17.

Denrich is tried before the King.

17.

 

Denrich was growing progressively frustrated as he cooled his heels in the tower cell.   The night had been miserable - the chain around his neck made it next to impossible to sleep.  He finally just sat up and slumped over slightly, nodding off for a few hours sleep.

Breakfast came and the same sullen guard opened the door and pulled the empty tray out, while holding the point of a sword at him as if he would have somehow sprung upon him and overpowered him.

Hours passed ridiculously slowly and Denrich kept wondering what was going on back home at that moment.    The thoughts of St. Wemricshire warmed him in the dank cell and he lost himself in years of good memories of the simple place.

It was late afternoon when the tromping of armored feet told him that visitors had arrived.   He wondered if he’d be executed without further examination.   The door swung open and the same angry guard stood there, joined by two others who shared his disposition.

“Judgment day is upon you sooner than you imagined, Half-breed!”   One guard announced and they laughed at the alarmed response that they received from him.

Without further comment, they unchained him and then pulled his hands behind his back and shackled them.   He gave them no resistance.

“Am I allowed to make peace with God before I die?”  He asked the sullen guard.

“Oh, you’re not going to be executed…yet.   His Majesty wants to verify your tale first.   He sent for Mother Julia to come to an inquiry about you, and she arrived early!”

“But how could she get here so soon?”  He asked.

“She claimed she received a vision from God to come here and started out three days ago!”  The sullen guard snorted, “We’ll see about that!    The king isn’t too happy having his mother back in the palace after all these years.    Count yourself lucky, Half-blood!”

He just nodded and let them roughly push him out of the cell, down the winding stairs and after several confusing twists and turns, into the grand throne room of High King Reddric VII.

It seemed as if everyone in Albyia was in the room.   All eyes turned when he was led into the room, down the long processional covered with Imperial purple.    Reddric sat on a throne on a high dais, surrounded by important looking nobles and Archbishop Hobst.

The head of the church in Albyia was a fat, sweaty man who was as known for his cruelty as Reddric.    He sat in an ecclesiastical throne to Reddric’s left and looked at Denrich with cold distain.   On the High King’s left sat his queen; sixteen year old Queen Jaelabeth.   She was his fifth queen and last hope for a male heir.   She sat proudly thrusting out her extremely pregnant belly, which, if her womb contained a son, would guarantee her status.   If she bore him a fourth daughter, or, like two of his other queens, a stillborn son, her fate would probably be worse than Denrich’s own.  

But for now she sat proud and very pretty in the glow of her pregnancy.

Next to the queen, seated in a simple chair, sat someone that Luke knew quite well.   Though she was very old, Mother Julia sat perfectly straight in posture, her hands folded reverently in her lap.   She wore the black and white habit of a nun and it was clear that everyone - even the High King- was aware of her humble power and sanctity.   Even Hobst would not say anything publicly against the great lady.

He had no time to look at any of the others, for he was pushed up the stairs of the dais and would have been forced to bow before the High King, had he not done so on his own.  

Frustrated at a chance to manhandle him one last time, the guards bowed before the king and stepped back.

Reddric’s hand raised and the room silenced immediately.

“Denrich, High Sheriff of St. Wemricshire, you have been brought before me this day to answer to charges of theft from the King.    I charge you this day, before these witnesses, with theft of a royal magic ring, commonly known as ‘The Ring of the Prince’ which has been the possession of the royal family for centuries.    This ring has been found to be in your possession.   Explain this to my nobles, if you can.”

Denrich looked up, his heart racing, prepared to speak, but before he could, Mother Julia stood up and turned to the king.

“Your Majesty, is it lawful for an uncondemned prisoner to plead his case while in shackles?   I ask that Sheriff Denrich be freed of his bonds as he addresses his king.”

Reddric paled and set his jaw, but nodded and immediately the guards came forth and unshackled him.    Denrich turned to Mother Julia and bowed, “I thank you for your kindness, Reverend Mother.”

“You will address me, Sheriff Denrich!”  The High King snapped and Denrich turned to him.

“I apologize, Your Royal Highness.   May I give my explanation to you now?”

“You may.”

“I had no idea until today that the ring that I wore around my neck belonged to you, sire.   In fact, I had no idea where it came from.   I was left as a baby on the step of St. Wemric’s monastery and this ring was placed around my neck on a gold chain.    The monks of St. Wemric’s took it from me, but gave it to me when I was an older child and told that it probably came from my mother - or whoever left me there.”

“Yet you have worn it, for you know of its magic, don’t you?”

“I tried it on when it was given to me and I found that when others tried to put it on their fingers, they are unable to do so.”

