Milsy learns more about the person she is supposed to be, discovering that a whole new world awaits her beyond the castle. There are near misses, changes of plan and much waiting around until the time comes to begin the deception. She is introduced to the guardsmen who will be escorting her and then she secretly leaves the castle to prepare for the substitution.

What Milsy Did

A Tale of Anmar by Penny Lane

2 - Under Cover

Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2016 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

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Author's note: The events in this chapter retell portions of Somewhere Else Entirely Chapters 57, 58 and 59 but from a different point of view. From Chapter 3 the story will be almost all new material.

Milsy was nervous, alone in the suite. Garia had gone out with Jenet after lunch, something to do with miners. Miners? Some time later Merizel had received a message and departed with Bursila, apologizing for having to leave Milsy on her own. Milsy had hidden herself in the dressing room, examining the strange and unusual attire that Garia seemed to wear. After some while a noise came as though of someone returning and Milsy cautiously went through the connecting passage to the sitting room. She poked her head round the door to check who it was before joining Garia.

"What's happened?" she asked, concerned by the expression on Garia's face. She realized the Baroness was unattended and it looked strange. "Where's Jenet?"

"Jenet's the problem," Garia replied with a sigh. "She was supposed to stay up here nursing a bruised throat, remember? We all forgot."

Milsy's hands flew to her mouth. "Maker! We did forget, didn't we? What happened?"

"The Queen met us at the entrance when we returned, and she isn't happy," Garia said. "If anyone saw Jenet while we were out, or more correctly noticed her, our plan for leaving her here in the castle is out the window." Her face fell. "I think I've been grounded."

"Grounded?" Milsy looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, it's an expression from Earth. It means, roughly, confined to quarters. Uh, not allowed to fly." This explanation confused Milsy further. Garia realized Milsy was on her own. "Where's Merizel?"

"I've no idea. She had a message after you left and went out with Bursila. She didn't say where or what for."

"Oh, great. So, what have you been doing while we've been out?"

"I've been practicing walking in these shoes," Milsy said. "And," she added diffidently, "I've been looking at your clothes. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not, Milsy. After all, you'll be wearing some of them in a few days."

"Thank you, Garia." Milsy frowned. "You wear some very strange things, don't you? I don't know if it's because they are clothes that noble women wear or if they are new designs you brought with you from where you come from. Some of them look very odd."

"Oh. Well, let's go into the dressing room while we wait for the others to come back and you can show me what you found."

It turned out that Milsy had found Garia's riding gear and couldn't quite believe that any woman would be seen wearing breeches. Garia was forced to demonstrate, recounting the story of what had happened the first time she wore them in front of the King. The two had a good giggle. Other items of her exercise gear also fascinated Milsy and she pronounced herself a fan of circle skirts. They spent a relaxing time in the dressing room before noises through the passage to the sitting room heralded the return of Merizel and her maid.

"Hello, Garia! Look what I've been given!" Merizel held up a bag as she and Bursila joined Garia and Milsy in the bedroom. She noticed the expression on Garia's face. "What's happened? Where's Jenet? She's not hurt, is she?"

Garia sighed. "She is supposed to be, but she went out with me this afternoon, didn't she?"

Merizel's eyes widened. "Oh, no! We got carried away, didn't we? What happened?"

Garia recounted her arrival back at the castle ending with her presumed confinement.

"Oh. Do you think anyone saw her?"

"I've no idea. The point is, if anyone realized that she shouldn't have been there with me at all. Excuse me, Bursila, but people don't notice maids, do they? If you're a noble lady, then you have one. It would have been more obvious if I hadn't had a maid with me."

"But I should have gone with you instead, Milady," Bursila said.

"Possibly," Garia agreed, "but, I was so focused on the fact that Jenet had the Guild badge that I forgot she shouldn't have been out at all." She grimaced. "I don't think I would have been comfortable with you wearing the badge, Bursila. That would have been lying, wouldn't it? The guildsmen make a big thing of those badges."

Bursila nodded. "As you say, Milady. Where is Jenet now?"

"The Queen sent her to the castle infirmary." Garia scowled. "It's all our fault. If we had thought about this more carefully, Jenet ought to have been sent to the infirmary right away and none of this would have happened."

Garia looked at the bag Merizel was carrying. "What's that? It looks like another instrument."

