Mikahl reared back with his blade as he slipped to the side of the sword the dark haired man before him had just thrust out. To the onlookers, Mikahl looked like a young lion with his intense expression and his thick golden mane flying about. The man he was fighting, Brady Culvert, growled in frustration through gnashed teeth because he had to spin to get clear of Mikahl’s gleaming, arcing swing. He managed it, but barely. He lost his balance in the process and almost fell. Mikahl rode the momentum of his slash all the way around, but this time, instead of resuming his guard, he feigned a chest-high slice. As soon as the other man committed to his unbalanced defensive guard, Mikahl deftly lowered his blade to thigh level, and struck with force.
Mikahl’s dulled steel thumped wickedly into Brady Culvert’s leather thigh pad. The small group of swordsmen gathered in the training yard grimaced with sympathy then called out praises and jests alike. Brady couldn’t hear them over his own cursing. Mikahl had horse-knotted his leg and it hurt like hell. Brady wasn’t angry though. He had just won a small fortune in wagers by lasting over five minutes sparring against High King Mikahl. It was a record. No one in all of Highwander had managed to make it even three minutes against the treacherous young king of the realm.
“If he’d been using Ironspike, Brady, you’d be legless,” King Jarrek, the displaced king of Wildermont, commented as a squire began unbuckling Brady’s leather armor from the back. Another squire took the dulled sword from the combatant’s hand.
“If he had Ironspike in his hands, I would have been fighting with him, not against him, Highness.” Brady smiled back at King Jarrek. After settling their debts, the men broke up and went back to their practice drills. The victor smiled at his congratulations, then went over to a small table where an old retired warrior was keeping time with minute glasses.
King Mikahl hadn’t been wearing armor at all-only a pair of calfskin britches, and a green silk shirt trimmed in gold. Those were the colors of his dead father’s Westland banner, and after several long minutes of dodging and deflecting Brady Culvert’s blade, he hadn’t even darkened them with sweat. His hair had gone wild though, and he made a futile attempt to smooth it back into some sense of order before making his announcment.
“Seven full minutes and almost half a glass more,” King Mikahl called out with a nod of respect. “The cream of the crop, without a doubt.”
Brady Culvert was twenty-two years old, three years older than High King Mikahl. Brady had been one of King Jarrek’s feared and revered Redwolf guards and had worn his crimson enameled plate mail proudly. Their kingdom had been decimated last summer by the Westland wizard Pael. Brady, acting on orders from his King, rode all the way across the continent warning the other kingdoms of the approaching doom. He’d been in the Red City of Dreen warning the Valleyans when that battle started. He escaped the evil wizard’s hordes only to be captured later by a group of Queen Rachel’s Seaward soldiers. Somehow he’d won free of them and made it all the way to Xwarda, where Pael and his undead army were already attacking.
Most of the people of Wildermont, including Brady’s family, had been sold into slavery, and all winter long, King Jarrek had been here in Xwarda training a group of handpicked men to go into Dakahn to free them. High King Mikahl, being a great swordsman, trained with them rigorously. In fact, he trained easily twice as hard as any man in the group. He had a temper, and in order to keep it under control, he intentionally exhausted himself at least once a day.
“…not good enough to stay alive if we faced each other in actual combat,” Brady was saying in response to Mikahl’s comment.
“Aye,” the High King grinned proudly, but without cockiness. “In actual combat, Sir Culvert, you’d have never had the chance to draw your sword.”
For the most part formalities and titles were forbidden on the Royal Training Yard. Unlike the yards where Queen Willa’s Blacksword soldiers trained, where sergeants and captains put regiments of men through long brutal repetitions, often accompanied by much yelling and screaming, here, men were just men. Crowns and thrones and holdings meant nothing. It was one of the few places a man might jest with his king without fear of reproach. The use of the word ‘Sir’ by King Mikahl when speaking to Brady displayed volumes of respect and Brady Culvert beamed for it. So much so that he’d missed the humor in the High King’s ridiculous boast. King Jarrek didn’t miss the jab though, and he laughed heartily.
“That one will do,” Mikahl said after Brady had gone. “I want him to go with Hyden Hawk, if you’d spare him. My friend needs a sword he can trust on this wild expedition he is planning.”
“I thought you’d keep him for yourself Mik,” King Jarrek said a little disappointedly.
“I would if there were someone as capable with the blade going along with Hyden,” replied Mikahl. “Why is it that you refuse to take him with your group? He’s your countryman, and you’ve known him his whole life, or so he says.”
“It’s true. I was drinking with his father when he was being born, but his father was killed right before his eyes, by Westlanders, and his mother, sisters, and cousins may be the very slaves we come across in O’Dakahn. Just like another great swordsman I know, his emotions are too highly strung. Besides that, if one of the slaves recognizes him, then it could jeopardize the others. The men I hand-picked are all from Highwander. They have no emotional involvement in what we’re going to do. I think it’s better that way.”
It pained Mikahl deeply to hear of the horrible deeds that his Westland countrymen had done under the leadership of his stepbrother King Glendar and Pael. Mikahl sometimes wondered how Jarrek kept from hating him for being a true Westlander.
“It makes good sense then, to send him with Hyden Hawk, but what if one of the slaves recognizes you?” Mikahl asked.
“I had no beard when I sat my throne at Castlemont, and no one in all the lands, save for a few here in Xwarda, have ever seen me dressed as anything less than a king. It will be easy for me to go unnoticed, I assure you.”
