Eleven days until the release of Palace of the Three Crosses: Book Two in the Palace of the Twelve Pillars Trilogy.
Here is a little peek of what is coming:
Chapter One
Home
King Eyvindur and his daughter, Princess Maeve, flew on dragonback over the
city of Wryzburg. He enjoyed this peaceful time spent with his daughter, a respite
from his duties of office. He looked at her riding Myrria with the wind blowing
through her long hair. A green scarf wrapped around her head, hiding her pointed
Kningrad ears, accented Maeve’s yellow dress. The daffodil-colored dress
complimented her brown hair and the sparkle in her blue eyes. Eyvindur
contemplated the beauty his daughter had grown into. The bright afternoon sun
added depth to her brilliant azure eyes and her pearly white skin. She was so much
like his mother with all the typical Kningrad traits. It was sad in a way because she
inherited so few of Queen Fiona’s traits, but that was the will of Asha.
As they got closer to the palace, he thought of the happy times spent with
Theodric and Lilia and then later with the twins and Maeve. They had been such
happy children, but times and war changed everything. If only they hadn’t lost
Waldrom to Sidramah all those years ago. It accomplished nothing by dwelling on
these past memories. Now was the time to focus on the future.
* * * *
It seemed ages since she rode a dragon. She enjoyed flying. However, with
Joachim’s kidnapping and the subsequent war, her father wanted her safely hidden
from Waldrom and the evil surrounding him.
Kningrad children were encouraged to fly, almost before they could walk, and
dragons were cooperative creatures. There were few dragons, and most of them
were bonded as Myrria was to Joachim, but they still cooperated with all twolegged
beings. Unless someone tried to enslave them as Waldrom had.
Maeve felt Myrria’s excitement and shared it. Both were keenly aware of all
that Joachim experienced in the past months, but they loved him and couldn’t wait
to be with him once again, especially Maeve. She had missed him so much, and
now he was coming back, safe and sound. At least she hoped that was so.
They had received a message from Rupert. The twins were returning to
Wryzburg, and many things needed to be done before that happened. Besides the
state funeral for King Theodric, there were coronations and a joining to be
prepared for.
The decision hadn’t yet been made regarding which twin Maeve would be
joined with, and while she prayed for Joachim, she feared it would be Brandan.
Unfortunately, her opinion mattered little. The Council of Adepts and her father,
King Eyvindur, would make the final decision. For now, she would think about
other things, like the reunion and planning the state affairs, things she could
control.
Too soon, she and King Eyvindur returned to the Palace of Twelve Pillars. The
princess knew her mother anxiously waited for their return. The queen didn’t like
to ride dragonback, so any time Maeve and her father went out, Fiona would wait
behind for them. Maeve shuddered at the activities Mother planned for the rest of
the afternoon. She was doomed to hours of preparation for the return of the princes
and training in the ways of being a queen. The high nobles and her mother must be
satisfied with her comportment. She had been raised in the royal household of
Freiburg, which was very different from Wryzburg. Freiburg, the imperial city of
Imherp and the Kningrad, was a small coastal town, hidden by the Anna
Mountains. The Kningrad were quiet, peaceful people who kept to themselves. It
was not that they didn’t like humans; they simply felt more comfortable with their
own species.
As soon as she dismounted, Queen Fiona descended on her. “My dear, you
shouldn’t be flying about; it is bad for your complexion, and your hair is in total
disarray. You are a sight. It is a good thing the princes are not arriving today.
Come, hurry to your rooms, and let’s make you presentable.”
“Mother, there is no need to fuss. As you so succinctly stated, the princes
aren’t arriving for a few days. Let us go to my rooms so I may change out of my
riding clothes, and we will see what needs to be done to get things in order around
here.” Maeve strode purposefully toward the palace with her short, pudgy mother
huffing and puffing behind her trying to keep up.
Some found it hard to believe Fiona and Maeve were related. Most Kningrad
were tall and svelte like Maeve and her father. But like every race, human,
Mantion, and Kningrad alike, there are exceptions to the norm, and Fiona was one
of those exceptions. She shared familial ties with Croifan, and his family tree
consisted of height and weight-challenged Kningrad. This fact didn’t make them
less capable of doing what they were meant to do; it simply made them different.
