“For secrecy, of course!”
I wondered if Faxon were always so energetic.
“You are not to tell anyone we met,” he added. “I don’t mean to sound grim, but this is a very serious matter. With the true princess missing, Arencaster’s claim to the throne is at stake.”
I nodded my agreement. “I will treat this order as though the Queen herself gave it.”
“Excellent.” Faxon clasped his hands together in satisfaction. “Now tell me, Princess. Why are you still awake?”
“It’s cold,” I mumbled.
Faxon smiled, and his eyes danced. Indignation crept hot through my cheeks. He certainly wasn’t trying to hide his amusement. “Lend a hand, Tolliver,” Faxon instructed. I wondered how that commanding attitude went over with his captain. Tolliver obeyed at once, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground. At first I thought he was just bashful. Then I remembered I was wearing one of Fiona’s nightdresses. The thick, floor-length cotton, modest by my world’s standards, was probably considered shocking by his. Faxon, unsurprisingly, seemed not to care.
In no time, a merry blaze crackled on the hearth.
With much clucking, Faxon coaxed me back into bed and even filled Fiona’s bed warmer with hot embers. Suddenly I felt much more comfortable. My eyelids became heavy and began to droop.
“It would be best if you didn’t mention this meeting to the queen, either,” Faxon said. Tolliver was across the room reopening the secret passage.
“Why?” My question ended in a yawn. “I’m so grateful that she has sent someone to help me.”
“Someone may overhear. Your silence will prove you trustworthy to her. Our queen is a woman of few words, sometimes to the detriment of her position and relationships. She values implication and what is unsaid. Does that make sense?”
I wondered if there were anything Faxon was not an expert on. But I was too sleepy to argue. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“Good girl,” Faxon said.
I rolled my eyes.
“We will meet tomorrow,” Faxon said. “Leave it to us to arrange the time and place. For now, sleep.”
“Thank you.” I truly was grateful for their efforts. Nonetheless, it took me a long time to fall asleep. Some of the problem was specific to me: I’d never really enjoyed sleepovers because bedding down outside my comfort zone meant poor sleep or very little of it. Also, now that the rain of new things had stopped, I had time to worry about Gerry. Where was he? Was he safe? Had his captors fed him anything he was actually able to eat? What if he… No. I had to stop before that whirlpool of worst-case scenarios dragged me under. I had to focus on what I could do. The rest, as much as I hated it and as often as I forgot, was out of my hands.
Tomorrow I would have to bring up the dragon to Queen Arencaster. The whole missing princess thing had pushed it right out of my mind. Actually I’d try Faxon and Tolliver first, I decided. They were much more approachable. Maybe I wouldn’t have to talk to Queen Arencaster at all.
With those decisions made, I began the difficult business of chasing down sleep.
{****}
I awoke disoriented. For several minutes, I sat in bed just looking around and taking in the sight of Fiona’s room in the daytime before it came back to me.
“Gerry,” I whispered. My heart ached not knowing where he was or how he was doing. If I’d been at home, I might have huddled under the blankets for a few more hours, waiting in vain for my problems to solve themselves or for Gerry to call. The latter was always a great motivator. I couldn’t think of one time I said no when he asked me to get together.
How was I going to make it if something had happened to him?
I found a cold breakfast waiting for me on a tray, and with it, a note.
“Come to the stables,” it directed in painstaking block letters I wondered how many people in this land could read and write. Munching on the chewy, somewhat stale bread gave me an opportunity to reflect on the situation. It was more than a little strange having these two young men come into my room any time they pleased. Suppose I were dressing or something? I made a mental note to ask Faxon about it in private. I’d try to leave Tolliver out of it, since he seemed to have all of Faxon’s missing concern for modesty.
By following a a guard on horseback, I made it the stables without confusion. Within the dim rows of stalls and horses, I found Tolliver. The stocky man had just saddled a chestnut horse and was starting on the second one, a dapple gray.
“Who are the horses for?”
Tolliver’s eyebrows jumped. “Us.”
