Logan's Reign

A Tale of Geshem by Brian Doyle

No permission has been given, no offence has been intended. 


Chapter 5

When I got back, nothing much had changed, and so the afternoon
continued. Small talk was made and relationships established. I
made an effort to talk to a couple of members of the Tarus party,
but there were really none my age, and I don't do 'cute' as well 
as Rahne does. The closest to me in age were Mandragora, Jana and
Angelique. 

Mandragora had accompanied Esteban into the meeting as an advisor.
Part of his training, Esteban had said.

Jana was too busy flirting with any number of the Palace Guard to
pay much attention to a boy, even a Prince. 

Angelique I did talk to and I found her to be much as I suspected,
quiet and rather reserved. She was sitting at a table with the Lady
Bethany and talking as she did a reading for her. She was polite
and charming when I offered them drinks, and I sat down. She
offered to do a reading for me and I was really tempted, but
instead thanked her but said no; I know Mum has never warmed to
card-casters, the Old Religion looks on them as a borderline form
of black magic, and she is very devout about things like that. I
_did_ watch her do the Lady Bethany's reading. 

Angelique surprised me, because when she laid some cards down she
said the name of another aloud. When I looked as though I was about
to comment, she put her fingers to her lips and shook her head, so
I kept quiet. The reading she gave Bethany was the usual sort of
thing: happiness, contentment, true love.

When she finished, she sat back, and Bethany turned and looked her
full in the face. Even without eyes you could feel her gaze, almost
like a physical force. "I understand you were trying to be kind,
Angelique, but I don't need you to lie to me. Say the cards that
you have laid, do not insult me with falsehoods."

To her credit, Angelique looked very embarrassed and, gathering her
cards back into their pouch, she stood up, mumbled an apology and
vanished off, her cheeks flaming.

Then Bethany turned to me, "And as for you, Prince Logan, I thought
you would know me better than to allow her to continue. Silence in
the wrong place can be just as much a lie as words. You should have
spoken up."

Now it was my turn to feel embarrassed. "I did not do it to mock
you, milady. I thought it a harmless diversion."

Bethany continued remorselessly, "Lying is never harmless, young
Prince. Perhaps especially when it is well intentioned. We'll look
on this as an object lesson, Prince Logan, and never mention it
again."

Somehow, that made me feel even worse. She must have been taking
lessons from Dad.

The afternoon finally drew into evening, and the guests for the
formal Banquet arrived. Everyone appeared to be surprised at how
quickly the afternoon had flown past. 

When the Rulers returned they were... well not friendly as such, but
at least seemed to be acting sociably. Bryn was laughing at a joke
that Esteban was telling, and Mum was talking to the Frost Queen
quite politely. 

In attendance were the aristocracy and warrior class of Geshem, as
well as specially invited guests. 

First and foremost was the Lady Morag, a gifted Healer and
Chirurgeon come from her beloved island off the Western Coast. She
was Mum's godmother and had helped raise her after the old Queen
had died. Mum cared for her very deeply, which must have been an
effort sometimes. Most of the children (me included) lived in a
cross between awe and terror of her, and she did nothing to dispel
either opinion.

Lady Morag was a no-nonsense woman with a mind like a sword-edge
and a temperament to match. She had no time for politics or
diplomacy, words which she used only when she had to, and even then
with the sort of tone most people keep for swearing -- listen to her
for long enough, you can see where Mum _really_ gets her temper
from. 

Lady Morag was, however, respected by anyone with a mind of their
own. 

When Dad requested Mum's hand in marriage, Lady Morag gave him a
three hour grilling, which he later described as being like "having
my flesh stripped off me by bears, but not quite as pleasant"; I'm
told she summarised Mum's proposed choice of husband with the words
"He's scrawny, but has a good heid wi' a good heart. You could do a
lot worse, girl". This was as close to a compliment as anyone had
ever heard her give and Mum still describes the look of almost
insane relief on Dad's face with a broad smile.

