MASON II

MASON II

       He woke up, all of a sudden.

      The door was clattering. It felt like the door would fall along with the ceiling over his head and the floor beneath his bed. "Open it before I break it down", a voice he heard indistinctly sharp that nearly killed his previous dream. He dreamt he was in a castle lonelier than the Glass Palace, perhaps bigger, taller and more beautiful. He was a Lord and he had a Lady as stunning as Aerys Sunryder. Black hair, grey eyes, white skin. And little children laughing and running in the courtyard while he and his wife watched them smiling, being proud of their hardship.

    But then, it was only the Glass Palace. He was only a knight. And Nene had entitled him, "The Coward Knight". 

    "Coming !", he shouted gathering all his strength. Such a rough start of the day ! But he knew many days would come and go like that until Nene Sebastyn would be in his life.

     And he walked lingering lazily towards the door. Every step he took, it felt he was jumping over a cleft. Rubbing his eyes, he opened the door and found Nene with a wooden weapon. The moment he set his eyes on her, he was surprised at what he saw. Nene was in her regular clothing as if she was going to a battlefield with a wooden sword.

    "Thank the Gods, they saved your door", she said. "Miss Natalie told me to wake you up. You're going to have breakfast in the garden".

   "You?", Mason exclaimed. "Is it only me ? Aren't you coming along ?"

    "No", she answered.

    "May I ask why ?", Mason started to doubt something.

    "I'll be in the city, going through the market" , she said and started playing with the wooden sword. "Then I'll be in Mistria, learning some spirituality from some Black Sisters and then perhaps I'd like to visit the Great Temple to offer some of my prayers to our Holy Gods and show them my faith. Oh! I have more on my list, but I'd like to tell you when I'd be done with them".

     Nene would do all of these only when the sun would rise in the west. She was clearly lying to give him an impression that she had some other business. There was a day when she had convinced Mason and Shannon that she would be escorting Princess Hennah to the Temple of Divine on the day of the Queen's thirty sixth name day. But instead she'd taken her to Master Clarence for no good reason. Mason had to make excuses for them, even on Princess Hennah's behalf when the Bitter Queen began to show her bitterness to the servants. Somehow Mason did his best and kept Nene out of troubles, but poor Princess must have been bashed because of her inaccuracy for visiting a smith's place down in the Hammering Alley. 

     Hammering Alley was too different from the other alleyes. Here naked children liked to play with mud and sand while everywhere else in the city, children had toys and mates to play with. The name was quite suitable for the place "Hammering Alley". One would always have to listen to the hammering sound of metals. Somehow the alley always felt warmer, being in a corner of Alphaville.

      "What excuses am I supposed to make for you if Miss Natalie asks about your absence ?", Mason asked as he completely denied Nene's answer. Perhaps she would not make any harsh assessments for him this time if he would be straightforward. Even so, she was Nene and Mason had to be ready.

     "Make up anything you can, but not too fanciful", she said stopping her swordplay. "Perhaps the market one would do".

                       

      The breakfast was fine, but not better than the previous one. Having a tray on the bed was more lady-like and Mason was to be the Lord of House Forrester after his father. Lord Forrester would never have let him break his fast on the sleeping bed. But then, it was Queen's Landing, not Woodswatch and there were no Lords to tell him how he should break his fast on his first sight in the daylight. Miss Natalie had objected of course, but she let it go because she knew it didn't matter. No-one was going to judge him on that, or even if they would, it shouldn't matter. He was not on a stay for matchmaking.

    This time there were more people on the table. Some Lords, their sons, some Ladies, Sers ! All kinds of upper class people ! They all seemed Eastmen except the Bartlett Ladies. And Queen Aerys was all in her grace and beauty. Prince Shannon sat to her right while Ser Bennyt kept the left chair occupied for himself. Aerys wore a splendid white gown, in which she just looked as beautiful and peaceful as a crowned swan in the stories. The swan was no princess truly, but Aerys was. The table was so occupied that hardly anyone would notice Nene's absence. 

