Back to Chapter 4 - If you are interested in something different, try some of my short stories, like Spam. 😉
“What do you mean, we have to turn around?”
Laun’s voice carried. The sharpness. The pain. The frustration. The command tone.
“Highness, our Majesty is in the Royal Estate, which is back to YarsWay and North. It will only be another hour back to YarsWay.”
Laun signaled to the horse under her and he sat down, letting her off. She had not used that particular part of the Kell’s Arena training before with that horse. He was not as finicky as Butterfly’s Grace and had just laid down in the gravel of the road. Laun stood up and had people at her side as she paced blood back into her legs.
Laun tried to have patience. She blessed the memory of Lady Hellon and took several deep breaths as the pain that went up her right shin and through her knee lessened. She tried to have the presence and grace of her Lady as she turned to the Rosemond Captain and said, “How much longer will it take to get to his Majesty, since we can see the walls and gate of your Capitol City?”
Laun had toned down her voice, but the anger was still clearly heard. The Captain looked over to the Lieutenant of the escort and back to Laun. “Your Highness, It is only about a four hour-”
He stopped when she had. She stopped moving. She stopped looking at him. She even seemed to stop breathing.
Princess Laun Dresden, Princess Commander of the Third Calvary and the Fourth Logistics and Supply, pulled herself up and looked up at the Captain. Her voice had softened and her hazel eyes had a flash of green in the brown as she said, “Please, if we could have just half an hour to rest from the road, to water the horses and tend to ourselves, I would be most appreciative.”
He looked at the Lieutenant again and nodded.
Laun started to walk. She had a small group of people around her, including her own Lieutenant. She needed to get away from the others, get away from the messenger. She did not want to completely loose her composure in front of the group, and she did not want to have to deal with blood on her hands.
The baby was crying, again. Gem was with her, as was Edgar. Laun had a rage of envy go through her knowing that her children were back home, and that her own Husband was spending more time with Gem’s child-
Laun put her hands on shoulders and leaned into a chest. She didn’t even know who’s it was. The tears were thick as they streamed down her face, soaking into the tunic of the man she was using for support. She wanted it to all just stop. The travel. The pain. The odd attentions. Not knowing the language. Being in charge but not being in charge. She just wanted to be home.
The dryness of the Rosemond Plateau hid the tears by the time Laun and her group had come back to the main group. There might have been a dried water stain on a tunic, redness around her eyes, but it was nothing to notice as the Midlands Princess went through the group, checking each carriage, talking with a few of the nobles or soldiers as she passed. Her Peaches offered small sips of water or dried fruit, which their Mistress accepted with a smile and a touch.
No one really wanted to get back to the duty of traveling. Everyone mounted and settled as best they could and forced themselves to turn around on the wide, dusty road. YarsWay was another road they had crossed, the small travelers’ inn and trading post there holding just a few soldiers as they stopped to water the horses and themselves. Laun wondered why those soldiers hadn’t known of their own King being in the Royal Estate, but only sighed outwardly at the thought.
The four hours she was told was not accurate. The nooning sun passed them and was almost to the horizon by the time they had made it to the outer reaches of where they were headed. The high dessert had patches of agriculture that Laun should have been interested in. Orchards that had a cool kiss to them as they rode past. Rose arbors that surrounded the road, sweetly scenting the air. Laun noted them, but any relief or beauty offered from them was ignored for pushing through to complete the mission.
Regrets danced around Laun’s mind. She did not push them away as she had very little else to do as the tired horse did as she asked and trudged along with its companions. Laun looked at the regrets, partially dissected them and then pushed them away, knowing that she would feel better once the road was not being traveled and there was food and rest behind her. She still felt like stabbing the first person who crossed her.
The golden light of the setting sun gilded what was already painted with gold. Pole finials over striped canvasses glinted as the group dismounted. Noisy jewelry over and under veiling on servants showed the wealth of the Rosemond monarchy as the horses were walked away and the travelers were offered little cups with sweet mint tea. The tops of the few trees in the carefully tended grounds glowed as the lowering sun moved on the horizon.
