The Lone Traveler - Part Twelve

The Lone Traveler
Chapter Twelve



As Analia neared the vast formation of Sidhe warriors, three huge men stepped forward and slowly advanced towards her. They were all tall, young, and very handsome warriors, dressed in the finest mail armor that could possibly be made. Their shields were round and bore a coat of arms with a diagonal black stripe running from top left to bottom right. The top part of the shield was bright green, the bottom part a pale yellow. The emblem within the green sector was a hawthorn tree, the bottom a double bladed battle-axe. They had broad swords sheathed over their shoulders and each wore a cape or tartan with plaid material, each plaid a different and unique pattern. They held conical helmets in their hands. They stopped about ten feet from her and bowed low.

They glanced at each other for a while before the man in the center finally spoke. “We been ah waitin’ for a spell for someone to come oot of the castle and meet with us. I’m a thinkin’ they ave not yet figured oot who is in charge. I guess they decided to send a pretty lass oot instead with er flyin’ lizard. I am Lord Commander Ruolf Culloden, my companions, Ser Lieur Allanack and Ser Anolf MacLurig, and a pleasure and honor to greet you it is, young lass.”

Analia smiled. “I fear that I do not represent those in the castle, Lord Culloden. “I do know that my uncle is in there somewhere but I am curious as to why you have such a mighty host of handsome warriors parading in front of the castle gates.”

Before the Commander could reply, the huge gates swung open and a mounted knight trotted out sitting straight and strong on his massive destrier. As he neared, Analia recognized her Uncle Thoragild. He was the epitome of a knight in shining armor, powerful, rugged, and muscular, and the great smile covering his face portrayed anything but challenge or hostility. He rode up to within ten feet of them and halted.

“Greetings Lord Culloden,” he boomed, sliding down from his massive mount. He landed on the ground like a ton of rocks, his feet sinking a full two inches into the soft soil. “I see you have met my young niece, Analia. I wish to offer profound apology for the delay in greeting you and your brave host, events in the castle slowed my arrival.” He walked over, removed his gauntlet, and held his hand up, palm out, in the sign of universal peace.

Commander Culloden returned his salute and a large smile spread across his bearded face. “Aye, slow you were, Ryykon, but I much prefer being greeted by a pretty young lass than an ugly giant like eur self.”

Analia desperately wanted to rush into her uncle’s powerful arms and hug him; however, she thought this was neither the place nor the appropriate time. Instead, she curtsied.

Ser Thoragild turned to her and spread his massive arms wide. “Aren’t you going to give you Hunkle a welcoming hug, Analia?” he boomed. “I have missed you child, and I am certain you have been through many difficult trials since last we met.”

Analia glanced at the happy grins covering the faces of the Sidhe warriors then rushed into her uncle’s arms. She wanted to cry and pour forth everything she had been through over the past few weeks, but she settled for a few tears of joy.

Ryykon turned back to Commander Culloden. “What brings my great friend, Ruolf, and his mighty host to the gates of Camalund Castle?”

“Things ave been a bit too quiet in the mines and valleys of our homeland,” Commander Culloden replied in a melancholy tone. “Me brave men and I ‘eard there was a wee bit of fightin’ a brewin’ over this a way and ere we come to save you fine big folk.”

Ryykon thundered with haughty laughter. “Ruolf, you Sidhe are always welcome. Bring your host into the city after twilight and we will feast you and make amends for keeping you waiting at our gates. We have much to celebrate.” He saluted and turned to remount. Once in the saddle he reached down and offered his hand to Analia to help her up into the saddle behind him.

Analia watched as the Sidhe Commander marched back to his host and gave them the command to leave the field. As they stepped off in perfect unison, she noticed a diminutive man dressed in dark robes with white stars sprinkled on it. He was sitting on a small pony on top of the nearest hill surveying the departing warriors. She wondered at her uncle’s offer to bring the entire warrior host into the castle, it was to her a very dangerous move; however, her uncle did not seem to be overly concerned about it.

Ryykon halted when they drew near the dragons and war birds and their riders and glanced at them cautiously. “Two great enemies on the same side.” he prudently stated. “I take it you had something to do with them joining forces, Analia?”

Analia slid down to the ground and looked up at her curious uncle. “There’s a long tale to be told, Uncle, and I am dirty, fatigued, hungry and still a bit shaken by meeting that great host of Sidhe warriors. I thought for a moment we were going to have a major battle to undertake. I assure you that the war birds and their riders are no threat to Camalund. May I have time to put Whiff, my dragon, into the Rookery and find places for the Valkyri and their war birds?”

Ryykon beamed a huge smile. “I will send men and laborers to assist you, and I thank the gods for your safe return. I must report to the Council of Lords and the Queen Regent and inform them of the news. I will send for you when you have taken your rest and found suitable places for your welcomed companions. We must talk of many things that have changed in just a very short time.” He wheeled his mount sideways and galloped through the great city gate.

