The Stillness of the Sky (13 page)

“I think if we ignore her any longer, she might get up and leave,” he said with a laugh, almost as though he could read my thoughts.

I wondered for a moment if perhaps he’d been gifted with personable qualities the way his brother had been with musical instruments.

“Now, Lady Bard,” he said, “would you do us the honor of hearing you play?”

Catching myself staring at him, I averted my eyes to my lute, intent on tuning it. “What would His Highness like to hear?”

When he didn’t respond immediately, I glanced up. The expression on his face struck me as odd, though I couldn’t quite decipher it. He seemed melancholy, but not in a way I’d attribute to something I was familiar with. I’d certainly seen my father’s face when he mumbled about my mother’s absence. Despite it all, I think he loved her, and it broke his heart to find her gone. Prince Willem’s sadness didn’t look that way, so I wouldn’t say he was pining for a woman. Perhaps it was the state of Litania that bothered him, though my experience with his family so far hadn’t convinced me of any selflessness in that regard. I reasoned it was possible he missed his brother as much as the elder missed him, and decided to play something that might speak to such a heartache.

In my recent travels, I’d heard many new songs, but none that seemed as fitting as one I’d played before. And if Aaron knew it, maybe Prince Willem would take some comfort in hearing it again.

“I think I’ve one you might like, Highness,” I said with a small, understanding smile. “If it’s too much, though, you may stop me at any time. I’ve only played this once before, and the reaction was…” I paused, searching for the right words. “It was more than I expected it would be.”

He motioned for me to begin with a wave of his hand and a nod of understanding. “Then, please, you have our attention.”

To keep myself from flushing again, I focused on the song, closing my eyes as I strummed the opening chords to the
Lost Love of Falinor Meadow
. The world fell away as the music swept me up in the story, my voice bringing the characters to life as their tragedy played out once again. The notes tumbled from my fingers, flowing as water over pebbles in a stream. I rose and fell with the melody, and it spun around me in a great whirlwind of sound. As I played, nothing disturbed my absolute calm. Only when the last bars thrummed through my lute did the haze begin to clear. The world returned, and I opened my eyes.

The audience that had only been the three nobles and the mayor had grown as I played, with every servant in the house crowded near the door and spilling into the room, all of their faces wet with tears. Once again, I found myself surrounded by the grief brought on by my music, and I immediately sought to fix it. Another breath, and I lit into a tune I’d heard three towns ago: a bouncy reel to give thanks for the bountiful harvest to come. To sing of days of plenty, of warm sunshine and cool breezes, of full bellies and happy days made my heart soar. Before long, the gathered crowd clapped and stomped along in time with me. Cheers replaced tears, for which I was very grateful.

When both songs were complete, I needed a small rest. As the mayor’s assistant, Hugo, shooed out the staff, I accepted a glass of water from Mayor Trundell. He, Lady Jacinda, and Lord DeBauch gushed over my performance, arguing amongst themselves what they might have me play next, and how wonderful it was to hear such a Bard play. I was mostly left out of the discussion, and my attention drifted elsewhere.

Unlike the others, Prince Willem did not look pleased. He stared at me from his seat, nearly scowling.

“Are you displeased with me, Your Highness?” I asked, rethinking every note of my songs. “I know you must be accustomed to far finer musicians than—”

“How are you possible?”

I blinked at him. “Highness?”

He stood and left the room, leaving me speechless when the front door slammed behind him. What had I done to cause anger?

“Oh, dear,” Lady Jacinda said. “There he goes again.”

My eyes flicked to the mayor, instantly reading the bulging vein in his neck as severe displeasure, likely blaming me for the Prince’s abrupt departure.

“Not to worry, my good lady,” Lord DeBauch said. “He gets that way sometimes. His moods are less predictable than the wind these last years, and one never knows what will cause him to shift.”

I pressed my lips together, keeping my panicked tears at bay. “I’m sorry my playing offended him. I only wanted—”

“There now, you mustn’t blame yourself.” Lady Jacinda reached over to pat my hand. “Your talent is astounding. Not a dry eye in the house for the first one, and only smiles for the second. When I say I couldn’t be more pleased at how skilled you are, I say so honestly. To think you’ve only just begun learning makes me positively giddy to know how you’ll progress. If it isn’t too much trouble, would you play a little more?”

