Chapter Five

The morning brought with it the second test—that of wit and intelligence. Muirgen wrapped herself in a white shift with a sturdy overcoat and snuck quietly through the halls and out of the castle. The early morning mist crept around her ankles as she came up near the forest bordering the arena. Uthyr was waiting for her in more comfortable clothes, wearing only a simple tunic and jerkin. He hefted two bags of materials over his shoulder as she approached. He kept his eyes trained behind her, checking if she was followed. When he was satisfied, he turned and stalked through the trees. She couldn’t get the Green Man out of her head. She struggled to keep up, trying to push the sense that someone was watching her aside.

She nearly ran into Uthyr as he stopped to set down the bags. He raised an eyebrow and knelt to open one of them. “What is it?” he asked, rummaging inside for the sign she had painted the week before.

“Nothing,” she said, biting her cheek to keep herself from saying more.

Uthyr grunted, wedging the sign between two branches. He cast an expectant eye upon her as he picked up the bags once more. “Let me rephrase. I know you’re thinking about him, I can see his face.”

Muirgen blushed. Control. She snapped the flow of the link between them. He had made this thoughts about the Green Man quite clear last night. She didn’t want to talk about it again.

Uthyr sighed, then pushed forward, weaving the signs of a trail in the ground and brush as they made their way through the forest. When they stopped again, Uthyr shoved the bottom of one of the bags into a hole. Holding the edges of the opening of the bag against the earth, he began to hammer stakes into the bag to keep it in place. She had placed specially engraved stones in the bag which held another riddle for the contestants to solve.

“Your mother saw him too,” Uthyr said quietly, so quietly she wasn’t sure he had actually said it.  He stood, raking a hand through his hair, “The King of the Forest.”

“She dreamed of him?” Muirgen asked surprised. Her mother had never mentioned him.

“No,” Uthyr said, turning toward the lake where they would have to hide their next clue, “She met him.” He shrugged, “Or she told me she had. Briefly.”

“What?” Muirgen breathed, nearly tripping over the root of a tree as they entered the clearing.

Uthyr placed the bag on the ground and dropped down beside it, “You were two. Your mother and I were on a picnic.” He stared at the mud beneath his boots. “You wandered off and we didn’t realize. When we did, we separated, searching frantically for you.” Muirgen lowered herself onto a rock, tucking her chin on top of her knees. “I heard your mother scream, I felt her panic, and then the line went dark.” He smiled, “You wouldn’t believe how fast I flew through these woods to find her.” He scratched at his side absentmindedly, the place where his piece was hidden. “When I did, you both were safe. You were asleep in her arms.”

Muirgen frowned, “What happened?”

Uthyr snorted, “She only said that she had met him, and that he had been gentle and kind.” He cleared his throat and stood, pulling out another slab of wood and setting it against her legs. He stripped down to his pants, and Muirgen ran her fingers down the engraving on the sign against her legs. It was a riddle combined with a math problem. Only someone who was really clever would be able to figure it out.

Uthyr stepped into the water, holding out his hand for the plaque. She stood and handed it to him. He dove into the lake and was gone for several moments. When he came up, he ran a hand through his graying hair and shook out the water clinging to it. As he pulled on his tunic, the fabric clung to his wet skin. He nodded to the tree overshadowing the lake, “If you climb high enough you’ll have a good view of the lake and the leaves should shield you from view.”

She smiled, “I thought you were against me watching the contest?”

He scowled, “I learned long ago that you will do what you want whether I approve or not.” The Dragon balled the empty bag in his hands with a huff. 

Muirgen smiled, enjoying his irritation. “Are you ready?”

“It undermines my position.” He glowered at her, his brows descending upon his nose.

“A few warriors seeing you play won’t kill you,” she said grinning at him. 

             

“Playing ‘Bring Me a Treat, My Love’ will…”

She patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck.”

He nodded, eyes softening. “You too.”

Muirgen slipped out of the forest and into the gathering crowd quite easily. She kept her hood up and her eyes to the ground. Her decoy was once again perched in the Queen’s box, a veil hiding her face from view. The remaining contestants were announced, the crowd cheering for their favorites. The ladies offered flowers and strips of cloth for the warriors to remember them by. She noticed with irritation that Pat Karney had not one, but seven strips of cloth stuck on his person in some way or other. He looked mightily pleased with himself.

