The Porfian Princess: The Chronicles of Cornu Book 4

by L J Dalton Jr.

  Marta encouraged the girls that they should all practice a few times before the wedding. Mutual support was important for a young woman like Pindar, who came from a completely different culture. This was just one more culture shock, but she had friends to help her through it.

  When they were going to dinner, she thanked Marta. “Thanks so much for helping me. I never thought I would do such a thing. The harem has apparently adopted it. You know how to do it, which is good.”

  “You can always ask Brandt to help with adjusting things. James is always willing to help.” That brought peals of laughter from the girls who thought that was a good idea.

  Security

  Rolf met with Colonels Dedessus and Petronas along with Lieutenant Sorbor and Sergeant Tabor. They went over the details of the wedding and the security. At Rolf’s suggestion, they walked the route the wedding party would travel.

  As they were going down the main road from the palace to the temple, Rolf asked. “Are you going to have guards along the route?”

  Lieutenant Sorbor answered. “Yes, a guard every five yards with Halberd, facing the parade route.”

  Rolf looked dubious. “Sergeant, would you indulge me, please. Stand here and pretend you have a halberd. Look at the street.”

  The sergeant stood as instructed. Rolf then was behind him and first made as if he was pointing a pistol and firing it. Then the next thing he did was go down a few feet and then ran out into the road holding his arm like he had a pistol. He then turned to the others and said. “That’s the problem with not looking at the crowd. Count Michael told me that they have very tight security for the key people on the home world. The people providing security are always looking into the crowd, looking for threats.

  As you can see, if the guards' backs are turned, a person could shoot at the carriages or, even worse, run up to them and fire a close-range shot. That would almost be sure to kill.”

  The others saw that he was right. It was quickly decided that the guards would be facing the crowds with their halberds. The long pole could be used to hold people back. The hook on the ax could be used to drag someone to the ground. Both the ax and the pike portion could be deadly. It would make it much easier to control the crowds and also provide protection.

  “What else, Rolf?” Asked Colonel Dedessus, he’d decided that he knew what he was talking about, however young he was. The colonel was not too proud to listen to him.

  “Sharpshooters and spotters, with rifles. At least a dozen pairs. We can pick four or five spots along the route to the temple. We will position the rest around the temple. If there’s going to be a problem, I think it will happen there.”

  “Colonel Dedessus, I assume that you have the men who could serve as sharpshooters.” Said Lieutenant Sorbor. When he agreed that he did, Sorbor continued. “Good, master Rolf, where do you think that we should position them?”

  “We’ll have to get up on one of the higher roofs and take a look.”

  Lieutenant Sobor, Sergeant Tabor, and Rolf all headed towards one of the taller buildings. Colonels Dedessus and Petronas stayed in the streets. By unspoken agreement, they let the younger men clamber around on the rooftops.

  It was a three-story apartment building, and they had no trouble getting in. The stairways led them to the roof access, which was a trapdoor that Rolf pulled open. He easily jumped up and pulled himself through. The other two followed. Rolf helped up Sergeant Tabor. As he scrambled up, Lieutenant Sobor winked at him. The sergeant knew that he would soon be leading his men in some physical training.

  From the roof, they had a good view of the parade route to the temple. Sergeant Tabor saw it clearly. “If we position marksmen, here and a couple of other spots, anyone making an attempt on the people in the carriages can be cut down. We might have a problem with people in the crowd, though.”

  “That’s what the halberds are for, sergeant. Anyone who makes a move will have an ax falling on their head. That should discourage them.” Replied the lieutenant. Tabor nodded.

  They spent twenty minutes up on the roof deciding where to position the sharpshooters and their spotters. They picked five different buildings, including the one they were on. The sergeant noted them, and they went back down and gave their results to the two colonels. Both were pleased, and they continued walking towards the temple. When they got to the temple, they stopped.

