General Mathias Isleigh is my own character.

The short journey to the Golden Rudder was generally free of conversation; they had passed through the streets of Rivertown and now led their mounts forward on the muddy road, with the Weapons following some distance behind in staggered pairs.

Karigan had not anticipated admitting her insecurities to Zachary, but now felt the relief of an illogical grudge finally eradicated. The luxury of having such a close confidant was something she had not truly experienced since her closeness with Estral. She gulped in discomfort when she recalled her last interactions with her beloved friend. And even more recently, the slight underlying tension between herself and her father.

So much pent up emotion and pain, the hazards of her occupation and her relative isolation had never allowed her an outlet to channel these feelings. Some of which, intentionally repressed, had hurt others and continued to cause anxiety to herself and those in her company. She subtly glanced over to Zachary, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the weariness in his expression. It was rather sobering and more than upsetting to realize how much additional strain she put on him when she did not confide in him. Karigan let out a barely concealed scoff, she was acting the part of a fussy female and not that of a Queen, or a Rider for that matter.

Zachary's almond eyes glanced at her with slight surprise when he noted the wry humor etched on her face. Silently, he reached for her hand as they strode forward, giving her a fingers a quick squeeze while he continued to look straight ahead. She bit her lip and squeezed back, holding his hand a few more precious moments before reluctantly releasing it.

The familiar sight of the stables and inn came into view, and with it a small tendril of apprehension as Karigan glanced about the yard. The sound of a hound baying brought their attention to one of the open stable doors, revealing Cetchum who came forward with a broad grin.

Reaching out to shake her hand, he exclaimed with a chuckle, 'I remember the face if not the name.'

Karigan smiled back shyly and hesitantly answered while casting a sideways glance at her husband, 'Kariny. Kariny Grey. What are you doing mucking about in the yard, ferry master?'

'River is too high with spring runoff, I've a few days before I can try for any crossings,' he said with a shrug. Cetchum turned to Zachary expectantly, 'And who might this lad be?'

'I am . . .' Zachary floundered a moment, 'Finder. Finder Doyle.'

Someone choked on their snicker behind them, but when the couple turned to glare behind them, they were greeted by the innocent expressions of their Weapons.

Zachary turned to Cetchum with an apologetic look, 'This is rather short notice, but we are a small detachment looking for shelter for the night. Are there rooms available?'

The ferrymaster rubbed his chin thoughtfully, 'The mistress has had slow business of late, so I imagine there be some space available, that is rooms without companionship,' he said with a hearty guffaw. Karigan turned slightly pink but inclined her head, 'We would have no aversion to sharing rooms; it would be better than the ground in this weather.' There was a murmur of assent behind her as the small group consolidated as one. Cetchum nodded in agreement, 'Well I best be taking ye to Silva.'

Zachary turned to the group and tilted his head slightly, scattering the Weapons as they left their mounts with a select few, and quietly scanned the grounds. Karigan handed her reins to Brienne and followed Zachary inside the sprawling house, self-consciously wiping her boots on the mat before the front door. Cetchum bade them wait in the entryway as he bustled into a corridor and disappeared. A few moments later revealed both Rona and Silva as they came forth with varying degrees of surprise, Cetchum trailing behind.

Silva's eyes widened when she took in Zachary's rough appearance but if one was looking, there was still an unmistakably regal air about him. Clearing her throat delicately, 'Cetchum mentioned there was a Rider Grey and a Rider Doyle who needed a room? I had no idea I would see you again so soon . . . Rider Grey,' she remarked dryly.

Karigan winced but offered a conciliatory smile, 'I seemed to find my way back to the area, Mistress Silva. And I brought a number of traveling companions.'

Silva suppressed a smirk, 'Indeed.'

Zachary then spoke softly, 'We would be much obliged Mistress, for your hospitality, and for your discretion.'

Silva's gaze came to rest on him thoughtfully and she then gave a genuine smile that still held a hint of humor, 'But of course. I am in the business of discretion and naturally, I would not refuse messengers of the king.'

Karigan reclined against the headboard of the massive feather bed. Its deep red velvet curtains were drawn back to allow the heat of the fire permeate the piles of covers. She had been drawn a bath, a courtesy that Silva had extended to all eight members of Karigan's contingent who stayed in the Golden Rudder. There were several Weapons on patrol within the forest, garbed in muted grays and browns as they kept a silent vigil over the occupants of the inn.