Merizel beamed. "It is! It's another dajan. Terinar remembered that he saw some old instruments in a store-room they went in while they were searching for those men. It's not as fancy as the one Aunt Vivenne," she blushed saying the name, "gave me, but I've been told it's mine to keep. I'll be able to take it with me when we finally leave for the north." Her face changed. "Oh, no! You don't suppose that we can't go now, do you?"

Garia shrugged. "I've no idea. You heard about Taranna, I suppose?"

"No. What happened to Taranna?"

"I have no details at all, but it looks like she collapsed and died while we were out." Merizel looked shocked. "The Queen started telling us when we arrived back. Unfortunately, she saw Jenet then and got angry with me. I didn't find out any more."

"That's terrible! Oh, the poor woman! Oh, and Captain Bleskin! Just when he was about to set off to enjoy a quiet retirement with his -" Merizel looked upset. She shook her head. "That's terrible," she repeated. She started. "Oh! Feteran! Does this mean..? I don't know." She shook her head again.

"And I'm stuck in here, waiting for the Queen to arrive and shout at me," Garia said.

"But I'm not stuck here," Merizel said. "Let me go out and find out what happened. Um, it might be safer in any case if I'm not here when the Queen arrives."

Garia gave a wry smile. "Thank you for your unwavering support. No, you're right. Go and find out what you can, the Queen isn't annoyed at you, only me. I'll need to wash up and change before dinner, Milsy can help me do that and learn how to be a lady's maid at the same time."

"As you say, Garia. I'll just go and find somewhere to put this," she held up the bag, "and we'll be away. Come, Bursila."

With just the two of them left alone in the suite again Garia and Milsy undressed each other then climbed into the tub to clean up before getting ready for the evening meal. It seemed a huge waste of water for two people so Garia decided to leave it there until Merizel and Bursila returned. The two dried each other and returned to the dressing room to find something to wear.

They were still going through the rails in their underwear when noises indicated others entering the suite. With fluffy robes around them they emerged to find the Queen, Margra and Merizel waiting in her sitting room with their maids.

"Please be seated," the Queen said. She came straight to the point. "Garia, dear, you have made an error of judgment today but I ought not to have scolded you on the steps of the castle entrance." She thought a moment before continuing, "However, despite that, it may serve to our advantage. This is not an appropriate time to talk of such matters, though. I have just visited the infirmary to speak to Jenet, finding Margra already there. Jenet tells me that you all forgot about her throat injury, even she did herself. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to make you entirely responsible for what happened today, although you must accept as any noble does that you bear formal responsibility for the actions of your staff."

The Queen sighed. "I forget that you are yet so young, child. I also forget, sometimes, that you come from somewhere else entirely and that you are not yet completely familiar with our ways and customs. The present circumstance -" she waved a hand to indicate their surroundings, "- must be completely unlike anything you would be familiar with in Kansas, must it not? While there is much on Earth which would be strange to us so there will still be much here that will confuse you from time to time. It is therefore understandable that on occasion our plans may fail despite our most careful efforts."

Garia bowed her head. "Thank you, Your Majesty. What happened was thoughtless of us. One of us should have remembered the plan at least."

"As you say, dear. Now, we are left with a new circumstance and must add that to our schemes. Margra and I have decided that she examined Jenet this morning and gave permission for her to accompany you on your visit to the miners' hall. On your return Margra examined her again and discovered that she ought not to have been permitted to go, prescribing her complete rest in the infirmary for some days to come." She looked steadily at Garia as she explained, "That will ensure that the mistake is not made again."

"As you wish, Ma'am."

"As for yourself, we have decided that my public displeasure at your taking Jenet shall serve a useful purpose, that is, you will have to stay up here in this corridor until the time comes for you to return to the palace. That will provide sufficient reason for your absence from the other parts of the castle."

"But, Ma'am," Garia objected, "does that mean I'll have to take all my meals up here? What about exercising? And the frayen? We can't go all that time without visiting them."

"Yes, you'll have to eat most of your meals in here, dear." The Queen indicated Milsy. "That will help keep your shadow away from public gaze... and provide her with sufficient food. As for exercises and frayen, well," she thought for a moment, "yes, you may perform those duties, but not as often as you otherwise might. And you shall have a strong escort whenever you leave our corridor, is that understood?"

