Chapter Two

In this chapter we overhear a conversation between Julian's mother and her maid, and Julian pays a visit at night to his special garden.

 

Chapter Two

Queen Celia sat down on her bed and sighed dramatically. “Oh, Alicey,” she declared, “what an exhausting day!”

“Yes,” replied her maid wearily, removing her queen’s leather slippers plated with thin, flexible gold. “I would not be surprised if it is that little Prince Julian that tires you so.”

“Oh, but it is, it is.” She positioned herself more comfortably on her silky pink bedspreads and sighed again. “He spent all afternoon with that spell-weaver Ndarmna!”

“He’s a bad influence, he is.” Alicey began doing up her mistress’ hair for the night. “I told you he was a wizard. I become more and more certain every day of the fact. He’s enchanting that boy, mark my words.”

“I suppose you’re right. I thought all the wizards died out long ago, anyhow.”

“Perhaps not all. They are immortal, you know. My step-sister Judith was in the kitchens one day, working and toiling at her jobs honestly, and she picked up in her sharp little ears some information concerning him.”

The queen peered at the distant mirror on the other side of the room. “Bring my mirror here, Alicey, will you. Last time you spoke about Judith you said that you two weren’t on speaking terms, even. What’s changed? And what did she hear?”

“Oh, she’s happy ‘coz the chief cook’s given her permission to marry her sweet-heart. It was all her fault in the beginning, this argument. Anyway,” – she brought the looking-glass to the bedside – “what she heard was Campbell and Nick the kitchen-hands talking as they were arranging the firewood. She says that Campbell said, ‘I suspect that magician, you know,’ and then Nick said, ‘Me too. He’s queer, like.’”

“I agree heartily,” stated the queen with conviction. “Being from foreign parts, you know, and living so long. He’s been here ever since I can remember! Go on, what did they say next?”

The maid continued to put the Queen’s hair in curls. “Then Campbell said, ‘You know what I suspect him of?’ Nick then said, ‘No, what?’ ‘Shapechanging. His apprentice can, or at least my uncle says he can. You can be certain that he got it from his master.’ ‘That’s demonic!’ ‘I know.’ ‘He’s probably a wizard. That’s what they say in the stables and what the cleaners say too.’ ‘Help us!’ ‘Yes, that’s exactly what we should be saying. With a wizard on the loose...’ And that’s all Judith knows. They walked away then.”

“Of course, servants’ chatter is most likely to be false,” said the queen nervously, fanning herself vigorously with a hand.

“Yes. But all the same, we should be careful where we tread.” She took a step backwards, examing her lady’s hair critically. “There, all done.”

“My husband the king says he is only a court magician. The King is most likely to be correct... anyway, perhaps that Naje was only doing distortions. They can, you know; making themselves bigger or shorter. Naje’s a decent type, don’t you think? Go and get my silk nightgown. No, not the muslin. Silk.”

Alicey obeyed and brought the licac colored garment to her. The queen looked with distaste at the cloth-of-gold lace. “This lace must go, don’t you think? No-body wears lilac with gold. It doesn’t work.”

“Just what I was going to say myself! If it must be gold, then only red goes with it. It gives a royal, important look, eh?”

“Yes. There was this lady at the ball last Christ-mass. All the young men danced with her. And you know why?”

“Red and gold dress. I saw her too.” Alicey helped her mistress undress and get into her rosewater bath. “Better?”

“Ah, yes. I award a prize to whoever invented rosewater!”

“Those country folk believe it’s bad for you, you know. Nonsense; they don’t know the difference between well water and greasy dish-water!”

“They’ve never tried it. Pour some more hot water in. That’s it.”

“How’s your Divine Husband the King?”

“Oh, pooh. Don’t call him that; he’s only thirty. Same as usual, I guess. He wants me to spend more time with the nobles’ wives so they can speak to their husbands in favor of my so my husband can further his political career... men can be quite tiresome sometimes. The pompous twits don’t know their right hand from their left! More cold water. I don’t want to be boiled alive in here.”

“I absolutely agree with you about those stuck-up noblesses. Done?”

“Yes, Alicey. And I don’t think nobless is a word. Oh well, it describes them well. Help me out, will you?”