    Aerys didn't talk much. All she and Prince Shannon did was sharing whispers. Perhaps she was giving him a bit of knowledge about the new people. One of them was Lord Adrick Selsewarg. He was nearly bald headed and there were ugly scars on his pale face. He wore many gold chains on his neck, eight rings in his fingers made up of plenty of stones. Mason only recognized the moonstone as he didn't know much about the stones. Lord Adrick had green eyes which might be brighter in his age. Now he was only an old man with two sons, a daughter and plenty of gold. His red velvet cloak was as costly as Ser Bennyt's emerald green one. Mason had noticed a preference of green in Ser Bennyt. He had been wearing green clothes since they had arrived. Miss Natalie sat next to Prince Shannon wearing grey, whispering to him occasionally. She had asked about Nene, but Mason's lie worked. Ashara and Dolores Bartlett sat next to Lady Isabelle Sunspear. One wore pink and another blue, both made up of silk. They looked warming. Those gowns were not very lavish, they were rather loose and simple. "Southern beauty !", Mason had convinced himself. Grand Mistress never came for dining with them. Perhaps she liked to take food with her Gods.

     Ser Bennyt and Lord Selsewarg had a bold talk. They were talking about a tourney. They sat opposite to each other. Everyone was busy in their chatting and eating. Mason felt lonely for a moment. He felt he didn't belong in those people. Miss Natalie talked to him about nothing but Nene. Mason wished he'd have gone with her to wherever she had been to. He had been eating in the garden in the warm sunlight from the first day and it was beginning to get boring. He wanted to explore the city and the palace with Nene.

It was at the last moment that Queen Aerys realised about Nene's absence. She turned her face to Miss Natalie and Mason took a brief glance of her beauty. "Where's Lady Nene ?", she said. "I didn't realise she hasn't been with us. Shall I have to send a tray to her chamber ?"

     "She went on a tour of the city with one of our servants this morning", Ser Bennyt answered. It was not surprising that he knew.

     "She could have had her breakfast before that", Aerys said. "The endless paths of the city would make her exhausted with an empty stomach. Why didn't she join us ?"

     Miss Natalie looked at Mason as if it was him who had to answer that. Mason swallowed some air and looked around. He saw the eyes staring at him, some he didn't even know. "She didn't feel hungry", he said lowering his eyes.

     "There's no reason to ponder now that the breakfast has ended", told the Queen. "Thank you my Lords, Ladies and Sers".

     Perhaps Aerys didn't like her. It was said that if you would be having bad feelings for a person, then it was likely that the person would be having the same feelings in his heart. Nene never liked Aerys and so did she. Mason felt something special and honorable for both Aerys and Nene. But they had this mutuality between them maybe even before their meeting. He couldn't change their notions, but he wished to.

    Prince Shannon and Queen Aerys left the table holding hands like a royal couple and everyone including Mason saw them off. Then went Ser Bennyt and Lord Selsewarg chatting. Lord Huxley, Lord Reynegar and his sons, Lady Violet Belshear and Lady Dynna followed them. Many other Lords, to-be Lords and Ladies went behind them with Mistresses, who didn't wish to ask Miss Natalie to join them. But Mason wasn't aware about them, neither he wished to be. Lady Ashara was still eating and her sister was whispering her something with an enigmatic grin. Lady Isabelle stood behind them, telling them to be done with eating. "You're not hungry kittens of a stray cat, Ladies !", she said pressing her voice. But Mason heard it. He smiled thinking about the girls' trouble with Lady Sunspear. They couldn't even eat food on their own ways.

Miss Natalie had gone before he noticed it. The servants came to clean the place and Mason took it as his leave.  He was thinking about Nene and her amusements. He remembered Ser Bennyt mentioning about a servant. Why would Nene take a servant with her ? Ser Bennyt might have been insistent, so that she wouldn't find herself lost in the city. Mason had been accompanied by a boy as well. "Matt !" He remembered his name. He wasn't fair though, his skin was a bit shady. Just like Ser Bennyt. Maybe he was from the South like him. Sunlands was like a bridge between the Six Kingdoms and the Glasslands.

    It was time to think what he should do then. Everyone had found something to keep themselves engrossed in. Prince Shannon had the Queen, Miss Natalie had the Grand Mistress and all her sort of things. However Nene hadn't had anything except her chamber until that morning. Mason thought of visiting the port again to see the ships. The ship captains were friendly to him, but the merchants were stiff. He could take Matt along so that he could enjoy the day. He headed to his tower thinking of this. 

   

    The sun wasn't much sharp, it always felt pleasant for him. The dark tower of Woodswatch didn't have much of the sun. Hence the sun of Queen's Landing was always better than his home. The air was always the same. It smelled like sea. Matt would be happy to hear about his plan. He was to set up his bed while he was gone for breakfast. Mason liked him although he didn't really need him. But Nene's maid was a sneak. Her voice was annoying and so was her work. She would always suggest something even if Nene wouldn't show a slightest interest in it. She might be spying  as well. But anyways they had to be grateful. Their stay had become unexpectedly longer than they'd assumed. The more they were going to stay, the more thankful they had to be.