“So only you can wear the ring, you claim?”  Reddric was sitting on the edge of his throne, his hands tightly clutching the arms of the ornate chair.

“I do not know that, Your Majesty; I only know that no one who I have seen have been able to wear it.   I don’t know why.”

“Don’t you?   I don’t believe that, Denrich!”

“I’m telling you the truth, Your Majesty!”

“Liar!   This ring belongs to me!   It is mine!    It was stolen by someone in the palace, fifty years ago!”   Reddric turned and gave Mother Julia a very icy look, and then turned back to Denrich, “Now, it turns up in your possession.”

“Your Majesty, perhaps you would care to learn what I know about the history of this ring,”   Mother Julia suddenly said, and the room grew completely silent.

Reddric turned and glared at her, “Careful, mother, your words will be weighed for treason.”

She smiled as if he was a spoiled child that had said something proud but stupid, “I know my place, Your Majesty, though you have seemed to have forgotten mine.   Before you were born, I was told about the ring by my husband , Fenthal the Second - your father- upon the birth of our first child.   The Ring of the Prince was enchanted and given to the firstborn son of the reigning king as a certain symbol of the birth and worthiness of the son to one day reign.”

“Beware, mother, your words may condemn you!”

Ignoring his threat, Julia stood and addressed the court, “Fenthal the Third was given this ring at birth and he wore it… until the day of his death.”

Reddric leaped to his feet, furious, “Then you took it!”

Julia faced him bravely, “I took the ring from the dead finger of my firstborn son, before his murderer could think of it and come back to retrieve it.”

“It belongs to me!” Reddric growled, advancing upon his mother.    Amazingly she turned and approached him, her voice raised as a powerful presence seemed to come over her that countered Reddric’s fury.

“Yours?!   Why would you think that ‘King’ Reddric?   Only the firstborn son of the king may wear that ring.   If you don’t believe me, try it now in the presence of all these witnesses.”

Reddric’s eyes blazed and he raised his hand to strike her, but the elderly queen held her ground.

“Strike me, son, and God himself will strike you down!”

Her words echoed through the hall and for a long moment Reddric didn’t move.   Finally his hand fell to his side and he began to pace as he spoke, his voice barely concealing his anger.

“Why take the ring, mother, if your beloved firstborn son was dead?   He was unworthy of the title and everyone in this room knows this!   Why, he even favored the soulless elves and counted as friends… wait a moment!”   Reddric stopped in his pacing and turned to Denrich, who remained where he had been.   The king pointed at him with trembling fingers, “The Half Elf!   You gave the ring to the Half Elf because you know who his father was!    Fenthal, the friend of elves, cursed by the church for this blasphemy, sired this b*****d by an elven mistress!   That is it, is it not?   This is Fenthal’s half-blood b*****d!”

Julia laughed at his conclusion, “You foolish man, did you know of any mistress that your brother loved?   He had no time for romance.”

“But you gave him the ring!   He claims he can wear the ring.”

“See for yourself, High King.    Perhaps Denrich is simply a liar.”

Reddric stared her down for a long time then spun on his heels to Denrich.    Without a word, he grabbed Denrich’s left hand roughly and brought out the ring.  He held it up for all to see.

“Half-breed, you had best pray that you cannot wear this ring!   If you are just a liar, I will have you flogged and set you free with your life.   But if you are my brother’s b*****d…”   He didn’t finish the threat but without another word tried to slip the ring on Denrich’s finger.   Though the king’s hand trembled and Denrich’s shook as well, the ring slipped easily on.

Reddric cursed loudly and yanked the ring off, “This isn’t the Ring of the Prince!   It is a counterfeit!    I’ll prove it!”   Holding it up again, he tried to slip it on his finger.  But try as he might, it would not go.   With a howl of rage, he flung the ring across the room.

“GUARDS!   BRING ME A SWORD AND I WILL END FENTHAL’S LEGACY FOREVER!”

The sullen guard that had treated Denrich so roughly rushed forward with his sword drawn and handed it to his king with a bow.

The room was in an uproar with everyone talking excitedly, but just as Reddric raised the sword above the stunned sheriff, Mother Julia raised both of her hands and a single word left her lips that somehow shook the throne room as if a clap of thunder had directly struck.

“STOP!”  She commanded, and everything in the room froze from the power and authority in her voice.   Reddric stopped in mid strike, his arm trembling in a mixture of rage and fear at his mother’s strangely acquired power.

“You foolish, evil man!”  Julia rebuked her son, her voice powerful and almost threatening, “You would murder yet again, though you have not thought your actions through.”

“What do you mean?”  He replied, his arm once again slipping down to his side, though he kept the sword tight in his grasp.

“The Ring!   Your brother wore it because he was your father’s firstborn son.   Then you killed him.   You think Denrich is his son.”

