“I see your five berries,” said Princess Ardria, reaching into the bag by her side. She pulled out a handful of the small, red berries, collected from the side of the road that morning, counted out ten and dropped the rest back into the bag. Then she carefully placed the ten on the suitcase she and Teena, her handmaid, had laid across the seat between them. One rolled towards the edge as the carriage bounced over a particularly large pothole in the road. She scooped it up before it could disappear onto the floor, to join the dozens of others that had already gone there, and replaced it alongside its fellows. “And I raise you five more.”

Teena examined her cards with all the intensity of a bomb disposal expert faced with a destructive device created by a mad genius. Her gaze flicked to the Princess's three cards that lay face up on the table, then darted back to her own cards. The Princess thought she could almost hear the buzzing of high speed machinery inside her head as she considered her options. “Card,” she said at last, taking one of the cards from her hand and placing it on the discard pile.

Ardria dealt her another card, face down on the table, to replace it. Teena picked it up and added it to her hand. More careful deliberations took place, and then she reached into her own bag of berries and counted out twenty. “I see your ten, and I raise you ten more,” she said.

Ardria scowled, discarded a card from her own hand and dealt herself another to replace it. She examined her cards, pretending to be engrossed in them, then looked up suddenly, catching a smile on her handmaid’s face that she hid immediately. The two women stared at each other, suspicion in Ardria's steely grey eyes, pure innocence in Teena’s soft brown irises. Then Ardria stared at Teena's berry bag, plump and full of berries, while hers was almost empty.

“When I asked whether you’d ever played this game before, you said no,” she said. “Are you sure that was, in fact, the truth?”

“Yes!” protested the handmaid indignantly. “I've never played this game before today!”

“Never?” insisted Ardria.

A guilty looked crept across the handmaid's face. “Well, I've never played this game before, but there’s another game the servants sometimes play below stairs, when their duties allow.”

“A game similar to this one?”

“It has elements in common with this game,” The handmaid admitted, “but it’s a completely different game! I promise! I would never lie to you, Your Highness!”

“Hmmmm.” She glanced across at Tamwell, the Captain of her escort guard, sitting in the carriage’s other seat, facing them. He was trying to hide a faint smile. When he saw the Princess glaring at him he cleared his throat and turned to look out the window.

“Very well,” said Ardria. “let’s see what you’ve got. I call.” She placed her cards face up on the table, beside the two that already lay there. “A crew,” she declared. “Sixes and eights.”

“Family of Coins!” declared Teena triumphantly, laying down her own cards for inspection. She scooped up all the berries on the suitcase and dropped them into her bag. “Another hand?” she asked, smiling brightly.

“Why not? Captain, would you like to join us this time? The game goes much better with three players, and I'm sure Teena will be delighted to divide her berries with you.”

“I’m on duty, Your Highness,” the Captain replied. “I have to remain alert for any threat that might present itself.”

“Yes, of course. Very well, Teena, just you and me again, but I'm on to your little tricks now. Don't think you'll be able to fool me quite so easily again!”

“Of course not, Your Highness.” Something in her tone made Ardria look across at her again, and Teena made a big show of feeling the weight of her berry bag before looking innocently back at the Princess.

“You know, I could have you executed, just on a whim,” the Princess pointed out. “I could order Tamwell here to plunge his sword right into your heart, right now!”

“But you wouldn’t do that,” replied Teena confidently.

“Oh? And why wouldn't I?”

“All the blood would ruin the upholstery.”

“Unfortunately, she has a point,” Ardria admitted to the Captain. She gathered all the cards together, shuffled them and dealt two each to herself and the handmaid, face down on the suitcase. Then she dealt three more each, face up. “Why do you always deal?” asked Teena.

“Because I'm the Princess and heir to the Kingdom and you’re just an annoying maid.”

“Okay, just so long as there’s a good reason.” She picked up her face down cards and examined them carefully.

