Month: July 2020

   She stopped in the middle of the busy sidewalk and stared. Two men in their twenties or thirties were wrestling – no, outright fighting – on a large cement block at the edge of the sidewalk. They gasped and gave hoarse cries, clenching each other’s clothes and pinching any available skin, grunting when the blows landed. Several times the two men rolled dangerously close to the edge of the block and the road beyond, buzzing with cars that flashed past with hardly a glance for the angry men.
   She gasped and covered her mouth when the blond man punched the other’s nose so hard that it bled. She stood poised, a small island in the tide of pedestrians, wondering whether she should try to stop them. No, she would only get hurt herself, and she lacked the strength to force them apart. She wished that she had accepted her fiancé’s offer of an escort, but it was too late now. She winced as the older man landed a blow that made the other groan in pain. Why were the other pedestrians walking along so calmly, with scarcely a second look for the two fighters?
   Coming quickly to a decision, she tugged at the sleeve of a passing man who seemed to be in less of a hurry than the rest.
“Excuse me sir, but do you think you could stop them?”
He stopped and looked down at her.
“Stop whom?”
She gestured impatiently at the two bruised and battered men, who were still fighting single-mindedly.
“Them. It’s horrible the way they’re fighting like that.”
The man shook his head slowly.
“Miss, I don’t see anyone.”
She stared at him.
“What?”
“I don’t see anyone. There’s no one there. . .” He began to drift away, and she caught his arm desperately.
“But, sir, they’re right there, on that block! Right there, don’t you see them?”
He paused and looked again, then turned a curious glance on her.
“Miss. . .”
“Please, stop them. They’ll hurt each other.” She didn’t know why it was so important to her that the men be stopped. It was just that no one else seemed to care at all.
“Miss, there’s no one there. Only the old statue that’s been there for years.”
“I tell you, they’ll hurt. . .”
The men were gone.
On the same cement block, where seconds before two living beings had squirmed and gasped there was only the cold grey of a statue. Two statues, actually, their limbs intertwined as they strove to strike one another in a desperate fight to the death.
   She realized her mouth was open and closed it.
“Sorry, miss. . .” The man gently disentangled himself from her trembling hand and moved away, caught up instantly in the brisk mass of strangers. She ducked her way through the crowd to sit on the edge of the block. Looking at the two statues, she tried to see the two men again, but they were motionless. She brushed her fingers over the block, wondering if she’d gone crazy.
“There’s an old legend behind that statue.”
She looked up to see an old woman perched on the opposite corner of the block.
“It was there when this city was just a little town. Most people have forgotten about the tale, and what’s worse – they don’t care anymore.”
The woman gave her a wrinkled smile.
“You’re not the first to have . . . seen something, my dear.”
She started forward.
“You mean – it’s real? That is, it’s not just my imagination?”
The old woman just smiled.
“This statue has been sitting here since I was a little girl. No one cares about it, no one cares for it. I don’t suppose . . . if you have the time . . .”
She ducked her head to hear over the noise of the passers-by.
“You might help care for it.” One gnarled finger tapped the block next to her, and the old woman was gone.
   She stood and bent over the place the old woman had tapped. There was a worn plaque there, lying flat on the block, exposed to the elements. She brushed away the dead leaves and pine needles that covered it and saw that moss had been busy growing in every available crack and crevice of the plaque. Running one finger over each letter, she noticed that they were in various stages of care. The first few had once been carefully cleaned, but moss was beginning to grow in them again. The ones in the middle were free from growth but had been rained and snowed on for long enough that they were tarnished. Only the second to last letter was clean, untarnished and free from moss. Carefully, she picked out the moss from the final letter and rubbed away the dirt, ending several minutes later with a shiny, clean groove. Satisfied, she stood back and admired her handiwork. Every letter of the two words on the plaque was visible: THE FIGHTERS. She looked one last time at the first letter, almost full of moss; then suddenly smiled and stepped into the crowd once more. When the time was right, someone else would clean it.

