Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA

by

Mary Ellen Rose

Chapter One

Ally rode through the mist, back to where Hink and Tobey were eating breakfast by the wagon.  The sun would be up soon.

Can we get you something to eat?  Hink couldn’t avoid the slight hesitation as he left out the ‘My Lady’.  She had only been with them for four years but they had been an interesting four years and he had had more reason to address her than he had any other of the gentry in his life time.  He grinned.  It was hard to break the habit but he must never address her properly.  All their lives depended on it.  Tobey never talked to her at all for fear of saying something wrong.

Yes it will be hours before the gentry stir.  She leaned down and accepted the bowl of gruel and spoon and ate quickly under her veil, handing back the bowl and spoon in only a few minutes.  They will split the caravan at about noon with the merchants going on to Grent with their guards and the ‘royal train’ going on to Gavonne with the soldiers.  You will need to move up to the end of the merchant train as soon as possible to avoid notice.  The soldiers will be busy for at least the next hour.  Get the horses into the traces and walk the wagon down to the creek to drink and then up on to the road.  That should place you in front of the royal train and you’ll probably have no trouble as long as you don’t look furtive; just getting back in line after having to go to the back yesterday.

Hink grinned; she was just as mischievous at sixteen as she had been at twelve.  Only the stakes were higher.  He nodded and watched her ride away. He didn’t worry too much; she was good at this kind of thing.  They followed her plan and had no trouble, no one seemed to notice them except Bull, one of the mercenaries guarding the merchants, and he noticed everything and said nothing.

Bull had noticed the change of travel order but simply put it to the move being easier now than it would be at noon with all the soldiers on the road, and ignored it.  He had been watering his horses on the other side of the stream.  He had noticed the ‘Arab’ rider talking to the men in the wagon and sharing their food twice before.  A young boy enjoying being mysterious, hopefully not a lover of the Princess.  That could get unpleasant.  Nobody seemed to object to his riding beside the Princess’s litter and talking to her.  Bull rode along the line of merchant camps and noted who was up and who might need a little noise soon.  He didn’t want to deal with the soldiers either.

Ally unsheathed her sword and gave it to Rolf, one of the young guards around the litter, to hold for her.  Only the assigned soldiers were allowed to bring weapons into the close presence of ‘her highness-to-be’.  Mayalind was not awake yet of course.  Ally snitched a sweet roll from the waiting platter and consumed it as if she were starving, as the boy she was pretending to be would have been.  It was not hard to do as she was still hungry. 

Mayalind had ridden with her in the litter the first day and that had been more contact than Ally wanted for her life time.  The girl was ambitious but very stupid.  She never thought beyond reaching the kings court and marrying his son.  She never seemed to consider the very real possibility that she would be found out.  The idea of changing places had been hers not Ally’s.  She had been one of the women assigned to watch over the kidnapped Ally by Prince William.  One of his many mistresses evidently.  When she realized Ally was not thrilled to be married to a complete stranger she had volunteered to ‘trade places’.  Ally had added the disguise and separate horse on her own.  She was sure William had some plot going on and she wanted to be able to move fast.  She had arranged the separate wagon for her goods from Bannerhold showing up at the last minute and added to the end of the caravan.  She would join them when they split off with the merchants and would be able to drop out of that caravan before reaching Grent.  Hopefully by noon she would be free of both William and the crown prince of Cavend.  Where she would go she didn’t know but it wouldn’t be as a princess of Haverholm or Cavend.

Mayalind had tried very hard to get her to ride in the litter with her.  That made Ally wonder what Mayalind expected to happen today after the merchants parted company.  Not for the first time Ally wondered if the ‘change places’ idea had been William’s.  She would be very careful about her own change over, possibly having to take to the woods for awhile.  She would watch for an opportunity while they were setting up for the midday stopover and meal.  Her movements would be less obvious then. 

––––––––

Bull dropped back to the small contingent of last minute ‘add ons’; small merchants riding on the coat tails of the bigger fish.  It was his job to get these out of the way of the soldiers and get them reattached to the merchant convoy when it split off.  They would not stop but eat in the saddle for another two miles to the inn at the ford of the Witthy, a much more comfortable stopping place and with beer.

At noon, when the two groups sorted out, Bull kept the rear party back to let the soldiers have all the room they needed to set up the stop over.  When they were all well off the road he let the small band of merchants follow the others and they hurried to catch up.  The ‘Arab’ was gone but when he caught up to the merchants a young man in a common cloak was riding the same horse.  Tired of being obvious or not wanting to be noticed?  Not his business.

