Niall woke up as his father walked in with a full basin of water. The young boy stretched and hopped out of bed. He washed his face with Liam, and put on the neatest clothes he had after the festival, hiding his locket under them. Liam put chain mail over his tunic and strapped a new sword to his belt.

  “Is that the sword the king lent you?”

  “It is. Hopefully it will help me save the city.” His father said. “Do you have your bag?”

  The young boy grabbed the cloth sack carrying all his possession and hefted it over his shoulder.

  Liam nodded, “Now, let’s take you to church before I leave.”

  “Do I have to?” Niall complained, following his father out of the room. “Why can’t I just stay here?”

  “Because I want you to stay at the church with the Sisters while I’m gone.” Liam said sternly. “And I want you to stay around the church, don’t wander town.”

  “Why not?”

  “I will feel better about leaving, if I know you’re safe.” Liam said as they walked the quiet morning streets.

  “I’m safe in the city. Nobody’s ever been hurt ever.” Niall argued.

  Liam stopped in the middle of the road, and grabbed Niall's shoulders. “Son. Please, just do as I ask. It will bolster my spirits, knowing where you are.” He said, staring into his son’s blue eyes.

  Niall stared back at his father. Finally, he nodded. “Alright, I’ll stay in the church.”

  “Thank you, Niall.”

  Liam let his son’s shoulders go, and started walking once more to the church. It loomed close in the autumn morning light, its tall spire peaking over the other buildings. They turned one last corner and the front gate was before them. There were two Sisters, one much older and the other very young, at the gate seemingly waiting for them. Liam walked his son to through the entrance and stopped before the elderly woman.

  “Liam.” She spoke. “I’m happy to see you.”

  “Young Niall, I’ll take you up the dormitories and we’ll get you a bed and locker to set your things away before morning lessons.” The younger Sister said with a smile. Niall looked to his father, who nodded, before following the woman into the church. Where he usually turned left to class, they went right and up a set of stairs to a longer hallway.

  “Boys are on the right, girls on the left.” The sister said, leading them into a long room. Along the opposite wall were beds in neat order, though some sheets were not as tidy as others. Each bed had a locker at its foot, and the entire room was watched over by a young man sitting idly at a desk.

  “Mr. Murphy, we have a new tenant.”

  “Temporary.” Niall interjected.

  The older boy looked tiredly at Niall. “Sure. Temporary.” He drawled before looking down at the paper on his desk. The sister leaned over to peer at the document as well.

  “Let’s assign you to 14 then. Niall Featherborn, Mr. Murphy.” The boy nodded, grabbing feather and ink jar to write a note. While he did that, the Sister took Niall to the bed. There was a fourteen carved into the wooden frame. She opened the locker and motioned to his stuff. Niall put the bag inside the locker, not bothering to empty it. As soon as the locker was shut, his stomach growled loudly.

  “Ah, you haven’t eaten, I’m sure. The chow hall is on the second level, opposite here. Do you think you can find it? I need to stay and finish some things with Mr. Murphy here.”

  The young boy nodded, “Thank you.” Niall said, turning around and leaving the dorm. The new tenant jogged down the hall, stairs and across the lobby up the new set of stairs he’d been directed to. There were several doors along the hallway at the top, but the nearest one was open, and there were long tables and several kids eating already. He walked in and along the wall until he found a stack of bowls and line of kids waiting to get food. He stepped into it, becoming the last. He got his food and headed to a table to quickly eat the cold porridge. There were only a few berries, and no meat of any kind, like he was used to from the barracks. When Niall was finished, he took the bowl and followed some of the others where they were depositing them.

  The group Niall was following headed down the stairs towards the classrooms, some of the older children split off, but he headed to the room Niall usually went to and saw most of the kids his age already inside. Taking his regular seat near the window, the young boy waited for the class to start. Finally, Sister Deirdre walked through the door and strode to the lectern at the front. She waited a moment for a couple stragglers, and then she began to lecture. Niall only heard a few words here and there, staring at the trees, the falling leaves, and incoming clouds. Something snapped in front of his face. Blinking, he looked up to see Caragh looking at him.