At first Ryykon could not believe what Analia was telling him but he knew from the great amount of time he had spent with her at the school that she was not one to lie or even stretch the truth like many other people. She was not perfect, but she was as close as anyone could possibly get to being an honest and forthright person. She had just told him about her harrowing adventures and half of it he found almost unbelievable.

“And you say you can mind-speak with these great beasts?” he asked for the third or fourth time. “Can you mind-speak with other people or other animals?

“No, Uncle, I cannot read your mind or that of another human, so far I can only communicate with the dragons and great birds.” Analia seemed exasperated over his unending questions but she knew he needed time to grasp all the implications. No one had ever been able to communicate with the creatures before. “And, please don’t call them beasts; they are very ancient and very smart races who were created long before humankind.”

“When word gets out, every necromancer, church Vicari, and would be soothsayer will be calling you a witch or worse,” Ryykon stated. “They are very jealous of their puny powers, especially those church buggers.”

“I cannot change what is, Uncle. I did not seek this ability, but I am very satisfied that I have been able to use it to good advantage.”

“Very well, Analia,” Ryykon stated, indicating that the questioning was finally over. “You will join me at the high table for this evening’s festivities. Be careful what you say in front of the lords, especially Lord Smythwaite, he still blames both of us for the death of his son and I fear he will eventually seek revenge when he considers the time to be provident.”

“I would much prefer not to attend the feast, Uncle,” Analia sighed with a hopeful look on her face. “I do not fit well into such exalted company and I have nothing appropriate to wear.”

“Nor do I,” Ryykon replied. “However, as the King’s Protector I have no choice in the matter, nor do you. Besides, many young squires and knights are eagerly waiting to meet, ‘that fearless girl,’ who challenged the Sidhe all by her lonesome. You’re already grown into quite a legend in the castle and once the Council hears the rest of it, you will undoubtedly be proclaimed a hero of the realm. Do not worry I have been given the power to pardon anyone in the kingdom for any crime or crimes they may have committed. Your pardon was the first on my list.”

Analia rolled her eyes and stood and hugged her Uncle. “Perhaps Commander Culloden of the Sidhe will favor me with his protection,” she whispered. “I dare say the boys you’re referring to will defer to a great knight of his brawn and standing.”

Ryykon looked as if he was about to say something, and then nodded his head. He handed her a large gold ring with the seal of his office on it. “Present that to anyone and whatever you desire, or need done they will fulfill it. Off with you now, little dragon rider, we’ve hours before the feast and there is much left for both of us to do.”

After she left her uncle’s austere quarters; a large room in the officer barracks because he adamantly refused the plush accommodations in the royal suites, she sent horsemen and a small carriage to retrieve Nania. She needed her if she was to present any kind of normal appearance at the festival. She asked one of the Dragon Riders to guide them so they would not miss them in the thick forests.

Unlike her uncle, she had no choice but to accept accommodations in the royal suites, the Queen Regent had insisted on it. She could not possibly allow the hero of the day, and the niece of the King’s Protector to sleep in a dirty old barracks. Since this was her first time at the Royal Castle at Camalund, Analia was now thoroughly lost and few of her companion Dragon Riders had spent much time there, and she had forgotten to ask her uncle to provide her with an escort. As she rounded a corner she spotted someone she recognized standing near the entrance to one of the minor keeps. It was one of the young men from the outlaw camp. He was talking with an older, well-dressed man, most likely a young knight.

Analia figured that boldness was the best way to approach them, but should she receive a cold shoulder, there was always her uncle’s ring snuggled in her pocket. She had already discovered that it was literally the key to the castle. “Excuse me, sers,” she stated, as she approached the men. “I would appreciate it if you would give me directions to the Royal Keep.”

They both turned in her direction at the same time. At first, annoyance clouded their features, but as soon as they recognized her, their eyes went wide and mouths hung open. They continued to impolitely stare as if in a trance.

“Don’t I know you?” Analia casually asked, nodding at the boy on the right. “You were in the outlaw camp with Pieter and Sean.”

“David. My name is David,” he finally replied in a stutter. “This is my half-brother, Ser James Alwaythe. You’re the Dragon Rider, the one who speaks to the dragons, the one who challenged the Sidhe?” It was more of a long drawn out statement than a question. Both boys continued to impolitely stare at her.

Analia smiled at their total lack of self-composure. “I am Analia, niece of Ser Thoragild, and yes, I am that Dragon Rider of whom you speak.” She could see a spark of brisk interest and attraction light up the features of both young men. “I could really use some help finding my way.”

