"And Your Highness is not wearing a dress. You are the only girl in
the kingdom that does not wear a dress. I know your mother has asked you
many times to wear one."
Marie sprayed apple flakes all over the table as she spoke. "If you
like 'em so much, you wear one." She chewed a moment, and then
continued. "So what did you drag me down to this dungeon for?"
Lord High Chamber spoke with reservation, trying to hold back his
disgust. "This is not a dungeon. This is the library."
Marie took another bite of apple. "You pronounce dungeon the way
you want. I'll pronounce it the way I want."
"Your Highness, your mother, the queen, has asked me to be the one
to remind you that one year from today is your Royal Princess Ball."
Marie rolled her eyes. "How can I forget? She reminds me every
day."
"She has something very special for you."
Marie excitedly stood. "A birthday present!"
"Well, yes, of sorts."
Marie began to get suspicious. "It better not be a dress."
"No. It's not a dress."
"Good. What is it?"
"It's a... Well, it's a..."
Jacob smiled from his position behind Marie. It was fun watching
Lord High Chamberlain become flustered, struggling for words. He was
usually so calm and composed, but the young princess seemed to have that
effect on almost everyone.
Marie was getting frustrated. "What?"
Lord High Chamber gulped nervously. "A tutor."
"A tutor!" Marie let the last of the apple fly in the direction of the
Lord High Chamberlain. He moved his head just in time, and the apple
continued its flight across the room, splattering into some books on the
shelf. Marie deliberately stepped to the book shelf and pulled off some
books. "She got me a tutor!" She threw a book at Lord High Chamberlain,
who ducked out of the way, letting it hit the floor and slide to the fireplace.
"You mean a babysitter!" the princess yelled, as she let another book
fly.
Lord High Chamberlain nimbly avoided the book and bowed
slightly, barely hanging on to his composure. "No, Your Highness. A
tutor."
Marie stepped menacingly toward him, ready to throw another book.
"I am seventeen! I do not need a tutor!"
"Nonetheless, Your Highness, your mother has procured a tutor to
help you prepare for your Princess Ball next year."
Marie threw another book, which Lord High Chamberlain artfully
dodged. Her voice was almost to a screaming pitch. "She has gotten me
another person to try to make me wear dresses and act prissy and stupid! I
will soon get rid of her! Who is she?"
Jacob had walked up silently, cautiously, behind the princess. As
she brought the last book in her hand back to throw it, he quickly grabbed it
and jerked it from her. As she threw her empty hand forward, realizing
what happened, she spun around and fixed a glare on him. He smiled and
bowed graciously.
"
She is me, Your Highness."
Marie scowled. "You! A soldier is to be my tutor? What kind of a
joke is that?"
Jacob sighed. "A horrible one, I can assure you."
"What can you teach me?"
Jacob gently set the book on the table. "Respect for books, first off."
While Marie had her attention elsewhere, Lord High Chamberlain
seemed to see this as an opportunity to end this unpleasant task.
He smiled what Jacob thought was both a sly and grateful smile. "I
think I will leave you two alone to get better acquainted."
Marie watched him leave and then turned her attention back to
Jacob. "You men are all such arrogant slobs. A book is just a book."
Jacob picked the book back up off the table. "A book is a means to
greatness, learning and literacy."
"I am as literate as anyone."
"Sophocles said, 'Wisdom outweighs any wealth.'"
Marie wrinkled her brow. "Who?"
"Sophocles."
"Who was he?"
"He was an ancient Greek playwright," Jacob answered.
Marie rolled her eyes. "What do I care what some stupid ancient
Greek said?"
Jacob could feel his patience dwindling at her arrogance and the
thought of his assignment. He was barely able to stay calm as he answered.
"He is saying there is no greater possession than wisdom. Being literate is
more than knowing how to read and write. It is the ability to think and
reason wisely."
Marie jumped to the book case and pulled off some more books.