  “Are you alright?”

  “He’s probably at the line by now.” Niall said. Caragh just nodded, and sat back down at her desk.

  “You think he stopped to say to dad?” she asked after a moment.

  Niall smiled. “I bet he did. They’re like brothers. It wouldn't occur to him not too”

  Another moment passed. “Come on, we need to eat.” Caragh broke the silence.

  The young boy stood up and followed his friend out of the classroom, through the hall and up the stairs to the cathedral’s chow hall. They got in line and the kids in front of them turned to see who’d come up behind them. Seamus, who was among the group and in front of Niall, quickly turned away.

  “Are you alright?” Niall asked, trying see why the other boy had looked away so quickly.

  “I’m fine. Leave me alone.” He said, obviously agitated and keeping his back to Niall and Caragh. Following Seamus’ lead, the other kids ignored the two newest in the line. The young boy gave it up, not wanting to cause a problem his first day stuck in the cathedral. The line continued, and finally Seamus and his friends got their porridge, immediately leaving the line and walking to the farthest table, never looking back. Niall and Caragh got their own porridge and took it to a closer spot in the room. It was cold, but he ate it anyway. There was only a single berry, and no meat.

  “I thought you were going to be here earlier?” Caragh asked as she mixed her porridge around.

  “Dad wants me to stay here while he’s gone, so I had to get a bed and dump my stuff off.”

  “It’s not so bad.” She said, starting into her own food. “Foods not as good as the tavern though.”

  Niall laughed at that, finishing his bowl and looking over at his friend.

  “What happened to your hand?” he asked, seeing it was bruised.

  “Seamus’ face.” Caragh said smugly. “Finally found him alone. No one talks to my friend like he did.”

  “Oh, that’s why he wouldn’t look at me.” Niall mused. “Did you get in trouble? We aren’t supposed to fight.”

  “No one saw us. And he’s not going to tell anyone a girl beat him up.” Caragh smiled.

  “Thanks. I hope it doesn’t get you in trouble”

  Caragh finished her food and they took their bowls to clean.

  “What is there to do in the cathedral?” Niall asked. “My dad doesn’t want me to leave.”

  “At all?” Caragh asked. “What about helping Roisin for sweet rolls?”

  Niall just shrugged as they walked down the stairs and into the cathedral. “It’s fine. He’ll be back.”

  “Hey, I found a way to get on the roof.” Caragh said suddenly. “I know we can’t go to the city wall, but we could probably see over it from there.”

  Niall nodded. “Is that safe?”

  “Yeah, it is” Caragh answered as she led him back to the lobby and up the stairs they’d just descended. The duo walked past it, opening a door on the far side to reveal a small set of stairs going yet higher. This took them to the ledge around the dome of the cathedral.

  “This looks kind of dangerous.” Niall commented, cautiously following the girl along the thin walkway. “Don’t the sisters have things for us to do in the afternoon?”

  “It’s fine. The door to the roof isn't far. Now be quiet, we don’t want the sisters to hear us.” Caragh answered, dodging the question. Niall looked down, seeing there weren't any in the cathedral below them. His vision began to blur, and he immediately looked back up at the walls of the dome. Shortly after, Caragh stopped and pushed into the wall, seeming to melt into it. When the boy caught up, he saw a small door hidden in the architecture, and Caragh’s feet climbing up a ladder. He followed her up, and after a short distance, they were through a trap door and on another ledge on the outside of the domes base. The sun was past its high point and slowly heading into the plains beyond the city’s walls.

  “Like the view?” Caragh asked, sitting on the ledge and leaning against the wall.

  Niall stood for a moment and looked over the roofs, the castle being blocked behind the dome but a lot of the city still visible. He could see some of the farmlands beyond the wall, but the line was too far for him to make out.

  “I’ve never seen so far. Even when dad took me to the city wall.” He admitted. “How’d you find this place?”

  “There isn’t a lot to do here after lessons, except chores.” Caragh finally explained. “Play with the other kids, but they aren’t very good at tag or hide and seek, it’s not as fun without you; you’re a great hider and finder, and you don’t go after the same people all the time in tag. So, I’ve been exploring the grounds.”

