrong, have you?”
         To her horror, the boy started crying, big heaving sobs with the occasional hiccup thrown in. Utterly befuddled, she tried a different approach. “Surely things can’t be so bad. What’s your name?”
          “Robbie, my Lady.” It took him three attempts, but he finally calmed down enough to speak the words.
          “Well then Robbie, why don’t you tell me what is wrong? I’m sure we’ll find a way to fix it.” She sat down on the bed, and signaled for the boy to sit next to her, but he seemed horrified by the idea, and eventually sat down on the ground in front of her. She gave an encouraging smile, and nodded for him to continue.
          “It’s all my fault, my Lady!”
          “What is?”
          “It’s my fault you are here.”
         This was not getting them anywhere. Kay would be back soon, and she suspected the poor boy would run screaming if trapped in a tent with him.
          “Robbie, I am here because my father thought I should attend King Richard’s Court before becoming a Priestess. He thought I needed an escort, and sent me here, as he knows the King trusts your master. If anyone is at fault for my being here it is my father. Though I chose to follow his advise, so really it is my own fault. I am a free woman after all, not a trell.”
          “I am.” The words were no more than a whisper. Confused, Marissa took in his clothes again. They were definitely green, the color of free men and women. Sensing her confusion, Robbie continued, “Master Kay Hir bought me from my owner, and then bought some land for me in a temple near Albion. The Priestess there didn’t want to give me a pryd, but Master made them do it.”
          “Why didn’t they want to give you a pryd?”
          “Because I don’t own a Liffruna.”
         Marissa’s heart bled for the poor boy who was still too shy and ashamed to meet her eyes, as well as for his unknown mother. What could have caused the mother to give up her son as a trell? Even if she herself was a trell, the child would still be born free. There could not have been a temple of Lagoe near where this boy was born, no Priestess would have allowed a child to be brought into the world without gathering the water for the Liffruna. Without it, he could never marry, and he would be without guidance in the afterlife. No wonder the boy was upset, though why he would think it was his own fault was beyond her.
          “Well Robbie, I can understand that you would be sad, but surely you know that it is not your fault? I don’t know the circumstances that led you to be brought into the world without a Priestess present, but you can’t take the blame, you were not even born!”
         The boy raised his head in confusion, meeting her eyes for the first time. His eyes looked enormous in the small face, the deep brown gaze strangely difficult to meet. He was far too young to have eyes that old. As if sensing her discomfort, he quickly lowered his gaze to the ground again before speaking. “No, I mean it is my fault that you are here with him.”
          “With Kay?”
          “Yes, with the master.”
          “Robbie, I think you should explain exactly what you mean, because I am too hungry and tired to make sense of this.” She kept her voice calm and friendly, though her words betrayed her growing impatience. She didn’t want to scare the boy off, but she wanted to get to the point.
          “I took you here when you arrived, and I meant to bring your things after taking care of your horse, but the other pages stole the saddlebags, and then I meant to tell the master, but he was so angry that I forgot, and then he found you in the tent and I hadn’t told him who you were and it took me forever to get your saddlebags from the other pages and now you’re his and I’m sorry!” The words exploded from his mouth in a single breath of air, and he looked so relieved to finally have said his piece, Marissa didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had quite a few things to say about the “now you’re his”-comment, but decided it would be unfair to take her annoyance out on this boy.
          “Um, that’s all right. I forgive you Robbie.” The boy looked like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders, and he raised his head and sent her a smile that lit up his entire face. He was a beautiful child, and smiling like this it was impossible to resist the impulse to smile back.
          “But Robbie, if Kay saved you and did what he could to set you free, why are you so afraid of him? Does he treat you badly?” The boy looked outraged at the question.
          “No, my Lady, never! He is the best master anyone could have. He always makes sure I have a dry place to sleep, warm clothes and enough food. And he never lays a hand on me.” The last part was spoken as almost an afterthought, as if it hardly mattered, but Marissa noticed the slight hesitation in his voice, and wondered about it.
          “Then I don’t understand why you are so frightened of him, nor why you would worry about me being here with him.”
          “He… reminds me of someone. Someone bad. I don’t mean to be frightened, I want to grow up and be big and strong, just like him! It’s just that when I see him I can’t help myself.” He looked so ashamed of this failing, his entire body drooping in defeat; she couldn’t bring herself to question him further.
          “I understand Robbie, and it’s all right, really. I’m sure Kay understands.” He looked hopeful at her words, and smiled briefly.
          “Thank you my Lady. I should go. If you need anything, please let me know.” He looked up at her with adoration bordering on hero worship. Not many people could have taken the time to talk to this boy, she thought as she returned his smile. He left with a quick wave of his hand, leaving her with more questions than answers. She still didn’t know why he was worried about her being with Kay, nor the real reason for his deep fear of the man who apparently had saved him from slavery. She wasn’t left much time to ponder the mysteries surrounding the boy though. Only minutes after Robbie left, the tent flap was lifted once again, and Kay’s tall figure filled the opening.


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Albion = The name of the country, and the name of the capitol.
Lagoe = Fertility goddes, the main deity of the people of Albion. Referred to as Goddess of Light and Water.
Ignar = God of war and death. Referred to as The Dark One.
Pryd = Sacred tattoo.
the Year of Silence = A year when an Apprentice to Lagoe must be cut off from the temples and Priestesses, and live without guides. She will be responsible for her own decisions, and she must endeavor to live life fearlessly, gathering experience in preparation of making the final commitment and becoming a Priestess. The idea is that a Priestess should not make the commitment without knowing what she will give up, and also that she will be unable to guide others in their life choices, if she has not herself ever truly lived.
Trell = A slave. Some men and women sell themselves into slavery, as trelldom is strictly regulated, and sometimes preferable to a life in extreme poverty. A trell is given food, clothes and shelter in return for hard work. They loose the right to wear certain color clothes, and they can no longer practice guild-regulated professions. They are used for manual labor only. All free men and women are given a small piece of land near a temple upon their birth. To sell yourself into trelldom, the ownership of this land is transferred to your new owner, and your Liffruna is taken into his or her custody, until the time of your death.
Liffruna = The word meaning “Life source”. When a woman’s water breaks just prior to birth, the water is carefully gathered and kept in a clear glass bottle, which is given to the child during the ritual where the child receive its birth-pryd. This bottle is called a Liffruna. Since Lagoe is the goddess of water, and it is believed that all life is created from water, this is the most sacred object a person owns. It plays an important part in rituals like weddings and funerals.



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