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  True Love Can’t Be Hidden

  “A man can hide hatred, scorn, and evil in his heart, but love is not meant to be hidden, it is meant to be given to another.”

  --The Wisdom of Fathers

  When Raven arrived home and was dismounting in the castle courtyard, a summons came from the king to come to his council chamber. Raven sighed but was also glad to be able to put to rest once and for all his father’s suspicions. When Raven entered the council chamber, Edward was already there. The king and Edward both looked up and stopped speaking as Raven entered.

  “Well,” his father said, “what news do you have from the north?”

  Raven cleared his throat and began, “I found no evidence of conspiracy or treason to report. There is no extra marshaling of forces greater than what is needed to protect the pass, and I have every reason to believe the Crestlaws are very loyal to the throne.”

  Before Raven could continue, his father interrupted, “And that is just what they wanted you to see. Why else would they want you to stay an extra day?”

  “They wanted me to stay an extra day,” Raven went on, “because there was more of their dukeship they wanted us to see.”

  “No,” his father interrupted, “they wanted to perhaps see your weaknesses.”

  Raven’s anger burned as he said forcefully; “Father there is no malice with the Crestlaws. Lorriel fell into the pool at the falls and Andrew Crestlaw dove in to save her. The next day we traveled to a spring and Andrew saved me from the clutches of a Twainlar Serpent.”

  Edward shuddered at the mention of a Twainlar Serpent, for that was one creature he could not abide, one that haunted most children’s nightmares.

  The king’s eyebrows raised as well at the mention of the serpent. My premonition was not far from the truth, Mollen thought.

  “As I said,” his father began again, “those are the things that they wanted you to see and believe.”

  Raven could not believe this. His father was totally reinterpreting the facts to mean only what the king wanted to see, “You mean the Crestlaws were somehow responsible for Lorriel falling into the pond at the falls?”

  “It was very convenient that Andrew was there, wasn’t it?”

  Yes, Raven thought, and if he was not she would have drowned.

  “And the serpent,” his father went on, “could have been placed strategically for you to find. And I will bet it was this Crestlaw’s suggestion to go to this spring, am I right?”

  Raven said nothing so his father went on, “This is the very type of carefully crafted deceit we have to be careful of. Now that the Crestlaws have saved both of your lives; who would question their motives or loyalty if a convenient accident happened to one of us.

  “I see,” Raven said slowly. He did see. He saw how his father was willingly blind to any truth or proof he might present. He decided that he would not mention Lorriel’s romantic attraction toward Andrew.

  Raven cleared his throat, and then spoke, “Lorriel has invited Andrew Crestlaw to her birthday celebration.” He did not know how his father would react to this news.

  “Excellent,” Mollen said, “we can see for ourselves what this Crestlaw is up to. You are dismissed,” Mollen said curtly.

  Raven left the council chamber and was walking to his room to change when Lorriel intercepted him and asked what was going on.

  “I’m not fully sure,” Raven said truthfully, “but I would not be telling father that you have cast your eye on Andrew Crestlaw right now.”

  “Cast my eye on Andrew?” Lorriel retorted. “Do you think I would fall for someone so easily?” She tried to say this with a serious face, but it was no use. Her smile cracked and Raven started laughing.

  To this she responded by hitting him on the shoulder and confessing, “If you must know, I do like Andrew very much. I cannot hide anything from you, can I, little brother?”

  “Not the obvious,” said Raven, and with that he received another playful punch to the arm.

  “Why,” Lorriel asked, “will father not listen when Andrew saved both our lives?”

  “I do not know,” said Raven. “But father seems unwilling to listen to logic at present.”

  Lorriel and Raven looked at each other and shook their heads sadly because each knew the truth and character of Andrew Crestlaw. Surely the king would recognize this with some time.

  Raven went back to his room and began to think. Did the king have some ulterior motive for not wishing to believe his son’s report? There must be something that I do not know. That would be the only explanation for father’s behavior.

  Perhaps he should speak to the king of this after his disposition softened.

  Time passed quickly as Lorriel prepared for her birthday celebration. She was busy with the servants, organizing the decorations, going over the guest list, and talking to the head chef about the meals planned. Meanwhile, Raven took a more serious approach to his arms training. It seemed somehow more important and urgent now that his emotional life was tense because of the secret meetings with Edward and his father. Master Fields noticed the change, too, and became more instructional and more encouraging.

  “Ah, Raven, you are here early for your arms training,” Master fields said as Raven entered.

  “Yes, Master Fields, I want to spend as much time as you can spare these next few months on my training.”

  Master Fields eyed Raven carefully, “And what, my boy, has changed your mind so about the arms training you used to hate?”

  “I see now it is necessary, not just for defense or combat, but for discipline and sharpening of the mind.”

  Master Fields was very pleased indeed, for Edward, although the most capable man at arms in the castle, had been taken as far as Master Fields could take him in training. Not because Master Fields had ran out of instruction for Edward, but Edward had decided Master Fields had no more to teach him. Edward viewed the arms exercises as something for conditioning and to keep his skills sharp, but he thought he now knew all there was to know.