  “Well, I’m stuck here, so hopefully you don’t get sick of me like the rest.”

  Caragh laughed, and Niall sat down, dangling his feet over the edge.

  They watched the city and the lands beyond the wall, the sun making its way slowly down until it was only a couple finger widths above mountains that protected them. Niall nearly jumped off the ledge when the trap door opened suddenly, a Sister popping her head out.

  “We’ve been looking all over for you two!” she said with a frown. “Niall, you’ve been invited to the castle to have dinner with the king. Get down from here, both of you, it’s dangerous.”

  Caragh rolled her eyes, but followed Niall as they descended the ladder and followed the dark robed Sister along the thin ledge and back down more stairs.

  “Why does the king want to have dinner with me?” Niall asked when they were safely on solid flooring.

  “You’ll have to ask Mother Sinead; she’ll be accompanying you to and from the castle.”

  “Well, aren’t you important.” Caragh said, elbowing Niall's ribs.

  “I’m not!” he argued, frowning at Caragh’s obvious mirth.

  “Do you have any cleaner clothes?” the sister asked, looking back at him.

  “Yes, but I haven’t been able to wash it; our wash day was during the festival.”

  The woman clicked her tongue against her teeth. “Well, we might have something in the basement you can have until your things get washed. Let’s go check before I take you to the Mother.”

  Caragh followed them as they went down to the ground floor and through the chapel. Taking a door opposite the way to the classroom and tucked away behind the altar, they went down another hallway to stairs leading underground. Candles lit the stone steps as they descended a spiral stair case to a long hallway with several doors on either side.

  “What’s down here?”

  “Storage, extra clothes, food for the winter.” The Sister stated. “Come along.”

  She led the two children to a door on the left, which Niall supposed was under the chapel. Inside were several boxes, many without lids and obviously full of clothes. The Sister led them to one on the left and started pulling tunics that looked Niall’s size out. She put several away before finding one in a dark green color similar to her robes and habit.

  “Yes, I think this will do.” She commented, tossing the tunic at Niall. “Now for pants.” Digging through the same pile, she found a pair of plain undyed trousers that were clean. “You might have to roll them up, but that just means they’ll last you a while if you take care of them.” She said, giving him a look.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  “Yes ma’am.” He answered. “Are you giving me these?”

  “Yes, I think so.” She said, handing the pants to the young boy. “Take these upstairs and get changed.”

  Niall nodded, and followed the sister back into the hallway, and up the spiral stair case. The woman split from them, heading towards the administrative hallway, and Caragh finished leading the way up another set-up stairs to a hallway with only two doors.

  “Tell Padraig hi from me.” His friend said. She hugged him, and disappeared back down the stairs. Niall took his clothes and opened the door to the dormitory he’d gone to earlier that day

  “New kid?” a different boy at the desk asked, looking up from his book

  Niall nodded.

  “Niall, right? he asked, “remember where your bed was?”

  “No”

  The boy nodded, pulling the parchment near him. “Bed fourteen.” he stated before going back to the book he was reading.

  Niall carried his new garments to the bed before changing into the new clothes and stuffing the old, dirty, garments into his locker. The new tunic and pants were somewhat loose on him, and he had to roll his legs up a couple times like the Sister said he would.

  Without any other instructions he went back downstairs and sat in a pew in the chapel, below the dome he’d been in earlier. At the head of the room stood a dais where he knew sisters would give talks about a myriad of subjects each week. His father had taken him to them from time to time, but the soldier was never very diligent about it.

  An older Sister, the one who’d spoken to his father, sat next to him. “How are you, young one?” she asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Oh, I shouldn’t think so. I’ve seen many children whose parents have gone on the quest. It’s a difficult thing, and that’s OK.” She said kindly.

  “Maybe I am worried. But he’ll succeed.”

  “I hope so.” She answered. “Are you ready to meet the king?”

  “No, not really. I’m just a guardsman’s son. The future hero’s son, but nothing special.”

  “I wouldn’t say that. And who can know the kings mind, but the king himself. Let’s go, it wouldn’t do to keep him waiting.”

