Chapter 5

As Fyre was gently carried within, Lady Majyk turned her attention to the three men in Valaris�?uniforms who stood in the courtyard. "Bekon, who are these men? Why haven’t they been disarmed?"

"As to that, dear Lady, these men are at your service if you’ll have them. As such, the arms they bear are yours as well."

She straightened and walked toward the three as they gazed around themselves in wonder. Laid aside for the moment was the warm folksiness with which she generally welcomed both nobles and townsmen. The Majyk who faced the newcomers was every inch The Queen. "Is this true? You, who wear the livery of my enemy, have you come to offer fealty?"

The two younger men silently dropped to their knees. Only the oldster remained standing, cap rolling nervously between his hands as he bowed. "Beggin�?yer Majesty’s pardon," he said softly, "I ne’er dreamed of a day I’d stand afore the Ruler o�?Chalandor. Us in th�?Briarwoods has our own courtesies, but I don�?reckon they’ll much impress roy’lty." He swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Yer Majesty, Majyk of Chalandor, I, William Garnet of Briarwood, called the Gaffer, do pledge unto ye my service, my life, my force of arms and all resources at my dispos’l, so long as I live an�?breathe."

Slowly, Lady Majyk advanced, and took the old man’s offered hands between both of hers. "William Garnet, I, Majyk of Chalandor, do accept thy pledge of fealty. As thou keep faith with me, thou keepest it with The Goddess and all of Chalandor. I will likewise protect thy holdings and all that thou holdest in trust, with the strength of my magical Gifts and the power of my rule, to the best of my ability, so long as I reign in Chalandor."

As she intoned the ancient litany, a shimmer rippled through the air in the courtyard. At the same time, she felt an answering ripple within her inner self. By the look on the Gaffer’s face, he felt it, too. Castle Chalandor may not have awakened fully, but she was definitely stirring. Vows made within her would be binding.

Slowly, the larger of the two young soldiers rose to his feet. He looked even more nervous than Gaffer Will; his broad shoulders hunched, head hanging, clearing his throat self-consciously. Imitating the Gaffer, he stretched his hands, palms touching, toward Lady Majyk. "I, D-derrik C-c-curtis, known as...D-d-d-dirk...."

He struggled through the words of the litany, his face growing red with effort. Surprisingly, he got every word right to the extent that he was able to pronounce them; apparently, he’d managed to memorize the Gaffer’s words after one hearing. Mentally, Lady Majyk applauded the young man’s determination to overrule his handicap and pledge fealty. It must have been tempting to simply stay quietly in the background until called upon. She waited patiently until he was done, then solemnly placed her hands around his and repeated the time-honored words.

Again came the ripples and inner sensations. These vows could not be broken without consequence; perhaps they couldn’t be broken at all. She knew within her heart that these men and all they held dear were hers to take care of and make wise decisions for; under no circumstances could she ever be less than responsible toward them all. It merely deepened her ever-present sense of all that was Chalandor, how precious it was, how deserving of her protection along with that of her fellow magic users. How much she loved it–loved them–all.