Alexia walked down a grungy alleyway as she headed north from the riverbank that ran along the southern wall. Her leather boots were heavy with clinging muck and she left muddy footprints in her wake. She would have taken more effort to cover her tracks except they were lost amongst the thick weeds and rotting scraps that littered the disused alley.
She took a high step onto a wooden deck, weathered and bare of paint except for a few stubborn flakes still holding on. The deck creaked under her weight but held steady; it had been built strong and wasn't as old as it looked. Then she pressed her right palm on the center of the equally weathered door before her. She heard a faint click as the lock shifted, then she gently touched the door handle. With the magical trap and lock disabled, it turned smoothly under her fingers and she stepped through the doorway.
She closed the door behind herself and the lock reengaged automatically. The inside of the small safe-house was pristine, if a bit plain. High windows covered by white curtains let in diffused sunlight that illuminated a large dresser, four utilitarian chairs, and a low table. A door on the left led to a kitchen stocked with preserved food, firewood, and sealed tanks of fresh water. To the right was a bathroom, and that was what Alexia was interested in. She hurried in that direction.
There was a floor to ceiling mirror next to the sink and Alexia cringed when she saw herself in it. Her heavy leather work clothes, once a warm tan color, were now splattered with blackish muck from head to toe. Her hair was tucked up under a soft black cap with a short bill, just enough to hide her eyes. Smears of grease paint on her face made her look even dirtier, and had been carefully placed to make her face appear more masculine. She looked like a young man who'd just spent a long day dredging out sewers. Unfortunately, the second part was true.
Alexia happily shed her foul-smelling clothes and dropped them unceremoniously in a wicker basket in the corner. Then she climbed into the porcelain tub that filled one end of the room. She turned a metal knob and magically pre-heated water poured in around her. The water was almost too hot, but it was the perfect temperature for her aching joints and muscles.
It took a lot of scrubbing and soap, but she soon felt clean again, herself again. She wanted to keep soaking, to relax for the first time in days, but there was no time. She extracted herself from the tub, let it drain, and toweled herself off. Standing naked in the bathroom, Alexia carefully brushed and styled her still damp blonde hair into twin braids. The arid climate would serve to dry her hair the rest of the way. Then she took some supplies from a basket by the sink and did her makeup, mostly to hide the dark circles under her eyes.
She stepped over her own muddy footprints to exit the bathroom and approached the long dresser that covered one wall of the main room. Each drawer held a pre-prepared outfit, underwear included, and all the ones on the bottom row were her size. She got dressed in a knee-length blue dress, with tall socks and a pair of low-top boots. A green leather jacket finished off the outfit, which made her look like the daughter of a merchant, more interested in casual fashion than elegance.
The low table was covered with notes and other scraps of evidence, safely tucked away in pouches of waterproof oilcloth. There were glass vials of water, both clear and muddy, as well as maps, sketches, and a small jar containing a hacked-up piece of lung. Alexia had already used the clues in her investigation, but they might still have value. She gathered them all up in a leather bag, then hurried to the door.
She spared a glance back at the mess she'd made of the safe-house: muddy boot prints on the floor, grime all over the bathroom's nice porcelain surfaces, cosmetics still scattered near the sink. She hated leaving it like that, but she had more urgent matters to attend to. She needed to report on the results of her investigation of a terrifying incident with New Albion's water supply.
Hundreds of people had fallen ill, but most had been able to be healed by magic. Six people died, all very old or very young, before Alexia and the Guard finally tracked down the cause. After chasing every possible lead, they discovered two dead bodies inside two different water mains, suspended by heavy ropes in the current between the purification facility and the public. The bodies had both been guards, and they'd been poisoned with something potent enough that it had leached into the water and affected others, even before the bodies could decay.
Alexia closed the door to the safe-house, making a mental note to send a trustworthy maid to clean it up, and pressed on towards the castle.
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Alexia knocked on the door then entered the Princess's chamber. Inside, she saw Princess Evelyn reclining on her bed in pale blue pajamas while Beebee stood upright by the bathroom door, patting out wrinkles from her apron. To use a term from the other world, it appeared that Beebee had been hanging out with the Princess before Alexia had arrived, likely lounging on the bed with her.
Alexia didn't fault Beebee for slacking. The Princess surely needed the company while confined to the innermost castle for several days during the poison investigation. The King didn't dare let her outside while such a threat was rampant, even if quick action from the Guard and municipal health inspectors had managed to minimize the damage. They had also done an impressive job of keeping the whole ordeal under wraps which allowed the equinox festival to go off without a hitch.