Morag never had a group of people clustered around her the way some
of the richer or better-looking women did, but you noticed that
those who did spend time with her were those with reputations for
intelligence or wisdom. I'd noticed in the past that Seamus spent a
lot of time talking with her too. They made an... interesting couple.

The Mage's Lady, Pale Dominique, was there too. She'd been his
Battle Second for years, and is still one of the most feared
warriors in the land, though looking at her small size and ready
smile, you'd never think so. The patch she wore over one eye would
hint at a deficiency in her prowess, but there were none when she
had to fight. "Liquid shadow" is how the Mage once described her,
and he wasn't exaggerating.

Dominique was making small talk with Ember of the Earthheart, our
ambassador from the Fire-Elves. Ember sat in the fireplace trying
not to shiver. The open air is far too cold for any of her people,
but she was able to tolerate the fireplace a little better, though
she never stayed for long. Her healthy orange glow was already
starting to fade to yellow in some places, so she would probably
have to leave soon. Though a lot smarter than most elves, she's not
as playful as Maggie or even Gossamer, but as she'd sear your skin
if she even touched it, maybe it's just as well. 

The Lady Jehanne was there with her children, Ethan and Raya. She
retired from active service a few years ago, after her husband died
fighting Lord Terminus. She and her children moved to a cottage on
the outskirts of town. Rain and I have been friends with Ethan and
Raya since we could walk, though I don't see them as often as I'd
like to, but we have fun when we do get together. 

Ethan's only eleven, but is already much bigger and stronger than 
I am, and wants to be a Knight like his father was. The Mage seems
set against that for some reason he will never explain, muttering
something about another destiny awaiting him.

Raya is learning magic from her mother, and is apparently strong in
the Talent, but I've only ever seen her use hearth magic to summon
up illusions, like fire-birds from the hearth. She was doing this
to amuse Dominique and Ember, who was trying to catch them before
they shot up the chimney.

I saw that Sir Samuel's little sister Peggy was there too. She's
still only a Page for now and I have to call her that in public,
but I like her a lot, and she and I have shared many secrets over
the years, including her most special one that only two other
people know. I've been sorely tempted to tell her about my animal
talking, but I've managed to hold my tongue so far.

There were a few members of the Royal Guard around too, though
these days they seemed to be out on patrol a lot.

Robert the Sunless was one of them. He had been a wandering knight
who pledged allegiance to the old King years ago. When he had
arrived he was a handsome man, but he had perhaps played with too
many women's hearts and had been cursed by an enchantress whose
attentions he scorned. Determined that no one would appreciate his
looks again, she had made him into a walking shadow, his features
hidden by permanent shadow over him. Ironically, apart from
increasing his usefulness as a scout, the air of mystery and the
ongoing debate about what he really looked like made him even
_more_ popular amongst the ladies, though he and Mum's maid Tabby
had been getting closer for a while.

The feasting was, as Mum usually decreed, simple food but well 
made and plenty of it. She could never abide leaders eating more
elaborate food than their subjects, feeling it smacked of
arrogance. 

There was also plenty of ale and mead flowing, though I noticed
that none of the Kings or Queens drank much. Mum never drank, and
disapproved of Dad getting drunk on general principal, which was
enough to make him nurse a single drink for ages (There were also
stories whispered downstairs in the kitchens about the first time
he ever got drunk... and the unfortunate side effects). 

Bryn, who could eat enough for a regiment, including the horses,
made it a point never to touch alcohol after some a bad experience
earlier in his life (It's not like he needed it to be boisterous).
Seamus seemed immune to the effects of ale as a rule but he too
tried to keep it to a minimum when his daughter was around. With
the Tarus party it just seemed they did a lot of sipping, and
didn't need their glasses filled too often, though Esteban himself
seemed to have much the same capacity as Seamus did, with less
reserve.

