The Queen's Admiral

Chapter 17: Out of Tastris

It’s hard to imagine the mild-mannered Kai proclaim a death order for Admiral Westergard, but I knew him to be a man loyal to his duties he would follow them no matter how grisly they seemed.  And grisly though it may be, I understood my aunt’s motivations for protecting herself should the inevitable happened that her life be threatened.  I would have done the same. 

Lt. Andersen paused in his story.  “Forgive me Prince Fredrik, I couldn’t help it.  I have kept this secret for so long as I am forbidden to tell it to anyone.  As Kai clearly made you an exception, I hope you would not mind me telling it to you in full.”

“No, of course not,” I assured him.  “I am grateful for your openness and loyalty to my aunt.  I commend you for keeping her safe.  In time, should I come to the throne, I will be honored to have you as my guard as well.”

“Of course your highness,” he gave a polite bow and he looked extremely delighted at my praise.  “Nothing could please me better than to serve you.  Queen Elsa and Princess Anna have been so kind to my family.  I could not imagine serving any other family.”

“Thank you, Lt. Andersen.  Now, please do continue the story.”

The kettle whistled and the young soldier excused himself and served the tea.  But when he returned, he spoke again…

The loss of Princess Melody was all people talked about throughout Tastris the following day.  Even in our camp, the men were busy preparing the Lisbet, Hanne and Lovise for the search to recover the runaway girl.   Everyone was so focused on the rescue efforts that barely anyone noticed the simple carriage that departed at dawn from the castle gates.

Inside the carriage, Queen Elsa sat in a peasant dress over a plain woolen cloak with a hood to hide her distinctive platinum blond hair.  She wore sensible boots and had no jewels in plain sight though I knew she kept a purse hidden with enough gold to get us through the journey.   Captain Westergard too looked inauspicious in his workman’s outfit.  He could be a common farmer in his attire.  I myself wore peasant clothes and carried a matching rucksack with provisions.  But under my tattered coat I brought along a pistol and a knife—both of which I was ready to use at a moment’s notice.

There was a third man in our company, Ensign Finn Lorens—Captain Lorens’ own son whom I knew had sure loyalties with the crown and possessed an outstanding record in the military academy.  He wore the same plain clothing but when his cloak momentarily lifted I noticed he was just as armed as I was.  I didn’t speak to him of my covert mission and neither did he.  But we both knew we were set on the same task—the protection of the Queen at all costs.

We passed the first long hours sharing tales about our childhoods and exploits at sea.   Captain Westergard also told plenty of stories about his piracy days.   His tales were often hilarious that despite my orders, I couldn’t help but warm up to him.  The Queen at first tried to distance herself from him.   She spoke to him only when it was necessary and preferred to respond only to myself and Finn.  However, the Captain’s light-hearted jokes little by little drew her in.  By evening, she was laughing as hard as we were and began to participate in the conversations more by providing anecdotes of her own childhood.

On the third day, the four of us ran out of stories.  Unable to bear the silence, Queen Elsa fell to talking with Captain Westergard about the books they read.  They seem to have read a lot of the same books, most of which Finn and I never heard of.   We both tried to listen in but most of what they discussed was beyond our grasp.  And it was even more difficult to follow when they started spouting verses in French, English or Latin. 

We offered to play cards but both Queen Elsa and Captain Westergard didn’t seem to mind much of it as they preferred chess using a tiny board the Captain brought along.  Four days into the journey, our group was divided into pairs.  Finn and I spent time playing cards and talking of our families, while the Queen and the Captain played chess or debated over some book they read.  Their debates at times grew so heated that they became almost like full-blown arguments.  But at the end of it, they remained civil and still preferred each other’s company.