Mystery? In a Royal Court?
What price do you pay to protect someone? What cost to yourself do you pay to make sure tender dreams are not crushed?
There are no dragons (not on this planet, everyone is glad about that). Dungeons are generally fo...
The castle is encamped with small tents outside. The social organization has brought young men to a seminar. Boys will camp outdoors.
Some young men brought sisters, and some sisters brought younger sisters. Girls will sleep in the castle.
On a warm, sunny and pleasant day, the seminar takes place behind the castle and near a yard game pavilion.
A tall temporary curtain hides the game arena.
Clothing is nearly full body by local custom (and sometimes by law). Hands and faces exposed, but usually not much more.
Hence, the curtain. To hide the lady folk in game wear, which covers just as much, but are flexible clothes.
As the seminar is going on, the King notices looks at the curtain. Sometimes a player jumps high and can be seen striking the light and 'slowed-by-holes' ball. The leaps are quite very high for some players (ie. Princess Yva).
The King and "Good Fellow" divert the young men, by a demonstration of jumping skills.
A tree away from the jumping is selected.
The King jumps up twenty-five feet to land on a side branch and drops to the ground (collecting the full attention of the young men. "Good Fellow" slips behind the tree and quickly appears standing on the branch. The King beckons and he appears at ground level faster than the King took to fall.
The King points out that no one saw him climb and return. "Good Fellow" confesses that years of training, to avoid being seen, were habitual.
The distraction away from the game arena is temporary. The Queen and Princess have started a round. Both have extraordinary leaping skills (perhaps 30 or 35 feet).
The King gives a short lecture on knowing your limits. Don't go jumping off high places because you have seen us do it. These abilities often take years to refine.
He has the boy's attention away from the game, but a small drama disrupts again.
Princess Yva broke into tears. Happy tears. Playing with her mother after a decade gone (in a cell). A select few of the older girls lead her away, and right behind the Queen leads away all the other girls. The King bows to the young men and follows the ladies.
The were-being man continues the lecture and has "Good Fellow" around to provide comment on certain aspects of good conduct.
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