Garia reluctantly agreed, "As you command, Ma'am."

"There will be one or two formal meals which will require your presence in the dining hall," the Queen added, "Including, I regret, a funeral meal. We met Merizel in the infirmary and discovered none of you knew what had happened to poor Taranna. That is the reason Margra has accompanied us here. Margra?"

"Thank you, Ma'am," the palace Healer said. She turned to Garia. "Milady, Taranna rose after her afternoon nap and about a bell later complained of pains in her left chest and arm, about here," she indicated on her own body. "She has suffered such pains before and we have prescribed herbs and ointments to relieve her, but this time it seems that what happened was much stronger than before. She fell to the floor and appeared very ill. We did what we could for her but she died about a bell later." She shook her head. "We do not know what was wrong with her, Milady. Might it be familiar to you?"

Garia sighed and nodded.

"From what you have described," she said slowly, "I would guess that Taranna had what we call a heart attack. No, that doesn't mean attack in the sense you use it here, it just means a very sudden failure of the heart organ."

"The heart? We thought that it was a muscular problem she had suffered from for many years."

"It just seems that way, Mistress Margra. What you describe is familiar enough to me that I can tell you it was definitely a heart attack." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, it would not have been possible to save Taranna. There are ways in which she might have been saved, had this happened on Earth, but even there survival is not guaranteed. It sounds like this has happened before?"

"As you say, Milady. Five or six times, by my memory, over many years."

Garia nodded. "Then her heart was already damaged, I guess. I don't know much of the gory details, but the heart is a muscle like others in the body and needs good blood flow to work properly. If one of the arteries gets blocked for some reason the flow gets cut off and part of the muscle dies. Each time it happens the heart gets weaker until eventually it can't work at all." She shook her head again. "On Earth, saving someone who has had a heart attack involves highly trained... healers... using expensive and delicate equipment. Time is important, too. If you can't get them to the equipment inside about a bell there's usually little hope of them living. I'm sorry."

"If that is how it must be, Milady, then we shall continue to do what we can until such time as we may do better." Margra's eyebrows raised. "Blocked arteries, Milady?"

Garia shrugged. "You understand I know nothing of the details, Mistress Margra? I'm no healer. There are at least two ways an artery - or a vein - might be blocked that I can think of. Firstly, if there's an internal injury a blood clot might get formed as the damage heals itself." Margra nodded. "Part of the clot might break off and get swept through the arteries until it finds itself in one that's too small for it. Just like a blocked drainpipe, nothing else can get past the blockage. Things start to die. The other way is if your diet is bad, you can get deposits lining the arteries and veins. Again, some of these deposits might break free and block something." Garia shrugged. "For all I know there are any number of other reasons why a heart may become damaged. Those are just two I've read about."

"I see, Milady. Can you tell me more at some other time? I do not wish to subject Her Majesty to matters she might find distasteful."

"I might be interested, Margra," the Queen put in dryly. "But perhaps I might not be that interested. You may come and consult Garia whenever your duties permit, Margra. After all," she added with a small smile, "you know where you shall find her, don't you?"

"As you say, Ma'am."

"Mistress Margra," Garia said, "I am always willing to tell you what I know, even though it probably isn't very much."

"Every little fact you can tell us is something more than we already know, Milady. Every little fact we learn helps us to save another life, make someone else's life more comfortable, helps us understand more about how our bodies work."

"Very well," the Queen said. "Now, to the future. The King and I think it only appropriate to delay our return to the palace in order to attend Taranna's funeral. Although Captain Bleskin had a private family life we both knew his wife well and it is only fitting that we show him support in his time of need. Her pyre will be here, on a private mountain terrace where such ceremonies are usually held. It will be two or three days before the arrangements may be completed."

Garia stared at the Queen before realizing what her expression must look like and softening it. Were the King and Queen so cold-blooded? Her mind whirled with the possibilities, the dates and movements of people that this personal tragedy might improve. She gave a small nod.

"As you say, Ma'am."

The Queen gave her a stern look. "Other matters we will discuss once the funeral has taken place. That much we owe Captain Bleskin, don't you agree?"

