Chapter 26 Alfred
What should have been a peaceful morning chaperoning Jess and her suitors devolved into a circus of activity.
I had spent much of my time in my sprawling study, staring at detailed maps spread across a large table, as an endless flow of Generals and advisors streamed through to offer updates or advice.
Minister Bril, General Marks, and Chancellor Thorn buzzed around me like angry hornets waiting to sting anything that met with their displeasure.
Zumi Bacras, Minister of Foreign Affairs, joined the discussions around midday and objected to every word uttered by the military leaders.
“Your Majesty, none of my envoys have reported anything beyond peaceful trade and negotiations. There has been no talk—not even a rumor—of hostilities by anyone. Please, let me go to Saltstone and speak with the Triad, see what I can learn before we shatter over a thousand years of peace.”
“If war is coming, we can’t give up the initiative. The Minister could tip our hand and give away a significant advantage,” Bril said.
“I agree with Minister Bril.” Marks nodded. “If it comes to a fight, I’d rather hit an enemy who is ill prepared. Anything we do beyond readying our troops will give them time to dig in and fortify, possibly even rally the eastern border nations to their side.”
Bacras snorted. “The eastern nations barely maintain Constables. They spend their days squabbling over fishing rights and whose Gifted farmers raise the largest cows. They wouldn’t know what to do with a sword if you handed it to them.”
Thorn wormed his way into the debate. “Their magic makes them powerful. We have no idea what Talents they may have developed. Our Mages in Saltstone have monitored the research of their guild, which has been conducted in concert with their military command. It is troubling, Majesty.
We have nothing to match what they can do with magic.”
“Gentlemen, that’s enough.” I had listened to this argument for hours.
My head was throbbing. “No one is going to war. We’re repositioning a few units to conduct military training exercises. These are war games, nothing more, and the fields near the mountains are the perfect location for those exercises.
There is no need to engage in any peace talks because we’re not doing anything unpeaceful.”
Bacras pressed, “But we are, Your Majesty. In your twenty-three years on the throne, we have never conducted war games. At least let me notify the Triad of these exercises and their peaceful intent, allay any fears sparked by our troop movements along their border.”
I looked to Bril.
After a moment’s thought, the Minister nodded. “That might actually work to our advantage, Your Majesty. If they think the games are peaceful, they won’t try to respond or prepare when they see the buildup.”
“Minister Bril, these are peaceful defensive maneuvers. Period. No more talk of war. Is that clear?”
I snapped, then turned back to Bacras. “Send word to our Ambassador in Saltstone of the exercises but say nothing of the increased patrols in the mountains. Our scouts need to see what’s going on, and I don’t want the Rangers masking their movements because we’ve tipped them off.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He bowed low and backed out of the room.
As the door closed behind Bacras, Justin appeared in the doorway.
Isabel, who had been watching quietly from a chair at the opposite end of the conference table, rose to intercept our son.
“Justin, not now. We’re very busy.” She reached to stop him.
“Mother, it’s important, and I don’t think it can wait,” he said, standing his ground before the most powerful men in the Kingdom—and the most feared woman.
I noticed the exchange and held up a hand, silencing the room. “Justin, come here.”
Isabel scowled but stepped aside to allow the Prince to approach. “What is it, son? I don’t think you’ve ever interrupted the Council, and you look terrified. Take a breath and tell me what’s going on.”
Justin’s eyes darted up, then fell to the floor. “Father . . . Jess is gone.”
My head cocked. “Gone? What do you mean, son?”
“I think she ran away.”
I glanced at Isabel. Her scowl had darkened as her eyes flared.
“Run away? Why do you think that?” Even as I asked, my heart sank. Justin would know Jess’s movements as well as anyone in the Palace. He was her closest confidant.
Justin handed me a folded note. “I found this on her pillow. None of the staff have seen her today, and the guards are acting weird.”