They quickly looked at each other and then the elder of the two offered his arm. “I will proudly act as your escort, my Lady. I fear David here has little knowledge of the twists and turns of the castle. He has never visited here before.” As they walked away, she turned and thought she saw a look of bitter disappointment on David’s face.

David had never been near Analia before. When he saw her on the field with the dragons, she was so far away he could barely make out her features, and in the darkness around the camp fire, he paid little attention to what was being said and who was saying it. Now that he had seen her, up close, his heart was racing and he was suddenly madly in love. He ached to see her again but knew she was now so far out of his reach that opportunity may never happen. A person of his station did not associate with societies’ elite, it was completely unheard of.

A sudden thought occurred to him. Pieter. He knew that she and Pieter and Sean had been close friends at the school and he and Pieter had become somewhat friends. He would ask Pieter to get him into the feast. Surely Pieter would help him? He rushed off to urgently find his ticket to his heart.

As Analia slowly walked down the great aisle towards the high table, a solemn but happy Nania walked behind her. Ladies did not walk alone; they were always escorted wherever they went. The room was enormous, large enough to accommodate five hundred or more diners. There were large tables with benches sat in rows three and four deep to her left and right; these were placed in the position known as below the salt. Only the high table was provided with salt, all others had to bring their own or go without. She knew the tables could be quickly dismantled and taken away if there was to be dancing and pageantry.

A massive high table was spread across the entire back of the great room. There was a secondary high table in front of, but lower than the main high table and it was already filled with lesser Lords and Knights. All the tables were filled except for an empty row near the front and close to the second high table which looked to seat perhaps a hundred guests. A wide path had been cleared between all the end tables for those at the high table to walk through to gain their seats. A chorus of flute and pipe players played soft music in the background and the place was buzzing with talk and laughter. Although she could see no food, she could smell the rich aromas floating in from the great kitchens.

Analia had learned enough during her studies in Alataria to know that social codes made it difficult for women to uphold the ideal of immaculate neatness and delicacy while enjoying a meal, so the Queen and her, ladies-in-waiting, often dined in private with her entourage or ate very little at such feasts. They could then join the male diners only after the potentially messy business of eating was done. Overall, fine dining was a predominantly male affair, and it was uncommon for anyone but the most honored of guests to bring his wife or her ladies-in-waiting to the feast. However, on special occasions like this one appeared to be, it was a mandatory appearance for all who were invited, including wives and even acceptable concubines.

There were already a large number of honored guests at the high table, all lavishly dressed lords and their ladies, but she noticed her uncle sitting near the center by himself. He stood as she neared his position and bowed as she was assisted into her seat next to his by a somber Nania. She had not failed to note that all eyes were on her as she made her way to the table. Nania politely backed up and stood unobtrusively in the background with dozens of other maids and servants. There were several seats to the left of Ryykon, presumably for the Queen Regent and her escorts. Her uncle was taken aback by Nania’s appearance, but smiled and twitched his eyebrows.

Analia had borrowed a gown from Talina, as they were near the same size, and Nania had pulled and tucked it to fit properly. However, compared to the gowns warn by the rich wives of the powerful lords, her simple gown appeared exceedingly plain and unattractive. Ryykon noted her discomfort and realized the reason behind it. “You fit your dress a thousand times better than these popinjays,” he remarked in a whispered smile. “They may look stuffy and act priggish, but I guarantee you every single one of them is seething inside with pure envy.”

One of the servants placed a shallow basin of scented water and a linen towel in front of her. She had learned that they would be removed and replaced between courses as cleanliness was judiciously emphasized. Analia smiled back and glanced around the massive room. Pages and men-at-arms stood along the outer walls. The pages were ready to serve at the beck and call of the nobles, while the men-at-arms were primarily for show and to act as peacemakers should the festivities become too rowdy. The Sergeant-at-Arms had also stationed a squad of soldiers in the alcoves in the event that there was a threat to the Queen Regent which her personal guards could not handle.

Guests were continually walking down the long aisle to take their places at the tables. She suddenly noticed Pieter as he made his way through the throng. With him was the boy, David, whom she had just briefly met. They took seats at the lower high table and glanced around. Pieter waved to her and she shyly waved back. He was dressed in new clothing which any regular squire would wear, with the exception of a coat of arms sewn on his thin doublet. He was too far away for her to identify the details, but it was obviously his family crest.

Trumpeters quickly shook her out of her reverie as scores of them blasted the royal tattoo. That was immediately followed by a shushed quiet, then half a score of very high nobles and their wives, along with Cardinal Vicarius, walked slowly and imperiously down the center lane. Following them was the Queen Regent herself escorted by young Prince Robert. They were both immaculately dressed in the latest fashion with the appropriate amount of jewels and finery. Prince Robert smiled, but looked very uncomfortable in his new role. As they made their way towards the high table, everyone stood and started clapping their hands or beating their knife hilts on the table. The cortège finally took their seats in the center of the table and the noise slowly abated.

