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Elsanne Eikenaar
Princess Heiress
‘Fair’ Anne Burton
Rebel Queen’s Own
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First month of winter 192 NC
Tyeusfort
The skies had opened up for the third straight day. It wasn’t like the winters in Quarterport, but Elsanne hadn’t felt a proper winter since one eighty eight. The breeze cool on her skin, the cloak she wore not keeping the humidity out. Taking the shell of Tyeusfort hadn’t provided the attackers with proper quarters. She glanced towards the north and the road to Shifton River, but there was nothing there as well to help lift her spirits.
“You can’t take control of South Market with a promise,” Lord Sigurd Bach continued. “You’ll need troops stationed here your grace.”
“Where would these troops stay Sigurd?”
“We don’t have to rebuild the whole fort. This can be a smaller force.”
“We can’t rebuild the fort for a while and I can’t really use a small force when all I have is a small one,” Elsanne replied sternly. “You expect me to keep paying the mercenaries for the next year?”
“The Dogs will return to Eikenport,” Sigurd insisted. “Keeping the road open, keeps the wealth flowing into the city.”
“Eh, you talk of another campaign towards Triage,” Elsanne murmured.
The Baron of Colle pressed his mouth tight. “You can sign a trade agreement. Not everything is solved campaigning. I honestly didn’t expect you’ll bite so big a chunk out of the Khan’s sides.”
“Scaldingport did most of the biting,” Elsanne reminded him. “Don’t expect Lord Ruud to just roll over.”
“You control this your grace,” Sigurd said. “Lord Ruud might think of the big picture, but what sent Sir Gust on Eplas was you and a bit of my urging. And Colle’s troops,” he added.
Hmm.
“I don’t remember you favoring the Crows Sigurd,” Elsanne pointed out. “I always found it strange given your father was Old Crow’s friend.”
“I know them better than your grace and this isn’t favor, but necessity. Colle should expect a piece.”
“My brother always said Lord Ruud forced you on him,” Elsanne retorted. “What changed?”
“It wasn’t out of friendship as I said,” Sigurd hissed, his face darkening. “The Old Crow has no friends your grace, but he’ll honor a decree from yourself.”
“What you gloss over is that you also have lost my confidence Lord Bach,” Elsanne reminded him. “So I find myself not believing your words. Lord Ruud… I prefer not to deal with.”
“Of course princess,” Sigurd agreed with a bow of his head. “It is your prerogative.”
Commandant Martel, sporting a blackened eye ‘from trying to stop a knuckle with it’, snorted when the Lord of Colle retired near Katers and his tent.
“Found a rattle snake in my pot once, sound asleep but still,” the officer reminisced. “He brings back that same disconcerting feelin’ your grace. Instead of getting it out, I just tossed the pot away.”
“He’s a lord and a priest of Onas mister Martel,” Elsanne scolded him. “Mind your words!”
“Haven’t even factored that in your grace,” Martel retorted.
“Are the prisoners treated fairly?” Elsanne moved on to another matter with a frown.
“They are not getting killed, so that’s an improvement,” Martel replied, starting with the good news first. “But someone will have to feed them soon, or let them go.”
Hmm.
“It has come to my attention that several crimes were committed during the battle as you’ve said,” Elsanne started and stopped seeing the Dogs officer chuckling. “You find this amusing mister Martel?”
“Pardon the outburst your grace,” Martel replied and pressed a finger under his swollen eye as if to test it. “But seeing as yer lads made most of the murdering, I thought ye were jesting.”
“It’s not a jesting matter!” Elsanne snapped furious, her cheeks burning.
“You wish the men arrested?” Martel asked coolly.
“People were looting indiscriminately!”
“A good thing,” the officer agreed. “A bit of looting helps one forget missing a payment,” he added staring her knowingly. Elsanne bristled not liking being questioned, or giving in.
“You’ve carried two boxes out, belonging to the Cofol’s fort leader,” she told him frostily.
