Elizabeth stood in the marketplace in town pretending to be looking at some items while keeping a side eye on Florence. Raynold implored her to follow after her and see if she couldn't find out what was going on with her.
Florence left the stall she was visiting and stepped up to one of the shops along the edge of the marketplace. Elizabeth looked up and her eyes opened wide as she read the sign above the door "Sanfren's Boudoir". Elizabeth waited a few minutes and then stepped up and opened the door and stepped inside quietly.
A much younger woman stepped up smiling, "Welcome to Sanfren's. I'm Tessie is there anything I can help you with?"
Elizabeth smiled, "A friend recommended I check out your shop, I'm just looking for now."
The young woman smiled, "Oh, it's my Mother's shop. She's busy helping another customer in back. If you have any questions I can answer them for you."
Elizabeth nodded, "You sure seem to have a lot of nice things Tessie."
Tessie smiled, "Thanks. A lot of our business is younger women trying to catch a man and the rest are looking to put some magic back into their relationship." Tessie kind of giggled.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she was glad she wasn't looking right at the young woman. "I see," Elizabeth stopped as she looked at something hanging before her. Her eyes stared trying to figure out exactly how it was meant to be worn.
"Oh do you like it? It is fully adjustable to fit most women for a lifetime." Before Elizabeth could say anything Tessie pulled it down and slipped it on over her clothes as she began pointing out the various straps and how they fit around the body.
Elizabeth looked as she heard an unfamiliar voice from in the back. "Oh, so your Bo will be back in a month or so? Has he already proposed?"
"Oh he isn't my Bo, yet. He's recently suffered the loss of his girlfriend. I'm just going to be ready to stake my claim when he returns to the Keep. I was a little slow last time and it gave her the chance to snatch him away from me." Elizabeth heard another voice say.
"So what do you think?" Tessie asked as she turned around demonstrating the 'contraption' as far as Elizabeth was concerned.
"Er, I'm not sure. My husband is a little simple minded. That might be more elaborate than I need," Elizabeth told her.
Tessie smiled, "No worries, step right over here. I am sure this might be more his speed then."
"Oh the poor dear, but then that's a good thing for you then. Men have never been much to grieve for long. One look of you in this and he will be yours in no time. What is the dear's name?" The other voice asked.
"Oh, he's very influential and I wouldn't want to speak out of turn," the woman answered her.
Tessie held up a simple sheer nightie with matching panties, "It comes in a number of colors if either of you have a favorite color."
Elizabeth stepped up closer and reached out and touched the fabric and found it very soft and silky, "This is very nice. How much would something like this be?"
"Oh come on Florence, you know me. I'm the soul of secrets, give me a hint," the other woman begged.
Tessie smiled, "Only sixteen sovereigns."
Elizabeth's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"I really shouldn't Sanfren, but, if all goes well. You will have to call me Lady Florence," Florence told her.
Elizabeth swayed when she heard that, Tessie reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Are you okay ma'am?" Tessie asked her in concern.
Elizabeth nodded, "Ha-Have, Have you got it in green?" Elizabeth struggled in an almost high pitch voiced asked.
Tessie nodded, "I'll be right back." She let go of Elizabeth and walked into the back.
"Wise Lady," Elizabeth whispered."
Elizabeth handed Tessie Raynold's authorization slip to send the bill to the Keep for payment. Tessie smiled and filled out the slip and Elizabeth signed it before taking the boxed garment and leaving.
The sun had set by the time Elizabeth fled the shop as soon as she purchased the nightie as Tessie called it. It took her almost an hour to reach the Keep. She was out of breath as she entered the Keep and made her way to Raynold's office slamming the door behind her.
"Elizabeth, did you find out what is going on?" Raynold asked as he looked up in shock from the slamming door.
Elizabeth nodded as she bent over the chair before his desk gasping for breath. "She's under the impression that the Lord's love Paige is dead and she is planning to do everything she can to take him for her own."
Raynold slammed his fist on his desk, "Damn it, Bethany. They must have crossed paths when Bethany left to go to Oxinaer and Florence told her the truth. How stupid of me, I should have used the mirror and contacted our Lord. If anything has happened to the Lady Paige it will be my fault for not contacting him."
Elizabeth looked up, "I didn't realize she was a Lady."
Raynold stood up, "That's how our Lord addressed her, so I chose to honor that." He stepped over to the mirror in his office. He touched five nubs on the frame around the mirror before he said, "Zyalan."
Elizabeth stared as they saw the mirror transform from reflective glass to obscured swirling clouds.
Sylvester lay sound asleep in his tent when he could hear a whooshing sound and his eyes fluttered for a moment and then opened. He could hear the whooshing quite clearly and he grabbed his glasses and put them on. He looked over and saw Toby asleep. The sound seemed to be coming from the small mirror by the candle that was burning. Sylvester's eyes opened wide as he scrambled as quickly as he could out of his blankets. He inadvertently stepped on Toby's leg trying to rush over to the mirror.
