Castle Butavia

Castle Butavia- 4

Chapter 4

     Ember awoke in a cold sweat and trembling his vision blurry.  It had been so real. The intensity of the dream seemed to be increasing with the reaction he had experienced outside. He still couldn't remember what it was but the feeling was familiar. It had been so long ago....

The clanking of metal distacted him. A guard, perhaps, but he hadn't seen any that had been stationed in any of the halls. He listened to the noise for a moment then decided to ignore it until the noise stopped just outside his door. He quietly removed the knife he had snuck into the castle from its sheath and slipped out of bed toward the door. He waited for a moment, the knife poised in his hand then pulled the door open to reveal a young man with his hand up and about to knock. Ember's experienced eyes told him this boy was not a threat. If it had been the castle guard Ember would have been prepared for whatever happened, so he hid the knife behind the door out of sight.

     The young man looked startled for a moment at finding a stranger here in this room as it was the room that Count D'ufrin usually stayed in on his visits of business to the castle. He rean his hand through his hair nervously then stepped back. He looked Ember in the face and didn't waver as he said, "I am most sorry,good sir. I thought this was the Count's room as he usually takes this one when he's here."

     Ember studied the young man without speaking for a moment then began to close the door as he said, "You will find the Count's room down the hall."

      The young man spoke up again before Ember could shut the door.  "I'm sorry but could I trouble you instead. The Count can be irritable when awakened. Do you think you can help me? Everyone is so busy getting things ready and I'm afraid my valet got put to work by my sister so I have no one to help me remove my armor."

      Ember looked at the boy again studying him. He guessed that he wasn't more than fourteen by the look of him, shocking, red hair and freckles on a youthful, innocent face. He remembered another such. The memory of another young boy, with eyes full of the enthusiasm of youth. In that moment the eyes he saw were not that of the young man but of his brother. He shook his head to clear it and saw the dissapointment on the boy's face as he misunderstood the gesture.

      "I'll help. What do you need me to do?"

      The boy's face lit up and he smiled, "Thanks, my name is Frederic, Prince Frederic, you must be new here if you didn't know me. So, what's your name?

      Ember almost gave his real name then remembered the role he was to play. "My name is.." He realized suddenly that the Count had never told him what his name was supposed to be so he gave himself one and made a mental note to mention this to his "possible yet dubious" employer. "My name is Walen of the house of Raven, the Count is my uncle."

      "Your uncle! That's even better then you may serve me in his stead, Lord Walen. I never knew he had a nephew. He's never mentioned one before. I guess he thinks that I'm not important enough to know anything. But that's all right, everyone else thinks so too"

      As young Prince Frederic continued to talk the two of them traveled down the corridor towards Frederic's room. They came to door in the middle of the corridor and the Prince entered motioning his newfound friend, Walen, into the room.

      As Ember (a.k.a. Walen) helped to remove the prince's armor. The Prince continued to talk and ask questions.

  "So, when did you arrive? Have you been out of the country for very long? What's it like in the desert where you have been?  You know, I have never really been anywhere. I would so love to travel some day. Maybe on one of the ships that come in to trade with our kingdom."