“His quarters were thoroughly burned up your grace—”
Don’t you ‘your grace’ me! She glared while stopping him short of finishing.
“The boxes were not,” Elsanne reminded him and opened her arms wide. “This big I’m told.”
“Yer point being your grace?” Martel asked patiently.
“The fort is mine Martel, so were the boxes,” Elsanne hissed. “If you wish to keep them, then you have to forget about the ‘missing’ payment.”
The commandant stood back with a frown.
“Fine,” Martel said after a small pause.
How much gold was in those boxes? Elsanne thought surprised.
“Let the prisoners go,” Elsanne told him and he nodded.
“As you wish your grace.”
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“What might be troublin’ you ‘Jade Eyes’?” Mutiny asked getting out of her tent with a yawn. Jasi following after her a moment later. Elsanne frowned and glared at the eunuch.
Jasi shrugged his shoulders, a smile on his painted lips.
She turned to Mutiny but the pirate woman returned her stare blankly.
“I can’t have my people behaving like animals Mutiny,” she griped.
“It was a battle dear,” Mutiny dodged.
“She’ll get over it,” Jasi intervened seeing Elsanne’s scowl deepening. “But speaking of trouble Bach was right,” he continued. “You need to assert your dominance over these lords.”
“You were listening?” Elsanne hissed.
“Yes,” Jasi replied shamelessly. “I can multitask your grace.”
“You have an idea Jasi?” Elsanne asked frostily. “Or that’s one task too many?”
“Hehe,” Mutiny chuckled adjusting a large red hat on her head. “I’ll go see Harold about the doubloons he owns me,” she looked at them knowingly, grinning at her own pun and then walked away with a noticeable spring in her step.
“Did you…?” Elsanne asked the eunuch and Jasi frowned comically.
“I have to idea, what it is you’re talking about your grace,” he replied, managing to sound affronted.
“In Kaltha we don’t like this depravity,” Elsanne cautioned him not buying it.
“It’s Eplas your grace and most call it a service,” Jasi retorted raising his hand in that lewd three-finger gesture. His fingernails painted blue. “Like a priest.”
“You have a proposal?” a flushed Elsanne hissed and walked to the edge of the tent’s leather shade cover to check whether it was still raining.
“You need the treasure,” Jasi said crossing his arms on his chest. “The captains can’t have a cut. Give them something else.”
“What would that be?”
“Mutiny is starved for an illusion of normalcy, or the chance to see Jelin without having her entrails pulled out.”
“I can’t dictate terms on Jelin,” Elsanne reminded him.
“Not everyone will listen, but some would,” Jasi replied and a big group of riders appeared in the distance, on the road coming from Tirifort.
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Sir Gust appeared worn out, his nose a bit swollen and armour covered in black mud from head to toe. Everyone in the Issir host caked in it, horses and knights.
“Princess,” Gust said gruffly, jumping from his horse. A different horse than the one he’d left with. “Is the fort secure?”
“It is,” Elsanne replied and stepped carefully on the muddy terrain. The rain had stopped at least. “You had us worried Sir Gust. That’s almost two weeks you are missing.”
“It was a long road your grace,” Gust replied and gave Klaas his battered Raven’s helm. “We caught some Cofols retreating and that stalled us a bit more.”
“I see,” she said and waved at the knights coming down from their horses. Some of them missing. “Knights of Kaltha, I salute you!” Elsanne’s eyes went over each one of them, noticing a couple that didn’t seem like knights at all. “Sir Cramer, Sir Reuten…”
“That’s Lode De Jager and his scouts,” Sir Gust stepped in hearing her voice trailing. “You know Sir Lowel Koel, of Badum.”
“We haven’t been formally introduced,” Elsanne replied looking at the gaunt knight’s face.
“Princess, it’s a pleasure,” Sir Koel said. “My father Sir Martin carried the horn in a hunt for your father.”