   When the driver asks me how far I want to go, I just shrug. “Not far,” I say. He gives me a dubious glance and takes just enough of my money to get to Arusal, the first village outside my father’s city. I thank him and get off. I want to find a seat next to someone who doesn’t want to ask nosy questions about where I’m headed. Not that it really matters, of course: I probably won’t get farther than the city gates before my father’s men catch up with us. Still, if I’m lucky, I’ll get at least a glimpse of the outside world before Telar and co. arrive. Telar will probably be furious – if he comes. I tried to time my adventure on Desan, half-day, so that I at least have a 50-50 chance of getting someone more lenient. As I slip some money to a man with a half-empty cart, I wince at the memory of the punishment I got last time, when Telar was in the group. I really don’t want Telar to be leading the guards! Not that Telar actually struck me, or anything, although my father would probably have let him. The whole episode was about a month ago, on a day I was supposed to go with my father to another peasant-relief day. Having done more than enough of these sessions in my thirteen years, I bribed a young page who was about my size to change clothes with me, and snuck out of the castle for the best four hours of my life. It took me less than an hour to walk into the center of the city, where the two biggest markets were. The walk was pleasant, without anyone to prod me to do some duty or other, and even better, no one seemed to recognize me as a noble. There were a few coins in my well-worn pocket: the hoardings of the page-boy. I spent them carefully on fresh bread rolls with spicy meat sauces and small, sweet candies. The vendors were friendly but not inquisitive, and I had the time of my life, swooping around, chatting, joking and snitching tastes of various wares. After perhaps three hours I’d settled down somewhat, and was about to half a last stuffed bread roll with an elderly beggar when I heard orderly footsteps and glanced up. The second my eye fell on their black uniforms and gold collars, I knew they were two of my father’s personal guards – not the ones who regularly patrolled the city, but the ones who guarded our castle. I thrust the bread into the beggar’s hands and took off down the alley, hoping for another fifteen minutes of freedom before facing my father’s wrath. They saw me at once, but they paused to signal to someone out of my sight before giving chase, so I had a head-start. Unfortunately, as I reached the mouth of the next alley, I saw an officer of the guards striding briskly down it. I turned to continue straight, but a pair of guards on sleek, black ponies pulled up, effectively blocking my path. I had three choices: two guards on ponies, two guards running for me, and one guard walking. I chose the single guard, and ran with all my might. Even as I tore past him, I knew that it was useless. Still, I couldn’t give up without a struggle, so when his hand clamped on my arm, I let my momentum swing me around and slammed my elbow into his eye. He reared back but grimly hung on long enough for the two men on foot to come pounding up and seize me. I gave up fighting physically then, and let them march me where they had left their horses without resisting, but I called up the biggest cloud I could find and dropped hailstones and heavy rain onto all of our heads. The problem with that idea was that the hailstones hurt me, too, and the soldiers made no response to the hailstones except to wince when they were struck. There was a minor argument where one of the men tried to convince Telar to let his horse walk home and hold something on his eye, but Telar silenced him effectively and trotted sourly beside me the whole ride home. I have never been the most brilliant horseman, and by the time we reined in at the castle, I was pretty sore. I barely had time to stretch, however, before Telar gripped my elbow and brought me, both of us still damp from my rain, before my father. My father was absolutely furious. He had had to go to the relief day by himself, and since he lacks any power whatsoever to control the weather, the peasants were not particularly grateful. In fact, one had bowed respectfully and asked, most politely, why his Lordship had bothered to come, seeing that he was totally useless without his son? My father imparted this comment to me, along with several choice comments of his own on my usual habits, general worth and precisely what was going to happen to me. There were no mirrors present at the meeting, but I believe my overall demeanor by the time he had finished was rather dejected. This, possibly, or some extremely strict code in which he could not strike anyone of higher birth than himself, is the only reason I can conceive of by which Telar, when permitted by my father to punish me in whatever manner he saw fit, refrained from thoroughly pulverizing me. Instead, he waited until I had sat through the myriad of boring business meetings that were my father’s punishment before handing me a list of what was surely a lifetime of chores. It took me two weeks to complete them all, and several sessions of humiliation: for example, the time when I was required to muck out the entire upper stables, habited by a dozen thoroughbred horses, a task that usually was completed by three stable-boys. It took me six hours, and the whole time, any stable boys with free time sat there grinning and watched me. Even worse, I had never done anything of the sort in my life, and had to swallow my pride several times and ask the stable boys what to do and how. When the chores were finally done, I was sure I was scarred forever. I did, however, learn how to do more menial tasks than I’d ever hoped to learn.