Garia bowed her head once more, rebuked for doubting her Queen. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. Then we must depart. I see you are preparing for your evening meal, we must make ready for our own." The Queen stood, and therefore so did everyone else. "Come, Margra. We shall leave these young folk to their own affairs."

~o~O~o~

"Quick! Go and hide! It looks as if all my friends have come to call."

Milsy needed no second urging. The noises from the sitting room signalled a crowd and very few of them, if any, would know of the King's plan. She scurried into her sleeping closet and closed the door. Of course, since it was the closet of a servant there was no lock, but if she lit no lamp and kept very still no-one should have cause to open the door.

After an indeterminate time someone came and knocked on Milsy's door. After a brief hesitation she opened it to find a flustered Garia, who explained that there was a problem.

"Since I'm stuck in this suite my friends want to take turns to keep me company. We can't do that, someone would be bound to find you, won't they? But, you're a castle servant, there's no reason they shouldn't know about you, is there? Go and put on your servant's uniform, Bursila will help you change, and then we'll go back and introduce you to the others. I'll tell them something which is truthful but won't give anything away. That will allow you to be around when my friends come to visit. Thank goodness we didn't decide to cut your hair right away!"

Milsy thought briefly, then nodded. "As you say, Milady. I'll just be another castle servant, won't I?" She paused, horror-struck. "But I only have the kitchen dress I came up in, and that's been sent to the laundry! What can I do?"

Bursila supplied the answer. "Milady, you and Milady Merizel were each given servant's clothes so that you might walk the castle corridors unnoticed. Your own must fit Milsy, must it not?"

"That's right. Go, quickly!"

Garia pointed and Milsy and Bursila went into the dressing room. Bursila rapidly stripped Milsy out of her borrowed gown and helped her into the servant's dress in castle livery. The three made their way back to Garia's sitting room where the occupants were listening to a description of Garia's visit to the Guildhall.

"Uh, guys, this is Milsy," Garia gestured to the young woman. "She's been lent to me while Jenet is in the infirmary."

Bursila and Milsy joined the other maids against the wall. Milsy recognized some of the faces sitting in front of her. All were about her age or slightly older or younger. One was the Prince, another was the young man who had shown her through the secret passages. She recognized him now as Terinar, the Duke's son. Another was Korizet, the Duke's daughter. This girl eyed Milsy with interest.

"I don't know you, girl," she said.

Milsy had to think quickly before answering.

"My Lady, I was previously employed in the kitchens," Milsy explained with a curtsey. "Master Samind thought I could do better and the Queen required another maid at short notice."

"Ah. I thought I would have known your face a little better if you had been one of the personal staff. Are you finding the work difficult? This must be different than what you have known before."

Milsy chose her words carefully. "My Lady, I have learned much since I have left the kitchens. I have nothing to complain about."

Korizet nodded. "As you say. You travel with the Queen? I trust you shall not disgrace the name of Dekarran by your future actions, Milsy."

"In front of the Queen, My Lady? I do not intend to disgrace anyone."

Milsy breathed a sigh of relief as Korizet lost interest. Now that she was known to be around, Milsy hoped that she would fade into the background just as the other maids did.

She stood with the other maids watching the young men and women, obviously friends with each other, talking and laughing about recent events in the castle. The tall slender girl, Merizel, went off and returned with a bag containing a musical instrument. She watched as Garia tried to play it, the discordant notes screeching around the chamber. There was an intense discussion about music that had Milsy wondering just what Garia was capable of.

Am I supposed to pretend to be able to do things like that? I wonder, if I had known before just what she could do, would I ever have volunteered for this mad plan?

~o~O~o~

The following morning Garia was collected by Prince Keren and the two departed to pay their respects to the Guard Captain who had just lost his wife. Milsy thought that was a nice gesture to make and it showed a side of Garia's character she thoroughly approved of. There was a shock for Milsy when the two returned, though. As she, Merizel and Bursila waited behind the door to the sitting room, she heard the last fragments of their conversation.

"I'm beginning to realize that I'm seeing another side of you, Garia. As well as being smart and knowledgeable you're thinking into the future and you're thinking of people's lives as well. Mother was right, you are a treasure."

He stooped and kissed Garia on the forehead, then bowed, turned and let himself out of the room. Garia stood there thunderstruck, not noticing as Merizel and Milsy joined her from the bedroom.