“Uhm,” Elsanne who had never enjoyed a hunt in her life nodded and stared inquiringly at the solemn face of Sir Gust.
“Robert is half a day behind,” Gust explained.
“Did he give you an answer?”
“I left as soon as a horse was found,” Gust replied and glanced at the half destroyed fort. “To offer assistance.”
Elsanne made to touch his arm, but thought better about it. Stared at Jasi and the eunuch showed her the watery mud under their boots with a discrete gesture.
“Let us retire, so you can all rest,” Elsanne announced warmly turning to the expecting knights. “There’s food in the camp’s kitchen and the South Market has some working taverns, I won’t be visiting,” she ended with a jest that brought some good chuckles out of the tired men.
“Princess,” Sir Gust said a moment later, while the rest of the weary men and animals were dispersing. “I have to talk to you about a couple of matters.”
“You weren’t relieved Sir Gust. I need an escort,” Elsanne retorted with a formal smile. “But you will clean that armor afore stepping inside my tent.”
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The eunuch pulled the curtain so Sir Gust could change, the knight’s head visible over the support and Klaas picked up his discarded armour to clean it up. Another robust Issir standing outside her large tent, sporting a bandaged leg and a hard face.
“I’ll need the armour,” Gust warned Klaas. “Leave the sword and finish up fast, because I need you also later.”
An eye rolling Elsanne sighed and waited for the entrance cover to close before speaking.
“I thought you’d perished, when the Cofols appeared,” she started accusingly. “It’s the last time you take such a perilous task upon yourself.”
“We had to block Radin’s force,” Gust rustled unhappy inside the improvised ‘fitting room’ she had created. Jasi had in reality. “There was no other way to make sure. Robert could have been late, or not show up at all.”
“Did he?”
“Appeared late, he’s injured.”
“Is it terminal?” She taunted only half-jesting.
“That won’t help us your grace,” Gust replied.
“Eh, I’m not happy he sent people to kill me.”
“Arresting you was their primary order.”
“It is really not that better Gust,” Elsanne griped informally.
“What will you say to him?”
“Put him in his place,” Elsanne retorted. “Was that what you meant?”
Gust stepped out from behind the curtain, the silk shirt Jasi had given him too tight for all that muscle. It was one of Elsanne’s front buttoned blue ones. While the princess’s garbs left plenty of room at the bust, Gust just couldn’t close a single ivory button, so he let the front open. The thick white hair on his chiseled chest narrowing and traveling straight down his covered groin.
Ahm.
“The pants were too short,” Gust explained unsure, mistaking her intent stare for disagreement. “So I kept me old ones.”
Almighty Goddess, she thought her mouth drying up and knees weakening.
“Sir Gust is way above average,” Jasi commented sounding shook himself, or understandably envious. “A wine good knight?”
“Pour me a goblet as well Jasi,” Elsanne told him and fanned her face with both hands, her own shirt suddenly too constricting.
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Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“You wish to have your squire knighted?” Elsanne asked keeping all of Sir Gust in her field of vision. Her neck was cramping, but she couldn’t push back from the table as the chair had no more give.
“I do,” Gust said returning and carefully sat on the chair Jasi had brought him, looking as uncomfortable as one can be, without getting tortured. “He deserves it.”
“His father has a fishing market in Scaldingport,” Elsanne said sipping at her wine.
“And two fishing vessels. A wealthy family. Roland Klaas would be a good knight your grace,” Gust insisted.
“Is he literate?”
“He is. His brother married the commander of the port guards’ daughter. He’s second cousin to Baron Nate Grovel, of Rusted.”
“Where’s that?”
“Tongue Peninsula.”
Eh.
“That’s not good enough for Issir’s Eagle Sir Gust,” Elsanne noted.
“It is for Scaldingport,” Gust retorted clenching his jaw. Everything bellow the neck rippling.
“Sure,” Elsanne croaked and had some more of her wine. “But Scaldingport will need to do something for me.”
Gust narrowed his eyes and the princess all but purred.
