“As I have already said, though, behind every legend or rumor, there is a spark of truth. It is a fact there is a large army of thieves in Balthus, and that is why the High King is strengthening his army. In life, you will hear many fantastical and astounding things; what is important is sorting out the fact from the fiction.”
With that, the philosopher was done. He thanked Traven for his attention and for letting him see the sword and stones. He admonished Traven once again to take good care of the stone and sword. He also told him that he was always welcome. Traven thanked him for everything and then left, leaving the old philosopher alone with his books.
Traven’s thoughts swam with all of the things that he had learned from Philosopher Studell. He began to wonder more and more if there really wasn’t magic anymore. After all, he supposedly had two magical stones in his possession. With his hand on the hilt of his sword, he crossed the square. Passing in front of the palace, he felt a peculiar sensation. He felt strongly that he was being watched from above. Looking upward, his gaze came to rest on a window up in the southwest tower. While he was staring at it, the sensation suddenly vanished. Shaking his head, Traven continued on to the academy. All of the excitement, royal balls and talk of magic, must be getting to him. Soon he was back in the academy and into reality, but his thoughts continued to float back to what the philosopher had said and his imagination began to soar to new heights.
24
Kalista slowly opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. With a sigh she sank back down onto her luxurious pillow. She felt so wonderful. Her thoughts drifted back to the night before and how wonderful it had been. She had enjoyed her time immensely with Gavin. Her love for him had only grown as she came to know him better. He definitely was charming and handsome, but that was not all. After they had danced for what seemed like an eternity of bliss, they had gone into a small, side room to rest and talk. That is when she really came to admire Gavin. She had found him to be quite an intelligent person and very interesting.
He was not just a pretty face who hung to his father’s coattails. As the subject had turned from royalty to politics and the possibility of a war, she had found that Gavin was very levelheaded. He was also very confident but not arrogant. Just as her father thought, she too agreed that Gavin had the qualities to be a great leader. She would not mind ruling alongside someone as talented as he.
They had talked far into the night. They had lost track of time, and when they returned to the ball, many of the guests had already set out for their homes. The only time they had been separated the whole night was when Gavin had left to get some spiced wine for them to drink while they talked. While she had anxiously been waiting for him to return, a young man had stumbled into the room. He had been dressed all in black, except for a bright red cloth on his left arm. He had actually been quite handsome, but the young man did not have the commanding air about him that Gavin did. In fact, he had babbled something that Kalista could not make sense of, and then he had almost tripped over his own legs as he hurried out of the room. She guessed he had been startled or embarrassed.
She was sure that Gavin would never do anything like that. He was always so calm and kingly in his manner. Later in the afternoon, she was going to meet up with Gavin again. They were going to have a little archery contest. Somehow Gavin had found out that Kalista was an accomplished archer, and he had said that he wanted to find out if it was really true. Kalista was happy for the opportunity to show off. It would give her a chance to spend more time with Gavin, and it would also give her another opportunity to impress him.
Finally deciding that she better get out of bed, Kalista rose up and walked over to her window. Throwing back the curtains, she was surprised to find that the statues in the square were casting no shadows. It was already midday. She must have slept in longer than she had realized. She called for her chamber maids who hurried in and began getting her ready for the day. Kalista had not imagined that it was so late in the day, but considering how late she had been up, she did not feel bad for sleeping in. When she was ready, her lunch was brought to her. She ate slowly and then headed down to the back courtyard.
Gavin was already there waiting patiently for her along with her archery instructor. Gavin was wearing a light blue cloak with the hood down. Kalista watched the two men from a distance. They were joking around about something when they realized she had arrived. They both quieted down immediately and turned to greet her with a small bow.
“We thought you might have chickened out and were not going to come,” said Pegwin with a wink.
“I am right on time, as always,” Kalista replied with a smile. “I suppose Gavin came early to practice for the competition.”
“I just barely arrived, Your Highness,” Gavin said, mocking a shocked look. “I cannot believe that you would accuse me of trying to take an unfair advantage.”
Pegwin looked on with a smile as the two bantered back and forth.
“All right you two, enough of that. Let us get this underway.”
Kalista smiled as Pegwin laid out the rules for the match. Gavin listened intently to the instructions. Kalista had already heard these instructions many times and contented herself with watching Gavin as he listened to them. He had a focused look on his face, and she could tell he was taking this match very seriously. When Pegwin finished with his instructions, he announced that Gavin would be going first. Gavin picked up his bow and stepped up to the shooting line.
“I am sorry that I am going to have to win,” Gavin said as he cocked an arrow, “but I cannot let you win just because you are the Princess.”
Kalista watched with a smile as the arrow flew through the air and thunked into the bull’s-eye. The next arrow hit the outer line of the bull’s-eye, and the last three came to rest in various places in the bull’s-eye. Gavin stepped back from the line with a smile.
“Your turn, my Princess,” he said with a confident smile.