“Of course, My Lady.” Quietly, I turned to my lute again, hoping I’d not earned two enemies over the matter of song.

After nearly two hours of music and stories, I was exhausted and Prince Willem was still nowhere to be found. My escort guard, now a bit kinder to me after hearing me play, all but carried me up to the room I’d been granted for my stay. I was barely out of my dress before I was sound asleep in bed.

Sometime after midnight, I sat up, awoken by the strangest dream. Wandering through a dense fog, someone spoke to me from hazy shadows, whispering urgent words I couldn’t understand. The last time I’d had such a dream, it was music, not words, that called to me. It wasn’t so much frightening as it was unsettling, and enough so that it got me out of bed.

After lighting a small lamp, I left my room, wandering down the stairs and through the silent house. My restlessness carried me out to the courtyard behind the house, and I sat on a stone bench to gaze at the stars. Little in life ever granted me as much calm as the sparkling night sky.

As I counted the pinpoints of light, I hummed to myself. My mother’s lullabies always soothed me when I was a child. Even years later, the memory of her soft voice could chase away some of my fears. Minutes passed for me in that manner, until at last the uneasy feelings within me subsided to quiet echoes.

“Trouble sleeping?”

The sudden voice behind me sent my heart racing. I jumped up from the bench, pulling my wrap tightly around me as I spun to see my unannounced visitor.

“I’m sorry,” Prince Willem said, “it seems I owe you an apology twice over now.”

When he stepped towards me, I backed up a pace, still trying to get a hold on myself. “I didn’t know anyone was out here.”

“I saw your light on my way to bed. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

I swallowed, flustered, but finally remembering my manners. “Your Highness is free to go where he pleases. I’d never assume to tell you otherwise.” I bent in a curtsy, but he stepped around the bench to stop me.

“There’s no need for that right now,” he said with a kind smile. “Please, sit.”

Nervous, I did as he bade me, though any respite I’d gotten was thoroughly destroyed. His eyes were a harsh reminder of the fate I’d escaped at the hands of his brother’s giantess, and it was hard not to immediately confess the story to him.

Prince Willem sat beside me on the bench, my little lamp between us. He tilted his head back to look at the sky as I fidgeted with the ends of my shawl. “I’m deeply sorry for my behavior today. I wanted you to know that.”

“It was my fault, Highness,” I murmured. “I shouldn’t have agreed to play for you without much practice.”

He chuckled quietly. “You’re a strange young woman, for sure. Even a new Bard on their first day is far greater a performer than a normal musician would be after a lifetime of practice. It wasn’t that your skill was too little, but that it was too great.”

My ignorance was painfully embarrassing. “I wouldn’t really know. Music wasn’t exactly in abundance for me back home.”

“Then you’ll have to take my word for it, I suppose,” he said. “May I ask you something?”

I frowned. “Do you need permission?”

He released a long sigh. “Yes. I won’t force you to speak with me if you’d rather not. My position grants me many privileges, but it does get old never being called by my name, or having every statement I make seen as an order.”

Despite myself, I giggled a little. “Yes, I’m sure having one’s every desire met by an army of servants is very taxing.” Horrified that my tongue had gotten away from me so quickly, I covered my mouth with a hand, stunned by my behavior. I winced, expecting the worst.

Instead, he laughed. At first, I wasn’t sure of it, but when I looked at him, his eyes glittered with mirth, his mouth turned up in a grin. “Much better than a patronizing statement of sympathy. I prefer honesty any day.”

I ducked into my shoulders. “Well, honesty is about as rare a thing as kindness these days. I try to spare both where I can.”

“Hmm…” He murmured, his expression darkening. “Unfortunately, after what I’ve seen the past few weeks, I’m inclined to agree with you.”

“Sire?”

Prince Willem stretched and rolled his neck. “I was sent on a goodwill mission of sorts. It was my job to travel around the kingdom, lifting morale and such. It started out well enough, but the longer I’ve been away, the more I’ve seen how hard my father’s war with the giants has been on the people. There’s more wrong than a smile and wave from me could ever fix.”