My forehead creased as I read the note, then slid it down the table to Isabel.
As she read, I barked at a page. “Bring the Throne Room guards immediately . . . and call the Captain of the Guard.”
The page gave a quick head bob and scurried out of the room.
All eyes turned toward Isabel as she read aloud.
Justin,
I’m sorry to leave without saying goodbye, but I can’t do this anymore, and I didn’t want you to have to cover for me. Mother will never let me be happy, and I won’t marry Huntcliff, no matter what they say.
Father may take the crown away from me for this, which means you will have to do more than you ever wanted. I’m sorry for that, too, but you will make a great king, one people will look up to and love.
I hope we can see each other soon.
Please know how much I love you, little brother.
Jess
The Queen hurled the note across the map-strewn table. “I really am going to wring her little neck.”
“Can we make sure she’s safe before we start plotting her death?” My icy glare silenced her.
None of the Generals or Councilors dared speak.
The page returned with a Palace Guard sporting golden epaulets.
“Captain, I presume you know the Princess is missing. What have you learned?” I asked.
The man offered a crisp bob. “Your Majesty, the two men who were on duty last night are not in the Palace. I’ve sent for them and expect their arrival shortly; but sire, I doubt my men will be much help. We are charged with keeping people out of the Palace, not keeping them in. Your daughter is . .
. forgive me . . . rather forthright. She rarely offers much explanation. She has not been seen since leaving the grounds late last night.”
“Very well, Captain,” I said, turning back to the page. “Send for the High Sheriff, and tell him it’s urgent.”
Isabel’s eyes snapped to mine. “What do you want with him?”
“The Sheriff controls more watchful eyes than anyone outside of the military. Even if the local Constables maintain their distance, we can offer Jess some protection as she roams the countryside. The thought of her out there alone . . . It makes me sick.”
“Uh, Father? She might not be alone.”
I had nearly forgotten Justin was still in the room and turned toward him. “Who do you think she has with her?”
Justin stared at his shoes.
“She’s . . . umm . . . well . . .”
“Out with it, Justin. We don’t have time for this. Say what you know.” Justin startled at the familiar sound of the Queen’s whip-crack.
“I think she’s with Danym, the High Sheriff’s son. They’ve been seeing each other in secret almost every night for . . . a while.” Justin spoke fast, as though that might lessen the blow of the words.
“You knew?” Isabel leaned across the table as though she might lunge at her son. “All this time, you knew?”
A battle raged in my chest as my heart warred with anger, fear, and pain. Anger at our son who’d held a secret that might risk our daughter’s safety. Fear at the thought of Jess on the open road. And pain, so deep and twisting, at the knowledge of how far our family had fallen into disrepair.
We were royals. No, we were the royals, the ones all others looked to, aspired to be. We were the ideal. And yet, regardless of how hard we tried, we were so far from ideal.
My heart ached in that moment.
Justin stepped back, bumbling into Minister Bril.
“Right now, we need to focus on finding her.” My gaze darted from Justin to Isabel. “There will be plenty of time to deal with who knew what later.”
I took a deep breath, then began issuing orders. “General Marks, this isn’t just some wayward girl; she is the heir to the throne. I want flyers with her picture distributed to every man in uniform. With the movements to come, their eyes may be as useful as any.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Chancellor Thorn, have your best scrying Mages search for her. Justin, take the Chancellor to Jess’s bedroom and find something personal of hers, whatever he needs.”
I thought a moment, then continued. “Minister Bril, send word to the officers on the border to be on the lookout. Everywhere else, our men should observe at a distance; but if Jess makes it to Huntcliff, I want them detained. Under no circumstance are they to be allowed across the border.”
Everyone stared.
No one moved.
“Now!” I snapped.
The room burst into a flurry of activity.
Justin took advantage of the chaos to leave before his mother could vent her anger in his direction again. Smart boy.
I took a seat at the table and slumped back with a heavy sigh.
