“We were glad to be of service to your highness. I got my sword back and met your beautiful daughter. I believe that the same thieves that stole my sword attacked the farm where Peyton and Lauren lived. I only came here to retrieve my sword and leave quietly. I fell in love with the beautiful Princess Wildheart which of course changed my plans.” said Prince Morgan.
“You stole my heart dear,” said Princess Wildheart, grabbing his hand.
“Things have worked out great for Duke and me, we could not be happier,” said Prince Morgan.
“Well I for one am pleased you came to Rose Kingdom Morgan. To see my daughter so happy warms my heart,” said the Queen.
“My brothers are grateful to you and Duke also Prince Morgan. We may have lost our lives without you two helping our sister and Pricilla,” said Prince Tanner.
“Wildheart, Pricilla and Prince Tangent, we are both in your gratitude as well. Thank you all for saving us both,” said Prince William.
“You would have done the same for me Tanner, no thanks needed,” said Princess Wildheart.
“Even with all the pitfalls, this has been the happiest week in my life,” said Pricilla.
“Mine too Pricilla. A very intense but happy week,” said the King.
Prince Tangent stood up to address them all.
“I would like to express my own gratitude. At first I was disappointed in not being selected by Princess Wildheart. Now I can see how much the two of them love each other. I am happy for them both. The entire series of events led me to meeting Elise Cooper, whom I am in love with,” he said smiling.
“We know,” said Princess Wildheart laughing. “You must go to her Prince Tangent. Your Princess awaits you,” she said, smiling.
Prince Morgan once again spoke up after letting the others have their say.
“I know things have turned out wonderful for all of us so far. Even so, we should not forget that there are several hundred Barbarians not far away from here. These blood thirsty battle worn Barbarians have control over your entire southern region and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Which is I believe to conquer and control Rose Kingdom. History has shown that this type of enemy will do anything to gain what they desire. I believe they plan to attack Rose Kingdom very soon. We must be preparing ourselves for the worst possible outcome,” said Prince Morgan.
“I still have several hundred of my own soldiers to defend the Rose Kingdom. I don’t feel confident that my remaining soldiers could defeat that many Barbarians with heavy combat experience,” said the King.
“Duke and I met earlier before breakfast today and discussed the situation. We noticed the Barbarians preparing siege and attack items such as ladders and catapults when we scouted their camp looking for the Princes. There was another rider who entered the Rose Kingdom after us who is one of our own men from Caledon. He is a trusted and reliable member of our Kingdom’s army and Duke and I found him this morning at the Inn. We have ordered him to ride without stopping back to Caledon and have our generals mobilize one thousand of our finest soldiers along with weaponry and supplies. Their mission will be to come to the Rose Kingdom and help us to conquer the Barbarians. We intend to free the entire region of the threat they hold. I would have asked your permission first your majesty, however there is just not enough time for formalities since Duke and I believe they may attack at any time,” said Prince Morgan.
“I have no problem with your actions Morgan and I am grateful for your consideration. I believe we would do well to form a strategy as a group at this point and begin preparing for what may come before us here. Let us all meet in an hour or so in the weapons room and formulate our plans. Prince Tangent, considering the urgency of events I believe you should leave right away and fetch your Elise Cooper back to the castle. My Queen can go shop with the girls. The rest of us will meet,” said the King.
Everyone agreed that the Kings’ words were wise and beneficial and a meeting was in order. They left the breakfast table confident and secure that preparations were being taken to thwart the Barbarians attack.
“Prince Tangent, hold up and I will go with you to the stables,” said Prince Morgan.
He then turned to Princess Wildheart and gave her a kiss.
“I’ll see you at the meeting Princess,” he said.
Duke kissed Pricilla and followed along behind Prince Morgan.
At the stables, the Stable Master had already brushed and readied all of the horses. Prince Tangent had his horse saddled at his request and he then borrowed another horse to take along for Elise to ride. He mounted up and said goodbye to his friends. Duke advised him to ride hard and not stop. Prince Morgan told him to waste no time when he got to Elise Cooper’s farm and just grab what they could and return back quickly to the safety of the castle. He agreed and acknowledged that he understood the urgency of the situation. Duke and Prince Morgan watched as he mounted up and quickly rode out of the castle gates to bring back Elise.
“He is a good man Duke,” said Prince Morgan.
“Yes, he has many admirable qualities Morgan,” said Duke.
“We must hope our troops get here quickly. Those Barbarians won’t be camping for long before they try to attack,” said Prince Morgan.
“Our soldiers can move quickly when they need to Morgan, I have faith in them. I believe the Barbarians will try a siege for a while with the catapults and archers to test our defenses. Then a full out assault on the stone outer walls and iron main gates with soldiers, ladders and ramming carts,” said Duke.
“We should be able to defeat them if our troops can get here in time,” said Prince Morgan.
“I believe your right Morgan, except we do not know what to expect or when. That Barbarian army is at least four or five hundred strong. We must prepare for the worst possible outcome. Rose Kingdom may fall under that kind of attack,” said Duke.
