Stick with the story

Courtney shoots the princess a look that is a combination of fear and questioning. Adella, however, tries her best to keep her cool. In her best regal air, she looks evenly at the soldier and says, “Captain, I am not accustomed to being questioned in this manner. I appreciate your concern for my safety, but my manner of travel, what I take with me, and whom I choose to have as a traveling companion are hardly any of your business.”

Dathan pulls himself upright in formal military stature and is once again all business. “Of course, Ma’am. I beg your pardon. It won’t happen again. Now, if you will be so kind as to wait for just a moment, I will arrange for an escort, and you can be on your way.”

Adella looks at Courtney, hoping for any ideas she might have, but at that moment they hear the sound of horses approaching from behind. They look and see three horses. The two in back are ridden by knights in full armor, including helmets, with visors down. The first horse is ridden by none other than Crown Prince Stewart. At the sight of the heir apparent, the soldiers snap to attention.

“Ah, there you are, Sister,” says Stewart as he draws even with them. “You got an earlier start than I anticipated. I hope we haven’t kept you waiting.”

Adella looks blankly at her brother, who turns to Dathan and says, “Captain, my sister and I are going out for a little fresh air. We shall be back before nightfall.”

Dathan looks at the knights and says, “Of course, Your Highnesss. You certainly seem to be well protected. So you will be going to River Rock, then?“

Stewart looks confused for a moment. “River Rock? Oh, of course... Yes, my sister and I discussed going to River Rock, but I think Cobbler’s Grove will be much more pleasant.”

“Of course, Sir. It’s a rather warm day for full armor for your men.”

“Yes,” agrees the prince, “but I promised the ladies they could see some jousting practice. Besides, you know how my mother enjoys the sight of knights in brightly polished armor.” He waves toward the castle. Adella looks in alarm, but sees no one. When she looks back, she sees the soldiers are even more at attention than before, if that were even possible.

“Of course, Sir. If Her Majesty is watching, we want everything to look proper. Enjoy your outing, Your Highnesses.”

Stewart leads the ladies out the castle gate, followed closely by the two knights. When they are out of earshot of the guards Stewart groans. “You owe me big time for this, Sister. I have the most dreadful hangover!”

Adella looks nervously over her shoulder at the knights.

“Oh, you needn’t worry about them, Sister dear,” says Stewart. Looking behind he says, “I believe we are far enough away; you may remove your helmets, if you wish.”

The knights reach up to remove their helmets. As they do, Adella and Courtney are shocked to see the faces of two young women, perspiring under the heat, but smiling at their reaction.

“Who are they?” asked Adella.

Stewart grins. “Catherine and Agnes. They were most eager to lend their assistance, weren’t you, girls?”

“We would do anything in service to the crown,” says one of the young women.

Stewart lowers his voice so only Adella can hear. “And trust me, before the night is over they will do just about everything.” He gives his sister a knowing wink.

“But I don’t understand. Why are we going to Cobbler’s Grove? And why did you tell the captain that we would be back before sunset? He will only raise the alarm when he sees you return without us!”

“All in good time, my dear sister. First, I wish to correct my appalling poor manners.” He turns his attention to Courtney and says, “So good to see you again, Courtney. I still haven’t gotten over our last conversation — it charmed me no end!”

Adella rolls her eyes. She knows her brother well enough to know that he rarely has a conversation with any woman any deeper than announcing how close he is to orgasm.

The ride to Cobbler’s Grove is short, but when they get to the final crossroad, Adella is surprised to see Stewart take a different direction than anticipated.

“I thought we were going to Cobbler’s Grove,” she said.

“No, Sister. I merely wanted Dathan to think we were headed this direction. If we had gone in the direction of River Rock, we would never have gotten to our true destination.”

As he spoke, the travelling party crested a hill and saw a small wooden hut. Stewart approached the structure and stopped his horse to dismount.

“This is our destination?” Adella asked.

“It is my destination,” said Stewart. “And my trusty knights as well, he said with a wink in their direction. As for the two of you, while you are welcome to stay, I suspect you will want to be on your way. But first, I will need your clothing?”

“Our clothing?” Adella exclaims.

Before Stewart can answer, the door to the hut opens, and two women emerge, carrying a change of clothing.

“These clothes will be better suited for your journey,” says Stewart, “and your clothes will be needed to sneak these charming young things back into the castle when I return at dusk.”

“They are to wear our clothes?” asks Adella.

“Not to worry, Sister of mine, they will not wear them for long. In fact, I shall personally make sure every scrap of clothing is removed from them the moment they enter my bedchambers.”

Adella grimaces at her brother’s debauchery, but she grudgingly congratulated him on his plan. It does give the appearance that Adella and Courtney were never out of the sight of palace guards, and it gives the appearance of their safe return.

“It is a good plan, Brother,” she admits. “But what will you do until dusk?”

Stewart smiles broadly. “I don’t think you need to ask that, do you, Dear? Besides, you heard the Captain; it is too hot for my knights to remain in their armor. We five shall retire into the hut to ‘refresh ourselves’ for a few hours.”

“We will not detain you,” says Adella quickly. “Thank you for your help. We shall see you in a few days.”

The ladies change clothes and mount their horses to depart. Stewart bids the ladies farewell and eagerly enters the hut, where the sound of female giggles is immediately evident.

As the two women set out on their journey, Adella looks troubled. “I had planned our route through the Obsidian Forest as if we would enter it from River Rock. I am unfamiliar with these roads.”

Courtney says, “I do not know this route either. Should we go back and ask your brother?”