Ring of Dreams

Getting to Know You

"So what happened?" Jane cocked her head to the side, regarding Edward curiously across the campfire. She had found out what that funny metal box was for after all when he pulled out one almost exactly like hers. He'd showed her how to hook the metal "C" around her fingers and strike it against the stone until it threw off sparks - that part had been easy. Much harder had been convincing those sparks to catch on anything. She'd refused to give up, though, trying over and over again until full darkness had fallen and Edward had lifted the flint and steel - since that's what they were - out of her hands with a gentle apology and lighted the fire by feel in a matter of seconds. Jane tried not to resent that.

Edward took a moment to realize that he had been addressed. He was staring into the fire as though he did not really see it, his legs tucked up under his chin with his arms wrapped around them. He'd refused to let her give his cloak back, even when the temperature dropped and a chill wind blew through the trees. Finally the sound of her voice must have processed through and he blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said, what happened?" Jane repeated. "What happened that has you running to the borders with assassins on your tail?"

He straightened, and Jane thought he looked a bit insulted. "You mean to say you have not heard?"

"Heard what?" Jane asked. He still stared at her, and she shrugged uncomfortably, angry again that he seemed to expect something from her that she could not provide. "I'm not from around here."

"It began when my father died," he said. His eyes had gone distant again. 

"Oh," Jane said, "I'm so sorry." She meant it. What do you say to that? The silence stretched out painfully, and she groped for something to break it. "When did it happen?" 

"About three weeks ago."

"Geez! I - I'm sorry. I didn't know." Now she felt like a jerk. She searched desperately for another topic, one that wouldn't rip open any fresh wounds, and she blurted out almost the first question that sprang to mind. "How did he die?" She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Good one, Jane, she thought. Real smooth.

"He was poisoned," Edward said, his eyes glinting in the firelight as Jane gasped, horrified. "Poisoned by his brother, my uncle, for the sake of his throne." He paused dramatically, seeming perversely satisfied by Jane's rapt attention. "Of course, no one knew that at the time. We thought it was tragic, that he had died in his sleep. It wasn't until later that my man Alwyn heard that one of the maids had slipped a dose of what she thought was medicine into my father's wine at my uncle's behest. The court physician re-examined my father's body, and he found the telltale signs of poison. We planned to bring the maid before the council and have my uncle executed for treason, but she vanished that same day. I fear that she is dead, and now there is no way to prove my uncle's guilt."

"Well, you know he's guilty - can't you do something about it anyway?" Jane asked. "Aren't you the new king now? You said you were the heir to the throne."

Edward looked chagrined. "I cannot take such direct action against someone so high ranking, especially not until I reach my majority and am confirmed in the full powers of my position. My eighteenth birthday is not for three months - which will give him plenty of time to find some way to be rid of me, I assure you. With me out of the way, there is no one left to stand between him and the throne."

Jane suddenly felt as interested in the fire as Edward seemed to be - and no wonder. It crackled and leapt, burning merrily, unburdened by fear or doubt. Talk about a hard situation, Jane thought. Your uncle murders your dad, but you have no proof. And if you wait until you can do something about it, he'll probably find a way to murder you, too. "Hang on," she said, struck by a sudden thought. "Why didn't you just tell the council what you found out? You said the doctor - I mean, physician - said he was poisoned. Even without the witness, that should be enough to throw suspicion on him."