––––––––

When she caught up with the merchants, Ally attached herself to the wagon near the end.  She was sure Bull had noticed the change of cloaks but he did not seem to be interested.  She would have to watch him.  Hink and Tobey were relieved to see her and eager to get across the Witthy and onto the eastern road into the mountains.  It was hard to just plod along.

Something was stalling the merchants up ahead.  Duncet sat up in the wagon and gave one sharp low bark, staring back down the road.  Ally turned to Hink.

Drive the wagon on to that track and into the woods by the stream.  Don’t panic.

Bull came down the road, talking to each merchant as he passed them. 

Some soldiers of the High King at the stream crossing.  Just stay in place.

He looked at Duncet and stared down the road, alert for trouble.

They had reached the place where the track left the road and Hink eased the wagon down onto the track and started across the corner of the field to the woods.

Bull looked at them and started to tell them to get back on the road when he heard the horses, lots of horses at speed and heavy.  Armored troops.

Hell.  Everybody off the road and try for cover. he yelled, and rode after Ally and the wagon.  Get going there’s an army coming and they aren’t in a good mood.

They just made it out of sight before the soldier’s arrived, William’s.  The passage of the wagon was obvious however to anyone who could track. 

Abandon the wagon and get up the stream to those big rocks.  Leave no tracks.

Hink and Tobey were already unharnessing the horses and tying prepared packs across their backs.  Ally was helping position the packs.  Bull turned and met the two soldiers riding up the stream as they entered the woods.  They didn’t survive the contact.  No one was directly behind them, Bull leaped off his horse and pulled the bodies off into the bushes and came back with their leather and ring torso armor and threw it at the men Put this on or at least take it with you.  Could save your life.  He was back on his horse and Hink and Tobey mounted their horses, pulling the armor awkwardly over their heads but not stopping to tie the open side.  Ally moved toward the stream and they all followed.  She chose the exit point well and they were up and over the rocks before anyone came in view.  They did leave a wet track which would dry in the bright noon sun but probably not soon enough.  Bull led the soldiers’ horses.  They might need remounts.  Hink and Tobey had the horses from the wagon and these two would give him and the ‘Arab boy’ a remount each.  He could pretty much forget about his own remount.

Ally picked her way up the unfamiliar stream very aware that a wrong choice could trap them.  What was going on?  She hoped no one would be killed because of her.

They reached a large meadow sloping gently down from the east and north.  It looked like there was a pass through the mountains directly west.  The meadow was soggy and would leave their tracks plainly in view and there was no cover for at least two miles or more if they took a straight line.  Bull came up beside her and took it all in and pointed Northwest.

It’s rocky soil and looks like some cover.

They followed him and soon were in a maze of enormous stones.  They rode along the mountain side until dusk and set up a dry and fireless camp under a large rock slab held up by even larger tumbled rocks.  They took turns standing guard that night except for the boy.

Ally’s no soldier. was all Hink said.  It was enough to confirm Bull’s suspicions.  Not a soldier but she was one hell of a good rider.

In the morning they broke camp and rode northeastward when they could.  The dogs, Robbin and Duncet, gave warning and they were able to avoid being seen by the troop of soldiers spilling onto the meadow, at least a dozen men.  They would have to continue north and further into the confusing field of stones leading the horses to avoid detection.  The sun was almost at the top of its arc when Ally found a cave or old mine.  They bound the horses mouths closed and covered their eyes.  They carefully made their way into the cave until they turned a corner and it was too dark to see.  She lit a candle lantern from her pack and marked the wall with a soft white stone.  Slowly they worked their way back until they came to a defensible area with a place wide enough to hold the horses.  Ally wove a rope back and forth around two stone spikes to corral the horses into a corner.  She crawled up onto a large flat stone overlooking the entrance opening and seated the bow of a small arbalest, hooking a quiver of bolts to her waist belt.  Everyone was in position.  She put out the candle and lay in the pitch blackness for what seemed to be hours.  Only the dogs laying one on either side of her kept her from chilling to the point of being unable to move.  It was the dogs who warned her when their bodies tensed.  Eventually a dim light signaled the soldiers approach.  The first soldier stepped through and stumbled as he straightened, falling headfirst down the gaping hole Ally had so carefully avoided.  He screamed a long time before he hit water.  He had the candle.  The others lost no time in backing up.  They lost two more soldiers to the traps that couldn’t be seen in the dark before their sound was no longer discernable.  They made a dry and cold camp and took turns standing guard with a dog to alert them.