Ardria picked up her berry bag, looked inside it. “One other thing,” she said. “I'm instigating a berry tax. You are hereby required to give half of all your berries to the Crown.” She held out her bag expectantly.

“I thought only the reigning monarch could instigate a new tax.”

“In circumstances in which the reigning monarch is incapacitated or unavailable, and the circumstances warrant it, the next in line in succession may enact such measures as he or she considers necessary.” She shook her bag expectantly. “So hand them over.”

“The reigning monarch isn't incapacitated or unavailable.”

“He's not here, is he? Do you have a telegraph machine tucked away in your luggage somewhere? Have we been trailing a telegraph wire behind us ever since we left Marboll?” She shook her bag again. Teena sighed and scooped two handfuls of berries from her bag into the Princess’. “When the glorious day comes,” she said, “I'll be leading the revolution.”

Tamwell sat up straight in his seat and his hand reached for his pistol. “That was a joke!” cried Teena, her eyes wide with fear. “A joke! I'd never lead a revolution! Please, Your Highness!”

“At ease, Captain,” said Ardria. “It was just a joke.” Tamwell looked at her, then relaxed, although he gave the handmaid another stern gaze before returning his gaze to the view through the window.

“Perhaps we should give the humorous banter a rest for a while,” said Ardria. “We joke around when we're alone together, with no-one to overhear, but right now we're surrounded by armed men willing to kill and die to protect me, and they have the example of Soonia Darniss to remind them to keep an eye on even the most trusted servant. I trust you more than any other living person, Teena, but these men don't know you like I do. It was my fault, I forgot our situation and began joking. You just followed where I led.”

“No apology is needed, Highness. I give thanks that the good Captain here watches over you so carefully...” Her voice broke off and she looked out the window. “Was that thunder?” she asked.

Ardria looked out through her own window. There were clouds on the horizon ahead of them, but very far away. Overhead, the sun was bright and warm, and shortly beforehand the Princess had asked for the windows to be opened, to allow a cool breeze to blow through.

Now that they were listening for it, they heard a succession of thuds and booms from somewhere ahead, muffled by distance, and the Princess sat upright in her seat, looking alarmed. “No, I don't think it is,” she replied. “Tamwell?”

The Captain rapped three times on the ceiling and the carriage slowed to a stop as the driver pulled on the reins. “No, it’s not,” he said as he opened the door and stepped out. “Please stay in the carriage, Your Highness.” Outside, the two dozen members of the escort cavalry had also stopped, some ahead of the carriage, some behind. Near the back of the column, Soonia Darniss, still wearing a prison smock, sat on a horse that was tethered to a Helberion Ranger’s horse by a rope tied between the pummels of their saddles.

The ranger who'd been at the very front of the column was bringing his horse back at a light canter. He stopped beside the Captain and dismounted. Ardria strained her ears to hear what they were saying.

“It's a battle, isn't it?” said the handmaid in a quiet, scared voice. “There's fighting ahead of us.”

“There shouldn’t be,” the Princess replied. “Carrow should be pushing for the capital with everything they've got. There's no reason for them to be... Oh, of course! Adams Valley!”

“What's that?” asked Teena. More booms came to them, each one rumbling with echoes as the sound was reflected from hills and buildings. Cannon fire, the explosive detonation of large calibre shells. Either Carrow softening up a Helberion defensive position in preparation for an advance, or Helberion cannons trying to slow down an advancing Carrow column. It wouldn't be both at once. No-one would risk firing their artillery while the other side was firing because it would give away their positions. One side fired, while the other side kept their heads down, and then the other side fired while the first took cover. So who was firing now? Ardria hoped it was them, and that every thump she heard, accompanied by a faint tremor transmitted through the ground and up through the carriage’s primitive suspension, signalled the deaths of several invading enemy troops.

She opened her door and stepped out, walking around the back of the carriage to join the two cavalry officers. “Please stay in the carriage, Your Highness,” the Captain said again.

