Tales of the Northern Kingdoms volume 2 Read online

  ***

  Splendor woke up and took a moment to remember where he was. The noises were unfamiliar, the smell was unfamiliar, the bed was too hard... and then he opened his eyes, startled. Of course. The village tavern. That was why there were no servants milling around, no canopy around the bed, no flowers by the windows.

  He sighed and closed his eyes again. Maybe he was still asleep. It was just another bad dream. Maybe he was still locked in Leondina's spell. He'd dreamed to wake up so often, he wasn't even sure of what was real and what wasn't anymore.

  The maid whispering in his ear, "I'll find you a horse if you sleep with me." The innkeeper telling the legend of Prince Splendor – his legend. He was legend. So he was awake. Everything was real. The village tavern. The brown-haired warrior woman who had awakened him. The walk in the forest.

  Did she mention her name? Yes. That was a clear sign it wasn't a dream. In his dreams, people never introduced themselves. She'd said something, though... She had a strange name... What was it again? Belinda? No, Billinda! A woman who carried a sword, kept her hair short and behaved like a man. Not his usual dream companion, no.

  He sat on the bed and saw she was gone.

  "Billinda?" he called, ready to panic. She was the only person in the world he knew at the moment, and he certainly didn't want to be stuck with the innkeeper's daughter.

  He got out of bed, still sort of confused by the strange new present and found Billinda having breakfast in the main room.

  "Good morning, imperial majesty," she greeted him cheerfully. "You used to sleep late, I see!"

  "I admit it's a little strange to wake up alone," he said sitting next to her. He was used to having servants around at every hour, or friends or ladies... he was never really alone.

  "You wouldn't have woken up alone if you'd accepted my offer," the maid whispered in his ear, putting a mug and a loaf of bread in front of him.

  "That's not what I meant," he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

  Billinda chuckled. She waited until he finished his breakfast, then took her travel bag.

  "Let's go," she said, rising from the bench and heading for the tavern's door.

  As they left the hamlet and the forest behind and headed for the hills and plains, Billinda asked, "Did you make up your mind?"

  "I will follow you," he answered. Not just because he had no choice. Billinda seemed smart and world-savvy, she could really help him to find his place in the world – one century after his father's reign.

  "I'm going back to civilized lands," she said patting his shoulder. "Maybe in cities you can find some noble willing to adopt you."

  "Fine."

  Billinda the adventurer, he thought. You saved me from eternal sleep. Why are you doing this?

  He wasn't going to ask yet. He needed more certainties before he could manage on his own and he didn't want to piss off his savior. He didn't have the means to hire her or anyone else, so he better stay humble until he managed to recover some of his wealth...

  Billinda's story

  Splendor wore a summer tunic, and the weather seemed to be cooler than expected. Billinda said it was spring, and he could tell from the cherry blossoms that indeed winter was over, but he still shivered when the wind blew free in open land. The forest had been warmer.

  Billinda lent him her travel cloak, which made him feel better. His family medallion was lost, although he still had the less precious chain-of-office, but his sword had been by his side on the bed, so nobody had touched it. It still looked brand new, as if frozen like him in Leondina's spell.

  At least he had a weapon. He wasn't looking forward to being a mercenary, but if it put bread on the table, why not. He might show he could handle a sword and become a captain or more. If there was work for mercenaries, that is. Billinda didn't look very busy.

  "Not to pry, but... what did the witch look like?" Billinda asked, breaking the silence as they walked through hills and meadows.

  "She was beautiful," he answered, remembering the face of the woman who had cursed him. "But I didn't like her." Black hair and eyes, a pale face like a full moon with a mole on the right cheek, and red lips and nails that looked like drops of blood on her slender white fingers... The circlet of her status was silver and she usually wore dark blue gowns embroidered with silver stars.

  "Why not?" Billinda asked, amused.

  "She looked sneaky to me." He shrugged. "And I was afraid she'd use her potions and magic spells on me. I was always wary of women with powers like hers."

