Minette, rocking herself, sat on the edge of a couch, dabbing her red-rimmed eyes while Dorai paced back and forth. The couples' personal attendants stood conspicuously against the walls. Prince Dorai started as the door opened and he stepped over to his niece's side.
"Jobyna, you're here!" Stating the obvious, he hugged her, holding her close. Perceiving her uncle's disoriented state, Jobyna asked, "What has happened?"
Silence greeted her question; all eyes stared as though she had uttered something abhorrent. Dorai moved away and dropped to sit beside his wife with his head in his hands.
"Where are Luke and Konrad?" Jobyna questioned, turning to Minette. "There was no one in your room, Aunt Minette." Her relation's stricken tear-filled eyes stared, lingeringly. Jobyna saw that Minette trembled uncontrollably, shaking and crying. She sat beside her aunt.
"What is it?" Jobyna asked softly. Minette cried harder into the already saturated kerchief. Jobyna asked, "Where are the children?"
Minette, between sobs, managed to reply, "In... their... rooms now... all but... Maia. Oh, my poor Maia!" Her sobs grew louder and Jobyna put her arms around her, looking searchingly at her uncle for an answer. Jobyna tried to curtail her racing imagination. Facts; I need the facts, she told herself. Soberly quiet, she listened to Minette crying for some minutes before she pushed her gently away and stood to her feet.
"What happened?" Her voice was barely a whisper and she moved close to her uncle. He drew her to a couch in the corner of the large room and sat with her, recounting all they knew of Maia's abduction.
Jobyna asked, "Why aren't you out looking for Maia?"
"I want to be here with Minette when we get word."
"What are you expecting?" Jobyna whispered then regretted verbalizing such a question.
"A ransom note, for sure," Prince Dorai said with hope in his deep voice.
Jobyna asked, "Where are Luke and Konrad?"
"I think, I'm sure, they joined the search."
Almost drowning Minette's unrestrained sobbing, a crying, screaming, wailing sound resounded from the corridor. The somewhat artificial commotion grew louder as the offender drew closer and closer. A woman servant entered carrying the noisy culprit, Elissa. Charles and Doralin followed sheepishly behind their sister.
The woman curtsied. "I'm sorry Your Highness... Marm, the children would not sleep without seeing you, and..." her voice cut off as Elissa wriggled, struggling to free herself and succeeding.
"Maia!" Elissa screamed.
"Maia?" Doralin ran to Jobyna who stood, speechless, returning the hug Doralin's hug and extending one arm as Elissa arrived to join them. Doralin pushed herself away, "No, it's Jobyna, not Maia! Papa, where's Maia?" She began to wail, "I want Maia! I want Maia!"
Charles joined the chorus, "Have you found Maia yet, Father?"
Jobyna's eyes met her uncle's and she knew he had the same thought as she. His grim face was drawn, distressed. The girls, at first glance, had thought she was Maia! Jobyna did not like her assumptions and did not want these young children to hear them.
Turning to the children, she said brightly, "Luke and Prince Konrad and all the soldiers in Frencolia are out looking for Maia, and God will help them find her, I feel sure. Charles, please take me to your rooms. We'll have some stories while we wait. I have a surprise to share with you." She watched as the children kissed their parents. Elissa patting her mother's cheek, wiping tears with her forefinger, then the princess-cousin ascended the central stairs with the youngsters.
She sent a servant to fetch her Noah's Ark.
"Joseph was stolen away to Egypt and he was there for years. God used this time for a very good reason." Jobyna recounted to the children her favorite Bible Story.
"Do you think Maia will be away for years and years?" Doralin asked.
"No! God is going to bring her back tonight!" Elissa's tone was final.
Jobyna thought of how much Maia looked like herself, and said, "God might allow Maia to be taken a long way away, but whatever happens, we must remember that He is in control."
"What's 'control'?" Elissa asked. Jobyna looked at Charles; her eyes seeking the lad's input on their conversation. So far he had been sullen and silent. She waited.
"It means God won't let anything happen that He won't allow," Charles answered his sister's question.
"Then why did Maia get taken at all?" Doralin queried. Silence reigned in the bedchamber for a few moments whilst Jobyna thought deeply. New revelations entered her mind.
