Her Majesty The Prince

"Those townsfolk were a friendly bunch," Soixante-Douze said. "I'd quite like to come back here on leave for that cheese festival."

"Mm," Lou replied, pensively. "They let you have a lot of that?"

"Oh, just the same as anyone else. I haven't used mine in a while. Have to put on a stoic front, you know. Make a good impression."

"That only gets you so far," she said. She had experienced firsthand—twice, even—how pushing yourself as far as you could go and doing everything the way others expected you to could still end in heartbreak. Looking at her past lives now, every one had left her with regrets, despite her best efforts. Efforts that had only gotten her a slightly warmer pat on the back as she was pushed out the door. "You should find the things that make you happy while you can."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I am! I've made my share of friends among the guard so far. One of the maids comes around every few nights to play cards, too. They're a right menace!"

"Hrm. Careful with them, they play dirty."

"Is that so? Hasn't happened yet, but I'll stay on my guard, sir!"

Lou walked down the well-trod path leading to the town's fairgrounds. It had been about a year since she'd been out of the city, but at this point it felt like a lifetime ago. This wasn't even that far, considering; literally the first town out the gate, just a short trip east. Far enough from the capital to be its own settlement, large enough to have its own fairgrounds, busy enough to have it see use almost year-round. And this month, the Shepherd's Troupe was taking it over.

There were a number of traveling theater companies within the Crown's reach and protection. But the Shepherd's Troupe was special, a fact that slowly dawned on Lou as she approached the stage that had been set up on the field. This was not just a handful of people piling their lives into a wagon, this was practically a traveling village. It extended above and beyond the stage and the fairgrounds, stretching out to the edge of the nearby woods. A gigantic tent surrounded by smaller ones, all weathered and repaired to the point of being made up of more colorful patches than canvas. A settlement in and of itself that would probably be packed up and moving when the next month came around.

How would they fit everything into the wagons that Lou could see lined up here and scattered there? How would a group this large coordinate such a massive undertaking, just to make it to the next settlement on their list and repeat it all over again? Lou was determined to find out firsthand. She reached into the leather bag at her side, making sure Chiffon's introduction letter was still firmly inside it. Her ticket into this place, if everything went well. If not...

"Quite a sight, ain't it sir? I mean, uh, ma'am?" Soix said as they walked up alongside her, handling themself quite well considering their current state. A large cloak despite the heat, an overfull portmanteau in each hand, and a large square slab of tarps and ropes that played the part of the world's biggest knapsack. It was a wonder they were even moving, but the decorated member of the royal guard seemed to take it in stride. "Apologies, s—ma'am. I know you're going incognito here."

"You didn't have to put on that cloak, you know."

"Please, ma'am! A lone woman with a single royal guard escort, out by themselves? I'm to think of your safety, first and foremost. Wouldn't want to attract any undue attention with the ol' blue-and-gold."

"Mm. They are pretty colors."

"Royal tradition for a reason!"

Lou turned her attention to the dirt path down at her feet, feeling a faint twinge deep in her chest. "You also didn't have to carry my things this far. You're doing more than you're supposed to."

"Now ma'am, Sir Frederic briefed me for this. 'The captain will bear any burden, carry out any duty, fulfill any commitment to the end, if you let her.' I swore on my honor I wouldn't allow you to push yourself too hard."

"He... he said that?" Lou asked, slowing down a bit.

"He did. Several times. Besides, you're here to meet the theater folks, right? Wouldn't be proper to show up there all sweatin' and shoulder-hurting."

"Mm," Lou replied, absent-mindedly. Part of her was back at the gatehouse again.

The path took the two of them along the edge of the fairgrounds. They passed the stage, currently not in use as the Troupe had just settled in for their upcoming shows. That hadn't stopped some kids from using it as a makeshift playground for their own make-believe, boisterously yelling and posturing as a teenager stood by and watched, a bow at her side. Lou could tell she knew how to use it from the little telltale signs: how firmly she held the weapon, the way she wore her quiver, the number and weight of the arrows placed in it. She was training to be a hunter, and her teacher was someone of respectable skill.