It was terrible of me, but I couldn’t help thinking that a smile and wave from him would do quite a lot to cheer me up. I discarded the ridiculous notion and looked away. Sure as I was breathing, it was certain I was blushing again.

“The war will end someday, Highness,” I said, hoping to change the subject soon. Even as I said it, the urge to confess his brother’s location rose up louder than before. But I couldn’t get involved with that yet, if ever. I had a mission, and, besides, why would anyone believe my story about a giant beanstalk and a castle in the clouds?

“You’re right, of course,” he said. “I only wonder if the cost of it will outweigh any benefit that might come from winning. Fighting the giants is a fool’s errand, but when the fool who gives the orders is king, there’s little anyone can do otherwise.”

I shrugged. “Cleverness is underestimated, Highness. There’s always a way. Sometimes, it takes a new point of view to see it, is all.”

“And I suppose you have such a solution?” he asked, his smug tone entirely too similar to his brother’s.

The comparison soured my mood. “I never said I was clever.”

“But you admit to being honest and kind.”

“You make me sound conceited,” I said with a scowl. “I said I try to be. I’m far from perfect.”

He tilted his head to the side, thoughtful. “I’m beginning to doubt that.”

I straightened, startled by his comment. “What?”

“I happen to be an excellent judge of character,” he said. “I’m very hard to fool.”

“You seemed of a mind to dislike me greatly earlier today.” When his smile melted away, I wished I could take back my words. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said—”

“It wasn’t you,” Willem said. “The song you played, it was a little… Much for me. You performed it beautifully, and I recognize the difficulty of that piece, but I wasn’t ready for it. I apologize again for leaving that way. I’ll see the mayor doesn’t give you trouble over it.”

An uneasy silence descended over us, broken only by the soft chirp of crickets in the garden. I needed to say something, but didn’t know where to begin without bringing up a topic I’d rather not discuss. The song struck him so powerfully because of his missing brother, of that I was certain, and I feared that speaking of him might entangle me in the situation to a point I’d be unable to escape it.

But as I watched him staring at the shadows of the courtyard, it was plain to see that he needed a friend. Lord DeBauch might be his companion, but he might not be someone the prince could confide in about the matter. Whatever their relationship, the other man wasn’t there. I was.

“May I ask…” I began, immediately second-guessing myself.

“Do you need my permission?”

His attempt at humor was a poor diversion, and I firmed up my resolve. “You’re free to ignore the question, of course, but if you value honesty, I’d hear your answer.”

“Ask what you will, Jack.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped. “I… What did you call me?”

He blinked a few times before it dawned on him what I meant. “I… Well. That’s a funny thing, isn’t it? My apologies, I didn’t mean to—”

I held up a hand to stop him. “It’s fine, I just… No one here knows me by that name. Why would you?” My unsettling feelings returned. How I was certain, I couldn’t say, but this man knew me. It was in his eyes, and prickled my skin with goosebumps.

I stood, trying not to look as frightened as I felt. “It’s late. I really should rest. The Mayor will be expecting me to play again tomorrow, I’m sure, and I owe him one more day on my promise.” Turning, I tried to make my escape, but he caught my hand.

“Jack, please, you don’t have to go.”

I swallowed and tried to relax. “You should sleep, too, Sire.”

“You may call me Will.”

Insistent, I pulled my hand away. “I think that would be a very bad idea, though the offer is noted.” Picking up my lamp, I headed for the house. “Good night, Your Highness.”

Once I’d closed the door behind me, I all but ran back up to my room. After setting the latch, I blew out the light and crawled deep under the covers. I wasn’t sure of much in life, but I couldn’t shake the feeling, beyond all reason, that Prince Willem was a problem for me.

I had one day left to figure out why.

Chapter 11

I was awoken with breakfast in bed and told to hurry. No sooner had I finished the meal than the three women were back again, fluttering around me like a pack of butterflies as they readied me for the day’s activities.

The reason for my early morning was to entertain the mayor and his guests over breakfast, this time playing quietly to the side while they held their conversations. It suited me much better than the previous day’s situation, but upon arriving in the dining room, I was informed I’d be performing at a grand party to be held that evening at the town gathering hall, which pleased me much less.