Valiant Valerie (the Ballad of Valerie of Mor Book 1)

Chapter Seven

Valerie paced her room all that night, trying to come up with some way to prove to the Privy Council that she was just as good as any man. She had Cook send her a meal to her room, which she ate absent-mindedly. She cleaned her sword and armour, despite having spent all day at training making sure their gear was in perfect condition for the graduation ceremony.

Not that I'll be attending now, Valerie thought.

Valerie was pacing again when a maid came in to collect her empty dinner tray. She had done nothing about finding herself a permanent maid yet, not having any events for which to dress up or any real desire to have her privacy invaded quite that often. With a demotion in station, Jeanna had less need for her maids so they often helped Valerie if she needed them.

"Thank you, Penelope," Valerie said as the maid was walking out.

"Not a problem, your highness. If you need anything else, let me know."

Valerie laughed. "Unless you know how to deal with stubborn old men, I think I will be fine for the night, thank you."

Penelope smiled. "Ah. For problems, you will want to see the wizard, your highness," she giggled and left.

Valerie stopped in her tracks.

She knew it was just a saying, 'going off to find the wizard'. But maybe that was just what she needed to do. In the old tales, the wizard would set knights and young men quests to prove their worthiness among their peers. Was that not exactly what she wanted? A way to prove herself to the Privy Council? If she could find the wizard, he would bestow upon her a quest and once she completed it she would be treated the equal of any man in Mor!

She smiled to herself as she packed up whatever she thought she might need. It took her a while. What did one need for a quest? Her sword and amour were a necessity. She packed her armour at the bottom of her pack, fitting shirts and trousers around the pieces so they would not crash and clank so much. She packed her small purse of money. It may have been a lot by some standards, she supposed, but she did not think it was going to last her very long.

Perhaps she could enter some fights at local fairs to supplement her purse? She knew summer was the right time for fairs, but finding them and being there at the right time was going to be tricky. Still, she held out hope she could manage. If only she had some skill with an instrument, like Jonathan, that may have given her more chance of making money.

She knew she would need food as she would have to steer clear of towns close to the castle. Surely not everyone in Mor would have seen her face, but she could not risk anyone recognising her. She would need to be self-sufficient until she crossed Mor's borders at least. She could hunt, but had not had a lot of need for it in the past. She thought it best to sneak to the kitchens on her way out and find what she could there. Even a bag of flour and oats would put her in better stead.

She looked around her room, seeing a lot of things but not much else she would need on the road. She brushed her hand over her trinket box. It held some pieces of jewellery, but not a lot that she cared for and she wondered if she could sell off some items. She had been given so many pieces during her lifetime that they had stopped becoming special and had no sentimental value. There were a few pieces she would never part with – her mother's ring, a bracelet from Edmond, a necklace from her father – so she took those out and put them in the drawer of her vanity table.

She picked up a necklace Jonathan had given her for her twelfth birthday. It was simple in design, a silver chain with a small, silver sword hanging by its hilt. He had given it to her after she had told him her dream of becoming a knight and she had worn it diligently for years. As she got older, other pieces of jewellery were more appropriate for balls and dinners, and she had worn no jewellery while training, so Jonathan's gift had been put away.