Chapter 3

"Welcome to Windsor Castle"

Two hours since we departed Portsmouth, the carriages arrived at one of the most magnificent castles in all of Europe, Windsor Castle. The home of his majesty, King George III, was going to be our home for the time being. In a way, it kind of reminded me of the castle of Bretagne after the spell was broken. As our carriage pulled up to the main entrance at the round tower, the idea of staying here was beginning to sink in.

But starring right out at us was not the king of England, but rather one of the greatest warlords in all of England, the Duke of Wellington himself dressed in a blue coat and white trousers.

"There he is," Adam said, putting the mirror in his waistcoat. "Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington."

Stepping out of the carriage, the Duke made his way up to us and extended his hand out to me.

"Welcome to England," he said in a gentle voice to me as I bent forward to kiss his hand. "Don't be frightened. You are safe here."

"Thank you," I whispered, feeling somewhat intimidated. "It's an honor to be in your presence, your grace."

The Duke then turned to Adam.

"And you must be his highness, the Prince of Bretagne, I presume?"

"I am," Adam answered. "I come seeking sanctuary if you'll give it to me."

"Of course, we're English. We're not barbarians. Although you seem to be a barbarian yourself as a youth."

This made Adam chuckle nervously in embarrassment.

"For 10 years, your lordship."

"Very well, well I don't expect you to become a monster during your time here. Shall we go inside? You must be cold and tired from your…voyage across the channel."

So we followed the Duke into the round tower of the castle and I couldn't help but wonder just how intimidated I felt of being inside such a magnificent structure as this. In a way, it kind of reminded me of home, only on a much larger scale.

"I hope you will be happy here," he said. "His majesty says that you are free to go anywhere you like except the Royal Vault."

"The Royal Vault?"

"The burial grounds for past rulers of our island. No one is allowed to go there, not even you. You are also forbidden from going into the private apartments unless you are otherwise invited. His majesty is very protective of those apartments."

Remembering how the incident at the West Wing unfolded, I was careful to take this into account.

Eventually, we made our way towards the wing where a wing of apartments were located.

"These are the state apartments," said the Duke. "These will be your quarters."

We were then led into a large open spacious apartment as we saw the servants already setting up the apartments to make it feel like home.

"It's beautiful, your grace," I gasped as Madame La Gaderobe oversaw several servants bringing all my clothes inside. "But, don't you have a library?"

"Of course, the king is well aware of your interest in books," chuckled the Duke. "He is more than willing to share his library with you, I'm happy to say."

Just then, Samuel came into the doorway.

"Your grace," he said, catching his attention. "The other apartments…shall the servants start preparing them?"

A raised eyebrow came over the Duke's face as if to wonder why such a request would be made.

"Who made you the head servant, Mr. Crompton?" remarked the Duke. "The head servants can ask me themselves."

Rather awkwardly, Samuel slinked out of the doorway.

"Fools," muttered the Duke, quickly brushing off the embarrassment to focus back on us. "We are also hosting another exiled prince and princess from the kingdom of Bordeaux."

"Prince Christopher and Princess Cinderella?" wondered Adam. "Napoleon must have had a bounty on their heads, too."

"Yes, so you won't be alone. In fact, tomorrow you will all have the honor of dining with his majesty, the King and the rest of the Royal Family. He wants to officially welcome you as well as get to know you a little better."

"Well, of course," stammered Adam. "If it pleases his majesty and yourself, of course, your grace."

"I'll also be inviting my top generals as well so you can meet them all to discuss our plans to take back Bretagne."

A sense of euphoria came over Adam and myself as well upon hearing this. It seemed for a moment that we would be back home before we knew it. Of course, that was not to be the case.

…

Meanwhile, at the Round Tower Entrance to the castle, Lefou and Stanley were greeted by the Duke of Gordon himself clad in a British uniform with a tartan sash on his upper body.

"Is that the Duke of Gordon?" LeFou answered, feeling somewhat intimidated as he and Stanley got out of the carriage.

"It looks that way," answered Stanley.

"Lads, come forward," he beckoned in a thick Scottish accent. "Welcome to the Gordons."

Nervously, LeFou and Stanley stepped forward towards the elder Scotsman who then greeted them warmly.

"I trust you are eager to embrace your true destiny, lads," he remarked. "Rest up because we have a long journey ahead of us."

"Where?" Lefou asked nervously.

"Why to the city of Edinburgh, of course. The capital of our mighty and strong land, Scotland. But, you think that I am just going to let you walk in without giving you some background, aren't you?"

Both LeFou and Stanley could only wonder just what the Duke of Gordon had in mind, giving each other both a worried glance.

"Of course, you'll find out tomorrow night when the King is here to welcome you all. I've got a group of your soon-to-be fellow comrades eager to demonstrate what it takes to be a Gordon Highlander."

And they were led into the tower to settle into their temporary accommodations.

...

At that moment, the second fleet of ships were about to arrive in Portsmouth bearing our equals from Bordeaux.

…

…