Carack

Carack CH12 p3

Each morning when he got up Gerent longed for the journey to be over as it took him longer each day to shake off the aches he got from sleeping on the ground. At one point Euny left the group to visit a nearby large house and caught up with them later in the day carrying an extra bundle. It was the next evening, after five days of travel, that Euny drew up on the crest of a hill and could point out Chun castle away in front of them and Gring forest off to its left. It was agreed that in the morning they would all go round just off the ridge of the hills to Gring and find a suitable rendezvous point where Meendhu could stay with the horses. Meendhu did not like the fact that he had to wait in the forest, but could not think of any way he would be able to enter the castle without being noticed, not even as a performing bear, so he agreed to stay put.

Near the edge of the forest where the trees grew close together they found a glade where the undergrowth formed a thicket around an unexpected clear patch of grass, which had a small spring at one edge, it was ideal to keep the horses. Euny told Gerent and Brunnstan to unsaddle the ponies and did the same with the grey mare. It took Gerent longer to unload his pony than it took Euny to take off all the bundles from the Fogbow. Gerent felt stiff and cold and could not seem to move very fast, Brunnstan looked at him with concern.

‘Are you well Lordling? You do look a little pale and grey.’

‘It’s just the damp morning air Brunnstan and I always was lazy, mu mother was always telling me.’ He laughed and tried to shrug off the aching tiredness he felt but his own words had only added to his troubles as he thought of home and Hugh.

‘Here,’ Euny thrust a bundle of clothes in front of him, ‘I got these from friends at the hall house we passed yesterday. Put them on, they will be much more in keeping with your being a kitchen boy than the things you are wearing.’ Gerent took the bundle. ‘I have also got a change of clothes and I doubt even you will recognise me once I’ve put them on.’ Euny said and with the remainder of the bundle went behind the trunk of a large pine to change. With a great effort Gerent swapped his clothes for the dirty white smock shirt, baggy trousers and an off white cloth hat that Euny had given him. As he stood looking down at himself he heard Meendhu and Brunnstan gasp at the sound of rustling foliage as Euny stepped back into view. Gerent looked up and saw a girl in a floor length blue dress with white apron coming toward them; she had long, free flowing, straight blonde hair and vaguely familiar dark eyes.

‘Euny?’ said Gerent in surprise.

‘Yes, it is,’ said Euny in a resigned tone, ‘I know, I know! I could really be a girl; this is just a disguise I have used often during my travels but never in my own command before. If we are to succeed, I shall be better able to get around the castle as a servant girl than Captain Euny Carack, who would be saluted at every corner and questioned if out of place. We shall seek situations as kitchen staff, I know the chef and he always needs people because he treats everyone like dirt. I have never seen the same kitchen boy more than twice. It will not be an easy place to work but it will be the best place to access the king’s meals. So be prepare to tolerate some bad treatment Hugh, but I will say it will become hard not to retaliate in some way, I have been tempted before now to stop his beatings by administering one of my own on him, however we shall have to endure. Now Meendhu, you will wait here for us, Brunnstan you had better make yourself invisible. One of us will keep you informed of our progress Meendhu, you have the powder Hugh?’ Gerent nodded, it felt odd, this girl, who wasn’t a girl, giving commands like a seasoned soldier. The three of them set off.

Meendhu whispered to Gerent to take care, and they set off down the hill to the castle. As they went Euny rehearsed Gerent in their story of being a brother and sister, Ulf and Adeliza, looking for work after losing their parents. Euny also told Gerent about some of the people he would meet in the castle, especially Treve Coppinger the heahgerefa, which, Euny explained, meant that he was second only to the king and was the messenger between the people and the king.

I am curious,’ Euny said as they walked, ‘as to how this man has come to such power as he has done so recently and why my king is not seen these days. I had thought it my king’s will, but now, with all that I have seen and heard I do wonder about it. I should have paid more attention to this before I set off on what I thought was the king’s bidding.’

The castle of Chun stood by itself on the side of a small mountain overlooking the foothills and the mountain range that extended southward. The nearest village was set on the opposite side of the valley and looked to Gerent very much as a Swiss village might look, with grass topped houses that sat back into the rising ground and wide green areas where cattle were grazing and the sound of cow bells could be heard every so often on the cool mountain breeze. As expected there were guards mounted at the entrance, who stopped them, but once Euny had sweetly explained, in a very good girlish voice, that they wished to find work, they were directed to the kitchens and so they entered Chun castle.