Schwan (23 The matter of...)

Yeah, what about these guys?

Well here we go...

In "The matter of..."

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23 The matter of...

And lastly, there is the matter of the Princess Lillian, and Rolf, the Ranger.

After the Battle of the Gate, as it came to be known, Fredrik had kept Rolf occupied in organizing the care of the wounded, and later the release of the Morlanian prisoners.

Then, on their return to Waterton, Fredrik had been concerned with making Elise comfortable and welcome in her new home, in the castle.  And there was the care of the wounded Princess as well.  Rolf saw little of him.

Elise had to get used to a whole new way of life- to being waited on- rather than serving.  Lillian had taken her under her wing and was doing her best to help with the transition.  They spent much time together planning for her Official Wedding.

The result was that Rolf found little for himself to do.  He seemed to be merely in the way now, and felt out of place at the castle.  He went to stay with his Mother in the town.

But he was not happy.  He would lay awake at night puzzling over Lily's words to him at the battle- "You've won me fairly…"  What had she meant by them?  He convinced himself that he had only done his duty in protecting the Princess.  Any of the Kings men would have done the same.

Although he knew he would be welcome, he kept his distance from the Royal Family- they needed their time together.  Yet he was restless.  He just wanted to get away from it all.  Rolf decided to ask the King to send him back to the Rangers, on the southern border.

Fredrik listened to him with concern.  He realized that he had been neglecting his friend.  And  it was not only his own feelings that he was thinking of.

"I'm afraid that is out of the question, Rolf."  As Rolf looked at him in surprise, he continued, "I need you here."

"Fredrik, there is nothing…" Rolf began, only to be interrupted by the King.

"I have already appointed you as Lieutenant to the Captain of the Castle Guards.  You will be his successor when he retires from the post."

(This was not entirely true, but it had been Fredrik's intention for some time now)

This was a great honor, but not one that Rolf desired at this point.  But he could not refuse the King.

"You will report to him in the morning."

This had been the end of the discussion.

✠

Rolf was well received by the Captain of the Guards.  He had succeeded Rolf's father at the post, and was glad to see Rolf following him in this important position.

Oddly, Rolf found that one of his first duties would be to escort Princess Lillian in her boat on the lake.  He took the oars as she sat in the stern facing him.

She broke the silence.

"Freddy usually brings me, but he is so busy these days."  When Rolf didn't reply, she continued.  "I would come by myself, but I can't manage the oars yet," she said indicating the sling on her arm.

"I trust Your Highness is healing well."

"My name is Lily," she replied angrily.  "Why have you stayed away?"

Rolf stopped rowing.

"I just… thought…" he began, but was at a loss for words.

"You think too much!" she said leaning toward him.  "Why won't you just be you?"

She put her hand on his knee.  Her touch electrified him.

"But you are…" he began, but she cut him off.

"Forget what we are and be who we are!  You, and me, two people in a boat, on this lake- this beautiful lake- this beautiful morning."

"Do you think I care about this?" she said, pointing at the castle.  "Or where I was born?  I could be happy anywhere with… if…"

"But what would Fredrik think if I… if you…"

"Fredrik?" she asked with a laugh.  "What did Fredrik do?  Who was Elise?  Why won't you wake up?"

And then he did; And broke.  And at last they embraced with tears of joy.

High above, on the castle wall, Fredrik and Elise watched, and then turned away.

Well, that's it folks.

Hope you got a bit of enjoyment out of it.

The Fuzz apologizes if he has dragged this out too long.

But with this format, it seemed like a good idea- at least to him.

And this time it is really...

The End

Schwan (22 Aftermath)

The battle is won, and it seems that the Princess has survived as well!

So let's work on a few of the loose ends.

We give you...

The "Aftermath"

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22 Aftermath

Fredrik had decided to send the surviving Morlanians home with the body of Lord Rathard.  But he also needed to care for his own wounded, including his sister, Princess Lillian.

Rolf suggested they send to Waterton for wagons.  Fredrik told him to make the arrangements, glad to see him occupied once more.  Within minutes, a rider was on his way back to the castle.

✠

The sun was setting when Lady Juliet heard horses again in the courtyard.  There were low voices.  She could not make out the words, but it was apparent that things had not gone well.  Before long there was a commotion outside her cell.  She heard a woman crying.  Then the sound of a key turning in the lock.

Marianne rushed in sobbing, and clung to Juliet.  She was too upset to speak.  In a moment Damson followed her in, with the castle chaplain.  The chaplain spoke first.

"My Lady..."

Juliet had expected bad news, and Marianne would not be grieving for Fredrik.  She wondered whether it was her father or her brother this time.  Her sister still clung to her in tears.

"...your brother, Lord Rathard, is dead..."

Now Lady Juliet wondered if she should feel more grief than she did.