“I pushed her away,” I muttered to myself.
“What are you talking about?” Isabel asked as she sat.
My eyes didn’t leave the tabletop as I spoke. “I’ve always been closer to Jess than anyone else. Our bond is special. She’s my heir, after all. She’s the only person in the world who will truly understand the weight of the Crown.”
Isabel bristled, but I was too lost in thought to care.
“To rule means committing to a lifetime of service to everyone else, giving up your own hopes and dreams for those of your people. The burden is . . . it can be almost unbearable. Anyone might crack.”
I wrung my hands, then met Isabel’s gaze.
“What baffles me is that Jess actually likes Council meetings, regardless of how long or tedious they are. Some days, she stays with me in the Throne Room and talks for hours, walking through what she’s seen and how I handle situations. Spirits, she asks so many questions,
especially when the Ministers go at each other. She calls that ‘the old men’s blood sport.’”
I shook my head, and a tight smile curled my lips.
“Issy, I know she’s headstrong and volatile, but she’s more mature and thoughtful than the boys, far more than we were at her age. I thought she was starting to understand—”
Isabel rose and placed her hands on my shoulders.
“What are we going to do with her? Jess knows her responsibility, her duty. If she would run now, what would stop her from trying to escape the Crown in the future?”
She spoke in a soft, almost pleading voice.
“Maybe . . . one of the boys would be better suited—”
I stilled her words with a pointed glare.
Debating how to parent was one thing. Tinkering with the line of succession was an entirely different matter, one I had no intention of entertaining.
“She is still young. Unless you have some other plans, the Crown will remain ours for many more years. There is time to help her grow into the role. Spirits, I’ve felt like running away a time or two myself.”
Isabel set her jaw. “But you didn’t. You honored your duty to the Kingdom above your own desires, hopes, or fears. I am starting to think she may never put anything above her own desires.”
Before I could respond, another page entered with High Sheriff Wilfred following close behind.
The Queen made to speak, but I patted her hand and stood, our private signal that I wanted to lead the conversation.
I locked eyes with the Sheriff and held his gaze.
When I spoke, my words were slow and measured.
“Sebastiano, we have another situation. Jess is missing. We believe she ran away . . . and that Danym is with her.”
The Sheriff staggered back, bracing himself on a chair. “Your Majesty, I just heard about the Princess but had no idea Danym . . . When I got home last night, he was asleep in his room. I checked before I turned in. Nothing seemed out of place.”
I lifted the note from the table and handed it to Sebastiano.
“This was found in Jess’s room. It doesn’t reference Danym, but Justin seemed to know quite a lot about the pair and their little rendezvous, far more than we knew. He believes they’ve become serious, and their relationship drove her to rebel against our betrothal efforts.”
“I . . . I don’t know what to say, Your Majesty. I would never encourage or condone—”
“We know, Sebastiano. We have no doubts about that. Our concern right now is locating Jess and Danym. We will figure out how to deal with the pair once we know they are safe,” I tried to reassure the Sheriff.
“General Marks and Minister Bril have the military angle covered and will be on alert at the border in case they get that far. How would you suggest we best use your Constables?”
“I’ll send word to the Chief Constable in every town right away. Our resident Mage is a Telepath and can get the word out quickly. Every office already has likenesses of the royal family, but we’ll work up a new flyer and get it distributed. We’ll also increase our patrols on the major arteries,
” Wilfred said.
“Good. If Thorn’s scrying turns up anything, we will make sure you are informed. Report to me immediately if you learn anything—and Sheriff, start with a thorough search of your house. We believe they left early this morning. If Danym slept in his own bed, as you say,
Jess might have been somewhere nearby. That would at least give us a place to start.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. With your permission, I’ll get started now.” The Sheriff barely finished before I nodded his dismissal.
Finally alone, I took Isabel’s hand and pulled her into my chest, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close.
Please, I thought, let her come home to me safe.