Will rode Tug silently through the dense forest, but none of his attention lay in their chosen path. Tug was guiding, twisting turning, and ducking through the trees. Will's attention instead lay on the road beside them and the royal carriage that was moving briskly along it. His eyes swept from side to side, looking for trip wires or hidden figures. As they rode on and on, Will searched harder, sure something would happen any moment. There it was, a bridge over a wide, rushing river. The supports on one side had been cut down and the slightest weight would be sure to topple the bridge. Will admired the bandits' handiwork. The untrained eye would see only weathering and animal scratches on the bridge, making this a total accident. The baron whose land this bridge was on was sure to receive the most of the blame, as it was his job to keep it in shape. Once he had seen the trap, Will carefully scanned the riverbanks for signs of someone hidden there. Down the river a ways, a large man was crouched in the tall grass, his eyes intent on the carriage. That would be the person who would retrieve Maddie from the river.
As the carriage approached the bridge, Will saw the horses stop tentatively, giving a warning to their driver of the unsafe conditions ahead. This was met by a sharp crack of a whip, and the horses started moving again. They managed to get halfway down the bridge when it gave way, plunging the horses, carriage, and guards into the water. Will watched as one by one the guards managed to reach the shore, but even their strength was barely a match for the power of the water. The horses were straining at their ties to the carriage, desperately trying to break free. Finally their buckles broke and they too got to shore. There was still no sign of Maddie. Will was getting worried that her staged death might not end up staged. The guards were starting to realize this too, and were walking along the bank peering through the water for her. They seemed to spot something and two of them jumped in. It wasn't until Will tore his eyes away from the guards' rescue mission that he saw Maddie fighting the current a ways down the stream. As she fought to reach the surface, the current brought her nearer and nearer to the large bandit. As soon as she was in his reach, He pulled her out of the water, hit her over the head with a club to knock her out, and tied a coarse sack over her head. It hurt Will to see his apprentice handled like this, but he appreciated her courage, as they were about to get to the bottom of things. He pulled up as close as he dared to the large bandit and waited as he tied Maddie to his saddle. When the bandit seemed satisfied that his charge wouldn't fall off, he mounted his horse and started riding through the underbrush. Will followed him at a safe distance.
After miles and miles of riding, the large bandit slowed down near a large copse of trees. After checking carefully to see that no one was following him, he led his horse into the center of the trees. As he rode closer, Will could hear the sounds of drunk men. Soon he found himself looking at a clearing in the trees. There were tents around the perimeter and several small fires surrounded by boisterous middle-aged men. In the very center of the camp was a large fire surrounded by a little less than a dozen captives, chained together at the wrist. He saw Maddie chained to the end, and found he couldn't stand to look any more. It was too much to realize the place he had put his apprentice in.
Cassandra was taking a much-needed break from paperwork to work with her sling when a messenger rushed up to her. He was obviously out of breath.
"M-my Queen," he stammered, pulling himself into a low bow.
"Stand up, now what is it?" Cassandra was slightly disappointed that her sling practice had been interrupted, but this might be important. Probably as important as it was last week. She thought. Perhaps some obscure country has sent an ambassador, or maybe, maybe, it is truly important, like 'It is time for your bath miss'.
"Your and the King's presence is requested immediately in the royal meeting room." This sparked Cassandra's attention.
"I will be there straightway."
"Thank you, My Queen." The messenger bowed low again and rushed away.
Cassandra hurried up to the meeting room and found Horace already there, as well as an ashen-faced guard. She recognized him as one of the guards that had accompanied Maddie. A wave of worry swept over her. Had Maddie run away from the envoy? Had she gotten bored and slipped off without their realization? Cassandra knew to respect her daughter's newfound Ranger skills.
"My Queen," said the guard, bowing respectfully. "I am afraid I bring you bad news. Your daughter, Maddie, went with me to meet her father. As we were crossing a bridge in the middle of the Baron Narab's fief, the bridge gave way and the carriage sunk into the river. We saw the princess get sucked under. We tried to save her, but her cloak caught in the current and pulled her away. She was pulled down and... I'm sorry your majesties. It was my duty to protect her, and I failed. I am sorry for that."
Cassandra was at a loss for words. She turned to face Horace, and could see tears already forming in his eyes. Her daughter, her only child, was gone.