   The driver shouts impatiently, and I climb onto the empty seat thoughtfully. Perhaps, in the long run, not getting out of the city will anger my father less. At any rate, I won’t try to fight anyone – not that I could actually hurt them. I think I only managed to clip Telar because he wasn’t expecting me to fight physically – one of the perks of being a little short for your age, rather thin and the son of a lord. Anyway, I doubt they’ll use anything quite so starkly public as guards this time. They’ll probably go for something subtle that works about twice as effectively as I’d like. For some reason, the scenery seems awfully familiar. I glance up, and feel some misgiving when I see the castle close ahead. I’d forgotten that this carttrain goes past the castle on its way out of the city. My nerves are already on edge, so when the man next to me, heretofore silent, stands up and waves to the driver that he wants to disembark, I jerk wildly and have to cover it by jumping down to let him get off. As he brushes past me, he reaches up and – to my dismay – yanks off his false beard to reveal Telar’s face, looking even grimmer than usual. My jaw drops in shock, but before I can do any of the things that flick through my mind (run, shout, call up a storm, try to bribe him) he drops his arm heavily across my shoulders as if I were a relative of his. For a moment I’m taken aback, since I would have thought that his code would forbid such casual behavior with nobility, but I figure he’s made an exception for me. Lots of people seem to do this. Without saying a word, he begins to walk me away, and I don’t resist. Once I go through my options again, none of them seems quite as useful as I’d originally anticipated. In fact, only one seems at all practical, and that is to walk along with him to the castle and try not to annoy him, since he obviously is making exceptions for me from his code. Suddenly a laugh tries to escape me. A picture of what my crestfallen face must have looked like when Telar pulled off that beard floats in front of me. I clamp my lips together, but a giggle spills out. Telar says nothing, only glances at me, but it’s enough to sober me up. As soon as we get through the gates, Telar removes his arm and puts a firm hand on my shoulder. Guessing that no more exceptions to his code will be made, I distract myself from the coming unpleasantness by copying his precise walk and grim expression. In silence, we walk to my father’s hall. Two guards slam the door behind us and follow us over to my father, who is pacing by a window. At first, he says nothing, though I guess this is not from lack of will but from inability to speak through the intensity of his anger. The silence stretches for several minutes, and his face grows so purple I worry he may explode. Suddenly he lets out his breath, looking so deflated that I try to stutter another apology. He shakes his head and strides past me, pausing only to say; “Telar will teach you sword-fighting. Sixth hour of the morning, as often as he likes.” And he is gone, with Telar after him. I look apprehensively at the guards. They avoid my glance and escort me to my rooms. At least, I think, I will learn how to swordfight. If I don’t die before I do.

   My bare feet beat a panicked tattoo on the carpeted hallways as I run, cursing the moment of laxity that put me a floor above my Prince. My mind flicks back to a different time when I ran barefoot through the palace hallways, heart pounding, thoughts screaming. Ten years old, clad only in a nightshirt, tears of homesickness still wet on my face. Terror in my eyes.
   I had been lying on my side on the narrow bunk, staring out the window as if the strength of my glance would conjure up my family, laughing and happy, as they had been before the Plague came. But no vision soothed my eyes, and nothing but the gentle snores of the other soldiers – all grown men –reached my ears. All I could think of was how Papa had snored like that, before he died, and the grief within me threatened to burst out. I got up and opened the window, letting the cool night air wash over me. As I stood there, a faint chuckle had floated to me on the breeze. Then another, and then such a happy little gurgle! I went back to my bunk, and lay down, and listened, thinking of my little brother who had made such sounds before he died of the Plague, and I wept.
   Perhaps a few hours later, I woke abruptly. Something had changed. I sat up, listening, until it came again. It was just a giggle, but there was something about it that made me scramble out of bed. I had buckled on my sword belt when it came again, and this time I did not wait even to slip on my sandals; I ran.
   I pull up short outside the closed door, and turn, as I did seven years ago, to the window that looks into the Prince’s room. I remember the hesitation of my ten-year-old self, skidding to a halt on the rich carpet, staring uncertainly at the green shapes on the other side of the tinted glass. Noting the small figure that was the Prince. A table, bed, toys – something small that didn’t belong. I had burst through the door as if it were not latched, my sword had pierced through the head the small, venomous snake wriggling on the Prince’s floor. Then, staring down at the creature, my vision wobbled; I nearly fell onto the Prince’s bed. A tiny sound made me turn my head, reminded me of the one I came to save. He had seemed to me a cherub, that first time I saw my unit’s charge. The soft black ringlets, the perfect fingers and toes, the little drooling mouth. He was three, the same age my brother was when the Plague took him. As I stared at the little Prince, the baby’s attention turned to the dead snake. I felt a feeling I could not name rise in me as the Prince crawled to the animal, dragging his useless leg behind him. His tiny hands wrapped around the snake’s lifeless body, his rosy cheek rubbed against its head, and tears spilled from his eyes. While I watched, the little Prince mourned for the snake, the snake who would have killed him, cried for the weapon of the men who tried to murder him.
