Right Choice

The group trotted full-tilt back to the palace. The messenger was short on details, but he seemed very distraught. What could have made him fetch her at all? What had she to do with military matters?

Perhaps Caitlyn had sent the man to find her. That option only worried Rose more. When they finally reached the palace gate, the problem became obvious very quickly.

Hundreds or men were filling the upper part of the hill waiting to be admitted through the portcullis, which for some reason had been shut.

During the day, the lattice work was usually raised to admit workers and nobility who had business with the king. It had been open just that morning when the riding party had left.

"What in the world?" The princess scanned the troops as she rode by. She did not recognize any of the foot soldiers, cavalry or their wagons of supplies.

Fortunately the gatekeeper spotted her as she approached and waved her to the side.

"You made it!" he said breathlessly. "We were very afraid you might get caught up in the crowd, so Lady Caitlyn sent a soldier to escort you back. I hope you have not been waiting long."

Rose dismounted. While she could fit through the small door beside the blocked gate, Belle could not. The gatehouse was intentionally small to prevent a full scale invasion if the side passage were breached.

Rose and Ethyn passed the reins of their horses to Philip and another soldier. Then the two followed the gatekeeper through to the lawn of the outer bailey. On the path between the lattice of the gate and the inner curtain wall, two men were arguing feverishly.

"Let in the reinforcements. We don't have time for this foolishness!" Borit glared at Captain Rabert with murder in his eyes.

"You may be the Commander of the army, but I am entrusted with the military matters of the castle. We cannot support that many extra men inside the palace barracks." Rabert was not ready to be cowed just because the commander was shouting at him.

"But the king himself sent for these men to help guard the castle." Borit looked like a vein might pop out of his neck. He had already tried to order the men at the wench into lifting the gate, but the soldiers clearly preferred Rabert as their superior officer.

"The new troops can help guard outside the walls. The barracks down in the city will be better suited for this large company..."

Caitlyn noticed her mistress and ran to her side. "I am not sure what to do. They have been arguing this at a stalemate for a half hour with no end in sight. I sent for you in hopes you might be able to put the matter to rest."

"Where is father?" Rose knew the king would settle this in a moment. Surely neither of the men would argue with Rhodri's judgment.

"His Majesty had a headache and took a sleeping draught. The captain tried to wake him, but the king could not be roused." Caitlyn had also tried briefly to get the king moving, but he did little more than mumble and continue to snore. In seemed they would just have to wait for the medicine to wear off.

The pair of military men were still arguing, seemingly unaware of the princess's presence. The commander called the captain incompetent, and Rabert responded by balling his fists and trying very hard not to strike the commander in his smug mouth.

Things were about to go very wrong.

"Gentlemen," Rose interrupted softly. Her lack of experience in how to handle the matter showed in her unimpressive volume. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "Commander Borit, Captain Rabert…"

The two men's chest bumped together as their words became louder.

A whistle pierced the air and brought the rest of the courtyard into silence. Lowering his fingers, Ethyn motioned toward the lovely lady beside him. "Her Highness, Princess Rose!" He bowed.

At last the Commander and Captain registered the new arrivals. Both bent at the waist before the royal.

At last Rose found her voice. "What is the meaning of this, Gentlemen? You are both well respected, and yet here you are arguing like school children.."

Both men began to speak at once, but the princess raised her hand. "Commander Borit, you may go first."

Borit wrinkled his nose in satisfaction at the captain before clearing his throat. "Your Highness, King Rhodri sent for these men to protect the palace. We need to let them in and get them in position before it gets dark." His voice was full of concern.

"What is the urgency?" Rose could see that the commander was consumed with nervous energy. She had never seen him quite like that before.

"We have been quite slow in our return because of our heavily fought battle. But we have word that there will be trouble in Burke very soon. We must fortify the castle with supplies and men before it is too late." Borit held out his hands, his entreaty made more convincing by the pain on his face.

Rose hesitated. Something did not sit right with her. "What is your objection, Captain Rabert?"

Rabert lowered his head slightly to acknowledge it was his turn. "His Majesty put me in charge of castle security, not Commander Borit. This is too many men. They will overwhelm the castle and staff. We cannot realistically add so many all at once. The king did not inform me of this development, or I would have been preparing. If he meant to have these men come at all, then surely he intended for them to remain outside the castle."

Rose thought about how many men she had seen beyond the gate. There were over a hundred--maybe two or three hundred. While they had that many guests and more when they had celebrations, most of those guests did not stay at the palace and those who did stayed in the palace's many suites.

The princess doubted that her father intended to put these men up in the castle's rooms and she had seen how crowded the small barracks between the two walls was already.

"Captain Rabert has a point. There is no room for the men to stay here."

"Then please let them in and allow me to give them their assignments and then I will send them to the Burke for the night to rest." Borit worded it like a compromise, but Rose could see that he merely planned to get his way for now and then take the matter to the king when he awoke.

While she did want her father to have the final say, this tactic rubbed her the wrong way. Somehow Rose doubted that Borit would send the men home for the evening even if she insisted.

"You said the men have had a rough battle. I think they deserve to rest in town for the night. Let them be fresh for duty in the morning. If you want to station them outside the wall today, that is your choice. But my father gave Rabert control over troops in the castle, and I will respect the Captain's judgment." The longer the princess spoke, the more confidence she gained. This, to her, was the most logical solution. "We will shut the castle gate for the rest of the day as an extra security precaution. After letting in the horses and men I returned with, of course.

She was acting on her best judgment of what she knew of the two men and also what seemed best for the palace as a whole. Closing down the gate and not letting anyone in seemed like all the security they should need.

Borit was quietly seething, but there was really not much he could do. "I shall take this up with his Majesty as soon as he is able," the sharp-nosed man said at last.

"And I shall defer to his judgment then. Thank you, Commander." Rose dipped her head and walked to the gate. She helped her group to enter before having the portcullis lowered once more.

As she headed into the palace, Rose heard Borit mutter a curse to the Captain before turning to direct the soldiers to go down to the barracks in the city.

'I made the right choice,' she assured herself. 'I hope...'