“He can wear the ring!”

“Yes, but the enchantment of the ring is that only the firstborn son of the reigning king can wear it.”

“Yes, yes!   Fenthal was king - now his son can wear it.”

“But Fenthal is not king now!  Through your ruthlessness, you are!”

“What?  What the hell are you saying?”

“I knew of your elven mistresses, Reddric!   While you supported the corrupt teachings of the church against the elven people publicly, you kept several elven women as virtual slaves for your passion.    When you staged your coup against your brother, several of them fled didn’t they?    You never knew that Dreyllis came with me, hidden in my company when we left the palace.    You were so hungry for power and control that you never again thought of her or wondered what happened to her.”

“Dreyllis…”  Reddric whispered, realization of what his mother was about to tell him slowly washing over him.

“She was pregnant, Reddric, but seeing your cruelty toward your own brother and your public acknowledgment of your hatred of elves, she feared for her life and her child’s.    Yes, I took the ring off of Fenthal’s finger, for I knew he would never have an heir.    Dreyllis was a slender girl and she was hidden in St. Catherine’s until the birth.   She bled to death after giving birth, despite our prayers and best efforts to save her.   By that time, I knew you would have stabilized your power base and would soon have spies checking on me in St. Catherine’s.    I knew what might happen if they found the child there, so knowing that Abbot Tolskenn had always been a faithful servant of your father, who I counted as a trustworthy man, I left Denrich on the doorstep of St. Wemric’s in secret.   I suspected that he would contact me asking for advice in this matter and that would open the door for me to serve as a patron to the child, which I have done for fifty years now!”

Julia turned to Denrich, who stood there thunderstruck at what he was hearing.    She took his hands in her own and smiled, “I am sorry to have withheld information of your mother from you, but I did it for your own good.   God told me that this day would come, when I would show everyone what happened.    Here, Reddric, is your firstborn son, this ‘half-breed b*****d’ who I now proudly and publicly proclaim as my dearly loved grandson!”

The room erupted into a thousand excited conversations as everyone reacted to the drama from the dais.   Archbishop Hobst stood up in a fury and simply stormed out of the room without a word to the king.

Reddric stood there as dumbstruck as his son, his eyes darting from Julia to Denrich then to his teenaged queen, who was weeping openly, fearful for the status of the child she carried.    All rage had left the king’s face and he looked nearly as old as his mother as he stood there helpless over what to do or say.

“No,”  Denrich said as he saw the king - his father- standing there lost.   He turned to Mother Julia, “No, please, Mother Julia!   I don’t want this!   I want to go back to St. Wemricshire!   Please, I’m no prince and I’m certainly not his son.”  

“You can’t escape who you are, Denrich!”

“But he’ll kill me - kill both of us!”

Julia smiled knowingly, “Oh, I doubt that.   He doesn’t like this news and to be sure he hates both of us at this moment, but he fears my popularity and the political connections that I still have, and he is confused and unsure what to do about you.”

Perhaps hearing their conversation, the King went over to his teenaged queen, took her hand and quickly fled the throne room.

“Sire!”   One of his guards called after him, “What do we do about Sheriff Denrich?”

“Do?!  Do?!  You do nothing, you idiot!   Leave him alone!  Let him be and give me time to deal with all this madness!”   Without another word, the High King left the room.

“Mother Julia, do you realize what you’ve done?”  Denrich asked after Reddric left.   The lady seemed once again frail and ancient, but her blue eyes sparkled.

“Why, I have righted a great wrong!”

“But what am I to do?   I don’t belong here!”

“You have friends here, Denrich; you just don’t know it yet.”

“Who?”

“What about Lady Xael?”

Denrich blushed, wondering if she knew about where he had stayed the night before, “Do you know her?”

“Not exactly, though she seems to know of my spies here in the royal court.   She didn’t know I was coming here anyway but got word to one of my spies to send a message to me about your situation.    So I would call her one of your friends.    You’ll have to introduce her to me.”

“I don’t even know what she looks like!”  He answered honestly, and of course he had to explain what he meant to her - his grandmother!   She listened to his tale with the slight smile of someone who had already been informed about everything in advance.

He had been oblivious of everyone else in the room as they talked and so he was confused at the stunned expression that suddenly crossed Mother Julia’s face as he finished his tale.   She was looking at someone over his shoulder, but before he could turn to look, a hand gently touched his arm.

