Heart of the Crown

by Paul J Bennett

  "I have no idea about Orc cities. The Orcs of the Greatwood live in small, scattered bands, little more than an annoyance.

  "What of the south?" Anna continued.

  "The sea lies to the south. The biggest issue there is with piracy; the Sea of Storms is a dangerous place. Occasionally the Kurathians will raid, but that hasn't happened in years."

  "Kurathians?" said Gerald. "Tempus is a Kurathian Mastiff."

  "Yes," acknowledged Alric. "They employ groups of them to bring down cavalry, that's why it was a shock to see him, but the Kurathians are mainly sea raiders. It's very rare that they would land an army. They've hit our coast many times over the years, the most recent was when I was a young child. The great ports of Weldwyn are fortified against such attacks these days. Don't you have the same problem in Merceria?"

  "No," answered Anna. "Our access to the sea is cut off by the Great Swamp. Mercerian ships haven't braved the river route to the sea for many years."

  The room fell into silence, and Anna sipped her drink. "I should love to see the Greatwood," she stated.

  Alric laughed, "It's far too dangerous, my father would never permit it."

  "More dangerous," she countered, "than your guards? And what would you do if I decided to go anyway, lock me up? Keep me prisoner?"

  Gerald smiled at the look of dismay on the young prince's face. Here we go, he thought.

  "But you can't just go gallivanting off to the north," Alric sputtered. "Arrangements would have to be made, soldiers dispatched..."

  Anna smiled, pleased with the result. "Excellent, it looks like you already know what needs to be done! Please inform His Majesty that I have decided to travel to the north. Lord Edwin has an estate up there, doesn't he?"

  "Yes," said Alric, "in Faltingham."

  "How long till the snow comes, do you think?" she asked.

  "We don't get much snow in Weldwyn. Even in winter, the roads are generally clear."

  "Perfect," Anna added, "then it's settled. We'll travel to Faltingham, and then go on to Loranguard on the western border. I understand there's a lot of shipping on the river."

  "Uh, yes," said Alric, "but the king will insist on sending an escort."

  "Then I suggest you go and speak to him with all haste, the better to be ready when the time comes."

  Alric stood, a look of indecision on his face, "Then I shall leave you, Highness."

  Anna smiled as Alric left the room. She waited till she heard the footsteps recede before turning to Gerald.

  "We're going on an adventure!" she burst out.

  The Royal Court of Weldwyn was busy as Alric made his way into the great hall. His father was in deep discussion with several nobles and Alric was loath to interrupt him. He kept going over, in his head, how to break the news that the princess wished to travel north.

  A voice interrupted his musings, "Alric, what news?"

  He turned to see Alstan, striding across the room, drink in hand. "I've been coordinating things with our visitor," he said.

  "And how's that going, Brother?"

  Alric had to think a moment before continuing. He looked around conspiratorially to make sure no one else was in earshot. "It's infuriating," he said at last.

  "How so?"

  "She won't follow protocol. She wants to go tearing off on... a tour of the kingdom. I have to figure out how to tell Father."

  "She'll need an escort," his brother offered.

  "You do it," he half pleaded.

  "No, I can't. I have pressing engagements elsewhere."

  "What about Cuthbert?"

  "He's not back from Loranguard. I'm afraid it has to be you, dear brother."

  "That's not fair," sulked Alric.

  "Life is seldom fair," his brother commiserated.

  "I hate this. Chaperoning a spoilt little girl."

  "That little girl is a Princess of Merceria. Need I remind you how important it is that we stay on friendly terms?"

  "I know, but she seems to delight in tormenting me."

  "She probably just likes you, Alric."

  "Don't even go there, Alstan, it's not funny."

  "On the contrary, I find it quite amusing."

  Alric made a face and turned to stare in his father's direction, but the conversation still continued, and he dared not interrupt.

  "Listen," offered Alstan, "what if you asked a cavalier to accompany you. You'd like that. You've been following Lord Marlowe's son, see if he'd be interested in commanding the guard."

  Alric smiled, "Yes, and maybe he will teach me a thing or two about jousting."

  "You know you can never joust, Alric. You're a royal."

  Alric sighed, "I know. Mother has made that plain on a number of occasions. Still, having a cavalier along will likely keep the trip interesting."

  Alstan chuckled, "I don't think it'll take a cavalier to keep things interesting. Trouble seems to follow the princess wherever she goes."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "Nothing, Brother, nothing at all. Now you must excuse me, I have important matters to tend to."

  Alric watched his brother leave. Was there something he wasn't telling him? Only time would tell.

  Princess Anna of Merceria began plotting the trip. It would take days before she was finished, but once she was in planning mode, there was little anyone could do to dissuade her. Gerald watched as she pored over maps of the realm, learning as much as she could about each possible destination before she finalized their itinerary.

  He was sitting at the end of the table snacking on some chicken as she pored over yet another map at the other end. They were interrupted by Sophie, who brought news of a visitor.

  Anna looked up, "Who is it, Sophie?"

  "Prince Alstan, Highness," the maid replied.

  The princess began carefully folding up the map, "Please send him in," she said, then turned to Gerald. "What do you think he wants?"

