I was sitting at the loom a few weeks after Agalia had gone back to sleep when the news came. I was supposed to sit in the main parlor for an hour each afternoon listening to the ladies here. Each day, while I carefully tie little pieces of yarn to the threads that are woven onto the loom, I listen to the conversation of ladies rarely saying what they mean. The conversation was usually centered around a person not in attendance and usually wasn’t nice. One of their favorite conversations was about a Lady Edwina that seemed to have just gotten caught in a “compromising position” with a young lord and they had both left court shortly after but separately. As much as every lady here said they would never get caught in such a position, and with such a man! He would never do the right thing and marry the fool. As much as they went on and on, I sensed most of them would have loved to be the girl. Apparently the lord had a fine title and even better looks and was rumored to be magnificent in bed. However, for some unknown reason he had not visited any lady’s bed for many months until they found him in her nearly naked arms in a parlor somewhere. Many of the lady’s would have loved to be in the young man's arms, married or not. Oh the hypocrisy.
They had just started on her again when Lady Stelton rushed in breathless to inform everyone that a unicorn had been sighted in a village just outside the Black Forest and the King himself was riding out to confirm it. Immediately most of the ladies started collecting their stuff, talking about how their husbands would want to join him and they must prepare for the journey. Quickly the ladies filed out leaving just me, my companion for the day, Countess Belsty, and the king’s niece and her companion. As both of us were wards of the king, we had no husbands to demand we travel with the king’s party so there was no point in hurrying. We finished our hour in near silence before tidying our belongings and parting ways for whichever was our next appointment. Mine was a ten minute gossip session with Princess Eglantin. I suspected that the only real reason the princess had me sit in there for an hour a day was so I could inform her of all the latest gossip and the truth behind it but I say nothing about that as she is so isolated from all the news and her ladies rarely tell her the truth as they all have their own agendas.
“Well, what did you hear today?”
“All the gossip is the same, My Lady, they were dissecting Lady Edwina again for most of the time they were there. When news came of the unicorn sighting-“
“Unicorn! Oh, what did they say about that?” the princess asked, suddenly excited.
“Supposedly there was a unicorn sighting in a village near the Black Forest and the king has gone to confirm it.”
“Oh, he gets all the fun! I hope Father brings it back here so I may see it.”
“Do not get your hopes up, My Lady. Unicorns never enter the Forest unless in grave danger. If only one came out of a forest to be seen IN a village, something is horribly wrong. Unicorns travel in herds, even the Great Forest cannot separate a herd, only death can and a unicorn that is the last of its herd would never approach a human building, let alone a village. If there is a unicorn in a village, it will be there by force and I would not like to be one of the villagers nor whoever caught it.”
“Why, is a unicorn dangerous?”
“It can be but that is not the problem. A unicorn is protected by the universe. Anyone that possesses one by force is cursed, as are all those around it. If there truly is a unicorn in a village, no matter what spell is on the stars, there will be no village there come morning and the unicorn will be gone.”
“You are sure? Is there no way to see a unicorn?”
“If you wish to see a unicorn, one must go up the mountain in the Great Forest to the pastures they graze in. There you may see one and possibly even touch one without getting cursed but very few have ever ridden a unicorn and survived the week. To make one leave the pasture, a person would need a powerful…spell.”
“You just thought of something, what is it?”
“There is a man, I saw him in a dream, he has control of a powerful sorceress, one that hid the secrets of the stars from us mortals. In my dream he was saying that his first plan to spread havoc did not work but he had others. One would need a sorceress of that power to compel a lone unicorn to leave the pastures.”
“Is Father in danger?”
“Possibly, but not from the unicorn. They were saying the trip would take days there and days back. By then the village will be gone or the unicorn will be a fake.”
“But what about from the man?”
“That I cannot say. The human mind confuses me and I have no clue why a person would want to create havoc but I sense that at the moment the man only wants havoc, that any other plan will come later, if there is one.”
“Well, if he wants to create havoc, it is likely a distraction for something else. I’ll have to tell Rhodri to be vigilant in case this is meant to make the castle vulnerable. With Father, most of the court, and all their guards gone it would be easy to attack the city or palace, especially if Rhodri needed to go somewhere. Oh how I wish my dear Ifan were here to talk things through but he’s been sent to look into a disturbance up north. This isolation is so annoying!”
