Tales of Asculum

  “Fanchon doesn’t put up with anyone being lazy,” Jerron said. “It’s irritating sometimes, but he’s always right.”

  Chapter Thirteen: A Deadly Choice

  Fanchon followed Tor and Jerron to where Aloysia was waiting in a shop with Gareth’s wife Thia.

  “There you are,” she said. “I was thinking we should get some seed for crops, but if we’re going much further it will be too late in the season to plant.”

  “I think we’ll find what we are looking for very soon,” he said. “We’ll definitely want to get the seed.”

  They bought the seed and finished loading the wagon before heading towards camp. Fanchon noticed Jerron seemed unusually distracted while supper was being prepared.

  Fanchon touched his arm and said, “What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing,” Jerron replied quickly.

  “I know you well enough to know something is on your mind,” Fanchon said.

  “If you must know I met someone just this afternoon,” Jerron said. “She was so beautiful.”

  “We’re leaving in the morning. There’s no sense in trying to see her again.”

  “Everyone else has someone except me. It’s just not fair.”

  “You’ve matured a lot since we left Glynis, but I don’t think you’re quite ready to have a wife. This is the third woman you’ve talked about since we arrived in Burton,” Fanchon said. “I know it’s hard. You’re my best friend and I want to see you happy, but you can’t even remember to take care of your horse all of the time. If you couldn’t understand her she would be wearing her saddle and bridle all night long.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Jerron said with a sigh.

  “It’s ready,” Aloysia announced.

  They ate supper and talked about which direction they would be going next. Raynor was on first watch. It was only a few hours after dark when Fanchon was awakened by quiet noises and a horse leaving the camp. He looked around and noticed Jerron was missing. Raynor was at the opposite end of the camp. Fanchon buckled on his sword and put a bridle on his horse.

  “I’m going after Jerron,” Fanchon told Raynor as he came over.

  He urged Midnight forward.

  “Follow them,” he whispered to Midnight. “Quietly.”

  The horse obeyed following Jerron straight to the castle garden. When he arrived he saw a man with a sword running towards someone on the ground. As the moon came from behind a cloud the scene it revealed made Fanchon’s heart sink. Jerron and a woman were naked and entwined on the ground. Fanchon recognized the crown prince as he raised his sword.

  “That’s my wife!” the crown prince roared, sending the pair scrambling apart.

  Fanchon dismounted quickly and drew his sword just as the prince plunged his into Jerron’s heart. Fanchon ran to put himself between the prince and his wife just as the man turned to kill her.

  “Stop!” Fanchon said. “I would have killed him myself for such a misdeed. It is his doing, not hers.”

  “He certainly didn’t force her out of my bed at sword point! Now I must raise my son on my own and try to explain what happened to my wife,” the prince countered as his wife cried.

  “For any other man the matter would be quickly forgotten, but for your wife to suddenly vanish would have everyone talking for years,” Fanchon said and the prince lowered his sword. “Slow down and think about this.”

  “I’m sorry,” the woman sobbed. “It was stupid of me, but you’ve been so busy you’ve hardly spoken to me in months let alone.”

  She stopped mid sentence as the prince’s sword rose again.

  “You will never ever be unfaithful again,” Fanchon said as he stepped aside and faced her. “Look at me!”

  “Being the leader of a kingdom is hard work! Maybe you should be more involved in that work rather than sitting in the garden doing needlework all day while someone else tends your baby. I’ve seen you from the stables out here every day,” Fanchon said sternly as the woman met his eyes. “If you are to be his queen then you should be learning how to be a queen and not a seamstress. You should make an effort to be with your husband while he is learning to be king.”

  He glanced at the prince who was staring at him with his mouth open and his sword point on the ground.

  “I’ll take the body of my best friend and bury it. My group is leaving Burton at dawn so no one will be saying anything to anyone in Burton. As far as either of you are concerned none of this ever happened,” Fanchon said as he picked up Jerron’s shirt and handed it to the prince. “Clean your sword.”

