Chapter 17. In Which Gildy is a Royal Heiress

Telemain went on to describe his setup for the wizard revival in further detail and enthusiasm, which of course left the others with nothing to do except think of other things in effort to avoid utter confusion. While he paced and gestured with his monologue, Gildy snuck a look at Sir Roland. Roland widened his eyes slightly, indicating Telemain with a subtle nod and grinning as though he understood what was being said. It would seem the madness was contagious. She sidled closer, made certain the royal couple and Morwen were focused on Telemain, and risked a whisper to the knight.

"If you start spouting nonsense like that I shall make you a fly again!" She narrowed her eyes at him and moved back to her position. She was rewarded with a wry look from him and smirked back at him. A soft cough punctuated Telemain's monologue and Gildy looked up to find Morwen and the queen watching her. Morwen arched a single dark brow in rebuke and the young witch blushed in embarrassment.

When the monologue had come to a triumphant end they all smiled in appreciation. The queen lightly touched her husband's wrist when he would have ended the meeting and said before anyone left she wished to confirm something. Telemain brought her the requested maps he had carried in and discussed them with her softly for a moment.

"I see, this only re-enforces my instinct on this. My dear," she addressed the king, "I think we may need to alter the plans slightly?"

She smiled back when the king smiled and gestured for her to continue. "It was your own scheme, after all," he said.

"It would seem there is indeed a kingdom which has just discovered a silver mine, but they haven't any sons. They have a young daughter. Furthermore, their neighbors have nothing like the sort of military might we hoped to invent. It also occurs to me they may have enough political knowledge now to know more detail than we do ourselves. There might be too much risk in inventing heirs to two powerful kingdoms. So here is the change of plan: Gildelaine, you will instead take on the role of this princess named…" She frowned down at the map notes had been made on and looked at Telemain, who spread his hands in dismay.

"I am sorry your majesty," He said self consciously, while making an effort to speak simply," this kingdom has been left out of most powerful circles and discussions up until a month or so ago due to having a wealth only in their lumber. It is only due to a bit of scrying luck we discovered its existence. We haven't the name of the daughter because the information came from an unknowing merchant travelling away from that kingdom and only just outside it."

"Even better! Now then, a kingdom which has long been left out and suddenly come into a lot of wealth would be eager to make it known they have a marraigable daughter to create an alliance with." The king nodded and looked at the knight. Cimorene followed his gaze then looked at the map for an instant before nodding to herself. "Sir Roland we think it feasable that such a daughter, if she stubbornly insisted on questing or seeking out an alliance for her traditional quest, might be sent off with a guard to protect both herself and the wealth she would display to prove her claims. It should be a simple thing for Gildy to claim to be this princess with minimal need for fabrication as to aquaintances, but even simpler yet if you were still to be the one approaching the wizards for assistance. Any parents who would send out a wealthy daughter to find a match with a man as her guard clearly do not consider the man guarding her a factor. You will be the ambitious knight who intends to factor himself in quite thoroughly."

Some further explanation continued and Gildy found herself shifting her feet to ease them. At last they were dismissed to consider the plan. She was to impersonate a princess? The irony of it! Not much detail about the newly rich kingdom had been given yet because they didn't know it, but the name of it was unfamiliar. Perhaps with a kingdom so foreign to her she would be able to pull it off. She stole a glance at Sir Roland out of the corner of her eye as they walked down the castle halls toward the garden to discuss the plan and make their decisions.

Abruptly she remembered the thoughtful look he had given her when she told the story about the two faced princess curse. She faltered at a stair.

"Careful," He steadied her with a hand to her elbow and she tensely nodded her thanks. Rather than waiting until they arrived at the garden he started talking of the plan. She sighed and allowed the details and his thoughts to distract her from her fears. As they neared the garden the discussion had nearly come to an end. His carved raptor had ridden contently on his shoulder and even started grooming his hair while they walked with a faint clicking of his wooden beak punctuating their steps.

The knight was looking down at her expectantly and she realized she had missed a question. To cover, she grinned up at him and indicated his grooming raptor. "You know, he might just be able to take over giving you haircuts from now on!"

"I was just saying perhaps you should choose a name for your royal persona." He looked at her expectantly.

"A princess name?" Gildy pranced forward a few steps and batted her eyelashes at the knight. "Why I am Princess Geevittumi Nao!" She thrust and upturned palm in his direction and stamped a foot when he only looked at and shook his head at her sadly.

