Chapter 43: Revelations

There was a group of men waiting for us outside. They didn't feel hostile and one of them looked familiar. The older one was the one from inside the barracks that answered my question and seemed to be in charge of the rest of the men. "It's been done, Milord," He stated.

It took me a second to figure out what he meant before I responded. "Good. Where is the Lady Megan?"

"This way, Milord." The group of them escorted us to the center of town to a larger than average dwelling. Megan's carriage was standing in front of the house. "She's inside, Milord. We have a guard on her."

"Thank you. Open the town and remove the blockade. I expect my orders to be completed within a candle. I will see to the Lady." They saluted me as a man and left to do my bidding. We passed the four guards standing at the entrance to the house. They too saluted me.

Megan calmly conversed with an elderly couple drinking tea. It looked like she had just sat down. The elderly couple regarded me nervously when we entered. I sketched a quick bow to them and addressed Megan, "My Lady, the pass will be opened for us, and he shall not bother you again. We will have to wait until tomorrow before we leave the city. I placed Steven's ducal ring into her hand and closed it so her hosts could not see what I gave her.

She didn't even bat an eyelash at that but I could feel her posture change as her muscles tensed. "Lord Charles, This is Mayor Dylan and his wife Mora."

I thanked them for hosting her and took my leave. Both seemed relieved that I wasn't staying. I wanted to return to the barracks and have Chandra send some messages out. Chandra gave something to Megan to hold and whispered something to her as I left. I didn't ask and she didn't tell.

Once we got back to the barracks, we had to make way for the men assigned to remove the bodies. At a desk in the office upstairs held a drawer filled with paper to go with the inkwell that was affixed to the left corner of the desk. I gestured to Chandra to sit and write a missive to her father. She shook her head no and I was surprised. Angry too. I was still angry. That made me stop and think.

Calm.

I needed to calm down. "Why am I so mad?" I said to myself.

Chandra just looked uncomfortable.

"Chandra, what's wrong?" I asked. I was trying to calm down, but felt like I was still a hair's breadth away from killing Steven.

"Nothing, Milord," She replied. She still looked like she would rather be anywhere else.

"Work with me. I'm angry; but not at you. I think that I'm angry with myself. Why would that be?" I asked of her.

If she knew, Chandra wasn't saying.

Princess. I used her. Damn me.

"I did something inexcusable today, didn't I, Chandra?" I asked her softly. She just looked at me uncomfortably.

"Here you spent your whole life trying to become a Sister and I throw the Princess aspect around like I had a right to." She nodded silently. I could see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh, shit. I am so sorry I didn't think, Chandra. Will you forgive me?" I asked sincerely. She just nodded again.

I took her and hugged her, she initially tried to break free but she wasn't struggling very hard. She did pound me in my sore shoulder and she has a strong enough punch to bruise me. It came close to hurting more than I could take, but I felt like I deserved it so I let her take her aggression out on me.

I didn't have the slightest idea what she was feeling; only that she needed a friend right now. She ended up crying on my shoulder for a while and when one of the men came up I just waved him down.

"I want to be a princess too," she sobbed, and then started crying all the harder.

Oh Boy. Kassandra, I need help on this one.

Kassandra just gave me that familiar warm feeling and left me to my own devices.

Some help I've been. Everything that I had her do since meeting her put a magnifying glass on what she has been missing.

"I want to be pampered too. I hate having a scar on my face. I want pretty clothes and you to pay attention to me too. I don't want soldiers and bandits trying to kill me, I just want to be left alone. I'm scared that I'll make a mistake and get killed. I don't want to die and I'll never be as good as you."

She said that all in one breath and it was life altering if it went unchecked.

I just held her and murmured that I cared and it will be ok. She held on to me like I was saving her from drowning.

"No, it's not. You are going to stay with her," She accused me. "I want to dance too. I like to dance."

I didn't know where to start but I had to begin sometime, "You do dance. You dance with me every night and you dance very well. You are better than me when I was your age."

"Really?" she sniffed. The hope shone in her glassy eyes along with something else. Something that I was not about to speculate on.

"Yes, really. I haven't seen anyone near your age that is close to as good as you are," I answered gently while stroking her hair. "You will always be a princess to everyone that loves you and if you want to go to a dance then go. I know a young man that would love to take you."

"Allay is nice, but would you take me?"

"I too would be honored to take you to a dance, My Lady."

"Really?" She brightened.

"Really," I replied. I brushed her tears away with my thumbs. I held her tight. She felt emotionally fragile. "You are going to have to work hard at getting all of these salt stains out of my clothes, young lady." I smiled at her.