Don't Forget to Dream (24 page)

“
Are you sure that is prudent,
”
Queen Aletta said.
“
Wouldn
’
t it be
best to wait a little while? There will be added confusion with Edwin
and Callum
also
leaving tomorrow?
”

“
We will be heading east my dear as you well know. Other than a carriage and a few more horses in the courtyard I cannot see how it makes any difference. On the other hand
,
the sooner we leave the sooner we will arrive in Dratton and the estates,
”
Lady Emelia pressed tersely.

Queen Aletta knew she had little chance in swaying her mother but continued anyway,
“
And who is to escort you? Edwin and Callum are taking two thirds of our men leaving
only a few men to safeguard
the city and Palace.
”

“
I am not in need of a retinue my dear and we shall be travelling light. Rhyla and Elsie shall accompany me, and of course Ryan. There has been little trouble on the road to Fortina in years and we are in good relations with them so they are unlikely to want to kidnap us even if they had time to know we were coming.
So
half a dozen men will be plenty.
They
can return as soon as we are on the estates,
”
argued Lady Emelia.

The table, and the entire hall for that matter, sat in silence as the King and Queen exchanged looks. Queen Aletta was clearly unhappy about the situation but King Liam saw the sense in his mother-in-laws suggestion. The duns and estates needed strong leadership and Lady Emelia was correct in stating the necessity of her presence at such a time.

Queen Aletta nodded briefly but said nothing further.

“
Good,
”
said King Liam before he signalled for Mistress O
’
Mara and Captain Martin to attend him. As they approached him he looked at the courier still kneeling by his mistress.
“
Ryan is it?
”

“
Yes your majesty,
”
he said hastily, shocked the King was addressing him.

“
Find a place on a table with the other riders,
”
he said indicating the tables full of men.
“
The lasses shall bring you food and ale. The lads will show you where to stable your horse for the night and find you a bunk. Is y
our mount strong enough to ride
straight back?
”

“
He is your majesty, a few oats wouldn
’
t hurt,
”
Ryan added as an afterthought.

“
Of course lad, he shall have it and we shall make sure you carry enough for when you stop for the evenings.
”
King Liam inclined his head towards the rider
’
s table in way of dismissal of the courier. Standing, Ryan bowed to the King and to his mistress before joining the other men. King Liam then turned his attention to Captain Martin,
“
Captain.
”

“
Yes your majesty,
”
Captain Martin said kneeling before the King.

“
Find six men who are to stay on fort guard to accompany Lady Emelia and her ladies to Dratton in the morning. See that they carry supplies for a week to ensure they can get there and back so they don
’
t take from the Black S
wans already diminished stores. Then you shall need to see about another six to accompany the wagons of supplies when they are ready to follow in a few days.
”

“
Yes your majesty,
”
he answered before standing, bowing and retreating to his table to start selecting men.

Rhyla looked on in silent awe;
never had she been so close to King Liam for so long, to watch his clear decision making and direction. He didn
’
t have the blue eyes of his youngest son but he certainly had given his boys their
breadth of shoulder and dark hair, even though his was now heavily flecked with grey. Watching him so closely Rhyla could see where Callum had inherited his compassion and sense of justice from. Thinking of his she looked up to see he still stood behind her. He looked down and twitched up the corner of his mouth in an attempt at smiling at her. She understood the turmoil of emotions that must be raging through him with yet another serious ordeal to be managed. She started to smile back but remembered the company they kept and looked away cursing herself silently. Prince Callum, she swore
quietly to herself once again as her own thoughts betrayed
her attemp
ts to distance herself from him.
She
knew that the addition of the title truly did little to push him from her heart.

Her musings had distracted her from the King
’
s instructions to the head housekeeper. Regaining her focus she only managed to hear her dismissal but Rhyla doubt
ed
she missed anything more significant than what she already knew. She looked to Lady Emelia only to see her own despair magnified a hundred fold. Rhyla
’
s grief was based on her own loss
but to Lady Emelia it was more.
She
had grown up in the dun of the Black Swan Estate.
The
loss of the buildings would be a hardship but they would be rebuilt. It was the loss of the men and what the damage to the stores would mean for the estate as a whole. If they didn
’
t have enough reserved for winter the entire household and
those in the community who were
dependant on the estate, w
ould not have enough to live on.
It was as simple as that.
Rhyla knew the hardships country folk had
to endure
during
the long cold winter
but to be respons
ible for so many was terrifying, especially for a kind elderly Lady.

Reaching out Rhyla placed her
hand over her mistress
’
s thin, frail arm as it lay in her lap. After a moment
,
her touch managed to bring Lady Emelia out of the reverie she had once again fallen into. Rhyla smiled encouragingly at her and gently squeezed her arm.