Fiona was a good queen. She ensured all would run smoothly behind the palace
walls. She thrived on those kinds of activities. King Eyvindur had shown great
wisdom when he chose Fiona for his wife and queen.
Maeve, on the other hand, preferred the business end of things. She wanted to
be a part of all the planning and running of the kingdom. In all ways, Maeve
resembled her father more than her mother. At times, this gave Queen Fiona fits,
but she realized that a Queen of Crato needed to be more like Eyvindur. So Fiona
did her best to train her determined daughter in the ways of running a palace.
Although she feared it would probably fall to a servant or a high noble lady to
perform these particular queenly duties. Maeve would probably be off planning
some strategy or winning the allegiance of important noble men.
The two women walked down the hallway after Maeve had changed and
freshened her appearance. “My dear, have you checked to make sure Cook is
preparing all the boys’ favorite foods, and have the flowers in the private quarters
been arranged? Oh, and has a thorough cleaning been done of all the rooms? It
would not do to have the princes come home to a dirty palace after all these
months of living in tents out in the wilderness.”
Maeve sighed deeply. “Mother, I am sure cleanliness is the furthest thing from
the princes’ minds. Oh, do try to remember not to call them boys; they are no
longer boys but men.”
“Oh dear, to me they will always be boys, just as you will always be my little
girl. Did you see to the room arrangement for the visiting nobles? It would not do
to put Governor Yukio too close to anyone. They say he smells funny, although I
don’t know why. He seems to me to be a perfectly nice gentleman, even if he is
governor of the prison island of Hyogo. Nice people do live there you know. Some
of them might even be relatives.”
“Yes, Mother, I’m sure he is perfectly nice, as are the others on the island,
excluding the prisoners.”
“Yes, yes, of course he is. What were we talking about? Oh, yes, the flowers.”
As they continued on, Maeve spied her father walking down the hall toward
them. “Mother, I see Father. He and I have some important things to discuss. Can
we talk about this later?”
“Oh, yes, of course, you run along. I will take care of everything.”
* * * *
When Eyvindur reached them, he bent over to kiss his wife and then
straightened and kissed Maeve. “How are my two favorite girls doing?”
“Fine, my love, but I must run. I have a million things to do, and Maeve, as
sweet as she is, doesn’t have a head for this stuff. I will see you tonight at dinner.”
Fiona scurried off.
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your mother paroxysms again?”
The princess giggled. “You know Mother, all about clean rooms and flowers
on the tables, and who should be in the room next to Governor Yukio. Stuff she is
much better equipped to handle than I am. Now tell me, when is Joachim getting
here?”
“Last I heard, he should be here within the week, along with Brandan.”
Eyvindur smiled with a twinkle in his eye. Maeve knew he realized how much she
cared for Joachim and how much she disliked Brandan. Soon a decision would be
made, and she would have to marry one of them. She ground her teeth. It had better
be Joa they chose for her.
* * * *
Brandan and Joachim galloped across the poppy fields of the Sall Mary Plains.
Neither experienced this much freedom and pleasure in many months. Joachim
watched Brandan in secret as they journeyed. Croifan shared his concerns with
Joachim regarding Brandan’s recovery, but Joachim didn’t fully comprehend them.
There were times when Joa saw a glimmer of evil in Brandan; but overall, his
brother seemed relaxed and happy. They stopped in villages along the way, and the
people came out to greet them, excited to see the princes. The wounds to the land
were starting to heal, and people were able to plant some crops. Though they
weren’t able to plant in the usual amounts, there would be enough to get them
through the winter with careful planning. Next spring, they would be able to plant
as they usually did.
As they rode along the northern coast, the twins took time for some welldeserved
rest and relaxation. They enjoyed the exotic foods in the coastal cities and
took advantage of the sun and surf. Finally the moment they had anticipated…their
arrival in Wyrzburg.
Croifan sent word to Rupert when they entered the city. King Eyvindur and his
family had arrived a few weeks earlier to prepare for the princes’ appearance with
a large welcoming parade and outdoor festival. Rupert knew of the plan and did his
best to prepare the twins. Still, they were shocked as they rode through the city and
received the adulation of Crato and Mahorg’s citizenry.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this,” Joachim commented as the people
reached out to touch him as passed. “I think I would have been happier with a
much quieter entrance.”