Evelyn sat up slowly and calmly, but her face bore evidence of conflicting emotions: happiness at seeing Alexia safe, and dread for the news she brought.
Beebee's interest in Alexia's message was also obvious. Her brown eyes were wide and eager and she smiled at Alexia, up until Evelyn spoke.
"Beebee, please wait at the bottom of the stairs while I speak to Alexia alone."
Beebee visibly wilted, but she didn't protest. "Yes, Princess," she said as she gathered her dress in her hands and skittered out the door.
Once they were alone, Alexia tried to speak. "Princess Evelyn, uh, I…" Her voice caught in her throat. She knew what she needed to say, but that didn't make it any easier. Running on nothing but adrenaline and fear during the days-long investigation, she'd witnessed some horrible things. Now that she stood before the Princess, exhausted and disheartened, she couldn't find the words.
"Take your time, Alexia," Evelyn said, gesturing for Alexia to sit at the table. She was always so patient, so kind. Alexia was again reminded of her fortune in being chosen by the Princess, on the brink of her forced retirement from the Guard. She'd been saved from a life of powerless frustration, destined to occupy the bed of a man she could never love, all so she could do her part and bear children for humanity's future.
Alexia started speaking again and the words came to her like a rising storm, a trickle that became a flood that she had fight to hold back. She said that six people had died from drinking poisoned water, revealed how she had tracked down the tainted water mains, and how she'd discovered the two dead soldiers deep under the city. She mentioned that she'd nearly lost another when he tried to grab a poisoned body with his bare hands. She'd barely stopped him in time. The poison definitely would have been fatal at that level of exposure.
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"I think it was the elves," she said, finally pausing for a breath. "I don't have any proof, but I suppose the complete lack of any trace of the killer might be proof enough. No human could erase their tracks so perfectly."
Even as Alexia said it, she doubted her words. No elves had been confirmed in the city for decades. That reclusive and hostile people had never been interested in diplomacy and did not send envoys of their own. The last time a human diplomat had been sent to elvish lands was 10 years prior, and his dead body had appeared one night in the middle of a fringe-territory Guard camp. A note had been pinned through his right eye that said to never send any humans into elvish lands again.
Evelyn just nodded in understanding, then said, "Even if you aren't sure who did it, you should report what you know to my father immediately. The King can decide what actions to take, like whether to go public about what happened with the poisoned water, and what to do for the families of the dead, civilians and guards both."
"Yes, Princess," Alexia replied, standing up quickly. Too quickly. The world shrank away from her and her legs gave out as a sudden bout of lightheadedness overtook her. How long had it been since she'd eaten? Since she'd slept?
When the blackness faded, Evelyn was at Alexia's side, arms wrapped around her. Evelyn said, "You need to remember to take care of yourself."
"It's nothing. Just me being clumsy, " Alexia protested, but Evelyn didn't let go. Alexia eventually yielded and accepted the warm embrace, knowing that it was one of love, just not the kind she desired most.
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The next day, after Alexia had given her report to the King and got some much needed rest, she found herself alone with Princess Evelyn in her chambers. Evelyn sat at her table dressed in regal finery, having just come from a meeting with a wealthy merchant from the Gatehouse. The magic-hoarding organization remained as secretive as always, but royalty had a way of overriding their defenses.
Evelyn propped her chin on her knuckles and said, "I've been thinking about Okwata lately. I want to visit the place my mother loved. The place she died."
Alexia felt her throat tighten. Such a trip outside the capital would put the Princess in no small amount of danger. Even if they used a Bridge to travel the distance, the destination was a dangerous place. But Alexia had to admit that New Albion wasn't particularly safe either. Whoever was behind the poisoning threat could strike again.
Alexia swallowed those thoughts. She wanted to support the Princess, not sequester her like her father did. She said, "If you're sure. I'm sure the kingdom would get diplomatic value out of it as well. News of your return will have reached all of Okwata by now, and the people there would love to see you, their connection to New Albion."
Alexia remembered being told that twenty years ago, it had been cause for celebration when King Gildahart had taken the hand of Gwendolyn Tidestone in marriage and united Okwata and New Albion under the same banner. Later, after the visiting Queen had perished in the same storm that devastated her homeland, the people of Okwata had hoped that the passionate blood that ran on in the veins of her daughter could keep that connection strong. Their hopes had been dashed as the grieving King withdrew from the area entirely and left the shattered community to fend for itself.