“Let's get back to the castle and begin planning. We have no time to waste right now,” said Prince Morgan.
The two of them left the stables and walked back to the castle as a lone dark figure watched from near the Tavern.
“Prince Morgan and Duke certainly seem to have made themselves welcome here. It may be time for me to show them how unwelcome I can make things for them. The spoiled little Princess and her friends need to be taught a lesson in respect. I am a very good teacher,” said Prince Darksoul to himself, laughing.
Prince Morgan stopped for a moment and turned to Duke.
“Let's hide our gold. We can keep a little for expenses and hide the rest until things calm down,” said Prince Morgan.
“Good idea. Then we need to get to the castle for a strategy meeting with the King. The meeting and the two beautiful women in our lives, I already miss Pricilla. I need her by my side,” said Duke.
“I agree. Let's hope our luck with women continues over into other areas,” said Prince Morgan.
The two of them took their gold outside the castle gate which was open but guarded. They found a good spot to hide the gold back in the tree’s near the outer walls and buried it. Making sure that no one had seen them, they made their way back through the courtyard and to the castle for the meeting with the King.
NINETEEN
The Queen had left the castle with Peyton and Lauren to go shopping in the courtyard markets. She loved having more girls in the castle and was already treating them like princesses.
“I want these two girls to each have a beautiful Princess wardrobe. I would also be pleased for them to have riding apparel, casual wear and night gowns,” said the Queen.
Peyton and Lauren looked at each other wide eyed and smiling. They had grown up in poverty and being treated as a Princess astonished them.
“I will take their measurements and get my seamstress started right away your highness,” said the merchant.
“You are to use your finest quality material and do your best work. Nothing is too good for these girls,” said the Queen.
“Yes your majesty, it will be done as yo
u ask,” said the merchant.
The merchant fitted them and thanked the Queen as they left the shop.
“Now let's get you girls inside the castle. Time for a beauty treatment and getting your hair done,” said the Queen.
“We are so thankful for your kindness and generosity my Queen,” said Peyton.
“I am happy to be able to care for you girls Peyton. I love having more beautiful princesses in the castle,” said the Queen smiling.
Prince Tangent had now arrived at Elise Cooper’s farm without incident. She was excited to see him coming and ran out to meet him. He was wearing the scarf she gave him when had left her to rescue the Princes. Prince Tangent jumped down from his horse and ran over to her. He grabbed her in his arms and gave her a big kiss.
“I missed you so much. I could not wait to see you again Elise,” he said.
“I missed you to Prince. I was afraid you may have been injured or might have changed your mind about coming back to see me.” she said.
“You’re all I have thought about since I left here Elise.” He said.
The two of them continued embracing each other and then shared a passionate kiss for a moment. Prince Tangent explained the current situation to her and asked her to accompany him back to the castle. She agreed but added one small detail he was not aware of.
“I must bring my sister Tori,” said Elise.
“Your sister?”
“Yes. She had gone into town when you and the others stopped to help me. She and I live together,” said Elise.
“Is she here now?”
“Yes, she is inside. It’s not going to be a problem I hope,” said Elise.
“Not at all,” said Prince Tangent.
“We will all need to hurry though. Things could get serious very quickly,” he added.
Elise ran inside as Prince Tangent followed. He was introduced to her sister Tori and the three of them packed up needed items quickly for the ride back to Rose Kingdom. They loaded the items on the horses and then started riding back to the castle.
At the castle, the King and all three of his Prince sons were already meeting in the weapons room. They had managed to get maps laid out and had made an accurate count of their own troops, weapons and supplies. The others trickled in and soon the group was ready to begin.
“My sons and I have been discussing the situation. We are ready to contribute our suggestions but first I would like to hear what Duke has to say,” said the King.
Princess Wildheart was sitting next to Prince Morgan holding his hand. She looked a little worried but was calm. Pricilla was sitting next to Duke as he rose to speak. She was proud to be with Duke, he was everything she could have ever wished for in a man. There were several Paladin soldiers in the room, trusted and loyal to the King. The group got quiet and listened with respect as Duke began speaking.
“We all know what we are up against, everyone’s comments and suggestions are important. Feel free to interrupt me if you have anything to say. The facts as we know them at this point are that the Barbarian army is camped about a day’s ride away from here. By our estimation they number four to five hundred strong. We saw the Barbarians making ladders, catapults and ramming carts. That is a sizable force of battle hardened bloodthirsty men to contend with. We all know they will stop at nothing. The Barbarians will kill men and even women or children to get what they want. The camp is located here,” said Duke, pointing to the area south of the Dark Forest.
“I suggest the first thing we do is to send some scouts to the camp and let them gather more information. They can then return to the castle and inform us if anything has changed since we last saw the Barbarians. We should also send two riders with fast mounts here,” said Duke pointing to a spot on the main pathway about halfway between the Barbarian camp and the castle.
“They can give us an early warning if the Barbarians advance towards the castle. That would give us some time to ready ourselves before they attack,” he said.