“Not if you keep speaking like a king. Commoners don’t use words like you do. Maybe you should spend some time out in the markets, or at the Squalor, where they speak with less pomp and formality.” Mikahl laughed at the idea of it. King Jarrek was naturally as regal as a man could be.
“I may just do that,” said Jarrek as they started toward the bath-house. His expression showed that he was seriously contemplating Mikahl’s suggestion and it made Mikahl laugh even harder. When the mirth died away, Mikahl changed the subject.
“Can you believe that Queen Willa actually wants me to propose to this Princess Rosa?” The High King’s voice was incredulous. “I don’t even know her.”
“It might be necessary to secure Queen Rachel’s full support,” explained Jarrek. “The Princess is as pretty a girl as there ever was. Have you seen her?”
“No, but it’s not fair!” He felt like a little boy whose mother was calling him to come inside early instead of letting him stay out in the cobbles to play with his friends. “Her mother tried to attack Xwarda after sacking two Highwander cities. I don’t understand how Queen Willa could even think of us making such an alliance.”
It was Jarrek’s turn to laugh. After a moment he grew serious and stopped Mikahl to look into his eyes. “Seaward has fighting men, Mikahl. The few thousand men Queen Rachel sent to help King Broderick attack here was a token offer at best. You have to remember that Glendar, or Pael, or whoever was behind the attack at Summer’s Day, set all of this into motion. They flew Willa’s Blacksword banner when they did it. Rachel had to do something, and thankfully she did as little as possible.” He put his arm around Mikahl’s shoulder in a fatherly manner. “Remember, it’s a proposal, not a marriage. Later, after Queen Rachel has bowed to you publicly, then you can politely change your mind, but I doubt you’ll do that. You’ll not find a more beautiful and polite girl in all the realm.”
“If and when I marry, I want it to be for love,” Mikahl said naively. “Anything less just doesn’t seem to be, what’s the word? Honorable?”
“Being a good king isn’t a very honorable business sometimes,” said King Jarrek. “Every single time we do something good for somebody, someone else is upset about it. That is why honorable men don’t usually want to be king.”
“Aye,” Mikahl agreed with a huff of frustration. “I should’ve gone a few more rounds out in the yards,” he mumbled to himself as King Jarrek was pulled away by a question from one of his men.
Queen Willa was having a welcome feast for Princess Rosa later in the day. It hadn’t even started yet, but already Mikahl was getting aggravated by the mess. The bath was hot and relaxing and went far toward easing his tension. It was peaceful in these particular bathhouses, which were for the use of those training in the Royal Weapons Yard. If Mikahl tried to bathe anywhere else he’d be swamped with bowing servants, over eager attendants, and all the other amenities of his position that made his blood boil. What he’d give to be able to eat anonymously with the squires and pages this night. The only formalities he’d find there were belching contests, dice, and the laces on a willing servant girl’s girdle.
A sharp repetitive thumping sound caught his attention and he turned in the wooden tub to see what it was. A wide wingspan of dark brown feathers swirled the steam and the tiny, yet widening yellow ring of a hawkling’s focusing eye found him. The bird gave a weak apologetic caw then proceeded to flap its way out of the room, dragging Mikahl’s robe with it.
“Talon, no!” Mikahl screamed as he looked around and saw that there was nothing at all to cover himself with. “Blasted Hyden!” he swore. As angry as he was becoming, he couldn’t hold back the smile that stretched across his face. He and Hyden took great pride in the pranks they pulled on each other, and this was a good one. Princess Rosa was here at the castle, and by the time the feast gathered this evening, the gossipers and rumor mongers would have a lot to talk about. Mikahl wasn’t about to be meek about it. He would strut across the practice yard naked if he had to. His fierce pride wouldn’t allow any less.
“You just wait Hyden. I’ll get-” Mikahl was yelling as he burst out of the door that opened into the corner of the training yard. His voice died quickly away. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw the girl who was waiting there with Hyden. She was suddenly wide-eyed and having to stifle her giggles. Talon leapt from Hyden’s wrist and flew to perch on a piece of training equipment a fair distance away and began preening himself innocently.
The well-bloomed young girl with Hyden was beautiful beyond reason, with sparkling blue eyes, full pouty lips, and long wavy brown hair that flowed down over her shoulders. Her day dress was colored the very same shade of green as the Westland banner, and it hugged her curvaceous figure well. Her skin was golden, but mottled roses had suddenly appeared on her cheeks.
“Oh, sorry, Mik,” Hyden shrugged with an ear-to-ear grin on his face. His long black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and gave his face a hawkish look that eerily resembled Talon’s. “They told me you were taking a hot bath, not a cold one.”
Princess Rosa’s mouth had formed a perfect ’O ‘. She whirled and whacked Hyden across the chest. Hyden could barely contain himself. He was about to explode with laughter.
“Yew seed that he was feeding some earphaned beer cubs!” she shrieked in a heavily accented voice as she stalked off. A pair of equally flustered and giggling attendants, and a slightly older woman who was still openly eyeing Mikahl’s naked body, appeared from the background to receive the girl and usher her off.
Hyden lost all control of his mirth and was laughing so hard that he actually fell to a knee and held his stomach. As the training yard door slammed shut behind the Princess of Seaward and her entourage, applause erupted from some of the braver men; there were whistles and jeers as well.