Tales of the Northern Kingdoms volume 2

  TALES OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOMS

  Volume 2

  by Barbara G. Tarn

  ***

  Barbara G.Tarn copyright © 2016

  cover art by Silvano Beltramo

  electronic edition by Unicorn Productions

  August 2016

  ***

  Table of Contents

  Prince Splendor (1370)

  The Archers

  The Twins

  Belkyss

  Woodlands

  Wolfshead

  About the Author

  Prince Splendor

  Male Sleeping Beauty

  Once upon a time in a fantasy world lived a handsome prince. Since he was so handsome, every female dreamed of catching his attention. And since not only was he handsome, but also gentle and kind, he was nice to all the hopeful maidens who surrounded him.

  Among them there was a young woman with magic powers who wanted him all for herself, but he couldn't disappoint all the others... so the young witch got angry.

  "If I can't have you, nobody will," she muttered. And then she wove her powerful spell. "I condemn you to eternal sleep until you find a woman who doesn't give a damn about you!"

  Thus the handsome prince fell asleep without dreams and years went by.

  Years and years the prince slept.

  Years and years, his beauty remained unchanged.

  Years and years, and nobody visited him anymore...

  ***

  Forests all looked the same to Billinda who had been born on a lake shore. She wasn't particularly fond of them, but going through them meant avoiding borders and showing passports and having people see her.

  She'd lost count of how many forests she'd passed since she'd left home years earlier, but she was definitely far from her home village. Thank the gods. She enjoyed her adventurous, mercenary life as a warrior woman.

  She adjusted her travel bag on her shoulder, since it was bumping into her sword-belt. Maybe she should make herself a bow and hunt for food. She was hopelessly lost, but she didn't care. She knew she'd find a way out of the green and a village or farm at some point.

  At the moment she was surrounded by trees much taller than her, with few bushes underneath. She couldn't tell the plants' names, but they seemed to have white bark, when it wasn't covered by green moss. They definitely weren't fir trees like the ones growing on the slopes of the mountains that surrounded the valley where she was born.

  And then she saw a wall of light-red stone. It was tall as the trees, partially covered with ivy. Surprised, she headed there. She hadn't been told of any castle nearby, which might be good news. A forgotten stronghold might hide treasures or other useful things.

  While looking for the entrance, she went around what was indeed a castle with round towers scattered in a seemingly random pattern, connected by towering, vast walls. Stylish windows high up were scattered here and there across the walls in an asymmetric pattern, along with small holes for archers.

  Eventually she found a moderate gate with thick metal doors, a regular drawbridge over a moat that was by now full of leaves and bushes, and had become as impenetrable as the water hole it must have been in the past.

  Trees grew close to the castle gates, and some had even sprouted from the dry moat. The forest hid the building from the not too far away plains and hills that Billinda knew lay somewhere to the east. The thick metal doors were open as was everything else, apparently. Seen from up close, the castle looked somewhat in disrepair.

  Billinda entered the courtyard and looked around. The wooden stables had crumbled and one of the towers had collapsed onto itself, but the main building seemed to be still standing. All the doors were wide open, as if the castle had been abandoned for whatever reason.

  Billinda stepped inside the main building and found the empty great hall. A creaky wooden staircase took her to the upper floor, where the bedrooms were. No trace of furniture anywhere, as if people had taken everything with them when they'd left the castle.

  Until behind a wooden partition she found a curtained bed. There was nothing else in the room except the bed, dust and cobwebs, and the curtains looked strangely new, compared to the decay around them.

  Smells like magic. Billinda wrinkled her nose. Not that magic had any specific smell, but it looked weird – something new in an abandoned place. She pulled open the curtains and gasped at the sight of the beautiful young man lying on the bed.

  He was blond, with a sky-blue embroidered tunic and a brass chain-of-office of not much value. Boots and breeches had an old-fashioned look, but her eyes kept going back to the gorgeous, clean-shaven face.

  He must be the castle owner. There isn't much left of his kingdom! But he's definitely yummy.

  Especially the young man's lips. They were so luscious, that she leaned over his face and tasted them. They were curiously warm and soft, so the young man wasn't dead. Spellbound, probably.

  Not bad! she thought, pulling back, satisfied. She wondered if around the bed there could be some forgotten treasure, since most people were afraid of magic, but climbing to check over the canopy or looking under the bed itself brought no results.

  "Who are you?"

  The voice startled her. The young man sat on the bed, looking slightly dazed and confused. He had wonderful baby blues and his luscious lips were turned down in a frown.

  "Oh, you're awake!" she said cheerfully. "I didn't think I had such powers!"

  "Are you a sorceress?" he asked, puzzled.

  "I'm an adventurer." She motioned at her own tunic, breeches and sword. Couldn't he see she dressed like a man? That she was a warrior woman? "Obviously my kiss has healing powers, though."

  He stared at her warily and got out of bed. She followed him outside of the bedroom, still looking around for hidden treasures. But she was beginning to think that besides the gorgeous sleeper there was nothing interesting in that forgotten castle.

  "What happened?" he blurted out as they went back to the great hall. "Where is everybody?"