Kalista stepped up to the line and concentrated. She had played with the idea of letting Gavin win but had decided against it. It would be a lot more fun beating him. Shutting out everything around her, including her feelings for Gavin, she focused on the target and let loose her first arrow. The arrow found its way to the center of the second target. Her next four arrows soon accompanied the first in a neat, small cluster in the bull’s-eye. Kalista turned with a wide smile on her face and found Gavin with his eyes wide.
“I am sorry that I had to beat you, Gavin, but I could not let you win just because your father is a baron.”
Pegwin started laughing in the background, but Gavin had already composed himself.
“You shot masterfully, my Princess,” Gavin said with a bow. “I must admit your superiority with a bow. Your father was not exaggerating when he spoke of your skill.” Gavin then shook his head, “I believe this is the first time I have lost any contest to a lady.”
“Do not worry,” Kalista replied. “It will not be the last!”
“Next time we will have a sword fight, and we will see who wins that one.”
They both laughed as they handed their bows to Pegwin and thanked him. He nodded and then went and gathered up the arrows, leaving Kalista and Gavin alone.
“Would you like to accompany me on a walk through the gardens?” Kalista asked.
“I would love to,” Gavin answered.
The Princess took the arm that Gavin offered her, and they headed off down the path that led to the gardens. After a short walk, they passed through the arch in the tall shrub wall that surrounded the entire gardens. Since it was wintertime, the gardens were not full of color like they were normally, but Kalista still found the snow covered trees and the tranquility of the gardens very refreshing. It was one of the only places where she could walk around freely without an escort of guards, and when she was there she had always liked to pretend that she was outside of the palace walls in the countryside. Of course this time she was not alone, but that did not bother her at all considering the company. After walking quietly for a while, Kalista broke the silence.
“I have always loved walking through these gardens. When I was a child, I did not like the gardens in the winter, I used to wait anxiously for spring to come so that all of the flowers would come into bloom once again. During winter the gardens always seemed so sad and lonely. It was only several years ago that I realized the gardens held a stark beauty during these winter months. I found that they were not lonely but serene. Not sad but pure. I still enjoy them the most in the spring, but I have learned to love them year round.”
“That is an interesting way of looking at it,” Gavin said while gazing around the gardens. “When I was a kid I used to love playing outside right after it snowed. It was so cold but so clean. I was just thinking about the lack of flowers, but I should have noticed the beauty of the snow. I guess that is one of my flaws. Sometimes I am so intent on what could be better that I forget to enjoy what is already there. I had been thinking I did not like winter because it slows everything down, but now I realize that if it were not for the winter I would not have had the opportunity to have this conversation with you. Now that I am thinking about it, there are many great things about winter.” He paused before continuing. “If it were not for the cold, you would not be walking so close to me.”
Kalista blushed slightly and looked forward as they continued on through the garden. They walked in silence for several minutes before Gavin began to talk once again. She listened intently and continued to hold on tight to his arm as they made their way back out of the gardens. She dropped the hood of her fur cloak with her free arm as they entered the palace and were greeted by its warmth.
“I would enjoy talking with you all day, Kalista, but I need to be present at a meeting that the High King is holding with my father.”
“Do not worry. I will not keep you any longer,” Kalista said as she pulled her arm out of his. “Thank you for accompanying me through the gardens.”
“Thank you for letting me,” Gavin said with an endearing smile. He then bowed to her and kissed her hand. “You were definitely right about how losing to you in the archery match would not be the last time I lose to a lady.”
“Why do you say that?” Kalista queried.
“Because I am losing something once again to a lady,” Gavin said with a smile.
“And what is that?”
“My heart.”
With that, Gavin turned and was soon around a corner and out of sight. Kalista stood motionless for a few moments as what he had just said sunk in. If she was not mistaken, and she knew she was not, the baron’s son had just professed his love to her. She half walked, half floated up the stairs and back into her room. Things were better than she had imagined. The ball the night before must have had as much of an effect on Gavin as it had had on her.
Kalista removed her cloak and gloves, handing them to her chambermaids. She then dismissed them and closed the door. She walked over to her window and stared out over the grand square. Maybe she really would end up marrying Gavin soon. If things continued to flow so smoothly, Kalista would not be against a marriage in the spring. The Princess now knew that Gavin would not be against it either. She was feeling things that she had never really felt before. She had experienced crushes but had never felt as she did now. It was an interesting and exciting feeling. Maybe it really was time for her to get married.
Kalista’s thoughts were pulled away from marriage and drawn to the square as a flash of black caught her eye. A young man, all in black, was crossing the square from the direction of the library. As he got closer, she could make out the bright red cloth tied around his left arm. She was certain it was the same young man that had walked in on her the night before at the winter ball.
The only thing that was different about him was the way he moved. Kalista had gotten the impression the previous night that he was somewhat clumsy, but she now had to change her mind. The young man walked with a measured gait and a fluid grace. She stared down at him as he passed the palace below her window. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. Kalista gazed around the square to see why he had stopped but didn’t see anything unusual. As she looked back at him, she was startled to find that he was looking straight up, directly at her.