Alexia also knew that the Princess had been too young to remember the last time she'd visited the city of her mother's birth, and that was before the storm. Would she like what she saw there now?
Evelyn sat up straight, invigorated. "Father should be between meetings. Will you come with me to speak to him?"
Pushing her mixed feelings aside, Alexia smiled. "Of course."
They walked together through the castle to the royal hall. It was a massive room of white marble and dark polished wood. At the back was a raised dais and a throne made of bright gold and red silk. Dozens of towering pillars fanned outward before the throne with long benches in between, almost like a play-hall. The room had been designed to allow large numbers of the public to see the King as he attended to royal duties, such as hearing petitions or signing laws and treaties.
At that moment, the royal hall held Alexia, the Princess, and the King, along with several figures hiding in the shadows and standing attention at the doors, the ever-present Vigil Regalis. Those masked guardsmen were the most elite soldiers plucked from the main Guard, and they had pledged to give their lives to defend the King from any threat. Alexia knew that some had made good on that promise.
Alexia respected them, but she also hated them. She had been a top soldier during her time in the guard, and she could have been a Vigil Regalis… if she'd been born a man. At 23 years old, her time in the guard had run out and she'd been expected to settle down and bear children. A woman's life wasn't her own again until her youngest child turned 16.
As the Princess approached, the King stood from his throne, and set aside a book he'd been reading. He wore a heavy mantle of wolf fur and velvet, and of course his golden crown. "Evy! To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today?"
Evelyn blushed in embarrassment. "Father… me visiting isn't that rare."
"Perhaps not, but it makes my day nonetheless." He approached and put an arm around Evelyn's shoulders, squeezing tight. He was several inches taller than her, but the family resemblance was undeniable, particularly in their deep brown hair color and the shape of their noses, broad at the top and slightly pointed. Then he nodded at Alexia and said, "And Alexia as well. You're looking better."
Alexia gave a curtsey and said, "Yes, Your Highness. I'm feeling refreshed after some rest." That was a bit of an understatement. She'd been so exhausted after giving her report to the King that she'd immediately retreated to her quarters and slept nearly 12 hours.
King Gildahart turned his warm brown eyes back to Evelyn. "So, what is it you want?" he asked, his tone warm and friendly.
"Am I so transparent? Maybe I'm just here to visit," she said, but the King just chuckled in response. She admitted, "Fine, I do want something. I want to travel to Okwata."
His eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"To see the city that Mother loved, and to visit as a diplomat for New Albion," she answered. Then she started into a speech that sounded rehearsed, or at least had been on her mind for some time, "We need to keep a positive relationship with the people of Okwata. They grow more important to our economy every year, and our people would suffer if the official relationship took a turn for the worse. We've come to rely on all the sugar, fruit, and fish that come through their ports."
And the coffee, Alexia thought. She'd heard about Zach's successful business venture, and considering his connection to the other world, she expected him to have more successes like it in the future. Like it or not, Zach seemed to be here to stay.
"And, like the kobolds who have helped us so much over the years by sharing their resources and knowledge, we should always be looking for more allies. Just in case…" Evelyn left unsaid the threat of the elves, but Alexia knew the Vigil Regalis guards in the room had the clearance to know of Alexia's report. One had even been present when she'd given her report to the King.
Evelyn continued with her argument, "Now is the among best times to visit as well. Autumn and winter are the safest times to go to Okwata, because the lizardfolk of the swamps will be less active. And the city rebuilt their walls long ago, so they are quite safe from monsters."
When it was clear that she'd finished her impassioned plea, the King hummed in thought, then said, "I will think about it for the next day or two. In any case, you are only going if Alexia is there to protect you."
Alexia twitched at that. Her importance had been recognized by the King, but that meant that the responsibility for the Princess's safety would fall squarely on Alexia's shoulders. It was a heavy burden to bear.
Evelyn smiled. "Of course. I'd planned for her to come all along." She and her father both knew she'd need at least one maid with her to keep her from flipping, but they didn't say it aloud. Even the Vigil Regalis weren't permitted to know of the Princess's situation. Knowledge of her magical condition had been kept to her personal maids only, and until Zach's arrival even the maids hadn't known the details.
Alexia still didn't understand the reason for Zach's sudden appearance from the other world, but she couldn't deny that it was bringing about change. Alexia considered it her duty to make sure that change wasn't catastrophic.