The escorting soldiers made salutes to the Royal Guards and went away with a few of the resident soldiers. The men who were left, dressed in layers of thin tunics under gold-chased armor, waited for everyone to be ready before starting the escort through the grounds. Lady Engrid was barely moving on her own as her gurney was carried by her own escort, the servants and soldiers having been waived off by the Marquis. Laun’s Peaches subtly surrounded Laun as she took Edgar’s hand and they walked among the others towards the reception room.
The rambling Royal Estate was easily three times the size of the Hawkwell manor. That was not counting the huge tent-like buildings that were outriders on the grounds. It was cooler inside the building, but Laun was again getting very tired and letting her impatience show on her face as they went through corridor after corridor before being left in a great room with one wall that was open to a courtyard as large as the room they were in.
“Love, we will be able to rest soon.” Edgar tried to rumble, but he was even too tired to do that.
Laun had been warned that the Rosemond people were much more into ceremony. She had not really seen it, but she had noticed the way the levels of society had kept to their own as they were going through the land and stopping at the Inns. There were again the groups, the cliques in the traveling group that formed once they knew they were to be soon in a bath or bed.
One of the men with the nobles saw one of the Estate residents and went to him, talking in low tones and pointing to the different people he had been traveling with. Laun was interested in what they were saying, but was distracted.
They had been subtle. Men and women in sheer tunics were along the edges of the room, taking positions on low couches and benches or even sitting on pillows. They were all beautiful. They were all exquisite in their own way. Shades of skin from white pale to darker than Silar. Hair that went from Jet Black to bright Red. The fabrics were thin, but lush, the trim and jewelry worth more than all of Salam-Dir. Each one of them had a form of red scarf incorporated into their garb.
Laun felt heavy and cumbersome in her black leathers. She hated her body, the pains and the scars and the baby fat she had been fighting since Colby had stopped nursing. Her nose was sunburned from the high desert sun. She knew that her rings needed to be cleaned, her nipples twinged at the thought. But not right then. Her hand went to her head, smoothing the edge of the leather cap and feeling the Prince Commander pin on the upright part. She was as presentable as she was going to get.
A herald, the one Laun saw talking to the man they had traveled with, announced, in an accented Midland’s tongue, “The Monarch of Rosemond, Duke Regent Pearl and Ruby, Justicar Lord of State, Ifahyd Baldur Bedral.”
All the Rosemond people who could bowed or curtsied, even the ones who were in the ranks of the Peaches. Laun did not feel like fighting or trying to make an empty point and saluted, the others with her showing respect as appropriate.
King Ifahyd walked in behind two of the Royal Guards. He had several people trailing after him. The nobles moved out of the way slightly as he went past, showing a deference she had never known for her own Father. Laun was just looking at him as he went past.
She knew he was fifteen years her senior. It had been in several of the reports that had come to her over the last few years. He did not look like it. He was smooth in his walk, the hair she could see from under his head-wrap was still just dark blonde, no grey or white. His skin looked as though he had put on smoothing cosmetics, but as he came close and past, she saw only color had been applied to his eyes. He was in the prime and showed a strength that anyone, not just another King, would envy.
He turned when he stepped onto a small raised area, motioning with his hand to let people relax. He seemed to settle himself as he stood there, several of the beautiful red scarves moving to behind him along the wall.
The herald started to call out names and titles, starting with the Rosemond nobles and then going to the few high ranked military officers who had stayed with the group. They would go to their King and a small bow and touching of hands would happen, sometimes a few words would be exchanged. When Lady Engrid was called, the whole gurney was moved and Ifahyd moved to look at the sleeping Lady and then back again.
Silar’s full rank and name was called, several of the Peaches turning to watch the embarrassed dark Prince walk to be greeted. Silar looked apologetic as he returned to the group, trying to sign something to Laun. She shook her head slightly and he went back to his place at her back.
