Ruby

Finding himself dismissed, Colman exited the cathedral and returned to his play. To his shock, the actors he had hired had been booed off the stage. Surely, this must have been the price for writing it in Greek. In place of the actors was a group of Walking People and the one that had Colman's attention most was a dancing girl who must have been Helen of Sparta reborn.

She was his age and slender in build with light skin, large reddish-brown eyes and long, straight red hair. Fairly familiar with how Dares Phrygius had described Helen, as having the cutest mouth and the best legs, Colman could very well believe that this girl was indeed Helen of Sparta and with an honest face too. To anyone else, she was fairly attractive, but to the common-looking Colman, only slightly better looking than Hugh O'Donnell, this girl, whoever she was, was indeed beautiful.

Wearing a long red skirt, a white top, gold earrings and a golden locket, the girl danced with such skill that Colman found it to be mesmerizing. As others tossed coins at her feet, Colman muttered to himself: "Oh, Goddess come to Earth, make me immortal with a kiss." To the surface rose the poet and playwright in him and what he said caused him to look downward in shame. What horrible words, he could do better than that could he not? Those words were not fit for either poem or play and the orator in him would dare not use such words, so why would the lovestruck fool? Lovestruck? Yes, indeed. He was lovestruck. He must have loved this girl whose appellation he knew not. Looking to a man standing next to him, Colman inquired: "What is her name?"

"Ruby." The man replied.

Ruby… Truly, it was a name she well deserved. Her eyes, her hair, she was well named.

When the dancing ceased, Colman stepped onto the stage, wishing to introduce himself to Ruby. She did notice him, even giving him a warm smile, but alas, he was trembling… Trembling like a coward… Yes… A coward. He was not brave enough to be a soldier, pious enough to be a monk, strong enough to be a carpenter nor intelligent enough to be a schoolmaster, he was not nothing more but a cowardly, impious, weakling of a fool. What girl would ever want him?

"Did you enjoy the dance?" Ruby inquired.

"Y-Yes." Colman answered. Swallowing, he then said: "My name is Colman Quinn." Giving a little bow, he then asked: "Your name is Ruby, correct?"

"Yes, it is." Ruby answered, still smiling at Colman. "You were the boy called forward by the King, were you not, Colman?"

Nodding, Colman answered: "I was."

"What was it like to meet him?"

Colman was not quite sure how to answer that. King James was the man who had barred Catholics from public offices, but otherwise he was not half so terrible a monarch as Bloody Bess, her half-siblings or father had been. Ultimately, Colman answered: "Like meeting a man older than myself I suppose. There are many such men." Grimacing at his words, he could not help but feel that those words were quite stupid, quite obvious, true, but still obvious.

Staring into Ruby's reddish-brown eyes, Colman wasn't quite sure what to say next. What could he say? With such a way to describe meeting the most powerful man in three kingdoms, why would anyone want to continue speaking with him?

"Know you many men older than yourself?" Ruby inquired.

"I know of many older than myself, but the only one I know personally is Master Gardiner." Colman replied. Upon saying his mentor's name, the clergyman's vow to protect Ireland from pythonesses, mages and the Walking People echoed through his head. There were no pythonesses and mages in Ireland, but wherefore Gardiner would be so opposed to the presence of the Walking People was beyond him. The only reason that Colman had ever gotten was that Gardiner did not like them near the cathedral. Wherefore? He had no idea the priest was old and set in his ways, even if he had left behind some less than virtuous ways. "What of you, Ruby?" he then asked. "What is it like to be one of the Walking People?"

"I am only one of the Minceiri by adoption." Ruby replied. "I was found as an infant and raised by a kind old woman, my adoptive grandmother, who gave me this." Holding up her locked, the Minceiri Girl smiled and added: "My grandmother told me that her great-great-great grandmother had been given it as thanks by a high priestess of an assembly of enchanters for healing her. According to my grandmother, this had been before the Tudors conquered this isle, when Henry VII had been content with simply being Lord of Ireland, unlike his tyrannical son and grandchildren."

"Can it do anything?" Colman asked, curious to know more about this locket.

"It is supposed to be able to make illusions, but I have never known how to make it work." Ruby replied. "Does your Master Gardiner know anything about enchantment, magic and the like?"

"According to him, once upon a time there was no differentiation between magic, religion and medicine." Answered Colman, gently taking hold of the locket and looking at it. There was a strange symbol upon it that he had never seen in his lessons with Gardiner: three connected spirals. "But I must wonder how he would feel about enchanters. He has sworn to defend Ireland from pythonesses and mages, even though there are no pythonesses and mages in Ireland."

Perplexed, Ruby asked: "How can one defend their nation from something that isn't there?"

A wonderful question. How did one defend their nation from something that wasn't there? Truly, people were strange.

"I am not altogether sure." Replied Colman. "He has also sworn to defend Ireland from your people, but that only involves insisting you all stay away from the cathedral."

"Not much of a defense." Ruby commented, rather confused as to how insisting a group of people stay away from a certain building counted as defending one's nation.

"Do you know what this symbol is?" Colman asked, returning the subject to the locket.

"I do not, nor did my grandmother." Ruby replied.

"May I borrow it? Perhaps Master Gardiner knows. Being a highly respected scholar, he must know what it means." At least, Colman hoped that Gardiner would be able to tell him, and thus, he would be able to tell Ruby. He wanted to be able to see her again and with her being one of the Walking People by adoption, it was entirely possible she may be leaving on a caravan some day, perhaps even that very day. Surely Ruby would not leave Dublin without her locket.

Removing her locket from her neck, Ruby handed it to Colman and said: "Take good care of it."