  The prince nodded and began wiping the blood from his sword. The princess began to get dressed while Fanchon began to dress Jerron’s body. The prince began to help him.

  “You certainly don’t act like a stable hand anymore,” the prince said quietly. “You act like my father.”

  “That’s why the rest of my group appointed me their leader,” Fanchon said. “Take your wife back to bed. Tomorrow start fresh and begin to teach her to be a leader. My wife is my partner, my equal. Make your wife yours.”

  “I will,” the prince said. “Thank you.”

  Jerron’s horse pulled free from the bush she was tied to and came over to nudge his face.

  “I know Storm Cloud,” Fanchon said as he rubbed her neck. “Lay down so we can lay him across your back.”

  The horse laid down and the prince helped Fanchon drape Jerron across the saddle. Soon Fanchon had mounted Midnight and began leading Storm Cloud back to camp. He couldn’t stop the tears that flowed down his face as Jerron’s death finally began to sink in. When he arrived everyone was awake and looking for them.

  “What happened to Jerron?” Thia asked.

  “There’s blood on his shirt,” her husband Gareth said.

  “It was his own choice that led to his death,” Fanchon said grimly as the others gathered around. “I didn’t kill him, but I would have for what he did. The husband of the woman killed him.”

  They all began asking questions at once.

  “I’ll say no more about it,” Fanchon said. “He was my best friend and my responsibility but in the end he was free to make his own choices. Let’s try to get some sleep. We must leave at dawn.”

  Chapter Fourteen: Burying a Friend

  Dawn came early and Fanchon was still tired. He felt numb as they ate breakfast and packed up camp. They traveled quickly along the road as even the cattle seemed to understand the need to distance themselves from Burton. The next day they crossed a stream and by nightfall they reached the edge of the forest and entered a large field of flowers.

  “It’s beautiful,” Aloysia said. “Let’s bury him here among the flowers.”

  Fanchon nodded. His sleep was disturbed by the memory of Jerron’s death and visions of the strange bird shadow he had seen in his dreams at the mountain temple. At dawn he went over to a tree and put his hands around a dead branch. He willed the wood into the shape of a shovel and found a place near camp to begin to dig the grave. He dug until he was exhausted. After resting against his shovel for a few minutes he looked up to find a hand extended.

  “Come eat and rest,” Tor said as he helped Fanchon climb out of the grave. “We all miss him.”

  “His father and mother trusted me to keep him safe,” Fanchon said.

  “And you did everything anyone could have done short of tying him to a tree,” Tor said. “I heard you talking to him that night before supper. It was his choice to leave camp. I know that whatever happened you did what you could to make it right. That’s all I need to know.”

  “He trusted me with his life and I failed him,” Fanchon said.

  “He failed himself by not listening to you,” Tor said. “Don’t torture yourself over it. We need you.”

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ came softly to his mind along with a feeling of peace that soothed his grief.

  Fanchon sat down near the fire and Aloysia handed him a plate of food. She sat silently beside him as they ate, but
leaned against him and he found comfort in her touch. After he ate he found Gareth was in the grave digging it deeper. Fanchon found more dead branches and began shaping them into a casket for Jerron. When he finished Aloysia knelt next to him and held him in her arms for a while. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

  “It’s time to bury him,” Tor’s voice said.

  As they placed Jerron’s blanket wrapped body in the casket Fanchon could smell the body had begun to rot. He used more wood to create a lid that sealed the casket closed. The other men helped Fanchon carry the casket over to the grave and ropes were used to lower it to the bottom. Aloysia handed him a bunch of flowers bound together by a strip of cloth before kissing him softly.

  “Goodbye Jerron,” Fanchon whispered.

  He felt Aloysia’s hand in his as the men began to push the dirt back into the grave.

  “Do you want to remain here tonight or continue?” Aloysia asked softly as the last of the dirt was mounded up on the grave.

  “Let’s remain and leave in the morning,” Fanchon said as he placed the flowers on the mound of dirt. “I don’t think I could travel very far today.”

