Hilda - The Challenge

This all could not be because of a mistake that some idiot ordinary brother of the king had made.

  A quick check on what William felt told her that he was thinking along the same lines, only he was slower with that as he was not so well versed in these things.

  Meanwhile, the play continued. Tudris kept arguing with his brother, Herald kept trying to put Tudris back in his place, and Lamador just looked at the proceedings between the two. Finally, as if he was the ruler of the kingdom, he stepped in and separated the two.

  "We need to talk about this in private," Lamador said with a calm and deep voice. Placing a hand on the shoulder of each of the two men had the effect of a switch being flipped. Immediately they both calmed down.

  "Yes," Herald agreed, "you are right, of course."

  Hilda as well as William saw Lamador's lips move shortly. After that, King Herald turned to the two people whom he had summoned. "It seems that all this is based on a very unfortunate mistake, Grimhilda. I do owe you an apology. Please remain here overnight, with all the privileges of a royal guest, so you can journey back to your home tomorrow, well rested and fed."

  That was all. As Lamador guided not only the two brothers, but also Queen Warda away from the dais, Gounar the soldier-magician stepped up to Hilda and informed her in short words they should follow him. Again William went unacknowledged. The wizard in hiding just tagged along, pretending he was a separate entity belonging to Hilda. Which wasn't even that far from the truth.

  So they retraced their steps to the large staircase and found themselves in their large and rich suite again. There was no magic in place this time to keep them secured inside, but Hilda was aware that there was a mage-soldier stationed in front of the door.

  "I think we should make the difference this time," she muttered, and she sealed the door from the inside. "Right. This way we are in control of who comes in, not they."

  With a few glasses of wine, they retreated to the bedroom. Once snuggled up together, Hilda said: "You also got this funny feeling about the charade they put up, didn't you?"

  William nodded. "Yes. It was too bizarre to witness. As if Lamador were playing with his puppets."

  "Zakly..." Hilda sipped some of her diluted wine. "I got the feeling that this whole thing was set up by Lamador just to show us the power he has. To scare us. Still have that feeling too."

  "I'm sure of it by now." William kissed her cheek. "He is showing off how well he can play his king. And queen. And even the joker."

  "The joker?"

  "Yes. Herald's brother. That man is a joke if ever I saw one. He was meek as a lamb at our challenge, something to push and shove, while Lamador was the great invincible whatever. Here Turd- I mean Tudris suddenly acts as if he is offended to the extreme and goes against his brother, the king."

  Hilda snickered for a moment. "Yes, you're right. It smells like a rat's ass, don't you think?"

  William looked at his witch. "I may not want to know where you have put your nose, young lady."

  Hilda was about to take another sip of her wine. She made it jump in the glass as she snorted loudly over his remark. "Now see what you made me do," she pouted, holding up the glass, wine dripping from her nose.

  "Oh, poor witch," said William. Helpful as he was, he licked the wine from her nose.

  The witch stared at him, speechless for several seconds, her mouth slowly opening as the surprise wore off. William grinned, magicking their glasses away. Then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her long and deeply.

  56. Back home

  The next morning, the castle woke up to an alarmed cry and very soon after that there were sounds of loud trumpets.

  William and Hilda flew out of bed. They were immediately awake and understood that this was not a regular morning call. As they came into their living room, they heard the sound of feet running through the corridor and someone asking questions to the guard in front of the door.

  Then there was a knock on the door and a voice asking permission to enter. The way the question was put made it clear that the answer was 'yes' at any rate. Hilda undid her magic seal and opened the door. It was, as they had already expected, Gounar.

  "Have you left this room in any way overnight?" He did not waste time on social graces, so there was something very bad at hand.

  "No," said Hilda. "Your man at the door can vouch for that side, and the magical seals on the window, as you may check, are still there. We have the habit of sleeping at night. What happened?"

  Gounar checked the seals at the windows, to be certain. Then he turned to Hilda. "The king's brother was murdered last night. His servants found him early in the morning. You are to remain in your rooms until further notice." The soldier-magician did not wait for a response. With long strides he left the suite, the door was closed and the couple were left to their own limited devices.

