Quest for the Silver Cleric Chapter 3: A Thief in the night

She looked at the deformity between my legs, and said, “Does it …. work?”

“More than I would like. It has been mostly a source of grief for me.”

“Grief?”

“Because of it, I have suffered much,” I found myself telling my life story for the second time that day.

“Poor child.” She gave me a hug, and I noticed that I didn’t get a reaction from down below.

“Now for your bath.”

The bath was filled with milk. Goat’s milk, I’m assuming, but I didn’t ask. She utterly spoiled me, not letting me do anything. I struggled with this idea, but then relaxed, and enjoyed the pampering.

I was bathed, massaged with oil, and powered with some sweet smelling stuff that made me feel very feminine.

As she worked on me, she would sing a song that told the story of a being that was both male and female. Based on the song, I got the impression that such beings were regarded as being specially blessed by the gods.

The feminine feeling was accentuated by the dress she put me in. It was silk, and a rich red color with a black border at the bottom. It also had markings on the arm that I was told gave me the rank of Ambassador's wife, about the highest a non-citizen female could achieve. The dress was ankle length, and came with a kind of scarf to put on my head. She also added simple sandals to my feet, kohl to my eyes, and a berry juice stain to my lips to finish the look.

I felt very much felt like a princess.

Once I was prepared to her satisfaction, she led me out, taking a maze of hallways until we were back in front of the throne room. She gave a nod to the guards, and they let us in. The king was on his throne, the mage at his side. I kneeled along with my companion and waited for him to speak.

“My mage has told me you are called Danica, is that right?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“You passed his tests, and are the one we seek?”

“So he tells, me, your majesty. To be honest, I don’t think I’m anybody special.”

“Be that as it may. Now, I must ask this one time. Will you help us?”

“I … I will do anything I can.”

The whole court seemed to let out a breath at once.

“Good. Now, we must have council and determine who will go with you. And there must be a feast, so my people can know they have hope again.”

“Your majesty? What will happen to Aeneas? His … kindness toward me helped me make my decision.”

“Then let us call him. I do believe he is been outside hoping for an audience for some time.”

He nodded to the guards at the door, and less than a minute later, Aeneas was brought in.

“Sailor, we thank you for your service, but it is time for you to return to the docks,” the king said.

He looked saddened by that, and said, “Thank you, your majesty. I ... I will miss you, Lady Danica.”

“Be that as it may, there is much work on board your vessel. Especially for its newest captain.”

“Captain?”

“Indeed. That is your rank now. Wear it well.”

“I will, your majesty. And thank you.”

“You are welcome. Now go, but be prepared to return tonight. You will act as our guest’s escort at the feast tonight. I trust that meets with the approval of both of you?”

Aeneas brightened at that and said, “For my part, I will be honored.”

“I’m very happy with that arrangement, your majesty,” I said.

“Excellent. Now, I must call council, and determine who must go with the lady on her quest. It is entirely possible a certain recently-promoted sailor will be among them.”

Aeneas must have realized what that meant, and said, “Thank you, so much, your majesty.”

“You are welcome, again. Now go.”

Aeneas got up, made a deep bow, and then left the throne room.

“Come with us to the council room, Lady Danica,” the king said, and stepped off the throne. He took my hand, raised me to my feet, and walked me out a side door to a room with a long curved table and chairs. The king’s seat was at the front, and the table was set in a semi- circle facing it.

The king said to the guard at one of the doors, “Are my councilors ready?”

“I will check, your majesty,” he said and stepped out the door.

A moment later, he returned. “They are ready, your majesty.”

“Good.” The king sat on his seat, and waved me to the seat closest to his right-hand side. “Sit there, Lady.”

Once I was seated, he turned to the guard, and said, “Let them in.”

The guard opened the door, and waved to someone I couldn’t see. A moment later a group of men and, to my surprise, two women ushered themselves into the room and bowed to the king. I was delighted to see Olorin among them.

It was clear that my being where I was created some difficulty, but they soon sorted themselves out and sat down.

“Now, then. The Lady Danica has passed the tests required and has agreed to help us. Our first task is to figure out who will go with her on her quest to find the resting place of the Silver Cleric.”

The man beside me spoke, and said, “It will be a dangerous journey, no matter what direction it must travel. Since the Empire’s fall, brigands have begun to lose their fear and waylay travelers at will. And many dangerous creatures who were once driven underground are now once more roaming freely. Some who are versed in arms must go.”

“And yet, not too many. We cannot over-deplete ourselves,” said the man next to him.

“And too large a group would attract more attention, as well. Some dark force created the alliance between the Dead and the Weres and it will not be idle, surely. Some stealth and subtlety are needed. If the King were to offer a pardon to an ... enterprising person, they might aid us,” the older of the two woman said.

“But certainly a representative of the gods must be included,” the younger woman said. “The Dead may stand in our path.”

“And what about our non-human allies? Surely they will want to be a part of this as well,” the man next to her added.

“And a student of magic must go as well,” Olorin said.

