Heir to the Throne

by Andrew G. Wood

  “Maybe if you asked nicely, they might,” Luca replied.

  Edward scoffed again, “You know that isn’t going to happen. I could go crawling on my hands and knees, and they would laugh me out of the room.”

  “Perhaps! Yet you forget one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You are someone of importance…at least to me, and being as I’m going to be the king that must carry some weight.”

  Edward chuckled, “What, the Royal Privvy Cleaner. I’m not sure that’s the kind of title Lord and Lady Dalby would be looking for.”

  There was a short silence before Luca decided to ask Edward for a little advice concerning his own female problems.

  “Why is Nerina suddenly being so nice to me? What do you think she is up to?”

  Edward just grinned, almost glad that woman problems weren’t just applicable to him.

  “Don’t know. Perhaps she has finally succumbed to your overwhelming charm and wit.”

  Luca chuckled. The reply was a little funny even though he knew it was just Edward’s way of trying to be amusing.

  “Yeh, that’s not helpful though is it. Do you think she actually likes me?”

  Edward sniggered, “Is a young future king falling in love? Oh…perhaps a royal wedding. You’re fourteen now, my dad was married when he was fifteen.”

  “Of course not…”Luca said blushing profusely, and quickly changing the subject.

  Chapter 11.A change of direction.

  Loretta had left the palace behind her but had not travelled in the direction she had originally intended. While her initial plan was to return to Endallen, she had discovered some very interesting news not long after leaving the capital. Although still angry at her brother for killing Sharice, he was still family and all she had left. Having changed the spell on Princess Elysia’s pendant, Loretta knew she had probably thrown away any last chance of the Elthan family succeeding in their plan to control the throne. She was quite aware that Frederick was an intolerable little weasel, and there was no way the princess, when she came to her senses, would so much as sit in the same room as him.

  Loretta had chuckled for some time as she had played the scenario out in her mind. The pendant would have to be removed for the princess to wake, and then after a period of uncertainty, the young woman would evidently come to her senses and run a mile. The princess was a pretty young lady, Frederick, on the other hand, was anything but handsome and would probably have to revert to his seedier ways to get any kind of female interaction.

  The news Loretta had received after her somewhat ignominious exit from the palace was interesting, to say the least. While it was probably something she should have relayed back to her brother, she had still not forgiven him for killing Sharice, nor would she for some time. However, Loretta knew that if her brother failed in his control of the throne, then their ancestral home of Endallen would also fall and the family name with it. She would again be forced out into the wilderness, and probably hunted down for the rest of her days; something she wasn’t willing to let happen without a fight.

  Despite already being a day further east of the capital, the news she had received from her network of cultists caused her to turn completely about. Initially, she had pondered how accurate the news was, but after delving into a little magic to assist her, she had the confirmation she needed. The boy was apparently not in Scarwood any more, but interestingly nor was he on the Casillian Isle as her brother now believed. No, the boy was in the Northern Marches with his sister. With both royals together, surely this was a good time to deal with them both at the same time.

  As a result of this information, Loretta had managed to get word to a few of her remaining followers and head to the borders of the Northern Marches. While her magic was still not able to penetrate the dreams and thoughts of the young prince, she had managed to locate him in a general area, although not an accurate one. Knowing she would pick up further information as she travelled, she moved with a new purpose and haste, the opposite direction to which she had planned.

  While on her travels, Loretta had discovered news of some meeting between the Brenthellin nobles and the boy, and even its whereabouts. Surely this was too good an opportunity to miss, and if she could deal the killing blow and remove the boy, there may yet be hope for her family to succeed. The thought had even crossed her mind that she might be the one to rule. Take her own brother from the equation and Loretta was certain she could manipulate both Frederick and the princess into doing anything she wanted. Loretta now considered this a much better idea, and with a new focus and determination, travelled as fast as she could towards the Northern Marches.

  Living out in the wilderness while travelling on horseback was something Loretta actually didn’t mind. While initially leaving the capital in a carriage, Lorretta had soon opted for a change. Sure, the comforts of home life, especially in the palace were always welcome, but there was a certain feeling of freedom about being outdoors on horseback. There may not be a soft bed to lie in or mountains of luxurious food laid out before her, but Loretta actually quite liked the simplicity of the outdoor life. With a group of nearly thirty of her followers in tow, Loretta felt safe in the knowledge she had sufficient protection in numbers. Moreover, there were enough young men among them to cater for her personal needs, one of whom currently lay beside her.

  A young man, probably no older than twenty with fair hair and deep blue eyes. Loretta had found him attractive and immediately requested his services, and thus far he had not disappointed. While she didn’t even know his name, nor where he was from she thought she might like to keep this one for a little while longer yet, and if there were to be any sacrifices needed, he was to be made exempt from them. Of course, that might change, especially if she found somebody else that took her fancy, but for now, the young man was adequate enough for the purpose she needed him for.

