Another day’s riding would see them at Stonegard, just in time for the High
Summer festival and the start of the Journey.
The morning went by uneventfully. They passed through the Trevena
border crossing without any issues. The border guards stood out in their bright
red and orange clothes of the House of the Phoenix, royal house of King Tristan.
They waved them through with a simple nod of their heads.
They knew we were coming too, I guess that’s what Micah meant by ‘I’ve arranged
everything as instructed.
There were other travellers on the road. Merchants and farmers were most
common. They passed by some travelling musicians who sprang into song
when they saw the Palace Guards. It was a welcome break from the monotony
of the ride. Unfortunately they soon passed them by and Ariella was left with
the rhythm of Crispin"s hooves and trying to not to stare at Micah.
Not long after lunch on that second day they passed through a small farming
village. It was one of those idyllic villages that Ariella imagined when she
pictured Trevena. The houses were wooden framed with thatched roofs. The
gardens were neatly tended and the flowers bloomed in the sunshine. There was
a small inn, “The Heifer’s Rest” on the village green, next to a duck pond.
It wasn"t until the riding party had passed by the village green when a sense
of uneasiness came over them. The Captain, still riding next to Ariella, slowed
the pace of his horse and stood in the stirrups. Looking from left to right,
studying the scene, the other riders moved their horses in around Ariella"s,
blocking her on all sides. They loosened their long swords in their scabbards.
“It"s quiet,” said the guard on Ariella"s right.
The Captain was silent for a moment, listening.
“Lukas” he said to the guard riding next to Micah, “Ride on, slowly, point
position.”
The guard turned his horse and trotted fifty yards in front of the rest, then
slowed his horse and walked forwards. The others formed a diamond around
Ariella and followed Lukas. The tension was thick in the air but the guards were
calm, eyes alert.
It was then that Ariella realised that in the change of formation, the captain
was riding in front of her. Micah was now on her right, so close she could reach
out and touch him.
Will you please get a grip! He is here to guard you and they are all ready to fight for you and all you’re thinking about is how close his arm is.
The sound of shouting, someway in the distance, interrupted her thoughts.
Lukas held up his hand and the party stopped. He bent his head, listening, and
then he waved them forward. The riders covered the fifty metres at speed.
“It"s coming from the left, off the main road somewhere. Sounds like an
argument over land, someone mentioned poison.” Lukas informed them “It"s
getting serious, I think they want to hang someone.”
The Captain took charge. “Okay, keep alert and let"s get through this village.
Get ready to run if we need to. Lukas, lead on”
“What?” Ariella questioned, staring at the captain
“We"re leaving Your Highness.”
“Leaving! They"re going to hang someone!”
“So it would seem, but we don"t know who „they" are or who „someone" is”
“So what? We need to intervene”
“Intervene?” The captain asked, trying to keep the frustration out of his
voice.
“Yes!”
“No, Your Highness”
“No!” Ariella was stunned. Captains of the guards didn"t say “no” to her.
“No. My orders are simple, Your Highness. We are to get you to Stonegard
in time for High Summer.” He turned his horse away from her. The other riders
gathered around Crispin.
“I"m the Princess, I"m changing your orders.”
The Captain didn"t even turn his head. “My orders come directly from the
Queen, we are taking you to Stonegard.”
Ariella looked at the guards. None of them were watching her. The other
riders were bunched in around Crispin but she still had his reins. She gripped
them tightly. The rider to her left took a slight pause as he turned his head to
check the road behind them. It was a small gap but it was all she needed.
“To hell with the Queen” she whispered. Kicking her heels into Crispin’s
side, she dove through the gap towards the sounds of shouting.
Chapter 5
Ariella kicked Crispin into a gallop and they flew across the field in the
direction Lukas had said. Behind her she could hear the shouts of the guards
and the captain bellowing orders.
He’ll get over it. I’m not letting them hang somebody without checking it out.
There were a few scattered houses to either side of her as the grassy field
sloped downwards. At the far end of the field was a large farmhouse with
several out buildings. It sounded like the shouting was coming from the barn
furthest away.
Ariella pointed Crispin towards the barn and drove him on. She risked a
glance over her shoulder. The guards were streaking after her and gaining
ground. One of the guards was blowing hard on a small silver bugle.
Yeah, like I’m going to stop because you blew your little trumpet. Good luck with
that.
She rounded the barn at full speed and right into a small mob of people. She
had to pull Crispin up fast to stop her trampling over a particularly round lady
with a fierce expression on her face. She was facing the mob and whirling a
heavy rolling pin around her head.
“Hang him!” She was shouting. “Hang the poisonous little imp! He’s trying to kill us all!”