"Did I just see the Prince kiss you?" Milsy asked, eyes wide.

"Yes," Garia said, absently. "Yes, you did."

Oh, Maker! Garia is sweet on the Prince! This whole business gets madder every moment!

Oooh! I wonder what kissing the Prince would be like?

~o~O~o~

Milsy had watched and waited while Garia, dressed in a sober gown and with a gray sash, went off to the funeral of the Captain's wife, accompanied by Merizel and Bursila. When they returned she was helped into one of Garia's gowns and then followed Garia and Merizel through the hidden level and along richly-furnished corridors to a chamber she had never been to before.

The group that was gathered there was small. Milsy only recognized some of those present, including the King, Queen, Prince, and Duke Gilbanar. The other three were unknown to her. One wore Dekarran colors, another wore palace colors. The last man was apparently a merchant from the way they addressed him..

"It was fortunate that Master Tanon stayed in Dekarran," the Prince began. "When I found out he was still here, I asked him to come up to the castle and talk about our re-arranged schedule. He had one or two ideas," he smiled, "based on earlier activities of a similar nature we shouldn't talk about here." The Duke raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, Uncle Gil! You know exactly what Master Tanon does for the Crown that isn't spoken about. This will be no different to any of those."

"Except the person involved is considerably more important," the Duke growled. He was unhappy since, although the scheme was his brother's idea, it relied on those at and around Castle Dekarran for its successful execution.

"No more so than any other I may have carried, Your Grace," Tanon said mildly. "By all accounts Milady Garia is capable of looking after herself better than most we have smuggled in the past." He paused, then added, "Of course, there is her double to consider."

All eyes turned to Milsy, who looked uncomfortable in such august company. She decided that some statement of her willingness was required. "Master, I shall do whatever is required of me," she said simply. "Living for a time with Milady Garia has made me aware that I may have talents and abilities unknown to me, though I am as yet untutored. Once I am trained, I wish that I may give as good an account of myself as Milady might. " Milsy shrugged and smiled. "That time is not yet come, however. I shall of course use my wits if the situation permits it."

The King put a hand to his head, running his fingers through his hair. "Maker! Is this what it is to be in the years to come? What have we done?"

The Queen turned to him with a faint smile on her lips. "What did you expect, husband? That only Garia would ever be as she is now? She inspires women wherever she goes, and Palarand will be the better for it. Keren, you said that you had decided a plan with Tanon."

"Yes, mother. It seemed to me that the key point was that Garia had to be seen, publicly, to depart from the castle with great ceremony. Of course, she'll have to do so in a carriage surrounded by as many tough men as we can find. That being the case, it would be impossible to make the switch this side of the Sirrel. Therefore, Master Tanon suggested the following..."

~o~O~o~

The following morning, after Garia returned from her mysterious 'exercises' Milsy was asked to put on one of Garia's more recognizable day gowns.

"We're going to go down and meet my armsmen and those who are going to pretend to be my armsmen for you when you travel south," Garia explained. She hesitated, then asked with a smile. "Did you understand all that?"

"I think so, Garia. When the Prince explained in yesterday's meeting I realized you would want your own men with you, but obviously they couldn't be wearing your colors, not yet anyway. Those colors have to be seen going over the river with you, don't they? And then they get brought back with Master Tanon."

"That's right! After the procession departs South Slip for the city everyone wears palace colors but with different sashes. It just makes things less complicated on the road and when you're living in the palace. Even our maids wear palace uniforms when we're at home. So, let's go and meet the men who are going to look after you on the journey back."

This time Merizel remained behind as Garia led Milsy and Bursila through the hidden level, finally coming out on a lower corridor where they were met by Terinar.

"Follow me," he said with a smile. "I'll take you down to your men. Where's Merry? Is she not to join you?"

"She's not needed for this meeting, she's still up in our suite," Garia told him. "I think she's fooling about with that dajan."

"Oh." Terinar brightened. "Perhaps, after I've shown you your men, I'll go and join her, if she's up there all alone."

Terinar led them to a little-used chamber, closed the door behind them and departed with another smile. Inside were a number of armsmen wearing different colors. Garia turned to address those men wearing the green-on-green of House Blackstone.