Ally lit the candle lantern again in the ‘morning’ and they ate the same dry journey bread as the day before, took a sip of water from their half empty water jugs and waited.  The dogs whined so she put out the candle.  There was a lot of noises, a lot of yelling and metal ringing then silence.  They waited. eventually Bull lit his own candle lantern and signaled to wait.  It was a long time before he came back. 

There is another way out, I didn’t see anyone there but, I think there are some of the High King’s soldiers waiting at the mouth of the tunnel.

The soldiers that came onto the meadow were Prince William’s.

Yes.  You seem to have two armies after you My Lady, who are you and why are they chasing you?

I do not know exactly what is going on.  I think William tried to trick the High King and his soldiers have found out that the lady in the litter is not Prince William’s sister.  I am.

And all our neck’s are in a noose because no one wants any witnesses?

I don’t know.  William took me by force from my uncle’s manor and told me I was to marry Roland, the High King’s second son.  He sent me off under guard but I don’t think he expected me to travel outside of the litter.  The soldier’s only knew I was a friend of the princess.

Well let’s see if we can get out of here and leave the fox watching the wrong hole.

My lady?  Hink looked worried.  Tobey is worried about his mother and sister.  Prince William wouldn’t torture them would he?

Oh Hink!  I don’t know.  He is capable of cruelty, especially when he is angry.  And I think he is going to be angry.

Tobey want’s to go home and get his family.  I’m afraid he may just take off.  They’ll catch him sure.  He’d never hold up under torture.

Maybe you should go with him and take Robbin.  She will help you find me.  I will try to go over that pass.  I have no idea what’s on the other side.

You can’t go alone!

Captain Abbel will go with me.  It isn’t safe for him to return.

He’s a stranger.

He was one of my patient’s after Par’s crossing.  And he is trustworthy.  Do not worry.

Hink shook his head and sighed.  No M’am.

They were able to get the horses through the one place in the cave that Bull hadn’t been sure of but they had to take the packs and saddles off.  They were able to find they’re way through the large masses of stones and into the woods without being seen.  Hink and Tobey would work their way around to the north side of Alden Mountain and then down to the Bannerhold.  Ally and Bull, or Captain Abbel, as she called him, would go over the North Pass and wait for them for three weeks.  Hink and Tobey would have to be very careful.  The King’s soldiers would be angry if they caught them.  And they would have to be careful approaching the Bannerhold because of Prince William.  Ally felt relatively safe with Captain Abbel but couldn’t help worry about what was waiting for them across the pass.

Chapter Two

Ally watched Hink and Tobey make their way into the underbrush and disappear from sight.  Then she turned and followed Captain Abbel and the remounts up through the woods towards the pass.  They went over a hump and down before they had to go up out of the trees so were never in sight of the soldiers on the grassy plain.  By evening they had reached the upper edge of the trees and camped in their protection near a small brook.  Abbel thought it would be safe to have a small fire and they were able to have hot tea and some soup to go with the roasted quail Abbel had managed to trap at the mid day break.  Abbel let the small fire burn down to a few coals after she washed the bowls.  She curled up in a protected nook between a large rock and the dying coals with the dog, Duncet, and went to sleep; Abbel covered her with a second blanket from one of the soldiers bed rolls after she was asleep and rolled up near by adding another of the extra blankets to his bedroll, It would be a cold night.  If anyone came, he knew the dog would wake him long before he would hear them.

It was good to have a hot breakfast the next morning and they were on their way before the sun was up, all evidence of there camp carefully obliterated.  The rode in silence most of the day, stopping to rest and water the horses and to change over to their remounts to quiet them down and let their own horses have a rest.  By evening they had come to a stone hut evidently placed just for travelers.  It was built entirely with stone without even wooden rafters.

No chance of burning down. said Abbel and unpacked the horses tying them in a three sided stone lean-to near the hut and essentially facing into it.  It gave the horses added protection from the cold wind and they were crowded in, so were able to warm each other.  There was little room in the hut after he piled the saddles and packs into the corners.  The small stone ‘stove’ produced a good amount of heat from the wood he brought in and they had a thick soup for dinner and