  Witches, sorceresses, women he couldn't control or understand. He didn't think his father needed to keep any, but it was customary, so Leondina had stayed at the castle for years, a revered guest nobody dared to cross.

  She wasn't much older than him, or at least didn't look older, but with that kind of woman, you never knew. Another reason to stay away from her.

  "Had you already chosen your bride?" Billinda asked.

  "I was supposed to choose between two beautiful noble maidens. Leondina knew I was close to the final choice, that's why she stopped me." He sighed. "I wonder what happened to those two young women."

  "They probably married somebody else and have given birth to many children who don't look like you at all," Billinda said cheerfully. "By the way, did you sire any bastards before the long sleep?"

  "Not that I'm aware of," he answered. "Or even a bastard could have claimed my father's castle."

  "Good, he'd be dead anyway by now."

  "But there would still be someone with my blood around... Not even my brother made it, maybe Leondina really cursed the whole family." Which only proved his point. Witches were dangerous and should be kept out of castles.

  "Why bother about the past? You can always breed now if you find a nice woman!"

  "I'm afraid it won't be easy... the world has changed a lot."

  "Not so much." She winked. "Traditions die hard!"

  When night came, they camped under the stars. No inns or villages were in sight, so Billinda lit a camp fire and pulled out her travel provisions. Splendor prepared for an uncomfortable night sleeping on the ground, but it wasn't really his first. When he went hunting, he sometimes got lost and spent a night or two in the wild.

  He was considering building himself a bow, but Billinda didn't carry one, so maybe the laws for poachers were pretty strict now. He didn't want to lose a hand to unlawful hunting.

  "What about you?" he asked as she rekindled the fire after their meager dinner.

  "Me what?"

  "What are you doing, wandering in men's clothes? Is it a new tradition?"

  "No, I'm a rebel, in case you couldn't tell," she answered, amused.

  "I'd love to hear your story," he said, watching the shadows dancing on her face with the rhythm of the flames.

  "Since it might help to send you to sleep... I was born in a village of the kingdom of Salamar, on the shores of the Horses' Lake. As you may know, the border with wild barbarian tribes is right there, so we often suffered the raids of the Rota Anak warriors. I come from a family of fishermen, but I learned to defend myself very early."

  Splendor nodded, thoughtful. Yes, he had heard of the crazy tribes up north that spent most of their time warring or raiding each other's lands. The King of Salamar must be very busy and keep his army on that border, just in case. Or maybe not.

  "In the village we all knew how to fight and could use at least one weapon," Billinda said. "Everybody was able to help defend our few belongings. And then one day I had enough of fighting those barbarians to defend some stinky fish and a mud hut, so I left."

  She grinned at him, and he smiled back. It made sense. If one must fight, one might as well fight for something worth fighting for.

  "I cut my hair and dressed like a man, enrolling in the Salamar army, passing myself off as a boy," she continued. "That's how I learned to fight for real, and I was even paid to do it! I couldn't be a beardless boy forever and didn't want to give away my real nature, so I saved half my pay a
nd eventually left."

  "How long did you stay in the army?" he asked, impressed. She was a woman and she'd managed to stay alive in real battles.

  "A couple of years." She shrugged, adding more wood to the fire.

  "And they never noticed you were a woman?"

  "A couple of people yes." She winked. "I hadn't made a chastity vow! Besides, there was also someone who fell in love with me thinking I was a boy. Happens among soldiers."

  Splendor blushed. "So I've heard," he muttered, looking away.

  "I guess it's different in a castle," she said.

  "Indeed. What will you do now? Are you looking for another army?"

  "I had considered it – either an army or a town militia – but I'm sick of obeying orders. So I decided to be an adventurer instead."

  "And what does that imply?"

  "Boy, you're curious!" She snorted impatiently as he lay down on the cloak to sleep.

  "Sorry, but if I must become your associate, I'd like to know what I'm supposed to do," he said, glancing at her.