"How about Princess Itempurtan Trummourly?"

Gildy frowned and made a show of looking around. "Did you hear that?"

Sir Roland's absurd grin dropped as he looks around alertly. "What is it?"

"Oh I must have been mistaken, I thought I heard a fly buzzing around." She said smugly.

"That was…Contrived."

"So? How about Princess Victima Rival?"

There was a small groan from Gildy's hat brim. "Ohhh you two, spare me!" The little figurine moaned, "Clearly Grace or Patience would be more appropriate names."

Gildy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, uncertain whether the little woman were jesting or serious about such ill-matched names for her, while Sir Roland simply laughed.

"I don't think Grace would work, I believe she still has a round mark on her forehead!" The pest doubled over laughing after stealing a glance at Gildy's expression.

Beautiful gowns and riding habits moved around her in the arms of maids while one of the queen's handmaidens selected a wardrobe for Gildy's persona with accessories to accompany them. Sir Roland was being outfitted in a similar way, with a wardrobe only a little overreaching for his status and position and much more modest in terms of expense.

The young witch touched the handmaiden's sleeve hesitantly and spoke quietly, "Her majesty is so kind and generous to provide me with all these, but surely there are too many? I thought we were to be placed near our destination, and perhaps need only be there for a few days?"

The handmaiden shook her head slightly at her and turned from a gown being held up for approval to answer,"Her majesty said it is important they have no suspicion of your ability to cast magic and any princess from a kingdom which has just become rich and wishes to make a favorable match will make considerable efforts to display her wealth and charms. She feels it is wise for you to display more wealth than most questing princesses to stir the wizards greed and interest in you and your knight's scheme. You are to be provided with pack horses to carry the possessions and of course are expected to make free use of them. You will be leaving soon but we will have you well equipped by that time, fear not."

The handmaiden smiled, winked, and turned to reject one of the gowns brought for approval, dismissing it as not recent enough in fashion. Apparently all the richest of her wardrobe must be new and of current fashions to support their story of new and nearly sudden wealth. The young witch brushed her fingers over a rich green velvet riding habit as it was carried past. Suddenly a flock of maids surrounded her and herded her into another room to refine her personal grooming.

Too soon she found herself standing at the side of her intended mount, a leggy bay gelding with a groom kneeling and proferring his hands for a foothold expectantly. Ill at ease, she took in the four pack horses and bustling courtyard yet again. Sir Roland sat mounted in his new polished armor accepting instructions from an elder knight a few well dressed servants, a hand possessively on his new prized sword.

Preparations were almost complete, it was almost time to leave. The laces of her riding habit's bodice strained slightly as her breathing quickened nervously with her heartbeat. Servants smiled and stared at her admiringly as they moved purposely around the party with the last of the preparations.

She turned away from her mount abruptly and eyed a path leading away from the castle longingly, one not meant for an entourage with its narrow twisting into the forest. A sense of foreboding sent chills over her. She knew instinctively this quest was going to change everything, change the way of life she had made for herself and the safety of the persona she had adopted. If she followed through with the queen's plan and played her part at their destination.

It could all go so wrong! The wizards might have more information about the kingdom they were proposing to call their newly prosperous homeland than their majesties believed.

There was also the troubling awareness of a deep fear of wizards who went so far as to manipulate royal families directly. She lowered her unseeing eyes to the ground and clenched her hands in her skirts. Not all of them were laughable and more mischeif than evil like the one they had delivered. Not all of them were deserving of no worse than the temporary melting by dishwater as punishment.

She knew first hand the lengths some of them would go. What she feared most was potentially catching the attention of that dark presence from her childhood that had appeared before her world had come crashing down around her and her family. She could never remember that wizard's face while awake, never wished to. What if he were there waiting in the midst of that dancing princesses scheme? Dread sank from her thoughts, gaining weight in her heart until she felt as though it dropped heavily to her leaden feet.

Her clenched hands began to cramp and Gildy lifted her skirts and booted foot in a panic toward that solitary path away in its cloak of shadows.

"Liliraine." A voice whispered softly.

The young witch gasped and stumbled, halting in place. "Don't say that name!" She whispered fiercely to the little figurine. The little woman slid down from the hat to her shoulder to whisper in her ear.

