Chapter 16

King Kenneth was smiling smugly after making his shocking announcement. I knew that the smile would leave his face quickly, if I didn't stop Brenda from launching herself at him.

Just to be on the safe side, I put one arm around her waist as a kind of anchor.

"What do you mean you have arranged his marriage?" Brenda demanded.

The King gave her a dirty look and spoke to me, ignoring my girlfriend.

"There has been bad blood between Axon and Scania for over three hundred years. A marriage between the Taggart family and the Barn family of Scania will do a lot to heal old wounds. Too much of our kingdom's wealth is wasted on warfare and defences. King Malcolm of Scania and I both agree that this is a welcome development."

The arrogance of the man was breathtaking. At last I found my voice and responded to the madness that he was suggesting.

"How dare you presume so much that you feel you can arrange my marriage. If I'm going to marry anybody, it will be Brenda here. But whoever it is, it will be my choice, not yours!"

"You have responsibilities, boy. Your first responsibility and duty is to the people of Axon. Would you deny them the chance of peace after three hundred years of war?"

His constant reference to me as 'boy' was simply another thing about him that got under my skin. I wanted nothing more than to be away from him, as far away as possible. I had decided I owed it to myself to come and at least meet my father, but now I deeply regretted that decision.

It seemed that my father had moved from not caring that I even existed, to using me as a political pawn to further his own ends. He was also making it very clear that I had no choice in the matter. I hadn't missed his reference to us not being able to leave Gael without his permission, either. That was something else to worry about.

"Go freshen up, and change out of those peculiar 'other-world' clothes," ordered the King. "We will hold a banquet tonight to celebrate your return. Do not bring the woman. Your bride-to-be will be at the banquet and I don't think she would appreciate the competition. Who knows what an angry, jealous wizard might unleash on my guests!"

King Kenneth laughed at his own joke and then turned and stalked off. His entourage followed him and we were left standing with Cormac.

Cormac wasn't very pleased with the way I had spoken to the King and he was in a surly mood. I could barely get two words out of him as he escorted us to the rooms that had been set aside for us. He was nothing compared to Brenda! She was like a volcano ready to blow.

The 'room' turned out to be a suite. Once again no expense had been spared in furnishing the receiving room, the bedroom, bathroom and even the small bedroom, which was clearly intended for a servant.

Cormac spoke to us at last and his words only blackened our mood further.

"We were not expecting you to bring someone with you, Highness, so the accommodation is only for yourself. I will endeavour to find something suitable for Miss Thomas elsewhere. Either that or she can use the quarters set aside for your esquire."

This last was accompanied by a pointing gesture towards the small room.

"Brenda will stay in this room with me!" I almost shouted.

"But that would be unseemly, Highness. You are betrothed to the Princess Hassan, you cannot have another woman in your chambers."

Brenda was incensed, this was too much! She swung her clenched fist at Cormac's head, but I anticipated and deflected her blow.

"I will not be marrying Princess Hassan or anyone else that King Kenneth picks out for that matter! Now, you may leave us, Cormac," I snarled.

The envoy knew he had been dismissed, and he also knew he was in danger from a very angry young woman. He couldn't resist one more comment however.

"Highness, the King will know about this within the hour. He will be very angry."

"That will be all, Cormac," I repeated my dismissal.

Once he had left the suite, Brenda and I sat side by side on an intricately embroidered sofa. My girl had held up well and I put my arm round her to offer what comfort I could.

"What did he mean when he said three hundred years of war?" she asked me.

I re-told the story that Charles had shared with me in my dreamtime. This was the first that Brenda had heard of Scania and Axon being at each other's throats ever since Prince Con had killed the Scanian prince.

"Oh my goodness, but that's terrible. Three hundred years of killing each other. What must that be like?" she asked.

"Yep, it seems that people here on Gael can be just as stupid as people in our world. In fact, I think the people here are worse."

"Why?" she asked me.

"Well, look around yourself. How many cars did you see on the trip to the city? How many other labour saving tools or appliances have you spotted? Don't you remember what happened to your toaster?"

"Oh! I'd forgotten about the toaster. What did happen to it?"

"According to Charles, Gael doesn't allow technology because it interferes with magic and the royal families need magic more than they want things to improve for their people."

I then had to explain about royal males and royal females, about wizards and the need for royals to have children with wizards in order to continue to have the connection to 'the Road'.

"But that's incredibly selfish! Why should these elite few hold back the many? Are you sure about this, Sean? Perhaps it's just that no one has had the idea to invent the things that we have at home?"

"Brenda, Cormac has been to our world and he has seen all of the things that we have there. It's clear that others have also travelled to the 'other-world' as they call it, so they have the knowledge.

"Charles told me that, long ago, the link between our world and Gael was used much more freely. They took the decision to cut themselves off when earth discovered gunpowder and the mass production of firearms began in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

"Their choice was magic over technological advances and they have stuck with that ever since."

