Lady Adventure's Engagement

LADY ADVENTURE'S ENGAGEMENT

Princess Bridget sat on the edge her of plush bed. The remnant of her angry tears still stained her face. She couldn't believe that her father would promise her hand in marriage to a total stranger. The single announcement had turned her luxurious room into a prison and shattered her dreams of adventure all in one fell swoop. The brass bell and chime tune was dancing in her head again. She couldn't remember ever hearing the tune played. It just kept playing in her head.
Bridget had been brooding for hours when she heard the heavy oak door creak open, she turned her head to see her father.
"Bridget, sweetheart, can we talk?"
"There's nothing to talk about," She said turning away from him. "You already made up your mind."
He touched her curly brown hair. "Please Bridget, you have to understand..."
"That a king has to do what's best for the whole kingdom." She finished his sentence with a sarcastic tone. "Even if it's bad for his family."
"You know," he said sitting next to his daughter. "This is the same way your mother reacted when her father promised her to me. She thought she'd be trapped in this castle for the rest of her life. After she became queen she traveled the world. Your mother saw places and things that I've never dreamed of."
"But she was traveling as your ambassador," Bridget protested.
"Exactly," agreed the king. "She had the best of both worlds. She was able to uphold her duties to the kingdom and still have great adventures. You can do the same thing."
"It doesn't change the fact that I have to marry a stranger." Bridget was seeing too much of her father's point of view.
"You'll learn to love each other the way your mother and I did."
"Can I make a request for the engagement party?" Bridget asked.
"Anything in the world."
"I want the bard Lough and his troop to come and play."
The kings ruddy cheeks paled and his wide shoulders seemed to shrink. Bridget had never seen her father look so small. She saw him swallow and he sat on the bed next to her. "Can you ask me for something else? Please."
"I want Lough to play at my engagement party."
"Sweetheart, Lough and his people aren't real bards. They're sorcerers and adventure hunters. Trouble has followed them to the four corners of the world."
"They're the best musicians in all the lands," Bridget argued. "Lough's playing is legendary."
"Lough and his folk use their music to work magic," the King said with a shaky voice. "They use magics that even the wizard Zoroaster doesn't understand."
Bridget stood and said, "Father, in less than a month's time I will be the queen of my own lands. This is my last request as your daughter and my last wish for the end of my childhood. Please father, give this one last gift to your only child."
Her voice was not that of his child. It was the voice of a strong and independent woman.
When the King stood he had the air of royalty around him again. "O.K. I heard reports that Lough was near Rottingdam. I'll send messengers west to see if they can find him. But I can't promise he'll come. I can only offer him but money, and I've heard that money is the last thing he is interested in."
"It's enough that you try." She still sounded like a queen.
Two weeks later Bridget was standing on the balcony of the high tower that overlooked the main gate of the castle. She had been watching the road for days waiting for the appearance of Lough. There were five globes lining the road spaced every twenty yards from the main gates. The king had commissioned the wizard Zoroaster to place them there. They were warning signals that would glow if they detected the presence of any type of magic. Even Bridget's ring that served to protect her would cause them to give off a small bit of illumination.
The sun had fallen below the top of the mountain but there were still hours of daylight left. The mountain's shadow made the road look sinister. A chill worked its way up Bridget's spine and she was about to go inside when she saw them.
Four men on horseback and a fifth driving a wagon with two horses rounded the bend. They were more than a hundred and fifty yards from the gate when the first globe started to glow. The whole group hesitated when they saw the light. The horseman out in front spurred his horse to move forward. The others fell into single file with military precision.
The group had not reached the first globe when the second started to glow. They stopped. The leader motioned to the others and they retreated to the wagon. The second horsemen threw back his cloak and pulled a strange object from around his back. It looked similar to a lute, but it was much larger. The third horseman had a strange horn that looked like a brass bowl on the end of a long pipe that seemed to come alive when he played it. The forth horseman was a woman. She wore a tight, yet elegant, leather garment under her cloak. Her instrument looked like a flat board with dozens of ivory inlays. The woman played by gliding her fingers across the inlays. The man on the wagon hung a drum over his shoulders by a thick leather strap. It was a huge drum with three smaller drums and a copper disc attached to it. Bridget had never seen its like.
The lead horseman directed his horse to the side of the wagon from which he took an instrument similar to the second man's lute. It was smaller and seemed to have more strings. The man moved his hands and it screamed to the heavens. The others joined in and the globes burst into light.
