by Finley Aaron
Only one person asked what she was doing, and she told him she was fetching her master’s horse. The man didn’t seem to care much, and let her go, though he shook his head when he saw the dog following.
Ella didn’t know where to go. It didn’t seem wise to retreat to Caprese, since that was the most likely place for anyone to look for her. Besides that, she was exhausted.
She guided Mirage along a side-street. The dog had continued to follow them, but now began to howl.
Ella paused, and realized the dog that had driven her coach wasn’t the only canine howling.
Several other dogs in the immediate vicinity were howling. It reminded her of how the dogs would howl when Jerome sang in his drunken stupors.
She heard it then, the sound almost buried by the noise of howling dogs.
Jerome. Singing.
With my help she followed the sound, and caught up to Jerome as he stumbled home. He wasn’t moving very quickly. Obviously the king’s good wine had flowed freely, and Jerome had taken advantage of its abundance.
Ella followed slowly behind Jerome (who did not notice her or the howling dogs) until he came to the rear door of a house. At this, Ella hurried to catch up to Jerome before he got through the door.
“Jerome!” she called in Allard’s voice, keeping mostly hidden behind Mirage so Jerome wouldn’t see her skirt.
“Allard?” Jerome broke off from his singing and looked around, disoriented.
“Yes, it’s me. I’m in town for the ball and I won’t make it home tonight. Have you got a floor I can sleep on?”
“I’ve got a hammock.” Jerome grinned. “Come on in. Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” Ella answered in Allard’s voice.
Since Jerome held the door open, she had no choice but to step away from her horse. “Thanks so much, I do appreciate it. Quite a long way home from here.” She added as she stepped inside past him, leaving Mirage next to a patch of grass, where the cistern held more than enough water to keep her through the night.
Jerome looked down, blinked, reeled, and closed the door after them both. “Say, Allard, are you wearing a dress?”
Ella chuckled in her most masculine way. “A dress? My, my, Jerome, that is some choice wine they serve at the king’s castle. Has it got you seeing double?”
Jerome blinked again and shook his head. “Must be.” He rubbed his eyes. “There’s the hammock, there. I’ll let you string it, because I’m still seeing you wearing a skirt, with your hair tied in a scarf like a grandmother. And only one shoe. It looks as though it’s made of glass. I need my sleep.” Those last words were sung to a familiar tune, which Jerome had often sung before. He took up his song and stumbled into the next room, leaving Ella to fumble with the hammock strings.
She found the hooks on the wall and strung the hammock, then fell into it, exhausted.
At first she thought she might be too excited, and the bed too unfamiliar to allow her to sleep. But the long days and short nights, as well as her exhausting journey and the late hour, sent her fast to sleep before she’d hardly so much as closed her eyes.
She awoke the next morning while Jerome was still snoring away. Mirage still stood waiting patiently for her outside, and Ella crept off with the mare along back roads, and made her way out of the city.
The main roads were sure to be busy the morning after the ball, and many of the travelers would be guests who’d watched her dancing with the prince, so that anyone might recognize her, headscarf or not. Ella essentially retraced in reverse her journey from the day before, which led her to the creek and blackberries, so that at least she had something to eat. It was also cooler along the creek bed than on the dusty road, which offered welcome relief from a day that promised to be hotter than most.
In this way, she came by midmorning to the stream at the bottom of the pasture at Caprese, and was delighted to find Gustav sitting in a shady spot on the bank, fishing. He saw her approaching, and planted the handle of his fishing pole in the open knot of a fallen tree, before running to meet her.
Ella embraced him as though it had not only been a day since she’d seen him last.
“They’re looking for you!” Gustav said, his face bright with excitement. “Men from the castle. They’ve got a glass slipper, and they say the prince will marry only the girl whose foot fits the slipper. I told them you weren’t around. It sounds as though they’re going to try that shoe on the foot of every maiden in the kingdom until they find you!”
“Oh, Gustav, I can’t let them find me—not yet. I’ve convinced the king to send men to free Bertie from the prison at Devin. Prince Henry is going to lead them.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to go with. Do you think it would be possible for you to sneak up to my attic and fetch my armor?”
Gustav hardly blinked at her request, nor did he question her plan to go. In fact, he seemed pleased with her plan. “Most of the king’s men are gone now. They’ve left a pair of guards at our front gate to intercept you if you come home that way.”
“Then I shall be sure to avoid the front gate. When you visit my attic, could you also fetch me all my maps, as well as my boyish clothes? They should all be in the green satchel, together. And don’t forget my helmet and boots—all I have is one glass slipper.” Ella told Gustav exactly where to find everything, and he hurried off to bring them back to her.
She had a long wait before he came back, and she’d begun to fear something must have happened, when he finally darted down the edge of the pasture, along the cover of the woods.
“What’s happened?” She asked as he approached breathlessly.
“More men from the castle. These claim I’m to go on the mission to rescue your brother.”
“Yes, that’s right. I should have mentioned it. I told them you could identify him. Did you agree to go?”