  "I guess you slept longer than you think... When did you fall asleep?"

  After some discussion, she discovered he'd been born twenty-five years after the death of the last Moren Emperor and was now twenty-two, which meant he'd been asleep for a century. Impressive.

  "Don't worry, you don't look your age." She patted his shoulder encouragingly.

  He indeed looked in his early twenties, and even blushed at the compliment. Whatever spell had hit him, it had frozen him in time.

  "Thanks," he muttered, looking away. "What happened out there in the meantime?"

  "Ah, well, the usual... wars, plague, famine, revolutions, nothing new! Kingdoms come and go! I hadn't heard of this place, so I guess it fell a long time ago."

  "I was the heir of this castle and the lands around it!" he protested, dismayed.

  "The lands outside are just woodlands now. I guess the peasants left and the forest expanded. This castle is in ruins and around here there are only brambles and trees, wolves and bears, no farms except out there on the hills and plains."

  "Oh, no! What now?"

  "Do you think there's some hidden treasure somewhere?" she asked, hopeful.

  He guided her on another tour, but, like her, he found only empty rooms or abandoned coffers, nothing of value one could carry away.

  "Very well, bro, how are you with weapons?" she asked, amused.

  He hesitated. "I had the best teachers..."

  "I bet you did! I'm looking for an associate, would you like to join me?"

  Again he looked puzzled. "What do you do?"

  She rolled her eyes. Gorgeous but a little slow. Must be the spell still ling
ering on him. Or the century-long sleep.

  "Mercenary, treasure hunter..."

  "I have never fought for somebody else..." he mused. "Actually, I hadn't put my skills to work yet. We were at peace..."

  "Of course, you never stole, nor killed anyone before," she said, a little sarcastic. "Your life must have been very boring. Anyway, you don't have much choice. Come with me or stay here and starve."

  He sighed. "Fine, I'll come with you."

  Billinda was glad to leave the dusty rooms and crumbling castle that had proved a waste of time – except for the company. She hoped the blond prince wouldn't be a pain. She didn't like spoiled young men, but she could always dump him in the first town...

  ***

  Splendor turned around one last time to look at the walls of Bold Castle, then dived into the forest that now embraced his father's abode. He still couldn't believe his eyes – how the castle had been abandoned and how the trees had surrounded it.

  Was it all part of Leondina's spell? Had she cursed the castle and imprisoned him there? He still remembered how his head had felt light and dizzy, and how Ruth and Giselle had gasped and worriedly asked how he felt...

  He compared the brunette and the red-head to the woman walking in front of him. If it weren't for slight curves under the male clothes, he'd never think that was a warrior woman. But then, he hadn't met many tomboys in his life.

  So one century had gone by, he mused. It still felt like yesterday that his father had summoned him to tell him it was time he picked a bride.

  "I already had you and your brother when I was your age," the king had chided. "What are you waiting for?"

  "I know, Father. It's just impossible to choose between Giselle and Ruth..." Red-head Giselle with her pale-green gowns and brunette Ruth who usually wore pink. Both noble, beautiful and lovely. Except he wasn't in love with either of them.

  And then his father had suggested he considered Leondina as well.

  "She's young, powerful, she could give you children that are able to use magic!"

  "I don't know about that, Father! I like simple things and simple people, and Leondina looks quite complicated to me..."

  And now here he was, a hundred years later, following a warrior woman who looked even more complicated than the witch had been. Although his savior wasn't sneaky like Leondina. Actually, she looked quite cheerful and carefree – for a warrior woman.

  "Excuse me..." He realized she hadn't told him her name. "What did you say your name was?"

  "I didn't say because you didn't ask," she answered, turning her head to wink at him. "I'm called Billinda, or Billi among soldiers."

  "Oh, of course, it must sound like a male name," he said. "Where are we going, Billinda?"

  "I have no idea," she replied cheerfully. "I'm thoroughly lost in this forest, but I have a good sense of direction and I know I'm going straight. Sooner or later it will end somewhere..."

  "Wait!" Splendor stopped and put his fists on his hips, glaring at her. "So you found me by chance because you got lost in the woods?"

  "Yes, and unless you know the way out, lost we shall be until the trees end!" She stopped too and crossed her arms over her chest, smiling impishly at him.

  Splendor snorted and looked around. The forest was only on one side of the castle in his father's time.

  "Did we go out of the main gate and kept moving more or less straight?" he asked, since he hadn't paid attention so far.

  "More or less, yes. Still one century of tree-growth to go through, I guess..."

  "We should turn east and probably reach the end of it faster," he said. "Where's east?"

  "The sun is going down that way." She pointed. "Then we should go the opposite way." She shifted to the left and resumed walking.

  Splendor noticed that the trees got smaller and smaller as they walked, so they were probably headed in the right direction.

  "There was no forest this way in my father's time," he muttered.

  "There is one now," she replied without stopping. "But we'll get out of it."

  Splendor sighed and concentrated again on putting one foot in front of the other.

  The legend of Prince Splendor

  Billinda found a way out of the forest before sunset. She looked around and saw a hamlet not too far away. She pointed it to her companion who was too breathless from walking to comment and simply nodded.