Ardria ignored the request. “There's a battle going on ahead of us,” she said. “We can't take the route we were expecting to take.”

“That's right, Your Highness. Corporal, please fetch the map of the area.” The other soldier nodded and went to the carriage, reaching in through the open door and under the Captain's seat. He pulled out a selection of folded up maps, selected the one he wanted and put the rest back before returning to the Captain.

Tamwell opened it up, found the area he wanted and folded it back against the creases so that that part was on top. “The battle sounds to be about twenty miles away,” he said. “So it’s probably around here. Randoll Flats. Why are we trying to defend that place?”

“There’s a high value asset to the north of it,” replied Ardria. “They must have orders to defend it.”

The Captain glanced up at her, then nodded and looked back at the map. “Okay, then. So our chaps will probably fall back this way, to the east, to defend Cody Gap. The battle will probably go north from there. To avoid it, we can either go further east, to Hornby, then go north through Scontown...”

“That'll put three days on our journey!” protested the Princess.

“Yes, but it’s safe. We should be able to get to Erestin without any trouble. That's what I advise we do.”

“What's the other possibility?”

The Captain looked unhappy. “The land to the west of here is basically just farmland. Nothing worth attacking or defending. Technically, the front line crosses it somewhere, but we might be able to sneak through without seeing a single soldier, either ours or theirs.”

“If it’s undefended, why aren't the Carrowmen swarming through it?”

“An invading army can't leave undefeated enemy positions behind it. They have to go to the places we're defending. We're not defending the Green Belt, so they have no reason to go there.”

“There's still a chance we might come across a Carrow patrol,” pointed out the Corporal. “When they see Helberion rangers they might just attack before we have the chance to explain ourselves.”

“But it takes us the way we want to go,” replied Ardria. “Towards Carrow. We'd probably save weeks going that way.”

“Two weeks at least,” agreed the Captain, “but we rejected that route for a reason. Corporal Cody’s right, the risk’s too great.”

“Everything about this mission is risky,” said the Princess, though. “We're going to the capital of the country we’re at war with. What if we fly the white flags and go openly along the main roads? Any Carrow troops would investigate before attacking, wouldn’t they?”

“We are going to be entering Carrow territory sooner or later,” pointed out the Corporal. “Even if we go the long, safe way. Maybe the sooner we put the front line behind us, the better.”

“Easy for you to say that,” replied the Captain. “You're not the one the King's going to crucify if anything happens to his daughter.” He examined the map again, folding and unfolding it to look at other parts of the country further away. “Perhaps if we take the road to Old Hasland, then north to Appernowle...”

“Barrow Hill would be more direct,” said the Princess.

The Captain shook his head. “Takes us too close to Calem Ware. Two railway lines cross there, which makes it strategically valuable. It'll probably be occupied by a sizeable Carrow garrison. I'd prefer to give the place a wide berth.” He looked up at the Princess, “I still recommend the eastern route, Your Highness.”

She shook her head and looked to the north, from which the thuds and booms of battle were still coming. “Every second we take getting there, people are dying. We have to take the fastest route. We go west, Captain.”

Tamwell nodded. “West it is. Corporal, tell every man to raise their white flags. I'll see to the Carriage.” The Corporal saluted, climbed back onto his horse and went off to pass on the order. “And Highness...” Ardria looked up at the Captain. “From now on, please stay in the carriage unless I say it’s safe to come out. Please promise me you'll do that, Your Highness.”

Ardria found herself smiling despite herself. “You have my word, Captain.”

They got back into the carriage and Tamwell rapped on the ceiling again to tell the driver to move on. “We're taking a slight detour to avoid the battle,” Ardria said to Teena.

“Yes, Highness,” said the handmaid with a nervous glance at Captain Tamwell. He ignored her.

