"Prince Garrett?" Asked the page, a boy no more than eleven years old, approaching the throne of King Conchobar. The king nodded and waved his hand toward the young prince, who stood and approached the boy.
"What do you want?" He asked the page, who bowed before Garrett, holding out a scroll.
"Your presence is requested by Princess Lynette of Avignon," said the boy. "Her father, King Aison, is dying; she has nowhere else to turn."
"Then I will go at once," Garrett said, scanning the opened scroll. His eyes grew dark for a moment before he tossed the parchment on the table. "King Conchobar," he said, kneeling before the king, "may I have your permission to leave Kells for a time and attend to the wishes of Princess Lynette and her father?"
"Of course, Prince Garrett. You have served us well as a mystic knight; but now that Maeve's powers are diminished, I feel we may do without you for a time. But Numaine may begin her own assault upon us any day now; you must hurry back to us before then."
"Yes, your majesty," Garrett grinned at his friends and turned to leave.
Deirdre followed Garrett out into the hall, taking hold of his sleeve.
"You aren't just going to leave without saying goodbye to Aideen, are you?" She asked.
Garrett studied her eyes, took her hand, and placed a kiss on its palm. "Give that to Aideen for me," he said. "I must go. If I stay to say goodbye I might never leave; and Lynette needs me. We became friends during my journey to take her home; I owe it to her now to comfort her in her time of need."
Deirdre closed her eyes, her heart, and her mind.
"Very well. Hurry safe home, Garrett," she said. Then before the tears could come. she turned and fled the room. Garrett thought of going after her, asking her reason to be so emotional; but no. That would only make the seperation harder on them both. He made his way to his room and gathered what supplies he would need, then down to the royal stables to saddle his horse. He would go, take care of Lynette, and return before Aideen knew he was gone; or he wasn't Prince Garrett of Regart.
"And then he just left? Without a by-your-leave?" Rohan asked, making sure he'd heard Deirdre correctly.
The princess nodded. "Yes. I don't understand why he wouldn't say goodbye to Aideen."
Rohan shook his head, trying to concentrate as he cleaned his sword.
"I doubt any of us will have better luck trying to understand his reasoning. I mean, what's the use? Just when you think you know something about him, he changes his mind again. He's hopeless."
"But he is handsome."
"He's not that handsome, princess."
Deirdre smiled. Then she leaned her back against Rohan's back, and Rohan paused in his work, trying to keep his hormones in check.
"Rohan; remember when we were children? How we used to run through the forests pretending to be outlaws, chased by the rich men we'd robbed to feed the poor of Kells?"
"Yes; I miss those days."
"So do I." Suddenly Deirdre turned to gaze mischievously into Rohan's eyes. She grabbed his upper arms. "Let's do it again."
Rohan's eyes widened seductively. "Really?" He whispered.
"Really," she said. "I'll go get Angus; you get Ivar. We'll show him how to have fun for once in his life."
Rohan laughed; a deep, rumbling grumble from deep in his belly. He nodded. "All right. I'm game. Meet you at the old oak in half an hour?"
"Right. Bring weapons; but no real gold, please, or we'll have a real thievery problem on our hands."
They both laughed as they parted ways, figuring that despite Garrett's hasty decision to leave, they could still have fun, pretend nothing was wrong. Until something did go wrong...
Garrett tossed the bucket of fish entrails overboard, pausing long enough to wipe the sweat from his brow. The crack of a whip very near his right ear made him jump into action, and he quickly retreated back to the ship's kitchens.
"If you want a ride on this ship," said the captain as the prince passed by, "you work for your keep. Otherwise I'll toss you overboard with the rest of the dead fish."
Garrett closed the door as soon as he entered the kitchens below-deck, dipping up some water from a barrel, taking a drink and letting the rest flow back over his sun-burnt back and chest. He'd never been so hot in his whole life; on the other hand, he knew he'd get a good, deep bronzing from this trip. He'd have no use of his armor either after going back to Kells; he was getting tough enough on board the 'Sea Star'.
"Has he always been like that?" He asked the chief cook as he settled down to peel more potatoes. The older man laughed.
"Aye, lad; mean as a whoreson, that one is. He was born and raised on the ocean; never spent more'n a day on dry land in all his life. He'd be a mer-man now, I suppose, if Dagda would let him."
Garrett looked confused. "A mer-man? What's that then?"
