Sword of the Crown

by Paul J Bennett

  “I suppose so, whatever that means,” said Anna.

  Beverly turned, surprised at the tone of voice.

  “I spent my whole life isolated from the court,” the princess continued, “I must be the most un-royal princess ever.”

  “But the king provided for you, didn’t he?”

  “Not really. Oh, it was his coin that was used to have me looked after, but he only ever visited once. My mother used to visit once a year, but that stopped a long time ago.”

  “I’m sorry, Your Highness, I didn’t know. I can’t imagine what it would be like to not have a family nearby.”

  “I have a family,” said Anna, “and I don’t mean the king and queen. Gerald is like a father to me; he raised me.”

  “Then we have something in common, he taught me how to fight.”

  Anna smiled, “I guess that kind of makes us like sisters then.”

  Beverly returned the smile, “He was more like an uncle to me, I had a father, but I never knew my mother, she died in childbirth.” Clouds rolled over, temporarily covering the moon and Beverly could just make out Anna’s face. She looked to be wrestling with something, biting her lip.

  “Can I tell you something, Beverly?” she asked finally. “Something you can’t tell anyone else?”

  “Of course,” she replied, “I swear not to repeat your words.”

  “The king is not my father; I believe the queen had me by another man.”

  “I beg your pardon, Highness, but I think anyone who sees your blond hair realizes that.”

  “Yes, but I think I’ve discovered who my real father is.”

  The clouds parted, and the moonlight returned to reveal her features. She was staring at the water as it glistened. Beverly waited patiently; it was evident that Anna was struggling to come to grips with something.

  “I believe,” Anna said at last, “that my real father was the queen’s confessor.”

  “Might I ask how you came to this conclusion?” Beverly prompted.

  “Remember when you came in and I was looking for something in my family tree? I was going through the records in Wincaster; the king likes to track everything. All the expenses from when royals travel are listed. I know the date of my birth, so I looked for any records before that date for a year.”

  “And what did the records tell you?” Beverly pressed.

  “The queen had a small entourage, mostly women. I did find references to guards and such, and I compiled a list. I then researched each one to find which had hair the same colour as me. It’s rare in Merceria, you know, to have such light hair. Anyway, the only name that came up was someone named Father Baldrim; he was the queen’s confessor for that period of time.”

  “Baldrim? A Holy Father in Bodden had that name, I wonder if it’s the same person? Was this before or after the king took up a mistress?” asked Beverly.

  “After. Lady Penelope came to court about eighteen months before I was born.”

  “So your father drove her to it?”

  “Well, the king did. Remember, he’s not my father. He’s never recognized me as an heir, so I’m just a prisoner of my situation.”

  “But your brother, Henry, cares for you. He sent me to protect you.”

  “Yes, I suppose. Perhaps someday the king will recognize me, and I’ll be accepted at court.”

  “Is that what you wish for?” Beverly asked.

  The princess stood quietly for a few moments before answering. “I suppose so. Isn’t that what everyone wants? Acceptance?”

  Now it was Beverly’s turn to think. Was it true? What was it that she wanted? She wasn’t so sure anymore.

  As if in answer to her thoughts, the princess spoke again. “What is it you want out of life, Beverly? To be accepted as a knight? To find someone to live your life with? A nice rich husband?”

  “It’s a question I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with even a year ago. I’ve come to accept my situation in life. I’ve found my purpose; to serve you.”

  “But surely you must have more you want?” It was Anna's turn to prompt for a confession.

  “Perhaps someday I’ll consider that, but we must think in the here and now. There are things that need to be done, and we are in a position to make a difference.”

  “Well spoken, Beverly,” she said, “but tell me, do you ever dream of marrying?”

  Beverly smiled, “I don’t have time to consider that right now.”

  Anna stared at her, looking for any telltale clues to her answer.

  “I suspect there’s something you’re not telling me. When I mentioned marriage, you avoided the answer and had a faraway look in your eyes. I’m betting there’s someone in your heart, but you don’t want to reveal it. It’s all right; I won’t tell anyone, your secret is safe with me.”

  Beverly’s eyes went wide, was this child a mind reader, or was her love for Aldwin so obvious. Young Aubrey had also detected her secret long ago. She must strive to keep better control of herself.

  “On another note,” continued Anna, “Gerald tells me that your father has some experience in siege environments.”

  “Yes,” said Beverly, happy to change the subject. “He’s held the Keep many times. He’s built up the defences over the years and always keeps a good stock of food for such eventualities.”

  “Good, he’ll need to hold on for a while longer. I’d hate to arrive and have to take the Keep back by force; we aren't equipped for that.”

  “You can be sure my father won’t yield Bodden, Your Highness. He would rather die than surrender.”

  “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Now, I’ve called a war council for midnight, but I have to go and visit the Duke of Kingsford first. Care to come along?”

  “Of course, Highness. Whenever you're ready.”

  “Come along, then,” said Anna, reverting to her little girl persona, “It's just a few blocks from here.”

  * * *

  They made their way through the city to the duke’s residence, an opulent house with ornate marble pillars out front.

