The Serpent and the Unicorn: Books I and II

Chapter 8

A little more than a week of hard riding brought them home at last. Thankfully, nothing more exciting than a rainstorm dared interrupt their journey to Astoria, for Tristan needed every moment to regain his composure. So much had happened during his absence that he felt he had been away years instead of months. He wondered what had come of Pallin, the boy must be nearly ready to take his Oath by now, if he wished to do so; hopefully he would be there in time to see it. He also mused upon the fate of the eight bandits he had sent to Astoria. The Lady would have much to say upon his arrival, thought he ruefully, but she was the one who had ordered him into this mess in the first place! He rode into the city in full uniform, save for the fake horn on his mount, he thought the things gaudy, and it would have been gauche to put one on a real unicorn, though Aria was strangely amused at the irony of the idea. He would have preferred to slip in anonymously, but there were certainly spies in the pay of the Order amongst the servants and townsfolk and he could not risk destroying his cover quite yet. As he rode through the vast collection of shops and houses surrounding the walls of the actual city, he received many curious looks from the townsfolk but no one dared speak to him. The unicorn snorted in mirth at their apparent dread while Tristan wondered what awaited him within the city proper.

At the gate entering the city, he was stopped for questioning; the guards were taking no chances after their last encounter with one of the Order's emissaries. The guards who accosted him were both members of the Warrior sect and looked like they could easily handle Tristan alone and unarmed. He dismounted and bowed to both of them, even as they did a double take when they got a closer look at him. The man on the left gasped, "what is the world coming to!"

"Are you a wolf in sheep's clothing or a sheep in wolf's clothing?" smiled the man on the right.

"That you will have to ask the Lady," laughed Tristan, "this is her doing and she is expecting me, though as far as you are concerned, I am simply the Order's Emissary to the Lady and nothing more."

They nodded and allowed him to pass, though one barked after him in mock severity, "I hope you are better behaved than the last Knight of your Order who passed this way." Aria's ears twitched in irritation, she was growing tired of the subterfuge, no matter how much she enjoyed the irony, her delight therein was now enough to sate her indefinitely.

The road climbed steadily towards the castle, many of the people in the street stopped to stare at him in disbelief and even open anger. He stared straight ahead, trying not to feel the heat in those glares. At the castle gates, he had a similar encounter with four more Warriors, but was allowed to pass with only a little hassling, they could not help themselves, it was not often they could indulge in teasing one of the Lady's Messengers. A stable boy ran out to take his mare and Tristan whispered to him, "treat her like she is one of the Brethren's own lad." Aria looked gratefully at him and for once walked quietly away, following the boy. A servant met him, bowed, and asked that Tristan follow, doing so as placidly as the mare, as was ever his wont. They snaked through the corridors and finally came to one of the smaller audience chambers, used by the Lady more informal affairs. Inside, the Lady sat by a window watching the comings and goings in the courtyard below.

"Thank you, Angbar," said she, "you may go." The servant bowed and shut the door behind him, though looking rather horrified that she would confine herself alone with such a personage, he abruptly hid the expression as he vanished. The Lady stood and faced her guest and Tristan bowed low.

They looked at one another for half a minute and then she laughed, "what have I entangled you in my dear boy!" Tristan only shook his head in shared mirth. "Of course, you probably sent me those eight bandits just to get even with me," said she in mock severity. Tristan looked at her aghast for a moment, but then she burst out laughing, "no, I know you would never do such a thing. It was all you could have done in the situation and was quite ingenious actually. It has been long since I have had a chance to talk with a dragon, but now I have spoken with several, and on more than one occasion." She smiled delightedly to herself. "Sit, sit please," she said, taking a seat across from him. There was a pot of tea and several dainty cakes on the table between them, she helped herself and motioned for him to do the same.