Once Upon a Romance 03 - With True Love's Kiss (23 page)

Robin stood
outside Bianca’s tent and listened to her rapid footfalls. She was still
pacing. She had been pacing ever since he had brought the tent to her and set
it up. He’d been glad to offer Bianca better shelter than her wagon, but he
thought she was going to use it to rest. Not worry.

The journey
had been going poorly ever since they’d reached the plains. Three times they
had come to a town, and three times they had been refused admittance. Only
Scistern had a wall, but the rest made their lack of welcome abundantly
clear—closing their shops, retreating into their houses, and shuttering their
windows.

Bianca was
near panic. The mountain folk were unwavering in their support, but they were
only a part of the kingdom’s people. She needed the plains. She needed the
farmlands. She didn’t care if the nobles followed her, but it was becoming
clear that where the nobles went the monied classes followed, and the farmers
and laborers found it hard to go against the source of their livelihood.

Robin caught
sight of Anders heading towards them, and scratched gently on the tent flap.

“Bianca?
Prince Anders is here.”

“He can come
in.” She sounded distracted, but she’d given her permission, and Robin had no
reason to bar his entrance. Instead he held the flap aside and waved the prince
in, avoiding the need for any sort of discourse.

Of course,
that didn’t stop him from having to listen to their conversation.

“How are
they?” Bianca asked the question almost before the flap fell, giving Robin an
insight into what she had been worrying over this time.

“Tolerably
well. We found them a spare tent, and Mother Marlplot has agreed to keep an eye
on them for a few days, to make sure they settle comfortably among us.”

Despite the
towns refusing them entrance, a number of people had caught up to them after
they moved on. Like the girl Shanen, they had each suffered at the hands of the
king, but their protests had been ignored by their fellows. The most recent
addition to their number was an entire family of farmers who had lost their
land to the tax collector.

It was such
a small number of people, though, compared to all the rest who refused to
listen.

“Bianca.”
Anders spoke over the sound of her footfalls. “Can I fetch you something to
eat?” He paused, and Robin could picture Bianca shaking her head. “Not even
something to drink? Some wine, perhaps, to calm your nerves?” Again, a pause,
and then a sigh from Anders. “You cannot focus on others, with the clamorings
of your own hunger and thirst clouding your mind.” He spoke softly, cajoling
her. “Let me fetch you something, and then we can talk over what is worrying
you.”

This time
the pause was long. Robin found himself torn. On the one hand, he wished for
Bianca to rest and eat. On the other, he detested the idea of Anders taking
care of her.

Finally
Bianca spoke. “Very well.”

The tent
flap moved back, and Anders stuck his head out, a satisfied smile on his face,
but it faded when he saw Fain, Vivienne, and Felix bearing down on Bianca’s
tent, loaded with wine skins, bread, and cheeses.

“Nevermind.
It appears someone else has beaten me to it.”

Robin couldn’t
help his broad grin, as he held the tent flap back for the others, and then
followed them in. Bianca had finally seated herself on a small camp stool,
presumably out of deference to the fact that she could not pace with the tent
so crowded. Robin snagged a wine skin from Felix and held it out to her, before
settling down on his heels next to the door flap.

Anders
looked around. “I didn’t realize I’d been summoned to a meeting.”

“What?”
Bianca seemed startled, but it didn’t take her long to recognize the issue. “I’m
sorry Anders, my message must not have been clear. I feel in need of council,
and I thought we might be more productive together, than apart.” She smiled at
him in apology, and he nodded graciously, taking a hunk of bread from Fain.

“Which of
our innumerable problems are we discussing at the moment?” Vivienne smiled
brightly at her cousin.

“We need to
figure out our options.” Bianca nibbled a piece of cheese thoughtfully. “If the
plains people will not hear us, then the revolution is over before it has truly
begun. What can we do?”

