A princess comes forth

"Xavier!" Subhi greets you as you re-enter the royal box. "We had begun to wonder if some mishap had befallen you. Does your friend fare well?"

"Indeed, all is well," you reply. "My esteemed guests, I ask forgiveness for my unmannerly absence. The matter turned out to be of greater import than a simple accident. I assure you all, explanations will be forthcoming, but for now let us observe the conclusion of the contest." You look out to the field, and see that the six smiths are standing by their staffs, ready to cut. "Have they been waiting for me?" you ask. "I did not wish to hold up the festivities."

"The second smith to finish asked that he be permitted to wait until you returned before making his cut at the staff," Duncan explains. "In the spirit of fairness, the first one to finish will be allowed to make his cut again, since the others had a chance to rest and he did not. The last smith finished but a few minutes ago, so we have not waited long."

"Then, by all means, let us wait no longer," you say, taking your seat.

"Master smiths, put your blades to the test!" Magnus shouts, and as one they cut down upon the oak staffs.

One hour earlier...

Lady Trina meets you and Liesel halfway as you ride together back to the castle. "Sire, it is good to see you," she says, relief in her voice. "I had grown concerned when you did not return immediately."

"Lie- Lady Silvia asked for a moment to recover," you reply, "and I wished to inspect the scene of the fight while it was fresh. There was a chance that the assailant might have dropped something which would prove his allegiance with Lord Velimir."

"I have little doubt as to that, evidence or no," Lady Trina says as you resume your ride. "He has not spoken - nor has he resisted, so I had Master Sanjay treat the broken arm as you commanded. He sits in a cell now, awaiting questioning. He has been provided with food and water."

"That is all we will do for the present time," you say. "I wish to be present for his interrogation, but I have left important guests waiting at the festival, so I must return to them at once. In any event, Master Omar is one of the judges of the smithing competition, and we will need his services before we question the prisoner; I will want him to look over the man's armor and sword so that he may tell us of their origin."

"Are you well, my lady?" Trina asks Liesel.

"I am, thanks to you and King Xavier," she says with a smile. "I am sorry that I ran from you, Lady Trina; it will not happen again."

Once back at the castle, you dismiss Lady Trina for a moment and step into the Kingsguard Armory, so that you can speak alone with Liesel.

"My princess, please know that there is nothing more that I would like to do now than to spend the rest of the day, and the night, alone with you," you tell her, "but I have a King's duties and I frequently find that I cannot indulge in my own heart's desires, no matter how pressing they may be."

She nods. "My father was a King," she says. "I know that a King's life is not always his own. I understand."

"There is still great concern for your safety, perhaps even more than before," you tell her. "Lord Velimir must have sent more than one man to find you; the one in our cell is simply the one who succeeded. When he fails to report back, Velimir will doubtless double his efforts."

"I will stay in the castle, if that seems best to you."

"Your reasons for not wanting to stay here remain sound, Liesel. I suggest that instead, you accompany me back to the festival as my honored guest. Even Lord Velimir would think twice about sending an assassin after you if your hand is upon my arm."

She raises an eyebrow. "It would be difficult to explain why the King is escorting a swordmaiden," she says.

"True," you agree, nodding. "But, it would certainly be appropriate for the King to escort a princess."

Her eyes grow wide, and she shakes her head slightly, as if not believing what you have just said.

"Liesel, please consider," you tell her. "Lord Velimir would not send swordsmen into my woods after a petty thief, even one as notorious as the Vixen. The man who saw you this morning must have recognized you for who you truly are."

"That is not possible," she insists. "Even if he saw me in Bavaria, I was but a child of six. I am a woman grown now... you should know that better than anyone, Xavier," she adds with a smile.

"Look here," you say, picking up a polished shield from the armory. "Look upon your reflection - I imagine it is not something you have been able to do very often, in the woods. Who do you see?"

She looks, and her hand goes up to touch her own cheek. "That - that is my mother's face," she whispers.

"I thought that might be so," you reply. "I have never laid eyes upon your mother, of course, but it is the most probable way that someone might have recognized that you and Liesel von Ingolstadt are one and the same. Lord Velimir would have known that you escaped, and it is possible that he has been searching for you all this time; he may even have guessed that you have become the Vixen, and deliberately sent his men into the woods alone to bait you in order to confirm that suspicion. Having you in his grasp would tighten his grip on your father's lands. He likely intends to **** you into marriage, which would effectively make him the King of Bavaria."