     Mason started climbing stairs quietly. It was so quiet that he could only hear his footsteps going on with him. But after a moment, he was surprised at what he heard. Another person's footsteps coming closer and closer. 'Matt might have finished his work', he thought. A shadow was seen, but the figure wasn't identical to Matt or any other man. He could smell lilacs on the staircases. It was rather feminine.

     Miss Natalie approached. She had a sharp look on her face mixed with a worried expression. "Oh, Mason !", she sighed as she spoke. "I've been to your chamber to find you, but I forgot how slow you are at making moves".

     "I was just..."

     "Leave it there and listen what I say", she was slightly tensed, which was not usual. "I think I've been stupid to ignore her. And now I'm afraid my ignorance would bring troubles for us if I assume correctly".

 "Who is this about ?", Mason wasn't sure.

      "Your dear friend, Nene", she said. "I was a bit distracted by something and I paid no proper attention to your excuse for her until Ser Bennyt spoke up on this at the table. We mustn't let her wander in the city alone. She's with a servant, whom I believe to be a spy".

      "But she wouldn't do anything off the boundary, would she ?", Mason asked. He thought he would have to drop the plan of Queen's Port. 

      "Well, to start with, she isn't really noble enough to act precisely to something unusual", Miss Natalie told him. "And besides she has a sharp dagger probably hidden under her clothes. Is that adequate for you to believe that how she has already crossed the boundary ?"

     Mason was surprised. "How did you come to know about the dagger ?", he asked.

    "You can come to know about many things if you have sharp eyes on them", she answered smiling gently, but still troubled. "Go and fetch her back to the Palace before she makes a fool of herself and disgrace Prince Shannon in front of these Eastmen".

    "But where am I supposed to find her in this large city ?", Mason gave an excuse to refuse his Miss and lowered his eyes.

   "Oh, I see", Miss Natalie said in a disappointed manner. "What were your errands before I put you into this ? Haven't you enjoyed yourself every single moment since the very beginning of all these ? I'm not sure there's anything left to enjoy. I barely see your feet on the ground".

     Not a single word came out of his mouth as he kept it shut. Perhaps he couldn't refuse anyone. Neither Nene nor Miss Natalie. He believed he was the least important man in the world who had to do everything what would be asked of him. He kept his eyes down and nodded with shame. It was easy for him to feel ashamed.

    "I was thinking there'd be no need of this, but now I want you to keep this in your conscience", Miss Natalie held his shoulder, so that he could look at her. "Look, dear". Her voice was like nectar in his ears. "This is not a place for amusement. We can't count how many people are hiding daggers inside their clothes like Nene. This is Queen's Landing, capital of the Eastmen. Eastmen are known as our enemies. We have a mission and only that is where our eyes should be on. We shall not count our enemies or friends here. Nothing is certain about them. No matter how much you love this city, even I love it, but we don't belong here. This is not our home. Don't get so used to it that you forget about your true ally. Do you understand, Mason ?"

Mason looked at her. "I do", he answered blinking his eyes.

    "That is for the best", Miss Natalie said patting his shoulder. "Now, go on and bring your friend back".

    "May I take Matt with me ?", he asked eagerly. "He's good and he works too hard. He will help me finding her. Please! Please let me!"

    Natalie's look didn't seem like she was sure. "Do you care for him ?", she asked suspiciously.

    "I do", Mason said without thinking about another answer. "I want to thank him by taking him out with me. He would love that. And it'll be easier to find Nene. Please Miss Natalie, let me take him. He wouldn't do anything wrong, I swear it on the Holy Gods".

   After a moment of reflection, she nodded. And Mason smiled genuinely with gratitude. "Thank you", he said and ran to his chamber, leaving Natalie alone on the stairs.

   He opened the door like a hurricane and uttered the words, gasping for air. "We...  are… going… Prepare…. the horses..."

     Matt would have scarcely got a word, but he smiled and went on.

    Mason rode his brown horse, while Matt sat on a black one. 

     

    As they left the gates of Glass Palace, the wind made their hair dance along with it. It was a wide path, leading them down to the city. Just like Alphaville, here the city was a bit lower from the Palace. The weather was getting hotter, yet the maritime winds never let them feel the same way. Air was quite cool and fresh, bearing the fragrance of roses from the gardens. Mason was refreshed at once. He first thought, he should keep an eye on Matt, for he wasn't sure if he could ride well or not. But amazingly, he rode perfectly, like a skilled rider. This made Mason grin.