"I am sorry, I had to stop you. You cannot run forever, young one. Look around you, you are not being sent into this alone. You have a brave young knight you trust to protect you, and can expect the aid of their majesties and even Morwen soon after you arrive. You are no longer a helpless little girl. If you run now, your past will still return to confront you and it may do so when you have once again isolated yourself from all friends and help. Is that truly what you wish to happen?"

"Miss?" The groom asked questioningly behind her. Gildy stared again into the shadows of the path she faced, her thoughts fleeing and fading into their shadows as she wavered.

"Gildy?" Idle hoof beats approached as Sir Roland, mounted, moved into her line of sight. He replaced that vision of beckoning shadows with armor, leather, and dappled grey. She lifted her eyes to find him watching her soberly. "I will protect you with my life and be with you nearly the whole time. Despite what you have seen, I am capable of doing so and even have the aid of some enchanted items they provided me with...but you do not have to do this if you are afraid."

The morning sun threw planes of light and shadow over the determined set of his face. Suddenly he looked older, stronger. It wasn't just the well fitted and matching armor, mount, and weaponry that wouldn't fall apart. His eyes glowed from the angle of the sun, and pulled her as much as the shadowed path had. Somehow...she believed him. The terrified little girl inside her believed him. She felt her face turn red in confusion even while a wave of relief flooded through her tense muscles. He was riding into a hotbed of ambitious magic users with no magic ability of his own and reassuring her.

She deliberately unclenched her hands and straightened with resolve, meeting his eyes for a moment before nodding slightly. Then she rolled her eyes at him. "Very well I will come protect you, I may need to change you into a basilisk or some such thing so you can protect yourself after all." She turned away with a smirk and placed her foot into the groom's hands to mount.

She looked around her in a daze as Sir Roland was given instructions and advice until Morwen caught her eye and nodded in approval, then approached her. In her hands were a long slender keepsake chest, the type an easily tangled or broken necklace might be secured in, another small bulky item wrapped heavily in cloth and tied with a simple twine. She offered them expectantly.

"These are my gift to you to aid your quest and your future endeavors. Do not open them until you are alone, and far from the palace. Keep them with you at all times safe, and hidden. I had the maids put large deep pockets into all your gowns so you can do so without notice. I am certain you will do well, and we will join you as soon as you have enough information to deal with the wizards.

"Keep your little companion hidden, or at least her true nature. She will be of great aid to you and your quest and will give you a greater advantage if they do not know about her or think she is naught but a carving. The young knight has been given a charmed leg band to put on his bird temporarily which will make it appear mundane and simply well trained to others, even the wizards. Finally, I have one more gift for you."

Gildy's mount shifted beneath her and suddenly a slender furry body pushed itself under her hand. She looked down in surprise to see a bright eyed ferret looking up at her. She found herself disappointed it wasn't her independent kitten familiar, but scratched its chin gently with a smile and looked up at Morwen questioningly when it purred.

"That is your familiar, Creeper. I have charmed him with that collar hidden around his neck, to appear as a ferret. You can remove and replace it any time it is necessary for him to alternate between forms. He can even do so himself.

"A kitten might raise the wizard's suspicions of a familiar. He has been with my familiars receiving advice and instructions for ways to assist you further with both your magic and your quest, and reprimanded," she lowered a stern eye to the ferret, "for his frequent and unexpected ventures. Some young familiars can be distressingly independent, but it is often a sign of intelligence rather than a lack of bond so you needn't worry about his past disappearances."

Gildy nodded thoughtfully and petted him, "Somehow I knew everything was still fine when he would disappear on me, I never really worried about him even though I missed him."

Morwen smiled up at the young witch for a moment, then patted her leg and stepped back. "Your companion has also received his advice and instructions and it is now time for you two to be on your way with our blessings. Their majesties felt it best not to see you off personally so as not to draw attention to your quest and make it known to more curious young nobles who might wish to join those wizards for an "easy" alliance.

The courtyard had grown silent and still with expectancy. Sir Roland waited mounted at her side and a glance over her shoulder confirmed the pack horses with their long enchanted reins were neatly positioned behind them in pairs. Morwen and the elder knight nodded and lifted their hands in farewell then began sending the gathered servants back to their usual duties.

"I believe that is our cue to be off." They urged their mounts forward, the safety and normal bustle dropping behind them as they rode toward a hidden and bespelled point around the bend Telemain had chosen for their jump in location. Rather than hesitating, the young knight reached over for her reins and spurred their mounts and the linked pack horses into the spell.