“War is
still an option.” Felix was pouring himself a small cup of wine from the skin
Bianca had abandoned. “With the mountain folk on your side, you hold that area
firmly. It changes the balance of power entirely if Brannon cannot hold a
secure passage into Albion because his own people are hostile to him. With
Albion’s financial support, and the military backing you would gain from a political
alliance, you could win.”

Bianca
sighed. “And leave this area of the kingdom war-torn for years. I know it’s
possible, but I think an outright war should be our last option.”

Vivienne
cocked her head. “I hate to admit it, but you could probably negotiate, at this
point. Brannon isn’t stupid. He knows he can’t take Albion without a secure
passage through the mountains. You could hammer out a treaty, carving a new
kingdom out of the mountain range, and leaving him on the throne of a smaller,
less powerful Toldas.”

Bianca gave
up all pretense of eating or drinking, and wrapped her hands around her knees. “If
we do that,” she said quietly, “we abandon all the girls like Shanen. All the
boys like Billy Notter. All the people who have come to us in the night, after
their towns have barred the way.”

“But you
give them a place to run.” Fain crouched down before Bianca, and put his large
hands over hers. “Don’t underestimate the hope people take, just knowing that
someone is out there who cares, and who will take them in. If you could hold
the mountains, you could open the borders on your side, taking in anyone who
wished to leave Toldas.”

“That could
be dangerous,” Anders spoke. “Brannon’s bound to object to his people leaving,
and he’s already proven himself less than honorable. Your fleeing farmers could
be spies or assassins in disguise.”

“As long as
Brannon is alive, Bianca will need to watch for spies and assassins.” Robin
looked around at the others in the tent. “Whatever she decides to do, it will
be dangerous for her.”

A solemn
silence settled on them all. Fain took the wine skin from Felix and drained it
dry, then looked at Bianca. “You don’t have to decide yet, little sister, but think
about it. Once we reach Laberdeen we’ll need to know what our next step is.”

“Why
Laberdeen?” Felix asked.

“Baines will
be meeting us there. He’s been talking about Bianca in small hamlets and towns.
He might have some folks with him.”

“So,
Laberdeen, and then I have to decide?” Bianca spoke as though she was asking
everyone, but Robin felt her eyes on him.

He nodded. “After
Laberdeen.”

Laberdeen
was an actual city, on the eastern edge of the Toldan mountain range. They had
no walls, but a large wooden sign swung gently on its post, marking the
outermost boundary of the city. Beyond the sign was a winding road leading to
the first of Laberdeen’s outlying homes. Bianca had stopped her troop outside
the city’s borders, asking them to pitch camp there. She didn’t know if the
people of Laberdeen supported her, and she didn’t want to influence them for
the worse by leading a horde of people into their city.

Once her
tent stakes were firmly set, Bianca retreated to the semi-privacy of the interior.
She needed to let out her nervous energy where no one would see. When she was
in public she tried to be calm and collected, to give her followers heart. It
was only when she was alone in her tent that she let the shambles of her nerves
rise to the surface.

Robin
slipped inside after her and hunkered down before the door. He watched her pace
for a few minutes, and then cleared his throat.

“You will
not make Baines arrive any faster by exhausting yourself.”

“That very
well may be,” Bianca said tartly. “But you know I can’t hold still.”

“Perhaps I
should sit on you, until you fall asleep.”

Bianca
giggled, and her nervous pacing slowed. “I don’t think I could sleep with you
sitting on me.”

“I will sit
on you in a soothing manner.”

She laughed
outright at that, and felt some of the tension leave her body. “Oh all right.”
She flopped onto her cot, leaning back to rest her weight on her hands. “There,
is that better?”

“Indeed.”
Robin grinned at her. “Now I am saved the dreadful task of squashing you into
repose.”

She grinned
back at him, but the momentary good cheer leaked away.

“I’m really
very nervous.”

“I know.”

“I still don’t
know what we’re going to do.”

“You can
cross that bridge when you come to it.”

