The Girl in the Woods

Preparations

     "I want only the best men to come," he said, barking orders to his scribe while briskly walking toward his office. There was much to do before he set out on his adventure to find the strange beings from his dreams, and since his advisors weren't willing to be of much help, he was going to have to do it himself. "Go to each of the generals, and have them each offer two of their best men. I want a full list of names by tonight, and there should be no more than three dozen men on this journey; we don't know how long this journey might be, so supplies needs to be no more than necessary."
     "Yes, Your majesty," replied the scribe, his voice slightly shaky. "Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"
      He turned on his heel, staring down at the scribe with what he hoped was an intimidating stare. As he watched the poor boy wilt under his gaze, he said, "As soon as you're done with that, you can check the stables to make sure the horses are ready. After that, you may join me for lunch."
      "Yes, Your Majes— wait. Lunch? With me?"
The fear had leaked out of his eyes, and was replaced with curiosity and excitement.
     "Yes, you heard me. There's more we need to go over and there is no time to waste."
"Yes, Your Majesty.
"And one more thing; stop calling me "Your Majesty." It's getting annoying."
"Yes, Sir. What would you like me to call you?"
"Just Rolan is fine."
"Yes, Rolan."
"That will be all. Now, go and check the horses. I will be waiting for you in my office."
"Yes, Your— I mean Rolan," he said, and then he turned and ran to the stables, clutching his notes to his chest. Rolan smiles to himself, remembering when he was the one bowing and nodding and giving the "Yes sirs" And "Yes Your majesty's." Even though he was part of the royal family, and heir to the throne no less, he was still treated like one of the scribes or the other lower class personnel. It was tradition, teaching all the royal family to look at their assistants as equals, and not lesser people. It was why the kingdom loved his family so much, and why they came to them with their problems.
He turned around abruptly and marched off toward the kitchens, where the cooks were preparing the food for the journey. He walked in to the delicious smells of smoked chicken and beef, which were to be preserved for the expedition. As he walked in, the head chef, Malinda of Jacom, was the first to notice him.
    "Your Majesty," she said, announcing it loud enough that the other cooks looked up and quickly bowed. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
     "I was just following my nose to check how the preparations were coming."
     "Well, we have the meat mostly smoked and packed, and we are just in the middle of packing the fruits and vegetables. There are several loaves of bread in the oven, and a few are ready to go in now. We should be done with the food preparations by tonight."
     "Sounds like you have your hands full. I'll leave you to it."
     "Thank you, Your Majesty." With that, she turned back to her station, as did the rest of the cooks. Rolan turned and walked out, headed back to his office. He had to sign a few documents for the costs of the supplies, give his advisors a full-fledged plan of the expedition, and also the estimated time of his return. After that, there would be a short lunch, and a final check of the cavalry. They would ride out at dawn tomorrow, and not a second later. This mission, if successful, would provide a new ally to negotiate with, along with new land in the forest discovered. It might seem foolish to his advisors, and his kingdom, but he would prove to them that he was the kind of king who took action, and didn't let problems such as the forest stew and grow. This would finally prove that he was worthy of his position as ruler.

That night, as the king trudged into his room and collapsed on his bed, he was filled with pride and excitement. The pieces were all falling in place perfectly, and the preparations were all in order. There were only a few things left to do, and they were all very simple.
He got up and walked briskly over to his closet, where his traveling clothes were kept. He pulled a few outfits down, and placed them neatly in his travel chest. He also grabbed a few extra pairs of boots, and gloves and belts. On the very top, he placed his extra shirt of chain mail and a few other pieces of armor.
He was about to close it when something caught his attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his father's sword belt, the glistening jewels sparkling in the candlelight. He hefted it, surprised at how light it was. Without a word, he unsheathed the sword, marveling at its superior quality and sharp edge. He swung it through the air a few times, liking how it sliced through the air. He looked at it for another minute or two, and then put it back in the sheath, placing it on top of the other armor and closing the lid. He would take it down tomorrow morning, and then they would be off.
He climbed into bed, deciding that he wouldn't train tonight, on account of the expedition the next morning. So with a sigh of contentment, he settled down into his soft, feathery pillows and fell soundly asleep.