Princess Anna now wore a lemon shade of yellow instead of the butter color she’d had on earlier. Elizabeth went to the door to give her a welcoming hug as if they were old friends and invited her inside with the grace and ceremony only one royal can display to another. Princess Anna was hesitant and unsure, Elizabeth gracious and confident. They sat facing each other while Kendra fetched tea and soft, sweet-cakes for them.
“Did you see it?” Elizabeth asked.
“Oh, yes. They’re common at home, but more interesting was the reaction of the people here, especially those outside. They acted as if the wyvern was going to eat them.” She chuckled as if that was unreasonable.
Neither Kendra nor I sat or spoke, as we were loyal servants. My position was to stand aside, near the alcove ready to serve Princess Elizabeth and to protect her, if required. My wish was for larger ears because with their heads placed so closely together I heard little. Kendra, on the other hand, maintained her position at Elizabeth’s side where she could pour more hot water for tea and hear all while being all but invisible in the performance of her duties.
Elizabeth clearly directed the conversation and Anna responded. They wore smiles. An intimate conversation like that could continue until dinner, but when Elizabeth abruptly stood as a message of dismissal, I came erect. The change in them was perceptible. The air crackled with tension. Back straight and tensed, my hand rested on the pommel of my sword as smiles between the women turned to intense energy. The princess in yellow finally stood, nodded coldly and politely to Elizabeth, and she turned away in a swirl of her gown. She strode to the door with her chin up, her eyes never once acknowledging my presence. She didn’t appear happy.
She left us without a backward glance, leaving the door standing open for me to close. I did so and turned.
Elizabeth’s face was flushed, and her eyes narrowed. Before I could question her, she snapped, “She lied to me. The woman sat here and denied meeting with the king right to my face—as well as about a few other things. Fetch your things. We’re going to Mercia.”
Since I stood in front of a pile of luggage, the statement held nothing new except that she had made up her mind so there must have been doubting of the situation earlier. Kendra placed the pot of hot water for tea back on the stove and said quietly, “When?”
Ignoring the question, Elizabeth spun to face me. “We need a mount for you and a carriage for us right away. See to it.”
“We depart today?” I meekly asked, knowing the answer but a strange giddiness had taken hold. We’d seldom been outside the walls of the palace, and never on a trip. Instead of fear, it seemed exciting and adventurous.
Instead of answering my question, she snapped at Kendra, “Get some help to carry our luggage to the stables as quickly as you can.”
When Kendra opened the door to rush out and find servants to help us, I slipped out and headed for the stables. When entering, I waited while the stable master was instructing two young men in the proper manner to oil saddles by using their bare fingers, so they could feel flaws and stiffness in the leather and know where to apply more. He’d taught me the same lessons years ago when I was near their age. At my excited appearance, he left the boys and looked at me as if he knew I was not there to visit my horse. My facial control obviously required extensive practice to appear passive.
I calmed myself with a deep breath, at least, outwardly. “Princess Elizabeth requires a carriage for two and their luggage, and we need Alexis saddled. A plain saddle, one I can ride in comfortably for days.”
“Goin’ to Mercia along with everyone else?”
My impulse was to deny it. Instead, I winked and refused to tell a lie when he already knew the answer. “How long before they are prepared?”
He said with a shrug, “The carriage will be ready when the luggage gets here. A stable-boy is washing it, and another is already greasing the hubs for the long trip. Alexis has been placed in the small corral and is waiting for you.”
That drew a grin from me. The news of our departure might take the rest of the day to reach the nobles in the main wing. However, as in all palaces, the cooks, maids, stablemen, and a hundred other lowly occupations would know of our trip immediately. They knew because of the speed of the rumors between servants. It was the responsibility of those people to care for their masters. Life in a royal palace operated on two distinct levels and seldom did they coincide. The Royals and the servants.
That was how so many important people had departed for Mercia without our knowledge in the last few days. In this case, I included Kendra and myself with the Royals. It also made me wonder how much else we’d missed when we three were so self-proud of our knowledge of palace intrigue that we forgot to interact with those who serve.
Standing there amazed, the hustle of preparation went on around me. In the future, I might forego all the whispers, back alleys, hints, and subterfuge in the royal wing, and proceed directly to the stables for my information. Alexis greeted me at the small corral. She already wore a saddle similar to that I had requested. As usual, the stable master had anticipated my needs, including a red apple to treat my horse.
After a brief and unnecessary inspection, I turned at a small commotion. The first of our luggage had arrived. Soon after, the carriage, an older one, but well-built and sturdy, pulled beside us. A pair of brown mares were in the harness. They were not the most beautiful in the herd, but their legs and chests suggested power more than grace.
The stable master noticed my inspection and moved to my side. “Do you approve?”
“Yes.”
“Gotta guide, yet?”
I turned to him. “The roads are well-marked. Do we need one?”
“Nope. Not if you already know where to stay each night, which inns serve good food, if you know where the water is sweet, and the places where bandits and highwaymen like to hide before they attack. And of course, if you plan to stay awake all night on watch to protect the princess.”
Ignoring his knowing smirk, I asked, “Who would you hire?”
“Tater.”
“Seriously? That man has a bad leg, a foul mouth, and doesn’t bathe.”
“He’s a little crude, no question about it. He also spits a few hundred times a day and doesn’t pay attention to which way the wind blows—so you have to. But you didn’t ask me who I like. You asked me who to hire, and Tater is my answer.”
“There are others. There must be,” I said, as my mind formed a picture of a man who hadn’t cut a wild hair on his head or face in years, used crude language enough to make sailors wince, and overall, he thoroughly disgusted me. Then I reconsidered. If the stable master recommended him, there must be a good reason. “Why him?”
“He’s honest, and he knows the route. He has been to Mercia three times this year alone. He’ll also fight at your side and die for you if needed. Loyal as can be. Can’t say that for others.”
And he had the stable master’s approval. “Where is he?”
“Gathering his things for your trip.” The stable master turned and walked away with a chuckle.
If his face had been turned my way, there would have been a smile on it. I’d been manipulated as easily as a parent getting a child into bed with promises of sweet apples for breakfast. More luggage arrived, and right after it, my sister and Elizabeth.
The luggage had been loaded into the back while I wasted my time talking to the stable master, but at least, my back was not sore from lifting our things into the carriage. It was almost as if I’d planned it that way.