"…he died in battle," as if that somehow made it a noble thing.

Juliet could see Damson watching her closely.  Then it dawned on her; she was now the Grand Duchess of Morlana.  And she was free, or as free as any ruler can be.  They were all waiting for her to speak.

"Take me to my Father."

"Yes, Milady." It was Damson who spoke.  "He is in his chamber," he said following closely behind her.

The Duke did not recognize Juliet.  He did not respond at all.  There was nothing that could be done for him.

✠

She was taken to her brother's body.  She noted with irony how he had died.  He had not brought back Fredrik's head.  He had lost his own.  She questioned Lord Rathard's captain.

"Did the King kill your Lord?"

"No Milady, it was his companion."

Juliet felt some relief at this.  But shame once she had finally dragged the details out of the man.

"Do we avenge him?" the man asked.

"No," she answered turning away.

It was past midnight when they brought her more news.  The Duke had thrown himself from the battlements.  Now there was no question of who ruled Morlana.

She thought of Fredrik and wished things had been different.  Her first act after burying the Duke and her brother, would be to make peace with Midmont.  With cooperation they could both prosper.

And things would change in Morlana.

If the Archbishop was disappointed with the turn of events he didn't show it.  But he did leave the next day.  Marguerite left with him, with the Duchess' blessing.  She was glad to be rid of them both.

✠

Juliet's peace overtures to Midmont were favorably received by the King.  No one had any desire to continue the war.  And over time the relations between the two lands grew to be quite friendly and co-operative.  With the new road through the mountain passes, both prospered.

It was in the Springtime of the following year, that the Grand Duchess of Morlana was finally invited to pay a visit to the Kingdom of Midmont.  And there at her formal reception, she met the eyes of the Queen of Midmont again.  And she remembered another night, when she had met the eyes of this same woman, in what was now, another world.

But there was little time for reflection on these matters.  For it was here, that the Grand Duchess, Juliet met Phillip of Solland, cousin to the King of Midmont.

And while it is true, that these lands were united in future generations, that does not concern us here.  For this is the tale of Fredrik of Midmont, and his Queen, Elise.

And what of Queen Elise?  She became the most beloved by the people of all the house of Midmont.  She was their Queen; and yet one of them.

And lastly, there is the matter of the Princess Lillian, and Rolf, the Ranger…

Yes... What about them?

To be continued...

(One more time- Promise!)

 

Schwan (21 A New Life)

It looks like King Fredrik survived, by the skin of his teeth,as it were.

And Elise also.

But what of his sister, the Princess?

Well lets just finish up a few of the details.

"A New Life"

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21 A New Life

With Lord Rathard dead, his men had no will to continue the fight.  The shouts and clash of arms died away.  Peace settled over the glen, and all that could be heard was the roar of the Great Falls, far below.

The Morlanians laid down their arms and stood together in a dejected huddle, watched over by several of the Princess's men.

Fredrik rushed over to where his sister lay, Rolf clinging to her with bitter tears.  But before he could speak, Anna pushed though to her.

"Get off her, you big fool!" she said, pulling on Rolf's arm.  "Give her some air!"

It was true, Lillian was still breathing.

Anna pushed Rolf out of the way and tore open the Princess' tunic.  While Lillian's sword had not stopped Rathard's blow, it had deflected it.  The blow had struck her shoulder, instead of her neck as he had intended.

It had been a powerful blow, but her mail had borne the brunt of it.  Still, it was a serious wound, several links of mail having been severed.

"Get this off her!" Anna commanded, tugging at the armor.

When Rolf hesitated, she repeated her command.

"Don't you men know anything?  Elise! get over here!"

With Rolf's help, they pulled the mail away.

"We must stop the blood!"

Anna was in charge now.  With Elise's help, she pressed part of the torn tunic down over the bleeding wound.  And then they heard Lillian moan.

Fredrik was satisfied that Lillian was in capable hands.  And he was proud to see Elise working with Anna.  She would do well as his Queen.

As Rolf stood by helplessly, the King took charge once more.  He gathered the wounded, and had their wounds bound up.  There were a number of dead also.  He was thankful that Lily was not one of them.

Fredrik looked down at the body of Rathard, now lying in a puddle of blood.  It had all seemed so pointless.   

✠

Lady Juliet sat at her small table, fingering the cross she wore around her neck.  She looked up as she heard her cell door being unlocked.  She hoped it might be the Abbot of St Peter's, who she had requested.  As the Jailer stepped out of the way, she was surprised to see Damson enter.  She did not rise.

"My Lady," he began, "I regret  to see you in this situation."

Juliet gave him a cold look but did not reply.

"I assure you, this was not my idea."

When she remained silent, he began to walk slowly back and forth.