She was still whirling the rolling pin when she noticed Ariella. In all the
noise and attempted hanging no one had heard her riding up.
“Here’s another one!” She screeched pointing the rolling pin at Ariella.
“They’ve come to kill us and our children.”
The mob went quiet for a moment as they tried to take in this new arrival. It
appeared they weren’t used to fifteen year old girls galloping around their
village on horseback.
A beast of a man with a barrel chest and hands the size of loaves of bread,
stepped forward.
“And who exactly do you think you are?” He asked slowly, threateningly.
He was just about to take another step around the corner when Ariella’s,
particularly unhappy, escort charged around the corner of the barn, swords
drawn.
Chaos erupted.
The guards tried to surround Ariella but she was barging them out of the
way with her horse. The Captain was yelling orders at his men while
threatening the man with the barrel chest and keeping a wary eye on the woman
swinging the rolling pin. The barrel chested man was shouting abuse at the
captain and the rest of the guards. The rolling pin woman was advancing on the
Captain, convinced that she could take on the swords. All the while one of the
guards was blowing incessantly on his bugle.
Ariella finally lost it.
“Will you all shut up!” she yelled, standing high in her stirrups.
The effect was instantaneous. Everyone fell silent, much to her surprise.
Even the bugle player stopped mid blow, lips still arou
nd the end of the small
horn.
“Right, let"s sort this mess out. First of all, Captain, if that man plays one
more note on that bugle I am going to personally trample it into the mud, is that
clear?” The bugle player hastily stored it in his pack and shifted nervously in his
saddle. “Now you and your men put away your swords.”
“Your Highness, I am sworn to protect you and you are in danger”
“From a rolling pin Captain, are you quite sure?
The Captain looked sheepish at that comment and motioned for his men to
put away their swords.
“Excellent” Ariella carried on. “Now madam, if you would be so kind to
lower your rolling pin that would make the captain here much more relaxed.”
Unused to being addressed in such a polite manner, the woman, rather
against her will, found herself lowering the rolling pin and taking a step
backwards.
The barrel chested man was still standing in front of Ariella and was still
glaring.
“Now good sir, I am Princess Ariella of Lightharbour, House of the Eagle.
Would you please let me know your name?”
Flustered, the man tried an awkward bow. Evidently bowing was not
guards.
“Your, er, ladyness, I am Robert of er…this farm and er…that house over
there.”
“Excellent” smiled Ariella, trying to reassure the man and keep the situation
calm. “My escort and I were just passing through your village on the way to
Stonegard. We noticed that you were upset about something. Is that right?”
“Damn right!” bellowed the rolling pin lady, finding her voice again. “This
sewer rat,” she waved her rolling pin towards somewhere near the back of the
crowd, but Ariella couldn"t make anyone out, “has been poisoning our fields and
our river. If we hadn"t caught him in time he would"ve poisoned the lot of us.
We"re going to hang him and there"s nothing you can do about it!” She said
swinging her rolling pin again and staring at the Captain.
“My good lady…” began Ariella
“Don"t you „good lady" me! I"m no la de da lady and this isn"t Lightharbour,
it"s Trevena, so why don"t you and you little soldiers sod off!” She took a step
forward pointing the rolling pin at Ariella.
The Palace Guards simultaneously drew their swords again, an automatic
response when someone is threatening their Princess.
“Put them away!” said Ariella exasperatedly “She"s got a rolling pin not a
battle axe. Madam, we mean you no harm, we are only small in number and, as I
said, on our way to Stonegard when…”
Ariella"s voice dropped off as she heard a growing rumble coming from
behind the barn. The noise grew louder and louder until, bursting around the
side of the barn came fifty heavily armed Palace Guards, their banners
displaying the House of the Eagle.
“What?” Ariella was spluttering. “What are you doing here?”
The lead rider ignored her, took a speedy assessment of the situation and
gave a series of hand movements. Immediately, the fifty new guards
surrounded the mob, spears lowered, creating a wall of steel with no way out.
“Help!” someone shouted
“We"re being invaded,” yelled another.
“We"re all going to die!” came a high pitched voice.
“Captain, would you like to tell me, exactly, what is going on?” Ariella was
trying to remain calm but she could feel the anger building.
“We"re protecting you from the imminent threat Your Highness.”
“Imminent threat is that what you’re calling it? A threat from an unarmed
farmer named Robert and a militant milkmaid with a rolling pin! Have they got
you and your men terrified Captain?”
“She was threatening you, Your Highness.”
“With a rolling pin! This was what that bloody trumpet was about wasn"t it?
You were signalling them?” She glared back at the bugle player who seemed to
shrink even further into his saddle.
