Prologue

Year 369

Castle in the City of Hilltown

Country of Midhe Nuae, Planet of Terra Saint Edmunds

“Slaughtering caged animals for sport is spineless and barbaric,” Prince Jon Raedwald insisted as he rose onto his toes until he was level with Archery Master Quinn.

One of the suns was shaded by clouds, so he had tossed his three-sided brim protector onto the pile of gear like the other students. This freed him to position his nose directly in front of the Archery Master’s face as he pointed at the smallest gurygum corral utilized for domestic livestock, and declared the redundancy of the lesson. “The kitchen stores have plenty of meat.”

Four hand-raised stags, called Rebacks because their mothers had been bred back to original water buffalo imported from Earth so they would be docile, had ambled and munched on paddock grass without concern. Using the number branded into the flanks, Quinn had designated one animal for each student to track inside the enclosure and kill. The sole remaining animal snorted and pawed frantically.

Fellow student Alec Mulrian shifted from foot to foot nervously as he observed the confrontation, dreading that one of the two would take things too far. Instead of meeting Jon’s anger, however, the Archery Master waited until Jon’s legs grew tired and forced the boy to sink down before he directed condescendingly, “You will kill the animal.”

Although the other students had all complied with Master Archer’s demands, in truth, only Prince Jon or Prince Gunnar had the standing to object to the master’s assignments. Alec doubted that the younger prince would side with Jon because Gunnar had stepped up eagerly to shoot first.

Holy King Harrison insisted that the children of soldiers defending the country were to be educated as equals to his own, so Prince Jon, Prince Gunnar, a sergeant’s daughter named Isla MacDonald, and Alec, a soldier’s son, studied under the same sword master, archery master, fight master, and battle master. At thirteen, Jon was barely of age to study at this level with the Masters, although his actual skill was superior to anyone else there. Gunnar was two years younger than Jon without his brother’s natural abilities. He was also so much smaller in stature than the others, that they took turns stepping on the stirrup to reload his crossbow for him.

For most students, this time together would have formed bonds of camaraderie that would last a lifetime. While Jon and Alec learned to work seamlessly together, unfortunately, the odd grouping seemed to only foster resentment in Gunnar and MacDonald.

Archery lessons and practice took place outside the bailey on the far side of the moat stocked with carnivorous gorefish. In all but the most severe weather citizens gathered near the field to watch the lessons and ogle the princes. Gunnar reacted to the adulation by snarling at the spectators and keeping his distance. Whereas, Jon spent as much time as he could talking with them, learning their names, and asking after their families. Alec admired how easily Jon interacted with everyone, no matter what their stations in life.

For reasons Alec never understood, Master Quinn nursed an antipathy toward Jon and the crowd seemed to bring that dislike to the surface. Whether Quinn was annoyed at the crowd’s interruptions and distractions or jealous of the attention given to his student rather than the master, Alec didn’t know. Although he had to keep his face expressionless, Alec winced inside at how Quinn condemned Jon for the simple mistakes normal to someone learning and wondered if there was some sadistic part of the Archery Master that relished doing so in full view of the people gathered. Even Jon’s unusually accurate aim proved to be unsatisfactory. At every opportunity, Quinn would loudly claim that Jon was worthless.

“You are a coward. You’re too figgict soft,” Archery Master Quinn continued, upbraiding the prince. “Get in there and accomplish the task, or you will be plucking turkeys and turning their feathers into fletching for the next four dimmings, Child.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

At Quinn’s blatant unwillingness to address his brother with the appropriate appellation, Gunnar cleared his throat loudly. Quinn met the younger boy’s deep brown eyes and stared for several seconds before he amended, “Maybe your friends would like to join you fletching for the next — eight — dimmings? That’s 64 full days.” Then he added with the emphasis of an insult, “Your. Most. Royal. Highness.”

“Jon always thinks he’s too good to do what the rest of us have to do,” Isla groaned. She leaned over toward Alec and hissed triumphantly, “That punishment sure doesn’t bode well for you, does it?”

