back to the castle

The Princess and Hattie were escorted back to the castle. Milly was given the horse of the man who had died. Hattie had to share a horse with one of the men. It took four days of travel to get back to the castle.

The Queen was furious at Milly for running away. The prince had to be sent away empty handed and had cut trade with their kingdom. They were lucky not to be at war. However, the king of the offended land knew it had not been the Milly’s parent’s fault that their daughter had disappeared and that they were doing all that they could to find her.

New was sent out that the Princess had been found. Hattie had been removed from the Milly’s service. Mainly as a punishment as testimony from Sir Justin stated she had been “held captive and bewitched by the dragon along side her mistress.” That was the official story. This is what Sir Justin believed as it was the only reason he could think off as to why the princess had wanted him to spare such a fowl beast. However, he had sworn to her to do no harm to the creature so he could not go back and finish the job.

Milly was confined to her room and guards posted outside. A new maid by the name of Sophie had been assigned to her. Sophie was obedient to the queen and hardly took Milly’s orders into consideration.

The Prince had been resummoned and Milly awaited her fate miserable but content in the knowledge her friend was safe. She knew that she would likely never see him again. She was to be carted off to a foreign kingdom to be the loving wife of a prince and one day king. She would be expected to produce an heir. Thinking of an heir she was getting close to her time of the month and the normal feelings of sickness had not come.

“What do you mean time of the month, what sickness?” George asked.

“It is a thing that happens to women, you don’t have to worry about it my son.” His mother replied. “It means she is going to have a baby.”

Sophie reported to the queen that four weeks had passed and still the princess’s bedsheets were clean. She had not blead. Either something was gravely wrong, or her daughter had become pregnant in her time away.

Poor Hattie, assigned to the ketches after the incident was dragged to the queen’s private quarters and questioned until she admitted that a man by the name of Henry had visited the dragon’s cave and the princess’s bedchamber. (She had been tortured as was the custom of the time but George’s mother kept that detail secret.)

Hattie was sent away and the Queen went and scolded her daughter. She took away all her toys and nice things and left the door locked. The Prince would have her when he came then he would have to deal with the stupid girl. The Prince would not be happy that she was not pure like a princess should be, but the Queen would be able deal with that later one problem at a time. If need be, she could hire a sage to remove the baby before it was time. The Queen began to plot.