King of Crows

Chapter 3

The morning was grey, filled with a deep gloom that covered the palace grounds and the surrounding town. High clouds, white and dreary, blanketed the sky and smothered the early morning sun. Despite the lackluster dawn the sounds of servants reverberated up and down the halls. Daren strode confidently through one of the service passages connecting the palace kitchen to the various halls of the citadel. His new cloak adorned his shoulders and at his belt hung his hunting knife. A leather satchel, stuffed with provisions was slung across his body. He was tempted to breakfast from the provisions but staved off his hunger. Barely.

The package, wrapped and sealed with paper and wax, lay at the bottom. The constant thought of guarding the parcel set his teeth on edge. Daren dodged a group of pages carrying stacks of plates and rounded a corner.

A pretty serving girl, her mouse brown hair made up in a tight braid, passed by carrying a tray of fruit. Daren eyed the platter of ripe apples and licked his lips.

Casually he made eye contact with the girl and smiled, "Good morning, Sophie."

The girl smiled back, brown eyes twinkling in the grey light, "Daren."

As Sophie met his gaze Daren veered closer to the tray and snatched an apple off the tray. Sophie didn't even miss a step.

Daren smiled to himself. He had learned a trick or three while bantering with the local stable boys. A good distraction was all someone needed to divert attention. It usually worked half the time.

"Hey!" Daren glanced over his shoulder to see Sophie stare after him. Her lips pursed in accusation. Daren smiled again and bit into the apple.

Sophie opened her mouth, no doubt ready to release a barrage of abuse, but Daren placed a finger to his lips. With quick fingers he fished a bronze coin from his trouser pocket and tossed it at Sophie.

She caught the coin and smirked while balancing the tray with ease. "Rouge", she whispered, letting the words carry along the corridor.

Daren bowed with a flourish and continued down the hall, nearly missing a collision with a group of scullery maids. He received enough tips from wealthy lords and ladies to allow him to be free with his pocket change. At the moment he was willing to spend anything to satisfy his hunger. He tapped his leg aimlessly, churning out a senseless beat. He moved mechanically through the halls, his mind focused on the parcel and his goal. What events would the road hold for him? He could keep up his care free attitude for so long.

After he passed under a large archway Daren entered a large hall with a vaulted ceiling, its dim interior lit by warm embrasures filled with flickering flames. Smoke gathered against the ceiling, swirling inside beams of dull sunlight before disappearing through open window slits.

Across the hall to Daren's left gleamed a tall archway, the entrance to the west balcony. To his right loomed the great doorway leading into the main courtyard and to his left towered the domed entrance of the throne room. Warily glancing about Daren began to cross the hall. As he strode across the solid stone floor Daren dodged a pack of knights in steel armor wearing the capes of the Whitehall guard. Their silver spurs rattled as they marched in step toward the throne room. Daren munched on his apple, savoring its tart taste and glanced around him, surveying the hustle of the grand entry hall.

Countless courtiers and soldiers garbed in leather jerkins trimmed with blue raced back and forth between the mouths of the many corridors. High on the walls rippled the royal standard of the king, an enormous black griffin with beak open and wings spread covered a rectangular banner of white. The smell of smoldering incense mingled with the fresh morning air. Daren stopped short, avoiding a sprinting soldier.