  For a while they sat silently around the fire before Raynor asked, “Do you remember the time Jerron got caught trying to watch some girls as they bathed in the hot springs near the east end of Glynis?”

  “They pelted him with mud,” Leora said and began to giggle.

  “They caught him in the same hot springs two weeks later and stole his clothes,” Marcus said and began to laugh.

  “He waited until dark to try to sneak home, but by then everyone knew and was waiting for him,” Fallon finished.

  “He wouldn’t come out of his house for a week,” Fanchon said as he couldn’t stop the smile that the memory created.

  “But he was a good friend when you needed one,” Tor said. “When I was too sick to get out of bed for a week he did all of my chores.”

  “He always knew how to cheer me up,” Fanchon said. “I know how alone he felt not being married. He just wasn’t ready to settle down to one woman.”

  “I don’t think he would ever be ready,” Aloysia said.

  “I found out that the day I went with him to have lunch, he had supper with another woman the same night,” Sarma said.

  “He was always in that sort of trouble,” Fanchon said. “He’d talk for hours about different girls if I let him. Sometimes I’d hide in a tree so I didn’t have to listen to it. But now I wish.”

  “It’s in the past,” Tor said. “He used to drive me crazy talking about girls too.”

  The rest of the men nodded.

  “All his talk was what got me interested in Sarma,” Fallon admitted. “He mentioned her liking certain things that I liked too.”

  “So that’s how you knew I liked to shoot a bow,” Sarma said. “I always wondered why you gave me a quiver of arrows when other men brought me flowers or fabric.”

  “After he pointed you out to me I saw how beautiful you are. I knew I had to make a good first impression. I practiced hard for a month before I gave the arrows to you,” Fallon said then kissed her.

  “So was it listening to Jerron that got you interested in me?” Aloysia asked.

  “No. I think I liked you from the first time I saw you. When he would talk about you I’d get jealous. I didn’t want him to get too close to you because I wanted you for myself, but I was terrified your father wouldn’t approve.”

  “So what made you ask him for my hand in marriage?” Aloysia asked. “Did you decide to do it the day before leaving in case he said no?”

  “My mother told me to go see him before we left,” Fanchon replied in confusion. “He told me he had been expecting me and that he was giving me something very dear to both our hearts then handed me the package with my wedding clothes in it.”

  “You acted like you knew.”

  “What I knew when I saw your face was that all of my prayers were answered.”

  Chapter Fifteen: Flying Defenders

  After helping to pack up camp, Fanchon went to stand at Jerron’s grave. He noticed that the flowers were all withered and dried up. He left more flowers on Jerron’s grave before they continued their journey but noticed they seemed to immediately begin to wilt. He felt intense curiosity drawing him forward as he led the group directly south across the field of flowers to the forest on the other side. They came across where the land had risen up creating a cliff that grew as it went south.

  “Up or down?” Tor asked as Fanchon came to a stop.

  He knew the answer immediately.

  “Down,” he replied and felt pleased.

  He urged Midnight forward and the others followed. The cliff got taller as they went further south through the forest. They stopped at a stream that had carved a cascade in the cliff for lunch.

  “I hope we find somewhere soon,” Aloysia commented as they sat down to eat.

  Fanchon felt anticipation as he said, “I know we will.”

  There were flashes of images in his mind; a tall dark mountain with a volcano at its heart, the mouth of a large cavern with a spring bubbling up next to it and rolling grassy hills. He shook his head.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I keep seeing images, feeling emotions,” he said and felt surprise. “Like I’m sensing someone else’s thoughts.”

  “I’ve noticed that much of this forest seems to be young trees,” Fallon said. I’ve noticed fallen logs that are charred as though there was a fire.”

  Fanchon looked around and Fallon was right.

  “I don’t like it,” Aloysia said in a worried tone. “How would you sense someone else’s thoughts and who are they?”

  “What if they are luring us in by controlling you?” Tor asked. “Do you think we are in danger?”

