No further news came from the assassin. He simply had been the tail end of a line of people and he had made it his business not to know who had hired him. All he knew was his employer would know who had managed the deed should Roald have died and that the payment would be sent to him. It seemed like far too much faith but in the end George confirmed that the man was no real assassin but a very lucky mercenary who managed to stumble on Gwen's location by hearing Aurelia talking to herself about how Gwen thought herself so high and mighty as Roald's squire, and then he had followed her straight to Gwen and through the door she had left wide open. He had been a competent swordsman hoping that the element of surprise would get him that far. He had no intention of attempting to kill the Prince who was likely better guarded than one small chit.
"What about the poison he was carrying? That usually marks a more professional assassin," Neal had demanded when they had been fully briefed.
"Picked up from an apothecary here in Corus, meant for Gwen should she prove to be in a more difficult spot or for himself should his employers have become upset he didn't finish the deed." George added. "He seems a smart man. Knows that money doesn't come without strings and if he had taken the money and walked away or if he failed it was likely something would have happened to him."
"So they are watching," Roald found himself asking. The company in the room wasn't for the faint of heart. Those being officially briefed on the assassination attempt on Gwen started with King Jonathon and Queen Thayet as his parents and their concern for how close another attempt on his life had come. With them came Sir Gareth the Younger, Lord Raoul, his three captains of the Own, Commander Evin Larse of the Riders, Sir Myles, Lady Alanna, Baron George Cooper, Neal, and Faleron. While Gwen was the main focus of the meeting she was not 'attending' the meeting. She was standing in the back of the meeting pretending to be serving though no one had anything to eat or drink. It had been the only way Roald could bring her this time. The last meeting of such over a year before had been for her sake and simply her sake to bring her up to speed and have her included. This meeting was to catch the others up on what was known to the Spymasters. Since Gwen knew enough, she could have been dismissed to avoid distracting the others with their fears of what might upset her.
"Or they have spies in Corus. It would be big news if the Prince's beloved squire perished. Or even if an attempt on her life came into play. As it is, we've managed to keep this quiet. The only person that knows outside of this room is the guard that you sent to find us Neal. And him we've managed to swear to silence with a blood oath." George glanced around the room and his eyes settled on Gwen in the back. "You've been quiet lass. Care to throw in an oar?"
Roald hid a smile. George would have been notified by his parents that Gwen shouldn't have been attending the meeting in the first place, yet George was never one to bow down to Jonathon and Roald never forgot that he was one of the few men that openly defied his father over and over again even in simple situations. The other was Sir Myles and that was simply because he was older and nicer and Jonathon didn't dare find out what lie under that nice exterior.
"My questions have been answered already, My Lord," Gwen bowed to George and went back to polishing the empty tea service set that Roald have given her to fiddle with for the duration of the meeting.
"Can we expect more attacks then? I know there was a theory put out that this mercenary might not be the only one with this contract," Faleron asked.
"We can always expect more attacks. We're planning on abdicating in the next year or two and it's a prime moment to remove the heir to the throne," Jonathon sighed.
"I meant, your Majesty," Faleron bowed his head to Jonathon before turning back to George, "can Gwen expect more of this contract out on her life or do you believe it was more of a one-time attempt, hope for the best?"
"We don't know. So keep your guard up," George looked back to Gwen who nodded without looking up.
"Any other questions?" Myles rose and asked. Roald noticed there were more sheepish looks on the Captain of First Company and of Second Company as well as on Gary's faces. They had more they wanted to ask but they weren't about to. They were trying to spare Gwen from whatever they had to say or ask.
"Perhaps, Squire Gwen, you would show me that beautiful orange bow of yours? It's osage wood isn't it? That's the only wood I know that can be so beautifully orange." Evin Larse was standing and offering his hand to Gwen. If Roald could have hugged the man, he would have. Not only was he drawing Gwen away from the meeting but he was doing so in a way that interested her and made her smile.
"But the meeting…" she looked to Roald clearly playing the squire wanting his permission to leave. He smiled and nodded to the door.
"I'll find you after," Roald assured her. Before the door closed all of the way he could hear Evin start up a debate about why osage was such a perfect wood. "Now what couldn't be asked in front of my squire?" He twisted in his chair to look to both captains and his uncle Gary. There was another moment of uncomfortable silence before Gary decided to talk.
"Are we sure the girl is safe?" He started.
"Of course she's not safe! She had an assassin come after her and she's thrown herself in the way of two more for his Highness," Faleron growled. "She's a walking danger to herself."