Turning around, he found himself gazing into the crystal blue eyes of the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen or could even imagine.    His mouth fell open like a simpleton and he stared in utter awe at her.    She was very tall and fair with perfect pale skin, high cheekbones, a delicate nose, full pink lips and hypnotic, large bedroom eyes with long lashes.    Her long blonde hair fell almost to her feet and was braided skillfully into a long braid.    Her figure was flawless; she wore a fancy red dress that accented a wonderfully curvy shape and extremely generous bosom and even her hands were long and graceful, ending in long perfectly manicured nails.

“Well, hello, Your Majesty!”  Xael said with a smile that could have melted the heart of hell’s worst demon.

“Xael…”  He said, then, before he could stop himself, “  Unbelievable!   Wow, you… you’re… you’re… well, look at you!   You’re gorgeous!  By Yesh, you’re gorgeous!   Good Lord, but you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen!   Listen to me!   I’m babbling like an idiot!”

Xael smiled sweetly, “Feel free to babble on, Love.”

Mother Julia extended her hand, “Lady Xael, I presume?”

“Yes, ma’am, I am.   It is an honor to meet you Reverend Mother.”   Xael curtseyed respectfully. 

In spite of all that had just happened to him, he could not take his eyes off of Xael.   She was amazing to see and his eyes greedily took her in without tiring of the vision of loveliness.   Never had such a woman so powerfully affected him.   She was unforgettable.

Xael seemed to notice his interest and would occasionally smile at him while chatting quite happily with Mother Julia.   His mind was reeling from the insanity of the past several days.   He simply had to get away from Caelyin so he could think everything through.

He was suddenly aware that both women had quit talking and were looking at him as if one of them had asked him something and were waiting for his reply.

“Huh?” He said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“I was wondering if you were alright?”  Mother Julia asked with a concerned look in her eyes.

“I’ve got to get out of here, ma’am.”

“Denrich, you can call me ‘grandmother’ now.”

He smiled at that, “I’ve never used that term on anyone before, but it is a great honor for me to call you grandmother.”

She returned his smile, “You want to leave and go back to St. Wemricshire, but you know that this would be very bad to do.”

“Why?”

“Reddric would see it as an affront.   Right now he is dealing with everything.   He is very angry at me, for I have exposed a sin and revealed him to be a hypocrite on his stance against elves.”

“That worries me… grandmother.    If he decides to try to prove his hatred of elves by expanding his persecution of them…”

“There are few true elves left for him to persecute.”

“What about Princess Avalynn?”

“She’s a nymph,”   Xael interjected, “Reddric has publicly said that she is, though she is the daughter of an elven king.   Apparently he understands the biology of Nymphs.    Any child of a Nymph is a full Nymph, and even the church has accepted this… so their nobles can take any that they find as mistresses without running afoul of the church.”

“Well, what about you, Xael?”   Denrich asked, “Your ears are about as pointed as mine.    You could be in danger, too.”

She arched her eyebrows playfully, “You don’t know what race I am.   Nobody knows.   I could be a Half-Elf like you, or perhaps I’m a fallen angel or a Succubi!”

“She’s a Nymph,”  Mother Julia said with such certainty that both Xael and Denrich looked at her in surprise.

“How do you know?”  Denrich asked.

“I have many spies and connections, Denrich,”  She turned to Xael, “I know all about you, my child, but I will respect your secret as long as you don’t hurt my newly discovered grandson.”

“Don’t worry; I’m rather fond of him.   He’s the only man I’ve ever befriended that didn’t try to seduce me.”

“I’m glad to hear that!”  Julia laughed and Denrich turned red-faced.    Glancing around the room, he found that many had left, but quite a few were gathered together in small groups talking and gossiping.   Most would periodically cast glances his way.

“Everyone is talking about me,”  He told the two women, “I really need to get out of here.   I don’t know where to go, though.   I spent last night in the tower dungeon.”

“Come back to my quarters,”  Xael immediately suggested, then turning to Mother Julia, “He spent the night there two days ago and didn’t try a thing!   Of course he was blind and rather sick then.”

Denrich’s face flushed red again and both women laughed at his embarrassment.   Yet Julia didn’t seem to disapprove.

“It’s alright, child,”  She told him as if knowing his thoughts, “I think that might be the best place for you, in case Reddric were to try something crazy.   I don’t think that he will, but Archbishop Hobst did not seem too happy either.   I’d make sure your door is firmly bolted tonight.”

“What about you, Grandmother?   He may try something to get back at you.”

“I would not be too surprised, but I am not staying here in the palace tonight.   St. Catherine’s has a house here for our merchants and for any nuns travelling that is well guarded by soldiers loyal only to our order.”

“What about Hobst?   If he wanted you arrested, would they resist him?”

“I don’t know, child, but don’t worry about it.   Trust me; you both will be safe here, as long as you stay together.    I will be safest at my order’s house.”

“Will I see you tomorrow?”  Denrich asked her.