The Lady inhaled deeply, closed her eyes as she held her breath and slowly exhaled before she could speak again,
“
I think it time we retired Rhyla.
We have time to p
ack a few things this evening a
nd to inform
Elsie.
”
murmured Lady Emelia.
As she moved to stand
,
Prince Callum stepped to her side to aid her before Rhyla could get to her feet.
“
Good night everyone, I shall see you all in the morning.
”
Her tone was flat with none of her
usual exuberance for her family.
Rhyla doubted they would take it to heart. Taking her hand from Prince Callum
, Rhyla whispered
goodnight to him and received a brief nod in return.

Elsie quickly joined them from the back of the hall and they made their way to Lady Emelia
’
s suit with only a brief explanation to the young girl as to what was happening. Once there Elsie fetched four duffle bags so they could pack a few items. They would need to travel light to make good time and Lady Emelia assured them that the household
at the Black Swan
had plenty of clothing and soft furnishings to supplement what they were able to carry. Rhyla and Elsie would have one bag each while Lady Emelia filled two. By the time they had packed their mistress
’
s items and finally settled her into bed the two girls returned to their room with little to discuss. They packed their few belongings and laid out fresh clothing for the morning.

Kyle would be leaving with the rest of the guardsmen with the Princes, so Elsie already feared he may not return. She attempted to put on a brave face
. It would be much better
working
in a strange place
rather than waiting day after day in the Palace for any news to arrive. Unfortunately her bravado did not prevent the tears that accompanied her into slumber.

Rhyla feared dreadfully for Callum
’
s safe return.
There was danger at every corner. They could be
ambushed or a stray arrow or blad
e may find its cruel way to him. Rhyla knew
he would be surrounded by a hundred armed men and she had to trust that they would do everything possible to keep him from harm. She did not cry for him but prayed to every god she could think of and made herself content that Prince Edwin and Martin would be with him.

Morning broke with the promise of a bright summer
’
s day, with only a few high wispy clouds to be seen. The Palace was abuzz with activity from the moment the sun
’
s first rays lit the sky. Final preparations were made to mounts and the supply carts before the men broke their fast.

Lady Emelia, Rhyla and Elsie were in the sunroom after they had eaten in the lady
’
s room.
They were gathering
books, records and other small items that were deemed essential. There was a gentle knock at the door.

“
Come,
”
Lady Emelia called as she tidied away her knitting.
She certainly wouldn
’
t be needing
that .

Opening the door Prince Callum entered,
“
I hope I am not disturbing you Grandmamma.
”

“
Callum my boy, no, no, I was hoping to catch you before we made our way to the courtyard,
”
Lady Emelia said placing a stray ball of wool into the box before crossing to embrace her grandson.
“
I beg of you my boy, keep safe,
”
she said before she released him.

Prince Callum stood a head taller than his grandmother but somehow managed to look like a lad of fifteen as he smiled down at her.
“
Aye, I
’
ll be careful.
”

“
Good, that is all I can ask. Now we have a few items to pack before we can leave and I must speak to Mistress Cobb to ensure we have the stores from the kitchen ready and on our carriage,
”
she said as she collected a book and her favourite shawl.
“
Els
ie
,
come with me to the kitchens. Rhyla are you
ready with those records?
”

“
Yes my lady, they are nearly in order. I won
’
t be long,
”
Rhyla said glancing briefly to the Prince.

“
I shall see you in the courtyard shortly my boy,
”
she said reaching up to kiss Prince Callum on the cheek.

“
Yes Grandmamma, I believe we shall be escorting you to the city gates,
”
he replied.

Lady Emelia laughed a single short huff,
“
They shall think that I am leading the men into battle.
”
They all shared a smile at her comment as she and Elsie departed, closing the door behind them.

The room was silent for a moment as Rhyla returned to organising and stacking up the relevant records they would
need once they arrived at the Black Swan E
states. She had half turned her back on the Prince but was as aware of his presence as at any other time. The soft footfalls as he crossed the carpeted room made her heart beat harder and faster in anticipation of his touch. He paused behind her only to gently lay his hands on her shoulders. Before she could stop herself
,
Rhyla leant back into him. The feel of his warm hard chest against her back made her draw a deep breath to steady her racing pulse but it only managed to
fill her senses with his scent;
the musky scent of the man she longed for. His hands crept down her arms to slowly embrace her. They stood in silence for
a long minute
, both refusing to break the moment of comfort and happiness they had found in each other. The yelling of men continuing with the preparations outside finally broke their solitude.

“
I will miss you,
”
the Prince whispered into her ear.

“
And I
,
you.
Please be careful, I couldn
’
t bare it if anything happened to you,
”
Rhyla begged as she turned in his arms to face him.