Chapter 11

"Adam?" Meg called in her mind as she looked out over the road they were about to start on. "Adam, how have the roads been for you?"

"They have been good, besides being a little bumpy but nothing that will slow you down. Are you just leaving?" He voice came back.

"Yes, finally I might add. I actually sent General Tanget and all his companies out yesterday, except the one that stayed with me as my escort. We have had several delays." Meg complained.

"I know," Adam said quickly before she could go on. "You told me most of them yesterday. Waiting for certain information, then waiting for the last company to get in to the castle, and they go on and on. If you don't mind me saying, I don't really care."

"If you were really in front of me and you said that I would punch you." Meg said defiantly. She heard soft laughter coming through their link from that remark. "How about you? Are you almost to your command site?"

"Yes, I am. I will probably be there tomorrow. My father is probably going to be there to see how well I do with command. I am actually a little bit nervous. I mean why should any of these people follow me after so many years of pretending to be an idiot. I wouldn't." He confessed.

"Who is the person who everybody follows, no matter what their job is? He doesn't necessarily have to be the top person but he is someone everybody respects." Meg asked quietly.

Adam paused as he thought, Meg could see in her mind's eye flashes of images as he looked around at the people riding around him. "I think that would be Tren."

"Tren? Tren of Point Square? He was one of the councilors that was here, wasn't he? That will make it easier." Meg interrupted.

"Yes," Adam said annoyed, "He was. Are you going to explain now what you are talking about?"

Meg laughed, "Go talk with him, if I remember right he likes you which will help." Meg could feel Adam urging her to get to the point, so she quickly continued. "You need to get this man on your side. Because if he treats you with respect, so will everyone who respects him. Just go up to him and explain that you are nervous that people won't follow you because of all those years you spent as a fool to throw off any people who were after your life. And now you are trying to throw off that image and start becoming the man who will be king one day. Ask for his advice, he will help you the most, not me." Meg ended with a sad smile on her face.

Adam smiled as he caught the idea of her suggestion, "I'll go talk to him right now, he is right ahead of me. But shouldn't you take your own advice. You hardly ever ask for advice, and"

Meg quickly interrupted him, "I do too ask for advice, just because you aren't always around when I do it doesn't mean that I don't do it." She snapped.

Adam laughed before continuing, "Then how did that occurrence in the council room happen last week when you told all your councilors to 'shut up'?"

"How about now when I tell you to shut up?"

"Now that isn't nice, you don't want to do anything that might make this treaty not work." Adam answered.

"You're assuming I want to make it work." She shot back.

"Well, now you're stuck with me, whether you want it to work or not.." Adam replied.

"I know, having you in my head gets annoying, I will have you know."

"I can say the same thing about you, got to go, someone is trying to talk to me." Adam said quickly before closing the link.

Meg focused back on the road which she was traveling with everyone else, in her talk with Adam they had actually traveled a good distance from the castle. She looked around at all the people around her and sighed. She hated traveling with such large groups it always made her feel closed in. She looked at those who were in front of her and tried to find someone who she could talk to. Meg found several of the captains and moved her horse ahead to catch up with them so she could talk about different strategies with them.

When they started setting up the camp, Meg was beginning to get tired of all the looks and comments on whether she could use the sword strapped to her back or if it was only for decoration. So just after dinner she had everyone called together to the middle of camp. She jumped up on a log and called for attention, when everything was quiet she began, "Now, I know many of you haven't been around on castle duty since I became the Queen and therefore don't know me as well as I would like. I also know many of you are suspicious about whether I can use this sword on my back. I can't have you suspicious of me or doubting me when I give an order so I am here to set up a tournament. Anybody can join in we will have different matches every night. And the beginning match will be with me. Are there any brave young men out there who think they can beat me?" Meg stopped letting the question hang over the air as all the soldiers looked around seeing if anyone would challenge the Queen.

"I will," Said a clear, strong voice from behind her.

Meg turned around and smiled. "Captain Tev, I would be honored. The rest of you please tell one of the clerks if you want to participate and they will quickly draw up an order. " She turned around and smiled at Captain Tev, "You better not go easy on me," She threatened.

Tev smiled before answering, "I wouldn't dream of it. I have seen you practicing with the guards in the mornings- I fear I may have to ask you to take it easy on me."

That caused Meg to laugh, "I may not be as good as you think I am, Tev but shall we see." And she motioned widely for them to go to where they would be running the tournament.

When they got there she traded her real weapon for a practice sword and started doing quick exercises to limber up. When she noticed that Tev was ready to go she stepped in front of him to start. She looked around the circle to see most of the company's troops eager to see who will win. She smiled mockingly at him and bowed to start the fight.

They started the mock battle with swords clanging, and a blur of wood. Meg knew that she wouldn't be able to match Tev on strength so she concentrated on being fast and unpredictable. Every time it looked like Tev was gaining ground Meg was able to do some fast maneuver to wiggle out of it, but she couldn't seem to catch him off guard. In a final attempt to get him she tried a new move Adam had been telling her about earlier that afternoon, but it backfired and she ended up having a sword pointed at her throat. In defeat she nodded her head, signaling the end of the match. As he dropped his sword point Tev remarked, "You fight really quite well, you need to work on your endurance though. Working fast can burn your energy really fast as well."

Meg tiredly looked at him, "If that was supposed to raise my spirits, you need to work on that, cause it didn't."

"You did what you wanted to do and that is show these men that you can fight and fight well. So don't be discouraged." Tev said encouragingly.

"That doesn't mean I will be any more grateful for all the bruises you have given me tonight, especially when I wake up tomorrow morning." Meg said mournfully. The men that were close enough to hear it laughed and gave her encouraging smiles.

Meg smiled and greeted all the people she passed as she headed for her tent. They all seemed to acknowledge her now that she had proven her skill. As she walked into her tent she heard Adam's voice remark, "After a full day of riding, why did you submit yourself to that?"

"You know why I did it, so why did you really ask?"

"Just trying to make conversation." He said mildly.

"When you have something worth saying, come talk to me then, for the mean time, leave me alone…Please." She added quickly at the end.

"Fine, be a social recluse then." Adam sniffed before breaking the link.