The Second Heir

The Storyteller

Enjoy!!
P.S. The song in this chapter is "The Call" by Regina Spektor. All rights for it are hers.
EDITED 6-25-17

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The next day Emryn spent the greater part of the morning with the healer, a kind old woman named Nelda. Her cottage was larger, compared to others, and sat near Meduseld. She had three rooms: a bathroom, her bedroom, and the healing room, which was the largest. Herbs of all sorts hung from rafters, sat on shelves, and laid in bowls. Emryn had come to replenish her own stock, but was soon roped into helping the other riders who had been injured at Helm's Deep.

What was most disappointing was the lack of athelas. Because it was most notably a weed, many simply pulled it up and fed it to the livestock. Emryn hoped that she wouldn't need it before they could find some.

She left around noon, promising to return later, and went to the stables. She found Gwaeryn happily munching on a bucket of oats, and she smiled.

"Maita, Mellon?" She teased, grabbing a carrot for the mare. She then began brushing her dappled coat, and plaited her mane. She checked her hooves for rocks, inspected her teeth, and when she was satisfied all was well, she left with the intention of taking a nap and getting a snack, though not necessarily in that order.

"Lady Em! Lady Em!" She heard young voices crying out, and she turned to see a pack of small children chasing after her. Freda was leading the group, her little braids flying everywhere.

"Well hello, Freda. What can I help you with?" She asked kindly, though she had an inkling as to what she was going to ask.

"Can you tell us a story Lady Em? Please?" She begged, and the other children nodded in agreement. She noted that the boys were still there as well, and weren't deterred by the last storytelling session, which had featured a host of talking animals and a princess living in a tree.

"Of course! Come over here," Emryn directed them, sitting on the steps of the Golden Hall. She pulled Freda into her lap, and smoothing her braids, she began.

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Once upon a time, there was a great King, who lived in a magnificent castle. The kingdom was very prosperous, and there was feasting every night. The King wasn't happy though, because he had no queen.

One day, the King called for his advisors and told them to go out and find him a suitable bride. They went to every corner of the kingdom, and each returned when they thought they found a good bride.

However, with every bride they brought in, the King grew more discouraged. All of the advisors had brought noble ladies, and though they were very pretty, they were very dull.

One advisor returned, however, with a peasant girl, the daughter of a blacksmith. The King thought she was the most beautiful maiden in the world, but she didn't want to be queen. She wanted to wield a sword and become a fierce warrior.

A festival was to be held that night, for it was Midsummer's Eve. At the festival there was to be a tournament, where all the best knights of the kingdom would challenge each other to win the title as the Head of the Order of the Knights.

The maiden knew that this was her chance to become a warrior, so she snuck out of the castle and went to her father's shop. She found armor that was small enough for her, for she was smaller than most Knights, and a helmet to hide her hair and face. No one wanted a woman to compete, so she had to be very careful. She grabbed her favorite sword and went back to the tournament grounds.