"An' where are you from, lad, that you have'na heard of the mer-folk? A mer-man is just the opposite of a mermaid. I suppose you don't know what that is either, eh? Ah, just as well. Keep up your work and save your pretty hide from a keel-hauling, that's all. And pay a mind when the captain gives you orders; follow them no matter how addle-brained they may seem to you, do you understand?"
Garrett nodded and turned all his attention to the potatoes. He'd already knicked his fingers several times, and couldn't wait until nightfall when he could finally rest his work-weary bones.
Avignon was a strange place; part of another country, like Kells. Garrett bought a fine looking horse from the first tavern he stopped at, wagering he would reach Lynette's castle in record time. He was right; the whole journey only took him four hours.
"I am Prince Garrett," Garrett said to the guards who blocked his way into the throne-room at Lynette's home. "Let me through; Lynette has need of me!"
"Mind your tongue when you speak of our princess!" Said the guard, whacking him in the stomach with his spear shaft.
"Do not touch him!" Cried a feminine voice from within the throne-room. Garrett looked up from his doubled over position, his hand on his abdomen, his face contorted in pain. He had failed to put on his royal yellow shirt; the one that was padded and protected him from such assault. Lynette reached out, placing a hand upon his shoulder as the guards moved aside. "Prince Garrett, I'm so glad you've come," she said. He smiled and followed her inside the throne-room.
"So you see, my father has not long to live. He wished to see you one last time; there is some urgent matter which he needs to discuss with you," Lynette explained as she poured a glass of nectar for Garrett. He took it gratefully, lifting it to her in silence before taking a deep drink of the sweet liquid.
"I must not stay long, Lynette," Garrett said. "Though Maeve has been defeated, her sister has begun her own assault on Kells. The longer I tarry the more danger Kells is in."
"And Princess Deirdre," Lynette said, looking at the bottom of her tumbler. Garrett shook his head.
"No, she no longer holds my interest in any capacity except for that of friend," he said formally. "Aideen and I have been together for nearly ten months now...sort of. It wasn't official until roughly...oh...eight weeks ago."
Lynette glanced at Garrett; she could tell by his eyes that he was telling her the truth.
"What of the Dragon-Bow my father gave you? And the Elixir of Vitality? Were they useful?"
"Very. The Dragon-Bow was one of our main defenses against Maeve; it helped lead to her defeat. The elixir was useful in saving Rohan's life..."
"Rohan was in danger?" Lynette said, shocked and dismayed.
"Yes," Garrett continued. "He was mortally wounded in battle by Torq; but thanks to your father's gift, his life was spared. He is well now, and living in the castle. As is Angus."
Lynette nodded as though that were all she needed to know. She stood, gesturing for him to do the same.
"Come. My father will be waiting to see you."
"I fear I must leave as soon as this business with your father is finished, Lynette," Garrett said, offering her his arm as they walked down the hallway toward King Aison's chamber. "You understand how great the need is for Kells to be defended..."
"And you'll be wanting to return to Aideen," Lynette said. She looked up at him and smiled. "I understand, Prince Garrett. Fortunately our castle has been spared from the small battles being waged in our country. Orleans is well defended also; it is my brother's castle, you see. He is only a count; but the title serves him well."
"I hope you remain well defended, Lynette. It would be a shame to see such a beautifully made castle as this fall one day."
"I know," Lynette said, knocking on the door of her father's chamber and opening it. "Father; I have brought Prince Garrett; he came as soon as he received my summons."
King Aison waved his hand toward himself weakly, coughing into a soft white cloth. When the king drew the cloth away, Garrett saw that its surface was blotted with dark red blood. He looked up at Lynette as he sat at the king's bedside, on the mattress beside him.
"Prince Garrett; when last you were here, you had done me a great service by returning my daughter to me," he wheezed, whispering as though he could speak no louder. "I trust you found my gifts...to some benefit in your kingdom?"
"It is like my kingdom now, my liege. And yes; the gifts proved most useful; the Dragon-Bow is still of great use to us."
King Aison nodded, his red-rimmed eyes closing. "I hoped so. I called you here again, Prince Garrett, to ask you to accept two more gifts from me, which may also come in handy later on."
He waved toward the door, and one of the guards bowed stiffly, leaving the room, to return not two minutes later with two longish objects wrapped in black velvet and cloth-of-gold. They were given to Garrett, who looked at them and then curiously at the king. Aison waved his hand again.
"Open them, young man, I should like to see what I've given you, and perhaps have a chance to explain," he said saucily, as though he were not on his deathbed. Garrett smiled in spite of himself and unwrapped the longest one first.