  “Who are you and why can I hear your thoughts?” Fanchon asked out loud. “What do you want with us?”

  ‘My name is Malvin,’ a deep voice replied in his mind. ‘I have heard your thoughts for several days now. You are searching for a home. I can help you and you can help me.’

  “His name is Malvin and he knows we are searching for a home. He needs our help and will help us,” Fanchon said.

  ‘I promise no harm will come to you,’ Malvin said.

  “Both Rollan and Ki-Mal told me some things that now make more sense. I will know for certain when I see Malvin,” Fanchon said.

  “You’re certain about this aren’t you,” Aloysia stated more than asked and he nodded. “I trust you then.”

  “I trust you too,” Fallon said.

  “You’ve led us this far safely,” Tor said.

  “And you found your uncle when I didn’t think it was possible,” Sarma added.

  “Let’s find Malvin then,” Fanchon said and urged Midnight forward.

  As they progressed farther south, the horse got increasingly restless as it sniffed the air. This worried Fanchon.

  ‘He can smell me and doesn’t know what the smell is coming from,’ Malvin’s voice said in Fanchon’s mind. ‘The other animals with you are nervous as well. I will try to reassure them that I mean no harm.’

  Soon Midnight settled down. At last they came around the end of the cliff and could see a mountain through the trees.

  “That mountain is what we’ve been looking for,” Fanchon said as he noticed the ground was sloping upward.

  “How do you know?” Aloysia asked.

  “I just know it,” he replied.

  She shook her head. When they finally came out of the trees they were at the foot of mountain. The face was sheared off exposing a large cavern in the dark stone nearly at ground level. Lying in the mouth of the cavern was a creature that Fanchon had never seen before. It was large enough that the head was about as tall as he was followed by a long neck, powerful chest and forelegs. Each toe ended with a sharp claw. It was covered in scales and had wings folded against its body.

  ‘We call ourselves dragons,’ Malvin said.

  ?
??What is that and why would it need our help?” Aloysia asked.

  He glanced at her and her paled face mirrored the panic in her voice.

  “This is Malvin,” Fanchon said as he dismounted. “He says he is a dragon.”

  “What can we do that he can’t?” Tor asked.

  ‘That is a bit harder to explain,’ Malvin said as he stood up and walked out of the cavern followed by another dragon. ‘This is my mate, Fae. We are the last two dragons. We have a clutch of eggs we have been guarding, but we have lost thirty seven eggs. Those died either in the egg from the icy winds of the cold season or because of predators that broke into the eggs. We have eight eggs that still live that will hatch soon. Without help they will die. They are incapable of feeding themselves until they can fly and hunt for food.’

  “So you need us to feed your young,” Fanchon said. “I hardly dare ask what you eat.”

  ‘The cattle would suit our purposes.’

  “They better not eat people,” Fallon said.

  “Malvin said that they would eat the cattle. With a place to graze the cattle could be left to breed and establish a large herd,” Fanchon replied. “Is this the only opening to the cavern?”

  ‘No, there are many smaller tunnels that exit the mountain,’ Malvin responded. ‘Yes, covering this opening like that would protect the eggs from the wind and cold.’

  Chapter Sixteen: Plans for Building a Home

  “We could build a castle in front of the entrance here since the dragons have other smaller tunnels to use as entrances,” Fanchon said.

  “A castle?” Aloysia asked. “Malvin must have.”

  She paused suddenly.

  “No, it was your idea entirely, but Fae and Malvin like it,” she said. “Fae said that would keep her eggs warm.”

  “Where are we supposed to live?” Thia asked.

  “Do you know how long that will take to build?” Marcus asked.

  “Look, we’ll design the castle together and everyone will live in the castle. Our descendants will need a safe, secure home for generations to come,” Fanchon said. “In building the castle we will clear some of this forest which will allow us to plant crops.”

  Aloysia dismounted and walked towards Fae. Fanchon walked up to Malvin and reached out his hand. Malvin put his nose against Fanchon’s hand. The scales on Malvin’s face were both smooth and bumpy.