Chapter Six

Chapter 6

Dayne Dahl was quite the rogue. He always had a look of mischief about him, like he was looking for someone to either brawl with or prank, one could never tell. His short black hair was well-kept and styled in the fashion popular with the bachelor class. His bright blue-gray eyes cut quite a contrast with his wheatish complexion, further solidifying his pirate-like appearance. The black and green uniform completely accentuated his style, as if he were born to wear those colors. The ever-present half smile and his distinctive swagger completed the package.

Dayne was Valsigian’s best friend. They grew up together, trained together, and knew everything about one another. He was the only one Valsigian trusted with knowing the truth about Tove. Their favorite pastime was insulting one another until one of them admitted defeat. They knew each other so well that the insults could get rather revealing and embarrassing, especially in mixed company. As he had decided to let the verbal sparring begin, Valsigian stepped out onto the path that Dayne was so casually strolling down just before he reached the blue flowered trellis. Crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the trellis, he said, “Well, if it isn’t Sergeant Dayne Dahl of the Royal Guard.”

Dayne looked up at Valsigian, almost startled by his sudden appearance. As he closed the remaining distance, his half smile turned to a full grin. Stopping within arm's reach, he clapped Valsigian on the shoulder. “Just the lowly Squire I was looking for.” Dayne winked an eye as he asked, “Walking the gardens all alone before the solo slumber fest in the chapel?”

“You know me,” Valsigian said, returning the wink. “Just trying to hide from yet another bath.”

Dayne huffed a laugh at his friends not so not-so-subtle dig at how much he had hated taking a bath when they were young. “So I was right in thinking you had gone to roll in the flowers to disguise your stench then,” he said as he raised an accusatory eyebrow and leaned in to take a whiff of Valsigian’s shirt. Dayne quickly recoiled, pinching his nose shut between thumb and forefinger. “Oh, good God, Valsigian! You reek like a turd left lying in the sun!”

Valsigian immediately went red with embarrassment, thinking about what Tove must have had to endure in the moment they had just shared. He grasped his shirt right where Dayne had smelled it, bringing it to his nose. Before he could even take a whiff for himself, Dayne began laughing and pointed at Valsigian’s reddened, horrified face. “Got you again, Val!” he said between bouts of laughter. “I swear you are the most gullible person I know.”

“You think you're so funny,” Valsigian said as he let his shirt fall back into place. “The only one I remember smelling like a sun baked turd was you,” he said in an accusatory tone while pointing his finger at Dayne. “When you were running from the wash room naked except for the grime you were covered in.”

Dayne chuckled under his breath. “I did give those nannies a run for their money, didn’t I,” he said, remembering those kindly ladies running after him with soap and sponges. “Good thing my best friend was there to straighten me out,” he said as he raised his arms above his head and turned in a small circle, imitating how a lady might twirl to show off a beautiful dress. “Now look at me, not a speck of dirt to be found.” He placed his hands under his chin, palms down, kicked a hip to the side, then began batting his lashes at Valsigian.

“From one extreme to the other,” Valsigian said, chuckling at his friend's antics. “Thank Zerathis, it didn’t turn out the other way around. Your odor alone would have been enough to keep any enemy far away from our walls.”

Dayne stopped posing and tried to look hurt at Valsigian’s insult. “Hey! It wasn’t that bad… was it?”

“Oh… you have no idea,” Valsigian pinched his nose closed in imitation of a clothespin being shoved onto it. “The laundresses always knew where to look for their missing clothespins.”

“And all that time I thought you guys were just trying to keep your noses dry,” Dayne said as he slapped his palm to his forehead in mock disbelief.

Valsigian shook his head at his friend's bad joke. “Always good for a laugh,” he said as he placed his hand over his heart, his eyes belaying sincerity. “Thanks, Dayne. You have no idea how much I needed that. It’s been quite the morning so far, and I have a long night ahead of me.”

Dayne bowed deeply at the waist, hands out to the sides to embellish the mocking gesture. “Happy to be of service,” he said as he straightened. His voice briefly took on a serious tone, “You have been looking way too serious lately; I needed to make sure the Val I know was still in there somewhere. Besides,” he said with levity returning to his voice. “I wanted to come and remind you that while you are deep in prayer and struggling to stay awake, I’ll be drinking and beating some other fool at cards.”