  With the campfire all but burned low, Loretta sat up from her bedroll and placed a few more small pieces of wood on the glowing embers. Although not enough to remake a raging fire, she knew it would be sufficient to keep them burning a while longer, perhaps even long enough until morning. She watched as the first pieces of wood finally succumbed to the hot embers and flickered into flame, and gazed, almost mesmerised by the small sparks that drifted up into the night sky. Feeling a little chill, Loretta lay back down and huddled next to the young man beside her for warmth. Placing her arm across his body, he stirred just a little as Loretta placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

  Loretta always felt it strange how the hours of sleep seemed to pass by so quickly. The young man with her had tried to get up, but she had ordered him to stay where he was, while others in the camp prepared food.

  “You can stay here…I want you again,” she said somewhat seductively to the young man, running her hands underneath the blankets down his body. Although much older, Loretta had always found seducing men easy, and getting what she needed had never been a problem. This man was no different, and within a few minutes, she had him on top of her just where she wanted him, ignoring everyone else around them.

  Feeling more than satisfied with her exploits, Loretta finally decided to get to her feet, letting the man beside her continue his rest for a little longer. There were plenty of others in camp to cater for both of their needs, besides which he had already done his job, and done it well. The hour was still early, and although the sun was rising, it was not yet fully light. The downside of living outdoors was the damp and the feeling that every item of her clothing was soaked by the early morning mist that just seemed to appear from nowhere.

  “My Lady,” A voice called from somewhere behind her. Loretta turned to see a black-clad figure standing a few yards away, waiting for her to give her permission for him to speak.

  “Yes, what is it?”

  “We have word that this meeting is to be held at a town called Greensill, a few hours ride from our current location, just over the border in the Northern Marches.”<
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  Loretta nodded her head slowly, digesting the information.

  “Very good, have the group ready to go within the hour,” she ordered, already trying to think of her options and how best to take advantage of this opportunity.

  With the camp finally cleared, and everybody back on the road heading northwest towards the border, Loretta pondered her options. As her horse slowly trotted she allowed her body to relax, swaying just slightly in time with the horse’s own movements. The day looked to be a fine one, and with the sun now up, she hoped the damp feeling in her clothes would soon go. Glancing over at the young man riding beside her, she let her mind wander off-subject for just a little while as she was already thinking of how many more times she wanted him. Despite his years, the young man certainly knew how to satisfy a woman, and had the stamina to keep going long after other men might have finished. Perhaps this one was worth keeping.

  Knowing that the sight of black-robed cultists would send every villager within a ten-mile radius into a panic, Loretta had ordered all those wearing robes to remove them. Dressed in everyday attire, they now looked more like a bunch of travellers. These were people who lived out in the wilderness, moving from place to place, and never really settling down in any one location for more than a few nights. With the border to the Northern Marches approaching, Loretta caught sight of two other groups travelling the same direction as her own party. Being a woman of nobility, she instantly recognised at least one of them, although only from the colours of the banners he was flying. A lesser noble of Brenthellin by the name of Lord Beeston. While Loretta had no idea which part of Brenthellin was actually under his rule, she was now certain she was heading the right way.

  Knowing that her group would start to attract attention the closer they got to this town called Greensill, Loretta realised that she needed to formulate a plan of action to succeed in what she needed to accomplish. Lord Romley was no fool and would surely not just parade the boy for everybody to see. No, security would be tight, and if she were to get close enough to him to be able to do as she needed, then she would have to devise a way to gain entry. While that might mean her having to proceed in a much smaller group, perhaps even on her own, if that is what was required, then that was the way it had to be.

  No sooner had she crossed over the border from Brenthellin lands into the realms of Lord Romley’s Northern Marches than Loretta noticed a massive increase in the number of people. Being as many of them were soldiers, she suddenly felt a little more vulnerable and less confident than she had just a short while ago. Pulling her horse to a sudden halt, Loretta caused the rest of the group travelling with her to do likewise. Should she turn around and head to the safety of Endallen as originally planned or continue on. Getting caught here would mean certain death, not something she had planned upon doing.

  “Make camp back across the border…Wait for my return,” She told them, “I must proceed alone,” she added. None questioned her order, and after Loretta had taken a little food from the cart they had, she watched as her band of loyal followers turned about and headed back the way they had just travelled. After checking her coin purse was discreetly and safely tied inside her overcoat, Loretta checked she had everything she needed. All being well, she would return in a day or so and have completed the task her brother could not. If successful, it would then be her and not him that would pull the strings, a thought which made her smile.

  Chapter 12.Greensill.

