The Fires of Esus - Ranger's Apprentice

Chapter 6: The King of Celtica

The photo is the King's crown, but add other Celtic symbols all the way around.

The following morning, the Celtic royal dispatch was spotted making their way towards Araluen Castle. Everyone gathered together in the courtyard, in their formal attire, and prepared to greet them.

The closer they got, the more nervous Will felt. He wore his usual clothes, both he and Gilan deciding that functionality would be more important than formality, considering how strange this visit was. He and Gilan stood abreast next to Horace and Cassandra, who were both decked out in their royal finery. Several battalions of soldiers, many of the servants, and other nobles had gathered in the courtyard as well, packing the space full to the brim with bodies to welcome the King.

Alyss stood as head of the Diplomatic Service in place of Lady Pauline, who, along with Halt, was still not there yet. They had both been on what Halt called a 'vacation', but Will and Gilan called it a belated honeymoon. They knew Halt didn't take vacations, not really. But for Pauline, who felt that after his retirement they should celebrate by spending some quality time together, far away from his responsibilities as a Ranger, he couldn't say no. After being gone for a month, they had been called back early because of the arsons. Will was anxious to see him again, a lot had happened since he had been away.

But Will's anxiety was exacerbated further by the odd requests of the Celtic King. He did not know what he wanted, or why he was really coming to Araluen. Why did he not send his information in a letter and done with it? The arrival of this foreign dignitary, along with some fifty Celtic nobles, servants, and who knows who else, put Will on edge. Anything could happen, and he was already trying to think through every possibility to stop things from going wrong.

"Hey, lighten up, it's going to be alright," Gilan whispered sidelong.

Will unclenched his hands from around the hilt of his saxe and shook them to get the blood flowing. "Sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Better loosen up for your interview with the King, he might drill you."

"Don't worry, I've got that under control." He searched the crowd again, double-checking to see if Halt and Pauline had crept in without anyone noticing.

"Halt will be here, don't worry." Gilan patted his shoulder just as the lead horses from the Celtic envoy stepped onto the lowered bridge.

As more and more men streamed into the courtyard, the King was nowhere to be found. A large covered wagon-like construction came rattling down the planks of the bridge, pulled by two horses. It was swathed in rich fabrics, all a deep blue with gold stitching. Once most of the men had stopped moving, a few servants dismounted and walked behind the fabric-covered wagon, and it sounded as though they were speaking to someone.

Is there someone inside the wagon? Will glanced over at Gilan, who raised an eyebrow in response. This was getting stranger by the minute.

The wagon rocked back and forth as the servants continued... whatever it was that they were doing. Finally, another voice was heard, saying, "I'm fine, I can manage." Then the servants scattered away as the King of Celtica came around from behind the wagon.

He wore massive blue velvet robes that trailed on the floor behind him, and he sported tufts of white hair on his temples that was red across the rest of his head. Upon further inspection, it immediately became clear why he hadn't ridden on horseback to travel. He was a tiny man, shorter than Will by several feet. He probably couldn't reach the stirrups when he mounted a horse. His robes hid what were probably some very short legs, maybe even a misshapen body, but it was impossible to tell. He was old, maybe sixty, and his face was very wrinkled and pale. His crown was a leather strap tied around his forehead, with strange symbols branded into the material that Will couldn't make out clearly from so far away.