"I meant," Gary clarified, "that are we sure she's safe to be his Highness's squire? That this isn't all some ploy to get us to trust her and then she does the assassination in the end? She's on friendly terms with Tusaine and she exchanges letters with the Prince of Tusaine often. Perhaps she's on his payroll?"
"She's received valuable 'gifts' from Tusaine. Doesn't that show she's on his payroll? She's a spy working for Tusaine." The Captain of First Company tossed out.
"Merrywood doesn't send us knights. Merrywood doesn't send much to court besides the odd lady or two each generation. They are a small isolated fief up sitting at the north of the Tusaine border. Why are we seeing an attempt at knighthood now? And a woman no less? And why wait two years before coming here?" The Captain of Second Company added.
"You've got to be kidding me," Faleron muttered just loud enough for Roald to hear him best and Neal on his other side.
"I understand your concerns," Jonathon stood. "The truth of the matter is I have had these concerns for a while as have our spymasters. We've had someone tailing Gwen since she became my son's squire and I can lay some concerns of yours to rest." Jonathon nodded to Myles who produced a rather large scroll from inside of his tunic.
"Lady Gwendolyn of Merrywood's history up to date as of yesterday," he explained. "Showed unusual talent with the bow early in life. Trained in other weapons by her fief weapon's master and by the men at arms that protect their fief from immortals. All Tortallan, all former soldiers or loyal citizens. Attended the Convent at ten. Made few friends, notably punished often for impoliteness to the sisters. Left the Convent after twelve when she was revived after rescuing a child from flood waters. Enrolled in page training immediately after returning home. Four years as a page, quiet. Very studious, spent free time doing archery, clearly her passion. Friendly with others but made little more than acquaintances with her year. Passed the Big Exams with ease, no knight offers. Jump forward a few months and she's serving at a ball and reportedly saw the archer over the Prince's shoulder, shoved him out of the way, and took the arrows for herself. Duke Baird wanted it noted the girl's life was nearly lost. At this point the Prince sought her out and asked her to be his squire." Myles paused and looked up.
"What I hear out of all of that, is this young woman has been surrounded by loyal Tortallans her whole life, had little to no contact that was notable with Tusaine, disliked the Convent, and did not seek the Prince out in anyway."
"When Gwen woke from those arrow wounds," Roald turned to look at Faleron. He had a feeling he hadn't heard whatever was coming. "Gwen was terrified. She swore up and down she saw Roald crack his head on the ground and she never saw him rise. She was convinced she had accidentally killed the heir and she was going to Traitor's Hill to die so why bother healing her up and why bother giving her teas and herbs to make her feel better. To me, she doesn't sound like a spy or assassin. She sounds like a woman who acted on impulse and honestly feared she had harmed Roald."
"This is new information," Myles nodded to Faleron. "It's after Lady Gwendolyn became his Highness's squire that we are more concerned with. She became quite close with Sir Nikolas one of the diplomats from Tusaine and noted friend of Prince Edric. She spent time alone in his room with him."
"Did we manage to get that conversation too?" Roald asked trying to keep the bite from his voice. Despite knowing for over a year that Gwen was being followed, he didn't like any of it and he had made that opinion known to his father and both spymasters.
"We actually did. Gwen reported to you, your Highness, that she had gone in good faith because he had asked for her as Lady Gwendolyn and not as Squire Gwen. She reported that after multiple attempts from him to try and get information on yourself, the affairs of Tortall, and on your plan on the Tusaine meetings that were taking place at that time, she berated him and left." Myles looked to Roald to confirm that much. "That was a nice way of putting it. She left that man kneeling on the floor begging for her forgiveness, and I mean left as in she walked away when he was kneeling down apologizing. She didn't lie about that meeting." He smiled at Roald. Roald already knew the rest of this report but he could see confusion growing in the faces of those that doubted her. "No other private meetings took place between her and anyone from Tusaine. She did try to meet once for dinner with Sir Nikolas only for him to snub her and leave her waiting for an hour. She spent the evening alone."
"What about the payments?" Gary demanded.
"Lady Gwen's accounts are remarkable," Myles grinned. "I believe she cried in frustration from the amount of value the Tusaine court was placing on her protection of Roald. Gwen's wealth sits unused for the most part, only being added to by investments she placed on the advice of Sir Nealan, Sir Faleron, and Lady Knight Keladry, all noted Tortallan citizens…" Myles looked up to see if there was any debate. "There was an addition to the 'gift' from Tusaine over Midwinter last year. Once again, it sits unused. She did authorize her family to withdraw from her accounts to make improvements to her… oh how did you put that… small isolated fief. It has been in need of repairs for some time."