Still, it warmed Lou's heart to see children enjoying themselves like this. She had originally thought the small group were from the town nearby, but it suddenly hit her that these were probably Shepherd's Troupe kids. The castle was a place for workers, not families, and so she had assumed every other place was the same. She idly wondered what else might be different as she and her escort made their way further down the path, toward the tents.

"Strange that the big tent is behind the stage instead of around it though, innit?" Soix wondered aloud. "You think they've got a separate one for that?" They waited a moment, leaving Lou the chance to reply, then continued. "If you don't mind my asking, ma'am, what will you do if this doesn't work out? I'm happy to take you to the next place on your list, even wait around a few days just to be sure. Sir Frederic was clear on this as well: I'm not to come back until you're safe and sound at your destination. Wherever that ends up being."

Soix waited another moment; a longer one this time, leaving Lou ample time to reply. But, silence. "Besides, with weather like this, we can contin—"

"There's no next place," Lou finally said. "No next step. This is it." The crushing, twisting feeling deep in her chest was back, in full force this time. She would meet whoever was in charge, hand them Chiffon's letter, make her case, and then... Then she would stay here, no matter what. She would sacrifice what she had to, peel away however much of herself to satisfy the demands of the person on the other side of the negotiation. Chiffon had stuck her neck out for her. She wouldn't let her down.

It was a technique that had worked for her before, this singular dedication to one outcome at the expense of all else, even herself. It was how she'd climbed the ranks, how she'd kept the Prince safe all these years. Whenever adversity came her way like a blade, she'd become the stone that blunted its edge, that broke off its tip, that ground the rest of it to dust.

But that had only worked back when she was the captain, the bodyguard, the Wolf of the White Woods. A living monument, impervious to harm. She was no longer made of stone, or even wood. Only once since, in the gatehouse, had she tried to use this technique, and it had cost her dearly. But she simply knew of no other tricks, and did not have the time to learn a new one. She had no other option but to grab the blade with both hands.

It was that or go somewhere else. She supposed she could go home, but what would await her there? A village that wouldn't recognize her? A landscape she'd have to spend years acclimating to all over again? She could pick another town, another city, but none of them stood out in her memory; none of them gave her hope of anything other than solitude and stagnation. No. Better to put her every effort into this place, a place that one of the few people she trusted had put her faith in. She had nothing else left to try.

Lou kept putting one foot in front of the other. Somewhere among those tents would be the person in charge. Her ticket into the Troupe, whatever that entailed. At the very least, it would be a good place to pass the time until—

Bark! Bark!

Both she and Soix turned to see a very shaggy brown sheepdog run up to them, barking excitedly as it wagged its tail.

"Hey there," Lou said, reaching out with a hand despite the size of the dog. "What are you—oh!" She stepped back as it bounced to and fro noisily, running around and between the two of them, the curly tip of its tail snagging briefly in the hem of Soix's cloak. The animal enthusiastically spurred Lou down the path, ignoring her companion.

"Friendly sort, innit?" Soix said, looking around. "Do you suppose it's one of the troupe's? I wasn't aware they kept a herd. Or maybe it's for protection?" They began to follow, only to be loudly rebuked by the dog. "Augh! Right!" they added, stepping back.

The animal turned around, undeterred, continuing its back-and-forth dance as it barked merrily after Lou. "This way?" she asked, smiling in spite of herself. "Okay, okay!" she added, hurrying along toward the cluster of large tents as it prompted her further. "I'm going, I'm going."

Soix, befuddled but unconcerned, stood still in the middle of the path that circled the fairgrounds and watched Lou go. "Ah... I'll wait here with your luggage then, ma'am?"

Lou half walked, half ran down the path, herded by the single-minded animal following closely behind her. The tents multiplied, some clustered on the open side of the path, while others were set up between and among the trees of the neighboring wood. People milled about, each attending to their own business. The tallest woman Lou had ever seen was rehearsing her lines by herself as she paced. A young adult was teaching one of the older children how to juggle. Two women were going through a mock fencing duel, instructed and corrected by a third. Off in the distance, a group of men were setting up some arcane set piece that Lou couldn't quite identify from this angle. And somewhere nearby, though she couldn't see it, someone was cooking up a meal that was already making her mouth water.