    Soon, the city started. Big establishments were on the both sides of the road. Mason saw faces peeking out from the windows and curtains. People began to pause and see the riders for a moment, taking a break from their work. Everything and everyone passed behind them with a speed, although it lessened as the city began to be crowded near Mistria. A vast number of Masters and Mistresses were there, talking to each other somewhere and speaking in front of groups. Perhaps about the Gods or about the History.

Nene had told she was about to run through the market, but Mason doubted it. She couldn't be there to buy something for someone. She didn't have anyone to gift something, or even if she had, she didn't care much to waste her coins on them. Mason knew she was from a small house, but not noble. Even he was suspicious about her title of a Lady. Was she a Lady or nothing ? He couldn't have the answer then for sure, so he put his mind into peace. But she wasn't lowborn, not as lowborn as the people of Hammering Alley. But to save her from troubles was Mason's duty now for he was highly inspired by Miss Natalie's lecture on friends. She might be whatever she was, but Mason saw her as a true friend and he had learned a lot from her.

     The Great Temple was left behind now, and the horses were steady. Mason looked around if he could see anything of her. But all he could find was people staring him in the most mysterious and villainous way, which made him a bit scared. Were they really hiding daggers as Miss Natalie told him ? Were they really enemies ? Would they hurt him or worse tear him into pieces ? He had been through that region so many times, but he never noticed those faces and actions, until that day when Miss Natalie warned him about it.

    "We must go into different directions, Ser", Matt suggested. "The market is on the left and the pit is on the right. And if you go straight, you'd find green meadows on the edges of the sea. That place is usually lonely. Those are the lands of high Lord and Ladies. No-one dares to step foot on it,  without their permission. We must look around here. I suppose she wouldn't be there. "

    Mason thought of the possibilities. And after a moment of silence, he told Matt to search through the market and such places in the city. His heart knew where Nene would be.

    Action Pit wouldn't be the place where she'd be found as Ladies were restricted to enter. And by her appearance in the morning, it was crystal clear that she was up to some sort of the thing, which would need an open place like a pit. As Matt climbed down and vanished into the crowd, Mason pulled the reins and headed in north-east. 

The houses began to look splendid as he took the wide amd clean paths to the North. The city fell into silence, no children playing, no stray dogs and cats wandering, no shops, no common folk, no riders were seen. Barely a pedestrian appeared while, crossing the road. He seemed to be quite rich, from the impression of his shining clothes. Mason knew he was gazing at the properties of high Lords and Ladies. He felt lonely again, Matt should have given his company. But then it was he, himself who told Matt to stay there. No-one should be aware of Nene's amusements if everything had to be the best.

     Now Mason rode alongside the sea. He heard the waves  hitting the rocks and getting shattered into many ways. In a long distance, a ship was heading closer to the Port. He remembered there was a short way to the Port from the Alley of Nobility. Lord Krufer's son, Darwyn and he had visited the Port and Matt was with them too. But thereafter, no talk of  Darwyn had been heard. Nene was more important than the Port. This thought gave him enthusiasm to move on. He rode and rode until his horse stepped into the rocky fields and he found himself in a shaky position on the saddle. After carefully unmounting from the horse, he patted at its neck. Holding the reins, he started walking.

     Cool breeze was making him shiver unknowingly. He kept looking around for a moment and went on. The field was vastly open until at an end, he came across some tall trees. He tied the animal with one of its trunk and tried to move forward. And he saw her from a great distance. He intended to stay and watch.

     She was with a man. She held her wooden sword and was swinging it in the air. Her right hand held the hilt and left one was on her back. They both were practicing. But what ? Mason peeked behind the leaves and branches and observed their action. 'What on earth are they doing ?', he thought. After a moment, it seemed like a sort of dance. The way they were making movements, it was obvious that they were dancing. Dancing with swords ?

     Mason had only seen people dancing by holding hands in the balls or in some folk ceremonies. But never had he seen such a dance. He tried to figure out what it was. Nene was stepping and swinging sword as if someone was flying around her, trying to steal something from her. The servant was doing the same. Both of them looked amazingly suited for the dance. Then suddenly he remembered one book he had read in Alphaville. When in the oldest times, there used to be many dangerous creatures, great people made dragons their pets. And they trained them precisely to perform mighty tasks. Time wise, the training outlived the dragons and it was named as a dance form called "The Dragon's Whisper". It looked as if the dragons were whispering to their masters or perhaps the masters whispered to them. It was astonishing to see, but it had been lost for so long that nobody was seen dancing like that anymore.