  "Fine, you're right." She lay down too, her head close to his, but her body in the other direction. "I'm a mercenary, thief, assassin, bounty and treasure hunter. Can you do it?"

  "Won't be easy. Stealing was not really part of my education..."

  "Some commoners like to say that the lords and kings are the worse thieves of all." She chuckled.

  He glared at her. "Taxes aren't theft!"

  "Whatever you say, honey!" she teased. "Anyhow, you should be good with poison, I've heard courts were full of it."

  "That's why we had alchemists and wizards or witches," he replied, amused.

  "Fine, you're useless." She snorted. "Maybe you could stop in the first town and find some kind of work you can do there."

  "We'll see. You make me curious. You're very different from all the women I've met so far."

  "Good, then get used to sleeping under the stars! Good night, Bro!"

  Splendor rolled on his side, giving his back to the fire and the strange woman.

  What kind of strange life awaits me? he wondered. I had everything – pages, maids, horses, wealth... Will I really have to steal to survive? The curse was really cruel, making me sleep until everything I knew was gone... I awoke in a world that doesn't belong to me. But I can survive!

  The Fajrulo

  Billinda and Splendor stopped at Flamai, a very small farming town with no walls. The city was built around several springs and its main attractions were a gladiator ring and two museums, one with artifacts of the Moren Empire, the other a collection of paintings by an artist that had been long dead.

  It was famous for its apothecaries, cavalry and spies. There were few guards, a high crime rate and the locals were quite hostile, but the warrior woman didn't seem to mind. The nearest tavern was a few blocks from the entrance and not too far from the main marketplace.

  "Let's see if you're a city-man," she told Splendor as they settled at the Mournful Lover Inn, a small, somewhat grubby but decently clean, shady tavern. "We could see if you can find an occupation here."

  Splendor looked around the main room, at the dangerous-looking crowd, loud and cheerful, but with most patrons drunk and about half openly armed. The tavern was well-lit and there were dancing girls in a corner, which had probably spawned a minor brawl.

  The female innkeeper ignored her until Billinda grabbed her apron and forced her to listen to their order.

  "Rooms are almost all occupied," the plump woman said grumpily. "You will have to share."

  "No problem," Billinda said, ordering some food. The prices were fair both for food and drink, but the room was slightly overpriced. Since she didn't mind sharing with Splendor but would rather avoid complete strangers, she didn't blink.

  The ale was decent, but the food quality was really poor. And the room was as small as the one in the hamlet where they'd spent that first night out of Bold Castle. When Splendor had fallen asleep almost immediately, tired from the long walk.

  He'd probably do the same now.

  "Look at that passed-out man who seems to be getting free drinks," he whispered, pointing discreetly.

  "That's a pickpocket," Billinda said. "Thank the gods he's drunk. And that you don't have a purse."

  Splendor blushed.

  "How can you tell?"

  "Missing a hand."

  "Oh." Splendor looked away.

  Billinda smiled. "Let's get some rest, tomorrow we shall explore this small town and get to know its inhabitants..."

  ***

  Barely a week in Flamai and Splendor was completely baffled by the townspeople. What they did to make end meet often left him wondering how they survived and kept the somewhat weak but growing economy going.

  Billinda had taken him to see a gladiators fight and asked him if he wished to try that. It looked too much like a battle to him, not the mock duels he was used to. People got hurt in that ring, and he didn't want anyone betting on his survival – or leaving the arena unscathed.

  And then there were the people. The scarred and maimed gladiator who came to drink every night at their inn. He seemed to have many allies and friends supported him as the Champion of the Ring.

  The wealthy socialite who would not abide by change and seemed to have many allies. Rumors said she should not be trusted around artists and she could usually be found at work. Splendor wasn't an artist, so he couldn't count on her support.

  The supposedly philanthropic wizard who had been accumulating debts. He had few open allies and rumors said he had strong feelings for scholars. Splendor doubted he had real magic like Leondina, though.