“At least it won’t be my coin you’ll be swindling tonight,” Valsigian said as he pulled his empty pockets inside out. “I still haven’t recovered from our last adventure in the tavern.”

“It’s not my fault you forget how to play cards after a few drinks,” Dayne said as he desperately tried to avoid eye contact with Valsigian.

Valsigian chuckled. “It’s not that I forget how to play cards after a few drinks, it’s that somehow you seem to get... better, no matter how many you’ve had.”

“Are you calling me a cheater?” Dayne said while attempting to look hurt at his friend's words again, but failing even more miserably this time. “Let’s just say… I get luckier the more you get… addlepated.”

Valsigian simply stared at his friend, his expression blank. It took all of his concentration to make sure he didn’t crack even the slightest of smiles. He refused to give him the satisfaction of a response. He also knew that Dayne hated it when he did this to him.

Dayne, taking his cue from Valsigian’s flat affect and lack of response to what he thought was a pretty good quip, decided to break the silence. “I hate it when you do that! It’s like waiting for stone to melt.” He pushed his hair back from his forehead as he blew out an exasperated breath. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather spend the night drinking with me?” Dayne looked around like he was making sure nobody could hear, “I could sneak into the chapel with a good bottle of booze,” he made a motion with his hand like he was raising a glass to his lips. “I’ll bring a deck of cards,” he said, shifting his hands to make them look like he was shuffling. “Then we can drink and play until sunrise.” Dayne held his arms out to the sides, palms up, and shrugged his shoulders, “Just like the old days. What do you think?”

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“Your idea of a good bottle of booze is buying that cheap hooch from the stable boys,” Valsigian said as he pretended to gag on something nasty. “That stuff tastes like horse piss and has the added benefit of giving me a horrible headache the next day. Why don’t you use some of the coin you’ve “won” from me a buy a real bottle of whiskey?” he asked while raising one eyebrow and giving Dayne a little side-eye.

Dayne dared to look shocked. “What do you expect from stable boys! I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a little horse piss in it.” He began to laugh as he said, “At least it gives it a nice golden color!”

Valsigian’s facade finally broke; he couldn’t maintain his pretense at stoicism any longer. He laughed with his friend, forgetting for a moment about his visions, his upcoming vows, and his growing sense of unease. As he began to regain his composure, he said, “I wish I could, Dayne, I really do.” His sense of duty and honor began to take root in him once again. “I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. I’ve never wanted anything but this for as long as I can remember.” He briefly thought about telling Dayne what he had been experiencing lately. If he couldn’t tell his best friend, who could he tell? As he began to form the words in his mind, the chapel bell tolled in the distance. He decided to wait until after his knighting ceremony to tell Dayne. “I’ve got to get to the chapel, I’m already late.” He turned and began walking the grassy garden path towards the chapel.

Dayne caught up to his friend, walking beside him. Noticing the look on Valsigian’s face, Dayne asked, “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” He actually managed to look sincere for a moment. “I haven’t seen you look so unsure about anything as you do right now.”

Valsigian stared straight ahead as he walked, not wanting to meet Dayne’s eyes lest he see more of the uncertainty that was creeping into his own. “I’ll tell you what's going on after the ceremony tomorrow,” he said, a little more curtly than he had intended. “I believe my vigil will give me the time I need to think things through. I will ask Zerathis to guide me, to set the path before me as I begin the next part of my journey.”

“Sounds like textbook babble to me, Val,” Dayne said while rolling his eyes. “This is where it gets real. Tomorrow you won't be a squire anymore, you’ll be a knight,” he looked over at Valsigian, trying to read his friend. “I know this is what you have dreamed of your whole life. We both did.” Dayne looked down at his feet as he continued to walk by his friend's side. “I just didn’t have enough of the Blessing to make it through the training,” he said, his voice tinged with regret.

