Chapter 13: A New Morning

Waking up, it took a moment. I was in a large and luxurious bed with a young girl beside me, sending me into panic mode. How much did I drink last night? Surely, I didn’t!

My intake of breath, the small hands in front of me, my slender body – it all came back to me. For a moment, I thought I’d been trainspotted, picked up an underage girl in a club. ‘She told me she was 18!’ Right, right. Last night, shut that down. Long sigh, some annoyance at these circumstances, I fell out of bed, picked myself off the floor and went in search of the toilet.

Finally, able to be alone. The life of a princess is not what you’d expect, maybe not even want.

Sapphire’s smiling face, followed by her body, popped around the partition, “Good morning! How is your bowel movement today?”

“What? Saph, can I . . . can I just do this alone? Some privacy?”

“Whatever for? I’m here to keep you company!”

“Out!”

She sat down in front of me, flashed a cute smile, “Hey, I’m not angry about last night. You were just recently violated and need some time.”

“I mean, he didn’t succeed.”

“That’s not what I meant. The whole thing, getting captured, escaping, it must have been awful! I didn’t think about that last night, and I should have.”

“No problem.” I was holding in all the normal bodily phenomena associated with morning toilets, the world over, and getting uncomfortable. Who wants to fart in front of a cute and young teenage girl? “But, seriously, out. I want to shit in private. For the love of all that is holy, out!” She looked downtrodden and sullenly left. Morning me is grumpy me and I made a grumpy face, happy that she’d gone.

All finished, I came out from behind the partition, fully expecting to be mobbed by the girls and shoved in a dress. Instead, the prince was standing in the tent.

He brightened up as I emerged, “Cayce, I wanted to get a good luck kiss from you before going to battle the enemy.” As always, smiling, and full of confidence. Massive muscles, tall, a walking tank, unbeatable.

“Ah, how likely are they to come over the bridge to attack our encampment?”

He stood in front of me, arms initially opened, but closed them and sat to my left. “You are worried. Don’t be! My harassment will keep them from the bridge, that’s the intention. To draw them away.”

“How do these work? Uh, harassment campaigns.” I hoped I got that right. “What do you do?”

He looked surprised at the question, pulling back, and sitting up straight. “I’ll be taking the more mobile divisions out. Cavalry, certainly, horse mounted archers, some slingers and, of course, some wizards.”

“Take me with you. I want to see this in action.”

He bellowed long and hard, as usual, “No, no, not a place for a young lady. You’ll stay here. Practice your letters, work on, ah, ladylike activities. For after this war, we will be finding you a husband!” His eyes narrowed with worry, “What’s wrong little sister?”

I must have panicked at the thought of marriage and involuntarily moved away from him. Had to get control of myself. “I’m too young to get married!”

“At fourteen? Old enough to be married to be sure.” He looked oddly at me, cocking his head, then broke into a smile, “Oh! Cayce, you won’t have to live with your husband until you’re older. Sixteen, we could even push it off to eighteen.”

“What? I wouldn’t have to live with . . . the husband?” No way I was going to say ‘my husband.’

“Of course not! I see why you’re so worried now. Of course, you’re still too young for, ah, to move in with a man. But-”

“No buts! I really don’t want to be married. I’m uninterested in ladylike activities.” I needed to distract him from this line of reasoning. “Nevertheless, take my hug for good luck. We’ll talk more about this later.” I pushed myself into his enormous body, wrapping my arms around as much as I could hold. The heat given off by him was like a furnace. I marveled that he could wear armor and go into battle without suffering heat stroke.

“I thought you’d be happy to be wedded sooner than later. That’ll get you out of the dowager-regent’s control.”

“Is that how this works? That wretched hag is-”

“Pardon me?”

“Nothing. Do you mean to say that I don’t have personal freedom until I’m married?”

