The Icebound Treaty

Chapter 8

Horace worriedly paced the floor of the bedroom that he and Cassandra shared.

It was late enough that he knew he should be in bed, getting enough rest to last him through the next day of kingly duties. And yet, it wasn't so late that he had forced himself to crawl into the bed quite yet.

Cassandra had left a week previously, and Horace's worry for his wife's well-being had only continued to grow since they had left. Of course, he was also worried for his friends; specifically Halt, who was getting too old to go on these types of missions in Horace's opinion. But Cassandra was less trained than the Rangers and, though her tough spirit was one of the things Horace loved about his wife, it could only get her so far in the face of real danger.

Horace wasn't sure what kind of danger they would be facing, either. He had demanded that Gilan give him every detail that he himself knew, but even that wasn't much. All they knew was that a gang of Skandians was strongly opposing the renewal of the treaty between Skandia and Araluen. As king, Horace knew that this could be detrimental for the coastal provinces of Araluen. Without the treaty, they would once again be vulnerable to sea raiders.

But what concerned him more was what the gang members might do when Cassandra and the others pushed for the treaty's renewal.

Someone knocked softly on his door, and Horace jumped in surprise. He was clueless as to who would send for him at this hour. Nevertheless, he tried his best to wipe away the worry from his face before he opened the door.

"Oh, it's just you," Horace said, rather relieved, upon seeing his daughter in the doorway.

"Yes, only me," Maddie replied, looking up at her father with a strange expression. Horace held her gaze for several seconds before finally growing uncomfortable. Maddie looked as if she knew something that he didn't. And that, Horace had learned, was never good.

"Do you... need something?" he asked, trying to keep his tone casual. Maddie, of course, didn't buy into it.

"I need you to come with me," she stated, before turning and walking down the hallway that led to the sitting room of their royal apartment. Curiously, Horace followed his daughter. When he reached the sitting room, he frowned.

"What's this?" he asked. Maddie turned and looked at him expectantly. Behind her, on a round table, sat a plate of steaming food.

"It's your dinner," she answered, raising an eyebrow in a way that reminded Horace strangely of Will or Halt.

Horace blinked.

"Isn't it rather late for dinner?" he finally questioned. Maddie crossed her arms. In that instant, Horace thought she had never looked more like Cassandra.

"I should think so," she replied firmly. "But you didn't eat dinner tonight. And you didn't eat lunch this afternoon. In fact," the princess continued, interrupting Horace's protesting, "you haven't eaten properly since Mom left."

Horace stared at his daughter, mouth agape. For the past week, he had tried his best to keep his worry hidden. The last thing he wanted was for his daughter to be forced to deal with the same concern for Cassandra and the others that he was dealing with. Keeping the details of the mission, as well as his own discomfort, hidden was the only way to shelter Maddie. Yet, despite his efforts, it seemed that Maddie was simply too clever.

Darn Ranger training, he thought to himself. 

"I suppose you're right," he admitted. Hoping for one last chance to shelter Maddie from any concern about her mother and friends, Horace quickly expanded with a simple excuse. "I guess I've just been so busy-"

Maddie, however, shook her head and held up a hand.

"Dad, I know about Mom's mission," she said gently, stopping her father's sentence abruptly.

Horace again felt his mouth drop open.

"I followed them to the coast after they left," Maddie explained. "They told me about the mission. And they explained why they didn't tell me earlier."

Horace stared at his daughter in wonder. Not only was she handling this very maturely, but she had managed to hide the fact that she knew so much from Horace for so long. He'd had no idea that Maddie was aware of the mission. Which meant, Horace realized rather embarrassingly, that she was feeling just as much worry as he was. And she was hiding it much better.

"Maddie, I'm sorry-" he tried, but Maddie waved away the apology.

"It's alright, Dad," she said. "I know why you didn't tell me."

But Horace was already shaking his head.

"That's not why I'm sorry," he told his daughter as he walked toward her. He wrapped her in a warm hug, placing his chin on the top of her head. "I'm sorry that you've had to hide your own worry for so long. I was so wrapped up in my own concern for your mother that I didn't notice yours. And I'm sorry for that."

Horace squeezed his daughter firmly, feeling an overwhelming sense of love and pride growing in his chest.

"It's okay, Dad," Maddie's muffled voice promised. She wrapped her own hands around her father, leaning into his comforting arms. "I've been alright. It's hard to trust that everything will be okay, but I believe it will. It's Mom, after all. And Will, and Halt, and Gilan. They always make it out of any situation."

Horace laughed softly at his daughter's words.

"That's true," he agreed. "If anyone can pull this off, it will be those four."

The two stayed there, embracing each other for some time. Then, finally, Maddie pulled away, stepping back to gesture at the plate of food that was still sitting on the round table near a chair.

"You still have to eat," she ordered. "Mom told me to make sure you didn't lose your mind, and I'm assuming that included skipping meals."

Again, Horace couldn't help but smile at the love he felt for his wife and daughter. Obediently, he sat in the chair and sniffed at the plate. His stomach growled hungrily, and he glanced up at his daughter in embarrassment.

"I'll have to admit that my worry was starting to get the best of me," he commented as he lifted the plate onto his lap. "I rarely ever miss meals."

Maddie sat on the couch, content now that her father was eating.

"Trust me, I know," she said. "That's how I knew it was time to step in. When your eating schedule is messed up, that's when things start to get serious."