The Four Swords

Chapter 134: What Does It Mean?

I did not have time to wonder if Lady Calista overheard my not so subtle interrogation of her character, which suited me just fine. After she arrived, Sir John and Queen Valerie were not far behind. Princess Alina rounded out the group with Lord Garrison at her side.

"Good morning, all!" Queen Valerie said as she took up the seat at the head of the table. She motioned us all to take our seats after having risen in her honor.

"I do not think this is a time to ease into topics. Lord Bleddyn is not among us for good cause," Queen Valerie began the meeting.

"Is it because his son is crazy?" Princess Alina slipped before catching herself on the last syllable. Queen Valerie's eyes burned into her daughter. "Forgive me, Mother. That was uncalled for and disrespectful. Excuse my outburst, esteemed Swordsmen."

Alina might have been disrespectful but that did not make her wrong.

"As I was saying, Lord Bleddyn is not among us because he stayed the night in the castle infirmary with the doctor." Queen Valerie let her eyes rest on her daughter.

Clearly Princess Alina did not know about Bleddyn's injuries. Her face turned pale and I saw her jaw clench.

Lord Jacobson in contrast let his jaw fall slack. He had the presence of mind to look around the table to judge who might have already known the information. Our eyes met, but his scan continued until he fell on Cali.

Lady Calista shifted in her chair as she felt her friend's eyes upon her, but her gaze did not leave the Queen. Maybe Jack was regretting calling her the trustworthy twin.

"What ails our comrade?" Lord Garrison pushed the meeting forward. He seemed to care more about his brother-in-arms than reprimanding Alina

"Lord Bleddyn sustained injuries during a duel challenging him for the Sword Canidae," Queen Valerie barely got out the statement before Jack's curiosity took over.

"Who would challenge Lord Bleddyn? I thought Sir Carrion was going..." Jack's thoughts tapered out as he realized he was answering his own question.

"Lord Holden and Lady Calista were both present for the challenge and will give their accounts of the event. Please examine these accounts with me to determine the legitimacy of the claim to the rank of Swordsman." Queen Valerie went straight to business.

"I can tell my account first, if it pleases Your Majesty." I offered. I promised Cali that I would not directly mention the prophecy, but that did not mean that I would not lay out every detail of the duel for the present company.

I saw Cali's mouth pinch tight and her eyes grow large. Clearly she wanted to take control of the situation, but was not about to openly challenge me to do so.

"It pleases me. Continue."

I proceeded to walk the entire council through everything that happened after I walked Sir Carrion home from his unsolicited proposal. Since Queen Valerie did not mention the offensive breach in protocol that happened in court, I did not mention the topic.

Lady Calista, for her part, chimed in a few times to add in little things she noticed about the encounter. She did not shy away from the truth, which strengthened the shaky peace I had about trusting her.

I finished telling my viewpoint of all that happened. I took a moment to look around the room and survey the reactions.

Sir John looked angry. The furrowed brow and hard line of his mouth barely hid his frustration. His tightly balled fists that laid on the table might permanently display fingernail marks.

Queen Valerie leaned back in her chair to rest upon its back. Deflated and frustrated but still regal and in control.

Princess Alina stared at the tabletop, unable or unwilling to look at anyone present.

Lord Garrison sat upright with his ever unchanging stoicism. I knew he cared for Lord Bleddyn as a friend because when I described the painful fall backwards onto the scattered weaponry, I saw his almost imperceivable flinch.

The one reaction I could not fully understand came from Lord Jacobson. He looked as though he was slowly putting together a puzzle without all the pieces.

"Having heard the account of what happened yesterday, I believe Sir Carrion does in fact have a claim to the Sword Canidae. Does anyone believe otherwise?" Queen Valerie opened the floor to anyone.

No one stirred. Alina looked around at the present company before daring to raise her hand slightly above the table. Although this was not grade school, I understood why she might want to be formally called on after her last outburst.

"Yes, my dear? What is it?" Queen Valerie's sweet tone seemed to have long forgotten her daughter's misconduct.

"If Sir Carrion is to become a Swordsman, does that not make his proposal yesterday null and void? I know it was already out of order because of protocol, but now he would be ineligible for my hand." Princess Alina sought confirmation that she was free from the looming marriage.

"Indeed it would." Queen Valerie stated. No one seemed to know what pushed Sir Carrion in so many directions yesterday.

Lord Jack, as he wanted to be called, raised his own hand in the same manner that Alina had.

"I am not your teacher, Lord Jacobson. Please speak your mind." Queen Valerie obviously no longer wanted to call on her 'pupils'.

"My apologies," Jack spouted off before sharing his mind. "Lord Holden, did Sir Carrion change clothes before challenging his father?"

"No," I replied. Jack was a thinker.

"And he picked up the blade that was shaped like an animal horn?" Jack asked more to himself than to me. "Could Sir Carrion have been the attacker in the vision we saw with the gnomes?"

Calista let her face fall into a blank mask, but her eyes pleaded with me to do something. I do not know what she expected. Her secret was out. I was powerless to stop it. I still held my tongue.

"I think you might be correct," Cali admitted. "If that is the case, what does that mean for my family?"