Laun was next and knew she was turning beet red at the number of titles the herald had come up with. “Princess Laun Dresden Hawkwell, Lady Salam-Dir, Duchess Peer Pearl and Ruby, Heir Midlands Infanta, Who brought peace to the Midlands and captured the hearts of many of the Rosemond nobility...”
She let go of Edgar and strode to Ifahyd. He smiled down at her and laughed slightly at her raised eyebrow. She shook her head slightly as he took her offered hand, bowing over it and then bringing her knuckles up to his forehead, causing a bit of a stir in the Rosemond ranks.
“I would not think that being...attractive would be an accomplishment, Iffy.”
“Attractive, yes, My Midlands Rose. But to catch our attentions, that is the accomplishment.” He motioned to behind him and she looked at the lightly veiled women, and a few men, standing and sitting along the low benches in the receiving room. They were all beautiful and Laun would call many of them stunning. She felt a wave of uncertainty and perhaps self loathing go through her, knowing that she was not even half as becoming as the plainest of them.
Ifahyd saw the change in her tilted head. “Highness, do not worry. You are exotic. You are beautiful.” He kissed her fingertips, causing a small stir in the Rosemond people around them. “I have to be introduced to the next person.” He shrugged. “Part of life.”
Laun stepped back as Edgar was announced, the Royal Consort turning a deep red before the list of accomplishments had been read off. What was said between the men was low and could not be heard by others, but Edgar smiled and signed ‘he’s jealous’ before placing himself next to her again.
The welcoming ceremony took over an hour. The Rosemonds might have been used to it, but they had to watch as the Midlands people were paraded past their King, feet and backs hurting more and more because protocol did not allow them to sit in his presence unless he sat. Laun watched, being in pain herself, and was amused in some sadistic way that the nobles who had been making snide comments about and to her were suffering through the ceremony as she was.
The last person to be introduced was, many of the Peaches relaxing when they were not called up. Ifahyd came down from the small platform and went to Laun, taking her hand lightly in his and touching Edgar on the shoulder before starting to walk into the courtyard off the great room.
“My Midlands Rose, I have arranged one of the yurlodges to be prepared for you and yours. I hope you find it comfortable, though I desperately wish to take you away from your husband and have you to myself.”
Laun smiled and sighed. “It is refreshing to hear someone so straightforward, Iffy.” She squose Ifahyd’s hand and turned slightly to Edgar as she said, “Though I think rest and food is in order before anything else happens.”
Edgar heard what she was trying to tell him and said, “I thank you for your consideration, your Majesty. I believe my Lady Wife is right. The road was hard on all of us.” He smiled broadly and rumbled out, “And, though our host, I do claim right of first with-”
Laun tried to seem offended, but her gasp came out as a snort and she laughed. “Thank you for the offer, Iffy. Let me rest and get the road off of me and tomorrow may be a better day for such conversations.”
King Ifahyd nodded and laughed softly. “There are other duties to deal with tomorrow, but I hope that things work well and we may spend time together.” He looked up to Edgar and nodded to him. The blue eyes sparked for just a moment before he turned and motioned to one of the beautiful red scarves along the open wall into the great room. He said something in the Rosemond tongue to the man and turned back to Laun and Edgar. “My companion will make sure you and yours gets to the yurlodge and are tended to. It is the traditional time for evening meal, so I will leave you to rest from the road.”
Laun felt him pull on her hand and found it was not to his lips but on his chest. “Highness, I thank you from my soul for taking the journey and escorting the Lady here. I hope to reward you as I can.” His hands clasped hers before bringing the fingertips to his mouth and kissing several before letting go.
The companion motioned back into the great room from the night-cooled courtyard. Laun made a small sign and the Peaches formed up, startling the others in the room. Laun and Edgar slowly made their way through the room, the others falling in behind.
Chapter 6 King Ifahyd gives Laun and her people a tour of the Royal Estate
Comments (0)