Bridget covered her ears from the howl. She was about to scream from pain when there was sudden silence. By the time Bridget gained her composure and looked back over the edge of the balcony, the wagon had passed the last globe and was about to enter the castle. The globes were as black as the leather of the adventurer's costume that was hidden in the back of Bridget's wardrobe. Small whiffs of smoke drifted from the top of each globe as if they were candles that someone had just blown out.
Bridget watched from behind shadows and around corners as Lough and his troop were shown to a large room over the servants quarters. No sooner had the door closed behind them than she heard soft music begin to drift from the room. It was the tune that had been playing in Bridget's head.
Bridget was so excited that her dreams of adventure jumped back to her. With her costume on, dagger and all, she found her small lute and she attempted to play the tune. She had tried to play it before but she was never able to get it right. This time, she took a deep breath with her eyes closed and played the tune. The notes that rang out of the small lute were the perfect image of the song in her head.
A servant knocked on the door and scared Bridget so bad that she dropped the lute, breaking it into three different pieces. The young girl from the kitchen staff was visibly shocked by Bridget's attire. "I'm sorry for disturbing you my lady, but your father sent me to gather you to the dinning hall. Prince Gillmore has arrived and his majesty wishes for you to come meet him immediately."
"Hand me my dress," Bridget said, pointing to where she had carelessly discarded it earlier.
"Yes, my lady." The girl hurried into the room to obey.
Bridget pulled the dress over the leather and told the girl to lace up the back. "Tell me," she said. "What does Prince Gillmore look like."
"I guess he's handsome enough." The girl was awkward.
"Speak freely. I promise you won't get in any trouble," Bridget said. "What does he look like, really?"
The girl swallowed and paused. "I'd rather marry one of my father's cows."
The introduction to Prince Gillmore chased away Bridget's appetite. He was much shorter than Bridget. Her first thought was that it was a troll from a bad fairy tale. He had black hair, peppered with gray, that was pushed straight back across his head with a greasy shine. The top of his head looked like the small stream in the back of the castle that had been polluted by the castle's waist. There was a black mole under his left eye with three hairs growing out of it and a wart on his chin that would be enough to get a peasant woman accused of witchcraft.
When the King's wine glass was half empty he stood and addressed his guest. "It's always good to welcome new members to our family. As a treat for Prince Gillmore, at my daughters request, I have arranged for a very special troop of bards to entertain us at the engagement party tomorrow. I certainly hope you enjoy it."
"Indeed," Gillmore said. "I enjoy music very much. Who have you hired?"
"The best musicians in the world," the King boasted. "Lord Lough and his entourage."
Gillmore's smiled turned to stone. His voice rasped when he said, "Lough is here?"
"Indeed," The King said.
Bridget watched Gillmore sink into his chair. She could see his mind racing and she wondered why he seemed so threatened by Lough's presence. For an instant, he looked even uglier. Bridget excused herself and, as she rose from the table, she saw a shadow slip out of hall.
Bridget took the long way around to the servants quarters. She waited until the narrow hallway was empty and knocked on the door.
"Come in." The voice was deep and musical.
The door swung open and Bridget found the musicians relaxing around the room. "I hope I'm not intruding."
"Not at all," said a tall man with shoulder length blond hair. "Come in and close the door. My name is Lough. You must be the Princess Bridget."
"Just Bridget will be fine." She wished that she was marrying this handsome man instead of the livestock downstairs. "I came to thank you for accepting my father's invitation to come and play here. It means a lot to me."
"There must be some confusion," Lough said. "We received no invitation."
"My father sent messengers out to find you weeks ago."
"That's why we were received so graciously," said a short man with a round face and thin body. "They thought we came because they called on us."
"Didn't you?" Bridget asked.
The man laughed.
"Please forgive Logrin," Lough said. "We have been following serious business and it led us to your door. We never met any of your father's messengers."
"Then why did you come?"
"Excuse me dear," said the lady of Lough's group. She was beautiful. Her face and her hands seemed too delicate for the worn leather she wore. "Pardon my curiosity, but do you always wear hard leathers under such lovely dresses?"
"How did you know?"
"Allysa, leave her alone."
"I'll bet that your leather is as gorgeous as mine was five years ago. This is probably the first time its been out of your room."
"That's enough, Allysa." Lough's voice boomed through the room. Allysa leaned back into her chair and was quiet.
"My lady, can I ask you a question?" It was the largest member of the troop. He stood a full head over Lough and was twice as wide. His dark beard was so full that Bridget could hardly see his mouth move when he spoke.
"Only if you tell me your name," Bridget said.
"Hudd."
"Your name is Hudd?"
"Yes my lady."
"Please, call me Bridget. What's your question?"
"Why are you marrying that ugly bastard Gillmore?" Hudd crossed his tree trunk arms.