Arr.
“You’ll have official trading rights on Eikenport and South Market, the port there is far more proper than Devil’s Cove.”
“It is,” Gust agreed. “Ruud would expect that as the bare minimum.”
“That’s not how it goes Gust,” Elsanne told him. “If Lord Ruud wants all that, then he needs to declare for me.”
“You’ll never get that so soon from him,” Gust replied.
“Then he’ll need to open up Scaldingport for the pirates,” Elsanne countered expecting his answer.
“You can’t…” Gust stood back, the chair creaking and one of the legs cracking audibly. “Why do you need that?”
Aww, brains and brawn.
“I don’t. But I need that treasure and something for the pirates in its stead,” Elsanne explained with a smile. “I can’t just keep asking without giving back.”
The latter directed as much towards his stingy father.
“I’ll send a missive,” Gust said and got up fearing the chair would come apart under him. “What about Klaas?”
“You could have knighted him Sir Gust,” Elsanne noticed.
“I could and Ruud would have approved,” Gust agreed with a shrug of his big shoulders, the fabric giving a bit. “But I didn’t want a knight sworn to my father. I wanted a knight sworn to you.”
Elsanne blinked quite moved.
“Would Klaas forego a god of the Five and tether himself to me?”
“He’ll do it,” Gust assured her. “For he’ll be in Queen’s Own.”
“A Queen’s guard of one?”
Gust nodded. “It’s where one starts your grace.”
Elsanne pushed herself up wanting to hug his big head, but her status was too ambiguous to risk both their virtues, assuming the knight hadn’t developed an intense dislike for her suddenly.
Could it be?
That wasn’t a pleasant thought.
“I haven’t treated you that well in the past Sir Gust,’ she said vaguely to gauge where he stood, since despite all the fancy rhetoric above, Elsanne’s mind had done plenty of naughty things with the hale knight in her sleep.
“Uhm,” Gust grunted not giving her much.
“I trust we’ll find a way to work through it and face the future on a better footing,” what are you saying silly girl? She admonished herself. “Jasi,” Elsanne said abruptly, her cheeks burning. “Bring mister Klaas in.”
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“Sir Gust?” Elsanne asked unsure about the words ten minutes later.
“Kneel afore the princess Roland!” Gust barked abruptly and Jasi yelped almost losing hold of the knight’s longsword. He gave it to Elsanne and the princess grabbed it with both hands, the weight on it considerable. The length making it unwieldy.
“Ahm,” Elsanne murmured and stared at the rigid knight, poor Klaas on his knees in front of her.
“Here’s my blade,” Gust rustled and used his hand to guide the princess’s hands. The sword lowering dangerously on the hapless squire’s shoulder.
“HERE’S MY BLADE!” Klaas thundered in a great voice, sounding moved.
Bless it and it shall cut through rock.
Here’s my heart.
Take it and it shall fight to its last beat.
Here’s my soul.
Offer it in battle and it shall be forever free.
“Offer it in battle and it shall be forever free!” Klaas roared tears in his eyes and Elsanne glanced at the stern face of Sir Gust. The knight moved his hand away and Elsanne turned to face the kneeling young man.
Don’t mess this up, she warned herself.
“I, Princess Heiress Elsanne Eikenaar, with the power bestowed upon my person, by Reinut’s blood and the Throne of Kaltha, witness this. Allgods witness this. Sir Gust De Weer witness this. Jasi, of Dia witness this. Arise, Sir Roland Klaas of Scaldingport, a sacred knight of Kaltha and Jelin’s Three Kingdoms. May you serve your future Queen, until your last breath,” she croaked ceremoniously and managed to lift the blade off of his shoulder clenching her teeth.