"No," she insists. "I would cut my own throat first!"

"It will never come to that," you tell her. "But you can no longer hide as the Vixen; and Lady Sylvia is no effective disguise either. You have been someone else for long enough; the time has come for you to be Princess Liesel. You will then have not only my protection, but that of all Elyssia and her allies. I do not like to give you what may be false hope; but it is possible that, in time, we may even be able to restore you safely to your home in Bavaria. However, your name is your own, and it is your choice whether you are ready to assume it once again."

"Well done, to all of you!" you shout to the smiths who stand below. "The judges have made their decision. The victory is awarded to Master Smith Gordiano Bertola, a visitor from the city of Florence! This hammer is yours now, Master Bertola; you will note that it is plated in silver, which makes it somewhat less useful as an actual tool, but I am quite sure that you can forge a better hammer than I can in any event!"

The crowd laughs along with you, then cheers as Bertola steps forward to bow.

"Sire," Captain Navarre says from behind you, "your guest has arrived and awaits in the garden."

"Thank you, Captain," you reply. "My noble guests, may I trouble all of you to accompany me to the tournament garden? There is some work to be done upon the field to remove the forges and make things ready for the joust, and we may as well stretch our legs and enjoy some of Elyssia's natural beauty along with our wine and refreshments."

You follow Captain Navarre from the royal box, and your guests follow you. The tournament garden lies a short distance beyond the stands, surrounded by tall trees on all but one side which looks out upon the forested hills and the castle beyond. It was a clever bit of design upon the part of those who laid out the grounds, a place where noble guests could relax between events; normally, the commoners would be permitted to enjoy the gardens as well, but unfortunately you have had to set aside a few places during the festival for the guests of the crown to enjoy.

"Bring her in once everyone is present," you whisper to Captain Navarre as you arrive at the gardens, and he nods and runs off to the small guardhouse built within the garden wall.

"One thing I like about this place," Subhi says as he lifts his goblet, "the water is sweeter here than anywhere else on Earth! With your permission, I'll have my people fill a few barrels to take home with me; it loses something of its sparkle on the journey, but it is still better than what I draw up from my wells."

"Of course, Subhi," you say with a nod. The Sultan has always avoided the wine for the sake of his religion, something for which you are actually quite grateful - the idea of a man such as him being drunk is not something you would like to contemplate. "I know we had planned to discuss some matters of importance with Bwana M'Kubwa, but we may need to postpone them slightly; something has, shall we say, come up."

"That was a smile on your face, don't deny it!" Subhi says. "I know that look, it is the same one you had just before the roasted camel was brought out last night at the feast! And it was delicious, I'll have you know - not quite up to the work of my own cooks, but a welcome taste of home nonetheless. But what do you have under your cloak this time -"

In your memory, you have never before now seen the Sultan stunned into silence, but his last words go unspoken as he stares across the garden. The remaining guests slowly go quiet as well... and even though you have some idea what to expect, when you turn around, you can certainly see why everyone is so affected.

Though Valerie's young handmaiden was absent from the castle (as was almost everyone, for the festival), you were able to find one of the maids who promised to do her best to make Liesel look like a princess - and though all due credit must be given to the maid, it is Liesel's natural beauty which makes her shine in the light, and elicits a short gasp even from the normally stoic Lord Duncan. She wears a dress of pure white, which against her naturally pale skin and blonde hair makes her look angelic and ethereal, as if her feet have no business touching the ground. There was no one who could do more than brush her hair, but floating free in the breeze, it looks more exquisite than any crown. A blue sapphire at her neck sparkles with sun, one of the few truly precious gems from the Elyssian crown jewels; as far as you can recall, no one has ever actually worn it before now, but there is no one who could have worn it better. Liesel walks with all the grace and poise that both her early upbringing and years of stalking silently in the woods has given her, and though her eyes show a hint of uncertainty (as one might expect, of course), she steps into the light with all the courage that you now know her to be capable of. There are many lovely women in Elyssia, but you doubt that any of them could hold a candle to Liesel in this moment; she is absolutely breathtaking.

"My noble guests," you say as she steps forward to take your arm, "It is my pleasure to introduce to all of you the Princess Liesel von Ingolstadt, daughter of King Luther the Second, and heiress to the throne of Bavaria."