  A servant conducted them into the large waiting room, while someone ran to fetch the duke. A few moments later an elderly man with shoulder-length grey hair and an immaculately trimmed beard entered the room and immediately bowed deeply.

  “Your Highness,” he said, “let me say how honoured I am that you would grace us with your presence.”

  “Please, Lord Somerset, get up, have a seat, I have things we must discuss.”

  “Of course, Your Highness,” he said. “How may I be of service?”

  “We’ve taken a number of prisoners, as I’m sure you’ve been informed. I would like you to take the responsibility of shipping them back across the river to Westland so that they might return home. Each man must take an oath to never fight against the crown of Merceria again.”

  “Are you sure that’s wise, Highness? These men are criminals, invaders; should they not be punished?”

  “They are common people who were hired by tarnished gold. We are striving to determine who hired them, but they are not evil, merely ill-advised.”

  “And if they should not give their word?” he prompted.

  “Then they shall remain prisoners, but I doubt many will choose that option.”

  “What of their leaders, Ma’am?”

  “The senior leaders fled, unfortunately, but we do have some names for you. If they show up in the city, you are to arrest them immediately, though I suspect they are long gone by now. May I ask what the strength of your garrison is?”

  “Only a few hundred men, I’m afraid. It’s a good thing they didn’t assault the walls of the city; we scarcely had enough soldiers to man them. Might I ask why?”

  “I must consider my options, and I can’t leave Kingsford undefended. I’m holding a meeting with my advisors later tonight, Lord Somerset, and I wonder if you might be present to give your thoughts.”

  “I would be honoured, Your Highness, and may I add that if you should e
ver need a favour, of any kind, I would be happy to be of service.”

  “Thank you, Lord Somerset,” she replied earnestly, “that means a lot to me.”

  They chatted amiably for some time while Beverly sat quietly, going over their options in her head. She knew the supplies were getting low, and there was a very long march ahead, but if they left troops in Kingsford, it would make the relief of Bodden more difficult.

  She was awoken from her reverie by the princess.

  “Come along, Dame Beverly,” she said. “We’ve taken up enough of the duke’s time. We shall see you at midnight, Your Grace?”

  “Of course, Your Highness,” the duke replied, bowing deeply.

  * * *

  They arrived back at their temporary headquarters sometime before midnight. Anna sent her out to rustle them both up some food, and by the time she returned, the princess was standing at a table with lists of numbers in front of her; reports from all parts of her army.

  She placed the plate down on the table, careful not to disturb the dozing Tempus.

  “Your Highness,” she said, “you should eat.”

  “Oh, yes, thank you, Beverly,” said Anna, absently grabbing a chicken leg. “What do you make of these numbers?” she asked.

  Beverly looked at the sheets of parchment on the table. “Are these the supply numbers?”

  “Yes,” said Anna.

  “I thought so; I recognized Gerald’s writing. It looks like we’ve almost run out of food.”

  “Indeed, and the march to Bodden will be longer than it was to get here. The road is not the king’s road, in fact, it’s little more than a dirt track.”

  “In that case,” Beverly pointed out, “we’d be lucky to make ten miles a day with a wagon train.”

  “Precisely what I was thinking. Tell me, if you were marching troops across the country, how much food would one man carry?”

  Beverly thought carefully, “In Bodden, we would often send out long-range patrols carrying five days of food per man.”

  “Could they carry more if it was, say preserved?”

  “I would think so; the main problem would be water. A man can only carry so much water; the longer you march, the more you'll need.”

  “A good point,” said Anna, pulling a paper out from beneath the pile. “This is a map of the area; you can see the road I mean to travel on takes us through Redridge. The only other option would be to backtrack on the king’s road more than a hundred and fifty miles, which would cost us too much time. We need to cover the distance to Bodden as quickly as possible.”

  “How do we do that?” asked Beverly.

  “That’s the golden question,” pondered Anna.

  * * *

  They spent some time going over the reports, with Beverly helping her find what she was looking for. It was Gerald’s arrival with Lord Greycloak that signalled the meeting was due to start. Arnim and Revi showed up together, and Lily came out of a back room where she had been sleeping. They gathered around the table as a servant brought them something to drink. The arrival of the duke signalled the start of the war council.

  “Gentlemen and ladies,” Anna said, “we face a difficult decision. I’ve gone over the numbers, and we cannot march the entire army to Bodden.”

  There were objections all around, but Anna raised her hand to halt them. “I know, I know, but these are the facts. We can't transport enough food to supply the complete army through the long march to Bodden. We’ve used almost all our food stocks marching here, and there is little to spare in the city.”

  Arnim threw up his hands, “Then what are we supposed to do, Princess? Let them take Bodden?”

  “No, of course not Arnim. I have an idea, but I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts first. Gerald?”

  Gerald looked at the map before speaking, “It’s true the road is rough, and the more men we march through, the worse it will get. I’m afraid many of the wagons wouldn’t survive the harsh terrain.”

  “Will the men be able to handle the march?” asked Anna.

  “As long as they’re fed and watered? Yes. We’ve won a victory, Your Highness, they would follow you to the gates of the Underworld, if you asked them.”

  “Captain Caster, your thoughts?”