  It was a rather chilly morning as Luca clambered up into the carriage that would transport him to Greensill. A small town on the Northern Marches border where apparently dozens of nobles would be waiting and eager to see him. Edward sat opposite him inside the carriage and somewhat surprisingly Samuel sat beside him, which left only one space beside Luca, occupied by none other than Nerina. While having travelled by carriage a few times around the capital and a little further, it was apparently not something that either of the others had experienced before.

  Samuel and Nerina always travelled on horseback with their parents whenever they went anywhere, while Edward seemingly did likewise; not that he had travelled much before meeting up with Luca. The carriage was gloss black on the outside and had the emblem of Lord Romley’s house emblazoned on the small door. The interior was nice, albeit a little cramped for space, but the seats were cushioned and soft to sit upon. However, once they were underway, all four of them found it difficult as they were unceremoniously bounced around every time the vehicle hit a bump or rut.

  As they passed out of the castle grounds and into the city, the carriage swayed and bumped around only a little, and thus far the journey seemed fine. Tucked away in the carriage they were shut off from much of the noise outside in the streets, although with such a large force of soldiers escorting them Luca could hear very little over the sound of horses hooves clattering on the cobbled stones. However, once they had left Whitmore, they took a sharp turn off the main thoroughfare, and the evenness of the roads seemed to change substantially, causing the carriage to move much more.

  “I think I prefer horseback!” Edward said a little louder than usual to make himself heard, before almost landing on top of Samuel. Luca let out a laugh, although it was short-lived as he was sent bouncing over to Nerina.

  “Oh…Sorry,” he said quickly apologising for almost pawing at her as his hands instinctively went out to steady himself. Thankfully, Nerina didn’t appear to mind and saw the funny side of things as she let out a small, almost bashful sounding, giggle. Luca then felt Nerina’s hand grab his arm as she was forced to do likewise, and for a moment, the two shared a second whereby they just looked into each other's eyes. It didn’t last long as the carriage bounced about again causing both of them to try and hold on.

  “It will get better when we get back onto the main track,” A voice shouted from outside.

  “I doubt it could get any worse!” Edward replied, smacking his head against the side of the carriage and letting out several expletives.

  The words, although not typically used by Edward, caused both Samuel and Nerina to laugh.

  “Mother would be washing our mouths out with soap and water if she ever caught us saying words like that,” Samuel chuckled.

  “Sorry!” Edward said loudly, rubbing his head with his hand.

  Luca had barely realised, but Nerina still had hold of his arm, and while it was strange feeling it there, he was more than happy for it to remain. However, just as they had been told just a few moments earlier, the track on which they were travelling suddenly levelled out and the need for it to be there was somewhat superfluous. Luca watched as she slowly lifted it away, catching her gaze for just a few moments before she looked out of the small carriage window to see where they were.

  After being bounced and bumped from side to side for what appeared to be several hours, they eventually felt the carriage come to a halt. One of the officers from outside dismounted and opened the door for them to get out.

  “Lord Romley wants to have a short break before completing the journey.”

  “Oh, I thought we might be there,” Edward replied as he ducked down to get out of the carriage door.

  “Just over half-way, Sir,” the soldier replied much to all their dismays.

  Although feeling somewhat disappointed at their apparent slow progress, all four of them got out of the carriage to stretch their legs. With scores of mounted soldiers obscuring much of the view, Luca found it difficult to see much of anything. However, they were all glad when two serving women were allowed through the ranks carrying two trays.

  “Some hot soup and bread, your Majesty,” one of them said as the pair approached, both bowing their heads just slightly.

  “Thank you,” Luca replied looking around for a good place to sit and eat. “Just place it down over there, please,” he eventually asked pointing to a fallen log that lay parallel to the track.

  “Oh good something to eat,” Edward said rubbing his hands together.

  “Ah! Ladies first,”
Luca said stopping his friend and gesturing for Nerina to take the first bowl from the trays.

  Edward just grimaced, “I think I prefered it when he was selfish,” he mumbled leaning over to speak to Samuel.

  Nerina smiled over his way and took the offer, slowly walking over to collect a bowl of soup and a chunk of bread before sitting down on the log.

  “Go on, you might as well grab yours,” Luca added waving his hand over to Edward. Not one to follow decorum, Edward just shrugged and did as was asked. Samuel, however, waited until Luca had taken his bowl, before taking the last on the tray. Luca hesitated slightly before deciding to take the plunge and sit next to Nerina. At first, she looked at him strangely, and he thought she was about to get up and move along, so she was further away, but she just smiled and lifted another spoonful of soup up to her mouth.

  Although the break was only a short one, it did allow them all to have a stretch and have a bite to eat, leaving them somewhat happy enough to continue onwards.

  “When you’re king, can you make a law that either bans carriages or builds flat roads?” Edward quipped as their vehicle hit another rut, causing him to bang his head again.

  Luca just laughed and although he knew he shouldn’t really, seeing Edward cursing and grumbling away to himself every time they hit a bump was quite funny to see.