“Relax, My Lady, it will all be worth it in a few months, you shall see.”
“Oh, I know that, I am just annoyed that I must sit here while everyone else is free to wander. Now go, you have your violin lesson now, I believe, and you should not keep him waiting. I shall be fine doing my stitching. I must work more to have enough for two now. Go,” she said smiling with a wave of her hand.
As I left the room I was met by Countess Cintwod who would take me to my violin master before my dance lesson in the same room. We arrived a few moments early and I sat down to warm up while we waited. When I was done with all the warm up exercises I looked around and found myself alone. The countess had apparently decided to run off and try to flirt more with the man she was trying to turn into a lover and my violin master had not yet shown up, which was strange. However, no one was around. The music room was empty. I set down the violin and stared at the instrument across the room. The pianoforte stood prominently in the corner on a small stage. It was the instrument of choice for the princess and she was rumored the most beautiful player in the land, possibly the world. I had too many ghosts surrounding it to be able to learn it as they wanted. However, no one was around. Maybe I had time to remember, maybe this time I could find that peace that eluded me during lessons… Not really thinking, I stood up and walked to the bench. Sitting down softly, I paused a moment to let that old memory wash over me, a memory of gentleness and love, of softness and innocence. My hands felt the old familiar keys and with my eyes closed I played as the voice from the past praised me.
“Magnificently done, Lady Streya, magnificent,” a male voice said from not too far behind me as the last cords faded from the room.
Instantly I stood and faced the prince, my mouth working of its own accord. “My-my lord I did not realize-I thought I was alone-.” Realizing that I was speaking, I shut my mouth and waited for his anger. In all the months I had been here he had often spoken to me and seemed to want a response and I had never given him one.
“Ah, you do speak and with such an accent. Likely why you do not speak in court. Relax, my lady, I did not mean to surprise you, your violin master is running around trying to go see the unicorn with the rest of the court. I did not want you in here bored stiff. Why is it you did not choose to learn the pianoforte? It is obvious you have a talent for it.”
It was hard for me to speak as the handsome prince dazzled me, but I focused on my accent and forced the words out. “It is hard to learn one way when I also hear a voice from my past training me another way. I choose to learn an instrument with no ghosts to confuse me.”
“True. That is a song that has not been played here in a very long time, a very long time…but you played it magnificently and your accent is nearly perfect when you have the time to think on it. As I said, I apologize for startling you. How are you feeling here?” Something seemed to disturb him when he first spoke but now he seemed to put that thought away and was all composed.
“I am quite happy, it was difficult to adjust but your sister has been a big help and is most kind.”
“So she knows you can speak? Good, she seems quite thrilled with you as well. It is good, she needs company these days and her ladies-in-waiting do little to relieve her boredom. In fact, where is the one that is to be your companion at the moment?”
“Well, um, she was, um-“
“You are not that good at lying are you? I assume the Countess was assigned you and she is off somewhere searching for that man, right? Nevermind. It is likely a good thing she runs off as soon as she is released from my sister. I doubt her company is quite the thing for you. Also, you may prefer some time alone. Eglantin says you are doing quite well on your dancing and should be ready for the ball and the Season it opens. She speaks of you looking for a husband and that she thinks you will likely be promised by the Summer Court.”
“With all due respect, My Lord, you sister has dreams of that, she wishes to hear about all the men who will try to court me and has given me a list of whom is unacceptable and whom is preferred but I have no desire to marry this year. I left the herd as times among the humans are bordering on bringing trouble to the Great Forest. I must stop whatever trouble brews here and will doubtfully have time to look for a life mate any time soon. I allow her to plan as it relieves her boredom but there is no other reason. I am not looking to marry anytime soon.”
“Good, good I do not want you to feel forced to marry anyone. You are welcome to stay here as long as you want, single or otherwise. Ah, here is your dance master. As your music teacher was unavailable, I asked that your dance lesson be moved up some for today. I hope you have no objection. If you will excuse me, I have something to attend to. I pray you have a lovely day.” That said, I curtsied as he turned and walked out of the room before my lesson started. With a mental shake of my head, I turned to the elderly dance master and tried to focus on my lesson.
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