Chapter Two

The Fool was no stranger to gatherings, not to the greasy fingered upper-class or the way they laughed and demanded for him to swallow more swords, juggle more fire, and dance like never before. He truly doubted some of the things he had been ordered to do were that of a Fool's nature. He had come upon one dear surprise though, a plump little maiden in blue who genuinely laughed at his jokes and clumsy antics. It was expected though, she was but a child, he guessed her to be no older than ten years of age. Alas, her attention had been diverted so as to dance with the son of an Earl. What a pity, he enjoyed her company. Seeing by now most guests were dancing until their feet burned or stuffing their faces with the foreign desserts introduced, he figured now was a time to rest. Slipping through the crowd like a serpent, he found his way to the west wing so as to go into the main hall of the fortress. What a grand place it was, were it not for the drunkard slouching on the wall to his left, the place would've held an air of royalty and command. The effect had been dimmed by the wine-sodden man, he wasn't even awake. Just sitting there like a piece of gurgling lard, the Fool thought in disgust. He dared not to remove his mask, though hot and suffocating as it was. Not even the gangly little hat he wore on his head day and night, it was like a Jester hat. But that is the difference between a Fool and a Jester; whilst a Jester sang and joked, his hat was short and the bells were small and silver. A Fool's hat was long and dark, the bells gold and large, creating a melodious jingling sound. He took unnatural pride in this hat, for becoming the Fool of the King. It was as high as any entertainer could be, unless of course you counted the King's concubines as entertainers. They actually held a status though, playing servant to the Queen but serving in Council to the King when the needs of the people came to notice.

 

 

Long legs began to take stride from underneath the black cape, crossing the rolled red carpet and passing through the light of the moon that shone in a whirlwind of color through the mosaic windows placed in the tall arches. Arches were a very common thing in this fortress, it played a massive part in the architecture. The mosaics told the story of the First Conquest, how a Ruler had risen from the peasants, stronger than any other, taking town after town till he finally conquered the castles, even the Harpy's Land and the Sea of Owls. The thing about the Sea of Owls though was that it was not a sea at all, rather it was a dark land, where such birds roamed the trees. It's been said there are villages once you get past the thicket of forests that bordered the Sea, where the people have tamed the owls and used them as they would birds of falconry. Some say the people themselves have the talons of the bird and the large fixated eyes as well. All of this information and more, the Fool had gone through in his mind. Oh yes, a Fool he may be, but he was a smart one. He knew he was smart as well, and that no one should know. For there was no such thing as a smart Fool, not anymore. The last to be such had been murdered by the then pregnant Queen of Harkin, for he was a spy and had assassinated the King. The man had also tried to kill the Queen and the Heir she was to give birth to, but he failed horrendously so. Since then Fools were of dimwitted peasants who can't read or write or of those with the Madness. And he feigned the latter rather well he did. Having "spells" and "moments of Madness." Right now the royalty probably thought him off on one of his oddities again.

 

 

Looking up from his feet, he saw he had stopped right below the mosaic in which the night was distorted by the wings of a barn owl, swooping down upon a tiny man in armor. The thing was to be called The Great One, for it was the deity of the Sea of Owls that had presented itself to the Ruler of the First Conquest, advising him to take heed for there would be traitors. And there were, his best friend and wife as a matter of fact. For they had gone and tried to sell him to the bounty hunters of the greater kingdoms. Reaching up with a hand, the Fool grabbed the ledge of the window, pulling himself up to rest by the man in armor, peering out the blue window panes and onto the grand walls of the fortress. It was a spectacular sight, he thought, every rooftop dripping with ice and pure white snow covering everything to be seen. It was a winter wonderland. With his other hand, he reached forward and pressed it to one of the panes. The cold shocking his nerves had nearly left him breathless as he looked on, the moon in the center of the snow flurries.

 

 

For awhile he sat like this, glad to be in the darkness of the hall and feeling the freezing bite of the outside. He didn't mind a thing as he stared on. That is, until he saw something rather odd. It was one of the halls. Someone was running through them. It looked as though it were a panicking, stumbling type of run. He was confused, for he noted that this figure looked to be the Heir Carner. Oh yes, he recognized that boy, tall and swaddled in his trademark white furs. And then he noticed something even more strange. There was a figure... Running atop the roof. It was dark and not nearly as covered in fur but this was not right. The guards should have seen it, or at least the archers. This was clearly not a guest, and Carner was running from him, something was painfully wrong. The Fool's heart stopped as it finally clicked. "Dear Gods, this is an assassination attempt!" His thoughts became a jumbled mess as he realized he may be the only one to know of Carner's whereabouts, running to the end of the main hall, he threw the door to the outside open. Never mind the harsh cold biting through his light clothes, he had no choice but to run now, leggings and boots becoming soggy with snow. He tried to shout to Carner but he couldn't find his voice. His lungs hurt from the weather and he saw the last thing he needed to see.

 

 

The figure had jumped down from the roof, swinging into the hall and knocking the boy down, he heard a scream. Oh Gods, please, no! He was almost there! Please Heir, FIGHT! He could see their bodies tumbling around and the muffled cries of the boy, it became apparent the assassin was wearing a black and blue silk of sorts that flared around them. Coming to the hall he jumped, gripping the ledge and barreling inside once he heaved himself through the arch. From the floor he saw the assassin, a woman he saw upon closer inspection, hunched over Carner who was thrashing about on the floor. He thought he heard the sound of a blade, his heart nearly stopped again before he scrambled, running to tackle the woman. But she had noticed him, and with her turning around he nearly became stunned.

 

 

She was wearing a mask. And what had stunned him so... Was that it was the face of The Great One. Before he could stop himself, he tackled her as he aimed to, but she jammed something into his ribs and somehow slipped from his grasp. With one last look at the Fool and the Heir, she fled to the darkness. The eyes of the Owl mask were burned into Carner's mind as he lay on the floor, unaware the Fool had come to his rescue. A tiny gash laid upon his throat, the red life flow slowly trickling out, warm against his cool skin. For a moment he had become transfixed upon the feeling, before a gasp and groan tore him out of his state of mind. "Fool!" It was his name and an insult to him. For he was a stupid Fool with the Madness, he thought, any other person would've had a guard to fight the assailant. Sitting up he found the Fool to his right, laying and clutching his ribs, it was then he noticed red seeping through the cloth. Gods help us all, first he'd been attacked and now the Fool may die. Stumbling up, he dragged his savior up to his feet. He didn't even have furs on! The idiotic man! Removing a layer from his own bundle, he wrapped it around the Fool, walking and forcing him to walk with him, Carner shouted for the guards over and over again.

 

 

"Help! GUARDS! Help! The Fool is dying! There's been an attempt to slay my being! HELP!"