The Horse in the Prince's Stables

Chp. 13

she made the banner on the side :)

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                                                                                       =13=

=Henry=

          It had taken some time, but Henry had learned how to walk fairly smoothly with  a single crutch, and was able to hobble around the castle without assistance. Almost three weeks had passed since the prince's kidnapping, and nobody seemed closer to discovering who was responsible. Obviously the kidnappers were no mere horse thieves, which baffled the king and his men the most.

          Had stealing the horses just been a ruse to get to the prince? Or were they actually horse thieves whom prince Philip and his companions had come across by chance? Was there somebody else in charge of this? And if so, who?

          Too many questions bombarded Henry's mind as he wandered aimlessly through the castle corridors. The snippets of the conversation he heard when first waking up haunted him endlessly. If he heard right, then somebody wanted to start a war. He strained at his memory, wondering what the missing pieces from that conversation were. 

          "...can't be found."

          What can't be found? Or possibly, who can't be found?

          Henry sighed in exasperation as familiar feelings of defeat began to overwhelm him. With a sigh, he sat down on a wooden bench which sat in front of one of the many large windows of that hall. Propping his crutch on one knee, he peered through the glass at the courtyard. 

          The servants and stablehands were working dutifully at their chores, sometimes crossing the stone courtyard to get to their destinations. If one hadn't known any better, the tension and worry passed between the gazes of the servants would go unnoticed. Henry of course knew better. 

          One particular servant stood out from the rest, however. She was an older woman, stooping slightly with age. Her appearance seemed more haggard and worn than the rest. Constantly, the woman would gaze hopefully at the palace gates, as if expecting someone important would be striding through them any moment. She also lingered near the stables, seemingly refusing to leave them for very long.

          Curiosity peaked in Henry as he watched her. Grunting, he stood up and began to make his way slowly down to the courtyard.

          The air felt hot and dry, and there was no cooling breeze wafting by. Stepping out of the shade of the castle halls and out into the sun-filled courtyard was uncomfortable. A few drops of sweat appeared on Henry's brow, and absentmindedly he brushed them away. The soft tapping of wood on stone earned him a few looks from some of the servants, but he ignored them. There was only one servant he wanted to talk to.

          She turned to him once she realized that Henry was approaching. Nodding in greeting, she tried to slip by without being stopped. Since he held a higher position than she did, he had the power to command her, as long as it did not conflict with an order from someone higher than himself. Henry never liked to exercise this power however, since he believed the other servants to be his equals. After all, they all served the royal family.

          Answers were needed however. And if this woman knew something, then he would get it out of her.

          "Stop," Henry said simply.