"I've served your father, the Duke, loyally these twenty-seven years.  I've not always agreed with him, but I've done my duty as best I could."  Here he hesitated for a moment.  "And I will serve Lord Rathard as well."

Now he stopped, and lowered his voice.

"Milady, may I speak freely?"

Juliet motioned with her hand to continue.  He had her interest.

"Your Brother is not the man your father was."

"Was?"

"I'm afraid the Duke has lost his mind.  He speaks not a word, but stares off at something no one else can see.  He neither eats, nor drinks.  It is as if his body is here, but his soul is gone.  I know he is not long for this world.

"Milady, are you familiar with the Cell of the Forgotten?"

Lady Juliet shook her head.

"It is well."  He said no more on the subject, and turned to leave.  But then he hesitated.

"I would have rather served you," he said quietly.  

Then he was gone, and the door closed once more.  Juliet was left to wonder what he had meant by it.

✠

They brought the surviving commander of the Morlanians before King Fredrik.  He was wounded, himself, but not seriously.    He dropped to his knees, head down.

"And what news of the Duke?"  the King asked.

"The Duke?" asked the man in surprise.  "They say he is gone mad.  Now we follow Lord Rathard... or did…"

"And Lady Juliet?"

"Lady Juliet?  Lord Rathard had her thrown into the dungeon, for treason.  She had helped Fred..." he paused, "Your Majesty, escape."

Now, Fredrik would have to decide what to do with his prisoners.  He had no desire to take them to Waterton where he would only have to feed them.  He looked around for Rolf, his usual councilor.

He found him, in a daze, hovering over Anna and Elise as they tended to Lillian.  Anna looked annoyed.  She had been dropping hints to him, but he seemed deaf to her.

Fredrik took in the situation immediately.

"Rolf!"

Rolf turned to him with a bewildered look.

"Rolf! I need you!  We need to decide what to do with these prisoners."

By now Fredrik had already decided to send them home with the body of Lord Rathard.  But he needed to occupy his friend.

"Thank God," Anna mumbled, as they walked away together.  It was obvious to her that Rolf had more than a casual interest in the Princess.

"He's in love with your sister," she told Elise. "But he's afraid to tell her.  It's because she's a Princess."  Here she looked at Elise, "You'd think he knew better by now."

But Elise's mind was on a different track.  As she looked down at Lillian, she realized that the Princess, was now her sister, her family, now.  Her whole world had changed.

She had gone from chopping onions, and scrubbing pots in a smelly kitchen, to a battlefield on the side of a mountain.  And this was only the beginning.  It was frightening.  Would she even be accepted in his world?

Anna had stopped the bleeding by now.  She called out to Garth.

"Bring that wine over here, while there's still some left!"

He had been careful to salvage the wine before the cart had gone over the cliff.  And she had noticed.  And she had also noticed the few celebratory "toasts" on his part.

He reluctantly handed it over.

Anna now carefully removed the bloodstained cloth and began to wash the wound with the wine.  Lillian flinched.  Then she sighed and opened her eyes and saw Anna for the first time.

"Thank you, good woman."

Then her eyes moved to Elise, who she studied for a long time.  Finally she spoke.

"Elise?"

Elise reddened, embarrassed.  The Princess reached out with her good hand and touched Elise's cheek.

"Yes, I can see it too.  Welcome, my sister, Queen of Midmont."

   

And yes there is just a bit more to this tale!

To be continued...

Schwan (20 Defending the Gate)

Well, this has dragged on for a while now.  But The Fuzz says, "Trust me, things are finally coming to a head here.

And so we give you...

"Defending the Gate"

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20 Defending the Gate

"Take the King alive, and kill the rest!" Rathard shouted.

He had a dozen horsemen with him. They rushed toward Fredrik and his few.  But now Fredrik's strategy became apparent.   There was only room on the narrow road for two at a time to approach Fredrik.

Fredrik and Rolf met them with drawn swords.  The two Guardsmen waited behind as The King and his companion held their places.  Rathard and the rest of his men held back in frustration.  It was impossible to get into the fight.

Fredrik and Rolf were both well trained and had little difficulty holding their own.  When one of their opponents made a mistake, he fell.

When four of the Morlanians were down, Fredrik's Guardsmen took his and Rolf's place, and they had a chance to rest briefly.  These men had been handpicked by the King from the elite of the Royal Guard.  Rathard's men were no match for them either.

Rathard watched in frustration.  It would take all day to wear Fredrik and his men down like this.  By this time half of his men were either dead or severely wounded.  And now, Fredrik and Rolf had relieved the Guardsmen again.

Garth, Anna, and Elise watched from atop the cart.  When Fredrik and Rolf fell back, Elise ran to them with a flask of water.  They drank gratefully.

"We only need to hold until help arrives from my Sister," Fredrik told them.