Everyone agreed and the King commanded one of the Paladin guards to carry out orders immediately on Duke’s suggestions. The guard saluted the King and left quickly to carry out the orders.
“Your majesty’s army is too small to defeat these Barbarians out in the open. However, I believe they can provide adequate courtyard and castle protection should a siege begin before the Caledon troops arrive to reinforce us. We could strengthen the defenses until then by adding some trenches in front of the outer castle walls. We can also place troops atop the walls of the outer courtyard as a first line of defense. I would recommend you use your finest troops at the castle itself. We can place them in front, inside and atop the castle walls. The outer courtyard walls will need archers and the castle walls will also need archers. We can also prepare some nasty surprises such as hot oil and large rocks to drop on Barbarians if they try to put ladders up or ram the gate. We need to pay special attention to the gate itself since that is going to be the spot they will try to ram through and get inside the courtyard,” said Duke.
“Our one thousand man army will arrive in about two days. We can use them to defend areas in front of the castle and courtyard if we are not attacked before then,” said Prince Morgan.
“Your majesty, we have asked for one hundred Calvary, two hundred elite fighting ground soldiers, two hundred archers and five hundred regular ground fighting men. The generals under my command will coordinate all troop action for the Caledon army. My generals are experienced, sharp and very capable in ways of war. Let’s just hope they arrive in time,” said Duke, returning to his seat.
“Prince Morgan, do you have anything else to add?”
“I believe Duke has covered everything. We can’t do much planning on our part until our army arrives but they should be able to handle the Barbarians with ease,” said Prince Morgan.
“Very well then, let us hear from Prince Tanner on what he and his brothers have planned,” said the King.
“Our planning has centered on defending the courtyard and castle. The design of the castle is such that the only area vulnerable is from outside the front castle gates and walls. The sides have deep moats and the rear is protected by the steep cliffs. The only area that can be attacked causing damage would be the front courtyard area and gates. I like Duke’s idea of the trenches in the area outside the front gates and walls. I would also suggest we fill the trenches with oils soaked brush. It could be lit by archers with fire arrows when the Barbarians approach. That should buy us some time and force the Barbarians into this narrow area in front of the gates,” he said pointing to a castle area map.
Everyone agreed that filling the trenches with wood and brush soaked with oil would be a great defense measure to add. The King ordered a Paladin to go and have the trenches prepared. The guard saluted the King and left to carry out the order.
Prince Tanner had nothing left to say and returned to his chair. The King rose again and began to speak.
“Let us all remain here in the castle and courtyard areas to oversee the defense preparations and protect the castle. When the scouts return, I will summon everyone for another meeting,” said the King.
The group left the meeting and went their separate ways.
“Pricilla and I are going to go see how Peyton and Lauren are doing. We will prepare them for what may be coming and let mother know what is going on,” said Princess Wildheart, kissing Prince Morgan.
“Duke and I will be in the courtyard outside. Meet up with us there,” said Prince Morgan.
Princess Wildheart and Pricilla located the two girls and the Queen. The girls had bathed and were being pampered by the castle maidens. They seemed to enjoy the attention very much.
“You two look just beautiful. There are no other girls in the Rose Kingdom that could compete with your beauty,” said Princess Wildheart.
The girls excitedly told Princess Wildheart and Pricilla about their shopping trip with the Queen who sat smiling and listening to them tell about the experience.
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��Well it seems that we are to have two more beautiful Princesses here in the castle,” said Princess Wildheart, smiling at the girls.
Princess Wildheart and Pricilla then explained everything to the Queen. The Queen told them not to worry and that things would be fine. She told them that Peyton and Lauren would be kept close to her to ensure their safety. Princess Wildheart and Pricilla then left and went to the courtyard to join their men. They managed to locate them near the Tavern.
“Everyone is safe inside the castle,” said Princess Wildheart.
“That’s good. Morgan and I have looked over things out here and preparations for defending the castle are already underway,” said Duke.
The four of them went to the Tavern. They had the Tavern Maid bring them some wine and cheese for refreshments. The young Tavern Maid happily served them all.
“Morgan, I am concerned about the merchants and shop keepers. They will do us no good fighting and may be slaughtered if the Barbarians attack,” said Princess Wildheart.
“They should be fine Princess,” said Prince Morgan.
“They can quickly go inside the castle when trouble starts. For now we should all go about our normal routines and not panic or get upset. It is up to us to make sure everyone is safe. We all have the weaponry and training to handle this situation,” he said.
“We should go to the stables and make sure our horses are ready in case we need them Morgan. You girls might want to change into some fighting clothes instead of your beautiful Princess Dresses. We don’t know when the attack might start,” said Duke.
“Your right we must all be ready for anything now,” said Pricilla.
The four of them finished their refreshments and went back outside into the courtyard. Prince Tangent was coming through the castle gates as they walked outside.
“Look, its Price Tangent and Elise riding in to the courtyard,” said Pricilla.
“Yes but I wonder who the other woman is riding with them,” said Princess Wildheart.
“Let’s go and see for ourselves,” said Prince Morgan.
The Legend of Princess Wildheart Page 12