Essence Of The Heart (The Royal Tutor) (34 page)

          He smiled. "Yes, Your Majesty, it has. But Gareg hear of your
request and gather merchant friends. We travel far. We come help."
          "Wasn't it dangerous?"
          Gareg nodded. "For Esconodian in your country, yes. But we take
risk for old friend."
          After catching up on lost years, with the help of Gareg and the men
with him, they talked with some of those who had been in on assassination
attempts on the queen and Marie. They found almost all had been
convinced by Duke Elnard that the attacks on the queen and princess were
best for Esconodia. Some were eventually convinced of Duke Elnard's
corruption and agreed to travel with the group to Esconodia.
          Jacob wanted to go, but due to the danger, Marie begged her mother
not to allow it. Louise requested he stay at Winslow. Honey candy was
prepared as a gift for the king of Esconodia, and, with a contingent of four
men from the Royal Guard and the group of Esconodian men, Lord High
Chamberlain embarked on his dangerous mission.
          The trip to Esconodia was fraught with peril. They had to pass
through part of Bernodia to get there, and, once they were inside Esconodia,
they would be considered enemies. Within the southern kingdom, they were
not safe, either. Traveling with a mostly Esconodian entourage made them
open to suspicion and possible attack.
          Once they were surrounded by a contingency from the army and
threatened with attack, but Lord High Chamberlain was able to block it.
Once they knew who he was, and he threatened court-martial, they trembled
before him. Afraid of word getting to Bernodia of their mission and risking
being cut off once they crossed from the south, he commanded them to
escort their group to the Bernodian border, hoping that by forcing them to
stay with them, they could not spread the word. Some of the men grumbled
at the thought of protecting Esconodians, but they provided the escort.
          Lord High Chamberlain knew it would take almost thirty hours to
cross southwest Bernodia and enter Esconodia. He determined to cover as
much of that ground as possible in the dark. Gareg and the men with him
knew the mountains well, and they led the way. The harvest moon was full,
so they chose not to light any lanterns.
          All seemed to be going well until sunrise the next morning. Riding
quietly along, they came face to face with what appeared to be a patrol from
the Bernodian Army. Both groups had been traveling so quietly that neither
had heard the other's approach until they were right on each other. Lord
High Chamberlain could see they were outnumbered at least two to one, and
the other group was heavily armed. He thought perhaps he could fake his
way through it. As he approached their leader, both groups stood absolutely
still, facing each other.
          "Who are you and what are you doing?" demanded the Bernodian
leader.
          Lord High Chamberlain took a deep breath, hoping his wits would
avert a problem. He knew sometimes brashness could make inroads when
nothing else could. He sat up straight in his saddle. "I am Lord High
Chamberlain to Queen Louise on a special assignment."
          His boldness seemed to take the Bernodian leader by surprise for a
moment. Then, suddenly, the man started to laugh. "Wow, you gave us a
scare."
          Then all of his men joined him in laughter. Lord High Chamberlain
was confused. He looked at the man's rank, and then addressed him.
"Captain, I do not see the humor in this."
          The man continued to smile. "With all the Esconodians with you,
we were sure you were part of the Bernodian army. We are trying to meet
up with the army in the south."
          Lord High Chamberlain suddenly felt like he could breath again.
The leader told them, as word was getting around, that many were moving
to join with the south. He said Andrew had issued a command that all who
did would be killed, but many of the commanders were afraid to carry out
the order, not knowing who was for them and who was against.
          The news cheered the group considerably. After Lord High
Chamberlain detailed their mission, the Bernodian leader, Captain Samuel
Caliton, told them they would have to deter east to avoid the large army
staged in the valley directly in their path. Captain Caliton said he would be
glad to guide them. He mustered a few volunteers and commanded his first
officer to continue the journey with the other to the south without him.
          Lord High Chamberlain wasn't sure he trusted anyone, but he knew
Captain Caliton could easily have had them killed but didn't, so logically it
made sense to trust him. They swung wide to the east, knowing it would
add at least a day to their journey. They rode all day and all night with no
sleep. Morning found them back on the main trail. They continued that day
and the next night, not having slept for well over three days, and now were
approaching the Esconodian border. Lord High Chamberlain felt they
should not try to cross before daylight, for fear the Esconodians would think
they were trying to sneak in.
          They rested in some dense woods, and then, not long after sunup,
resumed their journey. Near the border crossing, Lord High Chamberlain
thanked Captain Caliton and requested he and his men turn back, not
wanting the Esconodians to think he was bringing an army. They raised the
flag of a royal embassage, flew the white flag of truce, and bravely
proceeded.
          Barely across the border they were surrounded by an Esconodian
army. Gareg recognized one of the leaders and began to talk to him. Lord
High Chamberlain understood some Esconodian from his early years in
Bernodia. He could gather from the conversation that the leader wanted to
have them killed. He didn't want to take them to the king for fear the king
would be displeased. Gareg convinced him that the king might be more
displeased if men, sent on a mission of peace, were not at least allowed to
speak. He suggested that the king could do with them as he desired. The
leader finally agreed, but demanded they surrender their weapons and
submit to being bound.
          Lord High Chamberlain pulled his sword and handed it hilt-first to
the nearest Esconodian, and then put his hands together in front of him,
submitting to being bound. Lieutenant Hashner and each of his men in the
Royal Guard followed his lead. The Esconodians bound their hands, then
bound them to their saddles, forcing them to relinquish the reins and be led
toward the Esconodian capital. Each night they were tied to trees and given
very little to eat. The Esconodian commander asked about the honey candy,
but Gareg told him it was a gift for the king, so he left it alone. After five
more days they arrived at the Esconodian capital, hungry, dirty, and
exhausted.