The maid did so and dressed the queen for night. As Queen Celia lay down in bed, her eyes swept over the gold-engraved ceiling, the thick ankle deep velvet carpet and stone walls hung with tapestries and portraits to cover the rough spots. No, she would not trade this room for anything in the world.

“Celia dear!” called a rich voice, deep with mirth from outside the room. “I’m here!”

And the handsome King of Elsia walked into the room, already in his nightclothes. Alicey bowed out of the room out of respect and closed the door, snuffing out the candle as she went. She had an appointment in town tonight, by the old abandoned jail.

◊◊◊

Oh, it had been horrible! Julian had been forced to stand up the whole time, smiling and shaking hands with anyone who looked remotely important. And the new tutor! A wizened old thing, part deaf and part blind, crippled in one leg.

He had tried to behave, he really had, but it had just became too much for the poor boy. Ending up scowling and sent to his room, he had fallen asleep before anyone could scold him.

He had missed dinner – his favorite – and spent an hour or so sulking before tiptoeing out to the only place he really found comfort and was content, the North Wing courtyard garden.

Sitting on the fountain edge, he looked in the mermaid’s jet eyes and back down into the water, bubbling. The sound the water makes is happy, he thought. It must be the mermaid laughing. I like the garden better at night. The moon shines like that shiny orb of Ndarmna’s, and all his little cousins the stars are winking at me. This place is bathed in a flood of silvery light, making everything be colored silver. I wish I could live here like the mermaid!

Julian’s anger was forgotten as he gazed around and thought. His eyes danced, and that made him want to dance too. So he did; leaping around the round fountain seat, a silent, merry dance. He jumped down and twirled around the tiled paths, around the bronze-potted ferns and the ivy trellises on the wall. Round and round, wilder and wilder, gladder and gladder, more and even more glorious until...

CRASH! Julian stopped in his tracks, his hair on end and tiny crown askew. Turning around, he saw a cupid statue, with a shattered hand on the floor. Tears came to his eyes, and wiped them away quickly. He had never liked the fat baby with a bow and arrow in hand sitting in the hanging flower bed, because he was sure he and the mermaid were archenemies. But still...

Hurriedly, he swept the fragments into a bush and washed his hands in the fountain. The creamy marble mermaid gave him a sharp look of reprove. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“I saw that, you know,” said a cynical voice from the other side of the garden.

Julian whirled around. There stood Naje, dressed in his full regalia as the magician’s apprentice, a cloth-of-gold cape, shining silver-plated sword, fine leather sword belt, and long purple robe embroidered with strange symbols. He spoke again, his white teeth and eyes flashing in his dark face.

“What are you doing here in my master’s garden anyway, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince Julian?”

The prince’s heart began to thump and he shook his head dumbly. Smiling, the teenager moved forward. “Did he ask you here?”

“N-no.”

“Did you ask him before you came?”

Julian shook his head and stepped backwards. “I-I’m sure he wouldn’t mind!”

“Don’t be scared,” hissed Naje. “You’ve nothing to fear from me, of all people.”

“I didn’t mean to break it!” burst out the boy.

“Of course. But that doesn’t change the fact that you did, and your Divine Father and Royal Mother shall have to be told, eh?”

“Please don’t tell, Naje! I didn’t mean to!” He gulped. “I’m sorry!”

“Oh, it’s too late for that. It’s only small though. Not too much to worry about.” He snickered and threw his cape on the fountain edge to sit on. Julian heard the hiss of steel on leather as he drew his sword.

Painfully aware that Naje knew his fear, Julian kept his eyes fixed on the apprentice as he set the blade down leaning point down on the marble of the fountain seat. Ever so slowly, he looked up at the prince and smiled nastily.

“Was there something else you had to say? No?”

Julian shook his head again.

“Isn’t it your bedtime now, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince Julian?”

Julian fled. There was nothing else to do. As his soft boots ran on the smooth paving and through the door, he heard the other laughing.

Author's Note

Should I re-arrange some of the content in chapters one and two (e.g. replace Julian's and Ndarmna's conversation in Ch. 1 with the scene with Naje and Julian in Ch. 2)?