"I hope that is soon!" answered Rolf, as he rushed forward to take the place of one of the Guardsmen.  The man fell back bleeding profusely.  He had been badly slashed.  Anna and Garth helped him from his horse and tried to stop the flow of blood.

Just then, Elise stood up on the cart, and pointed down the road.  It was the second group of Rathard's troops approaching.  And they carried lances.  At the sight of the reinforcements, the first group of Morlanians fell back to where Rathard was waiting.

Fredrik knew they couldn't hold the road against such a force, armed as they were.

"Bring the cart!  Block the road!" Rolf shouted.

Fredrik nodded in approval.  He hoped to prevent a charge by the Lancers.  If they were forced back into a more open space, they could be surrounded, and the battle would be lost.

While Rathard was instructing his men, Rolf was able to position the cart.  Garth cut the horse free, and mounted the cart with his ax.

The Cart did break the momentum of the charge.  There was simply no room for more than one horseman to pass at a time.  The first ones through, were cut down by Rolf, and Garth's broadax.  The rest stopped in confusion.

Now Lord Rathard rode forward.

"Dismount!  Get that dammed thing out of the way!" he shouted, pointing at the peasant's cart.

The men advanced, using their lances as spears to hold Rolf and Garth at bay.  As they were pushed back, more of Rathard's men rushed forward.  They pushed the cart to the edge of the road, and over into the gorge.  It crashed onto the rocks below.

Fredrik and his men were forced back to the side of the gorge.  It was too steep to climb.  Garth and the two women scrambled onto a low ledge, holding the King's standard.  Fredrik and the others were backed up at the point of the spears below them.

Lord Rathard rode forward with a look of triumph.  All that could be heard was the roar of the Great Falls, far below.

"Yield, or die! Fredrik!"

But before The King could answer, they heard the sound of a trumpet, and the thunder of hooves as Princess Lillian led her troop around a bend and into the hollow.

"To the King!" she cried waving the men forward with her sword.  She reined in with Karl beside her, holding her standard.  Her place was to inspire, not to fight.  She stood in the sunlight with her sword raised.

Her troop fell upon the flank of the Rathard's Morlanians, who forgot all about Fredrik now.  As they turned to meet this new challenge.  Fredrik and Rolf cut their way into them from the rear.

Lord Rathard was momentarily at a loss at this turn of events.  But then he saw an opportunity.  Calling two men to him, he pointed toward the Lillian.

"Seize the Princess!" he shouted, spurring his horse toward her.

If he could capture Lillian as a hostage, she would be his trump card.  Fredrik would have to yield.

In the confusion, no one noticed Rathard rushing toward the Princess, except Rolf.  He and Fredrik were engaged with two of the Morlanians.

"Lily!" he shouted and rushed toward her.

Fredrik suddenly realizing he now had two opponents, was only vaguely aware of Rolf cutting his way though the fray.

Karl, seeing their approach, stepped between Lillian and Rathard's men.  There was no one else nearby.  He braced himself to meet them.  Just as he met the first rider, Rolf fell on the others from behind.  While his men held off the Midmontians, Rathard approached Lillian, who raised her sword to defend herself.

"You are my prisoner, your Highness!" he said with a smile.

"Not yet," she cried, brandishing her sword.

But the Princess was not a warrior, and Rathard knew it.  He closed in on her now, being careful not to hurt her.  She would be no good to him dead.

Lillian fought him as well as she could, but it was an uneven fight.  Rathard pushed her back until she was disarmed and pinned against the cliff.   Now he held her at sword point.

She looked him in the face defiantly.

But then suddenly, her eyes looked beyond him.  Rathard turned just in time to see Rolf bearing down on him, with a look of rage.  In that instant, Lillian slipped from her horse, leaving Rathard's sword pointed at nothing.  He had no time to react as he turned to meet the enraged Rolf.

Rathard was still fresh- his men had done most of the fighting.  But Rolf fought as if possessed, filled with new strength.  Rathard was hard pressed, falling back as he desperately parried Rolf's strokes.

Lillian's horse had bolted.  She stood watching them, holding her own sword again.  Rathard could see that the tide had turned against him now.  His thoughts turned toward escape.

Seeing Lillian, he saw his last opportunity for revenge.  He whirled away from Rolf and rode straight for Lillian, his sword raised.

Rolf was right behind him.  He saw the stroke.  And he saw Lillian fall.  But in that split second, he had caught up to Rathard.

If Rathard knew that Rolf was behind him, he never turned.  He put spur to his mount.  But it was too late, and with a mighty slash, Rolf took his head off.

Ignoring Rathard, Rolf leaped from his horse and ran to where the Princess lay.  Her tunic soaked now with blood.  She looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"Lily," he choked.

"You've won me fairly, Rolf," she said softly; and then, closed her eyes.

Is this the end for Lilian?

To be continued...

Read it all here