  The lecherous merchant who had been talking of changes. She was wealthy and had many allies, but rumors said that she had problems with the guard captain. The extravagant master artisan who was associated with allegations of bribery and held a grudge against minor nobility.

  The very wealthy courtesan who frequently had ill-concealed affairs had many allies. Rumors said she aspired to be like guild leaders. She could usually be found wandering around and she never forgot to blow a kiss to Splendor.

  "You can have me for free," she seemed to say. But he didn't want to become the bed toy of a courtesan.

  And then there was the foreign scion who moonlit as something entirely different, and neither Billinda nor Splendor could figure out what. He'd been in town for almost a year, and was rapidly losing allies among the government of several nominally elected officials.

  Rumors said he wanted to help other young scions, but how was anyone's guess. The corruption in town was above average, but Splendor doubted the foreigner had enough to support both of them.

  Besides, he was a man, and Splendor wasn't interested in men's company. He might be curious to know the other scion's story, but he preferred staying on his own, sticking to Billinda as she wandered around.

  The streets were slightly overgrown with weeds, and the buildings had carvings on the doors. The springs were always quite icy and the water tasted different in each, as if it passed through different terrain.

  Flamai was a farming town, the main crop being wheat. There wasn't much he or Billinda could do except admire the local cavalry and help the few guards to keep order. But like Billinda had said at the very beginning, the locals were quite hostile, so Splendor asked her when they would leave.

  "You don't like this town?" she asked, amused. "Can't blame you. It's not one of the best I have seen... And that damn room is costing a fortune!"

  "Then we should leave tomorrow morning," he said since sunset was close, feeling relieved.

  He didn't mind sharing rooms with Billinda, who didn't behave like a woman at all, but he didn't like the cramped room at the tavern. And he'd had enough of the lascivious stares of the dancing girls downstairs.

  "Sounds like a plan," Billinda said. "I'm having a look at those mountains and then we head back north."

  She pointed at a mountain range that loomed to the south-east of the town. It looked far eno
ugh from the cramped town to look nice. Splendor nodded his approval.

  ***

  Billinda thought Splendor was sort of funny. The poor prince wasn't used to the hardships of her life, but he was smart and a quick learner. He could make it, eventually. As a last chance, he could always use his great beauty. The world was full of rich widows who would love to have someone like him by their side.

  Even though city life wasn't really for him, which pleased her. She didn't like cities much either, and she'd rather wander in search of adventures. She'd become restless and couldn't stay in the same place for more than a month at a time, but there were places she liked to go back to.

  After a month since Splendor's awakening, their footsteps brought them in sight of mountains and she told him she wanted to explore the lower slopes.

  "Just in case there are caves with forgotten treasures," she explained. "Like outlaws' loot or other stuff."

  "You want to get lost in the tunnels?" he asked, worried.

  "Of course not. I'll tie a rope at the entrance to find my way back."

  "Is it safe?"

  "Do you trust me or not? I've visited dozens of caves! Most are very small and hold nothing. Others are so deep I gave up trying to explore them. We will certainly meet a village or two on the way there where we can get supplies."

  "What kind of supplies?"

  "Torches and that rope... and fresh food, possibly..."

  A couple of days later they were climbing a steep path up the mountains. Splendor struggled to keep up with her so she often stopped to look back down at the hills and plains that shone in the spring sun.

  Eventually they found a big opening in the side of the mountain that looked quite used, even though it was far from any Human settlement. Billinda attached the rope and Splendor held the torch. The tunnel was really wide and it opened into a huge cave.

  Billinda gaped at the sight of the pile of riches she could glimpse in a corner, and pointed it out at Splendor, who moved the torch to lit that portion of the cave. Both were awed to discover the treasure: coins of all sizes and materials, jewels, gems, precious swords, crowns – anything of value for any Human was thrown into a shining heap apparently with no security around it. True that the cave was away from the main roads and paths, but still...