“I said I would, but they wanted to leave straightaway. I made them to believe I needed to fetch my things, then I made exit from the rear door when no one was looking. Now, here you are. Is this all you needed?” Gustav handed over the maps all rolled and bundled in Ella’s leather map case, and her armor, helmet, and sword as well, besides the clothes and other things she’d requested in the green satchel. He also gave her a chunk of cheese and bread from the kitchen.
“Very good.” Ella thanked him repeatedly for all his help.
“I’m glad to do it. It’s a much better adventure than sitting here waiting on the fish,” he said, his eyes sparkling so that Ella was sure he meant it. “They said we’re headed to the dock at Ratisbonne.”
“Yes, that’s the plan. I will meet you there.”
“Here is this more,” Gustav said, and pressed a pouch into her palm.
“What is this?” Ella felt the form of coins inside the pouch, and peeked in through the opening to confirm. “I can’t take your money.”
“Take it. Ratisbonne is a three-day journey even at a dead gallop. You’re going to need to keep your strength up, and I know you’ve neither food nor coin. The king’s men have promised to meet my every need, plus a stipend beside, so I’ve no use for it. Go on now, and Godspeed to you.”
Ella hugged him goodbye, and he ran back up to the house, while she ducked away into the woods to change into her armor.
Ella had no choice but to reach the river port before Prince Henry’s ships set off for Devin. If she missed them, she’d likely never catch up to them again, not unless they ran aground. No horse could run as fast as a ship sailing downstream, especially with men at the oars, and most certainly not when the ships would be sailing night and day without rest.
Mirage, of course, would have to rest.
The journey to Ratisbonne would normally take more than three days. By carriage, it often took an entire week.
Ella didn’t have a week to reach the city, and neither did the men from Charmont. The Danube was relatively small that far upstream, and quite dependent on
spring rains besides. They simply could not waste any more time reaching it. She explained her plans to Mirage. “Once we reach Ratisbonne you can rest, but until then, we’ve got to go as fast as we can, and we’ve got to stay off the main route. I don’t want to be seen until after I’m on that ship.”
Mirage dipped her head as though she understood.
Ella checked over her maps and plotted her route. There were several places where, if she skirted fields and woods instead of sticking to the course of the roads, she could trim some distance from her trip. This was, of course, assuming that no one came after her for trespassing on their land.
I committed her intended route to memory, and vowed to do my best, by flying high, to not only keep us on course, but also to watch for any landowners who might not care to have Ella riding alongside their fields, and warn her away before she got caught.
In this manner we made the trip. Mirage was a great sport, galloping swiftly whenever the paths allowed it, and keeping as brisk a pace as possible when the way was difficult. Mirage helped herself to grass in those places where she wasn’t moving too quickly to eat, and Ella made sure to stop frequently for the horse to water.
She rode well into the night, helped by a bright moon. After only a few hours’ sleep on the hard ground, she rose again to take advantage of the pre-dawn cool of the day.
The second day was hot, even hotter than the first, so that by mid-day Ella paused at a remote stretch of stream, and both she and the horse took a swim to cool off.
By the third day, she was exhausted, and her entire body ached. But Mirage, true to her lineage, kept up the demanding pace.
They reached Ratisbonne as the ships were loading. Ella wasn’t sure how she’d sneak on, but she supposed her best chance was to ride up looking like she knew what she was doing, in the hope that no one would question her.
This might have worked, save for the fact that no horses were boarding.
Henry was overseeing all the activity himself, and recognized Mirage and Ella straightaway, even from a bit of a distance. He handed his ledger to the assistant next to him and dismissed himself, somehow managing to disguise his relieved delight almost until he reached Ella’s side.
She saw him approaching and, since there was no escaping now that he’d seen her, and since he did look overwhelmingly pleased, she slid from her saddle to greet him.
“I’d embrace you, but everyone is watching,” Henry said when he reached her, still beaming with happiness that she was among them. “I’ve been worried about you.”
“You had to guess I’d meet you here,” Ella chided him, looking up at him from close range as he crowded her as close as he dared. She was dressed as Allard, and would have to play that role for the entire trip, as the men would not likely accept a woman in their midst. Besides that, she’d already spotted Dominic and other men she recognized. They would know her as Allard, and she did not intend to confuse them.
Henry didn’t seem too surprised to see her, though he was clearly glad about her arrival. “Your man Gustav told me you’d try to make it, and it’s not that I doubt your ability to get through any situation on your own, but you must know, Richard hasn’t been seen since the night of the ball.”
“Richard the fourth?” Ella clarified.
“Yes, Richard, Raedwald, whatever you wish to call him. That cousin of mine is missing, and so is enough stolen tax money to raise an army and go to war. He’s up to something. I’m just glad he hasn’t caught up to you.”
“As am I. I’ve kept to the back roads and cut across country. I haven’t seen anyone of interest since I left Gustav with your men at Caprese.”
“Well, they’ve brought him here. He’s aboard already. Resting. He’s a tough old man, but he’s still an old man, and it was a hard ride to reach here.”
“How are the water levels?” Ella asked, concerned that they might not be able to sail.