“This is yours,” Elsanne told him, when Gust took the longsword from her and gave the rising Sir Klaas an expensive silver and gold ring. The nicely sculpted eagle on it and thin shank making it a woman’s ring clearly and it was her late mother’s, but Elsanne hadn’t brought any male jewelry with her. “It’s the Issir Eagle,” she added apprehensively, although it would have been absurd for Sir Klaas to mistake it for anything else. “It depicts my person metaphorically,” Elsanne couldn’t stop talking, her nervousness spilling out.
“I shall wear it always,” Sir Klaas replied and bowed his rather handsome head for a fisherman’s son. “And always be at your service your grace.”
Aww.
Elsanne grinned nervously but relieved, Gust frowned not likening the rapport and Robert’s First Foot rolled down the road outside, their marching steps like the sound of approaching thunder. The pickets sounding the bells to warn of their approach rather needlessly.
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Elsanne remembered Robert Van Durren as a dashing young knight, accompanying the brooding Gust on their summer vacations in Asturia. He recalled him ever boastful in Riverdor during the tourneys, even flirting. This Robert was boney, his face full of wrinkles, looked ten years older than Gust and used a custom crutch to help him walk. His eyes contemplated the officers and knights present before her tent, hundreds of soldiers from both camps gathered to greet each other, finally resting on Gust without recognizing Elsanne in her comfortable male garbs. Other than an appreciative glance that is that drew a snort out of Mutiny Carter.
“You found the fort,” Robert said hoarsely. “Had not Sir Pek reassured me, I would’ve thought this was a prank Gust to steal my horses and have me walk the rest of the way.”
“I had to hurry,” Gust retorted in the same vein. “Seeing as you took yer time to appear, I gathered you’ve given up riding.”
Sweet goddess, Elsanne thought at their boyish taunts. I hope they don’t wrestle it out in the mud!
Robert nodded not minding the jab and stared at the knights and officers behind him.
“Sir Bolte?”
“Dead,” Gust rustled. “By Sir Vegenuur’s hand.”
“I assume then Vegenuur is gone as well,” Robert grimaced. “I hoped the report was false.”
“They tried to murder the princess Robert,” Gust reminded him. “On your orders. Knowing Mael and myself, you knew it could turn ugly. And it did.”
“The girl was supposed to surrender peacefully,” Robert grunted and shifted the weight from his good leg to the crutch.
“That princess might have done it. The one you remembered, not this one.”
Why, that was very nicely put Sir Gust! Elsanne thought grinning.
Robert grimaced. “I didn’t have a choice Gust gods damn it! They’ve taken everything,” he sighed and stared about him frustrated. “I never wanted this. I wanted to go back, reclaim what’s mine!”
“You still can,” Gust said simply. “The road to Eikenport is clear.”
“What about the city?” Robert asked with a frown.
“Pirates run it and the princess.”
“Where is she? The princess,” Robert asked searching again and stopping on the watching Elsanne.
“You look tired Robert,” Elsanne told him and the knight stood back his eyes growing in disbelief.
“Elsanne?” He mumbled unsure.
“That’s Princess Heiress for you,” Elsanne retorted and heard the murmurs of the crowd rising.
Robert glanced at the taut Gust and then at her again. “Is this a trap then my friend?”
“Sir Gust vouched for you,” Elsanne replied afore a scowling Gust had the time to speak. “He convinced me to hear you out.”
“Hear me out,” Robert murmured and looked about him again. “You never wanted the throne… princess, what changed?”
“We are not kids anymore Robert,” Elsanne replied sternly. “If you want to talk in private we can, after you make things right.”
“Wow. You want an apology from me because I followed legitimate orders?”
“Leave out the orders and their legitimacy. I want you to bend the knee,” Elsanne deadpanned sternly.
The weary knight pressed his mouth into a thin line. “You’ll have me crawl in the mud on a bad knee?”
“Don’t be a fool Sir Robert. I don’t want to humiliate you,” Elsanne replied her tone unchanged. “You can just nod.”
Robert licked his lips, looked about him again, the number of friendly troops not in his favor, if one counted the mercenaries still present, paused to stare at the solemn face of Sir Gust and whatever he saw there made him sigh wearily.