"Men. The King has made some decisions which will result in changes to what will happen when we leave Dekarran. Since much of what will happen will be military in nature, Captain Merek has been placed in charge of this part of the operation. For reasons which will shortly become apparent, I'll ask you all to listen to what the Captain says and to take any instructions from him as you would from me or from Feteran. Does anybody have any questions so far? Good. Captain?"

"Thank you, Milady. Men," Merek's eyes covered the fourteen men in the room, "you all know that Milady Garia has been recently beset by an enemy who seeks to abduct or injure her, even to kill her. The King grows annoyed by this interference in the affairs of the kingdom and seeks a way to divert the attention of our enemy away from Milady. Therefore, when the royal party departs this castle to return to the palace they will not be accompanied by Baroness Blackstone but by a double."

Everyone's gaze turned to an embarrassed Milsy, standing beside Garia.

"Yes, this is the girl," Merek confirmed. "Before we start out, she will have her hair cut to resemble the Baroness and will wear her wardrobe during the journey. She will travel entirely by carriage and the task of those who accompany her will be to ensure she gets to the palace safely and undetected. The Baroness, meanwhile, will be traveling north with the Prince, concealed under another disguise. Now, you all know that the King instructed that the guard traveling with the Prince be increased, those additional men will be those of you here who are armsmen of the Baroness. This makes sense as she will be with the Prince's party. The rest of you present today are detailed to guard Milady's double closely."

Merek looked at the expressions on the faces of those surrounding him and half-smiled.

"I see some of you have understood the plan. Obviously, those men who go south with the double must appear Milady's men, and therefore must wear her colors, until at least the overnight stop in South Slip. The real Baroness will be journeying with us that far, since her departure from the castle must be seen by everyone. For the same reason those who will go with the Prince must wear palace colors, but that is not a problem since you all wore them for most of the journey here. The only change you need make is to switch sashes with those who will go with Milady's double."

"Captain," Feteran asked, "the journey to South Slip will require those men to wear our uniforms, is this correct?"

"As you say, Commander. If your men would let these fine men borrow Milady's colors for that brief journey, it will seem that she is surrounded by her own men for the return to the palace. Once the King's party departs South Slip the use of sashes in Milady's colors should be sufficient and the uniforms can be returned north to catch up with their owners once again."

Feteran considered the matter then nodded. "Aye, Captain."

"There is another slight problem," Garia told them. "Originally, Feteran was to return to the palace since he is too well known to be absent during the journey. Since his mother's death I have made it clear that he should remain with his father and so another should go instead. I think it's a good idea that one of my men goes south because he will know the routine I'm supposed to be following. Therefore, I've chosen Tord to go with those who will be pretending to be my men. With Captain Merek's permission he will be in charge of the squad."

"Milady," one of the palace men asked, "what of your maid, and of your secretary? Will they be returning south?"

"Lady Merizel's maid Bursila has volunteered to accompany my double south. Since my maid Jenet is injured and will have to stay behind in the castle, we should get away with that. Um," she grinned, "don't expect to meet anyone else of my retinue along the way, although of course Lady Merizel and I will be traveling as far as South Slip as Captain Merek told you. As for Jenet, you can expect her to make an unexpected recovery shortly after the King departs."

All the men were grinning now. When all was said and done, guard work was usually routine and mostly boring, although less so since Garia had appeared in their midst. Now, to be part of a scheme, with doubles and substitutions, subterfuges and misdirections, fired them all with enthusiasm.

"I want to give you all a warning," Merek said sternly. "Those traveling south, including Milady's double, face a real risk of attack, even if they are with the King's party. You must all take your duties seriously and you must not breathe a word of what is happening to any other. If you should be questioned by others, including guardsmen, refer them to me. I will add that Milady's double obviously does not have her martial abilities so must be guarded as you would any other lady of the court. While she is acting as a double, she shall be treated with the rank she appears to have. Understood?"

A chorus of "Aye, captain."

One of the men asked, "Captain, has the girl a name? You have not called her anything but 'double'".

"If I gave you a name, you might say it by mistake and reveal the plan," Merek told them. "You'll call her 'Baroness' or 'Milady' just as you normally would."

One of her own men asked, "Milady? What about us? When shall we meet you again?"

"That's another part of the plan it's best you know nothing about," Garia said. "Um, all I might say is that you'll go north with Prince Keren and after a couple of days you'll develop wagon trouble. We'll catch you up there. We'll be bringing your uniforms back with us."