  Gerald finished chewing before he spoke, "I have no idea. It's unusual, to say the least. Perhaps Alric can't make it, and he's taking his place?"

  "We shall have to see," she mused.

  The door opened to reveal the Crown Prince. "My apologies for coming unannounced, Highness, but I have a matter of some importance I must bring to your attention."

  "That sounds very ominous, please have a seat. Sophie, would you bring some wine, please?"

  "Yes, Your Highness," replied her maid, then left the room.

  "So what is it that brings you here today?" Anna asked.

  Prince Alstan flicked his eyes towards Gerald, and then back to the princess. "I'm afraid it is for your ears alone."

  "Gerald stays." Her tone indicated there would be no argument. "Anything you say to me can be said in front of him."

  Alstan looked uncomfortable, a mask of indecision etched on his face before he finally relented. "Very well, where shall I begin?" This last statement was said more to himself, but she quickly picked up on it.

  "How about the beginning," she prompted.

  "When Captain Brown attacked you, we were very concerned."

  "As were we," added Anna.

  Gerald watched the face of the prince redden. This was a difficult subject for Alstan to broach and he was curious where the conversation was going.

  "I was tasked by my father to look into the affairs of the late captain to see if we could find any indication of why he might carry out such an attack."

  Anna smiled, leaning forward in her chair to rest her elbows on the table. "And you've finally found something. Tell me more."

  "I took only trusted soldiers, men I've known for years, and we searched his properties. We found a secret compartment beneath the floor in one of them. There were all kinds of papers."

  "What was the nature of these papers?"

  "They appear to be written in many hands and indicated troop positions and strengths across the realm."

  "So," mused Anna, "he was collecting information from agents across the land?"

  "
Yes, precisely. We think he was forwarding messages on to someone else but haven't been able to discover the beneficiary of this information."

  "I understand, but I don't see what this has to do with us. Someone spying on Weldwyn is your concern, but we are Mercerians. Surely you don't think he was communicating with us?"

  "No, but amongst the cache of documents was this." He withdrew a folded paper from his pocket and passed it to the princess. Gerald rose, walking to stand behind her to examine the document as she read it.

  "It describes," continued the prince, "the defenses of Bodden Keep in great detail."

  Anna finished reading the note, and then passed it directly to Gerald. "What do you make of it, Gerald?"

  He moved to the window for better light and held it up to look for any clues as to its origin. "I don't see any distinguishing marks, though the writing appears to be in a feminine hand."

  "Yes," said Anna, "I noticed that as well. I must thank you, Highness, for bringing this to our attention."

  "Certainly, Highness," said Alstan, rising to his feet. He began moving toward the door, but stopped, turning suddenly back towards the princess, "Might I enquire how you will proceed?"

  "That depends. What actions are you taking?

  "I afraid that I am not at liberty to go into detail; it's an internal matter now."

  "Internal?"

  "Unfortunately, Princess, these are not subjects for discussion with foreign dignitaries, even if they are royalty. We will, however, keep you apprised if we discover anything else that might concern you."

  "I see."

  "Do you have any other questions, Highness?"

  Anna rose from the table. "No, this is an internal matter, we shall look after it from here."

  Gerald was about to speak but realized the princess was already considering options.

  "Very well," said Alstan. "I will leave it in your capable hands. I shall ensure that no one else is informed of this."

  "Thank you, Alstan, that is most appreciated. Before you go, might I ask how many people know of this already?"

  "Myself, two guards, who have been sworn to secrecy, and the king."

  Anna nodded, "Then please, thank King Leofric for his discretion."

  The door opened, and Sophie entered bearing a tray with drinks. She looked in surprise at Alstan, who was just about to leave.

  "It's all right, Sophie, the Crown Prince has to leave on important business. You may bring the wine over here, we'll serve it ourselves."

  The young maid dutifully placed the tray on the table, withdrawing from the room immediately after Alstan.

  * * *

  Gerald sat back down, the letter still held in his hand. "This is bad news."

  "Yes, it means we have a traitor to deal with."

  Gerald was at a loss for words. After all the travel, the death of the assassin, the wounding of the princess, it was almost too much to take.

  The look on his face must have told her much for when she spoke it was in a soft voice, "We'll get through this, Gerald. We'll figure out who the traitor is and who's behind this."

  He looked at her, feeling his years. "How do we track down the spy, Anna? Whoever it is has been with us for some time."

  Anna smiled and held out her hand for the letter. He passed it to her as if the very touch of the paper was distasteful.

  "Tell me," she asked, "you've read it, how accurate is it?"

  "It's quite detailed," he grumbled.

  "So, whoever wrote this has some knowledge of fortifications and such."

  "Yes, the average person wouldn't understand half of that."

  "So, we can assume that the author has some military experience."

  "I hadn't thought of that, but it's true."

  "It also mentions the catapults. Those are new to the Keep."

  "Yes," agreed Gerald, warming to the task, "that means the writer must have been with us at our last stop at Bodden, or have been in contact with someone who was."

  "So at least we know a few things," she said, absently staring at the letter.

  "Actually," Gerald offered, "we know more than that."

