Journey To The Northern Woods

"A hunting trip, My Lord?"

"Yes," King Myde answered. "It's almost time for the annual Northern Woods Hunting Trip. I want you to prepare diligently for it. You and your men must be fully prepared to keep all the attending nobles and participants safe."

"Pardon my boldness, Sire, but will such action be wise, given the current circumstances?" Kaleb trailed off, tone edged with uncertainty

"So, I made sure that the information about the missing seal didn't get to anyone else except those who already knew. The investigation is ongoing, and things must continue as usual so no one suspects that all isn't well." King Myde sighed, looking suddenly aged and weary. "The Council is just waiting to hear it so they can declare me unfit to rule."

The last words were so faint that Kaleb nearly thought he'd imagined them.

King Myde straightened. "You may go."

Kaleb bowed and left.

——————

The hunting camp needed forty servants, and the list was in his hands by midday.

Kaleb ran his eyes down it, checking each name against the guards' records. Cooks. Stable hands. Water carriers. Laundry.

He stopped.

Clara Bank. Elena Moss. Camp kitchen.

Why are both of their names here?

"Who added this name?" he slowly asked, pointing to the name of the person he had under suspicion.

The Head Servant looked up from her ledger, her mouth already tightening. "The roster was settled yesterday, Captain."

"That isn't what I asked."

"The order came down sealed from the housekeeping office, with the usual stamp." She hesitated. "I didn't think to question it. Servants are reassigned all the time."

"Whose order?"

"I couldn't say. It was compiled together with the others."

"The girl is under my watch." Her name should not have been on any list."

A flicker of unease crossed her face, but she only spread her hand. "I don’t know what to say, Captain. Perhaps someone made a mistake. Should I remove her name?"

Kaleb stared at the list for a long moment.

Somebody wants her outside these walls.

He could cross it out. He could keep her locked in his house with a dozen guards at the door. After all, she shouldn’t be anywhere near the trip.

The cloaked shadow slipped through the palace wall that blocks magic, and the stolen seal. Those need to be uncovered.

And he has a feeling that whoever did them, is the one who wants her at the Hunt.

And there, she will be. Besides, he would rather be there when the person meets or finds her.

"Leave the name," he said. "And tell no one I asked."

—————

Not long after, Silva brought her in. Elena looked pale and fidgety when he gestured for her to sit, though she tried to hide it. Kaleb frowned.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," she answered, a bit too fast.

He looked at the guard by the door. "Did something happen during her chores?"

Silva gave a concise account. The Captain rolled his eyes.

"That's on you. You've been chosen to join the servants who will attend the Annual Hunt with the royal family. Silva will take you to start preparing."

Elena burst into a fit of coughing without explanation, her eyes bulging as she patted her chest. "W-what? Sorry, did you say… hunt?"

Kaleb observed her. "Yes. Why? Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

A storm of emotions crossed her face, too quick for him to catch them all. But one stood out above the rest.

Terror.

So you do know something, Kaleb thought, leaning back.

"No, there’s nothing," Elena managed to squeeze out, her eyes looking everywhere but him. "I mean, nothing is wrong."

He hummed, letting her think he believed her lie.

———————

Ariana couldn’t sleep in the early morning when the hunting trip would start. She stared at the ceiling of her tiny room with bleary eyes throughout the night. Her mind wouldn’t settle. It raced, searching for a solution to the problem in the message she’d received. But before dawn, she had found nothing.

The head servant of Kaleb woke her up with a loud bang and took her back to the palace. Clara found her as soon as she arrived at the palace. Servants were already up and buzzing, doing last-minute checking.

“Good morning, Elena. Isn’t it exciting that they have chosen us to go to the Northern woods this year?”

Ariana hissed. “Yeah, what a thing to be pleased about.”

Then Clara noticed her wan face. “Are you alright?” She tried to touch her face but the glare Ariana shot her stopped her. “You look like you didn’t sleep well.”

That’s because she didn’t. Ariana said nothing.

Clara gave a glance around to the other servants, then said in a whisper. “Are you still worried about the Captain and the suspicion he has of you? Well, you shouldn’t be worried, after all, you didn’t do anything, right?”

Ariana's annoyance grew. “You don’t know anything that’s going on.”

“But I know you,” Clara stubbornly replied. “And I know that you’d never do anything that would warrant such mistrust. So there’s nothing to be worried about with this hunting trip. So just stick close to me. We do our work, keep our heads down, and we will get through it, alright?”

Ariana looked at the innocent girl. Her irritation aside, she was slightly touched by the blind trust she had for her, unaware she was holding a secret that could get both of them killed.

It feels almost good to have someone worried about her, in this unknown world.

“Thank you," she found herself whispering. "I will stay close."

Clara beamed. She picked up a ragged cloak by her side. "Take this with you. I heard from the other servants who went last year that the Northern Woods is a bit cold during the hunting trip. I used faded blue to hold the hem together. Hope you won’t find the needlework careless.”

Ariana accepted it with a mutter of thanks. They had a quick breakfast before setting out.

With a command from the Captain, the Royal Procession finally began moving. King Myde traveled near the center with the royal guards. Princess Ariana was surrounded by attendants and guards. Prince Lucian was also part of the royal group, riding near the front, checking the road and his guards around him.

The servants followed with the supply wagons. Ariana sat in one of the wagons with Clara and two servants. Neither of them spoke.

Clara leant closer to her. "You are still worried." She whispered.

Ariana closed her eyes, feeling suddenly drained. "Clara, please stop asking."

"I'm just worried about you."

"You do not need to."

"OK, but promise you’ll tell me if something is wrong."

"I will."

It was a lie, but what does she expect, she doesn’t trust her.

The party continued along the road. The further they traveled, the colder the air became. The trees grew thicker around them.

Ariana looked through the opening of the wagon. The northern forest was large and quiet. It made her uneasy. Could the one who wanted her to kill the princess be around? Watching?

A horse suddenly trotted beside the wagon. Startled, Ariana looked up and met Kaleb’s sharp gaze.

He rode with an easy pace, shoulders deceitfully relaxed. But she knew otherwise too well.

"You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that expression of yours looks like someone hiding a very dangerous secret, wouldn’t you agree?”