"And her correspondence with the Tusaine Prince?" Raoul's barely concealed smile told Roald, and anyone else bothering to look, that Raoul already knew it would prove to be unlikely Gwen was a spy.
"After the apology for being snubbed by one of Tusaine's knights, and the additional gift from Tusaine… she's simply having academic debates with the man."
"Edric remains unmarried. Any chance this is his way of courting her? If he were to marry Gwen he could order her to give up her knowledge of the Tortallan Crown." Gary pressed.
"Fat chance she'd give in to an order," Alanna snorted. Her comment was ignored by the majority of the room but Roald and George both smiled and Roald suspected if Faleron wasn't starting to smoke, he'd have smiled too.
"Edric courts a Duchess from Maren. He has no romantic interest in Gwen," George announced. "Now, the point of all of this has been and is that the lass is by all accounts completely and utterly loyal to Roald. I told you that a month after you had us set someone on her, Jon."
"I know, but there have been pressures," Jonathon dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
"With that answered in a way I'm sure puts all of your minds at ease," Myles turned to the three who had seemed the most sure that Gwen was a spy and assassin and met their eyes. "Perhaps you have more relevant questions?"
There were no more questions and the meeting ended. Roald waited until Faleron rose and tugged his arm. He could sense Faleron's almost nonexistent temper the moment it flared and it was good he had made it through the meeting without lashing out with it, but it needed to be diffused before Gwen came within 200 yards of him so she wouldn't know what exactly about this meeting had caused his anger. He pulled Faleron out into the hall and down to his suite of rooms. When the door was closed he pushed Faleron into a chair. "Go."
"They thought she did this to herself on purpose!" He shouted and then a moment later he was quiet again. "Well she did do it on purpose. You can't stop her from putting herself in danger when it's your life on the line. But that she created these situations to build your trust? And that she's a spy or assassin? Are they dense? She was twelve when she came to the palace and has barely left. And to set spies on her since she became your squire? Doesn't she deserve the benefit of the doubt?"
"No, I don't," Roald almost cursed when he turned to see Gwen in the door with Evin standing behind her. He had thought Evin would take Gwen to shoot her bow, not just to look it over in her room. "No one deserves the benefit of the doubt when the heir's life is on the line." She looked back at Evin and then smiled sweetly at Roald. "I kind of figured out I was under investigation when I saw the same person around me at my dawn practices in the courts and then again when I was running errands and then again in Corus…" she shrugged. "If he ever stops following me I'm going to start to miss him."
"I think you'll cope. You're no longer under investigation, so if you're going to send a note to Edric you might as well tell him now is the best time to recruit you," Roald grinned when Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Alright, I'll meet you on the courts Commander," Gwen turned and the bow on her back became visible as she left.
"I thought you were taking her to the practice courts," Roald whispered to Evin.
"I was. We got hung up looking at that armor you had made for her. We were just leaving when she heard Sir Court Bachelor yelling and she side tracked." Evin gave the vaguest nod to Faleron. "I couldn't have stopped her with a whole Rider group." With that Evin was gone, chasing after Gwen to see her in action.
"Nothing can stop that woman from telling me I'm wrong, it would seem," Faleron grumbled. Roald was surprised to realize that multiple times throughout the meeting and even now, Faleron refused to call Gwen a girl but referred to her as a woman always. Perhaps he didn't think of her as a child and that wasn't some hurdle to overcome.
"No, Fal, I doubt it was because she wanted to tell you that you were wrong. I think it's because she heard you yelling and wanted to fix it." Roald turned to walk towards the door. "She may have taken those arrows and that knife for me because I'm the heir and it's her duty. She'd do it for you just because you matter to her."
"You matter more than anyone else ever could. You're her knight master," Faleron was tinged slightly red as he said it. He had to know there was more going on beneath the surface. He also seemed to feel it was necessary to salve some sort of pride that Roald was supposed to have.
"You rank above archery," Roald let slip as he went out of the door. If Faleron knew Gwen at all he'd know exactly how high of a place he held in Gwen's mind. Gwen rarely said she loved anything in particular but archery she'd admit to loving all day long. He hoped it gave Faleron something to think about. The more he thought about Faleron and Gwen the more he wished it would just happen because the more he thought about the likelihood of Gwen surviving another attempt on his life with her protective instincts, the more he wanted her to enjoy herself in case it was her end. He would, of course, do everything within his power to keep her from that fate but he also knew Gwen would do whatever Gwen thought was right at decision time. And he already knew what Gwen thought was right.