"Well the ordinary people we saw in the streets don't look as if they have a better life because of it!" Brenda mused.

We were interrupted by a knock at the door and two men entered. They were carrying an assortment of Gael clothing and fully expected me to change before attending the banquet. I had already decided that I wasn't going along with what the King wanted. I refused to leave Brenda and go to any banquet.

When I made my feelings clear to the two attendants they seemed at a loss for words and didn't know what to do. Eventually they left the clothing on one of the chairs in the receiving room and beat a hasty retreat.

"Perhaps we shouldn't annoy the King any more than we have already, Sean. How bad can it be just attending a banquet?"

"It's the fact that you're not invited that's the problem. There's a principle involved here and the King is going to have to learn that he can't order me about and run my life as he sees fit!"

I had just made my point when the doors to the suite burst open and a group of soldiers ran in, their swords drawn. I was grabbed and forced to the floor before I could react. I began to use the power I had stored up and I heard Brenda screaming.

There were four men trying to hold me down, but they were no match for the strength that I had to draw on. Two of my would-be assailants went flying across the room at the same time. They crashed into the walls and ended up in a heap. I kicked out at another and he shot across the floor.

The fourth man was a bit smarter than the others. He stood back and tried to knock me out with the flat of his sword blade. Unfortunately for him, I was in no mood for playing around. Flipping myself up, I swept his legs out from under him and then kicked him solidly on the head before he could react.

I had dealt with all four within a couple of minutes, but that hadn't been quick enough, as Brenda was nowhere to be seen. The other two men in the group must have grabbed her and dragged her out of the room. The sound of a slow-hand clap sounded and I spun to find that King Kenneth was standing in the doorway.

"Bravo! Bravo! No less than I would expect from a son of mine, but it's good to see that you have the strength of a royal nonetheless."

I didn't reply, but instead I rushed at him, intent on wiping the smug smile from his face. King Kenneth was surprised, but he had time to brace himself to meet my charge.

We came together and I sensed how much power he had. I knew instantly that I could beat him and that fact gave me a great deal of satisfaction. Rolling onto the floor, we found ourselves face to face and I could see in his eyes that he knew I was the stronger too.

Defeat was not something that this man had experienced very often (perhaps never!) and I saw fear written across his face for a second. The fear passed quickly though and it was replaced by another smug look.

"If you hurt me, the girl will be dead before you can find her," he managed to spit out.

His words hit me like a hammer blow. Surely he wouldn't stoop so low? My own father? I rolled off of him and got to my feet. If looks could kill, he would have been dead where he lay. Instead he hauled himself up and brushed himself down.

"You're strong, I'll give you that, very strong considering you haven't even 'emerged' yet. And smart enough to know when you're beaten too, that's a good combination."

"Where is she?" I demanded.

"Just do as you're told and she will be fine. Wash and change into something suitable, your welcome-home feast awaits!"

He laughed loudly and turned to leave.

"If she comes to any harm then I will hold you personally responsible," I warned him.

After he had gone I looked through the clothing, but couldn't find anything that I felt willing to wear in public. There were wardrobes lining one wall of the bedroom and I decided to look there to see if there was an alternative to the garish stuff that had been brought.

By some stroke of good fortune I found an outfit that didn't scream at me or threaten to make me look like a peacock. I laid it out on the bed.

A wash was probably a good idea and I wandered into the bathroom. Plumbing hadn't been one of the things covered in Charles' lessons and I wasn't sure what to expect when I twisted one of the faucets. Within a few moments the stream of water turned hot, so the bath would be comfortable.

There were a number of glass jars containing scented salts and I tipped some into the water and then started to strip off my clothes. I did my normal bath-time thing and climbed into the bath while the water was still running, adjusting the hot and cold faucets so that the temperature was just right.

Lying back in the tub, I thought about what had happened to my girl. I was sure the King wouldn't harm her, but she must be worried sick. Not being able to do anything to help her weighed heavily with me.

Thankfully the soak in the tub had allowed me to calm down a bit. I knew that losing my temper wasn't going to help Brenda, I needed to keep my wits about me. I dressed in the Gael clothing and pulled on a pair of black boots that I had also found in the wardrobe.

Not long after I had finished dressing, a footman arrived at my door to escort me to the banquet. He took in what I was wearing and then looked at my face. My grim expression clearly discouraged any questions or comments, so he turned and led the way along the palace corridors.

The banqueting hall was like something out of a movie scene. Three long tables filled the hall. One table crossed the width of the room and two were at right angles to it. The cross-wise table was smaller than the other two and I guessed that this was what was known as the 'top-table'. The clue was the throne-like chair that sat in the very center of the table.

