Saving Summer

Chapter Fifteen: Dinner and a lesson

A servant helped Penelope find the dining room. When she arrived, Sir Domnahl was already there and looking grumpy as ever. Seated on opposite ends of the table, King Agostino and Queen Yesenia grinned as Penelope entered the room. Dozens of golden dishes with various types of meat and vegetables littered the linen covered table. A glass of white wine for each of the guests stood in front of empty golden plates. The pleasant aroma of the food wafted over to Penelope and she could feel her mouth beginning to water. Her stomach rumbled which surprised her. The spaghetti that she ate back in her apartment felt as though it had been ages ago, yet only a couple of hours had passed.

Penelope took a seat in the chair across from Sir Domnahl. As soon as she sat down, everyone else began scooping portions of meat and vegetables onto their plates. Nobody spoke much during dinner. They were all too focused on the delicious meal before them. Once everyone ate as much as they could, the main course was cleared off and the dessert dishes were brought out. An assortment of cakes and pies replaced the meat and vegetable dishes. Even though Penelope felt as though her stomach was about to burst, she put a couple slices of pie onto her plate. She knew that her training session with Sir Domnahl would happen shortly after dinner, so all of the food would easily be worked off from the activity. 

The moment that Sir Domnahl finished eating, he wiped the crumbs from his mouth. His chair scooted across the wooden floor as the knight got to his feet. He looked at King Agostino and Queen Yesenia and bowed to each of them in turn.

“Thank you, Your Majesties, for the honor of dining with you,” he said, politely. His emerald eyes concentrated on Penelope. The courteous tone disappeared only to be replaced by disdain, “If you are done, we should get started on your lessons. I will try not to make things too difficult for you.”

Penelope stood and smirked at him, “You might just find yourself shocked at how quickly I learn.”

Skepticism was written all over Sir Domnahl’s face as he added, “We will see.”

Penelope thanked the king and queen for the meal before following Sir Domnahl out of the dining hall. He did not speak to her at all as they made their way to the armory. She wondered why he was acting like a jerk. Was he really that upset that she was tagging along on the journey? Did it really hurt his ego that much that he had to stay behind and teach her the fundamentals of a weapon before they could leave the palace? All of these questions swam circles around her head. She was so preoccupied that she did not realize that they had reached the armory already. Penelope collided with Sir Domnahl’s muscular back as he paused in front of her. She stumbled backwards a few steps but caught herself just in time before falling on her butt. Sir Domnahl spun around and glared disapprovingly at her.

“If this is your way of showing off your hidden skills, you are off to a poor start,” he growled at her. Sir Domnahl pointed to the weapons hanging on the far left wall and said, “Pick whichever one that you would like. I am proficient with them all so it makes no difference to me what you choose.”

Penelope examined the selection of weapons. An axe caught her eye but she immediately dismissed it. The axe appeared far too heavy for her to wield. It would take too long to build the strength required for it. She spotted a bow and arrow next but nixed it as well. Limited ammo on a journey such as this would not be wise. In the time that it would take her to reload, Penelope thought that she would become some monster’s lunch. When her eyes fell upon an iron spear, Penelope knew that it was the perfect weapon for her. Stepping forward, Penelope grabbed the spear from the wall. She glanced at Sir Domnahl who looked at her with interest.

“Not many people would choose a spear for their first weapon. I thought for sure that you would choose the bow and arrow,” he said, raising an eyebrow. Then he shrugged and added, “but if you are set on learning how to use the spear, I will not argue. We don’t have the time anyhow. Let’s get started.” 

Sir Domnahl spent the rest of the evening teaching Penelope the basics of the spear. He showed her fighting stances that she could use against an enemy. Once he was satisfied that she knew the basics, Sir Domnahl made her try the techniques out on one of the guards. The guard looked uncomfortable as if he did not wish to fight against Penelope, but Sir Domnahl had convinced him to do so in order for her to practice.

“She cannot practice on me,” Sir Domnahl declared matter-of-factly. “ I don’t want to hurt her on accident. Then our journey would be delayed even further and I simply cannot risk that happening.”

Red flashed before Penelope’s eyes as his words hit her. He was so smug and arrogant. Sir Domnahl was nothing like the knights in the books she read as a little girl. She hoped that the other knights of the Summer Kingdom were not like him. Penelope was already dreading going on the journey with him and it had not even started yet. How on earth was she expected to endure his attitude?

Penelope was so distracted by her thoughts that she was knocked to the ground by the guard with the blunt end of his spear. Her backside collided hard with the stony ground. Her spear slipped out of her hands and crashed beside her. She looked up at Sir Domnahl who was shaking his head. The scowl was back on his face as he looked down at her. In front of Sir Domnahl, the guard was shooting her apologetic looks.  Sir Domnahl side stepped the guard so that he was standing directly in front of Penelope. His hands were placed on his hips as he met her eyes. Contempt was written all over Sir Domnahl’s face.

“I told the king and queen that this was a waste of time but they refused to listen. Why are they insisting that you learn how to use a weapon?”

Penelope got to her feet quickly. Her fists were clenched at her sides as she glared up at Sir Domnahl who was several inches taller. 

“It is not like I wanted to come here!” she bellowed. “I was brought here against my will and I don’t know how to go home! I would rather be back home than go on this journey with you but I am stuck here until I figure out a way home!”

She had had enough of him. All he wanted to do was belittle her. He had no intention of teaching her whatsoever. That much was clear to her. Penelope was trying to make the best of the situation but Sir Domnahl had acted like a petulant child every step of the way. The sun was beginning to set and soon it would be too dark to practice any longer. A yawn escaped from Penelope’s mouth. She could feel her body begin to get heavy. It was time to end the lesson for the day and start again tomorrow.

“I am going to bed. Goodnight,” she snarled.

Penelope started to storm off but she heard someone running to catch up to her. Sir Domnahl maneuvered himself so that he was blocking her way forward. He held a hand out in front of him but Penelope tried to push him away.

“Get out of my way!”

“Not until you listen to me.”

Penelope crossed her arms over her chest, frowning, “Fine. I am listening.”

“I am sorry. I was out of line for what I said earlier,” Sir Domnahl stated. His tone was different than what she was used to from him. She was surprised at the softness. “I am under a lot of stress right now and I did not feel as though you were taking things seriously.”

 Penelope sighed, “I suppose you are right. I did not exactly make myself open to being taught. This golden chalice being stolen is a huge deal. I don’t quite understand what it does but I gathered that much.”

Sir Domnahl nodded, “Yes, it is. Which is why we must be ready as soon as possible to go and retrieve it.”

Penelope unclenched her fists. The tension left her body as she released them. She turned and started walking away. Sir Domnahl chased after her.

“What are you doing?” he asked, panting.

Penelope stopped and peeked over her shoulder at him. A grin crept onto her lips.

“Going back to practice with my spear,” she answered. “Would be great if you would join me. Unless you’re afraid of the dark?”

A broad grin appeared on Sir Domnahl’s face as he replied, “You are on!”