     Mason wanted to reveal himself and take Nene back. But the dance was really fascinating to see. He stayed back and watched in silence, When suddenly, a group of men arrived, riding horses and wearing hats attached with feathers. The dance stopped on their arrival and both of them seemed quite puzzled by the sudden changes in the circumstances. Mason was surprised as well, but he thought he had missed the proper chance of making his appearance for Nene.

"What do you want ?", Nene asked suspiciously.

        The men had unmounted themselves and were standing quite closer to Nene and her companion. They shared mysterious looks with each other as if they were deciding the fate of a criminal. Mason was shocked to gather that he was able to recognize one man of them.  "Darwyn Krufer", he exclaimed in an inaudible voice. He was more curious to witness the matter properly, but hidden. So he crawled his way to the back of a large rock and tried to eavesdrop.

     "Who are you, my Lady ?", Darwyn interrogated.

     "I may ask you the same", Nene answered fearlessly.

     "Well, if you must know, I'm Darwyn Krufer, son of Lord Maximilian Krufer. You're standing on my father's land and the way it appears, you're quite misusing it. Father wouldn't like it". Then he paused and had a look on the servant. "Nor wouId I", he added.

     "We're not making any harm to it", Nene said.

     "No, but why would he believe that if I wouldn't tell him so ?", Darwyn's voice made the situation scary. Mason's heart started beating as if he had seen a monster.

     "I beg your pardon, my Lord", the servant said politely, bowing his head. "We must leave at once. No damage has been done".

     "He's not a Lord when his father is alive", Nene disapproved of the humble man. "Finn! Why shall we need to leave when we've done nothing wrong ? You're not frightened of this man, who claims to be noble, but I doubt he is. Your title doesn't frighten us, Ser".

     "I do beg your pardon, my Lord", the servant was shaking with terror and so was Mason's heart. "She's Lady Nene of House Sebastyn, she's a visitor from the West".

    Mason saw the scabbage attached to Darwyn's belt. He had a great sword and a big title. But he was friendly to Mason the other day, Nene was just being herself, trying to suspect every other man crossing her way. Mason wished to come out, but his legs refused.

     "Oh, you're a Lady from the West", Darwyn said. "I could ask for your pardon, but I won't. So, leave our land and find another place for your ridiculous dancing".

    "You can't order us", Nene said, eyeing him.

     "Well, I can and I have"

     "My Lady, let us go, it's time we should get back", Finn begged.

      No-one moved from their place.

      "Shall I take it as a refusal ?", Darwyn asked Nene with a frightening look in his brown eyes and Nene didn't answer. "Well, now I must forget about being polite and recall the facts".

     "And, what are the facts ?", Nene asked proudly, lifting up her neck.

    Darwyn came closer and stood facing Nene as if she was a culprit. "Firstly, you're a fool with a wooden sword, learning the most ridiculous dance from a filthy servant on my father's land, without our consent. And most importantly …… " . He stopped and held his sword's hilt. "You are my enemy".

     Nene shoved him back with her elbow and hit his head with her wooden sword. He grunted with pain and his men raised their swords.

 

   "No !", Finn cried with terror. And Mason couldn't resist seeing more of that. He couldn't find the courage to join Nene and fight. All he heard while hiding there was clattering of swords. Every sound made him feel more and more helpless. And he damned himself for hiding behind a rock while his friend was bravely fighting with men alone. Steel hitting the wood and Finn screaming "Stop" was very hard to resist but somehow Mason did resist and shut his ears with his hands. But that was no helpful as the scene became more and more dreadful. Mason didn't even understand why he was still behind the rock.

     When he finally tired to see, Nene had knocked some men to the ground fiercely and had taken a real sword and still defending herself against four. Darwyn stood back clutching his fist to his chest in pain and watching them fighting while Finn was preparing the horse. Nene successfully tackled another two, but the last one stroke his sword and Nene lost hers. She fell to the ground, she must have tasted some soil and grass. The man moved forward to finish the fight and Mason did nothing.

    Mason didn't realize he was shedding tears. He was going to witness his friend's death. But how could he ? He closed his eyes and did nothing indeed. When he opened, Nene was holding her dagger and the man was perhaps dead. Finn was gone, Darwyn had vanished as well and the others weren't in a condition to rise up from the field. And Nene put the dagger back in her clothing. She went on for her horse and paused for a moment. Then she turned her face in the direction where he had been hiding like a snake. Mason tried to hide again by turning his face.

      "I see you, coward !", this was the last thing he heard before Nene's horse started galloping.