"You all know that I was captured and was taken from Frencolia for a whole year. Well, I learned things that I could never have learnt if I had not been away."
"What things?" Doralin asked.
"Like trusting God. I mean really trusting, even when I was sick and lonely and wanted to come home. And I learned to pray for my enemies," the princess added, remembering Berg. "And do you know, God made me strong so I could love them and not hate?"
The children looked at her, soberly, their eyes wide. She continued, asking them, "And while I was away, what did you do for me?"
"We prayed." Elissa replied, eagerly, "Every day, too."
"Then what did God do?" Jobyna persisted.
"He answered our prayers! You are here!" Doralin smiled. "We must pray for Maia, that she will be strong and trust; but I want to pray she comes home soon, like tomorrow!"
Dismissing their sorrow in playing with the animals and the ark, the children talked about the story of the flood as Jobyna led them through it. Charles fetched a Gospel Book and read the story of the building of the ark, from the book of Genesis.
When the novelty of the new toys wore off, and the children's tiredness came to the fore, Jobyna read, sang and prayed. One by one, the girls fell asleep and she beckoned to the watching servants to carry them to their respective beds.
Charles, the persistent one, solemnly declared, "I'll never sleep again until my sister is safely home."
Jobyna promised, "I'll come and wake you if there is any news, or else I'll bring Maia to see you." Reluctantly, he climbed in bed, allowing her to tuck him in and sit with him. She read from the Gospel Book, progressively softening her voice tone. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier until he could fight sleep no longer.
Descending to the front reception room once more, Jobyna realized how late in the evening it was and how hungry she felt. Her uncle sprang to his feet as she entered the room; she gave them the good news that the children were all asleep. Minette now paced back and forward, wringing her hands.
"No news?" Jobyna asked her uncle, as she sat on the couch. He shook his head.
"We've had some reports back. They reveal nothing; no signs, anywhere. No messages..." The wounded tone of his voice affected Jobyna's emotions and tears rose to her eyes as he dropped, exhausted, to sit on the couch beside her. Burying his face in his huge hands again, he rubbed his eyes vigorously as though to erase the continued assault of what he wished would be just a bad dream.
"There won't be a ransom note, Uncle." Jobyna's tone was decisive.
The prince closed his eyes at the sound of these dreaded words and opened them as his niece continued, "Whoever abducted her thinks Maia is me." She bowed her head, and her long locks hid her face. Speaking as though to the floor, she struggled to keep her tears from falling, "I wish it had been me! You'd have been spared all of this..."
The tears ran freely now.
Minette ceased her pacing and stood stone still, staring at her niece. A strange light entered Minette's red-rimmed light-brown eyes. The aunt sat by her sorrowful niece, saying, "No, you're wrong Jobyna, it would be the same."
Minette shook her head, trying to gain her composure, realizing what this moment meant to Luke's sister.
Turning sideways to face her, Prince Dorai spoke, "Minette is right, and...", pausing, thoughtful for a moment, he continued, "...we'd feel every bit as bad if it was you, Jobyna. You've been through too much already. You mean as much to us as Maia, and Luke... you are all Luke has of your closest family. We... we now have some, a little, understanding, of Luke's disappointment and angst in losing you for so long... we, we can only hope that our Maia will return safely and be as well and you, dear niece."
The Aunt and Uncle reached around her, embracing her and each other as they wept together.
A new bond entwined their hearts, uniting them strongly.
Prince Dorai stood, speaking to the attendants, "Bring us something to eat. Yes. We'll eat now."
~~~~~
Many miles away, to the east of Frencberg, a party of four men on horseback arrived at the border, their horses bearing great packs of lamb's wool. Two men led an extra horse each, the animals heavily loaded. They halted as they were challenged at the border pass and a guard went to wake the knight on duty.
A small keep had been built on this path in the past year. This was the exact place Elliad had exited from Frencolia, carrying all the kingdom's treasures, including Jobyna.
"We came in a week ago to purchase lambswool and are now returning to our master in Danzerg," the man lied. "Cormick, Edsel, Lester and Welby. If you check the papers, Sir, you'll find recorded that I said we'd be bringing my young sister from Samdene with me. Her name's Lana Cormick. She's coming to live with me and my wife."