          They were led down the street lined with curious villagers. At the
palace they were told to wait, and only Gareg and other Esconodians of the
group were taken in. After a long wait, Gareg returned and told them the
king would not see them, but would consider what he had heard.
          They were locked in a dank dungeon and chained to the wall. Lord
High Chamberlain noted that the other four men that had come with him
looked tired and worn, but none complained. The men of the Royal Guard
were good men. He thought about how far the relationship between the two
countries had crumbled when even a peaceful ambassador and his men were
mistreated as they had been.
          Eight days they languished in prison, receiving almost no food and
little water. The late fall weather was cold, and there was very little to keep
them warm. Each man tried to move around as much as he could within the
confines of his chains. Finally, in the afternoon of the eighth day, Lord
High Chamberlain alone was summoned out of the prison, bound again, and
brought before the Esconodian king. He recognized him as the son of the
former king he had known. Even this son was a fairly old man now, though
he had been young at their last meeting.
          Lord High Chamberlain bowed before the king. Through an
interpreter, the king commanded him to explain about the gift. Lord High
Chamberlain told the king that it was honey candy, a gift from Queen
Louise. The king's expression brightened slightly. He said he had been
friends with Alexander and his parents, and had heard the story of Louise
and Alexander's courtship. He had also heard the fame of Alexander's
honey candy and had always been desirous to try some. He was still
suspicious, however, concerned of poison.
          Lord High Chamberlain said he would eat some himself, if the king
desired. The king chose a random piece and a servant put it to Lord High
Chamberlain's lips. The king watched him for some time after he had eaten
it. Once he was sure all was well, he tried a piece himself. As the king
licked it, a smile spread across his face. He said, "It is indeed everything
that was said about it and more."
          He commanded Lord High Chamberlain be untied and permitted
him to speak. Lord High Chamberlain explained the problems that had
occurred because of Duke Elnard. He told the king they did not want war
between their people, but peace and free trade.
          The king leaned back as he continued to suck on his honey candy.
"What about the attacks across our border?"
          Lord High Chamberlain explained they were the work of Duke
Elnard to try to inflame war between the two countries, "just as the
assassination attempts by Esconodian mercenaries were done to make us
think they were by you."
          The king frowned at this. He said he knew of no assassination
attempts. Lord High Chamberlain requested that one of the freed assassins
be brought in. The assassin testified of being trained by Duke Elnard and
being told it was for the good of Esconodia. The king was angry, and the
man trembled, but Lord High Chamberlain asked the king not to punish the
man for he had believed it was for the good of his country. The king finally
let the frightened man go with only a reprimand.
           The king looked directly at Lord High Chamberlain. "Did you know
that even now I am having my armies assembled to join forces with the
Bernodian army?"
          Lord High Chamberlain nodded. "We have heard that is the case,
but we hoped to show there is no animosity. The queen has pulled all of her
armies to the line between Bernodia and the south to show we do not want
to fight against you, and will only if we have to. If a war were to
commence, many would die on both sides. We hope you will see that
friendship and free commerce is much preferred to war and isolation, and
better for both countries."
          He then talked about the peace that had been established years
before between the king's father and Duke Reginald and Queen Louise's
father. Suddenly, the king's eyes lit up. "I was young then, but I remember
you. You were that man weren't you?"
          Lord High Chamberlain said he was. The king smiled. "That peace
served us well until Duke Reginald died."
          Lord High Chamberlain looked directly at him. "I would beg you,
Your Majesty, let the same kind of peace be established between you and
Queen Louise and Alexander's daughter, Marie, granddaughter to Duke
Reginald. It is she that we are trying to establish to her rightful position in
Bernodia."
          The king sat back and thought for some time. Finally, he leaned
forward. "I have spent the last week trying to verify your words, and, thus
far, all that I have learned indicate they are true. I had thought Duke Elnard
was my friend, but I feel used by him. I will grant you a stay of my armies
for six months to see if peace can be established, but only on two
conditions. One, when things are settled, I receive an embassage telling me
that it is done so a peace treaty can be worked out. And two," the king held
up the piece of honey candy he was sucking on and grinned, "you teach my
cook how to make honey candy."
          Lord High Chamberlain readily agreed. "If I am still alive when this
is over, I will come myself, and I will bring our most expert candy maker."
          The king commanded the invasion plans be halted, and his armies
pull back to the border between Esconodia and Bernodia. The men of the
Royal Guard were freed, and a feast was made for them. After the feast,
they were given back their weapons and escorted to the border.
          Lord High Chamberlain was concerned that word of their mission
would have leaked out, so once they crossed the border, they immediately
left the trail. He knew they had to get word back to the queen that their
mission was successful, for if she did not know, their strategy may still fail.
          He commanded his men that if they were to come under attack, if
any were to fall, they must be left, and all who could must continue to ride
with all swiftness to the border of the south to get the message through.
          It soon became apparent that their mission was indeed known, for
they were constantly having to duck patrols that appeared to be looking for
them. They had again swung far to the east, and had traveled two days and
were nearing the southern border between Bernodia and the south, when a
large patrol of men appeared some distance behind them. The patrol saw
them and charged. Lord High Chamberlain ordered Lieutenant Hashner and
his men to run for it. He himself turned his horse toward the patrol and
charged, waving his sword. Even though he was one against many, his
brashness made them scatter in confusion.
          Then a musket shot sounded, and Lord High Chamberlain fell from
his horse.
          Lieutenant Hashner reported to the Queen of their mad dash for the
border, as Lord High Chamberlain had ordered. After he told her how Lord
High Chamberlain had swung his horse around and headed for the patrol at
full speed, and how they heard a shot ring out and turned to see Lord High
Chamberlain fall from his saddle, the queen ran from the room sobbing.