The announcer once more was on the field, having been coached to explain the trial to the crowd and contestants. “Ladies and gentlemen!” he called, his voice booming over the stadium, “Today our contestants battle with their minds.” He pushed his horse to trot over to the table set up with many different items that the contestants could use to complete the trial. “Our contestants have been instructed to remove all items from their person besides their clothing, and will choose two items from the ones presented here. They will be given five minutes to prepare before the trial begins, but for what, ladies and gentlemen? No one knows! Last night the Dragon set about the castle grounds and forest beyond our arena, hiding clues, setting traps, and planting tasks that our contestants must make it through to win. The Dragon himself is waiting at the end of the path. Waiting for the first five contestants to arrive. All others will be disqualified.” The crowd cheered and he turned to the contestants, “Begin!”

The contestants ambled forward, staring at the items on the table in confusion. Muirgen smiled as they all hesitated. A few did not take the time to think before grabbing something, going straight for the weapons, securing them on their bodies before moving away from the table. But one by one, they each chose two items and stepped away from the table.

Muirgen smiled as the contestants stared at their items, less sure of what they had taken than they would have liked. A few of the smarter contestants peeled off their armor, handing the pieces to a servant to take care of. When their five minutes were up, the announcer motioned the trumpet players to sound the “begin” proclamation. The contestants ran out of the arena, some at full speed, others saving their strength, some too laden with armor to move as quickly.

As the crowd separated, Muirgen pushed her way out, quickly heading for the forest and her hiding spot.  From her place in the tree, she waited, wishing she could see how the first few clues were going.  She was perched high in the tree, far enough to be shielded by the massive amount of foliage, but close enough that she could see and hear all around her. Edward Gavan had lumbered by the lake twice already, but clearly had no idea what he was supposed to be doing.

Evan Macklin rounded the corner, a rock clenched tight in his fist as he surveyed the area. Then he looked back at the rock, assessing what needed to be done.  Then with slight hesitation, he waded into the water, disappearing for some time as he worked out what he had to accomplish underneath the water.  Eventually he emerged, soaking, but victorious. He had a head start on any of the others that was quite impressive. She scrunched her nose in thought. None of the initial puzzles had been really that hard, but still, he must have crashed through the forest with all speed to get to the lake so far before the others.

It took several minutes, but eventually Richard Beven came her way, a rock clenched tightly in his hand as well.  He took a few moments, then tossed the rock over the water, watching as it skipped and disappeared. Muirgen raised an eyebrow. Unless he had a very good memory, he was going to need that rock again. When tossing his rock into the lake did nothing, Richard waded into the water, searching with his feet for the puzzle before submerging. In moments he resurfaced and waded out, his face pinched in thought.

Fen Drudyn and Rowan Gareth hurried along the path to the lake, each trying to outpace the other with a brisk walk, but not quite willing to run either. After glancing at each other, the two crashed into the water, staying submerged much, much longer than Evan Macklin had been. Rowan Gareth came up for a breath, glaring at Fen as he exited the pool. Then he went back down once more, to continue to figure out the riddle.

Garret Anders jogged down the path, his face red and splotchy, as he attempted to reach the rest of the contestants.  He stared at his rock, then set it down on the shore, unbuckling his armor and weapons in such haste that ended up only delaying him further.  Then he waded into the water, submerging and reappearing for deep gulps of air before returning to his search. 

Artair Ector had walked so quietly up to the lake that Muirgen jumped as he dove into the pool, taking only moments below to find and examine the carved wooden sign.  To read the sign, the contestant had to float next to the sign with very little movement so to not disturb the sand of the bottom of the lake that would cloud over the letters, hiding the riddle from view. As Artair moved to leave the lake, Garret Anders lunged at him, grabbing his shirt and forcing him down under the water. Artair came sputtering up and Garret demanded, “Tell me what it says.”

In two swift movements, Artair knocked Garret’s hands off of him and had shoved the other man backwards. “Figure out what it says yourself.”

Artair reached the shore, ringing out his clothes before replying, “Good luck then.” He inclined his head and jogged off through the forest. Garret submerged himself in the lake once more and Muirgen slowly slipped down the branches before landing on both feet. She was more than a little pleased that Garret Anders would not be making it to the final five contestants. She slipped through the trees, using the piece inside her to urge her legs to inhuman speed. The five contestants all honored with a dance tonight, and she had a wardrobe to don.