“He’s a prince regardless of whether or not you like him, Isla. Show him proper respect or I’ll see an end to your sarcasm,” Gunnar spoke up. “Come on, Jon. We all had to. And everybody before us. You can uphold your scruples after we graduate. For now, just do it and get it over with.”

Jon’s eyes raked over the Archery Master, returning Quinn’s open disgust with consummate royal disdain. Without looking toward his brother, Jon gestured in the air. Gunnar dashed over to the pen and yanked the gate open. When the Reback, frightened by the death of the other animals, shied away, Gunnar rushed into the pen itself shouting, “Haw! Haw! Move it, You Old Cow. Move.”

Isla and Alec glanced at each other, and then darted into the pen yelling, “Haw! Haw!”

The stag stormed through the open gate and desperately charged toward the woods. Jon took a graceful, running leap onto the gurygum fence, shouldered his crossbow, and tracked his target. Just before the animal moved beyond range, Jon placed a bolt through the Reback’s heart.

A cheer went up from behind Archery Master Quinn. Jon jumped from the fence and turned to see not only the crowd of admirers but also his oldest brother Prince Reginald holding hands with his new girlfriend Colleen, his next oldest brother Prince Ethan, and their respective Kings Guards all laughing, clapping, and hailing Jon’s prowess.

Several meters away the Commander of the Armored Grays, King Harrison’s exclusive, personal militia sat on his stallion observing impassively.

“That is the mark of a true prince,” Prince Ethan said as he approached the Archery Master. “Slaying an animal locked in a cage is distinctly lacking in valor.”

The instructor bowed and greeted him, “Your Royal Highness.”

“Child,” the prince responded with a smirk.

Prince Reginald dropped Colleen’s hand, stepped between the Archery Master and his pupils, and reproached, “When you’re called to defend Midhe Nuae, Jon, you won’t face peaceful Rebacks calmly waiting for you. The beasts you’ll fight will be trying to kill you first.”

He raised one eyebrow at his younger brother to ask if he understood. When Jon bowed his head affirmatively, Reggie continued, “Jon, you and Gunnar are needed in the castle. All of us are. Please excuse them, Master Quinn.”

“Of course, Your Royal Highness” the Archery Master responded. “I’ll have the other students transport the kills to the cook.”

“To the community kitchen for all of Hilltown,” Prince Reginald corrected. “We have plenty of meat. They can make better use of it. Please be sure that servants take it to them. Even the students who lack royalty deserve a certain amount of deference.”

“Yes, sir,” Quinn conceded with a bow.

“In the future, Master Quinn, you will cease trying to humiliate Prince Jon in front of the others, and you will address him appropriately. Failure to do so will result in your dismissal,” Prince Reginald said sternly, his eyes centered on Quinn’s.

The master bowed a second time and took one step backward.

As appropriate to their standing as his pupils, Jon and Gunnar each bowed to Quinn and then turned to sort through the pile of gear at the edge of the archery field. Jon loaded his crossbow and accessories into Alec’s arms so that Alec could return the weapons to Jon’s personal apartments. The two younger brothers fell into step with the two older ones. Reggie and Colleen walked so closely together that their sides touched and they conversed in private whispers. Ethan draped his arms over his younger brothers’ shoulders and strode between them companionably.

A few minutes into their walk, Ethan paused and said, “Gunnar, I’m proud of how you stood up for Jon. That was truly an honorable thing to do.” Gunnar grinned and the walk continued until Ethan stopped again and teased, “Jon, you shouldn’t let all the cheer and applause for that incredible shot get to you. After all, I’m the one who first showed you how to use a crossbow, so any accolades would really be mine.”

Jon elbowed Ethan sharply but good-naturedly. Reggie sent a hearty laugh over his shoulder and soon the others roared, too, before settling once again into their stroll to the monstrous stone walls, gurygum beams, crenelated parapets, and drum towers of the castle they called home.

Alec also headed to the castle, but out of deference to his companions’ rank, he trailed behind them several meters.

©2022 Vera S. Scott