Chapter 72
RYKER’S P.O.V
We spent the next two days preparing for a potential attack. The guards were prepped and ready and border patrol was tightened. We knew that Frederick was within the borders but if he had an army, there was no way they were going to cross our territory. I wasn’t worried as worried about the war as I should have been because most of my energy was spent worrying about Camilla.
Ever since our last conversation about Frederick, I noticed that she has been more sympathetic to his plight. Her kindness was one of the things I loved most about her but Camilla needed to learn that it was not needed in every situation. She was under the delusion that Frederick would change his mind but I had fought enough wars and seen enough of them to know that Frederick was not going to stop until he got what he needed and he was going to damn everyone else to do so.
At the end of the two days, the tension in the palace could be felt. Not everyone knew the situation but everyone knew that something terrible was going to happen. Even Aurora was extra frolicky and I could see that Camilla was at her wits end trying to navigate everything which was why I took the child from her and handed her over to Christine who was more than happy to have an excuse to stay away from her duties.
“What if he was just bluffing and he isn’t going to attack?” Camilla asked as we were walking out of a meeting with the head generals. “If he was going to, don’t you think he would have by now?”
“It is a battle strategy,” I tried to explain it as calmly as possible. “He wants to keep us on edge and make us wait because he thinks it will make us sloppy,”
It was clear she didn’t like my response because she frowned. “Do you really think that he is incapable of change?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking. Power can be a dangerous thing, Camilla, you have not seen what the want for power had done to people and to families.”
She sighed and dropped the conversation even though it was clear she didn’t
want to. We went off with the rest of the day in silence and I could feel a visible distance between us over it. I hated it but there was nothing I could do about it. I knew better than anyone else how stubborn Camilla
could be when she wanted to and I knew that unless she saw with her own eyes that Frederick wasn’t going to change then she would continue to believe in him.
It also didn’t help that Frederick didn’t attack. Camilla was relieved thinking that it was a testament to her faith in him but I knew otherwise. That threat wasn’t a mere threat, he had every intention to attack and I knew that he must have done something that was small enough that it went unnoticed but I knew that we would see the repercussions soon.
While Camilla went for dinner with the children, I managed to hold a very quick discussion with the generals. I could tell that even they were confused at the absence of an attack.
“I am going to make this as quick as possible,” I said as soon as I walked into the council room. “Send out some of your best men to make sure that everything is fine in the pack. I don’t believe that Frederick had a change of heart and decided to stand down. Make sure that everything is where it should be and that tomorrow will not bring in a new wave of problems.”
There was a chorus of “Yes, your majesty,” and I waited until they had all left before I allowed my hands run down my face in frustration. The worst part about all of this was not knowing. It was scarier than it should have been because I was not just worried about myself, I was worried for my family. Unless I was certain that what he did would not affect my family in any way, I knew I would not be able to get some rest.
I didn’t need to wait long to know because the next morning, Camilla and I were woken up by frantic knocking on the door. It wasn’t even six a.m. yes but we dressed and rushed out of the room. No one would tell us exactly what was wrong but we were ushered into a carriage and taken into the town. I could feel Camilla’s confusion mixing with mine whenever she glanced at me but I couldn’t say anything because even I didn’t have the words.
The sky was a beautiful orange and on a normal day, I would have enjoyed the view with Camilla but something told me that my day was not going to be normal. There was tension and anxiety in the air and the further into town we were taken, the more worried I got.
The ride took over half an hour and we were led into a part of town I had never been to before. It was quaint and I was shocked that there were not more people roaming around. I would have expected to see people going about their day but the town was all but deserted. Some guards were
waiting there in front of what looked like a small stream. Everything
looked fine at surface level but I could feel the unease in the air.
“What happened here?” I asked because Camilla was having a hard time speaking.
The guards led us into a house where a woman who looked to be in her sixties was lying on the bed. Her skin was pale and sickly and if I didn’t know better, I would have said she was already dead but her chest rose and fell every few seconds.
“A few of the villagers started to display these symptoms,” one of the guards explained.
“It started last night and we found out that someone had poisoned the water. We described Frederick to them and this woman recalled seeing him around their village in the early hours of yesterday morning.”
Camilla took a step back and I could see the disbelief coloring her face. I felt bad that her hope had been dashed but I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder in an attempt to remind her to gather herself because we were in public and the last thing these people needed was for them to think she was on the side of the man who was causing them so much pain. She thankfully got the hint and warped her expression into something unreadable.
I turned to the guard. “Take us to the stream.”
We were led out of the house and towards the stream. It looked normal on sight and if I hadn’t been informed that it was poisoned, I would not have guessed. I could not imagine how many people had drank from it between yesterday and today. It was obvious that it was their primary
water source.
“Take a sample to the palace physician so he can figure out what kind of poison was used and if he can come up with an antidote,” I instructed. “We have already done that, your majesty.”
“In the meantime, test the other water sources in the pack. Test the dams and the streams and make sure that this is the only place he hit. We will have the doctors here as soon as they can to ensure that these people get the best treatment that money can buy.”
The guards nodded and went to do as instructed. I watched them all leave and I grabbed Camilla’s hand and led her into the carriage. She hadn’t spoken at all and I was beginning to worry for her. I could have pushed and ensured that she spoke but I knew that wouldn’t help matters
at all so I waited.
It was ten minutes into the ride that she finally lifted her head. “What happens now? Do those people die?”
“Let’s hope not. The doctors will do their work and we will do ours by making sure that Frederick is found and brought to justice.”
“I didn’t think he would do something like this,” she admitted. “Is ́ it wrong that I still feel like he is redeemable?”
I sighed and grabbed her shoulders so she was facing me. “Forget about Frederick and think about the people. They put their faith in you, you are their Queen. Whatever you do has to be in their interest and if that means getting rid of Frederick then you have to do it. It doesn’t matter if he is redeemable or not.”
It was clear that she wanted to argue but she knew I was right so instead, she changed the subject. “How was he able to move around long enough to get to that town? There are guards crawling everyone and searching for him. Don’t you find it suspicious?”
“I do but I think I know the answer,” I leaned back. “Frederick has allies in the pack and we need to find out who they are or there is no telling what he will do next.”