  Rolf stared at the wide road leading straight into the temple square. “This could be a problem,” he said. “You could come right up this road into the square. If there are enough people, the guards wouldn’t be able to stop them. This worries me; it’s just too inviting.”

  The others looked and, after a bit of thought, had to agree. Dedessus saw the problem. “You’re right, master Rolf; this could be a problem. Exactly how it could be used against us and what we can do to counter it, I’m not sure. This is going to take some thought.”

  On the way back, they discussed the situation. Rolf wanted to know how easy it was to get uniforms of both the Guard and Colonel Dedessus’ people.

  “Not hard at all.” Allowed Sergeant Tabor. “There are several places in the city that make the uniforms. Muskets aren’t that hard to get either. From what I see, Colonel Dedessus’ men are dressed in clothing that can easily be duplicated. Now rifles are a lot harder to get. Just not that many people use them or are comfortable with them.”

  They all agreed that the sergeant was right. It gave them more to think about. Before they left, they spent another two hours scouting positions for sharpshooters. They picked out ten good placements. Two of them covering the street, running into the plaza in front of the temple.

  They returned to the palace, discussing what they should do. When they got there, it was well past lunch. Colonel Dedessus had the kitchen send some food to them in the dining room.

  While they were there, James, accompanied by Marta, came by. Rolf introduced both of them to everyone. James let them know about the derringers. All of them thought that was a good idea. Rolf assured Colonel Dedessus that all the Nordian women had them, and he knew for a fact that Elizabeth did as well. He was reasonably sure that Noria and Alla also carried them.

  He told Rolf that Prince Brandt and the others would meet with the merchants tomorrow afternoon. Both Rolf and James agreed that they had other things to do. James was going to spend more time making sure all the women had derringers and knew how to use them. Rolf said he needed to work on security. Colonel Dedessus let them know that he had to be at that meeting.

  The way they talked about the derringers caused Colonel Petronas to think that these northern women were not to be taken lightly. He couldn’t imagine a Porfian woman of a similar station ever think of carrying a weapon, much less using it.

  Lieutenant Sorbor observed. “So that is one of Doctor Jorgenson’s grandsons. I believe that Elizabeth is a granddaughter. Marta is Duke Edwin’s youngest daughter. Apparently, the young lady is interested in James.”

  Talking about James and Marta, Rolf said, “We don’t even rib him about it anymore. It doesn’t get a rise out of him at all. He just calls us jealous slugs because he has the company of an attractive young girl. It just isn’t any fun.”

  The men remembered their youth and being in a similar situation. Rolf’s comment made them realize that no matter how competent Brandt and his friends were, they were still teenagers.

  They agreed to meet again in two days to go over additional plans for security at the wedding. The way the young men and the girls had been treated at the dry goods store made all of them realize that more was going on that, and it wasn’t necessarily good.

  That evening Rolf briefed his friends on the security arrangements that they’d come up with. The road right into the plaza was a concern. Brandt made it clear. “We’ve got to be able to block it if need be. Rolf’s right; they could come up that street and be right there by the wedding party. We also need to make sure that the wedding parties are more compact and protected.”

  They a
ll agreed; it was James who came up with the solution. He suddenly said. “An honor guard. An honor guard could be used to block the entrance into the plaza if needed.”

  Rolf looked at him quizzically. “Ok, James, explain what you mean. You’ve clearly got an idea, so help those of us who aren’t following you.”

  “Michael told me about honor guards. They’d get all dressed up in their best uniforms and form ranks to greet important dignitaries. Well, in this case, we’ll have an honor guard at the entrance to the plaza. Ranks of soldiers in their best uniforms with their weapons saluting the wedding parties as they enter the plaza.

  Now, if somebody tries to come up the street and move into the plaza, the honor guard will block it. We’ll have a good number of soldiers all ready to move into place and block off the plaza.”

  Brandt picked up on it. “Great idea, but I don’t want people with just muskets. The sharpshooters that Rolf has already positioned may be blocked by a crowd of innocents and not have a good shot. Even if they did, there might be too many for the sharpshooters to stop them all.