I took a deep breath, already feeling my heart hopping around like kids in a bouncy house. It was time to get in character. I didn’t want my only allies in Autumnstead to think I couldn’t impersonate the princess. “I’ve never ridden before,” I said, not adding that like all new things, the thought of attempting it terrified me.
“You’re a princess where you come from, right?” Tolliver whispered after glancing around to make sure we were alone.
“Yes, well, sort of.”
“How can you be a princess without horses? Is your kingdom… poor?” The instant the words left his mouth, Tolliver looked aghast. “I apologize for my rudeness, My Lady. I spoke thoughtlessly.”
I bit back a giggle, though I couldn’t hide my smile. If he only knew. “It’s a little complicated to explain.”
“We will be spending a lot of time together,” Tolliver pointed out. “Faxon said so. I want to know about you and the land you came from.” His dusky eyes shone with enthusiasm. Something flashed in them when our gazes met, light in the facet of a dark gem.
“Of course,” I said, suddenly conscious of the long time I’d taken to answer. I hoped Tolliver didn’t think I was blowing him off. It was hard to know where to begin describing and explaining California. And there was the spark in his eye, still tantalizing me.
“If it makes My Lady feel safer, you may ride with me,” Tolliver said to the hay at his feet.
At first I didn’t know how to reply to that. I had expected a lecture about why my fear was irrational. It’s what Gerry would have done. In good moods, he called them pep talks, and in grumpy ones, reality checks.
“That would be perfect,” I finally said as calmly as I could. “What about Faxon?” I asked as Tolliver led the second horse back into its stall and began removing its saddle.
“Faxon will be training until afternoon,” Tolliver said. “Before then it will just be the two of us.”
“You mean, ride together, on one horse?” I said, sounding like the easily-scandalized old lady who lived in the apartment next door to Mom.
“Arbas can carry both of us.” Tolliver emerged from the stall and patted the horse’s nose. “Unless you’re much heavier than you look. Which I doubt!” he hurried to add. Apparently his reservations about modesty did not extend to riding double back. Maybe it hadn’t occurred to him how close together we’d be sitting.
Previously, I’d been too wrapped up in meeting new people and acting capable, despite feeling anything but, to notice much about Tolliver. Now it hit me like a wheelbarrow of bricks raining down from the roof: Tolliver’s broad shoulders, well-muscled arms, and long dark hair.
Whoa.
As I fought down thoughts about Tolliver’s body, my mind wandered into a tangent. In order to stay in the saddle and keep my balance, I would need to hold on to his shoulders or waist for most of the ride. Of the two, which was the least risqué? Generally the waist was an off-limits place, but looking at his broad, powerful shoulders was turning my insides melty.
Trying, probably in vain, to recover my composure, I said in a voice so horse and dry it might’ve been a whisper, “If you think so.”
“I am a good rider, and a safe one, I assure you, My Lady.” Tolliver exited the stall and led Arbas beside me. With an expectant look, he extended his hand to me.
Warm and strong, Tolliver’s palm was covered with calluses. He guided me to stand atop a wooden barre
l, which made mounting the chestnut horse much easier.
I swallowed hard.
If I’d been captured by a dragon rider, I’d be upset if a girl as pretty as Tolliver was handsome were helping Gerry. But… He’d just have to understand. Establishing rapport and fostering trust with Tolliver, Faxon, and others in Autumnstead would ultimately lead to Gerry’s rescue. I’d just have to forget about Tolliver’s good looks.
“Hold these while I get on,” Tolliver said, passing me the reins and pulling himself up using the stirrups.
Once he was settled, Tolliver turned around. “Are you all right, My Lady?”
“Yes,” I said, surprised my voice didn’t quaver.
“Then here we go.” Tolliver gently pressed his heels against Arbas’s sides. This, I discovered, was the signal that made the horse walk. As he did, my hands jumped to the most logical handhold: Tolliver’s waist. Any guilty pleasure I might have enjoyed was forgotten in his shoulder-length hair blowing back into my face. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. His hair was hardly as soft as it would’ve been with modern shampoo and conditioner, but it wasn’t coarse like a horse’s tail either. It had a wild scent to it, of pastureland under open skies.
