Out of the Faold (Whilst Old Legends Fade Synchronicles) (17 page)

The arrival of Coral, the Marshalls and the girls was met with joy. Uniformed housekeepers and butlers, farm managers and groomsmen waited at the gate. Kel whistled in admiration at the sight of the house, which turned out to be a large columned stone
manor with outer wall and gate.

“I thought your father was a farmer,” one of the men said.

“He is,” she called out and galloped ahead.

Their reception couldn’t have been better. Mother rushed forward for hugs all around, tears streaming down her face. Father shook hands with all the Marshalls thanking them for their dedication to his daughter. The girls were
introduced and treated like
princesses. The household staff was a-buzz getting rooms ready for their stay and a feast was planned for that evening.

Coral was surprised at how aged her parents looked. More lines, more grey. Mother was thinner and Father thicker in the middle.
Sadness
still clouded their eyes.

The girls were brought to a large room with bright sunshine streaming through huge windows, a massive bed to share, and a wardrobe full of dresses preserved from when Coral and Ruby were their age. The windows looked out over the gardens and lake off in the distance. A servant appeared at the door with an invitation to bathe before dinner.

“No one wants to smell like horse for dinner,” Coral called out, ushering all three girl
s to their own waiting servants.

She had missed her home. It had been so long, but seeing the house, the grounds, her parents, made her thankful. The Faold was now behind her. She could be Coral again.

“You two look so worn down,” Father said through his pipe smoke.

Kel nodded. “It has been a long journey. We are thankful for your kind welcome.”

“Of course,” he said. “What’s been happening then? Tell me.”

“We came into it not long ago,” Kel admitted. “Maybe Karl should tell the story.”

“Karl? He calls yo
u Karl?” Father questioned her.

She nodded. Kel looked at her as though it hadn’t occurred to him that she had another name. She’d never mentioned it even after she
’d discarded the Brother robes.

She turned to face him in her seat, held out her hand gently in greeting and said, “My name is Coral Estel Teres Marden.”

Kel looked into the distance and repeated, “Coral Estel…you?”

She nodded and blushed. He stood up and walked to the window to look out on the nothingness of the dark of night.

“He doesn’t know,
”
Kel stated.

“No.”

“
He was angry because he thought you…what a fool.”

“We agree then,” she laughed, finally breathing a sigh of relief after having kept the secret between her and the girls.

“I am confused,” Father said, r
elighting the bowl of his pipe.

“So am I,” Kel laughed.

“Papa, I was sent to get those three darling girls from
Brynntown
to take them to Mount Sestra for training to be Sisters. We had an accident on o
ur j
ourney north leaving us stranded and in danger. The Marshalls came upon us and like the true gentlemen they are, they escorte
d us to safety. T
heir commander offered, upon hearing we were going a further distance, to continue riding with us.

“Along the way we discovered that the
Faold
was behaving strangely and they tried to take the girls from me. We were also blamed for the storms. Did you have them here?”

To his nod she continued, “I will tell you something we haven’t told anyone else because I need you to understand what has happened. I know it will sound strange but
we
…we met with the gods, every one of us, and were given instructions to help the girls and get us all to safety here at home. They explained to us that the
Faold
was corrupt. From that time we’ve had the Sisters trying to take the girls.”

“Why do they want them?”

“They have bright futures we must secure. They are special.”

“All children are special and have bright
futures
. Why these three? How do the Sisters know?

“We don’t know,” Kel answered.

“This household has never been the most faithful in regard to the gods…”

“Yes, papa, and I was never the most devout Brother either. But when I faced the nine gods and they spoke to me I became a believer and nothing can convince me otherwise. But we must not follow the
Faold
. They crave power, they have strayed.”

He nodded then told them, “You can stay here as long as you want. But there is something I need to tell you. I heard you were coming home so I didn’t send a message.”

“What is it?”

Fath
er hesitated and looked at Kel.

“Would you like me to go?” Kel asked. “Is it private?”

“Do you have intentions toward my daughter?” he asked Kel.

“Papa?” Coral asked in surprise. “What are you saying?”

“It was Ruby…Ruby’s duty to be married soon. And now that she’s gone those duties have passed to you.” He looked so sad and guilty it broke Coral’s heart. Her eyes started to
tear up, which made it worse. H
er Father
now
believed she was upset. “If there is something between
you, you must give it up now.
I can’t bear to see another daughter suffer.”

Coral jumped up and hugged him with lau
ghter and kisses on his cheeks.

“There is no suffering here,” she to
ld him. “Kel is my good friend. T
hat is all.”

“I have had word from the King that he expects the wedding to be soon, within the fortnight.
You will
want to rest after your journey?
I will try to delay if you’d like. The fellow, Amias Natan Filbar Doran, as I’m told is on duty for the King and has also been away. When he returns the
King will notify me and Mr. Doran will come for you.”

“Won’t that be a surprise,” Coral laughed and Kel chuckled.

“Pardon?” her father asked, looking from Kel to Coral as they seemed to share a private joke.

“I am familiar with Mr. Doran already, Father. And I believe we should call him Captain Doran.”

“You know him?” her father questioned in great surprise.

Kel lit his own pipe and sat back. “He is my commanding officer. He rode with us the entire trip until recently.”