  Now, Master Fields thought, young Raven is almost as good as his brother. Although smaller, he could, if he paid close attention to the lessons, surpass his brother some day at arms.

  One thing Master Fields never let anyone know about himself was how good he really was at arms. Although not the young man Edward was, if he plied his craft fully even Edward would lose quickly. Arms was not totally about strength and a smooth swinging sword, but about balance and using your opponent’s energy against him. And above all, never losing your concentration and nerve. Master Fields would give Raven all he wished for in training.

  “Today,” Master Fields remarked, “we will do some things we have not yet done. I guess you would call it advanced arms training. Take this bow Raven. Walk ten paces and shoot me in the heart.”

  Raven picked up the bow with a razor sharp metal tipped arrow, walked the required steps and turned toward Master Fields.

  Raven protested, “Master Fields, you have no shield or armor or anything to stop this arrow.”

  “Just do as you are instructed, Raven,” Master Fields said evenly.

  Raven did not want to lose the only arms teacher he had, so this was a difficult thing to pull back the bow and aim at Master Field’s chest, but he did and let the arrow go smoothly. He half expected the master to dodge or jump out of the way as the arrow sped toward his heart, but he did neither. Instead, Master Fields swept his right arm in a circular motion in time with the arrow’s approach and caught it on its side with a blow that deflected it away from his body, sending it smashing off the wall behind him. Never before had Raven ever seen anything like this. He was stunned.

  Approaching Master Fields he asked, “How did you do that?”

  Master Fields smiled, “I see I have your curiosity, good. I will tell you. A weapon must travel to its source, some faster than others. If you see a weapon approaching like this arrow you can time its approach and deflect it aw
ay, or even catch it in your grasp if your timing is good. Now I will teach you the timing.” Master Fields picked up two blunt poles which were used for spear training and combat, handed one to Raven and also picked up a cloth and handed it to Raven.

  “Tie this around your head as a blindfold.”

  “What!” Raven exclaimed, “I will never be able to see anything this way.”

  Master Fields, in his patient teaching way, simply said. “The eyes are our last line of defense in this kind of training. First you must hear weapons with your ears and sense them. Then your eyes will know where to look and time the weapon’s approach.”

  Raven tied the blindfold on but felt helpless not being able to see.

  “Listen with your ears for the approach of the stick. It will make a sound through the air. Then block it,” Master Fields instructed.

  With that they began, Raven listening with his pole in front of him and Master Fields swinging a wide arch to strike. Raven could hear the swish through the air but at first could not tell where the pole would strike, so these blows would rain down on his hips, legs, and shoulders. They stung when they made contact, which caused Raven to concentrate harder and harder. With a new level of concentration, he began to locate the attacks and block them, a few at first, then more, and finally with efficiency. Master Fields called a halt to the training, and Raven took off his blindfold.

  “I will have quite a few bruises tomorrow as a result of this type of dueling,” Raven said.

  Master Fields smiled and spoke seriously, “I have never seen someone tune in as well or quickly as you, Raven.”

  Raven was happy with the praise Master Fields was giving him.

  “We are not finished yet, young Raven. Put your blindfold back on and stand in front of the throwing background.”

  Raven tied his blindfold on once again in front of the throwing background, a wooden structure which would hold and stop knives, axes, and spears for target practice.

  “Now,” Master Fields said, “I want you to listen as each weapon passes you and identify it. Catalog its sound in your mind, hear it approach, and go past and stick in the background. Then tell me what weapon it is.”

  Raven stood poised, listening as the first weapon came to bear. He recognized the twang of a string, and barely heard the arrow as it passed.

  “Arrow,” Raven shouted out.

  Then he identified others: a spear thrown to his left, an axe that gave the repetitive swish as it spun end over end as it passed. Raven visualized each weapon as it passed, hearing and seeing it move through the air. Then it seemed that as the exercise progressed, things began moving more slowly, as if time was slowing, giving him a chance to intimately listen and contemplate each weapon as it passed. Finally there was a weapon he did not at first recognize. It made little sound, but Raven could hear it rotating end over end quietly. Then there was a light thud as it stuck in the wood.

  “A knife?” Raven asked tentatively.

  “Yes,” Master Fields said, and then told him to remove his blindfold. As Raven did Master Fields, threw a knife directly at him. Raven heard the sound but his eyes had not completely adjusted to the light. But he was able to pick up on the motion. Everything seemed to slow down as Raven focused on the knife spinning in his direction. He stepped sideways and ducked as the knife harmlessly stuck in the wood.

  Master Fields walked over to Raven smiling and said. “Well done. You could not have seen the knife very well because you had just removed your blindfold!”

  “But I did see it somehow,” remarked Raven.

  “Yes you did, but not with your eyes only. Your other senses tuned into the knife and supplied what your eyes lacked in focus. Now if you were to rest for a few hours and try this same knife throw again, you would probably get stabbed.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would it be different?” Raven asked.

  “All the exercises I put you through heightened your senses, put them on full alert, but if you rested awhile, your senses will return to normal and you would probably be stabbed.”