“Yesh willing, yes indeed.   I will have to return to St. Catherine’s soon, but do not despair!   God has given me the vision of one more event in your life that I will live to see, though I cannot speak of it now.”

“Why?”

“I cannot manipulate this event by speaking of it to you… this is from Yesh himself!”

Denrich and Xael felt chills go down their back at the elderly lady’s words.    Mother Julia patted Denrich on the shoulder, “I shall take my leave now.    Do not fear Reddric, he is cruel, but his desire for a son is extremely strong and he won’t act quickly until he has thought all of this out.   You will be safe enough, but stay with this lovely lady.   Her notoriety will keep anyone from moving against you when you are with her.”

“Though you will probably get a reputation by associating with me,”  Xael added.

“Or perhaps your reputation will improve by associating with me,” He countered and she gave him a faked frown.

“How can I ever thank you, Mother Jul-… I mean, Grandmother… for all that you’ve done for me all these years,”  He said to Julia.

“You can thank me by not running away from who you are.   I don’t blame you for longing for St. Wemricshire - it is a peaceful and holy place, where good people live and work.   But you are needed here now and I believe that good will come out of all of this.   Now I must go.    Good night to both of you, and make safety and security your first priority.”    Julia leaned in and gently kissed his cheek and then patted Xael on the shoulder.   Then she turned and walked toward the door.   At once, out of nowhere, four guards fell in around her, alarming Denrich until he realized that they were her own bodyguards who had been nearby, protecting the great lady, without anyone knowing it.

“She’s quite a lady,” Xael said to him as they watched her leave.

“She’s amazing, Xael.    But so are you.”

“Ah shucks!”

“I’m serious!   You’ve saved my life several times.”

“Perhaps I have my own selfish agenda.   Maybe I knew you were Reddric’s son and so that is why I’ve been so nice to you.”

“Uh huh.    Well don’t get too excited, if that is the case - and I’m sure it’s not -- just because I’m his son means nothing.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’m a Half-Elf, Xael, and even though the church has said that Half-Elves have half souls and can attain heaven, the laws of this kingdom prevent anyone with even a drop of elven blood from ever inheriting the throne.   Even if I was legitimate in everyone’s eyes, I would never be in line for the crown.   Thank God for that!   Now do you still want me to stay with you?”

“Well, of course that is quite a shock to me, but I guess you can still stay with me, since I promised you, “  She teased, “You know everyone is looking at us now and wondering what is going on between us.    I’m going to stir up some gossip.   Don’t take this to mean anything; this is just for fun with those nosey courtiers.”

She slipped nearer to him and slowly wrapped her arms around him, then leaned in closer, tilted her head and warmly kissed him.

He was so surprised that he couldn’t even kiss back.

“Well that didn’t go as well as I’d hoped,” She mumbled as she broke the kiss, “You didn’t participate.”

“Participate?   Good heavens, Xael, I didn’t know what you were about to do!”

“You’ve never kissed a girl, have you?    I can tell.”  

His face flushed red, “Well, never one as pretty as you!”

“Never one at all,”  She countered with a sly grin, “You are a babe in the woods!”

“Xael, I’m just a bit stunned about everything - it’s been a very eventful couple of days,” He desperately tried to explain, “You are extremely overwhelming you know!   Do you have any idea how perfect you are?    I’ve never seen someone so beautiful as you.   I’m a simple man, Xael, and I lived amongst simple people.    You are the antithesis of simple.    I can’t stop looking at you.    You’re so lovely that it kind of scares me.”

“Scares you?”  She laughed, charmed by his words.

“When a simple man with a simple brain sees something so extraordinary and flawless, he is overcome and awestruck.    But I’m sure you’ve had that effect on men before and are used to it.”

“It is helpful when trying to get your way,” She admitted, her arms still wrapped around him.

“So what do you want from me then?   I’m a fool for a pretty face and your face is angelic.  I’d probably do just about anything for you at this point.”

 “You certainly are a charmer, Love.   As for what I ‘want’ from you; I haven’t decided yet, but you’ll certainly be utilized,”   She pulled away from him but took his hand, “I’m tired of being the center of attention; let’s get out of here.”

He was more than happy to agree to that and let her lead him through the crowds and out of the throne room.   Denrich tried to ignore the stares and mumblings, but he knew that he’d be a hot topic for many days.   Of course much of that interest was focused on the extraordinary beauty guiding him through the maze-like structure that was the royal palace.   She was gloriously lovely from every angle and he found himself acting rather foolish around her.   Surely he was smart enough not to be swayed and heavily influenced by a woman; even a radiantly gorgeous woman.