Ariella turned her attention to the scene in front of her. The villagers had
quickly turned from a baying mob to a quivering mass. All except the rolling pin
lady. She was still swinging the pin and threatening soldiers.
“Everyone put away your weapons!” She shouted.
The guards hesitated, looking back and forth between the crowd, the Captain
and the Princess.
“Now!” She yelled
Reluctantly, the guards put away their weapons but they kept their horses
surrounding the villagers.
“Now, everyone back away, slowly.” Ariella stared down any of the guards
that dared to look at her until they had all moved several paces away from the
villagers.
“Okay Captain, why don"t you explain to me why there are now another
fifty Palace Guards standing with us in this field?”
“Queen"s orders, Your Highness.” the Captain replied stiffly; he clearly
didn"t appreciate the tone Ariella was using.
“Queen"s orders? That was what you meant by „finalising some details"
when we back at the Palace was it? They"ve been following us since then haven"t
they? I thought you said that you wanted an escort of twenty. Why are there
fifty of them?”
“Queen"s orders. She didn"t think twenty was enough.”
“If I may be so bold, Your Highness, I believe she foresaw a situation like
this.”
Ariella spun around, wondering who had spoken. She blinked hard, her
mouth dry. It was Micah, his deep, brown eyes locked with hers. There was no
hint of a smile, he was being serious.
“That"s what you think is it?” She demanded.
Damn, he’s gorgeous; I could stare into those eyes all day.
What? Get a grip Ari!
“Okay let"s see if we can sort this mess out then. Captain withdraw your
men to the other side of the barn.”
“I would like to oblige Your Highness but I cannot leave you unguarded.”
“No, of course not, after all she does have a rolling pin.” The Captain began
to protest but Ariella cut him off. “Leave one of your men behind.” She paused,
trying not to smile, “That one will do.” She was pointing at Micah.
Subtle Ari…so subtle.
“Micah, stay with the Princess. Do not leave her side, the rest of you, with
me.” The captain turned his horse and trotted to the other side of the barn, thirty
yards away but out of sight.
Micah moved his horse so it was almost touching Ariella"s. His eyes were
fixed on the rolling pin wielding lady at the front of the crowd. She had regained
some of her voice now the guards had backed off.
Ariella was suddenly extremely conscious that her hair must be a mess after
the gallop across the field. She tried to run her hands through it, and flick it
across her shoulder away from Micah, revealing her better side. At least that"s
what she hoped she was doing. She was concentrating so hard on making
herself look good that she missed the hush that fell on the group.
She tried to several more times to get her hair to do what she wanted when,
at last, sh
e noticed the silence. She jolted her hand back to her side and looked
around. Everyone was staring at her with a bemused look on their faces.
She coughed loudly. “Right,” she said, far too loudly. “Shall we get
started?” She cast a sideways look at Micah who had gone back to watching the
rolling pin lady.
Well, that was about as embarrassing as it could get. Top job Ari…really fine work.
She turned her attention to the villagers in front of her and found Robert, the
barrel chested farmer.
“Robert, would you be so kind and tell me what"s been going on?”
“Well, your ladyness, it"s been a bit of a long tale, you see.” He cleared his
throat loudly and then launched into his story. “The fields have been looking
weak this year, not just my fields, but all of them. Trevor down the lane, Old
Paddy on the other side of the river, all them, looking weak they have been. No
one knew why, sun"s been shining, rain"s been pouring, soil is good, and we’re
all a bit clueless. Then yesterday morning, little Daniel was fishing in the river
when he saw the fish your ladyness.” He paused, upset.
“Go on,” Ariella urged.
“They"re dead, your ladyness, all of them. Just lying there in the river, belly
up, dead, completely dead. I checked them. With a stick, they were all dead.”
“She gets the picture Robert, get on with it so we can hang him,” rolling pin
lady snapped, tapping her pin against her open hand.
Ariella ignored her “Keep going Robert.”
“The river was dark, the water I mean, it looked dark. It was creepy with all
them fish lying belly up an’ all. Well, then it got really bad. Old Paddy was out
in his field this morning checking on his wheat and that’s when he saw it.” His
face turned white and he hesitated. A solemn silence hung heavily on the crowd.
Even the rolling pin lady stopped still.
“It’s like they’re, well, bleeding.”
“Bleeding? What’s bleeding?”
“The wheat, your ladyness, the roots of wheat was bleeding. It was thick,
sticky blood, so dark it was almost black. It was the freakiest thing I"ve ever seen
in my life. When Old Paddy found it he came screaming across the fields like
he"d seen a ghost. Then we all started pulling up the plants in our fields. It’s the
same everywhere in the village. Wheat, barley, turnips, spuds, even the roots of