“We agree with all your suggestions. Each of you bring your selections to the courtyard two days from now. And the gods be with us all,” the king said and stood. “You are all dismissed.”

The others stood and bowed, so I did, too. I went to leave with the others, but the king said, “Lady Danica, stay.”

I stopped, and the others cleared the room.

“Lady Danica, quarters will be provided for you, and tonight we will feast. In the meantime perhaps you would like to see the palace, and since a certain sailor is otherwise engaged, we will do it personally.”

I bowed low, and said, “You have honored me beyond measure already, your majesty, and I have done nothing yet to deserve any of it.”

“Lady, you represent the only hope my people have. And besides,” he grinned, and I saw the man behind the king, “it has been a long time since I have had the pleasure of touring this place with a pretty girl.”

I boggled at him, and said, “Me, a pretty girl? I’m not even fully female, much less pretty.”

He looked stern for a moment, and said, “You do yourself an injustice, and we command you to do so no more.”

I bowed my head.

“Now, let us see the sights.” He took my arm, and nodded to the guard at the door, who opened it up, and then the king swept me out of the room.

The castle was magnificent, better than the European ones I had seen as a small boy. There was little wasted space. You could tell it was designed to allow people to get to where they needed to go quickly, but they also had made sure that each area was visually pleasing as well. Sea shells and pearls adorned the walls, as well as paintings, carvings, and silk.

As we toured, he shared with me some of the history of his people, and I saw parallels to ancient Greece, but it was also slightly different in some places. He also asked many questions about my home, and how I came to be what I was now.

As the tour came to its conclusion, I said to the king, “Thank you, your majesty. You know, I don’t think anyone has told me your name.”

“Did they not? I took the throne under the name Peter, after an early ruler.”

“Thank for telling me, your majesty.”

“You are very welcome. You know, Lady, if I didn’t suspect you already had your eyes on a certain sailor, I would woo you.”

I blushed at the thought of Aeneas, and said, “You honor me beyond measure, your majesty.”

“Be that as it may. But now, I must return to my duties, and you may take a rest until the feast. Here is your room, lady.” He opened the door to my room, and waved me in. Once I was inside, he gave me a king’s bow, and I tried to return it. He smiled at my effort, and left me, with my head spinning.

“Did the king just flirt with me?” I thought to myself.

I laid down for a bit, and I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, there was a knock at the door, and Aeneas was waiting for me.

“I’m here to take you to the feast,” he said softly, and took my hand.

A short while later, we were at the courtyard, which had been converted into a dining area. Aeneas whispered to a guard at the entrance, who announced my arrival, and the guests stood as I made my way to my table. He led me to a table that was slightly raised compared to the others, and put me on the right hand side of a seat that could only be the king’s.

I felt rather guilty for receiving such honors, but I was distracted by the arrival of the king. He was in a magnificent robe, and was wearing a crown of pearls. I stood, as did everyone else, until the king took his seat beside me. Once he was seated, he waved to us, and we sat down.

The feast was fantastic. I was hungry enough to try foods I would not normally look at, and liked them more than I would have thought possible. After the food came the entertainment, which was like being at a circus.

There were jugglers, acrobats, and flame swallowers. There was a a bard making music and a jester telling jokes.

The highlight of the night was Olorin. He put on a magic show that would have done Gandolf proud.

The cynic in me wondered how much was actual magic and how much was showmanship, but regardless, it was impressive.

After his performance, the formal part of the evening seemed to be at an end, and a more relaxed attitude dominated. I found myself having to fend off a number of noble men who vied for my affection every time Aeneas was distracted. Finally, I had to leave. I’d had more wine than I’m used to, but at least I wasn’t totally gone.

Nevertheless, I still had to lean on Aeneas to get back to my room, and was very glad to lay down again.

It was fully dark when I woke. I heard a cough, and it startled me into a state of fear. I clutched my sheet and lay there, wondering what I could do.

“No need to be afraid, Lady,” a voice said out of the shadows.

“Who’s there? Whoever you are, if you try anything, I’ll summon the guard.”

“My Lady, if I wished you harm, I would not have woken you.”

“I’d still feel a little better seeing your face.”

“As you wish,” he said. I saw a shadow cover the small lamp by the bed, and a moment later, it was lit, showing my guest.

“Better, my lady?”

He had a handsome face, with dark eyes and hair, and a small mustache.

“A bit. Perhaps you’d like to explain why you are in my bedroom?”

“I heard there was a beautiful barbarian lady kept in the palace, one who was the fulfillment of the prophecy, and I had to see her for myself.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint you. I’m not beautiful, I’m not totally a lady, and I sure don’t feel like the fulfillment of anything.”

He shook his head at me, and said, “Perhaps you need a better mirror, Lady. And as for prophesies, well, only time can tell. We may meet again.”

With that, he went out my window, and was gone.

I laid back down and really hoped I had just dreamed that. If not, he had just become the third man since I came here to find me beautiful.

“Is there something in the water here? Had some magic made me super attractive? Just what is going on?” I thought.

Pretty soon, I was back asleep.