But he feared that he was getting completely wrapped around her finger.   He’d never let himself ‘waste time’ dating, as living around and working with celibate monks, this mind-set was admired and recommended.

He’d had many young women flirt with him, but he always reminded himself that being a half-elf, he’d watch them age and eventually grow old and die.   He didn’t want to finally love someone and then go through loss.    So he’d focused on his duties as a sheriff and he had managed to keep himself preoccupied.

Now, suddenly, he found himself very strongly attracted to lovely Xael, as were, he was sure, the majority of the men who looked at her.    She had a notorious reputation as a manipulator of men.    Certainly she knew how to act to get what she wanted from men, especially young backwoods sheriffs.   

He didn’t know how she could seem so young and innocent with the hundreds of sordid tales about her.   Perhaps that was part of her act - skills used to win his trust and adoration and when she was finished with him, she’d leave him hurting and alone.

 

He wondered if she would be candid enough to share with him what exactly her plans were in coming to Alybia and what her goals were now in Reddric’s court.    More importantly, how did he fit in to those plans?   When he’d asked her, she’d been vague.    Could he persuade her to at least give him some clues, so he’d know what to look for and be prepared when his time to be around her ended?

She was mysterious, but at the same time, strangely friendly.   He’d imagined that she’d be an aloof, self-absorbed woman of coarse language and morals.    But Xael didn’t fit that preconceived notion at all.

Through the palace she pulled him, not saying a word the entire time, but glancing back frequently at him with a smile.

Finally they reached a hallway familiar to him.

“Now I know where we are; how did you ever remember your way here?”

“I’ve always been very good at directions,”  She explained as she unlocked the door to her suite of rooms.

“Are you sure you don’t mind me staying here?   It could be dangerous if Reddric decides he wants to get rid of me.   I really don’t want you placed in danger.”

Xael shrugged, “I’m already involved, and to be frank with you, this whole thing is rather thrilling,”   She opened the door and led him inside, “Now the first thing for you to do is to strip off those clothes and bathe  -- you smell like a prison cell.”

“I was only in it overnight.”

“It doesn’t take long to acquire the smell.    Go ahead - in case you don’t remember -as you were blind at the time-   the tub is over there and of course it has hot and cold running water, compliments of the Royal Guild of Practical Magicians.   There should be some clothes in the closet that you can wear.”

Denrich went over and looked into the large brass tub but hesitated to do as she had requested.

“What are you waiting for?”  She asked after she noticed his hesitancy.  

“I’m not used to bathing in front of someone and I really don’t feel comfortable getting undressed around you.”

Xael laughed, “My, but you’re shy!    Don’t you remember me telling you that I bathed you when you were thrashing around unconscious from the effects of that poison?    You were naked then.”

Denrich blushed, “Maybe so, but I don’t remember it.”

“You haven’t got anything that I didn’t see then, so don’t feel embarrassed.”

“That’s easy for you to say!   I’m new to this… um… ‘cosmopolitan’ way of living.’

“Well, you aren’t staying here unless you take a bath.”

Denrich sighed, “Could you at least turn your head until I get into the tub; it would make it much easier for me.”

Xael rolled her eyes and sighed, but turned around.

“You really don’t belong here, Love,”  She told him as he quickly undressed with his back turned from her (just in case).

“No, I really don’t.    You on the other hand, seem very comfortable here.”

“It’s a familiar type of setting for me.”

“Royal courts and all this luxury overwhelm me.   It is so different from St. Wemricshire.”

“You know that Reddric won’t just let you go back home.    He’ll either want you to stay here or he’ll lock you up as a threat.”

“Naw, I’d guess if he finds me a threat, he’ll just have me executed.”

“So we’ve got to ensure that you stay on his good side and that he begins to look at you as his son.”

Denrich finished undressing and quickly lowered himself into the tub, which was still filling up with warm water, “I don’t think he’ll ever accept me as a son.   I’m fine with that, believe me!”

“Well aren’t you worried that he’ll want rid of you then, if you aren’t accepted as his son?”   To Denrich’s dismay, Xael turned around and came over to the tub, sitting down on a stool next to it and leaning casually against the rim, oblivious on how uncomfortable her proximity made him.

“Um… well, I’m hoping that he’ll have a human son very soon.”   He tried to appear unflustered and went through the motions of bathing, though he knew he must be beet red and appear as nervous as a chicken seeing a farmer with a hatchet.

“She’s not got long to go.   Her belly is huge!”  Xael replied with a twinkle in her eyes as if she envied the pregnant queen.

“If Reddric gets a son, then maybe I’ll be off the hook and he’ll be so overjoyed at finally having a human male heir that he’ll let me go back to St. Wemricshire.”

