We ignored all of them and walked at the same casual speed as the others strolling the street until we reached the gate. Looking ahead, we saw wagons and people walking to and from Andover, a steady stream in each direction. There was no sign of Elizabeth.
A bakery had set up a small booth where it sold sweetcakes. Another sold water with lemon slices. We purchased both and introduced the girls to sweet and sour, obviously not tastes in their usual diet if the expressions on their faces were any clue. We laughed, watched other people out walking in the spring sunshine after the terrible storm, and kept an eye on the road to Andover.
A young farmer on muleback trotted into town waving his straw hat to attract attention as he called, “Princess Elizabeth is coming! I passed her on the road a short time ago!”
His words were as if another storm rolled in. People hurried to locations where they could better see her, others ran to tell friends and families of the event. Sailors hurried to their destinations, and the streets were cleared of wagons laden with cargo so she would have a clear path. The entire city transformed in moments. Now there were people lining both sides of the street, all of them watching the gate she would come through. It had transformed from a working day to a party atmosphere.
Kendra leaned closer to me. “This is a big event, one they will talk about for years.”
“Why?” I asked.
She gave me one of her sour looks, silently telling me I’d asked about something I should already know. When I shrugged, she relented, “A member of the royal family may have never visited the port in all of history. Most of these people have never seen a prince, princess, king, or even a duke. Remember, even you and I are minor celebrities.”
Since Kendra and I had been eight or ten, we’d seen—and interacted with royalty daily, as if we were part of them. My eyes shifted to the girls. We were more part of them than Crestfallen royalty. We interacted with royalty, but we were never part of them. The realization chilled me.
Princess Elizabeth and the king had always treated us fairly and well. We’d been given extraordinary lives compared to other orphans. We ate with royalty, talked with them, and lived with them, but it was always them. Never us. Our positions were gained more by accident than design or birth.
I said, “All this excitement, just to catch a glimpse of her.”
Kendra seemed to be having thoughts parallel to mine. She scowled. “You and I rode in and were looked at as heroes because I freed the dragon and destroyed the old city of Mercia. A dragon flies above the port to watch me and keep me safe. The people are thrilled.”
“And a princess approaches and the entire port is in turmoil.”
Kendra’s fingers curled into angry fists. Emma reached out to hold her hand and the fingers uncurled, and she took the tiny fingers and interlaced them with hers. Others may not have seen the simple gestures, but she was my sister, and I noticed them.
CHAPTER NINE
P rincess Elizabeth rode a tall horse of a dark brown color, the coat so glossy and silky it almost looked like it reflected light. The polished hooves lifted daintily as if the horse danced when it moved. She sat tall and easy in the saddle, with a small troop of soldiers riding behind, two-by-two. Elizabeth rode at the head, unconcerned with appearance or propriety. Her clothing was ordinary, heavy pants and shirt, not homespun, but not far off. A brimmed hat held a raven’s feather, the ancient symbol of Dire royalty.
I watched the rear, expecting to see the guide we called Tater, but did not. Although she was still some distance away, the combination of the horse, her plain dress, and the feather warned us. She was proceeding as a princess performing her royal duties, not as our friend. There should have been a mayor or dignitary to greet her.
Instead, there was the pair of us—and the pair of little girls we’d rescued.
Kendra stepped closer to me and said in my ear, “Allow her to pass without greeting.”
“Any idea what this is about?”
“Only that a horse that has traveled hard all the way from Crestfallen should look weary and dusty,” Kendra said. “That horse was recently brushed, the saddle polished, and her pose is royally aloof.”
“Aloof?”
“The only word that comes to mind. Remember, she knows nothing of us freeing the dragon, or the destruction of Mercia. She may have heard part of it, but there is no telling what wild tales are running in circles in upper Dire. She will let us know our place. Until then, we wait.”
I couldn’t restrain myself as Elizabeth drew nearer. “Everyone in the port knows we’re with her.”
Kendra shushed me with a finger held to her lips. “She may not know. This grand entrance may be part of a state requirement.”
Which meant the king had ordered it. When we had departed Crestfallen, the king was too ill to delegate such an order. Princess Elizabeth rode past the City Gate—and us—without so much as a glance in our direction. It would have been hard to miss us, standing alone where she rode within touching distance. The royal escort, many of whom had gambled and lost their pay to me in times past, did the same. It was a well-rehearsed entry into the Port of Mercia. There was no doubt she had used stern words with them about how to react to us.
We stood, much as the rest of the people, off to one side as she rode past. People cheered and clapped, others bowed or curtsied. All were respectful. She rode down to where the roads leading down to the piers turned to the left, and she took the first as if she knew exactly where she wanted to go.
The procession of soldiers followed. She rode directly to a newer looking ship, the hull is narrower, the two masts taller. It was in conflict with the wide-bellied cargo ships with two or three shorter masts. She dismounted and walked up a wooden ramp that bounced with each step. A man at the top spoke briefly with her, and she entered a small door.
Behind her military procession, and until now unnoticed by me, were pack animals, and soon chests and crates were carried aboard.
As we stood watching, along with most of the entire city, a swarthy man shouldered his way between us. Turning to admonish his rude manners, his face was familiar. From Crestfallen. He was a common worker in the castle, a supervisor of small jobs and a man I’d seen a thousand times, yet never spoken with. He leaned closer and covered his mouth with his hand as if yawning. He said, “She sails with the afternoon tide. Book your passage now.”
He slipped away into the crowd unnoticed by all but us. Kendra had missed the short conversation. A sailor stood a few steps away. I moved to his side and said, “Excuse me, but can you tell me how to book passage on a ship?”
He pointed to a few business fronts facing the ships near the pier. “Booking office. One of them, depending on where you want to go.”
Taking Kendra by her elbow and anticipating the girls would keep up with us, I quickly wove through the crowd and into the first door. A man sat behind a counter, a pen in his hand. “Sir, can you tell me which booking office handles that ship the princess just boarded?”
“Winston Ventures, next office,” he pointed a finger to his right without looking up.
Outside, Kendra said, “What are you doing?”
“A message was passed to me. We’re to book passage on the same ship.”
She nodded, and we opened the door to find a small woman wearing a permanent scowl. Kendra said, “We wish to buy passage on the same ship as Princess Elizabeth.”