Valsigian felt a pang of sadness in his chest for his friend, hearing him speak words that he knew were difficult for Dayne to admit. He turned his head towards Dayne, taking a deep breath, he said, “Don’t sell yourself short, my friend. You may not weave the Blessing worth a damn, but your one of the best swordsman in Mountainfall. Besides, being a Sergeant in the Royal Guard at your age is unheard of. Many men in the Royal Guard have served longer, but lack the skill with a blade and the sharp wit that you posses. King Stormson and Captain Greaves see the same things in you that I do,” Dayne tried to protest, but Valsigian held up a hand and continued. “For all the time you spend making others think you’re always looking for fun, or trouble, or both, there are some of us who know the real you. We know what you’re capable of, and you know it too.”

Dayne was actually speechless for a moment as he continued to escort Valsigian to the chapel, which was just ahead. He supposed he hadn’t realized just how well his best friend truly knew him. His silence didn’t last long as he let out a chuckle. “Let’s just keep that between the two of us, shall we?” he pleaded. “I wouldn’t want to ruin my rascally reputation with the ladies,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

Valsigian couldn’t help but laugh. “I think the ladies appreciate more than your roguish charm,” he said through his laughter. Valsigian knew exactly what to say next to turn the tables: “Speaking of ladies, how is the Princess these days?”

Dayne stopped in his tracks at the mention of Princess Asta Stormson. The girl spent almost every waking moment trying to gain his affection. It was nearly impossible for him to avoid her since he was her assigned protector most days. He glanced over each shoulder just to make sure she wasn’t there like a paranoid chihuahua right before a fireworks show. He was thankful for the brief moments of peace he could find when he was off duty. When he was satisfied that she wasn’t around he looked back at Valsigian who had also stopped, and had turned back to look at him with a big shit eating grin on his face. Dayne pointed a rather accusatory finger at his friend as he shook his head in disbelief. He let out another chuckle, knowing that he had been bested... this time anyway. “That was a dirty move, Val. You win this round, but I’m definitely going to get you back for that one.” With that, he saluted his friend with his middle finger, grinning once again. “I’ll be sure to drink to your health tonight while you’re on your knees praying to Zerathis.”

Valsigian returned the salute. “Hopefully, you won't drink to my health too much, I won’t be there to carry you back to the barracks this time.”

Dayne laughed. “You, carry me to the barracks? Funny how it’s my feet moving when you’re “carrying” me to the barracks.” He took a moment to study Valsigian, his best friend since they were eight years old. How did the time pass so fast? It seemed like just yesterday they were learning the sword forms with wooden training swords so heavy they could barely lift them. Now, here they were. One of them was about to fulfill a dream that they both shared. Dayne always knew Val would be a knight, it just… fit. He moved forward and embraced his friend, a good bone-crushing hug that caused Valsigian to exhale and wince a little. They shared no further words that day, there was no need, there was just understanding.

Valsigian watched as Dayne walked away towards the citadel. He could still feel his ribs expanding back to a more comfortable place. He turned and strode the last few paces to the chapel. As he pulled the heavy doors open, he could smell the incense as the light smoke wafted towards him. The hard leather soles of his boots made a heavy “clicking” sound as he walked across the polished granite floors. The floor was polished so perfectly that he could see the reflected images of the oil lamps burning in their sconces on the walls as if they existed in the granite itself. He continued walking towards the bathing chamber where he would take his ceremonial bath before entering the chapel proper for his vigil. He could smell the perfumed and oiled water before he even reached the next set of doors.

The doors to the bathing room creaked slightly on their hinges as he pushed them open, revealing the large white marble basin that was already filled with steaming hot water in the center of the room. He had expected to find the chapel’s priest waiting for him, but instead his attention was immediately drawn to the man standing on the other side of the basin, staring out a small window. His hands were clasped behind his back just beneath the embroidered black Grizzly bear that covered the back of his red and gold-trimmed tunic. The black marble crown of Mountainfall sat on his head, and the great sword Tyr rested at his left hip.

King Thorvald Stormson, the Bear of the Walls, turned to face him as he entered. His deep, ocean blue eyes settled on Valsigian with the weight of silent judgment. “Squire Hunterson,” he said, his voice deep and rumbling. “I’ve been waiting here to see you before your vigil.”

Valsigian suddenly remembered just how late he was. He had no idea the king would be waiting for him. He swallowed hard as he suddenly realized just how much his life was about to change.