  “I say we strip the city of everything we can and march overland, avoiding the road entirely. We’ll take all the food we can carry.”

  “That wouldn’t work,” interrupted Beverly, “we’d have a hard time navigating in the wilderness, and it’s likely to be even harder travelling.”

  “Revi?” said Anna. “You’ve been quiet, your thoughts?”

  The mage was staring at the map with a faraway look in his eyes. “Cured fish,” he offered.

  “I beg your pardon?” said Arnim.

  “This city fishes the river; the fish is cured and stored for winter time. There’s a surplus in the city; they stockpiled it when they heard an army was coming, in case of a siege. Each man could carry a sufficient amount of perhaps a week or more. It probably wouldn’t taste the best, but it would keep them fed.”

  Anna smiled, “An excellent idea and one I hadn’t thought of. Your thoughts, Lady Beverly?”

  Beverly looked around the table, “I say we send a smaller force than we brought here.”

  Again, there were objections all around.

  “Why do you say that?” urged Anna.

  “A smaller force can move more rapidly and can respond quickly to threats.”

  “I had been thinking along similar lines,” said Anna. “Lord Somerset, how much food do you have stockpiled?”

  “I’m afraid you have me at a slight disadvantage, Your Highness. I was not informed I would need that information for the meeting, but I will send someone to find out if you like?”

  “Don’t bother,” said Revi, pulling out a rolled parchment, “I have the numbers here.”

  Anna took the parchment and unrolled it carefully, laying it flat on the table. She bent over and examined it in some detail while the others quietly watched.

  “Gerald, what are our numbers like?” she asked.

  “We’re pretty much at full strength, Highness. We took only light casualties, but we can replace losses from the garrison if we need. Revi has been working to heal the injured, and so we’re only down about fifty men in total.”

  “So that leaves us with, say, four hundred and fifty or so?” asked Anna.

  “Yes,” confirmed Gerald.

  Anna nodded her head as she looked back at the numbers. “I think I’ve come to a decision,” she said. “We will take a reduced number north. The rest will remain in Kingsford to garrison the city; we can’t rule out the possibility that another force may invade from the west. It’s risky, but it’s imperative that we get to Bodden in time.”

  “What troops are we taking, Highness?” asked Beverly.

  “I would like to take the Elves and the footmen. We’ll leave all the bowmen here in Kingsford, along with half the cavalry.”

  Consternation was evident on most of the faces, “I know,” she continued, “that would reduce us to only three hundred and fifty men, but it’s better to arrive on time with a few men than arrive too late.”

  “What’s the plan when we arrive?” asked Gerald.

  “That,” she said, “will depend on what we find. We shall have to rely on Beverly’s cavalry to screen us and warn us of any danger. Would anyone care to offer suggestions?”

  “I can have the foot set out as soon as they get their provisions,” volunteered Gerald.

  “Excellent,” she said. “Revi, I’ll put you in charge of the provisioning, as you already have a handle on it; you can coordinate with His Grace, the duke. See that the infantry is supplied first, they’ll be the slowest movers. Lord Greycloak, will your troops eat the fish?”

  “I’m afraid not, Your Highness, but my troops have their own supplies, you needn’t worry about us. They have enough food for two more weeks of travel.”

  “Excellent. Gerald,
make sure everyone tops off their canteens before leaving. Beverly, since one of your companies is remaining here, I want you to use some of them to make up for casualties, as yours was the hardest hit in the battle.”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Beverly agreed.

  “I shall want your cavalry to form a screen once we’re on the way, but that won’t be necessary till we turn north in two days' time. Your troops will leave the city last; I’m sure they’ll have no problem catching up. Captain Caster, your guard will march with the infantry. We leave as soon as we can. I intend to have the foot outside the city by sun up.”

  Everyone nodded their agreement with the plan before being dismissed by the princess. They trailed off, each set on their missions. Beverly waited until only Anna, Lily and herself remained.

  She saw the strain of command on the princess, who looked haggard with dark lines under her eyes. “You should get some sleep, Highness. It will be a long march tomorrow.”

  Lily chattered something, as if in agreement. “I shall try,” Anna said, “but the future weighs heavily upon me, and I have more to do before we depart.”

  Beverly moved around the table and put her hand on Anna’s arm. “You’re no good to us if you can’t stay awake,” she said, “even Tempus knows he needs to sleep.”

  “I will, I will, but I must finish this first.”

  “Nonsense,” Beverly insisted, “everything is in our hands now. You’re going to sleep, or I’ll fetch Gerald. If you don’t sleep, the army won’t march.”

  Anna looked at Beverly and smiled, “Is this mutiny?”

  “No, just common sense.”

  Anna knew she was defeated. “All right, I’ll go off to bed.”

  “Good,” said Beverly, “I’ll tuck you in and tell you a story, that way I know when you’ve fallen asleep.”

  “That’s hardly fair,” said Anna.

  “You haven’t heard my story yet,” Beverly replied with a grin.

  She escorted the princess into her room and put her to bed. Her story didn’t last long, for Anna was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Beverly sent orders to the cavalry and then grabbed some sleep herself, it would be a long day tomorrow, and she, too, needed to rest.