Michael Mathias: Kings, Queens, Heroes, and Fools

“…thes weel intereast yew, Kang Jareek,” Princess Rosa was saying in her heavily accented, girlish voice.

The dinner dishes had just been removed and everyone was anticipating the desserts that were yet to come. Hyden was just glad that there were no more knives left at the table. The daggers in the eyes of Princess Rosa’s Aunt were as sharp as razor blades.

“A men neemed Dreeg, and hes company, are claiming up the iron mines around yer ruined Castlemont, and all threw the rest of Wildermont as weell,” the Princess continued. “It seems that he’s taking your people back to their homeland as slaves to do the werk-the digging and the smething, I thenk mother called it.” She touched a finger to her pouty lips and squeezed her huge dark eyes shut in concentration. “No, smeelting not smething, was whet she said,” she finished with a smile.

The room fell silent for a few long heartbeats. The subject was a tender one for both King Jarrek and High King Mikahl. Her information was welcome, though, and the fact that her mother had obviously told her to tactfully relay the news showed that Queen Rachel might be serious about helping King Jarrek’s cause.

“Dew yew reelly thenk that the zard-men are lizards?” the Princess asked High King Mikahl, in an attempt to change the subject.

He started to answer, but Hyden Hawk cut him off. “They are, m’lady.” He gave Mikahl a wink and then focused his full attention on entertaining the Princess. “They were a prominent race once. According to the writings of one Urfell Nevlen, the Westlanders attempted to kill them off a few hundred years ago. Up until recently, it was believed that they had succeeded. They ride big four- legged lizards called gekas, and they train long beaked swamp dactyls to fight and spy for them.”

The Princess’s expression showed the distaste she held for such slimy scaled creatures.

“Between the zard-men and the breed beasts, taking back Westland will surely be some bloody business,” King Mikahl said, more to himself than to anybody else.

“No less so than freeing my people from that slaver, Ra’Gren,” added King Jarrek with a nod.

“Now, now, sirs!” Queen Willa interjected herself forcefully into the conversation. “I will not have such talk at my table. The Princess was merely musing on the existence of those creatures. All of this blood talk can wait until later. I assure you that there will be a time and place for it, but that time and place is not here, nor is it now.”

Like two scolded boys, the kings mumbled apologies to Queen Willa with chastised looks on their faces. The sight was humorous to some of the ladies at the table, but the subject matter of the previous conversation kept them from doing more than eyeing the two men.

“I understand that you’re leaving on your treasure hunt soon,” someone said to Hyden.

“Aye,” Hyden started to respond, but then remembered his manners. “Um, I mean yes, sir, we are.” It had been the Lord Mayor of Xwarda who had broached the subject.

“Pirates’ treasure is it?” the pudgy, half-inebriated man asked. “It seems to me that, with the people of Wildermont enslaved, and Westland overrun with skeeks and beasts, the timing of this adventure is… well…well it’s just odd.”

Hyden looked at him coolly. There was a gravy spill on the man’s collar where his second chin mushroomed up out of the straining garment he wore. Hyden pointed at the stain conspiratorially as he responded.

“The amount of wealth that was supposedly on that ship is more than enough to buy back every single one of King Jarrek’s people,” said Hyden. It was a lie, but it sounded good. “Not that I would recommend buying them back. The High King and King Jarrek need the coin though; Highwander as well. Soldiers, carpenters, and lumbermen all have to feed what is left of their families while we rebuild.”

Queen Willa rescued Hyden from having to dig himself further into the conversation. “Lord Mayor, do not forget that Hyden Hawk is not a kingdom born man,” she scolded. Her narrowed brows and severe tone cowed the man, but she went on anyway. “He has already bested Dahg Mahn’s tower, saved Xwarda from the dragon’s wrath, and helped High King Mikahl destroy that foul wizard Pael. I think that if he wanted to build a ladder up to the moon it would be none of our concern.”

Silence again.

“Yeer Highness,” the Princess gamely tried again to gain the High King’s attention. “Deed you reelly fight the daemon-wizard from the back of a magical horse weth wings of fire?”

Hearing it from the mouth of the dreamy-eyed girl made it sound absurd, but it was true. Mikahl did fight the demon-wizard and his dark minions from the back of the bright horse. Humble by nature, Mikahl couldn’t find words. What was worse, the table had gone quiet in expectation of some boasting tale. He fingered his dragon bone medallion, trying to avoid the Princess’s gaze because he didn’t want to flush with embarrassment in front of the whole table. Knowing that she’d seen him naked as a jay this afternoon was too much at the moment. Luckily he was saved from having to respond to her awkward question by the arrival of a train of servants bringing in the desserts.

All along the front face of Queen Willa’s Xwardian Palace, starting above the second floor’s row of arched windows, had once been a row of forty-foot tall stained glass depictions. All the glass was gone now. High King Mikahl, King Jarrek, Queen Willa, and Hyden Hawk stood in one of the open balcony-like spaces that remained, looking out across the moonlit rubble Pael’s wrath had caused. The horror of the site was displaced by fragments of the stained glass that had been blasted out from the castle wall, leaving the destroyed city looking as if it had been frosted in gems.

In the foreground, below them, the fountain in the middle of Whitten Loch danced and played. The ripples reflected the light of the torches that ran along the top of the castle’s inner wall. The air was still chilled and Mikahl had placed his lion-skin cloak over Queen Willa’s shoulders, but it was King Jarrek who stood closest to her.

“When are you leaving?” Mikahl asked Hyden.

“Two days, if nothing diverts me,” Hyden answered.

“Brady Culvert is a strong sword and a good man, Sir Hyden Hawk,” King Jarrek said. “His father died beside me at Castlemont and was my dear friend.”

“Aye, and I hope we have no need of swords,” Hyden nodded. “The island we’re headed to will most likely be deserted. On the maps I’ve seen, it doesn’t appear to be big enough to sustain much life, but I’m honored to have him along, just in case.”

“Salazar is a tricky place to lay-over,” King Jarrek pointed out. “Brady’s presence will dissuade the alley thieves if you display him properly. It’s the Dakaneese pirates you’ve got to watch out for.”

“Captain Trant is a master seaman, and the Seawander has a most capable crew,” Queen Willa said. She had donated the use of her royal ship as a token of thanks to Hyden Hawk for the deeds he had done to save her kingdom.

“I can’t believe that I used to think that you were a witch,” High King Mikahl laughed lightly. “In Westland, they said that you once turned a man into a pig, and fed your Blacksword army the flesh of your enemies.”

“And I did nothing to make them think any different,” she boasted. “Fear of Willa the Witch Queen has kept many a man from crossing me. I learned that from my grandmother. Rumor and gossip, and sinister legends can sometimes be a weapon far greater than steel.”

“I’m not so sure that she isn’t really a witch,” King Jarrek said with a grin. “She’s been match-making and meddling so much as of late that it wouldn’t surprise me to see her pouring love potions into the Princess and the High King’s cups.”