A moment later, they were once again clattering and bouncing their way along the road. The detour off to the west was a couple of miles ahead of them, so they had an uncomfortable few minutes in which they were still heading towards the battle. Tamwell asked Teena to change places with him so that he would be able to look forward through the window. “You think we might come across some Carrowmen this far from the battle?” asked the Princess.

“It’s possible,” replied the Captain. “Either side might try to flank the enemy positions, or just scout out the terrain. I doubt they'd come this far from the battle, but better to be prepared.”

The sounds of artillery got louder and everyone, both inside the carriage and outside, tensed up anxiously. Ardria watched bushes and trees passing by the side of the road, mentally willing them to move faster, and they also saw the occasional farmer’s cottage, seemingly abandoned, with crops going unattended in the fields. Now and then they passed horse drawn carts going in the other direction laden with families and their most valuable belongings, heading for the imagined safety of the nearest large town. One man, with his wife and a half raised donkey sitting beside him on the cart, tried to call out a warning to the soldiers accompanying the Princess' carriage. Ardria heard the Corporal thanking him for the information and wishing him and his family well. The man's look of confusion as they continued on their way tore at Ardria's heart.

A few minutes later, the Corporal brought his horse back close alongside the carriage and Captain Tamwell leaned out to hear what he had to say. “Radiants up ahead,” The Corporal said. “Looks like they're above the battle.”

Ardria leaned out the other window and squinted up into the bright sky. It took her a moment or two, but then she saw them. Tiny points of light, just barely visible in the distance above the trees that lined the road. Three of them she thought, then she saw a fourth, a little distance away from the others. “Have they seen us?” she asked.

“If they have, they haven't given any sign,” replied the Corporal. “Are they a threat? The Carrowmen have agreed to let us go to them, right? And they’re allied to the Radiants.”

“The Radiants have deceived the Carrowmen,” replied Ardria. “King Nilon thinks they just want to help him conquer us, and he wants to do that with as little loss as possible. Our surrender would suit him very well. What the Radiants really want, though, is to destroy all human civilisation. Our surrender would not suit them at all. They want us to fight until there’s nothing left of either of our countries but ruins and corpses. Is they see us, they'll try to kill us, or curse us all back to our animal forms.”

Tamwell cursed and rapped on the ceiling again, signalling the driver to stop the carriage. “How far ahead is the turning?” he asked the Corporal.

“About five hundred yards, but the road bends to the north for a few miles before continuing west. We'll end up going quite a bit closer to the battle before we start moving away.”

The Captain said something under his breath that might have been a curse. “And we can't leave the road so long as we've got a carriage. We could turn around, go back to the last road going west...”

“That's the Mattly road, thirty miles back,” said the Corporal. “Nearly a full day’s travel.”

“Or we could wait here until the battle moves on...”

“No, we can't take the time “ said the Princess. “If the carriage is the problem, we should ditch it. Go the rest of the way on horseback.”

“Hardly a dignified way for a princess to travel,” said the Captain, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

“Stuff dignity. Ending this war and saving lives is more important. We're ditching the carriage, Captain. Then we strike out across the fields, head for Charnox by the most direct route. We can go at a gallop part of the way, save even more time.”

“I would advise not tiring the horses unless absolutely necessary. There may come a time when we have to ride, hard, and we don't want them giving out on us.” Then he stared at the handmaid as a thought came to him. “Can you ride a horse, miss?”

“I don't know, I've never tried. I'm pretty sure I can stay on one without falling off...”

“We can tie her horse to mine,” suggested the Princess. “It'll just follow where it’s led.”

“But what if we have to ride hard? It might be best if she returned to the palace...”

“No!” protested the handmaid. “Where Her Highness goes, I go! She'll need someone she trusts when we get to Charnox, otherwise she'll have to depend on some Carrow woman to attend her in King Nilon's palace.”

“I'm pretty sure I can dress myself,” said Ardria with a smile. “Your company would be very welcome, Teena, but we have to think of the practicalities of the situation. If we're forced to ride hard, you could be seriously hurt if you fall off your horse. I'd never forgive myself!”