“What if I
fail? I mean, if I completely and utterly fail to help Toldas?” Bianca spoke
her worst fear aloud, and she saw Robin’s face soften.

“You have
tried, Bianca. You have tried your best. No one can ask for more.”

“What if the
best I can do is turn the mountains into some sort of political buffer between
Toldas and Albion? What if I spend the rest of my life dodging assassins?” The
questions came tumbling out. “What if I have to go into exile?”

“Then you
will be free to visit any land you please.” Robin’s calm could be infuriating,
but it was also comforting, in the face of her own panic. “It would not be all
bad.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“How so?”

“I imagine
Felix and Anders might be less interested in wedding a queen in exile.” Robin
spoke casually, but his eyes were intense. Bianca sat straight up. The thought
had never occurred to her.

They gazed
at each other from across the tent, and Bianca felt rooted in place, lost in
the sudden possibility of complete freedom, to go where she chose and do what
she wanted, with Robin at her side.

A scratching
came at the flap.

“Your
majesty?” It was Fain, and his voice sounded oddly suppressed. “Someone is here
to see you.”

Robin gave
her a tiny smile, and then stood, turning as he did so to sweep aside the tent
flap. Bianca levered herself off the cot, and smoothed her skirt down. As she
passed Robin on her way out of the tent, she paused and looked up at him.

“You’re
right. It wouldn’t be all bad.”

Outside, in
the bright sun, stood Master Baines. Bianca had only met the man once, but he
gave her such a sunny smile that she found herself smiling back in delighted
camaraderie. He bent over in a low bow, somehow perfectly genteel despite his
worn clothing and slightly scraggly beard.

“Your
majesty. I’ve come to escort you into the city.”

“I had
thought my entrance might wait until tomorrow, Master Baines.”

“If you’ll
forgive me, your majesty.” Baines didn’t sound repentant in the slightest. “I
don’t think you ought to make them wait.”

Bianca was
intrigued. “Very well, then.”

Robin went
to fetch their horses while Bianca and Fain escorted the new arrival to find
Vivienne. Connelly, not being tasked with the duties of leadership, had already
gone in search of the princess, and was seated by her side, making her laugh
over tales of their tavern visits. Baines cheerfully shouldered the old medic
out of the way so he could greet Vivi with a noisy kiss on the cheek and
outrageous claims about her beauty.

“Don’t be
ridiculous, Baines. I only make the sun rise. I don’t make it set, too. What
preposterous nonsense.”

Once they
were mounted and headed into the city, Bianca felt her nerves return. Robin
noticed and drew his horse up beside hers, but there was little more he could
offer in the way of comfort. Bianca felt queasy, and the feeling grew as they
drew nearer the first houses. She started mouthing prayers to any of the gods
that were listening. Robin let out a chuckle next to her, and she turned to
look at him inquiringly.

“As long as
you are making requests, you might wish to ask that you do not faint, or fall
from your horse.”

Her jaw fell
open, and she snapped it shut. She felt a surge of irritation, with just a hint
of gratitude.

At least he
had chased away some of the nerves.

They rode
past the first of the houses, and Baines let out a whistle. A small face
appeared at an unshuttered window, and a tiny voice split the air.

“She’s here!”

Three more
faces pushed their way out the windows, and the door to the house was flung
wide, letting two adults come out to stare as she passed. They rode on, and the
houses opened like a wave before them, letting more and more people into the
street, displaying more and more peering eyes from their windows. Bianca had
the sense of overwhelming numbers, even more than a city like this would support.
When she looked to Baines for an explanation, he grinned.

“The inn
filled up a while ago. Folks have been taking travelers into their homes in
exchange for a few coin, while they waited for you.”

She was
astonished. “All these people came here to wait for me?”

Baines shook
his head. “Some live near here. But after the people started to arrive, talking
about you, the rest got excited. When word went out you were near, a lot of
friends and family came home to visit.” He looked around cheerfully. “Place is
pretty crowded, isn’t it?”