Dad, Bryn and Esteban were talking with Seamus at the High Table
and Seamus was telling what was probably, judging by the hand
gestures that went with it, a very off-colour joke. 

Then the entertainment started; there had been the usual jugglers
and the like through the meal, but that wasn't the same as proper
entertainment.

The main entertainment event was the attendance of a Storyteller.
Not just a storyteller, but a Storyteller; if you've ever heard
one, you know the difference just from the way it's said. There
were only a few worthy of the title in any country at any one time.
Such people come and go as they choose, sometimes dining with
kings, sometimes sleeping in barns, sometimes just performing for
travellers at the edge of the road, and no one ever stopped them or
would dream of turning them away. Even Lord Terminus allowed them
free passage, so they could spread tales of his rule in the world
beyond.

It was definitely an honour to have one in attendance. Odd, how it
seemed like that when there were already so many monarchs and
rulers about.

It wasn't just her own stories that she told; Tshiluba, as she
introduced herself gathered stories from others wherever she went,
and could remember them all, just as they had been told to her. No
one had any idea how anyone could memorise such vast quantities of
words, and pass it on to others,

We listened spellbound for what could have been a couple of hours,
it's easy to lose track of time at times like that.

Finally the usual request came from the gathering - someone wanted
Seamus to sing a few of the old ballads. Sometimes he does and
sometimes he doesn't, perhaps because he feels that people don't
take him seriously if he's seen as _just_ a bard. Tonight he agreed
to it and he was soon standing in the middle of the room, his harp
in his hands. He's great fun when he plays, never quite taking
anything seriously, except the tune that's he's playing.

As Queen, the first song was in honour of Mum. Well, actually, all
the ladies there could have taken it as theirs but I guess it was
aimed at Mum. It extolled the virtues of womanhood but at the same
time took a sly stab at men who were always happy with getting
exactly what they think they want. I know that Dad loves Mum more
for how she surprises him than how she does as he expects.

The second song was in honour of Dad. It's one of those songs that
make him hide his head in his hands and groan. It's an old song
that was adapted to take into account one of his battles, making
him sound a lot more grand than he ever has been. He's said that
one of the prices of being Prince is that certain events will get
over-glamorised. Since the Prince in this song was about the size
of a house, killing his inhuman enemies ten at a time with blows of
his mighty sword, carved from a single diamond, I think there was a
lot of glamorising going on.

The third was another song about the Army of Geshem, and had been
written about the battle that cost Dad his arm. Dad doesn't like to
be reminded of that particularly, and I could see him flexing his
metal hand almost without thinking. Spotting this, Seamus looked
askance at him, as if seeking his permission to continue, and Dad
nodded. He may not like it much, but he says it's good to be
reminded of one's mortality every once in a while, it makes you
appreciate being alive all the more. Certainly I saw him pull Mum
closer to him and she hugged him right back, so he must have a
point. The fact it also goes into some detail about the commitment
of the Geshem people to defend themselves would not have been lost
on any guest present.

Looking back at it, I think that song might have been a plan on
Seamus' part, to make sure the Tarus party knew that they were
dealing with a land well-skilled in battle and who were prepared 
to pay a high price for victory if need be.

The last song he sang was completely different, a rousing old tune
about a long ago land, where the people crowned the stupidest man
king, and the madness that ensued from his rule. It's quite a bawdy
song, and I don't know what all the words mean exactly, but I've
spent enough time looking after the tups on Gran's farm to be able
to guess at a lot of them. I also thought it was risking a lot to
sing that, considering the Royal company he was in, but Seamus knew
it was one of Bryn's favourites and it's known through all the
Realms. True to form, soon Bryn was singing along with all the
choruses, and Esteban and Dad were joining in. Mum made her
'official stern and disapproving' face, but gave a "What can you
do?" shrug to all assembled and let it continue. I'd swear that 
I could see her foot tapping under the table though.