“Actually, she makes a good point,” said the Captain, though. “If you arrive without a handmaid, King Nilon will take the opportunity to lend you one of his to see to your needs. In reality a spy, to watch and listen and report everything back to him. Having a maid of your own would give you an excuse to refuse one of his maids without causing offense.” Teena nodded in delight. “Perhaps she could ride with one of the men, Geoffham perhaps. He's the smallest and lightest.”

“Carrying two riders would slow the horse if we have to ride hard,” pointed out the Princess. “I’m sure Teena wouldn’t want to endanger one of your men.”

“Her and Geoffham together weigh rather less than Broderick, I'm pretty sure,” said Tamwell. “If Broderick's horse can carry him out of danger, I'm pretty sure Geoffham's can carry him and the maid.”

“Then it’s decided!” cried Teena in delight. She stared at the Princess, her eyes begging her to agree. Ardria still looked doubtful, though. “I'll decide whether it’s decided,” she said. “I have grave reservations about this.”

“Going back to the palace, alone, might be just as dangerous as continuing on with us,” said the Captain. “All kinds of things can happen to a young woman travelling alone through a war zone.”

“It's the safety of your man I'm thinking of. The war zone is ahead of us, not behind.”

“Then think of her as a human shield,” suggested Tamwell. “If we find ourselves under attack, her body might take bullets and shrapnel that would otherwise hit him. Seriously, though, Highness, you must have a handmaid when you arrive in Charnox. A Princess with a handmaid is a lady of standing and importance. A Princess without one is a just a woman travelling with an armed escort, and any common trader can afford to hire a few mercenaries when travelling abroad. It's a matter of how people see you, Highness. A matter of perception. It will decide whether or not they take you seriously.”

“I'm aware of the importance of making an impression, Captain. That’s the reason we set out in a royal carriage. I doubt we’ll make quite the same impression arriving all dusty and sweaty on steaming horses.”

“All the more reason to arrive with as many royal accoutrements as possible. That's all she is when all's said and done, I'm afraid. A royal accoutrement, a statement of your status and importance. With all due apologies to the young lady.” Teena gave him a sweet smile, but then she stared at the Princess to see whether his words had moved her.

“Very well,” said Ardria at last. “Teena comes with us, if she wishes.” She turned to the handmaid, who was beaming with delight. “But if you do, you do so at your own risk. Our mission is far too important to risk it protecting you. If you slow us down, we may have to abandon you and leave you to make it back to Helberion on your own.”

“I understand,” the handmaid replied. “I'm willing to take the risk.”

“Very well,” said the Princess, opening the door and getting out again. “Let's get these horses unhitched, then. Then see how much luggage we can pack on the two spare horses.”

☆☆☆

An hour later, six Helberion rangers pushed the splendid carriage off the road and into a ditch. Then they chopped up the bushes and shrubs that lined the road and used them to cover it as best they could. Anyone passing along the road would easily be able to see it, but hopefully a Radiant, passing a few hundred feet overhead, would miss it and wouldn't guess that the royal procession they were looking for had passed this way. Then, the twenty four men and three women climbed into their saddles and set off across the recently ploughed fields.

Ardria rode beside Tamwell near the middle of the procession, while Darnell and Teena were near the back, the handmaid sharing a horse with Private Geoffham while the traitorous former matron watched with a sardonic smile on her face. Ardria looked back to the north, where the four Radiants were still visible as tiny pinpoints of brightness, circling each other as if performing some intricate dance above the scene of battle. I wonder if we're winning over there, she thought as muffled thuds and booms continued to drift across the still evening air and the ground continued to shake under the violence of artillery shells. I wonder how many people are dying. She spent a moment in silent prayer for the brave men giving their lives in defence of their country, then turned her attention to the way ahead, where who knew what other threats and dangers waited for them.