The two longer tables had a space between them and entertainers were using that space to juggle and tumble, strum and sing. Each of the tables sat around twenty on each side, while the top-table only had chairs on one side and looked as if it could accommodate about twelve.

Most people were already in their seats by the time I arrived. A uniformed Major-Domo announced me.

"His Royal Highness, heir to the throne of Axon, Prince Sean!"

Talking stopped and all heads swivelled in my direction. There were several gasps and a man sitting at the top-table slammed a tankard onto the table. A beautiful girl sitting beside the tankard slammer put her hand up to cover her mouth and actually giggled.

It was what I was wearing that caused this reaction. When I'd picked the clothes I knew there was a chance that they were meant for wearing to a funeral. The trousers, shirt and short coat were all black, with subtle silver stitching the only highlight. It was as far away as possible from the brightly coloured outfits everyone else was wearing.

The footman led me to the place immediately to the right of the throne-chair. He held the chair until I went to sit and then pushed it in behind me.

The beautiful girl was beside me and the tankard slammer was on the other side of her. She was giving me a frank appraisal and her smile and the glint in her eye suggested she liked what she saw. He was less impressed apparently.

"If this is meant as an insult to my sister, then I will make you pay dearly for it!" he snapped, leaning forward to see past the girl.

"Oh, Aiden, calm yourself. Don't be so touchy, I feel no insult from the prince's actions," the girl chided.

Before he could respond, a fanfare heralded the arrival of King Kenneth. He strode briskly to his chair and brushed the footman aside as he sat.

"Ah, I see you have already met Princess Hassan and her brother, Sean. Good. Whatever are you wearing? Are you in mourning, boy?"

Servitors were arriving with huge platters of food and I was offered my choice of roast meats. I chose some beef and some of the Timmon, which I knew would be slightly sweeter. When a platter of duck passed, I helped myself to some of that, too. I also loaded some roast potatoes and a yellow vegetable that was called trunip onto my plate.

Another servitor offered me a choice of drinks.

"I have vina or lea, Highness."

I was unsure what either was - another gap in Charles' lessons, but I later learned that vina was a form of wine and lea a sweet beer. I opted to try the lea. When I took a sip, I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and proceeded to take a bigger gulp.

The King tried to encourage conversation between Hassan and me, but I was determined not to become friendly with the girl. To me that would have been a betrayal of my girlfriend, and that wasn't going to happen.

During the feast I had the opportunity to take a closer look at her. Stunning was a word that didn't adequately describe her, or do her justice. She had long, flaming red hair, flashing green eyes, and what I would describe as a svelte figure. Despite the fact she was sitting down, I could tell that she was tall for a girl and she had a willowy grace about her.

I knew that she was probably as much a pawn in this political marriage proposal as I was and therefore I tried to at least remain polite when I had to speak to her.

Her laugh was beguiling and infectious. However, I found myself increasingly annoyed that she was here beside me and enjoying herself, while Brenda was who knows where.

"Cheer up, boy," said the King, waving a half-eaten leg of chicken in his hand, which was dribbling fat over his wrist. "Surely you cannot complain about my choice of partner for you?"

I was aware that Hassan was paying very close attention to my answer and mentally cursed the King for asking such a crass question. I had a mouthful of trunip at that moment, so I was able to gather my wits about me before responding.

"Any man would be blinded by the Princess' beauty, Highness. She truly is a sight to take the breath away, to start hearts and pulses racing."

I was quite pleased with myself for coming up with an answer that complimented the girl while giving no hint of the fact that I had no interest in her.

Hassan spoiled my moment however.

"But I am not betrothed to 'any man', Sean. Does my beauty blind you, are your heart and pulse racing?"

I took a large gulp of my lea before replying. This response was not going to go down well I knew, but I tried to be sensitive in what I said.

"I cannot deny that I am affected by you, Princess, you really are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I am sure that I would be the envy of every man in Gael if I had you as my wife, but the fact is that my heart belongs to another and that cannot be changed at my father's bidding."

Her green eyes flashed and surprisingly her lips pulled upward into a smile.

"Oh, I do love a challenge! Who is this lucky woman?"

"There is no challenge in this, Hassan," said the King, "my son is simply taking some time to adjust to being home, but he will come to his senses soon enough."

I took another gulp of my lea and gestured to a servitor to fill up my tankard again. There was a sharp prick on my thigh and when I looked down, the King was holding a dagger against my leg. What he hoped to achieve by this I had no idea until I looked down the hall and saw Brenda being escorted in and shown to a chair.

Two guards hovered close to her. The message in the dagger and Brenda's presence was clear to me now. The King was telling me that he was in complete control and that I had to do as I was told ... or else!

I tried to remain calm. My eyes met Brenda's and I tried to silently send her a message of reassurance. When I turned to my right, I saw that Prince Aiden had seen where my looks had been directed and he had a thoughtful expression on his face.