Rona had brought Brienne and herself into this particular bedroom that housed the lavish bed, and several plump floor cushions that lay idly before the fire. The other available rooms were divided equally amongst Zachary, Fergal, and the other Weapons. Karigan allowed herself a small amused smile as she recalled how Zachary and Fastion had hooked their arms underneath Fergal's to drag him away from a former paramour.

Both women now rested quietly within the peace and warmth of the room, freshly washed and in clean clothing from their saddlebags. Brienne rested a shoulder against a floor cushion as she stirred the fire with the poker, glancing up at Karigan whose eyelids were beginning to droop in exhaustion. Silently, Brienne rose and made for the door, offering Karigan a reassuring smile as she slipped out the door.

It seemed to be several long minutes before the door opened again, this time revealing Trudy, who glanced over her shoulder furtively. Karigan blinked wearily and sat up straighter, her fall of brown locks cascading over her shoulder, 'Trudy?'

The young woman grinned mischievously, 'So you remember me?'

Karigan nodded hesitantly, 'I do.'

Trudy approached the bed with a sly look, 'Silva said you came back with another Rider and a handful of soldiers.'

'True enough.'

'The one staying with you . . . is she . . .' Trudy trailed off, one eyebrow raised expectantly. Karigan raised her own eyebrows in confusion and stared back. The other young woman rolled her eyes, 'Does she desire some company you think?'

Karigan blinked in surprise, 'You know, I really don't know. Ask.'

Trudy gave a delighted giggle, 'That I will. And are you sure, my lovely, that you do not desire an encounter as well? You are always welcome.'

Karigan gave a small helpless chuckle and shook her head. Trudy pouted a bit but shrugged a shoulder as she sauntered back towards the door, 'You know where to find me.'

The door opened again before Trudy could reach for the handle. Zachary and Brienne poked their heads around the door with a cautious expression, their eyes taking in the scantily clad Trudy and the slightly tumbled look of Karigan's appearance. Zachary opened the door wider, allowing Brienne to slip in before he closed it behind him. Karigan looked at him over Trudy's shoulder with a wide-eyed expression.

Trudy placed hands on both her hips and smiled provocatively, 'Hello my beauties, fancy seeing you here. Especially you Master Doyle, you should not be in a lady's room,' she admonished playfully.

Zachary offered her a short bow and placed the leather satchel he was carrying on the floor, 'Are you Miss Trudy?'

Trudy acknowledged him with a bob of a curtsey, 'My reputation precedes me I gather?'

He flashed a grin, 'I have indeed heard of you, but as to why I am in Kariny's room, that is between the lady and myself. I regrettably ask that you leave us for the evening.'

Trudy raised an eyebrow, 'Now now, I was here first. And I regrettably must tell you that despite my preference for those pretty blue eyes, she be a lady of good stock and doesn't need a man prowling into her room.'

Brienne stiffened slightly and tensed to move forward but Zachary lifted his hand slightly to stay her motions, 'Your concern does you credit, miss, but your fears are unfounded.'

Karigan gulped, 'It is alright Trudy, he can stay.'

Trudy snorted, 'He is easy on the eyes, love, but tomorrow you might regret it. I'm only looking out for you.'

Zachary wrinkled his nose, 'She is more than welcome to kick me out.'

Trudy rolled her eyes and turned to Brienne, 'What can I say, I tried. How about you? Fancy a drink down in the parlor?'

Brienne looked over Trudy's shoulder to Karigan's pleading face and sighed, gesturing Trudy towards the door, 'I'd love to.'

The door closed behind them and Zachary looked back at Karigan with a vaguely amused expression. 'Out of the entire staff, only one remembers your true name?'

Karigan shrugged slightly, 'Silva happens to know my father personally, and while the others have seen him, I think it has been too long to re-establish that link in their minds. No one would expect Stevic G'ladheon's daughter, the Queen of Sacoridia to be staying at a brothel in Rivertown.'

'Trudy remembers you well enough it seems,' Zachary remarked.

Karigan fought a smile, 'Kariny is close enough to Karigan in her mind, I guess.'

He approached the feather bed and poked at the covers, 'Is there enough room in here for me, you think?'

'And where would poor Brienne sleep?' she teased.

'Silva has a small room prepared for her, she let me know while the two of you bathed.'

Karigan acknowledged that with a tilt of her head and smiled, 'It is rather early for you to be heading to sleep; not past the eighth hour.'

'Ah yes, one of the other reasons for my wish for privacy,' he said, turning around to pick up his satchel. He emptied the contents onto the bedspread, scattering several folded missives, random papers, and writing utensils.

She wrinkled her nose as she picked up the utensils and placed them in a pile on the bed stand, 'This is why you have a secretary, you can't keep yourself organized.'