  Raven looked thoughtful and then asked, “How then do I keep my senses alert?”

  Master Fields was just beaming, “Raven, you are learning to ask the right questions. All through the day and every day you must train your senses, heighten them until they are in a natural state of awareness all the time. You can accomplish this with practice.”

  Raven decided he would do this; listen and feel the things around him, footsteps, doors opening, windows closing, the movements of animals, the drawing of a weapon, they all would be categorized for mental visualization and identification. How many sounds, movements, shadows had he taken for granted without giving them a thought. He never would again. Master Fields had opened up a whole new world to him.

  “Now we will continue the training of sword battle, but you must always remember to never flinch or turn away from your opponent,” said Master Fields. “Today I want you to set aside any offense and only defend against the attacks. Even if your opponent is faster than you are you can defend against him, because it takes more movement and time to attack than it does to deflect or block an attack. The defender has the advantage in speed.”

  Master Fields handed Raven a sword and they began. Never before had Raven seen Master Fields so quick and lithe with his attack. Even with his heightened senses from the previous exercises still present, Raven was just barely able to survive. He knew now that Edward was wrong about Master Fields. The master was not just adequate as an arms instructor, he was phenomenal. And if Raven did not pay attention to every twitch of Master Fields, he was going to find a cut on some part of his body. Raven knew he was losing ground. Even though he was deflecting and blocking every move of Master Fields, the moves were getting closer hair by hair. If this continued, they soon would get through. Then it happened. All of a sudden Master Fields stood there with both swords in his hands. When or how he had been disarmed, Raven did not know.

  Master Fields smiled and said, “Great arms training today, Prince Raven, a good workout indeed. We shall see you tomorrow.”

  Raven noticed he did not call him lad and also realized someone was clapping. It was Lorriel from the balcony.

  “Bravo, bravo.” she said as she clapped. “The most excellent sword’s play I have seen in some time.”

  Raven blushed, and spoke, “I was only defending under Master Fields’ attack.”

  What he said was true. He was exhausted but he felt good, especially at the praise of Lorriel.

  “Little bother, after you have refreshed yourself, I would like to speak with you.”

  Raven nodded and bowed to Master Fields and headed for his room to wash and change.

  Later in Lorriel’s study, she asked him to review her guest list for the party. As Raven went over the list, he reached the end but didn’t see any entry for Rebekka Prescott. He began to look over the list again when Lorriel asked him what was the matter. He did not know how quite to begin, for she had promised to invite Rebekka during the trip to the falls, but it was her party and Raven did not want to say anything. Plus he was a little embarrassed. He did not realize he would be so disappointed not to see her name there.

  “Does the list meet your approval?” Lorriel asked Raven.

  “Well,” he stammered not knowing what to do or say. “It might be missing someone.”

  “Who?” Lorriel asked innocently.

  “You mean me,” a voice came from behind them.

  Raven spun around and saw Rebekka Prescott smiling, and Lorriel started to laugh.

  Raven was embarrassed and turned red at his sister’s joke, “Lorriel, you have more fun at my expense.”

  Raven made a mental note that he did not hear the footsteps of Rebekka’s approach. He really needed to tune his senses. He listened as Rebekka came in and made a mental note of her steps.

  Lorriel went on, smiling, “I asked Rebekka to come early and help me with the final arrangements, a
nd I think we need to become better acquainted and perhaps friends.”

  “I agree,” said Rebekka.

  “Well,” Raven said rising, “I will leave you two ladies to the planning and see you, Lady Rebekka, at dinner tonight.” Then he bowed before he exited.

  As he left he heard giggling and laughter. He was still embarrassed. Oh well, now Rebekka Prescott knew that Raven was interested in her. She would have found out anyway. His sister had the most irritating way of meddling in his affairs, and having fun at the same time. She must have told Rebekka of his interest and staged this little show to prove it to her. Nevertheless, he was glad that Rebekka was here. Raven toured the castle before dinner, listening and honing his skills for the feel of every corridor, door, hall and room. To his amazement the more he concentrated, his memory brought back sounds that he had heard but had paid no attention to.

  Supper was a wonderful experience with Rebekka seated at his right hand. She brought a cheer to the table and, unlike Lorriel, engaged in conversations of politics and affairs of the court.

  In fact, King Mollen was quite taken with her and remarked, “It has been a long time since we have had such engaging conversation at our table. You must come and visit Lorriel more often.”

  Raven was impressed, too. She didn’t interrupt or monopolize conversation but joined in naturally with an observation and wisdom that was refreshing.

  He had to smile to himself, was he falling for Rebekka as Lorriel had fallen for Andrew? A lot more than just plants grew in the summer Raven knew, and the real test would be how their relationship continued and developed in the fall.

  After the meal was finished and Raven was passing by his father, Mollen reached out and caught Raven’s arm and whispered in his ear, “Duke Prescott’s daughter is quite the lady, my son. You would do well to pay her mind and treat her special.”

  Raven smiled and was pleased that his father liked Rebekka but was puzzled at the same time.

  “Father,” Raven said in a low tone, “if you like her so well, wouldn’t she be better suited for Edward when he is king?”