   Some small sound had escaped my throat, and the Prince struggled back to me, set one hand on my knee to pull himself up, leaned against me. One of my hands, small, lean, brown, reached out and touched his.
“Who are you?” I whispered. And the Prince answered me, understood and answered me,
“Havvit Pince.”
“Havvit Pince,” I repeated. “Havvit Pince.” And understood in turn. Prince. Half-wit Prince. Ever since the fatal day of the fall, but a month before, the Prince had been listening, and had been understanding. Half-wit Prince. An insult. The label of stupidity for a fall, even though the nurse should have been watching, even though he was only three. Half-wit Prince.
    It had been instinctive; my arms went around him, my cheek on his head, my voice in his ear, renewing the promise previously made for my mother and sister’s sakes.
“I will protect you. I will not let anyone hurt you. My sword is yours. My heart is yours. My life is yours.” Gone were any thoughts of the pittance of a soldier’s salary, going home to keep my mother and sister. Gone was any thought of propriety. Gone was everything but my soul and his, and the words that came unbidden to my lips. “Your Majesty. . . I love you.” His fingers had curled against my neck, his voice had struggled to answer. “Luv. . . oo.”
   My eyes strain to peer through the tinted glass; my throat tightens at the vague shapes, though it is only what I expected. Half-wit. Prince. The latch is stronger now than it was seven years ago, but that does not matter. The door is unlatched. It slams into the wall, so hard that the man’s arm falters; his head whips around, in time to see the blur that is my sword enter his neck, killing him. Seven years ago, I had never killed a man in my life. I discovered my talent with a sword through butchering animals, slaying vermin and crows. Not killing men. Now I have killed several times, to protect my Prince. But never before have I felt this way. Hatred boils in my gut, steams from my every breath. This man would have killed my Prince. This man is the snake, a venomous reptile, the symbol of all evil. This man is the plague, that killed my father, that killed my brother. This man would have killed my Prince. Again and again, my sword plunges into the corpse. The man is dead, but my fury knows no reason. One last time I wrench my sword free, and look up at last. He’s sitting there, awake, my Prince. His hair still dark, but without the baby curl; the same wide eyes and innocent face; the crippled leg. A soft moaning wisps from his mouth, his eyes resting on the man’s body. Jerkily, he tries to move forward. I want to shout to him, to tell him no, that man was evil, he would have killed you! But I do not, because the part of me that loves instead of hates knows that his innocence is good, that it is better he know no evil and mourn death. Instead, I reach out and help him. I watch him as he kneels, mourning the dead man, his ten-year-old hands resting gently on the arm with which the man would have killed my Prince, and I pity him, for his crippled body and simple mind, but at the same time I look up to him, for I know that his innocence is a gift of God. He turns to me, and his face lights up with a smile as he truly sees me for the first time.
“Jon. . .am! Youu aare here!” The words are simple, but it costs him great effort to say them. I smile down at him.
“Who are you?” I say in greeting. He laughs.
“Havvit.” He reaches up to me, and I pick him up under the legs and behind his back. His arms go around me and squeeze tight for a moment, then his consciousness wavers. I settle him gently on his bed. I wish this hadn’t happened, because we are going to the theatre tonight – the whole royal family – as a show of benevolence to some budding actors, and as a diplomatic overture to the royalty of another kingdom, who are in turn showing their goodwill towards Their Majesties by coming to this evening of entertainment in this country. I do not wish this for my Prince’s sake, for he will not remember this incident, but for mine. I am shaken. My thoughts are in turmoil. I know that I shall sit rigidly, meeting curious glances with hostile glares, which will be no help to me or the Prince. It will only draw attention to us, something we certainly do not need, especially with my Prince waving and smiling at everyone. Even his sister. It is not, of course, the Princess’s fault she was born shortly after the Prince’s fall, but I cannot help blaming her for the treatment the Prince receives. I do not pretend to know the ways of kings, and perhaps it is true that the Princess would make a better ruler, but it irks me that no one, not even his parents, seems to see how wise and pure the little half-wit Prince is. To me, a simple mind is no indication of how much one deserves a kingdom.
   In an hour or two, the Prince’s carers will awaken. They will either be or pretend to be horrified at the bloody corpse on His Majesty’s floor. A search will be made for any accomplices, for the route into the palace. But the secret supporters of the Princess will see to it that nothing is found. Only one thing that furthers the Prince’s safety will be done; I will move into the room next to the Prince’s, completed or not.