The Prince sat on the other side of her uncle so they were quite close, and neither had had the opportunity to speak since returning to the Camalund. Robert smiled and passed an ornate jeweled knife to her uncle, who passed on to her. She had learned that only highly favored guests would be given a personal knife with which to eat and knives were usually shared, as was the standard etiquette of breaking bread and carving meat for one's fellow diners. Obviously the Prince had learned of her important role in his survival and escape.

Moments later, the Queen Regent stood and the trumpeters sounded the attention tattoo. She glanced around in a magisterial manner, a broad smile on her lovely face. “Today, we celebrate many things,” she spoke. “Most of all the safe return of Prince Robert, soon to be anointed as King Robert.” She smiled down at her blushing son. “We would also like to recognize a few of the kingdom’s accomplished lionhearted citizens. Pieter Schermon please stand.” She glanced to where he sat and motioned for him to stand. He slowly stood and bowed deeply.

“It has been brought to my attention that the Schermon family was wrongly accused of treason and all male heirs except Pieter were summarily executed by our late and great King George. To correct this injustice, I publically proclaim the family to be innocent of all charges and the honored name and estates are henceforth restored to Ser Pieter Schermon.”

Queen Denize smiled and motioned for him to sit down. “I ask that you stand as our great warriors, the Dragon Riders and our new allies the Valkyri enter the room and take their seats.” The hall erupted in shouting and joyful boasting as the Dragon Riders and Valkyri marched in and took their seats at the places reserved for them near the lower high table. Analia noticed a big smile on the face of her friend Talina.

“These great warriors have banded together as sisters in defense of the realm,” Queen Denize remarked. “By now each of you have learned that a state of war exists between the Empire of n Angalund and the kingdom of Alitaria... These brave Dragon Riders and Valkyri Riders have pledged to defend us to the death.

The Queen Regent finally glanced in Analia’s direction and bid her to stand. “Finally, I would like to introduce the niece of the King’s Protector, Lord Thoragild.” The Queen suddenly smiled and bent over to whisper in Ser Thoragild’s ear. Analia heard him mutter her name. The Queen obviously couldn’t even remember what she was called.

“This brave young girl is Analia. She saved the life of Prince Robert during a dastardly assassination attempt and quickly moved him to safety.” “She glanced over at a glowering Lord Smythwaite. “Analia is also responsible for uniting the Dragon Riders and Valkyri. For this we owe her a debt of sincere gratitude and honor.”

The Queen smiled and quickly took her seat. Analia could tell she was not happy about some of the announcements she had made, especially the one about her. Prince Robert glanced over to the Queen and blurted; “Is there nothing else, mother? She at least deserves a title and recognition as a noble Lady?’ Queen Denize gave him a cold stare and returned to discussing something trivial with Lord Smythwaite sitting on her left.

Analia shrugged and glanced around the room, noting that an army of servants were now bringing out the first dishes of the festive meal. Her face suddenly broke into a frown. “Uncle, I don’t see the Sidhe whom you invited as our guest. Did they refuse your kind offer?”

Ser Thoragild glanced around the packed room and smiled. “They’re over there in the far left corner. Lord Culloden insisted that he remain with his men until the games and drinking starts.

Analia squinted but could not see the large handsome warriors she had met on the battlefield. She did notice the small man dressed in the dark robe with stars on it she had seen on the hill. He was sitting among a large group of dwarfs, most of them even smaller, around gnome size, less than three feet in height. “I see only a large group of dwarfs,” she stated.

Her uncle smiled. “That is the Sidhe,” he replied. “The man in the dark robe is their great wizard. I forgot you did not know about them, Analia. The Sidhe are tricksters. They are actually less than three feet tall, and only four score of them are here, not the 10,000 you saw on the field. Their great magician is a powerful illusionist and can make them appear large and in great numbers for only short spans. Their home lies to the west of the Khelti and they live in underground houses and do a lot of mining. We obtain a large amount of our metal from them. Be careful, they are very flirtatious, known drunkards, ardent pranksters, and they love music, dance, and feasting. They appeared in front of the castle as a vast host of giant warriors to impress our populace. They do the same thing to their enemies, those who do not know their great power of illusion. I asked them to enter the city after twilight so they would not give away that secret.”

Analia was astonished. That great host of handsome warriors turned out to be less than a hundred brawling dwarfs. “So much for Lord Culloden protecting me,” she muttered.


If you would like to read more of Analia's continuing adventures, all chapters have now been posted. Chapter Thirteen at:

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The Lone Traveler - Part Thirteen  (13+) A young farm girl undertakes a fantastic and perilous journey in a Medieval like world. #2068111 by Oldwarrior