Bab 25: XXV
Aurora and Helen stopped in an inn as soon as they were far enough from the camp. The two of them tired and needed rest after riding for hours under the sun.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to us," Aurora had to assure Helen who was scared if sleeping in the inn.
"I know but we are still not aware of the identity of the people who wants us dead. What if they . . ."
"What?"
"What if the Queen sent them?"
"She was not aware of our departure. If you can remember what the man who tied you up looked like, we might be able to trace his origin. Firstly, what did he dress as?"
"I can't remember. I did not have enough time to check because he did not come alone. They were about five of them I am not sure."
"Take your time to think about what they looked like or dressed as. They could be either dressed in expensive clothes which will tell us something important."
"They were dressed in simple clothes. Not expensive but not poor either. They could be servants of a rich master. They had their swords with them too but I am not sure of their fighting skills but they were strong.
"They searched the room for something and asked me about your where about after one of them tied me up."
"What could they have searched for?" Aurora asked knowing that she did not leave the palace with anything valuable that could require someone coming after her for.
"I don't know. They did not seem to be aware of your identity as a princess because they asked me for my master. I think they were people who saw us earlier when we entered the city and they wanted to rob us," Helen explained thoughtfully.
There many things about the fire that Aurora did not understand because of her maid's uneven narration.
"Go to sleep we have to leave earlier tomorrow morning."
"Okay," Helen said as she made herself comfortable enough on the blankets she had laid on the floor. "Princess, about how you could change the color of your eyes . . ."
"It was because of the concoction. She said it could turn me into anyone one I want to look like or be," Aurora replied simply. She really was not going to overthink about the whole issue.
"I wish she gave me some," Helen said amazed by the effect of the concoction. It actually saved her master. She gave up when the general asked her master to open her eyes.
"She will never have allowed you to come with me."
"Yes, that is right." Helen pouted her lower lip and faced the wall of the room. "Princess, goodnight."
"Good night," Aurora replied warmly.
She stared at the ceiling from her bed as her mind wandered back to what happened in the camp starting from when the Queen's step-brother joined them in the court yard to when he told them to leave.
When he first arrived, the prince was obviously scared of his presence which should not be so. The prince should not be scared of one of his father's subject even if it is his uncle.
She was actually thinking her cousin would have dominated the camp as a general. He has not being awarded the title of a general yet which is something she thinks he should have gotten long ago even without much effort considering his birth has given him an edge.
His father was a great warrior and so was his grandfather who will all be remembered in the history of the kingdom and Viktor should have inherited all that, right?
Fine if he was not luck enough to inherit any of those traits, she was sure that he will be very intelligent. All the past kings of the kingdom were known for their good and strong knowledge of the art of war that is why they could acquire such a large kingdom and maintain the monarchy in their family.
Viktor's mother was also a very intelligent since she had a lot of schemes up her sleeves that made the other concubines tremble in her presence. Why then have she not heard about Viktor's accomplishments in the art of war?
She felt very uneasy about it and she really wanted to bring the general over for a serious questioning with torture included. Is there a way she could send a message to the king without going back to the kingdom?
It was a pity that the person mistreating her cousin is the person who would have been a father figure to him in the camp. That same person was also his mother's step-brother, someone her uncle could trust his son over to.
After thinking for a while, she closed her eyes to sleep.
***
"Have you heard about the prince of the Iftleates?" Helen asked as she carried out the assignment her master gave her.
"That boy is a fool," the stable boy replied carefree since it was not his kingdom they were asking about.
"Why?"
"From your accent, I know you come from Iftleate. Don't you know about your prince?" the stable boy asked confused by the question the travellers wanted answers to.
"Oh, we were too serious with our religious course that we could not listen to gossip," Aurora joined the discussion.
"Oh. The only person capable is the general. He is strong. Our people know that we will lose if we battle against the general that is why we are quiet and humble," the stable boy told them in a low whisper as he stared around cautiously.
"Really?"
"They say the prince is dumb and foolish," the stable boy continued and he said many more bad things he knew about the prince from rumors to satisfy the customers so they would give him enough tips.
"Get the horses ready we are leaving now," Aurora ordered the stable boy unhappy with the nasty things she heard about her cousin from the stable boy. It must have all being the handiwork of the general.
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