Sugar was sore and she needed a doctor. Even though she had been able to get Tiffany out of the castle and into a stolen wagon, she wasn’t superwoman. After their disguise stop, Sugar set the horse on the main road. They followed the road. All the way through the city Point and out into the wide-open countryside. The road kept going and so did the horse and wagon, even after Sugar had passed out.

Tiffany had a splinter in her bum and her hands were tied to the side of the wagon. She couldn’t jump off. She couldn’t reach the horse’s reigns either. She tried to wake Sugar screaming at her. But it was pointless. The horse steadily plodded along down the road. They came into a small town and Tiffany tried to get help, but no one helped her.

“I’m the queen! I demand you stop this horse and untie me.”

People shook their heads and kept walking. Finally, the horse needed to drink so it went to a stream.

A man name Sam Mariton came by with his horse that also needed to drink.

When he found Sugar passed out with a fever and her slave tied onto the wagon, he was moved with compassion for them.

“I am the queen. Untie me and set me free.” Tiffany demand of the man.

He politely introduced himself and explained that he lived nearby. He would take them home and called the physician.

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Which he did. While the physician checked Sugar. Sam set up a bath for ‘the queen’. He had a big metal bath on a stand and coals under it. Inside the metal bath running the length and the width was a wooden frame. When Sam saw Tiffany checking it out. He explained

“The wooden frame is so the metal bottom doesn’t burn you while the coals underneath keep the water hot.”

“This is so clever. You must do this in the castle.” Tiffany said excited.

“Maiden, I am not welcome in the castle. But thank you.”

“Why are you not welcome in the castle?” she demanded.

But he ignored her demands and kindly said

“Here the water is ready. I will have clean clothes ready for you.”

“I am the queen. Why are you not welcome in the castle?” She demanded rudely.

He walked away. She got into the bath. It was lovely. Her castle needed this. He returned as he said with clean clothes. She wasn’t used to cleaning herself so she wasn’t doing a good job. She tried to get the muck out of her hair, but it was stuck.

“That woman, what did the physician say?” Tiffany asked.

Sam smiled at her. Hurting people hurt people he reminded himself.

“She will recover in a few days. What happened to her?”

“I don’t know.”

“If you remember anything it could help.” Sam said.

He set up a bed for her to sleep in. It was in the kitchen near the stove.

He prepared a meal and he was a good cook.

Then he left Tiffany with a bear skin and the cot.

“I’m the queen.” She called after him.

The next day was something similar.

Sam Mariton rose early and tended to his animals. He was a farmer of sorts. He grew enough for his family and kept animals for meat. The extra he sold to neighbors and so he lived a simple life but a good one.

After gathering eggs and kneading bread. He woke his new house guest Tiffany.

He asked her to fetch some herbs from his herb patch.

But she replied

“I don’t know what it looks like”

So, he asked her to stir the eggs and not let them burn while he fetched them.

“I don’t know how” she replied.

Unsure if she was lazy or genuinely this clueless, he showed her how to stir eggs so they wouldn’t burn.

So, this is how Tiffany was spending her time. Far away from the castle, with a sick kidnapper and a kind man who treated her as a commoner.

Yes, she was learning to do things for herself and she didn’t like it.

He didn’t believe she was the queen.

Rather he battled to understand why anyone would want to be called the queen.

She did finally give him her name and that’s what he called her, Tiffany.