  Niall stood up with the Sister and followed her out the chapel and into the lobby. They were in the courtyard about to leave when the young boy stopped.

  “Isn’t Mother Sinead taking me?”

  The sister turned and smiled. “Why yes. That would be the case. Let me find her for you.”

  She lifted her hands to shield her eyes from the sun and looked around a moment, searching the grounds.

  “Oh wait. I’m Mother Sinead.” She chuckled. “Come along Niall.”

  Flustered at the joke, Niall followed the head of the church into the city.

  “So, what would you like to discuss on the way to the castle?”

  “What is the king like?” Niall started, “do I have to bow when I see him? What other things do I need to do? Are there words I can’t say?”

  “All good questions. I think this is a private dinner, so there won’t be any bowing. I would advise don’t speak unless spoken to. The king likes to talk, and not be interrupted.”

  Niall nodded, taking the information. “Do you know why the king wants to have dinner with me in particular?”

  Sinead pursed her lips for a moment. “I would hazard a guess it’s because his son said something about you.”

  “Good I hope.”

  “Oh, I suspect so. Padraig does not have many kids his own age to play with; he is the oldest of three and the other two are quite a bit younger than him.”

  “I don’t know much about the king or his family.”

  “They are a private bunch.” The older woman replied as they walked through the darkening streets. Fewer and fewer people were on the cobbled path as they approached the keep. Sinead took them through the main gate, and Niall had to correct himself when he automatically turned towards the chow hall. Instead, he was led to the main structure, set into the mountain somewhat and with large double doors. Two royal guards stood at attention, and both turned their eyes to the duo as they closed the distance.

  “Mother Sinead.” One of them said as they stopped. “We were just expecting the boy.”

  “Oh, I’m aware. And I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk with the King. It has been so long.”

  “Please wait a moment while we confirm.” The guard said. His partner disappeared into the huge doors, needing both hands to pull it wide enough open for them to enter. Niall fidgeted, looking around the castle courtyard and pointedly not towards the door or guard.

  “Don’t worry, dear. It will be fine.” Sinead told him. “The king won’t refuse me.”

  A moment later the second guard reappeared. He gave a quick nod as he returned to his post.

  “See, I told you.”

  Niall nodded, still nervous as both guards opened the doors wide enough for the two to enter into a large hallway, which had pillars set in the walls and continuing into the roof, connecting to a center beam.

  “It’s almost as big as the chapel.” Niall commented, as a man dressed in smart clothes of purple strode up to them.

  “Good evening, Mother Sinead, young Niall. The king is having dinner in one of the smaller dining rooms. I’ll take you there presently.”

  “Thank you, de Buitleir.” Sinead said. “Lead the way.”

  Niall followed the man into a side corridor and up several stairs through yet another hallway until they came to a nondescript door.

  The young boy was certain he’d never find his way out. The servant knocked on the door three times before entering first. He waited until Sinead and Niall were inside, before he announced them.

  “My lord, Mother Sinead and Niall Featherborn.”

  “Yes, yes. Thank you. Tell the cooks we’re ready.” A man at the head of a long table said. He looked old, with grey eyes and white hair. He was dressed even better than the man who led them here, with a long blue robe, and a circlet of gold above his brow. Niall saw Padraig at his right, and two other kids seated next to him.

  “Good evening, Tiarnan.” Mother Sinead said, sweeping around the table to select a seat one away from the king, and motioned for Niall to join her further from the man still.

  “And to you, Sinead” the king said, a smile on his face. “What a pleasant surprise.”

  “Ah, well, when I heard you wanted to dine with one of my wards, I could hardly turn up an opportunity to visit.”

  “Oh?” the king commented. “I believe it is custom for the crown to watch over the children of those who attempt to defeat the demon lord.”

  “Yes, that is usually the case, but Niall’s father specifically requested of me that I watch over the boy. I can hardly deny a potential hero’s request, can I?”

  Tairnan pursed his lips for a moment before smiling. “No, I suppose you can’t, nor would I want that. You remember my children?”