He laughed again, standing up. “Oh, I think the man who marries you is going to have a handful! I must depart. Sister,” he took my hands and stood me up, “thank you for your blessing of luck. Hold down the camp and don’t let the dowager, the old hag,” winking at me, “be too much of a bother.” With that, he whirled around and left.

Huh. I watched him leave. I had to do something for the troops. See them off. Unlike last night, I was thinking less formal, so I threw on a functional dress and a cloak overtop. It was enough.

At that moment, Saph returned, her hand on my chest, “No, no, no, you are not going out like that!” She directed me back into the tent, “You look like a vagabond. A beggar. Someone sneaking into the orchard to steal fruit!”

“Ok, ok, I get what you’re saying. Fruit? Really?”

Narrowed eyes, lips curled up on one side of her face, smiling, “Oranges. Delicious, full and juicy oranges. You are awful!” Shaking her head, “Just awful.” She stripped off the cloak, then whatever I’d put on under that and started applying the princessly dress to my body.

The girls walked in, joined in. They talked. I phased out, eyes relaxing into blurriness, and let them do their thing, talk about whatever it is teenage girls talk about, and they plucked away at me until I was wearing a dress, combed and brushed my hair, various powders and perfumes.

Some part of me wondered how many experience points I’d gotten for the ordeal. Almost princess level 2! What powers would I get at level 2? My dumb brain answered, ‘why, the power to marry!’ Ugh. I stopped thinking. Soon, we left the tent.

***

Outside, I was happy to see my guards returned to me. “No punishment?” I asked Morrentz.

Tread smiled and Morry answered, “None, Your Highness.”

“I’m gladdened to hear it! What would life be like without my two favorite guards?”

“Perhaps less bawdy and intoxicated.”

“Don’t give anyone any ideas or you’ll be stuck with the rest of the soldiers trying not to get killed.”

“My lady,” Tread said carefully, with an awkward bow.

I smiled at his teenaged-ness. “Tread, good morning. Let’s head out to see off the troops.” In a way, I was proud of him. Taking his first baby steps into adulthood. In many other ways, I hoped Morry would get on with his training.

We trotted out to the bridge, to smile and wave at the soldiers heading into battle. It was the first time I’d been back and, wow, what a sight! For the level of technology these people possessed, the bridge was above and beyond. Enormous, built from giant stone blocks, supported by Roman-style arches writ large. Lions had been carved into the support pillars on either side of the bridge, perhaps guarding it in gargoyle like fashion. It was so wide, three horsemen could ride beside each other comfortably. Or, you know, one large BMW, tinted windows, that didn’t bother to signal as it turned onto the overpass.

I set up, still marveling at the gigantic construction, with Saph beside me, on the side of the bridge facing the camp so we could watch them march toward us, then turn to the bridge. “Saph, this is huge!”

“It really is! Every time I see it, I’m in awe. There are so few examples of what the ancients built, I wish we could go on a journey to visit them.”

“Ancients?” So, these people didn’t build this marvel of a bridge. That begged a few questions.

Brinley added, “Its twin is up the river, near my parent’s castle.”

“We’ll have to check it out after we get this little war sorted.”

Sapphire put her arm around my waist, kissing my cheek, “I’m sure with your brother at the helm, and soldiers from all over the kingdom, it’ll be sorted soon. And anyways the soldiers are coming. Time to be our brightest!”

I forced my attention to the coming soldiers, began smiling and waving. Ladies in waiting to our left doing the same, guards behind us, not. Morry, for once, searching the many faces, keeping watch. Tread standing just a bit higher than the girls and trying not to look lost.

Being a harassment force, most of the soldiers were on horses, so we couldn’t hug them, but I managed a bunch of curtsies and surprised a few of the walking ones with good luck hugs. Their mates clapped them on the back, laughing, as they walked away. I was hoping, of course, that they’d be thinking ‘well, gosh, let’s listen to the princess over the dowager and our generals, because she’s just so darn cute.’

That’s me. Playing the long game.