"Damn it Sly, watch where you are going, I just got to sleep. You know I got the mid watch again," Toby complained as he grabbed his leg.
Sylvester ignored him as he grabbed the small mirror and pressed 3 of the small nubs that surrounded the mirror.
Raynold saw the clouds clearing and slowly he could see Sylvester's image forming, "Thank the wise Lady, Master Sylvester, where is our Lord?"
"He's on watch Raynold, hold on," Sylvester told him as he carried the mirror out of the tent.
Lord Walter was sitting before the campfire with the Lady Paige sitting on his lap kissing as Sylvester saw them, "My Lord, I'm sorry for disturbing you. Raynold has called."
Lord Walter looked up, "Raynold, what is wrong my friend?"
"My Lord, I am so sorry, I should have called the other day but I thought I had fooled Lady Bethany. Please tell me our Lady Paige okay? I won't be able to forgive myself if she isn't," Raynold was nearly in tears.
Sylvester turned the mirror around, "I'm fine Raynold," Paige told him.
"Praise the wise Lady," Raynold let out his breath.
"Lady Bethany is no longer with us Raynold, we also lost Jesse to the blight. I need you to make arrangements with his family," Lord Walter told him.
"I'm sorry to hear that my Lord, Jesse was a good man. Please don't blame yourself for that," Raynold told him.
Lord Walter looked at him, "What happened to prompt this communication?"
Raynold nodded, "When Lady Bethany showed up the other day I sent her on a wild goose chase to San Deggo. But when Mistress Francine came up to the Keep after school today inquiring about you and your return, it seemed a tad suspicious to me. I sent Elizabeth to see if she could figure out what was going on. Based on what she heard Francine saying I'm surmising that the two met as Bethany left to go to Oxinaer to catch a ship and Francine told her the truth about who you were with and where you had gone."
"Wait, why would she go to Oxinaer to catch a ship to San Deggo?" Walter looked at him puzzled.
Raynold smiled, "I told her one of the reasons you had gone there was to ask the Father of a Lady Daphne for his permission to marry her. Anyway Elizabeth over heard her telling the shopkeeper that she was expecting an influential person from the Keep to return in a little over a month. That this person had recently suffered the loss of their girlfriend and that she had moved too slowly last time which allowed his girlfriend to take him away from her. When pressed about who the person was she only said that if it worked out she would be called Lady Francine."
Paige glared at the mirror, "Florence, that snake in the grass. To cowardly to challenge me herself she sought to have me killed?"
Raynold nodded, "Please forgive me."
Paige waved him off as she stood and paced about. Lord Walter's face was dark, "Raynold, is this conversation private?"
Raynold could clearly see the anger in his face and he was surprised that the Lord hadn't jumped up to smash something. He pointed to the side, "Elizabeth is here, in case I misspoke what she told me."
Lord Walter nodded as he tried to calm down, "Thank you Elizabeth for helping discover what was going on. Raynold, we are already on our way home but we will be swinging by Lancaster to pick up a few things. We probably won't be back before school is out for the summer, if we aren't then I am authorizing you to terminate Florence's posting and banish her from the lands."
"No," Paige said suddenly.
Lord Walter looked up in surprise, "My Love?"
Paige looked at him, "When we know for sure when we are going to arrive back home I want her, forced if necessary, to be standing in front of the crowd to greet us. I want to see the look on her face when she sees I am still alive and well. At which point I want a crier to declare our wedding two weeks after that day. I want her to come crawling to the Keep to quit and THEN you can fire and banish her from the lands."
Lord Walter smiled, even in her anger he saw her beauty. He held out his hand. Paige returned his smile and took his hand and he pulled her over to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist holding her tightly, "You heard our Lady Raynold. I'll try and give you as much lead time as I can on when that day is so you can quietly begin preparations for the wedding. Guest list and what not, right now I would guess we'll be back in two, perhaps three weeks. We've got to swing by Harris and then we are going over to Lancaster to pick up a few things for the wedding before we return."
"Of course my Lord, I will begin the quiet preparations. My Lady, who do I send invites to for you?" Raynold looked at her.
Paige's expression turned sad as she looked off, "The only person I would care to invite would be my Bard mentor and friend Elizabeth of Caranth. But I have no idea if she would even be there. I haven't seen or heard from her in almost nine years."
Walter stroked her cheek, "Do you not wish to reach out to your Mother?"
Paige shook her head, "When I left eleven years ago she told me she never wanted to hear from me again."
Walter nodded, "Are you sure? Eleven years is a long time. She may regret her decision."
"What if she still doesn't care or want to know anything about me? I'm not sure I can go through that again," Paige told him in a small voice.
Walter nodded, "Well you think about it over the next few days. If needed, I can send a messenger by way of Selease to invite her." Walter whispered, "Should we tell him we are already wed?"
Paige nodded.
Lord Walter looked at Raynold, "Just so you know, this wedding is mostly symbolic and for our people. Sir Cabe officially married us a little over a week ago."