“Falling. Reports from upstream are that we haven’t much left. Today will be the last day to sail, and we’re going to go hard at the oars to keep ahead of it. Besides that, we won’t be taking any horses. The only ships strong enough to carry them are too deep in the hull. We’re on the light barges, capped at fifty men each. It’s the only way we’ve got any chance of getting through on these levels.”
Ella looked over at the boats, which were merchant barges. It made sense not to approach the city looking like a military convoy. And if they could load her father’s carts onto the merchant barges at Devin, they could perhaps row some way upstream toward home before the river became too dry to float them.
“Sigismund is going to take Bastian to a local stable and keep him there,” Henry explained. “I can have him lodge Mirage as well.”
“That would be best. She’s a tired girl after the ride here, and Sigi knows her preferences.”
“I’m impressed you made it.” Henry looked down at her fondly. “It’s not an easy journey.”
“Of course I made it. I don’t expect you to rescue my brother without me.”
“After your abrupt exit the night of the ball, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Why did you leave so suddenly?”
“It’s…a bit tricky to explain. I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“Did I offend you?”
“No,” Ella might have laughed, but the prince looked serious. “Henry, goodness no, of course you didn’t. Why would you think that?”
“At the strategy meeting, for hour after hour, you never got to talk. When you had something to say, which was always helpful input, you had to speak through me. Didn’t it burn you up inside, to know you have as much insight or more into the situation, and yet the men would not even let you speak?”
“I’m used to it,” Ella admitted, though she felt a sting of sadness that a person could get used to such a thing, especially in light of Henry’s rightly-placed indignation.
Henry did not look at all appeased. If anything, his frown deepened. “When we are wed, I shall make clear to everyone that they are to esteem your voice as highly as mine.”
“That’s dear of you. I’d be happy if they esteemed your voice as highly as they should.”
Henry looked at her face as she spoke, and found kindness there in the words that otherwise might have stung. “You did notice that, then? They still think of me as a child. Well, why shouldn’t they? All I’ve ever been allowed to do is play at tournaments.”
“You do well there, and the men on the circuit respect you.”
“But tournaments are only play. This, however—this is real, what we’re sailing into. The trade embargo is a sincere problem that effects everyone, and my father has been unable or unwilling to resolve it. If I can restore trade, or even get goods through in any way, the people might begin to see me as a capable leader.”
“I know you are a capable leader,” Ella assured him. In truth, she knew their odds of success were not favorable, but that didn’t mean Henry lacked skill as a leader.
It simply meant they were going to attempt that at which everyone else had failed.
Ella didn’t want to dwell on the unlikelihood of their success. Instead, she reassured him on his initial question. “You did not offend me the night of the ball. You were my voice. I had to leave because of something else entirely. I will explain later, I promise.”
“I trusted you had a reason,” Henry continued, “which is why, when you took the small door near the throne room, I pointed everyone the other way and said I’d seen you dart down that hall.”
Ella grinned at his quick thinking. “Didn’t the guards question you?”
“That’s one small benefit to being a prince. Even if they knew I was wrong, they wouldn’t say a thing. Just follow orders. But I did wonder. And you left your shoe. It’s the strangest thing—no one else can get their foot in it. I saw it come from your foot, but I can’t understand. Did you really wear it?”
“I did. I’ve got the other in my map bag.”
“Speaking of, where’s the
rest of your luggage?”
“There isn’t any. I didn’t have time for anything else. Your father’s men were swarming Caprese looking for me. It was all I could do to send Gustav after the essentials.”
“Maps and armor,” Henry observed, then laughed. “You are the only girl for me.”
Ella beamed at him, and wished they weren’t on such a crowded dock, so that she might kiss him.
“We’ve got to find a place for you on the boats.”
“I can hang a hammock alongside the men.”
“I’d rather you didn’t. There’s a cabin to each boat. They offered me my pick. Gustav’s sleeping on one bunk in there right now. Poor old man, he looked beat. I thought I’d put the ranking officers in the other two cabins, but you can take one.”
“How will the ranking officers feel about that?”
“They were going to rotate through and sleep in shifts anyway. We may look like merchant vessels, but we’re still going to keep a watch at night, if only to be on the lookout for river pirates.” Henry snapped his fingers suddenly. “Tell you what, you and I and Gustav can share a cabin and rotate sleep times as well.”
Ella nodded, pleased with the plan. “I’m used to sharing quarters with Gustav, and with you.”
“You won’t see much of me,” Henry admitted. “I’ve had my morning coffee and intend to stay up late. You can turn in early. You look dead on your feet.”
“I haven’t had coffee since the last time I shared it with you,” Ella confessed.
“When you wake, you may brew some of my coffee. I’ve packed all the necessary staples. We’ll have bacon and eggs for breakfast—whatever time your breakfast may be.”
“That sounds lovely.” Ella didn’t bother to admit she hadn’t had bacon since last she’d shared it with him, either.
“We’re in the lead boat. I’ll show you to the cabin. We’ll have to be quiet to avoid waking Gustav.”
“He doesn’t wake easily.”