"Are you inferring something?"
"A person's wisdom is shown in his or her actions," Jacob replied.
"How dare you!" Marie screamed, and threw a book at him.
Jacob easily dodged it, still determined to keep control of himself.
"Well, at least teaching you how to defend yourself won't be too hard, as
long as you have plenty of books."
Suddenly, Marie seemed excited and put the other books on the
table. "Defend myself?" she asked.
Jacob nodded. "Yes, your mother said one of my assignments is to
teach you to defend yourself."
Marie pointed at the sword at Jacob's side. "With a sword?"
"I suppose."
"All right! That you can teach me," she said excitedly.
"I am also supposed to teach you about philosophy, music of the
masters, dancing, and how to be a lady."
Marie smirked. "You, a man, are supposed to teach me how to be a
lady? Ha!"
Jacob felt his anger swelling. "At this point, I think I know more of
what makes a lady than you seem to!"
Marie's eyes grew wide with anger. "How dare you speak to me that
way! I will have you sent to the frontier for such insubordination."
"If only that were possible," Jacob said. "I'd rather that than this.
But your mother, the queen, has given her command and said you cannot
undo it."
Marie looked him directly in the face, as if checking his words. He
didn't mince, so she decided to continue with what she wanted. "If that is
so, then you can teach me to fight. I will get a sword."
As she turned to the wall with that contained the family coat-of-arms, he grabbed her arm. "You don't fight with a sword first. You learn to
defend yourself without one."
Marie swung around quickly and slapped his hand away. "How dare
you touch me. I am a princess."
Her haughtiness and Jacob's frustration was finally too much for
him. "A princess? Ha! You're not a princess! You're not even a lady!"
Marie turned to slap him, but he knocked her arm away. He was
tired of her attitude and angered by this assignment. If she was one of his
men, he would have taught her some respect by now. He continued. "A
princess is more of a princess in how she acts than how she's born. You
may have been born a princess, but you don't act like one."
Marie attempted another slap, and he grabbed her wrist. She tried to
slap him with the other hand, and he grabbed her other wrist. She tried to
kick him, and, as she did, he gave her a shove, knocking her on her
backside.
Marie jumped to her feet, screaming. "I'll see you sent to the
frontier for the rest of your life for this!"
Jacob didn't even try to hold back his disgust. "Promises, promises,
promises."
Marie ran to the wall and jerked a sword from the family crest,
spinning to face him. "I'll teach you!"
She rushed at him. Jacob pulled his sword and deftly swept hers
from her hand. She quickly retrieved it and attacked him again. He flicked
his wrist and sent her sword sliding across the floor once more. She picked
up her sword again, and more cautiously approached him. At the last
instant, she attacked. Again, he took a little step, and flipped his wrist, and,
again, her sword skidded across the floor.
Jacob shook his head. "You've got a lot to learn."
Marie looked at him respectfully. "Can you teach me how to do
that?"
"Perhaps, but only if you will listen."
Marie was much subdued. "All right."
Jacob seemed pleased and sheathed his sword. "Let's make a deal. I
will teach you swordsmanship if you will, in turn, at least pretend to listen
to the other things your mother said I must teach you."
"Only if you don't get preachy."
Jacob bowed. "I'll try not to, Your Highness." He offered his hand
to shake. "Is it a deal?"
She slowly, cautiously reached out her hand to him. She smiled and
shook his hand. "Deal." She then slammed her foot into his shin and
grinned. "I'm ready now."
Jacob bent down to rub his bruised shin. "I guess, maybe, I had that
coming. That can be your first lesson. Be careful to always see everyone
from their waist to their shoulders. Never just look them in the eye. The
shoulders, hands, and waist always tell you their next move. And, most of
all, don't trust any opponent."
She leaned down to smirk in his face, and he pushed her onto her
backside on the floor. He grinned back. "I told you not to trust your
opponent."