Raynold smiled, "Congratulations my Lord and Lady. That is truly wonderful news."
"Thank you," they both told him as they smiled at each other.
"Make sure when it is announced to our people that gifts are forbidden. We would appreciate just their well wishes. They need not be burden with trying to provide a gift when we already have more than we could ever need." Paige told Raynold.
Raynold nodded, "It will be as you desire my Lady."
Lord Walter looked up, "Raynold, are there empty quarters near Sir Cabe's?"
Raynold thought about it for a moment, "I believe there are." He turned and looked at a map on his wall and he flipped a page, "Yes, there are two."
Lord Walter nodded, "Whichever is the nicest, set it aside for Allie. A new member of our company, it is possible she will want a home in the town so pick out a good location with lots of room for gardening. I want to give her plenty of options when we get home."
Raynold nodded as he put a pencil to the map, "I will see to it my Lord. Is there anything else?"
Lord Walter nodded, "I promised Sir Cabe thirty days off duty when we return. Make whatever notes you need for that."
Raynold nodded, "As you will it my Lord."
They said goodnight and Sylvester shut down the magic of the mirror before returning to bed.
Paige turned to kiss Walter and she noted the stiff muscles of his neck, "Walter?"
"Sorry my Love, Florence, she has violated the first tenant of Scorpion Keep. I find myself severely irritated," Walter told her.
Paige smiled, "I understand my Love, but for now, let this be the last we speak of it. There will be plenty of time to deal with it when we get back."
Walter grinned, "I agree." They kissed deeply.
For the fifth straight night Lord Beyon hadn't come to dinner and Lady Juniper was growing tired of it. She walked up to the door of his study and grabbed the handle and tried to pull but found it locked. Her eyes grew dark as she knocked but nothing but silence greeted her. "My Lord, I know you are inside, unlock this door, now."
Lady Juniper waited thirty seconds, raising her voice, "If you do not open this door immediately, I will open it myself."
She snarled as the door remained locked. She stepped back and reached up to her necklace and took her owl necklace into her left hand. She held her right hand out and concentrated and a yellowish energy appeared in her hand and elongated and ballooned on one end until it looked like she was holding a war hammer. She took hold of the handle with both hands and drew back and slammed the hammer into the door.
Dust and pebbles of the stone doorway fell as the door shook. She drew back and slammed the hammer into the door again and several planks of wood splintered and larger chunks of the stone fell out as the metal braces and hinges began separating from the wood. She drew back for a third strike when she heard the bolt flip and the door opened slightly.
She reached out and grabbed the handle and pulled and the door opened, almost falling off its hinges. She saw Lord Beyon standing just inside and she glared at him. He turned and walked on into the study. She followed behind him and closed the door behind her best she could. She gestured and cast a silence spell against what remained.
"Is this what we have come too? Have I not reassured you enough, shone you how much I still love and value you that you will continue to hide from me?" Lady Juniper demanded.
"Can you not understand how embarrassed I am at my own actions? That I have been cast out from the wise Lady," Lord Beyon spoke barely above a whisper.
Lady Juniper shook her head as she glared at him, "So, then are you ready for me to remove you from the throne and take your place?"
Lord Beyon shrugged.
"Even if you are no longer a Paladin, you have the love and respect of our people. You still know right from wrong, respect from contempt. You can lead and show the way, join with me my Love. We can turn this around," Lady Juniper implored.
"I'm scared, not just for me now but for you and our people. Merrick could do so much damage now thanks to me," Lord Beyon told her.
Lady Juniper stepped up to him and reached out and caressed his face, "Beyon, my Love. Show the courage you have always shone. Cancel that summons of Lord Walter. Send a new message, advised him of what is really going on here. With him on our side we can rid ourselves of this infestation and we take our forces and move against Merrick and remove his evil from this world forever."
"He's a junior Paladin, we'd be better off getting Lord Montgomery or even Lord LeBron." Beyon said through closed eyes.
Lady Juniper laughed, "You've followed every report of Lord Walter you could find and you have remarked time and again how special he was and how far he could go. And now you have doubts? Or are you still thinking in fear?"
"How would I even issue the order? Merrick's rear guards are everywhere. They dog everyone's steps. They are trained not to care because their sole purpose is to die if necessary holding back an attacking force while the rest of their army flees a battle. I don't know what to do my Love," Beyon took her in his arms.
"I will make the arrangements my Lord, but I need you to start showing your backbone. I need the people to have faith in you being able to lead and protect them. I need to know you can still summon that courage. If need be I will stand beside your throne and augment your authority with my own. But I have to caution you my Lord. If you can't do this, I will replace you on the throne," Lady Juniper told him through tears with steel in her voice.
And so the adventure continues. I hope this finds you all well, we are still doing as well as we can expect. Franxine, originally when I completed the other story I had changed it to an M rating, which may be why you didn't see it. After I saw your comment about not seeing it I changed it back to T rating. I may change it back to M in a day or two just to warn you. To the Adventure! -Tim