  “of course, how are you fine younglings?” the elder woman asked.

  “We are well, Mother.” The Padraig answered for his siblings. “Thank you for bringing Niall to dinner.”

  “Of course, it is my pleasure. I take it you had a good time at the festival?”

  Padraig shot a quick glance at his father before nodding. “Yes, the festivals are always enjoyable.”

  “I am glad to hear that. Has your father let you help in the planning of them?”

  “Not yet, no, but I have been in several meetings regarding the most recent one. Perhaps I will be allowed to help during next year’s harvest festival.”

  A servant came in, holding the door open for several cooks to bring in huge trays of food. They were placed in front of them in the table, and Niall could smell many different things. Lids were taken off, and the cooks bowed themselves out. The servant who opened the door stayed, and stood next to the king.

  “A little bit of everything.” He said, and the man immediately began to expertly cut away pieces from every platter until his own plate was full. He then went around the table, serving Sinead next, before the royal children, and Niall last. He ordered the same as the king, interested in everything, even the fresh-looking vegetables, though he only got a small amount of them.

  “I hope you find it all enjoyable. I understand you may not have had some of this, so do not be worried if there is something you don’t like, I won’t be offended if you don’t eat it.” King Tairnan said.

  Niall nodded slowly. Then he waited for the king to take the first bite. Once the old man had started, everyone else took their utensils and began to eat. There a lot of food on Niall’s plate, but since only eating cold porridge at the cathedral, he was very hungry and ate it all voraciously, finishing long before everyone else. He set his utensils down before he realized everyone else was still eating.

  “Oh, I guess the food must have been delicious. I’ll make sure to tell the cooks.” The king chuckled. “Padraig, why don’t you take your friend to your rooms while I finish and talk to Sinead.”

  The young prince nodded, putting his food down. “Of course, father.”

  He stood up, and so did his siblings. Niall got up when Sinead nodded, and followed his new friend out of the dining room and into the stone hallway. There were royal guards at the door and at the end of the hallway, and they didn’t move as the prince and his brother and sister walked past them. Niall paused at the intimidating figures in the flickering light.

  “Come on. They don’t bite. I kicked one in the shins once, and the guy didn’t budge.” Padraig called.

  Niall hurried to catch up as they descended a floor and walked through yet more hallways.

  “How do you find your way; it’s all stone, everywhere.” The guest asked.

  “Habit, now. I used to get lost, and had to get directions. Back then there were guards at every stairwell until my sister stopped losing her way.”

  They stopped in front of another nondescript door and Padraig opened it, letting his siblings in first before entering. Niall followed, and found a much warmer room, with tapestries on the walls and more candles than he’d ever seen in one place lighting the it all up. The younger boy and girl, who stuck her tongue out at Padraig, went into two different doors at the other end of the space, leaving a third that had been left open.

  “Is all this yours?” Niall asked “you could fit my old home in here.”

  Padraig ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. That’s my room through there.” He said, pointing at the open door. “This is just the foyer, where I have lessons and meet guests. Not that I have any. Father is quite strict.”

  “He seems nice enough to me, for a king.”

  The prince laughed. “Aye, for a king I suppose he is at that. Well, what do you want to do? I have books, some puzzles, a couple toys.”

  “What is this?” Niall said, wandering towards a shelf with a small statuette atop it.

  “That’s my small unknown hero figure. It’s based on the statue in old town. When I’m older, I want to be a hero, and defeat a demon lord.”

  “Me too. After my father defeats this one, maybe a couple minor demon lords will pop up we can fight together!”

  “I asked my father to get that black sword, but he said there’s better in the armory. I didn’t see any the few times I’ve been allowed in. Maybe we can practice together some time. I think I have a couple swords in here, we could use. We’d have to be careful though, if I break anything else, I think my dad really will kill me.”

  “I can be careful. My dad taught me a little bit before he left.”

  Padraig crossed the room to a different shelf and opened a drawer to pull out two wooden swords. He tossed one to Niall and got into a fighting stance. The guest dropped the sword, and embarrassed, picked it up and got into a slightly different pose.

  “Are you ready?” Padraig asked.