"My father arranged it," Bridget said. "I've never met him before today."
"I'd rather marry one of my father's cows." The voice came from the far corner of the room. Bridget hadn't noticed him when she came in. He was about the same size as Allysa but more wiry. His black hair and dark complexion made him look like he was almost part of the shadow he was standing in. His voice disturbed her until she realized he had imitated the servant girl.
"This is Montorea," Lough said. "He usually doesn't say much."
"It was you, wasn't it?" Bridget said. "You were the shadow I saw slip out of the dinning hall." She intercepted a knowing glance between Lough and Allysa. Montorea leaned back farther into the shadow. "What's going on? I demand you tell me." It was a queens voice.
Lough looked around the room. Hudd and Logrin both nodded. Montorea held up a thumb from the shadow. "Well?" He was looking at Allysa.
"We might need her and she can get closer than we can." Allysa said.
Lough looked at Bridget. "All right, we'll tell you. But it is very important that you keep this to yourself."
Lough motioned to Allysa. She picked up her instrument and began playing the tune from Bridget's head.
Prince Gillmore kept fidgeting all through the party. Lough's troop was on a small stage playing softly the entire time. Bridget kept catching Lough and Gillmore staring at each other. Gillmore kept fingering the hilt of his sword. Bridget checked her own dagger twice despite her instructions from Lough. The tension in the air was harder to cut than the over-cooked mutton the kitchen staff had prepared. The King milled around the room until he was sure he welcomed every guest personally.
After what seemed an eternity, the King finally stepped up onto the platform at the head of the hall that held the seats for himself, Bridget and Gillmore. "My friends, your attention please. It is with great happiness that I announce the engagement of my lovely daughter Bridget and Prince Gillmore. May their life together be fruitful and happy. To help us celebrate, Lord Lough and his fine troop have traveled many miles to perform for us." The King clapped and sat down.
Gillmore sat to the left of the King and Bridget sat between them. Lough moved up and stood in front of Gillmore. Allysa was to his left, in front of the king. Hudd sat his drum on a table the was suspiciously close to the main door. Montorea took his large lute to within six feet of the kitchen door. He also had a clear view of Gillmore. Logrin and his horn was five feet behind Lough and Allysa. Lough sang as the troop played. It was Bridget's tune again.
Lough's eyes never left Gillmore. As the song began to reach its end, Lough saw Gillmore pull his legs under him like he was ready to stand and reach for his sword. Lough broke the song and yelled, "Now!"
Allysa flew up the platform and knocked the King to the floor half a moment before an arrow stuck in the chair right where the Kings chest had been. Hudd spun and hit Gillmore's valet with the hammer he had been using to play his drum, then ran to block the door. Montorea threw his lute into the balcony. The large curved blade on its rim stuck into the chest of the bowman that fired at the king. Logrin turned and played a note from his horn that was so shrill that the three arrows aimed at him, Lough and Allysa wavered in mid air and fell to his feet.
The tip of Gillmore's sword had just left its scabbard when Bridget reached under his arm and sank her dagger into his shoulder. Gillmore screamed and dropped his sword. He barely had enough time to realize that Bridget was the one that stabbed him before Lough's fist knocked him to the floor.
When the dust settled the King was fine, Gillmore was in the dungeon and Bridget's thirst for adventure had more than doubled. In the morning the King called Lough and his companions to the main audience chamber.
"Lord Lough," the King said. "Last night after all the commotion was done with, my messenger's came to me and said they were unable to locate you to deliver my invitation. I am curious to know what stroke of fortune brought you to me."
"Gillmore's men assassinated your magistrate on your northern border three months ago," Lough began. "His man is still there falsifying reports of Gillmore's army massing another twenty miles north. They have orders to attack as soon as they get word that you're dead. You'll need to send as many men as you can north as soon as possible."
"How did you come to learn all this?" asked the King. "Surely Gillmore would have you killed if he thought you knew."
"He tried," Lough said. "We used to be six."
"How can I repay you for all you've done for me?"
"Grant Bridget her hearts desire." Lough answered.
"How will a gift to my daughter repay you?" the King asked. He looked at Bridget.
Bridget untied her sash and let her dress fall to the floor. She was wearing her leather. "Father, I would like to go with Lough and travel the world."
The King rose to his feet. Bridget knew he was searching for words and reasons to forbid her from going. After a long moment he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Lough, why did you bother to risk your life for me. Why do you care if my kingdom gets overrun?"
"I was born here, sire."
The King looked at Lough. "Can you keep her safe?"
"No," Lough answered. "Our business is danger, and we follow it to the four corners of the world."
"I'll miss you Bridget."
"I'll come home, father. I promise."