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Authors: Joseph Bruchac
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bit of sorrow in the expression that crossed her face?
âAh,â she replied. âFor them it is different.â
And that was all she would say.
CHAPTER SIX
Why Climb the Tree?
WHY CLIMB THE tree when the apple is about to fall into your hand?
That proverb of Fatherâs comes to mind as I consider how things have gone since the arrival of our aggressive guests. Three days have now passed since they marched through our gate.
Why, you might ask, havenât those well-armed interlopers who vastly outnumber us just thrown us into the castle dungeon? Well, weâve never had a dungeon in our castle. Who needs a dungeon when you have no enemies to place in one?
We do have the castle cellars. But no oneâaside from our familyâever goes there. And that space is well filled . . . with other things. True, we might have built some sort of jail aboveground inside the castle walls, but Father thought it much more practical to use the space for a larger stable.
The lack of a dungeon aside, why havenât they just taken over?
After all, force has long been a means of establishing legitimacy in the twelve kingdoms around our tiny and peaceful domain.
Now that Iâve had a little time to ponder things, I think I partly understand why Baron Temny held his men back from attacking us after entering our castle. Though I cannot quite put my finger on it, I sense that the man does not completely trust his own strength. I cannot say why, but something seems missing in him. There is none of the calm certainty in him, for example, that is so much of my brother Paulekâs character. I cannot imagine a battle that Paulek would ever run fromâeven one where defeat seemed certain.
The baron, though, seems reticent to fight. More weasel than lion. Direct conflict is the approach of one whose bravery is greater than his guile and who does not yet trust his own strength. The baron is not a warrior looking forward to combat. Despite the sharp sword he brandished that first day, a straightforward thrust is not the baronâs way.
Sit back, set events into motion that will confuse or discomfit usâsuch as stationing his unruly troops in our courtyard and bewitching my brother. Observe our weaknesses. Then, like a clever predator creeping close and closer, strike when success is certain?
Yes, that may be it.
I still do not understand, however, those words spoken by the princess as she studied whatever she held in her hand. Some sort of amulet, perhaps? What exactly were they close enough to?
And what about Pekloâs remark regarding Temny and Poteshenie growing strong enough? Strong in what way? Physically? Magically? And what would make them stronger? Perhaps merely by being in our castle, by being close enough to something here, they are gaining power the way a tree draws strength from being rooted into fertile earth?
In terms of strength, thereâs no doubt that theyâve found our weak point. It is the easily influenced mind of my besotted brother!
Aside from that first kiss on her extended hand, Paulek has been kept at armâs length by the princess. She and the baron are playing a game with him, giving my brother only brief glimpses of his bride-to-be, a few words to tantalize him.
âWhen we are married, we will always be together, yes?â
A smile, the flutter of her eyelashes, her hand reached out so that her fingertips brush his flushed cheek before she pulls back with what is intended to sound like a modest giggle. Then the ever-present baron whisks her away. Itâs so obvious to me. Canât Paulek see the way Temny is dangling her in front of him as if she were a sweet and Paulek a child being coaxed into doing the bidding of a manipulative adult?
I tried talking to him earlier today.
âBrother, are you sure this betrothal is the right thing?â I began.
In reply he plucked a white, heavily scented handkerchief from his pocket.
âLook, Rashko, the
âAh,â she replied. âFor them it is different.â
And that was all she would say.
CHAPTER SIX
Why Climb the Tree?
WHY CLIMB THE tree when the apple is about to fall into your hand?
That proverb of Fatherâs comes to mind as I consider how things have gone since the arrival of our aggressive guests. Three days have now passed since they marched through our gate.
Why, you might ask, havenât those well-armed interlopers who vastly outnumber us just thrown us into the castle dungeon? Well, weâve never had a dungeon in our castle. Who needs a dungeon when you have no enemies to place in one?
We do have the castle cellars. But no oneâaside from our familyâever goes there. And that space is well filled . . . with other things. True, we might have built some sort of jail aboveground inside the castle walls, but Father thought it much more practical to use the space for a larger stable.
The lack of a dungeon aside, why havenât they just taken over?
After all, force has long been a means of establishing legitimacy in the twelve kingdoms around our tiny and peaceful domain.
Now that Iâve had a little time to ponder things, I think I partly understand why Baron Temny held his men back from attacking us after entering our castle. Though I cannot quite put my finger on it, I sense that the man does not completely trust his own strength. I cannot say why, but something seems missing in him. There is none of the calm certainty in him, for example, that is so much of my brother Paulekâs character. I cannot imagine a battle that Paulek would ever run fromâeven one where defeat seemed certain.
The baron, though, seems reticent to fight. More weasel than lion. Direct conflict is the approach of one whose bravery is greater than his guile and who does not yet trust his own strength. The baron is not a warrior looking forward to combat. Despite the sharp sword he brandished that first day, a straightforward thrust is not the baronâs way.
Sit back, set events into motion that will confuse or discomfit usâsuch as stationing his unruly troops in our courtyard and bewitching my brother. Observe our weaknesses. Then, like a clever predator creeping close and closer, strike when success is certain?
Yes, that may be it.
I still do not understand, however, those words spoken by the princess as she studied whatever she held in her hand. Some sort of amulet, perhaps? What exactly were they close enough to?
And what about Pekloâs remark regarding Temny and Poteshenie growing strong enough? Strong in what way? Physically? Magically? And what would make them stronger? Perhaps merely by being in our castle, by being close enough to something here, they are gaining power the way a tree draws strength from being rooted into fertile earth?
In terms of strength, thereâs no doubt that theyâve found our weak point. It is the easily influenced mind of my besotted brother!
Aside from that first kiss on her extended hand, Paulek has been kept at armâs length by the princess. She and the baron are playing a game with him, giving my brother only brief glimpses of his bride-to-be, a few words to tantalize him.
âWhen we are married, we will always be together, yes?â
A smile, the flutter of her eyelashes, her hand reached out so that her fingertips brush his flushed cheek before she pulls back with what is intended to sound like a modest giggle. Then the ever-present baron whisks her away. Itâs so obvious to me. Canât Paulek see the way Temny is dangling her in front of him as if she were a sweet and Paulek a child being coaxed into doing the bidding of a manipulative adult?
I tried talking to him earlier today.
âBrother, are you sure this betrothal is the right thing?â I began.
In reply he plucked a white, heavily scented handkerchief from his pocket.
âLook, Rashko, the
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