  The Singing Goblin Tavern was very small but decently clean. Drink variety was far above average for a village tavern, but of poor quality and slightly overpriced. The food was also very varied and quite good, but really overpriced. The father and daughter running the joint charged wanderers more than they probably did the locals, but Billinda wasn't in the mood for haggling or threatening.

  She asked a dinner for two and a room for the night. She usually asked for small rooms, but she didn't mind sharing now, considering her gorgeous companion who was strangely subdued. He hadn't spoken much during the walk back through the forest and now ignored the quiet but cheerful crowd in the main room.

  Billinda sat at a corner table with him, as far from the drunk patrons as possible. Too many shady characters, and even though Billinda could take care of herself, she'd rather keep her find out of trouble, just in case he was actually someone known.

  The innkeeper's daughter brought them the food and the innkeeper himself, a bulky, bearded fellow, came over to their table. It must be a slow night and he might be curious about the warrior woman.

  "Where are you from?" he asked them.

  "Salamar," she answered.

  The prince ate, staring at the table, as if too shy to speak – or too haughty to answer someone below him. Or maybe just embarrassed by the maid's admiring stare.

  "Quite far," the innkeeper commented. "What are you looking for in this side of the world?"

  "Treasures, abandoned castles, things like that," she answered between bites. "In the forest there's one that looks as if it were a wonderful building, but it's now crumbling down... What do you know about it?"

  "You found the ruins of Bold Castle?" the maid asked, curious, eyeing the prince. "There can't be much left."

  He ignored her, but she didn't seem to be able to take her eyes off him.

  "How come it was abandoned?" Billinda asked.

  "It's a curse," the innkeeper answered. "Before the confederation of city-states, these lands were divided into fiefs and small kingdoms. Bold Castle was one of the most beautiful and wealthy, and its lord was a king."

  "They say the last king of Bold Castle had a son, a gorgeous blond prince," the maid added, still staring at the young man.

  "Prince Splendor had dozens of women who wished to marry him and among them there was a witch," her father continued. "At the time, witches had real powers and were often hired by lords and kings."

  "The witch wasn't immune to the prince's charm, but he rejected her." The maid sat on the bench next to the blond young man who pretended not to listen. But Billinda could tell he was listening, as curious as she was to hear what legend had sprung from his long spellbound sleep.

  "Thus she cursed him," the innkeeper said. "The prince would sleep until a woman who couldn't care less passed by. An eternal sleep, considering how handsome he is. I was wondering... did you go inside the ruins?"

  "Of course, it's my job." Billinda shrugged and sipped some ale. So the prince's name was Splendor. Charming, brooding, gorgeous Splendor.

  "And was the prince there?" the maid asked, hopeful.

  "Why didn't you check yourselves? It's not that far," Billinda replied, amused.

  "They say the castle brings bad luck," the innkeeper explained. "When Prince Splendor fell asleep, things went downhill and people decided to abandon the place."

  "Why?" Splendor finally opened his mouth, but didn't look at the innkeeper.

  "The queen died of grief for her son's state. A few years later the king was killed in a peasants' revolt. Prince Desire, the second born who had married a princess, had died six
months after the wedding of a bad fever, childless... So no heirs to claim the castle and Splendor was as good as dead. Everybody left to find a better place to live – without magic. The forest invaded the gardens and moat and the castle was lost behind a wall of vegetation..."

  "Thieves went there, since there's nothing left worth anything," Billinda said.

  "People took everything away before leaving, probably," the innkeeper replied.

  "But someone reached the prince's bedroom and stole his jewels with no respect for his rank," Splendor said with a frown.

  "You don't need jewels to look gorgeous," Billinda told him.

  "I would like my family medallion back."

  "To claim what? Nobody took your lands, they abandoned them."

  "You're right..." Splendor sighed as the innkeeper gaped.

  "So it's true, you're the legendary prince," the maid said, goggle-eyed.

  "I can't prove it, but yes," he answered sharply.

  "I knew it!" She beamed. "I have never seen such a handsome young man! May I keep you warm tonight?"

  "No, thank you, I'm very tired, I've never walked this much," the prince answered as she tried to hug him.

  "You're definitely a prince," Billinda teased. "No horse would live a century anyway."

  "Maybe I can find you horses." The innkeeper had recovered from his surprise.

  "We don't have money," Billinda said.

  "But the prince is a living legend!" the maid said.

  "They won't give him anything for free, he's nobody now," her father replied. "We're a confederation, the old kings are not recognized anymore. Except the Blackmoren kings in Xendaria."

  Seeing the maid whispering something in Splendor's ear and the pained look on the blond young man's face, Billinda said it was time to retire to their room. The prince eagerly followed her upstairs.

  "What a sticky maid!" he complained as she closed the door.

  "Everybody wants you!" Billinda smiled. "Only I can resist your charm."

  "Thank you," he said, looking her in the eyes. "Without you, I'd still be asleep."

  "And wouldn't it be better?" she asked. "The world has changed, nobody recognizes your title, what will you do?"

  "I don't know," he answered. "I'm exhausted. Let's think about it tomorrow."