Hunted Queen

Chapter Seventeen • A Royal Commotion

-William-

He made his way towards his father's tent through the ocean of men around him. Ever since Jade's arrival, and now the messenger's, the camp was a mess. Every man had stopped with what they were doing to see what was going on. Some were acing like the people in his court; gossiping while others were even dawdling. He shouted at two soldiers who were standing around and just doing nothing to either go home or make themselves useful. They instantly apologized, some even followed them in fright of being singled out as lazy as well. 

Was this a sign that his men were easily distracted and lacking in moral? No. These were the same men who had fought for his father the year before and others before that. Was the men's behavior a testament to William's leadership then? He had never seen his father's men, now his , act like this. It concerned him deeply and he knew he needed to make sure this would not be the norm in his camp and during his reign. Distracted men did not make for good soldiers - or kings. The thought triggered his memory and he remembered the reason to why there even was a commotion; Jade. He had never seen his men act like this before because a queen had never come to the camp, mere days before the battle. His men were in as much of a daze as he was because of her visit. And as much as he wanted to be happy about seeing her, a side of him wished she had stayed in the castle - for her own safety. It was the risk of her getting hurt that had him so distraught. 

Something is bound to go wrong. He thought and suppressed the urge to rub his face in frustration. He could not let it show how bewildered and frustrated he was. The messenger might not be threat alone, but his presence can most definitely pose a threat to the outcome of the war and Jade. He thought. What if it is all a trick? What if Jade was followed here and the messenger is a ruse so- 

"Fuck!" He hissed quietly when his spiraling thoughts caught the best of him. He forced them away and focused on the most urgent problem; why were there not one, but two, of his uncle's men in his camp? The scout was because of Robert, but the messenger? What message could he possibly be bringing? It made no sense because his uncle was not open for diplomatic discussions - which he had made very clear when William and his father had sent numeral messengers of their own before the war had come to what it was now. They had been sent back, not even having  reached the King. He had not even met with them. Not even given them the chance to speak to him. So why was his messenger here now? 

William tried to assure himself that Jade was safe with the men he had placed outside his tent as his thoughts sent him spiraling even more. It proved harder than he would have preferred. Beside the fact that Jade was cross with him for leaving her in his tent, he was sure that something was wrong with her as well as this whole damned situation. It didn't matter how much she tried to convince him otherwise. Something was wrong, or different... or maybe both? The more he thought about it, the more William knew he had done the right thing in ordering the messenger to be shackled. 

He threw a look over his shoulder back at the tent, well actually it had been one of many looks. He'd done it so many times that it almost felt like he was walking backwards. His tent was barely visible among the oceans of tents now, but still he felt an suffocating need to look back. Is she different? He wondered out of nowhere. He could not know for sure what caused him to suspect this, but it was clear that whatever it was; he was about to find out. 

There is something different about her. She would not come all this way just because she can, she knows better than that. He thought. Loren definitely knows better than to bring her here if it is not urgent. But why is Liz with them? 

Hell! William could not even fathom that Elizabeth was in the camp as well! Loren, yes of course because he went were Jade went, but Liz? No. How had Jade convinced both of them to leave the castle? William felt how his face distorted itself slightly as more questions popped into his mind, one after the other.