Before she knew it, Lou found herself at the entrance to the most patchwork tent of them all, built out from the open side of a wagon. A large swath of fabric was drawn open, letting the air and sunlight into the cozy interior. The fabric floor was littered with cushions and easels upon which all manner of sketches and books were displayed, sometimes on top of each other. A man looked up from his desk inside the wagon proper, scratching the closely shaved lower part of his scalp while the frizzy black curls spilling out the top half swayed as he turned to look.

"Who have you brought me today, Brie?" he asked with a hint of resignation, before raising his eyebrows at the sight of Lou. "Oh! I'm so sorry ma'am, he gets like that some... Adélaïde? Is that you?"

Lou froze in place. "Uhhh."

The man immediately sprang to his feet, toppling over a small pile of paper sheets from the side of his desk as he reached for his glasses and put them on. "By the gods above and below, look at you! You already looked the part before, but now... what kind of magic did they do to you? Incredible!" He leaned left and right, getting a closer look at her face. "The resemblance is unmistakable."

"I'm... uh..." Lou sputtered, torn between correcting this person immediately and wracking her brain to find out just why the name Adélaïde sounded so familiar.

He brightened up immensely, his eyes practically sparkling. "I'm so glad you could make it! Oh, when the first messenger failed to find you, I had lost hope! But now, now... Oh! Oh, we have to show Roy." He reached into one of the pockets of his well-worn jacket—the kind that would look more at home on a captain's shoulders out on the sea rather than in a tent on the edge of a bustling town—and took out a treat for the dog. "Good boy, Brie. Run along, now."

"Um, I'm not..." Lou said, watching the dog do another back-and-forth dance before it merrily ran off. "Listen, I don't think, uh..."

"Come, come!" the man said with rising excitement, clasping Lou's shoulders as he walked alongside her out and around the larger tent. "He's right over there. Oh, he will be so happy to meet you!"

Lou couldn't just shut this man down. He clearly looked important; perhaps in charge, even. She couldn't risk making him angry, or worse, lose face. How could she get out of this situation? All her usual responses were locked away, her hands tied. She never had been good with words. She'd always left that part to—

THOCK!

The sudden crack of an axe splitting a log jolted her right out of her spiraling. Behind the gigantic main tent, some logs had been brought and loosely stacked, which the man in front of her was busy turning into firewood. He paused as the two approached him, firmly lodging the axe into the stump in front of him with a single swing. He dug a rag out of his belt and wiped some of the sweat from his shaggy head of dark brown hair, flicking large swaths of it out of his face to get a better view of his visitors.

"Well I ain't coming back from that," he said with a smile. He put a foot up on the stump to lean on it with one arm, reaching up with his free hand to scratch his chin through his well-trimmed beard. "Alphonse, you plucked Her Majesty right outta last year."

The man's gravelly voice... no, his entire appearance was having an effect on Lou that she couldn't quite explain, and not just because she was able to place his accent immediately. Although she'd never met him, his presence felt strangely comforting. So many little details about the way he carried himself were things she remembered obsessing over so, so long ago. Her heart, already racing because of her current predicament, began to beat just a little faster.

"Roy, this is the woman I was telling you about," Alphonse said, grandiosely gesturing toward Lou. His choice of words sent her into even more of an emotional whirlwind, as if two very different parts of herself were suddenly fighting for dominance.

"Serious? Well nice to meet ya, lil' lady," Roy said, extending a hand that might as well have been made of boiled leather.

Lou stared for a moment, completely flustered. She reached back with some hesitation, losing sight of her own hand in the powerful handshake. Too much was happening at once.

"She worked with us years ago before being recruited by the royal guard to become one of the Prince's body doubles, back in the princess days. I was sad to lose her back then, but now... isn't she perfect?" Alphonse clasped her shoulders with the same enthusiasm as when he'd led her by the hand earlier. "Come! Introduce yourself, go ahead," he added, stepping aside.

Of course. That's why the name Adélaïde sounded so familiar; she was one of the royal decoys. The two of them had worked alongside each other on and off for years at the castle, in addition to that chance meeting the day they all went to the gatehouse together. Why had Lou never asked for more details about her acting past? Maybe she should have been a bit more interested in chit-chat, back then. But like so many other things, it was far too late for that now. What was she going to do? All she could think of was her original plan, such as it was.