"The sword of Brian Boru," Garrett said, lifting it from the folds of cloth and looking at it with admiration in his blue-green eyes. King Aison placed a hand upon the blade, just below the last golden triangle, the smallest of the four.
"This sword was brought here many years ago by a young minstrel from your land. He came telling stories about the hero of Ireland, whose sword this was. A fitting gift to a future king, eh?" Aison tucked his chin toward the smaller package. "Open the other one."
Garrett managed to stop looking at the sword long enough to obey; pulling a dagger from the other cloth. It was silver, with the head of a gargoyle sitting atop the hilt. Two more gargoyles watched from the bottom two corners of the hilt, each holding a ruby in their scaly claws. The one on top held a globe between his paws; the blade was carved with runes so ancient not even Cathbad could have deciphered them. Garrett studied King Aison.
"The Guardians of the Fortress dagger. I feel you will know when this is to be used, Prince Garrett," Aison said, coughing into his handkerchief once again. "Now you must return home. I have done what it is I set out to do; now I am so tired..."
Garrett watched as the king slipped back into sleep. Lynette took his arm and led him out of the room.
"What is wrong with him?" Garrett asked. Lynette sighed.
"I don't know. But whatever it is, there's a plague of it in almost every major village near here. You must go before you catch whatever it is and take it to Kells."
Garrett nodded, surprised at the concern in her voice. He kissed her pale cheek; was it paler than he remembered? and left Avignon, travelling once more to Kells; this time not in the 'Sea Star', but in another, heartier vessel called 'The Stingwray'. All the way back to Kells, he studied the sword and dagger; hoping he could use them both for a good cause; like the destruction of Numaine.
"I am glad to be back, my friends," Garrett said, standing in the throne-room of Kells Castle.
"What was so urgent, Prince Garrett, that you were required in Avignon immediately?"
Garrett removed his new sword from his lucky sheath, passing it to King Conchobar. The king looked at it in awe, studying the golden triangles and the x-shaped hilt with reverence.
"The sword of Boru," the king whispered. Rohan's eyes got huge, and he leaned in for a closer look.
"Another hero of yours, Rohan?" The king asked, handing the sword back to Garrett. Rohan nodded and looked down again.
"He also gave me this," Garrett said, holding up the dagger. "He said I would know when the time came to use it."
Cathbad was suddenly very excited, waving his hands. "That is the dagger you will use to call your dragon, Garrett!" He said. Angus mouth dropped open.
"He gets a dragon too?" Angus asked, looking at Rohan. "Well, that's not very fair, is it."
"You will all get dragons," Cathbad said warningly, pointing his finger at Angus. A ball of blue fire shot from the tip of his finger and popped Angus in the bottom, and the thief hopped around in an attempt to make the sharp initial pain go away.
"That's starting to hurt, Cathbad."
Deirdre laughed, then studied Garrett.
"Aideen is in tir na nOg, Garrett. She said she refuses to come see you; you have to go there if you want to apologize for running off without telling her."
Garrett drew a deep breath and nodded, bowing to Conchobar and leaving the throne-room.
"Aideen, I...I 'm sorry. I didn't think I could say goodbye to you. I know that if I had waited long enough to do so, I never would have gone to see Lynette or her father."
Aideen crossed her arms over her chest. She had met him in tir na nOg, then agreed to go to the lake with him so he could apologize properly; without her father looking on.
"But you did want to see her again," she said softly, gazing out over the calm water. Garrett paused thoughtfully, then nodded.
"A little. But only to tell her about us; I thought at first that her reasoning was to try and convince me to marry her again; then I read the scroll the page had brought. It mentioned that it was really her father who was asking for me; after seeing that I had to go. He'd been so kind to me...to all of us, giving us the elixir that saved Rohan's life and all..."
"I understand," Aideen said. She sighed long and low. "But...maybe we should just be friends for a while, Garrett. It's not you...it's me. I have some growing up to do; I can't keep getting so...jealous and angry...just because you go somewhere without telling me."
Garrett nodded, a little hurt but determined not to show it. He took a step closer to her, extending his hand.
"Friends?" He whispered. Aideen looked at his hand, then took it gingerly.
"Friends," she agreed, and he pulled her to him in a warm hug.
Aideen hoped she was doing the right thing, breaking off her relationship with Garrett. He was so sweet...but they both had a lot of growing up to do. She realized that, and she hoped one day he would too.