As Jacob stood up, Marie struggled to her feet. "Why, you..."
She doubled up her fist and took a swing at him, which he easily
dodged.
He shook his head. "Your whole body is telling me what you're
going to do. If you are going to defend yourself, you've got to do better
than that."
She took some more swings at him. He dodged them and blocked
them until she finally paused, panting. He looked her in the eyes. "Are you
ready to listen now?"
Marie paused, catching her breath. She was much quieter. "All
right."
Jacob stood directly in front of her and tapped his waist. "Watch my
waist, and I am going to reach out and tap your shoulder. You see if you
can swing your arm to block me, without taking your eyes off of my waist.
Ready?"
Marie nodded. "Yes."
"All right. Here we go."
Jacob flinched his head to the right and she raises her left arm, as if
to block his right, but he hit her medium hard with his left open palm.
"Ow!" Marie hollered. "You said tap."
Jacob shrugged. "So I lied. You were watching my head and not
my waist. My waist would have told you my left arm was the one moving."
Marie glared at him. "You hit me!"
"An enemy would do more than that."
She doubled up her fist and swung at him. He blocked her blow and
hit her on her opposite shoulder.
"Ow! You hit me again!"
Jacob nodded. "That's right. And do you know why? It's because
you made another mistake. You let anger dictate your defense. Anger
causes you to make mistakes. You must think, think, think!"
Marie was really angry now. She swung wildly. He blocked her fist
again and again, each time hitting her on the shoulder with the opposite
open palm harder than before.
"Ow!" Marie yelled as she grabbed her shoulder.
Jacob shook his head. "You are a slow learner."
Marie was breathing fast, she was so mad. "A man is never
supposed to strike a lady!"
Jacob's eyebrows raised slightly. "Next time I meet one, I will
remember that!"
Marie swung her other hand to slap him. Jacob again blocked it,
hitting her shoulder with his open palm even harder still.
"Ow!" she yelled and grabbed her other shoulder.
Jacob sighed. "You are going to be really sore before you get this
lesson down." He had to admit to himself that he hadn't come across many
people as determined as the princess.
She moved to strike him again, then stopped. She looked him
directly in the eye. They stood there for some time and Marie took some
deep breaths, as if to calm her anger. Finally, Jacob spoke softly, but firmly.
"
Are you ready to try again?"
Marie nodded. Jacob bowed slightly. "All right. Put your eyes on
my waist. I will move, and you try to block my movement."
They continued to practice all morning. Jacob quit hitting her so
hard when she truly buckled down and practiced. Jacob was pleased that
when she found out that he wasn't going to give in, she settled down and
behaved. He thought there might be hope after all.
They stopped for tea at mid-morning. Neither knew quite what to
say. Marie just glared at him. He wasn't sure what a person talks to a
princess about, so he decided not to try. They both sipped their tea in
uncomfortable silence. Then they continued to practice.
Chapter 17
It Is Started, But There Is A Long Way To Go
It wasn't even lunch time yet when Jacob headed back to his
quarters. He was hoping to find his way back peaceably and lie down for
some rest. He found himself already exhausted, and it had only been a half
of a day of work. What had tired him out so fast?
He pondered. He had been up early on watch, but there was more.
He realized that much of it had to do with his emotions. From the minute
the queen had sprung the assignment on him, his emotions had been
mountain high. He had been through anger, frustration, and, finally, to a
short level of calm when the princess was trying to learn.
If relaxation and quiet were what he wanted, it was not what he was
about to get. He had no sooner made it into the courtyard before John and
Edward saw him and headed over to intercept him.
John called after him. "Done with school already, Sir?"
Jacob turned to face them. "She took off."
Edward wagged his head. "Why am I not surprised?"
Jacob continued. "We had a deal. If I taught her how to fight, she
would stay and listen to the other lessons, but when we finished the first
lesson on defense, she insisted it was enough for the day. When I told her
we had a deal, she threw a book at me."