“So you’ve met! The King assures me he is a good man. I wouldn’t have agreed if I thought Ruby…er…you were in poor hands.”

Coral smiled gently and told him, “He’s a good man, Papa. I am happy.”

He breathed a huge sigh of relief. “I wasn’t sure how I’d tell you.
Your mother has been preparing everything. We just await his arrival now.”

“He left us not long ago,” she told him. “He was going to the King then his home. His father had the fever. I wouldn’t expect him soon.”

He nodded and contemplated through his pipe smoke. Kel did the same. Coral tried to calculate days when he could arrive. She had no way to know how he would react when he saw she was the one. Would he still be angry with her? Would he blame her for not telling him when she first learned the truth? Would he actually be pleased and they would laugh about it when they were alone in the dark and privacy of their wedding night?
She feared yet also longed for that first understanding loo
k that would pass between them.

Within two weeks of their arrival the Marshalls rode off to report to the King and take a well-earned rest from the road. Kel promised to come back when he was able, at the protest of Coral, who felt he shouldn’t feel obligated to. He insisted. Pat remained behind as the Siri w
ere expected to
come for Krisa within the week.

The girl seemed excited to go but Coral often caught her staring at her and then would look sad. She told Krisa often it was ok to miss them but they would see her soon. And she’d learn all about her mother’s people. She could bring them back stories of the forest. Krisa seemed to brighten after those chats but then she’d get down again. They came for Pat and Krisa at the end of the third week. There were tears all around, especially between the three girls and Coral, and they waved for ages as the two left with their Siri escorts. They would be gone several months. Coral prayed for their safety but she knew the gods would keep them safe with the Siri. That’s where she was meant to be right now.

Another t
wo months passed and there was still no sign of Amias. Coral was getting anxious and nervous that he’
d met with bad news or danger but the King had sent messages assuring them the union was still planned but had been delayed. They even got a letter from Captain Doran introducing himself and apologizing for the delay but he’d be arriving soon. His scrawl was confident and it just made her miss him more. She missed his straight back as he rode at the lead of their caravan. She missed him looking ba
ck at her and his smile.

The girls occupied themselves by swimming at the pond, touring the grounds and gardens. Glory and Mother had become fast friends. They served tea together and played cards while Pearl spent more time with the horses, dogs and out in the fields.
Both had lessons with Mother and Coral in reading and working with numbers. Glory complained, feeling it was beneath her but Coral insisted. Even with her resistance they soon found she had taken to it easily. Pearl struggled at first but then soon caught up in both subjects. They started to branch out in their interests so Father’s library wa
s opened up for their pleasure.

Glory was thrilled to find a book of the royal line and scoured it for mention of her father’s family and how they were connected. She’d giggle when she found a name she recognized. Poor Pearl had no idea where or who she’d come from. She didn’t remember parents but had a fantasy of having been the daughter of a sea merchant or pirate or naval officer. She knew her mother
had
probably
been
one of Tucker’s whores,
left to the streets. She could always imagine herself to be anyone she wanted to be, which suited her fine. Her reasoning was, what if she didn’t like her real family at all, at least this way she could always like them bec
ause they were who she created.

Glory and Pearl were not the only ones who took lessons. Coral was forced to withstand hours of instruction from Mother and Glory in the etiquette of being a lady and wife to an important man. They had discussions about duties, hosting parties, hosting dinners and even guests for tea. There were rules, there were expectations and by the end of the first lesson Coral was ready to call off the whole thing in frustration. Amias Doran wouldn’t care if she could fold a napkin properly or pour tea from the left or right. He’d be more concerned if she could
cook a stew over a campfire or oil a saddle properly. She honestly felt she had no use for the lessons but they insisted.

“Ah hah!” her mother called loudly one afternoo
n, rushing into the library,
startling the girls and Coral. She waved a letter and envelope in her hands. It bore the King’s seal. “This is marvelous.”

“What is it?” Glory beamed, recognizing the seal.

“We have been invited to see the King!” she declared
. All three of them gasped. “This is what it says, ‘
His Highness King
Fredrick
Pol Stener Curden requests
the
presence
of the Ladies of Marden Manor
on the 18
th
day in the
month of Decat
.
You shall be escorte
d by Sergeant Kel Ced Wonj Renfrey
of His Royal Marshalls upon his arrival at your residence on the 15
th
day in the month of Decat
.”

“Oh, Kel is coming!” Glory cheered. “And we are to see the King!”

“This must be a formal engagement,” Mother said. “If so, Captain Doran will be there.”

With that statement butterflies and then nausea swept through Coral’s insides.
She sat down slowly, her thoughts whirling about. “We don’t have much time.”

“It will be good to see the Captain again,” Pearl said. “I miss riding with him.”

“And he’s the most handsome man in the land,
isn’t he, Coral?” Glory asked.

Her mother lifted her eyebrow at Coral, silently asking if this were true. She blushed a deep red, she was sure, and her mother laughed. “It is p
roper to admire your husband-to-
be when you meet him, but to find him handsome is even better.”

T
he ladies giggled.

Kel arrived on the day expected, all smiles and hugs for the girls. He kissed Coral and her mother on the cheeks and gave a hearty handshake to her father. He balked at the wagon of chests containing dresses and other items the ladies would
need for their visit to court.