An Affair of Dishonor

Edmund and Gabriel, brother princes of House Errol, sat in the Candied Grove on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Shereen. Trees of red apple, green pear, orange and yellow peach, and purple plum hung over them.

Gabriel plucked a glistening apple from the tree and tossed it to Edmund who was seated on the edge of the mossy stone well. Edmund caught and turned the apple, inspecting it for worms. He took a bite, the juice ran down his chin.

“And you are certain she is with child?” Gabriel said.

Edmund wiped his mouth with his sleeves then nodded.

“Your child? Knowing she was promised to Maximillian?”

Again Edmund nodded.

“I always took you for a fool, but I had no idea that you wished for death. No wonder people think of me as the elder brother…”

“Shut up, Gabriel. I seek advice, not insults.”

“I see no way this ends without Maximillian’s sword in your ribs or a noose ‘round your neck.”

“Again, not helping.”

Gabriel shrugged.

Edmund sighed.

“After all,” Gabriel said, “Maximillian is a much better swordsman.”

“Enough!” Edmund tossed the apple core into the well, the splash came moments later. “I know my lot. Now, either you can help me or I will figure this out on my own.”

“Fine.” Gabriel sat across from Edmund. “You should insult Maximillian, challenge him to a duel and try to win, so as to preserve the honor of dear Elspeth. Then claim her for your own—”

“She is no prize to be won, she is a woman with—”

“That’s all very well. Whatever you think her to be, she must be protected if you truly care.”

“Of course I do, it is why I sought your advice.”

“She must be put before your life, before your ego.”

“I do not wish to die.”

“Foresight can avoid that. You should try it in the future if indeed there is one for you.”

Edmund snatched a pear from the branch above and pitched it at his brother’s head. Gabriel dodged and put a hand up, the fruit slapped his palm as he closed his fingers around it. Gabriel winked at his brother then took a bite.

“You must be less predictable if you are to defeat Maximillian in an affair of honor.”

Edmund tore a branch from the nearest tree, then practiced his sword stance. “Not to worry, I will be ready,” he said.

“You will need a second.”

Edmund looked to his brother with expectation.

“You would make me witness my own brother’s death? Very well.”

Edmund reassumed his sword stance. “Thank you, Gabriel.”

“I swear you’ll be the end of this house,” Gabriel said, then took another bite of his pear.

———————

Elspeth stared into her grandiose, ornate silver mirror as her short, thin fingers fidgeted with the frill of her midnight blue gown, the movement caused the white gemstones to shimmer like a sky full of stars in her candlelit chambers.

In a whisper, Elspeth said, “Do you think it will work?”

The man behind the burgundy satin curtain peeked, his green eye reflected the room’s candlelight.

“There is no one here,” Elspeth said. “Though I would prefer we keep quiet in case someone listens outside the door.”

He whispered in response. “I do. So long as Maximillian takes the bait, I see no reason why it should not. Edmund believes you to be with child?”

Elspeth nodded.

“Once this affair is over then we can be together,” the man said.

“Yes, then no one else will be in our way. But you must go now, I think hear someone approach.”

“Goodbye, my love,” the man said. The curtain rippled and he disappeared into the night.

Elspeth checked the window to ensure he was gone. “You can come out now,” she said. Her chambermaid rose from behind the bed. “Here.”

When the chambermaid came close, they kissed.

———————

Maximillian and Jonathan leaned peered through the spacing of the battlements atop Grenningham Castle, seat of House Cavrin. The younger brother, Jonathan, dropped a stone off the edge and waited for the distant thump.

“A fool? And a lousy swordsman. You?” Jonathan said, his countenance that of a man bewildered.

“Yes.”

The side of Jonathan’s mouth twitched, then he let out a deep, hearty laugh.

“Not funny. I have no desire to kill him, but neither can I let this affront stand.”

“He wishes you out of the way so that he can have Elspeth.”

Maximillian picked up a rock and threw it as far as he could. “So I assumed,” he said.

“Our sources have said that he is the second choice suitor for Elspeth, so it would make sense. Get you out of the way and the princess becomes an Errol.”

Maximillian looked toward his brother, venom spewing from his eyes. “I was unaware. I assumed he was having foolish fantasies.” Maximillian looked out at the vast expanse of territory that lay in the shadow of House Cavrin. “Who is their final choice?”

“The other brother. Gabriel.”

“What? Why him? Would it not make sense to choose the firstborn of another house?”

“I believe her parents wish to keep her within three days ride, and since our houses are the only ones within that distance—”

“Whatever. I must put an end to this.”

“You will kill him then?”

“No,” Maximillian said, then pulled out his sword and admired it. “But I will make him such the fool that he will never disparage me again.”

“Good plan, but what if he does not learn his lesson?”

“Only then will he die. I do not fear him. His brother, however, could be troublesome. I will let the fool Edmund remain a buffer between us until the marriage pact is sealed.”

“Wise. Killing two brothers would seem intentional.”

Maximillian placed his sword in its holster. “I will need a second,” he said. “He has named the Candied Grove as the location for the duel, so I will need someone I can trust to ensure that the Errol brothers do not try anything deceitful. I assume Gabriel will be his second.”