Xael smirked, “I don’t think he’ll ever be that generous.   Another thing - the monks may not want you as Sheriff when they learn that you are Reddric’s b*****d.”

Denrich paused in lathering his arm, “Oh… you know, I never thought of that!   But surely they’d trust me - I’ve lived there my entire life!   They know I’m not a prince.    I’m one of them!”

“Yes, but they may not want the attention that having you living amongst them causes them.”

Denirch’s shoulders slumped, “My whole life has been torn apart!”

“Perhaps not, Love.    This could be the start of a new life.”

“Whoopee.   Now I’m a royal b*****d, and I’ll have to look over my shoulder all the time to see if someone is spying on me or wants to stab me in the back.”

“That’s part of the adventure of living in royal courts,”   Xael sighed in sympathy, swirling her index finger in the water with a sad smile.

“Xael, I want to ask you something,”   He stretched to reach a hand towel, only to have the lovely lady hand it to him.

“Okay, Love, ask me anything.”

“I’m glad you said that.    What I want to know is:  is this just another typical adventure for you?   If I were to review all the legends and stories about you, would I be able to predict your plans?”

She looked at him amused, “You actually mean ‘would I be able to predict your plans for me?’ don’t you?”

“Surely you can see why I’d be concerned - there could be books written about your escapades!”

Xael laughed, “Actually, there is an old wizard back in the eastern lands that is compiling all the stories about me.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?”

“No, not at all; it is rather flattering!”  She smiled contently.

Denrich just shook his head, “I don’t understand that at all, but back to what I was asking you - yes, I am concerned about myself.    In nearly all of the tales that I’ve heard about you, everything that you do benefits you in the end.     A few times those around you also come out ahead, but you must admit that you’ve left a trail of broken people behind you and most all of them are men who were captivated by you.”

Her look shown that his words were flattering to her and she was not offended in the least.   She reached out and took the hand towel from him and gestured for him to lean forward in the brass tub so she could wash his back.   Reluctantly he complied, hoping she would answer his question.

“Denrich, you probably will survive your encounter with me.   I’m sure you will; you have the heart of a survivor.    Your best bet is to just let me do what I please and ride out the storm.     I’ll do as I please, with or without your cooperation.   You really have no choice, like you said earlier.    I always get my way; I’m sure you’ve seen that from all the tales about me.”

“So you have no qualms about ruining my life?”

She shrugged, “Men are a copper piece for a hundred; once I’m gone, what do I care what happens to you?   Handle it as best as you can or go jump off a tower and kill yourself -  it makes no difference to me.”

“You’re evil, Xael,”  He commented, though he knew that she wasn’t.

“Oh, I’m diabolical.   Have you heard the story about the pregnant princess that I pushed down the tower stairs, to get revenge on a scorned lover?”

“Yeah, I remember hearing about that,” His stomach sickened at the thought.

“You know, it might work with Reddric’s queen…”

“And you really think I’d allow you to do that?”

“Love, you’d have no choice but do exactly what I tell you to do.   Then I’d frame you for her death and I’d laugh while Reddric’s executioner chops your head off.   See how tidy that is?   Then I’d manipulate some other poor fool and dispose of him.   On and on I’d go, moving from bed to bed, slowly gaining money and power until I tire of this place and then I’d move on to someplace else.     It’s a great strategy.”  

He turned and looked at her, and she flicked some soap onto the tip of his nose.

“Turn the other way, Love, and let me get your right side.   Any other questions?   Want to know the types of poison I’ve used?   How many lovers I’ve had?   If I ever did care for anyone?”

“Xael, I’m no fool - you’re lying,” he responded frankly.

She laughed, “Are you sure, Love?   I’m good at my game.”

“Yes, you are, but there is no way that you are the same woman that accumulated all of those tales about her.”

“Of course I am!”

“No, you’re not.   You know the stories and even the intimate details, but you aren’t the same woman that experienced them.”

She stopped washing his back for a moment, a brief hesitation as if she had been unnerved momentarily by his words.   But only for an instant, and then she was back in her role.   She laughed, “You aren’t as smart as you think you are, Love.”

“Perhaps not, but I know for a fact that you are not even remotely old enough to be the same Xael that those stories are about.”

“Love, I’m immortal - that means I don’t age.”

“True, but immortals do have one thing that ages - their souls- and yours is young and, despite your best attempt to conceal it, quite innocent.”

She laughed heartily at this, but he could tell that it was a forced laugh.

“You are so easily deceived, Love!   Perhaps it is your backwoods upbringing, but I really feel rather sorry for you!   You are going to be so devastated when I’m done using you!”

Denrich smiled, “Yeah, I’m sure I will be.”  