Zachary rummaged through the pile and tossed several open letters into her lap, 'That is why you are here,' he said slyly.

'What are these?'

'Love letters from Beryl Spencer,' he deadpanned.

Karigan gave him a non-amused look as she picked up one and scanned the contents. It was from one of the three generals that traveled with the army, General Mathias Isleigh, citing his intent to camp across the river to await the king's return. She looked up with a furrowed brow, 'This came today?'

He nodded, 'With Fergal. Along with the correspondence from Sacor City that General Isleigh carried.'

Karigan looked back down at the general's sloping signature with a frown, 'I've never heard of this general before.'

He inclined his head, 'His promotion and that of a few others came several months ago, in light of their exemplary conduct at the D'Yer wall. Not soldiers of the old school of thought but rather willing to adapt their troops to the situation at hand.'

She let out a small puff of air, 'I don't mean to sound suspicious but considering your old council . . .'

Zachary pulled off his boots and climbed onto the bed, crossing his arms and settling next to her. 'I don't deny I've had my reservations since my illness, but I have learned I can place my trust in this man. I trust him, ultimately, to do the right thing.'

'And the rest of these letters?'

He smiled gently, 'An acknowledgement from Laren and a few other individuals that my instructions are being carried out.'

Karigan chuckled, 'Should I be worried about what you are planning?'

Zachary's smile faded and he broke her gaze to look into his lap, 'There are some plans in place . . .'

All traces of mirth left her countenance as she placed a hand on the side of his face and brought his gaze back, 'For what?'

His eyes held hers for a few moments and he brought his hand up to cover hers. 'Should a battle occur, here, and we fail-'

'We won't fail,' she stubbornly insisted.

Zachary placed a finger on her lips, 'If we fail, measures have been enacted to ensure the survival of Sacoridia, and of you.'

Karigan narrowed her eyes and stiffened, 'You seem to think you will die in a blaze of glory on the field?'

'No, I think I am a prime target to take down regardless of my position on the field, in a command tent, or in Sacor City. I think last year proves that,' he said wryly.

Zachary sighed and picked up the bundle of papers in her lap, holding them carefully between his hands. 'Soon. Very soon we may well be engaged with the enemy. I need my mind at rest that my country and those I care for will be able to continue to fight Mornhavon if I fall.'

Karigan's lower lip quivered slightly but her gaze remained steely, 'What would you need me to do?'

He smiled softly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, 'That's my Queen.'

Several hours were spent as he carefully laid out detailed plans that, in her estimation, must have taken several months to complete. All Lord-Governors were aware of the protocols to follow should the army fail to defeat Mornhavon and whatever force he brought with him. Those able were to evacuate their residents to neighboring Rhovanny or to Eletia. Karigan visibly started when he gestured to the points of entry on the Eletian border where groups of tiendan would patrol and look for refugees.

She examined the map closer, 'I had thought there was no contact with Eletia. All attempts to communicate had failed.'

Zachary winced, 'Not necessarily. To anyone else, we had indeed failed to negotiate an alliance with Eletia, when in fact such a union had already been struck in secret at the culmination of the Blackveil expedition. I could not trust my council and as for you and I . . .' he trailed off awkwardly.

She reached out to pat his hand absently, 'At least the alliance exists, secrets aside,' she joked. 'What about the arrangements with Rhovanny?'

'Not as comfortable, I'm afraid but we are at least permitted to cross the border if necessary,' he explained. She sat back on her heels and regarded the provinces printed across the heavy vellum. 'What about those in the south? L'Petrie, Hillander?'

Zachary leaned back and carefully met her gaze, 'Kari . . . both are likely to meet with heavy casualties, even with the army here. Too many will get caught in the middle.'

Karigan bit her lip, 'But if we evacuate beforehand . . .'

'There a few weeks at most before anything will happen. Any force would want to land as soon as possible to secure the port and begin north. There is a lot of ground for them to cover before the autumn weather. How fast can a stream of refugees move? Especially with the young, sick, and elderly?'

'My aunts were not posturing when they said they could coordinate an evacuation,' she pointed out a bit crossly.

'Help that I intend to utilize, I did not say I was going to leave the people in the south to fend for themselves,' he soothed. 'But this will have to be done delicately, if we are to accomplish anything before the fighting starts. We still will have losses; I want you to be aware of that.'

She nodded slowly, 'I acknowledge what can and likely will happen, but I want to do all that I can to avoid it.'