Merek's eyes narrowed. "Milady, I understood the intention was for you to appear as part of the Prince's party during your journey north, so why might you require your colors?"

"Ah, well, we're going to inspect the lands the King gave me. It might be necessary for me to appear as Baroness during that time. We don't know what we'll find up there, so we're keeping our options open. We just hope we'll be far enough away that word of my presence takes time to trickle back south."

"As you say, Milady. Now, if you would excuse us, I think your men should remove their tunics so that we might discover if any alterations are required."

"Oh? Oh, yes!" A room full of half-dressed men. Pity I can't stay to watch... "Come on, er, double. Let's leave these men to strip off in peace."

~o~O~o~

Another morning, more subterfuge. This time it was necessary for everyone to pack up their belongings for their journeys, but those in Garia's suite faced complications. Garia's clothes had to be divided so that she would have enough to wear on her journey while still leaving enough for Milsy to reach the palace comfortably. A certain amount of the sort of clothing worn by the traveling community had come up in the chests and this was distributed between the three girls, who would wear them at different stages of their respective adventures.

The chests were sent down through the hidden level and then it was just a question of waiting. Garia spent some of the time just talking to Milsy, getting her familiar with her speech patterns and telling her as much as possible about how the palace worked and what she might do when she arrived there.

During the afternoon Garia went down to see the Prince depart. Milsy could see the train of wagons roll down the ramp from the north gate and join the road north, a thin ribbon twisting between the many large buildings. When Garia returned she looked visibly disturbed.

"Garia? It is the Prince, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," she said. "We are... close, and this is the first time we'll have been apart. I've had to say good-bye to all the men I've been training, as well, and it seems to me that everyone is leaving me. Even you."

"Uh, that's... true," Milsy said, "but you'll be joining the Prince again soon enough, won't you?" Her eyes narrowed. "You're in love with the Prince, aren't you?"

"Shh! You mustn't say that!" Garia's lip quivered. "Yes, I am and no, I'm not allowed to be. The Prince can only marry someone who can benefit the Kingdom by bringing some kind of alliance. I'm not the daughter of a ruler so I don't qualify."

Milsy was appalled. "That's awful! Oh, I am so sorry for you. What a stupid rule! Do you think you can find a way round it?"

"I don't know, Milsy." Garia smiled wanly. "Thank you for your support."

~o~O~o~

Another morning, another departure. This time Garia and Merizel went down to the quayside to watch some of the visitors leave by ship. Milsy found the delays tedious and tried to find things to occupy her, but it was difficult. Almost everything had now been packed and dispatched, apart from the few clothes needed for the next day or two. She stayed in the bedroom, alert to anyone attempting to enter the suite. She tried to look out the windows to see what was happening but her knowledge of the port was almost zero so she noticed very little.

When Garia and Merizel came back, the next part of the plan began and that involved cutting Milsy's hair to resemble Garia's short style. Bursila did most of the work, guided by Garia, and soon lengths of dark hair were scattered on the floor of the dressing room around their feet. It was difficult to get the ends to curl under as Garia's did but some rollers were discovered and, together with some hot water, produced a reasonable resemblance. From a distance. In the dark.

Garia sighed. "It will have to do," she said. "There's no point doing much more to it, Milsy, because you're only going to have the wig crammed on top until tomorrow night. Once you get to the women's hostel tomorrow there ought to be somebody there who knows how to do hair properly."

"As you say, Garia. It won't look too bad from a distance, will it? Nobody is supposed to get close enough to see that much detail."

"That's what we hope, all right, but we all know what happens to plans, don't we? We've already had to change this plan twice."

After lunch Milsy and Bursila changed into Dekarran servants' dresses. Milsy had the wig arranged on her head, hiding her own hair, and the two waited until Terinar appeared from the secret panel carrying two covered baskets.

"Ready?" he smiled at them. "If you'll come with me, it's time for you to leave the castle."

He took them down many levels until they reached a chamber where a number of other women in Dekarran colors waited. Milsy recognized none of them, but that was not unusual. The castle had so many servants and functionaries that there were always new faces. The others glanced over her but paid Bursila and her little attention.