And then gave Elsanne her nod.
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“Sir Koel,” Elsanne assured the tall knight from Badum. “Jasi presents no danger to Sir Robert.”
“I was really thinking of Sir Gust your grace,” Sir Koel retorted.
“Just stand outside with Klaas,” Robert told him with a tired smile. “Gust won’t fight me while injured,” he paused to look at the frowning Gust. “You don’t have to answer that, good lord.”
“You can have the chair Sir Robert,” Elsanne offered.
“Why, I’ll take that hit in my dignity princess,” Robert replied, quickly slipping into his old character. “To save my legs. I believe I’ve walked through half of Eplas.”
Elsanne kept the smile from her face and found the chair behind her desk to sit down as well. Gust opting to remain standing, his arms crossed on his chest and back in his cleaned up armour.
Elsanne preferred him in her shirt, or no shirt at all, but that was a matter she couldn’t broach at that very moment.
Eh.
“Why Robert?” Elsanne asked when he’d settled that crutch resting on his thigh. “You knew things could turn ugly.”
The Van Durren scion looked at her intently for a moment as if to find the differences on her face.
“I thought it was a whim,” he admitted. “You got bored… having fun with the Prince and decided to test the waters. I was obviously wrong, though I’m still surprised. Why fight Nienke’s kid princess? It’s not you.”
“It’s not Nienke’s kid Robert,” Elsanne said clenching her jaw.
“Come on. Who told you that? Lord Bach? He’s—”
“Lord Bach is here,” Elsanne had cut him off. “Jasi, bring him in.”
Robert shook his head in disbelief and waited for Sigurd to enter.
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“This looks more and more like home,” Robert admitted returning Lord Sigurd’s greeting. “What brings you to Tyeusfort Baron? Or do you prefer your priest’s tittle given the robes…”
“Duty and what’s right,” Sigurd retorted with a straight face.
Robert snorted not believing him. “Gust for fuck’s sake,” he sighed and glanced at Elsanne. “My court tongue is a bit rusty princess.”
“I’ve lived with pirates so my ears are a bit more accustomed to vulgarity, but don’t overdo it,” Elsanne droned all serious and Robert blinked in shock, afore clearing his throat.
“You have proof Lord Bach?” He asked returning to the previous topic.
“Sir Shane Est Ravn escorted Nienke out of the palace the night of the assassination attempt,” Sigurd replied confidently.
“Lord Anker’s son.”
“Aye. They were attacked before the Red Bridge and Sir Shane perished along with the Queen.”
“Her son survived though,” Robert said patiently.
“Doubtful. The thing is, a knight visited a nearby inn that same night with a newborn baby. A woman helped it best as she could and the man departed a day later. I have confirmed her words myself.”
“Sir Shane survived?” Robert asked with a frown.
“We don’t know, but that newborn was a baby girl. The woman swore on it,” Sigurd replied and Elsanne frowned, the detail kept from her.
“Nienke had a girl? So what about the boy?” Robert queried even more confused than before.
“There was no boy,” Sigurd retorted, very frustrated. “Lord Anker just lied. I would in his stead given what was at stake.”
“The princess being away,” Gust murmured and Elsanne glared at him.
That wasn’t her fault!
“That’s your evidence?” Robert scoffed.
“Much better than a boy that popped out of thin air in Midlanor a month later,” Sigurd grunted. “Nienke couldn’t have made that journey, or survive an assault. She could barely walk Sir Robert! I was there! If a baby was born it happened that very night!”
“So the boy is…”
“The boy has no drop of Antoon’s blood in him,” Sigurd spat irate.
“What happened to the girl Sigurd?” Elsanne asked furrowing her brow.
“Who cares about the girl?” Robert countered with a grimace. “We must alert the other lords about this.”
“I do. She’s my blood,” Elsanne hissed angry. “Also she would invalidate Lord Anker’s ‘heir’ immediately.”