“No, you’re wrong.” Brandan laughed at his brother. “This is the way things
should be. I could get used to this.”
“You always did like the attention, but not me.”
“Quit whining, try to loosen up a bit and enjoy it. You never know how long it
may last.” Brandan nudged his horse to a canter. “Come on, I smell some of Cook’s
pidgekin. I haven’t eaten that in ages. Some good food in my belly sounds better
than more of Croifan’s cooking any day.”
Joachim urged his horse to a canter. “Croifan’s cooking isn’t so bad, but I
agree, some of Cook’s food sounds good.”
As they reached the palace gates, the crowd thickened, and the princes’
entourage could hardly proceed. The horses moved at a stop-and-go pace as people
thronged closer.
Joachim’s horse shied when squealing children ran out in front of it. The horse
reared and came down on the foot of a straggling child. The girl screamed. Her
frantic mother ran headlong into the street, scaring the child and the horse even
more. The horse reared a second time, unseating Joachim. The horse bolted
through the gates, riderless. Joachim stood up, dusted himself off, and approached
the child and mother. “Are you two all right? Are you hurt?”
The child sobbed as her mother tried to assess injuries. Joachim waved to
Lukan, one of Theodric’s personal guards, who had accompanied them on the
journey. “Run to the palace and get a healer.” He guided the mother and child
through the gate and sat them on a bench beside the path.
Brandan turned his horse to see what was going on. “Joachim, what are you
doing with that peasant? Come on, I’m hungry.” He trotted his horse over to the
bench.
“This child may have gotten hurt by my horse. I want to make sure she’s all
right. I sent Lukan to find a healer.”
“We don’t have time for this. Let someone else tend to them.”
“I’ll wait here for the healer. You go on ahead and don’t eat all of the pidgekin
stew.”
Brandan nudged his horse forward and rode on to the palace.
The child stopped sobbing. Joachim stroked the girl’s hair. “Where does it
hurt?”
The girl pointed to her foot with one hand while sucking the thumb of the
other. The frazzled mother looked at Joachim. “Sire, I am so sorry. There’s no
need for you to stay. Meggie and I will be on our way.” She stood to leave.
The prince put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “No, I’m sorry. I should
control my horse better. You sit here. Look, the healer has arrived.”
The healer bent down and looked at Meggie’s foot. “There seems to be no
damage, just a bit of a fright. Did the big horse scare you?”
Meggie sniffled and nodded. Joachim looked up and saw Maeve running down
the path toward him. He stood. “Healer, would you see them home safely and
make sure they get anything they need.”
“Yes, Sire.”
“Your Highness, that isn’t necessary. Meggie and I are fine and can see to
ourselves. We don’t want to be no trouble to you.”
“It’s no trouble; the healer will take care of you.” Joachim nodded to the healer
and turned as Maeve reached them and threw her arms around him.
Suddenly, as if remembering where they were, she stepped back, and bowed.
“Your Highness, I heard your horse threw you and was concerned for your safety. I
hope everything is all right?”
Laughing, Joachim embraced Maeve. “I’m fine, a little shaken but none the
worse for wear. It is this young lady you should be concerned about.” He pointed
to Meggie and her mother.
The princess bent down. “Are you all right?”
The mother stood and did a quick curtsy. Meggie nodded before they left with
the healer.
Maeve and Joachim joined arms and walked toward the palace. “Well, that
wasn’t quite the greeting I planned, but now that it’s over, welcome home. Let’s
get you to your quarters, so you can freshen up and then meet me at the festival.”
“That sounds wonderful, and I thank you for the welcome. It’s so good to see
you and to have a private moment in the midst of all this madness. Did someone
manage to catch my horse before he scared another child?”
“Yes, I believe Lukan rode out right after he found the healer. All is quiet
now.”
“And Brandan, what happened to him?”
“Oh, he is rambling around the palace giving orders and making his usual
ruckus.”
Joachim laughed. “It appears as if all is back to normal.”
Also here is the link to the trailer: http://youtu.be/DmhdCesuOJ8
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