  I think we will have one rank of the regular guard on each side of the plaza forming the guard. A second rank of the Duke’s irregulars with rifles forming the second rank. The Duke’s men will have rifles and should be good shots.

  They’ll be able to take shots and have a better chance of hitting the people trying to rush the plaza and not some innocent. If it thins out and it’s just our guard against the others, masted musket fire should end that threat.”

  Everyone agreed. Rolf pointed out that it may not be the only threat. “if that does happen, they might just be trying to drive the wedding party into a trap just like drivers, trying to drive animals to the hunters. We’ve got to be ready.”

  Brand agreed. “Rolf, you stick with the honor guard. Everyone else here is in the Nordian wedding party. We’ve got to cut this down. Let’s put the Sudlunders in with the Nordians. Everybody is armed with a sword and, of course, derringers. We’ll put a couple of guards dressed as members of the party with King Menounos and his party. Then it will be Duke Harlold and Noria and my Uncle and his party in one big group. It will be Harlold and the King who’ll be the targets.”

  They discussed it and refined how they’d do it. Finally, they decided that King Menounos should have a close escort of his own guards dressed as members of his entourage. They didn’t think that they could put guards with Harlold and Arken. The swords were breaking tradition enough. Brandt, backed by Rolf and James, would make the arguments in the morning.

  The next morning Prince Brandt along with Rolf and James went to see Prince Arken and Duke Harlold. At first, they were a bit skeptical, but Colonel Dedessus backed Brandt up. He told both Prince Arken and Duke Harlold that he was sure Colonel Petronas and Lieutenant Sorbor would agree with him and Prince Brandt. That convinced them. Duke Harlold had little experience with a sword; Prince Arken said he’d give him some lessons. James would instruct him on how to use the derringer. He should carry two.

  Meeting the Merchants

  After lunch, Rolf and James headed out to work on their assignments, glad to avoid the meeting with the merchants. Brandt and his other three friends headed off to it, determined to be seen and not heard. Given the reception they’d had at the dry goods store, they weren’t sure what they were walking into.

  When the meeting started, Prince Arken introduced them. “Gentlemen, let me introduce some observers we have here today. This is my nephew Prince Brandt of Nordia. With him, he has three representatives from the commercial interests in Nordia. King Fredricke has specifically entrusted them with the task of scouting out opportunities of mutual interest to Tantulus and Nordia.

  Don’t let their ages fool you. These young men represent three of the more prominent business families in Nordia and have been well-schooled in their respective areas. They are here to report back to their families and the other merchants. They are respected enough that they will be listened to.”

  With that, the meeting started. Brandt and his friends could see that the Porfians were generally not that receptive. They noted those who did seem receptive and would talk with them later.

  As the meeting wore on, Darvin started to cause more of a problem. He was turning the tone of the meeting so that it was contentious and was supported by a couple of the other merchants. Others sat back and wanted not to choose sides.

  Finally, Darvin decided to throw something at Prince Brandt. He was young and could probably be provoked. Looking at the Prince, he said. “This is all due to your family, Prince Brandt. Our peaceful country has been turned upside down, and we are faced with losing our livelihoods.” He then added some crass words.

  Brandt and his friends had been prepared for that. Gabor spoke up. “Sir, I realize that this is very stressful. I’m sure that you didn’t mean to insult a Prince of Nordia and his family.” The way it was said was calm and forceful, yet he made clear that the royal family of Nordia had been insulted. Something that gave all of the other merchants' pause as that was not a good thing to do. Insulting a Royal Family in the presence of one of them was not conducive to good health.

  Brandt then spoke up. “My family has been attacked four times at the behest of King Leonades. First, they sent Bart to capture my mothers, my sisters, and myself. I was forced to kill at least two of the brigands myself. They overwhelmed and killed our guards. They tried to rape my sister Princess Catrina. If it weren’t for Count Michael, I probably would be dead now.”

