Seventh Crown VIII

Do not read if you had not read the previous parts.

Seventh Crown VIII

~

Cage laughed softly, "Im going to go get my book, then you and I are going to the healers' quarters, okay?" Elizabeth nodded, her face brightened a little when she realized that Cage was not going to leave her by herself. Cage dropped her off at the healers', they gave her a herb for the headaches and a tonic for her cough. They decided to keep her until the next day to figure out what the sickness was, and to make sure it was not deadly or contagious.

Cage decided he would ask the Queen to move the small child to a better room; one that was not chilled and musty. He also considered asking one of the senior librarians to take her in, but decided against it because none of them really liked her.They thought her an annoying child who was much too energetic.

After tending to Elizabeth, Cage went to the meeting room where the Queen, her father, and the people who were asked to help plan the trip were already congregated. He entered the room and was greeted by an argument.

"But father, we need to travel fast; taking fourty guards with us will only slow us down!" Rebecca snapped, "I will take Cage and no one else."

Her fathers face was slowly reddening, "Fourty is too much, fine take twenty. You are the Queen, daughter; if you are not careful, you will be taken out!" Her father was not in the mood for an argument.

Rebecca took a deep breath and massaged her temples, "Father," she began in a patient voice, "We want to travel fast. I would prefer to get there before the post is taken out. If the general does not get his instructions, it could make the difference between losing the war or winning it. I know that you care about the kindgom, but you also care about me."

Cage nodded his agreement, "Your Grace, I understand the love you have for your daughter, she is your only child and you two have always been close, not to mention that she is the heir to the throne. But if by over-guarding the life of one you put hundreds of thousands of other people in danger; you may need to reconsider your choice. She is very capable of taking care of herself, and if she is in danger you know I would give my life for her." The seriousness in Cages face spoke more than the words coming from his mouth, "Sending half of your guard with us will slow us down, it will take over a month to reach the general and his army in the north; but if we go on our own we will reach the outpost in less than two weeks. Please, Your Grace, reconsider."

The King stared of into space for a moment, the conflict in his mind showing clearly on his face. Cage and Rebecca all but held their breathes as he thought the situation through. The King finally made up his mind, "You and Cage will go, but only on the condition that you take a minimum of five men with you. And you must send one of them back with a message telling me when you got there. Once you have assesed the situation I want you to send another messenger telling me what is going on and what your plans are."

Cage and Rebecca exchanged pained looks, but at the same time realized this was probably the best deal they were going to get.

"Fine," Rebecca started, "Cage and I will go, we will take five men, all mounted. We will need about three or four pack horses to carry supplies, and we will all need an extra mount; just in case."

The King nodded his consent and then sent them of to pack, prepare, and to ready their mounts. He also sent a few servents to the kitchens with orders to prepare packs of traveling food.

~ 

Rebecca set off for her rooms, leaving her father to order the servents about. She wasn't happy that guards would be accompanying herself and Cage, but they would have to deal with it. She hoped they would have some alone time; she really wanted to discuss the feelings and tension between them. Does he feel it too? She wondered, Or is it all me. She continued walking until she reached her rooms. A flurry of maids were already there, pulling out dresses and underclothing and neccesities and packing them into baskets. They already had four packed and it didn't look like they were anywhere near finishing.

"What are you doing?" She asked, a little annoyed, "What are all these baskets for?"

The leader of the group of maids stepped forward from the chaos and answered, "Your father told us to pack your things. He said it would take less time for us to do it then it would to let you pack yourself." The maid looked a little worried, she was obviously afraid of the Queen.

Rebecca calmed herself down before responding to the frazzled woman before her. "My father told you to pack my things for me?" she asked, making use of her remaining patience. The maid nodded quickly, "Yes, Your Highness, he gave us a list of what you would need."

Rebecca restrained the groans of annoyance that threatened to spill out, "What was on this, list, that he gave you?" she asked curiously.

The maid closed her eyes and started reciting it from memory, "Eight petty-coats, six everyday dresses, four dinner dresses, two special occasion dresses, seven nightgowns, enough undergarements to last for three weeks, hairnets, brushes, combs, hairpins, two pairs of sturdy boots, two pairs of sturdy walking shoes..." the maid went on, listing enough clothing items and toilettries to last her for a over a month.

Rebecca stared at the floor; she was frustrated, but not at the maids, so she must watch what she says. "Thank you very much for all you have done, but please leave my rooms and leave me in peace." She gestured for the maids to disperse from her rooms and set to packing her clothes herself. Her father only meant well, but he did not really think this through. They would have to take at least fifteen pack horses just for her clothes if she packed his way. She preferred to take only a couple dresses, and replace the rest with tunics and leggings or pants. Once she had packed her way, she only ended up filling three baskets instead of the twelve her maids had filled. She sent a footman with the baskets down to load them onto pack horses and then dressed for travel. After she was prepared she decided to run down to the kitchens for a snack.

-to be continued-