'As do I,' he replied, 'And so, we will start with small groups. I will leave it to your aunts to coordinate how best to give it the appearance of legitimacy. Students, merchant trains, family visits, whatever they think will work best.'

'And Hillander?'

'They have a bit more notice than those here in L'Petrie, but the same rule applies there as well. There are too many eyes that watch the southern shores to effectively hide a large flight of people fleeing north.'

She was silent for a few moments, 'You've thought this out very well.'

Zachary took some time to formulate his answer, 'It was how I occupied my time after Estora passed. It was an inevitability that needed to be dealt with and I did not wish to be unprepared.'

'Understandable,' she replied quietly, strangely at peace with Estora's memory. 'And what are your plans for me?'

'You return to Sacor City and continue on,' he said simply.

'Just like that?'

'Just like that. Provided you go willingly. Fastion has instructions to sedate you and carry you back if he encounters resistance,' Zachary said with a small smile. 'If the city falls, you've been through the castle passageways, get the people to safety. You will be given asylum in Eletia.'

Karigan pulled her now dry hair over her shoulder and slowly began to braid the brown locks, 'And if I carry a child?'

His eyebrows shot up, 'I did mean to ask you if you drank your tasty tea this morning.'

'Oh I drank it but the fact remains, it is not guaranteed to prevent pregnancy,' she retorted.

He reached out to place his hand gently on her flat abdomen, 'Then I suppose there will be another Hillander to take the throne.'

She said nothing but looked away, her eyes purposefully evading his as she stared into the fire, 'This is not the most cheerful conversation we've had.'

Zachary scooted closer and leaned her back against his chest, dropping his chin to her shoulder. 'No, but it is a necessary one. Everything we have done to this point will be for naught, our marriage, our ties with Eletia, if we are not prepared for all outcomes.'

She nestled her cheek against his, feeling the bristle that had grown from their time on the road, 'It is a lot to think about in one night. So much has happened in a year.'

'It is quite a bit,' he agreed, 'But we can leave it until tomorrow. I am going to take the night to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.'

Karigan snorted and nestled closer in the circle of his arms, 'Like being indoors on a bed?'

He nodded thoughtfully, 'Being indoors on a bed, being well fed, clean, and having my beautiful, pliable wife in my arms.'

She closed her eyes, went limp, and pretended to snore.

A wet, sloppy kiss was laid on her exposed neck, causing her to squeal and swat at his head. 'We are in a public inn, a little decorum!'

He turned large, pleading eyes on her, 'But my young short life could be snuffed out in an instance-'

'You've been in the company of Fergal too long already,' she accused, but with a smile gracing her lips. He gathered her up again, lying them down, and nestling closer, 'Hush. I haven't been able to do this comfortably for a few weeks.'

They listened to the crackle of the fire and allowed the already low candles to burn out. It was true that it was a simple but happy thing to be held in a soft bed. His presence was a familiar balm to her soul and soon enough, her eyelids grew heavy as she drifted off. He too, felt the pull of sleep and pulled up the blankets to cover them both. Their work drifted down to the floor unnoticed.

Silva hoisted the small tray she carried onto her hip and quietly knocked on Karigan's door. One of the Weapons moved to check the contents of the tray, and then stepped back respectfully. It was a small desire to talk to Karigan once more, and put to rest several rumors that she had heard swirling around the town that had prompted her to attempt a visit with a tea tray. Upon hearing no answer from within the room, she slowly opened the door into the darkened space.

The fire, by now, had died down to almost ambers, causing Silva to sigh as she placed the tray down carefully. A quick glance at the bed revealed that the couple underneath the covers were fast asleep. She selected two pieces of solid oak to smolder in the grate until the maid could make her rounds in the morning.

The little bit of renewed light showed the scattered paper on the floor, strewn haphazardly around the bed. Silva bent down to retrieve them, gathering all in a bundle that she left on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Her eyes darted to the faces in peaceful slumber, tucked in close to each other.

So young, she mused. Even the king had a youthful and unguarded expression as he slept at his wife's side. Both with such a heavy mantle of responsibility to bear in the coming times, she thought almost sadly. Silva pulled the blanket a bit higher around Karigan's shoulders, all the while looking for signs of alertness, but the bruising under the young queen's eyes revealed that she would sleep through the minor disturbance. There was, however, a certain something to her appearance that Silva had seen many times before, that would ensure that the queen sought out her rest more frequently.

She then untied the heavy bed curtains and closed them until they only allowed a fraction of the firelight to filter through. Turning on her heel, she exited the room quickly, gathered the tray, and turned once more to look on the sleeping couple's faces with a slightly fond expression before she closed the door.

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