The Four Swords

Chapter 139: Carrion’s Big Day

The day of the Swordsmen ceremony finally dawned. Most of the city planned to attend either the processional in the streets or the actual ceremony.

I walked down the steps of Benate's home to the city square. To my surprise, I found it covered in green decorative bunting. It probably went up at the urging of Benate's downstairs neighbor. The more festive the shop, the better business.

I met Princess Alina inside her chambers. For once her companions did not beat me to her. Alina welcomed me into her parlor as she continued to put the finishing touches on her appearance.

Her maids had outdone themselves. She was visually stunning and I cannot imagine why she insisted on fussing even more with a stray curl.

While waiting for her to finish, I found myself giving into my curiosity.

"Hopefully this is not too forward, but did everything get settled yesterday, Your Highness?" I asked half expecting a vague answer.

"Yes. Thank you. Family matters are always complicated." Princess Alina offered back.

"Family matters, huh? I thought it wasn't just the sewing." I said mostly to myself.

"No. Certainly not." Alina looked both ways before sharing as if she expected her companions to appear.

"Calista is generally a very guarded person. She had been asked to accompany her brother today for the ceremony, but felt she was torn between loyalty to her father or loyalty to her brother."

"Ah. I see. Family matters are indeed complicated. Might I ask what she decided?" I pushed my luck. Generally I had no interest in matters of court. Babysitting must've softened me.

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Before Princess Alina could respond, there was a knock at the door. I answered it and found a very elegantly dressed Lady Calista.

More often than not, I saw the young lady in pants and loose blouses. Today her court-bound dress was fancy enough to have a small train.

The elegant yet flustered young lady pushed past me. She looked frenzied.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Calista ranted as she paced the room in front of her friend.

"Having second thoughts?" Alina smiled at her friend as she pushed her crown further into place.

"More like seventy-second thoughts," Calista unceremoniously plopped into a chair.

"It will all turn out alright. What is the worst that can happen? You start a civil war?" Alina said with a light laugh.

Cali looked at Alina with a stone faced expression. "My father said I looked like my mother as I walked out of the house this morning. How am I supposed to take that?"

Princess Alina stopped in the middle of her primping to look toward Lady Calista.

"I promise. It will be okay. You will escort your brother today. It'll be an adjustment, but your father will find a new normal." The princess looked at the noblewoman with a sincere expression before cracking a smile. "You can always come live here."

Lady Calista stood up and threw a pillow at her friend. "Yea. That will solve everything."

As if on cue, another knock tapped on the door.

"Princess Alina? Are you ready?" I heard Lord Jacobson from the other side of the door. He must have been using formal titles for the benefit of the guards outside the door.

"Everyone is decent. Come on in, Jack!" Princess Alina called.

The door swung open. To my suprise, Lord Jacobson was not the only one to walk through the door. Sir Carrion walked in almost in lock step with the youngest Swordsman.

"I thought I might find my sister here," Sir Carrion said with an irksome expression. "It is almost time for us to line up, dear twin."

Cali straightened her posture to match her twin. If I did not know any better, I would have thought that only this room miraculously just entered winter all on its own. The coolness between the twins almost made my breath fog.

"Let us all go to the staging room, I'm sure my mother will be waiting." Alina suggested, in an attempt to save Cali from her own brother's frigid demeanor. I would think becoming a Swordsman would be a very exciting day.

"I think that is a marvelous idea. Sir Carrion, would you mind leading the way?" I added. I was trying to make sure I had an eye on all my charges. It dawned on me that Alina was my only official charge, but I still feel like her well being improved when I could see them all.

With all my ducklings in a row, we proceeded down the hall. If children are always this much work, mothers should definitely be celebrated more often.

–

The Swordsmen ceremony went on without a problem. Lord Bleddyn stood at the front of the hall and handed off the Sword of Canidae without so much as a sneer. Even if that family was far from cohesive, they at least could put on a brave front for the public.

I had never had the pleasure of attending a ceremony where the predecessor Swordsman was able to hand down the title. I wish my own father could have been there for my own ceremony. Carrion would never know how lucky he really was.

The reception that followed felt like Princess Alina and myself had not moved since Lord Jacobson's recent ceremony. I once again longed to be anywhere but where I was.

"Does this feel familiar to you too, Lord Holden?" Princess Alina asked after she moved for us to stand in almost the same place in the hall that we had the last time.

"All too familiar, Your Highness," I responded. "Maybe we could wait for a while before we repeat the ritual."

"I would prefer that too. Please take care of yourself so that we can see each other for it." Alina beamed at her own joke as she took a sip from her glass.

"Maybe this time I can protect you from any potential suitors from expressing their well intended but unwarranted intentions of marriage, Princess," I laughed lightly, not completely aware of who was around me.

"Excuse me, Lord Holden. Do you have a moment?" I hear a familiar voice ask.