chapter 8

The carriages rocked the hilly road from side to side. It was the roughed road that caused the horses to neighed so loud that it was heard from afar. It makes the carriages jumped and wriggled. Delaying the leading destriers to slowed down from time to time. So the carriages could catch up with them.

Some of the riders rode in front while the others were behind. Eight horses and eight riders.

This camouflage tell the position of the people in the carriages. Royalties. They people knew just seeing them rode pass.

Two of this carriages contains food. Deep roasted meat and fish, stack neatly in it. Different fruits and vegetables. Water skin. Leather bags that contains their selective belongings.

The remaining two carriages, one was for the princess and the queen while the other one was for more knights. Fifteen knights altogether on standby for these two royalties.

The knights were still wearing their golden capes, they wore to barricade the morning chills. They needed to halt and pulled it off because the sky was now cyan blue. Releasing heat like dust carried in the wind.

But their journey was a long one. Days and many more days they shall still be on the road. They endured the heat and focused on their journey

The city of Golden Hill was fully awake. So many peasants gave way. Stopping to bowed to them. They never got too busy to spared them some moments. Admiring the royal carriages and destrier as they rode by in their majesty.

It was almost nightfall, they were many miles out of the kingdom and needed to take some rest. They stopped by an inn in one of the lowly villages in the kingdom they were to spent the night there.

Ken, the captain ordered them to stopped some metres away from the inn. While some went with him to secured the rooms. The others watched over the princess and the queen.

"Eleanor, I hope all is well. You are quite. And you looked worried and disturbed".

" My queen I can't stopped but think of my father. I have not spent a day without seeing him or be this far away from him".

" You can go back Eleanor. It not so late. We are just many distance away from Golden Hill. If you wished tomorrow by sunrise we shall be heading back to alight you".

The sat facing each other. They had shifted the carriage window blinds to let the last of the sun rays splashed it light on them. Both their faces was golden. Queen Margaret held both her hands.

"No I don't want to go back. I just missed him". She arched a single brow.

"Cheered up then. We shall returned to him". She smile looking at Eleanor's face. Eleanor looked away.

Queen Margaret jiggled her hands. Her gazed never left Eleanor. She wanted her to cheered up.

Eleanor was biting her inners cheeks. Trying to conceal the smiles but it slowly crept to her lips.

"I saw that". Queen Margaret said playfully. She gave some more and it glows like fireflies in the dark. This intoxicated the queen to give her own.

Queen Margaret looked through the window trying to quenched the smile. She needed to know what the knights were up to.

"My queen the captain had gone to negotiate for rooms in the inn". One of the knight who stood close to the window informed.

It was already dark. She couldn't see beyond her nose but she knew the knights surrounded them.

Ken and the other knights were able to negotiate for some rooms. Though they inconvenient some other customers and took over their rooms. They sent them away to take shelter in the nearby houses.

After inspecting the rooms. they considered it safe for the queen and princess.

They took some of the sconces burning with yellow light and trail their way back to where the carriages was. They rode to the premises of the inn. Leaving it moist with their royal aura.

The lady of the inn and an older lady were peeking through the window. Her body stanched on sighting the displayed.

Mumbling the good fate that has befallen them for royalties to visit their small shabby inn.

"I must welcomed them". The younger woman left the aged woman behind.

Before the princess and the queen's feet could reached the ground. She was rushing out to catch up with them.

"stopped there!". The knights used themselves as blockade even before she could get closer to the royalties.

She turned around nervously. Leading them in. She showed the royalties to a special table, the other older woman had prepared when she went to welcomed them but returned disappointed.

The royalties couldn't eat their meal. It tastes like roughages in their mouth. They spilled it.

Queen Margaret had the knights brought food from the carriage which they took for dinner before they proceeded to their rooms.

Hours later, Princess Eleanor's eyes were still open. She stayed awake in the room. Sleep was scares in her eyes. Looking at the raffia bed and the tiny mattress she sat on. She would have preferred to sleep in the carriage. She sat on the bed hugging her knees. Pulling the bedspread closer to her neck.

Candles light gave warm to the room. "It was supposed to be the fireplace" she reasoned. But it was out of place. However, the candlelight let her eyes tracked the spider that was building it web close to the window.

She stepped down. She lifted one of the candles to observed the construction carefully but her tiny feet stepped on the cockroach which was heading for a hangout.

She stepped back and placed her mini developed behind on the edge of the bed. Her heart skipped. The candle fell from her hands. She quickly picked it up and make a follow-up on the cockroaches. Maybe she shall dined with it. How could she fear a common cockroach. A warrior princess like her. Impossible.

She sighted a chiton at the corner of the room as she moved on the floor like a cat in searched of a rat. It was minding it business. So she let it alone.

The cockroach played hide and seek on her. She got fade up and turned around only to see a bug crawling up to her majestically. She gave up totally with the searched and with the room. She decided to joined queen Margaret in her room.

Surprisingly she met Queen Margaret wide awake.

"You are not asleep my queen". She asked when she make a slit through the door. She was slow enough so she wouldn't wake the queen but queen Margaret wasn't sleeping.

"How could I sleep on the torn mattress that had bedbugs meddling with my skin". She was standing by the shabby window.

Eleanor chuckles. " I couldn't sleep as well". She placed the candle on the ashtray sitting on the desk beside the bed.

Queen Margaret decided to take a walked round the inn and the princess with her. They have been inside the carriage the whole day.

Now that they were in rooms they thought they could sleep but no. These rooms given them were the best in the inn yet it wasn't good enough. The felt it would be wise to used this their sleepless night to strengthen their legs while preparing for another journey tomorrow.

"No one seems to be sleeping" The princess told the queen on sighting the knights. They were seated on different tables drinking and chatting. Laughing out loud.