"How might I find you, Ruby?" inquired Colman.

"I will usually be dancing here in the square." Ruby answered. "If not, you might find me at—"

"That's enough!" snarled a man whom Colman knew as Brian FitzGerald. He was sixty-two years of age with some muscle on him, clad in a red shirt, black trousers, hat and vest, brown boots and wearing an eyepatch over his right eye, he was as bald as Gardiner. FitzGerald was not one of the Walking People, he was nothing more but a beggar and one who had knocked Colman down on more than one occasion simply for being in his way, even if he had given him money in the past. To say that FitzGerald was an ungrateful man was to state the obvious. Why he was such, Colman had no idea. Outside of having given him money on occasion, he was not an individual that Colman knew personally. All that he knew was that FitzGerald had always been in Dublin since he himself had arrived. When FitzGerald spoke, a look of fear spread across Ruby's countenance. Wherefore? Though he had been knocked down by FitzGerald on more than one occasion by the Old Beggar, Colman saw no reason to fear him.

Alas, Colman would find reason soon enough. Grabbing him by the leg, FitzGerald pulled the Young Poet from the stage and hurled him to the ground, much to the shock of Ruby and the crowd.

Soon came an exclamation of "What's going on here?" Now there was a voice that Colman was all too familiar with. He had first heard this voice a decade prior in the aftermath of the Siege of Cahir Castle, the voice of the man whom had killed his parents: Apollo Sidney, now the captain of the Dublin's guard.

English in origin, Apollo was an athletic man of forty-five, golden-haired, clean-shaven with blue eyes and a countenance worthy of his namesake. Clad in the uniform of the city guard, he would have seemed a fair sight to any who did not know him as Colman did. The slayer of his parents, one of the Tudor Huns responsible for the rape of Ireland, Apollo may have had the name of a Greco-Roman sun god, but as far as Colman was concerned, he was the very Devil himself, though he could not imagine Satan being any worse than Apollo was.

Seeing Apollo, Colman averted his gaze from the Captain of the Guard, as did FitzGerald. Looking up to Ruby, Colman's heart sank. Upon her countenance was an absolutely lovestruck expression. Sighing, Colman wondered how he could ever compete with Apollo. Could he? He doubted it. All the girls and women in Dublin loved him and he loved all the girls and women in…

Eyes widening, Colman rose to his feet. Even if Ruby never returned his affections, he could not let her become one of Apollo's mistresses. He could not! He would not! He would die before he ever let that happen!

But then… What could he do?

Colman watched as the crowd dispersed, with even FitzGerald departing. Apollo stepped forward and took Ruby by the hand, saying: "What beauty is this before me? What is thy appellation, girl?"

Shaking, Colman watched and listened as Ruby answered the soldier's question, yet even then there was something off. Ruby seemed almost hesitant. Wherefore? What reason did she have to feel hesitant about telling someone her name? Her lovestruck expression should not have made her so… Unless, she was not sure if she had fallen in love with Apollo at first sight. How many women and girls in Dublin truly loved Apollo? How many had not simply fallen under the spell of a handsome uniform? Alas, he knew not, but Colman believed that womanizing captain was just seeking another conquest, another mistress and with a girl he was old enough to be the father of no less! Even worse, Gardiner had told Colman that Apollo was engaged to be married, or was it already married? Whatever the case may have been, a man so lustful making advances towards a girl old enough to be his own daughter! It was abominable! Yet still, Colman could not help but wonder, was Ruby truly lovestruck or was she simply under the spell of Apollo's uniform? How could he be certain? He could only trust his heart that it was the spell of the uniform.

Watching as Apollo kissed her hand, Colman muttered under his breath: "How obscene! You are twenty-nine years older than her!"

"'Ruby'…" Apollo repeated. "A beautiful name for a beautiful young lady. We must meet again sometime, I shall come and find you, do not worry. I know Dublin like the back of my hand."

Colman did not doubt it. Apollo knew Dublin like the back of his hand because he had probably made love in every corner of it! The only person who could have rivalled him would have been Julia Major, the daughter of the emperor Augustus.

As Apollo made his departure, Ruby turned to Colman and asked: "Who was that man?"

"Apollo Sidney." Replied Colman, his eyes shut and a less than happy expression upon his countenance.

"A heathenish name…" Ruby commented. "What does it mean?"

"To the Greeks and Romans, Apollo was the God of the Sun." Colman answered. The appellation was indeed Heathenish, but according to Gardiner, there was only one deity in all the world. The many gods of the pagans had been nothing more but long dead monarchs and other such people granted divine honours after their passing. Had the original Apollo been a man such as Apollo Sidney? Who could say? Whatever the case may have been, it told Colman that anyone could be treated so respectfully if they were attractive enough.

''God of the Sun'… I suppose it suits him, shinning as the sun does with that golden hair of his."

Sighing, Colman's posture slumped a tad. "Do you like him?" he asked.

"I suppose." Ruby answered. "And I do think I would like to meet him again."

Beginning to walk away, Colman uttered: "I would not, if I were you."

Ruby watched as Colman made his departure. Placing her hands over her heart, she tried to understand what she was feeling. As if by magic, two men had appeared before her that day: Colman and Apollo. Their names, their countenances, what did they mean?

As she watched the Young Poets departure, a thought entered Ruby's head. She was new to Dublin and she wanted to see Saint Patrick's Cathedral. If her caravan were to leave that very day, would she ever see it again?

Running up to Colman, Ruby called his name. The boy stopped walking and turned, a look of wonder in his mismatched eyes, as well as a look of hope.