“We shall visit the edge of Latule lands first,” Tolliver said. “Their house is always entertaining guests from the capital. They never wake up early and won’t see us.”
Compared to the perpetual hum of Southern California freeways, the woods were library quiet. Arbas’s hooves hardly made a sound on the soft, leaf-carpeted ground. Past the trees, I could see the white stone road that led through Autumnstead Village, and ultimately, the castle. I kept expecting Tolliver to turn to it, but the way he chose brought us deeper into the woods.
From a young age, I’d been warned against strangers. I had a whole separate mental file for macabre fates young women met when alone with an unknown man. I thought with longing of Gerry, how he’d first endeared himself to me by walking me to my car after work. That was a little over a year ago. The last day we’d rode in the Fantasy Parade, there’d been three weeks until our one year anniversary.
“Tolliver,” I ventured, my heart in my mouth.
“My lady?”
“Why avoid the road?”
“I am only a guard, My Lady. It would be scandalous to be seen riding with the princess in this fashion.”
Fiona’s reputation was a serious matter. Still, I wondered how much she had left after all her exploits.
Houses visible beyond the trees soon became winding forest paths, streams or ponds, or of course, more trees. Here Tolliver permitted Arbas to trot. The sudden change of pace caused me to gasp. Keeping one hand on the reins, Tolliver reached for his sword.
“It’s okay, Tolliver,” I managed to say, despite bouncing like a super ball down a staircase. It was a wonder I didn’t bite my tongue. “I wasn’t expecting to go faster.”
“I apologize, My Lady.” Tolliver curbed Arbas back to the smooth, sedate walk of before.
“You don’t have to,” I said, mostly to be nice. I really hoped we could walk the rest of the time.
“I forgot this was your first time riding. When you’ve trained a little, we’ll try trotting again.”
“Do they have any idea where Fiona might be?” Maybe she’d come back before this lesson took place.
“Regrettably, no.”
“How long has she stayed away before?”
“The longest before this was…” Tolliver thought for a minute. “A season. We could teach you to gallop in that much time.”
“Oh no!” I said before realizing Tolliver’s shoulders were shaking with laughter.
Our walk through the woods continued until we reached a mill and waterwheel, as charming as any in Portalis Park, only real. The wooden building rose on pillars above the smooth, flat boulders and a half-circle of short waterfalls so smooth, they seemed more like mist.
“Beyond are the Latule lands and plantation. This is as far as we’ll go,” Tolliver said.
I wished we could explore further. Still, it was nice to linger in this area, to watch the wheel slowly turn, draw water from the river’s depths and raise it high.
Wet leaves, moist earth, wood, and oddly, cinnamon, perfumed the air. I breathed deeply, realizing as I did that the mill was not a photo op, but part of Latule’s livelihood.
“Is there a village in Latule too?” I asked.
“There is.”
“Do they want the Latules to rule?”
“Of course. But that doesn’t mean it is right for the Autumn Lands. The Latules, as you will see, can be very manipulative.”
“Why haven’t they attacked Castle Arencaster?”
“They know that overthrowing the Arencasters will set Ivenbury and certain houses in the capital against them. It is in their best interest to do everything by the book if they wish to keep the crown long-term.” Tolliver swung down from the saddle and held out his hands to help me down. My weight posed no challenge to his strength. In a similar situation, Gerry would have been huffing and puffing. Despite the hours he spent in the gym, I think those muscles were just for decoration.
I scrambled to think of more questions for Tolliver, wondering if my appreciation of his physique were evident. “What Latules will we see at dinner?” I didn’t think it would matter since Queen Arencaster had ordered me to be silent. Still, it might be useful some other time.
“Lady Lavinia Latule, no doubt.”
“Queen Arencaster’s sister,” I murmured. “What is she like?”
“You really do come from a faraway land,” Tolliver said.
“What do you mean?”
“Her beauty and charm is sung throughout kingdoms,” Tolliver said.
I had to giggle at that. Queen Arencaster wasn’t ugly, but I’d hardly call her beautiful; strong and severe were the words that came to mind instead. Maybe her sister didn’t resemble her.