   I sit upright on the plush cushion of my chair, my body so tense that I jump at every unexpected sound. The Prince beside me babbles without knowing. For the sixth time since the play began, I crane my neck to see three rows down, where four sham guards flank the dwarf who stands in for the Prince. The royal family sits beside them, the real ones, surrounded by their own guards. My look deepens into a frown as I see the young Princess glance in disdain at the poor dwarf. Although she is only seven, her prim and haughty demeanour revolts me. Knowing that it was men working on her behalf, even though she does not control them, who have tried to kill my Prince sickens me still further.
   As if he can sense my dark feelings, the Prince moans loudly. Someone from further down the row – not one of the latent guards, but a citizen – leans forward and stares. I put my arm around the Prince and hold him close. “Don’t worry, my Prince,” I tell him softly. “You are safe with me. Sssh.” He quiets and snuggles against me, drawing up his good knee.
   For a while I try to relax and enjoy the play, but I cannot help jerking anxiously at every suspicious move of the people around me. I do not like having so many strangers this close to my Prince, and the disguised guards are little comfort. There are perhaps four or five of the ten hidden guards that I would trust with my life, but I trust no one but myself with the Prince’s life.
   Soon the Prince’s head begins to droop and he falls asleep on my arm. A few minutes later, I am startled from my thoughts by a movement behind me. Easing my arm from under the Prince’s head, I turn to see one of the hidden guards quietly making his way down the row towards the exit. As no one is supposed to know that the Prince has been replaced by the dwarf, I can hardly shout for him to halt or question him. He disappears through the exit, and I settle uneasily back into my seat.
   I sit and watch my Prince all through the second act while he sleeps peacefully, free from all the fears that plague me. As the actors troop off the stage at the end of the scene, the Prince’s eyes flutter open.
“Jon. . .am.” he murmurs sleepily. He sits up and looks around. “What?” he asks. Confused, I listen, and then I hear it, too. Loud shouts and the clang of steel meeting steel. An assassin. No, more like assassins. My Prince clutches at my arm, but I stand up, almost yanking the sword from my belt before I realize the sword would be a beacon drawing the enemies to my Prince. Many others have stood as well, citizens as well as guards. We stand tensely, waiting for the moment when either the actors come pelting on for the next scene, our guards come panting through to tell us everything is under control, or the murderers come sliding through to run at the Prince. The curtain covering the door is swept back, and as soon as the crowd sets eyes on the sweaty man in civilian clothes, dripping blood from his right arm, there is chaos. People shove past me, pushing me stumbling away from my Prince. Panicking, I try to force my way back to him, but the crowd is too strong. Men all around me are drawing swords and stabbing, slicing, killing their respective enemies. A man leaps at me, snarling, with his knife ready, and I instinctively draw my sword to block. As I fight, I listen frantically for any sound of the Prince, but only the roar of battle fills my ears. Gradually I take in the news as it is shouted above the din. The royal family is safe, whisked away by their guards as soon as the fighting began. The dwarf, posing as the Prince, is dead. I wonder grimly if they have realized their mistake yet. Then there is a great roar of triumph, followed by a moment of quiet where I can hear again. A vague horror grips me so that I nearly drop my sword. Suddenly my Prince gives a clear cry and is silent. Dread crushes my heart; I fling away caution and battle like a wounded animal, forcing my way to his side. Men from both sides surround me, but I have eyes only for the Prince. A man stands over him; a sword protrudes from his breast. I do not know what I do; I hear a sound unlike anything I have heard before, and realize it comes from me. I raise my sword with both hands; someone stabs me from behind. With all my strength, I smash the sword down on the murderer, killing him instantly. I collapse onto the floor, redness swirling behind my eyes. People step on my legs as the fighting continues, and I lose all sense of time. After a while, I become aware that the noise has faded considerably. With great effort, I raise my head. The fighting, what is left of it, is outside. The battle is over, and with it, the battle of my life and the Prince’s. The Prince’s.
“My Prince!” the words crackle from my dry throat like leaves in a bonfire. “My Prince!” Pain rakes me, but I heave myself onto an elbow. He lies there so still and quietly, his face peaceful. I remember him as a toddler, crying for the poisonous snake that would have killed him. I remember him as he was a short while ago, mourning for the man who tried to kill him. I see him now, and slowly, my hatred against the murderers dies to nothingness, because I know that he would harbour no malice, feel no hatred or anything but sympathy and pity for the men who did kill him. I lived for my Prince. Soon I will have died for him. And now I will serve the Prince’s true self, and love for him. For his sake, I will love the people who killed my Prince, just as he did.
   One last time, I whisper, “Who are you?” And deep within me, my Prince answers. “Havvit. Havvit Prince.”