A Daughter's Love - Book 2 The Frencolian Chronicles (complete)

Chapter One

King Leopold, the stately and royal monarch of the Kingdom of Frencolia, sat upon his majestic white horse. Trailing over the back of the horse was his elaborate ermine-edged cloak. Riding with a large number of his knights and soldiers, he headed his horse towards the village of Chanoine.

The king's royal cousin, Sir Louis Chatelain, a man of similar appearance, though garbed not as a king but as a knight, accompanied King Leopold and they moved at a leisurely pace to enable uninhibited conversation to flow.

Less than a mile from the village, they beheld the figure of a small doll-like girl running along the dusty road. In the same instant she saw them and ran off the path into the concealment of the dense woods. However, the glimpse was enough for Sir Louis to recognize the small creature with the single long coppery-brown braid as his younger daughter, Jobyna.

Sir Louis urged his horse ahead. As he gained the proximity where Jobyna disappeared, a rowdy company of children on horse-back surged over the rise, yelling and hollering. This bunch, the baron recognized as being the rest of his children plus some he could not identify. He imagined they were village children. The baron's mouth dropped open at the bad language and coarse curses flying from the lips of this junior rabble.

Louis Junior, Marcus, Miss Elissa and Luke, garbed in home-made knights' costumes, armed with hand-made bows, arrows, spears, swords and shields, rode horses at the front. The children's hullabaloo died as they beheld the large company of adults, real knights and soldiers, stretched out along the road before them.

The eldest son's voice sounded loudly in the death-like silence. With his arm held high in the air, Louis Junior yelled, "Company retreat! Enemy in view! Return to the fortress!" The leading children pulled their horses around and followed by their 'foot-soldiers,' they disappeared, scurrying back towards the village.

A wide smile spread over Baron Chatelain's face as he turned to his cousin, King Leopold. He knew the king's children would never be allowed to behave in such an riotous manner. The king's deep-set frown confirmed this as truth. Comments were abandoned as the servant, Sabin, rode over the rise on an old mare. Within a few yards of his master the baron, Sabin dismounted and bowed low.

"What are the children playing at, Sabin? Why are they chasing Jobyna?" Louis asked, having difficulty to maintain a serious tone. He dismounted and drew Sabin off the road.

"Sir, I've sworn not to tell anyone at the threat of losing my tongue. It was Miss Jobyna's idea to be the felon. But it was Luke's idea that she played the part of the criminal Dagan. And it was the baroness's idea after the children had departed that I follow to make sure that nothing too serious happened to the criminal."

"How did the children hear about Dagan? That was years ago, before they were born!" Louis' eyes scanned the woods for any sign of his youngest child.

Sabin shrugged his shoulders and answered, "You know how the villagers talk, Sir. The story has become quite the drama to act. The other day, Master Louis played the part of Dagan, and Miss Elissa and he went up on the wall walk—they ignored the stern words the baroness called to warn them not to jump into the moat."

"Louis and Ellie jumped into the moat from the battlements?" The father gasped at Sabin's nod.

King Leopold had joined his cousin and listened to the dialogue with great interest. He slapped his thigh and laughed loudly, doubling up at the thought of his cousin's children behaving in such a way. The king relayed the story to the closest knight who chortled loudly. Unable to help himself, Sir Louis joined the laughter and soon the whole company was in disarray in sharing the comical story.

Sabin waited for their hilarity to subside before saying, "I must tell you Master, today the idea is to capture Miss Jobyna and to hang her for her crimes." Sabin had to wait whilst the king roared with amusement, his face red with uncontrolled spasms. Tears ran down the royal face. "Elaborate..." the king finally said.