  Looking at Prince Arken. “You know, Uncle, we seem to forget the attack at the Resting Lion. There Count Michael killed two members of the assassins’ guild.

  Then, of course, there was the attack in Palace at Midport. There my brother-in-law, Prince Roddrick, was almost killed. I had to kill his attacker, and Normon, Duke Edwin’s son, had to kill another. My brother-in-law Count Michael killed two himself, and my sister Princess Catrina had to kill one.

  Then there was the attack at my sister, Princess Christiana’s wedding. Four assassins tried to kill her and her husband-to-be.

  We have the proof that Leonades set all this in motion. You can understand that we are not pleased with him. I’m sure the northern kingdoms would have marched into Porfia, and a lot of blood would have been spilled. All due to the vanity or whatever of King Leonades.

  This was avoided because my brother-in-law, Count Michael, devised a plan to seek retribution for the actions of King Leonades with the minimum amount of bloodshed and would also serve as a lesson to anyone else even considering something so foolish against any of the kingdoms.

  Now we have to look to our own personal security as well. My friends and I are forced to spend a good deal of time becoming very proficient with arms. Hopefully, such proficiency will never be needed.

  You are right; we do have issues with Porfia and, by extension, Tantulus, and you, gentlemen. I am here observing and learning from my Uncle, who, being related to us, knows that his sister and her family were put at risk. I want to learn from his calmness and the even-handedness that he is showing in this situation.

  I trust that offers some insight into the situation and how we view it. Of course, people like Colonel Dedessus have personal stakes as well. His daughter, who was with child, was killed not more than two days from here along with many others, including women and children.

  We all are trying to keep passions low and seek to resolve this thorny issue as well as we can.”

  It was all delivered calmly, almost like he was talking about the weather. Arken was quietly pleased with his nephew and his friends. They let the merchants know that it wasn’t good to insult the Nordian Royal Family, especially as a Prince of the blood was in the room.

  Brandt also laid out the vicious attacks on the family as well as their defense. He let them know that he’d personally killed three of the people attacking them. And that he had his friends had to become very proficient with arms because of threats to their safety. Something that the brighter m
erchants among them would pick up on.

  Finally, he let them know that this was about as fair as it was going to be. Left unsaid was that they could be treated the way the Porfians treated the people from who they took the business. The difference is that they would probably escape with their lives, but that was it.

  The meeting went on. Darvin had been put in his place, and he was quietly fuming. He’d been upstaged and insulted by a couple of young pups. He totally missed the fact that the ‘pups’ had sharp teeth.

  Many of the others quietly resolved to take the best deal that they could make and then leave for Porfia. Arken had pointed out Barton to Brandt. As soon as the meeting started to break up, Brandt and his friends went up to him.

  Brandt took the lead. “Master Barton, I’m Prince Brandt; these are my associates, Gabor, Kelvin, and Starl. My uncle, Prince Arken, has spoken highly of you. I was wondering if we could have a few minutes of your time.”

  Barton was getting used to the northern way of doing things, where royalty was not all that far removed from the people. Still a Prince of the Realm. “My pleasure, your grace. What may I do for you?”

  “We were wondering if you and some of your like-minded associates would be able to come to have a working lunch with us sometime this week. We’d like to understand things more clearly and perhaps start a discussion on mutually beneficial business arrangements. “

  Barton was of two minds. In one sense, he was surprised, and in another sense, he wasn’t. The northerners seemed to be very practical people, and this was in line with what they would do. The surprise was the youth of Prince Brandt and the apparent maturity. He agreed to lunch in three days. He knew a couple of other merchants who were in the same position as he was. Originally Porfians, but now bound to Koronus by ties of matrimony.

  That evening at dinner, the meeting was discussed. Alla informed them that their agents in the city knew that Darvin was up to something. They just couldn’t get close enough to find out exactly what it was. But whatever it was, they were sure that it wasn’t anything that would help the transition to Duke Harlold’s rule.