It was an
understatement. The street was flooded with people. They weren’t cheering, but
neither were they hostile. There was an air of tension in them all, and Bianca
thought she understood.

“They haven’t
made up their minds yet, have they?”

“Not as
such, no.” Baines gave her a thoughtful glance. “They’re ready for a change,
sure enough. But you need to convince them you’re the one to give it to them.”

Bianca
nodded. “Thank you for bringing them.”

“My
pleasure, your majesty.” He put an emphasis on the title, and she quirked an
eyebrow at him. “I said you had to convince them, your majesty. I just want you
to know, I decided a long time ago.”

She smiled,
acknowledging his support. “Where shall I go to address them?”

“Don’t
worry, your majesty. You’ll know it when you get there.”

Indeed she
did. A player’s stage had been erected on the city’s main square. Bianca rode
slowly through the crowd, which parted to let her approach the stage, and then
reformed behind her, pressing closer, letting more people into the plaza.

She mounted
the wooden platform and stared out over the sea of faces. She wondered what to
say in order to sway them, and no magic words came to her. She chose, instead,
words that came straight from her heart.

“You know
who I am, and you know that I am here today to speak with you. But I do not
know you. And, if you will tell me, I would like to know why you’ve come to
listen.” She pointed to a man in the crowd. “You, good sir, why did you come
here today?”

He rubbed
his neck nervously, but answered all the same. “I came ‘cause I can’t afford my
farm no more.”

There was a
rumble from the crowd, as men and women with work-hardened hands nodded in
agreement.

“And you, madam?”
Bianca nodded at a woman. “Why are you here?”

“My son got
dragged off by the king’s soldiers, and they won’t tell me what they’ve done
with my boy.”

The rumble
was louder this time. A few people nodded, tears standing in their eyes.

“What of the
rest of you? Why are you here?”

There was a
pause, and Bianca held her breath. Then a voice called out from the crowd.

“I can’t
feed my family!”

It was like
a torrent. People called forth their grievances, sometimes alone, sometimes
together, sometimes all atop one another.

“Our
magistrate is crooked!”

“My sister
is missing!”

“The taxes
are killing us!”

“That dag
blangit smullen toad sucker of a king done stole my goat!”

Bianca threw
up her hands, calling for silence.

“I have been
many days on the road. I have been to many villages, and many towns. And while
some have left their homes to come with me, others have not. They have closed
their gates, and shut me out, and cried “We have no wish to join you! Go away.”
Bianca felt all her frustrations and fears rising, and tears welled up in her
eyes. “What they could not see is that I do not want them to join me. I do not
want any of you to join me.” She took a deep breath, and let her voice ring out
across the crowd. “I want to join you.”

“An arrow’s
point serves a purpose, nothing more. It is nothing until it is bound to a
shaft, and given fletching. It is nothing, still, until it is set to a string
and drawn on a bow. And even that is nothing, until a man or woman takes up
that bow and takes aim.”

“You, the
people of Toldas, are the men and women who must take aim. You are the
heartbeat of this land, the breath in her lungs, the bones in her body. I want
to join you. To be the point of your arrow. So that you may aim me where you
please. Not just to remove my father from where he sits—corrupt and abusive, on
a throne built of your suffering—but forever after. To create a land that you
are proud to call your home. A kingdom that is what you wish it to be. A
kingdom that we can build together.”

She took off
her shawl and turned slowly in a circle. The action was familiar by now, but
the silence that spread around her was still eerie, as the people saw her
marred skin. She spoke into the quiet.

“I wish you
to let me join you, for I am one of you. And we should no longer be treated
this way.”

The rumble
started low, a mere whisper of a sound in the still plaza. It swelled, and
grew, until it burst over Bianca, drowning her in the wave of sound.

“LONG LIVE
THE QUEEN!”