"This is Herinna," Terinar said, gesturing. "She knows the warehouse district, she'll take you where you have to deliver these things." He handed over the baskets.

Milsy and Bursila curtseyed. "As you command, My Lord."

Herinna said, "Everybody here? Then let's go. If we dawdle we won't be back before it gets dark."

As the group made their way out of the gate they were joined by four guards.

"What..?"

"You know the warehouse district is no place for unaccompanied women," Herinna said, as if to remind them. "If it weren't for this errand, I wouldn't set foot in the place. Come on, we have a way to go."

Most of the group took a steep path which led back down to the town while four, including Herinna, Milsy and Bursila carried on down the ramp with the four guards. At the bottom they joined the trade route and followed it through the industrial area. Milsy had never been here before, though she had visited the town itself on several occasions.

"Let me see... ah! Here's the turn," Herinna said. "Down here, girls. Ah, and boys. This won't take long."

They entered a covered yard off a side street. Inside was a wagon being loaded by several men. The foreman brushed his hands on his apron and came to them.

"Can I help you?"

"We have a special commission from Lord Terinar to Master Tanon," Herinna said.

"Ah, yes. If you'll come right this way, ladies?" The foreman turned to the men-at-arms. "If you'll wait here, we'll be but a few moments. This won't take long." He smiled. "They'll be safe with me."

"In here, ladies," the foreman said. He showed them into a dingy downstairs room. "Do what you have to, then knock on the door when you're finished, right? I'll stand outside to prevent interruptions."

Once the door was shut Milsy stripped off her Dekarran dress and put on the traveling gown which had been hidden in one of the baskets. The Dekarran dress went back into the vacated basket. Bursila reset the wig and made sure Milsy was presentable.

"Good luck, Milady," she said. "I will next see you tomorrow evening, I hope."

"So do I," Milsy said.

Herinna knocked on the door and the man opened it and came in.

"So. Stay here, mistress," he instructed Milsy, "while we allow your friends to depart. Then we may consider what next to do."

The others left and the door closed. Milsy could just about hear the conversation as the three women rejoined the men in the yard.

"Where's the other one, then?" one of them asked.

"She awaits the reply to a message," Herinna said blandly. "Someone else will come by to escort her back to the castle. Shall we go? We have a long climb ahead of us."

"As you say, Herinna."

After some delay the foreman returned.

"Looks like you'll have to stay here overnight," he said, his voice apologetic. "I was told you would be here earlier, the wagon in the yard is waiting for you." He shook his head. "Too late now, if we try to get you down to the ferry it would be too dark to cross safely. Have you eaten?"

"No... Master," Milsy replied. "It has been a strange day."

"Ain't that the truth!" The man grinned. "Now look, lass, we'd best not use names, right? Saves any trouble in the future, if you understand me. Come with me, there's a room upstairs you can stay in and we can easily find you something to eat."

Upstairs, at the end of a narrow corridor, was a small room with double bunks either side.

"Put the bar down over the door when I leave," the man instructed. "The doors the other side are the toilets and the bathroom, and some of the men might make a mistake in the night." He shuddered. "Don't go near the bathroom, will you? It would be like jumping in a sewer. I've only arrived here myself today and I didn't realize it had gotten so bad." He added, "I'll do a special knock on the door so you'll know it's me, right? Like this." He demonstrated. "Don't open the door to anyone else."

"As you say... Wagonmaster."

The man grinned and raised an eyebrow. "They told me you was smart, lass. I'm sorry, there's no other women here at the moment so you'll just have to trust me. When you get over the other side my... uh... there'll be a woman who will look after you, all right? Now, let me go find some food for you. Remember what I said."

Milsy stared at the door after the man had gone, then remembered to swing the bar across it. The light was almost gone but the windows were so filthy there was nothing to be seen outside anyway. She sat on a bottom bunk to wait. The special knock came on the door eventually and she let the man in. He carried a tray with a bowl of steaming stew, a jug of water, a goblet and a lamp.

"Right. Eat what you want, lass. The water will have to last you all night so don't drink it all now. Try and get some sleep because we'll have to make an early start in the morning. I'll collect the tray when I fetch you for breakfast."

"Thank you." It didn't seem that Milsy could say anything else, given the circumstances.

The man shut the door and Milsy barred it before tackling the stew. It could be a long night.