Lou shook like a leaf. Soix had been right; if she had showed up here carrying all her luggage, Lou would've fainted from the heat, both outside and inside. She was thankful to have dressed lightly today. She fumbled through the contents of her leather bag, pulling out Chiffon's letter and holding it out in front of her. "It's... it's an honor to meet you. I'm... Lou," she said, staring at the ground.

Alphonse took the letter and opened it, maintaining eye contact with Roy the entire time. "Addy here was one of our brightest performers! You wouldn't know it from looking at her, but she was the oldest of... I'm sorry, did you say Lou?" He glanced at her, then started actually reading the letter. "A recommendation from Rita? But that doesn't—"

He looked back at Lou. "You are not Adélaïde."

Lou shook her head nervously.

Roy's smile grew as he watched the scene unfold. "Well, enchanted just the same, lil' lady. I'm Roy, one of the actors here. Alphonse there is our playwright."

Lou nodded. Just as nervously.

Alphonse read the letter once, twice; looking back at Lou periodically. Scratching the back of his head.

Roy reached over to give Lou a surprisingly gentle pat on the shoulder. "Now now, no need to be all stressed. We don't bite. 'Sides, it's a beautiful day!" He wiped his brow again. "Bit warm though, ain't it?"

Lou nodded, a little less nervously this time. Emotions aside, the heat was getting to her a little.

Roy tilted his head, his smile gaining just the tiniest bit of slyness. "Spring child?"

Lou's eyes went wide. "Yeah! How'd you know?"

He let out a loud belly laugh. "Knew it from the first word! Well, not the spring part. Though I get ya, I'm a spring child too. Almost guessed winter, frankly."

"That's my parents! Both born in the winter."

"Serious? Must not've been evident to deal with 'em in the summertime. Beaver Lake?"

Lou bounced in place. "South shore!" she said loudly, smiling in spite of herself.

"Well I sure ain't coming back from that! North!"

Alphonse had long since finished the letter, but at this point was clearly not interested in interrupting the lively conversation between Lou and Roy that had quickly devolved into local dialect.

"Bin sa pa'd'bon sens! Ch'pense j'ai sacré l'camp 'ien qu'après 'a souanté-seiz'ième. Ch'tais pu capab'."

"Crisse, souante-kinze icitte! Sti'd'tabouère on sé juss' raté d'un pouel. Mé ch'tais pu capab' moi itou là, une aut' pi j'en câlissè une à ke'qu'un. Faqu'à m'men'né j'ai pri' une chance, m'sui' sacré de'd'là, pi kin! Un an pi disse bataîlles plu' tar ch't'è au châto."

"Bin sa parl' au y'abl'."

"Ostie, pi là là—" Lou began, then stopped. She turned to Alphonse, suddenly and horribly self-conscious of the last few minutes. "I'm... I'm so sorry, I..."

"No, no, no apologies necessary," Alphonse said with a smile as he walked up to the two of them, clasping both of them on the shoulder. He gave Roy a knowing nod, then turned to Lou. "Tell me, I am assuming you were also one of the Prince's, ah—"

"Bodyguard," Lou answered. "Yes."

"Good, good. So you got to know the Prince, then? Before the coronation?"

Lou winced. She nodded carefully.

Alphonse's smile grew into a grin. "Wonderful! Then, that means you spent some time with the former guard captain, Le Loup?" He gestured above his heart, then below, closing his eyes in a brief moment of respect.

Lou took a deep breath. "Many years. Yes."

"Then I have just one more question," Alphonse said, the sparkle returning to his eyes. "Tell me Lou, have you ever done any acting?"

Lou knew this was an important question; she'd been expecting it, in fact. Her time with the Prince had taught her that in circumstances like these, when someone asked you a question there was a right answer, and a truthful answer. The trick was figuring out which one they wanted to hear.

Lou needed this to work. She owed it to Chiffon to give it her best shot. So she gave the right answer.

"I've been acting my whole life."

And somehow, as it left her mouth, it felt true.

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