VEGAS CANNABIS //
VEGAS CANNABISMAG.COM
KNIGHTS & >>>>>>
BY deborah costella
KNAVES WITH KNIVES
he sat looking at herself in the mirror held by one of her Ladies in Waiting. A lump in her throat the size of a Shinty ball, a sport she excelled in when permitted to play, rendered her unable to answer. Slowly nodding her consent, she avoided stating her true wish, not to have her hair braided and cinched back at all. She preferred to wear her long auburn hair, down and free flowing. Unfortunately, she had very little say in most aspects of her life as a Princess. Already embarrassing her parents and upsetting tradition she delayed her wedding day, by feigning illness and refusing to leave her bed for several weeks. Until the family physician revealed there wasn’t anything at all wrong with her. Except perhaps her attitude. Clearly, she could no longer sustain the farce.
40
boy he was. He sported an extravagant double-edged sword, better suited to a Chinese warrior, instead of the common rapier worn by other men of his class and ranking. Rolf was not at all like the young gardener she secretly spent time with. He wore only a gardener’s machete. It had belonged to his father and grandfather, before him. Its sheath worn from years of sweat and exposure to dirt. Lillianna saw it as a symbol of his authenticity and work ethic. Compared to Aaron, Prince Rolf was a just a Knave with a fancy Knife. The only gem in this arranged marriage was that Lillianna would finally be Lady of her own castle. She imagined spending mornings in her many gardens and afternoons in the kitchen. Evenings, she resigned, would be dedicated to whatever her husband arranged. She planned on taking a few of her Ladies, Cook and of course Aaron with her to Culzean Castle.
While the other young women flitted about preparing her for what they deemed a day of joyful celebration, Princess Lillianna sat pouting as she watched them execute their duties. Closing her eyes to make it all go away, she began visualizing what he called, ‘her happy place.’ Of all her family members and household servants, he was the only one who listened to her, who allowed her to be herself. The only one who knew her heart.
Life with Prince Rolf was indeed as Lillianna had envisioned. Though he had grown suspicious of her excuses about bearing him a child, her beauty, kindness and playfulness seem to pacify him for now. Additionally, his military duties distracted him, allowing Lillianna to spend time as she saw fit.
She realized early on she was different from her sisters and other girls. Unlike them, hours spent studying music, art, embroidery and myriad of other lessons, bored her. Lillianna preferred the gardens; listening to the music of songbirds, enjoying works of art displayed in flowers or contemplating the intricacies of a spider’s ornately woven web. Alternately, the main kitchen brought her great joy. Inhaling the sweet scents of Cook’s freshly baked scones, the savory aroma of a roasted duck resting on the counter or stealing bits of the crispy, cracklins Cook prepared from skins pulled from fresh, Tay River trout.
One morning, meandering through the largest garden, located on the west side of their two-hundred acres, Lillianna noticed an unusual plant. It stood alone, amid the Bog Myrtle and Bracken, but was sufficiently taller. Instead of blooms or buds, there was a smattering of small dull-green clusters. Its leaves were large, with ridges along the edges. Later that day, she showed it to Aaron. Not recognizing the plant, he stated it was likely a Weed and offered to remove it. Lillianna thought the plant interesting and told him to leave it for awhile. Perhaps it was like her; a late-bloomer.
She fussed and fidgeted when forced to sit and make small talk with her sisters and friends about who was best suited to which boy or gossiping about girls not present. Yet she could spend hours pruning roses, digging holes in soil and sowing tiny seeds. She would rather stand on her feet from morning until tea time, slicing, dicing, basting and kneading dough under the tutelage of Cook. In those environments, time didn’t exist. The only markers were those whiffs of nearly done biscuits or an herb-stuffed hen. She understood the passage of seasons as spoken by the language of plants when red and yellowed leaves floated to the ground in autumn or glistening dewdrops shone on the petals of a newly opened blossom.
She watched as the plant grew into a gangly, spindly stalk. Seeing it didn’t appear to have any natural tendencies towards blooming flowers or bearing fruit, she decided she would direct Aaron to remove it. Earlier that morning, a group of Noblemen from Asia arrived. An avid collector of African and Asian art, yet too timid to travel abroad himself, the Prince regularly invited other countrymen to come to him instead. As was customary, the Noblemen travelled with their own servants and a few household staff. One of them was a diminutive, elderly man with a long white beard, and clean shaven head. His clothing appeared to be sewn of cloth equal in value to that of his Master’s. However, the ties around his waist were not brightly printed bands; rather his were made of an odd looking rope material.
She had met Prince Rolf only twice before their impending nuptials. According to her mother, he was “quite a catch; for a girl like her. Tall and handsome with a bright future ahead.” Lillianna couldn’t get past his heavy, bushy brows and pencil-thin lips. He was attempting to grow a beard at their first meeting. It was spotty and looked more like the hairs on one of the freshly plucked pigeons she had cleaned the day before. By their second meeting, he had given up his effort to look manly, causing him to appear more the baby-faced, ill-mannered
*
*
*
*
When she asked Aaron and Cook why he stood out from the others, Aaron explained though he was a servant, he was one of high ranking. He didn’t just serve his Lord and Master, he also advised him. This peculiar man, known as Ling, was considered a Wiseman; worldly and knowledgeable about medicine, horticulture, and mystical matters. This caught Lillianna’s attention.