  Hours passed in which they did not hear anything. Repeated questions asked to the guard, through the closed door, did not make them any wiser as the guard was not informed about anything either.

  Someone came to bring them breakfast. The same person came to bring them lunch. And still there was no news about the background on Tudris' death, nor any information when they could leave for home.

  "I have a faint feeling that they will never catch the person who did it," said Hilda.

  William looked at her. "You mean..."

  The wicked witch nodded. "I'd be surprised if it weren't so. Tudris was useful to get us here and annoy us, and that's it. It's scary."

  William nodded. He understood why she did not wanted to speak Lamador's name out loud. The whole castle was loaded with magic, so it would be very reasonable to assume there was something to alert him if his name was mentioned. Especially now.

  Boredom had come to take them over, and had left again as it had gotten bored itself from the atmosphere in the suite, when finally the door swung open. It was not Gounar, but one of the lesser, non-magical soldiers who came in.

  "I bring a message from the great sorcerer," he said. "It is time for you to leave. Your carriage and your men are already waiting for you. You are to follow me, so there is no delay in your departure." It was obvious that the man was instructed by nothing less than a drill-sergeant.

  Hilda nodded and in silence she shrunk their luggage, after which William slipped that in his pocket. "Did anyone find out who the killer is?", she asked the soldier as they walked out of the suite and down the corridor.

  "No, he has not been found yet. But we will find him." The soldier also had been instructed to remain impersonal.

  When they arrived at their carriage, they were greeted by Captain Lambert and the rest of the group. No trace of Lamador, or King Herald and his spouse, Queen Warda. The soldier who had taken them out of the castle handed a scroll to Hilda, the text of which cleared them of any accusation that was made against them previously.

  The trip home went uneventfully, unless a thunderstorm was to be considered an event. Once they had left the land of King Herald, they dared to talk about their thoughts concerning the murder of Tudris.

  "I am convinced that this is all a setup of Lamador's," said Hilda, "as a display of force what he can get away with. Sort of in front of our faces even."

  William understood. It filled him with a very unpleasant feeling all of a sudden, about the upcoming challenge. If Lamador was the kind to be so bold and brutal with the brother of his king, then he would not hesitate to pull even worse tricks on them.

  Hilda reached for his hand and squeezed it. "It seems that you are beginning to learn about Lamador at a very rapid pace now, my sweet man."

  "Am I that obvious?", William asked.

  "I have that feeling thing inside me, remember?" Hilda snuggled up to him, allowing him with all kinds of pleasure to wrap an arm around her. "And I am glad about that. It is good to be with you."

  William nodded. "Yes, it is good to be with me, I agree."

  "Oh, you!!"

  Captain Lambert, who rode along next to t
he carriage, worried about the strange noises that came from its inside which were accompanied by some serious rocking of the vehicle. He wondered if he should halt the convoy to see what was happening...

  The carriages and the horses clattered into the palace yard. Messengers had gone ahead already, informing King Walt that the two honourable magical people were on their way, cleared of all accusations.

  William, and even Hilda, was impressed by the reception that was waiting for them. There was a large musical band, which surprised William as it seemed to have more members than he had seen in the whole land so far. A long line of tables was put out, all laid very nicely, laden with food and glasses. The king himself and also the queen were there. King Walt had arranged for the musical band to be quiet for a while, so William could meet his wife. No music meant she'd be able to stand still, as the magical shoes were as ever on her feet and not going anywhere else.

  The guards who had been in the escort were all treated as heroes, their comrades making an honorary row to welcome them back. The carriage that transported Hilda and William was welcomed in the same manner, which was quite the experience for the wizard.

  "Don't show them that you are tickled purple, William," Hilda warned him. "We're magical, we are supposed to be used to this."

  "Are you?", William asked her.

  "No, of course not. What are you thinking?" Hilda grinned. "I am just a great actress. Watch me."

  The carriage stopped and someone came