The knight directed the torch closer to his list. Turning back two pages, he said, "Yes, here it is, Sir Cormick, and Edsel, Welby and Lester, and yes, it was recorded you were here for the Chanoine wool and that your sister, Lana, would travel back with you." He perused the men, evaluating each one. His eyes moved back to the spokesman, who had a large cloak-like sling tied around his body, with a head of curly fair hair showing.
"My sister's asleep. We had a long day and didn't get away as soon as we thought," Cormick said, his voice a monotone. He brushed his fair hair back from his face. The beady eyes watched as the knight looked from Maia's 'hair' to that of the supposed brother.
The knight motioned for them to pass, wishing them a good journey. On later reflection, he remembered feeling uncomfortable about a young girl so sound asleep and traveling in such a fashion. Also, the hour seemed too late to be traveling the pass, but he had no reason to detain them.
So well was their trickery planned, a blond wig successfully disguised Maia's distinctive copper-brown hair.
~~~~~
Luke and Konrad arrived at the border with thirty soldiers, four and a half hours behind the Chezkovian bound party. The knight and his men were dozing but roused quickly at the sound of hoofbeats.
After studying the records carefully, Luke and Konrad were unsure whether there was anything of significance. But Luke's gut feeling told him there had to be. He ordered the knight to enter the keep and write a copy of the record, names, dates, entry and exit. Cormick, Edsel, Lester and Welby and the sister Lana, who had exited with them and was supposedly from Samdene.
"I know you all feel it's a long-shot, but whoever the kidnappers are, they had this planned down to the last fair wig if this turns out to be them!" Luke said, feeling in a grumpy mood due to his mind perceiving such a conspiracy. He added, "I do believe I'm right in this, but time will tell and we will check if Cormick's so-called sister, Lana, ever existed. Perhaps they did not even go to Samdene. If they have Maia, there would be no need to visit there; and we will check from where they purchased the wool bales."
The knight gave his opinion, "We will hope and pray, Your Majesty, that we find your cousin, Princess Maia, still on Frencolian soil. But, Sire, if it is them, it would be a bad move to pursue them tonight, they've too much of a head start, Sire, King Luke."
"I agree, Sir..." he glanced at the record, signed by this knight, "Brookwood. "We're not equipped for a long journey, and if they have my cousin, there are sure to be men waiting for them somewhere out there. They had it all well planned."
Konrad spoke, "You're right, King Luke. This was quite a journey all the way up here, our horses are tired from all the climbing. They will be well gone, heading north, likely with new horses and a large escort."
The new day was breaking when Luke and Konrad rode back over the moat bridge in Frencberg. Sir Keith, a senior knight, met Luke and Mattheus who reported their efforts as also fruitless. The king gave them the paper and ordered a search to be mounted in Samdene for the home of a woman called "Lana Cormick" who supposedly had a brother named Sir Cormick in Danzerg.
"I want you to go to every house, even if it takes all day, and when you find who this young fair-hair girl is, report back immediately. Also, these four men; I want the name of the inn they stayed in, whether in Samdene, Chanoine, or Frencberg, and I want a report about every move they made, including their purchase of Chanoine wool," Luke commanded. The king's knights bowed, moving off to make arrangements to carry out these royal orders.
Luke and Konrad found Prince Dorai, Princess Minette and Princess Jobyna, all sleeping in the front reception room where they'd been all night. Dorai was stretched out in a chair, a footstool under his feet and the two women lay on separate couches.
Minette roused the instant the door swung open, Dorai just seconds later.
Konrad gazed intently at Jobyna, who was still sound asleep. He too, realized, Jobyna was the one supposed to have been kidnapped. The felons, believing that Maia was the older girl had abducted her. While the emphasis had been on protecting Jobyna in Chanoine, no one had suspected such a terrible mistake could take place.
They spoke in undertones, and when Jobyna opened her eyes, her brother had to retell the happenings of the night.
"I will write to Elliad and tell him I'll exchange places with Maia. He'll send her home!" Jobyna proclaimed when Luke told her what he feared.
"We've already discussed that, Jobyna. I must repeat myself by telling you that is the most unthinkable idea!" Prince Dorai's voice vibrated with astonishment. "He would then have both of you! There'll be no such talk, not ever again. We will not bargain with this mad man!"