“Then I will be yours,” Jonathan said, then took his brother’s hand in his and pulled him into an embrace.

———————

Two men in cowls sat across from each other in a small, rundown pub on the edge of Shereen. Cobwebs adorned the rafters and the ancient wooden beams looked contemporary when compared with the bartender who hobbled around with his peg leg, his voice like a bag made of sandpaper filled with rough stones. He seemed to forget almost every order he was given. It was what the two men needed.

The two cowls, one a light grey, the other cedar, swayed with the turning of their inhabitants' heads. “Clear,” said the man in the gray cowl.

“Then let us be swift. Has all fallen into place on your end?” the man in cedar responded.

“It has. And yours?”

The man in cedar nodded. “How will he kill Maximillian? He does not possess the skill.”

“Poisoned blade. He needs but one cut.”

“Could he manage one cut?”

The man in grey fiddled with his sleeve. “Any assistance would be helpful,” he said.

The man in cedar took a moment to think, then: “When Maximillian depresses his sword shoulder, he usually feigns a torso slash, but comes up and over the shoulder to target the throat. Use this moment to cut him under his arm.”

“Excellent. I will convey the information to Edmund.” The man in the gray cowl lifted his tankard. “To your kingdom.”

“To your woman,” the man in cedar replied, his white smile visible in the cowl’s shadow.

The pewter mugs clinked and the men drank.

———————

Elspeth braided her thick blonde hair by candlelight in her silver mirror while a man's blue eye peeked from a gap in the satin curtain, hungrily taking in the woman before him. The breeze from the open window swept through the room.

“It is done. Tomorrow at the Candied Grove. Noon,” the man said.

“And all will show?” Elspeth said.

“Of that I’m sure.”

She smirked at her reflection. “And then I will be yours.”

“And I yours. But I must go now and prepare the poison.”

She let out a pathetic sigh. “Until tomorrow then?”

“Until tomorrow.” Then he vanished, leaving an undulating curtain in his wake.

———————

The full bloom of the Candied Grove surrounded the four men, colorful fallen fruit scattered like a box of crayons on the ground, with the mossy well at its center.

“It was unwise to insult me,” Maximillian said as he rolled up his sleeves.

“I speak the truth,” Edmund said, his tone unconvincing. With his gloved hand, he polished his foil with the poison-soaked rag. He turned to meet Gabriel’s bright blue eyes and they both nodded. The plan was to use the well as a crutch to avoid blows, to perplex Maximillian, and wait for his weakness to be revealed.

Maximillian chuckled. “You really are a fool. Let us get to it then.”

The duelists stood back to back, took five steps forward, then turned around and assumed stances.

Maximillian awaited a flurry of slices and thrusts from Edmund that never came. He knew him to be an inexperienced swordsman and assumed he would use reckless tactics. They circled each other many times, each step moving them nearer the well.

“Was this your purpose here today? To dance?” Maximillian said with a smirk. “If so, you could have simply asked.”

A streak of sweat trickled down Edmund’s face. He made a thrust at Maximillian, a deflection from his cowardice.

Maximillian parried with a flick as though his foe were a child. He stepped past Edmund and smacked the rear of his neck with his sword, creating a shallow cut that spilled blood down his back.

Edmund pretended to fall toward the well, recovering himself with his free hand. Then he rounded the well, ensuring Maximillian remained on the opposite side. When Maximillian went left, he went right and vice versa.

After a minute of this, Maximillian grunted. “Enough,” he said, then jumped atop the edge of the well, came down on the other side, and began a volley with Edmund. When he lowered his sword shoulder, Edmund took note. Maximillian feigned the slice then lifted his arm. Edmund struck true and his blade sliced the underside of Maximillian’s arm.

Edmund continued avoiding Maximillian until he saw his enemy become unsteady.

“Ah,” Maximillian said. “I see your plan, coward.” He then spoke over his shoulder to his brother. “Poison, Jonathan. But no matter.” He made a quick thrust toward Edmund, countered his riposte, and jabbed his sword between his ribs. “Child’s play,” he said, before falling to the floor. Red foam leaked from his mouth, his breathing ceased.

Gabriel approached Jonathan with his hand outstretched. Jonathan took Gabriel’s hand in his. Gabriel’s blue eyes met Jonathan’s green and they smiled.

“Now that Elspeth and House Errol are to be mine, I must ask what you plan to do once Grenningham is yours?” Gabriel said.

“You mean once Grenningham and Elspeth are mine?” Jonathan replied as he thrust the hidden dagger in his sleeve into Gabriel’s heart.

Jonathan dumped the three bodies in the well and sat upon its edge. The trees rustled. When he looked, Elspeth stood before him disguised as a commoner, though her elegant blond hair and pristine skin screamed of royalty.

“You are here. Why?” Jonathan asked.

“I needed to see that it was done. To ease my anxious mind.” She sat beside him on the lip of the well. “Now you are the only prince within three days ride.”

He smiled.

“But,” she reached for her braid. “Oh—”

“Oh? What’s wrong?”

“Oh,” she grinned, “how women's wombs deceive better than the lips of men.” She removed the dagger from her braid and sliced Jonathan’s throat, then pushed him into the well.

From then on, a man’s lips never touched Elspeth’s again.