Betrothed

Chapter Twenty-One: Aliases

Audrianna and Henry returned the borrowed clothes to the laundry chord from whence they found them. At Audrianna's request, Henry tied the leather pouch she had acquired to the line, with fifteen silver coins inside. Now, with the money from the seamstress, after acquiring new clothes for the two of them, and the money from selling the horse, the two royals walked down the dusty path with one hundred and eighty silver coins.

The pair walked for hours, hoping a farmer would come down the path in a horse and wagon to give them a ride. Nothing came. Several people drove by on their way to the city of Nadeau while Henry and Audrianna walked in the opposite direction. But no one drove in the direction they wanted to go.

Soon, the pair became increasingly hungry. They dared not buy too many provisions in the previous village, due to the fact they had sold an Andjety officer's horse, as well as royal garments. Too many questions could be asked if they stayed too long. But now, they were feeling the pangs of their former choices. And they weren't sure how much longer they had to walk before they stumbled upon the next village.

Now the sun was beginning to set, and they had gone all day without eating. Henry tried to pretend that he wasn't all that hungry and that he could wait until morning if necessary. Audrianna, however, could not mask her displeasure in having nothing to eat. The longer they went without food, the grumpier she became. After a while, her disposition had become so intolerable to Henry that he wanted to take her over his knee as before. But he restrained himself.

Finally, as dusk settled in, the two weary travelers spotted the next village. With renewed vigor, they hurried down the trail hoping they might find a place to buy food. As they entered the center of the small town, Henry spotted the local pub.

"The pub will have food, provisions, and a room for us to sleep," the prince informed his companion. The two of them scurried through the door hoping to be able to eat whatever was readily available. Very few people were in the pub. This made it very easy for the two of them to remain, for the most part, unnoticed. Audrianna tied a scarf over her hair, to avoid any more people being shocked at her appearance, and drawing attention to the two of them.

Henry ordered his betrothed to sit at a table in a dark corner of the room. Henry walked to the counter and paid for a meal, a room, and a few other provisions. He then returned to where Audrianna sat and waited for their food to be prepared.

Within minutes, a bar maid brought the two of them a platter with cooked meat, vegetables, and bread. Although Henry was not used to eating vegetables, since they were considered peasant food, they both quickly devoured whatever their hands could get ahold of.

As Henry and Audrianna began to feel satisfied from their meal, the thoughts of their responsibilities as crowned royals started to take hold in their minds. Since the campfire the night before, Henry had done nothing but express a sense of hopelessness regarding his kingdom. He was used to being surrounded by guards, armorbearers, and royal advisors that protected him, and explained to him everything that needed to be accomplished. Now, having no sense of safely or security, or anyone to advise him above the age of ten, Henry felt tremendously vulnerable.

As they sat in silence, finishing their meal, Audrianna looked up at Henry. For the past several hours, her hunger had kept her in a less than cordial mood. Now with her hunger satisfied, she wanted to dialogue with Henry in hopes that he might have an idea as to what they should do about the overthrow of their kingdom.

"Henry," she called for his attention louder than she needed to in a sparsely populated pub. "Have you thought about what we need to do?"

Henry quickly glanced at the occupants of the pub to see if there was anyone that looked in their direction, and perhaps might recognize who they were.