The rest of the day passed in a blur. Sir Caleb didn't leave Achan's side, grooming him, encouraging him. Achan appreciated his efforts but found it patronizing.
Dinner's full course of awkward conversation didn't help matters. Carmack seated Achan to Lord Gershom's right. The man was a child's stick drawing-frail and withered-who reeked of body odor and rotting teeth. Lady Tara introduced him to Achan, but he didn't respond, simply stared straight ahead, a dab of drool at the corner of his mouth.
Then, halfway through dessert, he revived and yelled at the servants, accusing them of trying to kill him. He threw his cobbler at Lady Tara, knocked over the wine, and tried to choke Carmack.
The whole scene only depressed Achan further.
At breakfast the next morning, Achan sat at the arched high table with Sparrow, staring at his food, half asleep. Thoughts of his blunder the day before flitted through his mind like a dream. He shoved it away. His eyes drooped, then popped open in time to see Sparrow snag a slice of bacon off his trencher. The boy shoved the bacon into his mouth.
Achan scowled. "Thief."
Sparrow shrugged and grinned, cheeks bulging.
Achan elbowed him. Sparrow fell off the bench and crashed onto the floor.
Achan slid in front of Sparrow's trencher. He lifted the boy's honey bread and smiled. "Thanks for the seat."
As Achan bit into the bread, Sparrow scrambled to his feet and pounced. Achan laughed as he tumbled off the bench. Sparrow landed on top, and Achan shoved the remaining honey bread against Sparrow's cheek. Sparrow reached for the bread, but Achan flipped him onto his back before he could grab it. He pinned Sparrow's arms above his head with one hand. He peeled the honey bread from Sparrow's cheek and took a huge bite, over half the slice, and chewed slowly.
"Mmm. Thanks for sharing." He squished the remaining bread back on Sparrow's face and stood. As he stepped over the boy, Sparrow grabbed his boot, causing Achan to slip. His chin nearly whacked the tabletop, but he managed to get a hand on the bench and hop on one foot to catch his balance.
Sparrow let go and scurried back to Achan's place at the table. So Achan claimed Sparrow's spot. The boy fought to keep a straight face as he ate another slice of Achan's bacon as if nothing were amiss, bread still stuck to his cheek.
Achan reached over and peeled the honey bread away. He shoved the whole thing into his mouth.
"Really! Is this how the Crown Prince and his squire behave in a foreign stronghold?"
Achan's chewing slowed. His gaze flickered to Lady Tara, who stood beside Sparrow, her scowl fully devoted to the boy. Sparrow grinned sheepishly, face as pink as the bacon.
"Vrell!" Sir Gavin stood at the entrance of the great hall, waving Sparrow over.
Sparrow stood, bowed to Lady Tara, said, "Good morning, my lady," and scurried away.
Achan wanted to ignore Lady Tara but supposed that, after all his mistakes yesterday, a little decorum might go a long way. He stood and gave her a small bow. "Lady Tara."
She pressed her fingers to her lips, then pointed at his face. "You have some bread on your chin, Your Highness."
Achan rubbed his prickly chin and pulled away a sticky crumb of honey bread. "Thank you."
"Your Highness, I am grieved our last words were unpleasant. I wanted to encourage you. I see a day none too far in the future that finds you happily married. I trust Arman will give you a dear friend for a wife."
Achan stared at his plate, stiff with discomfort. What compelled her to discuss this further? "I've no female friends, save you and Gren who-" He stopped himself from whining like a child. If he didn't speak, perhaps she would leave.
Lady Tara smiled, as if she knew a secret he did not. "You only have to open your eyes to see she is with you always."
Achan huffed a laugh. Was Lady Tara poking fun at him or being philosophical? "I've never been good with poetry, my lady, but I thank you for your kind words."
She curtsied. "Good day, Your Majesty."
Achan fell back to the bench and stared at his cold food. He hadn't been hungry anyway. Inko stumbled to the table and sat on his other side, looking as if he hadn't slept a wink either.
"Are you awake, Inko?"
"Been sleeping too long, I guess. Sir Caleb is saying we're leaving today. I am wishing we could be staying longer. I am not looking forward to more cold."
After a lifetime in Barth, where the air made one sweat, Achan could imagine the cold would be an unwelcome change. "How long did you live in Barth?"
"My village was being pillaged when I was being five years aged. Since all my family was being killed, I was being taken to Meneton and sold as a slave. It is being warm there as well."
Achan blinked, suddenly filled with compassion for this cranky, paranoid old knight. He wanted to know more, but Inko shoveled food into his mouth as if he were starved, so Achan settled on polite conversation.
"At least you got to sleep in. You must be refreshed."
Inko snorted. "You would be thinking so, Your Highness, but you were not having to share a bed with young Vrell."
"What's the problem?"
"Always that boy is talking in his sleep, calling out to his mother, making his nightmares mine."
Achan frowned, but Inko wasn't finished venting his frustrations.
"The first night we were staying in Berland, he was falling out of bed. I was jumping up to see if he was being ill or drunk, then Sir Gavin was making me leave. I am still not understanding this. I was having to stand out in the cold air until Sir Gavin was allowing me to be coming back inside."
Achan made no sense of this. "Inko, should you witness other strange behavior regarding Sparrow, would you tell me?"
Inko smiled. "You are thinking he is being a traitor? I am not trusting his eyes, Your Highness. Green is being the color of jealousy. Not being a good trait for a servant to the king."
Achan only wanted to discover what Sir Gavin and Sparrow were hiding, not hang the boy for his green eyes. "I only wish to know anything odd."
"I will be shadowing the boy for you, Your Highness. Do not be worrying."
Achan wasn't worried and felt a little sore for sicking Inko on Sparrow. But he didn't doubt Inko could be a fox when he set his mind to it. Perhaps it would take a bigger fox to catch a smaller one. "Thanks, Inko."
*
For three days they rode through frigid Darkness. Achan no longer cared what happened next. His goal had always been to see Lady Tara. Now that he'd lost that objective, there was nothing to do but let the knights dictate his life. Still, he couldn't bring himself to accept his birthright. What was the point if he acted like a puppet? They may as well have Esek.
But if you want the girl, you should have her. You are king, not these knights. I would always let you have your way.
Achan tensed at the serpentine voice. Hadad? He fortified his mind, uncertain whether he had really let down his guard or if Darkness was taunting him.
Lights winked into view. A squat city glimmered to the right. To the left, torches illuminated another stronghold, some burning far above the others. Could that be a tower?
"We're on the Benjen cliffs." Sir Gavin's voice came from ahead. "Yonder lies Tsaftown."
Achan peered into the darkness, the icy air pricking his eyes. "Is that the stronghold to the left?"
"That is IceIsland. See the torches in the sky? They top the Pillar. 'Tis what we must penetrate to rescue our men."
Fabulous. This town, this mission…it no longer had any pull without the hope of Lady Tara. The doom of his station hung heavy on his shoulders. "How will we get there?"
"Sled dogs," Sir Gavin said.