“Lady Lavinia is no laughing matter,” Tolliver said. “She may appear empty-headed in her pursuits of beauty and popularity, but these merely disguise her ambition and cunning. Some say the hunting accident that killed King Jeffrey Arencaster was her doing.”
“Whoa, wait a minute! Lady Lavinia was part of the house of Arencaster? So how did Queen Arencaster come to rule?”
“Our Queen Arencaster and James Arencaster married shortly after Lady Lavinia and King Jeffrey. The accident occurred before Lady Lavinia and King Jeffrey had children, so the crown passed to King James Arencaster. But Lady Lavinia has never forgotten the crown that so briefly was hers. When King James had been gone for a year on his pilgrimage, Lady Lavinia called a council of three houses to declare him dead…against Queen Arencaster’s wishes.”
I shook my head. “What a terrible thing to do, and to your own sister!” Thinking about it, however, I wondered if the council had caused Queen Arencaster pain. She seemed so cold and above it all. Maybe she’d been warmer before her husband’s disappearance.
“Lady Lavinia believes the songs about her,” Tolliver said, lowering his voice. “That is why she is so ruthless; they convinced her she can have anything she wants.”
I swallowed. With someone like that at the dinner, it would be a good night to be enchanted.
“Lady Lavinia will surely bring her son Sterling tonight and poison the councilors’ ears with talk of restoring the patriarchy.”
“Is Lavinia’s husband in Latule still alive?”
“Skyler Latule? Yes. He is considered a lamb in a lion’s jaws, so much that ascending the throne would not change that. Lady Lavinia would be a formidable match for any man. In fact…” Tolliver stroked his chin. “Without his meekness, I wonder if Lord Skyler would have survived his wife this long.” Tolliver trailed off and glanced at the sun. “Let us go now. It is a while yet to Ivenbury.”
As he spoke, three men wearing crimson tunics and brown cloaks appeared from around the corner of the lake.
“Latule guards,” Tolliver whispered. My heart sank. Sure
enough, all were armed with swords.
“Can we slip away?” I asked.
Tolliver nodded and put a finger to his lips. His free hand strayed to his own weapon. My heart gave a little shiver. He meant to protect me!
As luck would have it, one of us stepped on a dry branch on our way back to Arbas. It split with the crack like a car backfiring, unmistakable in the early morning quiet.
A Latule guard waved to his fellows with a shout. “Trespassers!”
Chapter Four
Lady Ariana
Despite Tolliver’s and my head start, Latule’s patrol was well-trained, catching up to us while Tolliver was still trying to help me onto Arbas. One guard shoved Tolliver. Arbas sidestepped and and whinnied. I slipped from the mare’s back and landed, dazed, face-up on the ground. My head spinning, I attempted to make sense of Tolliver’s struggle with Latule’s men.
The outcome of three versus one was fairly predictable, despite Tolliver’s formidable size. He landed several good blows, but ultimately his attackers subdued him.
The fight ended with two red-clad man on either side of Tolliver, each gripping his arm. The third man, who had gotten a black eye in the fight, bellowed questions about us and our intentions. Whether Tolliver answered or not, he followed up with a blow to the gut. It wasn’t long before Tolliver sank to his knees.
Unsteadily I began to crawl toward them. I wasn’t sure what I could do, but I couldn’t just sit there.
“Good morning, gentlemen.”
Admittedly, I had been occupied, but it still seemed like the woman had appeared from out of nowhere. Her cerulean dress surpassed any I had seen in Fiona’s closet and made Queen Arencaster’s look like servants’ garb. She must be a very important noble, probably of the house of Latule, given where we were. I froze in indecision. What could I do against so many people? What would Latule do to Arencaster if I tried to fight?
“Lady Ariana.” The guard who had been beating Tolliver sounded anything but happy to see her. “You have been ordered by Lord Skyler Latule himself to keep out of his lady’s woods.”
“Lady Lavinia can spare a few mushrooms and herbs,” Lady Ariana replied, as regally as any queen. Her voice and bearing left no room for question.
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