One of them sighted them. He tapped the others seated round him and then they signaled the other table. they then rose on seeing them descend the stairs to a stop.

"My princess, my queen. You are not sleeping"

"Sleep is scares" Eleanor said. This was what the king like saying whenever he didn't have a good night rest. The daughter took after him.

"We want to sit outside for some time" the queen said.

"But my queen, it is dark out there." Another knights said.

" That is why we want to watched the shinning moon and starry stars". Princess Eleanor responded.

The knights make way for them to stepped down. Five of them.

Eleanor's eyes was thrown around the inn. It caught the previous lady who was over the counter drooling at them. She admired this two since they stepped into her inn. Not the rude Knights who drove her customers away and offered to pay double the price.

"Money is not everything" she told them. But she didn't have much of a choice. She gave in. After all she was here for the money.

When she looked at the bare skin on the queen shoulders when her rope tilted. She covered hers with her hands. She wouldn't dare compared with hers.

"Oh I'm cursed" she whispered "How could I compared my skin to such a flawless fair beauty. Her blonde hair shines like the sun. Her nose like a sharp knife".

"What are you saying Victoria" the aged woman nudged her arms.

" They are calling you" .

"what". She asked. "Look" she said and dropped her face back on the desk to sleep

"Shh... They are looking our way". She adjusted her dress and set her face to be admired.

"don't distract my sleep".

"Sorry mother"

They princess signaled her to come over. Her brows furrowed at the aged woman who was also looking at her.

"I told you. Now go". She pushed her to go.

Victoria hastened up that she bumped into the empty table before her. Everything on it went crumbling on the floor.

She stood still for some time. Confusion was etched all over her. Whether or not to packed the shredded ware. She chose to move ahead.

She removed a rag from her apron and ran to the princess but a knight stopped her .

"What do you want?".

"Sh...she called me. She called me". She said happily pointing at the princess whose gazed was now on the small statue close to the stairs.

"Allow her" the queen said. Immediately she got closer. She started cleaning the railings where the princess held with her apron. Eleanor and queen Margaret shifted and descended the stairs completely.

"You are very beautiful my lady. And your daughter, she is most beautiful". Queen Margaret didn't mind the compliment. She just smile to it.

Victoria didn't allowed the princess or the queen to speak.

She was blabbing uncontrollably. Princess Eleanor whispered to one of the knights to get gold coins from the carriage for her. It seems like they had some on them. So they gave to her. Victoria's pupil dilated.

For once her speech ceased. She was stunned. before she could say a thing. The royalties and their knight were already closer to the door.

"My lady" she called in a raised tone from behind.

"Used it to rebuild this place" Eleanor said. She went to hugged her but the knights was fast enough to stopped her again.

She kept bowing. "This is a fortune, my young lady. Thank you" . She went to her second.

Some of the knights spend their night outside. On their horses and carriages. The moonlight was the only source of light they had.

This gave light to the feet of the royalties who were about stepping out of the inn before the captain of the knights stopped them.

"Why?" they question.

"The king gave orders. If we still want our head intact when we get back. We need to keep it".

They went back disappointed. To their rooms they went and pass the night.

When they morning came. The sailed on, on their journey. While in the carriage princess Eleanor would put her head through the window to see the environment.

She has never come this far. Beautiful cottage and farms so green and fresh that it makes her eyes brighten. Then the woods took over. Silver birch and alder and others.

Often Ken would ride by their carriage window to inquired if they needed anything. Once the princess said she wanted to ride on the horse with him but he wouldn't let her.

Orchard came in view. large lands and colorful well groomed setting. The people were waving at them as the rode. She wanted to stopped by and have a good view of it. She knew queen Daniella had one but she has never been there. He refused her. Telling her that it was the king's order to be strict in keeping her safe.

She looked at him as he apologized for refusing what she asked. He was huge and hairy. The sun splashed it's rays on him making him twist his eyelids to see ahead. Some of them had removed their armour because of the scorching sun. They were riding slowly.

She was angry but she couldn't do nothing. Instead she withdrew into the carriage moody. Queen Margaret comforted her in vain.

All of a sudden, Eleanor became overly excited. Queen Margaret looked at her amazed. One second she is angry another she is happy.

She called on Ken that she wanted to ease her self. When their carriage halted by the woods. Two knights took her to a near distance.

The knights stepped away to let her have her privacy. She sneaked in-between the trees and ran back to the orchard the left a distance behind.

After waiting for her for some reasonable minutes and they expected her to be done. They turned and didn't see her.

The saw her running out of the woods to the orchard afar off.

They raised alarmed to the rest of the knights waiting at the lane. They raised alarm and most of the knights ran after her.

She succeed in reaching the orchard before they caught up with her.

"My princess you cannot do this". Ken said with cautious. Spreading his hands to obstruct her from picking another race.

"Are you my father that you would be giving me orders to follow".

" I'm sorry my princess but I make no rules. What I act on is according to how I was bided to, by your father the king.

They were standing in the columns of the apple orchard. The sweet flavour didn't allowed her anger to last. And the colours was pleasing to her sight.

She tried to moved ahead.

"My princess you have to come with him or I would be left with no choice than to help you back to the carriage".

She refused to moved. Her face was vibrating like an angry lioness. Ken drew closed to hold her.

"Don't touch me"

She went quietly with them back into the carriage.

She wanted the freedom she had back in the palace and in her kingdom. but here it seems like she was in prison. They rode in silence.

Queen Margaret told her to relaxed that all shall be fine. She stood up and sat with her on one side of the carriage sit. Eleanor wouldn't listen to her. She was so eager to be in the opened to see things for herself. Then Queen Margaret told her to closed the carriage window blinds that she want to showed something to her.