Idiot.
“If you find her,” Robert retorted stubbornly and Elsanne thought about breaking the crutch on his head.
“Robert,” Gust warned him hoarsely. “She is the king’s daughter.”
“Apologies,” Robert puffed out. “I don’t like being taken for a ride.”
“There will never be an agreement on this. The lines are drawn,” Sigurd intervened. “Lord Anker is trying to take Colle. Threaten Castalor after that.”
“Not if he keeps this front open,” Robert replied and glanced at Gust. “Where will he find the troops?”
“No lord can win against the Khan’s armies,” Gust rustled. “We can’t replenish our forces and every loss hurts. It’s like trying to stop a river with a couple of sand bags. The water will wash you and the bags into the sea.”
Robert smacked his lips. “Well, I was hoping for something less dramatic, but Gust is right. We are fighting a war with no plan, or several that contradict each other, a hand tied behind our backs and half the lords not even giving a darn about it, or helping. We can’t win like this, but we can lose spectacularly.”
“The Khan can’t cross the Shallow Sea,” Elsanne said and a moment of silence filled her tent. The men staring at her a bit surprised. “Not as long as the fleets are present,” she added quickly blushing fiercely.
“That’s not a winning strategy,” Gust rustled and Robert nodded in agreement.
“Why?” Elsanne croaked hurt.
“The Khan has ships as well,” Robert explained. “It’s the distance, the north sea and the fear of losing them in a sea engagement that keeps him back. But the last couple of things can change tomorrow.”
“He only needs to secure a port to land,” Gust added. “Then you need men to stop him and we have lost plenty with only these past months giving us something to show for it.”
“Securing the throne is of the outmost importance,” Sigurd hissed. “Let Lord Anker fight the war. Else we’ll be left with nothing.”
“I’m pretty sure Eikenport, Tyeusfort and Tirifort are bigger than Scaldingport and Colle combined Sigurd,” Elsanne corrected him, determined not to appear stupid ever again.
Not to mention controlling South Market and Lord’s Burrow.
Elsanne intended to return there as soon as possible and cement the pirate captains’ loyalty.
“What about Badum?” Robert asked looking at her.
“You were the heir for as long as I remember Sir Robert,” Elsanne replied simply. “Nothing has changed as far as I’m concerned. Janos is as fake as my nephew.”
“Thank you princess,” he said hoarsely.
“I want you to secure Tyeusfort for me,” Elsanne told him. “Rest the First Foot and rebuild the fort.”
“I’d like to visit Eikenport,” Robert replied. “I need something more civilized princess, for a little while at least.”
Ahm. She wasn’t sure about that more civilized part, but he could tell the knight had been worn out fighting for more than two years in enemy territory.
“Who can stay here? Because I want Sir Gust and his Crows with me.”
“Captain Clement Wellins, former commander of Sadofort,” Robert replied. “He can hold the fort… rebuild it,” he corrected himself with a tired smile.
“Gust?” Elsanne asked forgetting her manners, but no one seemed to mind other Sigurd that frowned a bit briefly.
“Wellins is good for the job,” Gust replied sounding relieved.
See? Elsanne thought looking at him. I fixed it for you.
“Where did you find the mercenaries?” Robert asked scratching the side of his jaw.
“They are stationed in Eikenport,” Elsanne replied.
“Wait… who pays them?”
“There’s a guy ruling in Goras,” Gust started, with Robert turning around and raising his thick brows amused.
“That sounds like the start of a solid joke,” he chuckled, Gust frowning not seeing the humor in it and it reminded Elsanne of older times again. Not as appreciated back then as they should have been. The thought made her famed jade eyes cloud, a tear running down her cheek she quickly wiped with the back of her hand.
Not for the old times and her younger naive self, but for the coming struggles looming over all of them and an uncertain future.
A throne you’ll have then, the winged God had told the great Reinut two centuries in the past. As long as you can keep it.
As much a promise, as a threat.