He was confident now that she wasn’t the same Xael that had all the stories about her.    Yet she was incredibly beautiful - that part matched the descriptions of the notorious lady.    She was similar but not the same person.    But why would she want to pretend to be such a notorious lady?   And wouldn’t it be dangerous if she ran into someone who knew the real person?   Also, what about the real Xael - she would certainly not stomach an impostor. 

“Come on, inspector; you’re clean, I’ll hand you a towel.”

He was so wrapped up in his contemplation of the mystery of her that he just blindly complied.     It wasn’t until he took the offered towel that he realized that he was standing there totally naked in front of her.    He blinked in horror and quickly covered his lower regions with the towel.  His expression sent her into a fit of laughter.    She fell back on the bed giggling prettily at his embarrassment.

“See?”  She said, “You did exactly what I said and it took a while for you to realize it!   You’re under my control, Love!”

“You just got me flustered, that’s all.   I don’t think its right to expose myself to you.  It’s not proper and I apologize.”

“Oh, you are so cute when you’re embarrassed!”  She giggled, “Love, I saw you naked when you were unconscious.”

“I wish I was unconscious right now,”  Denrich mumbled, stepping out of the tub and glancing around for another towel or something to cover up in.

This only amused Xael more and she rolled out of bed and went across the room to the closet, returning a moment later with another towel.

“Here, Love, use this,”  she handed the towel to him, but as he reached out for it, with her other hand she yanked the towel he held out of his other hand.

“Hey!   Cut it out!”  He exclaimed, jumping back with the new towel quickly draped over his private region.

“I’m too fast for you!”  She playfully teased, now grabbing for the other towel.    Denrich stepped back, only to have his legs find the edge of the tub.   Pinwheeling wildly, he sat down hard in the tub, splashing water all over the place.

Xael doubled over in laughter, though she had been doused along with everything else in that end of the room.   She slipped to her knees, holding her stomach in mirth at him.

Denrich was mad at first, and tried to pull himself out of the basin, but he had sandwiched himself sideways in the brass tub and he couldn’t pop his legs free on his own.

Xael was now crying from the ridiculousness of his situation and her intense guffawing had given her the hiccups, which only made her roar with laughter at herself.

In spite of his feeling of indignity, Denrich found himself chuckling at her chirping hiccupping.    Even these were melodious in sound, and as he looked at her, covered in soapy water, tears running down her gorgeous face, trying to stand up and hold her breath (to get rid of the hiccups), he saw clearly for a brief moment, not an ageless legend but a young girl lost in the silliness of a situation and thrilling in every moment.

This couldn’t be the Xael of the legends.

“Stop laughing and help get me out of this tub; I’m stuck!” He told her and the way he said it set her off cackling wildly, accented every few seconds by a hiccup that sounded like a spastic song bird.

Finally, she reached out to help him up and he fought the urge to yank her into the tub with him.    With her leverage, he was able to free himself and he examined himself to make sure he wasn’t injured.

Of course this amused Xael, who managed to ask him between hiccups, “Anything broken or missing?”

He just frowned at her and she slid down on her butt on the wet floor, howling with laughter at his expression.

“The rest of the palace is going to think that I’m killing you in here!”

“That would be a great new chapter to my legend!”  She replied, her voice hoarse as she wiped her eyes, “I haven’t laughed that hard in my entire life, Love.”

“Really?   In your entire life?”   He challenged.

“Well…”  She quickly resumed her role, “Not in many years.”

“Uh huh.”

“Are you alright?”  She struggled to not start laughing again.

“Well, I’m rather embarrassed.’

“I’d hope so!”

“The floor is soaked!   What’ll we do?”

“Get dressed and I’ll call a maid… or maybe three or four maids.”   She grinned so prettily at him that his heart raced.

“I guess there are no secrets between us now, huh?”  He said, glancing down at his nudity.

“At least as far as you are concerned, there aren’t!”  

To his surprise, she began unlacing her dress’ corset front.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m soaking wet, Love, I’m going to change clothes.   Now don’t start acting silly about it, either!   After your display of agility, you haven’t any pride left.”

He still didn’t feel right just standing there watching her undress, so he walked over to the closet, careful not to slip on the wet floor.    Xael followed him, still working to loosen her corset.

“Xael, I’m trying to give you some privacy.”

“Well, thanks, Love, but my clothes are in this closet too.”

“Oh… sorry.   I’ll go back in there.”   He started back into the room but she grabbed his arm, “Just change into some clothes, and don’t worry about everything.    You focus on you and I’ll focus on me.   Then we’ll get that mess cleaned up so I can take a proper bath and we can get some sleep.”

It sounded reasonable to him, so still pondering the mystery of Xael, he looked through the wardrobe for something to wear.