Saorice Dillon and the Dudlows sat down at the kitchen table, Broden stood outside keeping gaurd. Sara had given Broden some bread and cider to consume. It felt like she hadn’t left the Dudlow’s home. Sometimes she felt like it would be better to be a commoner, have less worries except keeping food on the table, not running the kingdom, but she also knew she had a responsibility to these people who took care of her. Not just the Dudlow’s but everyone in her kingdom even Barnab. If she shirked the responsibility then who would rule in her place, A council that has an evil man in it? No she couldn’t do that to people, she had a job to do and her selfish needs are not part of it.
Master Dudlow wiped sweat of his brow. “I thought I was a goner, had no idea what these people were up to. I open the door first thing in the morning and what do I see? A bunch of knives bristling at me, I nearly wet my pants. The hauled me back into the house, tied up the missus, thank goodness they weren’t so rough with my darling. I offered them all the coppers I had and food. They had no interest, Then they started going on about the queen as if they expected she would be coming to visit us. I don’t think I had ever done anything in my life to draw the queens attention, why would she even want to visit this dreary old farm. I thought they were messed up in there heads, even told them so. Got a smack in my lip for saying so. Then they took me down to the brook and tied me to the tree. Wasn’t much longer before you all showed up. I confess when I saw those arrows go into some of those men a began to fear for my life even more. I thought I’d be stuck with one in my chest. I just wished I knew what was going on.”
Sara laid a gentle hand on Master Dudlow’s hand. “No need to concern yourself with it anymore, were both safe.”
“Like hell I won’t concern myself. Our lives were in Danger. If I could I’d walk up to the queen and ask why some ruffians thought we were mixed up in the queens affair.”
Saorice felt bad for Master Dudlow and Sara. It was her fault that their privacy was invaded and had there lives threatened. He was a kindly man and though Sara was trying to protect her my not revealing her secret to her own husband she just couldn’t let Master Dudlow keep on being confused about the situation that had happened to him and his wife. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”
Sara reached out to her “Beth, you don’t have to—”
“But I do.”
Master Dudlow shifted in his chair. “What are you talking about girl? It’s not like you are our queen.”
“I’m sorry Master Dudlow, but I am the queen.”
Master Dudlow looked a her with a screwed expression, he then looked at Beth and Dillon who looked at him very seriously. Master Dudlow slapped his knee and began t laugh. “Thats
A good one Beth, sure your the queen.” He held his belly that had been rolling with each breath of laughter. “The queen, could you Imagine if you were the real queen. That would mean I had been treating the queen like a normal commoner, asking her to work as if she were a peasant. Could you just see it Queen Saorice watering the likes of Mire and the twins and exposing her probably to some plain talk. Not to mention seeing me drunk. Thanks Beth you’ve cheered this man up.”
Sara got up and moved behind Master Dudlow. She held his shoulders and leaned into his ear and whispered. His eyes became wide and he flushed. Looking at Saorice he quickly jumped out of his chair, nearly tripping over it. He knocked down the chair and was about to pick it up then he looked at Saorice and bowed instead. “I-I’m sorry your majesty I meant no disrespect towards you, I just thought you were a regular girl, if I had known I—”
Saorice shook her head. “If you had known you would have treated me differently and others would have taken notice. I’m glad you took me as a common girl and I don’t want you to treat me diffrently, even now.”
