Princess in Trouble (complete)

16 - A Conspiracy

Before leaving the chamber for the feast, the king said, "I will go along to the our special guest room and check on our granddaughter. I would like a word with our doctor there." Stepping to a door in the corner of his queen's sitting room, he knocked and seconds later, a young messenger opened it and bowed before leading through the ante-chamber toward another door. 

Before the young man reached to open the door to the room where Vondra lay, it opened and a woman stepped out. She closed the door behind her and leaned back on it. 

"Andrew, I must..." her eyes rose to see that the king was right behind the guard.

"Oh, Your Majesty!" she exclaimed, curtsying. Rising, she blurted, "I was coming to find you, or speak with our queen; I was all right while it were happening but now I feel in such a dither... there is such a conspiracy that went on in here..."

"Come into the queen's room, Shirley. Calm down and we can talk."

Telling both his wife and Sharzor to stay, he said, "Shirley has something to tell us and I believe we should all hear it."

"Well, Your Majesty..." looking at the queen then at the prince, she added, "Majesties..."

"It's all right, Shirley, call me Altores, or Sire, and call my wife Anne-Marie— and this is Sharzor..."

"But, I couldn't..."

"You can and you will, because your king declares it, even if it's not for when we are in a larger company. You may use the royal terms then." Smiling, he looked her in the eye and waited.

"Well, the doctor, Amos, he bribed us, Verity and me, with a large amount of gold coins to help him poison your granddaughter."

"What?" Sharzor exclaimed, standing and turning as if to leave, wanting to protect Vondra and he could only do that if he was with her.

"Wait!" Altores said. "Wait. Let me think... 

"You must stay here with Anne-Marie and I will go in there. Is my, is Vondra alone?"

"No, we thought one of us should stay there with, with your Vondra. He's coming back with the cup he wants us to force into her— he said, 'even if it takes all night she must swallow it all.'"

"Why did you take the gold?"

"Oh Your... Sire, but if we hadn't, he likely would have us done in due to telling us about it and if we did do it, not that we even considered it, like he just ordered us to do it, but we would be dead it we did do it, Sire... and we, Verity and I, we think more highly of you and... we... we can't do murder, not to anyone, especially..." she turned to include the queen and looked at Sharzor as well, "well, anyone really... everyone, we can't even consider such a deed."

Frowning at her long-winded reasoning, Altores nodded.

Turning to Sharzor, he asked, "Where are your men, the guards you brought?"

"They're in the mess-hall catching up with some long-known friends. Barnabas has a brother there... I think Captain Hogan has been invited to the feast tonight, but likely he will be there already, waiting, or he will come for me, I'm not sure."

"Go and fetch all of them. If Hogan has left, bring the rest but send one with Hogan and tell them to be careful not to speak of it where they might be heard. Come back here, to this room, or, if the doctor is next door, but, we have to take it as it comes. We must summons guards, loyal guards to help us apprehend Amos and discover his cohorts, for they will be here too. Shirley will stay with my queen, and I will tell... what is her name?— Verity?"

"Yes... Sire... Altores." Like everyone in this palace and elsewhere in Tutela, she was in awe of the king and queen. This was her first personal encounter with him.

A knock came to the door and Anton entered. Before he could speak, the king said, "Anton! Very timely. We need you. Come." Turning to Shirley he said, "Lock the door here when we leave and do not open it for anyone until you hear my voice."

Nodding, she said, "Thank you Sire..."

Outside the door, Sharzor said, "I must hurry..." and he took off at a run.

Trying the door to check that Shirley had locked it the king called, "Just checking. Keep it locked!"

Entering the chamber where Vondra lay, Altores saw Shirley kneeling at Vondra's bedside, her head bowed with both hands across her forehead. Turning, with fear on her face, she gasped to see Altores and pushed herself away from the bed to stand up and curtsy.

The king asked "What were you doing?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, I've been praying. We need the help of God and his angels. Did Shirley..."

"Yes, she told us. Where did you put the gold?"

"Under the mattress. We wanted no part of it, but when Shirley agreed, she looked at me and I knew she was acting a part..."

Kneeling again and reaching her hands under the mattress, she pulled out a leather bag and held it out for the king to take. Digging in again, she dragged out the other one.

Anton circumnavigated the bed to the other side, asking, "There's a bowl of broth here; almost empty. Did she drink this?"

"Yes," Verity replied.

"Was it full?"

"Yes Sir."

"Who brought it here?"

This question made the king blanch as he imagined that bowl could have contained poison...

"I did, Sir Anton; it be the same one we all partook of soon after midday and having some over, still warm, Shirley thought it a good idea, that being before the doctor came, but when he left, the princess was half awake and so eager to drink it but then, she wanted water and drank a whole goblet of it.

Altores breathed in relief.

Placing a hand on Vondra's forehead, Anton said, "She's not hot, nor cold." Sitting on the side of the bed, He bowed his head close to hers, speaking softly to her. "Princess, Vondra. Are you awake?"

"Mmmmm," she murmured, not opening her eyes adding, "Please... a drink of water..."

"Fetch it for her," Altores commanded. Beckoning Anton, he whispered, "Let's go into the dressing room here and discuss what to do if Amos comes with his potion before Sharzor returns."

As soon as they half-closed the door of the annex, they discussed what they would do if the doctor did come here before they had reinforcements.

"Perhaps, but, Anton, just stay here and sit tight... I'll go and talk with my granddaughter and see just how lucid she is. She is an expert in hiding her feelings when she wants to. Perhaps she is well enough to be taken from here. Amos likely will have lied about her having to rest for a week. "

When the king returned to look at Vondra, she was sitting up, pale but not looking as seriously ill as Amos had reported.

"Grandfather!" she exclaimed, with great happiness in her voice.

"Vondra, I want you to rise and come with me, now."

She swiveled around to sit on the side of the bed, saying, "I should get dressed."

Dragging a cotton throw off the bed, Altores wrapped it around Vondra's shoulders and called,

"Come, Anton. We'll go to the next room where our queen is. Vondra can visit with her grandmother and we will have some clothes brought for her. It takes a lot to keep a warrior down." He smiled at Vondra and she felt her heart soar.

"I'm so glad to be here with you Gandy." It was the pet name that Vondra had called him before she was five years old, after that, he had demanded she call him Grandfather and rather than calling her grandmother, 'Ganna', she had to give her the proper 'Grandmother' name.

"I am still in wonder that you are with us and I want you to be sure that we will keep you safe, now and forever." He kissed her forehead and offered her his arm. Together they walked to the chamber next door.