Mermaid_ A Twist on the Classic Tale - Carolyn Turgeon [72]
Her two guards automatically lifted their bows, and for a moment it seemed that anything could happen.
“We are here to take charge of Princess Margrethe, on orders of the king,” one of the Southern soldiers said.
“Let us see proof,” Margrethe said, standing up straight, striding toward the soldier. She could feel her hands trembling and quickly put them to her sides.
For some reason, she had expected Christopher to greet her, sweep her up in his touch and gaze into her eyes, the way he had in the garden. These men, here, were warriors, for an enemy king, and they knew exactly who she was.
The lead soldier dismounted his horse and bowed, handing Margrethe a sealed letter.
“From the king,” he said.
She opened the letter and looked it over carefully. The king sent his greetings and extended his hospitality, guaranteeing their safe passage to his castle and during their stay inside it.
“You are in good hands,” the Southern soldier said. “We are all willing to lay down our lives to ensure your safety.”
She studied the Southern soldiers, the hard looks mixed in with more welcoming ones. She had the clear sense that not all of these men had positive feelings about taking charge of the Northern princess. Surely they all knew now that the North was planning to launch new attacks at any moment—there were too many spies about for such grand staging as her father’s to go unreported—and it was clear that these soldiers didn’t entirely trust the new arrivals.
She nodded, swallowing hard. “We are ready,” she said haughtily, determined not to betray her uneasiness. At her command, the two riders transferred the girls’ satchels and furs from their own horses to the horses the Southern soldiers had brought.
“Thank you,” Margrethe said to the guards who had traveled so far with them, “for all you have done. May God be with you.”
The two men would come into rich rewards for their service. They could not go back to the North, where they would be killed for their betrayal of the king. So Margrethe had arranged for them to receive a hefty payment, the last and biggest portion of which would come to them now that she and Edele had been delivered safely, that would set them up for life in the South.
Margrethe envied them as she watched them go, free to start their lives anew.
The Southern soldiers helped Margrethe and Edele onto the two horses—sidesaddle now, like ladies, which felt strange after so many days of riding like men. Margrethe grasped the reins, and they began to ride. Her heart was pounding as they moved from the clearing into the woods.
The sun streamed around them, through the leaves. Big bright green leaves shaped like hearts spilled from the trees. Birds squawked overhead, and they could smell the sea, hear it in the distance.
The short ride to the castle seemed endless. Margrethe and Edele rode hand in hand, the men silent around them. Margrethe concentrated on the seal she’d seen with her own eyes, reminding herself that they were safe. Even if some men in the group around them would have liked to see them dead, what mattered was the king and his wishes.
Still, it was not exactly the greeting she had hoped for.
They approached the castle gates. Outside people were selling wares, gathering to look at bowls and clothing and fish. A small band was playing, a troubadour standing in front singing a song about love.
The castle was bigger, more elaborate than any she had seen. It seemed at least twice the size of her father’s castle, which was thick and close to protect its occupants from cold.
People stared up at them curiously, these two ragged noblewomen surrounded by the king’s soldiers, as they rode through the gates.
At the orders of the head soldier, most of the others split away, having performed their duty, a few of them bowing their heads or in some way paying respect to the foreign princess.
The remaining soldiers took Margrethe and Edele to a tower, where they were met by a guard and a servant.
The head soldier turned to the two women. “The king feels you will be safest here, in