  "What do you mean?"

  "We are looking at a feminine hand with military experience or training. That limits our choices considerably."

  "Are you suggesting it's one of my knights?"

  "It has to be. Half the servants can't even write, and those who can wouldn't know a parapet from a gatehouse. A woman wrote the letter, and the only women who understand such things are the knights who came with us."

  "That leaves a short list."

  "Yes," agreed Gerald. "Beverly, Hayley, Celia, Levina, Aelwyn, Juliet, and Abigail. I think we can safely eliminate Beverly, it's not as if she'd betray her own father."

  "We can't eliminate anyone, Gerald. Perhaps someone is controlling her."

  "No, I'd know. I've known her since she was born. No, it's someone other than Beverly. The question now is what we do about it?"

  "We don't do anything," said Anna.

  "What? We can't just ignore this,"

  "No, but we'll observe carefully and wait for the spy to slip up. We can't just arrest everyone concerned without proof."

  "Can't we? You're the princess."

  "Yes, but that would only sow distrust and make people nervous. Plus, if we're wrong, the spy might use the opportunity to get away. No, we must be sure."

  "We'll have to be careful," he prompted. "We should at least inform Beverly, it's her father's Keep that could be in danger."

  "Likely not," said Anna.

  "Why do you say that?"

  She smiled as she held up the letter, "Whoever wrote this doesn't know it was intercepted. The message never got through to its intended recipient, so Bodden is safe. Perhaps we can use this to our advantage later on, with a little subterfuge."

  "You have a devious mind," observed Gerald.

  "Now," she continued, "we shall have to plan this out carefully."

  Fifteen

  Unexpected Visitors

  Autumn 960 MC

  Anna stood, looking out the window at the courtyard below. It was a beehive of activity as servants exited the house, each bringing more goods to store on the wagons.

  "I remember when it took very little for us to go on a trip," she commented.

  Gerald was leaning from a chair, rubbing the belly of Tempus. He stopped as the princess spoke and Tempus, who was lying on his back, knocked his arm with his paw, begging for more attention.

  "You didn't have such a large entourage back then," he said. "It was just you, me and Tempus, here."

  She turned, smiling at her dog, "I miss those days. We were more carefree back then when we didn't have to worry about dealing with a traitor."

  "True," he agreed, "but we can't change what's happened. You're a proper princess now, and you have important responsibilities, but Tempus and I are still here for you."

  "I know," she said, turning back to watch the work proceeding below, "but I still miss the days of just the three of us. It seems like we can't even go for a stroll without a bevy of guards."

  Gerald rose, coming to the window to gaze out, like Anna. "Saxnor's beard, it looks like they're taking everything from the house!"

  "Good thing they don't know my background. I still remember stealing scones from cook back in Uxley."

  "You know she put them out for you to take."

  She looked at him in surprise, only to see him smiling. "I choose to believe I used my masterful sneaking ability to obtain said scones," she said, in her most regal voice.

  "You can have all the scones you want now," he offered.

  "You're right!" she exclaimed. "Let's ask for some scones right now, with jam, and we'll go out into the garden and have a picnic. Just the three of us."

  "And the guards," he reminded her.

  He watched her face fall, and it was heartbreaking. She was a girl on the cusp of womanhood who needed someone her own age, yet there was no possibility of it
here, not with treachery at hand.

  She turned silently to gaze back out the window, and then suddenly her face grew animated. "Someone's coming."

  He gazed out the window and even Tempus, alerted by her tone of voice, stood up, coming over to stand with his front legs on the window sill.

  "What do you make of it?" she asked.

  "Looks like a common enough carriage," he offered. "The type that's easily available for the right price."

  "It's certainly filthy. I can only surmise it's been travelling for some time."

  "I don't see a coat of arms," offered Gerald. "It may be a merchant of some sort."

  They watched as the horses halted. A guard had come from the house to investigate, with Dame Celia following. She walked over to the carriage and began talking, though they could make out no sound at this range. The knight then turned and headed back to the house.

  "Who do you think it is?" Anna asked.

  "I don't know. I suggest we go down and find out."

  "I have a better idea," said Anna, and swung open the window. She leaned out and Gerald, fearful she might fall, grabbed her, holding onto her waist.

  "You there," she yelled, getting the attention of the guard. "Who's in the carriage?"

  The soldier looked up, answering, "A Master Revi Bloom and guests."

  "Well, don't just stand there, invite them in for Saxnor's sake." She turned hurriedly, leaving the window wide open. "Come along, Gerald, we have guests to greet."

  They made their way downstairs and emerged in the entranceway just as Revi, Lily and two unknown women were entering through the front door. The guard who had escorted them in appeared uncomfortable around the Saurian, but Anna ran forward to embrace her friend, uttering something unintelligible to Gerald's ears.

  Revi looked surprised, "I thought you needed my spell to talk to Lily?" he asked.

  "No," she replied, "I learned a fair bit on our trip to the Darkwood. Now that she's back, I can continue. It's good to see you, Master Revi. Please don't leave my side again."

  The mage nodded quizzically. He was unaware of all that had transpired since he left them, for he had not crossed paths with the messenger on route.